March 30, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

In our news wrap Tuesday, the U.S. State Department scrapped Trump-era human rights policies that promoted conservative causes like religious freedom and property rights, but sidelined abortion and LGBTQ rights. President Joe Biden announced new initiatives to address recent anti-Asian violence, and the Justice Department will also focus on the rising hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Last week, the University of Southern California announced it would pay over $850 million to hundreds of women who were allegedly preyed on by campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall over nearly three decades. It's the largest sexual abuse settlement ever in higher education. Audry Nafziger is one of the survivors, and is now a sex crimes prosecutor. She shares her experience with Judy Woodruff.

Two months ago, the Myanmar military staged a coup and overthrew the civilian government and has since met resulting protests with violence. The conflict is now entering a new stage as militias associated with the country’s ethnic minorities join the protests, with Karen refugees facing new air attacks by the military. Thousands have already fled into neighboring Thailand. Nick Schifrin reports.

In another aspect of the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees — a Muslim minority group that first fled a bloody crackdown launched by the Myanmar military three years ago — have been forced to live in cramped refugee camps in Bangladesh. On top of battling COVID-19 and fires, they are now being asked to relocate to a flood prone island. NewsHour special correspondent Tania Rashid reports.

A record number of bills to limit transgender rights have been introduced this year in state legislators across the country, with lawmakers in 28 states considering 93 bills targeting the rights of transgender Americans according to the Human Rights Campaign. John Yang speaks to Kate Sosin, the LGBTQ+ reporter for The 19th News, about how the legal and cultural battles are playing out.

The military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, took its first 20 detainees in 2002. Despite various calls to shutter it, it still stands almost twenty years later. A new movie now tells the story of Mohamedou Slahi, who spent 14 years within its walls, suffering abuse, even though he was never charged. Amna Nawaz takes a look at "The Mauritanian" for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

As the Biden administration moves to expand offshore wind power along the east coast in order to tackle what many scientists call a climate crisis, some are suggesting even more revolutionary solutions. Elizabeth Kolbert's “Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future” explores these proposals and historical efforts to combat environmental exploitation. William Brangham has the latest.