August 14, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

Russian officials say a top priority at Friday's Trump-Putin summit is normalizing U.S. relations on topics beyond Ukraine. That concerns European officials, who consider Russia a long-term threat. With support from the University of British Columbia’s Global Reporting Program, Nick Schifrin spoke with Estonia’s defense minister about the Baltic nations’ fortified border with Russia.

As President Trump prepares to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Nick Schifrin spoke with Dmitri Trenin for a Russian perspective on what Putin hopes to accomplish.

Gov. Gavin Newsom threw down the gauntlet Thursday, saying California will move forward to redraw congressional maps in his party's favor if Texas Republicans do the same. Texas Democrats have blocked the plan by walking out on a special session, but a second special session is expected. Geoff Bennett discussed the strategy with state Rep. Ann Johnson, one of the Democrats who left Texas.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration’s defunding of USAID brought an abrupt halt to hundreds of global health programs, including those targeting tuberculosis. The disease kills more people than any other infectious agent worldwide, about 1.25 million in 2023. In partnership with the Pulitzer Center, Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Bangladesh on efforts to contain the fallout.

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, a recent time capsule exhibit asked visitors to reflect on their hopes for the next 50 years. Alia Soliman, Diarra Gangazha and Jayden Hall from our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, bring us the story.