September 28, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Nominating a judge to the U.S. Supreme Court is one of the most important decisions a president makes. Who is President Trump’s newest pick, Amy Coney Barrett? John Yang reports and talks to John Adams, who clerked for Judge Barrett on the federal appeals court in Chicago, and Victoria Nourse, a Georgetown Law School professor who was Joe Biden’s chief counsel when he was vice president.

U.S. airlines are facing a challenging deadline. A dramatic decrease in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic has many struggling to stay solvent, and several carriers say they'll be forced to furlough employees unless they receive more federal aid. Amna Nawaz reports and talks to Nick Calio of Airlines for America, the trade association for the country’s leading passenger and cargo airlines.

Until the coronavirus pandemic struck, the cruise industry was enjoying a boom period, generating $150 billion worldwide per year. Now most ships have been grounded for months. But while operators wait to learn when they can sail again, the luxury floating hotels have become a stationary summer attraction in the United Kingdom. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from England.

In our news wrap Monday, suicides in the U.S. military are up 20 percent this year over last year. Air Force and Army officials say the stress of COVID-19 and isolation may be partly to blame, and the Army says it is considering shortening combat deployments in response. Also, demonstrations in Belarus are continuing, with protesters saying President Alexander Lukashenko rigged his reelection.

Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Errin Haines of The 19th join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how a report on President Trump’s taxes and business dealings could affect the presidential race, implications of the Amy Coney Barrett nomination to the Supreme Court and what to look for in the first debate between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.