December 10, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

After months of discussion, congressional Democrats have struck a deal with the Trump administration over trade with Mexico and Canada. If passed by Congress, the USMCA will be the United States’ largest single trade agreement, with trillions of dollars in goods flowing both ways. Amna Nawaz reports and talks to The Wilson Center’s Christopher Wilson about what changed from NAFTA--and what didn’t.

In our news wrap Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr blasted the FBI’s probe into links between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign. The Justice Department’s internal watchdog found that the investigation was flawed but not motivated by political bias. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he warned Russia not to interfere in the 2020 elections, calling such action "unacceptable."

For nearly two decades, the United States’ military engagement in Afghanistan has been plagued by strategic missteps, according to The Washington Post's bombshell report. The investigation examined thousands of pages of previously unpublished notes and interviews from the U.S. government’s Lessons Learned project analyzing the war. Nick Schifrin talks to retired Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute.

Nearly a year ago, President Trump signed a bipartisan federal criminal justice reform bill that reduced mandatory sentences. Many states followed suit -- but not Maryland. In collaboration with the University of Maryland’s Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, John Yang reports on the uncertain fate of prisoners who are still serving life sentences for crimes they committed as minors.

Tuesday marked the release of yet another stark report detailing how the increased warming of our atmosphere is transforming the planet. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s annual Arctic Report Card includes some grim news for wildlife, native communities and global sea-level rise. William Brangham talks to Dartmouth College’s Erich Osterberg about the impact of melting ice.