PBS NewsHour - Segments

Two oil tankers near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz were damaged Thursday. After the U.S. Navy rushed to assist evacuating sailors, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran, calling the suspected attacks a "clear threat to international peace and security." They come amid heightened tensions with Iran and an increased U.S. military presence in the Mideast. Nick Schifrin reports.

Former Texas Rep. Beto O’ Rourke burst onto the national stage when he came close to defeating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterms. Now running for the Democratic presidential nomination, O’Rourke is emphasizing his ability to bring together diverse groups over a progressive agenda and his focus on the future. He talks to Judy Woodruff about climate change, health care and Iran.

Whites in the U.S. have much greater household and individual wealth than blacks and other minorities. In fact, the typical black household has about 10 cents for every dollar of wealth in a typical white household. Some economists and politicians believe this racial wealth disparity will continue to widen unless it's addressed. As Paul Solman reports, one idea for closing it begins at birth.

Typically, the Palestinian West Bank is referenced in the context of Middle East peace talks. But for the past three years, the organizers of the three-day Palestine Music Expo, or PMX, have sought to encourage people to open their minds, and their ears, to what Palestinian artists have to offer. John Yang reports from the Palestine West Bank on an effort to exchange culture and create connection.

New York artist Miguel Colon suffered for years before finally receiving a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, during a hospitalization. In the psychiatric ward, he did a lot of drawing, working on a graphic novel and realizing the “life-affirming” nature of creativity and how it brought other people to him. Colon offers his brief but spectacular take on learning to see himself.

Protesters in Hong Kong are promising more mass demonstrations after some erupted into violence. Police battled crowds in a growing crisis over Hong Kong officials’ granting mainland China greater control over the city -- including the power to extradite people from Hong Kong for trial in China. Debi Edward of Independent Television News reports on the “dogged determination” of the law’s critics.

In our news wrap Wednesday, President Trump hosted Polish President Andrzej Duda and announced plans to send 1,000 more U.S. troops to the former Soviet bloc state as part of a growing alliance. That’s on top of 4,500 Americans already stationed there. Also, Congo's Ebola outbreak has now claimed a life in Uganda, in addition to the nearly 1,400 people in Congo who have died since August.

The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for not turning over documents related to the decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. While President Trump defends the question, critics say it's intended to benefit Republicans politically. Judy Woodruff talks to NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang.

May saw the highest number of crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border since 2007. Due to the surge and a new Trump administration policy that keeps asylum seekers in Mexico until their claims are processed, communities on both sides of the divide are struggling to handle the population influx. Many asylum seekers are families fleeing instability and violence in their countries. Amna Nawaz reports.

It’s been nearly two decades since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and many first responders continue to suffer dire health consequences from exposure to hazardous materials at the disaster sites. Meanwhile, Congress still struggles with how to compensate them, as allocated funding runs dry. Lisa Desjardins talks to Michael McAuliff, a journalist who has covered the story for years.

The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S., with nearly 15 million members. Now, it’s facing a reckoning over allegations of sex abuse and concealment revealed by a Houston Chronicle investigation. Judy Woodruff speaks to Rachael Denhollander, a survivor of sexual abuse both by the church and Larry Nassar, about her optimism for the forthcoming reforms.

Sophisticated and inaccurate altered videos known as “deepfakes” are causing alarm in the digital realm. The highly realistic manipulated videos are the subject of a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Thursday. As Miles O’Brien reports, the accelerating speed of computers and advances in machine learning make deepfakes ever more difficult to detect, among growing fears of their weaponization.

Novelist Nathan Englander grew up in a highly observant Jewish family. As such, he was accustomed to discipline and observing ritual. When he left his religious community, Englander landed as far away from Orthodox Judaism as he could -- and then was surprised to find the lessons of his faith coming back to him. Englander shares his humble opinion on the role of ritual in creativity.

In our Tuesday news wrap, the House voted to let committees sue agencies and witnesses who defy subpoenas, such as Attorney General William Barr and former White House counsel Don McGahn. Meanwhile, President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden exchanged insults, with Trump referring to Biden as "weak mentally" and Biden calling the president "a threat to our core values."

Congressional Democrats remain conflicted about whether to pursue impeachment against President Trump. When asked about her plans investigating the president, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi responded that “what we’re doing is winning in court.” Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest from Capitol Hill and why “there is so much pressure” on Democratic lawmakers over this issue.