geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on "the newshour" tonight. the already storm-battered florida gulf coast braces for impact from hurricane milton vice president emily harrison former president donald trump continue their efforts to rally support with early boat -- early voting already underway. and woman taken hostage by hamas during the october 7 attacks reflects on her traumatic experience and the prisoner swap that led to her release. >> so when i came back, i asked myself the same question like in

gaza, why god send me back? >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the ongoing support of these

individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. >> the john s james l night foundation. more at kf.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. geoff: welcome to “the

newshour.” florida is racing to prepare for hurricane milton, a storm that could be one of the worst to ever hit the state. milton rapidly intensified over unusually warm waters in the gulf of mexico. it's now a category five storm, and is expected to barrel into the tampa bay area late wednesday, less than two weeks after hurricane helene hit the southeast. william brangham starts our coverage. william: today, residents of western florida filled cars with gas, stocked up on supplies, and loaded sandbags, ahead of what could be a direct hit by a major hurricane. >> honestly, with this one, it's kind of one that we're worried about, and the way it's kind of coming straight towards us, just so we're trying to brace out for it as much as we can. william: as the day wore on, even stores nearly 100 miles inland began to run out of supplies. governor ron desantis implored floridians to be ready for the worst-case-scenario. >> we urge you to execute your

plan now. let's prepare for the worst, and let's pray that we get a weakening and hope for the least amount of damage possible. but we must be prepared for a major, major impact to the west coast of florida. william: milton is expected to the lash the tampa bay area by thursday morning with a catastrophic storm surge of up to 15 feet, torrents of rain, and fierce winds. it would be the first major hurricane to directly hit the area in more than a century. last night, tampa's mayor jane castor gave a dire warning to those who have been ordered to evacuate. >> i can say this without any dramatization whatsoever. if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die. william: many seem to be listening, cars clogged the main highways north and east as people fled the coast. >> it's a matter of life and death, and that's not hyperbole,

it's a matter of life and death. william: president biden delivered a similar message today, and announced that he's canceling a trip to germany and africa because of the storm. pres. biden: i just don't think i can be out of the country at this time. william: the white house also announced it will launch an account on the social media platform reddit to keep people informed on disaster response, and to combat misinformation. many are facing another problem. there's still plenty of wreckage from hurricane helene, which badly damaged parts of the same area two weeks ago. residents and authorities worry that debris could now become projectiles, driven by milton's high winds and rushing water. >> it's really frustrating that the last hurricane came, the storm and they've screwed around and haven't picked the debris up and now they're scrambling to get it picked up. and if this one does hit, it's going to be flying missiles. stuff's going to be floating, flying in the air. william: milton grazed mexico today, mostly sparing the yucatan peninsula.

but now it's florida that's bracing for a direct hit, with potentially catastrophic damage coming here within the next 24 hours. geoff: william brangham reporting tonight from orlando. thank you. now for the latest on this storm and what parts of the state could be facing, i'm joined now by michael brennan, the director of the national hurricane center in miami. what is the latest on the storm's path and its expected strength? >> it has intensified to a powerful category five hurricane with winds back up to about 165 miles per hour. as it moves east-northeastward across the southern gulf of mexico. there will be multiple life-threatening impacts across much of florida, we are expecting the sinner of milton to approach the west coast of the florida peninsula date tomorrow night and early thursday morning, bringing storm surge to much of the west coast

of florida. the expansive risk of hurricane force winds and the potential for catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding. isolated area seeing as much as 18 inches of rain. geoff: how high are you thinking right now? >> if we zoom in and look at this area from pinellas county and the tampa bay area, manatee, down to sarasota, somewhere in this purple area we will expect to see 10-15 feet above round level, that's water up to maybe 2.5 times taller than i am. it's really a destructive, life-threatening storm surge and it is why people have been asked to leave the evacuation zones in these area. because it is such a big hurricane, even down to port charlotte and fort myers, well south of where the sinner crosses the coast. geoff: help us understand how

the storm went from a damaging tropical storm to one of the strongest drums ever in the atlantic. >> it found that perfect combination of very warm, deep ocean waters off the gulf of mexico and favorable atmospheric conditions in terms of very moist air, no strong upper level winds. the structure was able to maintain and rapidly intensify, getting to category five strength. the message for people in florida is while melted -- milton is not expected to be category five or four at landfall, the storm will double in size and the wind field will dramatically expand in the next 24-36 hours and that will increase the risk for dangerous storm surge. the orlando, melbourne, tampa come up to saint augustine, pretty much the entire central portion of the state is at risk for damaging hurricane force winds. geoff: so it's not a storm that

people especially in the tampa area should expect to ride out. >> conditions will deteriorate on wednesday and you will be cut off from evacuating. you don't have to drive hundreds of miles to get to a safe location. everyone else who lives inland, find a safe place to shelter-in-place by midday tomorrow and be prepared to shelter-in-place through wednesday night and well into thursday. geoff: michael brennan joining us tonight from miami. thanks so much. let's shift our focus to the greater tampa area and what people are doing to get ready. democratic congresswoman kathy castor represents florida's 14th congressional district, which includes tampa and st. petersburg. thank you for being with us, we appreciate it. as we just heard, florida is bracing for direct hit from this monster storm. what is your greatest concern right now, and how are federal, state, and local officials preparing? >> we have an impending

catastrophe on our hands because less than two weeks ago we were swamped by historic storm surge from hurricane helene, a storm that was 100 miles off the coast line but threw up so much water that it flooded out thousands of my neighbors across pinellas county, hillsborough county, tampa and st. petersburg. they have their whole lives out on the street corner and we were in response mode just trying to help them survive and get the assistance they need, and then here comes this monster hurricane milton that is just going to up into everything and have even a harsher impact. geoff: more than a million people are under evacuation orders along florida's west coast. there are reports of hours long traffic jams, hotels at capacity, and gas stations that have run out of fuel.

what is the status of evacuation in your area? >> the only positive surrounding hurricane milton is we have a little bit of time, we've had a couple of days, and folks were heating the evacuation orders. many of them didn't have homes to stay in so they took this evacuation very seriously. the roads today were not quite as clogged around town. people are scared. we have never had this kind of damage and this 1-2 punch. milton is going to be a triple threat, because it's not just the storm surge, it's at even greater levels than helene and flash flooding because of enormous amounts of rain. and then the hurricane winds, and watching hilton intensify so rapidly out there, it has just put people out. there still some folks i have

heard from today that said, you know what, i'm going to owe to the second or third story and ride this out. that is very misguided, they are risking their lives if they are in an evacuation zone and they try to stay. geoff: this hurricane intensified faster than almost any on record. from a tropical storm to a category five in less than 24 hours. what does that suggest about the threat that climate change poses, and what does it mean for the areas that you represent come these low-lying coastal areas? >> climate risks are growing exponentially, whether it's wildfires, longer, hotter summers, and here, in a very dramatic fashion, the rapidly intensifying hurricanes because the gulf of mexico is incredibly warm. down in the keys, the waters were like a sauna, practically.

that is jet fuel for these hurricanes. people are used to maybe having a little bit of time and giving the forecasters the ability to tell them to get out of harm's way. i'm very proud that we adopted a lot of climate pollution reduction policies in the inflation reduction act but we've got to do more. the climate crisis isn't just about the weather. it is about your wallet. insurance is exorbitant in florida. your electric bills now, because you have to run your air conditioner longer, they are out of sight. this is impacting our way of life here and making it so expensive that folks will say i can afford to live in florida anymore. geoff: democratic congresswoman

castor, thank you for your time. geoff: we start the day's other headlines with a legal challenge against tik-tok, and its impact on the mental health of children. 13 states and the district of columbia filed lawsuits today, alleging that the short-form video app's algorithm is intentionally addictive. the suits argue that certain design features, like tailored content, push notifications and endless scrolling, exploit young users by keeping them on the app for hours. today, new york's attorney general said it's causing profound psyological harm to young people. >> we wanted to protect children. it's as simple as that. because nationwide, children and teens are struggling with significantly high rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, suicidal ideation and other mental health issues, largely because of social media. geoff: the states are seeking

new financial penalties against the company. tiktok called the claims inaccurate and misleading, pointing to its safety features, like screentime limits for minors. president biden is pushing the nation's water utilities to replace lead pipes across the country within 10 years. the plan announced today comes a decade after the water crisis in flint, michigan renewed concerns about the dangers of lead in tap water. lead is a neurotoxin that can cause health defects, including brain damage. children are especially at risk. the president made the announcement at a rally in milwaukee today. the city has the fifth-highest number of lead pipes in the u.s. pres. biden: what's government for if it cannot protect the public health? and in the process we're creating jobs, we're building a better america. clean water is just one critical part. geoff: the new rule is the strongest such measure in roughly three decades. the epa says the effort will

prevent up to 1500 premature deaths a year. the uk's spy chief issued a stark warning today about a rise in assassination attempts by russia and iran. m-i-5 director general ken mccallum said his agents and police have stopped 20 iran-backed plots since 2022. and he warned that increased violence between iran and israel could lead to more iranian state aggression in the u.k. in a rare public speech, mccallum also said that russian military intelligence, called gru, is waging a campaign to, in his words, generate mayhem on british and european streets. >> we've seen arson, sabotage and more, dangerous actions conducted with increasing recklessness and having precisely the opposite effect of what the russian state intends in driving increased operation, operational coordination with partners across europe and beyond. geoff: mccallum also warned of signs that the islamic state

group is attempting a comeback. he cited the deadly theater attack in moscow earlier this year as a brutal demonstration of its capabilities. the nobel prize in physics has been awarded to two pioneers of artificial intelligence, john hopfield of princeton university, and geoffrey hinton, a university of toronto professor known as the godfather of a-i. in their announcement in sweden today, the nobel committee credited hopfield's work in creating a data processing model, based on the functions of the human brain. hinton built on that work to develop machines that learn, by fine-tuning errors until they disappear. we spoke with hinton last year, shortly after he left his post at google. he warned about the dangers surrounding the technology he helped create. >> we should realize that we're probably going to get things more intelligent than us quite soon. and they will be wonderful. they will be able to do all sorts of things very easily that we find very difficult.

so there's huge positive potential in these things. but, of course, there's also huge negative possibilities. and i think we should put more or less equal resources into developing a.i. to make it much more powerful and into figuring out how to keep it under control and how to minimize bad side effects of it. geoff: the nobel announcements continue tomorrow with the chemistry prize. on wall street today, stocks rebounded from monday's losing session. the dow jones industrial average added more than 100 points to close above 42,000. the nasdaq jumped more than 250 points, or nearly 1.5%. the s&p 500 also ended higher on the day. and a passing of note, the baseball pitching great luis tiant has died. born in cuba, tiant played for six different clubs over his 19 year-career, winning 229 games along the way. but it was his eight seasons in boston that made el tiante a star. known for his unique windup and big personality, tiant became the city's first latino

superstar. he was a three-time all-star and was inducted to the red sox hall of fame in 1997. but tiant fell short in his bid for cooperstown. luis tiant was 83. still to come on "the newshour." the u.s. supreme court takes up a case involving so-called ghost guns. we speak to arizona republicans about why they're considering voting democratic in the upcoming election. and, a musical endeavor uses natural environments to make recitals less formal and more public. >> this is the "pbs news hour" from the david m rubenstein studio at weta in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: election days now only 20 eight days away. former president donald trump campaign in pennsylvania, colorado, and nevada by week's

end. vice president kamala harris is also barnstorming, not in battleground states, but in a media blitz, on radio, podcasts, and television. lisa desjardins has our report. lisa: vice president harris campaigning in a flurry of media appearances. a friendly interview, but not to her opponent, former president donald trump. >> they are exhausted with the lies. >> the daytime talk show, part of outreach to specific audiences. today she unveiled a new proposal. >> what i am proposing is that basically what we will do is allow medicare to cover in home health care. >> the idea would pay for in-home aids to help some on medicare who need help with basic functions and whose family struggle to meet those needs.

medicare would pay for it all at lower incomes with a call share at higher ones. some details are still coming, but tricia newman says it is a massive unmet need. >> so many people are struggling to find a way to care for aging parents or grandparents or spouse, even. this will touch the lives of a lot of families. lisa: trump's on medicare so far -- >> president trump has talked about preserving medicare. he has talked about helping families with these kinds of costs, but there really are no details of his proposals. lisa: harris was also asked what she would do differently from president biden. >> i've been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.

>> you're going on the view, going on these shows. lisa: the vice president also reach out across the ginger grab -- the gender gap speaking with howard stern. harris has been criticized for not doing more media interviews are holding a national press conference. >> she can't answer any questions. >> she won't even sit -- she won't even sit for an interview with the american media. lisa: but on 60 minutes last night, she called out trump for backing out on another debate. >> watch his rallies. lisa: as for trunk, he is doing other interviews. he taped a town hall with fox news that aired last night. in which harris and biden were criticized for their hurricane response.

>> he doesn't know what robust is. look, he should be there and she should be there. lisa: that prompted a quick fact check from ingram. >> north carolina is so bad. >> she was there today for three hours, i believe. lisa: in a radio interview yesterday, trump is construed migrant crime numbers and raise the issue of bad genetics when talking about immigrants. >> a murderer, aleve, it's in their genes. and we have a lot of bad genes in our country right now. lisa: both candidates are on the air, harris for a town hall on thursday, and trump will take flight, heading out west to california for this weekend.

for the pbs news hour, i'm lisa desjardins. ♪ geoff: this week, the u.s. supreme court kicked off a new term of arguments with a major case focused on federal regulations of so-called ghost guns. those are firearms that are assembled at home with a kit, they don't have traceable serial numbers, and don't require background checks. the justices weighed whether the government can regulate ghost guns with the same standard as other firearms made by licensed manufacturers. our supreme court analyst, marcia coyle was in the courtroom today and us now. today the justices seemed focused on questions of government overreach. help us understand how this matter of government power factored into the arguments today. >> first of all, this case is similar to last year's bump stock case. if you recall, the supreme court

basically throughout the ban on bump stocks because the bureau of firearms, alcohol, tobacco and exclusive claim they could be banned as machine guns. they are statutory interpretation cases. they don't have anything to do with the second amendment or constitutional law. both cases are also part of an ongoing theme in this supreme court, almost eight mission to re-examine federal agency power to see if agents are overstepping. there is a belief amongervatis t the administrative state has gotten too big, too powerful, and in the arguments today, justice kagan had a comment or she talked about the gun control act at stake in this case that defines and regulates firearms. she said, what if you have an old statute that was enacted in

1886, and a new problem, and congress doesn't act, and the agency steps in, is the agency doing what congress should be doing in taking power from congress? justice jackson sought another way. she said you have an old statute, a problem, congress doesn't act, the supreme court steps in and the supreme court is deciding what congress delegated authority to the agency to do. so there is this debate going on as to how far the court should go. is it taking power away from agencies for itself? or is it trying to reset the balance of power? the government's argument today seem to resonate among the majority of the justices. i think this case is different in one way from bump stocks. the court didn't like the bump stock case that the bureau had never regulated bump stocks as

machine guns, until the massacre that occurred with bump stock guns at las vegas. and the trump administration at the time directed the bureau to do something about bump stocks. so it was an abrupt change in policy. where is the government today, the biden administration argued that the rule enacted or propagated in 20 was simply -- not redefining, but defining -- expanding on the definition of firearms in the 1968 act, and what they are doing with ghost guns really tracks what the bureau has been doing for almost 50 years. that seemed to resonate with at least the majority of justices. geoff: let's look ahead to the rest of the term. there are 40 cases and counting on the docket with overarching

themes beyond the one you mentioned about re-examining the administrative state. >> it seems like we will always have gun cases, beside the ghost gun argument today, a really interesting case involves mexico. exit co. sued smith & wesson and some other gun makers i'm acclaiming through their distribution system they have knowingly aided the trafficking of guns to drug cartels in mexico. congress had enacted a law that gives a broad shield to gun makers from liability for criminal acts done with the guns they manufacture. but there is one exception, and mexico has tried to fit its lawsuit into that exception. smith & wesson lost in the lower court, he came to the supreme court, and that is what the issues going to be. can mexico go forward with this lawsuit against smith & wesson?

the power case that is the overarching theme involves some really interesting cases this term. they think the food and drug administration would not approve marketing plans for e-cigarette, flavored e-cigarettes, and the maker of those cigarettes has sued the food and drug administration, claiming that it exceeded its authority and not approving the marketing. and the nuclear regulatory commission has been in a battle in the state of texas over storage of nuclear waste. texas says you exceeded your authority. so those are very important cases that all involve agency power. there is also a first amendment case that is fascinating. the court has been dealing more and more with social media in different ways. this case involves a texas law that requires verification of

age in order to access online p orn. the law was obviously enacted to protect minors. finally, the culture war. the tennessee band and 42 other states have on medical treatment for transgender minor. geoff: and we will be watching for that. marcia coyle, thanks so much. ♪ geoff: one year on from the hamas attacks of last october 7th, the war, pain, anguish and heartbreak continue on a daily basis. and the persistent memories of that day are no more acute than for those who survived both the attack, and subsequent kidnapping into gaza.

sapir cohen was on kibbutz nir oz that day, and held for nearly two months by hamas. nick schifrin met with her recently, a woman transformed by appalling cruelty, but who is now finding her voice. >> on the morning of october 7, a tide of terror rolled into kibbutz nir oz. they broadcast, kidnapped and , killed residents. and entered this home, where sapir cohen and her boyfriend sasha trufanov were hiding in a bedroom. cohen accepted her fate. >> i didn't send the message to my parents. i didn't want to say something with the meaning of goodbye. i decided just to say my prayer. and i'm saying that, again and again and again and again. and finally, i felt something deep inside of me. i felt peace.

>> as she was taken, she felt overwhelming terror, and profound regret. >> god, please, it's, it can't be, it can't be. i never did something. i never did something meaningful in my life. and that was my last wish. just keep me alive and give me the chance to do something. >> but first, she faced more terror. as she arrived in gaza, a mob was waiting. that's her in blue. >> i saw thousands, thousands of people in the streets, like all the people, came outside and

they are all encouraged the terrorists, and they are all come to touch me and to beat me, and they beat me strong. so i need to put the head, hands, on my hand. and i say, god, please save me. i don't want to die here. >> like other hostages, she was held for some time above ground, in multiple houses. and then as israel intensified its campaign, hamas moved her underground, into its network of tunnels. >> the smell? like garbage, in the tunnels. >> there was a lot of moisture and mold. the mattress stank of mold. it was hard to sleep because of the stench. >> one day in the tunnels, she met the mastermind of october 7, and the master of her fate, yahya sinwar. >> he thought that i'm under 18 and he say, okay, so tomorrow we

will you will release with her. then the other hostages say, no, no, she's old, she 30. and he say, okay, so you stay. just when i came back i saw the face on tv. nick: did you worry that they would hurt you? >> yes. of course. nick: were you worried about being abused sexually? >> yes, i was worried, especially in the first place, that i was because we were with two young people, two young terrorists that watch us. and in some days they came and put their hands on our mattress. and when the owner of this house, on old man, he came, they just go. nick: and that's when she found a strength she didn't know she had, and created light for her fellow

hostages, when everything felt dark. >> i saw something that i called it a miracle. they liked to go and they liked to scare us. to say many things about israel, that they took all the land and that nobody want us. but when they saw that we are a very strong group and they came to say the same things, but it doesn't work anymore, they just sit in the side. and then i realized what it mean to be united. like how much you can be strong when you are united. i just say to myself that my last wish was to to do something with meaning. and god gave me the chance.

nick: and so the formerly shy 30 year old, found her voice. >> we need to do everything to bring them home now. nick: and now speaks to audiences of thousands with the message. she knows well israel is united inrief, it's divided politically. and yet, when she speaks -- all israelis listen. >> so when i came back, i asked myself the same question like in gaza, why god send me back? and i decided that i have to tell my story. nick: that even in darkness, there can be light. for the pbs news hour, i'm nick schifrin in ramat gan, israel.

geoff: arizona's 11 electoral college votes could be key to winning the presidential race next month. our white house correspondent laura barron-lopez recently spent some time there. laura, president biden won arizona by just over 10,000 votes in the 2020 election. how is it looking now? laura: geoff, this year, polls show trump has a slight edge in the state over harris. we traveled totempe to sit down with four lifelong republicans to get their take on the presidential race, how they view trump and the future of their party. how many of you voted for donald trump? how many of you voted donald trump twice? and how many of you plan on supporting donald trump this november?

none of you? how would you describe the republican party that you initially became a part of, in one word? >> integrity. >> freedom. >> opportunity. >> free enterprise. >> and how would you describe the republican party now? >> cowardly. >> lost. >> for her monger. >> kevin is a retired pastor who voted for donald trump and 2016. >> for me, character is a major issue. and because decisions in the presidencyre made by the character o the president making them. donald trump has not been down to tell the truth. he deliberately lies, and then he lies about his lies. laura: dan barker is a former judge and member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. he has never voted for trump. >> 20, through that campaign, he

mocked a disabled person, and for me, as a christian person of faith, for someone who actively marks another person with a disability come that is completely contrary to what i believe. the biggest deal is the rule of law and spreading the big lie, saying that our elections are rigged. i think that goes to the core of our democracy. that's going to dramatically affect our democracy. laura: 53-year-old amanda is a mother of three who voted for trump in both 2016 and 2020. amanda, you voted for trump twice, but you're not going to this year. >> i look at his economic policy, and he is basically talking about a huge national sales tax, without any kind of approval from congress. basically, at his whim, and he's

looking at anywhere from 20% up to 60% tariffs. is not even like he is talking like a republican. he is demanding control of the economy at this point. he's not even giving us a choice. >> joel voted for trump in 20 but feels he is no longer able to support the former president. >> january 6 happen, and i was just livid. no matter all the arguments for trump, january 6, we cannot have a sitting president of the united states incite a violent attack on the capitol like that because he is upset he lost the election. laura: all four of these lifelong publicans voted for nikki haley for president in the arizona republican primary. they are the kind of republicans harris hopes will cross party lines, in some cases for the very first time. can you raise your hand for me

if you're going to vote for product -- vice president harris? amanda, you didn't raise your hand. >> i know that trump isn't my choice, and i'm still watching and waiting and very hopeful as vice president harris keeps moving to the center. i could see myself voting for her. i definitely do, but i'm still long to remain uncommitted at this point. laura: for the other three, the decision ultimately comes down to character and protecting the constitution. >> i think by and large, kamala harris is a decent person. we may disagree on some policy positions. i think she's going to protect the rule of law and follow our constitutional process. if she loses the election, she's not going to claim it was rigged. ays said support the police and back the blue. i'm just baffled that suddenly the police were the bad guys and

those who took part in january 6 should be pardoned. >> i as a pastor have to remember that our country is a democracy. we are not a theocracy. my personal religious beliefs cannot be put on somebody else, even though i may consider what they are doing wrong. it has to be done by rule of law, and roe v. wade was the law. now to come along and say that the government has the right to tell you or you as a woman what you can do with your body, i have a problem with that. laura: but for amanda, abortion is one of the issues where she aligns with harris most. >> one of the most important parts ofroe was it made it where we could -- something we could regulate as a medical procedure. in situations where they are still carrying a baby that is no longer even viable and being forced to carry that baby until natural labor occurs.

women have died that way. women used to die that way. >> we will close the border, we will stop the invasion. laura: trumps anti-immigrant rhetoric and the recent lie that haitian immigrants work eating cats and dogs has only made these republicans question their party even more. >> jd vance came out and said yes, it was a false story, but we have the right to make up false stories to try to get our point across. do we want an administration that is based on the type of non-integrity? you tell a lie often enough, they don't care about the truth anymore. >> i will be the first to say, there was a bipartisan bill that would have made a huge difference. harris reinforced the law.

the former president tried to divide us based on where we came from. >> earlier you said you were not decided yet on harris. what more do you need to hear from her to get you there? >> i would like to hear more from her speaking about tax policy, and i'd like to hear more of how she is actually willing to compromise with congress to get these policies passed that we desperately need, whether it's on immigration, tax policy, whether it is cutting spending, whether it is giving more power and energy to the ukrainians so that they can rally into russia. laura: what is the deciding factor for you this november? >> i want to be able to trust what i hear from the person who is going to be president. i don't want to hear lies.

i don't want to hear exaggerations. i don't want to hear made up stories. >> not to be untruthful about the facts that govern and control our democracy. >> i would like to see a leader who is able to compromise, who can work with a divided government and actually lead by example and compromise, like we all have to on a daily basis. >> follow the rule of law, like dan says, follow the constitutional process. >> if republicans win 2024 but not 2028, will vance certify the election? will he count the votes if the democratic candidate won, or will he not? laura: amanda hopes there is a world where she can soon called the gop a home again. >> we need to look more

long-term and strategically. if try -- trump can't deliver what we want on policy but harris can, potentially with the republican senate, that's what we need to be voting for this time, so we can take the presidency back in 2028. laura: for joel, dan, and kevin, return appears more elusive, signaling a realignment of the country's political parties for years to come. how would you describe what it feels like to be a lifelong republican who can no longer vote for the republican presidential candidate? >> pretty disgusted. >> disappointed. ♪ geoff: traditional piano recitals can sometimes be intimidating for performers and audiences alike. two california pianists have

made it their mission to use outdoor spaces to make them less formal -- and more accessible. special correspondent mike cerre reports from san francisco on the crescendo of support for this approach --part of our arts and culture series canvas. mike: if you dare to place 12 concert grand pianos in different botanical garden settings and invite people to come lay in here whatever piano music inspires them, they will come. ♪ [applause] >> hundreds of pianists from all music genres, and thousands of piano music devotees, have been descending on san francisco's botanical garden for 10 days each september for these freeform, all-day piano recitals called flower piano.

so that whole kind of recital vibe is kind of subverting what we are doing. >> is a great environment to share with friends. >> they share a common love of the piano and a healthy disdain for indoor piano recitals confined to overly controlled environments. >> people are kind of quiet and don't move and are kind of stiff. >> a transplanted argentinian peel list -- pianist, sculptor and performance artist, he started this outdoor piano movement by lynn destiny putting a piano on a bluff along the northern california coast near his studio, so he and others could play in nature. >> to hear the waves crashing

and playing along with that is quite an experience. >> for an encore, they put 12 pianos out along the coastline the following year, this time with official permits, and even more pianists and spectators came. >> newspaper, tv and radio all came. it became a big thing. >> it also caught the intention -- attention of san francisco art patrons, looking to celebrate the botanical garden 75th anniversary something special and participatory. >> the idea is invite anybody to play. it's audience participation in the sense that they come from 9-to-5, anyone can sit at the piano and play. >> several of the pianos are reserved for professionals, like hunter. he has been doing piano recitals in unique open spaces around the

country. most of the performances are more spontaneous. joseph torres took advantage of the setting in the moment to play before a public audience for the first time. >> i was being pushed by my friends here who kept telling me to play. that is the most difficult thing for me, getting over the nerves in front of other people. >> a lot of children and a lot of adults have never played in front of people before. the only place they've ever played was with their music teacher or in front of their girlfriend, or in my case, in front of my cat. >> kennedy inc. the botanical gardens elements in his original composition, celebrating the role nature can play in music. >> our purpose is to highlight them and be in concert not just with ourselves, but with the birds. >> i know i am in new zealand,

but i've got to get to africa. can i hear some boogie-woogie and classical music? >> everyone gets lost trying to find the piano. >> flower piano has become its largest annual event. >> there are 55 acres and 12 pianos, and they are tucked in all different nooks and crannies. but they find their way, and the music sort of guides them. >> how important is it for the people who come here? >> it's really important. we see public gardens as a public health strategy. we know that being in places like this lowers your blood pressure, lowers your cortisol, stress hormones, activates your brain in ways that it normally doesn't work. you combine those things, it's pretty spectacular. >> take this improvisation by

harry white, a lifelong pianist and retired city gardener, who stopped playing at home because of his progressing alzheimer's. with his wife and caregiver, he was able to find and play all 12 pianos during this year's flower piano. i've come across children so young that they had to sit on a stack of their music books just to play and they couldn't reach the pedals, of course. it's pretty mind blowing to see that connection of music starting to happen at such a young age. >> as a kid, i went to the conservatory for five years and we couldn't have a piano at home. i remember seeing them coming down the street pushing a piano. kind of knew then that i would be a pianist for the rest of my life.

>> he salvages discarded pianos, otherwise destined for the dock and landfill. >> i like to think the composers would like it, because it lets people experience it in eight new way, a way they can approach it with a sense of wonder. because what is that piano doing under this tree? it's the kind of thing where kind of short-circuits your brain for a second and let's something else come in. >> by taking a piano out of its comfort zone, these power -- flower piano events are inviting others into their comfort zone. ♪

geoff: later this evening, the first episode of a 4-part series about a national high school competition about civics. citizen nation follows teenagers from across the country as they wrestle with profound social, economic and political issues facing america. along the way, teachers, including this one in wyoming, help empower their students. >> i tell my students all the time, this is the most important class she will take in your high school career, because you need to know your rights. you need to know if there's an issue, how to solve a problem. i think our world is headed in a really scary direction. in my generation has shown that they are not going to solve it. but we can get the next generation to. i like fighting for the underdogs. geoff: citizen nation airs tonight and the following three tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. eastern on

pbs. that is the news hour for tonight. thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, this is sam, how can i help you? >> this is pocket dial. with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that's kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> it really matters when you have an opportunity to give back. >> be part of something that's bigger than myself. that's what brings me happiness. >> with some of these other things that are important to you. >> people want these opportunities. they're making an impact and a difference. ♪

>> carnegie corporation of new york, working to reduce political polarization through fillon topic support through education, democracy and peace. more information at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these 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.]

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. ♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what's coming up. the unbearable sorrow of being. one year since hamas invaded israel, killing and kidnapping, m meirav leshem gonen talks about trying to bring home her daughter, romi. >> then -- >> today, we are actually united in grief, but we are also united in hope. >> and israeli and palestinian human rights activists come together on their batte