Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20150523

And creating a safe haven for homeless transgendered youth who have nowhere else to go. If someone tries to go to a female shelter as a trans woman they literally tell you you cant sleep there because youre not female. Woodruff those are some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions 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. Woodruff the senate labored against the clock this evening to push through president obamas fasttrack legislation. It would let congress approve or reject trade agreements, but not amend them. Supporters, and president obama worked through the day to round up votes before the memorial day recess. The state Department Today released nearly 300 emails from thensecretary Hillary Clinton on the 2012 attack in benghazi libya. The f. B. I. Asked that parts of one be labeled secret and withheld. It was unclassified when clinton received it in november of that year, on her private email server. At a president ial Campaign Event in New Hampshire today, she said there was no security breach. Im aware that the fbi has asked that a portion of one email be held back. That happens in process of freedom of information act responses. But that doesnt change the fact that all of the information in the emails was handled appropriately. Woodruff the u. S. Ambassador and three other americans were killed in the benghazi attack in september of 2012. A gun battle erupted in western mexico today between police and drug gang members, and when it was over, at least 40 people were dead. The shooting broke out near the border with jalisco state. The area is the base for the new generation drug cartel. The gang has killed at least 20 police since march. In syria, theres word that Islamic State fighters have launched a bloody purge in palmyra. The militants seized the ancient city this week, and human rights activists report theyve killed up to 280 soldiers and government supporters since then. Jonathan rugman of independent television news, reports. Reporter the lions are advancing the pigs are retreating says this jihadist fighter near the ruins of palmira. Inside this gas pumping station the men of so called Islamic State have found abandoned weapons, and a poster of syrias president whose army was routed and overrun. These are the groups pictures of the city next to the ruins. The un says some 70 000 syrians have fled. But in the city center is fighters have filmed themselves trying to whip up a clearly frightened crowd. Despite this display of affection i. S. Has beaten executed and decapitated prisoners here. But these pictures are too graphic to show. Yet the fate of the ruins at the hands of these men could benefit president assad. Because the barbarians are quite literally at the gates now and syrias leader has always argued he is a far better alternative. Woodruff isis also claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing today at a shiite mosque in saudi arabia. At least 20 people were killed and 50 others wounded. It happened in the Eastern Province of alqatif. Officials said the mosque was packed with worshippers. Woodruff back in this country, the california state water board agreed to voluntary 25 cuts in water use by major farmers, in the face of severe drought. Farmers in the sacramento and San Joaquin River delta made the offer to avert mandatory cuts. They are among the most senior water rights holders in the state. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost more than 50 points to close near 18,230. The nasdaq was down one point, and the sandp 500 slipped nearly five. For the week, the dow lost a fraction of a percent, the s andp gained a fraction, and the nasdaq rose nearly a full percent. And in paris, the eiffel tower was shut down for most of the day, because of a strike over pickpockets. No tickets were sold, and police patrolled the area, while tourists remained on the outskirts. Tower workers said they need more guards to scare off aggressive gangs of thieves. Still to come on the newshour the Senate Debates the scope of surveillance and the future of the patriot act; ireland holds a referendum vote to legalize samesex marriage; Older Americans increasingly struggle to put food on the table; mark shields and Michael Gerson on the weeks news; safe spaces for homeless transgender youth; and some comedic wisdom for this Years College graduates. Woodruff we now turn to the heated debate over Government Security and individual privacy. Three key provisions of the patriot act that allow for government surveillance are set to expire soon, but the u. S. Senate is planning to be out of washington next week, leaving lawmakers scrambling to find agreement on the controversial issue. Woodruff senators came to work this morning, confronting an impasse on surveillance, and a looming deadline unfortunately, the clocks been run out. Woodruff on june first, the National Security agency loses Legal Authority to collect bulk phone records, as key provisions of the patriot act expire. But the senate is leaving for the memorial day recess and wont return until june first leaving Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy to point across the capitol. The house worked very hard on this. They completed their work and they left. Theyre not coming back until after the surveillance authorities are set to expire. And thecocon they willmy not pass the extension even if theyre in. The yeas are 338 and the nays are 88. The bill isupzssed. U woodruff the bill that passed the house is u. S. A. Freedom act. It replaces bulk collection of phone records, with casebycase searches. But Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell is firmly opposed to that measure. The untried and as of yet nonexistent bulk Collection System envisioned under that bill would be slower and more cumbersome than the one that currently helps keep us safe. At worst, it might not work at all. Woodruff mcconnell favors a twomonth extension of the patriot act, to buy time for a compromise. Another proposal calls for a shorter extension. Other republicans strongly disagree. Kentuckys rand paul held the floor for 11 hours wednesday. I will not let the patriot act, the most unpatriotic of acts, go unchallenged. Woodruff many democrats, including minority leader harry reid, are also dug in against keeping the patriot act alive. Theres efforts made to extend a program thats already been declared by the Second Circuit court of appeals of the United States, already declared is illegal. How can we extend an illegal act . But thats what some of the talk is from the other side of the aisle. Woodruff this afternoon republican richard burr of north carolina, chairing the intelligence committee, offered yet another option extend the patriot act, but end bulk Data Collection after two years. In the meantime, the Justice Department has announced the n. S. A. Will have to start winding down phone surveillance this weekend, to meet the june 1 deadline. For more about this, i am joined by mike debonis who is a National Security reporter for the Washington Post. Mike, welcome again to the newshour. You know its unusual to see not only both houses divided but one party so divided on this. Why is this so controversial . Thanks, judy. Youre right. Its very odd to have leader mcconnell and Speaker Boehner so far apart on these things. You really have a very basic philosophical difference of opinion where leader mcconnell believes that the reform bill that was passed by the house last week simply doesnt do enough to preserve the nations counterterrorism capabilities and Speaker Boehner says, you know, this is the right balance, it strikes the right balance, this is what was negotiated with the administration, with the Intelligence Community with civil libertarians of both parties and with folks on the various National Security committees and this is what the senate should pass, and they have now left town and whatever the senate does from this point, if anything other than pass the house bill, theres the very real possibility that the authority for the Surveillance Program could expire. Woodruff just to be clear its not the entire patriot act, its just one particular part of it that has them so divided. Thats right. And this is the authority that has underpinned this bulk surveillance, bulk collection of phone records which is awfully controversial and also contains language that establishes other surveillance authorities including, in particular, the socalled roving wiretap which is used against criminal suspects who use multiple phones and routinely change up the way that they communicate and the f. B. I. Director james coney said this week that that also is a very crucial piece of their investigative toolbox that they dont want to lose. Woodruff we know there was a court order handed down a few days ago that had to do with all of this. What effect has that had on the debate thats going on . It really hasnt had a particularly it hasnt moved it hasnt changed a lot of minds or moved a lot of opinions. It has caused people on both sides to sort of dig in a little deeper into where they were previously. There is, how however, a practical concern which is the court that struck down the bulk Surveillance Program based on this statutory argument said well, were not going to do anything right now because congress is in the middle of deciding this within a matter of days and congress will decide this and we can stay out of it. Well, if this can gets kicked down the road, whether a week or two months the court could come back and say well, we have no clarity here, we still believe this program is illegal and will issue an injunction to stop it. That is salary possibility, and thats something that, you know that is not being really discussed particularly openly right now but is something that is being pointed out by the administration. Woodruff at this point its not looking as it it will be resolved quickly. The Justice Department is saying it needs to start winding down this bulk collection of data as early as this weekend. What are the practical effects of that . Well, you likely have right now the Justice Department has warrants that theyve secured against in various investigations that have to be renewed on a regular basis. Basically, what the Justice Department has said is that if we dont know that this short is going to be there june 1, we cant go to a judge and get a carpet to extend past that. We cant go now starting today, tomorrow, next week and tell a judge we want a warrant, whether for the bulk phone collection or roving wiretaps with other surveillance authorities in this section, they cant go to a judge and say please extent the warrant. So the effect is theyre saying if nothing happens today you can start seeing practical effects for the lack of action from congress. Woodruff meaning the surveillance will start to change. Were going to certainly follow this as it goes on tonight and i know you will, mike debonis, thank you. Thank you. Woodruff in ireland, voters went to the polls today to decide whether to legalize gay marriage. If the referendum passes, the predominately catholic country would become the first nation ever to accept samesex marriage by a popular vote. Irish news sites are reporting higher than average turnout both in cities and rural areas. For the first time, if this passes, it will mean an ireland where people who have felt discriminated in the past, will feel included and equal in our society, so it will be a big thing. Woodruff the vote may mark a sea change in attitudes on the island. Homosexuality was only decriminalized in the early 1990s, and many in ireland oppose legalizing samesex marriage. It means that forever, a man and man are exactly the same in law as a woman and a man for family purposes. So it creates a fiction. It creates this fiction that men have children together. Thats not sensical. Woodruff Hari Sreenivasan has more on this historic referendum. Sreenivasan joining me now to talk about who voted and why, is padraic halpin, chief ireland correspondent for the reuters news service. The first question i think on a lot of americans mind is that the Catholic Church plays a powerful role in Irish Society and politics. How did this get to a referendum in ireland . Well, the Catholic Church doesnt play as powerful role as it used to. I think its influenced has diminished in the last two decades, in ireland particular. There were a lot of scandals that played a big role in the churchs position in society changing and even in the Referendum Campaign itself whereas 20, 30 years ago on issues like divorce or contraception, the church would have been speaking out quite publicly and theyre playing a low key role against the referendum but they have been notable by how quiet they have been. Sreenivasan how do the demographics shape up for the vote . Rural vs. Urban, young vs. Old . What kind of demographic breakdown on those supporting vs. Opposing it. Supporting the referendum, all Political Parties with behind the referendum which i think is maybe quite unique among other countries. In terms of divide urbanrural, on social issues, weve seen this. Theres a referendum to make divorce legal in ireland 20 years ago and only five or 30 constituencies in ireland supported the referendum so weve seen that in the past and tomorrow well see how big a divide, will be an interesting note. One big thing is divide between young and old. Certainly how energized young people are getting out to vote. Theres a campaign to get irish expats from around the world to vote. Explain that a little bit. Sure. In ireland theres no post vote around the country where immigrants with vote if they dont live in the country. Ireland has a big expat community, bigger in the last few years with the economic crisis here. A lot of people have had to immigrate to australia and United States to get jobs. Its different where a lot of young people have to come back to their local constituency to vote. Weve had people fly in from britain new york canada. I spoke to someone this week who bought a return ticket to australia. He spent 1,400 just to get home to vote. Social media picked up on it today. The things that have been of most note in the campaign in recent days. Have you seen any other referendum or social issue galvanize people like this in ireland . I dont think weve seen it for quite some time. As it stands the polls will close shortly and the indication is the turnout could be around 60 or both. The last time we saw that was 20 years ago in the divorce referendum. Any referendum since hasnt been as antive a turnout. That might be one indication. Also its dominated the media for weeks. The debate has been quite serious and has been quite vocal and i think on the street of dublin thats all the people with talking about. There is been anticipation, i think, is there to say and doing more will be a big day whichever way it goes. Sreenivasan ireland covenant for the reuters news service, thanks for joining us padraic halpin. Thank you. Woodruff its been called one of the longestlasting and cruelest effects of the Great Recession. Millions of Senior Citizens who were caught up in the economic collapse, now struggle to put food on the table. Sarah varney has our report from naples florida. The story was produced in collaboration with our partner Kaiser Health news. Its not easy to spot in the sparkling waters luxurious condos and highend rec recreation but in recent years daily life for many seniors in this sun lit paradise turned weak. This is my biggest gripe. Wall my life i struggled and now in my 70s i had to struggle all over again. It bothered me a lot. I was in control but the recession has done terrible things. I never had to receive charity. Reporter less than two miles away from the beaches is the naples senior center. Jackie established the lunchians to give older floridians a place to socialize. It became apparent how desperately people need the food served here. I did not think that i would find the depth of the challenges that are faced by people and specifically the seniors. We have over 676 members, about 60 are at near or below the poverty line. Reporter many are like angelo maffucci. After raising their children, they sold their suburban new jersey home and moved to southwest florida to enjoy semiretirement. But angelo could no longer work to supplement their Social Security income after injuring his back followed by prostate cancer. Like others in their generation who built comfortable lives during the height of american prosperity, the maffuccis found themselves entering uncertainty retirement. Bad luck and bad health, they lost their home and had to move into a condo owned by their son where they continued to struggle paying for medication and basic expenses. At the time when we were on our hands and knees, practically lets put it that way, and with we opened our closet and all we had was coffee so we made it and thats what we had. If we found a slice of toast or something, we had that too. Cereal, once in a blue moon. We didnt know where to go because we never had a problem like this before. We hated to ask people for help or this or that, you know. Reporter a plaque on their home is the harsh daily reminder of their grim fortunes. There are more than 9. 5 million americans over age 60 who struggle to pay for food. The problem worsened since the end of the Great Recession and collapse of the housing market, even in the most unexpected places, the most recent data show one in six seniors face the threat of hunger. From 2001 to 2013 the number of seniors experiencing uncertainty over where their food would come from more than doubled. In 2013, an additional 300,000 300,000 people over 60 had difficulty buying or accessing food. The need for Good Nutrition is vital for seniors. Without it, they can be frail and weak. Seniors face depression die bets congestive Heart Failure and heart atook. Enid is president of National Foundation to end Senior Hunger in the washington, d. C. Area. Were doing a worst job of trying to end Senior Hunger in america. So much money is poured into it you would think the numbers would be better but theyre not. We continue to beat our heads against the wall and expect a different outcome shame on us. Mealsonwheels reporter mealsonwheels serve an Important Role in many communities like this one in naples, but while charities provide temporary help to hungry seniors, they often have waiting lists that in some places stresm on for years and charities and Church Groups cant always address the underlying poverty that affects food and security. There are success stories. By most estimates, there are many more Older Americans who remain out of sight. Theres a hidden problem. Its a little invisible. Reporter professor tom worked on poverty rates among seniors. He found many poor retirees are living in gated communities but bubba its hampering efforts to help seniors struggling with hunger. We dont know the depth. We need to access them. Getting inside the communities and letting people know these are programs that are available to you. Reporter he says that will require steppedup efforts by groups like the Harry Chaffin food banks to sign themepeople up for food stamps andout nur triggs programs. Only onethird of eligible seniors are enrolled in food stamps, compared to threequarters of the eligible general population. In some ways seniors are the hardest people to reach because part of its the pride, part of its that they dont have the knowledge of the social service system, and part of it is their isolation. Reporter al is president of the local food bank. If youre a single senior sitting in an apartment, you dont know what to do or where to go. So getting out to them or getting the word out is half the battle. Also reassuring them that it deserve this help, that its makes helping neighbors, that its the government supporting you in your time of need. Reporter the couple get deliveries from a local food pantry and receive 34 a week in food stamps. Theyre grateful for the help but also know their circumstances are unlikely to change. We cant work anymore and i dont want to put a burden on my children that you have to give us each 100 a month or Something Like that. I wouldnt ask them for anything like that. All we could pray for is well live together. Reporter with millions of the baby boomers headed toward sunset years they expect the number of seniors facing hunger will rise by 50 over the next decade. For the pbs newshour im sarah varney in naples, florida. Woodruff our reporting team spent more time with seniors who are struggling to make ends meet. We have their stories, along with a photo essay, which you can find on our home page pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff and now to our look at a full week of news, culminating with the 2016 gop president ial contenders. Most of them flocked to the southern Republican Leadership conference, meeting in oklahoma, and among the most prominent themes National Security. Its time for us to have a president who admits what the American People already know. We face a global struggle against radical islamic terrorists and we are in the early stages of this struggle. The great lesson of history for us is that strength and resolve bring peace and order, and weakness and vacillation invite chaos and conflict. No wonder nobody around the world is nervous about america anymore, no wonder were not intimidating our adversaries and theyre running around wild in the world because they know were not investing in our defense anymore. We need to make or military strong not to wage war but to avoid war and bring peace and stability in the world. Ladies and gentlemen, we cant have a nominee against Hillary Clinton who sees commandercommanderinchief as an entrylevel position or on the job training. Going into a debate, you dont want to be able to have a candidate that represents the Republican Party whose National Security experience is a briefing book. Woodruff to talk about that and the other events of the week, we turn to the analysis of shields and gerson. Thats syndicated columnist mark shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson. David brooks is away. Welcome to you both. So with that conversation coming from the republican contenders mark, this is a week where ikdz is making big Islamic State is making big gains. They took over a key city in iraq, ramadi, youre hearing criticism of the Administration Policy toward i. S. I. S. , towards whats going on in iraq. The president came out this week and said ive got a strategy, its working. What do you think . I think judy, that, politically, speaking politically right now, from ten years from 2006, basically up to today, nine years, iraq has been a positive issue for democrats. They won the congress in 2006, they nominated the one candidate in the party who had opposed the iraq war, and in opposition to that iraq war and to president bushs policy became central in the 2008 campaign. Romney had to walk away from his support of it in 2012 and said he would not have supported it, now 2015 five years after president obama announced all withdrawal of troops in iraq keeping his promise in the 2008 campaign we see ramadi fall, we see iraqi army in full flight after all the billions of dollars and training, and dempsey said the iraqi army drove out of ramadi they werent driven out. Theyre not a paper tiger, theyre a paper cabbie cat. That is the reality, i. S. I. S. Is on the move. I. S. I. S. Is on the offensive. Politically speaking, beyond ethics and morals democrats are starting to feel on the defensive on this issue and republicans are starting to feel free of what had been an enormous burden. Woodruff sounds like he thinks its not working. Well, this was a serious enemy victor in this war. The capital of anbar, they control 60 of the province, advances in syria at the same time. This is good for terrorist propaganda and reviewedment. An unmaimed member of the administration said they were shocked by what happened here. It was shocking to hear president obamas former secretary of defense robert gates, say we dont have a strategy at all. Now, im not sure of that. The president did announce a strategy in september which involved arming and preparing our proxies including sunni proxies, involved aggressive negotiation force a National Unit government, that involved, you know bombing the heck out of i. S. I. S. The first two of those were not done effectively, not done aggressively. So we could actually start this policy discussion by saying the president could go and enforce his own policy more aggressively in this battle. Woodruff and what about the critiques youre hearing from the republicans as mark, you say youre hearing it from democrats, too. Who has the right answer here . I dont think anybody has the right answer. I listened to rick perry and Rick Santorum who is basically contrasting himself with the governors. It was not convincing. Chris christie, who has his own problems in new jersey i mean, it comes down to what is the action statement . Rick perry once said boots on the ground, other republicans said they want boots on the ground but they should be arab boots, not necessarily american. I havent seen people lining up to join this fight. I mean, in a proxy war, you are dependent upon your proxies and the iraqis turn out to be not particularly engaged, divided not unified not committed the same way. Judy, when one to have when one of the defenses all the equipment and money weve given to the enemy, one of the expressions dont worry about it too much because they were in such ill repair, the iraqis have taken such bad care that they would be of use. Theres no action statement with somebody saying i have the answer. Woodruff get tough. Get tough swagger. 10,000 troops senator Lindsey Graham wants to put in. George pa tacky said put in as many as you need kill everybody you can and get out. Now, get out was the question and remains the dilemma to this moment. Woodruff you said the administration hasnt followed through on what it said its policy is, but who does the administration turn to at this point . Well, i think theres a lot of questions about theiru3 intention in this. A lot of problem is the president said a series of statements. He said assad must go. He said there is a chemical weapons red line. He said were going to degrade and destroy i. S. I. S. And now a debate within the administration, well, maybe they should be contained, maybe we can live with the caliphate. So i think there is a real question, whats the president s goal, is he willing to masm means with ends, some involving embedding of u. S. Forces in our proxies down to brigade level which is not true now. I dont know if that will be decisive but i think there are measures to take in a proxy war where you can be more aggressive and i think the president will need to be. I might argue with general gerson on this, but i will say there are 250,000 iraqi troops. There are up to 31,000 i. S. I. S. Troops. You have full flight. I mean they wont and havent been engaged. The idea of embedding or training, whatever else i think we have to confront the fact this is a disaster. We can go back to whom hit whom first, but the reality was the president of the United States, 12 years ago, announced the mission was accomplished, the United States and allies prevailed, that the war in iraq was over. You know, that was not the case. Judy, anybody who walks around with a flag pin in his lapel now running for president and congress and says lets go in and kick some tail and take some numbers and bomb some people, that takes no courage at all because its not their blood or their childrens blood theyre talking about. Quite frankly talk is cheap and well hear a lot in the forthcoming weeks. Woodruff youre hearing this is connected in a way with the patriot act. Mike debonis with the Washington Post was on the program and you heard it earlier. You have a situation where the republicans are divided, the house and senate is divided. Do you see a way through this . Is there a clear answer that is going to satisfy both sides . I doubt that and i think its important to state rand paul is substantively long on this issue. The n. S. A. Is not looking through peoples address books and visa bills and violating the rights of average citizens. Thats not what the n. S. A. Does. I think that you have to start by saying, look, thats not a risk. There are a lot of guarantees built in, courts and others that are looking over the shoulder of the n. S. A. On this. I think paul has learned some contempt from his fellow senators by using a National Security debate as a fundraising tool related to his broader efforts. So i dont know how you split the difference on a debate where theres a substantive difference in whats happening. We talk about the lack of consensus compromise as the house came up with the u. S. A. Freedom act they passed with only 88 votes against it, coalition of democrats and republicans, and this is as mike debonis said in his interview with you judy its a fight between Speaker Boehner and senator mcconnell. It really is, as far as senator Paul Feingold was the only vote against in 2001. The courts have just been a stamp talking at the same time theories real questions and real bouts and you think the u. S. A. Freedom act went a long way toward resolving those with people in good faith on both sides. Rand paul is not the first person in the history of the United States to raise money on a National Security issue. I mean that has been a fairly common practice among president ial candidates. Woodruff one other thing that came up this week, at the intersection of politics and National Security, is Hillary Clinton and the emails. We have been hearing about it for some time. Court said they have to be released. The state Department Said we cant get it done till january. She came out and talked to the press and said, no, theyve got to come out and are now starting to come out. Were seeing she was getting advice on what to do about benghazi. Is she hurt by this . This attempt at transparency comes after the destruction of 30000 emails on a private server that she kept and, so, i think the effort at transparency itself is transparent. So you know and also the ties to Sidney Blumenthal in this case raise questions about judgment. So i think there are a bunch of questions raised here. The emails of secretary clinton, judy are not in a moral sense but a journalistic sense like the nixon case. The gift that keeps on giving. A new story and new story. To some degree to use the proxy answer, the press has become the proxy for the opposition to Hillary Clinton. Woodruff because theyre asking so many questions. With all but respect to senator sanders and governor omalley the most formidable adversary she has is the press and the clintons secretness is part of the narrative. I would be interested to see everybodys emails on the table before this is over. I would like to see governor christies bushs, esheds emails. I hope well hold everybody to the same standard. Woodruff were going to leave it there. Mark shields, Michael Gerson thank you both. Have a good memorial day weekend. Thank you. Woodruff Hari Sreenivasan is back with a report on one of a handful of programs in the country thats helping homeless transgender youth get their footing in society. Its another in our transgender in america series. Sreenivasan it looks like any other row house in washington d. C. But ruby corados house is different. Its a safe haven for lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender youth who have nowhere else to go. Sreenivasan 15, 20 years ago, if you were trans, you were living in a house, you walked out on a stoop like this and some kids were walking by, whats the likely reaction then versus now . 15 years ago, it was impossible to be me during the day. We were segregated to the underground world. Today, we can be trans in the entire city. Its still hard, but we can still be ourselves. And we take those risks, because deep inside ourselves, we are happy. Sreenivasan creating happiness is allimportant to corado, as she showed us on the grand tour. The first thing that welcomes you is the rainbow. We have chandeliers, so that means theres plenty of light. And when you go up, you will see a lot of glitter. Sreenivasan so, youve got to have a gay flag, a chandelier, and lots of glitter . Yes. And you have to have lots of colors. Sreenivasan got it. Shes opening this group home up to ten people, with the help of a 350,000 grant from a d. C. Nonprofit and trying to make it safe, inviting and infused with fun. Sreenivasan weve got a chair shaped like a high heel shoe . Diva. Divas can live in this house. Sreenivasan so, youd have a roommate when you live here . Yes. So in each room, in some rooms theres space for three. Sreenivasan the young people who qualify to live here range from 18 to 24 years old, and can stay for up to a year and a half. Many have been kicked out by their families for being different. Ruby corado, who is transgender herself, knows firsthand. We grow up in homes where there is no understanding of what transgender is. And the only information that is out there is that its not good. So therefore that information basically paints a picture that were not good, that theres something wrong, and many parents dont want something wrong in their homes so they just get rid of that. Sreenivasan corado is trying to build them a new family. For some people, this mattress is the most comfortable thing theyve had since their life on the streets. And like i told them, this is gonna be theirs. If they do good, obviously they can take it with them, because its theirs. Its there when they build their dreams. Because i want them to dream. And if this is the place where they dream, there were times when i was living in a shelter where i have so many dreams, and i couldnt take the mattress. So i want them to know this is theirs. Ill buy another one. I dont want this to just be a shelter. I want this to be a home where pink is okay, where red is okay where light, i dont want them to live in the dark. Sreenivasan life in the streets is reality for the 1. 6 million Homeless Youth in the United States and of that number an estimated 20 to 40 percent are l. G. B. T. And the National Center for Transgender Equality says one in five transgender people has been homeless at some point in their life. People are going to say there are shelters around if youre homeless, whats the difference if youre transgender and you go to a homeless shelter . For the most part were told from the get go we do not qualify. For example, if someone tries to go to a female shelter as a trans woman they literally tell you you cant sleep there because youre not female and then when you go to the male shelter they do take you but again they put you in dangerous conditions where you dont want to go to the shelter. That is why you end up on the streets. Sreenivasan what kinds of people are coming to need your services . Very often if they are really young, they come in because their parents are kicking them out of the homes. If theyre a little older theyre like 16 through 21, 22 they get referred to me by the criminal Justice System where they tell them all dont come back with issues. If you come back to court you know ill put you in jail but go to ruby and she will take care of you. And you know, its kind of weird because i know their Families Society is turning their back on them but to me its my treasure. I see them walking in the door i have a great opportunity to help someone like me so they dont have to go through what i went through. Sreenivasan Giselle Hartzog is one of the first transgender residents to live here after leaving her home in gulfport, mississippi and turning to prostitution. Youd sleep at the train station . Mhm. At Union Station so they wake us up and tell us you cant sleep here. Or something and then sometimes youd be just so lucky to catch a bus that pick up the people at go to a shelter for a night. Sreenivasan these are pretty nice mattresses compared to the bench at Union Station. How does that change things . It changes a lot of things because you can just, i mean, i have something to look forward to. Sreenivasan do you feel safe here . Mhm. Sreenivasan compared to where youve been staying . A lot safer. Sreenivasan how so . Just in the simple fact, i mean, i have somewhere to call my own. Just that security. I wish i had more to give them, i wish i had 20 houses to put everyone in and i wish i could build my own little world my own little neighborhood where it would be okay to be and as i work on that i do know that for those that make it here i can love them and in the process i can make it easier for them. Sreenivasan you mentioned youd love to create your own little world, but the reality is theres this other one already here so while they might have that nurturing and support in these walls they walk out in the street. I see a different world today. There are people in this neighborhood who know who we are and they look at us and they respect us. Were not being dehumanized. So i think that stability is important. Being able to show the world what is wrong. Because if they dont know theyre doing something wrong they cant change what they dont know. Sreenivasan corado says she has more applicants than beds and the house is already full. In washington, for the pbs newshour, im Hari Sreenivasan. Brown finally tonight, its commencement season and that means graduates, their families and friends are hearing a lot of speeches. Many universities book high profile alumni or big names to mark the occasion. Here are a few funny moments from some of 2015s graduations. Well, well, well. Here we are. Look at all these beautiful faces and iphones. Before i begin today, they asked me to make a standard announcement. Youve heard this before, about silencing your phones. So those of you with an iphone, just place it in silent mode. If you dont have an iphone, please pass it to the center aisle. Apple has a worldclass recycling program. laughter its a pleasure to be addressing the wake forest graduating class of 2015. I want to start by thanking the administration and the trustees for inviting me to speak. I want to thank them for giving me an honorary doctorate of humanities. Im a huge fan of humans. laughter of course, for you grads the future is a dark chasm of yawning uncertainty. laughter but dont worry you dont have to face the future for, like, two hours. First brunch, then yawning uncertainty. laughter in the late 19th century, this was among the First Southern schools to teach blolg in a lab. Before then, you werent supposed to learn biology until marriage. laughter in 1962, wake forest had the proud distinction of being the souths first major private school to integrate and yes, theyve kept it up. All right. laughter it had been my intention this morning to parcel out some good at vice at the end of these good advice at the end of these remarks, the goodness of that being subjective in the extreme. But then i realized this is the land of mark twain and came to the conclusion any commentary today ought to be framed in the sue blieb shadow of this quote of his its not that the world is filled with fools, its just that lightning isnt distributed right. laughter those of you graduating with high honors awards and distinctions, i say well done. And as i like to tell the c students, you too, can be president. cheers and applause woodruff now, to our newshour shares of the day. Something that caught our eye that might be of interest to you. The new shimmering World Trade Center scrapes the sky from its commanding position in Lower Manhattan and near its top, high over new york, is the three story observatory, with awesome and serene views, that somehow quiet the roaring city a quartermile below. But it is the journey to that high perch that we thought you should see. Five special elevators make the 102floor journey in 47 seconds and it is, in part, a journey five centuries in the making. Nine highdefinition monitors each sixandahalf feet across, display the history of new york from the year 1500 on. Tart below ground, in bedrock marshy lowlands appear just above ground. Then, the first european settlement, new amsterdam, in the 1600s. Soon the spire of st. Pauls chapel, that still sits to the east of the tower, appears from the late 1760s you are now 250 feet above ground on the ride and then for a breath taking four seconds, the World Trade Center towers erected in the early 70s and destroyed september 11, 2001. The old towers had to appear but their depiction sparked much heartfelt debate. We thought the most respectful way to treat the old twin towers was to december play them in the appropriate time when they existed. So as you saw when you came up they appear suddenly and disappears quickly as well. Then the new tower appears as the elevator rises and stops. Breath taking. Woodruff again, the major developments of the day. The senate struggled to end an impasse on renewing key surveillance provisions in the patriot act. Major trade legislation was also awaiting action, with the memorial day recess bearing down. The state Department Released 300 emails from then secretary Hillary Clinton. On the 2012 attack in benghazi, libya. The f. B. I. Asked parts of one be labeled secret and withheld. On the newshour online, pacman turns 35 today. We compiled eight facts you probably didnt know about the totally 80s video game. And its feminine version, ms. Pacman. Find those, on our home page, pbs. Org newshour. And a reminder about some upcoming programs from our pbs colleagues. Gwen ifill is preparing for washington week, which airs later this evening, heres a preview. Ifill reaping the whirlwind on capitol hill, on the campaign, and in the middle east. Everythings off balance. We explore how we got here, and the next steps, tonight on washington week. Judy . Woodruff on pbs newshour weekend saturday, a look at the safety concerns surrounding the transport of oil across the country by rail. It was just after 2 00 p. M. On december 30th 2013, when the calls began streaming in. Whats going on . There was a train that derailed. Two trains collided just half a mile outside cassillton, north dakota. One loaded with grain, the other with crude oil. What did it tell you about whats going on on the rails here in north dakota . Well, you know, it tells me and i think everybody the same what if that happened in a city or even in the middle of a town . You know it could be really catastrophic. Woodruff thats tomorrow night on pbs newshour weekend. And well be back, right here, on monday, memorial day. With a look at americas longest war, the fight against the taliban in afghanistan. Thats the newshour for tonight, im judy woodruff. Have a great weekend, thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org this is nightly business with ty i think it would be appropriate at some point this year to take the initial step to raise the federal funds rate target. Ready or not, the chair of the Federal Reserve makes it clear that rate hikes are coming if the economy continues to improve. Skys the limit, not with interest rates, but with the Drone Company that wants to help other Companies Make money. Double digit returns, our market monitor has a list of stocks he says could pay off big for investors. All that and more tonight on nightly businay good evening, everyone thanks for joining us. The message for the market is this Federal Reserve chair janet yellen made a clear and