PBS News Hour - Politics

House Democrats are battling over their beliefs. A substantial policy divide has opened up between moderates, led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and progressives--and it has recently grown personal. On the outs with Pelosi, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, all freshman women of color, are finding themselves increasingly ostracized. Lisa Desjardins reports.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and The National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest in politics, including brewing tensions between progressive and moderate House Democrats, President Trump's executive action on acquiring citizenship data, the role of money in politics and remembering Ross Perot.

President Trump announced Thursday that he's backing down from his legal fight to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. Instead, he'll use an executive order to demand citizenship information from other government agencies. Yamiche Alcindor, Lisa Desjardins and Amna Nawaz join Judy Woodruff to discuss that development as well as news on Trump's immigration policy and social media summit.

In our news wrap Thursday, tensions simmered between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and four progressives. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., called Pelosi's criticism of her and three other newly elected women "outright disrespectful." Pelosi said she was rebuking an "offensive tweet" from one of them. Also, the British navy says Iran tried to interfere with a British tanker in the Persian Gulf.

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently launched a major expansion aimed to improve veteran health care by opening up access to private doctors. But critics say the program offloads government responsibility to the private sector. Judy Woodruff sits down with the department's head, Sec. Robert Wilkie, to discuss that issue as well as mental health, homelessness and supporting female veterans.

Of the record 36 women newly elected to Congress in the 2018 midterms, only one was a Republican. The party's continued struggle to attract female candidates hit a new setback recently when political newcomer Joan Perry lost her North Carolina primary. Lisa Desjardins talks to Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., about why it's so hard to put Republican women in Congress, especially in leadership roles.

The Affordable Care Act is again facing a critical legal challenge, as a federal appeals court in New Orleans considers a lower court's ruling that the law is unconstitutional. The Justice Department isn't defending the law, but Democratic lawmakers and officials are. John Yang talks to Axios' Sam Baker about the legal test and how the law's provisions extend beyond individual health insurance.

Across the country, more state laws are aligning with voter attitudes about recreational use of marijuana. The wave of cannabis legalization has had a significant influence on individuals, communities and governments, and driven the development of a burgeoning commercial industry. William Brangham begins our series on marijuana with a look at what has changed in states that have legalized it.

As 2020 Democratic presidential candidates campaigned this weekend, issues of racial justice dominated the conversation. Former Vice President Joe Biden apologized for controversial comments about working with segregationists, while several other hopefuls outlined plans to boost the economic position of black Americans. And as Yamiche Alcindor reports, one candidate became the first to drop out.

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including former Vice President Joe Biden's apology for his controversial segregationist comments, how 2020 Democrats are emphasizing opportunity for black voters and a possible generational shift between the party's moderates and progressives.