PBS NewsHour

Amna Nawaz speaks to Russell Jeung, a co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate group and a professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, about a growing and disturbing trend — a rise in hateful acts from slurs to physical violence — against Asian Americans and people of Pacific Islander descent.

With millions of people still out of work during the pandemic, Friday's mediocre jobs report puzzled many analysts who expected hundreds of thousands more new jobs. Lisa Desjardins discusses its implications with Ellen Hughes Cromwick, a former chief economist at the commerce department during the Obama administration, and Michael Strain, an economist with the American Enterprise Institute.

In our news wrap Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris appealed for cooperation in a virtual meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to curb the rise in migrants arriving at the U.S. border. Pfizer has started the application process for a full FDA approval of its COVID vaccine for people 16 and older. April's jobs report fell far short of what many analysts expected.

60 years ago this Sunday — on May 9, 1961 — then Head of the FCC, Newton Minow, gave his first major speech, declaring U.S. television programming a "vast wasteland," because he saw the missed opportunities of what TV could offer. The phrase helped lead to the genesis of PBS. Minow joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the legacy of that speech.

Each week, the PBS NewsHour pauses to remember five Americans lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, and shares memories and highlights from their lives.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the latest jobs report, the internal politics in the Republican party as it attempts to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, and the latest string of election law changes in conservative states.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is working with President Biden on infrastructure, education and a number of other issues. She also just released a new book, "Persist," about her own campaign experiences and plans. It emphasizes her personal stories as a working mother. She joins Judy Woodruff to discuss Biden's policies, and the experiences that inspired the book.

In our news wrap Thursday, the COVID emergency is growing ever more desperate in India as new infections top 400,000 for a second time, with nearly 4,000 deaths in 24 hours. French President Emmanuel Macron voiced support for releasing COVID vaccine patents in a bid to increase access for poorer nations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that global vaccinations must move faster.

A new book shows that there were a handful of researchers, scientists and public health officials who seemed to have an early, prescient understanding of how bad the pandemic would hit the U.S., and what we could do to avert it. Michael Lewis' "The Premonition" describes this unusual group and how they tried their best to get those in positions of power to pay heed. William Brangham reports.

As India suffers through a devastating surge in COVID-19 infections, the 4.2 million members of the Indian diaspora in the U.S. are stricken with panic, pain and grief. Many are volunteering to help. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on the efforts of Indian American doctors to help mitigate the crisis in India. It's part of our "Agents for change" series.

Though the 2020 presidential election is six months behind us, a review of nearly 2.1 million ballots in Arizona's largest county is currently underway, ordered by the state's Republican-led Senate. Stephanie Sy explores the growing controversy and what it means for our democracy with Tammy Patrick of the non-partisan Democracy Fund.

President Joe Biden has given the initial nod for the U.S. to waive patent rights on COVID vaccines to boost international production. But there are real questions over how effective these moves would be, what other countries feel about it, and when this would translate into action. William Brangham discusses the matter with Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development.

Over 100 days into the Biden administration, how is the president dealing with national security issues? Judy Woodruff explores the question with former Defense Secretary, and former CIA Director, Robert Gates. He served in both Republican and Democratic administrations, and authored "Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World."

Internal divides over last year's election and the future of the party have come to a head as House Republicans seem to be moving to replace their No. 3 leader, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. Lisa Desjardins reports on where Republicans are drawing the line on her comments about President Trump and the party itself.

In the past few weeks, a new and large form of COVID-19 relief has opened in the U.S., with the federal government offering to pay for all or most of every funeral of those lost to the disease. Lisa Desjardins reports on the unprecedented scale of help, how the rollout has fared so far, and the questions it raises about the cost of grief in America.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Republican leaders stepped up calls to oust Rep. Liz Cheney as the third highest ranking Republican in the House after she backed President Trump's second impeachment. A federal judge in Washington threw out a national moratorium on evicting renters during the pandemic. Police in San Francisco arrested a suspect in the latest of a series of attacks on Asian Americans.

A new book argues the 1970's was a moment when TV, movies, and music all shifted into a new gear, changing the cultural landscape in ways that continue to today. Jeffrey Brown has a conversation with author Ron Brownstein about his book "Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics." This segment is part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Four months after Facebook indefinitely suspended former President Donald Trump's account, the company's oversight board backed the initial decision to throw him off the platform at the time. But the board may have opened the door to allowing Trump back on this fall. John Samples, vice president of the Libertarian Cato Institute, is a member of the board and explains the decision to Stephanie Sy.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Judy Woodruff to discuss President Biden's ambitious plans for American infrastructure and families, the price tag associated with them, the fate of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in the Senate, and the investigation into, and fallout from, the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Brazil formalized a criminal investigation last week into President Jair Bolsonaro’s response to the pandemic. It could lead to his impeachment. The country just passed 400,000 total fatalities so far, with no significant slowdown in sight. With support from the Sloan Foundation, special correspondent Simon Ostrovsky and producer Charles Lyons bring us the first of two reports.