Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20240622

More than 400 years old. All that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ifill a white Police Officer was indicted today for killing a black motorist during a traffic stop in cincinnati. Ray tensing is accused of murdering the driver, samuel dubose, when he was pulled over near the university of cincinnati campus on july 19th, for not having a front license plate. Tensing said he was dragged by the car and forced to shoot dubose. But footage from the body camera he was wearing revealed a different sequence of events as the car rolled away only after dubose was shot. Were not showing the moment the gun fired. After reviewing the video Hamilton County prosecutor joe deters said there was no doubt in his mind it was murder. Could you imagine the outrage you would have if this was your kid or brother . Over a stop like this . And he didnt do anything violent towards the officer. He wasnt dragging him. And he pulled out his gun and intentionally shot him in the head. Ifill the victims family pushed authorities to release the body camera footage today. Duboses sister, terina allen, said it was crucial to show what really happened. He didnt have a gun. He didnt do anything to that officer. No one deserves this. So im angry, but im as pleased as i can be that were actually going to get some kind of justice for sam, but i dont think we would be getting it, to get back to that, without the camera. Ifill tensing turned himself in this afternoon and was processed on charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter. He has a Court Appearance scheduled tomorrow morning. For more on this, i spoke a short time ago to Sharon Coolidge of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Test Sharon Coolidge, thanks for joining us. Tell us what new details emerged today after the announcement by the prosecutor . Well we havent i think the Biggest Surprise came when the prosecutor actually had his press conference today. Judging from what we heard from the police chief and the city manager this week we were expecting an indictment. But nobody was expecting the prosecutor to say the word murder so that really has kept i mean put people we were propelled out from there today. Ifill so it was the video that changed the course of what you saw happen today, the actual showing of that video . Oh definitely. We had all really been clamouring to see the video. And the enquirerer we still have a lawsuit last week, we believe it was Public Record all along. The prosecutor finally released it today. And seeing the video really made things a lot more clear in this case, i think for the american public. Ifill now how did what we saw on the video differ from we had known or what the officer had said had happened before . Im working through that right now and i have had the opportunity to see a second video this afternoon. You know the officer and weve not spoken sdrekly to that officer only to his attorney Stuart Mathews is insisting that the officer was dragged. And knocked down during what during the incident. And we just have not seen that on video yet. Definitely the video released by the prosecutor today does not show that. The second video which was attached to the body camera from another officer arriving at the scene does show officer tensing on the ground am but it doesnt show what lead up to the officer being on the ground. Ifill so all we know right now is that that gun was discharged. The carrolled away and the question is what happened between those two moments. That is correct. The prosecutor is insisting that Nothing Happened between those two moments. And the video really, it just doesnt show something happening. It shows a peaceful you know conversation where you know where dubose asked a couple of questions about why he is being pulled over but is very civil is very respectful. And its just a couple of questions. And we dont see a reason on any of the video for a shooting. And i think thats what lead to the murder charge. Ifill joe deters talked pretty toughed today the prosecutor. Was that unusual for him so or is that what you have come to expect covering him . Joe deters does talk he has tough talk for criminals in this town. And hes known for that. But in Police Officer cases hes typically been more reserved. And weve never, of course seen Something Like this. This really i think is the first if the country. But in other cases where there is an officerinvolved shooting he doesnt talk like this. Those cases are reserved really for what he can see in videos and different kinds of cases not in officer cases. So to hear him talk today like he did in a case involving a Police Officer was really toning to stunning to me. Ifill was there a distinction with the fact that this was a university Police Officer and not a city of cincinnati Police Officer . Well there definitely is a distinction. The city police have been reminding of that all week because they are completely Different Police forces. And i think thats been made clear. But they are still Police Officers. They are trained you know theyre part. Union. These are Police Officers protecting our citizens. Our students. So in this there is no difference. This was a Police Officer. Ifill and so far what do we know about community reaction, especially in the wake of the family statements today . Community relations in cincinnati, i would say are its tense. People wanted to see the video. No within is quite sure what to expect tonight because it was handled so well with this wasnt a case where people think oh this officer was undercharged. So im expecting there to be a peaceful march where people will make their voices heard but do it in a respectful manner. And certainly the family is calling for that. Ifill Sharon Coolidge of the Cincinnati Enquirer thank you for taking time on this breaking story today to talk to us. Thank you very much. Ifill we have more on the story online, including the communitys response from a member of the enquirers editorial board, byron mccauly. Thats at pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff in other news, the Turkish Military unleashed a powerful new barrage of airstrikes on kurdish rebel targets in Northern Iraq overnight. They pounded Kurdistan Workers Party or p. K. K. Sites in six areas. The prokurdish opposition demanded an end to the violence today, charging a political motive by president erdogan. But in ankara, turkeys Prime Minister warned peace will only be achieved if rebel fighters stop all their attacks. translated our might is enough to simultaneously fight not just three terror organizations, but 33. And we will show that might. Within this framework, we will continue to take our precautions and this process will continue until terrorism elements lay down their arms and until they get out of turkey and until public order is absolutely restored. Woodruff also today turkeys cabinet officially approved an agreement to allow the u. S. Led coalition to use its Incirlik Air Base to launch strikes on the Islamic State. Ifill in washington, the militarys top brass joined the secretary of state on capitol hill to defend the obama administrations nuclear deal with iran. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman republican john mccain insisted he cant make an informed decision without all the facts, and that includes documents iran negotiated with International Nuclear inspectors. We agree, all of us i believe, that we should see those instruments of verification, otherwise how can we make a judgment as to this agreement can be enforced and verified with a country that has a long record of cheating . Ifill the Nuclear Deals lead negotiator secretary of state john kerry again played down any talk of secret agreements between iran and the International Atomic energy agency. We have relied on the i. A. E. A. For years and years and historically the i. A. E. A. Always creates whats called a comprehensive safeguards agreement a c. S. A. Which they negotiate with the country. We dont get that exact, its not shared with the world. Their reasons that its confidential have to do with what you can get out of that country but we do get briefed on it. Ifill after a 60day review period, the house and senate will vote on the Iran Nuclear Agreement in september. Woodruff the house of representatives late today approved a threemonth funding extension of the federal highway trust fund. The fund which funnels federal money towards bridge, road and transit projects is due to run out of money at midnight on friday. The senate plans on taking up the 8 billion bill later this week. Ifill democratic congressman chaka fattah was indicted today on federal racketeering and bribery charges. The longtime philadelphia congressman allegedly paid off a Campaign Loan with charitable donations and used Campaign Money to pay down his sons student loan debt. Charges ranged from bribery, to bank and mail fraud, to money laundering. In a statement, fattah said hes never participated in any illegal activity or misused taxpayer dollars. Woodruff the Federal Reserve board opted today to keep Interest Rates unchanged, for now. In its latest statement, the central bank said its still waiting to see further economic recovery and higher inflation before it will raise them. Todays fed statement caused stocks to close higher on wall street. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 121 points to close at 17,751. The nasdaq rose 22 points and the s p 500 added 15. Ifill outrage grew around the world today over the death of a famous lion in africa. Minnesota dentist walter j. Palmer paid Zimbabwe Hunter Theo Bronkorst to go on the trophy hunting trip that ultimately led to the lions killing. Bronkhorst left a courtroom in zimbabwe with his lawyer today charged with failing to prevent an american from unlawfully killing cecil, the countrys most wellknown lion. How do you feel . Terrible. Ifill earlier this month, the beloved cecil was allegedly lured out of his sanctuary at a National Park into unprotected territory where he was shot with a bow and arrow. The man behind the bow and arrow was american walter j. Palmer who has killed wild animals before like this lion in 2008. He admits he killed cecil, but said he thought the hunt was legal. Cecil, one of the parks oldest lions, didnt die right away, but had to be shot days later, when he was also beheaded. If we had not been having strong conservation efforts in terms of protecting the animals from poachers, it wouldnt have gone to that age of 13 years. Ifill amid a social media backlash, palmer is now being sought on poaching charges, and the public has turned his dental practice in minnesota into a makeshift memorial to the dead lion. For now, the Office Remains clos the u. S. Fish and Wildlife Service pledged today to assist officials in zimbabwe in whatever manner is requested. Woodruff new England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady vowed to fight his fourgame suspension by the n. F. L. For his involvement in deflating footballs during last years playoff run. In a statement, brady also denied allegations made by the n. F. L. That he destroyed his cell phone to hide information. The n. F. L. Players association filed a motion in federal court in minnesota today challenging the leagues decision to uphold bradys suspension. Ifill still to come on the newshour what the death of a taliban leader means for peace in afghanistan, the supreme allied commander of nato on the growing russian threat and much more. Woodruff now to the future of afghanistan after a longtime enemy of the United States is reportedly dead. Earlier today, a spokesman for afghanistans Intelligence Agency confirmed the death of taliban Supreme Leader Mullah Mohammad omar. According to the agency, the reclusive figure died two years ago at a hospital in pakistan. So far, the taliban has not publicly commented on the claim. But as recently as two weeks ago, the group was issuing statements in his name. He had not been seen publicly since 2001. Jessica donati is covering the story for the Reuters News Agency in kabul. I spoke to her a short time ago. Jessica donati welcome. So tell us more about what these reports say and how solid are they. Well were not getting alot out of the reports other than that the afghan Intelligence Agency has said that they confirmed that mullah omar is dead and we have the Afghan Government saying that they have reason to believe that the reports are credible. But from the taliban side we dont have anything. Woodruff and in terms of he died two years ago in a hospital in pakistan any more information than that about why he died how he died . There isnt a lot of details. Weve been speaking to some commanders who suggest that he might have died of tuberculosis. There are different rumors about different illnesses that he may have had. And its not clear where he died or what he died of. I think the question really is why is it coming out now about two days before there was supposed to be another round of peace talks scheduled to take place somewhere on friday. So the question is why are the reports now because its possible that they would make the taliban appear more weak. So there are a lot of questions being asked as to who is behind these reports. Woodruff is there a theory about who is behind them. And youre saying the taliban would be weakened because their leader would be gone. Yes and that would suggest that there is more of a split that would put them in a more difficult position if they were going to be bargaining with the Afghan Government. On the one side there seems to be a group of commander was are in favor of going ahead with the peace talks and on the other side the commanders are saying well look, the enforcers have less an were making progress. It is not a good time for us to be negotiating. So it is not really a good position for them to be in without leadership. And that could be why they arent commenting either way. Woodruff so how strong is the taliban seen to be right now in afghanistan . At the moment they have theyre coming out stronger this year than last year. First of all the Afghan Security forces are on their own. Most for enforces have left and there is only a limited amount of air sport along with the training missions. So the casualty rates are higher. They have taken over tons of villages in the north. Theyve captured a couple of centers which are quite symbolic. They threatened a major city in the north although they havent really come close to capturing it. So they are making progress. On the other hand they also have to face the fact that there is an Islamic State threat that is rising and getting the attention competing for young fighters sork this might not be such a bad time for them to negotiate. Woodruff and how far along with are the talks between the taliban and the Afghanistan Government seem to be . At the moment we arent even entirely clear how official these talks are. There were talks taking place in early july between the Afghan Government the pakistani government. There were american and chinese officials and several taliban. But it is not clear who these taliban leaders were representing and whether they had authority from the leadership. So we have statements from the afghan and the pakistani side saying that these were the first round of official peace talks and that the next time they would be talking about an agenda and possible ceasefire. But the taliban never said anything about whether these talks were official or not. So you could say that theyre not very far ahead at all. Woodruff well, one more twist in i guess an endless set of twists and turns Jessica Donati in kabul thank you. Thank you. Ifill the role of the u. S. Military in europe has shifted since the start of the ukraine conflict. Along with other nato countries American Forces now have a sizeable presence in the region. I spoke today with the man leading the effort a few hours before russia and the u. S. Were again on opposite sides at the united nations. Just over a year ago, Malaysian Airlines flight m. H. 17 crashed in a field in Eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board most of them dutch were killed. The government in kiev and in many other western countries said russianbacked separatists shot down the plane with a surfacetoair missile. Its a claim moscow still denies. Now, malaysia along with the netherlands, ukraine and others want to set up an International Criminal tribunal to prosecute those responsible. An International Tribunal will also be best place to deliver justice to the families of all victims. Ifill the u. N. Security council took up the proposal this afternoon, but russia vetoed it. The groundses to be assured of the impartialality of the negotiation, can it resist the propaganda backdrop in the media. Ifill that came hours after russian president Vladimir Putin told the dutch Prime Minister in a phone call that such a move was inexpedient. All this comes after 15 months of heavy fighting in Eastern Ukraine known as the donbas between separatists backed by russia and the ukrainian military, more than 6,500 people have been killed. The fighting there followed russias march 2014 annexation of the ukrainian peninsula of crimea. But even beyond that conflict theres been a spike this year in russian air incursions near nato countries, including the u. S. Last month, american fighter jets intercepted russian t. U. 95 bombers off the coasts of alaska and california. In response to russias actions, nato countries have stepped up military exercises in ukraine and across the baltic states. In a visit to estonia last fall president obama made the u. S. Commitment clear. An attack on one is an attack on all. So if, in such a moment, you ever ask again, who will come to help youll know the answer the nato alliance, including the armed forces of the United States of america. Right here, present, now. Ifill the u. S. Has been training ukrainian forces. So far, its limited to instructing National Guard units, but the state Department Said last week that the mission will be expanded to include regular military forces later this year. The man overseeing u. S. Operations in europe and serving as nato supreme allied commander is general philip breedlove. He visited ukraine last week. And i spoke with him today at the pentagon. General breedlove, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. Ifill i will start by talking about turkey. How significant is it that turkey has alloweds to start using for a basing to attack isis. There are things that we are working at now to use bases. Those will be very important to our ability to prosecute a joint campaign with turkey as a part of our coalition. Ifill how far does that buffer zone go and how far do we go into it . Were not creating any specific zone. What were talking about is bringing turkey into an arrangement whereas a part of the coalition they cooperate in our counterisil campaign in the north. And thats the real key to this. Ifill so its not a nofly zone per se is what are you saying. Thats correct. Ifill i want to take you to ukraine. Especially russias role. The new incoming nominee for joint chiefs of staff said at a congressional hearing last week that he saw russia as a chief global threat is that something you agree with . I testified to the same thing in the past. Ifill why . Well clearly there are lots of threats out there for instance isil. But i think what you hear from numerous leaders is that russia is a different case. This is a nation that for 20 years we have tried to make a partner. And in the last few years weve seen that theyre on a different path so now we have a nation that has used force to change internationally recognized boundaries. Russia continues to occupy crimea. Russian forces now are in the Eastern Ukraine. So this nation has used force to change international boundries. And this is a nation that possesses a pretty vast Nuclear Inventory and talks about the use of that inventory very openly in the past. And so what i think you see being reflected is that we see a russia that has taken a new path over what the security arrangements in your are lake and how they are employed. And they talk about using as a matter of course nuclear weapons. For that reason these Senior Leaders i believe, see that as a major threat. Secretary kerry has not said that i wonder if the distinction there is the diplomatic approach on dealing with russia on things like iran and the military concerns. So russia can and we hope in the future will be a great partner. There are many places where our needs and requirements match. But again in europe they have established a pattern now georgia, crimea dombas where force is a matter of course. And thats not what we look for in partners in europe. Ifill so nato has talked about providing training and artillery. And some sort of support against this force you described, there on the border. Is that enough . Well nato nations are offering some assistance to ukraine as the United States. Many nations now are coming along to be a part of helping ukraine to defend themselves. They have the right to defend themselves. But is it enough . I think that question is yet to be determined. We believe that there is a diplomatic and a political solution. So when you ask is it enough . The question is it enough to set the conditions so that we can get to a political and diplomatic solution. What about the bam particulars there is a lot of nervousness that russia is going to expand its view of aggression in that direction as well and they are entirely unable to defend themselves. Both nato as an alliance and the United States have come to great measures of assurance for our balance particular nations. We have u. S. Soldiers alongside british and other soldiers inside of these countries now exercising doing training to assure those allies that nato is there and will be there. I was privileged to sit in the room at wales when the leaders of 28 nations including our president were rock solid on article five, collective defense. And that includes the baltics. And i think that mr. Putin understands that nato is different. Ifill there is a lot of nervousness however that this option does not take hold, is war. Well, the best way not to have a war is to be prepared for war. So were in there now training their soldiers. As you know we are looking at and have decided to preposition stops forward. We have heavy equipment that we train with in these nations now. And so we need to be prepared so that we can avoid. Ifill is there a line between preparation and provocation . Absolutely. I believe there there is. We do defensive measures in i think very easily defined defensive standses in our forward bases. Were not putting big forces into the baltics. Right now there is a company of u. S. Soldiers in each of the three baltic states. That is well below a proportional issue. Ifill if it is possible for there to be a diplomatic or a political solution to head off any future conflict what would that look like . We always talk about a european landmass to get to that we need to have a partner in russia not someone that we are competing with. The russian d. Ifill do you see a partnership that i dont see . No, no im saying we have to have one in the future. If we really believe were going to get peace and prosperous, then we need a partner in russia. Ifill well, give me an example of one way to get there especially if the person who has to be the partner is Vladimir Putin. Who doesnt show any indication other than being helpful at the iran nuclear tops of being the partner you envision. So first its communication. We need to reestablish those lines of communication. You have seen our secretary of state undersecretary of state reaching out in several forums meal to meal communications need to be routine again. They are not routine now where they were once before. Communication first. Ifill i guess i hear what you are saying you about i dont see how you get there. Itss not going to be an easy road. And its not going to happen quickly. This business with russia is a longterm thing. I have said in testimony in other places that this is global, not regional. And it is longterm not short term. But we have to start down the path. Ifill assuming there is a diplomatic or diplomatic impasse or president to president impasse, is there a military to military way of forging that kind of agreement . There is. It is important also that even if our countries are not getting along when you are flying airplanes in close vicinity chen you are sailing ships in close advise inity when you have soldiers on the ground exercising sometimes just on the other side of borders, military men and women have to be able to communicate at a very matter of fact way to preclude anything ugly from happening. Ifill we hope nothing further ugly happens. Nato supreme allied commander dr. Philip breedlove, thank you very much. Thank you very much. Woodruff stay with us. Coming up on the newshour medicare and medicaid at 50 improving Health Outcomes and access to care and a reunion 70 years after World War Two divided a family. Ifill but first, a New Discovery at the historic jamestown settlement the remains of four important residents and a mysterious religious relic has added new insight and questions about life at the nations First Permanent english colony. Jeffrey brown has the story. Brown the men were leaders in the colony, and as seen in this 3d animation of the settlement site, they were buried in a longvanished church, some 400 years ago. Inside one of the coffins, that of captain Gabriel Archer, was a silver box containing what appear to be catholic relics a striking finding in the anglican settlement. Digging has gone on at jamestown since 1994. These remains were uncovered by archaeologists in 2013, and just made public after two years of research by the Smithsonian Institution and the jamestown rediscovery foundation. The president of the latter group and himself an historian james horn, joins me now. Welcome to you. Thank you. Pleasure to be here. Brown set the scene for us briefly. This is the first colony dire straits almost coming to an end very quickly right . Yes thats right. Its the first english colony First Parliament english colony in america. The first beachhead or what was to be a great english empire in the new world. And the first two three years are some of the most challenging the colony ever endures. A combination of starvation Food Shortages indiana tack and disease really decimates the number of settlers. Brown so the discovery of these four men how did it come about . Did you know you were looking for them in particular . We didnt. What we were looking for what we hope to find was the original church. The 1608 church which is the First English Church in america. So we werent looking for that. Brown and so captain Gabriel Archer robert reverend hunt sir fernando wantman and captain west. What do we know and why is it important to find their remains . We know a good deal about two of them. And if we start with the reverend robert humps first anglican minister at jonestown hes responsible for ministering Services Church of England Services to the settlers. But also to begin the long process of preaching to local indian peoples. We know little about bit about his background where he was from. But he plays a very Important Role in founding the church of england in jamestown. Brown youre confident about the identity because of a lot of forensic research, right . This is hightech stuff that you are applying. Hightech stuff and lowtech stuff. A combination of different methods including the archaeology of the forensics documentary genealogy and even hightech involving some hightech processes. Brown now the small box found in the coffin of captain archer with items identified as catholic relics, this was a surprise . How much do we know what do we not know at this point . Well it certainly was a surprise. For two reasons. Objects found in graves are rare in the english context at least. So we were surprised to find any act farlt artifact. But this art fact is a real enic ma because it wasnt enigma because it wasnt clear to us who placed it there, what it is doing there, is it a catholic reliquiy one repursed for anglican uses retranslated for the new church in the new world. Weve got a lot of questions to answer and what we will be working on this for some time to come. Brown but it complicates this early history of religion in the new world right . Although it goes back to from tutor history i know that the fight is still going on over the time in england over catholicism hidden, right versus the new church. Yeah and in europe, of course. So europe is very split in two. The great contest between protestantism and catholicism. And that struggle shifts to a new world theater. And virginia gets caught up in that early. Jamestown is part of that. And so what we have now is the possibility of perhaps an organized catholic cell in place. In jamestown at jamestown in the first years. And that was i dont think we anticipated finding that. So briefly what happens next, where do you go from here . More forensics because we cannot be 100 percent certain of the identification at this stage. We have not done dna. And so we are confident in our analysis so far. But we want to followup with dna. And were doing that right now. And then much more research on the english backgrounds of these four men and particularly archer. He is the real mystery in this. All right james horn jamestown New Discovery Foundation Thanks some of. Pleasure woodruff Health Spending in the u. S. Grew by 5. 5 last year to more than three trillion dollars. And new projections show spending will keep rising by nearly 6 a year over the next decade. This comes after several years of a slowdown in spending growth. And it potentially has major implications for medicare and medicaid, which together cover about one of every three americans. By 2024, nearly four out of every Ten Health Care dollars will be spent on enrollees in the two programs. The latest warnings comes as both programs are celebrating their 50th anniversary. Woodruff before president Lyndon Johnson signed medicare and medicaid into law in 1965 with president harry truman by his side the countrys social safety net left many seniors living in poverty in their retirement years. There are those fearing the there are those alone in suffering who will now hear the sounds of some approaching footsteps coming to help. Woodruff 50 years later, the programs cover tens of millions more people and are deeply woven into the fabric of the American Health care system. Nearly one in six americans or about 53 Million People receive coverage through medicare. Medicaid, which provides care for lowincome and disabled people, has grown even larger it covers nearly one in four americans, 71 million in all. The success of both programs was hailed by president obama at a recent white house event. When medicare was created only a little more than half of all seniors had some form of insurance. Before medicaid came along, families often had no help paying for nursing home costs. Today, the number of seniors in poverty has fallen dramatically. Woodruff but new projections underscore worries over long range solvency. Among them, 10,000 people become eligible for medicare each day. Medicares growth rate is below that of the private sector, but the Hospital Insurance trust fund will run out of money by 2030, and only be able to cover 86 of costs, unless there are more changes such as higher costs for beneficiaries, raising taxes or cutting benefits. Choice of doctors and providers has shrunk in recent years as payment rates decline. Beneficiaries out of pocket costs are rising. People enrolled in medicaid have a harder time finding specialists and dentists willing to treat them. Nearly a third of beneficiaries reduced their use of dental vision and hearing care. Medicaid, which has expanded through the federal health care law, remains the focus of Major Political battles around the country. I sat down recently with two former secretaries of health and human services, who oversaw the programs Kathleen Sebelius who served under president obama until last year. And dr. Louis sullivan who served under president george h. W. Bush. Welcome, secretary sullivan secretary sebelius and secretary sebelius let me start with you. What difference have medicare and medicaid made in this country . Well, i think those made an incredible difference in the lives of about 120 million americans and couldnting. So seniors were the poorest group of americans when medicare was passed 50 years ago. They were going bankrupt because of medical bills they couldnt afford the care they needed. And to have that guarantee once you turn 65 or so disabled that you qualify early that you have a set of benefits. And you dont have to be qualified by health you qualified by age has made a huge difference in this country. Woodruff and secretary sullivan, what about medicaid . Medicaid has also contributed greatly to improving the health and access to health care for our citizens. For example 50 of the births in the country are paid for by medicaid. Most of the care for hiv aids patients poor patients and families. So this is really the safety net for the health system. So i think medicaid along with medicare are two successes that we can all congratulate. Woodruff at the same time we know that so many more people in this country depend on these programs than was ever envisioned. The costs have skyrocketed to the government at the federal level and in the case of medicaid also at the state level. Secretary sebelius how sustainable are these two programs . Well, i think that the cost issue is something that this administration particularly has taken head on. And part of the framework around the Affordable Care act was really to look at government spend on health and whether were getting the best bang for the buck. The good news is in the five year since the president signed the aca into law health costs have risen at the lowest level in 50 years. And in fact medicare was supposed to be insolvent by 2017 when i came in with the president , that is what the trustee report said. Its now 2030. An each year, years are added on to that solvency because costs are going down in spite of the fact that we have 11,000 people a day turning 65 in this country. We have a baby boom increase in medicare but the costs are lower than they invest been. Woodruff at the same time secretary sullivan there is still concern about the longterm financial viability of these programs isnt there . Oh yes. And thats a fair question. I think all of us want to be sure that we do a better job in holding back the increases and healthcare costs. But one of the features in the Affordable Care act that im very pleased with is a greater emphasis on prevention. I believe that the 21st century really will be the century in which we improve Health Literacy of our citizens and have them play a more active part in remaining healthy staying out of the hospital coordinating care better than we have been able to do it in the past. So there a number of things that can be done to help ameliorate the increase in costs while seeing that our patients and citizens get access to care. Woodruff how does that happen, secretary sebelius in the long run. We already know many doctors are saying they wont accept patients would come to them saying they depend on medicaid. And in some cases medicare physicians are saying they wont see them. It is still about 70 of the dock tores. Less than a hundred but 70 take medicaid patients. And almost 95 of doctors accept medicare patients. So we still have the vast majority of the providers. But i think again its reasonable to look at what their payment is. Are they being compensatedded enough. And as dr. Sullivan said what we dont do very well is pay doctoring for keeping their patients healthy in the first place. That Payment System is changing rapidly within the government paying for outcomes, paying for health paying for people to actually have less contact with the Hospital System is a new way of actually using the trillion dollars that the government spends every year to try and drive healthnd wellness and not wait until somebody comes into the acute care system goes not hospital. Does more tests does more prescriptions. Its really about health and wellness at the outset. Woodruff secretary sullivan what else needs to be. We know there are to cut benefits to raise premiums to make it harder harder for people at various income levels to access medicare. What do you think needs to be done to make these programs sustainable . Well i believe that another thing that we can do for example the 20th century was a tremendous growth in the skun tific community with many advances that really were miracles. We have developed vaccines of all kinds. When i was a medical student i took care of patients with paralytic polio in the mid 50s. When the polio vaccine was introduced overnight polio almost disappeared from our country. But we have a misunderstanding that some of our citizens about the value of vaccines where people have misunderstandings. So theyre not using these advances that have been made properly. So thats why i say we need to improve the Health Literacy of our citizens have them understand the value of these scientific advances and they have to be partners with the Health Professionals to see that they get the care that they need. The 21st century is going to be a century in which our citizens play a more active role in maintaining their health, working with their Health Professionals but we also need to have new kinds of Health Professionals. We dont need stock tores or dentists in every town or hamlet. We have developed physician assistances nurse they are developing we midlevel dental providers we can get care to citizens at legs costs so there are a number of things question do to change the way we provide care and keep our costs under control. Woodruff just quickly what would you add . Well, i think hes right. And i think the notion that people need more information they want to stay healthy. They dont know exactly what to do. But that in the long run focus on prevention and away from acute care having a real Healthcare System not a sick care system is really what i think the goal is in the long run. Woodruff secretary Kathleen Sebelius secretary louis sullivan, we appreciate you being with us on this 50th anniversary of medicare and medicaid thank you. Thank you, an happy anniversary. Ifill earlier this week, we showed you a National History program that teaches High School Students about World War Two and dday, by having them follow the life of a u. S. Service member from their own community to the American Cemetery in normandy france. Tonight the newshours april brown has the story of how one of those Students Research projects united families from two continents. Its part of our american graduate series, a public Media Initiative funded by the corporation for public broadcasting. Just a few months ago judy shoemaker of immediateville pennsylvania, had no idea she had French Family members longing to connect. Im so happy. Reporter decades after losing touch relations on both sides of the atlantic met at the American Cemetery in normandy to honor a world war ii soldier killed in action just after the dday invasion of june 6th 1944. 6 00 dday landing time for the first beechhead boats. Though he was born a frenchman Pierre Robinson died a sergeant in the u. S. Army. He was the adopted son of shoemakers grandfather john rob robinson. He was very quiet and very mannerly. I heard that grandpa loved him very much. He said that i heard that he was killed and grandpa was very sad and never really got over that. I often wondered over the years if any members of the family on his side were still alive. Reporter there were. And they were interested in their American Family. Im pierres second cousin. So pierres mother is my grandmothers sister. Gilles had been trying to reach out to pierres American Family for years. I heard about pierre from my grandparents. I had heard about my great uncle and my great aunt who lived in immediateville. But the families never connected until a immediateville area highschool student josh slayton began looking into the soldiers lifeanddeath. Through all these months of research you really do feel like you know this person. Reporter in march before heading to france the immediateville tribune profiled josh and his efforts to find out more about pierre. And that lead to meeting judey shoemaker. I went gentlemen finally. Finally somebody recognizes an ode man with an extraordinary story. Reporter pierre was born in france in 1914. His birth motter mother would die just two years later killed in action during world war one. His mother blanche remarried in 1920 and her news husband was judy shoe makeary grandfather John Robinson an american soldier still stationed in france after the war. Robinson adopted pierre and moved to pennsylvania where pierre would spend the rest of his childhood. In 1941 pierre enlisted in the u. S. Army and by 1944 sarbling ent robinson became one of thousands of soldiers taking part in operation overlord, the code name for the allied invasion of france. This morning we went to omaha beach and that was really amazing because that is the beach that he actually came in on on june 6th 1944 dday. It was just really amazing to feel like we were there with pierre. Reporter through the cloud gaps the airborne spearheads saw something of the invasion armada. You see in all the pictures, all of the ships and landings crafts all out in the channel. And just to see how much things have changed but still you can just imagine how massive this invasion was. Reporter pierre had made it back to france but with never again meet his French Family. At his grave site with the french American Families together after so many years josh delivered a eulogy to pierre. Pierre survived the initial landing but on the afternoon of june 7th 1944 a third battalion was facing strong opposition just below. While out on patrol pierre was killed by a rifleman. In the reflective words of pierres adopted father John Robinson, i couldnt have had a better son if i had one of my own. Reporter pierres mother blanche requested her son be buried in a permanent American Cemetery in france the one nearest to where he gave his life. War can take away things that can never be given back. It can break families. Reporter the american and freferning families began to lose touch after blanche death three years later. Now they are finally reunited. There is a sense that theres more here than american students. Its kind of too beautiful to be true. Reporter these cousins are now in regular contact with each other as well as josh and john. And they all plan to keep in touch making sure pierres story lives on. For the pbs newshour im april brown in normandy france. A news update an investigation is under way to determine whether debris found off the east coast of madagascar could be from missing malaysia Airlines Flight mh 370. A large object washed ashore on reunion, a French Island in the western indian ocean. An unnamed u. S. Official told the Associated Press investigators have quote a high degree of confidence that it is a wing flap that belongs to the same type of aircrafts that the missing plane. The boeing 777 disappeared without a trace in march of 2014 with 2 president people on board. Ifill now to our newshour shares of the day. Something that caught our eye which might be of interest to you, too. In a different type of ocean search, divers announced this week that theyd discovered, in a 300yearold shipwreck, buried treasure valued at more than one million dollars. We spoke with brent brisben, the owner of the company that salvaged the collection of gold coins and chains in shallow waters off floridas coast, near for pierce. Now. My Company Owned the exclusive salvage rights to the remains of the historic 1715 treasure and every once in a while we come up on an amazing treasure trove of artifacts like you see today. We recovered 61 gold coins and nearly 40 feet of gold chain that were all spanish in origin all at least 300 years old. They sank on july 31st of 1715. And the artifacts in total are worth over a million dollars. There are a lot of people out there searching for these ard facts. And the vast majority of them do not find large cache of gold such as this. And so treasure hunting is a very methodical kind ofpainstaking process whereby you continue to go out beer cans and lead fishing sinkers and you have to persevere through those hot long days in the florida sun to hopefully experience a day like the family experienced. Ifill thats a way to spend a vacation. On the newshour online right now sometimes nothing cuts the summer heat like a crisp carbonated beverage. In fact sales of carbonated water have spiked in the last five years. So what is it about fizz that we crave . The short answer is we dont know, but scientists have been studying how these bubbles interact with our bodys taste sensors. You can read what theyve found, on our home page pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff tune in later this evening. On nova tonight, a minuteby minute look at the Fukushima Nuclear crisis miles obrien on why one Nuclear Power plant suffered a meltdown and how the extraordinary efforts of japanese utility workers saved a second plant from suffering the same fate. Thats tonight on most pbs stations. Ifill and thats the newshour for tonight. On thursday humans need not apply. Making sense of how robots are changing the economy. Im gwen ifill. Woodruff and im judy woodruff. Join us online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org this is nightly Business Report. The Federal Reserve remains vague about when it intends to raise Interest Rates and the markets seem to like it. High stakes. Why microsoft has so much riding on the new launch of the flagship product. Bearing the brunt. 90 million retailer investors are losing a lot of money in the stock market plunge. Meet one farmer who lost it all. All that and more on nightly Business Report for wednesday, july 29th. Good evening. Welcome. The Federal Reserve opted tonight show its hand. In its latest policy statement, the central bank made just subtle changes, offering little in the way of new clues about when or whether it will