>> good evening. i'm geoff bennett. on the newshour. the u.s. pushes for a pause in fighting between israel and hamas. we hear from a spokesperson for the qatari foreign ministry at the center of the negotiations. the israel-hamas war becomes a local issue. protesters demand their city council passed resolutions that could pressure the biden to act. >> can't donate with joe biden, they can't get two minutes in front of the conference. they cannot come to their local city council. that is why they are doing it.

>> the fight over immigration intensifies as house republicans continue the process of impeaching homeland secretary alejandro mayorkas. >> 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. >> q not a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of leisure. in british style.

all with cunard white star service. >> the john s and james l knight foundation fostering an informed and engage community. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> welcome to the newshour. the u.s. has moved closer to retaliating for a drone attack that killed three american troops in jordan. president biden said he's decided how to respond. as he left the white house, he said iran shares the blame because u.s. officials believe and iran backed militia launched the attack. but he stopped short of saying tehran is a target. >> i do have -- supplying the weapons to the people who did it. i don't think we need a wider war on the middle east. >> the iraqi militia blame for the attack announced it is suspending strike against u.s. forces in the region. the pentagon said actions speak louder than words. in the occupied west bank, surveillance video showed israeli commandos inside a hospital in the city of janine disguised as civilian women and

medics. three palestinian militants were killed. in southern gaza, fighting raged while the israeli prime minister ruled out any military withdrawal. >> i hear sayings about all sorts of deals. i want to make it clear we will not end the war without achieving our goals. we will not pull out the idf from the gaza strip and we will not release thousands of her -- terrorists. >> the leader of hamas said he will meet with mediators to review the latest cease-fire proposal. we are joined by nick schifrin. let's start with the attack that killed the three u.s. soldiers. what do we know about how the administration plans to respond? >> officials say the challenge is to reestablish deterrence against these groups without going to war with iran itself. what could that look like? i'm about to describe the broad categories of targets. a group of targets is iranian

backed groups in iraq and syria. these are iraqis and syrians who fight for these groups, whose weapons and financing often comes from iran. the second category is iranian assets in iraq and syria. there are iranians from iran's revolutionary guard course, that run centers in these places, that run weapon sites. these are obviously iranians running these leases. some are in damascus and baghdad where the commanders fly in. there are also more rural targets. the third category would be iran itself. everything from the irgc headquarters in downtown tehran, to iranian naval ships, including a ship of former military official tells me is helping the who these in yemen.

today, john kirby said the response would be tiered. multiple actions over time. that suggests more than one round. they are also looking at that statement you mentioned. the most likely group that targeted the troops in jordan this weekend saying that we are not going to fire on u.s. troops. this is a sign some regional officials believe iran doesn't want to escalate, but senior administration tells me they are monitoring that statement. the pentagon say actions speak louder than words. >> hamas announced it would go to cairo to engage in those talks. does it signal they are taking it seriously? >> they hope it means hamas is taking it seriously. the details we have now have been provided by unofficial briefed on the talks.

the hostage releases would occur over three phases. older women and children. men and younger women would be the second phase. soldiers and dead bodies would be the third. the first would last six weeks. it means the war would actually stop for six weeks with assurances a pause in fighting would carry on to phase two and three. despite what you read, israel has agreed to this framework on paper. that is why the ball is in the court of hamas. that meeting is key and will decide whether the deal goes forward. it is being mediated by qatar. a short time ago, i spoke with the spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs in qatar. i asked how significant it was that these principles were in place. >> i can tell you we are out a good moment. we are at the point where a lot

of things have eluded us for a couple of months. i think after what we saw, hamas announcing receiving the drafts and discussing it. that was a point where we were far from a couple of weeks back. now we have a general understanding of the next phase and how that will play out. i would say it is very significant. as long as the process is ongoing, we have processes going back and forth, we know there is a light at the end of the tunnel that we can get two assays -- sustainable idea. >> he said he was going to review the draft and is flying to cairo to discuss with their military commanders. but they have reiterated the same point. they want a permanent cease-fire as part of this deal. and until that is in the deal, they will reject it. how do you get over or convince

them to go over that concern? >> we have been mediating between the sides since 2006 when the u.s. asked us to open the channel communication. we've grown to understand the patterns of negotiations. you will hear a lot of statements, the important thing is the mediation has always been key to the process itself. we are listening to what you are getting from both sides. we believe the language builds upon the proposals from both sides during the past couple of months. >> are they still insisting a permanent cease-fire? >> usually you get a yes but from both sides. but i'm quite sure we are on the right line. >> we heard from prime minister benjamin netanyahu reiterating israel's goals of eliminating

hamas and releasing the hostages. he said the israeli military will not withdraw from the gaza strip. does it prevent the deal from happening? >> it is important not to take everything said in front of cameras at face value. i know we are speaking in front of cameras. but there is a lot of propaganda, politicize asian about this and adhering to other than the the reality of the situation. >> let's look at regional issues. president biden said he decided how to respond to this attack in jordan that killed three u.s. service members. yesterday, the prime minister speaking in washington urged de-escalation. what is your message to the biden administration as they are about to launch the strike? >> we understand how dangerous and problematic it is. we are members in the coalition

against isis and our military personnel. >> these u.s. soldiers are actually counter isis? >> correct. we cannot take this lightly. we have to understand the bigger picture. all of it is a byproduct of what is happening. this region, the middle east, it is the capital of all crisis in the world. we are at a situation where the people in the region cannot take anymore refugee crisis, cannot take anymore security challenges, cannot take wars. right now, we have a failure of the central state. it is important to make sure we de-escalate. any escalation in the region can result in open war. we fully understand the united states has to reestablish the deterrence in the region. but we are also talking to partners in the administration

and around the world about the need for a response to be measured and to talk about this and get the messages across. >> ready u.s. officials don't believe it is about gaza, that it is about iran. iran pushing these or supplying the information, intelligence, the weaponry to the iranian backed proxies in iraq, syria to be able to launch these attacks. iran has been able -- has been helping these groups. the u.s. is about to hit these groups. what is the offramp in qatar's view for what we are about to see increasing escalation? >> the important thing is measuring the response and not to antagonize all sides in the region for open war. while i understand there is a lot of emotional links to this, we understand when this crisis

started, this is when the escalation started. and unless we defuse the original crisis like the war on gaza, a lot of escalations will utilize that to conduct such a task. >> i will ask you about comments by benjamin netanyahu. this was leaked audio to a group of family members and hostages held in gaza. he said you don't hear me thinking qatar, they have leverage because they financed hamas. i've asked you a version of the question. but critics of yours say you are an arsonist and a firefighter. you're coming into try and mediate, but you are the arsonist in the sense you are supporting hamas. >> if you accuse qatar of supporting hamas with funding done to aid, the same accusation would go to israel itself. everything that went to aid was done in coordination with israel, the money went to israeli banks to make sure we have enough to work on

mediation. this is what we have done since 2006. but i can tell you when we hear these words coming from the prime minister, the only thing we see is a politicization of this crisis. he has made such statements about qatar on the eve of a double down -- a double down on these statements, he's sending his chief of intelligence to meet with qatar intermediation. while he's engaged, if he's sincere about what he's saying, can he answer the question about why he worked with qatar on the funding of the aid programs in gaza? why he's working now, and even on the 28th of september last year, his government was engaged in mediation qatar was doing between hamas and israel. it is unacceptable, but we have grown accustomed to it. thank you for having the. >> in the days other headlines,

former president trump will remain on the illinois primary ballot. that's eight selection board declined to remove him on the grounds his conduct surrounding the january 6 insurrection disqualified him under the u.s. constitution. the eight board members said the courts must decide the constitutional question. >> this republican believes there was an insurrection on january 6. there is no doubt in my mind he manipulated, instigated, aided, and abetted an insurrection on january 6. however, having said that, it is not my place to rule on that. >> the u.s. supreme court will hear arguments on whether mr. trump is ineligible for the pallet. missouri congresswoman cori bush has confirmed she's under investigation by the u.s. justice department.

involves allegations the st. louis democrat misused campaign funds to pay for her personal security against far right attacks. bush denied wrongdoing and said she's cooperating fully. a court in pakistan convicted former prime minister of leaking state secrets and sentenced him to 10 years in jail. prosecutors said he broke the law and he waved a confidential document at a political rally. the verdict brought sharply different reactions for and against him. >> look at the decision. they must have made it within the scope of our constitution. the punishment could also have been more extreme. it is only 10 years, so it was made with thought behind it. >> we all know who is honest and who are the looters who have eluded the country. he's our last hope. the whole system is trying to eliminate him. >> action comes days ahead of the elections in pakistan. he's not on the ballot because he's already serving prison time for corruption.

the government of france announced new controls on foreign food products in response to farmer protests. they have been demonstrating for more than two weeks for the higher incomes, lower costs, and less red tape. they used tractors and tracks to encircle parents with barricades and vowed to keep up the pressure. >> i am an organic farmer. we were driven into organic farming. today it is not working anymore. i'm selling the organic beef meat at the price of the conventional one. i run my farm. if i don't earn money, i cannot invest. it is an economy that doesn't function anymore. >> farmers in belgium and spain are saying they are going to join the protest movement in solidarity. back in this country, u.s. consumer confidence has reached a two-year high. the business research group conference board says its confidence index rose in january for a third straight month. analysts tied it to slower inflation and continued economic growth.

on wall street, stocks muscle drifted as federal reserve policymakers started their latest meetings. the dow jones industrial average gained to close at 38,467. the nasdaq fell 100 18 points. the s&p 500 slipped free. seeming great elton john and his longtime lyricist bernie to open. the library of congress announced the award citing hits that include tiny dancer, rocket man, and many others. they will be honored in a concert in washington on march 20. the famed broadway dancer, singer, and act chita rivera died in new york. she got 10 tony nominations, one twice, and blaze the trail for latina artists. she first got fam in 1957 in the original west side story. she recalled that experience for american masters on pbs in 2006. >> being inside of the piece was

constant motion. that is what the emotion of the gangs was all about. that is what the use of the time was all about. movement, keep on moving. that is why it was great to dance it. but just to seeing it would not have been enough. >> she was 91 years old. still to come on the newshour, the mayor of dearborn, michigan on his snubbing a meeting with the biting campaign and his cities calls for a cease-fire in gaza. major car manufacturers responded to recent challenges by slowing production of electric vehicles. author elizabeth locke on telling three women's stories on using violence to fight abuse. >> this is the pbs newshour. from w eta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university >> the u.s. house of representatives is on the cusp of impeaching a cabinet secretary for the first time in more than decade.

republicans on the homeland security committee are moving to advance articles of impeachment against the dhs secretary. lisa desjardins was in the room and joins us with more. house republicans have signaled it was coming. what are there specific charges? >> let's look at the articles of impeachment. there are two. the first one is willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law. it basically accuses the secretary of allowing in thousands of migrants and not detaining them. secondly, breach of public trust. part of it is the idea from republicans that he lied to them when he said the border was under operational control. the publicans produced five reports. but there have only been a couple of hearings. the chairman of the committee said it is serious. >> we cannot allow the border crisis to continue. we cannot allow fentanyl to flood across our border, criminals to waltzing undeterred. we cannot allow a cabinet

secretary with no regard for the separation of powers as a rule of law to remain in office. that is why we present this committee with the articles of impeachment against secretary mayorkas. >> but democrats and some republicans say it is political and unprecedented, impeaching a cabinet secretary for what they say is a policy dierence. mayorkas sent this letter in the early hours of this morning where he wrote to the committee the problems with our immigration system are not new. he said we need a legislative solution only congress could provide. you have claimed we failed to enforce immigration laws, and that is false. among other things, he claims he need resources, more detention capacity among other things. the question is not really how you fix a problem, it is who you blame. this impeachment will not change things at the border. but the blame and what the messages is at stake. >> accusing him of failing to uphold the law and breaching the public's trust. >> let's look at one of the

contention points. republicans accusing the secretary of perjury before congress. i want to play one of the sound bites at the center of that. this is an exchange that happened in 2022. >> we have operational control? x yes we do. >> have operational control of the borders? >> -- operational control defined? it means the prevention of all unlawful entries into the united states, including entries by terrorist, other unlawful aliens, and other contraband. do you stand by your testimony that we have operational control in light of this definition? >> i do. i think the secretary of homeland security would have said the same in 2020. >> that is a definition from a 2006 law. as secretary of state, it says no one could cross the border. and what they have said is no one has ever met that standard in united states history. they are saying there is a different issue in donald trump. we know, and i know from my

reporting some say he wants to campaign on the border, he doesn't necessarily want ideal or a solution. when you hear from democrats, they point back to trump. >> this was never about securing the border, it was never about migrants. it was never about protecting our country. just like the baseless impeachments and everything else republicans have prevented -- presented to care about, it has always been about helping donald trump become president again. >> republicans reject that. they say there is a real issue at the border and it is a dereliction of duty. at the same time as they are impeaching this secretary, that sec. is trying to negotiate with other republicans for a potential border deal on the senate side. >> what do we know of at the level of illegal immigration undersecretary mayorkas? >> it is hard to pick out some facts. there has been a massive surge in numbers at the border.

let's look at 2019. 1.9 million encounters that year is what dhs reported. let's look at last fiscal year, 3.2 million. we had a tripling of the amount of people at the border. but they say the apprehension rate has been 78%. so we are catching up with the past, despite record numbers. publicans say you are not detaining as many. catch and release is leaving many more migrants. there is a bigger surge. you look at the detention numbers. currently we've got about 38,600 in ice detention. 2019 it was 46 500. another number, they debate why that is. it is suggested covid is a factor, some have not reopened detention beds. a lot to unpack, but the numbers at the border are really the issue. republicans are bait -- blaming

mayorkas and biden policy and impeaching him for it. >> thanks for that great reporting. as hamas weighs a new proposal for a temporary truce in gaza, protesters in the u.s. calling for a cease-fire have disrupted everything from commutes in new york city to a parade in los angeles. in cities across the country, groups have taken their fight to city hall. in some cases, the topic it's overtaking other priorities. stephanie sy reports. >> with the israeli counteroffensive to the hamas terror attack, the plight of palestinians in gaza and the occupied west bank has taken on new urgency to activists like shareen, a cleveland resident with strong ties to palestine.

>> we are struggling every day. i wake up every morning and think of my dad who is in the west bank and call him and say i'm going to check on you, make sure you are still alive. we are watching these horrific stories unfolding of our families back home. >> she's channeled her grief into protest. and lately the protests have found their way to an unlikely venue. cleveland city hall. >> if you see my humanity that the genocide of people who look like me, family members of 25,000 palestinians in the greater cleveland area will be worried -- to the city's empathy. >> since october, the week public comment, a form to vent about local issues, has been dominated by talk of a war on the other side of the world, says the council president. >> i will say approximately nine out of 10 commenters every week for the last four to six weeks have been people speaking on that confidence.

>> these citizens are almost all calling for the same. >> cleveland city council can, should, and must pass a resolution calling for a cease-fire. >> joined with other brave leaders and calls for a cease-fire. >> over a dozen city councils and cities across the country have passed cease-fire resolutions which range from condemnation on both sides of the war to calling for the end to u.s. military aid to israel. daniel hopkins at the university of pennsylvania says it is part of growing trend. >> we are seeing what political scientists term as national politics. city customers, school board members, and officials training and experience is very much focused on local communities, being forced to weigh in on hot button national issues on which they don't have a lot of experience. >> the topic is cease-fire in gaza. >> most of us never signed up to be henry kissinger.

>> reference as the protests are interfering with other city priorities. >> just keep moving. >> i have a bank that is possibly going to be leaving the community. members want to petition the government for that. people want to talk about very critical issues. i think the unfortunate part is people have been drowned out and don't feel welcome. >> one of those who has not felt welcome is mark ash and of the jewish federation of cleveland. watch as he speaks two rows of activists walk out. >> 220 woke up not knowing they would be kidnapped, snatched from their homes, and held in gaza by terrorists. >> the feeling of hostility in that room was very palpable. >> for 16 days. >> can we shut the doors? >> there is no justification. >> we see the language in anti-jewish language. not just about the state of israel or israelis.

>> because of the tenor of the crowd, he says he no longer encourages his community to attend cleveland city council meetings. but his organization wrote a letter to the council against the cease-fire resolution. >> we all want to see a cease-fire. but we want to see a cease-fire that leads to peace. any cease-fire that does not release the hostages and does not remove hamas from power will only bring us back to this point in the future. >> his opinion aligns with the biden administration's policy. >> 23,000 houston inns has not eliminated you all -- >> powerless to change that, activists calling for israel to stop its bombing campaign have interrupted city council meetings in cities across the country. >> you are now disrupting this meeting. >> you are ordered removed from this meeting. >> in some cases, like at this meeting, spreading misinformation and baseless

conspiracies. >> israel murdered their own people on october 7. >> dean preston, a san francisco city supervisor, says what he's >> we have thousands coming to city hall. i have been in office for years, never seen anything like it in terms of the number of people coming in. these were entirely peaceful gatherings. these folks are coming to their local legislative bodies. they can't get 2:00 in front of the conference. they cannot come to their local city council. that is why they are doing it. >> he introduced a resolution calling for a cease-fire in gaza and release of israeli hostages that passed. san francisco's democratic mayor, london breed, returned the resolution without a signature and issued a harsh statement saying it made the city angrier, more divided, and less safe. supervisor preston, also a democrat, and the son of a

holocaust survivor, says the war is directly impacting san franciscans. >> just this morning, i heard from a palestinian-american friend in san francisco who informed me "seven more members of my family have been killed overnight. this is not just something happening thousands of miles away. and frankly, when elected officials don't speak to this trauma, folks feel it nord and that their pain is not being recognized. >> but the resolutions have no legal authority. >> it is not the case any of our allies look to san francisco to learn what u.s. foreign policy will be. but i think they can have an

impact on the democratic party to signal the extent of discontent in the sources of discontent around u.s. foreign policy by the biden administration. >> whether or not president biden or the cleveland city council responds, sherine naz or has no plans to stop speaking out. >> going through this grief, i felt such an urgency to be in my community and do this work along my community calling for a cease-fire. because i think about the kind of world i want to leave for my kids. so we are going to keep showing up, we are going until city council says we will engage back with you. >> an impasse with no clear in in america's city halls and in the middle east. for the pbs newshour, i'm stephanie sy. >> the cease-fire calls stretch from city hall in cleveland and oakland to the mayor in

michigan. >> dearborn, michigan is home to one of the largest muslim and arab-american populations in the u.s. since the israel hamas war began, residence, many of whom have a personal connection to urge present abiding to endorse a cease-fire in gaza. the newshour has learned the president is planning a trip to michigan on thursday to rally the united auto workers after they endorsed his reelection bid. the visit comes after dearborn's mayor was one of several arab-american leaders who turned down a meeting with president biden's campaign and he joins me now. >> thank you for joining the newshour. biden's campaign manager visited in michigan and various leaders of various consistencies. why did you choose to decline the invitation? >> i don't think this is a moment that calls for electoral politics. palestinian lives should not be measured.

this is a moment for our concerns to be heard, and for us to draft a new course together in terms of changing the direction of what is happening overseas, those conversations need to be have -- need to be had with members, not campaign staff. to meet with us for the first time, that sends a message that this is purely a political problem you see. >> has the president campaign reached out to this upcoming visit? would you meet with him if they did? >> at this point in time, i've not heard from any individual from bidens administration. i'm one who believes community engagement can be powerful. when you come together to talk about policies that save lives. if the president or members of his administration want to meet to talk about charting a new course together to fundamentally change the direction they are currently on to call for a cease-fire to end the slaughter

of innocent men, women, and children, that is a conversation we are willing to have. >> there is no indication from the white house or the president he will change his position on gaza and israel. barring a call from a cease-fire, do you think you and the voters you represent can support him come november? >> from our perspective, we don't like to categorize this issue as it pertains to the upcoming elections because it dehumanizes us. it lets us know all that matters are poles and outcomes. for us more than anything, we understand the stance we have taken where we are demanding a cease-fire is not only relevant and important to arab americans and will some americans, it is the majority feeling for most americans across the country. over 60% support a cease-fire. 80% of democrats support a cease-fire. it is the right path for those seeking office. >> you say it is more than about elections. i want to ask about donald

trump, who appears headed for the gop nomination for president. he made his stance on the war abundantly clear. >> and i'm back in the oval office, we will cut off every penny of money we send to the palestinians and the terrorists on day one. >> faced with the choice of president biden or former president trump based on policies like what you just heard, who do you believe would best represent your constituents? >> we have survived the trump presidency four years ago come i'm not blind by what he's said. but as it pertains to the decisions overseas, it seems there is no real difference between former president trump and current president biden. i have a value statement. i believe no innocent man, woman, or child should be killed. i'm looking for a president that doesn't believe that statement has a qualifier. there is a universal value we should all adopt. >> i know you said there is no real difference.

but the former president trump has also floated religious tests for immigrants, said he would reject gazan refugees. something the current president has not said. what do you make of those policies trump would enact if he wins? >> i said there was no difference as it pertains to the decisioning making happening in gaza. trump is not a candidate i back. the question you are asking me needs to be put back in the laps of the president. he's seeking the highest office in the world. the question has to be put to him. what will he do to earn the trust and the respect of the constituency he's trying to represent. that falls on the laps of the candidate. i don't look at the voters and say you are at fault if i'm not elected to office. as a candidate, i look in the mirror, i listen to the concerns of americans. 50% of which also believe what is unfolding is a genocide. that question is being put to him as a candidate.

how will you change course to heed the concerns of american voters? >> what do you think your party and president biden is not understanding or needs to fully understand about muslim and arab americans in michigan? >> we don't have to think about what it is like in gaza. we don't have to think about what it is like in many arab countries with bombs being dropped. we have lived through those moments. many have had to dig up relatives from under the rubble. they've had to bury loved ones. one buried over 12 loved ones. another resident hails from a village currently being ethnically cleansed. whose father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were the ground keepers. so we have lived through apartheid, occupation, being seized and bombarded. it is personal for us. what we are asking from this president and anyone seeking higher office to come to this

community, listen to our stories because we have for stand accounts of what it is like living in these conditions. let's construct and cowrite this policy together about how to usher a new foreign policy era for us as a nation. the days of analyst wars in the middle east have to close. we thought we closed that chapter. but that is not unfolding. >> mayor, thank you for your time. >> last year was a record year for electric vehicles in the u.s. more than 1.2 million sold. that was 50% higher than 2022. yet there are signs that demand for dvds appears to be slowing and may not be as intense as automakers or the biden has expected. to help us understand where

things are, we are joined by jessica caldwell. it feels like the general perception of electric vehicles in some ways fueled by media reports is the demand and market are slowing heading into this new year. is that narrative true? >> it is true. electric vehicles are growing in sales. there is an upward trajectory. it may not be as steep as two years ago. a new technology was accelerating, and it doesn't work that way in the long run with new technology. he start losing some of those early adopters that wanted to get in early. and those people are picky with their money. so it is not a surprise it is slowing. just maybe not as fast as we thought.

>> during an earnings call today, the gm ceo said the pace of sales has slowed, and it follows recent announcements. they will cut back on production of electric vehicles and delay investments. what accounts for that? >> i think when you look at eeev's, they are more expensive. we are in an era where prices are high, interest rates are high. look at the past decade, it has slowed purchases. interest rates at 7%, not 4% or 5%. that adds costs. i think we have people who are skeptical about infrastructure, charging networks. as you look around, you may not think it is as easy to own an ev as you had thought. i think some of the more practical insurgents are slowing these vehicles down in terms of sales. but we know that is the long-term goal. but we are bound to hit road

bumps. >> there is this unfair indicator where hurts said it would sell about one third of their global electric vehicle fleet and use some of the proceeds to buy gas powered cars. what is the deal with that? is it demand, or are there other factors like upkeep costs? >> that was an interesting deal. you think about short-term ownership or short-term rental, it is challenging. your having people to have a relationship with your vehicle. so you may not know where to charge it. you may not be set up to charge it all the time where you live. if it is temporary, you will not necessarily invest the money. that can be one of the issues. they complained a lot about repair costs. i think part of it is going to a new technology. not everyone is feeling comfortable. vehicles are being scrapped, which feels wasteful. you are also hearing batteries are causing fires.

i can see if you are a rare pair shop, you don't want to take that risk. >> the biden administration announced they would invest 325 million more dollars in programs to advance ev technology, repaired some charges, and cut battery costs overall. how far will it go toward making ev's more affordable and accessible? >> there needs to be a lot of investment in this. a lot of investment in different areas. not even better key -- batteries becoming more efficient and keeping it going. it is also about infrastructure, better charging, fixing current infrastructure. as we move towards it, it is not simple, easy, straightforward. there needs to be automakers, everyone working in concert to get this moving along. it is not just one party asking people to commit to buying a new vehicle were not everything is functioning. that is always what we are

hearing from consumers. they are worried about ratings, battery, infrastructure. that freedom to go where you want to go may be limited. i think that scares people, even if it is not something they do once a year. the idea is very american of us, that you cannot go somewhere prevents you buying the vehicle. >> jessica caldwell, ahead of insights. thank you for your time. in greek and roman mythology, the furies are three goddesses who punish the wicked, delivering vengeance to an unfair, unlawful world. william brangham talks with a former reporter and the author of a new book paints a portrait of three modern-day women who similarly used violence when they had no other option. >> in alabama, brittany smith shot a man who she said had just

raped and nearly killed her and was choking her brother. in india, a lower caste woman unfairly evicted from her home rises to become the leader of a gang of women who punished those who hurt other poor women. in syria, a teenager joins an all-female militia fighting a violent campaign against the islamic state group terrorizing their country. how this violence changes each of these women and has lasting implications on them and their broader communities is the subject of a new book called the furies, women, vengeance, and justice. it is written by journalist elizabeth locke. good to have you on the newshour. tell us more about these women and why their stories jumped out at you. >> i started this project as a journalist because i found myself interested in stories of female vigilantes, antiheroes,

they populate so many movies, songs, mythology. i wanted to understand why that was. i think we are obsessed with the stories because we wish in a way we could be them. one in three women has faced domestic or sexual violence in this country and in the world. when we see these depictions on screen and in pop culture, we wish we could be those women fighting back. as a journalist, my next question was are there real-life versions of these women who fought back? so i spent five years going around the world looking for women who had fought back against violence with violence of their own. i wanted to understand whether that violence helped or harmed them in their communities and understanding why they had to fight back and what had happened that they had not been protected. >> that seems to be the thrust of the book. while the circumstances are different, each of these women

felt no one else is looking out for me in this given circumstance, so they had to take the most drastic step. >> and all of those instances, i found institutions had failed them in some way. whether the police or the court system more the state itself. they had not protected women or responded to their complaints of sexual violence. so the women ultimately took up arms themselves to defend themselves and their communities. and they felt they had no other option. >> it is really a condemnation of our collective society. >> i think this book is not an argument in favor of violence to say this is the solution, but it is asking the question what would you do in a scenario where you are facing domestic or sexual violence and no one was responding to your complaints or protecting you? would you take up arms yourself? i think that was a question i had throughout the project

trying to understand brittany smith shot a man who she said raped her, what should she have done instead? she was wilting bamboo canes against domestic abusers after police had failed to respond to complaints of domestic violence for years. and -- was a fighter in an all-female militia fighting isis after the total failure of the syrian state. so she felt like there was no other option. >> one of the things that is striking about your book, you refused to romanticize these women. you portray them in some ways taking heroic and at times inspiring actions. but you also showed the flipside. that there violence has implications, the corruption can come with power. that seems to be a central focus of this, that it is not a rosy image. >> even as a journalist, i did have rose-colored glasses.

i thought this gang of women in india is fighting domestic abusers, how interesting. even though wife ej in syria, the western media has glamorized them quite a bit and said look at these amazing women -- >> and sexualized them. >> the longer i worked on this, the more complicated i found these women. britney struggled with drug addiction, -- was really invested in her own power. one really was obsessed with the ideology of the kurdish leaders. i think that was really important to show. that is why with a project this length, you're pushing back past the two dimensional women. it is a story of women doing extraordinary things, but also restoring the complications of that. i hope the reader would wrestle with it. if it is ok, where do they cross

the line, what would i do? just how complicated all of that is. >> you said before as you are going out on your book tour, you have heard from other women who have had kindred kinds of experiences. explain what you are hearing. >> so many women have come up to me and said i faced some kind of sexual or domestic abuse, or even something low-level as sexual harassment or something really violent, and felt like they did not know what to do, they wished they had fought back, that they understood what the book was about, some kind of rage or violence, some people have said the word relatable. so i think unfortunately, it is still such a silent epidemic. we know it is all around us, but we don't hear about it. i think there is a reason these stories resonate with everyone. >> in the epilogue of your book,

you say women's actions helped and hurt them. no one gets a happy ending in this book. but you also say that is partly because they live in damaging cultures of honor. what do you mean by that? >> all of the women were punished for fighting back. it is kind of a double thing happening to them. at first they are not protected, then they fight back and they are punished for it. brittany was arrested and charged with murder. on goree was also arrested and sometimes ostracizing her community. and she check is suffering with ptsd from fighting a war which so often happens. and grievous injury. her stomach is split open, her arms and legs. she was hit by drone strikes. the story is incredible. part of the reason is i found all three of these women. and i did not choose these locations. these locations chose me because of what i found.

i realized all of them, whether it was a rural alabama, syria, all of them had cultures of honor where honor was such an important concept for the men who lived there and defending their owner. i think that led to a lot of the domestic and sexual violence that took place. as a result, the women were punished for fighting back and speaking up. >> the furies, women, engines, and justice. great to see you. >> gwinnett smith is a longtime owner of starlit dance studio in albuquerque, new mexico. despite facing a range of challenges, she says she keeps the studio alive for the generations of dancers who keep coming back. tonight, she shares her brief but spectacular take on the art of dance. >> these are students as i've had over the years.

these are my children. i've never had any. so these are my children. i've got a lot of kids. old age is quite a trip. it is just my body saying time to rest. right now i teach tap. i teach the advanced ballet. ballet is my favorite. i start with the three-year-olds. my oldest student is 82. a lot of them when growing up, they dreamed of doing dance. now that they are older and retired, they want to try it. and for my teachers who teach for me, they started when they were little kids and now they are teaching. they would not have that if i did not keep displays going. it is just part of my life, like this is part of my body. to me, dance is an art. when you are doing jazz, it is from your heart.

and in ballet, it is like i love you, audience. >> these are shoes from students of mine who have moved out of albuquerque. katie danced here. i was a very shy, tim and person. mom decided to put me in dancing because she took dancing when she was young. that is how i got started at the age of six. the dancing really brought me out. so by the time i was in high school, i was on the dance team. it was fun dancing in front of an audience. i was not afraid at all. and from there i started teaching at starlit. that is when i was in college. i had been the owner for about 40 years. in the north valley, this has been the only dance studio forever. i got all of my joy out of the dance studio. i want everyone to have a chance to experience dance. it is not just look how high i can get my leg, it is your heart

and your soul. this studio, i am working on the third and fourth generation of students. it is like a family. everybody knows everybody, we are helping each other. it is intertwined. my hopes is starlit dance studio will remain here and my students who have grown up and are teaching for me will have a venue and a place to go. and i hope they continue the hard part of it. my name is when it smith, and this is my brief but spectacular take on the art form of dance. it is from the heart. >> such an inspiration. watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org/ newshour. that is the newshour for tonight. thank you for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by. >> consumer cellular, this is sam, how may i help you? i ask this is a pocket dial.

somebodies pocket thought i would let you know with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. ♪ >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and 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 station from viewers like you. thank you.

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. how will washington respond after the first americans are targeted and killed in the middle east since october 7th? former u.s. ambassador to israel daniel kurtzer joins me on the rising risk of a wider war. then, the north korean dictator ditches reunification and threatens to sub you gait the south. i speak to south korea's former foreign minister about pyongyang's dangerous policy shift. also -- >> he and his colleagues are 100% innocent. >> a da