September 14, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

When Jasson Howell Sr. received a mandatory 10-year federal prison sentence for heroin distribution, his family shared his punishment. Two of his four children went to live with his parents, who have worked tirelessly to raise their grandchildren while remaining connected to their son. Kim and Dale Howell share their Brief But Spectacular take on keeping their family together.

The wildfire disaster in the American West is highlighting a major political difference between President Trump and Joe Biden: their perspectives on climate change. While scientists increasingly warn that climate change is driving extreme weather events like the western fires -- a view Biden adopts -- Trump blames the phenomenon on poor forest management. Lisa Desjardins reports.

In our news wrap Monday, Belarus’ embattled President Alexander Lukashenko traveled to neighboring Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who promised a $1.5 billion loan and warned against foreign interference in Belarus’ politics. Also, scientists in Denmark and Greenland report a huge chunk has broken off of the Greenland ice shelf -- another sign the Arctic is rapidly warming.

The Gulf Coast of the United States is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Sally, expected to hit east of New Orleans with up to two feet of rain. A separate hurricane struck Bermuda on Monday, and two more storms are currently brewing in the Atlantic. Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss why the slow-moving Sally represents a real danger.

In Oregon, more than a million acres have burned already during this devastating early wildfire season -- twice the full-year average. Over 40,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, and at least 22 are missing. Air quality in the area around Portland has been the worst in the world, prompting a spike in emergency room visits for respiratory issues. Special correspondent Cat Wise reports.

As large parts of California and the Pacific Northwest are beset by wildfires, the issue of climate change has taken on prominence in the national political conversation. Scientists increasingly point to rising temperatures and extreme dryness as exacerbating wildfires, but what other factors are involved? Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins William Brangham to discuss.

After years of war and economic deprivation, Syria is poorly equipped to handle COVID-19. But the coronavirus is spreading fast, both in government-controlled Damascus and in the rebel-held northwest region of the country, where it is targeting the most vulnerable. And the regime of Bashar al Assad shows no willingness to mitigate the health and humanitarian disaster. Nick Schifrin reports.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including the differences between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden on climate change and what the Trump campaign’s willingness to hold large indoor rallies says about Trump’s perspective on the pandemic.