rubenstein studio at weta in washington, home of the pbs news hour, weeknights on pbs.ohn: this weekend is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, beginning with black friday. by one estimate, online spending yesterday was more than 14% higher than last year and in-store purchases were up a modest .7%. some retailers have been offering discounts since shortly before halloween in hopes of encouraging shoppers squeezed by inflation to open their wallets. we asked people to tell us about their shopping pns this year. >> my name is john ferber and i live in sacramento, california. >> my name is sherry, and i'm in centreville, virginia. >> i am susan pope and i live at waupaca, wisconsin. >> my main shopping usually starts in july. >> i started my holiday shopping for this year last year. >> september and october, i'll always be thinking about what i shouldn't be spending then so i can spend a little more around the holidays. >> i don't really budget for my gifts. it just works out in the end. >> i usually have kind of a budget in mind. i can't say i stick to i

weeknights on pbs. john: advocates for reproductive rights won major victories in last month's elections. voters in seven states approved measures that either expanded or enshrined the right to an abortion in their constitutions. some women worry about what a second trump presidency could bring, despite recent comments from the president-elect about preserving access to abortion pills. ali rogin reports on how they're preparing for the next four years. ali: since mr. trump's re-election, many women and health care providers across the u.s. have been stockpiling supplies of abortion pills and emergency contraception. one of the largest suppliers of abortion medication reported that in the first 24 hours after election day, they received 17 times the number of requests they typically get in a day. earlier this month, president-elect trump was asked if he would restrict abortion medication on nbc's meet the press. mr. trump: i'll probably say, which is exactly what i've been saying for the last two years,

m rubenstein studio at w eta in washington, home of the pbs news hour, weeknights on pbs. john: across america, stubbornly high food prices are compounding the problem of hunger and food scarcity. people are facing tough choices to stretch their budgets to cover basics like housing and childcare. blair waltman and isadora day look at how residents in one community are stepping up to help neighbors in need. >> it's hot. >> muy cansado. >> si. >> i ran everything as a volunteer for the first about eight years. and we just got really, really busy. so now this is actually my full time job. i'm david horning. i am the executive director at impact now dove springs. we're the only food distribution that i know of in dove springs that's like a permanent location. i'm here six days a week. on tuesdays, in the mornings, we pack all of our shelf stable food. so we're packing cans, we're packing rice, we're packing beans. and we're usually packing about 220 bags. on fridays, we pick up about 7000 pounds of food from the food bank. saturday morning, we get here at 7:45, we pack all of

john: tonight on "pbs news weekend," a lightning offensive by syrian rebels ends a half century of iron rule. then, a documentary details how gornments use commercial spyware to monitor their own citizens. >> i realized, well, this is not an incidental issue. this is not some esoteric human rights problem that's far away. this is coming for all of us. john: and from story corps, a tale of small gestures that mean a great deal in two lives. ♪ >> major funding for "pbs news weekend" has been provided by. >> in 1995, two friends set out to make wireless coverage accessible to all with no long-term contracts, nationwide coverage, and 100% u.s.-based customer support. consumer cellular, freedom calls. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the "news hour." this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening. i'm john yang. for more than a half century, syria has been ruled with an iron fist by the assad regime, first hafez al-assad

m rubenstein studio at w eta in washington, home of the pbs news hour we get -- weeknights on pbs.ith christmas and the beginning of hanukkah just days away, a lot of us are shopping online to have last-minute gifts delivered to our homes. while it can be more convenient than going to a brick-and-mortar store, it also offers an easy target for thieves. ali rogin reports on a growing crime, and how you can protect the items on your wish list. ali: they're known as porch pirates or package thieves, and they're targeting neighborhoods across the country. they surveil homes, watch for delivery trucks, and then steal what gets left outside your front door. in 2023, they swiped nearly $16 billion worth of goods this way. we spoke to people who've experienced these porch pirates firsthand. jennifer: my first encounter with porch pirates was when i just moved into this neighborhood. it's an urban neighborhood, and we all have stoops, and we don't have front yards. so when delivery drivers come and just throw the packages on the stoop, it's very easy for thieves to sort of follow behind the

a moment to hear from your local pbs station.offer your support, which helps to keep programs like this one on the air. ♪ for those of you staying with us, the late show's stephen colbert and his wife evie are sharing the ingredients that make their partnership work, especially in the kitchen. amna nawaz met up with them earlier this year to discuss their new cookbook, "does this taste funny?" here is a second look at that conversation. amna: at new york city's porch light bar -- stephen colbert: i have never been interviewed in a bar before. this is nice. >> what is this dessert? amna: over a spread of southern specialties -- >> biscuits and honey. amna: stephen and evie colbert talk about their shared love of their shared hometown, charleston, sout carolina, where they first met in their 20's and inspired this book. the book, a compendium of everything from seafood specials and party food to desserts and drinks, started coming together during covid. the colberts, along with their three mostly grown children, were locked down to

rubenstein studio at weta in washington, home of the pbs news hour, weeknights on pbs. ali:e leave you this evening, we returned to our lead story, the death of jimmy carter. president biden said today, america and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesmen, and humanitarian. president-elect trump said former president carter did everything in his power to improve the lives of all americans. for that we owe him a debt of gratitude. president carter died today at his home in plains, georgia, more than a year after entering hospice care. that's our program for tonight. on mondays pbs news hour, we bring you more about the remarkable life and legacy of former president jimmy carter. i'm allie rogan. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. have a good week. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> it shows us something be

on pbs. week marks 20 years since one of the worst natural disasters in modern history. in 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the island of sumatra in western indonesia triggered a tsunami in the indian ocean that killed around 230,000 people across 12 countries. the wall of water swept up nearly everything in its path. cars, buildings, and people. 6-year-old siddiq was one of them. the wave ripped him from his mother saudah's arms. his body has never been recovered and she's found it impossible to move on. >> if siddiq is still alive and i'm still alive, i want him to come home and for us to see each other before i die. but if he is gone, i wholeheartedly accept that that is god's will, but i still believe he is alive. ali: outside her home in banda aceh, indonesia, neighborhood life goes on around the wreckage of two coast guard ships that washed up 20 years ago, a daily reminder to residents of the disaster. saudah's story is not unique. in communities across the indian ocean, the devast

that's on the pbs kids video app or on your local pbs station. check your local listings.s hour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. for all of us here at the pbs "news hour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the news hour, including leonard and norma klorfine, and the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ and friends of the news hour. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> this is pbs news hour west from the david rubins tied -- rubenstein studio in washington and arizona state university. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning inst ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -today on "cook's country," ashley makes bridget

watch washington week on pbs.panel discuss pete hegseth's imperiled nomination to be secretary of defense and biden's possible preemptive use of pardons. next week, however of tree farmers in north carolina overcame the devastation from hurricane helene together trees to market and even send one to the white house. that's tomorrow here on pbs. and that is the newshour tonight. i'm geoff bennett. thanks for spinning part of your evening with us and have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- ♪ and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years advancing ideas to bring institutions to promote a better world. hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and

that's on the pbs kids video app or on your local pbs station. check your local listings.amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. for all of us here at the pbs "news hour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> major funding for the pbs "news hour" has been provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the "news hour," including leonard and norma klorfine, and the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the front lines of social change worldwide. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and friends of the "news hour." this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] >>> hello, everyone and welcome to amanpour & co.. here is what is coming up. mac we have said stuff that they are coming back. >> a key mediator in the gaza cease-fire talks talks

for the pbs news hour, i am stephanie sy. also today, president biden announced another $2.5 billion in u.s. military aid to ukraine, the latest step to help ukraine's war effort before president-elect trump takes office next month. the package includes $1.25 billion in missiles, munitions and other hardware that the u.s. says can be moved to the battlefield quickly. the rest comes in the form of weapons delivered longer-term. separately, the treasury department announced $3.4 billion in economic assistance to ukraine. the military assistance comes as some 300 ukrainian and russian captives were freed today in the latest prisoner swap. some ukrainian troops had been held since the early days of the war. today, they reunited with loved ones. >> i'm serving and will continue to serve our country, ukraine. the most important thing is that i am on my land, i saw my country's flag and my family. this is just the best. it's just amazing. after everything that happened to us in russia, after what they did to us. nick: ukrainian pres

for the pbs newshour i'm john yang.his prime minister was ousted by his parliament, french president emmanuel macron has vowed to stay in office until the end of his term. the no-confidence vote in the national assembly yesterday forced prime minister michel barnier to step down after just three months, the shortest tenure of any prime minister in modern french history. it also left the country without a functioning government. in a fiery, defiant televised address, macron blamed the chaos on opposition lawmakers for putting their own interests above the country. >> yesterday the government lost a no-confidence vote, despite the concessions made by barnier because far-right and far-left joined together in an anti-republican front. i will never take the blame for the lack of responsibility of others, and notably lawmakers who chose, knowingly, to bring down the government of france. correspondent: macron said he will name a new prime minister within days. in new york city, the manhunt continues for the suspect who stalke

william: for the "pbs news hour," i'm william brangham.ie: in the days other headlines, health officials in gaza say that more than 45,000 palestinians have now been killed since the start of the israel-hamas war. family members held funerals today for some of the 13 people killed in an israeli airstrike on a school turned shelter in khan yunis. hospital officials say that six children were among the dead. israel claims that hamas fighters were using the shelter as a command center. across gaza, palestinian civilians, lamented the death and suffering caused by more than 14 months of war. >> we have nothing to do with everything that is happening to us. we did not do any wrong in order for this to happen. innocent people die who aren't connected to what is happening, children, women, babies. a boy is born and, two or three days later, we find him as a victim. stephanie: gaza's health ministry says the real death toll may be higher than 45,000 because bodies are trapped in places that medics cannot access. the ministry does not distinguish b

>> major funding for the pbs "news hour" has been provided by. ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of the "news hour," including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. >> the charles f kettering foundation, working to advance inclusive democracies. learn more at -- kettering.org. >> the john s. and james l. knight foundation, fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. stephanie: i'm stephanie sy would news hour west. here are the latest headlines. prosecutors in new york have charged the suspect in the killing of unitedhealthcare ceo with murder as an act of terrorism, in addition to the murder charge already facing him in the fatal shooting of brian thompson. under new york law, such a charge can be brought when an alleged crime is intended to intimidate or coerce

. ♪ >> major funding for the "pbs news hour" has been provided by -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 160rs. bnsf. the engine that connects us. >> with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and george smith. >> the john s and james l knight foundation fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the newshour. after 14 years of war, syria is seeking stability, beginning with a transition of power from the ousted assad regime. today the country's caretaker prime minister, appointed by the fighters who overthrew bashar al-assad, said the government transition process is expected to take it -- until at least march. amna: meantime, the top u.s. general overseeing operations in the middle east was in syria today, visiting american-backed kurdish

for the pbs "news hour," i'm john yang. ♪ william: the u.s.red this past summer. it was in bethlehem, pennsylvania, where a historic settlement of the moravian church, along with three other such settlements in germany, denmark, and northern ireland, were collectively named a world heritage site this year. digital video producer tim mcphillips went to bethlehem to see what made this moravian settlement so unique. reporter: this holiday season in bethlehem, pennsylvania looks like it does every year. a christmas tree stands by city hall with a nativity scene at its base. twinkling lights adorn the city's main street. but one thing is new. this summer, the united nations educational, scientific, and cultural organization, or unesco, deemed this place as the united states's 26th unesco world heritage site. >> they date back to 1857. the followers of a catholic priest and reformer formed what they called the unity and bretheren in the czech republic area. they eventually became known as the moravian church. reporter: janelle is the senior pastor a

for the "pbs news hour," i'm stephanie sy in weld county, colorado. week, we have been reporting on some promising treatments for two of the deadliest drugs in america, opioids and alcohol. william brangham is back now with a conversation with one of the nation's leading researchers who is studying america's addictions and how we can better address them. william: my next guest is one of the researchers who helped establish that addiction is in fact a brain disorder, that taking certain drugs over time can change how our brains actually work. dr. nora volkow is the head of the national institute on drug abuse, which is part of the nih and is one of the world's biggest funders of research into drug abuse and addiction. dr. volkow, so good to have you all on the program. we have been reporting on a few of the medications that show effectiveness for treating opioids and alcohol abuse disorders, and i wonder that, from your long research on this topic, what role do you see medications playing in helping people address their addictions? dr. nora volkow, dir

for the "pbs news hour," i'm nick schifrin. geoff: u.s.icials say they are closely monitoring the situation in syria, where 900 u.s. troops are still stationed mostly in the country's northeast. jon finer is the principal deputy national security adviser, and i spoke with him moments ago. jon finer, welcome back to the "news hour.” president biden said yesterday that the sudden collapse of the syrian government under assad is a fundamental act of justice, but he said it's a moment of risk and uncertainty for the middle east. what are those risks, and what is the administration doing to mitigate them? >> well, geoff, let's just not lose track of the opportunity side of this before we get to the risks. and the opportunity here for the syrian people is to have their first experience with a government free of oppression in many generations, after 13 years of just an excruciating, violent civil war. that is the opportunity that presents itself by the fall of assad. the risk, of course, is that the groups that toppled assad, some of them have th

be sure to watch "washington week" on pbs.or jeffery goldberg and his panel discuss elon pucks influence over president-elect donald trump. and on pbs news weekend, a humanitarian aid work recounts the need of children who have been affected in a year marred by multiple wars. and that is the "newshour" for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. for al of us here at the "newshour," thanks for spending part of your evening with us. amna and i will see you after the holidays. have a great weekend. >> major funding for the pbs newshour, has been provided by -- and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the "newshour" including kathy and paul anderson and camilla and george smith. the walton family foundation, working for solutions to protect water during climate change, so people and nature can thrive together. the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlett.org. and with the ongoing support of these indivi

and be sure to watch washington week with the atlantic tonight on pbs.ning journalist george packer joins moderator jeffrey goldberg for a special conversation about the future of the american democratic experiment. that is the news hour for tonight. i'm lisa desjardins. on behalf of the entire newshour team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided chae and nature can thrive together, the william and flora hewlett foundation, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world at hewlett.org, and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the news hour. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ hello, everyone, and welcome to amanpour & company. here's what's coming up. we look ba at a ye of unprecented weatr evts and climate solutions. first, my conversation with the atlantic's george packer

for the pbs news hour, i miles am o'brien in boston.lled by guns every day in the u.s. to address that epidemic through art, the gun violence memorial project shares intimate details of lives lost. special correspondent jared bowen of gbh boston has the story for our arts and culture series, canvas. jared: they are the essence of home, proud structures with peak -- peaked roofs and smiling faces. within your glass bricks, the stuff of home, a treasured ball caps, a beloved comic book hero, a triangle of toy trucks, objects left behind when their owners lost their lives to gun violence. >> we are able to see a little more into the personalities, the interests, the passions of those folks who are no longer here who have been taken do gun violence. the gun violence memorial project is a living and participatory memorial to victims of gun violence. jared: john is one of the designers of the gun violence memorial project, a traveling memorial. it is comprised of four houses each with 700 glass bricks. that was the number of americans killed

thank you. ♪ this is pbs news hour west from the david m. weta in washington and in the west at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ ♪ >> you are watching pbs. wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's tdie for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ christopher kimball: welcome to milk street's my family recipe. we help home cooks rediscover and recreate lost family recipes. - - don't put any pressures wason us or anything!. christopher: we bring home cooks to our boston studio... i'm gonna stand back. ...where, along with our host and pastry chef cheryl day...

amna: but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station.ance to offer your support, which helps keep programs like this one on the air. ♪ geoff: for those staying with us, this holiday travel season means a lot of flying, and the aviation sector is under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint. in this encore report, science correspondent miles o'brien looks at efforts to create greener fuels for the skies. >> a half-mile outside the fence of boston's logan airport, carlos florez is helping grace the skids for an ambitious goal, erasing the carbon footprint of airline travel. he is at a wing stop, harvesting used cooking oil. it contains hydrocarbons and can be refined into sustainable aviation fuel. >> every time i fly back to brazil, i think about it, maybe i help here. reporter: he drives for a subsidiary of a finnish oil refiner that is now a leader in global oil production, including sustainable aviation fuel. dave kimball is their president and ceo. >> the really cool thing about cooking oil is it has already had one life, and now we

. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- these individuals and institutionsnd friends of the newshour, anderson and camila and george smith. >> the charles f kettering foundation, working to advance inclusive democracies. learn more at kettering.org. >> the john s and james l knight foundation, fostering an informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. william: welcome to the newshour. we start our coverage with a pair of holiday disruptions. in a moment we'll hear about air travel headaches, but first -- coffee. a strike by starbucks employees and expanded to some 5000 baristas nationwide today. >> no contract, no coffee. william: their union says the walk-out shut nearly 300 stores across 45 states. starbucks says fewer than 200 stores were affected. workers say they're protesting unfair labor practices, like retaliatory firings and cuts to hours. they also called out the company

for the pbs news hour, miles o'brien in new bedford, massachusetts.in his next report miles looks at how offshore wind , power may complicate fishing and seafood harvesting for one of the country's most lucrative fishing ports. ♪ william: president biden makes a big decision with just weeks left in office. and with republicans set to take power, a funding fight reveals potential cracks in the gop. a perfect time for our politics monday duo. that's amy walter of the “cook political report with amy walter” and tamara keith of npr. welcome to you both. tam, sorry we could not have you sitting here with us. but starting with you, biden is near the end of his term. as he has his entire political rear, he is going all out on this legal front. the commutations we saw today, the thousands before that, pushing a lot of judges through the confirmation. how much of this is normal end of term, end of political career tidying up and how much is it eyeing the incoming administration? tamara: certainly president biden was chairman of the senate judiciary committee f

amna: but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station.ance to offer your support, which helps keeps programs like this one on the air. ♪ geoff: for those of you staying with us, detroit is increasingly known for its creativity and one couple is using the arts to turn around an entire neighborhood. special correspondent megan thompson visited little village to see its big plans. this encore report is part of our arts and culture series, canvas. >> it's a famous intersection. >> dolores has lived for more than 70 years in the east village neighborhood of detroit. >> you had the drugstore on the corner, and right here the bakery, they baked all the best bread in the world. i can even tell you how much of a change i've seen. i've seen it right and fall. >> she was thrilled when she was approached about a big idea, the creation of a new arts district here called little village. it was start with converting an empty charge into an art gallery. >> anthony, real estate developer, first became a gallery owner in 2012 when he cofounded the library

her "pbs news hour," i'm john yang.mna: remember, there's a lot more online including a story about st. louis becoming the latest u.s. city to recommend reparations. geoff: that is "the newshour" for tonight. amna: thank you for joining us. >> major funding for "the pbs news hour" has been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions, and friends of "the news hour" including jim and nancy bildner and the rob and virginia schiller foundation, the ford foundation, working with visionaries on the frontline of social change worldwide, and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] ♪ >>> hello, everyone, and welcome to amanpour & company. here is what's coming up. >> i think president trump lives off actually a

and much more. ♪ >> this is "the pbs newshour" from the david m.n studio in washington, and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. geoff: the u.s. economy continues to perform well by many measures. retail spending was up notably around black friday. markets are at or near record levels. unemployment remains low. yet most americans have long felt the economy is not doing well for them. all of this is front and center as president-elect donald trump is set to implement an agenda heavily focused on new tariffs, cutting regulations, and extending tax cuts. the fed is expected to cut rates again this month. decisions watch closely by businesses, investors, and lenders. let's get insight from brian moynihan, the ceo of bank of america who joins us now. ,thank you for being here. as we talk about the state of the economy, an indicator is consumer spending and we have fresh data. on black friday, americans spent nearly $11 billion online and that shattered a record. travelers heading home after the thanksgiv

. >> major funding for the pbs news hour provided by. the carnegie corporation of new york, working to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for education, democracy, and peace. more information at carnegie.org. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> house republicans are pushing a new proposal tonight to avoid government shutdown in an effort to meet president elect donald trump's last-minute spending demands after mr. trump rejected the original bill earlier this week with billionaire elon musk leading the charge against it online. lisa, good to see you. what did the republicans change in the last-minute revision? >> it has been another whirlwind day on capitol hill, pivotal both for government function and speaker mike johnson. let me go over that bill speaker johnson and house republicans unveiled just over an hour or so ago. here is

. ♪ announcer: major funding for the pbs news hour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of theseividuals and institutions and friends of the news hour including jim and nancy build their and the robber and virginia schiller foundation. the judy and peter blanc over foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. >> the john s and james l knight foundation fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. announcer: and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ and friends of the news hour -- ♪ announcer: this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: welcome to the news hour. barely a week after president assad fled the country he destroyed, syrians across the nation welcomed the first friday prayers of the new syria today. geoff: there are many unanswered questions but one thing is for certain as syrians return to their homes from the southern cities of the nation to aleppo in the north, there is unfettered j

. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by. >> in 1995 tw friendso set out to makeeless coverage available for all. 100% u.s.-based customer support. consumer cellular. ♪ >> the judy and peter bloom foundation. strengthening democracies at home and abroad. the walton family foundation. working for solutions to protect water during climate change so people and nature can thrive together. supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs news station by viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the "newshour ." the federal reserve cut its benchmark rate today for the third consecutive time, once again by a quarter of a point. many are hoping the cut will have a clear effect on interest rates, what banks and other lenders charge and what consumers pay. but the fed also suggested there won't be as many interest rate cuts in the year ahead as it once planned. chairman jerome powell told reporte

for the pbs news hour, i am nick schifrin. the sea change toward tenuous hope in syria over the last two weeks has been tempered with a grim accounting of the last 14 years of war, not to mention more than half a century of authoritarian rule under the assad family. we have two teams there now, and will have more reporting from around the country in the coming days. tonight, i'm joined by special correspondent leila molana-allen from damascus. western journalists have largely been banned from entering syria for years but you managed to get in undercover last year. what has changed and what has the mood been like in damascus? leila: it is like night and day. i cannot tell you what it is like to walk the streets and have people freely running up to you saying take my picture. let me tell you what i think. previously working here was always about fear, secrecy, constantly looking over your shoulder for the secret police, terrified about keeping your contacts safe, the people brave enough to speak out. most people did not. the moo

for the pbs news hour, from syria.r south of syria to aleppo and the north where we find our special correspondent tonight. she and her team also spent time on the coast earlier today. as we heard from assad for the first time today, tell us more about what exactly he had to say. reporter: this was the first time anyone in syria has heard from him as everyone thought he had fled on the seventh of december. everyone thought he got on a plane to moscow with his family. but he claimed he went north to the heartland where assad is from and went to a russian base with his allies hoping to regroup. he says when it became clear that all of the armed forces had laid down their weapons, the russians evacuated him out on sunday. he says he never had any intention to flee has country. he never sold out and he only went to russia because it became clear that nothing more could be on and terrorism as he calls the rebels that have taken over, the whole country. he closes sagging he does not plan to come back. once terrorism has take

. >> major funding for the pbs "newshour" has been provided by -- >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the "newshour," including jim and nancy and the robert and virginia shiller foundation, the judy and peter, upholding freedom by spreading democracies at home and abroad. >> and fostering informed and engaged communities. and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the "newshour". this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. amna: barely a week after president assad fled the country, syrians welcomed the first friday prayers of the new syria today. geoff: there are many unanswered questions but one thing is for certain and syrians are returning their homes from the southern regions to the airchg chent city of aleppo. there is uplayings. and we are in aleppo. you were there. what did you hear from the people you encountered. >> quite astounding to be on the streets and see the level of celebration and the people w

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for the pbs "newshour," i am stephanie sy.: for further perspective on what might be behind this tragedy, we turn to retired army colonel robert hamilton. he spent much of his career focused on the former soviet union, and he's now head of research at the foreign policy research institute's eurasia program. colonel hamilton, so great to have you on the program. you have a great deal of expertise on how the russian military operates. what do you make of russia's air defense system being complicit in the crash? robert: first of all, thank you for the invitation. i think we are in a case where the simplest explanation is most likely to be the accurate one. the evidence we know, that we have lines up with a theory it was a russian air defense system that shot the plane down because we know there was a ukrainian drone attack going on at the time even though the russians were jamming signals to try to fight the. drone attack the russian air defense system was active and this plane was descending to land when it was shot down. it was

. ♪ >> this is pbs news hour weekend from our studio in washington, home of the news hour, weeknights >> the holiday season means holiday parties and that raises concerns about driving after having too much to drink. according to data, drunk driving crashes are as much as 40% higher between thanksgiving and new year's day than they are the rest of the year. in 2000, congress set a nationwide blood-alcohol limit for drunk driving. it is higher than it is around the world and advocate say that lowering it wi reduce crashes. a principal research scientist at the university of chicago joins us. you have been studying impaired driving for a long time now. what has drunk driving down over that time? as a gone up or down? >> it went down between 1982 and 1997 when a lot of laws were being passed. we lowered the limit. we had administrative license revocation and things like that. it worked. in 1997 we hit a plateau and now it has gone up during the pandemic. i never would have thought that. you figure that travel is lower. fatalities will go down. but it went up. there has been an increase i

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