GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On the "News Hour" tonight: India fires missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory, retaliation for recent attacks on tourists that have inflamed tensions in the region.

GEOFF BENNETT: Canada's newly elected prime minister shows no signs of backing down after meeting with President Trump, who's imposed steep tariffs and threatens to make Canada the 51st state.

AMNA NAWAZ: And how efforts to crack down on protests and diversity initiatives are playing out on college campuses.

KHALILAH BROWN-DEAN, Professor, Wesleyan University: If students are afraid to speak, it changes the very nature of what the college experience is supposed to be.

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

India has launched missile strikes against Pakistan tonight in an apparent response to a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago.

GEOFF BENNETT: India blamed those attacks on Pakistani militants and struck nine targets in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, the disputed border region each claims as its own.

Nick Schifrin joins us now.

So, Nick, what's the latest?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Geoff, as you said, India says that it targeted terror sites in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.

But Pakistan says the strikes also hit in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab.

And these are videos from Pakistan tonight.

You see one of those explosions.

India calls this Operation Sindoor and says these strikes are -- quote -- "focused, measured and non-escalatory," they didn't target any Pakistani military targets," and that India has -- quote -- "demonstrated considerable restraint."

As you guys said, India is responding to a terrorist attack last month in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, that killed more than two dozen Hindu tourists.

India accused Pakistan of backing that attack, a claim that Pakistan, of course, denies.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been under enormous domestic pressure to respond to this attack with the military.

And analysts tells me that India, frankly, feels like the aggrieved party right now and is not worried about escalation.

So Modi had to respond, in part because he has been claiming that Kashmir was safe.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, based on your conversations, based on your reporting, is this likely to escalate?

NICK SCHIFRIN: In a word, unfortunately, yes.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tonight said -- quote -- "Pakistan has every right to give a robust response to this act of war imposed by India and a strong response is indeed being given."

Pakistan had already warned that any Indian military strike would be responded to with a -- quote -- "quid pro quo."

And, tonight, Pakistan is describing these attacks as partially on civilians.

Pakistan has said a child was killed, a mosque might have been struck.

And so the analysts I speak to say that Pakistan's army chief, who is known by some as risk-prone, will be wanting to demonstrate a level of toughness, wanting to respond to this in a way that will go over and above what India has done.

And so the fear among analysts tonight is very much that this will escalate.

GEOFF BENNETT: OK, Nick Schifrin, our thanks to you, as always.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: Here in the U.S. today, the new Canadian prime minister came to the White House to meet President Trump amid an acrimonious war of words started by Mr. Trump that's roiled the historic alliance between the neighbors.

GEOFF BENNETT: Mark Carney was elected just last week after his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, stepped down in March.

Mr. Trump's repeated insistence that the U.S. should annex Canada and the tariffs levied on many goods are leading to an unprecedented outpouring of anger in Canada.

Our Laura Barron-Lopez has more.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Today, a meeting between two neighbors, their historic alliance in tatters.

MARK CARNEY, Canadian Prime Minister: Thank you for your hospitality.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: President Trump sitting down with Canada's new prime minister, Mark Carney, who campaigned on a promise to confront Trump.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: His party was losing by a lot.

And he ended up winning, so I really want to congratulate him.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The high-stakes talks began with pleasantries.

Within minutes, Carney shut down Trump's repeated declaration that he wants to annex Canada and make it the 51st state.

MARK CARNEY: As you know from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale.

DONALD TRUMP: That's true.

MARK CARNEY: We're sitting in one right now, Buckingham Palace that you visited as well.

DONALD TRUMP: That's true.

MARK CARNEY: And having met with the owners of Canada over the course of the campaign last several months, it's not for sale.

It won't be for sale ever.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: But Trump again brushed it aside.

DONALD TRUMP: Time will tell.

It's only time.

But I say never say never.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The war of words began long before today's visit.

Carney, fresh off his election win last week, was clear that the U.S.-Canada relationship is completely changed.

MARK CARNEY: Our old relationship, based on steadily increasing integration, is over.

The questions now are how our nations will cooperate in the future and where we in Canada will move on.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: At today's meeting, differences on trade were front and center, even if they were muddled by more false statements from President Trump.

DONALD TRUMP: Well, we don't do much business with Canada from our standpoint.

They do a lot of business with us.

We're at like 4 percent and usually those things don't last very long.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The U.S. and Canada have been among each other's top trading partners for decades.

And when asked about tariffs, Trump was blunt.

QUESTION: Is there anything he could say to you in the course of your meetings with him today that would get you to lift tariffs on Canada?

DONALD TRUMP: No.

QUESTION: Why not?

DONALD TRUMP: Just the way it is.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Carney, who is a two-time central bank chief himself, went on to agree.

Economic differences will take time to resolve.

MARK CARNEY: This is a bigger discussion.

There are much bigger forces involved.

And this will take some time and some discussions.

And that's why we're here.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Later in the afternoon, Carney made his way to the Canadian Embassy... MARK CARNEY: Good afternoon.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: ... just down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, and told reporters he asked Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state.

MARK CARNEY: We have more -- a lot more work to do.

I'm not trying to suggest at any respect that we can have one meeting and everything's changed.

But now we are engaged.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Despite the uncertainty, Carney remained optimistic... MARK CARNEY: Thank you very much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: ... about the future of the relationship.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez.

AMNA NAWAZ: To get more perspective on how Canada is viewing the first meeting between Prime Minister Carney and President Trump, I'm joined by Brian Clow.

He was the deputy chief of staff to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and has also served as the executive director for Canadian-U.S. relations at the former prime minister's office.

Brian Clow, welcome to the "News Hour."

Thanks for joining us.

BRIAN CLOW, Former Deputy Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Great to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: So these are two men who, it's fair to say, have sparred from afar.

But they kept a very civil tone in this first face-to-face meeting.

So how do you look at it?

Did they do any repair to a damaged relationship or just emerge without additional damage done?

BRIAN CLOW: I think the Canadian goal going into this meeting was to refresh, restart the relationship after a very tumultuous few months since Donald Trump returned to office.

And Prime Minister Carney clearly achieved what he needed to achieve.

He didn't need to come out of today with a tariff lift or any specific policy outcome.

What he needed to do was establish a constructive tone with the president that can lead into further talks.

What struck me was how positive and respectful the president was in return.

And what I mean by that is not in substance, but in tone.

And that is an important difference.

He was -- the president clearly respects Mark Carney.

And I think that will lay the foundation for future talks.

That said, it's still concerning to see the president repeating some egregious statements about annexation of Canada and trying to shut down some of our core industries like auto.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, does this in some way sort of open the door for the two sides to negotiate with a bit more substance?

And if that's the case, what would be the top of Carney's list in terms of what he'd like to see get done?

BRIAN CLOW: Right.

It's -- well, I know the Canadian side and I'm sure the American side too were using today to scope out what could be the foundation for further talks and where there might be some room for cooperation.

I believe the Canadians would have come in with the outlines of some potential areas of further cooperation, things like defense spending, energy, critical minerals.

But there can only be further cooperation if the tariffs are ultimately lifted.

And as long as the tariffs are in place, I think we're going to continue to see the relationship be quite strained.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, those tariffs have to be already taking some kind of a hit to the Canadian economy.

And we have heard Carney say that he would walk away from a bad deal if Mr. Trump refuses to budge.

Can Canada afford to do that?

BRIAN CLOW: So it's definitely having an impact on our economy, just like it's having an impact on the U.S. economy.

There has been some slowdown already in the Canadian auto sector.

And it has caused -- the tariffs have caused a general chill, a freeze on investment and growth in the country.

That said -- and I don't want to understate the challenges that we have already faced -- I think Canada has time here to weather this storm.

And, therefore, Prime Minister Carney and his team have some time and some room to negotiate, and they won't be forced into a bad deal.

The prime minister has said that clearly.

I expect -- while I'm hopeful these talks could unfold and be wrapped up in a matter of weeks, I would expect that negotiations will go on much longer than that.

AMNA NAWAZ: In terms of the support Carney has back home, I mean, there's been some reporting here about the anger among Canadians.

Mr. Trump's remarks and the tariffs have sparked sort of a surge in nationalism, boycotting American products and so on.

How would you describe what you have seen there on the ground?

BRIAN CLOW: Yes, it's like nothing I have ever seen.

And I don't think there are many Canadians alive who would have seen the level of patriotism that we're currently experiencing right now.

It's unfortunate that it took these threats that we're seeing from the U.S. president to bring us all together in the way we are.

But if there's one upside to these threats, it is our renewed sense of patriotism.

Canadians are really angry.

They're really upset at what the president and his team have said about us.

And that is -- it has dug the relationship into a very big hole and it's going to take some time to dig out of that hole.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is Brian Clow, deputy chief of staff to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, joining us from Toronto tonight.

Brian, thank you for your time.

Good to speak with you.

BRIAN CLOW: Thank you very much.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the day's other headlines: President Trump says the U.S. will stop bombing Houthi rebels in Yemen effective immediately.

His administration has increased American airstrikes on the Iran-backed group since March in response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the region.

The foreign minister of Oman said his nation helped broker the cease-fire, saying in a statement that it will ensure - - quote -- "freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping."

In the Oval Office today, Trump said the Houthis simply don't want to continue the conflict.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: The Houthis have announced that they are not -- or they have been announced to us at least that they don't want to fight anymore.

They just don't want to fight.

And we will honor that.

And we will stop the bombings.

AMNA NAWAZ: That comes after the Israeli military announced it struck Houthi targets in Yemen for a second day in a row, this time disabling the country's main airport.

Several power plants were also hit.

It followed a Houthi missile strike on Israel's main airport on Sunday.

Russia and Ukraine traded attacks today, even as Moscow says it remains committed to a pause in strikes later this week to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Day over Nazi Germany.

In Ukraine, a drone attack early this morning on the city of Kharkiv injured at least two people and started multiple fires, this as a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia forced all four airports near Moscow to temporarily suspend flights.

In the meantime, more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers returned home in the latest prisoner swap between the two sides.

Russia received the same number in an exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

Tens of millions of Americans are under flood watches tonight and into tomorrow amid a series of severe storms.

Forecasters say heavy rain is threatening around 31 million people across multiple states, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

In the town of Brenham between Houston and Austin, officials say rising waters swept a 10-year-old girl off a bridge on Monday as she and her sister walked home from school.

Officials say her body was recovered today.

And the storms have also hammered the region with hail, severe winds and isolated tornadoes.

The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender people serving in the military while legal challenges play out.

The justices decided to lift a lower court ruling that put the policy on hold nationwide.

The case stems from an executive order that Trump issued soon after taking office in January.

In response to today's decision, LGBTQ rights group Lambda Legal said the ban has -- quote -- "nothing to do with military readiness and everything to do with prejudice."

According to officials, transgender troops make up about 0.2 percent of the military.

The Department of Homeland Security is offering a bit of flexibility when it comes to tomorrow's deadline for what's called REAL ID.

Secretary Kristi Noem's told a congressional panel today that travelers who are not REAL ID-compliant will still be able to fly, but may face extra screening.

Passports and tribal identification will also be accepted.

KRISTI NOEM, U.S.

Homeland Security Secretary: What will happen tomorrow is, folks will come through the line and will issue their I.D.

and show it.

If it's not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly.

AMNA NAWAZ: Real ID requirements were recommended by the 9/11 commission to set security standards for state-issued identification.

In addition to domestic travel, they're needed to access certain federal buildings and facilities.

They were supposed to take effect in 2008, but have been repeatedly delayed.

Secretary Noem said today that more than 80 percent of travelers already have some form of Real ID, which feature a symbol in the top corner of the card, usually a star.

The Department of Education has terminated a federal grant program that helps pay for children's programming that airs on PBS.

The Ready to Learn grant has helped to fund shows like "Molly of Denali," "Work It Out Wombats!," and "Lyla in the Loop," among others.

It's administered by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which manages federal funding for NPR and PBS, including for this program.

Last week, President Trump issued an executive order that calls for a halt of CPB to public media.

In a statement today about the children's programming cuts, the head of CPB said that -- quote - - "We will work with Congress and the administration to preserve funding for this essential program."

On Wall Street today, stocks slipped again as more companies lay out the uncertainty caused by President Trump's tariffs.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 400 points, or almost 1 percent.

The Nasdaq fell around 150 points on the day.

The S&P 500 also ended in negative territory.

And this week, "Hamilton" became the first cast recording to spend 500 weeks on the billboard 200 record charts.

The musical about America's founding fathers debuted on the charts back in October of 2015.

It's another milestone for Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-, Grammy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece.

And it comes just one month after the album was selected to be preserved in the Library of Congress in its first year of eligibility.

Fun fact, the next longest show to stay within the Billboard 200 was "My Fair Lady" at 480 weeks.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Germany selects a new conservative chancellor; we examine the secretive process to choose the next pope; and what's been causing major delays and cancellations at one of the nation's busiest airports?

GEOFF BENNETT: Republicans on Capitol Hill are entering critical days, debating how to enact parts of the Trump agenda.

Tax rates, Medicaid and the future size of government are all on the line.

And House lawmakers have not yet figured out how to make it all work together.

One hangup for a dozen House Republicans is the potential threat of Medicaid cuts.

In a letter to House leadership last month, they wrote to support what they call targeted reforms, but will not back any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.

New York Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis is among them.

I spoke with her earlier today.

Congresswoman Malliotakis, welcome back to the "News Hour."

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY): Thank you for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: What are your concerns about the Medicaid proposals under consideration right now by House Republican leadership?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: Well, it seems that we have done a good job in expressing that we do not want to see certain cuts that would impact our constituents made.

So far, we have been successful in taking off the table lowering the reimbursement rate that New York receives, which is currently at 50 percent.

We have also been successful in ensuring there would be no per capita caps on traditional Medicaid.

And we've -- our priority has always been to protect our most vulnerable, the seniors, the disabled, children with developmental disabilities, and our hospitals.

So the -- we're currently discussing the expansion portion to see how we can work together to eliminate the fraud, the waste, and the abuse, to make sure that illegal immigrants are not receiving these services, to ensure that if you're able-bodied between the ages of 18 to 64, and you have no dependents, that you have work requirements in place, and cutting back on some of the loopholes that the states have used to try to gain more money from the federal government.

So we're currently working through this all.

We had another meeting today with the speaker and Chairman Guthrie and we expect to come to a resolution here that can make all sides happy, and we can preserve those important benefits for the people that we represent.

GEOFF BENNETT: Yes, some of your Republican colleagues argue that Medicaid funding is unsustainable, and that reforming it is a matter of fiscal responsibility.

So how do you distinguish between necessary reforms and harmful cuts?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: That's right.

You need to be able to make that distinction, and that's what we have been doing, working through that.

Look, I think, at the end of the day, it's about preserving the benefits for people who are currently legally eligible for them, and then ensuring that there are certain parameters in place, that we are checking eligibility more frequently, that we're ensuring that people who are here illegally are not benefiting from these important programs that are reserved for our citizens, and making sure that people who have the ability to work, they're young, they don't have children, they don't have any disabilities, they can contribute.

And that would actually move them to a private sector insurer, most likely.

So we're trying to find that balance here.

And I think, if we do that, we will actually save money in the long run for the people who truly depend on this program and need it.

And that is what this is all about.

And I think we're going to get there.

GEOFF BENNETT: As Congress debates broader tax policy, the 2017 Trump tax law capped how much people can deduct for state and local taxes, something that hits New Yorkers hard since New York is a high-tax state.

Do you need to see that SALT deduction cap increased in order to support a final tax and spending bill?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: Yes, we need to see that increased.

That has been one of the other things many of the same members have brought up.

And you mentioned it.

We are a high-tax state.

That is because our mayor and our governor are taxing New Yorkers to death with high income taxes, with high property taxes.

Now, it would be great if they just did an across-the-board personal income tax cut, just like President Trump did in his 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act, New York state and New York City.

But they won't do that.

But, as a federal representative, I'm looking for solutions on how I can provide relief from the federal level.

It is important to note here that not only do we need the SALT deduction to increase to cover middle-class families, but we also need to make sure that the Alternative Minimum Tax does not return.

The Alternative Minimum Tax unfairly hit middle-income families because it was never adjusted with inflation.

And so you saw so many people like the ones I represent in Staten Island and Brooklyn who have modest middle income to -- getting hit with this tax, but also they weren't able to qualify from SALT as a result.

So, as we talk about increasing this deduction for state and local taxes, I'm also standing guard to make sure that the Alternative Minimum Tax does not come back.

GEOFF BENNETT: On the SALT deduction, where does that number stand right now in your conversations with House leadership?

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: Well, we're still negotiating, so I can't give you a direct number.

What I will say is, if we can triple or quadruple that SALT deduction, which is currently at $10,000, it would cover almost all middle-income middle-class families, families with -- earning roughly $400,000 to $500,000 and less.

So I think the sweet spot here is to get a number that does cover our middle class.

We're not looking to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires.

We're looking to support middle-class families.

And we can get there, and it could be a compromise number that everybody across this conference can support and will give the New York members, California and others, what we need to support our constituents.

GEOFF BENNETT: New York Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis, thanks again for your time this evening.

We appreciate it.

REP. NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: In Berlin today, Friedrich Merz was elected Germany's chancellor, but not without a surprising setback.

For the first time in Germany's modern history, he lost the Parliament's initial vote and needed a second round to secure a majority.

Nick Schifrin is back now with this report on the challenges that Merz inherits, from a politically divided Germany to an American president who's questioned the transatlantic alliance.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Today, in Germany, a bitter victory.

Friedrich Merz became Germany's 10th post-World War II chancellor and the first to lose an initial secret round of voting.

Merz had promised to begin his chancellorship forcefully and today showed the fragility of his leadership and coalition.

But, this evening, at the official handover ceremony without going Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Merz brushed it aside.

FRIEDRICH MERZ, German Chancellor (through translator): Today, what a day with a few surprises.

I accept this responsibility with humility but also with determination and confidence.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Wolfgang Ischinger is the longtime former chairman of the Munich Security Conference and the former German ambassador to the U.S. and U.K. WOLFGANG ISCHINGER, Chairman, Munich Security Conference: When I look at foreign policy, security and defense, I see a government being formed today in Berlin which is going to have a very, very solid background.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: You're gambling with World War III.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Merz's international challenges begin with an American president who's fought openly with European leaders.

To this moment, Merz reacted with horror.

FRIEDRICH MERZ (through translator): In my opinion, it was not a spontaneous reaction to interventions by Zelenskyy, but obviously a triggered escalation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: When Vice President Vance lectured Europe on democracy in Munich... J.D.

VANCE, Vice President of the United States: What German democracy -- what no democracy, American, German or European, will survive is telling millions of voters that their thoughts and concerns, their aspirations, their pleas for relief are invalid.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Merz imagined a Europe without an American alliance.

FRIEDRICH MERZ (through translator): For me, the absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that step by step we can really achieve independence from the USA.

It's clear the Americans, or at least this group of Americans, this government, cares very little about the fate of Europe.

DONALD TRUMP: So, maybe they're not our allies, right?

NICK SCHIFRIN: And to President Trump's questioning the longevity of transatlantic alliances, Merz questioned the reliability of the U.S. promise to defend Europe with nuclear weapons.

FRIEDRICH MERZ (through translator): We must be prepared that Donald Trump will no longer fully accept the promise of assistance under the NATO treaty.

WOLFGANG ISCHINGER: Yes, Friedrich Merz, has expressed, as most other Europeans have done, serious concerns about the reliability, the credibility of the American position in NATO, about America's changing, evolving positions on Ukraine.

The good news is that Friedrich Merz, the new German chancellor, and Donald Trump have not worked together in the past, and they have not had any reason to disagree in the past.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But Merz's most pressing problem after today is perhaps domestic.

The leading opposition party is the far right AfD, or Alternative for Germany.

AfD is anti-immigrant and its leaders have been accused of making anti-Muslim, antisemitic and antidemocratic statements.

But last week, after the German intelligence agency labeled AfD extremist, Secretary of State Marco Rubio -- quote -- "That's not democracy.

It's tyranny in disguise."

The German Foreign Ministry rebuked him: "We have learned from our history that right-wing extremism needs to be stopped."

But the AfD is polling ahead of Germany's traditional parties.

It was excluded from the coalition government and today called Merz weak.

BERND BAUMANN, Representative, AfD Party (through translator): This government starts out in extreme instability and it will remain unstable.

WOLFGANG ISCHINGER: That's got to be the important, number one goal for this new coalition government, to make sure that traditional conservative voters will leave their frustration behind and will find it acceptable and normal to vote for the classic conservative government led by Friedrich Merz, and not out of frustration or despair for the right-wing party.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Do you believe that this issue will continue to increase tensions between the U.S. and Germany?

WOLFGANG ISCHINGER: One of the points that some of my American friends have not sufficiently understood is that the AfD, which has been befriended by some here in Washington, is, of course, a totally anti-American political party.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The far right and a stagnant economy await Merz.

But, tonight, he expressed relief that at least he survived the day.

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

GEOFF BENNETT: Tomorrow, Catholic cardinals from around the world will gather for the conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis.

John Yang takes a look now at the high-stakes undertaking.

JOHN YANG: White smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, the signal that there's a new head of the world's largest Christian church.

It's the culmination of a centuries-old process that's shrouded in secrecy and traditions.

KIM DANIELS, Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life Director, Georgetown University: We are a church of 1.3 billion people around the world, and this is a fundamental question of importance both for all of the Catholics around the world, but also as a source of a moral voice on the world stage.

JOHN YANG: The procedure for electing a pope has been called a conclave since the Middle Ages.

JOHN L. ALLEN JR., Editor, Crux: The word conclave comes from two Latin terms, con meaning with, clavis meaning key.

It refers to the fact that cardinals are physically locked into a room, it's now the Sistine Chapel, and not allowed to come out really until they have picked a pope.

And this is because, in centuries past, they could become horribly deadlocked.

The famous instance was the conclave of Viterbo in the 13th century, where it literally took them almost 2.5 years to move from the death of one pope to the election of another.

And that situation was simply found to be intolerable.

JOHN YANG: And so Pope Gregory X, who emerged from that prolonged conclave, established strict rules in hopes of avoiding a repeat.

The process continued to evolve.

The modern framework is spelled out in the Apostolic Constitution Pope John Paul II issued in 1996.

Conclaves must start within 15 to 20 days after a pope's death or, rarely, resignation.

They're usually overseen by the dean of the College of Cardinals, a senior cardinal elected by cardinal bishops, the highest order of cardinals, and confirmed by the pope.

In this conclave, only 135 of the 252 cardinals are permitted to participate, what are called cardinal electors.

That's because only those younger than 80 can vote, a limit set in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

JOHN L. ALLEN JR.: The desire was to be sure that those who were taking part in the conclave have their finger on the pulse of what is really happening in the church and what is really happening in the world, so they can make the best possible decision.

JOHN YANG: On the morning of the conclave, the dean will lead a special mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

His homily will be the last public message the cardinals will hear before being sequestered.

JOHN L. ALLEN JR.: And it can be extraordinarily important in framing attitudes.

In 2005, for instance, the celebrant of that mass was then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who delivered a stirring homily that led the cardinals in that conclave after the death of John Paul, many people believed, to select Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI in just four ballots.

JOHN YANG: In the afternoon, the cardinal electors will gather in the Pauline Chapel in the Vatican Palace, the official papal residence.

The group will proceed into the Sistine Chapel.

Beneath Michelangelo's majestic frescoes, they will swear an oath of secrecy.

The papal master of liturgical ceremonies will utter a simple command: MAN: Extra omnes.

JOHN YANG: Latin for "all out," ordering everyone not involved in the conclave to leave.

The doors will be locked, with the Vatican Swiss Guard standing watch.

From this point on, until they select the next pope, the cardinal electors will be completely sequestered.

KIM DANIELS: There are many measures being taken to make sure that it does remain private, jamming measures for outside devices, et cetera, with the idea that it's not a time for lobbying by other people or the effects of outside influences.

JOHN YANG: Voting will be secret, each cardinal casting an anonymous ballot with one name.

After each round of voting, the ballots are burned in a cast-iron stove.

If no one gets the required two-thirds majority, a chemical is added to produce black smoke.

After the first day, typically, there are two rounds of voting in the morning and two in the afternoon.

RALPH FIENNES, Actor: It's a duty I never thought I would have to perform.

JOHN YANG: Public fascination with the inner workings of this mysterious process was reflected in the surge in online viewings in the days following Pope Francis' death of the 2024 hit movie "Conclave."

RALPH FIENNES: This is a conclave, Aldo.

It's not a war.

STANLEY TUCCI, Actor: It is a war.

And you have to commit to a side.

JOHN YANG: But experts say the star-studded depiction of a pope's election is more Hollywood than Holy See.

JOHN L. ALLEN JR.: To take the movie "Conclave" as a guide to a real papal election is like taking the movie "Spaceballs" as a guide to real space travel.

That's just not reality.

In the Vatican, you're in the old world, not the new.

There certainly are politics, but the way they are expressed is far more genteel and indirect and subtle.

JOHN YANG: This year's conclave will be unlike any other due to notable changes in the church.

It's the most geographically diverse, with about 70 countries from six continents represented.

That reflects a vision of a more inclusive and representative church championed by Francis, who named 108 of the 135 cardinal electors.

KIM DANIELS: Even though Pope Francis has appointed so many of these cardinals, they will all arrive in Rome with different concerns at the forefront of what they're going to be thinking about.

Some of them, for instance, will be highly affected by the cuts to USAID.

Some of them will be highly affected by the climate crisis.

Some of them will come from a place where they want a very strong representation of traditional church teaching.

That's all part of the conversation and very important.

And from that will emerge our next Holy Father.

JOHN YANG: And when he does, the ballots will be burned with a chemical to produce white smoke.

He will be asked two questions: Does he accept his election as pope and what name does he want to be known by?

JOHN L. ALLEN JR.: The custom of a pope taking a new name reflects the very traditional Catholic idea that, when a man becomes a pope, he becomes something bigger than his biography.

He becomes the vicar of Christ on Earth and the successor of Peter.

And so to signify what a dramatic break in his life all this represents, he takes a new name.

JOHN YANG: The senior cardinal deacon will declare: "We have a pope."

(CHEERING) JOHN YANG: And then the 267th supreme pontiff will step out from the central window of St. Peter's Basilica onto the balcony and, as new hopes have done since the 17th century, offer his first blessing to the crowd.

The work of the conclave will be complete.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm John Yang.

GEOFF BENNETT: Newark Airport continues to be marred by hundreds of canceled flights and delays.

The FAA has put a ground delay process in place to ease traffic at the busy airport and says planes departing to Newark are being held up an average of two hours and 41 minutes.

The problems are front and center after a technical failure caused widespread disruption last week.

Air traffic controllers who were in the thick of it have now taken special leave to recover from what they say is traumatic stress, compounding what was already a massive staffing shortage.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy discussed the need for delays when he was on FOX yesterday.

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. Transportation Secretary: You want to make sure that people are safe, and so you just have less departures out of the airport until we feel comfortable and safe that the system isn't going to go down again.

GEOFF BENNETT: We asked Secretary Duffy to join us tonight, and his office declined.

To help clarify some of the latest, we're joined now by our aviation correspondent, Miles O'Brien.

So, Miles, walk us through the timeline of what transpired last week and why it's still causing delays this week.

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, Geoff, it really boils down to a perfect storm.

What you have at the root of it is a very antiquated system, which the FAA has now admitted, with some technology going back really to the '50s, copper wire, floppy disks, very old technology.

You have a chronic staffing problem among air traffic controllers.

And, at Newark, since the middle of April, they have had a major reconstruction, rebuilding project on one of their big runways.

All of that combined together prompted the FAA to try to augment its staffing by sending some controllers in some positions to Philadelphia.

That required a communication link, of course, with the radars and the VHF radios.

And when those systems did not work, some real trouble started to begin.

And that is what led to the cascade of effects that we're seeing right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, to better understand this, let's talk about what happened last week when that United Airlines flight from Charleston, South Carolina, was approaching Newark Airport.

You have heard the audio.

Tell us what happened.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, if you can imagine an air traffic controller looking at their radar screen and it suddenly going blank and then getting on the radio, not being able to get the response of the pilots in the airline, aircraft at the other end, let's listen to the tension as this interaction occurs.

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: We lost our radar, and it's not working correctly.

Radar service terminates.

Squawk VFR.

Change approved.

If you want a Bravo clearance, you can just call the tower when you get closer.

We don't have a radar, so I don't know where you are.

PILOT: OK, I will wait for that frequency from you, OK?

AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: OK, no.

The squawk VFR, look up the tower frequencies.

We don't have a radar, so I don't know where you are.

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes, as you mentioned, Geoff, a handful of air traffic controllers, subsequent to that, took leave because of the trauma they induced in that.

This is a highly stressful job on a good day, and this was not a good day.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, to your point about the FAA acknowledging how antiquated the system is, tell us more about that and what is required to fix it.

MILES O'BRIEN: Money.

And this is something that FAA administrators for years have tried to champion, but there's never been a concerted effort to really come up with the money from Congress to change over the whole system in a wholesale way.

On top of that, there's a lot of tradition and politics involved.

If you start talking about consolidating air traffic control positions, using satellite systems as opposed to spinning radars, people get concerned about job losses.

So it's a complicated bureaucratic problem, but it also requires just the idea of making this a priority for improving the infrastructure of aviation in this country.

GEOFF BENNETT: With all of these incidents piling up, Miles, based on your conversations with folks in the industry, is it safe to fly right now?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, safe is a relative term.

Is it safer than driving down the highway?

Yes.

But is it less safe than it was?

Yes.

The erosion of safety is objectively true here.

There's no question about it.

When you have aircraft approaching a busy aircraft airport like Newark and controllers unable to see them or communicate with them, there is an erosion of safety there.

GEOFF BENNETT: Less safe than it was.

OK.

In the time that remains, starting tomorrow, in order to fly domestically, people are going to have to show a Real ID.

For folks who don't have that, what should they expect?

MILES O'BRIEN: Well, it is probably going to be some challenges at the TSA lines.

Apparently, only about 70 percent of travelers, Americans, now have so-called Real IDs, an enhanced I.D.

card, which the federal government has required.

If you don't know, you can check with your State Department of motor vehicles or look at your license to see if there's some indication of that.

But if you have a passport or a passport card, and if you go to the Web site for the TSA, they will give you a list of the I.D.

that would be satisfactory if your driver's license won't suffice.

But please allow some extra time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Miles O'Brien, our thanks to you, as always.

We appreciate it.

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

AMNA NAWAZ: The Trump administration has embarked on a pressure campaign that aims to remake how many American universities operate.

The efforts to crack down on protests and diversity initiatives are part of what the White House says is a push to address antisemitism.

Just yesterday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon told Harvard University it will not receive any future federal grants until it complies with Trump's demands.

GEOFF BENNETT: That case is now heading to court.

But well beyond the Harvard case, there are growing concerns about how these moves could affect academic freedom and the future of free speech on campuses across the country.

Jeffrey Brown reports for our series Rethinking College.

JEFFREY BROWN: A gorgeous spring day near semester's end at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, signs of normal student life everywhere.

But here, as on many campuses around the country, something else is in the air.

MINNAH SHEIKH, Wesleyan University Student: There's fear coming not just from students, but from our parents, from faculty, and that's a very real concern.

JEFFREY BROWN: Wesleyan senior Minnah Sheikh is studying government and economics.

How does it feel this year compared to last year?

MINNAH SHEIKH: In terms of tangible impact, I think there is a lot more fear.

Instead of going to a protest just by, like, walking in or seeing a gathering and joining, I have to consider, should I put a face mask?

Should I be in picture?

Should I make myself visible?

Should I be seen?

I shouldn't be worried even as a U.S. citizen that was born in the United States.

But those are the very real conversations people are having.

KHALILAH BROWN-DEAN, Professor, Wesleyan University: So I'm glad that we could come together because there's a lot of conversation happening right now about higher education.

JEFFREY BROWN: A lot of conversation, for sure, and enormous turmoil.

Wesleyan Professor Khalilah Brown-Dean tackles these issues as head of a Campus Center for the Study of Public Life.

And on this day, she convened a roundtable of students to hear how they were feeling about recent events.

MICHAEL ASTORINO, Wesleyan University Student: When it comes to politics or controversial subjects, people are walking on eggshells out of fear that, if they say something perceived out of line, everyone will judge them.

KATIE WILLIAMS, Wesleyan University Student: Even today, I was kind of fearful of attending.

And, actually, with my friends at other schools.

I have known people to have their scholarships revoked.

KHALILAH BROWN-DEAN: If students are afraid to speak, if students are afraid of how what they say will be taken out of context or used in a particular way, it changes the very nature of what the college experience is supposed to be.

JEFFREY BROWN: Much of this recent change can be traced back to last year, when student protests over the Israel-Hamas war broke out at colleges across the nation, including at Wesleyan.

They reignited an already raging debate around free speech and academic freedom.

REP. ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY): At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard's rules of bullying and harassment, yes or no?

CLAUDINE GAY, Former President, Harvard University: It can be depending on the context.

JEFFREY BROWN: Congressional hearings, university presidents resigning, and now direct targeting, international students arrested after protesting are speaking out, many seeing their legal status in jeopardy.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I think Harvard's a disgrace.

I think what they did was a disgrace.

They're obviously antisemitic.

JEFFREY BROWN: And billions of dollars in federal research and other funding frozen or threatened at more than 60 universities, including an effort to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status, all in the name of stopping antisemitism on campus.

MICHAEL ROTH, President, Wesleyan University: It is meant to make people afraid, and it's working.

JEFFREY BROWN: Wesleyan's President Michael Roth has been one of the most vocal critics of what he calls an assault on higher education.

MICHAEL ROTH: I'm speaking out because it seems to me being silent does not buy you protection.

JEFFREY BROWN: Does it feel to you like free speech itself is under attack at American universities?

MICHAEL ROTH: It does.

And for the last 15 years, people who think of themselves as conservatives or even moderate liberals have said free speech is under attack at universities.

What is new here is that the government isn't just saying we want you to ensure that protests don't get out of hand.

Seems like not actually unreasonable to me.

But we want to ensure that people don't say certain things.

And in order to ensure that, we're willing to defund a diabetes research study or a cancer research study.

I mean, that use of financial or economic leverage against research, I do think, is unprecedented.

JEFFREY BROWN: One focal point, Columbia University, seen of many highly publicized protests.

The Trump administration targeted some $400 million in cuts in federal funding before Columbia agreed to a number of demands, a controversial decision within the world of academia.

The outcome is still pending.

MICHAEL THADDEUS, Professor, Columbia University: Nobody wants to express a controversial opinion about anything anymore.

JEFFREY BROWN: Michael Thaddeus teaches at Columbia and is a member of the American Association of University Professors, a national organization now suing the Trump administration.

MICHAEL THADDEUS: I'm a math professor and math is a wonderfully apolitical topic.

Math, in fact, has flourished under all kinds of authoritarian regimes.

But my colleagues who teach history, political science, regional studies, they're terrified, especially the ones who are not U.S. citizens.

JEFFREY BROWN: But for many conservatives, the real free speech struggle on campus dates back further and is rooted in a progressive ideology they say refuses to tolerate other voices or ideas.

ILYA SHAPIRO, Manhattan Institute: Finally, the leaders of educational institutions are having their feet held to the fire because I think for too long they have been able to do whatever they want.

JEFFREY BROWN: Ilya Shapiro is the author of the recent book "Lawless: The Miseducation of America's Elites."

He points to his own experience in 2022 at Georgetown Law School, when he took to social media to criticize President Biden's pledge to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.

ILYA SHAPIRO: Where I poorly phrased a tweet making an argument against limiting your candidate pool for Supreme Court by race and sex.

JEFFREY BROWN: Arguing for another candidate, Shapiro tweeted that the court would be left with a -- quote -- "lesser black woman."

ILYA SHAPIRO: And that led to a four-month investigation, protests and letters and a whole inquisition by the DEI office.

JEFFREY BROWN: He was eventually cleared of wrongdoing, but decided to resign from Georgetown anyway, while pointing to other controversial posts by progressive professors who he argues were largely protected by the university.

ILYA SHAPIRO: The permissible range of expressed policy views has narrowed and shifted.

And people are afraid to express themselves or even discuss certain topics, lest they be caught in the cancellation crossfire.

To say the least, this is particularly worrying in an educational environment, where you should be trying on different kinds of arguments to learn, to get at the truth.

SABRINA SOFFER, George Washington University Student: Free speech exists for some and not for others.

JEFFREY BROWN: Some Jewish students, like George Washington University senior Sabrina Soffer and sophomore Hannah Hettena, say they often felt targeted during last year's protests, and they support the administration's moves now.

SABRINA SOFFER: Taking away funding, it does scare the universities in a positive way.

There needs to be a return to civil discourse, where we can critique the Israeli government, we can critique the way that Palestinian liberation movements express themselves.

But it needs to be equal for all.

It needs to be done in a civil way with no discriminatory harassment.

HANNAH HETTENA, George Washington University Student: It's imperative to make that threat in order to invoke real change.

And it's honestly really sad that it has to come to that.

But, if that's what needs to be done, that's what needs to be done.

DANIEL WOLF-SHNEIDER, Columbia University Student: The suppression of political speech and the sort of dismantlement of campus free speech and activism isn't making Jewish students any safer.

JEFFREY BROWN: But other Jewish students like Columbia junior Daniel Wolf-Shneider see Trump's moves in a different light entirely.

DANIEL WOLF-SHNEIDER: When an administration engages in repressive actions, with the justification of protecting Jewish students, it makes Jewish students the face of repression.

It encourages people to blame us for the chaos.

And I don't think that we should be used as a cudgel to sort of sway rhetorical goals or allow the administration, both Columbia and federal, to do whatever it wants on campus.

JEFFREY BROWN: Back at Wesleyan University, President Michael Roth agrees and says the threats universities are now facing and today's chilling of speech on campus could have broader societal implications.

MICHAEL ROTH: If we let the federal government dictate how to teach and learn on a campus, I'm afraid the government will try to tell us how to worship, what we're supposed to buy and how we're supposed to conduct our local politics.

And we don't want that to happen in the United States.

JEFFREY BROWN: For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Jeffrey Brown.

AMNA NAWAZ: Remember, there's a lot more online, including what borrowers need to know about the Trump administration's decision to restart collections on student loans.

That is on our TikTok.

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.