January 28, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Thursday, a more contagious version of COVID-19 from South Africa arrived in the U.S with cases confirmed in South Carolina, the pandemic shrank the U.S. economy by 3.5 percent last year, at least six people died at Georgia poultry plant after liquid nitrogen leaked into the facility, and a man in Pakistan accused of beheading American journalist Daniel Pearl may be set free.

A key part of one of the executive orders signed by President Biden Thursday will reopen enrollment for the Affordable Care Act. Biden's other executive action will revoke a policy that barred funding for groups overseas that performed abortions or offered information about them. Paige Winfield Cunningham, a Washington Post reporter covering health care policy, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

There are now several troubling variants of the coronavirus circulating, and a few seem to make the virus more contagious. One variant , the United Kingdom strain, is also more likely to make people sick or to kill them. The CDC believes that strain will become dominant in the U.S. as soon as March. William Brangham reports on what experts say about avoiding exposure.

The Republican Party is out of power on Capitol Hill and deeply divided on issues from the attack on the Capitol to the impeachment of former President Trump. Denver Riggleman, a former Republican congressman and chief strategist at the Network Contagion Research Institute, and Whit Ayres, the president of North Star Opinion Research, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

There's a shortage of skilled tradespeople throughout the American economy, and it is a persistent problem that started well before the pandemic. But what's behind that gap and what can be done? Paul Solman reports for our series, "Work Shift", which focuses on navigating the job market in a post-COVID economy.

Shortly before the pandemic, NewsHour traveled to Georgia and spoke with two high school seniors, Audrey McNeal and Shaylon Walker. Now in their first year of college, here's their Brief But Spectacular takes on race and being underestimated.

More than 25 million shots of a COVID vaccine have been given out, or about 8 doses for every 100 people. But the process can be difficult and overwhelming. Here's a sampling of what some Americans say they are facing as they attempt to get vaccinated.

The January pick for our “Now Read This” book club was a book of essays exploring many aspects of American culture through the prism of the internet and social media. At age 32, author Jia Tolentino has gained acclaim as one of its most astute observers. She’s a also a staff writer for The New Yorker and “Trick Mirror” is her first book. Jeffrey Brown spoke to Tolentino to learn more.