October 15, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode

It's Day 15 of the federal government shutdown, one of the longest lapses in funding in U.S. history. To discuss the politics of the shutdown, Geoff Bennett spoke with Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir and Republican strategist Doug Heye.

This week, countries may approve a carbon tax on the global shipping industry. The International Maritime Organization is poised to approve new levies on ships for their emissions, but the Trump administration argues it's a harmful tax. William Brangham has a profile of Andrew Forrest, a key business player who's attracting attention for his efforts to make industry greener.

The government shutdown has far-reaching effects for federal workers. Hundreds of thousands have been furloughed and many others are working without a paycheck. Some may be out of work permanently after the Trump administration announced plans for mass layoffs. We hear from dozens of federal employees, and Lisa Desjardins reports on how many workers are off the job.

As the Trump administration throws its weight behind a national school voucher program that it says will give parents more options, critics point to the negative impacts school choice is having on public schools. Arizona introduced the first universal school voucher program in the country in 2022, and it may provide clues for what’s to come. Stephanie Sy reports on how the program is faring.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority signaled it could upend a central pillar of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The question at the heart of arguments is whether lawmakers can use race as a factor when drawing congressional districts. Ali Rogin discussed the case's potential to reshape electoral maps with News Hour Supreme Court analyst and SCOTUSblog co-founder Amy Howe and David Wasserman.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire following days of deadly clashes, Kenya's former Prime Minister Raila Odinga died at 80, a federal judge in Montana dismissed a lawsuit brought by young climate activists who tried to stop Trump’s executive orders on fossil fuels and Boston's mayor pushed back on Trump's threat to move World Cup matches.