PBS News Hour full episode, Dec. 18, 2025

Correction: Some of the footage in the piece on Taiwan was incorrectly credited to the Taiwan Ministry of Defense. We regret the error. Thursday on the News Hour, new economic numbers show a slower-than-expected rise in prices, but Americans remain concerned about the cost of living. We fact-check the claims President Trump made in his year-end White House address. Plus, the U.S. announces a multi-billion-dollar weapons sale to Taiwan, prompting condemnation from China. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pbsnews X: http://www.twitter.com/newshour Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour 00:00 - Intro 02:25 - Cost of Living 08:39 - News Wrap 16:14 - Fact Check 22:10 - Easing Restrictions 29:15 - Arming Taiwan 34:23 - Trans in America 41:29 - Challenging Venezuela 47:36 - “Dog Show” 55:37 - Goodnight