PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

Millions of Americans turn to PBS for the solid, reliable reporting that has made PBS News Hour one of the most trusted news programs in television.

Watch: S2025 E36

57m 46s

Riggleman weighs in on Trump’s pardon of Jan. 6 rioters

7m 7s

President Donald Trump made good on his promise to pardon or commute the sentences of Jan. 6 rioters. Geoff Bennett discussed what this means for the years-long investigations into the insurrection with former congressman and advisor to the Jan. 6 Select Committee, Denver Riggleman.

Why Trump withdrew U.S. from World Health Organization

5m 23s

As part of his blitz of executive orders, President Trump delivered on a promise to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization. The Trump White House accuses the WHO of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and bias toward China. Amna Nawaz discussed potential implications with Lawrence Gostin of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

News Wrap: American Ryan Corbett released from Afghanistan

5m 3s

In our news wrap Tuesday, a prisoner swap between the U.S. and the Taliban secured the release of American Ryan Corbett from Afghanistan, two top Israeli generals resigned over the military's failure to stop the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, Turkey is investigating a hotel fire that killed at least 76 people and a rare winter storm is hammering the northern Gulf Coast.

The immigration policies that led to today's complex system

President Trump has signed several executive orders making sweeping changes to the immigration system. Immigration was one of voters’ top issues in the election, with many supporting Trump’s message that the current system is broken. But how did we get here? Laura Barrón-López takes a deep dive into the history of immigration policies and laws that led to the complex system we have today.

Remembering the victims of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires

3m 2s

It's been two weeks since the wildfires began ravaging parts of Southern California. Firefighters are making progress, but the biggest fires are not yet fully contained. At least 27 people have lost their lives and officials say the full death toll is not yet known. As we learn more about the victims, we remember some of those who were lost and the legacies they leave behind.

Trump returns to office and kickstarts ambitious agenda

16m 52s

Donald Trump has returned to office as the 47th president of the United States. His second term kickstarts an ambitious, and controversial, agenda that will bring mass deportations, aggressive tariffs on imports from competitors and allies alike, and a promise of 'retribution' against political foes that led to last-minute pardons from outgoing President Biden. Laura Barrón-López reports.

The power of presidential executive orders and their limits

4m 29s

President Trump promised a record number of executive orders on his first day in office. For a closer look at the power of these orders and their limits, Amna Nawaz spoke with Andrew Rudalevige, professor of government at Bowdoin College and author of "The New Imperial Presidency.”

Biden issues preemptive pardons on his way out of office

6m 11s

President Trump is reportedly planning to issue a sweeping series of pardons for defendants charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. That's as Joe Biden, in one of his final acts as president, issued preemptive pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired General Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated Jan. 6. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Mary McCord.

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on how Trump changed Washington

6m 2s

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including how the perception of President Trump has changed over four years, who Trump has surrounded himself with for his second term in office and how much Congress has changed since 2016.

Stoltenberg on how the world is responding to Trump's return

6m 6s

President Trump vowed that the State Department will have an "America first" foreign policy. Nick Schifrin discussed how the world is responding to Trump's inauguration with Jens Stoltenberg, the most recent secretary general of NATO who will become the chairman of the Munich Security Conference next month.

News Wrap: 3 Israeli hostages released as ceasefire holds

4m 18s

In our news wrap Monday, Israeli hostages have been reuniting with loved ones as a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding, humanitarian aid trucks are flowing into Gaza as part of the agreement, a British teen pleaded guilty to murdering three girls at a Taylor-Swift-themed dance class in England and rare winter storm warnings are in place along a large part of the Gulf Coast.

'New Prize for These Eyes' details 2nd civil rights movement

7m 31s

In 1987, journalist Juan Williams helped illuminate the Civil Rights Movement with "Eyes on the Prize," a groundbreaking book that brought history to life and became an essential chronicle of the fight for racial equality. Nearly four decades later, he returns with "New Prize for These Eyes," a powerful update looking at the 21st-century movement. Geoff Bennett discussed the work with Williams.

News Wrap: Biden thanks supporters on last day of his term

2m 18s

In our news wrap Sunday, Biden spent the final full day of his presidency visiting supporters in South Carolina, Trump laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, TikTok restored service to U.S. users after temporarily going dark due to a federal ban, a polar vortex is bringing dangerously cold conditions south from the Arctic, and Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey.

Father of U.S. hostage hopeful for son’s release by Hamas

5m 29s

Three women are back on Israeli soil for the first time in 15 months since they were kidnapped in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and held captive in Gaza, as a long-awaited ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect Sunday. Two U.S. citizens are on Hamas’ list of hostages to be released in the deal’s first phase. John Yang speaks with the father of one American hostage who is not on that list.

Tech and AI leaders make big donations to Trump inauguration

5m 42s

President-elect Trump’s inaugural committee has smashed fundraising records, racking up more than $200 million in pledges. Donations have come from some of the world’s biggest companies, and top tech CEOs will be front and center at the festivities. Ali Rogin speaks with ethics and campaign finance expert Craig Holman and New York Times technology reporter Cecilia Kang for more.

Sen. Wyden offers way forward for progressives in new book

5m 30s

As Trump returns to the White House with Republicans in charge of the House and Senate, Democrats are searching for a way forward. Ron Wyden, the second-most senior Senate Democrat, offers strategies in a new book, “It Takes Chutzpah: How to Fight Fearlessly for Progressive Change.” Amna Nawaz recently sat down with Wyden.

The history and tradition of presidential transition letters

4m 20s

Monday’s change of Oval Office occupants is a ritual full of traditions and customs. One of the more modern ones began in 1989, when Ronald Reagan left a note for George H.W. Bush on stationery with a whimsical bit of advice. John Yang speaks with Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, to learn more about this tradition.

Israel announces last-minute snag in hostage deal with Hamas

4m 16s

Just 12 hours before the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is supposed to go into effect, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said it would not go forward until Hamas made good on its agreement to provide a list of hostages they’re going to release. John Yang speaks with Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent for The Economist, for the latest.

Why Ethel Rosenberg’s family is pushing for her exoneration

7m 48s

In 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed after being convicted as Soviet spies in a sensational Cold War espionage case. Now, a recently declassified document is seen as the strongest evidence yet of Ethel’s innocence. As Biden leaves office, he’s being asked to exonerate her and right a historic wrong. John Yang speaks with the Rosenbergs’ younger son, Robert Meeropol, for more.

News Wrap: TikTok plans to go dark in the U.S. on Sunday

3m 3s

In our news wrap Saturday, TikTok says it will go dark for its U.S. users on Sunday as Trump signaled he may give the app a 90-day reprieve, crews are working to move Trump’s inauguration into the Capitol Rotunda due to sub-freezing temperatures, Russia launched a deadly attack on Ukraine’s capital overnight, and the wildfires in Los Angeles continue to burn despite improving conditions.

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