PBS Headlines

The Justice Department faces a Friday deadline to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender and wealthy financier known for his connections to some of the world’s most influential people, including Donald Trump, who as president had tried to keep the files sealed.

Some experts say seizing sanctioned oil tied to leader Nicolás Maduro could provoke a military response from Venezuela, engaging American forces in a new level of conflict that goes beyond their attacks on alleged drug boats.

The livestream sharing commentary on investing appeared for at least eight minutes late Thursday on whitehouse.gov/live, where the White House usually streams live video of the president speaking.

The U.S. military said Thursday that it had conducted two more strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing five people.

The man authorities believe committed the deadly shooting at Brown University was found dead inside a Salem, New Hampshire, storage unit, authorities said Thursday night.

Secretary Marco Rubio’s year-end appearance comes amid key meetings on Gaza and Russia-Ukraine in Miami on Friday and Saturday after a tumultuous year in U.S. foreign policy.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on the social platform X that, at President Donald Trump’s direction, she is ordering the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program.

Inflation is showing fresh signs of cooling, ticking up 2.7% year-over-year, lower than many economists had expected. It follows the release of a delayed jobs report that showed weak growth and the highest unemployment rate in four years. The numbers could bolster the case for more interest rate cuts in 2026. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Austan Goolsbee of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year.

In our news wrap Thursday, retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family were among seven people killed in a North Carolina plane crash, authorities are investigating a possible connection between the shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor and the White House says Washington D.C.'s leading performing arts center will be renamed as the Trump-Kennedy Center.

President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night in a politically charged prime-time speech. In front of Christmas trees at the White House, he blamed Joe Biden and the Democrats in general for economic challenges and inflation. White House correspondent Liz Landers has this fact check.

President Trump signed an executive order reclassifying the federal status of marijuana, categorizing it as a drug with less potential for harm and dependence. It's a major shift in policy that could have wide-ranging effects on cannabis use and research. William Brangham discussed more with Beau Kilmer of the RAND Drug Policy Research Center.

TikTok has signed a deal to sell its U.S. business to three American investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The Trump administration has approved the largest single package of weapons sales to Taiwan in U.S. history. Many of the systems mirror those the United States has supplied to Ukraine. The move is part of a broader U.S. effort to help Taiwan deter, and if necessary, defend itself against China. Nick Schifrin reports.

The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a series of actions meant to effectively ban transition-related medical treatments nationwide for those under 18. Stephanie Sy discussed more with Selena Simmons-Duffin, who covers health policy for NPR.

For weeks, the Trump administration has been escalating pressure on Venezuela and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Wednesday night, we heard from a critic of the approach. For a different perspective, Geoff Bennett spoke with Jimmy Story. He spent 25 years in the U.S. State Department and most recently served as the top U.S. diplomat to Venezuela.

It’s been said that nobody can fully understand the meaning of love unless they've had a dog. Billy Collins agrees, and he recently released his 12th volume of poetry, called “Dog Show." Senior arts correspondent Jeffrey Brown spent time in New York City with Collins, and dogs, exploring this enduring relationship. It’s part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Around 70 photographs come from Epstein’s computer and email accounts, and shed more light on his lifestyle and social circles. The photographs, among 95,000 handed over by Epstein’s estate last week, were provided to the committee without context.

The European Union is delaying a massive free-trade deal with South American countries after fiery protests by farmers and last-minute opposition by France and Italy threatened to derail the pact, seen by its backers as an important geopolitical move for both continents.

Former race driver Greg Biffle and members of his family were among seven people who died in a plane crash Thursday in North Carolina, state police said.