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Shadowing practice: PBS News Hour full episode, June 5, 2026

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  1. Good evening.0:03
  2. I'm Amna Nawaz.0:04
  3. And I'm Jeff Bennett on the NewsHour tonight.0:05
  4. The U .S.0:07
  5. economy makes solid job gains despite the strain from the Iran War.0:08
  6. But energy executives warn the longer term outlook is growing dimmer with the Strait of Hormuz still mostly closed and oil supplies dwindling.0:12
  7. And Russia's Vladimir Putin rejects Ukraine's call for face -to -face talks, where that leaves U .S.0:21
  8. efforts to end the four -year -long war.0:27
  9. Friends of the NewsHour, including Jim and Nancy Bildner and the Robert and Virginia Schiller Foundation, the Judy and Peter Bloom Kovler Foundation upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home0:57
  10. and abroad, and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.1:11
  11. And Friends of the NewsHour.1:28
  12. This program was made possible by the contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.1:41
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  1. Thank you.1:47
  2. Welcome to the NewsHour.1:53
  3. There was surprising strength in the latest jobs report.1:54
  4. Employers added 172 ,000 jobs last month, the third straight month of gains.1:57
  5. 93 ,000 more jobs were added in March and April than previously estimated, and the unemployment rate stayed at 4 .3 percent.2:03
  6. Overall, the labor market appears strong despite concerns about the war in Iran, rising prices and artificial intelligence.2:11
  7. Kevin Hassett, the director of the White House National Economic Council, celebrated two straight months of job growth over 170 ,000.2:19
  8. What we're seeing is an enormous amount of positive momentum in hiring, obviously.2:26
  9. You're right that a couple of hundred and seventies in a row, that's a great couple of months, but then having upper divisions of around 100 ,000 means that this2:31
  10. is a job market that's hitting on all cylinders.2:39
  11. For more, we're joined by Diane Swong, chief economist at KPMG.2:42
  12. That's a multinational accounting and advisory firm.2:46
  13. So Diane, this was an unexpectedly positive jobs report.2:48
  14. How big a deal is this?2:52
  15. Well, one of the biggest upside surprises was in local government hiring, which increased over 50 ,000.2:56
  16. So that was where a lot of the upside surprise was.3:03
  17. But of course, we did see those upward revisions as well.3:06
  18. Almost all the job gains that we saw were concentrated in the service sector.3:09
  19. And I think it's important to look at what's under the hood is even as good as those numbers looked.3:13
  20. We still saw very elevated numbers of what we call the underemployed.3:18
  21. Those having to take part time instead of full -time work or discouraged workers and the duration of unemployment continued to rise.3:23
  22. And those largest gains, as you mentioned, in leisure and hospitality, help us understand what's fueling that.3:30
  23. Well, what we're seeing is the top third of wage earners are seeing their wages pick up much more than inflation.3:37
  24. And they're spending it along with the upcoming World Cup and preparations for that in host cities.3:45
  25. That has caused the biggest hiring in that sector since January of 2023 in the month of May.3:51
  26. The problem is that's adding heat to already sticky service sector inflation.3:58
  27. And the problem is that most Americans, the bottom two -thirds of the income strata, they're seeing their wages erode and fall below the level of inflation.4:03
  28. We're expecting to see inflation above 4 .2 percent next week when the CPI for May comes out.4:14
  29. And that erosion in purchasing power is sort of where you see the disconnect between how consumers feel about the economy because they feel as though they're losing ground, even4:20
  30. though a minority of consumers are carrying spending gains and actually contributing to that service sector inflation.4:30
  31. I want to ask you more about that wage growth in just a moment, too.4:38
  32. But again, big picture here, those 172 ,000 jobs, that beat the prediction of most economists, including yourself.4:42
  33. You predicted about 110 ,000.4:48
  34. You described the labor market as frozen or in purgatory.4:50
  35. You weren't alone in that assessment.4:54
  36. So does all of this say to you there's been an unfreezing here?4:56
  37. There is some thought, but there still is that undercurrent that I mentioned.5:01
  38. And that is something that I worry about.5:06
  39. The quit rate at the end of April from the job opening and labor turnover survey, which we watch very carefully, that actually fell to its lowest level since August5:08
  40. of 2020 in late April.5:18
  41. We just got that data out this week as well.5:20
  42. And that tells us that basically workers are worried about quitting their job.5:23
  43. And we know that the premium to hop jobs also narrowed in the month of May.5:28
  44. So that means their opportunities to leave the job they have are less than they once were and at a very low rate.5:34
  45. So we're still in this, we're seeing a higher, higher rate than we have.5:41
  46. And that's great.5:45
  47. And we're not seeing a big fire rate.5:46
  48. That's also important.5:48
  49. But there is this sense where those who have a job are clinging on and those who want a job are still trying to get their foot in the door.5:50
  50. The kinds of jobs we're generating are not lowering the unemployment rate for new college grads, which is running at levels that are more consistent with the early 2010s than5:57
  51. coming out of the pandemic.6:08
  52. So, Diane, there's a big question here about what all this means for interest rates, right?6:10
  53. We're watching closely as the president's picked to lead the Federal Reserve that's having washes in the early weeks at the helm of the Fed.6:14
  54. They meet again in about two weeks.6:20
  55. And we know that the wash has been under pressure by the president to lower interest rates based on all the data and evidence we see now.6:22
  56. What do you think will happen when it comes to those interest rates?6:28
  57. We've been arguing for some time that the Fed would have to hike not lower rates again.6:33
  58. And that has now become the consensus within the leadership of the Fed before Kevin Warsh joined.6:37
  59. And I think that's very important.6:43
  60. We've heard some presidents even talk about the need for a rate hike soon rather than later.6:45
  61. And I think that's important.6:52
  62. So, what we're coming into is financial markets waking up to the fact that inflation is the most regressive of taxes out there.6:54
  63. It spurs inequality.7:02
  64. And you cannot sustain or attain full employment and have a more healing labor market where all boats rise with the tide unless you derail inflation.7:04
  65. That's why it's so critical that the Federal Reserve derails the inflation that has become entrenched and compounded over the course of five years, making the level of prices too7:14
  66. high for far too many.7:26
  67. And then I have a couple of seconds left.7:28
  68. But I have to ask you, there's a lot of concern after President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics about whether or not numbers could be7:29
  69. trusted moving forward.7:36
  70. Is there any reason to doubt the data that we've seen today?7:37
  71. The data is as good as it can be at this point in time.7:42
  72. And I think that's the important thing.7:45
  73. These are bureaucrats.7:47
  74. They have worked on this data for a long time.7:48
  75. I will note, though, we have the level of employment in the Federal sector is now at its lowest level since 1966.7:50
  76. And due to the firings and retirements and quits that we saw last year, we've lost 350 ,000 workers in the federal agencies since October 2024.7:58
  77. That has left staffing shortages, which makes it harder to do the quality that we want from the statistical agencies.8:09
  78. That is Diane Swank, chief economist at KPMG.8:18
  79. Thank you so much, Diane.8:21
  80. Good to talk to you.8:21
  81. Thank you.8:24
  82. As U .S.-Iran talks show, little sign of progress, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains sharply reduced, raising concerns about global energy markets and supply chains.8:37
  83. For more on what a prolonged disruption might mean, we're joined now by Daniel Jurgen, vice chairman of S &P Global and one of the world's leading energy analysts.8:47
  84. Thanks for being here.8:56
  85. Thank you.8:57
  86. You have said that markets have absorbed this shock better than many expected.8:58
  87. What's the biggest reason why?9:02
  88. Well, basically the biggest reason why is inventories.9:04
  89. Inventories in the United States, remember now the U .S.9:08
  90. is the world's largest oil producer.9:11
  91. And so we have the other surprise has been China, which also has built up huge inventories.9:13
  92. And I think those are the reasons that this shock has not been as extreme for the world as might have been expected on March 4th when Iran shut down9:20
  93. the Strait of Hormuz.9:29
  94. When those inventories deplete, how quickly could we see prices spike even higher?9:30
  95. Well, right now I'd say the view is that as we get into July, if there's not some relief, is when you'll start to see the prices reverse from where9:35
  96. they are.9:41
  97. I should say it's in Asia, it's an energy crisis now.9:42
  98. I mean, they're really feeling it because they were so dependent on the supplies from the Strait of Hormuz.9:46
  99. So they're having rationing shortages, they don't have fertilizer, they don't have diesel for farming.9:52
  100. In the United States, we're seeing the gasoline pump.9:57
  101. And in Europe, it's actually about jet fuel right now.10:00
  102. Well, that's right.10:03
  103. I mean, the consequences extend far beyond oil.10:04
  104. What's the most overlooked impact of this disruption?10:07
  105. What are the other knock -on effects that were not yet fully grasping?10:10
  106. I think the number one is fertilizer because the Gulf was the source of one third of the world's traded fertilizer.10:15
  107. And this is hit during plenty season in many parts of the world.10:21
  108. It's either driven up prices or it simply isn't there.10:24
  109. So I'd put that as number one.10:27
  110. And here in the U .S., how close are we to a 1970s -style energy crisis?10:29
  111. I don't think we're that close to it because we are the world's largest producer and so forth.10:34
  112. And I think lessons have been learned that part of the problems of the energy crisis in the 1970s were self -inflicted by government policies that actually created shortages where10:40
  113. there weren't necessarily shortages.10:49
  114. Lessons learned.10:51
  115. I mean, has the fact that America is now this major energy producer, as you point out, has that fundamentally changed the country's vulnerability to global conflicts?10:52
  116. I think it's not changed it because at the end of the day, it's one global oil market, but it's given us insulation and it's made the United States such11:03
  117. a dominant player that we were not before.11:10
  118. So that's such a dramatic change from previous crises.11:13
  119. As we've covered on this program, a swift reopening of the strait does not necessarily mean a swift return to normal.11:17
  120. At day 100, how much longer do you estimate recovery would take if the strait reopened tomorrow?11:23
  121. Well, I think you use the right word.11:29
  122. It's not going to be a swift recovery.11:31
  123. We estimated SS &P that it would take as much as six months to get back to 80 % of where we were before.11:33
  124. You've got to get tankers out of the gulf.11:40
  125. You've got to get new tankers in.11:43
  126. And there's, we think, a lot of extensive damage and you have to begin production again.11:45
  127. So it isn't like you do a light switch and we're back to normal.11:49
  128. What are you watching for as this progresses?11:53
  129. I'm watching what happens with inventories is, I think, the number one thing.11:55
  130. And obviously, what is the state of the negotiation?11:59
  131. Is there a deal or not a deal?12:02
  132. And it keeps coming into focus and then going out again.12:03
  133. And Iran is really determined, I think, not to give up control of the strait.12:07
  134. They want to turn what was an open free navigation international waterway into an Iranian canal.12:12
  135. And that's not acceptable to the Arab producers.12:20
  136. And it's really not acceptable for the world economy.12:23
  137. You mentioned that the lessons were learned after the 1970s with failed government policy.12:26
  138. When you look at a state like California that has gas prices right now on average of $6 and up, you could argue that California's interventions have put it in12:32
  139. a worse position than other states.12:40
  140. Is that a preview of what heavy handed policy responses could look like globally?12:42
  141. I think you said it very clearly, exactly because they put such pressure on their refining system.12:48
  142. They've forced down production in the state.12:55
  143. And so what are they doing?12:57
  144. They're oil from the Middle East.13:01
  145. And they've created their own form of dependence.13:04
  146. So California, of all the parts of the country, is a part of the country that is actually most integrated into the global oil market.13:07
  147. Daniel Jurgen.13:15
  148. Always learned so much when you're here.13:16
  149. Thanks as always.13:17
  150. Thank you.13:18
  151. We start the day's other headlines on Capitol Hill where Senate Republicans passed a $70 billion bill to fund several immigration enforcement agencies for the rest of President Trump's term.13:32
  152. This bill as amended is passed.13:43
  153. The pre -dawn vote capped a marathon 18 hour session and ended a month's long Democratic blockade of funding for both ICE and customs and border protection.13:47
  154. The measure now heads to the House.13:56
  155. Republicans ultimately passed the bill without adopting a proposal to block the $1 .8 billion settlement fund for Trump allies who say they were politically persecuted.13:58
  156. The final package also omitted $1 billion requested for White House security upgrades and President Trump's proposed White House ballroom.14:09
  157. The Senate also failed to renew a government surveillance authority with just one week until it expires.14:18
  158. The hang up over what's known as the FISA Section 702 is because of senators concerns about Bill Pulte, President Trump's pick to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies.14:24
  159. And on that front, President Trump says he wants Pulte to cut staffing even further within the office of the director of national intelligence.14:34
  160. I wouldn't mind.14:42
  161. I've heard that way too high for way too long.14:43
  162. Yeah, I wouldn't mind.14:46
  163. If he got, I wouldn't mind that.14:47
  164. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Mr.14:49
  165. Trump called Pulte very good and very talented.14:52
  166. The nomination has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers because Pulte, a federal housing finance regulator, lacks a national security background.14:54
  167. A federal judge today struck down the Trump administration's sweeping freeze of immigration processing for people from 39 countries.15:03
  168. That included things like asylum claims, work permits and green cards.15:11
  169. The Trump administration moved to pause such claims last November following the killings of two National Guard members in Washington, D .C.15:14
  170. by an Afghan national.15:22
  171. Today, the court ruled that the administration ignored the law and left immigrants in legal limbo in a manner that was arbitrary and capricious.15:23
  172. Turning now to the Middle East, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah showed little sign of stopping today.15:32
  173. Israel unleashed more airstrikes across southern Lebanon and ordered thousands of residents there to flee.15:38
  174. Rockets streaked across the sky as fighting intensified, Lebanese media reported at least nine people were killed.15:48
  175. Israel issued new evacuation warnings for several villages, including some sheltering hundreds of displaced families.15:55
  176. The escalation comes one day after Hezbollah rejected the latest U .S.16:02
  177. brokered ceasefire proposal.16:06
  178. In northern Israel, where residents have endured months of cross -border attacks, some expressed skepticism that any ceasefire would hold.16:08
  179. 23, about to be 24 years old, about to study here in the area.16:16
  180. And they tell us time and time again that there is a ceasefire, but we keep seeing that it doesn't hold and doesn't exist.16:21
  181. Like a ceasefire here means nothing.16:29
  182. Israeli troops have now seized about a fifth of Lebanon.16:32
  183. It's their foreign minister reiterated today that the U .S.16:39
  184. war with Iran will only end when the war in Lebanon does.16:42
  185. The Lebanese president responded, telling CNN that Tehran was using his country as a bargaining chip.16:46
  186. An air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted five astronauts to take shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for a potential evacuation.16:53
  187. Through Dragon established safe haven and if we need to suit up, we will do that once we're inside the Dragon.17:01
  188. NASA later lifted the shelter order and told the astronauts they could return while Russian crewmates examined and worked to fix the leak on the Russian side of the station.17:09
  189. That part of the ISS has suffered from cracks and leaks over the years.17:18
  190. A NASA spokesperson said today's decision was made out of an abundance of caution.17:22
  191. Three remaining 60 -minutes correspondents told their colleagues today that they will stay with the program.17:28
  192. Leslie Stahl, Bill Whitaker and John Werthime wrote in a memo that they quote, don't want to see 60 minutes die and will remain to try and repair and preserve17:33
  193. the show's reputation.17:42
  194. 60 minutes has been thrown into turmoil with CBS News editor -in -chief Barry Weiss overseeing the recent firings of the show's executive producer as well as correspondents Sharon Alfonso,17:44
  195. Cecilia Vega and Scott Pelle.17:55
  196. And despite today's strong jobs numbers, stocks plummeted and Wall Street suffered its worst day since October.17:57
  197. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped by nearly 700 points, worries of an interest rate hike, rattled tech stocks and sent the NASDAQ into a 4 % freefall and the18:03
  198. S &P 500 finished with its first losing week in the last 10 weeks.18:13
  199. Still to come on the NewsHour, an art exhibit shines a light on the role women have played in shaping technologies that power modern life.18:18
  200. And David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's news.18:26
  201. This is the PBS NewsHour from the David M Rubenstein studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters of PBS News.18:33
  202. Tonight, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky is accusing Russia of choosing war over peace.18:44
  203. After Russian president Vladimir Putin rejected his request for an in -person meeting.18:50
  204. Putin spoke at the annual economic forum in St.18:55
  205. Petersburg, a city on edge after several Ukrainian airstrikes earlier this week.18:57
  206. Nick Schifrin reports.19:03
  207. Today at Russia's premier economic forum, to an audience of Russia's richest businessmen and diplomats from the Global South, President Vladimir Putin said a meeting with Ukraine was off the19:06
  208. table.19:16
  209. I said there is no point in meeting.19:17
  210. The only purpose for the Ukrainian side would be to stop the advance of our armed forces.19:19
  211. That's all.19:23
  212. Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote Putin an open letter.19:24
  213. Quote, we see that the United States is fully focused on the issue of Iran.19:28
  214. Ukraine proposes ending this war through direct engagement between us and you.19:33
  215. But he also taunted Putin, writing, you are fully dependent on China, and you too will have to fight much harder for your own existence, not Russia's, but your own.19:38
  216. Today, Putin called the letter BORISH.19:48
  217. That letter was truly insolent in tone.19:51
  218. What is the point of that?19:53
  219. Is it a way to create the conditions for in -person meetings and negotiations?19:54
  220. Or is it a way to create an atmosphere where holding any such meetings becomes effectively impossible?19:58
  221. I believe it is the latter.20:03
  222. But the atmosphere in St.20:05
  223. Petersburg before the forum was created by Ukrainian drones.20:07
  224. On Wednesday, Ukrainian drones flew more than 600 miles to reach Putin's hometown and target an oil depot.20:11
  225. The blast became the backdrop to some of Russia's most iconic buildings and to the commutes of St.20:19
  226. Petersburg residents.20:25
  227. If it wasn't obvious already, the war in Ukraine has come home to Russia.20:26
  228. Ukrainian drones also targeted a nearby navy base and collapsed part of a warship with guided missiles.20:32
  229. Today, Putin acknowledged Ukraine's attacks, but insisted Russia is still open for business.20:38
  230. When the investors make an investment decision, they evaluate the risks in total.20:44
  231. We must strengthen our security, strengthen anti -missile defense and air defense, and we will do so.20:49
  232. He wants to showcase Russia as a country that you want to invest in.20:54
  233. And yet, if you see all these other things going on, you have to wonder what it means to invest in a country which is being hit by Ukrainian drones.20:58
  234. Angela Stent is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the former National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia.21:06
  235. She calls the Lensky's letter an attempt once again to expose that Putin has no interest in a meeting.21:13
  236. Putin's line on this has always been, I'm not going to meet Zelensky until we've signed all the agreements and the subtext is until Donald Trump has persuaded Zelensky to21:19
  237. give up all this territory.21:29
  238. So we really haven't gotten any further towards a negotiation.21:31
  239. A point reiterated tonight by Zelensky.21:36
  240. Unfortunately, the Russian side has once again chosen war.21:40
  241. He doesn't want to change anything.21:44
  242. He doesn't want to admit that his war pleases only him and only those who profit from it.21:45
  243. Ukraine has seized this war's momentum, with long -range strikes that have interrupted as much as a quarter of Russian oil refining.21:51
  244. And for the first time since 2023, Ukraine is seizing more territory on the front than it's losing.22:00
  245. But Putin today indicated he wanted Russian soldiers in Ukraine to quote work, an indication he will continue to wage war.22:07
  246. This is Putin signaling that he believes that Russia can still prevail.22:15
  247. And the Ukrainians certainly have momentum, both with all the drone strikes and the fact that they've been taking back territory from the Russians.22:19
  248. So they are doing better, but they haven't won yet either.22:27
  249. And this could be still going on for a very long time.22:30
  250. A long war already with no end in sight and no Russian willingness to negotiate.22:33
  251. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.22:39
  252. Now, to discuss Republican defiance of President Trump, fresh scandals in a key Senate race and much more, we turn to Brooks and Capehart.22:52
  253. That's the Atlantic, David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MS Now.23:01
  254. Good to see you both.23:04
  255. We saw something this week from Republicans we haven't really seen much of yet.23:05
  256. It's fair to say.23:09
  257. It's a willingness to break with and defy President Trump.23:10
  258. We saw it with the $1 .8 billion anti -weaponization fund.23:13
  259. Several lawmakers opposed it.23:16
  260. The acting attorney general said it's not moving forward.23:18
  261. We saw it with opposition to the billion dollars for the White House ballroom that was pulled from a spending package.23:21
  262. And we saw it with the War Powers Resolution for Iran.23:25
  263. Four Republicans joined Democrats to pass that in the House.23:28
  264. Jonathan, is this a trend?23:33
  265. Is it a shift?23:35
  266. Is it just a series of events that aren't related at all?23:35
  267. There are a series of events, but what I'm wondering is, will there be more events that allows what's being called the Yolo Caucus to flex its muscles?23:38
  268. I mean, it's amazing what happens to the spine when you lose your primary race because the president of your own party supported someone against you.23:50
  269. And I'm thinking of Senator Cassidy.23:59
  270. I'm thinking of Senator Cornyn, who were both defeated in the primaries.24:03
  271. And you see Republicans, congressional Republicans, finally deciding, you know what?24:07
  272. I've got a pushback simply because what he's doing is wrong, but also I want to get a little bit of revenge.24:14
  273. David, how are you looking at it?24:22
  274. Yeah, I once had a vacation in Belize and there was an earthquake off the coast.24:23
  275. And I'm running around saying, there's going to be a tsunami.24:27
  276. There's going to be a tsunami.24:29
  277. And when the tsunami came, it was two inches.24:30
  278. So that's the kind of tsunami we're seeing.24:33
  279. A two -inch tsunami from Republicans, only four of them.24:35
  280. But it's a good sign.24:39
  281. It's a good sign for a couple of reasons.24:40
  282. One, people who work in the Capitol building should be not wanting to give $1 .8 billion to people who store them in the Capitol.24:41
  283. That seems like basic self -interest, but mostly it's them standing up for their branch of government in each of these cases, the spending of the money, the war powers24:47
  284. resolution, the ballroom.24:56
  285. Congress does stand for something.24:58
  286. And it's been dormant for most of the Trump term.25:00
  287. And so at least there's a sign that we are a co -equal branch and we will stand up for our rights.25:04
  288. And that's got to be, it's not going to be left -right.25:09
  289. It's just like stand up for your form of democracy.25:11
  290. To be fair, they could have done this at any point earlier, right?25:14
  291. So is this now a shift into general election mode or into this next phase of this lame duck session of President Trump's presidency?25:17
  292. The magic number is 37 or whatever Trump's approval is right now.25:25
  293. It gets a lot easier as the numbers go down, then courage and integrity somehow rise.25:28
  294. Well, it also helps that, again, you saw some Republicans lose their primaries to Trump -back candidates.25:32
  295. So that strengthens the resolve.25:38
  296. But then you have the primary calendar.25:40
  297. Pretty soon, folks worrying about what Donald Trump might do to them in their primary races goes away and then self -preservation really kicks in.25:43
  298. So the tsunami that you mentioned could go from two inches to maybe, who knows?25:53
  299. But we will see.26:00
  300. That's what the point I was trying to make.26:02
  301. And that's why you're saying some of that from Republicans in swing districts in particular, right?26:03
  302. Well, you set this up perfectly to move to the next topic when you talk about primaries.26:07
  303. We saw several states hold their primaries this week.26:10
  304. But I want to talk about Maine, which is gearing up for their primary next week.26:13
  305. And there's new allegations now against the Democratic Senate candidate that is Graham Platner.26:17
  306. We saw in New York Times report that sites several women who dated him saying he was demeaning to women, he drank heavily.26:22
  307. In the case of one woman, Lindsay Fifield, I hope I'm saying her name correctly, she claims that he was violent, says he twisted her arm behind her back, shoved26:28
  308. her into her room and held the door to confine her.26:36
  309. Platner denies any violence.26:39
  310. He repeatedly references dark periods that he went through after his military service.26:41
  311. And he mentioned that in an interview on MSNOW last night.26:45
  312. I firmly believe that if you believe in the transformational politics, you got to believe in the ability for people to transform.26:50
  313. And my journey is one of transformation.26:56
  314. These are things that I talk about in my past, things that I'm not proud of, but it is a pass that I had to go through to get where27:00
  315. I am today.27:09
  316. And I'm very proud of who I am today.27:10
  317. And I'm very proud of the movement that we've built up here in Maine.27:12
  318. Jonathan, this is a candidate who has now had to explain away a Nazi tattoo, sexting other women early in his marriage.27:15
  319. And now this, he's not dropping out of the race, should he?27:22
  320. You know, I think there's some Democrats in the Senate in particular who would love for him to step aside.27:27
  321. The story in the Washington Post today about how, you know, he'd been telling folk Democrats, don't worry, when the Nazi tattoo thing came out, don't worry, there's, there are27:33
  322. no other skeletons in the closet.27:45
  323. And yet this past week, we've seen two big skeletons come out.27:47
  324. The fact that Governor Mills only suspended her campaign did not drop out and telling people at least twice now, hey, I'm still on the ballot signaling, maybe, could more27:54
  325. things be coming and also signaling to Democrats, hey, if something does happen with Plattener and he has to get out, I'm still here.28:05
  326. But the issue here is, it's not going to be congressional, it's not going to be congressional Democrats, national Democrats who are going to tell Plattener to get out of28:14
  327. the race.28:22
  328. Folks in Maine are still behind him.28:23
  329. Some of the interviews that we've had on MS now, you've had vote Mainers saying he's not perfect, he's not this, he's not that, but we need a change.28:27
  330. And so that's the one thing he has going for him.28:37
  331. And again, we have to, I look at Plattener through the prism of where we are in terms of the Trump administration and the Trump world, given who Trump is,28:40
  332. given the allegations against the president, given the way that lots and lots of people in the Republican Party just turned a blind eye and decided we still want to28:50
  333. vote for this guy.28:59
  334. And so I think there might be, there are a lot of Mainers who are thinking the same thing, that he is their guy.29:00
  335. But the one last thing that everyone in Maine has to worry about is Senator Susan Collins.29:06
  336. I mean, Democrats really want that seat, but Senator Collins has shown over multiple campaigns that once she runs like she's losing and then on election day, she outperforms, she29:13
  337. outperforms the polls.29:25
  338. David, I should also note here because the woman Lindsey Feifehl, we mentioned, has worked for Republican and conservative campaigns and issues in the past.29:27
  339. Some people are dismissing this as politically motivated.29:34
  340. How are you looking at all of this?29:37
  341. The guys are more of the generate.29:39
  342. You know, the abuse of women, the sexting, the Nazi tattoo, I don't even need to say anything beyond his Reddit posts, which are not in the past, by the29:40
  343. way.29:49
  344. He did that for a long time.29:49
  345. Abusing rape, people who might have been raped, diminishing rape in the military, insulting fellow military officers, calling himself a communist, it's just, it's a pathetic, empty guy who postures29:52
  346. in a way that's kind of repulsive.30:03
  347. There are 330 million Americans and there are 100 senators.30:05
  348. We can't have a decent human being in those 100.30:09
  349. Like, we've got it, we've got to settle for this.30:11
  350. You know, I just think the people, the it's because 20 or 30 or 40 or 50 years ago, we sort of privatized morality.30:14
  351. We told people, we're not going to teach morality in schools.30:24
  352. We're going to, it's up to you to come up with your own values.30:27
  353. And the problem when you do that is that unless your name is Aristotle, you probably can't come up with your own moral philosophy.30:30
  354. And so what happens, you got a lot of people in this country, Republicans and Democrats, who are good people, but they're morally inarticulate, they're morally undeveloped, they haven't developed30:35
  355. the criteria to even think about what is my role here, what is his role, what is excellence defined in this role, what is moral excellence as a journalist, as30:43
  356. a teacher, as a senator.30:51
  357. And we're going to make decisions on a two -stage basis.30:53
  358. First, is the person we're electing to a public office, a person of basic integrity.30:56
  359. And second, do I agree with them?31:02
  360. But if you haven't, if you've gotten rid of the first criteria, then you have weakened your democracy and Republicans clearly did that with Trump.31:04
  361. And now Democrats really, if they side with Plattener, I don't want to hear too much about Trump in the future and his moral degeneracy.31:11
  362. Jonathan, to that point, I guess, it is absolutely, ultimately, up to the people of Maine, right?31:17
  363. They will vote and they will decide and have their voice world enough to remember congressional Democrats pushing Al Franken out of office, right?31:22
  364. So have the standards changed over time, but also based on how close they are to the election process?31:30
  365. Yes, I think standards have changed a little bit.31:36
  366. And, you know, David, David's moral indignation over Plattener is something that I share.31:39
  367. But I'm also looking at the fact that, well, we do have Donald Trump in the White House and that, yeah, moral degeneracy is coming right from the top.31:47
  368. And I'm looking at this again through the prism of Democrats, particularly Mainers.31:58
  369. I don't want to put all Democrats saying that they're supporting Plattener, but the folks in Maine have clearly decided, if you look at the latest polling, that they, right32:06
  370. now, don't care about his past.32:16
  371. They just want to win this seat.32:18
  372. And to David's point, there is a cost to that if he does win.32:20
  373. If he doesn't win, it's going to be very painful for Democrats.32:26
  374. And in the end, painful for the country, from the Democratic perspective, because they're hoping that seat helps to put them in the majority.32:29
  375. As you mentioned, Janet Mills, is still on the ballot, so we'll wait to see how people in Maine look at this.32:38
  376. Before I let you go, I have to ask you about something that's going to allow me to talk about vanilla ice and flow.32:43
  377. I don't always get to do on the news hour, but we're less than a month away from the U .S.32:48
  378. 250th anniversary celebrations.32:54
  379. Last week, you saw most of the artists, including people like Martina McBride, Young MC, the Commodores, and Brett Michaels, dropped out of a related concert series on the National32:56
  380. Mall.33:07
  381. They said they were misled by what the event was supposed to be.33:08
  382. And the president has said they're making it political, right?33:11
  383. Jonathan, we've had this conversation before around inauguration performers and the like.33:15
  384. Can you no longer separate performing for the person or performing for the nation?33:20
  385. I mean, how do you look at all of this?33:24
  386. Well, I look at it like this.33:26
  387. I love the Commodores, right?33:29
  388. If the nation, say if it was America 250, which is the bipartisan outfit, came to me.33:34
  389. I'm a member of the Commodores, comes and says, we want you to perform.33:40
  390. But you know what?33:45
  391. Great.33:45
  392. It's America's 250th birthday.33:46
  393. Let's do it.33:48
  394. It's a nice bipartisan thing.33:49
  395. But instead, it was Freedom 250.33:51
  396. And that is, you know, all about the president.33:54
  397. And so through the confusion, I could see how the Commodores and other folks were like, wait, this is not this is not the same thing.33:58
  398. No, I don't want to be a part of that because even though we're musicians and music is universal, what this person, what his administration is doing is just not34:05
  399. what we are about.34:16
  400. We don't want to be associated with it.34:17
  401. We don't want to be connected to it in any way.34:19
  402. So I don't blame them for dropping out.34:21
  403. What is interesting is the question is, why can't the president find performers who are willing to share the stage with him, who are willing to get, lend their credibility34:24
  404. and their star power to him?34:35
  405. Well, this brings me back.34:39
  406. We still have Florida, vanilla ice, and I believe Lee Greenwood is now on the rise.34:40
  407. I'm here all day for vanilla ice, for ice, ice, baby.34:45
  408. I learned out of this whole week that Morris Day in the Time still is a career going.34:50
  409. People who saw the Purple Rain movie would have saw Morris Day in Time.34:55
  410. He's still going strong.34:58
  411. Morris Day, you know, he was big back in the day, back in the day.34:59
  412. So these are not, it's not like Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber here.35:04
  413. We're getting low level people, but at least grade C.35:08
  414. They're good human beings.35:11
  415. I don't mean to comment on their wonderful people.35:13
  416. I guess I see at this A, the over -politicization of everything.35:16
  417. We can't even do a concert without politics, but being on a slightly deeper level, one of the problems we're facing in America 250 is what's our national narrative?35:20
  418. If we can't agree on that, then that's a sub -political problem.35:28
  419. That's real.35:31
  420. And I think at the heart of all these America 250 fights are this, what is our national narrative?35:32
  421. We used to have a sort of consensus about that.35:36
  422. We were in Exodus story.35:38
  423. Americans left oppression.35:40
  424. They crossed the wilderness and came to the Promised Land.35:41
  425. The founders wanted to put at least some of the Moses on the Great State of the United States.35:43
  426. Every immigrant group said, yes, I'm an Exodus story.35:47
  427. Martin Luther King talked about Exodus more than the New Testament, almost a slight exaggeration.35:49
  428. But it's the idea that we are that country and people no longer believe in that narrative.35:53
  429. A lot of people.35:57
  430. David Brooks, Jonathan Capehart.35:58
  431. We'll pick up again another time soon.36:00
  432. Good to see you both.36:02
  433. Thank you so much.36:03
  434. Women have played a vital role in building the technologies that shape modern life, yet their contributions have at times been overlooked, minimized, or left out of the historical record.36:15
  435. A new exhibition seeks to tell a fuller story.36:25
  436. Featuring artists from California and beyond, it draws connections between the work performed in Silicon Valley's laboratories and the generations of labor women have carried out in factories, offices, and36:28
  437. homes around the world.36:39
  438. Special correspondent Mike Surrey reports from San Jose for our arts and culture series, Canvas.36:40
  439. The old analog clock atop the historic wing of the San Jose Museum of Art is considered to be one of the early examples of high technology here in the36:49
  440. capital of the Silicon Valley.36:59
  441. It's a representation of the importance of the marriage of art and technology in our community.37:01
  442. Jeremiah Wilson Davis, the executive director of the San Jose Museum of Art, is trying to bridge the technology and art gap, real or imagined, with exhibits appealing to both37:06
  443. cultures.37:16
  444. The idea that art and technology are divorced, I think, is a fallacy.37:17
  445. Art and technology have been present since the very beginning.37:20
  446. But the two are not separate.37:23
  447. They're born from the same human impulse, and that's why they share a root in the ancient Greek word, technic.37:24
  448. The museum's current motherboards exhibit, titled after a computer's main circuit board and nervous system, shows how connected women and technology have been since the early days of computing and37:30
  449. the evolution of the Silicon Valley.37:42
  450. Rhonda Holburton was originally a sculptor before adopting some of the digital art tools to advance her craft.37:44
  451. The piece that I made for motherboards is partly inspired by my own familial history.37:51
  452. My great -grandfather was both an engineer.37:56
  453. He also had orchards here in Silicon Valley.38:00
  454. And in fact, before Silicon Valley was Silicon Valley, it was known for its orchards as the Valley of the Hearts Delight.38:04
  455. The sculpture itself is a plum branch, which is a nod to that agricultural history.38:13
  456. So I've translated that plum branch from a 3D scan of an actual tree that are then 3D printed with bioplastics and resins.38:18
  457. Her exhibit, Collateral Influences, includes a digital representation of the plum branch in honor of the early role women played in computer technology.38:29
  458. Ada Lovelace is largely known as the world's first computer programmer, or at least author of the first algorithm.38:39
  459. So on the screen on the face of the sculpture, on top of the 3D model of the plum branch, is a representation of Ada Lovelace's NoteG algorithm, the first38:46
  460. algorithm, turned into binary code, and then turned into black and white pixels.38:57
  461. Silicon Valley AI chip maker, NVIDIA, recently named one of their high -performance chips after this mid -19th century mathematician.39:02
  462. As a child, I loved problem -solving, I loved math, I loved science, I loved making things.39:10
  463. It doesn't look like anything like a computer, looks like an inverted couch or something.39:17
  464. Sarah Bacchias earned degrees in both mechanical engineering and fine arts before becoming a digital artist.39:20
  465. Human computers who were women who did a lot of computational work before the actual physical computer, they were humans who were computers, and so their work is sort of39:28
  466. like the mother of the computer industry.39:38
  467. Her digital audio -visual collages included early technology drawings and patents filed by women.39:43
  468. You can do a lot of things with physical art, but in the digital space, you can work in this texture to the models, and you can move them around39:50
  469. in certain ways, and you can collage them together in a digital space.40:05
  470. This physical representation of her collages with Pinkfur accents is called Kitchen Computer Plushie.40:09
  471. It was inspired by this 1969 Nieman Marcus catalog add for an early Honeywell Kitchen computer, the size of today's kitchen islands, with a tagline, if she can only cook40:16
  472. as well as Honeywell computes.40:29
  473. I love to use humor in my work because it can take really challenging ideas and make them more accessible.40:31
  474. It can also make them amusing, and there's a history in art of using humor for that.40:41
  475. This traditional Navajo weaving of the Pentium Microchip recognizes the contributions of Navajo women's arts and craft skills to computing while they worked at Intel's chip fabrication facilities in Arizona40:47
  476. and New Mexico.41:01
  477. Unlike some art forms that might stay on the computer or stay in a screen, digital weaving comes off the screen and it comes onto the wall and you have41:02
  478. a physical wall.41:12
  479. Sarah Mills curated the companion Woven Pixel exhibition at the nearby San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles.41:14
  480. It represents how full circle a traditional art form like weaving has come because of technology.41:21
  481. The entire process is now computerized as much or as little as the artist wants.41:28
  482. The interesting thing about weaving is that you can go back and forth.41:34
  483. You can go from a computer to a hand loom and so now weavers embrace both because it is easy to work with your hands and a computer.41:37
  484. When not creating digital art, Rhonda Holburden is an assistant professor of digital arts at San Jose State University, one of the first universities to combine fine arts and digital41:48
  485. technology into a degree program.41:58
  486. I think the the genesis of art and technology, the integration started in places where technology is located because artists, universities were able to play around with some of the42:01
  487. first computers.42:14
  488. The growing popularity of the city's first Friday art gallery walks is testimony to how connected the tech and arts communities can be in the Silicon Valley when it comes42:15
  489. to breaking rules and creating things.42:27
  490. For the PBS NewsHour, Mike Surrey in San Jose, California.42:30
  491. And we'll be back shortly to hear from a Brooklyn chef who's making family dinners for $5.42:46
  492. But first, take a moment to hear from your local PBS station.42:51
  493. It's a chance to offer your support, which helps to keep programs like this one on the air.42:55
  494. For those of you staying with us, we take a second look now at a federal provision that's changing the definition of hemp, a small tweak that could have a43:12
  495. huge impact on the booming market.43:20
  496. Jeffrey Brown has our on -core report from Kentucky.43:22
  497. Though popular confusion abounds, they're not made from marijuana, but from another variety of the same plant, hemp, and they're fully legal for now.43:52
  498. This is the first step.44:02
  499. This is a super sack of our hemp produced grown here in Kentucky.44:03
  500. Jim Higden is co -founder of Cornbread Hemp.44:08
  501. Then here's our certificate from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture that certifies that the DHC content is well below that 0 .3 % standard, that we need to make sure44:10
  502. that this remains a federally legal product.44:19
  503. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp after decades of prohibition because of its connection to marijuana.44:22
  504. In fact, the plant has been cultivated in Kentucky since the 18th century.44:29
  505. Hemp grows so luxuriously in Kentucky that harvesting is sometimes difficult.44:34
  506. Including during World War II when the fibers from the plant were crucial to the war effort, turned into rope, textiles, and even parachute webbing.44:38
  507. As for the United States Navy, every battleship requires 34 ,000 feet of rope.44:46
  508. It was these types of industrial uses that advocates like then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cited in supporting hemp legalization seven years ago.44:52
  509. But that also brought unexpected consequences as the popularity of CBD grew and entrepreneurs created products that extract the small amount of THC and hemp, bringing a boom in products45:02
  510. like gummies and beverages that can get you high.45:14
  511. It's a surprising marketplace that people didn't realize existed.45:18
  512. We've recently expanded and built out our gummy production facilities because of the popularity and the projections of continued popularity of these products.45:22
  513. A seven -year -old company employs more than a hundred people and today legally ships its products to almost every state in the country.45:31
  514. But that legal future is now in jeopardy.45:38
  515. Unfortunately, companies have exploited a loophole in the 2018 legislation by taking legal amounts of THC from hemp and turning it into intoxicating substances.45:42
  516. The senator who championed the legalization of hemp led the recent effort to change the definition of it, citing how products like gummies have been too accessible to children.46:00
  517. Starting in November, hemp will no longer be defined by just the amount of THC by weight in the dry hemp plant.46:10
  518. Instead, federal law will limit all synthetic cannabinoids and the amount of THC in the final product being sold.46:17
  519. The goal to get intoxicating hemp products off the shelf.46:24
  520. What will the impact be on your company if this change?46:28
  521. If we can't diversify into products that do not contain any hemp, then it will mean the end of the company.46:30
  522. It will certainly mean the end of every product that we currently make.46:35
  523. The industry does have its supporters in Washington, including Kentucky's other senator.46:39
  524. The numbers put forward in this bill will eliminate 100 % of the hemp products in our country.46:44
  525. But not all parts of the hemp industry are convinced this rule change is a death sentence.46:51
  526. We've been operating in this facility since 2018.46:57
  527. Chad Rosen is founder of Victory Hemp in northern Kentucky, which turns hemp seeds into non -intoxicating protein powder and oil, another of the many uses of hemp.47:01
  528. This is not a ban on the entire hemp industry.47:11
  529. It clearly defines that products from industrial hemp, as defined by those grown for the grain and the fiber, are not getting banned in any fashion.47:15
  530. And we're not celebrating the cannabinoid sector potentially phasing extinction.47:26
  531. But we are happy that industrial hemp has gotten some real regulatory definition.47:32
  532. He sees a huge potential for products like his, as well as other innovative uses of industrial hemp, like using the fiber for building materials and even as a sustainable47:39
  533. lightweight alternative to plastic in auto manufacturing.47:49
  534. There's a lot of assumptions that come along with hemp.47:53
  535. And part of half of what we do is just navigating the true story.47:56
  536. We're constantly trying to impress on people that it's different genetics, different agronomy, different processing, different products, different consumer experience.48:02
  537. And so for that, the regulatory framework needs to be considered very different.48:13
  538. My fear is that it will drive a lot of people to go back underground to get product from their street dealers.48:18
  539. D -Detailer runs a consumer hemp shop in Louisville.48:23
  540. She's also president of the Kentucky Hemp Association.48:26
  541. In 2023, the group worked with state legislators to address concerns about the products, to restrict sales to those under 21 and mandate lab testing.48:30
  542. Rules that will now be superseded by the new federal rule change.48:41
  543. And I don't take any pain medicine.48:45
  544. She worries for customers like Charles Wampie.48:48
  545. When I go home, I'm going to be able to relax.48:51
  546. I'm going to be able to maintain.48:54
  547. I'm going to be able to play with my grandkids all because of this.48:56
  548. Wampie is a Republican who voted for Mitch McConnell, but says he's disappointed in how Congress has changed the rules.49:01
  549. Until they sit in somebody's seat, they'll never realize.49:08
  550. And I'm going to tear up because this helps that people do not realize it.49:13
  551. It's a shame.49:19
  552. Is a compromise possible?49:21
  553. Recently, President Trump asked Congress to reconsider the recent hemp rule change, and legislation has been introduced that would accomplish that, while also adding age restrictions nationwide.49:23
  554. But with the planting season right around the corner, the timeline for farmers here and around the country is very tight.49:35
  555. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Jeffrey Brown in Kentucky.49:42
  556. With rising grocery prices, many Americans are struggling to provide healthy, complete meals for their families.50:03
  557. NewsHour digital anchor Dima Zane has the story of one chef who teaches his TikTok followers how to eat well on a budget, one $5 meal at a time.50:09
  558. You should not feel ashamed because you can't afford to make a meal.50:19
  559. There's no shame in that.50:23
  560. Everybody goes through struggles.50:25
  561. Chef Maurice Levine or Chef Moe, as he's known on TikTok, isn't your typical culinary creator.50:27
  562. High energy and boiling over with positivity, he specializes in creating delicious recipes on a tiny budget.50:32
  563. And no, we aren't talking about a PB &J.50:40
  564. Chef Moe teaches followers how to plan, shop and prepare meals like sausage, biscuits and gravy, veggie alfredo, and even shepherd's pie.50:44
  565. Well, he dubs it chef Moe's pie, but Chef Moe didn't start out as a penny pinching chef.50:52
  566. He launched his account last year to share cooking tips, but he soon learned some of his followers were struggling to afford basic necessities.50:58
  567. There was one message in particular of someone expressing how they thought the dish was amazing.51:06
  568. They couldn't wait to try it, but they had to wait till next month to buy the ingredients to make the dish.51:13
  569. So I had reached back and I asked what exactly do they need or are they missing to make that dish?51:21
  570. Levine learned that the commenters life circumstances had changed in a blink of an eye.51:30
  571. They didn't have certain spices, something that I take for granted, you take for granted, and we wouldn't think how somebody couldn't have salt and pepper or someone couldn't have51:35
  572. paprika.51:45
  573. And that really, that was my eye opening moment that people need help.51:47
  574. And just like that, the Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania based chef launched a new budget conscious series on his channel.51:53
  575. How to feed a family with just five or $10.51:59
  576. And I said, I'm going to make meals for $5.52:02
  577. So I had went out to the store.52:05
  578. I hit record.52:08
  579. I said, let's feed your family for a meal of $5 or less.52:10
  580. Our total is $4 .19.52:13
  581. Holy ****, we even got changed for a drink.52:17
  582. Chef Moe takes his viewers through stores like Dollar General explaining why he's choosing specific items, striving for balanced nutrition and budget.52:19
  583. Let me see, we got garlic and herb, it already has the garlic in it, it has herbs in it, and a sauce.52:28
  584. We're getting an onion, so we're building flavor now.52:33
  585. In the kitchen, he details his every move to viewers, educating them on culinary techniques that add flavor to dishes on the cheap.52:35
  586. Look at how much fat was rendered.52:43
  587. It's all flavor, all that oily looking substance that's fat from these sausages.52:46
  588. I explained how to emulsify sauces, how to bring these flavors together, how to marry them, to where they sit on the palate, and you don't have to feel like52:51
  589. it's a five -dollar meal.53:02
  590. You can actually smile and enjoy it.53:05
  591. After nearly a quarter century in the culinary field, in eight years as a head chef, Levine hopes to pass a dash of his expertise and intrigue about the science53:07
  592. of cooking onto his viewers.53:16
  593. Instead of just showing how to make the dish, why don't we explain why we're doing this and this for the dish so that we'll build a confidence in people53:18
  594. so they could be able to cook.53:28
  595. Now a full -time social media chef, armed with more than 800 ,000 TikTok followers and growing, Chef Mo hopes he can continue to help families struggling with rising food53:30
  596. prices in an unpredictable economy.53:40
  597. What I think the most important thing of what I do is getting food into the bellies of people that need it, is helping the people that need that help53:42
  598. that are too embarrassed or ashamed to ask for it because that's a big problem.53:52
  599. Food insecurity is a real thing.53:59
  600. And his followers appreciate the help.54:01
  601. Comments pour in from people around the nation, thankful for Chef Mo's creative approach to tasty and affordable meals.54:03
  602. That's how you feed a family of four for five dollars.54:10
  603. I'm not going to stop World Hunger, but if I can help a few people, I'd be honored to.54:15
  604. A sentiment that is seasoned to perfection.54:22
  605. For PBS News, I'm Dean Mazane.54:25
  606. As always, there's a lot more online, including a look at the consequences of President Trump's tougher work requirements for Medicaid and Nebraska.54:38
  607. That's at PBS .org slash NewsHour.54:46
  608. And be sure to tune into Washington Week with The Atlantic later tonight right here on PBS.54:48
  609. Jeffrey Goldberg and his panel discussed the so -called YOLO caucus and the political problems it's creating for President Trump.54:53
  610. That's tonight on Washington Week.55:00
  611. And be sure to watch both horizons and compass points this weekend.55:02
  612. You can find those on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts and on your local PBS station.55:05
  613. Check your local listings for more.55:12
  614. And that is the NewsHour for tonight.55:13
  615. I'm Amna Nawaz.55:15
  616. And I'm Jeff Bennett for all of us here at the NewsHour.55:16
  617. Thanks for spending part of your evening with us.55:18
  618. Have a great weekend.55:21
  619. And with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.55:56
  620. And friends of the NewsHour.56:07
  621. This program was made possible by the contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.56:18
  622. Thank you.56:24

English Speaking Practice with a C1 PBS NewsHour Report

This clip opens a PBS NewsHour broadcast from June 5, 2026. Anchors Amna Nawaz and Jeff Bennett trade short headline sentences before Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG, breaks down a surprisingly strong jobs report. It is rated C1, and the narration runs at 185 words per minute, faster than 49 percent of the catalogue, so this is not a clip for a first attempt at english speaking practice.

The accent is American, and the register shifts inside the same segment: clipped anchor lines, then a live economic interview with hedges, numbers and follow up questions. That mix is what makes it useful for american accent training. You get formal broadcast delivery and looser conversational give and take in one recording, closer to real listening than a single reading voice.

The Language of the Jobs Report Interview

Kevin Hassett, the White House economic council director, opens with "What we're seeing is an enormous amount of positive momentum in hiring, obviously." Notice "obviously" tacked on at the end, almost as an afterthought, a natural way a confident speaker softens a strong claim without changing the sentence structure.

  • "Employers added 172 ,000 jobs last month, the third straight month of gains." A long, number heavy sentence. The challenge is keeping pace through the digits without dropping the final clause.
  • "So Diane, this was an unexpectedly positive jobs report." followed by "How big a deal is this?" Two short sentences back to back, the anchor states the topic, then asks a direct question with a rising pitch on "this".
  • Diane Swonk answers with "one of the biggest upside surprises was in local government hiring, which increased over 50 ,000." One long clause, and the number at the end needs clear stress, not a mumble.

How to Shadow This PBS NewsHour Segment Line by Line

Work through this recording in the order the broadcast actually gives it, not at random, so the rhythm between anchor and guest stays intact.

  • Start with "I'm Amna Nawaz." and "And I'm Jeff Bennett on the NewsHour tonight." Short, plain lines, good for locking onto the broadcast rhythm before the pace picks up.
  • Move to "Employers added 172 ,000 jobs last month, the third straight month of gains." Say the numbers exactly as spoken. This is where reading digits aloud helps you speak english fluently under pressure, not just in isolated drills.
  • Take "What we're seeing is an enormous amount of positive momentum in hiring, obviously." and repeat it five times, watching how "obviously" shifts the stress at the end each pass.
  • Finish on the interview exchange, "So Diane, this was an unexpectedly positive jobs report." then "How big a deal is this?" Practising the anchor's question and Diane's answer back to back builds everyday english conversation practice rhythm between two speakers, not just solo narration.
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