geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on the "newshour" tonight, president biden pushes back on congressional democrats calling for him to step aside, telling them it's time for the speculation to end. france faces potential political paralysis as no party wins a majority in a second round of elections.

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geoff: welcome to the newshour. president biden is facing growing calls from a handful of house democrats to step aside as the party's presidential nominee. earlier today in a rare cable news program call in the president addressed his critics and maintained that he was still the best person for the job. pres. biden: i am getting so frustrated by the elites, not talking about you, but the media . as if they know so much more. any of these guys don't think i should run, run against me. go ahead, announce for president. challenge me at the convention. geoff: our congressional correspondent lisa desjardins, and our white house correspondent laura barrón-lopez join us now. president biden is unwavering and says he is not exiting this race. give us a sense what more he is saying and the white house strategy to calm nervous democrats. laura: the strategy is that he is not going anywhere and sent a

letter to congressional democrats today in which he said the question of how to move forward has been well aired for over a week, it is time for into end. the task ahead only helps donald trump hurts us. what biden is saying publicly is also what campaign aides are saying privately to donors, democratic lawmakers, party officials across the board, that he is only one who has shown he has beaten trump in the past, that the debate was one bad night, that is not the way he is across the way he is across-the-board and that he is strong enough to run this campaign. campaign officials have been making calls to individual donors, lawmakers, biden himself was on a call with donors in which he also said they can't waste any more time being distracted, that this needs to end. he will speak tonight virtually with black caucus members and the campaign is pointing to a recent bloomberg poll that shows

biden is up in wisconsin and michigan and internal polling shows similar and ultimately they say the debate has not had an impact on where the state of the race is. the white house press secretary faced tough questions today in the press briefing. she was asked about the president's mental and physical fitness to do the job, and she said he has been seen three times over the course of his presidency by a neurologist. she was asked about visits over the course of eight months in the last year by a parkinson's specialist and she said the president has never been treated for parkinson's, is not currently being treated for parkinson's and is not taking any parkinson's medication so that is their full court press against the backlash of the debate. geoff: are the efforts that laura outlines, the president barnstorming in pennsylvania, the call in today, is that

changing the minds of house democrats? lisa: no, it is not. they are not seeing this as challenging as the debate. they want to see him extend himself more, they want to get a better picture of exactly how he operates in challenging situations and think over where things stand. we know of nine house members who have called either publicly or among leadership for president biden to step aside and among those are four ranking members of committees including adam smith, but there was more news from the senate. speaking to senators themselves and senior staff, there are few democratic senators who believe biden should stay in as nominee. however, there is a lot of conversation and debate over what to do about it. senator mark warner of virginia who wanted a white house meeting today is now approaching this in a more nuanced way.

his colleagues felt it was not the best approach. they are drying together, speaking to the white house more in private about their concerns. those are things i think help the president, that they are not being openly confrontational. but as opposed to the white house pulls laura is hearing about, i am hearing from democrats from internal polls things are not looking good in new mexico, virginia. they are not just concerned about losing the white house but also the house and senate. the idea of a republican takeover of all of government with a favorable supreme court. one senator not thrown to having flourishes told me this astounding quote, they said, they all campaigned and in this case, everyone can see when a campaign is falling behind, it is just in a death spiral. geoff: there is another candidate in the race who has not gotten much attention these last two weeks and that is donald trump. he is trying to distance himself from this project 2025, which

you told us about, just as democrats are trying to do more to link him to it. it is a controversial governance plan if he is elected. tell us more about what is happening. laura: former president trump says he knows nothing about project 2025, does not know who is find it but multiple authors of it worked in donald trump's white house and they are expected to intentionally work in a second donald trump white house if he were to win election. project 2025, the blueprint about giving the presidency more power in a republican white house as well as gutting federal agencies, restricting abortion across-the-board, those are things biden's campaign believes will help biden strike the contrast. voters are taking stock, paying more attention to this blueprint, they do see it as connected to former president trump. ultimately you will see more

from president biden's campaign playing ads about this as well as, they think it will be the way to keep voters on biden's side even in the aftermath of this debate. geoff: thanks. we will get two different perspectives from democratic members of congress. first from congressman adam smith, the top democrat on the house armed services committee, who today called on president biden to abandon his re-election efforts. he joins us now. you say president biden should exit the race. why? does it have to do with his electoral chances or his ability to do the job as president? rep. smith: the two most compelling reasons, number one, i do not believe he is an effective messenger at this point. that is the shame of it, we have a great message and he has done a great job the last four years. you look at where the economy

was when he started, we are in a better position than any country in the world coming out of covid. he passed the infrastructure bill, inflation reduction act, has pulled together a coalition that has helped us from stopping putin take over ukraine. but what we have seen in the debate and since, and sometimes before, he is not an effective messenger. andy has health care concerns. you saw that at the press conference today where there were not clear answers given. i think at this point there are other people who can deliver the message better. the stakes are so high. yes, we are distracted, but the white house has said members need to stop talking about this. we are not the ones bringing it up. we were not at the white house press event today. the media brought it up, our constituents. it is what people are talking about. yes, it is a distraction from

talking about our message, but given biden's performance in the debate, we cannot do that. i want the most effective messenger possible because the stakes could not be higher. geoff: in a letter the president wrote today he said, the question of how to move forward has been well aired for over a week and it is time for it to end. the question for you, what are you planning to do the president says he is not -- stepping aside. rep. smith: i am planning to deliver the message. i agree the president has dug in, and that is unfortunate, but i cannot let it go. it is too important. the debate performance made it to clear about his inability to be an effective messenger for the party. four years ago when biden ran, he did not get off to a good start in the primary campaigns. he lost iowa, new hampshire, nevada.

then bernie sanders emerged as the top candidate. the same people biden is dismissing as elites, which are by the way, the democratic party, were worried about that. they threw support behind joe biden and help to other candidates out of the race. it is what the democratic party has done. it is not personal, it is about what is best for the party and country. this time it is clear to me what is best for the party and country is to have a different candidate. i feel strongly about the. -- that. what is the honest answer to what you think about is debate performance, his health, this interview where he did not say it correctly? that is what we are peppered with day in and out. instead of being able to talk about the message we want to talk about. geoff: if not president biden as the nominee, then who?

vice president kamala harris or someone else? rep. smith: i think it should be vice president harris. the last two years she has been an outstanding messenger for the party, particularly on the most salient issue, reproductive health care for women. she has been very strong in that regard. that is who i would pick. we have a couple dozen different really effective, experienced candidates across-the-board. the convention can make a different choice. the president is not the nominee yet, he is the presumptive nominee. if we go through the convention and he is the nominee, i will support him. he is clearly the best choice. elections are a choice. he is a better choice then who is in the field, but i am worried limitations mean he will not be good enough to beat donald trump. geoff: the president won 14 million votes in the primary.

often democrats accuse republicans of trying to disenfranchise voters. what is the argument for effectively throwing away the votes of 14 million people who said biden is our guy? rep. smith: one, kamala harris was running with them. part of the reason i would also pick her is because of that. it was set up, if the president cannot do the job of running this campaign, kamala is there, and she got those votes, too. second, what if that debate happened in november last year? you could make a powerful argument that since all those people voted their has been a significant shift in the president's ability to run this campaign. that is why we have the opportunity to pick a different choice. i am not trying to pressure the president into doing anything. i sincerely hope he and his advisors will do the same thing all democrats did four years ago.

sit down and say, what is the bath -- best path forward? it is about the party, the issues. ask yourself honestly, do we have a better chance to win in november with biden on the ticket or kamala harris? i think the question answers itself.. i have spoken to them, by the way. i spoke to them the day after the debate and several times since. i want the right choice to be made for the country. geoff: what do you say to democrats who view this entire thing as unhelpful? that if biden stays in the race as he says he will, he will emerge from this damage, one by his own debate performance, but two, by open skepticism from democrats like yourself. that there is more harm than good done, that the ticket emerges devalued? rep. smith: two things. first of all, this is out there.

we are not the ones bringing it up. it is being brought up. the plan of let's not address it and hope it goes away is not working well. the people are asking about this. these are the calls coming into my office. we are not the ones bringing it up. second, that is how strongly i feel about this issue. i had concerns. the president was old when he ran the first time and older the second time. he alluded to the fact he would run one term. i thought we should get a different candidate. he decided not to do that and i bought into it. he is the nominee, let's support him, and i did. the debate performance was not just a bad night. it was catastrophic and has not gotten better since.

i hear you. it probably has a slight negative upfront, but if it gets us the positive of a stronger nominee, i feel so strongly about the fact we have to try. geoff: that is congressman adam smith of washington. thank you for sharing your insights. now for a different take we turn to congresswoman madeleen dean, from the critical swing state of pennsylvania. she hit the campaign trail with the president over the weekend and she joins us now. thanks so much for being with us and welcome to the news hour. i believe we are having a technical issue as we await the congresswoman joining us. can you hear me? rep. dean: -- geoff: i believe your audio is

live. we will be right back. ♪ geoff: congresswoman dean of pennsylvania joins us now. welcome to the news hour. rep. dean: pleased to be with you. thank you for having me. geoff: i want to get response, that biden is an ineffective messenger that should not have it place at the top of the ticket in this election. rep. dean: let me say how much i admire and respect ranking member smith. he has been a critical guide to our caucus on the armed services and other top issues. i have complete respect for what he said, and the community -- communication with the white house. i happen to be in a different lace. i am unapologetically supportive of the president, his record,

his decency and integrity and i, like adam smith, clear eyed about the challenges in front of us. i have been talking to our leadership, the administration, the campaign and more importantly, my constituents. i would be happy to tell you what they say. geoff: before we get to that, in the same letter the president wrote to congressional democrats he said democrats have the record, the vision and fundamental commitment to america's freedoms and democracy to win. in your view does biden have the capacity to make that argument in a way that resonates with voters to win the election? rep. dean: he has made that argument effectively and is the only person to defeat donald trump. he has the right to say that and he has the record to back it up. geoff: what do you say to democrats who support biden and

like biden, but think he lost a step in that the debate revealed vulnerabilities that imperil his chances of winning the white house in november? anne's given the existential stakes many democrats -- and given the existential stakes many democrats see, if a change needs to be made, now is the time? rep. dean: i have constituents writing me on both sides. some say president biden must step aside that the existential threat that is donald trump in a presidency we have seen in the past which will only be catastrophically worse in the future, they believe he should step aside and i understand their arguments. i also have those who have said no, he is the guy that did beat trump. we don't know anybody else can. i count on listening to my constituents and conveying this information directly to the

administration and campaign as well as our leadership. i traveled with the president yesterday in pennsylvania to a fantastic church in mount airy, with a service that lifted us out of our seats and the president was well spirited, worked from a notebook. i know the teleprompter argument goes on. he worked from a notebook. we also worked with folks who were organizers on the campaign side and labor, where the president spoke without notes and was terrific. he was just fine. i was there to say i am a pennsylvanian and am lucky to serve my constituents and am lucky to stand on the record of all the investments we have brought into pennsylvania as a result of the last 3.5 years, the legislation we put forward. billions in private sector investment. more than that in public sector investment. a half a million new jobs start

ups, half a million new small business startups. there is a great record, but i want to be realistic. i am clear eyed about the challenges ahead of us and that we must defeat trump. i say to those who agree our republic is on the line, americans need to listen, see joe biden out more, see him face-to-face with the american people and make their decision. we have to defeat donald trump. geoff: pennsylvania is a critical must win state for present biden. four recent trolls have trump leading in pencil vania. the bloomberg poll has him up by seven points. do you believe biden can win pennsylvania? rep. dean: i think all the data must be before us and the pennsylvania state party.

we have to take into consideration the numbers you're talking about. geoff: how much longer can this go on, the public handwringing over whether biden should stay at the top of the ticket? how much longer can this go on and how much damage has this done to the ticket? rep. dean: how much longer i do not have an answer. we are at such a critical phase and the election is 118 days away. that will go by quickly. but i have real confidence in this party, confidence in democrats. we just got back in washington and are voting in 10 minutes. it is an evening boat session. we will be in caucus tomorrow. i don't see a circular firing squad. i talked to my colleagues over the last 10 days. to a person they have been

thoughtful, worried, clear eyed. i think we will see that tomorrow and caucus. geoff: there are fewer than 10 has democrats who have come out publicly to say biden should withdraw from the race. privately hominy democrats would you say hold the same view? rep. dean: i don't have that number at all. geoff: congresswoman, think you for joining us. we appreciate your time. rep. dean: my pleasure. ♪ geoff: in the days other headlines ukrainian officials , say at least 31 people are dead and more than 150 others were injured after a barrage of russian missiles hit several cities. one strike partially destroyed a major children's hospital in the capital, kyiv. stephanie sy has the details. stephanie: brick by brick,

medical staff and volunteers formed human chains to clear the wreckage of the okhmatdyt children's hospital in kyiv. mayor vitalii klitchko said it was one of the worst attacks on ukraine's capital yet. >> there are people under the rubble, there may be children among them. stephanie: with the oncology department left in ruins, cancer patients slowly moved towards safety their iv bags rolling , with them. air raid alarms forced patients from their hospital beds and down to the basement. inna bereznytska rushed her daughter to shelter after the first explosion. >> i could not think such a thing could happen, that there could be attacks on the hospital with sick children. it is difficult to describe in words. stephanie: the strikes hit multiple other buildings in kyiv, including apartments. russia claims they only targeted military sites, but more than 40 missiles damaged civilian infrastructure in five different

ukrainian cities. in president voldomyr zelenskyy's hometown of kryvyi rih, strikes killed at least 11 people and injured nearly 50. >> beyond any doubt we will rebuild everything. everybody that was injured will get all the help they need and we pledge to work on bringing russia to justice for the terror. stephanie: the united nations security council will meet tomorrow to address the hospital attack, but action is unlikely and russia holds the rotating chair this month. at upcoming nato meetings, zelensky will appeal for more patriot missiles to fend off attacks like this. at the white house today, spokesman john kirby said more help is on the way. >> to strengthen ukraine's air defenses and to help ukraine protect its cities and its grid, the united states and several of our allies will have several big announcements at this week's summit. stephanie: a strong signal of support and expectations the alliance will pledge more aid

but ukraine is not expected to be offered nato membership at this week's summit. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. geoff: hurricane beryl has been downgraded to a tropical storm but not before landing a direct hit on the texas golf course -- golf is a powerful category 1 storm. paris county officials reported at least two deaths in the greater houston area. first responders rescued stranded residents, including this man who had been stuck on the roof of his truck in rushing waters. houston's mayor and response officials urged residents to stay at home. >> help us help you by staying in place, you will assist the community. we need resources addressing the most severe situations. geoff: texas officials say power outages cannot be fixed until the winds died down. the national hurricane center

warned of more flash flooding as beryl pushes inland. family members of boeing plane crash victims say they are outraged today after the justice department said the playmaker agreed to a plea deal to avoid a criminal trial. that's in connection to two 737 max jetliner crashes that killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019. an attorney for several victim'' families said that -- quote -- "through crafty lawyering between boeing and doj, the deadly consequences of boeing's crime are being hidden.” a federal judge still has to approve the deal that requires boeing to pay a $243.6 million dollar fine, after paying same amount in a 2021 settlement. a judge in new mexico has ruled that alec baldwin's role as a co-producer of the film 'rust' is not relevant to his trial over a fatal on-set shooting in 2021. the decision is a win for his defense team, as it limits the evidence that can be used against him.

baldwin attended court today for the pre-trial hearing. the actor faces a single felony count of involuntary manslaugther, after a gun he was holding went off during rehearsals, killing the film's cinematographer. baldwin faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted. he has pleaded not guilty. jury selection is set to begin tomorrow. hamas leaders said today that new israeli military escalations in gaza could have quote "disastrous repercussions" on ceasefire negotiations. it comes as cia director bill burns and u.s. middle east envoy brett mcgurk are in cairo, meeting with their regional counterparts. days earlier, the parties appeared to bridge gaps in talks when hamas gave initial approval to a phased ceasefire deal. a state department spokesperson said work on reaching an agreement continues. >> has a said last week when we received a response from hamas, we found reasons to be hopeful, in that response, but that said, we don't yet have a deal, and we're not taking anything in granted unless and until we get

the deal. we continue to work to try to achieve a ceasefire that would secure the release of hostages, would allow us to serve humanitarian assistance in, and alleviate the suffering of the palestinian people. geoff: meantime israel released video of troops fighting on the ground in gaza. the idf ordered evacuations for thousands of palestinians in gaza city. it says militants have regrouped there after a prolonged battle early in the war. michael bloomberg and his charity limburg philanthropies are giving $1 billion to johns hopkins university. the money will cover tuition for most of the school's medical students. those from families making less than $300,000 a year will get free tuition. students from families who earn less than 170 $5,000 a year will also have their living expenses covered. the gift will also increase financial aid for students at the university's nursing, public health, and other graduate schools. michael bloomberg himself graduated from johns hopkins back in 1964.

on wall street today markets and admixed to start the week. the dow jones industrial average slipped about 30 points, so barely changed. the nasdaq crept to another record close, adding 50 points. and, the s&p 500 ended just a bit higher on the day. still to come on the newshour tamara keith and amy walter , break down the latest political headlines and the health effects of maui's devastating wildfires, one year later. >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ geoff: today france awoke to the final tally of the second round of its parliamentary election with results that no polls predicted. the country's right-wing political party was expected to take control of parliament. instead a left-wing coalition won the largest number of seats, but not enough to govern, leaving the country in

unprecedented deadlock. here's nick schifrin. nick: last night supporters of the far-right and far left clashed in the streets, perhaps a preview of the country because upcoming political pugilist him. for those opposed to the far-right results spark rejoicing and relief the right wing had been blocked. france's usually splintered left and central strengthened to weaken far-right candidates they say threaten the republic. the winner was the new popular front, whose most popular faction is led by a divisive figure. >> the president has the duty to call on a new popular front to govern. nick: that demand is expected to be unheeded by macron.

macron finished second after losing a quarter of its seats. as for the far-right, they expected jubilation, but their plans party proved muted in the champagne would only be sipped. 12 million french voted for the national rally but today they are disappointed, foiled by there would be prime minister, cult -- called an alliance of the dishonorable. >> i can understand the frustration of millions of french people to see change was called for but once again macron made the choice to throw france into the arms of the far left. nick: for bite and it was more personal. pres. biden: there will be no red wave. no right wave here in america, either. nick: yet national rally leader

marine le pen appears to have removed the stigma of her father, a well-known anti-semite. many rejected her image -- ideas of tougher immigration and borders. but the country is more divided than ever. geoff: to discuss the election and its results and how it might impact support for ukraine, nato and the european union we turn to a visiting fellow at the brookings institution. welcome to the newshour. in some ways we have seen france do this before, the so-called republican front, the left and center coalesce together against the far-right. how did it happen this time and why did it work? tara: between the first round of the snap elections held on june 30 and the second round held on july 7, we saw a flurry of extreme right, far-right

candidates, who were in the best case scenario absolutely incompetent. in the worst-case scenario, racist, anti-semitic, homophobic. we saw the level of incompetence and people decided not to vote for them. the republican front organized themselves. i think there was a sense the french people looked into the abyss and did not want to see -- cede their country to the far-right. geoff: some 12 million french voters did vote for le pen's party. has she erased the stigma of her father? is her momentum irreversible? tara: that is what she says. she says the tide has risen, they did not win, but it is inevitable they will, whether in the upcoming 2027 presidential election or may another snap election macron could call. they had 89 members of

parliament 10 days ago and now have 143. that is from 8 only in 2017. their rise is consistent and steady. they did when the highest percentage of the popular vote yesterday. i think they will continue playing on the sense of anger and frustration we have seen build since yesterday. geoff: post-world war ii france has never had a coalition. the leaders of a would-be coalition, no love lost between them. what will coalition talks look like? tara: this is the biggest question we have right now

* leaving the left behind i think this is what he would want to do as much as possible. geoff: what do you believe the impact of this on what u.s. priorities are when it comes to france which is support for ukraine, strengthening the european union, and also a good transatlantic relationship? tara: there is a sense of relief

coming out of washington but also european capitals which we will likely see now a large continuity and priorities. -- in priorities. that means continued investment in nato and in the european union and continued support for ukraine to join the european union. apart from the far left or other left-wing parties, they support these policies. geoff: as i mentioned, the head of the most popular faction of the new left wing coalition, mélenchon, is a divisive figure and has accused israel of genocide. he has been accused of anti-semitism. his critics say he pushes an unaffordable agenda. how influential will he be? tara: he decided he will be the first to speak yesterday at 8:00 p.m. paris time after the results came in. he decided he was the most

representative electoral person to claim that victory which was also divisive but i think if there is a majority, those who agree on sidelining him and presenting newer rep -- revelations, i think if we see these emerge, there will be a huge path for this left wing coalition. geoff: thank you. ♪ geoff: president biden comes out in a show of force against pressure to step down from the top of the democratic ticket. as trump tries to distance himself from a conservative plan to radically reshape the federal government. let's turn to our politics monday duo, that's amy walter of the cook political report with amy walter and tamara keith of npr. great to see you both on this monday.

president biden hit the campaign trail over the weekend. you were with him. he called into msnbc this morning and has a solo press conference attached to the nato summit. take us inside the biden strategy to do more in unscripted situations to prove his fitness. tamara: that is exactly what he is doing. at campaign headquarters where he spoke to supporters he did not speak from notes. at one point somebody shouted something about dark brandon, the laser i'd -- laser eyes meme version of biden. yeah, he is coming back. he is moving past the part of his rhetoric where he says, i am not as old as i used to be and i'm slow down. he is onto the, we need to move on part of the campaign. he is also pivoting to say, this is the elites. the elites want me out, regular

voters don't. i was with him all day yesterday. the feedback he was getting, presidents are in a bubble and he was taken to places where he would be well received. at that church the pastor led the congregants in a call and response to say, i love you, president biden. he stayed and shook hands and took selfies and held the camera himself to take selfies. all of this in three different locations. one of which it was 90 degrees outside and someone was taken away on a stretcher while he was outside shaking hands and taking pictures. he was running like a man with something to prove. he has to prove something to a lot of people in his party and convince them he is not just saying he is going away, but he is really not going away and they need to move on, not him. geoff: resilience is a hallmark of biden's brand.

so is being underestimated. that came through in something he said today -- pres. biden: i don't care what those big names think. they were wrong in 2020. they were wrong in 2022 about the red wave and they are wrong in 2024. geoff: does public polling support his decision? position -- does -- position? amy: the elites -- democrats have been saying for over a year we would like a different choice, we want different candidates. the democratic party had a choice. they could've opened it up, could have said we are going to have debates asking the president to be engaged. more important, the elites,

especially those who would be candidates, governors and senators who we hear a lot about now as potential replacements, decided not to run. they did not want to take that risk. he is where he is in some part because many of those people did not jump in and challenge him and ask him to get into a debate or ask him to run a vigorous primary campaign. that said, he is correct the polls underestimated him, pulling suggested democrats would do worse in 2022. the difference between where those polls are now and where we are now, in 2020 the polling underestimated how well biden would do in the general election. the second is, the issue now, and you raised this in your interviews with members of

congress is, not so much can he be a good messenger, that is one challenge, but the next is convincing the public he can do the job, that he is up to the physical and mental challenge of being in that job another four years. what was on display in 2020 and 2022, the center of everything, was donald trump. he is not the center of everything right now. joe biden is. geoff: yes, there are democrats who have concerns about biden's age and others who are flabbergasted because they say, this is not just an election between two people, it is between vastly different worldviews and two different visions for this country's future, one of which is escaping scrutiny because of the attention on president biden. trump has been trying to distance himself from the controversial governance plan known as project 2025.

he says he knows nothing about it or the people behind it, even though several linked to the project used to work for his administration and his campaign. give us a sense what is happening. tamara: somewhere in key positions in his administration. they are crafting a plan that could potentially be enacted. some of it over -- overlaps with the republican platform that just came out. trump realizing this document also contains a lot of ideas that are quite scary to undecided voters or even moderate republicans, some ideas that are downright unpopular if polled among the public, trump is of course trying to distance himself from it. he, as someone who governed, had a fluid attachment of policy ideas. he is someone who would, if

someone was persuasive enough, he would accept the idea and say that will be our policy. then he would move all over the place. in some ways it is hard to know whether him distancing himself from this now means it would never happen in his administration. when many of the people he would likely hire or take advice from were involved in developing it. these are long-term goals of conservative far right republicans. geoff: what does the polling show about trump? he has a solid floor of support but a fairly low ceiling of support, has he been able to grow that? amy: what we see from immediate polls, what was a small trump lead has grown to three points. it is not significant but when you know races are decided by one or two points, being able to

even gain that much is super important and i think what we are hearing from members, folks i spoke to, what they are worried about is their own voters are depressed and do not come out to vote and undecided voters, while they may not be breaking for trump, they cannot guarantee that will not happen is they get closer to the election. geoff: how do democrats find their way out of this? solve it for us in 30 seconds. tamara: i think it probably does not happen this week, but maybe next week with the democratic -- republican convention where trump will be the focus. or maybe this week if he announces his vice presidential pick. democrats could point out that his former vice president does not support him because his life was threatened on january 6. geoff: thank you. ♪

geoff: it has been almost a year since the nation's deadliest deadliest wildfires devastated the island community of maui. while much of the debris has been removed, many residents are still dealing with worrisome health issues that experts say are connected to the fires. william brangham has this report, part of our series, race matters. >> all that area. it was a nightmare. william: while some greenery is returning to the valley behind nancy garrett's home in kula, maui she'll never forget when , this was all ablaze. >> it burned right up here to my hedge, a wall of fire. william: the fires in this rural, inland area started the same day as those that consumed the town of lahaina 25 miles to the west. 101 people died there, and over homes and other buildings were 2000 lost.

while most of lahaina's inferno was contained within days the rough terrain here in kula made it harder for firefighters - and residents - to control it . >> all day long that is all i did. flareups, constantly. william: you were fighting the fire on your own property yourself? x yes, for weeks. right outside my back door. william: garrett moved here forty eight years ago, and now worries she can't afford to fix the fire damage on her roof and fence. she also believes the smoke she breathed in last year and remaining ash are harming her health. >> i cough every day and i am not a coffer -- cougher. it depends on the kind of day it is, i don't want to be breathing it in. william: garrett is not alone: thousands of people on maui now live in or near areas that were burned. in a recent study of residents impacted by the fires, almost half reported declines in their health.

almost 40% of those examined had compromised lung function and people who'd been directly exposed to smoke, ash or debris reported worse symptoms. >> people are still struggling with respiratory conditions post-wildfires and then those who are more vulnerable already to respiratory health conditions, such as those with asthma tend to have exacerbated , symptoms and need the care. william: the university of hawaii's alika maunakea is an epigeneticist - someone who studies how our behavior and environment affects our genes. he co-authored the study. he says the fires not only made people sick, but they have very little access to care. before the fires, maui had worst shortage of primary care providers in the state, and a 40 % doctor shortage overall. >> there was no clinic on island on this side. we lost the clinic we had. william: the lahaina fire burned

lorraine young's family home today, this barren lot is all that's left but it also damaged and destroyed medical clinics. >> with first met her family last they were crowded in a september. temporary hotel provided by the red cross. her 83-year-old mother victoria was still processing the loss.. >> i close my eyes and i am there cooking, cleaning, but no more. william: they have now found more permanent housing, but now, lorraine and her siblings must drive across maui for their mother's medical appointments. >> limited access to care of course was a huge issue coupled with housing, and unemployment and food insecurity, that just compounded these conditions that we're starting to see in our health screenings. william: on top of that, maunakea says many survivors, like alex and sandra olivas, are contending with both physical

and mental health challenges. >> i think that now we're more impacted than before because we can see the repercussions of what happened i wasn't sick, but now i'm feeling a little sick, actually, a lot more sick. william: the olivas' and their four children are among the nearly 2,000 maui residents still living in temporary accommodations, covered by fema. since the fires, alex and sandra have had trouble breathing and must now use inhalers. alex was diagnosed with diabetes last month and is also now battling high blood pressure. >> i had a lot of anxiety. i could not sleep for months. >> i also get depressed sometimes but i have to be strong for my kids. william: you do believe this is because of the fire? >> yes, because before the fires i had my home, our life, and now we don't. william: according to the study, over half the survivors show signs of depression, compared to

just a third before the tragedy. rates of anxiety and other mental health issues also spiked, and have remained high. while the olivas' can get by speaking english, they say it's near impossible to receive care in their native spanish. >> we have struggled a lot with that, the language. when we go to the doctor, there is no one to translate. william: maui's latino community faces other unique challenges. >> about 38% of hispanic respondents reported they had no insurance coverage. and that's again six times higher than the state average. william: when maui's tourism cratered after the fires, many of their jobs disappeared, taking their incomes and their health insurance. >> we already knew that populations that experience health disparities would be more vulnerable to these disasters. and the trauma that follows just further widens inequities. william: one factor maunakea's study says can make a difference in how people rebound, social

connections. maui residents who reported high levels of social support had better mental health. when we were first here, we saw local hawaiians banding together to provide food, clothes and other supplies. local schools have also stepped up to provide that support. >> we've been able to provide services for the children to help them, have some sense of normalcy. william: tonata lolesio is the principal of sacred hearts school, it's a 162 year-old catholic pre-k through twelve school in lahaina that burned. more than half its students and faculty were displaced by the fires, but the school continued with makeshift classrooms at a nearby church. >> this last day of the school year was this was very special. we hugged, cried. it felt as though we made it. william: but, she's relieved they've found a new temporary campus with four walls and air conditioning for the upcoming school year.

>> we still have a long way to go but having this new school was a real hope for gus -- for us. we're moving forward together as a school ohana. william: a show of resilience and slow return to normalcy for a community still scarred by fire. for the pbs news hour i'm william brangham. ♪ geoff: that is the newshour tonight. i'm geoff bennett. for all of us here at the pbs news hour, thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour provided by -- ♪ >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the

voyage awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations and immersive experiences. a world of leisure and british style. all with cunard's white star service. ♪ >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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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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. [video title swooshing] [upbeat instrumental music] - hello everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & company". here's what's coming up. [video transition swooshing] - whether it's intentional or not, it's a crime. - [christiane] israel's airstrikes kill foreign aid workers trying to feed starving people in gaza. the u.n. relief chief martin griffiths tells me why we should all be outraged, in his first interview since announcing, he's stepping down. then, [alarm blaring] horror at al-shifa.