the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "newshour" tonight. u.s. lawmakers wrangle over whether to give ukraine more military aid, as current funding is set to run out by the end of the year. geoff: israeli troops move south

into gaza's second largest city, displacing thousands of civilians. including some who already fled fighting in the north. amna: and palestinians freed by israel and their families reflect on the resumption of fighting and their time in prison. >> we feel happiness because our child is free. but this happiness is not complete because the price to get freedom for our kids was very expensive. and the price was our people's blood in the gaza strip. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson. >> consumer cellular, how may i

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the newshour. a new phase in the bloody war in gaza is now underway. israel is assaulting the largest city in the south, khan younis. most of gaza's population is now in that region. amna: the war is now nearly two months old, with a death toll fast approaching 20,000, mostly palestinian. despite pleas for more precision and fewer civilian killings from the u.s. and other israeli partners, the thunderous campaign to root out hamas in gaza continues. after weeks of fighting hamas in gaza's north and a week long pause inviting, a new phase in the war as the idf enters gaza's

second largest city. >> those who thought that the idf would not know how to renew the fighting after the pause inviting were mistaken. hamas is already feeling the spirit -- feeling this. amna: idf commanders on the ground say this fight is there campaign's fiercest so far as they aim to wipe out hamas. according to the wind, israel's on board meant -- u.n., israel's bombardment displaced an estimated 1.7 8 million people, or 80% of the entire population. and for the first time, israeli officials released their own death toll estimates in gaza, saying 15,000 palestinians have been killed, about 30% of whom israel claims were militants. gaza's hamas run health ministry says 16,300 palestinians have been killed, 70% of whom they

say were women and children. in israel today, families of hostages still held by hamas met with the prime minister and said time is running out. >> each day that passes by, they are dying slowly each day. we need to get them out immediately. whatever the price might be. amna: they were reportedly told by netanyahu in the meeting that there is "no possibility right now to bring everyone home." some families reportedly walked out in response. a passionate appeal from a politician whose mother was released from captivity and gaza, but her father -- in gaza, but her father still remains. >> while we speak there is a holocaust a 3 hour drive from here. why is it more important for bibi to kill hamas leaders and not bring my father back on? >> in an evening speech, netanyahu responded. >> cabinet members and i met today with families of the

hostages, those who are doing -- those who we are doing everything we can to get back. >> a hamas were presented to him said they will not release more hostages until israel's offenses stop. >> we assure there will be no negotiations or exchange of hostages until the aggression against our people in the steadfast gaza strip stops. amna: gazan civilians just want the horrors of war to end. at khan younis's hospital today, victims lined the emergency room floor after another night of israeli airstrikes, leaving some speechless. >> there is shelling. i cannot even talk about it. amna: this person's entire immediate family was left crushed under a building. where are the ambulances? i lost my children and my husband. where is the united nations? my children, my children. since 10:00 p.m., are still

under the rubble. amna: residents of khan younis, once declared safe by israel, are now trying to escape to the southern town of rafah on the egyptian border. awaiting them there, a swelling humanitarian disaster. a line of hundreds at the only working water station in the city. one person has to walk more than a mile every day to fill up. >> you have to wait for three hours in line. you hold water on your shoulders. the situation is very hard. you take a bath once a month. i am 63 years old and i am carrying the gallon on my shoulder for more than a mile. >> others are packed into tent cities with no idea where they will go next. meanwhile, after a surge of settler violence against palestinians in the west bank since the war began, the u.s. state department in a rare move imposed travel bans on dozens of israeli settlers. state department spokesperson matthew miller. >> these acts threaten west bank

stability in the immediate term and take us farther away from a future in which palestinians and israelis can both live in peace and security in two states. geoff: meantime, tens of billions of dollars in military assistance for ukraine and israel and money for u.s. border -- for the u.s. southern border remain stalled on capitol hill. for the white house perspective, i spoke with national security advisor jake sullivan a earlier this evening. welcome back to the newshour. the administration is delivering a clear warning that without congressional action by the end of the year, resources will run out for the u.s. to provide ukraine with the weapons and equipment it needs. practically, what would that mean for ukraine on the battlefield? mr. sullivan: what it would mean is that we would no longer be able to supply ukraine with the artillery ammunition they need to hold their lines against russian advances and to help

de-occupy territory russia has taken. it would mean that we would no longer be able to provide interceptors for ukraine's air defense systems, which are protecting their soldiers on the front lines and more importantly are protecting their cities from attacks by russia that are trying to plunge the country into darkness by destroying the electricity grid. these are the kind of practical results that would happen if we do not provide funding to ukraine. vladimir putin is counting on this. in fact, he said that if the united states stops giving money to ukraine and the rest of the world stops giving money to ukraine, "ukraine would have one week to live." we need to get the funding to ukraine so they can bravely continue to defend their country against russian aggression. geoff: the u.s. has already contributed well over $100 billion to ukraine's war efforts since putin invaded that country in february of 2022. the on the funding, how can the u.s. better enable ukraine to

actually reach russian defenses and win the war instead of sustaining their current fight? mr. sullivan: when this war started in february of 2022, the experts were predicting that ukraine would fall in a week, that the capital of ukraine, kyiv, would be under a russian flag. today kyiv and ukraine stands as a sovereign country because of the funding we provided. more than that, since russia launched its offensive in the early months following the invasion, ukraine has taken back more than half the territory that russia has occupied, more than 50% of that territory. that is thanks first to the bravery of the ukrainian forces, but second to the arms and supplies that the united states and international coalition provided to them. if we can continue to support ukraine, it can continue to make progress on the battlefield. equally importantly, it can continue to resist efforts by

russia, continuing efforts, to take more ukrainian territory. that is fundamentally in the interests of the united states. if russia succeeds in this fight against ukraine, all of europe is at risk. that history tells usthat when all of europe is at risk, the united states will pay a lot more later than what we are paying today. geoff: house speaker mike johnson says there will be no additional funding for ukraine without first making extensive reforms to the u.s. immigration system. it was the white house who initially linked funding for israel, funding for ukraine, taiwan, and border security. why are the republicans' border demands now a nonstarter? mr. sullivan: you make a very good point. it was president biden who put forward a supplemental funding request that included a substantial amount of funding for the border to enable us to have an effective and humane border security policy. and that should have bipartisan support.

democrats and republicans should be able to come together around commonsense measures to ensure that our border policy is rational, effective and humane. democrats are ready to do that. it turns out that what the republicans are putting forward is a take it or leave it proposition. they are not prepared to have a serious discussion at this time. hopefully that will change, about border policy. and as a result they are holding ukraine funding hostage. two of their demands on the border. our view is that it is in america's core national security interest to fund ukraine against russian aggression. we can work together on the border, but ukraine should not be held hostage to the border. that would be a great mistake for our own national security and global stability. geoff: on the israel hamas war, the world health organization, the representative in gaza says the humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hour with intensified bombing in khan younis and rafah. a spokesperson for unicef says

there is nowhere for civilians to go. "nowhere is safe" was the quote. is israel heating the administration's insistence -- heeding the administration's insistence to limit civilian suffering in gaza? mr. sullivan: what the israeli defense forces have done in the last few days is unusual. they identified the specific areas of this city in the south, khan younis, that they intend to conduct ground operations in, and asked civilians to leave. in a sense they telegraphed their punches. outside of those areas, we have made the case to israel that it is critical that we get humanitarian assistance to palestinian people who have been displaced because of the fighting, that they get shelter, food, medicine as necessary. over the past days we have seen a flow of humanitarian assistance coming through the border crossing egypt.

there needs to be more aid. israel needs to take every possible care in the world to distinguish between legitimate targets, hamas terrorists, who they are going after, and palestinian civilians deserved to be protected, whose lives should have the same seek would -- same sacred quality that everyone else's around the world has. geoff: what is the u.s. prepared to do if it determines that israel is not following a specific plan to mitigate civilian casualties? mr. sullivan: instead of trying to answer an if-then question, i would describe what i do every day. i was on the phone for more than an hour with one of my israeli counterparts, walking through practical measures like how to get more fuel in to power sanitation, desalinization, bakeries so that people can eat and get potable water.

i talked about the steps that israel could take to reduce the potential for civilian casualties, particularly in the safe areas outside of active combat hostilities. we will continue to do that and will continue to expect that israel meet the basic standards of international humanitarian law. we will state our principles clearly and directly, as president biden has done since the earliest days. at the same time we will support israel as it goes against those terrorist masterminds who authored the worst massacre of jews since the holocaust. we cannot forget that hamas even today is continuing to fire rockets and missiles against innocent civilians in israel and represents a continuing threat that any country, including israel, would have the right to go after. geoff: is there any semblance of a path or timeline to resume the talks for another temporary cease-fire? mr. sullivan: unfortunately there is not a specific timeline.

the reason for that is because hamas did not follow through on its end of the bargain. it said it would release the women and children that it was holding, and it is still to this day holding civilian women who it refuses to release, and we don't know why it refuses to release them. israel is not prepared to move forward and leave those women behind. hamas chose not to release them. that meant the end of the pause. hamas could release those women. israel has made clear it is prepared to move on to negation -- to additional negotiations. we the united states are determined not to rest. we will ensure every american hostage being held is safely reunited with their family. geoff: national security advisor jake sullivan, thanks for your time this evening. amna: for more on the debate over ukraine funding and its global implications, we're joined by our congressional correspondent lisa desjardins

and foreign affairs and defense correspondent nick schifrin. lisa, your reporting is that this was already upper carious moment -- already a precarious moment when it comes to funding for ukraine. why the impasse and this incredible tension? lisa: president biden proposed a national security funding bill to include money for ukraine, for israel, and for border funding, but republicans say there needs to be a change in border policy and said they don't think ukraine should be fund and -- be funded until that is taken care of. today there was a briefing on ukraine, its security needs, but it got off to the wrong start when ukrainian president zelenskyy, who was to be there by zoom, canceled on the senators. what resulted was senators pushing back at the secretary of state, at the secretary of defense, republicans standing up, shouting, including at the chief of staff, to the pentagon.

this was an extraordinary moment where republicans have been told there would not be questions about the border allowed, and some storm it out, including mitt romney -- stormed out, including mitt romney. >> there is no reason to listen to people talk about how important it is to help israel and ukraine. we know that. we get basically pablum that has been available for weeks, which by the way we agree with. and an unwillingness on the part of leadership or to discuss what it will take -- leader schumer to discuss what it will take to get it done. >> when i talked about what it would take to have an amendment on the border, they got stuck. they did not like it. even one of them was disrespectful and started screaming at one of the generals and challenging to why he did not go to the border. amna: that's right, screaming at generals. this is an unheard of hearing in the senate. it shows you republicans are

digging in on border demands. democrats saying no, it is not time to discuss that, let's fund ukraine. amna: when it comes to the funding for ukraine, you heard jake sullivan saying with a biden administration sees as the stakes. what does ukraine think? nick: they cannot continue to fight the way they have been without this aid. take a listen to zelenskyy's top aid in washington, admitting u.s. support was the difference between victory and defeat. >> it makes this very high possibility impossible, to continue to liberate and give the big risk to lose this war. nick: he admitted without more american weapons, ukraine could not even try and recapture the 20% of territory that russia continues to occupy and would have to move to some defensive crouch. you also heard jake sullivan

make this point, that ukraine's air defense system could run out of interceptors if this money is not sent. that is critical for protecting ukraine's critical infrastructure, cities, but preventing russian jets from flying and bombing at will. without u.s. budgetary support ukraine's government cannot pay its bills. amna: if ukraine were to get this funding, can they selves -- can they themselves meet the goal it set? nick: arguers say if only the u.s. continued to give weapons today, than ukrainians would be able to seize back their land. ukraine has failed to overcome russian defenses in the south. units in ukraine with the least combat experience got the most advanced training in weapons.

there is a divide between the military and civilian leadership that has become very public while russia is increasing its production of artillery and tanks. it is not clear that ukraine could achieve its own goals, as you put it. there is a stalemate. amna: republicans are holding up this funding over the u.s. southern border. what do the two sides want? lisa: there is agreement of more funding, but it is these policy differences. when republicans are talking about border, they want a deal on the border, including asylum policy and parole, basically shutting down those two policies to most of the southern hemisphere. democrats want ukraine, israel and border together in a bill that looks like president biden's bill, limited border policy. republicans would like to sharply restrict asylum and parole.

people would not be able to apply directly from mexico, most people. democrats say if we open this up, we should be talking about daca and including more status for people and may some new asylum limits, but not going as far as republicans want to go. they disagree all the time, republicans and democrats. i have not seen them this far apart on such a core issue with as little time. amna: one impasse was resolved tonight after nearly a year. senator turberville has released his hold on more than 450 military promotions and nominations. why the change now? lisa: i think the pressure has been on senator tauber bill, including from -- tuberville, including from republicans. over 400 military commanders who were not being promoted because of his hold having to do with the pentagon's policy, paying for travel for service members who needed to travel for abortion and other reproductive

services. he has held this up the whole time but today he did almost a full 180, a surrender. they will still need to go through him for four star generals. today he gave up his hold and within a few hours they passed these promotions. now 425 members of the u.s. military have been promoted just today. they have been waiting for 10 months. amna: thank you to you both. ♪ ♪ in the day's other headlines: president biden suggested he might not have run for election -- for reelection if former president trump weren't in the race. mr. biden spoke this afternoon outside he told a crowd at a campaign fundraiser "if trump wasn't running, i'm not sure i'd be running.

we cannot let him win." mr. trump currently holds a wide lead in the republican presidential field. the house of representatives will vote next week on formally authorizing an impeachment inquiry into president biden. republican-led committees have been investigating business dealings of biden family members for months. but speaker mike johnson said today, the white house has balked at providing information. >> the house has no choice if it is going to follow its constitutional responsibility to formally adopt an impeachment inquiry on the floor so that when the subpoenas are challenged in court, we will be at the apex of our constitutional authority. it will be a movement, a vote of the full house. amna: so far the investigation has not produced any direct evidence against president biden. north carolina republican patrick mchenry now says he won't run for re-election to the house after all. the 10-term congressman had served as interim speaker in october until republicans chose a permanent speaker. after that, he said he'd seek another term next year.

today, he said, "i believe there is a season for everything and for me this season has come to an end." mchenry's statement gave no reason for his change of heart. fbi director christopher wray urged congress today to renew the bureau's authority for surveillance without warrants outside the u.s. that authority comes from section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act. wray told a senate hearing that letting warrantless wiretaps lapse at the end of the month would amount to unilateral disarmament. >> 702 allows us to stay a step ahead of foreign actors located outside the united states who pose a threat to national security. and the expiration of our 702 authorities would be devastating to the fbi's ability to protect americans from those threats. amna: both republicans and democrats are pressing for changes in the program. they've cited concerns that fbi analysts improperly accessed data on americans during the january 6th riots and racial

justice protests. a top european union official has issued a stark security warning for the holidays. that follows a weekend attack in paris. one person was stabbed and killed at the eiffel tower, and two others injured with a hammer by a man who'd pledged allegiance to the extremist islamic state. today, in brussels, the european home affairs commissioner said there is "a huge risk of terrorist attacks" in europe during the christmas season. the german interior minister agreed. >> this brutal violence shows just how acute and how serious the threat posed by islamist terrorism is currently in the eu. not only in germany, but also in all neighboring countries. and the war in gaza and hamas' terror are exacerbating this situation. amna: the european commission now plans to spend more than $30 million on additional security, especially for places of worship. close to 400 rohingya refugees are still stranded tonight off the coast of thailand.

u.n. officials say they've been at sea for two weeks and some of them may die due to lack of food and water if they are not rescued soon. the refugees are adrift in the andaman sea, about 200 miles off shore, after fleeing crowded camps in bangladesh. there's fresh data that shows students worldwide suffered unprecedented learning losses during the pandemic. the "program for international student assessment" reports average math scores in 2022 fell 15 points from four years earlier. average reading scores during that same period were down 10 points. the findings are based on testing of 15-year-olds in more than 80 countries, including the u.s. and on wall street the dow jones industrial average lost nearly 80 points to close at 36,124. the nasdaq rose 44 points. the s&p 500 slipped 2. still to come on the "newshour." college leaders face

congressional scrutiny about rising antisemitism and islamophobia. vice president harris makes history with a record-setting tiebreaker vote in the senate. tariq "black thought" trotter of "the roots" reflects on his impact on hip hop in a new memoir. plus, much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: more than 200 palestinians detained or imprisoned by israel were released last week during the truce between israel and hamas. among them, mostly women and children. they are just some of the thousands of palestinians held by israel for a range of alleged and convicted offenses. nick schifrin reports. nick: this is the day this family had been waiting for. this 14-year-old is home in east

jerusalem after three months of israeli incarceration, back in the protective embrace and watchful gaze of his father, who told us this moment is bittersweet. >> we feel happiness because our child is free, but this happiness is not complete because the price to get freedom for our kids was very expensive. the price was our people's blood in the gaza strip. nick: he was one of israel's youngest prisoners, released last week at the same time as his 15-year-old cousins. of the 240 palestinians released during the pause in gaza, nearly half were children. did the contions of your detention change from before october 7 to after october 7? >> before october 7 they treated us well. for example, they would say hello and good night. they were respectful. but after october 7 they started hitting female prisoners and they started to reduce the quantity of the food.

there were nine of us in the food and they gave us two meals i n small quantities. before entering the jail, i was 158 pounds but now i am 121 pounds. nick: an israeli prison spokesperson told the newshour, we are not aware of the claims you describe, and all prisoners are detained according to the law. ahmed and his cousins live in jerusalem. israeli police first placed them under house arrest in may. in july they bid their grandmother goodbye when police arrested them for rockthrowing, damage to property, and hostile terrorist activity. police say his trial was still ongoing when he was released. >> there is no proof at all that i was throwing stones at that time. i never used to leave the house at night. israeli forces came to the house at 4:00 a.m. where me and my 12-year-old brother were asleep. there is proof they took me from inside my home. >> there are more than 7600 palestinians detained in israeli

prisons. this is an unprecedented number. nick: a lawyer with palestinian prisoner support and a human rights organization says since october 7, israel had detained or arrested more than 3000 palestinians, including more than 200 children. >> the occupation tries to silence the palestinians, and that happens when an occupation arrests the largest number of palestinians. >> not at all. nick: last week the israeli government organized a briefing from a retired rickety or general -- a retired brigadier general. >> they made an act of terror. they were captured, tried and convicted in court by law. and there were in -- they were in prison for making an act of terror. nick: in the occupied west bank, israeli soldiers --

[indiscernible] >> palestinians are actually convicted in these courts at a rate exceeding 99%. nick: list any and's in jerusalem also -- alice tinian's in jerusalem call is rael's courts unfair to palestinians. >> my heart was broken when i see him for the last time. nick: she had breast cancer when she was arrested. her family says in jail she did not receive any treatment and also became diabetic. her nephew says she -- her niece says she barely recognizes her aunt. >> she entered the jail as someone and became a different person there. she is someone else now. nick: israel denies any prisoner is mistreated. >> in prison, all the prisoners

get medical care. nick: but advocates say conditions have long been difficult, more so since october 7. >> we have documented many of the extensive violations, including violence by special forces, including teargas, rubber bullets, light ammunition, and they are brutally beating prisoners. nick: an israeli service presence books person says this person was convicted for terrorism and illegal carrying of knives and daggers and was sentenced to three years and eight months. her family said she was jailed as she prayed at the mosque. >> she is a peaceful person who treats others well. even when she was first arrested, we did not believe it, because she was only trying to defend herself at the mosque. nick: as for ahmed, he wants to be the shoulder to lean on for his doting mother. he takes pride in being his father's son. >> i want to follow in my dad's

footsteps. i want to go back to school and graduate. my father is a driving instructor. i want to finish school so i can help my father test the student drivers. nick: what do you want for your son's future? >> i want him to be better than me. i know he wants to help me, but for me i wish him a better life. i will give him the freedom of choice, but i want him to finish his education. the most important thing i want him to be is a good person. nick: but this week, this video was posted describing how israeli authorities riveted released prisoners from -- prohibited released prisoners from returning to icicle. >> where are we going to take our children after today? nick: he is hoping the answer to that question is not another round of detention. for him that is a generational fear. >> i spent 1993 and 1994 in the same prison i took my son and his cousins to on july 30. i refuse to take their mothers because i did not want anyone to see my emotions and tears.

nick: in your opinion, can this cycle end? >> the only way out of the tears and anger and woes is to end the occupation and to return to life before occupation, where we lived in one country as palestinians, jews, and christians, not the nationalists. when the jews left europe because of the holocaust, we shared our lands and our lives. nick: there is not a lot of hope these days for sharing or more releases now that the fighting in gaza has resumed. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. ♪ amna: we are going to shift our focus to the heated debate on many college campuses over the israel hamas war, and concerns over incidents of violence come of threats and hate speech which

made their way to capitol hill today. protests that erupted after the october 7 hamas attack on israel have roiled college campuses across the country. [chanting] with college administrators facing backlash over the responses to alleged incidences of anti-semitism. that was the focus of the congressional hearing today as the president of harvard university, the university of pennsylvania, and massachusetts institute of technology faced questions from the house committee on education and the workforce. a committee chairwoman opened the hearing, accusing the schools of fostering a culture of anti-semitism. >> institutional anti-semitism and hate are among the poisoned fruits of your institution's cultures. geoff: the harvard president, who assumed the role this summer , acknowledge her own struggles at such a tense moment. >> i know many in our harvard jewish community are hurting and

experiencing grief, fear, and trauma. i have heard from faculty, students, staff and alumni of incidents of intimidation and harassment. at the same time, i know members of harvard's muslim and arab communities are also hurting. during these difficult days, i have also felt the bonds of our community strain. in response, i have thought to confront hate while preserving -- sought to confront hate while preserving free expression. this is difficult work and i know i have not always gotten it right. geoff: sally kornbluth is the president of m.i.t. >> i have been the president of m.i.t. since january of this year. as an american, a jew, and a human being, i abhor anti-semitism. my administration is combating it actively. geoff: all of the college

leaders who were testifying says bigotry against jews, muslims, or anyone else was unacceptable, and described their efforts to protect students and foster civil dialogue at their schools. but since the outbreak of the war, it has been easier said than done. at harvard last month, a jewish student was surrendered -- was surrounded by pro-palestinian protesters, yelling shame. >> i love the lipservice, i love that. i am looking for an action item, yes, no. was anybody expelled? any action item? if you don't know, that is ok too. >> we hold our community -- >> i will reclaim my time. geoff: elise stefanik of new york followed up. >> will admissions offers be rescinded or any disciplinary action be taken against students or applicants who say "river to the sea," advocating for the murder of jews? >> as i said, that type of

hateful, reckless, offensive speech is personally aborted to meet -- abhorrent to me. >> what action will be taken? >> when speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies, including against bullying, harassment or intimidation, we take action. we have robust disciplinary processes that allow us to hold individuals accountable. geoff: lawmakers were universal in their condemnation of anti-semitism but democrats accused republicans of using today's hearing for other purposes. >> i want to note that the main point of this hearing should be to identify bipartisan solutions to combat anti-semitism, not an excuse to attack higher education or important diversity equity and inclusion work happening at colleges across the country. geoff: ahead of the hearing, republicans organized a press conference with jewett students -- jewish students. >> for my part, i was forced to leave my study group halfway

through the semester because my group members told me that the people at the nova music festival deserved to die because they were partying on stolen land. geoff: one group president touted the plan to combat anti-semitism. >> we are making sure that all anti-bigotry efforts ensure education about anti-semitism. some parts of our program need to be enhanced. we are working on that right now. geoff: in light of multiple events at various campuses, the department of education recently launched an investigation into seven schools. the inquiry is focused on complains of anti-semitism and islamophobia. schools could face a loss of funding if they don't comply. ♪ amna: a milestone moment in the u.s. senate today, the 300th

tie-breaking vote. and an even bigger moment in history for vice president kamala harris, who has now broken 33 deadlocks, more than 90 -- than any other vp before her. lisa desjardins takes a look at her role in a polarized senate. lisa: some past presidents, some famous, many now forgotten. none ever saw what happened, a 191 year old record now broken. >> the yeas are 50 and nays are 50. lisa: kamala harris reached the tie of the most -- breached the record of the most ties. her tie-breaking votes have included some especially weighty ones. the nearly $2 trillion american rescue plan with covid stimulus.

>> the vice president votes in the affirmative. lisa: last year's inflation reduction act, and over a dozen -- >> the vice president votes in the affirmative. lisa: nominees from the federal reserve to federal courts. >> vice president votes in the affirmative. >> it gives a lot of power that come alaris has in her role right now in deciding -- kamala harris has in her role right now in deciding policy for the country. lisa: one academic points out that harris is already historic, the first female vice president, first asian-american and first african-american. she has now taken the record for the most ties from john calhoun, perhaps the most influential white super mist in you -- white supremacist in u.s. history. he argued slavery was good for black people. it is unlikely he would ever imagine someone like harris in the senate. >> occupying those spaces of a

black woman or woman of color i think is unprecedented, but i also think when you compare her leadership alongside someone like john c calhoun, the two could not be further apart. lisa: consider this, it took calhoun nearly eight years to rack up nearly 31 tie-breaking votes, but harris beat that number in just over two. >> it just reflects the political polarization that exists in the broader society. lisa: bill is a professor of policy and government at george mason university. >> i have the distinction of having cast more tie-breaking votes than any lieutenant governor in the history of our state. lisa: in the 2000's, the virginia senate was narrowly split and sometimes evenly so. as lieutenant governor, he cast dozens of tie-breaking votes. >> it is a lot of responsibility. nick: when the senate is in town, harris must be also. her supporters say this is one reason why her approval ratings

are not higher. she cannot travel and build a profile as easily. but also in these tie votes, whether state or national, are broader lessons. >> as a political scientist i'm often reminding my students that we are living in one of the most political -- political polarized times in american history. that will increase the frequency with which these tie-breaking votes occur. it will increase both the responsibility but also the power and influence that these presiding officers can provide. lisa: joe biden never cast a single tie vote as vice president. harris told cbs her repeated job of it is a bonding point. >> in fact, the president and i joke, he says that is going to be a winning vote whenever i vote. it is a joke we have. the stakes are so high. lisa: high-stakes in an institution where process is power, and where no vice

president has ever been as decisive of a vote as this one. with more time bricks -- more tiebreak's almost certainly ahead. i'm lisa desjardins. ♪ amna: "the roots" are known as one of hip hop's most important and influential groups. there also well-known as the house band of the tonight show. and their lead emcee tariq trotter, better known by his stage name, black thought, has been called one of the most skilled and prolific rappers of our time. now during this 50th anniversary year of hip hop -- the grammy winner tells his own story in a new memoir and sat down with jeffrey brown recently for our arts and culture series, canvas. >> this is my block. this is where i essentially grew up. jeffrey: i drive through through south philadelphia with native son tariq trotter. >> it is a place where you have

to persevere to get anywhere. it is a place that eats folks alive. jeffrey: it also came with its own energy. trotter recalled his time as a youngster selling shopping bags. >> i was a shopping bag seller, so i was one of the kids who walk up and down the street, shopping bag, get your shopping bags over here. jeffrey: under his stage name "black thought", trotter would write and rap his way to world stages as cofounder of "the roots," a band known for its instrumentation, live performance and grounding in jazz and other genres. ♪ jeffrey: now in "the upcycled self: a memoir on the art of becoming who we are," he takes us back to the experiences and contradictions of his early years.

deep love from his family, but violence and loss all around. the house he accidentally burned down as a young child. friends and family destroyed amid the crack epidemic of the 1980's. most of all, his mother, lost to addiction and then murdered. ♪ but this is also a story of resilience and triumph that came through art, most of all, the art of hip-hop. >> hip hop is making something out of nothing. hip hop is, you know, i talk about the up cycle. hip hop is putting the pieces of a thing that are salvageable to use. jeffrey: the up cycled self means taking what is around you and what? tariq: taking not only what is around you, but dealing that which dashed dealing with that which lies within. it is a worldview, a way of

moving through this space that at one point in time, you know, one point was life or death. it is understanding the difference between that which needs to be abandoned and that which, you know, needs to be put to a different use. jeffrey: visual art, seeing and making it, came first. and then music. tariq: i was looking for a place where i had the place to be creative. tariq: a seminal period was the two years he spent at the philadelphia high school for creative and performing arts, known as capa, where he took us to watch band rehearsal. and then encourage current students. >> it is not always comfortable to lean into your talents and graces, but it is sort of our responsibility as artists. jeffrey: capa, then in a different location, is where he met ahmir thompson, better known

as questlove, a brilliant percussionist and student of music of all kinds, who befriended and influenced trotter. they first called their band "the square roots," then the roots. you write art saved me. saved you from what? and how did it save you? tariq: art, you know, saved me from becoming a statistic as so many of my friends and family members and neighbors and just so many of my contemporaries had and have become. from the first glimpse, right, my earliest exposure to art and to the arts i was, i was sort of hooked. and it became my escapism and became the fuel for my imagination in the way that i saw the world. jeffrey: this is what you describe, it is so striking, the use of discovery and then use of words and language.

and then rhyming. tariq: i initially found words in the encyclopedias we had, you know, the full-on sets of encyclopedia britannica and world book encyclopedia and stuff. that was the internet. jeffrey: were you flipping through the pages? tariq: absolutely. that was the internet long before the internet. it was transportive. it was, you know, transcendent and transformative for me. >> ♪ you have become a symbol in the spirit life rest in paradise ♪ jeffrey: as black thought trotter became known as a master wordsmith, building phrases and rhymes into powerful storytelling, especially of black identity and experience. ♪ in 2017 he delivered a now legendary 10 minute solo freestyle performance on funk master flex's hot 97 radio show. a verbal acrobatic mix of references, metaphors, personal and political punch.

>> ♪ she was introduced to that substance abuse on some of the strong gust drugs the government produced -- str ongest drugs the government produced ♪ tariq: i am pulling everything from everywhere, every experience, every relationship, every moment. you should be able to channel that energy. jeffrey: bling histories from everywhere. tariq: i feel like one of the purposes that i serve as an emcee is as a historian. it does not seem like i am coming from a place with the intention of teaching, but -- jeffrey: but you are. tariq: but i am. jeffrey: to entertain but also teach. tariq: it is not easy, but that is what i do. that's why i'm black thought. jeffrey: in recent years, trotter has expanded his palette, including a series of solo recordings titled "streams of thought."

and as an actor, appearing in the hbo series "the deuce." and in the off-broadway musical "black no more" for which he also wrote music and lyrics. the hope is to bring it to broadway. now 50, trotter looks back and ahead, with a keen sense of legacy for himself and his art form. >> it is important to me, you know, just to continue to tell my story, our stories. that is part of my responsibility, is to continue to elevate this craft, you know, to that level of high art, whether it is my own art, my own contribution that is recognized as such, or whether my contribution is in, you know, having the culture recognized as such. i feel that as part of my mission. jeffrey: next up tariq trotter,

aka black thought, a new rootsa™ album plus the latest in his solo recordings. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in philadelphia. ♪ geoff: later this evening on pbs, frontline presents a film about the school shooting in uvalde, texas in may, 2022. "inside the uvalde response" draws on real-time, firsthand accounts and uses official bodycam footage and audio. produced with propublica and the texas tribune, the film reconstructs the chaotic response to the shooting and examines the missteps, lessons learned and the lingering trau of that day. >> the gunman fires through the door of one of the classrooms.

[beep] >> i saw blood or something. what is going on? he's like, hey. we both retreat back a little bit towards where we entered. i did not know if this guy was going to come out. >> surveillance footage shows lieutenant martinez went back down the hallway alone. -- going back down the hallway alone, then back to where other officers are positioned. >> the first few moments of the response is crucial, is what experts said. this is the best moment in time to engage the shooter and rescue any victims. so officers initially did that, and then they stumbled back when they were grazed by bullets. that ends up really setting the stage for the rest of the response. no one tried to go into the room

for another 70 minutes. >> hestly i did not think anybody was in there besides the gunman. i just honestly thought they were in the cafeteria. it seemed like all bets were off , he was screaming and yelling. i literally did not hear anything at all. you would think kids would be yelling and screaming. >> officer after officer said that because it was so silent, they did not hear any screams or any indication that a child was inside thatw ing, -- that wing, that they believed it was empty, even though it was the middle of a school day on one of the last days of the semester. >> we could not hear the kids. we could not hear him shooting anybody or anything like that. i guess that is why they were waiting to make entry. we did not know what was going on and it was too quiet.

off: "inside the uvalde response" premieres on pbs stations and streams on youtube at 10:00 p.m. eastern. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- >> pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. a raymondjames financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned. ♪ >> carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security, at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these institutions.

♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

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. ♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what's coming up -- israel expands its ground operation to all over gaza, as the u.s. makes public appeals to protect civilian lives. i ask former state department official josh paul why he resigned over this war. then, an israeli and a