GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Be Amna Nawaz i On the "NewsHour" to Hamas.

We hear from And the Israel-Hamas war becomes a local issue.

Protesters demand their city councils pass resolutions that could pressure the Biden administration to act.

DEAN PRESTON They can't get two minutes in front of the Cong They can come to their local city council.

And that's why they're doing it.

GEOFF BENNETT: And the f the process of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

(BREAK) GEOFF BENNETT: Welcome to the "NewsHour."

The U.S. has moved closer tonight to retaliating for a drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan.

President Biden said today he has As he left the White House this morning, he said Iran shares the blame becaus believe an Iran-backed militia launched the attack.

But he stopped short of saying that Tehran is now a target.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: I do hold them respo they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it.

I don't think we need a wider war in the Middle Th at's not what I'm looking for.

GEOFF BENNET against U.S. forces in the region.

The Pentagon responded, saying -- quote -- "Act Meantime, in the occupied West Bank surveillance video showed Israeli commandos inside a hospi in the city of Jenin disguised as civilian women and medics.

Three Palestinian militants were killed.

And in Southern Gaza, fighting raged again arou Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any military withdrawal.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator): I hear sayings ab all sorts of deals, so I want to make it clear.

We will not end this war without achieving al We will not pull out the IDF from the Gaza Strip and we will not release thou terrorists.

GEOFF BENNET Cairo to review the latest cease-fire proposal.

We're joined now by our own Nick Schifrin.

So, Nick, let's start with the attack t What more do we know about how the administration is planning to respond?

NICK SCHIFRIN: Administration officials say that the challenge is against these Iranian-backed groups without going to war with Iran itself.

So what could that look like?

And what I'm about to descri A group of categories, number one -- a group of targets, number one, is Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.

So, these are Iraqis and Syrians who fight and financing often comes from Iran.

The second category is Iranian assets in Iraq Now, what's the difference?

There are Iranians from in these places, that run weapons sites in these places.

And these are obviously Iranians running these places.

Some of them are in Damascus and Baghdad in the capitals where these commanders fly but there are also more rural targets, I'm told, as well.

And then the third category would be Iran itself.

We're talking about everything from the IRGC headquarters in downtown T naval ships, including a ship that a former military official tells me is helping the Houthis in Yemen.

So, again, t We don't know, of course, know Bu t, today, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that the response w tiered, multiple actions over a period of time.

And that suggests more than one round.

They are also looking at that statemen the most likely group that targeted the troops in Jordan this weekend, saying that, look, we're not going to fire on U.S. troops.

This is a sign, some regional offici But a senior administration official tells me they're monitoring that statement, but they don't take it as face value.

And, as you said, the Pe GEOFF BENNETT: Well, as we mentioned, Hamas announced it will go to those hostage talks.

What does that signal, that NI CK SCHIFRIN: The mediators certainl it seriously.

And these details th briefed on the talks.

This is how they w The hostage releases would occur over Older women and children would be the first phase.

Men and younger women would be the second phase.

And soldiers and dead bodies would be t The first phase would last six weeks.

What does that mean?

The war woul would carry on to phases two and three.

Now, despite what you just read, Geoff, about wh this framework on paper.

And that's why the ball is in Hamas' court right no That meeting is absolutely key and will decide whether this And it's all being mediated by Qatar, as we have talked about.

And just a short time ago, I spoke with Dr. Majed Al-Ansari the spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs in Qatar.

And I began by asking him how MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL-ANSARI, Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman: I can tell you that we are at a good moment now.

It's been -- we are at of months now we are at.

We are seeing a draft being ha ve received the draft and are discussing it.

And that is a point that we were very far from a coupl Now we have a general understanding of what the next phase of the pause will be and how that will play out.

And I would say like this, as long as we're having ideas going back and forth, we can be sure that at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel where we can get to a sustainable pause at the end.

NICK SCHIFRI and he's flying to Cairo, presumably to discuss with Hamas' military com draft.

But Haniyeh cease-fire as part of this deal and that, until that is in the deal, they will reject it.

This deal do So how do you get had?

MAJED BIN MO since 2006, when the United And we have grown to understand the patterns of the negotiations that go through.

Obviously, on both sides, you will hear a lot of statements.

You will hear grand positions over a lot of issues.

The important thing is, is that the mediation in i process itself.

So we are li We believe that the language we have right now builds upon the proposals that c both sides during the past couple of months.

NICK SCHIFRIN: But is Hamas still insi MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI: Usually, what happens is that you get a "yes, bu both sides.

So, it depen But I'm quite sure that we are on the right track.

NICK SCHIFRIN: We heard from the othe reiterating Israel's goals of -- quote -- "eliminating Hamas" and releasing the hostages.

And as we heard earlier, he said the Israeli military will not withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

That's what he said today.

Does that pr MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL ANSA in front of cameras at face value.

I know we're speaking in front (LAUGHTER) MAJED BIN MO There's also the polit than the reality of the situation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Let President Biden said today he has decided how to respond t over the weekend in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.

Yesterday, the prime minister, speaking here in Washington, he urged de-escalation.

What is your message to the Biden administration today as they are about to launch this strike?

MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI: I can tell you that this attack came as -- and we all understand how dangerous it is and how problematic it is.

And we -- as you know, we are members in the coal military personnel are in the same operations as U.S.... (CROSSTALK) NICK SCHIFRI mission.

That's what MAJED BIN MO NICK SCHIFRI MAJED BIN MO we have to u All of this is a byproduct of what is happening ri East.

We -- it's a but right now we are at a situation where the people of the region can't take any more refugee crisis, can't take any more security challenges, can't take any more wars.

What's happening in the region right now is that you have a failure of the central state.

And it's very important for us to make sure that we de-escalate.

Any escalation right now in the region could result in open war.

We are -- we fully understand, of course, that the United States has to reestablish the deterrence in the region.

But we also are talking to our partners world the need to -- for any response to be measured and for us to be able to talk about this and to get the messages across on all sides.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Many U.S. officials don't This is about Iran, Iran pushing these or supplying the informat the weaponry to these Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria and the Houthis in Yemen to be able to launch these attacks.

Iran has been helping these groups.

The U.S. is about to hit these groups and perhaps Iran What is the off-ramp, in Qatar's view, for what we're about to see, increasing escalation?

MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI: Well, the important thing here is for a measure of response and not to antagonize the -- all the sides in the region for open war.

While I fully understand that there is a lot of emotion also linked to this, we have to understand that, when this crisis started in Gaza, this is when this escalation started.

And unless we diffuse the original crisis here, unless we diffuse the war on Gaza, a lot of escalations will utilize that in the region, a lot of proxies will utilize that in the region to conduct such attacks.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Finally, sir, I will ask This was leaked audio to a group of family members of hostages being held in Gaza.

He said -- quote -- "You don't hear me thanking Qatar.

They have leverage because they finance Hamas."

I have asked you a version of this question before, bu say you are both arsonist and firefighter; you are coming in to try and mediat but you are the arsonist, in the sense that you're supporting Hamas.

What's your response to that?

MAJED BIN MO funding that was done through aid, then the be cause all the funding that went into aid into Gaza was done in complete coordination with Israel.

The money went we can work on mediation.

And this is what we have But I can tell you that, sadly, when we he the only thing we can see there is the politicization of this crisis.

He has made such statements about Qatar on the eve of -- and he doubled down on these statements on the eve of the meeting in Paris, when he is sending his chief of intelligence to meet with Qatar in the mediation.

And while he is engaged in that mediation, if he is sin Qatar, can he answer the question of why he worked with Qatar on the funding of the aid programs in Gaza, why he is working now in the mediation, and why, even on the 28th of September of last year, so just a week before the 7th of October, his government was engaged in mediation that Qatar was doing between Hamas and Israel?

It is totally unacceptable, but, sadly, we have grown accustomed to it.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Dr. Majed, thank you very much.

MAJED BIN MOHAMMED AL ANSARI: Thank you for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other headlines: Former President Donald Trump will remain on the Illinois primary ballot.

That state's election board declined today to surrounding the January 6 insurrection disqualified him under the U.S. Constitution.

The eight board members, Democrats and Republicans alike, said the courts must decide the constitutional question.

CATHERINE MC that there was an insurrection on January 6.

There's no doubt in my mind that he manipulated, on January 6.

However, hav GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments next week on whether Mr. Trump is ineligible for the ballot in the state of Colorado.

Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush has confirmed that she is under investigatio Justice Department.

It involves her personal security against far right attacks.

Bush denied wrongdoing today and said she's cooperating fully.

A court in Pakistan convicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan today of leaking state secrets and it sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

Prosecutors said he broke the law when he waived a confidential document at a politic rally.

The verdict AYAZ RANA, Pakistan Resident (through translator): Look at the decision.

They must have made it within the scope of our Constitution.

The punishment could also have been more extreme, but it's only 10 years made with some thought behind it.

SAADIA AHSAN, Pakistan Resident looters who have looted this country.

Imran Khan is our last hope.

The whole system is trying GEOFF BENNETT: Today's action comes days a on the ballot because he's already serving prison time for corruption.

The government of France announced new controls on foreign food products today in response to farmer protests.

They have been demonstrati costs, and less red tape.

They have used their tractors today to keep up the pressure.

STEPHANE CHOPIN, Organic Farmer (throu We were driven into organic farming.

And, today, it's not working anymor I'm selling the organic beef meat at the price I run my farm, but if I don't earn money I cannot invest.

It's an economy that doesn't function anymore.

GEOFF BENNETT: Farmers in Belgium and Spai the protest movement in solidarity.

Back in this country, U.S. consumer confidence has re The business research group Conference Board says its confidence index rose in January for a third straight month.

Analysts tied the increase to slower On Wall Street, stocks mostly drifted as Federal Reserve policymakers started their latest meeting on interest rates.

The Dow Jones industrial aver The Nasdaq fell 118 points.

The S&P 500 slipped three.

And this year's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song goes to his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin.

The Library of Congress announced the award today, c "Tiny Dancer," Rocket Man," and many others.

They will be honored at a concert in Washingto And the famed Broadway dancer, singer and actress Chita Rivera died today in New York.

Over seven decades, she garnered 10 Tony nominations, won twice, and blazed a trail for Latina artists.

Rivera first won fame in 1957 as Anita in the original "West Side Story."

She recalled that experience for "American Masters" on PBS back in 2006.

CHITA RIVERA, Dancer, Singer and Actress: Being inside of the piece was constant motion.

That's what the emotion of the gangs was all about.

That's what the youth of the time was all about, just movement, keep on moving.

That's why it was quick great to dance it and to sing it.

But just to sing it would not have been enough.

GEOFF BENNETT: Chita Rivera was 91 years old.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, on with the Biden campaign and his city's calls for a cease-fire in Gaza; major car manufacturers respond to recent challenges by slowing production of electric vehicles; and author Elizabeth Flock on telling three women's stories of using violence to fight abuse.

The U.S. House of Representatives is on the cusp of impeaching a Cabinet secretary for the first time in more than a century.

Tonight, Republicans on the Homeland Security Co impeachment against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Lisa Desjardins was in the hearing room and joins us now with more.

So, Lisa, House Republicans have signaled that this was coming.

What are their specific charges against the DHS secr LISA DESJARDINS: Let's look at the articles of imp There are two.

The first one is That basically accuses the secretary of allowing in hundreds of thousands of migr detaining them, then, secondly, a breach of public trust.

Now, part of that is the idea from Republicans.

They say that Mayorkas lied to them when he said that the bord control.

Now, Republi couple of hearings.

Still, Chairman of the REP. MARK GREEN ( We cannot allow fentanyl to flood across our border or criminals And we cannot allow a Cabinet secretary with no regard for the separation of powers with the rule of law to remain in office.

That is why today we present this committee Alejandro Mayorkas.

LISA DESJARDINS: this is political and unprecedented, impeaching a Cabinet secretary for what they say is real a policy difference.

Mayorkas sent this letter in the earl that: "The problems with our immigration system are not new."

He said: "We need a legislative solution that only Congress can provide.

You have claimed that we have failed to enforce immigration laws, and that Among other things, Mayorkas says he needs resources.

He needs the ability, more detention capacity, Th e question here, Geoff, is not really how do you fix the problem at the border.

It's, who do you blame?

This impeachment is not going to message is, is at stake.

GEOFF BENNET public's trust.

On what grou Provide the LISA DESJARD Let's look a the secretary of perjury before Congress.

So I want to play one of the sound bites that's at the cen This is an exchange that happened in 2022.

REP. CHIP ROY (R- ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security: (CROSSTALK) REP. CHIP ROY: We ALEJANDRO MA And, Congres (CROSSTALK) REP. CHIP ROY: ..

In this sect into the United States, including entries of terrorism, narcotics and other contraband.

Do you stand behind your testimony that we have ope definition?

ALEJANDRO MA And, Congres thing in 2020.

LISA DESJARDINS: But, as the secretary is saying, it says that no one could cross the border.

And what Mayorkas and the Biden White House have said is no one has ever met that standard in United States' history.

They instead are saying that there is a differe We know and I know from my reporting and political sources and some in the Trump universe say, yes, he does want to campaign on the border.

He does not necessarily want a deal or a soluti So, when you hear from Democrats today, as we heard from Democratic leaders, back to Trump.

REP. PETE AGUILAR This was never about migrants.

This was never about protecting ou Just like the baseless impeachments and everything else the MAGA Repu care about, it has always been about helping Donald Trump become president again.

LISA DESJARDINS: Republicans reject that, of course.

They say there is a real issue at the bor They really think this is a But at the same time as they're impeaching this secre to negotiate with other Republicans for a potential border deal on the Senate side.

So you can't miss the irony.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Li Secretary Mayorkas?

LISA DESJARDIN let me present from Mayorkas' side where we are.

There has been such a massive surge in numbers at the border.

So let's look at 2019, during the Trump presidency; 1.1 million encoun reported.

Let's look a So Mayorkas is saying, we have had a tripling of the amount of people we're bo rder.

But they say So they're saying, we're catching up with the past, despite these record numbers.

Republicans on their side said, though, you're not detaining as many, that catch-and-release is leaving more migrants, because there is a bigger surge, into this country.

And then you look at detention numbers.

I looked at those too.

Currently, we 2019, January of 2019, it was 46,500, so a higher number.

The sides debate why that is.

DHS says COVID is a factor, that s So there's a lot to unpack here, but the numbers at the border are really the issue.

And Republicans are blaming Mayorkas and Biden policy and they're impeaching him for it.

GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa Desjardins, thanks, as always, for that great reporting.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: As Hamas weighs a new proposal for a temporary truce in Gaza, protesters in the U.S. calling for a cease-fire have disrupted everything from commutes in New York City to a parade in Los Angeles.

And in cities across the country, groups have now taken their in some cases the topic is overtaking other priorities.

Stephanie Sy reports.

STEPHANIE SY: With the Israe plight of Palestinians in Gaza and in the occupied West Bank has taken on new urgency to activists like Shereen Nasser, a Cleveland resident with strong ties to Palestine.

SHEREEN NASSER, Palestinian Activist: We are struggling every day.

I wake up every morning and think of my dad, who is currently in the West Bank, and call him and be like, hey, just want to check on you, make sure you're still alive.

We're watching these horrific stories unfolding of our families back home.

STEPHANIE SY: She's channeled her grief into protest, and, lately, those protests have found their way to an unlikely venue, Cleveland's City Hall.

SHEREEN NASSER: If you see my humanity, then maybe the genocide of people that look li me, the family members of 25,000 Palestinians in the greater Cleveland area will be worthy of this city's empathy.

STEPHANIE SY: Si usually a forum to vent about local issues, has been dominated by talk of a war on the other side of the world, says Council President Blaine Griffin.

BLAINE GRIFFIN, President, Cleveland City Council: I would say approximatel of ten commentators almost every week for the last four to six that speak on that conflict.

STEPHANIE SY: These citi MAN: Cleveland City Council can, should and must pass a resolution calling for a cease-fi WOMAN: Join with other brave leaders and calls for a cease-fire.

MAN: Call for a cease-fire.

STEPHANIE SY: resolutions, which range from condemnation of both sides of the war to calling for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.

Daniel Hopkins, a political scientist at the University of part of a growing trend.

DANIEL HOPKINS, Univer the nationalization of American politics, so, increasingly, City board members and other local officials, whose training and whose experience is very much focused on their local communities, being forced oftentimes to weigh in on hot-button national issues on which they don't have a lot of experience.

BLAINE GRIFFIN: The topic is cease-fire and Gaza.

I can't speak for all of my colleagues, but ST EPHANIE SY: Griffin says the protests are interfering with other city priorities.

BLAINE GRIFFIN: Just keep reading -- first reading emergency resolutions.

Let's keep moving.

I have a bank There's community members that want to come down and petition the government for that.

There's people that want to talk about very critical issues.

And I think the unfortunate part is that people have been drowned out and don' in City Hall.

STEPHANIE SY Federation of Cleveland.

Watch as he speaks.

Two rows of activists MARC ASHED, Jewish Federation of Cleveland: th at they would be kidnapped, snatched fro The feeling of hostility in that room was very palpable.

For 16 days, there's no... (CROSSTALK) MAN: Please MARC ASHED: There' MAN: One second.

MARC ASHED: about the state of Israel or Israelis.

STEPHANIE SY: Because of the tenor of the hi s community to attend Cleveland City Council meetings.

But his organization wrote a letter to the council against the cease-fire resolution.

MARC ASHED: We all want to see a cease-fire, but we want to see a cease-fire that leads to peace, and any cease-fire that does not release the hostages and does not remove Hamas from power will only bring us back to this point in the future.

STEPHANIE SY: Ashed's opinion aligns with the Biden administration's policy.

WOMAN: The murder of 23,000 Palestinians still hasn't illuminated you all so-called lead MAN: OK.

So you refus STEPHANIE SY: Powerl have interrupted City Council meetings in cities across the country.

MAN: You are now disrupting this meeting.

You are disrupting the meeting.

You are ordered removed from this meeting.

STEPHANIE SY misinformation and baseless conspiracies.

WOMAN: Israel murdered their own people on October 7.

STEPHANIE SY: Dean Preston, a San Francisco city supervisor, says what he' Hall has been orderly.

DEAN PRESTON, hall.

I have been people coming These were entirely peaceful gatherings.

These folks are coming to their local legislative bodies.

They can't go meet with Joe Biden.

They can't get two minutes in front of t They can come to their local City Council, and that's why they're d STEPHANIE SY: Preston introduced a resolution calling for a cease-fire in of Israeli hostages that passed.

But San Francisco's Democratic mayor, London Breed, returned the resolu and issued a harsh statement, saying it made the city angrier, more divided and less safe.

Supervisor Preston, also a Democrat and the son of a Holocaust survivor, says the war is directly impacting San Franciscans.

DEAN PRESTON: Just this morning, I heard from a Palestinia Francisco who informed me -- and I quote -- "Seven more members of my family have been killed overnight."

This is not just something happening th And, frankly, when elected officials don't speak to this trauma, folks th at their pain is not being recognized.

STEPHANIE SY: But the resolutions have no legal auth DEAN PRESTON: It's not the case that any of our allies look to San Francisco or Cleve to learn what U.S. foreign policy is going to be, but I do think that they potentially can have an impact, say, within the Democratic Party, in that they can signal the extent of discontent and the sources of discontent around U.S. foreign policy set by the Biden administration.

STEPHANIE SY Shereen Nasser has no plans to stop speaking out.

SHEREEN NASSER: Going through this grief, I felt such an urgency to be in and do this work alongside my community, calling for a cease-fire, because I think about the kind of world I want to leave for my kids.

And so we're going to keep showing up.

We're going to, until the City Council says, we a BLAINE GRIFFIN: Khalia (ph) wants to talk about the cease-fire.

STEPHANIE SY: An impasse with no clear end in America's c East.

For the "PBS GEOFF BENNETT: Those cease-fire calls stretch from city ha the mayor's office in Dearborn, Michigan.

Laura Barron-Lopez has more.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Dearborn, American populations in the United States.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began, the city's resident to the region, have urged President Biden to endorse a cease-fire in Gaza.

The "NewsHour" has learned the president is planning a trip to Michigan on Thursday to rally with United Auto Workers after they endorsed his reelection bid.

The visit comes after Dearborn's mayor, Abdullah Hammoud, was one of several Arab American leaders who turned down a meeting with President Biden's campaign last week, and he joins me now.

Mayor Hammou Biden's campaign manager visited Michigan across the state.

Why did you choose to decl ABDULLAH HAMMOUD, Mayor of Dearborn, Michigan: We this is the moment that calls for electoral politics.

Palestinian lives should not be measured in polls.

For us, this is a moment for our concerns to be heard, a new course together in terms of changing the direction of what's happening overseas.

Those are conversations that need to be had with senior policy staff, with Cabinet members, not with campaign staff.

When you send ca us for the first time, that sends a message that this is purely a political problem that you see.

LAURA BARRON and would you meet with him if they did?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: At this point in t administration.

From my pers When you come together to talk about policies, that can save lives.

And so if the president or members of his administration, not his ca meet to talk about charting a new course together to fundamentally change the direction that they're currently on, to call for a cease-fire, to end the slaughter of innocent men, women, and children, that is a conversation that we're willing to have.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Mayor, there's no indication from t that he is going to change his position on Gaza and on Israel.

So barring a call for a cease-fire, do you think that you and the voters that you represent can support him come November?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: From our pe as it pertains to the upcoming elections, because it dehumanizes us.

It lets us know again that all that matters are polls and outcomes.

For us, more than anything, we understand that the stance that we have taken, one where we're demanding a cease-fire, is not one that's only relevant and important to Arab Ameri and Muslim Americans.

Frankly, this is Over 60 percent support a cease-fire.

Over 80 percent of Democrats support a cease-fire.

So we think this is the right path forward for office in the world.

LAURA BARRON but I do want to ask you about Donald Trump, who appears for president, and he's made his stance on the war abundantly clear.

DONALD TRUMP, Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential C When I'm back to the Palestinians and the terrorists on day one.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE) LAURA BARRON Trump, based on policies like what you just heard, who do you believe woul your constituents?

ABDULLAH HAMMO to what is being said by Trump and other Republican candidates at the podium.

But as it pertains to the decisions that are being made overseas, it seems like there's no real difference between President -- former President Trump and current Pres For us, I have a value statement.

I believe that no innocent man, woman or child And I'm looking for the president that does not believe that that statement has I think that's a universal value that we should all adopt.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Mayor, respectfully, I know you sai difference, but the former President Trump has also floated religious ha s also said that he would reject Gazan refugees, something that the current president hasn't said.

So, do you - ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: You know, I said there was no difference as it pertains to some of the decision-making that's happening right now in Gaza.

From my perspective, Trump is not a candidate that I back.

The question that you're asking me is actually a question that needs to b the laps of the president.

He is the candidate that is So the question has to be put to him.

What will he do to earn the trust and the respect of to represent in that White House?

That is a question that falls As somebody who's run for office, I don't lo if I'm not elected to the office.

As a candidate, I look in the in this nation at this point in time, 50 percent of which, by the way, also believe th is unfolding is a genocide.

And so that questi How will you change course to listen and heed the concerns of LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Mayor, what do you think your party and President Biden is not understanding or needs to fully understand about Muslim and Arab Americans in Michigan right now?

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: You know, we don't have to think about what it's like in Gaza today.

We don't have to think about what it's like in many of the Arab countries that have bombs being dropped on a daily basis.

We have lived through those moments.

Many of my residents have had towers have been bombed.

They have ha We have one resident who bur We have another resident who hails from (INAUDIBLE) which is a cleansed, whose father, grandfat er and great-grandfather were the groundskeepers of the Masjid al Quds.

And so, for us, we have lived through apartheid.

We have lived through occu We have lived through bein And so for us, it's extremely personal.

What we're asking from this president and th is community, listen to our stories, because we have the firsthand accounts of wha like living under these conditions.

And let's put the pen in both of our hands together about how we can usher a new foreign policy era for us as a nation.

The days of endless wars in the Middle East have to close.

We thought we closed that chapter, but that's not what's unfolding today LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Mayor Abdullah Hammoud of Dearborn, Michigan, thank you for your time.

ABDULLAH HAMMOUD: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: Last year was a record year for electric vehicles in the U.S., more than 1.2 million sold.

That was 50 percent higher than in 2 And yet there are signs that demand for E.V.s appears to be slow as intense as either automakers or the Biden administration has expected.

To help us understand where things are, we're joined now by Jessica Caldwell of Edmunds.com.

So, it feels, Jessica, like the general perception of electric vehicles, in some ways fueled by media reports, is that the demand is slowing, the market is slowing heading into this new year.

Is that narr JESSICA CALD The thing is that E.V.s are still gr You look at E.V.

sales, they It's just maybe not as steep as to get swept up in a new technology.

It was very exciting.

Sales were accelerating.

And it just doesn't work that way The more vehicles you sell, the harder people will become to convert.

You start losing some of those early adopters that wanted to get mass market starts to buy the vehicle.

And those people are a b a lot more concerns.

So, it's not a sur I just think it's good to th ought.

GEOFF BENNET sales has slowed.

And that follows recent an going to cut back some of the production of new electric vehicles and delay some Why?

What account Help us unde JESSICA CALD I mean, I th We're in an era right now where prices Interest rates are high.

When we look expensive vehicle purchases.

And that's not the c We're looking at int And that definitely adds cost to it.

And I think we're having people about some of the charging networks.

And as you look around, you may no as maybe you had thought.

So, I think some of terms of sales.

But we do know t But we're bound to hit road bumps.

And I think that's what we're se GEOFF BENNETT: There was thi going to sell about a third of their global electric vehicle fleet and use some proceeds to buy gas-powered cars.

What's the deal with that?

Is that abou JESSICA CALDWELL: Yes, I mean, I think that was an interesting deal, because I think, when you think about short-term ownership or short-term challenging, because you're asking people to have a completely different relationship with their vehicles.

So, if you'r where to charge it.

You may not be set u this is a temporary thing, you're not going to necessarily invest the money.

So I think that could be some of the issues too.

And I know they complained a lot And I think a part of it again is going to a new technology.

Not everyone is feeling comfortable perhaps fixing batteri And maybe we're hearing that the vehicles are just being scrapped instead, which very wasteful.

But it's lik And I could see if you are a repair shop, maybe you just don't want to GEOFF BENNETT: In the meantime, the Biden administration announced they're going to invest 325 million more dollars in programs that would advance E.V.

technology.

They'd repai How far will that go toward making E.V.s more affordable and more accessible?

JESSICA CALDWELL: There needs to be a lot of investment in this.

And it's a lot of investment in different areas.

It's not even about batteries get that going.

It is also about inf It is about better charging.

It is about fixing current So, as we move towards this, it's def There needs to be automakers, the government, everyone working in concert to get this whole thing moving along, because it's not just one party.

And asking people to commit to buying a new vehicle when not everything is necessarily functioning at 100 percent is going to be a challeng And that's always what we're hearing from consumers.

They're worried about range.

They're worried They're worr And that freedom just to go wh And I think that's what scares people, even if it's not something that they even do once a year.

It's the ide And I think That idea th And it happens all the time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jessica C Thanks so much for your time.

JESSICA CALDWELL: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: In Greek and Roman mythology, the Furies are three goddesses who punish the wicked, delivering vengeance to an unfair, unlawful world.

William Brangham talks with a former "NewsHour" reporter and the author of a new book that paints a portrait of three modern-day women who similarly used violence when they had no other option.

WILLIAM BRANGH nearly killed her and was choking her brother.

In India, Angoori Dahariya, a lower-caste woman unfairly evicted from to become the leader of a gang of women who punish those who hurt other poor women.

And, in Syria, teenaged Cicek Mustafa Zibo joins an all-female militia that's fighting a violent campaign against the Islamic State group, which is terrorizing their country.

How this violence changes each of these women and has lasting implications on them and their broader communities is the subject of a new book called "The Furies: Women, Vengeance, and Justice."

And it is wr Liz, so good to have you back on the "NewsHour."

Can you just tell us a little bit more about these at you?

ELIZABETH FL this project vigilantes, antiheroes.

They populate so many of our movies and son And I really wanted to understand why that was.

And I think we're obsessed with these stories because we wish in a way that we cou them.

One in three women has f And so I think when we see these depictions on screen in pop culture, we wish that we could be those women fighting back.

And so, as a journalist, my wo men who have fought back?

So I spent five years going arou violence with violence of their own, and I wanted to understand whether that violence helped or harmed them and their communities and to understand why they had to fight back and what had happened that they hadn't been protected.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, that last point book, that, while these women's circumstances are all quite different, they each felt, no one else is looking out for me in this given circumstance, and so they had to take the most drastic step.

ELIZABETH FLOCK: Right.

In all of th way, whether it was the police or the court system or the state itself.

They hadn't protected women, hadn't responded to their complaints of domestic or sexual violence, and so the women ultimately took up arms themselves to defend themselves and their communities, and felt that they had no other option.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, it really is a condemnation of our collective society.

ELIZABETH FLOCK: Yes.

I mean, I th the solution, but it is asking the question, what would you do if you were in a scenario where you were facing domestic or sexual violence and no one was responding to your complaints or protecting you?

You would have to -- wou And so I think that was a question I had as a journalist throughout to understand.

Brittany Smith shot What should she have done instead?

Angoori Dahariya was wielding ba police had failed to respond to complaints of domestic violence for years.

And Cicek was a fighter in an all-female militia fighting ISIS after the total failure of the Syrian state.

And so she felt like there was WI LLIAM BRANGHAM: One of the things that's so striking about your boo refuse to romanticize these women.

I mean, you portray them, in some ways, all taking heroi but you also show the flip side of that, that their violence has implications, that the corruption can come with power, and that that seems to be a real central focus of this, that it's not a rosy image of all of this.

ELIZABETH FLOCK: Yes, I think, even as a journalist, when I started o of rose-colored glasses on about these women.

I thought, wow, this gang of women in India is fight How cool.

How interest And even the media has glamorized them quite a bit and said, look at these amazing women wielding Kalashnikovs against ISIS.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And EL IZABETH FL And the longer I worked on this, the more complicated I found all of these women.

Brittany struggled with drug addiction.

Angoori was really invested in her own power.

Cicek really was obsessed with the ideology of the Kurdish leaders.

And I think that was really important to show.

And that's why you work on a book project this length, bec back past the two-dimensional depictions of these kinds of And so this is the story of women doing extraordinary things.

But it's also the story of the complications of that.

And I think, I hope that the reader would Li ke, is this OK?

Is this not OK Where did th What would I do?

And just how complicated all o WILLIAM BRANGHAM: You were saying before that, as y you have been hearing from other women who have had kindred kinds of experiences.

Can you explain what you're hearing?

ELIZABETH FLOCK: Yes and said, I faced some kind of sexual or domestic abuse, or even just something as low-level as sexual harassment, or something really violent, and felt like they didn't know what to do, that they looked back and wished that they had fought back, that they understood what this book was about, that they felt some kind of rage or violence.

A lot of people have said just the word relatable.

So, I think, unfortunately, it is still such a silent epidemic, domesti We know it's all around us, but we often don't hear about it, and I think there's a reason that these stories really resonate with everyone.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In the epilogue of yo women's actions both helped and hurt them.

No one gets a happy ending in this book, as you report, but you also because they live in -- quote -- "damaging cultures of honor."

What do you mean by that?

ELIZABETH FLOC And so it's kind of a double thing that's happening to them, which is that, first, not protected, and then they fight back and then they're punished for it.

So, Brittany was arrested and charged with murder.

Angoori was also arrested and sometimes ostracized in her community.

And Cicek is suffering with PTSD from fighting in war, which so often happens.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Grievous injuries.

ELIZABETH FL Her whole stomach is She was hit by drone strikes.

The stories are incredible.

But I think part of the reason is that I found all three of these women - these locations.

They -- these locations that all of them, whether it was rural Alabama or Northern India or Northeast Syria, all of them had these cultures of honor, where honor was such an important concept for the men that live there and defending their honor.

And I think that is what led to a lot of the domestic and s And, as a result, these women were punished for fighting back and speaking up.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The book is "The Furies: Women, Vengeance, and Justice."

Elizabeth Flock, so great to see you.

Thank you.

ELIZABETH FLOCK: Thank you, William.

GEOFF BENNETT: Wynette Smith is the longtime owner of Starlet Dance Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Despite facing a range of of dancers who keep coming back.

Tonight, Wynette Smith shares her Brief But Sp WYNETTE SMITH, Owner, Starlet Dance Studio: These are students that I have had over the years.

These are my I never had any.

So these are my chil I got lots of kids.

(LAUGHTER) WYNETTE SMIT Wow, wow.

Old age is quite a It's just my body's saying, time to rest.

Right now, I teach tap.

I teach the advanced ballet.

Now, ballet is my favorite.

I start with the 3-year-olds And my oldest student at this An d a lot of them, when they were growing up, they dreamed of doing dancin And now that they're older and retired, they want to try it.

And for my teachers that teach for me, they started with me when they were an d now they're teaching.

And they wouldn't have that if I It's just part of my life.

It's just like thi To me, dance is an art.

When you're dancing, when you're doi It's from your heart.

And when it's in ballet, it's like, I I love you.

These shoes are all shoe Katie danced here.

(LAUGHTER) WYNETTE SMIT And so mom decided to put me in dancing, because she took t So that's how I got started at the age of 6.

The dancing really helped.

It really brought me So, by the time I was in hig It was fun dancing in front of an audience.

I wasn't afraid at all.

And from there, I just started teaching That's when I was in college.

I have been the owne In this North Valley, this has been the only dance studio forever.

I just got all my joy out of the dance studio.

I want everybody to have a chance to experience dance.

It's not just saying, gee, look how high I can get my leg.

It's your heart and your soul.

This studio, I'm working on third and fourth ge So it's like a family.

Everybody knows everybody.

We're all he It's just very intertwined.

My hopes is that Starlet Dance Studio will rema grown up and are now teaching for me will have a venue and a place to go.

And I hope they continue the heart, the heart part of it.

My name is Wynette Smith, and this is my Brief But Spectacular take on the art form of dance.

It's from the heart.

GEOFF BENNETT: Such an inspirat You can watch more Brief But Spectacular videos online at And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

Thanks for spe with us.