PBS News Hour full episode, March 31, 2026

The war, now in its fifth week, has created a de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point for 20% of the world's oil. This has led to U.S. gas prices hitting $4/gallon (highest since 2022) and global oil prices (Brent crude) reaching $118/barrel. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blamed allies for not participating, while President Trump urged nations to 'Go get your own oil.' Correspondent Reza Sayah reported U.S. strikes were hitting non-military targets like power grids and pharmaceutical companies, contrary to U.S. claims, and noted increased national solidarity in Iran against the U.S. attack. Eurasia Group's Cliff Kupchan predicted the war would worsen, with potential ground forces and oil prices rising to $130/barrel, dismissing market optimism as 'wishful thinking.'

Gas prices in the U.S. top $4 a gallon. (0:07) blockage of the Strait of Hormuz continues to be a problem (2:39) targets outside... Isfahan were set ablaze by U.S. strikes (3:01) Iran has allowed some ships to pass through the strait, including from China, India and Malaysia. (4:09) price at the pump hit $4 a gallon, the highest level since 2022 (4:54) we will negotiate with bombs. (5:28) Iran's Revolutionary Guard hit back today with a new threat, saying it will soon target U.S. companies in the region, including Google, Apple, Intel, and Boeing. (5:57) U.S. strikes... are also increasingly hitting non-military targets. Yesterday, airstrikes knocked out power in parts of Tehran. (7:40) Strait of Hormuz is so critical to the international economy, for oil, for LNG, for helium, for chips, for food, for fertilizer. (15:08) I think markets are in denial that there's a strong chance we get ground forces in Iran and that prices go up even further towards the $130 level. (17:08)

The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision, sided with a Christian counselor challenging Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors. The ruling sends the case back to a lower court, signaling that similar bans in other states may be vulnerable. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated the First Amendment 'stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech.' The court focused on 'viewpoint discrimination,' where the law allowed affirming identity but not discouraging it. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, emphasizing the harm to children and the role of expert medical community standards.

The Supreme Court sides with the therapist challenging a state ban on the discredited practice of conversion therapy for LGBTQ children. (0:21) In an 8-1 decision, the justices sided with a Christian counselor who argued that the law violated her First Amendment rights. (26:46) Justice Neil Gorsuch said -- quote -- 'Colorado may regard its policy as essential to public health and safety, but the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country.' (27:19) The court kept coming back to this idea of viewpoint discrimination (29:42) Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the lone dissenting voice... focused on the harm that she would argue is done potentially to children who undergo conversion therapy. (30:51)

An investigative report revealed allegations that civil rights icon Cesar Chavez sexually abused women and girls, including co-founder Dolores Huerta. This has led to cities canceling celebrations, renaming 'Cesar Chavez Day' to 'Farmworkers Day' or 'Si Se Puede Day,' and removing his name from streets and buildings. Historians and activists are now emphasizing the broader farmworker movement and women's contributions, particularly Dolores Huerta's, while cautioning against simply replacing one hero with another. The UFW called the allegations 'shocking and indefensible' but stressed the importance of not letting the moment 'fracture what so many worked so hard to build.'

investigative report from The New York Times revealed allegations that Chavez sexually abused women and girls for years (33:47) cities are canceling those plans (34:05) In Denver... activists instead celebrated Si Se Puede Day (34:57) patch of grass that bore Chavez's name... had a new handwritten sign, Dolores Huerta Park (35:04) Huerta herself, now 95, was revealed by The New York Times to have been raped by Chavez. (35:16) Minnesota and California... quickly passed new laws renaming March 31 Farmworkers Day. (36:28) UFW itself canceled its planned events, calling the allegations against Chavez shocking and indefensible. (36:48) Los Angeles... Board of Supervisors has now voted to erase Chavez's name from county streets and buildings. (37:37)

Suspicious trading activity on prediction markets, like Polymarket, has raised concerns about insider trading related to Trump administration policies, particularly regarding the Iran war. David Hill, an 'American Gambler' journalist, stated it's 'right for us to assume that there is a lot of insider trading.' These platforms allow anonymous betting on geopolitical events, with significant payouts. Simultaneously, a 'pardon industrial complex' has emerged, where lobbyists charge millions to secure presidential pardons, often for white-collar offenses like fraud, bypassing traditional review processes and forgiving financial penalties owed to victims.

suspicious trades in prediction and financial markets regarding Trump administration policies raise questions about who's really benefiting. (0:31) a lot of insider trading that goes on, on prediction markets, just as there's a lot of insider trading that goes on in the stock market. (0:41) a spike in the crude oil futures trading volume around 6:49 a.m. Eastern time. A few minutes later, at 7:05 a.m., the president posted... that he was suspending strikes on Iranian power plants (39:51) newly created accounts bet nearly $160,000 that a cease-fire will happen by March 31 or April 15. After the president's comments, the value of those bets doubled (40:45) Polymarket... announced new rules last week clarifying three categories of prohibited insider trading conduct (41:45) another lucrative business opportunity that's emerged, lobbying for presidential pardons. (43:13) In the first year of Trump 2.0, we saw $5.2 million in lobbying fees disclosed for pardon-related or clemency-related lobbying efforts. (43:56) More than 50 of the pardons and commutations he has made in his second term are for fraud. (44:55) These pardons... wipe away those obligations, those financial obligations. So this is sort of taking money out of the victims' pockets. (45:50)

The Washington National Opera (WNO) left the Kennedy Center after the center's board approved President Trump's plan to close it for two years. WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello described a 'coup d'etat' at the Kennedy Center, with leadership changes, new profit demands on arts groups, and a 'politicized' atmosphere. This led to canceled performances and audience decline. The WNO is now performing in various venues across the D.C. area and beyond, embracing 'geographic diversity' and 'creative freedom' as a 'grand experiment' for its survival.

board of what is now called the Trump-Kennedy Center formally approved the president's plan to close the center for two years. (46:36) Washington National Opera... had already announced that it was leaving. (46:45) Last February, there was literally a coup d'etat at the Kennedy Center. (48:51) New leadership put the president himself as chair in its place, a new requirement that arts groups break even or earn a profit on every production (49:01) The building felt politicized... The audiences felt this... burden that everything was about us or them (49:30) stunning decision announced in January by WNO leadership... to leave the newly renamed Trump Kennedy Center (50:54) I'm thinking of this as a new kind of creative freedom, that we are producing in different venues (52:31)