PBS NewsHour - Segments

In our Thursday news wrap, President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced off over funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump tweeted his frustration toward congressional Democrats, while Pelosi said determining border security policy requires a “cost-benefit analysis.” Also, at least 15 detained migrants are staging hunger strikes, with some being force-fed through nasal tubes.

U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 meant that Iran didn't receive some of the billions of dollars of economic benefits it was promised when it entered the agreement. Now, France, Germany and the U.K. have formed a company intended to direct funds and goods to Iran, bypassing U.S. sanctions. Nick Schifrin talks to David O’Sullivan, EU ambassador to the U.S., about their motivation.

Former Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., was one of many Republican candidates who ran for president in 2016. After pulling out of the race, Christie became a vocal supporter of President Trump, a longtime friend. Christie joins Judy Woodruff to discuss his new book, “Let Me Finish,” which Democratic adversary he thinks Trump should fear in 2020 and why he would have made a better president.

Proposed legislation in Virginia that would loosen restrictions on third trimester abortions has sparked outrage among conservatives. Many pro-choice advocates expect the Supreme Court to scale back abortion rights, and states favorable to abortion are preparing. Lisa Desjardins talks to Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University and author of several books on abortion politics.

Super Bowl LIII is just days away. For some players, it will be the pinnacle of their professional football careers. But after the glory and glamour of the NFL spotlight are past, these former athletes face a major challenge: What to do next? Paul Solman talks to former tight end Martellus Bennett about his entirely different post-NFL pursuit.

Layoffs at established newspaper chains and digital upstarts alike reflect the difficulty of the news business. The closing of local newsrooms can create "news deserts," areas with limited access to news outlets. Judy Woodruff talks to Steve Cavendish, editor of the Nashville Banner, and Penny Abernathy, chair of journalism and digital media economics at the University of North Carolina.

Melissa Malzkuhn was born deaf, and into a deaf family of gifted storytellers. In her brief but spectacular take, Malzkuhn describes how early access to sign language allowed her to connect with humanity. She's now the creative director of the Motion Light Lab at Gallaudet University.

Temperatures in the Midwest plunged below those at the South Pole Wednesday, falling as far as negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit, even before accounting for windchill. As a result of the frigid conditions, hundreds of schools and businesses are closed, and homeless shelters are filled with people seeking refuge. At least eight deaths are blamed on the arctic weather. Judy Woodruff has more.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the Federal Reserve kept a key interest rate unchanged and pledged to be patient about ordering future rate hikes. Chair Jerome Powell insisted the cautious response reflects changing economic conditions, not fear of political criticism. Meanwhile, President Trump fired back at intelligence chiefs who contradicted him before Congress on global security threats Tuesday.

More than a quarter of the U.S. population is expected to deal with sub-zero temperatures this week. The extreme cold has sparked some public skepticism over global warming, but scientists actually believe it is a consequence of climate change. Amna Nawaz talks to Dr. Jennifer Francis of the Woods Hole Research Center for an explanation of this counterintuitive weather relationship.

In Caracas, a revitalized Venezuelan opposition braved physical threats to demand that national assembly head Juan Guaidó replace President Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration is backing Guaidó, but critics question whether U.S. intervention will help the country’s suffering population. Nick Schifrin talks to former Venezuelan diplomat Isaías Medina and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Ben Gedan.

A bipartisan congressional committee tasked with drafting a border security bill for President Trump to sign by February 15 met for the first time Wednesday. Among its members is Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the committee’s “great desire to reach a conclusion,” components of effective border security and why she's optimistic about bipartisan compromise.

An intense debate is underway over the benefits and drawbacks of using microchips, typically relied upon to identify ranch animals and pets, on humans. Advantages include fast communication of critical patient data to medical teams, seamless payment and automatically opened doors. But skeptics warn of dire implications for privacy and ethics. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

A Washington Post investigation found that a golf course owned by the Trump Organization employed about a dozen undocumented immigrants for years, firing them only recently and with no notice. After the news broke, Eric Trump announced the company would begin using E-Verify to confirm employees' legal status. David Fahrenthold, who co-wrote the Washington Post story, joins Yamiche Alcindor.

Sarah Smarsh is an author and a journalist whose environment as an adult diverges greatly from her childhood on a Kansas wheat farm. With exposure to extremely different regions and cultures within the U.S., Smarsh shares her humble opinion on why we should resist the temptation to reduce individuals with oversimplified labels based on where they live or how they vote.