September 4, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump is facing continued criticism over disparaging remarks he allegedly made about U.S. troops. A report in The Atlantic magazine, which was later confirmed by multiple other news outlets, says Trump repeatedly called fallen American servicemembers “losers” and “suckers.” In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump denied making the comments. William Brangham reports.

In parts of the U.S., there continue to be protests and outrage over police conduct and responses to demonstrations. In Rochester, New York, the family of Daniel Prude is calling for officers involved in his March death to be fired and charged. And a self-identified anti-fascist suspected of killing a right-wing protester in Portland, Oregon, was killed by law enforcement. Amna Nawaz reports.

In our news wrap Friday, the World Health Organization warned vaccines for the novel coronavirus may not be widely available until mid-2021. The agency said it would not recommend any vaccine until its safety was proven -- and stressed distribution must be a global effort. Also, Cleveland authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a police detective during an undercover drug operation.

The U.S. economy is continuing to climb back from its worst depths during the pandemic. The latest unemployment report contained good news about workers returning to the labor force, and about half of the 22 million jobs originally shed have been recovered. But how are average Americans faring financially? We hear from some of them, and economist Diane Swonk joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Our series on universal health care, The Best Health Care? America and the World, was filmed before the novel coronavirus pandemic exploded. How have the three countries we explored -- the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Australia -- responded to this global crisis? And what lessons might they offer the United States? William Brangham reports and talks to Dr. Ashish Jha, our series collaborator.

United Nations human rights officials are blasting the national security law China imposed two months ago on Hong Kong. Beijing says the crackdown was necessary to bring stability to the semi-autonomous city after months of protests, some of which became violent. But pro-democracy activists and other residents say they are now tormented by fear. Special correspondent Divya Gopalan reports.

As yet another devastating week comes to an end, we take the time to honor individuals who have fallen victim to the novel coronavirus, including a 29-year-old father and a 60-year-old flight attendant. Judy Woodruff shares five stories.