AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

Geoff Bennett is away.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: President Trump welcomes New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani to the White House after vilifying him during the campaign.

The Trump administration gives Ukraine a deadline to accept its peace plan that includes major territorial concessions to Russia.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): Right now, Ukraine may find itself facing a very tough choice, either the loss of our dignity or the risk of losing a key partner.

AMNA NAWAZ: And one state's efforts to protect vaccine access as the federal government casts doubt on their effectiveness and safety.

DR.

SEAN O'LEARY, University of Colorado: We're already seeing lots of measles, lots of pertussis.

These are vaccine-preventable diseases that don't need to happen.

(BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

President Donald Trump and the future Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani met today at the White House after months of trading insults.

In an Oval Office meeting, they were far more civilized, with the president at points praising the mayor-elect, despite their political differences.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I expect to be helping him, not hurting him, a big help, because I want New York City to be great.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), New York City Mayor-Elect: And what I really appreciate about the president is, the meeting that we had focused not on places of disagreement, which there are many, and also focused on the shared purpose that we have in serving New Yorkers.

AMNA NAWAZ: Both said that they will look to work together to improve the nation's largest city.

Our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, has been following today's meeting and joins us now from the White House.

So, Liz, what happened today in that Oval Office meeting and what was behind the change in tone that we saw, especially from President Trump?

LIZ LANDERS: Amna, today was quite the turn of events, especially after these two men have been trading barbs through the media really for months now, in the past, President Trump calling Mamdani a communist, Mamdani in turn calling the president a despot.

Today, a much calmer tone between those two men, indicating that they plan to work together in the future.

Mamdani's spokesperson had said before this meeting that this was a customary type of meeting, that the mayor of America's largest city would go meet at the White House with the president and that they were hoping to focus on issues like public safety, economic security and affordability.

And it was really that last part that we heard over and over from these two men today, affordability.

I just have to say, Amna, throughout this whole Oval Office meeting today, it was quite a different tune, especially from President Trump.

Listen to what he said earlier today.

DONALD TRUMP: I don't care about affiliations or parties or anything else.

I want to see -- if this city could be unbelievable, if he could be a spectacular success, I'd be very happy.

LIZ LANDERS: And one of the most surprising moments in this Oval Office meeting that happened around 3:00 p.m.

today was Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York, got a question from a reporter about the fact that he has made comments likening President Trump to a fascist in the past.

Mamdani started to explain himself and President Trump stepped in from the Resolute Desk there saying: It's OK,.

You can just say yes.

That's easier.

It's easier than explaining.

So, the president almost sort of coming to Mamdani's defense, trying to explain this for him, just a very unusual setup that we saw there today, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: Some remarkable moments in that meeting today, Liz.

LIZ LANDERS: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: But, based on your reporting, what can you share with us about what the meeting actually focused on?

LIZ LANDERS: This largely focused on this issue of affordability.

And we have heard President Trump talk about this now in the last few weeks, I think, after those special elections at the beginning of the month, where a lot of voters voted in the ballot box and said that economic issues, affordability is their top issue right now.

We heard that repeatedly throughout this meeting, President Trump saying that he hopes to work with Mamdani about lowering the cost of rent in New York City, building additional housing units there as well.

They also talked about getting Con Edison -- that's the energy provider in New York City -- getting those prices down too, and Mamdani echoing this as well.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI (D), New York City Mayor-Elect: When we spoke to those voters who voted for President Trump, we heard them speak about cost of living.

We focused on that same cost of living.

And that's where I am really looking forward to delivering for New Yorkers in partnership with the president on the affordability agenda.

LIZ LANDERS: Now, President Trump, in the last few weeks, has threatened to withhold federal funding for New York City for projects like infrastructure projects, public safety, hospitals, et cetera.

There's all kinds of federal funding that goes to various cities.

Today, though, he seemed to back off that a little bit.

He was asked about that threat in particular, and he said, look, I don't want to send money to New York if it's being used in ways that I don't agree with, but he said that after today that he didn't think that was going to happen, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: Liz, as you reported, they both indicated they'd like to work together moving forward.

Any takeaways from the meeting about what that looks like?

LIZ LANDERS: Well, they were asked if they would have future meetings, and President Trump said that he certainly hopes so.

Look, the president recognized that there are topics and areas that they will disagree on, but he even went so far today as to say, when asked by reporters, that he would feel comfortable living in Mamdani's New York City under his leadership after this meeting today.

But, Amna, one more thing to add when we're looking ahead to the midterm elections next year in 2026, it will be very difficult for Republicans to tie the entire Democratic Party to Zohran Mamdani's policies when we see today that President Trump agreed with much of what Mamdani was talking about, and many of these policies, they seemed to find common ground on, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that's our White House correspondent, Liz Landers, leading our coverage tonight.

Liz, thank you.

Turning to the day's other headlines: In an about-face, the U.S.

Coast Guard will again classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.

That was the official stance for the past few years, until earlier this month, when officials issued a draft policy document calling those emblems potentially divisive.

That policy was due to take effect in December.

But after news reports surfaced about the change, the Coast Guard issued a new memorandum, saying -- quote -- "These symbols reflect hateful and prohibited conduct that undermines unit cohesion."

The latest Coast Guard policy appears to take effect immediately.

In North Dakota, abortion is once again illegal after the state Supreme Court failed to reach the required majority to find a ban on the practice unconstitutional.

The state's only abortion provider left in 2022 and then challenged North Dakota's abortion laws that same year.

A legal saga ensued, with the Republican-led legislature revising the state's laws to ban abortion outright.

With today's decision, North Dakota once again joins 12 other states with near-total abortion bans.

In Ohio, a police officer was acquitted of all charges in the killing of Ta'Kiya Young, a pregnant Black woman.

MAN: We the jury, upon our oaths and law and evidence in this case, find the defendant not guilty of murder.

AMNA NAWAZ: A jury found Connor Grubb not guilty on charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter, and felonious assault in the death of the 21-year-old.

Grubb and another officer had responded to a call in August of 2023 after Young was accused of shoplifting.

Bodycam footage shows Young declining to come out of her car before it rolled toward Grubb and he fired.

Ta'Kiya Young's family denies she stole anything and plans to continue a civil suit against the local township and police chief.

Turning overseas, in Nigeria, officials say gunmen kidnapped students and staff from a Catholic school this morning in the second such attack this week.

The Christian Association of Nigeria says more than 200 schoolchildren and a dozen teachers were abducted in Niger State.

It's not clear who the attackers were.

But this follows a similar incident on Monday in which 25 girls were abducted.

At least 1,500 students have been kidnapped in the region since 2014, when Boko Haram extremists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls.

An Indian fighter jet crashed during an air show in Dubai today, killing the pilot, who was the only person on board.

Spectators captured the moment the plane plummeted to the ground and burst into a giant fireball.

It happened on the last day of the largest aviation showcase in the Middle East.

It's the second known crash of the lightweight Tejas aircraft, which is built by a state-owned company and is a staple in India's air force.

Indian officials say they're investigating the cause of the crash.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet today to discuss the recent spike of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Netanyahu is facing pressure from the Trump administration amid concerns the attacks could jeopardize the fragile cease-fire in Gaza.

The meeting took place as Palestinians in the West Bank village of Huwara blamed settlers for setting a massive blaze overnight at a scrapyard.

The owner of the site surveyed the damage today and said he's committed to staying.

MOHAMMAD DALAL, West Bank Resident (through translator): This car repair field is mine, and it's my source of income to raise my kids.

These settlers are causing destruction everywhere here, in our lands everywhere.

Where can we go?

We want to remain steadfast on our land no matter what.

AMNA NAWAZ: Israel's military says it had reports that Israelis did indeed set the fire and that police are investigating.

Back in this country, the Department of Transportation released a new crash test dummy that more closely resembles the female body.

The new dummy is aimed at making cars safer for women, who are 73 percent more likely to be injured in a head-on crash and 17 percent more likely to be killed.

The current standard crash test dummy was developed in 1978 and is modeled on a 5'9'' man weighing about 170 pounds.

There is currently a female version, but it's basically just a smaller version of the male one.

Today's update likely won't be used in new car safety testing until 2027, at the earliest.

On Wall Street today, stocks swung higher to end an otherwise tumultuous week.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 500 points on the day.

The Nasdaq rose almost 200 points.

The S&P 500 also ended the week on a positive note.

And Mexico's Fatima Bosch has been crowned Miss Universe 2025, a dramatic win in a competition marred by controversy.

Bosch is the fourth Mexican woman to be crowned, but her victory was seen as vindication.

Two weeks ago, she and other contestants walked out in protest after the competition's co-owner berated her during a livestreamed event.

He later apologized.

Mexico's first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, praised Bosch's victory back home, saying -- quote -- "Women are prettier when we speak and we participate."

Still to come on the "News Hour": Jonathan Capehart and Matthew Continetti weigh in on the week's political headlines; Representative James Clyburn discusses his new book on the first eight Black members of Congress; and an 80-year-old becomes the oldest woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail.

President Trump today gave Ukraine a Thursday deadline to accept his 28-point peace plan to end the war that Russia started.

Russia is cautiously welcoming the plan, which would require Ukraine to make a number of concessions it's previously rejected.

Stephanie Sy reports on the difficult decision Ukraine must now make.

STEPHANIE SY: Today, in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed his nation as it feces an existential dilemma.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): Right now, Ukraine may find itself facing a very tough choice, either the loss of our dignity or the risk of losing a key partner, either the difficult 28 points or an extremely hard winter, the hardest yet and the dangers that follow.

A life without freedom, without dignity, without justice?

They will expect an answer from us, though the truth is, I already gave that answer.

Ukraine's national interests must be respected.

STEPHANIE SY: Today, Russian President Putin praised the plan.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian President (through translator): We have this text and received it through existing channels of cooperation with the U.S.

administration.

I believe that it can also form the basis for a final peaceful settlement.

STEPHANIE SY: Vice President J.D.

Vance and U.S.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll discussed the U.S.

proposal with Zelenskyy this morning.

President Trump wants it signed by Thanksgiving.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I have had a lot of deadlines, but if things are working well, you tend to extend the deadlines.

But Thursday is a -- we think it appropriate time.

STEPHANIE SY: Later in the day, President Trump had this to say: DONALD TRUMP: He will have to like it.

And if he doesn't like it, then they should just keep fighting, I guess.

STEPHANIE SY: Adding even more pressure, "PBS News Hour" has learned from senior European and U.S.

officials that the U.S.

is threatening to cut off the program that sells weapons to Ukraine and cease intelligence sharing if Ukraine rejects the administration's proposal.

The 28-point plan presented to Kyiv includes longstanding Russian demands.

Ukraine would have to limit the size of its military.

NATO would not be allowed to send any troops into Ukraine.

Ukraine would have to give up the portion of the Donetsk region that it still controls.

That would give Russia control over the entire Donbass, which would be demilitarized.

The U.S.

would recognize the Donbass, occupied Crimea, and the occupied portions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as de facto Russian.

In addition, NATO would change its language to prevent Ukraine's future membership.

The U.S.

would lift sanctions on Russia in stages and on a case-by-case basis.

All parties would receive full amnesty for their actions.

And $100 billion of frozen Russian assets would be earmarked for Ukrainian reconstruction.

Separately, a document details for the first time the Trump administration's definition of a security guarantee.

The text, confirmed by a senior American and European officials, states that -- quote -- "The United States affirms that a significant, deliberate and sustained armed attack by the Russian Federation across the agreed armistice line into Ukrainian territory shall be regarded as an attack, threatening the peace and security of the transatlantic community, and may lead to an armed response."

European leaders today spoke to Zelenskyy via conference call and rallied around the wartime leader, with German Chancellor Merz writing, "Ukraine can count on us," and Polish President Tusk stating, "When it comes to peace, all the negotiations should include Ukraine."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also weighed in.

KEIR STARMER, British Prime Minister: But we have to work from where we are to the just and lasting peace.

I know that's what President Trump wants and he's been working to that end, but we must reiterate the principle that matters about Ukraine must be determined by Ukraine.

STEPHANIE SY: The Europeans are working with Ukraine to come up with a revised plan.

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

AMNA NAWAZ: For more on this, we turn now to Richard Haass.

He spent decades serving Republican administrations in the State and Defense Departments and on the national security staff.

He's now president emeritus at the Council on Foreign Relations And author of the Substack Home & Away.

Richard, welcome back.

Thanks for joining us.

RICHARD HAASS, President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations: Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So before we dive more deeply into this plan, let me just ask you about President Trump's demand here that Ukraine accept this plan by next Thursday or risk losing weapon sales and intelligence sharing.

Does a deadline ultimatum like that help move closer to a deal?

RICHARD HAASS: It actually works against it because it raises questions about whether the United States is really on Ukraine's side.

Let me give you a parallel.

Imagine if President Trump had gone to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and said, look, you have got a week to accept the Palestinian state.

Here are the borders.

You have got to withdraw from these settlements.

You have to accept the sharing of Jerusalem, and so many Palestinian refugees have to come back to the Palestinian state.

And if you don't agree to that, we're going to cut off American aid for Israel.

Obviously, the reaction to that would be incredibly negative and strong.

That in some ways is what we're seeing with Ukraine.

The United States is making really big,fundamental, even existential demands and is giving Ukraine a kind of one-week take-or-leave-it often.

AMNA NAWAZ: Existential demands, as you put it.

So, when you look at what Ukraine's being asked to give up here versus what's being asked of Russia, just on the territorial plans, as was just laid out, they're being asked to concede land they still control, the entire Donbass-occupied Crimea and more being recognized as de facto Russian.

Is this a plan President Zelenskyy can sell to Ukrainians?

RICHARD HAASS: I will be honest with you.

I don't think he can sell it.

I also don't think he should.

I don't think aggression should be rewarded.

And, again, there will be tremendous pushback after 3.5 years of this phase of the war.

I think the dilemma for President Zelenskyy is how to say no without saying no,and if you get into what you might call the yes, buts.

There's something here to work with.

We have concerns here.

We have concerns there.

And then the question is, how does this White House react to a situation where Russia might well accept the plan, because it's quite tilted in its favor, and Ukraine has real problems with it?

And we will have to see how that plays out.

But that's likely to be where we are in a week.

AMNA NAWAZ: What about the language in which NATO is changing its language or asked to change its language to prevent future Ukraine membership, but then the security guarantee language that includes Article 5-like protection?

Sort of unclear about when an armed response would be triggered.

Is that clear to you about where that line is being drawn?

RICHARD HAASS: No, it is unclear, as you say.

And that's a problem.

It's a difference almost between a security assurance and a security guarantee.

There's a lot of wiggle room about the nature of a Russian attack that would trigger a response.

And then there's further questioning about what would be the extent or nature of the response.

And what's so critical about that here, Amna, is, we're putting -- this proposal would put all sorts of limits on Ukraine's ability to take care of its own defense.

Essentially, it would have to trust the United States to be there for it.

But these are not ironclad assurances that are being extended.

So, again, for Ukraine, it would be an enormous risk, particularly -- and you remember this.

In 1994, the United States, Britain and Russia gave Ukraine guarantees, and, as we obviously know now, they turned out to be worthless.

AMNA NAWAZ: What about the way the European leaders have responded here, stepping into show solidarity for Ukraine, come up with a revised plan?

Could that plan replace this U.S.-led plan?

RICHARD HAASS: It could, but that's up to us, to the United States to accept it.

The danger for the Europeans is, what is it -- what are they prepared to do, what can they do if the United States basically says, sorry, we're going to walk away from Ukraine?

And there's real questions about the ability of the Europeans to step up to the role of being Ukraine's principal external security provider, but we could well be there.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the minute or so we have left, I want to pull from your years of experience.

When you step back and look at the way this process has played out, the way the U.S.

has led this negotiation, what do you take away from that?

RICHARD HAASS: It's inconsistent with my experience.

Normally, you negotiate and you work out through consultations a plan with your friends, and then you present it to your adversaries.

This was done the other way around.

So you have both the process and the content working against Ukraine.

Plus, there's the added thing that a big motive for the administration seems to be to put Ukraine on the back burner and to focus on using this to bring about a new era of U.S.-Russian relations.

So, again, Ukraine is essentially losing out here.

AMNA NAWAZ: Richard Haass, always good to speak with you.

Thank you so much for making the time to join us.

RICHARD HAASS: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: This week, the CDC changed the language on its Web site to falsely suggest that vaccines may cause autism, even though there's no scientific evidence to prove such a link.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

said he personally directed that reversal.

It's just the latest in a series of changes to federal vaccine guidance and policy since Kennedy took office.

In anticipation of more changes to come, a number of Democratic-led states have taken steps of their own.

They're trying to protect access to vaccines and to push back on misinformation.

William Brangham reports from one of those states, Colorado.

DR.

SOPHIA MEHARENA, Every Child Pediatrics: Good question.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: At Every Child Pediatrics just outside Denver, Natalie and Melissa Barba brave their way through flu and COVID shots.

WOMAN: It's going to be OK, I promise.

I promise.

Relax.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Their mom, Sandra, has been vaccinating her kids here for years.

So when she hears misinformation swirling around vaccines, she knows where to turn.

SANDRA BARBA, Mother: I just come to my doctor and talk to her about it, like, do you feel this is true?

And then she just tells me like a little bit of the statistics.

And I feel more comfortable and I trust her.

DR.

SOPHIA MEHARENA: So, over time, that difference can get worse.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Her pediatrician is Dr.

Sophia Meharena.

This practice serves lots of patients who are uninsured or on Medicaid.

Recently, she's noticed a shift in some of her patients' views about vaccines.

DR.

SOPHIA MEHARENA: I had a patient come in for her six-month appointment, I think, and the mom decided that she didn't want to vaccinate.

She'd vaccinated all her older children.

I have known this family for years.

And when I asked her why, she said: "I don't know.

I just don't know.

I'm worried."

"Well, what are you worried about?

What can we talk about?"

And she really couldn't define her fear.

So the COVID booster is a vaccine to help you decrease your chance of getting COVID.

It feels like there is a boulder to overcome of misinformation that has somehow rooted its way in our communities.

And while we have an army of pediatric care providers, public health professionals, pharmacists, nurses, even families who are willing to go over that boulder and figure it out, you don't know how big it is or how deep it is or how it's rooted.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Part of the problem, Meharena says, is the federal government, where longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

now leads the Department of Health and Human Services.

In May, Secretary Kennedy said the CDC was no longer recommending COVID shots for healthy kids or pregnant women.

In June, he fired all 17 members of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel, known as ACIP.

Several of his replacements on that panel have held anti-vaccine views.

In August, Kennedy said the government was winding down $500 million in research contracts to develop new mRNA vaccines, like for bird flu and other viruses.

And now ACIP is reportedly considering changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

Amidst all of this, policymakers, doctors, and academics here in Colorado are trying to increase access to vaccines, as well as pushback on misinformation, including some that is coming straight from the federal government.

GOV.

JARED POLIS (D-CO): I think both in the same arms probably.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Colorado's governor, Democrat Jared Polis, has been a key player in some of those efforts.

He signed a law that allows the state to consider sources besides the CDC when setting requirements for the vaccine's kids need to attend school.

Another new law ensures state-regulated insurance plans cover the cost of some vaccines, regardless of what the CDC does.

And Colorado's chief medical officer issued a standing order allowing pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines without a prescription.

GOV.

JARED POLIS: I think it's really about trusted messengers.

It's about data and science.

It's also about ease of access.

And that's one of the reasons we try to make it as easy as possible.

We have got COVID flu vaccines at your local grocery store, your local pharmacy.So anything we can do to make it easier and get good information in front of people to make the best decisions for them and their families, that's exactly what we're trying to do.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But Polis has also faced some criticism when it comes to vaccines.

Last November, he praised Trump's pick of RFK Jr.

as health secretary.

Do you still stand by that?

Do you still think that he is the right person at this moment?

GOV.

JARED POLIS: Well, I don't think he's who the person I supported for president would have appointed, but he's better than having a pharmaceutical executive in there like President Trump's prior director of human services.

I disagree to the extent that he casts dispersions on vaccines or does anything to put data in front of people that isn't true or is misleading.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Polis had said he supported Kennedy's nomination, in part because he -- quote -- "helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019."

GOV.

JARED POLIS: I think mandates are counterproductive, because what you have here is, if somebody refuses, what does that mean, again?

Their kid is not going to be able to go to school?

Then you're doubly penalizing that kid.

We want to welcome everybody.

We don't want to hold the kids responsible for the decisions, good or bad, of the parents.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But like much of the country, since COVID, Colorado has seen rates decline slightly for childhood vaccines against measles, polio, and whooping cough.

Last year, it ranked among the bottom 10 states for kindergartners who'd been given those vaccines.

DR.

SEAN O'LEARY, University of Colorado: A lot of the gaps in coverage are not because parents are refusing.

It's because they don't have really good access.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Dr.

Sean O'Leary, is a pediatrician and professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

He also serves as a liaison from the American Academy of Pediatrics to that federal vaccine panel ACIP.

He says the way vaccine policy is being debated today is dangerously off course.

DR.

SEAN O'LEARY: It is so far off the rails.

What's going on at these meetings is chaotic, and it is clear that these people should not be making decisions about the health care of Americans.

It is just beyond the pale.

WOMAN: One spray in one side.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: O'Leary is also leading a statewide group of experts, providers, and community leaders called Colorado Chooses Vaccines.

It'll monitor changes coming from Washington, press for new policies at the state level, and launch statewide campaigns to bust vaccine myths.

DR.

SEAN O'LEARY: We're already seeing lots of measles, lots of pertussis.

These are vaccine-preventable diseases that don't need to happen.

My fear is that we're only going to see more and more of that.

DR.

AVIVA WERTKIN, Children's Health Defense: I don't see RFK Jr.

trying to stop vaccines.

I just see him trying to improve their safety.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Aviva Wertkin is a naturopathic doctor near Denver.

She co-founded the Colorado chapter of Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization that RFK Jr.

used to lead.

If the state of Colorado is saying, we are getting a lot of what we believe is to be bad information coming out of the administration and we want to do educational programs, increasing access to vaccines, because we believe, as most medical institutions in the country do, that vaccines are safe and helpful and save live, you think that that's an ill-advised effort?

DR.

AVIVA WERTKIN: I think it's an unnecessary effort to some degree.

I certainly believe a lot in public education and outreach, but it seems to me that this effort is being motivated by convenience over safety.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: There is a growing concern that people seem to share that what's coming out of the administration will mean that they will have less access to vaccines that they want.

Do you think that that's a legitimate concern?

DR.

AVIVA WERTKIN: It does seem to be an anticipatory, fear-based response.

I can't imagine at this point that the administration would eliminate access.

So I understand if people have their perspective where they view RFK Jr.

as anti-science and totally anti-vax, even though he's vaccinated all of his children and he doesn't seem to be blocking access.

I understand how you can look at something and develop a fear before something is actualized.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But providers like Dr.

Sophia Meharena argue some damage has already been done.

DR.

SOPHIA MEHARENA: You can put all the vaccines on the shelf if you want.

If you also have a sign next to them that says, I don't know if these work well or these could cause you problems, the fact that they're there creates a barrier to us giving information to our patients that's good for their health.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For the "PBS News Hour," I'm William Brangham in Colorado.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, as President Trump plays nice with one Democrat in the Oval Office, he's called six others traitors and said the social media video that they posted could be punishable by death.

For analysis of the week, we turn now to Capehart and Continetti.

That is Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW and Matthew Continetti, Wall Street Journal opinion columnist and scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

David Brooks is away this evening.

Welcome to you.

Thanks for being here.

MATTHEW CONTINETTI, American Enterprise Institute: Thanks for having us.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jonathan, let's jump into that meeting in the Oval Office, because President Trump went from calling Zohran Mamdani a communist, threatening to strip his citizenship, to complimenting him, stepping in to defend him in the Oval Office, as Liz reported earlier.

What happened?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Threatening also to send the National Guard in if he were to win the election.

It was the most extraordinary moment -- for me, the most extraordinary moment of the Trump presidency.

I was wondering if a mayor like Mamdani would be the Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the day.

And instead what we saw was an incredible lovefest.

And by lovefest, I mean the president of the United States just heaping all sorts of compliments and dare I say love on Mamdani.

And I think there's three things happening here.

Game respects game.

And so I think the president looked at how Mamdani ran his campaign, how many votes he got in the election, a million votes versus President Trump got 700-something-thousand votes when he ran in a presidential election in New York City.

You could tell that the president respects Mamdani as a result of that.

And the third thing, the president at various moments in that meeting totally undercut Republican arguments against Mamdani, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, who's going to run for governor of New York, who had been calling the mayor-elect a jihadist for months.

And when asked, the president said no.

(LAUGHTER) JONATHAN CAPEHART: It's extraordinary.

AMNA NAWAZ: Matt, what surprised you about -- what stood out to you?

And, also, is it harder now for Republicans to go after Mamdani in the same way?

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: I think if you had cut to ads tonight, yes, it would be hard.

But this relationship is only just beginning.

I think over the course of the Trump era, we have discovered there's a difference between meeting Trump and rally Trump or social media Trump.

And in meeting Trump, if you're not Volodymyr Zelenskyy, typically, meetings go very well with Donald Trump, especially -- and he wants to convey that he is a good host, he's welcoming.

And so he wanted to convey that same atmosphere meeting Mamdani, much to the surprise of the Republicans.

The other thing here is, they're both outsiders.

They're both populists.

In the Democratic world, in the Democratic socialist world, populism is expressed through Israel-Palestine and through economic issues.

In national populism, Republican populism, it's expressed on the border, cultural types.

But there is still this kind of fundament that connects them.

And I think that's why Trump was a little bit nicer than a lot of us expected.

AMNA NAWAZ: What about the affordability issue?

I mean, our latest polling shows there is no more single important issue for Americans today.

When asked about what should be the president's top priority, lowering prices, 57 percent said that should be -- the next closest issue was immigration at 16 percent.

Jonathan, this is an issue that Mayor-Elect Mamdani has been laser-focused on.

Was that informing some of this meeting too?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely.

I mean, the president's been talking about -- quote, unquote -- "the affordability issue," this new issue that's out there.

No, that is why Democrats won elections up and down the ballot around the country, particularly governor of New Jersey, Virginia, and obviously Mayor-Elect Mamdani in New York City.

And so, again, for the president to tie himself to Mr.

Affordability, Zohran Mamdani, I think the mayor-elect got more out of this.

I'm sorry.

The president got a whole lot more out of this meeting, I think from his point of view, than the mayor-elect did.

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: I mean, affordability elected Mamdani, but it also elected Donald Trump last year.

Inflation was one of the number one issues that got Donald Trump the popular vote for the first time in 20 years for a Republican.

The issue is, how are you going to get to affordability?

And I think that's where the two politicians diverge.

Mamdani wants to have more government-controlled solutions, more price controls.

Donald Trump, with that big asterisk of tariffs, is usually about deregulation, tax cuts, more supply.

We're going to have an experiment, which means reach that affordability,and quicker.

AMNA NAWAZ: I also want to ask you about this week a remarkable video we saw from six Democratic lawmakers, all of whom have national security and defense backgrounds, urging military members to disobey unlawful orders.

Take a listen.

REP.

CHRIS DELUZIO (D-PA): Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad... REP.

JASON CROW (D-CO): ... but from right here at home.

SEN.

MARK KELLY (D-AZ): Our laws are clear.

You can refuse illegal orders.

SEN.

ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI): You can refuse illegal orders.

REP.

CHRIS DELUZIO: You must refuse illegal orders.

SEN.

ELISSA SLOTKIN: No one has to carry out orders that violate the law... REP.

CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA): ... or our Constitution.

AMNA NAWAZ: Now, President Trump called for them to be arrested.

He called it seditious behavior from traitors punishable by death.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if the president was calling for the execution of members of Congress.

Here's what she had to say.

KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Press Secretary: No.

Let's be clear about what the president is responding to.

You have sitting members of the United States Congress who conspired together to orchestrate a video message to members of the United States military, to active-duty service members, to members of the national security apparatus, encouraging them to defy the president's lawful orders.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jonathan, I asked Congressman Crow about this yesterday, who was featured in that video, what specifically they're asking military members to do.

He said it's not about a specific order.

Is it clear to you why they put this video out?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Yes, because they're concerned about what the president could do, what the president might ask the military to do.

And it's not a stretch when you see judges have issued rulings telling the president and administration to do things or not do things, and the administration openly defying the courts.

So it's not unreasonable for members of Congress who have served in the military to have concern about how that might reach its way into the Pentagon.

And I'm glad you played that clip from the White House press secretary, because right there in her answer you see the disingenuousness.

The members of that video, they said unlawful orders.

And what the press secretary said, they're asking them to defy lawful orders.

That is not what the members of Congress were asking service members to do.

And one other thing.

I was talking to Senator Ruben Gallego yesterday.

And he made the point, what those members of Congress were doing was nothing more than what's in the training that service members get.

They are just reiterating what they get in training.

There's nothing extraordinary about what they said.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask for your response to the video, but also to put to you that Senator Slotkin, who's in that video, said she and other members of the video have gotten close to 1,000 threats since it was posted.

Congressman Crow posted some of the threats he's been receiving calling for his family to be killed.

It's chilling stuff.

But how dangerous is the president's rhetoric on this?

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: I think a lot of the rhetoric has been very dangerous.

I think both sides here have been not covering themselves in glory.

On the one hand you're calling the president a fascist, a dictator in training, someone who's going to issue unlawful orders, even though they can't name a single unlawful order that the president has given.

And then, of course, you have the president himself calling this sedition, treason, punishable by death.

If we want to lower the temperature, it will take responsibility on every party.

But what has struck me about this is how it's a partisan split screen.

Both parties are playing to their bases here.

The Democrats are rallying behind these congressmen, and the Republicans almost uniformly are rallying behind President Trump.

So, I don't think that this is going to have a long-term effect politically on the president.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jonathan, you want to respond?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: I sort of bristle at the idea that this is a both sides thing.

What we have here in terms of the threats, particularly against these members of Congress, it's that you have the president of the United States retweeting or whatever you want to call it threats against members of Congress.

He is the one who in language and in -- if you want to go back to January 6, in deeds who is fanning, fomenting the nastiness that is out there.

If we want to lower the temperature, if we want to change the way we do politics in the country, it has to start with the chief executive.

It has to start with the president.

And he has shown an unwillingness to do that.

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: And it also has to be followed through by all of us, including people who are betraying him - - portraying him as an authoritarian who poses an existential threat to this country.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: There's lots of evidence that it's not unwarranted.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's talk about another moment this week that brought about some of the challenges we have seen in terms of how the president interacts with members of the press specifically.

We saw him host the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, at the White House.

He was asked about the 2018 killing of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and here's what he had to say.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: You're mentioning somebody that was extremely controversial.

A lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about.

Whether you like him or didn't like him, things happen.

AMNA NAWAZ: Jonathan, as you know, it was ABC's Mary Bruce who asked about Khashoggi.

She later asked about Jeffrey Epstein.

The president lashed out at her, called her a terrible person, a terrible reporter, threatened to revoke ABC's license.

That followed him calling another women reporter, Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg, "Piggy" on Air Force One.

What does all of this say to you right now about the president's relationship with journalists and how he views the press?

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Well, he views the press with the lowest of regard.

He certainly has a problem with women journalists who ask him tough questions, who do their jobs of trying to hold the president of the United States account -- to account.

And he takes it personally.

The idea that the president of the United States would talk about my former colleague at The Washington Post as he's a controversial guy, basically insinuating that he deserved being murdered and chopped up with a bone saw in Turkey, the president of the United States used to be the person who stood for free press, for democracy, for the role of the press in upholding a democracy.

And yet there he has no problem undermining that across from someone like -- like MBS and certainly by berating a terrific -- the terrific journalist from ABC who asked very straightforward and pointed questions.

AMNA NAWAZ: Matt, I'm going to give you the last word here in the minute or so we have left.

What do you take away from this?

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: My big takeaway is, we have heard Donald Trump speak this way to reporters and to women reporters since the first Republican debate in August 2015 in Megyn Kelly, who was then challenging Trump as the FOX anchor.

That's not new.

What is new is Donald Trump's political situation.

And I think he understands that the economy, affordability, these bread-and-butter issues we have been talking about, do pose a real risk to the Republican majority next year.

And I think that's why you're seeing a more elevated, angry Trump in some of these interactions with the press.

AMNA NAWAZ: You think he's lashing out more because he's feeling more pressure?

Is that right?

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: I think that's - - I can only say what has changed.

What has changed is that Donald Trump's political situation has deteriorated since these off-year elections earlier this month.

AMNA NAWAZ: Matthew Continetti, Jonathan Capehart, great to have you both at the table.

Thank you so much.

MATTHEW CONTINETTI: Thank you.

JONATHAN CAPEHART: Thanks, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congressman James Clyburn has spent more than three decades in Congress.

And in his new book, he turns his attention to the trailblazing Black men who were the first to walk those halls.

Geoff Bennett recently sat down with the congressmen to learn more.

GEOFF BENNETT: They were the first eight Black members of Congress elected during Reconstruction, when American democracy was being rebuilt after the Civil War.

Their presence was revolutionary, their power was short-lived, and their stories were nearly erased.

In his new book, "The First Eight," Clyburn restores their legacy and draws a straight line from their struggle to today's fight over voting rights, representation, and democracy itself.

Congressman James Clyburn joins us.

Thanks for being here.

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC): Thank you very much for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: You say that, when people would visit your office and see portraits of the first eight on your conference room wall, people were often surprised because they assumed that you were the first Black South Carolinian elected to Congress.

Was that the catalyst for writing this book?

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: It was.

And I had just finished my -- or just released my memoir.

And so one particular episode led me to open a conversation with my staff.

And I said to them, my next book is going to be about those eight people.

And I started writing it just to inform about their existence and what happened during their service.

And then the election of 2020 came.

And the aftermath of that election led me to start over and rewrite the book, to me, a little more instructive, rather than just informative.

GEOFF BENNETT: Reconstruction, to me, is among the most fascinating chapters of American history.

For folks who are less familiar with that time period, what about that moment allowed these men to be elected and serve?

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Well, when Reconstruction came after the Emancipation Proclamation of 18 -- or became effective, the second one became effective in 1863.

Well, we had to redo the government.

In South Carolina, of course, they had to come up with a new Constitution, which was done in 1868.

And because South Carolina had been at the center of the slave trade as it relates to the United States of America, South Carolina became the only state ever to be majority Black.

And as a result, when the new government came, two-thirds of the South Carolina House of Representatives was Black.

And at one point in its history, we had five congresspeople.

Four of them were black.

And so these people shaped the state.

And no matter what people may say about it, this state had the leading economy, the second most productive economy in the country.

And they did everything they possibly could to restore, I used the word throughout the book to redeem the South.

They themselves, I call them redeemers, because they call themselves.

They wanted to redeem the South, the pre-Civil War days.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the book argues that we are in a third reconstruction.

So when you look at current battles over voting access, over representation, over what can be taught in schools, what patterns do you see emerging?

What forces that undermined Reconstruction back then do you see now?

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Exactly the same things.

I say that one of the things I want people to get from this book is the power of one vote.

The three most significant things that happened to the Blacks during this period were -- all three were decided by one single vote.

The impeachment of Andrew Johnson, he failed to be convicted in the Senate by one vote.

The committee that recommended to the House of Representatives that they give the 20 disputed votes to Rutherford B. Hayes, who then was able to get elected president by one vote, 185 to 184 in the Electoral College, that committee, it was a 15-member committee, and they voted eight to seven, one vote, to give those votes to Rutherford B. Hayes So Reconstruction came to an end by one vote.

And then Jim Crow came about as a result of that 185 to 184.

Jim Crow began by one vote.

And so I hope people will get from this the power of a single vote.

And if you see what is now taking place in this country, a Supreme Court that I think has run amuck, undoing the Civil Rights Act of '64, undoing the Voting Rights Act of '65 -- of course, the Supreme Court is doing more with this Voting Rights Act.

It's the Congress and the presidency that seem to be undoing the Civil Rights Act of '64.

GEOFF BENNETT: We're in this moment right now where President Trump is faced with sagging approval numbers.

There's all of this fallout surrounding the Epstein files.

There's public fatigue over the high cost of living.

Do Democrats, in your view, have real leverage in this moment?

And, if so, how do you maintain it?

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Well, you got to stay vigilant.

If you look at historically, Democrats seem to think that once you win an election, you sit back and wait on the results to come.

That's not the way you do it.

Once you win an election, you build upon that win.

You keep the wind, that W-I-N-D, into the sails.

And that is what it will take to sustain.

Yes, I saw numbers just this morning that, on the generic polling, Democrats are up by 14 points.

I have never seen it that high before.

GEOFF BENNETT: That was a PBS/NPR/Marist poll.

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Yes, congratulations for... (LAUGHTER) REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Of being what I feel to be accurate.

But the fact of the matter is, how do you maintain that?

If it can go up, it can go down.

In fact, there's the old saying, what goes up must come down.

So it's going to come down.

So the question is whether or not we are going to prepare ourselves to keep the wind in our sails.

We will just have to wait and see.

GEOFF BENNETT: Congressman Jim Clyburn.

The book is "The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation."

Thanks for coming in.

Always good to see you.

REP.

JAMES CLYBURN: Well, thank you very much for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: Each year, only about one out of every four hikers who set out to complete the Appalachian Trail reaches that goal.

A thru-hike, as it's known, means traversing nearly 2,200 miles across 14 states in a single 12-month period.

It's a monumental feat of physical and emotional endurance, but it's not just a journey for the young, as a retired schoolteacher from Michigan explains.

BETTY KELLENBERGER, Appalachian Trail Thru-Hiker: My name is Betty Kellenberger.

I have just completed a through hike of the Appalachian Trail.

And in doing so, because I'm 80, I set a record.

I'm the oldest female to have completed the thru-hike.

I read about it in my little weekly reader in elementary school.

And I just thought that would be wonderful, had that thought and kind of buried it, lived with it, but buried it.

I had lived through COVID, and somewhere along the line, the idea of doing the Appalachian Trail reentered my vision.

And initially, I thought, oh, yes, right.

And then I thought, well, how long do you think you have?

Did I think I had another 10 years to think about it?

How long?

And so I just got busy and started training and got out there.

Early on, in Georgia, I tripped on a rock, face-planted, ended up with two Black eyes and a bloody nose.

And one of my first thoughts was, I didn't quit.

At least I didn't quit.

So I got up and I continued hiking.

And on that one -- that was in '22 -- I was able to get from Georgia to Harpers Ferry, which is considered halfway.

And then I had picked up a partner, a trail partner, and we flew to Maine and we were going to hike south.

He fell coming down off of Katahdin, hurt himself.

I went on then by myself, which probably wasn't the brightest thing I have ever done.

But I had Lyme.

I had gotten myself severely dehydrated.

I had a concussion.

And I met a couple of hikers who pointed that out to me.

They realized I was in trouble and we got me into town.

The town got me into the hospital and the doctor said: "No, you need to get off."

So then I went out last year, started at Harpers Ferry and headed south.

And that particular time I ran into a little lady named Helene, the hurricane that just destroyed the South.

And they didn't want us right there in the midst of everything and making the mess worse, and then offered us a deal.

They said, if you get off now, when you come back in '25, your first step on the trail will be your step one, and you can bring with it your accumulated mileage.

So I did.

I came back this spring and finished up.

And once I got close -- people kept saying, how old are you?

This might be a record.

And I thought, I don't think so.

But then pretty soon it came back, yes, it was.

It was going to establish a record, if I could live through Maine and get to Katahdin.

Then it was just a whole new level of excitement.

I think we were made for movement.

We were made to think.

We were made as spiritual beings.

It doesn't mean they have to go out and hike the Appalachian Trail, but they have to move.

Life is a journey.

And we travel a lot of journeys.

And what we want to do as we're traveling is not focus on the end, but focus on the journey itself.

Because, once it ends, it's over.

And the only thing you have are your memories.

Make use of the time that you have been given.

AMNA NAWAZ: Man, I want to be more like Betty.

Well, be sure to tune into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" later tonight right here on PBS.

Jeffrey Goldberg and his panel discuss how and why President Trump lashed out in new ways this week.

And watch "PBS News Weekend" tomorrow for a look at rising tensions on the Israel-Lebanon border, even as the cease-fire with Hezbollah nears the one-year mark.

And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team, thank you for joining us, and have a great weekend.