PBS News Hour

News and Public Affairs Series / 9 Seasons

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Watch: S2025 E91

57m 46s

China’s role in the U.S. crackdown on global fentanyl trade

6m 38s

The Biden administration has made recent moves against China-based firms and executives blamed for supplying chemicals used to make fentanyl, a synthetic opioid up to 50 times stronger than heroin. It’s part of the U.S. government’s effort to disrupt the global illegal drug trade and stem the opioid epidemic. Brookings Institution senior fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown joins Ali Rogin to discuss.

Why medication to treat alcoholism is ‘vastly underutilized’

6m 24s

Nearly 30 million Americans struggle with alcohol addiction. Medication used to treat alcohol-use disorder have been on the market for decades, but is rarely prescribed. Dr. Sarah Wakeman, medical director of the Substance Use Disorder Initiative at Mass General Brigham, joins Ali Rogin to discuss medication’s potential for treating this disease and why it’s underused.

War erupts as Israel retaliates after surprise Hamas attack

6m 8s

In an unprecedented surprise attack, the militant Hamas rulers of Gaza sent dozens of fighters into Israel by land, sea and air. Hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians are reported dead between the attack and Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza cities. John Yang speaks with special correspondent Nurit Ben for the latest developments.

Advocates push for oversight to prevent chemical disasters

8m 47s

Eight months after a train derailed and spilled toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, people are still waiting for answers about long-term health and environmental consequences. What happened isn’t uncommon — on average, there’s a chemical incident in the U.S. every two days. John Yang reports from North Carolina, where one city is trying to move forward after a chemical disaster in 2022.

Brooks and Marcus on GOP's after McCarthy's ouster

10m 38s

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Ruth Marcus join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including the fallout of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster and how it's reshaping the Republican Party.

Nobel winner Maria Ressa on A.I dangers and defending truth

6m 50s

Veteran journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa has a dire warning about the defense of truth in the digital age. She says we risk losing the information war to adversarial artificial intelligence and to authoritarian governments who can weaponize the tech. Geoff Bennett spoke with Ressa at the inaugural summit of the newly launched Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University.

Tourism in Maui sparks debate over community and economy

9m 19s

This weekend, tourists will be allowed back into areas of Maui not far from the site of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in more than a century. The reopening plan has sparked an uproar among some members of a community that’s still grieving but also weighing its long-term revival and survival. William Brangham reports.

Nobel Peace Prize bolsters activist's call for human rights

6m 52s

This year's Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to one of Iran’s most prominent, persecuted and persistent human rights activists. Nargis Mohammedi is in detention in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, for “spreading anti-state propaganda.” But Iranian efforts to silence her have only made her voice louder. Nick Schifrin discussed Mohammedi's message with Summer Lopez.

Immigration advocates blast Biden after border wall decision

7m 40s

The Biden administration is taking fire from some immigration advocates for a recent move to expedite the construction of a wall along the southern border. The president says the money for a wall was appropriated during the Trump administration and that his hands are tied. Laura Barrón-López discussed the latest with Nick Mirrof of The Washington Post.

Job growth defies expectations but economic questions remain

5m 43s

The strength of the jobs market stunned again with a report surpassing most expectations. Employers added 336,000 jobs in September while unemployment remained at 3.8 percent. We also learned that nearly 120,000 more jobs were created in July and August than originally reported. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on the job market that continues to defy headwinds facing the economy.

Advocates concerned about wages of workers with disabilities

10m 18s

Even with the low unemployment rate in the United States, the situation for people with disabilities is much tougher. Only about 20% of them have a job and some who do are paid less than the federal minimum wage. After protests from disability advocates, the Department of Labor announced it would review the policy that makes this possible. Judy Woodruff reports for our series, Disability Reframed.

Biden asks Congress to provide more military aid for Ukraine

6m 42s

Thursday, President Biden convened his military and national security leaders for a briefing on the war in Ukraine. The conflict took a devastating turn overnight when Russian airstrikes killed more than 50 civilians, according to Ukrainian officials. It's the deadliest attack in months and comes at a moment when assistance from the U.S. is running out. Laura Barron-Lopez and Nick Schifrin report.

Army secretary on new recruiting plan after missing goals

7m 51s

The Army is unveiling new plans for how it will recruit soldiers. Over the past few decades, the service has struggled to meet its recruiting goals and the challenges have only increased thanks to COVID-19, a tight job market and highly publicized cases of sexual assault in the military. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth joined Nick Schifrin to discuss the proposed solutions.

Martin Baron examines journalism and Trump in new book

6m 39s

Despite Martin Baron's decades-long career in journalism, including leading some of the nation's most respected newspapers, he had never written a book about his impressive career, until now. Baron sat down with Geoff Bennett to discuss "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos and the Washington Post."

Winner of Nobel Prize in medicine on her work fighting COVID

6m 53s

This week's Nobel Prize announcements are highlighting groundbreaking work once again in the sciences and medicine. William Brangham has a conversation with one of the year's winners in medicine, whose work led to a profound change in tackling the pandemic.

Ringo Starr on his legendary time with Beatles and new music

8m 46s

Ringo Starr is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once with a little band you might have heard of, and a second time on his own. He’s been knighted and acted in many films and TV, including as Mr. Conductor on PBS. Now at 83, Starr has a new recording out this month and is on tour. Jeffrey Brown joined him in Los Angeles for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Biden unveils new student debt forgiveness plan

6m 51s

President Biden has been using existing, targeted programs to cancel student debt after the Supreme Court struck down his original plan in June. Wednesday, he announced another $9 billion in forgiveness for 125,000 borrowers and the Education Department is also making another attempt at mass relief. John Yang discussed the latest with Danielle Douglas-Gabriel.

Trump amplifies violent rhetoric against perceived enemies

4m 57s

The civil trial accusing Donald Trump of fraud is underway in New York. The case has become a vehicle for the former president and frontrunner for the GOP nomination to amplify violent rhetoric against his perceived enemies from judges to legal clerks and the attorney general. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports.

Republicans face unclear choice for new House speaker

12m 26s

Two candidates are entering the Republican race to be the next Speaker of the House, but it's unclear how long it will take to find a successor to the ousted Kevin McCarthy. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins reports on the historic events unfolding on Capitol Hill and Geoff Bennett discusses the future of the House Republican Conference with Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York.

ONLargest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history underway

5m 51s

The largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history is underway after Kaiser Permanente and its unionized employees failed to reach a new contract agreement. The strike is set to last three days as contract negotiations continue. Workers say they are focusing on wage increases and solutions to staffing shortages. Geoff Bennett spoke with union director Caroline Lucas.

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