for the pbs news hour i am stephanie sy . >> the man accused of killing united health care ceo brian thompson returned to new york today facing additional federal murder charges just after suspect luigi mangione waived extradition in a court in pennsylvania where he was arrested while on the run earlier this month. luigi mangione was flown back to new york city this afternoon where he had already been indicted on state charges. he was taken to a federal court to face charges including two counts of stalking, one count of murder, and a firearms offense. the manhattan district attorney said the state and federal cases could proceed simultaneously. >> we allege the defendant in the case shot mr. thompson twice in midtown manhattan. it was targeted. it was premeditated and meant to sew terror. speaking generally we had state and federal prosecutors pursuing parallel matters. >> one of luigi mangione's federal charges of murder by firearm includes the possibility of the death penalty. prosecutors have not said whether they would seek that punishment. in madison, wisconsin new details abou

stephanie sy begins our coverage. stephanie: eyewitness video shows the moment of impact.jan airlines flight crash lands in concert stand. a passenger describes the experience. >> two times it tried to land and the third time something exploded. stephanie: the plane is seen descending rapidly. by this point, the pilot was flying without gps and communications jams. video from a passenger on board shows oxygen masks deployed in what looks like a crack on a piece of the wing. relative calm among the 67 people on board. and then this. fiery wreckage confronts these first responders. more than half the people on the plane were killed in the crash landing. yet dozens of survived, shaken and badly injured. >> when the plane crashed my wife was sitting next to me. i have not seen my wife since the crash and i do not know where she is. stephanie: as the human losses are counted, investigators are honing in on the multiple holes found on the jet as clues. azerbaijani officials say a preliminary probe say the plane was struck by a russian defense system. the azerbaijan airlines flig

stephanie sy has worked. >> i'm going to guess five days ago. p november morning and introduction of how to grow vegetables in the sonora desert >> right now we would be harvesting this crop at peak majority -- maturity next week. stephanie: the chief agricultural officer jb smith, which grows vegetables on 8500 acres in yuma county, arizona. i'm standing in the field of lettuce but am surrounded on all sides by desert. how does this make sense? >> very fertile soil. this valley -- they are all formed by the river. stephanie: that is the colorado river which starts in the rocky mountains and once flowed so abundantly to this region that it would occasionally flood. >> there is all of this sediment from flooding over the years. it built up these very rich soils in this area. stephanie: that plus the consistently mild and sunny winters in southern arizona has made lettuce growing growing a cash cow. >> you could say that you want to grow them in florida which is great if they don't get hurricanes. there are other places that keep trying but they ca

stephanie sy reports from colorado, a state with significant protections for undocumented immigrants, itself at the center of the immigration debate during the campaign. stephanie: in northwest aurora, groups of immigrant day laborers wait for work. the re-election of a president promising mass deportations has not fazed some. this young man immigrated from guatemala nine years ago. >> i don't think it's going to be anything. he says he's only going to deport those who are carrying out crimes. stephanie: others, like this man from mauritania, say trump's election has sparked his fears of deportation. the recently-arrived asylum-seeker asked to remain anonymous. >> if we go back there, it's prison or death. i am really scared. it keeps me up at night. if i'm returned, i don't know where i'll go, i know that i will be in trouble. stephanie: that's a sentiment mateos alvarez has heard a lot over the last month. >> there is concern around mass deportation naturally, and especially for those in this community across the board. because it's very diverse here, lower income, lots of folks com

stephanie sy has our report. stephanie: in malibu, the night sky was bright orange.winds sand the franklin fire as it burn for a second night along a stretch of coast 30 miles west of los angeles. the flames inching toward roads, engulfing cars and turning palm trees into tender. >> as of this morning the franklin fire has burned approximately 3983 acres and is 7% contained. this is a 39% increase in acreage overnight. stephanie: today, officials said weather conditions appear to improve, giving 1500 firefighters a chance to stop the rapid spread. still, the fire scorched a handful of structures and remains a threat to thousands more. celebrities like cher and dick van dyke evacuated their seaside homes as well as residents who described the blaze as something out of hollywood come to life. >> last night felt like a movie because of the images i was seeing. the craziest looking fire i saw in my life. the smell, the smoke, palm trees i have seen for 10 years that were just lit like a candle. stephanie: nestled in the hills along the fire's path, pepperdine university,

here's stephanie sy. stephanie: an anguished man cries out among a sea of forlorn faces.ies of the victims of one of the deadliest air disasters in south korean history want answers. >> what we have to demand from the government is to bring in more experts. we have wanted the government to recover our families 100 percent or at least 80% as soon as possible. stephanie: his brother was one of the people on board jeju airflight. it was flying from bangkok and billy landed. without its landing gear deployed, the plane overshot the runway, barreling at high speed, straight into a concrete wall. nearly everyone on board died as the plane burst into flames. only two crewmembers survived. they were pulled out from the tail of the aircraft. >> the parties are so severely damaged that we are in a situation where we need to recover and piece them together one by one. that is the current reality. stephanie: in the packed airport, jeju air executive about in remorse. >> we will take full responsibility and except any necessary measures. once again, i offer my deepest apologies. steph

as stephanie sy reports, the futures of hundreds of chinese children now hang in the balance. h's live in : louisville, kentucky and are raising four biological sons, as well as a daughter, gracie, whom they adopted from china in 2017. but they consider themselves a family of eight. penelope, who lives in an orphanage in china, is the missing piece. using an international adoption agency, the welchs were matched with penelope in 2019, when she was five years old. for her privacy they asked we not show her face. >> caregivers wanted to prepare her for the transition that was coming, and they told her that she had parents and four big brothers and a little sister. she received photos of us. she began to refer to us then as mommy and daddy, mama and papa. stephanie: covid struck weeks before they were due to go to china to meet penelope in person, finalize her adoption, and bring her back to the u.s., with china implementing one of the strictest lockdowns in the world, the trip was cancelled. >> penelope's soft pink bed has been set up since chinese new year in january 2020. steph

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

stephanie sy takes a look at the music that had us hitting repeat this year. 4 saw people flock to music festivals in growing numbers across the country to see their favorite performers. and female artists took over the airwaves, as well as our playlists, boosted by chart topping hits from the likes of beyonce, sabrina carpenter, billie eilish, chappell roan, and taylor swift. while british pop artist charli xcx had a breakout year thanks to her massive album, brat, that took social media by storm. at the same time, the impact of ai tech this year took some by surprise, presenting a new threat to the income and livelihood of music creators. to unpack the year in music, we have a freelance music writer and critic, and candace mcduffie, a senior writer at the root. maura and candice, it's great to see you. i hope you've had a good year. before we drill down into the big music news this year, i want to get both of you to give your quick takes on the best music we saw in 2024. candice: i think in 2024, two albums really stood out to me. one of them was beyonce's co

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy with "newshour" west.germany, a car drove at high speed through a crowd of people at a christmas market in the north eastern city of magdebrg. at least two are debt include ago toddler. and at least 15 people were seriously injured. officials believe this was a deliberate attack and the suspect a 15 year-old -- 50 year-old saudi doctor was the suspect. they called it a dark day for the city. >> we are shake. we are full of sympathy for the relatives. also, we hope that nothing has happened to our relatives, friends and acquaintances. >> this weeks marks the anniversary of a berlin christmas market eight years ago where an extremist drove a truck through the crowd and killed 15 people. ukraine and russia traded deadly strikes today. ukraine struck inside the kurk border region killing at least six people including a championship eyewitness video caught scenes of destruction and panic. ukrainian soldiers have held part of the area. officials say one person was killed in a russian missile attack during mornin

stephanie sy has the details on the verdict and the case. nie: jordan neely was a homeless man who struggled with mental illness. on the day he died, he entered a crowded subway car, yelling that he was hungry, thirsty, and ready to die or go to jail. that is when another passenger, daniel penny, took him to the ground in a choke that lasted for almost six minutes. when penny let go, neely was unresponsive. he was later pronounced dead at a hospital. the verdict brings an end to a closely watched a trial that touched on questions around public safety, mental health, race, and homelessness. his father spoke moments after the decision. >> i just want to say i miss my son. my son did not have to go through this. i did not have to go through this either. it hurts. it really hurts. what are we going to do, people? what is going to happen to us now? i had enough of this. the system is rigged. >> penny did not speak afterward but his lawyer later said that he finally got the justice he deserved. joining me to discuss the case is samantha max, public

. ♪ >> i'm stephanie sy with newshour west. here are the latest headlines.k city police are investigating the brazen targeted killing of a major health insurance ceo in the heart of midtown manhattan. 50-year-old brian thompson chief executive of united health care, one of the largest health insurers in the nation was shot and killed just before dawn outside of a hotel. investors had gathered for a conference there. investigators said the master suspect waited several minutes for thompson's arrival before shooting him and fleeing on a bike. there is no known motive yet and no arrests have been made. in south korea, opposition parties moved to impeach president yoon suk yeol one day after he ordered a brief but chaotic period of martial law. the declaration came without warning late tuesday. yoon said it was needed to quash anti-state forces. lawmakers climb walls and scuffled with soldiers to get back into the building where they voted unanimously to lift the order. today members of opposition parties and their supporters gathered across the capital seoul to

he'd won some admiration for stephanie sy for kamala harris, even though some people said it was tooe. i wonder if history will look at this differently? they look at the broader picture than what we are looking at now work >> i don't think so, chris. it's pretty clear and turberville who said it clearly, he said i may pardon my own son, what i wouldn't have made a promise. is tough when it pulls at the heartstrings. i had to figure out whether there were not so much pardons, but whether we were there wiping the slate clean. trying to look at the extenuating circumstances but these are hard decisions. don't say you're never going to do it and then do it. i'm seeing -- of being repetitive but i'm concerned about the fact that there are so many people who say the system is just terrible and i don't trust it anymore. we need leaders to restore trust and let's hope that trump can start that process. we need better leaders are going to play by the rules, who are going to be square with people and not deceive them. or maybe he should've said i shouldn't have said it, but i can tell you, it

geoff: the day's other headlines -- vanessa: i'm in for stephanie sy with news hour west.headlines. the winter storm that blasted northern states all weekend still won't let up. nearly seven million people are under winter weather alerts today, as lake-effect snow coming off of the great lakes continues to pound parts of the upper midwest and northeast. western michigan could see another foot of snow today, while other parts of the state, as well as new york and pennsylvania, are digging out from close to four feet of snow from this weekend. man: this weather is buffalo weather. it's amazing weather. it's great weather. geoff: that didn't stop tailgaters ahead of the buffalo bills' sunday night game. the team paid fans $20 an hour to help dig out the stadium before kickoff. the snow wasn't enough to deter most air travelers either. the tsa says more than three million people took post-thanksgiving flights yesterday, and that set a new record. turning now to the middle east, where for the first time since the cease-fire took effect last week, hezbollah has fired projectiles

. >> i'm stephanie sy with news hour west.crews in malibu, california, are working to contain a wind driven wildfire that exploded in size overnight. in malibu, the night sky was bright orange. strong winds fanned the franklin fire is a burn for a second night along a stretch of coast 30 miles west of los angeles. the flames inching towards roads, engulfing cars and turning palm trees into tender. >> the franklin fire has burned approximately 3900 acres and is .7% contained this is a 39% increase in acreage overnight. >> today, officials said weather conditions appears to improve, giving 1500 firefighters a chance to stop the rapid spread. still, the fire escorts a handful of structures, and remains a threat to thousands more. celebrities like cher and dick van dyck evacuated their homes, as well as residents who describe the blaze something out of hollywood, come to life. >> last night it felt like a movie because the images i was seeing was like the craziest looking fire, i ever saw in my life and the smell of the smoke, see

stephanie: i'm stephanie sy would news hour west. here are the latest headlines.cutors 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 a civilian population, among other factors. manhattan's district attorney, alvin bragg, said the brazen attack was meant to have a broader impact. alvin bragg, manhattan district attorney: this was a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation. it incurred in one of the most bustling parts of our city, threatening the safety of local residents and tourists alike, commuters and businesspeople just starting out on their day. stephanie: the killing has sparked a wave of outrage against the health care industry at large, with police warning that there could be an elevated threat against executives, and it's led to

. ♪ correspondent: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with news hour west. announced tonight he is appointing venture capitalist david sacks to be the white house crypto and artificial intelligence czar. trump said sacks will be tasked with creating a legal framework for the crypto industry to thrive. rebels dealt another serious blow to the syrian government today by capturing a key city in the center of the country. opposition forces took control of hama, north of damascus and one of the few cities that's remained largely under government control since the civil war started in 2011. the northern city of aleppo fell earlier this week as the opposition launched a major operation against the regime of bashar al-assad. john yang has our report. correspondent: after two days of fierce fighting as the opposition dealt with both the regime -- and russian airstrikes today, the city of hama in central syria fell to opposition forces. locals -- and others across the nation, rejoiced. in hama, a key strategic hub in the fight for syria -- lies at the crossroads of al

. ♪ vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz in for stephanie sy with news hour west.are the latest headlines. officials are offering more details on the chinese hack of american telecommunications firms earlier this year. the nation's cyber defense agency and the fbi tell the news hour that after 7 months of investigating they still don't know the true scope of china's cyberattack. the officials also said the hack is ongoing, and that there's no evidence the chinese actors have been kicked out yet. they found that the hackers mostly stole phone metadata from a large but unspecified group of americans. senate intelligence chairman mark warner recently called this the worst telecommunication hack in u.s. history. in the middle east, limits of a shaky cease-fire deal between israel and hezbollah are being tested with new violence and new threats. since last week's truce went into place, each side has claimed violations by the other. hezbollah's monday attacks into an israeli border area were met by an israeli response -- airstrikes that killed at least 11 people in leban

vanessa: i'm vanessa ruiz, in for stephanie sy. here are the latest headlines.ork police and federal agents say they are gathering more clues on the gunman who fatally shot a healthcare ceo in manhattan this week. the search has now become a nationwide manhunt. new york city's police commissioner said today investigators have "reason to believe" the suspect left the city. they are attempting to track the gunman using a trail of surveillance videos, a burner phone, and a water bottle believed to have been dropped when he fled the scene. also tonight, police recovered a backpack in central park they believe the suspect left behind. no arrests have been made in the killing. also in new york, the most serious charge of manslaughter has been dismissed against daniel penny, a man accused of using a fatal chokehold on a mentally ill and unruly subway passenger last year. the jury today became deadlocked on the charge, which could have sent penny, a marine veteran, to prison for as many as 15 years. jurors have been deliberating since tuesday, and were told by the judge