March 30, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The coronavirus pandemic keeps burning through the U.S. population. The country now has 160,000 confirmed cases of the illness and 2,900 deaths -- and infections are still rising. In New York state, the nation’s worst hot spot, Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to appeal for outside help. But health care systems across the country are straining to support the surge in patients. Amna Nawaz reports.

Despite recent signs of advancement, many health experts say the U.S. capacity to test for the novel coronavirus remains too limited and progress too slow. President Trump has previously claimed anyone could be tested -- but that isn't what we’re hearing from people who have tried. Jennifer Nuzzo, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

FRONT LINES

Human rights activists and medical nonprofits are calling on the Greek government to evacuate overcrowded refugee camps on islands in the Aegean Sea, where an outbreak of COVID-19 would likely cause humanitarian catastrophe. Concerns are especially grave regarding Moria camp on the island of Lesbos. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

In our news wrap Monday, police in the Netherlands are searching for a Vincent van Gogh painting, “The Parsonage Garden at Nuenen in Spring (1884).” Investigators say thieves stole the artwork from the Singer Laren museum east of Amsterdam after breaking in by smashing a glass door. Also, Afghanistan began releasing some 10,000 prisoners; members of the Taliban were not among them.

More than 250 million Americans in 30 states have been asked or ordered to stay at home. Although some still buy essentials in person at stores, many are ordering online instead. As a result, warehouse and delivery workers and professional shoppers have become central to the current economy -- and a growing number are concerned about the risks they face by doing their jobs. Paul Solman reports.

Dani Shapiro, author of our March pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions on “Inheritance,” and Jeff announces the April book selection.

The quarantine orders that define the current moment are changing nearly everything about American life. For families facing loss, that means an inability to gather and grieve as they normally would -- even if coronavirus is not the specific cause of death. Gail Grzybowski of Milwaukee PBS shares her family’s experience of coping during this extraordinary time.

President Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force held a briefing Monday evening on the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yamiche Alcindor was there, and she joins Judy Woodruff to discuss Trump’s latest update on virus testing as well as an exchange she had with the president on Sunday regarding states’ requests for more medical supplies.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how President Trump’s approval ratings have changed amid the coronavirus pandemic, the tendency of American voters to rally around leaders during a crisis and what these unprecedented circumstances mean for the 2020 presidential election.