Ian Couzens

As the federal government shutdown reaches the one-month mark, Lisa Desjardins reports on the progress toward a resolution and the growing consequences of the continuing closure.

The Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda has included efforts to cut back on both illegal and legal pathways into the country. Thursday, the president set the lowest-ever cap on refugee entries at 7,500 per year. At the same time, more than 2.2 million migrants are awaiting asylum hearings. Amna Nawaz sat down with the family member of an asylum seeker caught up in the restrictions.

New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC join William Brangham to discuss the week in politics, including the government shutdown barreling toward the date when funding begins to lapse on some government benefits, President Trump suggests sending federal troops to more cities and next week's key off-year elections.

Across the country, small, local racetracks are under threat from noise and nuisance lawsuits from nearby property owners. That’s prompting some state legislatures to protect what supporters call the “right to race.” Digital reporter Tim McPhillips traveled to a track in Virginia to learn more.

In our news wrap Thursday, U.S. military says the USS Abraham Lincoln is heading home following a roughly nine-month deployment and reports of poor living conditions, storms and at least one tornado tore through parts of Germany overnight and China sentenced the founder of Evergrande to life in prison five years after the company's collapse sent shockwaves through China's economy.