wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. >> good evening. on "the newshour" tonight, i struggle to reach a coastal city in libya -- aid workers struggle to reach a coastal city in libya where 1000 died and thousands more are still missing. north korea's kim jong-un pledges support for vladimir putin's war in ukraine in every meeting between the leaders. and how democratic voters view

the nation's deep divisions and former president trump's role in the current political climate. >> basically, the leader of the free world is acting a certain way and fooled those people. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> these are people who are

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>> welcome to "the newshour." scenes of biblical devastation, the dead stacked in the streets and aid for the living too slow in arriving. that is the situation tonight in north africa. at least 5100 people are dead from immense flooding in libya. the mayor of one city says the death toll could be as high as 20,000. to the west in morocco nearly three people now are officially counted among the dead on the ij earthquake. >> scenes of horror along the streets of the coastal city hit hardest by the deluge. today, it is a muddy graveyard. rescuers say there are bodies everywhere. in mangled, upturned cars, beneath the ruins of apartment buildings, and floating offshore in the mediterranean. yesterday, libya's prime minister said the top priority was searching the open water where thousands are feared

missing. >> we need specific assistance, especially retrieving bodies from the sea. the libyan navy, divers,, and frogmen are putting every effort into retrieving these bodies. >> the devastation began friday with heavy rain brought on by storm daniel, but the worst hit when two dams in nearby valleys collapsed, sending a torrent of water through the nearby city center. it washed away entire neighborhoods in its path. some survivors described a wall of water reaching heights of 25. >> i live on the top floor of this building. i opened a window and saw the storm attacking us. cars were thrown around and families started running. the water reached the second floor. >> some medical facilities are barely intact. rows of corpses line the streets as hospitals began the agonizing process of identifying the dead. >> we counted them as they were lined in the hallways.

whoever is identified by family and friends are then married. some have not been identified, so we started photographing them and assigning numbers to them and then burying them as well. things are very bad. the hospital is dilapidated. >> i am mentally and physically completely devastated. there are people who lost their houses, lost their city, lost their workplace, everything. >> the international rescue committee is one of the few that already had operations near the disaster zone. >> we have heard stories from people who were trying to call each other in the same house while the floods were taking place on the second floor, and some people were over the cabinet and trying to call the other just to see if they were still breathing or able to respond or answer. >> human toll is becoming more

dire by the hour. as recovery efforts continue, the death is expected to rise. but the floods have caused extensive damage to libya's coastal access roads and shut down communication. >> communications is lost right now. it is very challenging also for rescue and search teams to communicate with each other. >> in africa's northwest, morocco is still reeling from last week's catastrophic earthquake, but help is finally starting to arrive. crews bulldozed through the rubble and brought much-needed aid to survivors, many of whom have lived in tents for days. some took shelter wherever they could, like this damaged school building, and waited for help. >> we have no food, nowhere good to sleep. it is not just about the collapsed houses. a house can be rebuilt later. i lost my normal life.

everything from my life is gone. >> many of the delays were physical. remote areas were cut off due to landslides, but some were frustratingly political. morocco's government continues to refuse assistance from countries like the u.s. and france. in libya, it has poured in from egypt and turkey. the mer says he hopes to join international effort will get people what they need before they need it. >> before this disaster, already, there has been 800,000 people identified as needing assistance. following this tragedy, i am afraid this number will increase very quickly in a very short time.

stephanie: here are the latest headlines -- inflation rose again in august, fueled by higher gas prices, but overall, prices are cooling. labor department data shows the consumer price index was up 3.7% from one year earlier. that was higher than july's year-over-year increase of 3.2%. core prices excluding food and energy were up four point 3%, the smallest increase in nearly two years. the federal reserve will decide if it will raise intest rates again next week. a federal judge today ordered former president trump's lawyers to use a secure facility to review evidence in his classified documents case. that may rule out reviews at the mar-a-lago estate in florida as mr. trump wanted. he is charged with illegally storing secret material there. instead, the rules from the judge, and trump appointee, make it likely the reviews will take place at a federal courthouse.

a leading trump critic, senator mitt romney, will retire instead of run for reelection in 2024. the utah republican announced today he will not seek a second term. he is 76, and he said it is time for new leaders. he also criticized both president biden and mr. trump for failing to address vital issues. >> i think it would be a great thing if both president biden and former president trump were to stand aside and let their respective party pick someone in the next generation. i think both parties would be far better served if they were going to be represented by people other than those of us from the baby boom generation. >> romney is a former republican nominee for president, but he faced criticism in his own party after twice voting to convict mr. trump in impeachment trials. ukraine has staged a major new attack in russian-annexed crimea, damaging two warships and wounding 24 people. i missile and drone struck a shipyard in sevastopol.

that came as russian attacks across ukraine killed three people. the red cross appealed for help today after 6800 migrants descended on the italian island of lent producer -- lampedusa. they were packed onto more -- more than 120 flimsy boats. the flotilla overwhelmed the italian coast guard and border patrol. back in this country, a convicted murderer in southeastern pennsylvania is back in custody after two weeks on the run. he was recaptured early today outside philadelphia's suburbs. state police say search teams caught up to him after a plane with a thermal imaging camera picked up his heat signal. they then sent in docs to subdue him. >> they were able to move in quietly. they have the element of surprise. cavalcante did not realize he

was surrounded until that had occurred. that did not stop him from trying to escape. he began trying to crawl through underbrush taking his rifle with him as he went. he continued to resist or was forcibly taken into custody. no one was injured as a result of that. >> the daring escape had made headlines here and in his home country of brazil. video from county jail showed him here on the left crab walking up two walls topped with razor wire. from there, he jumped from the roof and ran off. a federal judge today blocked a new mexico public health order that suspended the right to carry guns publicly in albuquerque. the democratic governor imposed the order friday, citing recent shootings across the state. gun rights advocates quickly accused her of violating the second amendment. law enforcement officials in albuquerque and the surrounding metro area had vowed not to

enforce the order. top tech leaders met with more than 60 senators on how to control artificial intelligence. it came amid growing calls for regulation of ai. among those attending, mark zuckerberg and elon musk. musk said there was bipartisan agreement. >> well, i cannot read the remind, but judging by the fact they put their hands up when asked if they believe some regulation is in order, i think it is clear that there is a strong consensus, overwhelming consensus that there should be some ai regulation. >>'s it's unclear what form any regulation might take. eugene peltola junior, the husband of alaska house representative mary peltola, died in a single engine plane crash that happened shortly after takeoff in rural alaska. the alaskan native recently served as director of the bureau of indian affairs for the alaska

region. still to come, a potential auto workers strike looms as the deadline for an agreement approaches. the white house response to the impeachment inquiry against president biden, and colorado secretary of state on efforts to keep former president trump off the ballot. >> this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington and in the west from walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> it is a growing alliance sparking concern from the u.s. and its allies. in his first trip outside north korea since the pandemic, kim jong-un met vladimir putin in russia today to discuss if they each have something the other wants. stephanie reports on what that could be and the ramifications a deal would have for ukraine and the rest of the world. >> the kim dynasty's preferred form of transit, an

old-fashioned armored luxury train rolled into russia carrying the supreme leader. meeting only for the second time, kim jong-un and vladimir putin greeted each other like two familiar autocrats. this summit lasted at least five hours with promises of greater economic and security cooperation. there were no signed agreements, but gushing support for putin's invasion of crimea. >> russia is currently engaged in a justified against hegemonic forces to defend its sovereign rights, security, and interest. >> up against a nato-supplied ukrainian counteroffensive, russian forces need more guns and ammunition, even the old soviet kind. while 42% of north koreans cannot get enough food, the government maintains a large stockpile of these artillery shells and rockets. u.s. officials suspect moscow has already procured north

korean war supplies and are watching to see if today's meeting leads to a more expansive arms deal, but since 2006, north korea has been under united nations sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, sanctions that moscow previously supported. putin's chosen location for the summit is amazing red flags. it is russia's largest rocket launch site, and it's no secret that kim wants a spy satellite. speaking at an official lunch, he avoided specifics. >> together with conrad putin, we just had elaborate discussions of the military and political situation on the korean peninsula and in europe. it had come to the conclusion we need to intensify strategic and tactical cooperation to ensure safety. >> despite international sanctions, putin is said to have

suggested there was room for cooperation. >> there are certain restrictions on military cooperations, but there are things we, of course, can talk about. >> for more on the significance of today's meeting, i'm joined by a former pyongyang correspondent for the associated press and cohost of "the lazarus heist" podcast on north korea. he had a 28-year career in the cia and was based in moscow during the 1990's. putin and kim played this off as a typical diplomatic visit, but there seems to be no question among u.s. officials and other analysts that this was transactional. putin needs ammunition. kim needs all sorts of things, including food, military technology. assuming you agree on that, how much assistance can north korea actually provide russia? >> there is not often a time when north korea can provide

anything to anyone, but this is one of those times, so that is why we are looking at this so closely. it comes 18 months into russia's conflict and war in ukraine, perhaps at a time when it is running low on some of the munitions that it needs, and it has a neighbor that is desperate and has plenty of stock piles of that ammunition. of course, north korea, for many years, was supported by the soviet union and so has a lot of that technology -- or i should say that weaponry that moscow might need right now to prolong that conflict. >> what exactly does putin need? how much pressure is russia's defense ministry under right now? >> there's reporting they have expended as many as 12 million to 15 million artillery shells so far in this war and have not actually pushed forward at all during that time. i think they are running low on

some stocks. they know the north koreans have soviet and russian capable bullets, artillery shells, and rockets and think that the russians can use, so in a sense, it is two things. a signal that putin is maybe digging in for the long term and also a signal that they are sort of running low on things, and they need some help. >> it do you agree with jean, who uses the word desperation for putin, is this a new low f him? >> it is a signal he is in for the long term. he's got no choice. he has been unable to change things on the battlefield, so he is turning to north korea because north korea has the gdp of something like $18 billion a year. we have provided more assistance than that to ukraine during this time. north korea does not have any aircraft that are suitable, so, yes, putin is maybe going to gain some new shells -- actually, many of these shells are aging and probably duds and such, but he is doing what he has to do, scraping the bottle

of the barrel. >> let's talk about what kim jong-un gets from this meeting and what are the ramifications of this meeting? >> for starters, he gets a stage. he is coming out of isolation after four years of shutting himself off, shutting north korea off from the world. he is stepping out onto this platform that president putin is giving him, so he has all the propaganda that he needs. on the other side of the break equation, i think he has gone to the space center and had conversations about space technology, so there's certainly a question about if this exchange has included some piece of technology that will help him advance that program. i think it is important to know it is not just about space exploration. this is a technology that is very similar to ballistic missile technology, so you need those long-range rocket's to get those launch vehicles up into space, so this has ramifications

. this kind of exchange of information certainly has the potential to help kim jong-un get his nuclear program to the next level, and that should be worrying for all of us. >> i wonder if you agree with that assessment, that there is a concern about nuclear proliferation technology transfer in that realm. >> i don't know if it is much about nuclear proliferation or transfer of nuclear material, but it is, as jane mentioned, about satellites and the kind of equipment that is necessary if you are going to have a standalone nuclear program. russia has just had a space effort that failed, and korea has had several efforts to send satellites to space that have also failed, so there is some interest for north korea to get both food aid and aid with things like satellites. >> to your point, kim jong-un in recent months has had two failed launches of a spy satellite that

he seems to desperately want. just three weeks ago from that cosmodrome that putin has been posting about, they had a failed moon lander launch, so realistically, how big of a threat is this alliance? >> frankly, i don't think it is a big threat. i don't think it changes the strategic battlefield at all. like i said, the fact that russians have expended this much ammunition and the north koreans can give them some additional ammunition will not change things on the battlefield. this has got to be humiliating for putin that he has to turn to places like iran and north korea to get assistance and cannot go elsewhere. even china will not give him military weapons and ammunition. it is suggested he is doing what he needs to do. what it does not suggest is that it will end up with more dead russians and more dead ukrainians, but i don't think it will change what is happening on the battlefield. >> bigger picture, what does the

putin-kim meeting portend about international order? >> the message to us is that there will be a huge challenge ahead for the united states if they want to try to bring north korea's nuclear ambitions under control because now you've got the president of russia standing with a leader of north korea and saying that they stand together essentially against the united states and the west, and that means it will be difficult for the u.s. and its allies to get pressure on board with any new united nations security council resolutions. the united nations security council has been a place where they meted out punishment and tried to restrain north korea from expanding its arsenal, and that will be increasingly difficult with this show of friendship. >> thank you both for joining us with your insights.

>> thank you. >> in just a little over 24 hours, nearly 150,000 auto workers could go on strike against the so-called big three automakers here in the u.s. the union and manufacturers are far apart on some key issues that may be crucial to the future of the industry and to labor's broader goals. >> the deadline is midnight tomorrow, and united auto workers are pushing for big changes, including a substantial wage hike of 30% over four years, eliminating wage tiers, which pay very different rates per hour, a shortened 32-hour work week while keeping pay at a 40-hour level, and union

representation at 10 electric vehicle factories, but the big three automakers say a costly transition to electric vehicles makes it too difficult to meet these demands. a new york times reporter has covered the auto industry for two decades and joins me now. we just got an update from the president of the united auto workers, and here is what he had to say. >> we are making progress at each of the 30 -- each of the three negotiating tables, but as you heard, we are still far apart on our key priorities, from job security to ending tiers, from cost-of-living allowance to wage increases, we do not yet have offers on the table that reflect the sacrifice and contributions our members have made to these companies. to win, we are likely going to

have to take action. >> as you just heard, an agreement seems pretty elusive there. it is a strike inevitable at this point? >> it is pretty darn close to inevitable. probably 99% chance, i think. they remain far apart on ranges, although they have had some movement, but on the other issues in terms of work hours and other work conditions, retiree pensions, they are very far apart, and both sides are pretty dug in on their positions. >> one of the big dividing lines is the call for substantial raises. 30% over four years, and an end to that tiered wage system where some are paid less than half of what others are paid. with that system ultimately ending, what type of impact would it have on these workers' livelihoods? >> there are a lot of workers

making $20, $25 an hour, some even less than $20. this is tough work for that kind of thing, and also, they are producing expensive vehicles. $50,000 pickup trucks, so it is a pretty high-priced product to be making the kind of wage that some people might make literally babysitting or working in a supermarket. it would be a substantial change to their lifestyle and their way of living. >> the union is also calling for a 4-day workweek, but when speaking to reporters, forte's ceo threw cold water on that. >> a four-day workweek is not containable. >> what is the biggest worry for these companies right now? is it the ev transition, raises?

>> they are concerned about the ev transition, but they want to avoid getting locked into something they cannot change down the road. that happened in the past, and that was part of the reason why the big three became so uncompetitive. i have regained their competitive edge but do not want to do something like a four-day workweek that they are locked into and five years or 10 years from now, conditions change, and that makes them uncompetitive. a wage increase, they can accept, but permanent changes to the way work is done would be a real tough thing for them to swallow. >> what would the impact be on everyday americans if they strike takes place? would the price of cars go up? >> i don't think you would see much of an impact in a short strike, a week or two weeks. dealers still have inventory, so people can still go out and buy

cars, but if it lasts longer than that, goes on for weeks, five weeks longer than that, dealers will start running out of cars, and the law of supply and demand, you can see prices go up, andt could be tougher to find the new cars that people want to buy. >> could you explain a little more why is it so critical to the union to be able to organize at these ev plants? >> because right now, one ev plant or one ev battery plant has been organized, but others are being built, and they are concerned that if those jobs remain nonunion, they will be paid $15 to $20 an hour, a wage that is roughly half of top uaw wages. also battery plants can be dangerous places to work, so there's a lot of concern they have, the people in those

battery production plants. >> taking a step back, to what extent are these uaw trucks important to the larger labor workforce in the u.s.? >> i think they are the highlight. we have had a lot going on this summer. hollywood writers are out. hollywood actors are out. there was almost a strike at ups. that was avoided, but this is the biggest one of all. 150,000 uaw workers at the three companies, and they are at plants all across the upper midwest. if there is a strike against the three of them, they would be economic pain in a lot of those factory towns. >> thank you so much for your time. >> glad to be here.

>> after house speaker kevin mccarthy directed republicans to launch an impeachment inquiry into president biden yesterday, the white house is urging more aggressive push back to the gop and is dismissing the effort as "extreme politics at its worst." that description came from a white house advisor working on congressional investigations who joins me now. welcome. thanks for joining us. >> thanks. >> you have heard the republican justification for this inquiry, despite a lack of public evidence, and no floor vote that speaker mccarthy had promised. they say it allows committees to coordinate investigations, give them greater standinto get documents that they are seeking, and they are using it as an investigative tool. what does the white house say to that? >> i think speaker mccarthy is dealing with a far right group of his caucus like marjorie taylor greene, who demanded he

open an impeachment inquiry or else she was shut down the government. i think they have made it clear this was a far right, politically motivated exercise rather than any sort of real attempt to get to the truth or the facts. as you just noted, they have been investigating the president for eight months now, and time after time after time, they have come up with no evidence of any wrongdoing. why? because there is no evidence of wrongdoing. the president did nothing wrong. they keep turning this up over and over again. her own witnesses have testified to that. the documents they have received have testified to that, so this is clearly a politically motivated stunt to try to attack president biden over nothing, to abuse what is supposed to be a really grave constitutional process, impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors, as a last resort by the constitution, to sort of hold people in power accountable, they are politicizing and trivializing it. i think what the american people

will see is a president focused on what they care about. today, a quarter billion dollar investment in cancer research, versus what republicans care about, which is more nasty, false political attacks against the president. >> republicans will say they are not done gathering information and are now seeking bank and credit card statements. speaker mccarthy listed that specifically. has the oversight committee or anyone else requested those documents from the white house, and will white house comply with any subpoenas? >> they have not. you are hitting the nail on the head. they claim there is somehow a lack of cooperation, but just a month ago, james comer went on foxbusiness network and said everything i have requested via subpoena i have gotten 100% of what i have asked for, including from our administration, so it raises the question of why do we even need to do this? they have not turned up any

evidence, and it is because there is no evidence. this is a baseless stunt to try to go after the president. i don't want to speculate about what they may or may not ask for. it has been 24 hours since they opened this impeachment inquiry, but they have made no sort of explanation of what it is about, outlined no individual offenses. it is just a fishing expedition. they want to go on a wild goose chase to attack him, so i don't want to speculate about what they may or may not ask for when he will not even explain how this will work. >> these concerns, the issues they are raising, there are americans who have expressed some of these same concerns. you have seen the numbers when people are asked about the president's involvement in his son's business dealings. 61% of people said then vice president biden had "some involvement" in hunter biden's business dealings in ukraine and china, and it was not just republicans. 64% of independents believe

that. 37% of independents think the actions were immoral but not illegal. >> i think what you just said shows there is a real premium put on the truth. it is income and on the media and to us to explain the truth, and the truth is the president was never in business with his family and these lies and false attacks coming from republicans with no evidence to back them up are in fact lies, and the public needs to understand that. i think there needs to be more scrutiny on these claims that are being made by house republicans that are feeding this recession, which is driven by conservatives and republicans. as you mentioned in that poll, 90% of republicans expressed a belief in something, and it raises questions about where they are getting their information from and what information they are getting.

>> pardon the interruption, it is also a majority of independents. there are even moderate republicans who have expressed some skepticism about the process. has the white house been in touch with any of them? >> you are exactly right that moderate republicans have come out and said that there is no evidence, does not exist. we don't know why that are moving to an impeachment inquiry when they have not laid out any evidence implicating the president in any wrongdoing. those are moderate republicans, and sort of explains why the speaker avoided having a vote to try to not lose a vote because a bipartisan majority in the house clearly opposed taking on an impeachment over nothing. i think as this process moves forward, those republicans in congress who are driving this exercise are going to have to explain why they want to lurch the congress and country into an impeachment without evidence instead of focusing on the real issues that americans want to see their leaders in washington

kissing on. the president is going to keep focused on that. house republicans are going to do what house republicans want to do, but the president has an lot of priorities for the american people. these are the things the public really wants leaders to be focused on, not these sort of far right political sideshows. >> thank you for your time. we appreciate it. >> thank you. over the summer, judy woodruff listened in as a group of iowa republicans discussed support for former president trump following his indictment, the state of the country and its divisions, and what can be done to move forward. for a different perspective, judy recently visited bethlehem, pennsylvania, to hear from democrats on those topics and more as part of her ongoing

series, america at a crossroads. the story was produced with help from our friends at pbs 39 wlvt tv. >> you have to choose a side and automatically have to hate the other side when it should not be that way. >> strong feelings from these 15 democrats living in and around the former steel town, bethlehem, pennsylvania, about the growing sense of division they see in the country today. >> i'm waiting for someone in congress to throw a chair or something like they do in other countries. >> i did not grow up like that. you were republican or democrat and everyone got along. there was not so much bickering between each other or name-calling. >> what do you guys blame for the division? why do you think it has gotten worse? >> i think it is heavily influenced by evangelicalism or

some kind of religious push, and billionaires, or, like, the capitalism and equality kinda occurring together. >> i agree with that on a level, but i also think donald trump himself made it ok. like our president makes fun of disabled people. it is ok to do that. our president makes racist, disparaging comments to people. people came out of the woodwork with that. i think a lot of people were surprised by the rampant racism that came to the surface. people were out and about, proud about it when we thought we were progressing. where we or were people more quiet about it? >> i feel like it is from the top down. the leader of the free world is out there acting a certain way, it just emboldens people. >> if it's republicans, swing voters, democrats, everyone believes we are very divided and everyone laments the fact that

we are very divided. >> the host of focus group podcast was once again our guide. >> we talked to republicans, and they were very clear about who they blame. they believe the media was responsible for the divisions in the country, whereas democrats today blamed trump. that was the only thread they could find that was sort of common. they felt like he created a permission structure for other people to behave on simile, to say racist, sexist things. >> right around the time trump got elected, i found out my dad is now a republican and trump supporter. just the things that he says are ridiculous. when he says the reasons why he supports him -- like, we are hispanic, and he has done so many things against -- there's latinos that support him as well, which i still don't get, but a christian man, who that is

part of your whole identity, and you have this person who is a crook and a cheater and degenerate and this is who you like? it is just very weird to me. >> the relative that i have an issue with who i think is republican is my son. the only thing i can say or say to him is, how did you get that way? because as a single father, he grew up with me and saw how i voted and what our values were. >> political parties is to be about difference in policies. i think trump changed the conversation and made it about a difference in values, so it is harder for people to understand how somebody can support somebody like donald trump, not because he advocates for low

taxes, but because he says terrible things about, you know, people of different races or makes fun of a disabled reporter or says things about women, he is under many indictments. they can understand why somebody might support somebody of a different political persuasion who has different opinions. they don't understand how somebody they love who they believe has good values can support this person that they think so obviously has bad values. >> we were in iowa 6, 7 weeks ago. we were talking to republicans, and we asked if a democrat can truly be a person of faith if they support things like transgender rights and abortion, and they did not think so. many of them did not think so. what do you think about that? >> pope said it best. who are we to judge? i think if you take that lead, who are we to judge as humans?

>> and jesus was an activist. it is spelled out in the bible. i was raised catholic, too. i know what he said. he was inclusive. the message is love your neighbor as you love yourself. i don't see how helping trans people could be anti-religious. >> like, what is the point of that statement? that democrats cannot have faith if they believe in trans people? mike, m i the only one that thinks that is just a wild thing to say -- like, am i the only one that thinks that is just a wild thing to say and has nothing to do with anything? >> unsurprisingly, the panel had strong views on the indictments former president trump is facing but also did not expect supporters to waiver.

>> if you broke a law, you need to answer for what you have done . if you are a former, current president, whatever you are, you need to answer for what you did, the wrongdoing. >> i think if people should -- if people do the wrong thing, they should pay for it. if he were to go to jail, the people that support him would just blame everyone else, even though everybody who has taken the steps into this indictment are mostly people appointed by him. it is always, like, the democrats or everybody else's fault or they are doing this wrong. >> are you surprised that republicans continue to support him after all the indictments? >> no. >> tell me why. >> it is a travesty that this country let this happen. it is very frustrating. when i was in my 20's, i would

never have an opinion like that ever. now i am in my 50's. i'm like, this is bullcrap. as a people, even as a woman, we would see banners that say vote for trump and think what is wrong with you? do you know what that meant stands for, who he is and what he says? >> in a way, i am surprised because i think when the cards are on the table and you see the facts and factual evidence, you would come to realize, i guess i had the wrong idea, so that part of me kind of boggles the mind, but on the other hand, is it's almost like a cult where he is jim jones and they are drinking the kool-aid, you know? nothing you can say or do will turn them around. >> there was hope when liz cheney decided to stand up, you know, and speak out against her own party. i thought about maybe there is a little glimmer of hope if people

actually start to rally around her, but they did not. >> while feelings against trump were fears, feelings for president biden, whom they all voted for, were more ambivalent. >> of all these sideshows wasn't going on, i think we are doing pretty good with biden putting a lot of new plans into effect and trying to help out the middle class, working class. if republicans did not veto them all the time, i think we would be doing a lot better. >> i think things are going pretty well. things are going as they should be. my biggest quorum is the gun violence and guns. that's what has to stop. it is a leading cause of death in children in the united states, and that's horrible. a hard struggle right now. >> i think the president, his hands are almost tied to a

certain point. he can only do so much as a president. >> the george floyd bill, that still has not passed. that needs to happen. >> what about abortion? is that a strong motivating issue for all of you? >> yes. >> sure is. >> it is a woman's rights. >> i don't know how we reverted back. >> that just blows my mind. >> i just cannot stomach it. >> i am actually worried about where the country is headed because of things like inflation . it does seem like we are going backwards a little. >> cost of living is higher, but our paychecks have not gotten higher. my rent is constantly going up and i'm not making more money, so it is just harder to survive. even when i'm grow -- even when i'm going grocery shopping, everything is way more expensive . >> these groups of democrats

from pennsylvania sound so much like democrats we talked to across the country. they are kind of middling on joe biden. they tend to not have a great sense of what he has done or a very positive sense of things that he has passed, and there's still, like, and a lot of economic anxiety from these voters, despite the fact the macroeconomic picture has been brightening and the biden administration has been out there trying to tell a positive story about the economy. these voters in their daily lives still feel high gas prices, high rent. they are still feeling inflation and that is what they tend to talk about. >> i think right now, better than we were 2, 3, four years ago, but i think there is a ways to go. >> a mixed picture from this group of democratic voters looking for more from the biden administration, who see trump as continuing to divide the country while also dominating its attention and who have few answers on how to move beyond him and his supporters.

for "the pbs newshour" i'm judy woodruff in bethlehem, pennsylvania. >> complex legal theory will soon be tested in court in colorado and minnesota after a group of voters ask judges to block state officials from putting former president trump's name on the ballot. the suit claims trump violated the 14th amendment, which says anyone who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the constitution after taking an oath to defend it is ineligible to hold office." more states are expected to face similar legal challenges. for more, i'm joined by the secretary of state of colorado who is also chair of the democratic association of secretaries of state. welcome. thanks for joining us.

>> thanks for having me. >> the lawsuit filed in colorado last week is by a d.c.-based ethics watchdog group basically on behalf of colorado voters, asking for a judge to say trump is disqualified and should not be on the colorado ballot. you have been saying you need more legal guidance on this. help us understand -- what are some of the key questions you think need to be answered before you can take a position on this? >> there are some big legal questions. first and foremost, in relation with the 14th amendment, it is unclear if that amendment, if someone is disqualified under it, applies to ballot access, so barring that potential candidate from becoming a candidate on a ballot or just disqualifying them from being seated in office. it also is unclear who gets to determine if someone is disqualified under section three of the 14th amendment. likewise, we would like clarity under colorado law as to how to

consider that potential disqualification. overall, i think it is a good think that a court is weighing in because this is truly an unprecedented situation. >> as you know, some folks are already weighing in, arguing he should not be removed from the ballot, that voters should be the ones to decide. the former attorney general argued in "the wall street journal," -- he said if mr. trump is to be kept from office, it will have to be done the old-fashioned way, the way it was done in 2020, by defeating him in an election. georgia's secretary of state said that for a secretary of state to remove a candidate would only reinforce the grievances of those who see the system as rigged and corrupt. what do you make of those arguments? >> my job is to follow the law and uphold the constitution. honestly, some of those arguments sound like they are political arguments. i think overall, if the u.s.

constitution bars a candidate, we have to respect that. there's big questions over if the u.s. constitution does bar him. section three of the 14th amendment clearly says that if someone swears to uphold the constitution and they then go and engage in rebellion or insurrection or give aid or comfort to the enemies of the constitution, they can no longer hold office. donald trump incited in insurrection. there's arguments on both sides, and ultimately, it has to be decided by a court, not the public opinion of the nation. just to clarify, what has to be decided as if the 14th amendment section three disqualifies him or not and that needs to be decided by a court, i believe. >> do you expect this to go to the supreme court? >> it is too early. i know a lot of people are having conversations saying that possibly could. i think this is a good candidate case because it is such an unprecedented situation. either way, if donald trump is a

candidate or not, if he is on the ballot or off, he does pose a threat to democracy. even without removing him from the ballot in the past, americans have shown up to protect democracy. they did it in 2018, 2020, and 2022. i think there's a lot of mechanisms to make sure this country continues to be one where every single person's voice is heard and that winners and losers of our elections respect the outcomes. >> as you know, there are other secretaries of state saying this as well. in new hampshire, their secretary of state said he is rejecting those 14th amendment claims, that mr. trump will be on the ballot. we know mr. trump blasted out some pressure on him publicly as well. could it be different secretaries of state in different places to see this differently? >> that definitely is a possibility, though i think the general next step will be similar. lawsuits likely are to be filed.

i do think we will see this litigated in various states. that's already happening. there are four lawsuits already filed on the subject, and ultimately, it will be up to the courts. section three of the 14th amendment was put in place after the civil war, and it was used to remove hundreds of confederate soldiers and former officials from government positions. this is not a new amendment, but what is novel is the situation, that we had a former president try to get people not to vote in a pandemic, making it as hard as possible, having his team scheme of the electoral college steel, doing all the things they have done to assault democracy. that is what is really novel. the fact of it is, to have someone who is in the presidency trying to steal an election and lose and then have the audacity to run again -- that's what picks up these big questions for the nation. >> is this going to be resolved

before republican primary day? >> if i could answer that, i would not be secretary of state, i would be a judge. i'm not sure, to tell you the truth. i could see a scenario where this case pops up several times during the election cycle. remember, one of the big questions is if section three of the 14th amendment applies to ballot access, so actually getting on the ballot, or only after someone wins while they are being seated for office, so we could see this litigation get resolved very quickly or as quickly as courts resolve things. we could also see it be refiled if trump is the republican nominee and again if he does win the presidential election, refiled before he takes office. >> we will be following it as it unfolds. thank you for joining us. we do appreciate it. >> thank you. >> and that is "the newshour" for tonight. remember, there's a lot more online, including a look at the top five things you need to know

about this newest covid vaccine. that's all online at s.org/newshour. on behalf of the entire "newshour" team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of "the newshour" including jim and nancy filner and kathy and paul anderson. >> consumer cellular. this is sam. how may i help you? >> this is pocket title. >> well, somebody's pocket, thought i would let you know with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that's kind of our thing. have a nice day. quickly ford foundation, working with missionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. funding for "america at a crossroads" was provided by -- and with the ongoing support of

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