judy: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. judy: on the newshour tonight. at the extreme, puerto rico experiences massive flooding, widespread power outages and catastrophic damage after hurricane fiona slams into the u.s. territory. then. mourning a monarch, the united kingdom grieves as the late queen elizabeth ii's funeral is held in london. and. one on one, as the united nations general assembly convenes in new york, turkey's president recep tayyip erdogan discusses the expansioof nato and his efforts to serve as a mediator in the ukraine conflict. >> if a peace is going to be

established in ukraine of course, the returning of the land that was invaded will become really important. this is what is expected. judy: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> little thing. the reminders of what's important. it's why fidelity dedicated advisors are here to help you create a wealth plan. a plan with tax sensitive investment strategies, planning focused on tomorrow while you focus on today. that's the planning effect, from fidelity. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support

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contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. judy: queen elizabeth ii has been laid to rest after a day steeped in ancient tradition, pageantry and final farewells in london. we'll have a full report on this historic day for the united kingdom. but first, we turn to puerto rico, where hurrice fiona has knocked out power and water to up to 1 million people. power is expected to be out for much of the island for at least several days. there's also been at least 1 death. fiona made landfall today in the dominican republic, and moved northwest toward the turks and caicos. william brangham reports on what it left behind. william: gusts of wind whipping by, streets drowning in water, and blackouts across puerto rico. >> it is approximately, maybe, 10 feet from hitting the bridge

william: the over 30 inches of rain that has fallen by midday today has tested the on an's resilience. it is an eerie familiar sight, almost exactly 5 years since hurricane maria left the island powerless for months. today the islands governor called the damage catastrophic. >> in many areas that had never seen flooding, there has been an unprecedented accumulation of water. in fact, in many areas it was greatethan what we saw during hurricane maria. william: in advance of the storm, residents bought small generators and nailed wooden covers over windows after the rain started to hit, over 1,000 people had to be rescued from their homes. and more than 2,000 people spent the night in shelters. other infrastructure, like this temporary bridge built after maria, was no match for the flood waters. president biden issued an emergency declaration for the island, making federal aid available for rescue efforts during and after the storm.

the president also spoke with the governor via phone today promising continued support in the coming days, but hricane fiona is not done yet. early this morning, its winds hit the dominican republic, engulfing cities and homes there in water. all while it continues to pound puerto rico, leaving devastation in its wake. >> for more on this storm and the relief efforts underway, i'm joined by the medical advisor with the organization direct relief puerto rico. >> you were on that island right now, and on -- i know getting around is difficult, but can you give us a sense of what you're hearing about the extent of the damage? >> sure, thank you so much for having me. unfortunately, fiona, for puerto rico in certain areas has exerted as much damage as five years ago hurricane maria did. were hearing of historical

flooding in certain municipalities that, do cheesy traditional path of storms, did not get hit as hard in the past, so just the southwestern area, some townships are devastated, flooded, roads are blocked due to destroyed bridges. unfortunately, the devastation is huge. william you're saying that these : are places that don't traditionally get hit by the storms that do occasionally come through. so, did people perhaps not heed warnings to evacuate or perhaps didn't think, oh, it's not going to hit us? >> i think that this storm, in particular, was an ever-changing story as it came closer to puerto rico. it -- as recent as a day ago, we were expecting a tropical storm. and it wasn't until it hit the southern -- southwestern tip of the island that we realized we would be getting category 1

hurricane winds and this historical amount of rainfall that we hadn't seen in many, many years. to get a little bit of context, maria, category 5 hurricane in puerto rico, delivered about 30 inches of -- 30 to 40 inches of rain in puerto rico. and we're closing in on a total of 30 inches when all is said and done with category 1 fiona. so i don't think it was a matter of people not heeding. i think we just didn't put it in context, because we're kind of used to these type of storms coming across all the time. and we hear category 1, and, after maria, we say, ok, category, we can do this, we can handle it. and it certainly surprised us as to how much water damage is going to happen after the storm is finally gone, which it hasn't. we're still in a tropical storm advisory. we're still in shelter-in-place directives from the government. william: i know that the rain is still coming down, perhaps not as intensely as it was just yesterday and earlier. what are -- is your sense of the

most immediate needs that people are requiring right now? >> i think access. i think there are people that are isolated due to blocked roads, landslides, people that have been displaced from their homes. salinas, one of the southern municipalities, have reported 2,000 people that have had to leave their homes. so i think access to whether it be essential food, water or medical services is the most important component of these next 24, 48 hours. and i believe it's ready to address that in the short and long term following the storm. william: and what are you hearing as far as power outages? we know that maria five years ago did incredible damage to the power grid there and there was considerable outages. is power coming back on in certain places? >> it has. as of yesterday around this

time, 100% of puerto rico was without power. the government and the power company worked hard to reestablish power in critical areas, such as the medical cent, where we call centro medico in puerto rico, which is the only tertiary hospital in the island. so that did get power back on in around midnight last night. 70% of puerto rico remains without power today, mostly dependent on generators. so there's still a lot of work to be done. there are 750,000 people in puerto rico that still have no water as well. william: and we know that, without access to fresh drinking water, that's one of the most threatening things for human survivability. >> that's correct. and not only that. there's now what we call the sequela, the medical sequela of not having access to clean water, which are communicable diseases, such as leptospirosis, which we did see after maria. there was a report today warning the population not to drink water from -- that may have been touched by the dirty rivers, et cetera.

so it becomes a real crisis, not only immediately, but in the upcoming weeks. william: and we know that we were just moments away from the five-year anniversary of maria doing such incredible damage. and then this comes on top of it. it seems like the rebuilding is going to be an enormous job for weeks, months, years ahead. >> definitely. and i think it sheds -- it highlights the importance of, when we think about rebuilding, we need to kind of do a little shifting paradigms in terms of preparedness, rather than -- thinking of preparedness and resiliency, rather than just relief after the storms. and i hope, from this type of disaster, everybody learns the lesson that direct relief has learned in the past five years, to make it so that we are better prepared and can withstand things that we have no control over, which is how often and how severe future storms may be in

the face of climate change, etc. william all right, that is dr. : michelle carlo, direct relief of puerto rico. thank you so much for being here. >> thank you for having me. judy: queen elizabeth ii was honored with an elaborate and poignant state funeral carried out with precision timing in london today, before being taken to her final resting place at windsor castle. our malcolm brabant was there to witness a day like no other in most lifetimes. malcolm the beginning of the end : of 10 days of mourning started serenely. just after dawn, christina heerey from britain's royal air force, the last of 400,000 citizens to make the pilgrimage to westminster hall, had her moment with the longest-reigning monarch in british history.

then heads of state from across the globe filed into westminster abbey to honor queen elizabeth and witness a pageant of imagery and symbolism that perhaps will never be seen again. president biden took his place amongst what was perhaps the biggest gathering of world leaders in decades. no invitations were extended to the authoritarians in russia, belarus, or myanmar. bells tolled 96 times, once for every year of the queen's life, as a bearer party from the grenadier guards carried the coffin from westminster hall. shrouded in the royal standard, the casket was decorated with the imperial state crown and the orb and scepter, symbols of the monarch's godly and earthly powers, a handwritten card from king charles iii nestled in the flowers.

the coffin was lowered onto a 19th century gun carriage used for the final journeys of every british monarch since queen victoria, as well as the wartime prime minister winston churchill. as tradition dictates, sailors hold the carriage the short distance to westminster abbey, because horses were deemed to be too skittish. king charles fought to keep his emotions under control as, at a slow march, he accompanied his mother and led the nation. in the rear, the mass bands of pipes and drums played a final lament. it was the sound of scotland, where the queen felt most at home and where she died. the funel has been years in the planning, and the queen, as head of the church of england and defender of the nation's faiths, was intricately involved in selecting the music and order of service.

the dean of westminster, david hoyle, received her body into the abbey, where, almost three-quarters-of-a-century ago, she was first married and then crowned queen. david hoyle, dean of westmiter: in grief and also in profound thanksgiving, we come to this house of god, to place of prayer, to a church where remembrance and hope are sacred duties. we gather from across the nation, from the commonwealth and from the nations of the world to mourn our loss. malcolm: the archbishop of canterbury, justin welby, paid tribute to the queen's life of inspirational service. he talked of the world's sense of grief and had sharp words to some elected politicians. justin welby, archbishop of canterbury: her late majesty famously declared on her 21st

birthday broadcast that her whole life would be dedicated to serving the nation and commonwealth. rarely has such a promise been so well kept. people of loving service are rare in any walk of life. leaders of loving service are still rarer. but, in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten. malcolm: a fanfare heralded the start of two minutes' silence observed across the land. the national anthem brought the service to a close. the british people are becoming

accustomed to the new lyrics of "god save the king." charles iii was front and center of today's pageantry, but remained silent and alone with his thoughts. these were his words to the nation the day after the queen died. king charles iii, united kingdom: as the queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, i too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time god grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation. and wherever you may live in the united kingdom or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, i shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love, as i have throughout my life.

malcolm: as the gun carriage was hauled through london's most majestic quarters, trailing a cortege more than a mile long, there was a sense that this was not just a funeral, but also a declaration of british intent and identity, after a period in which the nation has been uncertain of its place in the world. charles has ascended the throne at a difficult time. do you think the monarchy is secure for the immediate future? >> i think the monarchy is more than secure for the -- for as far as i can see. i mean, you never know what's coming dowthe track. malcolm: robert hardman is the author of "queen of our times" and a leading british royal expert. >> the king is very popular. there's been a huge groundswell of support for him. his heir, william, and catherine, his wife, i mean, they are a very, very solid duo, now well-bedded in as part of the national landscape, if you like. >> but a less confident view comes from rob watson, the political correspondent of the bbc world service.

>> the danger they face is much more one of demographics. all the polling suggests that king charles, the monarchy, the queen, hugely popular the older you are and the whiter you are, but amongst younger people and amongst ethnic minorities, t monarchy, the idea of it and king charles are not so popular. i mean, i don't think it's an existential threat, but it shows that there is a sort of challenge to keep the affections of british people onside. malcolm: the procession ended at london's wellington arch. the bearer party solemnly placed the queen's coffin in the state hearse. the leaving of london was through some of the capital's poorer districts, as the hearse made its way to windsor and her final resting place. slowly, the cortege made its way along the long walk of windsor great park, where the queen used to ride. it wasn't just the people who solemnly waited to say farewell. her favorite horse pawed the ground as her coffin passed. the committal inside windsor

castle's st. george's chapel was a briefer, more intimate service than at westminster. the finality of it all became clear, as the instruments of her reign were removed from the coffin, the scepter, the orb, the crown. a pipe major played a scottish lament as the casket was lowered into the vault, where she was interred next to her late husband, prince philip, the duke of edinburgh. in life, the queen awoke to the sound of the pipes, and there was a haunting symmetry as she finally disappeared from view. and that was the end of the public ceremonies. after the queen's body was lowered into the vault, it was moved to the memorial chapel inside st. george's. it was the end of a quite extraordinary day, judy. judy: extraordinary, for sure, malcolm. and you mentioned what a difficult time this is, as king charles iii ascends to the throne. what are some of the challenges he will be facing now?

malcolm: well, we're waking up to a new britain now. and one of the key things that king charles iii has to do is to do what his mother did so well, and that is to unite the country, the nation. and the clue is in the name, united kingdom. but it's been fairly fractured. over the past few years. the scots have been trying to get independence. and it remains to be seen whether or not those calls can be dampened down, also that there might be problems in northern ireland possibly for those unionists. that part of the country has always been seen as possibly the most loyal in the union, because protestants outnumbered catholics. but a new census is coming out which shows that that's going to change and the catholics are going to outnumber the protestants. and so there may be calls, possibly, for there to be a united ireland. and that is something that prince charles may have to deal with. but one of the -- so, what to do really as well is to make sure that the monarchy evolves and becomes relevant to today's society.

and he's helped by the fact that many people here aren't really prepared to have an elected head of state. the idea of there being a president boris johnson or a president tony blair is anathema to most people. so it may seem like something from a bygone age, but people here seem to like the idea of a constitutional monarchy. judy: it sounds like a very full plate, indeed. malcolm brabant, joining us from london on this historic day. malcolm, thank you. malcol thank you, judy. ♪ stephanie: mark -- in a prisoner swap. he was exchange for a drug lord.

he praised the taliban for his release. >> my exchange, i think, with god willing, can lead to peace between afghanistan and america. an american was released. and i am also free with the help of the taliban and their holy fighters. stephanie mark frerichs had : worked on development projects before he was kidnapped by a taliban-allied group in january 2020. in ukraine, russian missile fire hit close today to another nuclear power station. late-night footage showed explosions epting at the plant in the mykolaiv region 300 yards from theeactors, ukraine accused the russians of -- quote -- "nuclear terrorism." china weighed in today after president biden said again that u.s. forces would defend taiwan against any invasion. the president spoke in an -- in beijing, a foreign ministry spokeswoman denounced

the comments made on 60 minutes at a briefing. >> the u.s. remarks seriously violate the one china principle, breach the u.s. commitment to not support taiwan independence, and send a severely wrong signal to the separatist forces of taiwan independence. china strongly deplores and rejects it. stephanie: the white house maintains u.s. policy toward taiwan has not changed. a super typhoon smashed ashore overnight in japan, killing at least two people. millions were told to evacuate and hundreds of thousands lost power. the storm tore through japan's southwestern coast, flooding roads and suspending travel. by today, it had reached the main island of honshu, with heavy rain lashing tokyo. back in this country, new federal data shows more than 20,000 people died in traffic accidents in the first half of this year. that is the most since 2006. and it continues a trend that began with the pandemic. last year nearly 43,000 pele , were killed on the nation's highways.

u.s. immigration officials say migrants were stopped at the southern border more than 200,000 times in august. that takes the count for the fiscal year above two million. stops involving venezuelans, cubans and nicaraguansose to 56,000 in august, but fewer migrants from mexico and several central american states. a federal judge ruledoday that man accused of killing three people at a planned parenthood clinic in colorado springs in 2014 can be forced to take medication to make him competent to stand trial. he has refused to take antipsychotic drugs for a delusional disorder. he faces life in prison if convicted. in montana, the state's health department said they will follow a state judge's ruling to temporarily allow transgender people to change their gender on birth certificates. the department had previously attempted to block the action. a judge in maryland has ordered

the release of a man who has been jailed since 2000 for the killing of his ex-girlfriend. prosecutors in baltimore now say new evidence can undermine the conviction. they have 30 days to decide whether to try him again. and the las vegas aces are the new champions of women's professional basketball. they scored their first wnba title on sunday, feeding the connecticut son. the team stormed the court in celebration. it's the first major title for a las vegas pro sports team. still to come on the newshour. election officials struggle to recruit poll workers for the midterms amid growing threats. our politics monday team breaks down the latest political headlines and much more. >> this is the pbs newshour, from wta studios in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite -- walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona

state university. judy: world leaders have begun assembling in new york for the annual united nations general assembly. among the leaders who sit at the crossroads of many issues of global importance is recep tayyip erdogan, president of turk, or turkiye as they , pronounce it. from ukraine, to russia, to nato, he wields outsized influence in both the east and west. we sat down yesterday in new york. president erdogan, thank you very much for talking with us. i want to begin with the war in ukraine where, as you know, people are dying still every day. you've shown support for both sides, russia and ukraine. who do you think has the upper hand right now? >> judy, first of all, who has the upper hand? russia or ukraine? as a leader, i'm not willing to consider this. all we want to do and what we want to see is to end this battle with peace, whether it be mr. putin, whether it be mr. zelensky, i have always requested and recommended this.

this is a conflict that ended up in casualties. the people are dying and nobody will be winning at the end of the day. and that's not what we're looking for. judy: but on the war, how do you see it? you said this week you believe it should end as soon as possible. how do you see it endi? and how quickly? >> most importantly, russian attitude will be very very important here. in uzbekistan i got together with president putin and we had very extensive discussions with him and he is actually showing me that he's willing to end this as soon as possible. that was my impression because the way that things are going right now are quite problematic. 200 hostages will be exchanged upon an agreement between the parties, i think a significant step will be taken forward. judy: should russia be permitted to keep some of the territory it's taken from ukraine since it invaded in february? should that be part of a solution to this to this conflict?

>> no and undoubtedly no. when we talk about reciprocal agreement, this is what we mean. if a peace is going to be established in ukraine of course, the returning of the land that was invaded will become really important. this is what is expected. this is what is wanted. mr. putin has taken certain steps. we have taken certain steps. the lands which were invaded will be returned to ukraine. judy: should russia be allowed to keep crimea? >> since 2014 we have been talking to my dear friend putin about this, and this is what we have requested from him. we asked him to return crimea to its rightful owners. these are our descendants at the same time, the people who are living there. if you were to take this step forward, if you could leave us, you would be also relieving the crimean tatars and ukraine as well. that's what we have always been saying. but since then, unfortunately, no step has been taken forward. judy: does president putin recognize that he miscalculated,

that he greatly underestimated the will of the ukrainian people to stand up for their own country? >> no leader in the aftermath would say that it was a mistake. nobody will say, yes, i made a mistake. the same thing can be applied to ukraine as well. mr. zelensky, do you think when he was moving forward, does he feel he made a mistake? the leaders when they take a path, will find it very difficult to go back. it's very difficult for the leaders to go back. judy: was this invasion justified by the russians? was it just -- was justified? >> well, no invasion can be justified. an invasion cannot be justified. judy: the russians went in. and in the last few days, as you know, mr. president, there have been reports of horrific killings of civilians and soldiers, torture by russian soldiers, of ukrainian civilians.

they found mass graves where the russian troops have left. who should be held responsible and should president putin be held responsible? >> about this issue the most ideal answer could be given as a result of the activities taken by the united nations. with the activities of the united nations a light should be shed on these discussions. if that doesn't happen as a leader of a country, it will be difficult for me to explain these issues, come up with a statement, or else it will bring us to our position as a country that does not follow a balanced foreign policy. we cannot hold sides. we cannot take sides. and it wouldn't be right for us to do that. judy: if the un investigation show that there is evidence that russian soldiers committed these atrocities and as you know, there have been bombings of hospitals, schools, civilians across ukraine, should president putin himself be held responsible? >> if an investigation leads to

that conclusion, putin will show his reaction. it's not right to observe putin as an entirely different person because he is prioritizing the interests of his country and he's fighting for his interests, for his country's interests. right now in the battle between these two countries, we are talking comprehensively with putin. at the same time we are talking comprehensively with zelensky. and at the same time, we're talking comprehensively with gutierrez. and gutierrez is actually talking to all the parties involved. if we are going to reach a conclusion, we are not going to reach that conclusion by taking sides. we're not going to defend a single leader. but instead, we have to be looking for a conclusion that will satisfy all parties involved. judy: i understand what you're saying. at the same time you're saying putin is doing mr. putin is doing what's in the interests of the russian people. but does that include killing hundreds, thousands and many, many more of ukrainian civilians?

>> judy, we have to see this for what it is. not only the ukrainians are dying, but there are so many casualties on the russian side as well. judy: but they invaded. judy: th's a different fact. yes, it was done. but prior to the breaking out of this conflict, many things had happened. anwith the conflict things have unfolded tremendously. and now we are seeing a certain amount of diminishing casualties. the u.n. has to reach a conclusion as soon as possible. and upon that conclusion we will be able to put forward our stance for what it is. that's why we are taking steps forward in order to sort out this hostage crisis. and at the same time, we are taking necessary steps forward in order to allow ukrainian grain to leave the ports. and we reached a certain level. so it's not about pushing one person to one side entirely and defending the other. this is not how we will cultivate results. judy: you have blocked the the admission to nato of both sweden

and finland and raised the issue of people you refer to as kurdish terrorists. are you close to resolving this? i know that they've asked turkey to provide evidence that these people you want them to deal with are terrorists. but are you, first of all, are you close to an agreement? and if they don't accept whatever turkey explains. are you prepared to just permanently block sweden and finland from joining? >> here especially sweden has been a cradle for terrorism, and the terrorists have infiltrated all the way into their parliaments. and in stockholm we see terrorists are demonstrating all the time. the banners, the posters of the leader of the terrorist organization are abound. they are demonstrating. they are throwing slogans, and they're attacking the innocent turkish descendants in stockholm.

and we have given all the evidence relevant to these developments to our swedish interlocutors. finland, on the other hand, they're not like sweden. they're a little bit more calm and they have more control over the developments. but sweden is not like that. they're always using certain reasons. they're always using certain excuses. they always talk about the constitution. and as the reigning principle of the constitution, they value the freedom of expression. and in return, i say terrorism has nothing to do with freedom of expression. and the turkish parliament is the eventual decision maker. judy: you will be facing the voters of your country next year for reelection. do you believe you'll win or could turkey go in another direction? >> we have no concerns about winning the elections. nobody will replace us because there is no alternative. judy: i have to ask you, because you're in the united states. and as you know, we've had an election here in the last two years where one of the people who was running did not accept

the results and challenged them. could you see something like that happening in turkey? >> well these are common things. they happen all the time. there is losing by a great extent and there's not winning. but we are currently in such a position that we will be able to be triumphant. judy: last question. your relationship with the united states. what shape would you say it's in? >> i can't say that our relations are ideal. why? because our trade volume with the united states is not supposed to be where it is today. and in defense industry, we are not at the level that we desire. for example, we have the outstanding issue of f-16s. we have procured f-16s from the united states. but instead, certain political decisions are being made resulting in the imposition of sanctions upon turkey. this is not very becoming to two friendly countries such as the u.s. and turkey. we have spoken to the republicans and we have received the support of the republicans. if we can't get the results out of the united states about the

f-16s, what are we going to do? of course, we're going to take care of our own selves. judy: president erdogan, thank you very much for talking with us. we appreciate it. >> i would like to thank you so much. ♪ judy: election day 2022 is less than two months away, yet there's a critical missing element that could slow down the voting process. william brangham is back with a conversation he had recently about the difficulties in recruiting poll workers. william: it takes more than a million people working the polls to make american elections run smoothly in america. the majority of them are ove60 years old. between retirements and concerns about covid, tens of thousands of poll workers have left the job over the past several election cycles. we talked to some election workers about the process. >> my name is anjali gokhan.

i started working in the elections in 2020. >> my name is joe plenzler and i am an election ballot judge here in charles county, maryland. >> my name is nour alamiri. >> my name is sylvia brodie and i am from cartersville, georgia. >> my name is barb byrum. i am the ingham county clerk in the great state of michigan. if we are unable to hire a sufficient number of precinct workers, that's going to slow down the process. that could cause lines at the polling location, and it could cause a significant delay in the release of unofficial results on election night. >> 2020, of course, as far as staffing goes it was scary. , you know, some people dropped off fear of covid. >> because of safety concerns, we haven't had as many volunteers as we previously have had. >> the volunteers were an array of republicans, democrats and

independents, all coming together to really make democracy happen for our fellow citizens and help all our our fellow republican, democrat and independent voters come in to the polling station and exercise their right to vote. >> we're a democracy and part of a democracy is having the ability for everybody to vote. i'm just really trying to help be able to get the whole state to vote. it's not like one party or another. >> i also wanted to be sure that there was diverse representation in our poll workers. as an arab muslim woman, it was important for me to be one of the election officers available and working the polling places so that when voters came to their precincts, th could see somebody who looked like >> running a polling station isn't that hard. it's just you got to really know the rules and regulations and follow them closely. so we spent about 4 hours at our countyrd of election on a friday afternoon learning how to set up, run and take down a polling station, pack it away, and then report the results to the county. i'm a natural skepc, by nature

and, you know, going through that training, it really impressed me. it left me confident in in the way our elections are run down here. >> i do believe the reason we have seen some precincts leave is because of the negativity that they have felt, whether at the polling location when they were serving their community in the middle of a pandemic or just going to the grocery store and seeing their neighbor with a shirt that says the election was rigged or that trump won. that takes a toll on humans. >> i wish that people could just one time in their life do what we do understand the process and , you will find out that there's absolutely no way that somebody could actually cheat. >> i'm not as concerned about the election deniers. what i'm a little bit more concerned about is just making sure that when places are staffed, there's like, you know, competent people and people that will handle voters with care, that will show them the respect they deserve regardless of what way they lean.

and i just want people to know that, you know, voting does matter. voting makes an impact. >> i don't have plans of there stopping. why quit now? i've been there when it was easy, when everybody was happy and everybody was just coming in excited to vote. and i've been there when it was hard. and you hear the comments and i've even been called a few names. but that's not why i'm there. >> i've enjoyed working at the precinct and i see a lot of the same voters election after election and they look forward to seeing me. so i feel like we've really built a community in the election space and i don't want to let my voters down. >> those are just some of the people who will be working the polls this november. and with over 5000 local election jurisdictions across the u.s., recruiting new workers can be a challenge. one organization called power the polls launched two years ago, in response to the

pandemic, and has since helped sign up more than new election 700,000 workers. jane slusser is the program manager of power the polls and she joins me now. thank you so much for being here. we heardome of the challenges from those elections workers about doing their jobs and recruiting new people. can you talk a little bit more about the challenges you face doing what you do? >> one of the biggest challenges around poll worker recruitment is that people don't know that they are needed. people don't know this is a role that they can step up and fill. they don't know how to find the opportunity. but once they do they just say that it's one of the most rewarding things that they've ever done. so it's really just an issue of awareness, and that's why power the polls exist. that's why we are here spreading the word about this allowing people to sign up and people are answering that call. we've actually had over 125,000 people sign up with us just this year since we launched relaunched our program, so people are really excited about

being able to serve again. they just need to know that if there's an opportunity, and we're here to help them find that throughur website. william: can you give us a sense of what is that recruitment effort look like? i mean, you're not offering six figure salaries or sterling benefits. what's the pitch? and what does that look like? >> first of all, it's raising awareness. um, it is also letting people know that they do get paid. you might not get a six figure salary, but people are really excited to learn that they might, you know, earn a couple hundred bucks by doing this. i'm here in philadelphia, where they actually just doubled the pay for election workers in orr to get more folks through the door. part of it is reaching out through community organizations. folks really answer that call when it's through a group that they are used to working with that they know helps neighbors in their community anyway. part of it is being here with you now and letting people know through the news. we've had lots of wonderful celebrities talking about this to really get the word out to a younger group of people th might not be aware of this and

letting them know that they can come to power the polls. our website is very easy. you sign up, you put in your zip code, and instead of having to find that local application, um through, you know a long web of the internet, you're able to just put that in, and we direct you directly to your local elections administrator so that you can sign up with them directly. and then we just remind you along the process. did you fill out that application? did you get it in? and make sure that you actually show up because we don't want anybody flaking on election day? william we heard from some of : those voices of concern that the intensely partisan nature of the last election and all the accusations that somehow the process was rigged that the election was stolen that that might turn peop off from the process. how do you counter that? >> that's definitely the intention of those types of activities and that type those types of attack. one thing that we found, though, is that people are really motivated to show up because they want to sort of make sure that everybody feels good about their elections in their neighborhood.

so we have folks that sign up. they say look i really don't , care who wins the election. i don't care who you vote for. i know people are going to come in who may have different views than me. i don't care. i just want to make sure that everybody has access to the ballot. i want to make sure that everybody in my neighborhood and my community is able to vote and this is also one of the important things that we always remind people when you go into that polling location, everyone who's a poll worker there is from your neighborhood. there from your community. you have to live in the city and the county and sometimes even in the exact neighborhood where you serve as a poll worker in many places across the country, which means you're probably recognizing somebody that you see on the street or at the grocery store. who's actually there checking you in. helping you vote. giving you that i voted sticker. william: one other conversation that has come up is partisan actors encouraging other partisans to apply for these jobs to be in those positions and the fear being that they might not adhere to all the

rules that they might be doing things that are not part of the normal process. how do we as a society protect against that? >> well, number one. i think that you know, most important thing is making sure election administrators have a very ample pool of poll worker applications to pull from the there were in training, and they identify somebody who seems to be the for the wrong reasons that they can sort of move ahead with the other folks who clearly have a non no partisan intentions in their activities there. right now we've been so focused on recruitment and applications and getting folks in the door just for these initial placements. but as we get closer to election day, we also know that administrators they have a backup list so that if somebody doesn't show up for the wrong person emerges and they have to be removed, and that a new person is just a phone call away to come in and make sure that voting continues smoothly and seamlessly for all the voters in that location.

william: all, -- all right, jane slusser, power the polls. thank you so much for being here and good luck with your work. >> thank you. judy: less than two months until the midterm elections, republican governors are pushing to make immigration and the southern border a key issue. meanwhile, president biden and former president trump are out making their cases for voters. here to discuss it all: amy walter of the cook political report with amy walt. and asma khalid of npr. tamara kth is away. hello to both of you on this so much. i do want to start with the rally that former president trump had or the weekend in ohio, where he was making a number of statements and at one point, or during the rally, there was music laying, which has been compared to the theme song of the extremist group --

beliefs with an extreme set of beliefs called qanon. let's listen. >> we are a nation that has weaponized its law enforcement against the opposing political party like never, ever before. we have got a federal bureau of investigation that won't allow bad election-changing facts to be presented to the public. judy: so, people holding up their hands in a symbol that -- again, that seems to suggest qanon. but what -- where does this leave the former president as he goes out and tries to appeal to voters for the candidates he's campaigning for? amy: that's exactly the right question. and it's one that many republican strategists, especially strategist for candidates in so many of these swing states, arizona, or georgia, or nevada, or new hampshire, would like -- if the former president comes in, they would like him to stick to a script that focuses less on 2020

and a lot more on joe biden and the economy. but how many times have we heard that from republican strategists, who would tell us, always off the record, if only president trump could stay on message. someday, maybe he will be able to do it. but his message is for his voters. now, the reality is, the people who made it through these primaries in these key senate races were ones that donald trump has endorsed and supported. and those candidates are now trying to spend these next 50 days showing they're -- basically trying to pivot away from trump, away from the idea that they are part of this extremist group. they don't want this election to be a referendum once again on trump and his views on a whole bunch of things. judy: but he continues to talk about these things.

and, asma, you have been out on the campaign trail in recent times, in recent months. what do you see -- how do you see these remarks and this message playing? asma: i mean, it is this sense, right, that we see time and again president trump is making this midterm election not about a referendum on president biden, right? we always hear that that's the case. and that's not what's happening. and i think that's much to the delight of democrats that i talk to. there's a sense that, if this were truly just a referendum on president biden, say, on the state of the economy, that would be a bigger challenge for democrats. but every time president -- former president trump interjects, and it just -- it turns the conversation away. one thing that i am sort of confused about, though, i will say, i was in florida, the week that the mar-a-lago search took place. and i went to a republican club meeting there. i was speaking with a number of women. and there was a sense that -- perhaps more than the economy, that the search of the former president's home could really energize republican base voters. so, i will say that, to me, is still unclear, the degree of

energy that might have for republican base voters. but when you talk about independents, i mean i don't think that is energizing them. judy: yes, and we will see, because that issue of what happened at mar-a-lago is still playing out in the courts. and we will see where that goes. so, there's a new poll that comes out. and we don't look at -- we don't pay attentioto every single poll, but this one struck us as interesting. this is the new york times and siena college looked at hispanic voters, and a large group of hispanic voters they surveyed, amy. and what they -- what you see should be good news for crowds, as 56% say they're supporting democrats, 32 percent republican. on the other hand -- >> they're going to win 70 percent of these voters, which is, when we were talking about. they have done in the past, certainly during the obama era. and, remember, obama his message 2012, and -- well, 2008, but it continued in 2012, was basically one of demographic

destiny, that, eventually, the fact that this country is getting more -- more and more folks who are coming in who -- into the voting age who are latino, that's only going to help democrats. i talked to a democratic group today, actually, who put out their own numbers on latino voters. they're focused -- they're a progressive organization focused on latino voters. they had very similar data. their takeaway was this. the good news is, we're not doing any worse among voters, latino, than we were in 2020. we seem to be just sort of stuck in where things ended up in 2020. and the group that has moved the most, not surprising, younger men, and the economy still the biggest issue. it was a big issue in 2020. it's obviously an issue there. the other thing this person told me is, look, these voters, we assumed, for years, that, at the

end of the day, they were always going to break for democrats. we can't assume that anymore. judy: what are you hearing about this? asma: i agree with that. i mean, there's also geographic diversity, right? and you do see that republicans tend to do better with latino voters in both texas and florida, obviously, both of those being very key states as we look to the midterm election cycles. judy: yes, a loof votes. asma: but -- right. i mean, i think that there is a sense, as you were saying that, for years, democrats had assumed that they would be able to gain a certain percentage of latino voters. and we saw that the former president did actually better with hispanic voters in 2020 than he did in 2016, i think, to the surprise of many democratic analysts. but what i hear often from specifically young -- younger latino voters is a sense that the democratic party has taken their vote for granted for years, and they want greater outreach. and on the flip side, you have seen a republican party that is making a strong effort to court those same voters. amy: well, and the demographics

now working against democrats. it's younger or maybe more middle-aged, 30s to 40s, latinos who are more-republican leaning. it's actually the older voters that are the most supportive of democrats. so, as new voters age in, that doesn't necessarily mean a good thing for democrats. judy: what can democrats say, asma? asma: i don't know that it's always a saying. this is what i hear, right, that republicans have shown up, that after, i would say, the 2020 election, they built these centers in different communities, right, to specifically court minority groups, different groups, but specifically, let's say, in certain communities, latino voters. what i heard in 2016 and in 2020 from specifically younger latino voters was the sense that democrats show up around election cycles, and then they disappear. and there is a sense that there's not been a lack of -- or that there has been a lack of investment in infrastructure and follow through on promises. and, look, the biden administration came in promising comprehensive immigration reform. to its credit, president biden did put forth something right at the outset when he came into office. but it's gone nowhere. and i think there's a sense of frustration from some younger voters who do want to see

immigration reform, who wanted to see permanent status, not just a deferred action status that's been the case. judy: i mean, this -- this just echoes, amy, campaigns i have covered, frankly, for decades with latino, hispanic voters , saying, we're just -- they come visit us right before the election. amy: yes, right. and african american voters too, which has soured many of those younger voters. but remember too this is -- again, the -- for the flip side, where democrats are doing better, this democrat said to me, look, republicans still haven't really sold these voters. th haven't really finished or closed the deal, right, that, yes, they can get a certain percent of the vote, but there is a wall that those voters hit with the republicans derived -- a lot of it is derived from the fact they still see republicans as the party of the wealthy and the elites. and there we go. judy: and we can't forget, again, how diverse this latino,

hispanic vote is. amy walter, asma khalid, thank you both. and with that, that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. we hope you will join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at pbs newshour, thank you, please stay safe and , we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> we offer a variety of no contract plans and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. for more, visit consumer cellular.tv. >> the kendeda fund, committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through vestments in transformative leaders, more at kendeda fund.org. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to

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♪♪ -"cook's country" is about more than just getting dinner on the table. we're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes. we go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook, and we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today. we bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you. this is "cook's country." ♪♪ today on "cook's country," christie makes lard-fried chicken, i share the story of edna lewis's famous version of the dish, jack and bridget taste regional potato chips, and morgan bakes up blueberry biscuits.