February 24, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

As the 10-year anniversary of the civil war in Syria looms and fighting rages on in the hard-hit city of Idlib, Syria, doctors contending with the pandemic are stretched to their limits. In the last three months, COVID-19 infection rates in the Syrian opposition’s final stronghold have increased more than 50 percent, while the virus has been targeting the most vulnerable. Ali Rogin reports.

Black Americans have historically faced discrimination and even abuse by medical professionals, issues that have again come to the forefront during the pandemic. We here from Americans who have directly experienced discrimination, and Yamiche Alcindor speaks with Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble, a professor of medical humanities at George Washington University, to discuss this painful legacy.

The West African country of Ghana on Wednesday became the first nation to receive a delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through a global initiative called COVAX, which aims to give more equitable access to the vaccine. Nick Schifrin reports and speaks to Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, medical director of the special pathogens unit at Boston Medical Center, to learn more about global inequities.

It's a busy week on Capitol Hill, with a full slate of confirmation hearings on President Biden's nominees and a possible House vote on the COVID economic-relief plan. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration reported Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine is 66-percent effective against moderate and severe symptoms, President Biden's attempt to halt most immigrant deportations for 100 days is on hold, and a former staffer for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo escalates her claims of sexual assault.

With the Senate evenly split 50-50, moderate senators have become key to getting President Biden's COVID bill passed and his Cabinet nominees approved. Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In a time when statues and monuments around the country are being removed for what they represent, the Shaw Memorial in Boston is receiving attention of a different sort. It is being fully restored, with pride that the monument depicting Black soldiers marching off to battle in the civil war, stands the test of time. Special correspondent Jared Bowen of GBH Boston reports.