May 29, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Former President Donald Trump's future now rests in the hands of a jury in New York City. Jurors in the criminal hush money case began deliberating Wednesday morning. Seven men and five women received instructions from Judge Juan Merchan and were then sent off to decide this historic case. William Brangham has been covering the trial from the start and reports on the latest.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Israel's national security advisor says he expects another seven months of fighting in Gaza, South Africans voted in what could be country's most significant election in decades, a volcano in Iceland erupted for a fifth time since December, charges against top golfer Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed and giant pandas are returning to the National Zoo in Washington.

A primary election in Texas got national attention for what it could mean for the future of the Republican Party and incumbents facing far-right challengers. Incumbent GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales, who has worked across the aisle on several issues, narrowly defeated a far-right YouTube personality. Laura Barrón-López discussed these growing divides with former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh.

For 150 years, the United States government sent Native American children to remote boarding schools as part of a systematic effort to seize tribal lands and eradicate culture. Dozens of these schools were run by the Catholic Church or its affiliates. A Washington Post investigation revealed widespread sexual abuse of generations of these children at many institutions. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Baseball prides itself on statistics and it’s how the sport recognizes its all-time greats. Those stats are now changing, in a big way. MLB officially incorporated statistics from the Negro Leagues into its record books. That means legendary hitter Josh Gibson is now atop several lists. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Gibson’s great-grandson, Sean Gibson. It's part of our coverage of Race Matters.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told lawmakers he won’t recuse himself from cases involving the 2020 presidential election or the Jan. 6 Capitol riot despite concerns about two flags associated with far-right causes that have flown over his properties. Alito said his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, was responsible for flying the flags. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Kathleen Clark.

How the parties select their candidates is a major factor in the increasing partisanship we've seen in recent years. Recently, Alaska has been trying something different. It's already showing results but facing some resistance. Judy Woodruff traveled there for her ongoing series about divisions in the country, America at a Crossroads.