December 31, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

A tense new year has dawned in Baghdad after U.S. airstrikes against an Iranian-backed militia prompted one of the worst attacks on a U.S. Embassy in years. Bilal Wahab of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Kirsten Fontenrose of the Atlantic Council join Nick Schifrin to discuss whether the U.S. is falling into an Iranian “trap,” what the Iraqi people want and what to expect next.

Susan Choi’s novel “Trust Exercise” takes place in a high school for the performing arts in an unnamed southern city. But the subjects examined, including consent, power and memory, are universally relevant. “Trust Exercise” won the 2019 National Book Award for fiction, and Jeffrey Brown spoke with Choi at November’s Miami Book Fair about why she decided to set the story in a high school.

In Baghdad, supporters of an Iran-backed militia remained outside the gates of the U.S. Embassy after attempting to storm the compound earlier in the day. The U.S. military planned to move more Marines in, but the Iraqi protesters insisted they won’t leave until their demand -- that U.S. forces leave Iraq entirely -- is met. The Washington Post’s Mustafa Salim joins Nick Schifrin from Baghdad.

As the year comes to a close, we look back at the past decade in the American economy -- the first without a recession since record-keeping began in the 1950s. While unemployment remains at a historic low, wage growth has been sluggish, and inequality continues to divide the country. David Wessel of the Brookings Institution and The Washington Post’s Catherine Rampell join Jeffrey Brown.

Thanks to large checks from the wealthy, financial contributions to the 100 largest charities in the U.S. rose 11 percent in recent months. But the share of Americans who give to charity overall continued its long-term slide, with small nonprofits hit the hardest. A number of factors are at play -- including the 2017 tax law. Lisa Desjardins talks to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Stacy Palmer.