PBS News Hour - Politics

Friday is the deadline for Congress to reauthorize a key tool for collecting foreign intelligence. Critics on the left and the right argue that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is prone to abuse. Others say they won't back it until President Trump pulls his pick to oversee the intelligence community. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Republican Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A new report from the Pew Research Center says American politics are not as simple as red versus blue. Pew surveyed more than 10,000 people and split the public into nine distinct groups along political and cultural values. Despite a polarized political environment, the report finds a minority of Americans are truly all-in for either party. Amna Nawaz discussed the findings with Jocelyn Kiley. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Voters in four states went to the polls on Tuesday to choose their parties' candidates. The biggest event was in Maine, where Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner had made scandalous headlines in the past weeks. But in South Carolina, Nevada, and North Dakota, results for governor and congressional races are also coming in. Lisa Desjardins reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina select their nominees on Tuesday, but much of the nation's political focus will be on Maine. Democrat Graham Platner is expected to emerge from the primary to take on five-term incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. But Platner has faced one scandal after another during the campaign. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Alex Seitz-Wald. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

On Tuesday, the House passed a bill that will fund immigration and border enforcement agencies. The package passed in the Senate last week and heads to the president's desk. Attention now turns to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and Democrats are united in their opposition to it. Geoff Bennett spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries about that vote and the Democratic agenda. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

We're revisiting our episode with award-winning journalist and writer Michael Harriot, who spoke with Geoff Bennett about his best-selling book, "Black AF History," and what we can learn from Black history today. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Ripple effects and strong opinions are still flowing out of Trump's interview on NBC's Meet the Press over the weekend. Among the points of contention are Trump's baseless claims about the 2020 election results and the security of current elections. Lisa Desjardins speaks with Tammy Patrick at the National Association of Election Administrators to sort fact from fiction. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including Trump walking out under tough questioning on NBC's "Meet the Press," Democrats facing character questions ahead of a battleground Senate race, and the president's influence on the ballot in South Carolina. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Friday, Senate Republicans passed a $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement, Trump said he wants his new acting director of national intelligence to slash the agency's staffing, a federal judge struck down the Trump administration's immigration processing freeze for 39 countries, and the International Space Station experienced an air leak. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

David Brooks of The Atlantic and Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including Republican defiance of President Donald Trump and fresh scandals in a key Senate race. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The Senate is in the midst of voting on $72 billion of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as the Department of Homeland Security. The package has been held up for months with amendment votes expected to run well into the night. But it's still unclear whether Republican leaders will ultimately be able to wrangle enough votes to pass the measure. Lisa Desjardins has the latest. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton agreed to plead guilty to a felony count of illegally retaining classified information, U.S. officials say a flesh-eating insect detected in Texas livestock has not spread, Hezbollah rejects a ceasefire agreement with Israel and Lebanon and thousands got a sneak peek of the Obama Presidential Center. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The U.S. House on Wednesday voted to limit President Trump from further military action in Iran. One of the Republicans who voted for that resolution is Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. He joins Amna Nawaz to discuss his vote and a recent proposal to spend nearly $2 billion for a so-called "anti-weaponization" fund. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Half a dozen states held their primary elections Tuesday giving a clearer picture of how some of the nation's high-profile midterms races will shape up this fall. In California, ballots are still being counted in several key races chief among them the race for governor. Nathan Gonzales, editor and publisher of Inside Elections, joins Geoff Bennett for more on what these primary results tell us. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Primary voters in New Jersey on Tuesday finalized the race for one of the nation's most competitive seats, and one of the most unusual, because the incumbent Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. has not been seen on the campaign trail or Capitol Hill for months. His absence brings broader questions for Congress. Lisa Desjardins reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap on Wednesday, Ukraine says it struck an oil depot in Russia's St. Petersburg with drones that flew more than 600 miles to reach their target, the UK's prime minister condemned violent protests that erupted over the death of a teenager, a hotel fire in New Delhi killed at least 21 people and federal prosecutors investigate former Rep. George Santos. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Trump on Tuesday named Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard. Pulte, a loyal Trump ally who has frequently targeted the president's opponents, has no background in intelligence. The selection drew swift criticism from Democrats, while the Senate's top Republican also raised concerns. Liz Landers has the latest. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Acting Attorney General Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday that the Justice Department is scrapping plans to create a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization fund." It's a setback for Trump, after Republican senators made clear they did not have the votes to advance a Homeland Security funding bill unless the White House either scaled back or eliminated the fund. Lisa Desjardins has more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

For years, researchers and advocates have documented the barriers students from immigrant families face when pursuing higher education. But the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign has introduced new challenges and fears, even for many immigrants who are legally in the United States. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports from Minnesota for our series Rethinking College. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Journalist Michael Edison Hayden has spent years tracking extremism in America. His new book, "Strange People on the Hill," follows what happened when a far-right group moved its headquarters to a small town in rural West Virginia. Amna Nawaz spoke with Hayden about his book and the sharp divisions in American politics right now for our "Settle In" podcast. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Journalist Michael Edison Hayden spent years tracking extremism in America. His book, "Strange People on the Hill," is about what happened when a far-right group moved its headquarters to a small town in rural West Virginia. We're revisiting our conversation with Hayden, who spoke with Amna Nawaz about the story and what it can teach us about politics in the U.S. right now. Hayden also shared the personal toll this work has taken on his own mental health and  relationships. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

President Trump's $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund established by the Department of Justice has hit a setback. The DOJ said Monday they will abide by a court ruling temporarily pausing payouts that could have gone to Jan. 6 defendants and other Trump supporters. This comes amid political pressure from Republicans who are upset about the fund. Liz Landers joins Geoff Bennett to discuss. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

New rules proposed by the U.S. Postal Service would make states give data on voters who receive mail-in ballots for federal elections. This after President Trump tightened mail-in voting rules with a stated goal of making more secure elections. But a new report says election security threats are more likely something else. Arron Rose of Check Point Software Technologies joins Liz Lander for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

NPR's Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright of NOTUS join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including President Trump's control of congressional Republicans, partisan politics and Freedom 250. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In our news wrap Friday, a federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to remove Donald Trump's name from the building, the U.S. and Iran appear to still be far apart on a potential deal to end the conflict and Romania says that a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building near its border with Ukraine, the first known time that's happened on NATO soil since Russia invaded Ukraine. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi defended the Justice Department's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation during a closed-door interview with lawmakers. Bondi said the department under her leadership remained committed to securing justice for Epstein's victims, but she declined to answer questions about President Trump. Justice correspondent Ali Rogin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW and Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Matthew Continetti join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including midterm primary elections showing more signs of strength for President Trump within the GOP, James Talarico's chances against Ken Paxton in Texas and Jill Biden speaking for the first time about the former president's health. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Earlier this month, President Trump disclosed that his trust actively traded individual stocks. It's an unprecedented practice for a sitting U.S. president in the modern era and is raising concerns about how his actions and public statements could benefit his financial holdings. White House correspondent Liz Landers reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In 2024, massive pro-Palestinian protests swept college campuses across the country, including at Columbia University. As the Trump administration intensified its immigration enforcement efforts, several non-citizen student protesters were taken into ICE detention. Leqaa Kordia was one of them and remained detained for more than a year. Lisa Desjardins spoke with her about her experience. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

President Trump again proved his political power in Texas as his endorsed candidate in the Senate primary won in a landslide. Ken Paxton secured the GOP nomination, beating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton will face Democratic nominee James Talarico in the fall in what's set to be one of the nation's marquee midterm races. Geoff Bennett discussed the results with Brandon Rottinghaus. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy