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. ♪ >> good evening. >> on the newshour tonight, fierce fighting continues in southern gaza as hospital conditions become increasingly dire for the civilians caught in the crossfire. >> congress struggles to reach

an agreement to fund israel, ukraine, and the southern border before lawmakers at home for the holidays. >> judy woodruff explores how covid has made it harder for americans to separate politics from public health. >> it will be much tougher now to convince americans to take vaccines. because of the damage done by this predatory anti-vaccine campaign. ♪ >> 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 so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdana, and peaceful world. and by 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. >> welcome.

israel intensified its military operations in gaza's second largest city today, forcing tens of thousands of palestinians to flee and making it more difficult to deliver a. >> the u.n. says nearly 1.9 million people at over 80% of the population has been displaced by the war. many several times over. they are now crowded into small areas in south and central gaza. the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day. southern gaza is now the center of the war. once again, civilians bear the brunt. caught between, siding between them and israel's bombardment. her two children were jolted awake by an israeli airstrike. sifting through the wreckage, she says they are lucky to be alive. >> we were peacefully sleeping, not bothering anyone. i have young children buying their own business.

all of a sudden, the bombardment hit us. it was a miracle that we were pulled from under the rubble. >> israel says troops have fully preached the city and what they call a third phase of ground operations, surrounding the house of a leader and the israel defense force has released this rare image of 11 military commanders, five of whom the idf says has been killed. but fighting continues in the north. official survey discovered the largest group of weapons near a school in gaza city. palestinians are being pushed into rapidly shrinking spaces. he fled his home of the north. >> they told us to go to the south because it is safe. nothing will happen to you there. no place is safe and gaza. >> in the overcrowded hospital, an 11-year-old with an injured arm frantically searches for her father.

her younger siblings collapsed into tears. they are told that he has just injured his leg but they cling to their father, injured in an airstrike at a school. >> we were at the school. they hit us twice. it landed on us. and our father. >> then they all got injured. >> this five-year-old was there. >> i went into the classroom. i went to play with my friends rate suddenly i heard a sound. we ran. a big rock fell on father. a big rock fell on me. >> hospitals elsewhere have become funeral grounds. mourners gathered outside his facility, reciting prayers besides dozens of bodies lining the street. according to doctors without borders, hospitals are running critically low on fuel and medical supplies, with some 200

wounded brought in every day. at a nearby u.n. distribution center, crowds desperate for food waited hours for a small portion of flour. she said she is risking her life to provide for her family. >> the way they are gathering here, if there was bombing right here, how many markers would we have? there should be food distribution centers in every area. i did not get anything. where my supposed to go? >> there is a heightened risk of atrocity crimes. >> in geneva today, the u.n. human rights chief describes the situation as apocalyptic. >> 1.9 million out of the 2.2 million palestinians have been displaced. they are being pushed into ever diminishing and extremely overcrowded places in southern gaza in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. humanitarian aid is again virtually cut off as fears of widespread disease and hunger spread. >> the future of postwar gaza

remains uncertain after a report that palestinian authority president says he would be willing to assume governance. the israeli prime minister posted, those who educate their children for terrorism, finance terrorism, and support terrorists families will not be able to rule gaza after eliminating,. -- hamas. they are determined to stay. sheltering in a tent city less than a mile from the egyptian city, she said she would rather die than move any further. >> for us, this is the last stop. after that, if they want to forcibly displace us, we will not leave. they can kill us right here. we will not leave our land and our lives. ♪

>> and other headlines, a gunman opened fire at the university of nevada las vegas. the sheriff said at least three people were shot. there was no immediate word on their conditions. police and rescue units swarmed at the campus is the university reported shootings in at least two buildings. the gunman died after being confronted by officers. the circumstances were unclear. the president urged congress to approve billions of dollars in new military and economic aid to ukraine. the white house has the money will run out of the years and without congressional action. the president said that would be a gift to vladimir putin and he would not stop with ukraine. >> if he keeps going, at attacks a nato ally, we have committed as a member to defend every inch of nato territory. we will have something that we don't seek. and that we do not have today. american troops fighting russian troops. >> senate republicans blocked

debate on the a measure unless it includes new action to tighten the u.s. southern border. the president said he is willing to make significant changes on border policy but gave no details. in ukraine, president zelenskyy said his government will boost its own military production and defeat russia against all odds. the u.s. justice department charged for russians with war crimes against an american living in ukraine. they are accused of kidnapping a man from a village where he lived with his ukrainian wife in the spring of 2022. they tortured him for 10 days. the charges are largely symbolic since the defendants are not in u.s. custody. republicans are holding their fourth presidential debate tonight. this time at the university of alabama. former president donald trump is not taking part. instead, he appeared last night with sean hannity. he would not rule out abusing power if he is reelected. >> he says you are not going to be a dictator. i say no, other than day one.

we are closing the border and drilling. >> the president suggested tuesday that he might not be running again if president trump were not running. he said there might be 50 democrats who could win that race but the valve i will defeat him. kevin mccarthy is leaving congress by the end of the year. the republican announced this today in the wall street journal. he said he has decided to depart the house to serve america in the ways. hard right conservatives engineer his ouster back in october. he is the first speaker to be voted out of the job. there is no evidence that 2023 is set to be the warmest year on record. european union scientists report that november was the sixth month in aurora to break heat marks. this came today as the climate summit wrapped up its first week of meetings in dubai amid debate about phasing out fossil fuels. the climate commissioner appeal for bolder action.

>> the science is crystal clear. i will repeat it here. we have no alternative but to follow what scientists fellows. they are telling us we are not on track. i want this to mark the beginning of the end for fossil fuels. >> the climate summit continues through tuesday. here at home, some of the country's biggest banks revealed -- appealed to u.s. senators to head off the regulations. they would force firms to keep mark appel on hand. -- more capital on hand. some say it would curtail lending. they said it would limit overdraft fees. >> it makes no sense. that is the bottom line. i have been at this for a long time. i served on the new york fed board for years. some rules make sense. it is a question of how far you turn it up. >> the banks say they need flexibility in the face of

inflation and higher interest rates. regulators say this years's bank failures call for tougher rules. on wall street, falling oil prices helped drag spike -- stocks lower. the nasdaq fell 83 points per the s&p 500 slipped 17. still to come, the 25th anniversary of the international space station highlights its impact. an author discusses his new book about american evangelicals in political extremism. we reflect on the life of legendary tv producer and writer norman lear. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour, from our studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> days attention on capitol hill, dated today in republicans rejecting a measure to move ahead on additional funding for

ukraine and israel. republicans have insisted that foreign aid be paired with major changes to border security. both sides of the aisle failed to find consensus. now billions of dollars is stalled until lawmakers find a way forward. in the middle of all of this is the senator from illinois, dick durbin, who joins us now. welcome back. >> good to be with you. >> what does today's boat need -- mean? >> it is a setback but it does not mean that we are not going to send aid to ukraine. the speaker of the parliament of ukraine was in my office today. he told me what is obvious. if we do not give assistance, the likelihood of winning the war diminishes. every single day, courageous ukrainians are giving their lives to defend their country. it really meanshat we cannot fail to provide assistance. we have to stand with them and do it before the end of the year.

>> how do you do that? we are the president say he is open to significant changes on border policy. do you share that view? >> i do. let's be open-minded about it. i don't want to be inconsistent with our country's values, but i recognize the obvious. we are being overwhelmed at the border by people seeking to come into the u.s. we have to adjust to the standards that are used at the border in a reasonable, humane way. we have to be open to change. democrats as well as republicans. >> what are some changes you're willing to compromise on? maybe tightening asylum rules? >> i typically -- look at the asylum standards. there are people who are generally escaping situations where their lives are in danger. we do not want to ignore that possibility. i want to make sure we have a system that make sense. if i told you the countries that are producing immigrants at our borders, you would be amazed. thousands coming from places

like uzbekistan. you think to yourself, that is not what i expect to hear. what is happening is a movement around the world. >> there seems to be a crowd behind you. thank you for bearing with us. i hope you can hear us. as part of those talks, what about the dreamers? daca recipients were brought to the u.s. as children? you said he would fight for them repeatedly but they were not included in the last rounds of talks. >> i think that is a serious mistake. i have been fighting for dreamers for over 20 years. these young people, 800,000 of them, should be part of america's future. we have to do every thing we can to make that happen. if i have a chance to be part of this negotiation, i will definitely that request. >> i want to ask you about the eighth israel. a significant portion is for security assistance.

since the brutal october 7 attack, israel's response has killed more than 15,000 palestinians. the majority are believed to be women and children. bernie sanders is now saying it is absolutely irresponsible to give israel unconditional aid. do you believe the aid should be conditioned if it can save palestinian lives? >> we should have basic conditions. we are going to provide military assistance to any nation, the u.s. should make it clear what the standards of conduct are that we expect. the situation in israel, no question, they have a right to defend themselves or by happened on october 7 was an atrocity. but we are also staring at a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions currently in that area with the palestinian people losing thousands and thousands of their own. 70% of the victims are women and children. we have to say to the israelis, defend yourself, make sure your country is safe, but do it in a

humane fashion. >> what is a basic condition look like to you? >> establishing standards for every country that receives military equipment from the u.s. making sure they do not focus on civilian casualties, but only military targets. that they are careful in the proportionality they use, using bombs of a certain size. make a serious effort to take precautions to help innocent people. these are the standards of humane conduct in war. >> i have to ask you, our colleague who i know you know has been reporting on what we have seen a capitol hill this week. yesterday we saw you senators yelling during a briefing with the administration. several republican senators walking out. emotions around the war are certainly high. we know immigration is a hot issue for be have learned that former speaker kevin mccarthy is

retiring at the end of the year. i want to ask you about the climate on capitol hill right now. have you ever seen anything like those? >> i have not. i will tell you that it is attributable to one man's politics. unfortunately that has created a situation i have never seen before. there are still people of goodwill trying to solve real problems facing america and our friends. i want to add that was a terrible meeting we had is to. we had a much better meeting today. i am hopeful that despite the ugly scenario we have seen, we can find a way to help ukrainians come out with a good result. >> do you believe there will be a deal to move that forward, to move the aid for ukraine forward chemical report -- before you leave for christmas? >> i am an optimist. i believe that if we work at it, we can do the right thing. >> senator dick durbin joining us from capitol hill. thank you, always good to see you. >> thanks. ♪

>> this week marks the 25th anniversary of when astronauts first stepped onto the beginnings of a new international space station. for quarter of a century later, it is now manned by seven international crewmembers and has become an iconic and important part of space history. it circles the globe almost every 90 minutes. the celebration is bittersweet, as the station is set to be decommissioned. i spoke earlier with our science correspondent. thank you for joining us. what would you say are the main accomplishments of the international space station 25 years later? >> not so much for science as the partnership itself. the fact that the former cold war space race rivals, the u.s. and russia, got together to partner with europe, japan, and

canada, about 50 nations in all, and managed to make this partnership work all of this time. it is truly extraordinary when you consider recent events in ukraine and some concerns that the partnership would go sideways. and yet, at the cosmonaut and engineer level, they are healthy and safe relationships. most importantly for the international space station. there is a lesson in there somewhere. a fact that a peacetime project like this involving multiple nations can last so long. i can't think of anything like it. >> beyond the important diplomacy what can you tell us about the science that has been conducted on board? >> it has been interesting. most of the science is all about allowing humans and spacecraft to endure space. for long times. it is narrowly focused in many respects. however, there have been some spillover into other areas.

nasa likes to tout the space station as a way of solving problems here on earth. to give you an example, when you learn about osteoporosis on earth, it has a lot to do with what astronauts encounter when they are in space. their bones become brittle and weak. as they return to earth, they have a hard time rebuilding all of the. they have learned how to manage that by learning how to keep astronauts safe in space. the idea that they would go and grow protein crystals in zero gravity in a way that you could identify new ways to make drugs and care cancer as i haven't. -- has not happened. >> 25 years as an eternity when it comes to innovation. it has russian modules on board that i understand that had also to technical issues, including some leaks. when is the space station slated for retirement? >> it is a little long in the tooth at this point. some of the modules have been

leaking. having other problems along the way. it is getting old. nasa has committed to fly the station until 2030. the russian say they want to get out a little sooner. we are in the latter days of the space station era, at least the international space station era. maybe others will follow. >> once it is gone, willoughby destinations for nasa or other commercial spacecraft in low-earth orbit? >> it is a little bit what life happened after the shuttle. nasa leaned on private enterprises more. nasa is seeking commercial entities to build space stations that nasa could use as a destination and paid a visit. one of the companies, axiom, based in houston, which has a lot of players involved, actually has a docking port on the current international space

station and aims to launch a module onto it to get it up and running and when the space station goes off into the horizon, they would undock and begin building this commercialization. the concern is there will be some have gap as there was after the shuttle retired before the u.s. was able to get astronauts in space. >> do i have a right that china will be the only nation to directly operate a space station by 2030? what kind of problems does that create? >> you think of the decision back in 2006 when congress said nasa should not partner with the chinese. the chinese really wanted it. you have to figure that was the best decision in retrospect. china has a space station out. it has been up and running since 2021. the u.s. will presumably move into this commercial space station.

putin claims pressure will build another government run space station that it hopes to have it in orbit by 27. it remains to be seen if that will be real. i think it is important for nasa to have a destination in low-earth orbit if you go to. if a commercial player will do it, that would be great. i think it is a pretty difficult business case. >> by last question is fairly practical. how will nasa ensure that this giant space station does not become dangerous space junk and reenter the atmosphere in a controlled manner? >> this is the skylab scenario. 1979 from the first u.s. space station fell out of the sky in an uncontrolled manner because it was waiting for the space shuttle to come boost it and it was not ready to do that. it came down, most of it landed in the indian ocean. part of it in western australia. it was very controversial and had a lot of people scared.

but they will do in this case will build a big jace -- space tug, attach it to the station so it can be thrust down in a controlled manner into the southern pacific ocean. where no one gets hurt, hopefully. >> like a cosmic tow truck. thank you so much. ♪ >> just over 15% of american adults have gotten the latest covid booster. demand for the vaccine has dropped sharply since it was first introduced at the height of the pandemic. that is partly because the government response to covid has been so politically charged. judy woodruff spoke to public health experts about that response. part of her ongoing series. >> in march of 2020, many americans were united in their fear of the new, unknown virus.

as people grapple with the images of overwhelmed hospitals and death abroad and in the u.s. >> hopefully it will not be much longer. >> public opinion quickly splintered as governors issued stay-at-home orders to slow the spread of the virus. >> it should be a choice, not a mandate. >> people took to the streets to protest the economic and social impact of business closures, school shutdowns, and mast mandates. -- mask mandates. >> my business is being decimated. >> the risk of spread in schools is low. the harm we are doing grow children inside. >> leaders including president trump offered conflicting information, including recommendations on masking and other prevention methods. >> the cdc is advising the use of nonmedical cloth faced

coverings as an additional voluntary public health measure. this is voluntary. i don't think i will be doing it. >> covid has shaken our faith in the current medical system. >> the pandemic marked a turning point for them. >> we were in nevada at that time. the kids were being oars to wear masks -- forced to wear masks. i started looking into if there is any science behind that. >> some migrated to florida, drawn by the sunny weather and the states loser covid restrictions. it was in sharp contrast to the pandemic tension among their extended family. >> we have not lost any relationships over it. but we have definitely had some tension. >> the relationships were strong. my younger brother works for a big pharma company. heaping side completely nuts. [laughter] he is my only younger brother. we have spirited discussions.

he has not changed my thinking. and i have not changed as. >> it soon became difficult to separate politics from the medicine. according to this dr. from johns hopkins. he has worked with the state of maryland at public health recommendations. >> the pandemic was a match that lit that on fire. it brought together people who did not like masks, people who were upset about particular actions early the pandemic. >> that had deadly consequences. according to the baylor college of medicine. they researched the human cost of the resistance to masks and vaccines. >> the big differential in deaths was very much states where people widely accepted vaccines and states where people did not widely accept them.

my estimate is 200 thousand americans needlessly perished because they refused covid vaccines after vaccines were widely available. >> a poll showed that 91% of democratic voters had received at least one dose of the vaccine. compared with 66% of republican voters. democrats were far more likely to get the latest booster. multiple studies showed more republicans wrong hold that resisted public health measures and vaccinations fared worst in terms of mortality rates. >> they have decided we need to get rid of these vaccines before they expire. >> why do we need an experimental mandatory vaccine for a disease which you have a 99.997%? ? > chance of surviving no forced covid vaccines for adults or children. >> he points to sharpened

rhetoric in the summer of 2021 shortly before the vaccines were approved for younger children as a turning point. >> if the vaccine is affected, there are no people for those who receive the vaccine to wear masks farmboy physical contact. maybe it does not work and we're are certainly not telling that. >> there was an entire ecosystem of elected officials on the far right together with fox news and other news outlets. it was a predatory, organized, and deliberate disinformation campaign that convinced americans that the vaccines did not work or were not safe. they believed in and they pay for it with their lives. >> a lot of people ask questions about these new covid vaccines. >> just three months ago, ron desantis and his surgeon general recommended against the booster.

their guidance contradicts cdc recommendations. but it did not go far enough for some. he is a former marine, businessman, and from supporter. he supported the people clinic. he is against any covid vaccinations. his staff is leading the charge and what they call the medical freedom movement, skeptical of the medical establishment and their recommendations on covid-19 prevention and treatment. they also promote nontraditional health care, including iv therapy and drugs like ivermectin, which is not approved to treat covid. all the research that has gone into the vaccines, you still believe it is harmful? >> absolutely harmful. i don't believe their research at all. >>'s skepticism goes be on covid. in the same building that houses

the clinic, he set up a political operation. what he calls a guarded the boat war room. he says he will help monitor election fraud in 24. >> it will be a training program for law enforcement. and precinct workers to identify when a law is being broken. >> down the hall, a protest -- podcast studio from michael flynn. he served as trump's national security adviser before facing criminal charges. he was then pardoned. while there were no federal mandates requiring vaccination, he felt state mandates and unofficial mandates by employers or doctors offices threaten people's freedom to make their own medical decisions. like other patients we met here,

they said they felt a huge sense of relief when they found the clinic and the alternative it offers to government messaging. >> we did not feel like they had done enough testing in order to merit our faith in it. >> none of the claims being made say it is effective. you do not transmit. you do not die. it felt manipulative. >> they reject public health guidance for themselves and their young children. >> we did not get the vaccine shots for our kids or for ourselves. we had covid. a few days of coughing. like a flu. that was it. >> their pediatrician at the clinic shares their doubts about the vaccine. >> i supported traditional childhood vaccines my entire career. as time went on, i was crunching

numbers like anybody. it became clear to me from the data we had from the government that this covid infection really was not a threat to our nations children in terms of fatalities. >> just under 1900 children have died from covid in the u.s. the pandemic began. for this vaccine, she said her greatest worry lies in what she calls deadly side effects, including inflammation of the heart muscle or myocarditis. the center says it is a very rare occurrence. cases occurring after vaccination have generally been less severe than myocarditis caused by a viral covid infection. the cdc adds that it and the fda will continue to monitor and evaluate reports of myocarditis. she says when she raised these

concerns, she was fired from her job in washington state where she previously practiced. >> theedical school that terminated my plummets of the message that if you dare question anything related to covid, if you dare color outside the lines of what is allowed, with the main narrative is, you will be punished. this is a dangerous place for us to be right now in america with this idea that we cannot question anything. that our own physicians cannot question what they are seeing right in front of their eyes. >> are there things that the government and public health officials could've done differently that would've changed the outcome? >> one of the key things that can help people come together is transparency. about what is being considered and an open discussion of the pros and cons. often times public-health officials and elected officials just announce things.

today, here's what we're going to do. instead, say this is what we are thinking. we could do this or that. people respond to the by appreciating the buying that government is in -- bind that government isn't. there is often no perfect answer. one misstep was not doing more proposing and listening before acting. >> he says this initial lack of transparency and conflicting advice may have contributed to the skepticism. in a recent move toward greater transparency, and open difference abuse has arisen over what age otherwise healthy individuals need the latest shot. the cdc recommending it for everyone six months of age and up. several european countries, the who, and a prominent u.s. pediatrician say it is not necessary for young people.

for his part, he worries that our experience with covid and the ongoing questioning and threatening of science will thwart the u.s. response to the next health emergency. >> i do not see things getting better anytime soon. the evidence for that is if you look at the percentage of americans who took the booster last september when it was made available, only about 20% of eligible americans to. -- took it. in terms of this new annual administration, i took it with about six other people. i am concerned we will start the next pandemic with two strikes. it will be much tougher now to convince americans to take vaccines because of the damage done by these vexing campaigns. >> one more potential divide in

an already divided nation. ♪ >> might evangelical voters help donald trump when the white house? they stuck him -- by him. in a new book, and author sought to find out why, when the support is largely consistent with basic christian values. he approaches the topic as a journalist and a practicing christian. his father was a pastor -- pastor. he said the evangelical church was his home. he offers a look at how politics are fracturing the church. i asked him about a moment he describes when at his own

father's funeral, a church elder admonished him for not embracing trump. >> once i was able to process it, it was a surreal moment, having just buried my father. i was in a state of mourning and shock. not sure if this was real. you are reading this and it revealed more than anything that there was an epiphany of, if i who grew up here, these people knew me since i was five years old, if i could be treated this way and regarded as a member of the deep state, as an enemy of the church, as an apostate, if i could be treated that way, how are we treating those outside the church? how are we engaging with the culture whom we are called as

christians to evangelize? >> what is it about donald trump that has completely transformed and reconditioned the white evangelical expectation of what a political leader should be? in my own reporting i have talked to evangelical trump supporters that it compared him to consequential biblical figures like david and solomon to make a point that he is someone who can affect god's will without having to manifest any christian values. >> i have heard the same. it is interesting. when donald trump first came along in 2015 launching his campaign for president, he was mocked widely by evangelicals when he made his famous gaffe speaking at liberty university. it was pounced on by a lot of bleeding evangelicals are now some of his staunchest allies. how did he go from a figure of suspicion at an outsider and a

punchline to being a champion for these people? much of the answer to that is rooted in what you are describing. he said white evangelical. i thicket is important to hone in on this idea that for the white christian in america, they are losing status in ways they have ever seen. if you looked statistically and demographically, 50 years ago during the heyday of them moral majority, this was a fundamentally different country. we are looking at decades long downward trajectories in terms of the white percentage of the country, the percentage of the country that identifies as christian and churchgoing. there is a sense of impending doom for a lot of these people. that the government is coming for them. christianity is in the crosshairs. we need to fight back. in some sense it takes someone like trump who is not a

christian, because he is not a christian, he is not beholden to those values. it makes him this mercenary who is willing to fight on behalf of of this beleaguered population that feels under siege. they have turned to someone like donald trump to do the dirty work for them. >>'s that were christian nationalism comes in? this idea that america is in a coveted -- covenant with god? what do christian nationalists want that is different from the george w. bush era christian engagement with politics? >> great question. in many ways, christian nationalism is revolving around this idea that the christian nation that we inherited from the founders, it was explicitly christian nation. not just informed by principles and values but formed to be a christian nation. that has to be recovered and restored.

we are talking in some sense about theocracy. there are people in this movement and people who hold real power and influence in the republican party who are close to trump who would be advising him in a second term who have no qualms talking about the idea of essentially demolishing the wall between church and state. and attempting to if not introduce christianity as a state religion, in a concrete, official, formal way, at the very least to promote christianity as a state religion in ways you heard donald trump say he is not letting any more non-christian migrants into the country. no jews, hindus, muslims, atheists. that is especially the ways these people are thinking about

how they would recover the america they once knew. >> when donald trump says he would not be at dictator except for day one, what do his evangelical supporters here? >> another great question. there is a dog whistle. what's trump is speaking to is a persecution complex more than anything else. when he talks about how the christian churches undersea and so is he that under siege and so is he, he says the peach state and the liberals and the secularists are coming after you. but first they have to get through me. that is why i'm being charged with all these indictments. so they can get to you. when he pitches himself as a strong man, as it would be authoritarian, in many ways what these people here is desperate times call for desperate measures.

there is some pulling to back this up. good social science the last couple of years behind this idea that for many white conservative evangelicals who are supportive of trump, they would gladly embrace a lurch toward authoritarianism if it meant preserving what they see as a christian america. rather than lose in a liberal democratic fashion. for a lot of his supporters in that base, they are here again saying it is about time. >> what is a zombie for the church? the secular public used to have a very positive view of the church in america. now they have a very negative view. that is a barrier to entry into the church for those of us who are trying to reach out to bring people in and try to tell them about the love of god. it has become very difficult to do so. >> thank you for coming and congratulations on the six ordinary boat.

>> thank you so much for having me. ♪ >> norman lear, the groundbreaking tv producer and writer has died at the age of 101. he revolutionized primetime television with a string of hits , including "all in the family" and more which feature political and social issues of the year -- they not done before. we had a look back at his legacy. ♪ >> it was a show, a character, a voice, a style that changed lives in history. >> i didn't have million people giving me my job. >>'s uncle got it for him. [laughter] >> the sitcom broke the norms of primetime television by dealing

with hot button issues. the divisions playing out in the home of the bunker family. >> what do you mean by what god? >> we just don't see any evidence of god. >> that is right, daddy. >> that is me and my dad. >> in a 2014 interview, he told me the conservative archie bunker was inspired by his own father. >> my dad called me a meathead. >> i am tuning you out, meathead. >> he told me i was the laziest white kid he ever met. i would say, why would you pick on a race of people to call me lazy? >> the shows addressed race, feminism, even abortion. >> there is only one sensible way out of this. you do not have to have the baby. >> what do i do, traded in for a volleyball? >> it stirred controversy at times and attracted norma's audiences.

up to 50 million viewers a week. >> the very first episode. >> he fought for his vision. he told me how the network wanted to cut a line in the very first episode that hinted at his daughter and husband. having sex in the house as fee parents returned from church. he did not back down. >> i saw. clearly in that instant that if that silly little battle was lost, i would never win another one. ♪ >> for 11 consecutive years, at least one of his shows placed in primetime top 10. in 1980, he founded people for the american way to counter the rising influence of the christian right and moral majority. he received many honors and awards throughout his life, including two peabody awards,

the national medal of arts, and a kennedy center honor for lifetime artistic achievement. that same year, the offered a brief spectacular take on the newshour, recalling how he dealt with eight shows on the air at once at the head of his career. >> there is distress and there is joyful stress. the stress i was under was altogether joyful. it ended with 240 live people sitting in an audience laughing. that all added time to my life. >> norman lear passed away in his sleep last night at his home in los angeles surrounded by his family. >> joining us now is rob reiner, one of the stars of "all in the family." he gained further prominence as a director of such films as this is spinal tap and a few good men . good of you to join us.

our condolences for the loss of someone important for you. we talk now looking back at how everything changed at a certain moment. you are there, did it feel like everything was changing? >> no. we had a show we thought would be canceled after three episodes or something. cds put it on with a big disclaimer saying, you cannot watch the show. we don't want anything to do with it. we don't even know how it got on the air. but if you want to watch it, watch it. we thought it would last a few episodes and go away. over time, it caught on. people started watching it. it became the biggest show on television for a long time. >> what did norman lear have that allowed him to do what he did, to mix real life into this sitcom format?

>> can i say this on pbs? he had balls. [laughter] this guy had a strength within him. you are talking about a man who flew 57 bombing missions over nazi germany during world war ii. the fights he had with sensors and executives, that was small potatoes. he had his convictions, his ideas, he was going to present them. he did it in a great way and he got last. -- laughs. they were fighting about every conceivable issue. many of them are still relevant today. racism and guns and sexuality and all of that. he did it with humor and grace. i will miss him terribly. this has been a very hard day for me. to be honest, i'm glad i'm

getting to talk to you and other people in the press because it keeps me from crying. he was like a second father to me. i was very lucky to have him and my father, a couple of great role models. i got a lot from both of them. from norman i got the idea that you could use your celebrity, your fame to do something good with it. i took that to heart and i have done things with my celebrity that i probably would not have done if i had not gone down that path. it is so strange to me, you had a guest on right before, who talks about the separation of church and state and how we are seeing the rise of christian nationalism. i just finished a documentary that is all about that.

it is that norman lear started when he started people for the american way. the idea was this is america. this is the constitution. it is in the constitution three times. there is no argument about separation of church and state. we thought so we can have religious freedom in this country. or no religion at all. it upsets me to note we are moving in a direction away from what he wanted. what we all should be striving for. >> we have less than a minute. i wanted to ask you. this was of a piece. his life and his work and his politics and his social advocacy but also entertaining people. very briefly, how do you see his legacy? >> it will be not only did he entertain people, he got them talking. we were on television at a time

when there were only 200 million people in the country and 45 million people having a shared experience. you had to watch it when it was on. we put these issues out there. we have people talking. now that discussion has gone away. we are all in the silos. we do not talk to each other. we are seeing the rise of the very thing he fought against, fascism. we see this starting to creep back in. this election, norman would want me to be saying this, if we want fascism, vote for trump. if you want democracy, vote for biden. it is that simple and real. >> combining all of these things to the end. rob reiner on the life and legacy of norman lear. thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. >> norman lear was one of the giants. >> our thoughts are with his family and friends.

>> there is more online, including a quick guide to who is on stage tonight for the fourth gop debate in alabama. >> join us again here tomorrow night when we will speak with liz cheney. that is the newshour for tonight. >> thank you for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the newshour has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including these people. >> consumer cellular, how may help you? this is a pocket dial. i thought i would let you know that with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. >> these are people who are trying to change the world. start ups have this energy that energizes me. i am thriving by helping others

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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. hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's coming up. a crescendo of warnings even from republicans about the dangers of a second trump term. the risk of america becoming an ill liberal democracy, and even a religious republic. author t