October 13, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

Combating the global supply chain delays that are negatively impacting the U.S. economy topped President Joe Biden's agenda Wednesday, as he promised new efforts to restore the supply chain and tame inflation. White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor reports.

In our news wrap Wednesday, a federal forecast says global inflation and supply shortages will boost energy costs as much as 54 percent over last year. The surge in inflation means social security recipients will get their biggest cost-of-living adjustment in 39 years, with an increase of 5.9 percent. U.S. land borders will reopen to non-essential travel for vaccinated foreigners.

Judy Woodruff takes a closer look at how the Biden administration plans to address global supply chain challenges and combating inflation with Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Raimondo addresses both the supply shortage of general consumer goods and also vital items like semiconductors.

Judy Woodruff looks at the limits of what President Joe Biden can do about the supply and delivery issues facing the United States, and other problems affecting the economy simultaneously, with David Lynch of The Washington Post.

With all nine justices back in the courtroom Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of the Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence, eight years after the attack. John Yang reports.

It's been two months since the Taliban took control of Kabul and solidified their grip on Afghanistan. The country's banking system and economy is all but collapsing. Afghanistan needs urgent help, according to the head of one of the largest humanitarian aid organizations operating in the country. Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council joins Nick Schifrin with more.

Early voting started this week in Georgia ahead of November's municipal elections. But almost a year after the 2020 election, some Republicans — including former President Trump — continue pushing false narratives of widespread voter fraud. A judge on Wednesday dismissed a Georgia lawsuit seeking a review of nearly 150,000 absentee ballots from 2020. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Nursing shortages are impacting healthcare workers and hospitals across the United States. In just the past few days, nurses and other workers in Southern California and Oregon authorized a potential strike against provider Kaiser Permanente. Staffing shortages are part of those disputes. John Yang reports from South Florida on how shortages are affecting hospitals there.