PBS News Hour - Politics

Newly unearthed audio from a 1971 phone call between Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon is raising new questions about Reagan's views on race. What additional context does the new audio offer to historians, as they continue to assess Reagan's record and legacy? Lisa Desjardins reports.

Bill de Blasio has been mayor of New York City since 2014. He is one of the latest entrants into the 2020 Democratic presidential contest but has been ramping up his campaign since, delivering one of the most memorable lines at the July debate. Judy Woodruff sits down with de Blasio to discuss running New York, what he thinks of his progressive competitors and his concerns about the party.

Nearly two dozen presidential candidates attended the Iowa State Fair over the weekend. Former Vice President Joe Biden drew the most attention and continues to lead in the polls, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is seeing support surge. Lisa Desjardins reports on how the contenders are striving to stand out -- and to cultivate successful campaign operations -- in the first primary state.

NPR's Tamara Keith and Shawna Thomas of VICE News join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including how 2020 Democrats fared at the Iowa State Fair, Joe Biden's tendency to make gaffes and whether his competitors will take advantage of it and President Trump's retweeting of a Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory involving the Clintons.

As Democratic candidates and the lone Republican challenger to President Trump raced to event after event in Iowa, the president took to the internet to retweet conspiracy theories linking the Clintons to the death of Jeffrey Epstein. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield joins Hari Sreenivasan to put the week in politics in perspective.

Six months before the Iowa caucuses, nearly all the 2020 Democrats are visiting the state fair, considered a major venue for presidential candidates. Amid the fried food and festivities, they made their pitches to voters -- and broadly condemned President Trump's language on race. Lisa Desjardins talks to Amna Nawaz about which candidate names she's hearing most and fairgoers' feelings on Trump.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week's political news, including whether there will be real momentum in Congress to enact stronger gun legislation, how President Trump conducted himself visiting shooting victims in El Paso and Dayton and what white supremacy means for our American national identity.

President Trump traveled to Dayton and El Paso Wednesday in the wake of weekend mass shootings in the two cities. Protesters gathered in both stricken communities before he arrived, while other residents expressed appreciation for his presence. 2020 Democrats, meanwhile, were united in criticizing Trump's incendiary rhetoric -- and calling for tighter gun regulations. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

Tom Steyer is a billionaire philanthropist and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. Perhaps best known for his efforts to impeach President Trump, Steyer sits down with Judy Woodruff to discuss why he believes government in Washington, D.C., is "broken," how to get corporate cash out of American democracy, criticism of his hedge fund history and the need for aggressive action on climate change.

Mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton have pushed gun safety back into the forefront of national politics. On Capitol Hill, how are lawmakers responding? Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss an unusual move from Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, the current landscape of proposed gun legislation and whether there is a realistic chance for any expansion of background checks to pass.