August 25, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The U.S. and allied evacuation of Afghanistan is now flying out thousands of Americans, allied personnel, and afghans every day, as a Biden-pronounced deadline looms for a complete withdrawal in less than one week. The first of the nearly 6,000 American troops have left, and many thousands more Afghans — and Americans — await. Lisa Desjardins and Jane Ferguson report.

For a broader look at the looming deadline to evacuate Afghanistan, Amna Nawaz speaks to Matt Zeller, co-founder of "No One Left Behind," a nonprofit dedicated to getting interpreters and their families out of Afghanistan. He also served in the army, authored "Watches Without Time: An American Soldier in Afghanistan." They are joined by John Sifton, the Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the World Health Organization warned that its probe of COVID-19's origins has stalled and the trail is growing cold. Northern California's Caldor Fire rained more ash over the Lake Tahoe basin, leaving a thick yellow haze that closed schools for a third day. Graphic new video has emerged of a Louisiana state policeman beating a Black man during a 2019 traffic stop.

On the heels of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy, Amna Nawaz takes this moment to do a check-in on the U.S.-Mexico border with journalist Robert Moore, founder of the nonprofit news organization El Paso Matters.

The clock is ticking away again for those who could face eviction this fall. The CDC's pandemic moratorium on evictions is set to expire in early October — or possibly even sooner. The Biden administration is pushing states, cities, and counties to tap into more federal aid, and get it to those who need it. But as John Yang reports, new data shows those efforts are moving much slower than needed.

The makers of the leading COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. all said Wednesday they have new data showing that an extra shot of their vaccine can boost protection significantly. After Pfizer, the remaining could receive full FDA approval as early as next month. But as officials prepare for adult boosters, plans to vaccinate kids of all ages with their first shot are lagging. William Brangham explores.