PBS Newshour, Author at Northwest Public Broadcasting

Analysis: Big Fall Wildfires Signal Arrival Of A Planetary Fire Age

By PBS Newshour November 2, 2019

A home burns as the November 2018 Camp Fire moved through Paradise, Calif. Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the rapidly spreading fire killed 85 people and burned nearly 19,000 building in Butte County, making it the state’s deadliest and most destructive fire in modern times. CREDIT: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Free-burning fire is the proximate provocation for the havoc, since its ember storms are engulfing landscapes. But in the hands of humans, combustion is also the deeper cause. Continue Reading Analysis: Big Fall Wildfires Signal Arrival Of A Read More

DNC Raises Polling Threshold Ahead Of Dec. 19 PBS NewsHour / POLITICO Presidential Debate

By PBS Newshour October 26, 2019

Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg wait onstage before the fourth Democratic U.S. 2020 presidential election debate at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio October 15, 2019. Photo by Aaron Josefcz/Reuters

Ahead of the PBS NewsHour/POLITICO debate, the Democratic National Committee said Democratic candidates must “demonstrate broad-based support by meeting both a grassroots fundraising requirement and one of two polling requirements.” Read More

PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill Honored With USPS Forever Stamp

By PBS Newshour October 22, 2019

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring the late PBS NewsHour anchor Gwen Ifill with a commemorative Forever stamp. Ifill died in 2016 at age 61 from complications of cancer. Continue Reading PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill Honored With USPS Forever Read More

Bernie Sanders Defends High Cost Of His ‘Medicaid For All’ Plan

By PBS Newshour October 21, 2019

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign event in West Liberty, Iowa, U.S. September 24, 2019. CREDIT: Joshua Lott/Reuters

In an interview with PBS NewsHour’s anchor and managing editor Judy Woodruff, Sanders criticized the current U.S. health care system as “dysfunctional” and said his plan would be less expensive than “if we do nothing.” Continue Reading Bernie Read More

Youth Suicide Rates Are On The Rise In The U.S.

By PBS Newshour October 19, 2019

No racial or ethnic group has been spared in this rising rate among young Americans, according to federal data.

While suicide was the 10th most common cause of death among Americans of all ages in 2017, it was the second leading cause of death among young Americans age 15 to 24, according to new data released Thursday from the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More

Is A Vaping-Linked Illness A Public Health Crisis? Depends On Who You Ask

By PBS Newshour October 9, 2019

Vaping has been linked to a cluster of hospitalizations in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. sestovic/Getty Images When Dylan Nelson

In a complex world surrounded by seemingly endless risks, why should one, like vaping e-cigarettes, become a problem that attracts so much national attention from health officials, politicians and the press? Continue Reading Is A Read More

Anger Grows In Afghanistan Over Civilian Deaths By U.S., Afghan Forces

By PBS Newshour October 6, 2019

Men carry a coffin of one of the victims after a drone strike, in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan September 19, 2019. CREDIT: Parwiz/Reuters

Increasing civilian deaths in stepped-up U.S. airstrikes and operations by Afghan forces highlight the conundrum the U.S. military and its Afghan allies face, 18 years into the war: How to hunt down their Islamic State group and Taliban enemies, while keeping civilians safe and on their side. Read More

Only 2 Countries Are Meeting Their Climate Pledges. Here’s How The 10 Worst Could Improve

By PBS Newshour September 29, 2019

The coal power plant "Staudinger" by energy company Uniper is photographed during sunrise in Grosskrotzenburg, 30km outside Frankfurt, Germany, February 13, 2019. CREDIT: Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters

10 countries account for approximately 70 percent of the world’s emissions, and all except one — India — are not on pace to meet the climate goals needed to prevent 2 degrees Celsius of warming. Continue Reading Only 2 Read More

U.S. To Deploy More Troops To Saudi Arabia And UAE In Response To Oil Field Attacks

By PBS Newshour September 21, 2019

This image provided on Sunday by the U.S. government and DigitalGlobe and annotated by the source, shows a prestrike overview at Saudi Aramco's Khurais oil field in Buqayq, Saudi Arabia. U.S. government/Digital Globe via AP

The Pentagon on Friday announced it will deploy additional U.S. troops and missile defense equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as President Donald Trump has at least for now put off any immediate military strike on Iran in response to the attack on the Saudi oil industry. Read More

Ken Burns Reveals The Song Stuck In His Head As ‘Country Music’ Series Premieres On PBS

By PBS Newshour September 14, 2019

Promotional picture for the Ken Burns documentary 'Country Music'

In his latest compendium of American culture, filmmaker Ken Burns, along with writer Dayton Duncan, explores the history of “Country Music” in a new 16-hour documentary. Burns said that story-songs are a phenomenon that can be traced back centuries, to long, multi-verse ballads that were handed down from generation to generation. Read More

How Comic Books Centered On Native Heroes Inspire Young Readers

By PBS Newshour September 7, 2019

Some of the comics that Francis cited that centered on Native heroes. (L to R) “Deer Woman Anthology,” created by Elizabeth LaPensée; “Thunder Eagle,” created by Jon Proudstar; “Code Talkers, Volume 1,” edited by Arigon Star, cover illustration by Roy Boney Jr. Images courtesy of Lee Francis IV

Lee Francis IV, who owns his own comic book shop Red Planet Books & Comics in Albuquerque, said his comic work acts as a “counterpoint” to the way Native people have been portrayed in popular media over the last 400 years. Continue Reading How Read More

Former Defense Secretary Mattis Declines To Weigh In On Trump’s Leadership Fitness

By PBS Newshour September 3, 2019

James Mattis spent four decades in the Marines. He served as a commander in Afghanistan shortly after the al-Qaida attacks in 2001. Celeste Sloman for NPR

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he wouldn’t “engage” on the question of President Donald Trump’s fitness for office, during an interview with PBS NewsHour. Continue Reading Former Defense Secretary Mattis Declines Read More

What Is An Endangered Species Worth? New Federal Rule Updates Calculation — And Sparks Debate

By PBS Newshour August 23, 2019

Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. . CREDIT: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

What is the cost to the economy when an animal is listed as an endangered species? The Trump administration could soon start to publicize that calculation, along with the cost and benefits of categorizing an animal that way, under new rules it finalized earlier this month. Read More

Will Low-Polling Democrats Jump From Presidential Runs To Senate Races?

By PBS Newshour August 18, 2019

Beto O'Rourke speaks on stage during the Willie Nelson concert in support of his campaign for U.S. Senate at Auditorium Shores on September 29, 2018 in Austin, Texas. CREDIT: GARY MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

A whopping 23 Democrats are running to defeat President Donald Trump, but only one can win, leaving many to ask whether low-polling candidates should bow out and instead help flip the U.S. Senate to their party. Continue Reading Will Read More

Analysis: Why It’s Time To Stop Blaming Video Games For Real-World Violence

By PBS Newshour August 5, 2019

There is no evidence to support these claims that violent media and real-world violence are connected. Photo by kerkezz/Adobe Stock

As a researcher who has studied violent video games for almost 15 years, I can state that there is no evidence to support these claims that violent media and real-world violence are connected. As far back as 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that research did not find a clear connection between violent video games and aggressive behavior. Read More

A Rediscovered John Steinbeck Short Story Is A Comical Tale Of A Chef And His Cat

By PBS Newshour August 4, 2019

Author John Steinbeck, whose novel "The Grapes of Wrath" ranks as one of the classics of the 20th century American letters, holds a press conference October 25th after being awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature.

While Steinbeck’s estate was aware of the short story’s existence, it is being made available to read in English for the first time by literary quarterly The Strand Magazine. Continue Reading A Rediscovered John Steinbeck Short Read More

What’s The Toll Of Childhood Cancer? 11 Million Years Of Human Potential Every Year, Study Says

By PBS Newshour July 31, 2019

Four-year-old Niuniu, who has late-stage neuroblastoma, a malignant cancer of the nervous system, sits on a bench while his mother pays his medical bills after getting tested for his fifth round of chemotherapy at Shanghai Children's Hospital in 2013. CREDIT: ALY SONG/REUTERS

What does the world lose when a child gets cancer? Out of 2.2 billion children worldwide, more than 416,500 children are diagnosed and 142,300 are estimated to die from the disease each year. Now researchers have calculated the impact in more defined terms. Childhood cancer’s toll amounts to a total of more than 11 million lost healthy years each year. Read More

Americans Are Divided On Federal Executions. Why Is The Trump Administration Reviving Them?

By PBS Newshour July 26, 2019

The execution chamber at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence is shown in a screen grab from a video provided by the Arizona Department of Corrections on March 4, 2015. Courtesy Arizona DOC-REUTERS

The first federal inmate scheduled to be executed under the newly re-opened policy is Danny Lewis Lee, a white supremacist from the Spokane, Wash., area convicted of three murders in Arkansas and bombing Spokane City Hall in 1996. Read More

Digging Into Data: Do Gun Safety Laws Decrease Child Deaths?

By PBS Newshour July 17, 2019

Sophie Bell, 9, holds a sign during an interfaith candlelight prayer vigil to end gun violence in front of Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles, California, December 19, 2012. A gunman killed 20 children and six adults in a shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut on December 14. CREDIT: Jason Redmond/Reuters

There may be a connection between tougher gun laws and fewer child fatalities from firearms, a new study suggested Monday. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, says states with universal background checks report fewer children’s deaths due to gun incidents. However, more data is needed to understand the relationship between firearms and public health, and to Read More

5 Ways To Avoid Food Poisoning From Your Summer Barbecue

By PBS Newshour July 5, 2019

You can still enjoy a pink hamburger, but a thermometer is your best ally on the grill and in the kitchen. Photo via Adobe Stock Images.

As many as 50 million Americans annually suffer from food poisoning after eating something that wasn’t handled or cooked properly. Among those, about 130,000 people are hospitalized, and 3,000 people die from foodborne illnesses. Though the problem may seem unpredictable, it’s entirely preventable. Read More

In Erika Ryan’s Voice Come The Moody Sounds Of The West

By PBS Newshour July 3, 2019

Erika Ryann performing in Carbondale, Colorado, in 2017. She opened up for Band of Heathens. Courtesy of the artist

The PBS NewsHour recently spoke to Erika Ryann, who is based in Larskpur, Colorado, while on a solo tour. She has been performing and writing for the last 15 years, currently plays both solo and in five other bands, and is releasing her first solo album this coming winter. Read More

President Trump Faces New Sexual Assault Allegation. Here Are All The Others

By PBS Newshour June 21, 2019

President Trump, pictured in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on June 12, spoke with ABC News about whether he would accept damaging information about a 2020 rival from another government. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Sixteen women have come forward with allegations against President Donald Trump, each accusing him of inappropriate conduct. The most recent, from writer and columnist E. Jean Carroll, appeared in NY Magazine on Friday. Continue Read More

How Are Schools Securing Classrooms? Colorado Is A Model Based On Past Tragedies

By PBS Newshour June 15, 2019

Columbine High School sign in Littleton, Colorado

School shootings have become a tragic reality of modern American life. How can school administrators prepare for the worst-case scenario? Continue Reading How Are Schools Securing Classrooms? Colorado Is A Model Based On Past Read More

Canada Wants To Ban Single-Use Plastics. Would It Make A Difference?

By PBS Newshour June 13, 2019

A Canadian ban on single-use plastics products could go into effect as early as 2021. CREDIT: COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT PUBLIC WORKS

From Vancouver to Halifax, plastic plates, plastic bags and plastic straws may be on their way out. But a possible country-wide prohibition on certain single-use plastic products may not address the spread of the most insidious plastic litter, some scientists say. Read More

What Federal PrEP Drug Plan For Uninsured Americans Means For The Spread Of HIV

By PBS Newshour May 14, 2019

Truvada is the only FDA-approved drug to prevent HIV infection

Top HIV/AIDS researchers and public health advocates say the Trump administration’s new deal to provide uninsured Americans with free drugs to prevent HIV infection is a promising step in America’s fight against AIDS. But actually reaching the very people most in need of the medication — like men who have sex with men and people who use injection drugs — and convincing Read More

Who Would Pay For President Trump’s New Tariff Hike?

By PBS Newshour May 9, 2019

A new round of tariff possibilities between the U.S. and China could have trickle down consequences to consumers and businesses. CREDIT: Petar Kujundzic/Reuters

If the Trump administration follows through with its plan to hike tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports at midnight Friday, it would likely hurt not only China’s economy but American consumers and businesses, too. Continue Reading Who Would Pay Read More

10 Great Books Of 2018 For Your 2019 Reading List

By PBS Newshour January 1, 2019

Balancing stack of books. Photo by Getty Images

If you are looking to start off the new year by catching up on good books you may have missed in 2018, there are plenty to pick from. Last year, authors brought us stories of immigration, ideas about identity politics, creative takes on mythology and literary ambition. Read More

How Paul Manafort Violated His Plea Deal, According To Robert Mueller’s Documents

By PBS Newshour December 8, 2018

Paul Manafort, former campaign manager to Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump, has denied working on behalf of Russia. CREDIT: Rick Wilking/Reuters

Paul Manafort “lied in multiple ways and on multiple occasions” in meetings with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, according to new documents from the special counsel’s office. Continue Reading How Paul Manafort Violated His Read More

These Wicked Dia De Los Muertos Poems Don’t Spare Anyone

By PBS Newshour November 3, 2018

For the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, writing rhyming poems called calaveras literarias — mocking epitaphs for the dead or satire targeting the living — has become a proud tradition. Continue Reading These Wicked Dia De Los Read More

What Happened To Egypt’s Hope Since The Arab Spring?

By PBS Newshour August 15, 2018

Five years ago, Egyptian security forces opened fire on a protest tent city in Cairo, killing at least 800. What led to that day was an extraordinarily tumultuous few years in Egypt: the Arab Spring, the coming to power of a Muslim Brotherhood president, a coup, and the emergence of a new soldier strongman. Nick Schifrin talks with “Into the Hands of the Soldiers” author Read More

A Journalist’s Journey, Guided By Curiosity For Her Father’s Illness

By PBS Newshour August 14, 2018

Jean Guerrero’s "Crux" is the odyssey of a daughter in search of herself as she comes to terms with her own mentally ill father. Amna Nawaz talks with the author, who is also a journalist for KPBS, about how she told her own family’s story. Continue Read More

In A World Full Of Surveillance, This Artist Stares Back

By PBS Newshour August 14, 2018

When artist Trevor Paglen looks up at the night sky, there's beauty and wonder, but also a planet completely transformed by humans into a "landscape of surveillance." His new exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, “Sites Unseen,” offers a new way to look at very familiar landscapes. Jeffrey Brown reports on Paglen’s latest obsession: how artificial intelligence Read More

This Kindergarten Sneak Preview Helps Families Hit The Ground Running

By PBS Newshour August 14, 2018

For three weeks in the summer, children who are entering kindergarten in Portland, Oregon, get ready and get excited to start school. While it’s no substitute for pre-K, getting a preview helps ease the transition for kids, and offers parents a sense of connection. Special correspondent Lisa Stark of Education Week reports. Read More

What The U.S. Could Learn From Canada About Integrating Immigrant Students

By PBS Newshour April 5, 2018

In Canadian public schools, the children of new immigrants do as well as native-born children within three years of arriving. Continue Reading What The U.S. Could Learn From Canada About Integrating Immigrant StudentsRead More

How A Self-Taught Fossil Hunter Made His Biggest Discovery

By PBS Newshour April 5, 2018

Watch the PBS Newshour story about a man who made a large fossil discovery

In a PBS NewsHour Shares moment of the day, this self-taught paleontologist has been looking for dinosaurs in creek beds and rivers for more than 30 years, and has become something of a legend in the field. Continue Reading How A Self-Taught Fossil Read More

3D Printing Spurs Revolutionary Manufacturing Advances

By PBS Newshour March 22, 2018

A young startup called Relativity is pushing space technology forward by pushing 3D printing technology to its limits, building the largest metal 3D printer in the world. Continue Reading 3D Printing Spurs Revolutionary Manufacturing AdvancesRead More

Why Teachers Need Support To Spur Preschool STEM Education

By PBS Newshour March 19, 2018

Everyone knows that 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds ask a lot of questions. But that unrestrained curiosity can unsettle preschool teachers who feel they lack sufficient understanding of STEM education. Continue Reading Why Teachers Need Support To Spur Read More

Puerto Rican Students Flock To U.S. Mainland Following Hurricane Maria

By PBS Newshour March 19, 2018

Since Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico last year, more than 24,000 students have left for the U.S. mainland and more than 400 came to Hartford, Connecticut, where a third of residents identify as Puerto Rican. Continue Reading Puerto Read More

U.S. Forest Service Chief Under Investigation After Complaints Of Sexual Misconduct

By PBS Newshour March 3, 2018

The U.S. Forest Service has confirmed that parent agency USDA has “engaged an independent investigator” to look into complaints against Chief Tony Tooke. Continue Reading U.S. Forest Service Chief Under Investigation After Read More

Why Learning To Play Music Helps Kids Learn Everything Else Better

By PBS Newshour March 3, 2018

Learning music helps kids learn everything else better ADD Aired: 03/01/201803:11Rating: NR After performing with a world-renowned orchestra, Stanford Thompson returned to Philadelphia to start Play on, Philly!, a free, afterschool music program for young children in under-resourced neighborhoods that helps them go back into the classroom and become better learners. Read More

The ‘Homeland’ TV Director Who Made It Her Mission To Mentor Women

By PBS Newshour February 27, 2018

Behind the scenes of the acclaimed Showtime series “Homeland” is Lesli Linka Glatter, a prolific TV director whose success she tries to make less of an anomaly. As Hollywood comes to terms with issues of gender inequity and sexual misconduct, Linka Glatter is working to help bring parity to the male-dominated industry. Jeffrey Brown joins her and the cast on the set of Read More

The Devastating, Underdiagnosed Toll Of Toxic Stress On Children

By PBS Newshour February 26, 2018

The devastating, underdiagnosed toll of toxic stress on kids, PBS Newshour story

When a child's flight-or-fight response is activated too often, from abuse, neglect or parental addiction, it can change the structure of a developing brain. It's called toxic stress, and pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris believes every medical professional in the country needs to be equipped with screening tools. She offers her humble opinion on giving every child a shot Read More

National Portrait Gallery Unveils Portraits Of Barack and Michelle Obama

By PBS Newshour February 12, 2018

The National Portrait Gallery unveiled portraits of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama. Continue Reading National Portrait Gallery Unveils Portraits Of Barack and Michelle ObamaRead More

Why Teachers Selling Lesson Plans Have Sparked Debate

By PBS Newshour January 19, 2018

To earn extra money, many teachers around the country are selling lesson plans via online marketplaces. But as such sites become more popular, there are also concerns, including who legally owns the educational materials a teacher creates, and what it means for the collaborative spirit of the profession. Read More

Why Shareholders Are Pushing Apple To Study Smartphone Effects On Kids

By PBS Newshour January 19, 2018

Kids and smartphones: What's the mental health impact?

Smartphones have changed the way kids live and interact, prompting growing concerns about the consequences. In January, two of Apple's big shareholders called on the maker of the iPhone to come up with ways for parents to restrict their kids' phone use and study the effect that heavy usage has on mental health. John Yang talks to Charles Penner of Jana Partners LLC and Read More

The Ugly Truth About Truth, According To Errol Morris

By PBS Newshour January 15, 2018

If your goal is to talk to another human being and hear the truth, Errol Morris says you’re going to be disappointed. The filmmaker explains why he broke the rules of documentary and why sometimes falsehood wins. Morris gives his Brief but Spectacular take on truth. Full Transcript Judy Woodruff: Finally, another episode in our… Read More

DACA To Resume After Court Blocks Trump Administration

By PBS Newshour January 15, 2018

The Department of Homeland Security on Saturday said it would resume accepting renewals for DACA, the Obama-era program that protects young immigrants from deportation. This follows last week’s decision by a federal court blocking the Trump administration’s plan to end the program. Josh Gerstein, a POLITICO reporter who has been following the DACA story, joins Hari Read More

Can Migratory Birds Survive Rapid Climate Change? The Answer May Be In Their Genes

By PBS Newshour January 8, 2018

By: Teresa Carey, PBS Newshour A migratory bird can predict its own future, and this crystal ball-like indicator can be found in its genes. In a study published Thursday in Science, biologists at the Center for Tropical Research found certain genetic traits in yellow warblers can gauge how well they will keep up with the pace of… Read More

Evergreen State College Copes With Fallout, Months After ‘Day Of Absence’ Sparked National Debate

By PBS Newshour January 8, 2018

Evergreen copes with fallout, months after 'Day of Absence' sparked national debate

Students and staff at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, are teasing out how to define and express issues of racism and oppression on campus almost one year after an annual event there provoked a national conversation on free speech and civil rights. Read More

New Federal Guidance Raises Questions For Legal Marijuana

By PBS Newshour January 7, 2018

California this week joined a growing list of states and the District of Columbia where it is now legal to sell marijuana. But on Thursday Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era policy that discouraged federal prosecutors from bringing charges in places where marijuana is legal under state law. John Hudak, of the Brookings Institution, joins Hari Sreenivasan Read More

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