PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

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Watch: S2025 E51

57m 46s

European allies demand Ukraine support, seat at negotiations

6m 52s

European leaders pushed back against what they describe as concessions and shifts by the Trump administration on Ukraine. On Wednesday, President Trump discussed ceasefire negotiations with Putin while his defense secretary doubted Ukraine’s future in NATO. Ukrainian and European officials are demanding continued support and a seat at the negotiating table. Nick Schifrin reports from Munich.

Musk's influence grows as Trump hands him more power

6m 19s

President Trump handed more power over to Elon Musk on Tuesday, giving his team oversight over hiring decisions across every government agency. Musk has also continued to post misleading or false accusations against government agencies on his social media platform X, despite his government and private sector work potentially serving as a conflict of interest. Laura Barrón-López reports.

Trump's vision for dismantling the Department of Education

6m 11s

The Department of Education is on the Trump chopping block. Details have not been fully released yet, but the president has signaled plans to dismantle it and move some of its key functions elsewhere. The department oversees student loans, federal funds for lower-income students, special education programs and more. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Laura Meckler of The Washington Post.

Hegseth tells NATO Ukraine membership unlikely

4m 15s

President Trump spoke to the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday and announced that talks to end the war would start immediately. Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined major U.S. shifts on Ukraine, saying Kyiv should not expect to recapture all territory occupied by Russia and that its bid for NATO membership is unrealistic at this time. Nick Schifrin reports.

Experts on what U.S. policy shifts on Ukraine mean for NATO

8m 11s

It was a day of major diplomacy and policy statements from the Trump administration about the war in Ukraine. Amna Nawaz has two perspectives on the developments from Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Eurasia, and John Mearsheimer, author of "The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities."

News Wrap: U.S. frees Vinnik in Russian prisoner swap

6m 35s

In our news wrap Wednesday, President Trump says the prisoner exchange with Russia that included American Mark Fogel could be an 'important part' in ending the war in Ukraine, eight government watchdogs are suing the president for abruptly firing them last month and the Kennedy Center's new board of trustees made Trump its chairman and fired the institution's famed president Deborah Rutter.

House Republicans reveal their budget blueprint

5m 22s

House Republicans release their long-promised budget outline as they seek to fulfill President Trump’s agenda while cutting both the deficit and taxes. But it remains unclear whether the plan will achieve those goals, or if it even has the votes. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports.

DOGE needs to be more transparent, former GAO head says

6m 35s

The House subcommittee that bears the same acronym as Elon Musk's agency, DOGE, held its first hearing Wednesday. While members from both parties said they were focused on rooting out waste and fraud, Democrats pointed out the man at the heart of today’s hearing did not appear. Amna Nawaz discussed the debate with David Walker, former head of the Government Accountability Office.

Adrien Brody unpacks his performance in 'The Brutalist'

8m 7s

One of the year’s most acclaimed films, “The Brutalist,” received ten Oscar nominations. Its star, Adrien Brody, was a winner at last month’s Golden Globes and is up for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown discussed the role with Brody for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Trump repeats Gaza idea as Israel threatens to end ceasefire

4m 7s

The fate of the ceasefire in Gaza seems fragile after Israel threatened to restart the war unless Hamas releases all Israeli hostages by Saturday. The overall fate of Gaza was the focus of an Oval Office meeting between President Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah in which Trump vowed to “take” the enclave. Nick Schifrin reports.

News Wrap: American Marc Fogel released from Russia

7m

In our news wrap Tuesday, American Marc Fogel was released by Russia after three and a half years in detention, 27 religious groups are suing the Trump administration over a policy that makes it easier for immigration agents to carry out arrests at places of worship and Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a private effort to build a wall along the southern border.

The long-term impact of Trump's cuts to medical research

9m 31s

The Trump administration recently announced the National Institutes of Health will make big changes in the way it funds researchers. Scientists say the move will have a huge effect on their work. We hear from medical researchers about the cuts and Amna Nawaz discusses more with Dr. David Skorton of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

UNAIDS says infections could soar if U.S. drops support

5m 54s

More than 20 years ago, the U.S. became the leader in the worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS. The Bush administration initiative Pepfar was the largest health commitment made by a nation to combat a single disease. But Trump's cuts have thrown the initiative into a tailspin. Stephanie Sy discussed the shift in HIV funding with Angeli Achrekar of UNAIDS, which provides services in 55 countries.

Students keep learning after wildfires destroy schools

7m 3s

Amid the devastation of the wildfires that tore through Southern California last month, thousands had their education disrupted. At least a dozen schools were burned or so badly damaged that students can’t return any time soon. William Brangham spent time with teachers and students from an elementary in Altadena to understand how educators keep moving forward in the middle of a disaster zone.

Corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams dropped

5m 20s

The Justice Department directed federal prosecutors to drop its corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Adams was charged in September with accepting bribes and foreign campaign contributions. The mayor has curried favor with President Trump for months, including dining with him in Florida. Laura Barrón-López discussed the implications with former federal prosecutor Jessica Roth.

Sen. Kim on why he says U.S. nearing constitutional crisis

6m 46s

With Democrats in the minority, they're searching for ways to serve as a check on GOP power in Congress and the White House. Sen. Andy Kim spent his entire working life in government service at USAID, the State Department, National Security Council and the House. The New Jersey Democrat recently said the country is on the cusp of a constitutional crisis and joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

'Nickel Boys' director RaMell Ross on his distinct style

6m 46s

It’s not every day that a director’s debut feature film earns an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. But that’s what happened to RaMell Ross and the movie, “Nickel Boys." Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spoke with Ross about his distinctive style for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump approval polls

8m 24s

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the first polling about how the American public views President Trump's second term so far, Elon Musk's cuts hurting Republican states and Trump saying he doesn't view Vice President Vance as his successor.

News Wrap: Hamas accuses Israel of breaking ceasefire deal

4m 43s

In our news wrap Monday, a fragile ceasefire may be at risk as Hamas accuses Israel of breaking parts of the agreement and says it will delay the further release of hostages, President Trump is set to pardon former Illinois Gov. Blagojevich, Romania's president says he will resign after months of pressure and a $4 billion settlement for victims of the 2023 wildfires in Maui will move forward.

Ex-CFPB director discusses Trump's effort to shut agency

5m

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been shut down by President Trump, at least for this week and possibly much longer. The agency, created by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis, has limited credit card fees, made mortgage loans easier to understand and returned billions of dollars to consumers. Geoff Bennett discussed more with former CFPB director Rohit Chopra.

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