Transcripts For WHYY PBS NewsHour 20150107

Woodruff plus, from filmmaking to firefighting professionals and individual hobbyists are increasingly using drones but these unmanned vehicles pose a potential safety hazard in the wild frontier of the sky. Right now, you can take a drone out of the box and fly it in manhattan, you shouldnt its not allowed. Its somewhere between regulatory infringement and reckless endangerment. So we can do more as an industry to help people behave responsibly. Moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. At lincoln financial, we believe youre in charge. Youre the chief life officer and this is your annual shareholders meeting. Youre overseeing presentations on research and development and welcoming new members of the team. Youre in charge of it all. Lincoln financial is committed to helping you take charge of your future. Life, income, retirement, Group Benefits and advice. Lincoln financial. Youre in charge. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peacefah world. More information at macfound. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions and. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff france is reeling tonight from its worst terror attack in the postworld war ii era. An assault team shouting islamist slogans stormed an Editorial Office today and shot dead at least 12 people. Eleven others were wounded four of them, critically. Hari sreenivasan begins our coverage. Sreenivasan shock and disbelief gripped parisians, moments after the militarystyle attack. Three hooded men with assault rifles forced their way into the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper. Within minutes, they killed the editor, nine others, including two prominent political cartoonists, and a police guard. Back outside, they riddled a police car with bullets and gunned down another officer. translated i was on my balcony and i heard a loud noise and then i saw an injured policeman. Sreenivasan amateur video captured a gunman who approached the wounded officer, and killed him, with a shot to the head. Before driving away, the attackers shouted in arabic allahu akbar god is great and in french we avenged the Prophet Muhammad we killed Charlie Hebdo the leftleaning newspaper had repeatedly been threatened over satirical commentary and cartoons on islam and other religions. In 2011, a firebombing gutted its headquarters after editors used an image of the prophet mohammed on the cover. No one was hurt in that attack. But todays mass killing brought french president Francois Hollande to the crime scene. translated an act of exceptional barbarity was committed here in paris against a newspaper, the expression of freedom, against journalists. We knew we were under threat just like other countries in the world. We are being threatened because we are a country of freedom and because we are a country of freedom, we will beat the threats and will punish the aggressors. Sreenivasan but in the immediate aftermath, the gunmen got away cleanly, and a sweeping manhunt began across paris and continued into the night. translated these individuals are being thoroughly pursued and this is a priority because they are armed and extremely dangerous. Sreenivasan the Islamic State group, along with al qaeda, had threatened to attack france, and it praised the killings. But leaders of paris Muslim Community denounced the attack. translated truly, islam condemns assassination,ucfndemns murder, condemns taking the lives of those around you. Truly. And we are absolutely horrified, we are stunned. Sreenivasan the government of saudi arabia joined in the condemnation, as did egypts leading Islamic Authority as well as the arab league. And across europe, National Leaders quickly came to frances support. I know that this house and this country stands united with the french people in our opposition to all forms of terrorism and we stand squarely for free speech and democracy and these people will never be able to take us off those values. Sreenivasan in washington, president obama said the United States will provide any help it can. He branded the killings a cowardly and evil act. The one thing im very confident about is that the values we share with the french people a belief a universal belief in freedom of expression is something that cant be silenced because of the senseless violence of the few. Sreenivasan later, the president spoke with french president hollande and offered condolence n and this evening, hollande went on National Television to pay tribute to the victims. translated today, they are our heroes. And that is why tomorrow will be a day of national mourning, a decreed day. At 12 00 there will be a moment of contemplation in all public services. And i invite all the population to be involved in it. The flags will be at halfmast for three days. Sreenivasan meanwhile, thousands of people rallied near the site of the killings to honor the victims, and there similar rallies across europe. France also raised its alert status to the highest level, indicating another attack could be imminent. Woodruff well talk more about the tensions between muslims and nonmuslims in france, after the news summary. In other news this day a bombing ripped through the main Police Academy in yemen, killing at least 33 people. A minibus packed with explosives blew up right outside the school, in the capital city of sanaa. Mangled wreckage littered the residential area and investigators combed through it for evidence. Suspicion fell on alqaedas yemen branch. The search for the jetliner that crashed off indonesia last month, has finally made major progress. Officials announced a crucial discovery today in the 11day old hunt. Faye barker, of independent Television News, reports. Reporter from the depths of the java sea, a breakthrough that investigators hope will provide answers to what happened to the illfated airasia plane. Found today, whats believed to be the tail of the missing airbus. It may contain the black boxes, Holding Crucial flight data and cockpit voice recordings. At a press conference in jakarta, the head of indonesias search and rescue effort said its the first significant piece of wreckage to be identified. It was spotted around 20 miles from the planes last known location. Flight qz8501 disappeared on route from surabaya to singapore ten days ago. The pilot had requested to fly higher due to bad weather, but the request was denied. Shortly afterwards the plane dropped off the radar. 162 people were on board, all now presumed dead, so far around 40 bodies have been recovered. Its thought that bad weather was a likely cause for the plane to crash but clearer skies now mean the search can, for now at least, go on uninterrupted. Woodruff a winter storm across the middle east brought new misery today to hundreds of thousands of people whove fled the civil war in syria. Refugees had to endure freezing cold at makeshift camps like this one in eastern lebanon. Some cleared heavy snow from their tents to keep the shelters from collapsing. Here in the u. S. , a deep freeze gripped the eastern twothirds of the country, shutting schools from the dakotas to alabama. Arctic air and high winds meant subzero wind chills in many areas. It was minus 27 degrees in chicago and in the minus 30s in the dakotas. Officials everywhere warned those who did venture out to guard against frostbite. This was day two of the new congress, and battle lines were already being drawn over the proposed extension of the keystone oil pipeline. Republicans, with their new majorities, are moving to approve the longdelayed project, shipping canadian oil to the gulf coast. After the white house threatened a veto again today, the new Senate Majority leader, Mitch Mcconnell, fired back. The president is not gonna set the agenda for us here in the senate. We have an agenda that we believe helps save and create jobs for americans. If the president wants to be a part of that, he can sign the bills that make it to his desk. And if he doesnt, im sure he can make his best effort to explain to the American People why these measures are not in the best interest of the country. Woodruff another flashpoint developed over the president S Health Care law. It says companies with 50 full time workers must provide Health Insurance and it defines full time as working 30 hours a week. Republicans say thats Encouraging Companies to cut hours, and they want to change it to 40 hours. White house aides warned today the president would veto that bill, as well. A confrontation between senator mcconnell and the Environmental Protection agency will have to wait. The e. P. A. Announced today a final rule on Carbon Dioxide emissions from new, coalfired power plants will be delayed until midsummer. Mcconnells home state kentucky, is a major coal producer. Hes vowed to overturn the new rule. The director of the f. B. I. Now says there is very clear evidence that north korea was behind the hacking of Sony Pictures. James comey sought today to answer skeptics, whove said the u. S. Provided no evidence to support its claim. He told a conference in new york that u. S. Investigators tracked the hackers and found the evidence. Several times they got sloppy. Several times. Either because they forgot or they had a technical problem, they connected directly. And we could see them. And we could see that the i. P. Addresses that were being used to post and send the emails were coming from i. P. s that were exclusively used by the north koreans. Woodruff the Sony Pictures Computer Network was crippled as the company promoted the interview, a comedy about a plot to kill north koreas leader. The film is now available online, and in a limited number of theaters. Wall street roared back to life today, after five losing sessions in a row. Stocks surged as oil prices steadied and hopes rose for new economic stimulus in europe. The Dow Jones Industrial average jumped nearly 213 points to close at 17,584; 1e nasdaq gained 57, to close at 4,650; and the s p 500 added 23 points to finish near 2,026. The university of virginia has lifted a ban on fraternity and Sorority Parties under new safety rules. In a statement overnight, the School President , teresa sullivan, said theyll have to have several nondrinkers present to monitor any gathering, and prohibit any pre mixed drinks. A Rolling Stone article had detailed an alleged gang rape at a fraternity party, but the story has been called into question. At Florida State university quarterback Jameis Winston announced today hes leaving college after two years, to enter the National Football league draft. Winston has won a Heisman Trophy and a national title. Hes also faced an allegation of sexual assault, but has never been charged. And, Orthodox Christians celebrated christmas today. Worshippers across eastern europe, the middle east, and elsewhere attended mass, lit candles and staged religious processions. The orthodox christmas observance is based on the ancient julian calendar. Most of the western world uses the gregorian calendar. Still to come on the newshour. Islamic militants in europe and the scope of free speech and debate in france. Protecting journalists from harm when information is more accessible than ever before. The man who has waited to be Senate Majority finally takes the helm. And, as the number of drones in the u. S. Multiply, safety concerns also grow. Woodruff back to todays big story. We take a closer look now at the satirical publication that was targeted today, and also the growing threat of islamic extremists in france and elsewhere in europe. Mark austin of independent Television News who is on the ground in paris. Mark talking to you, i guess its just after midnight, around midnight in paris. Tell us what the latest is you know on the search for these suspects. Yes about quarter past 12 00 here in the morning. And were just hearing from French Police that a big operation is going on in a town around an hour and a half away from here where were not clear its not clear yet whether a arrests have actually been paid but there are certainly a lot of activity going on. They know or they think they know who these gunmen are, two believed to it be algerian dissent, one is believed to be just 18 years old. So they know who they are and they are tonight, as i say undergoing asg Police Operation in a town called ranz which is about an hour and a half from paris. So the manhunt is moving quickly and hundreds of police are out in paris and surrounding areas top. So a big security operation a big man hunt but things are moving. Woodruff mark, tell us what the reaction has been of security police, there in paris and across that part of france since this attack today. Well a huge security crackdown but you know what the thing that is really impressed me most since being here is the impact that this has had i mean clearly you can see two Security Operations hundreds of Police Driving around paris tonight. But the things thats really had an impact on me since ive been here is just the way that parisians, ode parisians feel offended andc affronted by this attack. Because they see it an attack that not only has caused 12 deaths but also they see it as an attack on one of their cherished freedoms. You know, these satirical magazines are a great tradition in france. Theyre a great tradition you know, the satire against politicians is a great tradition here these car tans are a great tradition. And they feel that this is a real affront. And people are offend. And they feel that a freedom of speech, a basic freedom is under attack here. And that is something that is coming across very clearly tonight. Woodruff but mark, is there also a sense of fear since these terrorists materialized, apparently out of nowhere, to kill this many people and wound the others . There is a sense of father here. But not an overwhelming one. I think that the belief is that this was a very targeted attack. They were targeting a magazine that they felt had, i know, crossed them and that they felt in some way blasphemed the prophet they dont really understand the freedom that is so cherished here. So not a great fear. And also i have to say thousands of people are out demonstrating tonight and protesting tonight. In the half a mile or so from here, and not showing any inclination to be deterred by this. They were defiant and they were resilient and they were saying that they would keep upholding the free speech that they cherish so much. Woodruff well mark austin in paris we thank you very much for your reporting. Thank you. And we get a wider perfect perspective now with two people long time radio france journalist and current Senior Editor there bertrand vennier and former director of u. S. National counterterrorism center, hes Michael Leiter now executive Vice President of ledos, it is an applied technology company. And michael i hope i pronounced that correctly. Let me turn to you bertrand vennier. We just heard from mark austin about the people in paris coming out into the streets feeling offended. And yet these three men were able to pull off this terrible act killing 12 people wounding a number of others. Is there is it a surprise that Something Like this could happen in paris . I think we cant say it is a surprise. No one knew that this was going to happen this morning. And two of dead were very good friends of mine. But in terms of the really surprise because from days and days and days the Prime Minister the president were telling us every day every two day it is that the risk was very high. The level of security was very high. You had policemen soldiers in the railway stations in paris for example. So i think that mainly the parisians were used to that kind of level of security. They were surprised that there was an attack on Charlie Hebdo but they were not surpassed that there was something something somewhere in france and mainly in paris. Woodruff Michael Leiter what we know about these men is that they, one of them said something about al qaeda in yemen. And we know that two of them they are described as being linked, at least by a french official to a yemeni terrorist network. What more is known about a yemeni terrorist network . Well, there are several possible groups that are sort of behind this, either by direction or inspiration. The group in yemen is al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula known to most americans because it was behind the Christmas Day underwear bomber. And has been very, very active targeting western interests it. I think there are several other possibilities still here. Certainly that these were three individuals who were simply inspired by the mass of al qaedaassociated rhetoric and propaganda that might have come from al qaeda in yemen and certainly they had been pushing werners to do so. But also, of course the Islamic State in iraq and syria, and from a french perspective, really one of the principal concerns in france has been al qaeda in the islamic magreb in northern africa. And the french have been quite engaged there, at least the early reports are that two of these gentlemen or two of these terrorists, i really should say, are of algerian dissent. So i think there are really a number of organizations that might have had some association, and ultimately we may find out this was nothing more than inspiration for these three. Woodruff so youre saying literally it could have been just something they decided on their own that wasnt organized outside. I think thats possible. Although there are certainly some factors which weigh against that. This was a level of organization of planning of targeting this magazine at a time where many what be there. The getaway car. The fact that they lewded arrest for several hours now suggests that this group really thought this out, which i think is different from some of the inspired ter rusts we have seen recently in sydney ottawa and france. Ber trade vennier tell us about charlyear hebdo. We are told it is a provocative publication. What does that mean . How provocative . Oh, a lot. I mean the basis of the work of Charlie Hebdo their philosophy was to attack everything which looked like an institution politics religions even the press if they thought it was needed to be done. I mean it was satirical but it was very political. They were journalists more or lessen gauged on the left part of the political spectrum. And they were attacking everything that the french saying which is everything which was moving. Pope muslims jews politicians institutions companies. The provocation was the basis of their and mainly with cartoon it is. They are very good cartoonists the best cartoonists in france, i think. Woodruff how staying with you bertrand vennier how widely read is Charlie Hebdo . Not that much. I think the last figure, the figure i can remember 1w5s 30,000 copies a week. And Charlie Hebdo was in Financial Difficulties visa they were asking their readers to send them money. There is no aads in Charlie Hebdo so all the money they get is the money they get by selling the paper every week. So they were asking their reader to send money because they were in a very very good bad shape vicea these but it was not the first time that Charlie Hebdo has encountered that kind of difficulties. Every time people were sending money to help them survive. It was an institution its maybe funny to say that because they were attacking every institution. But in a way they were and they are, because i think they are not dead. The newspaper is not dead. I think it was a kind of institution in france Charlie Hebdo was the son of an old satirical newspaper called which was clothed by the at th e÷ of the 60s after our covered very very rude against president de gaulle at the time. And then some of the cartoonists from that, in the beginning of the 90s regrouped to create Charlie Hebdo. Woodruff would you describe it as popular or was there a debate in france about whether it went too far . No, there was certainly a debate. And they were going too far. But it was it their own mark. You know the french philosopher voltaire who used to say i hate what you think but im going to fight to the death so that you can say it or think it. And i think that the french people were in that kind of idea. So they didnt like every week what Charlie Hebdo was writing or showing in the cartoon but at the same time there were prongs that Charlie Hebdo that did exist. And you had tens it of thousands of people in the streets tonight in france am marseille in cities and france saying je suis charlie. I am charlie. And even if they didnt agree with Charlie Hebdo they did agree with the fact that Charlie Hebdo did exist and had to exist. Woodruff Michael Leiter very quick final question how much of a threat is it believed still exists from either this group or these individuals or others who share their views in france . I think these three will be found relatively quickly and not a significant risk am but what they represent is a real risk. So real risk in western europe and to a less extent here in the United States. There is real traction in this it extremist message right now. And these things can snowball. So we are a real challenge and we have to do real Risk Mitigation strategyies not just to try to stop this but try to minimize the effect engage these communities and try to minimize the likelihood that this can occur again at a range of targets across western europe and the u. S. Woodruff Michael Leiter per trant vennier in paris we thank you both. Thank you. Woodruff the attacks in paris were focused on a very different kind of newspaper, as we just heard. But every day, traditional journalists are facing real dangers and threats. In fact, the past three years have seen the highest number of journalists killed or imprisoned in recent times. Jeffrey brown has our look. On the one hand information is everywhere and more people around the world have access to it. On the other for journalists those who traditionally gathered and disseminated so much of that information, at times are more dangerous than ever. Absolutely, thats the paradox. We live in an age defined by information. And yet the people who bring us this information are dying being imprisoned, being killed in record numbers. If you look at the data it is shockingment but press Freedom Freedom of expression is actually in decline around the world. Brown in his role as executive director of the Advocacy Group the committee to project journalists joel simon watches all of this unfold on a daily basis. In a new book the new censorship hes looked at case studies and some of the causes behind growing dangers for journalists. We talked yesterday at the museum in washington d. C. One of the fundamental things that has happened is the relationship between journalists and the people they cover the power relationships has changed. Journalists had a sort of information monopoly. If you wanted to talk to the public the Global Public you needed to go through the media. That is no longer the case. So the value of individual journalists whether professioia citizen journalists is diminished. And they are more vulnerable as a result. Brown , plain that more. It is no longer the case because whether you are a terrorist group or a government you can tell your own story. Thats right. Brown or an average citizen, you can tell your own story. Thats right. Brown so the most glaring will be war terrorism syria, isis where we see very public violence public beheadings against journalists. I think one way to think about this is when journalists went into conflict zones, it was not that long ago that they would identify themselves as journalists. They would put tv on the car. They would put press on the flack jackets. They wanted people to know that they were journalists because that was an insurance policy. Brown an insurance of safety. Right. Now you are just a target. If you identify yourself as a journalist certainly in syria they are almost no journalist operating in the present syria controlled by isis but you certainly dont want to identify yourself. You would just make yourself a target. Brown the committee to protect journalists just issued its annual report for 2014 on conditions around the world. The most glaring numbers for last year 61 journalists killed 221 imprisoned. First of all worlds leading journalist china 44 journalses in prison in china that is the highest number we have ever recorded. Iran is another country where the president rouhani came to power promising reforms. We havent seen that play out in terms it of the media environment. So those are some terrible offenders. Brown two places, in fact that people thought had some hope as new leaders came in. Exactly. Brown we havent seen that. We havent seen that reform that has been promised in either country manifest, in terms it of press freedom and the rights of journalists p in fact, the opposite. Let me mention one special category which is egypt. Egypt has become both violent. Journalists are facing levels of violence and repressive with the jailing of journalists including the al jazeera case, their cases are wellknown. There are about a dozen journalists in prison in egypt. That situation is very alarming. Brown simon meets often with World Leaders to raise concerns. But many, he says, make it clear that they could feel they can tell and control their own story and no longer need journalists as they once did. Examples include president ergogan in turkey or putin in russia or and i recently had a meeting with president erd do want in turkey and the committee to project journalists we sat down and he started out the meeting by really attacking the press lashing out at the press internationaling the international media. Tur can for the last several years has been one of the leading of journalists, he feels can govern without the press can win Popular Support without the press and he is locked in an antagonistic relationship with the media. Brown and he is very up front about it he tells you to your face. Very up front that is very unusual. Usually when you meet with leaders to talk about press freedom, they about that its important, its critical to democracy. He made no concession. He basically said journalists are operating as enemies. We have to insurance that it i am not insulted. Journalists cannot insult me this is the limit that we have in turkey. He was very up front about this. Brown turkey and around the world have more access to information than they ever had before. And that gives people as simon acknowledges a new kind of power. I dont think its an either or. Its better in many ways. My vision of the information world in which we live is not entirely negative it i would just say that at bupdance of information the unprecedented amount of information blinds us to the gaps in our knowledge, that is achieved by this new censorship. And thats what im arguing. So we live in an age defined by information, and were so enveloped in this information that we dont know what we dont know. Brown we dont know what we dont know. Thats right. Thats right. And thats the paradox that we have to resolve. We have to make sure, we have to recognize that the information, it doesnt come from technology it comes from people. There are people on the front lines who are reporting this news. And their assistance the internet itself that delivers us this information. We need to make sure that the people who are providing this information are safe and able to do the work and the systems that deliver this information are able to function without control. Brown all right, the new book is the new censorship joel simon, thank you very much. Thank you so much. Woodruff with the seating of the new congress this week, kentucky senator Mitch Mcconnell has become the leader of his chamber and one of the most powerful people in the country. But even to some who cover him cmosely, mcconnell can seem like an enigma. We asked our Political Editor and reporter Lisa Desjardins to bring us a closer look at the man now under more of the spotlight. Reporter when Mitch Mcconnell took the podium as Senate Leader this week. Today is an important day. Reporter . It was also a day that he had worked for over half a century. Apparently from the beginning of his adult life he wanted to be the majority leader of the United States senate. Reporter thats al cross, longtime kentucky reporter now at the university of kentucky. Well talk to him more, but first, some background. Mcconnells childhood is a map, born in alabama, he contracted polio and his mother took him to warm springs, georgia, made famous by f. D. R. For treatment. The family later settled in louisville kentucky where mcconnell would go to college and write his thesis on henry clay one of the great Senate Leaders who mcconnell studied diligently. He is one of the best students of politics this country has ever had. He reads extensively about politicians. He can not just read a poll, he can write a poll. Reporter that may help explain how mcconnell has survived sometimes open mocking. Including this, just last night on the daily show. Thats his swearingin shell laughter hes not your typical politician, hes not much to look at. He doesnt have much charisma. He started out being called howdy doodie and now they call him yurtle the turtle, but he knows how to win elections and he takes his business very seriously. Reporter and one of young mcconnells first moves in the business of politics was a turn to the right. Its interesting, as a young man, he was actually quite a moderate and even somewhat liberal republican. Reporter mcconnell biographer and journalist Alec Macgillis says mcconnell, who once courted the a. F. L. C. I. O. As an ally started shifting in 1984 after Ronald Reagan carried kentucky by hundreds of thousands of votes while mcconnell barely won his senate race. So Mitch Mcconnell looked at this contrast between his narrow election and Ronald Reagans big election and thought to himself i never want it to be this close again for me. I need to get on this train, i need to get on this bus of Republican Party that is moving in a more conservative direction. Reporter macgillis argues that mcconnell puts winning above all. And that has driven his push against Campaign Finance reform and for bigdollar fundraising. He was not the most natural candidate and he recognized how important having a lot of money to outspend his opposition would be. Mcconnell more than just anyone in washington today embodies the Permanent Campaign mindset that has taken over washington these last few decades. Reporter an example many cite, these words our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny president obama a second term. Reporter this goes to who mcconnell is at his core. Those who know him say, yes, he is driven to win, but insist his focus is to govern. Example . Deals over the fiscal Cliff Mcconnell made with Vice President biden. If you go back and look over the past three years there have been only two major really big agreements that were done, both of them were done with the leadership of joe biden and Mitch Mcconnell, not the president , but mitch mcconell. Reporter trent lott is himself a former g. O. P. Senate majority leader and worked with mcconnell for years. We wanted to talk to lott especially to get past mcconnells public enigma, to talk about who he is as a person. Im much more garrulous, backslapping and like to have a good laugh, like to sing, love a good joke. He is more reserved. He is very thoughtful and he has a unique ability to listen. I think if you go back and study leadership and the history of leaders, some of the greatest leaders were somewhat stoic. Reporter and of course mcconnell is a student of the the past. Not just of the great compromiser, henry clay, he also talks about alben barkley, who pushed back against Franklin Roosevelt and president ial power. And democrat mike mansfield, known for crafting a professional, active senate. Speaking recently to Public Television affiliate ket in kentucky, mcconnell explained what he takes from these men get things done. If you cant figure a way to bring people together to reach some kind of compromise to advance the interests of country you cant accomplish anything at all. Reporter lets stop there a second. We hear the word a lot, but compromise is mostly a theory right now. What exactly is mcconnells plan to get there . Today, in his first address as leader, mcconnell said he wants to reopen vigorous senate debate. We need to open up the legislative process in a way that allows more amendments from both sides. Sometimes, its going to be meaning working late. But restoring the senate is the right thing to do. Reporter lott says the keys to mcconnell are determination and tenacity. Mitch has a really good sense for timing ande will wait until hell freezes over to make the right move, waiting for the moment. And he has an ability to sense that. Reporter another factor, how long mcconnell has waited for and strategize for this moment. Mitch mcconnell has finally grabbed the brass ring, this is what hes looked for all his life and now hes going to prove he isnt the dog that caught the car, that he knows what to do with this job. And lisa joins us now so yertle the turtle is his nick name but he is seriously successful. So what does he want to do with his power. He wants to change how the senate operates. In the last couple of years the senate has not operated under what is called regular order. Instead, harry reid used rules to insurance that you couldnt really propose amendments if you were a single senator. Thats one thing that mcconnell wants toing cha. He wants to open up debate so if you and i were a senator, we could bring up any proposal we wanted if it was germane to a bill. Mcconnell argues that that allows the senate to hash it out and come up with good legislation. New its messy. It means democrats will take votes that they might not want to take republicans the same. Mcconnell says that how the senate should operate best. Woodruff so do people think it can happen . Glad you asked because there has already been a speed bump in the first two days. The democrats have blocked the ability of republicans to hold a Committee Hearing on the keystone pibline its just going to delay things it. But already whss happened then is mcconnell sped up the process on the keystone pipeline. He says ultimately they wont come to that. But it is signs of the fact that in theory sure t would be great if the senate hashed everything out but the politics are im not sure it can. Brown we heart trent lott say that i was reserved. But you were saying he covered senator mcdonnell mcconnell and he had has a sense of humor. I was Fort National to meet in small groups with him. He has a great sense of humor but its very day as i think people would expect. But he does have a very good sense of humor. My husband is constantly surprised when i say that. But it true, he does. Brown . Woodruff we will be looking for that. Lisa desjardins we thank you. Sure. Woodruff if you feel like youre hearing a lot about drones these days, well, thats because interest in them is picking up by the day. Last night, we showed you how theyre being used to further protect the Cultural Heritage in peru. In the u. S. , theyre starting to be used for all kinds of purposes. And while the prospect of ever more drones may be concerning to some uhe question is rapidly becoming are they safe and how should they be regulated . Science correspondent miles obrien has our report. The sky may be big and blue but it s getting more crowded every day as makers of small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones test their limits. The thing is very fast. It can fly about 70 miles an hour. Oh jeez. The man at the controls is michael shaboon. He works for a company that is growing faster than he can flick a joystick. Chinabased dji innovations. The Market Leader in the personal drone industry. Weve gone from 50 employees to 3000 employees. In just under three years, so the industry is booming. Americans are likely to spend 130 Million Dollars on 400,000 drones thisy the Consumer Electronics association predicts annual sales will approach 1 Million Units in the next four years. And the faa says private drones will be a 90 billion industry in the next decade. Djmu law on to the scene in a big way with this little craft the phantom which comes equipped with a gyro scoptically stabilized camera for about 1300 dollars. The dji model shaboon flew for us the inspire one sells for 3,000 and is aimed at professionals. A lot of the time when you are trying to be versatile on set this is the perfect product to use. Filmmakers and journalists seeking stunning shots lake these may be the most obvious commercial users of this technology. But farmers are also interested hoping to spot diseased crops and reduce the use of chemicals in water. Contractors want them for surveys and firefighters and coaches see drones as a way to better strategize. But heres the rub. Right now widespread commercial use of drones is essentially prohibited by the faa. Congress told the agency to write some rules of t sky for drone flight by may. But the agency is struggling with an unprecedented challenge. Michael huerta is the faa administrator. A bedrock principles of aviation is see and avoid. And if you dont have a pilot on board the aircraft, you need something that will substitute for that which will sense other aircraft and we can insurance appropriate levels of safety. But drones are leading the faa into unchartered territory, far from the conventional of auate aviation players. So the agency is moving slowly unsure how to catch this flying tiger by the tail. The faa recently started granting exemptions for farmers Real Estate Agents surveyors an even some Video Production companies that want to use drones for hollywood movies and music videos. They have also creatqf six drone test sites across the country to experiment with new types of aircraft. But the first launch today didnt go exactly as planned. Earning some unwelcome local news notoriety. We have the opportunity to do it quickly or we have the opportunity to do it right. Were very focused on doing it right so that we dont in any way compromise safety. Meanwhile, there is nothing stopping the individuals from flying sdrons so long as they are not doing it for hire. And while they are supposed to keep their flights below 400 feet and at least five miles from major airports youtube has become a repos tory of proof that people are ignoring or ignorant of those rules. Or just being plain stupid. Someone is definitely going to poke an eye out. Chris anderson is working on some solutions. He is the founder and c. E. O. Of berkeleybased 3d robotics. The Company Sells drones in the vanguard of technology. I tell it to do a 3d model of that smoke stack. His drones can be controlled by smart phones and will fly a reorder answered route that the user draws out on a map. Drone on a mission here huh . You want to fly it comes with a joystick knock yourself out. Me, i want the video. I want the data i want the photo. I didnt want to push a button and have it do the work. Right now you can take a drone out of a box and fly it in manhattan. You shouldnt it is not allowed. It is somewhere in between regulatory infringement and wrebltion endangerment. Maybe the drone says hey they fly. I happen to notice are you on a balcony in manhattan. Thats not appropriate. Lets not fly here so we can do more as an industry to help people behave responsibilitiably. For anderson the biggest drone payoff is this, a stunning photo realistic 3d image. So that is reality capture how we digitize the world. We dont get satellites to do it three months ago at low resolution, we dont pay planes to do it, we get drones go with with google street view. Google has joined amazon in developing drones that might one day deliver packages from warehouse to doorstep. But pulling this off without hitting a kid in the sand box or terrorizing the dog requires drones to sense and avoid autonomously. This would make the faa happy. And in fact is the holy grail of dronedom. Mechanical engineer vijay kumar is hoping to find it in his lab at the university of pennsylvania. The thing that machines dont do is really bring a humanlike intelligence to the picture which is really looking at the scene1n interpreting the scene reasoning about the physical world and then figuring out what actions to take. Kumar is designing drones to do just that. Although he prefers to call them robots. In late 2013 he gave me a fascinating demonstration of a flying robot designed to navigate sense and avoid even inside where gps is useless. The robot was able to map out the walls of the building, avoid hitting them and also me when i walk into harm away. It is equipped with stereo wide angle cameras a laser range scanner a gps receiver a magnetometre and a how many of these dow need to be safe. This entire sensor suite is actually required for it to navigate in most environments because generally one of the other things he is also working on ways for unmanned flying vehicles to avoid each other. Check out this dizzying swarm. Essentially what is happening is every vehicle is responsible for itself but they all have radios. And they talk to each other. They can also negotiate safe paths by just communication. Without the human being necessarily being a part of that. And the human being is not a part of this. In fact t would be very hard for you and me to remote pilot these and control them the way you are seeing them fly. But maybe the answer is not as hard as making drones smarter. What about simply smaller. As the sensors get better and smaller and cheaper than the drones around them will get smaller as well and lighter. And at a certain point you know, it wont be much larger than this. You get the same video quality as the larger drones. At that point i dont think we worry as much. Might be privacy concerns but theyre probably to the going to be hit you on the head concerns. Privacy remains a persistent concern. The potential consequences of drones as airbornee peeping toms it inspired a recent skewering on south park. We can spy on everyone. Pie dad said it is not for spying on people. That is all drones are for. But privacy is the purview of local governments which all over the map on whether or how to regulate small drone flights. Dont expect the faa to solve this. The faa has one focus. We dont regulate anything that flies in our airspace for its use. What we regulate for is its safety. And with this technologies thats where our focus needs to be as well. Here we go. And along with the potentially useful applications Drone Technology has taken selfies to a whole new level. We posed with Chris Anderson for our first dronie. I mean a selfie is really primitive right. I know. I mean really. The sky isnt falling or is . The sky is not falling. The sky is opening. Smile and say chicken little. Miles obrien, the pbs newshour, berkeley california. Woodruff finally tonight, our newshour shares moment of the day. Something that caught our eye that might be of interest to you too. In this case, its a new Treatment Plant designed to help the developing world turn human waste into believe it or not drinkable water. It sounds unappealing to say the least, but sewage and water are huge problems. So the bill and Melinda Gates foundation funded a new kind of Treatment Plant in sedro woolley, washington, about 70 miles north of seattle. Heres some of that video thats been getting attention on youtube. Over two and a half billion people have no access to save sanitation. We asked brilliant engineers to help us solve this problem. And one of those engineers actually has proposed a solution where the waste is valuable. The omni process returns sewer sludge to which is kind of nasty into clean Drinking Water electricity and cash it is pathogen free this is where the sludge entered the machine. It goes up this conveyer belt, fed into these large tubes we call the dryer that is where we boil the sludge. And in the boiling process we separate the water vapor from the solid. The solids are now dry, and we can feed them into the fire. Once we have this very hot fire, we can make High Pressure High Temperature steam. And we take that steam and we send it to a steam engine. And the steam engine drives a generate their makes lech tris nature we use for the process, and also excess electricity that could be delivered back to the community. The water vapor that is created in the boiling process is run through a cleaning system until we have the cleanest purest water you can possibly imagine. I am very impressed with this solution were seeing here and it generates electricity, it generates clean water. It will grow to every corner of the earth that needs it because it makes money every day. Its water. Makes it look freshing. And you can watch the full gates video and learn more about the project on our web site pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff again, the major developments of the day, French Police hunted three gunmen who killed a dozen people at a paris publication that had mocked the prohet muhammad. The attackers were identified as two French Brothers and a teenager. And that is the newshour for tonight. On thursday, we will talk with director ava duvernay whose movie selma has generated controversy over its depiction of president Lyndon Johnson during the civil rights era. Im judy woodruff. Well see you online and again here tomorrow evening for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and goodnight. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. 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. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by Macneil Lehrer productions captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org report with Tyler Mathisen and sue herera. Bounceback. Stocks rally and rally big as investors figure economic woes may push the European Central bank into action that could help the market. Federal reserve officials potentially hike Interest Rates later this year. But is the market not the fed, the ultimate ash tor of when rates will arise . More first time home buyers into the housing market. Question is will it work . All that and more tonight on nightly Business Report for wednesday, january 7th. Good evening and welcome. Im Tyler Mathisen. A bounceback on wall street today. The major averages saw their best oneday gains in