PBS NewsHour

As questions continue to swirl over whether witnesses will be allowed to testify during President Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, new evidence released by Democrats on Friday shows possible connections between the White House and GOP-linked operatives in Ukraine. Ryan Goodman, of the national security website justsecurity.org and an NYU law professor, joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss.

New York's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture celebrated the tradition of black comics this weekend with its annual Black Comic Book Festival. Thousands attended the two-day exhibition in Harlem, which also featured screenings, panel discussions and a cosplay competition. And for fans, it was a chance to meet some of their favorite comic creators and superheroes. Karla Murthy reports.

Venezuela is enduring both economic meltdown and political crisis. A year ago, opposition head Juan Guaido said President Nicolas Maduro was illegitimate and that he himself was the country’s rightful leader. But although Guaido won support from nearly 60 countries around the world, including the U.S., Maduro remains in power. Special correspondent Marcia Biggs sits down with Guaido in Caracas.

From fires to floods, the warming climate is reshaping the globe. In fact, the decade of the 2010s was the hottest ever recorded on Earth. And although activists and scientists have long been sounding the alarm, a new voice joined the chorus recently: investment firm BlackRock. William Brangham talks to BlackRock’s Brian Deese about how climate change is altering American business and finance.

Many a masterpiece has been recorded at Capricorn Sound Studios in Macon, Georgia. Otis Redding’s manager, Phil Walden, co-founded the label, and Capricorn went on to produce a decade of southern rock hits. But as the music industry changed, Capricorn went bankrupt and fell into disrepair -- until a recent revival lifted the studio, and the city, back into the limelight. Jeffrey Brown reports.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s political news, including the opening of President Trump’s Senate trial and the announcement of his legal team, public opinion on impeachment, 2020 Democrats’ final debate before the Iowa caucuses and Michael Bloomberg’s remarkable ad spend.

Improving school meals was among Michelle Obama’s key initiatives during her tenure as first lady. Since then, the Trump administration has rolled back Obama-era school nutrition policies they argued went too far and were ineffective. Now, the Department of Agriculture has made additional major changes. Crystal FitzSimons of the Food Research and Action Center joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.

Firefighters in Australia are finally getting some help from nature, in the form of lower temperatures and rain. But many fires are still burning, and millions of acres have been lost. The blazes have also caused tremendous damage to the surrounding ecosystems and wildlife -- some of which don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

In our news wrap Friday, Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out at the U.S. amid new unrest in his country. He addressed Friday prayers for the first time in eight years, telling crowds the U.S. is lying when it says it supports protesters. Also, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said he will investigate allegations that the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine was under surveillance before her ouster.

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump moved to give religious groups easier access to federal programs -- and to reaffirm the right to pray in public schools. Nine Cabinet departments proposed rules to ensure faith-based organizations are not discriminated against in the competition for grant funding. Also, the UN reports 350,000 people have fled a new government offensive in northwest Syria.

Recently, the FDA formally approved the first vaccine to prevent the Ebola virus. The advance comes at a crucial time, as Democratic Republic of Congo is suffering an outbreak that has lasted over a year and a half and sickened more than 3,000. But the death toll would be much higher without the unprecedented rate of medical progress in treatment. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports.

U.S. women won the right to vote a century ago; the fight to instill in the Constitution equal rights regardless of sex is nearly as old. The Equal Rights Amendment was a major national topic in the 1970s -- but it wasn’t until this past Tuesday that the crucial 38th state ratified it. Equality Now's Kate Kelly joins Judy Woodruff to discuss whether the ERA will become part of the Constitution.

Chief Justice John Roberts will preside over the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump -- only the third person ever to serve in that role. What exactly are his responsibilities, and how is Roberts’ own character likely to shape his contributions? The National Law Journal’s Marcia Coyle and CNN’s Joan Biskupic, both authors of books about the chief justice, join John Yang to discuss.

The Senate has passed a new trade agreement among the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The USMCA, as it’s now called, is meant to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, and it does change or replace some important provisions -- but critics say it is hardly the overhaul that was once advertised. Amna Nawaz reports and speaks to Lori Wallach of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch.

President Trump’s impeachment trial, only the third such proceeding in U.S. history, opened in the Senate Thursday. Chief Justice John Roberts and 99 senators were sworn in to their official trial roles. Meanwhile, new evidence related to Trump’s Ukraine policy was publicly released. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the trial and Lev Parnas.

As the impeachment trial of President Trump opens, questions persist about how it will be run. In particular, Democrats and Republicans have argued over whether or not to include witness testimony. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss how he and his GOP colleagues can be impartial while coordinating with the White House and why he supports postponing the witness question.

After two years of escalating threats and tariffs, the U.S. and China have signed a trade deal. In what is known as Phase 1 of a larger agreement, Beijing pledged to increase purchases of U.S. goods, while U.S. tariffs remain on $360 billion of Chinese imports. Nick Schifrin reports and Judy Woodruff talks to Peter Navarro, director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.

An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has plagued Democratic Republic of Congo for nearly a year and a half, with more than 3,000 people getting sick and 2,000 dead. Major medical advances in prevention and treatment have kept the disease's toll from rising, but ongoing war -- and attacks on medical teams -- have forced the response to a standstill. Special correspondent Monica Villamizar reports.

Many questions remain regarding how the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump will be conducted. Among the points of contention is whether or not witnesses should be called. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., joins Lisa Desjardins to discuss why he believes “you can’t have a trial without witnesses and evidence” and how it’s “no surprise” that most Americans are not following impeachment closely.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Virginia became the crucial 38th state to ratify the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment, which bars discrimination on the basis of sex. Three-quarters of the states now approve the amendment. Also, Russia’s government abruptly resigned after President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional changes that could keep him in power after his current term ends in 2024.