PBS News Hour - Politics

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington state, was elected to Congress in 2016. She is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has become a leader in pushing the party on issues such as Medicare for All. Now Jayapal has a new book out, titled "Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman's Guide to Politics and Political Change." She joins Judy Woodruff to discuss her story. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As the United States grapples with the novel coronavirus, nationwide protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd insist the country must confront a second epidemic: racism. Despite a longstanding belief that we are a nation divided, some say there are reasons for hope. Special correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault talks to New York Times columnist and author David Brooks for Race Matters. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, many Americans are calling on Congress to provide a new economic relief package. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how to stimulate the U.S. economy and contain the virus outbreak, her take on reports Russia paid the Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops and where congressional negotiations stand on passing police reform legislation. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Reports that Russia offered bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American troops in Afghanistan have caused uproar on Capitol Hill. The highest-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what lawmakers heard at Monday's intelligence briefing and how the U.S. should respond if the reports are true. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The United States has no greater ally in Afghanistan than the United Kingdom, and the British-American partnership is critical to U.S. foreign policy around the world. The new British ambassador to the U.S., Karen Pierce, joins Nick Schifrin to discuss intelligence reports of Russian bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the coronavirus pandemic and Israeli annexation of the West Bank. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

NPR's Tamara Keith and Errin Haines of The 19th join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including the implications of the racist video President Trump recently shared, the U.S. debate over wearing masks and what it says about politicization of the pandemic and how Trump's coronavirus response could shape his support among voters. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The fate of the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, is on the line again. The Trump administration has filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing the law, through which 23 million Americans get health insurance, is unconstitutional. Judy Woodruff talks to Andy Slavitt, former acting administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about the law's sweeping reach. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Protests against racial injustice and police violence have dominated the American national conversation in recent weeks, but there are also major concerns about racial disparities in the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. For the White House view on these topics, Yamiche Alcindor turns to Ja'Ron Smith, deputy assistant to President Trump and deputy director of the Office of American Innovation. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The roughly 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C., have no voting representation in Congress -- yet pay more taxes per capita than anyone else in the U.S. On Friday, the House of Representatives voted for the first time ever to turn the nation's capital into its 51st state. But D.C. statehood is not likely to happen soon, for reasons both constitutional and political. Lisa Desjardins reports. 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 polling on President Trump's job performance, the federal response to a surging coronavirus pandemic, the administration's effort to strike down the Affordable Care Act, congressional divergence on police reform and whether Washington, D.C., will become a state. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders