PBS NewsHour - Segments

Communist China's planned economy once prevented its citizens from becoming wealthy. But China now produces billionaires faster than any country in the world, even as President Xi Jinping has cracked down on ostentatious displays of wealth. Special correspondent Katrina Yu reports on the fourth in a 10-part series, "China: Power and Prosperity," with support from the Pulitzer Center.

Why does music give us chills, motivate us to work out and make us feel connected to one another? Neuroscientist and opera singer Indre Viskontas explains the power of music and its effects on our brains in her new book, "How Music Can Make You Better."

It has been a historic week for President Trump and Congress, with startling revelations about an intelligence community whistleblower's complaint against the president ultimately leading to the launch of a House impeachment inquiry. Yamiche Alcindor reports on the whirlwind of events and joins Judy Woodruff to discuss who besides Trump might be involved and how fast the investigation is moving.

In our Friday news wrap, House Democrats voted to end the national emergency declaration that allows money to be diverted from the military to fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate already approved the measure, but President Trump is expected to veto it. Also, a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's new rules on detention of migrant children.

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week's political news, including the details of the phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's decision to open an impeachment inquiry into the matter and potential 2020 political reaction to impeachment.

It was an explosive day on Capitol Hill, as a redacted version of the whistleblower letter was released publicly, and the acting director of national intelligence testified before the House Intelligence Committee about his handling of it. Lisa Desjardins reports on what the whistleblower complaint describes, the role of Congress and how President Trump is responding to the developments.

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire testified in front of the House Intelligence Committee Thursday regarding an intelligence community whistleblower's complaint about President Trump's interactions with a foreign leader. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss his concerns that Trump tried to cover up misconduct.

A memorandum of notes from President Trump's July phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy documents that Trump asked Zelensky for "a favor" by investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden's son. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Trump, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss why she doesn't think Trump did anything wrong.

Amid a political swirl over his interactions with the Ukrainian president, President Trump is denying the July phone call between the two leaders included anything improper. But behind the scenes, Trump is "lashing out" in frustration that details of that call were communicated to the person who filed the whistleblower complaint. Yamiche Alcindor joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest.

John Carlin, who previously served as the top national security official at the Justice Department, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss why he finds the details of President Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy so disturbing, and what it would mean if White House officials tried to suppress that information.

In our news wrap Thursday, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo said that among the "innumerable atrocities" committed by the Assad regime, the U.S. has concluded that Syrian government forces used chlorine as a chemical weapon during a battle with insurgents in May. Also, the death toll from a severe lung illness tied to vaping has risen to 12 people in the U.S., while the number of cases is now above 800.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's philosophy has been written into the country's constitution. He has sought to raise the standard of living at home, while boosting China's power and influence across the globe. But critics accuse him of consolidating power and creating a campaign of oppression against the Chinese people -- especially those who disagree with him. Nick Schifrin reports from Beijing.

World leaders have been gathered in New York this week for the annual United Nations General Assembly. Among them is South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha, who joins William Brangham to discuss her country's current dynamic with North Korea, how to reduce nuclear tensions and why South Korea is clashing with Japan.

The release of a five-page memo describing President Trump's July phone call with Ukraine's president revealed new details of Trump's actions regarding Ukraine. The text shows that immediately after Volodymr Zelensky brought up military aid, Trump asked him for "a favor." Lisa Desjardins reports, then joins Yamiche Alcindor and Judy Woodruff for more on reactions from Trump and Congress.

According to the Justice Department, the original whistleblower account of President Trump's actions on Ukraine raised the possibility of a criminal act by Trump, related to campaign finance. But federal prosecutors reportedly decided that they could not identify a campaign finance violation from the two men's phone call. John Yang learns more from Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post.