PBS News Hour - Politics

With a decisive victory in the Nevada caucuses, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is the front-runner among 2020 Democrats. Sanders says he is supported by a "multi-generational, multi-racial coalition" that would propel him ahead of President Trump in a national election. But his fellow candidates are criticizing his policy proposals, Senate record and campaign practices. Lisa Desjardins reports.

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Lisa Desjardins to discuss the latest political news, including fears Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' ideology is too far left for him to be the 2020 Democratic nominee, why the race is currently a "referendum on Donald Trump," Nevada caucus results along racial lines and which moderate candidates could struggle to gain traction.

In his first official visit to India, President Trump was greeted largely with warmth and enthusiasm. But his arrival, at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing widespread criticism for a new law that opens pathways to citizenship for non-Muslim immigrants from neighboring countries, also touched off demonstrations against the two leaders. Special correspondent Neha Poonia reports.

The remaining tally of votes in the Nevada caucuses continued streaming in on Sunday, a day after Sen. Bernie Sanders took a commanding lead among the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates vying for the White House. Megan Messerly, a reporter for The Nevada Independent, joins Hari Sreenivasan from Las Vegas with more on the results from the caucuses.

More than 70,000 people went to the polls this week in early voting for the Nevada caucuses, nearly eclipsing the total number of voters in the state's 2016 caucuses. The surge comes as many voters focused on the issue of health care, which may have benefited Sen. Bernie Sanders. Nevada Public Radio's Joe Schoenmann joins Hari Sreenivasan with more.

This week's Nevada caucuses and next week's South Carolina primary have the most diverse electorates thus far in the 2020 presidential race. But there are stark divides in gender representation in those states' own legislative halls. Capri Cafaro, a former Ohio state senator and current American University School of Public Affairs executive-in-residence, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

In our news wrap Friday, the World Health Organization warns the window of opportunity to contain the international spread of novel coronavirus is closing. South Korea has become the latest front in the outbreak, with officials declaring a health emergency there after cases quadrupled. Also, Russian warplanes backed by the Syrian government targeted the last rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria.

Multiple news outlets report that U.S. intelligence officials told House lawmakers recently that Russia is actively trying to help President Trump be reelected. In response, Trump has lashed out at Democrats, saying they are starting a "rumor" about Russian election interference. Yamiche Alcindor talks to Laura Rosenberger of the Alliance for Securing Democracy about what's at stake.

The Nevada caucuses officially begin Saturday, but a massive number of voters has turned out already for early participation. Because the demographics of the diverse state more closely resemble those of the Democratic Party overall, this contest is attracting particular attention. The stakes are also higher due to the confusing results of the previous 2020 caucuses, in Iowa. Amna Nawaz reports.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how the Las Vegas debate changed the 2020 Democratic race, new reports of Russian election interference and President Trump's response to them, the sentencing of Trump ally Roger Stone and the outcry over Trump's flurry of pardons and commutations.