January 19, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

There were major confirmation hearings on Tuesday in the Senate for President-elect Biden's nominees for three top national security posts as well as Treasury secretary. The hearings come a day before Biden's inauguration and at a time when his new administration will face historic challenges on multiple fronts. Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the U.S. reached 400,000 deaths from COVID nearly equaling the number of Americans killed in World War II, President-elect Biden had an emotional departure from his home state of Delaware on the eve of inauguration, Biden will offer a sweeping immigration bill once in office, and the incoming Senate majority leader says President Trump's impeachment trial is a priority.

As Congress looked ahead to governing under President-elect Biden, President Trump was said to be considering a volley of potential pardons before he leaves office. And Democrats continued to figure out what an impeachment trial for the outgoing president may look like. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

As President Trump leaves office, a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll shows that just 38 percent of Americans approve of his presidency, while 57 percent disapprove of his job performance. Peter Wehner, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center who served in the last three Republican administrations, joins Judy Woodruff for a bigger look at Trump's four years in the White House.

The U.S. passed another sad milestone Tuesday with 400,000 COVID-related deaths now recorded. President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris spoke at a special tribute on the National Mall to remember the lives lost in the pandemic. It featured music, remarks and a special lighting of the reflecting pool. Here are some of the moments from the ceremony.

College students have long been prone to stress, anxiety and depression. And three out of four Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 report poor mental health tied to the pandemic, according to the CDC. Hari Sreenivasan reports as part of our ongoing series “Rethinking College.”