February 9, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Wednesday, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois are joining the move to end indoor mask mandates as the CDC works on new national guidelines, Canadian officials say anti-vaccine protests at U.S. border crossings must end, Russia's military moves keep the pressure on Ukraine, Iran unveils a new long-range missile, and Madagascar's death toll reaches 92 after a tropical cyclone.

At least seven states announced this week they will lift mask mandates for schools, but some public health experts and parents are concerned those decisions are being made too quickly without clear metrics for doing so. Dr. Mercedes Carnethon, a professor of epidemiology, pulmonary and critical care at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

The opioid overdose crisis that killed more than 100,000 Americans in a year is being called one of the most pressing national security and public health challenges facing the U.S. A majority of the overdoses are driven by the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. Maryland Rep. David Trone, co-chair of the federal Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, joins William Brangham to discuss.

Many economists believe the spike in prices is going to be quite high compared to a year ago, while inflation's bite has been particularly pronounced on some groups of Americans. That includes seniors living on fixed incomes and millennials who had already lost ground during the financial crisis and Great Recession. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

Journalists reporting on corruption, violence and cartels in Mexico are risking their lives. In the first 40 days of this year, four Mexican journalists were murdered. Of the 133 journalists killed since 2000, nearly 90 percent have gone unpunished. Jan-Albert Hootsen, Mexico representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss.

This week in Congress something happened that has been relatively rare in recent years -- there were bipartisan agreements on multiple pieces of legislation. Bills tackling the U.S. Postal Service's financial struggles and a major issue regarding workplace sexual harassment and assault are moving forward with support by both sides of the aisle. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, millions of enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to the Americas across the Atlantic ocean on a voyage known as the “Middle Passage." One group is taking a literal deep dive into that history, in hopes of making some important discoveries and raising awareness of the implications it has for people today. Jeffrey Brown reports.