PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 8 Seasons

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Watch: S2024 E318

57m 46s

Breaking down the delegates and path to the GOP nomination

4m 32s

While the first contest of the presidential campaign is over, the race for the GOP nomination and the delegates who will vote at the Republican National Convention this summer is only beginning. Geoff Bennett and Domenico Montanaro of NPR discussed the long road ahead.

Republican strategist on Trump's grip on GOP after Iowa win

6m 31s

The focus of the Republican presidential race moves to New Hampshire after former President Trump’s win in the Iowa caucuses. Trump dominated his rivals by 30 points with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in second place with 21 percent of the vote, followed closely by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Amna Nawaz discussed the race with Republican strategist Kevin Madden.

'Eve' dispels human evolution myths and female body's role

6m 49s

Where do we come from and how did we evolve into the beings and bodies we are today? The new book "Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution" argues for a better understanding of our origins with critical implications for our present. Jeffrey Brown spoke with author Cat Bohannon for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

How a $100M donation is a game-changer for HBCUs

6m 20s

The United Negro College Fund received a $100 million grant to help increase endowments for historically Black colleges and universities. The donation from the Lilly Endowment is the single largest unrestricted private grant in the organization's history and its purpose is to increase funding for its 37 member institutions. Geoff Bennett discussed more with UNCF President and CEO Michael Lomax.

Rep. Cuellar on Texas border dispute after migrant deaths

7m 5s

Following the death of a woman and two children in the Rio Grande along the southern border, a dispute between Texas and federal officials has intensified. The migrants drowned while attempting to cross into Eagle Pass at a section of the border recently seized by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Laura Barrón-López discussed more with Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents a Texas border district.

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on Iowa caucus expectations

8m 33s

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 Iowa caucuses and what the GOP candidates need to accomplish to stay in the race.

Iranian-backed groups raise threat of wider Mideast conflict

5m 19s

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s military response in Gaza, Iranian-backed militias in the region have escalated attacks. Hezbollah and the IDF have traded barrages while the Houthis have lobbed missiles and attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Amna Nawaz discussed Iran’s objectives and influence with Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Arctic blast grips much of U.S. bringing brutal temperatures

2m 20s

The same deep freeze that's put Iowa on ice has millions of other Americans in its grip as well. Most of the country shivered through a long day of power outages and flight cancellations, with at least six deaths blamed on the weather. William Brangham reports.

Iowans face freezing temperatures in 1st contest of 2024

10m 33s

Republicans are enduring frigid weather to participate in the Iowa caucuses. An Arctic blast brought record-setting snowfall, powerful gusts and wind chill readings 40 degrees below zero. It choked campaigns to a near-halt at one point. When candidates did return, the storm still took center stage. Lisa Desjardins reports from West Des Moines.

Inside Afghanistan’s worsening humanitarian disaster

6m 36s

Since the Taliban reclaimed control of Afghanistan in 2021, the country has plummeted further into political and economic instability. Frequent natural disasters and shortfalls in donor funding make the dire situation one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Dayne Curry, the Afghanistan country director for Mercy Corps, joins Ali Rogin to discuss.

How communities are tackling a suicide crisis among farmers

9m 9s

More than 50,000 Americans took their own lives in 2023, the nation’s highest yearly rate of suicide on record. Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the National Rural Health Association. Special correspondent Megan Thompson reports from Wisconsin on the burden farmers often deal with and what’s being done to help them.

What Iowa voters are thinking on frigid eve of 2024 caucuses

5m 43s

On the eve of the 2024 presidential election’s first contest, GOP candidates are making last-minute appeals in a bitterly cold Iowa. The National Weather Service warns of wind chills as low as 45 below zero Monday night, when Iowa Republicans are gathering for caucuses. Lisa Desjardins reports from Indianola, Iowa, with the latest updates.

The rise of impeachment as a weapon of partisan politics

7m 1s

House Republicans are pressing ahead with efforts to impeach both President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas. Only one cabinet official has ever been impeached, in 1876. Sarah Binder, a professor of political science at George Washington University, joins John Yang to discuss whether what was intended to be a check on presidential power has become a modern-day political weapon.

Why you may be ingesting more microplastics than you thought

6m 24s

From takeout containers to water bottles, plastic seems unavoidable in our daily lives. Now, two new studies have found that we’re eating and drinking more plastic than we might have realized. George Leonard, a co-author of one of the studies and chief scientist at Ocean Conservancy, joins John Yang to discuss the findings.

How Taiwan’s presidential pick affects relations with China

6m 48s

The results of Saturday’s Taiwanese presidential election has big implications for both Beijing and Washington. President-elect Lai Ching-te, who is also known as William Lai, rejects China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan. Ali Rogin speaks with Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, the China reporter for Axios based in Taiwan, about the election and what to expect next.

Brooks and Capehart on Iowa expectations, Biden's campaign

10m 8s

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, the dynamics of the GOP race and expectations heading into Iowa and Democrats concerned about the Biden reelection campaign strategy.

What's at stake for China and U.S. in Taiwan's elections

6m 23s

In Taiwan, voters head to the polls on Saturday for presidential and parliamentary elections. The results will be as closely watched in Beijing and Washington as they will be in Taipei. China considers Taiwan a breakaway republic, and President Xi Jinping often speaks of reunification with the island. Nick Schifrin looks at the candidates and the stakes for the vote.

New COVID variant responsible for latest wave of infections

6m 55s

The U.S. and other parts of the world are in the midst of another COVID-19 wave. Infections and hospitalizations are on the rise this winter and a new variant is responsible for most of those cases. John Yang discussed these current trends and if the approach to the virus needs to change with Dr. Eric Topol.

Iowa 'kingmaker' on the GOP race and white evangelical vote

8m 54s

The Iowa caucuses are now just three days away, which means the candidates are making their final pitches to a coveted group of voters: white evangelicals. Bob Vander Plaats is perhaps Iowa’s most recognizable and influential evangelical leader and is often called a kingmaker in Iowa politics. Lisa Desjardins sat down with him in Des Moines to discuss the GOP race.

UN agency describes dire humanitarian situation in Gaza

5m 49s

Friday marks 97 days of the war in Gaza and the humanitarian toll on its population has been devastating. According to the U.N., 90 percent of Gazans are displaced, more than one in four are starving and there’s not a single hospital in the strip that is fully functional. Ali Rogin spoke with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency to get an update from the ground in Gaza.

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