Politics Dec 21 Some of Trump's judicial picks are being approved at a record pace. How will they reshape the courts? President Trump and Republicans have been quietly and systematically reshaping the federal judiciary. The Senate has confirmed a record 12 Trump picks for the influential federal appeals court -- the fastest success rate for any president ever. John Yang gets…
Nation Dec 21 Here's what happens when someone wants to sue for sexual harassment When a worker wants to sue over sexual harassment, they must first file a complaint with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In light of the conversation around the #MeToo movement, the number of complaints are expected to spike substantially.
Making Sen$e Dec 21 Should plant-based meat replace beef completely? What’s the beef with beef? As plant-based meat startups try to chop the meat from our diets, beef is seen as bad for the land, air and the body. But that’s not the full story. Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes…
Nation Dec 21 'Doomsday Machine' author Daniel Ellsberg says Americans have escaped self-annihilation by luck The military analyst turned whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers looks at the existential threat of America’s nuclear capacities in his new memoir, “The Doomsday Machine.” Very little has changed, says author Daniel Ellsberg, when it comes to what he…
Poetry Dec 21 Turning silence on police shootings into poetry Hip-hop is the soundtrack to poet Marcus Wicker's daily life, and his love for the music comes out naturally in his writing, which addresses topics like the violence perpetrated against black bodies. Wicker offers his Brief but Spectacular take on…
Episode Dec 20 PBS NewsHour full episode December 20, 2017 Wednesday on the NewsHour, Republicans pass the most drastic rewrite of the tax code in decades, sending the $1.5 trillion plan to the president’s desk. We explore the bill’s impact on Obamacare. Also: The stunning civilian death toll of defeating…
Politics Dec 20 What you need to know now that the GOP tax bill is going to be law President Trump and congressional Republicans took a victory lap on Wednesday after scoring their first sweeping legislative win by passing their tax code overhaul into law. Democratic leaders warned the bill, estimated to add $1.5 trillion to the federal debt,…
Politics Dec 20 News Wrap: Tied Virginia state legislature battle will be decided by drawing names In our news wrap Wednesday, Virginia's vacant state legislative seat has come down to a tie. Judges ruled today that candidates Shelly Simonds and David Yancey are dead even, after Simonds had been originally told she won by a single…
Health Dec 20 The GOP tax bill deals a blow to the Affordable Care Act. Here's how The sweeping tax bill passed by Congress on Wednesday extends beyond what you file with the IRS. It also affects American health care by repealing Obamacare's so-called individual mandate. John Yang learns more from Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News…
World Dec 20 Thousands more civilians were killed in Mosul battle than official tally, AP finds ISIS was driven out of Iraq's second largest city in July, but at a devastating cost, with great swaths of Mosul in ruins. A new report from the Associated Press puts the death toll between 9,000 and 11,000, a third…