PBS NewsHour - Segments

Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday, lashing the Gulf Coast with Category 4 winds and dangerous storm surge. The storm is plowing through Georgia, then the Carolinas, which are still recovering from Hurricane Florence. Amna Nawaz discusses the impacts of the storm with Mayor Mike Thomas of Panama City Beach in Florida and Ken Graham, director of the NOAA National Hurricane Center.

A financial storm sent stocks plunging to their biggest losses in eight months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 831 points. The Nasdaq fell 316 percent. Amna Nawaz talks about what may have prompted the selloff with Hugh Johnson, Chief Investment Officer at Hugh Johnson Advisors. Johnson says it’s a “severe correction.”

In our news wrap Wednesday, rescue workers in Indonesia spent a final day looking for tsunami victims. The death toll has topped more than 2,000, but authorities say thousands of bodies could be buried under the mud. Also, 55 people were killed in Kenya when a bus plummeted off a road.

President Trump says he’ll meet with the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who has been missing for more than a week. Turkish officials say Khashoggi was likely murdered by a group of Saudis in Istanbul. It’s spawned calls for sanctions on Saudi Arabia from Capitol Hill. Nick Schifrin discusses the politics behind the mystery with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

At a Tuesday campaign rally in Iowa, President Trump announced plans to lift the ban on summer sales of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol, known as E15. This move is opposed by oil companies and environmental groups but supported by the agricultural sector. John Yang speaks to Grant Gerlock from Harvest Public Media, who explains the changes and how they could impact the midterm elections.

It’s a horrific byproduct of the Rohingya flight to Bangladesh: babies who are the product of rape, born to refugees who were assaulted by the Myanmar military. Compounding the trauma, their community views the women as dishonored. Special correspondent Tania Rashid reports on mothers living in hiding. Judy Woodruff talks about the crisis with David Ignatius from the Washington Post.

Citrus growers hope to fend off fruit-munching katydids, but one weapon is under scrutiny. Researchers found that children growing up near fields where the insecticide chlorpyrifos was deployed exhibited autism-like symptoms. A court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the insecticide’s use, but Trump’s EPA is fighting back. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

Nikki Haley earned the admiration of President Trump as ambassador to the U.N., despite a public dust-up with the administration over sanctions against Russia. As Nick Schifrin reports, on Tuesday, she announced her upcoming resignation. Yamiche Alcindor and Judy Woodruff discuss the motivation behind Haley’s decision, what she might do next and whom the president is considering to replace her.

Hurricane Michael strengthened to a Category 3 as it approaches Florida’s Panhandle. In anticipation of landfall Wednesday, the president has already approved emergency federal funding. William Brangham speaks with Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, for the latest forecast, including the potential for a “life-threatening” storm surge and extended power outages.

In our news wrap Tuesday, Turkish authorities announced plans to search Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, where Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen. Turkish officials believe Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, but the Saudi government denies it. Also, China declared that it has no plans to weaken its currency to counter U.S. tariffs, a day after the yuan sank to a 22-month low.

As Justice Kavanaugh’s tenure on the Supreme Court begins, echoes from his contentious confirmation hearings remain. Will the anger and partisanship surrounding this appointment damage public perception of the Supreme Court? Marcia Coyle from the National Law Journal joins Judy Woodruff to report on Kavanaugh's first day on the bench and how the court’s new makeup might affect upcoming cases.

North Dakota is small in terms of population, but its Senate race this fall is attracting major attention. Incumbent Heidi Heitkamp, the only high-level Democratic official left in the state, faces a close contest with Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer, an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump. For the state's farmers, the choice may amount to a referendum on the president's trade war with China.

Maine, land of lobsters and lighthouses, is also the nation’s oldest state. With a median age of 43, roughly a third of its population is in or approaching retirement. To counter its aging workforce, the state is attempting to attract more recent college graduates by helping to repay their student loans. Hari Sreenivasan reports as part of our weekly education series, Rethinking College.

In Afghanistan, 26 districts are now under Taliban control, and the country continues to suffer thousands of civilian casualties. Why has it been so difficult for Afghanistan to make progress in the fight for security and reconstruction? Nick Schifrin sits down with Abdullah Abdullah, the country’s chief executive, to discuss funding challenges, external “distractions” and the upcoming elections.

In her new book, “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explores the trajectories of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson, arguing that for all four of them, “at some point, ambition for the self became ambition for something larger.” Judy Woodruff interviews the author about her inspiration and hope for her work.