AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

On the "News Hour" tonight: Aid organizations rush to provide medical care in the wake of devastating flash floods in Nepal.

AMNA NAWAZ: New treatments and groundbreaking vaccines offer hope in the fight against cancer.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the national parks under strain.

Park Rangers confront low morale and the lack of funding, while President Trump diverts money for his D.C.

construction projects.

TIERNAN SITTENFELD, President and CEO, National Parks Conservation Association: It's extremely unfortunate and disturbing to see this administration dragging our parks into partisan politics.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Three days after a catastrophic wall of water, mud, and rock tore through Nepal's Himalayan valleys, the scale of the disaster is still coming into focus.

Nepalese authorities say at least 579 people are now confirmed dead, and nearly 2,000 remain missing.

The casualty situation in China is not yet clear.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, tonight, the danger is not over.

Authorities are closely watching lakes formed in the wake of that glacier collapse amid fears of further flooding.

Stephanie Sy begins our coverage.

STEPHANIE SY: In Nepal, the violent floods that raged through these valleys two days ago left haunting reminders, the banks of the Trishuli River now awash in gray mud, within these communities, cries of grief and trauma and warnings of more danger.

Police officers rode through the streets today shouting, "Stay away from the river," as residents, still shaken, ran to higher ground.

Officials are monitoring a number of lakes formed by landslides overflowing.

Crammed with debris, they present a high risk of more flooding.

INDIRA ADHIKARI, Evacuated Resident (through translator): The flood is causing huge problems for us.

Our house is now full of mud.

We are young and still facing so much trouble walking and evacuating.

Imagine how tough it is for old people in such a situation.

SURAJ SIGDEL, Mercy Corps: I have seen so many disasters, but this one, with the level of devastation, it's very difficult for me.

STEPHANIE SY: Suraj Sigdel is the Nepal country director for the aid organization Mercy Corps.

He told the "News Hour" search operations were paused today after the new flood alerts went out.

SURAJ SIGDEL: My team was supposed to go to the ground zero this morning, and we were cautious about more flooding.

And the lake is being formed at the Tibetan side of the border, and which might overflow or burst any time.

We are in the monsoon season, so, like, the erratic rain is always expected, so it can rain anywhere, and it will have devastating impact if it rains heavily or the cloud burst in the flood-affected areas.

STEPHANIE SY: The dramatic images that have emerged from Wednesday's disaster speak for themselves, the river transformed from calm to crushing within seconds.

Construction workers at this hydroelectric dam ran for their lives as the wave of water and earth accelerated toward them.

MAN: Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

STEPHANIE SY: Nepal's army says it has pulled 350 people to safety from this tunnel running underneath a hydropower plant.

Officials believe more than 100 people are still trapped inside.

China state broadcaster showed Premier Li Qiang today visiting the flood zone in Tibet, where emergency crews have relied on inflatable rafts.

Nepal's army has used helicopters to pluck people from their rooftops.

Despite offers from international rescue teams, Nepalese officials say their in-country rescuers are sufficient for now.

SURAJ SIGDEL: Nepal's army is equipped, and they have the capacity to do so.

And they don't want to, like, bring in many international people and then risk the coordination for it.

So that is the logic of government.

STEPHANIE SY: But other aid may be coming, emergency supplies from the U.N., as well as India, and financial pledges from South Korea and the U.K.

The U.S.

State Department says it is sending Nepal $500,000 in assistance.

The Red Cross says more than $30 million is needed for its response.

Based on satellite imagery and on-the-ground data, scientists now believe the bedrock underneath the Himalayan glacier collapsed.

The massive rock fell more than half-a-mile down, shattering debris into the valley's rivers, which surged with deadly force into villages.

Experts say climate change, if not a sole cause, may contribute to such phenomena.

Sigdel said he had no doubt.

SURAJ SIGDEL: We consider it as a climate-induced disaster.

We are disappropriately impacted by this climate change, and we are being punished for something that we have not done.

So, yes, we feel like it's not a justice.

STEPHANIE SY: As the casualties mount, stories of survival have surfaced as well.

Maddie Tamong (ph) thought for sure she was facing the greatest loss of her life.

MADDIE TAMONG, Mother (through translator): I had come to accept that both my children were gone.

I went through the jungle full of leeches, crossed rivers, weeping and frantically searching for them.

At last I have found both my children.

They were injured, covered in scratches, but I found them.

STEPHANIE SY: She was reunited with them, scratches and all.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: Today marks six months since the U.S.

and Israel first launched strikes on Iran in a conflict that President Trump said would last a matter of weeks.

Half-a-year on, the scars of the war's earliest days remain, with buildings across the country still in ruins.

In the southern city of Minab, parents are still grieving more than 100 children killed when their school was bombed on the war's first day.

One mother reflected on the loss of her son.

KHADIJEH AHMADIZADEH, Bereaved Mother (through translator): They have left a pain in the heart of Minab that will never go away.

They think that now six months have passed that our hearts have grown cold, but they haven't at all.

It's getting worse.

This pain is so heavy.

The children left with so many dreams.

GEOFF BENNETT: Also in the region today, Israel says it carried out a rare airstrike in the occupied West Bank, killing a Hamas operative and two of his accomplices.

The militant group confirmed that the target was a member and condemned the attack.

President Trump honored the crew of the Artemis II lunar mission today with the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Four intrepid space heroes whose sense of daring and adventure led them further from Earth than anyone has ever traveled before.

GEOFF BENNETT: The three Americans and one Canadian received the nation's highest space honor in recognition of their flight around the moon earlier this year.

They were the first astronauts to do so in more than half-a-century.

Also at the ceremony, the president signed an executive order creating the United States Space Academy, likening it to a West Point for the military space branch.

A.I.

giant Anthropic says it remains focused on working productively with the Trump administration after a judge ruled that the Pentagon's measures against the company were - - quote -- "illegal and baseless."

A federal judge ruled Anthropic was denied due process after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the company a national security supply chain risk earlier this year.

That designation came after Anthropic refused to allow the military to use its Claude A.I.

models for U.S.

surveillance or autonomous weapons.

The Trump administration is expected to fight the ruling.

In the nation's capital, thousands gathered on the National Mall today for what organizers described as a Defend the Vote March on Washington.

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, Civil Rights Activist: This is the season to reject the spirit of anxiety and fear by personally becoming and teaching our children to daily become engaged.

GEOFF BENNETT: Martin Luther King III, son of the famous civil rights leader, helped organize the event 63 years after Dr.

King's famous March on Washington.

Senator Bernie Sanders and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also addressed the crowd.

The march was intended to highlight threats to voting rights and other freedoms ahead of November's midterm elections.

British right-wing agitator Milo Yiannopoulos is in ICE custody and facing deportation tonight.

The Department of Homeland Security posted this intake photo on social media, saying Yiannopoulos was arrested Thursday at an airport in Louisiana.

The agency says he legally entered the U.S.

in 2019, but overstayed and was ordered deported last month after failing to appear for an immigration hearing.

DHS says Yiannopoulos will remain in custody pending his removal from the country.

In Tennessee, Governor Bill Lee and the Nashville International Airport announced plans today to rename the airport in honor of Dolly Parton.

The idea has enjoyed strong support since the passing of the country music superstar and philanthropist earlier this week.

Today, over Nashville, a plane flew a banner calling on people to sign a petition in support of the renaming.

More than 150,000 people have done so.

But it's not a done deal yet.

Under the airport authority's rules, at least two years must pass after a person's death before they can be honored.

Officials will discuss today's proposal at a meeting next month.

On Wall Street today, stocks ended slightly lower to close out the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average flipped less than 10 points, so basically flat.

The Nasdaq fell about a half-a-percent.

The S&P 500 also ended in negative territory.

And two royal deaths of note spanning generations and continents.

Norway's prime minister says the whole nation is in mourning following the death of King Harald V at the age of 89.

Europe's oldest monarch, Harald took the throne in 1991 and helped modernize the centuries-old institution.

His decision to marry a commoner before taking the throne initially shocked that nation, but eventually endeared him to his subjects.

A direct descendant of Britain's Queen Victoria, Harald's ties to history ran deep.

He fled the Nazis as a child during World War II and even attended Franklin Roosevelt's inauguration as a child.

And, in Uganda, King Oyo of Tooro has died at just 34 years old.

Oyo became king at the age of 3 following his father's death in 1995, making him the world's youngest reigning monarch.

Uganda is a republic, so Oyo held no formal political power, but he served for three decades as the cultural leader of the Tooro Kingdom in Western Uganda, home to more than two million people.

Still to come on the "News Hour": the new Fed chair notes concerns about inflation, but takes a quieter approach than his predecessor; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's headlines; and singer-songwriter Riley Downing draws on his working-class roots with an in-studio performance.

AMNA NAWAZ: Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh delivered a clear message on inflation today: There is still work to do.

KEVIN WARSH, Federal Reserve Chairman: Inflation is running above our 2 percent target.

So the Fed's predominant focus right now should be on prices.

There is one signal nobody can miss.

The responsibility for 65 months of sustained elevated inflation sits squarely with the Central Bank.

And that's where it belongs.

AMNA NAWAZ: At the Fed's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Warsh added, the economy is resilient, businesses are investing, employment is stable, and there is healthy consumer spending.

Warsh also said that, although he's not committed to a rate hike, he's not ruling it out, signaling his ongoing concern over inflation.

For more on what this means for the economy moving forward, I'm joined by Nick Timiraos.

He's chief economics correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.

Nick, welcome to the show.

Thanks for joining us.

NICK TIMIRAOS, The Wall Street Journal: Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So this was Fed Chair Warsh's first major speech since his confirmation., Briefly before we get into the details, what was your biggest takeaway?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Well, the takeaway was as you had it in the setup there.

He sounded like somebody who recognizes the economy may need higher interest rates.

And that was a little bit of a change from his last press conference.

The line that stood out to me was that he said financial conditions or borrowing conditions right now don't seem particularly restrictive.

And that's important, because that's how the Fed thinks they're going to get inflation down.

They're going to have to restrain lending and slow down the economy.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, when he says that they're not done fighting inflation, could that mean a rate hike when the Fed meets next month?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Yes, that's certainly how the bond market took the news.

Before Kevin Warsh's speech, investors in interest rate futures markets were pricing in maybe a one-third chance of an interest rate increase next month.

That went up to about 60 percent, so more likely than not, after he spoke.

And, of course, the Fed will get more data before that meeting, and so that number can move around a little bit.

But it shows you the direction of travel.

Investors heard what Kevin Warsh said, and they thought, well, this sounds like somebody who's maybe more likely than we thought to raise interest rates next month.

AMNA NAWAZ: You mentioned the bond market reaction there.

We should also remind folks, when Warsh came into this role, he was saying the Central Bank should communicate less about what kind of path it will take moving forward, less forward guidance, as he has put it.

And he didn't offer a path forward for policy today.

So what other reaction did we see more broadly from investors and the market?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Well, part of this is the dance that the Fed is always doing with the market.

And Kevin Warsh at his really -- his first press conference was in June.

His first Fed meeting was in June, and he came out of that sounding much like he did in that clip that you played: We are in charge of inflation.

We're going to get it down.

But it was at the Fed's second meeting last month, when the Fed didn't raise interest rates, but three of his colleagues voted to raise interest rates -- there were three dissents, which is a little unusual -- people started to say, well, wait a minute.

You said you were going to take care of inflation.

You didn't raise interest rates today, and you didn't even tell us how you thought your current stance was going to get inflation down.

So you saw some doubts beginning to creep in.

And, today, it was really about Kevin Warsh coming in and quieting those concerns and saying, I heard you and we are on the case here.

AMNA NAWAZ: He did also specifically mention price increases that American consumers have been dealing with.

Did you hear anything in Warsh's comments that suggested there's relief on that front for consumers coming soon?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Well, if the Fed has -- quote, unquote -- "more to do," that means interest rates are going to go up.

So when you say, will there be relief for American consumers, well, if inflation goes down over the long run, then yes, absolutely.

But if the price of getting that relief is higher mortgage rates, higher auto loans, higher interest rates, there is short-term pain involved with getting inflation down.

And, again, that's why some of Kevin Warsh's colleagues are saying, let's get on with this.

If we think we're going to need to raise interest rates, we'd rather do less now than have to do more later.

AMNA NAWAZ: Do you have any sense from Warsh's comments before what we heard today about what it would take for this Fed to eventually cut interest rates?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Well, you cut interest rates either because the labor market looks like it's in bad shape.

So, if you saw unemployment shooting up, that's how you get interest rate cuts.

You could also get interest rate cuts if you saw inflation really convincingly coming down to your target.

The Fed did cut interest rates at six meetings in the last two years, but the focus now is on, wait a minute, this isn't the economy we thought we were cutting into, so maybe we need to raise rates a little bit.

AMNA NAWAZ: While we have you, I want to ask you about another story we have been reporting on, and I start with this fact that Warsh has said he wants an unfiltered market.

Meanwhile, we see the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, intervening in the bond market to bring down the yields there.

He's announcing he would at least double Treasury's purchases of that long-term U.S.

government debt.

Could that -- what the secretary is doing, could that undermine Warsh's efforts to bring it down inflation?

NICK TIMIRAOS: Yes, so Scott Bessent has basically threatened to increase, using kind of an obscure program, something that was designed to buy back government debt.

And he said, I will use that to get interest rates down or to keep them really from rising.

Well, as you said, Kevin Warsh is saying, I want to hear an unfiltered signal from the smartest economist there is, which is the market.

And there's a chance now that he's actually going to be hearing what the Treasury is doing if the Treasury decides to get more involved and change how they manage the $40 trillion in U.S.

debt.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Nick Timiraos, chief economics correspondent from The Wall Street Journal, joining us tonight.

Nick, always great to talk to you.

Thank you.

NICK TIMIRAOS: Thanks so much for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: There have been several promising developments lately in cancer research and treatment, including a new drug approved by the FDA this past week for advanced pancreatic cancer.

Our William Brangham has more.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: That's right.

Pancreatic cancer has long been one of the deadliest types of cancer.

Its five-year overall survival rate is just 13 percent.

But this new pill called daraxonrasib nearly doubled the survival time for patients and had fewer severe side effects than other treatments.

For more on this, we are joined by Dr.

Robert Vonderheide.

He directs the Abramson Center at Penn Medicine and is the president-elect of the American Association for Cancer Research.

DR.

Vonderheide, thank you so much for being here.

A very exciting week for cancer news.

Specifically, on this pancreatic cancer drug, how successful do you think this treatment will be?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE, Abramson Cancer Center Director, Penn Medicine: I think we have only seen the beginning.

The FDA approved this drug for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, doubling their survival and really offering incredible hope and excitement for our patients and their families.

Now the opportunity exists to bring this particular drug forward to patients in earlier stages or just after they have been diagnosed.

I think we will see this type of medicine have a huge impact and hopefully reverse those statistics that you cited just a moment ago.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I understand this medication specifically targets the gene mutations that can spur pancreatic cancer cells to grow.

Why has that intervention not been possible in the past?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: Yes, you're talking about the RAS oncogene, which is the mutated engine that drives pancreatic cancer and many other tumor types as well, and it's been very difficult to drug and block and inhibit with conventional chemistry.

What's happened here is a brand-new type of chemistry, really unprecedented.

We call it molecular glue that gums up this mutated engine room as it spins on a flywheel, just bringing it to a halt.

It really took basic chemistry and basic research to find a new way forward, and that's what we see being delivered for our patients this week.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So the other big development is that there was this a new individualized vaccine that helps people with melanoma, which is a type of skin cancer, to live longer.

Can you explain how that vaccine works?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: So, this news was announced from the companies involved in building that mRNA vaccine, indicating that their clinical trial has a positive result.

It's not yet FDA-approved.

What we're learning is these are patients with melanoma who are in remission, but at risk for relapse, and the vaccine given at that time lowered the chances of a patient relapsing, just an incredible breakthrough at the power of the immune system being generated against the very mutations that are found in the tumors themselves.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You mentioned that this is still in clinical trials and not been approved yet.

Are there - - what else do you want to see from those results before you really cheer extremely loudly about this news?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: Well, we're cheering pretty loudly because we have been following this for a long time, and some of the early results have been presented in detail.

But we soon will hear the full data report from the companies, we believe.

And we're looking for two things.

What is the magnitude effect?

How much has survival been impacted and increased?

What will this mean for the individual patient?

And, second, does it work as designed?

Does it generate the T-cell immune response, as we think it does?

And can that be mobilized to an even greater extent with improving the vaccine going forward?

So, both clinical and scientific data, we look forward in the coming weeks.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, I know this has been the dream of immunology to be able to get a vaccine to do this.

Do you think we will see more types of these interventions for different kinds of cancers in the -- down the road?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: A hundred percent.

This is the first of what I think will be a wave of cancer vaccines, lowering the chance of relapse, recurrence, perhaps one day even preventing certain types of cancer from ever appearing at all.

This is really the power of the immune system, which over the last 10 years we have learned to harness in a safe way.

It's a breakthrough because we don't have this type of modality yet.

And so that's why the news this week was so exciting.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You mentioned that this was an mRNA vaccine, and we should note that the FDA did just approve an mRNA flu vaccine for the first time.

But we have heard concerns from HHS Secretary Kennedy about mRNA technology.

For our audience that might have heard those expressions of concern, is there something there?

Do we need to worry about them?

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: Well, mRNA vaccines were first developed for the COVID pandemic, as we all know.

Hundreds of millions of individuals received that vaccine with really detailed safety data.

I think what we're looking at is a technology that is highly effective, not just against COVID, but also against influenza and now perhaps, as we just talked about, cancer.

The power of mRNA as a medicine, whether as a vaccine or in other ways, is unprecedented.

It's before us.

And I think we should all take huge advantage to what mRNA can do to improve the health of our patients.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, that is Dr.

Robert Vonderheide at the Abramson Center at Penn Medicine.

Thank you so much for being here.

DR.

ROBERT VONDERHEIDE: Thanks, William.

AMNA NAWAZ: As the National Park Service celebrates its 110th anniversary this week, people continue to flock to America's national parks, more than 320 million last year alone.

But that broad appeal is facing new political pressures, from orders to revise exhibits at parks to controversy surrounding the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the new White House ballroom.

Joining us now to discuss the state of national parks is Tiernan Sittenfeld.

She's the president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Tiernan, welcome to the show.

Thanks for being with us.

TIERNAN SITTENFELD, President and CEO, National Parks Conservation Association: Thanks for having me, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, big picture, when you look at America's national parks, they are traditionally one of the most popular parts of the government.

But, lately, as we mentioned, the Park Service has been pulled into politics.

Have you ever seen this kind of thing before?

Is this a new challenge for the Park Service?

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: Well, first, I should also join you in wishing the National Park Service a happy 110th birthday.

And our national parks really are the core of what is best about this country.

They really do bring us together across differences.

They get us off our phones and outside.

And they have absolutely never been partisan.

And it's extremely unfortunate and disturbing to see this administration dragging our parks into partisan politics.

They truly are so special.

We need to protect and defend and celebrate them.

And we are all in to stop the efforts to politicize our parks.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tiernan, let me ask you about the funding piece of this, because I know the Park Service has a repair backlog that's now grown to over $24 billion.

Meanwhile, some of your funding, including visitor fees at the parks, is now being diverted to pay for projects that are priorities of the president's.

We asked the Department of Interior about this.

They oversee the Park Service.

In part, they said, in response: "The National Park Service has not only been focused on beautifying the District for the 250th celebrations.

They have also been working on many deferred maintenance projects throughout the country."

But, Tiernan, what have you seen?

Has that diversion of funds impacted national parks?

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: Well, we know that Park Service staff are working very hard every day, and there is a massive funding shortage.

And the fact that this administration is reportedly diverting $90 million in park fees from around the country to the president's vanity projects right here in Washington, D.C., is incredibly concerning and something that we very much oppose.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, just today, we saw the National Park Service release a new report as they're assessing another proposal by the president for an arch in his name here in Washington, D.C.

Headlines seem to suggest that they support that project right now, but what should we make of that?

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: We are quite concerned about that triumphal arch, which is going to be 250 feet.

That is massive, and it would be really standing between Washington, D.C., and be that sort of the ceremonial gateway to Arlington National Cemetery.

I know this is a major concern for veterans across the country, including my colleague at the National Parks Conservation Association who leads our Veterans Council and has been active in testifying on this issue.

And more broadly, what's very concerning is that the Trump administration is showing so little regard for public input, for the role of Congress, for the rule of law.

AMNA NAWAZ: There's also been some questions and reporting around the staffing, and I want to ask you about morale at the National Park Service, because since President Trump took office, the Park Service has lost about 25 percent of staff through those DOGE efforts.

Those are roles that have not been replaced.

It's more than 4,000 reported staff.

Seasonal hires, we know, were also below levels.

So what kind of effect is that having on the National Park Service?

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: Yes, the 25 percent cut to National Park Service staff in the last year-and-a-half is having devastating impacts.

Those are not just numbers on a spreadsheet.

These are dedicated public servants who go to work every day to keep our parks running safely for visitors, for wildlife, for the future.

And the visitor experience has already been diminished, whether it's the long lines that we're seeing to get into some of the most visited parks, whether it's fewer Ranger programs, or whether it's shorter visitor service hours.

So that is really concerning on its own.

But then some of the behind-the-scenes longer term threats that could take place if these staffing shortages continue could actually be even worse, whether that means less habitat restoration and less trail maintenance.

And, again, these are real people.

These are educational Rangers.

These are historians.

These are scientists.

These are wildlife experts.

These are Rangers who educate us.

And we need to stand with them.

They need our support, and we need to fully, fully staff the National Park Service.

AMNA NAWAZ: While I have you, I want to ask you about a couple of other recent reports, one from NOTUS today that the Trump administration is pushing to give a parcel of land in Yosemite National Park to a private developer.

That follows other reports about the administration proposing repealing protections like the roadless rule, which bans road construction and logging in about 45 million acres of protected forests.

What would be the impact of those steps if they're taken?

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: These are really outrageous and appalling proposals by the administration.

Unfortunately, it's not really a surprise.

From day one, this administration has jeopardized the parks that we all love so much for recreation, for wildlife, for clean air, clean water, for future generations.

They have really minimized all of those incredibly important values for the benefit of the oil and gas industry, for increasing mining, for more roads.

And so things like rolling back the roadless rule that has been on the books protecting pristine national forests across the country for more than 25 years is quite, quite concerning, and something we strongly oppose.

Our -- my colleagues have noted that 30 percent of these lands are within 30 miles of a national park.

So that could actually jeopardize the habitat of grizzlies in Glacier and Yellowstone.

It could threaten the forest surrounding the Appalachian Trail that so many people love to hike on.

So we are incredibly concerned about that.

And then today's breaking news of the administration rushing a backroom deal to a private developer for some kind of luxury development that would jeopardize one of our oldest and most cherished parks in Yosemite, that would harm wildlife, that could exacerbate wildlife risk is really unacceptable and needs to stop right now.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Tiernan Sittenfeld, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association.

Tiernan, thank you for joining us.

Appreciate your time.

TIERNAN SITTENFELD: Thanks so much, Amna.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, for more on President Trump's trade war moves and the legal fight over mail-in ballots, we turn now to the analysis of Brooks and Capehart.

That's "The Atlantic"'s David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW.

Good evening.

gentlemen.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Hey, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, the U.S.-Canada trade talks have collapsed.

President Trump is imposing 50 percent tariffs on roughly $28 billion worth of Canadian goods.

Canada is now matching them dollar for dollar.

This is set to start in a few weeks.

Jonathan, we are now in this escalating trade war with one of the country's closest allies and trading partners.

What stands out to you about all of this?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, the major thing that stands out to me is that the president is even engaging in this fight that clearly is of no advantage, certainly not to Canadians, but to the American people.

How about those folks on states that border Canada, where basically there shouldn't even be a border?

There's so much cooperation, so much going back and forth.

The other thing that stands out to me is that - - Canada's willing to willingness to fight.

And this is sort of an outgrowth of Prime Minister Carney and his speech at the World Economic Forum where he laid down the marker, and that was, we can't be bullied anymore, and we're not going to be bullied, and we're going to protect our own interests.

And I think the prime minister is doing - - he's putting action behind the words.

GEOFF BENNETT: What about that?

Has President Trump finally found a trading partner willing to call his bluff?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes, we're -- it's another of his forever wars.

This one's a trade war.

My friends at The Wall Street Journal editorial page called this the dumbest trade war in the history of trade wars, and I think that's about right.

Economically, it makes no sense.

Aluminum prices are up 40 percent.

Steel prices are up 22 percent.

Politically, it makes no sense.

Who's getting hammered here?

General Motors.

General Motors has lost $2.5 billion because of the tariffs.

Ford.

Ford has a truck plant in Ontario.

This is Michigan.

Michigan is a swing state.

It's insane to be attacking... JONATHAN CAPEHART: How about Maine?

DAVID BROOKS: Maine too.

I mean, you're going after all your swing states.

And then, to me, even most reprehensibly, it's just morally shameful.

Like, friends don't humiliate and try to intimidate their friends.

It's like we're a big bully, and we think we're just going to render someone undignified and humiliated.

It's like the economic spirit of Abu Ghraib.

And the Canadians have no choice but to stand up.

They couldn't have self-respect as a country if they didn't stand up.

Every time there's some progress towards some deal, Trump says something about the Lake of America, and then the Canadian politicians have to say no.

And so, on every single front, this is like as dumb as dumb can be.

GEOFF BENNETT: To what degree is this trade dispute and to what degree are is this the beginning of another country's realignment away from the U.S.?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: The beginning?

I think it is under way.

Again, going back to Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum, he signaled that these actions were going to happen.

And, to David's point, at a certain point, the Canadians have to call President Trump's bluff, and they're doing it.

And now -- I guess, right now, it's just renaming Lake Ontario for whatever reason.

But we will see how far this trade war goes.

But it doesn't serve -- it serves no one.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, this week, the U.S.

Supreme Court, as you both well know, they cleared a path for President Trump's executive order restricting mail voting without deciding whether the order itself is legal.

And then you had this federal judge lift another block.

And then the Postal Service, they have rules that are already in effect with ballots set to go out as soon as September 4.

And, David, the key question here is this.

The Constitution gives the power to the states to administer elections with Congress empowered to override them in certain circumstances.

It does not give that authority to the president.

So what is the conservative argument?

Is there a conservative argument for President Trump trying to assert all of this through executive action?

DAVID BROOKS: Wow.

I have got to come up with a creative, like -- wow, this is like the toughest question you have ever asked me in my life.

(LAUGHTER) DAVID BROOKS: Yes, there is no conservative argument.

The conservatives are supposed to believe in federalism, that, with the 10th Amendment or whatever it is, the states have the power to do this, and the federal government does not get to control everything.

And so the things that I find startling, let's put it that way, is first, if -- the Postal Service threatening to not deliver mail in states that don't comply, like, when does the Postal Service get to decide whose mail to deliver?

This is a public good.

And, second, if power does get vested in the federal government, no one should think that Donald Trump won't use this authority.

He will absolutely use this authority.

And so it really is an attempted federal takeover of a job the states have been doing pretty well.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the question for Democrats always seems to be, what are Democrats going to do about it?

Because Republicans don't see it in their own personal interests, elected Republicans on the Hill, to do anything at the moment.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, that's why you have seen Democratic governors and Democratic secretaries of state, the moment the president does anything, related to anything, but particularly when it comes to voting, they are in court immediately.

And so they're still in court over this.

And if the conservatives on the Supreme Court are truly conservative, when the ultimate question of the legality gets to them, it should not take them but two minutes, if that, to come back with a unanimous decision, all six conservatives joining the three liberals on the bench,saying, this is not legal, Mr.

President.

But hope springs eternal.

GEOFF BENNETT: As we focus on the midterms, there is this issue that has become this election year flash point, and it's data centers.

You have candidates in both parties, they're tapping into concerns over higher electricity bills, water use, development.

Look at this national poll.

So, opposition to data centers has gone up to 61 percent.

This is more than 10 points, more than a 10-point jump in just a few months.

Is this A.I.

boom creating a new political fault line that really doesn't fit neatly into left or right?

DAVID BROOKS: I'm in favor of national unity and Republicans and Democrats coming together.

I happen to think this is kind of a dumb issue.

GEOFF BENNETT: Really?

Why?

DAVID BROOKS: Yes.

Well, first, on electricity use, they do use electricity, and there have been some local rate hikes and shortages.

But data centers use far less electricity than your air conditioners, and nobody's threatening to ban air conditioners.

They use water.

They use far, far, far, far, far less than agriculture or golf courses.

Most importantly, what's happened over the last four months in the world of A.I.?

The A.I.

units have gotten so much smarter, so much better.

They're beginning to work together.

We have just seen all these jailbreaks over the last several months, where they're breaking out of what they're supposed to be doing, they're hacking into other companies' databases, they're doing stuff we don't know about.

And so what you're seeing within the -- even within the industry, not that they admit it as much publicly, is, holy cow, have we crossed the point of no return?

I'm a relative A.I.

optimist, but I have been startled by some of the things the A.I.

bots have been doing over the last four months.

So that's where you should focus.

We need to regulate an international moratorium on the growth of A.I., the unrestricted growth.

The data centers will not do anything or almost nothing about that problem.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan, how do you see it?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I mean, after that, wow.

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAPEHART: But I do think -- I mean, you pointed out energy use, water use development.

And I also think that one of the reasons why -- another reason why this is sort of a kumbaya issue is the fear of A.I.

and the fear of displacement and what this will mean for all sorts of -- all sectors of the economy and what this will do to people.

I also think that it's another issue where Congress is just way, way behind.

I'm still waiting for Congress to do something about the Internet.

That's 25 -- I have been waiting for that for 25 years.

DAVID BROOKS: For modems, dial-up modems.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Right?

DAVID BROOKS: When are they going to regulate modem?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: So now A.I.

and these jail breaks, like, Congress will never get anything done with this.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

Well, as we wrap up our conversation here, I want to have you both reflect on Dolly Parton.

The world lost Dolly Parton this past week, a singular talent.

And there was something so generous and joyful about her spirit that she felt like she belonged to all of us.

And perhaps that's why the outpouring after her death has crossed so many of the divides that usually define American life.

David, what can we learn from her example?

DAVID BROOKS: I mean, I'm obviously sad to see her go, but I was very cheered by the reaction to it, the overwhelming reaction.

One thing I have noticed over the last five or seven years is, American audiences have a hunger for the following story.

Somebody is earnest and good and remains earnest and good and virtuous even in cynical circumstances.

So if you remember there were two "Ted Lasso" -- or two Mister Rogers' movies, a documentary and a film with Tom Hanks.

He was a good man, and audiences like me were weeping just to see that goodness.

Then you get "Ted Lasso," now in its fourth season, the same story.

If you saw "The Devil Wears Prada," the Anne Hathaway character is a good person who remains good person in cynical circumstances.

Dolly Parton was a transparently wonderful human being.

And people in the climate of moral shame, wow, I'd love to see that.

I'd love to see her, people like her, and that's the reaction.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jonathan?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: So, Dolly Parton was an enormous talent.

Let's just put it right out there, as a songwriter, a singer.

You said a singular -- I can't remember which one of you said singular talent.

I think you said she was a singular talent.

Enormous talent.

But on top of that, and the reason why I think she's so -- she was so beloved is that she lived her Christian values.

She did not shy away from people because they were different.

She actually moved toward people who were being victimized simply because of who they are.

And so, yes, there's a wide outpouring of grief in all quarters over the death of Dolly Parton, but particularly in the LGBTQ community, huge, huge loss.

Because, at a time when the nation was turning its back on us and what we were going through and the push for equal rights and just equal dignity, Dolly Parton was there saying, I see you and I'm with you, African Americans, same thing.

And so when I was reading the obituaries again on the plane coming back today, I teared up.

And it's -- she's one of those people who, when you see the news, either you hear it on the television or radio or you see it, your heart sinks, because, to David's point, she's one of those people who just she lived her values.

And she was an exemplar for who we all hope we would be, could be, and certainly the kind of person we would want to see someone of that stature.

And, sadly, we don't see very many people like Dolly Parton at that level.

GEOFF BENNETT: Indeed.

One of a kind.

Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks, thank you both.

Have a great weekend.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: Riley Downing has spent his life collecting stories from the overlooked corners of American life, from his days working as a trash collector in rural Missouri to the people and places that shaped his small-town Midwestern upbringing.

Downing was a founding member of The Deslondes, the New Orleans Americana band known for its earthy mix of country, soul and roots music.

Now on his second solo album, "Landfill Poetry," Downing turns those memories into songs about working-class life, family, and the moments that might otherwise be forgotten.

As part of our arts and culture series, Canvas, Riley Downing joins us now here in studio.

Thanks for being here.

RILEY DOWNING, Musician: Thanks for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, as we mentioned before, music became your career.

You worked as a garbage collector in rural Missouri.

How did that experience and your upbringing shape the stories you choose to tell now in song?

RILEY DOWNING: I think just, creatively, lots of nostalgia for different things in life, and that's kind of what I think folk music -- that's one part of it.

You can mix it all together and just sing about life.

GEOFF BENNETT: We were talking earlier about how you're set to debut at the Grand Ole Opry, the most celebrated stage in country music.

What's that -- what's that feel like for you?

RILEY DOWNING: I mean, it's a huge honor.

I grew up watching that with my grandparents on the television and going to a bunch of small opries.

And after spending years in and out of Nashville, it's one of the highest honors you could have.

GEOFF BENNETT: This new album, "Landfill Poetry," what's the title mean?

RILEY DOWNING: Just kind of a mix of old pieces of songs and ideas that put together -- like a piece of wood that's in your shed that you don't know what you're going to use it for, but then 10 years later you come back and you're ready to use it, you know exactly what you're going to use it for.

GEOFF BENNETT: And you're about to perform the title track off the new album.

And what do you hope people hear in this song?

RILEY DOWNING: I hope you just hear the experiences you can have in life and you can make them whatever you want to be.

You can turn a trash pile into something magical.

GEOFF BENNETT: OK.

Riley Downing, take it away.

(MUSIC) AMNA NAWAZ: Well, be sure to tune into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" later tonight right here on PBS.

Jeffrey Goldberg and his panel discuss President Trump's escalating feud with Canada.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, on "Horizons," William Brangham and his guests examine how the shortage of primary care doctors endangers our health.

Here's part of that conversation.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We live -- I know you're not an economist, but we live in a capitalist society.

The law dictates that, if there is a demand, it will in time be met by a supply.

And Rami (ph) was giving us some sense of as to why we are having this difficulty here.

But how is it that, if we have known for decades now that we need more doctors, why are we not making more doctors?

DR.

LUCY MCBRIDE, Primary Care Physician: I mean, that is the million-dollar question that Americans are paying for right this minute.

We don't have enough residency spots.

We don't pay our... WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Literally not enough spots in medical schools to take students?

DR.

LUCY MCBRIDE: In primary care.

We don't have enough.

We need -- we also need loan forgiveness for medical students who are deciding to go into primary care fields, pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine.

And then we need to prioritize prevention.

The system is broken by design.

No matter what your politics are, it just is.

It's broken by design.

There's a lot of money being made.

There's a lot of money being made by sick care.

I'm not a conspiracy theorist.

That's just what the data shows.

We prioritize damage control medicine and not prevention, at the expense of American health.

Six in 10 Americans are walking around with chronic illness.

So many elements of chronic disease can be prevented by counseling and education and simple interventions that require a partnership between a patient and a doctor, empowering people with tools, information, lifestyle advice, psychosocial advice, mental health advice.

But if we're not going to decide to pay for medicine and for care like that, we're not going to do any better than we are now in the future.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's coming up on the next episode of "Horizons."

Meanwhile, on "Compass Points" this weekend, Nick and his panel discuss why Kim Jong-un has rebuffed President Trump's overtures to meet again and why the man once mocked as Lil' Kim is now emboldened.

NICK SCHIFRIN: North Korea is in a very different place today compared to what it was.

This past June, we saw Xi Jinping going to Pyongyang.

China largely is now ignoring most of the sanctions against North Korea.

And then, with Russia, North Korea is now providing troops -- you see them there -- artillery, missiles to Russia, and, in return, according to Ukraine, Russia has dramatically improved North Korean missiles' accuracy.

And now President Trump, for the first time we have ever heard, a number of North Korean nuclear weapons, 57, even if we're not quite sure that's entirely accurate.

But, Rachel, talk about this leverage, talk about this difference that North Korea has.

Does this make any summitry more difficult?

RACHEL M. LEE, Former Korea Intelligence Analyst, OSE: I think North Korea's in a position of strength compared to 2019, when Kim and Trump last met.

We're talking about a country that survived, has survived years of sanctions, emerged from a prolonged period of lockdown during COVID with a stronger economy.

It has -- its economy has grown in about -- at about a 3 percent range for the last three years.

So that's an achievement.

Also, externally, its relationship with Russia remains very strong.

And you see China now courting North Korea.

How many high-level Chinese officials have we seen just in the last four months?

Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister... RACHEL M. LEE: ... visiting Pyongyang in April, Xi Jinping, as you mentioned, in June, and Wang Huning, number four of -- in the Chinese hierarchy, visiting Pyongyang again.

(CROSSTALK) NICK SCHIFRIN: And all going to Pyongyang.

RACHEL M. LEE: And it seems, when you compare Chinese and North Korean propaganda about these visits, it's -- it almost seems as though the Chinese are more -- they're more desperate.

They're more eager to improve relations with North Korea, whereas North Korea's propaganda is more measured.

And so from where North Korea is sitting, this is -- it can't get any better than this from Kim Jong-un's point of view.

You have -- he has a strong relationship with Russia.

The Chinese want to court him, and now you have President Trump reaching out to him constantly.

So he must think that he has a lot of leverage.

And it's -- he's in the best possible place that he can be in right now.

AMNA NAWAZ: You can watch both "Compass Points" and "Horizons" on our PBS News YouTube channel, wherever you get your podcasts, or on your PBS station this weekend.

Check your local listings.

And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

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

Have a great weekend.