this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "newshour" tonight, israel and hezbollah move closer to an all-out war after israeli airstrikes kill hundreds in lebanon. geoff: kamala harris and donald trump ramp up efforts to win over voters in critical swing states as the election draws closer. amna: and, "late show" host stephen colbert and his wife, evie, on their new cookbook, the family stories behind the food, and how to be funny in tough political times. >> toxicity itself is worth making fun of.

like, that's just the fact of how bad things are is something you have to make fun of. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the news hour, including leonard and norma, and the judy and peter bloom cogler foundation. >> two retired executives turned their attention to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs a chance to win. a raymondjames advisor gets to know you, your purpose and how you give back. life well planned. >> the william and flora hewlitt foundation, promoting a better world.

at hewlitt.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 station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the "news hour." it is the deadliest day in the middle east since october 7. lebanese authorities say israeli airstrikes killed almost 500 and wounded more than 1600. geoff: israel said it struck

1100 targets where iran-backed hezbollah hid weapons, including thousands of rockets and missiles and a stash that is often fired at israel. it has led the u.s. defense department to send additional troops to the region. nick schifrin starts our coverage. nick: in towns across southern and eastern lebanon, at more than 1000 sites, an avalanche of airstrikes. lebanese across the region said today felt like the beginning of war. thousands of families fled, cramming everyonthey could fit into every vehicle they could find. even those shattered by shrapnel. >> strikes, warplanes, destruction. no one is left there, everyone has fled. we took our belongings and left. nick: since october 8, hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into israel, including yesterday outside israel's third-largest city.

and israel says its goal is to return some 60,000 residents to now empty northern israeli towns. >> i promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north. that is exactly what we are doing. we're destroying thousands of missiles and rockets directed at israeli cities and israeli citizens. nick: israel expanding its targets today, warning residents to leave any homes with weapons in the beqaa valley, where hezbollah was founded decades ago near the border with syria. >> we advise civilians from lebanese villages located in and next to buildings in areas used by hezbollah for military purpose, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety. nick: israel said its targets were hezbollah, but lebanese officials say israel also struck hospitals, medical centers, and other civilian infrastructure. it is a dangerous, violent escalation, one day after

hezbollah leaders promised their own escalation. >> we don't need to make threats, and we won't specify how we will respond to aggression. we've entered a new phase, titled "open-ended battle of reckoning." nick: but over the last week, it's been hezbollah that's faced unprecedented attacks. their walkie-talkies and pagers turned into bombs, injuring thousands and killing nearly 40. and on friday, an israeli airstrike in southern beirut killed the founder of hezbollah's special forces unit, but also dozens of civilians who face the brunt of the violence, the u.n. said today. >> what we have seen over the last week has been dramatic. it has been dramatic, the consequences on civilians has been huge. nick: today in washington, for at least the fifth time in the last week, president biden urged restraint.

>> my team is in constant contact with our counterparts and we're working to deescalate in a way that allows people to return to their homes safely. nick: but if israel's hope is that hezbollah chooses diplomacy, analysts say this week's attacks will produce the opposite effect and is already leading to the very escalation from both sides the u.s. has been trying to prevent. for the "pbs news hour," i'm nick schifrin geoff: for perspective on the spiraling violence between israel and lebanon, we get two views. aaron david miller is a senior fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace and a long-time state department official in both democratic and republican administrations. and hussein ibbish is a senior resident scholar at the arab gulf states institute in washington. thank you both for being here. hussein, i will start with you. lebanon's health ministry says the strikes have killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women. what is your assessment of how israel is conducting this military operation? hussein: well, it's obviously aimed at not just hezbollah, but anything that israel thinks

might be of use to hezbollah. it is very similar to the doctrine applied in gaza, where dual use, triple use facilities are all targeted, and so is anything that could maybe be on that list. there is a real difference -- deference towards authorization rather than non-authorization strikes, and a willingness to do tremendous harm. part of it is psychological warfare, some of it is generalized vengeance. israel's approach to these things is wars between societies. they want to make sure everybody suffers. geoff: aaron david miller, how does this move israel closer to its goal of facilitating the return of some 60,000 people, civilians to their homes in the north? aaron: it is great to be with you. it is always great to be with

hussein. i am not sure about the war against ascites. i think the israelis are faced with a problem. on october 8, hezbollah decided to be part of the resistance. they struck israel. and have been living on borrowed time ever since. hezbollah understood, like hamas, that has placed the entire population of lebanon in the dock for its actions. as far as israel strategies, i am not sure the israelis believe that all this military pressure will get hezbollah to somehow roll over, let alone create a pathway that the biden administration could take advantage of to de-escalate under the management, who negotiated a maritime border two years ago with hamas and iran. i think the israelis, i don't think they want a major escalation. it would expose the population centers and infrastructure to an enormous amount of destruction.

but they are taking a major whack at hezbollah, i think they are prepared to continue that perhaps without a sustainable objective. geoff: do you expect israel to launch a ground operation? hussein: not yet. i do think, yeah, hezbollah is responsible, for sure, for dragging yet again lebanon and its people into a conflict which is not connected to lebanese interests, but that has changed now. with the pager explosion, 4000 bombs randomly put all over lebanon that killed a lot of people including children, i think the perspective of a lot of lebanese has shifted to be more sympathetic towards has hezbollah. i think a land invasion is not yet likely but israel may come to find it cannot create the illusion of security. that is what they are chasing. none of this, not the bombing, not some sort of security.

they can create by seizing and creating a new occupation and lebanon, none of it would provide security for northern israel. in fact, it would meyer israel in yet another open-ended occupation and counterinsurgency in the north as well as in the south. but, i do think it could create, for a short period of time, the illusion of security. i think it's possible that the israelis may turn to that if they cannot get the illusion of security through this bombing, which is undoubtedly a form of coercive diplomacy. clearly, they are trying to force hezbollah into some sort of formal back down while degrading the rockets and rocket launchers. none of that translates into greater security for northern israel. at most, advise you time. geoff: aaron david miller, what about iran? you are saying neither israel or iran wants a full-blown direct conflict but how might this

escalation by israel into lebanon prompt iran to be more provocative? aaron: if you got a major escalation, hezbollah has not crossed the redline which is the use of the precision guided missiles, which they have hundreds. they have sufficient quantity in order to do tremendous damage to israeli population centers, infrastructure, the electricity grid. israel gets a lot of its water from desalination plants, those would go up. this could become a major nightmare. hezbollah has the capacity to launch 3000 missiles a day. summer 2006, they launched 3000 during the entire campaign. the iranians want to cause the israelis as much difficulties as they can. they would love to see an israeli occupation of southern lebanon. they would love to see the israelis in the west bank and gaza in perpetuity, but what they don't see is an israeli

and/or american strike against iran proper. you could end up with that eventuality if there is a major israeli-hezbollah escalation and iran felt like it needed to come to hezbollah's defense. perhaps american to get involved. you could see something the middle east has never experienced before which is a multi-front war. iraq, syria, lebanon, iran. the houthis have been striking oil targets in the gulf. geoff: what does de-escalation look like at this point and what more can the u.s. do, if anything? hussein: the u.s. could do a lot to restrain israel because israel has achieved early on in this conflict that began after october 7 escalation dominance. they made it clear early on, especially during this year, that they don't mind a broader war. if all the parties involved, other than hamas which has no ability to influence things really, that israel is the one

that is most interested in a potential war. they wouldn't mind getting the united states to actually bomb the iranian facilities. there are a lot of people in israel who are enthusiastic about that and a bigger number in the israeli government who are ambivalent about it. they are concerned about it, but at the same time, they can see upsides which is why they've been so reckless and escalatory in recent months. de-escalation looks like hezbollah backing off with rocket attacks and making maybe some conciliatory noises about decoupling their conflict with israel from the war in gaza, which is the one thing they've been harping on. they won't change any of their behavior until there is a cease fire in gaza.

that doesn't actually make any sense from their point of view, except in a very vague ideological way. it also certainly means the united states restraining israel, i think both tehran and washington would say they don't want a broader war and have a responsibility to restrain their allies. in particular, i think washington really does need to say to the israelis in a more open way, if you force a war here, because you are the party driving at this time. it was not true in 2006, but nowadays. you are going to be on your own. don't rely on us for more munitions. our policy has been the war should not spread. if it spreads because you insist it must spread for whatever reason, then we are not responsible. geoff: in the 32nd we have left, is there anything president biden can say to bibi netanyahu this week that might make a difference? aaron: i will make this brief. in 11 monoths, the -- months,

the administration has been reluctant and/or refused to impose a single cost of consequence that normal humans let the three of us would regard as serious pressure. are we 50 days out from november 5? there's absolutely no way given the consequential nature of this election that this administration with iran perceived to be pulling the strings, is going to pressure the israelis and the tsitsipas days that remains in this very consequential election. hussein: the israelis know this and are cynically using that situation to give themselves an out. geoff: thank you both for your insights and time this evening. >> thank you. ♪ amna: we start the day's other

-- i'm stephanie here are the latest headlines. the suspect in the second assassination attempt engaged in a premeditated plot. ryan routh left behind a pre-written note that he addressed to the world, appearing to say he may not succeed in killing trump, and offering a reward to anyone willing to "complete the job." routh has been ordered to remain in jail to await trial on two gun-related charges. prosecutors will seek a more serious charge of attempted assassination of a major political candidate. the biden administration is proposing a ban on chinese software and hardware in autonomous vehicles operating on u.s. roads. the commerce department cites national security concerns for the move and says russian technology would also be prohibited. under the proposal, the software

would be banned from vehicles starting with model year 2027 and hardware in 2030. the move comes after a similar -- a gunman opened fire in birmingham alabama, killing four people and injuring 17 others. police have described it as a targeted hit, but say that innocent bystanders were among those shot. today, authorities said they're offering rewards totaling $100,000 for credible information that helps lead to an arrest or conviction. >> we cannot give safe harbor or shelter to people who want to just simply kill people. we can't give them cover, they should not feel safe in our community. they should not feel safe anywhere. saturday's shooting was the city's third quadruple

homicide of the year. the gunman's legal team argued he should be found not guilty due to schizophrenia. he was sentenced to life in prison. overall murder and other violent crime dropped across the nation last year. that's according to an annual report from the fbi. overall, violent crime fell by an estimated 3% compared to 2022. murders and manslaughter dropped nearly 12%. and reports of rape fell more than 9%. however, reports of hate crimes rose last year by 2%. districts must past -- past

rules to limit or ban smartphones. some argue the burden should not fall on teachers and cell phones are vital in emergencies. two russians and one american returned from the international space station today, ending a record-breaking stay for the russians. >> touchdown. amna: their capsule landed in a cloud of dust in kazakhstan about three and a half hours after it undocked from the station. oleg kononenko and nikolai chub were aboard the i.s.s. for 374 days, a new record for the longest continuous stay. american astronaut tracy dyson was there for six months. eight astronauts are still on board, including butch wilmore and suniilliams. the americans won't return until next year following tech problems with boeing's starliner. two new reports on the state of book banning in america paint a mixed picture of the practice, as the annual banned books week

begins nationwide. the american library association reported 414 complaints in the first eight months of 2024. that's compared to 695 challenges over the same period last year. meantime, data from pen america shows the number of books actually being pulled from shelves tripled over the previous year to more than 10,000. still to come our politics team breaks down the latest. california says exxon mobil lied to the public and judy woodruff talks to voters from across the political spectrum in wisconsin. >> this is the pbs news hour from the david m. rubenstein

studio at weta in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite pool of journalism at arizona -- school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: congress is returning to town with the election hovering, and funding for most of the government set to run out a week from today. geoff: congressional leaders announced another short-term deal to punt more partisan fights over spending until after the election. lisa desjardins is tracking the movements on capitol hill and joins me now. here we go again. what is in this deal exactly? lisa: this came together over the weekend from the republican and democratic leaders of congress. this would extend government funding -- before a new president would be sworn in. this includes $231 million for secret service and it especially says it can be spent now. concern for both parties protection including former president trump. there will not be any increased

funding for veterans affairs. that is something democrats say they tried to get in this bill. the v.a.'s constraint right now for resources but republicans say they would not agree to it. this is standard procedure, but coming now in such a tense election year, both parties leadership realized the need to get this through. republican leaders don't want a shutdown and democrats want to focus on the election. geoff: what are you watching for next? lisa: we do expect this to pass both chambers. it is a question of how dramatic is it? the house is likely to move on this tomorrow or wednesday. we are watching in the senate, some senators, conservatives like mike lee, often brings up his objections to spending and other things because he knows he can try to run out the senate clock and get some attention for it. this could come close to the wire, but all expect in the end, it will likely pass. the other person to watch closely is former president donald trump.

he said he would oppose -- he told speaker johnson to oppose a deal like this without attached legislation he wanted. is he going to fight against this deal, push for a shutdown? more importantly, is he going to raise problems for speaker johnson? recent republican speakers of the house don't have an easy job and their job security is not the greatest. geoff: that is indeed true. lisa, thank you so much. amna: turning now to the presidential race. with just over 40 days until election day, both vice president kamala harris and former president donald trump are ramping up their respective campaigning in swing states during the final stretch of the race. a week after a second attempt on his life, former president donald trump spent the afternoon in western pennsylvania. >> nobody's done for farmers what i've done. amna: speaking to voters about the potential threat from china to u.s. agriculture. >> i'm going to call up president xi. i'm gonna say you have to honor

the deal you made. we made a deal you'd buy $50 billion worth of american farm product and i guarantee you, he will buy it. 100%, he will buy it. amna: as trump and vice president harris barnstorm battlegrounds just six weeks before election day, new polling from "the new york times" and siena college shows the former president taking the lead in three of those crucial states -- arizona, georgia, and north carolina. with trump's five-point lead in arizona outside the margin of error. while the polls may show a trump advantage in the sun belt, harris is outpacing her republican rival when it comes to money in the bank. the vice president received a $27 million cash injection from a wall street fundraising event on sunday, adding to the $361 million the campaign raised last month. that same day, she also racked up 700 endorsements in a signed letter from both republican and democratic national security leaders who called the choice between harris and trump a choice between democracy and

authoritarianism. on official vice presidential business today, harris will pick up campaigning in key swing states throughout the week with a focus on the economy. >> i've named it an opportunity economy, which really, in short form, is about what we can do more to invest in the aspirations, the ambitions, the dreams of the american people while addressing the challenges that they face. amna: the vice president also accepted an invitation from cnn for a second debate with donald trump, who swiftly declined the invitation at a weekend rally. >> it's just too late. voting has already started. amna: and in an interview on a conservative sunday show, trump was candid about his plans not to run again in 2028. >> if you're not successful this time, do you see yourself running again in four years? >> no, i don't. i think that will be -- i don't see that at all. amna: his running mate, senator jd vance, meanwhile campaigned

in north carolina today. >> thanks to kamala harris' policies you have a lot of american families and cities that cannot afford to provide basic necessities to their citizens. amna: but all eyes are on a different republican candidate in the tar heel state, gubernatorial nominee mark robinson. on sunday, several of robinson's top campaign staffers quit after a cnn report uncovered numerous inflammatory and derogatory comments the lieutenant governor allegedly made on a porn website. the harris campaign quickly turned out campaign ads tying robinson directly to donald trump. >> i've gotten to know him and he's outstanding. >> donald trump and mark robinson, both wrong for north carolina. amna: with early voting already underway in some states, the race remains a tight one,

each tries to clinch electoral votes needed to win. to dive into it all on this politics monday, tamara keith of npr. and jasmine wright of "notus," a new publication from the non-profit, non-partisan allbriton journalism institute. amy walter is away. great to have you both here. we are heading into the final six week spring to election day. you've been keeping tabs on donald trump's travel schedule. what does that tell you about the campaign strategy six weeks out? tamara: what i can tell you is he's in pennsylvania. he was just in north carolina. he's going back to north again and he's also going to georgia.

his strategy is this east coast strategy. if he can win in pennsylvania and georgia and north carolina, but especially pennsylvania, then harris has a very difficult path to the 270 electoral votes she needs. so, trump is focusing on these states. the fact he spending a lot of time in north carolina says he's worried about it because if he wasn't, he would not be spending time there. but he is. i think he spending more time there than harris since she became the nominee. geoff: we will talk a bit about north carolina in a second. jasmine, vice president harris said she accepted a debate oposal from cnn. donald trump has ruled out. what is the strategy? why does the vice president feel like she needs another debate? jasmine: i think the vice president had a massively successful debate earlier this month. we saw her not just quell the competency questions she was getting from both parties, where there were not she was ready to be president, but they made a lot of money in that 24 hours after the debate. $47 million. they want to re-create those

moments. it is a little bit of goading trump, something that they have seen has been successful. trying to poke him, play this game of argue or are you not a chicken? i think we will continue to see her up until it is too late and the dates expire, trying to get trump again on the debate stage because they believe there is no downside into them doing this. tamara: one thing i will note is the vice presidential debate is scheduled for october 1. in the last -- the first presidential debate between trump and harris, trump was like jd vance, he does not speak for me. so, is he going to let jd vance and tim walz have the last word? i guess we will find out. part of the harris campaign is betting is trump may say it is a closed question. jasmine: i think every time jd vance has gone the last word, the former president was not happy about it. geoff: meantime, donald trump appears to shift and soft his approach towards women. speaking in north carolina over

the weekend, he said i will protect women at a level never seen before. they will finally be healthy, hopeful, safe and secure. this comes as nbc has a new pullout that shows -- poll out that shows harris leading trump among women. tamara: this is a historically large gender gap. trump is doing better with men then harris is doing with men. that is what makes the gap so gaping. trump and those remarks also said women will no longer be thinking about abortion because it is now where it has had to be, with the states. he's essentially saying that we will not have to worry about abortion, your life will be great if i am elected president again. and what he saying is it is with the states, there will be these ballot measures, it will be figured out. i have to say women are not going to stop thinking about it. in fact, ever since roe was overturned with supreme court justices that trump proudly

appointed, ever since roe was overturned, abortion has become a campaign issue like it was not before. before, it was a motivator for christian conservatives, but it was not a broad-based issue that americans thought was front of mind in the last couple of decades. now, it is a front of my campaign issue. there will be these ballot measures. i was traveling with vice president harris on friday when she went to georgia with a late-added rally in the atlanta area, specifically the entire speech was about reproductive health care and what she calls trump abortion bans in nearly two dozen states. he was responding to that. it was a cause and effect. she did that speech and he put out this post on social media and literally read it at his rallies. jasmine: because he knows he's abortion ever since roe v. wade was struck down.

this is something he has been most aggressive in trying to figure out how to position himself on abortion. we have seen he cannot figure out where he wants to be. i think you will continue to hear these kind of, slightly unserious proclamations that women will never have to worry about abortion again if he's president because he's trying to figure out the right language in real time to tell women that he can be trusted on this issue, which is absolutely opposite of the message the vice president is offering. geoff: we got some news today out of nebraska. this relates to the republican effort to change how nebraska awards its electoral college votes. this was an effort by republicans to boost former president trump. it hit a roadblock in the form of a state legislator named mike mcdonald. he put out a statement. "in recent weeks, the conversation around whether to change how we allocate the electoral college votes as returned to the forefront. after deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now is not the moment to make this change."

tam, how big of a deal is this for both campaigns? tamara: this is a -- in some ways, this returns it to where it was. this was kind of going nowhere. they've been trying to do this. the republican legislature has tried a few times to make this happen. what's interesting is in the past week, former president trump, lindsey graham have been talking to these legislators, trying to put pressure on them. this is because trump allies readily admit he's not winning in this one congressional district. in fact, harris and her campaign have spent a lot of time and money and sent doug emhoff, he's like the second mayor of omaha. yeah. they spent a lot of time and effort on this one electoral college vote because if it comes down to just the blue wall stes, then she would also need this blue dot, the second

congressional district in nebraska in order to get to 270. obviously, trump and his allies don't want that to happen. jasmine: there's no doubt this is a major win for the harris campaign. of course, this guy may change his mind. we may get through two more rotations of this until november. i asked an aide of harris, what is their path? they say they are most comfortable, they feel most bullish about the blue wall path, plus omaha. that is where that congressional district is. they want to maintain that. him basically ruling out, switching it saying we are too close to november doing this, this is a win for them even though it still maintains the status quo. geoff: jasmine wright, a former "news hour" producer, great to have you back. and tamara keith of npr. thank you so much. ♪

amna: a new lawsuit filed today accuses exxonmobil of contributing to the world's plastic pollution. the oil and gas company is one of the largest producers of the material used to make single-use plastics. california's attorney general rob bonta filed that lawsuit after a two-year investigation and i spoke with him moments ago. welcome back. thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me. amna: in this lawsuit, you are accusing exxonmobil of what you call decades long deception, essentially lying to the public about the recyclability of plastics. what specifically have they been saying over the last 50 years that you are alleging is not true? a.g. bonta: since the 1970's, for decades, they've been telling the world, americans, californians that plastics are recyclable and are being recycled.

and that consumers can participate in a single use throwaway culture and it's ok because all those plastics you throwaway will be reclaimed, recycled, will show up in someone else's household as a useful plastic product. utensil or container or something. that is absolutely false. in many occasions, most occasions, the item is completely not recyclable and will never be recycled. amna: an exxonmobil spokesperson did push back, saying that "suing people makes headlines, but it does not solve the plastic waste problem. advanced recycling is a real solution." they are referencing the program that they have to convert plastic waste into petrochemical

feedstock. what is your reaction? a.g. bonta: litigation can certainly stop problems. it can stop exxonmobil from lying. advanced recycling is part of the lie. 92% of what is produced by advanced recycling is not any other plastic product. it is mostly transportation fuel and other items. so, they promise this circular recycling experience for their plastics. they can take any plastic, they say, and it will come ba into your household as a useful plastic product. a water bottle will come back as another water bottle or a container or something else useful, and it's not true and they know it.

only 8% of the plastics they recycle through so-called advanced recycling are actually turned into recyclable material. advanced recycling is not a solution. it is another lie they are telling. it is completely predictable they are telling it because that is what they've done for decades. but, it is a lie. amna: exxonmobil does not actually produce or manufacture the single-use plastics you are talking about. they are the largest producer of the plastic polymers that are used to produce the single-use plastic products, the building blocks. why not go after the companies that actually make the single-use plastics that we agree are the core of the problem? a.g. bonta: we are going to the source. exxonmobil is the biggest producer, as you mentioned, of the raw materials, the plastic pallets that they sell to their corporate clients who then through melting, molding, adding chemicals turned them into the products we see.

they are the biggest producers of the polymers. and they are one of the biggest liars, one of the biggest deceivers that have been engaged on their own and through their trade industry front groups, perpetuating this myth of recycling. they must be held responsible. this case is pioneering, groundbreaking in the sense that it's the first time a public entity like the state of california has sued a petrochemical company like exxon mobil. amna: there has been campaigns over the years for consumers to reduce their plastic consumption, not just reuse and recycle as you point out, which has low rates across the country. our usage as consumers has got up over the years. doesn't that play a role in creating more demand that manufacturers will say we are just trying to meet? a.g. bonta: when it comes to usage, no surprise that has gone up. that's exactly what exxon mobil wants. that is what the myth of recycling is designed to manifest. when people have comfort that they can use freely plastic products as much as they want and put them in the blue bin because it will come back as a recycled product and not harm

the environment, they think they are being good stewards, that increases use. that is by design. that is what exxon mobil want it. given only 5% of the plastic waste in the united states is actually recycled, less use of plastic products might be something that a fully informed public might want to engage in and reuse either plastic or nonplastic products like cloth or fabric bags. but, the myth of recycling was designed to drive purchasing, purchases and use of plastics up, and drive profits of exxon mobil up, and it has worked. last year, exxon mobil made $36 billion in profit. amna: that is california's attorney general rob bonta joining us tonight. thank you. a.g. bonta: thanks for having me. good to see you.

♪ amna: stephen colbert has been making america laugh for decades. since 2015 on cbs' "the late show with stephen colbert." over the years, his wife, evie mcgee colbert, has often gotten a mention and makes regular cameos on the show. and now, the couple is sharing the ingredients that make their partnership work, especially in the kitchen. their new cookbook, "does this taste funny?," is out now and we met up recently to talk food, family and politics for our arts and culture series, canvas. at new york city's porchlight bar -- stephen: i've never been interviewed in a bar before. this is nice. evie: what have we got here? amna: what is this dessert? over a spread of southern specialties -- stephen: biscuits and honey. amna: stephen and evie mcgee colbert open up about their shared love of their shared hometown, charleston, south

carolina, where they first met in their 20's and that inspired this cookbook together. you say in the book that you guys live in the kitchen. i'm curious how that works. does someone take the lead? is there like a chef? sous chef situation? stephen: every family in some ways, like, you know, the whole thing about like we're talking about kitchen table issues and central kitchen table. we're always hanging out there like everybody does. evie: one of us is a little bossy. stephen: one of us. one of us enjoys cooking more than the other one does. that's all. i don't think i'm bossy. i'm more enthusiastic about it. evie: yeah, we say in the cookbook. amna: so there's a chef, sous chef vibe? or no? evie: no, we're not good together. amna: how dare i. i apologize. evie: you know what? the cookbook changed that before that, we didn't cook together. but then, of course, we had to write a cookbook together. and it turns out, we do it pretty well, i think. amna: the book, a compendium of everything from seafood specials and party food to desserts and drinks, started coming together during covid. the colberts, along with their three mostly-grown children, were locked down together in their charleston home. the family turned their focus to

a joint project, compiling recipes of the food they loved and the stories behind it. it feels like it's as much about your family history in this book as it is about the food itself. evie: absolutey. very fair. stephen: yeah, it's about our -- yeah, it's about the lives we lived growing up there. not just the food. evie: well, and when we started, we gathered up recipes that we have fed our kids for years, but we also reached out to family members. and one of the things that was fun for me is i worked on it with my mother, so we would go hunting. she couldn't remember. like, for example, her pickled shrimp recipe is in the cookbook. i think we made it for her four times and she kept saying, that's not quite right. stephen: the book is dedicated to evie's mom. not just because she was a great hostess and a cook of her own, but because we were writing this book near the end of your mother's life. evie: she wasn't well, so i would be with her, you know, a medical appointment or at the hospital or something. and it was something else to talk about, which was really nice for her and nice for me. and, you know, i think neither one of us sort of knew where we were headed in the future, but it gave us a present moment to be together.

amna: food is at the heart of major moments for the couple, including the moment they first met. you've told about the moment you saw evie. you knew. you knew she was the one. did you cook for her? is that how you help to woo her? evie: oh, no. stephen: actually, i don't think i was very good. like, there's a recipe in charleston that, you know, it's a shrimp dip, but we call it shrimp paste because everything in charleston has to have an old name. and so, my family made shrimp paste and our recipe was terrible. and the first thing i ever made for evie was shrimp paste, which is not the most attractive-sounding dish. evie: you use canned shrimp. stephen: and, it was terrible. evie: there were budget constraints. amna: the first dish evie cooked for stephen? her family's famous cheese biscuits. stephen: her family would make thousands and thousands of cheese biscuits and distribute them around. evie: it's a family recipe. my mother did it every christmas. all year long, they were in the house. it was her go-to. someone's coming over. you put a plate of those out. just like our first date.

i wasn't ready. stephen: so, i went into the bar with her dad. evie: you got to make him wait a little. stephen: lovely to meet you. what is your name? amna: the book isn't their first collaboration. that came during pandemic lockdowns when evie jumped in to help stephen host "the late show" from their south carolina home on sullivan's island. stephen: we called it the ed sullivan's island theater. amna: was that was your first professional time working together? stephen: yeah. so, we were terrified. i was terrified. amna: when she said yes, it was. evie: it was. it really was. and there were very funny moments that now are funny at the time were slightly stressful, where he would turn to me and say something like, i can't hear tom hanks. and i would say, i don't know what to do. stephen: she was my crew on the couch with a headset and all these wires around her, like, i don't know what button to push. the polls are showing we won by numbers you've never even heard of.

we got smeventeen percent, one hundred didgeridoo. amna: back in his studio, stephen colbert is back to doing what he does best, bringing levity to a heavy time and sometimes heavy topics. there's such toxicity around the discourse sometimes. do you find it's harder today to be funny about what's going on in the world? stephen: it's a gift to us that we get to go out there and do the jokes for the audience, and we get to realize that we're not crazy, and that these things that are driving us crazy or making us anxious are also resonating with the audience. but, you know, toxicity itself is worth making fun of. like, that's just the fact of how bad things are is something you have to make fun of. amna: yeah. is it the kind of thing where he leaves it all at work? or do you talk about these things? evie: and we talk, and unfortunately, we talk about it all the time, yeah. we've always been news junkies. but, yeah, we do talk about it. stephen: "pbs news hour," number one. amna: he's long blended current

events and comedy, but this year with this particular election cycle, colbert says there's just a lot more to talk about. stephen: right now, what's interesting is no matter what happens with the election, it's something new. you know, the excitement of, you know, as much as i admire mr. biden, is that the excitement that there is a change in this changes is as good as a holiday sometimes. and there's something new to talk about. one of the jokes that i did after the switch off between biden and vice president harris, was that in the monologue, i just found myself dancing around. i was just kind of excited, and i just turned to the camera and said it was first thing in my mind. i said, this is the dance of a guy who gets to talk about something new for the first time in five years. amna: his own politics lean left. he refused to even say former president trump's name for a couple of years. do you have red lines like people you won't talk to, like, would you have former president trump on the show? stephen: i've had him before and he's kind of boring. so, no. no, i don't like to have people on the show who i don't think

are going to be honest agents of their own ideas. politicians always represent an idea. so if i think a politician is disingenuous, not to point out mr. trump specifically because there are many politicians i wouldn't want to talk to that i think, do not honestly represent what they actually believe, but are rather just playing to a crowd. so, that's just no fun. amna: "the late show" on cbs is number one among all late-night shows, some of which are struggling with a changing landscape. audiences may come to colbert for the laughs, but seem to be staying for more. >> we have to lear more about trust and peace -- and learning about each other. amna: rare moments of engaged conversation, like this from his recent interview with nancy pelosi. >> as you can see with the protest out here, that answer is unsatisfying to some people. amna: there were these pro-palestinian protesters and she said i cannot hear what they are saying. and you took a moment to make sure she heard the questions

that they were asking. why? stephen: well, i want to be respectful to my guests, but i promised the people who had protested during the first act of the interview with nancy pelosi that i would ask the question if they would sit and listen to what she had to say. there's no way to move on from a subject unless you address the subject. amna: that feels like something you may have learned in 30-plus years of marriage. stephen: yeah. it is good to address the subject. evie: and listening, you know, and i think what you did so well at that moment, that's what conversation is about. we have to listen to the issue that is bothering someone so you can respond to it. i think that's also in our marriage. you have to listen and then be able to respond. and i think we do. we've managed to figure out how to do that. stephen: sorry, i missed some of that. amna: more collaborations and laughs to come as the two run a production company together. stephen and evie colbert, thank you so very much. such a pleasure. evie: thank you so much. it's been lovely. appreciate it. stephen: cheers. amna: cheers.

and we have more from stephen and evie colbert online. taking some lessons learned while cooking together, they discuss the art of an apology and how people who disagree can find a way to get along. that's on our youtube page. geoff: eight in 10 americans say the country's political divisions pose a serious threat to the future of our democracy. that is according to the most recent pbs news-marist poll judy woodruff has been exploring many of these divisions for her series, "america at a crossroads," and she recently hosted a town hall in the swing state of wisconsin to find out how people are feeling at this moment. here's a preview of her special airing later tonight on pbs stations. judy: on a warm september night at the historic pabst brewery in downtown milwaukee, 50 wisconsinites with different political views gathered to discuss their differences and whether common ground is possible. >> i am a gay person. i have a son. i have a wife.

and i cannot compromise with somebody who says that my child would be better not with my wife and i, but in a foster system or with a mom and a dad. >> 99% of the people are happy that you have a child and you're raising a child in a good environment and giving that child a good education. what i disagree with is that i don't want to have a drag show at my kid's grade school. i don't want to have a drag show at the library. and i don't want my children, my girls competing against someone that is changed over from a male to a female. i have a major problem with that. that's where i am not willing to compromise. but all the rest of the stuff, you go on and live your life, you be you, i'll be me. judy: i moderated a sometimes tense, sometimes surprising conversation about the most difficult topics our society faces today. >> i believe that those who believe in open borders are

using our neighbors from the southern border to bring them here in a situation where they will not be given any rights or visas. judy: you are an immigrant yourself. you came as a child of parents who arrived here without documentation. do you think the system did you wrong? >> yeah, i think she's 100% right. like, we're on opposite ends of ght.litical divide, but she' immigrants are used largely as a slave labor force. there's an enormous amount of people that work with no rights, no ability to say anything, because if they say something, they could get in trouble. and so, they just have to take what they're given. judy: some shared painful personal stories. >> i had to walk around for two weeks knowing i had a baby that i could feel kicking inside me who would never survive birth, who would never get to come home with me. and i couldn't be induced into labor because it would be

considered termination. judy: and others responded thoughtfully to those they disagreed with. >> i think that republicans and democrats are actually closer than we think about this issue, as far as abortion. i do believe that some people use it as a, like an oops kind of thing. you know, we got pregnant. oops, let's get an abortion. that's the issue i have with it. as opposed to the areas where if a woman is raped or if there is a danger of the mother or if there is, you know, something like -- then i would say, yes, it would be ok. judy: with the help of a panel, we tried to make sense of the difference between what we see in washington, and the conversations taking place in the room. >> our political divisions are mapping on to so many other

divisions in our lives, whether we're talking about race or sometimes gender. >> we have a politics that will find a way to weaponize anything that's different among us and then turn us against one another in hopes of out of expedience or in hopes of winning elections. >> they want us to be at each other's throat. they want an issue. they want us to fear and dislike one another. judy: please join me tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 8:00 central for "crossroads: a conversation with america." geoff: you can get a look behind the scenes of how we produced that town hall. see that at pbs.org/newshour. and that is the "newshour" for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on behalf of the entire "news hour" team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> on an american cruise lines journey, along the columbia and snake rivers, travelers retraced the route forged by lewis and clark more than 200 years ago.

american cruise lines fleet of modern riverboats travel through american landscapes to historic landmarks, where you can experience local customs and cuisine. american cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs news hour. >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the news hour, including jim and nancy bilner, and the robert and virginia foundation. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. funding for america at a crossroads was provided by -- and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] this is pbs news hour west in washington in the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "america's test kitchen," julia makes bridget spiced rub pork roast en cocotte