PBS News Hour - Politics

In our news wrap Wednesday, funerals began in New Zealand for victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings that killed 50 people. Hundreds gathered to pray before carrying coffins to burial sites, as the prime minister vowed to tighten gun laws. Also, emergency officials in the U.S. Midwest warn that massive, destructive floods aren’t yet over, as rain and melting snow could spread waters south.

President Trump often expresses disdain for law enforcement agencies investigating him. The Southern District of New York has attracted particular ire, with Trump firing the U.S. attorney heading it in 2017. Judy Woodruff talks to that U.S. attorney, Preet Bharara, about his new book, “Doing Justice,” how the justice system was intended to work and whether its credibility is being jeopardized.

More than a dozen candidates are running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Among them is Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state, who has made addressing climate change the cornerstone of his campaign platform. He sits down with Judy Woodruff to discuss his plan for creating a “clean energy economy,” the value of executive experience, tax policy and slavery's racist legacy.

In our news wrap Tuesday, flooding in the Midwest has claimed three lives and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Scores of cities and counties have declared emergencies as the Missouri and Platte Rivers flow beyond their banks. Also, a new Associated Press analysis finds that far more records have been broken for heat in the U.S. over the last 20 years than for cold temperatures.

At the White House on Tuesday, President Trump welcomed Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, in the latter’s first bilateral foreign visit. The two leaders share many similar views, as they reiterated at a press conference, and Bolsonaro represents Brazil’s first pro-U.S. leader in decades. Nick Schifrin reports on how the two presidents hope to align their countries on trade and politics.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development assists more than five million families with affording their rent, among other programs. Yamiche Alcindor talks to HUD Secretary Ben Carson about his reaction to President Trump's rhetoric on race, whether Carson plans to remain in his position, HUD achievements during his tenure and criticism he's received about his use of government resources.

William Burns, former deputy secretary of state and ambassador to Russia, may have spent more time with Vladimir Putin than other American diplomat. In his book, “The Back Channel,” Burns discusses how a “sense of grievance” underlies Putin's interactions with the U.S. Judy Woodruff talks to Burns about a "failure of imagination" on Syria and the current state of American diplomacy.

President Trump has long been a prolific Twitter user, but this past weekend, he tweeted with even greater frequency than usual, including more than 30 times on Sunday alone. In his fiery posts, the president attacked the news media, the late Republican Sen. John McCain, General Motors and "Saturday Night Live." Judy Woodruff talks to Yamiche Alcindor about an "angry" Trump's "misleading" claims.

Democratic candidates for president in 2020 are stepping up their campaigning. Among those crisscrossing the country, releasing ads and raising money this week were New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden may have unintentionally revealed his own campaign plans. Lisa Desjardins reports.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report talk to Judy Woodruff about the week in politics, including Beto O’Rourke’s entrance into the 2020 Democratic presidential field, candidate discussions of “process” issues on the campaign trail and poll numbers reflecting how Americans feel about the Mueller investigation.