August 8, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Matthew Burtner is a composer and "eco-acoustician," weaving sounds he finds in the Alaskan tundra into his musical compositions. With climate change headlining the news, he hopes artists documenting the glacial melting might awaken their audiences -- and contribute to discussions about solutions. Valerie Kern of Alaska Public Media joined Burtner on a recent sound collection trip.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is warning of a devastating global feedback loop around how humans produce and consume food. A new report urges immediate action on agricultural practices that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, which exacerbate climate change and, in turn, make soil less productive. William Brangham talks to the World Resources Institute's Janet Ranganathan.

Actor and singer Utkarsh Ambudkar has appeared in the movie “Pitch Perfect” and television’s “The Mindy Project.” This fall, he’ll star on Broadway in Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Freestyle Love Supreme.” But despite these high-profile performances, Ambudkar, who is South Asian, hasn’t found it easy to avoid casting cliches. He shares his brief but spectacular take on making up his career as he goes.

On Thursday, federal immigration officials released 300 of the nearly 700 people arrested Wednesday in Mississippi workplace sweeps believed to be the largest single-state action of the kind in U.S. history. The raids targeted immigrant workers in food processing plants. Jeffrey Brown reports and talks to Hamed Aleaziz of BuzzFeed News and Tony McGee, superintendent of Scott County Public Schools.

With more Americans seeking treatment for mental health issues, lawmakers and the U.S. health care system are having trouble keeping up. People with severe mental illnesses who don't find adequate health care often end up on the streets or behind bars. And the options for residential long-term care are dwindling. Byrhonda Lyons of CalMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization, reports.

Government forces in riot gear are patrolling Kashmir, four days after India announced a change to the contested territory’s political status. Until then, India’s only Muslim-majority region had enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. Nick Schifrin talks to retired Amb. Frank Wisner about the decades-long dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir and what’s at stake.

August 8, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

It’s been five years since Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The incident sparked protests, questions about race and police brutality and a Justice Department conclusion that the city’s law enforcement practices had been unduly influenced by revenue generation. Yamiche Alcindor returns to Ferguson to see what's changed since 2014 -- and what hasn't.