♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm amna nawaz. on the "newshour" tonight, india fires missiles into pakistani-controlled territory, retaliation for recent attacks on tourists that have enflamed tensions in the region. geoff: canada's newly-elected prime minister shows no signs of backing down after meeting with president trump, who's imposed steep tariffs and threatens to make canada the 51st state. amna: and how efforts to crack

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broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the news hour. india has launched missile strikes against pakistan tonight in an apparent response to a deadly terrorist attack in indian-administered kashmir two weeks ago. geoff: india blamed those attacks on pakistani militants, and struck nine targets in pakistani-administered kashmir, the disputed border region each claims as its own. nick schifrin is here now with more. what is the latest? nick: india says that it targeted terror sites in pakistan-controlled kashmir, but pakistan says the strike also hit in pakistan's eastern province, and these are videos from pakistan. you see one of those explosions. india says these strikes are focused, measured, and non-escalatory, did not target

any pakistani military targets, and india has demonstrated considerable restraint. as you said, india is responding to a terrorist attack last month in indian-administered kashmir that killed more than two dozen hindu tourists. india accused pakistan of backing that attack, a claim pakistan, of course, denied. the prime minister, narendra modi, has been under domestic pressure to respond to this attack with the military, and analysts tell me india frankly feels like the aggrieved party right now and is not worried about escalation, so modi had to respond in part because he has been claiming that kashmir was safe. geoff: based on your reporting, is this likely to escalate? nick: in a word, yes. the pakistani prime minister said tonight that pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by india, and a strong response is indeed being given. pakistan had already warned that any indian military strike would be responded to with a quid pro quo, and pakistan tonight is describing these attacks as partially on civilians. pakistan said a child was

killed. a mosque might have been struck. the analyst i speak to say that pakistan's army chief who is known by some as risk prone will be wanting to demonstrate a level of toughness, wanting to respond to this in a way that will go over and above what india has done, so the fear among analysts tonight is very much that this will escalate. geoff: ok, nick schifrin, our thanks to you as always. amna: here in the u.s., today, the new canadian prime minister came to the white house to meet president trump amid an acrimonious war of words started by mr. trump that has roiled the historic alliance between the neighbors. geoff: mark carney was elected just last week after his predecessor, justin trudeau, stepped down in march. mr. trump's repeated insistence that the u.s. should annex canada, and the tariffs levied on many goods, are leading to an unprecedented outpouring of anger in canada.

our laura barron-lopez has more. laura: today, a meeting between two neighbors, their historic alliance in tatters. p.m. carney: thank you for your hospitality. laura: president trump sitting down with canada's new prime minister, mark carney, who campaigned on a promise to confront trump. pres. trump: his party was losing by a lot, and he ended up winning, so i really want to congratulate him. laura: the high-stakes talks began with pleasantries. within minutes, carney shut down trump's repeated declaration that he wants to annex canada, and make it the 51st state. p.m. carney: as you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale. pres. trump: that's true. p.m. carney: we're sitting in one right now, you know, buckingham palace that you visited as well. pres. trump: that's true. p.m. carney: and having met with the owners of canada over the course of the campaign, last several months, it's not for sale, won't be for sale, ever. laura: but trump again brushed it aside. pres. trump: time will tell. it's only time, but i say never say never. laura: the war of words began long before today's visit.

carney, fresh off his election win last week, was clear that the u.s.-canada relationship is completely changed. p.m. carney: our old relationship, based on steadily increasing integration, is over. the questions now are how our nations will cooperate in the future and where we in canada will move on. laura: at today's meeting, differences on trade were front and center, even if they were muddled by more false statements from president trump. pres. trump: well, we don't do much business with canada from our standpoint. they do a lot of business with us, and we're at like 4%, and usually those things don't last very long. laura: the u.s. and canada have been among each other's top trading partners for decades. and when asked about tariffs, trump was blunt. >> is there anything he could say to you in the course of your meetings with him today, that gets you to lift tariffs on canada? pres. trump: no. >> why not? pres. trump: that's just the way

it is. laura: carney, who is a two-time central bank chief himself, went on to agree, economic differences will take time to resolve. p.m. carney: this is a bigger discussion. there are much bigger forces involved, and this will take some time and some discussions, and that's why we're here. laura: later in the afternoon, carney made his way to the canadian embassy, just down pennsylvania avenue from the white house, and told reporters he asked trump to stop calling canada the 51st state. p.m. carney: we have more, a lot more work to do. i'm not trying to suggest at any respect that we can have one meeting and everything's changed. but now we are engaged. laura: despite the uncertainty, carney remained optimistic about the future of the relationship . for the pbs news hour, i am laura baran lopez.

- i am laura barron-lopez. amna: to get more perspective on how canada is viewing the first meeting between prime minister carney and president trump, i'm joined by brian clow. he was the deputy chief of staff to former prime minister justin trudeau. and has also served as the executive director for canadian-u.s. relations at the former prime minister's office. these are two men who with her to say have sparred from afar, but they kept a civil tone in this first face-to-face meeting, so how do you look at it? did they do any repair to a damaged relationship or just emerge without additional damage done? brian: i think the canadian goal going into this meeting was to refresh and restart the relationship after a very tumultuous few months since donald trump returned to office. and prime minister carney clearly achieved what he needed to achieve. he did not need to come out of today with a tariff lift or any specific policy outcome. what he needed to do was establish a constructive tone with the president that can lead into further talks. what struck me was how positive and respectful the president was in return, and what i mean by

that is not in substance but in tone, and that is an important difference. the president clearly respects mark carney, and i think that will lay the foundation for future talks. that said, it is still concerning to see the president repeating some egregious statements about annexation of canada and trying to shut down some of our core industries. like auto. amna: does this open the door for the two sides to negotiate with a bit more substance? and if that is the case, what would be the top of carney's list in terms of what he would like to see get done? brian: right. well, i know the canadian side and i am sure the american side, too, were using today to scope out what could be the foundation for further talks and where there might be some room for cooperation. i believe the canadians would have come in with the outlines of some potential areas of

further cooperation, things like defense spending, energy, critical minerals, but there can only be further cooperation if the tariffs are ultimately lifted, and as long as the tariffs are in place, i think we will continue to see the relationship quite strained. amna: the tariffs have to be already taking some kind of hit to the canadian economy. we heard mark carney say he would not walk away from a bad deal if mr. trump refuses to budge. can canada afford to do that? brian: it is definitely having an impact on our economy, just like it is having an impact on the u.s. economy. there has been some slowdown already in the canadian auto sector, and the tariffs have caused a general chill, a freeze on investment and growth in the country. that said, and i don't want to understate the challenges that we have already faced, i think canada has time here to weather this storm. and therefore, prime minister carney and his team have some

time and some room to negotiate, and they will not be forced into a bad deal. the prime minister has said that, clearly. i expect, while i am hopeful these talks could unfold and be wrapped up in a matter of weeks, i would expect negotiations would go on much longer than that. amna: there's been some reporting here about the anger among canadians, mr. trump's remarks and the tariffs have sparked a resurgence of boycotting american products and so on. how would you describe what you have seen on the ground? brian: it is like nothing i have ever seen, and i don't think there are many canadians alive who would have seen the level of patriotism that we are currently experiencing right now. it is unfortunate that it took these threats that we are seeing from the u.s. president to bring us all together in the way we are, but if there is one upside to these threats, it is our renewed sense of patriotism.

canadians are really angry. they are really upset at what the president and his team have said about us, and it has dug the relationship into a very big hole, and it will take some time to dig out. amna: that is brian clow, the deputy chief of staff to justin trudeau joining us from toronto tonight. thank you for your time. good to speak with you. brian: thank you very much. ♪ anessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with newshour west. an update to our top story -- the quickly escalating tensions between india and pakistan. pakistan tonight was reporting that indian missile strikes have killed at least eight people and injured at least 35 in pakistani-controlled territory. and tonight, the indian army says three civilians have been killed by shelling in indian-controlled kashmir. in the day's other headlines,

president trump says the u.s. will stop bombing houthi rebels in yemen -- effective immediately -- after the iran-backed group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the middle east. his administration had increased u.s. airstrikes on the group since march, in response to its attacks on shipping in the region. the foreign minister of oman said his nation helped broker the ceasefire, saying in a statement that it will ensure, quote, "freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping." in the oval officeceonflict. pres. trump: the houthis have announced that they are not or they've announced to us at least that they don't want to fight anymore. they just don't want to fight, and we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings. vanessa: that comes after the israeli military announced it struck houthi targets in yemen for a second day in a row, this time disabling the country's

main airport. several power plants were also hit. it followed a houthi missile strike on israel's main airport on sunday. russia and ukraine traded attacks today, even as moscow says it remains committed to a pause in strikes later this week to mark the 80th anniversary of victory day over nazi germany. in ukraine, a drone attack early this morning on the city of kharkiv injured at least two people and started multiple fires. this, as a series of ukrainian drone strikes on russia forced all four airports near moscow to temporarily suspend flights. meantime -- >> slava ukraini! >> heroiam slava! vanessa: more than 200 ukrainian soldiers returned home in the latest prisoner swap. russia received the same number, in an exchange mediated by the united arab emirates. tens of millions of americans are under flood watches tonight and into tomorrow, amid a series of severe storms.

forecasters say heavy rain is threatening around 31 million people across multiple states, including arkansas, louisiana, and texas. in the town of brenham, between houston and austin, officials say rising waters swept a 10-year-old girl off a bridge monday, as she and her sister walked home from school. officials say her body was recovered today. the supreme court is allowing the trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender people serving in the military, while legal challenges play out. the justices lifted a lower-court ruling that put the policy on hold nationwide. the case stems from an executive order that trump issued soon after taking office in january. in response to today's decision, lgbtq rights group lambda legal said the ban has "nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice." according to officials, transgender troops make up about .2% of the military.

columbia university announced today it will let go of nearly 180 researchers funded by federal grants. the move comes after the trump administration canceled $400 million in federal grants in march over what it called the university's failure to police antisemitism. in response, columbia agreed to meet a list of demands in order to open funding negotiations. roughly 20% of the university's research positions funded by canceled grants will be impacted . the department of homeland security is offering a bit of flexiblity when it comes to tomorrow's deadline for what's called real id. secretary kristi noem told a congressional panel today that travelers who are not real id-compliant will still be able to fly, but may face extra screening. passports and tribal identification will also be accepted. sec. noem: what will happen tomorrow is folks will come

through the line, and they will issue their id, and show it. if it's not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly. vanessa: real id requirements were recommended by the nine-eleven commission to set security standards for state-issued identification. the department of education has terminated a federal grant program that helps pay for children's programming that airs on pbs. learn' grant has helped to fund -- the ready to learn grant has helped to fund shows like "molly of denali," "work it out wombats!" and "lyla in the loop" among others. it's administered by the corporation for public broadcasting, which manages federal funding for npr and pbs, including for this program. last week president trump issued an executive order that calls for a halt of cpb funding to public media. in a statement today about the children's programming cuts, the head of cpb said that "we will work with congress and the administration to preserve funding for this essential program."

and this week, hamilton became the first cast recording to spend 500 weeks on the billboard 200 record charts. >> ♪ not throwing away my shot! ♪ ♪ vanessa: the musical about america's founding fathers debuted on the charts back in october of 2015. it's another milestone for lin-manuel miranda's tony, grammy, and pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece. and it comes just one month after the album was selected to be preserved in the library of congress in its first year of being eligible. till to come on the "news hour," germany selects a new conservative chancellor. we examine the secretive process to choose the next pope. and what's been causing major delays and cancellations at one of the nation's busiest airports. ♪ >> this is the pbs news hour

from the david m rubenstein studio from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: republicans on capitol hill are entering critical days, debating how to enact parts of the trump agenda. tax rates, medicaid, and the future size of government are all on the line, and house lawmakers have not yet figured out how to make it all work together. one hangup for a dozen house republicans is the potential threat of medicaid cuts. in a letter to house leadership last month, they wrote to support what they call "targeted reforms" but will not back "any reduction in medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations." new york republican congresswoman nicole malliotakis is among them. i spoke with her earlier today. congresswoman malliotakis, welcome back to the news hour. rep. malliotakis: thank you for having me. geoff: what are your concerns about the medicaid proposals under consideration by house

republican leadership? rep. malliotakis: it seems we have done a good job in expressing that we did not want to see certain cuts that would impact what our constituents need. so far, we have been successful in lowering the reimbursement rate that new york receives, which is currently at 50%, and we have also been successful in ensuring there would be no per capita caps on traditional medicaid. and we have -- our priority has always been to protect our most vulnerable, the seniors, the disabled, children with develop mental disabilities, and our hospitals, so we are currently discussing the expansion portion , to see how we can work together to eliminate the fraud, the waste, and the abuse, to make sure illegal immigrants are not receiving these services, to ensure that if you are able-bodied, between the ages of 18 to 64, if you have no dependents, that you have work requirements in place, and cutting back on some of the

loopholes that the states have used to try to gain more money from the federal government. so we are currently working through this all. we have another meeting today with the speaker and chairman guthrie, and we expect to come to a resolution here that can make all sides happy and we can preserve those important benefits for the people we represent. geoff: some of your republican colleagues argue that medicaid funding is unsustainable, and reforming it is a matter of fiscal responsibility, so how do you distinguish between necessary reforms and harmful cuts? rep. malliotakis: that's right. you need to be able to make that distinction, and that is what we have been doing, working through that. look, at the end of the day, it is about preserving the benefits for people who are currently legally eligible for them and then ensuring that there are certain parameters in place that we are checking eligibility more frequently, that we are ensuring that people who are here are illegally are not benefiting from important programs that are

reserved for our citizens, and making sure that people who have the ability to work, they are young, they don't have children, they don't have any disabilities, they can contribute, and that would move them to a private sector most likely. we are trying to find that balance here, and i think if we do that, we will actually save money in the long run for the people who truly depend on this program and need it, and that is what this is all about and i think we are going to get there. geoff: as congress debates broader tax policy, the 2017 trump tax law capped how much people can deduct for state and local taxes, something that hits new yorkers hard since new york is a high tax state. do you need to see that cap increased in order to support a final tax and spending bill? rep. malliotakis: yes, we need to see that increase. that has been one of the other things many of the same members have brought it up and you mentioned it. we are a high tax state because our mayor and governor are

taxing new yorkers to death with high income taxes, with high property taxes. now, it would be great if they just did an across-the-board tax cut, just like president trump did in his 2017 tax that an jobs act, but they won't do that. as a federal representative, i am looking for solutions on how i can provide relief from the federal level. it is important to know that not only do we need the salt deduction to increase to cover middle-class families, but we also need to make sure that the alternative minimum tax does not return. it unfairly hits middle income families, because it was never adjusted with inflation, so you saw so many people, like the ones i represent in staten island and brooklyn, who have modest middle incomes having hit with this tax, but also they

were not able to qualify for salt as a result, so as we talk about increasing this deduction for state and local taxes, i am also standing guard to make sure that the alternative minimum tax does not come back. geoff: where does that number stand in your discussions with house leadership? rep. malliotakis: what i will say is if we can triple or quadruple that salt deduction, which is currently at $10,000, it would cover almost all middle income, middle-class families, families with earnings -- roughly $400,000 to $500,000 and less, so i think the sweet spot here is to get a number that covers our middle class. we are not looking to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. we are looking to support middle-class families, and we can get there, and it can be a compromise number that everybody across this conference can support and we will give the new york members, california and others, what we need to support our constituents. geoff: thanks again for your time this evening. we appreciate it.

rep. malliotakis: thank you. ♪ amna: in berlin today, friedrich merz was elected germany's chancellor but not without a surprising setback. for the first time in germany's modern history, he lost the parliament's initial vote and needed a second round to secure a majority. nick schifrin is back with this report on the challenges merz inherits from a politically divided germany to an american president who has questioned the transatlantic alliance. nick: today in germany, a bitter victory.

friedrich merz became germany's 10th post world war ii chancellor and the first to lose an initial secret round of voting. he had promised to begin his chancellorship forcefully and today showed the fragility of leadership and coalition. but this evening at the official handover ceremony with the outgoing chancellor, olaf scholz, merz brushed it aside. >> today, what a day, with a few surprises. i accept this responsibility with humility but also with determination and confidence. nick: wolfgang, longtime former chairman of the munich security conference and the former german ambassador to the u.s. and u.k. wolfgang: when i look at security and defense, i see a government being formed today in berlin which is going to have, you know, a very solid background. pres. trump: you are gambling with world war iii. nick: his international challenges begin with an american president who fought openly with european leaders. to this moment, merz reacted with horror.

>> in my opinion, it was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions but obviously, it triggered escalation. nick: vice president vance lectured them on democracy. vp vance: what no democracy, american, german, or european will survive is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns and aspirations, their plea s for relief are invalid. nick:merz imagine a europe without the american alliance. >> for me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen europe as quickly as possible so that step step, we can really achieve independence from the usa. it is clear the americans, or at least this group of americans, this government, cares very little about the fate of europe. pres. trump: maybe they are not our allies. nick: to president trump's questioning of longevity of transatlantic alliances, he -- merz questioned the

reliability of the u.s. promise to defend europe with nuclear weapons. >> we must be prepared that donald trump will no longer fully accept the promise of -- under the nato treaty. >> he has expressed as most other europeans have done serious concerns about the reliability and credibility of the american decision in nato, about america's changing and evolving positions on ukraine. he good news is that friedrich merz, the new german chancellor , and donald trump have not worked together in the past and they have not had any reason to disagree in the past. nick: but merz's most pressing problem is the far-right alternative for germany. afd is anti-immigrant and its leaders have been accused of making anti-muslim, antisemitic, and anti-democratic statements . but last week after the german intelligence agency labeled it extremist, the secretary of state, marco rubio, wrote that

is not democracy. it is tyranny in disguise. the german foreign ministry rebuked him. we have learned from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped. but the afd is pulling ahead of germany's traditional parties. it was excluded from the coalition government and today called merz week. >> this government starts out in extreme instability and it will remain unstable. >> that has got to be the important number one goal for this new coalition government, to make sure that traditional conservative voters will leave their frustration behind and will find it acceptable and normal to vote for a classic conservative government led by friedrich merz and not out of frustration or despair for the right-wing party. >> do you believe that this issue will continue to increase tensions between the u.s. and germany? >> one of the points that some of my american friends have not sufficiently understood is that the afd, which has been

befriended by some here in washington, is of course a totally anti-american political party. nick: the far-right and a stagnant economy await merz, but tonight, he expressed relief that at least he survived the day. for the pbs news hour, i am nick schifrin. ♪ geoff: tomorrow, catholic cardinals from across the globe will gather for the conclave to elect the sucessor to pope francis. john yang takes a look now at the high-stakes undertaking. john: white smoke from the sistine chapel's chimney, the signal that there's a new head of the world's largest christian church. it's the culmination of a centuries-old process that's shrouded in secrecy and traditions. >> we are a church of 1.3

billion people around the world, and this is a fundamental question of importance both for all of the catholics around the world but also as a source of a moral voice on the world stage. john: the procedure for electing a pope has been called a conclave since the middle ages. >> the word conclave comes from two latin terms, "con" meaning with, "clavis" meaning key. and it refers to the fact that cardinals are physically locked into a room that is now the sistine chapel and not allowed to come out really until they have picked a pope. and this is because, in centuries past, they could become horribly deadlocked. the famous instance was the conclave of viterbo in the 13th century, where it literally took them almost two and a half years to move from the death of one pope to the election of another. and that situation was simply found to be intolerable. john: and so pope gregory the

tenth, who emerged from that prolonged conclave, established strict rules in hopes of avoiding a repeat. the process continued to evolve. the modern framework is spelled out in the apostolic constitution pope john paul ii issued in 1996. conclaves must start within 15 to 20 days after a pope's death or, rarely, resignation. they are usually overseen by the dean of the college of cardinals, a senior cardinal elected by cardinal bishops, the highest order of cardinals, and confirmed by the pope. in this conclave, only 135 of the 252 cardinals are permitted to participate, what are called cardinal electors. that's because only those younger than 80 can vote, a limit set in 1970 by pope paul vi. >> the desire was to be sure that those who were taking part in the conclave have their finger on the pulse of what is really happening in the church and what is happening in world,

so they can make the best possible decision. john: on the morning of the conclave, the dean will lead a special mass in saint peter's basilica. his homily will be the last public message the cardinals will hear before being sequestered. >> and it can be extraordinarily important in framing attitudes. i mean, in 2005, for instance, the celebrant of that mass was then cardinal joseph ratzinger, who delivered a stirring homily that led the cardinals in that conclave, after the death of john paul, many people believed, to select ratzinger as pope benedict xvi in just four ballots. >> in the afternoon, cardinal electors will gather in the pauline chapel in the vatican palace, the official papal residence. john: the group will proceed into the sistine chapel. beneath michaelangelo's majestic frescoes, they will swear an

oath of secrecy. the papal master of liturgical ceremonies will utter a simple command. >> [speaking latin] john: latin for "all out," ordering everyone not involved in the conclave to leave. the doors will be locked, with the vatican swiss guard standing watch. from this point on, until they select the next pope, the cardinal electors will be completely sequestered. >> there are many measures being taken to make sure that it does remain private. jamming measures for outside devices, et cetera, with the idea that it's not a time for lobbying by other people or the effects of outside influences. john: voting will be secret, each cardinal casting an anonymous ballot with one name. after each round of voting, the ballots are burned in a cast-iron stove. if no one gets the required two-thirds majority, a chemical is added to produce black smoke. after the first day, typically there are two rounds of voting in the morning and two in the afternoon. >> it's a duty i never thought i would have to perform. john: public fascination with the inner workings of this mysterious process was reflected

in the surge in online viewings in the days following pope francis' death of the 2024 hit-movie "conclave" >> this is a conclave, aldo, it's not a war. >> it is a war, and you have to commit to a side! john: but experts say the star-studded depiction of a pope's election is more hollywood than holy see. >> to take the movie conclave as a guide to a real papal election is like taking the movie "spaceballs" as a guide to real space travel. that's just not reality. in the vatican, you're in the old world, not the new. there certainly are politics, but the way they are expressed is far more genteel and indirect and subtle. john: this year's conclave will be unlike any other, due to notable changes in the church. it is the most geographically diverse, with about 70 countries from six continents represented

. that reflects a vision of a more inclusive and representative church, championed by francis, who named 108 of the 135 cardinal electors. >> even though pope francis has appointed so many of these cardinals, they will all arrive in rome with different concerns at the forefront of what they're going to be thinking about. some of them, for instance, will be highly affected by the cuts to usaid. some of them will be highly affected by the climate crisis. some will come from a place where they want a very strong representation of traditional church teaching. that's all part of the conversation and very important. and from that will emerge our next holy father. john: and when he does, the ballots will be burned with a chemical to produce white smoke. he will be asked two questions -- does he accept his election as pope? and what name does he want to be known by? >> the custom of a pope taking a new name reflects the very

traditional catholic idea that when a man becomes a pope, he becomes something bigger than his biography. he becomes the vicar of christ on earth and the successor of peter. and so, to signify what a dramatic break in his life all this represents, he takes a new name. john: the senior cardinal deacon will declare -- >> habemus papam. john: we have a pope. and then the 267th supreme pontiff will step out from the central window of saint peter's basilica onto the balcony, and, as new popes have done since the 17th century, offer his first blessing to the crowd. the work of the conclave will be complete. for the pbs news hour, i'm john yang. ♪

geoff: newark airport continues to be marred by hundreds of cancelled flights and delays. the faa has put a ground delay process in place to ease traffic at the busy airport and says planes departing to newark are being held up an average of two hours and 41 minutes. the problems are front and center after a technical failure caused widespread disruption last week. air traffic controllers who were in the thick of it have now taken special leave to recover from what they say is traumatic stress, compounding what was already a massive staffing shortage. transportation secretary sean duffy discussed the need for delays when he was on fox yesterday. sec. duffy: we have less departures until we feel comfortable and safe that the system is not going to go down again. geoff: we asked secretary duffy to join us tonight, and his office declined. to help clarify some of the latest, we're joined now by our aviation correspondent miles o'brien. so, miles, walk us through the

timeline of what transpired last week and why it is still causing delays this week. miles: well, geoff, it really boils down to a perfect storm. what you have at the root of it is a very antiquated system, which the faa has now admitted was some technology going back to the 1950's, copper wire, floppy disks, very old technology. you have a chronic staffing problem among air traffic controllers, and at newark, since the middle of april, they have had a major reconstruction and rebuilding project on one of their big runways. all of that combined together prompted the faa to try to augment its staffing by sending some controllers in some positions to philadelphia. that required a communication link, of course, with radars and

vhf radios, and when those systems did not work, some real trouble started to begin, and that is what led to the cascade of effects that we are seeing right now. geoff: to better understand this, let's talk about what happened last week when that united airlines flight from charleston, south carolina, was approaching newark airport. you heard the audio. tell us what happened. miles: yes. as you can imagine, and air traffic controller looking at their radar screen and it suddenly going blank, and then getting on the radio and not being able to get the response of the pilots in the aircraft at the other end. let's listen to the tension as this interaction occurs. >> we lost our radar and it is not working correctly. bravo clearance and call the towers and get closer. ok? >> i will wait for that frequency from you, ok? >> ok, no. look at the tower. we don't have a radar so i don't know where you are.

miles: as you mentioned, geoff, a handful of air traffic controllers subsequent to that took leave because of the trauma they induced in that. this is a highly stressful job on a good day and this was not a good day. geoff: to your point about the faa acknowledging how antiquated the system is, tell us more about that and what is required to fix it. miles: money. and this is something that the faa administrators for years have tried to champion, but there has never been a concerted effort to really come up with the money from congress to change over the whole system in a wholesale way. on top of that, there is, you know, a lot of tradition and politics involved. if you start talking about consolidating air traffic control positions using satellite systems as opposed to spinning radars, people get concerned about job losses, so it is a complicated bureaucratic

problem, but it also requires just the idea of making this a priority for improving the infrastructure of aviation in this country. geoff: with all of these incidents piling up, miles, based on your conversations with folks in the industry, is it safe to fly right now? miles: safe is a relative term. is it safer than driving down the highway? yes. but is it less safe than it was? yes. the erosion of safety is objectively true here. there is no question about it. when you have aircraft approaching a busy airport, like newark, and controllers unable to see them or community with them, there is an erosion of safety there. geoff: less safe than it was. starting tomorrow, in order to fly domestically, people are going to have to show a real id. for folks who don't have that, what should they expect? miles: it is probably going to be some challenges at the tsa lines.

apparently, only about 70% of travelers, americans have real id's, an enhanced id card the federal government has required. if you don't know, you can check with your department of motor vehicles or look at your license to see if there is some indication of that, but if you have a passport or passport card, and if you go to the website for it, the tsa, they will give you a list of the id that would be satisfactory if your drivers license won't suffice, but please allow some extra time. geoff: miles o'brien, our thanks to you as always. we appreciate it. miles: you are welcome. ♪ amna: the trump administration embarked on a pressure campaign that aims to remake how many

american universities operate. the efforts to crack down on protests and diversity initiatives are part of what the white house says is a push to address antisemitism. just yesterday, education secretary linda mcmahon told harvard university it will not recieve any future federal grants until it complies with trump's demands. geoff: that case is now heading to court. but well beyond the harvard case, there are growing concerns about how these moves could affect academic freedom and the future of free speech on campuses across the country. jeffrey brown reports for our series, rethinking college. jeffrey: a gorgeous spring day near semester's end in middletown, connecticut. signs of normal student life everywhere. but here, as on many campuses around the country, something else is in the air. >> there is fear, not just from students but from our parents, from faculty, and that is a real concern. jeffrey: the senior is studying government and economics.

how does it feel this year compared to last year? >> in terms of tangible impact, i think there is a lot more fear. instead of going to a protest just by walking in or seeing a gathering and joining, i consider, should i put on a mask? should i be in pictures? should i make myself visible? should i be seen? i should not be worried even as a u.s. citizen that was born in the united states, but those are the very real conversations people are having. >> there's a lot of conversation happening right now about higher education. jeffrey: a lot of conversation for sure and enormous turmoil. the professor tackles these issues as head of a campus center for the study of public life, and on this day, she convened a roundtable of students to hear how they were feeling about recent events. >> when it comes to politics or controversial subjects, people are walking on eggshells out of fear that if they say something perceived out of line, that everyone will judge them.

>> even today, i was fearful of attending. especially with my friends at other schools. i have known people to have their scholarships revoked. >> if students are afraid to speak, if students are afraid of how what they say will be taken out of context or used in a particular way, it changes the very nature of what the college experience is supposed to be. jeffrey: much of this recent change can be traced back to last year, when student protests over the israel-hamas war broke out at colleges across the nation, including at wesleyan. they reignited an already raging debate around free speech and academic freedom. >> at harvard, does calling for the genocide of jews violate harvard's rules of bullying and harassment, yes or no? >> it can be, depending on the context. jeffrey: congressional hearings,

university presidents resigning, and now, direct targeting. international students arrested after protesting are speaking out. many seeing their legal status in jeopardy. pres. trump: i think harvard is a disgrace. i think what they did is a disgrace. they are obviously anti-semitic. jeffrey: billions of dollars in federal research and other funding frozen or threatened at more than 60 universities , including an effort to revoke harvard's tax-exempt data. all in the name of stopping antisemitism on campus. >> it is meant to make people afraid, and it is working. jeffrey: wesley and president michael ross has been one of the most vocal critics of what he calls an assault on higher education. >> i'm speaking out because it seems to me being silent does not buy you protection. jeffrey: does it feel like free speech itself is under attack at american universities? >> it does and you know, for the last 15 years, people who think

of themselves as conservatives or even moderate liberals have said free speech is under attack at universities. what is new here is that the government isn't just saying we want you to ensure that protests -- protesters don't get out of hand. seems not actually unreasonable to me. but we want to ensure that people don't say certain things. and in order to ensure that, we are willing to defund a diabetes research study or cancer research study. that use of financial or economic leverage against research i do think is unprecedented. jeffrey: one focal point, columbia university, the site of many highly publicized protests. the trump administration targeted some $400 million in cuts in federal funding before columbia agreed to a number of demands. a controversial decision within the world of academia.

the outcome is still pending. >> nobody wants to express a controversial opinion about anything anymore. jeffrey: michael thaddeus teaches at columbia, and he is a member of the american association of university professors, a national organization now suing the trump administration. >> i am a math professor and math is a wonderfully apolitical topic. but my colleagues who teach history, political science, you know, regional studies, they are terrified, especially the ones who are not u.s. citizens. jeffrey: for many conservatives, it dates back further and is rooted in a progressive ideology they say refuses to tolerate other voices or ideas. >> finally, the leaders of educational institutions are having their feet held to the fire, because i think for too long, they have been able to do whatever they want. jeffrey: yulia shapiro is the

author of the recent book "lawless: the miseducation of america's elite." he points to his own experience at georgetown law school when he turned to social media criticize president biden's pledge to nominate a black woman to the supreme court. ilya: where i poorly phrased a tweet making an argument against limiting your candidate pool for supreme court by race and sex. jeffrey: he tweeted the court would be left with a lesser black woman. ilya: that led to a four-month investigation, protest, and letters, and a whole inquisition by the d.e.i. office. jeffrey: he was eventually cleared of wrongdoing but decided to resign from georgetown anyway while pointing to other controversial posts by progressive professors who he argues were largely protected by the university. ilya: the permissible range of expressed policy views has narrowed and shifted and people are afraid to express themselves

or even to discuss certain topics lest they be caught in the cancellation crossfire. to say the least, this is particularly worrying in an educational environment where you should be trying on different kinds of arguments to learn to get out the truth. >> free speech exists for some and not for others. jeffrey: some jewish students like sabrina and sophomore hannah say they often felt targeted during last year's protests. they support the administration's moves now. >> taking away funding, it does scare the universities in a positive way. there needs to be a return to civil discourse where we can critique the israeli government, we can critique, you know, the way that palestinian liberation movements express themselves. it needs to be equal for all, and it needs to be done in a civil way, with no discriminatory harassment. >> it is imperative to make that threat to invoke real change, and it is honestly really sad that it has to come to that, but if that is what needs to be done, that is what needs to be done. >> the suppression of political

speech and the dismantlement of campus free speech and activism isn't making jewish students any safer. jeffrey: but other jewish students like columbia junior daniel will snyder, they see trump's moves in a different light entirely. >> when an administration engages in repressive action, with the justification of protecting jewish students, it makes jewish students the face of repression. it encourages people to blame us for the chaos, and i don't think that we should be used as a cudgel to sort of sway rhetorical goals or allow the administration, both columbia and federal, to do whatever it wants on campus. jeffrey: back at wesleyan university, president michael roth agrees and says the threats universities are now facing in today's chilling a speech on campus could have broader societal implications.

pres. roth: if we let the federal government to date how to teach and learn on a campus, i am afraid the government will try to tell us how to warship, what we are supposed to buy, and how we are supposed to conduct local politics, and we don't want that to happen in the united states. jeffrey: for the pbs news hour, i am jeffrey brown. ♪ amna: remember, there's a lot more online, including what borrowers need to know about the trump administration's decision to restart collections on student loans. that is on our tiktok. geoff: that is the news hour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i am on the in the wa-- amna nawaz.

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pati jinich, voice-over: the mennonites of chihuahua are famous for their cheese, but imagine a single wheel that requires 33,000 liters of milk. ahh! ok. pati, voice-over: that's how much was required for the mennonites of the pampas cheese factory to win a world record. on the other side of town, another mennonite family is famous for something else. this is insane! pati, voice-over: mennonite cheese pizza. [speaking spanish] ok. ♪ pati: mm. [laughter]