PBS NewsHour

In our news wrap Monday, the Senate approved a bill that revamps the way the military deals with sexual assault. Also, 28 Senate Democrats planned to talk nonstop during an overnight session about the importance of Congressional action on climate change.

The trial for Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, opened on Friday in New York, making him the most senior al-Qaida operative to be tried in federal court. Abu Ghaith is charged with conspiring to kill Americans and providing material support to al-Qaida. How is his case playing out in the courtroom? Hari Sreenivasan speaks with Chris Matthews, who is covering the case for the Wall Street Journal, about the details of the trial.

According to aviation security expert Rafi Ron, although two passengers who successfully boarded Malaysian Air flight 370 were reportedly carrying stolen passports, only time and investigation will determine if the apparent security breach is related to the jet’s disappearance. Rafi joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the state of international airport security.

In an unlikely alliance, natural gas companies and environmentalists have decided to work together to make fracking safer. Rick Karr travels to Pennsylvania to explore the tensions this has created among environmental groups.

After a week of occupation, Russia appears to be on the verge of annexing Crimea. While the West proposes sanctions on Russia, it seems Germany could be in a unique position to help resolve the dispute. Hari Sreenivasan speaks with the Executive Director at the Transatlantic Academy, Steve Szabo, about the strong relationship and close economic ties between Germany and Russia.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson join Jeffrey Brown to discuss the week’s news, including the crisis over the fate of Crimea in Ukraine and criticism of the Obama administration’s foreign policy, as well as the evolution of political campaign financing.

Judy Woodruff interviews Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey at the Pentagon about the escalating risks of the Ukraine crisis, finding a balance between budget reduction and military readiness, the uncertain future of the United States in Afghanistan and the increase of sexual assaults and misconduct within the armed forces.

In our news wrap Friday, the Labor Department’s February jobs report exceeded economists’ expectations. Judy Woodruff analyzes the numbers with Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial. Also, leaders of both houses of Russia’s Parliament said they would welcome Crimea becoming Russia. The U.S. and the European Union have denounced the vote as illegal.

Miles O'Brien has traveled the world for the NewsHour, often to dangerous places, such as his recent trip to the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Last month, an injury during another reporting trip in the Philippines became life-threatening and resulted in the amputation of his left arm. He joins Judy Woodruff to talk about what happened.

A new study in the journal Neurology finds Alzheimer’s may account for many more deaths than we previously realized. While the CDC ranks the disease as the sixth-leading killer in the U.S., the new study puts the annual death toll at around half-a-million, pushing it up to the third leading cause of death. Hari Sreenivasan learns more from Dr. Bryan James of Rush University Medical Center.

UN ambassador Samantha Power points to the hope of greater economic ties as a critical leverage point for the United States in persuading Russia "pull back from the brink." She joins Gwen fill to discuss the new sanctions announced by President Obama against Russia and how giving that country an "off-ramp" to deescalate the Ukraine conflict could be more appealing than the cost of economic and political isolation.

“B” is for breast. “I” is for indignity. “K” is for kindness. In “A Breast Cancer Alphabet,” NPR’s Madhulika Sikka has written a candid guide for patients, friends and caregivers to prepare and cope with that disease. She joins Judy Woodruff to share lessons from drawn from her own experience.

The monthly jobs report is big news on the first Friday of every month, swaying the financial markets and prompting immediate analysis. But should these numbers matter so much? A new book, “The Leading Indicators,” argues we overvalue data like the GDP and inflation. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to author and analyst Zachary Karabell.

News of three promising approaches raised hope at an AIDS conference this week: the prevention of HIV infections in monkeys through intravenous injections; the second successful treatment of a baby born with HIV; and a study showing the safety of genetically altering cells to prevent infection. Jeffrey Brown turns to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health to walk through the developments.

In our news wrap Thursday, the Senate blocked a bipartisan bill that would have removed commanders from making decisions about prosecuting sexual assault cases. Meanwhile, at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the most senior military member ever to face trial for sexual assault pleaded guilty on three counts. Also, in Afghanistan, a NATO airstrike killed five Afghan soldiers.