PBS NewsHour; Monday, August 15, 2022, 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT

♪ JUDY: GOOD EVENING. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. ON "THE NEWSHOUR" TONIGHT... ONE YEAR ON -- WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN STRUGGLE FOR BASIC RIGHTS UNDER THE BRUTAL TALIBAN GOVERNMENT A YEAR AFTER THE CHAOTIC U.S. WITHDRAWAL. THEN... ELECTION BATTLE -- CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY FACES STEEP OPPOSITION IN WYOMING'S REPUBLICAN PRIMARY AFTER BECOMING A VOCAL CRITIC OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP. >> LIZ IS AS CONSERVATIVE A REPUBLICAN AS YOU WILL FIND. WHEN SHE'S CALLED NOT A REPUBLICAN, IT MEANS SHE WON'T BOW HER KNEE TO DONALD TRUMP. JUDY: AND... CHANGING GUIDANCE -- THE CDC LOOSENS ITS SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COVID-19. WHICH PRECAUTIONS AMERICANS DO AND DO NOT NEED TO TAKE UNDER THE NEW RULES. ALL THAT AND MORE ON TONIGHT'S "PBS NEWSHOUR." ♪

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THE WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION. FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS, ADVANCING IDEAS AND SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS TO PROMOTE A BETTER WORLD. AT HEWLETT.ORG. ♪ ♪ THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. STEPHANIE: I'M STEPHANIE SY WITH "NEWSHOUR WEST." WE'LL RETURN TO THE FULL PROGRAM AFTER THE LATEST HEADLINES. FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S

PERSONAL LAWYER RUDY GIULIANI IS NOW A TARGET IN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INVOLVING THE 2020 ELECTION. PROSECUTORS IN GEORGIA NOTIFIED HIS LAWYERS TODAY. THEY HAVE CONVENED A SPECIAL GRAND JURY ON ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN THE STATE'S OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS. ALSO TODAY, A FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERED SOUTH CAROLINA SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM TO APPEAR BEFORE THAT GRAND JURY. GRAHAM SAID HE WILL APPEAL. THE U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SAYS IT WILL OPPOSE RELEASING AN AFFIDAVIT USED TO JUSTIFY A SEARCH OF FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S HOME IN FLORIDA. NEWS OUTLETS WANTED THE DOCUMENT RELEASED, BUT FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAID TODAY IT WOULD COMPROMISE THEIR INVESTIGATION. THE SEARCH FOCUSED ON CLASSIFIED RECORDS TAKEN FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. THE TALIBAN MARKED ONE YEAR TODAY SINCE THEY SEIZED AFGHANISTAN'S CAPITAL, KABUL, AND TOOK POWER IN THAT COUNTRY. FIGHTERS AND SUPPORTERS PARADED IN THE STREETS AND CELEBRATED WHAT THEY CALLED GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS UNDER THEIR RULE. >> WE ARE FEELING VERY HAPPY. WE ALWAYS HAD A VISION OF FREE

AND PROSPEROUS AFGHANISTAN, AND THAT IS WHAT WE FOUGHT FOR OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS. TODAY, AND AS WE SEE THE RESULT OF THE STRUGGLE, IS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE. STEPHANIE: THE TALIBAN'S RULE HAS ALSO SEEN MASS POVERTY AND HUNGER, AND SEVERE RESTRICTIONS ON GIRLS AND WOMEN. WE'LL RETURN TO THIS AFTER THE NEWS SUMMARY. CHINA'S MILITARY LAUNCHED NEW DRILLS AROUND TAIWAN TODAY AFTER ANOTHER U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VISITED THE ISLAND. THE 5-MEMBER GROUP MET WITH TAIWAN'S PRESIDENT, LED BY DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ED MARKEY. THEY LEFT LATER IN THE DAY, AND BEIJING CONDEMNED THE TRIP. AN EARLIER VISIT BY HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI SPARKED DAYS OF CHINESE WAR GAS. IN KENYA, DEPUTY PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO HAS BEEN DECLARED THE WINNER OF LAST TUESDAY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION'S CHAIRMAN SAYS RUTO GOT JUST OVER HALF OF THE VOTE. OTHER COMMISSIONERS QUESTIONED THE RESULTS. MEANWHILE, SUPPORTERS OF RUTO'S OPPONENT, RAILA ODINGA, PROTESTED.

POLICE FIRED TEAR GAS AS CROWDS BURNED TIRES IN THE STREETS. IRAN IS DENYING ANY ROLE IN THE STABBING OF WRITER SALMAN RUSHDIE LAST WEEK. THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAD CALLED FOR HIS DEATH IN 1989 OVER HIS NOVEL, "THE SATANIC VERSES." TODAY, A FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN SUGGESTED THE AUTHOR HAS ONLY HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR FRIDAY'S ATTACK. MR. KANAANI: SALMAN RUSHDIE EXPOSED HIMSELF TO POPULAR ANGER AND FURY THROUGH INSULTING THE SACRED OF ISLAM AND TRESPASSING RED LINES OF OVER 1.5 BILLION MUSLIMS. WE DON'T SEE ANY OTHER PARTIES WHO SHOULD BE BLAMED OR CONDEMNED, EXCEPT FOR RUSHDIE HIMSELF AND HIS SUPPORTERS. STEPHANIE: THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT CALLED IRAN'S CLAIM "DESPICABLE." RUSHDIE REMAINS HOSPITALIZED IN WESTERN NEW YORK STATE. A COURT IN MYANMAR CONVICTED OUSTED LEADER AUNG SAN SUU KYI OF NEW CORRUPTION CHARGES TODAY. THAT TACKED ON 6 MORE YEARS TO HER EARLIER PRISON SENTENCE OF 11 YEARS. SUU KYI HAS BEEN DETAINED SINCE THE MILITARY OVERTHREW HER

ELECTED GOVERNMENT IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR. THERE'S WORD THAT AMERICAN BASKETBALL STAR BRITTNEY GRINER HAS APPEALED HER 9-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE IN RUSSIA. IT COMES AMID TALKS THAT COULD LEAD TO A PRISONER SWAP. GRINER WAS ARRESTED LAST FEBRUARY FOR HAVING VAPE CANISTERS OF CANNABIS OIL IN HER LUGGAGE. INDIA TODAY MARKED 75 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITISH RULE. AND, PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI VOWED TO TRANSFORM HIS NATION INTO A DEVELOPED COUNTRY IN THE NEXT 25 YEARS. MODI MADE THAT PLEDGE DURING CELEBRATIONS IN NEW DELHI. HE SAID HE'LL WORK TO RESCUE MILLIONS FROM POVERTY. PM MODI: WE HAVE TO MAKE INDIA A DEVELOPED NATION IN OUR LIFETIME. THE YOUNGSTERS OF MY COUNTRY, WHEN INDIA CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE, YOU WILL BE AGED 50-55 YEARS, WHICH MEANS THE GOLDEN PERIOD OF YOUR LIFE,

THE 20-25 YEARS OF YOUR LIFE IS THE TIME TO MAKE THE DREAMS OF INDIA COME TRUE. STEPHANIE: MODI'S OPPONENTS SAY HIS HINDU NATIONALIST PARTY HAS UNDERMINED DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS SINCE TAKING POWER IN 2014. BACK IN THIS COUNTRY, DEFENSE SECRETARY LLOYD AUSTIN HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 FOR A SECOND TIME THIS YEAR. HE SAYS HE HAS MILD SYMPTOMS AND IS QUARANTINING AT HOME. AUSTIN HAS BEEN FULLY VACCINATED AND BOOSTED. OREGON'S CHIEF JUSTICE FIRED ALL NINE MEMBERS OF THE STATE'S PUBLIC DEFENSE SERVICES COMMISSION TODAY OVER A SEVERE LACK OF PUBLIC REPRESENTATION FOR HUNDREDS OF DEFENDANTS. THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION REPORTS OREGON HAS ONLY 31% OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDERS IT NEEDS. IT IS THE ONLY STATE TO RELY ENTIRELY ON CONTRACTORS FOR PUBLIC DEFENDERS RATHER THAN STATE EMPLOYEES. THE NEW MEXICO MEDICAL INVESTIGATOR HAS RULED THAT LAST YEAR'S SHOOTING ON THE SET OF THE MOVIE "RUST" WAS AN ACCIDENT. ACTOR AND PRODUCER ALEC BALDWIN FIRED A GUN DURING REHEARSALS THAT KILLED A CINEMATOGRAPHER AND WOUNDED THE DIRECTOR. PROSECUTORS ARE STILL WEIGHING WHETHER TO FILE CHARGES. AND, ACTRESS ANNE HECHE HAS DIED

IN LOS ANGELES. SHE'D BEEN CRITICALLY INJURED IN A CAR CRASH AND WAS TAKEN OFF LIFE SUPPORT LAST NIGHT. HECHE STARRED IN "DONNIE BRASCO" AND OTHER HIT MOVIES IN THE LATE '90'S. DURING THAT SAME PERIOD, SHE AND ELLEN DEGENERES BECAME ONE OF HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST OPENLY SAME-SEX COUPLES. ANNE HECHE WAS 53 YEARS OLD. STILL TO COME ON "THE NEWSHOUR"... TAMARA KEITH AND AMY WALTER DISCUSS THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS. WHY THE THE CDC IS LOOSENING SOME OF ITS COVID GUIDELINES. AS HE RECOVERS FROM A VIOLENT ATTACK, WE EXAMINE AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE'S LIFELONG FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH. >> 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. JUDY: THE TALIBAN TAKEOVER OF AFGHANISTAN ONE YEAR AGO TODAY SENT THE NATION INTO YET ANOTHER SPIRAL OF TURMOIL. THE CHAOTIC WITHDRAWAL BY THE

U.S. AND NATO ALLIES TRIGGERED A FRENZIED AND DISASTROUS EVACUATION AS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DESPERATE AND FEARFUL AFGHANS SWARMED KABUL'S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, IN AN ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE. THE TALIBAN CLAIMED TO BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME, MAKING TALL PROMISES OF AN OPEN, INCLUSIVE ISLAMIC GOVERNMENT. OVER THE COMING DAYS, WE WILL LOOK AT THE AFGHANISTAN LEFT BEHIND UNDER TALIBAN RULE, ONE YEAR O WE BEGIN WITH THE PLIGHT OF AFGHAN WOMEN AND GIRLS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR FREEDOMS SNATCHED AWAY, ONCE AGAIN PUT UNDER THE TALIBAN'S HARSH RULE. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JANE FERGUSON REPORTS. BILQUIS: I REMEMBER THAT DAY I WOKE UP AND I WAS ABOUT TO GO TO THE MATHEMATICS INSTITUTE THAT I WAS GOING BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO TAKE THE ENTRY EXAM FOR UNIVERSITY. JANE: FOR MANY WOMEN AND GIRLS IN AFGHANISTAN, AUGUST 15TH IS A

DAY IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET. ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE, LIKE THIS GIRL WHO DREAMED OF AN EDUCATION, A CAREER. BILQUIS: I WAS REALLY INTERESTED ONE DAY TO WORK AT THE UNITED NATIONS. THAT WAS MY BIGGEST DREAM. JANE:E ARE HIDING HER IDENTITY FOR HER SAFETY. WHEN THE TALIBAN TOOK OVER THE COUNTRY A YEAR AGO, THEY PROMISED WOMEN AND GIRLS' RIGHTS WOULD BE RESPECTED A PROMISE UNFULFILLED TO THIS DAY. A RECENT IN DEPTH INVESTIGATION BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS DOCUMENTED THE DEVASTATING COLLAPSE IN WOMEN'S RIGHTS UNDER THE TALIBAN. THE SCOPE, MAGNITUDE AND SEVERITY OF THE TALIBAN'S VIOLATIONS AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS ARE INCREASING MONTH BY MONTH, IT STATES. WITHIN A YEAR OF ITS TAKEOVER OF AFGHANISTAN, THE GROUP'S DRACONIAN POLICIES ARE DEPRIVING MILLIONS OF WOMEAND GIRLS OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD SAFE, FREE AND FULFILLING LIVES. THEY ARE BEING SENTENCED, AS ONE AFGHAN WOMAN PUT IT, TO DEATH IN SLOW MOTION. GIRLS OVER 14 CONTINUE TO BE

BANNED FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL. YOUNGER GIRLS CAN STILL ATTEND, BUT FEW HAVE A REALISTIC CAREER AHEAD. WOMEN HAVE BEEN FORCED FROM THE WORKPLACE, AND SOME ARE ARBITRARILY DETAINED AND TORTURED IN PRISON IF THEY BREAK THE RULES, FOR SOMETHING EVEN A SIMPLE AS LEAVING HOME WITHOUT A MALE GUARDIAN. NICOLETTE: AND SO THESE WOMEN WOULD JUST GO OUT SOMETIMES JUST TO THE SHOP OR GO OUT TO HAVE A COFFEE, AND SUDDENLY THEY'RE IN A DETENTION CENTER. WHAT WE HEARD FROM THESE PRISON STAFF MEMBERS AND THEN TWO WOMEN AS WELL WHO'VE BEEN DETAINED FOR LITARY CONFINEMENT.DING IN THEY'RE ALSO FACING REGULAR BEATING IN DETENTION. JANE: NICOLETTE WALDMAN IS THE AUTHOR OF THE REPORT. SHE AND HER TEAM CONDUCTED DOZENS OF INTERVIEWS WITH WOMEN AND GIRLS ACROSS AFGHANISTAN. NICOLETTE: WE HEARD THE STORY OF ONE WOMAN WHO WAS ACTUALLY BROUGHT IN WITH HER NEWBORN.

SHE WAS BREASTFEEDING THE NEWBORN AT THE TIME AS A PUNISHMENT FOR THIS MORAL CORRUPTION CHARGE. SHE WAS SEPARATED FROM THAT CHILD AND WASN'T ABLE TO BREASTFEED THAT CHILD IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. SO JUST TO GO OUT TO THE SHOPS, YOU MIGHT END UP IN PRISON. JANE: IT IS A FORM OF INTIMIDATION AND IT IS WORKING. NICOLETTE: DEFINITELY WORKING. JANE: YOUNG WOMEN WE SPOKE WITH SAID THEY SAW TALIBAN BRUTALITY UP CLOSE IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING THEIR TAKEOVER. >> THEY WERE BEATING ON YOUNG GIRL, SHE WAS MY AGE. AND THEY WERE JUST BEATING HER SO VIOLENTLY, ALTHOUGH SHE HAD FULL HIJAB ON THERE WASN'T EVEN ANYTHING WRONG WITH HER APPEARANCE. IT WAS HARD TO WATCH. JANE: MANY OTHERS LIKE HER HAVE WATCHED THINGS OVER THE PAST YEAR THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAD TO. >> SEEING YOUR COUNTRY, ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR, ALL THE THINGS THAT

YOUR GENERATION HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR, THEY ARE SHATTERING AND THEY ARE FALLING APART. AND, IT WAS VERY PAINFUL FOR ME, AND FOR MY GENERATION BECAUSE, WE HAVE WORKED A LOT -- SORRY. JANE: THE EMOTIONAL TOLL ON HER AND HER FRIENDS IS MASSIVE. AFTER 40 YEARS OF WAR, YET ANOTHER GENERATION HAS BEEN LEFT TRAUMATIZED. >> NO I FEEL LIKE I'M MENTALLY DESTROYED. I DON'T HAVE ANY MOTIVATION ANYMORE. I'M NOT INSPIRED TO STUDY OR TO DO SOMETHING CREATIVE LIKE I USED TO. I FEEL LIKE STAYING AT HOME AND SLEEPING MORE OFTEN. I WASN'T LIKE THE WAY I WAS. I GOT A DARK DEPRESSION TWICE. JANE: IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TOUGH. LIKE HER, EVERY GIRL WE SPOKE WITH TOLD US OF THE MENTAL HEALTH BATTLES THEY ARE NOW FORCED TO FIGHT. >> IT HAS BEEN THE TOUGHEST YEAR OF MY LIFE. IT IS THE WORST FEELING, I WOULD SAY. LIKE, NOT BEING ABLE TO STUDY AND TO BE DEPRIVED OF YOUR RIGHT

WHICH IS EDUCATION. IT IS THE WORST FEELING. IT IS INDESCRIBABLE IN WORDS. AND IS REALLY SADDENING TO HAVE NOT A CLEAR VISION OF YOUR FUTURE. WHILST YOU HAVHAD LOTS OF DREAMS TO BE FULFILLED. JANE: WHAT WERE YOUR DREAMS? WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO? >> I JUST WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS, SOMETHING THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE IN TODAY'S AFGHANISTAN. I WANTED TO GET AT LEAST A DIPLOMA. I REALLY HAD THE PASSION TO BE INVOLVED IN POLITICS SINCE I WAS VERY YOUNG. JANE: FOR SOME OF HER FRIENDS, LIFE IS LITERALLY UNBEARABLE. >> THEY TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE BECAUSE THEY GOT DEPRESSION, LIKE, BEING AT HOME FOR SIX WHOLE MONTHS. I ASKED ONE OF THEM AND SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING BECAUSE THE KIND OF STRESS SHE HAD WAS OVERWHELMING.

JANE: THE TALIBAN HAVE COME DOWN HARDEST ON THE WOMEN WHO DARE TO PROTEST IN THE STREET FOR THEIR RIGHTS, ARRESTING AND HOLDING THEM IN PRISON FOR DAYS OF-- D. INCREDIBLY, MANY STILL REFUSE TO QUIT. ON SATURDAY, WOMEN PROTESTED IN THE STREET IN KABUL, DEFYING TALIBAN GUEN. NICOLETTE: THEY ARE NOT GIVING UP. AND I THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SO INTERESTING FROM THE INTERVIEWS, WAS THIS SENSE OF REAL SADNESS, DESPAIR, BUT JUST WITH THAT, A SENSE THAT THEY WILL KEEP FIGHTING. THEY WILL AT ANY COST. A LOT OF THEM FEEL THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. SO THEY WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WE REALIZED ALL THE RISKS THAT WE WERE FACG OUT IN THE STREETS TO PROTEST. SO WE CAME INSIDE. BUT THEN WHEN WE CAME INSIDE, WE REALIZED WE WERE JUST DYING EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY. SO WE FELT WE HAD TO GO OUT AND JUST LIVE OUR LIVES AND SHOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO US. JANE: WHAT DID THESE WOMEN WANT?

THE WHITE HOUSE, THE PENTAGON, THE EU, TO DO? NICOLETTE: WHAT WE THINK YOU HAVE TO CALL FOR IS ACTION THAT'S GOING TO INFLUENCE THE TALIBAN BUT NOT HARM THE AFGHAN PEOPLE. WHAT WE THINK COULD DO THAT WOULD BE TARGETED SANCTIONS OR TRAVEL BANS FOR SPECIFIC MEMBERS OF THE TALIBAN WHO ARE INVOLVED IN THE SYSTEMATIC DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS. JANE: UNTIL THERE IS ENOUGH PRESSURE ON THE TALIBAN TO CHANGE, WOMEN WILL HAVE TO ENDURE, WORKING HARD TO BELIEVE WILL GET AT HER. >> THIS YEAR, I REALIZED HOW EMOTIONALLY FRAGILE I WAS, BECAUSE I WAS THINKING OH YEAH, I CAN STRUGGLE WITH THINGS AND I AM STRONG ENOUGH. BUT THIS YEAR I REALIZED THAT I AM REALLY VULNERABLE TO THESE MENTAL PRESSURES IT HAS FOR ME. I THINK THAT WAS A BEAUTIFUL THING BECAUSE THIS VULNERABILITY TAUGHT ME SO MANY THINGS. AND I THINK I'M STRONGER THAN

THE YEAR BEFORE, I JUST FEEL STRONGER AND MUCH COMMITTED TO MY DREAMS RIGHT NOW. JANE: DO YOU STILL BELIEVE IN THAT DREAM? DO YOU THINK Y CAN STILL MAKE THAT WORK? >> I HAVE NEVER STOPPED BELIEVING IN MY DREAMS AND MYSELF, BUT RIGHT NOW THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT I SEE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AND MORE UNCERTAINTY BEFORE. JANE: 20 MILLION AFGHAN WOMEN ARE NOW ENTERING A SECOND YEAR UNDER TALIBAN RULE. THEIR RIGHTS CONTINUE TO BE DENIED AND STOLEN, BRAZENLY, IN FULL VIEW OF THE WORLD. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M JANE FERGUSON. ♪ JUDY: SEVEN OF THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE MEMBERS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAVE ALREADY RETIRED OR LOST THEIR PRIMARY RACES. THERE HAS NOT IN A MORE VOCAL GOP CRITIC OF TRUMP THAN WYOMING

REPRESENTATIVE LIZ CHENEY, AND SHE IS NOW FACING AN UPHILL BATTLE TO RETAIN HER SEAT IN CONGRESS. LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ TRAVELED TO WYOMING TO SPEAK WITH VOTERS AHEAD OF TOMORROW'S PRIMARY ELECTION. RACHEL: MY GRANDPARENTS LIVED HERE. LAURA: RACHEL MARTINEZ AND HER FAMILY HAVE LIVED IN WYOMING FOR GENERATIONS. RACHEL: WE HAVE BEEN HERE, BUILDING UP OUR COMMUNITIES. LAURA: BUT IF CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY LOSES ON TUESDAY, THAT COULD CHANGE. RACHEL: I WOULD MAYBE LOOK AT A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY JUST BECAUSE OF HOW POLARIZED WE ARE, AS TO HOW VILIFIED YOU ARE IF YOU ARE OPPOSITE OF THE MAINSTREAM, WHICH RIGHT NOW IS THE VERY FAR RIGHT REPUBLICAN NARRATIVE. REP. CHENEY: PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A 76-YEAR-OLD MAN, HE IS NOT A IMPRESSIONABLE CHILD. LAURA: MARTINEZ HAS CLOSELY WATCHED THE JANUARY 6 HEARINGS. SHE'S ENCOURAGED BY CHENEY, THE COMMITTEE'S VICE CHAIR, AND HER VOCAL CRITICISM OF FORMER

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S EFFORTS TO OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION. REP. CHENEY: PRESIDENT TRUMP SUMMONED THE MOB, ASSEMBLED THE MOB AND LIT THE FLAME OF THIS ATTACK LAURA: CHENEY'S PRIMARY OPPONENT HAS EMBRACED ELECTION FRAUD LIES. THAT'S WHY MARTINEZ, A DEMOCRAT, SAYS THIS YEAR SHE'S SWITCHING PARTIES TO VOTE FOR CHENEY. RACHEL: I'M VOTING FOR SOMEBODY WHO I BELIEVE IN THE RECENT PAST HAS STOOD UP FOR WHAT OUR CONSTITUTION IS ABOUT. LAURA: SO ULTIMATELY, YOUR SUPPORT OF CHENEY IS ABOUT HER DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY? RACHEL: ABSOLUTELY. LAURA: MARTINEZ ISN'T ALONE. IN WYOMING, VOTERS CAN CHANGE THEIR PARTY AFFILIATION ALL THE WAY UP TO THE PRIMARY ELECTION DAY. THERE ARE 6000 FEWER REGISTERED DEMOCRATS NOW THAN THERE WERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. AND CHENEY'S CAMPAIGN HAS SENT INFORMATION TO EVERY WYOMING VOTER ABOUT HOW THEY CAN CHANGE PARTIES. AT AN EARLY POLLING SITE IN CHEYENNE, EVERY DEMOCRAT NEWSHOUR SPOKE TO WAS SWITCHING TO THE REPUBLICAN BALLOT, MANY FOR THE FIRST TIME. DESPITE DISAGREEING WITH MOST OF CHENEY'S CONSERVATIVE POLICIES, THEY SAY HER WORK ON THE JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE IS TOO IMPORTANT. ED: WE GOT TO GET TO THE ROOT OF

THE PROBLEM. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH HER ON THE JANUARY 6 INVESTIGATION. I THINK TRUMP'S A CROOK. DAVE: SHE IS A PATRIOT, AND AMERICAN. AND MANY OTHERS ARE NOT. LAURA: WYOMING IS THE LEAST POPULOUS STATE, BUT IT'S ALSO THE REDDEST. THE DEMOCRATS CROSSING PARTY LINES TO SUPPORT CHENEY ARE OUTNUMBERED 4-TO-1. TRUMP RECEIVED 70% OF THE VOTE HERE IN 2020 AND HIS POPULARITY IN THE COWBOY STATE HASN'T WANED. DONNA HARVEY WAS BORN AND RAISED IN WYOMING AND NOW TENDS TO HER 560-ACRE RANCH IN RURAL NIOBRARA COUNTY. LIKE MOST VOTERS IN THE STATE, HARVEY IS A REPUBLICAN. DONNA: WE'RE VERY CONSERVATIVE HERE. WE'RE PROBABLY REDDER THAN RED, I WOULD SAY. AND I'M RIGHTER THAN RIGHT. [LAUGHTER] LAURA: LIKE OTHER REPUBLICANS, HARVEY'S HAD DOUBTS ABOUT CHENEY SINCE SHE FIRST RAN FOR OFFICE. SHE SAYS THE THREE-TERM CONGRESSWOMAN DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FROM WYOMING. DONNA: I USED TO LIKE HER. I NEVER VOTED FOR HER, EVEN THE FIRST TIME SHE RAN.

BECAUSE SHE IS NOT FROM HERE. SHE'S FROM VIRGINIA. SHE'S NEVER REALLY LIVED IN WYOMING. LAURA: HARVEY SUPPORTED THE FORMER PRESIDENT DURING HIS 2020 CAMPAIGN. SHE STILL BELIEVES, DESPITE ZERO EVIDENCE, THAT TRUMP WON THE ELECTION. THE INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP AND HIS ROLE ON JANUARY 6 IS A NEW REASON FOR HARVEY TO SUPPORT SOMEONE ELSE ON TUESDAY. DONNA: I THINK IT'S JUST A WITCH HUNT, JUST LIKE TRUMP SAYS, THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND TO GET SOMETHING ON HIM SO THAT HE IS DISQUALIFIED IN 2024. AND I THINK LIZ HAS MADE THAT VERY APPARENT ALSO. LAURA: THERE HAVE BEEN AUDITS IN ALL OF THOSE OTHER STATES, MULTIPLE AUDITS RUN BY REPUBLICANS IN SOME OF THOSE STATES. AND THEY FOUND NO ELECTION FRAUD. DONNA: NO, THAT'S NOT RIGHT. LAURA: THAT'S WHAT THOSE REPUBLICANS WHO RAN THOSE AUDITS SAID. DONNA: WELL, THEY'RE COVERING UP STUFF JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH IT. >> DO YOU MISS HIM YET? LAURA: HARVEY IS VOTING FOR THE FRONT RUNNER IN THE REPUBLICAN RACE -- HARRIET HAGEMAN, A

LAWYER AND 2018 CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR. MR. TRUMP: SHE'S ROCK SOLID ON ENSURING FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS . LAURA: TRUMP ENDORSED HAGEMAN LAST SEPTEMBER, DESPITE HER OPPOSITION TO HIM AT THE 2016 GOP CONVENTION. SHE HAS SINCE SURGED TO THE TOP OF THE POLLS, ATING CHENEY BY NEARLY 30 POINTS IN A RECENT UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING SURVEY OF LIKELY GOP PRIMARY VOTERS. MS. HAGEMAN: ABSOLUTELY THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED. IT WAS RIGGED TO MAKE SURE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD NOT GET REELECTED. LAURA: HAGEMAN'S UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF TRUMP AND THE LIE THAT THE 2020 ELECTION WAS STOLEN IS EARNING HER VOTES FROM REPUBLICANS WHO PREVIOUSLY BACKED CHENEY. AND EVEN FROM THOSE WHO KNOW CHENEY WELL. CRYSTAL: THIS IS HARD FOR ME. THIS IS HARD BECAUSE I DO LIKE HER VERY MUCH AS A PERSON. LAURA: CRYSTAL SUE CARR SERVED ON CHENEY'S 2016 CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP TEAM. SIX YEARS LATER, SHE AGREES WITH WHAT CHENEY HAS DONE IN CONGRESS, WITH ONE MAJOR EXCEPTION -- CARR BELIEVES TRUMP WON IN 2020. CRYSTAL: LIZ AND I HAVE DISCUSSED IT. I DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT SHE'S

DOING WITH TRUMP. I LIKE TRUMP. I AM A TRUMP PERSON STILL. SO I DID VOTE FOR HARRIET. LAURA: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT HER DECISION TO SERVE ON THE JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE? CRYSTAL: I DON'T AGREE WITH IT. AND IT BREAKS MY HEART AND I'M SAD ABOUT IT. LAURA: AND WHY DON'T YOU AGREE WITH IT? CARR: BECAUSE I THINK TRUMP HAS BEEN PICKED ON. I THINK THEY HAVE OVERSTEPPED THEIR BOUNDARIES TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH HIM. LAURA: MANY OTHER REPUBLICAN VOTERS WHO PREVIOUSLY BACKED CHENEY NOW SAY THE SAME -- IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SUPPORT HER AND TRUMP AT THE SAME TIME. JOHN: SHE'S JUST SITTING BACK TRYING TO PROSECUTE A GUY THAT'S TRYING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT AND MIGHT RUN FOR PRESIDENT AGAIN. JANICE: ANYTHING WITH HIM HAS JUST BEEN A BIG WITCH HUNT. LAURA: THE WYOMING REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS MOVED MORE TO ONCE-FRINGE EXTREMES IN THE 18 MONTHS SINCE THE JANUARY 6 ATTACK. PARTY CHAIR FRANK EATHORNE HAS TIES TO THE OATH KEEPERS, THE PARAMILITARY GROUP THAT HELPED BREACH THE U.S. CAPITOL. WEEKS AFTER THE INSURRECTION, THE STATE GOP CENTRAL COMMITTEE CENSURED CHENEY FOR HER VOTE TO

IMPEACH TRUMP. MONTHS LATER, THEY OUSTED HER FROM THE PARTY ALTOGETHER. REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON KICKED HER OUT TOO, REMOVING CHENEY FROM HER LEADERSHIP POST BECAUSE SHE REJECTED TRUMP'S ELECTION CONSPIRACIES. TIM: 6 YEARS AGO WE WERE SORT OF THE STANDARD, STAID, TRADITIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY. AND I THINK NOW MORE THAN ANYTHING WE'RE PROBABLY THE PARTY OF TRUMP. LAURA: TIM STUBSON IS A FORMER WYOMING LEGISLATOR. HE RAN AGAINST CHENEY FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR CONGRESS IN 2016. BUT NOW HE'S A VOCAL SUPPORTER. HE SAYS IT'S THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT CHANGED, NOT CHENEY. TIM: LIZ IS AS CONSERVATIVE A REPUBLICAN AS YOU WILL FIND. WHEN SHE'S CALLED NOT A REPUBLICAN, IT MEANS SHE WON'T BOW HER NEED TO DONALD TRUMP. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS A VERY DIFFERENT PARTY NOW THAN IT USED TO BE. REP. CHENEY: THE LIE THAT THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS STOLEN IS INSIDIOUS.

LAURA: EVEN AS HAGEMAN APPEARS ON THE BRINK OF VICTORY, CHENEY CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE TRUMP -- ARGUING THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND HIS TEAM KNEW THEIR PLANS AROUND JANUARY 6TH WERE ILLEGAL. REP. CHENEY: THIS IS DONALD TRUMP'S LEGACY BUT IT CANNOT BE THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION. LAURA: STUBSON ACKNOWLEDGES CHENEY'S CHANCES TO WIN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ARE SLIM, BUT HE'S HOPEFUL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HASN'T LOST ITS WAY FOR GOOD. TIM: IT IS GOING TO BE A LONG, HARD SLOG. 2024 ISN'T GOING TO BRING AROUND A DIFFERENT REPUBLICAN PARTY. IT IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE PEOPLE IN THE PARTY THAT ARE WILLING TO STAND UP AND START PUSHING AGAIN FOR RECOGNITION OF THE RULE OF LAW, RECOGNITION OF FIDELITY TO THE CONSTITUTION. LAURA: WIN OR LOSE, CHENEY SAYS SHE WILL CONTINUE TO WARN AMERICANS THAT TRUMP AND LEADERS IN HER PARTY WHO EMBRACE HIM ARE THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE COUNTRY. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ IN CASPER, WYOMING. ♪ JUDY: PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ON VACATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND CONGRESS IS ON AUGUST RECESS.

THE NEWS AND POLITICS HAS NOT SLOWED DOWN. PRIMARY ELECTIONS ARE BEING CLOSELY WATCHED IN WYOMING, AS WAS JUST REPORTED, AND IN ALASKA. THE PRESIDENT IS SET TO SIGN THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT TOMORROW, AND FOLLOW CONTINUES FROM THE FBI SEARCH OF DONALD TRUMP'S HOME. HERE TO ANALYZE IT ALL ARE OUR REGULAR POLITICS MONDAY TEAM: AMY WALTER OF THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT WITH AMY WALTER AND TAMARA KEITH OF NPR. HELLO TO BOTH OF YOU. IT IS TIME FOR POLITICS MONDAY. AS WE JUST HEARD FROM LAURA, THERE IS A LOT TO TALK ABOUT . BIG PRIMARIES THIS WEEK, EVERYBODY IS WATCHING. WYOMING, WHAT IS AT STAKE IN THIS RACE? TAMARA: LIZ CHENEY IS RUNNING LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO LOSE, AND IN FACT SHE BASICALLY DOES HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AT THIS POINT. SHE MADE THE DECISION BACK AROUND JANUARY 6, THE CALCULATION THAT STANDING UP FOR THE CONSTITUTION WAS MORE IMPORTANT TO HER THAN HER CONGRESSIONAL SEAT, BECAUSE

THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE, PLENTY OF REPUBLICANS WHO AGREE WITH HER, BUT NONE WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE A STRAIGHT TO CAMERA TV AD SAYING THAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP LIED AND INCITED A RIOT. AND AS A RESULT, SHE IS ALMOST CERTAINLY GOING TO LOSE. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH DEMOCRATS IN WYOMING TO HELP HER WIN. THAT SAID, SHE HAS CERTAINLY ELEVATED HERSELF AS A VOICE IN POLITICS AND SHE OBVIOUSLY COMES -- HAS THE CHENEY NAME AND IS UNLIKELY TO DISAPPEAR FROM THE POLITICAL SCENE. JUDY: THERE ARE A LOT OF DEMOCRATS WHO ARE CHANGING THEIR REGISTRATION. AMY: AND A LOT OF DEMOCRATS NATIONALLY WHO ARE WRITING CHECKS TO HER. SHE HAS A BIG BANK ACCOUNT NOW. SHE IS NOT GOING TO SPEND IT ALL DOWN EVEN IN THIS PRIMARY, YOU CAN'T SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY IN WYOMING. I THINK THE ISSUE OF THE SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM

CONSEQUENCES IS REALLY IMPORTANT HERE. ALMOST EVERYBODY WHO VOTED FOR IMPEACHMENT WILL HAVE PAID A SHORT-TERM POLITICAL COST. I THINK WHAT LIZ CHENEY IS LOOKING AT IS IN THE FUTURE, MAYBE NOT SO FAR AWAY, HOW HISTORY IS GOING TO JUDGE HER. THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING IS HOW PRIMARIES ARE STRUCTURED IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT. ALASKA IS ALSO HOLDING A PRIMARY TOMORROW. LISA MURKOWSKI, THIS REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM ALASKA, VOTED TO IMPEACH DONALD TRUMP. SHE WILL SURVIVE IN ALASKA BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, ALASKA HAS A TOP FOUR PRIMARY. EVERYBODY RUNS ON THE SAME BALLOT. THE TOP FOUR VOTE GETTERS WILL GO ON. THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO VOTED IN THE HOUSE AGAINSIMPEACHING DONALD TRUMP ALSO ARE FROM STATES THAT HAVE A TOP TWO PRIMARY BALLOT, EVERYBODY RUNS ON THE SAME BALLOT. SO SOME OF THE ISSUE IS YES, IF YOU HAVE A DEMOCRAT/REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, THAT IS HARD TO WIN IF YOU GO UP AGAINST YOUR PARTY OR UP AGAINST A FORMER PRESIDENT.

BUT THE PROCESS IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE OF ALL THIS. JUDY: THE PROCESS IS, NO QUESTION. ONCE AGAIN, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS AT THE CENTER OF WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN AMERICAN POLITICS, AND JUST A WEEK AGO TODAY, WE RE LOOKING AT THE NEWS OF THE FBI HAVING SEARCHED THE HOME AT MAR-A-LAGO, THE FORMER PRESIDENT'S FLORIDA ESTATE, AND THE REPERCUSSIONS KEEP COMING. WHAT DO WE SEE RIGHT NOW AS THE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT IS GOING ON? TAMARA: THE POLITICAL TAKE AWAY FOR ME IS THAT THIS CONSOLIDATED SUPPORT BEHIND DONALD TRUMP, PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT HE IS THIS ALL-POWERFUL FIGURE IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. YOU HAVE REPUBLICANS OF ALL STRIPES, RATR THAN -- SOME ARE JUST IGNORING WHAT DID HE HAVE IN HIS HOUSE AND JUST ATTACKING THE FBI. OTHERS ARE DEFENDING HIM, EVEN WITHOUT KNOWING ALL THE FACTS.

I MEAN, HE IS SITTING BACK AND WATCHING PEOPLE WHO COULD BE 2024 PRIMARY CHALLENGERS. INSTEAD, CRITICIZING THE FBI. I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE DEGRADATION OF TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS, BUT HERE IS JUST EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE, ATTACKING THE FBI IS SEEN AS COMPLETELY ACCEPTABLE BY REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS. JUDY: ATTACKING IT, AND VIOLENCE. WE SAW A MAN SHOT. AMY: THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES CERTAINLY FOR THIS. LOOK, I THINK IT MAY HELP CONSOLIDATE SOME SUPPORT AROUND DONALD TRUMP, MAYBE EVEN HELP HIM IN 2024. I DON'T THINK IT IS GOOD FOR HIS PARTY IN 2022. FOR REPUBLICANS IN THIS MIDTERM ELECTION, THE PATH TO VICTORY HAS BEEN PRETTY CLEAR FOR A LONG TIME NOW. MAKE THE ELECTION ABOUT JOE BIDEN, WHO HAS AN APPROVAL RATING OF AROUND 39%-40%, AND

ABOUT THE ECONOMY, IN WHICH VOTERS ARE PESSIMISTIC AND THINK THAT BIDEN AND DEMOCRATS ARE NOT DOING A GOOD JOB AND BELIEVE REPUBLICANS WOULD DO BETTER. THAT'S WHAT YOU MAKE THE CAMPAIGN ABOUT. THE MORE THE CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP, JANUARY 6, ABORTION, THE BETTER FOR DEMOCRATS. IT BECOMES A CHOICE ELECTION INSTEAD OF A REFERENDUM. EVEN IF IT IS A REFERENDUM BETWEEN BIDEN AND TRUMP, THAT IS PROBABLY PRETTY GOOD FOR DEMOCRATS, NOT VERY GOOD FOR REPUBLICANS. JUDY: SO THE WHITE HOUSE MAY NOT HAVE SET OUT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN, THEY SAY THEY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS FBI SEARCH, BUT IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE BECAUSE IT ELEVATES THE FORMER PRESIDENT. IT MAY TURN OUT TO BE SOMETHING THAT WORKS TO THEIR BENEFIT. TAMARA: I HAD BEEN REPORTING EVEN BEFORE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAD BEEN MENTIONING DONALD TRUMP'S NAME MORE IN HIS SPEECHES, AND THE TAKE-HOME FROM PRESIDENT BIDEN'S POLLSTER AND OTHERS I TALKED TO IS NOTHING MOTIVATES VOTERS MORE

THAN DONALD TRUMP. THAT IS ALSO TRUE OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS, BUT IT IS VERY TRUE OF DEMOCRATIC VOTERS. THAT SAID, PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE WHITE HOUSE ARE TRYING TO FOCUS ON ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED, DESPITE MONTHS OF EVERYONE ASSUMING THERE WAS NO WAY THAT WOULD ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISH THOSE THINGS. AMY: AND LET'S BE REALLY CLEAR, THE REASON DONALD TRUMP IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT IS BECAUSE REPUBLICANS ARE KEEPING HIM THERE. THEY VERY EASILY COULD HAVE SAID, WEHOULD WAIT FOR MORE EVIDENCE. WE SHOULD STEP BACK AND LET THE DEPARTMENT AND THE FBI DO THEIR JOB AND THEN WE WILL COME OUT. BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THE HOUSE MINORITY LEADER IMMEDIATELY SAYING, WHEN WE TAKE CONTROL OF CONGRESS, WE ARE INVESTIGATING THIS, WE WILL OUST THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. THAT IS NOT SITTING BACK AND LETTING THE ELECTION BE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. JUDY: THEY SAID TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, CLEAR YOUR CALENDAR, WE ARE COMING AFTER YOU. WHAT ABOUT THIS, YOU MENTIONED THE DEMOCRATS, NOW THEY HAVE

SOMETHING THEY CAN TALK ABOUT, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT PASSED. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT CAN WORK TO THEIR BENEFIT? IS THAT SOMETHING VOTERS CAN HANG ONTO? AMY: I SAW THIS AD THAT RAPHAEL WARNOCK, THE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR FROM GEORGIA PUT OUT, ALL ABOUT THE BURN PIT LEGISLATION. THAT IS BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION THAT'S FOCUSED ON SOMETHING PEOPLE CARE ABOUT, VETERANS CARE ABOUT. YOU HAVE NOW ANY NUMBER OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT SENATORS CAN PUT OUT ADS ABOUT. PROGRESSIVE SENATORS CAN SAY LOOK, WE HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS IS THE MOST SWEEPING CLIMATE CHANGE. OTHER PROGRESSIVE CANDIDATES CAN SAY LOOK AT THIS GUN LGISLATION. IT WAS LESS THAN WE WANTED BUT THIS GUN LEGISLATION ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING. SO THEY HAVE THINGS TO POINT TO. GOING BACK TO THE PRESIDENT'S POLLSTER, HE SAID TWO MONTHS AGO THEY DID NOT HAVE THAT MANY THINGS TO POINT TO AND NOW THEY DO. JUDY: CAN IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE? TAMARA: I WOULD SAY WHAT IS HELPING DEMOCRATS THE MOST IS

THE FACT THAT GASOLINE HAS GONE DOWN A SINCE THE BEGINNING OF DOLLAR SUMMER. THE PINCH PEOPLE ARE FEELING IS A LITTLE LESS. WE ARE SEEING A LITTLE BUMP IN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE. FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FEELING QUITE AS PINCHED IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY EXPENSES, ALTHOUGH INFLATION STILL IS TAKING A BIG BITE, AND I THINK THAT STEEL IS -- I THINK THAT STILL IS GOING TO BE A BIG ISSUE IN THE 2022 MIDTERMS. JUDY: THE INFLATION NUMBERS SEEM TO BE EASING OFF, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING AND FEELING -- TAMARA: GAS PUMPING GROCERY STORE. AMY: AND A LOT OF REPUBLICANS WISH THEY COULD JUST FOCUS ON THAT AND NOT TRUMP. JUDY: BUT WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT THESE OTHER THINGS. TAMERA KEITH AND AMY WALTER, THANK YOU BOTH. ♪ AS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY PREPARE TO HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL, THE CDC IS RELAXING

ITS COVID-19 GUIDELINES. IT IS A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT IN HOW THE UNITED STATES HAS APPROACHED THE PANDEMIC. STEPHANIE SY EXPLAINS. STEPHANIE: JUDY, THE LATEST GUIDANCE FROM THE CDC PRIORITIZES KEEPING KIDS IN CLASS,ND RELAXES COVID PREVENTION MEASURES FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES. HE'S SOME OF WHAT'S CHANGED: IF EXPOSED TO COVID-19, IT'S NO LONGER NECESSARY TO QUARANTINE. THE CDC NOW SAYS TO WEAR A MASK AND GET TESTED. IF YOU TEST POSITIVE, THE CDC RECOMMENDS MASKING FOR 10 DAYS, BUT SAYS ISOLATION CAN END AFTER DAY 5 IF SYMPTOMS ARE IMPROVING. WHAT'S MORE, THE CDC ALSO NO LONGER RECOMMENDS ROUTINE TESTING IN K-12 SCHOOLS, UNLESS COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION IS HIGH. NOT ALL HEALTH EXPERTS AGREE WITH THE NEW CDC GUIDELINES. FOR MORE, I'M JOINED BY JULIA RAIFMAN, SHE'S AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

SHE ALSO LEADS THE COVID-19 U.S. STATE POLICY DATABASE, WHICH TRACKS HOW STATES HAVE RESPONDED TO THE PANDEMIC. THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE NEWSHOUR. THE CDC HAS POINTED TO FALLING CASE NUMBERS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS AS WELL AS TO THE FACT THAT MANY AMERICANS NOW HAVE SOME PROTECTION FROM COVID EITHER FROM THE VACCINE OR HAVING ALREADY GOTTEN IT. DO THESE NEW CDC GUIDELINES GET IT MOSTLY RIGHT OR MOSTLY WRONG IN YOUR VIEW? JULIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. I THINK WE SHOULD BE LOOKING TO THE CDC TO SET A HIGH BAR WITH STANDARDS THAT ARE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE. I THINK THESE GUIDELINES SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED. WE NEED LEADERSHIP IN HELPING PEOPLE IMPROVE THE USE OF ALL OF THE TOOLS WE HAVE TO REDUCE COVI19. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MORE OF AN EMPHASIS ON VACCINE DELIVERY AT SCHOOLS. JUST ABOUT HALF OF CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED AT THIS POINT, BUT WE

REALLY NEED INCREASED VACCINATION COVERAGE TO HELP REDUCE PREVENTABLE, SEVERE DISEASE IN KIDS. WE ALSO SEE THAT VACCINES ALONE ARE NOT ENOUGH TO REDUCE HIGH TRANSMISSION, AND SCHOOLS ARE PLACES WE REALLY VALUE. THEY ARE CROWDED INDOOR SETTINGS WHERE WE REQUIRE STUDENTS TO GO, AND WE WANT THEM TO BE SAFER FOR STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY IN THERE ARE SURGES. SO WE WANT TO SEE MORE PREPAREDNESS TO REDUCE THE HARMS OF SURGES, WHICH WILL HIT SCHOOLS FIRST AND MOST BECAUSE THEY ARE CROWDED INDOOR SETTINGS. WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE IS MASK MANDATES THAT TURN ON AT THE BEGINNING OF A SURGE. ALSO INCREASING VACCINATION COVERAGE AND BOOSTER COVERAGE BEFORE THE SURGE HITS. AND THEN INCREASES IN TESTING AND SUPPLIES AS WELL AS OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HIGH RISK WHEN THERE IS VERY HIGH TRANSMISSION. STEPHANIE: SOME HEALTH EXPERTS SAY THE NEW GUIDELINES RECOGNIZE THAT THE BEST PLACE FOR CHILDREN IS IN THE CLASSROOM AND THAT THIS CAN BE DONE SAFELY WITH ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF RISK.

WOULD YOU AGREE? JULIA: I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN AND SAFE. WE REALLY WANT TO HAVE THEM BE HEALTHY PLACES THAT WE AS -- THAT LEADS STUDENTS IN CARING ABOUT THEIR OWN HEALTH AND THAT OF THEIR FAMILIES AND TEACHERS. WE SEE SAFETY GUIDELINES LIKE MASK MANDATES HAVE BEEN A GREAT HELP IN HELPING STUDENTS STAY IN SCHOOL AND REDUCING STUDENT AND TEACHER ABSENCES. HAVING A PLAN IN PLACE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PANDEMIC AND ITS HARMS CONTINUE, BUT THAT WE CAN MITIGATE THEM WITH SENSIBLE STRATEGIES THAT ARE NOT ALL OR NOTHING BUT THAT REALLY RESPOND TO SURGES AND PREPARE FOR THEM, CAN REALLY HELP STUDENTS STAY IN SCHOOL IN A WAY THAT HAS A LOT LESS TRANSMISSION THAN THE PRIOR YEAR. STEPHANIE: THERE ARE STILL ON AVERAGE ABOUT 500 PEOPLE DYING A DAY OF COVID-19 IN THE UNITED STATES. WHICH GROUPS CONTINUE TO BE THE

MOST VULNERABLE? WE ARE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN, THEY TEND TO BE LESS VULNERABLE TO SEVERE DISEASE. JULIA: YEAH, THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT QUESTION. 500 DEATHS A DAY IS A LOT. AT ONE POINT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TALKED ABOUT SETTING A GOAL OF 200 DEATHS A DAY, AND WE EXPECT THE NUMBER OF DEATHS A DAY TO INCREASE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AS PEOPLE GO BACK INTO CROWDED INDOOR SETTINGS, AS THERE MAY BE SEASONAL SURGES OR SURGES OF NEW VARIANTS. I THINK THAT NUMBER IS TOO HIGH A LEVEL TO ACCEPT, AND WE SEE THERE ARE LARGE DISPARITIES BY RACE, ETHNICITY, INCOME. PEOPLE WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK OF SEVERE COVID, PEOPLE WHO ARE DISABLED, ARE AT ELEVATED RISK OF DEATH AND OTHER SEVERE OUTCOMES DUE TO COVID. THAT'S WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO TAKE MITIGATION STEPS LIKE IMPLEMENTING MASK MANDATES AT THE BEGINNING OF SURGES TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT THAT COVID SPREADS AND REDUCG CASES REDUCES HOSPITALIZATIONS AND

DEATH AND ALSO REDUCES DISRUPTION TO EDUCATION AND PARENTS MISSING WORK BECAUSE THEY ARE STAYING HOME WITH KIDS WHO ARE SICK OR THEY THEMSELVES BECOME SICK. STEPHANIE: OVERALL DO YOU FEEL THESE CDC GUIDELINES ARE SCIENCE-BASED, OR ARE THERE OTHER FACTORS AT PLAY THAT HAVE CHANGED THE GUIDANCE? JULIA: YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT PUBLIC HEALTH IS POLITICAL AND THAT BOTH SCIENCE AND POLITICS ARE REFLECTED IN THESE GUIDELINES. POLITICS IS PART OF THE REASON THE UNITED STATES HAS NOT HAD A STRONGER RESPONSE TO COVID. UNITED STATES IS NUMBER ONE IN THE DEATH RATE FOR DELTA AND OMICRON, RELATIVE TO OTHER HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES. THAT REALLY SUGGESTS THAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER. WHAT IS IN THE GUIDELINES IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SCHOOLS AND LEADERS TO LEAD BETTER. WE NEED BETTER MITIGATION, WE NEED BETTER VACCINE COVERAGE FOR KIDS, EDUCATORS AND FOR FAMILIES.

WE ALSO NEED MASK MANDATES IN SURGES AND SURVEILLANCE TESTING IN SURGES. STEPHANIE: JULIA, THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE NEWSHOUR. JULIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE. ♪ JUDY: AND WE'LL BE BACK SHORTLY WITH A LOOK AT SALMAN RUSHDIE'S CAREER AND FIGHT FOR FREE SPEECH. BUT FIRST, TAKE A MOMENT TO HEAR FROM YOUR LOCAL PBS STATION. IT'S A CHANCE TO OFFER YOUR JUDYG REPEATEDLY STABBED ON STAGE AS HE WAS PREPARING TO GIVE A

LECTURE, AUTHOR SALMAN RUSHDIE IS RECOVERING, BUT HIS AGENT SAYS HE SUFFERED LIVER DAMAGE AND IS LIKELY TO LOSE AN EYE. THE MAN ACCUSED OF ATTACKING HIM HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER. JEFFREY BROWN WEEKS WITH A FELLOW AUTHOR AND FRIEND OF SALMAN RUSHDIE. JEFFREY: SALMAN RUSHDIE, THE MAN AND THE WRITER, AND THE WIDER IMPACT OF THE ATTACK AGAINST HIM. JOINING ME TO DISCUSS IS AYAD AKHTAR, A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT AND NOVELIST. HE IS ALSO CURRENT PRESIDENT OF FREE SPEECH ORGANIZATION PEN AMERICA, A POSITION PREVIOUSLY HELD BY SALMAN RUSHDIE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. SALMAN RUSHDIE IS YOUR FRIEND, I KNOW, BUT YOU'VE ALSO TOLD ME HE IS A ROLE MODEL. TELL ME WHAT HE IS FOR YOU WHAT YOU SEE IN HIM. AYAD: I GREW UP IN A MUSLIM FAMILY, AND WHEN SALMAN RUSHDIE WROTE "THE STANAIC VERSES" IN 1988 AND 1999, THE FATWA CAME DOWN AND A PRICE WAS PUT ON HIS

HEAD BY THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, IT WAS A BIG EVENT IN MY LIFE AND IN MY COMMUNITY AND MY FAMILY'S LIFE. THAT BOOK HAD SUCH A PIVOTAL EFFECT ON MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE FORCE OF LITERATURE WHAT , WRITING COULD DO, HOW IT COULD QUESTION THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL THINGS YOU BELIEVED. AND IT COULD DO SO IN A PLAYFUL AND SATIRICAL WAY, IT COULD DO SO IN A BRILLIANT WAY, AND IT COULD GET YOU IN A LOT OF TROUBLE. MAYBE THAT WASN'T THE PT OF IT THAT WAS THE ROLE MODEL, BUT IT WAS SUCH A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE TO READ THAT BOOK AS A YOUNG PERSON, YOUNG WRITER AND A YOUNG MUSLIM, AND IT CNGED MY LIFE AND REALLY DID SHAPE SO MUCH OF MY BODY OF WORK TO COME. JEFFREY: WHAT LARGER STORY HAS HE BEEN TELLING IN HIS WRITINGS, INCLUDING IN THE SATANIC VERSES? AYAD: AS ANY TRULY GREAT WRITER, HE IS TELLING ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF STORIES. BUT I THINK THE ESSENCE OF WHAT IS AT THE HEART OF HIS BODY OF WORK IS THE POWER OF STORYTELLING, AND THE POWER OF STORIES AND NARRATIVE TO SHAPE COUNTRIES, TO SHAPE HISTORIES,

TO SHAPE A RELIGION, A WAY OF THINKING, FOR CENTURIES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS SO POWERFUL IN WHAT HE IS DONE OVER THE YEARS IS THAT HE PLAYFULLY, BRILLIANTLY QUESTIONS AND PROVOKES AND PRODS AND TESTS TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THOSE STORIES HOLD UP. JEFFREY: LIKE YOU, I HAVE BEEN WITH HIM IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTINGS, AND TYPICALLY HAVE SEEN LITTLE OR NO SECURITY. HE MADE A DECISION ABOUT HOW HE WAS GOING TO LIVE HIS LIFE. AYAD: I HAVE SPOKEN TO HIM EXTENSIVELY ABOUT IT BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT AT A CERTAIN POINT, SOMEONE --SALMAN BELIEVED THAT, HE HAD SPENT ALMOST A DECADE IN HIDING, AND IT HAD TAKEN A TOLL. HE WROTE ABOUT IT VERY ELOQUENTLY IN HIS MEMOIR, AND THERE WAS A MOMENT IN WHICH HE DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO LIVE, TIME TO GO BACK TO LIFE. JEFFREY: I REFERRED TO THE WORK HE HAS DONE AT PAN AMERICA A

YOU'RE DOING NOW, AND THE OTHER WAYS HE HAS WORKED IN THE AREA OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. THIS BECAME IMPORTANT TO HIM, CLEARLY ESPECIALLY AFTER HIS OWN , EXPERIENCE? AYAD: YEAH. I THINK UNDERSTANDING -- PEN STOOD UP FOR HIM POWERFULLY AT THE TIME. WHO WOULD UNDERSTAND BETTER THE CONSEQUENCES OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION THAN SALMAN RUSHDIE BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? IT IS A REMINDER TO ALL OF US THAT THE FREEDOM TO THINK AND THE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS THAT THOUGHT HAS TO BE OF PARAMOUNT VALUE IN OUR SOCIETY, EVEN BEYOND THE SO-CALLED HARMS OF SPEECH. THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD WHO BELIEVE HE HAS HARMED THEM BY WRITING THE SATANIC VERSES. BUT THAT CAN'T STAND BESIDE THE CLAIM THAT MUST WRITE WHAT HE MUST. JEFFREY: WHAT ABOUT THE CAUSE OF

EXPRESSION NOW, WHAT IS THIS ATTACK MATTER, IN A LARGER SENSE? AYAD: I THINK INCREASINGLY WE ARE SEEING DIMINISHED SUPPORT FOR IT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INCREASED CONCERN ABOUT THE HARMS THAT SPEECCAN BRING. ON SOME LEVEL THERE'S A LARGER CONVERSATION ABOUT CONTROLLING SPEECH, OR CONTROLLING WHAT IT IS THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO SAY, AND THERE ARE LOT OF AVENUES BY WHICH THIS IS HAPPENING. THIS IS A CLEAR REMINDER THAT THAT DEBATE IS SECONDARY TO THE FREEDOM TO EXPRESS -- SALMAN ONCE SAID IF I DON'T HAVE THE FREEDOM TO OFFEND YOU, THEN IT ISN'T REALLY FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION. JEFFREY: YOU TOLD ME YOU HAD A QUOTE FROM SALMAN RUSHDIE THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS APPROPRIATE. YOU WANT TO READ THAT? AYAD: YEAH. "A POEM WILL NOT STOP A BULLET, A NOVEL CANNOT DEFUSE A BOMB, BUT WE ARE NOT HELPLESS. THE BATTLE IS NOT ONLY ON THE BATTLEFIELD. EVEN AFTER ORPHEUS WAS TORN TO PIECES, HIS SEVERED HEAD

FLOATING DOWN THE RIVER, SINGING, REMINDING US THAT SONG IS STRONGER THAN DEATH. WE CAN EMULATE ORPHEUS AND SING ON AND NOT STOP SINGING UNTIL THE TIDE TURNS AND A BETTER DAY BEGINS." JEFFREY: ALL RIGHT. WE ALL WANT TO SEND OUR BEST TO SALMAN RUSHDIE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AYAD: THANK YOU. JUDY: WE THANK YOU BOTH FOR THAT CONVERSATION. THAT IS THE NEWSHOUR FOR TONIGHT. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. JOIN US ONLINE AND AGAIN HERE TOMORROW EVENING. FOR ALL OF US AT PBS NEWSHOUR, THANK YOU, PLEASE STAY SAFE, AND WE WILSEE YOU SOON. >> MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE PBS NEWSHOUR" HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY >> FOR 25 YEARS, CONSUMER CELLULAR'S GOAL HAS BEEN TO PROVIDE WIRELESS SERVICE THAT HELPS PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT. WE OFFER A VARIETY OF NO-CONTRACT PLANS, AND OUR U.S.-BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM CAN FIND ONE THE FITS YOU. TO LEARN MORE, VISIT CONSUMERCELLULAR.TV. ♪ >> THE KENDEDA FUND, COMMITTED

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♪♪ ♪♪ -Today on "Cook's Country," we're celebrating the best of summer berries. First up, I'm making an elegant, mixed-berry buckle, and Toni explores the origins of the name "buckle." Jack's got the skinny on thickening agents, and Bryan's making strawberry-cheesecake bars.