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. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: i'm on than the vase. u.s. lawmakers wrangle over whether to give ukraine more military aid as current funding is set to run out by the end of the year.

geoff: israeli troops move south into gaza's second largest city, displacing thousands of civilians, including some who already fled fighting in the north. amna: and, palestinians freed by israel and their families reflect on the resumption of fighting and their time in prison. >> we feel happiness because our child is free. but this happiness is not complete, because the price to get freedom for our kids was very expensive. and the price was our people's blood in the gaza strip. ♪ x major funding for the pbs newshour been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and george smith.

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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. a new phase in the bloody war in gaza is underway. israel is assaulting the largest city in the south, khan younis. most of gaza's population is now in that region. amna: the war is now nearly two months old, with a death toll fast approaching 20,000, mostly palestinian. despite pleas for more precision and fewer civilian killings from the u.s. and other israeli partners, the thunderous campaign to root out hamas in gaza continues. after weeks of fighting hamas in gaza's north, and a week-long pause in fighting -- a new phase in the war, as the idf enters gaza's second-largest

city. >> those who thought that the idf would not know how to renew the fighting after the pause in fighting were mistaken, and hamas is already feeling this. amna: israel believes yahya sinwar, hamas' leader in gaza, is hiding among civilians there. idf commanders on the ground said this fight is their campaign's fiercest so far, as they aim to wipe out hamas. according to the u.n., israel's bombardment has so far destroyed more than 46,000 housing units in gaza, and displaced an estimated 1.87 million people, about 80% of the entire population. and for the first time, israeli officials released their own death toll estimates in gaza, saying 15,000 palestinians have been killed, about 30% of whom israel claims were militants. gaza's hamas-run health ministry says about 16,300 palestinians have been killed, 70% of whom they say were women and children.

in israel today, families of hostages still held by hamas met with prime minister benjamin netanyahu, and said time is running out. >> we have no time. each day that passes by, they are dying slowly each day. we need to get them out immediately, whatever the price might be. amna: they were reportedly told by netanyahu in that meeting, that there is, quote, "no possibility right now to bring everyone home." some families reportedly walked out in response. and in the israeli knesset, a passionate appeal from shir siegel, whose mother, aviva, was released from captivity in gaza, but her father keith still remains. >> while we speak, there's a holocaust, a three hour drive from here. why is it more important for bibi to kill hamas leaders, and not to bring my father back home? amna: in an evening speech, netanyahu responded. >> cabinet members and i met today with families of the hostages. those who we've already returned home, and those who we are doing

everything we can to get back. amna: a hamas representative said today they will not release more hostages until israel's offensive in gaza stops. >> we assure here again that there will be no negotiations or exchange of hostages until the aggression against our people and the steadfast gaza strip stops. amna: gazan civilians just want the horrors of war to end. at khan younis' nasser hospital today, victims lined the emergency room floor after another night of israeli airstrikes, leaving some speechless. >> there was shelling. i can't even talk about it. amna: um ibrahim's entire immediate family was left crushed under a building. >> where are the ambulances? i lost my children and my husband. where is the united nations? my children, my children, since 10:00 p.m., are still under the rubble.

amna: residents of khan younis, once declared safe by israel, are now trying to escape to the southern town of rafah, on the egyptian border. awaiting them there, a swelling humanitarian disaster. a line of hundreds at the only working water station in the city. ahmad al-attar has to walk more than a mile every day to fill up. >> you have to wait for three hours in line. you hold water on your shoulders. the situation is very hard. we take a bath once a month. i am 63 years old, i am carrying the gallon on my shoulder for more than a mile. amna: others are packed into tent cities, with no idea where they'll go next. meanwhile, after a surge of settler violence against palestinians in the west bank since the war began, the u.s. state department, in a rare move, imposed travel bans on dozens of israeli settlers. state department spokesperson matthew miller. >> these acts threaten west bank stability in the immediate term,

and take us further away from a future in which palestinians and israelis both can live in peace and security in two states. geoff: tens of billions of dollars in military assistance for israel and ukraine, and money for u.s. border security, remain stalled on capitol hill. for the white house perspective, i spoke with national security advisor jake sullivan earlier this evening. welcome back to the newshour. >> thanks for having me. geoff: the and administration is warning without congressional action, resources will run out for the u.s. to provide ukraine with the weapons and equipment it needs. what would that mean for ukraine on the battlefield? >> what it would mean is that we wouldn't be able to supply ukraine with the artillery ammunition they need to hold their lines against russian advances and help them advance themselves to the occupied territory russia has taken.

we wouldn't be able to provide interceptors for air defense systems, which are protecting their soldiers on the front lines and protecting their cities from attacks by russia trying to plunge the country into darkness by destroying the electricity grid. these are the practical results that would happen if we don't provide funding to ukraine. vladimir putin is counting on this. he said if the united states stops giving money to ukraine and the rest of the world stops giving money to ukraine, quote, ukraine would have one week to live. we need to get the funding to ukraine so they can bravely and courageously continue to defend their country. geoff: the u.s. has contributed over 100 billion dollars to the war effort since putin invaded in february 2022. beyond funding, how can the u.s. of power ukraine to -- and

ukraine to win the war instead of sustaining the current fight? >> we have to take a step back. when the war started in 2022, experts predicted ukraine would fall in one week and the capital of ukraine would be under a russian flag. today kyiv stands and ukraine stands because of the funding we provided. more than that, since russia launched the offensive in the early months following the invasion, ukraine has taken back more than half the territory russia has occupied. that is thanks first to the bravery of the ukrainian forces, and second, to the arms and supplies the united states and international coalition has provided. if we can sustain those supplies and support ukraine it can make progress on the battlefield and equally important, it can resist

efforts by russia, continuing efforts to take more ukrainian territory. that is fundamentally in the interest of the united states because if russia succeeds in the fight against ukraine, all of europe is at risk and history tells us if all of europe is at risk, the united states will pay more later than we are paying today to support ukraine. geoff: the house speaker says there will be no additional funding for ukraine without extensive reforms to the u.s. immigration system. it was the white house who initially linked funding for israel and ukraine, money for taiwan and border security. why are republicans border demands a nonstarter? >> you make a good point. it was president biden who put forward a supplemental funding request that included a substantial amount of and in for the border to enable -- funding for the border to enable a secure and humane border policy. that should have bipartisan

support. democrats and republicans should be able to come together on this. democrats are ready to do that. turns out what the republicans are putting forward is a take it or leave it proposition. they are not prepared to have a serious discussion at this time. hopefully that will change, about border policy. they are holding ukraine funding hostage to their demands on the border. our view is that it is in america's core national security interest to fund ukraine against putin and russia aggression. we can work together on the border but ukraine shouldn't be held hostage to the border. that would be a great may stake -- a great mistake geoff:. geoff:on the israel-hamas war, the representative in gaza said the humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hour. a spokesperson for unicef said

there is nowhere for civilians to go. nowhere is safe. in the administration's view, is israel heeding insistence to limit civilian suffering in southern gaza? >> what the israeli defense force has done in the last couple days is highly unusual. they have identified the specific areas of this city in the south that they intend to conduct ground operations in and asked civilians to leave those areas. in a sense they telegraphed their punches, where they would conduct military operations. outside of those areas, we have made the case to israel that it is critical we get humanitarian assistance to palestinian people who have been displaced because of fighting, that they get food and shelter, water and medicine as necessary. over the past days we have seen a flow of humanitarian assistance coming in through the border crossing in egypt.

there needs to be more aid coming in and israel needs to take every possible care in the world to distinguish between legitimate targets, hamas terrorists who they are going after, and palestinian civilians who deserve to be protected, whose lives should have the same sacred quality that every life, every innocent life around the world has. we have made that case relentlessly to our israeli counterparts publicly and privately over the last weeks. geoff: what is the u.s. prepared to do if it determines israel is not following a plan to mitigate civilian casualties? >> instead of trying to answer the if-then question, what i did today is, i was on the phone for more than an hour with one of my israeli counterparts walking through practical measures like trying to get more fuel, power, sanitation, desalinization so people can eat and get potable water.

i talked about steps israel could take to reduce the potential for civilian casualties, particularly in safe areas outside active combat hostilities. we will continue to do that and expect israel meets the basic standards of international humanitarian law, and we will state our principles clearly and directly as president biden has done since the early days. at the same time we will support israel as it goes against those terrorist masterminds lost -- authored the worst massacre of jews since the holocaust. even as we speak, hamas is firing rockets and missiles against innocent civilians in israel and represents a continued threat that any country would have the right to go after. geoff: is there a path or timeline to resume talks for another temporary cease-fire? >> unfortunately there is not a specific timeline.

the reason is because hamas did not follow through on its end of the bargain. it said it was going to release the women and children it was holding. it is still, to this day, holding civilian women who it refuses to release. we don't know why it refuses to release them but israel is not prepared to move forward and leave those women behind. hamas chose not to release them, and that meant the end of the pause. the ball is in hamas' court. it could release the women and israel says it is prepared to move onto negotiations to deal with other hostages. the united states is determined not to rest. we will be relentless until we ensure every american hostage is safe with family. geoff: jake sullivan, thanks for your time this evening. amna: for more on the debate over ukraine funding and global implications, we are joined by lisa desjardins and nick

schifrin. lisa, your reporting is that this was already a precarious moment when it comes to the funding for ukraine and it got worse today with an explosive meeting on capitol hill. why the impasse and why the tension? lisa: biden proposed a national security funding bill to include money for ukraine and israel, and for border funding but republicans say there needs to be change in border policy. they say they don't think ukraine should be funded until that is taken care of area that is the basic impasse. today there was a briefing on ukraine and its security needs but it got off to the wrong start when the ukrainian president, who was to be there by zoom, canceled on the senators. what resulted was senators pushing back at the secretary of state and secretary of defense, republicans shouting, including at the chief of staff, to the

pentagon. this was an extraordinary moment when republicans were told there wouldn't he questions about the border aloud and some stormed out, including mitt romney. there are two sons of what happened. >> there's no reason to sit there listening to people talk about how important it is to help israel, ukraine. we know that. we get basically pablum that's been available for weeks, which, by the way, we agree with, and an unwillingness on the part of leader schumer to discuss what it's actually going to take to get a deal done. >> when i brought up the idea they could do an amendment and have the availability to get -- the ability to get something done on border, they get stuck, they got stuck. they didn't like it, and even one of them was disrespectful and started screaming at one of the generals and challenging him to why he didn't go to the border. >> someone was screaming at a general? >> yeah. lisa: screaming at generals. this is unheard of in the senate. it shows you republicans,

including in the senate come are digging in on border demands. democrats say let's fund ukraine. geoff: you heard jake sullivan saying what the biden administration sees as the stakes. what do ukrainians think? nick: they can't continue to fight the way they have been fighting without the money. listen to president zelenskyy's top aide talking about how usaid was essential. >> the high possibility is impossible to continually burn rate -- to continually lose the war. nick: he said without more weapons ukraine couldn't try to recapture 20% of territory russia continues to occupy and would have to move to some kind of defensive crouch, essentially ceding the 20%. you heard jake sullivan make

this point, ukraine's air defense system, mostly american and european, could run out of interceptors if the money is not sent. that is critical for protecting ukraine's critical infrastructure, and preventing russian jets from flying over and bombing at will. without u.s. budgetary support, ukraine's government can't pay its bills and that is from everyone from teachers to troops. that is why the money is critical. amna: even if ukraine gets them -- the money, can they meet the goals they set the echo nick: the argument ukraine and its supporters make is that if only the u.s. and europe had been giving them more weapons, if the u.s. continued to give weapons today, ukrainians would seize back all of their land. the bottom line is ukraine failed to overcome russian defenses especially in the south. units in ukraine with the least combat experience. the most advanced training and weapons

and there is a divide between military and civilian leadership that has become public while russia is increasing production of artillery and tanks. it is unclear that ukraine could achieve its own goals as you put it, and there is a stalemate. amna: republicans are holding up the funding for the u.s. southern border. what do the sides want and what happens now? lisa: there is an agreement on more funding but there is policy differences. looking at the differences, republicans, when they talk about border talks, they want a deal on the border including asylum policy and parole area basically shutting down the policies to most of the southern hemisphere. what democrats want is ukraine, israel and border together in a bill that looks like president biden's bill, no or limited border policy. republicans at the border would like to sharply restrict asylum and parole.

people would not be able to apply directly from mexico. democrats say if we are going to open this up, we should talk about dhaka and including more status for people and some new asylum limits, but not going as far as republicans want to go. we have been here before. they disagree all the time, but i have to say, i have not seen them this far apart on a core issue with so little time. amna: you have been reporting at least one impasse was resolved tonight after nearly a year. tommy tuberville released his hold on more than 450 military promotions and nominations. why the change now? lisa: i think the pressure has been on senator tupper bill including by republicans who say you can no longer hold up these officers. over 400 military commanders were not promoted because of his hold having to do with the pentagon policy paying for travel for service members who needed to travel for abortion

and other reproductive services. he has held this up but today he did a full, almost a full 180, a surrender. they will need to go through him for four star generals. but he gave up and within a few hours, they passed the promotions, 425 members of the military have been promoted today. they have been waiting for 10 months. amna: lisa desjardins and nick schifrin, thank you both. ♪ stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. here are the latest headlines. president biden suggested he might not be running for re-lection if former president trump ren't in the race. mr. biden spoke this afternoon outside boston. he told a crowd at a campaign fundraiser, quote, "if trump wasn't running, i'm not sure i'd be running. we cannot let him win."

mr. trump currently holds a wide lead in the republican presidential field. the house of representatives will vote next week on formally authorizing an impeachment inquiry into president biden. republican-led committees have been investigating business dealings of biden family members for months. but speaker mike johnson said today, the white house has balked at providing information. >> the house has no choice if it's going to follow its constitutional responsibility to formally adopt an impeachment inquiry on the floor so that when the subpoenas are challenged in court, we will be at the apex of our constitutional authority. it will be a movement, a vote of the full house stephanie: so far, the investigation has not produced any direct evidence against president biden. north carolina republican patrick mchenry now says he won't run for re-election to the house. the ten-term congressman had served as interim speaker in october until republicans chose a permanent speaker. today, he said, "i believe there

is a season for everything and, for me, this season has come to an end." fbi director christopher wray urged congress today to renew the bureau's authority for surveillance without warrants in foreign countries. that authority comes from section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act. wray told a senate hearing that letting warrantless wiretaps lapse at the end of the month would amount to unilateral disarmament. >> 702 allows us to stay a step ahead of foreign actors located outside the united states who pose a threat to national security. and the expiration of our 702 authorities would be devastating to the fbi's ability to protect americans from those threats. stephanie: republicans and democrats have concerns that fbi analysts have used the program to improperly access data on americans. the army has fired its first top prosecutor of sexual assaults before he could even start the

job. brigadier general warren wells was removed friday by the army secretary, after an email he sent 10 years ago resurfaced. it appeared dismissive of sexual assault allegations. the position was created as part of an attempt to reform how the military prosecutes sex crimes. a top european union official has issued a stark security warning for the holidays. that follows a weekend attack in paris. one person was stabbed and killed at the eiffel tower, and two others injured with a hammer, by a man who'd pledged allegiance to the islamic state. today, the european home affairs commissioner said there's, quote, "a huge risk of terrorist attacks" in europe during the holidays. the german interior minister agreed. >> this brutal violence shows just how acute and how serious the threat posed by islamist terrorism is currently in the eu. not only in germany, but also in all neighboring countries.

and the war in gaza and hamas' terror are exacerbating this situation. stephanie: the european commission plans to spend more than $30 million on additional security. close to 400 rohingya refugees are still stranded tonight off the coast of thailand. they've been at sea for two weeks, and the u.n. warns some may die if they're not rescued soon. the refugees are adrift in the andaman sea, about 200 miles off shore, after fleeing crowded camps in bangladesh. still to come on the "newshour", college leaders face congressional scrutiny about rising antisemitism and islamophobia. vice president harris makes history with a record-setting tiebreaker vote in the senate tariq "black thought" trotter of the roots reflects on his impact on hip hop in a new memoir and much more. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour from

wbt a studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: more than 200 palestinians detained or imprisoned by israel were released last week during the truce between israel and hamas. among them, mostly women and children. they are just some of the thousands of palestinians held by israel for a range of both alleged and convicted offenses. nick schifrin reports. nick: this is the day the al salaima family had been waiting for. 14 year old ahmed al-salaima is home in east jerusalem after three months of israeli incarceration. he's back in the protective embrace and watchful gaze of his father, nawaf salaima, who told us this moment is bittersweet. >> we feel happiness because our child is free. but this happiness is not complete, because the price to get freedom for our kids was very expensive. and the price was our people's blood in the gaza strip.

nick: as one of israel's youngest prisoners. he was released last week at the same time as his 15 year old cousins, mohammad and mutaz. of the 240 palestinians released during the pause in gaza, three -- nearly half were children. did the conditions of your detention change from before october 7th to after october 7th? >> before october 7th, they treated us well. for example, they'd say hello and good night. they were respectful. but after october 7th, they started hitting female prisoners. and they started to reduce the quantity of the food. there were nine of us in the room, and they just gave us two meals in small quantities. before entering the jail, i was 158 pounds, but i'm now 121 pounds. nick: an israeli prisons spokesperson told the newshour, "we are not aware of the claims you described," and "all prisoners are detained according to the provisions of the law. ahmed al-salaima and his cousins live in east jerusalem, captured by israel in 1967. israeli police first placed them under

house arrest in may. in july, they bid their grandmother goodbye when police arrested them for "rock throwing, causing serious bodily injury, damage to property, and hostile terrorist activity." police say his trial was still ongoing when he was released. >> there's no proof at all that i was throwing stones at that time. i never used to leave the house at night. israeli forces came to the house at 4:00 a.m., where me and my 12-year-old brother were asleep, and there's proof that they took me from inside my home. >> currently there are more than 7600 palestinians detained in israeli prisons. so this is an unprecedented number. nick: tala nasser is a lawyer with palestinian prisoner support and human rights organization addameer. she said since october 7, israel had detained or arrested more than 3000 palestinians, including more than 200 children. >> the occupation tries and tries to silence palestinians, and that happens when the

occupation arrests, the largest possible number of palestinians. >> they are not innocent people. not at all. nick: last week, the israeli government organized a briefing from retired brigadier general ilan borreda, a military lawyer and former head of the israel's prison service intelligence division. >> they made an act of terror. they were captured. they were tried and convicted in court. by law. and they were in prison for should -- for making an act of terror. nick: in the occupied west bank, israeli soldiers administer justice. advocates call those military courts unfair. >> palestinians are actually convicted in these courts at a rate exceeding 99%. nick: and palestinians in jerusalem also call israel's civil courts unfair to palestinians. nehaya sawwan was released on the first day of the temporary truce, and hugged her niece rouaa jobran. >> their health is very poor. my heart was broken when i see

her the last, the last, the first time. nick: sawwan had breast cancer when she was arrested. her family says in jail, she didn't receive any treatment, and also became diabetic. jobran says now, she barely recognizes her aunt. even though she's now surrounded by family, she's struggling with her recovery. >> my aunt can't sleep, and she has stopped talking to people. she entered the jail as someone, and she became a different person there. she's someone else now. nick: israel denies any prisoner is mistreated. >> in prison, all of the prisoners, not only terrorists, all of the prisoners get medical care. nick: but advocates say conditions have long been difficult, more so since october 7. >> we have documented many of the extensive violations, including violent raids by special forces, including a firing of tear gas of rubber bullets, live ammunition, and brutally beating prisoners, actually. nick: an israeli prisons service

spokesperson says nehaya sawwan was convicted for "supporting terrorism, serious bodily injury, and illegal carrying of knives and daggers," and was sentenced to 3 years and 8 months. her family says she was jailed as she prayed at the al aqsa mosque. >> she is a peaceful, nice person who treats others well. even when she was first arrested, we didn't believe it, because she was only trying to defend herself while she was in al-aqsa mosque. nick: as for ahmed al-salaima, he wants to be the shoulder to lean on for his doting mother, and takes pride in being his father's son. >> i want to follow in my dad's footsteps. i want to go back to school and graduate. my father is a driving instructor. and i want to finish school so i can help my dad test student drivers. nick: nawaf, what do you want for your son's future? >> i want him to be better than me. i know that he wants to help me and be a driver. but for me, i wish him a better life. i will give him the freedom of choice, but i want him to finish his education. and the most important thing

that i want him to be a good person. nick: but this week, nawaf al-salaima posted this video, describing how israeli authorities prohibited released prisoners from returning to high school. >> we want to ask, where are we going to take our children after today? nick: nawaf al-salaima is hoping the answer to that question, is not another round of detention. for him, it's a generational fear. >> i spent 1993 and 1994 in the same prison that i took my son and his cousins to on july 30. i refused to take their mothers, because i didn't want anyone to see my emotions and tears. nick: so how, sir, in your opinion, can this cycle end? >> the only way out of the tears, and anger, and woes, is to end the occupation. and to return to life before occupation, where we lived in one country as palestinians, jews, and christians. not the nationalists, but the jews who know that muslims welcomed them when they were exiled from countries around the world, when they left europe because of the holocaust.

and we shared our lands and our lives. nick: but there's not a lot of hope these days for sharing, or more releases, now that the fighting in gaza has resumed. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. ♪ geoff: we're going to turn our focus now to the heated debate on many college campuses over the israel-hamas war, and concerns over incidents of violence, threats, and hate speech, which made its way to capitol hill today. protests that erupted after the october 7th hamas attack on israel have roiled college campuses across the country, with college administrators facing backlash over their responses to alleged incidents of antisemitism. that was the focus of the congressional hearing today, as the presidents of harvard

university, the university of pennsylvania, and massachusetts institute of technology faced questions from the house committee on education and the workforce. committee chairwoman virginia foxx opened the hearing, accusing the schools of fostering a culture of antisemitism. >> institutional antisemitism and hate are among the poison fruits of your institutions' cultures. geoff: harvard president claudine gay, who assumed the role this summer, acknowledged her own struggles at such a tense moment. >> i know many in our harvard jewish community are hurting and experiencing grief, fear and trauma. i have heard from faculty, students, staff and alumni have -- of incidents of intimidation and harassment. at the same time, i know members of harvard's muslim and arab communities are also hurting. during these difficult days, i have felt the bonds of our

community strain. in response, i have sought to confront hate while preserving free expression. this is difficult work, and i know that i have not always gotten it right. geoff: sally kornbluth is the president of mit. >> i have been president of mit since january of this year. as an american, as a jew and as a human being, i abhor anti semitism and my administration is combating it actively. geoff: all of the college leaders who were testifying said bigotry against jews, muslims, arab americans, or anyone else was unacceptable, and described their efforts to protect students and foster civil dialogue at their schools. but since the outbreak of the war, it's been easier said than done. at harvard last month, a jewish student was surrounded by pro-palestinian protestors yelling, "shame." >> so was there any discipline action? i love the lip service, i do.

and you academic, i love that. i'm looking for an action item. yes? no? was anybody expelled? any action item, and if we don't know, that's ok too. >> we hold our community to account. geoff: republican congresswoman elise stefanik of new york followed up. >> well, let me ask you this. will admissions offers be rescinded or any disciplinary action be taken against students or applicants who say "from the river to the sea" or intifada, advocating for the murder of jews? >> as i've said, that type of hateful, reckless, offensive speech is personally abhorrent to me. >> and today, that no action will be taken. what action will be taken? >> when speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies, including policies against bullying, harassment, or intimidation, we take action, and we have robust disciplinary processes that allow us to hold individuals accountable.

geoff: the lawmakers were universal in their condemnation of antisemitism, but democrats accused republicans of using today's hearing for other purposes. >> i also want to note that the main point of this hearing should be to identify bipartisan solutions to combat anti semitism, not an excuse to attack higher education, liberal arts education or important diversity, equity and inclusion work that's happening at colleges and universities across the country. geoff: before the hearing, republicans organized a press conference, with jewish students sharing how antisemitism has affected them. >> for my part, i was forced to leave my study group for my doctoral exams halfway through the semester because my group members told me that the people at the nova music festival deserved to die because they were partying on stolen land. geoff: penn's president, elizabeth magill, repeatedly touted the university's plan to combat antisemitism. >> we are in the midst of making certain that all anti bigotry efforts ensure education about antisemitism.

some parts of our program do and some parts of our program need to be enhanced. so we're working on that right now. geoff: in light of multiple events at various campuses, the department of education recently launched an investigation into seven schools. the inquiry is focused on complaints of antisemitism and islamophobia, and schools could face a loss of funding if they don't comply. ♪ amna: an milestone moment in the u.s. senate today, the 300th tie-breaking vote. and an even bigger moment in history for vice president kamala harris, who has now broken 33 deadlocks, more than any other v.p. before her. lisa desjardins takes a look at harris' role in a polarized senate. lisa: on watch sit the busts of vice presidents past, some

famous, some infamous, many now forgotten. none ever saw what just happened , a 100 91-year-old record broken. >> yeas and nays are each 50. lisa: vice president harris clinched and surpassed the record of typos broken. -- ty votes broken. >> this is significant because of what she has been -- made possible. lisa: this includes some weighty ones. >> the senate being divided -- >> a trillion dollar american rescue plan. >> the vice president votes in the affirmative. >> the inflation reduction act and over a dozen -- >> the nomination is confirmed. lisa: nominees, from federal reserve to the federal courts. >> there is a lot of power that kamala harris has in her role

right now in deciding the direction of the country. lisa: kelly carter jackson is a professor at wellesley college. she points out harris is already historic, the first female vice president, first asian-american and first african-american. she has taken the record for the most ties from john tse calhoun, perhaps the most influential white supremacist and u.s. history who argued slavery was good for black people. it is unlikely he imagined someone like harris and the senate, much less casting its deciding vote. >> occupying that space as a black woman, a woman of color, is unprecedented. what is interesting is when you compare her leadership alongside someone like john calhoun, they couldn't be further apart. lisa: it took calhoun nearly eight years to rack up 31 tie-breaking votes, but harris beat the number in just over two. >> kit reflects the political

polarization that exists in the broader society. lisa: this professor of policy says -- >> i have the distinction of having cast more tie-breaking votes than any lieutenant governor our state. lisa: the virginia senate in the 2000 was narrowly split. he cast dozens of tie-breaking votes. >> it is a lot of responsibility. lisa: when the senate is in town, harris must be also. her supporters say this is one reason why her approval ratings aren't higher. she can't build a profile and travel. also in these type votes, broader lessons. >> i'm often reminding my students that we are living in one of the most politically polarized times in american history. that will increase the frequency with which these tie-breaking

votes occur and it will increase both the responsibility but also the power and influence these presiding officers can provide. lisa: joe biden never cast a single tie vote as vice president, but harris told cbs her repeated job is a bonding point. >> the president and i joked, when i leave our meetings to break a tie he says that will be a winning vote. but the stakes are so high. lisa: high stakes in an institution where process is power, and were no vice president has ever been as decisive of a vote as this one. with more tie breaks almost certainly ahead. ♪ amna: the roots are known as one

of hip hop's most important and influential groups. they're also well-known as the house band of "the tonight show." and their lead emcee tariq trotter, better known by his stage name, "black thought," has been called one of the most skilled and prolific rappers of our time. now, during this 50th anniversary year of hip hop, the grammy winner tells his own story in a new memoir, and sat down with jeffrey brown recently for our arts and culture series, canvas. >> this is my block, like, this is where i essentially grew up. >> a drive through south philadelphia with native son tariq trotter. >> it's a place where you have to persevere, you know what i'm saying, to get anywhere. and if -- it's the sort of place that eats folks alive, too. >> but it also came with its own energy, which fed trotter. trotter recalled his time as a youngster selling shopping bags. >> i was one of the kids out there on the weekends. i was a shopping bag seller, so i was one of the kids who walk up and down the street, saying, "shopping bags, got shopping bags here, 50 cents a shopping bag, get your shopping bags over here." >> you were always working, weren't you. >> i was.

♪ >> under his stage name "black thought," trotter would write and rap his way to world stages as co-founder of the roots, a band known for its instrumentation, live performance, and grounding in jazz and other genres. ♪ now, in "the upcycled self: a memoir on the art of becoming who we are," he takes us back to the experiences and contradictions of his early years. deep love from family, yet hardness, violence and loss all around. the house he accidentally burned down as a young child. friends and family, destroyed amid the crack epidemic of the 1980s. most of all, his mother, lost to addiction, and then murdered. ♪ but this is also a story of resilience and triumph that came through art, most of all the art

of hip-hop. >> hip hop is making something out of nothing. hip hop is, you know, i talk about the "upcycle" in this book. hip hop is that, it's -- the "upcycle" is using, it's putting the pieces of a thing that you know are salvageable to use. >> and the "upcycled self" means sort of taking what's around you, and what? >> not only taking what is around you, but dealing with that which lies within. it's about a worldview, a way of moving through this space that at one point in time, you know, was life or death, right. it is about understanding the difference between that which needs to be abandoned and that which, you know, needs to be put to a different use. this is beautiful work. >> visual art, seeing and making it, came first. and then music.

>> i was looking for just a place where i had the freedom to continue to be creative. >> a seminal period was the two years he spent at the philadelphia high school for creative and performing arts, known as capa, where he took us to watch band rehearsal. and then encourage current students. >> it is not always comfortable to lean into the talent and your graces, but it is sort of our responsibility as artists. >> capa, then in a different location, is where he met ahmir thompson, better known as questlove, a brilliant percussionist and student of music of all kinds, who befriended and influenced trotter. they first called their band the square roots, then the roots. >> you write, "art saved me." >> yeah. >> saved you from what? and how did it save you? >> art, you know, saved me from becoming a statistic as so many of my friends and family members

and neighbors and, you know, just so many of my contemporaries had and have become. from the first glimpse, from my first, my early exposure to art and to the arts, i was sort of hooked. and it became my escapism, the fuel for my imagination. and the way i saw the world. >> this is what you described. it is striking, the use of discovery and words and language, then rhyming. >> i initially found words in the encyclopedias we had, you know, the full-on sets of encyclopedia britannica and world book encyclopedia and stuff. that was the internet. >> were you flipping through the pages? >> absolutely, that was the internet long before the internet. it was transportive. it was, you know, transcendent and transformative for me.

♪ rest in power, rest in paradise ♪ >> as black thought, trotter became known as a master wordsmith, building phrases and rhymes into powerful storytelling, especially of black identity and experience. ♪ >> in 2017 he delivered a now legendary 10 minute solo freestyle performance on funkmaster flex's 97 radio show, a verbal acrobatic mix of references, metaphors, personal and political punch. ♪ >> i'm pulling everything from everywhere, every experience, every relationship, every moment, you know, of one's life. when it's good, at best you should be able to channel that energy. >> pulling words and images, history from everywhere. >> i feel like one of the

purposes i serve as an mc is a historian. it doesn't seem like i'm coming from a place with the intention of teaching. but -- >> you are. >> but i am. >> entertain, but also teach. >> educate, yes. it's not easy. but that's what i do. that's why i'm black thought. ♪ >> in recent years, trotter has expanded his palette, including a series of solo recordings titled "streams of thought". >> you can see where the man is coming from. >> and as an actor, appearing in the hbo series "the deuce", and in the off-broadway musical, "black no more," for which he also wrote music and lyrics. the hope is to bring it to broadway. now 50, trotter looks back and ahead, with a keen sense of legacy for himself and his art form. it's important to me, you know, just to continue to tell my

story, our stories. that's part of my responsibility, is to continue to elevate this craft, you know, to that level of high art, whether it's my own art, my own contribution that is recognized as such, or whether it's just my contribution is in, you know, having the culture recognized as such. i feel that is part of, that is my mission. >> next up for tariq trotter, aka "black thought", a new roots album plus the latest in his solo recordings. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in philadelphia. ♪ geoff: there this evening on

pbs, frontline presents a film about the school shooting in uvalde, texas in may, 2022. "inside the uvalde response" draws on real-time, firsthand accounts and uses official bodycam footage and audio. produced with propublica and the texas tribune, the film reconstructs the chaotic response to the shooting and examines the missteps, lessons learned and the lingering trauma of that day. >> the gunman fires through the door into one of the classrooms, grazing the staff sergeant and the lieutenant. >> i saw my blood. i was like -- i have been shot. he was like, we both retreated back a little. we turned around and were like, i didn't know who was going to come out. >> surveillance footage shows lieutenant martin is going back down the hallway alone.

and returning to where other officers are positioned. >> the first few moments of the response is crucial, is what experts said. this is the best moment in time to engage the shooter and rescue any victims. officers initially did that, then they stumbled back when they were grazed by bullets. that ends up really setting the stage for the rest of the response. no one tried to go into the room for another 70 minutes. >> i didn't think anybody was in there besides the gunman. not that -- i honestly thought they were in the cafeteria. it seemed like the lights were off and it was really quiet. i didn't hear any screaming or yelling. nothing at all. you would think kids would be

yelling and screaming. >> officer after officer said that because it was so silent, they didn't hear any screams or any indication that a child was inside that wing, they believed it was empty, even though it was the middle of a school day on one of the last days of the semester. >> we couldn't hear the kids. we couldn't hear him shooting anybody or anything like that. so i guess that is why they were made -- waiting to make entry. we didn't noble was going on. it was too quiet. geoff: "inside the uvalde response" premieres on pbs stations and streams on youtube at 10:00 p.m. eastern. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by --

>> pediatric surgeon. volunteer. topiary artist. raymondjames financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your own life. life well planned. ♪ >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the 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. ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from w eta studios in washington

and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪

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