AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: The United Auto Workers hit the picket lines after the deadline for an agreement between the union and the nation's Big Three carmakers expires.

AMNA NAWAZ: The small Ohio town where a train derailed seeks answers while cleanup continues seven months later.

We speak with the head of the rail company.

ALAN SHAW, President and CEO, Norfolk Southern: I am really proud of the progress we have made.

I also understand there is a lot more work to be done.

GEOFF BENNETT: And it's Friday.

David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on mounting tensions in the House of Representatives, as lawmakers launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

The United Auto Workers launched a strike today.

It's the first time the union started a strike by picketing against the Big Three automakers simultaneously.

AMNA NAWAZ: The union, under fiery new leadership, has also changed its traditional approach to a walkout by starting with a shot on the production of popular truck models.

Automakers say the workers' demands will endanger their ability to compete.

And both sides have portrayed this battle as a critical moment because of a changing marketplace.

After weeks of stalled contract negotiations... PROTESTER: No deals, no wheels, union strong!

AMNA NAWAZ: ... nearly 13,000 autoworkers walked off the job this morning, saying they had no choice but to strike.

JUSTIN WARWICK, Member, United Auto Workers: It's hard.

This is not something everybody wants to do.

I don't think anybody wants to do this, but this is what we have to do, so this is what were going to do.

AMNA NAWAZ: The UAW strikes aim to disrupt operations for the so-called Big Three Detroit automakers, General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis, which owns Jeep and Chrysler.

Combined, they produce half of the roughly 15 million vehicles made in the U.S. every year and employ nearly 150,000 UAW members.

But workers aren't striking en masse.

The union is rolling out a new strategy, targeted strikes at a few facilities.

The first include three Midwest plants, a Ford Bronco plant in Michigan, a GM truck and van plant in Missouri, and a Stellantis Jeep plant in Ohio.

The union is asking for a 36 percent wage increase over four years and the restoration of some pay and benefits cuts made in the 2008 recession, including cost of living adjustments, an end to a tiered wage system, and changes to pension plans and retiree health care.

They are also proposing a four-day workweek.

UAW president Shawn Fain spoke at the picket line just after the work stoppage began at midnight.

SHAWN FAIN, President, United Auto Workers: Well, it's a shame.

It's a shame we have got to be out here right now doing this, because the companies won't take care of their workers, who they want to call family.

We're not asking to be millionaires.

We're not asking to join the billionaire class.

We're asking for our fair share of the fruits of our labor.

They deserve it.

AMNA NAWAZ: The union says companies raked in billions in profits, and worker wages have not kept up.

Between 2013 and 2022, combined profits for the Big Three Ford, GM, and Stellantis, surged 92 percent to $250 billion total.

President Biden today gave his support to striking workers and said he hoped for a fair agreement.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: Auto companies have seen record profits, including in the last few years, because of the extraordinary skill and sacrifices of the UAW workers.

Those record profits have not been shared fairly, in my view.

The companies have made some significant offers, but I believe they should go further to ensure record corporate profits mean record contracts for the UAW.

Let me say that again.

Record corporate profits, which they have, should be shared by record contracts for the UAW.

AMNA NAWAZ: The companies have countered the union with a proposed pay hike of 17.5 percent to 20 percent, five weeks of vacation, some cost of living adjustments, and more health benefits.

And automakers argue that union demands will keep them from competing with non-union and foreign auto companies, and that it would drive up prices.

GM CEO Mary Barra on CNBC this morning: MARY BARRA, CEO, General Motors: I'm extremely frustrated and disappointed.

We don't need to be in strike right now.

We're at the table.

We're problem-solving.

We want to get this done.

This will not be good for the economy overall and, again, for all the communities that are impacted from when a plant is in their city.

AMNA NAWAZ: The strike follows a pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and a semiconductor shortage, and comes amid an industry shift to electric, raising union concerns of lower-paying non-union jobs ahead.

The big question now, how will the strike impact the economy?

MARK ZANDI, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics: Well, the strike is going to have a negative effect on the economy.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mark Zandi is the chief economist at Moody Analytics.

MARK ZANDI: This should not push this resilient economy into recession, certainly not by itself.

I mean, obviously, you can construct dark scenarios where the strike extends on, let's say, through the end of the year into next.

If that's the case, then the damage to the economy could be serious enough that it could push us over the edge into an economic downturn.

But that seems unlikely at this point.

AMNA NAWAZ: The loss of income, says Zandi, could impact those Midwestern communities who rely on auto production jobs.

And consumers nationwide could feel that impact too.

MARK ZANDI: It's just going to be tougher to find many of the vehicles that you might want to purchase.

It also could result in higher vehicle prices.

Vehicle prices have gone skyward here since the pandemic hit because of the supply shortages, and this would only exacerbate it.

I don't think it's a big deal in terms of availability and price if the strike lasts a few days, a few weeks, but if it drags on for a month, two or three, then shortages will become more prevalent and higher prices more likely.

AMNA NAWAZ: As negotiations continue, more plants could be called on to strike in the days ahead.

GEOFF BENNETT: The deadly floods that inundated Eastern Libya earlier this week have now led to a tide of the dead, bodies seemingly everywhere, with a death toll of more than 11,000, and a race that pits dignity and respect for those lost against the threat of disease and further calamity.

Stephanie Sy reports.

STEPHANIE SY: Saad Rajab's home in the city of Soussa is submerged in layers of mud and completely unlivable.

SAAD RAJAB MOHAMMED AL HASSI, Flood Survivor (through translator): It's not easy for a man to go through this.

Only God knows what we are going through.

Even the government did not help us.

We are left out on the streets.

STEPHANIE SY: But the streets of Derna, about 60 miles east of him, have sustained the most damage.

Thousands are still believed to be missing, and as much as a quarter of the city has been washed away.

For the fifth day straight, local and international rescue teams continued to search the rubble and wade through the waters.

Libyan authorities today sealed off most of the city and said only rescue teams would be allowed to enter the worst-hit areas.

Libyans are now racing to bury their dead, but there aren't enough body bags; 5,000 from the Red Cross shipped out today.

What to do with the bodies is a pressing question.

The World Health Organization called on authorities to stop burying flood victims in mass graves.

The U.N. says at least 1,000 bodies have been buried that way, which experts warn could lead to further trauma for family members.

BILAL SABLOUH, International Committee of the Red Cross: Graves need to be mapped, so there is record of who is buried there.

The efforts make it possible for loved ones to later recover the body and had the closure of a private burial.

STEPHANIE SY: For the living, critical aid supplies are coming in, but with damaged roads and bridges, access to Derna remains difficult.

Local authorities say a sea corridor could be established to deliver urgent relief.

Martin Griffiths is the U.N.'s top humanitarian official.

MARTIN GRIFFITHS, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator: Priority areas are shelter, food, key primary medical care because of the worry of cholera.

STEPHANIE SY: But aid groups accuse the government of a lack of central oversight.

Even before the disastrous flood, at least 300,000 Libyans were already in desperate need of aid.

The U.N. has launched a $71.4 million appeal for the hundreds of thousands more now reeling from the floods.

As appeals for help go out, prayers are lifted up.

Hundreds of survivors filled a mosque still standing in Derna, grieving, but not without faith.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: New England braced for a close encounter with Hurricane Lee.

More than 400 miles of the region expects high winds and heavy rain in an area that's already seen flooding this week from an earlier system.

The hurricane is on track to make landfall tomorrow in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Maine's coastline could see waves of 15 feet.

Tens of thousands of people worldwide have kicked off a weekend of protests against climate change.

Demonstrators are calling for an end to the use of fossil fuels.

Marchers in Germany closed down streets today and rallied at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

In the Philippines, activists demanded quick action by leaders there.

AARON PEDROSA, Protest Leader: Science has said that we only have seven years as a window for climate action, and we are not -- and we are nowhere near the urgent solutions, the drastic solutions, the ambitious actions that are needed yesterday.

GEOFF BENNETT: The protests are timed to coincide with the United Nations' climate summit.

The U.N. warned last week that countries are far from meeting commitments they made in the Paris Agreement of 2015.

The U.S. Central Command says it will interview more troops about the Kabul Airport bombing two years ago.

That's after a former Marine said he spotted two men behaving suspiciously, but never got orders to take action.

The suicide bombers struck during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal, as thousands of people tried to flee the country.

The attack killed 170 Afghans and 13 American troops.

The original investigation said it was not preventable.

Chinese authorities are saying nothing tonight about the fate of the country's defense minister.

Li Shangfu has not been seen in public for more than two weeks, and numerous reports today said he's being investigated for corruption.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken was asked about it in Washington.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State: I don't know about the status of the defense minister.

And, in any event, ultimately, these are issues for the Chinese government to decide.

We remain fully prepared, as we've been, to engage with the Chinese government, whoever happens to be holding the positions of responsibility at any given time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Li's disappearance follows the ouster of China's foreign minister.

He dropped from sight and was replaced in July, without explanation.

Federal prosecutors say former President Trump is trying to intimidate potential witnesses in his January 6 criminal case with threats and inflammatory statements.

A court filing today said they're asking the presiding judge to impose limits on what he can say.

Mr. Trump is accused in the case of illegally trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Birmingham, Alabama, marked 60 years today since the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young Black girls.

They were getting ready for Sunday services when a powerful dynamite device exploded.

The attack brought an outpouring of grief and shook the country's conscience.

Today's remembrance service at the church featured Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.

KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice: The theft of those souls and spirits shook and bent our own, but we did not break.

Indeed, it was from the rubble of the bombing of this church that our nation renewed its commitment to justice and equality.

GEOFF BENNETT: Three members of the KKK were eventually convicted in the bombing decades after it took place.

The first new treatment in 20 years may be available soon for military veterans and others suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

A new study finds the psychedelic drug MDMA can cause a significant reduction in symptoms such as nightmares and flashbacks.

The FDA and the Drug Enforcement Administration will have to approve it before the drug can be prescribed in the U.S. And, on Wall Street, stocks slumped on the way into the weekend.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 289 points to close at 34618.

The Nasdaq fell 217.

The S&P 500 dropped 54 points.

And a passing of note: Famed Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero died today in Monaco of pneumonia.

He was known for sculptures and paintings of oversized figures.

His work now decorates cities across Europe and Latin America.

Fernando Botero was 91 years old.

And still to come on the "NewsHour": Iran tightens security ahead of the one-year anniversary Mahsa Amini's death that sparked protests around the world; and a sister's struggle, an Israeli researcher believed to be kidnapped by an Iraqi militia.

This past February, a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in the small Ohio village of East Palestine.

Soon after the derailment, officials burned the toxic freight to avoid a possible explosion, sending a black cloud of smoke drifting ominously into the air.

As residents returned to their homes days after the crash, many complained of rashes, sore throats, nausea, and headaches.

It's now been over seven months.

The cleanup of the derailment site is ongoing, and some residents tell us they're still concerned about the lingering effects on their health, the economic future of their community, and whether something like this could happen again.

Joining us now to talk about those concerns is the CEO of Norfolk Southern, Alan Shaw.

Thanks for coming in.

It's good to see you again.

ALAN SHAW, President and CEO, Norfolk Southern: Geoff, it's a pleasure to be with you.

Last time you and I were together, it was about seven months ago on the ground in East Palestine in the immediate aftermath.

And at that point, I made the commitment that we were going to make it right, and we're keeping our promises.

And I'm really proud of the progress we have made.

I also understand there is a lot of more work to be done.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, on that point, seven months on, there are residents who say they are still suffering damaging symptoms.

They want more testing.

They want clearer assurances about the safety of their homes.

They want their health care costs to be covered now and in the event that they develop cancer or some other serious health problem.

What can you offer in the way of definitive guarantees?

ALAN SHAW: Yes.

As you know, I go back multiple times a month.

And when I'm there, I'm there to oversee our progress and the environmental remediation and our investment in the community to help it thrive.

But I'm also there to listen.

I'm there to sit down with the citizens and hear their concerns and hear what Norfolk Southern can do to help.

And the three things that we really hear about are concerns about water testing, concerns about property evaluation and long-term health care.

And so, just yesterday, we were able to make an announcement of a $4.3 million grant to enhance the city water system.

And, next week, I'm pretty confident we're going to make an announcement on a long-term fund for property evaluation.

And we're working with key stakeholders on issues associated with long-term health care.

So we're listening and we're taking action.

GEOFF BENNETT: Does Norfolk Southern have a full accounting of the chemicals that were spilled and the ones that were created during that controlled burn?

ALAN SHAW: And we certainly know what was on the consist of the train.

It was important to note that, throughout the process, the U.S. EPA and the Ohio EPA had air testing and water testing up.

And they have shown outside of the evacuation zone that the air was safe to breathe and the water safe to drink.

GEOFF BENNETT: One of the concerns we heard the most about from folks in East Palestine is the time it's taking to do this remediation.

Initially, it was thought that the cleanup could take a matter of weeks.

It's now, as we have said, about seven months.

One of the main roads there has been shut down.

What is taking so long, and what's the expectation for when the work will be done?

ALAN SHAW: Yes, that's another thing I hear when I go back to the community.

The folks want the environmental remediation to be complete and, frankly, they want Taggart Street to be opened.

I understand that completely.

As I noted, we're working under the oversight of the U.S. EPA.

Right now, we firmly believe that the most intense phase of the environmental remediation will be done next month.

But we also understand that our commitment is not done there, and we will continue to remediate the site, and we will continue to test and monitor.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about rail safety, because the NTSB, which investigated the derailment, found that there was a Norfolk Southern employee who expressed concerns about the size of the train the day before the derailment.

The train itself had two mechanical disruptions during its journey before it eventually derailed.

And, of course, we now know it was caused by an overheated wheel bearing that wasn't picked up in time by the trackside sensors.

What is Norfolk Southern doing to make sure that this will never happen again?

ALAN SHAW: Geoff, we have been really active.

I immediately instructed my team to look for ways to enhance safety on Norfolk Southern.

And, in March, we announced a six-point safety plan, which we're implementing.

And I reached out to Admiral Kirk Donald, who used to run the Navy nuclear propulsion system.

And I asked him to put together a team of experts with Navy nuclear experience and report directly to me as an independent consultant and help us enhance the safety culture at Norfolk Southern.

And just yesterday, in full transparency, I released those findings from the Navy nuke team.

And, right now, we're sitting down with them and mapping out a two-to-three-year road map for implementation.

And I'm going to mail those results to every single one of Norfolk Southern's 20,000 employees, because I want 20,000 voices at Norfolk Southern advocating for rail safety.

GEOFF BENNETT: Ohio's two senators, one Democrat, one Republican, introduced the Railway Safety Act this past spring, which would do a couple of things.

It would strengthen notification.

It would strengthen inspection requirements.

It would also mandate a two-person onboard crew.

Do you support that piece of legislation?

ALAN SHAW: Yes, there are many things that we support in the various railway safety bills that are in the House and in the Senate.

And what you have seen for me is a vocal advocate for many of these provisions.

And I'm taking a lead role in the industry in trying to advance bipartisan rail safety legislation.

GEOFF BENNETT: Which ones do you think go too far?

Which provisions do you think are unnecessary?

ALAN SHAW: We are -- we're data-driven.

And we look for science.

And, at this point, I have not seen any link between crew size and railway safety.

What I can tell you, things that make a lot of sense to me are additional training for first responders.

And, frankly, they're the heroes in this whole situation.

The first responders are the ones who devote their whole careers to protecting the communities in which we serve -- we live -- pardon me.

I'm also for enhanced car safety standards and more research and development for hot box detectors.

There's a lot of things that make perfect sense to enhance rail safety.

GEOFF BENNETT: People will hear you say that and think it also makes common sense, perfect sense to have more crew on board, that the train, the two-mile-long, nearly-two-mile-long train in East Palestine had three crew members, one of whom I think was a trainee.

But if that train had only had one crew member on it, as bad as it was, it could have been even worse in that community.

ALAN SHAW: What we haven't seen is a link between crew size and rail safety.

But I am absolutely advocating for many of the provisions that are out there.

I'm taking a leadership role in the industry on enhancing rail safety.

GEOFF BENNETT: Final question.

When I talk to folks who have been following what happened in East Palestine and who pay close attention to the ongoings in the rail industry, they say that rail carriers, for a long time, the industry has been self-regulated.

For all this talk about government regulation, the industry itself has been self-regulated, and the big rail carriers want to keep it that way.

Is that the case?

ALAN SHAW: Yes, we work very closely with our elected officials and with our regulatory agencies.

But we understand the powerful role that rail plays as an economic growth engine in the U.S. economy.

And we do a lot of things that are aligned with both sides of the aisle, including enhanced investment in manufacturing, high-paying union jobs, taking trucks off the highway, and sustainability.

We understand our role, and we take safety very seriously.

GEOFF BENNETT: Alan Shaw, CEO of Norfolk Southern, thanks for coming in.

It's good to see you.

ALAN SHAW: Geoff, great to see you again.

Thank you for your time.

AMNA NAWAZ: The U.S. today imposed new sanctions on Iran, explicitly designated on the grim one-year anniversary of the death of a young Iranian woman in police custody.

Mahsa Amini was arrested for taking off her headscarf, or hijab, required under the laws of the Islamic Republic.

She never left custody.

Huge protests followed, led by women with a common refrain, "Women, life freedom," that shook Iran for months.

Tehran special correspondent Reza Sayah has the story of some of the women who participated in the protests and others who did not.

REZA SAYAH: September 2022, angry protests led by women gripped the streets of Tehran following the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old died in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly breaking Iran's Islamic dress code for not wearing her headscarf, or hijab.

One year later, we spoke to some of the women who say they peacefully took part in the protests.

They asked us not to reveal their identities.

Sara is a 54-year-old aid worker.

Narguess is 43, a dental assistant.

NARGUESS, Dental Assistant (through translator): It was a good feeling.

It felt like everyone was somehow united.

It was a feeling of fearlessness.

I'm usually a fearful person, but I felt strong.

We felt like we had to defend our rights.

SARA, Aid Worker (through translator): It was just like someone shot an arrow attached to a string, and that arrow and string went through and united everyone who was in the streets.

There were religious people, non-religious, men, old and young.

They all bonded just like a big family.

REZA SAYAH: At the protests, many women removed their hijab in a show of defiance.

For Iran's clerical rulers, the hijab is a pillar of the Islamic Republic.

To protesters, it was a symbol of an oppressive government.

By removing the hijab, they said, no more.

NARGUESS (through translator): It was from that moment that I completely removed my hijab, which should be your right, your choice.

You can choose this, and we chose to be without the hijab.

REZA SAYAH: As protests spread, authorities intensified their crackdown.

In the months that followed, more than 500 people died, including nearly 70 security officers.

Thousands were arrested, among them journalists and activists.

The Iran protests became one of the biggest news stories of 2022, with international headlines depicting Iran's women taking on Iran's oppressive leaders.

ZEINAB MARZOUGHI, Journalist (through translator): For me, as a journalist, I think that they wanted to produce a bad impression of the leadership.

REZA SAYAH: But Zeinab Marzoughi, a journalist for one of Iran's conservative newspapers, says coverage of the protests was one-sided and incomplete.

Zeinab Marzoughi grew up in a conservative family in Iran's Khuzestan province, where, for many, the hijab is a part of everyday culture.

She says she too was deeply upset at Amini's death, but was struck by how the demands of women in the more liberal capital, Tehran, were so different than what women want in her conservative hometown.

ZEINAB MARZOUGHI (through translator): I often walked by security forces in the clashes, and I thought, do you know what the main concern is for women in Khuzestan, while you're highlighting the hijab as the main concern for all women?

For me, the difference in views is remarkable.

I think to myself, people are fighting one another for one thing here, while we want something very different there.

REZA SAYAH: Zeinab says what most Iranian women want are better lives, better jobs, the ability to save money for a secure future.

ZEINAB MARZOUGHI (through translator): The hijab has become a symbol in civil protests against the erosion of society, our economic situation.

When people see that the leadership is sensitive to the issue of the hijab, then they push their button and remove the hijab.

If livelihood improved, then maybe people would have an easier time dealing with the hijab.

REZA SAYAH: And that's maybe the most important, maybe the most surprising point we heard over and over again from Iranian women.

Yes, these were anti-hijab protests that shook Iran last year, but many Iranian women say their main demand is a better economy.

SARA (through translator): The hijab was a weapon that was used, but the hijab was not the only concern for any of these women.

NARGUESS (through translator): When I talk to everyone around me, the hijab is not their main concern.

The main concern is the cost of living, inflation.

SARA (through translator): People are so concerned with income and putting bread on the table, both men and women, that they can't even think of anything else.

NARGUESS (through translator): If our situation improves and everything is great, I am personally ready to wear the hijab.

REZA SAYAH: For many Iranians, the economic situation is not improving, and the fallout of the protests may have made things worse.

Inflation, unemployment, the plummeting value of Iranian currency, and more Western sanctions are battering the economy.

Many Iranian women make a living with digital businesses on social media, but with the government tightening Internet restrictions and blocking Instagram in response to the protests, many smaller start-ups are going under.

Two years ago, business was booming for this Instagram business owner.

This year, she delivered a teary goodbye.

BUSINESS OWNER (through translator): This will be the last time you hear my voice and see me on my page.

Your support and friendship were very important to me.

I often said, you became my second family because you were always with me.

REZA SAYAH: One year after the death of Mahsa Amini, the mandatory hijab law is still in place, and Iran's leadership still denies Amini was beaten to death.

At a recent news conference, a judiciary official described the unrest as a hybrid war instigated by the West.

KAZEM GHARIBABADI, Judiciary Official (through translator): What is a hybrid war?

It means you have destruction, riots and disorder that is sown not just in the streets, but in prisons, universities and schools.

Social media is used to support this hybrid war.

The news media, whether Farsi language or not, outside of Iran assists in implementing this strategy.

Spy agencies are involved too.

We witnessed all of this in these recent events.

REZA SAYAH: But in the streets of the capital, Tehran, more women openly walk without the hijab.

NARGUESS (through translator): The women who wore the hijab before still wear the hijab, but the women who didn't believe in the hijab are no longer wearing it.

You see the morality police, but they don't dare say anything to you, even though you hear threats of fines.

But women are standing up for what they want.

REZA SAYAH: What Iranian women say they want are better lives.

It's up to the Iranian government to deliver.

Failure to do so will likely fuel the discontent that sparked Iran's women-led protests and still brews one year later.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Reza Sayah in Tehran.

AMNA NAWAZ: Princeton graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov has been missing for six months.

A dual Russian-Israeli citizen with family in the u.s., she was conducting research for her doctoral degree in Baghdad, when she was believed to be kidnapped by an Iraqi militia.

I spoke recently with her sister, Emma Tsurkov, who lives in the U.S. and has been trying to get government officials and Princeton to do more to bring her sister home.

I asked Emma how she first learned that her sister had been taken.

EMMA TSURKOV, Sister of Elizabeth Tsurkov: We're very close.

We text each other daily.

And she loves my son, her only nephew, so much.

He's the apple of her eye, truly.

And no matter what's going on, and even if she is mad at me, she will always respond to pictures of him.

So I sent her a picture of him, and then a few hours went by.

And then, at the point at which it was 12 hours, and she has not responded, I knew something must be wrong.

There is no way that she's OK and has not responded to a picture of him.

And then I started making phone calls and trying to understand what's going on.

I contacted the Russian authorities.

I contacted the Israeli authorities to try and understand what's happening.

And from that point on, that's basically the way this started.

AMNA NAWAZ: So she's believed to be held by a group of people called Kataib Hezbollah.

It's an Iranian-backed Shia militia in Iraq.

Since she was taken, have you heard anything from her or from them?

Do you understand why she would have been kidnapped?

EMMA TSURKOV: So, I have not heard from them.

I have not received any demands.

I -- they have kidnapped her because she is Jewish.

She is a Jewish woman at the hands of an extremist terrorist organization.

So, she is a completely innocent woman, a brilliant scholar, and a very kind person.

She has done nothing wrong to anyone and does not deserve to languish at the hands of a terror organization.

AMNA NAWAZ: You have been in touch with a number of officials in Russia, in Israel, also in Iraq, also here in the U.S. You even stood outside the Iraqi embassy, I understand with a sign, trying to get a meeting with the ambassador.

But amid all of these countries, who do you think is responsible?

Who should take the lead in trying to get your sister out?

EMMA TSURKOV: So, I believe that the United States is uniquely positioned to help secure my sister's release, for several reasons, first of all, because my sister has a strong relationship to the U.S.

While she is not a citizen, she is a resident of the state of New Jersey.

She is a graduate student at Princeton University.

And, more importantly, I will point to the fact that the U.S. government provides aid to the Iraqi government that funds the organization that kidnapped her.

The U.S. government needs to apply pressure to the Iraqi government to do everything they can to free my sister, because, currently, that's not happening.

AMNA NAWAZ: She was there doing work as part of her degree at Princeton.

It was reviewed by Princeton in advance, approved by Princeton in advance.

What have your conversations been like with them so far?

EMMA TSURKOV: Unfortunately, they have been very frustrating.

I expected Princeton to be a strong ally of mine and help get my sister back.

But, in fact, what they have done is treat it mainly as a P.R.

problem.

I was passed from one administrative person to another.

Princeton had started this whisper campaign in which the Israeli and the U.S. governments were told that -- which is untrue -- that she was there on her own.

And all of that is deeply damaging to my sister's case and to her chances of survival.

This isn't a matter of P.R.

or of liability.

It is literally life or death for her.

AMNA NAWAZ: You have been meeting with U.S. officials here on your visit to Washington.

Have any of them said that they will help to take the lead to secure her release?

EMMA TSURKOV: So, I have letters from members of Congress, Representative Eric Swalwell, who represents the district I live in California, and Senators Menendez and Booker, in which they ask the State Department to do more to get the Iraqi government to intervene and do more to free my sister.

But it seems that, so far, everyone is passing the buck.

Everyone wants to know what's happening, but no one wants to take the lead and take the responsibility of doing everything possible to bring my sister back.

She's an amazing, kind, brilliant person, and she doesn't deserve this.

She doesn't deserve this.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Emma Tsurkov, sister of Elizabeth Tsurkov.

Emma, thank you so much for being here.

We appreciate it.

EMMA TSURKOV: Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: In a statement to the "NewsHour," Princeton University called Elizabeth Tsurkov a valued member of their community, saying there's been ongoing contact with government officials and experts to understand how Princeton can best support her safe return.

AMNA NAWAZ: A new report sheds light on a staggering number of people dying behind bars in Louisiana prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers.

John Yang has more.

JOHN YANG: The Incarceration Transparency Project at the Loyola University Law School says there's been a 50 percent jump in deaths from 2019 to 2021.

And what's more, there's been a significant spike in deaths due to drugs, suicide and violence, all reaching new highs.

Roby Chavez is the communities correspondent for U.S. based in New Orleans.

Roby, as I understand it, there have been 1,100 deaths behind bars since 2015.

This report analyzes that.

What are the big findings?

ROBY CHAVEZ: Well, John, the numbers show a big surge since the start of COVID.

And prison reform advocates say that this report points to what they call dehumanizing and deadly problems at these prisons and jails.

But they say it's completely solvable problems.

Until now, there has been no comprehensive analysis of the deaths at Louisiana prisons and jails, until Loyola University Law School started to collect the data through public records requests.

Here are some of the things that they found.

One in four people killed in Louisiana jails had not been tried yet.

Black people made up nearly 58 percent of deaths.

Medical conditions like heart disease and cancer were the primary cause of death.

But overdose deaths among incarcerated people starkly increased in Louisiana from over -- just over 2 percent in 2015 to nearly 12 percent in 2021.

Now, while COVID deaths remained low, researchers believe that the restrictions put in place during the first two years of the pandemic certainly played a role in these increases.

ANDREA ARMSTRONG, Loyola University College of Law: COVID changed the prison and jail environment.

It meant that there was no programming.

It meant that there were fewer staff on site.

It meant that the people who were incarcerated had lesser access to the outdoors.

Those changes in the environment affected people's mental health.

And so what we saw in that time is higher levels of violent deaths, drug overdoses, as well as suicides during the COVID period.

ROBY CHAVEZ: Now, other studies have shown that Louisiana has the highest in-custody mortality rate in the country, John.

JOHN YANG: Roby, has there been any response from both the family members of people who died behind bars or the Department of Corrections?

ROBY CHAVEZ: Well, look, family members, for their part, just want to know how the drugs continue to get in the prisons and jails, especially during the pandemic, when they were on lockdown and family visitations were halted.

We did speak with prison officials, who acknowledged the spike in deaths, even calling the rise in suicides a black eye for the department.

But we also spoke with the Louisiana Department of Corrections' medical director, who said, what he's seeing parallels what they're seeing in the general population the outside.

And the goal is to provide a standard of care that is equal to what's available in the community.

Now, that spokesman went on to say that there's a department-wide concern over these deaths, saying -- quote -- "You would like people to do their time and to go back home to their families.

John, clearly, for some people, that's not happening.

JOHN YANG: And is the Department of Corrections taking any steps, any actions?

ROBY CHAVEZ: Well, look, researchers and advocates say just bringing awareness through this report will help move things forward.

Family members believe that those deaths of folks who died from non-medical illnesses deserve an independent criminal investigation.

Now, for its part, the Department of Corrections has started to evaluate people incarcerated with high needs to determine their best placement.

Spending has increased by $6 million since 2017.

And the Department of Corrections has increased on-site clinics to treat people for everything from mental health issues to substance abuse and dialysis.

And we should mention the lead author of this report says that in-custody deaths should be rare events.

ANDREA ARMSTRONG: We don't draw any conclusions about whether a death is preventable or not.

But what this project does do is, it identifies patterns and trends in deaths, both in jails and in prisons, and that this information is helpful for administrators of that facility to identify what types of things they can look to improve, such as supervision protocols or searching protocols, and the ways in which they might be able to reduce preventable deaths inside.

ROBY CHAVEZ: Now, Louisiana is unique from most other states, because more than half of the people convicted of crimes have to serve out their times in local jails.

Those are run by sheriffs, and that's where we're seeing the spike in deaths.

Local prison advocates say that points to a need for independent oversight and mandatory standards across all these facilities, John.

JOHN YANG: Roby Chavez, thank you very much.

ROBY CHAVEZ: Thank you, John.

JOHN YANG: And you can dive deeper into Roby's reporting, including his interviews with family members of those who have died behind bars, by going to our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour.

GEOFF BENNETT: This week, President Biden faced the opening of an impeachment inquiry in the House of Representatives, and his son faced an indictment on federal gun charges.

We turn now to the analysis of Brooks and Capehart.

That's New York Times columnist David Brooks, and Jonathan Capehart, associate editor for The Washington Post.

Good to see you both, as always.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Geoff, good to be with you.

GEOFF BENNETT: So there are more indicators that the 2024 presidential race could play out in congressional committee rooms and courthouses, more so than in the early voting states.

Jonathan, the fact that Hunter Biden has now been indicted by federal prosecutors on this gun charge after his plea deal fell apart, how will that impact the Biden campaign?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, it'll impact the Biden campaign only in as much as it is the president's son who is facing accountability, unlike the person he's probably going -- the president's probably going to run against, who will actually be the person in the courtroom, in several courtrooms in four jurisdictions around the country, while he's also running for president.

Look, the president loves his son.

I'm sure this is a painful time for him personally.

But as the campaign goes on and, assuming this does go to trial -- you listen to a lot of legal analysts, they say this is not -- this probably won't go to trial.

But if it does, the longer this goes on and the president is asked questions about it, he will have to answer.

But I think it's incumbent upon us in the press to, like, keep some perspective here.

The charges he's -- that this president's son's facing is nowhere near the charges that the former president of the United States is facing.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, that's right.

Hunter Biden's alleged misdeeds do not compare at all, in terms of the scale and the quantity of Donald Trump's alleged crimes.

Still, though, it's an interesting strategy among Republicans to try to exploit this perceived vulnerability and distract from Donald Trump's legal troubles.

You think it's an effective one?

DAVID BROOKS: No, Donald Trump's legal troubles are not something we're going to ignore.

I -- the gun thing to me, it's a distraction, to me.

I'm not going to waste three neurons on that one.

But the influence peddling should be investigated.

I don't think there should be an impeachment inquiry about it.

But Hunter Biden was in the business of peddling influence.

And it's not clear he actually peddled any influence.

It's not clear his dad did anything.

But it should be looked into.

His dad was somewhat involved in some of the conversations, maybe only in small talk.

But he was somewhat involved.

And so we should know whether Hunter Biden's business was a sham, pretending to peddle influence that he didn't actually have, or whether there was some substance to it.

So that, to me, merits an inquiry.

It does not merit an impeachment.

An impeachment should be, holy cow.

We should have, like, some evidence of something truly shocking before we take the extraordinary step of beginning an impeachment inquiry, or else we just risk cheapening the whole impeachment process.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Republicans, Jonathan, have failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was asked about this inquiry in the halls of the U.S. Senate, and this was his response.

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Oh, my God, really?

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, it's devastating.

(LAUGHTER) SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN: Ooh, don't do it.

Please, don't do it.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, setting aside the senator's sartorial choices, I mean, the fact that he made fun of it, he's dismissing it in a cartoonish way, is that a mistake?

Should Democrats take this seriously?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yes, Democrats absolutely should take this seriously.

And I get where the senator is coming from.

To David's point, there's no evidence here yet.

And if the Republicans were serious, the Oversight Committee under Chairman Comer would be doing a more -- a serious investigation, instead of a fishing expedition that they're on so far, finding nothing.

And so that's why the senator is like, ooh, ooh, this is so scary.

But, on the other hand impeachment is a big deal and the American people, whether they know there's evidence or not, are going to say, wait, what?

He's being impeached.

Oh, this is terrible.

This is what happens to terrible people who do terrible things.

And we don't have any evidence of that at all.

But the key thing here is, the senator is reacting that way.

The White House is not.

The White House is absolutely taking this seriously.

And that's exactly what they should be doing.

GEOFF BENNETT: For Kevin McCarthy to green-light this inquiry, does he now have to follow this to its natural end?

I mean, does he have any off-ramp here?

DAVID BROOKS: Oh, yes, he does.

First, I want to support any senatorial use of sarcasm.

We don't have enough of that.

(LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: Noted.

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, because his caucus is not - - is not all the way there.

There are a lot of people who are Republicans who are saying, well, impeachment backfired on Republicans when they did it to Clinton.

It sort of backfired on the Democrats when they did it to Trump.

This is stupid.

And they can be pretty hard right.

They could be not hard right.

But they just look at the history of impeachment and realize that people don't like this stuff.

So we should not do this.

And so he has a lot of people in his caucus who would be very happy to let this go.

GEOFF BENNETT: What about that?

It also raises the question of how the House speaker is handling the pressure from the far right wing of his party, not just on impeachment, but on funding the government and the infighting.

I mean, there's some extraordinary reporting from inside a House caucus meeting, Republican Caucus meeting this week.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yes, some F-bombs were dropped in this Republican Caucus meeting.

But, yes, the pressure is getting to the speaker, which is why he is dropping F-bombs.

And there might not be enough votes in the caucus to actually approve impeachment, but there aren't enough votes in the caucus to pass a budget.

And that's why we are hurtling to a government shutdown.

The speaker, I thought, from the reporting, he thought that, oh, I will just say that I'm authorizing an impeachment inquiry, and that will be enough to satisfy Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and we can get on with the business of a C.R.

and then get to the point of passing a budget.

That is off the table now, and so we're less than, what, 10 working days before Congress runs out of runway to come up with a budget by October 1.

The government's going to shut down because of this insanity.

GEOFF BENNETT: What do you make of the situation in which the House speaker finds himself?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, it's like -- being House speaker is like having a really bad old boat.

(LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS: Like, it's one of those things where your only -- your happy day is the first day you get it, the day you get rid of it, so I think that's the experience of being speaker.

And it does -- this Congress came in, and especially the Republicans, with two words on their mouth, regular order.

We're going to do Congress the way it's supposed to be done.

We will have this -- set the targets, committees will do their work, it'll look the way it's supposed to.

Well, that's gone.

It's completely shambolic.

And so I still think, as they always do, they will -- and as happened a couple months ago, that they will come up with some sort of rough deal to prevent a government shutdown, because people know how terrible that would be politically for them.

But it certainly doesn't look like regular order to me.

GEOFF BENNETT: At the risk of sounding naive, I mean, what does it mean that this Congress can't pass bills through the regular order, which is to take bill by bill, as opposed to doing it, what they call the omnibus method, which is to just throw it all together?

Because that really is, to your point, the only way they can get things done these days.

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, well, this is the history of my life.

(LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS: Like, since I have been covering this, they do these big omnibus things.

And so I'm going to bring in -- Mitt Romney, we had the story.

Maybe we will talk about it later.

He -- when the impeachment process came to him, he sat there and he studied the evidence, he prayed about it, he consulted experts.

He did things like a member of Congress would do.

And that norm -- like, he was probably the only one who did that.

And that norm, especially on the budget side, really has -- the norms of how we do budgets has completely broken down.

And so we have been at this for decades now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, David raised it, Mitt Romney's decision not to run for reelection.

How does it affect the Senate to lose another moderate Republican voice?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, not just a moderate Republican voice, a statesperson, a person of conscience, a person who took his job seriously, took the job of senator seriously, took the - - and what it means to be one of 100 and what it means for the functioning of American government.

It was surprising, but not surprising, I mean, surprising because we need voices like that.

I don't agree with Senator Romney on just about everything, but I do -- I respect him and I respect the fact that he truly has service in his heart.

But it's surprising because we -- like, the nation needs him.

But I understand why he wants to leave, because why do you want to be in an institution where regular order is gone, there are no -- there aren't -- there are very few other serious people around you?

GEOFF BENNETT: What was it that -- it was, what, George Washington who told Thomas Jefferson that the Senate was supposed to be the saucer to cool the business of the House, in much the way that a saucer cools a cup of tea.

And as the Senate in some ways becomes more like the House, I mean, what's the net effect of that?

DAVID BROOKS: That's another lifetime story for me.

The Senate used to be very different from the House, and -- but -- and they all had this collegial -- you go to the Senate Dining Room and they were always like buddy-buddy.

There's a little room off the Senate floor where they -- there was bourbon and they could have a drink together.

And, now, these days, I would go in that room and the bourbon levels in the bottle didn't go down.

Like, no one was having a drink together.

There was no collegiality.

There's none of the flattering they used to do to each other.

And so the Senate has become a place to go to get on TV, just like the House, only a little more successful.

And Mitt Romney, he came to Congress, a very earnest guy, came to the Senate, had a list of things he wanted to pass.

And his staff was like, what?

What are you doing?

That's not what we do here.

And so I lament a -- just think of the kind of Republicans that used to be common, George H.W.

Bush, George Romney.

That's all gone.

And so that's one thing.

And then the other thing, we have learned - - Romney gave interviews to "The Atlantic" published this week.

And we learned, A, how often -- there have been times when Trump has gone in to talk to the Republican Caucus.

He's left the room and they all laugh contemptuously at him.

And so that level of bad faith is pretty high.

We have also learned, the final thing, is that there are members who were going to vote to convict on impeachment, but were afraid that they or their families might get assassinated, and they knew their vote wouldn't make a difference.

Like, we are way beyond the bounds of normal democratic governance, when that's even on the minds of members of Congress.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Senator Romney's saying he pays something like $5,000 a day in personal security because of threats that he and his family face.

As we pine for the days of yesteryear, in the, what, 10 seconds we have left, is there a way back?

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yes, there is a way back, and it's called leadership, leadership, particularly among Republicans.

GEOFF BENNETT: All right, Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks, great to see you all, as always.

DAVID BROOKS: Good to see you.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: Remember, there's a lot more online, including a look at why hundreds of thousands of children in Texas are losing their Medicaid coverage and how schools are trying to fill the gaps.

GEOFF BENNETT: And be sure to tune into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" later tonight on PBS.

Our colleague guest moderator Laura Barron-Lopez and her panel will discuss infighting among House Republicans and Kevin McCarthy's comments daring members of his own party to try to remove him from the speakership.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, tomorrow, on "PBS News Weekend," the rise of robo-taxies and the benefits and risks they pose.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

Thanks for joining us, and have a great weekend.