PBS News Hour

It’s been nearly two months since Hurricane Helene devastated communities across the Southeast. Experts say the storm’s effect on children might last for years to come. Ali Rogin speaks with Lori Peek, director of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, to learn more.

Trump has made his picks for key public health roles in his administration, nominating family medicine doctor and Fox News contributor Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the next surgeon general, Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Marty Makary to lead the FDA, and former Florida congressman Dr. Dave Weldon as director of the CDC. Politico reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein joins Laura Barrón-López to discuss.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including President-elect Trump's initial pick to serve as attorney general backs out of consideration and other controversies surrounding Trump’s potential Cabinet.

Gang warfare in Haiti has displaced about 700,000 people, more than half of them are children. The fighting has sent poverty and hunger skyrocketing and children are caught between the gangs and their tenuous futures. Special correspondent Marcia Biggs and videographer Eric O'Connor report. A warning, accounts of abuse and sexual violence in this story may disturb viewers.

In our news wrap Friday, the New York judge overseeing President-elect Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial has indefinitely postponed his sentencing, the COP29 climate summit went into overtime in Azerbaijan after a draft deal for funding fell flat, and nearly 200,000 people in Washington state and California are still without power after this week's unrelenting storm.

Among President-elect Trump’s promises for his second term is a pledge to slash federal spending. He appointed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech company founder, to run an advisory commission. This week, the pair said they’re aiming to cut $500 million in annual spending, but there are big questions about that. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Maya MacGuineas.

President-elect Donald Trump’s new pick to lead his administration’s Department of Justice is receiving a much warmer reception on Capitol Hill and within his party. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi's nomination came just hours after his first choice – scandal-plagued former Congressman Matt Gaetz – withdrew his name from consideration. Laura Barron Lopez has more on Bondi’s background.

John Leguizamo has appeared in more than 100 films while also telling a distinctly Latino story in documentaries, one-man shows and now, full-scale dramas. Jeffrey Brown met him recently at the arena stage in Washington to talk about his latest work, his larger goals and his response to the recent election. It's part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Texas school board officials have approved new course materials that schools are incentivized to incorporate into their classrooms. Called “Bluebonnet Learning,” parts of these materials include religious lessons that critics say undermine religious freedom, and could isolate non-Christian students. William Brangham explores the issue with Texas Tribune education reporter Jaden Edison.

With Republicans winning the White House and both chambers of Congress, there's been much discussion within the Democratic Party about what went wrong and what it should do to win back voters. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio is one of the incumbents who came up short this year and has argued the party needs to do more to champion the issues of the working class. He joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

The Osprey aircraft was grounded for three months across the military after a crash in Japan last November killed all eight airmen on board. That crash was the fourth by an Osprey in the last two years. The military says it mitigated the problem that caused these accidents, but families of those killed are not convinced. Nick Schifrin and producer Dan Sagalyn have the story.

The world’s top war crimes court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court said they committed crimes against humanity for intentionally depriving Gazans of food and directing attacks against civilians. Israel called it an anti-semitic attack on democracies trying to defend themselves from terrorism. Nick Schifrin reports.