August 13, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

The 2024 campaign is in full swing with Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, hitting the trail on his own for the first time. It comes a day after former President Donald Trump’s two-hour livestream with Elon Musk on X. But what was billed as a triumphant return to the social media platform was fraught with tech troubles. Laura Barrón-López reports.

In our news wrap Tuesday, Iran rejected a call from European leaders to refrain from retaliatory strikes on Israel, Ukraine's army chief says his troops have won control of more Russian territory, Tropical Storm Ernesto lashed the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and wind and a grand jury in Ohio indicted police officer on murder charges in the death of a 21-year-old pregnant Black woman.

The top United Nations human rights official voiced deep concerns over the deteriorating situation in Venezuela two weeks after elections that the opposition says it won. President Nicolas Maduro claims he won the vote and is cracking down heavily on protestors. Nick Schifrin discussed the political crisis in Venezuela with opposition leader María Corina Machado.

In Greece, authorities say lighter winds helped crews tame a wildfire that came within miles of the center of Athens. The blaze killed at least one person and forced multiple evacuations across the city's suburbs. Residents returned to find their homes reduced to ash. As winds picked back up Tuesday afternoon, the region is again on high alert. Sangita Lal reports.

In 2022, the Supreme Court struck down a century-old law in New York restricting who could carry a concealed gun. The landmark ruling was seen by Second Amendment supporters as a huge victory and by gun control advocates as opening the door to violent chaos. Special correspondent Christopher Booker reports on what has and hasn’t changed since then.

Former President Donald Trump says he wants a more direct role in how the Federal Reserve sets interest rates and suggested he could break with traditional policies when it comes to the Fed’s independence. Geoff Bennett discussed what Trump could do if elected and the reverberations with Krishna Guha of Evercore ISI and former executive vice president at the New York Fed.

A task force from the American Bar Association is urging attorneys to defend democracy against authoritarianism in the country by getting involved in election efforts. Amna Nawaz discussed the task force’s work with its co-chairs, Jeh Johnson, former Homeland Security Secretary under President Obama, and J. Michael Luttig, a former appeals court judge and a leading conservative legal voice.

A former military base on the shores of Puget Sound is home to artists who have come together for the past 50 years to celebrate their craft and learn together. Special correspondent Cat Wise paid a visit for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.