August 1, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

The man accused as the mastermind behind the September 11 terrorist attacks, and two accomplices, have agreed to a plea deal in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. The development comes 16 years after their prosecutions began. Ali Rogin discussed the latest with Jess Bravin of the Wall Street Journal and author of “The Terror Courts: Rough Justice at Guantanamo Bay."

For voters who have not firmly decided which presidential candidate to support, the events of the last month, including an assassination attempt and a new Democratic candidate, have dramatically changed the race. Lisa Desjardins connected with the type of voters likely to decide the election before and after these shakeups.

Former President Trump is facing backlash for calling Vice President Kamala Harris' racial identity into question when he addressed a Black journalists convention. That's as the vice president herself wrapped up a series of events aimed at speaking directly to Black voters. Laura Barrón-López reports.

An especially active fire season is exacting a huge toll across several Western states. In California, more than 5,800 personnel, 500 fire trucks and 40 helicopters are battling a fire larger than all of Los Angeles. The Park Fire, as it’s known, is the country’s largest and has ballooned to historic proportions in just over a week. Stephanie Sy reports.

One American not released in the prisoner swap with Russia is teacher Marc Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian penal colony in 2022. He was arrested in 2021 at a Moscow airport for carrying medically prescribed marijuana. Geoff Bennett discussed Fogel's detention with his sister, Anne Fogel.

High-profile Americans held in Russia were released as part of the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War. Nick Schifrin discussed the larger implications of the exchange with Andrew Weiss of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Department official who served in the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations.

Three Americans who were held in Russia are free after a prisoner swap between the United States, its allies and Russia. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Jon Finer, President Biden's Deputy National Security Adviser.

The waiting, the worrying and the dreadful wondering are over for three Americans jailed in Russia and their families. Journalists Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan are free after an extraordinary prisoner swap deal struck among the U.S., its allies and the Russian government. Nick Schifrin reports.