December 30, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Alice Scott from the PBS NewsHour's Student Reporting Labs talks to two transgender teenagers in Texas about their lives and the journey of finding their true identities.

In our news wrap Thursday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the annual "ball drop" festivities will move forward as planned on New Year's Eve. The FDA will reportedly authorize Pfizer's COVID vaccine boosters for 12 to 15-year-olds. Mourners lined up in South Africa to pay respects to the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu as he lay in state at St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Cape Town.

There are currently more than 400,000 children in foster care in the United States. While the pandemic has made life more difficult for these vulnerable kids, many say the foster care system itself has been putting them at risk for decades. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault sat down with one former foster child who is now on a mission to fix the system by helping families stay together.

For decades, Turkey has fought the PKK, a Kurdish separatist movement that's considered a terror organization by the U.S. The rebel group has sought refuge in northern Iraq. The Turks have established dozens of military bases on Iraqi soil and expanded military activities in the Middle East. Special correspondent Simona Foltyn gained exclusive access to Turkish-controlled parts of northern Iraq.

As we close the book on 2021, Jeffrey Brown talks to some of NewsHour's literary friends to get their best recommendations on what books to curl up on the couch with, or share with a friend. This report is part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

As 2021 comes to a close, we take a look back at this year — full of immense challenge and loss, but also perseverance and hope. In recent days, we have reconnected with a number of the PBS NewsHour's viewers and guests over the past year. We hear from them about how they've handled the last 12 months, the challenges they faced, and their wishes for 2022.

A Texas law banning trans student athletes from playing sports will take effect in a few weeks. According to the ACLU, Texas is one of 31 states that have attempted to pass legislation to stop trans youth from participating in gendered sports. Amna Nawaz gets more from research scientist Jonah DeChants.