HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

MONDAY, JUNE 2 @ 8:00PM

In the dark days of 1987, America was six years into the AIDS epidemic, a crisis that was still largely being ignored both by government officials and health organizations — until the sudden emergence of the activist group ACT UP in Greenwich Village, New York, largely made up of HIV-positive participants who refused to die without a fight. Along with TAG (Treatment Action Group), and emboldened by the power of rebellion, they took on the challenges that public officials had ignored, raising awareness of the disease through a series of dramatic protests. More remarkably, they became recognized experts in virology, biology, and pharmaceutical chemistry. (90 Minutes)

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, MAY 29 @ 9:00PM

It has been a whirlwind week for President Obama: a surprise trip to Afghanistan just prior to announcing troop reductions in that conflict; a major speech on his vision for the military and the U.S. role in the world; new calls to replace Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki amid allegation of scandal and misconduct in VA hospitals around the country.

In some respects, the week has been a microcosm of the types of situations that have defined and sometimes plagued Mr. Obama’s second term. With upcoming mid-term elections — which are rarely hospitable to incumbent presidents — and a flagging legislative agenda ahead, how will he tackle the remaining 2-1/2 years of his presidency?

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LAND TO LIFE

FRIDAY, MAY 29 @ 8:30PM

People come to Yellowstone to visit the unusual thermal features and to view wildlife, often not realizing they are standing on one of the world’s largest active volcanoes.

In Yellowstone: Land to Life, environmental filmmaker John Grabowska (Ribbon of Sand, Crown of the Continent) presents a lyrical interpretation of the sweeping geologic story of Yellowstone — from glaciation, to mountain building, to formation of a supervolcano’s gigantic caldera.

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D-DAY’S SUNKEN SECRETS

SATURDAY, JUNE 11 @ 10:00PM

On June 6, 1944, the Allies launched the biggest armada in history to invade the Normandy beaches and liberate Europe from the Nazis. In less than 24 hours, more than 5,000 ships crossed the English Channel, along with thousands of tanks and landing craft and nearly 200,000 men. Throughout the operation, hundreds of ships sank running the gauntlet of mines and bunkers, creating one of the world’s largest underwater archaeological sites. Now, NOVA has exclusive access to a unique collaboration between military historians, archaeologists, and specialist divers to carry out the most extensive survey ever done of the seabed bordering the legendary beachheads. (2 hours)

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AMERICAN EAGLE

SUNDAY, JUNE 1 @ 10:00PM

Everything about them is big. They are one of nature’s largest raptors, with wings that can span eight feet, and nests that can weigh up to a ton. Unique to North America, the bald eagle is the continent’s most recognizable aerial predator, with a shocking white head, electric yellow beak and penetrating eyes. Yet most people know little about it beyond its striking appearance.

In the 1960s, the bald eagle was on the brink of extinction caused by the pesticide DDT and other human pressures. Following their protection as an endangered species, bald eagles have come roaring back. But even in the best of times, life in the wild for these birds is a surprisingly tough struggle.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 3 @ 9:00PM

After two years on the drawing board, D-Day was the most meticulously planned operation in military history, a logistical effort on a scale never seen before or since. On June 6, 1944, 3,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 7,000 ships delivered around 20,000 military vehicles and 130,000 allied soldiers, who stormed five heavily defended French beaches in an all-or-nothing assault on Nazi occupied Europe. Once on the shore, the troops had to negotiate two million mines buried in the sand, 46,000 fearsome beach obstacles and hundreds of miles of barbed wire, while dodging the shells and bullets fired by 40,000 German defenders.

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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

SATURDAY, MAY 31 @ 9:00PM

With the coming of the Civil War, and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before — permanently altering the character of the republic and the psyche of the American people. Contending with death on an unprecedented scale posed challenges for which there were no ready answers when the war began. Americans worked to improvise new solutions, new institutions, and new ways of coping with death on an unimaginable scale.

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SUNDAY, MAY 25 @ 6:00PM & 7:30PM

REPEATS @ 10:00PM & 11:30PM

On the eve of Memorial Day, a star-studded lineup will grace the stage for one of PBS’ highest-rated programs. The multiple-award-winning television event has become an American tradition, honoring the military service and sacrifice of all our men and women in uniform, their families at home, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, MAY 23 @ 9:00PM

TONIGHT: PRESSURE ON SHINSEKI, CYBER SPYING TENSIONS, PRIMARY REVIEW AND THE GREAT SOCIETY AT 50

President Obama expressed outrage this week about allegations of mismanagement at Veterans Administration hospitals around the country and vowed that those responsible would be held accountable. The president defended the leadership of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and said he would wait to see results from an internal investigation before taking any action. Jeff Zeleny of ABC News will report on the widening probe into alleged misconduct at more than two dozen VA hospitals and the political backlash the scandal has created for the Obama administration.

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THE GATHERING SWARMS

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21 @ 9:00PM

A look at some of the planet’s great gatherings, creatures that come together in inconceivable numbers – sometimes in millions, billions, and even trillions. Included are bats and bees, locust and ants, monarch butterflies in Mexico, 17-year cicada hatches, grunion in the Sea of Cortez and carp in the Mississippi River, sardine runs off the coast of South Africa, super flocks of parakeets in the Australian Outback, mayflies on the 4th of July, and even penguins and wildebeest.

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