wow, you get to watch all. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ >> good evening. i am geoff bennett. >> on the news hour tonight, with election day fast approaching donald trump tries to appeal to women voters while kamala harris courts disenchanted republicans. >> a former justice department official raises questions over whether developments in the election interference case could improperly influence the presidential race. >> and judy woodruff physicist nevada where voters who

changed parties could hold the key to the white house. >> these swing voters break at the very end. so, how they break in 2024 is going to matter a great deal in determining who wins this election. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. >> consumer cellular, this is sam. how may help you? this is a pocket dial. thought i'd let you know that with consumer cellular you gain coverage with no contract. that's kind of i think. have a nice day. >> a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father jazz club with his son. a raymondjames financial advisor get to know -- gets to know you,

life well planned. >> working to advance inclusive democracies. learn more at kettering.org. >> as some of the coming out of college, it can be very nerve-racking not knowing whether he would like your job or not. whether you make friends or fit in. i feel like it is so welcoming and such an inclusive place to work. you are valued. >> the judy and peter bloom cochlear foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d and catherine t. macarthur foundation. more information at mackfound.or g. 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. >> welcome to the news hour. with just 20 days until election day, for both candidates the battle is on to reach the few remaining voters who can still be persuaded. >> vice president kamala harris and trump held events today to broaden their appeal. >> former president donald trump digging in at a fox town hall repeating that other americans are the enemy and making a declaration unprecedented in modern times, that he would use the military. >> it is the enemy within and

they are very dangerous, they are marxists and communist and fascist and they are sick. the bigger problem are the people from within. we have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics, and i think, it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by national guard or by the military. >> those words vice president harris is called unhinged. >> donald trump is increasingly unstable and as has been said by the people who have worked closely with him even when he was president he is not fit to be president. >> as trump was aiming to reach across the gender gap, in front of a women audience where trump faced questions on reproductive rights, claiming to be pro- ivf despite republicans blocking ivf legislation. >> i'm the father of ivf. >> the man responsible for overturning roe v. wade say he

thinks that some red states have gone too far. >> they are too tough, too tough and those will be redone because already there is a movement in those states. >> mr. trump faces a gender gap your pull shoulder men support the former president by 16 points but women back his opponent by 14 points. for vice president kamala harris today the hunt for votes meant reaching across the aisle. >> no matter your party, no matter who you voted for last time, there is a place for you in this campaign. >> in pennsylvania, nearly must win for her, harris appears with 100 republicans who disavowed donald trump. her message was for conservatives and others unhappy with the former president. >> the coalition we have built has room for everyone who is ready to turn the page on the chaos and the instability of donald trump. >> with it came symbolism. the event was near the site were

george washington famously crossed the delaware river during the revolutionary war. a president who urged voters to choose country over politics. >> to compose the constitution of the united states. that work was not easy. the founders often disagreed. often quite passionately. but in the end, the constitution of the united states laid out the foundations of our democracy. and now the baton is in our hands. >> the vice president courtship of those outside of her party continues tonight. when she sits down for an interview with -- her first interview on fox news. >> a pleasure meeting you. >> republican vp candidate jd vance stopped in pennsylvania today. the swing state was see all four candidates this week, as he campaigned for 2024 vance was

asked about 2020 and why he has not admitted that trump lost. he gave a new response. >> i think there are serious problems in 2020, did donald trump lose the election? not by the words i would use, ok? >> in another critical state, georgia, the first day of early voting shattered records with over 300,000 ballots cast. election officials say they expect another potential record today. in polling places the enthusiasm was palpable. >> this is probably the most important voting season of our lifetime. i think it is an imperative that every single person vote to save democracy. >> this is an existential election that will have implications for my children and my three grandsons and more to come. >> also in georgia, two court rulings blocked efforts by republican officials to change the rules in the state. one ruling barred election officials were refers into's -- refusing to certify the results in another set no to -- said no

to making a mistake count the final ballots by hand. pivotal decisions in a pivotal race. i'm lisa desjardins. >> we're now joined by democratic strategist james carville. he served as a lead advisor on bill clinton's presidential campaign and he is the subject of a new documentary called "winning is everything, stupid," that chronicles his efforts to get joe biden to step down. >> it is a pleasure to be on the show. i'm a big fan. >> thank you, sir. let me start by getting your take on the state of the race. there is a new np analysis out todayr and the seven battleground states. that looks like mr. trump hess his first lead in the polling average in those specific battleground states. since harris moved to the top of the ticket. it is microscopically. less than half a percentage point, but i just wonder what you make of that. >> you know, everybody says it'e

s true, in every election but one in this century, both candidates have gone about thinking they have a chance to win the election. 2008 being the only exception to that. and there's, the polling is tight, but what generally happens is the election breaks towards the end. we'll wait and see. i have no prediction or anything like that. i am trying to work as hard as i can. but everything indicates that there is tight polling. >> with 20 days left, what do you think it would take to break one way or the next? there are no big events left on the calendar, right? >> to be honest, i think by sprint -- the vice president's campaign is getting sharper, more visible. and frankly, he's getting, if anything, less attached to reality, even for him than i've seen before. some of the stuff he's out there

saying is really wild. and you had that we would rally, 39 minute, i don't not know what you call it. but there's, i think he is suffering from what i call madness and dementia at the same time. there's considerable evidence that he is in pretty severe state of deterioration right now. and we will have to keep watching. and i think she's doing better, i really do. >> one piece of advice to offer specifically to the harris campaign last month. "to be the certified fresh candidate, miss harris must clearly and decisively break from mr. biden on a set of policies she believes would define her presidency." has she done that enough? >> well, she has an 81 page economic plan that she is moving forward. like many other people, she was asked the question at a town hall, she pointed to the plan,

the things that she will do. president biden has been a different president and president obama was, who is been different than president clinton was. but she has her own ideas, that articulated in a plan. i think she can talk about that more and more. i do, absolutely. >> she's adopted a somewhat unconventional media strategy, where she referenced. -- you reference peer and she has been calling on podcasts like call her daddy to beach -- to reach of women on fox. two's republicans, she could go on joe rogan and she has done howard stern. are these high risk potentially high reward scenarios for her? >> you know, i'm not worried about it anymore. she has gotten a lot better. she has performed at the convention, she performed during the debate. she has been on any number of different media platforms. and she has performed well. i think what they are trying to

do is get her in front of his many people as they possibly can and the strategy that they decided on is there will be a lot of interviews. that's fine. i've seen a lot more visibility from her than i've seen between the debate and this past weekend. so, i'm very encouraged that she is out, she is doing a lot of different kinds of forums to talk to different kinds of people. i think that is a good idea. she is doing it well, franklly. >> the gender gap is one of the defining features of this campaign cycle. you have harris with a 14 point lead among women. trump with a 16 point lead among men. we've seen harris's support with young men in particular has been sliding. what is your view on that? why do you think so many men have trouble supporting her? >> let's just back up a second. what she's really doing well is with white college educated men,

that is a key demographic for her. it is true that she is not doing as well with young non-white males as we did in 2020, but she's doing better in other male demographics and i think she will have to improve on that, absolutely. i have been very outspoken about the democratics male's are 40% of this selector. we have to take it seriously. and we think we get -- i think we can do a little bit better but there is no doubt that we are not hitting the numbers we need to among males. >> i want to ask about the money because the latest fec filings show that that democrats of huge fundraising advantage over the last three months over the republicans and former president trump. in these last 20 days, what kind of a difference can that money make and where should it go? >> well, first of all, if it did not make any difference, everybody is trying to raise as much as they can. so somebody thinks it does. you look beyond the money, you

look at volunteers. they are flooded with volunteers. trump has no ground game. we have never known what it means to have a robust tv effort, a voter contact effort. and every place i have talked -- are really really putting this together and he is not putting anything together. he's trying to outsource some of it. but we do have a fundraising advantage. we have an enthusiasm advantage, a volunteer advantage. i think we have a visibility advantage. you just got to keep pressing your advantages. and hopefully these -- i tell people polling is 48-48, that is just the way it is and hopefully it will break our way. but that is the hope. i think it can happen. >> always great to speak with you. always great to hear your insights and your thoughts. that is longtime democratic

strategist james carville joining us tonight. james, thank you. >> thank you very much. you bet. >> i'm stephanie sy with news hour west. here are the latest headlines. israel resumed punishing airstrikes's on beirut southern suburbs across central and southern lebanon. more than 130 strikes targeted what israel says were hezbollah operatives and locations. israel's hezbollah military said that hezbollah 90 rockets were fired into northern israel today. special correspondent layla malala allan reports. >> slim hopes for a cease-fire dashed. yesterday the caretaker prime minister said he would have guarantees from the united states that the bombing of beirut would cease. today's skyline told a different story. after a few days of relief, the

bombardment of the capital southern suburbs resumed, heavier than ever. there is been a huge increase in the intensity and frequency of the airstrikes. now much of these southern suburbs are devastated. it is one of the most heavily populated areas around beirut. and that means that tens of thousands of people are working from their homes. in the southern seating, a meeting of the mayor became this region's next graveyard. the target of the israeli strike was the crisis management hub. meeting to organize and distribute aid to displaced families. the mayor and his team were all killed. the death toll is 16 and rising. as volunteer first responders tried to save their colleagues, they sent out desperate voice messages. >> the mayor's inside. everyone is inside. no one can survive this. they are all dead. >> when the idf told residents to leave, ahmed refused.

they felt they had to stay to help the thousands of lebanese still stuck. an increase in the cut off by the bombardment in towns and villages across the government. dahlia is raising funds to help provide essentials to the more than 1.2 million lebanese made homeless by this war. she was coordinating with his team. >> they specifically said that they wanted baby diapers. two hours later, we got the news that there was a raid on the municipality that was organizing all the relief efforts. and we learned that the person we were on the phone with was killed. >> many here from across the political and religious spectrum increasingly view this as a war waged against them not just by israel but by the united states. including some. of its own citizens >> they have every opportunity to help stop this war, and they refused.

they refused, they continued to send weapons to israel. with taxes i'm paying for because i am an american citizen. i mean, the carte blanche the biden administration is giving the -- the israelis, what it means is killing and it means destroying villages and destroying homes, destroying our trust in the world. we have lost trust in the world. >> and every day, as the world watches, more death and instruction unfolds here. >> also today, ukraine's president zelenskyy laid out his so called victor plan to his parliament. the five-part plan includes a formal invitation to join nato. an permission to use western supplied weapons to strike deep into russian territory among other measures. both steps have met with resistance by ukraine's allies

so far. but speaking to lawmakers, zelenskyy insisted these measures are needed. >> we ukrainians together with our partners must change the circumstances so that the war ends regardless of what putin wants. we must change the circumstances so that russia is forced to peace. >> russia brushed off the plane calling it a set of incoherent slogans. and western leaders do not fully support zelenskyy's plan either with the head of nato stopping short of an endorsement. >> i will not comment on every element in the plan, but it is of course a strong signal for them -- for zelenskyy and his team that they designed this plan, and they are taking it forward. it does not mean that i can say i support the whole plan. >> biden biden zelenskyy spoke to president who is also declined to publicly support the plan. but the white house did announce a new$425 million security package for ukraine

today. in nigeria, more than 140 people including children are confirmed dead after a gasoline tanker crashed on a highway and burst into flames. dozens more were injured. it happened in the country's northern state. nigeria lacks an official railway system to transport cargo like gas. cellphone video captured the fiery scene overnight. by morning the tank's records was still up turned on the road pick witnesses say that people were trying to fuel with buckets when the truck exploded in flames. >> when people get hungry, they get desperate. an opportunity to make money from scooping fuel, they will take that chance. i think we need to do better as a community. we need to do better as a nation. people cannot just continue to lead a life of hunger. >> deadly tanker accidents are common in nigeria where vehicles often fail to meet international standards on preventing fuel spillage. 48 people were killed in a

similar crash last month. italy has made it illegal for people to go abroad to have children through surrogacy. the country's senate passed the measure after a seven hour debate that expands on a ban on the practice that has been in place in italy since 2004. the government's conservative majority says it is seeking to protect women's dignity. critics say it is meant to target same-sex couples. italians who seek surrogacy in places like the u.s. or canada can face up to two years in jail and more than $1 million in fines. back in this country, three people are dead andfour critically injured following the collapse of a mississippi bridge. the bridge, about 40 miles south of jackson, was in the process of being demolished when it collapsed. there are scant details on what caused the collapse or on the victims. but authorities say traffic has been closed there since mid-september. nebraska's high court ruled today that felons who have completed their sentences can

register to vote. the state legislator had passed a law that restored voting rights for felons earlier this year. but republican secretary of state bob evan and deemed it unconstitutional. today's ruling says he did not have the authority to do that. that decision could have national implications given that that mostly red nebraska splits its electoral college votes by congressional district. their ballots could impact both an electoral college vote and a closely contested house race in the omaha area. a judge in nevada has sentenced a former las vegas area politician to 28 years in prison for the murder of investigative journalist of the las vegas review journal. the jury found robert telus guilty of killing him in august after he wrote articles critical of his conduct in office. the judge added eight years to the minimum 20 year sentence citing his use of a deadly weapon. his attorney says he plans to

appeal the conviction. and a passing that shocked fans across the music world. liam payne a former singer from the boy band one direction fell to his death today from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in his capital and what. -- buenos aires. payne succumbed to serious injuries. liam payne was only 31. and family members, pop stars and dignitaries of the democratic party paid tribute today to ethicality, the late widow of robert f. at a funeral service in washington, d.c. former bill clinton and barack obama attended and president joe biden delivered the eulogy. president biden: ethel was a hero, full of character, full of integrity, and empathy, genuine empathy. >> ethel kennedy died last week

at the age of 96. still to come on the newshour, swing voters and nevada explained their views on this year's election. the efforts to find dozens of north carolina residents still missing weeks after hurricane helene. a russian metal sculptor who opposes the war in ukraine makes a new life in oregon. ♪ this is "pbs newshour." from the rubenstein studio at weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> as former president donald trump's election interference case continues to make its way through a d.c. court, some legal analysts are questioning the justice department's handling of the case. after a federal judge this month unseal debris from jack smith containing new evidence in the case, a debate has focused on why the doj allow the collection

of evidence to be released so close to election day. with some arguing it could influence the presidential race. one of those scholars is jack goldsmith, whose essay in on the new york times is titled jack smith owes us an exhalation. goldsmith is a former assistant attorney general and the george w. bush administration and now professor at harvard law. we spoke with him yesterday. thanks for being with us. >> thanks for having me. >> when you say jack smith owes us an exhalation, you take issue with the timing of his breed. what do you say to those who argued that the special counsel was simply complying with the rules that the judge laid out? >> well, the justice department has a set of norms, one of which is the 60 day rule that says you do not take an action or make a disclosure that close to the election that could impact the election. and the judge asked the special counsel whether he had any objection to having these

disclosures close to the election. he seemed to think there was no prohibition on doing so. and he had no objection to her timing and releasing it before the election. >> it is my understanding that the special counsel has said on the record that the justice department's internal 60 day rule does not apply if two cases that are already been charged or that are being litigated. to which you would say what? >> i would say that i do not think he's made that clear at all. i think you are referring to a confused colloquy in miami documents case. there was a very important inspector general report in 2018 about, that talked about the 60 day rule. it's dominant understanding is conveyed in that report was what that the rule prohibits disclosures or actions close to the election that impact the election. there were some people that believe what you just, uh, said,

but the inspector general said in 2018 that this rule, needs clarity and the justice department never gave clarity. and they haven't explained why, uh, this disclosure was consistent with these norms. >> is there a policy or an expectation that prosecutors conversely would sit and wait for the outcome of an election that could determine whether or not this case could be even moving forward? >> this case is completely unprecedented, so i don't know what the proper, uh, expectation is with regard to that question. the point i've raised is that there is this rule, it was a big issue in 2016, it was an issue in 2020 about not having disclosures that impact and election. and the only thing i'm asking for is for the department to explain clearly why it thinks that what it did is consistent with that norm. it is very important that the department has these norms so that, uh, to ensure that, not

only that they in fact don't act politically but they appears not to act politically. this is an unprecedented prosecution of a former president by is headed by the president and the vice president who were and are running against this president and the selection. and in this context, more than any other context and the department's history, because this is the most sensitive investigation in its history, it needs to be really clear and explicit about why it is complying with -- it is not complying with these norms and it has not been. >> there are those who take issue with the supreme court's roles, that the court with his conservative majority refused jack smith's request to expedite consideration of donald trump's claim of presidential immunity and that the ultimate ruling on immunity has further delay consideration. >> it's true, that they ruled on -- the ruling on immunity further delayed consideration. but that is irrelevant to smith's the duty.

to comply with the norms about not impacting or appearing to impact an election. so what the court did, and we can debate that if you like, but what the court did did delay the trial which smith was pushing to try to have before the election. which also raised questions under department norms. there is no doubt that what the court did to -- delayed the trial but that is not relevant to smith's duties in the run-up to the election. >> why hasn't the doj in your view cleared up some of these perceived questions about the 60 day rule? >> it is a real mystery to me. um, again, the inspector general in a widely read report in 2018, explained that this rule needed to be clarified. he asked for clarification. it has been six years now, and the department has not clarified. and i don't know why. it is exactly what i think the department should be doing. they should've clarified it in my opinion. before this most sensitive of

prosecutions. and they should have explained what the rules were up front before they started applying them in secret to tell us. let me be clear. i really do believe that the department believes it is complying with all relevant norms. it has stated so. carl and his stated so. all i'm asking for is that they explained to the public so it does not appears like they are acting or allowing disclosures that could impact the election. >> does this raise questions about the special counsel's work or approach moving forward? >> um, this is the case, this is the only case where this is relevant before the election. i do not believe there is anything going on right now in the documents case that i'm aware of that implicates this concern. >> jack goldsmith. thanks so much for joining us in sharing your insights. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. ♪

>> in a deeply divided electorate, one group of voters is increasingly coveted by both sides. swing voters. in the swing state of nevada, judy woodruff recently listened to two groups of voters who chose donald trump in 2016 and joe biden in 2020. as they discuss their thoughts on the state of the race in the country. it is part of her ongoing series america at a crossroads. >> oh! judy: las vegas, the crown jewel of the critical swing state of nevada. the most important democratic stronghold in a hotly contested purple state. vegas is a hub for tourism, entertainment and spectacle. but, behind the flashing lights of the strip, democrats and republicans are scrambling to shore up support for their candidates. and even in a state where democrats won in 2016, and 2020, one name looms above the rest. >> i thought trump as a

businessman would be able to do something that professional politicians could not do. >> i like the fact that he is a businessman. that could bring a fresh idea to the table for the economy. he was not a politician which i thought would be refreshing. judy: everyone in these two focus groups voted for donald trump in 2016. >> was i duped. i was. then the election was passed. trump did not ever shut up. he didn't. >> i was definitely gung ho for trump. but then, after we went through that time period, you know, he started going off the rails a little bit. judy: but in 2020, they soured on president trump and check the box for joe biden. >> they both want the best for the country. but trump, i just feel was the say or do something wrong and

cause more chaos. >> i thought for all of the positives he may have created in his four years, his divisiveness was ridiculous. he could not leave the good things alone. he had to follow it up with something that made you shake your head and go, really? judy: republican strategist and host of the focus group podcast sarah longwell. >> a lot of times elections are decided by the way these independent swing voters break at the very end. and so, how they break in 2024 is going to matter a great deal in determining who wins this election. judy: longwell is the publisher of the board, center-right media outlet opposed to donald trump. she runs focus groups like these across the country. using a nonpartisan approach to better understand all voters thinking. from the control room of vegas pbs, i watched as she engaged with these 14 nevadans on a

range of issues. is it possible to know what percentage roughly of the electric this group represents, the trump to biden voters? >> people that went from trump to biden? that is closer to a six or 7% swing. but they are determinative when it comes to who wins elections in these credit will swing states. judy: their reactions to president biden's performance so far were mixed. >> how many people would give joe biden an "a" during his time as president? how many would give him a "b." barbara is a b. how many would give him a "c." four. how many would give him a "d." you an "f." ok. >> we are at a high rate right now of food insecurity. people don't know where they're going to eat. as long as that is the case, then the economy is not moving

forward for the masses of this country. >> things are too expensive nowadays. the cost of living has gone up. we definitely need to, you know, find a president, get a president able to lead this country in the right way. judy: for some voters, vice president harris' rise to the top of the ticket was cause for enthusiasm. >> how many of you were glad to see vice president kamala harris take over for joe biden? raise your hand, if you were glad. >> i was not for her and then all of a sudden when it went in, i was so surprised. i felt like a had a breath of fresh air. it was shocking to be. but i think it was like, my gosh, somebody else! and it just infused so much energy and i was like, i like i just something new, i want some forward thinking thing i do not want to be living back like being told what to do. women cannot do this. but if a guy can get pregnant, that would probably be abortion clinics on every corner and it

is just sad that that is the way it seems, like. trump just once that power. his followers are just like, yeah. judy: others felt they still needed to know more about her. >> i'm very uncertain about her. there is just, just a feeling, and i'm going to do lots more research before i do vote. there are rumors and things that i need to research more. still leaning towards him a little bit more. >> rumors about her, what kind? >> sleeping her way to the top. anybody can say that about a woman. i am tired of hearing that. hopefully it is not true. >> what about the men that slept their way to the top? >> there are. no. >> trump's done a lot of that. there you go. >> yeah, no. i'm tired of hearing about women. it's just, she went to school, she has -- >> why bring it up now? >> these are rumors that i need to research. >> she was elected to all of her

positions. so there is no sleeping her way to the top with that. >> we heard skepticism about vice president harris record on the economy, despite low unemployment, falling inflation, and record numbers in the markets. >> i dont' see a real plan, that we will have a better economy in four years. >> what about you? >> i think it will be four more years of bidenomics, and what we've just gone through with president biden. and that's going to be as disaster for the united states. judy: but there were also concerns about how former president trump would use his power if reelected. >> i think he's running for himself to keep himself out of jail. he's a convicted felon, i do not trust them i do not believe he respects the constitution and he will change as much as he can. i worry we'll become a dictatorship in the united states. >> she snagged that dictatorship word before i was going to use it.

and i would not be surprised if he tries to pass a thing where he can stay president for the rest of his life. so. >> does affect the donald trump didn't engage in the peaceful transfer of power, does that bother you? >> it bothered me, but at the same time, um, i've watched trump ever since he was in new york in the 1980's. i expect, i don't expect him to do the right thing in most circumstances. because he never has before. but the rhetoric and what have you between the two parties, it was there before trump showed up. he just brought it to light to the public that did not know what was going on. judy: i asked longwell why she thought some trump voters are planning on voting for trump despite their concerns. >> people have a lot of reasons when it comes to donald trump, they have very firm opinions on him. so, the question really is for a

lot of these swing voters -- no matter how much they dislike donald trump, does their belief that donald trump is better for the economy or immigration, does that move them back to him, or have they decided that they still dislike donald trump and are willing to vote for a democrat or are they actually being persuaded that kamala harris is the right person at this moment? judy: there was one thing most everyone agreed on. >> how many of you think our politics has gotten worse over the last 10 years? why do you think it has gotten worse? >> more political violence in her own country could look at the insurrection. that's unprecedented, terrible. and people do not respect each other's differences anymore. you cannot have a civil conversation if you disagree with a lot of people. you are seen as the enemy. both sides. >> there is more money in this country now than there has ever been. and each party is trying to get, you know, some of that money. and, you know, they are trying to grab at it with both hands

and toes. >> do you think there is something rely wrong with how people in the country are viewing politics right now? >> i think everyone has their right to their own opinion and it should not cause violence or any, like, disdain between people, because it's really not that important. it is important but, like, aren't our relationships more important, our everyday life? judy: many said they feel political divisions in my own family. >> my sister and my parents don't speak and i have not for three years now. and what sparked it was politics. judy: on the question of which candidate would do more to bring the country together, the consensus among these swing voters was clear. >> do you think the country will become more divided under trump or less divided under trump? how many think will become more divided under trump? how many think it will become less divided under trump?

less divided? how many of you think trump will bring us back together and heal our divides? >> i just think trump will make the economy better but he will not bring us back together. >> even people who work saying that they would vote for donald trump, do not think that he is going to do anything to heal the divisions in the country. and i think that this is something that is very common among this type of swing voters. which is if they can get there on donald trump, if they're willing to go back and vote for him again, it is almost always in spite of his personality, in spite of his rhetoric, in spite of the fact that they don't necessarily think he's good for the country in a number of ways. but they tend to on a couple of key issues believe that donald trump would be better than any democrat. judy: for this still undecided voter, a decision remained just out of reach. >> i'm not republican, democrat.

i'm more, i just want what is best. i can't commit. there are some of the things we have not even gone into. there are so many good things on one side and so many good things on the others in so many bad on each. judy: sarah longwell told us these swing voters are typically more accepting of people who disagree with them that are diehard republicans and democrats. but they are clearly as worried as anyone about the country's divisions. for the pbs news hour, i'm judy woodruff in las vegas, nevada. ♪ >> it has been nearly three weeks since hurricane helene began his devastating march across the southeast killing at least 230 people in six states. nowhere has the storm's impact been more destructive than in western north carolina. we are entire communities were

swept away. thousands remain without power, and search crews continue to hunt for at least 80 people who are still unaccounted for. to help us understand the complexity of that search and the challenges those teams are facing, we are joined by ryan pohl, the emergency assistance director for asheville. thanks for being with us. >> thank you for having us. >> how is the recovery process progressing, especially this process of trying to find the people who are still unaccounted for? >> we have worked through several lists of people where they have been unaccounted for and we are still working to try to identify those people that are still missing or unaccounted for. and, as we do that, then we are doing targeted searches in specific areas where the high probability that we might be able to locate any of the victims. whenever we go out, those

targeted searches include removing large amounts of debris and working through hazardous materials and other items to be able to try to work through those piles to get to victims that might be in those areas. >> paint a picture for us. how destructive was helene to asheville and buncombe county? >> we had some significant distractions down the watersheds and through water valley -- river valleys, from flooding we had significant damage throughout the watershed's as it took out the hills. when you're looking in the flatlas, and you have flooding, the water rises up, and it just inundates an area with slow moving water. in the watersheds in the mountains, as a water comes up and we have significant rainfall, then that goes down through the mountain valleys collecting all of the water as it goes, creating significant turbulence and destroying things

in its path picking up trees, cars, buildings, anything in its path. however, on top of the flooding, we also had significant landslides that occurred in the ridges. due to the rains and the unstable ground that we had from nine inches of rain prior to the storm even arriving, the ground was saturated with water and, as more rain came in, it caused some of that land to dislodge and start down the hill. once it starts down the hill, it takes everything in its path, homes, cars, forests, everything through that until it comes to a stopping. point >> the governor roy cooper yesterday spoke of what he called a persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation concerning fema and the recovery effort. how is that affected the work that you and your teams are doing? >> we have had misinformation that has been out and any time

that we had misinformation that occurs that slows our progress, to be able to help out the citizens in most need. fema has been on the ground and in partnership with us along with the state of north carolina. and many resources throughout the state and throughout the united states to assist us in the process of getting to recovery. >> helene was followed directly by milton and much of the country's focus shifted to florida. what does western north carolina need right now to get back on its feet? >> the first thing, first and foremost, the greatest thing that we need is to remain in the thoughts and prayers of the people across the united states. that is the greatest thing that we can use right now. but the biggest thing that we are facing is the infrastructure that we have lost, the power companies have done a significant job in western north carolina in restoring the power. responders have done a significant job throughout the communities in supporting each

individual community and taking care of them. we've had volunteers that had supported through donations and getting things out to the community to support those people. but now we have the infrastructure issues with roadways that are gone. many roads are alongside the river banks and those river banks, as they flooded, they took out those roadways. and it will take a while to build that up. a lot of people are looking, they want to do something. they want to give. so the one thing that we ask is, if you are looking to give, look for those monetary donations that you can do to some of our partnering organizations such as united way but continue to give us your thoughts and prayers in this community and the support you have given us so far. >> ryan cole, thanks for your time this evening, sir. we appreciate it. >> thank you. ♪

>> the ongoing war in ukraine has impacted tens of millions of, including russians who have ukrainian relatives. special correspondent cat wise spent the day with a russian artist whose life took a dramatic turn after the war broke out in 2022. the report as part of our arts and culture series canvas. >> the walk to work in downtown bend, oregon, is fairly short for this artist, but it is a long way from home. he is 39. he was born and raised in a city on the outskirts of moscow. today, he's an internationally recognized metal sculptor who has spent a lot of time over the past 20 years working with forges and fires. his craft requires patience and speed. after the metal is hot enough,

he has less than a minute to shape it. >> [speaking russian] >> i studied to become an artist. after i tried working with metal, i realize this is a material i would use my entire life. >> his intricate works which can be found among other places on the streets of russia and at a memphis museum may look like they were cast from molds, but they are all hand forged. rivets hold together the individual pieces of each sculpture. [speaking russian] >> i consider myself first and artisan only then a blacksmith. i don't want to prove anything, to explain anything with my art. first and foremost, this is my world and then people connect to it and understand something. find something of their own, draw their own things, my art allows people to fantasize. >> this is my favorite -- this is for forged, very huge metal.

>> his distinctive approach to metal art has been sought after, taking into international museums and art schools and professional workshops where he has been invited to teach. and artistic competitions where he has received recognitions and awards. but for the last 2.5 years, be n and this workshop have been hisd life and his refuge. he and his wife katya, who is also russian, arrived in the u.s. in mid february 2022 to teach at blacksmithing events. >> we were planning to spend in the states about three months. and then, yeah. russia invaded ukraine. the end of february, and we realize that we were not able to go back to russia.

>> going back, they say, would've put him, who spent a lot of time with family in ukraine when he was younger, and opposes the russian government, at risk of jail or worse. >> [speaking russian] >> when the war broke out, it cut through everything, completely broke me. because i spent half my life in ukraine. my mother is ukrainian. it was already an extreme point with crimea. and of course eventually the war. >> after russia sees crimea from ukraine a decade ago, he joined protests and refused to participate in a government-backed art project celebrating the annexation. how were you impacted as an artist by your clinical views, your opposition to the government? >> i was cut off everywhere. i was not accepted into competitions. i was not accepted to the union of artists of russia. there was a block on the everywhere. >> his opposition has also come through in his art, including a

series of haunting soldier sculptures he began making in 2012 with his brother who is also a metal artist called the leaves cover the war. the works were created with old metal they found from world war ii battlefields in russia. >> this was the main idea, to show the horrors of the war. and it is the most horrible thing that can happen to someone. and in fact the world. >> the turmoil in their own lives falling -- following the outbre of the war is fading day by day as the couple have adjusted to their new life in bend, where fellow blacksmiths have an offer and support. once an essential craft, today, they are estimated to be only 2500 professional blacksmiths in the u.s. and one of them is joe elliott. >> he's going to be influencing the world of metalworking for a very long time to come. >> elliott smith who is been a

blacksmith for 40 years, first met him in 2019 at a workshop. >> we made a praying mantis. and i remember him rolling out the drawing, and we taped it to the board. and it was, the drawing itself was just drop dead gorgeous. yes? >> n ow they see each other just about every day. elliott owns the forge business where he has been working. and they often collaborate. earlier this year, elliott worked with several other local artists on a life-sized eagle now on display at the high desert museum in bend. >> having them in the shop puts a new wind in my sails. anton has brought to me this whole other way of looking at metal, coming up with a substantial piece would buy lots of little pieces. i'm fascinated by him. >> he has also been learning

from elliott. who has encouraged him to explore new art forms like jewelry. some of those pieces and others are now for sale at the workshop, online and will be shown at our shows by the couple who are now focused on their future. their application for permanent asylum in the u.s. was recently approved. for the pbs news hour, i'm cat wise in bend, oregon. ♪ >> that's the news for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. >> on behalf of the entire ws hour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by. >> on an american cruiselines 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 river boats travel 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 as institutions. and friends of the news hour, including jim and nancy -- and the robert and virginia schiller 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.

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

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