PBS News Hour - Politics

A majority of the Senate voted Friday not to allow witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial. As a result, the proceedings will likely end soon with his acquittal -- despite new reports about potentially relevant information former National Security Adviser John Bolton could share if subpoenaed. Nick Schifrin reports, and Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Friday, the United Kingdom has officially left the European Union, after three and a half years of political wrangling. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed Brexit's arrival in a televised speech. Also, the novel coronavirus outbreak has killed nearly 250 people and infected 11,000 in China. Several major U.S. airlines are halting flights to and from the country as a precaution.

On Friday, the Trump administration announced new restrictions on travel to the U.S. from six countries: Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria. It is also barring people from Sudan and Tanzania from participating in the U.S. Diversity Visa Program, which awards green cards to immigrants. Amna Nawaz reports and talks to Farhana Khera, president and executive director of Muslim Advocates.

Three days before the Iowa caucuses, 11 candidates remain in the 2020 Democratic primary. Polls indicate that many likely caucus participants are still undecided about whom they will support. In a state that is predominantly white, the candidates are striving to appeal to its growing minority population -- and position themselves as able to beat President Trump. Stephanie Sy reports.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's political news, including the Senate's decision not to call witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial, Republicans' varying defenses of Trump's conduct around Ukraine and what recent polling trends among 2020 Democrats suggest about Monday's Iowa caucuses.

U.S. senators are preparing for a critical vote on whether to allow new witnesses to testify as part of President Trump's impeachment trial. On Thursday, they had their second and final chance to ask questions of House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team. Amna Nawaz reports on their different interpretations of truth, and Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In President Trump's impeachment trial, senators had their second and final opportunity to ask questions Thursday. The Brookings Institution's Margaret Taylor, former chief counsel and deputy staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and John Hart of Mars Hill Strategies, who worked for Republican Rep. Tom Coburn when President Clinton was impeached, join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Thursday, the World Health Organization has declared China's outbreak of novel coronavirus a global health emergency. The illness is still spreading both within China, which has confirmed more than 7,800 cases and 212 deaths, and worldwide. Also, a woman who says President Trump raped her in the 1990s, E. Jean Carroll, is asking for a sample of his DNA to try to prove her claim.

With only days remaining before the Iowa caucus, President Trump traveled to Des Moines Thursday to rally his supporters. Trump's campaign events are known for their raucous energy and concert-like atmosphere, in contrast to the small, intimate gatherings that 2020 Democrats are holding as they head into primary voting. Stephanie Sy reports from the Drake University site of Trump's rally.

In President Trump's impeachment trial, it's time for senators, effectively acting as jurors, to determine the agenda. On Wednesday, they largely targeted their questions to the trial representatives from their own parties. Amna Nawaz reports, and Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the subject matter on which senators focused and the latest on calling witnesses.