PBS News Hour - Politics

President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden campaigned in battleground states Friday, with Biden traveling to Michigan and Trump to Florida. The appearances come after the two participated in televised town hall events Thursday night. On different broadcast networks, they took questions from voters on issues including the pandemic, racism and the Supreme Court. Lisa Desjardins reports.

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More than 22 million Americans have already voted, including 2.5 million in Texas. Harris County, home to Houston, is seeing increased volume in early voting, with some residents making use of a new drive-through option during the pandemic. But some are also concerned about voter suppression due to the restricted number of ballot drop-off locations. Daniel Bush joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This week, President Trump highlighted a controversial New York Post report about Hunter Biden's business dealings. There are major questions about the story's accuracy and origins. Meanwhile, we learned that senior presidential advisers expressed concerns in the past that Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was peddling Russian disinformation. Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including what stood out from President Trump's and Joe Biden's TV town halls, how the two candidates are polling and whether the Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will affect the election. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden are holding televised town hall events Thursday night, on different networks, in lieu of the originally scheduled debate. With only 19 days until the election, Democrats are pulling in record amounts of cash, and Biden is leading in national polls. Which groups of voters are favoring him? Lisa Desjardins reports and joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In our news wrap Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote in one week on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. The panel's Republican majority set the schedule after a discussion that split along party lines. Also, the president of Kyrgyzstan has resigned after a week of protests. Unrest in the country began after his allies were declared winners of disputed parliamentary elections. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Iowa's Senate race is one of the country's most expensive, as Republican incumbent Joni Ernst and Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield are locked in a dead heat. Andrew Batt of Iowa PBS explains the candidates' closing messages as both parties battle for control of the Senate.

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With President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden set to participate Thursday night in separate televised town halls on different broadcast networks, we take a look at how the media is covering the candidates during this highly unusual presidential campaign. Judy Woodward reports and talks to The Atlantic's James Fallows and Susie Banikarim, executive vice president at Vice News. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee spent Wednesday completing their questioning of Amy Coney Barrett at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. While senators pressed again for answers on a range of issues, the nominee largely avoided committing herself. And given Barrett's support among the Republican majority, her confirmation appeared to be all but guaranteed. John Yang reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Amy Coney Barrett faced another day of questioning from members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Lawmakers again brought up highly charged political issues such as abortion and the Affordable Care Act, but overall the hearing's tone was more civil than for previous Supreme Court nominees. The National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and Lisa Desjardins join Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders