May 19, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza may be edging closer to a cease-fire after 10 days of open war. Egyptian mediators say there's a truce agreement, in principle. A top Hamas official said he expects fighting to stop in a day or two. Pressure to end the conflict built today, with 227 Gazans and 12 Israelis killed so far. John Yang reports.

In our news wrap Wednesday, the New York state attorney general's office opened a criminal probe into former President Trump's business. House Democrats moved to create an independent commission to investigate the Capitol assault on January 6. More pandemic restrictions were eased across the country. Texas became the largest state yet to ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The U.S. House on Wednesday moved to form a commission to examine the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The violent pro-Trump riot resulted in widespread injury, deaths, and damage to the building itself. Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins was in the building that day, and has been reporting on how its shadow looms large over the Capitol. She joins Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest.

For decades, the U.S. has supported Israel, backing up its defense policy and supplying tens of billions of dollars in aid and weapons. Now, some within the Democratic party are questioning that support, and challenging President Biden's handling of the Gaza conflict. John Yang speaks to Daniel Brumberg, director of democracy and governance studies at Georgetown University about the matter.

The death of George Floyd last year has shone a spotlight on what it means to be Black, and especially, to be dark-skinned in America. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro has our report from Minnesota, home to a growing population of African and other immigrants. It is part of our continuing series "Race Matters", and Fred’s series, "Agents for Change."

The motto of the United States Secret Service is "Worthy of Trust & Confidence," and its reputation for being an elite force is unparalleled. But a new book, "Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service" from The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig, paints an alarmingly different picture of the agency being "in a state of unprecedented peril." Leonnig joins Amna Nawaz to discuss why.

This week we’ve been looking at how the pandemic affected students, their lives and their learning. Tonight we hear from teachers. These voices are part of “‘DISRUPTED’ — How COVID Changed Education,” a special report from the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs network of high school journalism programs across the country.