January 25, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Donald Trump took the stand in a New York City courtroom on Thursday as part of the defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. In an earlier trial, Trump was found guilty of sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s in a department store dressing room and then defaming her by denying the assault and alleging she invented the story to make money. William Brangham reports.

Motivated to make a change after serving time in prison for forgery, credit card abuse and burglary, SaulPaul discovered music as a way to inspire young people and help them avoid his path. The three-time Grammy-nominated performer calls himself “the musician with a message.” Our Student Reporting Labs caught up with him as part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Ohio is the latest state to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and limit trans athletes' participation in school sports. A total of 23 states have passed trans healthcare bans with 20 approved just in the past year. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Orion Rummler of The 19th News.

Polls show about seven in 10 Americans say abortion should be legal in cases of rape or incest. But since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, nine states have banned abortion in those cases. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association calculates there have been more than 64,000 rape-related pregnancies in areas with bans. John Yang discussed the study with Dr. Samuel Dickman.

Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington to discuss the situation at the border. Since the holidays, there has been a drop in migrant encounters, which the Biden administration credits to aggressive enforcement by Mexico. Amna Nawaz spoke with Bárcena about the complex, political and human matter and asked what Mexico has done differently.

This week, the Supreme Court sided with federal agents to remove razor wire put in place by Texas along the Rio Grande. The state is using wire and state agents to block Border Patrol from accessing a section of the border in Eagle Pass. Homeland Security is demanding access to the area by Friday, but Gov. Greg Abbott is doubling down. Laura Barrón-López discussed the dispute with Stephen Vladeck.

In our news wrap Thursday, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in federal prison for contempt of Congress, the U.S. economy is showing more signs of surprising resilience thanks to robust consumer spending and the Hamas-run health ministry reported an Israeli strike killed 20 people waiting for food in Gaza.

High-stakes negotiations in Washington over two intertwined and looming issues were derailed on Thursday. The possible deals to aid Ukraine and reform the U.S. immigration system are at risk of collapsing under their own political weight. Congressional Correspondent Lisa Desjardins spent the day speaking with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and breaks down the developments.