AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

On the "News Hour" tonight: With Election Day just hours away.

Candidates are pulling out all the stops from surprise endorsements to last-minute rallies in a final push to win over voters.

AMNA NAWAZ: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the state of the war with Russia, his relationship with President Trump, and the plight of the Ukrainian people as winter rapidly approaches.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President: So if we speak about pragmatic things, we have to support Ukraine because it has to be strong, because, otherwise, Putin will go further to Europe.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the Trump administration plans to deport more than 100 Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, where many could face persecution under Taliban rule.

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

On this Election Day eve, candidates spent the day making their final pitches to voters following a weekend of last-minute rallies and a high-profile Democratic defection in Michigan.

AMNA NAWAZ: President Trump delivered his closing message here in Washington, D.C., today at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after days of campaigning in mostly red states.

Lisa Desjardins has our report.

LISA DESJARDINS: Today, President Trump's closing message from a place off the trail, but close to the White House.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: The Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history.

LISA DESJARDINS: The president chose the location to tout the newly reopened Lincoln Reflecting Pool.

DONALD TRUMP: Despite all that we went through, the Reflecting Pool right now looks better than it ever looked, and it is better.

LISA DESJARDINS: But Trump's effort there has mostly made headlines for problems, peeling paint and algae blooms after spending millions on repairs, a symbol of a polarizing president who is off the ballot, but heavily on voters' minds this election, as in New Hampshire this morning.

ROB FREMEAU, New Hampshire Voter: I will stick with our Republican governor, Kelly Ayotte, and every other office I'm going to vote Democratic to counter Trump.

LISA DESJARDINS: And Kansas, which has become an unexpected Senate battleground.

JULIE BEES, Kansas Voter: I'm a registered Republican, but I voted Democrat in the Senate race because I wasn't happy with the way our Republican senators have just been bowing to the wishes of Donald Trump.

LISA DESJARDINS: Across the country, early voting is surging.

This center in Wichita saw long lines today.

Some in other states waited hours over the weekend.

Time is running out for candidates making their final pitches, including in Texas.

KEN PAXTON (R), Texas Senatorial Candidate: I'm not exaggerating when I say, if we lose Texas, we lose America.

STATE REP.

JAMES TALARICO (D-TX), Senatorial Candidate: This election is about whether you want a senator who puts money in your pocket or who puts money in their own.

LISA DESJARDINS: And Maine... TROY JACKSON (D), Maine Senatorial Candidate: And you're a unicorn?

LISA DESJARDINS: ... where Democratic Senate candidate and former logger Troy Jackson dressed as a cord of wood for Halloween.

TROY JACKSON: People are coming out in droves because they know this government is broke and it has to change.

LISA DESJARDINS: The costume served as a rebuttal to an attack ad from his opponent Republican Susan Collins' campaign.

BILL GREEN, Former Maine Sportscaster: But we're not talking about buying a cord of wood here.

We're sending someone to the U.S.

Senate, and Troy doesn't have the tools he needs to be effective.

LISA DESJARDINS: Meanwhile, in Michigan, a striking reversal that ignited a political firestorm.

REP.

HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): I'm a proud Democrat.

And I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States.

LISA DESJARDINS: Democratic Representative Haley Stevens announced Sunday she's backing the Republican in her state's Senate race.

For weeks, Stevens has supported her progressive primary opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, after narrowly losing to him.

But tensions rose, including over his outspoken criticism of Israel.

She demanded specific statements from him and then was disinvited from an event with him.

REP.

HALEY STEVENS: I'm a really proud Democrat.

LISA DESJARDINS: Something she referenced in an interview last night.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN Host: People change their mind.

I'm just wondering, what changed?

REP.

HALEY STEVENS: Nothing with me changed, Anderson.

This is -- look, this is about Abdul getting angry and angrier and saying, I don't want these people in my campaign.

LISA DESJARDINS: Stevens has been a fierce critic of President Trump, but yesterday he praised her decision alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: It's a smart thing to do because El-Sayed would destroy our country.

So I thought that was fantastic.

REP.

MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): I have spoken to her, encouraged her to stay safe and keep speaking the truth.

And I think she's doing that very well.

LISA DESJARDINS: For his part, El-Sayed said he's more focused on the issues.

ABDUL EL-SAYED (D), Michigan Senatorial Candidate: At the end of the day, I actually don't think about Haley Stevens.

I'm just less interested in the politics of it all than I am in the policy of it all.

LISA DESJARDINS: A final New York Times/Siena poll taken before Stevens' announcement shows El-Sayed leading Rogers by a whopping 11 points.

That poll has Democrats in the lead or virtually tied in all seven of the battleground states that will determine control of the Senate, including Texas, Maine, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, and Alaska.

And regarding Alaska, a federal judge over the weekend rejected a Trump administration lawsuit aiming to block the results if Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses.

Also today, the DOJ announced charges for 63 individuals in connection with election-related crimes.

It's part of the administration's monthslong effort to crack down on voter fraud, which multiple studies and audits have shown to be extremely rare.

A major election with high turnout and high drama to the end.

AMNA NAWAZ: And in another legal development, late today, the U.S.

Supreme Court declined to block California from counting 20,000 ballots that the Trump administration alleges were cast by potential noncitizens.

GEOFF BENNETT: More than 57 million Americans have already cast their ballots ahead of Election Day.

Our Lisa Desjardins is back with more on what those early votes can and cannot tell us.

So, Lisa, how does this year's early vote stand as compared to recent election cycles?

LISA DESJARDINS: Let's start with that comparative figure from the last midterm election, 2022, 46 million early votes.

That's in-person and also mailed-in early votes.

Now, as you say, 57 million Americans have voted early.

That is a midterm record, and it is 24 percent higher than we saw just four years ago.

What's interesting about this, there's another difference in the way people are early-voting.

If you look at the data from the University of Florida's Election Lab, in 2022, the greater portion of early votes was done by mail.

That has changed.

This election, now more people are early voting in other ways, in person especially.

Now, I know a lot of people want to know, where is the early vote the greatest?

We saw lines over the weekend, as we reported.

Look at this.

We saw some record increases in places like South Carolina and Texas in terms of early vote.

But the states that are seeing it the most in these key states, no coincidence, Geoff, I'm sure you and our viewers know these are places where there are key Senate races, and these states are turning out in force to voice an opinion.

GEOFF BENNETT: Does this data suggest anything about which side has the momentum?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right, always the big question.

So, we looked at -- the University of Florida again looked at what is known about registered parties of those who are casting early ballots.

Not every state reports this, but, from what we know right now, 43 percent of those casting early ballots are Democrats.

What's the figure for Republicans?

Thirty-one percent of the early vote, as far we know it, Republican.

That's an understandable gap.

It's not a shock, especially President Trump, someone who talks about how he doesn't trust things like mail-in voting.

So we wanted to look at the comparison again for past recent years.

Look at this.

This percentage for Democrats in the early vote is similar to 2022, different from 2024.

Of course, this is a year that Republicans want to target more.

What we see from all of this, of course, is that we're seeing high turnout, it could be a close election.

And a reminder that the early vote is counted differently in every state, so results will depend on how the states count.

GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa Desjardins, our thanks, as always.

We'll see you back at the Super Screen tomorrow night.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: And we start the day's other headlines in South Florida.

Federal investigators say parts of a private jet appear to have broken off before it crashed yesterday, killing all nine people on board.

This image from a driver dashcam captured the moment of impact, which caused a massive explosion and left behind a crater near West Palm Beach.

National safety officials say they're looking far beyond the crash site for evidence of what went wrong.

THOMAS CHAPMAN, National Transportation Safety Board: We do have some indication that the aircraft was breaking up before impact.

And so some of this is yet to be determined.

We may find parts of the aircraft some distance away from the actual impact site.

GEOFF BENNETT: The pilot of the Bahamas-bound Learjet 60 reported ice and turbulence to air traffic control before it rapidly descended.

Officials have not released the names of the victims.

In Washington, D.C., a federal judge dismissed the charges today against two former FBI officials, saying the case against them can only be described as weaponization.

Nikki Flores and Bradley Benavides had been accused of lying to Congress in 2023 about their knowledge of efforts to investigate Hunter Biden's laptop.

Last week, the same judge criticized prosecutors for trying to add additional charges without going through the proper procedures.

Those two were dropped.

The Justice Department could still pursue a grand jury indictment against the two former officials.

In Massachusetts, a federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit against Harvard University today over whether it uses race as a factor in its admissions.

The DOJ had sued the Ivy League school earlier this year for access to years of admissions data.

The administration alleged that Harvard was not complying with the 2023 Supreme Court decision that prohibits race-based admissions programs.

But the judge sided with Harvard, whose lawyers said the case was intended to punish the school for refusing other administration demands.

Turning overseas now, supermarkets across Europe reported a new wave of cyber attacks targeting their refrigeration systems today.

At least one store said hackers remotely raise temperatures in refrigerators and freezers to as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit, forcing employees to throw out spoiled food.

Incidents were reported in several countries, including Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

RICKARD NILSSON, Store Manager (through translator): Some organization hacked into the temperature monitoring system.

It's insane.

I don't see what they stand to gain from it.

It's a form of terrorism really.

GEOFF BENNETT: It follows a similar cybersecurity incident in France last month.

Authorities have not identified who was behind the attacks, and no one has claimed responsibility.

The FDA has approved a generic version of the world's only twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV.

The medication is called lenacapavir, and it's expected to cost around $40 per person each year.

That makes it comparable in price to daily medications, but experts point out the convenience of only needing two doses a year.

It's a major step toward making the drug more available in around 120 low- and middle-income countries.

The Kennedy Center has announced its latest group of honorees as the ceremony prepares for the first time ever to be held off-site.

This year's honors will recognize Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet, 16-time Grammy winning producer and composer David Foster, legendary singer-songwriter Paul Anka, Country Music Hall of Fame artist Barbara Mandrell, and Oscar nominated actor Andy Garcia.

The Kennedy Center itself has been closed for months amid a legal battle over President Trump's plans to renovate the building and add his name to it, forcing the December 7 ceremony to move to Washington's Capital One Arena.

Today, a 57-year-old British man completed an extraordinary journey, walking 31,000 miles across the world over nearly three decades.

WOMAN: Where have you been?

KARL BUSHBY, British Adventurer: Where have I been?

Well, we're back now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Karl Bushby embraced his mother as he returned home to Hull -- that's in Northern England -- after his extraordinary journey.

The former paratrooper set out from the southern tip of Chile in November 1998 at just 29 years old, inspired by an idea from his father, who was an Army veteran.

Bushby's journey took him through some 30 countries across four continents.

Along the way, he reflected on what kept him going.

KARL BUSHBY: It's a mix of the mission, the challenge.

Behind the scenes there, there was the wanderlust, a guy who had an affinity for horizons.

GEOFF BENNETT: Bushby was determined to make the entire journey on foot, never hitchhiking or relying on transportation, but his trek was delayed for long stretches by the COVID pandemic, border restrictions, and other obstacles.

On Wall Street today's stocks ended mixed amid ongoing concerns in the AI sector.

The Dow Jones industrial average managed a gain of about 200 points, but the Nasdaq dropped more than 1 percent.

The S&P 500 also started the week in negative territory.

And Milton Coleman, a pioneering editor at The Washington Post who broke racial barriers and helped shape generations of journalists, has died.

Coleman was the first Black journalist named to the paper's masthead and rose to become its highest-ranking Black editor.

He oversaw The Post's local news coverage, mentored generations of journalists, and championed efforts to make newsrooms more representative of the communities they cover.

Milton Coleman was 79 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Muslim communities and candidates face growing anti-Muslim hostility during this election season; Amy Walter and Tamara Keith discuss the state of the races on the eve of Election Day; and we examine how the Associated Press makes critical race calls on election night.

AMNA NAWAZ: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this evening that a Russian strike on an aid station and shelter killed at least 26 people in Southern Ukraine today.

It was the latest in an unceasing series of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and the civilians living there.

Before that bombing, I spoke with President Zelenskyy from Kyiv for a wide-ranging interview as the war remains in a stalemate, both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, welcome back to the "News Hour."

Thank you for joining us.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President: Thank you very much for an invitation, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: So I want to begin with some news just from last night.

The air raid alert app that most of Ukraine relies on to alert them to incoming attacks, that was seemingly hacked.

It was sending out false alerts about chemical and nuclear threats in Ukraine.

Russian authorities then said today that their emergency mobile app was also hacked and sending out fake alerts.

Do you know what happened?

Did Russia hack your system and did Ukraine hack them back?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Yes, it's true.

You are absolutely right, Amna.

They attacked our system.

It was cyberattack, one of the hundreds and thousands of those been made by Russians before on banking system, on pensions, social support, a lot of different support for civilians.

And also, of course, they want each day to make chaos in Ukraine in all our cities, one of such steps by Russia.

And, of course, we -- as always, we said, and I underline it several times, that we only respond on their attacks.

So, of course, after the attack, when we -- it was very clear for all our people and for all our personal and the intelligence that it's their personal attack against our people, civilians, of course, we responded.

AMNA NAWAZ: So you're confirming you did hack them back?

And was that hack limited to this emergency mobile app?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Yes, absolutely.

We just responded on the attack.

AMNA NAWAZ: I see.

OK.

I do want to ask about news over the last few days as well, because Ukraine has now resumed strikes on Russian energy strikes -- sites rather.

As you know, President Trump and his envoys have long been pushing for some kind of energy cease-fire.

He's also repeatedly blamed you for the rise in global fuel prices because of those attacks.

Tell us why Ukraine resumed those strikes in Russia.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: We always respond, as I said, the same, like on this cyberattack, the same with the energy.

But also, with energy, we have been very clear and open to President Trump when he said that he asked us not to attack refineries.

I said, OK, we will not if Russia will not attack our energy system.

And Russia did it several times.

And it was awful attacks, massive attacks, very tough against our people.

We had huge problems with electricity.

And that's why we responded.

What is painful for them?

First of all, it's refineries, oil, energy, gas, and et cetera, and diesel, yes.

So that's why we did it.

And we asked the president to give phone call to Putin and ask him to support energy cease-fire because Trump proposed it.

But, as we understood, the Russians delayed.

I said it publicly.

We will not attack their refineries.

I hope that they will -- at the end, they will at least support not to attack our energy system.

But they attacked.

All these days, they attacked us.

And, at the end of these four days, we responded.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you about your ongoing war effort and the degree to which it depends on this Starlink and Starshield system, satellite communication system that Elon Musk owns.

You have said that that system is back to a normal speed after there was a slowdown late last month.

I'm sure you saw reports that Elon Musk, who owns the system, ordered the slowdown.

He had said President Trump was responsible.

President Trump denies that.

It's very unclear to many people what happened here.

I'm asking, what is your understanding of who was behind the slowdown?

What do you believe happened?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Between us, I think that it can't work without one of the sides.

Technically, Elon and SpaceX can slow down, can stop it, and then tactically bringing back, yes.

And now it works.

So, it means that -- I mean, this -- both sides decided to block or to unblock.

I don't know... AMNA NAWAZ: When you say both sides, just to clarify, you say it would take both the president and Elon Musk to slow it down, or do you believe Musk acted alone?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: No, no, he could act alone.

I don't know -- I don't know the rules.

AMNA NAWAZ: Do you believe he did?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: I'm not sure that he can do it with Starshield, because it's military.

It's government version.

I'm not sure that he could do it personally alone, without any representatives from American government.

But I don't know who from American side from the government did it, who allowed him.

I think it was a dialogue between some people, and in -- during this dialogue, the decision was negative for us.

AMNA NAWAZ: Do you believe that Elon Musk supports Ukraine, that he wants Ukraine to win the war?

How worried are you, if he was behind the slowdown, that it could happen again?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: I don't know really, between us.

I wanted very much to speak with him about different issues.

We had conversation at the beginning of the war.

We spoke about different things.

And then, after, I gave so many positive messages about him.

I was very thankful for Starlink.

And we are really very thankful for this.

We have been very thankful for this.

But, sometimes, his old signals about us, about Ukraine, his -- I mean, it's not pro-Ukrainian position.

Yes, this is what I hear.

So... AMNA NAWAZ: So you have not spoken with Elon Musk since this slowdown, is that correct?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Yes, of course.

And before we spoke, I think at the beginning -- at the very beginning of the war, Elon has communication with Putin and with me.

But I wanted to speak with him after -- after all these actions from SpaceX, yes, but they didn't connect with us.

AMNA NAWAZ: I want to ask you about the degree to which your war efforts do depend on this system.

And we should remind people that that system comes with limits for Ukraine.

If those limits were to be lifted, which I believe, according to reporting, you have discussed with President Trump before, what would change for Ukraine and for the war?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Russia will not have opportunity to use each day ballistic missiles against us, because we will block their launches.

It's all about weapon.

It's all about ballistic attacks against our civilians.

AMNA NAWAZ: But those are defensive actions you're talking about.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Absolutely, defensive actions.

AMNA NAWAZ: Would a raising of the limits also allow you to carry out attacks further inside Russia?

Because you have already been doing that with drones.

So why would these limits being lifted on Starshield or Starlink make a difference?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: When we speak about Starshield, they don't want to lift restrictions.

Yes, for us, it's a pity, because we raised this topic several times with the president, I think four.

I had three or four meetings exactly about it.

I said to the president, "Look, you will never have enough Patriot missiles to give Middle East and us," because we knew that he will give and he is giving more to Middle East.

And I said that: "Only one thing, open for Starshield, and we will block their ballistic launchers.

It will be very helpful for civilians to save lives."

AMNA NAWAZ: So you're saying you have asked President Trump at least three or four times to lift those Starshield or Starlink restrictions.

What's been in his response each time?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Yes, he said that he will try.

It doesn't depend on him.

He said that it depends mostly on SpaceX.

He said that he's supportive.

And I was very thankful.

I said that, if they will lift, we will use this.

We will use this opportunity to use Starshield in Russia just to find the points where ballistic launchers are.

So this is for this just to attack launchers, because if you don't have Starshield, I mean, it's very dangerous to -- to make massive attacks.

We don't work like Russians.

We can't use massive attacks, because a lot of civilians can be -- die.

So this is very important thing.

I said that it's about precisely steps of our military guys.

It's all about this, and it's how to defend us, ourselves.

AMNA NAWAZ: So you're saying you would only target the ballistic missile launch sites... VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Absolutely.

AMNA NAWAZ: ... not energy sites... VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Absolutely.

AMNA NAWAZ: ... if those limits on Starlink or Starshield were to be lifted.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mr.

President, so much of this seems to ride on your relationship with the U.S.

president, with President Trump.

And now you have seen as he has eased restrictions on Russia.

He's cut a deal to buy their diesel fuel.

His envoy Steve Witkoff has called President Putin a humanitarian.

Meanwhile, Mr.

Trump has said that you shouldn't be president.

He said that you're not interested in ending the war.

He has called you not a good guy.

I mean, how would you describe your relationship with President Trump today?

What's the word to describe it?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Emotional.

AMNA NAWAZ: Emotional.

Why?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Because, I mean, it's -- sometimes, we need to be pragmatic in this war.

Who is an enemy?

Who began this war?

Putin.

Don't find good words to describe him.

I'm not sure that it will be helpful.

Diesel deal, if you are really about money, business, and pragmatism, so don't speak that it will have influence on the price in the United States.

No, it's not true.

It doesn't work.

So, if we speak about pragmatic things, we have to support Ukraine because it has to be strong, because, otherwise, Putin will go further to Europe and to the different parts of NATO countries.

And, in this situation, America will decide difficult things.

It's very dangerous.

It's very dangerous.

So, better to make Ukraine stronger, because we are really defending Europe, not only ourselves.

Better to push stronger on Putin, not on me, not on me.

It's not me who is aggressive.

It's not me.

It's emotional.

That's what I wanted to say.

AMNA NAWAZ: Last time we spoke, I was in Kyiv, and we sat down and you shared with me about your family in particular.

I know you have both a daughter.

Your son was quite young when we spoke two years ago.

He was just 11 years old.

I remember this because he's the same age as my older child, but you said you hadn't seen him in a while, that he was asking many questions about the war.

It's been two years since we last spoke.

This war has now gone on for nearly half his life.

I just wonder what kinds of questions he is asking you now, and what do you tell him?

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Interesting that our children are like adults.

It's a pity, so pity that they lost because of Russians, because of one person, because of Putin, they lost their childhood.

I mean, these years, I'd have to be very energy years, very sweet years.

We remember our childhood.

But, at the same time, our children teach us how to be strong, how to love our country, how to love our freedom, because our children not mediate us between what is good and what is bad, who is aggressive and who is not.

And they're very clear, more fair.

That's why I long each time when I have possibility to speak with my son.

He's 13, but he knows -- maybe it's a pity, but he knows everything about this war, like all the children.

I mean, this -- it's all not about my child and my children and my son.

It's all about sons and daughters of our Ukrainians, civilians and soldiers.

They are adults.

They are clever.

They are very patriotic.

They carry light in them, yes.

So they help us to live and survive.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining us today.

Mr.

President, thank you so much for your time.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: Thanks so much, Amna.

Thank you for your time, and thanks to all your nation.

God bless.

All the best and peace.

GEOFF BENNETT: The Trump administration is preparing to deport at least 150 Afghans over the next 48 hours, first to Pakistan and then to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Many of those facing deportation are relatives of those who worked alongside the U.S., and they could face severe retaliation from the Taliban upon their return.

Here's Nick Schifrin.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Geoff, attorneys and advocates for Afghans here in the U.S.

and those stuck in limbo overseas say the U.S.

has not done enough for years for those who fought alongside or are family members of those Afghans who helped the U.S.

during its 20-year campaign in Afghanistan.

Tonight, a group of more than 60 members of Congress are calling on the Departments of Homeland Security and State to cancel the deportation.

And now they say the 150 Afghan deportees fear for their lives if forced to return to their country of birth.

We now turn to Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, an organization which aids in resettlement efforts.

Shawn VanDiver, thanks very much.

Welcome back to the "News Hour."

Tell us about these Afghans who are being deported today, tomorrow.

What are their stories?

SHAWN VANDIVER, Founder and President, AfghanEvac: The simple fact is that these are family of people who served alongside our military.

These are women.

We know of reportedly three women who are supposed to be on this flight.

These are -- there's a police officer, a former police officer.

And it doesn't even matter what their job was.

The fact is that these folks have been here in the United States for a long period of time and now they're in grave danger, being sent back to certain death at the hands of the Taliban.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Talk about that certain death.

There are some judges who have ruled, no, the risk isn't that high.

What do you believe the risk is to these Afghans if they are forced to return to their country?

SHAWN VANDIVER: Well, the horrifying pictures in my phone of Afghans who were killed because of their service alongside us since the fall of Kabul would tell otherwise.

We know that people are being taken.

People are being harmed by rogue members of the Taliban maybe, but certainly people are being harmed,.

And that -- those judges, frankly, don't know what they're talking about.

They should read the country conditions reports that exist out there and are surely attached to those cases.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, in fact, the State Department says that there is a risk to everyone going back to Afghanistan, as they call it, level four.

I talked to the State Department, the White House.

They referred me to the Department of Homeland Security.

DHS declined to provide any details for the deportations, but the administration has argued that they are deporting criminals from the country, including those who arrived here illegally, and that some of the deportees do have felonies.

What's your response to that overall argument?

SHAWN VANDIVER: Even if the deportees have felonies, which most of these folks don't have crimes -- we know that -- but even for those who do, whatever their crimes were, the sentence is not supposed to be death.

And that's why AfghanEvac is working alongside Congress and others to lead our campaign to stop the flight.

And your viewers can go to AfghanEvac.org to learn more and help us out.

NICK SCHIFRIN: And, finally, you and I have been talking about this for years.

How do you think today's deportation reflects a broader policy approach by this administration, U.S.

in the past?

Part of a trend or not?

SHAWN VANDIVER: Well, when this administration took over, we had some hopes that they would continue the safest, most secure legal immigration pathway that we had built during the Biden administration called Enduring Welcome.

They shut it down on day one, and every day since, AfghanEvac and our partners have been working against a hostile administration, an administration hostile to Afghans.

It's been horrific.

These folks do not deserve to live in this limbo.

It is quite literally killing them.

And I just can't imagine, as a parent, for example, not having held my baby for six years, almost six years, because whoever sits behind the Resolute Desk doesn't think we're good enough to be reunified with our family.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Shawn VanDiver is president of AfghanEvac.

Thank you very much.

SHAWN VANDIVER: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens' decision to back Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S.

Senate race has sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party.

For more on the shifting dynamics in the Senate race, Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joins me now.

Congresswoman, it's good to see you.

Thanks for joining us.

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Thank you.

It's good to be with you.

Twenty-four hours.

We're going to be done in another day.

AMNA NAWAZ: Another day, but, in the meantime, there's some big headlines today, as we just noted.

You have said that you spoke with Haley Stevens multiple times over the last week.

She told you she would not endorse Mike Rogers, and then she did.

I'm sure you have seen in some of her latest interviews.

She said she did it because she believes Rogers loves this country.

From your conversations with her, does this explanation make sense to you?

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: I was stunned when it happened on Sunday.

Haley is a human being.

She's gone through a very difficult race in the primary.

I don't know what changed or why she did do this.

And I think this has become a -- has been and continues to be a huge distraction from what the issues are when people go to the polls tomorrow.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman, no doubt the economy cost of living remains the number one issue, but this is a key state that Democrats need to win.

And, as you mentioned, it was a very tight primary race, a very heated and divisive primary race there.

We know this issue of the U.S.

approach and policy towards Israel deeply divided these two candidates in Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed.

Stevens is a stalwart supporter of the state.

El-Sayed has sharply criticized the state.

I mean, it's fair to say your party has not dealt with this issue.

How do you reckon with that?

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: The hate that we have seen in this state for the last few months, the ads on all sides are despicable.

They are full of hate.

They have contributed to pitting people in Michigan against each other, and they're unacceptable, and I condemn every last one of these negative ads.

The Jewish community has always been important that I hear them, that I talk to them, that I understand what they're saying, because I lived in Dearborn for 30 years.

And Arab American and Muslims were my next-door neighbors.

They were my friends.

And yet I had lunch with a group of Arab American leaders on Saturday.

You should have heard the fear in their voice of what -- they want Abdul to win, but they're afraid of the violence that could be directed at them.

Everybody deserves, no matter what their faith is, no matter what their cultural background is, to live in this country feeling safe and to be treated with respect and with dignity.

AMNA NAWAZ: Congresswoman, as it relates to this Senate race, though, which is Democrats' fight for control of the Senate, is critical for your party, are you worried that Haley Stevens endorsing the Republican means voters who were unsure about El-Sayed feel they have permission to vote for the Republican too?

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: You know, I was trying to figure this out when it just happened.

I did feel on Saturday that this is leaning towards Abdul.

It's going to be a tight race.

But as I was out yesterday, NAACP, the UAW disability dinner, canvasses, this put a lot of energy into people.

You saw several members of our congressional delegation put out strong statements of support for Abdul.

AMNA NAWAZ: You think this has tipped the race in El-Sayed's favor?

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: I do.

I think it's backfiring.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, let me ask you then before I let you go.

Democrats say that it is a big tent party.

Is there room for someone like Haley Stevens in the Democratic Party?

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: Haley has hurt herself with many Democrats.

And I think there are people that can -- that have strong feelings and need to be part of the Democratic Party.

But I think the way that this was handled has left many people upset, not thinking that they can trust her.

It's just been a very difficult weekend.

AMNA NAWAZ: That's Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell joining us today.

Congresswoman, we know it's a busy day for you.

Thank you for making the time.

REP.

DEBBIE DINGELL: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the run-up to tomorrow's midterm elections, experts have documented a surge of anti-Muslim rhetoric and xenophobia in political ads and speeches.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro brings us a report on some of the targets of that language and the impact it's having.

It's part of our series Race Matters.

IMAM ABDULAHI FARAH, Dar Al-Farooq Mosque Islamic Center: People are choosing tribalism over humanity.

Immigrants are blamed.

Muslims are blamed.

Black and brown communities are blamed.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: During a recent prayer service at the Dar Al-Farooq Mosque Islamic Center outside Minneapolis, Imam Abdulahi Farah had a pointed message, both for politicians and his own community.

IMAM ABDULAHI FARAH: Whether it's oppression, whether it's hate, whether it's injustice, whether it's done by someone you know or someone from outside, you have to take action.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Minnesota's Somali population has been in the national spotlight since last year amid a series of massive fraud scandals.

MAN: Evacuated because of a shooting.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: But the community is now again under intense scrutiny over a rash of gun violence that authorities blamed on gangs of young Somali men.

Minnesota Republicans seized on the events.

REP.

TOM EMMER (R-MN): These criminal gangsters, which I would argue are enemy combatants more than anything, they're not holding them accountable.

LISA DEMUTH (R), Minnesota Gubernatorial Candidate: This is not who we are.

We need safe communities, not Somali gang shoot-outs like the one that happened here.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: So did President Trump, who said Minnesota is being -- quote -- "taken over by Somali immigrants" and the state needed to fight back.

The president has also singled out Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I think she's a sick, a very dishonest person, but -- who hates our country.

And she comes from a country that is essentially not even a country, Somalia.

It's real shithouse, OK?

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Federal investigators raided Omar's home last month as part of an investigation into whether she or family members committed immigration fraud.

Omar has denied any wrongdoing.

DONALD TRUMP: We can't let radical left jihadists... FRED DE SAM LAZARO: But this election cycle, the president and his allies have widened their attacks on Muslim candidates.

NARRATOR: Abdul raises money from dangerous people who finance terrorist networks.

And his family has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaida.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: In particular, Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, linking him without evidence to extremist groups.

DONALD TRUMP: We don't want to have a jihadist.

We're going to have to get a special medal detector for Abdul.

J.D.

VANCE, Vice President of the United States: We have to understand what happens when our nation gives in to these kinds of people, to young men with zero attachment to its land or to its history.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The rhetoric, though, has gone well beyond El-Sayed himself.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

spoke at a campaign event for El-Sayed's opponent, former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers.

ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR., U.S.

Health and Human Services Secretary: There's 500 million Arabs in the world.

And yet they don't produce science.

They don't win the Nobel Prize.

They don't win the Field Prize.

They don't win the Wolf Prize.

They don't produce literature.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: In fact, Arabs have won all of those awards.

Anti-Muslim sentiment was also widespread at the Republican Midterm Convention in September.

SEN.

TED CRUZ (R-TX): Islamism, likewise, produces murder and oppression.

Sharia law has no place in America.

SARA TABOR, Republican Voter: Islam doesn't have the same principles and values that we do as Christians.

LISA HOLOMSHEK, Republican Voter: All the mosques that are being built, it's out of control.

SAHER SELOD, Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding: The rhetoric certainly is something that I haven't seen since 9/11.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Saher Selod is the director of research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, a think tank focused on America's Muslim community.

Selod has tracked Islamophobia in U.S.

politics.

SAHER SELOD: I have never seen the level of anti-Muslim political ads that we're seeing during this campaign cycle.

The fact that it was already somehow acceptable to run on this type of racism and animus means that it's trending to a certain extent within the general population.

If it was so unpopular, then they wouldn't -- they wouldn't feel like that this would be a successful strategy.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Back in Minnesota, officials are trying to navigate the political realities of the moment while searching for real solutions.

BOOKER HODGES, Bloomington, Minnesota, Police Chief: A lot of this outside rhetoric, unfortunately, is political, and it's not helping.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Booker Hodges is police chief in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Last month, suspects fired over 100 rounds on a residential street in the city, a shooting Hodges linked to Somali gangs.

BOOKER HODGES: I know that it's not the entire community that's doing this, but we do ourselves a disservice if we don't call it what it is.

We get caught up in the name and as opposed to dealing with the issue.

And I think now we got to deal with the issue, and right now it's just Somali-American gangs that we're dealing with.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: But at the Dar Al-Farooq Mosque, which is in Bloomington and was the site of a bombing by an anti-government militia group in 2017, some community members said they felt targeted, especially by the president's comments.

MURSAL TIFOW, Somali Minnesotan: I do respect the president.

He is my president, and I would love for the president to respect me as well as a voter, as a citizen.

But that is not coming from this White House, and I feel threatened.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Are you afraid for your security?

AMINA ADAN, Somali Minnesotan: Yes, for sure.

I am afraid.

I'm a mother of four daughters.

Being a woman and outwardly being Muslim, I'm wearing my hijab and I'm already portraying my faith in my community.

So, yes, I am very much afraid.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Fear that could linger across Minnesota, even as the heated election messaging comes to a close.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Fred de Sam Lazaro in the Twin Cities.

AMNA NAWAZ: And Fred's reporting is a partnership with the Under-Told Stories Project at Santa Clara University.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, if it's the day before Election Day, that means it's Politics Monday.

And here with us is our usual duo, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

It's great to see you both.

So, on the eve of these midterms, President Trump is relitigating the damage done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, even though his own Justice Department, we should say, concluded that the botched construction, not vandalism, was responsible for the damage there.

But, Amy, what does it tell us about the president's priorities that he's still focused on this, when voters are focused on the economy and the direction of the country?

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Yes, I mean, you really -- the split screen between voters' concerns and what the president wants to talk about is not just apparent today in this press conference, but has been apparent to voters for quite some time.

And you can see that opinions about how the president is handling the economy, driven, of course, by inflation and the cost of gas, but also driven by this frustration that voters have that they don't think the president cares enough about it or is working hard enough on these issues.

We hear it from voters all the time that they feel like, well, wait, why is the president talking about this and not talking about the things that he campaigned on, which is lowering my costs?

I also think it's notable, when I'm listening to other Republicans, how they're closing out their campaign.

Again, you said the election is going to be about the economy.

We all know that that's a top issue.

But when you listen, especially in these red states, Republicans are closing out their campaigns, not on talking about what they're going to do to improve the economy, but how terrible the Democrats are.

It would be very problematic, say a number of them in places like Texas and Kansas, if you elected this Democrat, because then it means Democrats are in charge of the Senate, so hoping -- not really trying to sway swing voters, just trying to turn out their base, which, as we have talked about all year, still seems very, very uneager to vote.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Tam, when the president in his remarks was talking about tomorrow's election, he didn't sound entirely optimistic.

I mean, you heard him use that same refrain about how the midterms are often tough on the sitting president's party.

He was almost telegraphing defeat.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Yes, he was talking in the past tense, saying, like, we gave it a good try.

And, certainly, the president and his allies did everything they could to tilt this playing field in favor of Republicans, redrawing congressional district lines, just huge amounts of money, like truckloads of money being spent on the air.

But part of this is also decisions that President Trump made along the way, candidates he chose to support that are now creating major headaches for Republicans.

Like, Republicans should not have to have spent something like $400 million on air in the state of Texas to hold on to a Senate seat there, and it's not clear they're going to be able to hold on to it.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's shift our focus to what's happening in Michigan, where the congresswoman there, Haley Stevens, who lost to Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race, she -- Senate primary, rather -- she abruptly endorsed the Republican, Mike Rogers.

Amy, is this last-minute spectacle surrounding Haley Stevens, is it likely to have any real impact on the outcome of the race, or is this more about the personalities involved?

AMY WALTER: Yes, I do really think it's much more about the personalities than the -- than any sort of ideological piece.

To be fair, there is an ideological divide between the two of them and specifically on the issue of Israel.

And this is a real issue and concern within the Democratic Party writ large, so not to minimize that.

But the frustration I think that Stevens has and she's been communicating in the last 24 hours seems much more personal than it is about policy, that feeling as if El-Sayed and his campaign sort of rebuffed her, did not treat her well.

I don't know if you know this, but politicians sometimes have egos.

AMY WALTER: And they can get bruised rather much so.

I think on both sides of this debate, that there are two egos.

We actually, at The Cook Political Report, shifted this race, as a matter of fact, into leaning Democrat.

We believe that ultimately, when you look at all the data that's out there, especially when you look at how El-Sayed has consolidated the Democratic base, we just don't think there are enough Democrats out there or Democratic-leaning voters who were thinking, hmm, should I vote for El-Sayed, should I vote for Rogers, that are going to be moved enough to tip this race.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Tam, Stevens' defection appears to have had the opposite of the intended effect, which is that it has galvanized Michigan Democrats largely around El-Sayed.

And El-Sayed, and he's raised like 42.5 million in 24 hours.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, he has raised a lot of money.

And this -- so many people have already voted, have already made up their minds.

This is a really late move.

Yes, it was absolutely a November surprise that maybe we weren't expecting yesterday.

But in terms of actually moving votes, changing the outcome of the race, it feels too late.

GEOFF BENNETT: Is there a particular race that you're paying close attention to tomorrow as a bellwether, let's say?

AMY WALTER: Oh, oh, so many, Geoff.

I can't wait to talk to you about all of the races that I'm watching.

But there's one in particular in Texas.

It's the 35th District down and around the Rio Grande Valley, one of those districts that was drawn specifically by Republicans to gain a seat.

And right now, it is a state -- it is a district that voted pretty overwhelmingly for Donald Trump.

Right now, that race is a toss-up.

Where it goes, I think is going to tell us a lot on election night about just how deep into red territory Democrats may go.

GEOFF BENNETT: How about you, Tam?

Or what is the White House watching too?

TAMARA KEITH: Yes.

Oh, well, we will go with what I'm watching, which is the First Congressional District in North Carolina and the 25th Congressional District in Florida.

These are also redrawn districts by Republicans aimed at taking out incumbent Democrats.

And these races have been hugely expensive, the most expensive House races on the air, and yet Democrats look to be in a pretty good position in both of those.

And we will get results early, which is why I'm watching it to see how the rest of the night is going to go.

AMY WALTER: Right.

And, notably, the Florida and Texas race, also, it's Latino voters that are going to make the difference here, which was the group of voters, as we all know, that moved so dramatically in 2024 and seemed to be moving against Republicans this time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter.

Amy, we will see you back here tomorrow night.

AMY WALTER: Indeed.

Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: The 2026 campaign has been the most expensive in U.S.

history, and it's all leading to tomorrow night, when the votes are counted.

Deema Zein has a look at what happens next.

DEEMA ZEIN: Millions of votes have been cast in this midterm election.

Traditional battlegrounds have expanded in the fight to control Congress.

It all comes down to one question: Who won?

This year, the "News Hour" is once again relying on the Associated Press to call winners in critical races.

For a closer look at how the AP makes those race calls, I'm joined by David Scott, V.P.

of election services at the Associated Press.

David, thanks for joining us.

DAVID SCOTT, Vice President of Election Services, Associated Press: Happy to be here.

DEEMA ZEIN: So I want to jump right in.

People watching results on election night want to know the winner.

So tell us, how do you know when the race is over and which candidate won?

DAVID SCOTT: So the thing that we're looking at primarily is the vote count.

We are reflecting the choices that Americans have made at the ballot box as they make their choice about who they want to lead the country, who they want to represent them in Congress or in the statehouse.

And so we start there.

And, really, the question we're asking ourselves is, are the trailing candidates or a trailing candidate able to catch the leader?

And when we have determined, based on all of the evidence, primarily the vote count, but other things that we take into account, what happened in the advance vote, what's the history of a state, what our poll shows about what took place and what voters were thinking about on election night, but really the vote count, when we see and we are certain that the trailing candidate can't catch up, that's when we declare a winner.

DEEMA ZEIN: And who makes that ultimate decision?

DAVID SCOTT: We have got a big team at the Associated Press that makes up our decision team.

And they're all journalists.

They are people who cover politics.

They are data analysts.

They are experts in political science.

They are folks who study this year-round full-time.

We have folks who focused on turnout and what the expected vote it is.

What's the denominator?

How many votes are going to be cast in this election?

And then, of course, the numerator, what are each candidate getting?

And, again, we're trying to answer that question.

When we look at all the votes that have been counted so far, what do we see about what's outstanding?

And has a candidate reach the point where none of the others are able to catch them and they will be the winner?

And that's when we declare a winner.

DEEMA ZEIN: And not until that moment.

DAVID SCOTT: Not until that moment.

Our certainty is our standard.

We're not trying to be first.

We're not trying to race to a decision.

We are looking at what's coming in.

But we also feel an obligation to let an the voters know, to let America know, this is who you have chosen to lead.

And so we're being swift, but always focused on accuracy first.

Our standard is certainty.

We are certain when we declare a winner that the trailing candidates can't catch up.

DEEMA ZEIN: Do bad calls actually happen?

And, basically, why should Americans trust AP to get it right?

DAVID SCOTT: We have been doing this literally since the founding of the Associated Press; 1848 was the first time that we counted the vote and declared winners two years after the founding of a cooperative.

It's part of who we are as a news organization.

We think that the choices that Americans have made is a news story.

It's really important.

In this year's primaries, we declared winners in more than 11,000 races.

And we made three mistakes.

And one was because of bad information from election officials, for example.

And another one was because of a technical problem.

So they do happen, but they're very rare.

DEEMA ZEIN: David Scott, vice president of election services at Associated Press, thank you so much.

DAVID SCOTT: Happy to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: And remember to join us and our team of reporters and experts for live election coverage right here on PBS tomorrow evening beginning at 7:00 p.m.

And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

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