March 26, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border is among the most politically divisive issues of our time -- and often presented as black and white. But the second season of filmmaker Matthew Heineman's documentary series "The Trade" offers a complex, intimate and human picture of migrants, traffickers and the U.S. officials enforcing the law. Amna Nawaz talks to Heineman and producer Monica Villamizar.

Wednesday’s huge rise in unemployment claims dwarfs all historical records in the U.S. Although nearly 3.3 million filed, many economists say the number still doesn’t reflect the full scope of people who have been laid off or furloughed or are losing their businesses. We asked Americans to share their stories of the struggles they are facing right now. Here is a sampling of what we heard.

Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers has deep experience in economic policy. On Wednesday, he was among a bipartisan group of economic experts urging U.S. officials to prioritize resolving the pandemic’s medical emergency before trying to rectify its economic fallout. Summers joins Judy Woodruff to discuss direct payments to Americans, funding hospitals and the need for consistent strategy.

In our news wrap Thursday, the Justice Department announced indictments of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his top allies on charges of narco-terrorism. Attorney General William Barr said they conspired to flood the U.S. with cocaine. Also, Israel’s year-long political deadlock may be ending, as lawmakers elected opposition figure Benny Gantz to be the new speaker of parliament.

More U.S. hospitals are feeling the pressure and gravity of the spread of COVID-19. In New York state, hospitalizations rose 40 percent and 100 patients died in a single day. As the influx grows, some hospitals and medical practitioners are taking extraordinary steps to cope and prepare for the worsening crisis. William Brangham talks to Stony Brook University Hospital’s Carol Gomes.

President Trump recently announced strict new border controls, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Officials will now turn away most migrants entering the country from the U.S.-Mexico border -- including people coming legally and fleeing violence. Jean Guerrero of KPBS spoke to families stuck in limbo at the country’s busiest land border crossing, just south of San Diego in Tijuana.

Many Americans are staying home amid the coronavirus pandemic. But what does that mean for those who aren’t safe where they live? John Yang talks to Katie Ray-Jones, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, about how abusers may leverage a broader societal crisis to exact further control and why physical distancing puts victims of abuse at even greater risk.

President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force held another news briefing on Thursday evening, at which Trump reiterated his desire to sign the Senate’s new pandemic economic aid package into law. But Trump continues to differ from state governments and health officials regarding a timeline for relaxing physical distancing. Yamiche Alcindor was there, and she joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.