February 10, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

A new interactive theatrical production, "The Catastrophist," follows the story of a scientist thrilled by discovery and pained by loss. It was written by playwright Lauren Gunderson about her husband's life as a leading researcher into the causes and effects of pandemics. Jeffrey Brown has the story for our ongoing arts and culture series, "CANVAS.”

Opening arguments officially got underway Wednesday in former President Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, as Democrats made their case on his role in inciting the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins and White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The opioids crisis that has taken hundreds of thousands of American lives has received less attention in the pandemic, but drug overdoses and deaths have grown during the last year. Now, one of the world's most powerful corporate consulting firms has agreed to a major settlement for its role in the sale of painkillers. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healy joins Stephanie Sy to discuss.

In our news wrap Wednesday, a Georgia prosecutor opened a criminal investigation into former President Trump's efforts to influence the state’s presidential vote count, the CDC reported that wearing two face masks is more effective against COVID-19, President Biden ordered sanctions on Myanmar's military leaders, and Saudi Arabia released a leading women’s activist from prison.

About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are getting a shot of the COVID vaccine each day, and about 10 percent of Americans have received at least one dose so far. But the pace and the supply remain far too low. Andy Slavitt, a White House senior adviser on the COVID-19 response who has been at the center of the Biden administration's efforts to increase those numbers, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

Afghan security forces are strained to the limit and unable to stop rampant violence fracturing the country, as fighting has intensified between government forces and the Taliban. With the U.S. preparing to withdraw its troops, warlords and militias have been stepping in to fill the security vacuum. Special correspondent Jane Ferguson and producer Emily Kassie report from Bamiyan, Afghanistan.

As former President Trump's impeachment trial moved into high gear Wednesday, we spoke with two people who worked in the Senate impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton. Elizabeth Chryst was the Republican Senate secretary during the trial, and Melody Barnes helped broker the trial's rules as chief counsel to the late Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy. They join Judy Woodruff to discuss.