PBS NewsHour

For the first time in nearly eight years, a cabinet member has visited Somalia. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s trip to Mogadishu comes as the region faces one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises, caused primarily by local and international conflict, climate change, and COVID. Nick Schifrin reports on the crisis and speaks with Thomas-Greenfield about her visit.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by just a quarter point and said more hikes are likely, a winter storm disrupted life across the southern U.S. for a third day, the FBI searched President Biden's vacation home in Delaware but found no additional classified documents and a Russian rocket strike smashed into a residential building in eastern Ukraine, killing 2.

The city of Memphis laid Tyre Nichols to rest Wednesday three weeks after he died from a brutal beating by police. Mourners celebrated Nichols' life and issued a call for justice. Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the officers and said it was time for Congress to pass a federal law to reform policing. Amna Nawaz reports.

Wednesday marks 20 years since the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated on its way home. The tragedy not only killed all seven astronauts on board but also was the beginning of the end for the space shuttle program and changed how we explore space now. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien spoke with retired astronaut and Senator Mark Kelly about the Columbia disaster.

There have been well over 3,500 firearm deaths in the U.S. so far in 2023, including the recent mass shootings in California. That's according to a database by the Gun Violence Archive. William Brangham traveled to Oregon earlier this year to explore a voter-approved measure that aims to reduce gun violence. But as he discovered, the new law has sharply divided the state.

The College Board released the official framework of a new Advanced Placement course on African American Studies. It comes after criticism from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who said the initial curriculum violated a state law limiting teachings on race in public schools. David Coleman and Brandi Waters of the College Board joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the course and the controversy.

In its first hearing of the year, the House Judiciary Committee focused on how the Biden administration has handled record-high numbers at the southern border and other immigration issues. Lisa Desjardins has been following it all and reports on how Republicans are making border security a key part of their agenda.

Pope Francis has urged an end to the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo at one of his largest masses ever. The pope is in the Central African nation’s capital, Kinshasa, for a three-day visit to promote peace as he seeks to reshape the Catholic Church’s global image. Special correspondent Chris Ocamringa reports.

When folklorists went to the American South last century to record and preserve traditional string band music, they probably didn’t imagine that someday a 27-year-old like Jake Blount would come along to not only update the tradition but to help ensure its future. Special correspondent Tom Casciato has the story for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Since the Affordable Care Act was implemented more than a decade ago, 39 states have expanded Medicaid, the public insurance program that provides health coverage to low-income Americans. North Carolina is not one. One of the obstacles had been Republican State Senator Phil Berger, but he changed his mind last year and now the expansion is a top priority. Berger joined Geoff Bennett to discuss.

Since the start of the pandemic, both former President Trump and President Biden have repeatedly renewed a special declaration of a national and public health emergency. But the government’s approach toward COVID has dramatically changed and Biden said he would allow that emergency declaration to end in May. William Brangham spoke with Lawrence Gostin about what it will mean.

In September 2016, Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby. Eight months later, Shelby was found not guilty of first-degree manslaughter and the case has been expunged from her record. Tiffany Crutcher created a foundation in her brother's name focused on criminal justice and policing reform. She joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the foundation's efforts.

As part of the new Congress, House Republicans will begin scrutinizing nearly every policy step taken by the Biden White House and Congressional Democrats over the past two years. Lisa Desjardins reports on what to expect.

Five days after former police officers were charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, the circumstances that led to his death renewed conversations about policing, the use of force and related issues. Radley Balko, author of “Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces,” joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the new attention around elite police units.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the death toll reached 100 in Monday's suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan, police are searching for the gunmen who wounded 11 people in Florida, embattled New York Congressman George Santos told fellow Republicans that he's stepping down from his two House committee assignments and another major storm is pounding New Zealand with heavy rain.

We're learning more this week about the strength of the economy and whether high inflation and rising interest rates are pushing it into a recession. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates by another quarter of a point and the next labor report will show whether job growth is still slowing. National Economic Council Director Brian Deese joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest.

Prices at the grocery store have risen for many foods, but the cost of eggs climbed the most in the last year and consumers have scrambled to keep up. What's behind so-called Eggflation? Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes a look.

A sixth police officer has been suspended in the death of Tyre Nichols. Memphis police announced officer Preston Hemphill has been relieved of his duties as part of an internal investigation. The move comes amid calls for further accountability for those who were on scene when Nichols was beaten. Benjamin Crump is representing Nichols’ family and joined Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest.

Rainesford Stauffer is a freelance writer and Kentuckian. She is the author of “An Ordinary Age,” and her upcoming book, “All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive,” looks to examine and dismantle the concepts of ambition and burnout in young adults. Stauffer shares her Brief But Spectacular take on rethinking ambition.

The impact of the baby boom generation is impossible to ignore. The roughly 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964 have reshaped American society at each stage of their lives. Philip Bump of The Washington Post takes a closer look at the generation’s impact in "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America." Bump joined Geoff Bennett to discuss the book.