weeknights on pbs.many believe we're living in the golden age of scams. romance scams, investment scams, fake job scams. even the most skeptical among us are falling prey to increasingly sophisticated frauds. one particular scam called pig-butchering has cost victims around the world an estimated $75 billion in just the last four years. ali rogin has more on what it is, and how to avoid it. ali: pig butchering investment scams have exploded over the last few years. named for the practice of farmers fattening hogs before slaughter, the scheme often starts with a simple "hi" or a seemingly innocent wrong number text on messaging platforms like whatsapp. before they catch on, victims can lose hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars. in 2023 alone, americans reported losing $4.6 billion to investment schemes. and it's not just the targets that are being harmed. the imposters on the other end of the line are often human trafficking victims forced to run the scheme by large crime syndicates in asia

for the "pbs news hour," i'm nick schifrin. approved a police reform agreement yesterday with the federal government 4.5 years after the murder of george floyd. stephanie sy has more now on the context around that deal and others like it. stephanie: amna, the agreement, known as a consent decree, allows a court-appointed monitor to oversee changes to the minneapolis police department. among other directives, it requires officers to intervene when they see a colleague break department rules. if approved by a judge, it would become the 16th such settlement that the department of justice is now enforcing with police agencies. but the future of federal oversight over local police is murky, as president-elect trump gets set to return to the white house. for more on all this, we're joined by alex del carmen. he's a criminologist at tarleton state university in texas and has served as a consent decree monitor himself. alex del carmen, thank you so much for joining the "news hour.” so, as you know, this consent decree in minneapolis is

for the "pbs news hour," i'm fred de sam lazaro in washington.'s reporting is a partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. amna: a globally-renowned artist who uses elements of the natural world to make us see that world in new ways. senior arts correspondent jeffrey brown spoke with artist olafur eliasson for our arts and culture series, "canvas." jeffrey: for nearly six months in 2003, the sun set inside a giant hall in london's tate modern museum. an artificial effect creating a strange otherworld, made from hundreds of lamps, a mirrored ceiling and a mist machine. called "the weather project," this art installation was a sensation, attracting some two million visitors. its creator, artist olafur eliasson. olafur: my art is, there's sort of -- what does it mean to see? what does it mean to experience? can i see my own seeing? you know, maybe it's not what i am looking at, but maybe it's the looking itself. wow! jeffrey: can i see my own seeing? olafur: yes. what is imagination? are we good at

thank you. >> this is "pbs newshour" west from the david m. rubinstein studio at the university of washington and from walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.] (bright regal music) - cooking is really at its best when it's shared. oh, wow. so i'm off to visit inspiring communities across the country to see how food brings them together. that's a bit of all right. - oh yeah! - exploring some exciting places. extraordinary, it's huge, isn't it? - look at that. beautiful. - i can think of no better place to be. while sharing mouthwatering recipes of my own.

. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs "news hour" has been provided by. >> carnegie corporation of new yorking to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for education, democracy, and peace. more information at carnegie.org. 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. amna: welcome to the “news hour.” answers slowly began to trickle out today, after the deadly new years truck attack in new orleans. officials revised the death toll down to 14 victims, plus the suspect. they also gave more details about his activities in the hours before the attack. laura barron lopez begins our verage from new orleans. laura: as the sun rose over new orleans this morning, the french quarter, known for its parties and bustling crowds, was eerily quiet. and under tight security. residents, business owners, and tourists, coming to terms with the deadly new years attack on bourbon street. >> sadly, this attack in my opinion was not

for the pbs "news hour," i'm laura barron-lopez.more on the life and legacy of president carter, we're joined by our own judy woodruff, who has covered jimmy carter since before he was elected president. amna: also presidential historian barbara perry, from the miller center at the university of virginia. geoff: and stuart eizenstat, who was domestic policy adviser to president carter and, as you heard, spoke at the funeral today. welcome to all of you. your remarks at the funeral service today, you said you sought to redeem the carter presidency and reframe the public understanding of it. in your view, his accomplishment were more enduring than most modern presidents. what inspired you to have that as your message today? stuart: it has always rankled me that people say he is the best ex-president we have had, and that is probably true, but that is an implicit way of saying he was not a successful president. i meant by redeeming that it is now time after the election loss we suffered for sure, and after over 40 years 10 times more t

for the pbs newshour, i'm fred de sam lazaro in washington.ng is a partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. amna: americans lined up at the u.s. capitol today to pay their respects to former president jimmy carter. the 39th president lay in state at the capitol rotunda for a second day ahead of his state funeral tomorrow. geoff: the service will take place in the morning at the washington national cathedral. we'll be here with live coverage. >> is being remembered for his presidency and what he achieved after his presidency. many looked up to him. >> he's always been a hero of mine. >> he's always been a great man. >> he was a great humanitarian. reporter: a pbs new special. remembering jimmy carter. thursday, january 9, at 9:00 p.m. eastern. amna: and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. thanks for spending part of your evening with us. >> travelers experience the maritime heritage and culture of the maine coast and new england islands. our fleet of

for the "pbs news hour," i'm nick schifrin. roger carson's work over the last five years as is no special presidential envoy for hostage affairs has led to the release of a number of americans held by countries like venezuela and iran. he was also part of a team that negotiated brittney griner's freedom as well as a complex multi-country deal that led to release of evan gershkovich, alsu kurmasheva and paul whelan from russia. carstens is leaving his job in the coming days and he joins us now. ambassador, welcome back. in the middle east this is obviously a multiagency effort not only to negotiate a cease-fire but secure the release of hostages. we understand the president said a deal is close, possibly this week. has either party taken this deal? do you see it happening? mr. carstens: you have to be optimistic in these cases. it's hard to tell whether the sides are going to narrow the gap that has been between them in main part because we have been close before and have not been able to do it. we remain hopeful. i've had a cha

american cruise lines, proud sponsor of pbs news hour.he ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the news hour including leonard and norma and the judy and peter blum kovler foundation. 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. ♪ this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> welcome to the news hour. dangerous when conditions are picking up speed and threatening to spread fires in southern california. geoff: four of the major fires have burned through more than 62 square miles already. that's larger than the size of san francisco or paris. at least 24 people have died, about two dozen more are missing, and a number of communities have been reduced to ash. officials say they're worried that death toll will grow this week. >> in los angeles county, it is fi

lisa: for the "pbs news hour," i'm lisa desjardins. and joining me now to discuss today's confirmation hearing is republican senator jim banks of indiana, who serves on the senate armed services committee and was in the room today. senator, welcome to the "news hour." thanks for joining us. >> good to be with you. amna: so mr. hegseth faced some pretty tough questions today on the past allegations of excessive drinking, his infidelity, and judgment, management inexperience. how do you think he handled those questions today? >> i thought the hearing went exceptionally well for pete hegseth. the democrats were looking for a gotcha moment, and they were trying to land a blow. but they couldn't do it because they keep manufacturing and repeating anonymous sources and allegations. and at the end of the day, we walked out of the room, and i thought pete, who had momentum going into the hearing, had even more momentum coming out of it. it went very well for him. he focused on the issues, why it matters that we send a secretary of defense who'

american cruz lines, proud sponsor of pbs news hour.ngoing 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 william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years advancing ideas and supporting institutions to support a better world. at hewlett.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 news hour. congress certified donald trump's election victory. amna: as lisa desjardins explains it was a routine procedure a moment in striking contrast to the violent insurrection of four years ago. reporter: an unusual scene, a winter storm all but shutting down the nation's capital. but congress at work with the historic charge, counting electorate votes. >> the votes for president of the united states -- reporter: certifying

. >> this is pbs news weekend from my studio in washington. many of us know formaldehyde is a clear chemical with a powerful smell that permeates high school biology labs. it is found just about everywhere, including a lot of things that are in your homes and offices right now. this past week, the epa evaluation said it poses an unreasonable risk to human health. last month, an investigation concluded that it causes far more cancer than any other airborne pollutants. they say not enough is being done to address the risk. we mentioned some of the places. how pervasive is formaldehyde? >> it is incredibly pervasive. it is essentially ubiquitous. indoors, the concentration is particularly high because lots of products do that. it is pretty much everywhere outdoors. the epa analyzes toxic air pollutants and estimates for cancer risk for each one of them. ideally they are supposed to limit the exposure to these chemicals so that they cause no more than one case of cancer in every million people exposed. for most of the dozens of toxic air pollutant

in washington, home of the pbs news hour.he cdc says that nationwide, the number of people going to doctors with things like the flu, rsv, and covid, is surging. what better time to check in with an epidemiologist. it is what we are seeing now the standard respiratory virus season or is there something unusual going on? >> like you said, it is no doubt ugly out there. there are a lot of sick people with coughs, fever, sore throat. especially in the south and hi west. these levels are not unusual. we have seen the same level of sickness before the pandemic. what is unusual is that covid is not necessarily dominating. the main culprit right now is flu. it accounts for many more hospitalizations. this is definitely a shift from the past four years. anchor: what do we know about booster shots and flu shots and what effect that is having? >> unfortunately vaccination rates are sub optimal. only one in four u.s. adults has the covid vaccine. lesson 50 cent -- 50% of americans has the flu vaccine. this is far lower than our goal of

thank you. ♪ >> this is pbs newshour west from the david m. in weta in washington and from our bureau at the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] jeff: one of donald trump's most controversial cabinet picks will try to win over the senate next week, when confirmation hearings begin. for the national security nominees, their hearings come at an awkward moment, just as trump is threatening allies and friends from denenmark to panam, giving new meaning to the term "america first."

geoff: for all of us here at the pbs news hour, thank you for spending your evening with us.s been provided by the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the news hour including kathy and paul anderson 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 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. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] ♪ ♪ >> >>> hello, everyone. welcome to "amanpour & co." >>> here's what is coming up,

for the pbs "news hour," this is fred de sam lazaro in washington.is a partnership with the under-told stories project at the university of st. thomas in minnesota. and he joins me now to discuss more of his reporting. so fred, as you noted, usaid administrator samantha power declined to participate in your reports. has there been any response from the agency since? fred: we did hear from a usaid spokesperson taking issue with a comment made by walter kerr of unlock aid, and issuing a statement that said it was incorrect to state that only 10% of usaid's total assistance funding reaches local communities, meaning in the countries targeted. and the statement goes on that this grossly misstates usaid's work, which reaches hundreds of millions of people around the globe every year. well, there's no dispute about reaching a lot of people. it is close to $40 billion, after all. when it comes to the number, taking issue with how much money is actually spent locally, there is a lot of opacity. it's a very elastic number depending on who is interpreting it.

for the pbs newshour, i am malcolm brabant in ipswich. world's most famous classical pianists lang lang discovered his passion for piano while growing up alongside other musicians in china. today, he stands as a globally acclaimed classical pianist whose extraordinary talent has led him to perform with diverse musical legends, from the prestigious philadelphia orchestra to contemporary icons like coldplay and metallica. tonight, he shares his brief but spectacular take on loving what you play. langlang: it was like having a toy in my hand when i started. it was like " the nutcracker" by tchaikovsky. ♪ so i grew up in china, in the northeast region, shenyang, a very industrial city, big factory. every day, i hear music from everywhere. the chinese traditional orchestra, where my father was a principal. i was in beijing at the age of nine, and i got fired by a piano teacher there. she was kind of very skeptical of my piano style, and that was very difficult for me. i thought my piano career is over. ♪ so when i was 17 years old, i have this

. >> major funding for the pbs news hour provided by. the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour. >> the charles f kettering foundation looking to advance inclusive democracies. >> the john s and james l knight foundation fostering engaged communities. more at kf.org. >> and the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: welcome to the newshour unprecedented warnings about wind conditions have residents around los angeles on high alert again tonight, while firefighters work to control major blazes that have destroyed communities and taken at least 24 lives. amna: more than 40-thousand people have applied for fema assistance already. los angeles mayor karen bass issued an executive order to remove red tape and speed up rebuilding efforts. and governor gavin newsom suspended state rules to make it easier for students to attend school i

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. >> this is pbs news weekend from our studio in washington, home of the news hour. >> tomorrow marksars since the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol building, a day that shook the city emanation. a mob of term supporters smashed their way into the capitol building, believing that the election have been stolen. a bipartisan senate report found that at least seven people lost their lives in connection with the attack. years later, the legacy of that day and what it means to our country remains a bitter partisan divide. joining us to discuss our journalists who were there that day. and they have been covering its impacts ever sent. our pentagon reporter and an npr reporter. you were both therefore years ago. -- there four years ago. how does it stand out to you? >> i was covering trump's speech. there was a sea of people. i was interviewing everyone. they were all respectful. people were laughing and joking and waving to each other. it was like a storm was coming in. there was a sense of anger and bad energy. she called me. she was in the middle of the mob. >> i was there with another

. >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporation for public broadcasting. additional support is provided by the abrams foundation, committed to excellence in journalism... park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues... the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more at macfound.org. the heising-simons foundation, unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities. learn more at hsfoundation.org. and by the frontline journalism fund with major support from jon and jo ann hagler. and additional support from koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. and from the charina endowment fund. additional support for this program is from the hollyhock foundation. >> hurricane dora out in the central pacific, now just directly south of the hawaiian islands, but it is pretty far south of hawai'i... >> narrator: the day of the deadliest american wildfire in more than

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ anchor: anything -- goode johnson hangs onto his speaker's gavel in the u.s. house, but a razor thin majority means more battles ahead. people in new orleans try to return to some sense of normalcy as law investment -- endorsement continues to investigate the at

mister rogers' neighborhood is made possible in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewerslike you. thank you. [ "won't you be my neighbor?" playing ] ♪

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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. i'm amna nawaz.f bennett. firefighters in and around los angeles struggled to control multiple raging wildfires, fueled by high wind and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. amna: the united states announces another

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. geoff: good evening.. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "news hour" tonight -- >> if this deal is not done by the people representing our nation, by the time i get to office, all hell is going to break out. amna

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ amna: good evening.eoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight -- firefighters in and around los angeles struggle to control multiple raging wildfires fueled by high winds and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. amna: the united states announces another aid package to ukraine, as the war grinds on.

that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere. ♪ geoff: good eveningnnett. amna: and i'm amna navaz. tonight, the death toll from the los angeles-area fires rises as high winds complicate efforts to combat the devastating blazes. geoff: wlo

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ laura: good evening.z. geoff bennett and amna nawaz are away. on the "newshour" tonight, new year's celebrations turned to horror. a driver tore through bourbon street in new orleans, killing and wounding multiple people in what's being investigated as a terrorist attack. after decades of work, jimmy carter's goal of eradicating a tropical disease appears within reach. we examine the lasting global health legacy the late president leaves behind.

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: fundings program is provided by... woman: a successful business owner sells his company and restores his father's historic jazz club with his son.

that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer:ation of this program is provided by... nicole: at bdo i feel like a true individual, people value me for me,

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. amna: good evening. geoff bennett is away. on the “news hour” tonight, the fbi now says the new orleans attacker acted alone, but was inspired by isis. what we know about the suspect and his path to radicalization. we examine the complex legacy of president biden's 50 years in public office as he prepares to leave the white house. and two-year colle

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: fundingprogram is provided by... woman: a law partner rediscovers her grandmother's artistry and creates a trust to keep the craft alive.

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ laura: good evening.z. geoff bennett and amna nawaz are away. on the "newshour" tonight, new year's celebrations turned to horror. a driver tore through bourbon street in new orleans, killing and wounding multiple people in what's being investigated as a

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ ♪ amna: good evening.onight as emergency crews rushed to contain catastrophic wilir

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ amna: good evening.and i'm geoff bennet. as emergency cruise rush to contain catastrophic wildfires, resideom

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ ♪ amna: good evening. tonight -- with vice president harris presiding congress -- under the long shadow of the capitol riot four years ago today. amna: justin trudeau and he is resigning ou

that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett on the newshour tonight. surging winds fuel the los angeles wildfires that have been blazing for a full week. what the scope of destruction means for homeowners and home insurance. amna: lawmakers grill secretary of defense nominee pete hegseth on his opposition to women in combat roles and accusations of financial mismanagement and sexual misuc

. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs. ♪ amna: good evening.: and i'm geoff bennett. on the "newshour" tonight, with vice president harris presiding, congress formally certifies donald trump's election victory, under the long shadow of the capitol riot four years ago today. amna: canada's prime minister justin trudeau announces he's resigning, amid mounting public disapproval.

now to naples, florida, and former house speaker newt gingrich who has a new documentary airing on pbsn immigrants have shaped our country's history. welcome to "face the nation." >> good to be with you. >> in this documentary, you tell the stories of these individuals who immigrated to the u.s. and they were very successful, people like albert einstein. when you look at einstein and you look at henry kissinger, they were refugees to this country. donald trump set refugee admissions at very low levels first term. he's talking about block refugee admissions this term. is that a mistake? >> well, i think we're going through a period of, frankly, reacting to an extraordinarily disastrous immigration policy, so you're going to have some twists and turns. in the long run, we do want to have an ability to allow legitimate refugees to come here. we also, and participate of the reason callista and i made this documentary for pbs, we believe strongly that illegal immigrants are a major contribution to america's success and to its exceptional nature and we want to make sure that as many american