amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "news hour" tonight, the white house says it will decide which news organizations can routinely cover president trump, raising questions about freedom of the press. amna: a measles outbreak in west texas spreads amid declining childhood vaccinations. geoff: how a lack of resources for students with disabilities could soon be made worse by efforts to dismantle the

department of education. amna: and a message from space. >> don't be afraid of change. you know, we've experienced it and we all will live through, it will all be fine. amna: we hear from the nasa astronauts whose space journey has been longer than expected, but who are now finally set to come home. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage, the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of leisure. and british style. all with white star service.

♪ >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the news hour, including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. >> the john s. and jane s. k night foundation, fostering engaged and informed communities. more at kf.rorg. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

this program was made possible for the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the "news hour." today, the trump administration faced legal pushback on several of the president's executive orders, including his suspension on all refugee admissions. amna: that's while elon musk and his team, known as the department of government efficiency, are continuing their efforts to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. in a post on his platform, x, musk wrote that government employees had second chance to reply to an email asking for a list of what they accomplished last week, but "failure to respond a second time will result in termination." our white house correspondent laura barron-lopez has been covering the latest and joins us now. let's start with the news on the legal front first. a lot of ongoing litigation when it comes to refugee admissions

and foreign aid funding. what did we hear from federal judges? laura: there were three big actions by judges today. first, a federal judge extended a block on the trump's federal funding freeze. another judge ordered the release of four aid payments by wednesday at midnight. a third federal judge blocked trump's blanket suspension of refugee admissions. that indefinite pause on admissions, as well as the foreign aid freeze impacted thousands of refugees, some already coming to the u.s. we don't know if the administration will comply with the judge's order to reopen refugee admissions because it is not clear that the white house has been compliant with the number of these orders which was a pattern in the hearings today. judges expressed a lot of frustration, including the one who said needed to stop blocking the blanket funding freeze. that judge said the administration is saying one thing while expressly doing another. on the foreign aid, the judge

warned the administration to abide by their order asap. this is a two week old order now. the administration immediately appealed the order. amna: what about elon musk and doge's efforts to slash the federal workforce? it looks like elon musk and some officials are at odds. where do things stand? laura: to get a sense of the chaos, we have a timeline. first, elon musk posted and an pm email -- an opm email went out on saturday essentially saying respond or you will be terminated. some departments said you could ignore it. then, president trump said comp ly or risk being fired or semi-fired. elon musk on monday tweeted what you highlighted earlier that they have a second chance to comply or be terminated. adding to the confusion of all of this.

the office of personnel management, the government's hr, also put up conflicting messages. first, telling people they didn't have to comply and it was voluntary, then saying they had to. within the last hour, president trump added to the confusion. >> well, it's somewhat voluntary, but it's also if you don't answer it, i guess you get fired. >> i am still lost on that. >> what it is is do people exist. we have this massive government with millions of people. and nobody knows who's working for the government and who's not. laura: it is not true that no one knows who's working for the government. that data is at the fingertips of the president's advisors and workers, but the white house press secretary said so far, she claimed one million workers have participated in that response. amna: so, elon musk has insisted this is a transparent effort, but it has not been easy to get some basic questions answered about the team.

you try to the white house briefing today. how did that go? laura: what we know is through our own reporting as well as other investigative reporters. the white house has dodged were not answered many questions about the structure of doge, even when federal judges have asked and that is what i pressed caroline levitt on today. i wanted to ask about a federal judge yesterday was saying that they didn't know who the doge administrator was and was asking the lawyer for the administration who it was and the lawyer responded, i don't know the answer to that. can you tell us who the administrator of doge is? >> again, i've been asked and answered this question. elon musk is overseeing doge. there are career -- there are no -- elon musk is a special government employee, which i've also been asked and have answered that question as well. there are career officials at doge. there are political appointees at doge. i'm not going to reveal the name of that individual from this podium. i'm happy to follow up and provide that to you, but we've been incredibly transparent about the way that doge is working.

amna: the back-and-forth there, pressing the press secretary about who's in charge of doge. then, a white house official told me that amy gleason is the acting doge administrator. she worked in the first administration for the digital service and carried over into the biden administration. it appears based on multiple reports that amy gleason may be on vacation right now. amna: white house correspondent laura veron lopez, -- barron -lopez, thank you. geoff: some other news came out about the media itself. the white house says it's changing the traditional process of how reporters cover the president. white house press secretary karoline leavitt announced today that the trump administration will now choose which media outlets will be part of a select pool of reporters that cover smaller events and travel with the president and white house officials. >> a select group of d.c.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly over the privilege of press access at the white house.

all journalists, outlets, and voices deserve a seat at this highly-coveted table. geoff: previously, the pool was organized by the white house correspondents association, an independent organization of vetted journalists who cover the president. the move is part of broader effort to limit traditional press access after the white house blocked access for associated press reporters. brian stelter, chief media analyst for cnn, joins us now. it is great to have you here. the white house is breaking with a century of tradition in which a pool of independently chosen news organizations covers the president's movements and events when full press access is not possible either due to space or security constraints. the white house correspondents association says this tears of the independence of a free press and a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps. how do you interpret this decision? brian: if we launched a new news

organization today, we would be able to apply to be at the white house. we would be able to apply to eventually be in the press pool. there already is a sense of inclusiveness. it is possible for new brands, new outlets to join the press corps and even the press pool. the reality is the daily grind of covering the white house is expensive and demanding. it has been done by a handful of big news outlets like the associated press for decades. the white house is trying to break that and try to say it decides who can cover the president. it decides who can ask questions to the president. the white house correspondent association responded, saying it tears at the free press in the u.s. that is true. when press freedoms suffers, the public suffers. maybe not right away, but down the line, we start to know less about the president and less about the administration, and everyone suffers. geoff: let's talk more about the specific predicament involving

the associated press because the white house is blocking ap access from covering major presidential events over the organization's refusal to refer to the gulf of mexico as the gulf of america. it apparently is not just about the map because the white house chief of staff is taking issue with the ap stylebook. she says it is weaponized to push a partisan agenda. it is widely used as a style guide. it is a writing and editing guide for journalists and writers. how do you see what is happening here? brian: the ap is having to go to court to try to get this ban reversed. they lost an initial court hearing yesterday. there's another one in march. maybe the ap will prevail in the long term but this is a chilling moment when it comes the first amendment freedoms. the ap has been a foundational part of the press pool and a blocked by the president. this is over word choice, language. the ap says it has to be able to choose what words it can use. it cannot let the president

decree what words the ap will use. that is true for other news outlets as well. i noticed earlier today, peter baker of the new york times, a veteran correspondent, said these changes remind him of how the kremlin took over the press pool and banned certain outlets. and major only compliant journalists were given access to the russian government. he sees parallels here to what happened in more repressive countries in the past. geoff: at the pentagon, longtime defense reporters from traditional media outlets first were kicked out of their offices and then told they could not use communal spaces, they cannot use the press briefing room to do their reporting or broadcast their reports. how do you see the administration's strategy playing out that the department of defense? brian: cnn, one of the outlets affected, nbc, the new york times, the washington post. this is not stopping news outlets from doing the work, from showing up and asking questions. it is impeding the work. at the pentagon, there has not

been a press briefing since the administration took over. today, pete hegseth went to guantanamo bay and did not bring the press, but he did bring his friend from fox news, laura ingraham. what we see is a strategy to the trump white house and administration. they want to have a parallel media. a propaganda, pro-trump media. that parallel universe already exists. it exists all across podcasts, etc. these people don't usually do a lot of reporting, but they do a lot of talking. the trump white house is trying to empower those voices, those podcasters and pro-trump media figures well at the same time punishing real newsgroups. geoff: it is important for traditional media outlets to turn its mirror on itself. we have seen the rise of alternative media platforms, the scale of podcasting streams far outpaces the viewership of cable news these days. how can traditional news organizations remain trusted,

authoritative and relevant sources of news and information these days? brian: one of my bosses at cnn says it is about being tough-minded and fair-minded. being tough and fair in the coverage. not shirking from the challenge that we face. ultimately, we do know the trump white house wants these fights with the media. some truck voters want this, too. i live in a small farming community. my neighbor with a small flag that says "revenge tour" probably wants the ap to be banned. many voters want to know what is true in the world, they want to know what is real in the world. these efforts to push back the press, punish the press, investigate pbs for example, to probe comcast over diversity initiatives. all of these pressure points against the american media may ultimately come back to hurt the trump white house, as people find they don't know what is going on. they cannot find accurate information. dear question, the answer is we just have to be steady. we have to be steady and courageous during a moment for the press.

geoff: brian, thank you so much. we appreciate it. brian: thanks. ♪ geoff: in the day's other headlines -- the u.s. supreme court threw out the murder conviction of oklahoma death row inmate richard glossip, saying he is entitled to a new trial. the state's attorney general said they will pursue one. in a rare instance of agreement, both his lawyers and the state claimed glossip did not receive a fair trial after a key witness lied in court. the 62-year-old was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1997 killing of his former boss, a motel owner. he has longed maintained his innocence. glossip's attorney wrote of the ruling -- "today was a victory for justice and fairness in our judicial system." in chicago, a southwest airlines plane nearly collided with a smaller business jet this morning. a livestream shows the larger

aircraft coming in for a landing before suddenly ascending again to avoid the smaller jet as it was crossing the runway. officials say the business jet entered the runway without authorization. the southwest plane circled back around and arrived safely later. the near-miss comes as federal aviation officials investigate several recent safety incidents, including last month's deadly mid-air collision in washington, d.c. the world health organization is sounding the alarm over a mystery illness in northwestern congo that has killed more than 50 people. the outbreak was initially traced to a remote village. doctors say many of the deaths happened within just 48 hours after symptoms began. that was in late january. more than 400 cases have been recorded since. doctors say symptoms are similar to ebola and dengue, but tests have ruled those out. some tests were positive for malaria, which was determined as the likely cause of another mystery outbreak last year. in rome, pope francis remains in

critical but stable condition. today, his blood functions are holding steady and he's had no new respiratory problems. the 88-year-old was even well enough to resume some of his papal duties from the hospital as he battles double-pneumonia. the vatican says he met with top church officials to approve sainthood designations. outside the hospital, his followers gathered to pray for his recovery. >> for believers, prayer is the oxygen of our life, it is hope, it is what makes us feel united. for us, it is like going to visit someone we know. we don't know how things are going, but we stay close to them with prayer. geoff: on saturday, pope francis suffered what doctors called an asthma-like respiratory crisis that required supplemental oxygen. the vatican has not reported any such scares since. in the u.k., more than 1000 musicians released a protest album today that takes aim at the use of artificial

intellligence. the album is called "is this what we want?" it features, quite literally, the sound of silence from empty studios. the track list of 12 songs forms the sentence "the british government must not legalize music theft to benefit ai companies." artists and composers including cat stevens, annie lennox, hans zimmer, and others say proposed changes to u.k. copyright law could allow tech companies to train ai with popular songs. the artists fear that could rob them of creative control. on wall street today, stocks ended mixed after a reading on u.s. consumer confidence dropped sharply. the dow jones industrial average gained nearly 160 points. but the nasdaq headed in the other direction, falling 260 points. the s&p 500 ended lower for a fourth-straight session. and some good news from space. nasa says the asteroid that once had a small but very real chance of hitting our planet is no longer a threat.

at one point, scientists believed the space rock had a nearly 3% chance of hitting the earth in the year 2032. but now, both nasa and the european space agency say the chance of impact is nearly zero. and while earth is in the clear, scientists say there's still a small chance it could hit our moon in 2032. still to come on the "news hour," house republicans work to pass a trump-approved budget bill. gazans try to rebuild their destroyed homes and lives as the ceasefire with israel holds. and we speak with the nasa astronauts who have been in space for months longer than planned and are scheduled to return. >> this is the "pbs news hour" from the david m. rubenstein studio at weta in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: more drama is unfolding on capitol hill this evening as house republicans stuggle to

pass a budget that would advance president trump's agenda. for more on this, i'm joined by our capitol hill correspondent, lisa desardins. bring us up to speed on the latest. where do things stand right now? lisa: this is a critical test for of speaker johnson and the trump agenda to get it started. let's take a look at the room across the hall from me now, the house chamber. the voting series has begun where the test on this framework will happen. this is something that republicans are hoping to pass, but the truth is this is close. they don't know if they have the votes. this morning, speaker johnson himself spoke. >> so, we are planning on taking up our budget resolution as early as today which is a major step to unlock the process in delivering president trump's america first legislative agenda. we're very, very close. we're excited by the progress, and i'm very positive and absolutely convinced we are going to get this done. lisa: here is what is in it.

$4.5 trillion in tax cuts, $1.5 trillion in spending cuts. the independent committee for responsible federal budget finds this would add $3 trillion to the debt, including interest payments. that is a problem for some on the right. that is a minimum of red ink. >> under the rosiest assumptions, why would i vote for that? >> are you solidly a no? >> they convinced me. i was a lean no, now i'm a no. >> why? >> their talking points. lisa: speaker johnson lost more than one vote and also those on the left worried about medicaid cuts. amna: explain that more because this is a blueprint. there's no specific cuts listed so where are the concerns over medicaid coming from? lisa: the largest area of targeted cuts includes medicaid, and essentially medicaid is the only place with that amount of money in it. we saw protesters at the capital joining democrats.

many of them told me medicaid is a real concern for them. amna: i know another story you are watching on capitol hill, the allegations against republican florida congressman cory mills. what should we understand about that? lisa: he's a relatively new member of congress, in his second term right now. last week, police received a call from a woman that was not his wife accusing him of assaulting her in a residence. they showed up, they investigated. she eventually said she recanted, although police said they saw bruises. they said that was a skin condition. she and mills both say no assault occurred but police are still investigating. this is important because police moved to arrest mills in the u.s. attorney appointed by trump did not sign the rest -- arrest order. this congressman was not arrested because of the u.s. attorney appointed by trump.

it is something we are watching that is highly unusual. amna: lisa, thank you. ♪ there are now more than 120 confirmed measles cases linked to an outbreak in western texas, the largest such outbreak the state has seen in over 30 years. there are another nine cases further west in new mexico. geoff: that's raising questions about vaccine hesitancy in some communities and the growing challenge of these periodic outbreaks. william brangham has our look. william: unvaccinated people account for almost all the cases and children are among the most infected. we spoke with dr. ron cook, a leading physician in lubbock, texas who is trying to educate the community about the outbreak and the risks. dr. cook: if you walk into a

room and you have measles, 80% to 90% of those individuals within a week will come down with measles. all you have to do is go in that room, breathe, cough a couple of times, but 80% to 90% of those individuals in that room will become infected with measles if they're not vaccinated. i have a granddaughter that's 10 months old and i'm concerned about her potentially catching the measles virus and becoming very sick. some people would say it's just a virus, but listen, it can cause significant hospitalizations. it can cause encephalitis. it can cause even death. william: dr. cook also said the outbreak is particularly difficult to deal with because it is in such a rural area. dr. cook: we have to spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get what we call contact tracing. we spend a lot of man hours

trying to reach out and find people and who was there and what's their phone number and how do we get in touch with them. william: joining me now to discuss this outbreak and other issues concerning vaccines is caitlin rivers, senior scholar at the johns hopkins center for health security and author of "crisis averted: the hidden science of fighting outbreaks." caitlin rivers, so good to have you back on the "news hour." so, this outbreak is in a rural part of texas in an area with fairly low vaccination rates. this is now the third such outbreak this year. how concerning is this to you? caitlin: it is a concerning outbreak because of the logistical challenges you mentioned. moreover, measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to humanity, and so it's very difficult to control. and so, i do expect we'll see more cases in the weeks ahead, but really hope that health officials are able to bring it under control sooner rather than later. william: and are we seeing more of these kinds of outbreaks, and if so, what do you attribute this to?

is this basically just more people are hesitant to take the vaccine, ergo, we see more measles? caitlin: last year, 2024 was a fairly active year for measles. we had a number of outbreaks around the country, mostly in people who are unvaccinated. so that is the population we worry about most. but i really encourage people to think twice about the talking points and the discussion that that we often hear. that implies that vaccinations are controversial. in fact, 93% of people are vaccinated against measles. that is an enormous congruency in a population that otherwise can't agree on a whole lot. and so vaccines are actually incredibly popular. and i think that is part of the messaging that can make parents who are considering vaccination feel more comfortable. william: i hear exactly what you're saying about the popularity of vaccines, but we do know that that skepticism is on the rise. we spoke to one pediatrician in brooklyn, new york, who described the process of having

a lot of increasing numbers of parents who are resistant to taking the vaccines and what she has to do. to hear them and try to persuade them. let's hear. >> i have to do these after hours, on the phone, after dinner. i cannot do these during my day because how can i take care of children when you're on the front line and when they're sick? so, i have to have parents either come back so that we can give them the appropriate time they need for this in a completely separate visit. think about what that's doing also to healthcare for us. we're already struggling to try and see the patients that we have and we're adding this in because of the doubt that's been placed upon the safety and efficacy of vaccines. william: what do you make of that? caitlin: it is troubling to hear that parents are questioning vaccines, and we know that the new secretary of health and human services, robert f. kennedy jr. has expressed doubts or skepticism about vaccines in the past, and that does make me concerned about what's coming down the pipe.

but again, what i also hear in that clip is that parents are willing to have the discussion. they are curious, they are open, even if they are coming from a place of skepticism. and so i think it's important that we continue to reinforce that vaccines are popular. the vast majority of people get them. and maybe with some discussions and encouragement, those parents who are starting from a place of skepticism will be open to vaccination as well. william: and how do you counsel pediatricians like the one we just heard from to have that conversation? i mean, the point you make, i take it very clearly that people overwhelmingly do support vaccination and believe in them. but, how do we talk about and to the skeptics amongst us? caitlin: yeah, i think having those conversations is so important, really listening to people's concerns and speaking to them. it's difficult to do that at scale, and i have great sympathy for busy providers who are seeing patients in the clinic day in and day out struggling to fit in those conversations.

but we see over and over again that pediatricians and medical providers are among the most trusted messengers. so i think it's important to make space for those conversations. we also see public health officials continue to be trusted messengers, despite some reductions in trust that came out of the pandemic, they're still overwhelmingly look to as sources of trust. employers, i think there are a lot of different kind of people who can be having these conversations and answering questions and really stepping in to make vaccination continue to be a stronghold or a strength of our public health system. william: if people who have been vaccinated for measles perhaps long ago as a child, and they are seeing these stories about measles growing, should those people get revaccinated? is there an update that people ought to take? caitlin: two doses of the measles vaccine provides very good, durable protection, and so that's not something i'm considering for myself or my family. but if a member of the health department reaches out to you to

let you know that you or a member of your family has been exposed to the measles virus, that's a question you can ask them and get individualized advice. william: all right. caitlin rivers of the johns hopkins center for health security, thank you so much for being here. caitlin: thank you. ♪ geoff: first phase of the israel-hamas cease-fire supposed to end on saturday and negotiations to extend it to a second phase are now at a standstill. amna: during the pause and fighting over the last month, some 600,000 palestinians have returned to northern gaza and "news hour" videographer shams odeh in gaza sent us some of their stories, as they seek to pry normality from destruction. >> gaza city's neighborhood is in ruin. building after building, house after house crushed and burned.

but its residents resilient. among them, a 24-year-old. the path to his apartment paved by rubble but every day, he's making it better. >> the only way to enter our house was to get on the destroyed roof of the home next to us and jump over. it was difficult to enter the house. on the first day, i cleaned the stairs and removed the rubble despite the difficulty of trying to enter the house in the first place. >> like many gazans, he's clearing the rubble from his home with his own barehands. >> when i was cleaning, i was overcome with sadness to think how life was a year and a half ago. i thank our home for staying upright despite all the attacks it dendured. >> he too somehow endu

res. every day, he documents his rebuilding to make his home feel like a home again. when he looks out, there is destruction as far as the eye can see. but in his videos posted to instagram, he shares moments that reveal even more, life -- even in war, life goes on. >> this is very difficult to remove rubble and stone. this is hard work and labor. after a difficult day seeing people,'s positive comments on my video, keeps me going. >> so far, he has transformed his bedroom to this to this. and turned their living room from this to this. not as homely as it was but habitable. >> we are not trying to romanticize reality. reality is how you see it. it is a painful struggle. gaza need you now more than ever. everything is destroyed. we need help removing the rubble

and rebuilding and starting our lives over. >> this month, president trump reiterated his vision of u.s. ownership over gaza. >> we will have gaza. there is nothing to buy. it's gaza, it is a war-torn area. we will take it. we will hold it. we will cherish it. >> under what authority? >> under u.s. authority. >> forcibly displacing gazans what about to a war crime. he says for him and millions of gazans, this is their home and they are not going anywhere. >> my message to trump or any person out there is clear, we were displaced for a year and a half and were in pain and struggle. it's ridiculous to think that we have to leave gaza and emigrate elsewhere. we love our homes and neighborhoods. >> but many gazans don't even have a home to return to. at this cemetery east of gaza city, families now live next to the dead. >> every time we try to find a

spot to put a tent, we find graves or bodies, or bones. >> this 35-year-old gave us a tour of their reality. >> when we got here to set up the tents, we found bones. here's one here. anything bones we find, we have to put in this grave. what you are standing on now is also a great. >> he's been helping this community to build up tents, but every day brings a new horror. >> we found a body here when putting up the tent. i dug out half of it and the other half is still there. is this not a shroud? this is it. this is the struggle we are experiencing. >> gaza's official death toll has crossed 48,000. human rights groups believe that to be an underestimate. gravesites are full of unidentified remains and many are still buried under the rubble. >> we are dead like these bodies here. we have no address and no one is

asking about us. so, what we are asking for is for those that have any mercy in their hearts or leaders to come to see our conditions. >> the temporary cease-fire is shaky. a permanent cease-fire is uncertain at best. but even an end to this war would mark just the beginning of a long road ahead to rebuild gaza. ♪ geoff: as the trump administration continues to downsize and dismantle many government agencies, the department of education could be next on the chopping block. at stake are resources and support for more than seven million students with disabilities who depend on the agency to ensure access to a free public education, at a time when they already struggle to receive quality schooling because of a shortage of special education teachers. judy woodruff reports as part of our series, "disability reframed."

>> my little goats. judy: 14-year-old spencer nichols loves taking care of his farm animals at home in macon, georgia. it's a break after a long school day where he has little autonomy. spencer has down's syndrome. almost the entire day, he's in a small classroom with other students with disabilities. >> it's kind of rough there for me. maybe i learn some days, and my mom helps me a lot. judy: his mother, pam nichols, says he's denied the same chance to succeed as his non-disabled peers. she says he can't pick his own elective classes and isn't progressing like he should. >> there's six students and they're all taught at the same level. i have to challenge the school to go to the library and use the data from the testing to say spencer can read at a third or fourth-grade level. these are appropriate books.

it stalls his development and it doesn't make him necessarily ready for society. judy: pam says spencer should be in more general education classes, but his middle school lacks the resources and staff to support students with disabilities. >> unfortunately, his one class is science that he is allowed to be in the gen ed classroom. they had a science test and i messaged the teacher and i said, what am i supposed to be focused on for spencer? and she said, we will have spencer color during the science test. i said, well, you don't understand. i want him to learn this. judy: in 1975, president gerald ford signed a landmark federal law that gave students with disabilities the right to a free public education in the least restrictive environment. when congress passed the law, it said the federal government would cover 40% of the average per-student cost. but 50 years later, federal funding sits at just about 10%. so, the majority of the money

comes from state and local sources which has stretched thin public schools required by law to provide this education. >> they aren't able to actually fund appropriate one-on-one services for these kids. some kids who absolutely need this in order to make progress in the curriculum. judy: david bateman is a special education researcher at the american institutes for research. he says more federal funding is important, but so is how school leadership thinks about students with disabilities. >> the attitude and tenor that a building level administrator sets for their building flows through everything. if everyone treats it as these kids are part of our class, they're going to be part of what's going on, it's just an accepted thing, that sets a tone. judy: about 20 miles south of atlanta in jonesboro, georgia, 17-year-old todd estes says he's been in schools where he doesn't feel valued.

todd has adhd and a learning disability which affects how he comprehends new concepts. how do you think about your learning? what do you think your learning style is? >> i just learn slower. i just need to learn it, like, three or four times before i get it. judy: his mother, priscilla estes, says some of his general education teachers weren't well trained to approach todd's learning differences. >> they called me because todd was underneath the table in class crying and would not come out from under the table. i knew that adults would say things to them instead of encouraging them, discourage them, label them. it hinders the learning going forward because if you hear that you are a bad student or you cannot learn, which my kids were actually told. judy: by teachers? >> by teachers. judy: so in sixth grade, priscilla enrolled todd in

private school, where he gets some accommodations like longer test times and delayed deadlines. but many private schools aren't required to give special education, and aren't typically monitored by the u.s. department of education for compliance. >> i could not see todd going to the next public school in the sixth grade dealing with a larger amount of students in the school. and when you deal with a larger amount of school students, then you have to also deal with teachers who are more stressed. judy: she says at least now todd has smaller class sizes and more one-one-one instruction, something he lacked because of the shortage of qualified special ed teachers. >> i would like it to be closed immediately. the department of education is a big con job. judy: it's why, david bateman says, president trump's reported plans for the u.s. department of education could further overwhelm public schools that need more support. >> they would then probably have

to provide much, much larger class sizes, cut away some of the extracurricular activities, cut away some of the other things, things that we think about as part of the education. they would have to cut. judy: he says it could also end a critical oversight mechanism that ensures states use federal funds correctly. >> the federal government from the u.s. department of education flows money to the states, who then flows the money to the local school district, and in exchange for that local school district receiving this money, they have to provide justification to the state that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. judy: and it could affect resources and training for special education teachers. last year, about 70% of public schools reported special education teacher vacancies. about half of those teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching. >> they're just like any other student. they just require a little bit more attention. judy: criscilla green is in her fourth year teaching students with disabilities in a classroom with other, non-disabled students.

she modifies their lessons and sometimes teaches small groups. she says it's her mother, a special education teacher for 20 years, who inspires her. >> seeing a student who struggled and then to see them have a breakthrough, for me, it's so rewarding. it's the best job i've ever had. judy: her career, though, comes with its challenges. she often has to take her work home, which takes time away from her family. how many hours do you work at home a week? >> if i had to count, i would say at least seven to 10 hours a week. when i first started education, my caseload was about six to seven students. now, we're up to 12, and when you have a bigger caseload, that's more data, more meetings, more one-on-one support. judy: she says paying bonuses to typically-underpaid special ed teachers might bring more people to the field, but support from school leadership is what keeps them there.

>> for those challenges to be addressed, allowing us more time to focus on our kids. judy: and so would giving teachers feedback with how to address behavioral concerns. >> we're dealing with a lot of children who are struggling to self-regulate. going back to covid and being in the house for a year and not really learning those problem-solving skills. and some of the behaviors are just a reaction because they can't grasp the material. when you put all of that together in a classroom, it's difficult. >> to help our students with their learning and behavior. judy: a georgia department of education program aims to fill the gap by training early-career special education teachers to maximize learning time. >> great job. judy: 24-year-old gracie kitrell is in the program. it includes a mixed-reality lab, where teachers can practice speaking to online student avatars and hear feedback from their peers. >> it also just allows us to

make mistakes in a low pressure environment where, you know, if you don't really know what to say or you say the wrong thing, no harm, no foul in that situation where you're really just practicing being a teacher. judy: she says that training helps in her real classroom. but as the demand for special education teachers rises, many schools are struggling to keep up. it's why pam nichols in macon says more resources, not less, should be dedicated to students with disabilities. she says president trump's proposal to cut the department of education makes them even more vulnerable. >> it's scary. for me in macon, the public school system is the only option for spencer. we've learned from the days when children like spencer were institutionalized and they didn't learn to read. through early intervention services, they now are reading.

they are doing math. these can be very meaningful contributors to society. we just need to give them a little bit of extra and it will go a long, long way. judy: and spencer has ambitions of his own -- owning a home and one day working in the restaurant industry. pam says she will keep fighting for him to get the quality education that will get him there. for the "pbs news hour," i'm judy woodruff in macon, georgia. ♪ amna: for nasa astronauts suni williams and butch wilmore, the long wait to return to earth is almost over. they went up to the international space station last june in a boeing starliner spacecraft. they were supposed to return about a week later, but because of problems with the starliner, they've stayed at the space station for over 250 days and will now return on a spacex

capsule next month. i spoke with them, along with their crewmate, nick hague, earlier today. commander williams, captain gilmore and colonel hague, welcome to the "news hour." thank you so much for joining us. sunita: it's just absolutely our pleasure to be here on the "pbs news hour" with you. so, thank you for taking the time. amna: we're so grateful for your time. commander williams, when you first went up last june, let's remind folks here, you were only supposed to be up there about a week or so. you've now been up in space about 250 days. you've probably heard in the conversation back here on earth, some people saying you are stuck up there, other people saying that you were abandoned up there. i'm just curious for your take. how do you look at it? do you feel stuck or abandoned? sunita: you know, i wouldn't characterize it like that. i think obviously there's a lot of discussion about it. so maybe people could conceive that that's the way we are. but, we're not stuck.

we're part of a bigger process, right? we're part of an international space station crew. and we just happened to be the second part, the second two on the crew that came up here. nick came up here with one other gentleman, and it's usually four of us up here for a increment. and so, butch and i extended to go along with that increment per the plan because, you know, those spacecraft rotate every six months or so. so, you know, nothing is really for -- as butch put it before. it's not about butch and i, it's about, you know, our obligation to our international partners and fulfilling the world-class science that we're doing up here on the international space station. amna: and i want to ask more about that work and colonel hague's role in all this, too. but captain wilmer, i have to ask. it may seem trivial, but presumably you would pack differently for seven days than you would for 10 months. i mean, do you have and have you had what you need up there in the way of clothes and

toiletries and so on? barry: we did launch with fewer clothing, if you will, and that was intentional. we brought up some extra gear that needed the space station needed. we brought it up with us. so, we took some of our clothes off. we were only going to be here a week or so, but we made do. it was no big deal, honestly. the space station program plans for multiple contingencies. we stockpile food to last four months beyond what is expected. at a minimum. most times, it's longer than that. food and other amenities. you know, wet wipes. everything that you need up here takes a lot for human spaceflight, for humans to live in space. since the year 2000, so we've been at it 25 years almost now. and that is just a normal part of the process. amna: so, colonel hague, tell us about your role here. you arrived at the space station in september. was part of your mission to to bring some of those additional supplies for commander williams and captain wilmore? and tell us a little bit about the work that you've been doing aboard the space station as well. nick: yeah.

when we arrived in late september, we did bring up some essential supplies that we needed immediately. but we've had cargo vehicle, you know, one cargo vehicle show up in between. what have we been up to? i have to tell you for life on board the space station, we are having a lot of fun. we're laughing every day and we're doing some really serious scientific research. we're working on materials science research. we're working on, you know, biological research. we're growing plants. we're trying to figure out how to prevent and treat diseases on the ground. and we're also trying to figure out how to grow food so we can go to mars someday. amna: commander williams, we should also mention over the course of this trip, you have now broken the record for total spacewalking time by a woman astronauts. now a total of 62 hours and six minutes outside the ship in space. i have to ask, did you know that you broke that record when it happened? and what was that moment like?

sunita: not really. you know, when you're on a spacewalk, you're pretty intense on what's going on outside. you know, that's pretty much forefront on your mind. you know, i knew that i had a lot of spacewalks as i came into this mission. i didn't really know the hours or really pay attention to it that much is sort of just happenstance and time in place. but, you know, i know peggy whitson really well, and i respect her a whole lot. and, you know, to actually surpass her at anything is just amazing. so, that's a pretty awesome honor to to have that. amna: captain wilmore, i once asked an astronaut to describe for me as best as he could, what it felt like to leave the space station to exit that hatch, which i understand, points straight down. so you see nothing but space when you basically flip and head out of the space station into space, what that moment feels like. and he described it as horrifying, but also the biggest thrill that you could ever imagine. what is that like for you? can you describe that?

barry: i can't, no, there's no way to put it into words adequately. it's thrilling. it's amazing. and one of the things that makes it special is that during that time you're outside, there's nobody else in the entire universe doing what you're doing. and that's a unique experience in and of itself. and, of course, the view is unbelievable. it's 180 degrees. it's a helmet, you know, a visor around the side and 180 degree view. and it is mesmerizing. there's a couple of adjectives for you, but that doesn't do it justice. amna: well, colonel hague, i'm going to assume that keeping a pretty regular routine is key to life up in the space station. just walk us through it. what does a typical day look like? does every day kind of start the same way for you? nick: yeah. you know, a typical day. the day starts early. i'll get up at 6:00 a.m. it's a chance to eat breakfast and have some coffee and check some email. but then, the workday starts at

7:30 in the morning, and then it goes until 7:30 in the evening. what we do on any given day just depends on what the the team on the ground has, has planned and worked out that we're going to be able to do. science, maintenance. a big chunk of that is taking care of ourselves to make sure that we don't suffer the negative effects of living in weightlessness. and so we spend 2.5 hours a day, every day working out, lifting weights, exercising cardiovascular system. yeah, sonny's been bulking up for the return trip so she can withstand gravity when we get down to the ground. amna: you've mentioned you are able to occasionally speak with your families back home who i know are making such a big sacrifice with all of you up there, especially for as long as you've been there. i just wonder, colonel hague, kick us off here. i know you have two sons back home. when's the last time you talked to them? what do you talk about when you get that chance?

nick: yeah, i spoke to them over the weekend. we've got pretty regular contact. and what do we talk about? we talk about all the normal things that a dad talks to his sons about. basketball practice and what he's working on. how is school going? i've got a son that's getting ready to head off to college next year. where are you going to go? and have you heard back from the places you've applied? all the normal things that you would talk about? barry: yeah, i talked to my oldest daughter about things that interest her. she's in the theater program at a university in texas, and those things are interesting to her. and therefore, it's very interesting to me. and my youngest daughter, it's a full gamut. you know, i talked about many things. she has a boyfriend. i talked to her boyfriend. i'm very direct with him as well. so, yeah, it's all important. amna: wait, you talked to your daughter's boyfriend from space? that has to be the most intimidating thing for a boyfriend. barry: oh, absolutely. i mean, that's my role. as a dad to daughters, that's my responsibility. amna: i just have to say, i mean, obviously the contributions that you all are making through this work is absolutely immeasurable.

back here at home, what's the message you want people to take away from this chance that they're getting to hear directly from you while you're there in space? barry: i'll make it quick. your human spaceflight program is here for you. that's what my message would be to all the folks back there. we work, we train, we prepare. we are committed to what we are, what our responsibilities are, what our national goals are, what our international partners and all. and we work together for that. and we we are here to work for you all. sunita: and i'll add don't be afraid of change. you know, we've experienced it and we all will live through it and all be fine. and, you know, every change is a new opportunity. and take those opportunities. nick: i'll throw one last thing there. when we float over the window and we spend a lot of time in the window looking down to earth, for me, the earth looks starts to look pretty small when you look at the backdrop of, you know, the rest of the universe behind it and we're all on it together. and so just like the human spaceflight program relies on everybody working together

across the globe to make this magic happen up here, we rely on each other on the ground every day. everyone out there depends on other people. we're all on earth together. amna: colonel nick hague, commander sonny williams and captain butch wilmore, thank you so very much for taking the time to speak with us for the work that you do. we're very, very grateful. please travel safe. sunita: thank you very much. see you back on earth. amna: an absolute treat and an honor to speak with those astronauts. thank you to them for their time. that's the "news hour" for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- >> in 1995, two friends set out to make wireless coverage accessible to all. with no long-term contract, nationwide coverage and 100% u.s.-based customer support. consumer cellular, freedom

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hello everyone and welcome to amanpour and company. here is what is coming up. >> three years of all-out war in the ukraine. european leaders are in kyiv as uncertainty mounds over peace negotiations. we have the latest. >> in the fight to preserve ukraine's cultural identity.