john: how critics say

republicans diminish the black and latino vote. cryptocurrency and terrorism. the role it plays in hamas attacks on israel and how global law enforcement is trying to stop it. goodbye to washington's giant pandas. zookeepers hope it's not the end of panda diplomacy with china. >> i'm going to miss them. >> major funding has been provided by. >> this is a pocket tile. with consumer cellular you get

nationwide coverage with no contract. >> with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour. this corporation was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. john: good evening. the israeli military says it is closing in on gaza city. america's top diplomat is trying to ease suffering.

officials warn of malnutrition and starvation, saying the average resident is surviving on just two pieces of red. pro-palestinian marches call for an immediate cease-fire. the claim could not be immediately verified. a special correspondent has more and we warn you some of the pictures are difficult to watch. >> a united nations school offers little refuge. airstrikes in an area where women were baking bread. 18,000 people were sheltering there. >> where should i go? they have hit the shelters.

since when is it normal to strike shelters? this is so unfair. >> the u.n. refugee agency could not verify the number of people killed but hamas put it at 15. his voice as he carried a body away from the scene. palestinians search for the survivors of an airstrike. >> we are steadfast. even if only one citizen is left. >> the military maintains its only targeting hamas fighters. in jordan, antony blinken met

with his regional counterpart and urged him for an immediate cease-fire. blinken stopped short. >> it's our view that a cease-fire would leave hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on october 7. that's why and humanitarian cause would be so. make sure people can move safely and get to places where they are safe. >> as strikes continue, the question whether. john: an earthquake has killed

hundreds of people. it collapsed buildings and triggered landslides in a region where many villages can only be reached by foot. officials say the death will likely go higher. the european commission president met with volodymyr zelenskyy to discuss ukraine's path to join the european union. she praised excellent progress in pursuing reforms. granting membership would signal continued international support. still to come. how hamas uses crypto currency in washington says goodbye to giant pandas. >> this is pbs news weekend.

john: 2021, each state read through distrit lines. two years later, the maps in more than a half-dozen states are the subject of lawsuits who say they dilute the voting power. last week, a judge ordered the legislature to try again. in alabama, a federal court has rejected two maps and appointed an expert. last month, the supreme court throughout a redistricting plan.

data says the court needs to judge whether the lines are discriminatory. marilyn thompson wrote a story. >> my story tried to look at what has happened where discrimination has been found where voters who have been described are left to vote on discriminatory maps. as you know in 2021 because of these lawsuits it's about to happen again with the same lawsuits that are dragging on indefinitely. i wanted to find out why that's happening. you need to look at the issue and use of privilege to try and

block the public from >> going on. legislative privilege is a very old concept embedded in the u.s. constitution of many states that basically holds that need to be private to do the business of the public. redistricting is interesting because it's one of the circumstances in which the plaintiffs, largely minority groups have to prove there was deliberate legislative intent

therefore in order to prove intent, you have to see the evidence. john: the judge is accepting this? >> it varies. it depends on the luck of the draw. in south carolina, judges rejected a village lame and what came out of that with shocking information about how the discussions went. other judges are firmly in the camp that legislative privilege is a sanctioned right. john: where does this idea come from? it appears to be a coordinated legal prodigy, we did not pinpoint one specific

person who is promoting it, but we were able to see the national republican redistricting around the country played a major role in laying the groundwork for potential lawsuits. one of the key operatives from the republican agency became a state employee to try and -- john: are democrats doing this as well? >> i been looking at washington

state which is democratic-controlled, and ongoing public's right there over the redistricting records. some limited to one party . they know they are doing. they are leading the way and how to counter what they have described as inconsistent democratic lawsuits. john: tell us about why this story is significant. >> she is a named plaintiff in

the texas lawsuit. she's a wonderful woman, very active, dedicated hispanic activists and she is been watching hispanics get the short end of the stick from many decades. her community was so deprived of its voice that she joined in and found her as a result of that. there are real victims in these cases. john: thank you very much.

shortly after the october 7 terrorist attack on israel

absolutely anything they can to raise funds. the mosque still represents a small -- hamas represents a small part. [closed captioning has been provided by cardi's furniture and mattresses] >> what do we know >> what we have seen over the last few years is u.s. and israeli authorities target crypto, crypto lives in moves on an open ledger where every transaction traceable. what we are seeing is mostly supporters of hamas raising funds, those celebrating debts to civilians or promoting different acts of terror. >> what is available to root out bad actors from cryptocurrency? >> more and more bad actors are using black chains -- block chains. plays two investigate cases involving networks of shell companies for high-value art and real estate. what we have seen is authorities globally, russian oligarchs, and now in this context, we have seen some good outcomes even since the start of the war where israel can take back some fundraising done by hamas. >> organizations are always

trying to adapt around regulations that exist. so, what if any vulnerabilities exist that hamas might exploit in the future? >> what is so important is to cut out areas in which hamas can move funds. what these actors need to do is convert cryptocurrency to traditional currency. we need to cut off their ability and that involves robust compliance controls. that's where regulation comes in. if you're a large exchange that is in the united states, you are allowed to have compliance controls.

>> you're only as strong as your weakest link. they are all designating sanctions, all russia based that were allowing ransom based payments. it's a combination of ensuring that offramp's the compliance controls are in place. >> thank you so much for your time.

john: giant pandas from d.c. are heading home. zoo officials hope it's just a pause and not the end of it. somersaults in the snow. eating a piece of bamboo. zoo visitors have been delighted by virtually everything giant pandas have done. it was 1972 that pat nixon welcomed goodwill from the chinese government. >> here at the national zoo, they will be enjoyed by the millions of people who come across the country to visit each

year. i noticed dr. ripley is wearing a panda tied. >> did it ever. the original pandas were gifts and after they died in the 1990's, china began loaning more panda bears for a fee. the political reporter spoke about the high price tag. >> china had a pretty lucrative business in renting bears to zoos in rich countries. the deal was 10 years for $10

million. and any cubs would remain the property of the chinese organizations. >> the first replacements arrived in 2000 and produce four cubs, captivating crowds. box five always made a periodic track to see them and i think it is very sad that they are all leaving at the same time. >> i have been in d.c. for 23 years. it is heartbreaking to see em go back to china, hopefully we can work something out in the

future. >> there are currently three pandas at the zoo. to prepare them, zookeepers are using honeyed flavored water as a reward. sometime in the next few weeks, fedex will transfer them to china. >> their departure is something we have been prepared or. >> the national zoo director is a former panda curator. >> we are so focused on making sure these panda return happily and safely. i know these animals. they mean so much to me and i'm going to miss them. >> she says the pandemonium has real benefits. >> people have to care.

it's been so important to care about these animals but also to feel good about it there is a joy and success. >> the giant panda is considered vulnerable to extinction. the number of pandas has gone from 100 in 1980 two 600 and 2020, and now it's estimated there are 1800 pandas in their natural habitat in china. as u.s.-chinese tensions mount, the future of panda diplomacy remains a complicated question. a georgetown university professor says -- >> the chinese are angry. the sanctions placed on chinese

individuals. problems china has getting pieces. it could be possible they are trying to send a signal. >> zoo officials are optimistic. now online, why are americans feel betrayed by the u.s. response to the israel-hamas war. all that is on our website. that is pbs news weekend. on sunday, what prescription drug shortages mean for doctors, parents and patients. remember, set your clock back an

hour. for all of my colleagues, thank you for joining us. >> major funding has been provided by. >> with consumer cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. >> have a nice thing. quotes with the ongoing support of these individuals and is touche and. this program was made possible by the corporation forublic broadcasting and by contributions made by viewers like you.

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