PBS News Hour - Politics

NewsHour Weekend's new series "Road to Elections 2020" kicks off in the swing state of Pennsylvania, which flipped for Republicans in 2016. Christopher Booker reports from the Lehigh Valley in Northeast Pennsylvania where concerns over the economy predate the COVID-19 pandemic PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The demographics and the economy of Pennsylvania, which voted for President Trump in 2016 and is also the home state for Democratic candidate Joe Biden, have been changing. But jobs are still one of the biggest issues in the battleground state. WHYY reporter Katie Meyer joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss how the two campaigns are facing off ahead of the polls. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The 2020 presidential race struck a somber note Friday, as President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden observed the 19th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Both candidates visited the Pennsylvania memorial to Flight 93 but did not cross paths there. Yamiche Alcindor reports, and Daniel Bush joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the campaigns and ongoing battles over mail-in ballots. 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 the congressional stalemate over pandemic relief legislation, revelations from Bob Woodward's interviews with President Trump and the political impact they may have and whether Joe Biden's campaign message is resonating with voters. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Congressional efforts to pass a new pandemic relief bill remain stalled, and a slimmed-down proposal from Senate Republicans failed to clear procedural vote Thursday. Democratic and Republican leaders both blamed the other side for the gridlock. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the bill and why the prospects for passing legislation before Election Day are grim.

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While the political fallout from President Trump's coronavirus comments to Bob Woodward continues, what about the public health repercussions? Would America have fared better if Trump had treated the virus more seriously from the beginning? Ed Yong of The Atlantic, who has reported extensively on America's pandemic response, joins William Brangham to discuss.

PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A new political firestorm has engulfed the White House -- this time over what President Trump knew about the pandemic vs. what he said publicly on the topic. The Washington Post's Bob Woodward reports Trump privately acknowledged the seriousness of the virus in early February in recorded phone calls and later told Woodward that he was intentionally downplaying it to Americans. John Yang reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The Justice Department has moved to intervene in a defamation lawsuit against President Trump. In 2019, columnist E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her years ago, and later claimed his denunciations amounted to defamation. William Brangham talks to David Laufman, a former DOJ official under multiple administrations, about what he calls an "inappropriate" intervention by the attorney general.

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With Election Day now less than two months away, how will revelations that President Trump intentionally misled Americans about coronavirus risk affect voter intent? The Washington Post's Gary Abernathy and Kansas-based journalist Sarah Smarsh, author of "Heartland," join Judy Woodruff to discuss that as well as what they are hearing about the pandemic and the economic downturn it caused.

PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Health care is a top issue for voters in this fall's presidential election, with Americans still divided over the Affordable Care Act. Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins explain the policies of President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and William Brangham talks to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel of the University of Pennsylvania and the Hoover Institution's Lanhee Chen for analysis. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders