For a long time. Woodruff those are just some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. And. 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 grief settled over south korea today, after a ferry disaster at sea. Hundreds of High School Students were on board the vessel that capsized and sank. Officials confirmed six deaths, but 290 others were still missing, many hours later. We have a report narrated by Jonathan Miller of independent television news. Reporter in the yellow sea, a few miles off south koreas rocky coast, the 150 meter long, 6,000 ton ferry, the sewol, has capsized in 30 meters of water. On board, 459 passengers. Among them more than 300 teenagers en route to a School Field Trip on a volcanic island in the south. The ferry had sailed through the night after leaving incheon near the capital, seoul. Rolled and sank in two hours flat. As the news breaks, distraught moms and dads converge on the high school. Inside, theyre scouring the white board for names. Theres confusion. At first the school said all the students were safe. But they werent. translated i feel like my heart stopped. I cant describe it in words. Im too shocked. Even the word shocked doesnt describe how i feel. Reporter conflicting commands on board led to chaos, it seems. Some stayed put as instructed. Others donned lifevests and jumped into the cold sea. They were the survivors. Below deck, a terrified teenager films this. The water is rising, the water is rising, she screams. Others are on their smart phones. The south korean media later a daughter texts her dad, the ferrys tilted too much. I cant move. It would be even more dangerous if i tried. Her father pleads with her to get outside. No dad, i cant get out right now, she says. The ferry is at too much of an angle to walk. We dont know if that was their last communication. These pictures illustrate her plight. They were posted on youtube, filmed aboard the listing ship. At 9 27, half an hour after the ship sent its first distress call, a son texts his mother mum, in case i dont get a chance to speak to you, im leaving you this message. I love you. Apparently oblivious to the unfolding disaster she responds why . Then adds me too, son. I love you. In other messages, this time exchanged between students on board, one writes i really love you all. And continues i think were really going to die. Fished from the cold water scared and confused, those who had abandoned ship were asked what happened. translated there was an announcement to tell us to sit still, but the ferry was already sinking, this student said. Adding he was worried about his friends still trapped aboard. Reporter survivors huddled and hugged in the Sports Center nearby. Hearts broken. Mystery surrounds the capsize. Its possible the sewol hit submerged rocks or a reef. Survivors all describe a sharp jolt. Huge and frantic search and rescue operation is still underway. Navy divers battling strong currents and Poor Visibility have entered upturned hull hoping for air pockets. Perhaps its false hope for tonight the mood is somber. The captain under police investigation. Ifill in washington state, forty days after a wall of mud all but wiped out a small town the death toll rose to 39, with seven people still missing. The slide buried dozens of homes in the Tiny Community of oso, about 55 miles northeast of seattle. Teams are still probing the debris. Lawyers for the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing were in federal court today, trying to lift prison restrictions on their client. Dzokhar tsarnaev has been charged in the explosions at the marathons finish line last year. He wants the judge to bar the f. B. I. From monitoring visits with his sisters. Tsarnaev faces more than 30 counts in the deaths of three people and injuries to more than 260 others. In a new online video, the al qaeda wing in yemen is vowing to attack the united states. The video shows hundreds of fighters and supporters celebrating a mass prison break in the yemeni capital, back in february. The leader, nasser al wuhaishi, is seen addressing the crowd and then, calling for new attacks, as the camera pans the gathering. translated the crusader enemy, dear brothers, still possesses cards which he moves around. We have to remember dear brothers that we are always fighting the biggest enemy. The mother of infidels. We have to remove the cross, and the bearer of the cross, america. Ifill al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has made several attempts to attack the u. S. Since 2009. But drone attacks have killed several of the groups leaders, including anwar alawlaki, an americanborn cleric. Tensions along syrias border with jordan turned into open conflict today as jordanian warplanes destroyed a convoy of vehicles. The kingdoms military said the camouflaged vehicles were in a rugged area near the border and refused orders to stop. Damascus insisted the convoy was not part of the syrian army. A federal judge has struck down a north dakota law that bans abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can come as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The judge ruled today the statute cannot survive a constitutional challenge. It was unclear if the state will appeal. Theres hopeful news for the one in ten americans who suffer from diabetes. The centers for Disease Control finds a sharp drop in heart attacks and strokes among diabetics. Theyre down more than 60 over the last 20 years. The report appears in the new england journal of medicine. It attributes the drop mostly to better medicine and better care. Ifill in economic news, the Federal Reserve says growth picked up across most of the country over the past two months. Ten of the feds 12 regions reported increased activity. Also today, fed chair janet yellen reaffirmed plans to keep Interest Rates low. That helped boost wall street to another strong showing. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 162 points to close near 16,425. The nasdaq rose 52 points to close at 4,086. And the sandp added 19 to finish at 1,862. Still to come on the newshour following the tide of money behind this years midterm elections; ukraine struggles to pushback prorussian separatists; a new wave of militant attacks roil nigeria; babyboomers teaming up for their golden years; and West Virginias response to a toxic Chemical Spill. Woodruff last night was the deadline for political candidates, parties and some outside groups to report how much money they have raised and spent in the first three months of this election year. One thing is clear organizations not officially linked to the candidates are spending at record levels. Combined, these outside groups have poured in more than 57 million so far this cycle. That outpaces any election in American History at this calendar date, except the 2012 president ial election, which came on the heels of the Supreme Court ruling prohibiting restrictions on spending. A quarter of all this years money has been spent in just six states, where some of the Key Senate Races are playing out. Overall, more money has been spent already in this election than the entire 2,000 president ial election and the races have barely just begun. Here to talk about what all this means is sheila krumholz, the executive director of the center for responsive politics, a Research Group that tracks money in u. S. Politics. And david keating, the president of the center for competitive politics, a Nonprofit Organization that promotes deregulation of Campaign Finance. Thank you. Good to be here. Woodruff sheila, we just reported a lot of money is being spent by these outside groups in this cycle. We have a graphic that i want to show that break down some of the totals, liberals, 29. 5 million in this pie chart you see conservative groups 24. 3. Who are some of these groups, examples of liberals and conservative groups . Well, on the liberal side in the prior cycle most active group was priorities usa and priorities usa action. Others are pay tree majority. Citizens for strength and security. On the conservative side one of the most prominent and strongest at this point in the cycle is americans for prosperity. Along with freedom partners, american encore, 60 plus association and on and on. Woodruff they all have very patriot i can sounding names. Always known who is bank rolling these groups . It is usually not known who is bank rolling the taxexcept 501c4 and c6. Which can be active following Citizens United in raising and spending money purportedly independently of the campaign. To affect the outcome of those elections. Woodruff sheila, how often are these groups required to disclose . I think we have another graph that i can will show folks the biggest spendings, Democratic Political action, Senate Majority pac and group you just mentioned, americans for prosperity, 30 million versus 8. 3. Those are two different kinds of groups but gives you an idea of the amounts that are spent. What more does this tell us about what these groups are doing . Well, we do see the disclosure of the super pacs which are independent expenditure only committee. We can see where the money is coming from. And how it is being spent on ads and other advocacy for and against candidacies. That the politically active nonprofits that have great latitude now following the Citizens United and the decision. Allows them to perform many of the same kinds of activities but under avail of secrecy we cant track the flow of money easily. Jared david keating, what do we know how these outside groups spend their money versus how the candidates Political Action committees which are pretty much public because they have to report more regularly. We have to keep in mind first of all whenever a Group Advocates the election or defeat they have to report within hours. If its over 10,000. Woodruff name the candidate. How much they have spent. Even if they dont endorse the candidate if its within a certain amount of time before an election, 60 days before a general more 30 days before a primary, they have to report how much they spent. We always know how much is spent in that context. But we also have to keep in mind this is a year when congress is in session,er this both before congress, a lot of these calculations are counting bills that are advocating strictly on issues. Should obamacare be repealed, reformed, Something Like that. And lot of groups are counting that as trying to influence the election, but its trying to influence the debate also about where our government should be headed. Woodruff this is more than just focused on what happens in november although clearly that is a big part of it. Its all related obviously. Want the people who are now running for office to take positions, you have groups spending money on Global Warming issues, tax issues, abortion issues, would just heard on the court ruling. Theres lots of contentious things this year. Woodruff sheila, any seen any affects from the most recent Supreme Court ruling the mccutchion ruling, the big own doors . Its too early for us to see what impact the ruling has had on fundraising but we did hear that fundraisers were on the horn immediately following that decision to those largest donors who had maxed out in prior cycle to ask for additional funds now that they had the ability to give yet more. Its a big plus for the Party Committees and for candidates who are trying to break through and challenge the incumbents, one of the problems in a lot of these Campaign Finance laws is that it makes it difficult for challengers to raise the kind of money they need to take on the incumbents who have the name i. D. And perks of office. Woodruff it gives the challengers a leg up. Less restraint than they had party. The Party Committees would be bigger factor in this election cycle than they were in the last cycle. How do both of you, how do you see this as healthy or not for democracy to have this much money in politics and money that isnt all reportedly, we dont know in the case of these outs side groups who the donors are, we dont know may not know nor awhile how the money is being spent. I think most people logically want and expect the parties to play a role in politics and to support their candidates and so with this ruling theyre able to claw back some of the money that had previously been going to the independent outside organizations. And so i think that is arguably a positive step. On the other hand, it returns us effectively to the day of soft money where the parties are now courting the very elite top donors who were already influential to ask for yet more money and the question is what will they return what will be extended to those large donors. There have been donor reward programs in past years and so one wonders whether were regioning to that. Woodruff is there a donor about go ahead. Thats only a plus with more debate about where our country should be headed. Political scientists have studied spending and elections, find when there is more spending theres more message. And more people are paying attention. Voters are better informed and think turn out in higher numbers. I think these are all positive things for our democracy across the board. Woodruff what about sheilas point that now the attention, weight of influence gravitates towards those with the most money. I think ultimately the voters are in chargef voters dont like who is backing these candidates they control the voting booth that is how things get done. You have to look, selffunded candidates they often flame out. Money doesnt equal victory. It just means speech. Woodruff how do you see that . Disclosure just got a lot more complicated. Now its big enough chore that we try to undertake to track who these largest individual donors are that are giving to the candidates pacs and parties. It is not true that voters have access to the information they need to really understand who is bank rolling efforts to elect these candidates. They have more information about the money that is going in to the candidates pockets of the candidates and parties, know far less who is bank rolling outside efforts which can be determinative in close races. Woodruff which is it, do they know or dont they know . A lot of the problem with the disclosure in some of the states its generating junk disclosure where the money that is being recorded has nothing do with with the ad on the air. Our group won a ruling in the state of delaware where delaware was trying to force disclosure for groups that are publishing voter guides, things like project vote smart that sort of thing. Which is i think a ridiculous level of disclosure. Woodruff well, this is something were going to continue to look at throughout this election cycle we thank you both, david keating, sheila krumholz. Thank you. Ifill as diplomats prepare for talks tomorrow aimed at reaching a solution to the crisis in ukraine, the countrys government struggled again to take back control of the east. Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Margaret Warner reports. Reporter Ukrainian Armored personnel carriers, flying the russian tricolored flag, rolled into the eastern city of slovyansk. The latest move in a slowmotion takeover of ukrainian territory. The countrys Defense Ministry announced russian sabotage groups captured the vehicles, and the ukrainian soldiers in them, but one of those soldiers said hed defected. Meanwhile, heavily armed men in military gear patrolled streets in slovyansk, and beat an unidentified man before hauling him away. One of them flashed a ukrainian passport, and said hed come to the eastern region, known as donbass, from a nearby russian conquest. translated we are coming from peoples militia of crimea and we are here to help peoples militia of donbass. Reporter to the south, ukrainian jets streaked over kramatorsk, where the government opened an antiterrorist offensive yesterday and retook a local airfield. But locals, like this priest, sounded dismayed. translated my parish is here, residents of our village, we are against these troops entering and this kind of psychological attacks which they are making with planes flying low. Reporter to the east, in the provincial capital donetsk, masked militants overran more government buildings today. Theyve already occupied the Regional Governors office for ten days. This man, unmasked, made their case to reporters in front of the city council building. translated our main demand is to send a message to ukraines parliament demanding to pass a law about local referendums. The second demand is for the city council to help in organizing a local referendum about selfdetermination of the Donetsk Region on may 11. Reporter his name is alexander zakharchenko, last month, refusing to give his last name, he took us on a tour through donetsk checkpoints that he and his comrades manned. He said they meant to prevent incursions by supporters of the kiev government. translated donestk is a sleeping giant, dont wake it up. If it wakes up, there will be no place for anyone. Kiev cannot threaten our blood ties to russia. Let us decide our own future. Reporter in kiev, this is all seen as a replay of the russian invasion of crimea. Acting Prime Minister arseniy yatsenyuk. translated besides exporting oil and gas, russia has started exporting terrorism to ukraine. It seems like there is only one country in the world, namely russia, that doesnt see that russian groups of infiltrators are committing acts of terrorism on the ukrainian territory. Reporter to back up that assertion, the head of ukrainian counterintelligence said his officers had detained 40 members of the Russian Special services, and agents they recruited. translated acts of sabotage in the east of ukraine are openly controlled by Staff Officers of the Main Intelligence Administration of the joint staff of the russian military. We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water and more readiness on the land. Reporter meanwhile, n. A. T. O. s secretarygeneral, anders fogh rasmussen, said nato would fly sorties over the baltic region and deploy ships into the baltic and the Eastern Mediterranean seas. He insisted again that russia stand down its forces arrayed on ukraines border. We call on russia to be part of the solution, to stop destabilizing ukraine, pull back its troops from the borders and make clear it doesnt support the violent actions of well armed militias of prorussian separatists. Reporter the public u. S. Position remained diplomacy first, and nonlethal aid for ukraine. State Department Spokeswoman marie harf. There is no military solution here. We dont want to see more escalation; what we want is de escalation. At the same time were constantly reviewing ukrainian request for assistance and determining whats most appropriate to provide. Reporter in pursuit of diplomacy, secretary of state john kerry joins talks in geneva tomorrow with russian, ukrainian and e. U. Officials. The u. S. Has also warned of additional sanctions if russia advances further. Ifill and margaret joins me now. As the u. S. Watches this, and sees what happened in crimea with russias invasion and starts to talk about waiting on the Ukrainian Government to see what they need, how concerned is the u. S. And how prepared is it to act . Well, you noticed a shift in tone from the administration in the last few days. For months now they have been praising, urging the kiev government to not provoke the russians and praising them for doing so. Now growing concern that the government in kiev is appearing weak. Said in an interview they cross our border would will fight. Well, they have crossed borders. Now you are starting to hear a difference in tone and saying certainly kiev government has right to restore law and order. But when the cia director john brennan went over in a, quote, secret megs which was immediately of course leaked in public, to kiev im told he took a double message. He was there to talk about improving some intelligence sharing, set up a Better Communications network secure for the rush abs but also urged them not to take any action that would provoke the russians. I talked to official in ki,v who said they do feel theyre getting mixed messages from the americans on this point. Ifill thats the question. How are they reacting. Do you hear difference in tone now from the pry minister from the acting Prime Minister or do you begin to get a sense that they think the government is weak as well . Well, what i hear from people in both kiev just today i talked to a top official in the Governors Office who is no longer in his office. Who said, we are still waiting for this great antiterrorism operation to bear fruit, they took that one air field. Russians have planned this so well, they use our local people their shields and swords and described the scene. They come out, they surround one of these tanks, ukrainian tanks, what are they supposed to do, shoot their own sill vivian, that would totally escalate. Theres a feeling in kiev that the government is not lack of military power but that they dont have managerial heft they dont have control overall the units in the military or in the governments out in the east. I detected a loss of confidence in kiev among in in flew enal people i talked to in their own government. Ifill in washington there are lawmakers seeking to have influence as well. There is a debate as there always is about what the u. S. Role should be up to and including military assess tans is that a debate that is penetrating the white house . It is, the president said to be reluctant to do anything that would turn this is in a proxy war between the u. S. And the russians. Theres no way ukrainians could win anyway. So, they dont want to give lethal assistance like antiaircraft, things like that. But ifill is ha that what the ukrainians. Asked from trevor body armor and night vision goggles all the way up to much more intelligence sharing. The u. S. Is, im told, dod now talking to ukrainians and probably will be more of what they call nonlethal, more than the meals ready to eat. Not be arms it will not be ammunition. Sharing intelligence is the diciest thing. First of all, theres a strong feeling in the administration and tell generals community that the russians are totally penetrated they worked like this with the ukrainian intel services. Whatever you share youre probably sharing with the russians. And one former cia official said to me today, you know, when we were at the cia she said we regarded ukraine as one of most important Counter Intelligence threats we face. They were damn good. And so we have to be careful here. Ifill back to geneva, seems that every john kerry put money down on real estate there. Very expensive there. Ifill he goes back the European Union and russia, ukraine, all meet, what is on the table is anybody optimistic . Its interesting here, ive been at this for two and a half weeks, saying, wait until geneva, get the ukrainians and russia talking to each other. Everybody laid out their markers of what they were going to demand, Ukrainian Foreign minister going to demand not only that russia stand down at that board are but rescind the take over of crimea. Russians have been saying all the fault of the kiev government persecuting russian speakers. Im told, were told that sect kerry is going to try to put the russians to the test in this way, you say what you want or more is more diastrallization, more rights for minorities like russian speakers in ukraine. Here is the ukraine government ready to discuss it. Lets have the discussion. Same time were told he is going to have a if you have message with his, you have to be deescalate on the border, the separatists get out of the buildings and if not, i dont know if hell say this tomorrow, but senior official told me today we could see new u. S. Sanctions as early as friday. Ifill that was the next question. They said before decease late, but now saying, maybe hammer to back that up. Before you actually fully invade. There are staged sanctions, talk about another time. Will be the full but it would get at people and Companies Closer to putin than now. Ifill thanks as always on your reporting. Woodruff in nigeria, islamic extremists hit again today. Gunmen attacked a village in the countrys northeast, killing 18 people. The incident follows the kidnapping of about 100 female students on tuesday in the same area, and a bus station bombing that killed 75 people in the capiital, abuja, on monday. A short time ago, the Nigerian Military said it had freed most of the captured schoolgirls. Eight are still missing. Hari sreenivasan has more. Sreenivasan to help us understand whats behind the surge in attacks and the Nigerian Governments ability to respond, im joined by jennifer cooke, director of the Africa Program at the center for strategic and international studies. Who is behind this recent rash of violence and why the uptick . Well, the Islamist Group that was originally based in northeast is likely responsible for the bus attack on monday, certainly for the kidnappings and the tax today. This is a Violent Group that began as fairly small sect in the northeast of nigeria, very remote state that expanded its tax particular, its targets, initially against Security Forces and police now against civilians, school children, against ordinary citizens in the capital of abuja as well as the states within the stronghold. I think after a lull, the leadership of . What fractured last summer and weakened. Clearly come back, is making a statement that its still very much on the scene. This is particularly frightening as nigeria set toe host the World Economic forum in the coming months and is entering a very fractured election cycle as well. So these are very high profile attacks. That come at a very delicate time for nigeria. Reporter what are some of the consequences of these attacks . Were hearing that almost a Million People have been displaced either internally or externally. One is displacement. The People Killed and they have killed some 4,000 in the last four years. The displacement as you say it means that very little investment is going in to the north. Education and Health Programs have been disrupted, the economy which is already weak has sort of collapsed. And it may be very poor states in the northeast even poorer. Reporter go ahead. Beyond which, its damaged nigerias reputation i think as a place that you can go and be safe and make safe investments. Reporter what is the Nigerian Governments aability to respond to this . I think initial loo i think it was very complacent in taking the group seriously beginning in 2000. Since then its come down very heavy handed lie on the communities in the northeast and it killed many members of the group, but in doing so has also swept up many innocents, along with that. And that has begun to alienate some of the communities who really ultimately could be the best allies in sharing intelligence and information with the Security Forces. The response in some ways is being counter productive. Perhaps become a recruiting tool for the group but also made the communities less cooperative with the Security Forces. Theres also divisions within the Security Forces and a lot of turf battles within the military and its led somewhat uncoordinated response one that ultimately has not proved very effective. Reporter is there any sort of a simple way to look at this . Is this north versus souths this muslim versus christian, attacks are starting to accelerate right around specific christian holidays. Well, there is an element of that in bokohoram ideology. Initially the group was islamist sect that was against western education and western values and traditional muslim leaders. But most of the groups victims have been muslim in the northeast. This is very much more kind of a protest against government corruption or began against government corruption, the poverty of the northeast but its really morphed in to something that is very brutal and its very hard to discern any political agenda within it. Its become perhaps more tied with kind of global jihaddist ideology very much still a nigeria focus. Reporter so, what are some of the political ramifications, or economic ones for the country . Well, the reel wealth of nigeria right now lies in the south. And the north has been very much excluded for that. From that. That has deepened a rift between the north and the south in to which the security situation plays. Its not just the security situation thats driving this, but a much deeper fissure between north and south that lies in the lieder ship of the country how its governed. As i said were heading right now foin election period. The government is under threat from the first time from a coalition of opposition groups that has actually a chance of challenging them. And bokohoram and insecurity is a real football with mutual accusations on both sides and just at a time i think when nigeria needs to pull together and kind of find a National Solution to the insurgency. Reporter it was just revealed that nigeria has one of the largest economy in africa now, right . Right. Just recalibrated their gtp. Tremendous opportunity in nigeria, big population, lots of resources, tremendous wealth. And this kind of insecurity as well as kind of the malgovernance that driven it really pits puttsal of that at risk and Nigerian Government and the nigerian people opposition leaders have to see what the stakes are in terms of the country as few fewer. If they dont get their heads around around arms around this problem. Reporter jennifer cooke, director at the center. Thanks so much. Thank you. Ifill its not uncommon for young adults to live with roommates in order to offset the high cost of housing. But with one out of every three baby boomers now single and approaching retirement, some of them are returning to the communal living of their youth to ease the burdens of their golden years. Special correspondent Spencer Michels reports for our taking care series. Thought maybe we use the plastic one. Reporter they like to plan together. Everything from dinner parties to the break down of chores at their new condo in sarasota, florida. Sort of an egg shell reporter the products at the shown they share with jean in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. Ill be hope april 4. Most of that upcoming week if there are things that i need. Reporter long time friends now in their 60s have been coordinating their lives like this for the past ten years. Before that like a growing number of female baby boomers, all three were divorced, living alone and unsatisfied with the size of their savings accounts as they neared retirement. Lets tell the real story. She cooks i do the dishes. Reporter combining resources would make life cheaper, easier, more fun. Their relationship was easy to describe from the start. Quite like cats and dogs. Lots of drama every day. No, no, no. Thank you nor being a friend reporter the golden girls the sitcom from the 80s ran for seven seasons first popularized the idea that four older women can get along well as roommates for the most part. Dorothy, youre the smart one, blanch, youre the sexy one and sophia youre the old one. [ laughter ] im the nice one. Everybody always likes me. The. The old one isnt so crazy about you. Reporter nationwide about 500,000 women offer the age much 50 live with a nonromantic housemate. According to census data by aarp that boils down to roughly 130,000 group homes from coast to companies. Louise, karen and jean decided to give eight shot in 2004 when they bought a large brick home together in mt. Lebanon neighborhood of pittsburgh drafted a legally binding document laying out everything from financial expectations to overnight guests. It worked so wall they where a howto book living far better for far less. But they also knew the arrangement wouldnt last forever. Its a great big old colonial built in the 1930s. Four stories, three winding sets of stairs. And so its a great house for us while we were young but we know that at some point that house will become difficult for us to manage. Reporter still their event need to move on doesnt mean an end to the partnership which the three say is becoming more valuable with time. They recently purchased this condo together in florida. With new legal agreements in the works for what they will and will not do when it comes to things like illness, disability, incompetence and death. If one of us goes, the other is young enough to just go get a mortgage or find another person to buy in. What are we going to do about some of this stuff . Reporter theyre now gutting the place. Well widen the door. Reporter with the help of contractor Brian Anderson and independent living strategist, rebuilding it for a future when the women will be less mobile which includes everything from selecting floor tiles with enough traction. They slip. Reporter to choosing age friendly countertops and appliances. Has some advantages, having to sweep is nice to have. The whole set up that we have here is going to help me be independent for a long time. And at the point which i can no longer be independent i will have Additional Resources to pay for what i need. Reporter but this isnt just a warm weather retirement idea. The golden girls conisnt actually got started going strong here in minneapolis where a few years ago the Median Income of elderly women was 11,000 less than for retired men. That discrepency prompted a local group to start to organize. Connie runs golden girl homes, incorporatea volunteerbase group that introduces elderly single women in the twin cities to the concept of communal living and to each other. At least once a month she hosts gettogethers on topics ranging from picking a roommate to tax preparation. Many Say Something they have already considered. Really, im not that keen on living alone. But there i am. Most admit being more than a little nervous a bout roommate drama or even sharing a bathroom. Go to bed at night there would be half roll of toilet tissue and then you get up in the morning there would be no toilet tissue. That would be an issue for me. Reporter she tells them up front it doesnt always work. Minor differences can easily ruin everything. But she also believes the set up if managed well can save lives and keep people out of Retirement Homes longer. I see both women with money and with no money need to do this who can find a place here for that. And, for example, have no money but they have a house. They have space and they can share it with somebody and it will help them to survive. Reporter its why she has been spending time lately advising 54yearold nancy shuna how to make her home more attractive to a potential roommate. The financially strapped hairstylist has far more space than she needs even after she finishes construction on a beauty salon in the front two rooms of their him. Several hundred dollars a month would go a long way to helping relieve some stretch, she says. It would uniform my life, physically, psychologically, financially. And i could help them, too. Its just not a onesided thing for a woman to move in to my home and she may want to help me with things, too. Its a give and take, its helping each other and caring for each other. Reporter shnas next step finding her own rose, blanche, sophia or dorothy and settling in to a future where she doesnt feel so alone. Ifill and if youre looking for a dorothy and a rose to share your home with, we have tips on how to do that, on our health page. Woodruff now, the continuing fallout from a major Chemical Spill in a West Virginia river earlier this year. Anger and anxiety among residents have spurred new calls for action and legislation. Woodruff its been three months since charleston, West Virginia, suffered one of the worst contaminations of Drinking Water in u. S. History. On january 9, a storage tank at Freedom Industries leaked up to 10,000 gallons of the chemical m. C. H. M. , used in coal processing. Some of it ran into the elk river, just upstream from a Water Treatment plant that serves the charleston region. The spill quickly led to shutting down the water supply for nine counties. More than 300,000 people were affected, and the utility, West Virginiaamerican water, struggled to figure out how bad the contamination was. In other words what kind of quantities can be present in Drinking Water and not pose harm to our customers. We dont know that the water is not safe, but i cant say it is safe. Woodruff by the end of january, frustrated residents turned out at a town hall, demanding answers. Who do i trust . Do i trust the Water Quality specialist thats been told to call me and ive been continually following up on, i spoke to him again yesterday, or do i trust you all to go ahead and let my children, you know, bathe and stuff in the water. Im extremely frustrated. I just want to who do you trust . Woodruff in the weeks since, the do not use order for water has since been lifted in all nine counties. A federal investigation of the Freedom Industries site is continuing, and the company itself has filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Woodruff earlier this month, a bill passed by a u. S. Senate committee creates new regulations and requirements for aboveground storage tanks. It does include exemptions including potentially for some chemicals. Back in West Virginia, governor Earl Ray Tomblin has already signed a law establishing new regulations on storage, inspection and emergency response. But many observers wonder just how tough the implementation of new regulations will be. We talk to two following all this. Evan osnos, an author and writer for the new yorker. And ashton marra, the statehouse reporter for West Virginia public broadcasting. Welcome. Ashton marra to you first, what is the feeling now in West Virginia, are people drinking the water . You know, theres no reliable source of information that tells us, yes or no people are drinking the water. Theres a survey being conducted by the local county Health Department and another survey by state bureau for public health. Right now all we have is anecdotal evidence. I can tell you from my interaction with colleagues, people through my reporting, it seems that life is pretty much back to normal. But anecdotally mothers especially mothers of young children, pregnant women they are still cautious about using the water especially ingesting it. Woodruff is there a law that people are better protected because theres now new regulation . I think were starting to get there. As the law made its way through the state house it became more and more comprehensive. The environmentalist groupsa lot of Community Action groups were glad to see that. But i think its going to be one of those that takes the test of time. Most of the most strict regulations coming from that law will be put through the rulemaking procedure. Basically our state department of Environmental Protection will decide the specifics of that law. I think its going to take looking in to those rules, seeing how they play out over the next couple of years, before we can really say whether or not that relationship between the public and the government has been fixed. Woodruff youve written this piece for the new yorker, have been in West Virginia after college 15 years ago you went back to do this reporting. Fascinating piece reporting on the complex relationship between the community, the coal industry, the Chemical Industries and relationship thats changed hover time. This turned out to be a story not just about a chemical leak but how politics and the kinds ever debates we have the proper role of government, for instance, can impact Government Services down to things as elemental as the delivery of safe Drinking Water. And what you discover was over the course of the last 10 or 15 years, the way that West Virginia regulates Chemical Industries, Coal Industries has changed. They have systematically reduced the way that the government can actually go in and inspect and police these facilities. Woodruff you talk about the relationship and the affect that all this that it has had on health, on safety of people. There you report that i guess in the last eight years there have been five Major Industrial incidents. What did you find about attitude of ordinary folks toward these industries that are the live blood of this state . This is what is so interesting. Over the decades people have ha had fluctuating relationship with the chemical industry. After all if you arm chemical worker you stood to earn twice as much as average wage in the state. For long time people willing to look the or way when, for instance, the air tasted funny or air smelled different or water tasted funny. Truth is over the years there have been a series of industrial accidents that galvanized the community and regular citizens begun to pay more attention to whats happening to their health and what they discovered was not reassuring. Over the course of the last few years they, for instance, petitioned federal government to take over the way that the clean water act enforced in West Virginia. Said that the state regulators are now near completely broken down as they put it. So theres a real recognition that at a certain point, the state was no longer carrying its end of the bargain. Woodruff how did you find this bill affecting that debate . Did it focus attention on way that none of these accidents before really had. The reason is that this bill hit the state capital in fact it hit on the second day of the annual meeting of the state legislature. It forced the conversation in a way that the previous ones had not because after all, if its a leak, for instance, up in the hills it doesnt affect people the same way. It doesnt drive the conversation. Whatever with these town Hall Meetings where people were flooding in and saying we no longer trust our state legislators, we dont trust our elected officials to be acting in our best interests. Woodruff and ashton march remarks we saw in that tape just a moment ago in fact woman was asking that very question. How do we know who to trust here, in your reporting what are you finding about the level of trust between citizens especially those in this affected area and people who they thought were protecting them. The months following this Chemical Spill its obvious that that level of trust has been broken. Lawmakers as they worked on this Chemical Spill bill, way to regulate the above ground storage tanks, their main concern was rebuilding that trust. We heard that over and over again in speeches and debates on both the house and senate floor hear in West Virginia during our session. But like i said earlier, i think its honestly just a test of time. Can we recover from this, can our legislators, lawmakers, rebuild that trust in the community. Thats something well have to wait and see. Woodruff all this happens as a state that you write how the state is changing politically, a lot is at stake here, a Big Senate Race in West Virginia. How are the Public Officials in West Virginia sorting through this right now . Historically West Virginia was a democratic state, this was a place that going back to days of fdr had felt that it was close to the federal government, relied on the federal government for help. The over the last 10 or 15 years as coal industry found its in economic distress it organized politically very effectively. Has supported candidates for government in West Virginia who have been we can say they have been assertive in making sure that the voice of the coal industry was heard. Over the course of the last few years its now become difficult, if youre somebody who takes a stand against the coal industry to make sure that youre going to get a fair shake. I think this week what weve seen that it changed that debate a bit. Has forced people to talk about the fact that the coal industry maybe has more of a say in government than people want it to have in West Virginia. There were candidates who i spoke to to said, if i take a stand against the coal industry i know that ill be targeted in my next election. They were worried that if they took interest in this chemical leak that they might not make it through. I think the upswell of public attention, the clear indication that people want to change, some of those candidates may in fact be able to continue. Woodruff ashton marra, is there any kind of consensus about who or what is at fault . How much of the blame are people placing on the industry, on this particular company which has we said is filed for bankruptcy how much on the regulators . I think majority of the complaints so far have been put toward the industry. Its the industrys fault what a lot of people think. I think as the investigation has unfolded weve seen that this is partially the governments fault as well. Our state department of Environmental Protection wasnt equipped to handle or to regulate this type of industry but it was something that was overlooked, it was a loophole here in state law. And honestly loophole in federal law as well. Woodruff finally, what youre saying that that is a relationship were talking about is changing before our very eyes. It is. I think this is a moment when people are starting to demand more of their elected officials, say its up to you to set the priorities for state regulators, hold companies to account and ultimately to protect the public interest. Woodruff evan osnos, ashton marra, we thank you. Woodruff again, the major developments of the day. 290 people were missing, hours after a ferry sank off south koreas southern coast. Many of the missing were High School Students on a class trip. Ukraine struggled with pro russian uprisings in a number of eastern cities. The ukrainian Prime Minister accused moscow of exporting terrorism to his country. And wall street turned in russia can expect further sanctions, increase support for separatists in eastern ukraine. Ifill on the newshour online right now, how one artists dyslexia helped her translate the principles of neuroscience into magnificent butterfly sculptures. Her learning obstacle has actually been an opportunity for exploration and you can see it in her work, which is on our science page. All that and more is on our web site, newshour. Pbs. Org. Woodruff and thats the newshour for tonight. On thursday, well look at the first formal talks between russia and ukraines new government to ease the unrest. Im judy woodruff. And im gwen ifill, well see you online and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. 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 and foundations. And. 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 Macneil Lehrer productions captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org oceanographer, oceanograp. This is nightly Business Report, with Tyler Mathisen and susie gharib. Falling short, two tech titans, ibm and google report disappointing numbers, trending lower, what is the one key takeaway that investors need to know now . Hiring, china, federal chair janet yellen, the fed chair sends a message to wall street, dont worry about Interest Rates. And slow moving sector, leading the way on wall street this year, all that and more tonight on nightly Business Report for wednesday. April 16th. Good evening, everyone, we begin tonight with ibm and google. They