Newshour has been provided by my customers can shop around; see who does good work and compare costs. It can also work that way with healthcare. With united healthcare, i get information on quality ratings of doctors, Treatment Options and estimates for how much ill pay. That helps me and my guys make informed decisions. I dont like guesses with my business and definitely not with our health. Thats health in numbers. United healthcare. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org 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 our lead story tonight a new head for the Federal Reserve, and for the first time, its a woman. The president nominated the vicechair of the fed janet yellen to take over the top job. Mr. Obama called her a proven leader, and yellen promised to do her utmost to bolster the economy. Janet is renowned for her good judgment. She sounded the alarm early about the housing bubble, about excesses in the Financial Sector and about the risks of a major recession. If confirmed by the Senate Pledge to do my utmost to keep that trust and meet the great responsibilities that congress has entrusted to the Federal Reserve. To promote maximum employment, stable prices, and a strong and stable financial system. Woodruff well have more on the yellen selection right after the news summary. In other news, much of the federal government stayed shut down for another day, and the National Debt ceiling and a potential default moved another day closer. Newshour Congressional Correspondent kwame holman has our report. Reporter in public, at least, no one at the white house or the capitol changed position on the shutdown or the ceiling. But there was agreement on one point. The house voted, unanimously, to guarantee funding for death benefits of 100,000 for the military. New Jersey RepublicanRodney Frelinghuysen our men and women serving in uniform deserve the peace of mind that in the worst of times they will receive their benefits immediately. Reporter white house spokesman jay carney said president obama also wants the benefits restored. The president was very disturbed to learn of this problem and he directed the department of defense to work with the office of management and budget and his lawyers to develop a possible solution. Reporter later, the pentagon announced the nonprofit Fisher House Foundation will underwrite the death benefits for now. There were other small signs of growing Movement Toward ending the standoff. The president met with all House Democrats this afternoon, and planned to meet with a small group of House Republicans tomorrow. And in the wall street journal, republican congressman paul ryan of wisconsin appeared to drop demands for changes in the health care law. Instead, he wrote meanwhile, fallout from the shutdown continued to spread. All the effects ive described and im going to describe of the shutdown are negative. Reporter at a house hearing, the secretary of Veterans AffairsEric Shinseki said the veteran benefits administration cant keep up with claims. Since the shutdown began on 1 employees, half of whom are veterans. The shutdown directly threatens the v. A. s ability to eliminate the backlog. Weve lost ground we fought hard to take. Reporter one the economic at the same time, the centers for Disease Control recalled some workers to deal with a salmonella outbreak thats sickened more than 270 people across 18 states. And, the federal Aviation Administration called back hundreds of safety inspectors and others, allowing a boeing plant in South Carolina to resume delivering its 787 dreamliner planes. Woodruff there was word later that the Labor Department will not issue its september Inflation Report next week, due to the shutdown. That, in turn, will delay the calculation of next years costofliving adjustment for Social Security recipients. On wall street, bluechip stocks eked out small gains, despite ongoing jitters over the impasse in washington. The Dow Jones Industrial average added 26 points to close at nearly 14,803. The nasdaq fell 17 points to close at 3,677. The United States is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to egypt over the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi, and the militarys violent crackdown. The state department announced the move late today. It gave no dollar figure, but said the u. S. Is halting shipments of major weapons and some cash assistance. Earlier, a spokeswoman said the cutoff wont be total, but it wont be business as usual. We will continue to support a democratic transition and oppose violence as a means of resolving differences in egypt, and our relationship with the egyptian government, including u. S. Assistance to egypt, will continue. Woodruff also today, egyptian authorities announced the trial of ousted president Mohammed Morsi will begin november 4. Hes accused of inciting supporters to kill protesters while he was in power. A published report says the Libyan Government tacitly approved a u. S. Commando raid that netted a top alqaeda militant. The New York Times account today said the libyans consented ahead of time, although they sharply criticized the raid after it took place on saturday. According to the report, libya also approved plans to capture a key suspect in the benghazi attack last year that killed the u. S. Ambassador. That raid did not take place. An investigation has begun in bangladesh in the latest disaster in a garment factory. A fire yesterday killed at least ten people, six months after another factory collapsed and killed 1,100. We have a report from Laura Kuenssberg from independent television news. Reporter a 21st century factory, where one overheating machine, were told, sparked flames that tore through the building and took lives. Dousing the embers from a fire this mans friend could not escape. His singed i. D. Card a record that he was here. So which brands were linked to this factory . The assistant manager made a list showing some powerful firms he claims used it. Accidents that kill arent uncommon here. So many western brands, have just signed a new safety deal, but this unit was not part of the new legally binding pact. As it claims more lives, this young womans husband died in the factory. A widow for a day. Many believe you can make clothes cheaply and safely in bangladesh. But in this factory, workers werent safe enough. Woodruff bangladesh earns 20 billion a year in garment exports, mostly to the u. S. And europe. The former president of pakistan Pervez Musharraf was granted bail today, in a case involving the death of a separatist leader. Musharraf had been under house arrest since he returned to pakistan from exile in march. He faces charges in a series of cases from his time in power from 1999 to 2008. His lawyers said today that hes now free to travel internationally if he wants. Millions of people in india faced Power Outages for a sixth day as electrical workers remained on strike. Its part of a backlash against a plan to take the under developed northern part of Andhra Pradesh state, and create a new state, telangana. Utility workers have shut down power plants to protest the decision. They, and others, say it will lead to damaging budget cuts and dilute Andhra Pradeshs influence. Three scientists based in the u. S. Have won the 2013 nobel prize for chemistry for developing computer models that explain chemical processes. The winners were Martin Karplus of strasbourg and harvard universities, Michael Levitt of Stanford University and Arieh Warshel from the university of Southern California in los angeles. Their work dating back to the 1970s proved essential to developing new drugs and solar energy. Still ahead on the newshour. The president s pick to head the Federal Reserve bank. How the shutdown is affecting the homeless in San Francisco. And workers and programs across the country. Plus, the push to reenergize Immigration Reform. Our continuing series on the future of t. V. And Alice Mcdermott on her new novel. Now, more on president obamas nomination of janet yellen to be chair of the Federal Reserve bank. The formal announcement came this afternoon. The white house event capped a prolonged, politically charged search for a successor to ben bernanke, whose second term ends in january. Yellen emerged as frontrunner after former treasury secretary Lawrence Summers withdrew from consideration. The president predicted today she will prove an exceptional choice. She doesnt have a crystal ball, but what she does have is a keen understanding about how markets and the economy work, not just in theory but also in the real world. And she calls it like she sees it. Not surprisingly, she is held in high esteem by colleagues across the country and around the world who look to the United States, as i said, and the fed for leadership. Woodruff yellen is 67, and has been the feds vicechair since 2010. Now, she stands to become one of the first women to lead any countrys central bank and by far, the most prominent woman to do so. She spoke today of the job that lies ahead. The mandate of the Federal Reserve is to serve all the american people. And too Many Americans still cant find job and worry how theyll pay their bills and provide for their families. The Federal Reserve can help if it does its job effectively. We can help ensure that everyone has opportunity to work hard and build better life. Woodruff the new nominee is a longtime professor at the university of california at berkeleys haas school of business. She ran the president s council of economic advisors during the Clinton Administration and later served as president of the Federal Reserve bank of San Francisco. Shes been a strong bernanke ally backing nearzero short term Interest Rates and the feds bondbuying program to stimulate economic growth. For that reason, some republican senators say they will likely oppose her. But she is widely expected to be confirmed. Some insight and information now about yellen, her views and her leadership style it comes from christina romer, the former head of president obamas council of economic advisers and a friend of yellens who advocated for her nomination. Shes an economics professor at the university of california, berkeley. And douglas holtzeakin, a well known conservative economist and former director of the congressional budget office. Hes now president of the American Action forum, a policy think tank. Welcome you boat to the program. Christina romer, you first, you know janet yellen well. What qualifications does she bring to this job . She brings so many. Ubl shes as smart as they come, so thats incredibly valuable. Shes a good economist. She also has incredibly good judgment. I think thats one of the things that i admire most, that she looks at the data, she looks at where we are and she makes her decisions on the facts had front of her. And then i think the final one id mention is collegiality. The Federal Reserve policy making committee is not one the fed chair just dictates to. You have to bring along reach a consensus and she will be very good at that. She listens to people. She is a very persuasive arguer. She will help them to get to some very good decisions. Woodruff christina romer, we heard she was tough. We heard that brooklyn accent. How tough is she . The word people will say to describe janet is nice. She is truly a nice person. People tell stories of when she was president of the Federal Reserve bank of San Francisco she would eat lunch in the caf near ya not the cafeteria not the executive lunch room. She is a down to earth nice person but boy when there is a tough call to make i have seen her absolutely make those calls. I think that will serve her very well. You cant be all sweetness and light, youre going to have to be tough but you can be tough in a way that people feel okay ive beened to been listened to, ill get in line. She argued me down. She has a tough streak. Woodruff i would like to have heard that discussion. Douglas, you said its not a question of her qualifications. It is her view of the role of the Federal Reserve. How do you see that view . I think that when she gets to the senate for confirmation, people are not going to be concerned about their professional qualifications. Theyre superb. Theyre going to ask her about her policies, how about inflation . Shes not caring much about inflation. Many conservatives are deeply concerned about inflation, there is none now. Tell us ms. Yellen about this. That leads to deeper concern that the Federal Reserve is doing the wrong thing now. Its not concerned about future inflation, its worried about growth. You mean stimulating the economy . She did mention inflation today but she also made a point as we layered of saying too Many Americans still dont have a job. What does that say to you about what she cares about . I dont think its a question of aspirations, conservatives have who have a very different view will agree on the goalment t goal is to get full employment and low stable inflation. The question is the route to that and many conservatives would like a single mandate for the fed. Over the long term that gives you better control over inflation and better overall growth. There is a question about tactics and theres a concern about the fact that the Federal Reserve has done some unprecedented things an in winding all this bond buying and selling off those bonds and raising the streets, it will get inflation to boot. Woodruff how do you see Janet Yellens views as far as stimulating the economy and job growth and inflation . I couldnt disagree more with doug. She bleeives in the dual mandate that youre supposed to care both about inflation and real growth. And i can tell you from both what i know of her and from her policy record that she cares deeply about inflation. And if inflation were a problem she would absolutely fight it and when it and if it becomes a problem she will be first in line to fight it. But this goes to what i was saying before about judgment. Where we are today is we know unemployment is much higher than anyone thinks is normal or healthy for the economy and inflation is nct employee the feds target and have been falling. All those folks worried about inflation have been worried about the feds unusual monetary actions since 2010 and this inflation hasnt resulted. I think janet has made the right call there. She said in this situation the right thing is expansion. But i have no no doubt that if the tables were turned or if inflation becomes a problem she will absolutely use that toughness we talked about to fight it. Woodruff if thats her record then why the concern . I think the concern is the ability to execute the policy she clearly believes in successfully. The feds in unprecedented waters. It had promised it would use Forward Guidance telling people what theyre up to to make this a nice smooth transition. In september they surprised everybody, people worried about growth, that wasnt a really good dry run. What about when they do start selling these bonds can they do a smooth exit from this policy, not imrupt the growth, no one argues thats what they want to do. Woodruff Christine Romer i want you to comment on that but how the fed communicates what its doing how do you see her views on that regard . On the Berkeley Campus she has the reputation for being an extraordinary teacher. And i think thats going to be a feature that serves her very well going forward. Because absolutely, the Federal Reserves job is communicating, part of that is when you use your main tool the Interest Rate and pushed that all the way as low as you can go, a big part of how you can still have an effect on the economy is to communicatefully and effectively and i think shell do a good job on that. On this issue of unwinding nobo