December 18, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Across the country, more school districts are making the change to a four-day school week. NewsHour Communities Correspondent Gabrielle Hays traveled to one of those districts in Missouri to see how teachers and parents are adjusting.

The use of police body cameras has become much more widespread in recent years with the hope that they will curb police violence and improve accountability. But a new investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine found it can often take months or years before the video is released, if at all. William Brangham discussed more with Eric Umansky of ProPublica.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, lay in repose Monday, giving members of the public the chance to pay their respects. While the court has changed substantially since O’Connor first joined the bench more than 40 years ago, John Yang looks at the other ways the legal profession has not evolved.

America's two top defense officials are in Israel with a dual message: the U.S. supports the right to self-defense, but Israel must stop killing so many Gaza civilians and focus its operations. The war continues at a brutal pace with hundreds killed this past weekend. Leading to more calls for a cease-fire from Israel's non-U.S. allies. Geoff Bennett reports.

All this year, Judy Woodruff has been exploring the deep divisions we see playing out every day in the country. She’s distilled much of that reporting into a special airing Tuesday night on PBS. For that, she recently sat down with a panel to talk through their concerns heading into another contentious election year. It's for her series, America at a Crossroads.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including Senate negotiations over Ukraine funding and a border deal, the importance of immigration policy in the 2024 election and anti-immigrant rhetoric takes center stage in the Republican presidential race.