November 17, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

More than 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal or arrest record. For many, that can prevent them from passing a background check and getting a job. Amna Nawaz profiles one woman’s fight to overcome her past, and prove herself at one of the biggest tech companies in the world. It’s part of our Searching for Justice series, which looks at the challenges after incarceration.

The Biden administration is ramping up plans for vaccine manufacturing for the coming year. But developing nations have been struggling with delays and short supplies for months and will not meet their vaccination goals for this year. Drug maker Moderna will reportedly supply 56 million more doses to those countries in the first half of 2021, but far more is needed. William Brangham reports.

Even while President Joe Biden is promoting the new infrastructure package, he and Democrats are trying to lock down a vote on a social spending and climate bill — The Build Back Better Act. Part of that bill is aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for older Americans. Amna Nawaz takes a look at what's at stake in this bill.

One of three men on trial for fatally shooting Ahmaud Arbery — who was Black — took the stand today in his own defense. Travis McMichael — who is white — testified a day after the prosecution rested in a murder trial that is racially charged and being closely watched around the country. William Brangham reports.

For more on the House censure of Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar and how it reflects on the political environment in Congress, Judy Woodruff is joined by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York. She's one of the 13 Republicans who voted to pass the infrastructure bill.

The U.S. House of Representatives censured one of its own for the first time in more than a decade. Wednesday's censure vote against Republican Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona was divided — nearly along party lines. Lisa Desjardins has been following the process all day and joins Judy Woodruff with more.

Parts of the U.S. Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, Canada, are still reeling tonight from record rain that touched off flooding and mudslides. John Yang reports.

In our news wrap Wednesday, new numbers show COVID-19 is pushing drug overdose deaths to record highs. Two men convicted of assassinating Malcolm X in New York in 1965 will have their names cleared. An Arizona man at the center of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol assault now faces 41 months in federal prison. Severe air pollution forced schools in New Delhi, India, to close today — indefinitely.