Detecting language using up to the first 30 seconds. Use `--language` to specify the language Detected language: English [00:00.000 --> 00:02.640] they need to build a future of unlimited possibilities. [00:15.800 --> 00:19.200] Good evening and welcome. I'm Amna Nawaz. Judy Woodruff is away on the [00:19.200 --> 00:23.680] NewsHour tonight. A verdict. A jury orders conspiracy theorist Alex [00:23.680 --> 00:28.520] Jones to pay the families of the Sandy Hook Massacre nearly $1 billion in [00:28.520 --> 00:33.460] damages. Then the Saudi connection. The United States reevaluates its [00:33.460 --> 00:37.580] relationship with the kingdom over a cut in oil production that's pushing [00:37.580 --> 00:43.280] up gas prices and first time voters. Young adults in Wisconsin discussed [00:43.280 --> 00:47.240] their hopes for the country's future and whether politicians are listening to [00:47.240 --> 00:50.760] their concerns. I've been very politically engaged throughout high [00:50.760 --> 00:54.160] school and I'm excited to get my foot in the door and actually have a voice in [00:54.160 --> 00:58.080] my government. All that and more on tonight's PBS NewsHour. [00:58.080 --> 01:12.680] Major funding for the PBS NewsHour has been provided by. [01:28.080 --> 01:42.800] Moving our economy for 160 years. BNSF, the engine that connects us. [01:44.480 --> 01:51.140] Pediatric surgeon, volunteer, topiary artist, a Raymond James financial [01:51.140 --> 01:57.760] advisor. Taylor's advice to help you live your life. Life well planned. [02:03.480 --> 02:07.920] The Walton Family Foundation, working for solutions to protect water during [02:07.920 --> 02:11.480] climate change so people and major can thrive together. [02:14.480 --> 02:19.040] Supported by the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, committed to [02:19.040 --> 02:23.360] building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. More information at [02:23.360 --> 02:36.080] MacFound.org and with the ongoing support of these institutions. [02:36.080 --> 02:40.400] This program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and [02:40.400 --> 02:50.080] by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. Thank you. A jury in [02:50.080 --> 02:54.400] Connecticut has ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay nearly 1 [02:54.400 --> 02:59.080] billion dollars in damages for defamation. The host of the info war show [02:59.080 --> 03:04.400] had claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook School massacre was a hoax. Relatives of eight of [03:04.400 --> 03:09.680] the 26 victims and an FBI agent brought the suit. They said today's verdict is a [03:09.680 --> 03:16.160] hard-fought victory. All I can really say is that I'm just proud that what we [03:16.160 --> 03:20.360] were able to accomplish was just to simply tell the truth. And it shouldn't [03:20.360 --> 03:27.280] be this hard and it shouldn't be this scary. I shouldn't have to worry about [03:27.280 --> 03:31.560] what my daughters are gonna go through when I tell them that it's best if they [03:31.560 --> 03:37.000] just tell the truth. Jones already faced a 50 million dollar penalty that a Texas [03:37.000 --> 03:41.840] jury imposed in August. We'll return to this story later in the program. A jury [03:41.840 --> 03:45.600] in South Florida has begun deliberating on whether Parkland school shooter [03:45.600 --> 03:49.960] Nicholas Cruz will be sentenced to death. Cruz already pleaded guilty to killing [03:49.960 --> 03:55.360] 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. He's now 24 years [03:55.360 --> 04:01.120] old. The defense is asking for life in prison without parole. In Ukraine, seven [04:01.120 --> 04:05.720] more people were killed today as Russia fired more missiles, drones, and artillery [04:05.720 --> 04:10.840] rounds into major cities. In all, the new Russian offensive has killed at least 26 [04:10.840 --> 04:15.320] people since Monday. The latest attacks came as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd [04:15.320 --> 04:20.160] Austin and other NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on bolstering Ukraine's [04:20.160 --> 04:25.200] weapons supply. And that resolve has only been heightened by the deliberate [04:25.200 --> 04:33.240] cruelty of Russia's new barrage against Ukraine's cities. Those assaults on [04:33.240 --> 04:40.040] targets with no military purpose again reveal the malice of Putin's war of [04:40.040 --> 04:44.880] choice. Russian fire also knocked out power to the Zaporizhia nuclear plant [04:44.880 --> 04:49.840] for the second time in five days. And at the United Nations, the General Assembly [04:49.840 --> 04:55.600] voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia's attempt to annex more of Ukraine. Russian [04:55.600 --> 04:59.920] President Vladimir Putin says Moscow is set to resume natural gas deliveries to [04:59.920 --> 05:04.080] Europe. He said today that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany could still [05:04.080 --> 05:08.480] be used despite being damaged by explosions last month. Germany quickly [05:08.480 --> 05:12.840] rejected the offer as another attempt to renew Europe's dependence on Russian [05:12.840 --> 05:18.240] energy. New protests swept Iran today despite heavy police presence and an [05:18.240 --> 05:22.320] internet outage that hindered communications. Demonstrators rallied in [05:22.320 --> 05:27.340] at least 19 cities over the death of Massa Amini in police custody. Women [05:27.340 --> 05:31.320] marched in the streets, defiantly removing their mandatory hijabs. In [05:31.320 --> 05:36.880] Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei blamed foreign elements for the unrest. [05:36.880 --> 05:42.680] Some are either agents of the enemy or they are aligned with the enemy. [05:42.680 --> 05:47.080] Others are just excited. The first group must be dealt with by judicial and [05:47.080 --> 05:51.640] national security officials. The regime has carried out a violent crackdown on [05:51.640 --> 05:56.040] the protests. One human rights group estimated today that at least 200 people [05:56.040 --> 06:00.480] have been killed. Back in this country, the former head of the Los Angeles City [06:00.480 --> 06:04.680] Council has resigned her council seat over racist remarks that were leaked. [06:04.680 --> 06:09.000] Nouri Martinez had already stepped down from her post as council president. On [06:09.000 --> 06:12.720] the leaked recording, Martinez and two other council members talked about [06:12.720 --> 06:17.440] protecting Latino voting power and made abusive remarks about other groups. The [06:17.440 --> 06:20.960] California Attorney General has announced he will look into the process for [06:20.960 --> 06:25.440] drawing new council districts. Former President Trump was ordered today to [06:25.440 --> 06:29.560] give a deposition in a defamation lawsuit. A federal judge issued the order [06:29.560 --> 06:34.360] in New York. Advice columnist E. Jean Carroll says Mr. Trump defamed her when [06:34.360 --> 06:39.200] he denied raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid 1990s. The [06:39.200 --> 06:43.000] former president's legal team has repeatedly tried to quash the lawsuit. [06:43.000 --> 06:48.680] The CDC today approved updated COVID-19 booster shots for children as young as [06:48.680 --> 06:53.080] five years old. The latest Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are tailored to better [06:53.080 --> 06:58.560] provide protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant. CDC approval [06:58.560 --> 07:03.120] came hours after the FDA authorized the boosters for the younger age group. And [07:03.120 --> 07:07.640] on Wall Street today, stocks ended slightly lower after news that wholesale [07:07.640 --> 07:12.400] inflation rose eight and a half percent in September from a year earlier. The Dow [07:12.400 --> 07:18.560] Jones Industrial Average lost 28 points to close at 29,210. The NASDAQ fell nine [07:18.560 --> 07:24.360] points and the S&P 500 slipped 11. Still to come on the NewsHour. President [07:24.360 --> 07:29.640] Biden's student loan forgiveness plan faces legal challenges. Reporters across [07:29.640 --> 07:33.720] the country share the latest on the races that could decide control of [07:33.720 --> 07:37.240] Congress, plus much more. [07:39.040 --> 07:44.400] This is the PBS NewsHour from WETA Studios in Washington and in the West [07:44.400 --> 07:48.960] from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. [07:48.960 --> 07:54.000] As we reported, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been ordered to pay nearly [07:54.000 --> 07:59.480] one billion dollars, 965 million to be exact, for the lies he spread about the [07:59.480 --> 08:04.200] Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012. Jones had falsely claimed the [08:04.200 --> 08:08.960] attack that left more than two dozen people dead, including 20 children, was a [08:08.960 --> 08:13.280] hoax and accused a grieving parent of being an actor in the days after the [08:13.280 --> 08:18.000] murders. A Texas jury awarded nearly 50 million dollars in a separate damages [08:18.000 --> 08:22.840] trial this summer and Jones likely faces yet another trial before the year is up. [08:22.840 --> 08:27.360] For some perspective on the scope of this award and what happens now, we turn [08:27.360 --> 08:32.120] to Jesse Gessen. He's a trial lawyer in California who works on both civil [08:32.120 --> 08:36.720] and criminal cases. Mr. Gessen, welcome to the NewsHour. Thank you for joining us. [08:36.720 --> 08:41.480] Let's just start with some context on this verdict. It is an enormous amount of [08:41.480 --> 08:47.000] money. What did you think when you heard the damages being awarded? Wow, quite [08:47.000 --> 08:52.720] frankly it's probably one of the largest defamation verdicts in US history. Also [08:52.720 --> 08:57.880] it's compensatory, meaning that there's still going to be punitive damages which [08:57.880 --> 09:05.040] could be up to ten times as much under the US United States Constitution. So [09:05.040 --> 09:12.320] we're gonna see probably this verdict at least, I would say at least double or [09:12.320 --> 09:16.080] triple or maybe even up to ten times more. For anyone following the trial, I [09:16.080 --> 09:20.240] mean it was an incredibly emotional trial, emotional testimony from the [09:20.240 --> 09:24.360] parents who've lost their children in the most horrific way. Does that, do you [09:24.360 --> 09:27.800] think, did that play a role in the size of the verdict that was eventually [09:27.800 --> 09:37.480] awarded? Assuredly. This verdict says two things. Number one, it says we [09:37.480 --> 09:44.960] hate Alex Jones and number two, that we are inflamed and we feel that these [09:44.960 --> 09:49.960] parents have lost something very very very special to them and we're going to [09:49.960 --> 09:55.120] do our best to give it back to them with our verdict. We should point out earlier [09:55.120 --> 09:59.880] this year, Infowars and its parent company did file for bankruptcy [09:59.880 --> 10:04.520] protections. What kind of impact could that have on the amount that's actually [10:04.520 --> 10:12.760] paid out? Well the verdict is against Alex Jones and the [10:12.760 --> 10:16.360] company and so Alex Jones may end up filing for bankruptcy protection as [10:16.360 --> 10:28.560] well. His estimated net worth is anywhere between $135 to $270 [10:28.560 --> 10:33.400] million so he may declare bankruptcy as well, but it is certainly [10:33.400 --> 10:37.240] possible that this verdict and the Texas verdict could be swept up into the [10:37.240 --> 10:43.880] bankruptcy and significantly decreased under US bankruptcy law. You mentioned [10:43.880 --> 10:47.240] that Texas verdict and I want I want to get your analysis on the difference you [10:47.240 --> 10:50.960] see between that Texas verdict that was around 50 million dollars and was [10:50.960 --> 10:55.760] eventually knocked down because of state limits on those kinds of awards and and [10:55.760 --> 10:59.160] the damages we saw awarded today. How do you see the difference between what [10:59.160 --> 11:05.120] unfolded in Texas and what happened in Connecticut? It's hard not to draw the [11:05.120 --> 11:10.920] inference that the two different jury pools are somewhat [11:10.920 --> 11:16.440] politically motivated. The compensatory damages in the Texas verdict was four [11:16.440 --> 11:20.800] million dollars. The compensatory damages in the Connecticut verdict is nine [11:20.800 --> 11:26.720] hundred and sixty five million dollars. That's a nine hundred and sixty one [11:26.720 --> 11:31.600] million dollar difference in compensatory damages. We still have to [11:31.600 --> 11:37.560] see punitive damages in Connecticut so that the difference could be even far [11:37.560 --> 11:44.580] more striking. I think it's safe to say that the Connecticut verdict is a far [11:44.580 --> 11:51.080] liberal more liberal jury pool and that had to have factored into into their [11:51.080 --> 11:54.960] verdict. We should also point out we learned later today that Jones's lawyer [11:54.960 --> 12:00.640] has said they do plan to appeal but Mr. Gessen we should remind folks Mr. Jones [12:00.640 --> 12:06.240] was spreading these lies for years right saying that the whole attack was a hoax [12:06.240 --> 12:09.960] that in some cases parents were responsible for the deaths of their own [12:09.960 --> 12:14.480] children. He's not alone in spreading some of these lies though and I wonder as [12:14.480 --> 12:18.160] you look at this moment what you think this verdict says in the way of a [12:18.160 --> 12:22.560] message it sends about the legal landscape surrounding how holding those [12:22.560 --> 12:32.560] who spread misinformation accountable in some way. Well if you're profiting off of [12:32.560 --> 12:38.320] conspiracy theories that are defamatory that are obviously false you need to [12:38.320 --> 12:46.320] watch yourself and a litigant can prosper clearly prosper in two very [12:46.320 --> 12:51.600] separate forums and and I think that it sends a strong message to people that [12:51.600 --> 12:59.520] are making money on lies and especially given that this isn't the end there's a [12:59.520 --> 13:04.680] we have the punitive damages verdict and then we also have a third Sandy [13:04.680 --> 13:10.720] Hook lawsuit. So I think that it sends a strong message to people who are in the [13:10.720 --> 13:16.320] business of peddling conspiracies. That is Jesse Gessen a trial attorney in [13:16.320 --> 13:21.660] California joining us tonight. Mr. Gessen thank you for your time. Thank you for [13:21.660 --> 13:33.760] having me. [13:33.760 --> 13:38.760] Well relations between the White House and Saudi Arabia's ruling royal family [13:38.760 --> 13:43.440] are at a low point and may be set to dive even lower from President Biden's [13:43.440 --> 13:47.640] fighting words on the campaign trail to recent Saudi-led cuts in global oil [13:47.640 --> 13:52.680] supplies. The status of the more than 75 year old alliance is troubled and many [13:52.680 --> 13:57.160] in the administration and on Capitol Hill want to reset. Nick Schifrin begins [13:57.160 --> 14:02.720] our coverage. One of the most colorful visits to the presidential cruiser was [14:02.720 --> 14:07.040] that of the ruler of Saudi Arabia. America's longest relationship with an [14:07.040 --> 14:12.440] Arab state began 77 years ago. Four-time elected US President Franklin Roosevelt [14:12.440 --> 14:17.400] and Ibn Saud the warrior monarch backed by a fanatical clergy created a [14:17.400 --> 14:22.800] fundamental agreement American security in exchange for Saudi energy. But today [14:22.800 --> 14:26.800] that agreement must be re-examined. President Biden told CNN's Jake Tapper [14:26.800 --> 14:30.360] last night. There's gonna be some consequences for what they've done with [14:30.360 --> 14:35.440] Russia. What the Saudis did with fellow OPEC leader Russia is the largest oil [14:35.440 --> 14:40.000] production cut in more than two years over US warnings. It was announced by [14:40.000 --> 14:45.680] OPEC Secretary General Haitham al-Ghaïs. We are not endangering the energy [14:45.680 --> 14:50.240] markets. We are providing security, stability to the energy markets. [14:50.240 --> 14:59.360] Everything has a price. Including the US-Saudi relationship. In the 1970s Saudi [14:59.360 --> 15:04.160] Arabia helped lead an oil embargo over US support for Israel. You have declared a [15:04.160 --> 15:10.360] jihad against the United States. Can you tell us why? The kingdom claims it fights [15:10.360 --> 15:14.960] the fires of radicalism but critics call it the arsonist. The Saudi Osama bin [15:14.960 --> 15:21.080] Laden sparked global attacks against the West and its Arab allies. 15 of 9-11 [15:21.080 --> 15:26.120] hijackers were Saudi. And decades of criticism of Saudi Arabia's poor human [15:26.120 --> 15:30.880] rights record crescendoed in 2018 after journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into [15:30.880 --> 15:35.360] the Saudi Istanbul's consulate, was murdered and cut into pieces. The US [15:35.360 --> 15:39.080] intelligence community assessed the operation was approved by the kingdom's [15:39.080 --> 15:43.720] powerful crown prince and future king Mohammed bin Salman. The following year [15:43.720 --> 15:48.080] candidate Joe Biden promised punishment. We were going to in fact make them pay [15:48.080 --> 15:53.120] the price and make them in fact the pariah that they are. But that proved to [15:53.120 --> 15:57.360] be a speed bump that preceded this year's fist bump. President Biden and his [15:57.360 --> 16:01.520] team worked with MBS in acknowledgement the kingdom has helped the US for [16:01.520 --> 16:07.280] decades across continents. In the late 70s Saudi Arabia provided crucial support [16:07.280 --> 16:11.680] for the Afghan Mujahideen to defeat the Soviet military and help collapse the [16:11.680 --> 16:17.560] Soviet Union. In the early 90s Saudi Arabia invited the largest US overseas [16:17.560 --> 16:23.160] deployment in decades. US troops used the kingdom as a base to fight the Gulf War. [16:23.160 --> 16:28.040] After 9-11 the Bush administration held on to the alliance to cooperate on [16:28.040 --> 16:34.560] terrorism and target al-Qaeda. And in 2017 President Trump made Saudi Arabia [16:34.560 --> 16:39.680] his first overseas stop. Saudi Arabia and its allies helped shift US regional [16:39.680 --> 16:45.760] policy. And Riyadh-Washington cooperation helped lead to the historic 2020 [16:45.760 --> 16:50.920] normalization agreements between Israel Bahrain and the UAE. Today the Biden [16:50.920 --> 16:55.360] administration is releasing our national security strategy. Today the US [16:55.360 --> 16:59.640] acknowledges it's well aware that the relationship provides benefits but the [16:59.640 --> 17:02.920] administration will review the relationship and consult lawmakers [17:02.920 --> 17:07.800] including Democrats who today called for a one-year block on weapons sales. Saudi [17:07.800 --> 17:14.880] Arabia has broken trust with America and it needs to come to its senses. The US [17:14.880 --> 17:19.080] Saudi relationship has survived previous challenges. The administration says [17:19.080 --> 17:24.120] there's no timetable for its review. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin. [17:24.120 --> 17:27.840] Representative Ro Khanna of California is a member of the House Armed Services [17:27.840 --> 17:32.360] Committee and is spearheading the House version of that bill to end US arms [17:32.360 --> 17:36.840] sales to Saudi Arabia for one year. He joins me now. Congressman, welcome back [17:36.840 --> 17:40.080] to the NewsHour. Thank you for joining us. You have said the US needs to [17:40.080 --> 17:44.200] immediately, immediately halt those arms sales. We should note this has been [17:44.200 --> 17:49.640] proposed before and many times by many other people. It has never moved forward. [17:49.640 --> 17:54.920] Why do you think that this moment is different? This is a defining moment just [17:54.920 --> 17:58.640] like the War Powers Resolution that stopped the refueling of the Saudi [17:58.640 --> 18:04.460] Plains that Senator Sanders and I led pass after Khashoggi's murder. This is [18:04.460 --> 18:08.440] another moment that has really outraged people on both sides of the aisle on [18:08.440 --> 18:12.520] Capitol Hill. It's Saudi Arabia's ingratitude. We provide them with 70 [18:12.520 --> 18:17.120] some percent of their arms. We stood up for them when Saddam Hussein was going [18:17.120 --> 18:22.460] to invade after Saddam had invaded Kuwait and Saudi Plains literally [18:22.460 --> 18:26.560] couldn't fly if it weren't for American technicians. Yet they are fleecing the [18:26.560 --> 18:31.400] American public making about a hundred billion dollars in 2022. There need to [18:31.400 --> 18:35.560] be consequences. We provide them with all those things you just listed but also [18:35.560 --> 18:39.440] they provide us with crucial intelligence, counter-terrorism intelligence [18:39.440 --> 18:43.560] specifically the US relies on for national security purposes. Could [18:43.560 --> 18:50.160] imposing consequences in whatever form compromise US national security? No it [18:50.160 --> 18:55.360] will not. They are far more reliant on us. In fact the defense agreements that we [18:55.360 --> 18:59.880] have, the joint defense initiatives are more extensive than almost any other [18:59.880 --> 19:03.320] major ally and that's all to Saudis benefit. The production is there, the [19:03.320 --> 19:09.480] jobs are there. So they are far more dependent on us and they already are [19:09.480 --> 19:13.120] making these drastic cuts and they're making drastic cuts at a time when [19:13.120 --> 19:18.760] they're making 70% profit margins on each barrel of oil. Why are they [19:18.760 --> 19:22.160] doing it? They're doing it to help Putin because Putin doesn't have those profit [19:22.160 --> 19:26.560] margins. He's selling his oil at a discount of $35 a barrel to China and [19:26.560 --> 19:31.680] other countries. So to appease Putin they're hurting the American consumer at [19:31.680 --> 19:35.380] the pump and that's just won't stand and we have far more leverage over them [19:35.380 --> 19:38.920] than they do over us. We are assuming also that leverage would force them to [19:38.920 --> 19:43.240] move away from Russia but it is a gamble. What if it backfires? What if they [19:43.240 --> 19:47.480] further cut oil production? What if they just end up moving further towards Russia [19:47.480 --> 19:52.160] and China? Well they cannot move further towards Russia and China in the near [19:52.160 --> 19:57.480] term. It would take almost 10 years for them to be able to get the weapons [19:57.480 --> 20:01.120] that we provide just because of interoperability of these weapons and [20:01.120 --> 20:04.640] literally the Air Force would be grounded to a halt tomorrow if they [20:04.640 --> 20:08.440] didn't have American technicians and now maybe it would take years for them to [20:08.440 --> 20:12.760] build with Russia and China but they simply could not do that. In terms of [20:12.760 --> 20:17.480] cuts, they've cut already so far. I don't think further cuts would be possible. [20:17.480 --> 20:21.200] They were talking about a million barrels of cut, they've cut two million [20:21.200 --> 20:28.280] barrels and other countries in OPEC, the UAE, Kuwait, would make up for it if [20:28.280 --> 20:32.260] they went for further cuts so they already have taken the most drastic [20:32.260 --> 20:35.960] action. What about Iran in all this Representative Khanna? I mean none of [20:35.960 --> 20:39.840] this unfolds in a vacuum. The US foreign policy in the region is structured [20:39.840 --> 20:44.600] largely around Saudi Arabia. Just this summer the US approved two new massive [20:44.600 --> 20:49.040] arms deals for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates specifically to [20:49.040 --> 20:55.880] help them defend against Iran. Does cutting Saudi arms sales empower Iran? No, [20:55.880 --> 20:58.840] it doesn't and I was opposed to those arms sales. Let's not forget that the [20:58.840 --> 21:02.880] Saudis are responsible for one of the biggest humanitarian crisis in the [21:02.880 --> 21:06.640] world in Yemen. It is appalling what they've done to the children there. It's [21:06.640 --> 21:10.440] appalling the starvation they've caused. It's appalling that they're continuing [21:10.440 --> 21:14.760] to blockade. Now the Houthis are also to blame and the Iranians are to blame in [21:14.760 --> 21:21.120] Yemen as well but the Saudis have been the principal perpetrators of that war [21:21.120 --> 21:27.000] and so I don't think that the balance cutting off these arms sales are [21:27.000 --> 21:31.320] suddenly going to make them vulnerable to Iran and I've spoken out very [21:31.320 --> 21:37.120] strongly for the students, for the women protesting in Iran. I believe there are [21:37.120 --> 21:41.960] other ways that we can contain Iran but we should not use a Kissingerian [21:41.960 --> 21:46.160] balance of power where we end up supporting brutal dictators at the [21:46.160 --> 21:50.360] expense of our own public because of some balance of power politics in the [21:50.360 --> 21:53.640] Middle East. What do you believe the President Biden could have done [21:53.640 --> 21:57.640] differently in this moment? I mean he went from calling Saudi Arabia a pariah [21:57.640 --> 22:02.480] to visiting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in July at the fist bump scene [22:02.480 --> 22:05.440] around the world. Do you think there's anything that the president of this [22:05.440 --> 22:09.880] administration could have done differently to avoid this moment? Yes, I [22:09.880 --> 22:14.080] don't think he should have gone to Saudi Arabia. Senator Sanders and I took to the [22:14.080 --> 22:19.560] papers to say that Trip was misguided. I believe he should have been [22:19.560 --> 22:25.720] clearer with the Saudis that there would be very drastic consequences both if [22:25.720 --> 22:29.560] they didn't lift the blockade which they still haven't in Yemen and now they're [22:29.560 --> 22:34.000] talking about actually not following through on the truce in Yemen but [22:34.000 --> 22:40.080] certainly extraordinarily drastic consequences if they cut oil production. So [22:40.080 --> 22:43.720] I believe that he could have been clearer on all of those things. Now I'm [22:43.720 --> 22:49.080] glad that he's contemplating action now and my belief is if we are tough enough [22:49.080 --> 22:54.520] they will reverse the decision. You said he's contemplating action. We've heard [22:54.520 --> 22:57.840] the word when says but no specifics. In your talks with the administration how [22:57.840 --> 23:03.800] serious are they in imposing serious and immediate consequences? They have [23:03.800 --> 23:09.500] told me that the president is going to take action that the president is [23:09.500 --> 23:16.480] re-examining the Saudi relationship and that the action is imminent and so I [23:16.480 --> 23:21.680] believe the president has to act. How can you allow a country that is a [23:21.680 --> 23:27.200] quote-unquote ally to continue to profit of the American public and make drastic [23:27.200 --> 23:31.520] cuts when we're going through one of the bigger energy crisis we have in recent [23:31.520 --> 23:37.720] decades? Allies don't treat each other that way. More broadly US officials did [23:37.720 --> 23:42.480] reportedly warn Saudi leaders that a cut in production would be seen as a clear [23:42.480 --> 23:46.720] choice they're siding with Russia and the Saudis did it anyway. What does that [23:46.720 --> 23:52.320] say to you about how they view the US right now? Well they don't think that [23:52.320 --> 23:56.680] they're going to be consequences but I believe they should take a temperature [23:56.680 --> 24:02.800] one of many of the younger members of Congress who aren't steeped in the same [24:02.800 --> 24:07.120] traditional relationship with Saudi who basically know Saudi Arabia through the [24:07.120 --> 24:11.480] prism of the Yemen war and the humanitarian crisis that they have [24:11.480 --> 24:15.240] caused. They should remember that the War Powers Resolution stopping our aid [24:15.240 --> 24:19.680] passed the House and the Senate the only time a War Powers Resolution has ever [24:19.680 --> 24:25.160] passed and they should know that now they're going to be consequences. You [24:25.160 --> 24:28.920] have not just Senator Blumenthal and I calling for it but Senator Menendez a [24:28.920 --> 24:32.920] very respected foreign policy voice who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations [24:32.920 --> 24:37.520] Committee calling for it. So they are really hurting their relationship on the [24:37.520 --> 24:41.840] Hill. Briefly if you can Representative the Saudis have said this was economic [24:41.840 --> 24:45.360] their decision to cut oil production. Do you believe it had anything to do with [24:45.360 --> 24:49.600] the timing of the upcoming midterm elections? I don't know but I know it's [24:49.600 --> 24:54.480] not economic when they were baking over 70% profits on your barrels of oil. Look [24:54.480 --> 24:58.480] I've been critical effects on and Chevron but it pales into the comparison [24:58.480 --> 25:03.440] into what the Saudis are making on oil. So what I do know is that they have [25:03.440 --> 25:08.400] chosen deliberately to hurt Americans at the pump. Look I don't think the [25:08.400 --> 25:12.680] timing is coincidental but I have no evidence of why they've taken that [25:12.680 --> 25:16.720] decision. All I know is that they're hurting the American public. That is [25:16.720 --> 25:21.120] Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat from California and member of the House Armed [25:21.120 --> 25:26.480] Services Committee. Thank you so much for your time. Thank you. [25:35.880 --> 25:40.280] President Biden's executive order to cancel student debt is facing its most [25:40.280 --> 25:44.520] serious legal challenge to date. A federal judge in Missouri heard arguments [25:44.520 --> 25:49.120] today from six states hoping to block the plan from taking effect to qualify [25:49.120 --> 25:53.000] for the student loan program. Individuals must make less than a hundred and [25:53.000 --> 25:56.800] twenty-five thousand dollars a year or two hundred and fifty thousand for [25:56.800 --> 26:00.420] married couples and families. Eligible borrowers can receive up to ten [26:00.420 --> 26:05.000] thousand dollars in forgiveness or up to twenty thousand dollars if they are Pell [26:05.000 --> 26:08.640] Grant recipients. White House correspondent Laura Barone Lopez has [26:08.640 --> 26:12.840] been following it all and she joins me now as part of our series Rethinking [26:12.840 --> 26:16.360] College. Laura good to see you. Good to see you. So let's talk about this case [26:16.360 --> 26:20.240] that was heard today in Missouri. What exactly are the states arguing? So there [26:20.240 --> 26:24.840] are six Republican states including Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas and they're [26:24.840 --> 26:29.480] arguing that the administration's debt relief program is illegal on three [26:29.480 --> 26:35.600] fronts. Those three fronts are that the administration lacks authority, that they [26:35.600 --> 26:40.760] did not follow administrative procedure and that it harms state revenue. So today [26:40.760 --> 26:46.160] we spoke to Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and she really focused [26:46.160 --> 26:51.000] on whether or not the president has authority to do this and took direct aim [26:51.000 --> 26:57.720] at him. The president did not have the authority to make this decision. He made [26:57.720 --> 27:03.080] this decision and based it on the Heroes Act which essentially was put in place [27:03.080 --> 27:07.600] during the Iraq War in order to give relief to our brave men and women in [27:07.600 --> 27:11.960] uniform and it was also as part of it it could be used during a national [27:11.960 --> 27:16.440] emergency. Unfortunately President Biden forgot that he declared the pandemic [27:16.440 --> 27:22.520] over a few short weeks ago. As you heard Attorney General Rutledge there [27:22.520 --> 27:26.560] saying that she thinks the president doesn't have this authority but what was [27:26.560 --> 27:30.720] interesting in the arguments today was that the Missouri judge Henry Autry [27:30.720 --> 27:35.400] essentially really scrutinized that saying why is the president being sued [27:35.400 --> 27:39.600] as a part of this lawsuit and questioning whether or not the [27:39.600 --> 27:43.920] Republican states had standing against the president versus standing against [27:43.920 --> 27:48.000] the Education Department and the Education Secretary. So a main part of [27:48.000 --> 27:50.680] their argument is the administration doesn't even have the authority to do [27:50.680 --> 27:53.880] this. What has the Biden administration been saying about this? The Biden [27:53.880 --> 27:58.840] administration is essentially saying that they were granted this authority [27:58.840 --> 28:04.440] under a 2003 higher education law also known as the Heroes Act and so today [28:04.440 --> 28:10.440] Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Netter argued that the pandemic gives [28:10.440 --> 28:15.720] them this authority. It's crucial here that this is a statute about emergencies. [28:15.720 --> 28:19.680] It's a statute about national emergencies and it seems hard to fathom [28:19.680 --> 28:23.800] that Congress wouldn't have understood at the time that a larger national [28:23.800 --> 28:27.360] emergency is going to prompt and necessitate a larger action by the [28:27.360 --> 28:31.880] Secretary of Education. And so essentially Netter there is saying that [28:31.880 --> 28:38.280] as the economic hardships were growing due to the COVID pandemic so does the [28:38.280 --> 28:42.680] power of the Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. Those powers grow as well they [28:42.680 --> 28:51.320] grow with it and he specifically argued against this this front that the states [28:51.320 --> 28:55.080] were bringing forward saying that these national this national emergency statute [28:55.080 --> 28:59.360] only applies to specific military activity. It applies to military members [28:59.360 --> 29:03.800] service members and Netter said no historically that's not the case under [29:03.800 --> 29:07.920] this law that look when you think about a hurricane government doesn't provide [29:07.920 --> 29:13.280] relief just when the hurricane is spinning. He said that after a national [29:13.280 --> 29:17.960] emergency happens or a national disaster like that that the government has to [29:17.960 --> 29:21.360] help people come out of that come out of the economic hardships or the [29:21.360 --> 29:24.280] infrastructure hardships that are brought upon by national emergencies. [29:24.280 --> 29:27.680] Laura what about the whole racial equity part of this? We heard the Biden [29:27.680 --> 29:31.040] administration message that as an underpinning to why they were rolling [29:31.040 --> 29:34.520] out this loan forgiveness plan they said it would especially help black [29:34.520 --> 29:39.100] borrowers. How does that factor into their argument? So the states today were [29:39.100 --> 29:44.300] saying this is only going to provide relief to wealthy individuals to higher [29:44.300 --> 29:48.480] income individuals and what the administration essentially is saying [29:48.480 --> 29:53.280] back is that well you have to look at actually who the borrowers are for these [29:53.280 --> 29:57.680] loan programs and for the loan forgiveness program it would significantly [29:57.680 --> 30:02.960] impact black borrowers. Specifically the average debt for black borrowers is [30:02.960 --> 30:08.000] 10,000 more than for white borrowers. Also Pell Grant recipients are twice as [30:08.000 --> 30:14.240] likely to be black. Now another big piece of this is the federal family education [30:14.240 --> 30:17.680] loan borrowers which was at first a part of the announcement when the [30:17.680 --> 30:21.560] administration said they were going to provide this big cancellation of debt [30:21.560 --> 30:26.320] then they ended up taking that out of the guidance saying that these borrowers [30:26.320 --> 30:31.400] would not provide would not be given this relief and that was a big piece of [30:31.400 --> 30:36.560] this this lawsuit because essentially you know the states are arguing that [30:36.560 --> 30:43.720] that they get state revenues from the companies that take on that those loans [30:43.720 --> 30:49.040] from those borrowers but but the government is saying that ultimately the [30:49.040 --> 30:54.600] relief provided to these borrowers is far outweighs the state revenue that [30:54.600 --> 30:59.840] would ultimately be lost. Now again on the FFEL borrowers the federal family [30:59.840 --> 31:03.800] loan borrowers the administration has tried to make clear that while they may [31:03.800 --> 31:08.080] not receive relief now that ultimately the Education Department is trying to [31:08.080 --> 31:11.240] find an alternative pathway for them. Before anyone can get any relief they [31:11.240 --> 31:14.360] have to fill out an application. We've been anticipating the release of that [31:14.360 --> 31:18.080] application form from the White House. What do we know about that? So they just [31:18.080 --> 31:23.040] issued a preview of this application form this week the White House did and [31:23.040 --> 31:26.720] essentially what borrowers have to do they have to give social security [31:26.720 --> 31:30.880] numbers their date of birth their email but they also have to click this box [31:30.880 --> 31:35.600] that certifies under penalty of perjury that they meet the income thresholds. Now [31:35.600 --> 31:41.440] some of those borrowers will be provided just based on that certification will be [31:41.440 --> 31:46.360] provided relief others are going to have to show more proof that they meet those [31:46.360 --> 31:51.120] income thresholds that you outlined earlier. Now I spoke to White House [31:51.120 --> 31:54.600] Assistant Press Secretary Abdullah Hassan today and he said that essentially [31:54.600 --> 31:57.720] as the lawsuit is proceed as the lawsuits are proceeding because there's [31:57.720 --> 32:00.720] more than just the one we talked about today that the White House is gonna [32:00.720 --> 32:05.560] still move forward with implementing this plan. Now no relief is gonna be [32:05.560 --> 32:10.560] felt prior to October 23rd but the application process is going to be [32:10.560 --> 32:14.680] rolled out this month. So folks can check that out and start to apply if they are [32:14.680 --> 32:18.400] eligible. White House correspondent Laura Barone-Lopez following it all. Thank you [32:18.400 --> 32:21.000] so much. Thank you. [32:29.320 --> 32:34.120] Election night is less than a month away and we're digging into some key races [32:34.120 --> 32:38.360] that could determine the balance of power in Congress. Lisa Desjardins has [32:38.360 --> 32:43.920] more. Let's talk about control of the House of Representatives. To take over [32:43.920 --> 32:48.760] the House Republicans need to gain just five total seats next month net. Their [32:48.760 --> 32:53.320] party may have a slight advantage from redistricting but there are dozens of [32:53.320 --> 32:58.160] competitive races including more than 30 currently rated as toss-ups. To take a [32:58.160 --> 33:02.400] good look at the map I'm joined by three public media reporters. Karen Kastler of [33:02.400 --> 33:06.920] Ohio Public Radio and Television, Scott Schaeffer with KQED in California and [33:06.920 --> 33:11.560] Zoe Clark with Michigan radio. So happy to have all of you together to talk [33:11.560 --> 33:16.120] about this. Each of your states has lost a congressional district because of [33:16.120 --> 33:21.400] redistricting but you also each have a clutch of competitive races that could [33:21.400 --> 33:25.600] determine control of the House. I wonder if you can just set the mood for us. [33:25.600 --> 33:30.480] What's on voters minds? Everything from the weather to redistricting to issues [33:30.480 --> 33:33.440] that you think might be affecting their vote and let's start out West with you [33:33.440 --> 33:37.680] Scott Schaeffer. Yeah well California has an unusual system for creating [33:37.680 --> 33:42.040] redistricting. It's a citizens commission. It's not gerrymandering where the [33:42.040 --> 33:45.360] districts are designed to protect the incumbents and so we have four to six [33:45.360 --> 33:50.200] competitive House races here in California including probably two of the [33:50.200 --> 33:54.640] ten most vulnerable Republicans. David Valadeo in the Central Valley and Mike [33:54.640 --> 33:59.000] Garcia in Los Angeles. Both of them running in plus you know plus D [33:59.000 --> 34:05.040] districts where Democrats outnumber Republicans. In terms of you know the [34:05.040 --> 34:09.120] seat that we lost Karen Bass decided not to run for re-election. She's the LA [34:09.120 --> 34:13.160] Congresswoman. She's now running for mayor of Los Angeles which of course is [34:13.160 --> 34:18.000] dominating the headlines not in very good ways. But in terms of issues in [34:18.000 --> 34:20.960] terms of these congressional races you know it's a competing narrative. [34:20.960 --> 34:26.320] Republicans want to talk about gas prices and the economy and Democrats [34:26.320 --> 34:31.000] want to talk about abortion rights and about threats to democracy and so you've [34:31.000 --> 34:34.840] got these competing narratives that are playing out on the campaign trail and [34:34.840 --> 34:38.920] on television and in addition I would say that Republicans also want to talk [34:38.920 --> 34:44.320] about crime and immigration but much more so than abortion rights. Zoe Clark [34:44.320 --> 34:47.440] what's going on in Michigan? I know it's college football season. Are politics [34:47.440 --> 34:51.640] breaking through there in general? It actually is if you can imagine it's not [34:51.640 --> 34:55.520] just Spartans and Wolverines here in Michigan although the weather always is [34:55.520 --> 35:00.480] something we talk about. No much like what Scott said indeed it is about the [35:00.480 --> 35:05.520] economy it is about inflation it is about gas prices but since the Dobbs [35:05.520 --> 35:09.760] decision here in Michigan abortion really has become something that has [35:09.760 --> 35:15.800] changed the dynamic. We have a amendment that's going to be on the ballot in [35:15.800 --> 35:19.680] November that would enshrine reproductive rights abortion rights into [35:19.680 --> 35:25.800] the state Constitution and so on top of these really must watch congressional [35:25.800 --> 35:29.240] seats some of the most competitive in the country abortion is sort of [35:29.240 --> 35:34.080] overshadowing the conversation when it comes to all of these races. Karen [35:34.080 --> 35:37.560] Kassler is that what you're finding next door in Ohio is abortion overshadowing [35:37.560 --> 35:41.440] other issues? Well I can't let Zoe talk about those teams without mentioning the [35:41.440 --> 35:45.240] Ohio State Buckeyes and football here is of course dominating conversation but [35:45.240 --> 35:49.840] yes there's a lot of conversation also about the few competitive districts here [35:49.840 --> 35:54.640] our most competitive seat and race really is the Ohio US Senate race but [35:54.640 --> 36:00.240] there in Ohio we're starting early voting today and it's interesting to [36:00.240 --> 36:04.560] note that Ohio went from 16 to 15 districts and majority Republicans drew [36:04.560 --> 36:08.400] maps that were ruled unconstitutional several times by the Ohio Supreme Court [36:08.400 --> 36:11.880] we're actually running elections this year on maps that were ruled [36:11.880 --> 36:16.240] unconstitutional but put into place by a federal court and so while we are [36:16.240 --> 36:20.520] electing representatives through these maps this time around those could change [36:20.520 --> 36:26.200] based on the results of what happens in the election next month so there are [36:26.200 --> 36:31.120] only about there are 10 safe districts and five Democratic seats but only a [36:31.120 --> 36:34.200] couple are really considered very competitive. Yeah Karen I want to come [36:34.200 --> 36:37.080] back to you I'm going to talk to all of you about favorite races but Karen let's [36:37.080 --> 36:41.600] start there in Ohio and your favorite races one that I'm watching there [36:41.600 --> 36:47.760] obviously is one of the longest serving women in Congress Marcy Captor that's a [36:47.760 --> 36:51.400] race where it's not just issues but also the effect perhaps of President Trump [36:51.400 --> 36:55.080] and the 2020 election can you talk about that race and what you're watching there [36:55.080 --> 36:59.400] in that Toledo area? If that race is really tightened up a lot Marcy Captor [36:59.400 --> 37:05.900] running against a political newcomer Jay Armajewski who really broke out when he [37:05.900 --> 37:09.540] got the attention of Donald Trump by painting a picture of Trump on his lawn [37:09.540 --> 37:14.080] and Trump shouted out to him at a rally he ended up winning beating some other [37:14.080 --> 37:20.000] established politicians and now he and Marcy Captor are facing off. Armajewski [37:20.000 --> 37:25.680] has made headlines recently because he has claimed that he saw combat in [37:25.680 --> 37:30.000] Afghanistan but an investigation has shown that that's not the case he also [37:30.000 --> 37:34.080] has said he was at the Capitol on January 6th he has not been charged with [37:34.080 --> 37:38.280] anything but that all of this has made this race a little bit more competitive [37:38.280 --> 37:42.340] and House Republicans have actually pulled their ads in this race so that [37:42.340 --> 37:45.800] really has tightened things up also there's an open seat that features two [37:45.800 --> 37:50.160] women Amelia Sykes the former Democratic leader of the Ohio House and Madison [37:50.160 --> 37:54.360] Jesse Odo Gilbert a Trump endorsed Republican this will make history in [37:54.360 --> 37:58.800] that one of those win and only 12 Ohio women have ever been elected to Congress [37:58.800 --> 38:01.840] from the state so that's gonna make history there with that race. That's [38:01.840 --> 38:05.840] fascinating I like that Ohio 13 race too because that's a very rust belt seat [38:05.840 --> 38:09.400] that might tell us something about the Senate race as it evolves over the night [38:09.400 --> 38:14.520] speaking of let's go back to you in Michigan then Zoe you have one of the [38:14.520 --> 38:18.000] most expensive House races in the country among others that I know you're [38:18.000 --> 38:22.000] watching where Alyssa Slotkin the incumbent Democrat is really kind of a [38:22.000 --> 38:25.600] must-win seat for Democrats if they have any hope of holding the house. [38:25.600 --> 38:30.040] Absolutely and this district is fascinating so it went for Donald Trump [38:30.040 --> 38:38.120] in 2016 it went for Trump in 2020 but Alyssa Slotkin has won it two times so [38:38.120 --> 38:42.440] she's looking for a third win here now it's going to be in the now seventh [38:42.440 --> 38:46.320] congressional district because of redistricting and she's always out [38:46.320 --> 38:50.920] performed as a Democrat but she has a conservative Republican challenger [38:50.920 --> 38:55.680] state senator Tom Barrett again like we've been talking about this narrative [38:55.680 --> 38:59.000] he's trying to talk about the economy he's trying to talk about inflation [38:59.000 --> 39:03.920] he's trying to talk about Joe Biden and I was just talking to Alyssa Slotkin the [39:03.920 --> 39:08.320] Congresswoman today and she's talking fundamentally about rights and what she [39:08.320 --> 39:12.720] wants to see happen change in DC including interestingly enough I thought [39:12.720 --> 39:17.080] immigration she said in the state of Michigan as well as the cost of child [39:17.080 --> 39:21.880] care meanwhile we also have the third congressional district now this one is [39:21.880 --> 39:27.800] just fascinating this is where Peter Meyer a freshman Republican within the [39:27.800 --> 39:33.480] first few days of being sworn in voted to impeach Donald Trump for the second [39:33.480 --> 39:39.960] time and Peter Meyer lost his primary in August to a former Trump official John [39:39.960 --> 39:46.240] Gibbs and so this really is an open seat now we have a Democrat running it looks [39:46.240 --> 39:51.280] like it could lean Democrat more because of again this redistricting but it [39:51.280 --> 39:54.720] probably would have been closer had Peter Meyer won this seat but again [39:54.720 --> 39:58.320] conservative Republicans kicked him out booted him out and went with this Trump [39:58.320 --> 40:02.520] endorsed Republican instead and it looks like this could be a Democratic win Scott [40:02.520 --> 40:06.680] you hear Zoe talking about a place that Democrats hope to flip in this year I [40:06.680 --> 40:09.960] know you've got one of those two and you just mentioned it earlier tell tell us [40:09.960 --> 40:13.840] about Congressman David Valadeo and what you're seeing in California yeah so he [40:13.840 --> 40:19.880] lost this seat in 2018 and then got it back in 2020 so he actually voted to [40:19.880 --> 40:23.280] impeach Donald Trump but he's getting protection from that Trump hasn't gone [40:23.280 --> 40:26.800] after him because his district is right next to Kevin McCarthy in fact it [40:26.800 --> 40:30.680] includes part of Bakersfield his hometown so he's running against Rudy [40:30.680 --> 40:36.320] Salas in a district that is 59% Latino Rudy Salas would be the first Latino [40:36.320 --> 40:41.080] member of Congress from the Central Valley ever he's also co-sponsored our [40:41.080 --> 40:45.320] proposition one which would enshrine abortion rights here in California one [40:45.320 --> 40:50.760] other quickly Lisa race I'm looking at this the 41st Congressional District in [40:50.760 --> 40:55.800] Riverside Ken Calvert 30 year Republican incumbent has easily gotten reelected [40:55.800 --> 40:59.800] but they redistricting has taken out some of the most conservative parts of [40:59.800 --> 41:03.960] his district and added Palm Springs and other districts with a lot of LGBT [41:03.960 --> 41:08.680] voters he has a history of anti-gay positions and campaigning and he's [41:08.680 --> 41:12.160] running against an openly gay federal prosecutor who prosecuted some of the [41:12.160 --> 41:17.200] January 6 cases and of course Calvert did not vote to certify the election so [41:17.200 --> 41:21.080] lots of interesting cross currents there I've been hearing from you all about the [41:21.080 --> 41:24.320] 2020 election some about former President Trump I just want to show of [41:24.320 --> 41:28.040] hands on this last question which might be a little unusual but have you spoken [41:28.040 --> 41:34.200] to any Democrats in tough races in your states who would like President Biden to [41:34.200 --> 41:37.320] come and campaign for them I want to see a hand if anyone has talked to a [41:37.320 --> 41:41.960] Democrat like that so there we go both the former president and the current [41:41.960 --> 41:46.720] president seemed to be on the ballot this year in the 2022 midterms we are so [41:46.720 --> 41:51.080] grateful to all of you for joining us Karen Kassler Scott Schaeffer Zoe Clark [41:51.080 --> 41:58.840] thank you all thank you great to be here and thank you to our Lisa Desjardins [41:58.840 --> 42:03.680] in another battleground state Wisconsin the Senate and governor's races are in [42:03.680 --> 42:07.240] the spotlight and while younger Americans traditionally show up to the [42:07.240 --> 42:11.360] polls at lower rates than older generations one recent study suggests [42:11.360 --> 42:15.640] young voters could play a decisive role in the state's elections this November [42:15.640 --> 42:20.040] Judy Woodruff recently sat down with a group of high school and college students [42:20.040 --> 42:25.840] in Wisconsin who'll be voting for the first time thank you so much for joining [42:25.840 --> 42:30.840] us for this conversation we really appreciate it you all the reason we have [42:30.840 --> 42:35.500] you here is to talk about the fact that this is the first year you're gonna be [42:35.500 --> 42:40.080] voting and we want to talk about what that means to you so Ryan I'm gonna [42:40.080 --> 42:44.240] start with you how big a deal is it to you that you're gonna be voting for the [42:44.240 --> 42:48.760] first time I mean it's pretty big deal for me I mean I sort of see it as sort [42:48.760 --> 42:52.840] of like when you're 16 you get your driver's license when you're 18 you get [42:52.840 --> 42:57.840] to vote I actually registered to vote in my AP government class on my birthday [42:57.840 --> 43:02.600] which was a fun experience it's very easy to register online now I've been [43:02.600 --> 43:05.720] very politically engaged throughout high school and I'm excited to get my foot in [43:05.720 --> 43:10.080] the door and actually have a voice in my government and then you're turning 18 [43:10.080 --> 43:16.560] just in time to vote in early November how big a deal for you I am very excited [43:16.560 --> 43:22.160] to vote everyone my family has always voted and although not a ton of people [43:22.160 --> 43:26.600] my age do vote as it's one of like the lower turnout groups I'm very excited to [43:26.600 --> 43:31.440] vote because I think having that voice in our elections is really important [43:31.440 --> 43:36.200] what is it that you care about a lot this year that is driving you especially [43:36.200 --> 43:41.560] to want to vote in 2022 I do see the candidates but I see pro-choice and [43:41.560 --> 43:46.360] pro-life personally I am extremely pro-choice I've always grown up with [43:46.360 --> 43:50.040] the belief that women should be able to have bodily autonomy in our government I [43:50.040 --> 43:54.120] agree with the pro-choice movement I think women have been stripped of their [43:54.120 --> 43:58.480] bodily autonomy specifically in this state and I think that it disproportionately [43:58.480 --> 44:02.600] affects women of color and women from more low-income communities in the [44:02.600 --> 44:06.060] disproportionate effect that that has on their access to health care their [44:06.060 --> 44:09.240] access to reproductive justice that right there's their right to be a mother [44:09.240 --> 44:13.760] or to choose not to be is frustrating to witness as somebody who can be subjected [44:13.760 --> 44:19.880] to these laws so that for me is very top of mine for me it's our economy I mean I [44:19.880 --> 44:23.580] see on the decline everything seems more expensive our gas is more expensive it's [44:23.580 --> 44:28.840] such a up and down you don't know what's gonna happen with it and for me it's [44:28.840 --> 44:32.600] scary it's especially scary because with everything on the rise I have celiac [44:32.600 --> 44:36.080] disease I already spent an arm and a leg for my food that's going to end up [44:36.080 --> 44:39.540] hurting people whenever they can't afford the food they need to feed their [44:39.540 --> 44:45.560] families as the son of two teachers education is a very big issue for me I [44:45.560 --> 44:50.280] personally I think that everyone should have access to quality education whether [44:50.280 --> 44:56.560] that be you know good schools good public education or access to college [44:56.560 --> 45:04.040] and less college debt I think my biggest issue is voting really in terms of the [45:04.040 --> 45:09.200] amount of people that can't vote under our current system we have a lot of law [45:09.200 --> 45:13.040] from Wisconsin's especially voter ID laws that make it very hard for people [45:13.040 --> 45:18.880] about another big thing on my mind is health care seeing Ron Johnson vote [45:18.880 --> 45:25.600] against the access to insulin was hugely disappointing to me as a diabetic seeing [45:25.600 --> 45:30.400] that it well it does not directly affect me there's many people in my situation [45:30.400 --> 45:37.400] where that bill would have hugely helped them and people are going to die if when [45:37.400 --> 45:41.320] people make decisions like that let's talk about the person in office right now [45:41.320 --> 45:47.720] President Biden how do you think he's doing I think that with any president [45:47.720 --> 45:52.040] there will almost always be the argument that they are not doing enough and I [45:52.040 --> 45:57.280] think that I can say that about Biden right now the new decision to pardon [45:57.280 --> 46:03.680] thousands of people on low-level federal marijuana charges is a great decision I [46:03.680 --> 46:08.920] think with his decision to help with student debt though he campaigned on [46:08.920 --> 46:14.320] bigger promises I think that at least he fulfilled it somewhat and I think you [46:14.320 --> 46:19.360] can always ask for more but I will say that I am relatively pleased with how [46:19.360 --> 46:23.600] he's doing so far I believe that he's not delivering on campaign promises that [46:23.600 --> 46:28.040] he made such as protecting our right to choose I would like to see him do a bit [46:28.040 --> 46:32.240] more to serve the general American people is there one thing you'd like to [46:32.240 --> 46:37.040] see him do that I would like to see him codify Roe or make a more of a effort to [46:37.040 --> 46:42.120] I know that he can't actually write a lot so I would like to see him protect [46:42.120 --> 46:46.120] that right I would like to see him ask the Senate and ask the passive [46:46.120 --> 46:51.280] representatives to protect that right I want to see him fight tooth and nail for [46:51.280 --> 46:55.760] that right but I haven't seen that so far soren what about you what is your [46:55.760 --> 46:59.520] sense of how President Biden's doing I quite don't like President Biden [46:59.520 --> 47:02.760] certainly wouldn't have been my first choice nor would have Donald Trump and [47:02.760 --> 47:06.800] my first choice for this election or for the previous election I think he's [47:06.800 --> 47:10.160] doing well enough for now but I don't think he is doing enough what do you [47:10.160 --> 47:14.800] think he should be doing that he's not doing well for what I think he is [47:14.800 --> 47:19.720] Afghans simple out was a disaster he left so many people it was [47:19.720 --> 47:24.120] petrifying he's not doing enough on the border we have almost hundreds of [47:24.120 --> 47:28.760] thousands of people getting in and it's scary knowing you don't know who those [47:28.760 --> 47:34.200] people are there's so much more that he could be doing that he's not and he that [47:34.200 --> 47:37.040] I don't know if he's made effort to try or not [47:37.040 --> 47:41.840] Maya what what is your sense of how President Biden's doing I think if I had [47:41.840 --> 47:45.640] voted in the 2020 presidential election I would have voted for Biden I think he [47:45.640 --> 47:48.840] is not living up to the promises he made but I don't know of any president that [47:48.840 --> 47:54.000] has so I don't think that that's a fair standard to hold him at I think as a [47:54.000 --> 47:56.520] first-hand recipient of what the student loan forgiveness was my mom [47:56.520 --> 48:01.240] fought for the United States Army for four years was a recipient of the GI [48:01.240 --> 48:05.600] bill got an associates in nursing and still had loans so for her to loans to [48:05.600 --> 48:10.800] be completely forgiven means an incredible amount well I would like for [48:10.800 --> 48:15.080] Biden to have John done more where we live in such a polarized country right [48:15.080 --> 48:21.680] now that despite his efforts to get things done it's just so hard right now [48:21.680 --> 48:26.160] to get anything through which is like obviously I'd like you know marijuana to [48:26.160 --> 48:31.020] be legalized I'd like to live in a country where row is codified where [48:31.020 --> 48:38.200] abortions are available I'd love to live in a country where they were I don't [48:38.200 --> 48:44.280] have to worry about student loan debt but it's just hard to get through all of [48:44.280 --> 48:48.700] that right now in how the state of America is today a couple of you have [48:48.700 --> 48:55.200] mentioned or alluded to former President Trump Amaya what's your take on the [48:55.200 --> 48:59.480] former president I grew up in a very isolated in a very white populated [48:59.480 --> 49:03.520] community and I had never experienced the difference that I was black and to [49:03.520 --> 49:07.440] help Trump was in presidency that complete isolation that was brought on [49:07.440 --> 49:12.200] just by this political figure we had among facilities in my community that [49:12.200 --> 49:15.640] were destroyed in the name of Trump we had monuments that were destroyed in the [49:15.640 --> 49:18.760] name of Trump we had people who were attacked in the name of Trump and I [49:18.760 --> 49:22.240] think he brought up the worst in people and he supported and he didn't correct [49:22.240 --> 49:27.440] that behavior and I believe no president would ever do that Catherine he by all [49:27.440 --> 49:33.360] accounts disgraced America in the January 6th insurrection he though the [49:33.360 --> 49:36.960] hearings are still going on personally I believe that he incited the [49:36.960 --> 49:43.800] insurrection and sent a mob of angry people to the Capitol which is [49:43.800 --> 49:50.200] completely undemocratic and he also did not facilitate a peaceful transfer of [49:50.200 --> 49:54.960] power which has been an American tradition for hundreds of years which [49:54.960 --> 50:00.520] upset me greatly I did do support Trump and have for quite a while I mean during [50:00.520 --> 50:05.400] that time period he had the nation the best economic period we had for quite a [50:05.400 --> 50:10.580] long time he kept us very well unfortunately he did have his wrong [50:10.580 --> 50:16.760] doings and has been a nasty person and has almost always been but he also was [50:16.760 --> 50:22.200] the person politically wise he ran America as a business in my opinion he [50:22.200 --> 50:27.960] ran it as though that's what it was and so running like a business him being a [50:27.960 --> 50:32.600] businessman allowed us to have financial gain allowed us to prosper in those [50:32.600 --> 50:38.520] times until COVID had hit in which kind of tanked the entire world economy would [50:38.520 --> 50:43.440] you like to see him serve in office again most likely not why not for the [50:43.440 --> 50:49.380] personal reason of just it comes down to the writing it comes down to him being a [50:49.380 --> 50:53.640] nasty person and I think the first four years is good but I don't think another [50:53.640 --> 50:58.280] four years would be great I will agree on Soren that the one thing I could [50:58.280 --> 51:02.360] think I think Donald Trump ever did was with the economy I that is the only good [51:02.360 --> 51:08.160] thing I will say about him I believe in this country we shouldn't have he's sort [51:08.160 --> 51:12.600] of the massive division we have between Republican and Democrat because working [51:12.600 --> 51:18.680] together is how we fix things and Donald Trump basically drove a gigantic wedge [51:18.680 --> 51:25.960] between people he was such a polarizing figure that from 2016 onwards country [51:25.960 --> 51:31.880] would never get anything done as you all know the percentage of people who vote [51:31.880 --> 51:36.680] of your generation the youngest generation vote less frequently let a [51:36.680 --> 51:42.960] smaller percentage of you vote than the older folks do in the country but I [51:42.960 --> 51:47.320] really do want to understand how you see the politicians listening or not [51:47.320 --> 51:53.400] listening to your generation right now I think I do think that there has been [51:53.400 --> 51:57.600] efforts I know several of candidates throughout the past two years have been [51:57.600 --> 52:01.960] to campuses have literally been outreached they sit and they listen but [52:01.960 --> 52:05.640] once they're elected in the office that stops and that communication line is [52:05.640 --> 52:09.560] you're emailing a staffer or you're emailing a secretary and the odds that [52:09.560 --> 52:13.640] it actually gets to that person is so slim to none that the reality that [52:13.640 --> 52:17.400] they're actually listening to the complaints of their own constituents is [52:17.400 --> 52:24.720] very like I have no faith that they are listening to those and so it's hard to [52:24.720 --> 52:28.320] say when I don't even know if they're hearing the issues that are happening in [52:28.320 --> 52:31.760] their communities I feel like if we had more young voters and more people that [52:31.760 --> 52:37.240] voted as soon as 18 or as soon as they possibly could I feel like we would have [52:37.240 --> 52:40.760] more politicians listening to our opinions listening to what we want I [52:40.760 --> 52:44.680] think that what politicians need to understand is that if you start [52:44.680 --> 52:50.000] politically engaging kids when they're 18 to 21 when they're just starting to [52:50.000 --> 52:52.960] get their foot in the door in politics you're more likely to have an engaged [52:52.960 --> 52:58.040] audience or an engaged constituency as we grow up and I think that that's a [52:58.040 --> 53:04.880] fact that's overlooked most often a lot of these politicians are just so much [53:04.880 --> 53:11.080] older than us the problems that I see are going to be very different because [53:11.080 --> 53:17.120] for our 80 year old and six year old Senate members climate change means [53:17.120 --> 53:23.760] three or four degrees and then they aren't gonna be around much longer but [53:23.760 --> 53:31.520] for me climate change means I might see the world crumble these politicians are [53:31.520 --> 53:35.280] so much older than us they've been in these offices for so long that they [53:35.280 --> 53:40.360] don't need to listen to us they've kind of got their election secured almost [53:40.360 --> 53:44.640] that they just kind of keep coming back in and they don't have to engage anymore [53:44.640 --> 53:49.320] well this has been there's so much more I'd love to ask you but it's been such [53:49.320 --> 53:55.480] a wonderful conversation I so appreciate every one of you sharing your thoughts [53:55.480 --> 54:01.880] thank you very very much and tomorrow night Judy will have a report on the [54:01.880 --> 54:06.120] Senate race in Wisconsin between incumbent Republican Ron Johnson and [54:06.120 --> 54:10.520] Democrat Mandela Barnes one of the critical contests that will determine [54:10.520 --> 54:15.680] control of that legislative body also tomorrow join us right here on PBS for [54:15.680 --> 54:20.360] special live coverage of the January 6th committee's public hearing beginning at [54:20.360 --> 54:25.440] 1 p.m. Eastern plus additional analysis on our regularly scheduled program and [54:25.440 --> 54:30.080] that is the news hour for tonight I'm Amna Nawaz for all of us here at the [54:30.080 --> 54:33.600] PBS NewsHour thank you for joining us we will see you soon [54:33.600 --> 54:40.120] major funding for the PBS NewsHour has been provided by for 25 years consumer [54:40.120 --> 54:42.920] cellulars goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people [54:42.920 --> 54:46.760] communicate and connect we offer a variety of 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station from viewers like you thank you [56:35.900 --> 56:37.960] you [56:52.600 --> 56:58.280] you're watching PBS this is the story of a woman trying to make it in a man's [56:58.280 --> 57:08.440] world and the rest as they say is a mystery [57:08.440 --> 57:13.840] I'm a really good detective you do not want me as an enemy [57:13.840 --> 57:20.440] let justice be done no pressure let's see how this plays out [57:20.440 --> 57:32.640] resistance was a necessity on making black America slaves were freed but [57:32.640 --> 57:38.240] african-americans have not become truly equal citizens organizing for change [57:38.240 --> 57:45.640] and black life black door creating these spaces or enclaves that allow us to feel [57:45.640 --> 57:50.440] good about ourselves and good in the world even if the world isn't good [57:50.440 --> 57:56.080] making black America through the grapevine Tuesday night at 9 here's [57:56.080 --> 58:01.400] tonight's lineup on KQED made possible by your support [58:01.400 --> 58:15.960] KQED celebrates Latinx Heritage Month with programs that share the Latinx [58:15.960 --> 58:22.160] experience for program listings visit kqed.org slash heritage celebrating [58:22.160 --> 58:28.320] Latinx Heritage Month on KQED are you a check please Bay Area fan we want to [58:28.320 --> 58:31.840] hear what you think about our show please help us out by taking a brief [58:31.840 --> 58:36.800] survey at kqed.org slash check please survey and sharing your honest thoughts [58:36.800 --> 58:40.600] about our programming thank you [58:40.600 --> 58:52.880] oh this is a battlefield [58:55.880 --> 59:01.080] the river is the most important part of nature [59:01.080 --> 59:11.880] you have never done this before so many senses have come alive we go with what [59:11.880 --> 59:17.080] the environment gives us we are supposed to protect it [59:17.920 --> 59:23.160] it's a real drama and it's unfolding right in front of you [59:23.160 --> 59:31.440] oh this will show us so many things that we just haven't seen [59:32.360 --> 59:35.360] change [59:35.360 --> 59:41.640] it's big as you imagine [59:47.040 --> 59:54.760] KQED thanks our members and community partners for their support Xfinity Home [59:54.760 --> 59:58.600] helps customers keep their home and everything in it more protected from [59:58.600 --> 01:00:05.920] 24-7 live and recorded video to controlling their smart home devices [01:00:05.920 --> 01:00:10.000] learn more at Xfinity.com slash Xfinity Home [01:00:12.720 --> 01:00:21.360] hello everyone and welcome to Amanpour & Company here's what's coming up more [01:00:21.360 --> 01:00:26.320] contentious cases on the United States Supreme Court docket after gutting [01:00:26.320 --> 01:00:31.000] women's rights democracy and voting rights come up for review and I speak to [01:00:31.000 --> 01:00:36.640] the former Attorney General Eric Holder then a growing power vacuum how Putin's [01:00:36.640 --> 01:00:44.800] war in Ukraine is hurting his influence elsewhere plus Iran intensifies its [01:00:44.800 --> 01:00:49.520] crackdown but protesters show no sign of bowing to that pressure the country's [01:00:49.520 --> 01:00:54.400] deep culture of protest with Reza Aslan who looks at the historic but little [01:00:54.400 --> 01:00:59.400] known role of an American martyr in Persia also ahead