PBS News Hour - Full Show - December 28, 2025 - PBS News Weekend full episode

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

Sunday on PBS News Weekend, Trump and Zelenskyy meet in Florida to try to find an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. As Zohran Mamdani prepares to become mayor of New York this week, we meet the photographer who documented his improbable rise to national prominence. Plus, a look back at some of the best songs and albums of 2025 and the controversial rise of AI-generated music. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Tonight on PBS News Weekend, President Trump and Volodemir Zelensky meet in Florida to try to find an end to the Ukraine-Russian war. Then as Zoran Mamdani prepares to become mayor of New York this week, meet the photographer who documented his improbable rise to national prominence. And looking back at some of the best songs and albums of 2025 and the controversial rise of AI. generated music. Music is so personal and to take out the humanity from one side of it really kind of, you know, upends the whole structure. Authenticity is super important. Good evening. I'm John Yang. President Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodemar Zelensky said today that They are closing in on a peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia. The two leaders met today at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

They have two willing parties. We have two willing countries. They want to see it at it. The people of Ukraine wanted to end, and the people of Russia wanted to end. The two leaders wanted to end. Today's talks involved just the United States and Ukraine. While there's been no official response from Moscow, in the days leading up to the meeting, Russia intensified attacks on Kibb.

Zelenskyy says that's evidence that President. President Vladimir Putin isn't interested in ending the war. Michael McFall teaches at Stanford University, and he was U.S. ambassador to Russia in the Obama administration. Mr. Ambassador, the President Trump talked to Putin for about an hour beforehand. He said he's going to call him soon after this meeting with Zelensky. What do you think his reaction is or is going to be to what is in this proposal? Well, he's already stated it.

He's already been on TV earlier today, yesterday, and then his foreign policy advisor, Mr. Ushikoff, who I used to negotiate with. When I was the ambassador, he's already said so. They don't want to ceasefire. They've said that very clearly. And they want all of Donbos, that's the eastern part of Ukraine. And he said either we'll get it peacefully or we'll get it militarily. And in the proposal, at least the one that President Zelensky publicized a few days ago, the 20-point plan, it does not give.

Russia, all of Donbos, by retreating Ukrainian forces out of that part of Donbos that they control. So my guess is, I hope that Putin will take this seriously and negotiate towards the end of this horrific barbaric war. My fear is that he's going to reject it. You talked about Yushikov's, you were Yushikov in Russia. He had a briefing for reporters after the telephone call earlier, and he said that President Trump and President Putin agreed that Keev must make a courageous, responsible, political decision regarding the Donbass, and that given the situation on the front lines, Kiv must not delay making that decision. It sounds like that the president is going to pressure Ukraine on this point.

Is there anything? Is there any leverage that he's exerted on Russia? No, and that's exactly the most important point. I applaud President Trump for trying to end this war. I think he had to talk to Putin to try to do that and talk to President Zelensky as he's doing today. That's part of negotiations. But what he is strategically miscalculated is that his strategy has always been to put pressure on Zelensky and never pressure on Vladimir Putin or the Russian armed forces or the Russian people supporting the war. And so time and time again, he keeps asking Zelensky for more concessions. And there are more concessions, by the way, in this new proposal than there were six months ago, extraordinary concessions from my point of view that the Ukrainians

and President Zelensky is proposing. But Putin just keeps pocketing those concessions and asking for more. And I predict he'll continue to do so unless President Trump changes course in 2006 and puts pressure on Russia. And to do that, that is more weapons for Ukraine and more sanctions for Russia. What are some of the concessions in this proposal that surprised you on the Ukrainian part? Well, first, we're not even talking about the occupied territories anymore. If you look at at least what was put in the public domain, and I want to be clear, I haven't seen any secret documents, but what is in the public domain, the Ukrainians are not even disputing those territories that are currently occupied by Russia. That's a huge concession.

Second, they have now put on the table a proposal for how to govern Donbos, which would include if Russia agrees to do the same, a retreat from the contact line right now in Donbos. That's another extraordinary concession. The twist to it all, importantly, is that Zelensky said he could only agree to do that if there would be a referendum of the Ukrainian people to endorse it. But it is a major concession that was not part of the talks six months ago, let alone a year ago. He's proposing that that area, as I understand, it become either a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone. How would that work? Is that something that Russia would support, would buy? I don't think so. I don't think so far we've seen no evidence that Putin as

willing to do that. He keeps saying, Donbos needs to be ours, either through peaceful or military means. Now, I've negotiated with the Russians in my career, and I know that they always adopt maximalist positions until the endgame of negotiation. So one could hope for that, but publicly so far, he's rejected that idea. He wants to conquer it by military means. And our last 30 seconds or so, where does things go from here? Again, I hope Putin will take seriously this new proposal. I think it's a fair proposal, a lot of concessions from the Ukrainians. I fear that the war will drag on, and this time next year, tragically, I think they'll still be fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Former Ambassador Michael McFaul, thank you very much. Thanks for having me. President Trump will focus on another conflict Monday when he welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Mar-Alago. The meeting comes amid questions about when the second phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will begin. In Gaza, tense housing displaced people have been battered by cold rains and whipping winds that move through the region. Gaza's health ministry says that over the last two weeks, there have been at least 12 weather-related deaths. In Myanmar, the first phase of the country's general election has ended as civil war rages throughout the nation. voters lined up to cast ballots in the first general election since a military coup in 2021,

ousted Nobel Peace Prize winner, Anzang Suu Kyi. The United Nations and human rights groups both questioned the election's legitimacy because major parties have been excluded. Final results will come after two more rounds of voting in January. The National Weather Service, as much of the country, will feel the effects this week of a powerful winter storm driven by an intense Arctic cyclone. What a storm warnings stretch across the northern United States with snow, cold, and hazardous driving conditions expected. Blizzard conditions are possible from the Upper Midwest to the Great Lakes. Freezing rain is forecast across New England and thunderstorms are expected through the east and the south. By Tuesday, some cities will see their temperatures plunge by double digits.

And movie screen sex symbol and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has died. Her status is a pop culture. icon was cemented with her appearance in the 1956 film and God-created woman. She went on to model, sing, and star in 50 more films before she left the world of entertainment to become an animal rights activist. Later in life, Bardo was criticized for her involvement in far-right politics in France. Brigitte Bardo was 91 years old. Still to come on PBS News Weekend, the photographer who captured New York City mayor-elect Zohan Mondami's improbable rise from relative obscurity, and hitting rewind on some of the songs and albums,

topping the charts in 2025. This is PBS News Weekend from the David M. Rubenstein Studio at WETA in Washington, home of the PBS News Hour. Weeknights on PBS. Few American politicians have come as far as fast, as Zoran Mamdani. He began 2025 as a little-known state legislator, and in the first minutes of 2026, he'll be sworn in as the mayor of New York,

often called the second toughest job in America. Photographer Kara McCurdy documented his remarkable rise as Mom Donnie's campaign photographer. She's been capturing images of Mom Dani since before his first race for state assembly in 2020. Ali Rogan spoke with her about her experience watching history unfold through her camera lens.

Kara, thank you so much for being here. You have been photographing the mayor-elect since even before his first campaign for State Assembly. What did you think of him when you first got to know, Zohran Mandani? I thought this guy is so charismatic and we really connected initially on our shared politics. And so I really valued that this was somebody who felt such a deep conviction to to what he believed in, that he was, you know, willing to talk to me, who was a complete stranger at the time when we met about his politics and even bring me into the fold and show me how

we could kind of share this with so many more people all of New York City and now all of the world, really. Knowing now what he's achieved in such a short political lifetime, did you ever think that he could reach these heights of his political career so quickly? So, Iran is somebody who you know that what he's going to go after, he's going to get. He really, if he has a vision, he's going to see it through. I'm not sure that anybody could have predicted even the past 12 months, but I always believe that he was going to be somebody that was going to make a big splash in local politics. Was there a moment where you realized that in his run for mayor that he was really going to transcend this kind of dark horse candidate position in the race?

I think I started to pick up on it in the mayoral campaign early, just seeing the voters and the supporters engagement and enthusiasm, not just about Zaran himself, but about what he was running on. I remember that I was out with him walking around in March and people were stopping us from across the street in the dark yelling his name because they saw him and they weren't just yelling. I'm voting for you. They were yelling, I'm voting for universal childcare. I'm voting for fast and free buses. And I think it was around that time that I really started to realize this thing is much more widespread than I can really even grasp. So this sort of photography is not what you were typically doing. You do a lot of weddings and elopements. But when you started working with Zoran, you talked about creating his visual identity. And so I want to know, how did you approach this assignment? What we were able to derive from those first few photos was this thread of storytelling,

which is something that he and I are both drawn to. Every single photo that we take and every opportunity that we have to start a new shoot is an opportunity to tell a story, whether those are stories of working New Yorkers or the story of somebody running for state assembly. And that's something that translates very easily back to wedding and elopement photography. When I'm shooting a wedding, I'm telling the whole story of an entire day. When I'm photograph things around Mbondani, I'm telling the full story not just of him, but also of his policies and what that means for New Yorkers.

I also have to ask you about these images of Zoran and his wife, Ramaduwaji's wedding at New York City Hall. They went absolutely viral. And I want to know, what does it mean to you to see these pictures get shared so widely? And why do you think that was? it has been absolutely surreal to see just how far these photos have gone. I feel very fortunate for that. And I think that people really cling to them because they're so relatable. They are truly just a couple that wants to go and get married and celebrate the core of their relationship, which is simply two people being in love. It's not a giant production. It costs $25 to get married at City Hall. So it is, quite accessible to many people. And it's something that a lot of people can see themselves in. You know, we took the subway there. We didn't get into a private car. And once we got there, it was raining. And we had to deal with that, just like any other normal person getting married

at City Hall might do. It's the most human photos that you'll see of a wedding day. Kara, I want to, I want you to walk us through some of your favorite images and why they stick out to you. One of my earliest favorites is from 2021 after the hunger strike, and we had won $450 million in debt relief for taxicab medallion owners. And there's a taxi driver whose liftings are on up into the air. And you can feel the relief and the joy. It's very, very happy. And I love that. So some of my favorite, favorite, favorite images come from one of my favorite evenings on the mayor roll campaign.

when we walked the length of Manhattan. And that for me was a really special night because so many New Yorkers got to come out and randomly see Zaraanam Dani in the streets by surprise. But then they just started joining us and walking with us. And I have this gorgeous shot that's in front of a supermarket. And you can see the walkers are taking up the entire block. It was just a beautiful representation of how we're not just bringing us around into City Hall.

We're bringing all New Yorkers in with us. This is a movement for all of us. And then I also have a photo from Primary Election Day before many people knew who he was, although he seemed like a celebrity most of the time to me at that point. And we are on an escalator, and he's trying to hand out literature to anybody who will listen to him. And you can see the face of a man who simply could not care less about Zeranamadani. He doesn't know who he is. He doesn't stop.

He doesn't turn. He doesn't say anything. He just keeps going. And Zeran is opposite. He's full of glee and joy. And that is really such a beautiful dynamic between himself and voters. I think he's willing to talk to anybody. He's willing to share his beliefs with anybody.

And this is a really beautiful moment from before too many people knew who he was. And we don't get those anymore. Kara McCurdy, thank you so much for speaking with us. Thank you for having me. Stephanie Sy, spoke with Mara Johnston, a freelance music writer and critic, and Candice, a freelance music journalist. Maura and Candice, this is the third year running we've gotten together to talk about the biggest music stories of the year. It's so great to have you back. I just want to start

with asking whether there were any breakout artists, moments, or shows for either of you in 2025. And we'll start with you, Candice. I think Tyler the Creator had another really big breakout year. Last year, he had. had massive success with Tromacopoeia. This year he released Don't Tap the Glass. Like sugar on my tongue, tongue, tongue. And it felt really authentic, refreshing, and deeply intriguing. Moira, what about you? Any breakout moments, shows, or albums? I thought that the Irish singer-songwriter C-Matt had a really great year. She put out a new record called Euro Country. She's from Ireland. She has a really sort of astute and sharp way of observing the world.

The times I spent tonight. It's this incredibly honeyed voice that just, you know, makes you want to listen to Oliver complaints all the time. You know, what I love about having you guys on is your picks do not always match the charts. So when you look at the pop charts, you still see familiar names at the top. Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Bad Bunny.

What do you girls think of their continued dominance? I think in the case of Bad Bunny, him just honoring his heritage, speaking and singing and rapping in his native language, continuing to push the boundary sonically for what it means to be a Latin artist has been really important. It's really speaking to the cultural and political moments of this country as well. Maura, let's pick up on that. Bad Bunny was one of the biggest music stories of the year as well because of his selection to perform at the Super Bowl. Remind us why that was so controversial and what you think it says about But musicians influence in the current political landscape?

Well, it was, it was, you know, political because a lot of, like, certain strains of people objected to somebody who does not primarily sing in English as being the Super Bowl Highliner, since the Super Bowl is all about, you know, America, even though Puerto Rico is part of America. But, you know, I think that it speaks, it speaks to, on some level, the, ignorance of a lot of the populace about pop music, but I also think it speaks to the splintering of pop music in a way. The atomization of listening that's been kind of accelerated by streaming technology. Now it's like people make, you know, one playlist a month that has all the songs that they wanted to hear that month on it. It's a totally different game. You know, but undoubtedly, there were, they're just some popular pop star still. And Sabrina Carpenter is one of them. I want to continue on this political question for a second because she also got into the political fray

when she condemned the Trump administration for using one of her songs in a montage of ice rates. Candice, I want to ask you this. Did you see a lot of overtly, politically influenced music this year? I feel like when you're an artist of color, your music is automatically, um, politically inherent. We saw other artists to condemn administration with their use of their music. Siza just came out when they used her song, Big Boys, in an ICE video saying, hey, like, this is rage, waiting for artists, it's free promo, it's evil, and it's peak dark. We also saw Neil Young confront Donald Trump and his song, Big Crime, and he held nothing back. I was shocked when I heard it, you know, talking about not needing fascist rules,

and we don't want fascist schools and we don't want soldiers walking on the streets. I'm glad these artists are taking a stand. What has truly been groundbreaking to me this year in music is the impact of AI on music. And AI generated artists, some of which are now topping charts. Candice, I wonder if you'll comment on this.

What is an AI generated artist? And what should we expect more of and in the future from this technology? There were two AI-generated. artist that stood out to me this year. The first one is probably on Timberlens' artist, his first act, AI pop star Tata, on his record label, Stage Zero. There's also Zanaya Monet.

She is an AI-generated artist as well, and the first known AI artist to debut on a Billboard Radio Airplay chart. There's a lot of controversy behind it because it's about, you know, authenticity. It's about not being able, you know, for sometimes listeners to tell real from fake and kind of devaluing music and musicians overall. Like what Candice was saying, authenticity is super important.

You know, music is so personal and to take out the humanity from one side of it really kind of, you know, upends the whole structure in ways that I don't think we understand will affect the wider listening base yet. Finally, to the fun question, did either of you have a favorite song or album of the year. Candice? I have two songs that have been our repeat for me, all of 2025.

The first one is the clips. They released their first album in 16 years, like God's Lord him out. And one of the songs that stood out to me in that project was The Birds Don't Sing featuring John Legend and Voices of Fire, which is a gospel choir group. It's about losing your parents and those important moments and reflecting on your childhood from an adult perspective. I lost my mom earlier this year, and that song was just, it just hit home for me in so many different ways.

It was very powerful and very emotional. On the opposite end of that spectrum was Cardi B's outside. She released her sophomore record earlier this year, and the drama and people. I thought it was just so empowering. And it just kind of told the naysayers to back off. Like, I got this. I am still that girl.

So those are my two favorite songs of 2025. I love it. Mora, what about you? I have one song and one album. For songs, Chaparone, I loved The Subway. Just another girl on the Subway. She's got, she's got a way. I grew up in the 80s and I loved the new, the new, new romantic synth pop music.

It has that kind of just like really kind of shimmery, scinty feel. And her vocal performance on that song is incredible. For albums, I would pick That's Showbiz Baby, which is the debut soul album by Jade Thurwall. She was a member of the X Factor incubated brick girl band Little Mix. And it's just a really like a lot of fun takes on. dance music with great reference points. Let me sing a book, no one will need, let me be a child. But at the same time, she wants to kind of push the boundaries of pop as wide as they can go.

Mora, Johnston, and Candace McDuffie. Thank you so much for sharing your takes on this year's music with us. Thank you. Now on the NewsHour YouTube channel, where did all the affordable new cars go? PBS News's Cecilia Lawman talks with two experts about rising auto prices and whether budget models are becoming extinct. All that and more is on the News Hour YouTube channel. And that is PBS News Weekend for this Sunday.

I'm John Yang for all of my colleagues. Thanks for joining us. Have a good week. Thank you.