July 30, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

Amna Nawaz is away.

On the "News Hour" tonight: Israeli forces target a high-ranking Hezbollah military leader, raising fears of an escalated conflict in the region.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Georgia, a state that's now even more hotly contested than expected.

And Congress advances a bill aimed at protecting children online.

But critics warn it could lead to censorship.

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

Israel says it has killed one of Hezbollah's most senior military officials in the southern suburbs of Beirut tonight.

Nick Schifrin is watching this and is here with us now -- Nick.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Geoff, U.S. officials have no independent confirmation of Fuad Shukr's death.

But Israel blames him for this past weekend strike that killed a dozen children and he's long been on the U.S.' most wanted list.

And, tonight, his possible death is sparking fears of an escalating regional war.

It was a strike in Hezbollah's stronghold.

An Israeli missile destroyed an apartment building and rained debris into the middle of a residential neighborhood, the target confirmed by an Israeli official, U.S. specially designated global terrorist Fuad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin.

Israel held him -- quote -- "responsible" for last weekend's attack on a soccer field that killed a dozen children and teenagers, a strike that Israel's defense minister said today crossed a red line.

An Israeli official also called him the head of Hezbollah's military wing, one of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's most senior military commanders.

But he's also a wanted man in the U.S. for playing a -- quote -- "central role" in the October 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine court barracks in Beirut that killed 241 U.S. service members.

Vice President Harris said after arriving in Atlanta today she supported Israel and wants a diplomatic solution.

KAMALA HARRIS, Vice President of the United States (D) and U.S. Presidential Candidate: It has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is.

But, all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks, and we will continue to do that work.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Senior American officials have visited Lebanon and Israel, hoping to calm tensions with the diplomatic agreement to move Hezbollah back from the Israeli border, as the U.N. Security Council long ago demanded.

But the two sides have traded fire for 10 months since Hezbollah started launching rockets on October the 8th.

And analysts say Hezbollah will consider the seniority and location of today's target requiring a response.

After the strike, residents of Southern Beirut demanded revenge.

Tonight, a senior Israeli official tells me that Israel wanted to send a -- quote -- "very clear message.

We will not tolerate harm to civilians, but we don't want to see this escalating into a wider war and whether it does is in the hands of Hezbollah."

To discuss today's attack, we turn to Randa Slim, the director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute.

Randa Slim, thanks very much.

Welcome back to the "News Hour."

How important was Fuad Shukr and what impact will his death have, assuming that he is in fact dead?

RANDA SLIM, Middle East Institute: Assuming he's dead, because Hezbollah until now has not confirmed his death.

He is a senior commander.

He's a member of Hezbollah's elite Jihadi Council, which is a group of -- small group of few men who are in charge of all military affairs of Hezbollah.

He is part of the first cohort of Hezbollah fighters in the early '80s, rose through the ranks to become a senior commander in and now a member of this elite Jihadi Council.

And, as such, he is -- he works in close coordination with Iran's Iranian Revolutionary Guard Force.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, as you said, Hezbollah has not confirmed his death.

Has Hezbollah denied that he's dead?

RANDA SLIM: No, they have not denied his death.

I think the news out of Hezbollah's headquarters is that he was hurt, he was injured, but they did not deny his death.

Now, his loss is definitely going to hurt Hezbollah.

And the fact that until now, they have not issued a statement, for me, it's an indication of a state of disarray inside the leadership to decide what kind of statement they will issue and how they are going to respond.

NICK SCHIFRIN: As I just mentioned, an Israeli senior official told me tonight basically that they don't want to see escalation after this, that they see this event as the end of the back-and-forth that they say is for Majdal Shams, the attack in Israel-controlled Golan Heights.

How is Hezbollah likely to take that message?

And how is it likely to respond, again, if he is in fact dead?

RANDA SLIM: In one of his recent speeches, Hassan Nasrallah said that the war of support of Palestinians that they have launched on October 8 on the border with Israel is conducted according to a careful balanced equation, what he -- the way he put it, a careful balancing equation.

And what he meant by that, it was -- it is a proportional tit for tat pattern.

And we are going to follow this logic and apply it to this strike.

The Israeli strike took place on a -- hit a major city, the capital of the country, and took out a highly valued asset for Hezbollah.

This is not the first commander, Hezbollah commander who was killed.

Until now, Hezbollah -- I mean, Israel has targeted more than 300 Hezbollah commanders, but none of them is of the seniority of the rank that Shukr is.

So taking that pattern of proportionality, then we should expect Hezbollah's response to follow that same pattern in terms of maybe hitting a major city and maybe hitting a high-value target.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And talk about that a little more.

After the attack in Majdal Shams, Israel made it clear that Hezbollah would pay a price - - quote -- "that it hadn't paid before."

Israel had multiple options for how to respond.

How do you rate its decision to respond in this way?

RANDA SLIM: It's a major escalation.

The Israeli minister of defense said Hezbollah crossed a red line when the rocket hit Majdal Shams.

I think, for Hezbollah, we look at today's strike as also Israel crossing a major red line for them.

And so I think we are now really on the brink of maybe a major escalatory scenario.

But, hopefully, hopefully, the two sides who remain interested in containing this war to border clashes, will step away from the brink and prevent this all-out war that everybody is afraid of.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The U.S. officials who I talk to are certainly afraid of that, as we heard this afternoon, Vice President Harris saying that she wanted diplomacy to work.

Will Hezbollah listen to the messages that they are going to receive from the Americans, from the region and not escalate further?

RANDA SLIM: I think we are in a new chapter here of warfare between Hezbollah and Israel, with, again, all red lines having been violated.

New rules of the game are going to start taking shape and taking place.

I think -- and under -- in this new chapter, the outside parties, be it the U.S. or be it Iran, as far as Hezbollah is concerned, are going to have limited impact on affecting the parties, the two belligerents' cost/benefit calculations about escalation.

And so, at this point, it's going to really be up to Hezbollah's cost/benefit calculus about escalation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The cost -- the conventional wisdom for that cost/benefit calculus recently, at least, has been that neither Israel nor Hezbollah itself, frankly, nor Iran, would want this to escalate into a further war, given the risk to Israel that Hezbollah rockets pose and given the risk to Lebanon itself, that a war that Hezbollah would start, how unpopular that would be in Lebanon.

Is that congressional wisdom right?

Is it still the case that neither side wants war?

RANDA SLIM: I think it's still the case that neither side wants war.

But, also, as we have seen in Majdal Shams, maybe mistakes got committed.

And then you had an escalation, and then now you might have a counterescalation.

So, but, still, I think both Israel and Hezbollah, as well as the U.S. and Iran, are interested in containing this crisis, and hoping that we will get to this cease-fire deal in Gaza, which will then ensure total cessation of hostilities on the Lebanon-Hezbollah -- Lebanon-Israel border.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Randa Slim, thank you very much.

RANDA SLIM: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The day's other headlines begin in California, where the rapidly spreading Park Fire is now the fifth largest in state history.

Firefighters battled its flames overnight as they were fanned by gusty winds.

As of today, the blaze had scorched nearly 600 square miles.

At a briefing this morning, Governor Gavin Newsom said the summer's fire activity is already well above average, and he urged residents to heed official warnings.

GOV.

GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): This is the beginning of the season.

We're seeing significantly more intense activity, and so I pray that people are mindful of these evacuation orders.

They take them seriously.

You can replace a home.

You can't replace a life.

GEOFF BENNETT: Dozens of other large fires are burning in the West amid hot and dry conditions.That's in stark contrast to the Northeast, where torrential rains soaked Northern Vermont again today, rivers washed out roads, and authorities had to rescue some two dozen people.

In Southern India, landslides have killed at least 106 people and many more are believed to be trapped under the debris.

Heavy rain sent mud and waters gushing through the hills of Kerala state.

Rescuers used zip lines over rushing waters to search for survivors.

Local media are reporting that many of the victims were employees at the area's tea farms and estates and their families.

PINARAYI VIJAYAN.

Kerala State Chief Minister (through translator): All the victims were sleeping yesterday night when the disaster struck.

Victims, including children, were buried in the landslide before sunrise.

GEOFF BENNETT: Kerala is one of India's most popular tourist destinations and is prone to heavy rains.

Tuesday's landslides are the worst disaster there since flooding in 2018 killed nearly 500 people.

International pressure is growing on Venezuela following that country's disputed presidential election, which gave incumbent Nicolas Maduro another six years in office.

The U.S. State Department today called for a tabulation of the results, saying the election was -- quote -- "undermined by antidemocratic actions, political repression and electoral manipulation," while, in Caracas, supporters of the opposition held a peaceful protest today to voice their anger at the official result.

Opposition leaders say they have proof their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, defeated Maduro in a landslide in Sunday's vote.

Protesters today said the nation is ready for a change.

MAN (through translator): We must find the way to have elections be respected.

The people of Venezuela spoke.

It wants a political change.

It wants a change from what we have lived these last 25 years.

GEOFF BENNETT: Also today, Venezuela's attorney general announced that more than 700 people had been detained in protests that took place on Monday.

He said that some will be charged with terrorism offenses.

An investigation into historical abuse at U.S. government-run boarding schools found that nearly twice as many Native American children died as previously thought.

At least 973 children are now known to have perished over a 150-year period that ended in 1969.

An initial report two years ago estimated that more than 500 children had died.

The finding cited sickness and abuse at schools that were set up to assimilate Native American children into white society.

The investigation was commissioned by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and has led to calls for the government to apologize to victims of the abuse.

Stocks finished mixed on Wall Street today, as investors wait for tomorrow's Federal Reserve meeting and any clues on interest rates.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 200 points on the day, but the Nasdaq dropped more than 200 points, and amid caution over some big tech earnings.

The S&P 500 also ended lower, falling by half-a-percent.

And William Calley, the U.S. army lieutenant, who led his troops in carrying out the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, has died.

He actually passed away in April, but media reports only confirmed his death this week.

Calley was the only officer convicted for his role in the atrocity, the most notorious war crime in modern American history.

In 1968, Calley and his soldiers slaughtered an estimated 500 unarmed women, children, and elderly with machine guns, grenades, and bayonets.

Their actions were covered up in military reports for over a year.

He was court-martialed and received a life sentence, but only served three years under house arrest.

Calley had long maintained that he had just been following orders.

William Calley was 80 years old.

Shifting our focus now to the Olympics in Paris.

And spoiler alert: We have some results to bring you.

The women of U.S. gymnastics reclaimed their Olympic title.

Simone Biles powered through the pressure and a tweeted calf from earlier competition to lead a squad packed with Olympic veterans to gold.

In rugby, the U.S. women's team defeated Australia for their first ever medal, a bronze.

U.S. men's soccer is through to the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years, finishing second in their group after a win against Guinea.

But, in tennis, the number two seed, Coco Gauff, is out of the singles competition after an emotional match that included a controversial line call.

As of this evening, the U.S. leads the total medal count, four of them gold.

France and China are positioned in second and third place.

Still to come on the "News Hour": we examine the impact of the changing race for the White House on many critical downballot races; senators question the acting head of the Secret Service about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump; and a former Hong Kong bookstore begins a new chapter in Upstate New York.

Vice President Kamala Harris is hitting the campaign trail in the battleground state of Georgia today, her first visit since gaining commitments for the necessary delegate votes to win the nomination.

And she plans to visit several swing states in the coming weeks ahead of the Chicago Democratic Convention.

Our Laura Barron-Lopez joins us now on the ground in Atlanta.

So, Laura, some 10,000 people, at least 10,000 people have registered for that rally tonight where you are.

I know you have been talking to folks as they make their way into that stadium.

What have they been telling you?

How are they feeling?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Well, people have been lined up out here, Geoff, since before 10:00 a.m. at this venue in Atlanta.

And a lot of the voters are incredibly excited.

For some of them, it's the first time that they have come to a big political rally.

And I also sat down with three Black women voters earlier today to talk to them about the election cycle.

And those voters, I asked them how they feel about all of the big changes that have occurred in this election just in the last week.

Prior to President Biden dropping out of the race, how would you describe how you felt about the election in one word?

WOMAN: I hate to say it, but I mean, I really felt this sense of doom and dread.

RACHEL MITCHUM ELAHEE, Georgia Voter: Nervous.

WOMAN: I felt scared.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And how do you feel now?

WOMAN: Rejuvenated.

RACHEL MITCHUM ELAHEE: Hopeful.

WOMAN: Optimistic.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And that mood matches what we have been hearing from voters here waiting to see Harris, which is that they feel much better now about Democrats' chances in the presidential race than they did before.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, Laura, the vice president's speech tonight, as I understand it, is expected to have a sharp focus on reproductive rights.

How important of an issue is that for the voters with whom you spoke earlier?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Well, it's an incredibly important issue, Geoff.

And Vice President Harris has been the face of the White House's messaging on abortion since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The vice president herself went in March to an abortion clinic.

She was the first vice president or president sitting in that office that had ever visited an abortion clinic at the time.

And one of the voters that I spoke to today, Rachel Mitchum Elahee, said that she thinks that Harris will be a much better messenger on abortion rights than President Biden.

RACHEL MITCHUM ELAHEE: And if the president of the United States is a woman who is speaking for women's rights and women's reproductive rights, I think that that will sway some people more than -- even if President Biden was saying the same thing, I think President Harris -- President Harris saying the same thing will have a different impact.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Rachel, as well as the other Black women voters that I spoke to, said that abortion is still one of their top issues and that they think that it's really salient for voters here in Georgia.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, V.P.

Harris has been the likely Democratic nominee for a little more than a week now.

How is her campaign strategy taking shape, Laura?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Well, Vice President Harris, as well as former President Donald Trump, are out with new ad buys today, Geoff, trying to both define Kamala Harris.

And Kamala Harris' campaign launched a $50 million ad buy, and that $50 million ad buy is trying to define the vice president, essentially looking back to her time as prosecutor, as attorney general in California, and they also are attempting to attack Donald Trump in that ad that is going to be playing across battleground states, specifically going at him on his attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Geoff.

And the Harris campaign essentially says that they believe that now they have more than one pathway to 270 electoral votes.

And so that's ultimately -- they're focusing on states like Georgia, as well as the Sun Belt, much more than just the blue wall states.

GEOFF BENNETT: Lastly, Laura, we're expecting the vice president to name her running mate in a matter of days.

How is the vetting process shaping up?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, Vice President Harris, Geoff, was asked on her way here if she had picked her running mate yet, and she said not yet But that decision is going to be coming very soon, because, by August 7, Kamala Harris will be likely named the Democratic nominee.

And so she has to pick her vice president by roughly August 6.

And the people that sources close to the campaign tell me she's still considering include Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, as well as Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.

And that decision is going to be coming very soon, Geoff, because sources close to the campaign tell me that, as early as next week, Harris is going to be out on the campaign trail with whoever she picks as her running mate.

GEOFF BENNETT: Laura Barron-Lopez reporting tonight from a Kamala Harris rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

Laura, thanks so much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the 10 days since Kamala Harris launched her presidential campaign, she's racked up endorsements from some usual suspects, former Democratic presidents, party leaders in Congress, and she's won the support of enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

But, yesterday, the Harris campaign announced the support of more than a dozen mayors in the critical battleground state of Arizona.

One standout name on the list was Republican John Giles of Mesa.

He wrote in The Arizona Republic - - quote -- "Too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket."

Mesa Mayor John Giles joins us now.

Thanks for being with us.

JOHN GILES (R), Mayor of Mesa, Arizona: My pleasure.

Thank you for the invitation.

GEOFF BENNETT: So why are you supporting Vice President Harris, instead of former President Donald Trump, in this election?

JOHN GILES: Well, as you mentioned, I am a Republican, so it's an endorsement that came with a lot of thought.

An, also, I'm elected in a nonpartisan election as the mayor.

So I don't go out of my way looking to inject myself into partisan politics when I can avoid it.

But every so often, there are compelling issues that I feel like I -- silence is not an option, silence would be acquiescence.

And this is one of those important elections.

I felt similarly four years ago.

I wanted to vote against Donald Trump as much or more than I wanted to vote for President Biden.

And this time around, a similar position, I -- it's important to me that we not go through the chaos of another Trump presidency.

But I am genuinely excited about the prospects of Kamala Harris being our president.

GEOFF BENNETT: As you mentioned, you voted for President Biden in 2020, but you hadn't endorsed him before he exited the race.

Why does Vice President Harris get your public support now, when President Biden hadn't?

JOHN GILES: I think, ultimately, I probably would have given my support to President Biden.

But I am very excited with the vice president's entry into the campaign.

It's been fun to see the energy that she's brought.

I think Arizona is very much in play, where I'm not sure that it was before.

And that's even before we discussed the possibility of Senator Kelly joining the ticket.

So there's genuinely a lot of excitement around the Harris campaign.

Now, she -- again, she's a Democrat, and so there are absolutely some policy issues that she and I differ on.

But in spite of that, what I do know about her is that the top item on her agenda is doing what's best for the United States.

And I honestly cannot say that about Mr. Trump.

GEOFF BENNETT: Immigration is a big issue in this election.

What's your assessment of her record on immigration and what's the situation the ground in Arizona right now?

JOHN GILES: I wouldn't say that's an issue.

That's the issue in Arizona.

So that's an issue that the vice president's going to have to come to Arizona and convince the people here that she has a good policy and that she is going to work, treating it as a problem to be solved, as opposed to President Trump's approach, which is to treat it as an issue to be exploited.

Republicans are attempting to blame her for the surges and the chaos at the border.

I think there's blame to be passed all around, going back multiple presidential administrations.

But, in particular, I'm disappointed with President Trump's decision to kill the bipartisan immigration act that Senator Sinema and others worked on so hard.

That would have been a tremendous help at the border.

So, again, Vice President Harris is going to have to address this issue head on, especially in border states like Arizona.

But I think, when all the facts are on the table, the majority of the blame for the problem there is going to go to President Trump's attempts to derail a lot of work that has gone into trying to solve that problem.

GEOFF BENNETT: President Biden won Arizona back in 2020 by fewer than 11,000 votes.

He was the first Democrat to win that state in over two decades.

An Emerson College poll out this past week had V.P.

Harris trailing Donald Trump by five points there.

Can Kamala Harris win Arizona in this cycle?

What more does she need to do?

JOHN GILES: She can.

I think she needs to remind people like me who, four years ago, maybe we were Republicans, we were moderate Democrats, we need to remind people how chaotic four years of Donald Trump was.

We truly were referring to it as our national nightmare.

People seem to have, for some reason, forgotten that experience.

So I think, if she presents herself as a moderate person in Arizona, someone who maybe has evolved on some of the issues that she was such a vigorous advocate when she -- early on in her political life, and the contrast between her and President Trump is stark, and he does not compare well.

GEOFF BENNETT: Mesa Mayor John Giles, a Republican who's supporting Vice President Kamala Harris in this presidential election.

Thanks for your time, Mr. Mayor.

We appreciate it.

JOHN GILES: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The dramatic changes in the presidential race could have implications for control of the House and Senate.

Both chambers are up for grabs, with Democrats hopeful about flipping the House.

Our Lisa Desjardins has more with the lawmaker overseeing that effort.

LISA DESJARDINS: Suzan DelBene represents a long stretch of Western Washington state in Congress, and two years ago became the chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

That's DCCC, for short.

Her job is to oversee Democrats' push to keep and gain seats in the House.

And she joins me now.

Thank you for joining us.

Now, your colleagues, I have been speaking to them, as have many reporters over the last few weeks.

They were very nervous about Biden when he was the nominee.

Many House Democrats felt like he was going to hurt them downballot.

Now, with Harris as the presumptive nominee, has anything changed?

What should she do for those downballot races that you care about so much?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE (D-WA): Well, first, we have incredible candidates running across the country who are unique voices for their districts.

So they have been running strong.

But there is definitely heightened energy and enthusiasm all across the country.

Folks are excited, and this election is a huge contrast.

It's about folks who are standing up for our rights, our freedom, our democracy, and our future and our Democratic candidates out there, and folks who want to undermine all of that, take away our rights and undermine our democracy.

And so there's a lot at stake.

And people see that.

They're very motivated and engaged and involved all across the country.

And so we know, when we can get our message out to voters and talk to them about standing up for reproductive freedom, making sure that we build an economy that works for everyone in this country, grow the middle class, we win.

And we're continuing to get that message out.

And, obviously, the enthusiasm will be really helpful.

LISA DESJARDINS: After the Harris announcement and Biden stepping down, the Harris campaign saw a massive surge in fund-raising.

You also had a one-day record right after that.

But has that continued?

What does the money and sort of activism look like on your end?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE: Well, we have been outraising our Republican counterparts all this cycle.

The DCCC, our committee, has been out raising our Republican counterpart by a lot.

And we have -- our candidates and our incumbents running in tough reelections have been out raising their opponents.

But we did see a big uptick when Vice President Harris was announced as the new candidate, and had our biggest online fund-raising day.

And -- but we have continued to see strong support.

And those resources are important, because we have a lot of races across the country in the House, and we need to make sure that folks know who our candidates are, what they stand for, fight the mis- and dis-information that will be out there, because, again, when we get that information out there, we win.

LISA DESJARDINS: This House was famous for the close margin that Republicans were running by, which, of course, caused them problems in their leadership repeatedly.

You have to flip a handful of seats around the country in order to take the House.

Now, looking at The Cook Political Report, they rate right now there's about 22 toss-up races.

And of those, 11 are Democratic-held right now, 11 are Republican held.

But if you look at the ones that you all hold, I noticed the majority of those are in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, manufacturing types of states.

Why is it that Democrats are now defending in those areas, where there used to be such a core constituency of working-class Americans that Democrats could count on?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE: Well, I actually think the reason that we have those seats and are going to keep those seats is because our focus always has been on growing and strengthening the middle class, talking to people about the issues that they're facing in their communities, making sure we're addressing affordability, the cost of housing, of food, childcare, and making sure that we're focused on opportunities for workers, not tax breaks for the wealthy and well-connected, which seems to be a top priority of Republicans.

That's been part of our message of making sure that folks know we're working to get things done in our communities.

And when we do that and folks see our authentic candidates who are fighting for them, they continue to support them.

And these are purple districts, right?

LISA DESJARDINS: Some voters hold you responsible and the Biden administration particularly for increased grocery prices.

They have gotten pretty rough right now and housing prices.

What's your message to them to say, no, we're going to make it better, we're not the ones to blame?

How do you do that?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE: Well, I actually think this is about who's actually fighting for an economy that works for everyone.

And we absolutely have been, if you look at policies and the ongoing work that's going on.

And there's more to do.

We're talking about addressing affordable housing across this country.

We need more housing in every part of our country.

We need -- when we're talking about addressing costs or even looking at tax policy, it's about putting working families first.

Republicans have been all about tax breaks for the wealthy and the well-connected and kind of their idea that it will trickle down.

That never works.

We have been supporting policies to help families, like the expanded child tax credit that have helped families pay bills, pay for childcare, pay for rent, and policies that help reduce childhood poverty across our country almost in half.

So we can do much more to build on policies like that, that help families.

And we are talking about that and the work that will really make a difference on the ground.

But, first, we have got to have folks who are willing to govern.

Republicans have been chaotic, dysfunctional, extreme this entire Congress.

We got sent home early because they don't know how to pass any legislation.

So having folks who are actually going to be focused on governing is so important to every part of the country that I have been to.

And we have got folks who want to govern.

LISA DESJARDINS: In just 30 seconds, while Vice President Harris is now the presumptive nominee on your side, the Republicans have someone new as well, Senator J.D.

Vance, now their vice presidential nominee.

Some Democrats tell me they think that's good for you guys.

Do you think that he helps Democrats possibly, in a few words?

REP. SUZAN DELBENE: Well, I think if you just listen to what he's been saying when he's been on the road, he continues to parrot the talking points of Republicans, putting in place a nationwide abortion ban, taking away reproductive freedom, taking away our rights, undermining our democracy.

He continues to talk about that.

That's part of the Republican platform.

We're going to stand up for our rights, our freedoms, our democracy, and build a strong future.

LISA DESJARDINS: Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, thank you so much.

And I want to add, we have reached out to the National Republican Campaign Committee as well to request a similar interview with them.

GEOFF BENNETT: One week after the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, her acting successor, Ronald Rowe, spent this morning acknowledging his agency's failures and trying to reassure Congress during a hearing that the Secret Service is capable and accountable.

Rowe was joined at the hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees by the deputy director of the FBI, Paul Abbate.

MAN: Do you swear that the testimony you will give... GEOFF BENNETT: For the second time in just eight days... SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): Somebody has got to be fired.

GEOFF BENNETT: ... members of Congress grilled the head of the Secret Service over the security failures leading up to the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump earlier this month.

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY (R-LA): How could they not see?

They're in an elevated position.

They're checking rooftops.

They're looking around.

There's two government snipers.

How could they not see him?

GEOFF BENNETT: This time under oath, Acting Director Ronald Rowe, just a week into his tenure calling the efforts to protect Mr. Trump a -- quote -- "failure on multiple levels."

RONALD ROWE, Acting U.S. Secret Service Director: I went to the roof of the AGR building where they assailant fired shots and I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight.

What I saw made me ashamed.

As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

GEOFF BENNETT: Rowe was at times more direct in his testimony than his predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, but he pushed back even harder, leading to heated exchanges with some Republican senators, including Missouri Republican Josh Hawley.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): Sure.

My question is, why don't you relieve everybody of duty who made bad judgment?

So, yes, you're right.

I am zeroing in on somebody.

I'm trying to find somebody who's accountable here.

The former president was shot.

RONALD ROWE: Sir, this could have been our Texas Schoolbook Depository.

I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: Then just fire somebody to hold them accountable.

RONALD ROWE: And I will tell you Senator -- I will tell you, Senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable.

And I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people unfairly persecuted.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: I can't believe that you are -- unfairly persecuted?

GEOFF BENNETT: Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz lit into Rowe over reports that the Secret Service previously denied requests from the Trump campaign for additional protection and whether there was adequate staffing at the time of the shooting.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R-TX): Is it your testimony that in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump had the same number of agents protecting him that Joe Biden has at a comparable event?

RONALD ROWE: I'm telling you the shift, the close protection shift, surrounded -- that's what you asked me, Senator, and I'm trying to answer it.

SEN. TED CRUZ: You are not answering it.

Is it the same number of agents or not?

RONALD ROWE: Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States... SEN. TED CRUZ: Then what's the difference?

RONALD ROWE: The difference... SEN. TED CRUZ: Two-x, 3x, 5x, 10x?

RONALD ROWE: National command authority to launch a nuclear strike.

Sir, there are other assets... SEN. TED CRUZ: I'm not asking why you assign more to Joe Biden.

I'm asking, is the difference, is it 2x, is it 3x, is it 5x, is it 10x?

RONALD ROWE: Senator, I will get you that number so you can see it with your own eyes.

GEOFF BENNETT: FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate laid out the most comprehensive public account of the shooting yet, detailing several missed chances and lapses in communication between local law enforcement and the Secret Service.

PAUL ABBATE, FBI Deputy Director: The first reported sighting the shooter by local law enforcement was at approximately 4:26 p.m. GEOFF BENNETT: But, he says, for more than 90 minutes, Secret Service snipers were unaware of the threat posed by the gunman, despite local officers trying to track him.

PAUL ABBATE: Officers lost sight of the subject from approximately 6:02 p.m. to 6:08 p.m. And at approximately 6:08 p.m., the subject was observed on the roof by local law enforcement.

At approximately 6:11 p.m., a local police officer was lifted to the roof by another officer, saw the shooter and radioed that he was armed with -- quote -- "a long gun."

Within approximately the next 30 seconds, the shots were fired.

GEOFF BENNETT: Rowe called into question the performance of local law enforcement, who he said had a better view of the gunman.

MAN: This is from the second floor of the AGR building.

This point of view is the point of view where the countersniper team locally was posted.

The gold arrow indicates where the shooter fired from.

Looking left, why was the assailant not seen?

RONALD ROWE: We made an assumption that there was going to be uniform presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes to cover that, that there was going to be countersniper teams in the AGR building.

And I can assure you that we're not going to make that mistake again.

GEOFF BENNETT: Abbate also said the FBI was still searching for a motive, but had uncovered a social media account potentially linked to the gunman.

PAUL ABBATE: There were over 700 comments posted from this account.

Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.

GEOFF BENNETT: A number of senators also urged Rowe to ask for more resources and personnel.

Former President Trump is set to be interviewed by the FBI about the shooting later this week.

The U.S. Senate today passed the Kids Online Safety Act by a vote of 91-3.

If the bill passes the House, it will mark the first time in 25 years that Congress has passed a bill aimed at better protecting children from dangers online.

Stephanie Sy has our coverage.

STEPHANIE SY: In a 2023 survey, 65 percent of kids in the U.S. reported experiencing an online risk, ranging from misinformation and graphic violence to hate speech.

Among other things, the act, dubbed KOSA, establishes duty of care.

That's a legal term requiring social media companies and other platforms, like gaming sites, to reasonably mitigate harm.

Companies would have to disable addictive content and limit features that extend the time spent on platforms.

It allows kids to opt out of personalized algorithm recommendations and limits others from communicating directly with children.

But some are concerned the bill violates First Amendment freedoms, could lead to censorship, and could prevent marginalized individuals from getting important information.

For a closer look, I'm joined by Ava Smithing of the Young People's Alliance, which supported KOSA's passing.

Ava, thanks so much for being on the "News Hour."

There are a wide range of threats to kids we have covered on this program, from sextortion to harmful content.

How much can we expect this bill to do to actually protect kids online?

AVA SMITHING, Young People's Alliance: Well, there's a couple reasons I think this bill will be incredibly effective at protecting kids online.

The first is one you mentioned with the duty of care.

That would place the onus on the tech companies to design and implement features which are healthy for these kids.

The second thing is a risk assessment and audit.

We all have our taxes audited annually, and in every other industry, before we put a product out, we make sure that that product is safe for the consumption by minors and for minors.

And that is another thing that this act will set up is to ensure there's a third-party audit and risk assessment on social media companies so that they're designed and implemented in a safer way.

STEPHANIE SY: What kind of accountability for tech companies does this bill include?

For example, does it hold a social media company legally liable for content that reaches kids?

AVA SMITHING: No, social media companies are not legally liable for content that reaches children.

This is a protection gifted to them -- or -- gifted -- this is a protection that they received under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

And this bill says that Internet service providers, such as social media companies, can't be held liable for content on their platforms.

So this bill does not interfere or impact the way that content is looked at on social media platforms, but rather the design of the features.

And it's making sure that the FTC can put forward guidelines on how to safely and properly design these social media platforms.

So think about things like the endless scroll.

That's a design feature which encourages addiction-like behavior, which is something that they would be held accountable for.

STEPHANIE SY: As you know, there are some concerns about this bill from some advocacy groups.

I just want to play what the head of TransOhio told us.

DARA ADKISON, TransOhio: Well, what concerns me most about the KOSA bill and bills generally seeking to limit the scope of what is accessible on the Internet is who decides what should be accessible and how it's accessible.

Being the head of a trans organization in a state where we have actively had legislatures tell us to our faces that they would like to see our Web site and the services that we provide to youth and adults across the state restricted, it's not a leap and a bound and it's anything but hyperbole to see how a bill like KOSA could lead to our Web site and other Web sites being limited in their access in the Internet.

STEPHANIE SY: Ava, what do you think about that?

Do you see how this law could be weaponized against certain communities, in particular, the trans community?

AVA SMITHING: When I initially moved to D.C. and started advocating on behalf of social media reform, me and my organization did not endorse the kids only safety act because we had very, very similar harms -- or fears about what the bill could do as this organization does.

But, in February, a new version of the bill came out that not only limited the state attorneys general ability to enforce the duty of care, so it is a federal thing and different states cannot do as they please with the bill, but also added the word design feature into the duty of care, which says companies need to exercise reasonable care through the implementation of design features, so further proving that the bill is not in fact about content, but rather about the design of these platforms.

STEPHANIE SY: There is also, though, some concern about the data collection and age verification requirements of the bill.

I want to play for you what the Electronic Frontier Foundation has had to say.

INDIA MCKINNEY, Electronic Frontier Foundation: Platforms are going to have to start collecting a lot more information all of their users to determine which of their users are entitled to this special protection or legally required to have this special protection.

And so one of the things that we have seen in our privacy work is that any time platforms collect that type of information, personally identifiable information at scale and have to hold onto it for legal reasons, that becomes a target for theft, for identity theft.

STEPHANIE SY: Do you agree with that, Ava?

Does the law leave data and privacy vulnerable at all?

AVA SMITHING: Well, there's a couple of things to address there.

The first is that the known standard for age revocation isn't changed in KOSA to anything that did not exist in laws which came before it.

The second thing is, as it relates to the data that these companies already collect, all of these companies already know how old you are, what you do, who you are, where you go, who you follow, everything about you, and they utilize that to target you with advertisements.

This is no more data than what they collect in their reasonable course of business.

And (INAUDIBLE) which is now existent in the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act -- the two were combined together for passage -- actually addresses those privacy concerns by limiting the amount of data that companies are allowed to collect on young people in the first place.

STEPHANIE SY: Ava, you were on social media as a teenager, and I understand it negatively affected you.

Can you talk a little bit about that and how you think having a law like this in place would have changed your online experience and maybe even your childhood?

AVA SMITHING: Yes, it would have certainly changed my childhood.

When I was a young person, about 11 or 12, I first downloaded Instagram and was brought from bikini advertisements to diet culture posts to then eating disorder posts, because the algorithms understood that what I engaged with most is what I would look at and therefore what they could make money from me on.

So if a law like this had been in place, I would have only interacted with the content that I deliberately searched for and that I wanted to be seeing online, as opposed to the content that they knew would keep me hooked at the cost of my well-being.

So I'm incredibly excited about the Kids Online Safety Act and the possibility it has to protect many other young people from being brought down that rabbit hole to extremism and whatever content they're looking at.

STEPHANIE SY: Ava Smithing with the Young People's Alliance, thanks so much for coming on and offering your perspective.

AVA SMITHING: Thank you for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: Two years ago, Hong Kong saw its biggest annual population drop since its record-keeping started.

Tens of thousands of residents left the Asian financial hub because of its strict COVID-19 policies and a crackdown on civil liberties by Beijing.

Special correspondent Christopher Booker spent some time in New York's Finger Lakes district with one American couple who were part of this exodus.

His report is part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.

On the Main Street of Honeoye Falls Village sits an unlikely transplant, Bleak House Books, inside, memories of its first life a continent away.

This is the layout of the old store?

ALBERT WAN, Co-Owner, Bleak House Books: Yes.

That's where I used to sit to do my work.

So it says, "Ye olde bookseller's grumpy table."

(LAUGHTER) CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: From the mural overhead to the art on the walls, owners Albert Wan and Jenny Smith pay tribute to the independent book store's original Hong Kong location.

JENNY SMITH, Co-Owner, Bleak House Books: We tried to bring a little bit of Hong Kong with us.

We didn't want to leave.

ALBERT WAN: It's an extension of our home and it's a sign of respect, all the people who have supported our old bookshop.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Bleak House Books' journey began in 2016, when the couple said goodbye to their home in Atlanta.

Smith, a historian, had a job waiting for her at a Hong Kong university, and Wan, a former attorney, decided to change careers.

ALBERT WAN: The goal is just to have a viable business as a bookshop and serve and grow a community of readers.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: The store's name, Bleak House Books, comes from a Charles dickens novel of the same title about a long-running court case and is a reminder, Wan says, of the legal career he left behind.

Once he had a name, Wan had to find a space for his new business in Hong Kong's notoriously cramped and expensive real estate market.

ALBERT WAN: We ended up renting a 800-square-feet space in an office building on the 27th floor in a semi-industrial area.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Business in the out-of-the-way spot was slow at first.

ALBERT WAN: Our bookshop socialized in English-language books.

It's pretty niche in Hong Kong.

I felt like it was a market that we had to cultivate and develop.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Word of Bleak House Books began to spread on Facebook and Instagram and the little shop on the 27th floor developed a loyal following, including writer and editor Tammy Ho Lai-Ming.

TAMMY HO LAI-MING, Poet: When you walk into the bookshop, you will see books old and new.

You will always find something that you did not expect to find.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Ho says the store became the perfect venue for her literary journal's readings and talks.

TAMMY HO LAI-MING: It's really an unusual place and space in Hong Kong, where so many different writers can meet and readers as well.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: But as the store's community was growing, so too was Beijing's influence over Hong Kong.

Through economic and political pressure, the Chinese Communist Party was stepping up efforts to erode the city's civil liberties.

When did you first notice the change?

ALBERT WAN: I think it happened gradually.

It was never like a turning point.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Before a talk commemorating Liu Xiaobo, a writer and prominent critic of one-party rule in China, Wan was warned that it may put him and his family in danger.

ALBERT WAN: I never envisioned that I would have to deal with that sort of feedback or commentary just for having an event at a bookshop for a very well-known writer.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: In 2019, political tensions erupted.

Hong Kong's government introduced a law that would allow it to extradite Hong Kongers to mainland China, sparking off the largest demonstrations in the city's history.

Bleak House Books Bleak House Books became known for its support of Hong Kong's democracy movement.

JENNY SMITH: It was an amazing way to connect with the readers who came in.

It was meaningful to be a part of that.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Then came the pandemic and a Chinese national security law, which ushered in an unprecedented crackdown on free speech, the free press and free association.

But through the upheaval, Bleak House Books stayed open.

It was one of a few places in Hong Kong that continued to sell books that were considered politically sensitive.

ALBERT WAN: For example, this protest book, documents of protest, you wouldn't be able to buy it in Hong Kong.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: In the summer of 2021, even though their store was doing better than ever, Wan and Smith began to reassess their future.

JENNY SMITH: I was like, look, they're not cracking down on bookshops now, but they are cracking down on these free-wheeling newspapers and things like that.

Freedom of the press is not going to be the same thing from here on out.

And bookstores will come.

I mean, they might not be next, but they will be soon.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: That fall, they made the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong.

ALBERT WAN: It wouldn't help the kids if I ended up getting arrested.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Did you feel like you were letting people down by closing?

ALBERT WAN: It was really a matter of priorities.

I mean, our family comes first, so... CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: The couple eventually moved their family to New York's Finger Lakes district.

Was the idea when you got here, we're going to open up a 2.0?

JENNY SMITH: Yes.

ALBERT WAN: Yes.

Yes.

JENNY SMITH: There was never any doubt.

ALBERT WAN: It was something we had to do.

It just felt like, if we didn't try to reopen, it would be like they had won.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: So, Wan and Smith renovated this long empty shop front, and Bleak House Books reopened its doors last June.

While business can often be quiet, the store has brought new life to downtown Honeoye Falls, which was decimated by the pandemic.

The day we visited, Evan Verbanic drove 45 minutes to pick up a book he'd ordered through the store.

ALBERT WAN: Thank you.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: What do you get from an independent bookstore?

EVAN VERBANIC, Customer: This is a cultural and community asset.

I can't claim to be a knowledgeable citizen without supporting this kind of business.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: As Bleak House Books slowly grows a new community, Hong Kong and its people remain central to the store's mission.

JENNY SMITH: We're part of a diaspora now of people who are trying to make a difference from outside the country.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Do you see a world where books help to provide an antidote to those forces?

JENNY SMITH: Books matter.

If they aren't important, then it's -- there's no point in censoring them, right?

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: While it's now almost 8,000 miles away from where it started, that's a belief Bleak House Books continues to embody in its second chapter.

For the PBS "News Hour," I'm Christopher Booker in Honeoye Falls, New York.

GEOFF BENNETT: Remember, there's a lot more online.

Our Lisa Desjardins spoke with a number of undecided voters both before and after Vice President Harris replaced President Biden atop the Democratic presidential ticket.

Read what they had to say at PBS.org/NewsHour.

And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

For all of us here at the PBS "News Hour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us.