wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. amna: good evening. i am amna nawaz. geoff: and i am geoff bennett. on the newshour, israeli forces withdraw from southern gaza and cease-fire talks resume in cairo, six months after hamas's october 7 attack. amna: millions of people across the united states witness a rare total solar eclipse. we will bring you a view from along the path of totality.

geoff: and the push to reform the insurrection act and curb a president's power to deploy the u.s. military on american soil. >> it is just a blank check for any president, so it is an opportunity for abuse for any president. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour including leonard and norma clorevine and the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. >> actually you don't need vision to do most things in life. yes, i'm legally blind and yes i'm responsible for the user interface.

data visualization. if i can see it and understand it quickly, anyone can. it is exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that is the most rewarding thing. people who know know bdo. >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs newshour. cfp professionals are committed to acting in their clients' best interest. more information at let'smake aplan.org. >> two retiring executives turn their focus to greyhounds, giving these former racing dogs a real chance to win. a raymondjames financial advisor gets to know you, your purpose and the way you give back. life well planned. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, inventing ideas and supporting institutions to support a better world. at hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and

institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the newshour. israeli prime minister h benjamin netanyahu today said he set a date for the invasion of rafah in southern gaza where 1.4 million people have sought shelter. amna: that comes as hostage and cease-fire talks between israel and hamas again appeared to be at an impasse tonight as senior leaders meet in cairo. meanwhile, some gazans returned to another southern gaza city, the scene of brutal fighting and destruction. nick schifrin begins our

coverage. nick: they returned by the thousands. gazans hoping to find their homes. khan yunis is unrecognizable. it is destroyed, full of debris, and former residents devastated. houses are flattened like pancakes. apartment blocks are gutted into carcasses. this was once home to half a million people. today it has been left to the scavengers. my cannot. -- like hannah. she tries to salvage anything from the ruins of her house. there is no construction crew. only a stray cat who like her has lost everyone and everything. >> [translated] no words can describe my pain. our memories, our dreams, our childhood and our family all are gone. i did not find anything to take out from the rubble. we did not take anything when we fled. nick: around every turn there are more ruined roads, more details of deprivation. sitting in the shadow of his

former home and former life, ishmael told us today he had lived here for four decades. >> [translated] my feelings? my life is ruined. my life is destroyed and ruined. everything from the past 40 years is gone. what can we say? only god is sufficient. nick: khan yunis is also the home to hamas leaders, and hamas video shows gunmen fighting israeli troops from the ruins of homes. this weekend khan yunis israeli troops recovered the body of a hostage kidnapped on october 7. just today an israeli strike destroyed a hamas rocket that misfired. the defense minister said the withdrawal from khan yunis followed the dismantling of hamas's military units. >> [translated] our forces are going to prepare for follow-up missions. we will see such missions in the rafah area. nick: rafah is home to 1.4

million displaced gazans, and israel has told u.s. officials it is preparing tents to move gazans north. the u.n. says israel has not yet presented a full evacuation plan even though today prime minister netanyahu said a rafah operation was on the calendar. >> [translated] victory requires entry into rafah and the elimination of the terrorist battalions there. it will happen. there is a date. nick: today the state department spokesman matt miller iterated that the u.s. opposes a ground invasion into rafah, regardless of israeli evacuation plans. >> it would, number one, harm all the more than 1.4 million palestinians. it would hinder the delivery of humanitarian assistance. he made clear we don't want to see that full scale invasion in any event. nick: in the last few days israel has opened additional crossings and today more than 415 trucks entered gaza, the largest number since the war began. but the u.n. and u.s. are pushing for the number to

increase to prewar levels, above 500. >> it is not just important they take initial steps to facilitate the increase of humanitarian assistance, but that increased flow of humanitarian assistance be sustained over time. nick: increased humanitarian assistance is one of hamas's demands on hostage negotiations. regional officials tell me cia bill burns, qatar's prime minister, and israeli and egyptian spy chiefs have created a new proposal that has gone to hamas in which israel has softened resistance to a hamas request to let gazans return to northern gaza but not by enough to expect an imminent breakthrough. what u.s. officials do fear is imminent, an attack by iran in response to an israeli strike i n damascus that killed senior iranian commanders. overnight israel launched a series of airstrikes into southern lebanon killing one of hezbollah's most senior commanders. in beirut today, hezbollah supporters mourned his death. u.s. officials feared hezbollah

or iran itself could tack israeli assets in the region or in israel, a warning repeated by the hezbollah leader today. >> [translated] be certain, be sure that the iranian response to the targeting of the consulate in damascus is coming against israel. nick: today i ran accused the u.s. of approving israel's damascus strike. u.s. officials say they assured iran in private messages they did not know ahead of time. the u.s. has also warned iran it would be held responsible if iran or proxies strike u.s. bases. already the bases are on high alert. for the pbs, i'm nick schifrin -- the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. vanessa: i am vanessa rees in for stephanie sy. here are the latest headlines. an appeals judge in new york denied former president trump's 11th hour bid to delay his hush

money criminal trial. he is accused of falsifying records to hide payments to an adult film actress. but his lawyers asked to move the proceedings out of manhattan for now -- manhattan. for now, pending further appeals, the trial is set to start the national association april 14. of intercollegiate athletics representing small colleges effectively banned transgender athletes from women sports today. it is believed to be the first college sports organization to take the step. a statement said eachnaia sport includes some combination of strength, speed, and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student athletes. the vatican has reaffirmed its opposition to gender affirming surgery and surrogate parenting. a document released today characterizes both as threats to human dignity. in a news conference, a top cardinal says it reinforces

welcoming trans people in the church, but not so-called gender ideologies. >> [translated] we believe these ideologies, instead of helping to recognize dignity, impoverish a humanistic vision where men and women are the most beautiful combination and the greatest difference that humanity contains. vanessa: a few months ago another vatican document approved blessings for same-sex couples and triggered a backlash from conservative bishops. in mozambique local reports say the death toll has reached at least 98 in the ferry boat sinking. officials say the crowded makeshift vessel capsized on sunday. seven more bodies were found today as the search continued, with an unknown number still missing and 11 others hospitalized. russia and ukraine blamed each other again today for drone strikes on a nuclear power plant. u.n. inspectors have confirmed sunday's attacks but said the nuclear safety system was undamaged. the kremlin released video it

said was the remains of a ukrainian drone, used to attack the russian-controlled plant. kyiv said the russians orchestrated the whole thing. floodwaters are still rising in russia's southern ural region after heavy flooding. the worst of it is in the region near the kazakhstan border. it is being caused by rising water levels in the ural river. as of today officials estimate roughly 10,000 homes have been flooded. most are near the site of where a dam burst on friday. >> [translated] people are being evacuated using watercraft, inflatable boats and transporters that can accommodate up to 50 people. evacuation is being carried out gradually street by street and people are being notified through loudspeakers. vanessa: the faa is investigating a new incident involving a boeing 737 airliner. the southwest airlines jet was rounded -- grounded sunday

morning after an engine cover fell off during takeoff from denver. the plane was a boeing 737 800 series, not the 737 max that has been under scrutiny. the biden administration will invest up to $6.6 billion toward the goal of increased microchip production in the u.s. today's announcement goes to help a taiwanese company expand its arizona facilities. the chips are used in everything from cars and smartphones to fighter jets. in college basketball, perdue and the university of connecticut are facing off tonight for the men's national title. unbeaten south carolina claimed the women's championship on sunday, beating iowa and caitlin clark 87-75. the gamecocks have won two titles in the last three seasons. ratings peaked at 24 million viewers, the most-watched women's college basketball game on record. still to come, minnesota becomes the latest front line in the

fight for fair pay for ride-share drivers. president biden announces his new plan to forgive student loan debt. and leon caldwell and stephen fowler break down the political headlines. >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: millions of americans took a break today to step outside and check out the rare total eclipse that cut across the u.s., mexico and canada where -- canada. where skies were clear, people could witness the moon blocking out the sun almost entirely plunging some cities and towns into darkness for several minutes. in many other places, it was a chance to look at a partial eclipse with the right glasses. our science correspondent miles o'brien spent his day in dallas.

miles: it was a texas sized eclipse viewing party. despite a gray forecast, thousands came to the cotton bowl in dallas to witness the sun, the moon and earth perform a cosmic line dance. the gawkers were joined by some astronomical experts. docents for a day this crowd will long remember. solar physicist carrie black is the national science foundation program officer for the national solar observatory. >> what i'm hoping the kids and adults take away is the excitement of the experience. miles: space physicist joe wesley is head of helio physics for nasa. >> i feel like these kind of things show you the celestial bodies are real. that the moon is a thing that changes, that has differences. matt the sun is something that is active. our connection as humans to that celestial event is amazing. miles: more than 30 million americans live beneath the path of the total eclipse.

millions more migrated to the diagonal swath. the roads to get there snarled by heavy traffic. some enthusiasts were out before dawn at the crest of niagara falls vying for a front row seat . >> this is the closest eclipse to where we live until 2079. if we are even alive by then. this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> i think it is almost part of human nature to see these things and become curious about the unknown. miles: for much of the day spectators waited anxiously on the misty overlooks for clouds to clear. others, 39 to be exact, came dressed to brighten up the occasion. the city broke the guinness world record today for the most people dressed as the main attraction, the sun. as afternoon finally rolled around, cloudy skies parted just in time for the eclipse to usher in some daytime stargazing.

watch parties drew in massive crowds from the indy 500 race track to idabel, oklahoma, where viewers basked in the sun with certified and improvised eyewear. sunlight disappeared and kids jumped for joy. even in the nation's capital, hundreds of miles away from the moon's shadow but close enough to catch a glimpse of it skirting over 87% of the sun. the solar eclipse occurs thanks to a sublime coincidence. our moon is 400 times smaller than our sun, but also 400 times closer. when it passes between, a spectacular optical illusion. the three bodies line up just right between two and five times a year. it does not happen every month because the moon's orbit is tilted five degrees relative to earth. a total solar eclipse occurs on any given spot on the planet

once every 375 years. >> this is a unique event and spurs all sorts of lines of inquiry in the youth, and i hope they take that home and ask their own questions and find their own results. miles: the cotton bowl sits in the so-called path of totality. the clouds parted and the moon completely covered the sun for four minutes. they geared up under her eyes, protecting the lenses they brought and the ones they were born with. what would happen in space was an ironclad certainty. but the earth's atmosphere served up a wildcard of unpredictability. here in dallas, the morning overcast petered out and a patch of blue broke through just as the day turned to night and back again in four minutes time. a lucky turn for these young people who enjoyed the coolest science class ever. what did you learn? >> i learned that the world, , like things, nature and things

can be tied in to learning. >> i got to see the solar eclipse and it is not going to happen for another 100 years. miles: why do think the eclipses are so exciting especially to young people? >> because it is something we don't see everyday. it is something that is rare. so of course it is exciting when we get to see it. i don't think any of them saw it in 2017 so they are excited to be able to see it. miles: on this eclipse day the country did seem upside down. normally sunny texas was cloudy. while in the northeast april showers took a break. clouds were pushed aside by high-pressure. and so the big light show got better as it moved across the lower 48. for nasa clouds were not a worry , as it did during the last american eclipse in 2017, the agency launched a pair of highflying research platforms

, 50,000 foot jet sorties to the edge of our atmosphere to learn more about the edge of the sun's atmosphere. it is called the corona or crown. hotter than the sun yet also a million times dimmer. the corona is usually cloaked in brightness. it sends a steady stream of particles toward earth, causing beautiful auroras, but they also can interfere with radio communications, gps signals and satellite operations. scientists also hope to learn more about how the sun affects the earth's atmosphere. the space agency launched three sounding rockets from wallops island, virginia before, during and after the eclipse to measure how the upper atmosphere changes when sunlight momentarily dims during the 90% eclipse there. wherever people saw the eclipse, there was an atmosphere of excitement. for my money, this was better than a championship winning touchdown in overtown at the

cotton bowl. but i'm not from texas. amna: miles o'brien. there was a lot of talk about clouds or cloud cover potentially obstructing some of the view and the big show even where you are, but how did it actually turn out? tell us about what you saw. miles: all morning long, here we were with thousands of young people enjoying an awesome field trip, and it was kind of grim. we were thinking at least we have the excitement of them being here to get dark. and then we had a patch and it was just at the right place and at the right time. it was a thrill. i think the fact that we didn't know if we were going to see it kind of them have the whole enjoyment. it was fabulous. amna: depending on where people were, because people traveled all over the country to see this, who do you think had the best view? miles: the weather got better as

it went to the northeast and we did have touch and go clouds. i have seen in eclipse in 2017 on a perfectly clear day. part of what i realized today is the company you keep as you watch it. being here in this stadium filled with young people who are so thrilled to see it and will have an experience there were number for the rest of their lives, that took it over the top for me. i would say i win. amna: miles also said we are not expecting another eclipse in north america for another 20 years. but of course these happen all around the globe with some kind of regularity. so when is the next one coming up and do you think people will travel for that as well? miles: the next total eclipse will occur in august of 2026. it will start in greenland, go to iceland, spain, portugal, russia. i'm going to propose to you right now, maybe we should do it right now, let's book a trip to watch that eclipse in iceland. totally amazing. amna: i am in. a trip with miles o'brien to

watch a total eclipse, absolutely. miles o'brien joining us from dallas, texas in the path of totality. always great to see you. thank you so much. miles: always a pleasure. ♪ geoff: a bipartisan group of former senior government officials is urging lawmakers on capitol hill to rein in a president's ability to deploy the u.s. military within the country. called the insurrection act, the centuries-old provision allows any president to use emergency powers to send u.s. troops into american cities. one of the leaders of the proposed reforms is jack goldsmith of harvard law school and former assistant attorney general in the george w. bush administration. he joins us now. thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you for having me. geoff: although these proposed reforms would apply to any future president, it was former president trump who considered invoking the insurrection act to put down protests after the

murder of george floyd and who has since vowed to send u.s. troops into democratic cities if he is reelected. we should note that you cowrote an opinion piece for the new york times where you say this focus on mr. trump is understandable but inadequate in capturing the compelling case for reform. in what ways? >> the insurrection act as it is currently written is a blank check for any president to bring the military into the domestic realm. it has extremely vague triggers for its use. has no time limit on its use. it is just a blank check for any president. so it is an opportunity for abuse for any president. there have been reform proposals for the insurrection act going back decades. the time to do it is now and the reason to do it is no president should have this authority. geoff: what are some of the proposed changes to this as you say ill-defined insurrection act? >> there are essentially two core changes.

the first is the statute has very antiquated language and very vague triggers for when the president can invoke it to bring the military into the domestic realm. it talks about assemblages and combinations and the mere possibility of domestic violence of any sort is enough under the statute. our group proposed tightening up and narrowing the circumstances in which the president can use it. the second and in many ways most important reform is to bring congress back into the use of the statute. the president derives his authority to invoke the statute only because congress gave it to him in the insurrection act. we think the president should have to consult with congress, should have to make findings to congress about why he is using the act, and most importantly that the president be limited, time-limited in his use of the act. the authority to invoke the act to bring the military into the

domestic realm should be limited we propose no more than 30 days. geoff: there will be those who question the wisdom of placing limits on presidential power. there will be people who think these reforms benefit one party over the other. to which you say what? >> as i said, they don't benefit one party over the other. the statute can be invoked by any president. there was discussion, president biden was urged by members of his party to federalize the national guard in texas, given the standoff with the governor of texas over the border and any president can use this authority. i should add there is a need for presidents to have this authority. it is an important authority for extreme cases. but any president can use it and any president can abuse it. geoff: how would you get these changes through this congress? >> we hope to convince members of congress that this is a reform that needs to be done. there is actually a consensus in

congress right now. a long-standing several year consensus, represented in several bills for broader emergency powers reform. the president has an array of emergency powers he can invoke endlessly. and there is actually bipartisan support to reign those powers in. there are bills moving through congress on that. we think the argument for this statute is very similar and should be attractive to both sides. geoff: in just the past week we have seen the biden administration announcing a new rule making it harder to fire federal workers in an effort to prevent donald trump from gutting the federal workforce if he is reelected. we have seen changes to the electoral count act to prevent another january 6. there is now this proposing to change the insurrection act. in your view, is washington taking seriously enough and moving quickly enough to shore up the weaknesses in our laws and in our system that might be open to exploitation and abuse? >> we have learned since

watergate that president's -- that the norms and laws put in place in watergate, their effectiveness has diminished. they were diminishing before president trump came into office and the weaknesses were apparent when president trump was in office. these weaknesses were well known going back a long time and congress has done very little to address these problems. the electoral count reform act you mentioned to improve the process in the period in december and january in which the president is selected in the electoral college, that was an important reform. beyond that, congress has not done much and there is a whole array of things it should be doing. but the insurrection act should be at the top of the list. geoff: that is jack goldsmith of harvard law school, former assistant attorney general in the george w. bush administration. thanks for your time and insights. we appreciate it. >> thank you very much. ♪

amna: the latest front line in the battle over fair pay for rideshare drivers is in minneapolis. uber and lyft have threatened to leave the city over a new ordinance that sets minimum wages for drivers. our special correspondent reports it is leading to bigger questions about the state of the gig economy. reporter: lifelong minneapolis resident matthew started driving for uber and lyft over seven years ago. he loves the flexibility, the chance to meet new people, and for a while he felt like drivers and the companies were true partners. but in the past few years, he says drivers have seen a smaller cut of fares. >> is it fair that lyft or uber will charge a passenger $67 and give the driver $23? we are not asking for anything more than we think we deserve or anything more than we think is fair.

reporter: that's why mcclory supported a recent minneapolis city council ordinance that sends minimum pay for ride-share drivers. it requires companies to pay drivers at least $1.40 per mile and $.51 per minute during rights -- rides. >> this fight is simple, it is about giving workers a minimum wage. reporter: this councilmember helped write the policy. >> we hold these standard that workers should earn livable wages. we should not make exemptions for ride-share drivers because they are part of the gig economy. this is the time to reevaluate our dependence on two corporate giants that have based their entire economic model on picking -- on paying their drivers the minimum wages. reporter: immediately after the ordinance passed, both uber and lyft said they would stop operating in minneapolis on may 1, the day the increases take effect.

uber spokesman josh gold -- >> what we saw in other markets is if you raise rates too high, you may be making more for each individual trip, but because demand is going to go down, you will be making less on an hourly basis. reporter: are you really going to be leaving on may 1 if this does not change? >> yes. reporter: gold pointed to the decision to leave austin, texas in texas after that city passed a driver fingerprinting requirement. it only returned after the state passed a law preempting the city. but uber and lyft have backed down from threats to leave elsewhere. >> i hope we can continue to work with drivers and policymakers in minneapolis to continue to stay. if it does not make sense to operate a business, we will not operate a business. reporter: the day after minneapolis passed its ordinance, the state released a study of the rideshare industry. it found minnesota drivers are mostly black male immigrants, many living in low income households.

the study found drivers would make the equivalent of minimum wage in minneaolis, plus car expenses, if they were paid $.89 per mile and $.49 per minute. those rates are lower than the city ordinance but driver pay would still increase about 10%. at those levels, uber and lyft say they could stay in the market. on a recent afternoon near minneapolis-st. paul airport, drivers waiting for customers expressed mixed feelings. >> in order to keep the job, to keep the companies in the city, we need something. >> i don't think -- no. i don't think so. if they can work something out, fine. reporter: 95% of all minnesota rideshare trips begin in the twin cities. so a departure from the metropolitan minneapolis-st. paul area would effectively end

the apps' presence in the state, and that has prompted concern among policymakers on both sides of the aisle. lawmakers are trying to finalize legislation before may 1 that would both satisfy drivers and keep the companies operating here. meanwhile the minneapolis city council has said it may reconsider its ordinance as soon this week. but no matter what happens, the situation in minnesota is being watched closely, says cornell university's andrew wolf. >> what uber and lyft are doing in minneapolis is not new. there are pushes in other cities and i think minneapolis is kind of a perfect place for them to make a stink because it is a bigger city where this would have an impact, but it is not such a big city that it would really impact their bottom line. they're trying to make a big show out of minneapolis in order to try to stop these other efforts from moving forward.

reporter: if uber and lyft do leave, other rideshare companies have vowed to fill the gap. but until then, drivers like matthew mcclory are weighing their options. he is starting a job with a property management company this week. >> drivers are not leaving. the cars we drive are not going anywhere. they are saying they want to leave. is that done in the spirit of true partnership? reporter: for the pbs newshour, i am fred de sam lazaro in the twin cities. amna: fred's reporting is a partnership with the under told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. ♪ geoff: president biden today announced new plans to cancel student debt for millions of borrowers. lisa desjardins is here with more. this is president biden's broadest attempt at student loan debt forgiveness since the u.s.

supreme court struck down his previous effort more than a year ago. lisa: that's right. the administration did not give final details on their plan today. they did outline executive actions they are teeing up. those would eliminate at least $20,000 in accrued interest for those who owe more than their original loan, offer more for those with lower incomes, cancel remaining debt for anyone who has spent 20, or 25 years depending on the loan, repaying their loans, and avoid loans from college programs proven to be deceptive. biden spoke today. pres. biden: freeing millions of americans from this crushing debt means they can finally get on with their lives instead of being put on hold. lisa: daniel douglas covers the economics of higher education for the washington post and joins me now. the white house says 23 million americans could be affected by this. help us understand who exactly does the white house think this

helps? danielle: the vast majority of federal student loan borrowers could see some relief under this plan. there are many facets to the plan. five categories of borrowers in total, and perhaps the largest category that could deliver relief is the one that eliminates up to $20,000 in student loan interest from a borrower's balance. this is pretty common that borrowers may have borrowed $20,000 but because the way interest accrues on student loans, could open -- could owe twice as much over the lifetime of their loan. so this proposal would help those folks and the white house is saying about $25,000 will benefit from that part, but 23 million could get their interest eliminated. lisa: this is a complex proposal and that is because of the supreme court's previous decisions. biden administration trying to put something together they think could remain legally in

tact. hope is understand with that complexity when could this actually go into place? lisa: what is interesting is most of us have been watching this law and keep in mind the regulation started to be crafted after the supreme court struck down biden's last attempt at large-scale debt relief. we thought the regulation would not be prevented until next summer. the administration has zeroed in on elements they could do earlier. most importantly the introduction piece the administration says they could likely push out this fall ahead of the election. lisa: we talked about the benefits to many millions of americans but let's talk about the cost. they too could be substantial. we know the biden administration has boasted it canceled about $146 billion in loans from previous programs they implemented. according to the committee for a responsible federal budget, when you add in the pauses in debt relief and other biden programs they have put in place, it is more like $600 billion

that has been spent in student debt relief, and we don't know how much this new program will cost. some, like louisiana republican bill cassidy, have repeatedly argued this is a wealth transfer to those who have college degrees. >> where is the forgiveness for the guy who did not go to college but is working to pay off the loan on the truck he takes to work? what about the woman who paid off her student loans but either bought a less expensive home but is now struggling to afford the mortgage she has? does the administration provide them relief? no. nada. of course not. lisa: how does the administration respond to that idea, that this wildly runs up the national debt to give a temporary boost to a select group of americans? danielle: the administration has said in the past the economic benefit of forgiving debt could be tenfold. people are freed up from having to make those payments. they're more likely to return money to the economy in the form

of purchasing homes, purchasing cars. spending more in general. certainly we did see some boost during the three and a half year pause of federal student loans in terms of home purchases, before interest rates started to skyrocket. perhaps that certainly could be the case if we were to see water -- see broader debt relief. but yes, the cost of these programs has been up for debate as well as the utility because it is not beneficial to all american taxpayers. but i think it is important to note the vast majority of people who have student loan debt have debt and no degrees. there are about 40% of people actually, and these are people who started but didn't finish and they are dealing with this debt, most of whom are struggling with it, and see no way out. i think that is what the president and his administration are trying to get out, trying to help those people who did not get to see the benefit of their education. lisa: this was part of a 2020

biden election promise but we are again in presidential election year. a big chunk of this they hope to implement before the election. can you talk about the politics at play for the voters the biden administration might be concerned about? >> it is certainly not surprising that the administration is touting the president's accomplishments on student debt, cleaning up programs, existing forgiveness programs that were not operating well, and helping deliver the 146 billion dollars you mentioned. it is not surprising they are touting this particular plan. many of us who cover this were hoping to see the final rule issued this week. the department of education said it is coming in the coming months we will see something. there will be public comment on that. i suspect and i'm not a politics reporter, but i do suspect as we near the election you will see the administration continue to highlight and uplift the work they have done to help borrowers who are an important part of the coalition.

lisa: let's talk about the future of this in the courts. as soon as the rule comes out, do you think there could be an injunction against it filed immediately? do you think this is clearly on strong legal grounds? what is going to happen? >> certainly it is on strong legal grounds from what experts are telling me, than the previous rule, because it is backed by a different authority. the higher education act which governs pretty much all of higher ed in terms of financial aid is the anchor for this. the other rule was based on a nine/11 emergency power rule that the supreme court did not think met the smell test. in this instance it will be a little harder to see an immediate injunction because this went through a negotiated rulemaking process. the rule is going to come online next july regardless of who is in office. there will likely be challenges. certainly if the trump administration were to win, they could choose not to enforce the rule. they could also choose to try to resend the rule. -- rescind the rule.

that is also a possibility. lisa: thank you so much for your reporting on this. ♪ amna: congress returns from recess this week with a packed agenda and a house speaker trying to hold together his fragile majority. meanwhile the presidential candidates are sharing new messages and new policies to try to reach key voting blocs ahead of november. for more on that, let's turn now to politics monday. today with leanne caldwell of the washington post and stephen fowler of npr. amy walter and tamera keith are away. glad both of you are here. thanks for joining us and welcome. let's start with congress. lawmakers, one of the top priorities now they are back in washington is to pass the critical aid for ukraine they

say they desperately need in their fight against russia. the holdup is among house republicans. speaker mike johnson has a razor thin majority. is ukraine aid his priority to pass and will he get it done? leanne: speaker johnson says he is going to take it up. in what form we don't know. it is probably not going to be this week, probably next week. we don't know exactly what speaker johnson is going to do on ukraine. he is discussing with the white house trying to negotiate to create a bill that is more palatable to his conservative republican conference. but the white house is insistent the senate already passed a bill, bipartisan with 70 votes, and that that is the path forward. the politics are becoming much more tricky as every day passes, not just on the issue of ukraine from the right, but now on the issue of israel which is attached to this bill from some members on the left. amna: one of the plans we have

heard -- we don't have a plan, as leanne said -- is he could separate aid from israel -- separate aid to israel from aid to ukraine, and that could allow republicans who want to back israel and not have to vote for ukraine but it means they would rely on democrats to pass ukraine aid and that puts speaker johnson in tricky position. he could lose his speakership or be threatened to be removed from his speakership for that. how do you look at this? is he going to lose his job? stephen: it is certainly a possibility. marjorie taylor greene has a town hall tonight where she is saying the majority is unhappy with the way things are run and she has threatened his job over the issue of ukraine and israel and really how he has handled himself so far. this is a fractious majority. this is a majority that individual lawmakers are holding more sway over the issues. but it is not about the issues themselves. what i'm looking at is what is going to happen with ukraine aid and israel aid is not necessarily about the specific

aid to those countries themselves but more about what this narrow republican majority is trying to push itself moving forward, in what direction it is trying to go. amna: what is there about that? there was a time when there was broad bipartisan support for ukraine to give them whatever they needed in their fight to defend themselves against russia. how did this become so political? leanne: it sure did become political. part of it is donald trump. donald trump has been a voice that has been more skeptical of sending foreign aid to other countries. that is a part of it. but then you have the chair of the intelligence committee in the house -- just yesterday mike turner, a republican, who said he believes russian propaganda has infested some members of the conversations among members of his party. that vladimir putin has been effective at pushing those messages that some in the republican party and republican media have adopted. so this is becoming a much more

tenuous issue, especially as billions and billions of dollars are being requested to send overseas. amna: how do you look at it, stephen? stephen: this is a thing where many voters who support donald trump resonate. donald trump's message of focusing more on domestic issues are resonating. you see emigration as a top issue both in congress and on the campaign trail. here you have these two high-profile international conflicts and billions of american spending and the conversation has shifted towards if we are spending billions of dollars there, why are we spending it here? with domestic issues in play and at the forefront for a lot of voters, that is a more effective cudgel against looking at it instead of thinking about obligations to our allies. amna: among those domestic issues, we know abortion access and rights continues to be a cheap issue for democrats in particular. just this morning we saw former president trump release a video articulating what he says is his position when it comes to

abortion access, saying he believes it should be a state-by-state decision. here is more of his message. mr. trump: many states will be different. many will have a different number of weeks or some will have more conservative than others and that is what they will be. at the end of the day, this is all about the will of the people. amna: we also just heard, as lisa reported, president biden announcing more student loan forgiveness in wisconsin. why these messages from these candidates right now? leanne: it is a great question and great to compare the two messages. you have abortion, which is an issue republicans have been struggling with. we saw this in the 2022 elections and some of the 2023 elections. republicans have decided taking a specific position on a specific ban on a number of weeks is not politically palatable. that is way trump evaded the issue and did not come out with a new position. and then you have president biden talking about student

loans, which is an issue that is really important to young people. people of color as well who are disproportionately impacted by student loan debt, and these are the areas where president biden is suffering among the democratic base, according to recent polling. amna: we will have to take a closer look at some of those numbers. you made that transition for me perfectly. we do have in some of the latest polls capturing this moment, we see the decline in support among young americans for mr. biden. this is in the 2020 election. we saw him besting mr. trump over 17 points with voters under 45. turn now to what our latest pbs newshour poll shows, biden trailing trump by one point in the same group. when you look at that, how does president biden get those voters back? stephen: i think by doing things that were campaign promises like we have seen today with the student loan debt. it is also important to realize both campaigns are relying on their base of voters coming home. they may not be happy with them

now but once it becomes clear it is a binary choice between donald trump and joe biden, most of those people are going home. you also have to look at this through the lens of 100,000 or so people spread among seven swing states that were very narrowly decided, usually college educated white suburbanites and how they view these plans and things. i think that is why you are seeing this now with abortion and student loans, is it is not necessarily for those people but they are paying attention. amna: other things we are attention to, the fundraising numbers. i want to get your takes. we now have march fundraising numbers from both campaigns. team biden outpacing team trump $90 million to $65.5 million. when you look at the overall cash on hand for the campaigns, again you see mr. biden's campaign outpacing mr. trump's. what does that tell us? leanne: a couple things. obviously it tells us trump is behind in the money race and the money race in the presidential actually matters. each candidate is going to have

to raise a billion dollars to get elected usually. it tells me that trump is lacking money in places where it will perhaps matter, including the ground game. money is what it takes to have an effective get out the vote effort in all of these states to reach these voters. also trump has been distracted. he has not spent as much time fundraising because he has a large number of court cases that he is having to attend to. he had a big fundraiser this weekend where he raised $50 million to try to get back on track. he has a lot of things going on and part of that money is going to pay his legal bills. amna: we can't verify some of the claims they make about fundraising so far. we will be able to later when the filings come out. stephen: i think it is money spent and money raised on two candidates that have already been president before that are very well known. it goes back to the swing states

and the persuadable voters that we are just going to see a barrage of money come into play here. i think the difference is going to come to who has the most money to be able to turn out that particular vote. >> great to have you both here today. thank you so much. >> thank you. ♪ geoff: narcissa martinez is an artist whose work celebrates the vital and often invisible labor of farm laborers. his informed by his own work is informed by his own experience as a farmworker , spending summer picking produce in washington state to support himself while studying at cal state long beach. tonight he gives his brief but spectacular take on painting the people who feed america. >> anywhere in the world farm workers are always at the bottom of the social strata. in my art i hope to shine a light to these people.

they are not machines. they are human beings with goals and dreams. i grew up in a small town on the outskirts of oaxaca city. it was a poor community. going to school was difficult. the roads were not paved. i came to the united states when i was 20 years old. my first memories in the united states had to do with education. i wanted to understand the culture. i wanted to know what the movies were about. i brother took me to hollywood high within the first week of arrival and that is where i enrolled to learn english. i got my high school degree in 2006. at that time i was already 2006 and i took a class and that's how i fell in love with art. i ended up in art school. i started working in the fields every summer to pay for tuition. i was in academia and learning all these fancy words. at the same time i was in fields speaking slang to my coworkers.

i started meeting other farmworkers. we started sharing stories. i realized it was not fair the way we were being treated. most of these people, including myself, had a very difficult time growing up. when we come to a country where there is a bed for us to sleep on, there is a kitchen, even a fridge, that many of these people lack in their countries, we are so grateful. but we are so grateful that sometimes we don't say anything and the companies take advantage of that. i thought maybe i could, by drawing a simple portrait on the produce boxes, i can create the connections or maybe think about the disconnections that exist within our societies and the people who work in the fields. the conversations with critics were more about technicality. no one was talking about the farmworkers. at one point i was frustrated and stopped painting. i went back to what i used to do when i was working the fields which was painting and sketching on cardboard. i drew a banana man on this

banana box. that is when i would introduce my experiences of working in the fields, which were maybe not the same but similar to the person on this box. i have had a few exhibitions where the audience is the farmworkers themselves. i'm happy to see the positive response, like the smiles on their faces. being included. that is something that makes me happy and makes me want to continue to do art. i don't feel art if i don't speak for the community. it is not only about me now, it is about the community. my name is narcissa martinez and this is my brief but spectacular take on painting the people who feed america. geoff: you can watch more brief but spectacular videos on line at pbs.org/newshour/brief. amna: later this evening on pbs, an all-star concert celebrating the songwriting duo of elton john and bertie toppen. last month the two were awarded the library of congress gershwin prize for popular song in

a ceremony that featured billy porter, annie lennox, brandi carlile, garth brooks and elton john himself. ♪ >> ♪ you can tell everybody this is your song it may be quite simple but now that it's done i hope you don't mind i hope you don't mind that i put down in words how wonderful life is when you're in the world ♪ amna: you can watch the entire show tonight at 8:00 on your local pbs station. check your local listings. geoff: there is a lot more online including a look at recent polling on how americans are reducing their plastic waste and why individual efforts have their limitations. that is at pbs.org/pbs newshour. amna: join us again back here tomorrow night for a look at reconciliation and rebuilding in rwanda after the genocide that

killed more than a million people 30 years ago. that is the newshour for tonight. i am amna nawaz. geoff: and i am geoff bennett. for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thanks for joining us and have a good evening. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> on an american cruise line's journey along the columbia and snake rivers, travelers retrace the route forged by lewis and clark more than 200 years ago. american cruise lines' fleet of modern riverboats travel through american landscapes to historic landmarks where you can experience local customs and cuisines. american cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs newshour. >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs newshour.

cfp's are committed to acting in their clients best interest. more information at let's make a plan.org. >> the kendeda fund, committed to advancing restorative justice and meaningful work through investment in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> this is pbs newshour west, from weta studios in washington

and our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university.

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