November 7, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

The former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, has been analyzing the rise of autocracies and the threats they pose to democracy for decades. Amna Nawaz sat down with McFaul to discuss his new book, “Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder.”

This week, a task force dedicated to fighting antisemitism reportedly decided to cut ties with the conservative Heritage Foundation. It comes after the think tank’s president, Kevin Roberts, defended Tucker Carlson’s interview with a far-right, antisemitic activist. The infighting has laid bare a growing schism within conservative circles over how to address antisemitism. William Brangham reports.

The labor market may not be cratering, but it does not look very strong. This week, a private report found 42,000 new jobs were created last month. Then, a separate report found more than 150,000 jobs were cut in October – the highest in over two decades. Paul Solman takes a look at the official numbers from the government and the questions over whether the measurements are outdated.

In our news wrap Friday, Cornell University announced a $60 million deal with the Trump administration to restore federal funding and end investigations into the school, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his country has received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on Russian energy and Denmark 's government announced a plan that would ban social media access for anyone under the age of 15.

The Trump administration battled in court over an order to start paying food aid immediately. For a deeper look into the impact of the shutdown on families who rely on SNAP benefits, Aman Nawaz spoke with Eric Mitchell, president of the Alliance to End Hunger.

U.S. airlines began cutting hundreds of flights at major airports as the impact of a record-long shutdown kicked in further. Nearly 800 flights at 40 airports were canceled by midday. It comes as Congress and President Trump remain deadlocked over a way out of the shutdown. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC and Republican strategist Matt Gorman join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including Tuesday's elections that brought resounding wins for Democrats across several states, the negotiations to reopen the federal government as the shutdown becomes the longest in history and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's retirement announcement.