PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 8 Seasons

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Watch Latest: S2024 E322

26m 45s

The role new Sen. Laphonza Butler could play in Congress

4m 16s

California Gov. Gavin Newsom tapped Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat long held by Diane Feinstein, who died last week. Butler is the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate, following Vice President Kamala Harris, who swore her in today. The appointment heats up the Democratic primary race to permanently fill the seat. Geoff Bennett discussed that with Marisa Lagos of KQED.

Clinton on supporting Ukraine as Putin undermines democracy

14m 34s

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now a professor of practice at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She's teaching alongside Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, who said their focus is inspiring future foreign policy leaders and thinkers to collaborate around solving the world's most pressing problems. Geoff Bennett sat down with Clinton to discuss her new role.

McCarthy's speakership ends as House votes to oust him

8m

For the first time in this nation’s history, the House of Representatives formally ousted its speaker. A handful of hard-right Republicans and every Democrat voted together to remove the gavel from Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s hand. The move came nine months to the day since McCarthy lost his first vote to become speaker. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports from Capitol Hill.

Veteran exposed to burn pits wins precedent-setting lawsuit

6m 35s

Last week in Texas, a jury ruled in favor of LeRoy Torres, a former army reservist exposed to toxic burn pits. The landmark case is seen as a major victory for veterans. William Brangham discussed the verdict with LeRoy’s wife, Rosie Torres. Together they founded Burn Pits 360, an organization advocating on behalf of veterans exposed to toxic environments.

UN will send police force to Haiti to fight gang violence

6m 31s

The United Nations Security Council approved sending an international police force, led by Kenya, to Haiti. The U.S. drafted resolution was approved with abstentions from China and Russia and aims to combat rising gang violence in the Caribbean nation. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield has been a central figure in the push and joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the vote.

McCarthy faces revolt from far-right after avoiding shutdown

3m 2s

The government is open after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy side-stepped the hard-right flank of his party and cut a temporary funding deal with Democrats this weekend. But this week, he may need to broker another cross-aisle bargain to keep his job. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports from Capitol Hill.

Trump's empire in question during New York civil fraud trial

6m 52s

Former President Trump was in court Monday for a civil fraud trial over his real estate dealings. The judge already ruled on one of the arguments from prosecutors last week, saying Trump and his executives fraudulently inflated the value of real estate holdings. The judge still has to weigh in on other claims in the suit. Geoff Bennett discussed the case with Russ Buettner of The New York Times.

How a medical center harmonizes health and performing arts

6m 56s

The Center For Performing Arts Medicine is an unusual partnership of a world-class hospital and world-class performing arts organizations. It was founded in 1992 with a focus on singers, but then something unexpected happened. Jeffrey Brown reports from Houston for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Child care centers scramble as pandemic-era funding expires

5m 36s

Key funding for child care centers dating back to the pandemic ended on Saturday. More than 220,000 centers counted on those grants to help pay the bills and raise wages. With the loss of funding, one progressive think tank projects that as many as 70,000 facilities could close in the long run. Stephanie Sy discussed the ramifications with Julie Kashen.

The major cases on the docket as Supreme Court begins term

5m 52s

A new term for the U.S. Supreme Court kicks off this week. On the docket are consequential cases that could determine the future of key issues like gun ownership and redistricting. Looming large over this term are also calls for greater ethics guidelines for the justices. Geoff Bennett and NewsHour Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle previewed all that’s to come.

Tamara Keith and Andrew Desiderio on McCarthy's future

7m 21s

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including what's next for Speaker McCarthy after making a deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown, the appointment of Laphonza Butler to fill the Senate seat once held by Dianne Feinstein and President Biden's response to concerns about his age.

What’s behind a messy rollout of the new COVID vaccines

6m 4s

When federal health officials approved new COVID shots in September, doses were expected to be available in pharmacies within days. But two weeks later, many people are having trouble finding the vaccines, and if they do get an appointment, some are having trouble getting insurance to cover the cost. Katelyn Jetelina, a University of Texas epidemiologist, joins John Yang to discuss.

Surging e-bike popularity creates regulatory challenges

5m 22s

The popularity of bikes with electric motors has soared recently, with U.S. sales topping $1.3 billion in 2022. But while e-bikes are being hailed as a more accessible mode of transportation, their introduction hasn’t been the smoothest ride. Ali Rogin speaks with Molly Hurford, who writes about e-bikes for Bicycling magazine and co-hosts the Consummate Athlete podcast, to learn more.

Hispanic? Latino? How the language of identity is shifting

6m 58s

Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates a U.S. population of 64 million that’s diverse, growing and constantly changing. But can a single term like Hispanic or Latino describe a group with such varied ancestry and geographic origin? Mark Hugo Lopez from the Pew Research Center and Cristina Mora from UC Berkeley’s Department of Sociology join John Yang to discuss.

Jovita Idar’s fight for the rights of women and immigrants

2m 39s

For Hispanic Heritage Month, as part of our “Hidden Histories” series, we bring you the story of Jovita Idar, a journalist and activist who spent her life improving the lives of women and Mexican immigrants at the turn of the 20th century.

Inside McCarthy’s deal with Democrats to pass funding plan

5m 30s

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are down to the wire with efforts to avoid a government shutdown at midnight. The House overwhelmingly passed a temporary spending bill Saturday after Speaker McCarthy turned to Democrats for help. But the Senate has to approve the bill too, and it’s not yet clear what they’re going to do. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins has the latest.

Why some areas of Austin get way hotter than others

5m 47s

Cities across the U.S. broke thousands of heat records this summer, but in many of them, some areas were hotter than others. These areas are known as urban heat islands, which can mean higher energy bills and unsafe conditions for residents. Blair Waltman-Alexin of Austin PBS, in partnership with Austin Vida, reports.

What to know about prostate cancer screening and treatment

7m 37s

Nearly 300,000 American men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone, though most of those diagnosed don’t die from it. Ali Rogin speaks with Dr. Charles Ryan, a genitourinary oncologist and head of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, about the screening, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and what it means to live with it.

A Brief But Spectacular take on poetry as ritual

3m 27s

Mahogany Browne is a poet, writer, organizer and educator. Recently, she became the first-ever poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center in New York City. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on poetry as ritual.

How a shutdown will impact government agencies and programs

7m 16s

The highly partisan government funding plan from House Republicans imploded on the chamber floor Friday, leaving the country on the cusp of shutdown without a clear path out. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports on every twist and turn in this political drama and the real-world consequences.

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