♪ >> good evening. on the news hour tonight, the federal reserve cuts interest rates for the first time in four years.

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broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome. the federal reserve cut interest rates today for the first time in four years with an aggressive move that lowers its benchmark rate by a half percentage point. it also said it intended to lower rates by a full point before the year is out. jerome powell said this is a good time to make cuts and boost the job market. >> the economy is growing at a good pace. inflation is coming down. we want to keep it there. that is what we are doing. amna: for more on this decision i am joined by the director of the hutchins center. good to see you. this decision to cut interest

rates by a half a point, what is behind it. why now? >> the federal reserve realizes that the job market is softening. they are looking ahead and they don't want the job market to cool down anymore. they expect the unemployment rate to rise alone bit more. they think they are basically winning the war against inflation. a former obama advisor said this is as close to mission accomplished as you will ever hear from the fed. amna: there's a suggestion that are making a bigger cut now because they were slow to recognize the potential economic lowdown and they are now trying to catch up. d.c. inability to that -- do you see any validity to that? >> absolutely. he was asked today about that in the press conference. he said if i had seen the numbers right after the meeting, maybe. they may be a little bit behind

the curve but they don't want to be very far behind it. amna: this lowers rates to around 5%. what does this mean or everyday americans for mortgages and credit cards. >> one way monetary policy works is through financial markets. they had been signaling a rate cut. auto rates have begun to come down. rates on credit cards have not come down at all. they will now start to come down. although rates that consumers pay will gradually come down as the bond market adjusts. people who have savings and money market funds will get less interest. amna: they were pretty

aggressive raising rates over the last two years. thus today's action suggests they will be equally as aggressive cutting rates. >> i don't think so. now they will move cautiously. jay powell always says you don't want to do too much or too little. it is clear from what people have said and to some of the convictions they may that not all members of the working committee are happy with moving this fast. jay powell may be constrained a little bit internally. amna: the economy is the number one issue for voters. we heard over president trump just that the fed could be playing politics you. how do you look at that? >> this was inevitable. whatever they did, the review to of something.

if they did too little, the democrats would sathey are holding back. i actually believe the fed that they are doing what they think is necessary for the economy. they are trying to avoid thinking about the timing of the election. people believe that but that is why we have an independent central bank, so they can do what is right for the economy. they know they will get recent from the republicans. although the republicans were a little bit ambivalent. amna: you well know the inflation rate is not at the target of 2%. fed officials say part of the reason behind the move today is they are confident they are moving sustainably toward that target. are there unknowns at had that mean inflation could take back up?

>> there are always unknowns. but it looks like we are on a steady downward trend. the labor market is softening. i think that said is right to be confident. they will think this is a victory. that is a good target. but it is not a magic number. i think they were waiting to say that would give them the freedom. amna: thank you for helping explain it to us all. >> you are welcome. ♪

amna: for the second time in as many days, and unprecedented attack on hezbollah. yesterday, pagers exploded. today, it was walkie-talkies. lebanese officials say the attacks killed more than 20 and injured more than 3000 people. reporter: a u.s. official confirmed to me that israel has briefed to the u.s. that it was behind the attacks yesterday and today. today, thousands mourned at a funeral. and then they had to plan another one. walkie-talkies across the country exploded. some attacks loaded in civilian areas.

this came one day after thousands of pagers blew up in markets and cash registers, hitting militants where they are most vulnerable. communication networks tonight were compromised. hezbollah vowed revenge. >> this aggressive has its own punishment. reporter: israel informed the u.s. that it was behind the attacks. >> i have said it before. we will return citizen safely.

reporter: hezbollah open fire after october 7. there is widespread anger at the government. he said the government was united in shifting the goals away from gaza. >> the center of gravity is moving north. i believe we are at the phase -- start of a new phase of the war. reporter: the u.s. has tried to prevent an all-out war with the shadow diplomacy. in cairo today, secretary of state blinken called for restraint. >> we want all parties to avoid any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we

are trying to result in gaza. reporter: today, the taiwanese manufacturer of the pagers said they were actually manufactured by a company in hungary. thank you very much. welcome back. thousands of hezbollah members were injured. communication networks were infiltrated. what kind of impact will these two days of attacks have? >> i think this is the biggest blow to hezbollah in terms of a security breach by israel. on many levels. what we understand so far is these 5000 pagers that were intercepted and sent to

hezbollah and exploded were given to senior leadership. it is not for every person. the hit was a really high in the ranks. today's attacks show them that they still do not understand how infiltrated they are by israeli intelligence. reporter: israel is signaling a ramping up of pressure on the border with lebanon. what do you believe is the goal behind these attacks? >> seems like the appetite for war is increasing. any provocation by hezbollah today will probably get israel to rawdon it's attacks in lebanon. war can come in many colors and shapes. this is something that would lead israel to war.

especially after we saw not to statements from israel but also of movement of military from gaza to the border with lebanon. reporter: in that sense, hezbollah is more likely to play into that. this attack traumatized lebanese civilians. lebanese families were hit. is hezbollah under more pressure to respond in a big way because about trauma? >> they deafly are under much more pressure to respond because they have been humiliated. the problem is for them to respond, they have to reconstruct their military capabilities, including their communication system. nothing has changed in terms of not using military assets, which is precision guided missiles. they are still there to ensure iran's ability in lebanon.

they have to do something because they lost the respect of their community after this. they are totally humiliated. the trust level is completely eroded with their community. they need to do something but they are also cornered in the sense of how to do it without inviting israel to escalate. reporter: u.s. official still believe that neither hezbollah nor iran want a full scale war. >> there is no way after this incident he will not speak. tomorrow he has to speak. whether he has something to important to say or not. i don't think they have a response yet. it takes time for them to assess what they have lost and what they can do. but he will threaten israel.

it is like last time they endured something like this, and assassination. reporter: the number three in hezbollah who was assassinated. >> exactly. i think an angry, threatening speech like that will happen tomorrow. but not exactly a responsibility afterward. they need time to think this out. reporter: thank you very much. >> thank you. ♪ amna: we start today's other news with the aftermath of the baltimore bridge collapsed. the justice department is suing the manager.

it was called entirely avoidable. six construction workers were killed. she said that employees will be required to take one week off without paper month. it is not clear to many people will be affected. senior executives will also take pay cuts. more than 30,000 machinists have been striking since friday for better pay. production has stopped on several boeing planes. in portugal, officials have announced a state of calamity as

wildfires scorch the country. local residents joined in the effort, bringing water to fire crews. >> we are trying to help the firefighters. we notate are very tired. we are trying to help. that is our way of helping them. amna: in central europe, a crisis of a different kind. the death toll from floods has risen to 23. a massive cleanup is underway. some areas in southwest poland could see more flooding in the coming days. officials in zimbabwe announced a killing of wild elephants.

namibia announced a similar measure. southern africa has been ravaged by drought conditions. officials say the elephants will be killed in areas where their populations have become onset double -- unsustainable. back here in the u.s., millions of americans can now renew their passports online. the state department said it's web-based renewal process is fully up and running. the old process required a mailed in paper application, photos, and a check. the new system is expected to streamline the process for about 5 million americans each year. but it is not available for children, first time applicants, expedited passports, are people living outside of the u.s. the wnba is headed back to

portland, oregon, with a new expansion team set to start playing in 2026. a previous team folded after just three seasons. the commissioner of the league said that as the wnba builds on a season of unprecedented growth, bringing a team back to portland is another important step forward. the portland franchise does not have a name yet. it will be the third to join the league in the coming years alongside a team in california and toronto. tupperware has filed for bankruptcy. the iconic food storage company has been struggling for years amid increased competition. tupperware was greeted shortly after world war ii and found its groove in the mid century. tupperware plans to continue

operations. wall street saw stocks popping but then fell back. the s&p 500 ended slower -- lower. four black women pivotal to the space race were honored by congress today. they were known as hidden figures. later made famous by a movie of the same name. the only one still alive watched from her home. >> at a time in america when our

nation was divided by color and often by gender, these women dared to step into the fields where they had previously been on welcomed. they actually wrote the story. >> a fifth medal was given symbolically to all women whose impactful work went unrecognized. still to come, harris and trump work to shore up their respective bases. new reporting details how deaths could have been avoided if not for an abortion ban's. in award-winning war correspondent brings poetry to the front lines. >> this is the news hour from

our studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: vice president kamala harris and former president donald trump are pressing ahead with a very busy campaign schedule. that included an appearance since another assassination attempt. we have the latest on increasing calls for stability during this contentious election season. reporter: in washington for the start of hispanic heritage month, vice president harris but the congressional hispanic caucus, weaving in campaign themes as she stressed the american dream. >> our work has always been guided by shared values. and a shared vision. at this moment, we are confronting a couple of

different visions for our nation. one focused on the past. the other focused on the future. >> she spoke to latinos in congress a day after she took questions from black journalists, where she revealed she spoke to donald trump following the apparent assassination attempt on sunday. republicans on capitol hill pulled no punches today, saying harris and democrats have not done enough to bring temperatures down. >> their so-called leaders and partners in the media need to get a grip. the secret service should do more to protect president trump. we cannot normalize what has happened to an american president. reporter: democrats reiterated that there is no place for political violence but added a note for the republican colleagues. >> this be very clear that when the other side of the aisle talks about this issue, they

lack a lot of credibility. reporter: for the former president, last night and is first campaign appearance since the second apparent attempt on his life, there was a notable change in tone. he even thanked his opponents, saying his kindness made them hard to attack. >> i kind of wish the call was not made. he is so nice. today she could not have been nicer. reporter: he made light of the second apparent attempt. saying that running for president is dangerous business. and he remained defiant. >> you wonder why i get shot at. only consequential presidents get shot at. reporter: on the trail today in

north carolina, jd vance praised the former president for being cool under pressure. >> you want the guy who keeps his head about him while gunshots are going off. reporter: in a significant move, the teamsters union said it will not back either candidate. that breaks with nearly three decades of endorsements. amna: it is a great honor. reporter: he tromped -- hosts a headline in new york tonight. several house races there are in play. amna: the election looms, but first lawmakers face another deadline to keep the government open and funded. tonight, the house of representatives is taking risk.

republicans say they do not have a backup plan. where are we with a possible shutdown? reporter: there needs to be funding past or we will have a shutdown. let's take a look at this. this is coming up soon. we expected to be a close vote. we expect this to fail. that is because in part it is attached to the save act, which is a piece of legislation dealing with voting. in this country, it is illegal to vote if you are a noncitizen. there is studies that show there is no problem with that.

it is not a significant issue. but republicans want this to pass to require proof of citizenship. this means that this funding is likely to fail. amna: if this is likely to fail and there is this deadline approaching, why is speaker johnson holding the vote at all? reporter: this is a roll of the dice. he has been saying all day he can sway enough republicans. we have seen that they have lost votes like this. it would be a dramatic change. his job is on the line. he wants to prove to conservative republicans that he will push their ideas even if they fail. the other issue is this is an election-year issue. they are betting on the idea that proof of citizenship could be popular.

this is something they talked about. amna: former president trump has been pointing to a related issue in arizona. what is happening? >> in arizona in the last couple days it has come to light that voters may not meet a requirement. that requires that they show proof that they are u.s. citizens. the arizona law is unique. they are now in limbo for state elections. that includes the abortion ballot measure. trump responded about this. he said this implies that the

election is rigged. we know he is conflating several ideas here. we asked what was known about the likelihood of any of the folks caught up in this might be noncitizen voters? >> officials have said a vast majority of these people are certainly citizens. there is really no evidence that there is a large group of noncitizens. one of the reasons the state has chosen and it has unique laws in this respect is because they are worried about this. reporter: that law is actually causing other problems right now. it will go to court and ballots will be printed. decisions could be made very quickly. the arizona secondary estate said this group of voters they are looking at, they are republican.

the republican party says let them all vote in the selection. it is too late to change anything. we will have to monitor that. amna: a couple of very big stories worth keeping an eye on. thank you very much. ♪ this fall, reproductive health care access is on the ballot in nearly a dozen states. we are learning more about the effects of abortion restrictions enacted on the state level. reporter: we found at least two women in georgia who have died after not being able to get a legal abortion or timely medical care. both of these deaths were preventable.

she tried to get an abortion out-of-state and missed her appointment because of a traffic jam. she was prescribed a medical abortion. what happened to her? >> it is important to make clear that abortion medication has shown that they are safe. ineffective when taken appropriately. if there are complications, patients should go to the hospital right away.

we know she had complications. she went to the hospital. doctors waited 20 hours. they talked about it multiple times. they monitored her as her blood pressure fail -- fell and her organs started failing. a mortality review committee reviewed this case and they agreed that it was preventable. they said the largest impact was the delay in receiving a procedure. they said it was a good chance that it had been done sooner, her life could have been saved. reporter: why d the doctors delay? >> the hospitals did not was on to requests for comment. a lot of lawmakers who have passed these abortion bands have promised they have exceptions for the life of the mother or

medical emergencies. but they are written in ways that medical officials say are confusing. doctors have told me this kind of threat can really change the dynamics of how they interact with patients. we have reported a lot of in-depth stories about this. doctors say it changed the way they were treating patients. even if they do feel they can go ahead, they sometimes have to convince lawyers and nurses and other colleagues to participate who have the right incense dates not to participate in any abortion related care. reporter: another woman avoided doctors. she navigated a medication abortion on her own. do we know why she did not go to a doctor? >> an important thing about this case is she had a lot of medical complications.

she had diabetes, lupus, and hypertension. her doctors told her it would be dangerous for her to go through another pregnancy. it could threaten her life. these abortion exceptions do not have any kind of exception that addresses the situation. they are really limited to emergencies, not situations where a patient might have a condition that could become an emergency later. because abortion was outlawed, her family said she ordered pills online from overseas and took them at home. they can cause complications and patients should go to the hospital if that happens. we know she experienced some pain. her families understanding was that abortion was outlawed and people could go to jail for having an abortion. that is not clear from georgia law. courts have ruled that women

cannot be prosecuted for their own abortion but there has been some confusion around this. she was found with fentanyl and other medications in her system. reporter: this law was hailed as republicans like the governor of georgia. he said he was overjoyed when it took effect. he reached out to his office. what did he say to you? >> many of the republicans who passed these laws have waved off these types of concerns. governor kemp called this reporting fee or mongering. it is not a surprise that abortion bands are unclear or could cause confusion. ever since they were written, doctors and patients have been speaking out warning that these

bans are not clear and could lead to women dying unnecessarily. there has been efforts to propose small changes. the types of changes that would help them avoid delays. we have seen others oppose these changes. reporter: both of these cases happened in 2022. why is it just now that they were learning the conclusions of the review boards? >> that is why pro public is continuing to report on these. they are hard to track down. often families are not even aware of the circumstances. every state has a committee that reviews maternal deaths. they review the causes and make findings. they are just now starting to look at cases afterroe was

overturned. we have a lot of reason to believe there are more women whose stories have been impacted by the inability to get a legal abortion in their state. we continue to bring that to light. reporter: thank you very much. >> thank you for your time. ♪ amna: companies that make technology rely on every day can run headlong into traditional cultures. in the environment that sustains them. last night we featured a new potentially lucrative industry, deep-sea mining. tonight, a special correspondent returns to papa new guinea and the bismarck sea where locals are fighting back to preserve a vanishing kind of life. >> he was a teenager when he

first ventured out in a canoe fishing far out at sea has sustained this community for centuries. like many locals, he started catching fish around age six. he later moved to this village to get married. this shoreline has been his home ever since. >> it can help us with our families. this sustains our livelihood in our village. >> fishing helps feed his children. >> when i was younger, it was a

lot faster. we would bring in a lot of fish. but now, fish are scarce. it takes a long time for us to catch one. >> he paddles out rapidly toward the reese. -- reef. beyond the reach of a typical canoe ride sits a vast ship. locals worry that it will damage the fishing stock. it is testing a new technique for a controversial industry. a giant device scoops up several tons of rock from the seabed and sensitive to the ships deck for analysis. they show us these rocks

crawling with mollusks and crabs. a large amount of material has linked into the water colony. environmental scientists are trying to better understand if this damage can be minimalized or possibly mitigated. they lowered tubes into the ocean to catch different samples.

the team on board is try to confirm if these metals can be mined efficiently and safely. he says deep-sea mining could cause less harm than it's on shortly evelyn. >> we are not relocating villages. we are not laying waste to huge areas. we have to mind less ground. >> given the uncertain circumstances, that is an argument he finds difficult to accept. >> the scientists i have talked

to, they don't want to take risks. reporter: he travels along rugged roads to provide communities with things they need to make decisions. most lived in scattered villages. traditional activities dominate daily life in the village. residents gather beneath these ancients trees to debate and discuss community challenges. on a recent visit, a village

chief opened the meeting. he was appointed to this role decades ago and he appears to relish the responsibility. he explained what little he knew about the presence of the vessel just over the horizon. >> they took their turn. they were upset. this poorly understood new industry seems to represent a potential threat. >> the ocean is our life. it is our guardian. we catch fish and share with others in the village. we share with other families to spread love and kindness. reporter: finding enough food

can already be a challenging communities like this. there is no significant support from the state. you think the government and local representatives here are on your side? or the side of the companies doing the prospecting? >> there on the side of the company. not working in our favor. we are suffering. reporter: how does that make you feel? >> we are now faced with a huge problem. reporter: are you angry? >> we will miss out on the benefits. we will have nothing. there will not be other services. this is a big problem. reporter: meetings like this

mean a great deal. he thought his decade of opposition had stopped this. >> that was our effort. now we are back. campaigning against this new company. reporter: he said he feels the trade by his own government. >> it is stressful. you have a family to feed. you have to commit yourself to a good cause.

to me it is very emotional. reporter: he hopes to move forward on a legal case against the government. to force more information into the public domain. >> this will not benefit anyone. we are taking minerals from the poor people. these people are going to be affected for a long time. this is something we are very concerned about. reporter: markets may operate far from fishing waters.

this can help combat a perceived threat. >> if we have a lot of conversations and raise a lot of awareness and have cooperation to fight against this, then it will not happen. reporter: not for the first or last time in our globalized world, a new industry is colliding with traditional techniques. amna: tomorrow we will delve into the seeming lack of government oversight of deep-sea mining and the forces behind that avoidance. ♪ for many years, we have had a

frequent contributor. she has been bringing as powerful reports. this week she has a new book out. we visited her for our boards -- arts and culture series. >> the enemy is just 500 meters away? that is not very far. too close for comfort. reporter: after 40 years, she found inspiration for new book in ukraine. >> i decided to send out a poem a day. people started to react. they wanted more poems. as i have covered more complex,

i have turned to poetry more and more. sometimes the language we use as journalists is not enough. reporter: she began with suitable poetry. >> poets don't have the answers. but they can help us. it is rather patriotic. that is not what i'm looking at.

that is conveyed more effectively and free-form poetry. we had just had sniper fire overhead. we will stay down here for a bit. >> the outgoing machine gun fire from the ukrainians is aimed at suppressing the russians so they do not fire back. i feel that is very important that people understand the horror of war.

that is one of my main motivations. after a few minutes of quiet, it is time for us to run across the open ground. >> why do you think poetry provides solace? reporter: on the one hand, it is a connection. the poet has felt or seen what i have. that also gives you a certain distance. reporter: he was considered to be israel's best poet. >> we were dancing.

we were so unbelievably happy and safe. half a second after that, you're running for your life. >> on my desk, there is a fragment of a hand grenade that did not kill me. reporter: then came the israeli response in gaza. >> it is not about both sides. it is not about journalistic concepts. it is not about what journalists worry about. reporter: to make sense of the

conflict, she returned to israel. demonstrating that poetry transcends. >> flowers will never grow in the spring. this is hard and trample like a yard. reporter: she was killed by a russian missile in 2022. >> air raid sirens across the country. >> amid the suffering, it falls to other ukrainian poets.

amna: there is much more online, including a scientific explanation of what you are seeing when you look at a supermoon and tips on when you can catch the next one. on behalf of our entire team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by -- >> on an american cruise line's journey, travelers retraced the route forged by lewis and clark. you can experience local customs and cuisine. >> the ongoing support of these

individuals. and friends of the news hour. the ford foundation, working with visionaries of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these individuals ended duchenne. -- and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions from your pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the

national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪

wow, you get to watch all ur favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. exploding pagers kill several and wound thousands. what this means for the ongoing israel/hezbollah conflict. then -- >> when you don't have other positive sources of id