December 24, 2023 - PBS News Weekend full episode

In our news wrap Sunday, Gaza saw some of the most intense and bloodiest fighting of the war this weekend, the streets of Bethlehem stood empty of crowds and festivities on Christmas Eve as celebrations were canceled amid the Israel-Hamas war, Germany tightened security after a terror alert at Cologne Cathedral, and Christmas Day is expected to be unseasonably warm for much of the United States.

With aid for Ukraine caught in a partisan fight on Capitol Hill, it can be easy to lose sight of the human toll of the war. In a new documentary “Glory to the Heroes,” director Bernard-Henri Lévy turns the focus back on those he calls the heroes, from the fighters on the front lines to the civilians who remain in Ukraine in an act of defiance. Ali Rogin speaks with Lévy about the film.

The number of Americans experiencing homelessness is now at its highest since records started being kept in 2007, according to estimates in a new report from the federal government. 2023 saw a 12 percent increase in homelessness over the previous year, the biggest one-year jump on record. John Yang speaks with Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, to learn why.

Christmas music is a big part of the music industry. John Yang speaks with Nate Sloan, an assistant professor of musicology at the USC Thornton School of Music and co-host of the podcast Switched On Pop, about what makes Christmas music so popular at this time of year and the staying power of these holiday hits.