PBS News Hour - Politics

The impeachment inquiry into President Trump entered a new phase Wednesday as the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the matter. Four law professors testified before the panel about the legal parameters of impeachment: Noah Feldman, Michael Gerhardt, Pamela Karlan and Jonathan Turley. Those selected by Democrats said Trump's conduct was impeachable. Nick Schifrin reports.

In the House Judiciary Committee's first hearing Wednesday, four legal experts shared their perspective on impeachment -- and whether President Trump's handling of Ukraine policy meets the standard to justify it. Lisa Desjardins, who attended the hearing, joins Judy Woodruff and Yamiche Alcindor to discuss the four charges made against Trump, partisan and personal attacks and what comes next.

For additional insight into the House Judiciary Committee's first public impeachment hearing, we turn to Solomon Wisenberg, who was deputy independent counsel during the Whitewater investigation, and law professor Frank Bowman, author of "High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump." Both join Judy Woodruff to discuss the day's developments.

After weeks of closed-door and public hearings, the House Intelligence Committee released a 300-page report making the case for impeachment of President Trump, arguing that he solicited the interference of a foreign government in a U.S. election, obstructed the impeachment probe and sought to intimidate witnesses. Lisa Desjardins reports and joins Yamiche Alcindor and Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Three candidates have exited the 2020 presidential race in three days, though more than a dozen remain. On Monday, California Sen. Kamala Harris announced the end of her bid for the Democratic nomination, sharing a video for supporters that referenced some of the challenges her campaign faced amid a field of wealthy candidates. John Yang reports and talks to The Washington Post's Chelsea Janes.

President Trump's nomination of federal judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018 launched a bitter partisan fight that grew even more polarized when Christine Blasey Ford said Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school. Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed and now sits on the Court. The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus details his rise in a new book she discusses with Judy Woodruff.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold its first hearing on impeachment this Wednesday, although the White House has announced President Trump will not participate in a process he insists is a "hoax." Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made news Monday with his remarks about the delay in U.S. aid. Lisa Desjardins joins John Yang to discuss a busy December schedule.

About two months remain before the first votes are cast in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries. Candidates have been busy on the campaign trail, speaking to voters and launching new ads -- especially in Iowa, the first state to hold its primary contest. But some candidates have recently bowed out of the race entirely, while others struggle to gain momentum. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Domenico Montenaro of NPR join Yamiche Alcindor to discuss the latest political news, including shifting dynamics in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, how congressional Democrats and Republicans view the facts of the impeachment investigation differently, political pressure on moderates and how impeachment could affect the 2020 race.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including public opinion and legal debate in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, the shifting race among 2020 Democrats and what we're thankful for during this holiday week.