AMNA NAWAZ: Good evening.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: 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 NAWAZ: A measles outbreak in West Texas spreads amid declining childhood vaccinations.

GEOFF BENNETT: How a lack of resources for students with disabilities could soon be made worse by efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.

AMNA NAWAZ: And a message from space.

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS, Astronaut: Don't be afraid of change.

We have experienced it, and we all will live through it.

We will all be fine.

AMNA NAWAZ: We hear from the NASA astronauts whose space journey has been longer than expected, but who are now finally set to come home.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Today, the Trump administration faced legal pushback on several of the president's executive orders, including his suspension all refugee admissions.

AMNA NAWAZ: That is while Elon Musk and his team known as the Department of Government Efficiency are continuing their efforts to dramatically shrink the federal work force.

In a post on his platform X, Musk wrote that government employees had a second chance to reply to an e-mail requesting a list of what they accomplished last week, but -- quote -- "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.

So, Laura, let's start with the news on the legal front.

First, there's a lot of ongoing litigation when it comes to refugee admissions and to foreign aid funding.

What did we hear from federal judges on those fronts today?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: There were three big actions by federal judges today.

So, when we break them down, first, a federal judge extended a block on the -- Trump's federal funding freeze.

Another judge ordered the release of foreign aid payments by Wednesday at midnight.

And then a third federal judge in Seattle blocked Trump's blanket suspension of refugee admissions.

Now, that indefinite pause on admissions, as well as the foreign aid freeze, impacted thousands of refugees, Amna, who were -- some of whom were already vetted to come to the United States.

And we don't know if the administration is going to comply with that judge's order to reopen refugee admissions, because it's not clear that the White House has been complying with a number of these judges' orders, which was a pattern here in the hearings today.

Judges expressed a lot of frustration, including the one who said that they needed to stop blocking the blanket funding freeze.

That judge said, the administration is saying one thing, while expressly doing another.

And then, on the foreign aid order, the judge warned the administration to abide by their order ASAP.

And this is a two-week-old order now.

The administration immediately appealed the judge's order today, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: And what about Elon Musk and his DOGE team's efforts to slash the federal work force?

It's been, fair to say, a confusing few days for federal workers.

It looks like Elon Musk and some administration officials are at odds.

Where do things stand right now?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: To get a sense of the chaos and the conflicting message, we have a timeline here.

So, first, Elon Musk posted and the OPM e-mail went out on Saturday, essentially saying, respond to this e-mail or you will be terminated.

Then some agency head said, comply.

Others, like the FBI, State Department and DHS, said you can ignore it.

Then, President Trump said comply or risk being fired or semi-fired.

And then, on Monday evening, Elon Musk again tweeted saying, which you highlighted earlier, that they had a second chance to comply or be terminated.

So, adding to the confusion of all of this, the H.R.

-- the Office of Personnel Management, which is the government's H.R., also put out conflicting messages, first telling people to comply, to not -- that they didn't have to comply, that it was voluntary, then saying they had to.

And within the last hour, President Donald Trump added to the confusion.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Well, it's somewhat voluntary.

But it's also, if you don't answer, I guess you get fired.

DONALD TRUMP: What it really is, is -- 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 who's not.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: It's not true, Amna, that no one knows who's working for the government.

That data is also at the fingertips of the president's advisers and workers.

But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that, so far, she claimed that one million workers have participated in that response of what they accomplished last week.

AMNA NAWAZ: So Elon Musk has insisted this is a transparent effort.

White House officials echo that, but it's not been easy to get some basic questions answered about the team.

You tried at the White House briefing today.

How did that go?

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, what we know about DOGE and Elon Musk's team is through our own reporting, as well as other investigative reporters.

The White House has dodged or not answered many questions about the structure of DOGE even when federal judges have asked.

And that's what I pressed Karoline Leavitt 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."

Can you tell us who the administrator of DOGE is?

KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Press Secretary: Again, I have been asked and answered this question.

Elon Musk is overseeing DOGE.

There are career officials... KAROLINE LEAVITT: There are -- no, Elon Musk is a special government employee, which I have 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 have been incredibly transparent about the way the DOGE is working.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, back and forth there, really pressing the press secretary about who is in charge of DOGE.

Then, a few hours later, a White House official told me that Amy Gleason is the acting DOGE administrator.

Gleason worked in the first administration for the U.S. Digital Service, carried over a little bit into the Biden administration.

But it appears, based on multiple reports, including from The New York Times, that Amy Gleason may very well be on vacation right now, Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: White House correspondent Laura Barron-Lopez.

Laura, thank you.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: And some other news came out of the White House press briefing today about the media itself.

The White House says it's changing the traditional process of how reporters cover the president.

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 KAROLINE LEAVITT, White House Press Secretary: 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 BENNETT: Previously, the pool was organized by the White House Correspondents' Association.

That's an independent organization of vetted journalists who cover the president.

The move is part of a broader effort to limit traditional press access.

That's after the White House blocked access for Associated Press reporters.

Brian Stelter, chief media analyst for CNN, joins us now.

Brian, it's great to have you here.

So 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 isn't possible either due to space or security constraints.

The White House says it's trying to make the pool more inclusive.

The White House Correspondents' Association says in a statement that: "This tears at the independence of a free press.

In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

How do you interpret this decision by the White House?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN Chief Media Correspondent: Geoff, if you and I went out and launched a new news organization today we would be able to apply to be at the White House.

We would be able to apply eventually to be in the press pool.

So there already is a sense of inclusiveness.

It is possible for new brands, new outlets, new start-ups to join the press corps and even join the press pool.

The reality is that the daily grind of covering the White House is expensive and demanding, and it's been done by a handful of big news outlets like the Associated Press for decades and decades.

So the White House here is trying to break that and trying to say it decides who can cover the president, it decides who can ask questions of the president.

As you mentioned, the White House Correspondents' Association response, saying this tears at the independence of a free press in the United States, that is true.

And, ultimately, when press access suffers, when press freedom suffers, the public suffers, maybe not right away, but down the line, we start to know less about the president, we start to know less about the administration, and ultimately everyone suffers.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk a bit more about this specific predicament involving the Associated Press.

GEOFF BENNETT: Because the White House is blocking AP access from covering major presidential events over that organization's refusal to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

And, Brian, it apparently is not just about the map, because the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is taking issue with the AP Style Book.

She says it's biased.

She says it's weaponized to push a divisive and partisan agenda.

And we should explain this is widely used as a style guide.

It's a writing and editing guide for journalists and writers.

How do you see what's happening here?

BRIAN STELTER: Right.

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 over the long term, the AP will prevail.

But this is a chilling moment when it comes to First Amendment freedoms, because the AP has been a foundational part of the press pool and now it's been blocked by the president.

This is over word choice.

It's over language.

The AP says it has to be able to choose what words to use.

It can't let the president of the United States decree what words the AP is going to use.

And that's true for other news outlets as well.

That's why there's concerns about a chilling effect here.

I noticed earlier today Peter Baker of The New York Times, a veteran correspondent who used to work in Moscow, he said these changes remind him of how the Kremlin took over the press pool and banned certain outlets.

He said it made sure that only compliant journalists were given access to the Russian government.

So he sees parallels here to what's happened in more repressive countries in the past.

GEOFF BENNETT: And there's what's happening at the Pentagon, where longtime defense reporters from traditional media outlets first were kicked out of their offices.

GEOFF BENNETT: And then they were told that they couldn't use communal spaces, they couldn't use the press briefing room to do their reporting or to broadcast their reports.

How do you see the administration strategy playing out at the Department of Defense?

BRIAN STELTER: Right, and CNN one of the outlets affected, NBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post as well.

This is not stopping news outlets from doing the work, from showing up, from asking the questions.

However, it is impeding the work.

For example, at the Pentagon, there has not been a press briefing since the Trump administration took over.

Today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to Guantanamo Bay and did not bring the press, but he did bring his friend from FOX News his former colleague Laura Ingraham.

So what we see here is a strategy.

The Trump White House and the administration, the Pentagon, they want to have a parallel media, a propagandistic, pro-Trump media.

Now, in many ways, that parallel universe already exists.

It exists on TikTok and YouTube and all across podcasts, et cetera.

These people don't usually do a lot of reporting, but they do a lot of talking and opining.

The Trump White House is trying to empower those voices, trying to empower those podcasters and those pro-Trump media figures, while at the same time punishing real newsrooms.

GEOFF BENNETT: And it's always useful, I think, for legacy media, for traditional media outlets to turn the 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, let's say.

So how can traditional news organizations remain trusted, authoritative, and relevant sources of news and information these days?

BRIAN STELTER: One of my bosses at CNN has said it's 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 that the Trump White House wants these fights with the media.

And some Trump voters want this too.

I live in a small farming community.

My neighbor with the Trump flag that says "Revenge Tour," he probably wants the AP to be banned.

But many other Trump voters don't.

And most people, regardless of party, they want to know what is true in the world.

They want to know what is real in the world.

So these efforts to push back the press, to punish the press, to investigate PBS, for example, to probe Comcast over diversity initiatives, all of these pressure points against the American media, they may ultimately come back to hurt the Trump White House, as people find they don't know what's going on, they can't find accurate information.

But, to your question, the answer is, we just have to be steady.

We have to be steady and courageous during a perilous moment for the press.

GEOFF BENNETT: Brian Stelter of CNN, thanks so much.

We appreciate it.

BRIAN STELTER: Thanks.

GEOFF BENNETT: 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.

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 long 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.

You see it there.

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 midair 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 started.

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.

Vatican officials said today that 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.

ELENA ORLANDI, Pope Francis Supporter (through translator): 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 BENNETT: 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 1,000 musicians released a protest album today that takes aim at the use of artificial intelligence.

The album is called "Is This What We Want?"

It features quite literally the sound of silence from empty recording studios.

The track list of 12 songs forms the sentence "The British government must not legalize music theft to benefit A.I.

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 A.I.

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 believe the space rock had a nearly 3 percent 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.

Well, 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 cease-fire with Israel holds; and we speak with the NASA astronauts who've been in space for months longer than planned and are now scheduled to return.

AMNA NAWAZ: More drama is unfolding on Capitol Hill this evening, as House Republicans struggle to pass a budget that would advance President Trump's agenda.

For more on this, I'm joined by our Capitol Hill correspondent, Lisa Desjardins.

So, Lisa, bring us up to speed on the latest.

Where do things stand right now?

LISA DESJARDINS: This is a critical test for Speaker Johnson and the Trump agenda to try and get that agenda started.

So let's take a look at the room across the hall from me now, the House chamber.

The voting series has begun where this test on this budget framework will happen in coming minutes.

Now, this is something that Republicans are hoping to pass tonight, but the truth is, this is close.

They don't know if they have the votes.

And this morning, Speaker Johnson himself hedged.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): So we're planning to take up our budget resolution as early as today, which is a major step, as you know, to unlock the process of delivering President Trump's America first legislative agenda.

We're very, very close and we're excited about the progress and I'm very positive and I'm absolutely convinced we're going to get this done.

LISA DESJARDINS: Here's what's in it, $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending cuts.

Now, independent -- the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget finances would add $3 trillion to the debt, including interest payments.

Now, that's a problem for some on the right, who said that's a minimum of red ink.

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): Under the rosiest assumptions.

Why would I vote for that?

QUESTION: So are you solidly no?

REP. THOMAS MASSIE: Yes, they convinced me.

I was a lean no until this meeting.

Now I'm a no.

This is a no.

(CROSSTALK) QUESTION: Why?

Why?

What... REP. THOMAS MASSIE: They're talking points.

LISA DESJARDINS: Speaker Johnson can't lose more than one vote.

That's also a problem on the left from those who are worried about Medicaid cuts -- Amna.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, explain that a bit more, because this is a blueprint here, right?

There's no specific cuts listed.

So where did the concerns over Medicaid come from?

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

The largest area of targeted cuts includes Medicaid and essentially Medicaid's the only place with that amount of money in it.

We saw protesters here at the Capitol today joining Democrats.

Many of them told me Medicaid is a real concern for them.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, Lisa, I know another story that you're watching on Capitol Hill, those are the allegations against Republican Florida Congressman Cory Mills.

What should we understand about that?

LISA DESJARDINS: That's right.

Mills is a relatively new member of Congress.

He's in his second term right now.

Last week, police received a call from a woman, not Mills' wife, accusing him of assaulting her in a residence.

They showed up.

They investigated.

She eventually said she recanted those.

Although police say they saw bruises, she said that was a physical condition, a skin condition later.

She and Mills both say no assault occurred, but police are still investigating it.

Another reason this is important is because police moved to arrest Mills, and the U.S. attorney appointed by Trump did not sign that arrest order.

So this Republican congressman was not arrested because of the U.S. attorney appointed by Trump.

Mills says he's innocent.

But this is something we're watching.

It's highly unusual.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, Lisa Desjardins reporting from Capitol Hill tonight.

Lisa, thank you.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

AMNA NAWAZ: 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 BENNETT: And that's raising questions about vaccine hesitancy in some communities and the growing challenge of these periodic outbreaks.

William Brangham has our look.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Unvaccinated people account for almost all these cases, and children are among the most affected.

We spoke with Dr. Ron Cook, who's a leading physician in Lubbock, Texas, who is trying to educate the community about this outbreak and the risks.

DR. RON COOK, Texas Tech University: If you walk into a room and you have measles, 80 to 90 percent 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 percent 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.

And there's -- 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 BRANGHAM: Dr. Cook also said the outbreak is particularly difficult to deal with because it's in such a rural area.

DR. RON 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 BRANGHAM: Joining me now to discuss this outbreak and other issues concerning vaccines is Caitlin Rivers.

She's 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 RIVERS, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security: 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 will 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 BRANGHAM: 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 RIVERS: 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 or the discussion that we often hear that implies that vaccinations are controversial.

In fact, 93 percent 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 BRANGHAM: I hear exactly what you're saying about the popularity of vaccines, but we do know 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.

DR. TRICIA JEAN GOLD, Tribeca Pediatrics: 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.

Now, think about what that's doing also to health care 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 BRANGHAM: What do you make of that?

CAITLIN RIVERS: 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 doubt 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 BRANGHAM: 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 RIVERS: Yes, 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 looked 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 BRANGHAM: 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 re-vaccinated?

Is that a - - is there an update that people ought to take?

CAITLIN RIVERS: 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 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 BRANGHAM: All right, Caitlin Rivers of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, thank you so much for being here.

CAITLIN RIVERS: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: This first phase of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire is supposed to end on Saturday, and negotiations to extend it to a second phase are now at a standstill.

AMNA NAWAZ: But during the pause in fighting over the last month, some 600,000 Palestinians have returned to Northern Gaza.

And "NewsHour" videographer Shams Odeh in Gaza sent us some of their stories as they seek to pry normality from destruction.

Gaza City's Shejaiya neighborhood is in ruins, building after building, house after house crushed and burned, but its residents resilient, among them, 24-year-old Moayed Harazeen, the path to his apartment paved by rubble, but every day he's making it better.

MOAYED HARAZEEN, Gaza City Resident (through translator): 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.

AMNA NAWAZ: Like many Gazans, Moayed is clearing the rubble from his home with his own bare hands.

MOAYED HARAZEEN (through translator): When I was cleaning, I was overcome with sadness to think how life was a year-and-a-half ago.

I thank our home truly for staying upright, despite all the attacks it endured.

AMNA NAWAZ: He too somehow endures.

Every day, Moayed documents his journey of rebuilding to make his home feel like a home again.

When he looks out, there's destruction as far as the eye can see.

But in his videos posted to Instagram, he shares moments that reveal, even in war, life goes on.

MOAYED HARAZEEN (through translator): 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 videos really helps me keep going.

AMNA NAWAZ: So far, he's transformed his bedroom from this to this, and turned their living room from this to this, not as homely as it once was, but habitable.

MOAYED HARAZEEN (through translator): We are not trying to romanticize reality.

Reality is how you see it.

It is a painful struggle.

Gaza needs you now more than ever.

Everything is destroyed.

We need help removing the rubble and rebuilding and starting our lives over.

AMNA NAWAZ: This month, President Trump reiterated his vision of U.S. ownership over Gaza.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: We will have Gaza.

What is that?

No reason to buy.

There is nothing to buy.

It's Gaza.

It's a war-torn area.

We're going to take it.

We're going to hold it.

We're going to cherish it.

QUESTION: Take it under what authority?

It is sovereignty territory.

DONALD TRUMP: Under the U.S. authority.

AMNA NAWAZ: Forcibly displacing Gazans would amount to a war crime.

Moayed says, for him and millions of Gazans, this is their home and they're not going anywhere.

MOAYED HARAZEEN (through translator): 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 immigrate elsewhere.

We love our homes and neighborhoods.

AMNA NAWAZ: 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.

AHMED SAAD, Displaced Gazan (through translator): Every time we try to find a spot to put a tent, we find graves or bodies or bones, as you see there.

AMNA NAWAZ: Thirty-five-year-old Ahmed Saad gave us a tour of their macabre reality.

AHMED SAAD (through translator): 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 hole here, which is a grave.

And what you're standing on right now is also a grave.

AMNA NAWAZ: Ahmed has been helping this community to build up tents, but every day brings a new horror.

AHMED SAAD (through translator): We found a body here when putting up the tent.

Here it is.

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.

AMNA NAWAZ: Gaza's official death toll has crossed 48,000.

Human rights groups believe that to be an underestimate.

Grave sites are full of unidentified remains, and many are still buried under the rubble.

AHMED SAAD (through translator): We are dead like these bodies here.

We have no address, and no one is asking about us.

So what we're asking for is for those who have any mercy in their hearts or leaders to come and see our conditions.

AMNA NAWAZ: 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 BENNETT: 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.

And that's at a time when they're already struggling to receive quality schooling because of a shortage of special education teachers.

Judy Woodruff reports as part of our series Disability Reframed.

SPENCER NICHOLS, Student: My little goats.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Fourteen-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 syndrome.

Almost the entire day, he's in a small classroom with other students with disabilities.

SPENCER NICHOLS: It's kind of rough there for me.

But maybe I learn some days, and my mom helps me a lot.

JUDY WOODRUFF: 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.

PAM NICHOLS, Mother of Spencer Nichols: 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 WOODRUFF: Pam says Spencer should be in more general education classes, but his middle school lacks the resources and staff to support students with disabilities.

PAM NICHOLS: Unfortunately, his one class is science that he is allowed to be in the gen ed classroom.

They had a science test.

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 WOODRUFF: 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 percent of the average per-student cost.

But, 50 years later, federal funding sit's at just about 10 percent.

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.

DAVID BATEMAN, American Institutes for Research: 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 WOODRUFF: 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.

DAVID BATEMAN: 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 WOODRUFF: 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?

TODD ESTES, Student: I just learn slower.

I just need to learn it like three or four times before I get it.

JUDY WOODRUFF: His mother, Priscilla Estes, says some of his general education teachers weren't well-trained to approach Todd's learning differences.

PRISCILLA ESTES, Mother of Todd Estes: 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 we're actually told... JUDY WOODRUFF: By teachers?

PRISCILLA ESTES: By teachers.

JUDY WOODRUFF: 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.

PRISCILLA ESTES: 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 WOODRUFF: She says, at least now, Todd has smaller class sizes and more one-on-one instruction, something he lacked because of the shortage of qualified special ed teachers.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: I would like it to be closed immediately.

Look, the Department of Education is a big con job.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Its 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.

DAVID BATEMAN: 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 WOODRUFF: He says it could also end a critical oversight mechanism that ensures states use federal funds correctly.

DAVID BATEMAN: 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 WOODRUFF: And it could affect resources and training for special education teachers.

Last year, about 70 percent of public schools reported special education teacher vacancies.

About half of those teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching.

CRISCILLA GREEN, Special Education Teacher: They're just like any other student.

They just require a little bit more attention.

JUDY WOODRUFF: 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.

CRISCILLA GREEN: Seeing a student who struggled and then to see them win, to see them have a breakthrough, for me, it's so rewarding.

It's the best job I have ever had.

JUDY WOODRUFF: 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?

CRISCILLA GREEN: 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 WOODRUFF: 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.

CRISCILLA GREEN: For those challenges to be addressed, more time, allowing us more time to focus on our kids.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, she says, so would giving teachers feedback with how to address behavioral concerns.

CRISCILLA GREEN: 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.

So, when you put all of that together in a classroom, it's difficult.

WOMAN: To help our students with their learning and behavior.

JUDY WOODRUFF: A Georgia Department of Education program aims to fill the gap by training early career special education teachers to maximize learning time.

GRACIE KITRELL, Special Education Teacher: Great job, guys.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Twenty-four-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.

GRACIE KITRELL: It also just allows us to make mistakes in a low-pressure environment, where, 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.

What's this sound?

Oi.

JUDY WOODRUFF: 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.

PAM NICHOLS: 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 WOODRUFF: 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 NAWAZ: 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 and were supposed to return about a week later.

But because of problems with the Starliner, they have stayed at the space station for over 250 days and are now set to return on a SpaceX capsule next month.

I spoke with them, along with their crewmate Nick Hague earlier today.

Commander Williams, Captain Wilmore and Colonel Hague, welcome to the "NewsHour."

Thank you so much for joining us.

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS, Astronaut: It's just absolutely our pleasure to be here on the "PBS NewsHour" with you.

It's great to be able to talk about space, because I know a lot of people are interested, so thank you for taking the time.

AMNA NAWAZ: 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 have now been up in space about 250 days.

You have 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?

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS: 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 was -- that came up here.

Nick came up here with one other gentleman, and it's usually four of us up here for an increment.

And so Butch and I extended to go along with that increment, per the plan, because those spacecraft rotate every six months or so.

So nothing is really for -- as Butch put it before, it's not about Butch and I.

It's about our obligation to our international partners and fulfilling the world-class science that we're doing up here on the International Space Station.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I want to ask more about that work, and Colonel Hague's role in all this too, but Captain Wilmore, 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?

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE, Astronaut: 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.

Some -- most times, it's longer than that, food and other amenities, wet wipes, everything that you need up here.

It takes a lot for human spaceflight, for humans to live in space since the year 2000.

So we have been at it 25 years almost now.

And that is just a normal part of the process.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, Colonel Hague, tell us about your role here.

You arrived at the space station in September.

Was part of your mission to bring some of those additional supplies for Commander Williams and Captain Wilmore?

And tell us a little bit about the work that you have been doing aboard the space station as well.

COL. NICK HAGUE, Astronaut: Yes, when we arrived in late September, we did bring up some essential supplies that we needed immediately.

But we have had cargo vehicle -- one cargo vehicle show up in between.

And so what have we been up to?

I got to tell, for life on board the space station, we're having a lot of fun, we're laughing every day, and we're doing some really serious scientific research.

We're working on material science research.

We're working on 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 NAWAZ: Commander Williams, we should also mention, over the course of this trip, you have now broken the record for total space walking time by a woman astronaut, so 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?

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS: Not really.

When you're on a space walk, you're pretty intense on what's going on outside.

That's pretty much forefront on your mind.

I knew that I had a lot of space walks as I came into this mission.

I didn't really know the hours or really pay attention to it that much.

It's sort of just happenstance in time and place.

But I know Peggy Whitson really well and respect her a whole lot.

and to actually surpass her in anything is just amazing.

So that's a pretty awesome honor to have that.

AMNA NAWAZ: 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?

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE: 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 -- that's a unique experience, in and of itself.

And, of course, the view is unbelievable.

It's 180 degrees.

It's a helmet, a visor around the side.

It's an 180-degree view.

And it is mesmerizing.

That's -- there's a couple of adjectives for you, but that doesn't do it justice.

AMNA NAWAZ: Well, Colonel Hague, I'm going to assume that keeping a pretty regular routine is key to life up in the space station.

So just walk us through it.

What does a typical day look like?

Does every day kind of start the same way for you?

COL. NICK HAGUE: Yes, a typical day, the day starts early.

You know, I will get up at 6:00 a.m. We -- and it's a chance to eat breakfast and have some coffee and check some e-mail.

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 team on the ground 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.

COL. NICK HAGUE: Yes, Suni -- Suni has been bulking up for the return trip, so she can withstand gravity when we get down to the ground.

AMNA NAWAZ: You have 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 have 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?

COL. NICK HAGUE: Yes, I spoke to him over the weekend.

We have 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 have 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 have applied?

All the normal things that you would talk about.

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE: Yes, I talk 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.

I talk about many things.

She has a boyfriend.

I talk to her boyfriend.

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE: I'm very direct with him as well.

So, yes, it's all important.

AMNA NAWAZ: Wait, you talk to your daughter's boyfriend from space?

That has to be the most intimidating thing for a boyfriend.

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE: Oh, absolutely.

I mean, that's my role.

As a dad to daughters, that's my responsibilities.

AMNA NAWAZ: I just have to say, I mean, obviously, the contributions that you all are making through this work is -- they're 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?

CAPT.

BUTCH WILMORE: I will 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 -- what our responsibilities are, what our national goals are, what -- our international partners and all, and we work together for that.

And we are here to work for you all.

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS: And I will add, don't be afraid of change.

We have experienced it, and we all will live through it.

We will all be fine.

And every change is a new opportunity, and take those opportunities.

COL. NICK HAGUE: I will throw one last thing there.

When you -- when we float over the window -- and we spend a lot of time in the window looking down at the Earth -- for me, the Earth looks -- starts to look pretty small when you look at the backdrop of 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 NAWAZ: Colonel Nick Hague, Commander Suni 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.

CMDR.

SUNITA WILLIAMS: Thank you very much.

See you back on Earth.

AMNA NAWAZ: An absolute treat and such an honor to speak with those astronauts.

Thank you again to them for their time.

That is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Amna Nawaz.

GEOFF BENNETT: And I'm Geoff Bennett.

For all of us here at the PBS "News Hour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us.