amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight. the federal reserve holds off on raising interest rates further, but consumers still feel the pain of past hikes, with mortgage rates at their highest level in over twenty years. amna: tensions rise between india and canada after the killing of an outspoken sikh leader in british columbia. geoff: and, despite employment being a key factor in keeping people out of prison, jobs that require state licenses remain

out of reach for many people with criminal records. >> although i'm free, i'm still incarcerated because i still have to deal with “no's”. and with jobs, i can forget about even trying to apply for them. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us.

>> these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have this energy that ergizes me. i'm thriving by helping others every day. people who know, know bdo. >> the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

thank you. stephanie: here are the latest headlines. the federal reserve is leaving interest rates unchanged, a sign of a resilient economy as policymakers fight inflation. but fed officials also acknowledged a long road ahead to reaching their 2% inflation target. signaling they could raise rates once more this year. fed chairman jerome powell said the central bank will proceed with caution. >> what we decided to do is maintain the policy rate and await further data. we want to see convincing evidence, really, that we have reached the appropriate level, and we've seen progress, and we welcome that, but we need to see more progress before we're willing to reach that conclusion. stephanie: general motors idled and a similar plant today, laying out most of its 2000 person work force elsewhere.

still lantus said it plans allow of almost 370 autoworkers in ohio and indiana. attorney general merrick garland faced a barrage of criticism today from republicans accusing him of politicizing the justice department. he appeared before the house judiciary committee in his first congressional testimony since the indictments of former president trump and hunter biden. lisa desjardins has our report. lisa: a long hearing, with one thundering charge from conservatives. >> americans believe that today in our country there is unequal application of the law. lisa: and one central figure to respond, attorney general merrick garland. >> i am not the president's lawyer. i will add, i am not congress' prosecutor. the justice department works for the american people. lisa: house republicans grilled

him for hours on what they call the “weaponization” of the justice department under president biden. >> there's one investigation protecting president biden, there's another one attacking president trump. lisa: gop members questioned the special counsel's case against fellow party member, trump, and skewered the plea deal originally offered to hunter biden on tax and gun charges. >> a sweetheart deal that was ultimately upended by the court. lisa: garland repeatedly said the decisions were not his, but those of independent special counsel david weiss. >> i promised the senate when i came before it for confirmation that i would leave mr. weiss in place and that i would not interfere with his investigation. lisa: democrats were frank in cross-examination. >> is there any basis in reality? lisa: a veteran of the hearings never hesitated to stand up for his agency but showed unusual passion defending himself, speaking about family members killed in the holocaust, and his

grandmother who survived because she had fled to america. >> the rule of law is the foundation of our system of government. repaying this country for the debt my family owes, for our very lives has been the focus of my entire professional career. lisa: next week, house republicans turn to garland's boss, as a different committee begins an impeachment inquiry of president biden. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. stephanie: the nominee for chairman of the joint chiefs air force chief general cq brown was confirmed by an 83-11 vote this evening. the senate is also voting on the nominations for the army chief of staff and a comment on. all three had been bought for months by alabama senator tommy

tuberville who was protesting the pentagon's abortion policy. about 300 other nominations remain in limbo. the biden administration announcing today is granting protections to hundreds of thousands of venezuelans already in the u.s.. temporary protected status will make it easier those arriving before the end of july to get work authorizations. ukraine's president called out the united nations in action on russia's war of unprovoked aggression in ukraine, addressing the un security council today, president zelenskyy said they are addressing the problem with rhetoric rather than solutions. >> i'm grateful to all those who have recognized the russian aggression as the violation of the u.n. charter. ukraine exercises its right to self-defense, helping ukraine with weapons in this exercise by imposing sanctions and exerting comprehensive pressure on the aggressor, would mean helping to defend the u.n. charter. stephanie: russia's position as a veto power with a permanent

seat on the security council has blocked the un from taking action in ukraine so far. president biden met with israeli prime mister benjamin netanyahu on the sidelines of the un general assembly in new york. it was their first meeting since netanyahu's far-right government took power last year. the president referenced the israeli leader's efforts to reform its judicial system, which have sparked protests and concerns about authoritarianism. president biden: today we're going to discuss some of the hard issues, that is upholding democratic values that lie at the heart of our partnership including checks and balances in our systems. prime minister netanyahu: one thing is certain, and one thing will never change, and that is israel's commitment to democracy. stephanie: the meeting took place amid a recent spike in violence between israelis and palestinians. funerals were held today in the west bank and gaza strip after six palestinians were killed in israeli military raids.

hamas and the palestinian islamic jihad claimed three of the deceased were their militant fighters. in azerbaijan, military operations came to a halt in the breakaway "nagorno-karabakh" region, after an apparent cease-fire with armenian forces. the deal ends two days of bloodshed in the mountainous region, within azerbaijan's borders but long controlled by armenian separatists. today, both sides acknowledged the fragile truce. >> an agreement was reached on the suspension of local anti-terrorist measures. the illegal armenian armed groups lay down their weapons, leave their combat positions and military posts and are completely disarmed. >> armenia hasn't anyhow participated in the creation of the ceasefire deal and wasn't party to the discussions. according to the recent information i received from the nagorno-karabakh, the intensity of military actions has sharply dropped.

stephanie: there are estimates today that at least 200 people died in the fighting and more than 400 others were wounded. still to come on the newshour, california sues oil companies for lying about climate change. the latest political battleground, conservatives targeting the liberal state justices. and how light pollution from cities and satellites is making it difficult to see the stars. >> this is the pbs newshour, from weta studios in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: the federal reserve may not have hiked interest rates today, but that didn't provide much relief to many struggling with the burden of the higher costs of borrowing. the fed's series of hikes over more than a year has triggered a big jump in mortgage rates, pushing them to their highest level in more than two decades. we're going to focus on what

this has meant for potential and current homeowners. first, perspectives from borrowers and a real estate broker. >> my husband recently retired, so we are looking at possibly building a home that would be something we could age into and something that would be adaptive, should we need those services in our future. >> my wife and i relocated from another state back to california to be closer to family. we are all very lucky to be retired, and we just sold our home and have been looking very aggressively for the last year. >> the reality is, a lot of buyers have backed off and have slowed down their pursuit of purchasing a home to be not only are the rates higher, but so are the prices. and demand inventory is slow as well. >> the recent increases in interest rates has really thrown a wrench into our plans. think that we were hoping to do, for instance going from a three

bedroom 22 bedrooms, is really changing the size scope because of the cost of building. >> my wife and i are both retired on a government pension and we are incredibly lucky as opposed to a lot of other americans who are out there and have difficulty with her wages and the high cost of housing. as interest rates continue to rise, more people feel like they are locked into their existing situation. >> even though inventory is low, there are still houses on the market, whether it's a new home built, or house in a neighborhood that's available. yes, it's a challenge. sometimes you may not move exactly in the neighborhood you wanted, but you may find it place in a neighborhood close to where you're looking. >> the marketplace is so confusing right now. it appears that because of the higher interest rates, a lot of homeowners who may want to or need to sell their homes are

unable to or and willing to because they had such a low interest rate when they bought, and frankly the marketplace is so hyperactive, in a way, that house prices have gone up, interest rates are going up, and it makes it very difficult for people to sell their homes even if they need to. >> i definitely don't advised that they wait until the rates go down. you will find that there will be programs that are available to assist them in getting homes that were available if the rates are down. but it seems like most of the homes being built in our area are these very large homes, and they are starting at $400,000 or $500,000. who could afford to build that? it is just very difficult when you think of the housing availability. when you look at my husband and i, and we aren't selling our home because we're afraid of not being able to find something that we could afford. then you look at young people not being able to find starter homes in a price range that they

can afford. it's a very tense and tough time for people. amna: some further insight on all this from daryl fairweather, who watches all this very closely as the chief economist for the real estate company redfin. big picture, what is your reaction to the fed's decision today not to raise rates? how do you view that from your perch? >> it seems like interest rates are going to remain elevated for the short-term, which is more of the same for the housing market. we have seen both sellers and buyers pull in his high interest rate environment. it means even though there are very few sales, home prices remain elevated because of the lack of inventory. so it's just a really difficult market and i don't see it really improving until rates fall. amna: let's talk about it more

from the potential home buyer perspective. we heard from some folks who are having to make very tough choices about whether or not they might buy. what do you say about the extent to which this is forcing some potential homebuyers and borrowers into really tough choices, particularly lower income households, people who have less than ideal credit. what are their chances now? >> in most parts of the country, it is cheaper to rent than it is to buy right now. that's only for the short-term, for the next year. who knows what is going to happen when rents go up, it may be even more difficult later on. first-time homebuyers especially have a dilemma. do they try to get into the housing market now? amna: and what about for existing homeowners? we heard that one gentleman say they feel like they are locked into their situation. is that what you have been

seeing? >> yes, many homeowners were able to lock in record rates during the pandemic. if they were to move today and by an equally priced home, they could see their mortgage payments double just forgetting -- just for getting the exact same kind of home. those who are downsizing and moving to more affordable areas, or people who have a major off -- life situation happening, like marriage or divorce our new baby on the way. amna: we know we have long had an affordable housing shortage in this country and has gotten worse in recent years. what have the last 60 months of rate hikes meant overall for housing supply? >> the interest rates have had a very direct impact on the housing market. people need to borrow money quickly to buy a home, also people who own homes have mortgages and if they were to move again, they would face

another mortgage with even higher rates. so it has a very direct impact on people's willingness to both buy and sell homes. and how few homes are being actually sold right now. amna: mortgage rates are now their highest level since 2002. do you see them coming down anytime soon? >> i do think mortgage rates will fall whenever inflation falls. that has been the story in the economy this year. once inflation ask like it is under control, i expect mortgage rates to fall sharply and swiftly and that could cause a whole lot of people to rush into the housing market to take advantage of those low rates. amna: and when you look ahead, we know there could be another interest rate hike ahead from the fed. what would that mean for the housing market? >> the fed is going to be paying attention to inflation. they will hike if inflation is persistent. they will not hike and they

could potentially cut when the economy slows down. i don't think there's anything set in stone. the fed is going to pay attention to the new economic releases and make decisions based on that information. amna: thank you so much, we appreciate your time. >> thank you. ♪ amna: india and canada are caught up in a tense diplomatic showdown over the assasination of a sikh separatist leader in british columbia. the naturalized canadian citizen originally from the northern indian state of punjab was an advocate for an independent sikh homeland. he was killed in the city of surrey in june. he had been designated a terrorist by indian authorities.

this week, canadian prime minister justin trudeau announced that canadian authorities have "credible information" linking the killing to india's government. both countries have now each expelled a top diplomats. to better understand the context, and what this means for india's relations with canada and the u.s., we turn to journalist and bloomberg columnist bobby ghosh. good to see you, thanks for joining us. before we dig into the details, just big picture, for justin trudeau to publicly accuse india of having a hand in killing a canadian citizen on canadian soil, how big a deal is that? >> it's a very big deal, and from all the reporting we are seeing on this, it looks like this was the last resort for the canadian prime minister. since june, since the attack took place, since the murder of this man took place, the canadian authorities have been trying to get some traction with their indian counterparts,

trudeau himself raised the issue both with the u.s. government and the government of britain to try to intervene with the indians. then trudeau went to delhi for the summit a couple weeks ago and directly raised the matter with prime minister narendra modi, but he got no response, he got pushback from all of these measures. he then decided to go public with the accusation. that suggests to me that he had come to the end of his tether. he had decided there was no point in trying to do it diplomatically he felt like it was necessary to bring it out in the open. amna: what do we need to understand about this separatist movement? we know it has had a violent history in india. we know indira gandhi was assassinated by members of this movement. we know it also triggered widespread violence in india at one stage. where's that movement today, and what did this man who was

killed, what role did he play? >> i grew up in india in the 1980's, the movement has since then faded quite a lot. a small proportion of sikhs in india and around the world want to see a separate, independent homeland where the current indian state of punjab is. it had become a very violent uprising which a government put down over several years, as you point out. this led to the assassination of prime minister gandhi. in recent years the movement has faded away. it takes place much more at the margins, mostly in the margins of the sikh diaspora. within the country, they have put a lid on the movement. in places like canada and britain where there are large sikh populations, a small proportion of that population

still clings to the idea of an independent state. he was one of those people it would appear was a leader of the faction that still held onto the idea of a sikh homeland within india. amna: what do you make of the way the prime minister and his government responded to the allegations? >> they have been quite outspoken. they described it as absurd. they have retaliated for canada, expelled an indian diplomat who they said was part of the indian intelligence service. but india is taking a very firm position. this is now out in the court of public opinion. both sides have had their say, and for the rest of the world and the population of both countries to make up their minds. we will need to see some evidence.

the next step would have to be for justin trudeau and his government to show the world what information they have. amna: this does put the u.s. in a very awkward position. the closest ally or neighbor to the north, canada on one side, in a country they been trying to deepen the relationship with to help counter china and russia. do you see the biden administration taking a side in this? >> it has been trying very hard not to take a side in this. it has done india a tremendous favor by successfully making justin trudeau lie low on this until after the g20 summit. biden has already done modi a big favor by that. now it is his turn to show canada some love and to respond to justin trudeau's concerns. biden is in a really awkward position, but substantially this

is of his own making. by embracing modi, he has essentially embraced the full package, everything that comes with modi. if it turns out this was something the indian government ordered, then biden will have to reckon with it. amna: that is bobby ghosh joining us tonight. always good to see you. ♪ geoff: being employed has proven to reduce the chances that people who have recently left prison will reoffend. but for many, jobs that require a state license or certificate can be difficult or even impossible to obtain. special correspondent cat wise reports from oregon as part of our ongoing series “searching for justice.” >> at the coffee creek correctional facility south of portland, about a dozen women

are attending the final class of intro to native american studies. >> you have been fantastic, your critical thinking skills, your questions. >> the class is part of a bachelor's degree program in liberal studies offered by portland state university to incarcerated women here. >> the trauma of our ancestors run through the generations of our families. >> kyeesha alvarez, who is 28, is serving more than five years for assault. kyeesha alvarez: i wanted to be a nurse and eventually continue studying to be a doctor. but i don't know what my options are now. cat: what sort of hurdles are you anticipating? >> well, i am a felon now, so. >> alvarez knows that if she completes a bachelor's degree her criminal record may still affect her ability to get jobs that require background checks or an employment requirement that can be as another big hurdle, an occupational license. kyeesha: it is very frustrating. and i think a lot of us feel the

same way. and there's only a handful of things that we can do when we get out and we want to do more. i want to do more. >> about a quarter of jobs in the u.s. require some sort of professional license or certification, jobs like teachers, nurses, and electricians. some of those licenses, however, are off limits to those with certain criminal convictions. more than 40 states have enacted reforms to reduce licensing barriers. but here in oregon many hurdles remain. deb: we say that we give people a certain sentence. they complete their time. but really, that sentence continues. >> deb arthur is a professor and the director of the higher education in prison program at portland state university. deb: 4% of people who are formerly incarcerated have a college degree, 4%. there's so much talent and there's so many people that are would be great contributors if we provided that support system for that.

>> arthur first introduced classes at coffee creek in 2019 and now oversees about 100 students. cat: are the students aware that some jobs may be off limits to them? deb: yes, and there's a lot of concern about that. there's lots of anger and there's also resignation because honestly, these are people who, to a large extent, feel written off by society anyway. >> i love science. i used to be a science tutor inside. >> kiesha johnson knows what it's like to feel written off. >> although i'm free, like, i am still incarcerated. because i still have to deal with “no's” and with jobs, i can forget about even trying to apply for them. >> johnson served nearly 20 years for being present during a robbery, turned murder. in 2021 her life sentence was commuted by then-oregon governor kate brown. after being released, she went

to texas to be closer to family and got a job as a security guard. >> i was completely honest. i've been incarcerated for this amount of time with these charges. and he said, come on, you, can you pass a drug test? yeah, and i got the job. >> but eight months later, johnson says she abruptly lost her position. a state licensing department said her conviction meant she couldn't work as an unarmed guard. kiesha: most of the jobs that i feel i qualify for does require a license. i don't put myself through the pain or the excitement that i'm going to do something that i really want to do. >> johnson came back to oregon and enrolled full time at portland state, continuing the degree she started when she was incarcerated at coffee creek. she's also working for americorp, helping run project rebound, a formal support system

for students enrolling in school after prison. kiesha: if i didn't have this program, i really, really don't know where i would be. the problem is, not being able to move forward. after you rve your time, you serve your time. then it should be over. but it's never over. >> there has been some movement to change rules around licensing in oregon. earlier this year a bill was introduced that would prevent a licensing entity from denying a license solely because an applicant had a criminal record, unless the crime was specifically related to the occupation. that bill failed to pass, which means formerly incarcerated oregonians like jose salcedo still face barriers. despite being out of prison for almost a decade, and turning his life around, the 31-year old's youth record and adult robbery conviction from when he was a teenager are big obstacles for his dream job, a parole officer.

in oregon, a felony conviction leads to a mandatory deniable most licenses in the field of public safety. jose: i've been denied three different jobs already. one of them is to work in a youth correctional facility, same facility that i grew up in. and i've made it past the application and the interview process and everything was great. but the minute i filed for that background, i was denied. >> today, salcedo is a youth mentor for kids who have been impacted by gun violence and the criminal justice system. his approach is guided by his own experience. jose: the youth that i work with right now are the youth that i used to be when i was little. my motto is be that person i needed when i was younger because i never had nobody else tell me that i could do better. >> while he enjoys his work, and feels he is making an impact, salcedo says he's frustrated that his criminal record is preventing him from helping his community as a parole officer. do you feel those license requirements are fair?

jose: i don't think they're fair at all. i'm doing as much as i could to give back to the community. so at one point, when is the community going to try to open up and give me some mercy? >> in oregon there is a process to expunge, or clear, many felonies after a period ranging from 5 to 7 years and more serious felonies through a court process. but district attorneys can object, something jose salcedo has already experienced. jose: i've been through court for the past year and a half to expunge my juvenile record. and each time it's always been the d.a. that objects and has specific requirements and objections. and i don't think that battle is over because i then have to face the adult courts, which is harder. >> but some in oregon have concerns about changing requirements. how do you respond to safety concerns when people say, you know, these these regulations

and licensing requirements are in place because we're concerned about safety. public safety? >> i'm a mom. i have two children. i'm concerned about safety. i don't want someone with a sex offense conviction in my kid's classroom. there are certain limitations that make sense. but to have a blanket exclusion from all sorts of job opportunities and career opportunities just absolutely doesn't make sense. >> coffee creek and other prisons around oregon do offer job training in fields that are more open to people with criminal records, like production sewing, electrical work, and cosmetology. but kiesha johnson has different career aspirations. she wants to start her own organization helping current and formerly incarcerated people. keisha: i don't want to answer to anyone else that's going to tell me no.

so i want to be my own boss. i'm going to get my degree, i'm going to get my nonprofit, and with determination, perseverance, i'm going to get there. >> jose salcedo is also focused on the future. this fall he begins an associates degree in criminal justice, a step in his ultimate goal of becoming a parole officer. jose: where there's a will, there's a way. all my life, i've spent years fighting. i spent years fighting, accomplishing, losing, winning, gaining. and it's not going to stop. >> with about 4,500 people released from prisons in oregon last year, and a statewide labor shortage, the need for new employment pathways is as pressing as ever. for the pbs newshour, i'm cat wise in portland, oregon. ♪ amna: california is suing big

oil. it's the latest lawsuit targeting fossil fuel companies over their role in climate change. and it comes during climate week, one of the largest annual events designed to focus on the problem and in tandem with the meeting of the un general assembly. william brangham has the details on this case. william: california claims the 5 biggest oil and gas companies: exxon mobil, shell, chevron, conocophillips and bp, as well as the american petroleum institute, knew that using their products led to climate change, but then spent decades misleading the public. the lawsuit says extreme weather fueled by climate change has caused billions of dollars in damages in the state and these companies should pay for some of that damage. joining us now is california attorney general rob bonta. thank you so much for being with us. you're claiming these companies knew all along that burning oil and gas would exacerbate climate

change. as you cite in your suit, there is plenty of documentary evidence that they knew that, and you are arguing that they were not forthcoming about that knowledge. what are you alleging that their silence actually meant? >> there were actually very active in pushing forward and advancing the deception. they knew 50, 60, 70 years ago that the fossil fuels that they were selling created climate change. they predicted with terrifying certainty where we would be today with extreme weather events, their internal memos, industry commission studies, their speeches internally to one another all said this. and they were very active in their deception. they worked with front groups. they supported and funded front groups with great climate supportive names like global

climate coalition to undermine the science that they knew was inaccurate, they knew the actual truth. internally they acknowledged that they talked about it and pushed out into the public science that would dilute that truth, that would undermine it and cast doubt. so they could profit to the tune of billions and billions of dollars over many, many years, just profiting $200 billion last year. they also knew about clean energy pathways forward. they knew about carbon sequestration, things that could have put our planet on a better pathway. they chose to push those down and lift up fossil fuels, all for profit. they lied to the people of california. so we are asking them to put billions of dollars into an abatement fund to mitigate future environmental damage and provide for resiliency and adaptation going forward. william: let's say that had been more frank about their understanding of climate change. what would you have wanted those

companies back then to have done differently? >> be truthful, very simple. don't lie, don'deceive, don't hide from the public clean energy pathways forward, and don't hide from the public the existential threat that fossil fuels created in terms of climate change and extreme weather and damage to the environment, with full damage that people can make choices about their future and our planet's future, our children and grandchildren's future. perhaps the choices would've been different, like doubling down and investing in clean energy and phasing out fossil fuels. who knows? but they should not applied. they should've told the truth. they affirmatively lied to the people california time and time again with their editorials that they produced, their marketing arm, the industry association, the american petroleum institute was very involved with this. with the faux science they put

out, all meant to make people believe something different than the actual truth was, that we were on a pathway towards disaster, as a state, nation, and world. william: the american petroleum institute put out a statement saying the ongoing campaign is nothing more than a distraction. climate policy is for congress to debate and decide, not the court system. what do you make of that argument that in fact it is incumbent on senators, governors, presidents to determine policy, energy policy and that going after a private company is inappropriate. >> that entire statement is entirely in character was statements they made over the last number of decades. that statement is a distraction. that statement is not true. that statement wants you to focus on other things besides the actual truth.

there will be, and there is a entirely separate and independent pathway for action in this space that is pointed out by the american petroleum institute. that is something different than what we're doing. it's for congress and legislative bodies to make policy about climate change, and they are. the biden administration has been a great leader in this space. but our lane, a separate lane, is the lane of accountable legal accountability in court. we are the state of california is suing big oil in state court for the damage they have caused. this is not a policy lawsuit. this is a straight up. legal cause of action that has remedies in court. cases like this have been brought before against the tobacco industry, against the lead paint industry, against the opioid industry. when entire industries hurt people time and time again in great numbers, and at great scale and lie about it. this is not new. william: governor newsom has said that the damage caused by this deception, as he puts it, by these oil companies is

incalculable. so how do you calculate the role that a given oil company might have contributed to a drought? a wildfire? a storm in california? how do you do that? >> we think it's in the range of tens of billions, hundreds of billions of dollars and ongoing damage going forward. that's the sort of big picture estimate. we will need experts, scientists, to look at attribution of, um different damage to the different defendants and looking at causation. to determine the specifics. and so that will take time. what we will get more evidence and information through the course of the lawsuit and make those determinations throughout the course of the lawsuit down the road. william: attorney general rob bonta of the state of california thank you so much for being here. >> thanks for having me. ♪

geoff: as political fights across the country become more contentious, key legal decisions over issues like gerrymandering are finding their way to state supreme courts. that's turned once-overlooked questions about who sits on the bench into all-out political battles of their own. in two states, liberal supreme court justices are under fire. in wisconsin, justice janet protasiewicz, less than two months into the job, is facing potential impeachment by the republican-controlled legislature. and in north carolina, justice anita earls, one of just two democrats on the court, is being investigated by a judicial commission. to discuss the politics at play in state courts, i'm joined by zac schultz, who covers politics for pbs wisconsin. and colin campbell, capitol bureau chief for wunc. welcome to you both. in wisconsin, republicans were fighting to preserve the legislative electoral maps that they drew or arguing that the justice has to recuse herself

from this case. where do things stand? >> they are threatening impeachment which is a process in wisconsin for elected judges that we have not really had to deal with in the last century plus. is completely new territory. the leader of the republicans for the legislature says he is bringing in some former supreme court justices, some conservatives to help give him some legal guidance as to what path may lay forward and whether any of the things she has said on the campaign trail last spring would rise to the level of warrantg the impeachment process. at the same time, he is also hedging some bets and ask her -- actually trying to advance a bill that would create a nonpartisan redistricting process here in wisconsin based on the iowa model. the democrats are rejecting that call for right now, saying the bill is not close enough to the iowa model to account and they don't trust the republicans, republicans have said we don't need an iowa model, we should

write the bills ourselves. geoff: how likely is impeachment and is there any concern that impeaching the justice would just infuriate democrats to have a blowback effect on republicans in future elections? >> it's anybody's guess. we've already seen one republican in the assembly come out and say he would not vote for impeachment. we have seen an all-out campaign by democrats going after other republicans in districts that maybe swingable. so there is the threat of blowback, especially if impeachment doesn't work and maps in up being rewritten that put some of those republicans in much less favorable districts next year. so there is a lot of calculating on how far they could go and what they should do in the process. the real question is if impeachment actually goes forward, there would be a lawsuit immediately filed saying is invalid and that would go to the supreme court in wisconsin.

in that case, she probably would recuse herself because it would directly impact her potential impeachment. so we could see all sorts of different tracks along those lines. geoff: the state supreme court justice anita earls is suing the judicial oversight board that is investigating her for comment she made about the diversity of the states judicial system. bring us up to speed. >> she made some comments of if humans back common issues about diversity in hiring in the court system as well as a decision by the chief justice of the supreme court to do away with the commission on equity. that has landed her in hot water with the group that oversees conduct of judges, and they are in the process of investigating her. she says the investigation impinges on her free speech rights and she's trying to block the investigation and disciplinary action from going forward.

that is currently pending at the federal court level. the federal judge assigned to the case has accuses standards commission justice earls of being inflammatory in their accusations in the legal filing so far. this will end up being a pretty spicy court battle. geoff: if she were to be removed, how would that affect the makeup of the court and potential outcomes of the cases coming before the court? >> north carolina supreme court as of this year has a pretty strong republican majority of 5-2. it was a democratic majority last year, so that's why we are seeing some of this whiplash in terms of animosity on the court. if she were to be removed, she's going to get reappointed by or replaced by the states governor who is a democrat. there is still a republican majority for the next couple of election cycles before democrats can take control of the court.

so a lot of it is about the chilling of speech in the animosity that occurs on the supreme court more so than which party gets control at this point. geoff: is this the first time something like this has happened where a judge has been targeted for previous comments like this? >> the judicial standards commission has filed disciplinary action against a variety of judges. this is the first time i can recall it is about comments or a critique of the judicial system. they are arguing she has violated a code of conduct that prevents judges from saying anything that impacts public confidence, which is a very vague piece of the judicial code of conduct. i don't think it is been used this way up until now. geoff: last supreme court election in wisconsin was the most expensive judicial race in that states history. it was incredibly contentious and partisan, even though it is

technically a nonpartisan election. has there been any talk of changing how judges are chosen in that state? >> it's a conversation that comes up almost every single supreme court election. it is in the constitution, so it would require constitutional amendment. that process would require two consecutive legislatures passing that and a statewide referendum approving it. it is never gotten past the legislature introducing it. it's simply not going to happen, most people say as ugly as it can be, they still like the accessibility of judges to being directly elected by the people. what that has meant is that the parties have gotten more and more involved in every step. it is more difficult for these candidates to keep in arms length away from the process. geoff: thanks to you both.

♪ amna: astronomers around the world are calling for international agreements to limit the spread of satellite constellations in space, warning that the light pollution they create damages vital scientific work. in britain, the government is also being urged to impose new planning regulations to stop the alarming loss of the nation's dark skies. special correspondent malcolm brabant reports from southern england. >> after one of the worst british summers in recent memory, a september sunset of this caliber is enough to make one salsa like no one is watching.

>> i'm using red light because i want to protect my night vision but also to minimize light. -- light pollution because i'm about to do some time-lapse videos of the night sky. it is pretty cloudy tonight but i can still see the stars. >> images of the twinkling heavens are tainted by the tinge of light pollution from the city of brighton. this is a fair representation of the state of the skies above much of the u.k. >> we've seen roughly a 10% loss of our skies over the last 10 years. nature suffering from it as well. it is an important thing to lose for us. >> he is a dark skies consultant working to reduce light pollution. >> the dark sky is something that connects humanity. being able to stand under a dark sky means you can try to figure out where you came from.

>> i grew up in the southwest part of the u.s. in a place where there wasn't as much light pollution. >> she is the editor of night scape, a quarterly magazine committed to reclaiming starry, starry nights. >> it's just such a fundamental part of who i am a and part of who humans are. all of our art and her music and films throughout history have been inspired by the night sky. >> dark sky activists insist there are compelling health reasons to fight light pollution. >> it disrupts our circadian rhythm which impacts our sleep cycle and can result in all sorts of mental health issues and lead to all sorts of different illnesses. >> great news, all systems are go for launch. taking our satellites into space. >> there is great concern about the impact of satellites in low earth and what it means for our science.

>> a leading astronomer wants governments to pay attention. >> we are effectively in a paradigm shift. what we now have is rising rapidly. >> most of those are satellites owned by elon musk. >> it's not inconceivable that we could see hundreds of thousands of satellites in that region of space above the earth. >> starling satellites operate in low-earth orbit which enables the delivery of high-speed internet to people living in remote locations around the globe. >> this video shows a train of satellites shortly after their release. >> looking for faint objects, and what happens when satellites

cross the field, you get a whole series of streaks. science is compromised. >> but satellite companies are trying to minimize light pollution from space. dr. bruce cameron from the massachusetts institute of technology explains. >> they have tried applying new coatings on the outside that absorb or reflect light back into space. they have tried sunshades, shading the satellite from some of that inbound sunlight that is then reflected back to earth as light pollution. >> space has become the new wild west. a constellation of 13,000 satellites with the potential to expand even further. as light pollution expands across europe, dark spaces are ever harder to find. this is north wales.

it helped convince emma stone and her husband to buy this hotel in the valley were even on a cloudy night, shooting stars magically appear. >> it makes you aware there's something bigger out there that is so much larger than us. it also connects you with what eternity the sky is and gives me a sense of this is how the world should be. >> elsewhere in britain, people had to dark sky reserves and national parks like this one near the south coast. sunsets can be spectacular, as can the night. if you look carefully, you can see the galaxy in a time-lapse film just 10 miles away. demonstrating the purity of darkness is at risk from encroaching development. as britain builds new towns to house its growing population. >> it's made worse by these installations.

what we can do is make sure we have good guidance to help people put on the right kind of light at the right place and the right time. >> the thing that gives me the most hope is that light pollution is actually the easiest form of pollution to solve. we already know how to solve it. simply light better, more efficiently, waste less and turn off like that we don't need. >> once in a rare super blue moon, the power of the solar system cuts through the haze. this phenomena took place nearly a month ago and won't appear again for another 14 years. what will light pollution be like then? i'm malcolm brabant on britain's south coast. ♪ geoff: there is much more

online, including a look at how afghans are building community in the heart of the midwest two years after the taliban takeover of their home country. amna: and join us again here tomorrow night, where we'll have full coverage of ukrainaian president zelenskyy's visit to washington d.c. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. thanks for joining us, and have a good evening. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour including kathy and paul anderson. >> this is pocket dial. >> with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that's kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change

worldwide. 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. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west, and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of

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