December 19, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Tuesday, Senate leaders say they don't expect a deal on aid for Ukraine and border security until after the holiday break, an earthquake in China killed at least 127 people, bushfires in Australia made the air quality in Sydney among the worst in the world and the U.S. Forest Service is calling for cuts in logging to conserve old-growth forests.

Israel's campaign in Gaza continues with deadly effect as diplomats work to secure another deal to pause the fighting to release hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian detainees in Israeli custody. An attempt at the U.N. to secure a vote in the Security Council on a cease-fire was delayed by at least one more day. William Brangham reports.

Iceland appears to have so far escaped the worst-case scenario after a volcano erupted overnight about 50 miles from the capital Reykjavik. The lava flow is moving away from important infrastructure, including a fishing port where 4,000 people had been moved waiting for just this moment. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy expressed confidence that both the U.S. and the European Union would deliver tens of billions of dollars in much-needed assistance. The aid is crucial for Ukraine’s air defense, which is becoming more important as Russia begins what appears to be another winter-long campaign of strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Nick Schifrin and videographer Eric O’Connor report.

A new Texas law makes it a state crime to illegally cross the southern border into Texas. In the past, courts have ruled that only the federal government has the right to enforce immigration laws and civil rights have already sued to challenge the law. Stephanie Sy discussed more with state Rep. David Spiller, the Texas Republican who sponsored the bill.

Former President Trump has said he’d be a dictator for one day, echoed anti-immigrant words of Adolf Hitler, called for terminating the Constitution, lied about America’s election system and vowed to use the power of the Justice Department as his personal tool for revenge. So how should the press cover Trump in the coming year? Laura Barrón-López discussed that with Jeff Goldberg and Jay Rosen.

When the printing press was invented nearly 600 years ago, it put an end to centuries of hand-written manuscripts in which scribes, mostly in monasteries, tediously wrote and illustrated sacred texts, such as the Bible. Fred de Sam Lazaro revisits one monastery that brought back that tradition and in the process, is helping bridge divides. It’s part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.