August 17, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

To make sense of the Taliban's plans for Afghanistan, Lisa Desjardins speaks to Ali Jalali, a former minister of the interior who served in the Afghan National Army. He's now a professor at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. And Torek Farhadi, an analyst and former advisor to the governor of Da Afghanistan Bank, ex-senior economic advisor to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

The plight of women and girls in Afghanistan, many of whom gained new freedoms over the past 20 years, is now among the most important priorities now that the Taliban have taken over. With the help of author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Stephanie Sy tells us the story of a woman who persevered under the Taliban, flourished over the last 20 years, and escaped the Taliban's return just 48 hours ago.

As the Taliban cemented their hold on Afghanistan Tuesday and spoke in detail about plans for the country, evacuations resumed. The top American general in the Middle East visited the Kabul airport to observe U.S. operations, now with nearly 4000 troops on the ground. But there is still fear about what the future may bring. With support from the Pulitzer Center, Jane Ferguson reports from Kabul.

In our news wrap Tuesday, Tropical Storm Grace swept through Haiti, increasing suffering after Saturday's deadly earthquake. After crossing Haiti, forecasters say it will grow into a hurricane as it heads for Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Firefighters in Northern California labored to save a town from the giant Dixie Fire. Maki Kaji — creator of popular number puzzle "Sudoku"— has died at age 69.

A seven-time Olympic gold medalist and record-breaking swimmer, 24-year-old Katie Ledecky is one of the most decorated Olympic athletes from the Tokyo games. She won the first-ever women’s 1500-meter freestyle, won gold in the 800-meter, and two more silver medals in this year's games, bringing her career total to 10. Ledecky joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her wins and what led to them.

The 19th, an independent nonprofit newsroom focused on gender and politics — and a streaming partner of the NewsHour— hosts its annual Represents summit this week. In an interview with NewsHour's chief correspondent Amna Nawaz for the event, tennis icon Billie Jean King described how, as a young woman, she'd worked with other female players to turn amateur women's tennis into a professional sport.

Judy Woodruff and William Brangham discuss the Biden administration's reported plans to recommend coronavirus booster vaccinations for Americans starting eight months after they received their second shot. An official announcement is anticipated Wednesday.