PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 8 Seasons

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Watch: S2024 E323

26m 45s

White House halts natural gas, exports over climate concerns

6m 46s

The Biden administration is hitting the pause button on new projects involving the export of natural gas. While the U.S. is currently the largest exporter of natural gas in the world, the White House argues the climate effects of these projects are too great to ignore. Coral Davenport, who covers energy and environmental policy for The New York Times, joins William Brangham to discuss.

NATO chief discusses future of western support for Ukraine

9m 57s

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year as U.S. support for Ukraine is coming into question because of Republican resistance on Capitol Hill. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who is in Washington this week, joins Nick Schifrin from the Pentagon to discuss the war in Ukraine and western support for the beleaguered country.

Biden vows to respond to drone attack on U.S. base in Jordan

7m 23s

The White House says President Biden is considering options to strike back against the Iran-backed militia that killed three American soldiers on Sunday in Jordan. In Yemen, Iraq, Syria and now Jordan, American forces are engaging Iranian-supported groups. Nick Schifrin joins Geoff Bennett to discuss the escalations, the U.S. response and new developments in Gaza.

LGBTQ Ugandans fight to survive under country’s anti-gay law

8m 36s

Uganda’s constitutional court is expected to rule soon on a law that threatens fines, life imprisonment and even death for being gay. Ugandan civil rights groups challenged the Anti-Homosexuality Act in December amid international pressure to repeal the law. Ali Rogin speaks with two Ugandan LGBTQ+ activists for more.

A Black physician’s memoir details medical racism in America

5m 58s

Dr. Uché Blackstock has seen firsthand how medical racism shapes health care in America. She's dedicated her career to work at the intersection of medicine, health equity and systemic racism. Her new memoir, "Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine," details both historic health care inequities and her own family history. She joins John Yang to discuss her work and experiences.

Montanans band together to save an iconic American landscape

5m 9s

In Montana, an unlikely group of allies is working together to preserve a unique prairie ecosystem, and at the same time, help their own rural economies. Montana PBS’s Stan Parker reports from one of the planet’s last remaining intact grasslands.

What’s driving a shortage of special education teachers

8m 2s

More than 7.5 million American students have disabilities that qualify them for individual education plans. But teachers trained in this critical area are in short supply. Special education teachers and administrators share how the shortage is affecting them, and John Yang speaks with Kimber Wilkerson, professor of special education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to learn more.

Why pro athletes are pushing for paid maternity leave

6m 7s

The 2024 Australian Open was an example of a growing trend in women’s professional sports: eight players in the tournament had returned to tennis after pausing their careers to have children. USA outdoor track champion and Olympic medalist Alysia Montaño, who heads &Mother, a nonprofit focused on removing systemic barriers to allow mothers to succeed in sports, joins Ali Rogin to discuss.

14-year-old scientist on fighting skin cancer with soap

5m 13s

Heman Bekele spent the last year developing a bar of soap that could treat skin cancer. It was the winning entry at the annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge, considered one of the top science and engineering competitions for fifth through eighth graders. For our Weekend Spotlight, John Yang speaks with Bekele about his work.

UN's top court orders Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza

9m 36s

The U.N.'s top court on Friday delivered major warnings to Israel about how it should conduct the war in Gaza. The International Court of Justice rejected South Africa’s request for a ceasefire after it accused Israel of genocide but said those accusations should be further investigated. Harold Koh, professor of international law at Yale Law School, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss.

American chemist causes stir in Britain over findings on tea

3m 43s

Few things are more British than a cup of tea, but Britain was brought to a boil this week over a suggestion by an American chemist on how the classic cup might be improved. Malcolm Brabant has the story.

Astronaut who spent a year in space discusses life on Earth

7m 13s

Astronauts of the future could be sent on missions to the moon and Mars that take years, but living in space that long poses all kinds of physical and psychological challenges. NASA is trying to learn as much as it can from astronauts who have spent the most time in space. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien spoke with the American who set the record for longest single space mission.

Capehart and Johnson on immigration and the 2024 race

10m 58s

Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart and Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including an $83 million ruling against former President Trump for defamation, Nikki Haley's campaign after New Hampshire and the impact immigration is having on President Biden's run for reelection.

Trump deploys racist tactics as Biden rematch appears likely

6m 28s

Republicans are increasingly coalescing around former President Trump, even as the likely GOP presidential nominee continues to use racist and incendiary language. From circulating baseless conspiracies about his presidential rivals to demonizing immigrants — Trump’s rhetoric has reshaped the party’s base. White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

Alabama conducts nation’s first execution with nitrogen gas

4m 17s

Nitrogen gas was used as capital punishment for the first time in U.S. history in the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, an Alabama prisoner convicted of a murder-for-hire scheme in 1988 who survived a botched execution attempt in 2022. This despite concerns voiced by several human rights groups and the U.N. that it could amount to torture. NPR's Chiara Eisner joins Geoff Bennett to discuss.

Jury decides Trump must pay $83.3 million for defamation

4m 51s

A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her, after she accused him of sexual assault decades earlier. Carroll's lawyers had asked the nine-person jury for heavy damages against Trump, pointing to his continuing attacks from both the White House as president and after leaving office. William Brangham reports.

How abortion restrictions affect thousands of rape victims

5m 49s

Polls show about seven in 10 Americans say abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest. But since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, nine states have banned abortion in those cases. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association calculates there have been more than 64,000 rape-related pregnancies in areas with bans. John Yang discussed the study with Dr. Samuel Dickman.

Demand for lithium batteries could harm U.S. water resources

9m 38s

The push towards a green, battery-powered future comes with a major tradeoff. Student reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University discovered that increased mining for lithium inside the United States will stress freshwater aquifers. Caitlin Thompson has their investigation.

Possible deal on Ukraine, immigration at risk of collapsing

4m 38s

High-stakes negotiations in Washington over two intertwined and looming issues were derailed on Thursday. The possible deals to aid Ukraine and reform the U.S. immigration system are at risk of collapsing under their own political weight. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins spent the day speaking with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and breaks down the developments.

Trump takes the stand in federal defamation case

4m 43s

Donald Trump took the stand in a New York City courtroom on Thursday as part of the defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. In an earlier trial, Trump was found guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s in a department store dressing room and then defaming her by denying the assault and alleging she invented the story to make money. William Brangham reports.

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