>> good evening, i'm judy woodruff. tens campaigns as voters prepare to cast their ballots. the threat of political violence looms over several tight races in michigan. before the court. the u.s. supreme court considers the constitutionality of the indian child welfare act as many native americans anxiously await the outcomes. >> if the indian acts overturned, we will be devastat. this law protects that voice for tribes, because we have been silenced for so long. >> it is friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart weigh in on the factors that could determine the outcome of the midterm election. all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

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foundation fostering informed and engaged immunities. >> and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corration for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> the latest look at the u.s. economy is out and hiring is still going strong. despite rising inflation and ever higher interest rates. the labor department says employers added a net 261 thousand jobs in october.

less than the 315,000 jobs added in september, but still a strong showing. the unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.7% from september. analysts say the question is how long before interest rate hikes slow the economy and inflation? >> is it something we are likely to see in the next one or two months, or will it take six to nine months to be reflected in the data? that is really the question. this particular junction, the data is telling it the labor market is not yet responding to the fed rate hikes that have already been executed. >> this was the government's last major economic report before tuesday's midterm election. twitter began sweeping job layoffs today under elon musk's ownership. up to 3700 people could be affected. half of the company's workforce. employees have already filed a class-action lawsuit alleging they were not given enough notice.

in iran, a new outbreak of antigovernment protests rocked cities. it came as the islamic republic marked the anniversary of its break with the u.s. in 1979. >> outside the former u.s. embassy in tehran, a state-sponsored crowd chanting "death to america." marking 43 years since the embassy takeover amid the islamic revolution that brought iran's hard-line theocracy into power. many of today's protesters were not even born in 1979, when iranian students stormed the compound. they held 52 americans hostage for 444 days. today, state run tv aired these commemorations nationwide. as antistate protests explode across the nation, led by women and girls, the marches in the name of the woman killed in police custody stretch into a

seventh week. the regime has cracked down. 14,000 people arrested, at least re-hundred killed. last night at a california rally, president biden weighed in. >> we will free iran, they will free themselves pretty soon. >> white house national security council official john kirby said the president was expressing solidarity with the iranian protesters. but iran's president fired back. >> mr. president, iran was liberated 43 years ago and is adamant not to become your hostage. >> his government is under pressure, facing a growing wave of rare sustained public opposition. in several southeastern provinces today, new antigovernment rallies broke out. part of a movement that shows no signs of slowing. for the pbs newshour. >> in ukraine, there are more signs the government forces ■ar advancing in the south. russia's president endorsed the

evacuations around her song, amid reports of pulling back in places. ukrainian officials told a civilian being forced to go to occupied crimea. the two koreas set up scores of warplanes, but each state on its own side of the border. south scrambled 80 fighter just after tracking about 180 north korean flights. i responsen, the u.n. secretary general demanded north korea end its provocative acts and resume nuclear talks. the former prime minister of pakistan is vowing to resume marching on the capital city after he recovers from being shot. he was wounded by a gunman thursday. he accused government and military officials of orchestrating the attack and vowed he would not be stop. >> as soon as i get better, i will go back out on the streets, i will give the call again once more, because of these thieves

ken -- take control, this is not what pakistan is madfrom. >> across pakistan, his supporters were on the street blocking roads and battling police as they demanded political change. back in this country, the founder of the oath keepers far right militia began testifying in washington, d.c. on january 6, charges of seditious conspiracy. he portrayed his group as peaceful. despite evidence of a blood civil war. the chair of former president trump's inauguration committee was acquitted today of secretly working for a foreign government. tom barrett had been accused of illegally promoting the terests of the united arab emirates and denied trying to hide his ties. federal agents say they have identified a man who posted online threats against jewish synagogues in new jersey. reports said investigators doubt

the man carried out an actual attack. the warning prompted towns to deploy extra police. hospitalization rates for the flu are the highest in a decade. but this early in the year. federal health officials said it is partly because fewer people are getting vaccinated. this year's flu is spreading faster than usual, but there does not appear to be more severe. on wall street, stocks swung back and forth, but ended higher. the dow jones gained 400 points to close at 32,403. the nasdaq rose 132 points. the s&p 500 added 50. but for the we, the dow lost more than 1%, nasdaq fell five .6%, s&p 500 dropped 3%. still to come, the five tbes of oklahoma collectively endorsing a candidate for governor for the first time. ukraine's energy minister discusses russian attacks on

critical infrastructure as winter approaches. plus 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. >> with election day three days away, a new poll from the washington post and abc find nearly nine in 10 americans are worried about an increased danger of politically motivated violence. election officials in michigan are especially worried as the midterms approach and as multiple election deniers are on the ballot. more upper room lopez was in the state and has this. >> there is no way for this to be tampered with? >> for nearly today kids, cheryl has loved running elections. >> election day, you feel you are doing a service for the people. >> this election cycle is different. a detroit michigan suburb.

>> i've never had this level of anxiety, as far as making sure that everybody is safe, including myself and my staff and workers. >> after january 6, the continued spread of lies about the 2020 presidential election and threats against election workers has her worried about the escalation of violence ahead of the midterms. >> i now have a camera system at my home i did not have before, becaus you have to take the threats serious. >> up and down the ballot, republicans have either outright denied president biden won in 2020, or cast repeated doubt on the results. >> so is distrust into the system. the corner marker of our democracy is to have a free and fair election, people don't believe that, and it is a real threat. >> the closest statewide race is between a democrat and a republican. polling this week has the race at a statistical dead heat. former president trump endorsed

the republican to burnell, who repeated his lies about a rigged 2020 election, and his campaign. he's under investigation for allegedly plotting to seize and tamper with voting machines from that election. he denied the allegations. on your campaign website, you say "when i'm elected, i will keep my word to prosecute the people who corrupted the 2020 election and allowed fraud to permeate the entire system." what evidence of fraud you have? >> there's a lot of evidence of fraud, tons of evidence we have seen since november of 2020. even in the lawsuit i filed, we proved two things. number one, how corruptible our system is, how vulnerable our election system is to fraud, and how fraud actually occurred. >> cases have been dismissed by trump appointed judges. do you think there is some big conspiracy among judges to defraud the american public? >> no, i think you are doing

what many reporters are doing, -- which is garbage reporting. what you are doing is not curately reporting what happened. what happened in many of these lawsuits, and my lawsuits, was they were dismissed on procedural grounds. no one ever looked at the actual evidence. >> his lawsuit seeking new audits and alleging fraud have them thrown out by michigan judges based on procedural grounds and lack of evidence. in april of this year, a three-judge panel rejected a appeal ruling "the plaintiff merely raised a series of questions about the election wiout making any specific factual allegations as required." michigan's republican-controlled senate also reported no evidence of widespread fraud. his opponent, attorney general dana nessel, says democracy is at stake. what does this race boil down to? >> it is everything. most importantly, whether or not we remain a democracy.

it never occurred to me in a million years i would have to defend an election where one person beat the other person by 154 thousand votes and come so close to not having the election properly certified in our state because of so many different means of trying to disrupt the process. >> she also said she's fearful for her own safety after receiving threats against her and her family. a pbs newshour mpr poll found preserving democracy was the main issue for democratic voters. including some at a democratic campaign event. >> it is devastating to think there are people out there still spreading disinformation and lies that poll workers are frightened to go to work, and there has been this inability to accept reality. >> the same poll found the biggest motivator for republican voters is inflation and the economy.

we spoke with voters at a republican campaign event at an american legion. >> the most important thing for me is the price of fuel and crime. it is out of control. >> it has been proven over and over. how many election fraud cases have we had in michigan that have came out this last six months that they have been found guilty of it? it is all over the board. >> despite an increase in political violence on the right, he continued to spread election lies about the 2020 presidential race. michigan is home to a number of white militias and has a history of political violence, including at the state capital. three more members of the far right extremist group wolverine watchman were convicted of aiding a 2020 plot to kidnap democratic governor gretchen whitmer. earlier, armed protesters flooded the michigan capital in opposition to statewide covid-19. >> michigan in particular is vulnerable to the potential for postelection violence because there is a legacy there. >> he tracks domestic extremism

at the nonpartisan center. >> this is a state that is known to have a number of heavily armed militias. and the big lie continues. election deniers on the ballot who found success in using that to further their campaign. that is a bit of a lethal cocktail that increases the likelihood for political violence in that state. >> the likelihood for political violence is on his mind. he spent 30 years in republican politics and was executive director of the michigan republican party from 2005 to 2009. >> what we saw in 2020 will look like child's play. i fear it will get worse before it gets better. >> still a self identified conservative, he's no longer a republican. >> michigan for a long time was an incubator for conservative, republican, good governance ideas. now the party has evolved to stand against things to become a

grievance factory. u have to become simply a factory of lies, propaganda, and delusions that have radicalized a wide swath of its voters. >> in the aftermath of 2020, officials are much more prepared this go around. christopher thomas ran michigan statewide elections for more than 30 years. he consults for the city of detroit, which is ready for potential conflict on election day. >> workers have been trained to defuse situations. obviously, police forces all over the state are engaged. we think a lot of this attention to what happened last time has -- will assist us in maintaining order throughout the day.% >> thomas fears even an orderly election day is not the end. >> surely there will be those who will contend that it was all stolen. i think that isart of the process now. that is not going to end anytime

soon. >> we put the question to both candidate. will you accept the election results if you lose? >> of course, absolutely. that is democracy. honestly, i am hopeful i will win this election. if i don't, of course we will accept the results. i will wish my opponent will. >> will you concede if you were to lose? >> i'm going to win. >> you are not answering the question. >> back in madison heights, city clerk cheryl rotman is in the throes of final preparations for election day. >> everybody has to remember our poll workers are people's grandparents, grandchildren, just people interested in making sure our democracy is run properly. >> this year, the election workers will not put their last names on nametags. she is coordinating closely with local police and tracking external threats. all unprecedented steps many election officials are forced to take. for the pbs newshour, in

michigan. ♪ >> the race for governor is in a dead heat in oklahoma. incumbent republican kevin stitt is facing a challenge from republican turned democrat joy hofmeister. her campaign has been bolstered by the first ever collective endorsement from oklahoma's five largest tribes. the move underscores the strained relationship between kevin stitt, member of the cherokee nation, and other native americans in the state. the oklahoma city communities correspondent, adam kemp, has been reporting on the race and joins us. what is the reason the five tribes gave for endorsing the democrat? >> what this comes down to is the strained relationship between governor stitt and the

tribes in oklahoma. the tribes say joy hofmeister is a good candidate, they believe in her ability to maintain tribal relationships, which they say she has done through her two terms as superintendent of education. more importantly, she believes inribal sovereignty. governor stitt has picked up many fights along the way with th tribes, including a tribal gaming compact, dispute which ended up in federal court. the federal court eventually sided with the tribes. also the matter of the supreme court case v oklahoma mcgirt -- oklahoma v mcgirt, which decided half of oklahoma was under territory under an 1883 treaty. the governor has come after the ruling, saying it is chaos in oklahoma's judicial system. he really made it a lawless land in eastern oklahoma in a way. the tribes say that is only because the governor has not come to them to meet and work together. >> governor stitt is part of the

cherokee nation. how is his own tribe responding? >> i spoke with the cherokee principal chief, who had this to say. >> he's gone so far out of his way to pick every fight he can pick with tribes, and he's demonstrated he fundamentally does not see in the 21st century a place for tribes within the state of oklahoma that if we did not endorse in the race, if we did not do everything we can to beat kevin stitt, i think that is malpractice on our part. it is a dereliction of our duty. we are duty-bound to see this governor as close to an existential threat as we can and to do something about it. >> what kind of effect is it thought that this endorsement by the five tribes could have on the race for governor? >> oklahoma is still a very red state. any win by a democrat would still be a pretty big shock. native americans make up 16% of oklahoma's population.

people are wondering if this could be a deciding factor. what polls are saying is a very close race. i spoke with voter registration groups who registered thousands of new native voters this midterm cycle. their main reason for coming to vote is to vote kevin stitt out of office. >> this is fascinating. i know you will be following it, and we will as well. adam kemp, r oklahoma city communities correspondent. thank you. ♪ >> another major issue for native americans and oklahoma, and the rest of the country right now, the indian child welfare act it governs the removal of native american children from their home and where they are subsequently placed in an effort to keep them with other family members and with their tribes. but as stephanie sy reports,

next week the u.s. supreme court will hear a challenge to the law that could dismantle it entirely. >> seven-year-old willow, which means hummingbird in cherokee, is learning the language of his tribe. at this indigenous language immersion school, all of the subjects are taught in cherokee, and the children learn to write in the syllabary create by sequoia. his great uncle is one of the teachers, and one oa dwindling number of native cherokee speakers. were it not for the indian child welfare act, he might never have uttered a cherokee word. when he was only 23 months old, authorities removed him from his biological parents due to child endangerment. >> we prayed about it, and we

thought the lord put him in our hands, or we would not have gotten this call. >> the cherokee nation's office invoked the law to prioritize finding suitable guardians within his extended family, which ended up being his great aunt and uncle. what would have happened if you had not taken him that day? >> dhs told me they would have been put in a foster home if it went to a non-cherokee person, they would not have any idea of anything of how a cherokee lives, any of the culture. >> before it, native children in his situation would routinely be placed with non-native families, severing them from their tribal heritage. >> they removed completely out of tribal lands, out of tribal families, this was devastating for tribes. >> the chief of the cherokee nation says when congress passed

it in 1978, it was to rectify that gross offense. >> now we are looking at a generation in which i see young people out there striving for excellence, icr language being revitalized -- i see our language being revitalized. the history by our own people. >> 45-year-old julie skinner is among the first generation to benefit from the reforms. a member of the ponka tribe in oklahoma, she and her sister were removed as babies from their biological parents, who were not able to care for them. before they turned one, they were moved among 20 foster homes. >> i had a lot of fear, that is my first memory, fear. being afraid of not really remembering what i was afraid of, but pretty much every thing. >> they were eventually adopted by a paternal relative. >> do you think about what your life would have been like if you had been severed from your

tribal family? >> that would be a huge loss for me. i don't think i could have gotten over it. i would not be where i am right now. i would probably be lost. >> the systematic repression of native language and culture throughout american history, from forced relocations to forced separations is a key argument proponent for keeping the law. but it has always had detractors. on november 9, the supreme court will weigh in in the case. plaintiffs opposing it allege the law violates the constitution's equal protection clause and anti-commandeering doctrine, which states the federal government cannot require states to adopt or enforce federal law. >> it is itself systematic racism against children who are at the greatest risk of any democratic in the country.

>> he says native american children are being deprived of legal protections based on their race. >> it is certainly true it had good intentions when it was passed, but congressman way too far in the other direction and said the best interest of a particular child to take a backseat to the desires of tribal governments. >> he points to cases where he says the application of icwa has harmed children, because it puts a different standard on removal from biological parents. >> it should be other children have the child's best interest. by making it prohibitively difficult to sever the rights of an abusive parent, icwa ends up harming the children. >> the best interests of the child are also what worry michelle and robert guerrero, who live outside of sacramento, california. like the couple we met on the cherokee nation, they have been raising a little boy.

robert's grandson. >> he was released to us at eight days old. >> why wase released to you? >> the parents were both addicted to drugs. >> we are not identifying the five-year-old boy because of the ongoing legal process they are now entangled in. the boy's father, who is native american and now sober, decided in march to petition for custody. the boy is not aenrolled member of the tribe, but icwa is being applied to his case. >> i think we feel the decision was made before even getting to court, because they are a native american family. not giving any thought to the family he has here. >> when he's not playing grocery store or with his toy truck's, or barbecuing with robert, who he calls papa, they have tried to connect him with his native heritage. >> they send an icwa specialist to talk with us, so we talk native american stories and

music. we have the museum here in the area. we would invite the biological father to come, as well. definitely something we want him to experience and be a part of. >> but the guerreros say stability is the most important factor at his tender age. >> the best interest we felt was for him to stay wherhe is and continue living in the home. >> they are watching what the supreme court does on icwa closely. as is julie skinner. back on the cherokee nation. >> if the act is overturned, we would be devastated. the law protects that voice for tribes, because we have been silenced for so long. and to have it silenced again because people from outside our tribe think we know better than we do is heartbreaking. >> cherokee chief hoskins says the stakes go beyond the placement of tribal children. if the supreme court dismantles icwa, it could affect other

federal indian policies and tribal sovereignty. >> i think it will set back the progress we have made in indian country. i think it fundamentally changes what it means to be native american in this country. we can't let that happen. >> for curtis and jeanette washington, he was a blessing in disguise, raising him has reignited their own connection to the cherokee identity. >> cherokee, cherokee culture, somehow, someway. >> for the pbs newshour, stephanie sy on the cherokee nation in oklahoma. >> eight months into e war in ukraine, russia is targeting ukraine's civilian infrastructure. with attacks on power plants and energy infrastructure. president zelenskyy says 4.5

million americans have no power. and he says russia -- he accuses rush of energy terrorism. we spoke to the energy minister about the challenges of keeping the light and the heat on as the cold winter begins. >> now is the winter of ukraine's disconnect. in the capital, half a million have no power. the entire apartment complex live only by headlights, small shops lit only by candles. ukraine has instituted rolling blackouts and asked its population to save electricity. as residents adjust their eyes, the adjust their behavior. commutes can be illuminated by cell phone, flowers can be sold by flashlight. in the last month, russia has targeted ukraine's energy infrastructure. hundreds of strikes by iranian made drones and russian missiles have damaged at least one third

of the country's power plants. nearly all of its major substations and distribution lines. >> they are losing on the battlefield, now they are doing these acts of terror against civilians. >> he's ukraine's energy minister and member of the national security council. >> how large is the challenge you face? >> the hardest time for the energy system right now. they know what they are hitting, and are trying to hit the system. not giving us possibility to maintain it. >> one analyst described it as whack a mole. the russians will hit some of the infrastructure, you will fix it as long as you can, and they will hit the same infrastructure again. is that how it feels? >> it is true. so we already have some examples. they hit one capacity with almost 10 times. when we restore, they hit it again, and hit it again. >> crews are in the crossfire.

since the beginning of the war, 50 repairmen have been killed, more than 100 wounded. including byines that destroyed a power truck last week. now the largest energy company warns it is running out of replacement parts. many are soviet era and difficult to find. >> it is -- to find this equipment. another issue is how to receive it. how quickly we can receive it. >> you sent lists of items y need to brussels, the european union, as well as washington, the u.s. government. what has been the response? >> absolute support. we are in everyday communication, we identify what we need, what we already received, what could be received in the future, how we could speed up this process. >> speed is of the essence. computers and communications the military rely on all need electricity. so does the country's heating.

officials worry some residents can have no heat this winter. they insist though they may have no power, they are not powerless. >> i think that is one of the goals of russia, to deprive us heating. i'm surehey will fail to achieve thesresults. >> ukraine's energy and heating remains vulnerable. kyiv knows it must find better protections, perhaps moving infrastructure underground. but thinking long-term is impossible when they are putting out fires every day. >> the energy system also supports to be reconstructed, taking down the military threat from russia. even after our victory, russia would still be our neighbor. that means all of the threats would be for all of our life and the life of our kids. we need time to do this. in our stations, -- system, and to survive. >> survive another day and

another winter. for the pbs newshour. ♪ >> with fewer than 100 hours remaining before the first midterm election sites close on tuesday evening, we make one final pre-election day turn to the analysis of brooks and capehart. new york times columnist david brooks and jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post. 100 hours, we have done the math. >> i'm not sleeping, i don't want to miss a single second. >> we will all be ready. we looked it up, well over $1 billion that has been spent in ads, mostly television ads. not to mention what the candidates themselves are saying. what have we learned in all of this? >> i'm not sure ad and learn go

together. first, they are doing different subjects. primarily, democrats are spending a lot on abortion. republicans are spending a lot on the border, inflation. the one subject they are spending the same is crime. they are spending a lot on crime. republicans are doing a soft on crime things, and democrats are hugging any cop they can find. any candidate appears with endorsement by police officer that says they endorse the police. they are doing their own issue, but primarily in different universes. this is my annual peeve, ad spending really matters when your candidate is unknown. once you have spent $5 million, $10 million, arrest is making the rubble bounce. there isittle evidence it makes any big difference once the candidate is well known. whoever wants to give money

to well-funded campaigns, send it to a homeless guy. >> what are you learning from all of this? >> the other thing that -- it buys you name recognition, but can turn people off. just being inundated, bombarded by all of the campaign ads. i want to talk about the other stuff we are learning, which is all of this dark money and these other third-party organizations that are also flooding the airwave with ads. the human rights campaign did a report where stephen miller, the former donald trump aid, has a group called america first legal. they are running ads in 25 states targeting transgender children. they are doing it specifically on black and spanish-language radio in key states around the country and other organizations, citizens for sanity by other former trump administration people. $20 million on tv ads in key

races around the country. what we are learning in these ad wars is not only are the candidates arguing their positions on crime or the economy, or threats to democracy, you have all of these other organizations and folks trying to game the system in making people afraid of their fellow americans. i think it is part of the corrosion of our political discourse. >> there is definitely a fear factor this year. both sides seem to think it works. >> somehow we have a system where -- a candidate runs an ad, you can hold them accountable. with these things, nobody to hold accountable. there has been a culture of apocalyptic -- it started with american carnage. ifou live in the media world and infinite world, you can believe this country is dissolving at the seams. we have our problems, but i was

in central pennsylvania this week, there are still happy people going to diners. not everybody is getting mugged every second. i think this apocalyptic mood is used by extremists to gin up support for the emotional mood they want you to have. you are about to disagree -- >> i hear what you are saying, but there's a reason why some people -- i'm thinking about people center and centerleft, who look at what is happening in terms of the supreme court taking away a woman's right to choose. supreme court justice clarence thomas saying we should go after same-sex marriage and privacy and access to contraception. there is a reason people feel apocalyptic and like things are running off of the rails, because they are personally at risk. they see that this election is probably their one of two shots to stop what feels like a slide

into an america -- not that they don't want to live in, but that they don't recognize. and is it the america that has been promised to us? >> we have been talking about the paid ads, but we have candidates on the stump, including president biden. he was in florida this week. i want to show everybody a little bit of what the argument was he was making, and some of what governor desantis had to say about his visit. >> when people ask me my reaction to having joe biden in the state of florida -- are you telling me he's coming down here and reminding floridians that the democrats in this state vote with him 100% of the time? spend the rest of the campaign in florida, we will pay for you. >> five days and one of the most important elections in our lifetime. i think democracy is at risk right now.

there is too much political violence. there is too much intimidation. there are more than 300 election deniers on the republican tickets this year for state, federal, and local government. >> speaking of your point, about the choice people are making and what people want to point at, here's a short clip of the new york governor who is facing a closer challenge than anybody expected from the republican. >> what happened in 2022 for som e, it will be a reminder that the rights that were so long hard fought for could be stripped away by a supreme court appointed by a president who never should have been there. complacency takes hold, and people feel like i don't need to vote because somebody else will do it, it doesn't matter. >> what are the choices people

are making this year. whether they fill in the r or the d on the ballot? >> i'm struck by how much demographics is driving the election. there are long trends that are shaping the race. the first is people without college degrees are going more republican, people with college degrees are going more democratic. so we see this vast bifurcation of education. immigrants have tried hard to win back working-class voters, but it is not happening. the gap is getting wider. the second thing, an npr poll, hispanic support for democrats is eroding, as well. it is the demographic forces not only in this election, but the last several elections making it possible for republicans to draw even. >> how do you see the choice? how much doest matter what people are thinking? >> the choice does matter.

it is great to see the clips. particularly, governor desantis in florida making a reasonable political argument, president biden, come down, you are not popular here. it is a base call. he wants president biden there, because it reminds republicans, and maybe will get them to vote. but the president being in florida and talking about the election deniers on the ballot and the choices voters will have to make not just in florida, but around the country about what kind of country they want to have, that is also a base move. the president is trying to get out the democratic party faithful to the polls if they have not already early voted, get them out on tuesday. governor hogle is doing the same thing. the idea that she is in a tight race for governor in a state where democrats outnumber republicans 2-1 statewide, 7-1

in new york city, should be alarming. >> we have been talking about this for weeks, maybe longer. republicans making this argument democrs have messed up the economy, crime is worse, the point you were making. why from your perspective haven't democrats been able to make a stronger argument to counter that? >> it has been a mystery. we are lured into a false sense of security that abortion would carry them across the finish line. for a lot of people, it is. for the people who are more independent where abortion is not a number one issue, it hasn't. we see people focused on crime, immigration, inflation. republicans have done well. immigration is a huge void for the democratic party. they don't have a clean story to tell, they don't have a policy that makes people feel secure. i was picking up on this last year. go to texas and talk to

democrats, especially south texas, they were just saying we are being overrun, we can handle as many people here. somebody has to help us. people feel abandoned and un-helped. democrats have begun to shift on crime. they are really pushing back against defund the police. immigration is still a void and a major issue for a lot of people. >> we will not know what has been moving the electorate until after the votes have been counted and we know. i don't think we should underestimate the power of the threat to democracy in the way people are thinking about their choices. folks are able to have several thoughts in their heads at the same time. i interviewed josh shapiro, attorney general who has a monster lead for governor against doug mastriano. and he weaves his pitch -- we

have threats to democracy, and if we don't do something about that, we can also do something about the economy, we can also protect other rights and try to help restore some rights that were taken from the supreme court. there are a lot of things cleaving the electorate. this is their first of two opportunities to send a message or send people to various places that they want something done. >> before we turn, one other question, what are you seeing on the campaign trail that is uplifting? that should lift our spirit? >> i just like elections. frankly, we in the media get to control the conversation most of the time. when the elections happen, a lot of people get to control the conversation. people were about schools, you knew that, but you feel it. we feel how crime was a big

issue for a lot of people. the border is a big issue. the conversation always shifts in the fall. i like the way that shifts, it reminds us what the people want to hear about. i think kim ryan in ohio is running probably the most impressive campaign, midwestern working-class democrat, union, tough on china, tough on trade, that is the profile of the democratic party, it is doing an excellent job. i'm not sure he will win, but he's doing an excellent job. >> i interviewed liz cheney this weekend, she endorsed him, and she's republican. uplifting? >> josh shapiro, it is wonderful to talk to someone who is able to articulate their vision of where they want to take their state. wes moore, democratic candidate for maryland, a monster lead, but also able to articulate why he's running and why he wants to

lead the state of florida. i think congressman tim ryan, no matter what happens on tuesday, if he wins, phenomenal. if he doesn't, he's provided a roadmap for democrats in various places. this is how you talk about issues that aren't just up here, and may be ephemeral for some folks, but here's our message on economy, crime, various otr things where as democrats we are not afraid to talk about these things, we will lean into them. i don't think democrats are as afraid to talk about crime as we talk about around this table, it is just they could do a better job. >> i stand corrected. i know we've only got a little bit of time left, but i can't let you both go without asking about the supreme court argument this week. it sounds like with these six conservative justices, they will

do away with affirmative action. what does that say? >> the best outcome to me is we shift to a more class-based affirmative action, and we get to a spot -- the crime and higher ed, so universities have more people from the top 1% from the bottom 60%. if we switched to class-based affirmative action, we can help the people covered by affirmative action because there in underrepresentedroups, poor economic groups, and we can diversify and get more ideological diversity, geographic diversity, and income diversity. i'm hoping if this happens, which i don't support, but if it does, there is an option to make a better university system. >> 20 seconds. >> i would be really shocked if the supreme court did anything that would allow any piece of affirmative action to survive. a 6-3uper conservative majority, it is gone. i don't know how you institute what you were talking about, but

we will talk about it another time. >> we will hear from them on this in a couple of months. it is election day tuesday. jonathan capehart, david brooks, thank you both. ♪ >> pierce and melissa mckay are a mother and son living in brentwood, tennessee, just outside of nashville. when the covid pandemic began, they found themselves without the vital school and community resources needed to navigate life for him as an autistic adult. tonight, they share their brief but spectacular take on adapting to new challenges while living with autism. >> my name is pierce mckay, i'm 24 years old, and i'm autistic. >> when he was diagnosed with autism, it was good to finally have a diagnosis, and at the same time, you have this idea of

what they are going to be like when they grow up. it changed a lot with that diagnosis. when he was younger, there was still a lot of misconceptions. one is they are not social. he's a very social person, he loves being with people. we knew his autism was a little more serious than we first thought when he went missing one day, when he was 12 years old. he was on his bike riding lapse, and i walked outside and i saw he was gone. we had to call 911. eventually, he was found riding his bike on i-65. it is ok. were you thinking about being on your bike? he never wandered away from the

house before. so it was terrifying. in 2020, he was finishing the transition program at brentwood high school and working on life skills and had gotten him into a job. >> working tables at the medical center. >> what other jobs did you do? >> pet smart. >> where else did you work? >> t.j. maxx. i worked on her. i worked tuesday, thursday, and friday. >> what do you do with the shoes? >> in bins. >> do you sort them? >> yeah, sort them. >> march of 2020 rolled around, and schools shut down. and he had to quit his job. suddenly, he has nowhere to go. nothing to do all day.

sitting at home, his routine completely interrupted. and we did not know how to find him a job without that school resource. we look into programs and they were suffering from the pandemic. hadn't heard a lot of coverage for families that have people with disabilities and how they were affected by the pandemic. i know we aren't alone, i know there are so many other families that were impacted in ways that the general public were not. i hope pierce is able to stay in a steady job and be able to live in a group situation with some roommates. it would be great if he was able to gain a little more independence. my name is melissa mckay. >> my name is pierce mckay.

and this is our brief but spectacular take on living with autism. >> wow. pierce mckay, we are so proud of you and proud of your mom. thank you for sharing your story with us. we hope we all learn lessons. we can watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/newshour/brief. be sure to join yamiche alcindor and her panel on washington week for more analysis on the final days before the midterm elections come to a close. that is later tonight on pbs. and tomorrow on pbs news weekend, geoff bennett looks at the fight for one of california's swing house seats republicans likely need to flip if the party will gain control of congress. and be sure to join us next tuesday night for live election coverage. >> control of congress hanging

in the balance. president biden taking on the trump wing. >> extreme maga republicans, full of hate, violence, division. >> republicans counting on support from the former president. >> you will send j.d. vance. >> consequential state races. election night 2022 tuesday, november 8 at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> we will here. you can watch our election coverage even earlier in the day beginning at 3:30 p.m. eastern online. that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. for all of us, thank you. please stay safe. we will see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪

>> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, supporting institutions to promote a better world.

and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting, and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

hello, everyone and welcome to "amanpour & company." live from ukraine's capital, kyiv. here's what's coming up. ukrainians doing battle with power and water outages now as key infrastructure remains russia's latest target. i'm joined here in kyiv by a bipartisan u.s. congressional delegation. i ask senators rob portman and chris coons what support this country can expect during the harsh winter. then -- >> the time has come that we go back to being in charge of our country. >> a special report on israel. who is the country's hard right kingmaker bringing netanyahu back to power? plus -- >> having a public platform that is maximally tru