March 17, 2023 - PBS NewsHour full episode

U.S. airports have seen an uptick in near-collisions involving commercial planes. The problem prompted the FAA to call for a safety summit, launching a review of standards and procedures to prevent catastrophe. Geoff Bennett reports on the close calls and discusses the possible factors with aviation correspondent Miles O'Brien.

The debate over COVID-19's origin is focused on two theories, that humans were first infected by a wild animal or that the virus leaked from a lab. Scientists say the natural transmission theory has been strengthened by new genetic evidence from the market in Wuhan, China, where there was a big COVID outbreak in December 2019. John Yang discussed the report with Katherine Wu of The Atlantic.

Last August, conservative activist Leonard Leo received the largest political donation of all time, $1.6 billion. Before that, Leo was known for his role in reshaping the Supreme Court. Now, we are learning more about how he is using this massive pot of cash. Lisa Desjardins discussed the latest with Andrea Bernstein of ProPublica.

“A Doll’s House,” the classic 19th-century play by Henrik Ibsen, is getting a new Broadway adaptation starring one of today’s biggest stars, Jessica Chastain. She plays Nora Helmer, one of the most iconic characters in theater history. Chastain sat down with Jeffrey Brown to discuss her role for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including turmoil in the banking sector, a flare-up in U.S.-Russian tensions and where we stand three years after the COVID lockdown.