A new report by the Department of Justice says that police in Ferguson, Missouri, have shown a pattern of racial bias and civil rights abuses. The findings come after a months-long investigation following the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown. Gwen Ifill gets reaction from Justin Hansford of Saint Louis University School of Law and Paul Butler of Georgetown University Law Center.

The District of Columbia joined Colorado, Alaska and Washington state in legalizing recreational use and possession of marijuana. Federal law still outlaws the drug, however, putting the nation’s capital at the high-profile crossroads of both state and federal laws. Gwen Ifill talks to Mike DeBonis of The Washington Post to discuss the restrictions on the new law.

From good news on the economic front to cultural debates to foreign policy challenges, 2014 was an eventful year. As the year comes to a close, we examine the big stories and how they may impact the year to come. President Obama had a mixed year that saw Democrats lose control of Congress, but in the final weeks the economy was on the upswing.

The murder of two New York City police officers has ignited a volley of blame and exposes the deep rifts dividing a city in mourning. Gwen Ifill gets two perspectives from Patrick Colligan of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association and Mark Levine of the New York City Council.

The Obama administration justifies the use of drones for targeted killings. Also, we examine the internal battles between establishment conservatives and the Tea Party, and Obama’s use of the bully pulpit against Congress. Plus, the Department of Justice S&P lawsuit. Joining Gwen: Carrie Johnson, NPR; Alexis Simendinger, Real Clear Politics; Beth Reinhard, National Journal; Pete Williams, NBC News

On this week’s Webcast Extra, courts are striking down voter ID laws ahead of the midterm elections. In Florida's gubernatorial debate, Gov. Rick Scott temporarily refused to debate former Gov. Charlie Crist because of an electric fan. John Dickerson reports on #fangate. Plus, the FBI wants cell phones to have a backdoor for government surveillance, and the U.S. has named the campaign against ISIS

Obama spoke against the violence in Egypt, and the U.S. cancelled joint military exercises scheduled for next month; Holder is pushing to scale back mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders; and a look at Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden's 2016 ambitions. Joining Amy Walter of Cook Political Report: Indira Lakshmanan, Bloomberg News; Pete Williams, NBC News; Jeff Zeleny, ABC News.

After six years as head of the Department of Justice, Eric Holder, the nation’s first African-American attorney general, will be stepping down. Holder has focused on major civil liberties issues, but has also been a lightning rod for partisan criticism. Gwen Ifill assesses Holder’s tenure with Tony West, the former associate attorney general, and Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation.

The Justice Department announced a record $1.2 billion dollar penalty leveled at automaker Toyota. A four-year criminal investigation determined the car company had concealed unintended acceleration issues, a serious safety concern. That case could serve as a warning to General Motors, now facing its own federal investigation. Gwen Ifill talks to David Shepardson of the Detroit News and Joan Claybrook, president emeritus of Public Citizen.

Attorney General Eric Holder sits down with Gwen Ifill to discuss the House vote to allow the speaker to sue President Obama, the backlog of immigration cases and the political fight over border crisis, death penalty reforms, voting rights and more in an exclusive interview.