September 24, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Michael Pack, CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, ignored a congressional subpoena over concerns he has politicized and mismanaged media outlets that helped the U.S. win the Cold War. One of those outlets is Voice of America. Nick Schifrin reports and talks to Jamie Fly, formerly the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who was fired by Pack. He is now at the German Marshall Fund.

The U.S. presidential race is preoccupied Thursday with a stunning question: might President Trump refuse to abide by the results of an election he loses? So far, Trump has declined to confirm he would accept defeat, prompting widespread criticism and disbelief. But Republican lawmakers are insisting that if Trump loses, a peaceful transition of power will occur. Amna Nawaz reports.

In our news wrap Thursday, Democrats at a Senate hearing pressed the Trump administration to negotiate a new pandemic relief package. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the country is already “in the midst of the fastest economic recovery from any crisis in U.S. history.” Also, the president’s niece, Mary Trump, accused him and his siblings of cheating her out of millions of dollars.

Officials in Louisville, Kentucky, are appealing for calm after public outrage over the decision not to charge police with Breonna Taylor’s death. Two officers were shot and wounded amid new protests in the city overnight. But grief and anguish about the result of the case, in which Taylor was fataly shot in her apartment as she slept, extend across the nation. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

President Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power is tied to his criticism and false statements about voting by mail, which is expected to reach record levels in this election. Trump insists it can't be trusted -- but many state and local election officials disagree. Miles O’Brien reports on how voting by mail works -- and what past experience indicates about its reliability.

Amid President Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the election, new scrutiny is being applied to the security and integrity of American voting. Kathleen Hall Jamieson is director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, and she joins Judy Woodruff to discuss Trump’s “deeply problematic” statements and what they say about U.S. democracy.

Amid coronavirus and Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, health care is becoming an even more prominent issue in the presidential race. The Affordable Care Act's fate could be determined by the Supreme Court right after the election. Now, President Trump has issued two health-related executive orders. But do they have real impact? William Brangham talks to The Washington Post’s Paige Winfield Cunningham.

The pandemic has spurred surges in camping and RV travel due to the need for social distancing and outdoor activity. But it’s not all fun and vacations: one group of Americans adopted a self-sufficient and nomadic lifestyle long ago, living full-time in motor homes and working seasonal jobs to support themselves as they travel the United States. Paul Solman reports on retirement-age “workampers.”

Even amid the pandemic, the threat of cancer looms significant. Estimates suggest that more than 42,000 people will die from breast cancer alone this year, and more than 275,000 new cases will be diagnosed. But millions are also surviving the disease; NewsHour producer Ali Rogin is one of them. She joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her new book, “Beat Breast Cancer Like a Boss: 30 Powerful Stories.”

Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer were friends and longtime allies in their approach to the law. In a conversation with Judy Woodruff, Breyer remembers his friend's brilliance, attention to detail and dedication to her work.