November 16, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode

In our news wrap Sunday, it’s been a second day of federal officers surging into Charlotte, North Carolina, to crack down on illegal immigration, at least two deaths were reported from storms in Southern California, the USS Gerald Ford arrived in the Caribbean, Zelenskyy said talks are progressing with Russia to resume prisoner swaps, and Chileans voted in the nation’s presidential election.

This weekend is the halfway point for the 30th U.N. climate summit known as COP30. In a report issued days before the meeting began, the World Meteorological Organization said 2025 is “on track to be among the three warmest years on record.” New York Times international climate reporter Somini Sengupta, who just returned from COP30, joins John Yang to discuss.

The legislation Congress passed this past week to reopen the government included a provision banning intoxicating products made out of hemp plants, a type of cannabis like marijuana, but with a lower level of the psychoactive element THC. Ali Rogin speaks with Manisha Krishnan, senior culture editor at WIRED, about the ban’s potential effect on the U.S. hemp industry.

Last September, a chemical fire in Conyers, Georgia, sent a toxic cloud over the area. A Georgia Public Broadcasting podcast called “Manufacturing Danger: The BioLab Story” examined that day, what led up to it, and the immediate aftermath. Now, a second season of the podcast looks at health consequences for residents a year later. John Yang speaks with GPB’s Pamela Kirkland for more.

In a small town in northern Italy, there’s a barista who has been brewing espressos and serving coffees for more than 80 years. She’s still going strong as she turns 101 this weekend, with no intention of retiring. John Yang reports.