♪ >> good evening. >> on the newshour tonight, israeli forces withdraw from southern gaza and cease-fire talks resume in cairo. six months after hamas's october 7 attack. >> millions of people across the united states witness a rare total solar eclipse. we will bring you a view from

along the path of totality. >> the push to reform the insurrection act and curb a president's power to deploy the u.s. military on american soil. >> it is a blank check for any president. it is an opportunity for abuse for any president. ♪ >> nature funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour including leonard and norma close find and the judy and peter clover foundation. >> actually you don't need vision to do most things in life. yes, i'm legally blind and yes i'm responsible for the user interface.

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♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome to the newshour. israeli prime minister and jim and netanyahu today said he set a date for the invasion of rafah in southern gaza where 1.4 million people have sought shelter. >> that comes as hostage and cease-fire talks between israel and hamas again appeared to be at an impasse tonight as senior leaders meet in cairo. some gazans returned to another

southern gaza city, the scene of brutal fighting and destruction. nick schifrin begins our coverage. >> they returned by the thousands. gazans hoping to find their homes. khan yunis is unrecognizable. it is destroyed of debris and former resident devastated. houses are flattened pancakes. apartment blocks are gutted into carcasses. this was once home to half a million people. today it has been left to the scavengers. she tries to salvage anything from the ruins of her house. there is no construction crew. only a stray cat who like her has lost everyone and everything. >> no words can describe my pain. our memories, our dreams, our childhood and our family all are gone. i did not find anything to take out from the rubble. we did not take anything when we fled. >> around every turn there are more ruined roads, more details of deprivation.

sitting in the shadow of his former home and former life, ishmael told us today he had lived here for four decades. >> my feelings, my life is ruined. my life is destroyed and ruined. everything from the past 40 years is going to only god is sufficient. >> khan yunis is also the home to hamas readers and hamas video show gunmen fighting israeli troops from the ruins of homes. this weekend khan yunis israeli troops recovered the body of a hostage kidnapped on october the seventh. today an israeli strike destroyed a hamas rocket that misfired. the defense minister said the withdrawal from khan yunis followed the dismantling of hamas's military units. >> our forces are going to prepare for follow-up missions . >> rafah is home to 1.4 million

displaced gaza and israel has told u.s. officials it is preparing tents to move thousands -- to move gazans. israel has not yet presented a full evacuation plan even though today prime minister netanyahu said a rafah operation was on the calendar. >> victory requires entry into rafah and the limitation of the terrace battalions. there is a date to >> today the state department spokesman matt miller iterated at the u.s. opposes a ground invasion into rafah. >> it would number one harm all the more than 1.4 million palestinians. it would hundred to the delivery of human italian assistance. he made clear we don't want to see the full skill invasion in any event. >> i the last few days israel has opened additional crossings and today more than 415 trucks entered gaza, the largest number since the war began. the u.n. and u.s. are pushing

for the number to increase to prewar levels above 500. >> it is not just important they take initial steps to facilitate the increase of humanitarian assistance but the increased flow of humanitarian assistance be sustained over flint -- overtime. >> increased assistance is one of hamas demands on hostage negotiations. regional officials tell me cia bill burns, qatar's prime minister and is really an egyptian spy chiefs have created a new proposal that has gone to hamas in which israel has softened resistance to a hamas request to let gazans returned to northern gaza but not by enough to expect an imminent breakthrough. what officials fear is imminent, and attacked by iran in response to an israeli strike i damascus that killed senior iranian commanders. overnight israel launched a series of airstrikes into southern lebanon killing one of hezbollah's most senior commanders. in beirut today, hezbollah supporters mourned his death. u.s. officials feared as blow or

iran itself could attack is really assets in the region or in is really a warning repeated by a hezbollah leader. >> the sure that the iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in damascus is coming against israel. >> today i ran accused the u.s. of approving israel's damascus strike. u.s. officials say they assured iran in private messages they did not know ahead of time. the u.s. has also warned iran it would be held responsible if i ran or proxies strike u.s. bases. already the bases are on high alert. ♪ >> in the days other headlines, and appeals judge in new york denied former president trump's 11th hour bid to delay his hush money criminal trial. he is accused of falsifying

records to hide payments to an adult film actress with his lawyers asked to move the proceedings out of manhattan forcing a postponement. for now pending further feels the trial is set to start april 15 to the national association of intercollegiate athletics representing small colleges effectively banned transgender athletes from women sports today. it is believed to be the first college sports organization to take the step. a group statement said each naia sport include some combination of strength, speed and stamina providing competitive advantages for male student athletes. the vatican has reaffirmed its opposition to gender affirming surgery and surrogate parenting. a 20 page document released today characterizes both as threats to human dignity. at a news conference, a top colonel says it reinforces a strength -- a stamp of welcoming transgender people but not so cold gender ideologies. >> we believe the ideologies

instead of helping to recognize dignity impoverish a humanistic vision where man and women are the most beautiful combination and greatest difference human t contains. >> a few months ago another vatican document approved blessings for same-sex couples and triggered a backlash from conservative bishops. in mozambique local reports say the death toll has reached 98 in ferry boat sinking should officials say the crowded makeshift vessel capsized on sunday. seven more bodies were found today as the search continued with an unknown number still missing and 11 others hospitalized. some on board were fleeing a cholera outbreak. russia and ukraine blamed each other again today for drone strikes on the nuclear power plant should u.n. inspectors have confirmed sunday's attacks but said the nuclear safety system was undamaged. russia leased video of drone debris at the plant which forces control and print when accused

ukraine of attacking. kyiv said the russians orchestrated the whole thing. floodwaters are still rising in russia's southern region after heavy flooding. the worst of it is in the oren burks region near the kazakhstan border. it is being caused by rising water levels. as of today officials estimate roughly 10,000 homes have been flooded. most are near the site of where a dam burst on friday. >> people are being evacuated using watercraft, inflatable boats and transporters that can accommodate up to 50 people. evacuation is being carried out gradually street by street and people are being notified through loudspeakers. >> residents staged a rare protest against the government demanding compensation for their flood losses. here at home the faa is investigating a new incident involving a boeing 737 airliner. the southwest airlines jet was granted sunday morning after an

engine cover fell off during takeoff from denver. the plane was a boeing 737 800 series. nothe 737 max that has been under scrutiny. the biden administration will invest up to $6.6 billion toward the goal of more microchip production in the u.s. today's announcement goes to help a taiwanese company expand its arizona facilities. the chips are used in everything from cars and smartphones to fighter jets. wall street stocks really budged to start the week. the dow jones industrial average closed at 30,892 could nasdaq rose five wins. the s&p 500 slipped two. in college basketball purdue and the university of connecticut are facing off tonight for the men's national title. unbeaten south carolina claimed the women's championship on sunday eating iowa. -- a beating iowa and click -- and caitlin clark 87-75. still to come on the newshour minnesota becomes the latest

front line in the fight for ride-share drivers. president biden announced his new plan to forgive student loan debt and leon caldwell and stephen fowler break down the political headlines. >> this is the pbs newshour from the vta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> aliens of americans took a break today to step outside and check out the where total eclipse that cut across the u.s., mexico and canada where skies were clear. people could miss -- could witness the moon blocking out the sun almost entirely plunging some cities and towns into darkness for several minutes. in other places it was a chance to look at a partial eclipse with the right glasses. our science correspondent miles o'brien spent his day in dallas. >> it was a texas sized eclipse viewing party.

thousands came to the cotton bowl in dallas to witness the sun, the moon and earth perform a cosmic line dance. the gawkers were joined by some astronomical experts. a day this crowd will long remember. solar physicist carrie black as the national science foundation program officer for the national solar observatory. >> what i'm hoping the kids and adults take away is the excitement of the experience. >> space physicist joe wesley is head of helio physics for nasa. dark i feel like these kind of things show you the celestial bodies are real. at the moon is a thing that changes, that has differences. the sun is something that is active. our connection as humans to that celestial event is amazing. >> within 30 million americans live beneath the path of the total eclipse. diagonal swath.

the roads to get there snarled by heavy traffic. some enthusiasts were out before dawn at the crest of niagara falls vying for a front row seat to >> this is the closest eclipse to where we live until 2079. if we are alive by then. this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> it is part of human nature to see these things and become curious about the unknown. >> for much of the day spectators waited anxiously on the misty overlooks from clouds to clear. others 309 to be exact came dressed to brighten up the occasion. the city broke the guinness world record today for the most people dressed as the main attraction, the son. as afternoon finally rolled around, cloudy skies parted just in time for the eclipse to usher in some daytime stargazing. watch parties drew in massive

crowds from the indy 500 race track to idabel, oklahoma where viewers bust in the sun with certified and improvised eyewear. sunlight disappeared and kids jumped for joy. even in the nation's capital hundreds of miles away from the moon's shadow but close enough to catch a glimpse of it skirting over 87% of the sun. the solar eclipse occurs thanks to a sublime coincidence. our moon is 400 times smaller than our son. but also for hundred times closer. when it passes between, a spectacular optical illusion. the three bodies line up just right between two and five times a year. does not happen every month because the moon's orbit is tilted five degrees relative to earth. a total solar eclipse occurs on any given spot on the planet once every 375 years.

>> this is a unique event and spurs all sorts of lines of inquiry in the youth and they -- and i hope they take that home and ask their own questions and find their own results. >> the cotton sits in the path of totality with a clouds parted and the moon complete covered the sun for four minutes. . they cured up under her watchful eyes protecting the lenses they brought and the ones they were born with. what would happen in space was an ironclad certainty. the earths atmosphere served up a wildcard of unpredictability. in dallas, the morning overcast petered out and a patch of blue broke through just as the day turned tonight and back again in four minutes time. a lucky turn for these young people who enjoyed the coolest science class ever. what did you learn? >> i learned that the world, nature and thanks can be tied in to learning.

>> i got to see the solar eclipse and it is not going to happen for another 100 years. >> why do think the eclipses are so exciting especially to young people? >> it is something we don't see everyday. it is something that is rare. of course it is exciting when we get to see it. i don't think any of them sought in 2017 so they are excited to see it. >> on this eclipse day the country did seem upside down. normally sunny texas was cloudy. in the northeast april showers took a break. clouds were pushed aside by high-pressure. and so the big light show got better as it moved across the lower 48. for nasa clouds were not a worry as it did during the last american eclipse in 2017, the agency launched a pair of highflying research platforms 50,000 foot jet sorties to the edge of our atmosphere to learn more about the edge of the sun's

atmosphere. it is called corona or crown. hotter than the sun yet also a million times dimmer. it sends a steady stream of particles toward earth causing you to full auroras but they can interfere with radio communications, gps signals and satellite operations. scientists hope to learn more about how the sun affects the earth's atmosphere. the space agency launched three sounding rockets from wallops island virginia before, during and after the eclipse to measure how the upper atmosphere changes when sunlight momentarily dims during the 90% eclipse there pit wherever people saw the eclipse, there was an atmosphere of excitement. for my money, this was better than a championship winning touchdown in overtown at the cotton bowl -- in overtime at

the cotton bowl but i'm not from texas. >> there was a lot of talk about clouds or cloud cover potentially obstructing some of the view and the big show even where you are but how did actually turn out? tell us about what you saw. >> all morning long here we were with thousands of young people enjoying an awesome field trip and it was kind of grim. we were thinking at least we have the excitement of them being here. and then we had a patch and it was just at the right place and at the right time. it was a thrill. the fact we did not think we were going to see it enhanced the whole enjoyment of it. it was fabulous. >> depending on where people were because people traveled all over the country to see this, who do you think had the best view? >> the weather got better as it went to the northeast and we did have touch and go clouds. i have seen in eclipse in 2017 on a perfectly clear day.

part of what i realized today is the company you keep as you watch it. being here in this stadium filled with young people who are so thrilled to see it and will have an experience there were number for the rest of their lives, that took it over the top for me. i would say i win. >> he also said we are not expecting another eclipse in north america for another 20 years. these happen all around the globe with some kind of regularity. when is the next one coming up and do you think people will travel for the? >> the next total eclipse will occur in august of 2026. it will start in greenland, go to iceland, spain, portugal, russia. . i'm going to propose to you know and maybe we should do it now let's book a trip to watch that trip in iceland. totally amazing. >> absolutely. miles o'brien joining us from dallas, texas in the path of totality.

always great to see you. >> always a pleasure. ♪ >> a bipartisan group of former senior government officials is urging lawmakers on capitol hill to rein in a president's ability to deploy the u.s. military within the country. called the insurrection act, the centuries-old provision allows any president to use emergency powers to send u.s. troops into american cities. one of the leaders of the proposed reforms is jack goldsmith of harvard law school and former assistant attorney general in the george w. bush administration. thanks much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> although these proposed reforms would apply to any future president, it was former president trump who considered invoking the insurrection act to put down protests after the murder of george floyd and who

has since failed to send u.s. troops into democratic cities if he is reelected. we should note you cowrote an opinion piece for the new york times where you say this focus on mr. trump is understandable and adequate in capturing the compelling case for reform. in what ways? >> the insurrection act as it is written is a blank check for any president to bring the military to the domestic realm. it has extremely vague triggers for its use. has no time limit on its use. it is a blank check for any president. it is an opportunity for abuse for any president. there have been reform proposals for the insurrection act going back decades. it is -- the time to do it is now and the reason to do it is no president should have this authority. >> what are some of the proposed changes to this as you say ill-defined insurrection act? >> there are essentially two core changes. the first is the statute has

very antiquated language and vague triggers for when the president can invoke it to bring the military into the domestic realm. it talks about assemblages and combinations and the mere possibility of domestic violence of any sort is enough under the statute. our group proposed tightening up and knowing instances in which the president can use it. the second is to bring congress back into the use of the statute. president arrives his authority to invoke the statute only because congress gave it to him in the insurrection act. we think the president should have to consult with congress, should have to make findings to congress about why he is using the act and most importantly the president be limited, time-limited in his use of the act. the authority to invoke the act to bring the military into the domestic realm should be limited

we propose no more than 30 days. >> there will be those who question wisdom of placing limits on presidential power. there will be people who think these reforms that benefit one party over the other which you say what? >> as i said i don't benefit one party over the other. the statute can be invoked by any president. there was discussion, president biden was arched by members of his party to federalize the national guard in texas even the standoff with the governor of texas over the border and any president can use this authority. i should add there is a need for presidents to have this authority at any president can use it in any president can abuse it. >> how would you get these changes through this congress? >> we hope to convince members of congress this is a reform that needs to be done. there is consensus in congress right now. a long-standing several year consensus in several bills for

broader emergency powers reform. president has an array of emergency powers he can invoke endlessly. there is bipartisan support to reign those powers in. the rebels moving through the congress. we think -- there are bills moving to the congress. think it should be attractive to both sides. >> i the past week we have seen the biden administration announcing a new rule making it harder to fire federal workers in an effort to prevent donald trump from getting the federal workforce if he is reelected. we have seen changes to the electoral count act to prevent another january 6. there's this proposing to change the insurrection act. is washington taking seriously enough and moving quickly enough to shore up the weaknesses in our laws and in our system that might be open to exploitation and abuse? >> we have learned since watergate that president -- the norms and laws put in place in

watergate, their effectiveness has diminished. they were diminishing before president trump came into office and the weaknesses were apparent when president trump was in office. the weaknesses were well known going back a long time and congress has done very little to address these problems. the electoral count reform act you mentioned to improve the process in december and january in which the president is selected in the electoral college, that was an important reform. beyond that, congress has not done much and there is a whole array of thing it should be doing with the insurrection act should be at the top of the list. >> it is jack goldsmith of harvard law school, former assistant attorney general in the george w. bush administration. ♪ >> the latest front line in the battle over fair pair for

rideshare drivers is in minneapolis. uber and lift have threatened to leave the city over a new ordinance that sets it among wages for drivers. our special correspondent reports it is leading to bigger questions about the state of the gig economy. >> lifelong minneapolis resident mathew started driving for uber in lift over seven years -- uber and lyft over seven years ago. . he loved the flexibly, the chance to meet new people and for a well he felt like drivers and the companies were chewed -- were true partners. for the past for years he says drivers have seen a smaller cut affairs. >> is it fair that lift or uber will charge a passenger $67 and give the driver $23? were not asking for anything more than we think we deserve anything we think -- anything more than we think is fair. >> that is why he supported a recent minneapolis city council ordinance that sends minimum pay

for ride-share drivers. it requires companies to pay drivers at least one dollar and $.40 per mile and $.51 per minute during rights. dart how it is really simple. it is about giving -- >> is really simple. >> councilmember wants to helped write the policy. >> hold the standard worker should earn livable wages. we should not make exemptions for ride-share drivers because they are part of the gig economy. this is the time to reevaluate our dependence on two corporate giants that have based their entire economic model on picking the drivers the minimum wages. >> immediately after the wood rinse past, uber in lift said they would stop operating in minneapolis on may 1, the day the increases take effect. the uber spokesman. >> what we saw in other markets is if you raise rates too high,

he would be making more for each individual trip because demand is going to go down. we'll be making less on an hourly basis. >> are you really going to be leaving on may 1 if this does not change? >> yes. >> gold pointed to the decision to leave austin, texas in 2016 after the driver past -- that city passed a driver for grouping requirement. it only returned after the state passed a law preempting the city. but uber and lyft have backed down from threats to leave elsewhere. >> i hope we can continue to work with drivers and policymakers in minneapolis to continue to stay. if it does not make sense to operate a business, we will operate a business. darker the day after minneapolis passed its ordinance, the state released a study of the rideshare industry. found minnesota drivers are mostly black male immigrants many living in low income households. the study found drivers would make the equivalent of minimum wage and a minneapolis plus car

expenses if they were paid it nine cents per mile and $.49 per minute. those rates are lower than the city ordinance but driver pay would increase about 10%. at those levels, uber and lyft say they could stay in the market. on a recent afternoon near minneapolis-st. paul airport, drivers waiting for customers expressed missed feelings. -- mixed feelings. >> in order to get the job to keep the companies and the city, we need something. >> i don't think -- i don't think so. if they can work something out, fine. >> 95% of all minnesota rideshare trips begin in the twin cities. a departure from the metropolitan minneapolis-st. paul area would effectively end the presence in the state and that has prompted concern among

policymakers on both sides of the aisle. lawmakers are trying to finalize legislation before may 1 that would satisfy drivers and keep the companies operating here. meanwhile the minneapolis city council has said it may reconsider its ordinance as soon this week. the matter what happens, the situation in minnesota is being watched closely says cornell university andrew wolf pick >> >> what >> uber and lyft are doing in minneapolis is not new. there are pushes in other cities d minneapolis is kind of a perfect place for them to make a stink because it is a bigger city where this would have an impact but it is not such a big city that it would impact their bottom line. they're trying to make a big show out of minneapolis in order to try to stop these other efforts from moving forward. two if uber and lyft do leave, other rideshare companies have vowed to fill the gap to but

until then, drivers like matthew are weighing their options. he is starting a job with a property management job this week. doug could drivers are not leaving. the cars we drive are not going anywhere. they are saying they want to leave. is that done in the spirit of true partnership? >> pbs newshour in the twin cities. >> a partnership with the under told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. ♪ >> president biden announced new plans to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers. lisa desjardins is here with more. this is president biden's broadest attempt at student loan debt forgiveness since the u.s. supreme court struck down his previous effort more than a year ago.

took over the administration did not give final details on their plan today. they did outline executive actions they are teeing up. those would eliminate at least $20,000 in accrued interest for those who own or than their original loan, offer a more for those with lower incomes, cancel remaining debt for anyone who has spent 20 or 25 years depending on their loan repaying their loans and avoid loans from college programs proven to be deceptive should >> millions of americans from this crushing debt of student debt needs they can finally get on with their lives instead of being put on hold. >> daniel douglas covers the economics for the washington post. the white house says some 23 million americans could be affected by this. help us understand who exactly does the white house think this helps? >> the vast majority of federal

student loan borrowers could see relief under this plan and it is important to note there are many facets to the plan. the five categories of borrowers in total and perhaps the largest category that could deliver relief as the one that eliminates up to $20,000 in student loan interest from a borrowers balance. this is common borrowers may have borrowed $20,000 but because the way interest accrues put out twice as much over the lifetime of their loan so this proposal would help those folks and the white house is seeing about 25,000 will benefit 23 million could get their interest eliminated. >> this is a complex proposal and that is because of the supreme court's previous decisions. biden administration trying to put something together they think could remain legally in tact. hope is understand with that complexity when could this actually go into place? >> what is interesting is most

of us have been watching this law and keep in mind the regulation started to be crafted after the supreme court struck down bidens last attempt at the large debt relief -- large skill debt relief. we thought the regulation would not be prevented until next summer. for administration has zeroed in on elements they could do earlier. most importantly the introduction piece the administration says they could likely push out this fall ahead of the election. >> we talked about the benefits to many millions of americans but let's talk about the cost. they could be substantial. we know the biden administration has boasted it canceled 146 billion dollars in loans from previous programs they implemented. according to the committee for responsible federal budget, when you add in the pauses in debt relief and other bided programs they have put in place, it is mallik 600 billion weather estimate has been spent so far. we don't how much this program

will cost. . some like a louisiana republican bill cassidy have repeatedly argued this is a wealth transfer from those who have college -- to those who have college >> where is the forgiveness for the guy who did not go to college but is working to pay off the loan on the truck he takes to work? what about the woman who paid off her student loans but either but a less expensive home but is now struggling to afford the mortgage she has? does the administration provide them relief? no. of course not. >> how is the administration responding to that idea this wildly runs up the national debt to give a temporary boost to a select group of americans? >> the administration has said in the past the economic benefit of forgiving debt could be tenfold. people are freed up from having to make those payments. they're more likely to return money to the economy in the form of purchasing homes, purchasing cars.

we did see some boost during the three and a half year pause of federal student loans in terms of purchases before interest rates started to skyrocket. perhaps that could be the case if we were to s water debt relief. the cost of these programs has been up for debate as well as the utility because it is not beneficial to all american taxpayers. it is important to note the vast majority of people who have student loan debt have debt and no degrees. there are about 40% of people actually end these are people who started but did not finish and they are dealing with this debt to most of whom are struggling with it and see no way out. it is with the president and his administration is trying to get that kid trying to help those people who did not get to see the benefit of their education. >> this was part of a 2020 biden election promise but we are again in presidential election year. a big chunk of this they hope to

implement before the election. came talk about the politics at play for the voters the biden administration might be concerned about? >> it is not surprising the administration is tilting the president's accomplishments on student debt, cleaning up programs, existing programs not operating well at helping to deliver the 100 46 billion you mentioned earlier and it is not surprising they are touting this particular plan. many of us who cover this were hoping to see the final rule issued this week. the department of education said it is coming in the coming months we will see something. there will be public comment on that. i suspect and i'm not a politics reporter but i suspect as we near the election you will see this administration continuing to highlight and uplift the work they have done to help or worse who -- help borrowers who are an important part. >> let's talk about the future of this in the courts. as soon as the rule comes out,

do you think there could be an injunction against it filed immediately? do you think this is clearly on strong legal grounds? what is going to happen? >> certainly it is on strong legal grounds for what experts are telling me. it is backed by a different authority. the higher education act which governs all of higher ed and financial aid is the anchor for this. the other rule was based on a 911 emergency power rule. the supreme court did not think met the smell test. it will be a little harder to see an immediate injunction because this went through a negotiated rulemaking process. the rule is going to come online next july regardless of who is in office. there will likely be challenges. certainly if the trump administration were to win, they could choose not to enforce the rule. they could choose to try to resend the role. that is also a possibility. >> thank you so much for your reporting on this.

♪ >> congress returns from recess with a pack agenda and a house speaker trying to hold together his fragile majority. meanwhile the presidential candidates are sharing new messages and new policies to try to reach key voting blocs ahead of november. let's turn now to politics monday. today with leon caldwell of the washington post and stephen fowler of npr. and kemmer keith are away. glad you are here. let's start with congress. lawmakers, one of the top priorities now they are back in washington is to pass the could to glade for ukraine they say they desperately need in their fight against russia. the holdup is in the house among house republicans.

speaker johnson has a razor thin majority. is ukraine aid his priority to pass and will he get it done? >> speaker johnson says he is going to take it up. in what form we don't know. it is probably not going to be this week. we don't know exactly what speaker johnson is going to do on ukraine. he is discussing with the white house trying to negotiate to create a bill that is more palatable to his conservative republican conference. the white house is insistent the senate already passed a bill, bipartisan and that is the path forward. the politics are becoming much more tricky as every day passes not just on the issue of ukraine from the right but no on the issue of israel which is attached to this bill from some members on the left. >> and of the plans we have heard is he could separate aid from israel it from aid to

ukraine and that could allow republicans who want to back israel and not have to vote for ukraine but it means they would rely on democrats to pass ukraine aid and that puts speaker johnson in tricky position. he could lose his speakership or be threatened to ruby removed for that. how do you look at this? >> it is going to be a possibility. marjorie taylor greene has a town hall tonight where she is saying the majority is unhappy with the way things are run and she has threatened his job over the issue of ukraine and israel and how he has handled himself so far. this is a fractious majority. this is a majority the individual lawmakers are holding more sway over the issues. it is not about the issues themselves. what i'm looking at is what is going to happen with ukraine aid and israel aid is not necessarily about the specific age of those countries but more about what this narrow republican majority is trying to

push itself moving forward, in what direction it is trying to go. >> there was a time when there was broad bipartisan support for ukraine to give them whatever they needed in their fight to defend themselves against russia. how did this become so political? >> it sure did become political. part of it is donald trump. donald trump has in a voice that has been more skeptical of sending foreign aid to other countries. but then you have the chair of the intelligence committee in the house just yesterday mike turner, a republican, who said he believes russian propaganda has infested some members of the conversations among members of his party. that vladimir putin has been effective in pushing those messages that some in the publican party in republican media have adopted. so this is becoming a much more tenuous issue especially as billions and billions of dollars

are being requested to send overseas. >> how do you look at it? >> this is a thing where many voters who support donald trump resonate. donald trump's message of focusing more on domestic issues are resonating. you see emigration of the top issue in congress and the campaign trail. here you have these two high-profile international conflicts and billions of american spending and the conversation has shifted towards if we are spending billions of dollars there, why are we spending it here? with domestic issues in play and at the forefront for a lot of voters, that is a more effective cudgel against a looking at it and instead of thinking about obligations to our allies. >> among those to mystic issues, we know abortion access and rights used to be a chief issue for democrats. just this morning we saw former president trump release a video articulating what he says is his position when it comes to abortion access saying he believes it should be a state-by-state decision. here is more of his message.

>> many states will be different. many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others and that is what they will be. at the end of the day, this is about the will of the people. >> we also heard president biden announcing more student loan forgiveness in wisconsin. why these messages from these candidates right now? >> it is a great question and great to compare the two messages. you have abortion which is an issue republicans have been struggling with. we saw this in the 2022 elections and some of the 2023 elections. republicans have decided taking a specific position on a specific ban on a number of weeks is not politically palatable. that is way trump evaded the issue and did not come out with a new position. and then you have president biden talking about student loans which is an issue that is really important to young

people. people of color as well who are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt and these are the areas where president biden is suffering among the democratic base according to recent polling. >> to take a closer look at some of those numbers, we do have in some of the latest polls capturing this moment, we see the decline in support among young americans should this is under the 2020 election we saw him besting mr. trump over 17 points with voters under 45. turn now to what our latest poll shows we see a trailing trump by one point in the same group. how does president biden get those voters back? >> i think by doing things that were campaign promises like we have seen with the student loan debt. it is important to realize both campaigns are relying on their base of voters coming home. they may not be happy with them now but once it becomes clear it is a binary choice between

donald trump and joe biden most of those people are going home. you have to look at this through the lens of 100,000 or so people spread among seven swing states never really decided usually college educated white suburbanites and how they view these plans and things. that is why you are seeing this with abortion and student loans is it is not necessarily for those people but th are paying attention. >> other things we are pink attention to, the fundraising numbers. we now have march fundraising numbers from both campaigns. team bite and outpacing team trump 90 million to 65 and a half million. when you look at the overall cash on hand for the campaigns, see mr. buttons campaign outpacing mr. trump's. what does that tell us? >> a couple things. it tells us trump is behind in the money race and the money race in the presidential matters in each candidate is going to have to raise a billion dollars to get elected. it tells me that trump is

lacking money in places where it will perhaps matter including the ground game. money is what it takes to have an effective get out the vote effort iall of these states to reach these voters. trump has been distracted. he has not spent as much time fundraising because he has a large number of court cases that he is having to attend to. he had a big fundraiser this weekend where he raised 50 william dollars to get him back on track but he has a lot of things going on and part of that money is going to pay his legal bills. >> we cannot verify some of the claims they make so far. will be able to later when the filings come out. >> i think it is money spent and money raised on two candidates that have already been president before that are very well known. it goes back to the swing states and the persuadable voters we are going to see a barrage of money come into play here.

the difference is going to come to whoever has the most money to being able to turn out that particular vote. >> great to have you both here today. thank you so much. ♪ >> martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and invisible labor of farm laborers. his work as informed by his own experience as a farmworker spending summers can produce in washington state support himself while study at cal state long beach. tonight he gives his brief but spectacular take on painting the people who feed america. >> anywhere in the world farm workers are at the social strata . i hope to shine a light to these people. they are not machines. they are human beings with goals and dreams.

i grew up in a small town on the outskirts to it was a poor community. the roads were not paved. i came to the united states when i was 20 years old. my first memories had to do with education. i wanted to understand the culture. i went to know with the movies were about. i brother took me to hollywood high. within the first week of arrival and that is where i involved to learn english -- where rolled to learn english. i got my high school degree. i fell in love with art. that is how i. ended up in art school. i started working in the fields every summer to pay for tuition. i was in academia and learning these fancy words. at the same time i was in fields listening to slang for my coworkers. i started meeting other farmworkers. we cited sharing stories. i realized it was not fair the

way we were being treated. most of the people including myself had a difficult time growing up. we tell him -- when we come to a country where there is a bed for us to sleep on, there is a kitchen, even a french -- a fridge. we are so grateful to we are so grateful that sometimes we don't say anything. companies take advantage of that. i thought maybe i could i a simple portrait of the produce boxes i can create the connections or may be thinking about the disconnections that exist within our societies and the people who work in the fields. the conversations were more about technicality. no one was talking about the farmworkers. at 1.i was frustrated and stopped painting. i went back to what i used to do when i was working the fields which was painting and sketching on cardboard. i drew a banana men on this banana box. that is when i introduced my experiences of working in the

fields which were not the same but similar to the person on this box. i have had a few exhibitions where the audiences farmworkers themselves. i'm happy to see the positive response. smiles on their faces. being included. that is something that makes me happy and want to continue to do art. i don't feel art if i don't speak for the community. it is about the community. this is my brief but spectacular take on painting the people who feed america. >> you can watch more brief but spectacular videos on line at pbs.org/newshour/brief. >> later this evening on pbs, and all-star concert celibate in the song duo of elton john and bertie top and. last month the two were awarded the library of congress gershwin prize for popular song in ceremony that featured billy porter, annie lennox, brandi carlile, garth brooks and elton john himself.

♪ >> and you can watch the entire show tonight at 8:00 on your local pbs station. check your local listings. >> there is a lot more online including a look at recent polling on how americans are reducing their plastic waste and why individual efforts have their limitation. that is at pbs.org/pbs newshour. >> join us again tomorrow night for a look at reconciliation and rebuilding in rwanda after the genocide that killed more than a million people 30 years ago.

that is the newshour for tonight. >> for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thanks for joining us and have a good evening. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> on an american cruise line's journey along the columbia and snake rivers, travelers retrace the route forged by lewis and clark more than 200 years ago. american cruise lines fleet of modern riverboats travel through american landscapes to historic landmarks where you can experience local customs and cuisine. american cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs newshour. >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs newshour. committed to acting in their clients best interest. more information at let's make a plan.org.

dirk of the kendeda fund, miti to advancing restorative justice a meaningful work through investments and transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendeda fund.org. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. or information at mac found.org. -- more information imac found.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

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hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. >> after nearly six months of israel's bloody war in gaza, an international outcry over the strike on aid workers, biden gives netanyahu an ultimatum. i ask about the growing chorus of criticism. >