September 27, 2021 - PBS NewsHour full episode

As the American economy recovers from the worst impacts of the pandemic, questions remain about the labor force and the problems that plagued the economy even prior to the start of COVID-19. In the eighth and final installment of our "Work Shift" series, Paul Solman recaps what we've learned.

History is being made Monday night at The Metropolitan Opera — one of the country’s most important cultural organizations — and for several of the artists involved. Jeffrey Brown has a preview for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

A federal jury in New York found rhythm and blues star R. Kelly guilty of racketeering and crossing state lines for immoral acts. President Joe Biden defended giving booster shots for COVID-19 now that the Centers for Disease Control has approved Pfizer's third dose for certain groups. At least two-thirds of Britain's gas stations are out of fuel due to a shortage of truckers and panic buying.

While Gabby Petito's death has captured national attention, tens of thousands of people are reported missing or murdered every year in the U.S. Native women are murdered at rates 10 times the national average. In Wyoming alone, 710 indigenous people were reported missing from 2011 to 2020. Amna Nawaz discusses those statistics with Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute.

Angela Merkel is staying on as interim German chancellor after the country’s election ended in virtual deadlock. Talks aimed at establishing a new coalition government are underway, but could take months. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from Berlin.

Two major bills are at stake amid Democratic infighting in Congress. The first is a bipartisan infrastructure deal, and the second a larger reconciliation bill that focuses on climate, child care, health care and more. To break down the latest in the discussions, Judy Woodruff is joined by co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including the stalemate over the reconciliation bill and how that affects the Democrats’ and President Joe Biden’s agenda, and the counting of election ballots in Arizona.