PBS News Hour - Full Show - June 9, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: June 10, 2026

Tuesday on the News Hour, the U.S. retaliates against Iran after an American helicopter is downed. Maine's turbulent primary race sets up a general election with major implications. Plus, the world's largest hunger crisis worsens in Sudan, where a civil war now entering its fourth year has already left resources in short supply. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Jeff Bennett. I'm the Navas is away. On the news hour tonight, the U.S. retaliates against Iran after an American helicopter was downed near the straight of four moves. The outcome of Maine's turbulent primary race sets up a general election with major implications for the balance of power in Washington. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries weighs in on President Trump's controversial pick for the acting director of national intelligence, a selection that's holding up a key surveillance program in Congress. Donald Trump needs to withdraw his decision to elevate Bill Pulte. That's a starting point, not an ending point. And the world's largest hunger crisis worsens in Sudan, where a civil war now entering its fourth year has already left resources in short supply. People are suffering, and this is entirely man-made and can be stopped. Welcome to the News Hour. The U.S. military said this evening, it started what it called self-defense strikes against Iran for the downing of a U.S. Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier on social media, President Trump said two crew members on board were both safe and uninjured, but that the U.S., as he put it, must of necessity

respond to this attack. U.S. military officials say the Apache helicopter went down while on patrol off the coast of Oman. The rescue was carried out by an unmanned drone boat in what appears to be a first for the U.S. military. In a social media post of his own, Iran's foreign minister responded by saying, quote, foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plane accidents, or potentially being caught in the crossfire. He suggests that the best solution is for them to leave. For more, on this still developing story, we're joined by Dan Lamath, who covers the U.S. military for the Washington Post. Dan, thanks for being with us. Sentcom says an investigation is underway.

What has been confirmed so far about how this helicopter went down off the coast of the Strait of Hormuz? We're really waiting on additional details for how that helicopter managed to go down. There's some question over whether or not it may be an Iranian drone that hit the helicopter, which I think may also be a first, if confirmed that a drone would have taken down an American helicopter. But we're actually in a moment now, really as we're speaking, where the, you know, United States is responding. There's targets being hit this hour, and we're waiting to see where exactly that leaves the whole thing after. I was going to ask you that. What more can you share in terms of your reporting about the response? The U.S. officials are calling it a proportional

response to an unjustified Iranian aggression? Yes, that's how they're framing it. The fact they're calling it a proportional response would lead to believe that we're probably looking at a handful of targets. They often will try to do sort of like for like. So if you told me that they're as a for instance hitting launch points from where Iranian drones may be launched along the coastline, that would strike me as a likely scenario at this point. But we're really waiting for those details in this moment. One of the striking details here is that the two airmen were recovered by this unmanned Navy vessel. What more is known about that technology? Yeah, that's a remarkable feat here.

We have this 24-foot-long Navy vessel that really only arrived in theater back in March shortly after the war began. That enables the United States to pick up down pilots and other people who may be at risk in the water without putting more American forces in harm's way. So in this case, this vessel was able to find these Americans. take these Americans aboard and then move to a second location at which they were hoisted up into a helicopter and removed to a safe space then. Finally, Dan, helicopter shootdowns are not unheard of, but they are still fairly rare. Put this in context for us. How unusual is it for a U.S. military aircraft to be brought down in the way that it was?

Yeah, certainly it's not a daily occurrence even in war, but, I mean, it is something that is a regular risk. helicopters fly low, they fly slow. They are a likely target, and they are in a range where surface air missiles, drones, other things can all take these helicopters down. So this has been a constant risk. Going back to Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and now we've seen it here as well. It's remarkable that we appear to have no U.S. fatalities here. Dan Lamath, thanks again for sharing your reporting with us. We appreciate it. Thank you. Also today, Israel's bombing campaign against Iran's ally, Hezbollah continued inside Lebanon,

further complicating prospects of a peace deal between the U.S. and Tehran. Israeli strikes hit the southern port city of Tyre, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens of others, according to Lebanese health officials. The attacks come after Hezbollah forces fired on northern Israel over the weekend. The Israeli military also ordered the entire city to evacuate. today, including its historic Christian district, which has so far been spared from the attacks. We left to be reassured and safe. One cares about their family and dignity. We don't know where we are going, but God's land is plenty. Israeli forces now effectively control about a fifth

of Lebanon, the farthest advance since Israel's 18-year occupation of the country started in 1982. In Kenya, the latest protests over a proposed Ebola quarantine center for Americans led to violent scenes today. Police fired warning shots and tear gas in a bid to disperse the crowd near the site of the planned facility. Reuters is reporting that one protester was shot and killed and at least 10 others detained. U.S. officials announced plans for the site last month, though it has been held up by Kenya's courts. Meantime health officials say at least 115 people are now confirmed to have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been hardest hit by the outbreak.

Turning now to the World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday, Iran's Soccer Federation says FIFA has revoked its ticket allocation for fans to attend the team's three scheduled matches in the U.S., affecting several thousand seats. While FIFA controls ticket distribution for the tournament, Iranian officials accused the U.S. of preventing their supporters from attending, saying Washington has, quote, taken steps to obstruct the presence of Iranian fans at the stadiums. Separately, FIFA has removed a Somali referee from the tournament after he was denied entry to the U.S. over the weekend. Last year, the Trump administration imposed new travel restrictions on Somalia,

complicating entry for its citizens. NASA named three U.S. astronauts and won Italian for its next space mission today, as the agency works toward a moon landing as soon as 2028. Let's give it one more round of applause for your Artemis 3, prime crew. The Artemis 3 crew received a warm welcome at a press conference in Houston today. NASA is looking to build on this year's successful Artemis 2 mission, which saw astronauts fly around the moon. The members of that mission handed off a symbolic red baton to this crew, which is not heading to the moon. Rather, they will orbit Earth and practice docking in a two-week mission set for next year.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman wished them well. We wish you, Godspeed on the journey ahead. You carry the fire of exploration from generations past, the confidence of this agency, and the support of this nation, and the dreams of millions. Today's announcement comes less than two weeks after the fiery explosion of a blue origin rocket on a launch pad in Florida. The company is due to provide a lander as part of the Artemis 3 mission.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed amid uneasorizing. over AI stocks and the war in Iran. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained more than 80 points, but the NASDAQ lost ground, falling 250 points. The SMP 500 also ended the day in negative territory. Still to come on the news hour, what you need to know ahead of the World Cup's kickoff. A Texas judge's ruling alarms many about the future of players betting on college sports. And a new book chronicles the stories of grandparents stepping in to raise the children they love. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters of PBS News. Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina select their party nominees today.

But much of the nation's political focus will be on Maine, where the end of the Senate primary marks the beginning of one of the most consequential general election races in the country. Whichever Democrat emerges will take on five-term incumbent and Republican Senator Susan Collins. that's expected to be Graham Platner, even as he grapples with one scandal after another. I'm still going to vote for Graham because if his wife, Amy, can get over it and still stay married to him, then I think as a voter, I should be able to get over it and still vote for him. She doesn't always vote the way I like,

but I call her the lesser of two evils. I hate to say it, but the other side is, There's a lot of negative things coming out that I wouldn't want in a dog catcher in my town. Alex Siteswold is deputy editor of the Midcoast Villager and a former senior national political reporter for NBC News. Alex, it's great to see you. Thanks for having me. So as you well know, the Democratic Senate candidate, Graham Platner, he built this early lead leaning into this story of him as an oyster farmer. His personal story as a combat veteran.

He ran this insurgent outsider campaign. His candidacy has been dogged by controversy from scrutiny over this tattoo that he has that was linked to Nazi imagery to allegations from former girlfriends about his behavior. More recently, a former campaign staffer publicly argued he's unfit for office. How are Democratic voters in Maine weighing those concerns against what many see is a potential, underscore the word potential, opportunity to flip a Senate seat? Well, this latest round of controversies involving his relationships with ex-girlfriends and also sexting. other women early in his marriage have definitely hit a little bit differently. These are, of course, not the first scandals that Platner has dealt with, but while supporters brush past the ones in the fall about his old Reddit posts and his tattoo kind of viewed it as bona fides, that he's a real

working person with a checkered past. This latest allegation has divided Democrats. There are some, largely women, who find it very disappointing, concerning, heartbroken, as one voter put it. And then there's also people, more diehard supporters, who view it as kind of part of an establishment attack on an outsider candidate. But what I have not heard is any Democrats or people who had previously been supporting Platner who now say they're going to switch over to Susan Collins. Instead, what I'm hearing a lot of is, like, we heard from one voter who said she's sickened that she has to vote for Graham Platner, but she will in November. because Maine Democrats have been trying to oust Susan Collins for years. They've run more conventional candidates in the past and lost. She's a powerhouse who should not be underestimated,

and I think they're more willing to kind of take a risk and try something, anything different to get rid of her, given the stakes for the Supreme Court and everything else. And whatever happens, we can't say that Maine voters didn't know. There was just a new poll out that showed 90 percent, of both primary and general election voters are aware of these allegations. It's a state with very high voter turnout. People are engaged, so they are making a conscious decision about Graham Platner.

And there are Democrats who believe that Senator Collins is more vulnerable in this cycle than she's ever been previously. What, if anything, will tonight's results tell you about whether that assumption is actually true? Yeah, I mean, that's the big question, because Democrats feel a bit like Lucy with the football with Susan Collins. and there's this perception of a sort of silent Susan majority out there. But in the primary results, I'm going to be looking at Platner's margin. And at this point, if you're voting for anybody other than Platner in the primary,

you're really doing it to send a message as a protest. So whatever percentage of votes are not for Plattenor, because there's no other real candidate in the race, those are voters that Platner is going to have to go after and bring back into the fold. And I'm also watching the results in the other elections, for governor, for Congress, which will tell us a bit about the mood of the electorate overall in Maine, regardless of the Plattenor specifics. And in Washington, there are prominent Democrats who are supporting Platner,

and they say that voters care more about economic issues than they do about anyone man's personal conduct. Interestingly, that's an argument that many Republicans had made about Donald Trump. I mean, what does that say about where the Democratic Party is right now? Yeah, I actually had a Platner supporter tell me that going through this whole experience has made him understand Trump voters for the first time because a lot of Plattenor voters feel like they are being misunderstood, misrepresented by the national press. And I think we're also just looking at a more transactional electorate.

They care about the policies, the vote. They're getting more about the letter next to the person's name than the name of the person itself. Because, you know, Collins is exactly the type of political figure that Maine has elected for years, temperamentally moderate, bipartisan, civil. This has been the mold for decades. Platner obviously completely breaks that mold, a very different style of politician, but it's a very anti-incumbent mood out there.

People are upset, and they might be willing to take a big chance on this unknown outsider. Final question, Alex. Maine has a distinctive political culture that doesn't fit nicely into national narratives. once the results come in, what are the pundits likely to get wrong? I think the biggest thing is the assumption that Susan Collins is easily beatable. It's a blue state. People assume that because we haven't voted for a Republican president since 1988, it should be easy.

But that's just not the case. Collins has won again and again in 2020 when Joe Biden won Maine, Collins won by nine percentage points against a uncontroversial, well-qualified Democrat who spent twice as much money as her. Alex Seitzwall, Deputy Editor of the Midcoast Villager. Good to see you, friend. Thanks for making time for us. We appreciate it. Thanks, Jeff. Late this afternoon, the U.S. House passed a $70 billion spending bill that will fund immigration and border enforcement agencies. The package passed in the Senate last week and now heads to the president's desk.

Attention in Congress now turns to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, better known as FISA, and a key provision that is set to expire on Friday. Democrats are united in. in their opposition of its reauthorization, citing, among other reasons, President Trump's selection of Bill Pulte to temporarily lead U.S. intelligence efforts. I spoke earlier with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries about that upcoming vote and the Democratic agenda moving forward. House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, welcome back to the News Hour. Great to be with you. You have said that you will not support renewing the country's warrantless spy powers, Section 702,

so long as Bill Pulte remains as acting director of national intelligence. Why make his appointment a red line? Bill Pulte is deeply unqualified to serve as acting director of national intelligence and is deeply dangerous. He's got no national security experience, no military experience, and no law enforcement experience. In fact, the statute explicitly requires that any person occupying this position of great sensitivity have national security experience in their professional background. Bill Pulte has zero of that.

He's also someone who has clearly demonstrated a willingness to weaponize the federal government against Donald Trump's perceived adversaries. And so under no circumstances, should we trust the privacy interests or national security interests of the American people with Bill Palti on top of Donald Trump and Cash Patel.

Is this fundamentally a fight about a single personnel decision, or is this a broader statement about Democrats not trusting this administration to responsibly use surveillance authority? Democrats definitively do not trust this administration to responsibly use surveillance authority, which is the reason why, from a policy perspective, we need increased protections related to both privacy and the civil liberties of the American people. There were already sensitive negotiations that were ongoing, and then Donald Trump chose to elevate this partisan political hack, Bill Pulte, into this position of great sensitivity, effectively tossing a hand grenade in the midst of these negotiations as we approach the deadline to potentially renew surveillance authority. Donald Trump needs to withdraw his decision to elevate Bill Pulte. That's a starting point, not an ending point.

And then we can see if we can responsibly get to a place where there are enough reforms built into the law to provide guardrails and protect the American people. If the administration replaced Mr. Pulte tomorrow, what reforms would Democrats want to see in the surveillance authority? Well, there have been ongoing discussions about the need for. either a warrant requirement or a warrant-like requirement related to judicial oversight and approval so that it's not simply individuals within the Trump administration making decisions that could result in the targeting of American citizens. It's definitively the case that responsible national security professionals, including

nonpartisan individuals at the FBI, have been able to utilize the Uttal security professionals, FISA authority in order to responsibly look after the national security interests of the American people. But we've repeatedly seen from the Trump administration the abuse of its authority and power, and that's why we're concerned. And by the way, there are many Republicans within the House of Representatives who are also concerned about government overreach as it relates to surveillance authority. And so this, in our view, is a bipartisan issue that needs a decisive resolution. A bipartisan issue, I hear you say.

The Senate Majority Leader John Thune called Democratic opposition terribly irresponsible. Which is your response to those Republicans who say that Democrats are using this critical intelligence program as leverage in a political fight? The elevation of Bill Palti is terribly irresponsible. Democrats have spent much of the past several months defining themselves by what they're against.

President Trump, his priorities, his appointments, If voters hand you the majority come November and you become Speaker, what are Democrats actually for? What's the governing agenda as you see it? We're focused on driving down the high cost of living in the United States of America because we believe this country is far too expensive. There are millions of people who are working hard. They're playing by the rules, but they are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. They can't thrive and they can barely survive. That should not be the case in the wealthiest country in the the history of the world. So we need to drive down housing costs, drive down the cost of groceries, drive down the cost of utilities, drive down the cost of health insurance, and drive down the cost

of child care to begin with so that we can actually create meaningful opportunity for working-class individuals, middle-class individuals, and all those folks who aspire to be part of the middle-class. Are these issues on which you think you could work with the White House? These are issues where we're open to work with anyone who, in good faith, actually wants to improve the quality of life of the American people. The problem that we face is that Donald Trump lied to the American people. He said that costs were going to go down on day one. But here in this country, costs haven't gone down, costs have gone up as a direct result of policies that Donald Trump and Republicans have put into place, including but not limited to the Trump. tariffs, which have increased costs on everyday Americans by thousands of dollars per year,

and now this reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East, which has resulted in gas prices skyrocketing through the roof, further burdening the ability of everyday Americans to live an affordable life. House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thanks again for your time this evening. Thank you. Tomorrow on the news hour, we'll speak with Republican Congressman Michael Nicole. of Texas. It's the world's largest humanitarian crisis, yet aid groups say it has received far too

little attention, even as Sudan's civil war enters its fourth year. Sudan's conflict and the suffering it has created are growing more severe. Nearly two out of every five people face emergency levels of hunger, and humanitarian officials warn the crisis has been compounded by disruptions to global aid following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. As Nick Schiffin reports, the toll on civilians continues to mount. A warning, some images in this story are disturbing. In the fields of Sudan, it's time for the harvest. The colors may be bountiful, bright green and red, but the harvest is not. Farmers are fighting three simultaneous battles, drought, displacement, and now a deficit of fertilizer and fuel. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has hiked

prices for Sudan's farmers and reduce the country's access to food, just as parts of Sudan suffer from famine and the devastation of a brutal civil war that's entered its fourth year. People are suffering, and this is entirely man-made and can be stopped. Jada Doyen McKenna is the CEO of Mercy Corps, the humanitarian organization working on Sudan's front lines. Some people have had to resort to eating leaves to survive because of a lack of food. And even when people do have access to it, the ability to afford it is even worse at this point. We are seeing this irregularity of supply as well as the price spikes are really locking in food insecurity and hunger situations for years to come.

What will happen to Sudan if the straight isn't open? Cindy McCain was until recently the executive director of the World Food Program. In the worst case scenario, the country could implode and just turn into complete anarchy. The war has already pushed the country toward collapse. On one side, the government's Sudanese armed forces. On the other, the paramilitary rebel group, the rapid support forces or RSF. Sudanese cities have become battlegrounds. Both sides are accused of war crimes.

In Darfur, Sudan's largest region where famine has been declared, the RSF is accused of genocide. What I'm seeing is a country and a population that is living with the effects going on into the fourth year of a war and crumbling civilian infrastructure that accompanies that. Sudan remains a very frustrating situation. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again labeled Sudan a proxy fight. Saudi Arabia and others support the Sudanese armed forces, and the United Arab Emirates supports the RSF. And foreign weapons and assistance have helped fuel the war.

The divisions between the UAE and Saudi Arabia have truly complicated our ability to bring that to an end. What we're focused on there now is identifying two cities, or four cities, two on each side that will serve as points of distribution for humanitarian aid. But humanitarians say the world has not put enough pressure or provided enough assistance to Sudan's neediest. It's shameful, really. There are lives being lost that did not need to be lost because of this indifference that we're

seeing. In three years, going on four years into this conflict, we do not see any strong political will to end the conflict. The humanitarian needs are staggering, tens of thousands dead, many buried in unmarked mass graves. Like Muhammad Al-Wasi, more than a year ago, the RSF shot him dead and hastily buried him. His brother Abu Bakar is only now able to provide him a proper reburial. It is so painful for us. Even the kids have come to me and said, Uncle Muhammad. Uncle Muhammad is dead.

Uncle Muhammad is buried outside. And this is the world's largest humanitarian crisis. Thirty million need assistance. Eleven million are displaced. Many have fled their homes into camps where there is not enough food or water. The stories of sacrifice here are everywhere. Safia Abakar, whose husband was killed in a Sudanese airstrike. Hussein Sharif shot in the head by an RSF sniper, giving him partial paralysis.

And Fatima Mohamed, she and her kids separated from her husband by war. We are waiting for the war to end so we can return and live peacefully with our children and their father. And for the children to live securely, this is all we hope for. but theirs will be a hope deferred because there is no end in sight to the hardships caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz or the war that has forced them to flee their homes. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Nick Schiffin. Well, the countdown is on to the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament is expected to be the biggest in the event's history, with 48 teams competing across the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 104 matches over 39 days. But the road to kickoff has been anything but smooth.

Organizers have faced criticism over soaring ticket prices, concerns about logistics and transportation, and geopolitical tensions that have complicated travel for some teams and their supporters. We are joined once again by Roger Bennett, no relation, founder and CEO of the Men in Blazers Media Network and author of We Are the World Cup. Roger, always great to see you. Oh, Big Jeff, it's great to be with it. So the opening match is Thursday in Mexico City. It's Mexico v. South Africa.

Let's start with the soccer itself. What are the handful of countries you see as genuine contenders to lift the trophy a month from now? I know I sound like I'm from England, but I have to legally say the United States of America just because this is the moment when we all dream, the American dream. Unfortunately, the 47 other teams who are arriving in the United States, Canada, and Mexico dreaming the very same thing. World Cups are hard to win. Only eight nations have ever won it.

And the big teams again are highly amongst the favorites. Argentina, looking to go back to back with that tiny little joyful Ewark, Lionel Messi. Spain play an abundantly joyous form of football. France are more stacked than any cast outside of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. And then England always dream at this point, always self-sabotage, but you don't have to look much further than that pack to see the winner. I have to say it's the first time I've ever heard anyone describe Lienel Messi as a joyful Ewok.

He is, though. He is so. So he's at 39 going back to back. We are blessed to watch such a goat play the game. Yeah. And look, this is the first World Cup with 48 teams up from 32 back in Qatar. How does that change the dynamic? It's going to be the big gold world cup. in a gigantic way.

We're looking at 104 games, over 39 days in three countries. It's going to be in Mexico, the United States, which will carry the brunt in 11 cities from sea to shining sea, also up north in Canada. The honest truth is no one knows how it's going to go. The opening round, which is normally used to eliminate, separate the wheat from the chaff, so many teams actually go through into the knockout rounds,

It's going to be very interesting to see the quality of football, the caliber of football, the competitive level will kick in. The heat is going to be a great unknown. Teams that are playing indoors in Texas and in the US are blessed to be playing two in Sufi Stadium in Los Angeles. It's one of the great intangibles in terms of the energy levels. Ultimately, this tournament is going to be an ultramarathon, Jeff. And the winner is going to have to have tenacity, ferocity, and, incredible collective culture and that little element of luck that allows kind of Greek epic poems to be written about their odyssey.

Indeed. As you mentioned, this tournament is split across three countries. Geopolitics has become part of this story. You've got Iran, the team, will be based in Mexico, shuttling back and forth for matches in the U.S. because of tensions, obviously, between Washington and Tehran. What problems, what challenges does that present for FIFA? This is an unprecedented situation. The World Cup started in 1930. The host nation and one of the participants are currently in a conflict. The joy of the World Cup, Jeff,

is that when two teams take the field, the nation's history, the nation's politics, the nation's culture takes the field alongside them. That's what gives this tournament. It's seismic death, depth. It's not just sport. It transcends all of that.

And Iran have, you know, it's been a geopolitical, an incredible nightmare for FIFA to try and regulate. They are drawn to play in Los Angeles, which is home to one of the great diaspora communities of Iranian Americans. They had to move their base camp from the United States. It wasn't sure they were going to be able to compete. They moved it to Mexico. They're going to come in for games. And it remains to be seen a level of protest amongst the Iranian American audience, many of whom are saying it's a team that doesn't represent Iran.

It represents the Islamic Republic regime of Iran. And the wheels within wheels of the complexities are going to be played out. That's what gives football its wonder. It does hold up a mirror to the world around there. I've always thought that's a great thing. But in times of challenge, we're presented with really the unimaginable. Just 22 guys wearing polyester shirts, kicking a football around, has become a symbol of the world around us

and the chaos that we're all experiencing. What about issues of access, Roger? You've got everyday fans saying that they're completely priced out. The only way they'll be able to watch is probably on TV at this point. It's been the drum roll of darkness going into this World Cup. Look, every major World Cup has a catastrophizing element in the run-up 2010 in South Africa. The Doomsday, the Doomsairs were talking about carjackings, whether the electricity grid would be able to support an international tournament.

Still the greatest symbolic tournament of my lifetime, South Africa, the whole continent of Africa and the Mandela. Then 2014, social unrest in Brazil. They didn't want the football. They wanted social services and education. Again, once a ball was kicked, became the greatest party I've ever been to. The ticket issue has been beyond complicated. It's a working-class game football around the world.

people travel with their teams, multi-generationally everywhere. American sports culture, which is what the world is now colliding with, operates very differently. You have dynamic ticket pricing. So we're arguing about whether World Cup tickets are too expensive, while New Yorkers are paying $20,000 to sit in the bleachers and watch the Knicks. So it really is world culture meets American culture. It's been a deep, deep friction point.

What I can tell you is once a ball is kicked, Jeff, Once Lionel Messi takes the field, once the tournament begins, it's as if everything falls away and the whole world gets blanketed by a global eclipse that affects the whole planet simultaneously for 39 straight days. It will be a fleeting joy. It will be a fleeting sense of unity. But I do hope in my heart of hearts there's the kind of meaning, the kind of wonder. And that America will show a face to the world that we dream of showing through,

this piece. But the second the game kicks off, we're almost anethitized and we all fall under the game's thrall. Roger, we have 30 seconds left. You speak so lyrically. I'm not sure if you can answer a question in 30 seconds. But here goes. Every World Cup introduces the world to a new star, Messi, who you mentioned, Ronaldo, Mosala. Who do you think could leave this tournament as a near household name? A global name with commercial heft and wonder. Spain have an 18-year-old. Just wonder, Laminia Mal, fearless, youthful. He's already won the other major tournament, the Euros at the age of being a teen. If Spain win the World Cup led by him, it'll be like Alexander the Great Morning, at the age of 18, he has no more worlds to conquer, and it will be magnificent

to witness. Roger Bennett, good talk to you all day. Thanks for being with this. Thanks for having a Let me give your real title here. Founder and CEO of the Men in Blazers Media Network, author of We Are the World Cup. Thanks again. Oh, Jeff, anytime. Big love, courage. A judge's ruling in Texas is sending shockwaves through college sports. The case involves Texas Tech star quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who wagered $90,000 worth of bets on sports games,

including betting on teams he was playing for. William Brangham has more. William? That's right, Jeff. Sorsby's betting, all of which is prohibited by the NCAA, included 40 bets on Indiana while he was a freshman there. He was banned from the sport and would not have been able to play his last year at Texas Tech, but he and the school appealed, arguing he has a gambling addiction and anxiety issues. And yesterday, a judge agreed, writing that Sorsby, quote,

has demonstrated he will suffer a probable imminent and irreparable injury if he does not play football for Texas Tech this fall. The NCAA has appealed, but Sorsby will most likely play this year. To unpack all of this, we are joined by journalist Danny Funt. He's written about sports betting for the New Yorker, and his recent book is called Everybody Loses, the Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling. Danny, great to see you again. The ironclad rule has always been when you're a pro athlete or a college athlete, you do not bet on games, certainly not on games regarding teams that you are playing for. So what do you make of this quite unprecedented ruling?

You're right. This has been Sports Cardinal Sin, from the Black Sox to Pete Rose, to a handful of athletes who've been indicted for betting against their teams or even just on games they're playing in over the past few years. So this comes as a shock. I wasn't surprised if you hear people say they're disgusted. They think this is ruining sports. people will never trust what they're watching again.

The other side of that coin, though, is that we know we're seeing a potential surge in gambling problems, especially among young men. Brendan Sorsby is kind of the target demo of the sort of American who's being bombarded with appeals to gamble. So it's no surprise that someone like him might develop a gambling problem and be betting on all sorts of sports they're watching

and a lot of games they're not watching. The issue is how does the NCAA manage that, the desire to discourage players from gambling, but also acknowledging that this is a real health threat, and people who suffer in that respect need help. The NCAA issued a statement, basically rejecting this ruling, saying it's concerned about the, "...damaging far-reaching and broadly destabilizing ramifications of this outcome, which undermines and corrupts the... integrity of sports. Do you feel like a red line has been crossed here? I mean, is this not an indictment of this entire sports betting Pandora's box that we have unleashed on society?

The real conclusion, as I see it, is that it's an untenable situation. If you make it so easy to bet on not just who's going to win or lose, but how individual players are going to perform, if you spend billions in advertising and you have the leagues, the conferences, and the media companies that show these games, all pushing gambling as aggressively as possible. Players just like everyone else are going to get caught up in it. And can you really ban for life every player who makes that mistake, especially if they develop a compulsive habit?

And hopefully we're coming around on recognizing that this is a legitimate addiction. And when you suffer in that way, it's pretty brutal. to your life and extremely hard to overcome that disorder. I've seen some people kind of mocking him, Brendan Sorsby, that is, for seeking treatment and saying, I couldn't help myself. I think that's a dated way of looking at it. But again, all that said,

it's hard to imagine a world in which we're allowing people to bet on their teams. That just is the ultimate betrayal of your teammates, fans, everyone who cares about these games. Can we enjoy sports if we're always wondering, are these athletes to say nothing of their coaches and referees wagering as opposed to just trying their hardest to win? Right. How have other teams across college football reacted to this? You've seen some athletic directors, administrators, other people, particularly in the Big 12 where Texas Tech plays say they're disgusted. the college football has lost its soul.

I've heard threats that teams will boycott playing Texas Tech or encourage the college football playoff from making them ineligible if they allow Brendan Sorsby to play. A lot of this is wrapped up in the fact that Texas Tech is a really formidable team, in part because they have a lot of money to spend on players. And Sorsby reportedly was going to make about $4 or $5 million as a result of transferring to Texas Tech. So there's a lot of bad blood that might be fueling some of that rhetoric.

But at the same time, I think all sorts of people have reasons to worry that if we're going to allow athletes to bet on games, it kind of destroys the whole thing. The whole thing is premised on the assumption that people, their only priority is winning and helping their teammates do their best. That is journalist Danny Fund. Danny, always great to hear from you. Thank you so much. My pleasure. Thank you.

Today, more than 2.5 million children across the country live in households where grandparents have taken on the role of primary caregiver. These so-called grandfamilies provide a critical safety net for children, but many grandparents face challenges navigating custody issues and accessing the resources and support they need. A new book, Grandfamilies, stories of children and the loving relatives who raised them by Donna Butts tells the story of the fight for the rights of these unique carewomenes. and features testimony from many who are part of grand families themselves. We spoke with one of them, Adam Otto. I'm Adam Otto. I'm 36 years old, and I was raised by my paternal grandparents, Jack and Annie Otto. I'm very fortunate to have been raised by such amazing people, you know, who gave up their retirement for me in a lot of ways.

My mother had issues taking care of me, you know, a lot of love, but not necessarily a lot of, you know, great ability to do. to effectively parents. So eventually I was placed in my father's scare full time. Unfortunately, he died shortly after I turned nine. And from there, they raised me full time until adulthood. The best thing about being raised by grandparents was the unconditional love. You know, I could never make a mistake that was too much for them to, like, help me see my way through. There's a lot of amazing foster parents out there, but, like, people do better with relatives, generally.

and I think that was certainly the case for me. I had a lot of disciplinary problems in school. Small town in West Virginia, not always necessarily equipped for, like, you know, queer kids who are, like, above average intelligence and, like, have social difficulties, you know, just like a little soup of everything. But, like, here I am now, because they never really gave up on me.

Without familial support, I think I would probably be, like, a victim of the opioid epidemic, be lucky to be alive. I think my outcomes would not have been particularly ideal with the familial support that I had. Like I've flourished, right? Like I was able to graduate college, get a graduate degree,

hold down steady employment by a house. And I think very little of that would have been available to me if I hadn't had those kinds of structures to support me and keep me from falling in place. And I think that's something to take away from, you know, the grand families experience is like you can make something beautiful and powerful and resilient out of like something that's tragic, right, or difficult. I recently sat down with Donna Butz, the author of Grand Families,

and also the longtime executive director of the advocacy group Generations United. I started by asking her why she felt these families deserve a spotlight. I really felt like they needed to have a light shined on them. I really wanted to honor the work that they do. I mean, they're so inspirational and resilient, and so few people know about what it means to grow up in a grand family or to be a caregiver in a grand family. So I wanted to shine a light on that through the stories of the families, because I think that those are what's so powerful are those individual stories from the children, the grand successes, and the grandparents and other relatives. You're right that too often grand families are often viewed through the lens of what's missing, absent parents, hardship, crisis. What's the mistake people make when they start there?

They start with a deficit. They think that there is almost is always some tragic reason why the family came together. But the strength, whether it's the cultural strength, the strength of the individuals who are in that family, they really bring that resilience and that belief in the children that they're raising. So many of the children, just like Adam said, would have ended up in a much, much more tragic situation, And very oftentimes that means homeless, unemployed, addicted to drugs.

But the investment that those caregivers, the grandparents, the aunts, uncles make, and that unconditional love makes such a difference in a child's life. Many grandparents find themselves doing something extraordinary, which is raising children again at a time when many of them thought they wouldn't be in those positions. Where do they often run into the most obstacles? Well, there are a number of obstacles because they haven't raised children for a while. And oftentimes it has to do with the legal arrangement. Usually this happens in the middle of the night.

It's unexpected. It's not planned. They may have planned for a wonderful retirement. There was a grandmother in Kansas City, for example, who raised her children, downsized to a one-bedroom condo, white carpets, crystal figures, and she was living the dream of a single woman. And then there came a knock in the middle of the night on her door,

and it was the authorities with two young grandchildren. So the crystal figures went in the closet, the white carpet didn't stay white, and it was dreams deferred. I mean, she did that, but she had to do it suddenly. So it's where do you find the resources immediately, and how do you get the truth, the real facts, instead of some of the rumors? And that's where some of the difficulty is. You mentioned the resources. Many of these families depend on social programs like TANF or Medicaid, ACA-related coverage. These are programs that are being debated right now on Capitol Hill.

and have sustained cuts many of these programs. What are you watching closely in terms of what these families need? Well, Generations United, which is the organization that I used to lead, is watching very, very closely what's happening with TANF, what's happening with food assistance, what's happening with access to medical care. And the reason is what I tried to document in the book was the progress that we've made over almost 30 years,

us and other advocates, working on behalf of the families. the families. And it's something to be celebrated, but it can be clawed back so quickly. TANF is oftentimes the only financial support for the children. Oftentimes, SNAP or the food stamp benefit, what used to be food stamps, is the way that they access food. And then when it comes to health care, they most often always have special needs and need extra support in that area. So as these programs face cuts, these families face even a more devastating cut. And then And currently, as we all know, prices are going up. And when you're on a fixed income and prices go up, it's very difficult because the children

just keep growing. What's the emotional and financial toll for taking on this kind of responsibility later in life? What worries me is that it's sort of like we're going to be paying for it on one end or the other. They oftentimes will mortgage their homes. They'll spend down their retirement savings. Like Adrienne, a woman I write about in the book, she went to court 127 times and

spent down over $100,000 of her retirement, her only money in retirement, to get custody of her grandson. So they're doing those kind of sacrifices now rather than being able to save for their own well-being and their own ability to retire well. But the flip side of that is for oftentimes, it gives them a sense of purpose. They take better care of themselves. They know they need to be there and they want to be there for those children. And what kind of outcomes do the children see who grow up in these grand families? They fare so much better than children who are raised either bouncing around from foster homes

and they don't have the stability. One of the most important things we can give children is roots and love. And when a child is raised by relatives, they know what their family history is. They know what their culture is, how they're connected to their culture. And children who are raised in grand families

are more likely to report feeling loved. They feel loved. Just as Adam was saying, that unconditional love, A foster parent might have thrown him out because of some of his behavior, but his grandparents were always going to know that he could age out of his system, but never out of a family. Donna Butts, the new book is Grand Family's Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raised Them.

Thanks for being here. Thank you, Jeff. Sports have always taught lessons that go far beyond the game, helping young people build confidence, channel their energy, and overcome challenges. Mason Thomas brings that philosophy to Harlem Lacrosse in competition. California, where he mentors students on and off the field, creating opportunities for them to succeed in sports, in school, and in life. Tonight, he shares his brief but spectacular take.

The biggest stereotypes that come to mind with the cross is that it is a rich, preppy white boy sport on the East Coast for New Englanders. It's one of the saddest things about the sport, knowing that it started as a Native American sport. One of the first things kids do notice whenever we watch college film or take them to college games is that a lot of the players don't look like them. And the best way that I found to navigate that is to not see that as a deterrent,

but to see that as a way to empower them to be some of the first. Hardin Lacrosse is a nonprofit organization that is based in five cities across America. A lot of the kids that I work with at Davis Middle School down in Compton are a very rowdy bunch. I love the energy that the kids at that school bring.

It's predominantly a black and brown community, We have a lot of kids that come from different Hispanic communities. We have a lot of families that have been in Compton for generations. And so it's really cool to be able to provide them with an opportunity like lacrosse that they haven't necessarily seen or heard of before. We are on campus five days a week. We do a lot of cool things like classroom push-ins and pull-outs where, say, a kid is struggling a little bit academically or maybe behaviorally.

I'm at the point with some teachers where before they call a dean or someone disciplinary, they'll call a coach. At my school in particular, down in Compton, our principals and our teachers love to send us a lot of kids that have a lot of energy and maybe are struggling to focus in the classroom. We have them playing lacrosse at lunch so they get some of their energy out. We place our programs specifically in these communities that may not have as much access to sports or may not have as much access to other programs. That's why Harlem Lacrosse likes to come in as a fully funded program.

We don't ask for money from the schools. We just ask for a space where we can come in and try to do our best to help out. For some of our kids, these program directors at Heartland Cross are the most consistent adults in their lives. Sometimes we're the only people that are telling them that we're proud of them. Sometimes we're the only people that are giving them constant praise. A lot of these kids have the ability. A lot of these kids have the drive. It's just giving them the opportunity to be successful.

I think what motivates me to work closely with students is the family that I grew up in. I'm the youngest of five. My mom is a social worker for Los Angeles Unified School District for almost 30 years. My dad has always been a teacher and a coach my entire life. When you become an athlete, especially as a student, you're dealing with time management, you're dealing with a lot of emotional regulation. You're dealing with loss. For some people, that's the first time they're dealing with those kind of things.

So just being able to teach people not only how to handle themselves throughout the sport, but also throughout life. That approach to sports was something I always really admired. I had a lot of people in my life, whether it was my family or coaches or teachers, who just gave me an opportunity and direction to be able to achieve, and I've seen great things happen for my life. That is something that I've always wanted to provide for other people. My name is Mason Thomas, and this is my brief but spectacular take on changing the lineup in lacrosse.

Inspiring stuff. You can watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org slash news hour slash brief. And that is The NewsHour for tonight. I'm Jeff Bennett. For all of us here at the NewsHour, thank you for spending part of your evening with us.