PBS News Hour - Politics

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including which Democrats are eligible to participate in debates so far, enthusiasm vs. electability for Joe Biden and other candidates and whom President Trump has been attacking lately.

Arlington National Cemetery is well known as the final resting place for fallen U.S. soldiers. Less famous is the elite unit that performs the funerals for these military heroes: The Old Guard, the Army’s oldest active duty regiment. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who served in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as The Old Guard, covers it in his new book, “Sacred Duty,” and joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

President Trump last week gave his political appointee, Attorney General William Barr, full authority to declassify information from intelligence agencies related to “surveillance activities” in the Russia probe. The move is being questioned by intelligence officials and has stoked fears it could weaken national security. Special correspondent Jeff Greenfield joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

California Rep. Eric Swalwell is one of the youngest Democrats running for their party’s 2020 presidential nomination. He has made gun control the central issue of his campaign. Swalwell sits down with Judy Woodruff to discuss why he believes addressing gun violence can galvanize voters, how his background and “fiscal prudence” would help him reach across the aisle and his thoughts on impeachment.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s political news, including NewsHour interviews with 2020 presidential candidates Eric Swalwell and Kirsten Gillibrand, the escalating feud between President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and whether ongoing congressional investigations are leading to impeachment.

After a months-long delay, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a funding bill Thursday that helps communities hit by natural disasters. The House is expected to quickly follow suit, and President Trump said he will sign the bill into law. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how much money the bill allocates to whom, plus the political dynamics between Trump and congressional Democrats.

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump said he doubts there is a need to send more U.S. troops to the Middle East, despite heightened tensions with Iran. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan also disputed news reports that the U.S. would send 10,000 additional troops to the region. Meanwhile, the Justice Department filed a new 18-count indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Kirsten Gillibrand has represented New York in the Senate for a decade, with a record of advocacy on sexual abuse and gender rights. Now running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Gillibrand sits down with Judy Woodruff to discuss the challenge of standing up to former colleague Al Franken and why she thinks President Trump is more interested in fighting over trade than improving it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as some members of her party are increasingly urging. But her firm message for the president was met with a vow by Trump not to work with Democrats on infrastructure or anything else until investigations into him have ceased. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff for more.

House Democrats are divided on the question of whether to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., says that while he thinks “we have seen a massive cover-up on so many fronts” by the president -- echoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- he doesn’t believe Democrats need an impeachment inquiry to move forward. Connolly joins Judy Woodruff.