September 3, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump is taking his reelection campaign to Pennsylvania for a Thursday evening rally. He is also facing scrutiny over Wednesday remarks in which he urged people to vote twice, which is fraudulent. Meanwhile, Democratic opponent Joe Biden spent the day in Wisconsin, a current focal point in the national uproar over police violence and racial inequality. Lisa Desjardins reports.

In our news wrap Thursday, the mayor of Rochester, New York, has suspended police involved in the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man, last March. Officers said he was spitting; they put a hood on him and pressed him to the ground for two minutes. He died a week later. Also, the Kremlin is dismissing allegations it ordered the poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who remains hospitalized.

Some of the federal government’s top health officials are suggesting a vaccine for COVID-19 could be released in less than two months. The move would be made through a special emergency authorization of the Food and Drug Administration. But the accelerated speed of the process is also raising questions. Amna Nawaz reports and talks to Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard’s School of Public Health.

As the presidential election approaches, questions are raised daily about not only the candidates themselves, but also how they are covered by the news media. In President Trump’s case, the attention focuses on his relationship with Fox News. Judy Woodruff reports and talks to CNN’s Brian Stelter, author of “Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth.”

U.S. airlines are sending out warnings about huge financial losses and urgently requesting help. Tens of thousands of flights for the fall have been canceled, and change fees have been eliminated in order to attract travelers. Meanwhile, flight staff and security are being drawn into arguments with passengers who refuse to comply with mask mandates. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

A three-time Cy Young Award winner, Tom Seaver is considered one of the best pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. He led the transformation of the New York Mets from a band of lovable losers to world champions. The Hall of Fame athlete died Wednesday at age 75 from a combination of a devastating form of dementia and COVID-19. Stephanie Sy reports on his remarkable legacy.

The pandemic has created immense challenges for people around the world. In Malawi, an extremely poor country in southern Africa, the situation is complicated by the fact that many residents don’t have access to services and supplies that Americans tend to take for granted. Nonprofit worker Gertrude Kabwazi shares her Brief But Spectacular take on working to break Malawi’s cycle of poverty.