amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight, the united auto workers hit the picket lines after the deadline for an agreement between the union and the nation's big three car makers expires. amna: the small ohio town where a train derailed seeks answers while cleanup continues seven months later. we speak with the head of the rail company. >> i am really proud of the progress we've made. i also understand there is a lot

more work to be done. geoff: can it's friday. david brooks and jonathan capehart weigh in on mounting tensions in the house of representatives as lawmakers launch an impeachment inquiry into president biden. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour. >> you? >> this is a pocket dial. >> i thought i could let you know that you get nationwide cellular with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. yes, i am legally blind, and

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station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the newshour. the united auto workers launched a strike today. it's the first time the union started a strike by picketing against the big three automakers simultaneously. amna: the union, under fiery new leadership, has also changed its traditional approach to a walkout by starting with a shot on the production of popular truck models. automakers say the workers' demands will endanger their ability to compete. and both sides have portrayed this battle as a critical moment because of a changing rketplace. after weeks of stalled contract negotiations -- >> no deals, no wheels, union strong! reporter: nearly 13,000 autoworkers walked off the job this morning. saying they had no choice, but to strike.

>> it's hard. this is not something everybody wants to do. i don't think anybody wants to do this, but this is what we have to do, so this is what we're going to do. reporter: the uaw strikes aim to disrupt operations for the so-called "big three" detroit automakers -- general motors, ford, and stellantis, which owns jeep and chrysler. combined they produce half of the roughly 15 million vehicles made in the u.s. every year and employ nearly 150,000 uaw members. but workers arent striking en masse. the union is rolling out a new strategy -- targeted strikes at a few facilities. the first include three midwest plants -- a ford bronco plant in michigan, a gm truck and van plant in missouri, and a stellantis jeep plant in ohio. gfx 2 bullets the union is asking for a 36% wage increase over four years, and the restoration of some pay and benefits cuts made in the 2008 recession, including cost of living adjustments, an end to a tiered wage system, and changes to pension plans and retiree healthcare. they are also proposing a four-day work week. uaw president shawn fain spoke

at the picket line just after the work stoppage began at midnight. >> it's a shame we've got to be out here right now doing this because the companies won't take care of their workers, who they want to call family. we're not asking to be millionaires. we're not asking to join the billionaire class. we're asking for our fair share of the fruits of our labor. they deserve it. reporter: the union says companies raked in billions in profits, and worker wages have not kept up. between 2013 and 2022, combined profits for the big three -- ford, gm, and stellantis, surged 92% to $250 billion total. president biden today gave his support to striking workers and said he hoped for a fair agreement. >> auto companies have seen record profits in the last years because of extraordinary skills and sacrifices of uaw workers. those profits have not been shared fairly, in my view. the companies have made some

significant offers, but i believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the uaw. let me say that again. record corporate profits, which they have, should be shared by record contracts for the uaw. reporter: the companies have countered the union with a proposed pay hike of 17.5% to 20%, five weeks of vacation, some cost of living adjustments, adjustments, and more health benefits. and automakers argue that union demands will keep them from competing with non-union and foreign auto companies, and that it would drive up prices. gm ceo mary barra on cnbc this morning. >> i'm extremely frustrated and disappointed. we don't need to be in strike right now. this will not be good for the economy overall and all the communities impacted when a plant is in their city. reporter: the strike follows a pandemic, supply chain

disruptions, and a semiconductor shortage, and comes amid an industry shift to electric, raising union concerns of lower-paying non-union jobs ahead. the big question now, how will the strike impact the economy? >> the strike is going to have a negative effect on the economy. reporter: mark zandi is the chief economist at moody analytics. >> this should not push this resilient economy into recession, certainly not by itself. i mean, obviously, it can construct dark scenarios where the strike extends on, let's say, through the end of the year into next. if that's the case, then the damage to the economy could be serious enough that it could push us over the edge into an economic downturn, but that seems unlikely at this point. reporter: the loss of income, says zandi, could impact those midwestern communities who rely on auto production jobs. and consumers nationwide could feel that impact too. >> it's just going to be tougher to find many of the vehicles

that you might want to purchase. it also could result in higher vehicle prices. vehicle prices have gone skyward here since the pandemic because of the supply shortages, and this would only exacerbate it. i don't think it's a big deal in terms of availability and price if the strike lasts a few days, a few weeks, but if it drags on for a month, two or three, then shortages will become more prevalent and higher prices more likely. reporter: as negotiations continue, more plants could be called on to strike in the days ahead. ♪ geoff: the deadly floods that inundated eastern libya earlier this week have now led to a tide of the dead, bodies seemingly everywhere with a death toll of more than 11,000, and a race that pits dignity and respect for those lost against the threat of disease and further calamity. stephanie sy reports.

stephanie: saad rajab's home in the city of sousse is submerged in layers of mud and completely unlivable. >> it's not easy for a man to go through this. only god knows what we are going through. even the government did not help us. we are left out on the streets. stephanie: but the streets of derna, about 60 miles east, have sustained the most damage. thousands are still believed to be missing, and as much as a quarter of the city has been washed away. for the fifth day straight, local and international rescue teams continued to search the rubble and wade through the waters. libyan authorities today sealed off most of the city and said only rescue teams would be allowed to enter the worst-hit areas. libyans are now racing to bury their dead, but there aren't enough body bags. 5000 from the red cross shipped out today.

what to do with the bodies is a pressing question. the world health organization called on authorities to stop burying flood victims in mass graves. the u.n. says at least 1000 bodies have been buried that way, which experts warn could lead to further trauma for family members. >> graves need to be mapped so there is record of who is buried there. the efforts make it possible for loved ones to later recover the body and had the closure of a private burial. stephanie: for the living, critical aid supplies are coming in, but with damaged roads, and bridges, access to derna remains difficult. local authorities say a sea corridor could be established to deliver urgent relief. martin griffiths is the u.n.'s top humanitarian official. >> priority areas are shelter, food, key primary medical care because of the worry of cholera. stephanie: but aid groups accuse

the government of a lack of central oversight. even before the disastrous flood, at least 300,000 libyans were already in desperate need of aid. the u.n. has launched a $71.4 million appeal for the hundreds of thousands more now reeling from the floods. as appeals for help go out, prayers are lifted up. hundreds of survivors filled a mosque, still standing, in derna. grieving, but not without faith. for the pbs, i'm stephanie sy. -- for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. ♪ geoff: in the day's other headlines, new england braced

for a close encounter with hurricane lee. more than 400 miles of the region expects high winds and heavy rain, in an area that's already seen flooding this week from an earlier system. the hurricane is on track to make landfall tomorrow in nova scotia, canada. maine's coast line could see waves of 15 feet. tens of thousands of people worldwide have kicked off a weekend of protests against climate change. demonstrators are calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels. marchers in germany closed down streets today and rallied at berlin's brandenburg gate. in the philippines, activists demanded quick action by leaders. >> science has said that we only have seven years as a window for climate action, and we are not -- and we are nowhere near the urgent solutions, the drastic solutions, the ambitious actions that are needed yesterday. geoff: the protests are timed to coincide with the united nations climate summit. the u.n. warned last week that countries are far from meeting commitments they made in the

paris agreement of 2015. the u.s. central command says it will interview more troops about the kabul airport bombing two years ago. that's after a former marine said he spotted two men behaving suspiciously, but never got orders to take action. the suicide bombers struck during the chaotic u.s. withdrawal, as thousands of people tried to flee the country. the attack killed 170 afghans and 13 american troops. the original investigation said it was not preventable. chinese authorities are saying nothing tonight about the fate of the country's defense minister. lee shawng-foo has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, and numerous reports today said he's being investigated for corruption. secretary of state tony blinken was asked about it in washington. >> i don't know about the status of the defense minister, and in any event, ultimately these are issues for the chinese government to decide. we remain fully prepared as we've been to engage with the chinese government, whoever happens to be holding the

positions of responsibility at any given time. geoff: li's disappearance follows the ouster of china's foreign minister. he dropped from sight and was replaced in july, without explanation. federal prosecutors say former president trump is trying to intimidate potential witnesses in his january 6 criminal case with threats and inflammatory statements. a court filing today said they're asking the presiding judge to impose limits on what he can say. mr. trump is accused in the case of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election. birmingham, alabama, marked 60 years today since the bombing of killed four young black girls. they were getting ready for sunday services when a powerful dynamite device exploded. the attack brought an outpouring of grief and shook the country's conscience. today's remembrance service at the church featured justice ketanji brown jackson, the first black woman on the u.s. supreme court.

>> the theft of those souls and spirits shook and bent our own, but we did not break. (25 -- did not break. indeed, it was from the rubble of the bombing of this church that our nation renewed its commitment to justice and equality. geoff: three members of the kkk were eventually convicted in the bombing, decades after it took place. the first new treatment in 20 years may be available soon for military veterans and others suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. a new study finds the psychedelic drug mdma can cause a significant reduction in symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks. the fda and the drug enforcement administration will have to approve it before the drug can be prescribed in the u.s. stocks slumped on the way into the weekend. the dow jones industrial average lost nearly 289 points to close at 34,618 the nasdaq fell 217

. the s-and-p 500 dropped 54 points. and a passing of note -- famed colombian painter and sculptor fernando botero died today in monaco, of pneumonia. he was known for sculptures and paintings of oversized figures. his work now decorates cities across europe and latin america. fernando botero was 91 years old. still to come on the "newshour," iran tightens security ahead of the one year anniversary of mahsa amini's death that sparked protests around the world. and a sister's struggle. an israeli researcher believed to be kidnapped by an iraqi militia. >> this is the pbs newshour. from weta studios in washington, and from the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> in february, a norfolk southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in the small ohio village of east palestine. soon after the derailment, officials burned the toxic freight to avoid a possible explosion, sending a black cloud of smoke drifting ominously into

the air. as residents returned to their homes days after the crash, many complained of rashes, sore throats, nausea, and headaches. it's now been over seven months. the cleanup of the derailment site is ongoing, and some residents tell us they're still concerned about the lingering effects on their health, the economic future of their community, and whether something like this could happen again. joining us now to talk about those concerns is the ceo of norfolk southern, alan shaw. thank you for coming in. alan: it is a pleasure to be with you. the last time we were together was in east palestine in the immediate aftermath. i made a commitment that we were going to make it right, and we are keeping our promises. i am proud of the progress we have made. i also understand there is a lot of work left to begun. geoff: residents still say they are suffering devastating symptoms. they want assurances about the safety of their homes. they want health care costs to

be covered now and in the event they develop cancer or some other serious health problem. what can you offer in the way of definitive guarantees? alan: i go back multiple times a month, and when i am there, i am there to oversee our progress and our investment in the community to help it thrive. but i am also there to listen, to sit down with citizens and hear their concerns and hear what norfolk southern can do to help. we hear concerns about water testing, concerns about property valuation and long-term health care. just yesterday we were able to make an announcement of a $4.3 million grant to enhance the city water system. next week i am pretty confident we are going to make an announcement on long-term property valuation, and we are working with key stakeholders on issues associated with long-term health care. we are listening and taking action. geoff: does norfolk southern

have a full accounting of the chemicals spilled and the ones created during that controlled burn? alan: we certainly know what was on the contest of the train. throughout the process, the epa had air testing and water testing up, and they showed outside of the evacuation zone that the air was safe to breathe and the water safe to drink. geoff: one of the concerns we heard the most was the time it was taking to do the remediation. initially it was thought the cleanup could take place in a matter of weeks. it has been seven months. a road has been shut down. why is it taking so long, and what is the expectation for when the work will be done? alan: that is another thing i hear in the community, folks want the remediation to be complete and tagger discrete to be opened. -- taggart street to be open. we believe the most intense phase of the environmental

remediation will be done next month, but we also understand our commitment is not done there , and we will continue to >> fino

folks who have been following what had been happened in east palestine and paid attention to the on goings in the rail industry. they say that rail carriers. >> we work very closely with our elected officials and regulatory agencies. the understand the powerful role that rail plays as an economic and growth engine, and we do a lot of things that are aligned with both sides of the aisle

including enhance investment in manufacturing, and sustainability. we understand our role and will take safety very seriously. >> thanks for coming in. >> thank you for your time.

>> i am usually a fearful person but i felt strong. we felt like we had to defend our rights. >> was just like someone shot an arrow into a string and the arrow and string went through and united everyone in the streets. there were religious people, nonreligious, men old and young.

they all bonded like a big family. >> at the protest, many women removed their he job in a show of defiance. it is a pillar of the islamic republic. to protesters, it was the symbol of oppressive government. by removing the he job, they said no more. >> it was from that moment i completely remove my he job. we can choose this, and we chose to be without the hijab. >> authorities intensified their crackdown. in the months that followed, more than 500 people died, including more than 70 security officers. thousands were arrested, among them journalists and activists. the iran protests became one of the biggest news stories of 2022, with headlines depicting iran's women taking on iran's oh oppressive leaders.

>> for me as a journalist, i think they wanted to produce a bad impression of the leadership. reporter: but a journalist from one of iran's conservative newspapers says coverage of the protest was one-sided and incomplete. she grew up in a conservative family in iran's whose astana province, where for many b he job is a part of everyday culture. she said she too was deeply upset at the death but was struck by how the demands of women and the more liberal capital tehran were so different than what women want in her conservative hometown. >> i often walk by security forces and i thought, do you know what the main concern is for women includes astana. -- for women here when you are highlighting the he job as the main concern for all women? to me, the difference is remarkable. we are fighting for one thing here wildly want something very different there. >> most iranian women want, she

says, are better lives, jobs, the ability to save money for a secure future. >> the he job -- the hijab has become a symbol of protest in our society. when people see the leadership is sensitive to the issue of the he job -- hijab, they push the button and removed it. if livelihood improved, maybe they would have an easier time dealing with the hijab. reporter: that is something we heard over and over again from iranian women. as, these were empty protests that shook iran last year, but many iranian women say their main demand is a better economy. >> the hijab was a weapon used, but the hijab was not the only concern for these women. >> i talked to everyone around me, the hijab was not their main concern. the main concern was the cost of living and inflation. >> people were so concerned with

income and putting brent on the table, both men and women, that they could not think of anything else. >> the situation improves and everything is great, i am personally ready to wear the hijab. >> for many iranians, the economic situation is not improving and the fallout of the protests may have made things worse. inflation, the plummeting value of iranian currency, and more western sanctions are battering the economy. many iranian women make a living with digital businesses on social media, but with the government tightening internet restrictions and blocking instagram in response to the protests, many smaller starts are going under. two years ago, business was booming for this instagram business owner. this year she delivered a teary goodbye. >> this will be the last time you hear my voice and see me on my page. your support and friendship were

very important to me. i often said you became my second family, and they were always with me. >> one year after the death of nasa meaning, the mandatory hi jab law is still in place, and it is still denied he was beaten to death. in a recent news conference, a judiciary official describe the unrest as a hybrid instigated by the west. >> what is a hybrid war? it means you have distractions, riots, and disorder that is so not just in the streets, but in prisons, universities, and schools. social media is used to support this hybrid war. the news media assists in implement the strategy. spy agencies are involved too. we witnessed all of this in these recent events. reporter: but in the streets of the capital tehran, more women openly walk without the hijab.

>> the women who wore the hijab before still where the hijab, but the women who did not believe in the hijab are no longer wearing it. you hear threats of fines, but women are standing up for what they want. reporter: what iranian women say they want are better lives. it is up to the iranian government to deliver. failure to do so will likely few the discontent that sparked iran's protests. ♪ amna: a princeton graduate student has been missing for six months. she was conducting research for her doctoral degree in baghdad when she was believed to be

kidnapped by an iraqi militia. i spoke recently with her sister, emma tsurkov, who lives in the u.s, and has been trying to get government officials and princeton to do more to bring her sister home. i asked emma how she first learned her sister had been taken. >> we are very close, we text each other daily. she loves my only nephew so much. no matter what is going on, and even if she is mad at me, she will always respond to pictures of him. so i sent her a picture of him and then a few hours went by and then at the point at which it was 12 hours and she had not responded, i knew something must be wrong. there is no way that she's okay and has not responded to a picture of him. and then i started making phone calls and trying to understand what's going on.

and i contacted the russian authorities and i contacted the israeli authorities to try and understand what's happening. and from that point on, that's basically the way and as it started. >> so she's believed to be held by a group called kataib hezbollah. it's an iranian backed shia militia in iraq since she was -- in iraq. since she was taken, have you heard anything from her or from them? >> i have not heard from them. i have not received any demands. and i they have kidnaped her because because she is jewish. she is a jewish woman at the hands of an extremist terrorist organization. and so she is a completely innocent woman, a brilliant scholar and a very kind person. she has done nothing wrong to anyone and does not deserve to languish at the hands of a

terror organization. amna: you have been in touch with a number of officials. in russia, in israel, also in iraq, also here in the u.s. you even stood outside the iraqi embassy, i understand, with a sign trying to get a meeting with the ambassador. but amid all of these countries, who do you think is responsible? who should take the lead in trying to get your sister out? >> so i believe that the united states is uniquely positioned to help secure my sister's release for several reasons. first of all, my sister has a stronger relationship to the u.s. while she is not a citizen, she is a resident of the state of new jersey. she's a graduate student at princeton university. and more importantly, and i will point to the fact that as the u.s. government provides aid to the iraqi government, that funds the organization that kidnaped her. so the fact that the u.s. tax dollars, the taxes i pay and you

and every one of the viewers is paying is going to fund the people who kidnaped my sister. amna: she was there doing work as part of her degree at princeton. it was reviewed by princeton in advance, approved by princeton in advance. what have your conversations been like with them so far? >> unfortunately, they've been very frustrating. i expected princeton to be a strong ally of mine and help get my sister back. but in fact, what they have done is treated mainly as a pr problem. i was passed from one administrative person to another. princeton had started this whisper campaign in which the israeli and u.s. governments were told that, which is untrue, that she was there on her own. and all of that is deeply damaging to my sister's case and to her chances of survival. this isn't a matter of pr or of liability.

it is literally life or death for her. >> you've been meeting with u.s. officials here and your visit to washington. have any of them said that they will help to take the lead to secure her release? >> so i have letters from members of congress. representative eric swalwell, who represents the district i live in, in california, and senators menendez and booker, in which they ask the state department to do more to get the iraqi government to intervene and do more to free my sister. but it seems that so far everyone is passing the buck. everyone wants to know what's happening, but no one wants to rt

points to what they call dehumanizing and deadly problems at these prisons and jails, but they say it is a completely --

>> covid changed the prison and jail environment. it meant that there were fewer staff on site it meant that people who were incarcerated had lesser access to the outdoors. those changes in the environment affected people's mental health. and so what we saw in that time was a higher level of violent deaths, drug overdoses as well as suicides. john: the state has the highest mortality rate in the country. john: has there been any response from the family members who died behind bars or the department of corrections? >> family members just want to know how the drugs it into

prisons and jails especially during the pandemic. we spoke with prison officials who acknowledge the spikes in deaths, even calling the rising suicides a black eye for the department. we spoke with a medical director that said what they are seeing parallels what they are seeing in the general population on the outside, and the goal is to provide a standard of care that is equal to what is available in the community. the spokesman went on to say you would like them to go on to their families. for some people that is not happening. john: is the department taking any steps? >> researchers essay bringing awareness through this report will help things move forward. family members believe those deaths are folks who died from nonmedical illnesses deserve an

independent criminal investigation. for its part, the department of corrections has started to evaluate people incarcerated with high needs to determine their best placement. spending has increased by about $6 million since 2017, and the department of corrections has increased on-site clinics to treat people for everything from mental health issues and substance abuse and dialysis. we should mention the lead author of this report says that in-custody deaths should be rare events. >> we do not draw any conclusions about whether the death is preventable or not, but what this project does is it identifies patterns and trends in deaths, both in jails and in prisons, and that this information is awful for administrators of that facility -- helpful for administrators at that facility to identify what types of things they can look to to improve, such as supervision protocols or searching protocols, or the ways in which they might be able to reduce

preventable deaths inside. >> louisiana is unique from most other states because more than half of the people convicted have to serve out their times in local jails run by sheriffs. that is where we are seeing a spike in deaths. local prison advocates say that points to a need for independent oversight and mandatory standards across all these facilities. john: robbie, thank you very much. you can dive deeper into robbie's reporting with -- by going to our website, pbs.org/newshour. reporter: this week president biden faced an opening to into an impeachment inquiry in the house of representatives, and his son faced an indictment on federal gun charges. we turn now to the analysis of brooks and capehart. that's new york times columnist david brooks and jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post. good to see you both.

jonathan, the fact that hunter biden has now been indicted by president biden after the plea deal fell apart, how will that impact the biden campaign? >> it will impact the biden campaign only as much as it is -- it is the president's son who is facing accountability unlike the person he is probably -- the president is probably going to run against, who will actually be the person in the courtroom and four jurisdictions around the country while he is also running for president. the president loves his son. i am sure this is a painful time for him personally. this probably will not go to trial, but if it does, it is

incumbent upon us in the press to keep some perspective here. the charges the president's son is facing. still, it is an interesting strategy among republicans to try and exploit this perceived vulnerability and distract from donald trump's legal troubles. do you think it is an effective one? >> no, donald trump's legal troubles are not something we are going to ignore. it is a distraction. the influence peddling should be investigated. i do not think there should be an impeachment inquiry about it, but hunter biden was in the business of peddling influence. it is not clear.

we should know whether hunter biden's business was a sham, pretending to pedal influence that he did not actually have. that merits and inquiry. it does not merit an impeachment. an impeachment would be holy cow , we should have something truly shocking before taking a step up and impeachment inquiry arose which is risk cheapening the whole assess. >> republicans have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing. john fetterman was asked about this inquiry in the halls of the u.s. senate, and this was his response. rep. van drew: -- sen. fetterman: oh my gosh, it is devastating. don't do it, please, don't do it. geoff: setting aside the senator's sartorial choices, the fact that he made fun of it, he is dismissing it in a cartoonish way, is that a mistake?

should democrats take it seriously? >> democrats absolutely should take this seriously. i get where the senator is coming from. to david's point, there is no evidence here yet. if the republicans were serious, the oversight committee and chairman comer would be doing a serious investigation instead of a fishing expedition that they are on, so far finding nothing. that is why the senator is like, this is so scary, but on the other hand, impeachment is a big deal. the american people, whether they know there was evidence or not, are going to say, what, he is being impeached? this is terrible. this is what happens to terrible people who do terrible things, we don't have any evidence of that. the key is the senator is reacting that way, the white house is not. the white house is taking this area sleep and that is clear what they should be doing. geoff: for kevin mccarthy green

lighting this, does he have to follow this to his natural end? does he have any offramp? >> first, i want to support the senator's use of sarcasm. his caucus is not all the way there. there are a lot of people who are republicans who are saying, well, impeachment backfired on the republicans when they did it to clinton and sort of backfired on the democrats when they did it to trump. this is stupid. they can be pretty hard right, they can be not hard right, but they look at the history of impeachment and realize that people do not like this stuff and we should not do this. he has a lot of people in his caucus who would be very happy not to let this go. john: it is also how the speaker is handling the pressure from the far right wing of his party, not just the fighting in the government, but the infighting. there was extraordinary reporting from a caucus meeting this week.

david: some f bombs were dropped. but the pressure is getting to the speaker, which is why he is dropping f bombs. there might not be enough votes in the caucus to actually improve impeachment, but there are enough votes in the caucus to pass a budget. that is why we are hurtling to a government shutdown. the speaker i thought, from the reporting, he thought that, i will just say that i am authorizing an impeachment inquiry and that will be enough to satisfy matt gaetz and marjorie taylor greene and we can get on with the business of a c.r. and then get to the point of passing a budget. that is off the table now. we are less than 10 working days before congress runs out of runway to come up with a budget by october 1. the government is going to shut down because of this insanity. geoff: what do you make of the situation in which the house speaker finds himself? >> it is like having a really

battle boat -- bad old boat. you are having the first day you get rid of it. that is the significance of being speaker. this congress came in, especially republicans, with two words on their mouth, regular order. we will do this the way it should be done, it will look the way it is supposed to. that is gone. it is completely shambolic. i think, as they always do and has happened a couple months ago, that they will come up with some sort of rough deal to prevent a government shutdown because people know how terrible that would be politically for them, but it certainly does not look like regular order to me. geoff: at the risk of sounding naive, what does it mean that this congress can't pass bills by the regular order? to your point, that is the only way they can get things done these days. >> this is the history of my life.

i have been covering this when they do this peak omnibus thing. mitt romney, when the impeachment process came to him, he sat there and studied the evidence, he prayed about it, consulted experts. he did things like a member of congress would do. that norm, he was probably the only one who did that, and that norm, especially on the budget side, verrilli has the norms of how we do budgets has completely broken down. we have been at this for decades now. geoff: david did raise mitt romney's decision not to run for reelection. how does it affect the senate to lose another moderate republican voice? alan: not just -- david: not just a moderate republican voice, a six person, who took the job of senators seriously and what it means to be one of 100 and what it means

to be the functioning of american government. it was surprising but not surprising. surprising because we need voices like that. i don't agree with senator romney on just about everything, but i respect him and respect the fact that he truly has service in his heart. but it is surprising because the nation needs him, but i understand why he wants to leave, because wino you want to be in an institution where regular order is gone, there are no -- there are very few other serious people around you. geoff: it was george washington who told thomas jefferson that the senate was to be the saucer, to cool the business the way a saucer cools a cup of tea. as the senate becomes more like

the house, what is the net effect of that? jonathan: the senate used to be very different from the house, and they had this collegial, you would go to the senate dining room and they were always butting -- buddy-buddy. there was a room with bourbon where you could have a drink together. i went in that room and the levels of bourbon have not gone down. the senate has become a place to go to get on tv, just like the house, only a little more successful. mitt romney came to congress very honestly, came to the senate, had a list of things he wanted to pass, and the staff was like, what? that is not what we do here. just think of the kind of republicans that used to be common, door to each george romney -- george h w bush, george romney, that is all gone. that is one thing. we learned romney gave

interviews to the atlantic published this week, and we learned a, how often there were times trump has gone into konta the -- has gone into talk to the republican congress, he left and they all laughed contemptuously at him. there are also members who are going to vote to convict on the impeachment, but they are afraid that their families might get assassinated and they knew their vote would not make a difference. we are way beyond the bounds of normal democratic governance when that is even on the minds of members of congress. geoff: and senator romney says he pays something like $5,000 a day in personal security because of threats he and his family face. as we pine for the days of yesteryear, in the 10 seconds we have left, is there a way back? david: yes, and it is called leadership, particularly among republicans. geoff: all right, great to see you all as always. david: thanks, geoff.

♪ amna: remember, there is a lot more online, including a look at why hundreds of thousands of children in texas are losing their medicaid coverage and how schools are trying to fill the gaps. geoff: and be sure to tune into "washington week" with the atlantic later tonight on pbs. our colleague, guest moderator laura barron-lopez and her panel will discuss infighting among house republicans and kevin mccarthy's comments daring members of his party to try to remove him from the speakership. and tomorrow on pbs news weekend, the rise of robo-taxis and the benefits and risks they pose. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by --

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

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