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 xfity 10g network. made for streaming. >> good evening. on the news hour tonight, reproductive rights advocates score big victories and say contests that could signal how americans are likely to vote in next year's elections. >> israeli troops and hamas battle inside gaza city.

desperation grows worse for the civilians displaced by war. >> a spike in the number of babies born with syphilis raises concerns about health care and equality in the u.s. >> our system of health in the united states is failing to do its job to curb sexually transmitted infection, including syphilis. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪

>> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> the walton family foundation. working for solutions to protect water during climate change. supported by the macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. 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 by viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome. we are following to main stories tonight.

the ongoing war between israel and hamas and the results of last night's state elections, which could shed light on voter priorities going into next year's elections. >> let's start with politics here the u.s.. democrats secured key victories on election night. abortion access was a driving issue for the party and helps turn out voters for the democratic ticket. we have more. >> abortion access is the law of the land in ohio. >> a victory for reproductive rights supporters in the buckeye state, where lawmakers have passed abortion bands. yesterday, the majority of american -- ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to enshrine access to care. >> we are going to bed knowing that we own our own bodies. >> the vote makes ohio the seventh state where voters have directly supported abortion access since the supreme court

overturned roe v. wade last year. abortion will remain a driving force heading into the 2024 election. 11 more states could vote on abortion-related measures. >> i will back a bill to protect life at 15 weeks. >> in virginia, the governor had promised to restrict abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy if his party regain complete control of the state legislature. >> even though i am pregnant, i believe in the choice of a woman to be able to decide in these matters, not the government. >> instead, democrats held onto the senate and flipped the house. they have a majority in both chambers and they could be a

potential check on the final two years of the governors term. >> virginia is a stage that has historically moved back and worth with control of one party in the legislature to the other. >> four other incumbent governors had victory. tate reeves beat back a challenge from a democrat. he drew national attention and dollars. >> we all know what it means in a state like mississippi when you stand up to the liberals and joe biden. >> in kentucky, democrat andy beshear won a second term. in a state that former president donald trump carried by 26 points in 2020. can he offered democrats a potential

message for red and purple states next year. >> it sends a message. >> at the u.s. capitol, thom tillis of north carolina was frustrated at a blunt. a past mayor returned to the job in texas. >> we will see what we can do to help this community. >> the small town is still reeling after a gun massacre last year. this mother, a gun control advocate, conceded the mayoral race last night. >> i see so much hurt. i want to be part of helping it. i can still do that. she is always with me. no matter where i go. >> some other races saw historic firsts. philadelphia elected its first

woman as mayor. >> we will not let it divide and conquer be the tool that people used to stop us from working together. >> with the results of a special election, rhode island will send its first black member to congress. >> i will not let you down. >> with that seat filled, the math gets harder for republicans in the house. >> for analysis of yesterday's election and what we learned about the voters, we are joined by our guest. it is good to see you. abortion rights have won every time they have been on the ballot since the supreme court overruled roe last year. what is your read on ohio being the latest state to vote in support of abortion access by a

pretty large margin? >> a very big margin. similar to the margin we saw in kansas last year. what is pretty clear is that when you put the question of abortion access on the ballot in its own separate space, not competing with candidates or the position of candidates, it is a popular position. having abortion rights enshrined or in the case of kansas making sure that abortion rights are not restricted. if you see the number of counties, i think it is about 18, that voted in 2024 donald trump and also voted for supporting this abortion rights initiative. the big question becomes once you take it from an initiative inputted into a candidate, what position do you hold? what position does another candidate hold? it becomes a little more complicated. >> this take a look at what happened in virginia. glenn youngkin and republicans campaigned on what they said was

a more reasonable approach. a 15 week band as opposed to a six-week ban. virginia voters denied the governor and his party the legislative majorities they were looking for. >> this was a big gamble by governor youngkin. he looked at the fallout from the 2022 midterms and said republicans have to have a better message on abortion. we cannot continue to let democrats to find it for us. we will come out with a reasonable restriction. what seems to be clear from virginia and ohio is that governors -- voters do not see that as a reasonable restriction. when i talked to one democrat he was doing a lot of work in virginia, this person told me that republicans do not have a communications or messaging problem. they have a problem problem. the problem is voters do not trust them on the issue of abortion. that is what is really difficult for so many republicans who say we need to get beyond being defined by this issue. when they try to find a way to do that, what they have been effectively able to do is to say

do you really trust that republicans will stop at 15 weeks? >> i was texting with a couple of democratic officials today who said democrats should put as many abortion rights amendments on as many ballots as possible. do you think that will help democrats deal with their enthusiasm challenge with younger voters? >> as we saw in ohio, you could see people coming out and supporting donald trump on one part of the ballot and supporting abortion rights on the other part of the ballot. there is no doubt this is a much more motivating issue for

democrats than republicans. it is an issue that seems to do best in some areas where democrats have been doing really well. especially in suburban swaying areas. >> it is difficult to predict what all this means. we know there is a disconnect between the polling. >> what is up with that? voters can hold two thoughts simultaneously. they can say i don't think joe biden is doing a particularly good job or maybe he is too old

for this or the economy is not going particularly well. but the issue of voter intimidation, that is much more important to me. then what i think about joe biden. i will take that issue. >> we always enjoy speaking with you. >> turning to our other top story, the war in gaza. the israel defense force ground operation is intensifying. the israel ground invasion grinds on.

the top diplomat laid out the most expensive plan to date. the ground invasion grinds on. troops have gained ground. >> hamas is continuing to lose control. >> they claim they have made progress. they have killed hundreds of militants. including a leading weapons maker. >> in tokyo, diplomats waiting on the war. >> we have reaffirmed our staunch support. >> they issued a unified statement. we all agree that humanitarian pauses would advance the objectives.

to allow citizens and former residents to be released. >> he made clear if there is no room for hamas. >> gaza cannot continue to be run by hamas. israel cannot occupy gaza. >> he warned about a transition. afterward. he reaffirmed that palestinians need to govern. he said he foresees israel remaining in control over gaza. other israeli officials say they don't intend to occupy gaza after the war. 32 soldiers have been killed since the ground invasion began. across the border, they wait at rest stops like these.

this has become a staging ground for the war. the entire community was pitching in. now they are feeding a thousand soldiers a day. >> it is like they came back from hell. sometimes they come from the air. >> he says israelis living here are of one mind about the goals of this war. >> everyone who is coming here has a mission to save their own kids. their own families. they know they are coming next. if i am not here supporting our

soldiers, my kids would be next. >> palestinians packed the roads. fleeing the fighting in the north for yet another long day. our producer was there. >> it is the ministry from gaza. people have been crossing since the morning. crossing the streets. >> more than 70% of residents have left their homes. >> we saw everyone evaluating so we evacuated. they said to go to the refugee camp. and here we are, no food, no water. >> waiting for them in the south, more devastation. this refugee camp in the area were so many were told to flee was hit by an israeli airstrike today. at least 18 people were killed. others believe the death toll is higher. gasping for air, he says dozens were killed in his uncles house. >> they bombed our house and my uncles house.

there is maybe 30 people in their now. under the rubble could be 30 to 40 people. except to as martyrs. >> others are packed into tent cities. many homes have been destroyed. they have no idea where they will go next. >> tonight, to american jets conducted in airstrike in eastern syria against what the u.s. identified as a weapons storage facility used by the iranian revolutionary guard. it is the second airstrike since the october hamas terror attacks. it follows nearly 40 attacks on u.s. troops in iraq and syria. >t cities. many homes have been destroyed. they have no idea where they will go next. >> tonight, to american jets conducted in airstrike in herconducted in airstrike in eastern syria against what the

u.s. identified as a weapons storage facility used by the iranian revolutionary guard. it is the second airstrike since the october hamas terror attacks. it follows nearly 40 attacks on u.s. troops in iraq and syria. i spoke with a spokesperson for the national security council at the white house about diplomacy around the war and israel's military campaign. welcome back to the news hour. thank you for joining us. there are reports of talks underway for a potential three day pause in the fighting. can you confirm those talks? how do you make sure any pauses not allow hamas to rearm and

regroup and fight longer? >> i cannot confirm specific reports. but we are in constant touch with our is really counterparts and our partners in the region about the need for humanitarian pauses. short-term, localized pauses in the fighting that will allow us to get aid and assistance in. there are active discussions going on right now about the probability of doing that. >> how you make sure hamas does not use this time to regroup? >> we do not favor a cease-fire right now. that would really benefit hamas. they will be able to execute more attacks. and it validates what they did on october 7. we are not taking anything they do at face value. there would be an understanding that they meet their obligations under this local pause in fighting to allow for movement of people or humanitarian goods. we would monitor that as best we could.

>> israel has rejected any calls for a pause. are they receptive now? >> i do not want to speak for them. but you are the prime minister about 48 hours ago acknowledge that short-term pauses are something you would be willing to consider. and he has done it already. there have been a couple of short-term pauses while we work on getting hostages out. >> is that what you're looking for here? >> it could be a few hours or longer. it depends on the specific purpose. each pause would be developed with a list of criteria. each will be taken on its own terms. >> we had an assessment from the u.n. secretary general about the way the war has unfolded. he cited thousands of gazan children killed so far. he said there is something

clearly wrong with the way these military operations have unfolded. is he wrong? >> we share a concern about civilian casualties. each death is a tragedy. each one should be prevented. we have stressed that they should be as discriminant and cautious as possible. the hamas terrorist group is putting people in harm's way. they should do everything they can to avoid civilian casualties.

>> you said you have been encouraging them. we are now a month into the war. had they been as careful as possible? >> there have been too many civilians killed. we agreed that the death toll is high. we do not want to see any civilians killed. that is why we will continue to urge is really counterparts to abide by the law. >> is that to say you do not believe they have been as careful as possible? >> we are not going to armchair quarterback every single strike. they have the capabilities to do their missions capably.

>> secretary blinken said there should be no reoccupation of gaza after the conflict ends. >> i will of the prime minister speak for himself and his views. >> what is your understanding? >> it is possible that there could be a transition time where you could have is really forces on the ground. on providing some measure of security. >> when they say overall security and you say no reoccupation, what is that? >> i can only speak for the administration. the governance of gaza and the long term cannot be by hamas. it should be in keeping with the aspirations of the palestinian people.

>> i have to ask about any update on the americans you believe to still be held hostage. have you had any confirmation one month into the war that they are all still alive russian mark --? >> we are still trying to get information on them. we believe it is less than 10 americans. all of them should be returned to their families immediately. we will keep working with our partners. to get them released.

♪ >> breaking tonight. striking hackers have reached a tentative agreement to end a four month strike including rules for artificial intelligence. union members will now vote to ratify the agreement. the minnesota supreme refused to toss president trump off of the primary ballot next year. a lawsuit had argued he violated the 14th amendment by inciting the january 6 assault on the u.s. capitol. similar lawsuits are pending around the country.

five candidates are taking part. notably absent is former president trump he is holding , his own campaign event just blocks from the venue. ivanka trump testified in new york that she played no role in her father's financial statements. she arrived this morning to appear, she is not a defendant to the loss. it's part of an impeachment in paris involving family business dealings. james comer signed the subpoena. so far, there's no evidence.

michigan democrats, more than 20 democrats. >> we received, jewish students have been, letter for discussing demonstrations. >> my criticism has always been of the israeli government. it is important to separate people and government. no government is beyond criticism. the idea for criticizing is. the worst flooding in decades killed at least 40 people.

in kenya, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee homes. video showed whole towns. across the globe, this was the warmest on record. is the fifth straight month throughout virginia heights editor. . the fda approved the latest weight loss drug that help dieters lose roughly one quarter of their body weight. treatment can be available by the year-end. three giant pandas are on the way back to china.

they're traveling as you officials voiced hope for the future. >> you have to be an optimist. >> china declined to let the pandas stay. still to come on the newshour. pushing genres forward amidst financial uncertainty.

>> this is the pbs newshour. >> as the war rages between hamas and israel, some palestinians are trying to save their homes. settlers have been clashing with their neighbors. some israeli settlers have been clashing violently with their neighbors. >> they are packing up and leaving. the pressure has become unbearable. they live in the house closest to the settlement.

they are the first. >> every day, day or night they shoot at us. they can't sleep. >> villagers say they have cut out resources. >> they destroy our spirit. it sits atop the next hill. >> every day settlers come to us. they shoot at us. the children are terrified.

the kids cannot sleep and neither can we. the sisters are nine and 10. they grew up here. most have left another family is packing up. >> we are terrified. we are sad. >> they try to ask security forces for help were turned away. knowing that if they fight back they will be arrested. after a lifetime by refusing to leave, the battle is lost. >> people are dying here, we die every day.

local settlers step in. often with state backing. peace activists have turned out to help. there's not much they can do. knees visited his villages for years. quotes the police are not interested. to make things worse, the army has deputized large numbers of settlers in uniforms. it's a gray area and settlers have become and some uniform.

the international community says it's illegal for israel to build. >> displacement is not to state humanitarian issue but a political one. the west bank is an area under israeli obligations.

israel is involved. >> what is your evidence that they have been complicit customer >> when you see settlement soldiers rampaging, when a standby and support, not just those actions. settler violence is major. >> the prime minister stated extremist settlers must not take the law into their own hands. as farmers are pushed. they're not just losing homes

but livelihoods. the next morning, we visited a family. >> is no food. some refused to leave in spite of daily threats. nearby, his children goes to a safer area. >> my daughters are afraid and they tell me they will kill us. >> he won't budge. this week, a group settlers person to his house at 1:00 a.m.. >> they told us we will shoot

you. they will lose their land. they know by staying they could lose lives. >> we have to hold on. come every day. >> the quiet descendants. another village holding on. you when the dog howells, we know >> there is an alarming rise of babies born with syphilis. 3700 babies born with the disease in 2022. to explain why we are seeing

those, we are joined by a doctor. welcome. what is driving this increase? what is behind those numbers? >> when we see syphilis in babies, that is an indicator of the amount of syphilis that is in the community. it is like the canary in the coal mine. that means there are lots of adults with syphilis. we have known that for decades. >> what is the potential harm to babies who have congenital syphilis? >> the good news is most babies with congenital syphilis have very mild or no symptoms at all. and no long-term manifestations. babies to be born prematurely. some babies die in utero. babies who are born with symptoms can go from mild-to-moderate to severe.

it can include respiratory damage. >> the amount of syphilis in the community as you mentioned, this is a reflection of what we are seeing in babies. why the dramatic increase? >> we have been watching this trend for several decades. this means there are thousands of adult cases a year or more. babies get infected because their moms get syphilis. if he can treat mom during pregnancy, most babies are safe and have no complications. part of what we are focusing on

with the new data is there are a large number that are presentable -- preventable. 90% are preventable. >> if so many are preventable, why is it working? >> there are a lot of reasons. some moms are not ready to deliver. in some places, in the louisiana we test three times during pregnancy but other places don't test as much. they might only test once or twice. there is a lot of judgment by the physician so there are complex factors. >> we see some of the same

racial disparities, if you take a look at the numbers, the cdc says hispanic mothers are two times more likely, black mothers are four more times. american indians are nine times more likely. >> we evaluate two to three babies a week. that is because moms may have early diagnosis, the treatment started too late and most of those babies fall into the possible category. now, with three babies in the hospital and this is been the routine for more than a decade. >> what does it take to reverse the trend?

>> a national political will to do something, they are a scourge in the communities and we have to admit that our system of health is failing to do its job occurred sexually transmitted actions including syphilis, think about funding public health the same way. the best techniques, the same technologies in advance before threats are on the borders. i was involved in the covid pandemic. this is endemic. not going to go away.

>> school board elections have become a new battleground in american politics. that is true yesterday. in virginia. political parties and affiliated groups have been more aggressively involved.

what accounts for the strong performance? >> you could argue that's a backlash against some heated campaigns and reflections, a lot of voters are wary and tired of talking about bathrooms, pronouns, i think perhaps parents rights may not be as powerful as some have hoped. moderate groups have gotten organized when this was starting. i don't think moderate groups have been savvy or involve. exporters pushed back on a group all moms for liberty.

what happened? >> it's interesting, this is not new. last november we saw a mixed bag. again, money doesn't make all the difference but again for some folks moms for liberty does not speak for them. elections often have a very low turnout and given all the media attention, we might see an increase. >> seen states. they used to be quiet elections,

low spending and turnout. we're seeing reports that it was about three times the usual rate spending, sophisticated with lyrical strategies and places that have never seen it. school boards have become ones. it is been a flashpoint for the culture wars. conservative folks can be very strategic about candidates using the parents rights agenda to build the bench, strong emotional deals to energize the base. >> what effect does that had on significant issues like teacher

shortages? >> it's been a distraction. we have seen it on educators, leaders. i was talking to some librarians. we know that surveys show folks are feeling stressed. they are worried about routing. why would you want to go into this profession? there is a chilling effect on public engagement. who wants to go to a board meeting or people are screaming? who wants to speak up? this might be turning parents against august. >> thank you for your time.

>> we have been hearing in many places. organizations are struggling. people looking to move forward. jeffrey brown visits the philadelphia opera for the arts and culture series. >> the power, beauty, and ambition of opera. old and new. opera philadelphia has it all. he has let the company for 12 years. >> we are at a moment of a shift that is as significant. it's i think covid advanced the end of the world. that world is not built for

them. >> is an existential problem? >> it could be. or an opportunity. >> they have been a leader in presenting new works and offering them in new ways. >> the idea was could we put together a festival that has that opportunity? and a lot of different experiences. can we get into that work that

was built by these hands today. all that is baked into it. >> has been successful on it lamed. they range of offerings. traditional setting in the academy of music. the festival extensive other kinds of venues. for something completely new in an alternative setting, it is presented in a small-scale theater. she is the director of new works. box >> they are telling you what

offer is. or dictating what it is. it can feel that way to artists. what i am interested in is talking to artists. what does opera look like for you? can we support that? do we think we are ready and we can get you there? that is the starting point. building a trusting relationship. so we can collaborate and work

our best together to get to the finish line. >> will the audience come along? a new audience? >> it is change. there is a world of people who are excited about it. they don't have to be separate worlds. it does not mean we are choosing one over the other. there is a balanced program with space and opportunity for everyone. to be more inclusive of companies and audiences and beyond. >> the composer of this year's new offer was 38 years old. she lives in philadelphia. it is based on true life undercover journalism. it continues her efforts to bring women's stories forwards in a traditionally male centered art form. and to bring in different sounds and instrumentation. >> it is important to impact as many people as possible. that is why i throw in those elements.

i believe that if we write music that does not feel archaic, we can really move a lot of people that way. >> this is small opera. purposely so. it keeps costs down. it is also shorter. that is practical and personal. >> i hated opera for most of my life because i hated sitting in a small theater all scrunched up for a few hours about a story i did not care about. i said i'm going to write opera that i think is interesting. stories that are relevant to people. and to society. >> she puts it this way. >> we're still learning a ton of help to do it.

not just to develop and presented well, you have to give space for that. >> the audience is learning as well. >> we all are. >> he believes a festival like this gives clues to a way forward. when the company announced layoffs and cutbacks this summer, he said he would leave opera philadelphia in favor of a new generation of leaders. >> institutions need to be in relationship and responsive to a younger generation. it will be hard to do that. >> a bittersweet ending for now for an opera company and a festival working to art form alive. >> that is the newshour for tonight. >> on behalf of the entire team, thank you for joining us.

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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. -buongiorno. i'm lidia bastianich, and teaching you about italian food has always been my passion. just like that. you got that right. it has always been about cooking together and building your confidence in the kitchen. fome, food is about gathering around the table to enjoy loved ones. your family is going to love it. share a delicious meal and make memories. tutti a tavola a mangiare.