PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 8 Seasons

Millions of Americans turn to PBS for the solid, reliable reporting that has made PBS News Hour one of the most trusted news programs in television.

Watch Latest: S2024 E317

57m 46s

Alabama conducts nation’s first execution with nitrogen gas

4m 17s

Nitrogen gas was used as capital punishment for the first time in U.S. history in the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, an Alabama prisoner convicted of a murder-for-hire scheme in 1988 who survived a botched execution attempt in 2022. This despite concerns voiced by several human rights groups and the U.N. that it could amount to torture. NPR's Chiara Eisner joins Geoff Bennett to discuss.

Jury decides Trump must pay $83.3 million for defamation

4m 51s

A New York jury on Friday ordered former President Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defaming her, after she accused him of sexual assault decades earlier. Carroll's lawyers had asked the nine-person jury for heavy damages against Trump, pointing to his continuing attacks from both the White House as president and after leaving office. William Brangham reports.

How abortion restrictions affect thousands of rape victims

5m 49s

Polls show about seven in 10 Americans say abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest. But since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, nine states have banned abortion in those cases. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association calculates there have been more than 64,000 rape-related pregnancies in areas with bans. John Yang discussed the study with Dr. Samuel Dickman.

Demand for lithium batteries could harm U.S. water resources

9m 38s

The push towards a green, battery-powered future comes with a major tradeoff. Student reporters from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University discovered that increased mining for lithium inside the United States will stress freshwater aquifers. Caitlin Thompson has their investigation.

Possible deal on Ukraine, immigration at risk of collapsing

4m 38s

High-stakes negotiations in Washington over two intertwined and looming issues were derailed on Thursday. The possible deals to aid Ukraine and reform the U.S. immigration system are at risk of collapsing under their own political weight. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins spent the day speaking with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and breaks down the developments.

Trump takes the stand in federal defamation case

4m 43s

Donald Trump took the stand in a New York City courtroom on Thursday as part of the defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. In an earlier trial, Trump was found guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s in a department store dressing room and then defaming her by denying the assault and alleging she invented the story to make money. William Brangham reports.

News Wrap: Peter Navarro sentenced for contempt of Congress

5m 13s

In our news wrap Thursday, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in federal prison for contempt of Congress, the U.S. economy is showing more signs of surprising resilience thanks to robust consumer spending and the Hamas-run health ministry reported an Israeli strike killed 20 people waiting for food in Gaza.

Border standoff intensifies as Texas governor defies ruling

5m

This week, the Supreme Court sided with federal agents to remove razor wire put in place by Texas along the Rio Grande. The state is using wire and state agents to block Border Patrol from accessing a section of the border in Eagle Pass. Homeland Security is demanding access to the area by Friday, but Gov. Greg Abbott is doubling down. Laura Barrón-López discussed the dispute with Stephen Vladeck.

Mexico's foreign secretary on steps to ease border crisis

7m 44s

Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington to discuss the situation at the border. Since the holidays, there has been a drop in migrant encounters, which the Biden administration credits to aggressive enforcement by Mexico. Amna Nawaz spoke with Bárcena about the complex, political and human matter and asked what Mexico has done differently.

Ohio becomes latest state to restrict gender-affirming care

5m 53s

Ohio is the latest state to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and limit trans athletes' participation in school sports. A total of 23 states have passed trans healthcare bans with 20 approved just in the past year. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Orion Rummler of The 19th News.

SaulPaul uses his music to inspire and empower young people

3m 39s

Motivated to make a change after serving time in prison for forgery, credit card abuse and burglary, SaulPaul discovered music as a way to inspire young people and help them avoid his path. The three-time Grammy-nominated performer calls himself “the musician with a message.” Our Student Reporting Labs caught up with him as part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Oscar nominations spark controversy with Barbie snubs

5m 14s

When the Academy Award nominations were announced, Barbie was among the ten films on the list for Best Picture. But many were surprised the nominations for Best Director did not include Barbie director Greta Gerwig and the film's star Margot Robbie was snubbed for Best Actress. Jeffrey Brown discussed that with Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

'Madness' details racism of Crownsville mental hospital

7m 34s

Crownsville Hospital in Maryland was one of the last segregated mental asylums in the country. Thousands of Black patients came through the overcrowded, understaffed hospital and many died there. NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton began looking into the facility a decade ago and wrote the book, "Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum.” She joined Amna Nawaz to discuss Crownsville.

Alcohol-related deaths surge in Colorado

5m 27s

Alcohol remains one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the U.S. Every year, more people die of alcohol-related causes than drug overdoses. While states have focused their attention on fighting the opioid epidemic, the problems with alcohol have largely been overlooked. William Brangham discussed how this is affecting Colorado with Denver Post reporter Meg Wingerter.

Experts discuss threat posed by Iran, fears of regional war

11m 44s

A U.S. priority since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack has been preventing violence from expanding across the region. But overnight, the U.S. launched strikes at Iranian-backed groups in both Iraq and Yemen, following attacks by those groups. Nick Schifrin reports on the widening military campaign and the threat posed by Iran and gets two views on the exchange of fire from Michael Doran and Ali Vaez.

Video shows shooting of apparently unarmed man in Gaza

4m 4s

The war in Gaza has killed more than 25,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Our colleagues at Independent Television News sent evidence of one more death, an apparently unarmed man walking with a group of men under a white flag with their hands up. Their crew in Gaza documented the killing and John Irvine reports from Israel. A warning, this story includes images of violence.

Haley sets sights on S.C. in uphill climb against Trump

5m 25s

The next state on the primary map is South Carolina, where Nikki Haley was raised and served as governor. But she faces an uphill climb against former President Trump. The state was also key to President Biden’s victory in the 2020 primary and now could serve as a signal of his standing with Black voters nationwide. Amna Nawaz discussed more with South Carolina Public Radio’s Thelisha Eaddy.

Democratic, GOP strategists break down Biden-Trump rematch

8m 12s

Former President Trump secured his second primary victory in New Hampshire, but Nikki Haley reminded Republican voters she’s still in the fight and set her sights on the next race in South Carolina. Geoff Bennett discussed the potential 2020 rematch between Trump and Biden with Democratic strategist Michael Meehan and Republican strategist Kevin Madden.

What is considered genocide, and who gets to decide?

6m 37s

Both sides in the Israel-Hamas war have accused each other of intending to commit, or carrying out, a campaign of genocide against their respective populations. But what is the term’s legal definition and what role does that play in its use in public and political rhetoric?

UN’s top humanitarian official discusses crisis in Gaza

8m 31s

The U.N. says 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents are currently displaced. To discuss the humanitarian situation in Gaza and other humanitarian crises across the world, Nick Schifrin spoke with Martin Griffiths, the U.N.'s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

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