PBS News Hour

AMNA NAWAZ

Good evening, and welcome on this Fourth of July. I'm Amna Nawaz. Judy Woodruff is away. On the "NewsHour"

tonight

NANCY ROTERING, Mayor of Highland Park,

Illinois

Our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core.

AMNA NAWAZ

Another mass shooting. At least six are killed and dozens wounded after a gunman targets a July 4 parade north of Chicago.

Then

travel woes. High gas prices and canceled flights cause headaches over this holiday weekend, with no letup in sight for the summer. And an historic term. The rapid transformation of the Supreme Court and what this year's monumental rulings tell us about the new conservative majority. MARCIA COYLE, "The National Law Journal": This is a very conservative, aggressive new court. And we have seen it in a number of opinions this term.

AMNA NAWAZ

All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour." (BREAK) A mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade in a Chicago suburb this morning left at least six people dead and about two dozen more injured. Five of the six adults died at the scene. One child was critically wounded. And hundreds of people fled from the parade. The gunman has not been captured. Police say they are still hunting for a 22-year-old person of interest named Robert Crimo. It is the latest mass shooting at what used to be the most ordinary and routine places in this country. A supermarket, an elementary school and now a holiday parade have all been targeted in the last six weeks.

And a warning tonight about our coverage

It does include video and graphic accounts of today's shooting. It was a parade to celebrate the Fourth that turned into terror and panic. (GUNFIRE)

AMNA NAWAZ

Gunfire cut the celebrations short, and attendees fled, leaving a barren scene. The deadly shooting happened in Highland Park, a wealthy suburb around 25 miles north of downtown Chicago. Mayor Nancy Rotering said her entire community was reeling from the loss. NANCY ROTERING, Mayor of Highland Park,

Illinois

This

morning at 10

14, our community was terrorized by an act of violence that has shaken us to our core. On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we're instead mourning the loss, the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us.

AMNA NAWAZ

Police say gunfire erupted around 10 minutes after the parade began and came from a nearby roof. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, a lot of popping sounds, definitely a lot of shots. Jay Smith is the executive producer of "Chicago Tonight" at WTTW in Chicago. He was at the parade as the shooting broke out. JAY SMITH,

WTTW

Very quickly, we saw police on the street running east, running towards where the gunshots were coming from or where we heard the gunshots.

And the police were yelling

"Shooter, shooter. Run, run, run."

AMNA NAWAZ

Authorities found a high-powered rifle left behind after the chaos. President Biden today said he was shocked by the senseless gun violence that brought grief throughout the community. For more on this horrific event, I spoke a short time ago with Lynn Sweet. She is the Washington bureau chief at The Chicago Sun-Times. And she was at the parade today when the shots rang out. Lynn, welcome to the "NewsHour." Thank you for joining us. So we saw that report there and heard from some folks on the ground. But just tell me. You were there at the parade. Tell me what you heard and saw as that shooting began. How did you first realize something was horribly wrong? LYNN SWEET, Washington Bureau Chief,

The Chicago Sun-Times

Well, I have been to this parade many, many times. I have family in Hyde Park, which is why I'm here right now. And what I saw something terribly wrong, when I started seeing dozens of people running towards me, looking horrified, I was a bit away from where the shooter was. So, I didn't hear their shots going. But I certainly saw people running literally for their lives, because some of them actually saw what had happened, people shot, wounded. So, why people were running, I did walk towards where they were running from. I observed bodies dead, terribly slaughtered by gunshot. The rapid fire from this shooter just destroyed half of body I saw. I'm sorry to be so gruesome. I saw people wounded. In a way, what is a blessing because so many Highland Park emergency vehicles were there for the parade -- in their Fourth of July parade, you have the ambulance there, the fire department. There were many first responders on the scene already to tend to the wounded. What I saw out there and what leaves a deep impression is the moment frozen in time, people fleeing, again, literally for their lives, their chairs, those summer that everyone brings to parade, water bottles, backpacks, bits of food, hats just left there, especially all the baby carriages just left there as people fled. And as I speak to you now, I'm in Highland Park just a few blocks from the shooting scene. And the shooter is still at large. People are still sheltering in place.

AMNA NAWAZ

Lynn, help us understand that. As you mentioned, officials have said they're still looking for the shooter. They have released a description. It has been several hours. What do we know about the investigation and why it's taking so long to find him?

LYNN SWEET

Well, Highland Park has been giving briefings about every half-hour with officials. This town is barricaded every which way right now, massive police presence. Even the beach is closed, the roads to the beach here. So, what we know is that this so far lone gunman is at large. As but have been reporting, I'm sure, a rapid-fire weapon, a high-powered rifle was retrieved. And the police are doing sweeps.

AMNA NAWAZ

So, Lynn, you were talking to people who live there in Highland Park, reporting as soon as this shooting happened. What did they tell you about this kind of thing? Do they expect that this sort of shooting would ever happen there?

LYNN SWEET

No. No one expected it. This was a Fourth of July parade. And people hadn't been together because of COVID at this parade in a long time. It is an event where you're -- it's very celebratory. And then the mood suddenly changes in an instant. And with the shooter still at large, the incident is still with us, because people are terrified that this active shooting incident may not be over.

AMNA NAWAZ

That is Lynn Sweet, Washington bureau chief at the Chicago Sun-Times, joining us tonight from Highland Park. Lynn, thank you so much.

LYNN SWEET

Thank you.

In the day's other news

The city of Akron, Ohio, declared a state of emergency,

setting a curfew of 9

00 p.m., in the wake of protests over the police killing of Jayland Walker, an unarmed Black man. Local officials also canceled the city's July 4 fireworks. Protesters have taken to the streets after police released body camera footage showing eight officers shooting at Walker. His body had more than 60 gunshot wounds. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory over Ukraine's eastern region of Luhansk, a day after his forces captured the Ukrainian stronghold of Lysychansk. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to take that city back with the help of long-range weapons from the West. Zelenskyy also addressed to Switzerland conference of world leaders and international organizations by video as they discussed Ukraine's postwar recovery. VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY,

Ukrainian President (through translator)

As long as the ruins persist, so does war. As long as the aggressor can hope to destroy the basis of life itself, there will be no long-lasting peace. That is why the rebuilding of Ukraine will be the biggest contribution to supporting global peace.

AMNA NAWAZ

Ukraine's prime minister estimates that Ukraine's postwar recovery could cost roughly $750 billion. A letter of hand written by American basketball star Brittney Griner was sent to President Biden directly appealing for help to free her from Russian custody over drug smuggling charges. A representative confirmed the letter was delivered to the White House this morning. In it, Griner writes she's -- quote -- "terrified" she could be in Russia forever and asked that the president do all he can to bring her and other American detainees home. The State Department today said that independent investigators were unable to determine definitively who fired the gun that killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May, but they acknowledged the Al-Jazeera reporter likely died by unintentional gunfire from an Israeli position. She was shot while reporting on the ground. Her death, caught on camera, sparked global outrage and questions of accountability. But after nearly two months, U.S. officials say investigators could not definitively conclude who fired the shot that killed Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. State Department spokesman Ned Price said today bullet damage prevented ballistic experts from reaching a conclusion. U.S. investigators said gunfire from IDF positions was likely responsible for her death, but found no reason to believe it was intentional. Within hours, a similar statement from Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. BENNY GANTZ,

Israeli Defense Minister

Unfortunately, it is not possible to determine the source of the shooting. And, as such, the investigation will continue.

AMNA NAWAZ

Palestinian officials reacted sharply against the probe findings. NABIL ABU RUDEINEH,

Spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas (through translator)

Israel is the only side that shot at Shireen. And we will never give up on our right to pursue this crime at the International Criminal Court.

AMNA NAWAZ

In a statement, Abu Akleh's family called for justice and said -- quote -- "The Israeli military killed Shireen, according to policies that view all Palestinians, civilian, press or otherwise, as legitimate." Abu Akleh had covered the Israel Palestine conflict for over two decades. On the morning she was killed, she was reporting on Israeli army raids in the West Bank city of Jenin. The U.S.-monitored probe results come nine days before President Joe Biden will make his first presidential visit to Israel and the West Bank. Previous investigations into Abu Akleh's death by the AP, Washington Post, New York Times, and the U.N. have found that an Israeli bullet likely killed her. Well, Danish authorities say a gunman who killed three people at a busy shopping mall yesterday in Copenhagen acted alone and had mental health issues. Investigators said they don't believe it was an act of terrorism. They said the 22-year-old Danish man chose his victims randomly, killing two 17-year-olds and a 47-year-old man. Many young people had gathered there ahead of a concert. The gunman will be held in a mental health facility for 24 days, pending the investigation. A new round of evacuation orders were issued in and around Sydney today, as severe flooding continues to wreak havoc across Australia's largest city. More than 30,000 people have been told to either evacuate or prepare to leave their home soon. Some areas have reported as much as three feet of rain in the past day alone. This is Sydney's fourth flooding emergency in just 16 months. And the death toll from a glacier collapse at a resort town in Northern Italy rose to seven people today. The avalanche of ice and snow happened yesterday on the highest mountain in the Dolomites, a range in the Italian Alps. Thunderstorms hampered today's rescue operations, as helicopters searched for 13 hikers who are still missing. Still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; students worldwide suffer education setbacks because of pandemic-related school closures; writer Baratunde Thurston discusses his new PBS series, "America Outdoors"; plus much more. Well, after staying put for part of the pandemic, Americans are back to traveling in big numbers this summer, but it's turning out to be much harder than expected, whether you're flying or driving. Despite high gas prices, nearly 48 million drivers hit the highways this weekend. We asked some of you to share what you're experiencing on the road. NAOMI OGUTU,

New Jersey

My name is Naomi Ogutu. I live in New Jersey, but I drive in New York City. I drive for app companies. At moment, I drive for Lyft. With the gas prices, the person that is suffering is the driver. Before the gas prices went up, I would cruise around Manhattan from one end of Manhattan to the other. But now, because of the gas prices, now I have to stop at one location, park my car, and wait. Even with all these strategies of saving money, I'm taking home almost half what I used to take before. NINA WOLF,

Pennsylvania

I go by Wolf. I'm 59. I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I'm a canine handler for the Mountaineer Area Rescue Group out of Morgantown. There we go. The big one is Fergus, and little one, that's Henry. We have to train the dogs a lot. And we used to be two to three times a week, but nobody can afford all those trainings because of the gas prices. There have been times and there will be again times when certain team members just don't have the money in the bank to fill the tank and cannot come to a call-out, which means we can't help, can't help you. If you're out there and lost, we can't come and fix it for you. FRED ANSON,

California

My name is Fred Anson, And I live in Lake Forest, California. If I had to go back to my old commute right now, I would be taking about a $300-to-$400-a-month cut in pay just in filling up my own car. Here in California, our state government feels that they have evidence that there's been price gouging going on. And just driving to the pump and filling up my car once a week, I don't doubt that there's some legitimacy to that. JOY ROBINSON, Tennessee; My name is Joy Robinson. I am in Knoxville, Tennessee, and we say we're at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. We actually were out of town when the gas surged in February. And we had driven on vacation. And we were driving back and thinking, how high is it going to be when we get back to town? We went down paying a certain amount and came back and it seemed like gas had jumped $1.20 over a week. APRIL APPAH,

Oregon

My name is April Appah. And I live in Corvallis, Oregon. We have four children. Everybody's in that driving age. The kids and I had planned on just doing a road trip out to Tennessee. And as we got closer to it and the gas prices kept rising, it just became one of those things where it's like, I don't know that this is going to work. MICHELLE BALDWIN,

Oklahoma

My name is Michelle Baldwin. I live in Cherokee, Oklahoma, which is a pretty rural area. The closest town to me is 20 miles away. There's just not really any way for us to not drive in order to do the things that we need to do. Overall, I'd say we probably spend close to $60 to $100 a week more on gas now than we did this time last summer. It hurts.

AMNA NAWAZ

Let's turn now to the troubled state of air travel. Millions of people have been flying in the U.S. this weekend, or at least trying to. There were more than 1,400 cancellations and over 14,000 delays. Stephanie Sy takes a closer look at all of this.

STEPHANIE SY

It's hard to remember now, but there were plenty of flight delays and cancellations before the pandemic. Still, things have gotten worse this year for air travelers, particularly around holidays and heavy travel periods. More than 800,000 flights have been delayed in the U.S. this year, averaging one out of every five flights a day. And more than 115,000 flights have been canceled this year. We look at what is happening and what people need to know with Kyle Potter, the editor in chief of Thrifty Traveler. Kyle, thanks for joining the "NewsHour." I guess the first question is, did airlines do what they needed to do to meet the surge in demand this holiday weekend? KYLE POTTER,

THRIFTY Traveler

I don't know that it's about what they needed to do. It's about just how far they went to survive the worst of the pandemic. They had to shrink into survival mode when travel fell off a cliff in early 2020. And that was really good for a while because they were hemorrhaging tens of millions of dollars a day. But fast-forward to travel demand bouncing back, and it's clear that they cut a little bit too much. So they have stretched themselves far too thin right now. And probably most importantly, they're selling flights as if it's 2019. But they are not up to staff as if it's 2019 yet. It's going to take some time. And that's what we're seeing here, is basically growing pains.

STEPHANIE SY

Does that mean that they are blameless in this dysfunction that we're seeing around the country?

KYLE POTTER

Not at all. Ultimately, it's up to the airlines to sell flights that they can operate rely audibly and to be able to recover when something like a storm disrupts part of the country or air traffic control issues crop up, as they always do in good times and bad. And that's the difference here, is that airlines are much smaller than they used to be. And they're just trying to do too much with too little. So I would say just the opposite. Airlines are ultimately to blame for what we're seeing today.

STEPHANIE SY

OK, I know that one of the specific issues that airlines are dealing with is just a pilot shortage. We know that, at Delta Air Lines, there are discontented pilots that protested. A few days ago, we know that American Airlines just announced that they're planning a raise for pilots by 2024. But is that specifically the staffing issue we're talking about, that there just aren't enough pilots?

KYLE POTTER

The airlines are getting it from both sides, because, even before the pandemic, there was an overarching pilot shortage, that there just weren't enough pilots in the pipeline to get onto planes to fuel their growth plans. And then airlines made it worse for themselves during the pandemic, during the worst of it, because airlines like Delta and every other airline winnowed their ranks by tens of thousands of employees, pilots included, through early retirement incentives and buyout packages. And so now hiring pilots takes a lot of time. I mean, this is months and months of training. So it's going to take a long time before these airlines are able to get back up to 100 percent to have as many pilots as they need.

STEPHANIE SY

And when it comes to the pilots who are still flying, a representative with the Allied Pilots Association told another TV network this week that the FAA needs to come in and look at how airlines are building their schedules, at an inhumane level, is what the representative said, an inhumane level, and that is letting down passengers. So I guess my question is, is the federal government doing what it can to hold airlines accountable and make sure passengers and pilots are safe?

KYLE POTTER

There's certainly room for improvement. I mean, someone needs to step in and make sure that airlines are living up to the promises that they're making to consumers, because, when we see airlines fail as often as we have, not just over this holiday travel weekend, not just in 2022, but again and again and again over the course of the last year and change, it's clear that there are some systemic problems. And until airlines are held accountable for these failures, I'm concerned that this is just going to continue happening.

STEPHANIE SY

And continuing on that thread of accountability, Senator Bernie Sanders sent a letter to the transportation secretary this week saying that airlines should face steep fines for canceling flights if they have booked passengers on flights they know they can't staff, because the report came out earlier this week saying that is what they're doing. Sanders also reminds us that taxpayers bailed out this industry with more than $50 billion during the pandemic. Would penalizing airlines be part of the solution here?

KYLE POTTER

You know, I'm not going to pretend like I have all the answers. Certainly, lawmakers in D.C. and parts of the Biden administration know best what to do. I do hope that someone somewhere steps up and holds these airlines accountable in some way. We at Thrifty Traveler have been calling for many, many months now to force airlines to guarantee some kind of compensation for delays and cancellations. What the dollar amount is, in what situations that would apply, I don't know what's best in this case. But I do think that airlines needs some skin in the game and to face some real penalties and give consumers something back when their plans get shot.

STEPHANIE SY

I guess drive if you can. (LAUGHTER) KYLE POTTER, the editor in chief of Thrifty Traveler, thank you for joining the "NewsHour."

KYLE POTTER

Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ

Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court has reshaped the country's legal landscape on abortion, guns, religion and more. Correspondent John Yang unpacks the historic term that's now come to a close and looks ahead to what could come next.

JOHN YANG

The court rewrote law and redefined rights in ways that will reverberate through American society for many years. And with the cases they have already agreed to hear when the justices come back in the fall, there's likely to be more to come. Marcia Coyle covers the Supreme Court for "The National Law Journal." Marcia, at the beginning of this term that just ended, there was a lot of people wondering what this supermajority, if you will, of six conservative justices would do. And at the end of the term, I think we have got the answer. MARCIA COYLE, "The National Law Journal": I think that this is a very conservative, aggressive new court. And we have seen it in a number of opinions this term. I think it was probably clearest in their decision to take on the abortion case and the gun case. In the gun situation, the court had been turning away numerous gun rights petitions, usually with a dissenting opinion written by Justice Thomas, saying that the court had made a constitutional orphan of the Second Amendment. But after Justice Barrett came on the bench, the court took the case. And with the abortion case, the court reached out to take this case, when they didn't have to. I think this court has a younger majority now. And, yes, these new justices, primarily the three appointed by former President Trump, know where they want to go. So I think it's an aggressive court. What more can I say? I want to ask you about the area of religion. I mean, it used to be that courts would try to navigate between the Establishment Clause on the one hand of the First Amendment saying that -- worried about government speech seeming to endorse religion, and then the Free Expression Clause protecting people's right to free expression of religion and the First Amendment. Where is that balance now after this term?

MARCIA COYLE

I think the court, the Roberts court, has been on a consistent trend that elevates the Free Exercise Clause above the Establishment Clause. Justice Breyer used to talk about how it's true that those two clauses can sometimes clash. And what you would try to look for is, he called it the play within the joints to reach some sort of compromise. But I think that play within the joints is - - has pretty much disappeared. In the Warren court, the '60s and 70s, religious - - religion-related decisions were generally protective or in favor of religious minorities. But, since the '90s and the Rehnquist and Roberts court, and particularly the Roberts court, the religion decisions have been in favor of majority or mainstream religions.

JOHN YANG

This term also saw something unprecedented, the leak of a draft opinion in the abortion case. Is there any sense of what that's done to the relationship among the justices in the way the justices work together?

MARCIA COYLE

Well, I think we have a little sense of it. Certainly, Justice Thomas made comments about how it has affected the justices' ability to trust each other. The court really believes in protecting the privacy of its decision-making process. And to have a major leak like that, an unprecedented leak, makes it seem just like any other political institution.

JOHN YANG

In the closing weeks of the term, we got some big, big opinions about some contentious issues, and there was some sharp language in some of the opinions.

MARCIA COYLE

I did find somewhat striking that some of the dissenters in a sense were calling out the court, the majority, as aggressive. I think it was Justice Sotomayor who said in one of her dissents, she called them a new and restless court. And those sorts of comments are striking to me, because they strike -- they go to the legitimacy of the court itself. The court never wants to be seen as changing law because someone new has come on the bench.

JOHN YANG

There's much been said about the activities of the wife of one of the justices, Clarence Thomas' wife, Ginni. Do you think that has had an effect or an impact on the court's image?

MARCIA COYLE

I think it definitely has. The failure, alleged failure, of Justice Thomas to recuse from a case involving the January 6 investigating committee's desire to get White House documents -- he was the only one who dissented from that case, and did not recuse. The fact that his wife was involved in attempts to change the results of the election, all of that, it just paints such a portrait for the court that it's hard to shake.

JOHN YANG

Along those same lines, someone who's been very concerned about the reputation of the court is the chief justice, John Roberts.

MARCIA COYLE

I would imagine that this has been a very difficult term for him. Prior to the court getting a six-justice conservative majority, and it was only two terms ago, he was very much in control in terms of cases. He was in the middle and still able to cobble together majorities with the justices to his right and to his left. But now that there are six conservatives on the court, you only need five for a majority opinion. And this -- these five don't need Roberts. And so he was in dissent a couple of times with the court's liberal wing. And then, also, he wrote some concurring opinions, as in the abortion case, in which he was, in a sense, almost scolding them about how judicial humility, modesty, judicial restraint should lead them to not overturn Roe. They did not accept his view. And I don't see that it's going to get any easier for him. His influence certainly has lessened because of the six-justice conservative majority.

JOHN YANG

We began this discussion by talking about how aggressive this conservative majority is. Talk a little bit about the cases they have already accepted for argument when they return in the fall. Do you see signs of the aggressiveness there?

MARCIA COYLE

I believe so. They have two affirmative action cases. Affirmative action in higher education has been rather settled for a while now. The court took them. And I assume it's because the court wants to say something about affirmative action in higher education. The court also has a couple of redistricting cases, challenges involving race -- racial gerrymandering. They also have an election-related case app in North Carolina that could be very important in terms of the next presidential election. And, finally, they're revisiting an area that they did take up a while ago, but didn't really address the heart of the issue. Well, Colorado has a law in which a Web designer is refusing on the basis of a religion to work with a same-sex couple.

JOHN YANG

Marcia Coyle of "The National Law Journal," thank you very much.

MARCIA COYLE

My pleasure, John. Happy Fourth.

AMNA NAWAZ

In his speech to military families at the White House today, President Biden urged Americans to remain united as political divisions over COVID-19, the economy and foreign policy ramp up ahead of the midterms. To discuss the political stakes of the moment, I'm joined now by Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR. And welcome to you both on this July 4 holiday. Tam, I want to start with you here and talk about those remarks we heard from President Biden earlier today. Last year, on July 4, I think fair to say, very different tone, different kind of message. You will remember, as our viewers will, last year, he talked about how the nation was closer than ever to declaring our independence from COVID and that we had a lot more work to do. What did his remarks today say to you about where we are, where he is in his presidency? TAMARA KEITH,

National Public Radio

I think that his focus rightly is on the divisions in the country, on the feeling that many Americans have, in fact, something like 85 percent, according to the latest AP poll, that America is moving in the wrong direction, not moving in the right direction. Even a majority of Democrats feel that the country is moving in the wrong direction. Now, everyone disagrees in predictable ways on what is causing the country to move in the wrong direction or what it is that sort of put them over the edge to feel terrible about the state of the country. But the president did try to address that. He did have a message of optimism, as he often does, saying that the country is more united than it is divided, that this is a long term battle for the soul of America. If those phrases sound familiar, they are. It was a big part of his campaign. And yet now, this far into his presidency, the country is still really divided. And his election alone did not serve as a balm for the divisions that the country faces.

AMNA NAWAZ

Amy, what about you? What did you make of what the president had to say today on the July 4 holiday? AMY WALTER,

The Cook Political Report

It is quite remarkable, as you noted, Amna, how different the country is from this point just a year ago, right It wasn't just that the president was feeling more optimistic, saying we have basically turned the corner on COVID. Americans were feeling that way too. If you look at the polling taken by Gallup around this time last year, a significant majority of Americans thought the worst was behind us on COVID, the enthusiasm about the economy, people feeling much more confident in the consumer confidence surveys. So we had a country that was feeling like things were on their way up. It wasn't just the president who was saying those things. But now, a year later, as Tam pointed out, we have 75 percent of Americans saying things are on the wrong track. In June, we had the lowest ever recording from the Michigan consumer index, so consumers more pessimistic now than in the history of that survey. And, of course, the president's numbers himself, his favorable ratings now down to a record low. We haven't seen a president in his first term with approval ratings this low in modern times. So we have a country right now that does seem that it is not just divided, but it is -- I think the right word is anxious. I hear that constantly from voters. They just are feeling as if things have gone awry, and that they can't quite figure out how to get it back.

AMNA NAWAZ

Well, Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah had his own assessment in a recent column for The Atlantic. He says America is in denial right now. And he wrote this.

He said

"President Joe Biden is a genuinely good man, but he has yet been unable to break through our national malady of denial, deceit and distrust." Tam, what did you make of that assessment? Is this Romney setting the stage to potentially run? Why is he weighing in now?

TAMARA KEITH

I'm not sure that he's setting the stage to potentially run. He's someone who should be the -- an elder statesman of the Republican Party, right? He was his party's nominee in 2012. And, instead, he's a man on an island. He wrote this essay in The Atlantic that was basically like, both sides are really bad at this. And I don't know if he actually used the phrase both sides, but he might as well have. And he expressed frustration with his own party. He expressed frustration with the Democrats and with President Biden. What he didn't do was offer a lot of solutions. It seemed like he was he was searching for some savior to come in and be the leader that America needs, when often America gets the leaders they have, and though one thing he did mentioned in that essay was that it might be up to clergy and PTA presidents and just everybody else to sort of step up and work to bring the country together.

AMNA NAWAZ

Be the leaders. Provide the leadership we're not seeing at the national level, right?

TAMARA KEITH

Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ

Amy, this is another part that struck me, though. He warned about the potential return of former President Trump. That echoes a warning we heard from Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney in an interview this weekend. She's, of course, the vice chair of the January 6 Committee. And she said that criminal referrals against the former president could be possible, but not doing so would actually constitute what she said a graver threat. Especially after last week's testimony, are those warnings, are they taking hold with Republicans?

AMY WALTER

I think what we're seeing are two things. There's the legal question and then there's the political question. And I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not going to dive as much into the legal question, but I am going to dive in to the political question. And if you look at polling right now, I don't think you're going to see that Republicans are less supportive of Donald Trump or approval ratings among Republicans about Donald Trump have gone down. But what you can start to pick up is this feeling for many of these voters that Donald Trump may not be as politically invincible as they once thought him to be, that he does look like a weaker prospect for 2024. Now, does that mean that he would get beaten in a Republican primary or he's not going to run? I'm not saying that at this moment. He certainly starts as a front-runner. But I do think that the cracks in the armor are there now politically for other Republicans either who want to challenge him, take advantage of that, or for voters who are saying, you know what, I like him, but I think it's time for somebody new, somebody who doesn't come with all this baggage. You can hear already the ads that will be run in a general election featuring so much of the testimony from these January 6 hearings, almost all of which has come from Republicans, conservatives and those within Trump's own orbit.

AMNA NAWAZ

And, Tam, we know the committee is not done yet with those public hearings. We saw a number of those committee members giving interviews this weekend. Now, are you watching for in what's coming next?

TAMARA KEITH

You know, what I have been watching in the last several days is the former president's social media feed. It's on his own platform that he created. And he is -- he is acting like someone who's nervous. He is sending out all of these messages criticizing the committee, criticizing the people testifying, and definitely teasing the idea that he would run for president again, which all feeds to this idea that he is paying attention, and it's getting to him.

AMNA NAWAZ

He's paying attention. A lot of us are paying attention. And we know we're going to continue to cover those hearings ahead. Tamara Keith, Amy Walter, that's Politics Monday. Thank you to you both.

TAMARA KEITH

You're welcome.

AMY WALTER

You're welcome.

AMNA NAWAZ

Since the pandemic began more than two years ago, millions of children around the world have been unable to regularly attend school, and students without access to computers or reliable Internet can't be taught remotely. The problems are especially acute in poor and less developed countries. Our special correspondents report now on the hurdle students face in three different countries, Venezuela, Uganda and India. And we begin in Mumbai.

REBECCA BUNDHUN

The grease and grime of this garage are part of this 14-year-old's daily life now. He's been working here for eight months, earning $2 to $3 a day for a few hours of labor. Because of his age, this work is illegal. And he's asked us to hide his identity, the pandemic forced schools to shut in Mumbai, many for almost two years. And this Mumbai teenager has no access to a smartphone or laptop. So, his mother says, attending his school's online classes was not an option.

WOMAN (through translator)

How would I buy a mobile phone? I'm concerned about getting food to eat. How can I think of buying a mobile phone?

REBECCA BUNDHUN

The COVID-19 lockdowns dried up her meager income collecting scrap metal to sell for recycling. As the second eldest child in a single-parent family with five kids, he started picking up or jobs when the schools closed. And this teenager's income became vital to the family's survival.

STUDENT (through translator)

I can't go back to school now. I have forgotten everything. I have forgotten how to study. I come here, earn some money. That's how we make ends meet.

REBECCA BUNDHUN

At this government-run primary school, which only reopened last month for kids to attend classes in person, teachers say about half the children have fallen behind dramatically in their studies. Many going into their third year of education can't read or write because they didn't step foot into a classroom for two years and had little or no access to a device to attend online classes. Educators say the pandemic exacerbated income and opportunity inequalities that already existed. And they say it's teenagers who will experience the most lasting effects. Neerja Birla founded and chairs an education trust. NEERJA BIRLA, Founder,

Aditya Birla Education Trust

But, in any case, in secondary school, we have very high rate of dropouts. So, automatically, they have been out of school for two years, then chances are that they will not want to get back to school.

REBECCA BUNDHUN

Authorities in Mumbai have launched a mission to guide schools on assessing and supporting students to try to ensure there aren't further interruptions to learning. India has a large young population, half of which is under the age of 25. Education has been key to the country's progress in recent years in lifting the next generations out of poverty. But a study by Pew Research Center shows that the number of poor people in India doubled in 2020 due to the pandemic-induced recession. With families still struggling, many fear they will get trapped in the cycle of poverty if their kids don't return to their studies.

WOMAN (through translator)

I want my kids to study and get a good job somewhere. When my children don't go to school, I feel this pain in my heart. I feel sad thinking that they will have to work all their life.

REBECCA BUNDHUN

Her children and those of millions of other impoverished Indians now face the prospect of making their way in the world without the benefits of an education.

ISABEL NAKIRYA

I'm Isabel Nakirya in Uganda, where the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt learning for millions of children, children like 9-year-old Juliana Namakula, who is tucked behind her grandmother's grocery stall. Schools here reopened in January after the pandemic shut them for 80 weeks, but Juliana isn't going to school. Instead, she's helping her grandmother sell groceries in Chevandu (ph), a slum in the capital, Kampala. FLORENCE NABAWANUKA,

Uganda (through translator)

I'm so worried that this child is not in school. And I don't see help coming from anywhere.

ISABEL NAKIRYA

Juliana started staying with her grandmother at the start of the lockdown after her mother fell seriously ill and could not fend for the family. She would be a fifth grader this year, but the $30 enrollment fee for public schools is completely out of reach. And she knows she won't be able to continue her education. JULIANA NAMAKULA,

Former Student (through translator)

I feel bad. And I always ask my grandmother why kids my age are going to school, yet I'm here at home.

ISABEL NAKIRYA

Juliana joins millions of children in Uganda who may never step into a classroom again. The National Planning Authority estimates 30 percent of Ugandan children will not return to school, children who are now working, who got pregnant or married since the onset of the pandemic. For those who have managed to go back to public school, classrooms are overcrowded. Up to 180 children are crammed into classes meant for 40. Two years of lost learning may never be recovered for many students in public schools. The government has promoted all students to the next grade to make up for lost time, but there's no easy answer about how they will muster the backlog of material they have missed. Educators say the high numbers of children in each classroom will likely mean lower mastery of skills at each grade level. KAJWIGA HUSSEIN,

Head Teacher

Most of them are in classes, but they need remedial assistance. We are trying it. But the performance is not as good as it was before COVID.

ISABEL NAKIRYA

Refugee children have also been hit especially hard. At this camp in Northern Uganda, children tried to teach themselves during the lockdown, sharing the few learning materials provided by the government. Now that schools are open again, the government is rolling out a campaign on TV and radio to encourage parents to take their children back to school and to get schools to make allowances for those who can't afford the fees. But many of Uganda's schoolchildren will never return to class. Like Juliana, they are facing a future limited by their missed educational opportunities.

MARY TRINY MENA

I'm Mary Triny Mena in Caracas, where children are learning in kitchens and living rooms pressed into service as classrooms to make up for closed schools. Primary school teacher Anam Yost (ph) belongs to an informal network of teachers opening up their homes to offer private tutoring to neighborhood kids in Petare, Venezuela's biggest and most populous slum. She says, when the schools closed, not only did students stop learning new things. They unlearned what they knew before the pandemic. And that's not all.

WOMAN

They have lost the studying habit, the habit of going to school and studying every day.

MARY TRINY MENA

Fifth grader Victor Pelayo, tried to make do with online learning during the 18 months Venezuela's schools were completely closed, but he doesn't have a computer or reliable access to a smartphone. And it was hard to learn without a teacher. VICTOR PELAYO,

Student (through translator)

I was not understanding.

MARY TRINY MENA

In October, classrooms reopened in Venezuela, but in both public and private schools, students are only going to school once or twice a week for a few hours at a time. The whole country is struggling with conditions that persist from the chaos that plagued Venezuela even before the pandemic, an economy in crisis, political repression, and millions of people fleeing the country. Most schools have no running water. Many children do not come to school at all. And with salaries as low as $2 a month, Venezuelan teachers are leaving the profession. Educators warn, without urgent action, an entire generation could be left behind. And Venezuela is not the only Latin American country with this problem. According to the World Bank, more than seven million Latin American children may grow up unable to read proficiently because of the pandemic. Victor may be one of the lucky ones. For now, his family struggles to pay $1 a week for his tutoring. But educators warn, until schools across Venezuela receive significant investment, the costs of lost learning will continue to grow. Carlos Cedeno is an educator a member of Venezuela's Parents Network. CARLOS CEDENO,

Venezuelan Parents Network (through translator)

It's a loss of knowledge. It will also mean a loss in their incomes in the medium and long term and, finally, a loss in productive jobs for their country.

MARY TRINY MENA

It's that long-term effect that is most worrying, an economic and intellectual kind of long COVID with deep scars and a high cost for generations to come. For the "PBS NewsHour," with Rebecca Bundhun in Mumbai and Isabel Nakirya in Kampala, I'm Mary Triny Mena in Caracas.

AMNA NAWAZ

Finally, tonight, a sneak peek at a new PBS program, "America Outdoors," premiering tomorrow, July 5. The six-part series is hosted by bestselling author and outdoor enthusiast Baratunde Thurston. Our own Student Reporting Labs podcast host Zion Williams caught up with Thurston to learn more.

ZION WILLIAMS

Baratunde, it's so nice to meet you. BARATUNDE THURSTON, Host, "America Outdoors": It's nice to meet you too, Zion. Thanks for having me here. Can you tell me a little bit about your PBS "America Outdoors?"

BARATUNDE THURSTON

Oh, yeah. This show, I think of as "America" -- dramatic pause -- "Outdoors." And so I got to interact with Americans of all different kinds in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay as they pull up the crabs that they're raising, in the mountains of Idaho hiking with refugees, or the Appalachian Trail with a woman who set the record there, surfing in L.A. with more Black people than I have ever seen on surfboards at one time in my life, and with a lot of indigenous nations in their lands, and seeing how they interact with the land, which is something that we're all trying to relearn, even as we have discarded so much of their history and pretended they don't exist. So this show is humbling, it's thrilling, it's a little dangerous, and a lot of fun. The show is a lot of fun. I'm really -- I learned a ton.

ZION WILLIAMS

That's good. That's good. I'm glad. But what do you want your audience to gain from watching that show, from watching "America Outdoors"?

BARATUNDE THURSTON

I want us to remember that we, with all of our differences, still share common ground, literally. We share access to these beaches, to these trees that help us breathe, and that sometimes it's easier to connect when we're not actively trying to do that. So, I want people to see each other. I want people to see this show and be like, yo, America is big, and it's wild out there, and it's beautiful, and look at all these different people finding shared value in this common ground.

ZION WILLIAMS

I think it's important that you actually go and see people without social media, without that...

BARATUNDE THURSTON

Oh, yes.

ZION WILLIAMS

... without the Internet, without that -- really those distractions.

BARATUNDE THURSTON

They have -- they come with filters.

ZION WILLIAMS

Yes.

BARATUNDE THURSTON

Practical, actual and metaphorical filters. And that can skew our perception. The other thing I'd say is, the show is also a show about climate and about the climate crisis indirectly. Again, the show is about politics indirectly, social issues indirectly. But there was nowhere that I traveled with this crew that wasn't deeply affected by climate change. In some places, it was literally hard to breathe because of smoke. In other places, there were no fish because the water was too hot, and it was cooking the fish. It was really painful at some moments and then really beautiful and humbling in others to remind myself of what it is we're trying to preserve, which isn't just nature. It's really ourselves.

ZION WILLIAMS

Of course, I know this question has been asked a lot about young people.

BARATUNDE THURSTON

Yes.

ZION WILLIAMS

But what advice do you have for them in embracing their identities?

BARATUNDE THURSTON

Finding yourself through nature, I encourage it. And I encourage you to be very broad in your definition and interpretation of what that means. You can be in the outdoors in your front yard, on your stoop, in your backyard, on your walk to school or to work or to practice, just sitting by the river. You don't have to get in it. (LAUGHTER) You could just be by it. Just touching a tree can be very profound and allow us to slow down.

AMNA NAWAZ

Tune in to "America Outdoors" tomorrow evening right here on PBS. Check your local listings. And you can listen to the "NewsHour" Student Reporting Labs podcast "On Our Minds" wherever you get your podcasts. And a recap tonight of our lead story. The suspect in a mass shooting at a Fourth of July parade north of Chicago is still at large. The gunman opened fire on the Highland Park parade from a rooftop, killing at least six people and sending two dozen more to the hospital. Police said this evening they are searching for a 22-year-old person of interest. We will continue to follow this story as more develops. You can get the latest any time on our Web site. That is PBS.org/NewsHour. And don't go anywhere tonight.

Beginning at 8

00 p.m. Eastern on most PBS stations, you can watch America's national Independence Day celebration, "A Capitol Fourth," hosted by country music star Mickey Guyton. That is right here on PBS, on YouTube and on demand at PBS.org. And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight. I'm Amna Nawaz. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you for joining us this July 4. We will see you soon.