Sassa Williams, 18, and her siblings, triplets Theresa, Chris and Grant, 14, work on their homework after school at their home in Dillinhgam, Alaska. But there comes a time when the phone rings, and everyone, including mom Kim, who has been cooking dinner, stops what they’re doing. They go downstairs, out the door and drive to Kanakanak Beach a few miles away. The kids’ grandfather, William Johnson, has called in reinforcements to help bring in an unexpectedly large catch of smelt. Continue reading
Wednesday on the NewsHour, we explore the broader implications of the agreement between the U.S. and China to cut greenhouse gases. Also: The Rosetta spacecraft makes a historic landing on a comet, a look at what’s next for the Democratic party as the GOP prepares to take over the Senate, arguments over Alabama’s voting districts and protecting the home of the last mountain gorillas in the Congo. Continue reading
In our news wrap Wednesday, American nurses staged rallies and strikes in parts of the U.S. to call for better protection for medical workers who may treat Ebola patients. Also, NOAA, the federal agency that oversees the National Weather Service, was hacked in recent weeks. The Washington Post reported that Chinese hackers were responsible for the cyberattack. Continue reading
The U.S. and China reached a historic agreement to drastically curb carbon emissions after months of secret talks. Will either side be able to deliver on the pledge? Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University speaks with Gwen Ifill about the pressures that led to the landmark plan and which other countries may be influenced to address climate change. Continue reading
How will deals on trade and climate change, struck during President Obama’s trip to China, affect relations between the United States and China? Susan Shirk of the University of California, San Diego, and author and lawyer Gordon Chang join Gwen Ifill to discuss the significance of the relationship and the pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping to compromise. Continue reading
The European Space Agency successfully landed a spacecraft the size of a washing machine on a moving comet — a historic first for space exploration. Tom Clarke of Independent Television News reports on the Philae lander’s amazing touchdown. Continue reading
After the 2010 census, the Republican-led Alabama legislature redrew state legislative districts. But their plan was challenged for being a racial gerrymander and violating voting rights. To examine the case’s move to the Supreme Court, Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal joins Gwen Ifill. Continue reading
More than 30 percent of all Medicare Part D participants received low-income subsidies last year to help them pay their prescription drug bills, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimates that as many as 2 million more Medicare enrollees qualify for this help but don’t take advantage of it. Continue reading
Ralph Peer popularized the genres of country, blues, jazz, gospel and Latin. His story begins in the era of the wind-up crank cylinder and ends in the age of color television and is told in the new book, “Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music.” Continue reading