PBS News Hour - Full Show - September 7, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: September 8, 2026

Monday on the News Hour, an Amazon cargo jet barrels off the runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five. A landslide victory by the German far-right sends political shockwaves across Europe. Plus, our exclusive interview with California Gov. Gavin Newsom as he rallies voters in the South and weighs his own presidential run. 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. And I'm Ammanevas. On the news hour tonight, an Amazon cargo jet barrels off the runway at Miami International Airport, killing at least five people. A landslide victory by the German far right sends political shockwaves across Europe. And our exclusive interview with California Governor Gavin Newsom as he rallies voters in the South and weighs his own presidential run. I think Democrats need to grow a backbone and we need to stop being self-righteous in terms of just. just trying to intellectually win arguments because of the ruthlessness on the other side. Welcome to the news hour. Federal officials are investigating why and how an Amazon cargo jet overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday before striking two vehicles, killing five people and injuring five more.

The flight was coming from Puerto Rico, and the landing is going to be a focus of that investigation. Video posted on social media shows the Boeing 767 jets still airborne, far down the runway and that the left rear landing gear did not fully settle on the ground. Seconds later, the plane barrels across a grassy patch crashes through a chain link fence and slams into two vehicles. The victims have not yet been identified. Authorities say all were inside a van and an SUV struck by the plane. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homandy described what investigators encountered

at the scene today. I would describe it in one word of devastating. Fudder devastation. I mean, you can see on the paved surface tire marks that continues through the grass. There's debris everywhere. There are many questions being asked about this accident and the landing. Our aviation correspondent, Miles O'Brien, is here with Morrison. So Miles, you've looked closely at the video of this landing.

What stands out to you? Jeff, what I see is a non-stabilized approach in non-stable meteorological conditions. The wind was gusty. There was a tailwind, which had a cross-wing component. The aircraft, as it came down, ended up significantly above what we call the glide slope, which is the imaginary slide, which takes you down to the runway. The crew tried to correct it and dove precipitously toward the, that altitude they should have been at, picking up speed.

So by the time we see them in this video, it appears this aircraft is sort of diving for the runway with a tailwind, which makes it faster over the ground, and in addition to that, a crosswind, which is what caused that left wing to go up. And this is the key point to think about here, Jeff. They landed at about 185 miles an hour in speed, which is much higher than you would expect,

about halfway down a 9,000-foot runway. And then you see that left wing lift up, and the left landing gear is not on the concrete. That's crucial because that's what tells the airplane that it can deploy reverse thrust and the spoilers, the speed brakes on the wing. Without those wheels on the ground, the crew would not have been able to do that.

And so they left the runway at a very high rate of speed about 130 miles an hour into the grass. and that's what we saw. So, Miles, at what point should a crew abandon a landing like that? Well, the textbook says if you have an unstabilized approach, and they were about three miles out when they were way above that so-called glide slope, that probably would have been a prudent time to knock it off

as opposed to trying to dive down to catch it and get toward it. But certainly if they just elected to continue and try to correct, which happens, by the time you are floating over the runway and about halfway down it, that would be the time to initiate what we call a go-around. And the plane, as we saw on that video, it goes beyond the runway and through the safety area at the end.

What is that area designed to do? Well, there's about 1,000 feet between the end of that runway to the road. That is what the FAA requires for a runway that arrives and departs with large, aircraft. So that is to the book. However, there are other ways that you can slow down an aircraft in these situations. And that brings us to something called E-Mass. What is that and could it have stopped this plane? Engineering materials arresting system. It's basically breakable concrete. When the wheels of an aircraft get in it, it's like quicksand. It will slow an aircraft down very quickly. It's designed to accept and slow down an aircraft coming in at, say, about 80 miles an hour.

This aircraft, as we say, was arriving at the end of the runway at about 130 miles an hour. So it's unclear what the e-mass might have done in this case, but certainly it would have slowed it down further. That said, the FAA does not require this sort of engineered material at the end of a runway if there's a thousand feet of runway safety array, which Miami has in this case. And that's why one would imagine Miami did not have this E-MAS system. Exactly. Now, there'll be some questions raised about this. Should E-MAS just be everywhere, just as another layer of safety? And there'll be some questions, of course, about what the crew was doing. And, of course, when that cockpit voice recorder is analyzed as well as the flight data recorder, many of those questions will become much clearer. and a lot of these speeds and

footages and distances will become more precise and we can understand what happened here. Our aviation correspondent, Miles O'Brien. Miles, thanks as always. You're welcome, Jeff. Germany's far-right AFD or

alternative for Germany party yesterday won a major parliamentary election victory in the eastern state of Saxony Anhal. The blow, the win rather, is a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, mired with record low approval ratings. And it marks a growing divide in German politics. The AFD party is anti-immigration. It's been labeled as xenophobic and as extremists by German intelligence. Liz Landers reports.

In Germany, a dawn of a more divisive era of domestic politics, Germany's far right alternative for Germany party or AFD won 44% of seats yesterday, just three seats short of a majority in the eastern state of Saxony-en-Halt. The party has vowed to crack down on immigration and broaden its power to the national level. If we assume responsibility for government in Germany at the national level, we will close the borders and only those who have a legal right to reside in Germany will be allowed to come here. We will deport those who commit crimes here and those who are residing in this country illegally. And if it is able to successfully form a parliamentary coalition with other parties in order to govern,

it would have extensive control over the state's domestic immigration, education, and other policies. AFD's anti-immigration stance has bled into its leader's statements which have been accused of being Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, and anti-democratic. Last year, the German intelligence agency labeled AFD extremist. AFD's win in the state is a turn in the state's politics. Saxony-Henhold, once part of East Germany prior to reunification, voted for the ruling Christian Democratic. Union or CDU in its last parliamentary election. Yesterday's win, also a reflection of Chancellor Friedrich Merce's plunging approval ratings with an 87% disapproval rating in Saxony-unhalt and just 16% approval nationwide as of July.

He faces stiff competition. Today he acknowledged his party's loss. We were all deeply shocked. We did not expect this to happen in this way. Yesterday marked a turning point, not only in Saxony-on-Holt, but throughout Germany. I must admit, this is the most serious election defeat that the CDU has had for years, for decades. Germany's political system is positioned that each state is largely autonomous, much more reliant on the state's parliament than the federal level in Berlin. The far-right party's win also renewed concerns internationally.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez today decried the win as an indicator of Europe's destabilization. What we saw yesterday in Saxony is a warning and also a confirmation, a warning that the far-right threat, thanks in large part to the surrender of the traditional right, is gaining ground in Europe and in the world. Meanwhile, in the United States, President Donald Trump shared the news of the AFD's victory in a social media post. Last year, Vice President J.D. Vance shocked many when he appeared alongside AFD's leadership and chastised the German government's decades-old position of refusing to work with parties labeled extremist. For perspective on the outcome of the election in Germany, we turn to Leanna Fix, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Germany Rearmed, The Return of War and the End of Illusions.

Leanna, thank you for joining the News Hour. Absolutely, thank you for the invitation. How do you explain why the AFD did so well in the election? So one popular explanation is that in East Germany and East Germany, Germans in particular since unification have felt economically deprived, that they are not on the same living standards as the West German compatriots. But that explanation really only goes so far. It is primarily about the self-perception, about the feeling of being left behind, because East Germany really has caught up in the economic situation. And at the same time, it is

mixed with a profound sense that immigration policies have gone too far in Germany. Germany and a general shock about all the change that is happening in Germany these days, both the Russia shock, also the AI shock, the China shock to Germany's industry. It's a challenging time to be a Chancellor of Germany. What are some of the policies that AFD advocates for? So on the federal level, the AFD in general is very anti-immigration. They want to deport both refugees but also asylum seekers from, other parts of Europe and the world.

They are very much in favor of a very strict rule of law, but they are also, especially in education, for example, in Saxony Anhalt, the AFD has proposed to focus more on the centuries before the Nazi era and not to place too much emphasis on the Nazi era. They also have some ideas about kicking out public broadcasters from Saxony Anhalt. Overall, it is a very disruptive agenda,

and in foreign policy, they do want closer ties with Russia and China. This news, of course, over the weekend, I think, has, you know, shocked some people around the world. But how likely is it that the AFD will actually come to power? So this is Saxony Anheld. It is a small East German state. But it is relevant because for the first time the firewall, the German parties have built against the AFD. No one should work or enter into a collision with the AFD is really crumbling. in this case, you would need all the other five parties, from conservatives, two very left-wing

parties to build a coalition only to prevent the AFD getting into power. So that's why this election is so powerful. It's such a danger to Chancellor Friedrich Meertz, because it is about the future direction of the Conservative Party in Europe, and partly also about his own future. On the federal level, the AFD is polling as the strongest party ahead. of Friedrichs-Merts Conservative Party and quite comfortably ahead. But it's very unlikely that this would translate in the next election into a government responsibility for the AFD.

However, 10 years down the world, that picture might look different. Speaking of 10 years down the road, is this election seen as a bellwether and signal for how future elections are likely to go in Germany? It absolutely is. And the next elections are already coming up at the end of September. two weeks time, there will be two more elections in the state of Berlin, but also in another

East German region. They are not as dramatic as in Saxony-unhaled, so the AFD is not as far ahead as it has been in this election, but still further setbacks for Friedrich Merz, for Chancellor Friedrich Metz in these elections, but actually weighs the leadership question in Germany, and that at a time when Russian hybrid warfare campaigns are escalating against Germany. So it is really very much a twin threat that Chancellor Mance is facing here. The AFD is pro-Russian. Will this election result have an impact on Germany's support for Ukraine and its efforts to shield itself from these Russian hybrid attacks?

No, they will not directly, because foreign policy, security policy are obviously a federal issue that cannot be disrupted by sex and Halt. But there are some concerns, for example, that if the AFD gets into, power, Saxony Enhold, should not be included in sensitive intelligence sharing anymore because of the concern that that intelligence might be leaked to extremists or to Russia. There are also concerns that one of the AFD gets in power in Saxony-Enhold and tries to prevent any mobilization efforts of the German army of the Bundeswehr in that country. So these are actual considerations. And then, of course, Germany's European neighbors from Poland to France are very concerned. They

welcome Germany's rearmament, Germany's historic rearmament that it is going through now. But as I argue in my book, of course, they don't want to see that military power in the hands of the AFD, even if that is only a possibility like 10 years or 15 years down the line, it is still a very scary thought for Germany's neighbors. Leonefix, thank you for your expertise. Thank you. In the day's other headlines, Hurricane Lowell is set to pass just west of Hawaii tonight, with winds up to 110 miles an hour.

The Category 2 storm is taking an unusual path heading north towards Kauai and Nihau before banking west. The governor has declared a state of emergency for all of Hawaii with areas as far east as the big island facing up to a foot of rain. Satellite imagery shows a very active Pacific Ocean today. Closer to California's coast, tropical storm Marie is whipping up high surf with swells up to 10 feet. The National Weather Service warned beachgoers about potentially life-threatening waves.

In his latest proposal to rename geographic locations, President Trump posted multiple times online about changing New Mexico to New America. On social media today, the president published at least seven versions of maps with that name change. That followed several posts yesterday, including this AI video of him replacing the word Mexico with America on a road sign. The president has no legal authority to rename any state, and in the case of New Mexico, it's written into their constitution. New Mexico's Democratic governor responded by saying the name, quote, isn't up for debate. The Kremlin said today it's not ruling out future talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States,

but spokesman Dmitri Peskov said it was too early to say when or where they could take place. That followed a weekend visit to Moscow by U.S. negotiators Steve Wickoff and J. Jared Kushner to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The pair then traveled to Ukraine for the first time to meet with President Vladimir Zelensky. No major breakthroughs were announced. Meantime, in Western Russia, local authorities say a Ukrainian drone slammed into this residential building, killing one person and leaving four others injured. Nepal held an official day of mourning today to remember those killed in catastrophic floods,

nearly two weeks ago. People gathered to sing prayers and hold symbolic funerals with some burning effigies in place of bodies yet to be found. Authorities say more than 1,300 people are confirmed dead and roughly 5,000 remain missing

in Nepal and Tibet. The meantime rescue operations continue with crews using heavy machinery to clear the rubble. One worker reflected on the scale of loss. My heart is very heavy because so many people have died. Each one of them a living, breathing soul. But sometimes in the face of nature, we are powerless.

Chinese authorities say at least 43 people died and more than 500 remain missing. But some rights groups say the death toll could be much higher. Britain's King Charles reconfirmed the status of Prince Harry and his wife Megan today as non-working royals following their return to the UK. A letter reportedly sent to government officials on the king's behalf states that their position is, quote, akin to private citizens when it comes to their work and security arrangements. The king wanted to, quote, help avoid doubt or confusion

by restating their status. Harry and Megan returned to the UK late last month after leaving their royal duties and moving to the U.S. six years ago. Financial markets were closed for the Labor Day holiday, but the recent run-up and energy prices meant travelers were paying record gas prices. AAA says the average price of regular gas is around $4.15. That's nearly a dollar higher than last year and well above the prior Labor Day record set in 2012. Still to come, on the news hour, we sit down with California governor and likely presidential contender Gavin Newsom.

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines. And a look inside southern Lebanon as Israel ramps up attacks. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA and Washington, headquarters of PBS News. Over his eight years as California governor, Gavin Newsom has become one of the Democratic Party's most vocal critics of President Trump. Speculation swirls around Newsom's own potential presidential bid. He's been hitting the road and raising money to get more Democrats elected at the state level

where he says his party took their eye off the ball. Producer Matthew Lofman and I met up with Newsom in North and South Carolina for this report and an exclusive one-on-one interview. We're up against an invasive species in the name of Donald Trump. The California governor taking his fiery brand on the road and deep into Republican counties in Alabama and the Carolinas. This is 2026. It's all on the line.

We have drawn the line. States where Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps are helping to motivate Democrats ahead of November's midterm elections, like Ann Elliott. Do you think it's different this year? I feel a change in the air a little bit. Why? What do you feel? Well, I think people are miffed, and people are beginning to pay more. attention. That attention has also turned to 2028 and speculation about whether Governor Newsom

hopes to be President Newsom. It's the election that defines all the elections we've had. That's brought the eyes of traditional media, content creators, and most importantly, voters. South Carolina for the first time will be first on the Democrats' nominating calendar as they work to pick their party's nominee. Thank you, all of you, for what you will do. Voters like Christian Mergner came to hear the governor's message and kick the tires on a potential candidate. I think he's got a strong understanding and a strong background. He seems very genuine and sincere. He's got to laugh.

You know, humor and empathy go hand in hand, just like communication and trust do. And he's got that. Yukima Kiritan volunteering for the State Democratic Party for the first time is already all in for a potential Newsom campaign. Is this someone you think might run for president? or should run for president? And would you support him? Absolutely. I think he should, and I absolutely would support him. I like that he continues to push the envelope on what's going on in the rural communities. And I feel like that grassroots effort is really what's going to push us over the top.

But for now, Newsom says he's focused on showing up to boost turnout for 2026. Remind people what's wrong. This year, he hopes Trump turns up too. Is records hard to defend right now, particularly in states like North Carolina and South Carolina. So I've been encouraged if he shows up. The one thing that we should be sober about is the amount of money you can bring to these races. And so I think the Democratic Party would be wise to be cautious about overreading the polls at this moment because those resources could start to shift. You think those races to tighten.

I think they legitimately could. Even beyond November, Newsom says Democrats need to build back at the state level. Not just in strongholds, but in places like Lancaster County, South Carolina. Thank you so much for coming. We're back in 2024, Donald Trump won by 24 points. That is where we sat down for a longer conversation on his party, his ambitions, and why he says Democrats need to do things differently. I began by asking him why he's focused on red and rural counties.

Well, I get a lot of Democrats say, well, don't waste your resources. I think what they really are mean is money. And I could see that argument. I can intellectually, if you have a limited amount of money and it's a scarcity issue, where do you invest those dollars. But time is free, showing up just having the decency to say you're worth the drive. That's, there's no excuse not to do that. And our party hasn't done that for 20 plus years.

I said, you know, I was in Alabama my first stop. I remember talking about this March. 2010 op-ed, the Wall Street Journal that Carl Rove wrote saying, our strategy is to spend $30 million on this red map initiative to win back state, House, and Senate seats so that we can use those seats to then redistrict to determine the future of Congress. And he won 675 seats. 2010 was the last time we had a majority in these southern states. We had a majority then. But we turned our back after that. They went almost a thousand of these state seats

and the Democratic Party was focused on the guy or gal to come save the day. We were watching cable news and we were waiting for the presidential cycle. We weren't doing the hard work of courthouses and school boards and city council and state races. And so that's why I'm here focusing on those races and trying to focus the energy of the Democratic Party

on a long-term strategy that we've abandoned. You mentioned redistricting. And we all know you were able to push through new maps in California. Other Democratic efforts in Virginia and Maryland and New York weren't as successful. But even your effort expires, right? Yeah. In 2030. And I've also heard you say again and again that Democrats keep trying to win arguments

while the other side is consolidating power. So do you want to see Democrats do more to consolidate power? If Democrats win majorities in these state legislatures, should they be pushing for more redistricting? Well, we got to win. the right is ruthless. The right is ruthless. They are. So you're saying yes to more Democratic district. I'm saying I'm saying well I'm saying what the voters of California said and I was proud to write that initiative and that is we need national independent redistricting. So we did two things. By the way, we did the first thing, which was we allowed the voters for the first time in

American history to decide for themselves. We didn't do that to them. We did that on their behalf. And so the voters decided those maps. But they also on that same ballot had another question, should we have national independent redistricting. And that was affirmative. But short of a national system. At the state level, do you think more states should be doing that? I'm done. I'm done. I'm done with watching, you know, women's rights roll back, LGBTQ rights. I'm done seeing the voting rights act being vandalized.

I'm done seeing our inheritance, this country and this nation being completely squandered by short-termism. So apps, you know what, until we can level that playing field, yeah, I believe in fighting fire with fire. I think Democrats need to grow back. and we need to stop being a little self-righteous and a little, you know, little, little highbrow in terms of just trying to intellectually win arguments because of the ruthlessness on the other side. I just can't watch people suffer because we're just, you know, we're playing by an whole set of rules. We are. We have been. So let me ask you about how Democrats can win back control of Congress because it's been a pretty revealing primary season for the party, right, a reckoning. Some have

called it to you. You saw how many wins DSA candidates, Democratic, Social. candidates were able to win Donovan McKinney in Michigan, Chris Rabin, Pennsylvania, Abdul-Aid in Michigan. He doesn't identify as DSA, but was sort of aligned with them. If you have these candidates and this platform that is clearly animating the base, energizing turnout, should more of those ideas be worked into the broader democratic platform? I think they are. I mean, we want money out of politics. I've been supporting clean money campaigns for decades. But there seems to be a little distance between some leadership and those DSA candidates. But not the ideas. We want Medicare. I mean, I'm out of politics. I mean, I'm not. I'm

I believe in universal health care and I believe in Medicare for all. Party does overwhelmingly. I mean, you pull people to party. I mean, so if it's about more money in your pocket, lowering costs, it's about getting money out of politics and it's about Medicare for all. I think we're pretty aligned. It's about recognizing that we've got a planet that is getting hotter and drier and that we've got to regress the issue of climate change.

And we want energy security and we want to move off fossil fuels. That's a DSA position. That's a mainstream position within the Democratic Party. So I think in many ways, it's just a label. And it's a familiar, forgive me, you're talking the wrong person. It's such a familiar label to me. Yeah. We called them progressives.

It was the Green Party. I ran against the Green Party. It sounded the exact same platform 20 years ago. Maybe it's because I'm from the Bay Area. Maybe it's from California. And I think it's healthy. I just think it's, I'm not consumed by this. I don't think there's a great, I just, I think it's the natural, it's the, Howard,

it's reflected in your Kucinich and just aspects and component parts of our party that we've always had, and it's a healthy dialectic within the party. I want to ask you about some of the Democratic messaging when it comes to taking on the president and talking about President Trump. You saw House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries took a lot of flack for a meeting that he took with Jared Kushner, your fellow Californian, Congressman Rokana said he shouldn't have done it. He said it undermined the party's base. Do you agree with that?

Oh, no. I'm not as offended by it. Come on. So he met with him. I care about, you know, I met with Trump for 90 minutes. Did anything come of that meeting, of Jeffrey's meeting? I don't know. You got to ask Jeffries.

I mean, but you know what? I met with Trump 90 minutes. Yeah. I meet with my father-in-law all the time, big Republican. You know, come on. What came of your meeting with the president? I sit down on my podcast. I've been rightfully criticized by people like him that don't like meeting with people

they disagree with. But divorce is not an option in this country. And so the idea that they met did not offend me. understand it offended the base, and I'm not naive to the concern about that, but I'm personally not concerned about Speaker Jeffries doing appropriate oversight. So that will be the determination. I will criticize him if he doesn't unleash the oversight committees. I want to see real accountability. And by the way, I think you know enough about what I've been saying. I'm not messing around when it comes to accountability. What does that mean? This great griff, the corruption, if any of that's

illegal, we run every single one of that down. I mean, all these sole source contracts, the crony capitalism, the state capitalism, I mean, we run all the time. You would go after President Trump in that case as well. If there are, if things have been done illegally, you hold these folks accountable. If we don't shame on us. And so that's the job of the speaker. And knowing Speaker Jeffries, I'm not concerned about that at all. So I don't get offended by who people meet. I care about their actions, not the fact that they're meeting and engaging folks. They may disagree with. And by the way, why am I here in a red county? I want to. to meet people I disagree with. We all want to be loved. We need to be love. We want to be connected,

respected and protected. But I get the atmospherics of that and what Kushner represents and all the all the Saudi money and all the conflicts and the Board of Peace, which is all about him getting a peace of the Middle East. That is about action, not about a meeting. And that will be judged on the basis of Speaker Jeffrey's performance. On the accountability front, do you want to see Democrats impeach the president if they win back the majority? If the facts, wherever the facts lead. And I'm not naive about the politics of that because it will be a side show and distraction. What I don't want to do is see another impeachment that amounts to nothing except a virtue signal.

And that's important. I mean, I just don't want a side show. And we, again, should be focused as we have in California on $11 insulin, which is the only state in the country that does that. Focusing more on getting those diapers in the hands of newborns and doing more on paid sick leave and family leave, doing more on universal health care. No other states done more than us in child care. and having that positive alternative and affirmative agenda. And I think that we would be better off. But accountability across the board.

And it's not just Trump. It's all the folks that are complicit in this great grift. It's all the folks that are complicit in the rank corruption that is going on in this administration. You want to see the president held accountable, his cabinet members. You want to see his family. Anyone that's broken the law. Anyone that's taking advantage of the American people pick their pocket. Illegally should be held to account.

Period. full stops, not complicated. South Carolina is also going to be the first primary state. You've been to New Hampshire, you've been to Nevada, you've been to Michigan, they're all early states. Look, the assumption is that you are running for president in 2028. What would lead you not to run? Big enough why to endure, as Nietzsche said, anyhow, not being able to look you in the eye

and say, I have a compelling vision that I think is better than the people that are standing next to me left and right, that I meet the moment and that I'm not wasting your time or anyone else's time, that we can actually be successful. I'm not naive about people's perception of me or California and the California derangement syndrome that rages 24-7 on Fox for all those reasons. And also, you know, sorry, but it's true. I got four young kids and two of them were fighting last night and I was just getting home from a fundraiser and dinner was called it in the hotel room at 10.30 and Hunter and Dutch were screaming and yelling at each other. And I just like, I didn't know what to. I was like, I've been a horrible parent. Do your kids want you to run? Two of them do.

Two of them absolutely don't do. Don't ruin us, dad. Don't rule. Don't do this to us. Don't do this. Don't do this to me, dad. Don't do this. Literally explicit. You won't run unless all of them agree. They, that's, you talk about, you talk about a focus group. I don't care what the Cal she says or, you know, your polymarket says or what the DSA says about me because I'm some, you know, what, that's what matters, is what they say. And obviously, my rock star wife. Governor Newsom, you're very comfortable in this format, I should say. It's almost like you have your own podcast show. I know, but not everyone loves my guests. Would you keep the podcast if you were president? Oh, that's interesting. As president, a presidential podcast. That's kind of a little

different, little different than a fireside chat. It's kind of a modern. It is. Is that a good idea? I'm sitting back. I'm thinking. I'm thinking about what I would, what I wear. Was it a sweater? Is it more relaxing, an approachable? Depends on the season. I don't know. I just, I feel my physiology changed when you said that. But it's a powerful messaging tool, right? Is it a good idea for a president to have his own podcast? I think you have to meet people where they are. And the reason I'm doing a podcast is I'm trying to iterate. Yeah. And after we got shellacked last year, I just felt like we needed to do different things. That's exactly why I changed my social media. I continue to do it, done and get what you got. That's why I did the Patriots thought. That's why I'm selling

these knee pads to university presidents that are selling out and law firms that are selling out. I'm sorry. I just try new things. I think we need to try new things. I iterate, take risks. To watch our full 50-minute interview, including more on AI data centers, transgender rights, and Newsom's final months as California governor, check out the latest episode of Settle In. available tomorrow morning on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts. And now for some perspective on California Governor Gavin Newsom's apparent efforts to get a jump on 2028 and the unofficial kickoff to the midterms that starts today. We are joined by our Politics Monday duo.

That's Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR. It's good to have you both here on this Labor Day. Good to be here. So Amy will start with you. We watched Omna's interview with Gavin Newsom. He's in South Carolina, a state that, as you both know, played a pivotal role in the Democratic primary calendar last time around. What did you hear and what he said?

I thought it was notable that he talked about his successes in being a foe to Donald Trump. Obviously, he was one of the only Democratic governors who was able to get a map passed that, let's face it, if Democrats do win control of the House next year, they can point to Gavin Newsom's success in passing that redistricting referendum and getting them there. And he also talked about what he wants to do to sort of keep Donald Trump in check as we get into the next two years. I think the challenge for Newsom, and quite frankly, it's for all of the Democratic candidates who want to run in 2028, is what is the message of what life looks like beyond Donald Trump? What is the positive? What is the forward-looking message?

And, Tam, what do you take away from the fact that Newsom is in South Carolina, of all places at all? Well, South Carolina picks presidents, or certainly it did in the 2020 cycle. I mean, Governor Newsom is doing everything someone who is running for president would do. He had a podcast. He explored more moderate views and took his message to Fox News and some bro-y podcasts. He really got his social media account, put it on steroids, and has been mocking President Trump's style through that social media account

in a way that's gotten a lot of attention from Democratic voters. South Carolina is going to matter. South Carolina is a state with a very large African-American electorate, and that is a group of voters that any Democrat who wants a chance to be president in the United States needs to find a way to get those voters excited. So, of course he was there.

And, Amy, here we are less than two months away from the midterms, hard to believe. Where to Republican stand? Well, Republicans know they're in a defensive crouch right now. The president's approval rating right now sits at about 38% nationally. That's lower than he was at this point in 2018. It's about on par where George W. Bush was in 2006, which, by the way, I've been saying this for all others have also been making the comparison between what was going on in 2006 and what was going on now. Democrats won both the House and the Senate. Democrats are trying to win both the House and the Senate.

This time, Democrats won in some of the more rural parts of America at that time. It was a deep frustration over the president's handling of war. We obviously have an unpopular around war at this point. And, of course, frustration around issues like corruption. And that is something we're seeing in 2006. I think the big question for these next few weeks is whether Republicans in these individual races are going to be able to change the focus from one that is on Donald Trump to one that is focused on the individual Democratic candidates. That is a tall taller order for some candidates than others. And Tim, Republicans are doing something unusual this week. They're holding a national midterm convention in Dallas. You've been reporting on it. You'll be there. What should we know?

Yeah, so this is something that Republicans have never done before. Midterm conventions are not a thing, just to be clear. And the chairman of the Republican National Committee, Joe Gruders, has said repeatedly that this is going to be a Trumpa-palooza. Not my word, his word. And the president will be headlining the convention, both nights of the convention. It is only two nights. I've gone through the list of announced speakers and found that fewer than half of the candidates in competitive races are actually speaking at this convention. Some share of them won't even be there. They won't be with it. They want as much distance from this as possible. But the theory of the case is expressed by President Trump is that he thinks that his voters aren't going to turn out unless he's on the

ballot, so they have to make it like he's on the ballot. And so please, please, please vote as if Donald Trump is on the ballot is the message that he has had and that we expect him to continue to have. Is there something to that? I mean, they're calling this Trump Paloosa. The president himself is telling Republican candidates to embrace him and his agenda. History shows that most presidents don't want the midterms to be a referendum on their presidencies. You know, past presidents have always said it's not a referendum, it's a choice. This is a choice election. That's right. What's the calculation behind making Donald Trump the center of it? Well, his calculation is that his candidates win, when he is on the ballot, when it is a choice election between Donald Trump and a Democrat,

Republicans do really well. The difference, of course, this year is that not only is Donald Trump not on the ballot, but there's no contrast with a Democratic candidate. He can't bounce this off of a Hillary Clinton or Kamala Harris or Joe Biden. This is really about who's in charge in Washington. It's why so many Democrats are eager to highlight the ways in which the Republican opponents are attached to decisions made by the president. And the president's going to spend some real money from his campaign coffers in support of Republicans? I see you saying no. We'll see it.

It's the biggest parlor game in Washington right now. So he may not spend the money. Well, we don't know how much he's going to spend. All we know for sure right now is that MAGA, Inc., which is the super PAC that is connected to him, has dropped in the last few days $10 million on ads. attacking James Tala Rico in Texas. That is a state where Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee, has had lackluster fundraising to say the least.

He has not had a great campaign. And so this is a candidate President Trump endorsed. And so his super PAC had better spend some money trying to prop up a Republican who the president endorsed, who a lot of people were warning, may not be the best candidate. We don't know yet how much they're going to say. So $10 million in Texas out of how much?

Out of $400. $400 million. And then there's another allied group that just started an ad campaign. It's only a million dollars. It's not the full enchilada. But it is two ads, all about Donald Trump. No mention of candidates running in the midterms, a lot of slow motion footage of Donald Trump. More to come.

Tamara Keith, Amy Walter. Thank you both. You're welcome. An Israeli strike in southern Lebanon today killed 12 people, including two children. The IDF said a weapons transfer was underway in the targeted building. Farther south, the IDF has destroyed dozens of villages in its occupied territory, many of them home to Shia Muslims. Special correspondent Simon Fultein and videographer Adrian Hartrick report

from three villages near Israel's occupation zone demarcated by the so-called yellow line. From her backyard, Ashwa looks out on neighboring villages the Israeli army has destroyed, emptied and still occupies. There is no stability, there is no relaxing, always stress out, always keep this bag. Maybe after one hour, hey, we need to go. If I don't have children, I swear to God, never leave Marjjayon. Marjayun is a Christian town in southern Lebanon. Most villages in this border region, however, are Shia Muslim and have historically supported Hezbollah, a Shia militant group that emerged with Iranian backing in response to Israel's

1982 invasion of Lebanon. Israel's latest military campaign has inflicted unprecedented devastation on those Shia communities. In stark contrast, Christian villages, like Marjayun, have been left largely intact. Despite the war around them, Ashwa, her husband Victor and their two children, Georgesin Giselle, try to lead a normal life. But nothing about this is normal. Sorry, guys. Ashwa feels they are caught between Israel and Hezbollah.

Leave us. We want to stay here. We want to leave in peace. I'm not with Israel. I'm not with Hezbollah. I'm not with anybody. I'm with my family. A family of dual Lebanese American citizens who could have had a family.

returned to the United States long ago but this is their home and they dread what might happen to it unattended beyond their fence lies a stern warning the Shia village of the bin has been largely destroyed in what many here see as collective punishment of the Shia community who support Hezbollah they don't deserve this even if them with Hezbollah nobody deserves to lose her house her family, her dreams. Even if you stay here, you look, we don't want to live like that.

During previous bouts of fighting in this area, the family did leave for the Lebanese capital for a few weeks. Victor put up surveillance cameras to keep an eye on the property. This is down there. That's down there, yes. And what he saw shook the family. All right, here's the guy. One of them is waiting by my pickup truck,

where the main door is and the other one coming up, towards the camera, running with his mask on, and this is the guy's face. Victor is in Iraq where US Army veteran, he believes that man was a Hezbollah fighter who tried to use their house to launch attacks on Israel. What intentions could they have breaking a camera, security camera,

inside my own private property? Are you worried that your house could have become a target for Israeli strikes? Of course. Israel is watching their moves and their mission is to finish them here in Lebanon. As part of this mission, dozens of Shia villages where Hezbollah used to be present have been completely raised by the Israeli army. Israel's defense minister has said this is a replica of his Gaza strategy following the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. And speaking to Israel's Channel 14, Israel cuts refer to Lebanon's Shia population as enemies.

24 Lebanese villages that were hundreds of years old. It was Shiite residents who acted as enemies on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened our borders and our residents. And constantly provoked, we destroyed all of the buildings. Not one house, the criminalization of all these villages is complete. A recent UN report expressed alarm over such remarks and urged Israeli officials to seize rhetoric that dehumanizes the population of Lebanon

and that legitimizes collective punishment on grounds of ethnic origin. The IDF rejects that characterization, despite the defense minister's statement, telling the news hour that the IDF operates in accordance with international law and directs its strike solely against Hezbollah and not against the Lebanese state or its civilians, and that it categorically rejects claims of collective punishment and ethnic cleansing. But the reality on the ground remains that the South has been emptied of Shia Muslims. We drive onwards to the adjacent village of Klaja.

Like in Marjayun, the Israeli army has allowed the Christians here to stay on certain conditions. One of those conditions is that filming around Klaia, where the Israeli military operates, is strictly forbidden. People have become so panicked. As soon as they see a camera, they panic more. Just now several people called me Amin. You have a camera in the car. Amin Saeed is the village chief and among the enforcers of the Israel Defense Forces new rules. Since we can't interview him out on the street, we decided to go for a ride along the main road. They are controlling us from all sides here in the heart of the war. village we can move but we can't go towards the olive groves on one side and we also

can't go to the river on the other side the IDF regularly sends voice notes to the municipality in one of these voice notes obtained by the news hour the Israeli army instructed Klias municipality to not shelter residents from neighboring Shia villages you need to pour yourselves together and prevent the return of strangers and Hezbollah elements to your lands if you do not do this we cannot guarantee your lives in the town the villagers set up informal checkpoints like this one to implement Israel's directives. Turned away by their Christian neighbors, some displaced Shia civilians have found refuge

in this school further away from the border. Zainab previously rented a house in Klaia, but was asked to leave by its Christian residents in line with Israel's instructions. They kicked us out because Israel threatened them. When they threatened them, they kicked us out because we are Shia. Zainab and Samira have helplessly watched the destruction of their community on their phones. There isn't a single house left. I even saw the photo. There's just wiped out land and the Israeli tanks and armed vehicles are parked there. All my family, my brothers, their houses are gone. If we return, where would we go? Where? Their village, Chiam, is occupied by Israeli forces, but we manage to film it from a distance. Only piles of rubble are raised.

visible through our zoom lens. While Shia villages have been demolished, Sunni and Christian villages are subject to tightening Israeli control. We're driving towards the yellow line, right up to the occupation zone the Israeli army has established across vast waves of southern Lebanon, similar to the model they've implemented in Gaza.

Our destination is Kvarshuba, a Sunni Muslim village surrounded by Israeli positions. To see just how difficult life has become here, We joined the municipality on a maintenance trip to the water pumping station. The facility is a 10-minute ride from the center of town. It's the only source of water for the residents. Mohamed Hassan al-Haj is in charge of maintenance. We brought diesel to run the generator so we can pump the water for the people of Kufar Shuba.

Every time they come here, they risk encounters with the Israeli army, which has taken the hill right across the water station. Traces of Israeli tanks mark the road. bullets from Israeli machine guns dot the water station's walls. Muhammad was already arrested once. About 15 soldiers arrived here and immediately got out with weapons. They surrounded us and grabbed us. He started pushing me from here to this corner.

He says he was blindfolded, taken to an Israeli base, tied up on the floor for several hours and interrogated. He said, what were you doing there? I told them we were pumping water for the town. He said, didn't you know it's forbidden to go there? In response to questions by the News Hour, the IDF said that Mohammed repeatedly approached an area in which IDF operations were taking place and that the detention was carried out due to security concerns.

What would happen if you were not able to come here to this well and maintain the infrastructure here? If we don't come here to pump water, the people won't be able to survive without water and they'll be forced to leave. The municipality is trying to prevent just that, but the civilians who've remained here risk their lives every day, be to secure water, farm their fields, or simply drive back home. Back in the Christian village of Klaia, a memorial was underway for three Israeli strike victims. Teodosia, her brother Tony and their father James, were killed in an Israeli strike in June. They were returning from Beirut where the two students had gone to take their university exams. They left behind their mother, now without children and without a husband.

interrupted the sermon, desperately demanding answers that nobody here could give her. Her brother-in-law agreed to speak in her place. Why is a young man in the prime of his life, and his sister in the prime of hers, university students about to finish their specialties, one of them a doctor, why are they killed on the road in cold blood? They didn't pose a threat to anyone. The IDF did not answer the news hours questions about the killings. Though the family blames the IDF for the deadly strikes, they agree with Israel on one thing.

Isballah must be disarmed. Everyone has a right to their home and land and they must return. But under the umbrella of the state and a clear, strong law, we can no longer tolerate chaos. Israel and Lebanon have been through intermittent conflict for decades. Next door in Marjayun, Ashwa believes there's only one solution. Let's do peace with Israel. And if you were to say this, let's do peace with Israel, how would it be perceived by your Shia neighbors? If you are not with them, they said you're, are you working with Israel?

No, I'm not working with anybody. Just I want to stay here. I want to stay in my home. But staying is becoming harder every day as Israeli troops show no signs of leaving. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Simone Fulte in southern Lebanon. Join us again here tomorrow night when a fighter pilot who was ordered to take down flight 93 on September 11th reflects on the attack. 25 years later. And that's the NewsHour for tonight. I'm Jeff Bennett. And I'm Amna Navaz. On behalf of the entire News Hour team, thank you for joining us.