August 1, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The Senate passed a new budget bill Thursday, delivering a rare bipartisan legislative agreement. But critics say the spending it allocates and its temporary suspension of the debt ceiling represent runaway spending and fiscal irresponsibility. Lisa Desjardins joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the huge numbers at play, who opposed the new budget and the different types of spending it reflects.

Every day, guns are used to kill roughly 100 Americans and injure hundreds more. Chicago has been a particular locus of gun violence; this past weekend, 48 people were shot there -- eight fatally. Among the dead were two young mothers supporting a community organization that strives to stop violence. John Yang talks to Tamar Manasseh of Mothers/Men Against Senseless Killings.

For Aml Ameen, entertaining was a passion from childhood. At his request, the English actor's father sent him to drama school for 10 years. But it was a chance encounter with movie star Idris Elba that opened a path to honoring his Jamaican heritage -- while further developing his career. Ameen shares his brief but spectacular take on finding his own identity while portraying a character.

President Trump’s language about immigration and lawmakers of color has sparked a national conversation about racism and xenophobia. But every year, hundreds of thousands make their way to the U.S. and begin the rigorous process of becoming citizens. We talk to newly minted Americans at a Virginia naturalization ceremony about what the milestone means during this politically charged time.

The first African slaves arrived in North America 400 years ago this month, landing at Jamestown in what's now Virginia. Recently, the idea of paying reparations for the atrocity of slavery has been earning new attention, even making its way into 2020 presidential debates. Economics correspondent Paul Solman examines the question of whether a debt might be owed to generations of slave descendants.

Night two of the Detroit Democratic debate may have opened with a handshake between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, but there was no shortage of attacks on either of them during the course of the evening. Judy Woodruff talks to Stuart Rothenberg of Inside Elections, Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Karine Jean-Pierre of MoveOn.org for highlights and analysis.