captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good eving. i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, calling foul. president trump faces intensified scrutiny after admitting that he asked the leader of ukraine to investigate joe biden. then: >> you're failing us. >> woodruff: after millions march to demand action on climate change, we are on thee ground at ited nations as world leaders grapple with the magnitude of the crisis. plus amy walter and tamara keith are here to analyze newed debate in the democratic party over impeaching the president, and 2020 hopeful elizabeth warren's soaring poll numbers in iowa.

and, to the stars with brad the actor and producer on his new science fiction epic "ad astra" and his awardn inning careerth sides of the camera.me i could be thinking abo something completely different than what's really happening in the scene. but if i'm feeling that then it reads, it's true and truth reads. it always reads. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's "pbs wshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the w foundation.ora hewlett for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to prorote a better world. at www.hewlett.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions:d dividuals. possible by the coion for public broadcasting. c

and tributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: presidentrump has spent this day in new york, meeting with world leaders a fending off questions about a possible abuse of power he acknowledges speang to raine's president. but he denies he threatened to cut u. military aid unss kiev investigated vice president biden and his son for his business dealings there. white house correspondent yamiche alcindor begins our coverage. >> reporter: increased calls for impeachment. and, president trump, at the united nations, seeming unsereatened.ly >> how seriore you taking impeachment?ot >>t all seriously. we had a perfect phone call with the president of ukraine, everybody knows it. itkn just a democr here we go again. >> reporter: it's a claim he repeated throughout the day >> it's 'sgreat call. very honorable call.

a very nice call. >> reporter: it's at conversation, and the white house refusal to share with congress an intelligence community whistleblower's concerns about it, that is pushing some democrats wary of impeachmt closer to the brink. the acting director of national intelligence, joseph maguire, has refused to transmit the complaint to congress. speaker of the house nancy pelosi-- in a weekend letter-- urged the trump administration to hand over that complaint by thursday. she sa if the white house does not comply they will be entering "a grave new chapter of lawlessness which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation." yesterday house intelligence chairman adam schiff told cnn maat an impeachment inquir be the only option. >> that may be the only remedy that is coequal to the evil that conduct represents. we're going to hear from the director of national intelligence on thursday on why he is the first director to ever withhold a whistleblower

complaint, and we are gonna make sure that we get that complaint. it may be that we do have to move forward with that extraordinary remedy. >> reporter: the complaintre rtedly cims that mr. trump volodymyr zelenskin president to investigate democratic presidential candidate joebi n's son, hunter. the younger biden had business interests in ukraine, beginning while his father was vice umesident. mr. admitted that he spoke with zelenskiy over the phone, but denied any wrongdoing. >> it was largely the fact that vice president biden and hiske son, creating to the corruption already in the ukrne. >> if a republican ever did whar joe biden didaid, they would be getting the electric chair by right now. look at the double standards.ht you people ouo be ashamed of yorself. and not all, we have some great

journalists around, but you've got a lot of cooked journalists, >> on the campaign trail this weekend, joe biden did not min words. >> he's violating every basic no of a president. trump is doingthis because he knows i'll beat him like a drum and he's using the and he's using the abuse of power and the elemencyof the presido try to do something to smear me. ni>> reporter: but the ukr foreign minister said in anfo interview that the discussion was business as usual between world leaders. >> ( translated ): we're anen indepestate, we have our own secrets, the president can >> woodruff: and yamiche jns me now. j so, yamiche, how much is this president threatened thehe president of ukraine?

what effect is it having on his visit to the united nations the general assembly? >> that question, judy, gets to the heart of theth challengeat president trump is going to face all week as he visits the united nations general assembly. this issue of whether or not he pushed the presidentf ukraine to investigate joe biden for his own political gain is overshadowing everything that the president is doing here in new york. the president was answering question after question dursoing als of meetings about ukraine. he started off the morni tweeting about ukraine and this controversy with joe biden when he was on his way to the first meetings of the day. he then was attacking demthrats anmedia and really lashing out at anyone asking him questions out this, and he's defending himself as well. he's talking about the idea of hinot wanting to be impeached. what you see the president on his heels he's trying to meet with these world leaders, but in each meeting he's havingo take questions on this. >> woodruff: yamic t, you have

beking to democra today as well. how do they see all this in terms of an opportunity to go after the president, investigate e president after all the mueller report and its aftermath? >> some believe that the democrats really lost momentuaf r the mueller report and after robert mueller tesgrfied before cs, and this is likey breathing new life into l ofdemocrats' overall goa trying to claim that president trump is using the presidency for his own ploliti gain and his own financial gain. so we now have three house committees, the house oversite, committee sending a letter toirs secretary of state mike pompeo saying if he doesn'troduce the documents related to the whistleblower complaint that they will bpssibly na them. so we see the democrats really we also e new democrats coming out in favor of impeament. today angie craig and dean

phillips, two democrats that won district president trump con in 2016 that they won in 2018, they're coming out for impeachment. so we have democrats changing their minds and taking what some saw inially as a risky move. >> woodruff: finally, yamiche, tell us what e main issues are confronting the president has hn visits this gem write and how does the white house see its priorities there? >> the president twoopts get a lot of things done. tomorrow he's going to b giving a speech in front of the united nations, general assembly, and he is going to be talking about iran and th economy. ere are also issues about climate change. he held a reigious freedom event today where he talked about religious arrsecution nd the world. he didn't mention he was backing al muslims from entering the united states or doesn say disloy.who don't support him are but he case ukraine and pushing the president for political gain

will be looming all over that. >> woodruff: yamiche alcdor reporting for us all week from neyork, thank you, yamiche. >> thanks, judy. >> woodruff: and in fact-- just days aer global protests calling for action on climate change-- there was a special u.n. climate summit today where a ganumby of leaderered to hammer out specific pledges from their nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. william brangham is here to look at some of the pledges and the realities of where things stand. william, reminus of the hello, william. so remind us again of what is the climate science that the driving all thi >> the u.n. put science very prominent in advance of this meetin in fact, they put out a new report yesterday that tried to summarize all of the science that we know today, and none of it is really good news. let's take a look at the key fiends here. the world is quickly getting hotter. we just hathe warmest five-year period in recorded human history. the planet now warmed over 1l degree csius din since the

industrial area and the clima impacts are hitting harder, duner -- greater and lonr droughts, intensified storms, crop failures, species threatened with extdinction, a the emissions driving all this are driving this and there's no end in sight. the report said to limit wal-marting to just 2 degrees celsius which is a threshold many scientists have warned about for a long time, tat global policies have to triple in scale. so this repo comes ot. today the secretary general antonio goo gutierrez, to emphae the impact, said the science ist usea action is needed. >> science tell that we face at least 3 degre celsius ofa global hting

by the end of the century. s meone asked me the other day, doesn't all of tke you despair? my answer was a clear and resounding "no." i am hopeful and i am hopeful because of you. this is not a climate talk summit, we have had enough talk. this is not a climate negotiating summit because we don't negotiate with nature. this is a climate action summit> eporter: this was the message all day today. time is not on our side, the time for action is now. >> woodruff: so how did all these countries around the world aespond in are they coming together today,ing pledges that will get to these goals? >> wdruff: in short, they're not. there were a lot of intermittent promises made. for instance, china, the world's largest emitter of carbon emissions, they said we are curreny meeting our goals as set out in the paris accord. many people pointt ou those were very modest goals and they said we'rhitng those an didn't offer anything bolder. india is ramping upn reewable energy but didn't talabout they're reliant oni dy coal

energy. germany said it would spend $60 million to ramp up renewables, a lot of the other countries were not there partly cause they were not invited unless they were willing to come forward and make a big announcement. many smaller nations did say we will take steps to get towards net zero emissions which is what the science ems to be indicating, but they conibe a very small slice of the pie. some of the interesting pledges made were made by cities, made by sttes, made by companies, agriculture companies and big transportati companies. but still, an enormous way to go. >> woodruff: what about the united states government? what role is the u.s. playing in all this? re they present? >> thewere present in the sense at, ridgy, president trump as not going to show up. he did surprisingly show up and outsat in on the talks for ab 10 to 15 minutes and then left. largely, in terms of leadership on this issue, the united states is a wal. we know that president trump has said he has no interest in th

paris accords. he is actively embraced polutics that emissions, an hise leadership, s.'s leadership which was so central, especially with regards to china and getting them to sign on to the paris accords, is largely >> woo and finally, ufsent. william, these global protests we have been watching over the t week,uple of days, las more today, led by so many of these remarkable young peo you spoke just a few days ago with greta thunberg, the 16-year-old swedish activist, at role are they playing in all this? you're right, judy, all of that action we saw an estimated 4 million young people taking t the strel over the world last week, those were largely driven, intending to make leaders today step up and taketi ac. angreta thunberg, this young swedish activist, this 16-year-old who is largely credited with being cee voif this movement and the genesis of this movement, she spotoday, and i have to say you have seen

her talk in many, many different kinds of vens, never have i seen her so upset and emtional. let's take a listen to >> this is all wrong. what she had to say today. i shouldn't be up here. i should be in school onhe other side of the ocean. yet you all come to us young how dare you? s. you halen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words, and yet i'm e of the lucky ones. people are suffering, pele are dying. entire ecosystem.are collapsi mass extinction anyou canf a ta about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. how dare you? >> reporter: this is the

challenge of this movement. you have a moral voice like thunberg and all of these millions of young people saying acti is required. does that movement have the suaining power to move against what are the well-defined and well-established and very entrenched interests of a lot of nations who have all sorts of reasons for not acting? that's the essential tension heredoes that al call sway these very, very big forces in enciety? that's the esal question. >> woodruff: it feels so much like a generational conflict, doesn't it? >> reporter: it does. >> woodruff: william brangham, >> reporter: you'rcome. >> woodruff: in nee day's other , at least 40 civilians died at a wedding party in afghanistan, in a raid by afghan special forces.d it happein helmand province,op as troattacked a taliban hideout, next to the bride's home.

dein the aftermath, the wod itre pulled from the rubble, while relatives outside the hospital. officials said 22 taliban fighters were killed as well. in hong kong, transit systems returned to normal and cws cleaned up, after weekend demonstrations once again turned violent. clashes bre t last night at subway stations, where protesters damaged ticket machinesnd vandalized walls. outside, they barricaded streets and lit fire riot police charged with tear gas to disperse the crowds. it marked a 16th week of unrest by pro-democracy demonstrators. thousands of travelers worldwide were left looking for new arrangements today, when the british travel firm "thomas cook" shut down without warning. the firm halted flights and canceled bookings after failing to secure $250 million in rescue funding. around the world, anxious passengers scrambled to get tor theidestinatio.

sue hoskins was stranded on the greek isnd of corfu. >> we've been given no information at all by anybody. e''ve just been brought to the airport late and now told we might not even get a seat on the plane, so i think it's really bad tt no one is here help. woodruff: in all, "thom cook" canceled more than 600,000 bookings worldwide. the company had been i.business for 178 years, but had struggled for years against budget airlines and low-cost online booking sites. puerto rico is shuttering schools and closing public agencies as tropical depression "karen" approaches. the storm could hit the u.s. territy with winds of 40 miles-an-hour and up to eight inches of rain tomorrow. to the north, tropic storm "jerry" moved toward bermuda today with sustained winds of 65 miles an hour. a former dallas police officer, ambeguyger, went on trial today for killing a black neighbor in his own aptment.

prosecutors said guyger was upset and distracted when e entered what she thought was her apartment and then shot a man she believed was a burglar. the defense said she made understandable mistakes. the jury will decide whether she is guilty of murder or a lesser crime-- or no crime at all. motors is now in its second week. the auto mak and the united auto workers bargained through the weekend. there were reports of progress, at the end of the s lkout is near. some 49,000 worke on the picket lines, paralyzing 30 g-m sites in nine states.at eson wall street the dow j industrial average gained about 15 points to close at 26,950. the nasdaq fell five points. and the s&p 500 was virtually unchanged. and the best in televid on were crowst night at the "emmy" awards, and "game of thrones" ruled again.

the "h" fantasy epic won "best drama" for its final season, while amazon's "fleabag" took home the "be comedy" honors. and billy porter became the first openly gay man to win best actor in a drama series fohis role in "pose." still to come on the "newshour," will a federal court decide to cut off government funding for planned parenthood? amy walter and tamara keith consider elizabeth warren's improving political fortunes. plus, brad pitt on hised career in front of and behind the camera. he >> woodruff:ight over family planning takes to the courts. earlier this summer, the trumpst admition won an important victory for its new rule ending federal funding to clinics that make abortion referrals.

the rules have placed new restrictions on a program known as title ten used by taxpayer-nd clinics. today, the case went to a larger panel of federal app judges in san francisco. john yang gets an update on theg case and theents. >> reporter: jy, more than 900 inics-- just under half of them run by planned parenthood-- edd several states have pu t out ofhe program, giving up federal funds rather than complying with the new regulations. the money goes to pay for such reproductive health services as birth control, s.t.d. testing and treatment and screenings for cervical and bast cancer for low-income people. the issue in today's hearing bere an 11-judge panel is whether the new federal rule may remain in place while legal challenges work their way through the courts. special correspondent sarah varney of "kaiser health news" was in the san francisco courtroom this afternoon. we should note that "kaiser health news" is not affiliated with kaiser permanente.

sarah, in order to prevail the to convince the judges that got irreparable damage or harm would s done by this rule going into effect while itill being challenged. how'd they try to argue that? >> -- qstion, some of the justices did ask are we allowed to essentialllook at news reports that we're seeing nowat re showing us that some of the predictions from the secretary of health and human hn eervices, when they wer promulgating these rules, said is rule will not havefe deleterious on title 10 services, so they seem to be wondering whether or not they should look at this rule while inffect. there are 109 clinics closed, so we know half to have the people who used title ten services have

been aff it wasn't until the end of the argument that they were able to get into this. the government said, well, if you look at it in a different way, just a small perthcentage f over all clinics have actually closed so we're still in the ball game here. reporter: you said these clinics have closed. did they actually shut down or just withdrawn fro m the program. >> they've just withdrawn from the program. >> reporter: some have closed, but a smaller number? >> most of these clinics are still openbut if you are a title 10 recipient, if you're a title ten atient, when yoo into these clinics now you may be is the asked to pay a co-pay. some of the clinics are scaling back on staff and hours. i spoke to a woman who runs the planned parenthood in utah, they're a state with three planned parenthood clinics in the title ten program, all of them are no longer participating and last months had about $300,000 in unreimbursed medeiil expenses. sso it's unclear how lome of these clinics will be able to

stay open. >> reporter: what was th government's response to that? how did they counter these arguments? >> they say it's still not a a majority of clinics in the program that have pulled out and that they are going to be isue additional supplemental grants. so for all the money that'seen refused and turned back to the government, they're going to take that back and issue it to other grantees and be able to provide services. y >> reporte were saying earlier there was pretty lively questioning from te judges to lawyers on both sides. what sorts of questions were cey asking? >> well, the maallenge for the government seemed to be thii question of, you know, justices merits of this kay. into the so this -- of this case. so this hearing today was about whether the rules can stay in effect unt lower courts consider the merits of the case, but a number of juges said let's just talk about the merits to have the case. but the government's attorney, the questionse got were you're

telling people can council on abortion but can't refer for abortion. one counsel said if i go tothe doctor and need a referral that my doctor gives me a referral. to the justices seemed eager to have the government defend these changes to the rule. they also seemed to be interested in the question of whether or not the athority -- the government had the authority to make these kinds of changes, and, you know, one of thees justid say, look, elections have consequences. we understand that when a new administration comes in, they can change environmental policy, they can change policy around reproductive family planning, but they need some reason the do it and it can't be capricious or arbitrary. a>> reporter: and there' bigger deadline coming up on this next march. in march 2020 another rule comes into effect which is part of larger title ten change which is says any clinic that offers t abortion hbe a physically separate building and be a

financially separate entity from one justroviding the counseling or services for cervical cancer screening, for example. so, already, this is already a huge issue for planned parenthood, they're no longer in the program, but there are a number of other clinics, hundreds of clinics and also fer abortion services, so they will have to decide whether orta not they can a whole separate facility. in the initial assertion side, the government said this will cost perhaps around $30,000, so, today in ct ourt, thamber came up, and the plaintiffs said there's no way you could stand up a new medical clin for $30,000. so march 2020, a nuber of clinics will withdraw from the program and the government will ve to find other clinicsto willintep in to fill the gap. >> reporter: sarah varney of iser health news, thank you very much. >> thank you.

>> woodruff: voters in the hawkeye state are narrowing team political sites on the r the white house. iowa will once again play an outsized role in a presidential election. when in a lit moral than four months it will host thefirst nominating contest of the season. lisa desjardins reports on the latest sprint amonghe democratic hopefuls. >> reporter: in iowa, the pressure and the stakes couldn't be higher. saturday, democratic candidates angled for attention at the annual iowa steak fry-- grilling meat and veggie burgers. >> in this unprecedented moment in american history, we need to run an unprecedented campaign. >>sreorter: and it comes the presidential pack faces some

shifng realities. the new iowa poll from the des moines register and cnn shows a change. massachusetts senator elizabeths warrentepped into first place in the hawkeye state, two points ahead of former vice president joe biden. vermont senator bernie sanders, while still in third, is now 11h points bd the lead. warren played down the results sunday while picketing with >> i don't do polls.in detroit we are still months away from the iowa caucuses and the first primary elections. we aay on this picket line tod to say we're gonna make this american work for everyone. >> reporter: b iowa numbers are clearly on others' minds. senator kamala harris, running in fifth in the poll there, is changing gears, announcing more focus on the hawkeye state. in south carolina sunday, our yamiche alcindor spoke to harris about the iowa shift. >> i am really excited about where we are. r strategy was always to invest in iowa early, which we did, and to mp up after labor day, which we're doing.

>> reporter: others are more blunt about eir situations. like new jersey senator cory booker. his campaign released a memo it said told the unvarnished truth, that he needs to raise s $1.7-million by the end of the booker has the most endorsements in iowa, but his team saca without the , he will have to leave the race.s, >> reporter: t all in the shadow of allegations that president trump pres ukraine's president to investigate biden.bi a chorus of mr. trump's opponents criticized him over that, this weekend. soieh bend mayor pete buttigg: >> it's extremely disturbing, in fact, if true they represent a betrayal of the united states. >> reporter: former hud secretary julian castro:me >> it's for congress to do its job and impeach donald trump >> reporter: and biden himself: >> a serial abuser. that's what this guy is. he abuses power everywhere he can. and if he sees any threat to his staying in power, he'll do whatever he has to do.

but this crosses the line. >> reporter: republican opponent and former g.o.p. massachusetts governor bill weld went en further. >> that is not just undermining democratic institutions, that is treason! >> reporter: still, the campaign the weekend included an l.g.b.t.q. forum in iowa, more striking auto workers-- biden joined this group in kansas city-- and yesterday sanders showed he wants a broad map, meeting with the comanche tribe and holding a rally in oklahoma for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. >> woodruff: here to break down what those new numbers from iowa mean for the 2020 democratic presidential candidates, i'm joined by longtime iowa pollsten selzer whose group "selzery" and componducted the poll. ann selzer, welcome back to the "newshour". so let's look again at those numbers, the main story li elizabeth warrent 22%, joe biden at 20%, bernie sanders at

erybody else in single digits. how much of a change is this om your last poll, and who is supporting elizabeth warren? >> well, it's a nice jump for elizabeth warren, if you're up with of her supporters you would see ith tat way. what she has tone is really begun to build a coalition, and that includes women and college-educated, likely caucusgoers, and for the first time she is now leading with the under 35 age group. that's an encroachment into rritory that was held by bernie sanders almost exclusively. suso she's eating into thport that he used to have there. >> woodruff: and you looked at enthusiasm as ll. you had category, are you uextremely enthusiastic about a candidate, very enthusiastic. what did you see there? >> you see two things. first of all, rren and biden

are at the top of the leerboard and the advantage to elizabeth warren with slightly more saying they are extremely enthusiaic about that 10 points, 32% versus 22% for joe biden. but really, if you look the other two contenders -- and that would be bernie sanders andbu pe igieg -- it's almost half of their supporters who say they feel extremely enthusiastic. so it gives you a sense that there are other coalitis building that could pop another candidate forward. >> woodruff: you also oked at i think you're calling it the footprint of who was a voer's first and second choice. what did you see? >> well, it's first and second choi, and then are you actively considering them. ere, also, elizabeth warren jumped about 10 points. she now as 61% of likely democratic caucus-goers saying they're actively considering her

or placed her first or second on their list. joe biden did not move, stayed about where he was. heu have tree other didates who crossed the 50% mark, that's bernie santhat's pete buttigieg, and then rounding out that team is kamala harris. so i look at the rest of those with some upside potential. they've get enough people who are interested in them toake potentially a forward move, and we saw elizabeth warren poised in our last poll to do exact that. >> reporter:. >> woodruff: and i want to ask you about tht, ann selzer, because some folks would look at this and say, well,his is really not good news for people polling in single digits, but i hear you saying there's still a movement. a large percentage of iowa voters are telling you they are democratic voters, arein say you know, they may change their mind about who they're going to vote for. >> well, that's exactly right, and therare two numbers i would point you toin first of all, the top three in sing digits, tt's 53% of the

vote, so there's a lot of vote lefto be had. secondly, we asked, if you had a first choice, is your min made up, and that accous for 20% ofal of the likely voters say i have a first choice, and my mind is made up. so they either dn't have a first choior they're open to considering other possibilities, and anybody wd nows iowa would know that sounds just like iowa in caucus season. >> woodruff: well, we are still several months away and,n inn selzer, iw you're going to keep on pollg. thank you very much. >> my pleasure, judy. now let's turno politics monday. i'm with our regular duo, y walter of the "cook political report" and host of public radio's "the politics with amy walter." and tamara keith from npr. she also co-hosts the "npr politics podcast." hello to both of you. it is "politics monday," so let's talk out this iowa poll we were just discussing. amy, what do you make of it? >> well, elizabeth warren has

had a great sum r, and it shows. when you talk toolks in and around iowa, that's what you were hearing ab at the iowa state fair ths summer, all the buzz was about elizabeth warren and now it's borlfne itut in this poll, and i do think it's important, yes, as ann selzer points out, that these things are fluid, eving is fluid in iowa. in fact, i remember going back to other democratic primaries where, at this point, after a very god summer, looks like howard dean not onngly was g to win iowa but was going to be the nominee. was hillary clinton in 2008 who was doing well in the september des moines registerde poll. but iowa, it tends to be that, around thanksgiving time, iowa voters, en though they're paying a whole lot of attention, really get it into another gear. what's different this year is i feel like iowa has taken another new dimension. it's always important and sets the pace for th ceampaign. but this year was the issue of

electability, so important in the minds of the voters. the winner gets to make thcaca that they are a winner. you can't say just because you win a primary you'll be trump, but folks are looking for a winner and will take cues from iowa in a way more we've seene before. >> woouff: and elizabeth warren gets more than a bump out of this. >> yes, and if you have been ous talking to voyou have been hearing she is, at the moment, the excitement candidate. and partf the way her campaign has been showing that is they don't want to talk about polls, you know, they don't want to talk about horse race,ut th they hold a really big rally in new york, and that is sort of another way that they are making an lectn't argument which is to say, look, elizabeth warren can get a relly big crowd in a very liberayourban pce. know who else did that in 2016? bernie sanders actually went to a rally the very e park that bernie sanders held that t looked a whole lot like that rally, and elizabeth warren is

sort of capturing that mood at this time in the campaign in a way bernie sanders did last time. >> woodruff: huge crowds bernie sanders was owtting. at the same time we e ow that the a number of chants who are struggling. those are the ones who are in the single digits in iowa and in other polls, amy, and, in fact, one of them, cory booker saidt in the last few days, openly, if i don't raise $1.8 millioin the next few days, i can't stay in this rae because of the pressureo do better. >> the pressure to do better plus, you know, nopa camns died because the member who's running or the candidate decides, you know what, i guess i didn't want to be president, they always run out of moneyd 's hard to sustain money when you're not either moving in the polls making any change, the othe like, in dynamic. he's been on the stage in all the debates. i think rsonally he's done a very good job. he's been very effective as a debater, but it hasn't seemed to really tranklate and, i thi for soany voters now, they

like basically thernownand, and they're choosing between the known brands of biden, warren and sanders, and they haven't been interested as much in loing around for tse people they don't know so well e. go ahead, tam.f >> onee challenges cory booker has been facing and several of the candidates have faceofthe s the cos acquisition of donors. >> woodruff: right. and that is a very technical thing that i'm saying, butt's a real issue. they are having to spend a lot of money on facebook ads and getting more individual donors, an that is all related to the democratic party's qualifications for the debate. it's really creating a dynamic that hasn't existed in past primaries. >> i've heard the sae grumbling from campaigns you had saying, boy, if we didn't spend all that money getting donors -- >> woodruff: there's a story

in politico today quoting the former iowa state democratic pay chair saying it's a national primary based on the worst foundation, name, i.d. and money. he said we're supposed to be the party of ideas. he's criticizing what the party is doing. he's squeezing these candidates. >> some ways. but i wou argue part of the reason elizabeth warren has been so successful is she has been the candidate of as, she has been the one candidate to really brake thh rot just with i narrative.n, but she has a e has a narrative and a case that she's making for i not just her but her entire presidency that people are really ataching to, she's made it personal, she's very much conshcting with people beyond just -- it's not just, like, a shiny object kind of attachment. >> woodruff: but we could be heading for deebates in coming months with many fewer caidates on the stage. >> right, and when you talk to voters, theyre overwhelmed by the number of candidates and,

certainly, these debates hwhe been ovming in that, when there are ten people on stage, even, you know, like we try to talk about it on our pod kanosas afterwards, and you can't even fiall of the candidates into the podcast afterwards. it'sery difficult to manage, and, so, that's part of what the d.m.c. is doing, but then you have candidates who say, but, it, this is my only shot to get in front of people. >> wooetdruff: comy different subject. all the news of the last few days about the whistle blower d the intelligee community, talking about the president having a conversation with the president of ukraine in which there may have been a promise, it's believed to have been out pressuring the president of ukraine to investigate joe biden. >> right. >> woodruff: so the question i have f s the two of yus this, leading some of th democrats who have been going for full-blown imp changing some minds? >> i think that's the question tam and i were searching aound

for today, making calls and trying to figure out if it'sly rehanged the dynamic. my accepts from talking to folks is this is a new wrinkle because it's no longer about mueller. the muellereport played its way out and thy continued to have more hearings about some of the chs ractere, but this is an a different situation. we don't have the facts soet what they were telling me is we would need to see that transcript and understand what out but this open ago newcoming territory. >> woodruff: there was a member of congress, tam, i guess we learned this afternoon,es an, democrat froocm minnesota, dean phillips, who had been in the camp "no" on impeachment proceedings is now moving in that direction because all of this. >> and there has been a slow movement of democrats. the numbers do continue gro dwih an is another thing that is weighing on some of them. nancy pelosi, i believe it was yesterday, used strongern language te's used before

in referring to the way the administration is stonewalling investigations. you know, i think we will know more bye end of this week whether the whistleblower complaint will be seen by the relevant congressional committees or whether this is going to be that same dynamic that's played ouover any number offissues that democrats investigate, and in some waysto they're just stuck. and if republicans don't move, then the dynamics remain the same, too, right. ifthere's no mvement either from republicans in the house or a sense that republicans in the senate want to push this forward, then we're back at square one, to your point >> and one tweet from mitt romney, the senator from utah sort of wringing his hands, is not really a big movement there. >> woodruff: all right. we heard it here. tamera keith, amy walter, thank you. >> you're welcome.

>> woodruff: he is one of e world's biggest and best-known movie stars. but these days brad pitt is spending as much time helping get films made as acting in them.s heth the star and producer of the new movie, "ad astra", which opened this weekend. pitt recently spokabout his various roles with our jeffrey brown it's part of 'canvas' our arts and culture series. i do what i do. the film is called an astray, platenthor a phrase inte stars, and it is a journey about the far reaches into our solar system. >> reporter:ut for the tortured soul at its heart, major roy mcbride, this journey is also very much inward.ys

brad pitt is friend, director james gray, pulled him into the role by quoting a line from the man who wrote an earlier mix of space epic and 2001: a space " yssey". >> he pulled out this arthur clarke quote tt said, "eitherno we'ralone in the universe, or we aralone, but either outcome is equally terrifying." and that was a very interesting starting point. i ver thought about, what if we're alone here, and hat? >> reporter: is that what this w became for you? >> certainly as far as the genre was concerned, i mean we're always fighting aliens to save ourselves or they're imparting some benevolent wisdom on us. and this idea that, whoa! what if it that we are alone here, then are we focusing on the right things? >> we have an unidentified approaching ourm. syste

>> ad astra has its shear of >> reporter: set in what it calls "the near future," " "ad astra" its share of fast- paced action, including a car- chase on the moon. and it has more than itsakhare of breatg beauty-- this is a film to savor on a bigcreen. t it's mostly concerned with a middle-aged man.'s pimcbride," with a hole at his core, now in search of his lost father clifford, played by tommy lee jones, seemingly himself a space hero who sappeared 30ears earlier while leading an expedition to neptune. clifford, we learn, may be alive >> my father's alive, sir? i believe so. >> reporter: and in a further twist, blind a new threat to the and, in a furttwist, behind a new threat to the earth. pitt who grew up in springfield, missouri, son of a man whoan a trucking company, took the father-son issues in the film to heart. >> we often diussed growing up with this kind of marlboro man image of, you know, don't show weakness.

certainly where i grew up, we didn't, you know, u didn't complain if you broke your arm or you cut yourself. you just dealt with it. you move on and you almost denied it. but then we've started the same with our, you know,oing with how we really feel? is that being cut off? and is there something more to look at and embrace here? would we be better fathers and sons, better partners, better lovers, better friends? if we were more-- would we be more whole? >> reporter: it's interesting because you get to sorct it out on screen in a movie. >>eah. >> reporter: and then apply it to your life. >> it's a bit of a luxury what d because we get to spend months really dissecting that idof. i thiny dad who workedfi eight to six days a week and then a sixth day on saturday y.half a day, he wouldn't have that kind of lux he'd just be tired!

and then have to take the kids oufor a baseball game or something. >> reporter: pitt's performance utin "ad astra" irly restrained and internalized--" so understated," one reviewer wrote, "it hardly looks like acting at all." >> this is roy mcride. i am aempting m reach dr. clifford mcbride. >> reporter: and it's different than his other big film this year and very different from his other big film this year, in quentin tarantino's "once upon a time in hollood." he says it's all about "tone." understood.that thing that's not >> reporter: yeah? what does it mean? >> well you could have a script and you could play comedy or you could play horror. y just depends on how you shoot it and how you pe scenes. i mean, it's wide open and in i think this one's going to be really, really contained and really simple. and the danger in that always it?>>porter: so how do you do y

have nothing else to say to >> congratulations >> reporter: so how do you do it? how do you show that much emotion without really shwing it? >> it's an amazing thing about the camera.e it's like you watch a news report and it'sike when you watch a newik report and you're really moved by someone experiencing something in real time. it's real. and so our job is to interet whatever is seen, as something that's real for us. and i mean i could be thinking than what's reallyning inferent the scene.ni but if i'm feeling that then it reads, it's true and truth reads. it always reads. >> reporter: sometimes we say acting means something kind of phony, right? >> yeah, i've always objected to that. because it's the antithesis of that when it's good. >> reporter: these days, pitt is as much producer as actor-- his "plan b entertainment" company

produced "ad astra" and has been behind a number of recenthi acclaimed films, including "12 years a slave" and "moonlight," movies outside the megaplex box. why is that important to you? whato you get out of it? >> storytelling.m i mean, kid, i've always loved films. i love films now. and in that we get to be a part of stories, really beautiful important powerful stories that i wouldn't be right for as an actor. so in that sense it's still, it's still storytelling, and i'm really p and i have been able to put outu into the world. >> reporter: are these stories that you think otherwise wouldn't get td? >> it's often the case, you know? that every film needehsome championd it to get it across the finish line. no question. >> reporter: you're what, 55? >> yup >> reporter: do you feel like you've been building a career on

your terms, making it work? or is it something that just happened to u? >> it's all those things. it's like winning a ga show to be let inside the doors of the studio and given this shot. >> reporter: you still fl that? >> oh, in the beginning, no question. it's like hitting a lottery in some way. i think it's different-- more talents getting opportunities now with streaming, you know. thank god. but what you see is there was this tremendous talent that's been there all along. but it's been both. i've been pushed to do things i didn't feel right about. i did them and i leaokay, always do the things you do feel ought about. and then you finsome work, some don't. so it's all these things. it's by design and it's by, by fate and many factors beyond, beyond me.te >> rep brad pitt takes off " nowe stars-- "ad ast

playing nationwide. for the pbs newshour i'm jeffrey brown in washington. >> woodruff: and finally, our thwshour shares-- somethin caught our eye we thought might be of interest to yoca too. old agoften lead to isolation or scaled-back lives, but one man wants tohow senior citizens when it comes to having goals, the sky's the limit. the newshour'sulia griffin explains. >> reporter: on a bright, sunn day recently, the professionals at skydive tecumseh in jackson, michigan readied their next pair of jumpers. >> not 20 conds 60 seconds! >> what? no! that's what they said. >> reporter: at 78 years old, brenda sutton and beverly mylek were gearing up to take one giant leap out of a plane. >> oh, i got the cute one!wa

>> reporter: ia once in a orlifetime opportunity provide"" my jump," a non-profit that provides seniors the opportunitg to crols, no matter how outlandish, off their bucket lists.ce television prowebb weiman founded the organization in 2011.of >> the ideump came to me after my mother died and my father refused to leave his bedroom. i wanted to prove to him that there is life beyond the rocking chair and inspire others livinga in ion that it's never too late to achieve your dreams. >> reporter: after his father found love again, weiman wanted to embolden other seniors toe stay actter in life. >> everyone should have something on their bucket list and there are no bad bucket list items. >> reporter: skydiving tops the list of quests, but fulfilled dreams have run the gamut. myjump has helped seniors drive 18-wheelers, ride ithe goodyear blimp, and get behind the wheel of racecars. but there are less pulse-racing requests too, like vow renewals,

first-time train rides or veterans' trips to war memials any senior can apply to have a myjump wish fulfilled. the organization selects experiences based on the applicant's health, cost feasibility and thstory behind their request. sutton had wanted to skydiveif earlier inbut never found the opportunity.rt and for myk, the jump was a rare chance to do something for herself after running a family- owned restaurant for 36 years and now caring for her husband, who can no lonr work. >> i was excited because i'ver neven anything in my life so i didn't expect to win anything. and so i just like excitement. oobut maybe i'm a little t excited. >> reporter: bucketl butterflies or not, the mont of truth ultimately arrived, at 14,000 feet. >> what makes me most proud about this orgization are the moments. the moment a participant steps out of a plane, a train, an 18

wheeler. it's seeing the passion in their eye. it's feeling the gratitude in their heart. is is truly one of the greatest chapters of my li. >> this marked one of the greatest days of their lives. >> yay! for the "pbs newshour," i'm julia griffin. >> woodruff: i'm not trying it, but i hopothers will. >> woodruff: on the newshour online right now, what does it mean to be an enronmentally sustainable business? there's no one definition, and yet committing to greener practices are vital to the world's ability to contend with the climate crisis. are doing on our web site,anies pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff.ju join us on-line and agaihere tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs wshour has been provided by:

>> consumer cellular. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and finaial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the going support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org u' >> watching pbs.

hell everyone, and wcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. the bgest climate protest yet as children around t world take their school strike to the street. author jonathan safran foer tells us what we can do, and then -- >> too much trauma that people are going through that shouldn't have to go through in the richest country in the world. >> spiritual guru, author and de cratic democratic presidential wild car milamson issues thathe tter to him. >> welcome tdo "ton abbey." " >> a blast from the past as "downton abbey" hits the big scre. writer and producer julian fellowes tells me why we're all happily riveted byhe t up strs

downstairs blockbuster.