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Two workers in hard hats and safety harnesses install a camera high on a communications tower above a forested mountain landscape.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 12, 2026

How AI Cameras Are Detecting Wildfires Before They Get out of Control

2026 is on track to be one of the worst U.S. wildfire years in a decade. Students explore how AI cameras and satellites like FireSat are helping spot fires faster, and weigh the promise and limits of the technology.

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Two residents fill buckets and jugs with water from spigots on the back of a tanker truck along a Puerto Rico roadside.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 11, 2026

Drought and Aging Infrastructure Plunge Puerto Rico into a Water Crisis

Severe drought has forced Puerto Rican cities to ration water, exposing the island's aging infrastructure and frustration over the government's response. Students explore how families are coping and who bears responsibility for a fix.

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Judy Woodruff and Lonnie Bunch talk face to face in a Smithsonian gallery in front of a gold-foil spacecraft.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 10, 2026

Lonnie Bunch on How the Smithsonian Can Help America Understand Its Identity

When Lonnie Bunch became the Smithsonian's first Black leader, he called the institution as much about the future as the past. Now, amid a 2026 White House report attacking its leadership, students explore how museums shape America's story.

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Abdul El-Sayed speaks into a microphone at a campaign rally in front of an "Abdul for US Senate" backdrop.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 10, 2026

What El-Sayed's Primary Win Means for Democrats in November

Abdul El-Sayed's narrow Michigan primary win exposed Democratic divisions. Explore what it means for the party heading into the November midterms.

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FBI/CISA Joint Cybersecurity Advisory warning that Iranian-affiliated cyber actors are exploiting US critical infrastructure.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 05, 2026

What We Know About the Cyberattacks on Water Systems in 7 States

The FBI says at least seven states have been hit by cyberattacks on water infrastructure, with Iran the likely culprit. Students explore how these attacks work, who defends against them, and why funding matters.

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Split-screen video still of music journalist Sidney Madden and music historian Ted Gioia in a remote podcast conversation.
PBS News Hour Classroom August 04, 2026

How Music Has Helped Tell America's Story from the Very Beginning

What makes a song quintessentially American? On her "In Pursuit of Happiness" podcast, Judy Woodruff talks with Ted Gioia and Sidney Madden about how music has told America's story from the very beginning.

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A mural on a building in Froid, Montana reads "there's no place like home" with farm imagery and the state outline.
PBS News Hour Classroom July 31, 2026

ICE Arrest in a Rural Montana Town Prompts a Conservative Community to Take Action

Froid, Montana is rural, tight-knit, and deeply conservative. But when ICE detained one of its longtime residents, the town pushed back. Students explore how a community's values met a national immigration debate.

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Two black-and-white photos of San Francisco's Chinatown around 1900, showing families and children on the street.
PBS News Hour Classroom July 31, 2026

The Overlooked History of Asian Americans and the Struggle for Belonging

Asian Americans are the fastest-growing group in the U.S., yet their history is often overlooked. Judy Woodruff traces how that past still shapes who belongs in America, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to birthright citizenship today.

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Judy Woodruff interviews historians Lindsay Chervinsky and Ron Chernow in the Assembly Room at Independence Hall.
PBS News Hour Classroom July 23, 2026

America at a Crossroads: A Look at America's Founding from the Room Where Independence Was Declared

Judy Woodruff sits down with historians Lindsay Chervinsky and Ron Chernow inside Independence Hall to mark 250 years of American independence. Students explore the Declaration, its omissions, and what a more perfect union means today.

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Hazy orange-brown wildfire smoke blankets a city skyline of high-rises above a waterfront and highway.
PBS News Hour Classroom July 21, 2026

The Health Risks of Wildfire Smoke Across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

More than 115 million people faced dangerous air as wildfire smoke spread across 17 states. This lesson helps students explore the health risks, the climate connection, and how communities respond.

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