April 1, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: Iran accuses Israel of striking its consulate in Damascus, Syria, a potential major escalation of the regional conflict.

GEOFF BENNETT: We speak with the former official who ran the Pentagon investigation into Havana Syndrome among U.S. government personnel.

AMNA NAWAZ: And Michigan's Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Democrats' push to protect reproductive rights in this critical election year.

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): We know that abortion rights, reproductive rights are in threat all across the country, as we have the prospect of a potential second Trump term.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

There is an escalation of tension in the Middle East tonight beginning in Damascus, Syria.

AMNA NAWAZ: Earlier today, warplanes attacked a building inside Iran's consulate complex there and killed some of the most senior members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

And, tonight, there are reports of new attacks on international ships in the Red Sea and a base in Southern Israel.

Nick Schifrin is here now, has been following all of this.

So, Nick, let's begin with Damascus.

What do we know about what happened there this morning?

NICK SCHIFRIN: An official with knowledge of the operation tells me that Israel attacked inside Damascus, killing three senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

That is Zahedi there.

This is the most significant strike against the IRGC since the U.S. killed Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

You can actually see Soleimani there on the left in the suit.

And this photo shows a lot, in this photo as well.

Zahedi was extremely important to Iran's efforts in both Syria and Lebanon.

That is actually Qasem Soleimani's successor right there.

Zahedi was the point man with Iran-backed Hezbollah who oversaw financing in both Syria and Lebanon, as well as shipments of Iranian weapons into Syria and Lebanon.

Also killed was Zahedi's deputy, Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi.

So you see him there, Hajriahimi, there.

Essentially what happened today is the decapitation of IRGC leadership in Syria and Lebanon.

It wasn't only the targets, Amna.

It was also the location.

You see that there inside Iran's consulate in Damascus.

That is the first time that Iranian sovereign territory inside Syria has been struck, apparently by Israel.

Now, I should say, the official with knowledge of the operation told me that there was not a diplomatic building, but, nonetheless, a very significant strike against Iran's longtime efforts in Lebanon and Syria.

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick, as you know better than most, there's always the concern about rising tensions, escalating violence here.

Has there been any kind of response yet?

NICK SCHIFRIN: By Iran, absolutely.

So, as you suggested at the top, there has been confirmation by Israel of an attack in Southern Israel in Eilat on a naval base there, believed -- an Israeli official tells me, believed from Yemen, from Houthis in Yemen.

And we are also tracking reports both of a Houthi attack on international ships off the coast of Yemen -- that would be the first time in a few days -- and a possible strike on Al-Tanf.

That is the U.S. base in Syria that has not been attacked since February.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, we know senior U.S. and Israeli officials also met today about Israel's plans for a potential operation in Rafah, in Gaza.

What do we know?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Yes.

So, President Biden, senior national security aides and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's senior national security aides met virtually today to talk about this operation in Rafah.

The U.S. does not want a major Israeli operation into Rafah, where some 1.4 million Gazans have fled, but where Hamas' final four battalions are hiding amongst that population in Rafah.

Israel says there's no way to win the war without defeating those battalions.

But what the U.S. wants is a much more targeted operation.

Both sides saying tonight they have the same objective, but the U.S. side expressed its concern and the Israeli side agreed to take those concerns.

AMNA NAWAZ: Nick Schifrin with the very latest.

Nick, thank you very much.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: For the last decade, American diplomatic law enforcement and intelligence personnel have suffered grievous, often life-altering injuries in the line of duty.

No guns or bombs or rockets were involved.

Many say they felt attacked by sound.

That's debilitating waves of sound and pressure that have left them with traumatic brain injuries, vertigo and other physical ailments grouped under the government designation of anomalous health incidents.

You may know it by a different name, Havana Syndrome.

Last evening, CBS News' "60 Minutes" reported more on this story and assigned blame to a foreign adversary of the U.S., Russia.

For perspective, let's bring in Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Edgreen.

He ran an investigation at the Defense Intelligence Agency about the sources of Havana Syndrome.

He's now the founder and CEO of Advanced Echelon.

That's an organization that takes care of Havana Syndrome survivors and their families and works to pursue those responsible for the attacks.

Thank you for being with us.

You have said that you are confident that Russia is behind these attacks.

What informs that confidence?

GREGORY EDGREEN, CEO and Founder, Advanced Echelon LLC: I just went off of a large body of open-source reporting.

You can go to The Insider.

They put out a great piece recently, along with Der Spiegel.

There's a lot of arrows pointing to Moscow right now.

And I suggest you guys talk to some of the survivors, because they will give you some very key insights into their backgrounds, what they were doing, things they were working on.

It all paints a very clear picture to the layperson about who could be responsible for this.

GEOFF BENNETT: You ran the military investigation into Havana Syndrome.

You told "60 Minutes" that the bar for proof was set impossibly high.

Tell me more about that.

What was the bar of proof and what was the motivation behind elevating it, in your view?

GREGORY EDGREEN: Yes, Geoff, so I can't get into specifics based on classification levels.

What I can tell you is that, from my perspective, things and requirements from higher levels of the government seemed to change quickly.

And you have to contact those officials still inside the government to figure out why they were changing certain requirements for the intelligence community.

But I can tell you that this problem is not going to get better with time.

We need to address it head on.

And, most importantly, we need to start taking care of the Havana Syndrome survivors and their families.

It's about time to take action.

And that time is now.

GEOFF BENNETT: As we mentioned, you retired from the Army to start a company that helps the Havana Syndrome survivors.

I imagine every case is different.

But, generally speaking, how are they faring, the folks that you work with?

GREGORY EDGREEN: They're not doing well.

They continue to see government products, such as the recent NIH reports, or intelligence community assessments that basically gaslight them and tell them that their problems don't exist.

But we have been here before.

This happened with the Moscow Signal for decades.

This has happened with PTSD.

This has also happened with Agent Orange.

We need to start taking care of people that signed up to protect America and America's values and their interests abroad, because, if we don't, America's eyes are going to be blinded and our ears deafened in every embassy across the globe.

GEOFF BENNETT: Our Nick Schifrin reached out to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for a response in regards to this reporting by "60 Minutes."

And they directed reporters to previous remarks by director Avril Haines, part of which read this way: "Most I.C.," or intelligence community, "elements now have concluded that it is very unlikely that a foreign adversary is responsible for the reported AHIs, anomalous health incidents.

And there are different degrees of confidence associated with that.

At the same time, we are going to be and continue to be vigilant about looking for information that undercuts those assumptions."

What's your reaction to that statement?

GREGORY EDGREEN: I would ask whoever wrote that statement to watch the "60 Minutes" episode and to read The Insider's recent reporting on it.

It paints a very clear picture to most Americans.

And it also lists some clear evidence that's been uncovered with open-source reporting.

GEOFF BENNETT: Do you believe the federal government is covering this up?

GREGORY EDGREEN: I won't get into discussions of cover-ups and conspiracies.

But what I will say is that hundreds of families have been impacted, and this is also affecting our national security.

It needs to be addressed.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, one of the survivors who spoke to "60 Minutes," she's an FBI agent who was identified as Carrie.

She referred to this attack as being the result of next-generation weaponry.

And she said that she and the other survivors, she viewed them as being test subjects.

And yet, as I understand it, the federal government has not been able to pinpoint or replicate whatever this weapon is.

Can you help us understand more about that?

GREGORY EDGREEN: I believe what the survivor was referring to was a directed energy weapon.

And I imagine after this "60 Minutes" episode aired and recent Insider reporting, there's going to be an avalanche of FOIA requests to uncover what the government knows and research that has done on this, what countries are using these technologies.

But one might just go to Google and search for directed energy weapons in Russian and see what comes up.

You can -- there's plenty of examples of President Putin pinning on of medals and various awards to Russian scientists in the field of directed energy weapons.

Look at the comments that he made in September about fielding more directed energy weapons.

And also look at the national security adviser in Moscow, what he said in the Rozniki (ph) article in September of 2023 about how Moscow has successfully removed hundreds of U.S. intelligence officers from the field in the past decade.

I'd like to know more about that.

GEOFF BENNETT: That is retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Edgreen.

Thanks for your insights, and thanks for your time this evening.

GREGORY EDGREEN: Thank you, Geoff.

Take care.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the day's other news: Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa, after a two-week battle that left much of the area in ruins.

The U.N. health agency said more than 20 patients died.

The Israelis denied that claim, but said they killed and detained hundreds of Hamas fighters and others.

By today, mangled buildings and piles of rubble spread across the hospital complex and surrounding blocks.

Palestinian patients said Israeli forces allowed them only limited supplies amid the strikes.

BARRA AL-SHAWISH, Al Shifa Hospital Patient (through translator): They let in a very small amount of food.

We were 150 patients and 50 medical staff members.

It was not sufficient at all.

No treatment, no medicine and bombing for 24 hours that immense destruction to the hospital.

AMNA NAWAZ: The Israeli military said some Hamas fighters had barricaded themselves inside hospital wards and others launched mortar rounds into the complex.

In the meantime, ships carrying some 400 tons of food and supplies arrived off Northern Gaza today.

They left from Cyprus on Saturday, organized by the United Arab Emirates and a Spanish charity for the more than one million Palestinians on the brink of famine.

In Israel, anti-government protesters lingered in Jerusalem today after tens of thousands turned out over the weekend.

Hundreds slept in tents outside the parliament building overnight demanding a hostage deal with Hamas and early elections, insisting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must go.

GUY PORAN, Israeli Protester: If good leaders or a new coalition is not taking over, we are doomed.

We cannot imagine him not being replaced, because we are -- he's driving us to the abyss.

AMNA NAWAZ: Also today, Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews protested the end of their military exemptions after an Israeli Supreme Court decision.

The issue could divide Netanyahu's coalition, which includes Ultra-Orthodox parties.

Turkey's political opposition is celebrating sweeping wins in Sunday's local elections.

The center-left Republican People's Party kept control of mayor seats in Istanbul and Ankara and even scored victories in more conservative provinces.

Opposition supporters said the gains inspire hope for change, especially as the country grapples with economic turmoil.

AYSE POPLATA, Opposition Supporter (through translator): To be honest, we woke up to a good day.

I believe the results will be beneficial for our country.

We all live on the same land.

I am sure everyone will do whatever they can for our happiness, our peace.

AMNA NAWAZ: Back in this country, the Florida Supreme Court upheld a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

That, in turn, could pave the way for the state to enact a stricter ban after six weeks of pregnancy.

At the same time, the High Court today allowed a referendum on abortion rights to go before voters in November.

California is drying out from destructive downpours over Easter weekend.

In Big Sur, the deluge caused a chunk of the iconic Highway 1 to collapse into the sea.

Some people were stranded before police began escorting them out on Sunday.

Forecasters say the storm will dump more rain and snow as it moves east this week.

Most fast-food workers in California will earn $20 an hour after the state's new minimum wage law took effect today.

California has more than 500,000 fast-food workers, and many are adults supporting families in a state with a notoriously high cost of living.

The law applies to fast-food chains with at least 60 locations nationwide.

At the White House, officials say the annual Easter egg roll brought out an expected 40,000 people despite a delay for thunder and lightning.

After that, children in raincoats and boots set to rolling their hard-boiled eggs across the lawn, and some even got a helping hand from the president himself.

The tradition goes back to 1878.

On Wall Street today, strong manufacturing data undercut hopes for interest rate cuts.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 240 points to close at 39566.

The Nasdaq rose 17 points.

The S&P 500 slipped 10.

And the last known survivor of the USS Arizona battleship, Lou Conter, has died in California.

He was a Navy quartermaster when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The Arizona exploded and sank, killing nearly 1,200 sailors and Marines.

Conter, eventually flew 200 combat missions and survived being shot down.

He was 102 years old.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; a look at why access to government nutrition programs varies across the United States; and a Rhode Island artist fuses design and accessory, creating art you can carry.

GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a temporary alternate channel for vessels involved in clearing debris at the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Over the weekend, one of the largest floating cranes on the East Coast arrived to the site, capable of lifting up to 1,000 tons.

But before it can start removing steel and concrete, officials have difficult work, like removing a section of the steel bridge that's draped over the cargo ship.

Today, Maryland Governor Wes Moore explained how large of an undertaking the cleanup is.

GOV.

WES MOORE (D-MD): We're talking about a situation where a portion of the bridge beneath the water has been described by unified command as chaotic wreckage.

Every time someone goes in the water, they are taking a risk.

Every time we move a piece of the structure, the situation could become even more dangerous.

We have to move fast, but we cannot be careless.

GEOFF BENNETT: President Biden is expected to underscore the government's commitment when he visits the area on Friday.

For more on the recovery efforts, we're joined by one of the key people in charge, Lieutenant General Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Thanks so much for coming in.

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON, Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Geoff, thank you for having us on the program.

If I could just begin by saying on behalf of all the men and women in the United States Army, certainly all the men and women in Army Corps of Engineers, our thoughts are with those families who lost loved ones in this terrible accident.

We're going to do everything in our part to help the governor achieve his number one priority, which is to return those loved ones to their families.

GEOFF BENNETT: Absolutely.

How are you and your team approaching the Herculean task of reopening that main channel, that main shipping lane?

Walk us through the process that you have envisioned.

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: Right.

So, President Biden called me shortly after the bridge collapsed and wanted us to know that the Army Corps of Engineers' number one priority in this mission was to reopen that federal navigation channel.

Geoff, we're really going about this in three steps.

We know that channel is 700-feet-wide by 50-feet-deep.

And we know we have a large section of steel truss bisecting that channel.

We have to get that very heavy truss out of the channel, and then we have to get the concrete, the reinforcing bar, containers, any other wreckage that's at the bottom of the channel off the floor.

When these ships, like the Dali, come into the Port of Baltimore, they're drafting 48-and-a-half feet, and I just told you the bottom of that channel is 50 feet deep.

That's only 12 to 18 inches of clearance, and that's why it's important that we have a clean floor of that channel.

And then the second step, we will work with the Coast Guard and their counterparts.

We have to move the Dali.

That's right on the lip of that federal navigation channel.

We have to refloat that vessel and get it to a safe portion of the harbor.

And what that will allow us to do is restore normal two-way traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore.

And then finally, we have to get the concrete, the asphalt, and the remaining structure off of the river bottom.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the stretch of bridge that remains draped across the cargo ship, that weighs something like 4,000 tons?

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: That's correct.

GEOFF BENNETT: How long might this process take?

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: What we're doing right now is, we're going through the math on each one of those members for that particular portion of the structure.

And if you can imagine each one of those beams like a rubber band, when we go to cut that rubber band, that steel, it will respond in the same manner.

But instead of snapping like a rubber band, think of thousands of tons of force.

So we want to know how it's going to behave before we put that first diver or that first steel worker up next to that beam to make a cut.

So we're doing all that math and analysis now around tables around Baltimore.

And our teams are also placing gauges on all of those steel members, so we understand the forces that are at play.

As you mentioned, as soon as we cut one member, all of those forces redistribute, and we have to go back and re-engineer and re-analyze before we make that next cut.

GEOFF BENNETT: This incident is obviously unparalleled, but are there any previous Army Corps Projects that can inform the work that you need to do in Baltimore?

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: Certainly, back in 2007, the Corps was very much involved with the recovery of the I-35 collapse in Minneapolis over the Mississippi River.

And we have gone back and looked at lessons learned and things that we can take forward to this mission.

But I think, more recently, our ongoing recovery of the Maui wildfires,when we started off on that effort, we did not know if all the casualties had been found.

And it's much the same today.

We know we still have four workers missing, and we have to take a lot of care and a lot of diligence into our planning.

GEOFF BENNETT: Do you have all of the resources and equipment that you need?

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: We have everything that we need to accomplish this mission.

GEOFF BENNETT: Lieutenant Spellmon, we appreciate you coming in, and our best to you and your team there.

Thank you.

LT. GEN. SCOTT SPELLMON: Thank you, Geoff.

Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court, Democratic leaders have worked to protect reproductive rights in their states.

In Michigan, voters enshrined abortion rights in the state's constitution in 2022.

And the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has pushed for several reproductive rights measures.

Just today, she signed new laws protecting IVF and decriminalizing surrogacy contracts in the state.

Governor Whitmer joins us now.

Governor, welcome back to the "NewsHour."

Thanks for joining us.

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER (D-MI): Good to be with you.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, today's bill takes one really big step when it comes to surrogacy.

It lifts a ban on compensated surrogacy that's been in place in Michigan since 1988.

But there are IVF protections you also signed into law.

Why were those necessary?

Are IVF treatments currently at risk or under threat in Michigan?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Well, we know that abortion rights, reproductive rights, are in threat all across the country.

As we have the prospect of a potential second Trump term, we thought it was very important for us to be very clear IVF is something that we value, that we protect here in Michigan.

And we wanted Michigan to finally get on the right side of the law when it came to letting people create families through surrogacy.

We were the only state out of -- in the whole nation that criminalized this way of creating a family.

So in Michigan, we want Michigan women and their families to be able to decide when and if they bear a child and what way they go about creating their family.

All those rights are important.

AMNA NAWAZ: I think a lot of folks will remember the February Alabama court ruling that really put IVF back in the national spotlight.

But it's worth reminding folks, too, it was Republican lawmakers who stepped in very quickly to take steps to protect IVF in Alabama.

And since then, a number of Republican leaders, former President Trump among them, have come out and said that they support IVF.

By taking this action today, are you saying that you don't believe them?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Well, listen, let me just tell you what happened here in Michigan.

We put this measure before the Michigan legislature, and only two Republicans voted for it.

I think that's a really important message, right, when you have got the standard-bearer for the Republican Party who has changed his position abortion many times, who appointed the three Supreme Court justices that gave us the Dobbs decision in an overruled row.

We cannot trust where they are at on any of these reproductive freedoms, whether it's creating a family through surrogacy or IVF, or it is the right to make your own decisions about your body and whether and when they bear a child, or even the access to contraception.

And one thing I would add too, Amna, is that we know that this extension could be applied to things like embryonic stem cell research.

That means cures, the race for cures for things like Alzheimer's or juvenile diabetes could be impacted by this morass of what Republican policy looks like.

And so the fact of the matter is, we have got to secure these rights, and we wanted to be very clear here in Michigan we protect these rights.

AMNA NAWAZ: You clearly and other Democratic leaders also believe this is a key issue in mobilizing Democrats, also independents.

You have said previously that maybe President Biden should speak about reproductive rights and should say the word abortion more frequently than he does.

He's displayed some discomfort with that, changing the language even in the State of the Union to avoid saying that word.

If this is such a key issue for Democrats, does his reluctance to say that word hurt him politically?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Listen, President Biden is on the right side of this issue.

He has undertaken every effort to protect a woman's ability to make her choices.

They have worked very hard through DHHS or even their policies in other branches of government to ensure that this right is protected.

And he has vowed to make sure that, if he is given a second term, he will utilize every appointment to ensure that a woman's ability to make her own decisions and a reproductive freedom is secure and safe.

And so I have got every confidence in President Biden, and I think every one of us should be very skeptical about a possible Trump second term about what it could mean for our rights and the foundations of our democracy.

AMNA NAWAZ: We have seen that actions like the one you have taken today have helped to mobilize Democrats and independents in the past.

Do you think that mobilization, especially in a state like Michigan, is enough to overcome some of the weaknesses we have seen President Biden displayed so far, especially with those more than 100,000 people in the primaries voting uncommitted?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Well, Michigan is a state where we are always going to have close elections.

It's not going to be a surprise to any of us here in Michigan that this race will be close, probably close all the way up until Election Day.

But I will tell you, during my reelection, there were a lot of polls and people writing my political obituary, and I won by almost 11 points.

I think it's because I stayed focused on the fundamentals that matter to the people of Michigan.

President Biden has done the same, whether it is putting resources into ensuring that we are rebuilding our infrastructure, to onshoring supply chains, to making sure that people are respected and protected under the law.

This president has delivered on those fundamentals.

And we're going to be talking about that story all the way through Election Day.

But, in Michigan, elections are always close.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, those more than 100,000 people, though, were voting as a protest to oppose President Biden's stance in Israel, their conduct in the war in Gaza.

They were doing it to send a message.

I guess, as one of the co-chairs of the Biden/Harris reelection campaign,where would you point those protesters to say they heard you, they see you?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: I can tell you this.

Recognizing that we're all human beings, the humanity in all these innocent people who are losing their lives or who are at risk of losing their lives is real pain.

And that's something that I understand, that I'm going to continue to work with a variety of communities in my state to keep people safe here at home, but also try to build bridges and make sure that we focus on really all the different things that are at stake in this upcoming election.

AMNA NAWAZ: As you know, Governor, you're seen as a rising leader in your Democratic Party.

There was a recent New York Times column by Michelle Goldberg I want to ask you about, because she wrote this.

She said -- quote -- "There are many reasons that people regularly fantasize about Whitmer replacing Biden on this year's ticket and, assuming that doesn't happen, see her as a likely presidential prospect in 2028.

She insists she's not interested, but few seem to believe her" -- end quote.

I want to ask you, how much of that speculation do you think is fueled by what we know is low enthusiasm and dissatisfaction for the Democratic candidate in President Biden right now?

And how does that change before November?

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: You know, I don't know.

I didn't read the article.

I can tell you, in talking with people across Michigan, these are good, hardworking people, just like across the country, people who just want to know that their government is as good as they are, if not better, and is working as hard, if not more than they are.

And everyone wants a fair shot.

And I think that's really what the Biden administration has always been about.

That's what President Biden has always been about.

And that's why, as a co-chair, I'm proud of the work that he has been able to do.

And I'm proud to stand by his side as he goes for reelection.

This is a -- these are unique times.

This is another high-stakes election.

Everyone's exhausted.

And yet we have all got to -- we have all got to roll up our sleeves and get involved, because this is going to have ramifications not just for us today, but for generations of Americans to come.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's Democratic Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer joining us tonight.

Governor, thank you.

Good to speak with you.

GOV.

GRETCHEN WHITMER: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: House Speaker Mike Johnson signals a vote on Ukraine aid will come next week, and the Biden campaign courts disaffected Republicans.

It's time for a check-in with our Politics Monday team.

That's Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

It's good to see you both.

So we just heard Governor Gretchen Whitmer talk about the Michigan Family Protection Act, which supports surrogacy and IVF and LGBTQ+ parents.

We have seen obviously reproductive rights emerge as a major driver in this election season.

But this is additional action by Democrats on issues beyond abortion.

Amy, what kind of impact does this have in a swing state like Michigan?

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: You know the challenge right now that the Biden team has politically is that the people who turned out for him in 2020, many of whom were inspired maybe not so much by Joe Biden, but voting against Donald Trump, they just are not as engaged in the election as Trump supporters are.

And if the Biden campaign can give these voters, especially younger voters, a reason to show up and believe this election is important, even if they're not excited about him - - I mean, in Michigan, for example, there was that big uncommitted vote that Amna talked about with the governor.

So there is certainly reticence on the part of many of these voters to show up and vote affirmatively for Biden, but by putting either issues on the ballot, which we're seeing in states like Nevada and Arizona, or making sure that this is part of the conversation, it could help to motivate some of those voters to show up, even if they're not particularly excited about Biden.

This is an issue that does give them an incentive to go to the polls.

GEOFF BENNETT: What about that, Tam?

Is this enough to bring out Democrats and independents, that Democrats can preserve that so-called blue wall?

And we also learned today that abortion rights will be on the ballot in Florida in November.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Right.

So this bill is -- in some ways, it's like a technical correction.

Several of the items in it are technical corrections and not the kind of thing that seven months from now voters are going to be like, wow, Democrats in our state passed this thing, we are so happy, we are going to vote for Joe Biden.

That is not the kind of spillover effect that I would expect to see.

However, as the discussion about reproductive rights happens all over the country, as the state of Florida is likely seeing a more restrictive ban at the same time that there is now going to be a ballot measure on the ballot, this is going to be a conversation that is going to be very live all over the country.

And, obviously, the Biden campaign is going to make sure that Democratic voters know all about what's going on all over the country.

In terms of Florida, the Biden campaign six months ago, eight months ago, a year ago would say, oh, we're going to compete in Florida.

They do not mention Florida anymore.

The farthest they go is to say that they're still planning to compete in North Carolina.

Florida was always a stretch.

I don't know that adding a ballot measure is going to be enough to overcome real organizational challenges that Democrats have had on the ground in Florida for a generation.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson is raising expectations for a vote on Ukraine funding when the House returns next week, even at the risk of Johnson potentially losing his speakership, since Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has invoked that measure that would allow her to call for vote on his speakership, on his leadership.

So here's what Johnson said to FOX in an interview yesterday about it.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Marjorie is a friend.

She's very frustrated about, for example, the last appropriations bills.

Guess what?

So am I.

As we discussed, Trey, these are not the perfect pieces of legislation that you and I and Marjorie would draft if we had the ability to do it differently.

But with the smallest margin in U.S. history, we're sometimes going to get legislation that we don't like.

And the Democrats know that when we don't all stand together with our razor-thin majority, then they have a better negotiation position.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, Amy, is that enough to mollify his right flank?

AMY WALTER: I don't know that some of these folks are mollifiable, if that's even a word.

And the point is not that -- about policy.

This is really, I think, about the ability for many of these members just to show that they can do it.

And Johnson doesn't have any margin, as he pointed out.

He's got the smallest margin in history.

There is a one-seat margin.

Now, a call to vacate the chair, if indeed that comes to the floor with a one-seat margin, that is courting disaster, one.

-- this is not likely, but possibility that actually a Democrat wins the speakership.

But more than that, if we thought that the McCarthy vote was drawn out or getting Johnson into that job was drawn out, just imagine how difficult this is going to be with one seat.

What Johnson seems to be doing right now, though, is trying to mollify conservatives by saying, one, I'm going to put -- maybe we will put legislation in here or put additional aspects into this legislation that deal with liquefied natural gas.

Also, let's make this more of a loan.

Let's use assets, Russian assets we have taken in this country, use those to pay for it.

But again, I don't -- we know, at the end of the day, he's going to need Democrats.

This bill does not make it without Democrats.

So, whether it's mollifying them or not, it's still going to pass because Democrats decide to go along.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Speaker Johnson referred to those measures you mentioned as important innovations.

Tam, House Republicans have blocked President Biden's request for additional Ukraine aid for nearly six months.

How do you see this coming together?

TAMARA KEITH: It's not clear yet exactly how it will come together.

Johnson is -- he has taken on this remarkably pragmatic tone, laying out the challenges that exist in divided government when you have a very narrow margin.

It's not the kind of thing he would have said when he wasn't in leadership, but now he is in leadership.

And I will say that he avoided a government shutdown.

He has avoided a couple of other cliffs by innovating, really not actually changing the underlying numbers or changing the underlying thing that they ultimately agreed to, but by changing a deadline or sort of rebranding funding the government.

And that appears to be potentially what he is doing again, but, as Amy says, in the end, he would be very lucky if a majority of Republicans supported Ukraine funding or a broader supplemental, national security supplemental.

He would be very lucky if a majority of Republicans supported it.

He's going to need Democrats in order for it to pass.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, in the time that remains, let's talk about the 2024 race, because President Biden fresh off that record-breaking fund-raiser in New York, his campaign released a digital ad we can put up now which really is making a direct appeal to Nikki Haley supporters.

This is obviously a coalition of Republicans and moderates who were turned off by Donald Trump.

Are there enough Republicans in the middle who are winnable by President Biden?

Or are these folks really just Democrats, as the Trump campaign has said?

AMY WALTER: Yes, I think that when you look at the group of people that voted for Nikki Haley in the primaries, they probably fall into three categories, one, never going to ever, ever vote for Donald Trump, probably didn't vote for him in 2020.

And then there's a group of, I really would like somebody other than Donald Trump, but I will probably end up voting for him.

And then there's the question -- and I was talking to people today trying to figure out how big is that group of people of those who, I voted for Donald Trump in 2020 and I don't want to vote for him again.

I think the key for the Biden campaign isn't necessarily that they win them over, but even if those voters show up and skip the top of the ticket, vote third party, or maybe not go to the polls at all, that's a vote for Biden because it's a vote that Trump got last time.

GEOFF BENNETT: How does the Biden campaign see it?

TAMARA KEITH: Right.

And I will go to the Michigan primary, where Nikki Haley got more than 25 percent of the vote.

Now, some of those people probably were Democrats, but not all of them, and you saw similar numbers in every state.

The Biden campaign is aiming for addition, rather than subtraction, or rather than keeping things where they are.

As that ad points out, Trump has in his rhetoric, publicly, at least, said, if you wanted Nikki Haley, then you aren't -- you're not MAGA, you're not me.

And so the Biden campaign is targeting that ad very specifically to areas where Nikki Haley got a lot of votes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter, thanks, as always.

TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome.

AMY WALTER: You're welcome.

AMNA NAWAZ: The program SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is one of the nation's largest welfare systems, helping to feed more than 40 million low-income Americans.

But for people in need, what that assistance looks like and who can access it varies greatly.

Laura Barron-Lopez and producer Maea Lenei Buhre have this report, the final part in our series America's Safety Net.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: For single mother Betsy Cruz, every trip to the grocery store is a tightrope walk.

BETSY CRUZ, Snap Recipient: I always have to calculate down to the penny, because when I get to that register, I don't need any surprises, because, if it comes over than the amount that I have, I have to ask them to put it back.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That amount is usually $56 a month, the total benefit she and her 21-year-old son, Colton (ph), receive from SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Is it enough to support and cover your food costs?

BETSY CRUZ: No, it's not.

You go to the grocery store and you come out with maybe three or four bags and that's it.

That's it for the month.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: To bridge the gap, Cruz gets help from food banks like this one, near her home in Gilbert, South Carolina.

She says she's grateful, but she can't rely on this help for healthy food.

BETSY CRUZ: Most of the stuff that you get at the food banks are like very high-carbureted or starchy items.

And my son's a diabetic, but we have to use it.

We have no choice.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: This struggle is new for Cruz.

She worked a steady job as a government meat inspector for nearly three decades, but she was forced to retire early and take a reduced pension after her son's struggles with the developmental and behavioral disability worsened.

BETSY CRUZ: You know, it's not that I don't want to work.

It's, I can't.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Yes, you have no choice right now.

BETSY CRUZ: I have no choice.

I'm a mother first, and it's been 21 years of it.

He has to come first.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The Cruz family is not unique.

About 90 percent of SNAP recipients live in households with older adults, children, or someone with a disability.

To qualify for SNAP, a family of two in South Carolina must make less than $25,700 a year.

In 2022, about 600,000 people, 12 percent of the state's population, were on SNAP.

That reflects the national picture.

LYNDON JOHNSON, Former President of the United States: We must distribute more food to the needy.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Food stamps started in 1964 as a key part of president Lyndon B. Johnson's war on poverty aimed at feeding low-income Americans.

As the program expanded, rising sharply after economic downturns like the Great Recession and later the COVID-19 pandemic, it's become a target for conservative lawmakers, who argue the country can't afford a welfare program that costs more than $100 billion annually.

MAN: The bill is passed.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: In last year's debt-sealing agreement, Republicans in Washington negotiated a raise in the age limit for SNAP's work requirement from 49 to 54.

And states too have experimented with more stringent SNAP requirements.

For nearly a decade here in Kansas, Republican legislators have passed laws restricting who qualifies for food assistance, from implementing higher work requirements to forcing people to apply for child support.

Kansas is one of five states that make single parents seek child support in order to receive SNAP benefits.

STATE.

REP. FRANCIS AWERKAMP (R-KS): I think it's an absolutely good policy.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Republican Representative Francis Awerkamp is the chair of the Kansas House Committee on Welfare Reform.

STATE.

REP. FRANCIS AWERKAMP: It's an opportunity to find that other parent and make sure they're doing their duty, so that that child and the custodial parent, typically the mother, has the resources they need to kind of have -- run a stable life.

CECILIA DOUGLASS, Kansas Resident: It seemed like a very drastic move just to feed my family.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: In 2017, six months into a pregnancy, Cecilia Douglass' partner unexpectedly abandoned her and her two daughters.

The Kansan had just taken a pay cut to focus on her pregnancy, and she says her ex left her with crippling debt.

CECILIA DOUGLASS: When I found myself single, there were a lot of financial responsibilities that were left on my shoulders, and it was very difficult to recover from that financially.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: After giving birth, she decided to apply for SNAP and quickly realized that, to enroll, she would be required to apply for child support.

CECILIA DOUGLASS: It was an immediately - - a moment of pause, because I knew that my intention was not to rely on this assistance longer than I absolutely needed.

You tell me when to let go.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: For Douglass, that meant opening a case against her newborn son's absent father and working with the Department for Children and Families to establish a child support order in court, a daunting prospect.

CECILIA DOUGLASS: I felt that if I applied, it would create an unhealthy environment for my son, but also my older daughters.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Weighing her options, Douglass chose to go without.

CECILIA DOUGLASS: It's heartbreaking when your child comes to you and says, "Mom, I'm hungry," and the only thing you have to feed them is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Chairman Awerkamp notes parents can apply for exemptions from the rule if pursuing child support could create a dangerous situation for them or their children.

STATE.

REP. FRANCIS AWERKAMP: If there is good cause for an exemption, the exemptions are granted.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: But an exemption requires official evidence, like a police report or witness statement.

KAREN SIEBERT, Harvesters: This doesn't affect the noncustodial parent.

This is affecting the mom and the kids.

Who do you have packing it?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Karen Siebert is a policy adviser for Harvesters, one of Kansas' largest food bank networks.

She supports efforts to repeal the requirement.

KAREN SIEBERT: The child support services has many levers by which to get child support.

They have -- they can garnish wages.

They can do all sorts of things.

Bringing food assistance in as a weapon is what we really have a problem with.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Siebert says she sees the effect of these kinds of requirements up close at the food pantries her organization serves.

KAREN SIEBERT: The effect of all of these restrictions is that people are no longer on these programs or can't access these programs, and so they're turning to the charitable sector.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: When asked about some criticism of the state's restrictions on food assistance, Chairman Awerkamp said the policies are about creating -- quote -- "a life of self-sustainability."

STATE.

REP. FRANCIS AWERKAMP: I think it's so important to understand the spirit of these programs.

What are they for?

It's not to keep people on food welfare.

It's actually to help them move off.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Kansas ranks third from the bottom in access to SNAP, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

And experts say three in 10 Kansans who would otherwise be eligible for the benefit do not receive it, largely because of state policies.

Despite that, Kansas' food stamp reforms, particularly its time limits for the benefit, have been held up as a model by right-wing groups.

And nearly a dozen states have made changes based on the ones in Kansas.

EDWARD BOLEN, Center of Budget and Policy Priorities: They tend to go to state legislatures where they might have a receptive audience.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Ed Bolen is the director of SNAP state strategies at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank.

EDWARD BOLEN: We have seen troubling indications that folks are losing benefits without any positive outcomes.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: With this year's election, SNAP may soon be on the line.

Former President Donald Trump proposed major cuts to food assistance while in office, and has nodded again towards welfare restrictions on the campaign trail.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: So, first of all, there is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting, and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Bolen worries that further restrictions to SNAP would hurt America's poorest.

EDWARD BOLEN: The independent and sort of academic research has increasingly shown that those time limits don't work, that the only real outcome is less SNAP participation.

And, hopefully, we can get past the idea of threatening to take away food assistance from these folks in order to get them into work.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Back in South Carolina, with the nation's patchwork of food assistance programs, Betsy Cruz is glad her family can access the benefit.

But it's still a struggle to put food on the table.

BETSY CRUZ: Yesterday, I spent 2 cent over.

I was digging through my purse trying to find two pennies just to pay the rest of my SNAP.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: What does that feel like?

BETSY CRUZ: It's indescribable.

I just feel like trash, that I'm here for a free handout and I'm just nothing to this country.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez in Gilbert, South Carolina.

AMNA NAWAZ: You can find more of our coverage of America's Safety Net online.

That's at PBS.org/NewsHour.

GEOFF BENNETT: One artist has taken ever-popular designer handbags to a whole new level, transforming artwork into accessory.

As Pamela Watts of Rhode Island PBS Weekly reports, instead of his creations hanging on the wall, he decided to put them right in your hand.

The story is part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

KENT STETSON, Artist: Twenty-two years ago, if someone had told me I would be making purses from my artwork, I don't know if I would have been happy hearing that.

Now I'm living the dream.

PAMELA WATTS: The dream for Rhode Island artist Kent Stetson is being a designer of handbags, whimsical, colorful, topical.

They are all made by hand in his mill workshop and sold in hundreds of boutiques worldwide.

The purses are clutched by celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Megan Thee Stallion.

Not only do his bags star on the red carpet; they fly down the runway.

These are not your mother's pocketbooks.

They are a fusion of art and accessory.

KENT STETSON: I think, in terms of art, it's interactive, it's modular.

I think it speaks in kind of an interesting way.

PAMELA WATTS: And an interesting twist carried Stetson into the world of high-fashion accessories.

Stetson grew up in this cabin on a working horse farm in New Hampshire.

He studied studio art and philosophy at Brown University and started out creating these digital hybrid paintings.

KENT STETSON: So, computer-generated paintings at the time, we called it new media.

Today, I think it's just called digital art.

And so these were very colorful, abstract pieces.

PAMELA WATTS: But Stetson admits he was unsuccessful selling his modern art.

So he pivoted.

His plan B translated to in the bag.

KENT STETSON: I worked at a shoe store at the time, though, and I had a gift for convincing people to buy shoes and handbags that they didn't particularly need.

And so I connected the dots.

PAMELA WATTS: How did you land on purses as the frame for your artwork, of all things you could have picked?

KENT STETSON: It was a way to package my art in a format that had some use.

A handbag gave me much more license to be fun than I ever felt I had permission to do with a piece hanging on the wall.

And so, almost instantly, I made pieces that were a little bit of reverence and tongue in cheek and funny.

PAMELA WATTS: Funny, as in notoriously tasteful.

Stetson's popular confections feature doughnuts, animal crackers, sushi and even Rhode Island's famous New York System Wieners.

KENT STETSON: Three all the way.

New York System is an iconic Rhode Island comfort food.

And so we had to translate it into a bag.

PAMELA WATTS: Stetson says, when you carry one of his designer handbags, it starts a conversation and might make a friend, whether it's one of his doggy bags or a selection from his bar cart of popular cocktails.

They're a statement piece.

KENT STETSON: It's an exclamation point on your outfit.

I mean, it does not get the silent treatment.

When you carry one of my pieces, it gets acknowledged.

PAMELA WATTS: Kent Stetson's signature handbags, which sell for between $150 and $300, support a number of charitable causes.

One style references the lace collar of late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

KENT STETSON: When she passed, Mariska Hargitay used this bag on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

ACTRESS: Just got an alert.

Irene is building.

MARISKA HARGITAY, Actress: OK, Kat, you and I will go up.

KENT STETSON: Sales for this piece sort of went haywire.

And so we donate the proceeds to the ACLU.

PAMELA WATTS: Others may tote an alligator handbag supporting Everglades preservation.

KENT STETSON: Everything starts to finish is done right here.

PAMELA WATTS: Stetson says making each purse takes 50 steps and three days to complete.

First, he creates an image, formats it on his computer, prints and laminates the canvas.

But while the process begins with high-tech innovation, the rest is old-world craftsmanship, hand tracing and hand sewing.

In general, Stetson's signature bags are slim envelope styles.

A lot of people look at it and say, I can't get anything in this bag.

What do you say?

KENT STETSON: It's a fun little going out bag.

Listen, if I made a larger bag, I'd have to leave Rhode Island.

We're the smallest state in the country.

I got to be making small bags.

PAMELA WATTS: Describe what it is you want people to see in this form of art.

KENT STETSON: Well, I think I want people to know that I made this with love and a sense of Joy.

And I know that it's going to make an outing just that much more fun.

It's come from my hands, my studio.

I sign inside each piece as we sew them up.

And so I want people to feel like they have a real connection to the creation of this piece, where it came from.

And I think this is sort of like the farm-to-table version of personal accessories.

PAMELA WATTS: Accessories that will do all the talking.

KENT STETSON: People are going to say something, you're going to light up the room.

So if you want to be left alone, if you want to chill, low-key evening, do not carry one of my pieces.

(LAUGHTER) PAMELA WATTS: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Pamela Watts in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

GEOFF BENNETT: And that's the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On behalf of the entire "NewsHour" team, thank you for joining us.