made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on "the newshour" tonight. ukraine's president tries to shore up support from congress, as some republicans remain skeptical about providing more aid for the fight against russia. geoff: media mogul rupert murdoch steps down as the head of fox news and newscorp, raising questions about the future of right wing media in the u.s. amna: and. the demand for raw materials used in electric vehicles creates new dilemmas for communities in minnesota where nickel mining poses both

economic benefits and environmental risks. >> we're talking about our people, our plants, or animals, the water that flows throughout. we do know from all the data that this mining is probably the most toxic mining. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, this is sam. how can i help you? this is a pocket dial. get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. ♪ >> the kendeda fund, committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through

investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendeda fund.org. carnegie corporation of new york supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org. 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 news station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the "newshour." president volodymyr zelenskyy is

in washington after a long day making the rounds on capitol hill, to the pentagon and the white house. his goal is to secure more armants to repel russia's eighteen-month invasion. geoff: but there is a growing chorus of skepticism, and some hostility, among house republicans to the ukrainians' requests.while on the other side of the capitol, senators met zelenskyy with open arms. >> today a leader at war, in , washington to rally support. after bipartisan meetings with both the house and senate, president zelenskyy seemed optimistic about continued unity with the u.s. >> we have great dialogue. i want to thank all of you, to journalists, to senators and congress for helping us. all of us, helping us, we spoke about so many details. but it will be between us. >> but behind closed doors, an urgent plea. >> i'm quoting him verbatim. mr. zelenskyy said 'if we don't get the aid, we will lose the war.'

>> that aid hangs in the balance. >> is zelenskyy elected to congress? is he our president? i don't think i have to commit anything. i have questions for him. >> support among some republican members in the houseincluding speaker kevin mccarthy is wavering. far-right republicans are opposed to sending what they call blank checks to ukraine. >> what is the plan for victory, where are we currently on the field, the accountability, a lot of members have questions. let's walk through that. >> meanwhile, support from both party leaders on the other side of congress remains strong. >> these people in ukraine who are fighting for their independence are taking on one of the two big adversaries we have, russia and china. it seems to me we ought to be helping. >> providing aid is not just a matter of ukrainians security, it's a matter of american security, because a victorious putin is an emboldened putin making the world less safe for democracy. >> among the key things

zelenskyy asked for during his capitol hill visit: more air defense, and long range rockets called atacms, which president biden has been reluctant to provide. just before zelenskyy arrived at the white house to meet with biden, national security adviser jake sullivan said the president would not be sending atacms to ukraine, for now. >> today he has determined that he would not provide atacms, but he has also not taken it off the table in the future. >> later at the white house, president biden welcomed zelenskyy and announced a new $325 millioe based on funds previously approved by congress. pres. biden: today, i approved the next traunch of us security assistant to ukraine including more artillery more ammunition more anti tank weapons and next week the first u.s. abrams tank will be delivered to ukraine. >> american aid now and in the future is critical to ukraine's survival. early today, missiles rained

over cities across ukraine. it was russia's largest aerial bombardment in more than a month. some of the attacks targeted ukraine's electrical grid for the first time in six months. ukraine's military says they shot down most of the missiles. still, falling debris ignited fires in residential areas in kyiv, and destroyed homes and businesses farther south, in cherkasy. and in southern ukraine, projectiles destroyed a residential block in kherson, killing five and wounding more. raising the stakes further, the polish prime minister on television last night said poland would stop sending military supplies to ukraine. >> we are no longer transferring weapons to ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons. >> and just last week, poland, hungary and slovakia announced a ban on ukrainian grain imports, saying the move was to protect their farmers. back in the u.s., as republican infighting over more aid to ukraine continues, president

biden seeks to project strong support for a fellow democracy under brutal attack. geoff: and white house correspondent lorber own low-pass joins us from the white house lawn. also our congressional correspondent lisa de chardin and inkyiv, nick schifrin. president biden met with president zelenskyy. what is the administration's message as congress debates more ukraine aid? >> it's president biden six meeting with president zelenskyy and the white house message is simple, that the united states is going to stand behind ukraine as long as it takes. president biden just announced a new security assistance package that they will give to ukraine and that includes new air

defense systems, specifically more ammunition for the rocket launchers which have reached far behind russian lines as well as additional cluster munitions and additional artillery. jake sullivan of the national security council was telling reporters today that they are confident that in addition to the security package that congress is going to pass more funding for ukraine to provide resources if the war continues despite the fact that there is ongoing chaos in congress. jake sullivan said it is critical that some sort of funding for ukraine as passed by the september 30 deadline. they are confident it will be. he said if it is not it will create a lapse in the resources and supplies that the administration is able to provide to ukraine. geoff: laura reports that the white house is projecting confidence that the ukraine funding will happen. it is the sense you are getting? lisa: no. here i can tell you senate leadership sources in both parties that are

pro ukraine sources tell me they do not think that funding can possibly pass by september 30 and may not even past and whatever the first round solution is to a potential government shutdown. that is a short-term problem for ukraine but there is also a potential long-term problem in that there is growing questions especially from house republicans about whether there should be any aid to ukraine going forward at all or how much. as laura reported earlier, the president spoke to senators and senators i talked to said that volodymyr zelenskyy was powerful and strong and he things ukraine can win. speaking in english he also said "this will not be a forever war." sources say they are not sure how long it will take for that win and how much american money. geoff: answer the congressional concerns that lisa just raised. based on your reporting how long

, and how much money could this take? reporter: there is no clear answer. they are still 100 per set -- 100% focused on what they believe is their only goal and that is re-seizing although their territory no matter long it takes. and in those short-term seizing on enough territory in southern ukraine to threaten russia supply lines and russia's control over crimea. that is a herculean task because of massive russian defenses. we have seen some success from ukraine in the last few days recapturing a village. that is in the east and only after pitched battles turned the town into a moonscape. as you can see in this military video. in the south where we have been some tens of billions of dollars of military aid have not overcome russian minefields and extensive russian defenses.

it is unclear the path to victory but it is clear what the path of defeat is and that is what senator schumer and president volodymyr zelenskyy were referring to today. ukraine cannot sustain the way it has been fighting if u.s. ammunition supplies stop coming. geoff: lisa, what do we know about the public support for continued u.s. aid to ukraine right now? does that influence the thinking of leaders on capitol hill? lisa public sentiment can : often be everything. recent polling shows us the divide. look at some numbers from cnn from july. democrats, should we authorize additional funding? 62% said yes but 71% of republicans said no. no poll is perfect. that is just a snapshot, but that is what we are feeling here. in general republicans are the ones who are moving away from supporting ukraine.

a clear switch from the 1980's when republicans were the ones leading the charge against russia in the cold war period. and talking to some members including many who are staunch allies of ukraine say they are not getting phone calls from their constituents. we are facing this government shutdown, a major budget crisis coming up and ukraine and the importance of its funding seems to be getting lost in the lights in congress. geoff: as president biden talks about the importance of defending ukraine and threats to democracy abroad and at home, where are his gop rivals? laura: the leading presidential contenders are at odds. former president donald trump leading the field by double digits has questioned additional funding to ukraine saying he alone would be able to fix this problem if he were in the white house.

but, there is no evidence he would be able to do that. and the contenders behind him including ron desantis are in line with donald trump on this. questioning and saying they do not think more aid should be sent to ukraine right now. it is where you are seeing the hard-line house republicans drawing their encouragement. these leading republican contenders. there are trying to hold the line saying they don't want to support ukraine anymore. president biden has tried to hammer home the point that the united states, despite what leading republicans on the presidential field and what is being said among the house republican conference, that the u.s. is behind ukraine and all democracies have a stake in this ongoing war. geoff: final question to you, nick. you have been in ukraine for the last two weeks and been to the

front lines. what does the war look like right now? nick: the violence continues at the front but also in the capital. russia struck kyiv today. and strikes on ukraine's electricity infrastructure. u.s. and ukrainian officials have been worried about this because last winter russia launched a campaign across many months against ukraine's electricity infrastructure and for months many millions of ukrainians were without power and water. in some ways ukraine is ready but officials are worried another campaign like that could sap some of the morale of the country to continue to fight against russia. and the two things keeping this country going are morale and western weapons. geoff: nick schifrin in kyiv, lisa desjardins at the u.s. capitol and lara at the white house. thanks to you three for reporting.

amna: volodymyr zelenskyy first stop in new york to address the united nations general assembly and the security council. for an inside look at american policy towards ukraine i'm joined from new york by ambassador victoria nuland. she is the acting deputy secretary of state. ambassador, welcome and thank you for joining us. we are likely headed to a u.s. government shutdown. republicans remain split on funding for ukraine. we know president biden is seeking an additional $24 billion in ukrainian aid. how likely is he to get that? >> i have to say i was on the hill yesterday. the bipartisan support for ukraine remains extremely strong. democrats and republicans. and i think that is because the people's representatives and the american people themselves understand what is at stake. this is about ukraine and putin's war against ukraine but it is also about international order.

if you allow a country do bully another it will happen all over the world. we are feeling good about bipartisan support, but it is also important that president volodymyr zelenskyy is here and made his case again to the world and will make his case directly to members of congress and they can ask their questions. amna: some of the strongest objections come from a small group of far right republicans. have you met with any of them? >> we continue to meet with everybody. we are trying to remind folks what the larger stakes are cared we have some folks say, we should be focused on china or other problems. and our point is that all of these things are connected. there are countries around the world including china looking to see if the united states stays

the course and if we are able to continue to lead the rest of the world to support ukraine and defense of the rules of the road that favor freedom. our case is that this is not only about ukraine. this is about the global order but also about the world that americans and their children should want to live in. that is our case and it is a powerful one. amna: given the way the war has been unfolding so far at the current expenditure rates how long would $24 billion in last? >> we are talking now with the congress about attaching this supplemental to a funding bill that will last until the end of december. the government is going to have to be funded in 2024 so we anticipate having another conversation thereafter but what we are looking to do here is set the frame or what is important

to the american people and what is important to our global role and what is important to security going forward. for this time and for the future. amna: when it comes to the nato alliance, i want to ask you about the turkish president. i spoke with him recently in new york. i asked him about his relationship with the west end with russia he said at this moment i trust russia as much as i trust the west. this is a key nato ally. what is your response? >> what i would say is that turkey in this particular episode of russian aggression has played frankly a linchpin role. the fact that erdogan can speak to putin when the rest of us have broken relations with him can be useful. it was useful when they were able to negotiate the black seed grain initiative helping ukraine

get its grain out of the world and we hope you will be able to get that agreement renewed. but it also does not change the fact that turkey has taken a very strong stand in defense of ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the first days of the war. they closed the straits to warships which insured this could not escalate beyond the region and they have provided essential military support to ukraine as well. it is good he can speak with putin but it is more important that he can stand up and speak in support of the values that undergird nato. amna: but he says he trusts russia as the aggressor as much as he trusts the west, are you

ok with that stance? >> i am not going to parse the words of president erdogan. i will watch what he does as the leader of a very important ally. he and his country have played a strong role in the defense of ukraine. and the fact that he can talk to putin is useful. amna: i also wanted to ask you about saudi arabia. crown prince said in an interview that every day we got closer to a normalization deal with israel which is something the u.s. has been pushing for for months. we know saudi arabia would like security guarantees as part of that deal. is that something the u.s. will provide? >> i'm not going to get into the details of the deal as we try to cook it. it is extremely complex. it involves a of elements. i will say that if we can have a lasting peace between israel and

saudi arabia and a normalization given their history and the role that saudi arabia plays in the arab world, it would be transformational. it would be transformational for the region. there is a lot of complexity and a lot of things have to be worked through including increased support for the palestinians. we have some way to go. but we are working very hard on it. amna: you mentioned the palestinians. we know that crown prince said he hoped the deal would ease the life of palestinians. what does that mean in tangible terms? >> it is an element of the deal in terms of ensuring the conditions on the ground are such that the prospect of the two state solution stays vibrant and strong and that there is more economic investment and support in the territories. and that the palestinian people

see the benefits of peas between israel and saudi arabia if we can get there. this is just one of the many complex elements in this deal we are working on now. amna: we look forward to you coming back and joining us again as the conversations continue. that is the acting deputy secretary of state. thank you for joining us. ♪ stephanie: here are the latest headlines. the senate confirmed two more top military nominees after a month-long blockade. general randy george will be the next army chief of staff and general eric smith will lead the marine corps commandant. their nominations were among hundreds that had been blocked by alabama republican senator tommy tuberville to protest the defense department's abortion policy. a pentagon spokesman said the delays have been damaging.

>> these holds present a national security and military readiness risk. from a department of defense standpoint, we've been very clear that we would like the holds to be lifted so we can ensure that we have the right officers in the right job at the right time. stephanie: this comes a day after the senate approved air force general cq brown to be the next chairman of the joint chiefs. a government contractor who worked for the state and justice departments has been charged with espionage for sending classified u.s. defense information to ethiopia. the maryland man is a naturalized u.s. citizen from that country. the revelation came during a review after the arrest of massachusetts air national guardsman jack teixeira, who was indicted for leaking a trove of top secret military documents. congress is heading home for a long weekend as a federal government shutdown looms with no solution in sight. the reversal came after house speaker kevin mccarthy's attempt to move ahead on a

sweeping military funding bill was blocked for a third time, by hard-line republicans. government funding is set to expire at the end of next week. officials from azerbaijan met today with representatives from the breakaway nagorno-karabakh region, as a cease-fire appears to be holding. authorities estimate at least 200 people were killed in recent fighting. accompanied by russian peacekeepers, the delegations discussed the reintegration of the region and its ethnic armenian population. armenians have controlled the area since the early 1990s. india suspended visa services in canada today, the latest move in a widening diplomatic rift between the two nations. tensions first flared on monday when canada alleged that india's government was involved in the killing of a sikh activist. india also call for canada to reduce its embassy staff in new delhi. later canadian prime minister

justin trudeau urge india to cooperate in the investigation. >> there is no question that india is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with but we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting canadians and standing up for our values. stephanie: according to news reports, some of the intelligence behind the allegations was provided by a member of the five eyes intelligence sharing alliance, which includes britain, australia, new zealand, and the u.s., in addition to canada. meanwhile, at the white house, national security adviser jake sullivan said the u.s. has been in contact with both countries about the killing. the u.s. has been seeking to strengthen its relations with india. but sullivan said they won't be giving them any, quote, special exemption on this. the u.n.'s migration agency estimates more than 43,000

people in northeastern libya have been displaced by the country's catastrophic floods. streets in the hard-hit city of derna are still lined with debris, and crumbling buildings coated with mud. many residents have been driven out by a water shortage. >> my family now displaced, they fled the city and are now trying to find somewhere else to stay. i am now staying but will have to leave because there is a water problem and an electricity problem. we won't be able to live here more than this. stephanie: many of the displaced are staying with relatives or in shelters outside derna. back in the u.s., a bus filled with high schoolers rolled over and crashed on a new york highway today, killing two adults. five of the 44 passengers on board were critically injured. the bus was carrying school band members from nassau county, new york, to a camp in pennsylvania. hollywood studios and screenwriters appear to be

inching closer to an agreement as they resume negotiations for a second day. the nearly five month-long strike has triggered protests and halted numerous film and television productions. the two sides have been trying to iron out their differences overpay and the use of artificial intelligence to write scripts. still to come on the newshour. a black band director speaks out after being arrested and tased at a football game in alabama. the dangers and benefits of nickel mining in northern minnesota. clothing becomes a point of political contention as the senate relaxes its dress code and much more. >> this is the pbs newshour, from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: rupert murdoch, the chair of fox and news corp, is stepping down from running his global media empire. john yang has more on his legacy and successor.

john: geoff, over his seven-decade career, rupert murdoch presided over arguably the biggest global media empire ever in the english-speaking world newspapers, television and movies in the united states, britain and australia. the wall street journal and the new york post. he's used them to promote u.s. -- his settlement with dominion voting systems. david folkenflik, npr media correspondent and author of the book murdoch's world: the last of the old media empires david, when rupert murdoch steps down in november, he's going to hand the reins over to his elder son, lachlan, who's 52. do you think anything's going to

change then about the approach the tone the political slant of particularly fox news and the other fox news outlets, newspapers? >> i don't. i think that lachlan is, if anything slightly more conservative than his father, a little less politically engaged to be sure, and little less corporately engaged, unless sort of ceaselessly ambitious than his father to keep expanding and maneuvering. he's really been focusing his maneuvering on getting a top of this family empire. so no, i think that fox has been trying the murdoch's father and two son have been trying to figure out if there's a way to cultivate a challenger to donald trump the republican price emery's for next year's presidential elections, giving for example, ron de santis, the longest audition possible in front of viewers. he has failed to catch fire, you know they it's been widely reported they are interested in glenn youngkin and perhaps others. but you know if donald trump, as he did in 2016 steamrolls the competition, i think you're going to see lachlan murdoch's fox news sprint to the front of the parade and, you know, make as if they were leading it all

along. just as fox news did in 2016. john: lachlan murdoch has essentially been co chairman with his father since 2019. what is his performance in that period told us about him. >> well, i think what it's told you is that he wouldn't have that job if his last name were yours or mine. he's made some smart investments, one involving a online site involving real estate in australia. the question of to be which is sort of an advertising premise. television channeler service now, but it's nothing to indicate that this is somebody who brings incredible vision or incredible charisma to the job. i think he's found to be charming inside fox personable, somewhat absentee, particularly during this covid period, spent time in los angeles initially now in his in sydney, where his family is based much of the time. i think that lachlan murdoch is seen as driven to get this job. and it's not entirely clear what much differently he'd like to do with this job.

i think one of the things that it has shown up is that rupert murdoch is in some ways truly a one of a kind, very hard to replicate, either through a corporate successor or designated child. john one of a kind of his : legacy. what do you think is going to be a bigger part of his legacy? the business empire he built or the political influence he developed? >> well, i think you're gonna see probably in coming years and particularly after murdoch's death, rupert murdoch's death that much of this unwinds that the other adult murdoch children children who are in control of family trust won't want to hold onto it simply for lachlan to run. they'd rather unlock the value. and in that case, the legacy that endures is sort of the success and the fun at times of his right wing populism, but also the punitive and pugilistic nature of it that has been ultimately quite corrosive. not only to our sense of what fair play is in journalism in this country and in some of the others, like the u.k. and australia in which he was so dominant. but even throughout our body

politic, where the asymmetrical influence he had over the republican party and the degree of yeah, in a sense, business and political power he obtained as a result, uh, has left him serving an audience that wanted red meat, that ultimately led him to chasing his audience rather than guiding them to a place that involved the facts. and i think it undermines the sense of a young man who started out as a as a newspaper man with a keen sense for a story and for fun and for an inconvenient fact to a guy who's chasing audience by serving what they call the brand of fox news. rather than the news provided by fox news, john david folkenflik of npr. :thank you very much. >> you bet. amna: fallout from the tasing

and arrest of an alabama high school band director is sending ripples across the nation. video of the incident after a thursday night football game in birmingham shows a chaotic scene. we're going to play some of it now, and we should warn you that it may be disturbing to some viewers. in that video, they approach the band director. both team bands -- play dueling songs after the game ends. officials can be heard asking mims to stop playing, as he tells them they are on the last song. the stadium lights then go dark. and the situation escalates when mims steps off the platform and officers begin trying to handcuff him. a physical altercation starts

between the officers and mims. he objects to being arrested and then is repeatedly tased by police. welcome to both of you and thank you for joining us. i want to begin with you because i'm interested in your perspective in that moment. we just saw in the video multiple officers are asking you to stop playing. you are telling them it is your last song. they say we are going to call the superintendent, you say get out of my face. it just seems to escalate and escalate. i'm just wondering what you are thinking in that moment? did you consider i should stop playing? >> in the footage you see i am in -- i am directly in front of the band. i'm trying to give them guidance. it seems as if it was as simple as cutting off the band. i am also making it clear that there is a group of band in

front of me. 145 students total and it is -- and that group is split. the majority of the group is in the stance and another portion of the group is on the floor. so a certain coordination has to happen in order for the band to be stopped. you see an officer reaching over the fence telling me i need to stop playing and we need to leave. you will hear me say, get out of my face in a way that he can move out so i can give proper instructions to the students. they were obstructing my opportunity to do that. that was my mindset. i am responsible for making sure i am properly able to coordinate everything with the group. it was a large group. and it was split over two different sections. amna: we see on the video that the officers are saying, you are going to go to jail and you give them a thumbs up. did you expect them to try to arrest you afterwards?

>> that thumbs up was my way of letting them know that we are trying to wrap it up in the sense that i had not done anything. if you look on my face, i was knowing i had not done anything so in my head i'm thinking there was no reason they would take me to jail. i'm doing pretty much exactly what my job requires me to do which is to direct the band. that is the gesture. it is difficult to see that from the bodycam but on the others is the officer making threatening gestures at me while this process is happening. you cannot see that but that is the reason why you see me saying, ok, that is cool because i'm trying to find a quick way to get them out of the way so i can get the band to finish up the last tune we were doing which was only another 10 seconds or so.

amna: we have seen the video of your client getting tased. he has been charged with disorderly conduct, harassment and resisting arrest. you are calling for the charges to be dropped and for the police that tased your client to be suspended. what has the response been like so far from the police department? >> the response from the police department was the initial response and they owned no-fault with what happened to my clients. however they have not been able to produce any bodycam. i started sending out to the general public and to the press yesterday i on tuesday received , the various pieces of footage from different angles of the bodycam. what went out viral on monday that was sent out by the birmingham police department was an edited version of the bodycam.

i started looking at as many different angles that i received from the city attorney because they were somewhat shocked initially at the birmingham police department released that bodycam without the advice of the city attorney. that is number one. that is when i realized they released it for the purposes of trying to get ahead of the story. they wanted to get ahead of it and make it appear as if they were innocent. amna: you have mentioned previously how hard it was to know that this was unfolding in front of your students. we could hear on the video some of their screams in the background as this was unfolding. have you talked to any of them are heard from them, and what their concerns are based on. >> i have had many students and alumni from the past -- the

biggest thing for everyone to understand including the community and parents, many people are having a hard time grappling at why they would tased an educator in front of the students and for something as simple as the fact that the band was playing a song and was almost complete. it seems like a minor thing that led up to me being tased multiple times. that is the thing that everyone is trying to grapple with. out of the whole situation, i was the person that received all of the tasing and the threats from the police department. it is not acceptable. as you can hear from interviews with parents that were there, there were threats and

aggressiveness and that happened even while we were getting there. as we were even getting off the bus. they were already experiencing those things. it was just not acceptable and it is something that should never have happened. you can hear the officers say, i'm going to call the superintendent. it is what should have happened. contact the superintendent. contact the administrator. the administrator would have communicated that to us well in advance. and more importantly we have to keep in mind that someone turned off the lights which further caused confusion among the students and parents and fans that were there. amna: that is johnny mims and his lawyer joining us tonight. thank you for your time. we appreciate it. ♪ geoff: the inflation reduction

act includes a number of incentives to companies and individuals to build and by electric vehicles. for automakers those incentives include sourcing their parts and raw materials domestically which presents challenges to some communities notably in northern minnesota. there has been a rise in permit applications for new mines. reporter: from carnival games, the parade down main street, the annual festival in tamarac, population 62, are meant to be fun. this year, two of the vehicles are all electric teslas each bearing conflicting messages. over the idea of extracting nickel.

a mineral currently seeing strong demand in the electric vehicle market. many people in northern minnesota proudly boast that it was iron ore extracted from the ground here that fed america's steel industry and built the country and helped it win two world wars. the question today is whether the region can play a similar role in a transition to a post-fossil fuel age. >> this is one of the highest samples i've ever seen. reporter: brian is a geologist for a mining company that has unearthed samples of high grade nickel from deep below land it has leased near tamarac. >> these samples run 9% nickel. high grade nickel is considered to be 1% and above. reporter: so this is a big deal. the company has an agreement to supply tesla with the nickel from here. >> we need a lot more nickel for

the transition from a fossil fuel centered energy system to a mineral centered energy system. reporter: a spokesperson says the mine to be built under the mine where we were standing would create over 400 union jobs which is welcome news to a former science teacher and lifelong resident of the area where the iron or-based economy has declined in recent decades along with the domestic steel industry it supplies. >> the potentials i see are new roofs and new sidewalks and new schools, and vibrant arts opportunities and vibrant and happy communities. reporter: how healthy is the key question. unlike iron mining, extracting nickel or which also contains copper, cobalt and platinum produces acid products

which has a toxic legacy across the world including mines owned by rio tinto. >> there is that legacy and history that we carry as a burden. reporter: but they insist things will be different here. an area dotted with minnesota's nearly 10,000 lakes. >> we can take different approaches and use innovative approaches. we can design things differently. reporter: for example he says a tunnel boring machine would lay a pipe that would protect the groundwater table as it drills further down to reach the buried metals. water pumped out of this deeper level would be contained in steel tankers and treated before being released above ground into nearby waterways. the ores themselves would be loaded inside a sealed building on covered railcars and transported to a processing site in north dakota, far from the

fresh rich area. >> it is not that we have zero impact it is that we have ways to mitigate the impacts and protect the things that are most important which in this region his water and the flora and fauna that depend on the water. >> it is all part in the sky types of statements -- it is all pie in the sky types of statements. you can tell me it is safe, but i don't believe it at this reporter: she says the proposed point. mine would be one more example of extractive industry that has devastated tribal lands. there are abandoned mines on or near native lands in this area alone. the minnesota mine would be close to the tribes water source. benjamin says this would also threaten the sacred harvest of wild rice that grows in lakes here. >> we are talking about our

people, our plants, our animals and the water that flows throughout. we know from the data that this mining is probably the most toxic mining there is. >> i remember as a kid walking. reporter: among the tribes allies include this couple. they lived on round lake, just a few miles from the proposed mine site. >> they are pulling millions of gallons out of the mine and that will have an effect on the aquifers, well levels and lake levels. reporter: the andersons founded a group called the tamarack water alliance. they say even the exploratory drilling has shown damaging environmental impact. another member of the group showed us this drone video filmed by a local resident. >> they have what are called sumps. they put the drilling fluids.

the trees around the sums are dying. that speaks to the danger of this type of mining. it is high grade nickel but it is also high sulfide. the interaction between the sulfide and water and air creates acid. reporter: talon mental says the trees died because of the roots were inadvertently choked under the soil dug up to put in the sumps. critics say the cause could be both choking out and the toxic self -- sulfides. the company has not lined the sums to prevent toxins from seeping into groundwater. >> we have a loss of less than 30 acres of wetlands. reporter: he says his company is in compliance with the regulations. he says the data will be disclosed as part of the years long permitting process. >> it is frustrating sometimes to have people not like the legacy approaches nor the innovative approaches either. >> america has a dilemma.

reporter: a former editor of the former northern minnesota tribune. >> what do we do? do we export our mining needs to other countries where they won't have good environmental standards? is that a good idea? reporter: indonesia, the philippines and russia are the world's top producers of nickel though the u.s. imports most of its needs from canada, norway and australia. if developed the tamarac mine would only produce a fraction of the current u.s. needs. what that need will be in the future is another point of contention. in the tale of the two teslas. like many ev's, a growing number including the tesla owned by lynn anderson now use lithium ion phosphate batteries which contain no nickel. >> by the time this mine gets its permits which could be 10

years the whole battery industry will be moving on. reporter: talon metals says nichols will see sustained demand citing high market prices for it and two federal grants it has received to help increase domestic production here and in nearby upper michigan where the only operating nickel mine on u.s. soil is expected to be exhausted by 2027. geoff: fred's reporting is in partnership with the university of st. thomas in minnesota. ♪ geoff: it is the other debate playing out in the halls of congress. not about government funding, but about clothing. with the senate loosening a

long-standing tradition requiring business attire in the upper chamber. pennsylvania senator john fetterman appreciates the change but many others do not. a group of republican senators wrote to the majority leader that allowing casual clothing on the senate floor disrespects the institution that we serve in the american families we represent. some democratic senators are also openly disagreeing with the change. richard thompson ford is a professor at stanford law school and the author of dress codes. how the laws of fashion made history. thank you for being with us. in response to the relaxed dress code, senator susan collins first joked that she was going to wear a bikini on the senate floor adding i think there is a certain dignity we should be maintaining in the senate and to , do away with the dress code debases the institution. how do you see it?

>> i see it as a change reflecting the change in society. it has been for many years that the norms of dress have been getting more casual starting with the silicon valley where i live. it spread around the nation to banks and law firms. i can't say it is a surprise that it has now come to the united states congress. geoff: the dress codes have evolved. in 1993 women were allowed to wear pants on the senate floor. the pantsuit rebellion. senators traditionally stick to business attire. suits for men and dresses or pantsuits for women. are there limits to the decline of formality and what that conveys? >> i think there are limits and there should be. the tricky question is exactly where those limits live. i want to emphasize that the norms

change over time historically and they have for hundreds of years. ever since the late middle ages one can detect a trend of clothing changing over time and generally becoming more casual. even today the kind of attire that we associate with formality with something like a jacket ke this was once considered sportswear suitable only for hunting in the country or playing sports. this trend is continuing in the present day. geoff: before senator federman arrived in washington it was an arizona senator whose attire choices were up for debate. wearing carhart hooded sweatshirts and shorts establish his political branch. -- brand. there are those that argue that at a time when public trust in government is waning and when

decorum in congress is at a low attire matters now in a way it may not have previously. >> i have some sympathy for that argument and yet at the same time the question is, what are people conveying with their attire? and what do we convey with dress codes? you mentioned the role of women because historically norms of professionalism has excluded some groups of people including women, making it harder for them to join what was previously all-male institutions. that made it harder for some other groups as well. you could make the case that john fetterman represents a group of americans in his attire. he is expressing a certain authenticity and connection with his constituents. that's why i'm not surprised this kind of changes happening. geoff: big picture, covid changed the way people dress in the workplace. sportswear has crept into every

aspect of american life. returning to the question about the demise of formality, where do you see the american culture writ large? >> we are starting to see a blurring of the lines between workwear and the kind of thing you wear at home because half of the work week for many americans is spent at home. you have the old formal dress codes under attack. geoff: thank you for your insights. ♪ amna: don't forget there is more online. striking uaw employees in detroit talk about why they have walked out from auto plants. geoff: join us again tomorrow

night along with david brooks and jonathan capehart. amna: on behalf of the entire "newshour" team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by -- ♪ the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the "newshour" >> architect. beekeeper. mentor. raymondjames advisor tailers advice to help you live your life. a life well planned. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it is exciting to be a part of the team driving the technology forward. it is the most rewarding thing. people that know know bdo. >> the ford foundation.

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