August 18, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Protests against the Taliban turned deadly as the insurgents-turned-rulers of Afghanistan shot into crowds in two cities. In Kabul, the airlift of American, allied and Afghan civilians continues as more American troops land at the airport and desperate crowds remain outside. Jane Ferguson reports from Kabul — with the support of the Pulitzer Center — about the fear and hopelessness in Afghanistan.

The White House is now strongly recommending booster shots for vaccinated, a move that comes as more than 1,000 people died from COVID on Tuesday — the first time the count has been that high since March. It also comes as the delta variant accounts for more than 98% of new cases. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, a member of President Biden's COVID task force, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Northern California's Caldor Fire destroyed at least 50 homes in Grizzly Flats on Tuesday and threatened hundreds more. Remnants of Tropical Storm Fred blew into the Northeastern U.S. today, with warnings of mudslides and flash floods. The Biden administration is proposing major immigration changes to cut a record backlog of 1.3 million asylum request cases.

William Brangham discusses the future for Afghan women under Taliban rule with Rina Amiri, who focused on conflict resolution in Afghanistan for the United Nations and the U.S.; now a senior fellow at New York University's Center for Global Affairs. And Nura Sediqe, a public policy fellow at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and member of the Afghan-American coalition.

In Haiti, the death toll from Saturday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake continues to rise to almost 2,000 people. In cities near the epicenter of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, Tropical Storm Grace brought heavy rains and flooding, exacerbating already-difficult recovery efforts. Ali Rogin provides an update.

Qualified immunity protects police from lawsuits if they harm people while on the job. Advocates want it to end, but dropping it from police reform talks may make it hard for a final bill to pass Congress. Lisa Desjardins discusses it with Joanna Schwartz, professor of law at UCLA, and Lenny Kesten, a partner lawyer in Boston who has represented hundreds of police officers in civil rights cases.