February 3, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Job growth surged last month, shaking off fears of a hiring slowdown. Employers added 517,000 jobs in a hiring boom far stronger than anyone had expected. The jobless rate dropped to 3.4%, the lowest level in 53 years. The report underscores the challenges facing Federal Reserve officials who remain focused on slowing inflation. Economics Correspondent Paul Solman reports.

Defense Department officials are tracking a suspected Chinese spy balloon that is making its way across the central part of the U.S. Senior officials say it’s maneuverable, designed for surveillance and Beijing was “trying to fly this balloon over sensitive sites.” Secretary of State Blinken decided to postpone a high-profile trip to China in response. Nick Schifrin reports.

Beyond headlines about a Chinese surveillance balloon and the Secretary of State's canceled trip to Beijing lies the broader relationship between the world's largest economies. Nick Schifrin spoke with two leaders of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party about the U.S. and China competing for influence on many fronts.

In some parts of the country, access to abortion care depends on how far a person can travel. Missouri has banned the procedure, but in neighboring Illinois, abortion remains legal and providers there will soon be working along the state border to be able to reach more patients. PBS NewsHour Communities Correspondent Gabrielle Hays reports.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including Trump's third run getting off to a sluggish start and Democrats map out a new path to the White House.

The sounds of the world brought to New York for one night, and from there, to a club, concert hall or festival near you. Jeffrey Brown reports on the phenomenon called GlobalFest for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.