PBS News Hour - Politics

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., chairs the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which heard testimony Friday from top U.S. health officials about the status of the pandemic. Clyburn joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the hearing, plus his views on providing additional economic relief to struggling Americans and the importance of having a Black woman as Joe Biden's running mate. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As the coronavirus continues to rage, logistical questions remain about August's scaled-back and mostly virtual Democratic National Convention. But the biggest unknown is who will share the stage with former Vice President Joe Biden when he accepts his party's 2020 nomination. Lisa Desjardins reports with the latest on the women who are favored to become Biden's running mate. 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 question of whom Joe Biden will choose as his running mate, congressional failure to deliver another pandemic aid package and President Trump's rhetoric about mail-in voting. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to respond to concerns about the status of the State Department. Lawmakers have questioned widespread department vacancies and whether career diplomats are being sidelined, as well as the dismissal of an inspector general and Pompeo's own conduct. Nick Schifrin joins Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

With Democrats and Republicans divided on key issues and time running out to pass a pandemic relief bill before some federal benefits and protections expire, congressional leaders met with the White House Wednesday in search of a path forward. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joins Judy Woodruff to discuss unemployment, food stamps and why he wants this bill to cover only COVID-19. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Attorney General William Barr faced questions from the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday in a combative hearing delayed for four months because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Barr's first testimony in over a year, Democrats questioned him about protests in Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., Roger Stone's commuted prison sentence, racism in policing and more. Lisa Desjardins reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The emergency unemployment benefits millions of Americans have been receiving are proving to be a major dividing point for lawmakers working on a coronavirus relief package. Should the extra $600 per week be extended through the end of 2020, or tapered to a smaller amount? The American Enterprise Institute's Michael Strain and the University of Chicago's Austan Goolsbee join Judy Woodruff to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

It has been months since Congress passed a coronavirus relief bill into law. The extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits granted by an earlier piece of legislation expires this Friday, leaving millions of Americans in financial limbo. Though Senate Republicans unveiled their proposed bill on Monday, it's not clear it will garner enough support. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

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

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join John Yang to discuss the latest political news, including what to make of poll numbers showing former Vice President Joe Biden with a substantial lead over President Trump, the political fallout of Trump's responses to the pandemic and protests over racism and what the upcoming conventions say about the two parties. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

On the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, we look at what the landmark civil rights law, which guarantees equal access to public resources and employment to disabled people has achieved and how much work remains. Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami, assistant professor at the University of Michigan and a disabled person himself joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders