PBS NewsHour - Segments

A foreign country attempts to influence the outcome of an American election -- before the 2016 election, it was the plot of a new novel by Ohio's Democratic Party chairman. Now David Pepper returns with a second book,"The Wingman," which picks up where "The People's House" left off. He joins Judy Woodruff to discuss how a politician came to write political thrillers.

It's a kind of album of family and friends, but the pictures are large paintings at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. For a new exhibit called "82 Portraits and One Still Life," renowned artist David Hockney tried to capture the character and personalities of the people in his life, including his dentist, a housekeeper, his studio assistant and an LA art curator. Jeffrey Brown reports.

One of America's top spies set out to defend his qualifications to be its top diplomat on Thursday. Mike Pompeo, a former congressman, Army officer and self-professed hawk, stressed in his Senate confirmation hearing that he believes in diplomacy and empowering U.S. diplomats. But the current CIA director was met with fierce questioning and criticism from Democrats. Lisa Desjardins reports.

In our news wrap Thursday, President Trump and the Russians swapped warnings about striking Syria over a suspected chemical weapons attack. White House officials said Trump plans to speak with French and British leaders about next steps. Also, the president played down talk that he might fire special counsel Robert Mueller, tweeting that he's cooperating with the Russia probe.

President Trump made another surprising policy reversal when he told a group of mostly Midwestern lawmakers on Thursday that he is open to rejoining a sweeping trade deal with Asian nations. Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas joins Judy Woodruff to explain what he and others discussed with the president about the effect of Chinese tariffs on American agriculture producers.

Missouri’s senate majority leader called on Gov. Eric Greitens to resign on Thursday. That comes a day after a the release of a report detailing graphic testimony by a woman who had an affair with Greitens, in which said she said he spanked, slapped, groped and shoved her during sexual encounters. John Yang talks with Tony Messenger of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

President Trump and Acting Director Mick Mulvaney have charted a dramatically different course for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the brainchild of Sen. Elizabeth Warren that was created in 2010 to curb predatory practices and lending problems. Today those two visions collided in a showdown on Capitol Hill. William Brangham talks with Ken Sweet from The Associated Press.

The basic idea of bitcoin is simple: Instead of a financial institution holding a bank ledger, a chain of computers linked through the internet are all using the same software to record and verify every transaction. But how can a cryptocurrency be worth anything in the first place? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

The El Hassani family, now being held in Northern Syria by Kurdish forces, are not the only Americans who went to land controlled by the Islamic State -- there are dozens known to have ventured to the so-called caliphate since 2014. What should happen to those families and their children now? Amna Nawaz explores the dilemma with Seamus Hughes of George Washington University.

Nicole Dennis-Benn says she never could have become a writer if she had stayed in Jamaica -- that took living in the U.S. and encouragement from her wife. But returning to the land of her birth, she was confronted with all of the things she had run away from, yet also with the desire to tell the real stories of the people behind the fantasy. Dennis-Benn gives her Brief But Spectacular take.

The man who is third in line of succession to the presidency, the most powerful Republican in Congress, is calling it a career and will not seek re-election. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's decision today rippled up and down Pennsylvania Avenue, and beyond. Lisa Desjardins and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss how other Republicans are reacting and the race to fill his role.

In our news wrap Wednesday, President Trump accused Robert Mueller and his top staff of being "Democrat loyalists," and attacked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein for authorizing FBI raids on the offices of his personal lawyer. Also, an Algerian military plane crash killed 257 people, including soldiers, relatives and some refugees.

What does Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s retirement mean for the Republican Party? Judy Woodruff talks gets reaction from Chris Buskirk of American Greatness and Charlie Sykes of The Weekly Standard.

President Trump aimed new threats against Syria on Twitter Wednesday, in response to a suspected chemical attack and Russia's suggestion it would intercept any U.S. missiles. What options are available to the U.S. and its allies if there is a military response? William Brangham talks with former NATO Ambassador Douglas Lute.

What should the U.S. government do with American citizens who traveled to live among the Islamic State? Sam El Hassani is an American woman who is being held with her children by Kurdish forces in northern Syria after living in Raqqa with her husband, who was an ISIS sniper. Special correspondent and filmmaker Josh Baker reports in partnership with Frontline and the BBC.