November 20, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

As President Trump’s administration has moved to loosen regulations on cryptocurrency and pledged to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world,” his family’s ties to the industry are raising ethical concerns and blurring the lines between business and government. White House correspondent Liz Landers takes a closer look.

Job growth was better than expected in September, with the best job gains since April, according to the delayed government report. But key data is still missing, and questions remain about the strength of the economy. That uncertainty comes as the Fed prepares to consider another rate cut. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

In our news wrap Thursday, a funeral service for former Vice President Dick Cheney was held at the Washington National Cathedral, the Trump administration announced ambitious plans to drill for oil off the nation's coasts, NTSB investigators say there was evidence of cracks in the engine mount of the UPS cargo plane that crashed in Kentucky, and the DOJ has 30 days to release the Epstein files.

PBS News obtained the 28-point plan drafted by the Trump administration to try to end the war in Ukraine. The document is at the center of a pivotal diplomatic visit to Kyiv by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll. It references Ukrainian security guarantees, but also demands Ukraine give up territory, cap the size of its military and blocks NATO from sending troops to Ukraine. Nick Schifrin reports.

Half a dozen Democrats in Congress with military and intelligence backgrounds urged current service members to ignore the chain of command if they are given unlawful orders. President Trump reacted by writing that these members of Congress should be arrested, saying their actions are “seditious behavior” that is “punishable by death.” Amna Nawaz discussed more with Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.

We’re weeks away from 20 million Americans seeing a massive spike in their healthcare premiums. That’s if no deal can be struck to extend subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. We heard from some of those being affected.

If the Affordable Care Act subsidies are allowed to expire at the end of the year, premiums would double for the average enrollee, with some paying over $1,000 more every month. The subsidies were at the heart of the recent government shutdown, but Democrats were not successful in securing a deal. William Brangam spoke with Jonathan Cohn and Brian Blaze for their views on the debate.

The Trump White House is reportedly drafting an executive order that would override state regulations on artificial intelligence. The order would establish a task force inside the Justice Department to sue, and potentially withhold federal funding from, states that pass their own AI laws. Geoff Bennett discussed more with tech journalist Jacob Ward of The Rip Current.