December 10, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

On Wednesday President-elect Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, released a statement disclosing that the U.S. Attorney's office in Delaware is investigating his taxes. Yamiche Alcindor spoke with Katie Benner, who covers the Department of Justice for The New York Times, to learn more.

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office next month, many see an opportunity to restore U.S.-European relations after a Trump administration that backed away from the two side's traditional multilateral framework. Nick Schifrin spoke with Philippe Étienne, France's Ambassador to the U.S., to discuss Brexit, climate change, Iran's nuclear program and future relations with America.

In our news wrap Thursday, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister and three other former ministers were charged with negligence in the Beirut explosion, applications for unemployment aid have spiked as companies cut more jobs amid the pandemic, President-elect Biden continues to build out his incoming administration, and President Trump announced Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations.

A lawsuit filed this week by the Texas attorney general asked the U.S. Supreme Court to delay certification of election results in four states won by President-elect Joe Biden. President Trump and 17 states, all with Republicans attorneys general, signed on to the case, which experts say has little chance of being heard by the justices. Judy Woodruff Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan to discuss.

In recent weeks, we've spoken to two members of Congress who will be leaving the nation's capital about their up-close view of Washington politics. Now we're hearing from two incoming members of Congress about how they plan to navigate politics and governing. Republican Iowa Rep.-elect Ashley Hinson and Georgia Rep.-elect Carolyn Bourdeaux, a Democrat, join Lisa Desjardins to discuss.

As the U.S. COVID-19 death toll topped 291,000, a panel of outside advisers to the Food and Drug Administration late Thursday endorsed the emergency use of a Pfizer vaccine to save lives for those who are 16 and older. It's highly anticipated FDA approval would mean the biggest vaccination campaign could get underway in a matter of days. Amna Nawaz reports.

Many are hoping the first doses of a Pfizer vaccine could be given out in the U.S. as soon as next week, and a vaccine by Moderna could follow before the month's end. But there are real concerns about how quickly states can conduct mass vaccinations. Amna Nawaz spoke with Dr. Jennifer Kates, senior vice president and director of global health at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, to discuss.