September 30, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

President Trump acted as his own defender in chief on Monday, criticizing a whistleblower complaint, as some of his allies tried to argue that Democrats are rushing an impeachment inquiry. But not all Republicans are defending the president, including his former Homeland Security adviser Tom Bossert. Lisa Desjardins reports, then joins Yamiche Alcindor and Judy Woodruff for more.

Sally Rooney, author of our September pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions on “Conversations with Friends,” and Jeff announces the October book selection.

Democratic presidential candidates spent the weekend in early primary states, where there was one major topic on their minds: the formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump. All 19 Democrats now support that inquiry, with some saying the details in the whistleblower complaint are the president's clearest offenses yet. Yamiche Alcindor reports.

Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said the allegations about President Trump's actions on Ukraine suggest the possibility of "very serious betrayal," and an attempt to "besmirch the reputation” of Democratic rival Joe Biden. Booker joins Judy Woodruff to discuss the necessity of a sober impeachment investigation and how he met a key, self-imposed fundraising goal of $1.7 million to stay in the 2020 race.

Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and NPR’s Tamara Keith join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week’s news, including House Democrats’ push for a formal impeachment investigation into President Trump, how talk of impeachment is dominating the 2020 campaign trail, and what the pace of whistleblower developments means for public opinion.

Technology is transforming China, helping improve life in some ways, but also collecting big data. The government is beginning to convert that data and surveillance footage into social credit scores, which critics say can be used to penalize those who criticize the Communist Party. Nick Schifrin reports as part of "China: Power and Prosperity," with support from the Pulitzer Center.