May 12, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Betty Ferrell of City of Hope National Medical Center has been a nurse for more than 40 years. She also leads the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, which provides palliative care training for nurses worldwide. In recognition of International Nurses Day, Ferrell offers her Brief But Spectacular take on how medical professionals are showing up for us -- and how we can return the support.

New warnings from U.S. public health officials Tuesday emphasized that the national fight against COVID-19 is far from over -- and that lifting restrictions too quickly could cause unnecessary deaths. The sobering message was delivered as senior health figures, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, testified virtually before a Senate committee, and the U.S. death toll passed 82,000. Amna Nawaz reports.

On Tuesday, top U.S. public health officials testified virtually about the coronavirus pandemic before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is one of two medical doctors within the group. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss strategy for COVID-19 testing, Dr. Anthony Fauci and why he is now “more confident” about the crisis response.

As more states lift restrictions put in place to slow the coronavirus, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions is hearing from health officials on the pandemic response. One of the country's earliest outbreaks of COVID-19 was in Washington state. Its senior senator, Patty Murray, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her concern about lack of transparency in testing for the virus.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, disputed President Trump’s claims that anyone in the U.S. can get tested for COVID-19. The former vice president charged that Trump has demonstrated “needless complacency” in his response to the crisis. Also, in Moscow, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has been hospitalized with the coronavirus.

The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in President Trump’s legal battle to keep his finances secret. Authorities in New York as well as several House committees are seeking Trump’s financial records, arguing they could reveal potential crimes or improper influence. As John Yang reports, the Court’s decision could have profound implications for the constitutional separation of powers.

The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as his country spirals deeper into economic and humanitarian disaster. But earlier in May, a seemingly private operation to invade and kidnap Maduro shocked everyone, it seemed, except Maduro himself. Nick Schifrin reports on the botched attempt and its implications for a country in collapse.

In U.S. cases of COVID-19 where race was identified, nearly 30 percent of patients were black -- even though African Americans make up only about 13 percent of the general population. The share of cases among Latinos is also disproportionately large. What is behind these significant racial disparities, and how are they affecting communities suffering the pandemic’s toll? Yamiche Alcindor reports.

One of the easiest ways to reduce the spread of coronavirus is handwashing. But in some places, such as Flint, Michigan, that simple task can be difficult to accomplish. Some residents of the largely poor city lack clean running water due to the 2014 water contamination crisis. John Yang talks to Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, who helped expose that emergency, about how the pandemic is hitting the city.