Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by 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. Woodruff our lead story is just breaking now President Trump fired james comey as director of the f. B. I. Press Secretary Sean Spicer just made the announcement moments ago. Here to tell us what we know at this moment, our own john yang. John, this looks like a bolt out of the blue. What have you learned . Jonathan it was absolutely out of the blue. It was after the White House Press was told there would be no more news developments for the night. Sean spicer walked into the Briefing Room with a very brief statement saying that President Trump had fired james comey on the recommendation of the attorney general Jeff Sessions and the Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein. Were slowly getting bits and pieces of the reasons why, the letters that sessions sent to the president recommending this move and rosen stens memo recommending it, as well. It appears to center around comb yeahs handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails, ironically enough, that his announcement, his holding a press conference in july clearing her but also criticizing her at the same time. Usually they dont make statements like that. Usually they just say the investigation is closed, no charges have been brought. Rosenstein said his memo that comey im sorry, he, rosenstein, does not understood comeys refusal to accept nearly universal judgment that he was mistaken in that. Woodruff so mistaken in not going ahead and prosecuting Hillary Clinton for what happened with her emails . As i understand it, mistaking in going public with what they have gathered and then saying were not going the prosecute rather than just saying were closing this investigation with no prosecution. Woodruff john, did we know that this kind of an investigation was under way at the Justice Department looking into comeys handling of the clinton email matter . The irony of this is all this criticism had been coming from the democrats, but apparently this was being looked at within the Justice Department. Now, this is also an f. B. I. Director who was conducting an investigation into possible ties between the president s campaign and russia. There will be, im sure, conspiracy theorists. Im sure there will be allegations is were they looking for a reason to do this. Woodruff up until now President Trump has given every indication that he wanted james comey to continue. Although today, very telling, perhaps telling, we dont know, there was. After the letter was sent, he had to correct some of his testimony to the senate regarding the email investigation, a separate instance. Ers sean spicer was asked, does the president still have the support of the president. Sean said, i have not spoken to the president since this development. I would be reluctant to say that now without speaking to the president first. Woodruff but john yang, this story breaking as were sitting here this evening. It broke just 15 minutes before we went on if air at 6 00 eastern. From the white house, the president has fired the f. B. I. Director james comey. But the issue youre talking about right now, john, has to do with what james comey said last month when he testified before a Senate Hearing and in essence, he talked about how he had handled the clinton email matter. And there had been questions all along in this process about whether or not comey still had the support of the president. Woodruff right. And the question was asked again today, and sean spicer did not give the support. There is one interesting thing in the president s letter to comey firing him. While i greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate investigations, but i am not under investigation. I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the department of justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau. Woodruff john yang, stay with us. On the phone joining us now is someone who is a huge figure in the watergate investigation back in the early 1970s, which, of course, led to the resignation of thenpresident richard nixon. Were joined on the phone by john dean. He was the white House Counsel for president nixon. Well, its not totally surprising. I was actually brewing brooding about it at lunch and wondering how comey was going to deal with the skewup on his testimony. I thought for the sake of the bureau he might step down because hes really splashed mud all over themselves with this one. Woodruff why did you think this might be so serious . What was it about the mistake which he made in that testimony last month that had you questioning . Well, his rationale for how he handled the clinton investigation versus visavis the trump investigation where he disclosed one publicly and did not disclose the other. The rationale has been so thin, and the differences are really so inconsequential that it made really no sense for what he was saying. Now when he gets up and bolsters his case with bogus evidence, he looks really bad, and he does not look like a director with an even hand should look. So i dont know what sessions. I did not hear anything about what sessions position was, but i thought he was in trouble. I mean, that was just in the air to me. Woodruff i was going to read just briefly from a portion of the letter that was just issued by the white house by the attorney general Jeff Sessions. He says, i have concluded a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the f. B. I. Its essential this department of justice clearly reaffirm its commitment to longstanding principles that ensure the integrity and fairness of federal investigations and prosecutions. Theyre clearly trying to connect their concern about james comey with the way the Justice Department operates and the confidence the American People and of course the president have to have in that. Absolutely true. You know, its going to be very difficult. Its not unlike postwatergate when they had a very difficult time deciding who to select, and we had a series of federal judges who were put in there who were absolutely beyond any kind of question. Bill webster was put in that post, if you recall, a former sitting Federal District court judge who had been a u. S. Attorney in st. Louis and followed by william sessions who got fired. Woodruff exactly. Now, john dean, were on the phone with general dean, who, of course, was the white House Counsel to richard nixon. There are going to be a number of comparisons drawn out of this, one of them this socalled saturday night massacre when president nixon fired his attorney general and others because they wouldnt carry out his wishes in the time of watergate. Any connection with that or is this a completely different set of circumstances . I think this is different, judy. I think it doesnt have any of that kind of feel. Archibald cox was defying the president and taking his own course of action and taking. Making a decision that was very much placing nixon in jeopardy. So i dont think we have any similarities here. Woodruff and just refresh our memory on the role of the f. B. I. Director. This is intended to be an independent position, is it not . Im asking to remind everyone that the f. B. I. Is conducting a critical investigation right now into any connections between the Trump Campaign for president and russian officials. Well, it was postwatergate that they indeed, after hoover, that the congress made this a tenyear appointment to give it some independence, where it could go over from one president to the next. The president s do have the ability if they dont have confidence in the director to fire him, but weve in the seen that very often. It has been the exception to the rule. Theyve tried to depoliticize the baur row, which is the way it should be, where we have a politicsfree federal investigation unit. He is subject to the reports to the attorney general, who, of course, is a political appointee. So there is always that filter, but yet just the weight of the bureau itself carries its own independence, and when it has strong leadership, it is highly respected. When that leadership has not been so strong, it has been suspect. And we. Youre absolutely right, it couldnt come at a more difficult time given the implications of the russian hacking and how thats going to all unravel. Woodruff and just quickly the rap up, general john dean, your sense of what has happened here, you were saying at the outset didnt surprise you that much given the mistake, mistake in testimony that it turns out james comey gave to the Congress Last month. Well, that certainly gave both. Because of the delay in correcting it, you immediately knew there was a problem because republicans had leaped on it and were using it for political purposes on bogus information, so it was going the embarrass them by undercutting them. So i just knew there was trouble, and i didnt know how far it would go, and i thought comey himself might step away from it rather than letting anyone else redisoferl it. Woodruff to refresh anyone in the audience, what were speaking about is when the director comey spoke before a Senate Committee last month and talked about how emails were transmitted from Hillary Clintons email, i mean, from her server to the email account of her assistant huma abedin, and then they were printed out we her husband, the former congressman anthony weiner. John dean, thank you very much. Thank you, judy. Woodruff and here with me at the table at our studio in washington, john yang. John to, refresh everybody who may be tuning in, breaking news just moments ago, President Trump has announced hes fired the f. B. I. Director james comey. You have new information. Thats right, judy. We now have the memo the Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein wrote to the attorney general recommending this firing, and this does indeed center on that press conference that comey held in july 2016 detailing, in which he detailed Hillary Clintons use of a private server and her handling of classified emails. In it rosenstein writes, the director was wrong to usurp the attorney generals authority on july 5, 2016, and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution. It is not the function of the director to make such an announcement. He goes on, compounding the error, the director ignored another long standing principle you do not hold press conferences to release der rogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation. Derogatory information sometimes is released during the course of a investigation, but we never release it gratuitously. And in conclusion, he writes, i agree with the nearly unanimous opinions of the former department officials, the way the director handled the conclusion of the email investigation was wrong. As a result, the f. B. I. Is unlikely to regain public and conditional trust until it has a director who understands the gravity of the mistakes and pledges never to repeat them. Woodruff so again, its going back to the announcement by james comey last summer, blockbuster announcement, that he made public that the f. B. I. Had been looking into the clinton email matter and had determined that it was messy and sloppy, what Hillary Clinton had done in keeping these. In putting in her personal email server government emails, but he concluded that the law had not been broken and that they were not going to be. There was no criminal intent and they were not going the prosecute. The irony is that press conference gave donald trump the candidate so much grip for his campaign speeches, for his rallies. It led to the chants of lock her up, and now this is the basis for him to fire the f. B. I. Director. Woodruff and he himself was critical of director comey saying in effect he was in the pocket of Hillary Clinton, he was doing what she wanted. I remember we interviewed Hillary Clinton around that time. She pointed out, she and others pointed out james comey had been known as a republican before he came into the administration. Exactly. It was the democrats, it was the Hillary Clinton campaign that has blamed and continues to blame james comey for Donald Trumps victory and her defeat. Woodruff john, youve been covering this city for quite some time, as i have. What can you recall in the past that equates to this moment . The only. I cannot recall anything in the recent past. The only thing is you mentioned is the saturday night massacre during watergate. Woodruff and then we heard john dean say its a different situation. Exactly, exactly. Woodruff but what we heard from john dean in talking to richard knicksons Legal Counsel just now is that hes not so surprised. He said, when the f. B. I. Director makes a significant mistake like that and takes weeks to clear it up, to clarify, he said thats not good. Although tats not the reason why hes being fired. Woodruff exactly. That was what got attention earlier today. Yeah, exactly. Thats what sparked the question of the briefing about whether the president still had confidence and trust in comey, a question that spicer declined to answer. Woodruff so john yang, this is a shocker. So unfair question any idea who will be named as a replacement . All we know is that the president said the search has begun. They are looking for someone who will restore trust and confidence in the f. B. I. Woodruff all right. General yang, i know youre going to continue to report on this. Our white house correspondent, thank you, john. Thank you. Woodruff of course, well continue to update this story throughout the program. In the days other news, theres word the Trump Administration is considering a plan to return to an expanded role for the u. S. Military in fighting the taliban in afghanistan. The Washington Post reported the proposal could send up to 3,000 more u. S. Troops to the country, and give the pentagon, not the white house, the power to set troop levels. President trump is expected to make a decision before a nato summit may 25. The Trump Administration is also ramping up efforts to battle the Islamic State in syria by arming kurdish fighters there with heavier weapons. Its all part of an operation to recapture the syrian city of raqqa from isis. The decision was made despite fierce opposition from nato ally turkey, which claims the Kurdish Forces are linked to rebels battling the turkish government. White house officials today defended a decision not to immediately act on warnings about former National Security adviser michael flynn. Former acting attorney general sally yates testified yesterday that she alerted the white house in january that flynn could be blackmailed by the russians. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said yates warning was minimized because she was, in his words, a strong supporter of clinton. She had come here given a heads up, told us there were materials. And at the same time we did what we should do. Just because someone comes in and gives you a heads up about something and says i want to share some information ,doesnt mean you immediately the jump gun and go take an action. I think if you flip the scenario and say what if we had just dismissed someone because a political opponent of the president had made an utterance, youd argue was irrational to act in that manner. Woodruff in a related development, cnn reported republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina intends to look into President Trumps business dealings in russia. Spicer responded by saying the president has directed a law firm to send graham a certified letter stating that he has no connections. South korea has elected a liberal president for the first time in a decade. 64yearold moon jaein comes to power after months of political turmoil that led to the impeachment of former conservative President Park geunhye. Moon was ahead with 40 of the vote, leading his nearest opponent by nearly 15 points. Well take a closer look at the impact of the election right after the news summary. Back in this country, the department of energy declared a state of emergency after a breach at a Nuclear Storage facility some 200 miles southeast of seattle, washington. Workers at the Hanford Nuclear reservation were evacuated or told to seek cover after the roof of a tunnel used to transport Nuclear Waste caved in. The sites spokesperson updated the situation this afternoon on facebook live. All personnel in the immediate area have been accounted for, they are safe, and theres no evidence of radiological release. Woodruff the effort to rid the hanford site of Radioactive Material has been ongoing since it stopped producing plutonium back in the 1980s. Violence erupted at a florida airport overnight after Spirit Airlines canceled nine flights, stranding hundreds of travelers. Enraged passengers swarmed the ticket counters at the Fort Lauderdalehollywood International Airport when they were told there were no available pilots. Three people were arrested. Spirit blamed the cancellations on an ongoing dispute over the pilots contracts. President trump has set his sights on reelection, rolling out a revamped Campaign Website today touting his achievements thus far. The website promises the truth Mainstream Media refuses to tell about the president s first 100 days in office. Mr. Trump filed papers for re election the same day he took office. Nearly 250 migrants are missing and feared dead after two separate shipwrecks in the mediterranean over the weekend. Survivors from one wreck told United Nations agencies that smugglers crammed more than 130 people onto a rubber boat designed for 20 people. Today a u. N. Spokeswoman gave a grim assessment of the number of migrants whove disappeared trying to make the perilous journey. The total number of people who are feared dead or missing while trying to cross from north africa to italy since the beginning of the year has now reached more than 1,300 people. And a total of over 43,000 people trying to cross the Central Mediterranean to reach italy since the beginning of the year. Woodruff officials fear the surge in migration will continue to rise as the weather becomes warmer. A new study has found that your lifespan can vary by as much as 20 years based on where you live. Thats according to the institute for Health Metrics and evaluation at the university of washington. U. S. Counties with the highest life expectancy, in colorado and california, also had high incomes and education levels. Communities with the lowest life expectancy, in the dakotas, along the mississippi valley, and in appalachia, were poorer and less educated. And stocks were mixed on wall street today. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 36 points to close above 20,975. The nasdaq rose nearly 18 points, and the s p 500 slipped two. And we now get reaction to capitol hill from President Trumps firing of f. B. I. Director james comey. Im joined by republican Susan Collins of maine. She serves on the select committee on intelligence. Senator, we had invited you on to talk about healthcare, and maybe well get to that, but i have to ask you about the shocking news moments ago that the president had fired the f. B. I. Director. What do you know about this . Well, judy, like every other american, im just learning about this news. I wonder in some way if it were the inevitable conclusion to decisions that were well intentioned by mr. Comey that he made last july in which he held a press conference to announce his decision not to pursue an indictment against Hillary Clinton an went on the give his personal opinion in the case. He did so in a manner that was contrary to the policies of the deep department of justice, although i have no doubt that his intentions were good. This seemed to snowball in a way that led to the additional events last fall, and it embroiled him in a political controversy that had continued to this day. Woodruff he said at the time, senator, that he felt he had to do that because of the huge importance of the National President ial election that was taking place and he owed it to the American People. He did say that, and i have no doubt at all knowing the f. B. I. Director that he was sincere in his conclusion and in saying that, but the fact is that the department of justice has very specific policies that requires the f. B. I. To go to his superiors at the department of justice and get their decision, and it really wasnt his call. And in that area, it does appear that his actions were contrary to the general rules followed by the department of justice, particularly in dealing with very sensitive criminal cases. Woodruff so do you think this was the right decision by President Trump . Well, its hard to say because im still learning about it, but i this think that perhaps it was inevitable given the fact that mr. Comey has been unable to put this controversy to rest and it was contrary to the rules of the department of justice. I do hope that the next f. B. I. Director will have the same kinds of integrity, intelligence, and determination that mr. Comey exhibited, but perhaps better judgment on when its appropriate to go public with the results of an investigation. Woodruff does this give you confidence in the Justice Department at this moment, in the administration at a time when we know this investigation is under way into connections between the trump president ial campaign and russian officials . Well, the president didnt fire the entire f. B. I. , he fired the director of the f. B. I. , and i have every confidence that the f. B. I. Will continue pursuing its investigation into the russian attempt to influence the elections last fall. In addition, the Senate Intelligence committee on which i serve is continuing its bipartisan investigation. Woodruff so youre saying you feel thats all going to go forward. You have confidence that all goes forward as it should. Yes. It should go forward, and it will go for ward. Woodruff all right, senator collins, i do have a few minutes left. I want to ask you about the healthcare bill, because that is front and center. Its another issue very much before the country. All the reporting ive seen says that republicans in the senate at this point would not support the healthcare reform bill that came out of the republican majority in the house of representatives. Do you agree with that, and if so, why not . First of all, i think that it is evident that the senate is going to draft its own bill. I have a bill that senator bill cassidy of louisiana, who is a physician, and i introduced back in january. We think weve come up with a better model than what the house passed just this last week. There are a lot of questions and concerns about the house bill. It is difficult to evaluate it because the house voted prior to having a Congressional Budget Office analysis about the impact of the bill on coverage and on cause, both to the federal government and to families and individuals. So that is the major problem. As we know, the earlier house bill would have resulted in 14 Million People losing their coverage next year, 24 million over ten years. That is an issue that concerns me gravely. Im also concerned about the substantial changes that the house is proposing in the Medicaid Program and whether that would end up shifting a lot of cogs to state government, to hospitals, to nursing homes, and to those of us who are insured. And there is another real flaw in the house bill, and that is that the tax credits that are proposed are not adjusted to reflect the income of the individual who qualifies for the credit. So it seems to me those tax credits should be weighted toward lowincome families and individuals. Woodruff as you know, the house leadership is very much behind that bill for all the issues you point out, but, senator, this is a complex piece of legislation that you and senator cassidy are proposing, but tell us in a nutshell how would it be different . It would be very different from the house bill because our goal is to actually expand coverage rather than reduce the number of people covered, and what we would do is give more options to this space. One of those options would be that if a state finds that the Affordable Care act is working well for that state, they could keep that model. For many states, it is not working well, and the individual market is on the verge of collapse and premiums have gone sky high and deductibles are for lowincome people. We have a second plan that is available in our bill, which we call the better choice, which would set up Health Savings accounts for individuals that would be federally funded for low and middleincome families and individuals, and they would be paired with a highdeductible plan plus basic pharmaceutical coverage. Those Health Savings accounts could be used to buy more generous insurance plans or to pay for copays or deductibles. And its important to note regard rest of what choice a state makes, we could keep all of the Consumer Protections that are in the Affordable Care act, such as protecting people with preexisting conditions, allowing young people to stay on their parents policies until age 26, no lifetime or annual caps from coverage, and also no discrimination based on gender or race or national origin. Woodruff just quickly, senator, im sure you know that at this point you and senator cassidy are pretty much alone in supporting this. There havent been many others to sign on to this. What mountain hawks you confident you can win support for this proposal when it does preserve a pretty significant chunk of obamacare if thats what states want to do . Well, we this have three great republican cosponsors, and im pleased about that, so there are five republicans on the bill. But our goal is to have a bipartisan bill. One of the problems with obamacare is that it was totally a partisan effort, and that was one reason that there werent more republican Ideas Incorporated into the bill, and were seeing the results of that now. We want a more marketoriented reform, but we also recognize that there are some good provisions in the Affordable Care act that should be retained. And that is why i think in the end well be able to attract some moderate democrats to our approach. And ive had those discussions that are starting now. Woodruff senator Susan Collins of maine, we thank you very much for talking both about the f. B. I. And about this complicated healthcare issue. Thank you. Thank you, judy. Woodruff and now we get a democratic perspective. Were joined on telephone by conditioningman Eric Swalwell of california. He serves on the house intelligence committee. Congressman swalwell, your reaction to the news that President Trump has fired the director of the f. B. I. , james comey . Good evening, judy. This is an abuse of power unlike anything weve seen in our country since president nixon. I worry right now for our democracy. And i hope that republicans join me in making sure that this investigation into the president does not go away, as it seems like he wishes it would. Woodruff let me just cite you a little of what i just heard from senator Susan Collins, who has been outspoken at times in her disagreement with President Trump on different issues, but in this instance, she said in so many words that she believes the f. B. I. Director left himself open when he violated protocol in essence, violated the pattern of behavior, practice at the f. B. I. , and went public last summer with an investigation that the f. B. I. Had conduct entered Hillary Clintons email server, in saying that the f. B. I. Would not prosecute, and, yes, he had found that they conducted the investigation poorly, but there one in prosecution. He talked about the investigation. Judy, its so interesting to hear republicans defend Hillary Clinton now, and a reason that may have been believable, when Donald Trump Took Office on january 20th, but since Donald Trump Took Office, the f. B. I. Director has told congress and the American People that the president s campaign is under a criminal eastbound criminal and counterintelligence information. This is nothing more than taking the headrest off the court, and people should see it as that. Woodruff but the president does have the right, the authority to remove the f. B. I. Director. Is that not right . He does, and the senate, of course, will be, you know, a part of a future f. B. I. Directors confirmation. However, past president s have shown restraint in removing f. B. I. Directors when their administrations were under investigation, and the fact that this president could not demonstrate that i think says a lot about how fearful he is about where this f. B. I. Director was going. Woodruff but again, to the point that both the attorney general Jeff Sessions made in the letter he put out and again, i was just quoting, poorly quoting senator Susan Collins, their point is that what the f. B. I. Director did violated longstanding principles and therefore he left himself open for this sort of judgment. And again, judy, that is something that we did not hear from any republican when the f. B. I. Director made those statements or sent that letter. So for that to be the reason now, again, it is too late. The f. B. I. Director is in the middle of an investigation into the president s campaign, and to pull him off this investigation is very, very disturbing for our democracy. Woodruff finally, congressman, were talking with congressman Eric Swalwell of california, a democrat of california, what do you expect will happen next when you have a chance to talk to other members of congress about what next steps are here . No, right now, judy, were piecing all of this together to see what we can this to preserve the integrity of the f. B. I. Investigation and also make sure that our own house investigation is one that is still independent, credible, and makes progress. Woodruff well, and that. I this want to ask you about that just quickly, because i asked senator collins about whether she had confidence that the Justice Department, the f. B. I. Could continue to carry out the investigation into possible connections between the Trump Campaign and russian officials, and she said she does have that confidence. What would you answer be . Well, right now the attorney general is recused on any russian investigation. Now we are without an f. B. I. Director, so i am very, very worried that the president s dezaire to see this investigation, which she called a hoax just yesterday on twitter, hes going the try to bury it. We must do everything we can to keep light shining on what happened with russias interference and make sure any u. S. Persons who were involved are held accountable. Woodruff representative Eric Swalwell of california, member of the house intelligence committee, congressman, thank you very much for talking with us. My pleasure. Woodruff now, after months of political upheaval, south korean voters elected a new president today a man who is promising to take the nation in a new direction. President elect moon jaein addressed throngs of cheering supporters, and offered a message of unity to all south koreans. translated from tomorrow, i will become everyones president. I will become a president who unifies people and serves even those people who did not support me. Woodruff moon will assume control of the deeply divided government after the fall of his predecessor, park geunhye park, south koreas first female president , was impeached last year and later arrested on corruption charges she sits in jail now, and could face up to life in prison. The allegations against her sparked massive, monthslong protests and were a major factor for voters ahead of the polls today. translated last year, park geunhye abused her National Authority which angered the people. I voted with the hope of not electing the same kind of president again in future. Woodruff moon now faces several challenges both at home and abroad, including an increasingly provocative north korea. During the campaign, he called for a return to engagement with pyongyang, including economic incentives that would be a significant break from recent south korean policy moon also said hell reevaluate the u. S. Militarys deployment of the socalled thaad Missile Defense system to the peninsula, which has angered china. All this could lead to friction with the trump white house. President trump has had tough words, at times, for the north, threatening unilateral military action. But hes also said he would be honored to meet north Korean Leader kim jong un under the right circumstances. And in an interview with cbs face the nation, he said of kim and at a very young age, he was able to assume power. A lot of people, im sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. And he was able to do it. So obviously, hes a pretty smart cookie. Woodruff for his part moon told the Washington Post last week, hes on the same page as mr. Trump and believes he is quote more reasonable than he is generally perceived. Today, the white house offered congratulations and said the u. S. Looks forward to working with moon. We take a deeper look at moons election and its implications for south korea, and for u. S. Policy in the region with david kang. He is the director of the Korean Studies Institute at the university of southern california. Dr. Kang, thank you very much for join us. Give us a thumbnail sketch, if you will, of mr. Moon. What about his background . Well, i think the overriding thing about mr. Moon is that he has worked for sort of left or progressive policies ever since he was a student and was arrested in the 1970s in pro democracy move. S, a human rights lawyer, and he worked as a chief of staff for a noted progressive president ten years ago. So hes very clearly on the progressive or leftist side of korean politics. Woodruff so coming after almost a decade of conservative rule in south korea, why do you think voters chose him . Well, its important to remember that there is domestic politics in any country, and the pendulum swings left and right. There were ten years of left president s and then there were ten years of rightist president s. I think in particular there has been a move back to the left, which began before park was getting impeached. The electorate had elected a Majority National Assembly last year that was more to the leftist side. So there was a lot of expectation that the country had wanted to be a little bit more engagement with north korea and was very concerned about corruption and collusive ties. So in a way its not a surprise that he won the election because the electorate was swinging left. Woodruff so how much friendlier do you expect his approach to north korea will be . I think there actually is a chance for some major changes, eastbound gauge. , which he broadly supports, is a viable strategy, and moon actually has talked about being very forward lean, even opening a joint. Reopening a joint Economic Zone between north an south korea. I suspect one of the first things he will do is send an envoy to north korea to find out what is even possible. So i think many, many, many, mas hes going to be much more proactive in dealing with north korea than previous korean administrations and the United States has been. Woodruff speaking of the u. S. , what is his attitude toward the u. S. And what do we know of his attitude toward President Trump . You know, in some ways its a misnomer that leftist korean president s are hard for the alliance. Almost every korean president left or right realizes a Good Relationship with washington is important, so when he was chief of staff, that was when south korea and the United States signed the free trade agreement, for example. So i dont actually think there will be that much change in the u. S. Relationship. Hes also said the right things about trump, which is he thinks he can work with trump, and i think that the particular important thing for moon is to craft that kind of personal relationship with President Trump. For the last six months weve had a power vacuum in south korea. There has been no president , so there has been no way for south korea to craft a relationship for the u. S. Some its very important he does that. Woodruff and two other things, what about his attitude, his thinking about china and its ability to, if you will, get the North Koreans to be more cooperative . Sure, i think one thing that moon will do is many some ways i think hell take a more independent stand. I dont think he wants the lean toward china any more than he wants the lean toward the United States. He very clearly wants south korea to be the driver of the relationship. As such, i think he will push on china for cooperation, but in many ways his approach, which emphasizes economic relations, fits in with chinas approach some there may be more room to cooperate than we might think right now. Drew and one other saying, there has been some back and forth between the u. S. And south korea recently over this Missile Defense system called thaaad. What has he said about that . What do you expect to happen there . The u. S. Missile Defense System i think in some ways has gotten blown up over the last year to a bigger issue than it really is. China doesnt like it, but for the last. It was announced last summer, so were coming up on an entire year that thaad has been in deployment and is now fully deployed, but china and the United States had been negotiating with an empty chair in south korea because of the political power vacuum of the previous president. So moon has a lot on his plate, but with the proper diplomacy, i think he can assuage some of chinas fears while still retaining the Missile Defense system if thats his task as a president to be able to deal with both of these big countries at the same time. Woodruff professor david kang at the university of southern california, we thank you. My pleasure. Woodruff now, a promising lung Cancer Treatment from cuba thats drawing attention from u. S. Patients now. Some americans are already traveling there to try the drug in the hopes of stopping their cancer from growing. Former president obama cleared the way last year for collaboration between both countries on such research, and now Clinical Trials have started. Those trials may take years. And some researchers are intrigued by this new form of immunotherapy. Special correspondent amy guttman has the story. Reporter Mick Phillips travels from his home near green bay, wisconsin to cuba once a year. Despite his passion for vintage cars, thats not what draws him. He goes there for cimavax, a cubanmade drug used to treat cancer thats kept him alive longer than any doctor predicted. I have this little lunch box thats insulated and in there, i carry my medication and frozen gel packs. Reporter phillips is 69 years old and owns an Industrial Pump factory, where he continues to work every day. He was first diagnosed with non Small Cell Lung Cancer seven years ago. After chemotherapy and radiation treatment, his cancer went into remission. But, it returned less than a year later, in 2011. He did another round of chemotherapy, then took cimavax and is now in remission. Fewer than five percent of stage 4 lung Cancer Patients like phillips survive for five years. But cimavax appears to be improving those odds, for some. I started cimavax and been cancerfree ever since then. Reporter how long were you supposed to live once you went into remission . The prognosis was maybe six months to a year. Reporter how many years ago was that . That was six years ago. Reporter at la pradera, a hotellike hospital near havana, phillips pays about 5,000 for an annual supply of cimavax. The doctor visit costs only 50. Back in wisconsin, phillips says hes lucky that his oncologist, dr. Timothy goggins, continues to treat him. American doctors cant prescribe cimavax, because the food and Drug Administration wont approve it until u. S. Clinical trials can prove its effectiveness. How are you doing, mick . Okay. Reporter dr. Goggins monitors phillips with regular scans. If you compare this, to where he is today, no evidence of growth in that area. In fact, there might even be shrinkage. I would have expected, in this case, further growth, definitely within the lungs. Im surprised micks still here. So, i do believe that outside of divine intervention, theres some sort of scientific basis to what hes doing. Reporter published results of trials done in cuba show those given cimavax lived, on average, as little as three months and as much as eleven months longer than those not given the drug. Some did even better. Dr. Michael caligiuri, president of the American Association for Cancer Research says even with the success in cuba, there must be further study. Whenever theres an early evidence of efficacy in a single population, a Single Institution study, the chance that it will be replicated, is real, but not a given. Reporter this facility outside havana produces cimavax. It doesnt kill cancer cells. Instead, it engages the patients immune system to reduce the protein cancer thrives on. What makes this different from other immunotherapies, it uses a patients own antibodies, rather than manufactured ones, which carries fewer side effects and is cheaper. Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in buffalo, new york waited four years to get the green light for Clinical Trials of cimavax that began in january. The institutes chair of immunology, dr. Kelvin lee was in havana recently for a conference. In many cases the tumors just stop growing. Theyre there, but they dont get any bigger. The patient has the possibility of going on for a very long time. Reporter cimavax is given by injection and is considered a therapeutic drug for now. But dr. Lee and his colleagues are applying for funding to test it as a preventive vaccine for highrisk patients. Because it is safe, inexpensive, easy to administer, you could use it, potentially, to prevent lung cancer. Reporter the embargo that prevented cubas access to American Pharmaceuticals led the late president fidel castro to invest heavily in developing medicines and vaccines. Former president obama travelled to cuba last year. He later announced new policies making it easier for american researchers to apply for f. D. A. Approval to trial cuban drugs in the United States. Mick phillips voted for President Trump, but mr. Trump has vowed to rollback some of obamas policies when it comes to cuba relations. Phillips fears what that could mean. I am concerned that access to this medication will go away for many, many people. Reporter dr. Lee says its all part of a potential change in the way doctors approach Cancer Treatment. There is an idea thats developing of converting cancer into a chronic disease. We give you a pill that you take every day, and it allows you to live a perfectly normal life. Reporter outside cuba and the u. S, theres great interest in cimavax. Its approved in five different countries. Worldwide, 5,000 patients have been treated with the drug since 2011, 1,000 of them cubans. But no one sees cimavax as a magic pill. 20 of vaccinated patients have not lived longer than the average survival of the unvaccinated group. Phillips doctor, tim goggins says there are many unknowns about the drug. At some point the immune system will probably not respond to that cancer cell. The cancer cells find a way around it. Reporter mick phillip hopes the new american president will allow the progress he credits to cuban drugs to continue. The key is political relations staying in place. If that relation stays as it should. I believe we can all benefit from it. Reporter since taking office, President Trump has not said much more about his approach toward cuba. Its still unclear what this could mean for future trials of the drug. For the pbs newshour, im amy guttman reporting from havana. Woodruff as we reported at the top of tonights newshour, President Trump abruptly fired f. B. I. Director james comey this evening over his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails. The president said in a letter to comey, it is essential that we find new leadership for f. B. I. That restores public trust and confidence in its vital Law Enforcement mission. Moments ago republican senator john mccain of arizona weighed in on the firing. Action had to be taken, and its unfortunate because i think hes a good man. The president does have that authority. Ive always believed we should have a select committee or a commission because its a very large issue thats gotten larger and it will get more large as time goes by. Woodruff the numbertwo democrat in the senate, dick durbin of illinois, also questioned whether the f. B. I. s investigation into russian interference in the last president ial campaign would continue without comey. Any attempt to stop or undermine this f. B. I. Investigation would raise grave constitutional issues. We await clarification by the white house as soon as possible as to whether this investigation will continue and whether it will have a credible lead so that we know that it will have a just outcome. Woodruff also tonight, democratic senator Patrick Leahy called the firing, an im quote, nothing less than knicks nixonian. And reuters reported that u. S. Intelligence agencies were given no advanced notice about the president s decision. Were joined again by general yang. No advanced notice to the f. B. I. And the Justice Department. Nobody seemed to know about this. The democrats, even though the justification for the firing was the clinton email investigation, democrats are focusing on the investigation between the Trump Campaign and russian entities, and russia. Comey was scheduled to testify on thursday before the Senate Intelligence committee. Woodruff of this week. This week. Suddenly hes fired a couple days before. Michael schmidt, a reporter for the New York Times tweeted that the white house and the Justice Department were in his words working on firing comey since at least last week. He says that sessions was, in his words, working on coming up with reasons for a firing. So we have not confirmed that reporting, but thats the speculation. Thats his reporting, but thats certainly going the fuel the speculation among democrats about what is really behind this firing. Woodruff it certainly is. Fascinating. Again, focusing on what comey did with regard to Hillary Clintons emails last summer. And thats the newshour for tonight. See our website for updates on President Trumps firing of f. B. I. Director james comey. Pbs. Org newshour. Im judy woodruff. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by the ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org