wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. the xfinity 10g network. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm on the and was pure on "the newshour" tonight, the european unions' top diplomats on global efforts to get more aid into gaza and to support ukraine. geoff: illegal settlement allows

florida teachers and students to talk about lgbtq+ issues. but some restrictions remain. amna: and the pregnancy struggles of both israeli survivors of october 7 and gazans under siege >> i'm so exhausted. i can't even get up to play a mother's role in my baby's life. i can't walk or get up to feed him or hold him. ♪ >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪

>> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. ♪ >> the kendeda fund, committed to restoring meaningful justice through investments in transformative leaders and ideas. more at kendedafund.org. carnegie corporation of new york, supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions -- ♪ ♪

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. here are the latest headlines. senate majority leader chuck schumer is taking on israel's far-right government over the war in gaza. the highest-ranking jewish elected official in the united states delivered a scathing, 40-minute speech today. he charged that prime minister benjamin netanyahu has lost his way in the military drive to crush hamas. schumer said netanyahu and his government are an obstacle to peace, and that israel needs new elections. sen. schumer: the netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of israel after october 7. the world has changed radically since then, and the israeli

people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. stephanie: netanyahu's political party shot back that israel is not a banana republic and that its war policy has wide public support. meanwhile, in gaza, palestinian officials said an aid warehouse was hit by an israeli air strike that killed 8 people. the israelis said one was a hamas commander. the palestinian authority is getting a new prime minister, but the choice may not satisfy u.s. calls for reforms leading to a palestinian state. president mahmoud abbas today named economist mohammad mustafa to the post. he's a long-time ally to abbas, and whether he'll undertake real change is unclear. a federal judge in florida has rejected former president trump's motion to dismiss the classified documents case against him. mr. trump is accused of illegally storing sensitive records at his mar-a-lago estate after leaving office.

today's ruling came after trump lawyers argued the law is vaguely worded, and that he was allowed to keep anything he designated as personal. prosecutors disputed those claims, and said mr. trump urged others to cover up his actions. the father of a teenage gunman who killed four people at a michigan high school in 2021 was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter this evening. james crumbley was accused of not keeping his son's gun safely stored and failing to get his son mental health treatment. crumbley's wife jennifer was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter in a separate trial earlier this year. president biden came out today against the planned sale of u.s. steel to a japanese firm, saying it would harm american workers. that came as he made a campaign visit to saginaw, michigan. it was aimed at building support from black and union voters. and, in minnesota, vice president harris stopped at a planned parenthood clinic that

offers abortion services. it was said to be the first time a sitting president or vice president has toured that kind of facility. former trump treasury secretary steve mnuchin has announced he's organizing a group of investors to buy tiktok. that comes after the house voted to ban the video-sharing app in the u.s. unless it cuts ties with its chinese-owned parent company. mnuchin did not say who might be in the investor group. in japan, a high court ruled that denying same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. the court has no power to overturn existing laws that restrict marriage. instead, it urged the government to do so. crowds in tokyo cheered and hailed the decision as a step toward equality. but, plaintiffs in the court case called the ruling only a partial victory. fujii: i still think that we are so far behind other countries, we can't really be compared to them. it feels like japan is the only country that's not changing.

even though our society is really changing, japan alone has not changed at all. i am boiling with anger. stephanie: japan is the only member of the g-7 industrial democracies that does not have legal protections for same-sex unions. the elon musk company spacex reached a kind of milestone today with the third test of its giant starship rocket, but its luck didn't last. the unmanned spacecraft blasted off from south texas and had a flawless flight for about an hour. but the rocket was apparently destroyed as it headed for a splashdown in the indian ocean. two previous test flights ended in explosions, just after liftoff. and, a passing of note. a leading civil rights activist of the 1960's, dorie ann ladner, died monday in washington. she began fighting for justice and equality as a teenager in her home state of mississippi. and, she was involved in every major civil rights protest of the sixties. dorie ann ladner was 81 years old. still to come on "the newshour" --

outrage and concern over the treatment of black women in higher education. how quantum computing could help us understand more about the universe and beyond. the mother of slain journalist james foley discusses her new book about her son. and much more. >> this is "the pbs newshour" from weta studios in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. amna: the biden administration is struggling to find solutions to two foreign policy struggles. creating a cease-fire in the war in gaza and helping fund ukraine's war against russia. in each case it is working with the european union, whose foreign policy chief is visiting washington. nick schifrin sat down with him today. nick: we are now joined by josep borell. thank you and welcome back.

let me start with israel and gaza. today, the senate majority leader, chuck schumer, made a speech at congress and he said the israeli prime minister has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in gaza which is pushing support for israel worldwide to historic lows. do you agree? john: well, i perceive a change in the mood of the public opinion in the u.s. with respect to what is happening in gaza. more and more people are feeling concerned with what, i certainly can call a massacre with 30,000 civilians killed. it is a lot of people could president biden and the vice president have been saying too many, certainly. and it is not just in the u.s., it is true that the whole world is concerned about what is happening there. nick: i think the majority

leader's criticism was almost personnel to the prime minister. do you agree with his criticism of netanyahu? josep: we at the european union have priorities and one would be to look for a two state solution and give the palestinians the right to have their own land. their own government. certainly we would prefer to have a leader that could be compatible with this approach. nick: that sounds like you do not think that netanyahu is compatible with that approach? josep: netanyahu has been saying and re-saying that he is opposed to that solution. nick: this week you told the security council that israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. how so? josep: there is starvation in gaza. hundreds of thousands of people are starving, literally. among them many children and they are dying.

if there is starvation, why is there starvation? because there is not enough humanitarian support entering to help these people. and why? because israel is controlling the border and not letting humanitarian support to come in. so it is a logical consequence. you prevent humanitarian support from coming and people are starving. it is a logical cause and effect. nick: but accusing them of using it as a weapon of war suggests they are doing so purposefully. israel specifically says there is no restriction on the amount of aid coming in and they blame united nations on a lack of capacity. josep: i don't think so. nick: what is your evidence? josep: there is a lot of evidence that the controls at the border prevent the support from coming in. i don't think israel can say they are doing everything to

allow support coming into gaza. nick: in the same speech where you accused israel as using food as a weapon of war, you did not call on hamas to release hostages or lay down weapons. josep: come on, i say that every time. every time i take the floor, i say that the freedom of the hostages is a must. hamas must release them. i have been saying and repeating and i don't care to say it again. hamas is considered a terrorist organization. they launched an attack that is completely unacceptable. and the hostages have to be freed. nick: let's switch to ukraine. have you been able to speak to speaker of the house mike johnson to urge him to allow for a vote for the $60 billion military and economic aid support package for ukraine that has been stalled in the house? josep: not with the speaker of the house but i had the

opportunity to talk with some members of the house on the republican side. and i tried to explain to him and ask him to explain to his colleagues -- just imagine what could be the consequences of a blockage of american support to ukraine. just imagine russian tanks breaking the defense lines of ukraine. having to put in a puppet government in kyiv putting the , people under an authoritarian regime and we know how that works. putting the russian army at the border of poland and the baltics. being a serious threat to moldova. the security costs for us europeans and for the u.s. people of a russian victory in ukraine is so great and unbearable that i urge everyone to understand that the support to ukraine has to continue, not

just for generosity for the people defending themselves from an invasion but also in our own interests. nick: can the european union provide military aid to ukraine that is in enough quantity to replace american military assistance? josep: from the military point of view, no. you have been a stronger supporter because you have a stronger military capacity. nobody can compete with the u.s. army and u.s. military capacity. and certainly, if you could stop doing that, no one else can take your place. nick: there are already questions in europe about u.s. reliability. i have been told there is military planning in germany if the u.s. withdraws from nato. there are even people talking about whether the united kingdom and france should offer a nuclear security guarantee to europe. do you support those conversations? josep: there is no alternative for nato to ensure europe of the

territorial threat that russia represents. at the same time there is a growing feeling among europeans that we have to develop more of our own capacities just in case. just in case in the future we should take more responsibility from our side. and this is not a bad deal. quite the contrary. i think this war has represented a wake up for european strategic thinking. there is a general feeling among europeans that we live in a challenging world and we make peace among us but that is not a rule. we have to be ready to face a challenge. nick: and is it not just about the war but also about the republican nominee for the president of the united states donald trump who called the european union and economic foe, and questioned whether the u.s., if he was to be reelected would defend nato allies under article five. josep: if donald trump is

reelected, we will think about trump. for the time being we think about biden. nick: thank you very much. josep: thank you. ♪ geoff: students and teachers in florida can now discuss sexual orientation and gender identity in a classroom setting as long as it is not part of formal instruction. that is an important change part of a new settlement reached between state education officials and civil rights attorneys who challenged along labeled by critics as the "don't say gay" law. here is stephanie sy. stephanie: this may be a state law but it has reached beyond florida with other conservative states inspired by the prohibitions. what the law has meant in for it is teachers afraid to even use the words gay or transgender when speaking to students outside the classroom or even celebrating their own identity or support of the lgbtq

community with, say, rainbow stickers. but with this settlement some of those concerns may be put to rest. joe saunders with equality florida told us this -- joe: there is no question that following the settlement, students, teachers, parents of lgbtq students and lgbtq parents can say gay, can say trans, can be gay, can be trans in florida's public school systems and not be afraid of the bullying and the weaponization of this law to lead to sweeping censorship. stephanie: however, the law was not repealed in still for bids specific class curriculum dealing with lgbtq topics and florida governor ron desantis called the settlement a major win. for more on what this means, i am joined by danielle pryor, an education reporter with the npr affiliate in orlando. thank you for joining the

newshour. help us understand what this settlement actually changed. i understand the text of the law was altered. danielle: it actually clarified the language of the law. the law was vague. moving forward, as we heard in your clip, parents and teachers and students will be able to speak freely and write freely about gender identity and sexuality in classroom discussions, on essays and on projects. kids can read books again with gay characters, teachers can put save space stickers up and have gay state alliances and other lgbtq clubs at schools. it really gutted large parts of the law and clarified it. stephanie: but the law remains in effect. what restrictions are still in place? danielle: the law still bans outright instruction about gender identity and sexuality in florida. that would include a class or a book or even a unit in a section

of a textbook that would instruct people in any way about gender identity and sexuality. the law is still in effect as well as a lot of the policies that were inspired by the law. like banding ap african-american history because there was a queer theory unit or making it so that sociology is no longer a core curriculum course for undergrads because it talked about human sexuality. so a lot of the law and the policies around the law are still very much in effect in florida. stephanie: it's interesting, it seems both sides of this, lgbtq advocates as well as the governor seem to view this as a good thing. how do you figure that? danielle: basically, the law is not overturned and not repealed. it is still very much in effect , so that is a win for the governor and his party. this was a big win for his conservative base when it was passed.

but it is also a big win for lgbtq advocates, folks that have lived under this law for two years and were afraid to be out publicly in a school system fearing what might happen. as a teacher, maybe if you have the wrong book in your classroom. this is a huge moment for the state of florida. stephanie: you have been reporting on the impacts of this law. the impacts it has had on kids and families who identify as lgbtq. what has it been like for them since the law passed? how are they reacting to the settlement? danielle: i've spoken to many, whether they are a student or teacher who are gay who felt they could not be gay. they felt they had to be in the closet or go back the closet. they felt hurt and sad by the fact that a big part of their identity was something that was somehow not appropriate enough to have in florida schools. this is such a win and such a celebratory time and celebration

for them. i spoke with several plaintiffs who were on the lawsuit that resulted in the settlement and they said their 10-year-old son just said, "wow does this mean that we can finally say gay?" this is a big moment for lgbtq people throughout florida. stephanie: yet other conservative states used this florida law as a template for their own prohibitions. when it comes to florida, where does it go from here in terms of legislation that would impact lgbtq citizens? danielle: our last legislative session ended on friday and our strongest anti-lgbtq bills died in session. there is a trend we are seeing that this anti-lgbtq push that was so strong before is weakening in florida. i know a lot of the plaintiffs on the lawsuit and people that

were a part of the settlement really help people in other states are paying close because -- paying close attention because they say look what we were able to accomplish. there were protests at local high schools when the bill became a law, and obviously, the lawsuit itself shows that sometimes when you speak up and fight for a long time that things can change. they are hoping to inspire other people in states that still have strong anti-lgbtq laws in place and of course florida itself still has a lot of those laws in place. things like a ban on gender affirming care. we will have to see the ripple effects of the settlement here in florida and through the country. stephanie: danielle thank you , for your reporting. danielle: thank you. ♪ amna: of the many horrors

endured by palestinians and israelis since the hamas attacks of october 7, perhaps none are more acute than those of expectant mothers. for the last several months, our special correspondent leila molana-allen has been charting the progress of their pain, pregnancies, sorrows and joys. she brings us their stories now. leila: each day in gaza, mothers search desperately for food for their children. by night, as israeli airstrikes pound the strip, they pray the children will live to see the morning. expectant mothers live in fear their babies will not be born at all. an estimated 50,000 women in gaza are pregnant with about 180 babies being born each day. medical staff report newborns being birthed on bloodsoaked floors, and in dirty bathrooms of overwhelm hospitals and cesarean sections carried out

without anesthetic. three months ago, this woman had an emergency c-section after she went into labor while fleeing heavy bombing in north gaza. >> they bombed all of the hospitals in the north. the bombing was happening over our heads. leila: her displaced family is living in filthy conditions so the wounds from her cesarean surgery have become badly infected. with medical stocks almost wiped out, she hopes the doctors will have enough antibiotics left to help her. eman: i'm so exhausted. i cannot get up to play a role in my baby's life. i can't walk or get up to feed him or hold him. leila: trapped by bombing for weeks, three months pregnant, this woman finally made it here for a checkup. the doctors have devastating news. there was no heartbeat. worse still, they have not been able to operate to remove the fetus because there are too many critically injured patients they have to treat first.

if she has to wait much longer, sepsis could kill her. >> i have known for a month that my baby is dead and they still have not removed it because of the huge numbers of people here. i am scared because i have to have an operation without anesthesia. the doctors say i may become poisoned by the failed pregnancy. leila: severe malnutrition, scarce clean water are leading to a massive rise of premature and underweight births, miscarriages and deaths of mothers and newborns. most of gaza's hospitals have collapsed thanks to israel's aerial bombardments and the siege cutting off medical supplies and electricity. rafah's hospital is still hanging on. doctors and midwives do what they can to cope. this doctor is a resident pediatrician. >> there is a high percentage of

critical cases coming in and a high percentage of death. a lot of women are giving birth prematurely as a result of fear and the war and chaotic living circumstances. after the women go home with their babies they come back a few days later because their babies are dehydrated or they have diary or are -- have diarrhea. leila: this woman was horrified at the condition she found mothers and children. >> it is unbelievable what is happening here at the hospital. the situation is very desperate. some of the mothers have not made it through giving birth. they require an immediate cease-fire so the fighting can stop and so unicef and other aid agencies can bring them the help they need. leila: as hamas rockets continue to fall in israel, expectant mothers live in the shadow of the war. this is a midwife at one of the largest hospitals in southern israel. the maternity clinic has been moved into a reinforced concrete

shelter after multiple rockets hit the hospital. >> first aid for the women and families and babies, because anytime we can hear a siren, we are not in a protected area, we need to run and women after birth with an epidural cannot run. maybe we will hear the sirens here. it is very emotional and a very stressful time. leila: this woman thought she would not survive to see her second child born or be able to save her first. on october 7, she, her husband and their toddler hid for a full day and night as hamas terrorists rampaged through their hometown on the gaza border, killing everyone they could find.

>> i find it extremely hard to talk about those hours. i sat there waiting for them to kill him. i could barely look at my son because i understood that his life was about to end. imagine thinking that for 25 hours. leila: in her second trimester as the hours tick by and she grew weaker, she felt sure she would lose the baby. finally they were rescued by idf soldiers the next morning. the high school teacher used to be liberal to her core. she taught students devalue life on both sides of the border. now she does not know if she ever will feel safe again. noa: everything has changed. i don't care about anyone in gaza anymore. i will not forgive them. when something like that happens, something deep breaks inside you.

leila: she says she will never go back. she has now had a baby boy and hopes they will find a new home with what is left of their community. back in gaza, displaced multiple times under daily bombardment, new mothers have nowhere safe to go but barely functioning , hospitals haveto keep them. if they are lucky enough to survive birth, they go home to filthy, freezing shelter and a single meal a day. baby formula has run out. to breast-feed mothers need 16 cups of water a day and gazans are lucky to find two. >> if people do not have sympathy for newborn babies, the elderly, for children living on the streets, i don't know what to say after everything they've seen. leila: this woman gave birth an hour ago but she has not been able to hold her baby yet. he is in intensive care. they are both facing life-threatening breathing

issues because of the toxic smoke she has been breathing in from the improvised stove they use to keep warm. >> this pregnancy was really hard on me. there is no food and i have not eaten in a week. leila: she does not know how she will feed her baby or the 12 other bereaved kids in her family waiting in their tents. >> our kids do not deserve to live any of this, to be thrown into the streets without food, shelter or clothing. the rain and cold pour down on us and we don't have anywhere to take shelter. and now i have given birth. god save us from what we are living. leila: the un has called gaza a graveyard for children. nearly 12.5 thousand children have been killed since israel's attack began, more than the total number of children killed in all of the global conflicts in the previous four years combined. mothers, desperate to keep their

children safe, can do little but pray for an end to the nightmare. as the brutal war lurches on, hopes for a peaceful future of palestinian and israeli children looks starker than ever. for the pbs newshour, on the israel-gaza border. ♪ geoff: the death of an administrator at lincoln university in missouri earlier this year has sparked outrage and broader concern about the treatment of black women in higher education. antoinette bailey died by suicide in january and left scathing letters where she alleged a pattern of bullying and harassment at the hands of the university's president. he is now unpaid administrative leave pending an investigation. that came weeks after harvard's

former president resigned under pressure. all of it leading to a dialogue in academia about the particular challenges and pressures that black women face. we spoke to a few women about this about our ongoing coverage of race matters. keisha: i am keisha thomas at the university of alabama at birmingham. dr. parrish: my name is dr. candace parrish and i am a visiting assistant professor at the university of north carolina wilmington. shaye: my name is shaye crowder and i am an assistant professor with the department of science at loyola marymount university in los angeles. >> i certainly had not been exposed to a case as tragic as dr. bailey's, although for those of us in higher education, especially those of us who are in senior positions or leadership positions, it is often a conversation around the

chronic stress that we experience, the burnout that is experienced but also the isolation that has followed us for our entire careers. >> i was very sad that it had gone so far and that she felt she did not have the resources or what she needed to overcome this sort of situation. and it got me thinking about how many more people like myself actually experience these sorts of travesties in academia. >> i have absolutely experienced micro-aggressions with regard to the intersection of my race and gender. in the entire time in my phd program, there was never another black person above me or below me in american politics. and so it was a very isolating experience.

>> i have had those experiences , as have my colleagues, and it is not simply within our career, it starts in college and graduate school and some of us even earlier. and so, many of us see our education as an investment in our future and the futures of our families. >> in my phd program, it was a very tough experience in which there were several periods where i almost quit. there was a lack of support and people in charge of my academic destiny as a phd student were manipulating things to go against my favor. >> with everything happening in the world right now, when there are coordinated efforts on the part of individuals and institutions to attack the credibility of your academic work, and that is already something that brings anxiety, it can be particularly distressing. >> some of what we have talked about today, i have heard similar complaints from

colleagues in law and medicine and industries across the board. i think higher education is different because often times we are so severely underrepresented. >> i have actually stopped recommending academia as a valid job and community position to young people who want to pursue phd's in teaching. i cannot vouch for their experiences knowing the horrible things that i have gone through and how much emotional time and space it has taken. geoff: let's talk more about the particular stresses that black women in academia face. we welcome the codirector of the life disparities lab at the university of texas at austin. thanks for being with us. two consistent themes we heard from the professors, the sense

of isolation and lack of support. how does that square with what you found in your own research? >> that is commensurate with the work we are doing right now, collecting data on black women in faculty on the tenured track. they experience isolation, feeling they are left out, networks are not available to them, available to their colleagues. they have experiences of the lack of support and that is something that we are seeing in the work we are doing. geoff: we should say that academics can be a high-pressure, tense, some might say a toxic environment no matter one's background. what particular pressures do black women face in higher education? bridget: this speaks to what the women in the interviews were already saying, which is we tend to be underrepresented. we make up 3.7% of overall tenured track faculty in the united states.

when we think about the high-pressure of the positions of being faculty members, this means on top of the stress and demand of being productive researchers and successful teachers, we are also in a space where people might not even recognize that we are the only's. and that our experience is unique in that we are more likely to experience racism and sexism and the intersection of those things in those spaces. and we are more likely to be cut out of networks because we don't fit because we are so underrepresented. so there are a litany of different situations that make our experience as black women unique in these stressful conditions that we face as tenure track faculty or faculty in higher education. geoff: what do viable solutions look like at this point? bridget: viable solutions would be, one, identifying the stressors that black women are

facing and mitigate the situations they are in, protections for women experiencing racism, harassment and discrimination in the spaces , recognizing the fact that we come from a historically disadvantaged group and are underrepresented. which means that in these spaces, we are experiencing a lot of these kinds of stressors increasingly without the kinds of protections that we would like to see more of moving forward. geoff: how has the conservative crackdown on dei initiatives, diversity, equity and inclusion, how has that affected the effort to attract and retain black women in higher education? bridget: so, we are still in the nascent stages of this but i would say it is something that will continue to have a chilling effect on the ability to recruit and retain black women in academia.

as was mentioned, can you advise women to go -- black women to go into these spaces when we are being publicly singled out and discredited and now without the kind of protections of dei, which was, as a system, was there to help with increasing diversity and inclusion overall. being gone, this means this could be a complicated situation for black women to be in without having the protections that might've been put forward by dei previously. geoff: we appreciate your insights and your time this evening. thank you. bridget: thank you. ♪ geoff: scientists, researchers at some big companies are eager to jump start the next generation of computing. one that will be far more sophisticated and dependent on

understanding the subatomic nature of the universe. it is a huge challenge to take this quantum leap forward. our science correspondent has more. miles: it is a chandelier that may soon shed light on the true nature of nature. a quantum computer designed to understand the rules of the physical world to find new ways to cure diseases, stop pandemics, develop renewable energy and tackle the climate emergency. >> if we want to understand nature, let's build a machine that works like nature. miles: dario is a senior vice president and the director of ibm research in yorktown heights, new york. computers today operate in the binary language of ones and zeros. fast capable, sure, but they are digital totems of reality.

dario: no matter how hard we try the best we can do is approximate the complexity of the world. quantum machines are the first technology we have created that allows us to, by mimicking the behavior of the natural world of quantum physics, to simulate it and understand it better. miles: these intricate machines are designed to do just that. at the bottom are simulated atomic particles which act in mysterious, nonintuitive ways. the manner in which they spin and interact can greatly increase the capability and efficiency of computers. besides being a potential game changer for solving problems in the natural world, quantum computers may lead to greater optimization and manufacturing, logistics, transportation and finance. and they have the potential to challenge and revolutionize encryption. >> i believe we are at a

birth of a revolution in technology. miles: this quantum physicist is a professor at the pritzker school of molecular engineering and physics at the university of chicago. >> i think our classical view of the world and classical modeling of the world has helped us quite a bit. it continues to help us. but some of us think about this moving from a world of black and white into color. miles: he gave me a tour of his quantum measurement laboratory. what is the goal of the lab? david: we are developing new experimental techniques to be able to look at individual electrons and atoms and see how they convey quantum information. miles: they combine fast pulses of light and microwaves to experiment with individual atoms and electrons. david: and measure their properties as a way to investigate them. miles: so you are able to manipulate at the atomic level, you are controlling atoms --

david: with microwaves. and we probe them with pulses of light. miles: controlling atoms is no small feat. it turns out cubits are very delicate. >> we are in the google quantum ai lab and we are surrounded by a fleet of quantum computers. miles: this physicist is a lead engineer for google's quantum computing enterprise in santa barbara, california. >> each one of these are testing something different. miles: quantum computers look like a rube goldberg espresso maker to keep their finicky cubits happy so they can continue to work on problems. they cannot be disturbed by noise. >> we want to make sure that the thermal noise is well below our quantum signal. we make our systems out of superconducting electronics.

miles: which means they have to be kept extremely cold. everywhere we went, the computers had to be chilled to almost absolute zero or about 460 degrees below zero fahrenheit. simply sending commands to and receiving responses from cubits without disturbing them is a herculean task. >> we are learning about information that is so much more delicate in the ways we have to interact with it. when we interact with these systems, we can alter it. miles: as a result the quantum , computers that exist today are riddled with errors. researchers deal with this through sophisticated era connection techniques and analysis. but achieving an error-free quantum computer is their goal. >> the summit is to build an error corrected quantum computer. miles: the race is on to be first and china appears to be a leader.

it has announced it will invest in quantum computing, more than $15 billion. ibm and google don't share the amount they are spending internally on this research and development but in may of 2023 the companies announced a $150 million gift to the universities of chicago and tokyo to try to keep pace with the chinese. >> you are probably standing between two of the biggest quantum computers in the world. miles: if i stand here longer, i will get smarter? >> possibly. miles: in yorktown heights, i met jay. is rolling out quantum computers his companyis rolling out quantum computers that are not perfect but are built with some error correction. jay: if we can increase the rate of what we can stale whilst making improvements, we will be at a point where these will be able to do something we could never do with classical computers. miles: the company has already deployed more than 75 quantum computers. mostly users are trying to find

ways to program these machines. it is entirely different from classical computer coding. >> it is definitely going to be a huge competition. i think this is going to be the decade where quantum computing emerges as a technology that will be a permanent part of the landscape of the world of computing. but a race also has a connotation that you run something and it ends but i don't see this as ending. miles: researchers say a practical, error-free quantum computer may be a decade away. but the goal of solving huge problems with the smallest particles of the universe is alluring enough to quicken their work. for the pbs newshour, i am miles o'brien in yorktown heights, new york. ♪

amna: tomorrow marks 13 years since the beginning of the syrian civil war. what began as a civil uprising against the president is a conflict that has now killed half a million people. one group fighting the regime is the islamic state, who also targeted journalists. jim foley was an american journalist covering the war when he was kidnapped by isis terrorists in 2012 and publicly beheaded two years later. his murder shocked the world. a decade later, his mother diane foley tells jim's story and how she came to be a leading advocate for americans held hostage abroad. that is in her new book, "american mother." diane foley joins me now. welcome back to the newshour. you have joined us here on the newshour many times to talk about jim and the extraordinary work that you do. what was it that told you you had to pull this together in a book?

diane: i really think the way we remember where we have been and our challenges going forward is by telling stories. jim was a storyteller. all that you do, you help us remember what is happening in the world. and jim, it was time. i was feeling, it has been 10 years. some people were children when this happened to jim. and we have accomplished a lot as a u.s. government. i'm so grateful for all the good people that stepped up and made it happen and donated. but the challenges are great. i felt it was time to tell the story and learn from it, if you would, and to inspire others to take up the torch. amna: i notice even as we are sitting here, your eyes occasionally flicked over to the photo and jim's face. what is it like for you to see the photo?

diane: jim was the oldest of our five children, a beloved son and he has challenged me because i failed him. i did. our government failed him. we failed. these young americans not just jim but also steve and peter as well as kayla and luke summers and others killed in the same timeframe. so we failed and we are learning. president obama set up the hostage fusion cell that still exists. we have a brilliant current hostage special envoy at the state department. more than 100 people have come home since 2014. a lot of good things to celebrate. but, the challenge remains. more and more countries are targeting our citizens. and we are very challenged as

the foley foundation, as is our government to handle it all. amna: you open this book at an astonishing moment, which is when you sit down in the same room across the table from one of the men that kidnapped your son and tortured him and pled guilty to the role he played in your son's death and one of the first things you say to him as you sit down is, good morning, you can call me diane. what made you want to sit down and talk to him? diane: a lot of things. jim would've talked to him. jim would've wanted to hear him out. he worked with a lot of disenfranchised people like alexander, who was so vulnerable to the radicalization. but i also as a mom wanted to tell who jim was and i wanted him to be seen as a human being who had made horrific choices. and it was good. it was good. i was grateful. that god gave me the strength to do it. amna: you also write about

yourself and your husband john and you say it is incredible what you don't know about your own child. maybe it is the same for every parent but it struck us years later that we did not know jim all that well, not in his entirety, not until after he was gone. what did you learn about your son? diane: so much. jim was our oldest. because we have four others, i was quite busy with the younger ones and working part-time. i love my work as a nurse practitioner. when jim came home, he wanted to interview us and know how we were and what was going on. and really did not share a lot about what he was up to. he really didn't share a lot. i realize. and it was really only after his death that i realized how many people he touched.

how many lives he mentored. i had no clue because jim never talked about it. amna: you mentioned the foundation that now carries his name, the james foley foundation. you have already changed how the u.s. government handles hostage affairs and you advocate for the americans held hostage abroad right now. i should note i see how hard you , work and others see how hard you work. your family has asked you to slow down. what keeps you so devoted and so dedicated and moving forward every day? diane: i am challenged by the needs that continue. we have definitely improved as a government but we have a long way to go. we have nationstates that are targeting our citizens. and wrongfully arresting them. we have to figure out how to deter this practice. we must. because a lot of people are still suffering.

and it is still hard to get the attention for some of these families. even with the wrongful detention process. it is rather opaque. we are struggling to work with the government to try to figure out ways to help people understand where they are in the process and what is possible for the government and what is not. what we need third-party experts to help with. our government cannot do everything. that is partly our role, trying to help families figure out how to get the attention they need to bring their loved one home. amna: what do you think jim would think of the work you are doing today? diane: i think he would be doing some of it, to be honest. although i don't think he would have left his beloved journalism. he believed in the power of journalism. and he really believed we had to be in conflict zones and bear witness.

he really believed in that. so i think he would be doing what he was doing and i think he would want someone to be advocating for those that are targeted and held hostage. amna: the book is "american mother." diane, always a pleasure to have you here. diane: thank you so much, amna. ♪ geoff: join us again tomorrow night for the exclusive interview with the department of homeland security secretary. that is "the newshour" for tonight. i am geoff bennett. amna: on behalf of the entire "newshour" team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for "the pbs newshour" has been provided by -- ♪ the ongoing support of these

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this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> i am terribly excited to be the anchor of pbs news weekend. we have become known for independent, fact-based reporting. we are challenging viewers to understand the world a little better. we present all sides of the story and take the time to put them in context. when viewers watch "pbs news weekend," i hope they come away informed, and perhaps with a different perspective than they had thought of before. good evening, i am john yang. ♪ >> this is "pbs newshour west" from weta studios in washington and our bureau at the walter

cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪

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