About John @johnyangtv
John Yang is a correspondent for the PBS NewsHour. He covered the first year of the Trump administration and is currently reporting on major national issues from Washington, DC, and across the country.
Previously, Yang was a Chicago-based correspondent for NBC News, reporting for NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Today, and MSNBC. Yang was part of an NBC team that reported on “In Plain Sight: Poverty in America,” a 2013 George Foster Peabody Award recipient, and his reporting in April 2011 on tornado devastation in Alabama was included in an NBC Nightly News broadcast that received an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast.
Prior to joining NBC, Yang worked for ABC News, based in Washington, where he was weekend White House correspondent, and in Jerusalem, where he served as Middle East correspondent.
Yang has been part of teams that have been honored with an Emmy, two Peabody Awards and to Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards.
Yang’s career also includes time at The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, TIME, and The Boston Globe. He is a cum laude graduate of Wesleyan University.
John’s Recent Stories
Nation Apr 22
Examining the police shootings of Black Americans and how leadership plays a roleWhile the guilty verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin brought celebration to the streets of Minneapolis, people also came together today to mourn Daunte Wright, and demand justice for other recent police shootings involving Black Americans. John Yang…
Nation Apr 21
New federal action and greater calls for change follow Chauvin trial, convictionA Minneapolis jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter on Tuesday, setting off new calls to reform policing — and new federal action from the Justice Department. John Yang reports.
Nation Apr 16
Trans athletes say they are being ‘othered’ as record number of bills seek to limit rightsIt's been a record-breaking year of bills proposed in state legislatures that would limit transgender rights - from access to medical care to sports participation. Despite that, a new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll found that Americans across the political spectrum oppose…
World Apr 15
Here’s what the latest U.S. sanctions against Russia mean for the historic adversariesPresident Joe Biden announced a series of tough new sanctions against Russia Thursday, as the historic adversaries confront one another again both in cyberspace, and on the ground in Europe and beyond. The Biden administration targeted individuals and the state…
World Apr 14
Biden says U.S. will still ‘hold Taliban accountable’ after troops leave AfghanistanPresident Joe Biden formally announced Wednesday that the United States would withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 20 years since the fateful day that led to the U.S. invasion. More than 2,300 American soldiers have lost their lives…
World Apr 12
How conflict between Iran and Israel could affect U.S. diplomacy with IranA major explosion Sunday disabled parts of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, south of Tehran. Iran quickly blamed Israel for the incident, which comes as indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over the crippled nuclear deal are set…
Nation Apr 08
Pastor reveals the reasons behind COVID vaccine hesitancy in the evangelical communityAs of Thursday, more than 64 million Americans are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, and many others are eagerly waiting for their shots. But among white evangelical Americans, interest in the vaccine isn't as widespread. John Yang speaks with one…
Politics Mar 31
Are college athletes employees? Supreme Court mulls compensation for student playersCollege basketball’s “March Madness,” which reaches its crescendo this weekend, reminds us that big-time college athletics can look like big business. As John Yang reports, it was a fitting backdrop Wednesday for a well-timed Supreme Court argument over compensation for…
Politics Mar 30
Record number of bills look to restrict trans rights in the U.S.A record number of bills to limit transgender rights have been introduced this year in state legislators across the country, with lawmakers in 28 states considering 93 bills targeting the rights of transgender Americans according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Nation Mar 29
American renters hard-hit by pandemic juggle complicated assistance systems, eviction lawsWith 9.5 million Americans, or 17 percent of tenants, in the U.S. still behind on their rent according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Biden administration on Monday extended a federal moratorium on evictions through the end of June. There…