PBS NewsHour - Segments

How have Trump’s economic policies fared during the first two years of his term? Paul Solman sits down with the president’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, to discuss recent stock market volatility, the Federal Reserve, tariffs, trade and whether the tax cut has delivered as much as was promised.

Washington state is growing in terms of population and budget, but the number of reporters covering politics in Olympia, its state capital, has declined. And according to Northwest News Network political correspondent Austin Jenkins, “state houses are the incubators” for national public policy. He shares his brief but spectacular take on being "overwhelmed" in order to keep viewers informed.

President Trump called a Wednesday meeting with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer a “total waste of time.” While Democrats and Republicans differ on what took place during the meeting, it's clear that no resolution to the shutdown is imminent. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest dynamics in the ongoing stalemate.

In our Wednesday news wrap, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will reportedly leave the Justice Department once a new attorney general is confirmed. Rosenstein oversees the special counsel’s Russia investigation and has been attacked by President Trump. Also, Israeli security service Shin Bet vowed to block foreign interference in the country’s upcoming elections, after an apparent threat.

The ongoing government shutdown is not the first time a political stalemate has caused federal agencies to close and workers to go without paychecks. Leon Panetta, who was White House chief of staff during a shutdown under President Clinton, tells Judy Woodruff why reopening the government is the top priority and that there's "no excuse" for failing to do so, plus how Democrats can negotiate.

Some House Republicans have voted to separate wall funding from bills that would reopen the government. But Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., tells Judy Woodruff that the “vast majority” of congressional Republicans want to keep the government shutdown tied to funding a border wall, and that he believes Democrats are prioritizing the well-being of people crossing the border illegally over Americans.

The government shutdown over funding a southern border wall has largely disabled the system that processes immigration cases. Most cases in immigration courts, which are already overburdened, have been delayed indefinitely. Judge Dana Leigh Marks, former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, describes to Amna Nawaz the shutdown's “devastating impact.”

In our news wrap Thursday, with no progress in sight on resolving the partial shutdown, the Senate recessed until next Wednesday, the day before the new Congress convenes. Also, Indonesian authorities are sounding new warnings about the volcano that triggered Saturday's deadly tsunami.

On the day after Christmas, at the very bottom of the world, 33-year-old Colin O'Brady became the first person to cross Antarctica alone without any assistance. William Brangham reports.

American service members stationed in Iraq seemed happy to get a surprise visit from the commander in chief on Wednesday. But President Trump's political rhetoric on the trip was unusually partisan, raising some criticism. William Brangham turns to Yamiche Alcindor for more on what was at stake for the president in making this trip.

Leaders in Congress announced that the House won't hold any votes over the weekend and that the Senate won't vote before the last day of the current Congress. President Trump has said he isn't budging on his demands for funds for a border wall. How will lawmakers resolve the shutdown? Lisa Desjardins sits down with William Brangham for an update.

The 3 million people who live in Syria's Idlib province were supposed to be protected under a cease-fire agreement struck this fall by Turkey and Russia. But today many are living without the most basic services and still facing attacks. Nick Schifrin reports on life and the lack of hope in the country’s final rebel stronghold.

Over the last year, so much attention has been captivated by the #MeToo movement and its consequences -- a cultural shift led by survivors telling their stories of sexual harassment and assault. Amna Nawaz sits down with Katherine Kendall, Lili Bernard and Abby Bolt to discuss what the past year has meant for them.

The U.S. ranks near the bottom of the world's wealthiest nations in infant mortality, and the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, has one of the highest rates in the nation. But a program called Cradle Cincinnati is trying to change that by using “health champions” to counsel families and build trust. John Yang reports.

Learning about the horrors endured by Yazidi women at the hands of the Islamic State awakened something personal for Iraqi-American poet and former journalist Dunya Mikhail. In her book "The Beekeeper," she shares first-hand accounts of their pain and heroism. Jeffrey Brown reports.