PBS NewsHour

The Justice Department announced a record $1.2 billion dollar penalty leveled at automaker Toyota. A four-year criminal investigation determined the car company had concealed unintended acceleration issues, a serious safety concern. That case could serve as a warning to General Motors, now facing its own federal investigation. Gwen Ifill talks to David Shepardson of the Detroit News and Joan Claybrook, president emeritus of Public Citizen.

In our news wrap Wednesday, acting leaders in Kiev announced a plan to evacuate troops from Crimea after Russian forces seized part of the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Sevastopol. Also, Malaysian authorities have turned to the FBI to help analyze electronic files deleted from a flight simulator at the pilot’s home.

In "The Snowden Files," Luke Harding examines what former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed in of one of the biggest security breaches in American history -- and why. The author joins Jeffrey Brown for a conversation about Snowden’s personal journey toward increasing disillusionment with the U.S. government and what the world has learned about American surveillance in his wake.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including the significance of political turmoil in Crimea, allegations from the Senate about misconduct by the CIA, a move by the White House to revisit deportation policies and the midterm election outlook for Democrats.

The future of the Ukrainian region of Crimea hangs in the balance of Sunday’s referendum vote on whether to secede and possibly join Russia. Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner reports from Crimea, where she talks to the pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian citizens. She joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the upcoming vote and and the growing unease.

It's been nearly a week since Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared en route to Beijing. Ships and planes from a growing number of nations have helped expand the hunt. And news sources have quoted unnamed officials who say the jet changed course, possibly in an act of piracy. Hari Sreenivasan interviews Andy Pasztor of The Wall Street Journal and former NTSB chairman Jim Hall.

In our news wrap Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to make headway toward resolving the Ukraine crisis after six hours of talks. Meanwhile, Moscow deployed more troops and arms inside Crimea. Also, the Commerce Department announced that the U.S. government will give up direct control over administration of the Internet.

Recent massive uprisings around the globe have all been at least partially fueled by social media. With increasing surveillance concerns in places like Ukraine, how are protesters using technology to ensure private, secure communication? Hari Sreenivasan discusses with William Dobson of Slate Magazine.

Opponents of U.S. ratification by Congress of a United Nations convention that pushes for equal rights for those with disabilities argue that it would give the U.N. jurisdiction over domestic laws. Judy Woodruff gets two views on the treaty from Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin and Michael Farris of Patrick Henry College.

The spotlight is shining on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the Paralympics taking place in Sochi, Russia. But the U.S. is one of a handful of countries around the world that have not ratified the treaty, despite it being based on the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Judy Woodruff reports.

A disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 11, 2011, has greatly affected how Japanese citizens feel about that energy source. Polls suggest that 80 percent of voters now oppose nuclear power in Japan. But walking away from nuclear power is a tricky proposition for a country that has not invested much in renewable alternatives. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports.

President Obama has directed the Labor Department to update overtime pay rules for an estimated 5 million workers, but some business owners and Republicans are worried about economic effects for employers. Hari Sreenivasan gets debate on the overtime bump from Jared Bernstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Dan Bosch of the National Federation of Independent Business.

In our news wrap Thursday, Russian troops began new military exercises overnight just across the border from Ukraine. Germany’s Angela Merkel and State Secretary John Kerry warned of “damage” if Russia continues on the same path. Also, a bipartisan group of senators reached a compromise to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.

A landmark study funded by the Justice Department estimates that the underground sex industry in each of seven U.S. cities generates between $40 million to nearly $300 million a year. Hari Sreenivasan talks to the lead author of the report, Meredith Dank of the Urban Institute.

Twenty-five years have passed since a paper first introduced the concept of the World Wide Web. How do Americans think about the Internet and its impact on their lives? Jeffrey Brown talks to three people who have observed the growth of online life from different angles: Xeni Jardin of Boing Boing, Catherine Steiner-Adair of the Harvard Medical School and Daniel Weitzner from MIT.