December 11, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Friday, the FDA prepares to approve Pfizer's inoculation for emergency use, the U.S. Senate approved a sweeping defense funding bill, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will suspend indoor dining in New York City starting Monday, the Trump administration is set to carry out the second federal execution this week, and European Union leaders agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With the U.S. about to approve emergency use for Pfizer's vaccine, there have been some setbacks with others now being tested. Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline said on Friday the launch of their vaccine will be delayed, and AstraZeneca announced confusing results for its potential vaccine. William Brangham spoke with Matthew Herper, a senior writer for STAT News, to learn more.

California broke new records this week with the coronavirus, prompting officials to order restrictions in more than 90 percent of that state. Stephanie Sy reports on the situation in Los Angeles County, where frontline workers and communities of color are being hit hard.

The mysterious ailments that afflicted U.S. employees in Cuba and China in 2016 and 2017 were likely due to “pulsed radio frequency energy,” a new report found. Intelligence officials say Russia is the most likely culprit. Nick Schifrin spoke with former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos about his experiences being hit by the waves and debilitating medical conditions that ended his career.

As another week of the devastating pandemic comes to an end we take a moment to honor some of those we've lost to COVID-19.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including congressional negotiations, President-elect Biden's cabinet picks and the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on Texas's election challenges.

In a closely watched decision the U.S. Supreme Court late Friday denied an attempt by the state of Texas, supported by a large number of Republicans, to overturn the election results and President-elect Joe Biden's victory in four states. Judy Woodruff spoke with John Yang, Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor to discuss.