PBS News Weekend: Season 7
Season 7 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of PBS News Weekend Season 6.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 7 Progress Shield
January 5, 2019
Jan 5, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Jan. 5, the partial government shutdown enters its third week as the 116th Congress convenes with a Democratic House and a Republican Senate. Also, Ne
January 6, 2019
Jan 6, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Jan. 6, the latest on the continuing shutdown stalemate over funding for a border wall and new details on the exodus of American troops in Syria. Later,
January 12, 2019
Jan 12, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Jan. 12, the partial government shutdown enters day 22, making it the longest on record. Also, the ongoing court battle that is leaving many transgend
January 13, 2019
Jan 13, 2019 · 25 min
The partial government shutdown enters a fourth week, and a Native American community living on both sides of the border grapples with President Trump's proposed wall. Also, with t
January 19, 2019
Jan 19, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Jan. 19, President Trump offers a deal on temporary protection for people brought to the U.S. illegally as the partial government shutdown enters its
January 20, 2019
Jan 20, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Jan. 20, no compromise in sight as the government shutdown enters day 30, and troubling details emerge on how Purdue Pharma allegedly marketed prescript
January 26, 2019
Jan 26, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Jan. 26, what Roger Stone’s indictment could mean for President Trump, and how a classical maestra is breaking barriers in the classical music industr
January 27, 2019
Jan 27, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Jan. 27, government employees prepare to head back to work while the deadlock for funding a border wall continues, and a new Ebola outbreak in the Democ
February 2, 2019
Feb 2, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Feb. 2, the Democratic governor of Virginia denies he is in a racist photo and refuses to resign, Venezuelans take to the streets as the country's pol
February 3, 2019
Feb 3, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Feb. 3, growing calls for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign, and with the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, China takes the lead. Al
February 9, 2019
Feb 9, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Feb. 9,Virginia’s political scandal deepens with demands for the lieutenant governor to step down, Iran marks 40 years since the Islamic Revolution, a
February 10, 2019
Feb 10, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Feb. 10, border wall negotiations break down ahead of the government shutdown deadline, the Democratic field in the presidential race widens, and life a
February 16, 2019
Feb 16, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Feb. 16, Pope Francis defrocks former U.S. cardinal and archbishop Theodore McCarrick for sex abuse, the latest on violent protests in Haiti, victims
February 17, 2019
Feb 17, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Feb. 17, ISIS spreads its footprint in West Africa, Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis deepens as aid sits across the border in Colombia, and an Oscar-nomi
February 23, 2019
Feb 23, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, Feb. 23, clashes at the Venezuelan border as protestors try to escort humanitarian aid into the country and President Maduro breaks diplomatic relatio
February 24, 2019
Feb 24, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, Feb. 24, a standoff on Venezuela’s border blocks humanitarian aid, scientists rate Hollywood’s portrayal of climate change on Oscar day, and newly-digit
March 2, 2019
Mar 2, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 2, President Trump delivers his longest speech ever at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule usher
March 3, 2019
Mar 3, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, March 3, the U.S. and South Korea announce they will scale back joint “war game” exercises, a centuries-long dispute continues between Greece and Britai
March 9, 2019
Mar 9, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 9, following the money involved in illegal crossings and migrant smuggling on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, digging into the ocean’s pas
March 10, 2019
Mar 10, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, March 10, the latest on Sunday's deadly crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight, Republican strategist Frank Luntz on the political divide, Utah's Moab Mu
March 16, 2019
Mar 16, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 16, New Zealand mourns those killed in Friday’s terror attacks, a conversation about the media's responsibilities, technology, and terrorism, de
March 17, 2019
Mar 17, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 17, tributes pour in for the victims of the New Zealand terror attack, a look at how tidal currents are being harnessed to create power in Scotl
March 23, 2019
Mar 23, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 23, the latest on the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, novelist Don Winslow talks about America's war on drugs and his book "
March 24, 2019
Mar 24, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, March 24, the Justice Department reports that Mueller's investigation did not find Russia-Trump collusion during the 2016 presidential election, and wha
March 30, 2019
Mar 30, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, March 30, the State Department announced that it is cutting direct aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, we continue our series “Fleeing Home” a
March 31, 2019
Mar 31, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, March 31, a Customs and Border Patrol agent staffing crunch intensifies as more migrants arrive, what the northward push of Florida’s mangroves means fo
April 6, 2019
Apr 6, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, April 6, President Trump continues his push against immigration, children of undocumented Haitians are stateless after the Dominican Republic revokes
April 7, 2019
Apr 7, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, April 7, Rwanda is trying to build a new national identity 25 years after the country’s genocide, a look at whether the electoral college can be changed
April 13, 2019
Apr 13, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, April 13, the search for the last known slave ship to reach the U.S, a look at Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's tour of four South American countries,
April 14, 2019
Apr 14, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, April 14, the field of Democrats widens as Indiana's Pete Buttigieg enters the 2020 presidential race, Peru changes its permit policy for Venezuelans se
April 20, 2019
Apr 20, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, April 20, a look at what has changed on the 20th anniversary of the Columbine school shootings, the fallout continues from special counsel Robert Muel
April 21, 2019
Apr 21, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, April 21, more than 200 people were killed in Sri Lanka in a coordinated terrorist attack by suicide bombers in churches and hotels. Also, the creator o
April 27, 2019
Apr 27, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, April 27, at least one person was killed and three were injured during a shooting at a San Diego area synagogue, and Italy's new law pushes some migra
April 28, 2019
Apr 28, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, April 28, a community tries to heal after the deadly shooting at a California synagogue, Jeff Greenfield adds his perspective on the Democratic field an
May 4, 2019
May 4, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, May 4, the standoff over transition of power in Venezuela continues, North Korea launches short range projectiles, the toll managing offensive content
May 5, 2019
May 5, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, May 5, rocket attacks and airstrikes in a renewed Israel-Gaza conflict, the battle between the legislative and executive branches over the Mueller repor
May 11, 2019
May 11, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, May 11, more funding for the border as the U.S. takes rare steps to crack down on overcrowding and undocumented immigrants, Kurdish control in Syria i
May 12, 2019
May 12, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, May 12, rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Venezuelans fleeing crisis are seeking asylum in Texas, and a trip to the musical forest where wood f
May 18, 2019
May 18, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, May 18, tensions continue to escalate between the U.S. and Iran, Joe Biden focuses on president Trump at a campaign kickoff rally, the South China Sea
May 19, 2019
May 19, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, May 19, new state laws renew the debate on abortion, India wraps up the seventh phase of a weeks-long election process with exit polls favoring the coun
May 25, 2019
May 25, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, May 25, a federal judge halts funding for two sections of border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, President Trump begins a state visit to Japan with
May 26, 2019
May 26, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, May 26, President Trump downplays North Korea missile launches, the declassification debater in D.C., American towns under cyberattack from software cre
June 1, 2019
Jun 1, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, June 1, the latest on the deadly mass shooting in Virginia, a visual artist’s exploration of “The Architecture of Slavery," and the author of the new
June 2, 2019
Jun 2, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, June 2, authorities seek answers as Virginia Beach mourns. Also, how one utility in suburban Chicago powers its entire plant from the waste in wastewate
June 8, 2019
Jun 8, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, June 8, a deal with Mexico averts trade tariffs, astronomers are concerned about orbital debris as SpaceX plans to launch thousands of new satellites,
June 9, 2019
Jun 9, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, June 9, Venezuelans flood into Colombia after Maduro’s government reopens the border, western states may be under-utilizing prescribed burns to fight wi
June 15, 2019
Jun 15, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, June 15, pressure on Iran mounts after attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a documentary film on the legacy of Father Theodore Hesburgh, and a pre
June 16, 2019
Jun 16, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, June 16, massive protests in Hong Kong continue over a controversial extradition bill and the government’s response. A new book examines why we may need
June 22, 2019
Jun 22, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, June 22, President Trump plans new sanction’s on Iran and calls off ICE arrests and deportations of thousands of undocumented immigrants planned for S
June 23, 2019
Jun 23, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, June 23, President Trump threatens new sanctions against Iran, a preview of this week's first Democratic presidential debate, and the United States comp
June 29, 2019
Jun 29, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, June 29, U.S. holds off on further tariffs on China, an exhibit celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, and a push for more integrati
June 30, 2019
Jun 30, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, June 30, a historic meeting between President Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, why corporations are waving the Pride flag, and rethinking jails for
July 6, 2019
Jul 6, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, July 6, major earthquakes rock Southern California as residents brace for aftershocks, how the privatization of weather data is raising concerns and U
July 7, 2019
Jul 7, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, July 7, new threats to nuclear limits as Iran announces plans to increase uranium enrichment, the rise of ant-Semitism in France, and a look at why the
July 13, 2019
Jul 13, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, July 13, Louisiana braces as Tropical Storm Barry makes landfall and briefly became a Category 1 hurricane, Vice President Mike Pence visits the borde
July 14, 2019
Jul 14, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, July 14, we take the show on the road to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home to the 2020 Democratic National Convention next July. We speak to some of the state'
July 20, 2019
Jul 20, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, July 20, NewsHour Weekend takes the show on the road to Houston, Texas, where we talk to NASA experts about the future of manned space travel, and loo
July 21, 2019
Jul 21, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, July 21, heat emergencies along the East Coast amid record high temperatures as the Midwest sees relief, Puerto Ricans continue to call for the U.S. ter
July 27, 2019
Jul 27, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, July 27, a faceoff over the use of facial recognition technology in Great Britain, and how biometric data is being weaponized by protesters and police
July 28, 2019
Jul 28, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, July 28, Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence is stepping down, the Trump administration pushes ahead with a new asylum agreement with Guate
August 3, 2019
Aug 3, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, August 3, multiple fatalities in an El Paso, Texas, shooting, anti-government protests continue in Hong Kong, Democratic candidates stump for the coun
August 4, 2019
Aug 4, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, August 4, terror and tragedy grip America with two deadly mass shootings in less than 24 hours. Also, the latest updates on the massacres in Dayton, Ohi
August 10, 2019
Aug 10, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, August 10, the latest on the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Also, LGBTQ asylum seekers are often lost in the immigration debate, and
August 11, 2019
Aug 11, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Sunday, August 11, the latest on the death of Jeffrey Epstein, music legend Carlos Santana discusses his path to Woodstock, President Trump’s tweets promote con
August 17, 2019
Aug 17, 2019 · 25 min
On this edition for Saturday, August 17, pro-government and pro-democracy demonstrators face off in Hong Kong, and a retired police officer is coaching some of the growing number o