April 8, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
04/08/2024 | 56m 45s | Video has closed captioning.
April 8, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode
Aired: 04/08/24
Expires: 05/08/24
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AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.
I'm Amna Nawaz.
GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.
On the "NewsHour" tonight: Israeli forces withdraw from Southern Gaza and cease-fire talks resume in Cairo six months after Hamas' October 7 attack.
AMNA NAWAZ: Millions of people across the United States witness a rare total solar eclipse.
We will bring you a view from along the path of totality.
GEOFF BENNETT: And the push to reform the Insurrection Act and curb a president's power to deploy the U.S. military on American soil.
JACK GOLDSMITH, Harvard Law School: It's just a blank check for any president, and so it's an opportunity for abuse for any president.
(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today said he's set a date for the invasion of Rafah in Southern Gaza, where 1.4 million people have sought shelter.
AMNA NAWAZ: That comes as hostage and cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas again appear to be at an impasse tonight, as senior leaders meet in Cairo.
Meanwhile, some Gazans returned to another Southern Gaza City, the scene of brutal fighting and destruction.
Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.
NICK SCHIFRIN: They returned by the thousands, Gazans hoping to find their homes.
But Khan Yunis is unrecognizable.
It is destroyed, full of debris, and its former residents devastated.
Houses are flattened like pancakes.
Apartment blocks are gutted into carcasses.
This was once home to half-a-million people.
Today, it has been left to the scavengers, like Hanan.
She tries to salvage anything from the ruins of her house.
There is no construction crew, only a stray cat, who, like her, has lost everyone and everything.
HANAN, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip Resident (through translator): No words can describe my pain.
Our memories, our dreams, our childhood, and our family all are gone.
I didn't find anything to take out from the rubble.
We didn't take anything when we fled.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Around every turn, there are more ruined roads, more details of deprivation.
Sitting in the shadow of his former home and his former life, Ismael told us today he'd lived here for four decades.
ISMAEL, Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip Resident (through translator): My feelings?
My life is ruined.
My life is destroyed and ruined.
Everything from the past 40 years is gone.
What can we say?
Only God is sufficient.
NICK SCHIFRIN: But Khan Yunis is also the home to Hamas leaders, and Hamas videos show gunmen fighting Israeli troops from the ruins of homes.
This weekend, Khan Yunis' Israeli troops recovered the body of Elad Katzir, kidnapped on October 7.
And, just today, an Israeli strike destroyed a Hamas rocket that misfired.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the withdrawal from Khan Yunis followed the dismantling of Hamas' military units.
YOAV GALLANT, Israeli Defense Minister (through translator): Our forces are going to prepare for their follow-up missions.
We will see such missions in the Rafah area.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Rafah is home to some 1.4 million displaced Gazans.
And Israel has told U.S. officials it's preparing tents to move Gazans north from Rafah to Al-Mawasi and areas north of Khan Yunis.
The U.S. officials say Israel has not yet presented a full evacuation plan, even though, today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a Rafah operation was on the calendar.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): Victory requires entry into Rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there.
It will happen.
There is a date.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, State Department spokesman Matt Miller reiterated that the U.S. opposes a major ground invasion into Rafah, regardless of Israeli evacuation plans.
MATTHEW MILLER, State Department Spokesman: I think it would, number one, harm all the more than 1.4 million Palestinians.
It would hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
So we have made clear that we don't want to see that full-scale invasion in any event.
NICK SCHIFRIN: In the last few days, Israel has opened additional crossings.
And, today, more than 415 trucks entered Gaza, the largest number since the war began.
But the U.N. and U.S. are pushing for the number to increase to prewar levels above 500.
MATTHEW MILLER: It is not just important that they take initial steps to facilitate the increase of humanitarian assistance, but that increased flow of humanitarian assistance be sustained over time.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Increased humanitarian assistance is one of Hamas' demands on hostage negotiations.
Regional officials tell me that CIA Director Bill Burns, Qatar's prime minister, and Israeli and Egyptian spy chiefs have created a new proposal that's gone to Hamas in which Israel has softened its resistance to a Hamas request to let Gazans return to Northern Gaza, but not by enough to expect an imminent breakthrough.
What U.S. officials do fear is imminent, an attack by Iran in response to an Israeli strike in Damascus that killed senior Iranian commanders.
And, overnight, Israel launched a series of airstrikes into Southern Lebanon, killing Ali Ahmed Hussein, one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders.
In Beirut today, Hezbollah supporters mourned his death.
U.S. officials fear Hezbollah or Iran itself could attack Israeli assets in the region or in Israel, a warning repeated by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah today.
HASSAN NASRALLAH, Hezbollah Leader (through translator): Be certain, be sure that the Iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in Damascus is definitely coming against Israel.
NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, Iran accused the U.S. of approving Israel's Damascus strike.
U.S. officials say they assured Iran in private messages that they did not know ahead of time.
The U.S. has also warned Iran it would be held responsible if Iran or its proxies strike U.S. bases.
Already, those bases are on high alert.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.
GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: An appeals judge in New York denied former President Trump's 11-hour bid to delay his hush money criminal trial.
He's accused of falsifying records to hide payments to an adult film actress.
But his lawyers asked to move the proceedings out of Manhattan, forcing a postponement.
For now, pending further appeals, the trial is set to start on April 15.
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, representing small colleges, effectively banned transgender athletes from women's sports today.
It's believed to be the first college sports organization to take that step.
A group statement said -- quote -- "Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student athletes."
The Vatican has reaffirmed its opposition to gender-affirming surgery and surrogate parenting.
A 20-page document released today characterizes both as threats to human dignity.
At a news conference, a top cardinal said it reinforces a stance of welcoming transgender people in the church, but not so-called gender ideologies.
CARDINAL VICTOR MANUEL FERNANDEZ, Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (through translator): We believe that these ideologies, instead of helping to recognize dignity, impoverish a humanistic vision, where man and woman are the most beautiful combination and the greatest difference that humanity contains.
GEOFF BENNETT: A few months ago, another Vatican document approved blessings for same-sex couples and triggered a backlash from some conservative bishops.
In Mozambique, local reports say the death toll has reached at least 98 in a ferry boat sinking.
Officials say the crowded makeshift vessel capsized on Sunday.
Seven more bodies were found today as the search continued, with an unknown number still missing and 11 others hospitalized.
Some on board were fleeing a cholera outbreak.
Russia and Ukraine blamed each other again today for drone strikes on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
U.N. inspectors have confirmed Sunday's attacks, but said the nuclear safety system was undamaged.
Russia released video of drone debris at the plant, which its forces control, and the Kremlin accused Ukraine of attacking.
Kyiv, in turn, said the Russians orchestrated the whole thing.
Floodwaters are still rising in Russia's southern Ural region after heavy flooding.
The worst of it is in the Orenburg region near the Kazakstan border.
It's being caused by rising water levels in the Ural River.
As of today, officials estimate roughly 10,000 homes have been flooded.
Most are near the site of where a dam burst on Friday.
ALEXANDER SITNIKOV, Russian Emergency Ministry Spokesperson (through translator): People are being evacuated using watercraft, inflatable boats and transporters that can accommodate up to 50 people.
The evacuation is being carried out gradually, street by street, and people are also being notified through loudspeaker.
GEOFF BENNETT: Residents there staged a rare protest against the government today, demanding compensation for their flood losses.
Here at home, the FAA is investigating a new incident involving a Boeing 737 airliner.
The Southwest Airlines jet was grounded Sunday morning after an engine cover fell off during takeoff from Denver.
The plane was a Boeing 737 800 series, not the 737 MAX that's been under scrutiny.
The Biden administration will invest up to $6.6 billion toward the goal of more microchip production in the U.S. Today's announcement goes to help a Taiwanese company expand its Arizona facilities.
The chips are used in everything from cars and smartphones to fighter jets.
And on Wall Street, stocks barely budged to start the week.
The Dow Jones industrial average lost 11 points to close at 38892.
The Nasdaq rose five points.
The S&P 500 slipped two.
And in college basketball, Purdue and the University of Connecticut, UConn, are facing off tonight for the men's national title.
And unbeaten South Carolina claimed the women's championship on Sunday, beating Iowa and Caitlin Clark 87-75.
The Gamecocks have won two titles in the last three seasons.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": Minnesota becomes the latest front line in the fight for fair pay for rideshare drivers; President Biden announces his new plan to forgive student loan debt; and Leigh Ann Caldwell and Stephen Fowler break down the political headlines.
AMNA NAWAZ: Millions of Americans took a break today to step outside and check out the rare total eclipse that cut across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, where skies were clear, people could witness the moon blocking out the sun almost entirely today, plunging some cities and towns into darkness for several minutes.
In many other places, it was a chance to look at a partial eclipse, with the right glasses, of course.
Our science correspondent, Miles O'Brien, spent his day in Dallas.
MILES O'BRIEN: It was a Texas-sized eclipse-viewing party.
Despite a gray forecast, thousands came to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas to witness the sun, moon and Earth perform a cosmic line dance.
The gawkers were joined by some astronomical experts, docents for a day this crowd will long remember.
Solar physicist Carrie Black is the national science foundation program officer for the National Solar Observatory.
CARRIE BLACK, National Science Foundation Program Officer, National Solar Observatory: What I'm really hoping the kids and adults take away alike is the excitement of the experience.
MILES O'BRIEN: Space physicist Joe Westlake is head of heliophysics for NASA.
JOSEPH WESTLAKE, Director, NASA Science Mission Directorate Heliophysics Division: I feel like these kinds of things show you that the celestial bodies are real, that the moon is a thing that changes, that has differences, that the sun is something that is active, that's happening.
And I feel like our connection as humans to that celestial event is amazing.
MILES O'BRIEN: More than 30 million Americans live beneath the path of the total eclipse.
Millions more migrated to the diagonal swathe, the roads to get there snarled by heavy traffic.
Some enthusiasts were out before dawn at the crest of Niagara Falls vying for a front-row seat.
ALLEN JIANG, Eclipse Viewer: This is the closest eclipse to where we lived until 2079, so -- if we're even alive by then.
So, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
TRINITY GEBHARDT, Eclipse Viewer: I think it's almost part of human nature to sort of see these things and become curious about the unknown.
MILES O'BRIEN: For much of the day, spectators waited anxiously on the misty overlooks for clouds to clear.
But others, 309 to be exact, came dressed to brighten up the occasion.
The city broke the Guinness World Record today for the most people dressed as the main attraction, the sun.
And as afternoon finally rolled around... (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) MILES O'BRIEN: ... the cloudy skies parted just in time for the eclipse to usher in some daytime stargazing.
Watch parties drew in massive crowds, to the Indy 500 racetrack, to Idabel, Oklahoma, where viewers basked in the sun with certified and improvised eyewear.
The sunlight disappeared, and kids jumped for joy, and even in the nation's capital, hundreds of miles away from the moon's shadow, but close enough to catch a glimpse of it skirting over 87 percent of the sun.
A solar eclipse occurs thanks to a sublime coincidence.
Our moon is 400 times smaller than our sun, but also 400 times closer.
So, when it passes between, voila, a spectacular optical illusion.
The three bodies line up just right between two and five times a year.
It doesn't happen every month because the moon's orbit is tilted five degrees relative to Earth.
A total solar eclipse occurs on any given spot on the planet once every 375 years.
JOSEPH WESTLAKE: This is a unique event, and it spurs all sorts of lines of inquiry in the youth.
And I hope that they take that home, they ask their own questions, they find their own results.
MILES O'BRIEN: The Cotton Bowl sits right in the so-called path of totality, where the clouds parted and the moon completely covered the sun for about four minutes.
They geared up under watchful eyes, protecting the lenses they brought and the ones they were born with.
What would happen in space was an ironclad certainty, but the Earth's atmosphere served up a wild card of unpredictability.
Here in Dallas, the morning overcast petered out and a patch of blue broke through just as the day turned to night and back again in four minutes' time, a lucky turn for these young people, who enjoyed the coolest science class ever.
What did you learn the most?
STUDENT: I learned that the -- I learned that the world, like, things, like, nature and things can be tied in into learning.
STUDENT: I got to see the solar eclipse, and it's not going to happen for another 100 years.
MILES O'BRIEN: Why do you think eclipses are so exciting, especially to young people?
ARIANE PHILLIPS, Eclipse Viewer: Because it's something we don't see every day.
We don't get to see it every day.
It's something that's rare.
So, of course, it's exciting when we get to see it.
And so I don't think any of them saw it in 2017, so they're really excited to be able to see it.
MILES O'BRIEN: On this eclipse day, the country did seem upside down.
Normally sunny Texas was cloudy, while, in the Northeast, April showers took a break.
The clouds were pushed aside by high pressure.
And so the big light show got better as it moved across the Lower 48.
For NASA, clouds were not a worry.
As it did during the last American eclipse in 2017, the agency launched a pair of high-flying research platforms, 50,000-foot jet sorties to the edge of our atmosphere to learn more about the edge of the sun's atmosphere.
It's called the corona, or crown, hotter than the sun, yet also a million times dimmer.
The corona is usually cloaked in brightness.
It sends a steady stream of particles toward Earth, causing beautiful auroras, but they also can interfere with radio communications, GPS signals, and satellite operations.
Scientists also hope to learn more about how the sun affects the Earth's atmosphere.
The space agency launched three sounding rockets from Wallops Island Virginia before, during, and after the eclipse to measure how the upper atmosphere changes when sunlight momentarily dims during the 90 percent eclipse there.
Wherever people saw the eclipse, there was an atmosphere of excitement.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) MILES O'BRIEN: For my money, this was better than a championship-winning touchdown in overtime here at the Cotton Bowl.
But, Amna, I'm not from Texas.
(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: Miles O'Brien.
You know, Miles, there was a lot of talk about clouds or cloud cover potentially obstructing some of the view and the big show even where you are.
But how did it actually turn out?
Tell us about what you saw.
MILES O'BRIEN: All morning long, here we were with thousands of young people all enjoying an awesome field trip.
And it was kind of grim.
And we were thinking, well, at least we have the excitement of them being here.
It'll get dark.
And then we had a patch, and it was just at the right place and at the right time.
And it was just a thrill.
And I think the fact that we didn't know if we were going to see it kind of enhanced the whole enjoyment of it.
It was fabulous.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, depending on where people were -- we know people traveled all over the country to see this -- who do you think have the best view today?
MILES O'BRIEN: The weather got better as it went to the Northeast today, and we did have some touch-and-go clouds.
But I have seen an eclipse back in 2017 on a perfectly clear day.
Part of what I realized today is the company you keep as you watch it.
And being here in this stadium filled with young people who were so thrilled to see it and who will have an experience they will remember the rest of their lives, that took it over the top for me.
So, I would say I win.
AMNA NAWAZ: Miles, you have also said, of course, we're not expecting another eclipse in North America for another 20 years.
But, of course, these happen all around the globe with some kind of regularity.
So when's the next one coming up?
And do you think people will travel for that as well?
MILES O'BRIEN: The next total eclipse will occur in August of 2026.
It'll go -- start in Greenland, go to Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Russia.
I am going to propose to you right now, Amna - - and maybe we should do it right now -- let's book a trip to watch that eclipse in Iceland.
AMNA NAWAZ: Let's do it.
MILES O'BRIEN: I think it'll be amazing.
AMNA NAWAZ: I'm in.
MILES O'BRIEN: Fire and ice and an eclipse.
AMNA NAWAZ: A trip with Miles O'Brien to watch a total eclipse?
MILES O'BRIEN: Right?
Let's do it.
AMNA NAWAZ: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: Miles O'Brien, joining us from Dallas, Texas, in the path of totality.
Miles, always great to see you.
Thank you so much.
MILES O'BRIEN: Always a pleasure, Amna.
GEOFF BENNETT: A bipartisan group of former senior government officials is urging lawmakers on Capitol Hill to rein in a president's ability to deploy the U.S. military within the country.
Called the Insurrection Act, the centuries-old provision allows any president to use emergency powers to send U.S. troops into American cities.
One of the leaders of these proposed reforms is Jack Goldsmith of Harvard Law School and former assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration.
He joins us now.
Thanks so much for being with us.
JACK GOLDSMITH, Harvard Law School: Thank you for having me.
GEOFF BENNETT: And although these proposed reforms would apply to any future president, it was former President Donald Trump who considered invoking the Insurrection Act to put down protests after the murder of George Floyd and who has since vowed to send U.S. troops into Democratic cities if he is reelected.
We should note, though, that you co-wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times where you say: "This focus on Mr. Trump is understandable, but inadequate in capturing the compelling case for reform."
In what ways?
JACK GOLDSMITH: The Insurrection Act, as it's currently written, is a blank check for any president to bring the military into the domestic realm.
It has extremely vague triggers for its use.
It has no time limit on its use.
It's just a blank check for any president.
And so it's an opportunity for abuse for any president.
And there have been reform proposals for the Insurrection Act going back decades.
So, if -- the time to do it is now, and the reason to do it is that no president should have this authority.
GEOFF BENNETT: So what are some of the proposed changes to this, as you say, ill-defined Insurrection Act?
JACK GOLDSMITH: There are essentially two, two core changes.
The first is that the statute has very antiquated language and very vague triggers for when the president can invoke it to bring the military into the domestic realm.
It talks about assemblages and combinations.
And it's the mere possibility -- the mere possibility of domestic violence of any sort is enough under the statute.
So our group proposed tightening up and narrowing the circumstances in which the president can use it.
The second and in many ways the most important reform is to bring Congress back into the use of the statute.
The president derives his authority to invoke the statute only because Congress gave it to him in the Insurrection Act.
And we think that the president should have to consult with Congress, should have to make findings to Congress about why he's using the act and, most importantly, that the president be limited, time-limited, in his use of the act.
So, the authority to invoke the act, to bring the military into the domestic realm should be limited.
We propose no more than 30 days.
GEOFF BENNETT: There will be those who question the wisdom of placing limits on presidential power.
There will be people who think that these reforms benefit one party over the other, to which you say what?
JACK GOLDSMITH: Well, as I said, they don't benefit one party over the other.
This statute can be evoked by any president.
There was discussion.
President Biden was urged by members of his party to federalize the National Guard down in Texas, given the standoff with the governor of Texas over the border.
And any president can use this authority.
I should add that there's a need for presidents to have this authority.
It's an important authority for extreme cases.
But any president can use it, and any president can abuse it.
GEOFF BENNETT: How would you get these changes through this Congress?
JACK GOLDSMITH: Well, we hope to convince members of Congress that this is a reform that needs to be done.
There's actually a consensus in Congress right now, a longstanding several-year consensus, represented in several bills, for broader emergency powers reform.
The president has an array of emergency powers that he can invoke endlessly, and there's actually bipartisan support to rein those powers in.
And there are bills moving through the Congress on that.
And we think that the argument for this statute is very similar and should be attractive to both sides.
GEOFF BENNETT: In just the past week, we have seen the Biden administration announce a new rule making it harder to fire federal workers in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from gutting the federal work force if he's reelected.
We have seen changes to the Electoral Count Act to prevent another January 6.
There's now this proposal to change the Insurrection Act.
In your view, is Washington taking seriously enough and moving quickly enough to shore up the weaknesses in our laws and in our system that might be open to exploitation and abuse?
JACK GOLDSMITH: We have learned since Watergate that presidents -- that the norms and laws that were put in place in Watergate, their effectiveness has diminished.
They were diminishing before President Trump came into office, and their weaknesses were apparent when President Trump was in office.
And these weaknesses were well-known going back a long time, and Congress has actually done very little to address these problems.
The Electoral Account Reform Act that you mentioned to improve the process in the period in December and January in which the president is selected by -- in the Electoral College, that was a very important reform.
But, beyond that, Congress really hasn't done much, and there's a whole array of things it should be doing.
But the Insurrection Act should be at the top of the list.
GEOFF BENNETT: That is Jack Goldsmith of Harvard Law School, former assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration.
Thanks so much for your time and for your insights.
We appreciate it.
JACK GOLDSMITH: Thank you very much.
AMNA NAWAZ: The latest front line in the battle over fair pay for rideshare drivers is in Minneapolis.
Uber and Lyft have threatened to leave the city over a new ordinance that sets minimum wages for drivers.
As special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports, it's leading to bigger questions about the state of the gig economy.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Lifelong Minneapolis resident Matthew McGlory started driving for uber and Lyft over seven years ago.
He loves the flexibility, the chance to meet new people, and for a while he felt like drivers and the companies were true partners.
But in the past few years, McGlory says drivers have seen a smaller cut of fares.
MATTHEW MCGLORY, Rideshare Driver: Is it fair that Lyft or Uber will charge a passenger $67 and give the driver $23?
We're not asking for anything more than we think we deserve or anything more than we think is fair.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: That's why McGlory supported a recent Minneapolis city council ordinance that sets minimum pay for rideshare drivers.
It requires the companies to pay drivers at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute during rides.
ROBIN WONSLEY, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Councilmember: This fight is really simple.
It's about giving workers a minimum wage.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Councilmember Robin Wonsley helped write the policy.
ROBIN WONSLEY: We hold the standard that workers should earn livable wages.
We should not make exemptions for rideshare drivers because they're part of the gig economy.
This is the time to reevaluate our dependence on two corporate giants that have based their entire economic model on paying their drivers sub-minimum wages.
Immediately after the ordinance passed, both Uber and Lyft said they would stop operating in Minneapolis on May 1, the day the increases take effect.
Uber spokesman Josh Gold.
JOSH GOLD, Spokesperson, Uber: What we saw in other markets is, if you raise rates too high, you may be making more for each individual trip.
Because demand's going to go down, you will actually be making less on an hourly basis.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Are you really going to leave on May 1 if this doesn't change?
JOSH GOLD: Yes.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Gold pointed to the company's decision to leave Austin, Texas, in 2016 after that city passed a driver fingerprinting requirement.
It only returned when the state passed a law preempting the city.
But Uber and Lyft have backed down from threats to leave elsewhere.
JOSH GOLD: I really hope we can continue to work with drivers and policymakers in Minneapolis to continue to stay.
But if it doesn't make sense to operate a business, we won't operate a business.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The day after Minneapolis passed its ordinance, the state released a study of the rideshare industry.
It found Minnesota drivers are mostly Black male immigrants, many living in low-income households.
The study also found that drivers would make the equivalent of minimum wage in Minneapolis, plus car expenses, if they were paid 89 cents per mile and 49 cents per minute.
Those rates are lower than the city ordinance, but driver pay would still increase about 10 percent.
And at those levels, Uber and Lyft say they could stay in the market.
On a recent afternoon near Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport, drivers waiting for customers expressed mixed feelings.
MAN: In order to keep the job, in order to keep the companies in the city, we need something they're happy and we're happy between the study and the city.
MAN: I don't think the rates that Minneapolis is giving worth Uber leaving.
No, I don't think so.
If they can work something out, fine, but I don't think it's worth Uber leaving.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Ninety-five percent of all Minnesota rideshare trips begin in the Twin Cities, so a departure from the metropolitan Minneapolis-Saint Paul area would effectively end the app's presence in the state.
And that's prompted concern among policymakers on both sides of the aisle.
Lawmakers are trying to finalize legislation before May 1 that would both satisfy drivers and keep the companies operating here.
Meanwhile, the Minneapolis City Council has said it may reconsider its ordinance as soon as this week.
But no matter what happens, the situation in Minnesota is being watched closely, says Cornell University's Andrew Wolf.
ANDREW WOLF, Cornell University: What Uber and Lyft are doing in Minneapolis is not new.
There are pushes in other cities, and I think Minneapolis is kind of a perfect place for them to make a stink, because it is a big - - bigger city where this would have an impact, but it's not such a big city that it would really impact their bottom line.
They are trying to make a big show out of Minneapolis in order to try to stop these other efforts from moving forward.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: If Uber and Lyft do leave, other rideshare companies have vowed to fill the gap.
But until then, drivers like Matthew McGlory are weighing their options.
He's starting a job with a property management company this week.
MATTHEW MCGLORY: Drivers aren't leaving.
The cars that we drive aren't going anywhere, right?
They're saying they want to leave.
Is that really done in the spirit of true partnership?
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Fred de Sam Lazaro in the Twin Cities.
AMNA NAWAZ: Fred's reporting is a partnership with the Under-Told Stories Project at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.
GEOFF BENNETT: President Biden announced new plans to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers.
Lisa Desjardins is here with more.
So, Lisa, this is President Biden's broadest attempt at student loan debt forgiveness since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his previous effort more than a year ago.
Is that right?
LISA DESJARDINS: That's right, Geoff.
The administration did not give final details of their plan today, but they did outline executive actions that they're teeing up.
Those would eliminate at least $20,000 in accrued interest for those who owe more than their original loan, offer more for those with lower incomes, cancel remaining debt for anyone who has spent 20 or 25 years, depending on the loan, repaying their loans, and void loans from college programs that were proven to be deceptive.
Biden spoke about the move today.
JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: By freeing millions of Americans from this crushing debt of student debt, it means they can finally get on with their lives, instead of being put -- their lives being put on hold.
LISA DESJARDINS: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel covers the economics of higher education for The Washington Post and joins me now.
Danielle, the White House says some 23 million Americans could be affected by this, and a financial boost for them.
Help us understand, who exactly does the White House think this helps?
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL, The Washington Post: Sure.
So, the vast majority of federal student loan borrowers could see some relief under this plan.
And it's important to note there are many facets to the plan, five categories of borrowers in total, but perhaps the largest category that could deliver relief is the one that eliminates up to $20,000 in student loan interest from a borrower's balance.
This is pretty common that borrowers may have borrowed, say, $20,000, but, because of the way interest accrues on student loans, could owe twice as much over the lifetime of their loan.
So, this proposal would really help those folks.
And the White House is saying about 25 million people will benefit from that part.
But 23 million of that 25 could get their interest completely eliminated under this plan.
LISA DESJARDINS: As you indicate, this is a complex proposal.
And, in part, that's because of the Supreme Court's previous decisions, the Biden administration trying to put something together that they think can remain legally intact.
But help us understand, with all that complexity, when could this actually go into place?
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: So what's interesting here is that most of us who have been watching this law -- and keep in mind that the regulations started to be crafted right after the Supreme Court struck down Biden's last attempt at this large-scale debt relief.
But we thought, many of us, that the full regulation wouldn't be implemented until next summer.
But the Biden administration has zeroed in on a couple elements that they could do earlier, most importantly, the interest reduction piece, which the administration says they could likely push out this fall ahead of the election.
LISA DESJARDINS: We talked about the benefits to many millions of Americans, but let's also talk about the costs.
They too could be substantial.
Now, we know that the Biden administration has boasted that it canceled about $146 billion in loans.
That's from previous programs that they implemented.
Now, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, when you add in the pauses in debt relief and other Biden programs that they have put in place, it's more like $600 billion, by their estimate, that has been spent so far in student debt relief.
And we don't know how much this new program will cost.
Some, like Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, have repeatedly argued that this is a wealth transfer from those who have college degree - - to those who have college degrees.
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): Where is the forgiveness for the guy who didn't go to college, but is working to pay off the loan on the truck he takes to work?
What about the woman who paid off her student loans, but either bought a less expensive home, but is now -- or is now struggling to afford the mortgage that she has?
Is the administration providing them relief?
No, nada.
Of course not.
LISA DESJARDINS: Danielle, how does the administration respond to that idea that this wildly runs up the national debt to just give a temporary boost to a very select group of Americans?
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: You know, the administration has said in the past that the economic benefit of forgiving debt could be tenfold, right?
People are freed up from having to make those payments.
They're more likely to return money to the economy in the forms of purchasing homes, purchasing cars, spending more in general.
I mean, certainly, we did see some boost during the 3.5-year pause of federal student loans in terms of home purchases before interest rates really started to skyrocket.
And perhaps that certainly could be the case if we were to see broader debt relief.
But, yes, the cost of these programs has been up for debate, as well as the utility, because it's not beneficial to all American taxpayers.
But I think it's important to note that the vast majority of people who have student loan debt have debt and no degrees.
There are about 40 percent of people, actually.
And so these are people who started but didn't finish, and they are dealing with this debt, most of whom are struggling with it, and see no way out.
So I think that's really what the president and his administration is trying to get at, trying to help those people who didn't really get to see the benefit of their education.
LISA DESJARDINS: This, of course, was part of a 2020 Biden election promise, but we are yet again in a presidential election year.
And as you said, a big chunk of this, they hope to implement before the election.
Can you talk about the politics at play here for the voters that the Biden administration might be concerned about?
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: I mean, it's certainly not surprising that the administration is touting all of the president's accomplishments on student debt, cleaning up a lot of programs, existing forgiveness programs that weren't operating well and helping to deliver that $146 billion that you mentioned earlier.
And it's certainly not surprising that they are touting this particular plan.
Many of us who cover this were hoping to see the final rule issued this week.
The Department of Education said it's coming in -- in the coming months, we will see something.
And, of course, there will be public comment on that.
But I suspect -- and I'm not a politics reporter, but I do suspect that as we near the election, you will see this administration continuing to highlight and uplift the work that they have done to help borrowers, particularly young borrowers, who are an important part of the coalition.
LISA DESJARDINS: Now let's talk about the future of this in the courts.
As soon as this rule comes out, do you think there could be an injunction against it filed immediately?
Do you think that this is clear -- clearly on strong legal grounds?
What's going to happen?
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: I mean, certainly, it's on stronger legal grounds, from what experts are telling me, than the previous rule, because it's backed by a different authority.
The Higher Education Act, which governs pretty much all of higher ed in terms of financial aid and all of those things, is the anchor for this, whereas the other rule was based on a 9/11 kind of emergency power rule that the Supreme Court didn't really think met the smell test.
So, in this instance, I think it will be a little harder to see an immediate injunction because this went through a negotiated rulemaking process.
The rule is going to come online next July, regardless of who's in office.
There will likely be challenges.
And it's certainly -- if the Trump administration were to win, they could choose not to enforce the rule.
They could also choose to try to rescind the rule.
So that is also a possibility to think about.
LISA DESJARDINS: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, thank you so much for your reporting on this.
DANIELLE DOUGLAS-GABRIEL: Thank you.
AMNA NAWAZ: Congress returns from recess this week with a packed agenda and a House speaker trying to hold together his fragile majority.
Meanwhile, the presidential candidates are sharing new messages and some new policies to try to reach key voting blocs ahead of November.
For more on that, let's turn now to Politics Monday, today with Leigh Ann Caldwell of The Washington Post and Stephen Fowler of NPR.
Amy Walter and Tamara Keith are away.
We're glad both of you are here.
Thank you so much for joining us, and welcome.
So, let's start with Congress, Leigh Ann.
Lawmakers, one of their top priorities back - - now they're back in Washington this week is to pass that critical aid for Ukraine that they say they desperately need in their fight against Russia.
The holdup here is in the House.
It's among House Republicans.
Speaker Mike Johnson has a razor-thin majority.
Is Ukraine aid his priority to pass and will he get it done?
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, The Washington Post: So, Speaker Johnson says that he's going to take it up.
In what form, we don't know.
It's probably not going to be this week, probably next week, but the thing is, is, we don't know exactly what Speaker Johnson is going to do on Ukraine.
He is discussing with the White House, trying to negotiate to try to create a bill that is more palatable to his conservative Republican Conference.
But the White House is insistent that the Senate already passed a bill bipartisan and with 70 votes and that that is the path forward, because the politics are becoming much more tricky as every day passes, not just on the issue of Ukraine from the right, but now on the issue of Israel, which is attached to this bill from some members on the left.
AMNA NAWAZ: So, Stephen, one of the plans we have heard -- and we don't have a plan, as Leigh Ann says -- is, he could separate aid for Israel from aid from Ukraine.
That would allow Republicans who want to back aid for Israel to vote for that and not have to vote for aid for Ukraine.
But it means that they would rely on Democrats to pass Ukraine aid.
And that puts Speaker Johnson in a very tricky position.
He could lose his speakership, or at least be threatened to be removed from his speakership, for that.
How do you look at this?
Is he going to lose his job on this?
STEPHEN FOWLER, NPR: Well, it's certainly a possibility.
I mean, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has a town hall tonight, where she's saying that the majority is unhappy with the way things are run.
And she's threatened his job over the issue of Ukraine and Israel and really how he's handled himself so far.
And so this is a fractious majority.
And this is a majority that individual lawmakers are holding more sway over the issues, but it's not about the issues themselves.
And so what I'm looking at it is this -- what's going to happen with Ukraine aid and Israel aid isn't necessarily about the specific aid to those countries themselves, but more about what this narrow, narrow Republican majority is trying to push itself moving forward and what direction it's trying to go.
AMNA NAWAZ: What is that about that, then, Leigh Ann?
I mean, we have to remember there was a time there was broad bipartisan support for Ukraine to give them whatever they needed in their fight to defend themselves against Russia.
How did this become so political?
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: It sure did become political.
Part of it is Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has been a voice that has been more skeptical of sending foreign aid to other countries.
That is a part of it.
But then you have the chair of the Republican - - the Intelligence Committee in the House just yesterday, Mike Turner, a Republican, who said that he believes that Russian propaganda has infested some members of the conversations among members of his party, that Vladimir Putin has been effective at pushing those messages that some in the Republican Party and Republican media have adopted.
And so this is becoming a much more tenuous issue, especially as billions and billions of dollars are being requested to send overseas.
AMNA NAWAZ: How do you look at it, Stephen?
STEPHEN FOWLER: Well, I mean, this is a thing where many voters that support Donald Trump resonate.
His message -- Donald Trump's message of focusing more on domestic issues are resonating.
You see immigration as a top issue both in Congress and on the campaign trail.
And, here, you have these two high-profile international conflicts and billions of American spending.
And the conversation has shifted more towards, if we're spending the billions of dollars there, why aren't we spending it here?
And so, with domestic issues in play and with domestic issues at the forefront for a lot of voters, I think that is a more effective cudgel against -- looking at it, instead of thinking about obligations to our allies.
AMNA NAWAZ: And among those domestic issues, we know that abortion access and abortion rights continues to be a chief issue for Democrats in particular.
Just this morning, we saw former President Trump release a video articulating what he says is now his position when it comes to abortion access, saying he believes it should be a state-by-state decision.
Here's more of his message.
DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Many states will be different.
Many will have a different number of weeks, or some will have more conservative than others, and that's what they will be.
At the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people.
AMNA NAWAZ: Leigh Ann, we also just heard, as Lisa reported, President Biden announcing more student loan forgiveness in Wisconsin.
Why these messages from both these candidates right now?
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: Yes, it's a great question and great to compare the two messages too.
You have abortion, which is an issue that Republicans have been struggling with.
We saw this in the 2022 elections and some of the 2023 elections.
And Republicans have decided that taking a specific position on a specific ban, a number of weeks, is not politically palatable.
That's why Donald Trump evaded the issue and didn't really come out with a new position.
And then you have Donald -- or President Biden talking about student loans, which is an issue that is really important to young people, people of color as well, who are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt.
And these are the areas where President Biden is suffering among the Democratic base, according to recent polling.
AMNA NAWAZ: Well, let's take a closer look at some of those numbers.
You made that transition for me perfectly, Leigh Ann.
We do have -- in some of the latest polls capturing this moment in time, we see that decline in support among young Americans for Mr. Biden.
This is in the 2020 election.
We saw him then besting Mr. Trump by over 17 points there with voters under 45.
Turn now to what our latest "PBS NewsHour"/NPR/Marist poll shows, President Biden trailing Trump by about one point in that same group.
Stephen, when you look at that, how does President Biden get those voters back?
STEPHEN FOWLER: Well, I think by doing things that were campaign promises, like we have seen today with the student loan debt.
And I think it's also important to realize that both campaigns are relying on their base of voters coming home.
They may not be happy with them now, but once it becomes clear that it's a binary choice between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, most of those people are going home.
So you also have to look at this through the lens of about 100,000 or so people spread among seven swing states that were very narrowly decided, usually college-educated, white suburbanites, and how they view these plans and things.
And so I think that's why you're seeing this now, both with abortion and student loans, is, it's not necessarily for those people, but they're sure paying attention.
AMNA NAWAZ: Well, and other things we're paying attention to, the fund-raising numbers.
I want to get quickly both of your takes on it as well.
We now have March fund-raising numbers from both campaigns.
You see team Biden outpacing team Trump $90 million to $65.5 million.
And when you look at the overall cash on hand for the campaigns, again, you see Mr. Biden's campaign outpacing Mr. Trump's.
Leigh Ann, how do you look at that?
What does that tell us about right now?
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: A couple things.
Well, obviously it tells us Trump is behind in the money race.
And the money race in the presidential actually matters.
And each candidate is going to have to raise about a billion dollars or a billion-dollar race to get elected usually.
But it tells me that Trump is lacking money in places where it will perhaps matter, including the ground game.
Money is what it takes to have an effective get-out-the-vote effort in all of these states to reach these voters.
Also, Trump has been distracted.
He hasn't spent as much time fund-raising because he has a large number of court cases that he is having to tend to.
And he had a big fund-raiser this weekend where he raised $50 million to try to get him back on track.
But he has a lot of things going on.
And part of -- some of that money is going to pay his legal bills too.
AMNA NAWAZ: We should also say we can't verify some of the claims that they make about fund-raising so far.
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: Yes.
AMNA NAWAZ: We will be able to later, when the FEC filings come out.
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: Yes.
AMNA NAWAZ: But, Stephen, what's your take?
STEPHEN FOWLER: I mean, I think it's money spent and money raised on two candidates that have already been president before that are very well-known.
And so, again, it goes back to those swing states and those persuadable voters, that we're just going to see a barrage of money come into play here.
And I think the difference is going to come to who has the most money, like Leigh Ann said, of being able to turn out that particular vote.
AMNA NAWAZ: Stephen Fowler of NPR, Leigh Ann Caldwell of The Washington Post, great to have you both here today.
Thank you so much.
LEIGH ANN CALDWELL: Thank you.
STEPHEN FOWLER: Thank you.
GEOFF BENNETT: Narsiso Martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and often invisible labor of farmworkers.
Martinez's work is informed by his own experiences as a farmworker, spending summers picking produce in Washington state to support himself while studying at Cal State Long Beach.
Tonight he gives his Brief But Spectacular take on painting the people who feed America.
NARSISO MARTINEZ, Artist: Anywhere in the world, farmworkers are always at the bottom of the social strata.
In my art, I just hope to shine a light to these people.
They are not machines.
They are human beings with goals and dreams.
I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of Oaxaca City called Santa Cruz Papalutla.
It was a poor community.
Going to school was difficult.
The roads weren't paved.
I came to the United States when I was 20 years old.
My first memories in the United States had to do with education.
I wanted to understand the culture.
I wanted to know what the movies were about.
And so my brother took me to Hollywood High within the first week of arrival.
And that's where I enrolled to learn English.
And I got my high school degree in 2006.
By that time, I was already 29, and I took an art history class, and that's when I fell in love with art.
And so that's how I ended up in art school.
I started working in the fields every summer to help pay for tuition.
I was in academia and I was learning all these fancy words.
And, at the same time, I was in the fields, listening to corridos and speaking slang to my co-workers.
I started meeting other farmworkers, and we started sharing stories.
And I realized that it wasn't fair the way they were being treated.
Most of these people, including myself, had a very difficult time growing up.
I feel like, when we come to a country where there is a bed for us to sleep on, where there is a kitchen, where there is even a fridge that some -- many of these people lack in their countries, we are so grateful, right?
But then we're so grateful that sometimes we don't say anything.
And the companies take advantage of that.
I thought maybe I could, just by drawing a simple portrait on these produce boxes, I can create that connections or maybe think about those disconnections that exist within our societies and the people who work in the fields.
The conversations during my critiques were more about technicality.
Nobody was really talking about the farmworkers.
At one point, I was frustrated and stopped painting, and I went back to what I used to do when I was working in the fields, which was painting and sketching on cardboard.
I drew a banana man on this banana box.
And that's when I would introduce my experiences of me working in the fields, which were maybe not the same, but similar to this person who was in this box.
I have had a few exhibitions where the audience is the farmworkers themselves.
I'm just happy to see the positive response, like the smiles on their faces, being included, no?
That's something that makes me happy and that makes me want to continue to do art.
I don't feel the art if I don't speak for the community.
It's not only about me now.
It's about the community.
My name is Oaxaca,Narsiso Martinez, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on painting the people who feed America.
GEOFF BENNETT: And you can watch more Brief But Spectacular videos online at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.
AMNA NAWAZ: And later this evening on PBS, an all-star concert celebrating the songwriting duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin.
Last month, the two were awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for popular song in a ceremony that featured Billy Porter, Annie Lennox, Brandi Carlile, Garth Brooks, and, of course, Elton John himself.
(MUSIC) AMNA NAWAZ: And you can watch the entire show tonight at 8:00 on your local PBS station.
Check your local listings.
GEOFF BENNETT: And there is a lot more online, including a look at recent polling on how Americans are reducing their plastic waste and why individual efforts have their limitations.
That's at PBS.org/NewsHour.
AMNA NAWAZ: And join us again back here tomorrow night for a look at reconciliation and rebuilding in Rwanda after the genocide that killed more than a million people 30 years ago.
And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.
I'm Amna Nawaz.
GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.
For all of us here at the "PBS NewsHour," thanks for joining us and have a good evening.
