Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff from President Trump today, more notso friendly fire, aimed at his own political party. He lambasted Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and House Speaker paul ryan for not raising the nations debt ceiling before now. He also attacked mcconnell, again, over the u. S. Senates failure to replace obamacare. Well have a full report, after the news summary. The California Supreme Court has upheld a ballot measure to speed up executions. Voters narrowly approved the Initiative Last year. It calls for expediting appeals, and granting extensions only in rare instances. The court did rule that a five year deadline for carrying out an execution is only advisory, not mandatory. California has not executed anyone since 2006. The texas gulf coast is now bracing for a major hurricane, late friday or early saturday. Harvey powered up today in the gulf of mexico, and could have winds of 125 milesanhour when it comes ashore. Already, people in coastal communities, like corpus christi, have flocked to grocery stores. The mayor says those in flood prone areas should leave, before its too late. At some point in the storm let me reiterate there will come a time that rescue operations will cease and everyone has to go in an protect themselves protect their own lives. And so please dont put our Public Service people in that kind of jeopardy woodruff the storm now shapes up to be the first major hurricane to strike the mid texas coast in nearly 15 years. Southern china is reeling after its strongest typhoon in 50 years killed at least 16 and injured scores more. Eight people died in macao after the storm slammed the gambling hub yesterday. It brought widespread flooding and winds over 80 miles an hour. The Southern Province of guangdong reported eight more deaths. Seasonal monsoon rains have now killed nearly 1,000 people across southern asia. Disaster officials said today that overall, almost 40 Million People are affected in northern india, nepal and bangladesh. Widespread flooding, as seen here in india, has also triggered landslides that damaged roads and washed away thousands of homes. The monsoon runs from june to september. U. S. Defense secretary james mattis sharply criticized russias actions in ukraine today, during a visit to kiev. Mattis said the u. S. Is actively reviewing whether to send heavy defensive weapons to aid ukraine against russian backed rebels. He watched a ukrainian independence parade with president petro poroshenko, and pledged the u. S. Will be a steadfast ally. We do not and we will not accept russias seizure of the crimea and despite russias denials, we know they are seeking to redraw International Borders by force, undermining the sovereign and free nations of europe. Woodruff the Obama Administration had argued that giving heavier weapons to ukraine would only provoke moscow. President trump has not yet taken a position. The u. S. Navy today called off the search at sea for nine sailors still missing after a wreck off singapore. The destroyer john s. Mccain and an oil tanker collided on monday. The navy found the body of one sailor, in a search that lasted 80 hours. Divers have also found some remains in the destroyers flooded compartments. The u. S. Interior secretary is recommending that President Trump downsize at least three National Monument areas. Ryan zinke reviewed 27 sites after the president charged many were a, federal land grab. The Washington Post reports zinke proposes reducing the scope of bears ears and grand staircaseescalante in utah, and a separate site in oregon. He did not call for eliminating any of the areas studied. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost 28 points to close at 21,783. The nasdaq fell seven points to close at 6271. And the s p 500 slipped five. And, a Massachusetts Woman claimed the Powerball Jackpot today, worth 758 million. Its the largest ever won in the u. S. By a lone individual. Mavis wanczyk of chicopee is 53 years old. Shes a longtime employee at a local hospital, but she said today i called and told them i will not be coming back. Wanczyk will take a lump sum payment. After taxes, that comes to 336 million. Still to come on the newshour growing divisions between the president and congress. The kurds dual objective, to defeat isis and gain independence, and much more. Woodruff as the Trump White House and the Republican Controlled Congress look forward to an ambitious agenda for september, tensions between the president and congressional leaders are spilling out in an unusual public display. John yang has the story. Leader of the u. S. Senate. Yang at a breakfast with kentucky farmers this morning, Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell was upbeat. This new administration and this congress is interested in getting america growing again. Yang but he was taking friendly fire from President Trump, who slammed mcconnells and House Speaker paul ryans strategy on raising the nations debt ceiling could have been so easy now a mess and mr. Trump hit mcconnell on a major irritant the Senate Failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act that should never have happened. That latenight senate vote appears to have triggered the intraparty feud. Repeal and replace of obamacare should have taken place, and it should have been on my desk virtually the first week that i was there, or even the first day that i was there. Our new president , of course, hasnt been in this line of work before and i think had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen in the democratic yang the New York Times reported the president s public criticism of mcconnell escalated to the point that mr. Trump berated him in a phone call that quickly devolved into a profane shouting match. Today, White House Press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders tried to play down the friction. Obviously there are going to be differences. There are a lot of shared principles. Yang meeting with boeing workers in everett, washington, ryan also emphasized Common Ground with the president. But he seemed to have trouble answering a question about their relationship are you confident you that you can influence the president . Its a daybyday deal. Im kind of choking. First you control your own actions and you lead by example. Yang with big fiscal deadlines looming the white house and Congress Still hoping for their first big legislative wn, mr. Trump said mcconnell could still get in his good graces. If he gets these bills passed, ill be very happy with him. Ill be the first to admit it. Yang but passing those bills could be complicated by the public sniping. For the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff we explore that infighting in the g. O. P. Now with michael steel. He was press secretary for former House Speaker john boehner. Hes now a political consultant. And brian mcguire. He served as chief of staff for Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell from 2014 to may of this year. Hes now a lobbyist. Welcome to both of you. We appreciate your coming. Michael steele, how serious do you think this split is between the president and Republican Leaders . Well, i think you have the look at it differently than almost anything weve seen in American History. President trump is unique. Hes the First American president who nerve served in elected office or in high military office. So we shouldnt expect his relations with congressional leaders to be the norm. That having been said, these attacks, this tension is stupid. It is counterproductive. It doesnt help get big things done for the american people. So at this point i know congressional leaders are continuing to work, to do the hard work on things like tax reform and infrastructure to get those things done. The president right now simply isnt helping. Woodruff brian mcguire, how serious, how real is this split . I think michael is right. It is counterproductive and selfdefeating, but its also not ultimately going to define these relationships. I think republicans in the house and the senate and the white house and the president have a lot of shared goals. Theyre going to come together ultimately to achieve them. Woodruff how serious do you think the president is about these criticisms . Do you think hes doing this because he believes. Because hes angry about what happened happened or is there Something Else going on here . Its hard to say why he tweets what he tweets. Nobody knows but him. But i do think ultimately that he is a constructive partner on the issues that he and Congressional Republicans agree on. And i expect when everybody gets back into town that theyre all going to be locking arms and trying to focus. I thought it was encouraging at the end of the day that the white house said they would be focused next week on tax reform exclusively and vigorously. I peck thats what theyre going to do and i think thats a good sign. Woodruff youre both saying this is counterproductive, but is it justified . Is the president right to criticize leader mcconnell to, criticize the speaker and other republicans . There are always tensions between a president and congressional leaders, even if theyre of the same political party. I think that people in the house and the white house are frustrated that the senate was unable to complete the repeal and replace of obamacare. At the same time, we need to be focused on the future, not the past. Leaders have to be focused on what comes next. What needs to come next is actual accomplishments like tax reform, like infrastructure, and lets not forget raising the debt limit and keeping government open. Woodruff my question, is and ill turn to you, brian, for this, is the president , is he justified in criticizing leader mcconnell, who you worked for for a long time . I understand the president is anxious to get his agenda through. But republicans in congress are no less anxious to get it through. There are a lot of arguments as to why things passed and did not pass, but the important thing is to look at the things they can do together. Clearly tax reform is one of those things. Its not only something that United States republicans in washington. Its something the public supports overwhelmingly, and its something democrats could potentially support. So thats something that i think the president should focus on and be very constructive for him to do so. Woodruff do republicans in congress, michael steel, have something to fear from this president . We saw him go after dean heller, the senator of nevada. Hes been very critical of jeff flake and john mccain . I think, one, it would be much more helpful if the president were to train his fire on Senate Democrats, the people who, for example, the ten or so Senate Democrats who have to be elected in states that he won in 2016. To the extent that hes attacking republicans, there isnt a lot of indication that its going to be terribly effective. His endorsements have not worked out very well in the past, and particularly in the senate. The house is a different creature because every member of the House Republican conference will face both a primary and general election next year. Senator with their longer terms and Greater Public profiles are relatively immune to that kind of attack. Woodruff what do you mean . How do you see that . Yeah, the senate, the terms are six years. So an attack now doesnt have the staying power that it would for somebody who is always in cycle. Senators who won last year are not too worried about hits they might be taking right new because they have a long runway between now and their next reelection. Woodruff but politically, jeff flake is up in arizona next year. Do the president s constant criticisms of him after he, in fairness, has been candidly critical at times. He votes with the president , but hes been critical of the president at times. Does it hurt jeff flake . I think the only thing that truly hurts both the president and senator flake is being unable to point to something that theyve achieve legislatively, which is why i think the president would be well advised to start focusing on the legislative agenda rather than on which members he may in the like on any given day. Woodruff michael steel, how well do you think this president understands the legislative process . And does it really matter where the president does or not . I think that the president and the people around him, the president has people around him who have an intimate understanding of the legislative process. The Vice President was a house member, very experienced, very talented. We dont need the president to engage on a granular level in these policy disagreements. But we need him to use the bully pulpit to make the case for important policy priorities. Look ah what speaker ryan is doing over the month of august. Hes having events all the across the country talking about the benefits of tax reform for middleclass families, higher wages, more jobs. President trump is promising to get involved in that fight starting next week, but lets remember, leading up to the vote on healthcare in the senate, his primary focus was denigrating his own attorney general. That doesnt help get results. Woodruff how do you. At this point i know both of you still talk to folks you know very, very well on the hill. Is it their sense that the president s going to continue as he is now, or is it just every day is a jump ball . I think its everybodys expectation that whenever everybody gets back into town at the end of the month that there will be a lot of common cause, and that people will work on the important things that they have to focus on. And staff have been working on those things all throughout the summer. Woodruff how much of this, and in connection with that, we talked about whether the president can hurt a senator or house member politically, how much of this helps the president politically in that he can be seen as running against a congress that he can argue isnt doing what its supposed to be doing . Its hard to see how this could help the president , frankly. The only thing that, again, i think the president has to fear is nothing to show for his time in office. And the people that he needs to help him enact his agenda are in some cases the very people hes attacking. So i think it would be much better for him and for republicans in congress if they focused on their common agenda and i think thats what theyre going to do when everybody gets back into town. Woodruff just a quick comment any way you see the president benefits from this . Of course not. This does nothing but further inflame the 25 to 35 of the country thats with him already. It doesnt help with moderates. It doesnt help with democrats. It doesnt help with many republicans. Its not a helpful strategy. I hope hell knock it off. At the same time, i think congressional leaders are intend on getting things done whether or not he does. Woodruff michael steel, brian mcguire, thank you both. Thanks for having us. Good to be with you. Woodruff in the war to drive isis from Northern Syria, an Unlikely Group has emerged the stateless kurdish people. Split across territories of four middle eastern nations, ethnic kurds have long endured repression, discrimination, even genocide. But today, they form the backbone of the u. S. Backed Syrian Democratic forces, a Group American leaders call the greatest warriors fighting the Islamic State. They are the most effective force we have right now and a force we need to go in raqqa. That is the ghost force that has taken half of raqqa and has taken every march objective we have had so far. They also have never lost a battle. Woodruff their unusual mix of marxist ideology, local governance and military prowess has made them a sort of political rorschach test. Labels describing them span the political spectrum prowestern fighters, radical leftists, hardcore marxists, atheists, revolutionary feminists. Not open to debate their central role in defeating isis. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and reporter klara from raqqa, the only name shell use, has spent years in battle, leading soldiers and devising strategy. But now the world is watching. translated the fight is very hard but we have hope that we will win. Reporter but now the world is watching. As the fight against isis closes in on it