October 20, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The White House laid out plans Wednesday for children between the ages of 5 and 11 to soon receive the COVID-19 vaccine. If approved, shots could begin as soon as November. But many parents are still wondering about whether to get their children vaccinated. Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo, lead epidemiologist for the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 testing insights initiative, joins William Brangham to discuss.

BALLOT BATTLE

A new national poll paints a troubling picture of an American electorate worried about the future of democracy, sharply divided on issues of personal freedom and dissatisfied with President Joe Biden's leadership. Judy Woodruff walks through the results with Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Company, which wrote the poll in collaboration with Grinnell College.

Government shelling killed a dozen people in Syria’s northwest Idlib province Wednesday. Idlib is the final stronghold for rebels still fighting the Assad regime. But the province is also under attack from a different threat — its most severe wave of COVID-19. The delta variant is hitting hospitals already weakened by war. Nick Schifrin reports.

The blowback to Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, produced by Netflix, has reached a boiling point. Netflix employees walked off the job Wednesday, demanding the company better support its transgender workers. Imara Jones, creator of TransLash Media, a media non-profit that focuses on the transgender community, joins Amna Nawaz with more perspective on the matter.

LIFE SUPPORT

Jeffrey Brown reports on musician Richard Antoine White’s unlikely journey from the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, to concert halls around the globe — thanks to his mastery of the tuba. This story is part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.