January 31, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

We're learning more this week about the strength of the economy and whether high inflation and rising interest rates are pushing it into a recession. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by another quarter of a point and the next labor report will show whether job growth is still slowing. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest.

In September 2016, Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby. Eight months later, Shelby was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter and the case has been expunged from her record. Tiffany Crutcher created a foundation in her brother's name focused on criminal justice and policing reform. She joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the foundation's efforts.

Five days after former police officers were charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, the circumstances that led to his death renewed conversations about policing, the use of force and related issues. Radley Balko, author of “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces,” joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the new attention around elite police units.

As part of the new Congress, House Republicans will begin scrutinizing nearly every policy step taken by the Biden White House and Congressional Democrats over the past two years. Lisa Desjardins reports on what to expect.

Since the start of the pandemic, both former President Trump and President Biden have repeatedly renewed a special declaration of a national and public health emergency. But the government’s approach toward COVID has dramatically changed and Biden said he would allow that emergency declaration to end in May. William Brangham spoke with Lawrence Gostin about what it will mean.

Since the Affordable Care Act was implemented more than a decade ago, 39 states have expanded Medicaid, the public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income Americans. North Carolina is not one. One of the obstacles had been Republican State Senator Phil Berger, but he changed his mind last year and now the expansion is a top priority. Berger joined Geoff Bennett to discuss.