♪ geoff: good evening i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. bomb threats forced evacuation in springfield, ohio, the town at the center of lies spread by donald trump about haitian

immigrants. geoff: western leaders debate whether to allow ukraine to use long-range weapons inside russia. amna: at the start of a new school year, universities try to get a better handle on protests over the israel hamas war without stifling students free speech. >> it's an interesting atmosphere to enter campus with gates locked, screenings at every entry point. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour including -- home and abroad.

>> the john s and l knight, fostering informed and engaged communities. >> and with the ongoing support of 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. amna: welcome to the news hour. after facing off earlier this week on the philadelphia debate stage and standing together in new york for the september 11

anniversary, former president donald trump and vice president kamala harris on opposite ends of the country today. geoff: harris is focusing her energy on speaking to pennsylvania voters tonight. trump spoke to reporters on his golf club at the california coast. he escalated his attacks on haitian immigrants in ohio. >> outside of los angeles today, former president trump railed against california governor gavin newsom, claims president joe biden hates kamala harris, and attacked abc for fact checking him at the debate. >> i was right about the crime stats gone way up. the fact is the fbi didn't report them because the new numbers were just released and you will see the kind of numbers we are talking about went up at record levels. >> and trump continue to target the haitian immigrant community in springfield, ohio. >> 20,000 illegal haitian migrants have descended upon a town of 58,000 people destroying

their way of life. >> the republican nominee for president has repeatedly attacked haitians this week, lying about them eating pets. >> recording of 911 calls show residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the towns geese. they are taking the geese. where they are in the park and walking off with their pets. my dogs been taken. my dogs been stolen. this could only happen -- these people are the worst. >> yesterday a bomb threat prompted the springfield city to evacuate and today two elementary schools and middle school face the same threats, prompting evacuations and closures. city officials have consistently denied any credible reports of pets being harmed by immigrants. most of the haitian migrants in springfield are there legally and many are there under temporary protected status. still trump and his running map

-- running mate doubled down with vance suggesting that haitians were bringing diseases to springfield. president biden condemned the attacks on the haitians in springfield. >> simply wrong. there's no place in america. this has to stop. >> much of trump's speech repeated baseless claims about migrants. he also made a new promise to working-class voters. >> i'm announcing that is part of our additional tax cuts, we will end all taxes on overtime. you know what that means? think about it. >> at a campaign rally in michigan, tim walz dismissed trump's baseless claims about the haitian immigrants. >> he said a lot of weird stuff. i'm just going to say that. you tell me you had this on your bingo card. and they are eating cats.

>> vice president harris took aim at trump's debate performance, highlighting his promise to get rid of the affordable care act. >> and as he said in the debate, he made clear he has no plans to replace it. in fact -- you remember? concept. he has concept of a plan. >> harris left you see for pennsylvania, making a stop at a small business in johnstown before heading to a rally tonight. >> every vote means spending time with folks in communities where they live. that's why i'm here. geoff: laura is here in studio alongside lisa desjardins. when the vice president says we have to earn every vote, what does that look like for the harris campaign poster debate? >> the campaign says they are in

a more aggressive phase of the campaign since the debate. they have launched three new ads all highlighting exchanges in the debate, including ones on abortion as well as harris saying she wants to represent all americans. they are also doing more targeted interviews. harris did one today with a local pennsylvania anchor. she's going to be joining the livestream next week with oprah winfrey with a lot of local grassroots groups targeting voters across the board. her campaign is trying to make her available much more in the battleground states. she's also expected to sit down with the national association of black journalists as early as next week. she very much is trying to close the enthusiasm gap that president biden had with the key elements of her base. geoff: i want to ask you about this woman laura blumer who has been traveling -- blumer -- loom

er who has been traveling with donald trump. >> she is a far right activist who ran unsuccessfully for congress. she is an online conspiracy theorist who has described herself as a proud islamophobia and pro-white nationalism. she also recently spread lies about haitian immigrants eating pets in ohio and made racist comments about kamala harris on twitter, saying if she wins, the white house will smell like curry and the white house will be run like a call center. that hasbacklash from republicas well as democrats. it matters because she traveled with the president to the debate as well as on september 11 and she is also a known 9/11 truth

or -- truther and has spread conspiracies about 9/11. president trump did not disavow or condemn her comments specifically when asked about her 9/11 conspiracy theories. he said she is a supporter of his who is safe free spirit and a strong person. geoff: a free spirit. ok. how are republicans responding? >> even trump republicans see the danger here politically for this association. that includes trump republicans who themselves have had extreme speech. look at this posting on social media from marjorie taylor greene. here is what she wrote about laura loomer. this type of behavior should not be tolerated ever. also thom tillis, somewhat more moderate trump supporter from north carolina road, laura loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage. the fact remains that trump has not disassociated himself from

her. i want to talk about voters who support trump. we have been to so many trump events. most supporters talk about his characteristics. a significant group at every single rally i attend raise conspiracy theories with me. the woman who thought joe biden was dead. another woman in new hampshire told me she was sure that mother teresa was a man and by the way, the father of anthony fauci. these would be laughable things except they are very widespread. i talked to someone who studies conspiracy theory today about when these kinds of things can take hold. >> generally conspiracy theories are more likely to form for big frightening dangerous events than smaller events. if there is an event you view as threatening, you think the other political candidate is going to destroy your way of life. if they win, you are more likely to believe conspiracy theories about that.

>> she raised the fact that trump has literally said that if he is not elected, u.s. democracy itself will end. and he himself has put conspiracy theories out there, so this does not happen in a vacuum. geoff: we heard donald trump rail against fbi crime statistics. what have you found? >> this is a good chance to set the table on this. trump is pointing to fbi statistics and saying they are not the best ones. the fbi uses what's called that's data from local law enforcement around the country that comes from almost 95% of crime statistics. he says people should pay attention to something called the national crime victimization survey. it is a survey of 100 70,000 people getting their opinions, sometimes reported, sometimes unreported crime. when you talk to experts, they say decreasing crime is held up

by other data. cdc and independent data. when trump says the other survey data shows more crime, he is not saying it is relative to 2020. that data also shows a decrease in the last year. so there's more to it than what he says. geoff: thank you both. >> i'm stephanie sy with news hour west. here are the latest headlines. more than 30,000 boeing factory workers went on strike today. they shut down production of top-selling plans including the 737 max. they hit the picket lines before sunrise in washington state, home to boeing's largest workforce. union members overwhelmingly reject a contract that would

have increased wages by 25%, far short of the 40% they wanted. >> this is about respect. this is about addressing the past and fighting for our future. knowing has to stop -- boeing has to stop breaking the law and has to bargain in good faith. we will be back to drive forward on the issues that are important. >> it's unclear how long this stoppage will last. in california, firefighters say they have made progress battling three wildfires in the los angeles area thanks to cooler temperatures. the largest is the bridge fire which has scorched 81 square miles and destroyed 33 homes. some residents have been able to return to their communities only to see their homes and belongings reduced to ash. >> it's tough. we lost our holiday stuff, obviously decorations.

we don't have anything for christmas. we lost kid stuff, tools. this one just came so fast. i don't think anyone was prepared to move as fast as it had come. >> customers across slovenia -- louisiana remain without power after hurricane francine. an investigation into last year's maui wildfire says fire agencies failed to adequately prepare even after receiving advance warning about critical fire weather. the report released by the status attorney general -- state attorney general said wildfire risk is underappreciated in hawaii. more than 100 people died in the fires. returning to politics. in rare remarks to reporters about the u.s. presidential election, pope francis was critical of vice president harris's abortion stance and the

former president's xenophobia toward migrants, calling them both anti-life. the pope referenced the difficult choice for u.s. voters. >> generally, it is said that not voting is ugly. it is not good. you must vote and you must choose the lesser evil. who is the lesser evil? i don't know. everyone in conscience, think about and do this. >> it was not the first time pope francis weighed in on a u.s. election. in 2016, he said the plan to build a wall along the u.s. mexico border was unchristian. north korea gave a rare glimpse into one of its secret facilities that produces weapons grade uranium. images of nuclear capability not seen by the outside world and nearly 50 years. the photographs show kim jong-un touring rows of centrifuges.

state media reported that he stressed the need to exponentially increase the country's nuclear supply. the white house said today that it's continuing to monitor north korea's nuclear ambitions, including its ballistic missile technology. the state department slapped new sanctions against russian state media. it accuses rt of working with the russian military and raising funds for weapons and equipment, going beyond past sanctions for spreading propaganda and disinformation. at a briefing in washington, antony blinken warned of rt's influence around the world. >> it once it's a covert intelligence capabilities like its long-standing propaganda and disinformation efforts to remain hidden. our most powerful antidote to russia's lies is the truth. shining a bright light on what the kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness. >> the sanctions include our to -- rt's parent company.

three u.s. citizens were sentenced to death by a military court in congo today. they are among 37 defendants convicted for their role in a failed coup back in may. marcel malanga said it was his first time in congo and his father threatened to kill him if he didn't participate. his former high school football teammate tyler thompson was also sentenced along with benjamin toland who reportedly knew the elder malanga threw a gold mining company. the defendants have five days to appeal. in fallout from the war in gaza, and other top israeli commander has resigned over the military's failure to stop or prevent hamas's october 7 attack. the second top intelligence official to step down this year. despite rising calls for accountability, prime minister benjamin netanyahu says any hindsight into the failures of that day should wait until after

the war. u.s. central command announced today that four isis leaders were killed in late august. the operation was carried out by u.s. and iraqi security forces in western iraq. a post raid assessment confirms the killings including the leader responsible for all isis operations iiraq. 14 isis operatives were killed. the world health organization has approved the use of a vaccine to combat mpox in adults, paving the way for some of the most vulnerable people in the poorest countries to get protection from the virus. supplies are limited. there is only one maker of the vaccine. the who says it will create a mechanism to fairly distribute them along with tests and treatment. the who said children under 18 may use the vaccine in an outbreak where the benefits outweigh the potential risks. mail trucks in america are getting a much-needed makeover.

the u.s. postal service has rolled out its nexgen delivery vehicles for now only in athens, georgia. they are taller and boxy are the never before, but drivers couldn't be more thrilled to ditch the older models, which date back to 1987. >> at first glance, it's different. however, it's designed in a way that somebody, you can tell that they didn't have appearance in mind. they had safety, the way we maneuver. they thought everything through. >> most of the trucks are electric and they are finally equipped with air conditioning. critical for the hot summer roads. the fleet will expand to 60,000 vehicles over the next few years. still to come, the push to restore the uk's military might. jonathan capehart and mundt -- ramesh ponnuru way in. and the designer makes his mark

on the art world one button at a time. >> this is the pbs news hour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: today at the leaders of ukraine's most important allies are meeting in washington. president biden and british prime minister keir starmer have many topics on their agenda but there is particular attention on coordinating support for ukraine and allows in kyiv to use american and british long-range missiles to hit targets deep inside russia. nick schifrin is here. how are the u.s. and the u.k. trying to coordinate overall strategy for ukraine? >> ukraine and its partners have a strategic goal to try and convince vladimir putin that ukraine and its soldiers can outlast russia. and with the help of western

weapons, inflict massive casualties on russia's military on the battlefield. today, biden said the u.s. and the u.k. were working together to ensure putin doesn't win. officials told me they are discussing a few topics. guaranteeing ukraine's long-term funding including with russian sovereign assets. building up ukraine and europe's defense industrial base to complement the american defense industrial base. international coordination including ukraine's entry into the eu and irreversible path toward nato and battlefield successes that ukraine hopes will be enabled with the ability to use longer in western weapons to fire deep into russia. geoff: so what did they say about the weapons? >> absolutely nothing publicly. senior officials insist that president biden still has not made any decisions whether to

restrict -- there is a debate. some senior officials continue to argue the targets ukraine wants to hit are beyond that range. the relatively few that ukraine has are better used and occupied crimea and ongoing concerns that a u.s. official tells me about tonight about what russia might do in response if that policy is changed. the british government does allow its british weapons to be fired anywhere ukraine once but it has not allowed its longest range weapon, the storm shadow, to be fired by ukraine deep into russia because the storm shadow has american parts and relies on american gps and american mapping. western official tells me the british government wants the u.s. to be comfortable with that the use of storm shadows to be fired deep into russia. that is what the prime minister and the president are talking about. the logistics of that and

political understanding about whether ukraine can be given that authorization. a western official tells me the first announcement of this policy will land when the first missile lands in russia. as for u.s. concern about escalation, putin threatened exactly that in comments yesterday. >> if this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct participation of nato countries in the war in ukraine. this of course significantly changes the very nature of the conflict. we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us. geoff: one last concern is that both countries produce fewer long-range weapons in terms of the actual numbers they can produce, far fewer than ukraine once or needs on the battlefield. ukraine argues give us whatever you can. putin's is empty. there are targets within the range of these weapons and the

use of the weapons fit into the larger strategy. on that point of shortages, the u.k. has problems of its own with its defense posture amid britain's budget problems. the british army's new chief has warned could lose its next conflict unless it increases its fighting power. as malcolm brevet reports, military leaders are steeling themselves for more cuts from keir starmer's more -- new government. >> when it comes to ceremonial duties, british forces are arguably the best in the world. but in these volatile times, britain is a shadow of its former glorious military self. >> if we fight using the old ideas, the chances are, we lose.

>> pictured receiving a gallantry medal from the late queen is the new head of britain's army, which hasn't been this small for over two centuries. >> we have got to pull the future of fighting power into the present faster than we thought we could. >> do you think we could last for days, weeks? >> not very long. it is simply not long enough to fight any kind of protracted conflict. terry analysts rupert jones helped orchestrate the defeat of islamic state in syria. >> british army's equipment is in a huge state. it is getting better. but i was using equipment my father had used and some of it is still in service today. it is simply not ok. >> his father was killed leading the charge of the parachute regiment during the 1982

falklands war to retake the south atlantic islands from argentine invaders. he was posthumously awarded the victoria cross. since then, britain's fighting prowess has not diminished, but its ability to wage war has. >> are war fighting equipment is simply not fit for purpose. >> that's terrifying. >> it is. in this government i suspect is getting a pretty room sure. now the time as many have argued to take a fresh look. >> the new defense secretary john healy wants a comprehensive review of the nation's military on his desk next year. >> to make sure we assess the threats. so britain can become a better ally. >> a strong u.k. is just tremendous for the west and america.

>> president trump's national security advisor says if trump wins the election, he will want britain to raise its military budget to 2.5% of gdp. >> the sooner we can get to 2.5%, the more secure the free world will be. >> put britain's new government says it has inherited a $30 billion blackhole in the country's coffers although opponents say they have contributed to the shortfall by awarding inflation busting pay rises to state employees. but because the priority -- party has a priority of -- they are bracing themselves for more cuts. especially as keir starmer has avoided his predecessor's commitment to hit the 2.5% target by 2030. >> there is a budget coming in october and it's going to be painful. we have no other choice given

the situation we are in. things will get worse before they get better. >> defense experts are warning that the acts may fall on tempest, the sixth generation stealth fighter that britain is developing with japan and italy. it is due to enter service in 2035. if the tempest project is grounded, it will be in part because of the cost of donating weaponry to ukraine. this is a russian video of a challenge are being attacked by a drone. >> great militaries have taught us all to fight in the future. >> and how to save money. boosted by ai, swarms of drones have struck multiple targets.

britain posted this video loading it's late lasers. >> a weapon to take down the targets. we have a radar surveillance system which provides soldiers with a feed of different targets. drones are now becoming a really popular use. they are very cheap and easy to deploy. you don't want to be using a very expensive mission -- weapon like a missile to take down the drone. >> britain's dragon fire system achieved the first high-powered firing of a laser weapon against aerial targets. dragon fire is due to be deployed on british warships in three years time. western scientists are constantly trying to keep one step ahead of potential adversaries. defense spending now accounts for 7% of russia's annual budget. against this backdrop, britain's army is hamstrung by ammunition shortages and antiquated armor.

it's top general says the army most double fighting power within three years, by which time the nation must be prepared for war. >> if we controllable -- if we can double and triple our fighting power, any british land force will be able to destroy an enemy force at least three times its size and keep on doing that. in that way we will have every confidence in being ready and able to fight anyone and win. >> do you think people are sleepwalking into the next war? >> no. i'm no believer in inevitability. i think it's right that experts keep us honest and warn us of the threats. the stronger the deterrent, the less likely there is to be a war. >> all indications are that the government will override the generals despite warnings the political short termism is a

gamble in an ever dangerous world. >> as college students head back to campus for the new academic year, universities are rolling out new rules as they prepare formal protests over the israel hamas war. in many cases there is a wide range of new restrictions. jeffrey brown has our look at how college leaders and some students are navigating this moment. >> columbia university in new york, long lines formed outside the gates as classes began. students and staff present to enter. just sad to register ahead of time and access was limited to a handful of entry points. senior isabel ramirez's

editor-in-chief for the columbia daily spectator. >> it's a really different -- interesting atmosphere to enter campus with gates locked, screenings at every entry point. >> amid protests last spring, at least 200 people were arrested or detained here. in august, the president resigned following months of pressure and criticism from congress as well as jewish and pro-student groups and faculty. for now, the interim president seeking to rebuild trust has been visible on campus meeting with different constituent groups. >> that she has the ability to do something different and possibly very new in terms of how she decides to handle this and how she balances the many voices demanding things from her. i'm curious how protesters will receive her. >> it's a dynamic at play around the country as administrators seek to avoid a repeat of the

spring, when more than 3000 people were arrested or detained on campuses including students and protesters not affiliated with universities. many charges were never filed or have since been dropped, though not all. and some students have brought lawsuits in response to punishments handed down. so far this semester, relative calm. at the university of michigan four were arrested for attempting to disrupt a student event. and as classes begin at cornell, 150 pro-palestinian's protested. with the summer to take stock, colleges have incremented a variety of policies, tighter security, limited the duration of in designated areas for protests, and notably banning encampments, a step taken by the entire university of california system. >> encampments on campus are not allowed. erecting structures that haven't

been permitted on the front end is not allowed. >> rich lyons must know him -- must now implement the policy as head of uc berkeley. >> this is completely supported free speech and when you go into this category, it is in fact either sometimes unlawful and sometimes against all rules and we need to manage that more effectively than last year. >> meaning better understanding of the rules? more compliance with the rules? >> better understanding of the rules is part of it. to our students really understand the difference between free speech and civil disobedience. have you crossed a line. historically people think of civil disobedience as i civilly disobeyed and i accept the consequences. >> they stressed the need for better communications and more

consistency while making room for free debate. american university president also in his first year on the job is in the process of updating campus policies. no final decision has been made on encampments. >> we wanted to wait until students and faculty were back on campus so they could have the opportunity informs to share their thoughts and ideas. we have had a very open and transparent process, we have shared our draft policies publicly to get back and insight from the university community. >> at harvard, which saw the resignation of the president last january, new university rules include stricter limits on unapproved signs, writing on university property and noise levels. angering some students. >> harvard has retaliated with draconian measures. >> and organizer with harvard's out of occupied palestine coalition says protests and

other actions will continue. >> you will see strategic measures in order for one to escalate to a measure that is appropriate and escalate to a measure that has the most effectiveness on campus, as well as escalate to make sure our community is safe and organizers are safe. >> your students are seeking new ways to organize. university of michigan sophomore dan veteran started a students supporting israel chapter. >> we held a music festival survivor on campus just last week and after the event, a lot of the feedback we received was, we knew kind of what happened but we didn't realize the atrocities in the real damage of what was done in israel on october 7. i think this year, our strategy is just to in those conversations and talk to those people. >> as students navigate how to

use their voices, some institutions like university of washington and st. louis are sticking to rules already in place. >> we were one of the few universities in the country that said very early on in the spring that there be no encampments on our campus and when folks started with the encampments, we chose to use our police force to ensure those encampments weren't set up on our campus. if someone were to try to come and do the same thing today, we would respond in the same fashion. so we really haven't changed our approach. >> one hope we heard expressed, to make this a learning and teaching moment that goes to the heart of what colleges are for. >> our goal is not to make ideas safe for students. it's to make students safe for ideas. we are platforms for difficult ideas to mash up against each item -- each other but not in a

personal violence sense. we need to manage those things. >> we are obligated to protect students from discrimination and so there are some limitations associated with that. having said all that, free expression is a bedrock of american higher education and we know we have got to underscore the importance of that even when it's difficult. >> a goal and ideal that will no doubt be further tested. for the pbs news hour, i'm jeffrey brown. ♪ amna: the presidential debate marks a major moment in the race for the white house, and donald trump comes under scrutiny for conspiracy theories.

on that and more of the week's news, we turn to the analysis of capehart and ponnuru. that's jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post, and ramesh ponnuru, editor for "national review." david brooks is away. great to have you both here. ramesh ponnuru: thanks. jonathan capehart: amna. amna: so three days after that first debate between vice president harris, former president trump, there's only one poll that we have seen so far conducted in the days after. it gives us a limited view of the impact. so now we see vice president harris up with 47% to trump's 42% nationally in the latest reuters/ipsos poll. jonathan, it's hard to say just yet what the impact of the debate will be. we hope there will be more polls coming up soon, but the harris campaign clearly feels good about what happened. i guess the question is, did she do enough in the debate to answer questions that voters had about who she is as a leader in her policies? capehart: well, if we're being honest, yes and no. and the harris campaign should be excited about where things are.

they went into the debate with the momentum at their back, and her performance, arguably, was superb. and on the one hand, she answered questions that people had, because donald trump and republicans spent a lot of time degrading her, questioning her intelligence, questioning her abilities, questioning her accomplishments, downplaying the fact that she's run for elective office, citywide in san francisco, statewide in california, statewide for a.g. and senate, and nationwide as vice president. and she showed up on that stage, and as we say, she showed up and she showed out, and showed that she was able to more than handle the debate, the man across from her, and to run the country. where -- and this is, i think, the fault of debates these days. anyone who was expecting a deep dive in policy at this debate was -- had their expectation -- they had the wrong expectations. 2016, hillary clinton was

blasted, criticized by a lot of people for having too many plans, too many policies. and now people are criticizing kamala harris, vice president harris, for not having enough plans. but if you watch her rallies, as i have done -- i watch both their rallies -- i know she said in the debate the opportunity economy, and some people said, well, she didn't say what that was. she's been talking about it on the campaign trail for weeks now. amna: ramesh, we knew, we knew going in that she was going to try to goad donald trump into reacting. she did. he went for it time and again on crowd size, on immigration, topic after topic. that worried a lot of republicans i talked to. did it worry you? ponnuru: well, i think that it worried a lot of the people around donald trump, and he was, of course, on notice that that was going to happen. but he appears to be just congenitally incapable of resisting taking the bait. and i

suspect that one of the reasons that some of the people around him are probably all right with the idea that he's not going to do another one is that he would follow the exact same pattern if he had that debate again. so she had flaws as a debater, but he had something more like a meltdown. it may not show up in the polls, because i think this is going to be a tight race all the way through, but there's no question who did better and who did worse in that debate. amna: so you don't believe it'll show up in the polls? do you think that debate will have any impact on his support? ponnuru: i think that anything that happens in this race is going to have a small effect on the overall numbers, but that could still be a big effect in terms of the percentage of undecided voters that are still out there, because this is trench warfare. and it's, i think, going to stay that way through the end of the election. amna: you agree with that, jonathan? and do you think they should debate again? capehart: absolutely. well -- amna: well, you. what do you think? capehart: yes, i want them to debate again. and, look, as an american, i would like for them to debate again. and i would like for that next debate to actually be focused on policy. but as ramesh just pointed out, donald trump is congenitally incapable of not

dealing in grievance. and one of the great things vice president harris did on that debate stage was she threw out the bait, he took it, he threw some stuff back, she pivoted and talked about what she wanted to do. and i would like another debate between the two of them so we can talk about things like, ok, you both say you want to no longer tax tips. how's that going to work? today, he's talking about no more taxes on overtime. i'm sorry. really? or how about let's talk about his tariffs plan. have her explain more d how you' going to pay formy it. but that ain't ever going to happen. amna: well, let's talk about the other big story lisa and laura were reporting on earlier as well. and that is mr. trump and mr. vance's repeated remarks about the population, the haitian immigrant population in springfield, ohio, repeating lies about the population there.

and that's now led to real threats against people in the community, bomb threats, schools being evacuated, also paired with his association with a woman named laura loomer, who line, recently tweeting that the white house will smell like curry if kamala harris was elected, also echoing messages of white supremacists, talking about great replacement theory. jonathan, this is not a secret meeting that mr. trump is having with someone at mar-a-lago. she's traveling with him. what message does that send? capehart: it's an ugly message. it's a reprehensible message. i want to take folks back to 2008, when barack obama was about to announce his candidacy for the presidency and tapes came out from sermons from his former pastor, jeremiah wright, caused a firestorm in his campaign, pushed him to give one of the best political speeches in american history and the best speech on race in the country to save his campaign. he was being roundly criticized, 2008. here we are in 2024 and a former president and current presidential nominee is flying

around with a conspiracy theorist, after folks know what she has said and what she has done. can you imagine if jeremiah wright had gotten off of barack obama's plane days and weeks after those sermons came out? you can't imagine it because it would not have happened and it did not happen. it is reprehensible and shameful that republicans are not demanding of donald trump what, quite frankly, the nation demanded of barack obama in 2008. he -- donald trump should be held accountable. he should made to -- he should be held to account for associating himself with this person. and if he doesn't want to, if he wants to embrace and literally rhetorically embrace her, then do that. but i think republicans need to step out and loudly condemn him for what he's doing. it's horrible for their party, but it's even more damaging for this country.

amna: ramesh, what's your take on this? ponnuru: well, she has come under some pretty severe criticism from even marjorie taylor greene, who is herself a firebrand. and marjorie taylor greene said that loomer does not speak for trump, does not speak for maga, does not speak for the republican party. well, if trump believes that, he can say that, and he hasn't. what he's said so far is simply that he disagreed with her statement, presumably the racist one about curry, which, by the way, smells great. and what he didn't say was anything like, this is disgusting, i had no idea she was this kind of person. he doesn't care about that sort of thing. as long as she supports him, that makes her a good person in his eyes. amna: we have heard, as you mentioned, marjorie taylor greene saying this doesn't represent the party, but donald trump is the leader of the party. he is their presidential nominee, and we haven't heard a lot of outcry from other republicans. does this now represent the party? ponnuru: because the problem, if these republicans denounce loomer, loomer is obviously not the problem. the problem is a

candidate whose sense of judgment and whose sense of decency doesn't preclude associating with a 9/11 denier, with a racist, with a conspiracy theorist. as long as she supports him, he thinks that that's fine. amna: so the relevant trend here worth digging into is this yawning gender gap i have been keeping an eye on. it's 18 points between the candidates by one measure. that's larger than it was in 2020, larger than it was in 2016. we know women vote in larger numbers than men in presidential elections, on top of the taylor swift endorsement. i'm just working that in here. is there anything that either of you see changing that would close that gap? jonathan? capehart: i wonder how much the fearmongering that donald trump is engaging in will pull some of these women back. and i want to be clear about something. there's always been a gender gap, but a lot of it has been driven by the fact that black

women, african american women, have been solidly in the camp of democrats. the fact that the gender gap is widening says to me that white women are moving in the harris direction. whether they stay there is another thing. and one data mind, remember, no democrateep nning for president has won a majority of the white vote since 1964. ponnuru: young hispanic men, young african american men have also shown some signs of being more open to trump. that's also expanding the gender gap. one other thing to watch in this is what happens with married women and married men versus single women and single men, because that's another gap, a marriage gap. with married women in 2020, they narrowly went for trump. is that going to happen again or are they going to be turned off by him? amna: thirty seconds left. do you see anything coming from former president trump that speaks to that demographic right now? ponnuru: i think that it is very hard to ascertain what trump's strategy is at the moment. the things that he needed to do at the debate, for example, was define her, and he was too busy talking about himself to do

that. amna: ramesh ponnuru, jonathan capehart, great to have you both here. thank you so much. capehart: thanks, amna. amna: and we will have much more coverage of the presidential race online, including a conversation with two linguists about what trump and harris' respective speaking styles say about them as candidates. nicole holliday, linguistics professor, university of california, berkeley: every speech that she's given or every appearance that she's had in this cycle, she seems to be more and more like a traditional politician. so she's very rehearsed. she's very under control. she's really moving her style towards something that is more legibly presidential for a general audience. jennifer mercieca, communications professor, texas a&m university: for donald trump, his speaking style was really honed through the experience that he had working in reality television. he learned from working on "the apprentice" how to build a moment and build suspense. and he learned comedic timing. through his rallies, he has certainly learned how to interact with the crowd. he spends a lot of time cultivating

his style. amna: you can find that full conversation our youtube page. ♪ geoff: artist and designer has made his mark one button at a time. the first ever retrospective covering his near forwarding -- 40 year career. >> going all the way back to his childhood, artist beau mccall has been besotted with buttons. >> my grandmother had a maxwell house jar in the basement full of buttons. it was always like me in a jar. >> it resonated deeply.

buttons have fastened their hold over him as his media of choice, as we find at the craft museum. he has crafted jewelry, collage and a bathtub. >> most of the things i learned i learned in public housing, they camp, after school programs and sewing stitches from my mom that i still used today. so i like to call it homegrown. >> beau mccall grew up in philadelphia to parents with a sense of fashion and design. often assembled from thrift stores, rummage sales and the trash. it was up cycling before up cycling was a thing. it led him to see a creative bounty in buttons. >> the button for me is precious.

i use the buttons as a language to help me to tell stories in the works. >> the stories began to have a sharper focus after a pivotal trip to johannesburg, south africa where his artistic scope was expanded. >> i got inspired by the young creative's there. i was blown away by the craftsmanship they had as far as fashion and art. when i got back, i was inspired to do this piece that i titled motherland one. >> the nurses cascading 20 pound durag fit for a red carpet. >> it glistens like a waterfall. i was attracted to the way it sparkled. then i had buttons commissioned about haircare. afro pick, comb, silhouette. so you have different variations of how black folks wear their

hair. >> mccall often wears his creations, but the headrest was designed for his partner and the creator -- curator of this show. >> it always makes you want to stand upright. it gives you a sense of beauty, strength and courage. >> mccall moved to new york in the late 1980's. buttons helped him banish a lifelong succulents -- lifelong shyness. he used his work to both bolster and document and lgbtq community marginalized by the aids crisis. he designed disco wear and assembled collages of his friends from working. >> you see how his friends lived through the period in their lives. what helped them get through the circumstances was their love for each other. >> i see there is a love story

between him and the button. >> the chief curator of the fuller craft museum says she is especially drawn to his skill at elevating the otherwise humble button. >> and contemporary craft in particular, our whole field is based on this notion of skilled making and taking materials we live with every day and transforming them into works of art. >> a significant percentage of those buttons have been entrusted to mccall over the years. while some are specially sourced, the best one he says the telltale sign of their rich history. they smell like mildew. >> most of the time they have been sitting in somebody's house , in a jar somewhere, in a cookie tin or cigar box and they have probably been around for years. those were buttons when people really focused on the creativity in the button itself. that gets me excited.

>> i'm jared bowen. ♪ amna: be sure to tune into washington week with the atlantic tonight. jeffrey goldberg and his panel will discuss the state of the 2024 presidential race now that voters have had the chance to see vice president harris and former president trump go head-to-head in the debate. geoff: on pbs news week and, what the success of a veteran housing assistance program can teach us about tackling homelessness. i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm amna nawaz. on behalf of our entire news hour team, thank you for joining us and have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the

newshour including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and george smith. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people in nature can thrive together. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. advancing -- to promote a better world. >> and with the ongoing support of 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.

♪ this is pbs news hour west from weta studios in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

jeffrey: on tuesday, harris and trump faced off in as of now it stands to be the only debate between the two nominees. harris managed to drive to europe off