PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

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Watch: S2025 E120

56m 44s

Ex-ambassador on changes to Trump's national security team

6m 11s

The Trump White House announced a major shakeup with embattled National Security Adviser Mike Waltz leaving his post to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Amna Nawaz discussed the move with Ambassador John Negroponte. He was the first director of national intelligence during the George W. Bush administration.

White House not backing down from clash with judiciary

3m 22s

Despite once again being told by a federal judge that their actions exceed the scope of the executive’s authority, President Trump and his administration continued their fight with the judicial branch. White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports.

Trump ousts Waltz in national security team shakeup

4m 36s

Three months into his second term, President Trump is shaking up his national security team. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, whose use of an unclassified messaging platform caused an uproar starting in March, will leave his job and be nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will replace Waltz as national security adviser. Nick Schifrin reports.

'Conclave' author on the tradition of selecting a new pope

6m 24s

Streaming viewership of "Conclave" surged 3,200 percent in the week after Pope Francis’ death. Viewers turned to that movie, which won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, to help them understand one of the most secretive elections on the planet. The film is based on the novel by Robert Harris, who joined Geoff Bennett to break down the complicated process of electing the next pontiff.

Exploring the efforts to control how U.S. history is told

7m 28s

The Trump administration has put its mark on the nation’s cultural sector. One focus is on how American history is told and presented in museums and monuments. That has roiled many in the academic and art worlds. Jeffrey Brown explores the effort to reshape institutions for our series, Art in Action, exploring the intersection of art and democracy and our arts and culture coverage, CANVAS.

'The Project' explores Project 2025's origins and goals

7m 5s

Many of the policies enacted by the Trump administration with lightning speed in these first 100 days were initially laid out two years ago in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. David Graham’s new book “The Project” details its origins and sweeping goals to reshape American culture. White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López sat down with Graham to discuss more.

Christopher Rufo on his push to scrutinize higher education

9m 12s

President Trump is pushing for more control at dozens of colleges and universities, he says to promote free speech, end “wokeism” and clamp down on antisemitism. But many schools are opposing the efforts. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo has been instrumental in triggering the wider response and big changes from the administration. Amna Nawaz spoke with him for our series, On Democracy.

Trump's Cabinet praises policies that have sparked pushback

4m 4s

President Donald Trump crossed the 100-day mark Tuesday with a late-night rally and a heated primetime interview where he defended his controversial mass deportations. Wednesday, he held a roundtable meeting with his Cabinet, who spent much of it touting their own records over the past few months. White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports.

A look at the partnership between Vietnam and the U.S.

11m 32s

Vietnam marked the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the unification of the country under Communist rule after decades of war. From the ashes, the U.S. and Vietnam now enjoy close relations, due in no small part to American veterans who sought to revive a country they once helped destroy. Nick Schifrin reports.

News Wrap: Judge releases Columbia protester Mohsen Mahdawi

3m 39s

In our news wrap Wednesday, a federal judge released Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi who led protests against the war in Gaza while a student at Columbia University, a derecho killed three people in Pennsylvania, Israel is asking for international aid as it battles wildfires near Jerusalem and Hawaii increased a tax on hotels and other accommodations to help fight climate change.

Sen. Slotkin says Democrats need to get 'Alpha energy'

7m 6s

As Democrats grapple with President Trump’s first 100 days in office, they also contend with a minority in both the House and Senate. Looking ahead at the long road to the 2026 midterm elections, some Democrats are hoping to shape the party’s messaging and platform well before then. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin has been laying out her strategy and joined Geoff Bennett to discuss it further.

Economists offer views on Trump's tariffs and trade war

11m 41s

President Trump has made a bold gamble with a fundamental change in economic policy by launching tough tariffs. He argues they will revitalize manufacturing, reduce the national debt and grow the economy. Amna Nawaz has differing perspectives on Trump's claims from Oren Cass of the conservative think tank American Compass and economist Jason Furman, who served as an adviser under President Obama.

Alberto Gonzales on Trump’s willingness to test law's limits

6m 32s

Alberto Gonzales served stints as attorney general and White House counsel under the George W. Bush administration and is now the dean of Belmont University’s law school. He joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the rule of law and President Trump’s apparent willingness to test its limits. It's part of our series, On Democracy.

Supreme Court hears publicly-funded religious school case

7m 34s

Oklahoma's charter school board approved the creation of a Catholic virtual school in 2023, establishing the nation’s first publicly-funded religious charter school. Oklahoma's Supreme Court blocked it, saying it violated the state constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court heard the case on Wednesday and John Yang discussed the arguments with News Hour Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle.

Why Trump softened some tariffs on automotive industry

5m 59s

President Trump signed an executive order aimed at softening the blow his tariffs have imposed on the automotive industry and U.S. manufacturers. But tensions with China remain high and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a video saying it would not back down from the trade war with the U.S. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Gavin Bade of The Wall Street Journal.

Where Trump's approval rating stands after 100 days

5m 45s

It has been 100 days since President Trump was inaugurated for his second term in office. The mark is a modern measuring point for administrations and few have seen more action in the first three months than in this White House. But how are the American people taking it in? Lisa Desjardins has insights from the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll.

News Wrap: Harvard to review academic offerings and policies

6m 33s

In our news wrap Tuesday, Harvard announced it will review academic offerings and policies in response to internal reports about antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus, the Senate confirmed David Perdue as the U.S. ambassador to China and the Trump administration dismissed many of former President Biden's nominees to the board that oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

How Mark Carney led Canada's Liberal Party to election win

10m 4s

Canada's Liberal Party secured a fourth consecutive term after a narrow win in an election that was seen as one of the most consequential in its recent history. Prime Minister Mark Carney flipped his party's fortunes with a campaign focused on combating President Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexation. Nick Schifrin discussed the result with Shachi Kurl of the Angus Reid Institute.

Salazar pushes citizenship path for undocumented migrants

9m 2s

As new stories of migrants deported without due process garner fresh headlines, the Trump administration continues to defend its actions in court. But there’s little to no apparent momentum for immigration reform on Capitol Hill. GOP Rep. Maria Salazar of Miami is one of the loudest voices for reshaping immigration law on either side of the aisle and joined Geoff Bennett to discuss more.

Analyzing Trump's immigration agenda in his first 100 days

6m 6s

President Trump ran on closing the border and made promises about mass deportations of millions of immigrants. White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López and David Bier of the Cato Institute discussed the first 100 days of the Trump administration enforcing his immigration policies.

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