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 todays announcement at the white house sets up a pair of potential confirmation fights. President obamas choices to oversee the pentagon and the c. I. A. Will now be called to answer questions about everything from israel to iran to interrogations. There has been much speculation about both nominations, but the president made them official this afternoon in the east room of the white house. My choice for two key members of my National Security team. Chuck hagel, former secretary of defense and john brennan for director of the Central Intelligence agency. Woodruff hagel is a vietnam veteran who would replace the retiring leon panetta. He would be the First Defense secretary who saw combat as an enlisted soldier. In chuck hagel our troops see a decorated combat veteran of character and strength. They see one of their own. Chuck is the champion of our troops and our veterans and our military families. As the leader of the v. A. , he fought to give our veterans the benefits they deserve. As head of the u. S. O. , he devoted himself to caring for our troops. Woodruff the former senator from nebraska who left office in 2009 said he especially wants to serve those in uniform. These are people who give so much to this nation every day. With such dignity and selflessness. This is particularly important at a time as we complete our mission in afghanistan and support the troops and military families who have sacrificed so much over more than a decade of war. Woodruff but on sunday Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell made clear his fellow republican will face close scrutiny when the confirmation process begins. I think it would be a lot of tough questions of senator hagel, but hell be treated fairly by republicans in the senate. Woodruff even independent and us king of maine suggested it may be a rough ride. Im going to want to ask some serious questions and hear from senator hagel about the issues. Woodruff for republicans the reservations can be traced to hagels vocal opposition to the iran war after he initially voted for it and to the 2007 troop surge that he called. The most dangerous Foreign Policy blunder in this country since vietnam. Woodruff hagels views on israel could pose greater problems. In 2008 he referred to israels u. S. Supporters as the jewish lobby, drawing concern from senators in both parties. Iran is still another flash point. As a senator, hagel voted against trade sanctions and more recently has criticized talk of a military strike on Irans Nuclear site. The president today defended hagels maverick refutation going back to when they served together in the senate. I came to admire his courage and his judgment, his willingness to speak his mind even if it wasnt popular. Even if it defied the conventional wisdom. Thats exactly the spirit i want on my National Security team. The recognition that when it comes to the defense of our country we are not democrats or republicans, we are americans. Woodruff the president is also close to john brennan who has been counterterror advisor since 2009 and was instrumental in planning the operation to capture Osama Bin Laden. A 25year veteran of the c. I. A. , john knows what our National Security demands. Intelligence that provides policy makers with the facts, strong Analytic Insights and a keen understanding. Woodruff at the c. I. A. Brennan would succeed retired general David Petraeus who resigned last year after admitting to an extra marital affair with his biographer paula broadwell. Brennan said today that the c. I. A. Needs the support of the country as it faces growing challenges. If confirmed as director i will make it my mission to ensure that the c. I. A. Has the tools it needs to keep our nation safe and that its work always reflects the liberties, the freedoms and the values that we hold so dear. Woodruff but brennan too may face tough questions. He took himself out of the running for the c. I. A. Job four years ago amid criticism for supporting socalled enhanced interrogations. When he ran the National Counterterrorism center under president bush. Brennan hassles defended rendition, the practice of sending terror suspects to other countries where they might be subject to torture. He said on the newshour in 2005. I think its an absolutely vital tool. I have been intimately familiar with the cases of rendition that the u. S. Government has been involved in. I can say without a doubt that it has been very successful as far as producing intelligence that has saved lives. Woodruff last year brennan spoke at length about another muchdebated tool in the u. S. War on terror. Using unmanned drones to kilterror suspects. There is nothing in International Law that bans the use of remotely piloted aircraft for this purpose or that prohibits us from using lethal force against our enemies outside of an active battlefield. Al qaeda has been left with just a handful of capable leaders and operatives. With continued pressure is on the path to its destruction. Woodruff both brennan and hagel will now prepare for their confirmation hearing likely to be scheduled later this winter. So wha so what do the president s choices tell us about his second term National Security priorities . For that, we turn to Jessica Tuchman mathews, president of the Carnegie Endowment for international peace. Shes held posts at the state department and on the National Security council staff. And reuel gerecht, a former case officer at the c. I. A. Hes now a senior fellow with the foundation for the defense of democracies. Lets step back from the two individuals we just saw judy talked about there. Tell us what these selections tell us about this administrations Foreign Policy, National Security priorities. I think you heard the president say it. He wants people with personal weight, with experience, and who are nonideologues. Who are open to hearing facts as they come. You know, there is a kind of personal gravitas that comes with decades of experience that you cant substitute with briefings or anything else. Its there or not. Both these gentlemen have it. Ifill reuel gerecht. Suspect the president has revealed his Strategic Vision particularly with the choice of senator hagel on defense. I think the two men share the view that is skeptical of the use of American Power abroad. I think they doubt the been i have sense of american hegemony. I also suspect that in these times, economic times, the president wants someone at defense who is willing to cut the Defense Budget by a substantial amount. Ifill lets talk about that because, in fact, senator hagel was quoted in 2011 as saying that the Defense Department was bloated. He believes there is room for a reduction. Is that wise . Is that ha way to get confirmed as defense secretary . Theres nobody who is being honest who doesnt believe theres bloat inside the Defense Budget. If its done intelligently, there are ways to capture several hundred billion dollars without harming National Security. Ifill how do we know that he knows how to do it intelligently . He cant do it alone. Thats why its so important, the essence of qualification, which i think has been the central issue in this whole debate so far. The important issue is not whether he wants the jewish lobby instead of the israeli lobby. The issue is, is he qualified . Does he know the portfolio hes going to be asked to carry . In this case i think the answer is an unequivocal yes. Ifill your response to that . Well, i would say that, one, theres not hundreds of billions of dollars that you can cut from the Defense Department. I would say iraq and the afghan wars reveal that actually we need to increase defense spending. In particular, i think the navy and the army are in serious need of repair. And the notion that you can continue to slice away at the Defense Budget as a means of showing some type of restraint with the budget i think is a terrible, terrible mistake. Ifill does the president s selection of senator hagel in particular but also mr. Brennan speak at all to his plos fee of intervention around the world . For instance, there is some discussion about what senator hagels views are about what whether and how we should step into our deter iran. He has expressed reservations about going to war and about the use of military force as a way to solve problems. I think thats a credential that the u. S. Would want in every secretary of defense. Hes seen the face of war. Personally. So he knows what its pluses and minuses. But in terms of whether hes a believer in american hegemony or not, this is a guy, as i said before, who is not an ideologue. He doesnt come in with a neo imperialist, neo con view. He comes in. Hes a pragmatist. Hes very like the president , i think, in that respect. Hes a listener. He doesnt. And hes open enough to hear whats being said to him. I think it would be very difficult to read into his appointment any particular policy on any particular question. I disagree with that. I think senator hagel actually is fairly ideological in the sense that he is consistently opposed to american spehr convenience abroad. Hes i think very skeptical that the United States, when it exercises its force abroad, is doing the right thing, is helping the good. You can say that about a man who volunteered to go to vietnam . I dont think thats a relevant issue. I think its quite noble and honorable that he did so. I think if you asked his friend, say, senator mccain, who also went to vietnam and suffered quite horribly, they have a different view about the exercise. Fair enough. About American Power. Ifill do you think that that vietnam experience and how it has influenced whatever his thinking is today is a good thing or a bad thing . I would say in senator hagels case it has been a profound. It has had a profound impact on him. Hes the first generation of what you might call the vietnam syndrome. Hes scared of the use of force abroad. I would just suggest that since world war ii i think the order that we have known, the prosperous more or less peaceful order that we have known as been because of the exercise of American Power abroad. I think senator hagel was wrong on iraq. Hes wrong on afghanistan. And i think these are very dangerous times. Hes in fact in serious disagreement with the president. The president made it very clear that if iran does not stop its Nuclear Program that he will take the United States to war to stop it. Obviously the president is satisfied that hes appointing somebody who sees eye to eye on this critical issue. Ifill john brennan, someone that the president is also very close to, who has been basically in his ear at the white house for some time now. And is most. Hes identified in the public eye at all, it is his connection to the oversight of the drones, the targeted killing from the drones. Is that something which hes going to get serious questioning on capitol hill . I think there are more serious substantive questions that are open with respect to john brennan although there are also the same set of. This is. The c. I. A. , of all government agencies, has its own culture. You need to leadity fek tively you need to be part of that culture and affected by the people inside. He is. He has 25 years there, but he also is associated with a set of still very open policy questions. Ifill including enhanced interrogation. Water boarding, enhanced interrogation, rendition and the use of drones and the question about what precedents we are setting up with this very vigorous use of drones that we may not wish to live with. To be honest, i think that the characterization of senator hagel is a caricature. I dont see anything in his long decades of service that qualifies for what youve just. Ifill but. Think there are real issues. Ifill about brennan . That are still somewhat open. I take the opposite view. I think mr. Brennan is probably going to have a fairly easy confirmation. I think the left and some on the right but mostly on the left are a bit upset with his past, with rendition. Certainly people inside of the agency, i think, in the Clandestine Service are a bit upset with the way mr. Brennan flipped on the issue of aggressive interrogation where he was once a fairly enthusiastic backer of it. And then, as they would say, changed his tune on that when he joind up with now president obama. Ifill heres one of the interesting things he was quoted as saying after the the killing of Osama Bin Laden that they had decapitated the head of the al qaeda snake. We now know al qaeda is still alive and well in different areas of the world. Is he right about that . I think it was an overstatement. I agree. I think that was a little bit. Snep but not a disqualifying one . No. , i wouldnt disqualify him for that at all. Again, i think mr. Brennan isnt probably. If he can get over the hurdles of the way hes conducted the Drone Campaign and i dont think there are going to be that many queries about that. I think on the the republican side, there will be more or less agreement on that. Even on the democratic side. I dont think theyre going to go against the president on this issue. Ifill youre not crazy about either of these two nominations. You support them both. How much latitude do you think the president should have in the end on these kinds of cabinet nominations . Well, youre asking what is the role of advice and consent for the senate . To my mind it is largely a question of qualification. I think both these two nominees passed that bar by a long shot. I think its a fairly elastic issue. The senate obviously can be fairly aggressive. It doesnt have to be. I think certainly way should be given to the president. But i think there should be substantial debate. I dont think theres anything wrong with the nominees going before the senate. They have to answer very vigorous questions. I think thats healthy for everybody concernedded. Ifill reuel gerecht, Jessica Tuchman mathews, thank you both very much. Woodruff still to come on the newshour, the multibillion dollar foreclosure settlement; holding the line on Health Care Spending; and the new texas senator, republican ted cruz. But first, the other news of the day. Heres hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan secretary of state Hillary Clinton returned to work today after a monthlong health scare. She came down with a stomach virus last month that left her severely dehydrated. Then, she fainted, struck her head and suffered a concussion, and days later, doctors discovered a blood clot in her head. On her return today, staffers presented her with a gag gift a football helmet bearing the state department seal. The fighting in syria raged throughout the day, just hours after president Bashar Alassad proposed an end to the conflict on sunday. In his first public speech in months, assad offered a National Reconciliation conference. But at the same time, he branded the rebels murderous criminals that the west should not support. In washington, state Department SpokespersonVictoria Nuland dismissed the speech. I dont think theres anything about the speech that changes the progression of work that were doing with the opposition. I think we have to continue to see how things develop on the ground. We have to continue to see how they develop as a force, but, as we have said, we do consider them the legitimate representatives now of the syrian people. Sreenivasan last week, the u. N. Estimated that nearly 60,000 people have died in the syrian civil war. Prosecutors in india moved forward today in the case of five men accused in the gang rape and murder of a young woman in new delhi. The suspects heard the charges against them in a preliminary hearing. Then they left court with their heads covered, to be escorted back to jail. Meanwhile, protesters gathered outside the courtroom, insisting that lawyers refuse to represent the suspects. Despite the demands, two attorneys did come forward, offering to serve as defense counsel. The man accused of carrying out a mass shooting at a colorado Movie Theater also appeared in court. James holmes allegedly killed 12 people and wounded dozens more last july. Outside the courtroom this morning, survivors and families of the dead lined up for a seat at the hearing. Its expected to last all week, as the prosecution outlines its case. Inside, the 25yearold holmes showed no emotion as police testified about arresting him shortly after the attack. Cancer deaths continued to decline between 2000 and 2009. Men were 1. 8 less likely to die in ten of 17 common types of cancers. Death rates for women fell 1. 4 in 15 of 18 leading forms of the disease. Researchers do warn, however, that cancers associated with obesity are on the rise. The findings are from an annual report by government researchers and the american cancer society. Crews in australia searched for the missing today after wildfires ravaged the island state of tasmania. Tinderdry conditions fueled the fires that broke out friday. Though there were no reports of deaths, some 100 people were unaccounted for. We have a report narrated by sejal ka