May 25, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including 2020 campaign strategy for President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden in battleground states and what Trump’s holiday weekend Twitter tirade says about his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Army soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as “The Old Guard,” have kept watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier around the clock for more than 70 years. Even though Arlington National Cemetery, where the tomb is located, has been closed to visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, this poignant ritual still endures. Judy Woodruff reports.

This Memorial Day, as the U.S. honored those who gave their lives in service to the country, the national death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic topped 98,000. Still, more areas loosened their coronavirus restrictions over the holiday weekend, and President Trump ramped up his push to reopen the country even more. He also levied new limitations on travel from Brazil. Lisa Desjardins reports.

In our news wrap Monday, top Democrats slammed the Trump administration’s national COVID-19 testing strategy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, with other colleagues, blasted the effort as intending to “reject responsibility.” Also, the British prime minister’s closest aide defied calls to quit over accusations he violated coronavirus lockdown rules in March.

Memorial Day represents the kickoff to summer and the usually busy vacation travel season. As states lift pandemic restrictions and reopen their economies, how are beach towns and business owners adjusting to a new landscape reshaped by coronavirus? John Yang reports, and Judy Woodruff talks to two mayors, Shirley Sessions of Georgia’s Tybee Island and John Olivarri of Missouri’s Osage Beach.

Native communities in the U.S. have suffered disproportionately from COVID-19, with higher rates of infection and death. The Navajo Nation has implemented a series of strict lockdown measures in an effort to protect its population, but health care facilities have still been overwhelmed. In fact, tribes across the country see the pandemic as representing an existential threat. Stephanie Sy reports.

Many Western societies have not had to face death at the scale of COVID-19 since World War II, nearly 75 years ago. Could the grim reality of the coronavirus pandemic change the way we deal with life and loss? Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

During this pandemic, people have turned to streaming entertainment services in record numbers. One of the bingeable offerings available is “Never Have I Ever,” a new series on Netflix from actor and producer Mindy Kaling. Amna Nawaz talks to one of the program’s stars, Poorna Jagannathan, about how the show blends humor with poignancy and addresses the timely topic of cultural divisions.