PBS News Hour full episode, June 25, 2026

Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes (7.2 and 7.5 magnitude) near Caracas, causing catastrophic damage and an initial death toll of nearly 200, with USGS estimating up to 10,000 potential fatalities. The U.S. and other nations are mobilizing relief, including search-and-rescue teams and $150 million from the U.S. State Department. This disaster exacerbates existing challenges in a nation facing severe economic and political instability, including a large sovereign debt and a polarized society where the U.S. had recently deposed its longtime leader.

Initial death toll stands at nearly 200, but that number is expected to rise sharply. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that a disaster of this scope may have killed as many as 10,000 people. The Americans deposed and removed Venezuela's longtime leader in January. Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez offered gratitude to the U.S. amid shifting ties between the two countries. Monica Villamizar notes communications are disrupted, official reports are unreliable, and many old buildings in Caracas do not follow code.

The Supreme Court issued two major rulings supporting the Trump administration's immigration agenda. One decision allows the administration to continue 'metering,' turning away asylum seekers at the U.S. southern border before they can formally request asylum. Another ruling permits the revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians and Syrians, impacting approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, with potential implications for 13 other countries. The court cited a statutory provision barring judicial review of the Secretary of Homeland Security's decisions on TPS designations.

The court siding with them. What more should we know about this case? [00:11:32] ...the Supreme Court said was that there is a provision in the statute that created the Temporary Protected Status program that bars courts from even weighing in on the secretary's decision to designate a country for TPS status or to end the designation. [00:11:49] ...the court's conservative justices disagreed. How did they see it? [00:13:38] ...the administration can continue to stop people, migrants at the border, from seeking asylum. [00:16:43] We have about 350,000 Haitians right now that are in Temporary Protected Status, 6,000 Syrians. This decision allows the administration to withdraw Temporary Protected Status from remaining 13 countries. They include Afghanistan, Venezuela.

In a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Monsanto (now Bayer) cannot be sued for failing to include a cancer warning on its weed killer Roundup. The court found that federal law, specifically the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), preempts state-level requirements for additional or different warning labels. This decision overturns a jury award to a man who developed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after decades of Roundup exposure and is expected to block thousands of similar lawsuits.

This was a 7-2 ruling, and they said that the company cannot be sued for failing to put a cancer warning on Roundup. [00:14:42] ...federal law can Trump state law. [00:14:56] ...the EPA the power to regulate the labeling of pesticides. [00:15:12] ...states can't include additional or different requirements on labels. [00:15:24] ...federal law trumps state law. [00:15:46] The decision overturns a jury award to a man who said more than two decades of exposure to Roundup caused him to develop a type of blood cancer. The ruling is expected to block thousands of similar lawsuits across the country.

A new bipartisan nonprofit, RAISE US, co-founded by former governors Gina Raimondo (D) and Eric Holcomb (R), aims to ensure the U.S. leads global AI competition without leaving American workers behind. With 70% of Americans fearing permanent job loss due to AI, the initiative seeks to foster a deliberate, planned transition through collaboration with states (Arkansas, Maryland, Utah, Connecticut as pilots), major businesses, and AI firms. Raimondo argues that current incentives favor layoffs, and a new system is needed where retraining workers is more economically viable than abandonment.

A new bipartisan effort is under way to help workers adapt to the potential disruptions from artificial intelligence. [00:00:24] One Reuters/Ipsos poll last year found over 70 percent of Americans fear A.I. will lead to permanent job loss. [00:41:21] A new nonprofit called RAISE US aims to bring together states, major businesses, and A.I. firms to do just that. [00:41:34] 'Right now, the incentives are such that a company lays a lot of people off today, and their stock price surges tomorrow. It is too easy to hit the easy button of layoffs. Companies need different incentives. Quite frankly, we need a new system where it's more expensive to abandon workers than to retrain them.'

Iran fired a drone that struck a Singapore-flagged cargo ship, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil choke point. This action, confirmed by a U.S. official as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drone strike, occurred as Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Persian Gulf to reassure allies about their security amidst U.S.-Iran negotiations. Gulf allies express deep concern, viewing Iran's move as a 'power flex' that strategically strengthens Iran and reinforces their distrust in the U.S. administration's consistency and reliability.

A U.S. official confirmed to the 'News Hour' that Iran fired a drone that hit a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz and traffic through the strait has largely stopped. [00:32:53] Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Persian Gulf to try and reassure the American allies there. [00:33:04] Hussein Ibish states, 'That's exactly what it is. It's a pure power flex. It's a message saying, hey, how easy it is for us to hit a ship?' [00:35:24] Gulf allies 'don't trust the intentions of the Trump administration. They don't trust the judgment the consistency, the steadfastness, and the fundamental reliability of this administration.'