PBS News Hour - Politics

Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren appeared to put their recent clash behind them as they joined a South Carolina celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday. But former Vice President Joe Biden questioned whether either of them would benefit the Democratic Party as the 2020 nominee. As Amna Nawaz reports, plenty of uncertainty remains only two weeks out from the Iowa caucuses.

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including what Democratic voters in Iowa are thinking about the 2020 primary race, the elusive definition of "electability" and how President Trump's Senate impeachment trial could affect the candidates.

As questions continue to swirl over whether witnesses will be allowed to testify during President Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, new evidence released by Democrats on Friday shows possible connections between the White House and GOP-linked operatives in Ukraine. Ryan Goodman, of the national security website justsecurity.org and an NYU law professor, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's political news, including the opening of President Trump's Senate trial and the announcement of his legal team, public opinion on impeachment, 2020 Democrats' final debate before the Iowa caucuses and Michael Bloomberg's remarkable ad spend.

President Trump's impeachment trial, only the third such proceeding in U.S. history, opened in the Senate Thursday. Chief Justice John Roberts and 99 senators were sworn in to their official trial roles. Meanwhile, new evidence related to Trump's Ukraine policy was publicly released. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the trial and Lev Parnas.

Chief Justice John Roberts will preside over the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump -- only the third person ever to serve in that role. What exactly are his responsibilities, and how is Roberts' own character likely to shape his contributions? The National Law Journal's Marcia Coyle and CNN's Joan Biskupic, both authors of books about the chief justice, join John Yang to discuss.

U.S. women won the right to vote a century ago; the fight to instill in the Constitution equal rights regardless of sex is nearly as old. The Equal Rights Amendment was a major national topic in the 1970s -- but it wasn't until this past Tuesday that the crucial 38th state ratified it. Equality Now's Kate Kelly joins Judy Woodruff to discuss whether the ERA will become part of the Constitution.

The House of Representatives has voted to send articles of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate. The newly selected House impeachment managers walked the documents across the Capitol Wednesday evening. Lisa Desjardins reports on a historic moment in American politics and joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the anticipated trial schedule, newly released evidence and other Senate business.

As the impeachment trial of President Trump opens, questions persist about how it will be run. In particular, Democrats and Republicans have argued over whether or not to include witness testimony. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss how he and his GOP colleagues can be impartial while coordinating with the White House and why he supports postponing the witness question.

Many questions remain regarding how the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump will be conducted. Among the points of contention is whether or not witnesses should be called. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss why he believes "you can't have a trial without witnesses and evidence" and how it's "no surprise" that most Americans are not following impeachment closely.