PBS NewsHour - Segments

New CDC data released Wednesday indicates that deaths from drug overdoses in the U.S. reached a record-high last year. More than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, the highest annual death toll ever recorded. Deaths from fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine rose sharply. Dr. Nora Volkow, the National Institute On Drug Abuse director, joins Geoff Bennett to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As wildfires continue to rage in the western United States, we look at how these increasingly common events are affecting the people in the midst of them. Lucy Walker is a documentary filmmaker whose most recent work, "Bring Your Own Brigade," follows residents after the disastrous Camp Fire in California. She offers her Brief But Spectacular take on the power of documentary filmmaking. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Ukraine announced on Tuesday that Russia is withdrawing some troops from the region around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and a crucial base for the Ukrainian military. The announcement comes after Ukrainian soldiers recently recaptured towns and as top U.S. intelligence officials told senators that President Putin was aiming for a longer, wider war. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Tuesday, President Biden defended his economic policies in the face of the worst inflation in 40 years and said his proposal for taxing billionaires could bring down rising costs. Also, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen argued abortion rights are key to economic health, the rate of U.S. gun killings jumped 35 percent in 2020, and South Korea's new president takes office. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The leaked Supreme Court draft opinion shows justices appear poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would result in the biggest change to abortion rights since the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed the right to an abortion with restrictions. Former Pennsylvania Attorney General Ernest Preate, who argued that case and asked the court to overturn Roe, joins John Yang to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

During the 18 months Mark Esper served as secretary of defense, he often clashed with President Trump, who wanted to use the military in ways Esper thought were inappropriate. Trump fired Esper in November 2020, a few days after Trump lost the election. Esper sat down with Judy Woodruff to discuss his experiences, which he details in a new book, "A Sacred Oath." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Extreme heat is gripping large parts of India and Pakistan, affecting hundreds of millions of people in one of the most densely populated parts of the world. Temperatures in India's capital rose above 100 F again this week. The NewsHour looks at how people there are coping. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The U.S. is in the midst of its worst deadly bird flu outbreak in years. Millions of poultry and wild birds have been killed. And although the risk to human health is low, the impacts have trickled down to consumers. William Brangham traveled to the Midwest, where producers and scientists are desperately trying to stay ahead of the virus. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Over the course of more than 100 years beginning in the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of Native American children in the U.S. were removed from their families, placed in federal boarding schools and forced to abandon their Native languages and culture. One college in Colorado is now reckoning with that history. Hari Sreenivasan reports for our "Rethinking College" series. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In Moscow and Kyiv on Monday, two countries at war fought over the meaning of what used to be the shared holiday of Victory Day, when Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet states celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany. But instead this year, the Kremlin likened Ukrainians to Nazis and Ukrainians compared Russian actions to Nazi war crimes. Nick Schifrin reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Monday, the son of one-time Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos scored a landslide victory in the country's presidential election, Sri Lanka's prime minister resigned after weeks of protests, the death toll continues rising in Havana, Cuba after Friday's explosion at a luxury hotel, and authorities in Shanghai intensified COVID measures Despite a drop in cases. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A leaked early draft of a coming Supreme Court decision suggests Roe v. Wade could be struck down. The landmark decision established the constitutional right to abortion and the last major challenge to it came in a 1992 case called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. Kathryn Kolbert, an attorney who argued that case for Planned Parenthood, joins John Yang to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Nearly nine months since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the economy is in freefall and about half the country is nearing acute food insecurity. But even with this widespread suffering, the Taliban on Sunday ordered all women be completely covered - head to toe - when leaving their homes, requiring them again to don the burqa that was a telltale of their first rule. Jane Ferguson reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The so-called "digital divide" remains a major issue in America when it comes to providing high-speed internet, particularly in rural and other low-income communities. The Biden administration on Monday announced new commitments from 20 internet providers to help close that gap by lowering the cost for millions. The Brookings Institution's Nicol Turner Lee joins Stephanie Sy to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how government at the state and federal levels are reacting after the Supreme Court leak on Roe and Democrats change their focus on the midterm elections. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders