Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20160803

Body plan, by the structures that they possess. Woodruff all that and more, on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by love me tender love me true we can like many, but we can love only a precious few. Because it is for those precious few that you have to be willing to do so very much. But you dont have to do it alone. Lincoln financial helps you provide for and protect your financial future, because this is what you do for people you love. Lincoln financial youre in charge. Md anderson cancer center. Making cancer history. Bnsf railway. Xq institute. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ifill the president ial campaign was dominated today by reports that Donald Trumps president ial campaign is taking on water, and may need a rescue. Trump brushed aside all talk of internal division, and of growing defections. We will have a full report, right after the news summary. Woodruff in the days other news, president obama commuted the prison sentences of 214 federal inmates almost all of them, nonviolent drug offenders. The white house said its the largest number of commutations in a single day since at least 1900. It is also part of president s effort to address sentencing rules that he considers overly harsh. Ifill kansas congressman tim huelskamp, a tea party favorite, has lost his republican primary battle. During his three terms, he had feuded repeatedly with g. O. P. Leaders, and it cost him his seat on the house agriculture committee. That boosted challenger roger marshall, who won 57 of the vote on tuesday. Woodruff there is reporting today that the u. S. Organized an airlift of 400 million in cash to iran, last january. It came just as tehran released several jailed americans, and as a nuclear deal was being implemented. The wall street journal reports the money was part of settling a disputed, 1970s arms deal. Republicans called it ransom but the white house rejected that this all came to a head at the same time because we are addressing and resolving longstanding concerns with iranian behavior. The United States, under president obama, has not paid a ransom to secure the release of americans unjustly detained in iran. And were not going to pay a ransom. Woodruff Officials Say the payment had to be made in cash because International Sanctions on iran barred any other method. Ifill a u. N. Commission reports Islamic State ghters in syria are Still Holding thousands of minority yazidis as sex slaves or fighters. They were captured two years ago at sinjar in iraq. Thousands more fled the city, but the militants killed 5,000 yazidi men. That, in part, prompted u. S. Airstrikes against isis. Woodruff for the first time, a u. S. Law enforcement officer is facing federal terrorism charges for allegedly trying to aid isis. A transit policeman in washington, nicholas young, was charged today. The f. B. I. Says he wanted to help the group buy mobile messaging apps. Ifill north korea drew new condemnation today for firing a Ballistic Missile that landed in japanese waters. The missile flew more than 600 miles, and part of it splashed down within 200 miles of japans coastline. That prompted the u. N. Security council to meet in emergency session this afternoon in new york. Woodruff in eastern ukraine, new signs of escalating combat between russianbacked rebels and Ukrainian Government troops. U. N. Human rights Officials Say casualties in june were the highest in nearly a year. That is despite peace accords that called for withdrawing heavy weapons. Ifill 300 people escaped with their lives today in a spectacular plane crash in dubai. They were on an emirates flight from india that slammed down on the runway as it tried to land. The passengers got out just before the plane burst into flames. While landing, i think the engine or something burned, so the smoke was coming inside. So immediately they asked us to evacuate. We have escaped from the emergency exit, so we were jumping down. Ifill one firefighter died battling the blaze, and traffic was stopped for several hours, but later returned to normal. Woodruff back in this country, the state of alabama refused parole for thomas blanton, jr. In the murder of four young black girls, half a century ago. They died when ku klux klansman bombed their Birmingham Church in 1963. Blanton was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison, after the f. B. I. Reopened the case. Ifill the Obama Administration warned Congress Today that it will run out of money to fight the zika virus by months end. The warning came as government researchers said theyve begun their first Clinical Trial of a vaccine. So far, congress has deadlocked on the president s request for 1. 9 billion in emergency spending. Woodruff and, wall street managed to break a losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 41 points to close at 18,355. The nasdaq rose 22 points, and the s p 500 added six. Still to come on the newshour donald trump picks another fight with g. O. P. Leadership; wikileaks founder Julian Assange on leaks that target the Democratic Party; why jellyfish are filling the oceans, and much more. Ifill it has been a whirlwind day for the Trump Campaign, which is in full damagecontrol mode. As Lisa Desjardins reports, the republican ticket is working to get back on the offensive. Reporter the assurances came from donald trump himself, during a town hall in daytona beach, florida that he is in control of his campaign. The campaign is doing really well. Its never been so well united. I would say, right now its the best, in terms of being united, than its been since we began. Reporter and more came from paul manafort, the man now running trumps campaign, during a fox news interview. The campaign is focused. The campaign is moving forward in a positive way. The only need we have for interventions is for some media types saying things that arent true. Reporter this, after a swirl of stories looking at doubts within republican ranks about trump, and possible divisions within the Trump Campaign. This morning trump ally and former House Speaker newt gingrich, on fox business said trump needs to recalibrate. I think some of what trump has done is just very self destructive. Reporter and last night, Hewlitt Packard c. E. O. Meg whitman, a major fundraiser, told the new york times, im voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton becoming one of the highestprofile republicans to do so. Also today it was widely reported that some highlevel republicans, including Party Chairman reince preibus, may meet with the nominee soon to talk about his approach. All this after a Washington Post interview in which trump jumped between topics and refused to endorse House Speaker paul ryan and senator john mccain. That on top of trumps weekend interview with abc news, which sparked controversy about whether he thinks Russian Forces are in ukraine, and about his pushing back at the khan family, who lost their son in the line of duty in iraq. Today, some damage control during a phone interview with fox news, trumps running mate indiana governor mike pence said he is endorsing paul ryan. I talked to donald trump this morning about my support for paul ryan, our longtime friendship. He strongly encouraged me to endorse paul ryan in next tuesdays primary, and im pleased to do it. Reporter the swirling splinters on the right are fast fuel for trumps opposition. A proclinton super pac released this ad today he doesnt have the temperament or judgment to control himself. Were about to turn over the Nuclear Codes of the United States to an erratic individual. Reporter as for Hillary Clinton herself, she spent today in colorado. Im thrilled to have this chance to visit. Reporter while her running mate, virginia senator tim kaine, introduced himself to North Carolina voters, talking up their plans to aid small business. As we are looking at economic plans and im out basically talking about jobs, that we focus on the growth of small businesses. Reporter North Carolina is a key battleground, so, no coincidence its where mike pence will campaign tomorrow. Ifill and lisa joins me at the table now. Lee Centennial Park youve lisa, youve been talking to folks all day long. Give me a certain, how concerned are mainstream rankandfile republicans about the campaign . One question, what is rank and file . Leadership is concerned. The republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus is furious with donald trump. These are not words that are thrown around in such a place. And thats a problem for donald trump because he needs the rncs operation to get out the vote. Usually candidates do. Also members of congress are coming out openly and saying they are not voting for trump. There are two significant republicans from swing states that trump wants. Ifill trump says the party is as united as ever before. What do his supporters say . I talked to the chairman of his campaign in south carolina. He says this is all a complete disconnect. The washington republican establishment doesnt get whats happening on the ground. He says trump voters and the voters they want arent talking about the khan family. Theyre thinking about their own vacations. Theyre thinking about their own jobs. And he said he does not think this is a longterm hit for donald trump. Ifill and yet hes talking about the money department. The Trump Campaign raised 80 million in the last month, a little below the clinton toll, 90 million, but its a huge improvement showing the Trump Campaign along with the rnc can raise money. Ifill all right, Lisa Desjardins, thank y for more on the splinters within the grand old party, we are joined by charlie sykes, conservative talk show host and editorinchief of the website rightwisconsin. Com; and matthew dowd, chief political analyst for abc news. He is a former adviser to the Republican National committee, and in 2004, served as president george w. Bushs chief strategist. Welcome, gentlemen. Charlie sykes, youre in wisconsin. Sea saw what happened today with paul ryan. Mike pence went one way. Donald trump went the other way. And Reince Priebus caught in the middle. Should there be. The word we keep hearing is intervention. Should there be an intervention under way . Give credit to matthew dowd because he tweeted that out, that it was time for an intervention. Yes, absolutely. You have to understand they were trying to make a play for wisconsin. Reince priebus, of course, is the key to all of. This he was the one who brokered the deal with ryan and trump and got scott walker to flipflop on all of. This and then mike pence is the bridge to conservatives in wisconsin where donald trump has not done well. And what did donald trump do yesterday but come right behind mike pence and blow up that bridge. So obviously you have this sense that this campaign is a Dumpster Fire inside a nuclear meltdown, and they absolutely need an intervention. And what happened in wisconsin where donald trump is coming here on friday, and hes coming into very, very hostile territory, almost no leading republican will be at that rally, and at some point theyre going to have to do a reset of some kind. Ifill but we saw the fundraising numbers. Hes still doing well in some situations. We heard him today talk about unity. So where is he really . Is this just people who never liked him not liking him anymore . Well, this is less u. S. Constitution and more articles of confederation type of unity in the course of this. I dont see any unity at this point in time. And you get the sense that theres a whole bunch of republicans. They cant force him off the ballot. Donald trump will win. I think there is a more of a chance of the Milwaukee Brewers winning the world series this year than donald trump getting off the ballot. But i think what could happen is Republican Senate candidates, republican congressional candidates begin to basically design all their come pains completely separate and apart from donald trump. I think this is a big concern. It comes at the worst possible time for donald trump in the aftermath of the two conventions. People thought this would be a slow period, but, gwen, it sets up the tone for what will happen in the fall. And it puts him at a huge disadvantage. I feel bad for mike pence. Donald trump ought to call mike pence the janitor, because he spends most of his time cleaning up the mess thats left in aisle one, two, three, four, and five. I think he has to straighten this out, but i dont know if donald trump has it in him to straighten this out. Ifill what has donald trump been doing right and what has he not been doing as right since his convention . Well, hes been getting a lot of attention, hasnt he . What hes been doing wrong is almost everything. In the last six days rather than going after Hillary Clinton, hes gone after the gold star moms. Hes lied about the nfl letter. Hes thrown crying babies out of his rally and picked fights with prominent republicans. I think what youre having, maint you is right, in the last 24, 48 hours, there is this growing recognition that, you know what, its not going to happen. Hes not going to pivot. Hes not going to grow up. Hes not going to become more president ial. And i think republicans had been talking themselves into thinking, okay, you know, donald trump was one way during the primary, but hes absolutely assured us and Reince Priebus has assured us that hes going to change his ways. Hes going to become more responsible. And it cant get any worse. Well on a daily basis its gotten worse and worse and worse. And the stories that youre seeing about the disillusion in the Republican Party are absolutely true. And the stories youre hearing out of the Trump Campaign have the ring of truth because it doesnt look like hes listening to anybody. So how does a 70yearold man change his temperament and his character and his judgment . You can change the positions and the language of a campaign, but how do you become somebody different than who you are . And i think what were seeing is who donald trump is, and its very, very frightening to a lot of republicans right now. Ifill matthew we saw him come out today and talk about the secret or whatever it was shipment of money to iran and make the connection between what he said was a deal that had been cut for a bad deal and how iran had benefited from that. That seemed like it was sticking to message. So he is not incapable of sticking to message. No, hes not incapable of it. But he seems incapable of sticking to a message for more than 15 minutes or more than 30 minutes. President ial campaigns are stories. Theyre long narratives, multichaptered stories. You have to build each chapter in order to convince voters at the end of the story they need to go with you as opposed to the opposition. The thing i think that frustrates republicans most is this is a winnable race against Hillary Clinton. Shes very up upon lar, but the problem is shes running against someone more unthe rested and more disliked at this point in time. Whats causing huge concern, is wow, this is a race we could have won, even with donald trump. The funny thing is even with donald trump and all the mistakes, hes only five or six points behind in this environment against a candidate like Hillary Clinton. But if he keeps doing this and cant stay with a message longer than a half hour or longer than an hour, Hillary Clinton is going to win a race that in most years she should be unable to win. Ifill charlie sykes, a scwawnsderred opportunity to go after Hillary Clinton . Yes, very much. One Top Republican told me last night, you know, if donald trump as of the convention had just gone off to a Desert Island and had said nothing, he probably would be ahead in the polls. What you have here is trump is defeating trump. And thats what is so frustrating because Hillary Clinton has actually had a very, very bad week. And yet you would not know it because donald trump has really masked her problems. What i think you have is you have republicans trying to talk themselves into thinking things will get better, but at this point thats the triumph of hope over experience. And i think thats why you might see in the next three or four days more and more republicans either withdraw their support, distance themselves. I dont know how many you will have say theyll vote for Hillary Clinton, but once that starts, and i dont know what matthew thinks about, this i get the sense it might be a dam breaking. Once you have one problem republican backing away, that others are going to see this as permission to say, you know what, we do not want to be part of. This we do not want to go down with the anchor of donald trump, because right now its not just the presidency. It is all the down ballot races. I think you have a Republican Party thats looking into the abyss if they cannot get donald trump to clean up his act. Ifill matthew, you can answer that question, but i also want to you to answer this paul manafort, the campaign chairman, said for all intents and purposes, donald trump is the person running the campaign is. That a good or bad thing . A physician shouldnt be your own doctor. Ive been involved in a lot of campaigns where they think theyre going to run their own campaign. They figure out quickly thats a bad idea. Candidates dont have the objectivity to look and see what you need to do. To answer charlies question, i agree with him. I think you can see that coming. I think the first sign of you seeing that coming is that there will be republicans start voting and saying theyre going to vote for gary johnson, the libertarian on the ballot. Theyll begin to see republicans say gary johnson ought to be included in the debate. I dont think its, as charlie said, i dont think youll see a bunch of republicans go to Hillary Clinton because they think thats as dissatisfactory a choice as donald trump, is but i think a lot of republicans will decide gary johnson is the best place to go against donald trump. Ifill matthew dowd and charlie sykes, another 24 hours and perhaps well get another story line. Thank you both very much. For the record, we did try to reach out to the Trump Campaign, and they declined to provide a spokesman. Thank you both very much. Thank you. Woodruff while the Republican Party has seen its share of conflicts this week, recent events have also unearthed discord within the ranks of the democrats as well. The hacking of Democratic National committee emails experts say by the russian government and the posting of emails on wikileaks, led to the resignation of d. N. C. Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman schultz and other top officials, and exposed rifts within the party. But the revelation also caused speculation about how wikileaks got them, and why they released them. So, we decided to talk to Julian Assange, the founder of wikileaks, from the Ecuadorian Embassy in london, where he has been holed up for four years, to avoid extradition to the u. S. I spoke with him a short while ago. Julian assange, welcome. You said this week that wikileaks is going to be releasing more of the information that was hacked from the Democratic National committee in different batches. So when will the next batch come . Im afraid i must correct you, judy. I didnt say we would be releasing information that has been hacked from the dnc. We said that we have a significant amount of information, and the information itself is significant, and it pertains to Hillary Clintons campaign. And we will be releasing it in several batches as we are finished with the journalistic work on each batch. Woodruff so are you saying this is different from what was hacked from the dnc and the Democratic Congressional committee . You have dnc leaks, which is what we do, and you have dnc hacks, which is an issue that goes back several years. Theres been a lot of confusion, which has been pushed by the Hillary Clinton campaign to try and confuse hacking of the dnc by a wide variety of actors over the last two years, and our publication of 20,000 emails from the dnc. Woodruff let me just pursue that, though. In terms of what wikileaks has, youve said youre analyzing the material and youre looking at which Media Partners to work with. I think you said to get the maximum uptake from it. Can you tell us anything tonight about whats in that material . Its a wide range of material. It covers a number of important issues. Theres a variety of natural batches and some thematic constellations that were working on. Its interesting material. We have done enough work now that we are comfortable with the materials authenticity, and so now its a matter of completing format, layout, make it easy and accessible and so that journalists can easily extract material from it and also the general public. Woodruff what would you consider a successful outcome from all this . We know that already four top officials from the Democratic National committee have resigned. What would you consider the successful outcome, the most damage that could be done from this . Well, wikileaks began ten years. We take leaks, we take material of political, ethical and historical experience. We verify it and we publish it and we write a synopsis about it. And we also engineer Media Operations to get the best understanding of that material and we place it in our library, which is available to everyone, has more than 10 million documents in it now. Its truth that would otherwise not have come before the public. Its led to court case, civil litigation, criminal process and also contributes to public understanding during the moments of political competition. Woodruff let me ask you about what you consider a successful outcome here, because we know youve made clear your strong feelings about Hillary Clinton. You wrote back in february, and im quoting now, shes a war hawk who gets an unseemly emotional rush out of killing people. She shouldnt be let near a gun shop much less an army. She certainly shouldnt become president. So i think why shouldnt the American People assume theres a political motive here . Well, flip it the other way around. Lets say that i personally personal is different to my function as an editor, but say personally i loved Hillary Clinton, would wikileaks still publish this material . Of course it would. Otherwise we would be censoring. Thats our mandate. Its interesting to think about what media organizations would not publish such materials if it was given to them. I think thats a very interesting question. So my position as an analyst is, yes, Hillary Clinton is a war hawk, but the statement was made within the context of the early phases of the democratic primaries. It is by no means an endorsement of donald trump. Woodruff but you still would oppose her becoming president , which is what you wrote . Well, my personal analysis is if you are concerned about u. S. Foreign policy and getting into foolish wars, then Hillary Clinton is not your woman. On the other hand, i mean, neither is donald trump. Woodruff bottom line, why shouldnt the American People look at this and say, this is an effort to undermine the clinton campaign, the Democratic Party . Well, i can reveal the source of the information today. The source of the information is the Democratic Party. It is Debbie Wasserman schultz. It is the chief financial officer. It is the Communications Officer , all of these people that have just been tried. Thats the source of the information thats known. As to who the intermediaries are, thats another question. Its also a little bit concerning to see the mccarthyist attempt to frame trump as some kind of russian conspirator. I think thats extremely problematic. But the kind of mccarthyist his staira, trying to depict one of the candidates as somehow a man curian candidate i think is a bit disturbing, and also a push for journalists to reveal their sources is disgusting. Woodruff i want to give you a chance to say what you believe, Julian Assange, but wikileaks, we know, argues for transparency. Its part of your very mission. And so isnt this an extension of that, transparency about where this explosive material came from, how it fell into your hands . We know exactly where it came from. It came from materials that were just published. It came from the dnc. Woodruff youre saying the future batches will be material from Debbie Wasserman schultz, the former head of the dnc, and others, am i hearing you correctly . We havent said what we are going to publish precisely. Were working on it. We want it to be a big of a surprise because it encourages public uptake an interest, which all material is. Woodruff Julian Assange, we thank you for talking to us. Thank you, judy. Ifill now that theyve won their respective party nominations, donald trump and Hillary Clinton are eligible to receive classified intelligence briefings. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper indicated the offers for such briefings are going out this week. But what kind of secrets will trump and clinton become privy to . Some partisans have been suggesting neither candidate can be trusted with that information. Margaret warner has been looking at genesis of those briefings, and she joins me now. Margaret, when did this become a political football . Just in this election, gwen. This has been going on ever since harry truman became president and didnt even know about the Manhattan Project in 1945 and decided he didnt want any future president elect to be faced with. This its just gone on and some candidates use it a lot. Some candidates dont avail themselves much. But this year, as you said, partisans have been attacking both candidates as being untrustworthy with the information. At the aspen security conference last week, James Clapper, the dni, said he had no hesitation and, in fact, teams of professionals had already been assigned to each candidate. But there was a lot of scuttlebutt. There were a lot of questions at this conference, quite frankly, as to whether or not trump would even avail himself of them since he said he knows more about isis than the generals. Ifill how does it work . Do they go to the c. I. A. . Does the c. I. A. Go to them . Its a combo of both. It depends on whether they have asked for the overview or a deep guide on one topic. They might make a hotel room secure. They might set up which is socalled a skiff, a special secure facility. Other time they have to go to a local f. B. I. Office. But the scope of the information is really broad general intelligence assessment. Theres no discussion of covert operations, for example, so if someone were saying, who is your source in the iranian government, im not allowed to rise, that changes dramatically when someone becomes a president elect. Then there are teams literally, im told, at the headquarters of each candidate and the next morning its delivered to him or her the president ial daily brief. Ifill which is the topsecret documents. Thats covert ops. None of that will be revealed now. Ifill has that ever been withheld . No, never withheld, but many dont avail themselves. Ronald reagan had only one. Bill clinton had only one. This is all according to great history law. Ifill why wouldnt you avail yourself snow. As its been explained to me. Think about the next 98 days. These men and women are focused on winning. Theyre focused on the debates. Theyre focused on the money raising. Theyre focused on the statebystate count. Their level of interest may not be as high as we think it should be. Secondly, one Senior Intelligence official, actually mike hayden, a former director and Deputy Director of the n. S. A. Said, you know, they dont want too know too much because they dont want to be caught in the debate and say, can i say that . Where can i get that information . Has that ever happened where someone has inadvertently blabbed. Apparently not that anyone could think of. As hayden said, they know its akin to the Death Penalty to let Something Like that slip, but if i may go on, its a huge difference in the level of intelligence thats given at this stage and mike morrell, former Deputy Director and director temporary of the c. I. A. , had to brief mccain and palin. And he said, so you walk in with john mccain from Armed Services committee and intel committee, one of the great experts in the senate, immediately its going very deep. He knows a lot. But he said, you know, with sarah palin, its Like National security 101, and its very broad and its very general and you have to give a lot of history. That will probably apply this time with trump and secretary clinton. As one said to me, secretary clinton will probably walk in and say, so where were we . Shes learned these secrets for a long, long time, even though not in the last two years. Ifill do Vice President ial candidates get them, too . Yes, they do. Ifill so the only person of the four without washington experience is donald trump. Briefing 101, as you put it. Margaret warner, thank you so much. My pleasure. Woodruff a series of federal Court Decisions in the last few weeks could change the rules about how Many Americans will be casting their votes this november. William brangham has the latest on these rulings. Brangham Voting Rights supporters have won a series of remarkable victories in the last few weeks. What they contend is a much needed pushback against what they say are discriminatory voteri. D. Laws. Since 2008, ten states almost all governed by Republican Legislatures have passed laws tightening the requirements for the kind of i. D. You need in order to vote, or made other changes to when and how votes get cast. But several federal courts have now ruled that some of those laws are discriminatory. On monday, a federal judge blocked north dakotas voter i. D. Law, saying it impinged on the rights of native americans. The judge wrote no eligible voter, regardless of their station in life, should be denied the opportunity to vote. Last friday, a federal court ruled that North Carolinas new voting laws had been intentionally designed to discriminate against minorities, saying these new provisions target africanamericans with almost surgical precision. And then in july, another court ruled that texas voteri. D. Laws also hurt minority voters, and ordered the laws changed before november, saying, it would be untenable to permit a law with a discriminatory effect to remain in operation for that election. Joining me now to wade through these changes is u. C. Irvine law professor richard hasen. He writes whats called the election law blog. So professor, help me understand this. The courts have been saying, not so fast, states. Generally speaking, what have the states been doing with their voting laws in recent years . Well, most of these, but not all of these challenges involve new strict voter identification laws. Every state has some way of identifying voters, but if you narrow the number of identifications that are acceptable, and a lot of people dont have those i. D. S, you run the risk of disenfranchising people who are otherwise eligible to vote. So in cases out of wisconsin, North Carolina, north dakota and texas, just in the last few weeks, weve seen those laws struck down in the case of North Carolina, or in the case of these other states, softened so people who lack one of these narrow forms of i. D. Can find or work around a different way to be able to prove their identity and cast a ballot. Brangham what is it the courts have been saying these laws do . What do they find so objectionable about them . Well, the rulings are not all the same. In North Carolina, as you mentioned, the court thought that the law was intentionally discriminatory against africanamericans. While there is not necessarily that the state of North Carolina acted with racial hatred or animus, but they knew this law would make it harder for africanamericans to vote, and they did that anyway, and in part doing it knowing that African Americans tend to vote for democrats and this was a Republican Legislature as it was in all of the states that you mentioned, passing new restrictive laws in order to gain some political advantage. Brangham supporters of these laws have been saying all along that these were made to prevent voter fraud. I know in the North Carolina case, the judges ruled there was really no evidence thats happening. Is there evidence that voter fraud is happening or is a problem in other states . Well, you know, it depends on the kind of voter fraud youre talking about. The term is thrown around loosely, but the kind of voter fraud that a voter identification law would be impersonation fraud, i go into the polls pretending to be someone else. This turns out to be very, very rare. Its not the way that when election manipulated happens. The kind of fraud we tend to see, which is still rare, falls into one or two categories. Its Election Officials messing with the ballots or something to do with absentee ballots, someone buys absentee ballots and votes them how they want. These types of abdifficults are not at all addressed by these laws, which only make sure that someone who shows up makes sure he or she is who they say they are. Brangham youve probably heard that donald trump believes this november election could be stolen because of fraud. He says if people dont haven i. D. , whats to stop them from going in and voting ten times . Well, that sounds like someone who has never been to a polling place. You cant go in for ask for a ballot and they trust you. There is a roll and a list. Every state identifies you somehow. It might be that you give your signature. Your signature is on the line. You cant vote ten times. Its a silly thing to say, except i think its dangerous to call the integrity of eintleex question because our very democracy depends upon those who are on the losing side having faith the votes are fairly and accurately counted. Brangham is there potential that recent changes could cause confusion . There is certainly the potential for confusion. Just now today in texas, the state of texas and the plaintiffs agreed to a set of rules for how people who lack one of the narrow forms of i. D. Will be racial to vote, by providing a utility bill or a different kind of identification. In wisconsin, theyre still litigating over what the rules will be. And in North Carolina, North Carolina indicated today they may go as far as the Supreme Court to try to get their law, which had been reversed, put back on the books in time for november. But i think its a real danger that as we get closer to the election, voters may not know, for example, in texas, that if they lack one of those narrow forms of i. D. , they will still be eligible to vote if theyre otherwise eligible to cast a ballot. Brangham rick hasen from uc ifill its that time of the summer when many folks are heading to the beach. But along parts of the southeast coast, vacationers may run into some unwanted visitors as the National Weather service has issued hazard warnings caused by jellyfish found in myrtle beach, south carolina. Thats temporary, but whats not are the persistent numbers of the slimy creatures populating the waters of the ocean. Science correspondent miles obrien reports, just in time for the summer, for our weekly series on the leading edge of science and technology. Reporter on beaches, in harbors and beneath bays all over the world, jellies are on a roll. And it appears its a stinging rebuke of us from Mother Nature herself. Jellyfish are thriving in environments that are damaged by the human activities. Reporter marine biologist Jenny Purcell is a Research Associate at Western Washington University in bellingham. She studies huge aggregations of moon jellyfish, or smacks, that have exploded in puget sound. Human populations have increased. The pressure on the oceans had increased and the jellyfish populations have increased. So its very hard to put a cause and effect on that, but the correlations are certainly there. Reporter there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that its happening but arriving at hard numbers is like nailing jelly to a wall. Because there have been, so few jellyfish scientists, theres a critical shortage of jellyfish data. We dont know how many jellyfish or even what jellyfish are there. Reporter but at aquariums all over the country jellyfish oh, whoa. Reporter . There is plenty of concrete proof jellyfish fascinate us. Cute but dangerous. Reporter they are natures lava lamp. A morbidly mesmerizing marquee attraction. Penguins, hard to beat penguins. Reporter yeah. Sharks, hard to beat sharks. But i would say that jellies come in a strong third, rather consistently. Reporter Steven Bailey is the curator of fishes at the New England Aquarium smack dab on boston harbor, if you will. Bailey is a cardcarrying jellyhead. They seem to be capable of doing things physiologically that cant be described by their body plan, by the structures that they possess. Reporter this got me intrigued. This is actually the fifth floor of the aquarium, considered like, sort of the attic. Reporter so i asked senior aquarist chris doller for a behind the scenes tour. Okay. So, this is where are we now . This area is affectionately known as area x. Reporter area x is the one of the most prolific jellyfish nurseries in the nation. They keep about 13 species here, a small but varied selection of the 200 large and 800 small types of jellyfish in the world. They are all cnidaria, the same phylum as anemones and corals among others. Theyre so simple, yet so complex. Theres a huge variety of jellies. You can get very colorful jellies, you can get very iridescent jellies. We have some fluorescent jellies. Reporter no brain, no blood, no spinal cord just muscle, nerves and stinging cells to kill prey, and inadvertently bother beachloving humans. How often you get stung . I try not to, but its almost a daily occurrence. Reporter yeah, i bet. Yeah. Reporter so what does a grizzled pro use . Warm water or vinegar. I think the worst sting i ever got was from a flower hat jelly. Reporter some jellies bear more than a resemblance to a plant. The lagoon and upside down jellyfish species are among those that are photosynthetic; their tissue becomes a home for algae, and the jellies use it for energy. All they need is sunshine to stay alive. That brown that you see in the tissue, thats all algal cells, so basically they are harvesting within them yet, the plant is sort of living in their tissue. Reporter jellyfish reproduce sexually and asexually. Most adults send sperm and eggs into the water, creating small larvae that grow into polyps. They reproduce by cloning over and over and over again. Voila a jellyfish smack. Theyre not schooling in the classic sense, right . Right. The way they budd off, its just pure numbers and theyre all sort of drifting in the same current. They dont migrate intentionally. They just had to go where the ocean takes them. Reporter they go with the flow . Go with the flow, yeah. Reporter on the move, they are constantly grazing. So why are they thriving . Many jelly species reproduce faster in warmer water, so Climate Change has an impact. But right now, researchers say overfishing is the biggest cause of the jellyfish bonanza. People have fished out fisheries, the fish which are competitors with the jellyfish. So with the fish being fished out, there is more food left for the jellyfish. Reporter and they will eat almost anything. They also dont mind living in troubled waters like the huge oxygenstarved dead zone in the gulf of mexico. It is caused by nutrientrich fertilizer flowing down the mississippi. It creates a lot of algae that depletes underwater oxygen levels. That means fewer fish and more food for the jellies. So algae blooms and jellyfish smacks go hand in hand. The guy who has that perfect lawn right down to the river, if you will, when he goes to the beach and he gets stung by a jellyfish, he actually has some culpability. I would say that thats rather poetic, yes. Reporter maybe one solution is to start eating them more. In florida, georgia and the carolinas, a new kind of fishing industry is emerging entrepreneurs are harvesting cannonball jellies, pickling them, and exporting jelly balls to asia, where they are considered a delicacy. Have you ever eaten a jellyfish . I have. Reporter how is it . Didnt enjoy it. Reporter no surprise. They have no taste, are chewy as an eraser, and pack precious little caloric value. I guess that means we can eat a lot of them, if we like. But there is little concern we might fish these guys into oblivion. I think the jellyfish will persist after the armageddon. Reporter they started on earth more than 500 million years ago, so why not go for a billion . The cockroaches of the sea, perhaps, but in the smackdown for fans, the jellies win, tentacles down. Miles obrien, the pbs newshour, boston. Woodruff now, a new look at the terrible cost of slavery in america. It comes in a work of fiction, one that combines gritty realism with a leap of the imagination what if the underground railroad was an actual train . In fact, the underground railroad is the title of colson whiteheads novel. He spoke with Jeffrey Brown earlier this summer at book expo america in chicago. Brown let me ask you to sort of introduce what youve done here. Its a so each state you go to is a different state of american possibility. South carolina is a benevolent pa tern listic state where slaves are given programs for racial uplifted. North carolina is a white supremacist state. So each stop is an island in the gullivers travels. Brown one that youve imagined. Yes, but its treated in a very deadpan, matter of fact way. So while i am stretching the truth or tweaking reality, it is still much grounded in what we would call, you know, the truth. Brown once you opened it up that way, was it freeing as a writer . Very liberating. Once you have a literal railroad, youre bringing a fantasy element that allows you to do different things. And so i bring in the tuskegee s experiment. Ur i bring in sort of naziism andch white supremacy. And even though it takes placeno in 1850, im allowed to have these different modes and bring in a lot of differentsl aspectst American History in a way i. Couldnt if i was speaking to the facts. Brown because all of it isdi fraught territory today . Its fraught. Soor people have asked, was iin inspired by ferguson or black lives matter. Y you know, the fact is that white people in authority have been refusing the black body for centuries. Look to ferguson a few months ago to find someone being gunned down by a policeman. In the 1850s before there was any police force in the south, the authority was the slave patroller, and the slave patroller could stop any black person, free or slave, and demand to see their papers. If you didnt have your papers or an excuse for being off the plantation, you would be beateno put in jail, brought back to your master, and thats analogous to stop and frisk. Right now, when i was younger, more threatening looking, i would be stopped, i would be searched. What are you doing in this neighborhood . So im not addressing contemporary ills. Im addressing the sort of problems that have been around since the beginning of the country. And hopefully by the end ive learned something in finishing the book. Brown you used to doubt whether it would ever be finished . Yeah. I had a concept called the get hit by a bus draft. Thats like the draft you wantwa in case you get hit by a bus an hour later, will people understand what youre trying to do . Youre working on a novel for years, and then something happens to you in the middle, no one will know what youre trying to do. If you can just get that hit by a bus draft. Brown i never heard that one before. Thats when you know youre okay. Yes. The copy editor, people will know what youre up to. Brown i dont know if you want to put that out in the selfhelp for writers book. I think all my writing tips are grim. My students definitely have gotten used to that. Brown all right. The new novel, the coming novel is the underground railroad. Colson whitehead, thank you so s much. Thanks a lot. Woodruff online, you can watch many more of jeffs author interviews from book expo america and other booka festivals. You will find them at www. Pbs. Org bookviewnow. Ifill also on the newshour online right now, Margaret Warner pays tribute to the firsr arab scientist to win a nobel prize, ahmed zewail, who died yesterday. In the wake of the egyptianak revolution, the pioneering chemist had high hopes of rebuilding the country to nurture the next generation. Learn more on our web site, www. Pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff and tune in later tonight. On charlie rose newly retired Police Commissioner bill bratton on the issues still facing the new york police department. And thats the newshour for tonight. Im judy woodruff. Ifill and im gwen ifill. Join us online, and again here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. Lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. Md anderson cancer center. Making cancer history. Xq institute. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. Supported by the rockefeller foundation. Promoting the wellbeing of humanity around the world, by building resilience and inclusive economies. Us more at www. Rockefellerfoundation. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org this is bbc world news america. Funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newmans own foundation, giving all profits from newmans own to charity and pursuing the common good, kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs, and aruba tourism authority. Planning a vacation escape that is relaxing, inviting, and exciting is a lot easier than you think