January 9, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump called a Wednesday meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a “total waste of time.” While Democrats and Republicans differ on what took place during the meeting, it's clear that no resolution to the shutdown is imminent. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest dynamics in the ongoing stalemate.

The government shutdown over funding a southern border wall has largely disabled the system that processes immigration cases. Most cases in immigration courts, which are already overburdened, have been delayed indefinitely. Judge Dana Leigh Marks, former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, describes to Amna Nawaz the shutdown's “devastating impact.”

Some House Republicans have voted to separate wall funding from bills that would reopen the government. But Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., tells Judy Woodruff that the “vast majority” of congressional Republicans want to keep the government shutdown tied to funding a border wall, and that he believes Democrats are prioritizing the well-being of people crossing the border illegally over Americans.

After being gang-raped as a teenager in Mumbai, Sohaila Abulali broke taboos around sexual assault by speaking out publicly about her experience. Jeffrey Brown spoke with Abulali about her new book, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape," in which she draws on this personal experience, her subsequent professional work and broader research to analyze how society talks about rape.

Over the past year, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital has been pioneering a virtual reality technology that enables pediatric patients, and their parents, to “tour” their brains before surgery. Special correspondent Cat Wise reports on how this 3-D platform may help young patients with epilepsy and brain tumors reduce their fears and anxieties before surgery, and maybe even yield an "epiphany."

Even scientists who don’t work for the government, but receive federal money for research and grants, are among the hundreds of thousands of Americans affected by the government shutdown, now in its 19th day. That means important work and research may be put on hold, or even canceled. William Brangham talks to Rush Holt, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for details.