December 28, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

With the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza showing no signs of stopping, exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanese border are raising fears of a widening conflict. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Paul Salem, the president and CEO of the Middle East Institute, a Washington-based non-partisan think tank.

While Donald Trump holds a decisive lead in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, his 2024 calendar will be full of legal challenges and court appearances. In four major criminal cases, the former president faces 91 felony counts and two key civil cases could cost him millions of dollars in damages. Geoff Bennett discussed Trump's legal troubles with NPR's Carrie Johnson.

The 2024 race for the White House will take up a lot of time, attention and money over the next 11 months. But as Lisa Desjardins explains, other votes at the state level next year could significantly influence the presidential campaign and our day-to-day lives.

As the year comes to a close, gas prices in the U.S are at their lowest point of 2023. And not coincidentally, domestic oil production is at a record level. But it comes at a time when the U.S. is trying to wean itself off fossil fuels. William Brangham examined the big changes and the implications with Clifford Krauss, the national energy correspondent for The New York Times.

The Israel-Hamas war is nearing its third month in Gaza, but there is another front in this war and it’s taking place on screens worldwide. Fake or mislabeled content linked to the conflict has been viewed online millions of times. Amna Nawaz discussed the disinformation war with Shayan Sardarizadeh and Valerie Wirtschafter.

One of the biggest health stories of this past year is the surge in demand for popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Those drugs are in such demand that there’s a nationwide shortage of them. Pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to keep up at a time of rising obesity rates in the U.S. Ali Rogin reports.

Andrés González is a conductor, musician, and advocate for youth music education. He was trained from a young age through El Sistema, a renowned music program in Venezuela, before moving to the United States. He is a mentor at Play on Philly, providing access to music education to low-income and minority students. González shares his Brief But Spectacular take on how music empowers communities.