May 2, 2024 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Eddie Glaude Jr. has a call to action for everyday Americans to reclaim their political destinies from the heroes of our past and present. He argues it's needed to secure a just and democratic future for America and makes the case in his new book, “We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For." Glaude joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more.

Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 make up roughly 20 percent of eligible voters. A majority of them voted for President Biden in 2020 and are typically a reliable vote for Democrats. In Michigan, NewsHour sat down with four young voters to talk about the election. Most of them plan to vote in November but they aren’t enthusiastic about their options. Laura Barrón-López reports.

The Supreme Court wrapped up oral arguments and has now turned to rolling out decisions in some of the most consequential cases of the year. Those decisions will shape policies nationwide on divisive issues like homelessness and reproductive rights, and some of them could affect the presidential election. John Yang discussed more with NewsHour Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle and Joan Biskupic.

On the stand Thursday in Donald Trump’s hush money trial was Los Angeles lawyer Keith Davidson. He negotiated both the Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal hush money agreements at the center of the case against the former president. William Brangham was in the courthouse and breaks down the latest.

Among the more than 100 hostages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza are five American captives believed to be alive and the bodies of three Americans confirmed dead. Israeli American Keith Siegel has been missing from his home in southern Israel since October. Amna Nawaz spoke with his niece, Hanna Siegel, about the status of hostage negotiations and the relentless work to bring them home.

In our news wrap Thursday, officials announced rebuilding the Key Bridge in Baltimore will take four years and cost nearly $2 billion, Hamas is sending a delegation back to Egypt for talks on a Gaza cease-fire with Israel, U.S. intelligence says Iran's allies have paused attacks on American troops for now and Donald Trump stepped up threats to reject November's election results if he does not win.

While many protests on college campuses have been peaceful and many of the arrested are not students, this week has seen a series of escalating confrontations, occupations and shutdowns. That led President Biden to condemn violence and disorder following the latest developments at UCLA. Geoff Bennett discussed the largely peaceful encampment at Wesleyan University with President Michael S. Roth.