PBS News Hour - Politics

In the U.S., health care costs continue to rise, insurance is more difficult to obtain and millions lack access to care entirely. As a result, some House Democrats want to implement a single-payer, universal coverage system in which all costs are paid by the federal government. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., talks to Amna Nawaz about the benefits of expanding Medicare for all Americans.

In public testimony before the House Oversight Committee, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen said some of his past offenses were “for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in coordination with” President Trump. He also called his former boss a conman, racist and cheat but said he had no "direct evidence" of Trump's campaign colluding with Russia.

During Michael Cohen's public, televised congressional testimony Wednesday, Republicans were quick to attack his credibility. They questioned Cohen about his decade of loyalty to President Trump, whether he was disgruntled over not getting a White House job and why he submitted fraudulent documents. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said Cohen is “pathological" and that "no one should ever listen" to him.

The testimony of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in front of the House Oversight Committee produced plenty of material. Lisa Desjardins, who attended the hearing, and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the day’s key takeaways, including House Republican and White House attacks on Cohen as not trustworthy and Cohen's argument that Trump ran for president solely to enrich himself.

In his congressional testimony on Wednesday, Michael Cohen produced evidence of hush money paid to porn actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to keep her from revealing an affair with President Trump. Cohen also accused the president of inflating his financial assets during dealings with banks but under-reporting them to the IRS. Judy Woodruff talks to Lisa Desjardins for more.

During his appearance before the House Oversight Committee, Michael Cohen was questioned about possible ties between the president and Russia, as well as Trump’s relationship with Roger Stone. Yamiche Alcindor talks to Judy Woodruff about the significance of the information Cohen relayed and whether any of it could pose a potential legal problem for the president.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., is a member of the House Oversight Committee that questioned President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen on Wednesday. He talks to Judy Woodruff about his conclusions from the hearing's "spectacular claims," including whether he thinks “we learned anything new” and why he sees Cohen as marred by a "cloud of suspicion" for his own track record on the truth and the law.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairs the House Intelligence Committee. He talks to Judy Woodruff about his impressions from Cohen’s Wednesday appearance in front of the House Oversight Committee, including evidence of a “code of dishonesty” in the president’s inner circle, plus what he plans to discuss when Cohen comes to his committee Thursday for a closed-door session.

Michael Cohen’s testimony raises many questions about President Trump’s personal, political and financial dealings. For analysis of its potential legal implications, Judy Woodruff turns to Solomon Wisenberg, who was deputy independent counsel during the Whitewater investigation of the early 1990s.

The House is pushing a resolution to invalidate President Trump’s declaration of a national emergency over illegal immigration. Meanwhile, Trump faced a challenge from the other side of Capitol Hill as his former attorney Michael Cohen testified in a closed session with the Senate Intelligence Committee. Lisa Desjardins updates Judy Woodruff on a busy day on Capitol Hill.