Transcripts For KQED PBS 20240704

Of themselves as using a drug and therefore they dont worry about it as much as they should. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by these are people who are trying to change the world. Start ups have this energy that energizes me. Im thriving by helping others every day. People who know, know bdo. The ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including kathy and Paul Anderson and camila and george smith. The john s and James L Knight foundation. Fostering informed and engaged communities. More at kf. Org. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Geoff welcome to the newshour. It is the biggest night of the primary election season. Voters in 16 states and one territory are making their picks for the democratic and republican nominees for president. Amna the polls have closed in th majority of states, and in the gop race, donald trump is having a good night. The former president has racked up wins in alabama, arkansas, maine, massachusetts, North Carolina, oklahoma, tennessee, texas, and virginia. Geoff and the Associated Press has also called President Biden as the winner in the democratic races in alabama, arkansas, iowa, maine, massachusetts, North Carolina, oklahoma, tennessee, texas, vermont, and virginia. With that, lets bring in our panel, were joined by republican strategist kevin madden, democratic strategist should care and amy walter of the cook political report. Its great to have you all here. Taking a look at some of the exit polls in North Carolina, the groups who conventional wisdom would suggest would be aligned with nikki haley are actually identifying as trump supporters. Independent voters, 49 say they are voting for donald trump, 45 nikki haley. College graduates, 51 percent go for donald trump, 45 to nikki haley. And with public and voters overall, 81 with a 16 share for nikki haley. What does it suggest over all about where the party is heading . Amy it tells you everything you need to know about why nikki haley is losing by the margins she is. If it were made up just by independence and collegeeducated voters, nikki haley would be in a closer fight with donald trump. But it also includes people who identifies republicans, who she is not doing particularly well with come and with noncollege voters. In a state like North Carolina, in this case it looks like 40 or so of the electorate has a college degree, so the smaller the college population, the smaller the vote for nikki haley. We have talked about this in previous conversations, the real question Going Forward is, are these voters who are supporting nikki haley right now voters who had already made up their mind that they were going to vote for donald trump in 2024 and voted maybe for biden in 2020 and decided this was the last time they were going to vote for donald trump . Or are these voters who were actually up for grabs . And donald trump is going to have to win back over, he can afford to let them either stay at home, vote for joe biden, or vote third party. Amna lets see if we can answer that question, what are the november implications for what we are seeing on the republican side . Nikki haley is not winning no votes, there are people who are voting for her. Will they turn out for trump in november . The implications are very big. These are the voters, collegeeducated, independentminded, they live in the suburbs. I will make or break these elections. Places like charlotte, North Carolina or around the northern suburbs of virginia, these voters are everywhere. They will matter in michigan, in grand rapids and detroit, places like maricopa arizona, the 2020 election was decided by about 300,000 voters across six different states. This is where all those motors live. So the general election implications are huge. Right now you could describe these voters as conscientious objectors. They are not willing to register support for donald trump. Is that mean they are entirely lost . No. They could still be moved in a general election. Donald trump try to appeal to them on economic the satisfaction and probably worries about Border Security inflation. It will be a race to see who can win those motors, joe biden or donald trump. Geoff the Bidenharris Campaign said they have broken their own grassroots fundraising record. How best can that campaign leverage that money over the next eight months to turn around President Bidens the election will be decided by these critical states. You go down to pennsylvania and arizona and georgia, you add these all up and you get some really critical places where swing voters will matter. I agree these are suburban voters but there will also be white workingclass voters and voters of color in places like milwaukee and atlanta, detroit, who will be huge. People biden has a number of issues to deal with. One of them is whether people stay home or not. He got to use that huge amount of people that came out for him in 2020, over 70 Million People who voted for joe biden, hes going to have to have a record turnout this time around. When you look at some of these numbers, they indicate coalition that he could have that is there for him. What we dont know is whether they will have the intensity to vote for him. Amna we are talking about the president ial contest, but its also the first major primary day for number of down ballot races across the country of enormous consequence. In particular some house races. When you look at the razor thin majority the republicans hold, which races stand out to you and why . It is literally a battle of inches. Something like a four or five seat majority, depending on who is in the house of that moment in time. That republicans have, and in a state like North Carolina which is holding its primaries today, the candidate on the republican side who comes out in a critical battleground district in the First District in this northeastern part of that state, republicans redrew the lines in North Carolina so it made the district even a little less democratic. If republicans get the stronger candidate, that seat then becomes it will be competitive but probably even more competitive and a really important one for democrats to hold onto if they are going to take back the majority. And then there are races in california as well. California and new york are the two states were we will see the most interest and the most intensity around house races because they had the most competitive races right now. North carolina is another one of those states we will pay close attention to. Geoff kevin, we will have to see if nikki haley can put vermont in her win column. Is this the end of the road for her candidacy, do you think . Ive always said as vermont goes, so goes the nation. She is at a crossroads. Her campaign right now has to make a tough decision. Path one is, do they want to remain the voice of the loyal opposition inside the party, does she want to start to build a movement over the long term . Patch two is, does she believe she has a future in the party and is there a better place in supporting donald trump and helping republicans unite and win in november . That is the deliberation i expect nikki haley will have to have over the next 48 hours. It will be tough to decide the campaign doesnt have the momentum it needs to win, but nikki haley has still demonstrated she is a very viable candidate, a very important voice inside the party, and i think that will be driving her deliberations in the next day or two. Amna our thanks to you all. One of the mostwatched nonpresident ial races of the day is in california. Geoff voters there are deciding who should fill u. S. Senate seat. As laura baran lopez explains, todays primary will explain whether the race is just beginning or is essentially over. Laura super tuesdays blockbuster drama will be in california, where 11 democrats and 10 republicans are competing for the states open senate seat. Only the top two finishers, regardless of party, will remain in the race. I am still doing my homework. Im not completely ready to decide who my next senator is going to be. Laura for democrats, there are three leading contenders, all selfdescribed progressives already serving in the house. Rep. Schiff this will set a new precedent. Laura adam schiff is best known for trying former president trumps first impeachment trial. Rep. Schiff i think californians are looking for a senator who leads in the big fights. When our democracy was at risk, when we had a man who would be a dictator as president , i was in the center of that fight, protecting our institutions. Rep. Porter this all totals up to 1,000. Laura katie porter became a viral sensation with her pointed whiteboard interrogations in committee. Rep. Porter i went in really prepared, asking tough questions of people like bank ceos about why their workers cant put food on the table, asking tough questions, and, more importantly, getting answers. And i think thats a really important part of the senate and the house that, frankly, we arent seeing democrats or republicans do enough of. Rep. Lee i rise today really with a very heavy heart. Laura barbara lees National Profile dates back to a vote she cast more than 22 years ago. Rep. Lee this unspeakable act on the United States has really forced me, however, to rely on my moral compass, my conscience, and my god. Laura the only lawmaker who opposed authorizing military force in the days immediately following 9 11. Rep. Lee i voted against that, and i said it could escalate out of control, and it did. Laura democrats outnumber republicans 21 here in california. But with the partys vote split between three wellknown candidates and low expected turnout, a republican could make it through to november. Rep. Mcgarvey we need to build consensus now more than ever. It makes me think, hasnt anybody played a team sport in congress . Laura former l. A. Dodger and republican frontrunner steve garvey leans on sports metaphors while claiming moderate conservative principles. But the firsttime candidate offers few specifics or a concrete policy platform, saying hes just trying to listen right now. Were in a time where people are very angry with the issues. Theyre angry about homelessness. Theyre angry about crime. Theyre angry about the economy. And theyre angry about the border. And that creates an environment where an outsider with Commonsense Solutions like steve garvey can be heard and be an effective candidate. Laura keith curry, the former republican mayor of newport beach, is backing garvey. Keith curry theres no doubt that its difficult for a republican running statewide in california. Laura curry says star power can elevate california republicans, like it did for Ronald Reagan and arnold schwarzenegger. But curry never supported donald trump. And garvey wont say who hes backing for president this year. Steve garvey voted for trump twice. Is that a problem for you at all . Keith curry most republicans voted for donald trump. And hes probably going to be the nominee this year. Hes not very popular in california, but hes going to be the nominee. Laura garvey didnt respond to our request for an interview. Over the weekend, garvey surged in a new u. C. Berkeley poll from a virtual tie for second place with congresswoman katie porter to a statistical dead heat. Narrator two leading candidates for senate, two very different visions for california. Laura garveys rise follows massive ad buys from schiff during the closing weeks, naming the republican as his main competitor. Rep. Schiff hes attacking me repeatedly on fox. And in a jungle primary, you cant ignore one of your leading opponents whos attacking you. Rep. Porter this is a huge choice for californians. Laura porter believes schiff is boosting garvey to guarantee a win for himself in november. Narrator eric early proudly stands with donald trump. Laura shes buying ads that say another republican, eric early, is the true maga threat. Rep. Porter i dont think anyone should think that steve garvey is going to be californias next senator, but having him in this race all the way through november is a huge, huge gift to republicans. Laura for most democratic voters, the candidates differ more in personality than policy. It will be hard for me to differentiate. A lot of the times, it feels like im just tossing a coin in a bucket. Picking the right person feels really important, and its pretty tough to narrow it down. Many of their policies are the same. Its hard sometimes to tell where they overlap and where they dont overlap. Laura all three candidates support medicare for all, have proposals to reduce the cost of housing, support abolishing the filibuster, and all three are worried about young voters disillusionment with President Joe Biden and their party. Rep. Lee i want to make sure that young people know that their voices are being heard. Rep. Porter right now in our u. S. Senate, we dont have nearly enough younger voices. Rep. Schiff if i have a concern, its about the youth vote. Laura in the final stretch, theyre fighting to separate themselves from the pack. Rep. Schiff im drawing the contrasts with my democratic colleagues based on leadership and effectiveness. Laura porter says shes immune to big moneys influence, refusing to accept cash from corporations or lobbyists. Rep. Porter in my time in congress, in my five years, i have Done Congress differently. Laura lee had to fight her high Schools Administration before earning a spot as the first black woman on the cheerleading team. And, unlike her opponents, shes experienced living unhoused. Rep. Lee we have families that cant afford childcare. I know what thats like. I have lived that. Laura if democrats finish in first and second place, the race to november will be competitive. I voted for steve garvey. Laura and whyd you vote for garvey . Lori veltri because im really tired of the democratic policies. Laura but if voters pick a democrat and a republican, november will be almost certainly sewn up for the democrat that makes it through. For the pbs newshour, im laura barronlopez. Amna and we will have more live coverage of super tuesday online and later tonight beginning at 11 00 p. M. Eastern right here on pbs. Geoff in the days other headlines ukraine claimed it sank a russian warship, the third in recent weeks, with a hightech sea drone. Kyivs military Intelligence Agency said it happened in the kerch strait linking russia to the crimean peninsula. Ukrainian video purportedly showed an explosion tearing into a russian patrol ship. The vessel was part of russian defenses against drone attacks. The International Criminal court issued arrest warrants for two top russian commanders today for their actions in ukraine. The warrants charged Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov with directing attacks on electric power sites and with crimes against humanity. Ukrainian officials welcomed the move. Its not only about war crime. Its about crimes against humanity, because these crimes were committed on massive scale, and these attacks were committed far beyond the front line, with no any potential even military military reason. Geoff moscow does not recognize the courts jurisdiction and is expected to not hand over the generals for trial. China has set an ambitious Economic Growth target of 5 this year. It comes despite lagging demand, deflation and a Real Estate Debt crisis. The National Peoples congress thats the countrys Rubber Stamp Legislature listened today as the chinese premier laid out the spending plan and acknowledged the difficulties ahead. The complexities, severity and uncertainty of the external environment are increasing. The foundation for chinas sustained economic recovery is not yet stable, with insufficient effective demand, overcapacity in some industries, weak social expectations and still many risks and hidden dangers. Geoff the budget also includes a 7 hike in defense spending. Chinas overall military budget has more than doubled in the last decade. Back in this country, Liberty University will pay a 14 million federal fine for not reporting data about crimes on its lynchburg, virginia, campus. Its the largest fine ever under a law that mandates collecting crime information and alerting students. Liberty is one of the Worlds Largest Christian Schools with more than 15,000 students. The Mens Basketball Team at dartmouth voted today to form the first labor union for college athletes. Players said the age of amateurism is over. The school said academics, not athletics, are paramount for ivy league students, so theres no cause to unionize. Dartmouth could file a legal challenge to the move. The Biden Administration is proposing a new ceiling for credit card late fees. The president announced it today as he met with his socalled competition council. Fees would be topped at 8 per transaction. Currently, they average 32. The u. S. Chamber of commerce said it will sue to block the rule. And on wall street, weak Economic Data and a slide in big tech stocks drove the market downward. The Dow Jones Industrial average was down 404 points to close at 38585. The nasdaq fell 268 points. The s p 500 dropped 52. Still to come on the newshour, journalist kara swisher discusses her new book on her life and her complicated relationship with the Tech Industry, and a Theater Company in texas thats promoting and preserving latin American Culture and history. This is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington, and in the west, from the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at Arizona State university. War cabinet member amna israeli war cabinet member benny gantz is still in washington today meeting with top u. S. Officials, including secretary of defense lloyd austin. His trip comes as negotiators met for a second day in cairo, working towards a deal between israel and hamas to pause fighting in gaza and free israeli hostages. But, so far, theres been no breakthrough. Nick schifrin looks at the status of the talks and speaks to two hostage family members. Nick negotiations between israel and hamas are at a critical moment. U. S. Officials tell me that hamas has responded to the most recent outline that would pause the war for six weeks for the release of 35 to 40 hostages, but it will take some time for israel and international mediors to reply. The u. S. Had hoped to secure a deal before the islamic holy month of ramadan begins next week. Today, once again, President Biden put the onus on hamas. Pres. Biden its in the hands of hamas right now. The israelis have been cooperating. Theres an offer out there thats rational. We dont know what we will know in a couple of days if its just going to happen. But we need the ceasefire. Nick central to that ceasefire are the lives of 100 or so israeli hostages whove been held in gaza for nearly five months and their families waiting for their release. But not all the families agree on how to best bring their loved ones back home. Im first joined by yair glick, the cousin of eitan mor, who was a Security Guard at the nova festival when Hamas Terrorists launched their assault. Thank you very much, yair glick. Welcome to the newshour. I appreciate it. Do you believe, bottom line, that if a deal is possible this week, the Israeli Government should accept it . Yair glick, cousin of israeli hostage hi. Thank you for having me. And, no, i think that we should not have a deal with terrorists. We should not negotiate with them. We want them all back. We want all our families come back. But we think that we need to do it in a different way. Nick so what is that different way . What do you believe is the best way to get eitan mor back . Yair we need to make hamas, the terrorist that attacked israel, kidnapped people, tortured people, murdered people, we need to force them to give all the people back. We cannot let these terrorists to get what they want and what they did it for. Nick do you believe that the way the Israeli Government is going about the campaign in gaza, do you believe that is beginning to force hamas to do, as you say, to avoid giving hamas giving into hamas demands . Yair yes, we can see that we are really continuing to fight hamas and we are winning there. We are forcing them to go back and to hide. And we need just to continue it. We dont want the terrorists to be there. We dont want the terrorists to be able to do again these terrible attacks. And we can continue doing it and trying all the time, of course, to take care of the people in gaza. Nick and what do you say to the people who point out that the idf has managed to release a few hostages, but the vast majority of hostages who have been released came during a ceasefire that the Israeli Government accepted back in november, when more than 100 hostages were released . Yair so, first, i think that we should look on the differences between the deals. So, during november, we get one week of ceasefire. Now they are offering six weeks to give us less people. During this time, they had time to get more weapons, more ammo, these kind of deals. We just give them more will to do it again and again. Nick the argument youre making is echoed by the tikva forum, a group of families that was created by eitans father. Many other families believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not doing enough to prioritize the securing of hostages. Do you believe that youre in the minority . Yair i think that yes, because when youre talking about families of hostages, i think that the rational and the normal reaction will be to do whatever they need to get them back. And i cant judge them, and i really understand them. But im not talking about the families. Im talking about the country. Im talking about the decisionmakers. And they need to think in a different way. They need to be rational, not emotional. So, we need to think about the future. We need to think what will happen next time. Nick and finally, eitan mor, your cousin, is 23 years old. What should we know about him . Yair so hes really a young, young man thats just starting his life. Hes turning from teenage to a man. And he moved to his own apartment and started thinking about studying, learning what to do. And now this terrible thing happened. And we need to talk about how to get him out of gaza. Nick yair glick, thank you very much. Yair thank you. Nick and now we turn to jonathan dekelchen. His son sagui was kidnapped by Hamas Terrorists from kibbutz nir oz, where one in four people were either killed or kidnapped on october 7. Jonathan dekelchen, thank you so much. Welcome back to the newshour. as i have just laid out, there is a deal that israel and hamas are negotiating that would stop the war for about six weeks, at least in the first round, for the release of 35 to 40 hostages or so. Do you believe the Israeli Government, bottom line, should accept that deal . Jonathan dekelchen, father of hamas hostage i believe the Israeli Government should be doing its job and returning as many of the hostages as possible in as early time frame as possible. Right now, we dont know how many are still alive. Every day, every hour, the possibility increases that there are fewer of them to return alive. So, yes, im absolutely in favor of it. Nick do you believe the Israeli Government right now is doing all it can to release your son and the remaining hostages . Jonathan its hard for me to give you a solid answer on that. We will only know that they have done everything that they must do when all of the hostages that are alive and the bodies, unfortunately, of those that we already know hamas is holding, when they all return home. That will be the sign that the Israeli Government has done all that it must to bring back these people and not sacrifice them a second time after october 7. Nick the Israeli Government and its supporters have argued that military pressure needs to increase in order to convince hamas to release the hostages. Do you agree . Jonathan unfortunately, i dont. I mean, the Israeli Soldiers, these are my brothers, my sons, and i completely support what they are trying to do. However, theres no proof of concept that military action is going to get any of the hostages home alive. The three hostages that were rescued by the idf are the exception that proves the rule. The rest of the, we hope, 130something hostages are being held very closely by hamas in the tunnels. And so this idea that Israeli Soldiers are going to go knocking on sinwars door and he will then turn over the hostages, its fantasy. Theres absolutely no proof. And, on the contrary, theres proof that before giving them up, the hamas leadership will, in all probability, execute them all. So, no, absolutely, i do not support that idea that military action prioritized or certainly on its own is going to get even one hostage home alive. Nick do you believe that you represent the vast majority of the families of those being held in gaza . Jonathan absolutely,theres no question, also, the vast majority of the people of israel. We see that in the streets. We see that in the press. Theres no question that israelis understand that we simply cannot be whole again after the disaster of october 7, the disaster overseen by our own government. We can only be whole again when the hostages come home. We wont be able to look at each other if, god forbid, the hostages are not returned alive or those whose bodies remain in gaza, for them to be returned. Nick on october the 7th, your son fought off Hamas Terrorists trying to protect his wife and two daughters. Your daughterinlaw has subsequently had a baby. She was pregnant on october the 7th. What do you want people to know about your son . Jonathan well, my son is the kind of guy where, not just our community, our kibbutz community, not just our country, but i really do believe that large parts of the world can benefit by people like that being active parts of this world, of doing good, of creating, of constructing. And that is my son in a nutshell. And youre right. The time has come for him to be reunited now with his three daughters and his wife. His wife is truly the hero of our family story, both surviving an impossible ordeal on october 7 and keeping the lives of her daughters moving forward, despite this utterly impossible situation that we find ourselves in. Nick jonathan dekelchen, thank very much. Jonathan thank you. Amna few journals have been covering Silicon Valley as long as tara swisher and even fewer are as respected, light, and feared by the Tech Industry and its most iconic leaders. For the first time, shes opening up about her own life in her recent book, which we recently discussed, entitled burn book. Welcome back to the newshour. Thanks up for joining us. I think it is fair to say that you dont mince words and you dont suffer fools. Kara i dont. That is correct. [laughter] check check. Amna in particular with people in positions of power. And in your memoir, it seems like youve always been that way. Even when you were a kid, you were unafraid to question authority. Im wondering where that comes from, but also how you hanon to that over the years, in a world that often kind of squashes that in women. Kara it does. I dont know what has happened here. It just wont stop. I was like this as a kid. My nickname as a baby was tempesta, you know . And of course, thats the name they would put on a woman, right . Like, ooh, difficult. Bossy. I used to get bossy all the time, and i was like, im just have executive function, you know . I dont know what to tell you. I just am the way i i kind of am. Get irked when people just tell you or explain things. Im not one thats easily mansplained, that kind of thing. And so i just was always like, why, why, why was my favorite word. And over the years, you know, persistent obnoxiousness has been a career highlight for me. Amna well, its a good question to be asking in journalism in particular. You joined the journalism world early. I do want to point out journalism was not your first choice for careers, right . Kara no, i wanted to be in the military. My dad was in the military who had died many years before, and i unusually wanted to do that. I thought it was important to serve your country. I want to do military intelligence. I thought about the cia. I thought about state department, all those places. But i was really oriented toward the military. But i was gay. And at the time, you could not be gay and be in the military. And it took a very long time, and a ridiculous amount of so many good people could have served. I would have been an admiral, and i think i would have done a very nice job. Amna you mentioned your father, you are just five years old you were just five years old. How do you look back on that now, the impact of losing your father that early on, who you are now, on how you live now, on how you parent now . Kara well you know theres not a day that goes by i dont think about my dad. This is some, you know 50 some years hence. And i think about him all the time. When a parent dies at a young age half your life goes away, right . If you have two parents, many people, not everybody does. Its a real blow. And i didnt realize the disaster of it for me at least, because what happens is you often get very highly functional. And youre like, i can do it. Everything bad happened and im fine. And so you get really good at running over, running through roadblocks, essentially. But when i had my first kid, i have four kids now, but when i had my first, my son and i remember when he turned five, which is around the age my dad died, he knew me so well and i was like, oh my god, it really was someone i was very close to died. And you dont have memories or your ability to express things as well at five. So its informed everything ive done, and its made me realize more than most people that life is too short. Thats a cliche, but i dont got any kind of time for nonsense. I think thats what it brings to me. Amna i was interested to learn in your academic career when you were studying at georgetown. Your focus in history classes in particular was on nazi propaganda. He wrote in your book, what you wrote in your book what struck me was how easily people could be manipulated by fear and rage, and how facts could be destroyed without repercussions. How much of a parallel do you see between what we are living today and what you were studying back then . Kara it is the same thing. They call it misinformation, disinformation, digital, you know, all kinds of bots. Its propaganda. And so now with it, especially since were addicted to these devices, it gets even worse. I say this a lot, hitler didnt need instagram, right . Or mussolini didnt need, you know, snapchat. But can you imagine if they had these devices . Very problematic. And they did fine with just paper or radio or whatever. So did many other, you know, terrible leaders over the course of history. But this presents tools to people who are bad on a global level, you know, at a scale that is unprecedented. Amna in your career youve covered, gotten to know and interviewed some of the worlds most powerful tech leaders, mostly men. Im curious over time, if you have found that they all have one thing in common. Is there something that stood out to you . Kara besides being straight white men. Lets see. They have different versions of this but persistence, the ability to persist despite mistakes. To be able to pivot, very quickly, to be able to sort of believe the unbelievable in a thats a good part. But it can also be a bad part, right . If you are like, im going to do it anyway. The really good ones, they have that ability to keep going no matter what and believe the unbelievable, but then pivot when they need to. Amna your book is, as you say, a tech love story, and i think tech has undoubtedly made our lives better in so many ways. But there are so many risks and dangers, and those are real. And i wonder what you make of the efforts to try to control those. Lawmakers, in particular trying to regulate them, pressure on tech leaders to have moral or morality infused in their decisions. I mean, how do we get rid of the risks and dangers and still have the benefits . Kara well, we havent tried because it hasnt worked. We havent done anything. So, i mean, if there was one law, if you could name a law for me that protects us against technology specifically, you cant find it. The law that exists actually benefits them. Section 230. It gives them broad immunity. They cant be sued. You know, you cant have the biggest industry in the world in terms of value and power, not have any liability. It would be unimaginable if it was pharmaceuticals or insurance or wall street. But here we are. Amna you quote the line in your book, babylon was, meaning every major power at some point will meet its end. Do you think the same was going to happen to the giants and tech . Kara one of the things about tech is the young tends to eat its old. Although in this new shift to agi, artificial general intelligence, its dominated by Big Companies and companies that have been around, whether its microsoft or meta or amazon, and of course alphabet, google. So its still dominated by the big players because its so costly. The cost of compute here is so high. And so right now its kind of an interesting shift. The younger companies, of which theyre getting funded, a ton of them, none of them has broken through to beat the bigger companies. And i doubt they will in this in this particular era. Amna all right. The book is burn book a tech love story. The author is kara swisher. Kara, thank you so much. Great to talk to you. Kara thank you. Geoff one of the most commonly used drugs in the u. S. Is also one of the deadliest. Thats alcohol. Over the last 20 years, more and more americans have died from alcoholrelated causes, and a new Study Reveals how those deaths have surged recently. William brangham takes a closer look. William the cdc issued this new report, and it looks at both deaths directly tied to alcohol, like cirrhosis of the liver, as well as indirect deaths, like injuries and certain types of cancer. It found that, in just five years, alcoholrelated deaths rose by 29 . By 2021, alcohol contributed to the deaths of more than 178,000 americans that year. Thats about 500 people a day lost because of consuming wine, beer, or other alcohol. For a broader look at these findings, were joined again by keith humphreys. Hes a professor of psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at stanford university. Keith, very good to have you back on the newshour. were you surprised . I mean, this is your field of study. Were you surprised by these numbers and how much they had ticked upwards . Sadly, i am not. We noticed during the pandemic that certain groups of the population were increasing their drinking, including drinking alone and drinking in large amounts. And, also, theres been a longterm trend. Although cost of living is going up for many things, it is not for alcohol. Alcohol is very cheap in the United States right now, in historical terms. And when its cheap, americans tend to drink more, and thats where you get, unfortunately, these kinds of really tragic numbers. William and are those the principal drivers, low price and all the stresses associated with the pandemic . Keith those two things are absolutely critical to producing this kind of increase. I mean, we have federal alcohol taxes were last increased in 1991. They have been declining in real terms ever since. Alcohol taxes on craft beer and spirits were actually cut just before the pandemic. And that has always historically driven more consumption. The other point to remember, of course, is that alcohol is a legal product and therefore one that is heavily advertised. And we do know that the amount of promotion of alcohol, which anyone who has watched a Football Game is aware of, also helps keep the business flowing and keeps people drinking, including sometimes, unfortunately, too much. William i mean, i cant help but notice you and i have talked many times over the years, but were always talking about illicit drugs, Illegal Drugs and policies to address those, never about alcohol. I mean, is that just like, as orwell says, that the struggle is constantly to see the thing that is right there in front of us . Keith yes, its a huge blind spot in American Drug policy. You can talk about drugs for hours, and people will mention fentanyl and meth and cocaine, which are, of course, very important drugs to think about, and they do a lot of harm, but no one will bring up alcohol. And, afterwards, they may all get a drink together and not even think, were using a drug right now. And thats partly what the risk of alcohol comes from, is that those who use it dont think of themselves as using a drug and, therefore, they dont worry about it as much as they should. William one of the things, back into the cdcs data, while more men died of alcoholrelated deaths, the death rate increased for women quite dramatically. Why do you think that is . Keith very tragic to see the increase among womens deaths. And, also, its enraging to know where it comes from. So, about 25 years ago, the alcohol industry observed that women were getting more education, more disposable income, but they werent drinking that much. So they launched quite a bit of femalefocused advertising, creating, for example, mommy wine culture and that sort of thing. And it worked, broadly speaking. We saw an increase in womens drinking, including in some populations drinking as much as men. And, biologically, the same amount of alcohol in general actually is more damaging to women than men, partly to do for reasons of metabolism, partly to do with reasons of body size. And so were seeing the awful outcome of a 25yearlong campaign to get women to drink more heavily. William so, in terms of solutions, what do we know that works on a policy level . I mean, you touched on some of these things, price being one of them, but what else can we do as a society to try to ameliorate these ills . Keith yes, sometimes, the simple answer is the right one. Alcohol is a commodity, like gasoline. People use less of it when its more expensive. So, simply indexing alcohol taxes for inflation, so they dont lose value over a year, that would reduce peoples drinking. We have very good demonstrations of that fact in states and nations that have done it. William and what about individuals . If someone personally feels like, you know what, i am concerned about this, what do we know works . Keith so, one thing i can say with optimism for anyone whos out there struggling with a drinking problem is, theres about 23, 24 million americans who have had a serious problem with alcohol or other drugs and are in recovery. Recovery is a realistic aspiration. It happens every single day. Theres no one right pathway to it. There are people who benefit through alcoholics anonymous, the Mutual Health program. Theres people who benefit from treatment, from counseling. Theres people who benefit from medications. Theres also people who are able to change without any of those things, usually with some reorientation in the life, like engaging with people who dont drink and activities that are incompatible with drinking. So theres every reason to believe that you can recover, and theres certainly no reason to feel ashamed if you have a drink problem. Its something that millions and millions of americans will go through. William all right. Keith humphreys of stanford university, always so interesting to talk with you. Thank you very much. Keith thank you. Amna we will be back shortly with a look at an austin, texas Theater Company that is working to promote a preserve latin American Culture. Geoff but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station, a chance to offer your support to help keep programs like this on the air. Amna for those stations staying with us, offtheshelf drones have proved to be a transformational technology, and now they are helping reunite us with mans best friend. As our special correspondent solace in southern england, in this report. We are in the english countryside and we are joining people looking for zena, who is one year old and has been missing for two days. Zena is a bit nervous, she took flight and disappeared. Theres only about an hour to go for nightfall. After the Young Labrador was rejected as a gun dog because she was equally spooked. And forcefully, someone came around to visit in the had a very highpitched voice, and i think it was just the last straw for her. I turned around and went where is the dog . Earlier the area was scanned by a drone that could detect a scared puppy or invading infantryman. The Ukrainian Government bought this because of its thermal capabilities. That are in very short supply at the moment so i was lucky to get one a year ago. Shane phillips is a commercial drone pilot who normally makes films but volunteers for searchandrescue when the call comes. Dogs tend to hide in quite dense undergrowth. They are usually never out in the open. With drones with thermal capabilities you can scan this whole field area in a matter of seconds, and at least we can say there is no dog here and you can focus your efforts elsewhere. I am frightened for her, really, because she does not know this part of the country at all. She is only one. This is the Perfect Place for her to be because there are no main roads around here, but if she was to stray further, we have got really busy roads, the railway line. As the light fades fast, a farmer is convinced he spotted the labrador, but the animal was a small deer about the same size as a dog. Xena faced her third night alone while her owner endured a tumult of anxiety and hope. Similar emions flowed through the biggest reservoir in north wales, when the dog walkers idyllic stroll went pearshaped. Her spaniel vanished. Anxious that we were not going to find charlie. Charlie is the best friend olivia david will ever have. There was no way we were leaving that night without him. It was an awful experience to go through, one i would not wish on anyone. We just wanted to get him back to where he belonged, back to the people that loved him, back to safety. Tim smith spotted lydias sos post in a facebook dog searchandrescue group. A lot of people consider drones to be a nuisance but we use them to find lost dogs. And around here, particularly in the weather conditions in north wales, a lost dog can be in a lot of trouble. The odds were not encouraging. Charlie was deaf, blind, and almost lame, so very elderly dog to start with. No one could understand what happened because we covered the land and we flew over where charlie was and nobody saw him. Then the dog walker pointed to the place where charlie disappeared. Tim reached for his thermal camera. The white dot in the middle shows charlie trapped on the waters edge. I have got him. We are so incredibly lucky that tim saw that post that night, that he was able and happy to help us. Everyone did as much as they could, and that is what got charlie back home to us. I came away on an incredible high. Im still buzzing. These are some of the dogs who have gone missing in the past couple weeks. Every day there are 10 new appeals to track down a fourlegged friend. The group can call on 2500 drone pilots and today they reunited nearly 3000 dogs with their families. Hope is running out, the landscape pitted with abandoned tin and copper mines. Douglas went missing after his owner went for a run. I had him since i was 10 years old and he was basically growing up with us as kids. A student of mandarin, and bereft. He has been through hard times in our life and he has been such a comfort and hes been a big part of the family. This is douglas in happier times. He is a 12yearold cocker spaniel and he is quite infirm and hes blind and probably hard of hearing. John davis is a former Police Dog Handler who takes to the air when the ground trail goes cold. They are hiding probably in feral dog syndrome that they go into after a time of being out of their family, they are scared, frightened. Alas at this point we have not found douglas. It feels strange not to have him with us, but its horrible to worry about what could have happened to him. Back in hampshire after missing for 3. 5 days, xena made her own way back home, lured by a pile of scented clothes, including errols husbands dirty underwear. We have xena home at last. Which is really, really fantastic. She is very tired. Shes had a good meal. Now she is just nodding off on her favorite sofa. Thank you. No problem at all. Thank you so much, honestly. Brilliant. Hopefully never again. Yes, hopefully. As xena luxuriates in home comforts, spare a thought for those lost forever. For the pbs newshour in southern england. Im malcolm broadbent. Geoff this is part of our arts and culture series, canvas. At the vortex theater in austin, texas, its the middle of rehearsal for the second installment of a trilogy of state ladies stage plays. All the way through to an imagined future. The longtime artistic director for the company. We are wanting to use this show to raise awareness of what we can do as a local community to take back our culture, to take back our art form and our identity. Journey but this isnt just a play. Its a cabaret, and its performed completely in spanish. Luis armando ordaz gutierrez this type of work, you dont really see it so much in spanish, and you dont see this type of work in the latino community, because cabaret is derived from european art forms, and so its a little odd and a little different and new to see it in the context of our culture. And so when people saw it, they were just so happy to be able to see their stories, their people, their characters in the lens of cabaret with, like, the musical numbers and the dance sequences and the jazzy music. Valeria my favorite part about being involved in this production specifically, i think, would be the dances. Theres one with, like, chairs. You have your little, like, chair dance routine. I love that one. Rachel being a part of something so impactful in my Community Feels like a great responsibility, especially since i feel that i am a leader and someone who creates something for other people to see and other people that are not part of my culture to see, to make sure that what im doing always carries that intention that i want it to carry and the intention of respecting and honoring my culture. Valeria i really dont get a chance to, like, connect with my roots, so being here and, like, rachel teaching us these indigenous dances, just learning about the history, its a really beautiful thing. Journey for the pbs newshour student reporting labs, im journey love taylor. Amna returning to our tuesday and the latest results, the Associated Press is now called colorado for former president donald trump, where he has 63 of the vote so far. As well as minnesota for former president trump, with 69 of the vote there. Geoff and on the democratic side, colorado has gone to President Biden with 85 of the vote, and in minnesota he has claimed 73 of the vote. Amna you can see the latest results online and join us later tonight for our lives super tuesday special. We will have full analysis starting at 11 00 p. M. Eastern, right here on pbs. And that is the newshour for tonight. Im amna nawaz. Geoff and im geoff bennett. Thanks for joining us and we will see you later this evening. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by on an american cruise lines journey, travelers experience the Maritime Heritage and culture of the maine coast and new england islands. Our fleet of small cruise ships explore american landscapes, seaside villages, and historic harbors. Where you can experience local customs and cuisine. American cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs newshour. Consumer cellular, this is sam, how may i help you . This is a pocket dial. Well, somebodys pocket, thought i would let you know with Consumer Cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. That is kind of our thing. Have a nice day. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security, at carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. ] youre watching pbs. This program was made possible in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Craig located on the slope of the santa ynez mountains, santa barba fas south on the pacific ocean, 90 miles north of los angeles. This is the setting for our series. The series is about the william c. Loud family of Santa Barbara california. Marlene a Pioneering Spirit pat im curious about bill hey, whats that, um, uh, what, uh. Pat just move the body grant as long as its not plunking on the guitar, right . Pat hell be in his office. Jeffrey to use a modern term,