Transcripts For WHYY PBS NewsHour 20150109

Woodruff plus, president obamas ambitious plan to overhaul Higher Education for nearly nine Million Community college studenpand pay for their first two years of school. And its friday, mark shields and david brooks are here, to analyze the weeks news. Those are some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. We became a nation of light. A nation powered by Cherif Kouachi, said kouachi. Lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. 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 three days of terbo. Finally over. Police assaults in and around paris this evening killed a trio of gunmen and freed 16 hostages. Several other captives died, making a total of 20 lives lost in a week of violence and bloodshed. Sreenivasan the beginning of the end came in a blaze of gunfire and explosions just northeast of paris. Two brothers, suspected of killing a dozen people on wednesday, came out shooting after taking a hostage at a printing plant. Said and Cherif Kouachi had vowed to die as martyrs, and were cut down by police. Their hostage made it out alive and safe. They had holed up after a high speed car chase as helicopters buzzed overhead. Schools evacuated children, and convoys of police swarmed to the scene, warning the locals to lock their doors. translated this morning i was woken up around 9 00 am by the noise of helicopters. There were a lot of t ice there and they told me that i needed to go home immediately and i needed to stay indoors. Sreenivasan that was in dammartinengoele, near Charles De Gaulle airport. The raid there followed a nearly simultaneous police assault, 25 miles away, at a kosher supermarket in eastern paris. c another gunman, identified as amedy coulibaly, took at least five hostages in the store hours before the jewish sabbath, and threatened to kill them if Police Attacked the kouachi brothers. Coulibaly died when a swat team stormed in, as did four of his hostages. Afterward, the French Interior minister praised both operations. translated i have come to express my gratitude to the men and women who have risked their lives to save, in very difficult and complicated conditions, the lives of hostages, and here i would like to express the gratitude of all french people and the whole nation, who tonight are feeling relieved. Sreenivasan amedy coulibaly, it turned out, was also the suspected gunman who killed a policewoman yesterday in southern paris. Authorities said his wife, hayet boumeddiene, acted as his accomplice. But her whereabouts today were unclear. All of this followed wednesdays massacre at the french satirical paper Charlie Hebdo, blamed on the kouachi brothers. A french tv news network, bfm, reported Cherif Kouachi claimed during todays standoff that they acted at the behest of al qaeda in yemen. And, the group later said it had, indeed, directed that attack. All had been on watchlists, and there were growing questions about frances overall security efforts. But, french president Francois Hollande called for unity in the wake of this weeks events. translated we must mobilize to answer to these attacks through force when we have to, but we must also do that thru solidarity. This is a solidarity that must be demonstrated in its efficiency. We are a free people. A people that is not afraid that can resist pressures. Sreenivasan in this country, president obama joined in voicing condolences to the french today, and again promised american support. Know that the United States stands with you today. Stands with you tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families whove been directly impacted. We grieve with you. Sreenivasan and members of the house of representatives held a moment of silence to honor those killed in france this week. Im Hari Sreenivasan in new york for the pbs newshour. Woodruff moments ago, i spoke to mark austin of independent Television Mark austin, thank you for talking with us. Whats the whos on the ground in paris. About authorities trying to find out how these men were able to pull this off . Well, theres a great deal of effort going on tonight to find that out. I mean the main issue at the moment is finding this woman who may have been involved in the supermarket siege. Hayet boumddiene. Authorities said they thought she was in there, there is a hunt going on for her. Although the information im getting is that its not at all clear the role she played in this, although they believe she played some sort of role. That in many ways impacts how limb the authorities had gotten on these people. They were on their radar some years ago. One of them was in prison for terrorist offenses some years ago. But they seem to have fallen away in the minds of the police and i think thats causing a great deal of frustration and maybe even embarrassment in the Security Services here. Although the Security Forces themselves have brought this thing to an end quite successfully today. Woodruff is there a sense mark on the part of people, youre talking to in paris, that theyre worried still that theyre stilt still on edge or is there a relief that this is over . I think theres a huge sense of relief to be honest. There was a feeling yesterday, the hunt for the two Charlie Hebdo killers could go on. There was a huni the forest and that could have taken quite some sometime. That came to a dramatic conclusion today but then you had this second siege. Not one but two terrorist seedges going on, un seedges going sieges going on unprecedented in most cities to be honest. I think it was a good dial of relief tonight that deal of relief that its coming to an end. An edginess that this was allowed to happen first of all and that one of these terrorists appears to be still on the run tonight. Woodruff so attitude toward police, toward secures forces right now is what . What would you say . Look i think there is a general satisfaction here, with the way things were dealt with today. Its a great shame, there is great satness here sadness, four more innocent lives were lost. You only have to look behind me at the shrine for those who died in the Charlie Hebdo killings. Thousands of people come here throughout the day. So there is a Great Sadness here and huge relief. But there will be questions, no doubt of the Intelligence Services over why these men and perhaps a woman was allowed to do this. Woodruff mark austin with independent television news. We thank you. Thank you very much indeed. Woodruff well talk more about the wider repercussions to this weeks terror attacks in france, after the news summary. Here in the u. S. , the economy closed out 2014 on strong note, and made it the best year for hiring since 1999. December data from the Labor Department today showed a net gain of 252,000 jobs during the month. The report also added another 50000 positions to the totals for october and november. That made a gain of nearly three million jobs for the year as a whole. In addition, the Unemployment Rate in december fell to 5. 6 percent. But the news on wages was not as bright, average Hourly Earnings in december fell twotenths of a percent. That last was a concern for wall street today, along with slipping oil prices. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 170 points to close at 17737. The nasdaq fell 32 points to close at 4,704. And the s p dropped 17, to finish at 2,044. For the week, all three indexes lost about half a percent. The Keystone Oil Pipeline advanced in the courts and congress today. In nebraska, a challenge to the proposed route failed before the state supreme court. The project would complete a pipeline moving canadian oil across nebraska and other states to gulf coast refineries. After the court decision, the u. S. House of representatives voted, again, to approve keystone, as it revisited long standing arguments. Thousands of jobs will be created by this pipeline. This will improve consumer prices. This will bring stability to oil markets around the world. This will contribute to protecting us here on american soil rather than relying on Energy Sources from hostile nations of the world. Building a pipeline clear across the United States so that transcanada can sell its dirty Tar Sands Oil to the highest bidder, namely china, is not in the American Peoples best interest. We take risks to our own lands. The American People face threats to their health and transcanada gets to reap the rewards. Woodruff the senate could vote on the keystone bill as early as next week, but president obama has threatened a veto. Nomination and said it was fine to share the news. He gave no timetable for making the decision. And islamic cleric faces life in prison an islamic cleric now faces life in prison on terror charges, after being sentenced today in new york. Mustafa Kamel Mustafa was convicted of helping terrorists kidnap tourists in yemen and of plotting to open a terrorist Training Camp in oregon. Hed been extradited from britain in 2012. Theres word that the communist government in cuba has released 36 opposition activists from jail. A top dissident group says they were freed over the past two days. Cuba had agreed to release a total of 53 prisoners as it restores ties with the United States. The state department welcomed the news today. Im not going to confirm numbers or names at this point in time but these releases are certainly consistent with the cases that we raised with the cuban government and their decision to release the 53 prisoners. Woodruff the cuban dissidents say the government warned the newly freed prisoners not to resume their opposition activities. A former band member at florida a m university is going to prison for a hazing death that drew national attention. Dante martin was sentenced today to more than six years. Prosecutors said he led a brutal ritual that killed drum major robert champion in november of 2011. The judge rejected a longer sentence, saying champion was a willing participant. This weeks severe Winter Weather triggered a disaster today in michigan. Snow, wind and Poor Visibility caused a pileup of more than 120 vehicles that killed at least one person. It happened along interstate 94 outside kalamazoo, and shut down traffic in both directions after two trucks caught fire. One was carrying fireworks, and the other acid. Seven women from nepal have scored a first in some of the coldest, iciest places on earth theyre the first allfemale team to scale the highest mountains on all seven continents. They started in 2008, scaling Mount Everest in nepal and ended last month, conquering mount vinson in antarctica. Today, they arrived back in nepal to cheering crowds at the kathmandu airport. A big journey that started seven years ago has finally culminated in a seventh climb, so, after years of saying one done, two done, three, four, five, we can now say seven done woodruff nepal is famous for its male mountaineers. The women say they hope to change that image with this climbing record. And, legendary gospel singer and songwriter Andrae Crouch has died in los angeles. Over more than 50 years, his songs were recorded by Elvis Presley and paul simon, among others. He also arranged music for Michael Jackson and for the movies, the lion king and the color purple. Along the way, Andrae Crouch won seven grammy awards. He was 72 years old. Still to come on the newshour a bloody ending to the massive french manhunt for two terrorists and a separate hostage standoff. The 2014 jobs surge, and what it means for Interest Rates in 2015. President obamas plan to overhaul Community Colleges and make the first two years free. Mark shields and david brooks on the weeks news. And, updating oldschool technology to be even more interactive and connected. Woodruff the are more questions tonight about the france terror attacks and what they mean for security in the west, and also the radical islam movement. To help us interpret todays events, a short while ago, i spoke again to Peter Neumann, director of the International Center for the study of radicalization at Kings College in london. And juan zarate, former White House Deputy National Security advisor for combatting terrorism from 20052009. Hes now a Senior Advisor at the center for strategic and international studies. Juan zarate, peter neumqn thank you for joining us. Peter neumann first this claim by al qaeda in yemen that they are the ones who directed these attacks in france what do you think of this . I think it is plausible. Al qaeda in yemen has always been the most professional al qaeda affiliate. They have always been focused on attacks in the west and very professional. And of course it is also true that al qaeda has something to prove. Ever since last year the Jihadist Movement has essentially been split into two groups, Islamic State and al qaeda. Islamic state has been on the offensive, al qaeda has been side lined and al qaeda doesnt like it. They want too show to the world they still exist and one thing they think they can do better than i. S. I. S. Is pull off spectacular attacks on the west. It would make sense. Woodruff juan zarate the question is why werent these men being followed, especially the two brothers . Why werent french authorities on top of this . The french authorities knew about these brothers, they were on the no fly list. They were on the no fly list and been in addition to mr. Kourabi part of the kosher market attack, the challenge for french officials is the volume of threats and concerns that they have. The french are monitoring over 5,000 individuals and suspects who may have a variety of contacts with terrorist organizations, they are worried about oarch a thousand foreign fighters ordinance over a thousand foreign fighters who are flying in and out of the syrian conflict and iraq. Throughout paris and throughout the country for the last two years with significant arrest. So they have been very aggressive but they have a hierarchy of threats to monitor and they cant monitor everyone 24 7 with all of their resources. There is going to be a lot of hindsight and review of what has been done and should have been done. And foresite who is going to attack next in the capital like paris. Given that Peter Neumann, how much should europe france and the United States be concerned for individuals like these . Ive always said that. Unfortunately it seems to be this is the going to be the story of 2015 pap i think there is going to be more attacks like this, unfortunately. Due to the fact that something has happened here. People have realized, jihadists have realized that you dont necessarily have to pull off an incredibly complicated complex attack anymore in order to shock, terrorize and polarize societies. You can do a fairly small scale attack, you can even do just one killing, and it can have the same effect that the london, madrid or even the 9 11 bombings had. I think they figured this out and they will see modifier these attacks in europe in the future. And juan zarate, what kinds of targets, for example, the move this morning on the kosher supermarket in paris, other jewish targets weve seen is this a potential target in the future . Absolutely. And peters right. The environment has grown in part more diverse geographically, in terms of operatives and in terms of potential targets. Certainly government sites, key symbolic sites have always0been in the terrorist cross hairs. But now you have softer targets. You saw the westgate attack in nairobi, and lower scale attacked that will have strategic impact but they can hit targets had have ideology meaning. f they can attack Charlie Hebdo, a known target, or defend the honor of islam and to force a debate around all of these issues both within muslim communities and in the west. They are finding very unique targets and i think peter is right that the message from al qaeda and the Islamic State which has been to attack in place to motivate and to stoke radicals to take action on their own and perhaps to facilitate if they can has really become a strategy thats taken hold. So Peter Neumann for authorities what do we what do americans focus on what do ordinary citizens in western europe focus on as potential targets in the future . In almost every western european countries, there are potentially voint ones. Which ones are you going to watch 24 hours a day . The Security Forces know that in order to watch someone 24 hours a day you need between 15 to 20 Police Officers or 15 and 20 spies. You cannot, not even american authorities can afford that capacity level. So you constantly have to take course choices and that has become more difficult. These smaller scale attacks require less planning, fewer number of peoples, less communication to pick up on and less possible to predict. We have to communicate to see where danger comes from. Do authorities have that level of sophistication in other words in terms of who to focus on and who not to focus on . You have hybrid risks. Larwedmcale attacks from an al qaeda core and islamic like 9 11, the lone wolf attack using deraingtd yoolg deranged ideology as an inspiration. Individuals who are motivated, inspired and perhaps trained andcp3 facilitated by other groupings that creates a real challenge for authorities to figure out who they are and when they may act. To the extent that they have connectivity abroad, that is a good sign, we can usually ferret that out. But the contacts with al qaeda were in 2011 and the reality was, these guys seemed the have gone to ground until 2015. And the question is why did they wait so long and what really animated them . A lot of questions, and assume regrouping ton part of security. Absolutely. Woodruff juan zarate, Peter Neumann. Maintaining a high level of vigilance following the events in france. Woodruff the latest jobs report shows the economy seems to keep building better momentum than expected. Still, more jobs is not the same thing as rising wages. And that continuing problem in the labor market leaves a big dilemma whens the right time for the Federal Reserve to pull back further on its efforts to boost the economy . Our economics correspondent, paul solman, talked to a leading player in all of this, part of his reporting on making sense of financial news. Reporter capping off the best year of job growth since 1999, the economy added just over a quarter million jobs in december, helping push the official Unemployment Rate down to 5. 6 . The numbers validated our having asked a key Federal Reserve official earlier in the week the quintessential policy question about restraining growth before it gets out of hand so when, when will you start raising rates. Thats the question everybody like me asks, that people like you never answer, right . No, i, you know i you know the answer is gonna depend on the data. Reporter John Williams has good reason to diplomatically dodge. Hes president of the Federal Reserve bank of San Francisco, fed chair Janet Yellens old job, and his take on Interest Rates can move markets, since he now gets to vote on rates at fed meetings. We spoke to him this week at the annual economics convention, where he gave a talk on the feds dual mandate keeping inflation low while increasing employment and hopefully creating jobs. Its awfully hard to be a central banker economics country crooner merle hazard debuted an explanation on the newshour recently andtkjpperformed it at the convention. As he playfully puts it ive got a dual mandate dual mandate i gotta keep prices stable while giving jobs to those whore able reporter now fed officials usually fall into one of two avian camps hawks, keeping a keen eye on inflation, and ready to lift Interest Rates to contain growth and hold prices steady, and doves, whod prefer to keep rates low to further spur consumer and business spending in hopes of creating new jobs. Youre a dove, right, because youre more reluctant to raise rates than to keep them low, no . No, i think that i, i wouldnt agree with that characterization. I am worried about the fact theres still a lot of people out of work. I also take very seriously our mandate to have a low and stable inflation. So i dont think thats dovish or hawkish. I think thats just doing what were supposed to be doing. Reporter well then, maybe John Williams is a quail the state bird of california . But in any case, hes not as dovish as fed chair yellen who in october, to the dismay of inflation hawks, was photoopped with a group of longterm unemployed, signaling her sympathies. Do you think chairperson yellen went a little overboard by having a photo op with the unemployed . Absolutely not. Lets remember there are still a significant number of people who either, a, are unemployed or, b are only working parttime in they would like to work full time, but the jobs just arent available and theres a lot of people out there whove given up looking for jobs. Reporter in fact, our own monthly reckoning of un and underemployment, accessible on our online making sen e page, is still well above 13 nearly 22 million americans who say they want a fulltime job but cant find one. So the obvious question to williams do you think that the labor market may be weaker than it actually looks on paper . So sure, i think yes, the answer to that is yes. I think the Unemployment Rate might be sending a little bit rosier signal on that progress so far. Reporter so how does this voting fed member react to apparently rosy numbers like this mornings . Theres nothing in one employment report that would fundamentally change my view, but i will be looking for continued signs of improvement in the labor market and continued signs of some increases in wage growth. Reporter in december, it turns out, the signs were mixed. Yes, considerable improvement in the labor market, on the other hand, wage growth actually reversed, contracting by five cents an hour and wiping out last months hopeful wage gain. But back to the trilliondollar question, which anyone with a loan, or wanting one, and any investor, would ask when will the Federal Reserves open Market Committee finally raise the essentially zero short term Interest Rate . The vast majority of the committee uh participants viewed 2015 uh as the time of the first rate increase. Reporter its 2015 now. It is. My own view is that you know around the middle of this year will be the time when, based on my forecast, it would make sense to really start seriously weighing, should we raise rates at this meeting or should we wait a little longer. Reporter when you have conversations in the open Market Committee meeting, where youre deciding whether or not to raise Interest Rates, how political is it . Its absolutely not political. I mean the only two topics that i can think of that we spend significant amount of time are, the economy and Monetary Policy and, and sports. Reporter and sports presumably because San Francisco does so well . Yeah apparently i talk mostly about sports when we win, but. Reporter the 49ers didnt do that well, so there. Thanks for reminding me. 4 h reporter and so, from the annual meeting of the worlds economists in boston, this is paul solman reporting for the pbs newshour in washington, while rooting for the new England Patriots this weekend. Woodruff president obama was back on the road previewing some of his new proposals for the state of the union speech. He unveiled an ambitious plan to offer two years of free tuition for Community College, but there are questions about the details and whether it even has the right goals. Again, to hari for that story. Sreenivasan the president spoke at a Community College in knoxville, tennessee, where a state program on which the president s federal proposal is partially modeled will be available to students who graduate high school this year. Nearly 90 of tennessees High School Seniors have already applied for that plan. The federal plan would cover full and halftime students who maintain a 2. 5point grade average, and abply to colleges that offer credit toward a four year degree or Occupational Training in highdemand fields. The president said all students should have similar opportunities but have to work for it. Students would have to do their part by keeping the grades up, colleges would have do their part by Offering High quality academics and helping students actually graduate, states would have to their part too, this isnt a blank check, but for those willing to do the work, it can be a game changer. Sreenivasan the federal government would fund 75 of tuition costs, estimated at sixty billion dollars over 10 years. Participating states would pick up the remaining 25 . The Administration Says as its plan could cover as many as nine Million Students if all 50 states participate. Several republicans said they were not ready to support it. Senator and former education secretary Lamar Alexander who was in attendance at the president s event today, wrote that states should follow their own path, not a federal one. With republicans now firmly in control in the congress, the president s proposal may be a hard sell. Two views now about this proposal and what it could mean for access and affordability. Josh wyner is the executive director of the College Excellence program at the aspen institute. Andrew kelly is director of the center on Higher Education reform at a. E. I. , the American Enterprise institute. Josh when you hear about the idea of free Community College for all how happy are you about this . Well, i think the president s proposal recognizes that we have to do something bold about Higher Education in our country. The fx is fact of the matter is that were projected in the next decade to needen a workforce that 60 of our workforce need a College Degree and only 40 has them. We have a gap between rich and poor thats growing in our country. We have lots of americans, low income americans African American folks in the country who dont get access to Higher Education. This is dealing with both of them. The promise to meet the need for a more educated citizenry and an opportunity to enter the middle class those individuals who may not have that opportunity. Will this improve the success rates of students . The fact is the Community Colleges are extremely affordable. The net price of tuition after subtracting out grants and scholarships, are essentially zero, yet assuming that making College Tuition free at these institutions is somehow going to automatically increase Student Success rates i think is really naive. Josh what about the argument that this is not the role of the federal government, that states should decide . First of all on the ground, Community College students are working jobs, 75 , some jobs to make ends meet. Even though tuition is covered by federal policy federal grants for low iic the full cost of tuition is not. The fact of the matter is, they are struggling to make ends meet. Throughout our history the federal government has taken bold steps to increase the quality of access to education and to ensure that all americans get access to what our country needs as a whole to drive forward. Again, economic mobility as well as drive economic competitiveness of the country. So i think absolutely there is a role for a partnership here which is what this is. The dollars would be funneled through states to colleges, to serve students. And the federal government need to play a role and states need to play a role. And i think given the public good that could come from much higher access to education,. Andrew, what about leaping forward for societal goods . I think when you dig into this proposal, it reads more like an agenda for comedges dressed up as free tuition. What you see a laundry list of policies and reforms that states and Community Colleges who have to adopt all in the hopes of fixing Community Colleges from washington. Im skeptical that thats something that the federal government is well suited to take on and i think that there are ways that we can encourage colleges to do better without necessarily making college free and corching them about a top down governing them from a top down fashion fromruithin the beltway. Josh what is the political possibility that this gets through . This is a bold proposal. I think we have to look at this as a long term prospect. Fundamentally we are changing the idea, a century ago, high school was not universal. This is putting a marker down. In Todays Society in order to get into the middle class and fuel Economic Growth for the country we need more people with a college credential. Whether this gets through congress with the gridlock its going to be tough or part of the next election cycle, the idea is put forth that we need to take obold step to fundamentally reset our expectation for what it means to be are prepared to contribute to our economy and to move forward into the middle class. Andrew kelly, ill let you get the final word here. The political likelihood of taking this bold step. The political reality aside and the Technical Details of the proposal this is something we will now debate because it is on the national agenda. It is highly unlikely that it becomes a plank in the Political Program frankly. It will be talked about for the next decade i imagine. So it is time now to have a full debate about the right way to spend our dollars and the right way to make sure all students have access to an option that fits their needs. Okay, andrew kelly and josh wyner thank you so much for joining us. Woodruff terrorist attacks in france overshadowed the republican take over of congress this week. But we cover both these developments and more as we turn to the analysis of shields and brooks. Thats syndicated columnist mark shields and New York Times columnist david brooks. That is welcome gentlemen. Both of you. So weve been transfixed this week by the awful events in france and just a few minutes ago we reported the state department putting out a worldwide alert to americans traveling broad. What do we make of this . The thing about war is your enemies remind you who you are. We are reminded of our belief in pluralism and multiculturalism. How is europe going to react to this, will they go to the pen or will they not . Security issues back home i think about how we think about tolerance everyone i je suis charlie, im with Charlie Hebdo. But if this newspaper tried to open up on any College Campus they would run afoul of every Political Correctness or speech code because they are offensive in some ways. My point for this country if we are going to torment offensive talk or islamic radicals to tolerate offensive talk then we have to tolerate offensive talk. We have to invite speakers who are offensive sometime. This is a reminder we have cracked down on that and strangled debate. If you are going to stand up and say im with charlie then you ought to stand up at home i protect people even though they offend me. Mark, should the americans 30 about taking a stand on freedom of expression based on what happened . I think davids point on the debate and controversy and speakers are banned disinvited and so forth is absolutely legitimate. And valid. I do think judy, that this stoirt, not simply because of the story not simply because of the brutality but because of the targets, it was journalists. Journalists cover journalism. If it were 12 teachers 12 bankers, it wouldnt have had the same word wierld wide impact. It does attack basic freedom ofc expression. I think the reaction you ask what the take away will be, it will be predictable. And that is the terrorists will prevail in the sense that they will change the terms of the debate. We will become less welcoming, we will become less open. Well become more not just in europe but i just think thats the reaction. I think that it probably invites copy cat attempts given the level of attention that this is received. And legitimately so. And it is a fundamental question we then villainize an entire people. Religion. Which is a terrible consequence but a possible one. From actions like this. Given who the gillers were. Is it inevitable david there is just more suspicion now of people who are or look muslim because of Something Like that . I think its too early to tell. Say france, there have been a few things rising through european history through french history there have been a suspicious like in the rest of the world so there might be a turn to the extreme right to le pen party. There could be a ramming and it is certainly possible for most human beings to make a distinction between regular muslims and radicals. I was in israel nor the last two weeks and i frankly went to israel expecting that the country through many of the years i was going there, the last 20 years had turned more racist, more antiarab in general. People are still completely able to make the distinction between the good honest, respectful arabs, respectful muslims that are the virginia majority and the small number of islamists they are capable of making the distinction as most americans are. Im hopeful that will not turn into a group label as we did pretty much after 9 11. Where do you come down on this . An act like this strengthens the hand of those who are not welcoming, who are less inclusive, who are suspicious. I dont think its any question. If you are picking political futures right now, in france where president hollande has got the lowest ratings in the history of the fifth republic that you know, would say that lepenne, his predecessor, it has and toc lepenne as well. But i just think theres a natural closingdown, a concern for safety, and a concern to security, means that im willing to surrender some of those free documentation. I mean that is what the predictable reaction. I hope it doesnt result in villainizing and demonizing an entire group of people by their faith. We wouldnt want to do that to christians, of whom i am one, by the action he of the west bro Baptist Church or the ku klux klan who operated with a cross as their symbol. Im fearful of this especially ignorance and lack of knowledge and openness to each other leads to such suspicions. When theres an alert that goes out to americans wherever they are outside the country to be much more watchful. I do think one of the other things it underlines is why the nsa exists. Why weve had so many stories on the overreach and the whole Edward Snowden thing, and as we have heard earlier in the program we are less likely to disdain organizations, selfmotivated add least, need the technology that we have to supervise and try to intercept their communications. If we understand the cost, we are all freaked out about it. If thats the way to intercept these communications from brothers, thats a pricing a lot of us would at least consider. Woodruff but civil libertarians out there mark are saying no. Thats its worst enemy, when you start following meetings it raises the question of where their priorities are. Lets talk for a minute save a few minutes to talk about congress opened up new session, the republicans have taken over. Mark, are we looking for Something Different . We found it judy. Senator mcconnell the new majority leader in the senate has already told us the biggest growth in jobs, occurred because of americans anticipating the republicans taking over the senate. And you know, so i dont know what more difference you could ask for that we had 59 consecutive months, there was a long period of gestation and anticipation of the republicans taking over that led to this economic recovery. Woodruff tongue in cheek. I think they are anticipating they are getting their sea legs. We are going through groundhog day passing again what we passed before, whether its obamacare, limit the number of people covered by obamacare, that employers have to cover for those working 40 hours rather than 30 hours and turns out its going to cost 42 billion for the treasury which is not funded. The republicans are going to have to conclude they need a record to stand on. There has to be something, theyll be in some meeting with the president en on issues that rank and file democrats are not totally comfortable with fast track that the president and republicans endorse. Woodruff what should we look for . Ive been spending in advance of the republicans. My democratic friends taking prozac. A couple of things we need to look for. They need to pass stuff. They need to get stuff to president obamas desk. A couple of things they need to think about. They cant do it without moderate democrats. They have got to mark warren of virginia, people like that. Even if it is logs people to the right of their own party. For president obama or somebody tolls try craft a governing majority. Whether Mitch Mcconnell can do it ill be curious to see if hes creative enough to do it. 53 members of the senate have now served in the house thats a record. So they bring a different set of manners into the body. A6cj woodruff manners meaning better or worse. Worse the house operates in a certain way and it operates in a way where the majority just pummels the majority. If they bring that over, thats not good. I dont know if this is level or not. It is an amazing young body. Marco rubio is like the eighth from the bottom in the age. Many members were born in the 1970s. Woodruff they are really getting young. So i dont know what that will mean but its a different sort of body and well see what sort of leadership mcconnell brings. Speaking of coe rubio, its only of marco rubio. Its only january 9th, and jeb bush has announced a Political Action committee, right to rise. And mitt romney has told some donors its okay to say im running. I think jeb bush had a superb week forcing the hand of several other people including governor romney. Woodruff you think that would ham . Saying he will reveal the taxes hes paid over the last ten years, that will force people to do the same. Mitt romney has a chance judy to rewrite the first line of his obituary. The first line of the obituary mitt romney, governor of massachusetts died in ogden utah yesterday, he has a chance to win, he leads in the polls so its awfully tempting. Woodruff 20 seconds. I djx you can tell what kind of a conservative, by what year they want to go back to. They always tell him oh you should run you should run. Where he goes to the donors and they give him green money im skeptical. Woodruff green money. Mark shields, david brooks. Thank you. Woodruff finally tonight its been a big week for the latest advances in tech. A major gathering in las vegas is closely watched each year for a preview of the practical, the fanciful, the inspirational, and the sometimes puzzling devices heading to market. But theres a big change afoot in that world. Special correspondent Steve Goldbloom explains. Reporter you may have noticed ces2015 trending this week on twitter. Thats the consumer electronic show, and its more or lessc over 150,000 people from more than 140 countries are here to participate in the Worlds Largest tech gathering. For nearly 50 years, c. E. S. Has served as a launching pad for the tech industry, unveiling everything from the vcr and dvd to the xbox and bluray. But things are a little different this year. The conference is still a platform for major announcements like innovations in driverless cars. However, the headline this year is how everyday products are becoming more and more connected. Chris anderson is the c. E. O. Of 3d robotics. They make easytouse drones for recreational use. Hes also the former editorin chief of wired magazine and a veteran c. E. S. Attendee. You know, once Consumer Electronics were a dedicated category; sony made a camera or a stereo. And then, as more of those functions moved into the smartphone and more and more smartphone components moved out to wearables and the smart home and robotics, we saw this sort of explosion and now Consumer Electronics is essentially everything. Anything in your life or your home has sensors or computers and is connected to the internet, and it all comes here. Reporter its known as the internet of things, a sweeping theme here at c. E. S. Here on the showroom Floor Companies have setup shop for the week to demo their products. In keeping with vegas tradition, its not exactly low key. Apparently, this has something to do with health and tech. Reporter with more than 3,000 exhibitors on hand, we couldnt talk to everyone, but they were eager to chat with us. Heres our whirlwind tour of the latest connected gadgets ready to hit the market. My name is daniel shaw. Im a Product Marketing manager for fitbit. So everything you expect from fitbit the heartrate tracking we have all of that. And now were adding g. P. S. So you can track your splits and see how youre running throughout the day. My name is ellen pareye. I work for spinmaster. The difference from this robot from any other robot youre going to see in the show is that our robot can be easily programmed. We recognize your points, and as you move, he moves together with you. You can record his movements and his voice, as well. Watch the pbs newshour my name is ben ardist, and im the senior category manager for smart homes at whirlpool corporation. This is our interactive kitchen of the future. Not only does it have a cooktop that can recognize your cookwear, but it also has a backsplash. You can have your mom up on the screen helping you walk through that favorite pasta recipe. My name is scott newburger. Im the c. E. O. Of tagg. Tagg g. P. S. Is an allinone solution to protect your pet. It offers g. P. S. Tracking, so if your dog ever escapes from your house, youll immediately know and be able to bring them back. Im daniel cowan, one of the cofounders of three doodler, the first 3d printing pen. My name is mark. Im with double robotics, and this is our telepresence office robot double. What you do is, you can put this robot in your office and you can drive around as if you were actually there even though you cant make it one day. Reporter most of the products here at c. E. S. Share one thing in common theyre designed with connectivity in mind for the average consumer. From Wearable Health trackers, dog trackers, to a stove that gives you some virtual facetime with mom, its all supposed to make our lives easier. Still, its a lot to process. Once again, heres Chris Anderson weve spent 20 years recording our clicks and typing, and now its time to record the rest of our existence. Wearables track our own physical body, smart homes, smart cars et cetera. Were digitizing the world, and the question is, what do we do with that data . How do we manage the world better now that we can digitize it . So, you could actually send this robot here to c. E. S. And you wouldnt even have to come here anymore. Reporter i wouldnt need tojpbe here. Is that what youre saying . Exactly. If you take this, you dont ever have to come to c. E. S. Ever again. Reporter what if i wanted to come here, though . Reporting from c. E. S. For the pbs newshour in las vegas, im Steve Goldbloom. Woodruff again, the major developments of the day. A manhunt ended in france, as Police Killed two brothers whod slaughtered a dozen people in paris. Another gunman died in a separate shootout, along with four hostages. And the u. S. Economy added 250,000 jobs in december, making 2014 the best year for job creation since 1999. And a reminder about some upcoming programs from our pbs colleagues. Gwen ifill is preparing for washington week, which airs later this evening. Heres a preview ifill france becomes the focal point of the latest round of terror attacks az as islamic extremists target the police. We explain the standoffs tonight on washington week. Judy. Woodruff on pbs newshour weekend woodruff on pbs newshour weekend saturday, the latest on the attacks in france, and we continue the discussion on the tense relationship between minority communities and the police in american cities. And well be back, right here, on monday, with a conversation about the continued relevancy of the National Endowments for the arts and humanities, 50 years after they were established. Thats the newshour for tonight. Im judy woodruff. Have a great weekend. Thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. 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 this is nightly Business Report with Tyler Mathisen and sue herera. Report with Tyler Mathisen and sue herera. Help wanted. Coming off the strongest job growth in 15 years but one big problem with the december jobs report. Road block removed. A legal ruling clears the way for the Keystone Pipeline to proceed and the house of representatives approves its bill setting up a showdown in dc. Out of favor and ready for a comebackmented our market monitor has neglected stocks that are ready to rise. All that and more tonight for nightly Business Report, friday january 9. Welcome. Stocks did what theyve done all week. Register a triple digit move on the Dow Jones Industrial average. This one to the downside. There are plenty of reasons why. Oil slid again