Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20170830

Obrien all that and more, major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. 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. Obrien the crisis in houston deepens by the day, as Tropical Storm harvey lurks just offshore. More than 3,500 people have been rescued, and officials have confirmed four deaths, but expect more. One town east of houston has already gotten nearly 52 inches of rain, a record for the u. S. Mainland. As much as 30 of harris county, which covers some 1,700 miles and is home to houston, is now under water, and more and more is washing into the city itselfg p. J. Tobia begins our coverage. Reporter images of a region pushed to the brink. Torrents poured through parts o downtown houston, as a pair of aging dams overflowed. Rescue crews had worked through the night, with flood victims crowding onto dump trucks heading for higher ground. Some waited until morning, only to see the water climb higher. Im it quit raining and the water had gone down and we thought we were okay, until the Fire Department come and told us they were going to reopen the dams and they were going to refloodam everything. So i said, lets go. Ive been here two years. This is my second flood. Ive lost my car twice. So im a little overwhelmed. Im not sure what the next step is, or where i go. He reporter water also breached a levee in Brazoria County, southwest of houston, and the countys twitter account urgently put out the word get out now the levee was later fortified. Everywhere, storm victims faced desperate moments. A Traffic Camera captured drivers stranded atop a truck,ed on a highway thats now a river, a rescue boat arriving to carry them to safety. Another man caught in fast moving water clung to a sign as he waited for help. Thousands poured into houstons Convention Center, filling it to nearly double the official capacity of 5,000. And tempers frayed. You really trying to understand, with the microphone in my face . With me shivering and my child wet, and you still putting the microphone in my face . E . Reporter mayor Sylvester Turner said today the city is working to open more shelters. Weve certainly made the official request to fema. We need additional assistance, and so weve asked them to provide supplies and cots and food for an additional 10,000 individuals, and hopefully those reporter ed emmett is in charge of Emergency Operations for harris county. Even though the storm, todays the last day, its going to move out, were still going to have floodwaters, still going to have downstream effects. Av but were going to have a recovery effort thats certainly going to take months or even years. I dont think youve seen a recovery effort like this anywhere in the u. S. Reporter some who evacuated earlier in this west houston neighborhood, returned today to see what remains of their homes. We left it last night with an inch of water. Its got at least two foot in it now. Its sad. Everything can be replaced. Reporter scenes like this are playing out all across houston tonight, with familieses returning to stormdamaged homes, finding decades of possessions upended and waterlogged. There is also the human toll. A tearful police chief announced Sergeant Steve perez drowned sunday, trying to get to work. Tr it was too treacherous to go under and look for him. So we made the decision to leave officers there, waiting until the morning because, as much as we wanted to recover him last night, we could not put more officers at risk. Reporter all the while, the rain keeps falling. , thats because harvey still a Tropical Storm is back in thes gulf of mexico, soaking up new moisture. Its expected to make a second landfall tomorrow near houston, dumping even more rain on southeastern texas and southwestern louisiana. In Corpus Christi, where the storm first made landfall friday night, skies were blue as air force one touched down today. President trump was flanked by texas officials and members ofmb his cabinet at the Corpus Christi firehouse, before heading to austin. N. We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in ten years from now, ai this is the way to do it. This was of epic proportion. Nobodys ever seen anything like this. Reporter fema director brock long said even with houstons shelters overwhelmed, theres no comparison to 2005s disastrous Hurricane Katrina. Were very aware of the issues at the Convention Center, but let me be clear this is not the superdome. Reporter in louisiana,si memories of katrina are still vivid. Hundreds of boats and trucks carried water and other supplies to houston, a brigade of the so called cajun navy. We were all affected by the urricanes in the past, so we know what its like to not have help. El so were just out there to help our neighbors. Reporter but the cajun navy may soon be needed back at home. Evacuations are already underway in lake charles, as louisiana braces for the storm to head its way. Obrien and our own p. J. Tobias joins us now. The neighborhood behind me completely flooded the folks being rescued from their homes by boat and being brought to o this area behind me where theyre then walking a few paces to an exxon to wait for transport to another location oc where its a more permanent shelter. Some are being met by friends and family on Higher Grounds and being taken to other private homes for safekeeping. They tell me as they get off the boats you can hear a helicopter as well right over there. Checking out the scene, that the water is coming up to beginning to approach second floor windows and doors, this is not a mandatory evacuation but people are beginning to feel unsafe in this neighborhood and want to get out obrien do you get the t sense theres still quite a few people in their homes trying to stick it out i think now folks are beginning to evacuate. I think the folks who were the holdouts who wanted to stick it out are either, either left or making a move to leave. Actually, this afternoon, we w spent some time with folks who did leave. They did evacuate in a timely fashion. And wanted to get back to their home. We showed you some of that in in the report earlier. Theyre entire neighborhood wasa breached with waist high water. Homes completely destroyed. They said theyre going to rebuild and theres lots of stories like that around town obrien its hard to come up with adjectives to describe r this particular event. Can you give us a sense of how people are responding generally . We had the sense the response has been relatively smooth, is that what youve seen . Its really remarkable. Folks are calm. The couple that we were with home was completely destroyed, there were no tears, they didnt seem anguished. It is early days, but ive seen remarkable resilience from the folks on the ground in houston,o texas and of course from the first responders. Obrien get out now that was the blunt, urgent message to residents of Brazoria County. Authorities in the suburban Houston Community ordered a mandatory evacuation of the area on sunday for fear of what came true today a levee breached by floodwaters. He i spoke with the top elected official of Brazoria County, judge matt sebesta, about the threat theyre facing. Judge, thank you for being with us. Bring us up to date on that levee breach and thele consequences of that. Thank you, miles. Yes, this morning, we hit as, breach of a levee at the Columbia Lakes subdivision near West Columbia on the west side of the river and we had water coming into the subdivision, but we had some great volunteers that got out there, got that under control. So at this point in time, that particular position on the levee has been fortified. The water that was coming in was from the local rains that weve gotten over the last three, four years, but it is very close to the river which is still rising in that area. And the National Weather service is predicted that the level will be higher than the top of the levee. Were still very concerned about that area as the river continues to rise. Obrien give us more details on how the folks there were able to get this under control. Well, my understanding andin ive not been out there personally, they got out there and they used plywood and what have you to get the leaking temporarily stopped. Volunteers came in. We had a local contractor donated material. There was concrete sacks. There was different material brought in. Stacked in to take care of that leaking area. Obrien sounds like a heroic effort. Well, great volunteers. Thats what texas and brazoriali county is known for. Obrien i gather youres not out of the woods yet though given what you just said. Not at all. Actually, our worst flooding is in front of us for the west side of the county, we have two major river that is flow through the west side, the is an bernard river and the braz is river, theyre still rising, we had a major flood on the braz is river last year where the crest was at 52. 56, were above that level. And we will be in major flood stage for many days to come. Fl it will be pouring a whole lot of water out into its flood plain going into another body of water, oyster creek, which willl then spread out. Last year, when this happened, oyster creek was running at below normal. The ground was dry and some areas, weve had up to three feet of rain in this county over last three, four years three four days. So every low spot all the creeks and bayous are full already. All of this river water will just make it even worse. And that water will continue to flow through the county for mane days to come. Obrien do you have any idea are out of their homes now and what you might project as that flooding continues . Co i hope most people are out of their homes, this has been a mandatory evacuation area forre last 48 hours. The people in the brazis river went through this last year, so they had a first hand experience fresh on their mind,h they should be gone, i hope theyre gone. The San Bernard River its been awhile since theyve been in major flood. I hope theyve left. Were a rather large county. A we have limited resources this time to get out and assist people, because we have such widespread rain and damage all up and down the texas coast, so were a little bit sparse on having resources come in to assist. Were mostly local resources at this time. Our Sheriffs Office rescue squad local d. P. S. Troopers and game wardens weve had a few come in from the outside, were hoping to get additional help because we know in the river bottoms were going to have a lot of flooding. Obrien we wish you well as that unfolds, mat sebesta is a judge in Brazoria County thani you. Thank you, miles. Ou obrien adding to the complexity of the disaster exxon mobil acknowledged today harvey has damaged two of itswo refineries, causing the release of hazardous pollutants. A full assessment of the damage wont be possible while conditions on the ground remain dangerous. One thing that is clear, thousands in houston have been forced from their homes in need of food, water and a roof overd their head. The george r. Brown Convention Center has become the citys largest shelter. Rachel Osier Lindley is there. Shes an editor with dallas pbs station kera in houston, reporting on the storm. We spoke a short time ago and i began asking about how many people are there now. Well, yesterday, it was 5,100 and today at 9,100, it has grown substantially. They were already at capacity yesterday but the red cross saih theyre not going to be turning anyone away. They have expanded into other parts of the Convention Center, pretty much every square inch is being used as either a dormitory or a makeshift hospital; large spaces where people are sorting donations and bringing in donations of everything from clothes and shoes. Its as active as it can be. They dont want to turn anybodyd away and the is currently working to find other places they can bring people they dont really anticipate that the need for places to stay will end any time soon obrien are things working pretty well. I recall post katrina at the Convention Center in new orleans and there was a lot of systems broke down including the plumbing, et cetera. How are things working so far, so good. They have had a surge of volunteers who wanted to help out and they actually had to turn away people from the day volunteer shift today. R the people that are staying here that had to evacuate their themes that i talked with, they say they feel relatively comfortable. You know, they have credited the city with doing a pretty good job of giving them a place to stay. And i think its the ongoing concern would be what to do with more and more people come here. The red cross are working to get people in touch with Mental Health services if they need those and connect with prescriptions because many cases people just fled with the fl clothes on their back and dont have access to the medications they need to be taking. Of other challenges that were seeing here. Obrien give us your impressions of whats going on there. I assume theres a range of emotions right now iem actually my colleague ani were just talking to a woman who had lost everything in Hurricane Katrina and relocated to houston and many people evacuated from new orleans ended up resettle link in houston anshe was besides herself and stunned that this is happening all over again. We also talked to family membere of folk whose were trying to locate other loved ones in the Convention Center where they e havent been able to charge to their phones a few days but finally got service and were relieved to find their grandmother, brother or sister was here, there have been a lot of reunion, i talked to a man who hasnt spoken to his parents four days and he was just trying as best he could to keep it together without knowing what had happened to them and being unable to reach them. Obrien have you seen en many volunteers who have come to help out yes, so many volunteers, i talked to someone who had come to sign up to be a volunteer. But they turned her away and now theyre only accepting volunteers for the night shift. And theres also you see medical professionals walking by, the red cross had a huge amount of the medical community in houston step up and come to help with addressing any of the medical needs that people have here at the Convention Center. Everyone is really pitching in and thats evidenced by what you can see in the back where people have been bringing donations so many clothes, shoes, a wall of diaper that is people have donated. Houston is stepping up and the red cross said they need wheelchairs. Thats one thing theyre hoping to acquire more in the next few days. Obrien well help get the road out. Report rachel osier lynn lly lyy n in a major flood e obrien we just got an update from rachel, after we spoke. She now tells us that the Convention Center is running out of cots. Some of the most critical pieces of any citys infrastructure are its hospitals. In a major flood event like harvey, they are also among thea most vulnerable. We turn now to bill mckeon, the president and c. E. O. Of texasen Medical Center, a sprawling Health Complex southwest of downtown houston. I spoke to him by skype a short time ago. Obrien give us an idea of how the Medical Center system was prepared and what it did as harvey approached. We anticipated to be to be during four, five days, i dontd think anyone planned for the th amount of rain record breaking rainfall that has hit houston. We have made huge investments in the texas Medical Center, its the largest medical city in the world and built storm gates around our hospitals and clinics, which have protected all of our buildings and even though we had e streets filled with water, none of our facilities were affected by the flooding. Obrien tell us about the flood gates that came after a storm in 2001 allison. Give us an idea what the investment was. St we spent over 50 Million Dollars creating this very Sophisticated Network of flood gates that actually protect all the assets in allison, we lost over 2 billion in research fromo the flooding of all of our buildings. These integrated flood gates are submarine door that is actually protect these assets. And that the water really pushes off maintains in the streets and flows away from the medical city obrien the flood gates are down . Do flood gates are down. They did their job. Its really a marvelous feed of engineering. And today, all of those are open. Cars on the streets where helicopters are landing here, nonstop from surrounding areas. Obrien you have 10,000 beds in all. We can presume close to being full. Do you have reports of patientsf being adversely affected by the storm . We brought in physicians and nurses, technicians through theo ahead of time. And weve all been here on this campus really for the last five days, day and night. Its been quite miraculous to see the number of dedicated medical professionals that have really came here ahead of time and been away from their families and dedicated to serving the patients throughoutr this environmental catastrophe obrien the staff, stuck inside for all intents and purposes os thats correct. Obrien you have in your medical city, the mdanderson world renown cancer center, many people are outpatient and in need of ongoing chemotherapy regimens, what are people in eo those situation supposed to do the medical staff knowing this was coming had accelerated some of those chemotherapy sessions. Also, people are still accessing local hospitals and the communities can also receive that outpatient care. They have rescheduled now when d you think about it for the medical city, its only been, two days, three days that people from far outside have not been able to access the Medical Center, so those are being re scheduled now the ben taub in the Medical Center was evacuated. I understand thats not would you clarify what happeneda there . Sure. So there was a water pipe that actually burst in the basement of ben taub hospital. Initially theres no thinking ng they might have to evacuate the building. Contained hat they the leak. The leak did actually contaminate some of their dry goods, food supply, they actually asked police and Fire Departments to really divert nev patients on to one of our many hospitals here on our campus. And they continued to provide de care for the patients that are there at ben taub. So some of the critical patients moved across to other hospitals as they continued to provide care to the patients, they havee not evacuated ben taub just some of the patients had to move across to some of the sister institutions. Obrien give us a littleg bit of perspective on that. Any time you think about moving patientsing particularly those in greatest need of care that gets dicey with 23 hospitals in one campus, the move across to another building, many of our buildings are connected through tunnels or for above ground above ground ramps across to other hospitals, so its actually done quite easily here on the texas Medical Center obrien bill mckean thanks for being with us. Obrien obrien President Trumps visit to texas put a spotlight on the coordination of federal and local resources. Congress will play a key role in deciding how much help the u. S. Government offers. Congressman ted poe is ais republican from texas. His district covers the northern suburbs of houston, which he has represented since 2005. He joined us by phone. Obrien thank you for being with us, i know youve been in your district. Tell us little bit about what you seen and heard. Thank you, miles. It is still raining. Water is rising. A lot of places are flooded. I would estimate about half of l the people in my congressional district, which stretches from downtown houston to the suburbs are flooded and many of them have left their homes. Never have had this type of disaster in the houston area. I grew up here. I went through hurricane carla a in 61. The amount of people and homes and property affected is hard to grasp. It is massive. The houston area is very spread out and the entire area and parts are affected by the constant rain and flooding. Houston is flat. All the water in houston has to flow southeast out of the bios and river and gulf of mexico and that is not happening because of the terrain, more water is coming in, flooding is coming from up river, so to speak, thats how we see the flood waters rising. And the rain we think will stop probably tomorrow. Obrien what are constituents telling you you ou many are being rescued and they need a place to go, theyre being evacuated first George R Brown Convention Center, but if theres over 10,000 people there and so theyre being put in other red cross shelters still on dry land throughout the area and of course, the next need is water and food and dry clothing. So thats the what is taking place immediately now. Were still in the, i guess, the fema would call it the rescue stage of taking care of people. Making sure theyre safe. That is the goal. Obrien the numbers we have indicate as many as 80 pertain do not have Flood Insurance. Whatever the number is, what would you suggest should be dono who dont have Flood Coverage if theyre not insured they suffer the loss of the Property Damage and there are theres resources that they can people e can apply for that dont have Flood Insurance, but they will not be covered by the Flood Insurance program, which is about, i think 250,000 per resident. So they lose that property. And they will just have to figure out a way to make up the cost. Obrien in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, this became a e political issue. And a lot of members of congress were unwilling to provide additional funding for people who suffered losses in the wake of sandy. Were you among those people and do you have a turn, about now . The original bill for sandy was for 17 billion dollars. La i supported that. I believe most members support that day legislation. But by the time it got to the house floor, there had been addition that is had been add that day had nothing to do with Hurricane Sandy and it was over 30 billion dollars. So about half of it was not dealing with sandy recovery. I thought the appropriations s bill should have dealt specifically with sandy and so i did not vote for that additional funding to other projects that didnt involve Hurricane Sandy obrien do you think it o makes it difficult for you to u come back to washington and ask for money for your district. Not at all because the bill we want to present will be specific hurricane recovery monies and not at items on that legislation that have nothing to do with the hurricane recovery from harvey. So i dont see a problem with that at all. Obrien ted poe republican texas thank you for time. Thank you miles. Thank you miles. Obrien it will take years to rebuild from harvey. Its too early to know the full extent of the damage, but a vast majority, some 80 ,or of homeowners in areas under water lack Flood Insurance. How to help them is sure to be a big political fight back here in washington. Lisa desjardins is here to help explain. Obrien troubleds at the least talk about sort of biblical and strange timing here, lets look at a few key points about this Important National flood d insurance program. This program expireses soon, september 30th. It is right now miles 24 billion dollars in debt. This is the largest Flood Insurancer by a loot in this country, 5 million americans get this through this federal Flood Insurance program and now congress has to decide how to renew it obrien they obviously b were under a deadline, seems more urgent thats right. I think that theres also a tricky issue here, in that some republicans want to massive massively reform this program because of the deficit it is in, others are concerned about bringing down premiums for those in flood areas and some democrats with them. Sound bytes from a hearing in june of this year. This is a program that is 55 billion dollars under water and runs an actuarial annual deficit of 1. 4 billion. Its unsustainable. I truly believe that this can be bipartisan. But im concerned that if you do not heed my call to Work Together on the details of this package, it will cause irreply. They want to have more private insurers others say it will make it unaffordable f obrien we hear these stories about people having Severe Damage building, rebuilding multiple claims time and again on the same location. Sort of sounds like the definition of insanity s i think thats the important point, we know that flood areas are increasing on our coast lines and cities are becoming more flood prone because of development. Lets look at this map about ab where the most Flood Insurance is. 80 of the national Flood Insurance program is in those states you see in gray. Theyre the also the state with largest congressional delegation, we also know that flood damage is one of those who have Flood Insurance, its 25 to 30 of the cost. T were seeing homes that are now seeing two, three times of flood damage with a tenyear period, we just heard shes been flooded twice if years, its a real problem obrien this is a problem that encourage its bad practices, building in the wrong place. Thats the question, theres some people who say communities should be here. How do we support those . Someone has to pay for it. Others say the federal government is taking the risk and encouraging them and thats a problem longterm, there hasnt been a serious debate yet obrien it will be an awfully busy september in washington i believe thats right. There may not be time to have me the difficult debates. The other issue that lawmakers havent them r tackled the maps are rough date the maps are changes because the is changing. Along with government funding which runs out september 30th and try and pass a budget and try and deal with tax reform obrien the climate and weather is changing faster than the bureaucracy grid lock seems to have more power than almost anything. Obrien well be tracking and you can track all our coverage of harvey, including ways you can help. C thats on our website, www. Pbs. Org newshour. In the wake of north koreas latest missile test early todayk Nick Schifrin has our report. In the wake of north koreas latest missile test early today. Nick schifrin has our report. Reporter it was an alarminga way to wake up 6 00 a. M. On japans hokkaido island, and the air raid sirens go off as a north Korean Missile flies unseen above. Residents posted videos on social media, and received a text that was also displayed on computer screens please take refuge in a sturdy building or underground. Never mind most japanese homes dont have a basement. translated they said please get into a solid building, but we were thinkingi ours here would be gone in the first blast. Reporter the test shook a key u. S. Ally, admitted japanese Prime Minister shinzo abe. translated the missile, which passed over our nation, represents the greatest and gravest threat to our nation, ever. It also is an egregious threat to the peace and stability of the asia pacific region. Reporter south koreas response was even more aggressive. The Defense Ministry released video of every step of a drill that it called a direct strike on north koreas leadership a fleet of americanmade f15s flying two sorties and dropping g. P. S. Guided bombs. explosion the South Koreans said they hit their mock target. And if that message wasnt direct enough, air force colonel lee kukno made it obvious. translated if north korea threatens the security of the south Korean People and the south koreau. S. Alliance with their Nuclear Weapons and missiles, our air forces will exterminate the leadership of o north korea with our strong strike capabilities. Reporter the response was so grave because today was unprecedented. The missile, which launched from a pyongyang suburb, was theth first time a Ballistic Missile designed for a nuclear tip overflew japan. It flew for 14 minutes and splashed down 1,700 miles away, almost enough distance to haveo reached u. S. Territory guam, which the North Koreans previously threatened to target. The North Koreans have now launched more missiles in the last three years, than in the last three decades. They say theyre responding to u. S. South korea exercises that have been ongoing for the pastha nine days. The u. S. Says theyre defensive computer simulations, as seen in the 2013 version. But in geneva today, north koreas u. N. Ambassador depicted those exercises as preparations for war. It is an undeniable fact that the u. S. Is driving the situation of Korean Peninsula towards extreme level of explosion, by deploying huge strategic assets around the peninsula, to conduct a series of Nuclear War Drills and maintaining Nuclear Threats and blackmail, for over a half century. Reporter the aggressive rhetoric drew a curt reply from President Trump that ended, all options are on the table. Analysts describe that todays missile test was designed to create considerable chaos, but not confrontation, and also to create distance between the u. S. And its allies. Theyre trying to show that the u. S. Is not in a position to do anything for the japanese right now. And i think its part of a broader strategy really, kind of try to show the United States is a kind of paper tiger in the region. Reporter chris hill was the u. S. Ambassador to south koreasa and headed the u. S. Delegation in talks designed to dismantle north Koreas Nuclear program. He advocates a strategy combining diplomacy with sabotaging north koreas missiles. We do need to look at more direct measures in that narrowing space between peacena and war. I dont see how we can simply rely on china or rely on some kind of sanctions program. O reporter just last week, both President Trump and secretary tillerson praised north koreas selfcontrol. I am pleased to see that the regime in pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that weve not seen in the past. Reporter since then, north korea launched two sets of missiles. But ambassador hill says the u. S. Is right to continue talking diplomacy it just needs to push its point more. Diplomacy is a little liket the advertising business. If you havent said it 50 times, you havent said it at all. Reporter todays launch shook the region. The u. S. Is trying to reassure allies and deter north korea,et which doesnt seem to feel pressure right now to stop testing. For the pbs newshour, im Nick Schifrin. Obrien in the days otherri news, theres word that libya is paying militias to stop migrants from crossing to italy. The Associated Press reports the tripoli government is using funds from the european union, with italys support. Wi its led to a sharp drop in crossings, but it also empowers the militias that haveha destabilized the country. Meanwhile, some migrants are still trying to flee. About 700 have been rescued in the last 48 hours. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has thrown up a new roadblock to peace talks with the palestinians. In a speech last night, he told a cheering crowd that israel will Never Surrender its west bank settlements. translated this is our forefathers legacy. This is our land. Nd we have returned here for good. There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of israel. Settlements will not be uprooted. It was proven that its not helping peace. Weve uprooted settlements. What did we get . We got rockets. And therefore, it wont happen again. Obrien netanyahu has made similar remarks before, but thie time, he spoke just after President Trumps soninlaw Jared Kushner visited the region. Hes leading the new peace effort. The palestinians condemned the Prime Ministers remarks. They have long called for all of the west bank to be part of a palestinian state. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained nearly 57 points to close at 21,865. The nasdaq rose almost 19 points, and the s p 500 added two. Still to come on the newshour a look at the nations first statewide youth Apprenticeship Program. Masses of tourists push out locals in venice. And much more. Obrien next we continue our series, rethinking college,e with a look at the nations first statewide youthat Apprenticeship Program. As Hari Sreenivasan reports, iti offers high school and College Credit and pays students for their work. This story is part of our weekly education segment, making the grade. Reporter in colorado, this factory floor may be the classroom of the future. This goes into that hopper, gets melted back into a liquid, as it goes through the machine reporter and these students may be hired for prime jobs before they even finish high school. Manufacturers like Intertech Plastics in denver are facingre critical shortages of skilled labor, and they want to teach teens how to work for them. We couldnt support the growth in both facilities because we didnt have the people. Reporter Noel Ginsburg is the c. E. O. From the day i started the company to this day, the biggest challenge we have was around having the right people with the skills we needed to grow the business. We have 40,000 unfilled tech jobs in colorado. College is not cheap, right . So, if you could earn up to 40 to 50 credit hours for college by working in a business like this, and get paid, and ge, your high school diploma, who would want to do that . Its a pretty cool deal. Reporter colorados governor, john hickenlooper, is behind the idea. We are one of the Fastest Growing economies in the country. You cant sustain that without talent. And it is a global competition for talent now. And a lot of that talent, itsit not ph. Ds and the superstars; a lot of that talent is middle skills. He reporter partnering with the state, ginsberg founded careerwise, an Apprenticeship Program that links colorado industries and school districts. Reporter starting this year, High School Juniors and seniors can spend three school days a week as onthejob apprentices, earning classroom credit and a paycheck. Wed like to have 230 career paths that will, in ten years,ye serve 20,000 young people in a whole host of careers, froms, banking and finance to advanced manufacturing. Reporter colorado leaders believe they are in theey forefront of addressing what economists call a middle skills gap unfilled jobs that requir more than high school, but less than a Fouryear College degreeu for more than 30 years, we took on this challenge that we were going to make sure everyke kid went to college, and this was the only solution. On but weve barely nudged the needle in terms of how many kids actually go to college and graduate. And in that sense, i think its been a failure. Re i was part of that mantra, saying everybody should go to college. The reality of it is, thats never going to happen. In this country, where the percentage is 28 will get a fouryear degree in thisea country. So, were essentially telling everybody else that they cant be successful in our economy and in our country. And its simply not true. Reporter so after two years three years of apprenticeship, they can get a job in here . After graduating high school, the Program Offers apprenticesm fulltime employment and Financial Support toward Community Colleges degrees. The pitch convinced visitinge High School Student Kevin Roquemore to add another choice to his career path. So what are you going to do after you graduate high school . What are you thinking right now . So i have a plan a, and plan b. My plan a hopefully is to go to the major leagues, just start out, go to college, play baseball. Reporter okay, i dont know your athletic skill, but lets just say the baseball route doesnt work out. How are you going to pay for college . My plan b is to be in manufacturing and engineering. Reporter alejandro garcias parents were thrilled to hear he was accepted into the program. translated we preferred him to attend university, thats what we wanted. But when we heard of this opportunity, we jumped straight on it. Reporter but will schoolsho become training grounds for industry . Will apprentices miss out on crucial classroom learning . The idea of critical thinking,g, the longterm life lessons that you pick up being in an academic environment, those are necessary too. They are, but what i believe is that those skills can be learned in the workplace. The workplace is real, and you have different personalities. I think soft skills are better taught in business, not the classroom. Reporter looking to fine tune their apprentice program, colorado leaders traveled to switzerland, where 40 of Companies Offer studentr apprenticeships. So, why an apprenticeship . Swiss firms do not only train because its a tradition, there is an economic rationale. It is an investment for young people, for making sure we have a low unemployment rate. Reporter suzi le vine, former u. S. Ambassador to switzerland, hosted the delegation and is now working with colorados careerwise apprentice program. Were at the front end of an apprenticeship renaissance inss the United States. When you look back at hamilton and franklin, they started out as apprentices. In switzerland, twothirds of young people go into apprenticeship. Their youth unemployment is just 3. 2 . We need that here in the United States. I think what colorado is doing is a great first step. Reporter gail mellow is the president of new Yorks Laguardia community college, which also offers programs thatn link High School Students to middle skills. While enthusiastic about colorados new program, mellow cautions that europe and the United States have very different social structures. The challenge is that if we model those steps exactly as what happens in switzerland, we dont have the robust safety net, so, our Robust Health benefits, the living wages. W those are often not offered by american businesses. Reporter and shes concerned that apprenticeships could lead to shortlived jobs, that improved technology could eventually wipe out. Its not a dead end job . Its not, its a job thats going to lead to a better job, thatll lead to a better job. Thats what we used to call a career. Reporter for now, colorados apprenticeships are financed byd federal and state funds, business and philanthropy. But the future plan is for industry to provide the biggest investment. In denver for the pbs newshour, im Hari Sreenivasan. Obrien earlier this summere we reported on how Climate Change is imperiling the city of venice. But some projections indicate theres an even more urgent danger depopulation. La the city is losing about 1,000 residents every year as millions of tourists squeeze them out. Special correspondent Christopher Livesay reports. Reporter venice, more than any other place in italy, has withstood the test of time. Very little has changed since this lagoon city was built in the middle ages except perhaps the people themselves. You might even think the locals had been replaced entirely byti tourists like these. Obviously, most of the people here are tourists yes, yes, too much i thought this was just a tourist area. I honestly had no idea people lived here. Reporter of course some do. Giovanniclaudio di giorgio is one of them. He and his two brothers are concert musicians. But, they fear theyre becoming an endangered species. When i go outside my house, walk around venice, i feel alone. Because i recognize that the people i see, dont live here. Reporter in the renaissanceo it was merchants who flocked to the rialto bridge. Today, its tourists. Many locals say there are too many, and theyre leaving as a result. In the 1950s, there were overwe 170,000 residents. Today, its just over 50,000. This isnt even that bad. Reporter how do you shop for groceries on days like these . You dont. Reporter susan steer is an art historian who says venice has always been irresistible to visitors. The way young men would mark their entreeee into adulthood ws the famous grand tour, and venice was a place where you could enjoy some culture, you could enjoy some of the finer things in life. Me and you could be introduced into some of the carnal pleasuresd that venice had to offer. Reporter you mentioned something about the type of tourist changing. Whats changed . 50 to 60 years ago, venice was an expensive place for people to reach. Gradually, travel has opened up so we have budget airlines. S budget bus services bringing people into venice. Reporter and cruise ships. The sector alone employs 5,000 venetians. Tourism at large brings in over two billion euros every year by far the citys biggest industry. Tasked with the daunting role of managing it, is the venice tourism assessor, paola mar. So six tourists jumped into the water from this bridge . Early in the morning, theyn jumped into the canal. We have 25 million tourists pert year. Its our main business. The problem is one of mass tourism were up against people acting stupid, posting videos on youtube. We have zero tolerance for that. If you jump in the water, youre fined 450 euros on the spot, payable by credit card. Reporter starting this s month, tourists can also be fined for having bicycles, feeding pigeons, and even sitting down in public squares. Im sorry, its not allowed to sit here. Reporter on the frontline of reporter a common scene inte crowded tourists sites, where locals rarely visit anymore. But down a few back alleys, you can still find places where thet venetian way of life is unspoiled. Like at this locals bar. The food on order traditional dishes you wont find in most tourist restaurants. And the lingua franca isnt italian; its veneziano a dialect few outside the lagoon can understand. So theres differences from neighborhood to neighborhood. speaking in venetian reporter giovanniclaudio di giorgio introduces me to members of his club generazione 90 or 90s generation, young venetians struggling to keep their beloved city afloat. Venice doesnt have much to offer us young people. So were trying to reverse thisp trend. Reporter would you like to stay in venice and raise a family . Y translated yes, yes, id like to. I id like for my kids to have the same opportunity. But i realize that may not be possible. Reporter not possible, in part, because of the high cost of housing. Modestsize homes can easily exceed a Million Dollars, as apartments routinely get converted into vacation rentals, squeezing middleclass locals off the island. Thousands of people who work here now must commute from the mainland, by bus and vaporetto. But some refuse to leave, like these venetians who have taken to squatting in abandoned homes. Either they squat in a house, or they have to leave venice . Yes. For the people that choose, for the families that choose to squat in houses, of course its not an easy choice. Its like the last chance for c living here. Reporter for workingclass venetians, she says mass tourism is killing the city. C i pose that question to paola mar, the tourism assessor. translated killing the city, i wouldnt say so. Like anything else, mass tourism has its pros and cons. Reporter she says the city is doing what it can to protect the Housing Market from runaway speculation, by ramping up regulations on rental sites likr airbnb. If tourism continues unabated, the city may consider restricting flows into saint marks square, effectively turning the heart of this once vibrant metropolis into an open air museum. As for giovanniclaudio di giorgio, he doesnt want g tourists to stop coming altogether he knows the economy depends on them. But if locals continue to leave at an alarming rate, he fears his generation will be the last that can truly call itself venetian. Would i want to have a family and live here . Yes, i would. But would it be feasible, righti now . No, i dont think so. It will never be the same againw and we feel that this last generation is the generation whose responsibility is to ensure that more people have tho same privilege as us. Reporter for the pbs newshour, im Christopher Livesay, in venice. Obrien finally, from venice to a Tourist Destination of a different kind. In tonights newshour shares the world is a big place, but a new attraction in the heart of new york city has managed to shrink it down to size. The newshours Julia Griffin explains. Reporter brazils copacabana beach. Romes colosseum. Or indias taj mahal. Pick one for your vacation destination. Or, see all three in one afternoon on a much smaller scale. We wanted to give the impression that even though we are dealing with very smallal things, this is huge. Ge reporter eiran gazit is the cofounder of gullivers gate a world of miniatures the size of a football field, in new york citys time square. I believe the way to create the experience properly was that each area would reflect its own flavor, tastes, smell and even the things that are important to that area. Reporter achieving that required a team of 600 artists from eight countries. Ht gazits partner, Michael Langer in russia, it was building the russian section. In rimini, italy, they were building the european section. Ur and by doing that, we not only got the authenticity, but we also got a diversity of design. Reporter among the highlights . Im very fond of the panama canal. I love how the water functions through the amazon and turns into a waterfall at the end, Grand Central is one of my favorites, because you see the layers that go between the subway, the regular train and the entrance. And if you actually look at the ceiling, you see that no detailt was left behind. I think the volcano in south america is just really staggering. Reporter for design team r head adrian davies, the massive miniature world is a feat of engineering and coordination an we have model makers, we have sculptors, we have writers, set painters, movie effect guys, architectural model makers and train nerds, for want of a better word. Reporter indeed, gullivers gate is a modeltrain makerske mecca. Everything in the exhibit from the slopes of sochi, russia, to stonehenge is built in the industrys 1 to 87 scale. 300 scenes are home to 1,000 trains; 10,000 vehicles; and 100,000 thousand people. And unlike some of their real life counterparts, those driverc actually use their blinkers. The exhibit also offers interactive experiences. Turn a souvenir key to trigger the loch ness monster in the scottish highlands, or a carnival parade in rio de janeiro. Guests can even have 3dprinted figurines of themselves placed among the exhibit. So, if you had proposed atha the eiffel tower, you could go ahead and recreate that moment and place it at the eiffel tower again. Reporter and while its a big, miniature world out there, visitors might be most amused bt the movie moments and pop culture references hidden among the landmarks if they can spo them. It just makes you smile. And thats the whole idea, wede wanted to create a place that would make people really smile all the time, and the smile just gets bigger and bigger as they go around. Reporter smiles that he hopes will last for years to come. For the pbs newshour, im Julia Griffin in the big i mean t little apple. Obrien theres more to explore online. You can virtually experience gullivers gate take a 360 degree video tour on our website, www. Pbs. Org newshour. And thats the newshour for tonight. Im miles obrien. Join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at ther pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. The ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. Carnegie corporation of newar york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. 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 youre watching pbs. instrumental music c hi, im jim west and im going to take you on a journey to explore the arts and crafts in one of the oldest civilizations in the world. The fascinating country of peru. Well forge shimmering silver, carve colorful gourds, piece together a pan flute, treat ourselves to peruvian textiles and tapestries and from our crafters kitchen, well create a peruvian causa. All this and more as we explore the traditions and pride of peru, south america music everything we do with our hands when we put passion behind it creates a craft. And crafts have a tendency to ignite our souls. Join us as we take a small group of crafters to some of the greatest destinations