GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On the "News Hour" tonight: The first American pope is elected to lead the Catholic Church, Robert Prevost, now Leo XIV.

GEOFF BENNETT: The United States and United Kingdom announce a trade framework that would alleviate some of President Trump's tariffs.

AMNA NAWAZ: And we speak with billionaire Bill Gates about why he plans to give away virtually all of his money and close down the foundation in the next 20 years.

BILL GATES, Chair, Gates Foundation: Why not bet on the team we have and get all the way to elimination for a lot of these diseases?

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

A new pope has been elected.

And, in a major surprise, an American has been chosen for the first time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Robert Francis Prevost will now be known as Pope Leo XIV.

In his first remarks as the leader of more than one billion Roman Catholics around the world, the pope spoke of peace and building bridges to a crowd in St. Peter's Square.

GEOFF BENNETT: In Rome, a wave of emotion as the newly elected pope emerged from the balcony of the Vatican.

The new pope's first words, "Peace be with all of you."

After two days of voting, white smoke poured from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter's Basilica rang out announcing the election of Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, choosing to take the name Pope Leo XIV.

POPE LEO XIV, Leader of Catholic Church (through translator): Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave his life for the flock of God.

I too would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts to reach your families, to all people everywhere, to all the earth.

Peace be with you.

GEOFF BENNETT: The 69-year-old is the first American-born pope.

Born in Chicago, he graduated from Villanova University and would go on to live in Peru, where he became a bishop and in 2015 a naturalized citizen.

Pope Leo, who speaks multiple languages, was considered a close confidant of Pope Francis.

POPE LEO XIV (through translator): This is the peace of the risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming peace.

Humble and persevering, it comes from God, God, who loves us all unconditionally.

We will keep in our ears that weak, but always courageous voice of Pope Francis.

GEOFF BENNETT: Before being named pope today, he held one of the most influential Vatican posts, running the office that selects and manages bishops globally.

ANNAMARIA ALESSANDRINI, Italian Catholic (through translator): It is an exciting moment.

I did not expect it.

And on this sunny day, I feel a great energy in the square.

I hope he will be the great successor of Pope Francis.

GEOFF BENNETT: The election of the new pope comes at a delicate time for the Catholic Church, as it navigates lingering sex abuse scandals, internal divisions over LGBTQ inclusivity, and financial difficulties.

But, today, Rome and the world celebrates Pope Leo XIV and the historic nature of the moment.

For more on Pope Leo XIV and what he means for both the church and for the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, we turn now to two guests, both in Rome.

Kim Daniels is the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University.

She's also a member of the department overseeing communications for the Vatican.

AMNA NAWAZ: And Father Thomas Reese is senior analyst for Religion News Service and author of "Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church."

Welcome to you both.

Father Reese, I want to start with you.

For the first time in history, an American pope.

What's your reaction to the selection and also how Pope Leo XIV first addressed the world?

REV.

THOMAS REESE, Religion News Service: It was a real shock to have an American elected as pope.

We never thought this would happen.

I think that he made a very good impression, especially by picking the name Leo.

Leo XIII, his predecessor, was the one who started the church on the road towards Catholic social teaching and social justice, and -- because in the 19th century, he was on the side of the working class.

He was on the side of labor unions.

He was on the side of the poor people of his time.

And I think that's exactly what the new Pope Leo is also going to do.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Kim Daniels, what does the rather quick election of Pope Leo suggest about the cardinals' priorities and the direction they hope to set for the church?

KIM DANIELS, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life Director, Georgetown University: I think it's a sign of how much Catholics share in common.

There's a lot of focus on division, but it's a sign of the consensus that built very quickly around Cardinal Prevost, now Pope Leo.

I think it's also a sign of what their priorities are here, and that is to continue Pope Francis' vision of spiritual renewal and structural reform.

Pope Leo is someone who has the skills, the experience, the heart, to be able to implement those processes, those reforms, but also this heart for mercy and accompanying the poor and going out and not inward, right, but going outward.

That really was at the heart of Pope Francis' vision.

So it's really a remarkable and extraordinary moment.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Father Reese, as the first American-born pope in the history of the Catholic Church, how might he be able to address the growing disaffiliation of Catholics in the U.S.?

REV.

THOMAS REESE: Well, of course, he's been elected pope for the whole world, so he's got to deal with all the world, not just the United States.

But because of his knowledge of the United States, I think he will be focused on it.

What can we do to reach out to young people?

How can we make the church more inviting?

Pope Francis was wonderful, but the problem was everybody said to themselves, gee, I wish I had Pope Francis as my pastor.

And then they would go into their parish and they often didn't find Pope Francis.

So I think that what Pope Leo has to do is help the clergy in the United States get on board with the vision that Pope Francis has, and now the vision that Pope Leo is bringing to the church.

AMNA NAWAZ: Kim Daniels, among the many challenges ahead for the new pope will be, of course, addressing the sexual abuse scandal.

We saw today a statement from the group SNAP, which is the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, saying what they say are allegations of the times that Leo failed to conduct adequate investigations into accusations in his diocese in Peru, of also, they say, allowing a priest who faced his own abuse allegations to live in a friary near a Catholic elementary school in Chicago.

Again, we don't have more information other than these allegations at the time, but can he face these allegations and still lead the church on this issue?

KIM DANIELS: You know, of course, the first thing we have to say whenever we talk about this issue is that the priority is to listen to victim survivors and to make sure that we put accountability and transparency front and center.

And so, of course, that's our responsibility here.

I will say that there are many publications that have looked into this and have talked about Pope Leo responding in the way that was the standard at the time.

And I just saw yesterday, I believe it was yesterday, another group out here, Bishop Accountability, talked about the fact that an American coming into this position brings the kind of sensibility around this issue, meaning zero tolerance, meaning an idea that we really need to have accountability, in a way that many others might not because we have really focused on this issue very much so in the United States.

Again, not resolved it, much more to be done, but my understanding is that Pope Leo has really -- took the steps that he could at the time and, again, brings that sensibility of accountability and transparency to the conversation.

AMNA NAWAZ: Father Reese, what's your take on that?

And also what do you see ahead as some of the biggest challenges for this pope?

REV.

THOMAS REESE: Well, there are so many huge challenges.

I mean, you have to look at the pope as a leader in the world, but also a leader in the church.

And, in the world, we have all these problems of war, of climate change, of refugees, of people starving.

And the world seems -- world government seem to be just not caring anymore about what's happening.

And so he has to be a prophetic voice for peace, for justice, for the disenfranchised, for protecting the environment.

And then he's got to look at his own church.

In the north, the Global North, we have a declining number of clergy.

We have young people turning away from the church.

And we have to figure out how to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the people in the 21st century to get across his mission of -- his message of mercy, compassion, and that how we should respond to God's love by loving one another.

This is a big task that he has.

AMNA NAWAZ: Father Reese, when it comes to some of the other divisive issues the church has grappled with, things like birth control and divorce and LGBTQ rights, do you see this pope moving further towards the progressive side, as his predecessor, Pope Francis, did?

REV.

THOMAS REESE: Well, Pope Francis was unusual, in that he allowed open discussion of these kinds of issues.

But, even more important, he was welcoming and embraced people who disagreed or couldn't follow the church's teaching.

On the other hand, he never changed any church doctrine.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pope Leo followed the exact same pattern.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Kim Daniels, to the degree that these challenges present opportunities, what do you hope to see from Pope Leo's leadership moving forward?

KIM DANIELS: I was really struck by how much Pope Leo talked about principles of Catholic social teaching in his remarks today.

And, of course, taking the name Leo XIV is really a sign that principles like a commitment to human life and dignity, the dignity of work and the rights of workers, and a poor church for the poor, making sure that we prioritize that, are all going to be key considerations.

I also was struck by the fact that he talked about walking with the people of God.

And this, to me, signals a real commitment to Pope Francis' signature reform and renewal effort called the synod, which was about walking with people, making sure that we increase participation and include people, laypeople, in particular women, those who have felt excluded, in leadership and in decisions in the church.

So I'm very hopeful about that.

GEOFF BENNETT: Kim Daniels and Father Thomas Reese, we thank you both for your insights this evening.

REV.

THOMAS REESE: It's good to be with you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Turning to the day's other headlines, tensions in South Asia are running high tonight after India and Pakistan each accused the other of firing at their military sites.

GEOFF BENNETT: Secretary of State Marco Rubio called leaders in both countries and pushed for what he called immediate de-escalation and direct dialogue.

But, tonight, there is heavy shelling on both sides of the disputed border.

Our Nick Schifrin has more.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In the fog of war tonight, there are blackout air raid sirens, Indian air defense firing into the Kashmiri night sky, and long lines of people in India-administered Kashmir fleeing out of fear.

Today, India and Pakistan traded volleys and accusations.

First, India accused Pakistan of a major attack.

VYOMIKA SINGH, Wing Commander, Indian Air Force: Pakistan attempted to engage a number of military targets in Northern and Western India using drones and missiles.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But Pakistan insists it did not fire any missiles or drones.

LT. GEN. AHMED SHARIF CHAUDHRY, Director General, Pakistan Inter-Services Public Relations: It is such a fantastic and cooked-up story.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But India and Pakistan did acknowledge Indian drone attacks across Pakistan against air defense systems in Lahore near India's border, Rawalpindi, where Pakistan's military is headquartered, and Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, where an Indian drone crashed into the home of Faizan Ali.

FAIZAN ALI, Karachi, Pakistan, Resident (through interpreter): It hit my house and broke my rooftop.

Everything became dark below.

Everything is broken.

There was dust everywhere.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought four major wars, three over the disputed territory of Kashmir, where in April in Pahalgam, gunmen killed more than two dozen mostly Hindu tourists.

India blamed Pakistan, and overnight on Tuesday launched its most widespread aerial attack on Pakistan in half-a-century.

Pakistan once again today vowed to respond.

LT. GEN. AHMED SHARIF CHAUDHRY: When Pakistan will strike... (through interpreter): ... you and I don't need Indian media to tell us.

The whole world will come to know.

The reverberations will be felt everywhere.

NICK SCHIFRIN: To which Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar today threaten escalation.

SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR, Indian Foreign Minister: If there are military attacks on us, there should be no doubt that it will be met with a very, very firm response.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But already both sides are shelling across the de facto Kashmir border.

In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, authorities say at least a dozen have died.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, villagers say at least 15 have been killed.

MALKEET SINGH, Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir Resident (through translator): It is a terrible loss.

We appeal to the government that there should be a cease-fire as soon as possible.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Neither side wants war, but, tonight, there's still fear of escalation, and the mood in cities near the border is darkening.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.

AMNA NAWAZ: Back here at home, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to remove deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants.

They want the justices to block a district court order that upheld temporary legal status.

The order relates to more than half-a-million people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Those protections were granted by a Biden era policy that allowed people to fly to the U.S. if they had a financial sponsor and pass security checks.

In their filing, Justice Department lawyers argued that the lower court -- quote -- "nullified one of the administration's most consequential immigration policy decisions."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his agency is reviewing the visa status of protesters who clashed with security guards at Columbia University.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted and hung flags at the school's main library as students were studying for finals.

Police say at least 80 people were taken into custody.

Columbia's acting president called the protest utterly unacceptable, adding that she is -- quote -- "deeply disturbed that, at a moment when our international community feels particularly vulnerable, a small group of students would choose to make our institution a target."

President Trump is pulling his pick to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital after it became clear he did not have the votes among Republican senators.

Ed Martin Jr. has been acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump's first week back in office in January.

A leading figure in Trump's Stop the Steal movement following the 2020 election, Martin represented several January 6 defendants in court.

He also stirred controversy by firing and demoting a number of prosecutors who worked on politically sensitive cases.

The Trump administration is replacing the acting head of FEMA.

Cameron Hamilton was removed from his post just a day after making the case for the agency's relevance before a congressional committee.

President Trump has floated the idea of getting rid of FEMA altogether.

Hamilton's dismissal comes less than a month before the start of hurricane season.

Also today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will no longer track the cost of major natural disasters.

Those are weather events that cause at least $1 billion in damage.

Scientists say such disasters are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of violating a three-day cease-fire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the nation's Victory Day holiday.

A Ukrainian official says Russia violated its own truce more than 700 times starting at midnight last night.

In the Meantime, Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin today.

He's referred to Xi as the main guest for tomorrow's military parade marking 80 years since victory over Nazi Germany.

In Kyiv, that anniversary was marked as a somber day of remembrance.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the difference between Ukraine's observances and the show of force that's expected in Moscow tomorrow.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, Ukrainian President (through translator): It will be a parade of cynicism, a parade of bile and lies, as if it were Putin personally who defeated Nazism.

Thank God Ukraine has not forgotten that 80 years ago dozens of Allied states fought against Nazism, and more than eight million Ukrainians, sadly, died in that struggle.

AMNA NAWAZ: Elsewhere, the anniversary of V.E.

Day was marked across Europe.

German leaders laid wreaths in Berlin, where this year's anniversary was marked as a one-off public holiday.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier then warned Parliament that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and America turning its back on alliances are defining concerns for this century.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron led a military parade down the Champs Elysees, before lighting the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

And in London's Westminster Abbey, King Charles and Britain's royal family attended a service of thanksgiving where they too remembered the lives lost in the war.

And on Wall Street today, stocks rallied amid hopes that President Trump can firm up trade deals with other nations.

The Dow Jones industrial average added around 250 points.

The Nasdaq jumped nearly 200 points, or about 1 percent.

The S&P 500 tacked on about 30 points on the day.

And America's current first lady made a rare public appearance today by helping pay tribute to a former first lady at the White House.

WOMAN: One, two, three.

(APPLAUSE) AMNA NAWAZ: Melania Trump hosted the unveiling of a new postage stamp featuring Barbara Bush.

As wife to George H.W.

Bush, she served as first lady from 1989 to 1993.

Mrs. Bush was also the mother of George W. Bush, the nation's 43rd president, who was notably absent from today's event.

As such, she joins Abigail Adams as the only two women to be wife of one president and mother to another.

Barbara Bush died in 2018.

Presales of her stamp begin on Saturday.

Still to come on the "News Hour": the real-world impact tariffs are having on global supply chains; the transportation secretary announces plans to update the nation's air traffic control system; and a Brief But Spectacular take on training the next generation of builders.

GEOFF BENNETT: President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a new trade agreement today.

Many of the details are still being hammered out, but Mr. Trump said he believes it will be the first of many in response to his tariffs.

As William Brangham reports, other countries, including China, remain open to negotiating with the U.S., but it's far from clear how many will strike a deal.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: This is a very special day because it's Victory Day, World War II, May 8.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: On the 80th anniversary of World War II's Victory Day in Europe, President Trump sought to claim a different kind of victory in the Oval Office.

DONALD TRUMP: It's just incredible that day is the same day that we signed a tremendous trade deal for both countries.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Surrounded by British diplomats, the president announced the rough framework for a trade agreement with the United Kingdom, the first deal since he imposed sweeping tariffs on countries around the world last month.

DONALD TRUMP: The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture, dramatically increasing access for American beef, ethanol and virtually all of the products produced by our great farmers.

MAN: I'm delighted to welcome you to say a few words.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: From a factory in the U.K., British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, praised the arrangement, which is seen as a political victory for his center-left government.

KEIR STARMER, British Prime Minister: I wanted to come to you to announce that we have agreed the basis of a historic economic prosperity deal.

And that is a deal that will protect British businesses and save thousands of jobs in Britain.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: While Trump and Starmer called the framework a deal, the specific details are unclear.

The agreement will leave the 10 percent tariffs Trump imposed on all nations, including the U.K., in place.

But it will eliminate existing 25 percent tariffs on British steel and aluminum.

In return, the U.K. will open market access for billions of dollars of U.S. goods, including beef, poultry, ethanol and other products.

The trade relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. is far more balanced than with many other countries.

By some measure, the U.S. even has a trade surplus.

And however this final deal shakes out, it could be more important for the U.K. than the U.S., for, while the U.K. is a relatively small trading partner for America, the U.S. is the U.K.'s largest.

And it's a critical market for some goods, including automobiles.

While the fundamental details are still being negotiated, those gathered today were quick to praise the president's dealmaking prowess, from members of his own administration.

HOWARD LUTNICK, U.S. Commerce Secretary: He's the closer.

He gets deals done that we could never get done.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: To Prime Minister Starmer, who phoned in to the White House event.

KEIR STARMER: I want to thank you for your leadership on that, Donald, and for the way in which your team have negotiated this.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: But amid the praise from one ally, threats of retaliation came from another.

The European Union announced today that more than $100 billion worth of U.S. goods could be hit with tariffs if trade negotiations fail.

The list includes agricultural products like meats and bourbon, along with manufactured goods like airplane and car parts and more, all this ahead of talks around the much bigger trade war between the U.S. and China that are happening this weekend in Switzerland.

It comes after weeks of Beijing resisting talks, saying it won't kneel down to a -- quote -- "bully."

Today, the president said he'd consider lowering the 145 percent tariffs he levied on China if the talks bear fruit.

DONALD TRUMP: We're going to see.

Right now, you can't get any higher.

It's at 145, so we know it's coming down.

I think we're going to have a very good relationship.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So, as the Trump administration continues these negotiations with trading partners, those higher tariffs are already having real impacts on American businesses and their supply chains.

Joining us now is Ryan Petersen.

He's the founder and CEO of Flexport, a supply chain management firm.

Ryan, thanks so much for being here.

Many of your clients are small American businesses.

How are they responding to these higher tariffs?

RYAN PETERSEN, CEO, Flexport: Yes, thanks for having me on.

It's tough for these businesses, the ones that are buying from China, I'd say, hit with a mix of paralysis and panic.

They're - - they don't know much what to do.

So a lot of them just paused importing goods from China.

We see a huge drop-off, in fact, a 60 percent decline in ocean freight from China to the U.S. since April 9 when this went live.

But businesses can't just pause.

I mean, at some point, they have to sell products in order to make money and pay their employees and stay in business.

So that's where the panic comes in and they're looking for some relief.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So that 60 percent pause is your clients saying, in the face of these tariffs, we're going to stop our orders from China temporarily and try to figure out what on earth is going on?

Now there's also some degree of scrambling.

So those who are continuing to ship goods, a lot of them have moved cargo into what's called a bonded warehouse.

So this is a warehouse that allows you to defer your payment of customs duties.

So you don't have to pay the tariffs until the goods leave the warehouse.

So there's a lot of kind of people putting goods into storage, expecting that duties are likely to come down.

And when they do, they will be able to pay that lower rate.

So, businesses are creative.

They find a way.

But, en masse, you see a 60 percent decline in shipments.

So, a lot of people are much more just kind of saying, let's just sit this one out and see what happens.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And what is the impact on us ports?

We know those are a critical artery for traffic in and out of the United States.

What's happening on American ports?

So the first to be hit is the West Coast, just because the transit time from China to the West Coast is so much shorter than to the Gulf and the East Coast.

So those have already seen a big drop-off.

We have seen about a 35 percent decline in L.A. Long Beach in number of containers being unloaded this week versus over the prior weeks.

So that's -- if your workers needed to unload ships, you're going to already -- the West Coast ports union has kind of come out and said -- in opposition to the tariffs.

Fewer truck drivers are going to be needed, warehouses, downstream.

It's going to flow through the whole logistics industry.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The president was asked about this at the White House today.

A reporter said, what about these slowed traffic at American ports?

And he seemed to imply that it was a good thing, that it was somehow less of us getting screwed over, as I think how he put it.

I take it your clients don't quite see it the same way.

RYAN PETERSEN: No, definitely not.

And, I mean, the reason you do global trade, the reason you buy stuff overseas is, it makes your company better off.

And you don't -- no one's compelling you to force you to buy goods.

You buy it because you can make money doing that.

And so it's really hurting these businesses, American companies that buy goods overseas, causing them to make less -- a lot less money and hurting their ability to hire people.

So, yes, it's definitely sad to see that.

You would like -- the president came in with promises of deregulating things, creating a kind of very pro-business environment, but these tariffs have done the opposite.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And what is the impact, as far as you can tell, been on consumers and the prices they pay?

RYAN PETERSEN: Those -- that's why we have seen a big increase, around a 10 percent increase in prices, for stuff that's sold on e-commerce, sold online.

And that's already taking place.

You will see it.

You go to buy things, you will see higher prices.

In fact, kind of famously, Amazon tried to show those higher prices and got called out by the president.

They didn't like that.

But you are seeing that companies, whether they show it or not, whether they break out the import duties on the checkout page, they are raising prices already.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: There was what's called the de minimis exemption, and it was suspended recently.

Can you explain what that is and what the impact on that has been?

RYAN PETERSEN: Yes.

So, that's actually been one of the biggest impacts so far.

So, the de minimis exemption says that anything imported into the country that's less than $800 in value can be imported duty-free, as long as that item is being sent all the way to the final consumer, to your house.

And so that was ended on May 2 for goods from China.

And that's a huge impact.

There's almost four million packages per day being imported under the de minimis exemption; 70 percent of those are coming from China, and so a lot of companies.

Now, it's not all that it's being shipped from China.

A lot of companies actually had put their fulfillment centers in Mexico and in Canada.

And so, if you order from a lot of e-commerce Web sites, your goods are actually being shipped from Mexico to your house directly, and they're being shipped duty-free.

So, that's a huge impact.

Those companies now have to pay duties like everybody else.

And that's a big part of these price increases that you're seeing, especially in the apparel sector, people buying fashion, buying clothes.

A lot of that was there.

There's some famous Chinese e-commerce brands that were doing this, but a lot of American companies were using this as well.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You have likened tariffs to an asteroid coming at the American economy.

Where are we, in your view, of the trajectory of that asteroid?

Is it coming?

Has it hit?

Is it about to hit?

RYAN PETERSEN: I think it's still coming.

I think we're at the point where, if the administration changes course or starts to de-escalate on these 145 percent duties from China, which all indications are that they will do that, but it's a question now of how low do they bring it and how fast, when do they do that?

So, there's still time.

And there's still - - if they were to change course quickly and bring the tariffs way down, I think it would be a -- we wouldn't have to worry about this, but every week that goes by, you increase the chance of businesses failing en masse.

And some of the rumors are that they will bring it down to call it 50 percent duty on China.

Well, that's still really extreme.

I think a lot of companies will still be at risk of failure there.

But it's very hard to know what's the right duty level.

We have seen duties on the rest of world come in around 10 percent.

During this current pause, it's 10 percent.

That seems like a nonissue.

The market's been able to absorb that.

Volumes, in fact, from rest of world into the United States are up about 5 percent since April 9, when this was announced.

So it seems like companies are OK with the 10 percent.

So, somewhere between 10 and 145 is where the system seems to really break.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, that is Ryan Petersen, the CEO and founder of Flexport.

Thank you so much for being here.

RYAN PETERSEN: My pleasure.

GEOFF BENNETT: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy unveiled a new plan to modernize the air traffic control system aimed at improving safety and reducing delays by the year 2028.

The overhaul would cost tens of billions of dollars and replace more than 600 outdated systems, including old wiring, the kind of wiring that affected computers at Newark Airport, which has led to hundreds of cancellations and triggered new questions about the safety of the air traffic control system.

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. Transportation Secretary: So what we use today is copper wires.

We're one of the last institutions, last businesses that actually use copper wires.

We shop on eBay to replace parts to fix our equipment in the system that keeps you safe.

GEOFF BENNETT: But the plan faces big hurdles.

We're joined now by our aviation correspondent, Miles O'Brien.

Miles, it's great to have you here.

So, first, is what he said true that you have air traffic controllers going to eBay to find parts to fix the system?

MILES O'BRIEN: I hadn't heard that detail, Geoff, but it doesn't surprise me a bit.

We're talking about technology that really looks like it belongs on the set for "Apollo 13" or a computer museum, literally floppy disks, which people of a certain generation wouldn't even know what those were.

Copper wire, of course, is what carried landline phone lines into our homes for many years.

All of this is outmoded by satellite and fiber technology.

And, clearly, that communication Achilles' heel needs to be addressed quickly, as we have seen at Newark.

GEOFF BENNETT: So what technologies is Duffy talking about as a solution, at least by the year 2028, he's saying?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, some of the things you have to think about are replacing the radar systems.

These old radars, some of them are 50-, 60-year-old technology or 50- or 60-year-old radars, for that matter.

They have a built-in latency in them, some of them as long as 12 seconds, before the whole radar to spin around.

That's what we're talking about here.

And that latency is what requires aircraft to be separated further than they would be if it was replaced by a satellite-based system, GPS-type system.

The FAA has been slow to move in this direction.

And that's one thing.

It would be a lot better if air traffic controllers weren't keeping track of aircraft with paper strips, which they use to stack up, to keep track of flights that are coming their way.

There's an awful lot of verbal communication.

They use binoculars to make sure that aircraft are in the right place at an airport.

And there are automatic sensors that can be installed that can warn them of a potential collision.

All these things are what you need for a modern air traffic control system with the capacity that this system requires right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Miles, wasn't there funding that was passed by Congress and signed into law for -- by President Biden for this very thing?

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, the bipartisan infrastructure legislation did in fact have $25 billion over five years for the FAA.

But if you read the fine print on that one, the money was not allocated for air traffic control.

It was allocated for things like airport improvement.

And so the air traffic control system is in dire need of a fix.

And to see the industry come together, as it did today, in a unified way like I have never seen before proves that that midair collision at Reagan National Airport in January has been a real galvanizing event.

The trick here, Geoff, is, you really need to spend the money more or less all at once in order to fix the system efficiently.

If it takes too long, it costs more, and you have to keep those floppy disks and copper wires and paper strips going simultaneously with a new system.

GEOFF BENNETT: That's a great point.

So what's the interim solution, if there is one?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, improving the communication system would be a good, easy interim way to get started here.

What we saw at Newark is completely avoidable by just upgrading to fiber and satellite.

That's a good start.

I think it's important for the industry to come together with the FAA and recognize that the system is beyond capacity.

Those delays that you saw at Newark, if you really think about it, are a way of indicating that the system is responding safely.

The FAA reduced the amount of traffic into the system because it didn't feel it had layers of safety.

So the airlines need to be on board with this as well.

And the FAA should probably be limiting the operations at some of these airports until those cables can be wired in and those radars can be more reliable to ensure safety.

GEOFF BENNETT: That is Miles O'Brien.

Miles, our thanks to you, as always.

We appreciate it.

MILES O'BRIEN: You're welcome, Geoff.

AMNA NAWAZ: Billionaire Bill Gates announced today a major change to his philanthropic Gates Foundation, a doubling of their giving to more than over $200 billion over the next 20 years, when the foundation will close its doors permanently in December of 2045.

Gates and then-wife Melinda French Gates created the foundation 25 years ago and have given more than $100 billion since then, dramatically reshaping the global public health landscape.

The announcement comes at a moment of significant cuts to foreign aid from the U.S. and other nations, including to vital programs that fight disease and malnutrition.

Joining me now from New York is Bill Gates and the foundation's CEO, Mark Suzman.

And a note that the Gates Foundation has previously been a funder of the "News Hour."

Gentlemen, welcome to you both.

Thank you so much for joining us.

So, Bill Gates, I want to begin with you.

This doubling down, quite literally, on your philanthropy, giving away virtually all of your wealth over the next 20 years, why this decision and why now?

BILL GATES, Chair, Gates Foundation: Well, as I have contemplated this year, where I'm turning 70 and Microsoft turned 50, and we have had 25 years of amazing work at the Gates Foundation, I thought, why not bet on the team we have and get all the way to elimination for a lot of these diseases?

Our pipeline of innovations is better than ever, whether that's vaccines or using A.I.

to do health delivery.

And so we're going to do as much as we can.

And it's very exciting that we can probably do more good in the next 20 years than the last 25, where we surprised ourselves with how much we were able to achieve.

AMNA NAWAZ: Yes, I do have to ask, because you do have children.

Did any one of them say, are you sure you want to give all this money away?

BILL GATES: Well, my children are very supportive of this work.

They have been -- had a great upbringing.

And I have given them some resources, although, as a percentage of this fortune that I'm lucky to have, not a high percentage.

The vast percentage will and goes to charity.

AMNA NAWAZ: Mark Suzman, and the work done by the foundation over the last generation, among other things, it's helped reduce global childhood deaths from 10 million a year down to five million, helped to save 82 million lives through vaccine support and disease prevention.

But, as you have previously noted, this year, 2025, is the year foreign aid, as you put it, fell off a cliff.

So in this new environment, where specifically will you and the foundation focus to maximize your impact?

MARK SUZMAN, CEO, Gates Foundation: Yes, well, as Bill said, the main decision to actually accelerate the spend-down date and have a new sunset of 2045 was actually a discussion that Bill and I and the board started having well over a year ago, when we were trying to look back and say, where have we had the greatest successes over the last 25 years and how can we have the greatest impact over the next two decades?

And it really was in exactly that area of global health you're talking about.

So, the provision of vaccines for kids was the main reason for that reduction in preventable child mortality.

But we have also seen a halving of deaths in the incidence of HIV/AIDS, of tuberculosis, of malaria, and that we really think, by that 2045 deadline, there's a plausible pathway to actually eradicate some of the diseases, like polio, like malaria, like potentially measles, and bring the other big ones like HIV and T.B.

under control.

But that really does require partnerships.

A big chunk of the success we had in the first two decades was because we did have fellow travelers coming along like the United States and the United Kingdom and France and Germany and others.

And, as you say, rightly, they had already been started to have cutbacks.

And then, this year, we have seen dramatic cuts from both the U.S.

The United Kingdom has cut, announced cuts of 40 percent.

There are cuts elsewhere in Europe.

And so we want to strongly make the case both that you can rely on the Gates Foundation to be a stable, reliable force at the scale we currently pay, and our payout is moving up to $9 billion a year.

And this will allow us to be at $9 billion a year and above for the next two decades.

But we also want to bring those other funders back.

We want to show them that this is the most impactful set of investments they could possibly make to save and improve human lives.

AMNA NAWAZ: Bill, on that point, there is really an assault on foreign aid that we're seeing right now by this administration.

You yourself have called some of those cuts stunning, saying that you didn't expect them.

As you reflect back on the enormous progress made by the foundation, how worried are you about some of that progress being undone, those goals of elimination or eradication not being able to be met because of these cuts?

BILL GATES: Well, we're already seeing the deaths of children go up.

And that's tragic, where after 25 years it's been constantly going down.

Now it's going back up.

And unless we act very, very quickly to reverse this, it will mean millions of additional deaths.

In the end, the Congress has set these budgets.

The Congress was persuaded by President Bush back in the year 2002 to do this PEPFAR for HIV.

It's been very supportive of the vaccines, the Gavi that provides vaccines to the poorest children in the world.

And so they -- the chance is to go to Congress and say, this is only less than 1 percent of the budget.

It's morally beneficial.

It provides stability.

It creates health systems that will help us stop pandemics before they come to the United States.

So there's a lot of justification for this.

And we will make the case.

The cuts have been so far much worse than we'd expected.

AMNA NAWAZ: You seem to be saying you hope that Congress will act to reverse some of these cuts.

We should note you did meet privately with President Trump not long ago, and since then we have seen the dismantling of USAID, dramatic cuts to the CDC and NIH.

Are you continuing to make the case directly to the president?

And is he responsive to your concerns about the impact of those cuts?

BILL GATES: Yes, I have had a long meeting with him in late December and then a short meeting February 5 where I said, hey, some of these cuts are a real problem and are not -- are being mischaracterized.

And so I'm going to continue that dialogue with President Trump and Secretary Rubio.

We're -- this is our full-time work.

So we're -- we want to have that discussion.

And then it'll carry over to what happens with the congressional budget.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, Mark, I guess the big question is, if these cuts continue, is the Gates Foundation in a position to step in and fill the void that's left?

MARK SUZMAN: The sad truth is, no philanthropy, even one of our size and scope, or any combination of philanthropies can possibly fill the gap that's left by the U.S. government and donors.

To put it in perspective, the U.S. total aid last year was around $69 billion.

The USAID's budget was over $40 billion.

Even with our $9 billion a year, that doesn't remotely fill that gap, and we're not even counting the cuts from other countries.

It's also important to stress that we think it's critical that philanthropic capital, which is scarce capital that does enjoy tax advantages, really should be spent on where we see the public sector and the private sector unable to invest.

We can take risks that government cannot take.

So we're investing in -- when Bill talks about that pipeline of innovation, we're investing in the first new T.B.

vaccine in over a century.

We're spending nearly $700 million that, which may succeed, it may fail.

But if it succeeds, it will be transformative.

That's something only we can do.

But then we need government, we need partners like the U.S. government to then help ensure that that vaccine or that new seed for a smallholder farmer to get more productive crops reaches the people who need them.

And so we can do a lot on our own, but we cannot possibly fill the kind of gap that the U.S. government risks leaving if it follows through on these proposed cuts.

AMNA NAWAZ: You know, I also have to ask, because you have for years pushed other wealthy people to give away more of their money.

You backed that Giving Pledge years ago, and many people signed on to it.

Even Elon Musk signed on to it back then, and then, recently, the man who's been pushing for a lot of these cuts, you described to The New York Times as the world's richest man who's now been involved in the deaths of the world's poorest children because of those cuts.

Do you still hold out hope that more wealthy people will follow your lead, when that hasn't been the trend that we have seen?

BILL GATES: Well, philanthropy is going up.

There's 240 people have joined what we call the Giving Pledge, where wealthy people commit to give away the majority of their money.

There's some real standouts in that group, including Michael Bloomberg, who's been successful and also supported us in things like polio and tobacco.

And we were just talking today about more things that we can do together.

Philanthropy is a positive element here.

Even the rich people in many of these countries, like Indonesia and Vietnam and Nigeria, are coming along to partner in these efforts.

But the rich countries, we're asking them for 1 to 2 percent of their money for this.

Without that, we won't be able to achieve our goals.

AMNA NAWAZ: Are you hopeful the rich countries will step up?

BILL GATES: Well, they did step up, and they should be proud of that.

These short-term pressures have us going in the wrong direction.

And I think the moral cause and the other benefits are strong enough, we will see some restoration in the years ahead.

AMNA NAWAZ: Bill Gates and Dr. Mark Suzman, thank you so much for your time.

We really appreciate you joining us.

BILL GATES: Thank you.

MARK SUZMAN: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tonight's Brief But Spectacular shines a light on three aspiring builders from a hands-on vocational construction program in Salinas, California.

Many of the students there are pushing past significant personal obstacles as they learn to frame walls, pour foundations, and design homes with sustainability in mind.

AMNA NAWAZ: In a state grappling with a housing crisis and the constant threat of wildfires, these young builders, Julieta (ph), Ezekiel (ph), and Jesus (ph), are gaining the skills to confront two of California's greatest challenges while constructing a brighter future for themselves.

JULIETA, Rancho Cielo Student: believe what makes a good construction worker would be someone who actually cares about what they're doing.

EZEKIEL, Rancho Cielo Student: Building this house helped us know that we can accomplish things in life without needing anyone.

JESUS, Rancho Cielo Student: I don't know.

Like, after you build something, you feel really proud of it.

You're just like, wow, like I built that.

I can't even believe it sometimes, you know?

I'm a student in Rancho Cielo in the construction program.

JULIETA: A senior here at Rancho Cielo on my last year.

JESUS: Rancho Cielo is a hands-on vocational school.

JULIETA: Right now, we are standing in the Nexus_01 house that was built here in Rancho Cielo by the construction and design students.

EZEKIEL: First, you learn how to do it, like the foundation.

Then you learn how to do the framing.

Then you learn how to do the trusses.

JULIETA: Growing up, I didn't really like school.

I would get bullied when I was little, so school wasn't really a thing I would look forward to.

EZEKIEL: I mean, I love school.

I never missed a day.

I mean, it was just a space for me to get away from where my troubles were.

JULIETA: Growing up in Salinas, my family was struggling with financial issues.

At the same time, my dad had gotten locked up.

JESUS: We have always had like trouble with money.

EZEKIEL: A lot of the houses that I grew up in were kind of like just messed up or not put in place correctly.

There was air coming in, a lot of mold.

Growing up would cause me to get asthma.

So, right now, we're standing in this beautiful house.

It's a sustainability house, 850 livable space.

Square footage, it's 1,200-plus if you have the outside.

My role here was construction management, so I had to supervise all the students, making sure that they were doing everything correctly.

JESUS: This house was made completely off-grid.

It had a backup battery system and a SPAN panel, so you can check it on your phone too, but it was also affordable.

EZEKIEL: Fireproof outside.

So, I mean, there's a fire outside, we're out here having a good time.

You won't even feel the fire.

JESUS: We took this home down to Orange County in L.A. to compete with the Orange County decathlon and we took first place.

MAN: First place goes to Rancho Cielo.

(CHEERING) JULIETA: When we got called up for the prize, it was just like a feeling of our hard work just paying off.

EZEKIEL: Getting first place just meant everything to us.

JULIETA: It made me realize I could probably be good in the construction management or architecture area.

JESUS: Now that I'm building homes, it makes me want to build a home for my mom.

EZEKIEL: This is the future.

We're trying to build houses that will keep our families safe.

JULIETA: Before coming to Rancho, I felt like I hadn't done something that I was part of myself, so this was really something that helped bring meaning.

JESUS: My name is Jesus.

EZEKIEL: My name is Ezekiel.

JULIETA: My name is Julieta.

And this is my Brief But Spectacular take on building a home.

AMNA NAWAZ: And you can watch more Brief But Spectacular videos online at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.

And in late-breaking news, President Trump says he's naming FOX News host and former Judge Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia.

Her selection comes after Trump pulled his previous pick for the job, Ed Martin Jr. Martin had represented several January 6 defendants in court and faced opposition from Republican senators, whose votes were needed to confirm him to the post.

GEOFF BENNETT: And that is the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team, thank you for joining us.