June 20, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The strained relationship between the U.S. and Iran has worsened with Iran’s downing of an American surveillance drone. How serious is the incident, and how should the U.S. respond? Judy Woodruff talks to Stephen Hadley, who served as national security adviser under President George W. Bush, and Gerard Araud, former French ambassador to the U.S., to discuss the likelihood of a diplomatic solution.

A Maryland World War I memorial in the form of a cross will remain on public land, after the Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s ruling, 7 to 2. What does the decision mean for hundreds of challenges pending in lower courts over religious monuments on public lands, which critics say violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause? John Yang talks to Scotusblog.com's Tom Goldstein.

In North Korea, hunger is pervasive, and medical supplies are inadequate, in part because of U.S. sanctions on the country. While China and South Korea are offering humanitarian assistance, the U.S. fears aid would be usurped by the government rather than distributed among the people who need it. But as Nick Schifrin reports, conditions in the world’s most isolated country are only worsening.

Influenza is a shape-shifter virus that could spark a global pandemic. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health are working to deliver what is referred to as The Holy Grail in the fight: a universal flu vaccine that could protect against all strains of the virus. William Brangham concludes our pandemics series by learning what it will take to develop a universal vaccine.

In our news wrap Thursday, the Senate voted to block $8 billion in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, citing the Saudi government's involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi as well as its role in the war in Yemen. President Trump had approved the sales in May. Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea to attempt to break an impasse with the U.S. over nuclear weapons.

When asked why voters should support her for in 2020, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., emphasizes her legislative record in an era of political gridlock and her Heartland roots. Although she has a list of 137 policy priorities she would tackle as president, she says her central message is to bring back “the heart and the strength” of American democracy. Klobuchar sits down with Judy Woodruff.

Acclaimed director Ron Howard has released a new documentary on the life of opera star Luciano Pavarotti, who grew up in Modena, Italy, and rose to fame with the global phenomenon The Three Tenors. The film is filled with archival footage, interviews with family, and of course, music. Jeffrey Brown caught up with Howard to discuss it and what surprised him most about Pavarotti, who died in 2007.