Pbs Newshour - Politics

The Supreme Court struck down a challenge to a congressional map in South Carolina that civil rights groups argued was a racial gerrymander. In a 6-3 decision, the conservative majority delivered a win to Republicans who said they used politics, not race, as the key factor when drawing the district bounds. Geoff Bennett discussed the decision with NewsHour Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The New York Times reports that an "Appeal to Heaven" flag, which has origins dating to the Revolutionary War but is now associated with Christian nationalism and efforts to overturn President Biden's election win, was seen flying outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's New Jersey beach home last year. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This week on the campaign trail, Donald Trump suggested he was open to restricting birth control or allowing states to do so. He later walked it back on Truth Social, saying he will "never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control." President Biden and Trump are proposing vastly different visions for reproductive rights and healthcare. White House Correspondent Laura Barrón-López reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The legal fallout from alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election continued in Arizona on Tuesday. Rudy Giuliani and nearly a dozen other allies of Donald Trump were arraigned on charges connected to the plot to install fake electors to back Trump despite President Biden winning the state in the 2020 election. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Ned Foley. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Donald Trump's defense team rested its case Tuesday in the trial brought against the former president by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Next week, both sides will make their closing statements to the jury and then deliberations will begin. While this case is often called a hush money trial, the charges against the former president are more complicated. William Brangham explains. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Cross-examination wrapped up Monday for Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, who is a central witness in the hush-money trial against the former president. Trump's lead defense lawyer portrayed Cohen as a serial liar and someone who profited by turning against his former boss. William Brangham reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including Republican allies continue to make appearances at the courthouse to show their support for Trump and why Democrats wanted an early presidential debate. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The lie that President Joe Biden stole the 2020 presidential election, which led to the violent January 6 insurrection, is alive and well. This week, we learned that a "Stop the Steal" flag was flying at the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January of 2021. The New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor joined Laura Barrón-López to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart and Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including President Biden and former President Trump agree to face off on the debate stage, Michael Cohen testifies in Trump's criminal trial and Justice Alito's home flew a U.S. flag upside down after Jan. 6. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Former President Trump's one-time lawyer, Michael Cohen, spent his third day on the stand Thursday in a Manhattan courthouse. Cohen is now the key witness in the case against his former boss, and he again faced hours of scrutiny over many lies and misstatements he's made. William Brangham was in the courtroom reports on the latest. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

President Biden used executive privilege to deny House Republicans access to audio from his interview with special counsel Robert Hur. The October 2023 interview centered on the president's handling of classified documents. Republicans requested the audio and planned to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to provide it. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Carrie Johnson. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

More than 100 million American households have money in bank accounts protected by the FDIC. The agency's chairman, Martin Gruenberg, is facing calls to resign after a recent audit and major news investigation found serious problems with the FDIC's workplace culture. Laura Barrón-López discussed more with Rebecca Ballhaus, an investigative reporter who broke this story for The Wall Street Journal. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

President Biden and former President Trump have agreed to debate, one-on-one, but without the involvement of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has run those debates since 1988. CNN and ABC will host the events in June and September, respectively. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Republican strategist Kevin Madden and Democratic strategist Faiz Shakir. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Latino Americans make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population and will be a critical constituency for both Republicans and Democrats in swing states. But the idea of Latinos voting as a bloc betrays the diversity of history, culture and perspectives within that community which may also help strengthen it against polarization. Judy Woodruff reports, for her series, America at a Crossroads. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The key witness in the New York criminal trial against Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, continued his testimony Tuesday, further detailing the alleged scheme to hide the payment Cohen made to Stormy Daniels to protect Trump during the 2016 campaign. During cross-examination, Trump's legal team painted Cohen as a man motivated by greed, determined to convict Trump. William Brangham reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

On the stand Monday in the fourth week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial was the prosecution's star witness, Michael Cohen. Trump's former attorney and fixer testified that Trump directed him to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels to bury her story on the eve of the 2016 election and was then involved in the coverup of those payments after he won. William Brangham reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Jury selection began Monday as Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez is set to become the first sitting senator ever tried for conspiracy to act as a foreign agent. The case is expected to last several weeks. Lisa Desjardins previews what's to come. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade, Republicans have banned abortion in 14 states and restricted it in more. But when given the chance, voters have supported ballot initiatives to protect access to the procedure. This election year, abortion will again be a defining issue. Laura Barrón-Lopéz reports from the battleground of Michigan, where Democrats plan to keep the topic front and center. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

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 new polls showing President Biden trailing Donald Trump in key battleground states and the former president's historic trial rolls on in New York. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The third week of testimony in former president Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial came to a close Friday in New York with prosecutors saying they may be able to rest their case next week. William Brangham was in the courtroom and reports on what he saw and what comes next. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders