PBS NewsHour - Segments

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post deputy editorial page editor Ruth Marcus join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the historic government shutdown, a report that President Trump instructed Michael Cohen to lie to Congress and the growing list of possible Democratic candidates for president in 2020.

After 13-year-old Divyne Apollon II became the target of racist taunts by opponents, his teammates jumped to his defense. The camaraderie caught the eye of Washington Capitals’ players John Carlson and Devante Smith-Pelly, one of the NHL’s few black members, who invited Apollon and his teammates for a game and VIP tour. Amna Nawaz has the story.

In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, an unusual phenomenon has appeared in a river in Westbrook, Maine: A giant ice disk that spans about 100 yards across and spins counter-clockwise. The disk is a natural although uncommon occurrence documented in other parts of North America as well as in Scandinavia. Julia Griffin, in collaboration with Maine Public Television, has the story.

On day 27 of the partial government shutdown, President Trump rescinded approval for a military plane, effectively cancelling a trip to Afghanistan planned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation. The move comes after Pelosi asked to postpone the president’s State of the Union Address over safety concerns. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff for an update on the shutdown.

On day 27 of the partial government shutdown, President Trump rescinded approval for a military plane, effectively cancelling a trip to Afghanistan planned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a congressional delegation. The move comes after Pelosi asked to postpone the president’s State of the Union Address over safety concerns. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff for an update on the shutdown.

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, seemed to reverse himself on CNN Wednesday night, claiming he "never said there was no collusion between the [Trump] campaign" and Russia. He sought to clarify his remarks on Thursday. Also, Michael Cohen, the president's former lawyer, admitted he paid a tech company to boost Trump's standing in online polls.

Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has built missile defenses primarily to counter rogue states. President Trump on Thursday expanded the program's ambition, including calling for updated space technology. Officials say the new policy responds to Russian advances. Nick Schifrin talks with Joe Cirincione of the Ploughshares Fund and Rebeccah Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute.

While so far there have been no major lapses in benefits for the nearly 39 million people who depend on food stamps amid the partial government shutdown, 2,500 retailers around the country are unable to take any form of SNAP EBT payments.

In the early 20th century, Standard Oil was broken up because of its vast power. Today, many think Facebook, Google or Amazon present similar threats, but they proceed unchallenged. In "The Curse of Bigness," law professor Tim Wu argues that America has abandoned antitrust enforcement and left us with an economy dominated by de facto monopolists. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

The inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services paints the most detailed picture to date of the Trump administration's actions to separate immigrant families at the southern border. The report found that the government was separating children long before it announced its policy; thousands more may have been separated than previously reported. Amna Nawaz joins Judy Woodruff.

There have been many expeditions on the frozen continent of Antarctica, but Colin O'Brady's 54-day solo trek across more than 930 miles without any assistance was the first of its kind. "You are locked in a prison of your own brain," O'Brady said. "Fortunately, I like my own company." William Brangham talks with him and his expedition manager and wife Jenna Besaw about this test of endurance.

When Alabama closed a regional hospital, the warden of Metro Jail says that the population of people with mental illness doubled at their facility. Trey Oliver says they often see the same people over and over again, people who should have a different kind of around-the-clock care. Oliver gives his Brief But Spectacular take on why incarceration can’t solve mental illness and life at his jail.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested President Trump’s State of the Union be postponed for safety reasons related to the shutdown, although the Department of Homeland Security countered it is able to handle the event. Meanwhile, President Trump met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to negotiate, as another payroll deadline approaches. Judy Woodruff talks to Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins.

In our Wednesday news wrap, the death toll from Tuesday’s attack on a hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenya, climbed to 21. The Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility, saying it was retaliating for the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Also, in Zimbabwe, police are cracking down as violent protests erupt over spiking fuel costs amidst an economic crisis.

ISIS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in northern Syria's Manbij that killed four Americans, countering the Trump administration's assessment that the terrorist group had been defeated. While Vice President Pence repeated that the U.S. is now able to "hand off" that fight to allies, other officials expressed concern that withdrawal plans have enlivened the enemy. Nick Schifrin reports.