August 7, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

Geoff Bennett is away.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: On the campaign trail with only 90 days until Election Day, the candidates focus on the swing states that will decide this year's election.

We speak with a mayor in one of those battleground states about whether Kamala Harris can quell the concerns that Muslim and Arab Americans had with President Biden.

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD (D), Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan: More than just being tough on rhetoric, we're hoping that she pairs that rhetoric with tough policy.

AMNA NAWAZ: And a crucial front in the Ukraine war, how U.S. weapons are being used in the Russian-occupied region of Crimea.

(BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

With crisscrossing rallies, campaign cash hauls, and social media jabs, the 2024 presidential hopefuls made their cases to the American public today.

For Vice President Harris, it was a chance to familiarize voters with her newly minted running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Meantime, former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D.

Vance sharpened their attacks against their opponents.

In battleground Wisconsin, Vice President Harris and Minnesota Governor Walz hit the ground running on their first full day together on the Democratic ticket.

KAMALA HARRIS, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: Can we hear it for Tim Walz?

AMNA NAWAZ: One goal, help Americans get to know Walz.

KAMALA HARRIS: To the people of Southern Minnesota for 12 years, he was a congressman.

(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE) KAMALA HARRIS: To his former high school students, he was Mr. Walz.

(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE) KAMALA HARRIS: And to his former high school football players, he was Coach.

AMNA NAWAZ: The other, keep up the attack on their Republican opponents.

GOV.

TIM WALZ (D-MN), Vice Presidential Candidate: Again and again and again, this guy weakens our country to strengthen his own hands.

He mocks our laws.

He sows chaos and division amongst the people.

And that's to say nothing of the job he did as president.

(CHEERING) (APPLAUSE) AMNA NAWAZ: That followed Walz's debut as Harris' running mate last night in Philadelphia... KAMALA HARRIS: So, Pennsylvania, I'm here today because I found such a leader.

AMNA NAWAZ: ... when in a raucous crowd of more than 14,000, according to the Harris campaign, showed the newfound excitement behind this ticket.

The Harris H.Q.

TRUTH Social account posted this photo of the event juxtaposed with an image of a Trump rally held in the same arena in June.

Enthusiasm also came in the form of cash.

The campaign said today it raised a whopping $36 million in the first 24 hours after Walz joined the ticket.

The events in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are part of their whirlwind tour of several key battleground states over the next few days.

Former President Trump, meanwhile, was on the offensive in a phone interview on FOX, portraying Harris and Walz as left-wing extremists.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: Nobody knew how radical left she was, but he's a smarter version of her, if you want to know the truth.

He's probably about the same as Bernie Sanders.

He's probably more so than Bernie Sanders.

She is more so than Bernie Sanders.

This is a ticket that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner.

AMNA NAWAZ: Trump's running mate, J.D.

Vance, began his own battleground blitz.

At a police station in Michigan, he made the case for why a Harris/Walz administration would be bad for crime.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: We saw that, of course, in 2020 with the summer riots with our new vice presidential nominee on the Democratic side.

As he was promoting rioters and looters burning down the city of Minneapolis, Kamala Harris was helping to bail the rioters and looters out of jail.

AMNA NAWAZ: He was referring to protests following the police killing of George Floyd, some of which turned violent.

As Minnesota's governor, Walz called in the National Guard after several days.

Some say he was slow to respond.

By the afternoon, Vance was on to another campaign stop in Wisconsin, landing as team Harris was about to depart and walking right up to the vice president's plane, Air Force Two.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE: I just wanted to check out my future plane.

AMNA NAWAZ: On the stump, Vance responded to the attack line coined by Walz that he and former President Trump are weird.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE: I think that the weird argument honestly came from a bunch of 24-year-old social media interns who were bullied in school, and they decided they're going to project that onto the entire Trump campaign.

AMNA NAWAZ: As for team Harris, a stop in Michigan tonight, then on to Arizona and Nevada later this week.

For more on the latest developments in the race for the White House, I'm joined now by Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir and Republican strategist Doug Heye.

Good to see you both.

DOUG HEYE, Republican Strategist: Good to be with you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's talk about this newfound enthusiasm that we're seeing in the last 24 hours in particular.

Doug, $36 million raised by this ticket in the last 24 hours.

That's on top of over $300 million that Harris raised in July.

There's an undeniable energy here.

DOUG HEYE: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Is that worrying for Republicans?

DOUG HEYE: Well, it should be.

But, also, I think Republicans should step back and be realistic about where things are.

Democrats are very enthusiastic.

They're united now, no doubt about it.

Part of that is because they have moved from existential dread to happiness, right?

So if you're a team in basketball and you're down nine points and you have hit two or three baskets in a row, you feel that you have the lead, even if you do or you don't.

And polling is still coming in saying both things.

And a lot of this fund-raising that's come in, impressive numbers, absolutely, sort of low-hanging fruit, a lot of it from people who weren't going to give money if Biden was at the top of the ticket.

And once Joe said, I'm out, then Democrats were able to start doing that.

They have also benefited from a tremendous amount of almost exclusively -- exclusive positive media for Harris and now for Walz.

I think the hardest thing -- and I'm being literal when I say this -- the hardest thing about Kamala Harris in The Washington Post today was she has an unorthodox way of slicing onions, but otherwise she is an amazing cook.

That was actually in The Washington Post.

So Mike Tyson taught us, everybody has a plan until they get hit in the face.

This campaign at some point is going to get hit in the face because every campaign does.

How do they react to that?

Is Kamala Harris a good candidate, and in a way that she wasn't when she ran for president the first time and didn't really have much of a real Senate race first time?

That's what we have got to find out.

We're not going to learn that in the next two or three days, but we're certainly going to learn it in the next 90.

AMNA NAWAZ: Faiz, is this the honeymoon period for the ticket?

Is that what we're seeing in the surge of donations and crowds?

FAIZ SHAKIR, Democratic Strategist: That's certainly true, but also the tactics being employed by the Harris campaign, their operatives around them, they're fantastic.

They -- from the moment -- the 30 seconds after President Biden put out his statement saying I'm not running and then proceeded to endorse Kamala Harris, from that moment on, execution has been A-level from the Kamala Harris campaign all the way through this vice presidential nomination.

They have given confidence that the tone is sharper.

She is prepared to get on the road and make an argument.

The words about how they describe Trump are very effective.

They're persuasive.

And my only caution here, because I'm very excited -- I'm like most of the Democrats right now.

I'm very happy about the trajectory of it.

Caution is that Donald Trump has been on the ticket twice before, 2016, 2020.

In each of those elections, he outperformed what people thought he was going to get on Election Day.

The one that scares me the most is 2020.

We were in chaos.

The country was spiraling downwards.

He had gotten COVID.

Things were just not looking great.

You look at the election turnout on that day, we're talking small margins in Arizona, small margins in Wisconsin.

He exceeded expectations with his turnout.

So I say to all Democrats who are excited now, you're going to have to have that 81 million-plus number of votes, because he's going to have a lot.

DOUG HEYE: And so I agree with all of that.

One, the Harris team, the aides, the job that they have done in sealing it all up for the vice president very quickly, no leaks, they have done an extraordinarily good job just tactically as political operators.

And then the second point is, though, if you're a Democrat and you have got this rush of enthusiasm, a lot of it seems that they have come home from Halloween, they have ripped open the bags and they have had all the candy and that sugar high is there.

But, to your point, Donald Trump can win this.

This race is not only not over.

It's so early to even be talking about it being over.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, let's talk about where we are now then.

Faiz, to that point that you raised, that we're still in this really getting to know who Walz is phase in the first place, we have seen a very controlled message coming out, right?

Just today, there was this "People" magazine feature of him talking more about his family, more personal side sharing, that his son, Gus, has a nonverbal learning disorder and anxiety, and something millions of Americans can relate to.

He and his wife, Gwen, have talked about using IVF to start their family.

There's a lot of personal ties here to what they're doing, but it's early.

So where is this ticket vulnerable?

Where do you see Republicans' most potent attack against this ticket?

FAIZ SHAKIR: Well, before we get into vulnerable, what a huge asset.

He's a unique political communicator, and not because he's like Barack Obama or somebody who just knows how to deliver a fantastic address off a prompter.

He's a unique political communicator, in that he sits down at this table, he starts making you feel good.

He's -- I'm interested in what Tim Walz has to say about ice fishing.

I'm interested in what he has to say about football.

It just - - there's a unique -- we know these people who are gregarious, outgoing, affable, who when in a room care about everybody else in the room.

And it's a weird in politics because we're so used to narcissism.

That somebody would walk into a room and just be like, I care how you're doing, Amna.

That's really great.

I want you to succeed.

And that's Tim Walz, so I'm very fired up about it.

The liabilities are, of course, he's new to a lot of people, and they're going to define him.

You saw this Bernie Sanders stuff, which I welcome, by the way.

I ran Bernie Sanders' campaign.

Go ahead.

The things that Bernie Sanders is known on, on honesty and authenticity of standing up to power, particularly corporate power, particularly standing on behalf of working people.

If that's how they want to describe Tim Walz, I agree.

Let's go and define him, but they're going to play some games to try to change how you view what is otherwise an amazing human being and an amazing ticket in Harris/Walz.

AMNA NAWAZ: We haven't really seen a consistent line of attack against Vice President Harris.

I think that's fair to say so far.

DOUG HEYE: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Does the addition of Governor Walz give Trump/Vance ticket a sort of more organized strategy, and what is that?

How do they attack this ticket?

DOUG HEYE: Well, it can, because he's certainly from more part of the left of the party.

He's certainly not a Blue Dog Democrat or even a moderate Democrat.

But, ultimately, vice presidential nominees can help in the margins.

They can hurt in the margins to some extent.

And this is a race that certainly will be in margins here or there.

We're talking about a few states.

But this -- we should remind ourselves, this is Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris.

That's it.

It's not J.D.

versus Tim.

They may have a debate.

They may not.

We will see.

We will all tune in.

We will all overanalyze it.

But we know what the main event is, whether we have a debate or not.

And it goes down to those issues that voters are telling us the most loudly that they care about.

And, yes, the RNC has a big book on Kamala Harris.

They're still compiling theirs on Tim Walz, the DNC same thing.

But voters care about what's going on in their daily lives.

That starts with what they spend on things every day and the anger that they have, very real anger, when they buy a sandwich, when they decide they're not going to go to the movies because it's too expensive, and all those things.

They're upset about what's happening at the border and how that's affected their communities.

Some of them are upset, especially suburban women, about access to abortion.

That's where Walz can be beneficial on IVF.

But it goes down to those core issues.

Those other things that we will sort of distract ourselves with... AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

DOUG HEYE: ... they're just distractions.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the few seconds we have left, the economy remains the most important issue, right?

FAIZ SHAKIR: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Is there another event of some kind like a debate that you think could open this beyond what we know will be a very tight election?

FAIZ SHAKIR: You know, the economy, we have seen some signs in the market that, are recessions coming, are bad economic indicators coming?

That would obviously change the nature of the race.

But, that said, I think the Democratic ticket wants a debate about the economy, because, if they're cutting Social Security and Medicare, you want to privatize Medicare, I don't think it's going to work.

But you have to engage that debate if those data come.

AMNA NAWAZ: Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir, Republican strategist Doug Heye, great to see you both.

Thank you.

FAIZ SHAKIR: Thank you.

DOUG HEYE: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, tonight, Paris and Walz are continuing their battleground state tour with a rally in Detroit, Michigan.

When President Biden was the Democratic candidate, he faced intense scrutiny from many Muslim and Arab Americans in the state over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Some of the criticism came in the form of a protest vote, with more than 100,000 people voting uncommitted in Michigan's Democratic primary.

The city of Dearborn is home to one of the largest populations of Muslim Americans in the country, many with Middle Eastern or North African roots.

And its mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, joins me now.

Mr. Mayor, welcome back.

Thanks for being with us.

So, back in January, you spoke with my colleague Laura Barron-Lopez.

You said back then that there seems to be no real difference between former President Trump and current President Biden, who was then the Democratic nominee.

And back then, you had refused to meet with the Biden campaign staff.

The ticket has now changed.

How do you view this new ticket?

Would you meet with the Harris/Walz ticket today?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD (D), Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan: You know, as I have expressed, since President Biden has stepped aside and Vice President Harris has become the nominee for Democratic Party, we believe the door is cracked open, that there's now opportunity to have dialogue, for us to understand how Vice President Harris will differentiate herself from President Biden on the path for Gaza.

We believe that there has to be a course-correction.

We have seen thus far that he she has demonstrated being tough on rhetoric as it pertains to the remarks she made following your private meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu.

But more than just being tough on rhetoric, we're hoping that she pairs that rhetoric with tough policy.

AMNA NAWAZ: When you say that the door has been cracked open, is that based, as you say, just on what you have heard from her so far in the way of messaging or something else?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: We believe that there's been some good-faith measures, for example, not standing behind the war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed Congress, the remarks that she made following her private meeting where it was the first time in a long time that me and the community felt an individual such as the vice president humanized Palestinians, recognized the suffering and even brought forth that Palestinians deserve the right to self-determination.

And ten, most recently, as we have also seen with her V.P.

pick with -- her V.P.

in Governor Walz of Minnesota, this is a governor who may be the only governor in the country who when the uncommitted vote sprung up in his state as well, he congratulated the uncommitted voters.

He thanked them for participating and engaging civically.

And he recognized the situation in Gaza is intolerable, that the party should be listening to them, and we should -- and that we should course-correct on the issue of Gaza.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, if there is to be a meeting of some kind, what do you specifically want to hear from Harris or Walz that would help to lock up your support and that of your community?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: Based on the conversations I have had with many constituents and many thought leaders in this space, be they Palestinian-Americans, Arab Americans, Muslim Americans or broader anti-war pro justice Americans, the focal points are the following.

We really want to anchor down on the idea of a permanent cease-fire being called for because we believe that's the only pathway to the release of all hostages and prisoners in the situation and the only way to get access to unfettered humanitarian aid into Gaza and beyond.

Second, the upholding of international law.

The ICC and the ICJ have now litigated this issue.

We believe that this should be the shield for Vice President Harris and Governor Walz on this issue.

And we think that an offensive arms embargo makes sense.

We can follow the lead of the U.K. in this situation.

And thirdly is a concrete timeline and table of how we get towards a just Palestinian state, because a return to the status quo was no longer not only acceptable, but also not feasible.

The U.N. is saying that at the earliest it would take 15 to 20 years to clear any debris and rubble from the from the destruction that the IDF has done all over Gaza and, at minimum, two or three decades to begin the reconstruction of Gaza to give Palestinians a feeling of hope again.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Mayor, as you have seen, amid all the discontent, the frustration with the Biden administration's policy in Israel and towards Gaza, we have seen the Trump team conducting a lot of outreach in Michigan.

We know his former Cabinet official Richard Grenell, for example, has been on the ground and others.

Is any of that outreach working?

Is there an opportunity there for the Trump/Vance ticket?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: There is no opportunity whatsoever.

They have certainly reached out to some members, but the individuals they have spoken with don't represent or speak on behalf of the community in any regard.

I can tell you that nobody who I have spoken with, even some of the conservative constituents that I represent, have also expressed great disdain for the Trump/Vance ticket, because they understand what a Trump presidency represents.

This is an individual who is vocal about wanting to bring back a Muslim ban in new fashion and new order.

This is the president who moved the embassy to Jerusalem, who eliminated all humanitarian aid relief toward Palestinians in the budget that he passed during his time.

This is somebody that recognized the annexation of the Golan Heights and the annexation of illegal settlements.

This is somebody that armed Saudi Arabia that killed 30,000 people in Yemen.

And so we very much understand what Trump represents as a president and that is not something anybody wants to see this November.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mr. Mayor, we saw that this issue of U.S. policy towards Israel, the mounting death toll of Palestinians was enough of an animating issue for thousands of people to vote uncommitted back during the primaries.

Come November, do you still think it will be an influential factor?

And if people don't hear what they want to hear, will they vote for a third party?

Will they stay at home?

What happens.

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: (AUDIO GAP) I look at the primary elections that just happened this week and the primaries here in Michigan.

You saw apathy.

People did not turn out because they were not excited at what was at the top of the ticket.

And the apathy and the feeling of dehumanization from all of the talk that has happened at the podiums from the White House has kept people at home.

What inspires and draws people to come out on November is hope.

People want a hopeful message.

People want to see that their values and principles are represented in the candidate who wants to seek the highest office in the globe.

And the issues that we care about are not issues that only people in Dearborn care forever or Arab Americans and Muslim Americans.

These are issues that are popular amongst Americans from coast to coast.

The majority of Americans want to see a permanent cease-fire.

And so I think it prudent of the presidential candidates to listen to the new center of not only their parties, but the new center of America, that times have changed.

And being very hard-line on Israel is no longer good policy.

People want international law upheld.

And I think it's time that we moved along with the center of the people.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud, joining us tonight.

Mr. Mayor, thank you.

We appreciate your time.

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: We start the day's other headlines with severe weather.

The effects of Tropical Storm Debby are being felt as far north as the Great Lakes.

The massive cyclone has collided with other weather systems, dumping heavy rain on highways and streets and stranding motorists in New York.

It's also toppled trees into homes like here in Ohio, where more than 300,000 people had lost power as of this afternoon.

Debby is out over the Atlantic right now, but will move inland by tomorrow before marching north towards New York and into Canada.

Before that, though, there is more rain in store for Southern states like the Carolinas.

Today, North Carolina's governor warned residents to stay ahead of the storm.

GOV.

ROY COOPER (D-NC): So preparation now means saving lives later.

We expect this storm to continue its slow, gradual approach, bringing multiple days of heavy rainfall and the potential for widespread and even severe flash flooding.

AMNA NAWAZ: At least six people have died due to Debby, most of them in traffic accidents or from fallen trees.

New data show that the number of women getting abortions in the U.S. went up in the first three months of the year compared to before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

That's according to a new report from the Society of Family Planning, which supports abortion access.

There were around 99,000 abortions each month from January to March nationwide.

That's compared to a monthly average of 84,000 in the period before the 2022 Supreme Court ruling.

The increase is due in part to the rise in telemedicine, allowing doctors to see patients from areas that have banned the procedure.

The United Kingdom is on high alert tonight amid concerns about a new wave of anti-immigrant violence.

Shops in Northeast London were boarded up following recent protests targeting mosques and minority communities.

More than 100 police officers have been injured in the clashes.

The riots have been fueled by misinformation over a stabbing in late July in which three girls were killed in the town of Southport.

Social media rumors falsely identified the attacker as a Muslim asylum seeker.

London's police commissioner says officials won't tolerate further violence.

MARK ROWLEY, Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis: It is completely unacceptable, regardless of your political views, to intimidate any sector of lawful activity, and we will not let the immigration asylum system be intimidated.

They're operating lawfully.

The thugs and criminals who are targeting them are not.

AMNA NAWAZ: Police have made more than 400 arrests so far.

Three men have been convicted already for violent disorder, among other charges.

In the Middle East, despite soaring regional tensions in recent days, cease-fire negotiations for the Israel-Hamas war are as close as ever.

That's according to White House official John Kirby, who also said that the new leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, is the -- quote -- "chief decision-maker" on any progress towards a cease-fire.

That all comes as Israel unleashes near constant airstrikes in Gaza and put forward video claiming to show attacks on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon.

Israel's defense minister had a tough warning for the Iran-backed militant group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

YOAV GALLANT, Israeli Defense Minister (through translator): From the look of things, Nasrallah made drag Lebanon to pay heavy prices.

They don't imagine what could happen.

I guess if they take a photo of Gaza, they will understand.

But reason doesn't always prevail.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, Turkey has formally asked to join South Africa in its genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

Hamas welcomed the move, saying it affirms Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's support for the Palestinian cause.

The family of the French explorer who died in the tightened submersible implosion last year have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the sub's operator.

They say that the crew experienced -- quote -- "terror and mental anguish" before the disaster, and they're seeking more than $50 million in damages.

Paul-Henri Nargeolet was one of five people on board the Titan when it imploded on its way to visiting the Titanic wreck site in June of 2023.

Lawyers for his family say that OceanGate, which owned the sub, failed to disclose important facts about the vessel and its safety.

The two astronauts who went to the International Space Station in June for a weeklong mission have been there for two months now and may not return until next year.

That's because the spacecraft that took them, Boeing's Starliner, is not safe to return home.

It's plagued by thruster issues and leaks.

NASA said, if Starliner isn't fixed, astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore could hitch a ride with the next SpaceX crewed mission when it returns home next February.

Officials said they have until roughly mid-August to make a final decision.

Three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna have been canceled due to security concerns.

The music megastar was due to perform in the city's Ernst Happel Stadium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but organizers called off the shows after officials arrested two suspected extremists.

One of them is said to have been planning an attack on events such as those upcoming concerts.

Organizers say that all tickets will be refunded.

And on Wall Street today, an earlier rally lost steam, dragging stocks lower by the close.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 200 points.

The Nasdaq gave back 171 points, or about 1 percent.

The S&P 500 also ended lower on the day.

And in Paris, it was a hot, eventful day at the Summer Olympics, but it began with some Winter Olympians getting their long overdue taste of gold.

With the Eiffel Tower behind them, nine U.S. figure skaters were honored for their first-place team finish in Beijing two-and-a-half years ago.

The International Olympic Committee delayed the ceremony until a major doping scandal, which cost Russia its title, had been resolved.

As for this year's games, spoiler alert, we have some results to share here.

There was gold today for Team USA in women's track cycling and for Quincy Hall, who surged a victory in the men's 400 meters.

Additional medals in weight lifting, skateboarding and artistic swimming add to the U.S. medal count, which currently stands at 94 overall.

Still to come on the "News Hour": a controversy surrounding an Olympic boxer highlights the debate around gender and sports; an Arizona Republican who fought back against false election claims is ousted; pandas return to the San Diego Zoo; and much more.

Russia says that it's fighting raids by Ukrainian forces for a second straight day inside Russia's border.

The intense battles are said to be taking place in the Kursk region, across from the Ukrainian region of Sumy.

It appears to be one of the largest incursions into Russian territory since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine two-and-a-half years ago.

The Ukrainian government has not claimed responsibility for or acknowledged the attack.

Ukraine has been trying to intensify its fight against Russia not only across the 800-mile front line, but also in territory that Russia has occupied since 2014, Crimea.

And that is where Ukraine is achieving some success.

Here's Nick Schifrin with more.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In a war where Ukraine struggles to hold the line, Ukraine boasts with highly produced videos a theater of success, Russian-occupied crime era, where Russian boats have gone up in smoke.

Ukraine has zero warships, but Kyiv and Washington say Ukrainian sea drones have destroyed more than a dozen Russian ships.

And now Ukraine has unleashed on Crimea its most powerful American weapon, the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS.

A U.S. official tells "PBS News Hour" the U.S. has sent Ukraine hundreds of missiles, each with a range of nearly 190 miles and a price tag of $1.3 million.

JAKE SULLIVAN, U.S. National Security Adviser: I'm announcing an emergency package of security assistance of $300 million.

NICK SCHIFRIN: After lengthy internal debate and external pressure, the administration first authorized ATACMS for Ukraine in mid-March.

And U.S. officials say Ukraine first used them in mid-April, this strike on a Russian airfield in occupied Crimea.

LT. GEN. BEN HODGES (RET.

), U.S. Army: ATACMS help Ukraine achieve the goal of making the Crimean Peninsula uninhabitable for Russian army, navy and air force.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges is the former commander of U.S. Army Europe.

He's long argued the road to Ukrainian victory runs through Crimea, whose 2014 annexation is one of President Vladimir Putin's crowning achievements and where the Russian military has expanded ever since.

LT. GEN. BEN HODGES: Now Ukraine has enough ATACMS to be able to hit all the airfields, every ship that's in Sevastopol and the harbor and other important facilities.

That's the goal, make that place untenable for Russian forces.

NICK SCHIFRIN: U.S. officials confirm attack ATACMS helped sink a Russian submarine last weekend and have damaged or destroyed Russian airfields and at least a dozen Russian air defense batteries in Crimea, including some of Russia's most advanced, S-300s and S-400s, and among the warships, the Tsyklon, one of the first sunk by a ballistic missile.

Ukraine's attacks help force Russia's most valuable naval assets out of Crimea into Southern Russia, a feat first accomplished with long-range British Storm Shadow missiles that Ukraine has been launching since last year.

LT. GEN. BEN HODGES: These hits matter a lot, partly because of the fact that the Russians cannot replace them.

Crimea is a launching pad of all sorts of different missiles, rockets, drones that are hitting civilian infrastructure.

The ability to do that has been significantly reduced.

NICK SCHIFRIN: These tactical gains help advance a strategic goal, keep Ukrainian commerce flowing through the Black Sea.

Ukraine's food exports now match or even exceed levels from before the full-scale invasion.

That income is critical to keep Ukraine's government afloat so it can pay soldiers' salaries and to Ukraine's long-term half-a-trillion-dollar reconstruction.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): Over the course of this war, Ukraine has gained an entirely new status in the Black Sea.

This region will now always be free from Russian dominance.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The U.S. and Ukraine also say ATACMS could challenge Russian supply lines into Crimea, including via ferry.

U.S. officials confirm ATACMS damaged two ferries that Russia uses to move fuel and ammunition, and Ukraine destroyed the third.

Those strikes penetrated one of the most fortified air defenses on the planet around the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to mainland Russia.

Ukraine set it ablaze in October 2022 with an improvised explosive device that Russia said was equivalent to 10 tons of TNT.

In December 2022, Putin took a drive to reassure Russians the bridge was solid.

In July 2023, the Ukrainian sea drone hit it again.

But U.S. officials confirm that Russia has shot down ATACMS, including in late June, when shrapnel from a shot-down missile that was aimed at a military target instead rained down on beachgoers.

Russian media showed sun loungers used as stretchers, and Russian officials said the strike killed at least four people, including children, and wounded 150 more.

If the U.S. and Ukraine want Crimeans to feel unsafe, tourists told local journalists it's working.

MAN (through translator): We hope for the best, but, of course, deep inside, we have a sense of danger.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But the biggest danger to Ukraine exists far from Crimea.

In the east, Ukraine has struggled to hold the line after shortages of manpower and munitions.

Some experts question whether Crimea is the most vital front for an American weapon in relatively short supply.

ANATOL LIEVEN, Director of the Eurasia Program, Quincy Institute: This is of great significance, but it doesn't critically affect the overall future of the war.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Anatol Lieven directs the Quincy Institute's Eurasia Program.

He says the ATACMS would be better saved for an expected Russian offensive.

ANATOL LIEVEN: There is therefore a case for the Ukrainians conserving their ATACMS and other weapons and ammunition for that moment.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Ukraine also wants to use ATACMS elsewhere, inside Russia, especially on bases with planes that drop devastating 2,000-pound bombs, but the U.S. restricts ATACMS use to inside Ukraine.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: We can protect our cities from Russian guided bombs if American leadership makes a step forward and allows us to destroy Russian military aircrafts on their bases.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But until the U.S. takes that step, Crimea is a concentrated target and an example of Ukrainian success in a war of attrition with no end in sight.

For the PBS "News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.

AMNA NAWAZ: The 2024 Olympic Games have garnered tens of millions of viewers with jaw-dropping performances and compelling storylines.

But in recent days, controversy surrounding the gender of one boxer has also consumed headlines.

William Brangham has that story.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was triumphant yesterday.

She defeated her opponent from Thailand and will now fight for gold on Friday night.

On the streets of Paris, Algerian fans rejoiced.

MAYA SILARBI, Algerian Supporter (through translator): It was an intense fight.

She gave everything.

Imane was able to represent her country.

She was able to show the world what strong Algerian women are.

She came out victorious and we are proud of that.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But Khelif's rise has also put her at the center of an international firestorm.

It began last week, when she defeated an Italian boxer here in blue who quit their match after just 46 seconds, saying she was in too much pain from Khelif's punches.

MAN: A man from beating a woman to death.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Immediately, social media and cable news was flooded with false accusations that Khelif was male or transgender.

Former President Donald Trump and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, both of whom have spoken out against transgender people, lashed out at Khelif's participation.

SEN. J.D.

VANCE (R-OH), Vice Presidential Candidate: The far left wants to allow biological males to beat the living crap out of women in boxing.

(BOOING) WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Khelif is not male or transgender, but these recent accusations stemmed in part from her disqualification at last year's world championships.

The International Boxing Association, or IBA, a governing body for the sport, barred Khelif and a Taiwanese boxer after the IBA claimed they failed unspecified gender eligibility tests.

The International Olympic Committee, which called the IBA's decision quote, arbitrary and banned the association over corruption concerns last year, decried the vitriol that's been aimed at Khelif.

MARK ADAMS, Spokesperson, International Olympic Committee: The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.

This is not a transgender case.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Amid the attacks, Khelif's father came to his daughter's defense.

AMAR KHELIF, Father of Imane Khelif (through translator): This is our official family document, May 2, 1999, Imane Khelif, a female.

It is written here.

You can read it.

This document doesn't lie.

The people who are lying and leading a fierce campaign against her are the enemies of God.

The attacks against her are immoral, it is not fair.

Imane is a little girl that has loved sport since she was 6 years old.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Algerian fans have been solidly behind Khelif at the Games, and, this week, she spoke about the toll the criticism has taken.

IMANE KHELIF, Algerian Boxer (through translator): I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this thing has effects, massive effects.

It can destroy people.

It can kill people's thoughts, spirit and mind.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So that was Imane Khelif a few days ago, describing what these accusations can do to people.

For a deeper look at what we do and do not know, and what this says more broadly about the future of women's sports, we are joined by Katie Barnes, who's been closely following this for ESPN.

Katie is also the author of "Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates."

Katie Barnes, thank you so much for being here.

There are so many different threads in this story, who governs boxing, who gets to determine, who competes where, all these misconceptions about Imane Khelif herself.

But let's start with her to begin with.

She's born a female, she's lived her life as a female, she's competed as a female, and yet there's this international boxing association test that allegedly disqualifies her.

What do we know about that test and what it tells us?

KATIE BARNES, ESPN: The nature of the test itself is unclear.

The association has said that it was not a testosterone test.

In a press conference, they later clarified that it was a blood test.

But what they were testing for and exactly what eligibility standards Khelif did not meet, they have not been specific about.

And part of that is due to the fact that this information is private medical information, so they are limited in terms of what they can say publicly without the consent of the fighters.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So, at its core, it seems that there is this discrepancy between what the IBA and the Olympics say about whether or not someone has some unfair characteristics that allow them to compete or not, right?

Isn't that the core of this?

KATIE BARNES: Yes, there's the tension around the question of who it should be eligible to compete in the women's category in sports, in this case in boxing.

And there is a disagreement, it would seem, between the IBA and the IOC.

And, again, we don't know the specifics of the disagreement, but the IBA has vigorously defended its decision to disqualify Khelif and Lin Yu-ting.

And the IOC has vigorously defended its decision to include them both in women's boxing competition in Paris.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: How often are these tests used?

Have they been used for a long time?

What can you tell us about the history of this kind of testing?

KATIE BARNES: I would say that sex verification testing in terms of determining whether or not an athlete who wants to participate in an elite women's category is eligible to do so,that has been around for a very long time, almost since women have been playing sports at the Olympic level, frankly.

And so those tests have taken different forms from visual inspections to cheek swabs that are looking for DNA tests or chromosomes to hormone tests over time.

And so they have taken different forms.

And in recent years, I would say it's been cyclical in terms of how these tests are performed and under what circumstances.

And so it's an ongoing discussion about how best to regulate the women's category.

And it is something that is unique to the women's category.

The men's category is not under the same type of scrutiny, largely because of the nature of how women began to get access to sports to begin with.

It's derived from this idea that this is a protected category.

And so, therefore, the boundary that is set must be policed from a regulation standpoint.

And so how that has happened has changed over time, but it's pretty much always been there.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So what do you make of the whole political firestorm that blew up over Imane's successes?

KATIE BARNES: I really think of it as a consequence of imprecise language.

When people use terms like "biological male -- quote, unquote -- and -- quote, unquote -- "man" to describe people who are competing in a women's sporting event, especially a combat sports event like boxing, that tends to bring out a lot of emotion from folks.

And that is also happening in the wake of just a tremendous amount of emotional and legislative energy being put toward addressing some of these issues in the United States in terms of legislation passing around transgender athletes.

And so I really think that bred a lot of confusion and brought out a lot of emotions.

And sometimes that was used inadvertently and correctly.

And sometimes folks, I think, weaponized that in this particular case.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, apart from these larger debates over these -- who governs these rules and who sets these standards, as we heard from Imane Khelif herself, the vitriol that was directed at her about -- towards an individual has got to be so dispiriting when you're trying to compete at this level.

KATIE BARNES: Yes, I can't speak for her, of course, but judging by what she has said publicly, and also, what -- how she just released so much emotion after winning her quarterfinal bout, you know, it's very clear that this has weighed heavily on her.

And other athletes who have been through similar difficulties when they run-up against policy that disqualifies them and that becomes public, I think it's important to acknowledge as members of the public that these are real people who are wrestling with these things and perhaps are learning new information about themselves.

And now that's being parsed publicly and in highly emotional and charged ways.

And athletes are human too.

And I think we would be -- we would do well to remember that.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Katie Barnes of ESPN, thank you so much for helping us wade through all of this.

KATIE BARNES: Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: The 2020 presidential election was decided by a handful of states, none closer than Arizona, where President Biden's margin of victory was fewer than 11,000 votes.

The close race meant that Arizona became ground zero for lies that the election was stolen and illegitimate.

Stephanie Sy has this update on what's happened since.

STEPHANIE SY: In the last four years, the integrity of Arizona's election system has sustained repeated attacks from conspiracy theorists and allies of former President Trump.

One of its staunchest defenders is an elected Republican, Stephen Richer, who, as recorder, oversees voter registration and mail-in ballots in Maricopa County.

His pushback to election deniers angered many in his own party.

And, last week, he lost the GOP primary as he sought a second term.

Stephen Richer joins me now.

Recorder Richer, thank you for joining the "News Hour."

You have faced death threats for your vocal defense of democracy in the 2020 election, yet you decided to run for a second term.

And, of course, last week, you lost in the primary to a candidate backed by election deniers.

How did you take that?

And does it mean the election fraud lies are still dominating the GOP as we head into this next election?

STEPHEN RICHER (R), Maricopa County, Arizona, Recorder: It's still a significant portion of the conversation, and there's certainly still a lot of people who believe inaccurate information about the 2020 election and the 2022 election.

So there's a lot of work to be done.

I'm going to continue doing it to the best of my abilities over the next five months.

And I would love to instill confidence in the process in as many people as possible before I head out.

But I'm sad to be leaving my team, to be leaving this important office, but I'm also very excited to be able to move on from some of the unpleasant parts that you mentioned and to try a new adventure.

STEPHANIE SY: Your opponent in the primary, Representative Justin Heap, was recruited by one of the Arizonans behind the so-called fake elector scheme to try and change Arizona's votes to the Trump column in 2020.

While Heap avoided outright election denialism in his campaign, do you think he represents a big enough threat to elections that you're planning to actively support his Democratic opponent over him, Stephen?

STEPHEN RICHER: Oh, I haven't made any determination as far as that.

I don't know how he would govern or how the Democrat running in this race would govern.

My focus is going to be on the next four months in ensuring that we deliver a fair, lawful, transparent 2024 general election.

And then it will be in someone else's hands to steer the office forward.

And that, of course, could take a different approach.

And if it's unlawful, then people will sue.

And if it's not as good, then maybe people will look back fondly on some of the transparent things that we did.

STEPHANIE SY: Speaking of the law, Heap did support some of the election reforms in the state legislature that were proposed by election denialists.

Have any changes to the election system in Arizona happened that have helped or hurt election integrity, in your view?

STEPHEN RICHER: For all of the talk, there actually hasn't been that much change to how elections are administered.

There hasn't been any sea tide change in terms of you can't tabulate ballots by machine anymore, or you can't have mail-in ballots, or we're not doing having early voting or something along those lines, although all of them have been proposed.

STEPHANIE SY: So, no drastic changes.

In the remainder of your term, and you talked about wanting to safeguard voter trust, what are your plans in the next couple of months to build trust?

STEPHEN RICHER: To keep doing what I have been doing throughout this past three-and-a-half years, and we have put so much effort into explaining this process.

We have done livestreams, we have done tele-town halls, we have done virtual tours of our facility, we have done over 200 tours of our election facility.

It's my sincerest wish that the average Arizona and feel good about the election in terms of how it's administered, feel confident in the results.

And we're going to keep working towards that with the only weapon that we have at our disposal, which is more and more information.

And so we will keep doing that.

And I just really hope that there are enough people out there who can still be convinced by facts and logic.

STEPHANIE SY: Allow me to zoom out for a moment to the national picture, Stephen.

A group of Arizona Republicans, through their support behind Vice President Harris.

You have said in the past you would support Mr. Biden over Mr. Trump in November.

Should we assume that you are planning to vote for V.P.

Harris?

And if so, will you be actively helping in her campaign?

STEPHEN RICHER: I certainly won't be actively helping, and I haven't decided how I'm going to vote yet.

But as I have said before, I am a long time Republican, but there are a number of comments and actions that the former president has made with respect to my office that have given me great pause and have had some very negative effects for the people working here in my office and for election administration throughout the country.

Those are unacceptable in my book.

And so it's an election that's causing me great anguish as a long time Republican voter.

STEPHANIE SY: Stephen Richer, the recorder of Maricopa County, thanks so much for joining the "News Hour," as always.

STEPHEN RICHER: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: The first pandas to arrive in the U.S. in more than two decades are about to make their big debut in California.

It's the latest development in what's known as panda diplomacy.

And, as William Brangham reports, the exchanges between China and the U.S. are not always black and white.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It's a diplomatic journey that hasn't happened in over 20 years, two young pandas, 4-year-old male Yun Chuan and 3-year-old female Xin Bao, flew 7,000 miles from China's mountainous Sichuan Province all the way to the San Diego Zoo.

Few foreign dignitaries get such an enthusiastic welcome.

WOMAN: We know the pandas are here and it's pandamonium.

WOMAN: Panda season.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: While these two are expected to draw big crowds, they're initially being kept out of sight for a few weeks to let them acclimate.

Apart from Atlanta, San Diego is now the only zoo in the nation with these precious bears.

San Diego Zoo received its first pair from China in 1996.

Over the years, six more were born at the zoo, but under the agreement with China, all were returned to their native country in 2019.

DR. MEGAN OWEN, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: We have learned so much about giant pandas over the last five years.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Dr. Megan Owen is the vice president of wildlife conservation science at the San Diego Zoo.

DR. MEGAN OWEN: The size of the habitat is, I believe it's quadrupled, maybe even quintupled.

It's enormous.

We integrated studies of behavior, physiology and health to ensure we knew all we needed to know about their well-being.

But San Diego isn't the only zoo prepping for pandas.

JILL BIDEN, Wife of Joe Biden: It's official.

The pandas are coming back to D.C. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., will welcome a new pair by the end of this year.

BRANDIE SMITH, Smithsonian National Zoo: We know that there are going to be millions of people who want to see the pandas the day they're here.

The entire planet is watching and there's no margin for error.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute director Brandie Smith.

BRANDIE SMITH: The fact that the conversations went back quickly, that's the surprise.

That was the exciting part for us.

We have already sent some folks to China to meet our new pandas so they can start to get to know them.

We're having regular conversations with our colleagues in China.

We find out more about them.

They're such individuals.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Native just to China, giant pandas only travel abroad with Beijing's approval.

Chinese panda diplomacy started in the 1940s, a way for China to bolster its image with the wider world and to help conservation efforts.

In the 1970s, two pandas were sent to the U.S. during the Nixon administration and they drew huge crowds to Washington's National Zoo.

The practice has continued ever since and with several other nations as well.

The exchanges aren't always harmonious.

In 2010, when President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama, who Beijing views as a Tibetan separatist, China recalled two pandas.

SUSAN BROWNELL, University of Missouri-St. Louis: When pandas are withdrawn, China doesn't say, this is a symbol of bad relations.

Some other excuse is always given.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Susan Brownell is distinguished professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

SUSAN BROWNELL: There's been this whole furor about pandas being sent back to China and not renewed as a symbol of the deterioration in U.S.-China relations.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Last year, amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, the National Zoo had to say farewell to its three bears.

The Memphis Zoo sent home its last bear, Ya Ya.

And Atlanta's four pandas are headed back in the fall.

With no new returnees on the horizon, it seemed the U.S. would be panda-free.

But then last year, when President Biden and President Xi Jinping met in California, a breakthrough.

XI JINPING, Chinese President (through translator): Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between China and the U.S. We are ready to continue our cooperation on panda protection with the U.S. WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In addition to the duos in San Diego and those coming to D.C., next year, two more will head to San Francisco.

But with less than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, there are questions about whether captivity is humane.

Ginette Hemley is senior vice president of wildlife conservation at the World Wildlife Fund.

GINETTE HEMLEY, World Wildlife Fund: Populations in the wild are getting isolated, and so that makes it difficult for pandas to breed, and that's why their numbers are recovering so slowly.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Unlike with other vulnerable species, Hemley says, conservation agreements helped upgrade giant pandas from endangered to just vulnerable.

But breeding the bears is incredibly difficult.

Despite their playful, gregarious reputation, the bears are naturally solitary.

Females are only fertile once a year and only for about a day to a day-and-a-half.

GINETTE HEMLEY: Efforts to breed pandas have improved.

There are more and more that are being bred in captivity.

These long-term programs are required to provide funding directly to conservation of pandas in the wild.

So, in that sense, the panda is unique.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: This new duo in San Diego marks the first time in over two decades that Beijing agreed to send new bears to the U.S., and they're no longer considered gifts.

The bears are officially leased, and they are not cheap.

Each pair costs around a million dollars every year.

Dan Ashe is the president and CEO of the Association Of Zoos And Aquariums.

DAN ASHE, President and CEO, Association Of Zoos and Aquariums: It's expensive for them.

And so you think that, yes, it brings a lot of visitors, but it brings a lot of responsibility.

You have to have specialized staff.

It's an honor, because what it does is it shows that these are facilities that are really at the top of their game.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In San Diego, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao will be officially unveiled to the public this week, getting Americans once again fired up for some much-needed pandamonium.

For the PBS "News Hour," I'm William Brangham.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is the end of the puns and the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.