JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening. I'm Judy Woodruff.
On the "NewsHour" tonight: the Republicans'
turn. The GOP kicks off its version of a socially
distanced convention and makes its case to
American voters.
Then: severe weather. Louisiana braces for
the impact of two major storms, as California
faces unprecedented wildfires across the state.
Plus: outrage in a Wisconsin city. Protests
are met with force after police shoot a black
man in the back.
And mailing it in. The postmaster general
faces more tough questions in Congress over
mail-in voting in the upcoming election.
All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour."
(BREAK)
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Republicans have opened
their convention, and they have already renominated
President Trump. It came on day one of the
downsized party gathering in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and included a surprise appearance
by the nominee.
Amna Nawaz begins our coverage.
AMNA NAWAZ: A scaled-back convention with
a major 2020 mile marker.
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years!
Four more years!
AMNA NAWAZ: The renomination of Donald Trump
and Mike Pence to serve four more years in
the White House.
DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States:
Joe Biden was going to have their convention
in Milwaukee, and they didn't go there at
all.
AMNA NAWAZ: The president appeared in person
to address delegates.
DONALD TRUMP: And we said, let's have our
big deal, the roll call, let's have it right
here, and let's do it, and I'm going to show
up.
AMNA NAWAZ: This mid-pandemic convention featured
just 336 delegates socially distanced in Charlotte.
MAN: You're re-hired.
AMNA NAWAZ: A straightforward roll call, simpler
than Democrats' virtual tour last week.
JAY SHEPARD, Republican National Convention
Delegate: I am a Catholic Donald Trump Republican.
AMNA NAWAZ: And an invocation that blessed
the incumbent, and seemed to swipe at his
Democratic rival Joe Biden, who is Catholic.
JAY SHEPARD: Let us not be deceived by those
that were once close to you, but have turned
away in favor of embracing political ideology,
yet claiming Catholic beliefs and words.
AMNA NAWAZ: The convention gets under way
after a bruising few days for President Trump.
Late last week, his former top aide Steve
Bannon was arrested on fraud charges connected
to a border wall crowdfunding campaign.
A federal judge last week ruled the president
must release his tax returns as part of a
hush money probe by the Manhattan district
attorney. And, today, New York's attorney
general ramped up pressure in an ongoing investigation
into the Trump Organization.
And over the weekend, The Washington Post
published audio of the president's sister,
retired federal Judge Maryanne Trump Barry,
disparaging her brother.
MARYANNE TRUMP BARRY, Sister of Donald Trump:
I'm talking too freely, but you know. It is
the change of stories, the lack of preparation,
the lying, the holy (EXPLETIVE DELETED). But
he's appealing to the base.
AMNA NAWAZ: Just last night, President Trump
announced the FDA's emergency approval of
a plasma-based coronavirus therapy.
DONALD TRUMP: This is what I have been looking
to do for a long time. This is a great thing.
AMNA NAWAZ: But that was accompanied by reports
that top health officials, including Dr. Anthony
Fauci, doubted if the data backed that move.
JOSEPH BIDEN (D), Presidential Candidate:
I have been pleading with the president for
the last three months: You need a plan.
AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, the newly nominated
Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket launched their
post-convention assault on the president,
sitting down for their first joint interview
with ABC News.
JOSEPH BIDEN: I don't blame him for the COVID
crisis. I blame him for walking away and not
dealing with the solutions.
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), Vice Presidential
Candidate: There is so much about what comes
out of Donald Trump's mouth that is designed
to distract the American people from what
he is doing every day that is about neglect,
negligence and harm.
AMNA NAWAZ: When Republicans continue their
convention tonight, they will feature a mix
of both party leaders from the House and Senate
and everyday Americans offering testimonials
for the president and his leadership.
Like the Democratic Convention last week,
Republicans' programming, at least tonight,
will also include both taped and live speeches,
all delivering remarks under the theme "Land
of Promise."
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Amna Nawaz.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Our White House correspondent,
Yamiche Alcindor, was watching the convention's
opening hours today. And she will be covering
it all week.
And Yamiche joins me now.
So, Yamiche, you have been talking to people
who have been organizing this. How do they
want to distinguish what they are doing from
what the Democrats did last week?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, Republicans say that
they are eager to make the case that they
are more optimistic, more positive than Democrats.
They say that the theme of this entire convention
is going to be honoring the great American
story. Tonight's theme in particular is "Land
of Promises."
And what they say is that they really want
to talk about all the greatness of America.
They want to talk about the history of America
as being one that is amazing, as one that
is positive. They say that Democrats focused
too much on the flaws of America.
We are likely going to see President Trump,
I'm told, every single day of the convention,
though he might not speak every day. Another
thing to note is, there are going to be a
host of topics on this convention's agenda,
including jobs, immigration. Of course, the
coronavirus is going to be a huge talking
point.
The main message, though, is going to be that
President Trump is the best person to lead
the nation through the pandemic, and that,
if he is reelected, the vaccine will be produced
at the end of 2020, and that things will go
back to normal by 2021.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Yamiche, as you're saying,
today, the president spoke actually at length.
He showed up at the convention in Charlotte,
spoke, I think, for longer than people expected.
He did bring up the coronavirus. What does
that tell us? And what have you learned about
what he may say at the end of the week when
he makes his acceptance speech?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, the president's statements
are -- show the tension between what the campaign
and officials say that they want to do, which
is have this optimistic convention, as I said,
and what the president often does, which is
really talk about fear and talk about the
dark parts of America and what could happen
if Joe Biden is elected.
So, today, he spoke for more than -- or at
least over an hour at the convention. And
what he was talking about in particular, he
said Democrats are trying to use COVID-19
to steal the election. That's a big, big thing
for the president to say.
And he said that he believes that, if he loses,
the election was rigged. Now, there are election
watchers who say that that's sort of dangerous
language.
But the president says that he's really doubling
down on this idea that he is the person that
can protect Americans, and that Joe Biden
has really failed. And he also made the case
today and has and will be making the case
all week that, if Democrats are elected, that
this will become a socialist country, and
that it will still -- be sort of Venezuela.
Democrats, again, take real issue with that
and say that that is a completely false thing
to say. But the president is really looking
at this and saying the Democrats who want
-- are pushing mail-in voting and pushing
people going to the ballots, that they are
people who don't really understand the democracy
in America, and that they want to do nefarious
things.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, Yamiche, tonight,
prime time, what are we looking for from the
convention tonight?
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, tonight, we're going
to have a host of speakers.
There's a lot of people whose last name is
Trump, including Donald Trump Jr. We're also
going to hear from Tim Scott, the only black
Republican in the Senate. We're going to hear
from Nikki Haley, who at one point was actually
talked about as possibly replacing Vice President
Pence.
And what we're going to hear is really a theme
of people saying that President Trump took
care of America, that he was someone who ushered
in great economic change, and that he was
someone who, again, can lead America through
having more jobs, and really someone who will
help America recover from the coronavirus.
The other thing to note is, though, that as
we hear some of the things that we're hearing,
Republicans are really going to be pushing
for an emotional feel, talking about everyday
Americans who were involved in maybe gun shootings
or involved in crimes that are committed by
undocumented immigrants.
The Democrats did that, making an emotional
appeal. The Republicans are going to be trying
to do that too. But they're going to be doing
that by trying to attack the Democrats and
really saying that they're wrong for the job.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Yamiche Alcindor following
it from the White House and following it for
us all week long.
Thank you, Yamiche.
YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Thanks so much.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The Gulf Coast is facing a
very rough week.
Tropical Storm Laura is gaining strength and
could be a Category 3 hurricane by the time
it makes landfall later this week. It's expected
to hit along the coast of Louisiana and Texas,
potentially with 100-plus-per-mile hour winds.
And, even as we speak, the coast is feeling
the effects of Tropical Storm Marco. It's
weakened, but is still bringing rain.
Ken Graham is the director of the National
Hurricane Center. And he joins me now from
Miami.
Ken Graham, give us a sense of what these
storms look like right now.
KEN GRAHAM, Director, National Hurricane Center:
Yes, right now, looking at the satellite here,
Marco is very close to making landfall right
here at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
But what is interesting is, most of the rain
was sheered off. So, most of the heavy rain
is the Southeast U.S. in the Florida Panhandle
all the way up into Alabama, Georgia and Carolinas,
so heavy rainfall, but we're looking at Laura
as well, just a large circulation just south
of the island of Cuba.
And we expect it to make its way into the
Gulf of Mexico and strengthen into a hurricane.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Ken Graham, how usual
or not is it for two hurricanes -- or two
storms to be coming so close together like
this?
KEN GRAHAM: Yes, it's just -- it's very unusual.
And it is a situation that it is usual from
a meteorological perspective, but it's also
unusual and difficult from a preparedness
standpoint as well, because you start getting
the impacts in certain locations from Marco,
and, two days later, you start getting a stronger
system.
We expect to be a much stronger hurricane
when it comes to Laura making its way to the
Gulf Coast.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, how does the first storm,
which -- as you say, Marco is weakening, but
still bringing a lot of rain. How does that
affect, complicate or lay the groundwork for
the storm that follows it?
KEN GRAHAM: Yes, it's an interesting situation,
because that storm was so small, so there
wasn't much influence on the temperatures
in the Gulf. There wasn't much influence really
shaping how Laura reacts as well.
So, this is what is going to happen. With
time, we get into the Gulf, there is not a
lot of sheer. The warm waters of the Gulf,
the upper air pattern, everything's coming
together for development. Expect that hurricane
to make its way north toward the upper Texas
coast, to Central Louisiana, get that landfall,
however, a larger storm than Marco.
So, some of those impacts can stretch well
away from the center. You could you see storm
surge as far away as the Mississippi coast,
maybe even into Alabama, with that landfall
even that far west.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And do you fell at this point,
Ken Graham, the word is getting out sufficiently
to people who could -- could be affected by
this?
KEN GRAHAM: Yes, we're doing every media interview
that we can to get the information out. We're
doing briefings.
I'm actually out here in operations right
now. The hurricane specialists are here on
the phone doing briefings. We're doing everything
we can to get the word out. But we really
need to, because, if you think about it, the
arrival of these impacts occur before the
center.
So, even you start looking at a center that
is still in the Gulf, that storm surge, the
rain, the wind is well out ahead. So you have
today, you have tomorrow, and then all of
a sudden, Wednesday, some of these impacts
will be felt.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And that is what I wanted to
ask you. When -- what day are we looking at
for maximum impact? You're looking at Wednesday?
KEN GRAHAM: Yes, it looks like Wednesday.
So, you see the landfall here. And I wanted
to show this here. You start looking at the
arrival of the winds, this is actually the
arrival of the tropical-storm-force winds.
That is a good indicator when you have got
to wrap stuff up because it is too dangerous
to be outside.
So, Wednesday 8:00 a.m., you start seeing
some of these winds reach the Southeast Louisiana
coastline and during the day Wednesday spread
northward. So, Wednesday, you are going to
start seeing a whole lot of impacts along
the Gulf Coast.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Ken Graham, director of the
National Hurricane Center, thank you so much.
We appreciate it.
KEN GRAHAM: Thank you.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, there is a deadly
wave of unprecedented fires burning across
California right now.
We turn to Stephanie Sy from "NewsHour" West"
for the latest -- Stephanie.
STEPHANIE SY: Judy, the fires raging now,
particularly in Northern California, have
claimed at least seven lives, damaged 1,200
structures and led to a quarter-million evacuations.
Initially, small fires, sparked by lightning,
have merged into monstrosities.
More than one million acres scorched, multiple
fatalities, and for swathes of Northern California,
the smoke shows no sign of clearing.
JONATHAN COX, Cal Fire Deputy Fire Chief:
We have experienced 615 fires across the state
of California, and more than two dozen have
turned into major incidents or major fires.
With that, the second and large -- and third
largest fires in California history are burning
around us at the moment.
STEPHANIE SY: Those two historic conflagrations,
the LNU and SCU lightning complexes, are actually
multiple fires that have combined into massive
blazes burning 700,000 acres.
Some firefighters are working 24-hour shifts.
MAN: I have got to get you out of here, man.
It's like right there.
STEPHANIE SY: In Marin County, footage captured
the dramatic moment this weekend when firemen
rescued two of their own. They'd been trapped
by the fast encroaching Woodward Fire.
The flames' path can change at a moment's
notice. In Angwin, there were clear skies,
but clogged roads, as residents tried to evacuate.
Holly Hansen had short notice to decide what
valuables to take.
HOLLY HANSEN, Evacuee: One-hour wait. And
I just wanted to grab personal items, like
photographs, papers I left behind, get a little
more dog food, and clothes, so I can go to
work, because I left with this.
STEPHANIE SY: An hour to get out, and an uncertain
timeline for returning home.
As we said, the situation is especially bad
in Northern California.
To get into more of this, I'm joined now by
Jeff Lemelin. He's the Sonoma County Fire
District battalion chief. His team has been
battling that big LNU Lightning Complex of
fires, which includes the Walbridge Fire.
Chief Lemelin, thank you so much for being
with us. I'm sure you're really busy.
Before we get into the acres, which I know
are growing so fast, I just want you to bring
us to the ground, to the front lines, because
I know you have been there, what your firefighters
are facing right now.
JEFF LEMELIN, Sonoma County Fire District
Battalion Chief: Right now, the last two days,
thankfully, we have had a little bit of reprieve
in the weather, been able to catch our breath.
The first three days, we were on the fire
line for 72 hours, and we had limited resources.
And this is just due to the magnitude of the
fire and the number of fires that were started
from this historic lightning that we had in
this area in Sonoma County, which, as you
know, that's not a normal weather pattern
for us to have this type of lightning.
We have been in drought-like conditions. And
in August is not usually fire season for us.
Usually, we're waiting for the fall to get
those offshore wind events. But here we are
having just this extreme fire behavior early
in the season for us. But the season, as we
say now, is yearlong.
STEPHANIE SY: And this has been three years
running, this type of fire season, but still
earlier than usual, and during a pandemic.
How has the pandemic affected your resources
and your manpower?
JEFF LEMELIN: Yes.
So, we do have -- we don't have some of the
resources that we used to have pre-COVID.
And so, you know, it's changed the way that
we operate with each other, right? Trying
to practice social distancing is almost impossible
on the fire line.
So, we do what we can, washing our hands,
wearing a face mask, which we a lot of times
are because there's smoke anyways. But it's
just -- it's difficult and it's challenging.
It just adds another layer to a problem that's
already taxing of us.
STEPHANIE SY: And what about personnel? I
know that one thing California has done for
a while is utilize inmates to fight fires
during the season.
But, of course, coronavirus has meant that
all of those inmates are locked down. Has
that affected your ability to fight these
fires, controversy of that program aside?
JEFF LEMELIN: Yes, we have limited resources.
That con crews were super helpful to get into
these tight areas, cutting line. And so when
you have crews kind of doing work that they're
not normally meant to do, you know, there's
a lag in the efficiency of that, just like
anything else, right, when you're outside
of the box. And so it's definitely affecting
us.
STEPHANIE SY: There have already been several
fatalities. And you posted a video on your
own Instagram page showing how dangerous the
conditions are, gusty winds, smoke, I mean,
everything you would expect with the wildfires.
And yet is there more aggressive behavior
you're seeing with this complex of fires up
there?
JEFF LEMELIN: I would say there's more aggressive
behavior than I have been seeing in the last
eight years.
So, fires are burning. They're spotting farther
ahead of themselves, sometimes up to two miles
ahead of themselves. The fuel is bone-dry.
We're getting what's called area ignition,
where everything is just catching at once
just due to the convective heat columns.
And it's very trying times. And so we're doing
everything we can to safely get into these
areas, protect the homes. And when we come
in and assess these homes, we're looking to
make sure that we can survive there.
But, you know, we're doing everything that
we can to help stop this conflagration.
STEPHANIE SY: When you have a second to step
back, and do you just feel bewildered that
you're facing this right now in California,
continuously high pandemic numbers there,
and coronavirus infections, as well as these
blazes, which are coming way earlier in the
season and are of a historic nature?
Are you just thinking, what is going on?
JEFF LEMELIN: So, I wear a couple of different
hats. The hat that I'm wearing now is in a
volunteer capacity. I'm also a full-time firefighter
in Marin County.
And this -- these fires have devastated my
community. And it's grueling. It's just grueling.
I have almost lost my house a couple times.
And just seeing what we're having to deal
with as a community, it's taxing.
STEPHANIE SY: Chief, this is essential, dangerous
work that you're doing with limited resources.
And we thank you so much for your time, coming
on the program.
Sonoma County Fire District Battalion Chief
Jeff Lemelin, thank you.
JEFF LEMELIN: Thank you.
STEPHANIE SY: In the day's other news: The
World Health Organization urged caution today
in treating COVID-19 patients with plasma
from people who've already had the virus.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, at
President Trump's urging, has authorized using
those antibodies to help patients recover.
But top WHO scientists said the treatment
is still experimental.
DR. SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, World Health Organization:
The results in some cases point to some benefit,
but have not been conclusive. And we have
been tracking this.
And we do ongoing meta-analyses and systematic
reviews to see where the evidence is shifting
or pointing. And, at the moment, it's still
very low-quality evidence.
STEPHANIE SY: As of today, confirmed U.S.
infections topped 5.7 million, with 177,000
deaths.
Meanwhile, the University of Hong Kong reports
that, for the first time, they have confirmed
that a patient who already had COVID now has
it again, but is symptom-free this time. Researchers
aren't sure how often reinfection is occurring,
but are looking at these cases to try and
understand how our immune systems respond
to COVID-19.
Doctors in Germany say tests indicate that
Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was poisoned.
He remains in a medically induced coma, but
they say his condition is not life-threatening.
Navalny was airlifted out of Russia to Berlin
on Saturday. Russian doctors denied again
today that he had poison in his system.
Back in this country, the governor of Wisconsin
has called out the National Guard in Kenosha
after police shot and wounded a black man,
Jacob Blake, apparently in his back. Violent
protests erupted last night after video of
the incident emerged. Blake is hospitalized
in serious condition.
We will return to for more on that later in
the program.
There's word that Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned
as president of Liberty University, the evangelical
school founded by his father. A man linked
to Falwell and his wife claimed today that,
for years, he had a sexual relationship with
the couple. Falwell had claimed the man had
an affair with his wife, then tried to blackmail
the family.
The New York state attorney asked a court
today to make Eric Trump, the president's
son, testify in a financial fraud investigation.
At issue is whether he and the Trump Organization
improperly inflated the value of a New York
estate to secure a loan and tax benefits.
And on Wall Street, hopes for COVID-19 treatments
and vaccines fueled a rally. The Dow Jones
industrial average gained 378 points to close
at 28308. The Nasdaq rose nearly 68 points,
and the S&P 500 added 34, reaching new high.
Still to come on the "NewsHour": security
forces brutalize demonstrators in Belarus
amid calls for the president's removal; protests
in Wisconsin are also met with force after
police shoot a black man in the back; the
postmaster general faces renewed congressional
scrutiny over mail-in voting; and much more.
The popular protests have not let up in Belarus
two weeks after an election denounced as a
fraud by the U.S., the European Union, and
the opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko.
Now leaders of that opposition, including
a Nobel Prize-winning writer, have been summoned
for questioning, as Lukashenko himself take
a militaristic posture.
With the support of the Pulitzer Center, special
correspondent Simon Ostrovsky reports.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: The protest movement in Belarus
has had one thread running through it: defiance.
MAN (through translator): Dear citizens, please
disperse.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: Defiance of President Alexander
Lukashenko's regime in the face of intimidation
and threats meant to make his people too scared
to come out into the streets.
On television, Lukashenko has warned darkly
of foreign powers that would occupy Belarus
if he's overthrown. His defense minister has
warned the army is willing and able to crush
protests.
VIKTOR KHRENIN, Belarusian Defense Minister
(through translator): If order and calm is
disturbed in these places, you will be dealing
not with the police, but the army.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: And, on the streets, messages
telling citizens they will face the full force
of the law for their insubordination are broadcast
from loudspeakers.
President Alexander Lukashenko has used everything
in his playbook to try to prevent people from
coming out into the streets. He's threatened
arrest. He's threatened violence. And he's
threatened to bring the military in. But the
Belarusian people, two weeks after the election,
still remain undeterred.
And just look at them down in the streets
of Minsk.
On Sunday, over 100,000 people descended on
the capital to voice their anger over the
August 9 vote. Lukashenko declared himself
the winner, with an improbable 80 percent.
His security forces' violent crackdown on
protesters enraged the people even further.
TATYANA GUBAREVA, Protester (through translator):
We have seen the news about paddy wagons parked
in the courtyards, that they have brought
the army in. Honestly, it's really scary.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: Earlier today, Belarus stepped
up its crackdown on protest leaders, arresting
two members of the opposition Coordination
Council, a body that has made its goal the
transition of power from Lukashenko to challenger
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who met America's
second highest-ranking diplomat, Stephen Biegun,
in Lithuania today.
STEVE BIEGUN, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State:
We condemn the violation of human rights and
the brutality that we have seen play out in
Belarus since the elections, and we call upon
the government of Belarus to release all political
prisoners that they are currently holding.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: The authorities have tried
various tactics to discourage demonstrations
all week.
One sinister policy has been to inform demonstrators
they are breaking the law, then recording
their faces for a potential criminal case.
When the same message was played over loudspeakers
on Sunday, demonstrators drowned it out with
boos.
And when they approached a line of riot police
and soldiers, it seemed as though the regime
and the opposition had come to a precipice.
The situation is getting very tense, because
the crowds are moving closer to the military
and the riot police, who are stationed just
across from them. Certain people want to come
out, and there's other members of the protest
who are trying to calm things down and trying
to keep the two sides apart.
The crowds push forward anyway, but Belarus'
demonstrators have defied expectations time
and again, protesting peacefully throughout
this crisis.
MAN (through translator): Who are you going
to use these guns against? You will all go
to prison.
MAN (through translator): Sir, please stand
here and don't provoke them. They will start
shooting. Is that what you want?
OLGA AKADZHANOVA, Protester (through translator):
These are our children. I'm only angry at
their commanders that have sent them against
the people.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: As the protest begins to
disperse around dusk, Lukashenko flies into
a presidential palace the demonstrators had
neared, brandishing a rifle and wearing body
armor.
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, President of Belarus
(through translator): Guys, thank you. You
did a great job.
SIMON OSTROVSKY: It's a kind of political
rally for one of his only remaining groups
of supporters, the security forces. He has
to rally as much support with them as possible.
After all, now only they stand between him
and losing power.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Simon Ostrovsky
in Minsk.
STEPHANIE SY: Kenosha, a city of about 100,000
that lies between Chicago and Milwaukee, has
become the late flash point of racial unrest
after a black man was shot and wounded by
police.
John Yang has the story.
JOHN YANG: Protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin,
escalated overnight, with police using tear
gas to disperse the growing crowds.
A city truck was set on fire, buildings were
vandalized, and there were standoffs with
police. Daylight revealed more of the damage,
row upon row of cars torched at a dealership,
most of them destroyed.
It all followed an incident caught on video
which appeared to show police shooting 29-year
old Jacob Blake multiple times in the back.
Police say they had responded to a domestic
disturbance. Eyewitnesses said Blake's children
were in the car.
Blake was taken to the hospital. State officials
took charge of the investigation.
Today, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers called
a special session of the Wisconsin legislature.
GOV. TONY EVERS (D-WI): We must see the trauma,
fear and exhaustion of being black in our
state and in our country. But equally important
to our empathy is our action. As family members,
as friends, as neighbors, as people, the duty
to act rests on all of us and, perhaps most
importantly, on us as elected officials.
JOHN YANG: It comes amid a summer of nationwide
protests over the police killings of George
Floyd and Breonna Taylor, among others.
On Saturday, in Lafayette, Louisiana, there
were calls for justice for another black man,
Trayford Pellerin, fatally shot by police
responding to a disturbance.
In a Facebook post, Blake's father said his
son is in stable condition after surgery.
And, tonight, in Kenosha, about 125 members
of the Wisconsin National Guard are assisting
local officials.
Zach Rodriguez is a member of the Kenosha
County Board of Supervisors, and he joins
us now.
Thanks for being with us, Supervisor Rodriguez.
As you have been out and about in the community
-- I'm sure are you were out and about last
night and again today -- what are you hearing?
What are people telling you? What is the mood?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ, Kenosha, Wisconsin, County
Board of Supervisors: There's a lot of different
moods going on tonight in the city I call
home.
There is anger, resentment, sadness, and,
more than anything, there's a lot of questions.
JOHN YANG: Questions about what happened,
about why it happened the way it did?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: Correct. What happened, why
did it happen, and why did it happen that
way?
JOHN YANG: What was your reaction when you
saw the video, when you -- what was your reaction?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: My heart dropped into my gut.
I think that is the reaction of any decent
person out there, regardless of who is firing
the firearm or who is the victim or on the
receiving end of that. It troubles me.
JOHN YANG: The governor, Governor Evers, has
called a special session of the legislature
to deal with some transparency and accountability
legislation for police statewide.
How is that going to, do you think, address
that anger and resentment that you say you
feel in your community?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: I have heard about the governor
calling a special session, but I haven't read
more into it yet.
What I think is important is that we need
community members to be part of committees,
part of oversight committees, where our communities
know, as a whole, that our police are being
overseen by a board that's made up of the
community that they -- so that it can taken
outside of the police department, and it's
not just handled in-house, whether it's promotions
or discipline or, God forbid, a situation
that we find ourselves in today.
JOHN YANG: What locally will be done as you
move forward?
The Wisconsin Justice Department is now involved
in the -- or in charge of this investigation.
They have got a 30-day timeline to report
back.
What's going to be happening in the county
and in the city to move forward now?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: I think, right now, we're
waiting.
We're waiting to see when the DCI from the
state Department of Criminal Investigations
finishes their investigation. And I expect
that to take some time. We go from there.
We see -- we wait for the DA. We see if he
decides to file charges or not based on that
evidence.
But we have taken steps at the county level.
I introduced legislation as a co-sponsor that
made the promise to buy body cameras for our
sheriff's deputies with this upcoming budget.
We declared public health -- or racism a public
health crisis. Excuse me.
And so we have taken these proactive steps
to try to prevent a situation like this from
happening in Kenosha County. And, tragically,
we found ourselves in this situation last
night.
JOHN YANG: Were you surprised that it took
the turn it did last night, setting a car
dealership on fire, attempts to start fires
in the courthouse, the sort of damage that
was done last night?
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: Am I surprised? No? Am I disheartened?
Yes. And I think our community as a whole
is disheartened.
I was on the scene of where the shooting happened
last night prior to being downtown. And there
were multiple people out there saying: Hey,
we're here to protest. We're here to create
lasting change. But that doesn't call for
jumping on police cars, lighting them on fire,
starting -- breaking glass, looting, and destroying
our community that we call home.
JOHN YANG: Zach Rodriguez of the Kenosha County
Board of Supervisors in Kenosha County, Wisconsin,
thank you very much.
ZACH RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.
STEPHANIE SY: Speaker Nancy Pelosi brought
House members in over the weekend to work
on legislation concerning the U.S. Postal
Service, which Democrats believe is being
tampered with ahead of the November election.
As William Brangham reports, the new head
of the service again testified today on Capitol
Hill, and rejected those accusations.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Back before Congress again
today, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy repeated
his vow that the Postal Service is ready to
meet the ballot crush this November.
LOUIS DEJOY, U.S. Postmaster General: This
sacred duty is my number one priority between
now and Election Day.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It was his second visit
to Capitol Hill amid growing concerns that
operational changes under his tenure, from
cutbacks to overtime, to the removal of hundreds
of mail sorting machines across the country,
are causing troubling delays nationwide and
could endanger the delivery of mail-in ballots
this fall.
DeJoy told members of the House Oversight
Committee that he was not responsible for
those changes, which have now been paused
until after the election.
LOUIS DEJOY: I did not direct the removal
of blue collection boxes or the removal of
mail processing equipment. Any further assertions
by the media or elected officials is furthering
a false narrative to the American people.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney,
Democrat of New York, challenged DeJoy for
downplaying the impact of his policies in
his Senate testimony on Friday.
She pointed to leaked internal Postal Service
documents showing widespread delays in delivery
since he took the job.
REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D-NY): If any other
CEO had this kind of plummeting record in
his first two months on the job, I can't imagine
why he would be kept on.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Republicans took to his
defense, calling the delays temporary growing
pains as DeJoy works to reform the agency.
REP. JAMES COMER (R-KY): And I'm disappointed
at the hysterical frenzy whipped up around
this issue by my colleagues on the left and
their friends in the media.
Is the postmaster general sabotaging the election
by removing blue postal boxes and mail sorting
machines? No.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The hearing turned testy
when some lawmakers demanded DeJoy clarify
his policies moving forward on that same front.
REP. STEPHEN LYNCH (D-MA): Will you put the...
(CROSSTALK)
REP. STEPHEN LYNCH: ... high-speed machines
back?
(CROSSTALK)
LOUIS DEJOY: ... outrage -- No, I will not.
REP. STEPHEN LYNCH: You will not?
LOUIS DEJOY: Will not.
REP. STEPHEN LYNCH: You will not? Well, there
you go.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Other conflicts centered
around accusations from Democrats that DeJoy,
who is an ally of President Trump and was
a major Republican donor, is trying to influence
the 2020 election.
President Trump has repeatedly disparaged
the use of mail-in voting. On Twitter today,
he again made the untrue claim it leads to
fraud and would set the table for -- quote
-- "a big mess."
This followed a weekend tweet seeming to discourage
people from voting by mail by claiming, again
with no evidence, that in-person ballot drop
boxes are not -- quote -- "COVID-sanitized."
While DeJoy said today these comments were
not helpful, he was steadfast in denying any
accusation of political intent, and framed
the changes to the Postal Service as cost-cutting
measures.
LOUIS DEJOY: All my actions have to do with
improvements to the Postal Service.
Am I the only one in this room that understands
that we have a $10-billion-a-year loss?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: On Saturday, the House approved
$25 billion in emergency funding for the agency
and reversed those operational changes.
More than two dozen Republicans backed the
measure, but their colleagues in the Senate
are unlikely to vote on it, and the White
House has threatened to veto it.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.
STEPHANIE SY: That's it from here.
Let's go back to Judy for more on tonight's
kickoff of the Republican Convention.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Congressman Steve Scalise is
the second highest ranking Republican in the
House, and he's just hours away from speaking
later this evening at the Republican National
Convention.
He also represents the 1st District of Louisiana,
where, as we reported earlier, locals are
bracing for not one, but two tropical storms.
Representative Scalise joins me now from New
Orleans.
Congressman Scalise, so good to see you. Thank
you very much for talking with us.
What do you think the main message...
REP. STEVE SCALISE (R-LA): Good to be with
you.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Absolutely.
What do you think the main message should
be from this Republican Convention? How much
of it should be about Donald Trump, and how
much of it should be criticizing Joe Biden
and the Democrats?
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Well, really, Judy, I
think, first of all, through the week, you
are going to see a vision for what we need
to do to get the country back on track through
COVID-19.
And everybody is dealing with it all around
the globe. But here in America, there are
a lot of things that we are doing to, number
one, help people safely reopen, whether it
is businesses or schools.
But, also, there's this rush towards making
sure we can put all the energy of the FDA
and other agencies to find a cure and a vaccine.
And we're very close to some remarkable breakthroughs
there. And so the president, I think really
his message needs to be what he has done to
deliver on the promises that he has made over
the last four years, delivering for hardworking
families.
We built the greatest economy our country
has ever seen just over the last two years.
And now we are at COVID. Obviously, things
are different. But who best to bring us back
through that than the president who already
did it?
JUDY WOODRUFF: President Trump said today
at the Republican National Convention, he
said he and the Republicans have always protected
preexisting conditions.
But he is now -- his administration is asking
the Supreme Court to throw out the Affordable
Care Act, which protects preexisting conditions.
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Well, the problem with
the Affordable Care Act is, it is not affordable.
You can look and see how premiums have gone
up dramatically. Millions of people lost the
good health care they had. That old promise,
if you like what you have, you can keep it,
probably the most broken promise in the history
of politics.
What President Trump wants to do is focus
on letting patients and doctors decide the
best health care, not Washington bureaucrats,
and lowering premiums, while protecting preexisting
conditions.
That is not happening right now. The premiums
are too high, where people with preexisting
conditions even right now are paying in some
cases $10,000 deductibles. And they can't
even afford the free health care that -- quote,
unquote -- "that was sold to them."
So, we need to focus on rebuilding and strengthening
our health care system, giving people real
options, buying across state lines, protecting
people with preexisting conditions by lowering
premiums for everybody, not by raising them,
where everybody is paying too much.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, it is a much bigger subject
protecting preexisting conditions.
But my point is that that has been a central
feature of the Affordable Care Act. And that
is something that the Trump administration
is trying to dismantle.
But I want to ask you about COVID relief,
Congressman Scalise.
As you know, the House passed the Democrats'
version of COVID relief. It was at the end
of May. So, it was three months ago. Then
the Democrats offered to reduce the $3 trillion
price tag to $2 trillion. The Republicans
still have not passed legislation in the Senate,
so that the two sides can get together and
work this out.
This is not the way things are supposed to
work in Washington, is it?
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Well, I would like to
see everybody at the table.
And, in fact, you saw Mark Meadows, the president's
chief of staff, over at the Capitol just the
last few days trying to meet with Speaker
Pelosi, and she was too busy. She would not
meet with him.
When you won't sit down and meet with the
president's chief of staff, you are showing
you are not serious. They brought us in Saturday
to do this vote on the post office, when the
post office themself has said they have enough
money to get through the middle of next year.
Our small businesses need help right now.
Families need help and relief. We have got,
Judy, over $500 billion of money that we have
sent out in the CARES Act and all the relief
packages that is not spent yet, over $500
billion.
I would say, before we get into a negotiation
of how many more trillions we give, for example,
to states like New York that were already
having problems beforehand, we can't be worried
about bailing out states that had their own
problems. We need to be worried about saving
small businesses, helping schools safely reopen,
making sure hospitals can get through this.
That is where the focus needs to be. And for
whatever reason, Speaker Pelosi won't sit
down and have that conversation. So, hopefully,
that happens.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But it's the -- but, in terms
of the Congress, it is the House and the Senate.
And the Senate has not passed legislation,
so there can't be a negotiation.
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Right.
JUDY WOODRUFF: That's what I'm asking.
And, as you know, it takes 60 votes in the
Senate. So, unlike the House, Speaker Pelosi
can bring any bill she wants. She has brought
many partisan bills that she knew would never
go anywhere that she has passed.
But, in the Senate, even if every Republican
was for a bill, because of their rules with
the 60-vote requirement, Chuck Schumer and
Democrats can and have blocked a lot of those
bills.
So, it's kind of hard to bring a bill through
the Senate, when the minority party wants
to block even a discussion about it, let alone
trying to get a solve, solution.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Two other quick things I want
to ask you about, Congressman Scalise.
One is QAnon. You supported the opponent to
Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is running for
a congressional seat in the state of Georgia.
She won that race. Do you now support her
and the others, even though they have made
these statements in support of these conspiracy
theories around QAnon?
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Well, look, I had to go
Google what that was when I was asked about
it after she won the primary.
In the end, look, I'm focused on relief packages,
helping families get back. That's what my
-- the calls to my office are. It's not on
QAnon.
I mean, look, there's -- there's real major
terrorist -- domestic terrorist groups like
Antifa out there. I don't hear the other side
trying to be asked about whether or not they
endorse or oppose that.
But, at the end of day, it is the voters of
Georgia that are going to decide that race,
just like in any election.
JUDY WOODRUFF: I understand that. And we do
report on the activities of groups like Antifa.
But are you saying that you would welcome
to the House candidates who has spoken out,
who -- clearly anti-black, anti-Muslim, in
the statements they have made in their campaigns?
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Well, look, I have been
very vocal.
And, as you mentioned, I was not supporting
her in that primary. But, at the end of the
day, it is the people of each district that
decide who their representative is. It is
not me.
Clearly, I serve with a lot of people who
have very different views today in the current
Congress, whether they are Republican or Democrat.
We don't all agree with each other on any
given day.
But you work with people. And you work to
solve problems. And, if somebody makes inflammatory
statements, racist statements, you call it
out.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally, Congressman Scalise,
these two tropical storms headed to the Gulf,
potentially to the New Orleans area, what's
the concern right now about these? And is
Louisiana prepared?
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Yes, I have been in contact
with our governor, with all of the parish
presidents throughout Southeast Louisiana
that I represent, along the Gulf Coast of
Mississippi.
You work and prepare for the worst, but you
pray for the best, and that is what we are
all doing. Everybody is, I think, stepping
up and getting people prepared. And people
are, I think, properly taking precautions.
A lot of people have evacuated the lower-lying
areas. And where I am in New Orleans, in this
region, we have -- we are ready to hunker
down and hopefully get through it and not
have real damage.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Congressman Steve Scalise,
thank you very much.
REP. STEVE SCALISE: Great being with you,
Judy. Thank you.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And now here to analyze last
week's Democratic Convention and to preview
what to expect from Republicans tonight and
the rest of the week, our Politics Monday
team, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report
and host of public radio's "Politics With
Amy Walter." She's here in the studio with
me at a safe distance.
And joining us via Skype is Tamara Keith of
NPR. She also co-hosts the "NPR Politics Podcast."
Hello to both of hello to both of you. It
is now the Republicans' turn.
But, Tam, before we move to the Republicans,
we are now, what, four days out. We have had
tour days to let it sink in, settle in. What
is left lingering from the Democrats' main
message last week?
TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Well,
and we haven't seen a lot of polling yet to
see whether there was a convention bump.
I think one question that hangs out there
is, there was a lot of focus on coronavirus
and tackling that. And there was a little
bit less focus on the economy. So, that is
one area where President Trump has more strength
and where former Vice President Joe Biden
tends to not poll quite as well.
And so there are some questions remaining
there. I will say that -- and this is highly
informal -- but in my neighborhood, there
is a sign -- I think a lot of people have
seen these signs that say "Any Functioning
Adult 2020."
And this week, the sign was replaced with
a Biden campaign sign. And, you know, I think
part of what this convention was all about
for Biden, President Trump had put out there
this idea that he wasn't a functioning adult.
And Biden went out there, gave a speech that
looked like an Oval Office address, had the
seriousness and sobriety of an Oval Office
address.
And he proved, at least to that person in
my neighborhood, that he is a functioning
adult.
JUDY WOODRUFF: He's picked up a voter, picked
up a voter.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Amy, what is your sense?
Hear we are, all these days out from the Democrats.
AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: All
these days out.
And Tam is right. We haven't had any significant
polling. We have had a couple of polls that
came out, and I think this they suggest that
Joe Biden did in some ways what he needed
to do, which wasn't necessarily to increase
his lead over Donald Trump. I think that is
very unexpected here. He already has a pretty
significant lead, especially for a challenger.
But that he improved his image. This is the
ABC/Ipsos poll that came out the other day.
He improved his overall favorable rating by
about five points, not a huge bump, but, to
Tam's point, it's actually taking people who
might have said, well, I don't like Joe Donald
Trump, but I don't know about this Joe Biden
guy. It sort of filled out his image.
Now, look, Republicans argue that there wasn't
a lot of specifics about policy, that this
was really just all anti-Trump.
Biden had a pretty short speech. He talked
about and touched on a whole bunch of different
issues. He didn't delve deeply into those.
And, quite frankly, I don't think that is
what the convention is really about, in the
sense of deep-dive political and policy arguments,
as much as it is about giving voters a sense
of, who is this person, how will they govern,
what are their priorities?
JUDY WOODRUFF: And I think I remember you
saying, Amy, a week ago as we sat here at
this same table, that what Joe Biden needed
to do was not hurt himself.
AMY WALTER: Yes. And he -- exactly.
JUDY WOODRUFF: He needed to hold onto that
lead. And I hear you saying it looks like
he hasn't.
AMY WALTER: He did not hurt himself, exactly.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So now, Tam, let's turn to
the Republicans.
The question I ask everybody -- so forgive
me for asking you -- but what is it that -- I
mean, given where Donald Trump is right now
in this campaign, what does his campaign,
what does he need to say, what does he need
to do this week?
TAMARA KEITH: So, he has already given one
speech to this campaign in South Carolina.
It was about an hour-long. It had no narrative
arc. It was a free-flowing campaign-style
speech to a friendly crowd that was hooting
and hollering and had all the sort of back-and-forth
feedback that President Trump thrives on.
I think that what a lot of people are looking
for him to do is also, though, present his
case. And I think that, in that speech today,
he gave us a preview in amongst it all. He
said to the delegates, think about where you
were before the pandemic hit.
And that is essentially the argument that
President Trump was making, what you heard
Steve Scalise say, which was, before the pandemic
hit, how was your 401(k) doing, how was your
life? And the president is arguing, sort of
discount the coronavirus pandemic. He argues
he has done a good job. The numbers indicate
other things.
But he says, discount the pandemic. Just think
about how you were before. Let's make America
great again again, which is what Vice President
Pence said at the close of his speech at the
convention.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Amy...
(CROSSTALK)
AMY WALTER: That's right, a hard sell, basically
saying, forget about everything that is happening
right now, and how I handled all of it, but
remember before, when things were pretty good?
So, it is a very difficult challenge for the
president or any president, quite frankly,
to sell that, at a time when we have 70 percent
of American who think that the country is
headed in the wrong direction, to say, well,
eventually, we will get to a better place
if you just keep me here, even though you
don't like how I'm handling the current crisis.
The next challenge then, I think, really for
him, because this is a president whose never
been particularly interested in broadening
his base -- he likes to speak to his base
-- is, he has got to figure out a way to chip
away at what Biden did at his convention,
which is improve his favorable ratings, improve
the image of himself that Joe Biden -- of
himself Joe Biden had built.
And so the president needs to go after that
image to really make people believe that Joe
Biden is not up to this challenge, not up
to this job, and to motivate the people who
right now may want to vote for Donald Trump,
maybe didn't even vote in 2016, but he needs
to give them a reason to show up.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, talk -- so you are saying
fill out the picture of himself, even though
people have been listening -- I mean, watching
and listening.
AMY WALTER: Oh, yes, absolutely.
No, it's much more about taking down Joe Biden.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Biden.
AMY WALTER: Yes, because you're right, there
is very little that people don't know about
Donald Trump.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Tam, is that something
that we think the president is capable of
doing, of taking down, or trying to take down
Joe Biden?
TAMARA KEITH: This is something President
Trump relishes doing, and, in fact, though,
is something that he has been trying to do
with Biden for months, though, of course,
this is a much more concentrated forum for
that.
And so we will see what they come up with,
how they present it. You know, every night
of this convention, they are going to have
people who have lived under socialist rule
talking about how terrible it is, and then
trying to connect those dots to Joe Biden,
who is definitely not a specialist.
But the idea, the pitch that they have been
making is, OK, you know, you may be OK with
Joe Biden, but -- but he is just a vessel
for leftist politics.
And so that is an argument they're going to
try to make.
JUDY WOODRUFF: All right.
And I just have to I say, I was listening
to the president today, Amy.
And, at one point, when the crowd was cheering,
"Four more years," he said, "What about 12
more years?"
AMY WALTER: Right. Make them angry. Say 12
more years.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, maybe we will hear that
message.
(LAUGHTER)
JUDY WOODRUFF: Amy Walter, Tamara Keith, Politics
Monday.
Thank you both.
And, as we have been talking about the Republican
Convention does kick off tonight, Amna Nawaz
is here with what we will be watching for
-- Amna.
AMNA NAWAZ: Hi, Judy.
Well, among the speakers on this, the first
night of the Republican National Convention,
will be members of Congress known as allies
of the president, including Florida's Matt
Gaetz, Ohio's Jim Jordan, and Louisiana's
Steve Scalise.
Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina will also
address the convention, as will President
Trump's former Ambassador to the United Nations
Nikki Haley. One of the president's sons,
Donald Trump Jr., will also deliver remarks.
And, Judy, officials tell us we should expect
to hear from the president himself every night
of the convention -- Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And today and every night for
the next four.
Amna, thank you. And you will be with us all
week as well.
And you can follow all of our special coverage
of this week's Republican National Convention
online. You will find news updates and dispatches
from our team covering the convention.
And stay tuned for our preshow, which begins
online in just a moment. That's on our Web
site, PBS.org/NewsHour.
And that's the "NewsHour" for tonight. We
will be back at 8:00 Eastern with our special
coverage of the first night of the Republican
National Convention. We will be joined by
a panel of experts, and we will speak with
Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and Arkansas Governor
Asa Hutchinson.
That's coming up right here at 8:00 Eastern.
I'm Judy Woodruff.
For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank
you, and we will see you shortly.
