PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

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Watch: S2025 E34

56m 45s

Who are the 9 Republicans making a run for House speaker?

3m 26s

Nine Republicans are running to serve as House speaker after several failed votes and a weeks-long stalemate over the future of the chamber. The candidates are pitching their plan to unite a divided House Republican Conference in a closed-door forum. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Leigh Ann Caldwell of The Washington Post.

Israeli bombardment of Gaza persists amid calls for a pause

12m 34s

Hamas freed two more hostages, a pair of Israeli women, out of the 220 people believed to be held captive. Meanwhile, Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues and the health ministry there says more than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed. Israel counts some 1,400 war dead. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Jerusalem. A warning: Images in this story are disturbing.

How faith groups are coming together during a time of war

7m 25s

The conflict in the Middle East has been a fraught subject for decades, including in the U.S., and especially within American Jewish and Muslim communities. And for almost as long, interfaith groups have sought to bring those communities together to find common ground. That doesn’t make witnessing and talking about the current war any easier. Ali Rogin reports.

What steps can be taken to secure U.S. elections

6m 28s

Last month, a group of election experts warned that American democracy is under great stress. Their report outlines 24 recommendations spanning law, media, politics and tech to protect American elections. Rick Hasen, the director of UCLA Law School's Safeguarding Democracy Project who convened the panel of experts that drafted that report, joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss.

A Brief But Spectacular take on Black women, sex and church

2m 57s

Deesha Philyaw is a writer whose debut short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award. Her works touch on themes of race, sex, gender and pop culture. Philyaw shares her Brief But Spectacular take on Black women, sex and the Black church.

Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, West Bank, Lebanon and Syria

4m 38s

Prospects of a widening conflict in the Middle East grew on Sunday as the geography of the now two-week-old war expanded. Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. This as the death toll is mounting with nearly 4,700 Palestinians and more than 1,400 Israelis now killed. Leila Leila Molana-Allen reports from Tel-Aviv.

Swim safety advocates aim to undo historic racial inequities

4m 49s

Learning how to swim is a rite of passage for many, but a surprising number of American children can’t swim. Part of that comes down to access and restrictions rooted in racism that have kept generations of swimmers out of pools. Isabella Jibilian of Rhode Island PBS reports.

Advice for talking with kids about the Israel-Hamas war

6m 12s

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, news and social media have been filled with horrific images and stories of civilians killed, wounded and taken hostage. This information can be especially tough for kids to digest. Duke University child psychologist Robin Gurwitch joins Yasmeen Alamiri to discuss how adults can talk about this difficult issue with kids.

UN aid chief hopes to increase flow of supplies to Gaza

6m 46s

Twenty trucks of humanitarian aid crossed into Gaza from Egypt on Saturday, the first life-saving supplies to reach Gazans since the Israel-Hamas war began. Before the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, 450 trucks of aid arrived daily in Gaza. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss what this new aid means for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Aid arrives in Gaza as Israel prepares to step up attacks

3m 53s

The first truckloads of supplies were allowed into Gaza from Egypt on Saturday, a small but significant aid delivery after nearly two weeks of war. Meanwhile, Israel’s military is vowing to increase its airstrikes against the Hamas-led territory and the possibility of an Israeli ground invasion still looms large. Special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports.

Michael Lewis on his controversial book on Sam Bankman-Fried

7m 11s

The man at the center of a major fraud trial in New York right now, Sam Bankman-Fried, is also the subject of a new book by the best-selling author Michael Lewis. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talked with him about “Going Infinite” and the reaction to a story that changed dramatically as he was writing it.

Darius Rucker reflects on his diverse and decorated career

8m 41s

Darius Rucker first achieved multi-platinum status with the band Hootie and the Blowfish, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide. As a solo artist, he's won big awards and just added more accolades to the list. Geoff Bennett caught up with him in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, to talk about his new album and outlook on life for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Brooks and Capehart on GOP struggle to elect House speaker

9m 53s

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including the search for a new speaker of the House and President Biden's plea for national security funding.

Palestinian in U.S. on struggle to contact family in Gaza

6m 19s

For many Palestinians living in the U.S., trying to reach loved ones in Gaza has become a constant and harrowing struggle. Dorgham Abusalim came to the United States in 2008 to pursue an academic scholarship and now works as a writer and communications professional. He spoke with Amna Nawaz about his family members who remain in the Gaza Strip and his fear for their safety.

Next steps for GOP after dropping Jordan as speaker nominee

3m 57s

At the Capitol, Republican Jim Jordan is out in the race for speaker of the House. GOP lawmakers voted behind closed doors to dismiss him as their nominee after he again failed to win the job on the House floor. Now the party is once again left grappling with whether anyone can unite its divided members. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Israeli airstrike hits Greek Orthodox church in Gaza

6m 41s

Air strikes continued to pound Gaza Friday as the Israeli invasion force sat ready near the Gaza border. On the Egyptian side of that border, aid shipments still await entry to Gaza as the U.N. secretary-general visited the site and pushed for a resolution. Leila Molana-Allen reports.

American mother and daughter held hostage released by Hamas

4m 8s

Two Americans held hostage for nearly two weeks by Hamas following the terror attacks of October 7 are free tonight. Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie were released Friday evening after mediation by the government of Qatar. Nick Schifrin reports.

Israel hammers Gaza as forces prepare for ground invasion

15m 4s

The bombardment of Gaza continues as Israel's defense minister told his forces to prepare for a ground invasion of the region home to more than two million Palestinians. Since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks and the start of the Israeli response, more than 3,800 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis have been killed. Leila Molana-Allen reports from Jerusalem.

News Wrap: Fed chair says inflation still too high

3m 20s

In our news wrap Thursday, the chair of the Federal Reserve said inflation is still too high and the economy may have to cool off to bring it down further, the European Union pressed Meta and TikTok to explain what they're doing to block disinformation about the Israel-Hamas war and the Pentagon says China is building its nuclear weapons arsenal faster than expected.

GOP rejects plan to empower interim House speaker

5m 27s

The leadership crisis in the House of Representatives became even more chaotic on Thursday. Republicans, unable to agree on a speaker, also rejected a plan to temporarily give the acting speaker more powers. Lisa Desjardins was outside the heated meeting and reports from Capitol Hill to try to explain this political mess.

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