♪ >> good evening. >> on the "washington week with the atlantic" tonight, congress returns to washington facing a deadline to keep the government funded >> and concerns about the senate leadership. >>the former leader of the far right militia group the proud boys is a sentence for his role

in the january 6 attack >> on the u.s. capital. >>saudi arabia and israel move closer to normalizing relations after decades of animosity. with many questions remaining. >> quite a high price and there is a lot of wishful thinking about the kind of games it could potentially bring -- the gains i t could potentially bring. ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the new hour, including kathy and paul anderson. >> pediatric surgeon, volunteer, topiary artist, a raymondjames financial advisor tailors

advice to help you live your life. life well-planned. ♪ >> john s. and james l. knight foundation. fostering an and engaged communities. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and 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. >> welcome to the "newshour."

u.s. senators are back to work today after a month-long recess. the return sets up the start of a high-stakes showdown to prevent a government shutdown by the end of the month. the democratic led senate and republicans in the house currently do not see eye on eye spending. >> the senate gaveled into session days after senate minority leader mitch mcconnell appeared to freeze up for more than 30 seconds during a press event in kentucky. the second such incident in as many months. today while speaking on the senate floor, mitch mcconnell reference the episode but did not discuss in detail. >> at one particular moment of my time back home has received its fair share of tension in the press over the past week. but i assure you august was a busy and productive month for me and my staff back in the commonwealth. >> the washington post's leanne caldwell joins us from capitol hill.

let's start with concerns about senator mcconnell's health. his office released a letter today from the capitol's physician. what did it say and what is the level of concern among his colleagues about his well-being? >> so, before the senate came into session, mcconnell's office did release this letter from the attending physician, trying to get a have of the controversy and the questions swirling around his health. what the letter said is that there is no evidence of a seizure disorder. that there's no evidence of a movement disorder such as parkinson's or of a stroke. so, that was an attempt to tamp down on any questions. as far as what his colleagues are saying, there are still some concerns about wanting to know more information about wanting to know the full story, but i will say he has the support of his fellow republican leaders. the number two senator john

thune is said today he has the full support of mcconnell. but it will be a topic of discussion among republicans as they meet for their week we conference lunch tomorrow. >> when the house returns, the first order of business will be funding the government before september 30 deadline. or face a government shutdown. two chambers are far from agreement in large part because the far right house republicans are making their demands no impaired what is the latest? >> so, the said it did come back into session. and i spoke to senate majority leader chuck schumer in an interview that published this morning, and he said it is up to kevin mccarthy, the house speaker, and if there is a government shutdown. it is because mccarthy can choose to go the bipartisan route and ensure that there is no shutdown. though mccarthy has not committed to that yet. but it does seem like mcconnell and schumer are on the same

page. in mcconnell's statement addressed it, saying the government needs to keep its lights on and it also the government needs to fund money for ukraine and money to help all the people who have been impacted by disasters. so, this is really going to be a showdown, but it is going to be up to speaker kevin mccarthy on if he's going to do this the bipartisan way or fees going to appease his far right members -- or if he's going to appease his far right member. >> senator tommy tuberville is facing pressure to release his hold on military promotions. the secretaries of the navy, the air force and the army wrote a rare joint up at accusing him of putting national security at risk. is there any evidence based on your reporting that that will soften the hard that topper: has drawn here -- tubberville has drawn? >> there isn't.

there has been a lot of pressure coming from leaders of the military, including defense secretary austin, including joint chief of staff general milley, who i spoke to recently, and said there there is a real readiness problem with these holds. but -- tuberville insists he's holding a line. he has the support of alabama republicans and his constituents and so there is no sign yet that these holds, there is going to be a breakthrough on these military holds. >> good to see you as always, friend. thanks for being with us. >> thanks. >> i'm stephanie sy with "newshour" west. a panel of three federal judges

struck down alabama's congressional map for a second time, deciding to appoint a special master to redraw voting districts. republican lawmakers have refused to create a second majority black district to comply with the voting rights act, despite a supreme court mandate. hours after the ruling, alabama appealed the case to the high court. prosecutors in atlanta charge 61 people with racketeering today after two years of protest against the police and fire training facility. activists call it cop city and say it would militarize police. prosecutors say -- called them and our kids who burnt equipment. the republican attorney general says it amounted to a criminal enterprise. >> violence is not political speech. i will never understand how we got to where we are today. it's important to remember these acts of violence are in response to the fact that the residents of atlanta have rightly chosen

to build a state of the art public safety training center. >> former crowd boys leader and -- tarria was sentenced to 22 years in prison today for his part in the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. he was convicted earlier this year of seditious conspiracy for orchestrating the failed plot to keep former president donald trump in power. his sentence is the longest so far of any riot defendant. first lady jill biden remained at the family's delaware beach home today with mild symptoms of covid-19. she tested positive late monday. meantime, president biden was back at the white house today after testing negative twice. aides says he's being closely monitored. he is slated to travel thursday to the g-29 summit in india. in afghanistan the u.n. food agency was forced to cut off aid to another 2 million people -- -- a mid a shunting for

-- a finding shutdown. speaking in kabul, world for program director said the results could be catastrophic. >> wfp has to cut 10 million people from emergency food assistance. from 13 million to 3. leaving us only able to support one out of five people who go to bed hungry every night. this is not sustainable. >> the u.n. agency estimates afghanistan needs $1 billion in food aid for the next six months but donors have pulled back since the taliban take over two years ago. russia is refusing to comment on reports that north korea leader kim jong-un may visit russia this month to meet with vladimir putin. spokesman was asked today if you can confirm that kim is coming and he said "i can't, there is nothing to say." but u.s. officials say plans for

the meeting are in the works and said moscow wants ammunition for the awrin ukraine -- the war in ukraine while north korea wants energy supplies and weapons and food. spain's a soccer federation fired coach jorge vilda as coach of the women's world cup champions. he had applauded luis rubiales, the spanish soccer federation president who refused to reside after kissing a player without her consent. vilda later criticized rubiales but today's firing brought general approval. >> [speaking spanish] >> the dismissal is not -- it should've been done earlier when there were initial complaints. more could've been done because there is still a lot of change to be made in the federation. >> it's late. it's what had to be done if the girls are unhappy with him despite achieving the maximum level of success as a coach. >> rubiales was suspended last month and is under investigation by the spanish government. torrential rain and southern

brazil has killed at least 21 people. an extratropical cyclone hit the country on monday, triggering floods and landslides. the governoe says it was there dealiest weather disaster on record. president biden awarded the medal of honor to retired army captain larry taylor. in 1968, the helicopter pilot braved heavy fire in vietnam to rescue a four man reconnaissance team. today's ceremony came after the men waged a long campaign to award taylor the nation's highest honor. he is now 81 and lives in signal mountain, tennessee. still to come on the "newshour" suspended attorney general ken paxton faces an impeachment trial on corruption charges. a new book gives an inside view on biden. and tennis legend billie jean king reflects on 50 years of

equal pay at the u.s. open. >> 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. >> the former leader of the extremist proud boys group enrique tarria was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the january 6 attack. we have more on what the sentence mean and the larger threat of extremism. >> tarria's sentence is the harshest punishments handed down today for those convicted for their involvement on january 6. he led the proud boys, white power group that played a critical part in carrying out the insurrection. the group is just one part of a trend. an increase in white supremacist and far right violence. those extremist movements, top u.s. law enforcement officials say pose the biggest domestic

terrorism threat facing the country. i am joined by kathleen balou an historian of the author of "bring the war home," and shamus hughes of the university of nebraska omaha. kathleen and shamus, thank you for joining us. tarrio wasn't at the u.s. capitol on january 6 because he was arrested a few days prior for setting fire to a black lives bannter, but he did direct his proud boys to attack the capital without him. what is the significance of this 22 year sentence and the domestic terrorism enhancement that was applied to it? >> so the domestic terrorism -- charge is important because it recognizes the intent of the january 6 event. now, when we are thinking about january 6, you should always be thinking about a broad group of people, not all of whom had plans to become violent and

storm the u.s. capitol that day but in the case of tarrio and the proud boys and the oath keepers and groups that have been found guilty and sentenced for seditious conspiracy, they were planning to do this. they were violent, and they are part of a long decades long movement of white power activists in military right activists who have waged war on the united states since the early 1980's. so, this is still not the maximum sentence. 22 years. the headlines are reading long sentence, but the prosecutors were asking for 33. in each case the judge has handed down below the recommended sentencing guidelines for these defendants. >> shamus, broadening this out, as kathleen said, the proud boys are a part of a much larger movement, are also a part of this web of increased threats. you and researchers at university have compiled data that shows that in the last 10 years there have been more than 540 federal arrests for people

who violently threatened public officials ,-- 45% of them are antigovernment or racist and 84% were for threats against election officials, candidates on lawmakers in law enforcement and military. when you look at all of these threats, all of these arrests your researchers have compiled, along with the sentences we have seen in relation to the january 6 insurrection, do you have any hope that recruitment or, that recruitment will die down for these groups or that people will stop believing in these conspiracies and ideologies? >> the trendline tells us no. if you look at domestic terrorism arrests in the last for years, the fbi was investigating 850 people three years ago and now they are investigating 2700. the trend lines of people being arrested, for threats against

public officials, that is going much higher. no, i don't think necessarily arrests are going to stop this. it will be a larger issue. it is important for us to put a finger on the scale and say that this is on except about. -- this is on acceptable. some people say you cannot arrest her way out of this problem but it is a first start. >> i also want to run you through some of the recent threats, some specific details about them, all of the people here have either been arrested or sentence this year. a texas woman using racist slus frederick -- slurs slammed threatened to kill a trump and an iowa man threatened to hang in arizona election official. what is the trend that you see here/ >> that is on the last three weeks. so the trendline is going up. you look at the u.s. capitol, please put out their annual threat assessment every year and

they said 7500 active threats against elected officials and the u.s. capitol. that is been true for the last five years. federal arrests from the last 10 years have steadily been rising. so this is, unfortunately a real problem. we've normalized violence and violent rhetoric in a way that is concerning. and it is not just that we -- when you look at the threat you have a number of individuals that come from right wing are antigovernment extremists but there are some bipartisanship threats. if you look at threats against barron trump or congressman santos and federal judges covering the trump trial, this is pervasive throughout. >> kathleen, when you look at tarrio's actions and his sentencing, the racist killing of three black people in jacksonville, florida, california woman who was killed for displaying a pride flag outside her store, are these all connected? >> absolutely. we are talking about abroad

groundswell of white power, militant right activity. the proud boys have to be considered alongside public facing groups like the oath keepers and two presenters and similar groups like this, other january 6 groups and also alongside the violent underground of this movement that includes groups like the base. may or may not eventually turn out to include other sorts of underground activity and other sorts of attack and certainly includes the quote unquote "long e wolf" shootings in jacksonville and charleston and el paso and pittsburgh. we can go on and on. this is all part of the same movement. it is an opportunistic movement able to use this moment for recruitment as it always does. so we would be a huge mistake to think that these sentences will slow the activity of this movement. this is like cutting the head off a hydra. we are under threat.

>> do you think that americans are becoming desensitized to this increased level of white supremacist extremist violence? >> absolutely. unfortunately so. it reminds me of school shootings in terms of the ability for our public and our media to move onto the next act. jacksonville was only a 24 hour story for folks out there where it is a real-life -- it stays with the victims there forever. the problem when you talk about this is the normalization of violence, right? i'm worry less about the president and the former president getting threats because there is a security apparatus. my concern is the local election official who doesn't have that apparatus, does not have anyone to call when they get those threats. we look at the threats of individuals been arrested in the last 10 years, there are plenty of examples of individuals who ran for city council, got a threat and said i do not want to do this anymore. we have to talk about the slow burn of democracy on this one.

this does affect how we address and how we are as a society. >> kathleen of northwestern university seamus hughes, thank you both for your time. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> today, america's top diplomat called israel's prime minister and the president of the palestinian authority and senior u.s. officials met their counterparts in saudi arabia. among the topics of focus -- could two of america's closest allies in the middle east, israel and saudi arabia, normalize relations? we examine the outline of a possible deal and its implications. >> it would be a grand bargain. and create tectonic shift in the middle east. israel and saudi arabia have never had diplomatic relations. but today both countries leaders appear to want normalization and

u.s. is actively negotiating the details. the hotline would be this -- the u.s. provides saudi arabia security guarantees, civil nuclear technology with enrichment and advanced weapons. and his or what officials describe as meaningful concessions" to the palestinians. here is to out-- how jake sullivan described the deal. >> peace between saudi arabia and israel would be a big deal. it would help create a circumstance in which the countries of the region could collaborate on everything from economics to technology to regional security. and that would benefit the united states of america in a fundamental way because we have an interest in a more integrated, more stable middle east where de-escalation as opposed to escalation is the order of the day. >> but critics have argued it could come at too high a price.

to examine the deal and his supplications we get three views. robert sutcliffe, the executive director of the washington institute of near east policy and bernard hagel is a professor of near eastern studies at princeton university. and dahlia, a senior fellow at the ucla berkeley center for international relations. welcome to all three. bernard, let me begin with you. why is this important for riyadh and what are their most important asks? >> so, it's extremely important for riyadh because they would like to get certain guarantees from the united states. there is a fourth, or for issue that they would like which is a free-trade agreement with united states in addition to the ones we have listed. and i think they are interested in stability and they want to move away from the ideologies of anti-imperialism and resistance to the u.s. and the turmoil, which had -- characterize the history of the modern middle

east until recently. so, it is very important for riyadh to normalize with israel, but under certain conditions. >> robert sutcliffe, security guarantees, advanced weapons, civil and nuclear program with enrichment, are these things that prime minister netanyahu in israel and president biden are willing to give saudi arabia? >> so far it looks like president biden wants to go big. he does not want to nickel and dime on what each side's asking the other. he's trying to -- make each side make me concessions for each other's. as for the israels, we're seeing within the national security establishment and israel on what types of guarantees and benefits to the saudi's might have a

negative impact on israel's military edge, but right now, it seems as though israel's political and security leaders are leaning towards accepting the big deal outlines of security guarantees and even a civil nuclear relationship between united states and saudi arabia. >> you recently argued that this deal would not advance peace in the middle east. in fact, it could make things worse. why? >> well, normalization is of course positive, and theu.s. should welcome it but as the senate -- he suggested it would be a high price mostly paid from washington. this defense pact that we are talking about with the saudis is the kind of agreement we do not even have with israel. we tend not to have these agreements with undemocratic partners, those with erratic records. the nuclear agreement on the

table seems to go beyond the type of cooperation we have with other regional partners. so, i think it is quite a high price, and there is a lot of wishful thinking. >> staying with you, are there also concerns given human rights concerns about saudi arabia and its leader, and there's also concerned by critics and israel that certain steps that government is taking would erode checks and balances. >> well, there was always concerned about this -- the saudi domestic record on human rights and continued repression, transnational repression against dissidents. this will be a big issue if this comes to. congress if this is a formal defense pac t, it will require ratification there is concern in some quarters that this could be the timing is awkward because it could potentially bolster the israeli prime minister when he is launching this -- assault on the judiciary in the country when you have protests for 35

weeks. so that is another concern that comes up with the timing of this agreement. >> address some of those arguments about concerns about the promises to arabia -- to saudi arabia when it comes to enrichment and what dahlia referred to as the repression of the kingdom. >> de facto the united states has come to the defense of saudi arabia when it was threatened by an iraqi invasion. i think united states would come to saudi arabia's defense for geopolitical reasons and because of the oil reserves in that country and in neighboring countries. on human rights, absolutely, the saudis don't have a good record, they have a pretty bad record. that is something united states has raised and should continue to raise. i don't see how a purely values

based foreign policy is going to advance peace in the middle east or, for that matter, make the saudis behave better. if you link the saudis to a normalization agreement with israel, i think you have a better chance of gaining leverage on that and many other -- finally on the nuclear agreement, the saudi position is the united states has effectively agreed to the iranians being allowed to enrich, so why shouldn't they? >> can you responded to the concerns that dahlia raised about the israeli government that are being raised across israel every night through unprecedented domestic protests? >> well, i think the answer here is very simple. you can"t choose when the moments of opportunity emerge. i think we do a little bit of disservice to the negotiations to call this a normalization agreement. i think what the biden

administration has in mind is something much more transformative, which is yes, at its core, making a normal, peaceful relationship between our closest middle east ally and perhaps the most important arab state saudi arabia. it is bigger than that. it has to do with interns against original threat headed by iran, and it has to do with getting our partners on the same side with us in terms of the military security and high technology approach vis-à-vis china. >> are your concerns assuaged if this is a truly transformative deal as robert just said? >> what i am questioning is what games we will get on this strategic level? when it comes to china, this notion that this agreement can kind of help move t saudis back into the u.s. camp is not in touch with the regional realities today, that countries

like saudi arabia and others don't want to take sides. they are playing all sides and they are playing them well. when it comes to iran, we will not have some unified pro-american axis confronting the iranians. the saudis themselves are normalizing and resuming relations with iran. when it comes to the expectations of big wins on the palestinian side, what israeli government are we talking about? we are 30 years from oslo and we are sparse we have been from a two state solution. let's get a good agreement if we will normalize and make sure the u.s. is not paying a high price. >> let's zoom into the palestinians and their request now. when the united arab emirates normalize with israel, they agreed with her trump administration and israeli government that the israeli government would not pursue annexation for a number of years. will the saudis ask for more than that and how important are

the palestinian requests to this overall conversation for the saudis >> so, i think the saudis will ask for certain-- a certain freezing of settlements and the removal of certain settlements that are deemed illegal under israeli law. but to be honest, i don't think the palestinian issue is central to this, to this agreement from the saudi perspective. saudi arabia is at the moment pursuing a policy were natural interests of the kingdom are first and foremost in terms of strategic thinking. i do want to add one thing which as -- which is that the saudis can and will do things that are deeply troubling for american interests, strategic interest, not just becoming closer to the chinese, but they can also start selling oil in,

in currencies that are not the u.s. dollar. and that would be a serious attack on the status of the dollar as a reserve currency. the saudis do have a number of cards that they can play eventually if u.s.-saudi relations are not put on a much more secure footing which they have not been under this administration. >> last word. what are the chances of this coming to formation and as has been mentioned can a deal get through congress if it needs to? >> well, there's a remarkable effort by the administration for something which stands only about a 50-50 chance, given all the moving parts of this deal, but they are putting, the white house is putting a lot of effort into it, and they believe if there is an israeli security component that goes with the saudi security component, that this is something they can bring to the senate, and they believe they can get the two thirds

majority in the senate for approval for treaties that would set a new baseline for our relations in the middle east. >> robert sutcliffe, bernard hagel, dahlia, thank you very much to all of you. >> thank you. >> thank you. ♪ >> it was an historic day in texas as the state senate transformed into a court of impeachment for 50 years. suspended attorney general kent paxton pleaded not guilty to 16 charges, including bribery, obstruction of justice, conspiracy and abuse of the public trust. the house impeachment manager and caxton's attorneys each began to make their case. -- paxton's attorneys made their case. >> mr. paxton has been trusted

with great power. rather than rise to the occasion, he has revealed his character. as the overwhelming evidence will show, he is not fit to be the attorney general for the state of texas. >> we are living on the wet end of democracy right now. is it up to the voters or is it up to politicians to see who stays in office? your decision is much bigger than ken paxton. your decision is literally about democracy in this state. >> for more, i'm joined by a reporter for the "austin american statesman." welcome back. always good to see you. let's begin with what exactly mr. paxton is being accused of. what are the charges related to/ >> so, all this dates back to 2020 and during the pandemic, a number of ken paxton top aides,

his first assistant and other people who worked in the executive offices of the attorney general's office, they went to the fbi and they said, we believe our boss, the attorney general of texas, is committing a number of federal offenses, including bribery and abuse of office. the allegations relate to ken paxton's alleged actions to aid a well-known austin investor by the name of nate paul, who himself was under fbi investigation. and, according to the allegations, ken paxton took a number of steps in his official capacity as attorney general to assist nate paul and then received benefits from doing so. >> we heard part of what mr. paxton's defense team had to say but what else are they saying? >> they are essentially saying that all of this has been

misconstrued, that any alleged evidence or any allegations brought forth by these whistleblowers is just in accurate, that they got it wrong and that the house investigators who spent months digging into his conduct, that they simply have it wrong. and they are also contending that this is a weaponization of the impeachment process, that ken paxton was duly elected last fall in november 2 a third term. they say that this effort is an effort to undermine the electorate and the voters of texas. >> tony, what would it take to get a conviction, and if -- is that likely in this republican led state senate? >> so, really, it has been described as a trial for nine republican senators. the question is whether or not there will be enough republican

senators to push this impeachment effort over the finish line? it requires a third thirds majority-- a two thirds majority. there is an assumption that all 12 democratic senators will vote for impeachment. but it would take an additional nine to see the finish line for the impeachment and i think it is an open question about whether or not that is going to happen. >> it is worth noting, ken paxton has been a staunch ally of former president trump. this is all unfolding in a state mr. trump won in 2020 and still has good support. how do texans feel about this impeachment proceeding? >> well, to be clear, there is an effort that has been underway for several weeks now by a couple of political action committees, a couple of very well-funded political action committees. they have essentially launched campaigns to say to texas republican senators who they

feel may be at risk for voting to convict ken paxton, they have said, if you do so, you will face a primary challenge. but then when you look at other information, like a recent poll released by the university of texas days ago, many republican voters, according to the survey, don't really even know or fully understand the allegations against ken paxton, but many of them also similarly said that they do believe -- do not believe this impeachment effort should go forward. >> today was day one of the trial. many more days ahead. we hope to check back in with you as proceedings continue. tony, thank you. >> thank you.

>> when joe biden stepped into the oval office as president on january 20, 2020 one following his decades long career in public service, he was perhaps better prepared and more equipped than other president in recents history to deal with the ways of washingto and his fellow world leaders. franklin hasxamined president biden's first two years in office, which he writes about in detail in his new book "the last politician." thank you for being with us. >> thank you so much for having me. >> in the prologue you write that the electorate in 2020 turned to joe biden as a balm. voters wanted calm and decency and competency in a bit of boredom after four years of the trump administration but you're right that that was not the view that joe biden had of himself. what was his initial vision, and how did it evolve? >> joe biden had not sat around

his whole life wanting to be president just to be a placeholder. he had gra ambitionss. he had a massive social spending program he wanted to put in place. he wanted to redirect american foreign policy so it was oriented more to the challenges of the rising china. he wanted to redirect the old orthodoxies of democratic party economics to steer it in a different direction, where it was warmer to unions and took the problem monopoly more seriously. it had some version of industrial policy. >> you recount the untold timeline of the afghanistan withdrawal. though it was former president donald trump woh set-- who set that plan into motion it was president biden who decided to honor that decision. and you're right he had distrusted officials who warned him against ending the war too soon.

that he had a contrarian faith in the righteousness of his decision. how did that affect the execution of that withdrawal? >> one of the most interesting qualities of biden's career is that he is a very complicated relationship to elites. on the one hand, he craves their respect and approval. on the other hand, he does not feel totally at home within the elite. he thinks they are constantly unde estimatig him. on afghanistan, he was a contrarian for over a decade, during the obama administration, he was calling for withdrawal. so, i think that he felt the impulse to get out so strongly. he was so intent to some extent on winning the bureaucratic wars of afghanistan and so intent on focusing on the redirection of american foreign policy that he lost a bit of track of the

humanitarian questions that ultimately came to fore, and were so vivid in those weeks in august of the withdrawal. >> ther eis a ton of reporting about the president's domestic legislative achievements. i want to talk about abor tion, because joe biden's catholic faith is central to how he views the world. is that what accounted for what his critics saw as his flat-footed response to the supreme court overturning roe v. wade? >> as a devoted catholic, he has got a complicated feelings about abortion, but i also think that biden came from this other era where the terms of the fight were different. i don't think he fully appreciated the racquet localism -- the radicalism of dobbs. it took that case of a 10-year-old girl from ohio who

went to indiana to have an abortion. the law fell down on her. and for biden that became a morality tale that forced, that snapped everything at a place for him. he can suddenly see the radicalism of the dobbs decision and whatever flat-footed this, whatever qualms he had at the outset melted away. i think he eventually came, to not just appreciate what dobbs would mean for women, he came to appreciate the political benefit for the democratic party with a dobbs decision in a way in which it took a demotivated democratic base and rallied them to the polls. >> what is the relationship like between president biden and vice president harris? >> their relationship was forged on the job. it comes with all the baggage that biden brought from the obama administration about his own time sitting in this chair.

so, i think, let initially, for reasons having to do with her own sense of -- i think, let harris -- kamala harris, struggled to find your way. and the truth is that obama needed biden because he saw certain holes in his resume that he thought that he could fill. biden has supreme self-confidence based on the many years in washington. and i think it was harder for him to see the space for kamala harris. while the relationship emotionally is a very healthy one, as a practical matter, it made it harder for harris to find her legs. i should also say that my book ends with the midterm elections in 2022. harris has had an easier time, has found a greater sense

of political identity since my book closes because of the abortion issue, where she has been the administration's primary spokesperson. and i think she has developed a more coherent political identity in the months that followed the close of my book. >> votgers overwhelm only think that present biden is too old to run for president. that was the latest finding out this week. how is the white house planning to turn his age, his half-century in public service, turn that into an asset? >> it is a real strange disconnect, because in the course of my reporting i depict a president who is deeply involved in the intricacies of policy, an extremely active commander-in-chief. he's got to find a way to explain what he has done and to convey the sense of activity and i think you are correct in saying that they haven't really leaned into his age as an asset, even though he was clearly elected because he was an

experienced hand. but we are navigating a proxy war with a major nuclear power, our relationship with china is extremely tense. there are ways in which those things can go off the rails. his experience actually does matter in navigating those conflicts. he needs to show that it was, that it was his legislative and political skills, gleaned, based on all of those decades of experience that yielded these a college men's th -- these accomplishments. >> the book is "the last politician." its author is franklin -- it is a triumph of reporting. congratulations and thank you for being with us. >> thank you so much.

>> today, some women's tennis players are among the highest paid athletes in the world, but that wasn't all the case. -- always the case. equal pay was hard-fought by the same women playing the game, including the legendary billie jean king. i met up with king at the u.s. open as attornment marked 50 years since it became the first sporting event in u.s. history to offer equal prize money for men and women. >> the younger generation coming up. >> it has been decades since she played on these courts and literally change the game for women. >> we're a microcosm of society, sports are, but at least we are going in the right direction. >> but billie jean king is still everywhere at this year's u.s. open. this tournament marks 50 years of equal pay. she's not nearly done pushing for change. >> women's tennis has always been a leading in women sports. so, we have a responsibility,

and an opportunity to help make this world a better place. >> it was a different tennis world in which king made her name, winning 39 grand slam titles between 1961 and 1979 with the number one ranking for six years. it was at the u.s. open in 1972 when king clinched the women's single title and then made a revolutionary demand. >> i just remember sitting in the media conference after i had won. i don't know what came over me but inside my heart, said, i do n't think we will be back next year unless we have equal prize money. i said it very quietly. not ranting and raving. the media goes, what? i h aven't talked to the women yet but i am pretty sure they'll go along with it. of course, inside i'm going, what have i done? because what if the women don't get behind it? i thought they would. >> king made sure they did,

rallying more than 60 other women's player in london's gloucester hotel in 1973 to get them to band together and form the women's tennis association. >> it took someone to literally stand at the door. [laughter] it was king and the original nine who laid the foundation three years early at a time where some men earned eight times as much as the women. they signed one dollar contracts to take part in the first women only tournament. in june king and the other w founders returned to that hotel where thet wta first formed, forcing equal pay at the u.s. open. it feels like a long time ago and also not that long ago at all how does it seem to you? >> in some ways recent, because i can remember clearly in 1972, i got $10,000 for winning.

our tour was only in its second year, so women's professional tennis had just gotten started. >> king, too, was just getting started. off the court, a private war convincing one corporation to help close the prize money gap. >> the tennis battle of the sexes. >> on the court the battle of the sexes taking on and beating bobby riggs in 1973. an estimated 19 million people tuned in. tennis's most watched match to this day. king went on to rack up 12 singles grand slam titles. the three other grand slams follow the u.s. open's lead unequal pay but that too decadesok -- took decades. even today the equity fight rages on. the fact that it has taken 50 years to get to a place where this is not the norm. >> when you talk to ceo's or

companies, do you invest in women sports as much as you do in men's sports? they usually get very quiet. but a lot of times, they will say, i haven't thought about it. so, just putting the thought in their heads is a start. >> you have always since you were 12, you have found a reason to speak up for what you think is right. do you see that same kind of leadership and willingness to speak out among this new generation, the younger players today? >> o h, absolutely. venus williams fought for equal prize money. one thing that we stress in thewta, the older players at that time, when we started was this was a platform. we have an opportunity. we have an obligation to help make this world a better place. >> mary jo fernandez, a former world number four, says king's contributions were not without a cost. >> she had to sacrifice so many tournaments. and her tennis career for something bigger than herself.

which is why think she is beloved, but now i think there is so much more money. everybody is so much more busier. tennis not just tennis. it is the physical and mental part and the nutritional part. a lot of revolves around all of these athletes. i don't feel like the top top feel like they have the time to really dedicate themselves like billie jean did. >> what do you think about that? >> i understand it. i'm hoping down deep that if ven us ever retires, she will take a bit of the mantle and take that responsibility because she really helped women's tennis. >> i asked jessica pegula, now number three of the world come about how her generation views taht responsibility. i wanted to get your thoughts on whether you individually feel pressure or responsibility a leader in this generation continue that advocacy work? >> when you're younger, you're

playing and this is really fun. and then you start realizing how important it is to make an impact on your support and leave with some sort of legacy. it's a very exciting time in women's tennis. i think we are improving and are moving forward and hopefully we keep seeing that. yeah, keep pushing for what we believe in. >> women's tennis, like other sports, is also grappling with how and when transgender athletes can compete. king herself lost endorsements when she was outed as gay in 1981, and has been a champion of lgbtq+ rights. her views on this issue she says are still taking form. >> i do think in certain sports, we'll have to take a hard look because especially -- track and field, swimming, each sport is making up their own world. i keep learning, keep talking to scientists. please help me to understand what's the right thing to do.

one thing for sure, when they are young, let everyone have fun and play. when you get to high school and you start having elite sports where it matters, going for the olympics, to be a professional, then i think you really have to have rules. i'm still trying to learn more and more all the time. i'm not that emphatic. i'm trying to figure it out. >> what you think that that should change after high school? >> if a male gets through privity, they have a bigger skeletal system, everything, these are things you have to take to consideration. >> ladies and gentlemen, my friends the incomparable billie jean king. >> as her views and the sport continue to evolve, she is enjoying the spotlight put on the 50th during this tournament and turning her attention to the future. i ask king, who turns 80 this year, about the many ways conditions for women have improved since she stopped playing.

does any part of you wish you were playing today? >> i would love to play today because because they are better than we were and i would always want to get better. they are living the dream. that is except that what we wanted. >> the fight on the court locked in her place in tennis history. her work off tethered her story to our nation. in 2009 she was awarded the presidential medal of freedom by president obama. there's now an effort underway to award her the congressional gold medal. only 11 athletes have ever received the award but king would be the first woman. >> i love she says that she still wants to play. >> yeah, such a trail blazer, still going strong. >> great interview. >> there was a lot more online, including a story on what barbers -- borrowers need to know now that student loan payments have resumed. >> and that is "newshour" for tonight. >> on behalf of the entire "newshour" team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs

"newshour" has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, this is sam. how may help you? this is a pocket i. -- pocket dial. with consumer cellular get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the of international peace and security. at carnegie.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. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

♪ >> this is pbs "newshour" west from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ >>

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