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 E35

57m 46s

How a formerly enslaved man helped create Jack Daniel's

8m 57s

Jack Daniel's is a famous whiskey brand, but Daniel didn’t create the method for distilling Tennessee whiskey. He learned it from a formerly enslaved man named Nearest Green. Fawn Weaver created Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey to honor and preserve Green’s legacy and it's now the most successful Black-owned liquor empire. Geoff Bennett sat down with Weaver to discuss her book, “Love and Whiskey."

Gershkovich among 3 Americans freed in prisoner swap

5m 40s

The waiting, the worrying and the dreadful wondering are over for three Americans jailed in Russia and their families. Journalists Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are free after an extraordinary prisoner swap deal struck among the U.S., its allies and the Russian government. Nick Schifrin reports.

White House says prisoner swap took years of negotiations

4m 25s

Three Americans who were held in Russia are free after a prisoner swap between the United States, its allies and Russia. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Jon Finer, President Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser.

Analyzing the implications of U.S.-Russia prisoner trade

5m 10s

High-profile Americans held in Russia were released as part of the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. Nick Schifrin discussed the larger implications of the exchange with Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Department official who served in the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations.

Sister of American still held in Russia discusses his case

5m 30s

One American not released in the prisoner swap with Russia is teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony in 2022. He was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport for carrying medically prescribed marijuana. Geoff Bennett discussed Fogel's detention with his sister, Anne Fogel.

Crews struggle to contain rapidly spreading Calif. wildfire

4m 3s

An especially active fire season is exacting a huge toll across several Western states. In California, more than 5,800 personnel, 500 fire trucks and 40 helicopters are battling a fire larger than all of Los Angeles. The Park Fire, as it’s known, is the country’s largest and has ballooned to historic proportions in just over a week. Stephanie Sy reports.

Trump digs in on attacking Harris' racial identity

3m 47s

Former President Trump is facing backlash for calling Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity into question when he addressed a Black journalists convention. That's as the vice president herself wrapped up a series of events aimed at speaking directly to Black voters. Laura Barrón-López reports.

Undecided voters on election shakeups and shifting views

6m 44s

For voters who have not firmly decided which presidential candidate to support, the events of the last month, including an assassination attempt and a new Democratic candidate, have dramatically changed the race. Lisa Desjardins connected with the type of voters likely to decide the election before and after these shakeups.

What's in the plea deal for key 9/11 attack conspirators

5m 39s

The man accused as the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, and two accomplices, have agreed to a plea deal in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. The development comes 16 years after their prosecutions began. Ali Rogin discussed the latest with Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal and author of “The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay."

'Autocracy, Inc.' explores attempts to end democracy

7m 18s

The historic prisoner release from Russia was thanks to the diplomatic work of a group of democracies to free over a dozen people from the autocratic regime of Vladimir Putin. Anne Applebaum's new book, "Autocracy, Inc.," examines how autocracies are gaining power, and what they’re doing with that power. William Brangham sat down with Applebaum to discuss more.

Hezbollah says Netanyahu trying to drag U.S. into war

7m 4s

The Israeli airstrike on a senior Hezbollah leader came after ten months of low-level conflict between the militants and Israel. For insights into Hezbollah's military and political influence, Special Correspondent Simona Foltyn traveled to its southern Beirut stronghold, beginning at the funeral of another Hezbollah commander assassinated by Israeli forces.

U.S. women strike gold with dominating performances

6m 30s

U.S. swimming star Katie Ledecky made a splash in her first finals of the Paris Olympics. The 27-year-old finished the 1500 meter freestyle nearly half a pool length ahead of her competitors. It comes as the U.S. women's gymnastics team celebrates their historic gold and prepares for individual events. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Christine Brennan of USA Today.

The links between polarization and declining trust in media

11m 44s

Despite having access to more information than ever before, Americans’ trust in the news has been declining in recent years. Nearly three-quarters of them say the media is making political polarization worse. Judy Woodruff investigates that for her ongoing series, America at a Crossroads.

Trump campaign struggling to find footing against Harris

6m 8s

Donald Trump is back in Pennsylvania for his first rally in the state since the assassination attempt. It comes as his campaign is struggling to adjust to his new opponent Kamala Harris after months of attacking President Biden. Laura Barrón-López reports.

Trump draws new criticism after interview at NABJ convention

3m 54s

Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump and his new Democratic opponent Kamala Harris are sharpening their attacks against one another as they make their case directly to voters. But some of Trump's comments on the campaign trail are drawing new criticism. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Mideast experts on cease-fire prospects after assassination

6m 44s

Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader for Hamas, was killed by an airstrike in Iran. Both Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the assassination. Geoff Bennett has views on the development from Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, and Hanin Ghaddar, the Friedmann Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Deaths of Hamas, Hezbollah chiefs escalate Mideast war fears

4m 18s

The top political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed overnight in Tehran, just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed one of the top military leaders of Hezbollah in Beirut. Taken together, after ten months of war in Gaza, the attacks escalated fears that a simmering regional conflict could explode into a new and more dangerous phase. Nick Schifrin reports.

Online safety bill sparks debate over censorship and privacy

7m 29s

The U.S. Senate passed the Kids Online Safety Act on Tuesday. If the bill is approved in the House, it will mark the first time in 25 years that Congress has passed a law aimed to better protect children from dangers online. Stephanie Sy has a closer look at the plan with Ava Smithing of the Young People’s Alliance, an organization promoting youth advocacy.

Hong Kong bookstore begins new chapter in upstate New York

6m 47s

From 2021 to 2022, Hong Kong experienced its biggest population drop since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago. Tens of thousands left because of strict COVID-19 policies and a crackdown on civil liberties by Beijing. Special correspondent Christopher Booker spent time with an American couple part of this exodus and reports on their journey for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Acting Secret Service head grilled over security failures

5m 36s

One week after the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, acting successor Ronald Rowe spent Tuesday morning acknowledging the agency’s failures and trying to reassure Congress during a hearing that the Secret Service is capable and accountable. Rowe was joined at the hearing by the deputy director of the FBI. Geoff Bennett reports.

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