May 15, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

The Supreme Court heard arguments in one of the most consequential cases of the year. It involves the ability for President Trump to carry out his executive order ending birthright citizenship and the power allowing a federal judge to issue a nationwide block on those orders. Geoff Bennett discussed the arguments with law professor Amanda Frost and News Hour Supreme Court analyst Amy Howe.

President Trump finished his tour of the Middle East with a trip to the United Arab Emirates, where the nation promised significant investment in the U.S. and partnership on AI technology and infrastructure. Nick Schifrin reports.

In our news wrap Thursday, Walmart is planning to raise prices in the coming weeks citing President Trump's policies as a driving factor, a judge in Wisconsin pleaded not guilty today to federal charges over accusations she helped a man evade federal immigration agents and Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people across Gaza.

A report from the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism found threats and calls for impeachment against judges have risen by 327 percent between May 2024 and March 2025. One federal judge knows how real the violence can be. Judge Esther Salas’s son was killed by a disgruntled lawyer posing as a delivery driver at her home, according to police. Salas joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the threats.

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. plunged last year to their lowest level since 2019, according to the CDC. In 2024, nationwide overdose deaths fell by nearly 30,000 from the year before, a drop of about 27 percent. There were declines across all categories of drug use, including opioids, the source of most overdose deaths over the past decade. John Yang discussed more with Brian Mann of NPR.

General Stanley McChrystal was the top commander of American and international forces in Afghanistan in 2009 when his career was cut short. McChrystal resigned after an article in Rolling Stone quoted him and his aides making candid yet disparaging remarks about President Obama and Vice President Biden. He joined Amna Nawaz to discuss his new book, “On Character: Choices that Define a Life.”

Darrick Hamilton is an economic scholar and director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy. Growing up in Brooklyn, he witnessed firsthand how economic circumstances shaped communities, inspiring his groundbreaking work on "Baby Bonds," government-funded savings accounts provided to children at birth. He shares his Brief But Spectacular take on building a birthright to capital.