PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 8 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: S2024 E331

56m 45s

Trump to nominate loyalist Matt Gaetz as attorney general

5m 10s

President-elect Trump nominated one of his most prominent loyalists in Congress to lead the Department of Justice. Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is the former president’s pick to serve as the nation’s top prosecutor. The right-wing firebrand is well known for leading efforts to oust former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Carrie Johnson of NPR.

Trump returns to D.C. as Senate Republicans choose leader

8m 20s

President-elect Trump took a victory lap in the nation’s capital, bouncing from meetings with House Republicans to President Biden in the Oval Office. It comes as critical roles are being filled, from more members of Trump’s cabinet to new leaders in the Senate. Lisa Desjardins reports.

What Biden and Trump discussed during White House meeting

4m 4s

President Biden hosted President-elect Trump at the White House for nearly two hours on Wednesday, a familiar ritual in the peaceful handoff of power. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports on the transition meeting.

Democratic governors leading efforts to 'protect democracy'

8m 37s

Donald Trump isn’t the only one preparing for his return to the White House. Several Democratic governors are uniting, they say, to protect democracy at the state level during Trump’s second term in office. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced the launch of Governors Safeguarding Democracy. Pritzker joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

News Wrap: Blinken pledges to rush aid to Ukraine

5m 13s

In our news wrap Wednesday, Secretary of State Blinken pledged to rush aid to Ukraine in the Biden administration's final months, a U.S. government employee has been charged with leaking classified information about Israel's plans to attack Iran, the FBI revealed Chinese affiliated actors targeted telecommunications companies and drug overdose deaths appear to be showing a sustained decline.

How Hegseth could reshape the Defense Department under Trump

6m 57s

For perspective on President-elect Trump's pick of Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, Nick Schifrin spoke with James McPherson. He served as under secretary of the Army and as the Army's general council during the first Trump administration. He also had a 25-year career in the Navy and served as that service's top lawyer in uniform.

Foreign policy nominees signal direction of Trump’s plans

4m 54s

President-elect Trump announced his picks to lead the bulk of the expansive, American security and diplomatic apparatus. A senator, a soldier-turned-television host and a former member of Congress have been chosen by Donald Trump to lead, respectively, the State Department, the Defense Department and the Directorate of National Intelligence. Nick Schifrin reports.

Exploring why more Latinos voted for Trump and what it means

7m 11s

While a majority of Black and Latino voters turned out for Vice President Kamala Harris this election, President-elect Donald Trump made significant inroads with both groups. Voter surveys from the Associated Press show Trump won 43 percent of the overall Latino vote, an eight-point increase from 2020. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Pastor Samuel Rodriguez.

How Iranians are reacting Trump's election

6m 45s

With President-elect Trump's national security team coming into focus, one priority will be confronting and increasing pressure on Iran. So how does that look and feel to ordinary Iranians? Special Correspondent Reza Sayah in Tehran has been speaking with people there and sent us this report.

Congressman-elect Bresnahan on flipping Democratic district

5m 6s

Newly-elected House members won’t take their seats until January but they are on Capitol Hill this week for congressional orientation. Republican Congressman-elect Rob Bresnahan is among them. He flipped his district in the northeast corner of Pennsylvania from blue to red. Bresnahan joined Geoff Bennett to discuss more.

What Trump's EPA pick signals for his environmental plans

6m 22s

As President-elect Trump’s team is taking shape, we’re learning more about who will take the lead on energy, climate and the environment. The first announcement on that front is Lee Zeldin, a former GOP congressman who will head the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump has called climate change a “scam” and says addressing it hurts business. William Brangham discussed more with Coral Davenport.

Trump begins to fill foreign policy, national security teams

5m 32s

A second Donald Trump administration is taking shape, one new appointee at a time. Tuesday, the president-elect tapped more of his closest allies to fill some of the government’s top posts. Among them is Sen. Marco Rubio, putting Trump’s one-time foe on track to becoming the first Latino to serve as the nation’s top diplomat. Laura Barrón-López reports.

News Wrap: U.S. will not limit arms transfers to Israel

6m 16s

In our news wrap Tuesday, the U.S. will not limit arms transfers to Israel after seeing some progress in boosting aid to Gaza, a judge delayed a decision on whether to uphold Trump’s hush-money conviction, the airman who leaked classified military documents about the Ukraine war was sentenced and a judge blocked a Louisiana law forcing public schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Sarah McBride on becoming first transgender person in House

5m 35s

The 119th Congress will have several members whose elections made history. One of them is Representative-elect Sarah McBride, a state senator who won Delaware’s at-large seat in the House. She will become the first openly transgender member of the United States Congress. McBride joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

Family of hostages says shakeups might bring something good

6m 34s

President Biden met Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the Oval Office and reaffirmed his administration’s 'ironclad’ commitment to Israel. The Israeli government says Hamas is still holding 101 hostages in Gaza and Herzog said the war would continue until the hostages return home. Nick Schifrin discussed more with Dalia Cusnir, the sister-in-law of two hostages.

John Grisham chronicles stories of the wrongly convicted

9m 37s

When Centurion was founded, it was the first group of its kind working to overturn wrongful convictions for people facing execution or life. Decades later, the work continues and its story is being told by its founder and novelist John Grisham. Jeffrey Brown reports for our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and for our arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.

Trump shapes administration, naming hardliner to top post

7m 26s

President-elect Trump is quickly picking the people he wants to advise him when he enters the White House again, including who he has chosen to lead his campaign promise of mass deportation. Trump announced Tom Homan will be his “border czar” and Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner, is expected to be his deputy chief of staff for policy. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports.

Republicans closer to winning control of House and Senate

4m 42s

More than a dozen congressional races have yet to be called as House Republicans are looking to maintain hold of the chamber. If they do, it would lead to Republicans holding a political trifecta over Washington. Lisa Desjardins reports.

News Wrap: Crews battle New Jersey brush fires

6m 8s

In our news wrap Monday, crews are battling blazes on both coasts as brush fires have broken out around New Jersey fueled by bone-dry conditions, larger wildfires rage in California though crews are making progress, Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces are holding back enemy troops in Russia's Kursk region and Haiti's international airport shut down after gangs opened fire at a flight trying to land.

The influence Musk could have in Trump administration

5m 44s

Elon Musk was among Donald Trump’s most visible and powerful surrogates on the campaign trail. Now with President-elect Trump, Musk remains within the inner circle, joining calls with world leaders and weighing in on staffing decisions. Amna Nawaz discussed the influence Musk could exert on the next administration and what he stands to gain with Vittoria Elliott of Wired.

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