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. john: tonight on pbs news weekend. a closer look at the drug,

ketamine and its increasing use. the firsgroup of inmates to graduate from northwestern university's prison education program. >> there is not the roadblocks that are keeping us from competing. the cream is going to rise to the top. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by. >> consumer cellular, this is sam. >> this is a pocket dial. >> consumer cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. have a nice day. >> and with the ongoing support

of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshr. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening. i'm john yang. tonight, fresh questions are being raised about the conduct of israeli ground forces in gaza after military officials said the three hostages mistakenly killed were carrying a white flag and were shirtless -- both apparent efforts to show they were unarmed. an israeli military official, who spoke on condition of

anonymity, said the soldiers thought the three posed a threat. the official also said the troops violated israel's rules of engagement, and the incident is being investigated at the highest level. it has increased public pressure on the israeli government to release palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 129 or so remaining hostages. hundreds of protestors blocked traffic in tel aviv last night. >> we demand that the israeli government talk to us, today, and explain to us what proposal is on the table. don't wait for the usa, that's what is needed. if not, my child comes back in a bag. and i'm sure none of you would want to see their child return in a bag. john: in a news conference today, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu appeared to hint that new negotiations were under y to get the hostages released. for the first time ever, a roman catholic cardinal has been convicted by the vatican

criminal court. cardinal angelo betchoo was found guilty today of embezzlement and sentenced to five and a half years in prison. that ends a complicated two-and-a half year financial trial that aired some of the vatican's dirty laundry. becciu was acquitted of other charges including money laundering and abuse of office. his lawyers said they will appeal. florida governor and republican presidential candidate ron desantis escalated the war of words with donald trump,aying that if the former president loses the iowa caucuses next month, he'll cry fraud. desantis spoke to reporters in new hampshire. gov. desantis: if trump loses, he will say it's stolen no matter what, absolutely. he will try to delegitimize the results. i don't think there's been a single time he's ever been in competition for something, where he didn't get it, where he has accepted. i don't think he will do that. so, i think he's doing that. i think that that's to be expected, but i don't think people are gonna buy it. john: trump currently has a commanding lead in the contest

for the republican presidential nomination. his campaign has accused desantis of trying to “rig” the iowa caucuses, and said his comments showed his "true colors" as a "democrat surrogate.” still to come on "pbs news weekend", a look at the risks and rewards in prescribing the drug ketamine. northwestern university's prison education program graduates its first class. >> this is "pbs news weekend," from weta news studios in washington. john: as millions of catholics in the u.s. mark the third sunday of advent tomorrow, the pope's efforts to make the church more inclusive for l-g-b-t-q+ people and women, and urging vaccination against covid is creating a growing rift between traditionalist american catholics and the vatican. ali rogin has more. ali: over the last 10 years pope

francis has gained admiration for his humility, care for the poor, and social issues. francis has the support of the majority of catholics in the u.s., conservatives are some of his most vocal critics. the pope moved against two of his loudest detractors, bishop joseph strickland, both americans. strickland was removed as the diocese of tyler texas. cardinal was stripped of his vatican privileges, housing, and salary. david gibson is the head of the culture and religion at fordham university. but stock about what type of pope, pope francis has been. what sort of reforms has he focused on? >> pope francis has focused on being a pastor, providing more inclusive church. going out to the peripheries.

that has been his signature. really going out and helping those poor, homeless, the immigrant, refugees. he is seen as a merciful figure. what he's not terribly merciful towards is the elites of the church. those who have the privileges and perks. we have seen how he has moved against some of them in recent months. ali: the american catholic bishop leaders who have criticized him, are they considered elites in church standing? why is it that they seem to have been among the most vocal critics? >> the opposition is very loud. it is very influential. it is really very small and located in the anglosphere of the united states. there's lot of money behind this conservative movement.

they are relatively small. they have a certain approach that tracks the political trends in the united states. they don't like what pope francis is doing. really upending all of the customs and privileges these cardinals and privilege -- bishops were used to. a lot of this is simply the fact that these are bishops and cardinals who had the inside track with john and benedict the 16th for over 35 years. now you have a pope who was elected 10 years ago who upends all of that. the first pope from the southern hemisphere. he is from argentina. ali: what does it say about the

state of american catholicism that pope francis has majority high approval ratings but he's coming under criticism from some american leaders? >> catholics always like the singer, even if they don't like the song. it also indicates again the conservative opposition based in the united states is very small. that doesn't mean it is not influential and not damaging. the american catholic church is just 5% of the global 1.2 billion member church. we tend to forget that. even within the 60 million, 65 million member church, these real conservative elements are a minority. ali: we mentioned the leaders

that pope francis has punished. could you tell us more about them and what they have said? >> these cases, bishop strickland in tyler, texas and cardinal raymond buccei, who has lived in rome and wisconsin. they are distinct in the sense that they have been longtime critics of pope francis. bishop strickland, his diocese, was not being well-run. pope francis has been extremely patient over 10 years with his critics like cardinal burke. even with joseph strickland, who has endorsed some of the attacks against pope francis. in the case of bishop strickland , his diocese, the morale was down. it is a mess. you remain a bishop.

we need to replace you. in the case of cardinal, you have a 75-year-old cardina living in a 4500 square-foot apartment in rome with a $60,000 a year stipend. maybe one month total. he has no job there. he has all of these quirks and privileges -- perks and privileges. you could still vote, you could be elected pope after i leave. we will not give you a stipend anymore. you could keep the apartment. ali: in terms of his response and what you have laid out as inefficiencies, what does that tell us about the type of pope francis is and the type of leader and human he is? >> pope francis has been patient. he has resisted moving. it is an entirely different

category than the dissent was from the left against john paul ii and benedict the 16th. these bishops and cardinals aren't just disagreeing with the pope, they are saying he is not a legitimate teacher. it's almost like accusing the president of sedition. any bishop could be his own pope in a social media sense. francis has not wanted to create other rival voices out there. just this month he turns 87 years old time is running out and he had to make some moves. ali: thank you for your time. ♪ john: a coroners determination

that actor matthew perry died from the “acute effects" of ketamine is drawing new attention to the drug. it's a powerful anesthetic intended for use during surgery. but it's also become a popular treatment for mental health problems. and because of its psychedelic effects, it's also used recreationally. perry's autopsy report says the 54-year-old actor was on ketamine therapy, but that the level in his system was too high to have come from his last known therapy session. according to a healthcare analytics firm, since 2017, ketamine prescriptions have shot up 500 percent. for-profit clinics and telehealth services prescribe it for chronic pain, depression, anxiety and other conditions none of those uses are approved by the food and drug administration. medical professionals warn there's limited research into the effects of long-term ketamine use. dr. caleb alexander is a professor of epidemiology and medicine at the johns hopkins bloomberg school of public

health. thanks for being with us. what does ketamine do and why would it be preferable over something else? >> is a rapidly evolving anesthetic. it was developed in the 1960's to treat people with battlefield trauma in highly supervised settings. in this instance, it was well studied, believing rightly that it was safe and effective in these settings. john: patients who were prescribed this, who use it long-term, are they reporting having disturbing side effects? >> it's important to emphasize the safety and effectiveness of a drug is in a static feature anymore so then we would say a hammer or roll of duct tape is good or bad.

ketamine is being used not for treating someone that is having their appendix taken out, it is used to manage depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, it is being used in ways that are vastly different than the ways in which it has been studied by the u.s. food and drug administration. john: what are the risks? >> when we think about whether or not a drug should be used, it is the balance of benefits and safety. for these uses, posttraumatic stress disorder, not only do we know about whether it is effective, there are real risks including neuropsychiatric effects that could be long-term, cardiovascular effects, changes in blood pressure and the body circulation, bladder effects and

inflammation of the lining of the bladder to name a few. john: why has it become so popular among clinics to prescribe it? why have they shot up so much? >> one factor i i think is simply greed. it is the profit motive they could stand to gain millions of dollars through its sale. the psychedelics, derived from mushrooms and a surge of interest in the psychedelicsor the treatment of psychiatric illness. both of these are factors. john: this is also prescribed for chronic pain? >> it is. it is worth noting we are still in the midst of an opioid epidemic. i think we learned the hard way

that in most instances that prescription opioids are not great medicines for the management of chronic noncancer pain. in the use of ketamine, i certainly wouldn't say that we have more evidence for ketamine than opioids. john: explain to us the loophole in regulation that allows a doctor who never sees the patient in person, does it by zoom, prescribes a psychedelic in that way? >> our system of regulating how prescription drugs could be marketed, it needs to be closed. the federal trade commission, u.s. food and drug, consumer protection laws. the makers of ketamine could market and promote the drug.

these telehealth companies, freestanding clinics could market and promote the drug. the bottom line is our regulations governing drug promotion were conceived and written in an era before these companies existed. we have companies exploiting these loopholes and marketing this drug, making outlandish claims about its safety and effectiveness. john: someone who is suffering, here is those claims, what would you want them to know? how about trying this? >> one of the most important lessons we have learned is that we have many tools in the toolbox. we have many tools to manage chronic pain. we also have many tools to manage depression and other psychiatric illness. i think it is vital that we do have options. i'm talking about pharmacologic

options and also non-pharmacologic. both of these are important. john: thank you very much. thank you for having me. john: the menu are about to meet have been called many things. mostly inmates. these residents of a maximum-security prison have been adding new titles, last month they become the first class of incarcerated graduates from northwestern university prison education program, the support is from the chicago member station wttw. >> the first graduates in custody in the entire united states of america to earn a

bachelors degreerom a top 10 university. >> the month of november is not the typical graduation season. >> is not the only reason today was a long time coming. >> five years ago, this moment right here, i definitely would not have foreseen it. >> we first met his 15 classmates a year ago, midway through their last year at northwestern. professors and teaching assistants making the regular trip to the correctional facility, in between classes students doing the work behind prison walls. >> this cohort survived the pandemic. physics, correspondence, we had staff driving boxes. it is a community grassroots effort. >> their ceremony, a clear

celebration in a place where there is often little to celebrate. >> each graduate gave a two minute speech. >> this moment is the culmination of literally 30 years of people pouring into me. >> demonstrating what they have learned. >> when you come to prison you will get an education. >> how they intend to use it. one of the graduates is 44-year-old andre patterson. his coursework in cultural performance studies inspired his graduation speech. >> i wanted to convey the challenge. the challenges i wanted to overcome while i was facing those personal challenges, i had a realization that i wasn't going this for me. >> patterson grew up in evanston

, in the shadow northwestern university, never thinking he would hold a degree from the institution. >> it is a significant achievement. it is the potential possibility of what i could contribute. >> seems like this, renowned author and journalist served as commencement speaker. >> i read someone here is coping with stage four prostate cancer as they went through the program. you are the same one. this is your book, right? [applause] >> how much he could relate to where they come from.

>> i was arrested for assaulting a teacher. >> he's had his own brush with the legal system with different outcomes. >> i had to come because i don't know you, but i know you. i don't know you but i love you. >> throughout the ceremony there were multiple cheers for one person in particular. >> we love you. >> professor jennifer lackey. >> the driving force and strongest advocate, jennifer lackey says she does this work in part to make an example. >> places like northwestern with immense resources really should be the ones to step up and do this work. we want to set a model for what prison education could look like. we wanto show it is possible and you could show the same

quality of education you provide on your campuses. even a facility that has maximum-security students in it. this is a community, too. a lot of people are very directed about what do you do with this on the outside? this is a spa where there are lives being lived. being able to bring mentors and teaching assistants to this space is life-changing in this community for their children, mothers, loved ones back home. >> some of them may only apply their degrees from inside prison, others will return to communities. sentenced to 25 years for murder , he's going home in march after 19 years on the inside. >> this is what equal opportunity looks like. there is not the roadblocks keeping us from being able to compete witthe other social dynamics put in place to hinder us.

if you give us that chance to see, the cream will rise to the top. >> for pbs news weekend. john: one of last month's graduates, james “jimmy” soto walked out of the prison a free man this week after he was exonerated. he had spent 42 years in prison and is now in his 60s. ♪ now online, a look at what experts believe the united states can do to slash domestic emissions and curb global warming. all that and more is on our web site.

tomorrow on p-b-s news weekd,how a delay in releasing the government application form for federal student grants and loans is affecting colleges' decisions on their financial aid offers. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. see you tomorrow. >> major funding and has been provided by. >> this is sam, how may i help you? >> this is a pocket dial. >> with consumer cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is our thing. have a nice day. >> with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you.

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[narrator] funding for this program has been provided by: the fs foundation, bringing together adults of all abilities and backgrounds as they pursue passion, prosperity and purpose. linda and alvaro pascotto,. the carol franc buck foundation. additional support provided by these funders.