LISA DESJARDINS: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, fighting in the Middle East cast a shadow over global New Year celebrations with new attacks from Iran backed fighters in the Red Sea, and a growing death toll in the Israel-Hamas war.

Then, we tell the story of 2023, highs and lows worth remembering.

And where are you listening to?

Critics discuss the most engaging and enlightening podcasts of the year, including one about what we wear.

WOMAN: I'm always surprised.

I'm always delighted and it's substantive without feeling like a bummer.

LISA DESJARDINS: Good evening.

I'm Lisa Desjardins.

John Yang is away.

There is rising concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could cascade into global trade issues as the world's largest shipping company freezes some operations.

Maersk paused its shipping in the Red Sea a major route for two days.

That after Houthi gunman allied with Iran and Hamas again attacked one of their ships in the Southern Red Sea.

Today for the first time the U.S. military returned fire.

U.S. officials say Navy helicopters sank three boats killing 10 Houthi fighters aboard.

Meanwhile, airstrikes intensified today in central Gaza after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday the war would last for many more months for displaced Palestinians that adds to bleak prospects.

MAN (through translator): Everyone around the world is celebrating the New Year watching firework shows.

But for us, the firework show here is missiles.

My wish for the new year is for the war to stop so that we can return to our homes and live like ordinary people.

LISA DESJARDINS: More than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war broke out.

According to the Hamas run Gaza health ministry.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reelected President Felix Tshisekedi to another five-year term with more than 70 percent of the vote.

His opponents say that overwhelming margin proves the election was a sham.

There have already been violent protests in parts of the country.

Singer Paula Abdul has accused former American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault.

The former Idol judge claims Lythgoe forced himself on top of her in one incident and pushed his tongue into her mouth in another.

The suit filed Friday it comes before tonight's deadline for sexual assault victims in California to file claims beyond the statute of limitations.

Lythgoe said he is shocked by the allegations which he calls a smear.

The lawsuit says Abdul stayed silent for years out of fear of retaliation.

And in a surprise Europe's longest serving monarch 83-year-old Queen Margrethe of Denmark today announced that she will abdicate her throne in favor of her son.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend.

2023 was packed with news we take a look back, and critics weigh in on some of the best and most surprising podcasts of 2023.

(BREAK) LISA DESJARDINS: There is no question that we live in historic unusual times.

2023 added to the list of unprecedented events.

See if you remember it all as tonight we take a look back at the events that define the year.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): Conflict has dominated the headlines including a still unfolding war in the Middle East.

Less than three months ago, Hamas militants attacked southern Israel in a surprise multipronged and bloody invasion.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed and another 240 were taken hostage.

NAOM PERI, Daughter of hostage: Almost 80 people are missing are kidnapped.

WOMAN: 80 people at a community of 350.

NAOM PERI: Yes.

24 of them are above the age of 75, 15 of them are kids.

Some are even babies.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): Israeli retaliation was swift and relentless.

An air assault followed weeks later by a ground invasion, beginning in northern Gaza and then marching south.

LEILA MOLANA ALLEN: The scale of destruction here and in so many other villages along Gaza border with Israel is complete.

Every house is gutted.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): Gaza's health ministry reports more than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed.

Nearly 2 million more have been displaced, a humanitarian crisis, igniting demonstrations and cities around the world.

War torn Ukraine got a surprise and historic visit from President Biden.

The first time in modern history, a President has visited an active conflict zone not under us control.

On the verge of its third year of fighting against Russia, Ukraine launched a counter offensive this summer.

NICK SCHIFRIN: This is right at the epicenter of the counter offensive where Ukrainians have pushed the Russians back a little.

They're trying to expand their territory, the Russian lines half a mile both that way and that way, and you could hear all the firing.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): As temperatures dropped Russia focused its attacks on eastern Ukraine, where both sides use drones and the frontline has barely budged.

Meanwhile, Russia's neighbor to the east Finland joined the NATO alliance.

Other parts of the world saw their own share of instability.

Haiti remained in turmoil with no elected officials and gang warfare in the streets.

Nigeria and Gabon became the latest West African countries beset by military coups.

In Myanmar, a possible turn in the Civil War.

The military junta was stunned by a fall offensive from a coalition of armed ethnic rebel groups.

After three years of a global pandemic, a momentous milestone.

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, Directo-General, World Health Organization: I declared a COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): In the U.S. the pandemics and also met some government programs transitioned to private markets, including virus treatments.

COVID vaccines remained free to all but this year's vaccine rollout was rocky as supply chain issues disrupted distribution, about 18 percent of Americans have received an updated shot this year.

The global health emergency surrounding the infectious disease monkeypox also came to an end as cases fell, but another virus gripped the world's attention as cases spread among children, RSV or respiratory virus that can be serious, both in children and older adults.

Respiratory problems from a different source impacted much of the U.S. and Canada this year.

Smoke from massive wildfires burning in Canada shrouded large parts of the U.S. in a dangerous haze for days.

The Canadian blazes were the worst on record, touching every province and burning an area the size of North Dakota.

A fast moving wildfire on the Greek island of roads led to a frantic mass evacuation of tourists.

And on the Hawaiian island of Maui a weather chain reaction and offshore hurricane sent high winds across the drought Stricken Island fueling intense and rapidly spreading fires.

AARON KAMAUNU, Maui resident: That puppy was a block away.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Is it gone from a mile to a block away.

AARON KAMAUNU: In minutes in minutes, minutes, minutes, minutes.

It was like unreal.

Unbelievable.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): 100 people are killed and the historic town of Lahaina was destroyed.

Though not solely caused by climate change, the fires are strong indicators of a warming planet.

This year was the hottest on record, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization.

There were other natural disasters to cope with in 2023.

In February, a massive earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, toppling thousands of buildings across the 140,000 square mile quake zone.

JANE FERGUSON: There are thousands of rescue workers just like this spread out across southern Turkey still digging through the rubble, still determined to pull survivors from underneath collapsed buildings.

But three whole days since the earthquakes struck, the likelihood of finding anyone still alive, diminishes every hour.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): In the end, nearly 60,000 people were killed.

Thousands more injured, and hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed or severely damaged, prompting questions about building code standards.

In Morocco a similar story on a smaller scale, where a giant quake in September killed nearly 3,000 people and brought down entire villages.

From quakes to mass flooding, Libya was inundated by a fast moving torrential rainstorm that led to the collapse of two dams.

4,000 people died and much of the city of Derner was destroyed in the worst floods Libya has seen in a century.

And as a year of natural disasters closes out, after weeks of intense quake activity in Iceland, a volcanic eruption arrived just before Christmas.

Everyone who lives in the nearby town of Grindavik was evacuated weeks ago in anticipation.

ASGEIR OM EMILSSON, Grindavik Resident: I don't think we'll ever feel safe after going with us heavily there.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): From natural disasters to manmade ones.

In February, a Norfolk Southern train derailed and exploded in a towering ball of flames over the town of East Palestine, Ohio.

Many of the cars that exploded were carrying hazardous chemicals.

And then nearly 5,000 people who call East Palestine home felt the impacts immediately.

GEOFF BENNETT: Residents here still have questions about whether the air and water are safe and about the company's commitment to address the long term consequences of the derailment and spill.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): In June, the world's attention turned to a saga unfolding under the sea.

Five men taking a paid private submersible to the shipwreck Titanic lost their lives when the vessel imploded.

And in the United States, mass shootings continue to plague the country from a ballroom dance hall in California to a mall shooting in Texas, to a private Christian school in Nashville.

And a lockdown in the city of Lewiston, Maine as authorities hunted the killer.

The U.S. has seen more than 600 mass shootings where four or more people are shot or killed in 2023 alone.

In Memphis, a reminder of a different problem.

Police brutality.

Officer body cam footage showed multiple officers beating 29-year-old Tyre Nichols to death.

The Justice Department charged five officers with federal crimes.

And in the nation's capital, it was a year of turbulence and change.

At the Supreme Court, justices effectively brought an end to affirmative action at colleges and universities.

The vote fell along ideological lines six to three.

In the U.S. House of Representatives there were three different speakers in the span of nine months.

Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected to replace Nancy Pelosi in January but it took 15 ballots for him to win.

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R) California: That was easy.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): But by October he was ousted as eight renegade Republicans voted with Democrats in an historic first.

MAN: The office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared vacant.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): The Chair said empty for 22 days amid GOP disarray and eventually Republican Mike Johnson won the speakership.

LISA DESJARDINS: Three weeks that's again for nominees.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): In the midst of it all, the threat of government shutdowns loomed large not once but twice, with government funding about to run out in both October and November.

At the last minute, Congress passed stopgap funding bills to keep the government operating.

In December, another rarity when the House voted to expel one of its own Republican Congressman George Santos of New York under fire for a slew of alleged crimes and ethics violations.

JACK SMITH, Special Counsel: Today, and then guiding them was unsealed.

Charging Donald J. Trump, with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding.

LISA DESJARDINS (voice-over): Also on trial former President Trump who made multiple appearances in several of the federal and state courtrooms in which he faces a combined 91 charges both civil and criminal.

Even with the trials in motion, Mr. Trump's numbers soared in his bid for the Republican nomination.

Polling puts him far in the front of the pack of contenders, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and former U.N.

Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. threw his hat in the ring with a controversial run of his own.

Around the world, a wave of new populist far right leaders were elected to power from Argentina or the Trump adoring Javier Mileisays he'll rein in triple digit inflation by adopting the U.S. dollar and slashing government spending.

To the Netherlands where anti-Islam and anti-European Union populist Geert Wilders won a surprise victory.

But in Britain, the ultimate status quo.

Throngs of people converged on London for the coronation of King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla.

In the U.S. some good economic news, inflation eased more than expected.

Growth was healthy and unemployment stayed below 4 percent for the longest time since the 1960s.

Still, Americans struggled with the cost of living and high mortgage rates made it challenging for new homebuyers to get a foothold on the property ladder.

Workers in several industries took to the picket line calling for better wages, hours and working conditions.

United Auto Workers walked off the job for an unprecedented six weeks and coordinated strikes this fall and gained record wage increases, President Biden joined them in person.

Health care workers with Kaiser Permanente stage the largest health care strike in U.S. history over understaffing issues.

And in Hollywood, both writers and actors went on strike, bringing the industry to a standstill for months over fair pay on streaming services, and the threat of artificial intelligence in entertainment.

AI kept on growing and pushing into people's everyday lives on the one hand, making mundane tasks easier and faster.

But on the other sounding alarm bells over how the technology will be regulated going forward.

AI even helped generate a new song from the Beatles more than 50 years after they broke up now and then mixed in John Lennon vocals from an old cassette tape.

But other big name musicians drew big crowds on tour this year.

Including two record breaking superstars.

Beyonce is much anticipated Renaissance Tour was the highest grossing by a black artist in history.

And Taylor Swift's tour set the record for all artists are sold out Eras Tour and subsequent film were economic juggernauts.

The tour so far has earned over $1 billion in ticket sales and boosted the economies of cities where she performed.

2023 saw the continuing rise of female athletes, the Women's World Cup drew record crowds and viewers around the world and the U.S. team collapsed midway for new champions Spain, so did the women's NCAA basketball finals.

The Louisiana State beat Iowa and the game broke records for scoring attendance and viewership.

Michaela Schifrin became the winningest alpine skier of all time male or female.

19-year-old Coco Gauff won the U.S. Open her first Grand Slam and she was the highest paid female athlete this year.

Simone Biles made her gymnastics comeback after a mental health break, adding more gold medals to her collection, and an outdoor University of Nebraska women's volleyball match broke attendance records.

In the world of baseball a couple of firsts.

The Texas Rangers won their first World Series and a record payout for Shohei Otani, the Japanese pitcher signed with the Dodgers for $700 million over 10 years, the most lucrative contract in professional sports history.

As the year comes to a close some of the final farewells of 2023.

First Lady Rosalynn Carter passed away at the age of 96.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, the longest serving California Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat and conservative Christian media mogul Pat Robertson, from the world of arts, the Nobel Prize winning poet Louise Gluck, writer Cormac McCarthy from stage and screen, Bob Barker, Richard Belzer, Michael Gambon, Matthew Perry, Paul Rubens and Raquel Welch and a final exit for some legendary names in music, Tony Bennett, Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Buffett, David Crosby, Sinead O'Connor, Lisa Marie Presley, and Tina Turner.

And now the new year has already kicked off for many around the world from Auckland to Athens, cities rang in 2024 with countdowns fireworks and cheering crowds.

LISA DESJARDINS: They are wonderful in traffic jams and on runs.

But for anyone on a holiday trip and enthralling podcasts can be an excellent travel companion.

As 2023 comes to a close, we take a look at or better yet a listen to some of the most engaging, enlightening and entertaining podcasts of the past year.

Nicholas Quah is a podcast critic for Vulture and Sarah Larson is a staff writer for The New Yorker and pens, the column Podcast Department.

All right, Nick, let's start right away with one of your favorites podcast called The Retrievals from Cereal Productions.

This is about a fertility clinic at Yale, where it turns out women who went into for procedures being told they were receiving pain medication, we're not getting it at all.

Instead it was being stolen by a nurse.

Let's listen to a clip from that.

WOMAN: The women are seeking fertility treatment for a variety of reasons.

They've had a couple miscarriages and they're pushing 40.

They don't have fallopian tubes, or they need sperm.

All of them wind up at the fertility clinic at Yale University.

They meet their doctors get the info, start giving themselves the shots.

And eventually they get to the day they've been waiting for the day of the first egg retrieval.

LISA DESJARDINS: Nick, there's a lot of nonfiction stories out there, what stood out about this podcast/ NICHOLAS QUAH, Vulture: What stood out to me is the choices that had made which tended to be a lot more quiet a lot more 30,000 foot views.

Susan Burton, who leads to the show kind of brings us to more thornier layers of the story.

In particular, she sort of examines the tension of how the sort of structural dismissal of women's pain kind of knows no class, no institutional affiliation.

Many of the women who are affected are affiliated with Yale University.

Some of them are academics, some of them study pain for a living, you know, it's a very kind of complex story in the sense of it gets to some really, really tricky territory, like the tension between a woman's motherhood and your bodily autonomy.

LISA DESJARDINS: So I want to ask about one of your favorites.

This is a podcast called Articles of Interest, which bills itself as being about what we wear, but it's really about so much more, including society.

I want to play a clip from an episode that focuses on a fabric pattern, a pattern that many know as Paisley.

WOMAN: The reason why Paisley is called Paisley.

The reason why Prince's estate is called Paisley Park.

The reason why John Lennon painted Paisley's all over his Rolls Royce appends everything I thought I knew about how knockoffs work and the role of the Indian diaspora in American history.

LISA DESJARDINS: I for one didn't know that about John Lennon, what do you love about this podcast?

SARAH LARSON, The New Yorker: Sounds like quite a car.

The thing I always love about this podcast, which is perennially great is that Avery Troubleman, the creator who pretty much does everything on the podcast brings us into a world of talking about clothing and the history of fashion and design and style topics.

I frankly, don't think of myself as really being interested in and shows their connections to history and colonialism and all these rich stories.

I'm always surprised, I'm always delighted, and it's substantive without feeling like a bummer.

LISA DESJARDINS: You both know that podcasts have clearly exploded in the last decade.

And one reason is a particular genre, true crime, often sort of real death stories, murder, all of that.

But Nick, one of your favorite podcasts that's relatively new here is one called ghost story that kind of adds new layers to that genre.

Tell us about this one.

NICHOLAS QUAH: This is kind of a tricky one to describe, because I've taken it describing it as a conceptual introduction and a sense of, it's a murder mystery that's stuffed into a family story, that's stuffed into a ghost story.

It's hosted by a British journalist named Tristan Redmond.

And, you know, he kind of stumbled onto the story through a series of coincidences in a house that he grew up in London, there was a little, you know, there was some creepy things happening in the bedroom that he occupied at a top floor.

And many, many years later, he would sort of hear other stories about stuff happening in his house.

And then he would discover that his wife's great grandmother was killed in a house right next to that building.

And so from one rabbit hole to another leads him to this long, like, discovery and journey around his wife's like, family, essentially, it's a really lovely, really surprising piece.

That's, that's as far away from the liquidity of true crime as you can get.

LISA DESJARDINS: Fantastic.

I will say, as we are talking about this right now, obviously, we live in very serious times.

So Sarah, this is a good time for a serious podcast, like Normal Gossip, which is one of the ones that you highlighted in your story on the New Yorker, and is not serious at all, but help explain this phenomenon.

And is this podcast and is actual gossip about real people.

SARAH LARSON: It's pretty brilliant.

It gives you all the pleasure of gossip without the guilt of gossip, basically.

So it takes anonymous stories with identifying details changed.

And it's just basically about people making crazy decisions and doing interesting things.

It's not salacious, it's not mean.

It's just basically like listening to a good friend tell a wild story and observe and applying about human behavior without feeling bad about yourself.

LISA DESJARDINS: Which is probably exactly what we all need right now.

Last question quickly before we go, can you see your name a podcast that you did not expect to life but really won you over in the last year?

SARAH LARSON: That would definitely be Think Twice Michael Jackson Leon Neyfakh and his co-host Jay Smooth.

I was really apprehensive about a Michael Jackson podcast and kind of dreading it and then when I listened to it, it was beautifully done, incredibly nuanced and interesting.

It wasn't trying to prove him guilty or not guilty.

It was just taking the whole story of his whole life presented alongside the context.

It's just wonderfully evoked and turned out to be really enjoyable.

LISA DESJARDINS: Nick.

NICHOLAS QUAH: I'm wondering if I could say it as public television, but there's a show that I was not expecting to like called a Murder on Sex Island.

It's basically an audio book written by a comedian.

Her name is Jo Firestone.

A couple of months ago, I think she just sort of sat down and said, I wanted to learn how to write a murder mystery, and she wrote a murder mystery, and she decided to distribute it as a podcast.

It follows a private eye, who is conscripted to investigate a murder on a reality show while being on a reality show.

It's one of my favorite things that I heard this year.

It's such a joy.

LISA DESJARDINS: All right, I have a lot of listening to do.

Thanks to both of you, Nick and Sarah, we appreciate it.

NICHOLAS QUAH: Thank you.

SARAH LARSON: Thank you.

LISA DESJARDINS: And that is our program for tonight.

I'm Lisa Desjardins.

For all of my colleagues here, thank you for joining us and Happy New Year.

We'll see you in the new year.