January 8, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

As Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues, a new front is heating up on the country’s northern border. Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have been trading fire and Monday morning, an Israeli strike killed one of Hezbollah's high-ranking members. All this as Secretary of State Blinken traveled again to the region hoping to keep the conflict from spreading. William Brangham reports.

The Pentagon said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is out of intensive care after spending at least four days there last week for complications from an elective procedure performed before Christmas. But many questions about his illness remain, including why he waited days to inform President Biden or announce publicly that he had been hospitalized. Nick Schifrin reports.

A key piece that blew off an Alaska Airlines plane has been found. A teacher near Portland, Oregon, found the so-called door plug in his backyard and authorities hope it will help them figure out what went wrong. The accident that happened 16,000 feet in the air has led to real concerns about aircraft maker Boeing once again. Aviation correspondent Miles O'Brien reports.

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 the final week of the Iowa campaign, if anyone will get close to Trump and Biden's messaging about extremism and violence.

President Biden delivered his second campaign speech of the year at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. At the site where nine Black churchgoers were murdered in 2015, Biden warned that the same hate that motivated their killer still threatens the country. Laura Barrón-López discussed the visit with state Rep. JA Moore, whose sister, Myra Thompson, was killed in the church shooting.

The final countdown to Iowa has begun. With just a week to go before the GOP’s first contest of the 2024 presidential election cycle, Republican candidates are crisscrossing the first-in-the-nation caucus state hoping to court a key voting bloc. Amna Nawaz reports.

College football will have a new national champion Monday night after Michigan takes on Washington in Houston. Both are undefeated and aiming to win their first national title since the '90s. But this championship game is the end of an era for college football with major changes coming next year. Stephanie Sy reports.