Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. From the tisch wnet studios in Lincoln Center in new york, hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan good evening. Thanks for joining us. At a summit meeting in australia of the leaders of the worlds 20 largest economies, president obama today described what he said is americas oneofakind role in the world and condemned russias incursions into ukraine. As the worlds only superpower, the United States has unique responsibilities that we gladly embrace. Were leading the International Community in the fight to destroy the terrorist group isil. Were leading in dealing with ebola in west africa and in opposing russias aggression against ukraine. Sreenivasan british Prime MinisterDavid Cameron and russian president Vladimir Putin are both at the summit, and later, after a private meeting, cameron said he had warned putin of additional sanctions. Russia sent new troops into ukraine earlier this week. In an interview with german television, putin warned that sanctions could backfire by limiting russias ability to do business with the west. And he added this translated of course we expect the situation to change for the better. Of course we expect the ukrainian crisis to end. And of course we want to have normal relations with our partners, including in the United States and europe. Sreenivasan during a surprise visit to baghdad today, the chairman of the joint chiefs, general martin dempsey, said the u. S. Military had helped iraqi and Kurdish Forces pull iraq back from the precipice. And he said the tide is starting to turn against isis fighters there. Yesterday, Iraqi Government troops reportedly drove the extremists out of the town north of baghdad where the nations Largest Oil Refinery is located. Pope francis has weighed in against the so called right to die movement. Speaking today to the association of Italian Catholic doctors, the pope said the movement offers what he called false sense of compassion. Two weeks ago, a top vatican official condemned the assisted suicide of brittany maynard, the 29yearold suffering with brain cancer. She took a fatal dose of prescription drugs in an effort, she said, to die with dignity. According to new data, last month tied for the warmest october in the 134 years that records have been kept. It was the third consecutive month of recordsetting temperatures. Unless temperatures around the world are sharply below average this month and next, experts say this year will go down as the warmest on record. The spacecraft that made a historic landing on a comet earlier this week has lost power and, today, it stopped sending back information back to earth. Scientists hope its solar powered batteries will recharge, but the spacecraft touched down in an area that apparently receives little sunlight. Before it shut down, scientists conducted a series of experiments, and the spaceship relayed the information back to earth for analysis. Comets are believed to contain the remnants of materials from when the solar system was formed billions of years ago. During a meeting with Central American leaders, Vice President joe biden announced a plan starting next month that will allow children in guatemala, honduras and el salvador to apply for Refugee Status if their parents are living legally in this country. Biden announced the plan yesterday in response to last summers mass migration to the u. S. By tens of thousands of Central American children. We all have an obligation to help the most vulnerable and to keep families together. Sreenivasan and today is the first day to go to www. Healthcare. Gov to enroll for next years Health Insurance under the Affordable Care act, also known as obamacare. The website relaunched this morning without incident. The Enrollment Period runs until february 15. Sreenivasan last weekend, on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall, former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned that a new cold war could soon be under way, if it isnt already. And in just the few days since, russia reportedly sent more troops into ukraine and then sent four warships to the waters off australia, where Vladimir Putin and other World Leaders are meeting. What does putin have in mind . For more, we are joined now by kimberly marten. She is a russian scholar and a professor at Barnard College and columbia university. So you know whats interesting is those two were just the most recent in a long list of aggressive moves that russia has been take. Just a few weeks ago sweden was looking for a submarine off their coast. They confirmed there was a foreign sub. The suspicion is certainly on the russians. We have had greatest flights near the u. S. Simulating bombing runs that could work for new york, chicago. Whats he doing . I think part of whats going on is putin is trying to take attention off of the problems that the russian economy is facing. The singleses are working much better than than many people predicted they would, and theyre having real impact on the russian oil industry, which is one of the major contributors to the russian budget. And the United States and the europeans are Holding Together on those sanctions, much better than people thought they were going to. And now, even proposing more sanctions. Sp so i think that what putin needs to do is create an enemy in order to justify whats happening to the economy, to get people to be motivated by a patriotic fervor in supporting him, and so what that means is that hes trying to provoke the west, trying to provoke the United States into take something kind of action that justifies what hes doing. Sreenivasan is it working . Not so far, thank goodness. When we hear about these new bomber patrols that are happening, putin is now threat thing that theyre going to go into the gulf of mexico. I thought it was really interesting that weve had retired air force officers who have worked on this in the cold war period saying, oh, its nothing. We shouldnt be worrying about this. And i think thats the right response. I think the most important thing is that the United States does stay calm and say, look, russia is not really a military threat at this point. Lets keep things in perspective. Sreenivasan it seems like hes also trying to shore up his base. There were these photos that the Russian News Agency just released of allegedly a ukrainian fighter jet shooting down the malaysian airlines, and in the Public Opinion polls in russia, theres only a very small fraction of people that actually believe that the rebels could have done it. Yes. And the photographs were very badly photoshopped. So people have gone back and found earlier images that match the images that were released of supposedly having happened in this event. Sreenivasan you know, when you said russian oil companies, that also made me think the price of oil seems to go going down if down. Its down to around 75 bucks. That has to have an impact on russias overall economy and what theyre able to sell to the rest of the world. It does. The new estimate that came out from the United States energy agency, a couple of days another throughout 2015, oil prices are going to hover around 80 a barrel. And the russians had been planning it would be more like 90 a bar expel thats what their state budget was based on for 2015. Theyre going to be in some difficulty managing to get the base that they need in order to have their expenses covered. Especially because now that they are responsible for this area in crimea and you now that theyre responsible for the eastern parts of ukraine, these are impoverished territories, the ones in Eastern Ukraine have faced a lot of destruction. The people are unemployed, and somehow russia is going to have to provide for them. Sreenivasan just like when we see lower gas prices back into consumer pocket pooks here, do you think there will be enough frustration on the parts of russians when they see these economic positions, maybe something that affects them. Theyll say stop with all the saber rattling. Focus on our country. It might happen put theres a lot history in russia of the general population being passive, accepting what the government does, of believing that the government must have superior knowledge to what they have. It will be very interesting to see what happens as the winter goes by. I think this might be a year of concern for russia but i think its too early to predict thats of that something is going to go wrong yet. Sreenivasan all right, kimberly marten, thanks so much for your time. Thank you uhari. Sreenivasan and now to our signature segment, our original indepth reports from around the nation and around the world. Tonight, we take a look at a growing problem in many of our states that produce the food we eat. Were talking about weeds that are resistant to common herbicides, and that experts say threaten the ability of farmers to grow crops. Recently, the e. P. A. Approved new chemicals that could help those farmers, but some environmentalists say those chemicals will pose risks. The newshours Megan Thompson reports. Reporter autumn means its harvest time in iowa, the heart of americas heartland. Farmer Jeff Jorgensen is busy harvesting soybeans. He also grows corn on about 2,000 acres in the Southwest Corner of the state. Farming is big business in iowa. The state is the biggest producer of corn in the country, and its second only to illinois in the production of soybeans. For jorgensen, whose familys been farming for four generations, its all about keeping his yields as high as he can. This is the yield monitor here. Reporter and one of the biggest battles he fights is against weeds. A weed in the fields going to take moisture, going to take sunlight, nutrients away from the plants surrounding it. And thats why we have to keep clean fields. Reporter but jorgensen says keeping clean fields has been getting harder and harder. Like many farmers, he relied for years mainly on an herbicide called roundup thats manufactured by monsanto. Roundup use exploded in the mid 90s with the introduction of new, genetically modified crops that dominate the market today. The crops were engineered to withstand roundup, so farmers could just spray an entire field and the herbicide would kill the weeds but not the crops. Any weed you had in the field, roundup took care of. Roundup revolutionized Weed Management for farmers. Reporter jorgensen says it all worked great, for a while. He no longer had to spend lots of time plowing to kill weeds. But over time, roundup and its generic versions all of which contain a chemical called glyphosate stopped working so well. Simple use of one herbicide recurrently in the system is going to inevitably result in weeds that evolve resistance to that herbicide. Reporter agronomy Professor Mike owen is a nationally recognized weed expert at Iowa State University in ames. It is a widespread and. And a significant from an Economic Perspective problem across the midwest and, dare i say, across agriculture in general. Reporter owen says its no mystery why this has happened; it can all be explained by evolution. In iowa, one of the weeds thats evolved to be resistant is called waterhemp. This is giant waterhemp, a weed that we have down in southwest iowa thats become more tolerant. This plant, when its mature, can get five to six feet tall. Where it gets real heavy, you can have yields cut in half, 50 losses. In iowa, we would estimate as that about 75 of the fields have infestations of common waterhemp that are resistant to one or more herbicides. Reporter the weeds are not just a problem in iowa. In one survey, almost 50 of farmers across the u. S. Reported herbicideresistant weeds in their fields. The problem is worst in the south, where some cotton fields cant be farmed. But the threat is creeping north into the corn and soybean belts. Keep in mind, crop yields in the u. S. Are booming, but mike owen says its possible the yields could be even higher were it not for the weeds. Owen says its difficult to quantify the damage, but if the weeds start having a significant impact, it could be too late. We have, if you will, hidden yield losses and thus hidden profit losses on millions and millions of acres in the midwest. It hasnt gotten to the point of the train wreck. Reporter what could happen or whats at stake if this doesnt get under control . Well, the train wreck, and. And that is the inability to produce crops. Reporter over the last four years, the issue has started to get more and more attention. Congress held hearings, and the u. S. D. A. Recently announced new measures its taking to combat the problem, a problem also acknowledged by monsanto. And now, another major manufacturer has stepped in. Growers across the country face an increasing problem of resistant and hardtocontrol weeds. Reporter biotech giant Dow Agrosciences recently won federal approval for new, genetically modified corn and soybeans, and a new herbicide to go with them, called enlist duo. Dow is promoting it as an answer to the herbicideresistant weed problem. These weeds are out of control. Reporter but theres another piece to all of this, and that is whether the herbicides used to control weeds pose a health risk for farmers and the rest of us. The center for food safety, a National Environmental advocacy group, recently sued the e. P. A. , alleging the agency didnt fully analyze the new herbicides potential effects on human health and the environment. The group cites studies that suggest a correlation between pesticides and diseases like nonhodgkin lymphoma and parkinsons. Attorney Andrew Kimberly heads the center for food safety. Theyre bad for us, right, because its going to mean much more of these toxic herbicides in our food, in our groundwater, in the air. Reporter but in approving the product, the e. P. A. Published this document, saying its scientists determined when used according to label directions, enlist duo is safe for everyone, including infants, the developing fetus, the elderly and more highly exposed groups such as agricultural workers. Reporter in a statement to the newshour, dow quoted the e. P. A. Analysis and added its new system helps farmers as they struggle to control weeds that impact the food supply while respecting the wellbeing of both people and the environment. The e. P. A. Approved the new product for use in only six states so far, and it imposed restrictions 30foot buffer zones, no aerial spraying and no applications in windy conditions. The new product is a mix of the main ingredient in roundup glyphosate and a chemical called 2,4d, used for decades and found in common lawn care products. Pretty much anybody can walk into a Hardware Store and buy a product for use on their lawn that contains this stuff, so, if its so dangerous, why is it so widely available . This isnt just about 2,4d. Enlist duo, the product thats been approved, is also glyphosate. What do they mean together . We know some of the Health Impacts separately, but what happens when theyre. When they come together and. And combine . What does that actually mean for Health Effects . What does it mean for toxic effects on farmers and applicators . We have the model system with the e. P. A. Reviewing the safety of these herbicides, and my sense is that the evidence says that the herbicides when used appropriately are safe. Reporter but even if they are safe, there are serious concerns that weeds could become resistant to the new herbicide just as they did to roundup. Its something the e. P. A. Is requiring dow to monitor. The problem will inevitably get worse unless changes are made. Reporter changes like relying less on chemicals, and also going back to some of the old ways like growing crops in the off season to suppress weeds and removing weeds mechanically. Growers thus far have been wanting a new, simple solution. And unfortunately, the industry has not been able to come up with, if you will, another silver bullet. Reporter farmer Jeff Jorgensen says he thinks the new dow products expected to come to market this spring will help farmers, especially in the south. To battle his weeds, hes been mixing other herbicides with roundup, something monsanto recommends. But he says he knows his system will inevitably have to evolve, just like the weeds. Are you afraid that your system might stop working . Oh, theres no question it will change. There will be a time where it will not have the effect that it does now. After seeing whats happened with roundup, you always have the worry that whatever Chemical Program youre using, what will happen if it loses its effectiveness. That is always on farmers minds because we need to be able to control the problems that we have in fields. Sreenivasan what questions do you have about herbicide resistant weeds . Ask producer Megan Thompson in a q a on facebook. Visit facebook. Com newshour for details. Sreenivasan its been nearly 70 years now since the end of world war ii. Even so, stories continue to come to light about some of the victims of the holocaust. Recently, newshour special correspondent Martin Fletcher learned whats being done to honor the life and works of one woman, one of the six million victims. His piece is a collaboration with milwaukee public television. Reporter when the nazis occupied czechoslovakia in 1939, tens of thousands of jews applied for visas to anywhere, and among them paul strnad and his wife hedwig, nicknamed hedy. Their best hope to save their lives was help from their cousin alvin, thousands of miles away in milwaukee, wisconsin. So, on december 11, 1939, paul wrote him this letter. You may imagine that we have a great interest of leaving europe as soon as possible. Reporter and paul hoped he had an ace up his sleeve these drawings, eight beautiful dresses and all accessories, down to hat pins and shoes, purses and gloves. Modern. Elegant. His wife hedy was a seamstress, a dress designer. Could alvin find a firm in milwaukee whod hire hedy and sign an affidavit to grant the couple visas to the u. S. . In his letter, paul wrote i hope the dress manufacturers you mentioned in your letter will like them. Reporter karen strnad is alvins granddaughter. It was a letter that was pleading for, you know, a savior, for, you know, survival, and using the dresses as a tool to be able to get out of there. Reporter alvin strnad tried to find hedy a job and visas for them both, but too late. Paul was declared dead january 31, 1943, murdered in either the treblinka concentration camp or the warsaw ghetto. Hedys fate is unclear, but her dresses live on. Almost 60 years later, karens parents found the letter in the basement, complete with a nazi censors swastika stamp and the colorful drawings. The dresses represent prejudice and persecution and what was lost in the holocaust because of it. The dresses represent love. Reporter the strnads gave the letter and dress designs to what is today the Jewish Museum of milwaukee, just another painful link to the past. Until one day a visitor had an idea why not make the dresses . We had a wonderful opportunity to fulfill a victims dream. Reporter so, when kathy bernstein, the museums director, met the costume director of the milwaukee repertory theater, she didnt hesitate. And i said, we want to create an exhibit. We want to show. Have a tangible example of what has been lost in the holocaust, and is this something the rep can do . Well, she said, absolutely. Reporter and the rest, as they say, is history. The milwaukee rep began a labor of love. They became filled with hedwigs story, and it became personal for them. Reporter then, hard work paid off; a researcher found a letter from hedy, and bit by bit hedy strnad took shape. We found out she had red hair, and that she smoked cigarettes, and that she had a sense of humor. Reporter today, the dresses with their accessories, hedys last hope for survival, are the stars of an exhibit in the milwaukee Jewish Museum called stitching history from the holocaust, running through february 2015. Its happy, but its haunting, too. Its a haunting thing. Reporter and inspiring, too. For karen strnad, Family History come to life in the most personal way. When i put the dress on, it fit me perfectly. The whole thing is surreal. The torch has been passed. It was passed from hedys dress designs that she created in bohemia to her husband to my great grandfather, who started this process in terms of starting the immigration application process in the United States. Reporter among those admiring the dresses family members who never knew their murdered relatives, didnt know their story, and now do. What we see here is history is ongoing. This is never going to die. And we have to keep telling the story so that history does not repeat itself. Sreenivasan visit www. Newshour. Pbs. Org, where you can find a link to a documentary produced on the same subject by milwaukee public television. This is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. Sreenivasan and now to viewers like you, some of your feedback about our recent work. We heard from many of you about our report last sunday about compensation or the lack of it for people like drew whitley, who served time for a crime he did not commit. It turns out that while 30 states do offer the wrongly convicted some form of compensation, another 20 states dont, including pennsylvania, where whitley spent 18 years in prison before being exonerated of the crime. Did people assume as soon as you were exonerated that you would be paid money . Oh, yes. I did, too. Sreenivasan almost everyone who wrote us on facebook expressed outrage. Phylandjuan becerra wrote it is ludicrous that in so many states, mine included, they are let out and left to their own devices with absolutely nothing. Shame, shame, shame. Carole papy added this we can never give them back the lost, best years of their lives, but money is better than nothing at all. A sliding scale for time served and harshness of the experience would be a start, and those 20 states that offer nothing need an overhaul and a conscience. Several people said authorities should be held accountable for their mistakes. From Judith Harlan not possible to give back what was stolen, which is why judges and prosecutors need to be brought to justice as they know and accept daily wrongs. And James Lee Lucier went further if he was intentionally wronged, those who wronged him should spend time in prison, and he should be awarded their assets. The authorities should make a clear and loud public apology. But several of you questioned whether there was any real way to make amends. Joshelle grest wrote theres no way to repay time theres just not and joshua iano summed it up this way we owe them a new life. As always, let us know what you think of our stories on twitter, facebook or at newshour. Pbs. Org. Sreenivasan some more news before we leave you tonight. Another doctor who contract the ebola in west africa will be treated in the United States. Dr. Martib salia, a surgeon from sool, who is a permanent u. S. Resident, arrived in nebraska this afternoon. He is said to be critically ill. A lebanese canadian sociology professor has been charged with a 1980 bombing outside a paris synagogue. Four people were killed. Authorities link him to the popular front for the liberation of palestine. He denies the charges. Join us tomorrow on air and online. We will report on the controversy of a massachusetts town with a plan to ban sale of all tobacco products. Im hari sreenivasan, have a good night. Captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org pbs newshour weekend is made possible by Corporate Funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. man support for this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you from American University in washington dc, bestselling author and financial expert, suze orman, answers critical questions about your money. Tonight is all about you the goal of money is for you to feel secure. The goal of money is for you to feel powerful. You have problems but heres the good news i have the solutions. man suze provides essential advice in. Please welcome suze orman [drums, guitar, keyboard play in bright rhythm]