August 7, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

President Trump's big budget law is expected to make the largest cuts ever to Medicaid, a program that currently provides health insurance for some 70 million Americans. As Lisa Desjardins reports, those impacts will be felt in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s home state of Louisiana, which has one of the highest rates of enrollment in the country.

Indiana could become the next major battleground over redistricting.The move follows efforts by Texas Republicans to redraw congressional maps in their favor, a move that sparked threats of retaliation from leaders in blue states. In response, a handful of Republicans are now calling for a ceasefire in redistricting. Geoff Bennett discussed more with GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York.

The Israeli cabinet is in a marathon session debating whether or not to completely reoccupy the Gaza Strip militarily. For two perspectives, Geoff Bennett spoke with David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's Project on Arab-Israeli Relations and Yousef Munayyer of the Palestine-Israel Program and Senior Fellow at the Arab Center.

President Trump continues to direct his ire at Democrat-run cities for what he calls an out-of-control crime wave, despite FBI data showing crime down in every category. This week, he went as far as threatening a federal takeover of Washington D.C. William Brangham discussed the threats with George Derek Musgrove, author of "Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital."

In "Joy Goddess," journalist and historian A’Lelia Bundles brings to life a fascinating and misunderstood figure of the early 20th century. A’Lelia Walker was more than a glamorous socialite. She was a cultural catalyst whose salons and soirées became the vibrant center of the Harlem Renaissance. Geoff Bennett spoke with Bundles, who is Walker’s great-great-granddaughter, about her new book.

What happens when leaders across generations come together to reimagine the future of collaboration? Earlier this year, CoGenerate, a nonprofit that brings older and younger changemakers together, hosted a gathering in Los Angeles to explore partnership. Participants shared their Brief But Spectacular takes on the power of intergenerational communities.