April 23, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Officials at all levels of U.S. government are engaged in discussions about how and when to resume commerce and other activities. Polling data shows the majority of Americans support restrictions to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, but there have been some pockets of resistance against these measures. Yamiche Alcindor reports on the beliefs and the organizations driving the dissent.

More help is on the way for American small businesses. The House approved a $484 billion measure aimed specifically at aiding smaller employers and hospitals Thursday. It comes as another 4.4 million Americans filed for unemployment. Meanwhile, a New York study finds much greater levels of COVID-19 than lab tests have confirmed. John Yang reports and Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Thursday, severe storms killed at least seven people in parts of the South late Wednesday. Reported tornadoes struck in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma before moving east to Mississippi and Alabama. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to curb the Clean Water Act as the Trump administration had wanted. A 6-3 decision found that the law can include pollution released into the ground.

The U.S. suffered a big financial hit during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. As the novel coronavirus pandemic yields another economic collapse, many of those people are losing jobs, businesses and investments again. Here are stories from four people who endured major financial hardship during the last downturn -- and are now facing the jarring reality that it’s happening a second time.

Georgia’s governor says the state will allow some businesses to reopen beginning this Friday -- a week before his stay-at-home order expires. It’s a decision President Trump says he opposes. So far, Georgia has seen more than 20,000 cases and 800 deaths from COVID-19. For two views on the debate, Judy Woodruff talks to Valdosta’s mayor, Scott James Matheson, and Hardie Davis, mayor of Augusta.

MAKING SENSE: LONG ROAD AHEAD

In Europe, leaders are discussing the same tough questions confronting the United States. When should pandemic restrictions be lifted? How hard will the road to recovery be? The European Union has agreed to create a massive recovery fund to try to rebuild devastated economies. Nick Schifrin reports and talks to the EU’s ambassador to the U.S., Stavros Lambrinidis, about the group's "solidarity."

We look to the arts for entertainment, comfort and pleasure -- but they are also an economic engine. According to government analysis, art accounts for almost $900 billion of GDP and over five million jobs. Now, many of these people and organizations face crisis. For our Canvas and American Creators series about rural arts, Jeffrey Brown reports on what happens when the audience isn’t there.

Despite the grief and horror of the novel coronavirus pandemic, people around the world have shown signs of solidarity, from window arias in Italy to skyscrapers lit up in New York City. Across the U.S., Americans have coordinated group cheers for health care workers. The latest trend is now howling through neighborhoods. Breanna McCabe of Montana PBS reports on a roaring ritual in Missoula.