PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

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Watch Latest: S2025 E75

24m 9s

How Musk gained so much power in the Trump administration

10m 14s

President Trump has tasked Elon Musk with an enormous job of searching the federal government and rooting out inefficiencies and waste. But Musk’s initial, often chaotic, infiltration of various departments has set off alarm bells. It’s also put the tech entrepreneur at center stage of the conservative movement. William Brangham looks at the history of the man behind this effort.

A look at Trump's first month in office

9m 24s

President Trump has been on the job for one month and the pace of his administration has been unrelenting. Thursday, a federal judge ruled the administration could continue firing federal workers by the thousands and the Senate confirmed one of the president's most polarizing nominees to lead the FBI. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Robert Putnam on how U.S. became polarized and how to fix it

9m 36s

For over two years, Judy Woodruff has traveled the country exploring the roots of America’s divisions over race, religion, culture, wealth and more for America at a Crossroads. The series returns with political scientist Robert Putnam, who has spent decades studying these divides and how we might find our way back to a more unified nation.

Reality of Panama Canal control as Trump threatens action

7m 51s

Since returning to office, President Trump has made repeated claims that China operates the Panama Canal and threatened to take it back from the Panama Canal Authority, which has controlled it since 1999. Economics correspondent Paul Solman examines the canal’s history and the facts surrounding its operation.

Navy commander fights Trump's trans military ban

6m 59s

The Trump administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military has come under hostile fire. One of those who could be affected by Trump's ban is Commander Emily Shilling, a decorated Navy pilot with over 60 combat missions and high-risk work as a test pilot. Lisa Desjardins spoke with Shilling about her legal challenge to Trump's executive order.

Epidemiologist looks at Trump strategies against bird flu

5m 54s

The Trump administration plans to roll out a new strategy against the bird flu. There are few details, but to bring egg prices down, the plan is aimed at trying to minimize the slaughter of chickens when the flu strikes a flock. More than 150 million poultry have been affected since 2022 and 58 people have been sickened by it. Geoff Bennett discussed more with epidemiologist Dr. Katelyn Jetelina.

Fired inspectors general issue warning about oversight void

8m 30s

The Trump administration's first weeks saw a wave of firings, including more than 17 inspectors general, independent watchdogs overseeing government waste, fraud and abuse. These actions have already prompted a lawsuit challenging their legality and ongoing protests outside federal buildings. Laura Barrón-López speaks with two of the fired inspectors general, Christi Grimm and Robert Storch.

Judge in Eric Adams case asks DOJ why it's dropping charges

3m 21s

The federal judge overseeing the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams held a hearing Wednesday about the Trump Justice Department's sudden decision to drop the case. That reversal prompted seven federal prosecutors to resign in protest and has further plunged the mayor’s administration into turmoil. William Brangham was in the courtroom and reports on the developments.

Trump calls Zelenskyy a 'dictator' as he pressures Kyiv

2m 29s

President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator as he tried to pressure Kyiv to accept a deal to end the war. The U.S. is negotiating those terms directly with Russia. It comes a day after Trump falsely claimed Ukraine started the war. Ali Rogin reports.

News Wrap: Bolsonaro charged with attempting coup

6m 5s

In our news wrap Wednesday, former Brazilian President Bolsonaro has been formally charged with attempting a coup to stay in office after losing the 2022 election, the Trump administration is ordering New York City to stop its congestion pricing system, two small planes collide midair at an Arizona airport and Apple launched a new low-cost iPhone as it tries to kickstart its smartphone business.

Andrew Young on the political moment and his life of service

8m 28s

Andrew Young is a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a two-term mayor of Atlanta. The nation last saw him as he delivered a heartfelt homily at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. Geoff Bennett spoke with Young in Atlanta for his insights on the current political moment and his reflections on his extraordinary life of service.

Examining the truth about fighting fires in California

5m 58s

Last month’s wildfires in California destroyed thousands of homes, killed at least 29 people and will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars. President Trump has claimed that state officials made the disaster worse by how they managed the state’s complex water system. William Brangham looks at those allegations and the realities of water management in the nation’s most populous state.

Toronto crash and FAA layoffs add to air safety concerns

6m 26s

Investigators are trying to determine what caused Delta Air Lines jet to flip over during landing at Toronto's Pearson Airport. All 80 passengers survived and 21 people were injured. Air traffic controllers warned pilots of high winds just before the plane attempted to land. It’s the latest in a string of significant accidents in less than a month. Amna Nawaz discussed more with David Shepardson.

Musk and DOGE face criticism for seeking access to IRS data

7m

Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" group is seeking access to data systems within the IRS that house financial information about every taxpayer, business and nonprofit in the country. Geoff Bennett discussed the implications with Natasha Sarin, a professor at Yale Law School and School of Management and former Treasury Department counselor for tax policy and implementation.

Arizona AG discusses lawsuit challenging Musk's power

6m 49s

A federal judge ruled against a motion imposing a temporary restraining order on Elon Musk's so-called "Department of Government Efficiency." The ruling is in response to a suit brought by 14 attorneys general alleging President Trump violated the Constitution by granting Musk power. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, one of the plaintiffs in the suit.

News Wrap: New York governor weighs removing NYC mayor

5m 37s

In our news wrap Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul met with political leaders in Manhattan to decide whether to remove NYC Mayor Adams from office, all living Israeli hostages set to be freed under phase one of the ceasefire deal in Gaza will be released by Hamas this weekend and the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says Israeli forces raided and closed four of its schools in East Jerusalem.

U.S. and Russia meet to discuss ending Ukraine war

3m 24s

Russian and U.S. officials met in person for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine more than 1,000 days ago. They aimed to chart a path towards peace and raised the possibility of lifting sanctions they’ve aimed at each other. They also agreed to work toward restoring staffing at embassies. But there was one glaring omission: Ukrainian officials were not in the room. Geoff Bennett reports.

U.S. foreign policy experts analyze talks to end Ukraine war

7m 54s

In Saudi Arabia, U.S. officials met with Russian counterparts to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Missing from these talks were Ukrainian and European representatives. Geoff Bennett analyzed the notable absences with Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a former senior intelligence officer focused on Russia and Eurasia, and Paul Saunders, executive director of the Center for the National Interest.

Farmers are feeling the weight of Trump policies

8m 19s

In the last two presidential elections, farmers voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, but now some are saying his efforts to cut the government are causing major financial pressure. William Brangham reports and speaks with Nick Levendofsky, executive director of the Kansas Farmers Union, for more perspective.

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Trump's expanding powers

7m 35s

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 President Donald Trump's expanding executive power nearly one month into his second term.

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