♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: americans from florida and north carolina desperately seek help in the way of hurricane helene.

geoff: israel launches ground raids in southern lebanon and an airstrike in the heart of beirut as the hezbollah militant group remains defiant. amna: and, the cost of college. why many students are forced to spend more for housing than they do for tuition. >> developers know that students are a vulnerable population, and because of that, there's a rise in rents every year. ♪ >> 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 leonard and norma and judy and peter bloom cold war foundation. >> two retiring executives turned their focus to greyhounds, giving these former race dogs

a real chance to win. raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose and the way you give back. life well planned. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. 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 newshour. the devastating toll from hurricane hele keeps growing. authories say at least 120 people have died across six states, and officials fear that number could grow even larger. many more are still missing and unaccounted for. geoff: in north carolina, communities are in crisis with many roads closed, slowing the delivery of food, water, and other desperately needed aid. and some places in florida are now trying to recover from their third big hit in less than two years. special correspondent christopher booker has our report. >> for residents on florida's big bend, it has been a year like no other. the small community took an almost direct hit from hurricane helene. it was the third hurricane since last summer to strike the stretch of the gulf coast. >> where we are standing, all that is left is just what? >> just the pylons. on the house. >> just the pylons. where is the rest of the house?

>> over there in the canal. >> he lost his entire home to the 15 feet of storm surge. he was born and raised in this area and says many in this close-knit community are reeling. >> they are devastated. we pretty much know everyone down here. and everybody the list here full time just felt that they would come home and now they have nothing. >> people in florida have started to clean up but the aftermath of hurricane helene continues to wreak havoc across the entire southeast. in western north carolina, rescue teams are still searching for victims as floodwaters have submerged entire neighborhoods. the state governor called the disaster an unprecedented tragedy. >> today we did an aerial overview to see the damage in western north carolina, and it is extensive and devastating. we know it is going to require significant resources both in the short-term and the long-term.

>> among those rescued over the weekend was this nurse. >> even before the officer got to me, the water was up to my chest inside my car. >> floodwaters and damaged roads left some of the hardest hit areas of north carolina completely cut off. many residents in the mountain city of asheville remain without running water or cell service but a lucky few have managed to find power. >> we did not have cell service for the first three days but it is just coming back, and everyone is wanting to get their devices charged. so we can let our family know we are safe. >> in georgia, playground equipment sat partially underwater. in atlanta, 11 inches of rain fell over 48 hours, the most of the city has ever seen over two days. in eastern tennessee, a bridge collapsed into a river. in all, over a one million people across the southeast are without power. president biden addressed the devastation today. >> i'm here to tell every single survivor.

in these impacted areas, that we will be there with you as long as it takes. >> helene roared ashore in the big bend last thursday as a category four hurricane with wins of 140 miles per hour and record-breaking storm surge. this storm underlines a complicated mix of questions for the people who live here. first, should they rebuild? if they do, what would that look like? can they afford were already the highest home insurance rates in the country? from 2017 to 2020 florida homeowners saw a 45% increase in premiums, leaving many unable to afford insurance altogether. cedar key, a town of about 700 people was one of the hardest hit. officials estimated a quarter of the homes were destroyed. the mayor says the storm will fundamentally change the place she has called home for 30 years. >> we have to learn, we cannot fight nature and we cannot build the titanic that will never sink. that is insane and we still think we can do it.

we can do better at building and do better at the codes, but then maybe we need to rethink where we place things. maybe we shouldn't build a food market at the bottom of a hill where it is always getting damaged. >> does a storm like this force the question as to whether a community like cedar key can continue? we he never not beenly question. inhabited. it is a prime place to live. it is a prime place to exist. the problem is, we have to learn how to work with nature, not fight it, not think we can overbuild it. >> 40 miles up the coast, residents were salvaging what they could from the town's only grocery store. during past big storms, the water never even reached its door but with helene, the storm surge nearly reached the ceiling. ruining practically everything and blanketing the store with mud.

>> it is amazing how powerful water is. >> crystal is the store's manager. this is your third hurricane in 13 months. >> and i fear there is another one. i hope not. we can't take another one. this is the worst we've ever seen this place and we've gotten beaten by hurricanes a lot. i've never seen it like this. i have friends who have completely lost their house. >> while plenty of storms have hit the big bend, the recent ones have been the most intense. >> there is some element of bad luck in this part of the country, but on the other hand, i do think there is a climate change fingerprint. >> ryan is a meteorologist based in tallahassee. he says warmer and rising waters in the gulf of mexico driven by climate change are providing extra fuel for the storms. >> i don't believe we are going to be cooling off these surface temperatures anytime soon. whenever the big bend faces a hurricane risk in the future, i think we have shifted the risk profile towards a greater

proportion of storms approaching, being able to sustain major hurricane intensity. >> in keaton beach, shannon says despite those risks, he and many of his neighbors plan on staying put. >> it is our little paradise. it is where we live. we enjoy it, we fish all the time. it is what we do. people have their own stuff they do, if they don't want to live on the coast, we have our stuff we do here. we will rebuild and continue on. >> for the pbs news hour, christopher booker in florida's big bend. amna: let's take a closer look now at north carolina, which has had the highest hurricane death toll of any state so far. the western city of asheville in particular has been devastated with flooded roads and loss of power essentially cutting the city off from any outside aid. i'm joined now by gerard albert iii from blue ridge public radio in ashille. gerard, thank you for joining us. what can you tell us about what you're hearing from people in asheville, about what you've

seen yourself about the conditions there, and what folks on the ground need? >> so as the kind of water is receding and people are cleaning up roads, the biggest need in asheville is water. there is no running water in the city, so that is showers, that is flushing toilets, that is, of course, drinking water, so the water is definitely the biggest need. amna: tell me a little bit more about what you're hearing from folks on the ground there. i mean, how prepared were they for the storm, and and what are they going through right now? >> yeah, not very prepared. i don't think anybody thought it was gonna be like this. everybody that i've spoken to, whether they've lived here 3 years or 30 years, has been telling me that, you know, i've never seen anything like this in the city or the region. water was up to people's come up to the ceiling in their first floor homes, it was taking

trailers downriver. it was just such an inundation of water that people are shocked. and right now since the cell service is so spotty, people are having trouble getting in touch with their friends, their family, their loved ones, uh, people are wandering around the streets basically trying to find service or a wi fi hotspot. amna: you covered the visit of the governor and fema officials to asheville today. what are they telling you about when some of that aid, when water will be able to make its way in? and also, why they weren't better prepared in terms of pre-positioning some of these materials. >> right, you know, in their visit, they stress that help is here, they're doing what they can, but i think it feels so slow because some of the roads are still not traversable even by these rescue vehicles. i mean, i've seen bridges to neighborhoods completely destroyed. residents have made makeshift bridges to get supplies in and out, but you know, the, the

federal government, the state government, the local governments, all of them are still working on rescue missions. they are getting water out to places that they feel needed. they are going to the hospitals and making sure they have power and they have water, because that was an issue too, and one of the biggest hospitals here, mission hospital in asheville, you know, doctors would do procedures and couldn't wash their hands afterwards. they had no sterile equipment. so now they have some of that according to the governor. amna: what are you hearing from folks on the ground about the clean up or rebuilding ahead? do folks want to stay and rebuild? >> i think people want to stay. a lot of the homes that were destroyed and washed away, it's like this in many of these storms where the trailers, the homes without that solid foundation, but honestly, it still feels like rescue mode here. even though it's days later, recovery is not something that a lot of people have been talking about at all. it is still rescue mode, it is still trying to get in contact

with somebody, trying to find water, trying to find food, um. you know, it's not at the recovery stage just yet. amna: you mentioned the issues with connectivity. what is mean -- what does that mean for people on the ground being able to find and connect with their loved ones to make sure they're ok? >> asked -- it is extremely difficult. i myself was stranded for 4 days with no cell service. i had gone out about an hour south of asheville to cover the storm hitting a more rural area of north carolina and i could not get in touch with my bosses, with my family. i didn't know too many people in the area. it is anxiety, and i had a place to stay luckily, but for people that maybe don't have a place to stay, it's, it's just a very anxious time. people are on edge, people are worried, and it's getting to the point where they are kind of getting to their wits end with the lack of food, the lack of water, the lack of being able to reach people. and on the flip side of that, we've seen communities come

together. we have seen neighborhoods form bonds and clear out roadways with people who have chainsaws or larger farm tools like some people in the rural areas do, so there is a coming together in person, but still being able to reach people even on, on facebook, all we see in the, in the neighborhood groups is people asking about their loved ones in the area that they just cannot reach. amna: we are all watching with worry and holding everyone in asheville in our hearts. that is gerard albert the 3rd from blue ridge public radio joining us tonight. thank you so much for your time. please stay safe. >> thank you. ♪ geoff: israel appears to be starting its invasion of southern lebanon, but on what u.s. officials believe will be a more limited basis. meantime, israel continues to launch punishing air strikes across lebanon, with some that have targeted leaders of militant groups in addition to hezbollah.

nick schifrin is in tel aviv tonight. nick: tonight, the drums of all-out war are beating. lebanese soldiers have left the border. just miles south, israeli armored vehicles mass. a u.s. official tells pbs newshour, an invasion could be, quote, "imminent." and israel tonight declared areas near the border closed military zones, after this afternoon defense minister yoav gallant hinted to armored units, they could soon invade. >> we'll do what needs to be done. our aim is to return residents of northern israel to their homes. we'll employ all of our capabilities, including your forces, and other forces, from the air, the sea and the ground. nick: for nearly a year, israeli towns near the border have been empty, threatened by hezbollah rockets and short-range weapons just over the border. israeli officials say they have reduced hezbollah's ability to strike, shattered the rank and

file's communication systems, and command and control, and decapitated the group with the massive strike that a u.s. senator said used 2000-pound american bombs to kill leader, hassan nasrallah. but today, his surviving deputy, naim qassem, warned the group was still ready to fight. >> we will face any possible attack, and we are ready. if the israelis decide to enter by land, the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement. nick: president biden today demanded israel prioritize diplomacy. >> israel may be now launching a limited operation into lebanon. are you aware of that? are you comfortable with their plans? >> i'm more aware than you might know, and i'm comfortable with them stopping. we should have a ceasefire now. thank you. nick: but the u.s. is preparing for escalation. the pentagon says it's sending additional fighter squadrons, and extending an aircraft carrier strike group, to bolster deterrence and help defend israel.

but israel is on the offense. over the last few days, simultaneously attacking in gaza, hamas, in yemen, the houthis, and in lebanon, hezbollah, all backed by iran, whose residents prime minister benjamin netanyahu addressed today. >> there is nowhere in the middle east israel cannot reach. there is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country. with every passing moment, the regime is bringing you, the noble persian people, closer to the abyss. nick: but tonight, lebanese already feel on the precipice. a million have fled their homes, fearing invasion and all-out war. tonight, the israeli cabinet has met, as all signs point to a limited israeli ground invasion, an incursion or perhaps multiple incursions into lebanon, just days ahead of the one year anniversary of the october 7

terrorist attacks. geoff: what more can you tell us about israel's goals and thinking with this operation? nick: the bottom line, israeli officials say they need to return the 60,000 plus residents who have been displaced from their homes. in northern israel since october 8. that is the day hezbollah opened fire into israel in support of hamas and hezbollah fighters are still so close to the border of israel, they can fire small range weapons, rocket propelled grenades, antitank missiles. into israeli towns and cities. israel says it has been open to a diplomatic solution to that problem but appears to be running out of patience, and we are faced with a limited incursion or perhaps multiple limited incursions into lebanon beginning imminently, if not already. that is a hold operation that israel will have to do to clear hezbollah fighters from the area, go after tunnels that go under the border and also clear the missiles and rockets from

southern lebanon. what happens after that will be up to the united states to find some kind of diplomatic solution to guarantee that hezbollah fighters can't remain on that border. geoff: on that point, what more are u.s. officials saying about israel's plans tonight? >> u.s. officials are unusually specific about their conversations with israeli officials tonight. they say that it appeared as though israel was planning a larger incursion into lebanon and there is now a quote, understanding between israel and the u.s. to launch a more targeted operation that will second on -- focus on hezbollah fighters along the border with the goal of returning those israeli residents to the town. the u.s. has expressed concern that an operation that is right now designed to be limited by both time and geography could turn into a longer-term operation with larger goals as

has happened to israel in the past in lebanon. that goes to the diplomacy, that the u.s. will have to find a diplomatic solution to move those hezbollah fighters back. otherwise u.s. officials are worried israel will decide to remain in southern lebanon. geoff: let's take a step back. give us a sense of how much has changed on the border and in the region in just the last week. nick: so much has changed, especially since the death of the secretary-general of hezbollah, the commander in chief as well as the communicator in chief. he made the military decisions. his death, combined with the death of so many of his military commanders along with the severing of their communication systems thanks to those attacks on the pagers and walkie-talkies has left the group in disarray. according to israeli officials

and analysts. it has also scrambled the calculus of iran. nasrallah was the single most important anchor to iran, very close to the supreme leader and hezbollah was the most important deterrent to israel against an attack on iran and frankly, it is not clear if has -- hezbollah can function as that deterrent tonight. a senior official tells me that while the official policy is diplomacy, this is also a quote, once in a generation opportunity two reduce hezbollah's influence in lebanon but that is a huge task. it is not clear if there is a partner in beirut or if there is an easy diplomatic solution. wishing hezbollah back -- pushing hezbollah back. geoff: nick schifrin, thank you. ♪

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. here are the latest headlines. a judge in georgia has struck down the state's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. the measure was passed and signed in 2019, but did not take effect until roe v. wade was overturned in 2022. in his decision, judge robert mcburney wrote that a woman in georgia has the right to reject state interference with her healthcare choices. georgia was one of four states where bans on abortions kick in after six weeks, before many women realize they're pregnant. the state's attorney general says he will immediately appeal. the biden administration is toughening asylum restrictions athe southern border. the new rules bar migrants from being granted asylum unless the daily number of border crossings fall below 1500 per day, for 28 straight days, up from a prior threshold of seven days. for the first time, unaccompanied children will be counted toward those totals. the new restrictions go into

effect tomorrow. the nation's major dockworkers' union has signalled that its 45,000 members will walk off the job at midnight tonight. the strike by the international longshoremen's association would cause some 36 ports across the east and gulf coasts to shut down. they handle about half of all goods shipped in and out of the u.s., meaning a direct impact on the nation's supply chains, and the risk of higher prices for consumers. union members are seeking higher wages, and a ban on the automation of cranes, gates, and container-moving trucks. president biden has so far said he will not intervene to prevent the strike from going forward. the death toll from flooding and landslides in nepal has risen to 193 after a weekend of intense rainfall. many of the fatalities were in the capital, kathmandu, where residents began to clean up today as water levels recede. flooding drenched much of city's south, and landslides cut off its three main highways.

schools across nepal will be shut for the next three days. the u.k. is on the verge of becoming the first g-7 nation to stop burning coal for electricity. its last coal plant, ratcliffe-on-soar station in central england, shuts tonight. it's a notable end to a decades-long shift in energy production. more than half of the u.k.'s electricity now comes from renewable sources, such as wind and solar. the rest is from natural gas and nuclear energy. >> the miners hold the key to national recovery. stephanie: it's also the end of a 142-year run of coal, and coal miners playing a vital role in the nation that sparked the industrial revolution. back in this country, the fbi has agreed to settle a multi-million dollar sexual discrimination lawsuit. 34 women who claimed they were targeted for dismissal from the agency's training center in quantico, virginia, would share $22 million if the settlement is

approved by a federal judge. according to the 2019 lawsuit, they were also subjected to seally-charged comments and advances from their instructors. more than 90,000 people in georgia are sheltering in place after a fire broke out at a georgia chemical plant yesterday. the blaze began after a sprinkler malfunctioned at the biolab plant in conyers, about 25 miles southeast of atlanta. that sparked a chemical reaction, sending a cloud into the sky, visible for miles. no injuries were reported, but officials say chlorine was detected in the air, and advised residents to stay inside with the air conditioning off and windows and doors shut. the haze and chemical smell spread to atlanta today, where officials are monitoring air quality. and we have three passings of note, beginning with basketball hall of famer dikembe mutombo, who died of brain cancer. the 7'2" center was one of the greatest defensive players in history, blocking more than 3200

shots, the 2nd most ever. those often came with his signature finger wag towards opponents. off the court, mutumbo was a scholar, speaking nine languages. and he was the nba's first global ambassador, helping those in his native democratic republic of congo, and across africa. mutombo said that that work was always more important to him than basketball. >> to turn back, to see my people suffer the way they are suffering, it kind of breaks my heart. because those are my soulmates, and what is happening to them, why nobody is not doing enough? the world is doing something, but i think they are not doing enough. it can be much better. stephanie: dikembe mutombo was 58 years old. we also learned this evening that baseball legend pete rose has died. nicknamed "charlie hustle," rose was major league baseball's all-time hits leader, with 4,256. he was an all-star for 17 of his

24 seasons. in 1989, rose was banned from baseball for life for betting on games while manager of the cincinnati reds. pete rose was 83 years old. and musician and actor kris kristofferson has died. as a singer-songwriter he helped change the perception of country music in the late 1960's, winning a lifetime grammy achievement honor in 2014. and as an actor, he appeared in more than 100 films and tv shows. kristofferson was also a rhodes scholar, soldier, activist and more. jeffrey brown has this remembrance. >> ♪ sunday morning sidewalks ♪ jeffrey: "sunday morning coming down," written by kris kristofferson, made famous by his mentor and friend, johnny cash, part of the legacy of kristofferson, who first made his mark for the poetry and lyricism he brought to country and rock music. >> ♪ freedom's just another

word -- jeffrey: in hits that included janis joplin's classic recording of "me and bobbie mcgee" in 1971. born into a military family, kristofferson himself served in the army, becoming a captain and helicopter pilot, before leaving that life behind to make it in nashville as a songwriter. it took a while, but make it, he did. >> ♪ he's a walking contradiction -- jeffrey: he also began performing and recording his songs himself. x ♪ the wrong direction on his lonely way back home ♪ >> what about friday? jeffrey: movie-star handsome and charismatic, in the 1970s, he began a new career as an actor in such films as martin scorsese's "alice doesn't live here anymore," and with barbra streisand, in the 1976 remake of "a star is born." while continuing with music. notably as part of the country supergroup the highwaymen, alongside cash, waylon jennings,

and willie nelson. in his 60's, kristoffersen developed health problems, including memory loss and lyme disease. but he remained active. in a moving moment at last year's concert for willie nelson's 90th birthday, he joined rosanne cash to sing his song, "loving her was easier." >> ♪ loving you was easier than anything i'll ever do again ♪ jeffrey: kris kristofferson died saturday at his home in maui. no cause of death was given. he was 88 years old. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. stephanie: still to come on the "newshour", the significanace of vice presidential candidate j.d. vance's appearance at an event for far-right christian nationalists. tamara keith and amy walter break down the latest political headlines. and, how rising housing costs are squeezing college students. ♪

>> this is the pbs news hour from the david m rubinstein studio at w eta in washington and the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: the recovery from helene is now a focus on the campaign trail, with former president donald trump criticizing the biden administration, and spreading falsehoods about the federal response. amna: our lisa desjardins has more on that, and other controversies the trump campaign is facing. lisa: against the backdrop of a shattered furniture store, former president trump stopped in hard-hit valdosta, georgia today, saying it was no time to campaign. >> as you know, our country is in the final weeks of a hard fought national election, but in a time like this when a crisis hits, when our fellow citizens cry out in need, none of that matters. we're not talking about politics now. lisa: but just an hour earlier, as he arrived in the area, trump accused the biden-harris

administration of mishandling hurricane helene in georgia. >> they're not being responsive, the federal government is not being responsive. they're having a very hard time getting the president on the phone. he won't get on it. and of course the vice president, she's out somewhere campaigning. looking for money. lisa: that was not true. georgia governor brian kemp this morning thanked president biden for calling him yesterday about the storm. >> he just said, "what do you need?" he said call him directly, which i appreciate. lisa: the vice president actually cut short a campaign and fundraising trip, canceling events in nevada to attend a hurricane briefing at fema headquarters in d.c.. >> we will do everything we can to help you recover and help you rebuild, no matter how long it takes. lisa: as the hurricane reshapes the campaign trail, former

president trump is under fire for controversial comments made sunday. at an event in battleground pennsylvania, trump used these words to propose a solution to crime. >> if you had one really violent day -- >> meeting police violence. trump said police should be able to get rough. >> one rough hour, and i mean real rough come of the word will get out and it will end immediately. lisa: a spokesman for trump said the comment was made in jest. this after he launched a direct attack on harris' mental competence in a rally in wisconsin. >> joe biden became mentally impaired. kamala was born that way. lisa: some of trump's allies sought to distance themselves from his remarks. >> the better course to take is to prosecute the case that her policies are destroying the country. >> we should stick to the issues. lisa: as for trump's running mate, senator jd vance, he spent saturday in pennsylvania for a

town hall. >> let's hope that we can take this country back and make our country better. lisa: the event made headlines for being organized by a right-wing evangelist who has said harris is being guided by demonic forces and uses witchcraft. those ideas didn't come up at the town hall, but it was a chance for vance to appeal to evangelical voters, a key part of the trump base. tomorrow vance will be in the , spotlight once again, as he and democratic vice presidential nominee tim walz will face off for their only debate. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. geoff: we will take a closer look at the significance of jd vance's weekend appearance at a town hall organized by top christian nationalist leaders. the organizer is a leading figure in a far-right christian nationalist movement that wants to erase the separation between church and state and intersects with the trump campaign. we are joined by the senior

scholar at an educational nonprofit. his book is titled "the violent take it by force: the violent movement -- thank you for being here. who is lance and how does his brand of christian nationalism differ? >> he is a christian nationalist leader, i would call him a christian supremacist leader. he is a pentecostal charismatic minister with various titles that attached to him. he will sometimes call himself a prophet. he is a business consultant. he came up in the new apostolic reformation which is the focus of my group. it was a set of leadership networks established by his mentor in the late 1990's and early 2000's. they became the back bone, some

of the first to endorse trump. they have been some of the most effective propagandists for trump, offering prophecies, modern prophecies that backstop bolster donald trump's case to christians. geoff: help us understand the symbiotic relationship between maga ideology and white christian nationalism and what the appeal is. >> donald trump came up studying televangelists. his spiritual advisor describes in her book how he has studied televangelists for years, has studied their skills, how they preach and teach and i think in many ways he tries to mimic them in his speech. there is a kinship in the way he speaks. this is the realm of tell evangelism, the nondenominational charismatic space that is pretty amorphous, open to new experiences and new forms of christianity. they have gathered around trump, they see him as a vehicle for their own power.

as someone who is backstopping their movement, someone who will defend christianity, even though they recognize he is not a good christian. they think he can be a champion for them. because they have all these prophecies about him coming out of the prophets and their movement, they believe he has a special anointing to lead america, redeem america. the assassination attempt that have happened in the last few months have only cemented those narratives that he is divinely appointed. geoff: i've heard evangelical leaders compared donald trump to king david, to say that he is a flawed leader but that he has a role in god's divine plan and a biblical mandate. how does all of this in your view pose a threat to democracy, picking up with the subtitle of your book? >> i can't think of a single national political figure in american history who has as many religious narratives and religious attachments foisted onto them as donald trump. he is someone that is seen as a figure of destiny, as someone

who was anointed for this role. that's a very dangerous sentiment to have in a democracy, where elections are about the will of the people, not the will of god. elections are about how we negotiate our differences. as you have all these attachments of religious ideas to donald trump, the language of these movements has become more good versus evil, angels versus demons, trump versus evil. as that becomes the ethos, of the trump campaign and the christian nationalist around him, people are becoming much more apocalyptic in their expectations around these elections. we saw this ramp up of religious fervor in the 2020 election, that culminated on january 6. we saw many manifestations of christian nationalism that day. lance was there that day. one of the most effective organizers for christians that day. i'm worried we are going to see something similar because that rhetoric is ramping up once

again. geoff: when donald trump himself uses violent rhetoric and engages in demagoguery, saying as he did this past weekend that allowing police to have one really violent day, that that would help end crime despite violent crime being at a 50 year low, how do his white christian nationalist followers interpret that? >> this is a movement that is already steeped in the rhetoric of violence. they will often frame it and say this is about spiritual violence, battling demons and battling back satan. they are also pointing out real people. lance has said that kamala harris is a manifestation of demons. you can't even listen to her because it is just demons speaking through her. he accused her of using witchcraft to present herself in an appealing way in the most recent debate. they are pointing at their political opponents, enemies and saying they are filled with demons. the demons are in them and we need to fight the demons. this is a lot of the rhetoric

that fueled january 6, the belief that we were coming to a combination of american history, that it was god versus satan and the election itself was a realm of cosmic combat. geoff: matthew taylor come with the new book is "the violent take it by force: the christian movement that is threatening our democracy." thank you for your insights. ♪ geoff: deadly disasters collide with the closing month of campaign season. we are joined by our politics monday duo, amy walter and tamara keith. great to see you both. as you see, the demonstrate -- the devastation from the hurricane has found its way into the presidential race and politics writ large.

president trump alleged without any evidence that governor kemp of georgia had trouble reaching president biden as he was trying to talk about aid and president biden was asked about this and he responded very angrily. tell me about that response and what it says about this moment. tamara: it is safe to say that what former president trump said was contrary to evidence. governor brian kemp of georgia said that he spoke to president biden yesterday on the phone and was able to reach him. president biden reassured him and said anything you need, just give me a call. give me a call anytime. president biden was asked about this in the oval office during his second event of the day, related to this disaster recovery. he said trump is lying, and he said it made him angry and the reason it upsets him is because he is not just lying about politics, he is also lying to people who need support and help. president biden said that he was

upset that trump was implying they weren't doing everything they possibly could. this went from a politician going to deliver supplies and aid along with a religious organization to a politician making this blatantly political in a swing state that is affected by a disaster and then the president and the vice president responding by doing everything they can to project and show that they are being as responsive as they possibly can. and this is disaster politics. amna: and we know president biden is going to be visiting georgia on wednesday and then florida and north carolina. amy, as you watch this as well, both candidates changed their plans in response to the devastation from hurricane helene. you have two battleground states badly affected, georgia and north carolina. how could this impact the race? amy: we are putting a federal microscope or focus on this,

which is important and the federal government does have a significant role to play. i think for people who live in those states and were affected by this, they are looking more to their local elected officials, to the governors. we will be hearing a lot more about governor kemp, who by the way doesn't have the best relationship with donald trump already, after the 2020 election situation, and to governor cooper in north carolina. i think in terms of the politics, where it impacts voting behavior more is probably at the state and local level. remember when the national politicians go home, those local elected officials, they are the ones that are still there. i don't think it is going to necessarily impact the way people are going to be voting at the top of the ticket, it is certainly going to impact the way they see their local elected officials dealing with what is clearly going to be not just a days long but maybe even years long cleanup.

amna: i want to clarify, i misspoke. president biden is going to north carolina on wednesday, not georgia. we are looking ahead to tomorrow. we know the vice presidential candidates will be facing off in their first debate. governor tim walz and senator jd vance. what do we know about how they are preparing and their strategies going into this evening? tamara: what we know is that tim walz is in michigan doing debate prep with the transportation secretary, pete buttigieg in his personal capacity, playing jd vance in mock debates. what i have been told is that he is looking forward to it being over. i know that jd vance has been preparing with a congressman from minnesota who says he has been working hard to replicate tim walz's mannerisms. they are doing prep, they are preparing and as we have come to expect, both of their campaigns

are out there, saying well, my candidate may not be the best debater, or don't undersell the other candidate. he is a great debater. what i would just say is, i have gone back and through time, there have been some spicy moments in vice presidential debates. you are no jack kennedy. memorable lines we may not even remember were part of a vice presidential debate. early memorable lines. you know how much they mattered? not at all. certainly this debate will be part of the discourse. it is perhaps more important and will get more attention because right now, there isn't another presidential debate scheduled after this one. but it is a vice presidential debate. amna: what about this issue impacting? i want to put up a poll. when you go back to the september debate between harris and trump, we saw some polling from the new york times, cnn and philadelphia inquirer that voters saw harris as the clear winner, but then polling

averages in the weeks afterwards showed little movement. what do you expect out of this? amy: we are living in an era we are literally, the head-to-head polls do not move and they are not going to move. we have a 50-50 race moving on the edges. what does matter, some of these viral moments do become part of the conversation. for some candidates, a good way and for others, not a good way. we are still talking about pets being eaten. how many weeks has it been? where is the focus? is it on the mistake that one candidate made, is it on a viral moment? does get attention and i think that is important. it is also pretty clear to me from listening in on the trump campaign today and their press call, that they see this as a redo. basically getting vance to do what trump did not, which as they said, we need to make sure that walz and harris have to take responsibility for the fact

that harris has been the sitting vice president. what has she been doing for the last three and a half years? she has all these plans. why didn't she make that a priority while she was sitting in that job as vice president? as a more disciplined campaigner, as vance is, i think that is where the focus is going to be. i think the issues around the two vice presidents themselves, who they are is less important than their ability to make this race -- for vance, about harris and for walz, to make it about donald trump. amna: amy and tempora, always good to kick off the week with both of you. thank you so much. please remember to join us tomorrow night for our simulcast of that cbs news vice presidential debate. we'll have live coverage of the debate plus additional analysis. it all begins at 9:00 p.m. eastern.

geoff: the cost of housing has risen sharply in recent years, including for college students. living in a dorm or renting an off-campus apartment can be the single largest expense a student faces, even more than tuition. laura barron-lopez reports on how students are coping the with -- with the high cost of living, and how some universities are responding. it's the first part of our fall series, "rethinking college." >> senior adrian aguilar is studying civil engineering. but one of the biggest stressors during his time at the university of texas at austin has not been academics. it's how much he has to pay in rent. when you left home to go to college, did you ever expect to have to worry this much about housing? >> not at all. i didn't think that it was customary for each person to be paying over a grand for decent apartment. i just didn't know. >> aguilar was raised in a rural city south of houston by parents who immigrated from guatemala.

he has scholarships and financial aid to cover tuition, and gets some help from his parents. but it's never been enough to cover his rent. >> i definitely need a job, to afford housing here. which does eat it into my time, but that's just the reality of the situation. >> last year, aguilar paid about $1,000 a month for a room in an off-campus apartment that had no natural light in the common areas, but it was walking distance to campus. this year, he's on the southeast side of austin, paying about $200 less each month. he says it's far less depressing, but now getting to class is a 20 minute drive followed by a more than 30 minute walk. i'm lucky because the engineering center is the closest to the parking lots, so i can't imagine somebody who has classes more south of campus. >> for more than a decade, austin has been one of the fastest growing metro areas in

the country. though down from pandemic-level highs, average rents are still 20% higher than they were five years ago. >> back when i was in school, that one building is the only one that is still here. and you could actually see all the hills. >> jay hartzell is the president of the university of texas at austin, and he acknowledges that housing is a major concern for students. >> we are in some ways, you know, a huge beneficiary of the boom of austin. we're part of that. but that growth has a cost. and we've seen prices go up. >> at the university of texas, the cost of tuition has actually fallen 16% over the last five years. but like many four year public universities across the country, the cost of room and board is now higher than tuition for in-state students. >> tuition is so observable. people see it on a website. they are comparison shopping, different universities to think about how much tuition is going to cost, but housing might be something they don't discover till later. >> what do you think could alleviate some of the cost of housing for students?

>> i think, you know, in some sense, as an economist, there's no substitute for more supply. >> the university is building more housing. new graduate apartments are going up and a 1,000-bed dorm for undergraduates is replacing an older, smaller one. but with less than 10,000 beds available for students on campus, the vast majority of u.t.'s 42,000 undergraduates are in austin's private housing market. >> the thing that people are worried about is affordability. >> developers know that students are a vulnerable population, and because of that, there's a rise in rents every year. >> namratha thrikutam and kayla quilantang are both undergraduates in u.t.'s architecture program, and two of the leaders of the university tenants union, which formed this past spring. the group successfully lobbied austin to ban windowless bedrooms and is now hoping to be a long term resource for students navigating housing at ut. >> do you think that the university has done enough? >> when there are students living in windowless bedrooms

and there are students that are living in conditions with mold, or being forced to move out early and find an attorney or find the housing solutions themselves, it seems like there needs to be more of a of a responsibility taken on the university's side. >> there are affordable options. and i think that students get overwhelmed and they want to rely on the university. but we're not being given enough resources. >> we worry about our students' outcomes and work fiercely on their behalf. but we also realize that, you know, we are in this big city with a lot of different kinds of providers of housing and it's going to be up to, in many ways, the city to figure out how to regulate all of that. >> the cost of housing in growing austin is not unique. nationally, nearly 1 in 2 students experience some form of housing insecurity, according to surveys from the hope center at temple university. >> we see this crisis in a -- housing crisis that has rendered 1 in 12 students experiencing

homelessness. >> mark huelsman is the center's director of policy and advocacy. >> most students are not the 18 year old coming straight from high school, on campus, living on campus. most students are commuter students. they're working, sometimes full time while enrolled in college and these students are often on their own without the support of the federal government and without the support of sufficient financial aid. >> pell grants, which are the largest federal support for low income college students, can be used for non tuition expenses like housing. but huelsman says, those grants only cover so much. >> the pell grants purchasing power covers less of the percentage of college costs than it ever has since its inception. so what that means is students are taking on greater debt, they're working longer hours. they're either putting themselves currently behind the eight ball financially or in the future through higher debt. >> about 25% of our student body is pell grant eligible. >> at u.t., president jay hartzell says the university has

provided more financial support for student housing. in 2023, u.t. launched a new housing scholarship. this year it's providing up to $2,300 a year for more than 3,000 middle and low income students living on campus. >> the goal is to use the aid as a tool, to help students find it more affordable to live close to campus because, in our experience, students live closer, do better. >> junior ashanty meredith is one of those scholarship recipients. originally from dallas, the cost of housing at u.t. caught her by surprise. >> nothing had prepared me for how much i would have had to pay just for housing alone. >> meredith is a chemistry major and an aspiring doctor who has lived on-campus all three years. even though financial aid covers her tuition and some of her housing, coming up with the balance meant taking out loans and getting a job. but for the last two years, she's gotten a financial boost from the university's scholarship.

>> i was ecstatic because it really helped reduce the amount of loans i would have to take out to pay for my housing for -- and allowed me to just focus 100% of my time on just my academics and not having to worry when the next bill is due. >> despite high rent, meredith has no regrets about attending u.t., a sentiment echoed by senior adrian aguilar. but he says the cost of housing is weighing heavily on what he might do after graduation. >> austin, it is a nice city, but i don't really want to worry about losing another $1,000 a month every month, minimum. going back home and living with my parents is a very, tempting idea. >> a decision driven by housing costs, that could affect the vibrancy of austin. for the pbs newshour, i'm laura barron-lopez on the campus of u.t. austin. ♪

amna: remember, there is a lot more online, including a look at how parents in st. louis are dealing with a shortage of school bus drivers. that's at pbs.org/newshour. geoff: and that's 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 line's journey, traveler experience the maritime heritage and culture of the maine coast and new england islands. our fleet of small ships explore american landscapes. seaside villages. and historic harbors. where you can experience local customs and cuisine american cruise lines. proud sponsor of pbs news hour.

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