August 16, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

For the second time in a week there were mysterious explosions in Russian-occupied Crimea. A Russian ammunition depot blew up Tuesday in the peninsula's northeast, less than a week after explosions destroyed multiple Russian jets at the Saki Air Base. Ukraine has not officially taken responsibility. This as violence continues near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Nick Schifrin reports.

David Bornstein is co-founder of the Solutions Journalism Network, a group that works with news organizations to produce rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. The goal is to “rebalance the news” to provide people a sense of investment and communities with the information they need to participate in a healthy democracy. Here's his Brief But Spectacular take on telling the whole story.

Primary elections are taking place Tuesday in Wyoming and Alaska as voters decide whether to back GOP incumbents who have criticized former President Trump. Polls show Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney trailing a Trump-backed challenger as Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska tries to hold on. Also, former Gov. Sarah Palin is running for a U.S. House seat with Trump's support. Laura Barrón-López reports.

The federal government on Tuesday announced a second round of water restrictions to states that depend on the Colorado River Basin. The move comes as the American West faces unprecedented challenges to preserve water that continues to recede rapidly. Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River program director for the National Audubon Society, joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.

Violence continues near Europe's largest power plant in Ukraine, the nuclear facility at Zaporizhzhia, as Russian and Ukrainian officials continue to trade accusations over who's to blame. Sola Talabi, an adjunct professor and nuclear engineer with nearly two decades in the nuclear power industry, joins Nick Schifrin to delve into the risks and dangers associated with Zaporizhzhia.

More Americans died from drug overdoses last year than ever before. And while deaths are up across nearly every demographic since the start of the pandemic, there’s been an especially alarming spike in overdose deaths among Black Americans. John Yang reports from St. Louis on the growing public health crisis.