November 21, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Ten candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination met on stage Wednesday night for their fifth debate of the campaign. But in Atlanta, nearly a thousand miles from the impeachment inquiry on Capitol Hill, that was still the first topic discussed. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg faced questions about his experience, and former Vice President Joe Biden about his record. Amna Nawaz reports.

In our news wrap Thursday, security forces in Iraq killed at least eight more people in anti-government protests in Baghdad. Medical workers said the victims were hit by live fire or tear gas canisters aimed at the head. Also, China demanded that President Trump veto two bills aimed at human rights abuses in Hong Kong. They mandate sanctions on Chinese officials who violate protesters’ rights.

More than 700 million people across the globe live on extremely low wages. This year, a trio of economists won the Nobel Prize for their work on addressing global poverty, using randomized control trials to test and improve social policy. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to two of those winners, husband-and-wife duo Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, about their work.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became his country’s first sitting leader to be indicted. The announcement came just a day after opposition leader Benny Gantz lost his mandate to form a unity government. As a result, Israel is entering a new phase of political uncertainty. William Brangham reports and talks to David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Let’s take a broader view of all the testimony in this week's public impeachment hearings. Leon Panetta was chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton and later served as director of the CIA and secretary of defense under former President Obama. Former Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., served as one of the House managers for Clinton’s impeachment trial. They join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

For more than three decades, the president annually bestowed one of the highest honors in the world of arts. But the National Medals of Arts and Humanities have not been awarded since President Trump took office -- until Thursday, when Trump honored country-bluegrass singer Alison Krauss, actor Jon Voight, author James Patterson and others. Jeffrey Brown reports on the winners and the ceremony.