April 21, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

The world is mourning the death of Pope Francis after he passed away at the age of 88. Throughout his papacy, he was often hailed – and sometimes criticized – for his efforts to reshape the church. His death comes one day after the pope greeted crowds and delivered a short message on Easter Sunday. Across the globe, reactions have poured in. Amna Nawaz reports.

Francis' 12-year papacy was a remarkable one, working in service to the church until the very day before he died. He sought to focus more explicitly on social justice, on climate change and addressing the most marginalized in society. But he was also criticized for actions that fell short of his public remarks, undercut commitments or went too far for some Catholics. Stephanie Sy reports.

The death of a pope, and the election of a new pontiff, is adorned with high ritual and elaborate ceremony. For more about how the Catholic Church will celebrate and mourn Pope Francis, and what comes next, Geoff Bennett spoke with special correspondent Malcolm Brabant.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the EPA from canceling $14 billion in climate grants approved by the Biden Administration. It marks a setback to President Trump's agenda to freeze climate spending across the government. As part of our Tipping Point series, William Brangham spoke with a leading environmentalist about the opposition to Trump's plan for the climate.

The Supreme Court heard the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act. At issue is the constitutionality of a task force that recommends what preventive care treatments should be covered by private insurance at no cost. It could have impacts on everything from cancer screening to HIV-prevention medicine to counseling for expectant mothers. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Amy Howe of SCOTUSblog.

After a weekend of headlines, the White House faced new questions about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and at least one Republican is now calling on him to resign. Some of this is related to Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to text operational details of military action. But as Lisa Desjardins reports, that is not the only issue.

In our news wrap Monday, Russian President Putin says fighting has resumed in its war against Ukraine after a 30-hour Easter truce ended, U.S. airstrikes in Yemen's capital city killed at least 12 people and wounded 30 more and four House Democrats are in El Salvador to advocate for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man whom the Trump administration acknowledges it deported there by mistake.

For more perspective on the life and legacy of Pope Francis, Amna Nawaz spoke with Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior analyst for Religion News Service and author of “Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church.”

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including the Trump administration’s deportation agenda is causing some fractures among Democrats as they consider if and how to respond and the controversy surrounding Defense Secretary Hegseth.