♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. a major tech out big -- tech outage sparks disruptions worldwide.

>> i've never seen it like this before. geoff: former president trump lays out his vision for another term, promising to crackdown on illegal immigration and reverse climate initiatives. amna: more democratic lawmakers join the growing chorus: on president biden to exit the race for the white house. -- calling on president biden to exit the race for the white house. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. an friends of the newshour including jim and nancy bitler and the robert and virginia chiller foundation. the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. >> the john s and james l knight

foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. an friends of the newshour. -- and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the newshour. the pressure is mounting on president biden to step aside from his campaign a day after the republican national convention wrapped up with a highly anticipated speech from former president donald trump. geoff: we will have more on the

shifting political landscape in a moment, but we start with the tech outage that halted flights, disrupted emergency services and created headaches for businesses. amna: the underlying problems behind the glitch were fixed by the afternoon, but the ripple effects have lasted throughout the day and may continue into tomorrow. geoff: thousands of passengers are still trying to get to their destinations tonight. >> it was the glitch felt around the world. today's software failure triggered far-reaching and frustrating outages globally. air travelers were among the most directly affected with tens of thousands of flights delayed and thousands more canceled. >> i have never seen it like this especially in this airport. >> the outage was caused by a fondly -- faulty software update. many users first noticed a problem when they saw the notorious so-called blue screen of death. the faulty update was issued by

cybersecurity from crowdstrike. ceo george kurtz offered a mea culpa on the today show. >> we are deeply sorry for the impact we caused to customers, travelers, anybody affected by this. we know what the issue is. we have resolved the issue. >> the faa temporarily grounded major u.s. airlines including united, american and delta. with flights installed, check ins were brought to a standstill. this passenger was disappointed with his airlines response. >> it's interesting to watch the airline have no idea what's happening because it is such an issue they don't have a grasp on. >> in australia, travelers had to fend for themselves. >> my flights been canceled. daughters are trying to do it

online and then we will have to try and get a flight home somehow. don't know. >> it wasn't just air travel that was affected. hospitals and health care systems overseas were also locked up, forcing the cancellation of appointments and the closing of clinics. massachusetts general hospital had to limit operations, announcing, all previously scheduled nonurgent surgeries, procedures and medical visits are canceled today. the outage also impacted 911 call systems in many places. and emergency services in oron, alaska and arizona. global news outlets like sky news were unable to broadcast their regular programs. >> a major global i.t. outage is impacting many of the world's largest companies including us here. >> paris olympic officials say their systems were also down. in many places, courts were also

closed or delayed. while the underlying software problem has been fixed, security experts say residual problems could continue for several days. to help us understand more about what went wrong, we turn to bruce schneier. he's a lecture at the harvard kennedy school and writes a wonderful security blog. thank you for being here again. what is it that went wrong? >> basically there are hundreds of companies that do small things that are critical to the internet functioning and today, one of them failed. it's a company you have probably never heard of and would not hear of if it did not fail. the details are geeky, but one of the critical things that holds the internet up fell down. >> that's simple glitch today

grounded planes, stopped surgeries from happening, 911 systems were down. if that can be happening because of an accident, what would happen if there was a motivated that actor getting into these systems? >> we see that. remember to change health care where no one could get prescriptions because of ransomware? remember colonial pipeline? we have seen this again and again. sometimes it is malice, sometimes it is accident. but there are so many critical things that make this network function and if anyone of them fails, the network fails. >> isn't just that we are to over reliant on a concentrated number of companies? >> it's concentrated and it's a very fragile system. a lot of it is the economics. redundancies are viewed as

inefficient so they are pulled out of the system because of profits. with that ends up with a very fragile system. it all works great when it works. when it fails, it fails catastrophically. >> is it to make a meaningful exception to build in that redundancy? >> it's economics. i could describe ways that crowdstrike could have rolled out changes incrementally and talked about this before it was a disaster. we could talk about having a dozen companies do the same thing so the disaster is contained. really it is economics. the business incentive is to grow, become critical and run as lean as absolutely cons -- possible. >> what will the downstream consequences be or will there be none? >> there will be none. what were the downstream consequences for the dozens of other incidents like this in the

past few years? we move on. politics is all-consuming. this is a blip. tomorrow, i don't even think it's going to be news. >> on a practical basis, for an individual who might have done some online transaction, to they need to worry, could this have impacted them in some way? >> it could have if they were flying today, needed 911 services. a lot of things collapsed. but really as an individual, there is nothing you can do. you are not in charge of these networks. you don't get to say what products is in services are used or not. we are all at the mercy of these very large consolidated systems. and when they fail, our life is impacted. the only way to make this change is at the political level. agitate for some meaningful rules that will keep companies from being this lien. >> you know the difficulties of

that kind of thing. that's not a constituency that's naturally out there organically fighting for this kind of thing. absent that, are there political leaders that could be pressing this in a regulatory way? >> i think there can, i don't think there will be. we have a lot of trouble especially levered states regulating anything and this is certainly not the worst disaster, this is just today's disaster. there could be changed, i wouldn't expect it. the eu is doing better with more meaningful regulation, but they are still not doing the kind of things that will make our critical infrastructure more redundant and more resilient. >> bruce schneier, thanks for being here. amna: now to a closer look at a momentous week in politics. geoff: the republicans capped off their national convention in milwaukee last night with a speech from a man who has reshaped the party in his own

image, former president donald trump. >> looms rained down from the rafters. and donald trump range from onstage as republicans cheered his third presidential nomination, he is just the sex american to achieve that for a major party. the event marking it was all on his brand. and unapologetic show. >> let trump mania run wild, brother. let it make america great again. >> with a get tough theme from ressler hulk hogan, singer kid rock, and ultimate fighting championship ceo daniel white. >> i'm in the tough guy business and this guy is the toughest most resilient human being i have ever met in my life.

>> and when trump arrived on stage, the music shifted tone, but the message, literally his name, was still big. to a captivated crowd, the florida republican initially made good on the promise of a unifying tone. >> as americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny. we rise together or we fall apart. >> he shared the story of surviving last week's assassination attempt. >> the amazing thing is that prior to their shot, if i had not moved my head at the very last instant, the assassin's bullet would have perfectly hit its mark. and i would not be here tonight. >> the tone and rhetoric shifted as trump staying on brand repeatedly went off script, repeating some stump speech claims that republicans love, but which don't hold up.

>> we had the most secure border and best economy in the history of our country. we had no inflation. >> we call that false. >> we spoke to pull it affect. >> for all the standard metrics, things like wages, gdp, the first three years of trump's tenure were not somehow the greatest in u.s. history. we can find examples of better economies in the 60's for instance. >> another example. >> bad things are going to happen. meanwhile our crime rate is going up while crime all over the world is going down. >> that is mostly false. violent crimes have been consistently going down under biden at least son -- hunter

biden. at least some types of property crimes are up. there is a grain of truth there. but for the most part, most types of crime despite all that you hear on tv and from trump himself, actually if you look at the total number and the percentage, it has been going down for several years in a row. >> is for trump's 30 four felony convictions for falsifying business records, that wasn't mentioned, although he did rail against the justice system, implying his convictions were political. >> the democratic party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling their political opponent as an enemy of democracy. >> the 92 minute acceptance speech was the longest in political history, but it was not the only speech of note. trump's son eric railed against

the changing of confederate base names, defended his father and put his doubters on notice. >> to all americans watching tonight, the greatest retribution will be our success. >> tucker carlson front conservative celebrity and full throated praise of trump. >> i have never been to a more fun convention. >> one of the most important figures made her impression without saying anything at all. melania trump walked into the convention floor to loud and warm applause. the gop convention threaded many unusual needles like that, ending with a trump family gathering on stage aiming to show a unified front including with vice presidential nominee j.d. vance. they have their first joint campaign rally tomorrow in grand rapids.

geoff: democrats are increasingly divided on their presidential nominee. more than 10 congressional democrats called for president biden to step aside. his campaign insists he staying in the race. the campaign chair said the president was aware that the last few weeks had been tough but he could -- remains committed to staying at the top of the ticket. >> we have seen slippage in support but it has been a small movement. more and more people that see you joe biden out there postdebate, they are reassured that he is in it to win it and he can do that. geoff: our white house correspondent joins us now. what are you hearing from the campaign about his path forward? >> my sources tell me that trump's speech last night emboldened them. they feel like they got a boost

from that. they saw someone in that speech someone who they say is very beatable. the rhetoric he used, the mass deportations he talked about. they think they can beat him and president biden while recovering at rehobeth issued a statement in response to that speech saying, i look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of the project 2025 agenda. the campaign also held an all staff call today where jen o'malley dillon tried to boost morale on that as well, saying it's been hard, but they are sticking in it and not getting out of the race. geoff: why has this effort to put president biden out of the race picked up steam? this really subsided after the assassination attempt. >> part of it was because of the

assassination attempt that so many democrats called -- paused. we expect more lawmakers calling on him to withdraw and in the last 24 hours, it's been more than a dozen including two senators who have said president biden should step aside and pass the torch. we can expect more lawmakers tonight and over the weekend to say he should step aside. despite that, there was some circling of the wagons today. house minority leader hooking jeffries said that he still stands with president biden. the bold pac came out and formally endorsed biden. chris coons, a key ally, at an event in colorado today said that president biden is weighing who is the best candidate to win in november and that he's hearing from a lot of people, colleagues and the public alike.

not definitively saying he is without a doubt staying in the race. geoff: the democratic convention is not until late august. how long can this go on? >> democrats say the situation is untenable and a lot of them really want a resolution monday. they want to come to a resolution. a senior democratic aide told me that they feel like the dam is breaking. i spoke to veronica escobar who supports biden staying in the race saying that she's worried if he steps aside, the party will descend into chaos. the colleagues she talks to have not convinced her that everyone will rally behind kamala harris if president biden were to step aside. she really feels like there's a separation from reality going on amongst her colleagues. geoff: what other democrats is

the party considering? >> vice president kamala harris is the first name a lot of democrats mention including congressman jared huffman who today was one of the democrats who called on biden to step aside. he said he thinks there is widespread support for president harris and those calling for an open convention are outliers. but there are some democrats and donors who have mentioned names like pennsylvania governor josh shapiro or michigan governor gretchen whitmer. there is no clear consensus right now as democrats try to figure out what to do here. >> i'm vanessa ruiz with news hour west.

here are the latest headlines. the un's top court says that israel's rule over the palestinian occupied territories is unlawful. in a sweeping condemnation, the international court of justice in the hague said that israel's policies impede palestinians right to self-determination and violate international law. the 15 judge panel pointed to the building and establishing of israeli settlements in the west bank and east jerusalem. they called on them to be withdrawn. >> the sustained abuse by israel as its position as an occupying power violates international law. israel has an obligation to bring an end to its presence in the occupied palestinian territory as rapidly as possible. >> benjamin netanyahu wrote, the jewish people are not occupiers in their own land.

no absurd opinion in the hague can deny this historical truth. an iranian made drone rumbled downtown tel aviv this morning, killing one man and injuring at least 10 others. who the rebels in yemen claimed credit. footage circulated overnight of the explosion. by dawn, police swarmed the scene to survey the damage. the israeli military said they are investigating how the drone bypassed the air defense system. >> we are in a multi-front war. we work on all fronts and defend the country every day. in this event, we are talking about an error. we are investigating all the chains, but it is known there was no interception. >> is really bombs continue to fall in gaza. families warned today after 12 people were killed in two

refugee camps in central gaza. the government of bangladesh has announced a nationwide curfew as deadly student protests escalate. security forces used live rounds and tear. security remains tight after clashes between police and demonstrators. 22 students were killed. protesters are calling for changes to a system that reserves 30% of top government posts for relatives of the country's war for independence. they insist that jobs be based on merit. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy urged britain's new government to let his forces strike deeper into russian territory. u.k., united states and others have placed restrictions on the use of weapons. zelenskyy met with keir starmer and delivered a rare address to

a u.k. cabinet leader. he was the first foreign leader to do so since bill clinton in 1997. he said he was grateful for the leadership, but more needs to be done. >> we are missing the answer to this question and that is long-range capability. by defending, we have proven we can stop any russian attempt to expand the war. >> zelenskyy also spoke with trump, condemning the assassination attempt in pennsylvania and stressing the importance of bipartisan support for ukraine. hundreds of mourners set their goodbyes to corey comperatore, the firefighter killed during the attempted assassination of trump last weekend. a fire engine carrying his flag draped casket let a procession to the pennsylvania church where he was a longtime congregant. officials say he lost his life

while shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire. he worked as a project and tooling engineer. allen weisselberg was released from rikers island on good behavior. the retired cfo for the trump organization served 100 days of a five month sentence for perjury. he was convicted in a trial against the former presidents real estate company. louisiana agreed to temporarily hold off on displaying 10 commandments posters in public classrooms until november 15th. a federal judge approved the measure allowing for a lawsuit brought by a group of parents to play out. the law requiring the posting of the 10 commandments in all public classrooms has a compliance deadline of january 2025. still to come on the news hour, evan gershkovich is sentenced to

prison in russia. david brooks and jonathan capehart way in on the week in politics. and how tornado chasers and scientists are working together to better predict storms. >> this is the pbs news hour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: after a rush to secretive trial, a russian court convicted american journalist evan gershkovich in a case the u.s. dismisses as a scam. he was sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony. he's the first american journalist to be arrested by russia on espionage charges since the cold war. we are joined by omar look tour. -- almar latour or.

let's start with your reaction to the conviction and the sentence. were you expecting 16 years? >> two reactions really. we are appalled at the 16 year sentence. it's an insult on freight press and evan, it's terribly distressing and it's wrong because all of this is based on false charges, a sham trial and lies. manufactured lies. on the other hand, if you look at the history of autocratic regimes and particularly the one in russia, we know that there a very high chance for trials like these to end in a conviction and pretty heavy sentencing. we were expecting that to some

degree, but it hits hard. amna: we saw him in the courtroom. his head has been shaved. how did he seem? >> shaved head is somewhat recent. it happened when he was moved to a new facility. he looks a little skinnier than i believe we have observed before. you can see that he is resilient , but the russian regime has really applied all the symbolism of making him look like someone who committed a crime. and so that's distressing to see him effectively dressed up like that, just absolutely wrong. the visual cues are not what we want to see. amna: the speed of this trial has raised a lot of questions about whether the kremlin is

trying to use him for a prisoner swap of some kind. antony blinken reaffirmed the administration's commitment to bring evan and another american home. >> when it comes to evan and paul whelan, we are working quite literally every day looking to see what we can do to get them home. amna: have you gotten any updates from this administration on any of those efforts to re-evan and is a potential prisoner swap on the table? >> throughout this ordeal we have worked with the u.s. government to try and secure evan's release. we generally don't comment on the nature of those conversations and the efforts that are happening. secretary blinken in those comments is absolutely right that there 24/7 efforts taking place to secure his release and

to look after the other americans who are held in wrongful detainment. that's about as far as i can go on this topic. amna: i know you have been in touch with his family as well. what can you tell us? >> his family has been an inspiration throughout all of this. they are so strong in the face of something obviously so emotional and hurtful to them. to see their son in captivity and being held in the way that he is and accused of things that he didn't do and smeared again and again by the russian propaganda machine. so in the face of all that, they are in my view heroic. they are holding their head above water and they want to see their son released as soon as

possible and with whatever it takes. they should speak for themselves. we all as his colleagues want to see him released as soon as possible. amna: the wall street journal no longer has anyone reporting on the ground in russia. many american media organizations don't either. what is the impact of that? >> we are looking at what happens in hotspots from different angles. just because we are not on the ground doesn't mean we aren't reporting on something and we actually do have a reporter on the ground in russia, but it's evan, and he's in prison. as to further on the ground coverage, the environment right now is inhospitable and does not allow for safe reporting in our view. >> that is the publisher of the

wall street journal, ceo of dow jones. we are thinking about evan and hope east home soon. amna: it was a major week american politics with former president donald trump formally accepting the nomination after his assassination attempt with president biden vowing to stay in the white house. we will discuss it now with the analysis of books and capehart, david brooks and jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post. great to see you both. we were all together every night of the republican national convention. you were there as night after night, people would say mr. trump has been changed. he's a more contemplative man after that attempt on his life.

he's going to deliver immunity -- a unity message. that turned out not to be true. >> what we heard in milwaukee was his stump speech. most people probably didn't realize that was his stump speech because that was a time when more people are watching. this wasn't opportunity for donald trump to re-present himself to the nation after the assassination attempt, but what we saw in the first 30 minutes was sort of new, sort of measured donald trump. at the 30 minute mark just about, in kane crazy nancy pelosi and it went downhill from there. it was grievance and injury, a lot of attention paid to illegal immigration. it was a missed opportunity on the part of the former president

because he's been basically silent for the last three weeks because of the implosion happening on the democratic side and yet he took that chance yesterday and just showed the country what his faithful have been seeing for months now. people were joyful and unified. there were a lot of good speakers and memorable moments. there was only one bed speaker and it was from the nominee. i agree that it started out well and deteriorated. what it said to me, the guy had only one job. there were remarks on the teleprompter. all he had to do was read the remarks and he would be cruising today. what he is incapable of

self-control, incapable of non-self-indulgence. incapable of non-narcissism. what i took away from the speech was any hope that a second trump term would look different than the first one because the guy suddenly organized and disciplined. that hope has to go out the window. the second term looks to be as shambolic and chaotic as the first one because the guy is incapable of self-control. amna: i went back and read the transcript from the 2016 acceptance speech. there was a lot of the same language, railing against hillary clinton, talking about the failed policies of obama. the thing that struck me that was different was particularly on illegal immigration. there was much more dangerous vicious language targeting black and brown immigrants, talking about them carrying disease and

stealing women and jobs. did that stick out to you at all? >> yes, it did. i can't remember another ticket where both candidates are married to immigrants or children of immigrants. i think global populism has done two things. it has fed on each other. the marine le pen and donald trump's have fed on each other, the anti-immigrant theme is what unites them globally. it has gotten uglier and darker and trump grievance has gotten more menacing. at the same time maga is more intellectually serious than it used to be. it has intellectuals and magazines. personified by j.d. vance. the fact that the teamsters were represented as a sign that something much bigger is happening here. the idea that there is an intellectual movement on defense

of the working class is also true. it's kind of impressive the way they have intellectually come together around that agenda and alarming that the level of prejudice seems only to increase. amna: you reference the implosion within the democratic party right now. tell me about how what we saw inside the convention is impacting what's happeni on the democratic ticket? >> it doesn't seem like it's impacting at all. there was more than one bed speaker. marjorie taylor greene, eric trump, speaker johnson. these were people also feeding red meat to the trump faithful. you would think the democrats would be focused on not just donald trump's speech, but all the other ones happening in the lead up to senator vance and donald trump's speech. immigrants have been spending all their time trying to push

out the sitting president of their own party from running as the nominee of their party. and you have the president having contracted covid in isolation in rehobeth having all of these people ringing more pressure to bear on him to get out of the race just as we were on the air. senator sherrod brown just said the president should give up his reelection bid. amna: what does that say to you that sherrod brown who has known joe biden for as long as he has has come forward? >> this tells me the pressure is going to continue to mount. it could be the president will have no choice but to give up his reelection campaign. the big concern i have is, great. you succeed in getting president biden to give up his presidential bid you don't say who should be at the top of the

ticket. if kamala harris is not the top of the ticket, democrats are guaranteed to lose. amna: there is a democratic convention in just a month's time. how long do you think this kind of turmoil and uncertainty can go on? >> three or four days. if they haven't decided this by monday or tuesday, the democratic party is in real trouble. they are undermining and undermining. either joe biden has to say no matter what you say i'm staying, or else fortune favors the bold. amna: president biden has been saying that. he continues to say i am in it to win it. >> true, but stories keep coming out that he is shifting his thinking. that has raised the inevitable that he's going to go. if he's going to go, he's got to go.

on what happens next, the democrats would be in big trouble if kamala harris was not on the ticket. on the other hand, nothing comes free in politics. the problem with the democratic process so far is it has been a low information process. joe biden got this far because he wasn't tested in the primaries. the idea of a mini primary with press conferences or debate is not entirely unappealing to me that kamala harris may well get the nomination, but she should have to earn it. she should have to show the party in the country that she's capable of making this campaign. >> not tested? has to earn it? she is the sitting vice president of the united states who has endured a whole lot of scrutiny in that role. lots from her party, the other party, the press. she was vice president during

covid, during a 50-50 split in the senate. she was basically changed to the president's chair in the senate chamber, not able to leave washington for more than two and a half hours so she could get back and passed tie-breaking votes. anyone pick on you, but anyone who says she has to earn it hasn't been paying attention to what's been going on. >> i don't agree with that. i don't mean to say she's not worthy, but joe biden was president. he wasn't out there campaigning. the process of campaigning is better than no process. that would be my only point. amna: last word. >> have you seen democrats? my big fear with democrats is if you do have this commonsense proposal of an open primary, democrats will make a shambolic process and whoever gets the top spot on the ticket even if it's

the sitting vice president could be as hobbled as the president they have potentially driven off the top of the ticket. amna: the fact that we are even having conversations about an open convention or a mini primary speaks to these times. thank you for helping us understand it all. geoff: millions of moviegoers are expected to go see twisters this weekend, a sequel to the 1996 block buster. it's a summer escape his thriller that you might say goes well beyond the science and true boundaries of tomato prediction. miles o'brien spent some time with actual tornado chasers and meteorologists to understand the latest research. here's his report.

>> how do you know where to go? >> jordan hall is a man on a mission. >> i will look at forecast models and surface models. my goal is to shoot close range insane video and sell it to the news networks. >> he makes a living taking tornadoes -- chasing tornadoes. i sat in his well-equipped suv and watched highlights of this epic storm chasing season. >> this year has been absolutely bonkers since the middle of april. this was one of the first few tornadoes i saw in this car.

you were very close to that, my friend. that's a strong tornado. that's a violent tornado. >> is it less risky than it would seem? >> i would say so. the biggest risk i think we'll face out there is just driving the countless miles that we do and being on the road so much. >> the 2024 tornado season has been historic. about 100 twisters have touched down in oklahoma alone, leaving death, destruction and wrecked communities in their wake. right now the weather service can provide about 15 minutes warning of a tornado. but the explosion of cloud-based computing power and machine learning are enabling big improvements in forecasting.

the cloud is helping researchers understand the clouds. is that really changing your business in a fundamental way? >> it's changing it in a really good way. >> the director of the forecast research and development division at noaa's national severe storms laboratory in oklahoma. her team are leveraging that computer power to create what they call a worn on forecast. the goal is to improve the leadtime and reliability of warnings for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and other hazardous weather events. they are running an ensemble of weather models simultaneously. each begins with slightly different data. with all the things you are doing and plan to do, is that going to change appreciably?

>> i believe with the forecasters using that system, it could produce a warning up to an hour. >> they couldn't imagine a forecast that far in advance without some intrepid fieldwork to obtain better storm data. among the storm chasers is a fleet of vehicles and top scientists. that's where i met veteran research meteorologist eric rasmussen, chief of the field observing forecast support group. >> these on the outside are suited best for seeing the whole storm. >> doppler radar can detect precipitation and by measuring the shifts in frequency, track the speed and direction of wind. it's hard to think of a more significant breakthrough in severe forecasting technology.

putting doppler system on wheels has dramatically improved. >> we can get a three dimensional picture of the thunderstorm. >> they also have a vehicle outfitted with mobile doppler lidar. it is more precise than radar. >> somewhere between three and 10 times more detail. we like the nimbleness because you are working with a full-size pickup truck instead of a behemoth. this can maneuver and find parking places. >> the goal is to park these videos near tornado as it is touching down. no small feat. >> we have to get close. >> in the early days, researchers didn't have tools in their toolbox. they relied on 16mm film. the technique is called

photogrammetry. >> we have hundreds of pieces of debris that can be tracked. >> would you track individual pieces of debris in all directions? >> and then you go back, measure those motions and enter the data onto punchcards and do some math and come up with how strong the wind was. >> technology like doppler radar and lidar may have made photogrammetry obsolete. but they have not answered all the questions, including a crucial one. what are the wind speeds right at the surface? >> i'm thinking they are stronger and a lot more chaotic. i suspect it's going to be more interesting then we would have assumed. >> he and his team will have to

devise new sensors and techniques. he's thinking doppler drones might the future. i'm miles o'brien. amna: we are at the midpoint of a wnba season that has been like no other. record-setting numbers on the court, in the stands and on television. and now, a big new television deal that may signal a new era for the league. >> the wnba has been around since 1996, but a lot of people may be paying attention to it for the first time. attendance is the highest since the 1990's and viewership is up 180 3% from last season. play is on pause for the all-star game in phoenix and olympic competitions starting in

france. sabreena merchant is a women's basketball writer. what accounts for this surge in popularity? >> there's a variety of factors but you really have to drill it down to this year's rookie clark -- this year's rookie class, caitlin clark and angel reese. they had the most highly viewed college games of all time. the rivalry between them and the momentum it created for college basketball has taken its step into the wnba. the seeds for growth have been planted ahead of time. i would say they have been the accelerant that has created the dramatic rise this year. >> they have been compared to larry bird and magic johnson.

is that an apt comparison? >> we are definitely seeing the wnba at an inflection point similar to the 1980's. the nba finals in the 1980's were still being aired on tape delay. we are talking about a leak that had finals games where fewer than a million people were watching and now every time there is a game of -- on national television -- i also think you check a couple boxes in terms of the college rivalry and the cross racial comparisons with them similar to magic and bird. there are a lot of similar elements and if the wnba experiences anything like that cresting in popularity like the nba, it will be worth it. >> the new television deal will bring the wnba 200 million

dollars, which is about four times what they're getting now television. what does that mean for the league, the teams and the players salaries? >> 200 million dollars with the existing rights partners and the wnba already has deals they can add on to with nbc and amazon. it's possible it could be close to six times what it currently is. suffice to say that's a lot more money coming in. i think that's going to significantly impact the collective bargaining agreement. the negotiations that are set to take place, they can opt out at the end of this season. this will be the first time where either the owners or the players are operating from a position of strength. now you can point to all this revenue coming into the league and make dramatic improvements

to player experience. we are talking about improvements to their travel amenities, the hotel rooms on the road, maternity and parental benefits that can be added into the cba. individual player salaries are a big part of it. the maximum salary in the wnba right now is 250 thousand dollars and the lowest salary in the nba is $500,000. to get a seven-figure contract might be something we see on the horizon with this tv money. for the players to get a more equitable revenue split, it gives the players a leg to stand on in terms of getting more of that revenue for their salaries. >> what's it going to take to keep this growth going? can it grow on the same trajectory? what's it going to take to keep tilting on this popularity?

>> i think it's a positive feedback loop where people start watching the league, they have the entry points of caitlin clark and angel reese. you start watching because of them and then become familiar with the other stars. that will just perpetuate itself. i think this is the steepest we are going to see it, but we will not necessarily see a level off. the more nationally televised windows and primetime opportunities will bring in more fans. right now it's more of a distressed asset. it's really hard to find games. assuming this new deal puts them on prime position on espn and nbc and ideally more nationally available networks that aren't just hidden on cable or streamers, i think that will continue the growth. the quality of play increasing is going to help with the growth. all the interest in college

basketball is just going to continue to make its way into the wnba. >> sabreena merchant, thank you. geoff: there is more online and that includes our weekly digital show. this week it's looking at some of the major moments you might have missed from the republican national convention. amna: sure to tune into washington week with the atlantic for a deep dive on the repercussions of the latest political turmoil. geoff: with a spotlight on border security this election year, we look at the dangerous path some migrants are taking to enter the u.s. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm amna nawaz. thank you for joining us and have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. and with the ongoing support of

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jeffrey: this has been the most tumultuous week in politics since the capitol hill insurrection. looming over everything is one question, will joe biden stay in the race and face the caesar of the republican party, donald trump, who this week chose a running