April 30, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Author and former monk Jay Shetty has a message for those living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently leading a 20-day, live meditation series on Instagram, he says we should strive to do one thing each day that brings us joy -- and that despite social distancing, we can still nurture essential human connection. Shetty offers his Brief But Spectacular take on why we’re never really alone.

The World Health Organization held a rare emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the ongoing global health crisis -- and an escalating diplomatic battle with the U.S., its largest funder. President Trump has frozen contributions to WHO, blaming it for echoing China in its early response to COVID-19. Nick Schifrin talks to Duke University’s Dr. Michael Merson and Stanford University’s Lanhee Chen.

New government jobs numbers reiterate the extent of the pandemic’s economic damage. In the last six weeks, more than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs, including another 3.8 million filing for unemployment last week. Lawmakers are still debating how to provide financial assistance to states during the crisis, as federal social distancing guidelines expire. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

With more than 30 million Americans losing jobs or businesses and others forced to take pay cuts, making monthly rent and mortgage payments has become increasingly difficult. Viewers share their challenges, and John Yang talks to the National Consumer Law Center’s Diane Thompson, formerly of the Consumer Financial Protection bureau, about what regulators and lenders are doing to try to help.

The current economic crisis means rising demand for food stamps. While Congress has passed additional benefits for some recipients, a large percentage of the poorest households did not get an increase. Meanwhile, many people, from college students now at home to those at high-risk for COVID-19, are facing new complications in accessing their benefits. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

As Americans endure an unprecedented economic situation, they are confronting new challenges and worries about many aspects of their lives. In this week’s Ask Us, we focus on concerns about jobs and money. Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post’s finance columnist, joins Amna Nawaz to answer viewer questions.

In our news wrap Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defended Joe Biden -- the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee -- against an allegation of sexual assault. Pelosi, who has endorsed Biden, said she's satisfied with his response to the claim. Also, President Trump voiced support for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, saying Flynn had been set up by “dirty cops.”

As the debate over reopening amid the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the country, many states are beginning to lift restrictions. Wyoming is one of them -- with a relatively low number of cases, businesses there will start to open Friday. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is also a physician, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the pandemic and why it's "too early" to talk about state bankruptcies.