PBS News Hour - Full Show - February 19, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

Thursday on the News Hour, former Prince Andrew is arrested as part of the widening global fallout related to Jeffrey Epstein. Nations pledge billions of dollars to President Trump's so-called Board of Peace that promises to rebuild war-torn Gaza. Plus, South Korea's former president is handed a life sentence for imposing martial law. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Omna Vaz. And I'm Jeff Bennett. On the news hour tonight, the UK's former Prince Andrew is arrested as part of the widening global fallout related to the late sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. It puts a real spotlight on the process of the Epstein investigation, and it raises questions about what is happening in the UK compared to what's happening in the U.S. Nations pledge billions of dollars to President Trump's so-called Board of Peace that promises to rebuild war-torn. Khazza. South Korea's former president is handed a life sentence for imposing martial law.

And we have come too far to turn around. New album from singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams harkens back to an earlier era of protest songs. Welcome to the news hour. There were shockwaves across the UK today after the arrest of the former Prince Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office. His arrest, his arrest reportedly linked to the latest release of the Epstein files. Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor, as he's now known, was taken into custody at the Royal Sandringham Estate and later released. An arrest of this magnitude involving the sibling of a reigning monarch

has no precedent in modern British history. We begin our coverage tonight with this report from correspondent Chris Schip and our partners at ITV News. At breakfast time, a number of unmarked police cars arrived unannounced. their task to arrest the younger brother of King Charles. Today is Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's birthday. He has spent most of it in police custody answering questions. By 10 a.m. this morning, Thames Valley Police confirmed they had made an arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

At Royal Lodge in Windsor, where Andrew had been living until the start of this month, black vans were filmed entering the grounds earlier today. At midday, the first response from Buckingham Palace and the statement was signed Charles R, meaning this was from the king himself. He spoke of how he had learned with the deepest concern of his brother's arrest and insisted a full, fair and proper process should follow in terms of the investigation. The king repeated he was ready to fully cooperate with the police and then in the starkest way possible he wrote,

Let me state clearly the law must take its course. And this afternoon, just as he pledged he would, the king continued with his public engagements. Do you have any reactions to the arrest of your brother, sir? Your Majesty, how are you feeling after your brother's arrest? Today's diary did not change, but the questions on his arrival did. Have you spoken to your brother, your majesty? He had all his senior staff with him. He knows, just as they know, what a precarious moment this is.

As for another of Queen Elizabeth's children, Princess Anne, her diary today included a visit to a prison. She didn't cancel it. What's your reaction to your brothers, arrest, Your Royal Highness? So why did police launch a criminal investigation? It followed an assessment of the most recently released Epstein files made public by the US Department of Justice. Those files appeared to show emails from the then-Prince-Anne drew to Geoffrey Epstein at around the time they were, photographed in Central Park in New York. Police are investigating if confidential papers about business opportunities were shared by

the then-prints and if that amounts to misconduct in public office. At the time, Andrew was a trade ambassador on behalf of the British government, a role which would have given him access to sensitive and confidential documents. The arrest is not connected to claims made by Andrew's accuser, the late Virginia Dufre. Nor was it the result of new claims a woman was trafficked to Andrew for sex in 2010. Police are still assessing those. The Prime Minister speaking before today's arrest said,

once again, whatever information Andrew has should be shared. Whether it's Andrew or anybody else, anybody who's got relevant information should come forward to whatever the relevant body is. In this particular case, we're talking about Epstein, but there are plenty of other cases. It is anybody who's got information relating to any aspect of violence against women and girls has, in my view, a duty to come forward, whoever they are. And after the arrest, this response from the Foreign Secretary speaking to ITV News in New York.

There is a police investigation underway, and it is immensely important that that investigation can take its course. As the Prime Minister has said, no one is a... above the law. The King was not told of his brother's arrest before it happened. This is a seismic moment for monarchy. King Charles said today his family will continue in our duty and service to you all. Our thanks to Chris Ship of ITV News for that report. President Trump, meanwhile, is himself facing ongoing questions about the Epstein files.

He spoke about Andrew's arrest on his way to Georgia this afternoon. I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family. It's a very, very sad. To me, it's a very sad thing. For more on the fallout in the United Kingdom, I spoke earlier today with BBC Studio's special correspondent, Cady Kay.

Katty Kay, welcome back to the News Hour. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me, Amna. So this moment, the arrest of the brother of a monarch, just how extraordinary and unprecedented a moment is this? Look, we've known for a while that Andrew had this shadow over him. He'd lost his titles. He'd been alienated by the royal family. He wasn't showing up to Christmas events and holiday events. He didn't appear in any of the family photographs anymore.

So we knew that there was this cloud over ander. And yet I think despite that, I can't tell you how stunned people were in the UK. I've been getting texts from people in the UK all day saying, this is front page news. Is it front page news in the United States? Which clearly it is. And it's because it is unprecedented. You have to go back to 1647 for a monarch, to be arrested like this in the United Kingdom. And I think there's now, of course, it begs a lot of questions about the royal family. It puts a real spotlight on the process of the Epstein investigation,

and it raises questions about what is happening in the UK compared to what's happening in the US. But yes, everybody's stunned. And the reaction that we saw from King Charles himself, right, basically stepping in and saying, the law has to take its course now on the investigation. Was that a surprise? So what's unusual about that, and it's something that may not have been picked up here,

is that he signed it himself. That statement is signed by Charles R. Normally statements like that, Amna, come from Buckingham Palace or the Palace. It's very unusual for the monarch to put their own name after a statement, and I think it was a sign that the king was trying to show the British public that he is fully supportive of this investigation, wherever it may lead. Now, he's already said that in public, but the fact that he came out and he made that statement about how the law

has to take its course, I think shows how desperate the royal family is to say, this is Andrew's issue. This is not about the rest of the British royal family, because this could be a huge body blow to them. So they have to try to make this, if they can, they have to try to show the British public. They're supporting the investigation. This is about one individual, one bad apple. It's not about the king, and it's not about William and Catherine. And I want to underscore here something. This is not related to the allegations that were made by the late Virginia Jufre, who said she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to Britain and had sex with Andrew when she was a teenager years ago. Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing there, and Jufre died by suicide last year.

But her family today did praise the arrest. They said, today our broken hearts have been lifted at the news. No one is above the law, not even royalty. Katty, on those allegations, is that something that people in Britain want to see investigated? further. Ever since Andy, that disastrous interview with the BBC in which he failed to express any sympathy for the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, that's been when he started to be shunned by Royal Society and shunned in public life. And I think there is a demand for more information about that. Now, the issue for the Royal Family is, which, as I said, is trying to insulate itself, is that if this goes to trial, there are going to be awkward questions asked to the

royal family about the $15 million civil settlement that Andrew paid to Virginia Dufray. Where did that money come from? Did it come from entirely Andrew? We don't know. All of those finances have been so far kind of clouded in secrecy. It just came from the royal purse. Well, did it come from the king? Did it come from only Andrew? Were there other sources of that money? I think that's the kind of information that the British public would like more answers to. And clearly, the American Congress wants answers to as well. Another thing we've been reporting on here is sort of the disparity of consequences and accountability we've seen with the Jeffrey Epstein files being released in some form. Investigations and resignations of very high levels across Europe, not so much here in the U.S. Is that resonating

in the U.K.? What we've had in the U.S. is more private sector resignations and stepping back from public lights. So you have Bill Gates not attending an AI summit, speaking at an AI summit in India, for example. But then you don't get the investigations. You don't get all of the information. People just step down from something. They pull back from public life. They resign from a high profile business career, but it's not the same as it being investigated. And I think that's what the disparity is, that you have actual investigations. If Andrew goes to trial, it will be, the Crown Prosecution Service will conduct this. The Crown Prosecution Service will conduct will bring this trial to into fruition. And it will be the king versus Andrew Mountbatten.

And I think that's what is the difference is that there is a perception in the UK that the law is being applied equally. Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor, will be sitting in a cell during this time, waiting to find out what he's going to be charged with. And he will be treated like a normal member of the public. There are no favours being granted to him just because he is the brother of the king. And I think that is what people are noticing in the UK and pointing to in the US. Are people being protected? Are certain people not being investigated who should be investigated? And can we trust the reliability of the Justice Department to follow through with the rule of law

in the way that the Crown Prosecution Service now seems to be doing with the full blessing of King Charles to be honest and frank and do its job in this case? Katty Kay, always great to speak to you, especially at this extraordinary moment in time. Thank you so much. Amna, thank you. In the day's other headlines, President Donald Trump convened the inaugural meeting of his newly formed Board of Peace at the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters today, a building that now bears his name. The focus was Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is still holding, though tensions remain high. The president announced billions of dollars in reconstruction pledges from the U.S. and other nations, outlining an ambitious plan to re-establishment.

rebuild Gaza. Today in Washington, President Trump's newly formed Board of Peace met for the first time. Today, thanks to unrelenting diplomacy and the commitment of many of the great people in this room, the war in Gaza is over. The president stood flanked by representatives from more than 40 countries, with observers from a dozen more, gathered for what he called one of his most important and consequential missions. What we're doing is very simple, peace. It's called the Board of Peace.

An easy word to say, but a hard word to produce peace. But the reality in Gaza is far from peaceful. Mourners gathered for a funeral for nine Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes this past weekend in what Israel's military called a response to ceasefire violations by Hamas. Do you believe that there is a board of peace? Do you believe that Trump would come defend us? The one who is supplying Israel with weapons, money,

with protection and with an international umbrella. In Washington, the president announced the U.S. would commit $10 billion toward establishing the board. It's unclear whether the president has the authority to spend those funds. Neither he nor the White House detailed where the money would come from or how it would be used. Mr. Trump also said nine countries pledged a combined $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package. Today's session lasted several hours, with dozens of speech. including Israel's Foreign Affairs Minister. Our previous plans for Gaza failed because they never addressed the core issues.

Terror, hate, incitement and indoctrination. And the head of the Palestinian Technocratic Committee who outlined priorities for Gaza, starting with security. We are operating in extremely difficult conditions. Our mandate is simple, President, step by step to build the foundation, the foundation for lasting peace. Key U.S. allies, including the U.K., France, and Canada were not in attendance. The president said he intends to name his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a special peace envoy.

Kushner, who has extensive and lucrative business ties in the Middle East, defended the board structure. A lot of these people are volunteers. They're doing this not for any personal gain. People are not personally profiting from this. The head of a newly announced international stabilization force. said several countries, including Indonesia and Morocco, have pledged troops. With these first steps, we will help bring the security, the Gaza needs for our future

prosperity and enduring peace. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the board the only way forward. There is no plan B for Gaza. Plan B is going back to war. No one here wants that. In Gaza, peace feels remote. Tents now cover swaths of devastated land. Children play with makeshift lanterns made from empty soda cans. And long lines for food remain a daily reality. Rain, wind, and cold in the tents. What are people supposed to do?

How can the young people live in tents like these? For now, conditions on the ground suggest the Board of Peace faces a formidable test. And hopes for peace are also being tested in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israel, settlers shot and killed a Palestinian American in a village north of Jerusalem. mourners held a funeral today for Nasrallah Abu Siam. A witness said settlers tried to attack a farmer and the 19-year-old was killed in the violence that followed.

Israel's military says its soldiers had stepped in to disperse a riot. Human rights groups say Abu Siam was the first Palestinian killed by settlers this year. The U.N. estimates 240 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in 2020. In Philadelphia, National Park Service workers began restoring a slavery exhibit today at the site of George Washington's former residents. And I want to say thank you. It's our honor. And I want you to know I'm grateful. It's our honor.

The city's mayor, Shirel Parker, thanked workers during a visit there this morning. The exhibit tells the story of nine enslaved people who lived there and has become the focus of a legal battle between the Trump administration and the city. A federal judge ordered the displays be restored. earlier this week while a lawsuit plays out. The Trump administration argues that it has the power to decide what stories get told at National Park Service sites. President Trump's White House ballroom proposal has been approved by a panel whose members were handpicked by the president himself.

The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts said the massive ballroom will increase hosting capacity for state dinners and other large events, which have traditionally been held in outdoor tents. Another body, the National Capital Planning Commission, will pick up the matter next month. In October, crews hastily demolished the entire East Wing to make way for the ballroom. The federal court case seeking to halt construction is still pending. Also, today, workers installed a large banner featuring the president's face at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. The DOJ has a tradition of independence, and its presence highlights Mr. Trump's growing influence over the department. separately, the military says Air Force One is getting a new look.

Red, white, blue, and gold is seen in this artist's rendering. Mr. Trump has been pushing to replace the lighter blue Kennedy-era-color scheme since his first term. The nation's trade deficit posted a small decline last year, even as President Trump's tariffs upended the global flow of goods and services. The gap between what the U.S. sells overseas and what it buys narrowed to just over $901 billion. dollars. That's down slightly from the year before, but is still the third highest on record. And when it comes to physical goods, that is, taking out services, the deficit actually hit a record

of around $1.2 trillion, that's despite President Trump's tariffs. It all comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is due to rule on the legality of those tariffs as soon as tomorrow. Human rights experts at the U.N. say the rapid support forces in Sudan carried out a campaign of destruction last year that bears hallmarks of genocide. We reached the point of genocide now. Enough is enough. An independent fact-finding mission found that the paramilitary group

carried out mass killings and other atrocities in the city of El Fasher last October. The report cites sexual violence and public statements calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities there. At the UN Security Council today, diplomats called on nations to exert maximum pressure

to prevent any further bloodshed. This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a regional security crisis and a migration crisis too. This affects all of us. And that is why we need action. And we need the United Nations to be a force for countries to come together from across the world to demand peace. Violence has raged in Sudan since 2023

when tensions between its military and paramilitary leaders boiled over. The UN estimates that at least 40,000 people have done. died, but aid groups say the real figure is much higher. On Wall Street today, stocks ended lower as worries about a conflict with Iran weighed on the markets. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell nearly 270 points. The NASDAQ slipped about 70 points on the day. The S&P 500 saw its first loss in four days. And at the Winter Olympics today, there was a dash of disappointment, but plenty of triumph for Team USA. If you want to avoid some spoilers, this is your warning. Skating star, Jordan Stoltz, came up short in his bid for a third gold medal of the game,

settling for silver in the 1,500-meter speed skate. But in women's figure skating, Alyssa Liu, won the first gold medal for the U.S. in more than two decades. And Team USA women's hockey came up big when it counted, beating arch-rival Canada 2-1 in an overtime thriller. That helped bring the U.S. into second place in the overall medal count with 27 behind Norway. Today was also the Olympic debut for ski mountaineering, or Schemo, for short, it involves athletes climbing up the mountain first before skiing down. Switzerland and Spain took home gold in the women's and men's events, respectively. Still to come on the news hour, President Trump tries to tamp down concerns about affordability.

Republican congressman Ryan McKenzie discusses the partial government shutdown and other divisions in Congress, and prediction market platforms see massive growth. and mounting scrutiny. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubenstein studio at WETA in Washington, headquarters of PBS News. In South Korea, a court sentenced former president Yun Suk Yul to life in prison after it found him guilty of leading an insurrection. While it is a dark mark for the country, some argue it's a bright spot for its young democracy.

Nick Schiffin details how a few short, tumultuous hours challenged South Korea. Today in Seoul, they watched and cheered as if it were a play-by-play, a judge making the final call on the sentencing of former President Yun Suk Yul, and after Yun's fate was sealed, his critics celebrated. I was watching the martial law, which is something I'd only seen in history books, unfold in real time. I hoped for a harsher punishment so that history wouldn't repeat itself. His supporters were left shocked.

Watching what appears to be a collapse of rule of law today, I am compelled to question whether we should proceed with an appeal or continue to participate in these criminal proceedings at all. It was December 2024 when President Ewan declared martial law. His middle of the night announcement sent members in the military to parliament. Protesters protected the building and their democracy. Inside, the only thing that stops soldiers from Parliament floor, furniture deployed by opposition staffers. That bought time until a unanimous vote lifted martial law.

From start to finish, it was only six hours, but it was and has been a test of South Korean democracy. To me, the most remarkable stories, the resilience and the sustainability of South Korean democracy in the face of unprecedented challenges. Frank Genozy is the president of the Mansfield Foundation, which works on U.S. relations with Asia. He calls Yun's the most momentous domestic trial in more than 30 years in a country that has a history of presidents who've been impeached, jailed, or overthrown. Over the last 14 months, South Korea has emerged from this process with due process sustained, rule of law sustained.

Democracy itself was in the docket in this trial. And the South Korean people affirmed the value of that democracy, the resilience of that democracy without personalizing the crime. The outcome from Yun could have been much worse. The prosecution asked for the death penalty. And it wasn't only Yun. Five other former officials were also convicted, including the former defense minister,

who will spend the next 30 years in prison. Current President Li Jiamen, Yun's longtime rival, has reframed from politicizing the trial, says Januzi. This allowed him to cool down the temperature a bit and also allowed him to focus really on where he needed to focus, which was his foreign policy priorities, sustaining an outreach to Japan

and reassuring the United States that South Korea would be a loyal, faithful ally. Over the past year, South Korea has faced pressure over trade and promised to increase defense spending. It's been a balancing act. For a democracy that is now sent to former president to prison for life. In the PBS News Hour, I'm Nick. Shiffran.

President Trump is in Rome, Georgia today, talking about affordability and the economy. A theme he's expected to spotlight again in next week's State of the Union address. Our White House correspondent Liz Landers has more on this and joins us now. So Liz, as you've been reporting, the president has been frustrated. He's not getting enough credit when it comes to the economy. That's why he went to Georgia to talk about this. What did he say? Well, today he was focused on affordability, the economy.

This was also a political visit for him. This is a congressional district that's going to have a special election soon. So kind of several birds with one stone here. He was touting the stock market. He was touting some signature legislation that has also passed recently. The great big, beautiful bill is basically a tax cut bill. And you know, when you hear the fake Democrats talking about it, like, oh, the great big, beautiful bill, you know, they've tried and mock it. We put four years worth of goodies into that bill, and everybody said it couldn't be done.

visited a restaurant there, and then he gave that speech at a steel mill in Georgia. This was his first domestic trip on this issue, talking about affordability in the economy since he went to Iowa a few weeks ago. But Omna, there was some mixed messaging here today. He goes off on tangents when he gives these speeches sometimes, was talking about the operation in Venezuela a few weeks ago at the beginning of the year, also talking about a number of grievances on issues where he doesn't think he's getting credit on. So he's still has trouble sometimes sticking directly to the messaging. Well, your reporting has also shown that his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, held a sort of unusual

closed-door strategy session this week to talk about messaging for the midterms. What do we know about that? Yeah, a source who participated in the meeting talked to me about this and said that this was a effort to get Republicans both inside the administration and outside allies on the same message and talking about the same priorities. This person said that affordability is the number one issue right now for the White House going into the midterm election. Susie Wiles, the chief of staff, talked about this. So did James Blair, who is the deputy chief of staff, and then pollster Tony Fabrizio, who's worked with the president for a while.

They were among the speakers. And this Republican said that, look, these issues like affordability on energy prices, on housing, on health care, fuel prices, and groceries, those are sort of the main tenants that they're focused on right now. person said the president has now been in office for more than a year and there are only so many things that he, the president, can blame Biden, his predecessor on at this point and recognizing that they need to get out there and sell their affordability message to the American public right now. And so this was about that kind of coordination and also, I'm not I'd add, getting

cabinet members out on, not the campaign trail per se, but across the country touting these these messages. At the same time, we know Democrats have also sort of landed on affordability as one of their primary messages going into the midterms. What do we know about how effective that'll be? It probably will be effective based on polling. Look, the White House actually doesn't have bad economic numbers to be touting. The jobs report that came out for January was better than anticipated. Gas prices are dropping in some parts of the country. In Georgia, I was looking at the average price of gas there is $2.71 per AAA, which is low. than it has been in the last year.

The average Georgia resident is also going to save more than $3,000 on their taxes this year from that signature tax bill that passed. That's according to the conservative-leaning tax foundation. But when you look at the poll numbers of what Americans are actually feeling, Fox News had a poll, found that 59% of Americans disapprove of President Trump's job handling on the economy. 68% say that he's not spending enough time on the economy. So going back to that sort of dual messaging that the White House is dealing with between foreign policy and also domestic issues. Meanwhile, we should underscore it's February.

We're talking about strategy sessions for messaging around the midterms in November at the White House. Why? Why is it such a concern for them? Because the margins are so slim in Congress. Right now, the Republicans only have a four-seat majority in the House. And historically, a president loses the midterm elections. President Trump experienced that in 2018. Republicans lost 40 House seats in that election, and that also gave Democrats the power to then set into motion

some of those impeachment trials, which we know President Trump is already thinking about. He has said in a few speeches recently to Republicans that you've got to win the midterms, because if we don't win the midterms, it's going to be, I mean, they're going to find a reason to impeach me. So we know that this is sort of a concern of President Trump's right now, And also, Democrats win control.

They can do a number of other things. They could stall other kinds of legislative priorities for the White House and also investigate the Trump administration. It's our White House correspondent. Liz Landers. Liz, thank you. Of course. The partial government shutdown that has stalled funding for the Department of Homeland Security

has entered day six with no signs of compromise between Congress and the White House. The shutdown started last week after congressional Democrats pushed for reforms of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts. Our Lisa Desjardin has more on the funding fight. Both the House and the Senate are out of town this week, but what they've heard from constituents at home will matter when they return on Monday. One key swing vote belongs to freshman Republican Ryan McKenzie. He represents Pennsylvania's 7th District, border in New Jersey.

It includes the Lehigh Valley and the city of Allentown, and he joins me now. Congressman, ICE is a major issue in your district. I know that at least one county has said they will not cooperate with ICE. There's a detention center coming in the county next door outside of your district. But I want to start with you. How do you see this immigration crackdown? Do you support it?

Well, after four years of an open border during the Biden administration, we were seeing and feeling the impacts of that illegal immigration flow right here in our local community. If you go on DHS's website, you can see some of the violent offenders that have been arrested in our cities. So very heinous individuals that should have been taken off the street. And when we do have those people that are detained, we want ICE to be able to appropriately pick them up. As you mentioned, Northampton County unfortunately has a sanctuary policy basically in place that does not allow them to release those individuals directly into ICE custody. that leaves our community vulnerable and less safe than it should be. And so I really push back on those policies strongly, and I think we do need to make sure that we are appropriately taking people off the street

who shouldn't be here and are committing these violent crimes. At the same time, we are open, and I'm certainly open to reforms, and the way that we can actually improve these operations at the federal government level. It's something that I think in every case, whenever you see instances, like we saw in Minneapolis, which are very unfortunate tragic situations involving American citizens. We do want to look at what are the possible reforms the way that we can improve the way that everything is being conducted in law enforcement. And so I've been open to those discussions and a part of them as a member of the Homeland Security

Committee recently where I directly asked Director of Lyons about what we should be doing to improve operations around and involving U.S. citizens. Okay, let's talk about those key reforms because that's under discussion right now. That's why DHS essentially has no funding, what Democrats are hoping for. So they're saying they want a list of 10. But I want to ask you about some of the key ones. Tell me if you support or oppose any of these ideas, banning face masks, requiring identification for ICE officers, and whether there should be some kind of increased warrant

requirement for entering homes. Where are you on those ideas? Well, I think we do also have to balance the way that the Democrats are approaching this. They've been very public about it. People like Senator Chris Murphy have said that they want to handcuff ice and they actually want to limit the way that they can conduct operations. That is not something we want to do. We want to make sure that they can fully enforce federal law, taking those violent criminals off the streets. Now, at the same time, when you're talking about ways that we can identify our agents appropriately, there should be identification on these individuals. Maybe it's not a name. Maybe it's a badge number.

but some way that if an officer is involved in an instance, an officer-related shooting or something else, that they could be identified if they do have a mask on. And so the controversy around masks, I think, is one that we do want these individuals to be able to show their face. At the same time, this is not a choice that they made lightly. They didn't do it because they wanted to cover their faces, but it's because they really needed to. I mean, we've seen instances where these individuals have been docks, their families have been harassed. So if you're going to take a masking elements away from these individuals, which I would be open to having a discussion on that front, we should also make sure that we have proper enforcement around the harassment and doxing of these federal law enforcement

agents. So there is an appropriate balance that I think could be struck there. And the Senate and the White House are really taking the lead on these negotiations. And so we would like to see some reforms, a reasonable reform package that can get bipartisan support coming back to us in the House. At the same time, the top issue, I don't have to tell you for Americans remains the economy, and that includes prices. I looked at the largest grocery store in your district, which I think is the giant store in Allentown, and check their prices. A honey-crisp apple, now, giving you, that's a more luxurious apple, I suppose. Even on sale, that's 12% higher the cost today than it was a year ago, national average.

Chicken breast, I'm a mom. I use chicken breast all the time. That price is up 9% at your local grocery store from last year. President Trump promised that grocery prices would come down. How do you respond to those who look at you and say Republicans have failed? Yeah, I think the economy is still a top issue for individuals right here in our local community. And it's everything from food and fuel, housing and health care. All of those different elements are things that we are working on.

When it comes to grocery prices in particular, it is a challenge. There is no doubt to make sure that we provide the relief for individuals in those necessary staples that you're talking about. And so one of the things that we can provide relief on the flip side, not just in the cost category, but the income side is to provide significant tax relief for every single American by increasing the standard deduction. We're providing that. And then in certain categories, it's an expansion of no tax on tips or overtime.

an increased deduction for seniors. So in all of those ways, people are going to be seeing and feeling more money back in their pockets this tax season. And that is a very helpful thing when you're trying to make ends meet in your family budget. Congressman Ryan McKenzie, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Platforms that let you bet on the outcomes of future events have seen explosive growth recently. Our economics correspondent Paul Salman explains how so-called prediction markets work and why they're so popular and controversial.

These days, you can pretty much bet anywhere, anytime on anything, like a word Trevor Noah will say on camera. Potato. If you had me saying potato on the parley market, you just made a ton of money. That was a joke. No payoff for potato. But people were betting on what words would be said at the Grammys, not unlike betting on the weather.

According to the prediction markets, at least the chance that New York City gets over six inches of snow. We're talking 51% chance. And get this, if Cardi B would perform in Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime extravaganza, as to whether this was a performance was hotly disputed by betters yes and no. Now, prediction markets are hardly new. Prediction markets have been around since the 16th century, much more recently since around 1988, with the Iowa electronic markets. We had big political prediction markets

running literally on the curb of Wall Street about elections back in the late 1800s. That was then, but this is now. Today's prediction markets are a completely different game. One can essentially take positions across a host of different questions, including but definitely not limited to politics. Sports is by far the major category

that is currently looked at, but certainly things like Oscars, who's going to be the next Federal Reserve chair. So it's really tapping into this appetite to grab people's attention, to do so in a way that is heavily influenced by social media. So that has really resulted in a mass appeal in a way that prediction markets just didn't have before.

Wagering has skyrocketed and on two dominant platforms, Polymarket, which takes its bets in cryptocurrency and Kalshi in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, trading volume on the two platforms was almost five. billion dollars. How does it work? To wager users buy a yes or a no event contract. It's really a bet on whether something is going to happen or not happen. And just like stock markets, you have two sides to a transaction. There's one side betting yes, one side betting no. Economist Rajiv SETI has an example. Who's going to get control of the House of Representatives

during the midterms? To bet on, say, the Democratic Party taking control. The price on polymarket is about 82 cents. So what that means is that somebody bought the yes side of that contract for 82 cents and somebody bought the no side of that contract for 18 cents. If the Democrats do retake the house during the midterms, the yes side gets the dollar, otherwise the no side. Now to market aficionados, there's value in seeing what betters do. It's often called the wisdom of crowds. They actually put their money where their mouth is, and that means that the bets that are taking on these prediction markets tend to have some pretty informative content. What this does is it makes the information embedded that's already being traded transparent

so that we can all use it. When I see that there's a 22% chance of J.D. Vance becoming the next president, that's actually really useful information. I can start to plan for what sorts of regulations my business might expect and things like that. In the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, polls showed Kamala Harris and Donald Trump tied. But the markets didn't. Prediction markets, Polly Market in particular, was pointing towards a very different outcome than what the pollsters were suggesting. The day before the election, Polly Market gave candidate Trump a 58% chance of winning. Now, part of the prediction market boom has been relaxed regulation. The Supreme Court okaying sports betting back in 2018, the increased ease of

using virtual private networks, VPNs, to skirt restrictions online that allows Americans to use polymarket despite a U.S. ban that began during the Biden administration. There are many U.S. traders who bet on polymarket, but they will use VPNs to operate as if they're accessing it from outside the United States. Under the Trump administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission allowed polymarket to open a regulated U.S. version, but it has a wait list to use. it, the unregulated version does not. Bolly market is much more like the Wild West.

Polymarket itself doesn't know who's trading on the platform, because these are crypto wallets, and the real-world identities of those folks are not visible even to the exchange in most cases. And hey, that's not the only downside. How about insider trading? One polymarket user made over $400,000 predicting the removal of Venezuelan President

Nicolas Maduro. Someone bet a lot of money 12 hours before Maduro. for Maduro was ousted that Maduro would be ousted. They did that in a way that kind of makes you think that some information may have leaked from the White House or the Department of Defense. Yes, insider trading plagues all markets, but the sheer profusion and anonymity of betters make the likes of polymarket especially susceptible. Then there are cases like Brian Armstrong, CEO of crypto firm Coinbase on an October earnings call. I was a little distracted because I was tracking the prediction market about what Coinbase will say

their next earnings call. And I just want to add here the words Bitcoin, Ethereum, blockchain, staking, and Web 3 to make sure we get those in before the end of the call. All words on which there were bets as to whether or not Armstrong would say them. Though Armstrong said he was being spontaneous and his firm prohibits betting on prediction markets. Regardless of whether or not he had a stake in the outcome and I believe that he did not, or at least he stated that he did not, he had the ability to make some people a little bit richer and others a little poorer. And these kinds of markets are troubling for that reason. And then there's the risk of compulsive gambling. Kalshi faces multiple lawsuits that cite

its potential to lure young traders into addiction. Gambling is just like many other drugs. It's highly addictive. And if you've ever had a friend who has become a compulsive gambler, and I have, they will bet money they don't have. They will destroy their family's well-being. Of course, gambling addiction has been a problem for eons, but digital prediction markets, well, up the ante. Given the fact that we all carry around a little screen that is a bookie in our pocket, you no longer need to walk to the corner.

Which means that prediction markets are a serious challenge for regulators. Questions with respect to consumer protection are going to be front and center. What kind of disclosures will be given to people? Will there be limits on how much they can put into various markets? What about insider trading? And in the end, it matters to betters and the markets alike. If you want to have a healthy market, you need to have healthy people who are participating in that market that don't feel like that market is taking advantage of them, but giving them real opportunities to learn to participate to grow in ways that don't result in them losing your skin. That would be nice.

But in today's deregulatory environment, would you bet on it for the PBS News Hour, Paul Salman? Lucinda Williams has been making music for decades. Now she's out with a new album and embarking on a 20-city tour across Europe and the U.S. In it, she's speaking and singing to this moment, calling it a battle cry, finding grit and grace in a world on edge. Our senior arts correspondent recently sat down with her for our Art in Action series exploring the intersection of art and democracy as part of our canvas coverage. Five years ago, Lucinda Williams suffered a stroke.

She had to learn to walk again and no longer plays a play. her guitar. But here she is, writing songs, a new album out, and still performing. How does she do it? Maybe a little stubbornness, you know, a little stubbornness never hurt anybody. Williams has long been known as a musical storyteller, beloved by passionate fans who followed her for decades, and by other leading singer-songwriters for her way with words. And the story She's telling now is the title of her new album. World's Gone Wrong. They can see what's going down.

It's kind of a commentary on things that have been going on and just how it makes people feel. And it helped me to write about it. That's why I write songs. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I feel like the artist's role is to speak about what's going on. Williams' story goes back to a peripatetic childhood, most of it in towns throughout the South, as her father, the poet Miller Williams, moved the family from place to place for university teaching posts. They will not forget.

He would gain his biggest audience reading a poem written for Bill Clinton's second inauguration in 1997. Now 73, Lucinda recalls having her 12-year-old mind-blown in 1965. when her father's friend brought over a new album by Bob Dylan, Highway 61, Revisited. I started reading about him and listening to other singer-songwriters from that era, like John Baez and Judy Collins. They were all writing these songs about social injustice and anti-war. And I love those songs, and they spoke to me.

And did you say at some point I want to do that? Yes, that's what happened. Telephone poles, trees and wires fly on a gravel. She would go on to success, including 17 Grammy nominations and three wins, with her unusual blend of rock, country, blues, and folk. Telling stories of hard living and heartbreak in such critically acclaimed albums as 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road. The song Passionate Kisses, which she recorded in 1989. was covered and made famous by Mary Chapin Carpenter three years later. Williams built and kept her faithful following over many years.

Now here is Lucinda Williams. But all along the way, she battled a music industry that she felt wanted to put her into a box, a marketable genre. She refused. Because you don't really love me. I just didn't think in those terms. They described it like a felon the country. cracks between country and rock.

Mm-hmm. Because they have to have a market for you. Yeah. Because it's a business. That's why they call it the music business. We are here to bear witness to this monstrous sickness. We have come too far to turn around. Hers is a story of perseverance and resilience.

And more recently, she's felt caught up in the times, angry at actions by the Trump administration. Responding through songs, she hopes, hearken back to an earlier era of 1960s protest music. One is called, We've Come Too Far to Turn Around. When I was writing that, I was thinking a lot about songs like We Shall Overcome. That's a very powerful feeling to stand with a whole bunch of people, like-minded people, singing songs like that. I wanted to feel that again.

know, if you watch the news on TV or read the newspaper, there's something every day that's, you know, upsetting. Well, people have different ways of responding to that. They're not responding enough, I don't think. You don't think so. What I'd like to see would be more marching, more demonstrations and all of that, you know, just speaking out more. On the new album, she collaborates with renowned figures like Nora Jones.

to play together recently on Jones podcast. From the city of Atlanta to Birmingham, Alabama, we have come too far to turn around. Mavis Staples join on a cover of Bob Marley's So Much Trouble in the World. So much trouble. As for William's personal story of resilience, she continues to deal with the aftermath of her stroke when everything she says went haywire. She told us a promising new therapy she's undergoing that's helping with what she calls her brain fog.

That's probably been the hardest part. Yeah. Yeah, it's just that kind of confusion and memory loss and all of that. You know, I just tried really hard to focus and pay attention. And, you know, I'm fine when I go on stage and I know what I'm supposed to do and all of that. So that's a lot to deal with. Yeah. See, I told you I was stubborn, though.

You just my joy. I want it back. I'm going to go to Williams continues her tour in Europe and later back in the U.S. playing to old and new fans alike. For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Jeffrey Brown in New York. Well, maybe it's why I'll end up my joy. Maybe it's why I'll find my joy.

Maybe it's why I'll find my... Well, tonight, for our brief but spectacular series, Journalist and podcast host Naima Ruzza shares what she's learning by asking the questions we all secretly wonder about. Her new podcast called Smart Girl Dumb Questions is all about embracing curiosity. So curiosity is one of these skills

that I think we have in spades as children, and we actually continue to have it as adults, but we're like closeted, curious people. And instead of asking the question out loud, we're like, underneath the table, like, is Tilesio a cheese or a sex act? What actually happened in Ireland? Why is that a good metaphor?

I feel like I grew up my whole life not knowing things. You know, I'm Pakistani. I was born in the United States, but I grew up in Asia and Africa. And so I was constantly moving as a result of my father's work at the World Bank. And I was always in cultures where I didn't know stuff. And because I was an outsider,

I had the ability to ask questions. Smart Girl Dumb Questions is a new podcast that's about asking the questions we all want to know the answers to you. A dumb question I have that I want to figure out on the show is this shift of gender roles. How much of this is feminism and how much of it is about working more, buying more, being kind of an economic guzzler. I, for example, feel a lot of pressure to have a bigger career because I don't yet have kids. Or I know women who are really kind of finding they need to explain away the fact that they don't have a career because they're at home watching their kids. This expectation of like, you need to want to have it all is absolutely wrong. What my parents instilled in me at a young age was a ton of confidence.

That has lasted me a lifetime. My father, Aftha Braza, he unfortunately passed away a few years ago. One regret I have of not listening to my father while he was around was the kind of importance of showing up. If it was like a third cousin once removed kids, family friend, he would know about them and want to know about them. When I went to study in California, my father's like, you gotta call your cousin who's out there. And I'm like, Dad, no kid in their 20s has time for these relationships.

When my father passed away, it was all of these people that showed up. What that showed me is that we live in a world where we talk a lot about boundaries and, you know, protecting self-care. But I think sometimes we don't talk enough about kind of care of others in our community. And that's a lesson that I learned

the hard way through my father's passing. So I've been a journalist now for six years. I've been a video journalist at the New York Times opinion section, a podcast executive producer slash editor at Sway at the New York Times and on On with Kara Swisher. I realized that I wanted to use my own voice more. And now it's very exciting because I get to ask

whatever I want to ask and be as smart or dumb as I hope to be on a given day. I'm Nehmerazza. I'm here for this episode of Long But Unremarkable. How dare you? My name's Naima Raza, and this is my brief but spectacular take on Smart Girl Dumb Questions. And you can watch more brief but spectacular videos online at pbs.org slash newshour slash brief.

And join us again back here tomorrow night for the analysis of the week's news from David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart. And that is The News Hour for tonight. I'm Omna Navazz. And I'm Jeff Bennett for all of us here at the News Hour. Thanks for spending part of your evening with us.