PBS News Hour

Last year, Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and son in South Carolina in a case that gripped many across the country. The new book, "The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty," chronicles not just the murders, but a family that used violence to gain power for a century. Lisa Desjardins reports.

As summer temperatures have soared across the nation, so have electric bills as air conditioners work overtime. Every year, nearly 3 million American households have their electricity shut off because of unpaid bills. We hear from people dealing with this issue and John Yang speaks with Sanya Carley, professor of energy policy and city planning at the University of Pennsylvania, to learn more.

The relationship between fathers and daughters can play a crucial role in a young girl’s life. But what if the fathers are behind bars? A new documentary, “Daughters,” follows four girls and their fathers preparing for a daddy-daughter dance in the Washington, D.C. jail and how the event affects them in the years after. Directors Natalie Rae and Angela Patton join John Yang to discuss.

In 1965, Filipino-American labor organizer Larry Itliong helped lead the Delano grape strike and boycott for better wages and working conditions. It was the birth of the farmworkers labor movement and led to a landmark contract. In this animated feature from our partners at StoryCorps, Johnny Itliong talks about his father’s legacy with his own son, Aleks.

Climate change is making extreme weather events like wildfires, floods and hurricanes more frequent and severe. Scientists now say that carbon monoxide poisonings are on the rise amid widespread power outages following those events. ProPublica’s Lexi Churchill joins Ali Rogin to discuss her recent reporting on this issue.

The 2024 Paralympics for athletes with disabilities is underway in Paris. One of the more than 4,000 competitors is closing in on a remarkable achievement: winning the most track and field medals in either the Olympics or Paralympics, for either men or women. John Yang speaks with Team USA wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden for our Weekend Spotlight series.

Schools are increasingly turning to online payment systems for school lunches. Those systems are run by payment processing companies, which typically charge transaction fees. According to federal analysis, families qualifying for reduced-price meals may be paying as much as 60 cents in fees for every dollar spent. John Yang speaks with Associated Press business reporter Cora Lewis for more.

More than one in five adults in the U.S. live with a mental illness, but only about half receive treatment. Many struggle to find a therapist that will accept their insurance. An NPR/ProPublica investigation found that therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists who join insurance networks often leave because of challenges. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Annie Waldman of ProPublica.

This week marks three years since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO allies from Afghanistan. It also marks three years of intensifying repression of women under the Taliban regime in what the UN has described as a "striking erasure of women from public life." Producer Zeba Warsi spoke to Afghan women inside the country about their lives today. Amna Nawaz reports.

The World Health Organization, working with other UN agencies and the Palestinian Ministry of Health, will begin vaccinating children in Gaza against polio. Israel and Hamas have agreed to have three-day pauses in fighting so health workers can distribute the vaccine. It comes amid the massive destruction of Gaza's healthcare infrastructure. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Dr. Tammy Abughnaim.

Since its founding in 2010, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music has provided unique music training to Afghan children. In 2013, the group made a triumphant visit to the U.S. This month, three years after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, they returned amid a changed world. Jeffrey Brown reports for our arts and culture series, CANVAS. For more information visit anim-music.org.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Boston Globe columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including former President Trump tries to change the narrative on abortion access, Vice President Harris sits down for her first interview since launching her presidential campaign and the Trump's campaign's altercation at Arlington National Cemetery.