geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is on assignment. on the "newshour" tonight, the clock ticks down for congressional leaders to strike a deal on the debt ceiling. we speak with house democratic leader hakeem jeffries about the ongoing negotiations. republican congressman george santos is arrested and charged with fraud and money laundering. and lawmakers in multiple states push for harsher school discipline practices to address student misbehavior. >> we have forgotten in this moment, in this post-covid reality or if you can call it that, where our young people in our teachers are sitting at the front lines in these places of tension, that we actually have to promote and build those positive school climates.

♪ >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by. ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf. the engine that connects us. >> actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo.

>> the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information at macfound.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. geoff: welcome to the "newshour." lawmakers are working on borrowed time, with the nation $31 trillion in debt and potentially unable to pay its bills in a matter of weeks without congress raising the debt ceiling.

but a day after the president and key congressional leaders met for the first time to find a way forward, the two sides appear no closer to a deal. >> they're literally, not figuratively, holding the economy hostage by threatening to default on our nation's debt. geoff: president biden today calling out republican lawmakers as he makes the case for urgent action by congress to avoid a default on the nation's debt. >> if we default on our debt, the whole world is in trouble. this is a manufactured crisis. geoff: the president took his message just north of new york city. >> republican congressman mike lawler is here as well. geoff: applying pressure to a vulnerable gop congressman from the region. >> we're going to get started, and we are going to solve all the world's problems. geoff: the president's visit comes a day after he hosted top republican and democratic congressional leaders at the white house for talks aimed at breaking the impasse and avoiding an historic default the treasury department warns could come within weeks. but that meeting yielded little progress on an agreement.

the window for negotiating a deal is closing. treasury secretary janet yellen says the u.s. could run out of cash to meet its debt obligations as early as june 1, with a catastrophic impact on the global economy. democrats insist debates over future spending shouldn't be tied to paying old debts. >> all we'reaying is pay the bills. geoff: republicans argue the two discussions are inseparable. >> it's not just the debt ceiling crisis. it's also the spending problem in washington that got us here. >> a negotiation has to occur. the consequence of not doing that is too severe. and let me tell you, when bad stuff hits the fan everyone ends up getting dirty. geoff: democratic and republicans leaders are set to meet again at the white house on friday. as the top democrat in the house of representatives, new york congressman hakeem jeffries plays a key role in the debt ceiling negotiations. i spoke with him earlier. house democratic leader hakeem jeffries, welcome to the "newshour." thanks so much for being with us.

rep. jeffries: good evening. great to be with you. geoff: after yesterday's white house meeting, what's the path forward on raising the debt ceiling? house republicans and nearly every senate republican, 43 of them, say they won't vote to raise the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts. and democrats, of course, don't accept that premise. rep. jeffries: well, president biden, house and senate democrats continue to make clear that there's only one reasonable, acceptable, responsible path forward, which is to make sure that we avoid a dangerous default on our debt in a manner consistent with what has been done under democratic presidents and republican presidents for decades. it's unfortunate that many of the extreme maga republicans in the capitol have chosen to put the country in a hostage taking situation and essentially say to us that either we must accept the default on america act with exeme cuts to medicaid that would impact disabled children

and seniors, extreme cuts to health care, extreme cuts to law enforcement, extreme cuts to food insecurity programs, as well as extreme cuts to education. accept the default on america act is their position, or else we will default. and that's just inherently unreasonable. i'm thankful that president biden convened us yesterday to have a conversation, house and senate along with the administration, and will be bringing us back together on friday to see where's the common ground, where are the areas of disagreement, and how can we bridge those gaps in order to make sure that we avoid a default. so we're on a path, hopefully, to resolving this issue sooner rather than later. geoff: speaker mccarthy told reporters yesterday that he believes that the white house and congressional leaders need to arrive at a deal by next week in order to pass legislation that would raise the debt limit by early june. do you share that assessment?

and is that timeline realistic? rep. jeffries: well, i share the assessment that we need to resolve this issue sooner rather than later. even flirting with a default could trigger a job killing recession. it could crash the stock market, that will hurt millions and millions of retirees across the country. it's also going to dramatically raise cos. and so, hopefully on friday, the republican leadership will see fit to come together, sit down, have a reasonable discussion about finding common ground, and take us out of this hostage taking situation. geoff: it appears the white house has ruled out a short-term increase of the debt ceiling to do that while the negotiations continue. is there a universe, though, where this could happen on parallel tracks, that the debt ceiling is raised and there is a separate agreement on spending cuts? both sides get what they want. both sides get to declare victory. rep. jeffries: well, president biden's position from the very beginning, which has also been the position of leader schumer,

senate and house democrats, is that we must avoid a default on our debt. but simultaneously, we are, of course, open and willing and ready and able to have a discussion about what future spending priorities, what future investment priorities, and what future revenue should look like to make sure that we're protecting the health, safety, and economic well-being of the american people. geoff, that is something that we do here in congress every year. but we can't do it with a gun being held to the head of the american people by the extreme maga republicans here in the capitol, threatening a dangerous default. and hopefully, again, on friday, when we have this meeting, we can arrive at a path forward to do what is necessary to pay america's bills. geoff: a question about title 42. the u.s. is bracing for the expiration of that pandemic-era border restriction. two of your democratic colleagues in border states, ruben gallego of arizona and

vincent gonzalez of texas, say their communities don't have the resources and they don't have the infrastructure they need to keep pace with an expected surge of migrants. president biden acknowledged the situation, in his words, would be chaotic for a while. the question is, why? why should the situation be chaotic when the administration had two years to prepare for it? rep. jeffries: well, we're facing an unprecedented surge of migrants from venezuela, cuba, from haiti, from the central american northern triangle countries of guatemala, el salvador, and honduras. and i think the administration has done all that it can with the resources that it has been provided. clearly, the administration needs more in order to fully establish order at the border and a pathway forward, a pathway forward that should involve making sure that our values as a nation of immigrants, as a compassionate nation, are also not violated. they're vindicated. congress should come together.

earlier today, congresswoman linda sanchez introduced the u.s. citizenship act, which is a comprehensive immigration reform bill anchored in common sense and compassion and consistent with our country's history as a nation anchored in the rule of law. that's the approach that we should take moving forward. unfortunately, what we see from the extreme maga republicans here in washington, d.c., is that they are trying to bring forth an immigration bill that will throw children out of the country, break up families, and spend billions of dollars in the effort to construct a medieval border wall that is a failed policy of the former president of the united states of america, a 14th century solution to a 21st century problem. geoff: should president biden consider reinstating title 42, as even some democrats have suggested, do you think?

rep. jeffries: well, the public health emergency is over. but there are tools that will be available to the administration, as has been indicated with title 42 lapsing, title eight does provide some ability for the biden administration to manage the situation at the border. but we are going to have to provide the department of homeland security with additional resources so that it can do its job. and i urge my republican colleagues to join us in making sure that the department of homeland security has those resources so it can appropriately conduct itself along the border. geoff: this is your first time on the "newshour" in your capacity as house democratic leader. and i want to take the occasion to ask you, one, how you view your role, and two, what democrats hope to achieve even while in the minority right now. rep. jeffries: well, we want to continue to try to find common ground whenever and wherever possible with the other side of the aisle. that's what we've always been about. infrastructure investment. the jobs act was bipartisan.

the chips and science act, bipartisan. safer communities act, bipartisan. many of the things that we've done over the last several years have been bipartisan in nature. so we're going to continue to try to find common ground to make life better for everyday americans and build an economy from the middle out and the bottom up under the leadership of president biden. and at the same time, we are going to push back against extremism whenever necessary. and unfortunately, in the house of representatives, we see a lot of extremism on issues like reproductive freedom or gun safety and the inability to do something on this issue, and even on democracy, and we will continue to stand strong against that extremism. it's been an honor to serve the people of the 8th congressional district, to previously serve as chair of the house democratic caucus, and a continuing honor to now serve in this position. and it's just consistent with america as a country, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. i emerged from a working-class

community in crown heights. i think that's the best of the american tradition of sending people to washington, d.c. who try our best to represent those individuals who are privileged to serve. geoff: house democratic leader hakeem jeffries, thanks for your time, sir. good to see you. rep. jeffries: thank you. ♪ geoff: other major news on capitol hill tonight focuses on new york congressman george santos. a federal grand jury has indicted the freshman republican lawmaker on 13 charges, ranging from wire fraud to money laundering. santos was released on bond today from a new york court after pleading not guilty to the charges. >> i'm gonna fight my battle. i'm going to deliver. i'm going to fight the witch hunt. i'm going to take care of clearing my name and i look forward to doing that. geoff: our congressional correspondent lisa desjardins has been following the story. lisa, walk us through these

charges and the congressman's response of far. lisa: 13 federal charges. the largest number of charges, seven of them, are on wire fraud. that has to do with what prosecutors said was fraud committed to donors representing that money was going to a campaign because when they say was going straight to his pocket. three counts on money laundering. two counts of making false statements of the house of representatives. that has to do with his income and how he reported that falsely. one count theft of public funds. this is something we have not talked about with george santos before. let's look at the indictment and what they are talking about. here is some of the language. for the period of on or about march 2020 through april 2021, based on false application, the defendant received approximately $24,744 in unemployment insurance benefits. what the claim is hereby

prosecutors is that george santos while he was running for congress, and while he was employed by a financial firm, applied and received unemployment benefits through the covid relief programs. he said today there is a misunderstanding here and he will defend himself. as you heard, he calls this a witchhunt. geoff: santos is infamous for fabricating parts of his life story. how unusual are these charges? lisa: it is not unusual to have a member of congress indicted. f7 -- we have had several members indicted in the past 10 years. but something that stands out as this is not just for one kind of crime, one campaign-finance scheme. these are for different types of schemes. this is something that was also noted by federal prosecutors. we spoke with one. >> what you have here is multiple different schemes and falsehoods that were all told by

mr. santos and they are unrelated to each other. i think the problem for mr. santos is the jury has to find that he did not do any of these things. and i think there is an edited -- additive effect. while the jury is going to consider each count individually, at the end of the day, this all comes down to his credibility. and not only is that going to be in question, given all of the allegations here, but of course, he has other substantial baggage that he brings to the table that makes it very difficult for him to defend himself. lisa: at the same time as you know, there is also an ethics investigation underway in the house. we don't know if we are going to hear much more about that. this also tests a new doctrine in political theory, the trump doctrine, which is just deny, combat, and see what happens in court. we saw one example of what happened to mr. trump earlier this week and we will see what happens with mr. santos going forward. geoff: he has already relinquished his committee assignments, right? lisa: yes, he has been forced

off the assignments. geoff: what more does this mean for him politically? lisa: he says he is running for elections. he quipped today that maybe he will become a committee chairman. but he is not popular in the republican party. no one was defending him today at the capitol, and some told us he cannot wait for this man to be out of congress and out of elected office. now, it takes two thirds of the house of representatives to expel a member. we do not think there is anywhere near that. there might be pressure for him to resign if he is convicted, but right now it looks like he will ride this out, and speaker mccarthy says he will not push for him to be pushed out. geoff: because mccarthy needs has vote. lisa: that is a very important point. he has just a four vote margin and george santos was a key vote. geoff: lisa desjardins, following it all as always, good

to see you. lisa: good to see you. ♪ geoff: in the day's other headlines, u.s. inflation eased again in april, but was still stubbornly high. the consumer price index was up 4.9% from a year earlier, the smallest annual increase in two years. that's slightly lower than the 5% reading in march and well below a peak of more than 9% last june. the core rate of inflation, excluding volatile food and fuel costs, was up 5.5% from a year ago. officials along the southern border are bracing tonight for the end of title 42 tomorrow. the pandemic-era policy barred most asylum seekers. now, the biden administration says most migrants must first apply online or seek asylum in a country they passed through. the secretary of homeland security, alejandro mayorkas, also says 100 migration hubs are opening across the hemisphere.

>> these are places where we feel, on a humanitarian as well as a security imperative, to meet people where they are, to cut the smugglers out, and to provide them with a safe and orderly way to arrive in the united states if they qualify for relief. geoff: under the new policy, those who enter the u.s. illegally must wait five years before returning, or face criminal prosecution. israel traded heavy fire with palestinian militants in gaza for a second day, despite egypt's attempt to mediate a ceasefire. palestinian fighters launched hundreds of rockets at israel. some flew as far as tel aviv, but mid-air explosions indicated most were intercepted. that came as israeli air strikes hit islamic jihad targets. palestinian officials said at least 21 people in gaza have been killed. in pakistan, the government has called in troops to bring an end to violent unrest. on tuesday, supporters of former prime minister imran khan stormed official buildings after

his arrest on corruption charges. at least six people were killed. today, local tv showed a radio station burning. police said protesters torched it while employees were trapped inside. officials blamed the violence on khan, a former cricket star. >> as a sportsman, he ought to be championing sportsman spirit, tolerance, and respecting rule of law. but instead, he has chosen a path of spreading anarchy, chaos, and destruction in the country. geoff: a judge ruled today that khan can be held for another eight days for further questioning. back in this country, a texas judge sentenced army sergeant daniel perry to 25 years in prison for fatally shooting an armed man during a black lives matter protest. it happened in austin back in 2020. republican governor greg abbott

has already said he wants to pardon perry. senator diane feinstein has returned to washington after more than two months on medical leave. at 89, the california democrat is the oldest member of congress. she arrived at the capitol today, in a wheelchair. in a statement, the senator said she's suffering after-effects of shingles, and will work a lighter schedule. some progressives had urged feinstein to resign, saying her absence blocked confirmation of federal judges. on wall street, blue chips lagged a bit, but other stocks moved higher on inflation news. the dow jones industrial average lost 30 points to close at 33,531. but the nasdaq rose 127 points, or 1%. the s&p 500 added 18 points. and the westminster kennel club dog show has crowned its best in show for 2023. a petit basset griffon vendeen named buddy holly took home the title last night. it was a first for the rabbit-hunting breed. in all, some 2500 dogs from 210

breeds and varieties competed. and still to come on the "newshour," the chair of the chicago federal reserve discusses inflation and the nation's economic uncertainty. sri lanka struggles to recover a year after the economic and political collapse of that country. a father and son reporting team wins a prestigious pulitzer prize. >> 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: as we reported, inflation is easing, but still high. the federal reserve has been laser-focused on bringing down prices, raising interest rates 10 times in the last 14 months. but economic uncertainties remain, including the consequences of much higher interest rates, a debt limit standoff, and recent bank collapses. to discuss the challenges ahead we are joined by austan goolsbee, president of the federal reserve bank of chicago.

it is great to have you here. let's start with this news on inflation, because inflation slowed for a 10th straight month in april, according to the consumer price index. that is great news for families who have been struggling with higher costs. but inflation still remains too high. what indicators do you and other fed policy makers need to see to know that we're finally breaking the back of inflation? austan: well, you described it exactly right. inflation was way too high. it is still too high but it is at least coming down and so that part is encouraging. mostly when the fed looks at prices and inflation, they do not look at this looking backward for a year, which is what the number is usually quoted as. they are usually, we are looking at the monthly inflation, what is the new information, and we are tending to not look at food and energy prices because they

are so volatile. and by those measures of core prices, we have seen progress, but it still shows that inflation is too high and we are just trying to balance out the dual mandate. that is, the law gives the fed two jobs, maximize employment and stabilize prices. employment has been going very well. that is the strongest part of the economy. and inflation has not been going as well, let's call it the weakest part of the economy. and i think we have to just keep getting more price information across these categories before we can say with comfort we are on a path back to normal. geoff: cannot i draw you out on the federal reserve's dual mandates. can the fed keep prices stable without tilting the economy into recession? austan: we certainly hope so, and that is the goal. the complication with that is we

all know that it takes time for monetary policy choices likely 10 interest rate increases you described over the last year. five full percentage points in the interest rate takes time for that to work through the economy. in a way it is like having a conversation with somebody in asia where there is a little bit of a delay and it is sometimes hard to have a conversation like that. you don't want to land the plane nose-down, so we are trying to balance off, can we slow the inflation without sending it into a recession? we've had some promising indicators on that front, but it's always a possibility when you are in a rate-rising environment like this and you have had bank stresses like the one we have seen, the silicon valley bank and others. and you add on top of it wildcards like fights about the

debt ceiling and stuff like that, and you cannot rule out that recession is a possibility. geoff: you were chairman of then-president obama's council of economic advisers in 2011, when just the mere notion of brinkmanship led to the u.s. having its credit rating downgraded. what do you see as the impact of this current debt limit standoff, or a potential default on this economy which is still recovering from the pandemic? austan: yikes. you are giving me indigestion, to think back to what that was like. let's hope we don't get into that environment. as chair powell said, there really is not any alternative. we have to raise the debt ceiling. how congress is going to sort that out, the two parties going to have negotiations or legal strategies, i don't know. if you look back at times when we encounter these crises, there was in 2011, a dramatic drop in

consumer confidence. you can see interest rate spikes. and i guess i still cannot get past what is going to happen. are we not going to pay the military, we are not going to pay social security? we are going to add on top of already the financial stresses about bank capital, that the safest asset in the world, treasuries, is going to somehow be questioned, the value of treasuries that we might default? i just think it does not make sense. if you think through the actual practical details of how it is nothing good about it. it would be really bad for the economy. i am just hopeful we do not get to that. geoff: we have about one minute left and i want to ask you about how the fed sort of navigates raising interest rates. because you in a speech last month said that the central bank should proceed cautiously with any additional interest rate

increases. you said at moments like this, the right monetary approach calls for prudence and patience. you voted earlier this month to raise rates by a quarter-point. why? why was that the right approach? austan: i did. the second sentence in the speech i gave before the meeting was, the most important thing is to gather as much data as you can, because we are in an environment where the tightening in the bank sector and the credit squeeze takes place when banks are trying to conserve their capital and trying to raise lending standards, that does a lot of the work that monetary policy would normally do in a moment like this when inflation is high. and so, it is totally appropriate to watch the conditions to figure out how much of your work has already been done for you. in this last meeting, i felt that if you looked at the

conditions, you have yet to see that the credit tightening, the credit crunch, was not on the minds of people yet. and so two meetings ago we had outlined a plan, taking somewhat into account that credit was going to be tightening, and it made sense to stay on that plan. i think now you are starting to get more information that the credit squeeze is beginning, and so let's be on alert and be prudent and patient in our decisions. geoff: austan goolsbee is president of the federal reserve bank of chicago. always great speaking with you. thank you for being with us. austan: great to see you. ♪ geoff: the pandemic and global economic slowdown have increased pressure on developing economies. the number of countries at risk has doubled in the last eight years, mostly in the global south. the international monetary fund reports more than 50 countries,

from egypt to el salvador to pakistan, are in debt distress. sri lanka defaulted on its debt last year, and recently secured a $3 billion bailout from the imf. fred de sam lazaro traveled to the island nation of 23 million people, off the southeast coast of india, to see how the country is faring. fred: before any reading, writing, or arithmetic, staff at the school have added a new ritual to the morning routine for many of the students. >> we have seen children fate and fall at morning assembly when they come without having a good nutritious meal. we observed they are not in a position to study. fred: i asked the principal to query the students about what they had eaten before coming to school. a number in this group had not eaten anything. most of the school's parents are day laborers who make money only

when they work. those hardest hit by the pandemic in sri lanka's crippling economic crisis. this school is fortunate to have a midday meal program three times a week funded under a program called winds up school meals. parents volunteered to prepare them. for some students it is all they will eat this day. for many, a hard-boiled egg will be there only protein. >> we have never seen this level of malnutrition, hunger, food insecurity, inflation. fred: she says that is even taking into account a decades long civil war that ended in 2009, and thr -- the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 35,000 sri lanka's. >> these were communities that were able to fend for themselves and make ends meet, send their kids to school.

fred: despite natural and man-made disasters, sri lanka has made significant progress in improving people's lives. the so called social indicators. education in health care are free to all citizens. and in 2019, the world bank upgraded sri lanka's status to upper middle income country. almost immediately after that, things began to unravel. an easter sunday terrorist attack killed 261 people, dealing a blow to the island nation's critical tourism industry. then the pandemic which completely shuttered it. meanwhile, the bills started coming due in what one analyst calls the man-made crises, mainly a credit fueled infrastructure building binge. >> we have been borrowing money at very high interest rates, at short maturity, in dollar terms

and investing in nonrevenue generating projects. fred: among them, a new airport in 2013. it sits largely empty. in colombo, a development was to be a thriving financial hub, part of china's belt and road crate initiative. 12 years after construction began it's it's virtually deserted. and the capital's newest landmark, the $113 million lotus tower, also financed by china, was supposed to represent flourishing growth. today it serves mostly as a reminder of ties to beijing and of pandemic corruption. >> everyone -- the debt snowballed because i borrowed $100 at 5% interest rate and then i put money on something

and that does not generate one cents. that i have to pay 105 rupees the next term. fred: get all came crashing down last year. the government defaulted on debt. prices soared amid widespread shortages, pushing thousands into the streets and eventually into the halls of power. the president fled the country. he and his brother had dominated sri lankan politics for 20 years. >> it was a ponzi scheme. fred: he was recruited from australia to take over sri lanka's central bank. >> i had a good understanding of the crisis. also an understanding of what

needs to be done. fred: after china, sri lanka's largest bilateral lender, agreed to restructure part of its debt, the international monetary fund agreed to a $2.9 billion bailout loan, with conditions. >> curtail government expenditure, reallocate whatever resources for essential things. fred: the government has already raised income taxes and the cost of electricity, and more severe reforms are set to soon take effect under the imf agreement including anti-corruption laws. iromi perera says the consequences will be harshest on sri lanka's poorest citizens, people who, until recently, harbored middle class aspirations. she took us to meet maxcy jency, a mother of two young boys, who lives with her husband in a tidy apartment, built as part of a slum rehabilitation program. >> the inside story is different to what you see. fred: the inside story is they

are broke, she says, since daily wage work is not steady. their home loan and utility bills are months overdue. she showed me the bare cupboard in her kitchen, completely out of the bare essential, rice. on many days, she makes sure her boys have food. >> i serve for them and if there is something left over i eat. if not, i sleep. i drink tea and sleep. fred: like many parents, they hope for a better future for their sons. they have indulged their older son's passion for the country's most popular sport, investing in gear and tuition for a cricket academy. someday i will get your autograph. >> if we give them them a good education, they won't suffer like us. fred: social activist perera worries about spiraling despair among so many families like this one. >> you can't pawn jewelry every

month, you can't sell an asset every month. so that's, you know, that's the reality of the people that you know, the everyday person that you see on the street. fred: including by one report some 1500 doctors in just the first half of last year, who who left for western countries. poorni jayawickrama and husband rajeev menon are public hospital are physicians in colombo. they too feel the economic pinch. >> we never had to think twice for grocery shopping but now we have to think twice. >> every month there is at least one doctor leaving the hospital from each unit to go abroad. fred: they too have been recruited for jobs in britain, a ticket to financial security. they've chosen to stay. >> running away from the problem is not going to solve anything. >> we were schooling during the

civil war and we survived somehow. so i think our child will do the same. fred: sri lankans will be counting on that kind of resilience for the tough times ahead, hoping for a turnaround in the economy and watched by dozens of o milar, crippling debt. for the "pbs newshour," this is fred de sam lazaro in colombo, sri lanka. geoff: fred's reporting is a partnership with the under told stories project from minnesota. as we near the end of another school year, administrators and teachers say they are concerned about ongoing problems with student behavior. conduct that can be more disruptive than before the pandemic started. in a moment come on then the vase will have a conversation she recorded earlier about state proposals to deal with that. let's start with what we heard from teachers across the country. >> my name is joanna and i am a high school alternative education teacher. i used to say i used to worry about just a few kids. now there is the opposite.

it is probably just a few kids i am not worried about. >> i am a kindergarten teacher in las vegas, nevada. i am seeing things like students attacking other students or throwing furniture at other students. in one instance i had a student open up a pair of scissors that she took off my desk and threw them at my face. >> i am a proud creative writing teacher. many students are overwhelmed. they are going through a lot of different things. and unfortunately many schools are not built to address those things. >> my name is jen heiter and i am the english department chairperson and senior english teacher for bremen high school in bremen, indiana. what we've seen here at bremen high school and i believe around the country is an extreme uptick in mental health issues with our students. >> we're seeing that many students are more fearful, more

wary of putting themselves out there, more anxious in general. and that anxiety can present itself in a number of different ways. it can look like unchecked anger. it can look like isolation. >> the last couple of years have been very interesting. we've definitely seen a spike in behaviors. it could be anywhere from hitting, biting, spitting, throwing furniture. and so at times it's a little unsafe in the classroom. >> many students may not be willing to dig a little deeper and kind of explore what they may be feeling. so it is easier to do something in the classroom to get kicked out. that way i'm getting what i want. i don't have to deal with that teacher. i don't have to deal with what what i'm working through. so let me get kicked out, let me leave all of this. but i do feel like the better option would be to get them to stay. >> w]hat we're not equipped to do is to identify students' needs when they have mental health issues such as anxiety,

depression, bipolar disorder, and other things that normally do hit in the high school and middle school ages. >> it's a shame because we're there to educate the future of america. that's what we want to do. and we're having a really hard time doing it with the behaviors that are presenting themselves. >> i would suggest that our legislators respond to this by putting more money into training teachers. and i would ask the question, are we responsible for our students' mental health? if so, and if we're the ones who need to respond to it, then we need to be trained adequately to respond well, because a lot is hanging in the balance here. amna: in response to concerns about students' behavioral issues, including some violence, a number of states are now moving to change their laws, putting forward bills that empower teachers with greater disciplinary powers. that has raised more questions and concerns about the impact on students.

gonzalez tracks all of this closely. she is a professor at the uc college of the law in san francisco. she joins me now, professor gonzalez, welcome. as you've been tracking lawmakers in a number of states are now moving forward, proposing bills that make it easier to discipline students and remove students, including harsher penalties for younger kids. before we get into the details of some of those bills, why are we seeing so many of those bills right now? what's the argument behind them? >> i think the argument is exactly what you're hearing from the teachers right, which is about safety. the problem is that the argument isn't matching safety with healthy school communities and we, you know, we have spent so much time moving past punishment and really thinking about what is in the best interests of educating our children. and we have forgotten in this moment in this post-covid reality or if you can call it that where our young people in our teachers are sitting at the front lines in these places of tension, that we actually have to promote and build those positive school climates. so it's much easier to go for the tool that was in existence

before and say, just get out. we heard that as well from teachers, saying it's much easier to just leave the classroom. so it is all of that. it's the unwillingness to put money, it's a very short-term measure, and it's not thinking about how we're actually building safe and healthy schools. amna: let me give a few specific examples here so folks know what we are talking about. in arizona, for example, there's a bill that would lower the age students can be suspended to five. so that now includes kindergartners in florida. teachers would have more authority to remove students who they deem disobedient or disrespectful. in nebraska, teachers will be allowed to use force in the classroom to physically restrain students who they deem disruptive. on the spectrum of responses are there disciplinary powers you think teachers should have and those they shouldn't? >> absolutely. teachers need to be able to have safe and healthy classrooms. right? and i keep using those words together because those actually are the essential

components of what we're talking about. but what teachers shouldn't be forced to do is to make these discretionary decisions in the moment that says you're disobedient, or you are disrespectful or you engaged in disorderly conduct, because so often those are coded for other types of behaviors. so the north carolina law, for example, that also exists includes inappropriate language and dress code violations. dress code violations and inappropriate language aren't the things that aren't keeping our schools safe or aren't making teachers feel like they can't teach students, and children feeling like they can't be engaged in learning. so it's about a continuum of support, right? how are we thinking about multi-tiered interventions? what is it to turn to the evidence and say, where do positive behavioral interventions exist? where do the restorative practices exist? how do we put it into practice what we know works, to ensure that the social, emotional and the academic learning is happening. amna: what about the potential impact on students here?

i mean, we know, given history and studies that black and brown students disproportionately face disciplinary measures when they are in school. what are you worried about the impact of this could be? >> i'm just worried that the data has already been so disturbing. we know that non-white students and particularly black children are disciplined more severely across every category. just this year, scientific american released a study that half of the 250 kids expelled from preschool, younger than age five, were black boys. and then nationally, preschool children are suspended more than once. and who are those children? those are black kids. and so we just have to have a real clarity that these offenses and the ways in which were then pushing young people out of their schools, lead to a whole set of lifelong consequences. so it's not just oh, the disparities exist. the discipline gap exists, and ultimately a student decides to not come to school, stop engaging in the classroom. the risk factor of missing 15 days of school for suspension means you are seven times more

likely to drop out, but that means that you will have less access to jobs, housing, participating in society voting and even your life expectancy. and then of course, i think there's so much evidence about entry into the juvenile adult systems. rice university's education research consortium just released data that for every suspension students face, they are 7.5% more likely to contact the juvenile justice system and who those young people are are black students, latinx students, and our native and indigenous students as well. i also want to bring attention to the fact that it's not just in the context of race or in the context of gender, but students who are also experiencing learning disabilities. historical data to current data shows us across all categories of discipline, suspensions, expulsions, referrals to law enforcement. it is students with disabilities who can lose as much as three times as much instructional time from discipline and that that's

most acute for our black students in particular. amna: professor gonzalez dare, i ask, what's the answer here? i mean, teachers need a way to be able to control and keep safe classrooms. we know students have behavioral issues. after what they've endured the last few years. budgets are finite. what can people do? >> we look at exactly what we've been doing so far right? there's been incredible investments over the last decade. in what our whole child and multi tiered systems of support. that's the academic, that's the behavioral and that's a social emotional. that's the evidence based trauma informed, high quality core rriculum. so what does that mean? positive behavioral interventions have long-standing records of having positive outcomes, social emotional learning. all in legislation as well. restorative justice, all in legislation. so instead of the laws that we're talking about, we should be scaffolding up those and then also coupling those with investments and mental services. because when you have multi-tiered system interventions, you flip the script. you increase graduation rates

, you increase academic achievement, increase test scores, increase grade completion, you engage students. there are less truants, they're coming to school and you're in a positive climate, and that's when children thrive, and that's when they learn amna: alright. that is talia gonzalez, professor at the uc college of the law in san francisco. joining us tonight, professor. thank you. >> thank you so much. i appreciate it. ♪ geoff: this week's pulitzer prizes included recognitions for many national major news organizations. but as william brangham reports, one local news organization in alabama also received multiple prizes yesterday, including a father-son duo. william: a team of reporters revealed how the police force used aggressive leasing and made up charges to extract fines out of many poor residents to jack up town revenues.

the multipart investigation led to the dismissal of multiple cases, the removal of several police officers including the chief, changes to state laws, and even a warning to officials nationwide by the department of justice to avoid doing exactly what this police force did. joining me now are two of the reporters who worked on this prize winning investigation, john archibald and his son, ramsey archibald. gentlemen, thank you both so much for being here. congratulations to you both. john, to start with you again, tremendous congratulations. i should say, this is your second pulitzer prize. can i just get your reaction to this wonderful news? >> it's the most fantastic thing in the in the world to me and in the history of my 37 years in the business. now it's both the story which, you know, was impactful and did

what we set out to do. but the fact that you get to do it with your kid is the greatest thing in the world. william: and i bet that is. ramsey, what was that like for you? >> working with with not only my dad, but the team that we had was amazing. i mean, so everyone on this team prior to this had already won a pulitzer prize outside of me. so, you know, great company to be in, obviously, and to go through this, again, we are in separate cities right now, but to be able to win this with my dad, i am speechless. william: i mean, for people who don't know this, ramsey, i mean, your dad is, as you well know, is kind of a big deal in alabama. he's really one of the best known reporters and columnists there. what is that like going into the newsroom every day? like, did he did he pile on extra work so as not to seem like he was favoring you or did he cut some slack? what was that like? >> oh, he made it clear he was not going to favor me in any way in the newsroom. and i wouldn't have wanted that either.

but it is true. i mean, you know, we would go before i started working at the website, we would as a cld, we would be walking to the grocery store and people would recognize him from having his face on the cover of the newspaper three times a week. and so i was very aware of who he was. outside of our family my whole life, which is sort of intimidating in some ways, but it's also pretty cool. william: and john, how about you when when when ramsay says to you, dad, i'm thinking about this journalism thing. i see it's worked out pretty great for you. you seem to like it. what was your advice to him? >> i mean, to be honest, i think that i don't i don't think i gave him much advice other than, you know, it's a tough business to be in. it was tough when the when the industry was, you know, in the so-called golden age of journalism. but it's so important now. it's just so much more important for young, creative, smart, honest kids to go into this business and usher us into the future, whatever that looks like . i'm just glad i have a kid that,

that meets all of those qualifications. so, i don't want to influence him in any way in terms of what he should do. he should do what he wants to do if it makes him happy. and it seems to be doing that. william: and john, you mentioned some of this at the beginning, that your investigation triggered a lot of changes, at the local level, the doj even sort of reached out to officials nationwide saying don't do these kinds of things. how gratifying is that to you? i mean, a lot of times we do in journalism a lot of work, and it seems like people don't respond but here you really did affect some changes. that's got to be incredibly gratifying, too. >> and super gratifying in this particular environment. you know, and especially in a place like alabama where we have a super majority of one party and to see people, you know, legislators cross the aisles to recognize that this was bad, to the four pieces of legislation that came out of this limiting how fines and fees can be used,

it was great. and the fact that we sort of were able to make people understand, find it, and it was a big deal. but when large numbers of people began to have charges dropped and to sort of get a new lease on life, they came to us and said, thank you because i got my life back. that's better than any stories about corruption or sleazy public officials we've ever done. i mean, you know, people are getting a second chance, and it's like money. william: ramsey, i see you nodding your head along there. what what would you add to that? it must be just a tremendous feeling to have that kind of an impact. >> oh, absolutely. it's great to be to win this award, to be recognized for the work that we have done. but we would have been so proud of this work if it had won nothing, just because of the effects that it had, not only in the legislature and across the state, but for the actual people

here, which i think often gets sort of swept under the rug or lost in these sorts of stories. so to me, i mean, you couldn't ask for anything better than that. william: i know we're talking to you in two separate cities, so i take it you two have not seen each other since the actual award has been announced. do you guys have a celebration planned when you finally get back together? >> you know, it's terrible that you ask about a celebration planned for me and my kid, though i guarantee you some tequila shots will be involved. it is a tradition. william: it's a key part of the journalistic tradition. john archibald, ramsey archibald, congratulations to you both from al.com. thank you so much. geoff: i am geoff bennett. thanks for spending part of your evening without's. >> major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the "newshour."

>> cunard is 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 entertainment, and british style. all with cunard's white star service. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no contract plans and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit consumercellular.tv. >> the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide.

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. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >> you're watching pbs.

introducing a technological achievement so advanced... it rivals the moon landing. wow! ok. rude.

that's one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. ♪ christiane: hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & company." here's what's coming up. a scaled-back victory day parade in moscow and putin tries to portray russia as the real victim of this war. a former russian politician joins me on how to counter putin's propaganda. and the swiss climate grannies trying to save the world. i week is to -- speak to elizabeth stern and a lawyer aboutaking their occasion to the european court of human rights. then -- >> it's possible that there's no way we'll control the