March 16, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Biden is on the road, aiming to sell his COVID relief law to the American public. His first stop Tuesday was in Pennsylvania with a visit to a Black-owned flooring business near Philadelphia, highlighting the aid that his administration is providing through small business loans and stimulus checks. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The Biden administration had promised a humane approach to immigration but is now facing upheaval at the southern border, as illegal migrant crossings have skyrocketed in the past few months and authorities struggle to find proper housing for thousands of unaccompanied minors. Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose Texas district is located on the southern border, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The COVID relief and economic package is a massive bill that has a far-reaching impact in ways that many Americans don't know about yet. One provision calls for debt relief for Black farmers, who have long been denied access to government funding. John Boyd, a fourth-generation farmer in Virginia and president of the National Black Farmers Association, joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss.

As the U.S. continues its battle against COVID-19, it is also battling a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. A recent report found that hate crimes against Asian Americans in major U.S. cities surged by nearly 150 percent in 2020 —even as the number of overall hate crimes fell. Stephanie Sy looks at how the violence has marred one community, and how they are coming together in its wake.

After Pope Francis initially signaled support for same-sex unions, the Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church cannot support them, saying God “cannot bless sin.” The latest decree has disappointed LGBTQ advocates and cast doubt on the church’s acceptance of gay people. Rev. Bryan Massingale, a professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

Myanmar security services killed at least two protestors Tuesday, after killing more than 50 on Sunday — the single-most violent day since the Feb. 1 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government. The deaths add to the U.N.’s estimated nationwide death toll of 149 since the hostile takeover. Nick Schifrin reports on the daily duel between the country's military and protestors.

A growing number of European nations are suspending use of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, one of three on the continent, after reports of blood clots and other problems among a small number of people. AstraZeneca says these are isolated cases. Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, joins William Brangham to discuss.