February 18, 2020 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump is appealing to black voters ahead of November’s general election, touting his economic record and arguing Democrats haven’t delivered for African American communities. But some of his methods, and those of his supporters, have drawn scrutiny. Judy Woodruff talks to Yamiche Alcindor and Donald Sherman of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington for details and analysis.

On Tuesday, President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of 11 people he said had served enough time or been treated unfairly. The moves come as the president has sharply criticized the Department of Justice for its handling of the case of longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone. William Brangham talks to two former judges, Harvard Law School’s Nancy Gertner and University of Utah’s Paul Cassell.

Six Democratic presidential candidates will debate Wednesday night in Nevada, with a new face joining onstage. Michael Bloomberg will participate for the first time this primary cycle, as scrutiny over his record intensifies. Lisa Desjardins reports on the candidate's efforts to appeal to minority voters ahead of the Nevada caucuses, and Judy Woodruff talks polling with NPR’s Domenico Montanaro.

In Syria, only one pocket of resistance to the Assad regime remains, in Idlib province. But since late last year, Assad’s military has been relentlessly attacking the region, and now, nearly a million people have been forced from their homes in the freezing cold. In a war defined by displacement, this is the largest movement of people in the entire years-long conflict. Nick Schifrin reports.

The Boy Scouts of America has filed for bankruptcy, with officials saying the move is the only way they can deal with the growing number of sexual abuse lawsuits and still maintain scouting programs for its current members. But, as John Yang reports, losing the chance to bring alleged perpetrators to justice is a bitter pill for former members who were abused as Scouts.

At the exhibition "Speechless: Different by Design," touching pieces of art is actually encouraged. As Jeffrey Brown reports, the Dallas Museum of Art show -- created as a collaboration between designers and brain researchers -- explores how people interact with their surroundings and how they communicate with each other.