>> following the end of the drill -- the federal ban on evictions. then, the roadie had cared -- the road ahead. a bipartisan group of senators which is a deal on infrastructure legislation. we look at the cost and problems it will try to solve. plus, a major surge. florida records its highest number of covid cases since the pandemic began. straining hospitals and counting more urgent calls for masking and vacces. plus, water wars. the historic droughts sweeping the western u.s. exacerbates

disputes between indigenous communities and farmers. all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> audrey is expecting. >> twins. >> we want to put money aside. >> let's see what we can adjust. >> we would be closer with twins. changing plans. dr. are you painting again? you could sell these. >> let me guess. change in plans? >> at fidelity, a change in plans is always part of the plan. >> consumer cellular. johnson and johnson.

bnsf railway. financial services firm raymond james. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 yea, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to build a underworld at hewlett.org. >> the chan zuckerberg initiative, working to build a more healthy, just and inclusive future for everyone. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

this program was made possible by the corporation f public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> we have two lead stories out of washingtotonight. first, the country is on the verge of a massive wave of housing instability after the girl ban on evictions expired over the weekend. congress failed to extend a moratorium and president biden declined to do so in the face of a court order. today, jean sperling who was the whe house coordinator of pandemic recovery funds said the president hands are tied after a supreme court ruling in june me to clear another extension by presidential order would not stand. >> the wording in the supreme court opinion was fairly clear. they said the cdc could not

grant such extension without clear specific congressional authorization. i thi what has happened when we are -- what we were all dealing with is the rise of the delta variant is particularly harmful for those who are most likely to face evictions. as that reality became more clear going into the end of last week, i think all of us started asking, what more could we do? >> our white house correspondent joins me now. tell us more about wha is behind the president's decision not to extend this been himself and what is making the issue so contentious? coco the federal eviction moratorium and the contingent and scrambling surrounding it comes down to two big things. on the legal side, jean sperling, a number of other sources have been underscoring the idea that president biden did not have the authority to

extend the moratorium. the preme court said they would need to be congressional authorization if ache residential order was to extend the band. they also said the cdc look into this, even looking into targeted eviction moratoriums for areas with high infection rates and even that was not seen as a legal option. when i pushed jean sperling and talk to sources, there is another issue. that is that e white house does not want to go to this up in court and have the court strike down other federal policies that make broad use of public health laws. that is their thinking. then there is the politics of this. so nancy pelosi urge president biden to extend the eviction moratorium progressives are saying the white house waited too long. but the president again says his hands are tied. he is also pushing states and localities to provide resources to people. >> given all that, what is this go from here?

>> that is the big question. jean sperling said thousands of americans could be facing eviction. president biden says he is going to be double, triple checking. he is going to be kicking the tires to find other ways to help people. there is a big question of what more the white house and congress can do. the white house is putting in the hands of congress and local authorities. that is where some people feel the white house is shifting the blame, shifting responsibility. the white house underscoring they are doing all they can. >> this fast-moving story. thank you very much. ♪ our other lead to tonight, the long-awaited infrastructure investment and jobs act was introduced in the senate last night. roughly $1 trillion bill, over 2700 pages long, as the project

of weeks of negotiations among a bipartisan group of 10 senators and the white house. a little light reading for you over the last less than 24 hours. tell us, after all these weeks of working on this, give us a sense of what is in this piece of legislation. >> you are right. we are still digesting this 2700 page historically large infrastructure bill. i want to go through some highlights of what we know is in it. how large is it? we don't have a final number but we are talking about $1 trillion. that includes new funding that has been added and expected funding that was already going to be in the pipeline for infrastructure. $65 billion for broadbent. 66 billion for railways. that is a huge investment, particularly in amtrak and freight. one of the biggest chunks is

through enter $43 billion, all the money new and expected for roads and bridges. there is a reason for that. if you look at our roads and bridges, for roads, the american society of civil engineers says 43% of roads are in pr and a bad condition. this is a down paynt. bridges, 42% of those are 50 years old or more. it is not just these guys. i noticed a provision that will be big news in alaska where they have a ferry system that is depended on by some 3000 miles worth of people in that state. it is struggling for funds. a billion dollars could help the alaska ferry system. senators came to the floor today, many of them to say this is historic. one of them, illinois democrat dick durbin. >> this plan will help us protect america's infrastructure, our economy and american families from 21st century threats of cmate

change, extreme weather and cyber attacks. it is the largest investment in resilience of physical and natural systems in american history. we can create thousands of good paying family supporting jobs and a majority of these jobs may not require a college degree. >> i think we are going to be spending time for the rest of thiseek figuring out what is in it. sorry, judy. go ahead. >> my mistake for interrupting you. we heard senator durbin mention something you don't traditionally here connected infrastructure and that is climate change. tell us about what that involves. >> briefly, there is a letter charging stations and alternative fuel charging stations. buses, fairies. some of the people in the environmental and climate change

movement especially, but for them it will -- it falls fall short. they are waiting for the next bill. the bill that democrats want to do more on climate change. >> tell us about the opposition. some senators are not pleased with it. >> that is right. the number one problem with it for those who have problems is how it is paid for. again, we are still learning what is in it but i want to run down a few ways lawmakers are paying for this bill. there is more than $120 billion that will come from new taxes and new rules on cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. there is also 87 billion the estimate will come from sale of the 5g bandwidth, sometimes called the spectrum for cell phones. the biggest pay force come from unspent relief money either for

the unemployed that was unused by states or in general, money from other covid relief programs. over $200 billion frounspent covid relief. some senators say that is a problem. they don't think that money should be used for infrastructure. they think it should not be used at all. here is republican likely of utah speaking last night. >> if we appropriated more money for covid then we should have, then we needed to, shouldn't we also consider giving it back to the american people or paying down the debt? >> i think we are going to hear more of those calls as we continue for the rest of the year. how much of a problem will it be for this year? -- this bill? i don't know. the bill does seem to have 60 to 70 votes in the senate. it needs 60. it is on a secure path at the moment. >> spell that out for us. what does it look like in the coming days where this bill goes?

>> i call these hard won phil's rainbows i never saw a rainbow take so long to emerge. we are going to have another long week. this is an open process. senators can try to change the bill. we don't know if any metered -- any major changes are processed -- are likely. wexpect this senate to pass this bil and it goes to the house where it actually could face another set of rumble strips on its way to passage. it seems it is likely to pass in some form but it is possible the two cmbers disagree and it could take many more weeks to finish. there is a lot of momentum but there is a lot of drama ahead on this bill. >> it is also august when congress often likes to go home. i'm thinking rumble strips and rainbows. thank you. ♪

>> will return to judy woodruff and the full program after the headlines. federal health officials say average daily vaccinations for covid-19 jumped 70% last week. that word came as new jesey ordered state health care workers to get immunized oret tested. new york city did the same for transit workers but governor cuomo stopped short of a mandate in new york state for the general public. >> that would require a law passed by te legislature and it is going to be what the legislature's appetite is to wade into that situation. that would be a lot. i can mandate today for my employees. >> the city denver also ordered vaccinations for city employees and private sector in

high-risk settings. republican senator lindsey graham of south carolina has come down with covid despite being vaccinated. the newshour has learned he gathered with several other senators on senator joe manchin's houseboat on saturday evening. so far, no one else has tested positive. as thinks the vaccine has kept his symptoms mild and he plans to quarantine for 10 days. the centers for disease control announced it will continue a trump era border policy that expels migrants and asylum-seekers without court hearings. cdc director rochelle walensky determined noncitizens entering the borders pose a serious danger of the introduction of covid-19 to the ended states. -- the united states. the announcement comes as the associated press reports the number of unaccompanied minors

crossing the southern border reached an all-time high in july, citing an unnamed u.s. official. firefighters in oregon have the upper hand against the giant bootleg fire. they made major progress over the weekend and more than 80% of the fire is contained appeared in northern california, evacuation orders have been lifted for several areas around the dixie fire. it is 33% contained appeared a heat wave across southeastern europe is also fueling wildfires. the worst fires are in turkey including one that burned through the resort town of marmara's. the firefighters -- the fires have set local and taurus fleeing and killed eight people. in greece, hot weather is the story. chapters hit 113 today. in central china, the death toll in last month's flooding has tripled to 302 with 50 people still missing. extreme rain triggered mudslides, collapsed homes and

destroyed crops. at one point, the city got eight inches of rain in a single hour. the president of afghanistan today launched -- by the taliban. the fighters closed in on the capitals of kandahar, helmand and herat provinces over the weekend. in kabul, ashraf ghani told parliament president biden's decision to pull u.s. troops triggered the onslaught. >> the suation we are facing is due to the sudden withdrawal. i told the american president i respect your decision because it was his decision but i knew this decision will have se consequences and the crisis management will be put on afghans. >> at the summer olympics, a big win and a big loss for the u.s. team. american gnast jade carey captured gold in the flexor size in tokyo with the u.swomen's soccer team was upset by canada in the semi finals, 1-0. poland's government took in

belarusian sprinter. she had balked at returning to her authoritarian country. will return to the olympics later in the program. still to come, the taliban insurgency making gains ahead of the u.s. troop withdrawal from afghanistan. historic drought exacerbates disputes between indigenous communities and farmers. triumph, heartbreak and the pursuit of gold. we get the latest twist from the tokyo olympics and much more. >> this is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. florida is experiencing one of the worst covid outbreaks in of the country at the moment. over the weekend, the state reported more than 21,000 cases in single day. its highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic.

a quarter of the nations hospitalized covid patients are in flooded. the cdc and a number of public health officials say schools should require masking when they reopen. the miami-dade school district is considering requiring students and staff to do so. on friday, florida governor ron desantis who is opposed to any masking requirements said parents and students should have the option to mask and that he would block any effort to require masking. >> we have a lot of push from the cdc and others to make every single person, kids, staff, have to wear masks l day regardless of -- masks all day regardless of the immune status, regardless of the effect it has on their educational experience that would be a huge mistake. >> let's go to florida for an on the ground dispatch of what some hospitals are dealing with.

an emergency physician at kendall regional dickel center in miami. thank you for for being with us. give us a sense of who is in your hospital right now. the patient possible -- the patient population. >> we have a huge influx of patients. it feels completely different from two weeks ago. we had this massive surge in covid cases. all these people coming in with covid like symptoms and all of them i see her unvaccinated. i have yet to see a patient with covid symptoms who has been vaccinated in the er. you have all the other patients who have gallbladders did not go away. last summer, a lot of people avoided the yard. this year, they are coming in along with the covid influx. we have a shortage of nurses and faculty etc. it is creating massive delays in the er, massive delays for admissions and it fls very stressful. >> when the patients come in,

you find out right away whether they are vaccinated or not. what did they say to you about their decision not to get a vaccination? do you have that conversation with them? >> sometimes we do. oftentimes we do because the definitive treatment, the way of preventing it is to be vaccinated. for the ones who are healthy enough and live enough to be speaki with us and having conversations, we ask, do you have a plan to be vaccinated? you get a variety of responses. some of them are planning on being so. a lot of them are very stubborn about it despite coming to the emergency department pleading for help and to get better. they're refusing the most effective treatment we have. it is ironic that despite being in the hospital winning to get better, they refusing the most effective treatment and going to the er and potentially infecting others. >> what are they saying to you about why they are not getting the vaccine? >> in some cases, they have

heard of stories of people who had bad reactions are those are extremely rare. if that patient happens to be one of the few, it is somewhat understandable. some of them are trying to get pregnant. as we know, it is safe for pregnancy. a lot of them say they have their beliefs. don't believe in appeared the field are various components put there by the government. a lot of conspiracy theories. it is shocking to hear that as a physician. see patients saying things like that in front of you really is appalling. >> tell us about the age range of these patients because back in the beginning, it was a lot of older people. what are you seeing now? >> that isxactly right. now, the patient seem to be a lot younger. they are a lot younger. art of that is they were a fairly good about getting vaccinated. a massive percentage, 90% of the elderly have been. that leaves the people who are

not the elderly to make up for the rest. those people are often not vaccinated. they think they are immune, which they are clearly not. they think the symptoms will be mild. we are getting a lot of them who are sick enough to get intubated. we are not making this up. this is happening in front of us. it is a stressful situation. the feeling members are stressed. we are getting a lot of young and middle-aged adults who are not vaccinated coming in, needing to go to the icu. >> i am sure you know the governor of florida, ron desantis, is a major advocate not for requiring masks in your state. what effect do you think that is having? >> it ironic last summer governors were saying, we are not going to mend anything. it is up to the community to do what they want tthis summer once the committees do want mass, they are saying you are not allowed to do what you want. i find that ironic.

the signs show e only way of preventing transmission if you are not vaccinated is distancing and not getting infected or if u happen to be around people by wearing masks. we have great data for that. if everybody in the room is vaccinated, you probably don't need masks. we know not everybody is vaccinated. nobody under 12 is. the only way of preventing transmission of disease is distancing and masks if you are not vaccinated. >> one last thing. based on what you are seeing now, what do you think the next few weeks are going to look like? >> unfortunately, it is not looking very good. i am sure you have seen the curves. it is a vertical spike with no signs of plateauing. that is what it feels like in the er. i'm hoping things level off. i think it is unlikely given the way we are looking right now. with this surge, we also have our own colleagues who are having to call out. we have health-care workers contraing covid. multiple residents have

contracted covid. despite being stretched so thin, we are having to work extra hard. a colleague asked me to cover a shift because one of her from the memrs got sick with covid. despite how many shortages we have, we are being asked to work even more. fortately, it is only going to get worse before it gets better. i hope i am wrong. as history tells me, i'm feeling pessimistic. >> the kindle regional medical center in miami. we wish you and your staff and your patients the very best. >> thank you so much. stay safe. ♪ >> the situation in afghanistan gets worse by the day as the u.s. completely withdraws troops by the end of the month. john yang has our report. >> the taliban surge as

threatening major urban centers across the country. this sense of panic is growing as more afghans were granted permission to resettle in the united states. our own jane ferguson is here to bring us up to -- been as on the siation. thanks so much for joining us. as we reported earlier, the united states is expanding its refugee program. is there any sense that everyone who wants to get out, who feels threatened by the advance of the taliban is going to be able to get out? >> there is a sense that those o want to get out, who have worked with u.s. agencies or any agency sponsored by the u.s. government now might have more of a chance of getting out. timing is everything. what we are hearing from the state department is those who have applied for the program, the military interpreter program and who have not been successful perhaps have not been eligible,

did not do enough service, they may have another chance. maybe a widening of the categories of the requiements necessary to get them onto the program. on top of that, we are hearing those who have worked with u.s. sponsored development projects, perhaps those who have worked on anything from usaid sponsored programs to those who have worked with the u.s. media in afghanistan may now qualify. they can apply for refugee status or for the ability to get a visa to the unit states. this is in reaction to growing pressure to help people get out. it is going to be welcome news to people who want to get out. it is not clear whether or not the timing will be speedy or not. the taliban advances across the country are concerning. those who are in cities like kabul who've spoken with our externally panicked that although these measures could help them get out of the country, they are not sure if they will be able to get out

fast enough. >> talk about the increasing concern. what are you hearing from the average afghan who may not have the connections to get out? >> those who don't have the connecons are trying to find them. there will be afghans, most afghans will not be able to get out of the country many will stay. people are concerned about security. about economic collapse. about making sure they can keep their families safe and keep them fed. these have been always priorities for afghans but those are growing now. anybody who worked within the major american project this war has been, there is a deep concern about retaliation. there is a fear their lives could be at risk and the lives of their families could be at risk. those who feel like they are not going to be able to apply and get out of the country through regular visas to other countries whether those are the united states or neighboring countries or places like turkey, those peop are going to be looking more toward illegal routes.

the smuggling routes out of the country. that is a deep concern. any people i've spoken to said they absolutely would look to that option if they have to to get out of the country. the chances of major movement, a mass movement of people out of the country are high if we continue to see this escalation of the violence. >> the state department, secretary antony blinken was asked about these increasing reports of atcks on afghans by the taliban. here's what he had to say. >> the taliban has repeatedly said they seek in the future a number of things. international recognition. international support. they want their leaders to be able to travel freely around the world. they would like sanctions lifted. none of those things are going to be possible if the taliban seeks to take the country by

force and commits the kind of atrocities that have been reported. >> what sorts of things is he talking about? what sorts of atrocities and are these carrots going to be enough to change the taliban behavior? >> those atrocities he is referring to are a growing number of incidences that are going viral on social media whereby the taliban will take over an area and carry out retribution. there was one particularly famous incident paired last week, the taliban admitted and claimed responsibility for it. they took a famous comedian from kandahar who had been famous on tiktok and social media. he was last seen taken away by taliban fighters were he was being slapped and abused. he was then executed by those fighters. the taliban themselves claimed responsibility for that attack. there is a growing sense of fear that retribution could be quite wide. it is not clear whether or not

the afghan political leaders in places like doha who are trying to reassure people, even military interpreter telling them you will be safe. many people are not going to believe that when they start to see these videos across social media of retribution. there has been a major talking point for months and even years. what were the taliban behave like if they came back to power or they started taking territory? there is a deep-seated fear of the worst case scenario whereby political leaders pay lip service to human rights but in reality the commanders on the ground are going door tooor and will enact retribution against those they feel deserve it. >> fears of the worst case scenario. thank you very much. >> thank you, john.

>> vast stretches of the western u.s. are suffering under scorching temperatures, rampant wildfires and a years long drought that is depleting lakes and reservoirs. the water scarcity is tearing apart one southern oregon community where farmers, native tribes and endangered species are all struggling to survive this summer. >> the klamath tribes have fished in the rivers of southern oregon for thoands of years. >> traditionally, everybo had a place and a purpose. when i shared that fish with our elders as my dad taught me to do, i learned a worldview about why those fish are important and how they are placed here. it is not only a part of our subsistence. it is a part of our culture. >> the tribal chairman and his grandson reeled in red band trout as the sun went down on another scorching hot day in the

klamath basin. > the water is low. >> is probably done a foot since i have been outlast. >> the water and the fish in it are not what they used to be. is the water always this green? >> earlyn the year, it is not. i am 66 years old. i remember when it was not like this. nothing like this where it is like p soup. >> a punishing 20 year drought has revived a fight over water, pitting the survival of two endangered species of sucker fish long sacred to the native tribes against the livelihoods of ranchers who depend on the same water source. >> could not be a holland worse than it is right now. this would normally be an extremely different scene. >> the fields are normally -- the fields are parched and barren. >> our production this year is probably going to be about a 10th of what it would normally be. i don't know what i'm going to

do. >> the water in klamath lake has arrogated farms that has irrigated farms since 19 -- has irrigated farms since 1907. but not this year. when there is not enough water to go around, the endangered species act requires water levels are kept high to protect fish. the bureau of land turned off the water to this canal. since then, a few have set up camp to protest and are threatening to turn the water back on themselves. there is not enough water for anyone including the birds in the national wildlife refuges that depend on runoff from the project farms that will not be coming this year. >> there is no justice. >> 20 years ago, andther shut off pushed the community to the brink. some protesters even force the head gates open just like they have threatened to do this year.

>> 2001 was another bed drought year. >> hannah studies the history of water disputes in the klamath basin. >> there was no water for the irrigators that summer. a lot of farms went out of business. there was a lot of suffering and bankruptcy. people came from all over the country showing their empathy for the farmers. there were riots and tribes were hung in effigy because a lot of the blame went on the tribes. >> don gentry remembers the pain it caused his tribe. >> some of our members were spot upon. -- were spat upon. a kid came through and shut up the town with their shotguns. >> after the tensions came to a boiling point, the different parties sat down to negotiate. in 2010, they finally reached an almost miraculous compromise. the klamath basin directive -- the klamath basin restoration agreement. they would have spent over a

billion dollars on ecological restoration projects and returning land to the native tribes. but congress never funded the agreement. it fell apart and since then, the sides have dug in their heels. >> i don't think there is room for a compromise. our fish need the water we have a right to. >> those endangered sucker fish are still dying in droves. just five years ago, there were some 20,000 in klamath lake. now only an estimated in 3400 remain. >> the fish have been prioritized for water in the basin for over 20 years now. that has not led to one iota of recovery. it has 100% broken the legs of this community. >> the tribal chairman knows that conserving water alone is not enough to save the fish. he blames irrigated agriculture and government mismanagement of the basin for their habitat loss.

>> if they are on the verge of exchanging, it shows you there is something seriously wrong. >> becky is a rancher in the klamath basin but she agrees the system needs fixing. she and seth ranchers like her have a role to play in restoring the warshed and making things right with the people who were here first. she has a unique arrangement with the tribes. they own the easement on her property. >> they are the ones who come and monitor and say the river is getting narrower. they are absolutely -- they were absolutely here first. there was tremendous historical damage done to native people in this basin. > it is a couple miles of compromise in a community where that often feels all but impossible. she knows her efforts are just a drop in the bucket when far bigger changes are needed to get the basin on a more sustainable path. >> everybody is in a place of scarcity here.

it all has to change. > and what does that look like? >> one is that reparations package for climate tribes and the other thing is massive ecological restoration like at the skill of what the everglades are doing. to restore resiliency here. >> hanna says it is a story of broken promises and not just to the tribes. >> a lot of people he been calling for an apology to the tres and i think that is really important. we also probably need to apologize to the irrigators for promising them they would be able to irrigate in perpetuity. >> when those promises were made more than 100 years ago, there was more water in the klamath basin. ty is doing his best to stay afloat. hebrews beer on his farm, a hobby turned to business that

does not depend on an unriable supply of water. >> there are many who are in a much more perilous situation than i am. you never do but you almost think giving up hope might be the right idea. if my children's experience farming and ranching is going to be anything like mine has been, i would have a hard time telling them this is a good idea and this is something you want to do with your life. >> don gentry also thinks of the next generation what he looks out on the dwindling waters that have sustained his people for so long. he remembers explaining to his grandson why they could no longer fish the endangered fish. >> he was a little boy and armor him looking out to me and he goes, i can't wait until we can catch and eat those fish again. >> for the pbs newshour in klamath falls, oregon.

>> for a closer look at the politics of an infrastructure deal and the continuing influence of former president trump and the republican party, it is time for politics monday with amy walter, the newly named publisher and editor and in chief of -- editor in chief of the cook political report, amy walter. the white house correspondent for npr. >> she is the boss now. >> i can set everything. the book stops with me. >> we are so happy for you. let's talk infrastructure. we reported on the earlier. learned about what is in it. what does it mean that they have this deal and does one side or another get right here? >> this is one of those very things in politics where

everybody gets something they are happy about. infrastructure is one of those deals that everybody loves a better where you are in the ideological spectrum because it is something you can go home and say to your constituents, i did something while i was in washington. there is something tangible i am bringing you back. everybody who is in politics loves to talk about bringing home the bacon. it is one of the easier vehicles for bipartisanship. the question as you pointed out, the question next is what happens to the rest of the democrats' agenda, the $3.5 trillion what we are calling soft infrastructure, more government spending on government programs where that is aware democrats need -- that is where democrats need to keep all 50 of their members and make sure their votes in the house this is where we talk about the senate a lot.

50-50 senate. speaker pelosi only has a three seat margin. she cannot afford many defections. >> progressives in the house are raising questions about the main infrastructure bill. and of course bigger questions about the so-called social infrastructure. >> they have already made it clear those two are linked. don't get one without the other. that is what senate leadership has said. that is what nancy pelosi has said. because those two are linked, assuming this passes out of the senate before they go away for recess, there will be something for president biden to celebrate. we'll be something for everyone in the senate to celebrate who voted for it. that does not mean they have made it all the way. there could be a tortured spor analogy be about goal lines and other lines and this is the pbs newshour so we are not going to do it but they are not there. they are not at the end zone. that is the point. >> but for president biden who

talked about bipartisanship, there is alimmer cared >> there is a glimmer of bipartisanship. this is the second time -- when he was candidate biden, he made this bet that has paid off. a bit that was against conventional wisdom. the first was the democratic primary voters would reward a long time insider, establishment who did not want to shake up the system in the way that elizabeth sanders -- bernie sanders or elizabeth warren would. most of the washington world said that is not going to happen. he wins. he says we are going to have real bipartisanship. i know the senate. i've bn a member of the senate for most of my career. everybody said, bipartisanship? it does not work that way anymore, joe. looks as if those two beds have paid off. it looks as if it is going to come in november. will he be able to say as well

and this bet i made on getting a big, more government spending package through, not only is it helping democrats but we are also battling inflation, which is what repuicans would aue happen. >> a different kind of spending or fundraising is what former president trump has been able to do. just in the last year, he has raised 82 million cared -- raised 82 million cared and must set a billion. we're talking about a different of a structure plan. he has 102 million in the bank right now. this is a former president. we don't know if he is going to run for reelection. what does that say about his respect about his support? >> he is a former president. most former presidents would be raising money for their library. book deals. that is not what he is doing. the premise to which he is

raising money is to continue to contest the election that already happened that is over that he lost. and also, to settle scores. to consolidate power behind himself to once and for all say this is the trump party. the republican party is the trump party. and he is raising money through the same outrage and they are trying to hurt your favorite guy kind of headlines in the fundraising malls. and it works in part because a lot of people are on the continuing payment plan. continuing every month to send money whether they opt in or not. and he is taking full credit for it. in a way, he can. the question is, what is he going to do with that money? he is endorsing candidates but i don't see him writing big checks yet. >> that is the key question.

there we go. what is he going to do? one thing it is doing is saying to other republicans, be careful crossing me. i have $100 million. normally you would look at that back account and if i were on the others, say, oh my gosh. that is $100 million that he can spend on the midterm elections and bankroll so many candidates. but we know after watching the former president for all these years now, he does not like spending money on anybody but himself. i don't think we are going to expect to see all that $100 million go in to a win control of the house and senate. i think your point, we have never seen -- it is not just a former president. a president who presided over the laws of the house and senate. he lost reelection. still able to raise that kind of money and have that kind of influence on his party is remarkable. >> is there a way to measure how

much influence he still has? there's been a couple special elections. there are more coming up in the next couple of days in ohio. are we going to learn anything more about his influence? >> the candidate he endorsed in the texas special election ended up losing. the special elections are one offs and there's only so much you can draw from it. there is another special election primary this week. it is a crowded field. that would be another data point. the question comes at some point, if his candidates do not keep winning, does the emperor have no clothes? and who rise a lot of money but does he not have the influence? we have nowhere in your enough data points to know whether he truly is as powerful as he seems. endorsements aside, there are basically no republicans in congress or maybe there are two who are willing to say anything to cross him to contradict him. in that way, he is in control.

>> were talking about their level. >> you see it in the primaries. even the candidates who have not been endorsed by donald trump are not running against him as much as they are trying to show, i may not have the trump endorsement but believe me, i am still a trump republican the influence is going to be the kinds of people that come into congress in 2023. it is not whether they have a d or an r after their name, it is about the temperament they will bring especially after we see how many people are retiring in the senate. people like rob portman and roy blunt. that changes the possibility for more bipartisan deals like the one we are seeing right now. >> that rob portman is very key to negotiating. >> it is all connected. >> we are bringing it all back. >> congratulations. >> thank you very much, judy. ♪

>> we are just about at the halfway point in the limbic games in tokyo. these are probably the strangest in modern times given covid and the lack of spectators. there are amazing feats and records being open everyday. the past few days have been compelling. >> the past 72 hours have brought some smiles and tears of joy for these unusual times. some of the highlights so far, the rebound to win the gold medal in the floor exercise in gymnastics. simone biles is expected to compete in the balance beam files tomorrow -- bema finals tomorrow. of course, there are some disappointments. that includes the u.s. women's soccer team losing its chance for a gold medal today to canada. christine is covering the games for usa today. welcome back to the newshour.

let's talk about the swimmers. the u.s. leads in the total medal count thanks to caleb dressel and katie ledecky. tell me about the significance of their performance. >> katie ledecky, i will start with her first. i have covered her for a long time. remember her winning in london and the dominant swimmer in rio piling up all the gold medals. this performance five years later here in tokyo i think is more impressive than any i have seen of hers. . she is 24 years old now. the competitors are coming on click. she added the 1500. she added that. she added that to her schedule. she plowed through this. two gold, two silver. it was more impressive than what i've seen from her before in that in addition to winning two golds, handling the silver in

the 400 meters, losing to the australian with class, grace, katie ledecky comes out of these games as the stars so far. in terms of how she has handled herself in the pool and out, a true role model. >> caleb dressel, five gold medals. he did exactly what he wanted to do. he was not eating. he was not sleeping. he was shaking. he lost 10 pounds p how difficult it is. he did it. put his name up with mark spitz and michael phelps in terms of a man winning three gold at a single epic games. >> we also have the gymnasts not . doing too badly a lot of focus on simone biles. stepping back to take her of her own well-being. what does her coming back for the final tomorrow mean? >> this is going to be the most-watched event of feeling picks. i imagine that heart rates will be through the roof.

the balance beam is difficult anyway. several feet in the air. it is difficult to stand on it for a mirror mortal. to think that she is going to try to do what she does and do the drums and the twists and while still dealing with losing herself in the air is extraordinary. it was a week ago now that she told us about the problem and talked about mental health and the pressures and got us on this national conversation that is working its way toward a movement with naomi osaka. to see her actually come back, this is her last chance for gold at the olympics, it is going to be as dramatic a moment as i can think of at any other they can games -- at any olympic games. it is more of those things that shows how tough she is in the midst of so many personal issues. good for her and we will see how she does. >> a lot of people are going to be cheering her on. need to ask you about the women's soccer team.

they were expected to do better than they had. isn't that right? >> that is correct. although in 2016 in rio, they lost in an earlier round. they did better this time. it will be playing for the bronze medal. the u.s. women's national team is just not -- has not looked good the entire tournament. losing to sweden to start the olympics. looking listless throughout. the goalkeeper went out with an injury. she played so great against the netherlands. they lost to canada. for canada, they have been trying to get to this point for a long time. good for them beating the united states. a difficult time for the u.s. with an older team. some of those players were no so wellmegan rapinoe and carli lloyd, you wonder if that will be the last time we see them on the stage. >> there is a great history of athletes using the global stage to deliver an important message. we have had our first podium demonstration.

this is the u.s. shot putter raising her arms in annex after winning a metal in her event. tell us what was behind that. >> she says that is for oppressed people everywhere. it is the first demonstration we have seen at the games. we expect more. it is been a topic of conversation because the limpet -- the international of the committee a relaxed rules a bit to allow the athletes to kneel before games. the difference here is she did not do this, the cnese woman won the gold. sanders did not do anything to disrupt the ceremony itself. and also the national anthem. notice three -- no disrespect at all. the u.s. olympic and paralympic committee has said it is ok. international olympic committee might say something different. we might see them at loggerheads if the international committee

disagrees with the u.s. saying it was ok. we will see how that plays out. >> a lot of games behind us already and a lot of competition ahead. thank you so much for making the time. >> my pleasure. thank you. >> on the newshour online, high-profile decisions by black women like simone biles, mammy osaka and nicole hannah jones have opened up conversations about advocating for one's mental health as well as the difficult work conditions faced by black women in many industries. find with others who are grappling with these same issues say what this moment means for them. that is on our website, pbs.org/newshour. that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. drawing is online and here for tomorrow evening. please days safe and we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs

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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. this is pbs newshour west from w eta studios in washington and our bureau at the walter cronkite of journalism at arizona state university.

[ theme music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "cook's country," bryan and julia make a foolproof version of a brooklyn classic, prosciutto bread. jack challenges bridget to a tasting of provolone. and ashley makes bridget the ultimate drop meatballs.