♪ >> good evening. >> tonight, the u.s. supreme court mistakenly posts a draft opinion signaling it may rule on abortion laws. >> a trial begins. we take a look at what is the tension says about russia today. >> the growing political divide

within some christian communities as religious affiliation the kind. >> if you look at data, we don't trust anything today is much as we did years ago. ♪ >> major funding provided by -- >> i thought i would let you know that with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father's jazz club. a raymondjames advisor gets to know you and your passions.

>> upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. ♪ the walton family foundation. working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the macarthur foundation. committed to building a new world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions -- this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions from viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome. the supreme court handed down

two opinions today but has left some of the most politically fraught cases for the final few days of its term. what is focused on abortion. the future of a strict ban in idaho. >> we may have clues about the case after a document was mistakenly posted to the court website before being removed. the copy of the yet to be finalized opinion suggests a 6-3 decision that would allow hospitals in the state to protect patients. but it leaves the heart of the case unresolved, saying the plaintiffs do not have standing. we will look at how this happened and what it means for the court. it was removed. what do we know about what happened? >> unlike the case that overturned roe v. wade, this does not appear to be a leak. it appears to be a case of what they call fat thumbs.

they said the court's publication unit briefly uploaded a document. the opinion will be issued in due course. >> i got a lot of attention because it is about abortion case in idaho. what did the document say? >> we don't know if this is a final draft. we don't now how many iterations there might be. the court is essentially saying this is not ready for us. we are sending it back. we will reinstate the district court injunction blocking temporarily the idaho law pending appeal. this was a 6-3 decision.

the three most conservative justices all dissented. one of the liberal justices had a little bit of deception. she said the court ought to go ahead and decide it now. doctors are kept in the dark about what the law requires. this is the second time this month that the supreme court has sidestepped an abortion case. a couple of weeks ago, they avoided a definitive decision on the availability of a drug by saying that the plaintiffs in the cases did not have standing. >> a really has not been issued. but does the document tell us how the case will be decided? >> it is hard to tell. they sided with the government. the biden administration said the idaho law should be overturned. the three justices who consented said the idaho law is fine and

out to be allowed to stay. we don't know about the other three justices. their positions are not clear. they are the ones to watch as this comes back to the supreme court. >> we will be watching and following. thank you for adding clarity to a confusing day. ♪ >> we start the day's other headset -- headlines with an unfolding situation in bolivia. tanks could be seen entering the main square.

they are calling for democracy to be respected. bolivia has seen increasing protests in recent months over economic declines. the prime minister of israel said there has been significant progress in weapons supplies to israel. last week, the prime minister frustrated allies after saying the biden administration had been withholding arms shipments. u.s. officials say they have only held back one shipment. there were mixed messages. today, he confirmed that israel fully supports this. >> we stand firmly in mind the president. israel has accepted it. now hamas must accept it or face the consequences. we are committed to bringing the

hostages home with no exception. >> on the ground in northern gaza, ambulances arrived today at the site and is really here -- airstrike. 13 people were killed in the attack. julian assange is back in his home country of australia. he arrived hours after pleading guilty to publishing military secrets. he embraced his wife, who had long fought for his release. this closes out a 14 year legal battle, including five years in a british prison. the white house said it was not involved with the deal that led to his release. the supreme court sided with the biden administration over its ability to communicate with social media platforms. the justices rejected a challenge by two republican states that would've prevented officials from contacting companies to remove posts. the white house welcomed the

ruling, saying it helps the biden administration continue important work with technology companies to protect the american people. devastation across the midwest and central plains has come into clearer focus tonight as floodwaters start to reseed. they left beside houses. a house we showed you on the edge of eroding riverbank fell into the rushing river overnight. the family had been evacuated. parts of nebraska, iowa, south dakota, and minnesota have been swamped by torrential rain. up to 18 inches fell in some areas. hundreds of people were rescued and at least two people died after driving in flooded areas. the president of kenya said he will not sign a controversial finance bill after protesters storm the company's parliament yesterday. a human rights group said 22 people were killed in the violence. today, soldiers and police

patrolled the streets of nairobi as workers cleaned up debris left behind. lawmakers passed a bill that would've raised taxes to payoff the country's debt. critics say it would have added further pain to poverty. the president acknowledged that the cost of widespread dissatisfaction and he called for national unity. >> i am proposing that it is necessary for us to have a conversation as a nation. >> the white house has condemned the violence and urged the kenyan government to respect the rights of all of its citizens. the episcopal church elected its new spiritual and executive leader today. the 49 yo currently serves as a bishop in northwestern pennsylvania. he will replace the current

bishop, who was the first black bishop. he rose to global prominence in 2018 when he delivered a rousing sermon at the marriage of prince harry and meghan markle. wall street had minimal gains today. the dow jones industrial average barely budged. the nasdaq performed a little better, adding 87 points. the s&p 500 was modestly higher. still to come, president biden pardons veterans convicted under a ban on gay sex. how immigration is shaping up to be a key issue. a twice yearly injection gives total protection from hiv infection. >> this is the news hour, from

our studios iwashington and from the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> for the first time since the cold war, a journalist has gone on trial in russia for espionage. he appeared in court today, accused of working on behalf of the cia. we have the story. the white house because -- calls the trial a sham. he will be tried on charges for the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. in a russian court 900 miles from moscow, padlocked into a gas block, he managed to flash a smile. and yet the american journalist is a prisoner where conviction rates are 99%. today's hearing lasted a couple

of hours. it brought him back where last march she was arrested. he is the first american reporter accused of espionage and nearly 30 years. >> the investigation has established and documented that the american journalist, on orders of the cia, collected secret information about the activities of a defense enterprise. >> the u.s. and the wall street journal denies that. he is a journalist who is accredited by the russian government and journalism is not a crime. the u.s. believes his trial and into said conviction could help facilitate a prisoner swap, a possibility that putin confirmed earlier this month. >> such issues are not decided by mass media. we prefer discreet, calm, professional approach and dialogue between special services. they should be decided only on the basis of reciprocity.

>> americans believe that means a swap. as it went in 2022. a basketball star exchanged for a notorious gangster. other americans remain in custody. one is convicted of theft and threatening his russian girlfriend. a reporter is accused of violating a foreign agent law. and one is accused of treason. today the u.s. state department said they are working privately to bring them home. >> we will continue our efforts. i want to see him returned immediately.

>> she worked in the state department during the clinton administration. they called the trial a sham. is that how you see it? >> it is a travesty, not a trial. he was writing some excellent stuff on the wartime economy. he was accredited. he was arrested. it really is a sham. >> the white house also called him a bargaining chip.

what are the requirements to bring the process? >> putin has said that as much. we don't know how long the trial will take. since everything is secret. once it is over and he has been sentenced, that i think they will talk more seriously about exchanging him. this is a hostage negotiation. >> we have one name that has emerged from russian officials. he is believed to be a russian intelligence officer. convicted in germany.

is there a deal out there on the table? >> putin a few months ago said that was in the cards. now that alexei navalny is dead, the question is, what happens? they would have to give him up. i understand that there are negotiations going on. >> the word reciprocity that he said earlier, is that how you see it? >> yes. the other people mentioned in your story are not part of that negotiation.

>> they are treated differently? >> yes. he wants to punish them for going to the u.s. and getting american citizenship. >> in terms of other possible russian intelligence officials or anyone else accused of as bni --, a senior state department official told us about the full spectrum of capabilities. german officials are talking about another possible arson attack. >> the europeans to not detain

people just to exchange them. it gets really complicated when other people are involved. that will make it much more complicated. as far as we know, there is no one of high enough value. >> what to these activities say? >> putin thinks he is at war with the west. he is determined to win this war with ukraine. all of these sabotage activities , they had a deepfake video of a state department spokesperson the other day saying things. they are really more confident than they were before. he is determined to do anything

he can to wreak havoc in europe or the u.s. >> we saw the peak of russian interference in 2016. what do you anticipate this year ? >> i think it is still going on. the use of social media. supporting different groups. >> putin has done something we have not seen him do in the past. he appointed a number of relatives to hide jobs in the russian government. >> this is part of an elaborate plan. they have been promoted to high

positions. they are setting the stage for the next generation to take over. it is also a way for putin to ensure that nothing will happen to his family when he is not in the kremlin anymore. >> something he guaranteed to boris yeltsin. thank you. ♪ >> major news from the white house today. president biden announced pardons for former u.s. service personnel who were convicted under military law repealed in 2013 that banned gay sex. this would cover thousands of veterans who were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation. thank you for being with us.

>> thank you so much for having me. >> help us understand the details of this. >> today the announcement was made that president biden would pardon these veterans. they now have the opportunity to have that pardon. it is expected that it could be up to 20,000 service members who were impacted by this. they can have their discharges upgraded to honorable.

that would entitle them to benefits that they have been denied. so many of these service members will be able to apply for these benefits. >> what about service members who were also discharged and criminalized in different ways? how does this apply to them? >> it won't. there's a specific group of people who have been pardoned. there are processes in place where they can apply for an upgrade.

many of those service members are already eligible. to apply for the program. it is not automatic. they would not just automatically get it. the criteria they would have to meet. >> do you have a sense of why the biden administration is making this move rightow? >> i think we are at a point where we are correcting past wrongs. these laws were repealed in 2013. it has been more than a decade. we have been waiting for people to be able to access these

benefits. pride month is an opportunity for us to acknowledge this. they were criminalized for nothing more than their sexual orientation. there is no one-size-fits-all solution. it will take small solutions like this to reach generations of service members. >> you served most of those years under don't ask, don't tell. what was it like for you? >> it was a really hard time. you live on their intense fear that you could wake up today and somebody will find out your secret.

i spend a lot of time in the hospital. they would lose access to everything. including health care. it is a very hard time when you spent so much time waiting. many of us served our country. we are more patriotic. we serve at twice the rate. we have lived under these criminal laws for a while. it has been a long process to get to a place of healing.

thank you so much for having me. ♪ >> immigration has become a flashpoint this election cycle. it is expected to be a key issue. >> donald trump has repeatedly made baseless claims laming undocumented migrants for a violent crime wave. but nationwide, violent crime is down. according to a new report in texas, president biden said his

policies are working. encounters have decreased. thank you for joining us. the biden administration says the border encounters are down. >> i asked my border team to give me some stats. they are down. if you look at the overall picture, this is silly crisis.

>> tell us what the day-to-day job is like for your team? >> these are the people that are not giving up. they are snuggled. they go through my communities. we have booked 3400 people. this is still going on. it is nice to celebrate what is going on. but let's not forget that we have seen tragedy after tragedy. not just here but throughout the southwest. we need to be real. not celebrate too early. there is nothing to celebrate yet. let's get a handle on this. >> you are dealing with crimes, what kind? >> drugs, stolen vehicles. it is important to note that out

of these people who were arrested, only 190 were foreign-born or illegally in the country. these are people coming all over from the u.s. they bring crime and drugs. that is what we are addressing as they come into my county to disturb our quality of life. people are injured in car crashes. a sad situation. >> you said border encounters are down in your area of the border. the president really put a crackdown in place. what else? do you want to see him do? >> we still need to follow the rule of law. something we agreed upon was the numbers.

let's just be real with the math. people were released into the country. we still need to look at this. it needs to be addressed. we are now excepting a new norm. >> what else do you think the federal government should do? would you support that deal? >> i think we can support that. they were elected to protect our country. when you put your political

party above people, you're going to fail every time. that is what they are doing. we have been dealing with a tragedy on the border. >> thank you for your time. >> thank you for having me. >> we are joined by an immigration attorney. she works with asylum-seekers in el paso. thank you so much for joining. the president riesling put new restrictions on asylum-seekers. we just spoke to a sheriff who has said he has seen some decrease in border encounters but still call it a crisis. what are you seeing in el paso? >> we are seeing so much fear, confusion, overall frustration from the families and individuals we have spoken to. people are at a loss for what to

do. they are trying to understand the new rules and complied with them. we have not seen new appointments issued by the administration. since this was rolled out. we are cutting out all access to asylum. families are at their wits in of where they can go. >> meaning the app that asylum-seekers can use. what are you hearing from migrants you are speaking to? are they aware of the crackdown at the border? >> we are going to be seeing a lot of traveling patterns increasing. already we are seeing single mothers with children turned away for something as small as they did not believe they had a translator available to

interview the person. most people are not aware or understanding the rules. they are so complex. the executive order does nothing to actually stop or prevent someone from seeking asylum. what it does is close to the door in their face and seiko to mexico or stay in detention. it is a brutal mechanism and trying to explain this to families who are at the end of their journey and hoping to find safety in the u.s. is a complex manner. >> that executive order that the president issued about three weeks ago now, the administration said it was about taking pressure off and overwhelmed immigration system. it makes it so asylum-seekers cannot declare a silent between ports of entry. are you seeing any progress in that area when it comes to helping this system? >> absolutely not.

the facts on the ground are even though the executive order reads like it is innocuous, what is happening as we are telling more and more people who are eligible for asylum that the government still has to process them at the border. nothing in the suspension is targeting the reason for the backlog. people need access to information, attorneys, court dates. this order does nothing to fix these issues. >> what is next for the migrants you're working with? what options today have left? >> it is a dismal time as an advocate to speak with individuals about their options because they are close to none. for individuals i have interviewed, many have travel days and weeks to come to the area. they are also facing discrimination from law enforcement officials in mexico.

they are meeting a closed door when they are seeking safety. and they are getting pushback in mexico. we are seeing on a company children being prevented from coming to the port of entry and try to seek safety. this is leading to family separation. families making impossible choices about how they try to leave a shelter, walk up to the border, and try to seek safety with or without other members of their family because of their fear of what will happen if they remain in mexico. >> thank you for your time. ♪ >> the long fight against hiv make it a powerful new weapon. a new drug taken by injection shows great promise in preventing new infections. it could have far reaching

impact, especially in low income countries facing large >> >> infection rates. we have the details. they recently said that in a clinical trial of patients in south africa and uganda, not one person taking the drug was infected. if this drug pans out as hoped, what would that mean for global hiv care? we turn to one of the world's leading experts. the head of one of south africa's top research centers that helped run the study. so nice to have eval on the program. this drug is not yet approved for use in the marketplace. but let's say these results hold up. what would this mean? how potent of the tool with this be? >> great to be here with you.

in my 40 years of aids research, i have never seen a result like this. absolutely amazing to see a drive like this that provides 100% protection. when you look at a drug like this, given that it is in a completely new class of antivirals, we do not have circulating resistance to this drug. so we are seeing higher levels of protection. it is not a drug that the virus has already been exposed to. its potential as a highly efficacious prevention mechanism is enormous. given that our role is to try to in the aids pandemic, we need to focus on the three key groups

where hiv continues to be a major challenge. those are men who have sex with men. especially young men. injected drug users. and young women. young women bear the brunt of the hiv pandemic in africa. so the study was undertaken in that group. if we can get this drug rollout to high numbers of women, we can make a huge dent. >> given that there is already a prevention pill that people take every day, why does this twice a year shot make such a difference? >> studies done with the daily pill have shown that we have a

challenge in individuals maintaining that. the big challenge you have is individuals taking the drug are healthy people. they don't have hiv. it requires more effort for them to be able to remember that every day they are at risk, they need to remember to take the pill. they have to collect the medication at a regular interval. that becomes a high bar. the difference now is they have to think about their risk twice a year. and they need to make the effort to get it just once every six months.

that sets a much lower bar. this will lead to a larger number of patients maintaining their longtime use of this. >> in the u.s. in certain parts of the west, these deaths have really dropped off the radar. i know that is not the case elsewhere in the country. can you remind us of the challenges you still face fighting this pandemic. >> covid came in with such gusto that it consumed all of the world's attention. we are seeing that there is a lot of fatigue. people are tired of this problem. they moved on mentally and physically. the other pandemics that were occurring, they have not gone

away. they remain with us. malaria, tuberculosis, and hiv. aids remains one of the biggest challenges in africa. in south africa, he remains one of the top 10 causes of death. just last year, there were over a million new infections. that is a lot of new infections. we continue to have a high number of deaths. we have to change that. we have to slow down the spread of this virus. we have to protect people from dying. >> it is always so good to see

you. thank you so much for being here. ♪ >> more than a quarter of americans now claim no religious affiliation. that group now comprises the largest bloc of americans and follows decades of declining attendance of white christians, black protestants, and jews. there has also been a growing political divide in some communities. ♪ >> across america,, each week, a familiar sound. christians of different denominations gathering to saying, worship, and fine community. yet in a growing number of places in the country away from

major cities, that sound has been growing softer. in some like this church in southern illinois, it will soon grow quiet altogether. >> i have done a handful of baptisms while i have been pastor here. we are not offsetting the losses at this point. once you get to a certain point, it is impossible to pull out of the nosedive. we have been a bunch of birthdays. >> for more than 17 years, he has been the pastor of this church. one of the many mainline protestant denominations that once dominated the nation's cities, towns, and country sides. since 1972, even as the country's population has grown over 60%. the portion of white americans

attending churches like like the sword finance christian has fallen precipitously. this church will close for good in july. >> religion is not a central part of life for a lot of people. we were above 40%. catholics, 50%. now it is 20%. we are seeing a decline in a most every religious tradition. >> in addition to being a pastor, he is also a political scientist, teaching at eastern illinois university, where he studies the intersection of faith, politics, and the data behind it. describing these broad trends in a book. about the growing share of americans who identify as atheists, agnostics, or nothing

in particular. >> 90% of americans identified as christians in 1972. now it is below half. we are facing a different religious landscape today than we did 30 years ago. >> what is your best understanding of what is happening? why fewer and fewer americans are feeling some connection with a church or a faith? >> i think a lot of it is americans are anti-institutional. we do not trust anything today is much as we trusted it 40 years ago. whether it is banks or unions or the media or religion. they are announcing the value that religion plays in people's lives. this is what i push back on the most, that religion is only about belief.

religion is also a social enterprise. you come and sit next to people who are different than you. you learn how to volunteer and raise funds. and you learn that other people are good people. >> just a few miles away, some volunteers are helping the needy at this once a month food pantry. where they provide free food, clothing, and help with expenses. the population of jefferson county is shrieking as it -- shrinking as it ages. in the year 2000, 50 4% voted for george w. bush. nearly 72% in favor of president trump in 2020. volunteers hear from across local denominations. this outreach is organized by another mainline denomination and steep climb -- decline. the united methodist church has

fallen to half of its population today. they lost about a quarter of their churches over issues with same-sex marriage and lgbtq clergy. >> the lords table is where the distinctions between people are erased. >> on a recent sunday morning, the pews were mostly full. a full choir led the congregation. a decade ago, they moved from northern illinois. the first church they join closed. another did not align with their

views on supporting border migrants. >> when i was on the church council and i heard the church leaders on the council being very unhappy about us helping migrants and that the bishop was a terrible person for trying to keep people safe, that truly troubled me. i was not as interested in being a part of that. >> now they drive 45 minutes each way. to saying in the choir and worship at first united methodist. >> it is the best 45 minute drive that i have on a regular basis because i feel uplifted when i go to church.

i cannot say that has been true at the other churches i have been to. >> recognizing that politics was now a part of the church, how did that make you feel? >> i think politics has invaded schools and health care and just about every aspect of our lives. so i should not be surprised that it is invading in the church. did it make me feel uncomfortable? absolutely. ♪ >> singing alongside them is a man who was drawn to this church by its music. then by its message. >> the lord's table is the place where every orientation can

discover and receive the gift of god's life-giving grace. >> it honestly rocks my world that there are people who are christian who are actually open-minded. >> he lives in mount vernon with his husband. he was raised southern baptist. he felt increasingly uncomfortable with that branch as he aged. especially as he heard things from the pastor that conflicted with his realization that he was transgender. >> one of the examples was he was going on a tangent about caltrns rights was all bad -- how trans rights was all bad. he said the civil-rights movement was a mistake because now we have a gay-rights movement. >> you are hearing that and what were you thinking? >> i have been taught that if you see things going wrong, you stay there and try to fix them. that is what i was trying to do

for years and years in that church. then i got to the point where there was no way i could fix those. there is no way me sticking around will be helping this. >> it is like we have become a safe haven for refugees. >> he leads this congregation. his motto is open minds, open hearts, open doors. >> the church as come from armed -- are rigid and narrow. they are looking for a safe place where they are not told what to believe. where they have the freedom to ask questions and room to grow in their faith. >> he delivered a sermon on the importance of unity. >> the lord's table is a place where democrats can kneel alongside republicans. ? where you going to see that?

>> i felt like it was the right time for people to be reminded of that. we come together as one and we receive the bread and the wine. >> what has made this the right time? >> all the other voices that get airtime in the church, who is right and who is wrong, people need to hear that christ calls the church to unity. despite our differences. >> he says his congregation includes republicans, democrats, and everything in between. that is becoming increasingly rare. >> we always thought that religion was the first thing in politics was downstream of that. i looked at the bible.

now things have changed data says we take our religion based off of our politics. if i'm a republican, i'm going to seek out a congregation that affirms my views and tells me what i want to hear. that is why a lot of people have left religion. even today among liberals, 50% of them are not religious. we are seeing more people say, i cannot do that. >> in our next story, we will visit an evangelical church in tennessee that has lean heavily into politics. but they are now having second thoughts. ♪

>> join us again here tomorrow night for a preview of the presidential debate. that is it for tonight. >> on behalf of the team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends. >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of pleasure. and british style. all with white start service.

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ hello, welcome to "amanpour & co." here is what's coming up. >> the approach that has the greatest chance of success is a multilateral one. >> american voters face a stark choice in november. i speak with diplomat david satterfield about the high stakes for global security. with the future of the middle east on the ballot, jomana k