July 27, 2022 - PBS NewsHour full episode

From the start of the pandemic, scientists have tried to determine exactly where and how the novel coronavirus spread to humans. New studies conclude the virus first emerged from a live-animal market in Wuhan, China. One of the authors of a study, Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, joins William Brangham to discuss.

In Missouri, state and local officials have declared a state of emergency due to severe flooding in St. Louis and the surrounding areas, where historic rainfall turned streets and highways into rivers. Emergency crews rescued hundreds of residents across the region and dozens more fled their homes amid rising waters. Communities reporter Gabrielle Hays joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

New reports indicate that the Department of Justice is investigating former President Donald Trump’s actions as part of its larger criminal probe into the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Pope Francis continues his week-long tour of Canada where he’s apologizing for the Catholic Church’s role in running residential schools — very similar to ones across the United States — that tried to eradicate Native cultures. While the pope’s apology was welcomed, Indigenous leaders and former students say it’s only the first step toward healing a painful past. William Brangham reports.

Ada Limón has been named the nation's new poet laureate. Jeffrey Brown recently met with Limón to learn more about her life’s path, one that includes backyard groundhogs, Kentucky bluegrass, pokeweed and plenty of poetry. It's part of our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

The U.S. is now offering to trade prisoners with Russia to bring home basketball star Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine from Michigan. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, and Jonathan Franks, a crisis management specialist who worked to free a former U.S. Marine from Russia earlier this year, join Amna Nawaz to discuss.