PBS News Hour - Politics

Questions of judicial philosophy and Supreme Court precedent arose again on Day 3 of Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Judy Woodruff talks to Georgetown University's Victoria Nourse, who was chief counsel to Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 and 2016, and the University of Virginia's Saikrishna Prakash, a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Discussions about how to vote safely in a pandemic have been occurring across the country for months. Will Americans be willing to wait in line at the polls to cast their ballots? In Georgia, early in-person voting began this week. Daniel Bush has been reporting in the state, and he joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what he's seeing at polling places -- and hearing from concerned voters. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

During this election, early and absentee voting are expected to reach record levels, with mail-in ballots drawing significant attention as a result. President Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that voting by mail is not safe or reliable -- but what do election experts say is the best method? Miles O'Brien reports on the security of paper ballots compared to older voting machines. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

New York is one of 37 states seeing a rise in coronavirus cases over the past week, with officials there trying to target "microclusters" of disease. The state's governor, Andrew Cuomo, writes about New York's COVID-19 battle in his new book, "American Crisis." He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss President Trump's pandemic response and what Cuomo thinks about Joe Biden's electoral position.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee pressed Judge Amy Coney Barrett for answers on hot-button issues Tuesday, the second day of her confirmation hearing. Senators asked the Supreme Court nominee about her judicial philosophy, her opinions of court precedent on abortion and the Affordable Care Act and whether she would recuse herself from any cases resulting from the election. John Yang reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is conducting Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearing this week. On Tuesday, lawmakers questioned Barrett about her judicial philosophy and legal opinions of cases on gun ownership, health care and abortion, among other topics. Durbin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what he learned from the session.

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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, before which Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett appeared Tuesday to answer lawmakers' questions. Grassley joins Judy Woodruff to discuss Barrett's "outstanding credentials," why he is satisfied with her hearing responses and whether he regrets voting not to confirm Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

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For a closer look at the legal questions raised during Tuesday's confirmation hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Judy Woodruff talks to the University of Virginia's Saikrishna Prakash, a former law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, and Georgetown University's Victoria Nourse, who was chief counsel to Vice President Joe Biden in 2015 and 2016. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Florida is among the country's biggest prizes on Election Day, as well as one of the key swing states that has voted for the winning presidential candidate for more than 20 years. Its electoral importance explains why both President Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden have been campaigning there in the past day. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

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Senate confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett began Monday. With her nomination, President Trump and Republican lawmakers are seeking to put a conservative stamp on the Supreme Court for years to come. But Senate Democrats expressed concerns both about Barrett's perspective on the Affordable Care Act and the process by which she is being evaluated. John Yang reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders