As Iran expands retaliatory attacks, U.S. urges Americans to leave Middle East - https://youtu.be/4Bn61NrjZ4s?si=G5Bkz6hU0cO1bPcU #PBS #PBSNews #Iran #MiddleEast
As Iran expands retaliatory attacks, U.S. urges Americans to leave Middle East

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What economic experts think about Trump’s choice of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair – PBS News

USA-FED / Former U.S. Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh speaks during a monetary policy conference at Stanford University…

By — Hannah Grabenstein

Detailed view of the US Federal Reserve System seal on currency with yellow digital numbers. WP.

What economic experts think about Trump’s choice of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair

Economy Updated on Jan 30, 2026 7:29 PM EST — Published on Jan 30, 2026 5:17 PM EST

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he would nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve, an independent agency that has been under pressure from the president to lower interest rates for the last year.

If confirmed, Warsh would succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell — a previous Trump nominee who has incurred the president’s ire for not heeding his demands — when Powell’s term expires in May.

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Warsh served on the Fed Board of Governors from 2006 through 2011, where he had an opportunity to help shape the U.S. economy during one of its greatest periods of turmoil in recent history. Now a fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, he also worked as an economic advisor to President George W. Bush.

Experts appear to view Warsh’s nomination with “cautious relief,” said Mark Gertler, a professor of economics at New York University.

Here are three things to know about Warsh and how he might influence the Fed as the agency’s new head.

1. Warsh is a lawyer, not an economist

Like Powell, Warsh has a J.D., not a Ph.D. in economics. Powell was the first Federal Reserve chair in 30 years to not have a doctorate in economics.

“The Fed’s culture is Ph.D. economists on top,” said Aaron Klein, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution.

“I think Powell was pretty deferential to what the professional staff economists’ view was,” he added.

But Warsh may have a different approach, said Klein, who first met him when Warsh was working at the National Economic Council at the White House. Lawyers view the world through a different cultural lens than macroeconomists do, he said.

WATCH: Supreme Court hears case on Trump’s attempt to control Federal Reserve

“The question is: Is Kevin going to shake up the culture of the Fed staff? Or is he going to show deference to the Fed’s Ph.D. economists who are accustomed to running the show?” Klein said.

That could influence his policy decisions, too, Gertler said. Warsh isn’t an economist and doesn’t speak — or necessarily reason — like one, he added.

“The reason I’m not too worried is Powell was not an economist either, but Powell learned over time. In fact, I think (he) learned pretty well,” Gertler said. “I’m hopeful that the same will be true with Warsh — that is, put him in there with a bunch of economists and they will help sharpen his thinking.”

2. In many ways, Warsh is a conservative pick

While not a macroeconomist by education, Warsh has a relatively traditional background for a Fed chair nominee, experts said.

He’s an academic with experience in the executive branch, as well as on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, and is knowledgeable about financial markets. During his term as a board member, he was instrumental in helping then-Chair Ben Bernanke navigate the 2008 financial crisis.

“Warsh is a serious guy with a long track record and a deep experience,” Klein said. “Warsh was the Fed board’s interlocutor with the markets during the financial crisis.”

Gertler said that knowledge about financial markets is an important characteristic in a Fed chair, because while interest rate setting isn’t easy, it’s “straightforward.” But understanding the markets requires “specialized expertise,” which Gertler said he thinks Warsh has.

READ MORE: GOP senators break with Trump on these 2 points

Warsh also has a history of being intellectually conservative, Klein said, with an eye toward reducing government intervention in the markets.

“He’s not some outsider. This is not like Pete Hegseth coming in, or Kristi Noem, or whatever. This is someone who does have some genuine expertise, and he has been at the Fed,” Gertler said.

“He has not come across as overtly political in the way some other candidates did,” he added.

Warsh likely understands the Fed’s culture and is unlikely to “try and tear the place apart,” Gertler noted. That’s giving experts reason for some relief, he said.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: What economic experts think about Trump’s choice of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair | PBS News

#BoardOfGovernors #EconomicExperts #Economy #FederalReserveChairman #IndependentAgency #JeromePowell #LowerInterestRates #MonetaryPolicy #PBS #PBSNews #PublicBroadcastingService #Replacement #Succeed #Thinking #TrumpSChoice

📰 More artists cancel Kennedy Center performances after Trump renaming — #PBSNews

#convictedFelon #sexOffender #DonaldTrump's plans for the #KennedyCenter are crumbling as performers refuse to appear in the famous, revered venue now that his name is on it.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/more-artists-cancel-kennedy-center-performances-after-trump-renaming

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More artists cancel Kennedy Center performances after Trump renaming

The Cookers, a jazz supergroup performing together for nearly two decades, announced their withdrawal from “A Jazz New Year’s Eve" on their website, saying the “decision has come together very quickly" and acknowledging frustration from those who may have planned to attend.

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Consumer confidence drops in December to lowest level since U.S. tariffs rolled out in April – PBS News

Consumer confidence drops in December to lowest level since U.S. tariffs rolled out in April

Economy – Dec 23, 2025 11:03 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers were less confident in the economy in December as Americans grow anxious about high prices and the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index fell 3.8 points to 89.1 in December from November’s upwardly revised reading of 92.9. That is close to 85.7 reading in April, when Trump rolled out his import taxes on U.S. trading partners.

A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market remained stable at 70.7, but still well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. It was the 11th consecutive month that reading has come in under 80.

Consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation tumbled 9.5 points to 116.8.

Write-in responses to the survey showed that prices and inflation remained consumers’ biggest concern, along with tariffs.

Perceptions of the job market also declined this month.

READ MORE: The economy is giving mixed signals. Here’s what experts say they mean

The conference board’s survey reported that 26.7% of consumers said jobs were “plentiful,” down from 28.2% in November. Also, 20.8% of consumers said jobs were “hard to get,” up from 20.1% last month.

Last week, the government reported that the U.S. economy gained a healthy 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October. Notably, the unemployment rate rose to 4.6% last month, the highest since 2021.

The country’s labor market has been stuck in a “low hire, low fire” state, economists say, as businesses stand pat due to uncertainty over Trump’s tariffs and the lingering effects of elevated interest rates.

Since March, job creation has fallen to an average 35,000 a month, compared to 71,000 in the year ended in March.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said recently that he suspects those numbers will be revised even lower.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Consumer confidence drops in December to lowest level since U.S. tariffs rolled out in April | PBS News

#Affordability #April2025 #ConsumerConfidence #December2025 #Economy #JobMarket #LowFire #LowestLevel #PBS #PBSNews #Prices #TrumpTariffs #USTariffs

Health care proposal floated by White House runs into familiar GOP divisions – PBS News

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) departs the House floor, following the vote of the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the bill seeking to release files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 18, 2025. Photo by Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS

By — Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press

Health care proposal floated by White House runs into familiar GOP divisions – PBS News

Politics, Nov 26, 2025 1:48 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A health care proposal circulated by the White House in recent days is running into the reality of Republican divisions on the issue — a familiar struggle for a party that has been trying to scrap or overhaul the Affordable Care Act for the past 15 years.

The tentative proposal from President Donald Trump would extend expiring ACA subsidies for two years while adjusting eligibility requirements for recipients. The plan has so far been met with a stony silence on Capitol Hill as Republicans debate among themselves whether to overhaul the law, tweak it or simply let the subsidies expire.

It’s unclear now when the White House plan might be released, or if it will be released at all.

The Republican indecision comes as the COVID-era tax credits are set to expire Jan. 1, creating sharp premium increases for millions of Americans. Democrats who shut down the government for six weeks over the issue are demanding a straight extension with no changes, though some indicated they could support a plan similar to the one circulated by the White House.

But support may be harder to find in the GOP conference, where many lawmakers say costs are still too high and have been eager to make another run at repealing the ACA. The last effort in 2017 failed when Republicans couldn’t decide on how to provide coverage to millions of Americans who depend on government-run marketplaces for their health care. It’s a dilemma that persists for the party after record numbers signed up for coverage this year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., promised a group of moderate Democrats a vote on the ACA tax credits by mid-December in exchange for their votes to end the government shutdown. But it’s unclear, so far, whether that arrangement will lead to a solution.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Health care proposal floated by White House runs into familiar GOP divisions | PBS News

#2026 #aca #affordableCareAct #gop #gopDivisions #healthCare #january1 #january12026 #letSubsidiesExpire #mikeJohnson #overhaul #pbsNews #replace #republicans #speakerOfTheHouse #trump #tweakLaw #whiteHouse

How pecans went from ignored trees to a holiday staple – an expert explains the 8,000-year history – PBS News

From article…

By —

Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation

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How pecans went from ignored trees to a holiday staple — an expert explains the 8,000-year history

Science Nov 22, 2025 3:17 PM EST

This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

Pecans have a storied history in the United States. Today, American trees produce hundreds of million of pounds of pecans – 80% of the world’s pecan crop. Most of that crop stays here. Pecans are used to produce pecan milk, butter and oil, but many of the nuts end up in pecan pies.

Throughout history, pecans have been overlooked, poached, cultivated and improved. As they have spread throughout the United States, they have been eaten raw and in recipes. Pecans have grown more popular over the decades, and you will probably encounter them in some form this holiday season.

READ MORE: How science can help hack tasty side dishes for your next holiday meal

I’m an extension specialist in Oklahoma, a state consistently ranked fifth in pecan production, behind Georgia, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas. I’ll admit that I am not a fan of the taste of pecans, which leaves more for the squirrels, crows and enthusiastic pecan lovers.

The spread of pecans

The pecan is a nut related to the hickory. Actually, though we call them nuts, pecans are actually a type of fruit called a drupe. Drupes have pits, like the peach and cherry.

Pecan fruits, which ripen and split open to release pecan nuts, clustered on a pecan tree. Photo by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The pecan nuts that look like little brown footballs are actually the seed that starts inside the pecan fruit – until the fruit ripens and splits open to release the pecan. They are usually the size of your thumb, and you may need a nutcracker to open them. You can eat them raw or as part of a cooked dish.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: How pecans went from ignored trees to a holiday staple — an expert explains the 8,000-year history | PBS News

#2025 #8000YearHistory #america #americans80PecanCrop #cooking #drupe #education #hickory #history #holidayFoods #libraryOfCongress #pbs #pbsNews #pecanNuts #pecanProduction #pecans #theConversation

Trump’s deployments of National Guard troops reignite a 200-year-old Constitutional debate – PBS News

Members of the National Guard walk past a building displaying a banner with an image of President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., Oct. 18, 2025. Photo by Leah Millis / Reuters.

By — Andrea Katz, The Conversation

Trump’s deployments of National Guard troops reignite a 200-year-old Constitutional debate

Politics Oct 22, 2025 1:15 PM EDT, This article originally appeared on The Conversation.

If you’re confused about what the law does and doesn’t allow the president to do with the National Guard, that’s understandable.

As National Guard troops landed in Portland, Oregon, in late September 2025, the state’s lawyers argued that the deployment was a “direct intrusion on its sovereign police power.”

READ MORE: U.S. appeals court says Trump can take command of Oregon National Guard troops, though deployment blocked for now

Days before, President Donald Trump, calling the city “a war zone,” had invoked a federal law allowing the government to call up the Guard during national emergencies or when state authorities cannot maintain order.

The conflict throws into relief a question as old as the Constitution itself: Where does federal power end and state authority begin?

One answer seems to appear in the 10th Amendment’s straightforward language: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This text is considered to be the constitutional “hook” for federalism in our democracy.

The founders, responding to anti-Federalist anxieties about an overbearing central government, added this language to emphasize that the new government possessed only limited powers. Everything else – including the broad “police power” to regulate health, safety, morals and general welfare – remained with the states.

Yet from the beginning, the text has generated plenty of confusion. Is the 10th Amendment merely a “truism,” as Justice Harlan Fiske Stone wrote in 1941 in United States v. Darby, restating the Constitution’s structure of limited powers? Or does it describe concrete powers held by the states?

Turns out, there’s no simple answer, not even from the nation’s highest court. Over the years, the Supreme Court has treated the 10th Amendment like the proverbial magician’s hat, sometimes pulling robust state powers from its depths, other times finding it empty.

10th Amendment’s broad range

The arguments over the 10th Amendment for almost 200 years have applied not only to the National Guard but to questions about how the federal and state governments share powers over everything from taxation to government salaries, law enforcement and regulation of the economy.

For much of the 19th century, the 10th Amendment remained dormant. The federal government’s weakness and limited ambitions, especially on the slavery question, meant that boundaries were rarely tested before the courts.

The New Deal era brought this equilibrium crashing down.

The Supreme Court initially resisted the expansion of federal power, striking down laws banning child labor in Hammer v. Dagenhart in 1918, setting a federal minimum wage in 1923 in Adkins v. Children’s Hospital, and offering farmers subsidies in U.S. v. Butler in 1937. All these decisions were based on the 10th Amendment.

WATCH: Conservative constitutional lawyer weighs in on Trump’s aggressive use of executive power

But this resistance wore down in the face of economic crisis and political pressure. By the time of the Darby case in 1941, which concerned the Fair Labor Standards Act and Congress’ power to regulate many aspects of employment, the court had relegated the 10th Amendment to “truism” status: The Amendment, wrote Stone, did nothing more than restate the relationship between the national and state governments as it had been established by the Constitution before the amendment.

The 1970s marked an unexpected revival. In the 1976 decision in National League of Cities v. Usery, a dispute over whether Congress could directly exercise control over minimum wage and overtime pay for state and local government employees, the court held that Congress could not use its commerce power to regulate state governments.

But that principle was abandoned nine years later, with the court doubling back on its position. Now, if the states wanted protection from federal overreach, they would have to seek it through the political process, not judicial intervention.

Yet less than a decade later, the court reversed course again. The modern federalism renaissance began in the ’90s with a pair of divided opinions stating that the federal government cannot force the states to enforce federal regulatory programs: this was the “anti-commandeering principle.”

The 10th Amendment’s meandering path

In recent decades, the court, led by Chief Justice John Roberts, has invoked the amendment to protect state power in varied, even surprising contexts: states’ entitlement to federal Medicaid spending; state authority over running elections, despite patterns of voter exclusion; even legalization of sports gambling.

On the other hand, in 2024, Colorado was barred by the court from excluding Trump from the presidential ballot as part of its power to administer elections.

That brings us back to the present, where Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration enforcement, and bids to send them to Portland and Chicago as well.

From the point of view of federalism, two factors lend this conflict some constitutional complexity.

Continue/Read Original Article: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-deployments-of-national-guard-troops-reignite-a-200-year-old-constitutional-debate

#10thAmendment #2025 #America #ConstitutionalCrisis #DemocraticCities #DonaldTrump #Education #Health #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #NationalGuard #OnlyBlueCities #Opinion #PBSNews #Politics #Resistance #Science #SCOTUS #StatesRights #Trump #TrumpAdministration #USConstitution #UnitedStates

How the Trump administration is dramatically reshaping education in America – YouTube

17,516 views, Oct 19, 2025.

In March, Trump signed an executive order to begin shutting down the Department of Education, though it would take an act of Congress to actually close it. In the meantime, the department is taking dramatic steps toward fulfilling a conservative vision of a reshaped primary and secondary education system.

John Yang speaks with ProPublica investigative reporter Jennifer Smith Richards for more. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage.

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Continue/Read Original Article Here: How the Trump administration is dramatically reshaping education in America – YouTube

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Leonard Peltier is being interviewed on tonight's Cascade PBS News Hour.

To many supporters, Leonard Peltier was a political prisoner unjustly punished for his activism with the American Indian Movement. To his critics, he is a remorseless killer of two FBI agents in 1975, a charge he denies. President Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence, restricting him to home confinement.

Locally carried in Seattle area (from Tiger Mountain transmitter?) by KCTS on OTA channel 9-1

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/indigenous-activist-leonard-peltier-on-adjusting-to-life-at-home-after-decades-in-prison

#AIM #AmericanIndianMovement #PBS #PBSNewsHour #PBSNews #KCTS #FreeLeonard #FreeLeonardPeltier #LeonardPeltier #Peltier #FBI