March 4, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Republican state legislatures across the country are moving rapidly to pass new voting laws, amid former President Donald Trump's continued false claims of election fraud. Lisa Desjardins takes us to the battleground state of Georgia and explains the raging debate.

For an opposing perspective on COVID relief and the congressional agenda we turn to Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who chairs the Senate's budget committee. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the minimum wage, the Republican response to President Biden's agenda, and the need for federal aid for local and state governments during the pandemic.

Protests erupted again this week in Lebanon, as a spiraling currency crisis led to violence in the streets. A strict COVID-19 lockdown has crushed the economy, causing many Lebanese to go months without an income. And as special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen reports from Tripoli, many now are left with nothing.

A string of brutal attacks on elderly Asian Americans has brought new attention to the rise of violence and harassment of Asian Americans. Since the pandemic began, more than 3,000 anti-Asian "hate incidents” have been reported in the U.S. according to the group, “Stop AAPI Hate." Asian American and Pacific Islander activist Helen Zia and Rise founder Amanda Nguyen join Amna Nawaz to discuss.

As the U.S. Senate moves toward floor debate on this next round of stimulus, we get the perspective of South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss some of the components of the legislation and other debates in Congress, including unemployment insurance, state and local aid, and the federal minimum wage.

House Democrats passed a landmark bill Wednesday that would expand voting rights and another key piece of legislation on police reform through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act -- something Democrats have been pushing for since the death of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests last year. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.