>> major fundingor the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's 10-15 minute lessons are available asnen app, or on more information on babbel.com. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the lemelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developing countries. on the web at lemelsrg. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. t mmitted to building a more just, verdd peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the state of the union address may be the latest tdsualty of the partial government sn, now in its 26th day. the speech is set for january 29th, but house speaker nancy pelosi asked today that it be postponed. she cited security concerns, due to the shutdown. in a letter to president trump, pelosi wrote: "unless government pens this week, i sugges that we work together to determine another suitable date." meanwhile, south carolina rgpublican senator lindsey graham mr. trump to jump- start negotiations. >> he doesn't have to commit, but i think it would be smart for the president to heapeople out who want to have a pathway forward. but that's up to them. itif they think they can d some other way, do it. i'm not standing in your way. i just don't see another path. >> woodruff: the president did meet today with one group of lawmakers from both parties. meanwhile, the agriculture department recalled 2,500 employees to help process farm loans and tax cuments. they will work without pay. we get some insight now into ilutdown politics and possies, from both ends of pennsylvania avenue. i'm joined by white house correspondent yamiche alcindor and congressional correpondent lisa desjardins. welcome tooth of you. lisa, what do we know now about the timing of the state of the union? >> right. well speaker pelosi's office is being very careful because there were some republicans she may have overplayed her hand. she's asng the president to make one of two decisions. either hold the state of the elsen address somewher like the ovale office or for them to have to have connued talks how it could work at the capitol she does say it is ria se concerned for all the homeland security officer, secret service agens who have to work that event. however, the department of homeland security have said it's not a concern they have the eights to work it even if they're not going to be paid. it shouldn't be a problat. i think we're seeing here is democrats do fee like they're on a high ground. it's a question of lerage. there are democrat leader sources say there is a concern of security but they alsothink this is a president who wants a national stage, he is a showman and they do think there's a point of rench here in saying -- leverage here saying you will not have this platform if the shut down continues. >> woodruff: yamiche, what are they saying about this the white house? >> remarkably the white how has not formallresponded t speaker pelosi's letter. this is a president of course has talked a lot on twitternd in person about what he wants to , lk about in terms of border securi terms of the wall. but at this hour, i had sources telling me there was a white house statement put out sever b hours agut nothing has happened. the white house did retweeet, secretary of homeland security. i want to read it to you. the type ofomeland security and u.s. secret service are fully prepared to support and cure the state of the union. we think our mission, focus and dication for all they do each tay and to secure our homeland. that's imp because the president hasn't actually said hey i really want to still do this so as a result thatt's wha we have from that. i want to add there is some precedent here f the president possibly not delivering the state of the union in a way that we normally are used to heari him do that. in 1986president ronald reagan postponed because of the challeng and he said the day he was going to say the state of the union he said actually we're going to do a morning remembrance instad. also in 1944 president franklin d. roosevelt he delivered the state a union in fire side chat over a radio and he did that because he did not feel well and did not want go in front of congress. so that's a little bit of history there l. but asa said, the president is a show plan. he wants the plaform to talk about peerd security and talk about his demand for the wall. ave to goff: you back a way to find those precedence. lisa you got some repting today on the senate side of he capitol some ideas circulating. >> senator republicans were lunching today they almost felti there's at dart board where they are throwing ideas to get through this even it's really up to the president and house democrats. one idea that seems to get a little traction today. the chairman of the homeland security committee said that he wants a bill to pass that would pay those workers who are forced to stay on the job now. i talked to publicans in both chambers. they are very warm to that as are some democrats. so let's tch that. the question is, would the president support that. there is that bipartisagroup that lindsey graham is starting but right now judy, i don't have the time of fraction yet. >> woodruff: yamie back to you. we know the white house is trying to mitigate the effect of s as and we mentioned th moment ago on some of these inrkers who are furloughed by saying they are to get back pay but recalling them to worknow. remind us which workers are expected to show up and which are not? >> well the president and the heads of agencies are the number one people who can make the decision who can be considered essential and who has to go to work and who doesn't. part of that means the irs today ds ofcalling thous employees to process tax refunds. they are taking issue wit that. i talked to one source for a union who are for the irsem oyees and that person said this is really political winging and the presis using his power and the agency heads are using their power to recall people who is going to help them politically might be farmers who is the president's base. i want to read to you the definition what an essential or accepted employee is of the people who have to work when there is a furlough. people performing functions that would effect life, safe heal or property and they are deemed essential. ntose are people that the government esslly says you have to work without pay but unions are challenging that. they are saying there's an expanding definition and that's being used by the fred as a political employ. >> woodrufnally lisa what does it look like in the days ahead. >> house and senate are supp to recess next week. those are now canceled. they will be in town as long there's a shut down. it's also important next week judy monday and tuesday is the not drop day for payroll for the next paycheck. if the shut down continues in early next week that means those 800,000 federal workers will not miss one but two paychecks at the end of next week and of course the end of the month is usually when mortgages are due as well. >> woodruff: it's all very series. lisa desjardins and yamiche yamiche alcindor, thank you both. , woodruff: in the day's other neur americans-- two soldiers and two civilians-- were killed in northern syria. the u.s. military said an islamic state suicide bomber attacked a patrol in manbij. just last month, president trump announced u.s. forces will be leaving syria. we'll look at today's attack, and its implications, after the news summary. the death toll in kenya climbed to 21 today, including one american, in tuesday's attack on a hotel complex in nairobi. five al-shabab attackers, based in somalia, also died. the group said it was retaliation for the u.s. recognizing jerusalem as israel's capital. john ray of independent tele >> reporter: it's taken the best part of a day and much spilled blood for the kenyans to reconquer this corner ofheir capital. twice they called the all-clear only to be contradicted by the muffled sounds of battle. >> we are grieng as a country this morning, and my heart and that of every kenyan, goes out to the innocent men and womeed violy senseless violence. >> reporter: for some, the costs e e unbearable. this is rtuary where they come to claim the dead. this woman lost her husband, and her two young children, their father. >> one of the terrorists shot him at the back of the head. >> reporter: hhad no chance? >> no, he had no chance. >> reporter: mohammed's cousin died so too, a work colleague, as he ran from the terrorists' advance. >> we heard the gun shots that were very close. they were coming closer and closer. >> reporter: and the explosions? >> the explosions, defitely. it was very loud and we could hear it very intense. >> reporter: the silent images of the gunmen caught yesterday on security cameras somehow amplify the horror. beyond the security cordon, there is a crime scene and all the evidence that kenyans need to know that al-shabab is back in brutal business striking at one of nairobi's wealthiest and best defended suburbs, and yet in all, 700 of al-shabab's death trap. reunions that had seemed impossible and tales of miraculous escape late into the ght. >> and at one point she was like plutse tell me i'm getting o of here alive and i think that was just my breaking poi. >> reporr: but today they're asrying the dead and the fearful shadow of terroreturned. >> woodruff: that report from john rayf independent television news. a crackdown has begun in zimbabwe, amid violent protests over the government doubling fuel prices. officials say police have arrested more than 600 people. in the capital city, harare, they also seized an activist pastor at his home today. he's accused of inciting public violence through sociamedia. ome fuel price hike adds to an ec crisis that includes unemployment above 80%. british prime minister theresa may narrowly survived a no- confidence vote today, but it e s close. te was just 325 to 306 in may's favor. it came one day after parliament soundly rejecteder brexit deal. after today's vote, may told the use of commons she's eager to get back to work on a brexit plan b. we must all rk constructively together to set out what parliament does want. that's why i'm inviting mps from all parties to come toward to find a way forward. one that delivers on the referendum and can command the support of parliament. this is now the time to put self f:terests aside. >> woodrritain is due to leave the european union on march 29th. iran says the united states has detained an american-born journalist who works for iranian state tv today's announcement said marzieh hashemi was arrested shortly after landing at the st. louis internional airport on sunday. the f.b.i. had no immediate comment, but the reported arrest came after iran confirmed it has detained a u.s. navy veteran. over the decision to let president trump keep his lease il the government ing that houses his washington hotel. the inspector general of the general services administration says the agency has, qte, ignored concerns that the deal might violate the constitution. the clause does bar presidents from takinpayments from foreign government or from u.s. states. the white house today denounced congressman steve kinghis comments on white supremacy. the iowa republican had questioned why such terms are offensive. president trump has not directly voiced an opinion about king's remarks, but today, sp sarah sanders called the comments "abhorrent." king has denied he is a racist. new york senator kirsten gillibrand is the latest enmocrat to say she's running for presin 2020. she announced last night, joining at least fivrs in the race. gillibrand has been outspoken on sexual harassment, sexual assault in the military and equal pay. ind, on wall street, strong ea by big banks pushed stocks a little higher. w jones industrial avera gained 141 points to close at 24,207. the nasdaq rose 10 points, and the s&p 500 added five. still to come on the newshour: an attack in northern syria kills american special forces two freshman congressmembers learn the ropes on capitol hill. ce the president's nominee to head the e.p.a. questions, we take a look at the shutdown's effect on the agency, and much more. >> woodruff: the u.s. military sufferedts deadliest day in two american soldiers, a pentagon civilian, and an american contractor were killed, and three other americths wounded, icity of manbij, near the turkish borr. as nick schifrin reports, e four killed were among at least 16 dead in a suicide attack. >> schifrin: on a street in northern syria, the restaurant where u.s. troops were having a meeting, is tted. the building facade is crumpled. and the road is stained with blood. a closed circuit camera video posted to twitter shows the street before the attack, and the moment of the explosion. after, a u.s. military helicopter evacuatedhe wounded. these photos posted on facebook last month show what u.s. troops do in manbij. they conduct patrols in a local abrket, speak to residents, and try to maintain stility in a city liberated from isis more inan two years ago. 014, isis contolled huge heaths of syria, in black. today,.s. and its local ealies have seized all but this area in th. today's attack in manbij is hundreds of mil c away. but isimed responsibility. iand a u.s. official sayss has launched at least six major attacks in the last few weeks. but today at the state department, vice president mike pence repeated the administration's claim isis was vanquished. >> we're now actually able to aggin to hand off the fight nst isis in syria to our coalition partners and we are bringing our troops home. the caliphate has crumbled and isis has been defeated. >> schifn: there are about 2,000 u.s. troops in northern syria. administration and defense officials sathey will withdraw, but there's no deadline, and the details will yi worked out through talks with turkish president tayib erdogan. jday erdogan said the man attack wouldn't derail that atan. >> ( tran ): it could be construed that the attack was meant to impact mr. trump's decision. but think the honorable mr. trump's determination on this, is he won't stand backn the face of a terrorist attack. >> schifrin: but announcing the withdrawal, is exactly what made u.s. troops vulnerable, said trump ally senator lindsey graham. >> my concerns about statements made by president trump is that you'd set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we're fighting, and as they get bolder, the people we're trying to help are going to get more uncertain. >> schifrin: the people the u.s. has been helping are the syrian kurds. manbij was supposed to be the model for syria's future, bridging the difficult divide between the kurds, and these turkish forces, who consider the kurds terrorists. widay's attack could make a compledrawal more complicated. and it's a reminder u.s. troops remain in harm's way, said acting defense secretary patrick shannahan. >> our fight against terrorism is ongoing, and we will remain vigilant and committed to its chstruction. >> srin: and that means despite the order to withdrawal, u.s. troops will keep fighting t syria. today, aft attack, a local news crew captured u.s. troops driving through manbij, on another patrol. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin. >> woodruff: across the country, people who live in cities big and small are feeling the effects of the federal government shutdown. to get a local perspective, i'm joined by two mayors, from oklahoma city, mayor david holt, and from new london, connecticut, mayor michael passero. gentlemen, thank you both for being with us. mayor holt, i'm going to turn to you first. oklahoma city population about what, 645,000. how is it being affected by this shut down? >> yeah, i mean we've got 6450,000 in our city proper. we've got 1.3 million in theo. me so we've got a lot of federal employees.bo of course eve knows the federal building in oklahoma city because of what happened in 1995. so yes, they are affected. we as a city government are affected. we havera transitts that are not getting paid. we care most i think about our citizens that are not getting paid and we're also, you know, worried just like every city where an airport is what's going happen with t the weeks plead and if that's going to impact traves. we have a unique thing or in oklahoma city we're the home of the training centers. all of the traffic controllers are trained and educated right here in ondklahoma city they've shut that school dow. 've got studes here for a wemporary amount of time to train. e had generous apartment owners and landlords who are t ying to work with those students to flem while this goes on. but it affects the nation because we're already behid. we already have an air traffic controller shortage in this untry. we were hoping to graduate 1500 out of oklahoma city this year. right now we're not graduating or training anybo tdy. t's a unique thing we've got here in oklahoma city is the impact of the shut dow >> woodruff: that's something people are certainly going to pay attention to. playersero, new done sun, a popular city. but how are you being affected. >> we're quite bit small than oklahoma city at 27,000 people but we are very densely populated into five and-a-half huuare mile area and we're the urbafor a much larger metro area in south connecticut. we host four major coast guan institutionsthe coast guard is being severely impacted by hey'reut down because not part of the dod, they're part of homeland security. so their funding has been cut off. the coast guard academy has over a thousand cadets. they are continuing operations. but theil 300tary personnel and the 2550 seville gen personnel -- 250 civilian personnel are being affected. some work without pay. we host the coastuard rnd center in new london. we host the interna patrol and we have a working coast guard station that patrols ndd protects the water surrounding new n. and so fortunately, we have the governor, governor lamont has negoated an arrangement with the private ranking institutions to provide no interest loans to cover the lostec paych. he is of course, the employees are eligible for unemployment and there's military, a military fund, relief fund that's being mmade available f the state military office. and the community is reallyel pitching in to all these employees. there's pop up food fantanies volunteer organizations. >> woodruff: i want to ask you both about that. it is an important thing i think for all of us to be reminded of all these different jobs that federal employees do. it's almost as if this week we're being reminded again of just how many jobs are performed by federal workers. mayor holt, you mention in oklahoma city you have a e mmunity stepping up. give us a littre of a sense of that. what's being done to reach out, whether it's the training of air traffic controllers or the other firld workers whe are - federal workers who are affected. >> as i mentioned we've got landlords in town who are at this point generously working with the people living in, with , eir talents, the people live -- tenanople living in their apartments. what i've seen of the generous offers ty say we can o do this so long so we're certainly at a point where generous landlords run out of funds and resources. wet the city, we're working with our utility customers, obviously who are affected. i even had a gtleman rea out to me this week, he's an irs employee still woring but he parks in one of our parking garages down an town and he didl like he could cover the parking. we are working with that and trying to delay some ofhose costs. we're trying to pitch in ande certainly ar happy to do that. but at some point people's ability to do thatill run out. >> woodruff: what about that mayor passero, are you begi to get a sense that this just can't, these kinds of indivoridl s of help just can't go on indefinitely. >> well that cetainly would the case but we are a very strong military co.uni we also host the naval submari base and electric folks across the river in groton. it's a very large community and the military takes care their own. so our community is ready to stand with the empl iyethe active duty personnel that are real suffering under this shuta down. >> woodruff: what a lot of people don't realize is the coast guard does not fall under the department of defense it falls under department of homeland security which is one of the agencies that is notnc oning, they're not paying employees right now. i want to finally ask both of you, you are leaders in your community. you are the leader of your city vernment. mayor holt, as you look at what's gone on in washington betweethe president and the congressional leadership, what do you make of it? >> well you know, judy, as a mar if i told my citizen we were shutting the government down, it would not be acceptable. keeping the lights on is basically the bear minimum requirement for competency and i don't think there's any good reason to shut down the government. i do not believe that shoul ever be a tool for leverage no matter what theolicy discussion is about. and so as a mayor, we have to and i'm sure i speak for my colleague also on thism sent. we have to keep our services out there for our citizens. that's what we're expected to do. and so if i had any message to anybody in d.c. who has power to correct this sittion, it would be this is not an acceptable outcome. no mattewhat you feel abou the different issues at play, e''vgot to get the government running again ande got to get these people back to work. at woodruff: mayor passero, bout you. what do you make of this and what should happen. >> i would agree wi all of that 100%. some of the behaviors we're tnessing down in washington right now, i certainly hope that the children are not watching. we're thankcoful in the sd congressional district in connecticut we have a great human being and wonderful representative in congress courtney and i think it's neally, i hear the mayor of oklahoma city, i tk he reflects the bipartisan attitude of most of our repsentatives in washington. so they have to get the attention of the lavdership, theyto get the leadership to get this done and get the vvernment running again. >> woodruff: juy quickly. does either one of you want to suggest in a sentence what they should do to resolve this.? mayor ho >> it's the thing we do in ever city in america. we compromise and we get it done. we have no choice but to be effective and that's with what has to happen here. >> woodruff: mayor passero.>> bsolutely. compromise. either side is going to get everything they want we simply owve to compromise and get it down >> woodruff: we hope they're listening. maybe they are. mayor davihot of oa oklahoma city and mayor passero of new ndon, connecticut. gentlemen, thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: the supreme court declines to hear the case of veterans claiming they were exposed to toxic smoke. we speak with a turkish n.b.a. player who refuses to travel to london, fearing that agents of presidt erdogan might be waiting for hiiq and a un court in boston gives homeless people a second chance. the congressional freshman class of 2019 is the largest in decades. with them comes a change in emrty leadership, as well as generational andraphic shifts. congressional correspondent lisa desjardinspent time with two newly-elected members as they navigated their rst days in office, during the longest government shutdown in u.s. history. >> desjardins: in a back hallway of a congressional office building, change has come, in a wave of people and hugs. former c.i.a. officer and democrat abigail spanberger is minutes from becominew member of congress. desks and shelves inside are empty, computers not all set up. but the doors are open and so many of her virginia supporters have come. >> attention everyone! >> desrdins: ...that spanberger needs a chair to be heard. >> i'm looking forward to getting to work very shortly, so please excuse me i might disappear. because i really want sworn in and i don't want to miss that. >> reporr: two floors below, it's also day one for republican denver riggleman. >> thanks dad! >> reporter: he's surrounded by his three daughters, and a new world. understanding the vote schedule... o time remaining doesn't mean that it's closed. .. desjardins: testing the phon >> congressman riggleman here, s:s, pepperoni pizza, please. >> desjardnd trying to open his window. his district runs in a long stripe through virginit to abby spanberger's. together they literally form the center of a purple state. like spanberger... air force veteran and distillery owner riggleman has never held political office before. they have everything to learn, g including how et from their offices to the house cmber for votes. add to this, they are taking office in the middle of a government shutdown, and immediately faced votes on whether to back democrats' bill to reopen most of government - without funding a border wall. >> we went from the open house to the swearing in, keep running, running, running and straight into votes. yd so it made it really real on the first day wh cast that first vote. >> i think it's like a you know exhilaration wrapped in chaos, right with a lot of spicy mustard. that's pretty much what it's like. >> and of course i was voting to reopen the government wh ih is incredibactful for me as a former federal employee. rs you put your voting card in but the vote, like wait a second, you look up and your name is up on the big board right, it's like the you know the jumbotron for congressmen and congresswomen and you get goosebumps. like i have some 7,030 people who are relying on me right now to represent the and some are going to agree some are not going to agree. but that vote means something. >> desjardins: they both voted with their party, but both, sitting down with us, expressed frustration. >> i can't speak to what it is but i can speak to the fact that my district wants us to stop this.nt my district us to get the government functioning my distri wants to not see disagreement after disagreement and fight after fight. >> desjardins: her district voted for president trump in 2016, and was represented by consertive dave brat. when spanberger upset him, she become the first democrat to represent the area in nearly 50 years. so speaker pelosi's current message, no talk of border barriers and pointing at president trump, does not sync up with spanberger's voters. >> yeah, i mean, i think both sides need to come to the table and need to say what's the goal? because i th perspective that's the challenge. i have voters in my district saying, you know what's happening? >> it's a tough one. i was i was elected to me tough votes so i made it. >> desjardins: riggleman told us bo thinks the president is right to push foer wall money, for now. but he also believes both parties e missing something. and i would say that i believe if we can change some of the language and verbiage from just 'build the wal to 'comprehensive border security,' you know with physical barriers with looking at defensive of depth, i actually think someing could get done. i think you see i would say moderates on both sides, independents, even far right far reft, are saying we have to do something >> desjardins: we asked them both what words they'd use to describe it all, the first days, the high stakes. >> adjectives... oh goodness. the first would be awestruck, second would be terrified. the third one to be honored the fourth one would be terrified. >> i mean i think it's, it's interesting, heart wrenching, exciting, i don't know what's the adjective that comes with ahh... exasperating? >> desjardins: there is some t pe that their freshman class, the largnce the '70s and full of first-time candidates, could be its own gravitational force. >> there's so many people and maybe every year that people come in and say they want to change things and maybe lose steam. there are so many of us that there's justwe're going to be further propelled. i think it's undeniable that there will be a monumental change with this class in various places. >> i honestly believe there are d ople here that haven't been chan d.c. i don't think there's a whole lot of them. miwould hope, you know what i could tell you a p, that wouldn't be true, i would hope that if i feel like i'm being changed i'd walk away. >> desjardins: they are outsiders-- the next year will show what they change and if washington changes them. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. >> woodruff: like most government agencies, the e.p.a. has been affected by the shdown. today the acting chief of the environmental protection agency, andrew wheeler, had hi confirmation hearing before a senate committee so he could serve in the job permanently. wheeler took over the agency this summer after scott pruitt resigned amid multiple inveigations. before he joined the trump administration, wheeler lobbied on behalf of coal industry and critics say that creates ethical problems as well. as acting chief, he's delivered on a promise of deregulation that the president campaigned and is strongly welcomed by many business and farming voices. wheeler oversaw rollbacks on car fuel standards, mercury emissions standards and federal water rules. he has also downplayed the overwhelming scientific consensus on the threat of climate change. today, senator bernie sanders roed in on that. >> do you agree with the scientific community that climate change is a gbal crises that must be addressed in an aggressive way? >> i believe that clite change is a global issue that must be addressed global no one country -- >> that wasn't my question, sir. do you agree with the scientific community. >> i would not call it the greatest crises, those. i consider it huge issue that has to be addressed gbally. >> you are -- i found it interesting, mr. wheeler. you are the nominee to be head ofe the nvironmental protection agency. just in your opening statement did not mention theord climate change. >> woodruff: during his hearing, the shutdown came up several times. we talked to two environmental reporters today who are focused on that very issue. coral davenport of the new york times has been covering how inspections of chemical factories and many other industrial sites are not happening right now. or typically these inspe these epa, engineers and scientists would be going to places like power plants, oil refineries, chemical facilities, chemical manufacturers, and thee woulooking for things like are these facilities complying th the law. are they keeping their emission levels in accordance with the law. pm they have any broken eqt. do they have hardous material on site that's suppose bned to be taken out and dealt with. are they dumping toxic chemicals in rivers and streams which might be an easy way to get of things. none of this is being overseen right now. >> woodruff: not all of these potential violations are dangous but davenport told there are far more than the public realizes. >> i tked to a furloughed eps worker who oversees these inspections and she says thot every inspection she has ever done she finds some kind of maybe not an extremely hazard occupies violation but always -- hard occupies violation but something that could be dangerous. with the shut down now going into a few weeks, this is ndreds and hundreds of these inspections around the country that are not happning and facility owners that know that for the foreseeable futuree thes inspectors will not be on site. >> woodruff: she also told usni most com would not seek to take advantage of this gap in inspections but the risksi reman real. >> more than 90% industries are pretty good actor ds. theyyou want want to break the law, they don't want to be fined. a lot of times theseoniolati of pollution rules are unintentional. a site might have a piece of equipment that's broken that a oumpany might not know about that be leaching hazardous material, hazardous waste. so thinspectors i talk to say this is putting communities absolutely at risk of being exposed to potentially toxic hazardous chemicals or waste from industrial sites. >> woodruff: inspections are not the only concern. ellen knickmeyer of the associated press has been reporting on the stoppage of lang time work and clean up that spur fund toxic waste sites nationwide. here's some of what she told us. >> there are hundreds of sites around the countrythat include some of the most contaminated sitein the u.s. ey could be old mines. they could be old factories, places that are confamiliar nated by chemicals or raid -- contaminated by chemicals or radiation. workers would be helping with the imlean up with spur fund sites allround the country and that's not happening with the shut down. the people towe talke including former epa spur fund tofficials, they said ifhe shut down was one or two weeks that' not as big a problem. but as time goes on and as the risk of some kind of flood or rain or something that causes problems increases, then the riskof something going on for the public livid g aroune site increases. >> woodruff: the ap ellen knickmeyer and we will watch all these concerns in the days.o co >> woodruff: last night, the supreme court rejected an appeal in a case where veterans sought to sue private military defense contractors for allegedly making them sick by burning toxic materials and garbage of all kinds in war zones. hari sreenivasan has an update to our original sty. >> we had a burn units put your uniform on your vehicle. >> >> sreenivasan: retired lt. col. rick lamberth was one of those veterans. we spoke to him four years ago. he told us because of his the american operations mayor h rned thousands of tons of trand material over the years. for the past decde, veterans of those wars have sued a number of major defense contractors including kvr for the way theyos dispe of guard budge on mayor treeasis. all kinds of things went up in smoke including items that ar uall kinds of things wentin smoke, from batteries, paint, solvents and tires, to elwspapers, plastic water bottles, styrofoamtronic styrofoam and shipping materials such as plastic wrap. we spoke to lambert four years ago he told us exposurto burned pit smoke caused lung illness but forced him to use inhalers. >> i can no longer run. i don't have the stamina at onen time i could five or six and-a-half miles at a time. today i cough and people look at me like i'm a smoker. i have a lot of phlegm and a lot of mucous from it. sometimes it's embarrassing. >> hundreds of thousands of veterans who served in these wars were exposed to thisind of smoke because it permeated the basis where they lived. starting in 2008, veterans began filing lawsuits. last year the fourth u.s. circuit court of appeals cite with a defense contractor kbr and the defense department. the court sd it had no jurisdiction to rule on the case and kbr washe acting under orders of the u.s. military. nost night the u.s. supreme court nced it would not take up the case which has 800 named plaintiffs filed in 60 cases. they will now have no further legal recourse. we spoke to rick lambert today. >> my reaction to hearing that the supreme court had died the case about the burning pits is upsetting, disconcerting. the system and the politicians just sacrifice t veterans again. it's just a modern day equivalent to agent orange and we wait until the maximum number of veters die off. >> >> sreenivasan: kbr on the other hand issued a statement saying, "the supreme court made the rrect decision and we ar pleased that this legacy case has reached final resolution." and they said the courts confirmed that "the u.s. military made all the key decisions regarding waste management in the wa. as kbr has consistently stated, the limited number of burn pits operated by kbr were operated at the direction d under the control of the u.s. military." street run activists say they will now a congress to pass legislation to provide medical and financial assistance to those whose lives have been injured from export to burn pit for the pbs newshour, i'm hari screenivasan. >> woodruff: since surviving a coup attempt in 2016 and consolidating his power, turkish president recep tayyip erodgan ess cracked down on dissenting von his country, rounding up thousands of political opponents and jailing dozens of journalists. he's been heavily criticized by human rights groups and some world leaders. but one of his most vocal critics today isn't a politici athlete. professional ysd, as amna nawaz tells us, he e's speaking out because he fears for his own life. enes karnlt is an nba player who is now in theth year in the league. he's now a center for the new york nicks and his strong criticism offered one calling him a lunatic and dictator an hitler of our century placehim in the leaders cross hairs. in 2017 he was briefly detained overseas when turkey canceled his passport and issued a warrant for his arrest. today cante kanter is not traveg because he's awarered one supporters arrest. welcome to the newshour. >> thank you, i appreciate it. >> it's beeneported that a prosecutor has filed what's called a red notic interpol that's basically seeking your extradition bacto turkey. have you gotten notifiation about that. >> i heard the news this morning. they put the order while my team were flying and they were still in the air and the turksh government assumed i would be on t e plane and that's why they red notice under my name on iterpol. so if i would go to london as soon as i left the plane, theyd corest me there. >> you're guessing that's what happened, right. you haven't gotten official notification. >> that's all over the turkish news and i believe that it happened. >> so the turkish government is thsically accused you of being a member of what say is an armed terrorist group andhat's based on your friendship with someone here in exile and was blamed on the 2016 coup attempt. what's your relationship with him. >> i see him once every two orre weeks. it's funny because i remember friday night i was sitting in the same room with him and then his assistant brought him news and he said there's a coup that happened in turkey and i was shocked and he was shocked. later onered one ca out and said --ered one came out and said that. there's no way this isru, this is happening. that's why i was trying to explain the whole world who i was with that night and that did not happen. >> you meet with him every two or three weeks. why is that. >> i cackot go bto my country. every time i go there ei listn eat turkish food and hang out with turkish people. it's like family there for me. >> it's a fay outside of turkey for you. do you know whether he had ything to do with the 2016 coup attempt. >> he didn't have anything to do with it because i was with m that night. mpu have to look at the coup atthere were 80,000 people in the jail and there are women and 700 babies are in jail right now with their families. >> let me ask you about your del sion not to travth your team to london. what specifically are you worried uld happen if yowent to london or traveled anywhere outside the u.s. right now. >> i was gettng backtracked almost once or twice a week. after i made tha >> are you getting the threats. >> mostly on social media. after i made the london commt getting hundreds and hundreds every day. so i did not want to go to some foreign country that especially in europee wher edogan is everywhere. turkish government is very famous for hunting down people especially in eurpe. and he kidnapped around a hundred people, teach journalists. that's why i do not want to go there and risk my life. >> you're worried you would be talked by one of his supporters, kidnapped or deta tined. at's right. >> how do you know you're safe here in the u.s. in thenow there's lov u.s. and i believe u.s. nothing can ppen. in the u.s. but outside of the u.s. i don't refely feel anywhere else. >> you were on capitol hill meeting with a bunch of senators thd members of congress. what were meetings about. >> it was amazing. we talked abouturkey,we talked about erodgan is abusing human rights. we're talking about people in prison right now. we're talking about the woma in prison waiting for help. iney keep asking me. why are you this. i said, i play in nand i have a platform. i'm using the platform for the people in turkey who don't have one. >> did you request those meetings or did they ask you. >> i did. >> whaare you asking for. >> anything. anything they can help because i'm trng to use myself for innocent peo dle and trying something quite awareness. >> m you've beenting with members of congress here. have you met with anyone from the white house or the administration. >> i have not but i really want to and i hope i will get to talk to trump one day and talk about the issues. >> what would you hope to say to him. >> i would s that erodgan is violating human rights in turkey. i want to say do something, not for me but all of the citizen people thousands and thousands of people in turkebecause they are really waiting for help. >> tell me about your family. they are still back in turkey. >> my family is still back in turkey my mom, my dad and my sister. >> your father i understand is currently being prosecuted on charges of being a member of the terrorist group. >> he's actually in trial mid march he's facing 15 years in jail. >> what is your father's background. what's the basis of though charges. >> being my dad. >> based on his relationshipo you believe those charges have been brought. >> es. >> have you spoken with your family recently. >> i havn't seen myamily for three years. last time i talked to them long time a. >> why is that. >> because when they come to id my house in 2017 they took electronics away, computers away. they want to know if i'm in tack with my -- contact with my family or not. they risk being in jail. i'm not going to risk my famil my mom and dad and they see one text and they are i jail. just not communicate with them. >> so the turkh onis government -- turkish government ssnceled your passport. you have somethingd by the u.s. government but you're not a citizen here. where is home for you. you want to stay herein the u.s. do you want to go back to turkey one day. >> a lot of peope callme homeless. the guy without a country. but do you know what, i feel like an american. i really feelike an american because of all the support i'm getting from americans, from my teammates and my friends. zen becoming an american ci in 2021 and i cannot wait. >> you're in the process now. >> i've got two years yes. >> enes kanter thank you very much. dr i appreciate it. >> wf: amna spoke with kanter yesteay >> woodruff: wind up in dgont of a and the stakes are high: not only the prospect of doing jail time or paying a fine, but also carrying a criminal a cord. but as tina martin at pbs station wgbh in boston reports, there's oncourt that offers a second chance. >> reporter: in more tn two decades as district court judge, the honorable kathleen coffey has sentlenty of people to jail. >> hear yea, hear yea, all persons having business before the horable judge kathleen coffey. >> reporter: but her goal on this day is to keep them out. is is homeless court, he once a month at the pine street inn, the largest organization for homeless services in new england. >> when you're homeless, you are more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system because of your interactions e reet with police. >> many who end up here >> reporter: many who end up here areattling addiction. >> i'm coming up on two years off heroin this january. >> reporter: this man asked that we call him by his first name d ly, mathew. en though he's clean now, an arrest for drug possession from years ago stayed his record >> it's kind of a roadblock to securing employment. >> reporter: like all the defendants in this courtroom, social workershand prosecutors -picked his case. they have be homeless or cing homelessness, and have done the hard work of getting their lives back together. everything from rehab to job training, on this damatthews case was dismissed. >> so keep up the good work. >> we are removing legal barriers, that being default ts, that interfere with the placement of an individual into permanent housing. >> reporter: judge coffey has presided over holess court here inside the pine street in ndnce 2010 and says since then she has dismissed ds of low level felonies and misdemeanors, including a drug possession charge on barbara parham's record. >> i just knew that i had to get rid of i and it was something that was gonna hinder me, job wise, living wise. felt like it was a mistake and how can i have this corrected without making it a big to do or being embarrassed. >> reporter: this time last year parham was homeless and nervous about the idea of showing up in a courtroom. >> you're homeless so you're a little on the shabby side. when they told me about homeless court and where it was and how it was held, a very private setting, i felt safe and comfortable enough to go. >> reporter: the charge was dismissed, and parham says she got her life back. she now has an apartment. >> my life to me was a total disaster. towas jobless, homeless. and from then ow, with the help of pi street, i was able to. >> reporter: in her own home, something matthew hopes to have soon. >> good luck. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, i'm tina martin in boston. >> woodruff: on the newshour online right now, more young americans are becoming caregivers to elderly or disabled family members. according to a recent study, putting them under considerable stress as they seek to balance their loved ones' needs with their own work, finances and need to care for their children. read more about the findings and the causes on our web site, pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. ne majorunding for the pbs wshour has been provided by: >> ordering takeout. >> finding the west route. >> talking for hours. >> planning for showers. >> you can do the things you like to do with a wireless plan designed for you. with talk, text and data. consumer cellular. learermore at consllular.tv >>a abbel. nguage app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individus. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to ur pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> buon giorno. i'm lidia bastianichand teaching you about italian food has always been my passion. the kitchen is a beautiful place es be creative, so it's en you should give it all the love u've got. so join me and learn how to celebrate italian style. it's gonna get better and better. tutti a tavola a mangiare! venite! ♪ >> funding provided by... >> calabria. crystal-blue seas. rocky coasts and sandy beaches. national parks. ancient ruins and historical sites. traditions still survive in calabria. >> at cento fine foods, we're dedicated to preseing the culinary heritage of authentic italian foods by offering over 100 specialty italian products for the american kitchen. cento. trust your family with our family.

Related Keywords

New York , United States , Jerusalem , Israel General , Israel , United Kingdom , Iran , Washington , Boston , Massachusetts , New London , Connecticut , Whitehouse , District Of Columbia , Nairobi , Nairobi Area , Kenya , Virginia , Syria , Somalia , London , City Of , Germany , Harare , Mashonaland East , Zimbabwe , Iowa , Italy , Capitol Hill , Spain , France , Turkey , Italian , Americans , America , Spanish , French , Kenyans , Turkish , British , German , Kenyan , American , Rick Lamberth , Amna Nawaz , Judy Woodruff , Enes Kanter , Lindsey Graham , Andrew Wheeler , Tina Martin , David Holt , John Ray , Hari Sreenivasan , Rick Lambert , Lisa Desjardins ,