January 17, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Monday has been a day to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and also a day of calls to action on voting rights. Demonstrators marched through streets in Washington in support of voting legislation now stalled in the U.S. Senate, and Vice President Harris warned the freedom to vote is under assault. Judy Woodruff discusses the day with the King Jr.'s son, Martin Luther King III.

This weekend's events in Texas where four people were taken hostage at a synagogue have renewed concerns about potential targeting of groups and the threats of anti-Semitism. Amna Nawaz reports on how this latest anti-Semitic incident is impacting the Jewish community, and what it says about the state of hate in America more broadly.

As the U.S. Senate returns Tuesday to take up legislation on voting rights, there's one major roadblock for Democrats: Majority Leader Chuck Schumer doesn't have the votes to pass it in an evenly-divided chamber. That's led to renewed talk of reforming the Senate's filibuster rules. Lisa Desjardins speaks to two experts about the filibuster and the Democrats plan to change or end it.

In our news wrap Monday, major U.S. airlines and cargo lines warned of a crisis when cellphone providers deploy new, faster 5G wireless internet service on Wednesday. Australia and New Zealand sent out surveillance flights to Tonga in the wake of an enormous undersea volcano eruption on Saturday. The U.S. and its Asian allies condemned North Korea's fourth firing of ballistic missiles in January.

A shortage of COVID testing has been a major problem across the country. Beginning this Wednesday, people will be able to order free at-home rapid tests from a government website. While the site's launch is being anticipated, many people also have concerns about those tests, and other key guidance being given right now. Nicole Ellis looks at some of these basic questions.

The Academy of Motion Pictures is best known for the Oscars, and for the controversy in recent years about the lack of diversity in its ranks and awards. Now the organization has opened a new museum in Los Angeles — said to be the largest in North America devoted to the art of filmmaking. Jeffrey Brown took a tour with one of its leaders for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

Australia and New Zealand sent out surveillance flights to Tonga Monday, in the wake of an enormous undersea volcano eruption on Saturday. Communication with the South Pacific island chain remains largely cut off, but there is word of significant damage. Nick Schifrin reports.