June 21, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday delivered a blow to the NCAA as the justices sided with former college athletes in a dispute over compensation. While the unanimous ruling was limited to education-related benefits, like postgraduate scholarships and paying for computers or tutoring, it could add to the momentum for greater compensation for college athletes. John Yang explores.

The U.S. military will soon complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. But the Afghan government is under constant attack from the Taliban and is struggling to hold onto its territory. This past weekend saw some of the militants' largest gains yet. Nick Schifrin and Scott Worden, director of Afghanistan and Central Asia at the U.S. Institute of Peace think tank, explain.

Primary voting is underway for the next mayor of New York City. The winner will be tasked with a long list of challenges: reviving the city's economy, curbing rising rates of violent crime and police reform. Filling the needs of more than 8 million people in America's largest city is not an easy job, but it hasn't stopped more than a dozen Democrats from running for it. Hari Sreenivasan reports.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including New York City’s mayoral election, America’s vaccine divide between states, and the progress on President Joe Biden’s infrastructure package.

COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate physical toll on people of color — especially Black Americans, who are nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from it than whites. Experts are now also warning of the longer-term mental health toll this last year has taken on those same communities and historical disparities it highlights. Stephanie Sy reports.

Across Major League Baseball, batting averages are down, strikeouts are up, and suspicions are high. For decades, pitchers — including some hall of famers — have tried to get a better grip of the ball by using sticky substances. But the league says too many pitchers are doctoring the ball, and plans to crack down on those players. Amna Nawaz has the details on the sticky situation.