October 2, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The nation awoke Friday to the stunning news that President Trump and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19. As the day went on, officials acknowledged that Trump is experiencing mild symptoms, and by evening, he was being transported to Walter Reed National Medical Center, reportedly as a precaution. Yamiche Alcindor reports and joins Lisa Desjardins and Judy Woodruff to discuss.

As President Trump relocates to Walter Reed National Medical Center following his COVID-19 diagnosis, there are many questions about his medical condition -- and about who else might have been exposed amid his busy schedule of events and travel. Dr. Ashish Jha of Brown University School of Public Health joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what we know about Trump’s health -- and what we don’t.

How does President Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis affect the executive branch -- and American national security? Leon Panetta was White House chief of staff to President Clinton as well as CIA director and secretary of defense during the Obama administration. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the risks and how the federal government can help reassure the public at this "very vulnerable moment."

In our news wrap Friday, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on eight Belarusian officials for their roles in the country’s disputed presidential election -- and the violent crackdown that followed. The move came soon after the European Union had taken similar measures. Also, hours of grand jury recordings in the case of the killing of Breonna Taylor in Louisville were made public.

The last jobs report before Election Day showed the smallest monthly gain since May, raising concerns about a slowing and deeply uneven economic recovery. About half the initial 22 million jobs lost to the pandemic have been added back, but millions of Americans are struggling -- and running out of federal aid. We hear from some of them, and Amna Nawaz talks to The Washington Post’s Heather Long.

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on into the fall, we remember the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have passed away from the virus. Here are a few of their stories.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including President Trump’s COVID-19 infection and what it means for his campaign and the country, and how the first debate between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden reflected on the candidates.