PBS NewsHour

Tonight on the program, we examine the start of a new showdown as a war of words begins concerning the politics of facing the national debt ceiling after last year's stalemate. Also: War criminal Mladic on trial, the effect violence has on a student's ability to learn, the advancement of robotic limbs for those paralyzed, the defense rests in John Edwards' trial, and remembering Carlos Fuentes.

In other news Wednesday, Greece appointed an interim government as it struggled to escape a deepening political crisis. The country faces new elections on June 17. Also, former Liberian President Charles Taylor offered no apologies at a U.N. tribunal for fomenting civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone in the late 1990s.

Facing 11 counts of genocide and crimes against humanity, Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic finally went before an international court Wednesday after more than 15 years on the run. Jeffrey Brown and Michael Dobbs of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum discuss the case and Mladic's war crimes charges tied to the Bosnian civil war.

Carlos Fuentes was a prolific writer -- penning novels, essays, newspaper articles, even an opera. Recognized as one of Latin America's greatest literary figures, Fuentes brought stories from Mexico to the world stage. He died Tuesday at age 83. Ray Suarez and Ilan Stavans of Amherst College discuss the impact of Fuentes' work.

How does violence affect students' ability to learn? That's what eighth-grader De'Qonton Davis and his classmates set out to investigate as part of the NewsHour's Student Reporting Labs project in partnership with PBS station WEDU in Tampa. The students produced a unique video report that they hope President Obama will see.

After more than 15 years on the run, Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic -- once one of the world's most-wanted fugitives -- finally went on trial before an international court Wednesday. Mladic faces 11 charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes tied to the Bosnian Civil War in the 1990s. Jeffrey Brown reports.

Battle lines were being drawn again Wednesday for a new fight over raising the U.S. borrowing limit, foreshadowing a replay of last year's stalemate. Judy Woodruff, Todd Zwillich of "The Takeaway" and Roll Call's Steve Dennis discuss the renewed war of words and how a new debt battle might shape the presidential campaign.

Researchers have shown that patients paralyzed from the neck down can move robotic arms with their minds, according to a new report in the journal Nature that documents two cases involving brain-stem stroke victims. Margaret Warner discusses the hopes for the technology with Dr. Leigh Hochberg of Massachusetts General Hospital.

Despite a nearly three-week run by the prosecution, John Edwards' defense attorneys rested after two days without calling the former vice presidential nominee, his mistress or daughter to the stand regarding the campaign finance charges he faces. Judy Woodruff and the AP's Michael Biesecker discuss the case's next steps.

On Wednesday's NewsHour, Ray Suarez talked to Ilan Stavans of Amherst College about the life and legacy of Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes. Here is the continuation of their conversation that Ray mentioned on the program.

Judy Woodruff recently sat down with former Sen. Bill Bradley, D-N.J., to talk about his new book on a topic that has gotten a lot of attention: gridlock. Bradley says the media, money in politics and a hyperpartisan Congress are all partially at fault when it comes to the dysfunction in Washington.

Gina Danford always imagined she would be a mother. But it wasn't until her third cancer scare that she took steps to preserve her fertility. Here, she describes her feelings after learning a third mass was growing near her left ovary.

Gina Danford always imagined she would be a mother. But it wasn't until her third cancer scare that she took steps to preserve her fertility. Here, she describes her feelings after learning she had finally become pregnant.

Gina Danford always imagined she would be a mother. But it wasn't until her third cancer scare that she took steps to preserve her fertility. Here, she tells the story of her bout with ovarian cancer, at age 19.