official ordered wiretaps of the country's president. >> brown: and we close with two science stories: paul solman raises disturbing questions about a future full of high tech advances. >> there are 60,000 pacemakers in the united states that connect to the internet. it's great when you're suffering from an arrhythmia and your doctor can remotely shock you, but what happens if the kid next door does that? >> woodruff: and we talk with maria klawe, president of harvey mudd college, about her mission to bring more women into scientific fields. >> you get them into an intro to computer science course that is absolutely fascinating and fun and creative. you have them have so much fun that they just can't believe this really computer science. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> citi turns 200 this year. in that time, there have been some good days and some difficult ones. but through it all, we persevered. supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. 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: for the first time since world war two, a head of state has been convicted of war crimes. the verdict came today at the hague, in the netherlands, against charles taylor, former president of liberia. we begin with a report from alex thomson of independent television news. >> reporter: it took judge richard lussick well over two hours to read out his verdict. but that's after a trial that lasted five-- yes, five years. >> the trial chamber unanimously finds you guilty of aiding and abetting the commission of the following crimes, and planning the commission of the following crimes. >> reporter: murder, rape, using child soldiers, mutilation, sex slavery. charles taylor, the former liberian leader, planned and abetted hundreds of thousand of these offenses over a three year war fought by his militias in neighboring sierra leone. charles taylor used diamond money to fund his proxy forces fighting in sierra leone. >> today is for the people of sierra leone who suffered horribly at the hands of charles taylor and his proxy forces. this judgment brings some measure of justice to the many thousands of victims who paid a terrible price for mr. taylor's crimes. >> reporter: that price still very obvious in sierra leone today and in the hague, too. violent militias run by heads of state. human rights groups have been quick today to say it's a huge message that nobody is now above the law. they're sincere but entirely wrong as defense counsel courtenay griffiths q.c. pointed out. >> have we forgotten nicaragua? have we forgotten el salvaldor? have we forgotten the mujahadeen in afghanistan? whether you're the president of the united states or the prime minister of britain, if you engage in such covert activities and crimes are committed, yes, haul them before an international court. >> reporter: but limited justice it'll be argued is better than no justice at all, and in that regard, a little history was made here today. >> brown: for more, we turn to eric stover, director of the human rights center at the university of california at berkeley. he has participated in several criminal investigations of international leaders. so, eric stover, how significant is this conviction and why? >> oh, it's very significant. it's historical for several reasons. first, as you pointed out earlier in the tape, this is the first conviction since nuremberg just after world warle two of a former chief of state who is held culpable for crimes against humanity. second-- and i think this is really most important-- the 11-year war ended in 2002 in sierra leone and the fog of war lifted people came to realize that the person behind the mass terror and destruction that took place in their country was charles taylor. so they're seeing a measure of justice, as the prosecutor said. thirdly, it's important to look at the... what he was convicted of. charles taylor wasn't at the helm ordering these crimes but he was behind the scenes planning and aiding and abetting making millions of dollars for his government's coffers and his personal coffers. this has sent a message that those who will profit from arms trading, those who will profit from the suffering of others can be held accountable in international court. >> pelley: well, eric, i was wondering... i want to stop you there because i was wondering about that. so you're suggesting that the fact that they found him guilty of aiding and abetting as opposed to actually controlling the militias or commanding the militias might have a wider implication for other cases out there? >> absolutely. look in the trial of the srebrenica massacre, general khristich was actually convicted of aiding and abetting, yet he was there at the crime. aiding and abetting has been present in our trials ever since 1994 in these courts so aiding and abetting means that that that individual is being held responsible for the behind-the-scenes operations and the fact that he gained money from this and that he knowingly, was fully aware, of the crimingss being committed. so this pushes international law further out and can grab more of those who are responsible for these crimes. >> brown: what about the process as you look more broadly at these cases of international justice. there's been criticism of the length of time, the money involved. this case took five years, lots of money. there's been some criticism that these efforts can lead to a kind of circling of the wagons. it makes leaders less willing to lead voluntarily going to exile to other countries. where are we now when you look at the broader situation? >> well, listen, justice is the thing that's always about to happen. it is tough. it's going to take time. but if you ask the question how much destruction was brought about by that 11-year war compared to the cost of a five-year trial. and the fact that sending out a signal to those that leaders can be brought to justice is extremely important. you know, it was said just after day t dayton accords in 2005 that by bringing the war criminals to justice in bosnia, the war would break out again. well, look what happened. here we are with 161 indictees at the yugoslavia court, all of them brought in and there's still peace in bosnia. so, yes, it's difficult. it takes yes commitment on the part of government. it's not easy. but it is a first step towards assuring peace in the long run. >> and briefly, of course, in the case of charles taylor, there's still sentencing to come. there may be an appeal, i guess, right? >> well, he has an appeal and the stiffest sentence that's been handed down for the six others is 52 years so it could be anywhere in that range up to life in prison. the important thing is the message that it's sending to the sierra leone people and those potential perpetrators in the future. >> and this, of course, was a special court set up for sierra leone. this disbands, i gather, after this case, but you're saying the quest, these other kinds of courts, the i.c.c. in particular those go on. >> that's right. the international criminal court. take, for instance, the case of omar al-bashir of sudan. in 2011 he traveled to kenya yet the kenyans signed on to the i don't think statute of court and they didn't arrest him. he left but now the ministry of justice in kenya has an arrest warrant out for him. so if he comes back, the importance is that government stand up and support these courts and for the international criminal court to really be effective we need to get the united states on board. >> pelley: eric stover, thanks so much. >> woodruff: still to come on the "newshour": rupert murdoch's apology; allegations of wiretapping in china; high anxiety over high tech breakthroughs and getting more women into science. but first, the other news of the day. here's kwame holman. >> holman: the supreme court of pakistan has convicted prime minister yousuf raza gilani of contempt. it stemmed from his refusal to pursue a corruption case against president asif ali zardari. the ruling carried only a symbolic sentence of less than a minute in detention, allowing gilani to stay in power. in afghanistan, three u.s. troops were killed today in a bomb attack in the east. nato also announced a man wearing an afghan army uniform shot and killed a u.s. service member late wednesday, in the south. the gunman was killed when coalition forces returned fire. there've been at least 16 such attacks this year against american or other foreign forces. the u.s. secret service widened its investigation of a prostitution scandal today. the probe was extended to include previous presidential travel overseas. the latest allegations predate the scandal that exploded two weeks ago, ahead of the president's trip to colombia. the secret service now says it's pursuing a report by seattle television station-- kiro. according to that account, agents hired strippers and prostitutes in march, 2011, in advance of a president obama's visit to el salvador. the station reported a local contractor said agents drank to excess and brought prostitutes to their hotel. at the white house today, spokesman jay carney reiterated the president's view. >> he believes that every american who travels abroad representing the united states should behave himself or herself in accordance with the highest standards of probity and dignity. >> holman: earlier this week, "the washington post" reported senior agency managers have tolerated similar behavior during official trips. the report said agents spent a long night drinking and going to strip clubs during a 2009 trip to argentina for former president clinton. >> the allegations are inexcusable, and we take them very seriously. >> holman: just yesterday, homeland security secretary janet napolitano condemned the colombian incident, and assured senators there likely was no pattern of misconduct. >> what the director is doing is really reviewing training, supervision, going back, talking to other agents, really trying to ferret out whether this is a systemic problem. if it is, that would be a surprise to me. >> holman: but texas republican senator john cornyn said today the new reports show the need for a wider probe. >> it does concern me, and that's why we need a thorough investigation. not just by the white house, not just by d.h.s., but by congress. >> holman: so far, eight secret service agents have been forced out, and one has lost his security clearance, as a result of the colombian episode. three were cleared of wrongdoing. the pentagon still is investigating a dozen military personnel who were implicated. in economic news, first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell only slightly last week. and, a rolling average was the highest in three months. but wall street shrugged off the news, and focused instead on upbeat earnings reports. the dow jones industrial average gained nearly 114 points to close at 13,204. the nasdaq rose nearly 21 points to close at 3,050. the political fight over student loans heated up today. house speaker john boehner blasted president obama for traveling to college campuses in three battleground states this week. at each stop, the president pressed republicans to support holding down interest rates on student loans. but boehner accused the president of campaigning on the taxpayers' dime and manufacturing an issue to boot. >> here's the president wasting time on a fake fight to try and gain his own reelection. these are the kinds of political stunts and frankly they aren't worth it and worthy of his office. this is the biggest job in the world and i've never seen a president make it smaller. >> holman: in response, white house spokesman jay carney insisted this week's trip was for legitimate presidential business and not campaigning in disguise. >> the president was arguing on behalf of a policy that he believes is essential. he was calling on congress and will continue to call on congress to act to fix a problem that if not fixed will negatively effect millions of students across the country. and he'll continue to do that as part of his job. >> holman: the house votes tomorrow on a republican measure to prevent interest rates from doubling on federal student loans in july. the $6 billion to cover the cost would come from a public health fund under the president's health reform law. democrats favor paying for the bill by imposing new taxes on owners of some privately held corporations. the government of syria and the opposition traded blame today over an explosion that killed at least 16 people. it happened wednesday in the city of hama. the blast apparently flattened part of a residential area. activists posted video of the explosion, and blamed intense shelling by government forces. state t.v. ran graphic images of bodies. it said opposition bombmakers accidentally set off the blast. israel's military chief said today various countries are prepared to strike iran to stop it from building nuclear weapons. lieutenant general benny gantz spoke in jerusalem. he did not name the countries, but he did say this. >> there's no doubt that the iranians are seeking for military nuclear capability. there is no doubt that they should never get there, and there is no doubt that they will never get there. the military force is ready to use, not only our force but other forces as well. we all hope that there will be no necessity to use this force but we are absolutely sure of its existence. yesterday, gantz said he believes the iranian regime will decide, on its own, not to build a nuclear bomb. israel's political leaders have taken a more wary view of iran's intentions, but gantz denied today there's any internal rift over the issue. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to jeff. >> brown: and we turn to the fallout from the phone-hacking scandal in britain. today, 81-year-old media magnate rupert murdoch took the stand for a second day, as a judicial panel continued its probe. we begin with a report from paul davies of "independent television news." >> reporter: darkened windows offered some protection from the attention of the photographers, but rupert murdoch always knew this was the uncomfortable day he'd have to explain the criminality that took place at a newspaper he owned. addressing the phone hacking at "the news of the world," he made a blunt admission: >> i have to admit that some newspapers are closer to my heart than others, but i also have to say that i failed. >> that may be... >> and i'm very sorry about it. >> reporter: he conceded there had been a cover up of the criminal activities of the news of the world, but then claimed he and those at the top of his empire had also been victims of it. >> i think the senior executives were all misinformed and shielded from anything that was going on there. i do blame one or two people for that. there's no question in my mind, that maybe even the editor, but certainly beyond that, someone took charge for a cover up. >> reporter: the media tycoon said his mistake was being more interested in the other newspapers in his stable. >> when allegations were first made against "the news of the world's" former royal editor clive goodman, he says he personally should have taken charge. >> i should have gone and thrown all the damn lawyers out of the place. and seen mr. goodman one on one. >> reporter: he admitted it was the public outrage at the hacking of murdered schoolgirl millie dowler's phone, that drove him to close "the news of the world." >> to say it succinctly, i panicked. but i'm glad i did. and i'm sorry i didn't close it years before, and put a sunday "sun" in. this whole business of the "news of the world" is a serious blot on my reputation. >> reporter: his evidence had taken seven hours to give. it had been part contrition but 100% a denial of any personal knowledge or involvement in wrongdoing. >> brown: ray suarez takes it from there. >> suarez: john burns has been covering the inquiry for the "new york times" and joins me now. john, we heard rupert murdoch say he had failed, that he was sorry, but then number himself and senior newscorp management among the victims of what was going on at his paper. how is this latest testimony going down in britain? >> well, there's pretty wide reactions. i think there was fascination to begin with with... for millions of television viewers this was covered live on his nemesis, the bbc, his principal adversary in the broadcasting business. i think the fascination we're seeing center stage under the lights a man who's had enormous influence in this country for the last 30 or 40 years who has never before been put on the stage like that. people will, of course... many people will have doubts as to the authenticity of what he had to say. they'll say, well, he would say that, wouldn't he? but he put forward a, if you will, a scenario that has a certain kind of potential credibility about it. he was, although he denied it, started out scraping in the newsroom. he's an ink-stained wretch who went from a small provincial newspaper to being the largest media conglomerate in the world, $60 billion of assets and he transferred himself to the united states, he got involved with fox television, 20th century fox and basically he's saying he took his eye off this ball. he made, shall we say, at least a case that had some sort of credibility to it. well, we know, of course, there's the criminal investigation that goes on whether there's a smoking gun there but if there is, there was no side of it at the hearing today. >> people have seen rupert murdoch testify already grilled by members of parliament but that was judiciary inquiry. was he under snoet could thing he is said during this latest questioning be used in other criminal cases? >> there's an important distinction here. that parliamentary committee that he faced last july with his son james the head of the british media interests at the time was relatively brief. it was... the main headline that came out of it was when a protester got in there and threw a foam cream pie at him which generated, at least briefly, certain amount of sympathy. he's an 81-year-old man. but the investigation at that time was not particularly forensic. british legislators don't have the kind of staff or budget that people on capitol hill have. that was separate inquiry. this was a broader inquiry into, as they say, the culture, ethics and practices of the british press. it specifically precluded from trying to get to the heart of the criminal investigation for the very simple reason that that is, in effect, subjudice. criminal charges ar pending against 50 people give or take with links to the murdoch tabloids who have been questioned in this affair. so there wasn't any attempt by the council or by the lord justice to go to that today. but the question was difference nick another sense, going to the power rupert murdoch has going to what happens what he should have known given the dominant position he holds in this company. those are the sorts of questions and it was fascinating. >> brown: were there any important disclosures coming out of this testimony and whether there were or not does it look like rupert murdoch is done? perhaps out of personal jeopardy at least for this round? >> well, i wouldn't be surprised. he's been tier ten days preparing for this. it would be tremendously stressful for anybody. he's a fairly thick-skinned man by all accounts but still the burden he has borne-- i don't want to sound too sympathetic here bec