GEOFF BENNETT: Good evening.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: The CEO of Chipmaker Nvidia admits to an affair with a woman accused of being a Chinese spy.

A look at the risks to national security and the economy.

GEOFF BENNETT: Congress returns to Washington after a midterm election that exposed deep voter frustration with President Trump's war in Iran.

Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces the prospect of impeachment.

AMNA NAWAZ: And young adults in Gaza pursue a college degree despite years of violence and displacement.

AHMED SABAH, Student, University of the People: I don't want my life to be just a mere survival.

I want to continue education.

(BREAK) AMNA NAWAZ: Welcome to the "News Hour."

Lawmakers, investors, and tech leaders around the world spent part of this day assessing the bombshell revelations about Nvidia, one of the world's most valuable companies, and its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang.

GEOFF BENNETT: Nvidia designs the chips and processors that power artificial intelligence, and now its CEO faces mounting scrutiny inside the company on Capitol Hill and in the courts.

Following media reports, Huang admitted he was having an affair.

The woman is said to be a suspected Chinese spy, raising questions about Huang, President Trump's relationship with him, and Huang's dealings with China on critical technology.

President Trump spoke about it at the White House a short time ago.

And that's where William Brangham begins our coverage.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: President Trump tonight defended Jensen Huang, saying he'd learned about the allegations some time ago.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: He's an amazing guy.

I just hope it's -- I hope there's no problem.

If there is a problem, we will let you know about it, but I hope there's no problem.

I believe he's suffering greatly.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The president also said the FBI is involved and that he reached out to Huang today.

DONALD TRUMP: I asked him that question.

Did you have any idea that she was a spy?

He said: "I had no idea that she was a spy."

And I really believe him.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The president's comments came in the wake of this shocking revelation from Silicon Valley.

JENSEN HUANG, CEO, Nvidia: Blackwell architecture.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The head of one of the companies' most critical to the development of artificial intelligence, Jensen Huang, admitted to having an extramarital affair with Alice Huang, a Chinese tech executive and suspected spy in the pink dress.

There's no relation.

She's an executive at another computing and AI giant, the Singapore-based firm Megaspeed, which is also one of Nvidia's largest customers.

According to reporting by The Financial Times and other news organizations, the Trump administration had intelligence reports indicating Alice Huang had been recruited by the Chinese Ministry of Security, known as the MSS, to gather information on Nvidia.

The Chinese government has categorically denied the accusations.

GUO JIAKUN, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson (through translator): We have previously responded to this matter.

The so-called claims of a Chinese spy narrative are purely a groundless accusation.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Jensen Huang, in a statement yesterday, admitted to the affair in a company-wide statement -- quote -- "I was unfaithful to my wife.

My actions hurt her and our children.

There is no excuse for what I did.

I am deeply sorry."

Two of Huang's children work at Nvidia.

The company's board of directors launched an independent probe, saying -- quote -- "While the board has no reason to believe that either national security or Nvidia secrets were compromised, the board's inquiry will examine all available information."

Separately, on Capitol Hill, three Republican chairmen of different House committees have requested a closed-door briefing with Huang to determine -- quote -- "the extent to which U.S.

national security has been put at risk."

Last night, President Trump defended Jensen Huang.

DONALD TRUMP: I think he probably has an excuse for it.

You have to hear it.

I think he's an honorable guy.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Huang founded Nvidia in 1993, but he first rose to prominence in late 2023, when Nvidia's computer processors and hardware helped usher in the boom in artificial intelligence.

Since then, Huang has developed a close relationship with President Trump.

JENSEN HUANG: Mr.

President.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Even taking a personal call from the president while on stage at an AI summit.

DONALD TRUMP: It's all a hoax.

The data centers are great.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: On that call, Trump reiterated his opposition to any legislation that would restrict the growth of artificial intelligence, a view that Huang himself shares.

JENSEN HUANG: Market forces are already there.

We don't need any new laws.

We don't need new regulations.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Huang's relationship with the Trump administration also helped his successful lobbying campaign to allow Nvidia to sell some of its AI chips to Beijing earlier this year.

Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries today said he supported greater regulation of AI exports to China.

REP.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): There are provisions currently in the Senate that will restrict chip access to China that I strongly support.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Now this accusation of possible espionage inside one of the most critical tech firms in the world will be a center of attention as the lame-duck Congress returns to work this week.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm William Brangham.

AMNA NAWAZ: For more on the national security risks of Nvidia's CEO having an affair with a possible foreign intelligence agent, we turn to Christopher Johnson.

He had a 20-year career in the U.S.

intelligence community where he focused on China.

He now runs his own consulting firm, the China Strategies Group.

Welcome, and thanks for being with us.

So, Jensen Huang has admitted to this affair.

Alice Huang is accused of being a spy.

What does China have to gain from one of their alleged assets having an affair with the head of Nvidia?

What possible information could that yield?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON, President and CEO, China Strategies Group: Well, that's a key question in all this is -- I think first some background.

When China sets a national strategic priority or a whole-of-country effort like this, they will do anything they can to achieve the objective, and that includes working their way, buying their way, and often stealing their way to a capability, whether it's a technology or something else they need.

So, in this case, we need to look at, what was the sort of motivation, if you will, behind the operation?

I see two possibilities.

One is that they wanted to place someone physically close to Mr.

Huang in order to have access to his electronic equipment, his phones, his computer, things like that.

The reporting we have seen so far suggests a broader influence operation, however, where the goal seemed to be to encourage Mr.

Huang to use his access to President Trump, probably not to rescind existing export controls, but to prevent him from issuing new ones that would limit Nvidia sales to China.

And so, in that case, that tells us pretty clearly that the Chinese, despite their public rhetoric about making great strides in AI and so on and so forth, are still very, very worried about this fundamental choke hold that faces them, which is the U.S.

control over the export of these advanced chips.

AMNA NAWAZ: And from what you know about Chinese intelligence operations and techniques, how typical is it for them to do this kind of thing, recruit an agent, someone to have an intimate relationship with a potential U.S.

target?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Well, it's somewhat odd in their history.

They're not above it, of course, but you see this a lot more with the Russian services, I would argue, and so on.

Oftentimes, we do see the Chinese Ministry of State Security, however, engaging in access agent operations, where they find someone who is close to an individual that they're targeting and use that person in order to gain influence with the person who's their ultimate target.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, for U.S.

lawmakers who now say they want to get some answers, try to determine the extent to which U.S.

national security may have been put at risk, I heard you mention that one of the aims here could be proximity to Huang's personal devices, his phone and laptop and such.

What kinds of questions should lawmakers be asking right now to determine that potential national security risk?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Well, I think they're going to be asking a lot of questions, one of which will be, based on some of the reporting we have seen, there seems to be some lack of clarity with regard to the process inside the Trump administration for how this issue came to light.

In a typical investigation, a counterintelligence investigation like this, we would expect to see activity by the Department of Justice's National Security Division, the FBI, and, of course, the CIA's counterintelligence function.

In some ways, it sounds like Secretary Rubio was running this process this time, which is somewhat unusual.

So, if I'm a lawmaker, I want to know what was happening in terms of the process.

We certainly want to know, did Mr.

Huang have any awareness of this person's affiliation with Chinese intelligence?

My guess is, he probably did not.

Also they will be asking serious questions about concerns about diversion of Chinese -- Nvidia chips to Chinese companies through these companies like Ms.

Huang's in Southeast Asia.

AMNA NAWAZ: The reporting so far that President Donald Trump, other Trump administration officials were briefed about the affair roughly a year before these public revelations, and as The New York Times has reported that they chose not to do anything with that information, what is your reaction to that?

Does that say to you in any way that there's already been a determination that there was no national security risk here?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: I don't think so.

I think what it reflects -- and we saw it in President Trump's interview on "60 Minutes" last night.

When asked about artificial intelligence, or, as he calls it, superintelligence, his answer was very clear, which is, we're in a competition with China, we're in a war, if you will, with China to lead in artificial intelligence, and I don't want to do anything that slows us down in that competition.

Nvidia is critical, right, to that competition.

And I think the president probably thought there may not be enough here to pursue.

Now, I think, with all this scrutiny, obviously, he said today that the FBI is investigating and looking into the situation, so he's showing provisional backing for Mr.

Huang, but we will see what comes out of the investigation.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, we should remind folks Jensen Huang did fly with President Trump on Air Force One to China earlier in this year in May.

He's one of a number of tech CEOs to join him on that trip.

President Trump could be meeting with Xi Jinping again later this month on the sidelines of the APEC summit, and it's reported that he wants Jensen Huang to come with him again.

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: In your view, is that appropriate?

Is that a smart move right now?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Well, I think it's up to the president, but there certainly raises a lot of questions.

And I think, if I'm President Trump, I'd be concerned about his attendance overshadowing the meeting I'm going to have with President Xi Jinping, where they will be discussing very important matters in the bilateral relationship.

AMNA NAWAZ: All right, that is Chris Johnson of the China Strategies Group, joining us tonight.

Thank you so much for your time.

CHRISTOPHER JOHNSON: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, for its part, the broader market rallied today, but Nvidia shares took a hit, closing down more than 4 percent.

And the economic stakes extend well beyond Nvidia itself.

With a market value still exceeding $4 trillion, the company has become a major driver of the stock market and a central force in the AI boom.

For more on that, we turn now to Mohamed El-Erian, professor at the Wharton School of Business and chief economic adviser at Allianz.

Thanks for being back with us here on the "News Hour."

We appreciate it.

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, Chief Economic Adviser, Allianz: Thank you, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: It is hard to imagine a CEO more synonymous with his own company than Jensen Huang.

In many ways, Nvidia is Jensen Huang, and Jensen Huang is Nvidia.

What does it mean for his company and the broader AI industry if his leadership is now suddenly in question?

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN: So he's the founder, the CEO, the director, the president of Nvidia, and all that doesn't even capture how important he is to the company and to the sector.

As we just heard, it is the most critical company in tech worldwide.

It brings together software, hardware.

It provides financing to many other tech firms.

So it's also at the center of the financing relationship.

And tech has been, and AI in particular has been an engine of growth and is the promise of future productivity.

So this is really central, not just in terms of national security, domestic politics, and geopolitics, as we heard earlier, but in terms of economics and finance.

GEOFF BENNETT: Jensen Huang, as I understand it, has some 60 direct reports.

He has no obvious successor.

He has built a company so closely identified with his own leadership that replacing him will be enormously difficult.

Even the board, as I'm told, is loyal to him.

There's been so much focus on what happens if he goes.

My question is, what happens if he stays?

Does Nvidia risk sending the message that he's simply too important to be held accountable?

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN: Look, the board has two huge challenges.

One is conducting an independent investigation into the founder of the company and into the person who probably asked you to join the board.

So they have got to be independent, they have got to be comprehensive, and they have got to keep shareholder interest front and center.

Then you have a second issue, which is what's called key man risk.

One of the responsibilities of a board is to make sure that there is a succession.

And, clearly, as you said, no one knows what would happen if Jensen Huang has to step down.

So they also have to deal with this key person risk.

So, this board, believe me, will be having lots and lots of calls trying to sort out these two issues, and doing so while the political arm is also interested in what is going on in the company right now.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk more about that, because the Trump administration has favored limited AI regulation.

But do these revelations combined with the Democrats set to take over the House and Senate, does that does that change the political calculus in Washington?

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN: So, even before we heard the news about Jensen, there was questioning about the let it rip approach of the Trump administration, just let AI go, because, if we don't, according to that view, China will take the lead, and this is really consequential.

So there were concerns we were going to have some sand in the wheels, if you like, to slow this down, because we're starting to realize, Geoff, it's not just about the benefits of AI.There's also collateral damage and unintended consequences that need to be a risk-managed.

And you can't just ignore them, because they may be problematic down the road.

So what this will do is, it will get Congress even more interested into, how do you put more sand in the wheels and try to slow down a little bit the development, not a lot?

But for example, it's not about not building data centers.

It's about building data centers better.

And it's going to be that sort of distinction that we're going to see come to the fore.

GEOFF BENNETT: Mohamed El-Erian, always great to speak with you.

Thanks for being with us.

MOHAMED EL-ERIAN: Thank you.

AMNA NAWAZ: We start the day's other headlines at the U.S.

Supreme Court.

The justices are allowing the Trump administration to continue building a section of border wall in a remote part of Texas that includes Big Bend National Park.

This would involve barriers and surveillance equipment along a 500-mile stretch of the U.S.

border with Mexico.

Environmental groups and locals had challenged the construction, saying it would damage the natural area and historic sites.

But the High Court decided to lift a halt on the work placed by a federal judge as a lower court battle plays out.

Well, there's been another high-level resignation at the Department of Justice.

Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate is stepping down as head of the department's civil division.

Under his watch, the unit oversaw cases involving mail-in voting restrictions, in-state tuition for undocumented citizens, and laws that aim to ban federal agents from wearing masks.

He is the fourth top-ranking official to leave the DOJ since last week's midterm elections.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged long-range strikes today ahead of U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.

Russian officials say Ukrainian drones hit an apartment building in its Leningrad region, as well as an oil refinery.

Russia, meanwhile, launched hundreds of drones across Ukraine, as Moscow continues to target the country's power grid.

Civilians were killed in both strikes.

Meantime, in Paris.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S.

Secretary of State: Yes.

No, I mean, I think, if we don't try, the chances of it working are zero.

AMNA NAWAZ: Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the G7 that postwar security guarantees for Ukraine will top the agenda at tomorrow's peace talks, though Rubio himself won't be taking part.

French officials are blaming Iran for a massive cyberattack last month on supermarket refrigerators.

The attacks sent temperatures soaring for hundreds of fridges nationwide, forcing stores to throw out fresh and frozen goods.

The French foreign minister blamed the attack on Iran's Revolutionary Guard and threatened further European Union sanctions against Iran.

Similar attacks were reported last week in Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and other nations.

Iran has consistently denied carrying out any malicious cyber operations.

In Poland, the gunman who killed six people and injured 15 others this weekend died today in a hospital.

(GUNSHOTS) AMNA NAWAZ: Eyewitness video showed people fleeing from gunfire near Krakow's historic Main Square on Saturday.

Police say the 24-year-old assailant was a Polish national dressed in camouflage and a bulletproof vest.

Police later shot him after he crashed his car.

Today, mourners laid candles and flowers at a growing makeshift memorial.

Bullet holes from the attack were just feet away, and many were still shaken.

AGATA LAKOMA, Krakow, Poland, Resident (through translator): I was at the town square last night just to process what had happened.

Truth is, it could have been me.

It could have been my loved ones, my friends, my family.

AMNA NAWAZ: Authorities say the attacker held -- quote -- "very radical and ultra-nationalistic views," but they're still working to determine a motive.

British comedian Russell Brand was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison today for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

At a hearing in London, Judge Joel Bennathan called him a sexual predator and denounced what he called Brand's arrogant disregard towards women.

JUDGE JOEL BENNATHAN, High Court of Justice, United Kingdom: The whole episode wreaks of casual disrespect and your belief that fame meant you could act how you liked, when you liked, unhindered by the rules by which decent people live.

AMNA NAWAZ: The 51-year-old showed little emotion as the sentence was handed down, with his wife looking on.

Last week, Brand was found guilty of attacking four of his six accusers.

He maintains his innocence, saying that all the encounters were consensual.

In New Delhi, a thick smog blanketed the city today after Diwali celebrations this weekend added to already high pollution levels.

Residents of India's capital lit firecrackers and fireworks to mark the Hindu Festival of Lights last night.

By this morning, the air quality index was severe and visibility was limited.

Just last month, India's Supreme Court restricted conventional firecrackers, allowing only green alternatives.

Still, some residents and tourists were left feeling sick.

SALMAN USMANI, Tourist in New Delhi (through translator): I'm having a lot of difficulties breathing.

I feel suffocated.

It wasn't this bad on my previous visits.

But since I came today, it is really difficult to breathe.

The situation here is very serious.

AMNA NAWAZ: Even without the fireworks, New Delhi and its surrounding areas typically rank among the world's most polluted cities during winter.

Back here, the Food and Drug Administration issued a new warning today about the risk of vision loss related to popular GLP-1 weight loss and diabetes drugs.

Health officials say drugs like Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Ozempic by Novo Nordisk must add a warning label about the rare disease, which can cause blurred vision or even blindness.

They say anyone experiencing such problems should contact a health care professional immediately.

The condition is permanent with no known treatment, though experts say it occurs in only a tiny fraction of patients.

On Wall Street today, stocks rallied to start the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 1,100 points.

The Nasdaq soared nearly 2.75 percent.

The S&P 500 posted its best day since April.

Still to come on the "News Hour": how Democrats are thinking about the future of South Carolina after their surprise victory; Amy Walter and Tamara Keith break down the latest post-election headlines; and one effort to help people in Gaza get a college education.

GEOFF BENNETT: There were some new faces on Capitol Hill today.

Incoming lawmakers arrived in Washington for their new class orientation.

But for the current House and the Senate, it was back to business.

AMNA NAWAZ: They began one final stretch of work before the GOP loses control of Congress in January.

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Lisa Desjardins has more.

LISA DESJARDINS: With an impeachment brewing in Congress... PETE HEGSETH, U.S.

Defense Secretary: No, we're not worried about that.

LISA DESJARDINS: ... Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth today appeared to brush it all off.

PETE HEGSETH: Well, there's a lot of politically motivated people who have may have substantial policy disagreements.

But their disagreements are with success.

LISA DESJARDINS: The effort is being led by outgoing Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who today renewed his articles of impeachment, charging that Hegseth should be dismissed for what he says is unlawful war in Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela, and extrajudicial killings at sea.

REP.

THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): My hope is that this will make it to the Senate.

I don't know if we have enough votes.

I have no idea.

I haven't spent time on the phone calling people.

I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do.

LISA DESJARDINS: As for President Trump... DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: Massie is a loser.

LISA DESJARDINS: ... his faith in the secretary hasn't wavered, as he claimed to Ross Douthat on "60 Minutes" last night.

DONALD TRUMP: We've won two wars.

We've won Venezuela.

We won that war in less than one hour.

ROSS DOUTHAT, CBS News: And you credit Hegseth... DONALD TRUMP: And nobody was killed.

ROSS DOUTHAT: You credit Pete Hegseth for that?

DONALD TRUMP: No.

But he was a part of it.

LISA DESJARDINS: And, today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also backed Hegseth.

MARCO RUBIO, U.S.

Secretary of State: I think it's unfair.

Yes, I look, I think it's -- I think Pete's done a good job.

I really do.

LISA DESJARDINS: But, by House rules, the motion to impeach Hegseth will get a vote this week.

REP.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution.

LISA DESJARDINS: And it received a strong endorsement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

REP.

HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Pete Hegseth has abused his power, undermined America's national security, and he's the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran.

LISA DESJARDINS: Jeffries' fellow Democrats are widely on board, and a number of Republicans have signaled either support or indecision.

House Financial Services Chairman French Hill told "Face the Nation" on CBS, he wouldn't rule anything out.

REP.

FRENCH HILL (R-AR): Well, I want to hear the debate on it to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president, if he's not getting the job done, and leading the Department of War.

That's the issue.

MAN: The House will be in order.

LISA DESJARDINS: This as Congress convened for the first time since the election.

WOMAN: Senate will come to order.

LISA DESJARDINS: Returning to a very different Washington.

Capitol Hill halls are already lined with boxes and couches, as losing members start moving out.

But for a new class, optimism was in the air during today's orientation... WOMAN: I'm excited.

LISA DESJARDINS: ... about their wins and agenda items like affordability.

DANIEL BISS (D), Illinois Representative-Elect: People can't afford groceries.

They can't afford gas.

They can't afford health care.

They can't afford rent.

That's true in Democratic and Republican districts.

FRED WELLMAN (D), Missouri Representative-Elect: There really is already conversations happening in the hallways.

And I joke a lot that I feel like a congressman today, you know, because we're actually having these conversations about making change for people.

LISA DESJARDINS: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was surrounded by senators-elect, including some who say they will not support him as leader.

Even after the blue tsunami, this Congress still faces a large workload, including keeping the government funded.

But on immigration: ROSS DOUTHAT: Do you think immigration hurt you in the midterms?

DONALD TRUMP: I think... ROSS DOUTHAT: Do you think the crackdown hurt you?

DONALD TRUMP: I think it both helped and hurt.

I think... LISA DESJARDINS: In his "60 Minutes" interview, President Trump expressed a desire to work with Democrats, though he didn't get into specifics.

ROSS DOUTHAT: You think your deportation policy... DONALD TRUMP: I think it was... ROSS DOUTHAT: ... went too far?

DONALD TRUMP: ... too tough.

ROSS DOUTHAT: It was too tough?

DONALD TRUMP: I think it might be too tough, yes.

ROSS DOUTHAT: What does a deal look like... DONALD TRUMP: I think ultimately... ROSS DOUTHAT: ... with the Democrats?

DONALD TRUMP: ... that hurt me.

Well, the deal would be we would work something out.

And I think it's something -- I think that's something that's actually doable.

LISA DESJARDINS: Those comments as the man behind the immigration crackdown, Stephen Miller, had his first day on the job as White House chief of staff.

And on TRUTH Social, an all-too familiar tone from the president, questioning the legitimacy of the midterms, without any evidence.

And we are waiting to see when the House vote on the Pete Hegseth articles of impeachment will take place.

It will happen quickly.

Under House rules, Speaker Johnson must hold it within two legislative days.

The exact timing, however, is up to him -- Amna, Geoff.

GEOFF BENNETT: And, Lisa, on that front, where do the votes stand at the moment?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

Nick Schifrin and I both have sources in House Republican leadership that say they believe the votes are there, in fact, to impeach Secretary Hegseth.

And I want to talk a little bit about how this is going to work now.

First of all, as many people know, it requires a majority vote of the House of Representatives.

We believe those votes are there right now.

It would require at least three Republicans to support the effort in order to get a majority now.

Again, those votes seem to be there.

Two-thirds vote, however, is required in the Senate to convict.

This is why we have had only two Cabinet secretaries in U.S.

history ever been impeached, and none -- neither one of them have ever been convicted, the most recent of those, of course, Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS secretary.

The one before that was 100 years earlier.

It is the Senate where we are now watching votes, especially on Hegseth impeachment.

AMNA NAWAZ: Lisa, as you reported there, you have those newly elected members of Congress arriving in Washington for orientation.

I know you have been speaking with a few of them.

What stands out to you?

LISA DESJARDINS: Oh, it's fascinating.

First, just a quick update on the numbers in the House right now.

Democrats have gained 42 seats.

In our tracker, we have another four that they are poised to flip at this point.

So, that would give them about 258 seats in the House, a remarkable number.

As to the freshmen that I met today, the incoming congressmen, in the words of Sam Forstag, who's a congressman-elect from Montana, it was amazingly normal.

Really, there was a lack of air of politics about them.

Many of them are first-time members.

What you couldn't miss, however, was the sheer size of the group.

Let me show you an example.

These are the newly elected Republicans and those with enough votes to be elected, it seems right now, those who are leading.

There's 31 of them.

This is another factor about this group.

Look at the number of Democrats.

These are the newly elected Democrats and those who are leading in their races right now.

By our calculations and those of ABC News and others, this looks to be the largest freshman class in the House in 100 years.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, say more about that, Lisa, because I know you and our team have been looking at the Democratic victory.

How does it stack up historically?

LISA DESJARDINS: Right.

Let's take a look at the Senate.

Of course, right now, Democrats have seven-plus.

We are still waiting, I keep saying, for Mississippi and Alaska to come in.

So let's look at where this gain of seven in the Senate has us at the moment.

Right now, this is the seven seats that Democrats have.

This is still short of the 2014 recent record.

That was when Republicans gained under President Obama.

But if Democrats are able to get here to this level of picking up nine, this is something that happens once every 20 or 40 years.

After 2014, you have got to go back to the Eisenhower administration to see this kind of pickup of nine seats.

What about the House?

Let's talk about the wave there.

This is a literal wave.

I like kind of like literal graphics sometimes.

And here we're looking at the margin.

This is what the new Congress will look at, Democrats up here, Republicans down here.

It is pretty easy to see here this is the largest margin we will have in the House this century.

And something else significant about it, this will be the first time that Democrats will have this kind of margin under a Republican president.

That's going to be notable, of course, for President Trump, but it is also historic.

One last thing.

One standout fact about this was the popular vote difference.

Take a look.

Here, Democrats got 12 points more in the popular vote than Republicans.

I went through a lot of data to figure out, when was the last time this happened?

Folks, it was right after Watergate, in the middle of Watergate.

That is the size of the popular vote verdict that we had in the House of Representatives this year.

GEOFF BENNETT: Who says journalists aren't good at math?

GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa Desjardins, thanks to you, as always.

LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: One of the more stunning upsets of last week's election was in South Carolina, where Democrat Annie Andrews defeated incumbent Republican Darline Graham in the U.S.

Senate race.

And that wasn't the only Democratic victory in the deep red state.

Democrats also flipped a U.S.

House seat and flipped 10 seats in the Statehouse, breaking the Republican supermajority.

Here to talk about why Democrats won and how they're aiming to build on that success is South Carolina's Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain.

Welcome to the "News Hour."

CHRISTALE SPAIN, Chair, South Carolina Democratic Party: Oh, thank you so much for having me.

GEOFF BENNETT: So, South Carolina had been a Republican stronghold for decades.

What changed in this election?

What did Democrats figure out to do in this cycle that they hadn't been able to do before?

CHRISTALE SPAIN: One of the main things that we did this cycle was make sure that we recruited a candidate for every seat for the Statehouse.

Our Statehouse was up -- is up every two years, and we made a concerted effort to find, I think it was about 80-something candidates to make sure that no Republican went unchecked.

So we have 124 House members.

We had about 34 Democratic incumbents, and we filled every seat across the state with Democrats.

So I really feel like that was one of the biggest changes that we made as a party.

GEOFF BENNETT: What do those victories tell you about where the electorate is moving?

Are you seeing a genuine political realignment in South Carolina, or was this just a particularly favorable election for Democrats?

CHRISTALE SPAIN: You know, I want to say that we just -- the turnout showed that Democrats are all over the state.

One thing that -- we're still waiting on the actual election data to see actually get is the get the names of folks who voted.

But looking at raw numbers, one thing that we can tell is that Democrats collectively -- we look at the House district data, Democrats outvoted Republicans in all 124 House seats collectively.

So what that does tell us, number one, is that our state is completely gerrymandered.

If Democrats have more votes in those House districts than Republicans do, we do know that Democrats live everywhere and that Democrats will turn out and vote if you talk to them.

So I don't know if we just saw that -- a shift like you're talking about, but we do know that we Democrats can win when we run really good candidates, because not only did we break the Republican supermajority.

We had about 20-something candidates -- or 20-something races that were above 40 percent.

So our voters are there, and when they show up, we're able to do pretty historical things.

GEOFF BENNETT: And Black voter turnout in South Carolina was almost as high as it was in a presidential election.

What drove that level of engagement?

CHRISTALE SPAIN: You know, I just think that it was the attacks on Black folks.

We have been seeing that all across the country, from the White House all the way here to our Republican-led Statehouse, that they wanted to attack DEI, thinking that that means they're attacking Black folks.

And Black people decided to strike back.

So, when Black voters turn out, it really helps the Democratic ticket.

Like, Annie Andrews benefited greatly from the high Black voter turnout.

GEOFF BENNETT: And South Carolina is slated to lead the Democratic presidential nominating calendar in 2028, a position it hasn't yet occupied in a genuinely competitive race.

What difference do you think that will make in determining who emerges as the Democratic Party's next standard-bearer?

CHRISTALE SPAIN: You know, I think it's going to be a big deal.

I think it's going to -- it will probably be a difference maker.

I think that anybody thinking about running for president of the United States, number one, has to come to South Carolina, number two, has to sit with our voters.

They have to sit with voters all across the state.

We don't have huge population centers here in South Carolina.

Democrats live all the way from the Upstate all the way to the Lowcountry, where we flipped that U.S.

House race.

So they're going to have to be prepared to do the work of traveling the state, be prepared to do the work of talking to our voters and meeting them where they are.

I know we say that all the time, but to me that means going into communities and being OK with sitting in small rooms of four and five people.

You're not going to get big rallies and huge turnouts all the time, so you got to be comfortable talking to the people that show up to talk to you, and also be comfortable listening.

And I think the biggest thing that is going to be a change in this cycle, this presidential primary cycle, is that we have a huge number of Black voters here.

So anybody thinking about running for president is going to have to be unafraid to go into the Black community and to talk about issues that are unique to the Black community and figuring out what those solutions are going to be.

GEOFF BENNETT: Is the national Democratic Party investing enough in South Carolina and more broadly in the South and building out an infrastructure that could support a big win in 2028?

CHRISTALE SPAIN: You know, I think that our national party did a great job of trying to refocus the effort into the South and they.

And this DNC has done more with investing in the South than previous DNCs, but we can always do better.

And I'm committed.

I believe that our party is going to make that effort to really invest in the Deep South.

When I talk about the South, I want to make sure we're talking about the Deep South, the South Carolina, the Mississippi, the Arkansas, the uninvested South that people are able to see that we can win here when we did have less investment than the Georgias and the North Carolinas and the Texas, that we can elect a -- we can flip a United States Senate seat here that was held by juggernaut of a politician just in May of this year.

But now it's held by -- it will be held by a Democratic woman.

So I do believe that the party is moving to that investment.

We hadn't gotten there yet, but I'm confident that our party is going to make that national investment into the Deep South.

GEOFF BENNETT: South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain, thanks for your time this evening.

Appreciate it.

CHRISTALE SPAIN: Thank you so much for having me.

I appreciate it.

AMNA NAWAZ: Less than a week after Democrats' historic wins in the midterms, President Donald Trump is sending mixed messages about how he plans to govern for the remainder of his term.

On that and Congress returning to Washington, I'm joined now by our Politics Monday duo.

That is Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter and Tamara Keith of NPR.

Great to see you both.

TAMARA KEITH, National Public Radio: Good to be here.

AMNA NAWAZ: Let's start with President Trump.

You saw in that wide-ranging "60 Minutes" interview he repeated this claim that he would and could work with Democrats, specifically on immigration.

That interview was taped around the same time that he promoted Stephen Miller to chief of staff.

He's one of the most combative members of his team and the architect of the president's hard-line immigration policies.

Tam, if history is a guide, which President Trump are we going to see over the next couple years?

TAMARA KEITH: I think that the President Trump who talks about making deals, the president who talks about being conciliatory, or maybe my immigration policy went too far, we will get that president.

His words will say those things, but I don't know that his actions will.

What we saw in the first term after the midterms is, he did talk about the idea of doing some bipartisan things.

And then we had a very long government shutdown and ongoing battles and hardball.

And Stephen Miller -- elevating Stephen Miller is the clearest sign you could ever get that President Trump is choosing combat over bipartisan cooperation.

AMNA NAWAZ: Speaking of a different kind of combat too, you saw him back in the Press Briefing Room today with the UFC CEO, Dana White, as he joked about offering Dana White the job of press secretary.

What does that say to you?

TAMARA KEITH: Oh, this has been a completely ridiculous news cycle that has filled three days, and I think is an indication of what we're going to see more and more of from the president, which is doing things to bring the spotlight back to him, doing things to get attention.

Because, as the Republican Party tries to wrestle with what it does next and who it's going to be in the future, and President Trump isn't really part of that future, he still wants to be the showman.

AMNA NAWAZ: Amy, we also saw the president less than a week after those elections casting doubt on them, posting today that there's questions about whether the election was honest or not.

AMY WALTER, The Cook Political Report: Right.

AMNA NAWAZ: What did you make of that?

AMY WALTER: So I think I have used this phrase before, but he is a hammer and everything is a nail.

That is his entire way of operating as president.

And I think he also does best when he has a foil.

And one of the challenges he's had, especially at around election time, is, when the election is focused on him and his behavior or his policies, like we saw in 2018, 2020, when he was president, and heck, even in 2022 when he wasn't president, but he weighed in, in that election, and then, of course, this most recent midterm election, when it's on him, it's a lot harder for Republicans and for Trump himself.

When he has a foil where he can make it about, oh, hey, it's me versus this person, then he tends to be able to unite the Republican Party, because it's uniting around anger about the other side, rather than trying to get them to rally around some of the more controversial things that he does.

So he's really in need of, where is this foil going to be?

And I think, for Democrats, the challenge for them going into this year is, they keep talking about the fact that they're going to be laser-focused, affordability, accountability, that's all we're going to talk about.

But it is pretty clear that the president is going to try to bring them into these fights.

He would like to see more of that, and to keep them responding to him, rather than have the president responding to the Democratic Congress.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, and on whether this election was stolen, it's like he's going through the stages of grief in reverse.

He started with acceptance and he seems to be working backwards.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, you saw Lisa report earlier.

Congress is back in Washington, including those newly elected members.

We saw Republican Thomas Massie, who lost his Kentucky primary earlier this year, move today to force a vote on impeaching the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth.

He's accusing him of violating the Constitution and the will of Congress in the Iran war and other operations.

And, Tam, it strikes me this is really the first post-election test for Republicans after those brutal midterms.

What should we expect?

TAMARA KEITH: And it comes at this time, the lame-duck period, when there are Republicans in Congress who do not have to answer to the president because they also do not have to answer to the voters ever again.

They -- you only lose once.

I don't know exactly how this is going to turn out, but Pete Hegseth does not have a well of goodwill on the Hill.

The other thing I will just add, though, is that I have spent a lot of time talking to swing voters, and these voters, they want results.

And no one was talking about impeaching Pete Hegseth.

They're talking about they want the prices to come down.

They want their lives to get easier.

They want Democrats to keep the promises that they made when they ran just days ago.

And several of them specifically said, I just don't want two years of investigations and impeachments.

And now, right out of the gate, you have this.

AMY WALTER: Right.

Yes, I completely agree with that.

And, again, when you talk to Democrats, they also agree with these voters' point, which is, we do not want to get sucked into a retribution campaign.

We need to deliver and deliver very quickly.

These voters are expecting us to do something.

Now, again, this was Thomas Massie, a Republican... AMNA NAWAZ: Yes.

AMY WALTER: ... who put this forward in a lame-duck.

These new members have no say on this.

But as they go forward, they will have to answer for decisions the leadership makes, and also the their base demanding that perhaps they go after certain people.

AMNA NAWAZ: And, Amy, House Republicans now have to make a decision about who's going to lead them as well.

AMNA NAWAZ: We know they vote tomorrow in the House on their leader.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is not running again.

So Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan are running.

What are we going to learn from that election?

AMY WALTER: Yes, whether Republicans want to punish the establishment and go with an outsider.

The establishment, of course, would be Scalise, who's been in the leadership, the outsider Jim Jordan, who does a very good job in the minority of goading Democrats.

Which side they choose, I think, is going to tell us a little bit about how hungry these voters are to turn the page.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, and I think that you will see whether this new Republican Conference, this new smaller Republican Conference, whether it is going to be interested in combat or whether it's going to be willing to compromise.

And certainly, Jim Jordan, if he were to become speaker, signals -- it's another signal of, OK, it's on.

Combat is on.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, we know that the -- they won't select their leaders until later this month.

But the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, could be challenged.

We know Senator Chris Van Hollen has said he is considering that.

And a number of newly elected senators have said they may not back Schumer.

And this is the same -- this is the same debate, which is the establishment -- and, by the way, in this case, the establishment that actually helped to bring many of these members in, recruited them, spent money on their campaigns, but the Democratic message throughout this campaign has been, we need to turn the page, we need a new generation of leaders.

That is going to be what Chuck Schumer's going to have to answer for in the minds of many of these new senators.

TAMARA KEITH: Yes, and Schumer is 75 years old, and he -- so he does not represent a new generation, whereas many of these new members are quite a bit younger.

And -- yes, and he also signifies a lot of the challenges that the Democrats have had with messaging over the years.

And, in fact, in the primaries, he picked some of the people who lost.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter, always great to start the week with you both.

Thank you so much.

AMY WALTER: You're welcome.

TAMARA KEITH: You're welcome.

AMY WALTER: Thank you.

GEOFF BENNETT: In Gaza, more than half-a-million students are back in school after three years of war in which an estimated 22000 children lost their lives.

The picture has been especially bleak for postsecondary education, which has been virtually nonexistent since the start of the war in Gaza.

Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro now on an unusual partnership trying to fill part of the void.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: In an education system limping back through rubble, the Gaza Children Village has for months been an island of some stability.

And now it's one of the strip's largest network of schools with some 22,000 students.

DAVID HASAN, Founder, Gaza Children Village: How did it happen?

I told you, I don't know, but it happened.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Palestinian-American neurosurgeon David Hasan came to Gaza late in 2023 as a volunteer.

Pediatric cases, in particular, moved him, he says, enough to venture way beyond his normal expertise.

DAVID HASAN: I encountered so many orphans, so I made determination to focus on the kids.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Their most pressing need was education, but it needed to be in an environment that actually enabled learning, beginning with nutrition.

Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen partnered to provide that.

Then there were myriad health care needs, from routine to trauma care to post-traumatic stress.

DAVID HASAN: We have on-site clinic with a physician, pediatrician, and nurses, psychotherapy, and then the education.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He's navigated the intense ideological polarization and the shooting war, he says, but found surprising receptivity all round to a curriculum that promised to stick to the basics and be free of bias.

DAVID HASAN: The condition one is not to brainwash our kids.

And the second condition... FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Meaning not the Israelis brainwashing our kids.

DAVID HASAN: Exactly, and not to side way with Hamas.

WOMAN: Another example.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Still, his plans to record classes and use artificial intelligence to flag what he calls inciteful speech has raised concern among Palestinian advocacy groups over privacy and safety.

Another source of concern is his source of support, which he insists is strictly focused on the education mission.

DAVID HASAN: All my funding until recently is 100 percent Israelis and Jewish people who really wanted to help the kids of Gaza.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: His friendship with many American Jews over the years enabled connections to Israelis.

And as he looked to serve older students, he was introduced to Israeli-American entrepreneur Shai Reshef.

WOMAN: Hi, everyone.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Reshef founded the University of the People, a nonprofit online school that has a quarter-of-a-million students across the globe.

Its degrees are now accredited in the United States.

Students attend tuition-free, although fees can add up to about $5,000 for a bachelor's degree.

However, many of those enrolled receive scholarships, and Gaza students will attend entirely free.

SHAI RESHEF, President, University of the People: We have 50,000 refugees from around the world, but we couldn't get into Gaza.

We didn't know how to find the students, how to reach them, until we were introduced to David.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: So far, they have enrolled 250 students.

While grateful for the opportunity, they face daunting handicaps.

My Gaza colleague Shams Odeh talked to computer science and engineering student Ahmed Sabah.

He used to have his own room.

Now he shares a tent with eight family members.

AHMED SABAH, Student, University of the People: You struggle to find electricity.

You struggle to find quite a place to study at.

You struggle to find the -- you have to survive first.

Then you think to educate yourself.

I don't want my life to be just a mere survival.

I want to continue education.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Hassan Sharif is pursuing a degree in business administration.

HASSAN SHARIF, Student, University of the People: More than 100,000 of students, despite their ages, have been prevented from having the courses face to face, so they look to the alternatives, which is the online.

And it's very hard to find the Internet.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Unstable Internet connections marked the video call I had with other students like Oday Murtajah.

ODAY MURTAJAH, Student, University of the People: I'm supposed to be in my prime years, but I'm spending most of my prime years in line for bread, line for water, line for food.

In general, this has been a major impact on my education.

IMAN BALOUSHA, University of the People: They are disparate.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Iman Balousha is a professor of education and a school principal in a system that she says has been defined by scarcity and insecurity.

Do you fear that many young people will leave Gaza?

IMAN BALOUSHA: Yes, of course, my daughter lived a year ago to Italy.

And all of the students in the -- in her age, they want to go outside and to start to get out of the hell of Gaza.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: But Shai Reshef, who's raising funds to enroll up to 10,000 Gazan students, says having a U.S.-accredited degree will open doors for them in Gaza, as it has in Afghanistan and other conflict zones.

SHAI RESHEF: We have over 7,000 Afghan women studying with us; 60 percent of the graduates work remotely as programmers with international companies.

And that's the future that we will offer David's students in Gaza, to work with international companies or start their own business.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Ironically, Dr.

Hasan himself has had to work remotely here, no longer able to set foot in Gaza after venturing beyond his operating room duties.

You looked for hostages in the hospitals.

DAVID HASAN: Hospital, correct, the first trip and then the second trip.

And that's why I couldn't go after April of 2024.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He's been called an Israeli spy.

Still, his learning centers have mostly been able to operate without interruption, he says, likely because of the service they provide.

DAVID HASAN: And the only time it becomes problematic is when some wannabe journalist on social media, they stir things up, they embarrass Hamas.

You're allowing this guy who is a Mossad agent to operate.

And I have to deal with it.

What's important for us is, we are creating, as I have said, An ecosystem.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: He calls it a peace-friendly curriculum.

Israel schools largely ignore Palestinian history, he adds, and Palestinian history books emphasize grievance, beginning with the Nakba, or displacement, at Israel's founding in 1948.

DAVID HASAN: One of the things we teach our kids is, yes, the Nakba, Palestinian Nakba, is a fact; 850,000 Palestinians were displaced.

But around that time, 850,000, 900,000 Jewish were displaced, where they had roots in the Arab countries thousands of years, Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, even West Bank.

So when you show that the students on both sides, yes, and talk about these things, I think you can build empathy.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Something Shai Reshef says happens organically in his school.

SHAI RESHEF: When you study with the University of the People, every course you take, you find 20 people from 20 different countries.

And, deliberately, we will have Israeli study with an Arab, Pakistani with Indian, someone from Turkey with someone from Greece, to teach them that the people who are considered to be your enemies outside of the class are probably the closest to you in terms of culture.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Education reform is key to a sustainable peace, they say.

It may seem naive in today's political reality, but so did the idea that a school system that feeds, treats, and teaches 22,000 students could be built from scratch in 18 months.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Fred de Sam Lazaro.

GEOFF BENNETT: And that's the "News Hour" for tonight.

I'm Geoff Bennett.

AMNA NAWAZ: And I'm Amna Nawaz.

On behalf of the entire "News Hour" team, thank you for joining us.