GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

Amna Nawaz is on assignment.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: With hundreds of people still missing, indigenous Hawaiians worry their needs will be forgotten, as Maui tries to recover from devastating wildfires.

Russian dissidents fight alongside Ukrainian forces against Vladimir Putin's invasion, but some of their extremist views raise alarms.

VLADIMIR, Russian Volunteer Corps Fighter (through translator): Since my teenage years, I have always dreamed that something would change in the country where I was born and raised.

I wanted an armed fight against our criminal state.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Spain's World Cup victory is mired in controversy after a soccer official who forcibly kissed a player during celebrations refuses to step down.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening, and welcome to the "NewsHour."

The grim and grueling search operation across Maui's fire-ravaged communities has now entered a new phase.

The confirmed death toll stands at 115 people.

But hundreds more are still missing.

Stephanie Sy has our report.

STEPHANIE SY: More than two weeks after the Maui wildfires, the missing remained nameless, until late Thursday.

JOHN PELLETIER, Maui County, Hawaii, Police Chief: We're releasing this list of 388 names today because we know that it will help with the investigation.

STEPHANIE SY: Maui County officials hope publicizing the 388 identities will help narrow down search-and-rescue efforts.

JOHN PELLETIER: We do know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for some folks that are affected by this.

This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can possibly to make this investigation the most complete, thorough to date.

STEPHANIE SY: Meanwhile, the victims that have been identified now include a family that ranged in age from 73 to 7, the young boy the first known child victim from the fires.

There's anger on top of pain.

Questions and lawsuits are taking aim at Hawaiian Electric.

Maui County is alleging that the state's main utility showed negligence by failing to shut power off amid fierce winds and a fire weather watch.

Cell phone videos from the early hours of the blaze show sparks flaring near toppled power lines.

In a statement, Hawaiian Electric said they're - - quote -- "very disappointed" that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding.

The lawsuit also claims the company has compromised evidence by removing damaged lines and other equipment, evidence of potential liability in a disaster whose toll remains incalculable.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.

GEOFF BENNETT: We are going to take a closer look with Kaniela Ing.

He is a seventh-generation indigenous Hawaiian from Maui and a former state legislator.

He now serves as national director of the Green New Deal Network.

Thank you for being with those.

And, as we just reported, Maui County is now suing the Hawaiian Electric company, alleging that its negligence led to the worst wildfire in this country's history in some 100 years.

Is that a welcomed first step toward accountability, in your view?

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING (D-HI): Well, there's a lot of finger-pointing right now from the state, the county, the utility and the colonial corporations that we all contributed to this mess.

So, I think what would be really welcome in terms of where the community is right now as we grieve and heal many of us have lost loved ones is just to take accountability internally first.

The fact is, the county had been negligent in making sure that the utility was up to standard.

They give them approval.

The public utility commission as well at the state level has been too close to the utility and not regulating them as they should.

And the fact remains, if -- if the water wasn't diverted from Lahaina by certain corporations and -- or the utility actually maintained the problem lines, or if the polluters didn't overheat our planet and made disasters like these more severe, the fire wouldn't have spread.

Like, any of these are -- any of these problems would -- if we solved them, would have prevented the fire in the first place.

So we're asking for accountability across the board and not just finger-pointing.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk more about that, because you have written extensively about how climate change and overdevelopment are also to blame.

West Maui is no stranger to wildfires.

But how have the hot and dry conditions worsened over time?

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING: Sure.

Lahaina used to be a lush wetland.

You could actually take a boat around Waiola Church, the famous church that our ali'i, our chiefs are buried in.

And it was the birthing place of aquaculture.

There were fish ponds that we call local loko i'a throughout the community.

And it was at the turn of the 20th century the Big Five families, corporate oligarchs, actually diverted that water illegally to irrigate their stolen lands, the monocrop of sugar.

And that has resulted in generational -- generations of water disputes that haven't been resolved.

So, as we rebuild, we're looking at not just returning to the status quo, but returning the control of public trust resources like land and water back to the people of Lahaina to decide their own fate.

GEOFF BENNETT: It's still early days, obviously.

But how do you intend to do that?

How do you intend to make sure that, as you say, the people of Lahaina, indigenous Hawaiians are intimately involved in the rebuilding effort?

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING: Sure.

One thing that we called for that was met by the governor was a moratorium on land sales to out-of-state developers.

Right now, there are disaster capitalists, land grabbers hovering above the carnage like vultures.

There's BlackRock representatives now on Maui meeting with government officials.

But we know that this early stages of realtors calling families in their darkest moment is just the beginning.

The real fights will happen six months, even years down the line in the regulatory political and legislative arena.

So, as we do wellness checks, we're making sure that neighbors are talking to neighbors helping with insurance claims, helping with FEMA applications.

And we're organizing that now on the ground, because FEMA and Red Cross will come and go.

But we want to make sure that when the help leaves, we're actually empowered, not just helped to -- so, a year down the line, where 200 people are repairing a school and the same 200 people go and testify at city council the next day.

So, I have recently facilitated a meeting with a bunch of Lahaina leaders, and they have their eye not just on immediate relief, but long-term -- a long-term, just recovery and rebuilding that centers the people.

So we're trying to not just rebuild Lahaina, but set an example for the world of how to better empower communities as these disasters become more frequent.

GEOFF BENNETT: Kaniela Ing, are there enough emergency resources on the ground right now?

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING: Right now, it's not necessarily from the government or institutions.

That's part of it.

But the community has really stepped up to fill that gap.

So, right now, a lot of the survivors are taken care of, in terms of their basic needs, food, water and shelter.

But, as we look down the line, we know that the government subsidies for Airbnb rooms and hotels, for example, will only last a few weeks to a couple months.

And it's unclear where these people will be housed following that.

So we need to fill in the gaps and actually build housing or extend the subsidies,so that these temporary shelters don't become long-term camps.

We have seen it after Hurricane Sandy, Maria, Katrina, that there could be folks sleeping in tents even years down the line if we're not really proactive now.

So, unfortunately, some of the -- some of the funds that have absorbed a lot of the immediate relief money are holding on to their money for the longer term.

And it's unclear what's going to happen to that.

And because of their institutional connections that allow them to raise so much money, there's also a fear in the community that those are - - they will be calling on those institution connections that actually led us to this crisis to help rebuild.

And that's definitely not what the people want.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

If my -- if I may ask, what have the last two weeks been like for you?

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING: It's been intense.

I have been -- I was lucky enough where my mom had an apartment on Front Street, and she just moved away a couple of months ago.

She almost signed the lease.

So my immediate -- my immediate family is safe.

But I have lost friends I have grown up with.

I think everyone in Maui is feeling that as well.

Before we think of anything, it's like, it's the people that really matter.

Lahaina is a historic place, but now's the time to really show up for folks.

And, unfortunately, they're not having the time to grieve and heal as they deserve because of these political fights and land grabs.

So I think it's -- we're just calling on people, if they want to support, to lend -- to donate, we have the MauiRecoveryFund.org, to not just - - not just for the short term, but in the long term, knowing it's going to take $6 billion minimally to rebuild.

And that money is most likely going to come from the government.

So the question is, who's -- who has access and who has the power to shape where those funds go?

So that's what we're working on right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, I'm deeply sorry for your personal loss.

Kaniela Ing, thank you for being with us this evening.

We appreciate it.

FMR.

STATE REP. KANIELA ING: Thanks so much.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: All 19 people charged in Georgia's election interference case have now turned themselves in to an Atlanta jail.

That includes former President Donald Trump, who surrendered last night and was released on $200,000 bond.

A Georgia judge scheduled the first trial for Trump co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro to begin on October 23.

Chesebro filed a request for a speedy trial in the case.

In Russia, the Kremlin denied involvement in the plane crash that likely killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

U.S. intelligence believes an intentional explosion downed the plane.

They say that's consistent with actions Russian President Putin has taken in the past to -- quote - - "silence his critics," which Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov firmly rejected.

DMITRY PESKOV, Spokesman for Vladimir Putin (through translator): There's a great deal of speculation surrounding this plane crash.

In the West, all this speculation is presented from a certain angle.

All of this is an absolute lie.

It's necessary to rely exclusively on facts when covering this issue.

There are not many facts yet, because they need to be established through an investigation.

GEOFF BENNETT: Prigozhin led a failed uprising against Putin in June.

Russia's investigative committee says it's now recovered the planes flight recorders.

Genetic testing is ongoing to identify the bodies.

The Russian Defense Ministry says it shot down 73 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours.

Most of them targeted military assets on the Russian-held Crimean Peninsula.

It was one of the largest known Ukrainian air attacks on Russian territory since the war started last year.

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine and annexed it in 2014.

Severe storms in Michigan overnight killed five people and left hundreds of thousands of customers without power.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least two tornadoes in the state downed trees and power lines.

Days of heavy rain have also flooded highways and streets.

Residents are now struggling to clean up.

MUQITU BERRY, Storm Victim: What you see here happened.

I can't get out my driveway.

Look around.

I can't go anywhere.

We are out of power.

And it's very frustrating.

GEOFF BENNETT: Authorities said at least one of last night's tornadoes packed winds of up to 90 miles per hour.

The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, estimates that four million children in Pakistan are still in need of aid a year after catastrophic flooding there.

Last year's record monsoon season put a third of the country underwater, destroying homes, roads and crops.

UNICEF says flooding this season has made conditions even worse.

There were new rulings today in two states over bans on gender-affirming health care for minors.

A Missouri judge said that state's ban can go into effect on Monday, as scheduled.

Meantime, in Texas, a judge blocked a similar state law after a group of families and doctors sued to protect the rights of transgender minors.

The Texas attorney general's office is expected to appeal.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell raised the possibility today that the Central Bank will need to raise interest rates again.

He spoke at a conference of Central Bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Powell said that while inflation has gone down from its peak, it still remains too high.

JEROME POWELL, Federal Reserve Chairman: It is the Fed's job to bring inflation down to our 2 percent goal, and we will do so.

We are prepared to raise rates further, if appropriate, and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level until we are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward our objective.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Feds' policymakers are set to meet again in mid-September.

Powell's remarks triggered a rally on Wall Street today.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 247 points to close it 34347.

The Nasdaq rose 126 points.

The S&P 500 added 29.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": writers Sarah Smarsh and Gary Abernathy weigh in on this week's Republican presidential debate; allegations of misogyny roil Spain's Soccer Federation after its World Cup wins; and the Goo Goo Dolls describe what it's like to be back on tour and gaining new, younger fans.

The Ukrainian military is working with many international fighters in its battle against Russia, including Russian dissidents that have fled their homeland.

In May, a group of such fighters known as the Russian Volunteer Corps were part of a cross-border raid from Ukraine into Russia that made international headlines.

But the small group's white nationalist politics, including some neo-Nazi members, feeds into Vladimir Putin's false propaganda narrative that Ukraine is dominated by the far right.

We have this rare look at this group which was produced by videographer Ed Ram and special correspondent Jack Hewson, with support from the Pulitzer Center.

And a note: Names have been changed and faces blurred to protect the identity of some interviewees.

And some scenery was also blurred to help hide the location of where they filmed.

JACK HEWSON: Russian soldiers training on Ukrainian-held soil, an unusual sight, but these Russians have unusual aims.

ALEXANDER, Russian Volunteer Corps Fighter: Our ambitions are fairly simple, just destroy the current state in the Russian Federation.

JACK HEWSON: This is the Russia Volunteer Corps, or RVC, a far right revolutionary militia targeting Vladimir Putin.

VLADIMIR, Russian Volunteer Corps Fighter (through translator): Since my teenage years, I have always dreamt that something would change in the country where I was born and raised.

I wanted an armed fight against our criminal state to happen at some point.

JACK HEWSON: We were given rare access to the RVC and its leader, Denis Kapustin.

The group's far right white nationalist politics make it a controversial Ukrainian ally.

DENIS KAPUSTIN, Leader, Russian Volunteer Corps: Islamization, cultural Marxism, multiculturalism, I think all those -- all those things are harmful.

European culture is definitely endangered.

I believe in things like the Great Replacement.

JACK HEWSON: The RVC came to international attention in May with a daring incursion into the Russian Belgorod region.

It claimed to have seized this Russian armored personnel carrier, among other weaponry, and a number of prisoners of war, published in these RVC-branded videos that are posted to its Telegram channel.

They were pushed back to the border by Russian reinforcements within days, but have made sporadic raids since, embarrassing Russian forces by showing how easily its borders can be breached.

According to the RVC, their raids and attendant publicity have inspired many more to join the cause.

All these men here who are conducting target practice are Russian citizens who've come here to fight with the Ukrainians against Russia, and the only likelihood of them being able to go home to their motherland is if Ukraine wins and, in addition, they take territory inside Russia.

For new recruits like Alexander, it's a one-way ticket.

After what he claims to have done in Russia there's no going back.

ALEXANDER: Oh, I have committed several crimes within Russian border.

(LAUGHTER) ALEXANDER: You see, I have burned down several objects of infrastructure, and have made just some amount of explosive for further saboteurs.

JACK HEWSON: Potential recruits are encouraged to carry out sabotage to prove their worth.

Then, after entering Ukraine, they must be vetted by the Ukrainian intelligence services, including a lie-detector test, but one thing they appear not to be checking for is extreme political views.

ALEXANDER: As for my political views, I would describe them as just conservative.

There are guys who would say they are national socialists, anything of this sort.

I'm not.

I'm just conservative.

JACK HEWSON: Whether conservative or national socialist -- that's how the Nazis referred to themselves -- the RVC is known for harboring hard right extremists.

It is also led by one, Denis Kapustin, a former soccer hooligan and the owner of White Rex, a white nationalist mixed-martial arts and clothing brand using neo-Nazi symbolism connected to white supremacists and neo-Nazi groups across Europe and America.

DENIS KAPUSTIN: I spoke a lot with the guys who seem to share the same ideology as I do from United States, and they have some sort of a complete obsession with Jews, like Jews control everything.

I don't understand that thing.

I have -- I don't have a problem with actually any ethnicity.

JACK HEWSON: Whether antisemitic or not, he has a longstanding hostility towards migrants, particularly Muslims.

This is him speaking in 2017.

DENIS KAPUSTIN: Thirteen years ago, I was a just a common street gang skinhead, bashing immigrants in the street, setting their cars on fire, like breaking faces, whole program.

JACK HEWSON: Kapustin claims that he is not neo-Nazi, like at this press conference in June, where he said he would never be found making a Nazi salute.

Yet, at this White Rex MMA event from 2013, we see Denis in the white T-shirt cheering "Russians, go forward," with the crowd, some of whom are throwing Nazi salutes, which he then appears to mirror back.

The logic of Kapustin's politics is that Vladimir Putin is a multiculturalist and that the RVC represents true Russian white nationalism.

DENIS KAPUSTIN: I know a lot of nationalists all over the world think that, oh, Putin is a white power Christian leader of the white race, whatever.

And I said, guys, you have no idea what is going on in Russia.

I mean, Russia -- Moscow has the biggest Muslim population on the European continent.

JACK HEWSON: Whether or not you describe your politics as white nationalist or as neo-Nazi, many people watching this would think of that as being abhorrent.

Can you justify your position?

DENIS KAPUSTIN: I have said many times already in my interviews I might be a right-wing nationalist, conservative, or neo-Nazi, as you label me, OK, might be.

But I am right now fighting for democracy.

Right now, I'm fighting for your freedoms as well.

We might not be the good guys, but we're definitely fighting for the good cause.

JACK HEWSON: Whatever the RVC's politics, the Ukrainian military has welcomed its help.

But the alliance presents some uncomfortable questions.

Putin's propaganda line is that Russia is fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine.

This is overwhelmingly untrue.

The vast majority of the forces fighting for Ukraine are not far right.

But the RVC's extreme politics lend some crumbs of truth to the Kremlin's propagandists, something we put to Ukrainian intelligence.

ANDRIY YUSOV, Main Intelligence Directorate (through translator): I think that, today, it's obvious to many people in the world that the main neo-Nazi and representative of authoritarian ideologies is Putin and his regime.

Many people from different countries are helping Ukrainians survive and fight against the Russian occupiers.

Although they might have different views, there are right-wing and left-wing, conservatives and liberals among them, but, when they are in Ukraine, they have to comply with Ukrainian laws, as well as the laws and principles of European democracy that Ukraine adheres to.

JACK HEWSON: But its on this point, abiding by democratic principles, that is questionable.

Kapustin shared with "PBS NewsHour" candid revelations on how the RVC dealt with a suspected Russian spy.

DENIS KAPUSTIN: We eliminated him.

JACK HEWSON: Tell me the story.

DENIS KAPUSTIN: One person tried to, let's say, set certain groups against each other and against me.

JACK HEWSON: Other than the fact that he was trying to overthrow you, what was the evidence that he was a spy?

DENIS KAPUSTIN: We obviously have our comrades in Russia who do different types of sabotage, infiltration, gather intel, things like that.

In his position, he was controlling that type of work.

And when we got our hands on his cell phones, we found that there was a lot of videos of guys sending, evidence of the work.

And he never forwarded those videos to us, but he forwarded those videos to some contact.

We didn't find out who that was, so that was more than suspicious.

JACK HEWSON: How did you kill him?

DENIS KAPUSTIN: Well, that would remain a secret.

But there was no -- no torture, no pain.

Let's put it like that.

JACK HEWSON: We asked the spokesman for Ukrainian intelligence, known as the GUR, about Kapustin's claims.

During our interview, Kapustin said that he had eliminated a suspected Russian spy from their ranks.

Was this ordered by the GUR?

ANDRIY YUSOV (through translator): I don't have information about this case.

But many factors should be taken into account, including where exactly on the territory of which state this happened and what the circumstances were.

JACK HEWSON: Are you concerned that there are potentially extrajudicial killings being carried out on Ukrainian soil under your watch?

ANDRIY YUSOV (through translator): Here, we're talking not about GUR, but about the Ukrainian security and defense sector in general.

Any such information must be carefully verified, and there must be an appropriate response from the state.

If detailed information about this is provided, of course we will send the materials for inspection.

JACK HEWSON: Ukraine is looking for all the help it can get in repelling the Russian invasion.

But partners like the RVC will continue to give them a P.R.

headache, especially if they operate outside the chain of command or breach of the Geneva Conventions.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jack Hewson in Ukraine.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's turn now to the historic week in politics.

To take a deeper look at the first debate of the Republican presidential primary and the issues shaping the race, we're joined now by Washington Post columnist Gary Abernathy, who's based in Ohio, and Sarah Smarsh.

She's a freelance journalist based in Kansas.

Both David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart are away tonight.

Welcome to you both.

So let's delve right into the issues.

The GOP presidential candidates clashed Wednesday night over whether the next president should sign into law a federal abortion ban.

This is a major issue dividing the candidates, even as all of them identify as pro-life.

Here's that key exchange between Nikki Haley and Mike Pence.

NIKKI HALEY (R), Presidential Candidate: When you're talking about a federal ban, be honest with the American people.

MIKE PENCE (R), Presidential Candidate: I am being honest.

NIKKI HALEY: We have had 45 pro-life senators in over 100 years.

So no Republican president can ban abortions, any more than a Democrat president could ban all those state laws.

Don't make women feel like they have to decide on this issue, when you know we don't have 60 Senate votes in the House.

MIKE PENCE: Seventy percent of the American people support legislation to ban abortion... NIKKI HALEY: But 70 percent of the Senate does not.

MIKE PENCE: ... after a baby is capable of... GEOFF BENNETT: Gary Abernathy, why haven't Republicans -- excuse me -- been able to rally around a single strategy on abortion more than a year after they were successful in having the Supreme Court overturn Roe?

GARY ABERNATHY, The Washington Post: Yes, I think that's a good question, Geoff.

Republicans have overstepped on abortion.

I think the Supreme Court was right to send it back to the states.

Nikki Haley was exactly right.

There's not the votes to do a federal ban, but there also shouldn't be a move to do the federal ban.

That's not what Republicans have always said they wanted to.

This is a states issue, and that's where it should remain.

But Nikki Haley was very strong in that answer.

She did a great job in the whole debate.

I felt she was the strongest in that debate overall.

She was prepared.

Her experience as a governor was clear.

Her experience as a U.N. ambassador was clear.

And it was a good night for Nikki Haley, and she was exactly right, Geoff, on that answer about abortion.

GEOFF BENNETT: Sarah Smarsh, you live in Kansas, and voters in Kansas decided last year to keep abortion legal in that state.

And Democrats have pointed to that as evidence that reproductive rights is a winning issue for Democrats that they should focus on in the year ahead.

How do you see it?

SARAH SMARSH, Freelance Journalist: That's right, Geoff.

Kansas held the first post-Roe vote in the form of a voter referendum that potentially would have laid the groundwork to strip the state Constitution's granting of a right to an abortion.

Moderates and even Republicans joined Democrats, liberals and progressives in voting down that referendum.

And what followed was a number of midterms campaigns in which Democrats of various stripes followed suit, leaning into what I would describe as a strategy of kind of reclaiming the notion of freedom or liberty and applying that to bodily autonomy.

It was a winning strategy.

Democrats obviously think that it's a win for them going forward.

I think what we saw on the stage last night - - and I agree with Gary that Nikki Haley had the strongest performance, actually -- I think that what we saw in that sort of sparring between her and Mike Pence was perhaps grappling on the right with how now to proceed, being cognizant of the fact that the post-Roe landscape seems to have affected voter behavior in ways that their old political models can't necessarily predict.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about Ukraine, because even without Donald Trump on that stage, the Republican Party's biggest foreign policy fight was over Ukraine.

So here's an exchange involving Vivek Ramaswamy.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY (R), Presidential Candidate: I think that this is disastrous that we are protecting against an invasion across somebody else's border, when we should use those same military resources to prevent across the invasion of our own Southern border here in the United States of America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) FMR.

GOV.

CHRIS CHRISTIE (R-NJ), Presidential Candidate: They have gouged out people's eyes, cut off their ears and shot people in the back of the head, men, and then gone into those homes and raped the daughters and the wives who were left as widows and orphans.

If we don't stand up against this type of autocratic killing in the world, we will be next.

GEOFF BENNETT: That was Chris Christie talking about the Russian troops.

Gary, how and why has support for Kyiv become a wedge issue among the GOP?

GARY ABERNATHY: Well, it is because, if you look at polling -- CNN did a poll just a couple of weeks ago showing that I think it was 55 percent of Americans don't -- aren't in favor of more aid, more congressional aid to Ukraine, and that broke down heavily among partisan lines.

Most -- it was like 70 percent of Republicans felt that way.

Most Democrats do support more aid to Ukraine.

So, right now, it's just like on the abortion issue, Geoff.

They're playing for the Republican vote.

They're trying to win the Republican primary right now, and not so much looking at general election questions.

So they're looking at people like Ramaswamy and others who are really questioning how deep we're getting in with Ukraine.

That plays well with the Republican base right now, just like you can't be too pro-life on the abortion issue for the Republican electorate.

And that's where their focus is at right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Sarah Smarsh, how is it that Democrats are in many ways embracing the Reagan doctrine, assisting another nation fighting, for freedom for reasons both strategic and moral, as Republicans, MAGA Republicans, are increasingly rejecting it?

SARAH SMARSH: Right.

I think, on both sides of the aisle, you see some interesting fractures.

And some of those were, I believe, on display during the debate.

Among Democrats and liberals, there doesn't seem to be a clear line of agreement within the discourse, at least.

Voting might be another matter.

But what I hear on the ground is a sort of split between a more moderate, typically hawkish version of a Democrat and their views and anti-interventionist mode that's -- actually right now resonates more with the left in a way that strangely coincides with the far right.

So it's a highly complicated foreign policy issue, to be sure.

I think that the debate revealed, to me, at least, that they -- the Republicans have not coalesced around a single narrative.

GEOFF BENNETT: And on climate change -- that's a top issue for young voters, both Democratic and Republican and independent -- most of the Republican presidential candidates haven't talked much about it, but it came up during that debate, again, involving Vivek Ramaswamy.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY: Let us be honest as Republicans.

I'm the only person on the stage who isn't bought and paid for, so I can say this.

The climate change agenda is a hoax.

FMR.

GOV.

ASA HUTCHINSON (R-AR), Presidential Candidate: Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

VIVEK RAMASWAMY: The climate change agenda is a hoax.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, climate change, it's settled science.

But, Gary, what should we make of the varied and evolving ways that Republicans are trying to address climate change?

GARY ABERNATHY: Well, it's not settled among Republicans, Geoff.

It's -- again, just like abortion, just like Ukraine, it's one of those issues where what Ramaswamy is saying about it plays very well to the Republican voters who he's trying to win right now.

The Washington Post just had a poll on climate change.

It came out -- August 23, they reported on it, where it said Republicans and Republican-leaning independents don't think that manmade global warming is responsible for the hot days that we're having, whereas a majority of -- 85 percent of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents do think so.

So, again, it's just the difference in how members, strong members of both parties or those leaning one way or the other feel about it.

And Ramaswamy was playing right to that base.

GEOFF BENNETT: Sarah, how do you see it?

SARAH SMARSH: Well, I want to tease out just a bit of nuance, a distinction between the way that your question was framed, Geoff, and Gary's response.

Climate change itself is, among the Republicans and right-leaning folks I speak with, not so much a matter of dispute.

It's -- the key is whether it's manmade, and that, of course, points to whether various regulations and changes in human behavior, specifically consumerism, would be required to remedy it.

(CROSSTALK) SARAH SMARSH: The moderator's question during the debate specifically said, raise your hand if you agree with manmade climate change.

And I think that, while that too is settled science, from as far as I know, that seems to be the piece that certainly relates to big business interests and their involvement in that political wing of the national discourse.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, lastly, Donald Trump is now the only sitting or former U.S. president to have had his mug shot taken, this mug shot, of course, connected to a criminal trial in Georgia.

In the couple of minutes we have left, I just want to have you reflect on the moment and this mug shot, Sarah first.

SARAH SMARSH: Well, it's certainly striking.

I think that there aren't really any surprises here in this immediate wake of the mug shot's release, in that his sort of cult of personality is rallying behind it.

I believe he's already using it as a lever for fund-raising purposes.

And, meanwhile, millions of Americans are aghast that this person facing all these indictments and criminal charges is still the eminent front-runner.

So, I don't think that the mug shot actually changes anything.

It's historic, no doubt.

And perhaps the folks who are a little wary, a little tired of Trump, that are more on the moderate edges of his piece of the electorate will be moved by it.

But it seems like a sort of symbol or totem that's now being embraced by his followers.

I have seen avatars being switched out for Trump's mug shot among Republicans on social media and so on.

GEOFF BENNETT: Gary.

GARY ABERNATHY: Yes, I agree with Sarah.

Sarah is exactly right.

It depends on what side of the aisle you're on and where you're at politically on how that mug shot is going to play.

Let's be honest.

Mug shots aren't what they used to be, or at least not that one from Fulton County, where you don't have the height board behind you and you're not holding up the numbers.

That's a portrait Trump may have commissioned and sat for himself, the way it turned out.

GEOFF BENNETT: Gary Abernathy and Sarah Smarsh, my thanks to you both.

Have a great weekend.

GARY ABERNATHY: Thanks.

Thanks, Geoff.

SARAH SMARSH: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The glow of Spain's first ever Women's World Cup championship has been dimmed a bit by a cloud of controversy surrounding the head of Spain's Soccer Federation.

John Yang has more.

JOHN YANG: Geoff, the firestorm of criticism erupted around Luis Rubiales, the head of Spain's Soccer Federation, shortly after the championship game's final whistle.

During the on-field celebration, Rubiales midfielder Jennifer Hermoso's head in both his hands and kissed her on the lips.

Today, Hermoso reiterated that at no time did she consent to the kiss.

Retiring U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe told The Athletic that the kiss and a video of Rubiales' grabbing his crotch while celebrating in the stands reflected "the deep level of misogyny and sexism in the federation.

It made me think of how much we are required to endure."

Today, Rubiales rejected claims for him to resign.

LUIS RUBIALES, President, Spanish Football Federation (through translator): Is it so serious that I need to leave, having done the best management in the history of Spanish football?

Do you think I have to resign?

Well, I'm going to tell you something.

I will not resign.

I will not resign.

(APPLAUSE) LUIS RUBIALES (through translator): I will not resign.

I will not resign.

(APPLAUSE) JOHN YANG: But the pressure isn't letting up.

Today, the Spanish government began proceedings to suspend Rubiales, and all team members said they would not play as long as he's head of the federation.

Christine Brennan is a writer for USA Today.

Christine, the Spanish team, of course, not a stranger to controversy.

Last year, 15 players sat out, rather than play for a coach they said inflicted emotional distress on them.

Is this one bad federation or is there something larger going on here?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, USA Today: Well, John, that really is the question.

And FIFA needs to get the answer to that question.

If I'm FIFA -- and, clearly, I'm not, but if I'm FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, I'm saying, if this is happening in Spain, where else is it happening?

And, apparently, this has been something that - - well, we have no idea, but we can only imagine what's been going on behind the scenes.

And because this was,on Sunday, on the world stage, the entire world is watching, and Rubiales felt comfortable doing what he did.

What a message that sends.

And FIFA should be setting up hot lines for every nation for women to speak out.

I think they have a huge issue on their hands.

It can't just be Spain.

And, in fact, John, we know that because, a year ago, the Sally Yates investigation found, of course, rampant issues of abuse and sexism and misconduct in the NWSL here in the United States.

So, this isn't just Spain.

It's not just the United States.

And it's about time that we had this reckoning.

I think there's something really good in something so terrible as this, because now the world gets a chance to see what these women have been dealing with for many, many years.

JOHN YANG: You said the whole world's watching this.

I thought the contrast was striking.

Around the world, players, both men and women, are denouncing Rubiales.

The Spanish prime minister is denouncing him.

But we saw in that video the men who are leading this federation applauding him.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN: We did, John.

And you just have to wonder how much longer this is going to be acceptable.

We know that the Spanish government, their officials, spoke out right away on Sunday after the forced kiss or what we might call sexual assault.

And they spoke out very forcefully saying that was not acceptable.

So the Spanish government will have its say here.

And my guess is that Rubiales will not be around much longer to run the Spanish Football Federation, even though, as he said five times, he's not going to resign.

I think, for him, he's probably absolutely shocked by this, a middle-aged man who's clearly been living his life a certain way.

And the world of 2023 is kind of slapping him in the face.

It's kind of coming down this reckoning, this sense that you just can't get away with what you have been doing in the past.

That's, I think, one of the big messages here.

And, certainly, let's hope that that's a message that is heard around the world, no matter what Rubiales is saying today.

JOHN YANG: You talked about FIFA's got to step up here.

The weekend before the championship games, Gianni Infantino, the head of FIFA, told women that they have to pick the right battles.

"You have the power to convince us men what we have to do," in other words, putting this onus, this burden all on the women.

What do you make of that?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN: Yes.

Well, and, again, John, that happens, and, a few days later, you have got the force kiss on the world stage.

So this -- if people aren't throwing up their hands right now and just saying what on earth is going on in this sport for the girls and the women who -- millions of them who want to play it, not just, of course, in the U.S. and not just in Spain, not just in England and Germany, but in nations that have been good in men's soccer and are not good in women's soccer, which, of course, tells us a lot right there about the misogyny and the sexism.

And, absolutely, Infantino needs to understand that this is the 21st century.

And, so far, he's been able to get away with things like this.

He escapes on vacation during the Women's World Cup.

He would never do that, he would never did that at the men's World Cup, but he did it at the Women's World Cup.

Then you have his comments, which were just so patronizing.

He is the man in charge.

He's the one who could go like this and say that prize money needs to be equal immediately.

He could have done that at that exact moment.

And he hasn't done that.

So I think we see the problem here loud and clear.

JOHN YANG: One of the messages from this Women's World Cup was how soccer programs, women's soccer programs around the world are flourishing.

But, at the same time, we have things like this going on.

Talk a little bit about that contrast.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN: I think history -- there will be books written on this.

This Spanish -- the week in Spain in women's sports, in women's soccer is extraordinary.

It's a watershed moment.

And what we're seeing here, frankly, as I said, is a good thing.

It's a terrible thing.

The awfulness of Rubiales is remarkable.

But so is the heroism of Jenni Hermoso, speaking out as she has.

And if people haven't read every word, go online and read everything she said.

And the fact that the entire Spanish team is now on strike, they have said they're on strike -- and, in a couple of weeks, they have got to qualify for the Olympics.

It's a very big time for them.

The sense that women have a voice and that it is time not only on the field to play, those opportunities, but off the field of play.

And that is what we're seeing here play out.

JOHN YANG: Christine Brennan of USA Today, thank you very much.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN: John, thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The band the Goo Goo Dolls is on tour again, playing favorites and some new songs, all while celebrating the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough album, "Dizzy Up the Girl."

I spoke with the lead band members about innovating while preserving their classic sound for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

"Iris," the enduring power ballad off the Goo Goo Dolls 1998 album, "Dizzy Up the Girl."

The song skyrocketed the band to fame.

The album sold over four million copies and produced three additional top 40 hits.

Now, 25 years later the band's lead singer and guitar player, Johnny Rzeznik, and bass guitar player, Robby Takac, are still performing to sold-out crowds.

It's the 25th anniversary of "Dizzy Up the Girl."

How does that strike you?

JOHN RZEZNIK, Goo Goo Dolls: It's kind of like, wow, where did a quarter-of-a-century ago?

And I think we lost sight of how fast we were moving, because as soon as "Dizzy Up the Girl" came out, that was when we, boom, a big explosion of sort of success.

And we're from Buffalo, New York.

So you have pragmatism sort of in your DNA.

So it was like keep your head down.

You get the ball.

Just keep running until they take it from you.

And they haven't taken it from us yet.

So, I'm not saying.

ROBBY TAKAC, Goo Goo Dolls: Still running.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Still running.

Yes, still doing this.

GEOFF BENNETT: Rzeznik and Takac formed what started off as a punk band under a different name in the late 1980s in their hometown of Buffalo, New York.

By the late '90s, their unique sound and anthemic rock hits made the Goo Goo Dolls a household name.

Now the band is back in a big way with their Out All Night Tour, hitting 45 cities in support of their newest album, Chaos in Bloom, here at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland and debuting a new song.

Your new song, "Run All Night," which is about trying to escape your circumstances and not giving up hope, tell me about it.

JOHN RZEZNIK: I think you pretty much nailed it, though.

That song is very much about not giving up and not letting the terror of the world stop you from being human.

I feel as though there's there's this -- this rush to make human beings obsolete.

And it bothers me.

I don't think it's going to work.

As much as A.I., automation and all this kind of stuff, I just -- I just believe that the human spirit will win in the end.

GEOFF BENNETT: Despite drastic changes in the music industry, with streaming and new technology, the Goo Goo Dolls say they are still writing songs they same way they always have.

ROBBY TAKAC: We slid under the door of a closing door on the music industry.

JOHN RZEZNIK: We have the luxury of being able to go out and play live and having a big catalog of songs.

And that's still great.

But, like, I work in a studio in Manhattan a lot.

And there's just writing rooms in there.

And so these young writers who are great, they will get together with these TikTok kids.

And it just looks exhausting, because it's like they constantly have to have GoPro cameras on them.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: And we got to find a viral moment, and all this nonsense.

It's like, no, man, you need to -- you need to make an emotional connection.

Like, this is all superficial.

This nonsense is just -- this is all superficial.

It's like, what do you got to say?

Like, when you're not pretty anymore?

(CROSSTALK) JOHN RZEZNIK: It's like you better have something to say.

And making that emotional connection is the most important thing.

GEOFF BENNETT: And now they're connecting their old favorites with a new audience.

When you look out into your audience, who do you see?

JOHN RZEZNIK: There's a lot of younger kids, 20-somethings out there, which is, like, all right, that's cool, and people our age and older.

It's pretty much like a couple of generations of people coming out to see it now.

And the tours have been getting, like, incrementally bigger despite that break during COVID.

It's been really gratifying.

And it's like -- it's fun to see, like, a young kid singing your song.

The other night, we pulled this kid.

I think he was 19.

What is your name?

JAKE, Audience Member: Jake.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Jake!

He held up this big sign.

Can I play guitar on "Name"?

ROBBY TAKAC: Which is tuned in a crazy way.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: I use a lot of alternate tunings on my instruments.

GEOFF BENNETT: I was going to ask you about that.

Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes.

So I play my guitar on a lot of alternate tunings.

People with Joni Mitchell and Stephen Stills and Jimmy Page and Ry Cooder and all these people have done this.A lot of blues players have done a lot of that.

And I was like, wow, I can write songs with one finger.

And this is amazing.

That's why I do that, you know?

And later I came up with that phony-baloney story about being influenced by Joni Mitchell and Jimmy Page.

(LAUGHTER) JOHN RZEZNIK: But we were a three-piece band at first.

So, I started tuning the guitar because I had to play a solo and keep the rhythm going at the same time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Oh.

JOHN RZEZNIK: So, it was a way to fill it up so it didn't drop out when I was playing guitar solo.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: So I would have all these droney strings playing while I was like... GEOFF BENNETT: An approach that resulted in a string of megahits with memorable opening chords.

A number of the songs open with a really simple guitar riff.

And then and then the beat drops in.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Was that intentional?

JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes.

ROBBY TAKAC: I guess that's a little bit of a coincidence too.

The songs that we know, like "Slide" does that, "Name," does that like.

"Iris" does that.

Holy cow, I think you have recognized the trend.

(CROSSTALK) GEOFF BENNETT: I'm a bit of fan.

I know a little bit about your music.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Well, it's -- I never noticed that.

But I am a guitar player.

So I like to start songs with like a top line, some signature thing that just is like a little hook that says, oh, I know this song.

Here comes that song.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: And that's kind of our "Iris" is at the beginning and all those other songs that you mentioned.

I have to look into this now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Is there any songs that when you perform, you're in a groove, and it just feels -- it just feels right?

ROBBY TAKAC: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Sometimes.

(CROSSTALK) ROBBY TAKAC: I mean, to me, "Slide" is always when.

We always play that kind of early.

And the first song everybody knows is that one.

It always feels great to play that song.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes I still love that.

You start playing the guitar riff at the top of the song, which, apparently, we do in every song, but... ROBBY TAKAC: But maybe this is why.

I know where you're going.

(LAUGHTER) JOHN RZEZNIK: This is why.

Because you play ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes.

Yes.

(CROSSTALK) JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes!

I never get sick of, like, turning the microphone around and listening to them sing it.

I sat on my sofa at like 2:00 in the morning with a guitar and a pen and a piece of paper and, like, wrote this song.

And, like, to connect like that, that's an amazing thing.

That's something A.I.

can't recreate yet.

Yet.

(LAUGHTER) GEOFF BENNETT: Did you envision that for yourself 25 years ago, that you would reach this level of success and that it would be enduring?

ROBBY TAKAC: It's like any relationship.

Like, it's going to do what it does.

But if it's important enough, you're going to figure out how to get to the next day.

And people ask how you get a band to stay together for decades like this.

I can't answer that.

But I can tell you how to do it for a few days.

And then you just need to keep doing that.

Like, you can't stop doing that.

JOHN RZEZNIK: It's definitely.... ROBBY TAKAC: And then, all of a sudden, it's 40 years.

It's crazy.

JOHN RZEZNIK: Yes, it's definitely a day at a time.

ROBBY TAKAC: Yes.

JOHN RZEZNIK: If you're focused on the work, on the work, which is the creative part of it, learning the idea of do what's best for the song, I'm just lucky that we have been able to last so long.

And I think it's just being consistent and just working.

GEOFF BENNETT: When people think of the Goo Goo Dolls, what do you want them to think that your ultimate message is?

JOHN RZEZNIK: I think the overarching message in all the songs is, wow, everything is really screwed up.

But it's going to be OK. (LAUGHTER) (MUSIC) GEOFF BENNETT: They're the best.

Be sure to turn into "Washington Week With The Atlantic" later tonight right here on PBS with guest moderator Laura Barron-Lopez.

Laura, what's on tap?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Geoff, we have a stellar panel of journalists that are going to discuss that fourth arrest of former President Donald Trump, this time in Fulton County, Georgia, and that Republican presidential debate and what it all means for the GOP primary field.

GEOFF BENNETT: Thanks for that, Laura.

We will be watching.

And watch "PBS News Weekend" tomorrow for a look inside an innovative Colorado art exhibit sparking collaborations between artists and farmers.

JOHN YANG: Canadian artist Amanda McCavour's ethereal hanging panels us digitally scanned images of prairie wildflowers and grasses.

Hanging in the drafty old barn, they wave in the summer breeze like flowers in a field.

It sort of feels like you're out in the field where these were these plants are growing.

WOMAN: Exactly.

And she hung them in this space to create kind of this larger-than-life, monumental feel to the plants, but also the fabric itself is also representing the delicacy of the ecosystem in which all of these plants interact and live.

GEOFF BENNETT: That is tomorrow on "PBS News Weekend."

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

Thanks for spending part of your evening with us.

Have a great weekend.