August 14, 2024 - PBS News Hour full episode

The top issue for many voters, the economy, took center stage as former President Trump returned to campaign in a battleground state for the first time this month. His North Carolina rally followed a scattershot news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate and a meandering conversation with Elon Musk on X. Laura Barrón-López reports.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the U.S. says it remains committed to talks to end the fighting in Gaza ahead of negotiations planned for Thursday, the Taliban marked the third anniversary of its return to power in Afghanistan, the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency and expectations are growing that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates.

Ukraine said it blasted its way deeper into the Kursk region of Russia where it has captured dozens of towns and settlements and taken Russians prisoner. It's the largest cross-border attack since Russia invaded and the largest presence of foreign troops in Russia since World War II. Nick Schifrin discussed the incursion with Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Illegal border crossings into the United States from Mexico have dropped in the last few months. But further south, hundreds of thousands of migrants are making dangerous journeys through the Darien Gap, one of the world’s most treacherous jungles. “Seventy Miles in Hell” from The Atlantic documents migrant’s efforts through the region. Amna Nawaz discussed more with writer Caitlin Dickerson.

NASA and Boeing are grappling with how best to bring two U.S. astronauts back to Earth. Originally planned to last just eight days, leaks and other technical issues suffered by Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station have delayed the planned return flight by more than two months. That has left two astronauts stuck in space. Miles O’Brien reports.

From trade to diversity to immigration, many U.S. corporations are navigating a divisive political climate on a range of issues that impact their businesses. The CEO of the nation’s largest bank, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, has been speaking out about some of these. Judy Woodruff spoke with him in Bentonville, Arkansas, for her series, America at a Crossroads.

More than 100,000 Americans are dying from drug overdoses every year, largely from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. But in recent years, no city has been hit as hard as Baltimore when it comes to overdose deaths. Special Correspondent Chris Booker examines why addiction has become so deadly in a city that has seen a steady decline in its population. It's part of our series, America Addicted.