PBS NewsHour - Segments

In our new wrap Wednesday, the federal government is buying another 100 million doses of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot COVID vaccine, doubling its current order. Also, the federal budget deficit has hit an all-time high, Texas marked the end of its mask mandate, the Senate confirmed Federal Appeals Judge Merrick Garland for U.S. Attorney General, and Hawaii is under a state of emergency. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A key part of the COVID aid bill creates the most significant changes to the Affordable Care Act since it was passed more than 10 years ago, including larger subsidies to buy insurance, reducing deductibles and more money for Medicaid expansion. The CBO estimates the changes would cost more than $90 billion in the next two years. Julie Rovner, of Kaiser Health News, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As of Wednesday, Texans can work and gather without a statewide mandate for masks or social distancing, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order earlier this month that declared the state "100 percent open." Judge Lina Hidalgo, a Democrat and head of Harris County's governing body, which includes Houston, joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Europe's tourist industry has taken a beating during this pandemic, spurring Denmark to introduce vaccine passports as a way to boost travel. The digital documents will provide proof of a traveler's COVID-related health, eliminating the need to quarantine upon arrival in a new country. But opponents fear this could create billions of second-class citizens. Malcolm Brabant reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Jury selection is underway in the murder trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, who is charged with the killing of George Floyd. One of the central questions: whether a police officer will be convicted on murder charges? Paul Butler, a professor at Georgetown University's Law Center, and Chuck Wexler, of the Police Executive Research Forum, join Yamiche Alcindor to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The pandemic has highlighted structural inequities within American life, including a disproportionate impact on Black communities and poorer neighborhoods and access to and attitudes toward the vaccine. A new national public health campaign is trying to reach some Black Americans while leveraging the power of art to achieve "community immunity." Jeffrey Brown reports for our series, "CANVAS." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With stay-at-home orders in place, many victims of domestic violence have been trapped at home with their abusers. In this Brief But Spectacular, we meet Kathryn Jacob, the CEO of SafeHaven, which focuses on creating preventative programs that help high-risk people before they become victims. Here's her Brief But Spectacular take on confronting the pandemic of gender-based violence. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Tuesday, jury selection pushed ahead in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May, President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID relief package moves closer to enactment, the death toll neared 100 from Sunday's explosions at a military base in Equatorial Guinea, and the WHO reports nearly one in three women worldwide has suffered physical or sexual violence. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

President Biden's nearly $2 trillion COVID aid bill is one step closer to becoming law as the House of Representatives scheduled a final vote on the legislation. In advance, Democrats and Republicans jousted again over the details of the bill. New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the Republican perspective. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

One of the most pressing foreign policy decisions facing the Biden administration is its promise to reenter the Iran nuclear deal, but the Biden team is confronting obstacles restarting talks. Special correspondent Reza Sayah spoke with Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's top nuclear scientist, to discuss the potential for a deal, why talks are deadlocked, and the country's uranium enrichment program. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border is increasingly challenging the Biden administration, with the number of detained migrant children tripling in recent weeks, according to the New York Times. Almost half are being held longer than permitted by law. Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, joins Yamiche Alcindor to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Thursday, Capitol Police asked for National Guard troops to remain deployed there for two more months, U.S. Senate begins debate on President Biden's COVID relief package, the U.S is now vaccinating more than 2 million people per day, protests continue in Myanmar a day after security forces killed 38 people, and U.S. jobless claims climbed higher last week. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As the U.S. Senate moves toward floor debate on this next round of stimulus, we get the perspective of South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss some of the components of the legislation and other debates in Congress, including unemployment insurance, state and local aid, and the federal minimum wage. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For an opposing perspective on COVID relief and the congressional agenda we turn to Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who chairs the Senate's budget committee. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the minimum wage, the Republican response to President Biden's agenda, and the need for federal aid for local and state governments during the pandemic. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Republican state legislatures across the country are moving rapidly to pass new voting laws, amid former President Donald Trump's continued false claims of election fraud. Lisa Desjardins takes us to the battleground state of Georgia and explains the raging debate. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders