amna: good evening and welcome. i'm amna nawaz. judy woodruff is away. on the "newshour" tonight, a verdict -- a jury orders conspiracy theorist alex jones to pay the families of the sandy hook massacre nearly $1 billion in damages. then, the saudi connection -- the united states re-evaluates its relationship with the kidom over a cut in oil production that's pushing up gas prices. and first time voters -- young adults in wisconsin discuss their hopes for the country's future and whether politicians are listening to their concerns. >> i've been very politically engaged throughout high school and i'm excited to get my foot in the door and actually have a voice in my government. amna: all that and more on tonight's "pbs newshour."

>> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by. >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiatric artist. topiary artist. a raymondjames financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well-planned.

>> the walton family foundation. working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with newshour west. we'll return to the full program after the latest headlines. a jury in connecticut has ordered conspiracy theorist alex jones to pay nearly $1 billion in damages for defamation.

the host of the "infowars" show had claimed the 2012 sandy hook school massacre was a hoax. relatives of eight of the 26 victims, and an fbi agent, brought the suit. >> all i can really say is that i'm just proud that what we were able to accomplish was just to simply tell the truth. and it shouldn't be this hard, and it shouldn't be the scary. i shouldn't have to worry about what my daughter is going to go through when i tell them that it's best that they just tell the truth. vanessa: jones already faces a $50 million penalty that a texas jury imposed in august. we'll return to this later in the program. meanwhile, a jury in south florida has begun deliberating on whether parkland school shooter nikolas cruz will be sentenced to death. cruz already pleaded guilty to killing 17 people at marjory stoneman douglas high school in 2018. the defense is asking for life

in prison without parole. the biden administration has agreed to accept up to 24,000 qualifying venezuelan migrants into the united states. this comes after an increase in venezuelans arriving at the southern border with mexico. venezuelans who are chosen would arrive at u.s. airports. mexico has agreed to accept some venezuelans who are expelled from the u.s. for walking or swimming across the border. in a related announcement, the department of homeland security said it will make nearly 65,000 temporary work visas available for low-skilled industries. at least 20,000 will be reserved for migrants from haiti and northern central america. in ukraine, seven more people were killed today as russia fired more missiles, drones, and artillery rounds into major cities. in all, the new russian offensive has killed at least 26 people since monday. the latest attacks came as u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin and other nato defense ministers met in brussels on bolstering ukraine's weapon supply.

sec. austin: that resolve has only been heightened by the deliberate cruelty of russia's new barrage against ukrainian cities. those assaults on targets with no military purpose again reveal the malice of putin's war of choice. vanessa: russian fire also knocked out power to the zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for the second time in five days. and at the united nations, the general assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn russia's attempt to annex more of ukrai. russian president vladimir putin says moscow is set to resume natural gas deliveries to europe. he said today that the nord stream 2 pipeline to germany could still be used, despite being damaged by explosions last month. germany quickly rejected the offer as another attempt to renew europe's dependence on russian energy. new protests swept iran today, despite heavy police presence and an internet outage that hindered communications.

demonstrators rallied in at least 19 cities over the death of mahsa amini in police custody. women marched in the streets, defiantly removing their mandatory hijabs. in tehran, supreme leader ayatollah khamenei blamed foreign elements for the unrest. khamenei: some are either agents of the enemy, or they are aligned with the enemy. others are just excited. the first group must be dealt with by judicial and national security officials. vanessa: the regime has carried out a violent crackdown on the protests. one human rights group estimated today that at least 200 people have been killed. back in this country, thformer head of the los angeles city council has resigned her council seat over leaked racist remarks. nury martinez had already stepped down from her post as council president. on the recording, martinez and two other council members talked about protecting latino voting power and made abusive remarks about other groups. the california attorney general

has announced he'll look into the process for drawing new council districts. former president trump was ordered to give a deposition in a defamation lawsuit today. a federal judge issued the order in new york. advice columnist e. jean carroll says mr. trump defamed her when he denied raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990's. the cdc today approved updated covid-19 booster shots for children as young as five years old. the latest pfizer and moderna vaccines are tailored to provide better protection against the highly contagious omicron variant. still to come on the "newshour," president biden's student loan forgiveness plan faces legal challenges. also, reporters across the country share the latest on the races that could decide control of congress. and much more. >> this is the "pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter

cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: as we reported, conspiracy theorist alex jones has been ordered to pay nearly $1 billion, $965 million, to be exact, for the lies he spread about the sandy hook elementary school massacre in 2012. jones had falsely claimed the attack that left more than two dozen people dead, including 20 children, was a hoax, and accused a grieving parent of being an actor in the days after the murders. a texajury awarded nearly $50 million in a separate damages trial this summer. and jones likely faces another trial before the year is up. for some perspective on the scope of this award and what happens now, we turn to jesse gessin. he's a trial lawyer in california who works on both civil and criminal cases. mr. gessin, welcome to the "newshour." thank you for joining us. let's just start with some context on this verdict. it is an enormous amount of dounkn hethmabeaw y.mo

jesse: wow, quite frankly. it's probably one of the largest defamation verdicts in u.s. history. also, it's compensatory, meaning that there's still going to be punitive damages, which could be up to 10 times as mu under the u.s. -- united states constitution. so, we're going to see probably this verdict, at least -- i would say at least double or triple or maybe even up to 10 times. amna: for anyone following the trial, i mean, it was an incredibly emotional trial, emotional testimony from the parents who've lost their children in the most horrific way. does that, do you think -- did that play a role in the size of the verdict that was eventually awarded? jesse: assuredly. this jury -- this verdict says two things. number one, it says, we hate alex jones, and, number two, that we are inflamed, and we

feel that these parents have lost something very, very, very special to them, and we're going to do our best to give it back to them with our verdict. amna: we should point out, earlier this year, infowars and its parent company did file for bankruptcy protections. what kind of impact could that have on the amount that's actually paid out? jesse: well, the verdict is against alex jones and the company. and so alex jones may end up filing for bankruptcy protection as well. his estimated net worth is anywhere between $170 to -- $135 million to $270 million. so he may declare bankruptcy as well. but it is certainly possible that this verdict and the texas verdict could be swept up into the bankruptcy and significantly decreased under u.s. bankruptcy law. amna: you mentioned that texas

verdict. and i want -- i want to get your analysis on the difference you see between that texas verdict that was around $50 million, and was eventually knocked down because of state limits on those kinds of awards, and the damages we saw awarded today. how do you see the difference between what unfolded in texas and what happened in connecticut? jesse: it's hard not to draw the inference that they're -- the two different jury pools are somewhat politically motivated. the compensatory damages in the texas verdict was $4 million. connecticut verdict is $965 million. that's a $961 million difference in compensatory damages. we still have to see punitive damages in connecticut, so that -- the difference could be even far more striking. i think it's safe to say that the connecticut verdict is a far

liberal -- more liberal juo ha factored into their verdict. amna: we should also point out we learned later today that jones' lawyer has said they do plan to appeal. but, mr. gessin, we should remind folks, mr. jones was spreading these lies for years, right, saying that the whole attack was a hoax, that, in some cases,arents were responsible for the deaths of their own children. he's not alone in spreading some of these lies, though. and i wonder, as you look at this moment, what you think this verdict says in the waof a message it sends about the legal landscape surrounding holding those who spread misinformation accountable in some way? jesse: well, if you're profiting off of conspiracy theories that are defamatory, that are obviously false, you need to watch yourself. and a litigant can prosper, clearly prosper in two very

separate forums. and i think that it sends a strong message to people that are making money on lies, and especially given that this isn't the end. there's the -- we had the punitive damages verdict, and then we also have a third sandy hook lawsuit. so i think that it sends a strong message to people who are in the business of peddling conspiracies. amna: that is jesse gessin, a trial attorney in california, joining us tonight. mr. gessin, thank you for your time. jesse: thank you for having me. amna: well, relations between the white house and the saudi arabia's ruling royal family are at a low point and may be set to dive even lower. from president biden's fighting words on the campaign trail to

recent saudi-led cuts in global oil supplies, the status of the more than 75-year-old alliance is troubled, and many in the administration and on capitol hill want a reset. nick schifrin begins our coverage. narrator: one of the most colorful visits to the presidential cruiser was that of the ruler of saudi arabia. nick: america's longest relationship with an arab state began 77 years ago. four-time elected u.s. president franklin roosevelt and ibn saud, the warrior monarch backed by a fanatical clergy, created a fundamental agreement, american security in exchange for saudi energy. but, today, that agreement must be reexamined, president biden told cnn's jake tapper last night. pres. biden: there's going to be some consequences for what they've done with russia. nick: what the saudis did with fellow opec leader russia is the largest oil production cut in more than two years, over u.s. warnings. it was announced by opec secretary-general haitham al ghais.

haitham: we are not endangering the energy markets. we are providing security, stability to the energy markets. >> at a price. haitham: everything has a price. nick: including the u.s.-saudi relationship. in the 1970's, saudi arabia helped lead an oil embargo over u.s. support for israel. >> you have declared a jihad against the united states. can you tell us why? nick: the kingdom claims it fights the fires of radicalism, but critics call it the arsonist. the saudi osama bin laden sparked global attacks against the west and its arab allies. 15 of 9/11 hijackers were saudi. and decades of criticism of saudi arabia's poor human rights record crescendoed in 2018 after journalist jamal khashoggi walked into the saudi istanbul's consulate, was murdered, and cut into pieces. the u.s. intelligenccommunity assessed the operation was approved by the kingdom's powerful crown prince and future king, mohammed bin salman.

the following year, candidate joe biden promised punishment. pres. biden: we are going to in fact make them pay the price and make them in fact the pariah that they are. nick: but that proved to be a speed bump that preceded this year's fist bump. president biden and his team worked with mbs, an acknowledgment the kingdom has helped the u.s. for decades across continents. in the late 1970's, saudi arabia provided crucial support for the afghan mujahideen to defeat the soviet military and help collapse the soviet union. in the early 1990's, saudi arabia invited the largest u.s. overseas deployment in decades. u.s. troops used the kingdom as a base to fight the gulf war. after 9/11, the bush administration held onto the alliance to cooperate on terrorism and target al-qaeda. and, in 2017, president trump made saudi arabia his first overseas stop. saudi arabia and its allies helped shift u.s. regional policy. and riyadh-washington cooperation helped lead to the

historic 2020 normalization agreements between israel, bahrain and the uae. jake: today, the biden administration is releasing our national security strategy. nick: today, the u.s. acknowledges it's well aware that the relationship provides benefits, but the administration will review the relationship and consult lawmakers, including democrats, who today called for a one-year block on weapons sales. sen. blumenthal: saudi arabia has broken trust with america. and it needs to come to its senses. nick: the u.s.-saudi relationship has survived previous challenges. the administration says there's no timetable for its review. for the "pbs newshour," i'm nick schifrin. amna: representative ro khanna of california is a member of the house armed services committee and is spearheading the house version of that bill to end u.s. arms sales to saudi arabia for one year. he joins me now. congressman, welcome back to the "newshour." thank you for joining us. you have said the u.s. needs to immediately, immediately halt those arms sales.

we should note this has been proposed before and many times by many other people. it has never moved forward. why do you think that this moment is different? rep. khanna: this is a defining moment. just like the war pors resolution that stopped the refueling of the saudi planes that senator sanders and i led passed after khashoggi's murder, this is another moment that has really outraged people on both sides of the aisle on capitol hill. it's saudi arabia's ingratitude. we provide them with 70%-some of their arms. we stood up for them when saddam hussein wa invade after saddam had invaded kuwait, and saudi planes ltoiterg ally couldns 'got fly if it weren't r american technicians. yet they are fleecing the american public, making about $100 billion in 2022. there needs to be consequences. amna: we provide them with all those things you just listed, but also they provide us with crucial intelligence, counterterrorism intelligence, specifically, the u.s. relies on for national security purposes.

could imposing consequences in whatever form compromise u.s. national security? rep. khanna: no, it will not. they are far more reliant on us. in fact, the defense agreements that we have, the joint defense initiatives, are more extensive than almost any other major ally. and that's all to the saudis' benefit. the production is there. the jobs are there. so they are far more dependent on us. and they already are making these drastic cuts. and they're making drastic cuts at a time when they're making 70% profit margins on each barrel of oil. why are they doing it? they're doing it to help putin, because putin doesn't have those profit margins. he's selling his oil at a discount of $35 a barrel to china and other countries. so, to appease putin, they're hurting the american consumer at the pump. and that just won't stand. and we have far more leverage over them than they do over us. amna: we are assuming also that leverage would force them to move away from russia, but it is a gamble. what if it backfires? what if they further cut oil production? what if they just end up moving

further towards russia and china? rep. khanna: well, they cannot move further towards russia and china in the near term. they -- it would take almost 10 years for them to be able to get the weapons that we provide, just because of interoperability of these weapons, and, literally, the air force would be grounded to a halt tomorrow if they didn't have american technicians. now, maybe it would take years for them to build with russia and china, but they simply could not do that. in terms of cuts, they have cut already so far. i don't think further cuts would be possible. they were talking about a million barrels cut. they have cut two million barrels. and other parts -- countries in opec, the uae, kuwait, wouldn't make up for it if they went for further cuts. so they already have taken the most drastic action. amna: what about iran in all this, representative khanna? i mean, none of this unfolds in a vacuum. the u.s. foreign policy in the region is structured largely around saudi arabia. just this summer, the u.s.

approved two new massive arms deals for saudi arabia and the united arab emirates specifically to help them defend against iran. does cutting saudi arms sales empower iran? rep. khanna: no, it doesn't. and i was opposed to those arms sales. let's not forget that the saudis are responsible for one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world in yemen. it is appalling what they have done to the children there. it's appalling the starvation they have caused. it's appalling that they're continuing to blockade. now, the houthis are also to blame. and the iranians are to blame in yemen as well. but the saudis have been the principal perpetrators of that war. and so i don't think that the -- cutting off these arms sales are suddenly going to make them vulnerable to iran. and i have spoken out very strongly for the students, for the women protesting in iran. i believe there are other ways that we can contain iran. but we should not use a kissingerian balance of power, where we end up supporting

brutal dictators, at the expense of our own public, because of some balance of power politics in the middle east. amna: what do you believe that president biden could have done differently in this moment? i mean, he went from calling saudi arabia a pariah to visiting crown prince mohammed bin salman in july, the fist bump seen around the world. do you thinkhere's anything that the president or this administration could have done differently to avoid this moment? rep. khanna: yes, i don't think he should have gone to saudi arabia. senator sanders and i took to the papers to say that the trip was misguided. i believe he should have been clearer with the saudis that there would be very drastic consequences, both if they didn't lift the blockade, which they still haven't in yemen. and now they're talking about actually not following through on the truce in yemen, but certainly extremely drastic consequences if they cut oil production. so i believe that he could have been clearer on all of those things. now, i'm glad that he's

contemplating action now. and myelief is, if we are tough enough, they will reverse the decision. amna: he said he's contemplating action. we have heard the word consequences, but no specifics. in your talks with the administration, how serious are they in imposing sious and immediate consequences? rep. khanna: they have told me that the president is going to take action, that the president is reexamining the saudi relationship, and that the action is imminent. and so i believe the president has to act. how can you allow a country that is a -- quote, unquote -- ally to continue to profit off the american public and make drastic cuts when we're going through one of the bigger energy crises we have in recent decades? allies don't treat each other that way. amna: more broadly, u.s. officials did reportedly warn saudi leaders that a cut in production would be seen as a clear choice they're siding with

russia, and the saudis did it anay. what does that say to you about how they view the u.s. right now? rep. khanna: well, they don't think that there are going to be consequences. but i believe they should take a temperature, one, of many of the younger members of congress, who aren't steeped in the same traditional relationship with saudi, who basically know saudi arabia through the prism of the yemen war and the humanitarian crisis that they have caused. they should remember that the war powers resolution stopping our aid passed the house and the senate, the only time a war powers resolution has ever passed. and they should know that now there are going to be consequences. you have not just senator blumenthal and i calling for it, but senator menendez, a very respected foreign policy voice who chairs the senate foreign relations committee calling for it. so they are really hurting their relationship on the hill. amna: briefly, if you can, representative, the saudis have said this was economic, their decision to cut oil production. do you believe it had anything

to do with the timing of the upcoming midterm elections? rep. khanna: i don't know, but i know it's not economic when you're making over 70% profits on your barrels of oil. look, i have been critical of exxon and chevron, but it pales into the comparison into what the saudis are making on oil. so what i do know is that they have chosen deliberately to hurt americans at the pump. look, i don't think the timing is coincidental, but i have no evidence of why they have taken that decision. all i know is that they're hurting the american public. amna: that is representative ro khanna, democrat from california and member of the house armed services committee. thank you so much for your time. rep. khanna: thank you. amna: president biden's executive order to cancel student debt is facing its most serious legal challenge to date. a federal judge in missouri

heard arguments today from six states hoping to block the plan from taking effect. to qualify for the student loan program, individuals must make less than $125,000 a year or $250,000 for married couples and families. recve up to $10,000 in forgiveness or up to $20,000 if they are pell grant recipients. white house correspondent laura barron-lopez has been following it all. and she joins me now as part of our series, rethinking college. laura, good to see you. laura: good to see you. amna: so let's talk about this case that was heard today in missouri. what exactly are the states arguing? laura: so there are six republican states, including nebraska, missouri, arkansas, and they're arguing that the administration's debt relief program is illegal on three fronts. those three fronts are that the administration lacks authority, that they did not follow administrative procedure, and that it harms state revenue. so, today, we spoke to arkansas attorney general leslie

rutledge, and she really focused on whether or not the president has authority to do this and took direct aim at him. leslie: the president did not have the authority to make this decision. he made this decision and based it on the heroes act, which essentially was put in place during the iraq war in order to give relief to our brave men and women in uniform. and it was also, as part of it, it could be used during a national emergency. unfortunately, president biden forgot that he declared the pandemic over a few short weeks ago. laura: as you heard attorney general rutledge there saying that she thinks the president doesn't have this authority, but what was interesting in the arguments today was that the missouri judge, henry autrey, essentially really scrutinized that, saying, why is the president being sued as a part of this lawsuit and questioning whether or not the republican states had standing against the president vs. standing against

the education department and the education secretary. amna: so a main part of their argument is, the administration doesn't even have the authority to do this. what has the biden administration been saying about this? laura: the biden administration is essentially saying that they were granted this authority under a 2003 higher education law, also known as the heroes act., today, deputy assistant attorney general brian netter argued that the pad ndemic gsois an them this authority. brian: it's crucial here that this is a statute about emergencies. it's a statute about national emergencies. and it seems hard to fathom that congress wouldn't have understood at the time that a larger natiol emergency is going to prompt and necessitate a larger action by the secretary of education. laura: and so, essentially, netter is saying that, as the economic hardships were growing due to the covid pandemic, so does the power of the education secretary, miguel cardona. those powers grow as well. they grow with it.

and he specifically argued against this front that the states were bring forward, saying that these national -- this national emergency statute only applies to specific military activity, it applies to military members, service members. an netter said, no, historically, that's not the case under this law, that, look, when you think about a hurricane, government doesn't provide relief just when the hurricane is spinning. he said that, after a national emergency happens or national disaster like that, that the government has to help people come out of that, come out of the economic hardships or the infrastructure hardships that are brought upon by national emergencies. amna: laura, what about the whole racial equity part of this? we heard the biden administration message that as an underpinning to why they were rolling out this loan forgiveness plan. they saiit would especially help black borrowers. how does that factor into their argument? laura: so, the states today were saying, this is only going to provide relief to wealthy individuals, to higher-income

individuals. and what the administration essentially is saying back is that, well, you have to look at actually who the borrowers are for these loan programs. and for the loan forgiveness program, it would significantly impact black borrowers. specifically, the average debt for black borrowers is $10,000, more than for white borrowers. also, pell grant recipients are twice as likely to be black. now, another big piece of this is the federal family education loan borrowers, which was at first a part of the announcement when the administration said they were going to provide this big cancellation of debt. then they ended up taking that out of the guidance, saying that these borrowers would not provide -- would not be given this relief. and that was a big piece of this lawsuit, because, essentially, the states are arguing that they get state revenues from the companies that take onhat -- those loans from those borrowers.

but the government is saying that, ultimately, the relief provided to these borrowers is -- far outweighs the state revenue that would ultimately be lost. now, again, on the f.f.e.l. borrowers, the federal family loan borrowers, the administration has tried to make clear that, while they may not receive relief now, that, ultimately, the education department is trying to find an alternative pathway for them. amna: well, for anyone who can get any relief, they have to fill out an application. we have been anticipating the release of that application form from the white house. what do we know about that? laura: so, they just issued a preview of this application form this week, the white house did, and, essentially what borrowers have to do, they have to give soci security numbers, their date of birth, their e-mail. but they also have to click this box that certifies, under penalty of perjury, that they meet the income thresholds. now, some of those borrowers will be provided -- just based on that certification, will be provided relief. others are going to have to show

more proof that they meet those income thresholds that you outlined earlier. now, i spoke to white house assistant press secretary abdullah hasan today. and he said that, essentially, as the lawsuit is proceed -- as the lawsuits are proceeding, because there's more than just the one we talked about today, that the white house is going to still move forward with implementing this plan. now, no relief is going to be felt prior to october 23. but the application process is going to be rolled out this month. amna: so folks can check that out and start to apply if they are eligible. white house correspondent laura barron-lopez following it all, thank you so much. laura: thank you. amna: election night is less than a month away, and we're digging to some key races that could determine the bance of power in congress. lisa desjardins has more. lisa: let's talk about control of the house of representatives. to take over the house,

republics need to gain just five total seats next month net. their party may have a slight advantage from redistricting, but there are dozens of competitive races, including more than 30 currently rated as toss-ups. to take a good look at the map, i'm joined by three public media reporters, karen kasler of ohio public radio and television, scott shafer with kqed in california, and zoe clark with michigan radio. so happy to have all of you together to talk about this. each of your states has lost a congressional district because of redistricting. but you also each have a clutch of competitive races that could determine control of the house. i wonder if you can just set the mood for us. what's on voters' minds, everything from the weather to redistricting to issues that you think might be affecting their vote? and let's start out west with you, sco shafer. scott: yeah. well, california has an unusual system for creating redistricting. it's a citizens commission. it's not gerrymandering, where the districts are designed to protect the incumbents.

and so we have four to six competitive house races here in california, including probably two of the 10 most vulnerable republicans, david valadao in the central valley and mike garcia in los angeles, both of them running in plus-d districts, where democrats outnumber republicans. in terms of the seat that we lost, karen bass decided not to run for reelection. she's the l.a. congresswoman. she's now running for mayor of los angeles, which, of course, is dominating the headlines, not in very good ways. but in terms of issues in terms of these congressional races, it's a competing narrative. republicans want to talk about gas prices and the economy. and the s crde twaatlko ntta about abortion rights and about threats to democracy. and so you have got these competing narratives that are playing out on the campaign trail and on television. and, in addition, i would say that republicans also want to talk about crime and immigration, much more so than abortion rights.

lisa: zoe clark, what's goinon in michigan? i know it's college football season. is politics breaking through there in general? zoe: it actually is, if you can imagine. it's not just spartans and wolverines here in michigan, although the weather always is sothing we talk about. no, much like what scott said, indeed, it is about the economy. it is about inflation. it is about gas prices. but since the dobbs decision here in michigan, abortion really has become something that has changed the dynamic. we have an amendment that's going to be on the ballot in november that would enshrine reproductive rights, abortion rights into the state constitution. and so, on top of these really must-watch congressional seats, some of the most competitive in the country, abortion is sort of overshadowing the conversation when it comes to all of these races. lisa: karen kasler, is that what you're finding next door in ohio? is abortion overshadowing other issues? karen: well, i can't let zoe talk about those teams without mentioning the ohio state buckeyes. and football here is, of course,

dominating conversation. but, yes, there's a lot of conversation also about the few competitive districts here. our most competitive seat and race really is the ohio u.s. senate race. but they're -- in ohio, we're starting early voting today. and it's interesting to note that ohio went from 16 to 15 districts, and majority republicans drew maps that were ruled unconstitutional several times by the ohio supreme court. we're actually running elections this year on maps that were ruled unconstitutional, but put into place by a federal court. and so, while we are electing representatives through these maps this time around, those could change based on the results of what happens in the election next month. so there are only about -- there are 10 safe districts and five democratic seats, but only a couple are really considered very competitive. lisa: yes, and, karen, i want to come back to you. i'm going toalk to all of you about favorite races. but, karen, let's start there in ohio. and your favorite race is, one that i'm watching there, obviously, is one of the longest serving women in congress, marcy

kaptur. that's a race where it's not just issues, but also the effect perhaps of president trump and the 2020 election. can you talk about that race and what you're watching there in that toledo area? karen: yes, that race has really tightened up a lot, marcy kaptur running against a political newcomer, j.r. majewski, who really broke out when he got the attention of donald trump by painting a picture of trump on his lawn. and trump shouted out to him at a rally. he ended up winning, beating some other established politicians. and now he and marcy kaptur are facing off. majewski has made headlines recently because he has claimed that he saw combat in afghanistan. but an investigation has shown that that's not the case. he also said he was at the capitol on january 6. he has not been charged with anything. but that -- all of this has made this race a little bit more competitive. and house republicans have actually pulled their ads in this race. so that really has tightened things up. also, there's an open seat that

features two women, emilia sykes, the former democratic leader of the ohio house, and madison gesiotto gilbert, a trump-endorsed republican. this will make history, in that one of those will win. and only 12 ohio women have ever been elected to congress from the state. so that's going to make history there with that race. lisa: that's fascinating. i like that ohio 13 race too, becae that's a very rust belt seat that might tell us something about the senate race as it evolves over the night. speaking of, let's go back to you in michigan, then, zoe. you have one of the most expensive house races in the country, among others that i know you're watching, where elissa slotkin, the incumbent democrat, is really kind of a must-win seat for democrats if they have any hope of holding the house. zoe: absolutely. and this district is fascinating. so, it went for donald trump in 2016. it went for trump in 2020. but elissa slotkin has won it two times. so she's looking for a third win here. now, it's going to be in the now 7th congressional district because of redistricting.

and she's always outperformed as a democrat. but she has a conservative republican challenger, state senator tom barrett. again, like we have been talking about this narrative, he's trying to talk about the economy. he's trying to talk about inflation. he's trying to talk about joe biden. and i was just talking to elissa slotkin, the congresswoman, today, and she's talking fundamentally about rights and what she wants to see happen change in d.c., including, interestingly enough, i thought immigration, she said, in the state of michigan, as well as the cost of childcare. meanwhile, we also have the third congressional district. now, this one is just fascinating. this is where peter meijer, a freshman republican, within the first few days of being sworn in voted to impeach donald trump for the second time. and peter meijer lost his primary in august to a former trump official, john gibbs. and so this really is an open seat now.

we have a democrat running. it looks like it could lean democrat more because of, again, this redistricting, but it probably would have been closer had peter meijer won this seat. but, again, conservative republicans kicked him out, booted him out, and went with this trump-endorsed republican instead. and it looks like this could be a democratic win. lisa: scott, you hear zoe talking about a place that democrats hope to flip in this year. i know you have got one of those two, and you just mentioned it earlier. tell us about congressman david valadao and what you're seeing in california. scott: yeah. so, he lost the seat in 18 and then got it back in 2020. so he actually voted to impeach donald trump, but he's getting protection from that. trump hasn't gone after him, because his district is right next to kevin mccarthy. in fact, it includes part of bakersfield, his hometown. so he's running against rudy salas in a district that is 59% latino. rudy salas would be the first latino member of congress from the central valley ever. he's also co-sponsored our proposition 1, which would enshrine abortion rights here in california.

one other quickly, lisa, race i'm looking at, the 41st congressional district in riverside. ken calvert, 30-year republican incumbent, has easily gotten reelected. but they -- redistricting has taken out some of the most conservative parts of his district and added palm springs and other districts with a lot of lgbt voters. he has a history of anti-gay positions in campaigning, and he's running against an openly gay federal prosecutor who prosecuted some of the january 6 cases. and, of course, calvert did not vote to certify the election. so lots of interesting crosscurrents there. lisa: i have been hearing from you all about the 2020 election, some about former president trump. i just want to show of hands on this last question, which might be a little unusual. but have you spoken to any democrats in tough races in your states who would like president biden to come and mpaign for them? i want to see a hand if anyone has talked to a democrat like that. so, there we go. both the former president and the current president seem to be

on the ballot this year in the 2022 midterms. we are so grateful to all of you for joining us. karen kasler, scott shafer, zoe clark, thank you all. scott: thank you. zoe: thanks. karen: great to be here. amna: and thank you to our lisa desjardins. in another battleground state, wisconsin, the senate and governor's races are in the spotlight. and while younger americans traditionally show up to the polls at lower rates than older generations, one recent study suggests young voters could play a decisive role in the state's elections this november. judy woodruff recently sat down with a group of high school and college students in wisconsin who will be voting for the first time. judy: thank you so much for joining us for this conversation. we really appreciate it. you all, the reason we have you here is to talk about the fact that this is the first year you're going to be voting. and we want to talk about what that means to you. so, ryan, i'm going to start with you. how big a deal is it to you that you're going to be voting for

the first time here? ryan: i mean, it's a pretty big deal for me. i mean, i sort of see it as sort of like, when you're 16, you get your drivers license, when you're 18, you get to vote. katherine: i actually registered to vote in my ap government class on my birthday, which was a fun experience. it's very easy to regter online now. i have been very politically engaged throughout high school. and i'm excited to get my foot in the door and actually have a voice in my government. judy: and, ben, you're turning 18 just in time to vote in early november. how big a deal for you? n: i am very excited to vote. everyone in my family has always voted. and, although not a ton of people my age do vote, as it's one of the lower turnout groups, i'm very excited to vote, because i think having that voice in our elections is really important. judy: what is it that you care about a lot this year that is driving you especially to want to vote in 2022? katherine: i do see the candidates, but i see pro-choice and pro-life. personally, i am extremely

pro-choice. i have always grown up with the belief that women should be able to have bodily autonomy in our government. amaya: i agree with the pro-choice movement. i think women have been stripped of their bodily autonomy specifically in this state. and i think that it disproportionately affects women of color and women from more low income-communities. and the disproportionate effect that that has on their access to health care, their access to reproductive justice, their -- just their right to be a mother or to choose not to be is frustrating to witness, as somebody who can be subjected to these laws. so that, for me, is very top of mind. soren: for me, it's our economy. i mean, i see on the decline -- everything seems more expensive. our gas is more expensive. it's such an up and down, you don't know what's going to happen with it. for me, it's scary. and it's especially scary because, with everything on the rise, i have celiac disease. i already spend an arm and a leg for my food. and it's going to end up hurting people whenever they can't afford the food they need to feed their families. ryan: as the son of two teachers, education is a very big issue for me.

i -- personally, i think that everyone should have access to quality education, whether that be good schools, good public education, or access to college and less college debt. ben: i think my biggest issue is voting, really in terms of the amount of people that can't vote under our current system. we have a lot of laws in wisconsin, especially voter i.d. laws, that make it very hard for people to vote. another big thing on my mind is health care. seeing ron johnson vote against the access to insulin was hugely disappointing to me, as a diabetic, seeing that it -- while it does not directly affect me, there's many people in my situation where that bill would have hugely helped them. and people are going to die if -- when people make decisions like that. judy: let's talk about the person in office right now, president biden.

how do you think he's doing? ben: i think that, with any president, there will almost always be argument that they are not doing enough. and i think that i can say that about biden right now. the new decision to pardon thousands of people on a low-level federal marijuana charges is a great decision, i think, with his decision to help with student debt, though, he campaigned on bigger promises, i think that at least he fulfilled it somewhat. and i think that you can always ask for more. but i will say that i am relatively pleased with how he's doing so far. katherine: i believe that he's not delivering on campaign promises that he made, such as protecting our right to choose. i would like to see him do a bit more to serve the general american people. judy: is there one thing you would like to see him do that he's not doing? katherine: i would like to see him codify roe or make a more of an effort to. i know that he can't actually write a law to do so. judy: right. he can't. katherine: i would like to see him protect that right. i would like to see him ask the

senate, ask the house of representatives to protect that right. i want to see him fight tooth and nail for that right. but i haven't seen that so far. judy: soren, what about you? what is your sense of how president biden's doing? soren: i quite don't like president biden, certainly wouldn't have been my first choice, nor would have donald trump been my first choice for this election -- or for the previous election. i think he's doing he's doing well enough for now, but i don't think he is doing enough. judy: what do you think he should be dog that he's not doing? soren: well, for one, i think his afghanistan pullout was a disaster. he left so many people. it was petrifying. he's not doing enough on the border. we have hundreds of thousands of people getting in. and it's scary, knowing -- so, you don't know who those people are. there's so much more that he could be doing that he's not. i mean, that -- i don't know if he's made effort to try or not. judy: amaya, what is your sense of how president biden is doing? amaya: i think, if i had voted in the 2020 presidential election, i would have voted for biden.

i think he is not living up to the promises he made, but i don't know of any president that has. so i don't think that that's a fair standard to hold him at. i think, as a firsthand recipient of what the student loan forgiveness was, my mom fought for the united states army for four years, was a recipient of the g.i. bill, got an associate's in nursing and still had loans. so, for her loans to be completely forgiven means an incredible amount. ryan: while i would like for biden to have done more, we live in such a polarized country right now that, despite his efforts to get things done, it's just so hard right now to get anything through, which is -- like, obviously, i'd like marijuana to be legalized. i'd like to live in a country where roe is codified, where abortions are available. i'd love to live in a country where they -- where i don't have to worry about student loan debt. but it's just hard to get

through all of that right now in how the state of america is today. judy: a couple of you have mentioned or alluded to former president trump. amaya, what's your take on the former president? amaya: i grew up in a very isolatedin a very white populated community, and i had never experienced the difference that i was black until trump was in presidency, that complete isolation that was brought on just by this political figure. we had hmong facilities in my counity that were destroyed in the name of trump. we had monuments that were destroyed in the name of trump. we had people who were attacked in the name of trump. and i think he brought out the worst in people, and he supported it and he didn't correct that behavior. and i believe no president would ever do th. judy: katherine. katherine: he, by all accounts, disgraced america in the january 6 insurrection. he -- though the hearings are still going on, personally, i believe that he incited the insurrection and sent a mob of angry people to the capitol, which is completely undemocratic.

and he also did not facilitate a peaceful transfer of power, which has been an american tradition for hundreds of years, which upset me greatly. soren: i do support trump and have for quite a while. i mean, during that time period, he had the nation in the best economic period we had for quite a long time. he kept us very well. unfortunately, he did have his wrongdoings and has been a nasty person and has almost always been. but he also was the person, politically wise, he ran america as a business, in my opinion. he rant as though that's what it was. and so running it like a business, him being a businessman, allowed us to have financial gain, allowed us to prosper in those times, until covid had hit, and which kind of tanked the entire world economy. judy: would you like to see him serve in office again? soren: most likely not. judy: why not? soren: for the sole reason of

just it comes down to the rioting. it comes down to him being a sty person. and i think the first four years was good, but i don't think another four years would be great. ryan: i will agree with soren that the one thing -- good thing i think donald trump ever did was with the economy. i -- that is the only good thing i will say about him. i believe, in this country, we shouldn't have sort of the massive division we have between republican and democrat, becau working together is how we fix things. and donald trump basically drove a gigantic wedge bween people. he was such a polarizing figure that, from 2016 onwards, the country could never get anything done. judy: as you all know, the percentage of people who vote of your generation, the youngest generation, vote less frequently. a smaller percentage of you vote than the older folks do in the country. but i really do want to understand how you see the

politicians listening or not listening to your generation right now. amaya. amaya: i do think that there has been efforts. i know several candidates throughout the past two years have been to campuses, have literally been outreached. they sit and they listen. but once they're elected into office, that stops, and that communication line is, you're e-mailing a staffer or you're e-mailing a secretary. and the odds that it actually gets to that person is so slim to none, that the reality that they're actually listening to the complaints of their own constituents is very -- like, i have no faith that they are listening to those. and so, it's hard to say when i don't even know if they're hearing the issues that are happening in their communities. soren: i feel like, if we had more young voters and more people that voted as soon as 18 or as soon as they possibly could, i feel like we would have more politicians listening to our opinions, listening to what we want. katherine: i think that what politicians need to understand is that, if you start

politically engaging kids when they're 18 to 21, when they're just starting to get their foot in the door in politics, you're more likely to have an engaged audience or an engaged constituency as we grow up. and i think that that's a fact that's overlooked most often. ben: a lot of these politicians are just so much older than us. the problems that i see are going to be very different, because, for our 80-year-old and 60-year-old senate members, climate change means three or four degrees, and then they aren't going to be around much longer. but, for me, climate change means i might see the world crumble. these politicians are so much older than us, so they have been in these offices for so long, that they don't need to listen to us. they have kind of got their elections secured, almost, that they just kind of keep coming back in and they don't have to engage anymore.

judy: well, this has been -- there's so much more i'd love to ask you, but it's been such a wonderful conversation. i so appreciate every one of you sharing your thoughts. thank you very, very much. amna: and, tomorrow night, judy will have a report on the senate race in wisconsin between incumbent republican ron johnson and democrat mandela barnes, one of the critical contests that will determine control of that legislative body. also tomorrow, join us here on pbs for special live coverage of the january 6 committee's public hearing beginning at 1:00 p.m. eastern, plus additional analysis on our regularly-scheduled program. and that is "the newshour" for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. for all of us at the "pbs newshour," thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that

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