PBS NewsHour

Why land on a comet at all if chance for error is so high? Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Judy Woodruff to explain what can be gained from the Rosetta spacecraft’s mission and what we can expect from its research.

The newest members of Congress are in Washington for orientation ahead of the new session's start in January. Political director Domenico Montanaro meets up with two newly elected lawmakers as they learn to navigate their new positions on the Hill.

The seven-month stand-off between Amazon and Hachette over the pricing and profits of ebooks has ended with a new agreement beginning in early 2015. Jeffrey Brown speaks with Jeffrey Trachtenberg of The Wall Street Journal about how the disagreement hurt both the retailer and authors, and whether the conflict could return.

In April, an avalanche on Mt. Everest killed 16 Nepalese guides in the worst accident in the mountain's history. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Chip Brown of National Geographic on how the deadly disaster has affected the Sherpa community and the climbing industry.

Sam Suchmann and Mattie Zufelt are best friends. Three years ago, these teenagers with Down syndrome had the idea to make a zombie movie. Now, with help from their supporters, they have raised more than $50,000. The NewsHour's Mike Melia reports on their project and how it reflects a shift toward empowering people with developmental disabilities to express themselves creatively.

The world's two biggest economies and carbon polluters made an unprecedented announcement on climate change. President Obama promised that by 2025, the U.S. will cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than a quarter and China agreed to cap emissions by 2030. But the head of the UN's climate science panel said the deal alone won’t avert the effects of global warming. Judy Woodruff reports.

In our news wrap Wednesday, American nurses staged rallies and strikes in parts of the U.S. to call for better protection for medical workers who may treat Ebola patients. Also, NOAA, the federal agency that oversees the National Weather Service, was hacked in recent weeks. The Washington Post reported that Chinese hackers were responsible for the cyberattack.

The U.S. and China reached a historic agreement to drastically curb carbon emissions after months of secret talks. Will either side be able to deliver on the pledge? Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University speaks with Gwen Ifill about the pressures that led to the landmark plan and which other countries may be influenced to address climate change.

How will deals on trade and climate change, struck during President Obama’s trip to China, affect relations between the United States and China? Susan Shirk of the University of California, San Diego, and author and lawyer Gordon Chang join Gwen Ifill to discuss the significance of the relationship and the pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping to compromise.

The European Space Agency successfully landed a spacecraft the size of a washing machine on a moving comet -- a historic first for space exploration. Tom Clarke of Independent Television News reports on the Philae lander’s amazing touchdown.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of Democratic National Committee, says that American voters support Democrats on the issues, even if their candidates didn’t fare well in the midterm elections. As Congress gathers to begin the lame duck session, Gwen Ifill speaks with the congresswoman about the party’s assessment of election and plans for the future.

After the 2010 census, the Republican-led Alabama legislature redrew state legislative districts. But their plan was challenged for being a racial gerrymander and violating voting rights. To examine the case's move to the Supreme Court, Marcia Coyle of The National Law Journal joins Gwen Ifill.

Virunga National Park in Eastern Congo is the spectacular home to the only mountain gorillas left on the planet, and many other types of wildlife. A new documentary tells the story of a group of rangers working to protect the park from threats of civil war, poachers and oil exploration. Jeffrey Brown interviews filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the captain of a South Korean ferry that sank in April, killing hundreds of high school students, was sentenced to prison for his gross negligence which led to one of that country’s worst ever maritime disasters. Also, Americans honored servicemen and women in Veterans Day celebrations around the country.

While panic over Ebola has mostly faded in the U.S., communities in West Africa are still completely overwhelmed by the deadly epidemic. Alex Thompson of Independent Television News reports from Sierra Leone, visiting a village named Devil Hole where the disease has run rampant.