April 18, 2019 – PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump’s reaction to the release of a redacted version of the Mueller report was to again claim exoneration. But according to the House Judiciary Committee's Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y, that claim is not at all supported by the facts. Rep. Jeffries tells Judy Woodruff that the president is “lying to the American people” and says Congress needs to hear from Robert Mueller directly.

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s extensive report covers not only his investigation’s findings, but also how he believed U.S. criminal law applied to them. Three legal experts are here to offer analysis: Mary McCord, former acting head of the Justice Department’s national security division, George Terwilliger, former deputy attorney general and Bob Bauer, White House counsel under President Obama.

With a redacted version of the special counsel’s report public, President Trump is again claiming vindication. In fact, Robert Mueller's findings document extensive contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives, as well as attempts to interfere with the investigation. Judy Woodruff sits down with Yamiche Alcindor, Lisa Desjardins, Nick Schifrin and NPR’s Carrie Johnson for analysis.

In our news wrap Thursday, North Korea says it wants Secretary of State Mike Pompeo removed from nuclear negotiations. A senior foreign ministry official said, “Whenever Pompeo pokes his nose in, the talks go wrong.” Hours earlier, Pyongyang said it had test-fired a new tactical weapon. Also, French police say an electrical short circuit is the most likely cause of a fire at Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Mueller report reveals new details about successful Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and establish communication with the Trump campaign. Special correspondent Ryan Chilcote, who lived in Russia for 20 years, tells Judy Woodruff about the “extraordinary lengths” the Kremlin went to in support of this goal and how Russian businessmen acted as policy intermediaries.