August 12, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

Seventy million Americans receive Social Security benefits. But the program is paying out more than it’s taking in. Economics Correspondent Paul Solman looks at whether or not that financing gap spells doom and what can be done.

The White House said Monday that the U.S. and Israel believe Iran and its proxies across the region could launch a significant attack in the coming days. The U.S. accelerated the deployment of forces to the region to try and deter Iran and defend Israel despite simultaneous diplomatic attempts to prevent an attack. Nick Schifrin reports. A warning, some images in this story are graphic.

In our news wrap Monday, Ukraine's top military commander says his forces control nearly 400 square miles of Russian territory, a wildfire in Greece is raging on the outskirts of Athens, the Biden Administration rolled out a new effort to improve customer service experiences by cutting down on wait times and red tape and Mars may be hiding an ocean of liquid water deep below its surface.

With their running mates solidified, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump spent their weekends on the campaign trail. But between their appeals to voters, a flurry of concerns flooded the internet, from cyber-security threats to false allegations involving artificial intelligence. Laura Barrón-López has more.

Former President Trump claims his campaign was “hacked by the Iranian government.” It comes after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned in late July it continues to observe foreign influence operations by Russia, China and Iran aimed at disrupting November’s election and undermining American democracy. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Chris Krebs of Sentinel One.

Wisconsin is holding congressional and state primary elections this Tuesday. They're seen by some as a dry run for November when the battleground state will play a crucial role in deciding the next president. Election officials have been increasingly transparent about voting mechanics to help boost confidence for the state’s 3.5 million registered voters. William Brangham reports.

A new exhibition is looking at the traditional art form of scrimshaw through a wider context and contemporary lens. "The Wider World and Scrimshaw” at the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts is telling the story through objects. Jeffrey Brown has a look for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including fresh polling shows the Democratic ticket having an edge in three key battleground states, when Kamala Harris could unveil her platform and Donald Trump's false claims on social media.