April 2, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The loss of jobs caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its fallout is unprecedented in the U.S. Over 10 million Americans became unemployed in the past two weeks alone -- and economists say there are many more who have not yet been counted. The NewsHour continues to share the stories of some of those who have been laid off or furloughed, in their own words.

What does the coronavirus pandemic’s unprecedented surge in job loss mean for the American economy? Laura Tyson of the University of California, Berkeley, who served as an economic adviser during the Clinton administration, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss whether delivery of federal aid to the unemployed will come soon enough and why the duration of this recession is so difficult to predict.

A sector of the economy that is being hit especially hard amid the coronavirus pandemic is the restaurant industry. In normal times, Americans were spending roughly as much money on dining out as they were at grocery stores. With restaurants now closed, more than 3 millions jobs have been lost nationwide. Paul Solman reports on the impact on establishments in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

In our news wrap Thursday, Iran dismissed President Trump’s claim it is planning an attack on U.S. targets in Iraq. On Twitter, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wrote “Iran starts no wars, but teaches lessons to those who do.” Also, a Pakistani court has rejected the murder conviction of the accused mastermind in the 2002 killing of Daniel Pearl. Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh has already served 18 years.

President Trump has long had a complicated relationship with the news media. He tends to seek out reporters he deems friendly, while butting heads with those he accuses of treating him unfairly. As ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl has a close-up view of these dynamics, which he describes in his new book, “Front Row at the Trump Show.” Karl joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

With so many Americans sheltering at home, it’s no surprise that television viewing, especially streaming video, has seen a dramatic increase. A recent Nielsen analysis showed an 85 percent rise in streaming from a year ago and steady growth from week to week in March. What should we watch first? Jeffrey Brown gets some recommendations from Los Angeles Times TV critic Lorraine Ali.

The coronavirus pandemic has infected at least 1 million people and killed over 50,000 worldwide. In the U.S., President Trump is taking new action to bolster medical supplies, and unemployment is surging. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy relieved the captain of the USS Theodore Roosevelt amid conflict over his response to COVID-19. John Yang reports, and Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The Trump administration is expected to change its position soon on whether Americans who are not health care workers should wear face masks while out in public. Up until now, the CDC has not recommended they do so. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the “major reversal” as well as the president’s second COVID-19 test and the latest on when Americans will receive government aid.