February 5, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Secretary of State Blinken returned to the Middle East hoping to make progress on a deal to pause the war in Gaza and release Israeli hostages. The Biden administration hopes the deal could lead to larger diplomatic initiatives across the region. Nick Schifrin reports.

Donald Trump’s legal battles reached a critical moment as two upcoming court decisions could shape his campaign and his businesses. In Washington, the former president’s federal trial for election interference has been delayed while an appeals court rules on Trump’s argument that he’s immune from prosecution and a verdict in the civil fraud trial has been pushed back. William Brangham reports.

A bipartisan Senate deal to fund border security, Israel and Ukraine looks like a no-go after Republican House Speaker Johnson called it "dead on arrival." Amna Nawaz discussed the plan and its reaction with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, one of the three key senators who negotiated that agreement.

In 1988, amid the Iran-Iraq war, the U.S. military accidentally shot down an Iranian commercial passenger jet, killing all 290 people aboard. That real-life tragedy sets in motion the fictional events in the new novel “Martyr!” a young Iranian American poet named Kaveh Akbar. Jeffrey Brown has the story for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Saudi leaders say diplomatic normalization with Israel isn’t possible without steps toward a Palestinian state. The U.S. hopes a pause in fighting could lead to progress on reforming the Palestinian Authority, normalization and two states. Nick Schifrin discussed more with Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Khaled Elgindy of the Middle East Institute.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including how immigration will affect the 2024 presidential election and Democratic concerns over President Biden's appeal to voters of color.