wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. >> good evening. >> on the newshour tonight. five americans detained in iran returning home. the prisoners fought to gain their freedom, unfreezing billions of dollars in iranian assets. >> turkey's discusses the state of nato. plus his war on ukraine and why his country may end its bid to become part of the european union. >> for the last 50 years we have been waiting at the doorstep of

the eu and at this moment, i trust russia as much as i trust the wt. amna: republican presidential candidates descend on iowa hoping to win evangelical voter support with their stances on abortion, guns, and much more. >> major funding for the pbs provided by -- for the pbs has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour. the william and flora hewitt foundation. for more than 50 years advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of

these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome to the newshour. five americans held for years by the regime in iran are on their way home tonight, freed after high-stakes negotiations. amna: in return, the u.s. is granting clemency to iranians held in american prisons, and unfreezing almost $6 billion in assets held in south korea. the u.s. says that money is now available to purchase

humanitarian goods and equipment. for those freed from iran today, it's the end of an ordeal: reporter: the five americans flew towards freedom this morning. imprisoned by the iranian regime for years, released in a complex deal between the u.s. and iran. >> it's very good to be able to say that our fellow citizens are free after enduring something that i think would be difficult for any of us to imagine. reporter: siamak namazi, emad shargi, and morad tahbaz were three of the five americans on the flight from tehran to doha, qatar. the other two detainees wish to remain anonymous. each was held on various charges, but determined by the u.s. state department to be wrongfully detained. in a statement, emad shargi's sister neda said, this is my brother, not an abstract policy. we are talking about human lives. there is nothing partisan about saving the lives of innocent americans and today should be a moment of american unity as we

welcome them home. in a deal struck with the iranians, the five americans were released in exchange for grants of clemency by the u.s. government for five iranian nationals. kaveh lotfolah afrasiabi, mehrdad ansari, amin hasanzadeh, reza sarhangpour kafrani, and kambiz attar kashani. and the transfer of $6 billion in frozen iranian assets held in south korea to a restricted account in qatar. iran can only use the funds for humanitarian purposes. two of the five iranians released, kafrani and ansari, were seen in qatar, headed back to iran. >> we are hoping to get the iranian assets under full control today and the funds are deposited into the account the islamic republic of iran announced in a friendly regional country. reporter: some lawmakers have been critical of the biden administration for making a deal with iran. >> even a simple prisoner swap

would still be grossly unjust, because the americans in iran have done nothing wrong. reporter: but u.s. officials have defended the agreement. >> when we're trying to bring americans home, weften aren't dealing on a level playing field. we have to use the leverage we have to bring them home. they aren't going to be released for nothing in exchange. reporter: in new york for the united nations general assembly, iranian president embrahim raisi met this morning with journalists, and said the exchange may lead to further dialogue between the u.s. and iran. amna: let's hear more a human rights attorney and pro bono counsel. he has worked on the campaign for release and joins us now from geneva. welcome. >> thank you for having me. amna: he had been held for nearly eight years. had you spoken directly with him since he has been freed?

has his family? >> i have. i gave a call right before they took off and when he landed, i saw on the big screen in my hotel room him coming down the stairs which was an extraordinary moment for me and kind of surreal given the time i spent with him over so many years, talking to him and advocating. a short time after, he gave me a call and said, i am in a huge amount of joy, i am free. this is what we had all been waiting for. amna: you tweeted a photo of him with a great big smile, he looks as happy as anyone could be. we know he's going to be assessed medically and psychologically and given the support he needs. we all remember this desperate high-risk interview he gave back in march from inside prison. but what can you tell us about his mental state, his emotional state? reporter: i have been through this many times with clients of

mine who have been hostages around the world. it is overwhelming. this is obviously front-page news. top story all around the world. and he is living it. he knew it was coming. he had been under house arrest for a number of weeks. we had a lot of conversations about how this is going to feel. often it feels like an out of body experience. hoping and praying this day would finally come. when it does, it sneaks up on you. there are two aspects that are so difficult. one is what he has been through and ultimately having to unclench his fist after years of having to survive. the other is he has lost some of the best years of his life. he wants to get married and have kids and find a job. he wants to live. all these details, so it is going to take time to get his bearings. i have encouraged him to take it

slow and one step at a time, not jump in with both feet. i think ultimately the media will proceed and he will be able to return to his life. it is important to remember it was not just him who was hostage, but his father was a hostage after going to see him in prison. himself detained at the age of 79 and spent three years in prison. not ever seeing his son, but near him, almost dying there and several more years trapped despite his sentence having been commuted. this has been a hrific ordeal for the family. for the first time in 10 years the family will be together. amna: we heard from the family. emad shargi's wife said this was

the first time in five years we once again have light in our home. morad tahbaz thanked president biden for making the difficult decision to prioritize life over politics. siamak namazi echoed that and said days that should have been the best of my life were stolen from me. what i want is assurance no one else will know the anguish my family and i experienced. there's an argument this was not a good deal. that this will encourage more hostagetaking. what do you make of that? >> the reality is republican and democratic presidents going back to the hostage taking in 1979 and to the beginning of our history have wrestled with this and failed it is worth. noting there was no difference for them between the policies of barack obama and donald trump.

siamak namazi was left behind by president obama in 2016. from their, i told the family, he will be out in a couple weeks. instead -- by the end of the obama administration they were hostages. then president trump comes along and we hope along with the family president trump is talking about maximum pressure on iran, great. see if that works. it turns out the campaign was a zero pressure policy on american hostages. there's not a single action taken by president trump to put pressure on iran that connected to hostages that had any impact. four years later not only were they still in jail, but despite having been promised it would not happen, they were left behind two more times. americans that were taken later were -- deals were struck to get

them out and the namazis were left behind. so what is the difference between barack obama and donald trump for then? the answer is nothing. no administration seems to take this seriously. i am glad president biden got this done but the reality is this is not a top priority of this administration or any other. we have to take a dramatically different direction if we want to end state-sponsored hostagetaking. amna: the work to free these americans stopped and started many times. what made the difference? >> this is the biggest challenge. talking about a hostage in iran. the reality is you have to get both countries to come together at the same time and be willing to talk and there are 1000 things conspiring against you to have that happen. this is the tragic reality we have dealt with over the course

of our country's history and especially going back to 1979. we have higher priorities with iran. nuclear issues. missiles. terrorism and other things. the reality is no administration is focused on the freeing of american hostages as a priority within the overall iran policy framework for the united states. this is what has to change in my view. the reality is that is a wonderful thing for a country like iran to be able to take hostages. there is no consequence when they do so. eventually all countries around the u.s. will strike a deal. we have seen this over and over. we need disincentives to be created not just by the u.s. but with dozens of countries around the world so that if one hostage is taken from one country, 30 or 40 countries come down like a ton of bricks on the back of that country and change and disrupt the value proposition of taking hostages in the first place.

reporter: thank you, great to see you. geoff: from the white house perspective we turn to president biden's deputy national security advisor who joins us from the united nations. welcome back to the newshour. there are questions as you know about what iran is getting in exchange for freeing these five american citizens. namely the release of $6 billion in frozen iranian assets. the u.s. maintains the money can only be used for humanitarian purposes, food and medicine. the hard-line president of iran in an interview with nbc said the money will be spent, quote, wherever we need it. how does the u.s. respond? >> first thanks for having me. the u.s. knows what has been agreed to. that is the transfer of these funds from one highly restricted account in qatar -- sorry, in

south korea, to another in qatar. iran has only announced used for humanitarian purposes. the united states will be monitoring the transactions when they take place from this account to make sure it is used for those purposes and if iran deviates from the use that has been authorized, the u.s. has options to freeze those funds again. whatever is being said by government officials, and he read one quote, i see others from iranian officials acknowledging they agreed to these restrictions. they will need to stick to that or else we have options at our disposal. geoff: can the administration guarantee the money will not end up in the hands of iran's military guard or be used to fund and arm militants across the middle east? >> i can tell you none of these funds are going to end up in around at all.

they will be available for authorized uses, humanitarian purposes, for iran to make purchases like food and medicine. taking a step back, you jumped immediately and i understand why that is given the discourse. the bigger picture here is there are five americans who have been held in around for a very long time. some going back a. . number of years. one as far back as 2016 who will be reunited with family and are on their way to that reunion. the president has had the opportunity to speak with those families to underscore how highly he valued the fact they would be reunited with their loved ones. for us that is the priority and the most important thing that came out of today. geoff: republicans are accusing president biden of paying what they characterize as ransom to a state sponsor of terrorism. lawmakers say they are glad when americans are free from captivity but that deals like this encourage hostagetaking by aggressive regimes.

what is your response? >> we totally reject that characterization. these funds are not coming out of u.s. accounts. they are not u.s. funds or taxpayer money. these are iranian funds in one account being moved t an account in a different country. these funds are not going to iran itself. they are being made available to fund humanitarian purposes. that characterization seems to me to be misleading in terms of what these funds are and how they will be used. >> more than a year of talks to restore the 2015 iran nuclear deal. which former president trump unilaterally abandoned in 2018. those talks collapsed last summer. iran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons grade levels. is there an expectation the progress made on this issue could pay the way for progress

on the nuclear issue? >> i want to be clear about a few things. the u.s. did this deal on the merits, we did not do it to unlock cooperation or collaboration on any other topic. we did this to get five americans back reunited with their families. second, we have been clear that we favor a diplomatic solution to the threat posed by iran's nuclear program. we favor direct negotiations with iran, we favor attempts to restore diplomatic constraints on iran's nuclear program that reduce the level of threat about which we all in the international community are concerned. the iranians have not been open to conversations with the united states until now and have been less willing to go back to the nuclear deal that was made a couple of administrations ago. whether or not this arrangement creates momentum, it is far too early to tell. the most important thing is we did this on the merits and to get those americans home.

geoff: lastly, amna spoke to president erdogan and he says u.s. sales of f-16 fighter jets to turkey should not be linked with turkey's ratification of sweden's nato membership. he says, quote, these topics should not be related. how does the u.s. see it? >> it is not the policy of this administration to link those issues. this administration has been supportive of the transfer of f-16s to turkey. there are members of congress who have had a different view and who wanted to see steps taken by turkey before they will either lift holds or authorize the transfer of these systems to the turks. we are working very closely with congress to do just that. in terms of any linkage it is not coming from president biden or this administration. >> what is your expectation for when that will happen?

>> i'm not going to get ahead of ongoing discussions with members of congress. our view is these systems should be transferred to the turks and that the turks should complete the ratification of the swedish accession to nato. but we are in support of both of those steps. >> john feiner, thank you for your time. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west, here are the latest headlines. the auto workers' strike is now in its fourth day with no bargaining agreement in sight. ford, general motors, and stellantis proposed wage hikes of about 20% over four years. but that's only half the amount the united auto workers union is demanding. picket lines in wayne, michigan, blocked the entrance to the ford

assembly plant. workers and their supporters say the walkouts are long overdue. >> i'm talking to workers and retirees. i'm asking people how they're feeling. they're feeling resolved. they're feeling united. they're feeling solidarity. and they know what they are doing is right to get their fair share. stephanie: ford has already told 600 non-striking employees not to report to work while g.m. says as many as 2,000 workers could be temporarily laid off at a kansas plant this week. in libya the u.n. is warning that disease outbreaks could cause a secondary crisis in the country's flood-ravaged northeast. authorities say at least 150 people have fallen ill from tainted water. sanitation workers in hazmat suits have been working around the clock in the hard-hit city of derna to disinfect contaminated areas and prevent the spread of disease. >> the campaign has continued to its sixth day. since the catastrophe, we've been sanitizing the streets,

mosques, shelters where displaced people are staying, mortuary refrigerators, and bodies using healthy materials. we also toured undamaged neighborhoods and sanitized them. stephanie: elsewhere in the city, another wave of much-needed humanitarian aid arrived. the overall death toll from the floods still stands at 11,300 people. the red crescent estimates some 10,000 more are still missing. ukraine's defense department reshuffled its leadership today firing all six deputy ministers. the dismissals come amid corruption allegations related to purchasing equipment. a new defense minister was appointed earlier this month. that's as heavy fighting continues in the east. ukrainian troops held onto liberated villages along the frontlines while blasts in russian-occupied areas damaged government offices. hunter biden sued the irs today for violating his right to privacy. the lawsuit alleges that two agents tried to embarrass him by disclosing confidential information about his tax matters.

this comes amid an ongoing investigation by house republicans and days after an indictment on separate charges related to a handgun purchase. michigan state informed head football coach mel tucker today he will be fired without compensation for misconduct with a rape survivor. she once advised the team about sexual violence. tucker, who was already suspended, has seven days to provide a sufficient reason to dispute the decision. the university has an ongoing investigation into the woman's sexual harassment complaint. tucker has denied the allegations. still to come on the newshour. our politics monday team breaks down the republican candidates' campaign stops in iowa. and stock markets for artwork. the pros and cons for investors and for art. >> this is the pbs newshour from w eta studios in washington and

in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: the nation of turkey sits at a crossroads of the world, and its president, recep tayyip erdogan, is its preeminent leader. reelected to office earlier this year, erdogan has now been in power 22 years. both a nato and u.s. ally, turkey's connections to the west are important and vital. but erdogan will go his own way when it suits him, as he told me yesterday. we sat down for an exclusive interview at the turkish house across the street from the united nations, where he will speak this week. thank you for taking the time to sit down with us. >> thank you. amna: you said just yesterday your country may abandon its bid to join the european union, they have previously cited concerns about democratic backsliding and human rights. you have been seeking e.u. membership since 1999.

are you prepared to abandon that? pres. erdogan: we attach great importance to the decision made by the you. if the eu would take such a step forward we would welcome it. turkey has been lingering at the doorstep of the eu for the past five decades and we were always self-sufficient. we never relied on contributions or support from the eu so it is not necessary for us. amna: in to lie you suggested the eu should admit turkiye into the eu if it wanted to see sweden in nato. do you see those issues is linked to? -- as linked? pres. erdogan: sweden's position and our current position with eus session are different things -- eu accession are different things. we support sweden's bid to join nato but sweden is supposed to rise to the occasion and keep their promises. on the streets of stockholm we see terrorists roaming freely.

amna: you did agree at the nato summit to forward sweden's nato bid to turkish parliament. do you expect them to take that up when they reconvene in early october? pres. erdogan: sweden's bid to join nato has been assessed by the turkish grand national assembly and that is where it is going to be eventually ratified. amna: when you say eventually do you think that will happen when they reconvene in october? when is your expectation of when parliament will vote? pres. erdogan: this is part of the agenda of the turkish grand national assembly. this proposal will come to a vote by the parliamentarians. >> to be clear i do not hear you committing to say this is something you see them taking up anytime soon. pres. erdogan: for that to be happening sweden should keep its promises. terrorist organizations should stop demonstrations on the

streets of stockholm and stop there -- sweden carried out legislative effort but it is not enough. amna: what about the u.s. sale of f-16s to turkiye? do you see that is linked to turkey supporting sweden joining nato? the day after, you agreed to forward sweden's nato bid to your parliament. the u.s. national security advisor said washington would move forward with the f-16 sale. are the issues linked? pres. erdogan: i believe these topics should not be related. while president biden said the issue is tied to the congress we would always say ok, we have the parliament. if the parliament does not make a positive decision there is nothing to do. amna: as you know, there are skeptics in u.s. congress about the f-16 sale. among them is the chairman of the senate's powerful foreign relations committee, senator bob

menendez. i spoke with him and he cited a number of reasons he's opposed to the sale. the jailing of journalists and opposition politicians, not joining western alliance in sanctioning russia. he said turkey has the opportunity to show up and show that it is part of the team. what do you say to that? pres. erdogan: bob menendez is not very familiar with turkiye. and menendez does not seem to be familiar with erdogan either. we are friends for many decades. it seems like menendez has taken a hostile approach to turkiye and is trying to pull us toward discussions of his choosing. we are not going to be part of this. our friendship with greece is not with a make it out to be. amna: what do you make of the senators concerns in weight of russia's world look on ukraine to not joining in sanctioning russia?

pres. erdogan: are we supposed to do what eu members are doing? turkiye has a different position and eu member states have their different positions. russia happens to be one of my closest neighbors. this is how the current process is continuing. we have launched 33 million tons of grain exported to the rest of the world using the black sea and we did not do this just because the you asked us to. it is a humanitarian obligation we assumed. amna: but moscow did renege on that deal earlier this month. after your early september meeting, putin did not agree to renew the grain deal. can you tell us why that failed? pres. erdogan: we requested this and he said he was going to send one million tons of grain. amna: do you know when? exports have not restarted.

pres. erdogan: he said it was going to be released soon and we were following elements. amna: do you trust that he will make good on that pledge? pres. erdogan: i have no reason not to trust them. to the extent the west is reliable, russia is equally reliable. the last 50 years we have been waiting at the doorstep of the eu and at this moment i trust russia as much as i trust the west. amna: what is that based on? there are critics who will look at the leadership of president putin and say, he is not to be trusted. that even continuing to hold back on the grain deal allows him greater leverage for war on macomb ukraine -- for war in ukraine. pres. erdogan: i do not agree. we have solidarity. we are taking mutual steps forward and collaborating with the defense industry as well. we can do these things with russia. amna: what about the continuing war in ukraine?

do you have an understanding, does president putin believe he is winning? pres. erdogan: i cannot say but i need to be very clear. it is quite obvious this war is going to last a long time and for the war to end as soon as possible we would like to be very hopeful. mr. putin is on the side of ending this war as soon as possible. amna: what leads you to believe he would like to end the war? nothing we see on the battlefield indicates that. pres. erdogan: i am taking into account the words of the leader. mr. putin is on the side of ending this war as soon as possible. that is what he said and i believe his remarks. amna: do you think ukraine will be successful on a russia from ukrainian territory -- on expelling russia from ukrainian territory? pres. erdogan: back in the year 2014 i had certain discussions with president putin on crimea. i was not successful in my deliberations. i could not make them withdraw.

i think it is not going to be possible for the time being either. only time will tell. amna: how long do you see this war going? how do you see it ending? pres. erdogan: it is impossible for me to give you a calendar about when the war will end or how long it will go. only the leaders of the both parties will be able to tell you. amna: do you see more benefit to your nations relationship with russia or with the u.s.? pres. erdogan: this question cannot be asked of a political leader. the way i engage with politics to the extent possible is about establishing contact with nations around the world based on a win-win scenario. as i have good relations with the u.s., i will have good relations with russia. i will continue to have a relationship with eu member states based on the same approach. win-win. amna: there have been a number of high-profile arrests in your country. i wanted to ask you about them.

a former journalist, who was charged with insulting you in tweets. there was an activist who was in april sentenced to life in prison. another opposition politician has been serving jail time since 2016. your critics will say jailing many of these people gives the impression that you want them silenced. that they are in some way threatening you. are you threatened by these people? pres. erdogan: why are you so interested in this? turkiye is a state of law. such decisions can only be made by the judiciary. let the decisions of the judiciary we respected and executed. i'm not in a position to serve in a position of the judiciary. the menu spoke up as a financier

-- the man you spoke of is a financier. amna: should someone be jailed and charged for his insulting you in tweets? pres. erdogan: no, i'm not getting involved in this. decisions are made by the judiciary. a terrorist to cause the death of more than 200 people, the judgment was given by the judiciary again. amna: the european court of human rights disagrees with that assessment. pres. erdogan: don't interrupt. you have no right to interrupt. you are not going to interrupt me. respect me. and you are going to respect the judgment of the judiciary as well. the american judiciary is a full-fledged judiciary. so is the judiciary of turkiye and you have to respect that. we are a state of law. this is how we will keep on living. amna: president erdogan, the

committee to protect journalists says turkey is the fourth most prolific jailer of journalists in the world. why are there so many journalists in jail in urination? pres. erdogan: how many journalists are currently in prison? amna: according to the cpa the number has doubled -- cpj there were 18 in 2021 at 40 in 2022. pres. erdogan: they were supportive of terrorism. where would they live or roam freely around the world? these people have been supportive of terrorism. they were supporting terrorism and the judiciary may judgment. -- made it judgment. amna: what would you like the american people to understand about the relationship between the u.s. and turkiye? pres. erdogan: the american people are following turkiye. as long as there is healthy news and coverage the u.s. will have access to information. amna: thank you for your time.

pres. erdogan: thank you. geoff: republican presidential hopefuls took center stage in iowa over the weekend making their case to a key voting bloc in the state: white evangelicals. the candidates touched on various issues important to religious conservatives, abortion in particular. laura barron lopez has more. laura: this weekend in iowa, a focus on faith. >> our rights were endowed by the hand of almighty god. laura: and guns. >> as president, i will make sure that our 2nd amendment is protected. laura: as most of the republican presidential hopefuls courted voters four months before the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses. >> you ready to hear from these presidential candidates? laura: one critical voting bloc

-- evangelicals, who made up nearly two-thirds of republican caucus-goers in 2o16. most candidates made their pitch saturday at the annual faith and freedom dinner in des moines. >> there is a debate within the party today, ralph, and it's an important debate. laura: on display, divides inside the gop on a critical issue for conservative voters -- abortion. florida governor ron desantis touted recent six-week bans enacted in iowa and his home state. >> i think the states have done the better job thus far. congress has really struggled to make a meaningful impact over the years. laura: while former vice president mike pence pushed for a 15-week national ban. >> it's a 15-week minimum ban. i believe it's an idea whose time has come. laura: a proposal former south carolina governor nikki haley dismissed as unrealistic. >> tell people the truth. you go and you put this ban of 15 weeks and what does it do? it has everybody running from us.

what about if we got people running to us? laura: and former arkansas governor asa hutchinson said he would sign a national ban with "reasonable exceptions." he also took aim at comments made by former president donald trump, who skipped the event. >> both sides aren't going to like you. this is going to be a fight for life, and we've been doing that for 40 years. you take a stand, you state your position. laura: during an interview on meet the press, trump -- who leads his gop opponents by more than 30 points in iowa -- dodged specifics about the abortion restrictions he would support. >> we're going to agree to a number of weeks or months or however you want to define it. and both sides are going to come together and both sides -- both sides, and this is a big statement, both sides will come together. and for the first time in 52 years, you'll have an issue that we can put behind us. >> at the federal level? >> it could be state or it could be federal. i don't frankly care.

laura: as president, trump appointed three justices to the supreme court which led to the overturning of roe v. wade and cleared the way for republican states to enact laws restricting abortion. for republican voters in iowa, however, their support for abortion restrictions is clear. in a recent emerson college poll, 38% of republicans said abortion should be banned at all times. another 26% percent support a ban after six weeks. for the pbs newshour, i'm laura barron-lopez. >> for analysis of the 2024 presidential campaign and how voters are reacting to the impeachment inquiry republicans are launching, we turn to amy walter and kate henderson. >> let's pick up where laura left off. donald trump who nominated three supreme court responsible for overturning roe says republicans speak very inarticulately about

abortion and criticize those who pushed for bands without exemptions. what do you make of the messaging and the messenger? >> he was almost acting like a pundit looking back at the 2022 elections and the ballot initiatives, seeing how badly republicans have done in the wake of roe v. wade being overturned. how abortion has been an energizing issue for democrats. it has helped them do better than anybody expected. i also see somebody who is looking past and not just his past positions on this issue, but past the primary. he is trying to set himself up for the general election. you know, this question about whether this is the kind of issue republican voters are going to punish donald trump for, for taking a much more -- i don't know where he ended up after that conversation. he is a little bit here and there.

but he did go after ron desantis and say six weeks -- i cannot remember the exact words. >> terrible mistake is the phrase he used. kay, you spoke to governor desantis about that. what was his response? >> desantis is suggesting this puts donald trump's pro-life credentials in question. i would also add that trump has had an ongoing feud with iowa governor -- she's the most popular republican in the state that is going to host the first in the nation iowa caucuses. she also signed a six week abortion ban this summer. he called it terrible. >> amy, you mentioned the pivot the former president is making from the primary to the general. is there a risk doing that too early? >> he does not seem. to. be worried. what i thought was interesting, i was just reading reports what

was going on at the conference this weekend, there was one woman there who they interviewed who summed up how this issue plays with a lot of republican voters who defined themselves as pro-life, who have told posters i support a complete ban, but when you ask them what do you think that really means, they kind of sound less certain. she said yes, abortion is my number one issue. the reporter said how about a federal ban? she said i don't know, i could go either way on that. i have heard focus groups, 2022, of republicans who said i consider myself pro-life but we should have exceptions. the issue is may be more muddled. donald trump is confident enough in that and his lead that even in a state like iowa he thinks it is not a big issue to him.

>> the republican party is driven and dominated by white evangelicals who are loyal to donald trump. the question is why, especially when they have options like mike pence who is known for his faith, has his roots in conservative christian movement. was his decision not to back donald trump's effort to overturn the election -- is that a real deciding factor? >> it is. donald trump is popular with iowa republicans. mike pence is not popular with donald trump. back to amy's point about trump, iowa republicans in general see trump as a man besieged with indictments, with critics. they feel compelled to support him especially evangelical christians who make the argument that they are out there being

tarnished or targeted because of their religious beliefs, and they feel kinship with donald trump in that regard. the interesting thing watching him try to make this pipit is ok, we need to win back suburban voters, -- make this pivot is ok, we need to win back suburban voters. the issue is not abortion, it is donald trump and the things he has said and done starting with january 6 and the indictment. that is not going to be fixed in a general election by moderating on abortion. >> let's talk about impeachment. i'm sorry, go ahead. >> if you are out here talking to iowa voters who are going to candidate events and seeing candidates who are not donald trump, they are looking at other candidates. but when you ask who are you inclined to support at this moment, i am a trump supporter

but i'm holding my options open. that isreally telling of what control donald trump has on the nomination and in iowa. it is donald trump's race to lose. >> shifting focus back to washington, kevin mccarthy decided to greenlight an impeachment inquiry, drawing criticism from democrats but also some republicans. ken buck who is a member of the freedom caucus wrote an op-ed saying trump's impeachment was a disgrace to the constitution and a disservice to americans. the gop reprise is no better. he says this is a flimsy excuse for impeachment. what is the risk reward matrix for kevin mccarthy? >> the risk is that he loses his conservative flank on something like funding the government which by the way he does not have right now anyway. this is going to be ongoing. i do not know that impeachment solves it. the other risk is that moderates

, ken buck does not fit into this category, but moderates have to take an uncomfortable vote on this. there is something else. somewhere between this is making this issue of hunter biden, questions about corruption, keeping that in the mix so that it muddies the water when you get into the general election. donald trump has indictments. who knows what legal outcomes there will be. there's also this, oh well -- what happened with that? it is hard to believe you can go through an inquiry and not end with impeachment. it is a slippery slope. but for some of those republicans, that is the ideal. >> is that strategy working among republicans you speak to a

macron iowa? how is the issue resonating? >> among elected republicans, the thing they keep saying is this is a fact-finding mission. none of them say they are supporting impeachment or even expecting to vote on impeachment. number two, among iowa gop prospective caucus-goers, this is just sort of ok, go do it. because they have all been talking about hunter biden for months and months and months. this is not essentially the big news for the rank and file. >> kay henderson from iowa, and amy wter, it is always great to see you. thank you.

amna: the global art market totals nearly $70 billion with returns that outpace bonds by some estimates. growth has spawned new investors looking to make money in what is a booming sector. economics correspondent paul solman looks at the prudence of investing in art for our arts and culture series, canvas. paul: the grand opening of artex, a european art stock market which plans to start trading soon, selling shares in art, like this francis bacon, one work at a time. >> we are the equivalent of nasdaq, the new york stock exchange or the london stock exchange. paul: co-founder and ceo yassir benjelloun-touimi. >> and instead of buying a corporate share in a company, you buy a share into a masterpiece. paul: one of 550,000 shares in a triptych by the late english painter francis bacon, of his liver george dyer. an ipo, a public offering, with

shares priced at $100 each. and what do i get for that? >> you get the appreciation in the exact way you get the appreciation if you're buying an ounce of gold. paul: what if francis bacon paintings are no longer popular? >> when you buy shares in apple at any time, are you sure they're not going to lose value? paul: now artex is the latest firm to sell shares in individual works of art, but not the first. >> in the past, collectors and dealers have often bought things in small consortiums. paul: wall st. journal art market correspondent kelly crow. >> the british railway pension did sort of pioneer this idea that you could pool your money and buy better things and hold it for a time and resell it. paul: so somebody can buy a share of -- this is a warhol or a reproduction of a warhol that you own, right? >> yeah. paul: but nowadays, new york's masterworks already sells art shares to the public as you would stocks. chief investment officer allen

sukholitsky. >> masterworks is a firm that makes art an investable asset class. the first firm that's ever done it. we started in 2017, so we've been doing it now for several years. paul: during which the firm's value has climbed to more than a billion dollars, it says, employees beating the bushes for marketable high value artwork and customers, to whom to hawk shares in a masterwork like an andy warhol or a yayoi kusama. >> she's actually about 100 years old, which is always interest. -- always interesting. it tells you that artists have definitely cracked the code on living forever. paul: the usual minimum investment: $15,000, for a share of an artwork whose price is derived from an auction database tracking 7000 artists, post-world war ii. masterworks says it only buys blue chips, artists like warhol and kusama whose values have outperformed the stock and bond markets for the past 30 years:

ed rucha, kaws, supposedly "masterwork-backed" securities. so does this pose a threat to traditional sellers, like auction house christie's, whose giacometti transmogrifying into a degas had me flummoxed till learning they were holograms digitally shipped to potential buyers. >> we really see it as an expansion of the market. it's an innovative way to broaden our market. paul: president for american art bonnie brennan. >> if this is a way to meet new clients, all the better for us. paul: but better for everyone? well, as always, warns reporter kelly crow, investor beware. >> the art market, it is just super unregulated. it's kind of like a wild west sphere. if you want to buy a $100 share just for kicks in the same way that you would go to a baseball game just to have fun and see how something does roll the dice, have some fun. i just would be a little nervous, you know, taking out a second mortgage. paul: even for a painting as highly valued in the current market as the francis bacon

triptych? >> these george dyer triptychs that sold in 2017 for mid 50 million are important because that lover eventually committed suicide on the eve of a major show of bacon's. we really love the soap opera of an artist's life and how that feeds into the work. >> it is a work called hot pie, which simulates, you know, a hot pie sitting on the kitchen window, cooling. paul: yeah, i see. that's the steam from the hot pie. >> exactly. paul: contemporary art consultant alex glauber, who helped his client buy this work by alex da corte. glauber has sold to masterworks. so an art stock market is a good thing? >> it certainly brings more money and attention to the art market. but i don't know if it's necessarily healthy for art and the appreciation of art long term. paul: why not? >> because if the conversation is more about the money than the art that really devalues, it undermines the very purpose of art. paul: but the argument is, hmm, i'll start out with it as an

investment. then i'll get interested in it and i'll learn more about it. i'll become an art appreciator. >> but if what you're trying to learn about is why this is a savvy investment, why this artist is poised for an uptick in their value, that is very much at odds with what perhaps put that artist in that position in the first place. paul: in other words, we're talking speculation. as in some 1000 picassos, and innumerable other brand-name works stored in warehouses around the world. or more recently, in digital nfts, "non-fungible tokens" that boomed and then swooned since i interviewed investor lin dai barely a year ago. so what's happened to the nft market since last we talked? >> a lot has changed. we saw the speculative bubble pop. paul: which had seen lin dai's "bored ape" nft double in value to $400,000 dollars, before falling back down to today's

$100,000 by his estimate. are you having second thoughts, misgivings about having bought your bored ape? >> absolutely not. i think certainly the bored ape probably will hold its value over time. paul: unlike, say, jozef israels' erstwhile masterwork pancake day, which fetched more than one million pounds in 1895, $1 billion or more today depending on how you convert prices. israel's largest painting at auction in recent years brought $35,000. just one of countless examples that illustrate what philosopher barbara herrnstein smith calls the contingencies of value. >> value is not fixed, inherent , objective, and part of objects. but the product of numerous interactions between people and things in their universe.

it's contingent in the sense that what affects those interactions changes. the question is always going to be, will it continue to be valued over time? not will it continue to have value over time. paul: and thus, for the investment value of art we've learned to prize, from leonardo and rembrandt to israels, van gogh, and picasso bacon, warhol, a bored ape. time will tell if we fickle mortals will continue valuing them as we do today. amna: on behalf of the newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by.

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