December 27, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Friday, at least 12 people died after a passenger jet in the central Asian country of Kazakhstan crashed shortly after take-off. The Bek Air plane, with 98 people aboard, smashed into a concrete wall and building. Also, an American contractor died in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base that houses U.S. forces. Multiple U.S. service members and Iraqi personnel were injured.

Mass protests continue in India over a new citizenship law the government says will protect non-Muslim immigrants -- but critics see as a thinly veiled attack on Muslims. Many of the demonstrations have remained peaceful, but in some areas, police beat back protesters and the government shut down mobile internet services. Lisa Desjardins talks to Alyssa Ayres of the Council on Foreign Relations.

When Pope Benedict resigned in 2013, it was the first papal resignation since 1415 -- nearly 600 years. At the time, his successor, Pope Francis, was perceived as essentially Benedict’s opposite. But in a new film, “The Two Popes,” director Fernando Meirelles imagines the relationship between the two men and discovers that the Catholic figures are not “black and white.” Jeffrey Brown reports.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week’s political news, including the battle between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell over rules for a Senate impeachment trial, how the presidential primary race is shaping up among 2020 Democrats and the year’s most surprising political developments.