geoff:, i'm geoff bennett. -- u.s. military leaders pressure israel to scale back its assault on gaza with the civilian death toll mounting and hospital struggling to treat injuries. sundry day o'connor lies in repose at the supreme word. the women she inspired. and, judy woodruff sits down to better understand the risks our

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions made by viewers like you. geoff: welcome to the newshour. america's top two defense officials are in israel with a dual message, the u.s. supports israel but it must stop killing so many gaza civilians and focus operations. the war continues at a brutal pace and some of israel's closest european allies are pressing for a cease-fire. hamas showed three elderly male israeli hostages still in captivity, one man identifies himself as a 79-year-old who was abducted on october 7.

israeli media identified the other two as an 84-year-old and 80-year-old. the hostages are heard pleading for israel's help. lloyd austin made his second visit to the region today is the start of the war. this time, urging israel to transition from its calming campaign to a more surgical ground operation. >> this is israel's operation and i am not here to dictate timelines or terms. we also have some thoughts on how to transition from high intensity operations and more surgical preparations. geoff: israeli prime minister

benjamin netanyahu is vowing to fight towards the end. >> there is no clock that is running. geoff: israel's defense minister is defiant. >> we need to get two different performances on the ground before we move until the next phase. geoff: with each day, the humanitarian situation grows increasingly dire. 56% of households are experiencing severe hunger. basic households -- households are struggling to get basic necessities. >> situation is difficult, sometimes we run out of water. geoff: for palestinians in gaza

-- this is after an airstrike in central gaza race it. >> rescue teams are trying to get a huge number out from under the rubble. this is our situation. geoff: elsewhere, body bags pile up. loved ones gathered in disbelief. prayers were also said for final goodbyes. he was killed what is believed to be an israeli strike. the journalist is one of at least 90 journalists killed since october. thousands came out to pay

tribute including the al jazeera bureau chief who survived the attack. >> we were targeted in a direct way and it was god's will that i got injure geoff: israel is denying claims that an israeli sniper targeted the catholic church in gaza killing two palestinian women. on sunday, pope francis condemned the killings, adding this. >> some say, this is terrorism. this is war. yes, it is war, it is terrorism. geoff: the health system in gaza has collapsed.

problem involves recently spoke with a british palestinian surgeon who spent a month and a half in gaza tending to people. >> welcome to the newshour and welcome. as the war broke out, you went in to help with medical support, it's not the first time you have done that. help us understand what compelled you to go? >> i knew that what was coming was absolutely collaborative and there would need to be support of medical teams. i was setting up a residency for plastic surgeons and i knew with the capabilities were and the

capacity was in the system was. and that made me realize that it was critical that i would go because because there was a shortage of plastic surgeons, particularly in gaza. [39.7s] >> how did what you saw on the ground line up with what you expected to see? >> well, it was the difference between a flood and a tsunami. everything that i had seen, not just in gaza before, but even in yemen and iraq and syria, there was nothing compared to what we witnessed and what is still going on in gaza. the size, the magnitude of the killing and the ferocity of the violence is astounding. it is beyond what i have seen. >> doctor, we as journalists have had to screen much of the footage that comes through and try to figure out how to verify it, what to bring to our audience. you were living through it during a really intense israeli bombing campaign. can you help us understand what

you saw? what stays with you? what were those scenes like? >> it is absolute carnage, when you go to the emergency department and just waves upon waves of dead and wounded come in, so many children, i was operating daily on 10 to 12 patients and 50% were kids and there was one horrendous night that i did operations on six children. as a result, it's around 1000, just the sheer member overwhelms you to do as much as you physically can and in most days

was 18 hours of solid work and what you did -- >> as the supplies ran out, as it was blocked, what kind of choices did that force you and other medical suppliers on the ground to make? >> initially, one had to improvise on replacing much-needed material. you know, at the very beginning, we started running out of antiseptic solution. and, you know, i kind of made up this cocktail of washing up liquid and vinegar and water to clean the wound. as things got worse in the most difficult thing is the capacity twin bill and prioritizing who goes to the operating room, who

doesn't. that became the most difficult choice. people with major burns we cannot save and every way -- every made more life or death situations. >> hospital, the biggest hospital in north gaza. they said that that hospital there was evidence. they said that it was a hamas command-and-control center. they showed weapons and uniforms. it did beg the question among a lot of people who saw the evidence. what do you have to say? >> anyone who has had an mri told to take off small rings and earings and it shows had there

necklaces. been what the israelis were saying, you would still be having teams of embedded journalists being taken on tour in these great command and control centers. this narrative of shifa aimed to actually distract from the fact that while they were talking about shifa, that they destroyed four pediatric hospital while they were talking about that. they bombed the cancer hospital. while they were talking, they dismantled with the aim of making it and uninhabitable place. water and sewage at schools and universities and those were left behind have to leave for the

sake of children. >> everyone we speak to says there is no safe place. we know a number of medical professionals have been killed trying to help as well. will you return at some point? >> absolutely, the only reason i left and i became redundant as a surgeon. the last few days i was just bandaging people up. it allows us to increase the capacity of the health system so we as a surgeon can operate, i would be back in gaza. >> thank you so much for your time.

geoff: a front-line commander for ukraine's army warned troops have had to scale back operations as weapons and ammunition are in short supply as more aid and morale declines among forces. the u.s. rejected talks of the stalemate. >> i cannot say the enemy has stopped us. we can't keep our strength, we are not reckless and in some areas we move to defense and others by maneuver, fire and forward. we are preparing reserves for further large-scale action. geoff: antony blinken signed a

defense agreement with finland, it allows the u.s. to place troops there. pope francis approved a landmark policy change allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. it does not include condoning marriage ceremonies and says if people asked for a blessing, a moral analysis should not be a precondition. in hong kong, a landmark trial. security was tight as a prison van pulled up to the court building. supporters said freedom is at stake. >> it is sad my party members have been locked up for many months and years, i hope jimmy

and others will get a fair, open and just hearing. geoff: could get life in prison. elon musk social media platforms is now under investigation by the european union. the use as its focus on whether the company has done enough to stop the spread of the legal contents. the republican governor of texas signed a sweeping new law that allows local police to arrest migrants and lets state judges order them to leave the country. opponents say it directly violates -- southwest airlines will pay $140 million in a record federal settlement one year after it read tapic on holiday travel.

that left more than 2 million passengers struggled around christmas. they could not keep up with cancellations. it includes a fine plus compensation for future passengers. on wall street, the dow jones industrial average was virtually unchanged. the nasdaq rose 91 points. still on the newshour. breaking down the latest political headlines. police department resist releasing body camera footage. >> this is the pbs newshour.

geoff: a bipartisan group in the senate continues to negotiate over a border deal. it's a good time to check in with our politics monday team with amy walter and tom and keith. we have democrats and republicans trying to strike a deal on the border is linked to additional funding. what could both sides do which will ultimately be a win? >> this is the challenge, because there is the short-term and long-term peace. on the issue of ukraine, yes, it is a biden priority but we are seeing that divide in the republican party.

even on the presidential stage between nikki haley so if we are talking about winners and losers , there are publicans. when it comes to the border, it's very hard to find the middle ground. you are asking to solve a long-term problem to get a short-term bill through. that's really why this is hitting up against the brick wall. with ukraine or israel, we are talking about funding, if this was a funding issue, this is about massive polity changes -- policy changes but democrats say go too far.

but, it would help do things that democrats do not want to see done by another administration. geoff: how can the white house see this as an opportunity? perhaps to neutralize the talking point heading into the election. >> i was talking mostly to independent voters and democrats , 10,000 people apprehended the record-setting day. it indicates what a challenge this is, immigration is going to be the thing they bludgeon the president and his party with. there are governors and mayors

far from the border saying this is a problem we need to deal with. if it's not a huge chance, that's a problem provided with a key part of his base. with immigrant advocates and a lot of other people. look, i got a bipartisan deal, are republicans going to set that is enough? both parties in some ways had an interest in this as an issue to new into be out there as an issue as a motive for voters, that is one of the challenges.

republicans see this as border security. they want to limit immigration and adjusting bipartisan support. republicans don't even see it as immigration reform. geoff: donald trump said immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country. this is a remark that echoed the words of adolf hitler. >> they are poisoning the blood of our country. they have poisoned mental institutions, prisons. not just south america, all over the world there --

geoff: in the same speech she praised tyrants and authoritarians. >> nobody has a right to come to this country, you have to be someone who believes in the values and wants to assimilate. we are going to be tough because i think >> going on now at the border has been a total train wreck. >> are you comfortable with him using words like that? >> we are talking about language . i could care less what language people use. if you are talking about language, that's a losing strategy. sen. booker: geoff: you can argue that the language leads to the policy and justifies the policy.

>> the dehumanizing of people makes it easier to justify policy and say, the people were coming here are not deserving, they are not like us. we should not accept them. that's clearly where trump is going on this. where the republicans are going is where they have always gone. which is to say, i can criticize him for it like i did on access hollywood, january 6 for other times and not only did it not motivate republicans to distance themselves, if you were a republican who did that, it isolated you from the party. this is where you get back to

talking about trumping the nominee. they're going to move on and get to the campaign that this feels like we know where we are going. we've had four years with donald trump and this pushes us further in a direction that we don't want to go. geoff: what to trump supporters say about this? >> he has not said that lately, and i primarily was around this christie who says this language is bad and what ron desantis is saying -- it would be

extrajudicial killing. the rhetoric is hot but donald trump at 4000 people in an arena that it was not the first time he was widely criticized and very much knew that echoed language. geoff: thank you both. sandra day o'connor, the first woman to serve on the u.s. supreme court late in repose today, giving members of the public a chance to pay their respects. she died this month at the age of 93. the court has change substantially since she joined more than 40 years ago and sonia

sotomayor paid tribute to her predecessors' barrier breaking role. >> for so many of us, sandra was a living example that women could take on any challenge, could hold their own and do so with grace. geoff: while the number of women on the court's most notable, john yang looks at the way it has not -- john: a firm offer her employment as a secretary. that was 70 years ago, surveys and studies show progress is slow, especially in the top ranks. a 2022 survey found that only 25% of law firm partners are

women. and women make up 37% of practicing attorneys. what's been accomplished since 1981, when o'connor shattered the glass ceiling, becoming the first woman on the supreme court, and how much still needs to be done. laura ziegler is managing partner at the san francisco office of the law firm perkins coie. laura, i know that in your office in san francisco that a majority of the partners are women, but that is the exception rather than the rule. how would you assess where the legal profession is now in terms of gender disparity? >> generally the industry is falling far short of where it should be. i graduated with a balanced class and we are still in an industry that is far below 50% in the partnership ranks throughout the country. we are an anomaly, we have 62%

in office and that is twice as much as the average within the firm and other offices. we have a long way to go, but 50% of incoming attorneys are not translating into partnership and leadership ranks. john: what are the obstacles women face? >> i think there are the ones that everyone expects which are, you know, getting through getting through to the promotion, a lot of time people focus on, you know, women being the primary caretakers for children being an obstacle. that is certainly one of them. but we're also seeing the same trends with women that do not have children. so it shows that there's more going on than meets the eye. i think there are problems that we just know through science that people do they tend to , bring up and are attracted to working with people that are

like them. so sometimes it's not necessarily the women regardless . there are a lot of players and it is important for firm leaders to look at the full dynamic. john: what are you doing that other offices should try to emulate? >> most firms are approaching this as a were men issue. if we recruit 50% women, what would happen and we see in house rules to see a future for themselves.

what we have done in san francisco is focus on the retention of our women partners and have junior associates come in, sero-models and success and see they can be successful. the focus needs to stop being on movement and promoting and focus in targeting recruitment. they need -- john: to what extent is sandra day o'connor's effect of having

women at the top level? >> i still remember justice o'connor being confirmed. women were expected to go into nursing and teaching, i come from a long line of nurses and teachers. justice o'connor was the first time in my life where i thought i could do this, seeing justice ginsburg say things like we could have nine women on the supreme court was mind blowing. it is so critical to not just see judges become increasingly women, but judges across all

benches and state courts as well. my first experience was trial court and the role model can't be quantified. john: thank you very much. geoff: they use of police body cameras has become much more widespread in recent years with the expectation they will curb police violence. the promise of these cameras is falling well short of expectations.

>> back in 2018, was it justified self-defense or a fatal overreaction? there was no body camera video to help answer that question. since then, departments across the nation have spent tens of millions of dollars to put small, wearable cameras onto officers. and in some shootings, they've made a difference, including murder charges in the deaths of george floyd in minneapolis, tyre nichols in memphis and, more recently, eddie erie-zar-ee in philadelphia. but, a new investigation by propublica and the new york times magazine found it can often take months or years before video is released if it is released at all. great to have you back on the newshour. the promise was to have an

unbiased record and if police officers knew they would be seen in action it might curtail bad behavior. your investigation showed-- >> who it is released and what is released. as you mentioned as you found, footage is n released at all and also when police themselves are in the soil custody they have often not acted on it to fire officers who do engage in problematic behavior.

>> it what police say happened in that moment. >> the example i could get into was actually the first police killing in new york ever captured on a body camera, a young man named miguel richards, a tragic incident where he was having a mental health crisis, was holding a knife, police came to his apartment and was shot 16 times. the police commissioner's at the time basically praise the officers and the nypd did not release all of the footage, and

what all of it showed was the officers conduct was problematic. the specialized training officers did not wait. those full facts, six years later are only now coming out. >> your report details how derek chauvin who knelt on the neck of george floyd had done the same thing with other examples prior to that, had been captured doing that but it never came to light. is there anyway misconduct is captured and not brought to light? >> that is part of the problem, it's difficult to know. three years before derek chauvin killed george floyd, supervisors

had watched the footage because police refused to release it and it only came out after a judge ordered them to do so in a lawsuit. >> what do police officials say when they are asked why they are reluctant? >> there are legitimate concerns about privacy and that is one thing and there are particular laws, and minnesota for example, police cited a law that when i looked into it had been in its final form written by three legislators who had previously been police officers. legislators and the law plays a part in this. >> it does seem like the refuser

, the hesitancy undercuts the entire idea and police officers no they might be held to account and thus might act more appropriately. >> earlier this year, tyre nichols -- there was a line in the new york times which noted body worn cameras were on and proceeded to beat him anyway. think to yourself, how would that happen? footage in memphis was an extraordinary exception. >> your reporting can be found in the pro public a magazine.

geoff: across the country, more school districts are making the change to a four day school district. our correspondent traveled to one of those districts to see how teachers and parents are adjusting. >> in missouri, nearly one third have made the switch. >> this was 100% about attracting and retaining the best staff. right from the start, we wanted everyone to know it was not about saving money, we are spending more on this model. >> the average salary is the lowest in the nation.

>> we are one of the first rural school districts. >> the superintendent that the change about five years ago. >> i wish this was a story about a school district finding ways to a teacher's the highest salary in the state. we were losing teachers at a pretty high rate. >> the teachers college says this new model -- >> places like missouri and oregon have embraced for fear of

students falling behind. >> there is some evidence suggesting students do not learn quite as much, and part because the school week is actually a little bit shorter, it often results in a slight reduction. >> the first worry is at risk students. it was told to us to retain teachers that there are different ways we can take care of people's families. >> while independence offers childcare, it cost $30 each week. >> i have had a few friends who left the district because if

they have to pay for a full day, why not just send them to private school? >> they are going to get into a routine and they are not going to have the need for childcare you thought you were going to. >> he expects the issue to prop up as more districts turned to the model. >> for many families, the fifth day is a challenge because they have to provide care who are not being supervised in school. that could be a direct cost for parents. >> as for whether the shift has been successful, he says it's too early to tell but the results so far are promising. >> the number of applicants went up by more than four times from

the previous year, it's helping with retention and we saw a huge increase. >> missouri requires students must have the same number of instructional hours regardless of how many days they are in school, and days where teachers themselves are vested and ready to teach. >> i want people to know that it's quality over quantity and we are very productive. we don't waste time. we are getting as much of the education has weekend. >> the superintendent says the numbers show students are not declining academically. >> reading levels are about the same, test scores.

we are about where we were before so it's not like we are seeing a big drop in student achievement. we are trying to increase teacher pay and this has worked out well for us to retain our staff, have the best teachers in front of our kids. >> has schools juggle things like budget constraints, the shift may be in your reality in years to come. for the pbs newshour, i'm gabrielle hayes. geoff: all this year, judy woodruff has been exploring cultural and social divisions as part of a primetime special airing tomorrow night.

here's a preview as part of the ongoing series. judy: a few weeks ago where the 16th president spent time during the civil war, i gathered a group of respected thinkers to talk. they were a former compelling judge, nicole hammer, and deval patrick. welcome to all three of you. i want to begin with you, judge, this basic question we have been reporting on america's divisions. given that, how concerned are

you right now about this country? >> judy, i'm gravely concerned about our country today. certainly more concerned that i have been in my lifetime. all of a sudden it seems we americans don't agree on anything at all. we certainly don't agree any longer, we don't even longer agree on america's democracy or whether democracy is the greatest in the world or civilization. >> i share the sense of concern. there have been many times where americans have clashed over

democracy, abraham lincoln himself said we use the word democracy but we don't all mean the same thing. this idea that democracy needs to be abandoned that gives me the most pause. if the sense that maybe none of this is worth preserving for defending, it seems a growing number of people across the country and more importantly a political party that seems curious by where the idea might take them. that skepticism about democracy attached to the vehicle of institutional power is something we should be concerned about given the outbreak of political violence that we have seen in recent years. geoff: judy: governor patrick, what is

your perspective? >> i share the concerns and gravity of their concerns my friends have prescribed, it is amazing how it decline so rapidly because in 2016 there was an appetite for the type of governing that said you did not have to agree with everything. i think that appetite exists in regular people but our politics have become so performative and radical, and the danger that leadership has been internalized , the language is careless, the actions that have been taken are

pretty scary. i will say this, i think we have two challenges, how to make the rules and systems straightforward and have the vote counted, the hyper-partisan gerrymandering, all of these have solutions, good ideas, they are. there is another challenge, not the same which is how to many -- make no democracy meaningful. >> the governor is of course correct. our politics poisonous.

today, for a number of reasons, i contribute this in no small part to our political leaders and public officials because it's in their best political interests if you will to portray americans as enemies of each other. there are far more we share and agree upon as americans even today then there is that we disagree on. judy: nicole, when i hear the judge referred to political leaders who want distention among the public. that is something that has truly

come to the fore in recent years. >> but one of those things i think gets confused when we talk about polarization. we talk about polarization as if it just describes the political landscape we are in, but it is a tool of politics. it is something to drive in the politics of the 1990's, newt gingrich saw polarization as a powerful weapon, he circulated redware -- rhetoric to talk about democrats as disgusting and evil. judy: when you and i spoke a couple of months ago, you talked about as long as there is a body

of belief among our elected officials, the 2020 election was not legitimate, that our democracy is not safe. >> no question. i included many allusions to the civil war in this country. i believed at that time that we were perhaps on the cusp of a literal civil war. i would say we are that much closer to a literal civil war today. geoff: that conversation is tomorrow. that is the newshour for tonight.

i'm geoff bennett, thank you for joining us and have a great evening. >> major funding has provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and it did two sons. and, friends of the newshour including kathy and paul anderson. >> consumer cellular, how may i help you? >> this is a pocket dial. >> you get nationwide coverage with no contract. have a nice day. >> these are people who are trying to change the world. startups have the energy that energizes me. i am thriving by helping others every day. people who know, know bdo. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. funding was provided by.

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