they're all raising their hands, that, to me, is success. >> woodruff: those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> at bae systems, our pride and dedication show in everything we do; from electronics systems to intelligence analysis and cyber- operations; from combat vehicles and weapons to the maintenance and modernization of ships, aircraft, and critical infrastructure. knowing our work makes a difference inspires us everyday. that's bae systems. that's inspired work. >> i've been around long enough to recognize the people who are out there owning it. the ones getting involved, staying engaged. they are not afraid to question the path they're on. because the one question they never want to ask is, "how did i end up here?" i started schwab with those people. people who want to take ownership of their investments, like they do in every other aspect of their lives. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: israel widened the scope of its military barrage against hamas in gaza, as it promised it would. hamas has said it won't stop firing rockets into israel until it gets an international guarantee the border blockade will end. today, heavy strikes came on the ground and from the air as the palestinian death toll reached 1,120. on the israeli side, 53 soldiers and three civilians have been killed. flames and smoke billowed out of gaza's only power plant this morning. the plant's director said the damage would have a severe impact on the 1.7 million palestinians living in the narrow coastal territory. >> ( translated ): i would like to say to the world that this was a humanitarian plant that served the people, therefore its existence helped people, life, hospitals and the normal, simple life of the people of gaza. >> ifill: the power plant was just one in a string of targets israel hit in the 22nd day of fighting with hamas. the bombardment started overnight, as huge explosions filled the night sky over gaza. among the other sites hit: the unoccupied home of gaza's hamas leader and the hamas-run al-aqsa satellite t.v. station. israeli media said the army had also destroyed 20 of the more than 30 tunnels used by hamas to sneak weapons into the country. israeli military spokesman peter lerner: >> this is a gradual increase in the pressure on this organization. it has been over the last three weeks taking a new step every day and indeed we are striking and we are determined to strike this organization and relieve us from this threat. >> ifill: there were also multiple reports of ceasefire agreements today; all eventually squashed. at one point, the palestinian liberation organization announced it had offered a temporary truce, and said it was speaking for hamas. >> ( translated ): following consultations with our brothers in hamas and islamic jihad, the palestinian authority declares its readiness to an immediate ceasefire and a humanitarian ceasefire for 24 hours. >> ifill: hamas later denied that. then, israel's channel two television reported the two sides agreed in principle to an egypt-brokered ceasefire, only to retract it moments later. iran got involved too-- the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei put out a call to muslims around the world to help palestinian fighters. >> ( translated ): we call on the world, and especially the islamic world, to support and arm the palestinian nation. >> ifill: meanwhile, both palestinians and israelis buried their dead, as the casualty count continued to grow. >> woodruff: in other news, there was word today police in china shot dead dozens of gang members who used knives to stage attacks on two areas. the attacks happened yesterday in the western region of xinjiang and hit two neighboring towns. the gangs went after civilians and set fire to cars. the dead and injured included ethnic uighurs and also members of china's majority han population. >> ifill: also in china, the ruling communist party began investigating the country's former security chief over allegations of corruption. zhou yongkang-- who retired in 2012-- was a powerful leader in the party's inner circle. its members have long been considered off-limits for prosecution to maintain party unity. it's the latest move in president xi jinping's widespread crackdown on corruption within the communist party. >> woodruff: mississippi's only abortion clinic will not be closing, a federal appeals court ruled today. a state law passed in 2012 required doctors at the clinic to have the privilege to admit patients to local hospitals, but the hospitals wouldn't give them those privileges. the court ruled that forcing women to go out of state placed an undue burden on a woman's right to seek an abortion. >> ifill: the acting u.s. surgeon general had a warning for sun worshippers today: stop sunbathing and stop using indoor tanning beds. a report released today cites a 200% jump in deadly melanoma cases since 1973. more than five million people in the u.s. are treated for skin cancer each year, and $8 billion is spent treating the mostly preventable disease. >> woodruff: a series of public hearings got underway today on president obama's proposed rules to cut pollution from power plants. he's seeking to slash carbon dioxide emissions 30% by the year 2030. this week, the environmental protection agency is hearing from supporters and opponents in four cities-- atlanta, denver, pittsburgh and washington-- before it unveils its final proposal next year. >> let's get the facts straight. carbon pollution is waging a direct assault on rural america. it is a direct assault on jobs in america. and if we sit back and do nothing, there will be severe economic disruption. >> e.p.a's proposal is an unacceptable example of executive overreach. decisions how and whether to create laws of this breadth should be made by our representative branches of government, not by unelected federal agency officials. >> woodruff: also today, the president's council of economic advisers issued a new report that warns delaying climate action could cost the economy billions of dollars. >> ifill: the former governor of minnesota, jesse ventura, was awarded nearly $2 million in damages today in a defamation lawsuit. a federal jury agreed author and ex-navy seal chris kyle didn't tell the truth in his book claiming he and ventura got into a bar fight in 2006. ventura was also a former navy seal and said the fight never happened. >> woodruff: more than 35% of americans have debts and unpaid bills that have been reported to debt collection agencies. the urban institute, a washington based policy research center studied the credit files of seven million americans to come up with that figure. it found the average amount reported to collection agencies was more than $5,000. the highest concentration of people delinquent in their payments live in southern and western states. >> ifill: stocks on wall street fell modestly today, with a new batch of economic growth reports expected tomorrow. the dow jones industrial average lost 70 points to close at 16,912. the nasdaq fell two points to close above 4,442. the s&p 500 dropped nearly nine points to close just under 1,970. >> ifill: still to come on the newshour: the u.s. and europe ramp up pressure on russia, college sports changes how it handles concussions, why longer school days can be more fun for students, has government surveillance silenced reporters' sources? and, senators cory booker and rand paul team up to reduce prison sentences. >> woodruff: as the violence escalates in ukraine and international frustrations mount over seperatists' control of the malaysia airline crash site, the u.s. and europe stepped up their response to russia today. in a bid to force moscow to pull back its support of the rebels. hours after the european union announced its greatly expanded sector-wide sanctions, the president deepened u.s. penalties against russia and its economy. >> if russia continues on its current path, the cost on russia will continue to grow. and today is a reminder that the united states means what it says. russia's actions in ukraine and the sanctions that we've already imposed have made a weak russian economy even weaker. foreign investors already are increasingly staying away. even before our actions today, nearly $100 billion in capital was expected to flee russia. russia's energy, financial and defense sectors are feeling the pain. projections for russian economic growth are down to near zero. the major sanctions we're announcing today will continue to ratchet up. the pressure on russia, including the cronies and companies that are supporting russia's illegal actions in ukraine. >> woodruff: the e.u. mirrored u.s. sanctions against the banking, defense and energy sectors in russia. yesterday russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov was defiant in advance of the e.u. move: >> ( translated ): i can reassure you, we will overcome the difficulties that will arise in certain parts of our economy. maybe, we will become more self- reliant and more self-confident. >> woodruff: but today, dutch foreign minister frans timmerman said lavrov's tough talk would hurt moscow. >> ( translated ): the consequence is that russia chooses to isolate itself. and that's not positive for russia. my colleague lavrov can say to the media: "in that way we will be more independent," but that is an independence that will lead to more poverty for the russians. >> woodruff: the dutch are also reeling from the crash nearly two weeks ago of the malaysian airliner flight 17 that originated in amsterdam. more than 100 dutch citizens out of almost 300 total died when a surface-to-air missile-- allegedly fired by pro-russian separatists-- brought down the aircraft in eastern ukraine. investigators from the organization for security and cooperation in europe-- or o.s.c.e-- said they were still working on getting to the crash site after being forced to turn back yesterday by heavy fighting in the area. the crash site is north of donestk. the rebel stronghold and regional capital of ukraine's east is now becoming a battleground. its leafy boulevards now empty except for men with guns. the shrouded, badly-mangled body of a man was loaded on to a stretcher outside a center-city apartment block as shelling hit donetsk. he was the husband of lubov skorikh; they had fled the ravaged city of slavyansk for donetsk. >> ( translated ): i looked at him, and at first couldn't understand who he was, but then i saw the shoes. they were his shoes. do you understand? his shoes! my god i have lived with him for 45 years. >> woodruff: a national security spokesman in kyiv said the battle for donetsk was at hand. >> ( translated ): ukrainian servicemen will recapture the city of donetsk and will save infrastructure. but the primary goal is to save the lives of people who remain there-- of civilians. >> woodruff: fighting nearby over the past day has killed dozens of civilians, pro-russian separatists and ukrainian troops. yesterday, the rebels' commander, igor strelkov-- the who was a former russian military intelligence officer-- gave his account of the pitched fighting. >> ( translated ): i will not estimate the outcome because not all operations are clear. i can say only this: the enemy is throwing everything they have into battle. >> woodruff: russian support for stelkov and other separatists is one of a raft of serious issues now plaguing u.s.-russia relations. and today, a new and serious grievance emerged. the u.s. now contends russia has routinely violated a reagan-era weapons treaty signed with the soviet union governing "intermediate nuclear forces." the 1987 pact governed, in part, the deployment and flight- testing of "ground-launched cruise missiles," which the russians are alleged to have violated. to help make sense of today's actions against russia, our chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner. so, margaret, tell us more about what these sanctions do. >> broadly, judy, what they try to do is hobble the russian's access to both capital and technology in these three key areas, arms, energy and finance. so, for instance, let's just take finance. by now, five of the six state-owned russian banks basically will have no access to medium and long-term capital or debt, and since they get almost 100% of it from u.s. and western sources, as one u.s. official said today, they're essentially going to have to shut down. private banks aren't being touched. if you take the arms area, again, they're going to use export license restrictions to prevent future sales of arms to russia. then the energy sector, they're going to use export license restrictions to prevent russiann companies from giving the russians access to future technologies particularly in deep water and shale gas. the key thing is nothing will interfere with current projects, whether b.p., exxonmobil, the friend -- what they're trying to do is not hit western businesses too hard but make it clear to the russians future investments will be really crippled. >> woodruff: tell me why europeans have been reluctant to impose critical sanctions on critical sectors. what caused them to change their mind? >> talking to both europeans and western officials, it's a shift of attitude of deep arrange about the downing of the plane and the russian's reaction to it which is, as the president said, they're stepping back on what they're doing in ukraine. and mostly european victims, seeing the bodies left lying on the field, people rifling through their possessions. it really changed public attitudes. key to this was german chancellor anjchancellor who wag and said we're going to have to have sanctions. in the middle of the month, they said to putin, unless you stop shifting men and material and weapons across the border, we're going to do. this well, he didn't and, so, they did. so kiev, the leaders of ukraine's government, they're now watching the european neighbors do this. what's the reaction? >> well, publicly, ukrainian foreign minister was here today and said this was terrific. but i talked to a well-placed official in government in kiev late this afternoon and he said, well, you know, it's good, but, he said, sometimes in an illness the medicine depends on being administered at the right stage. if this was done in may, it may have helped. it may persuade the russian elite this is a dangerous path but many believe mr. putin is already committed to a full-scale invasion. >> woodruff: there has been talk whether the u.s. will be providing lethal assistance to ukraine. >> there's still a reluctance to provide lethal weapons. the u.s. is still reluctant to provide more sophisticated weaponry. what happenedto when russia provided weaponry to the separatists. what the united states is willing to do is deeper intelligence sharing. the ukrainians say we really can't keep our eye on where the russian forces and the separatists are deployed, they need more high resolution and real-time intelligence and senior defense intelligence officials are in kiev now. the fear has been that the intelligence and military in ukraine are too penetrated by russian intelligence and military, but i'm told that the belief is they have identified at least a couple of units and individuals they feel they can trust. >> woodruff: now, second thing that happened today, the obama administration accusing russia of violating a nuclear treaty. tell us what are the russians -- what do they believe the russians have done, when did they do it and hoy serious is it? >> they think it's very serious. i talked to another top official today who has been involved and said they consider it a serious violation. t they're talking about simply test ago ground launch cruise missile but within the prohibited range of 500 to 5,000 kilometers. you recall that the reason the u.s. and then soviet union, gorbachev and reagan agreed -- >> woodruff: it goes back to the '80s. >> 1987 and was negotiated through the '80s and really put europe in the crosshairs. remember, america had short-range missiles over there. so all the stockpiles were destroyed. what the u.s. is saying now is that for several years, in fact, russia has been testing a ground launch cruise missile. >> woodruff: and they have proof. are they sharing the proof? >> well, somebody with n.a.t.o., there have been consultations. there have been people on the hill who have already known about this. i don't know what kind of evidence they have demonstrated but they have been talking to the russians about this. now, the russians' answer apparently is, well, you're violating it, too, because the dummy missiles you used to test your anti-missile systems could constitute -- even though they're dummy missiles, they're not armed but they're dummy missiles, so basically they haven't engaged and that's why president obama wrote this letter to president putin monday saying, you know, sit down, let's talk about it, let's not move to the next stage of deployment. >> woodruff: but you can't ignore the timing, comes between huge tensions between the u.s. and russia. is there any connection between the two? >> judy, i asked everyone i talked to today and they said hard to believe, this is on its own track. they had a report due on the hill two months overdue called the compliance report, actually concerns 2013 and for the first time the u.s. says they really that did goods. i mean, in their view, they really had done the investigatatory work and had to declare it. if it hasn't been posted on the web site yet it will be today so that's how it became public. >> woodruff: great reporting, margaret. thanks. >> ifill: let's turn to some changes in the way college sports plans to deal with head injuries. all part of a significant settlement announced earlier today. the debate over football-related head concussions has focused primarily at the professional level in recent years as former players sued and then settled with the n.f.l over their injuries. now collegiate-level players are also having their day in-- and out of-- court as the n.c.a.a agreed today to settle a number of cases brought in. action injury lawsuit. lead plaintiff adrian arrington suffered five concussions as a football player at eastern illinois university. he said the effects were so severe he sometimes couldn't recognize his parents. the proposed settlement-- which must still be approved by a federal judge-- would create a $70 million fund for concussion testing and diagnosis of current and former student athletes. $5 million more would go toward concussion research. n.c.a.a member schools would be required to change their concussion management policies. the settlement goes beyond football, to include athletes engaged in other contact sports including: soccer, lacrosse and ice hockey. unlike the n.f.l settlement, this agreement one does not pay for medical expenses. rachel axon is an investigative reporter for u.s.a today sports covering the n.c.a.a story. she joins me now. rachel, how significant is the settlement for college sports? >> well, this is certainly bringing some changes, although there are some concern about whether that is enough. the settlement proposal is $70 million for a medical monitoring class, $5 million for research as well as some changes to ncaa guidelines. but right now those wouldn't be rules and there are questions about what would happen at schools if they didn't follow those, so a step forward in the eyes of some but definitely questioned in other corners. >> ifill: we know you've talked to and interviewed adrian errington who is central to the case. his case and others exposed vulnerabilities in the ncaa plans which led to the settlement. >> that's correct, he filed for class action a year ago in july and included e-mails that could be seen as damaging to the ncaa, acknowledging they didn't have guidelines regarding concussions, the rules on the books only require schools have concussion management plans but don't outline much within those. so once the class action certification, the motion was filed, we saw a rash of copy cat lawsuits because they saw a potential there. >> ifill: you mentioned guidelines. are they guidelines or enforceable rules? >> right now guidelines. in the settlement it says the ncaa will present this to the executive committee and follow through a normal process but that means the schools must approve these as rules and right now that's not there, it's one of the issues people are having at the settlement. >> ifill: one of the guidelines in the settlement empowers medical officials to make the assessment whether a player can return to the field and that is not what the case was before? >> well, this is something they're putting in writing. this is kind of a best practice. they were a little bit behind the times on it. they have been incidences and ncaa surveys found at several schools players were returned to play the same day as being diagnosed with concussion which we know from medical research is where a lot of the damage can be done. >> ifill: what happens in individual lawsuits now? >> this means there will be no class action suit for damages. so the players will not get money as a result of this for long-term injuries they may have suffered. it does preserve their right to pursue personal injury claims individually as we know that can be very difficult, an expensive process and many players might not be able to do it for that reason. >> ifill: there are 1.5 million athletes at college level, $70 million in settlement. any idea how far the assessment could go? >> the plaintiff said they had an economic analysis done. they expect it to last the 50-year period. that could be as low as $55 million once attorney's fees are removed. but that's the question some of the critics of the settlement has and we saw that with the nfl concussion settlement where the u.s. district court judge did not approve it because she didn't think the funding was there. >> so if the judge approves this settlement, what do schools have to do? what do the member schools have to do next? >> there are certain guidelines in here they would have to follow but the ncaa would have to take that to its membership and have a vote before it could be considered as a rule. they should have baselines if they're not doing that, education for coaches and faculty about athletes that have concussions. right now nothing is a requirement. it's still a guideline till the ncaa votes on it. >> ifill: part of the disagreement on the cases all along is that the ncaa did not concede it had a legal duty to protect these athletes. does that change that? >> i don't think it changes that and the plaintiffs in this case would argue that's completely false. ncaa was created over 100 years ago in response to a number of deaths in football under threat of the federal government intervening because of that, so the plaintiffs would argue the ncaa has always had that obligation, has said that repeatedly and this does not change that. >> ifill: is this something future athletes will be affected by as well as current ones? >> the medical monitoring, no. that applies to current and former athletes. the hope would be the guidelines in place and riewrls would help prevent current who are playing and future athletes from having the long-term injuries with consequences. >> ifill: rachel axon from u.s.a. today. thanks so much. >> thanks, gwen. >> woodruff: students in the u.s. often spend far less time in school than their counterparts in other industrialized countries and it's been that way for a long time. but now as academic expectations are rising, one idea for closing the achievement gap that's gaining more attention is extending the school day. john tulenko of learning matters television has our report. when the school day ended in bronx, new york, the fun begins. ♪ each day from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., the school offers all 6 graders a healthy goes of extracurriculars. african drumming, dance, chess, technology and more. >> i think every student should have the opportunity to have awe these experiences -- all these experiences available to them. >> the executive director of the nonprofit that runs the extended day program at middle school 223 where the majority of students qualify as low-income. she used to teach math here but says she recognized the need for a program like this long before that. >> i came from a low-income family and knew if my school wasn't offering it, i wouldn't be getting it, so i wanted to give the students the experiences i wish i could have had. >> the after-school program isn't just fun and games. about half the students are also getting personalized help in reading a map. >> different kids get what they need. if a kid is struggling to need more help in math, they get the help. >> but it's the fun stuff that kids the kids' attention. principal ramon gonzalez. >> we have been doing this intensive model for sixth grade for a year. >> what's the effect? kids want to say till 5:00 every day and they can hang out in the street if they want. they choose to stay here. i think it's because we have the different choices they can make and they feel like they're getting smarter. >> interest in a longer school day is growing. about 1,000 schools across the country share $1 billion in federal funds ear marked for extended day program. this program cost about $2,000 per child per year, about half of which comes from private donations. in the year it's been running, principal gonzalez says school attendance has increased. proponents had a long list of other benefits -- the kids are safe, they exercise, they're fit, they're learning valuable social and emotional lessons, and they like it. >> after school you walk into a classroom and the kids are excited abwhat they're doing and it's 4:00 on a friday and they're all raising their hands, that to me is success. >> reporter: lucy is president of the after-school corporation which provides guidance to schools who want to start extended day programs including middle school 223. the students her students serve face more than an achievement. it's something you call the opportunity gap. what are you talking about? >> by sixth grade, disadvantaged kids have had 6,000 less hours of learning, learning, you know, what happens in preschool but also what happens when families take you to the beach or the zoo, summer camps, after-school programs, and, so, really, that's what we want to do and open kids' eyes, expose them to new kinds of activities and to new parts of themselves. >> reporter: but at many public schools, closing the opportunity gap is a new mission. for more than a decade, schools have been cramming on academics in an effort to raise scores, especially in low-income schools. >> i think what we've seen in the poorest neighborhood, that's what it has become, it's become test prep academies and we've taken out the arts and the sports and with the idea that we just focus on academics, somehow, miraculously, these kids will be at the same level in three years. we found it worked for some kids, but the majority of kids it has not worked. the gap still remains. >> reporter: but even here, extracurricular activities can feel like an afterthought. what do they get in the way of art, music, dance, drama during the regular school day? >> there isn't much. >> reporter: many of this teacher's students find it hard not to drift off in a schedule dominated by academics. >> they have 40 periods a week of instruction, five lunch, eight for math, five for science, five technology -- you're left with two periods for gym. a lot mas to do with the test we're required to prepare the students for. >> reporter: even with the focus on academics, math and reading are below most. 75% of middle school 223 scored below profit. that's where the after-school tutoring comes in. >> so what is the formula? >> reporter: are they getting better at math? >> they are. they're getting better because they attitud attitude is changi. they're getting answers where in a class of 30 or at home they aren't necessarily getting answers. >> reporter: research shows most after-school programs have a positive effect on student performance, but is waiting till the end of the day to catch kids up and give them fun activities they look forward to overlooking the real upon? we asked lucy freedman of the after-school corporation. i want to play around and give you an analogy. >> okay. >> reporter: imagine schools as restaurants, there to serve nutrition. the way they do it now, only about half of the kids get a nutritious meal. you all come in at the end of the day and provide the nutrition, which is important. but some could argue you really ought to be more focused on the menu during the regular school day. >> why aren't we? because we think this is -- i mean, partly, it's who we are, right? i mean, there are a lot of people putting a lot of effort into it. >> i think with the ingredients we have, we are working on serving the best meal. but even as we're crafting this menu of these great things, still not enough because our kids have not eaten for years and, so, we're trying to make up some of the nutrients they've lost along the way. >> reporter: with the focus on tests, it's unlikely the menu for the regular school day will change, but the dessert will get richer. new york state recently handed over $7.6 million to create more after-school programs like the one at middle school 223, that's on top of 145 million already pledged by new york city mayor bill deblasio. >> ifill: the relationship between government and investigative journalists has often been fraught: one wanting to hold onto classified intelligence, the other seeking to pry open secrets, each believing it's serving the public interest. but a new report makes the claim that in the post 9/11 era, the government has gone too far in clamping down on the work of reporters and their sources. jeffrey brown has our look. >> brown: the report comes from the advocacy groups, "human rights watch" and the "a.c.l.u" and is titled: "with liberty to monitor all: how large-scale u.s. surveillance is harming journalism, law, and american democracy." it was produced after talking with dozens of public officials, lawyers, and, most of all, journalists. one of the latter is with us now: dana priest, an investigative reporter for the "washington post" and a professor at the university of maryland. with another view of the situation, we're joined by stewart baker, former assistant secretary at the department of homeland security in the bush administration. he's also a former general counsel at the n.s.a in the 1990s. welcome to both of you. dana priest first, in general terms, state the problem so people understand that, for someone like yourself in doing this kind of reporting. >> well, the report focuses on a trend that you can't escape. one is all the information that's come out on surveillance and what is the impact that -- on a reporter's ability to do their job, in other words to cultivate and guard confidential sources usually within the government who don't want to be named? next to that, is there a record number of prosecutions or reporters by the obama administration for their involvement in writing stories? and third would be just increasing in what they perceive as leaks from these large caches of information, the wikileaks that came a couple of years ago and then edward snowden's documents that he released to a couple of journalists, so that together has made the government very fearful, it has instituted an insider threat program that is very restrictive that asks people to not to talk to reporters, not even if they're not discussing unclassified information unless it's okayed in sorted of a centralized way, and what impact has that had on reporting? no surprise but it's had a big chill on national security reporting. >> brown: stewart baker, you had a look at this, too. do you see a large-scale problem? >> i think there's a complete disconnect between what they blame for the problem which is the trendy discussions of national security surveillance and the observation that it is easier to find the people who are leaking, in most cases. those two things are not connected at all in the report and probably not in reality. there are almost no leaks -- in fact, no leaks i've seen where the leaker was identified by the 215 program we've heard so much about or overseas correction of -- >> brown: these large-scale surveillance programs. >> what's going on and what is making it easier to make these cases we are surround bid more digital information and we are dropping those digits everywhere so when investigators see classified information in the newspaper, when they're trying to figure out who leaked, it's easy to figure out by social connections, who spoke to whom, who sent email to whom and to start by narrowing the circle until you're pretty sure you know who did it. >> brown: can you give us a specific connection he's not seen between the surveillance program and the impact on -- >> yeah, i don't think they're trying to make the sections between the prosecution, necessarily but between the possible surveillance and the ability of the media to do its traditional watchdog role in the national security arena. in that regard, when you look at the information revealed from the snowden documents, it's clear their capabilities are endless and that they work in the domestic realm as well, and that has not only meant that reporters feel that they're potentially more targeted and some absolutely do feel, you will find a range on that, but also more importantly the sources worry about that. >> brown: they say that to you -- >> oh, yes. all the reporters they talk to which i think are 46 national security reporters all experienced people who have been doing this for years and all say it is worse than it has ever been, including after 9/11 when this really started in earnest during the bush administration, and one of the reasons is this defensive crouch, you call it, but the administration to get a handle, as you were saying, on the digital information that is out there that used to not be out there and the vulnerability in their own system which they have not corrected, and i think this in a way is swatting the fly with the hammer or going after the wrong target. i think they need to look at -- insider is serious, we don't want to damage national security in whatever we do, but how are you most effective? it is really to make it difficult for us to have exchanges with legitimate sources on even unclassified information? >> brown: well, that sounds like a vague sense of disconnection. >> well, it is not the case that any of these surveillance programs were used to find the leakers, and i don't think you disagree. what you're saying the people are afraid of the programs, and that has made them less willing to talk to me. yet i think part of that is the press which has hyped these stories by saying is n.s.a. spying on you this morning or this afternoon, when n.s.a. is, in fact, not spying on americans as a routine matter at all. and, so, to the extent that the press has scared people about these programs, they are reaping what they sowed. but more importantly, i think people have woken up to the fact if they talk to reporters and release classified information they risk have the fact they are the source of the leak found by ordinary criminal investigative means. it is not super spooky stuff that is catching these guys and if the complaint is they didn't used to know that and they talked to me and now they know it and they talk to me, i think it's just a matter of what reporters are getting away with in -- >> brown: that would be the counter argument to reporters is you're getting people to in some ways break the law if it means giving you classified information. >> this is not at all new. if you look back through the cold war, all the failures and the vulnerabilities of the u.s. government have been out by the media and that's what we see part of our most important role being, you know, policy failures, failure of the government to do what it says it's going to do including reining itself in when it comes to intelligence work and particularly in the domestic arena. so this idea that we're duping people or, you know, tricking them, we're doing our job, and the people inside government, they know that, and what is different now is this administration is more defensive, it is more controlling of how it wants information to b let out in an unprecedented way. >> oh, that could be said about every president since nixon. >> in the bush administration, we all thought we might be attacked again. but the obama administration is requiring very frugal explanations that reporters are asking for to be vetted all the way up to a central white house press office which is crazy. it slows it down, makes it all about talking points and that forces reporters to work harder to go around any kind of apparatus that might actually choose to be helpful to reporters. >> brown: you don't see a movement towards more control of information and national security? >> it is an understandable goal that you're trying to protect national security not to have decisions about what secrets should be kept in the hands of reporters who have a strong interest in disclosing even national security secrets. so, yes, of course, the government has always wanted to keep classified information out of the hands of reporters. they're now using tools that have been used in organized crime investigations for 30 years to find information about who's talking to whom. and that has turned out to be a very productive way of not going after journalists but going after the sources who are violating their oath. >> brown: give me a brief sense of how it's changed your life. what kinds of things do you do differently? >> well, this is the tricky parts of the methods. we all have them, but in essence it's slowed things down. we have to be more circuitous, we have to use the tech knoll we have, encryption and air gap technology on the computers and it slows it down, not only in national security but policy discussions. >> brown: i'm afraid we'll have to leave it there. dana priest and stewart baker, thank you so much. >> it's a pleasure. >> woodruff: now, to a bipartisan effort on capitol hill to try to reform the nation's criminal justice system. two freshman senators, a political odd couple, democrat cory booker of new jersey and republican rand paul of kentucky, have introduced legislation called the "redeem act" that would: make it easier for juveniles who commit non- violent crimes to expunge or seal those convictions from their records, lift the federal ban on food stamps and welfare benefits for low-level drug offenders, offer incentives to states that currently try juveniles as adults to encourage them to raise the age to 18, ban solitary confinement for children except in the most dangerous cases. senators paul and booker join me now. we welcome you both to the "newshour". senator booker, what is it you most want to change about the criminal justice system? >> overall, we have a system that costs taxpayers a quarter trillion dollars a year, 25% of the prison population is in lockup. we need a criminal justice system to save taxpayer dollars, power to succeed and keep streets safe. i've seen how a broken criminal justice system adds to criminality by making people who other wise want to do the right thing to not have a chance to redeem themselves in society. this is a large stretch. i join senator paul and others who are doing a lot of things to try to change this system, i am happy to join this effort for a need in america. >> woodruff: senator paul, you come from a different world view as senator booker but you see it his way? >> i think it's not a right or left issue but one we both believe strongly in. it's one of the chief impediments to employment. people can't get a job because they have to check the box saying they're a felon. 5 million people have lost the right to vote and are out of jail having been convicted of felonies, and it's denying them the opportunity to get a job. i want people to get back to work and voting and this is wrapped up in what people in both parties believe? >> woodruff: senator booker, how do you answer the argument from conservatives that this should be handled at the state level and not the federal government? >> we have federal laws we have to reform and it's a federal prison population as well as state that's mushrooming. the overwhelming number of prisoners in the united states has gone up ten fold since 1980 alone. so this is something we have to do at every level of government. in a lot of areas, we deal with pulling the federal government back in terms of the enforcement of marijuana laws in terms of medical marijuana. this is something we have to work on. in terms of federal government, this gross waste of billions of dollars on non-violent drug offenders. remember, the majority of the criminals we lock up are non-violent offenders and you've got to figure out ways to empower them to succeed. a lot of states give them credit and are meeting the way and lowering prison populations at the same time as lowering crime. the federal government has to lead, has to follow suit. >> woodruff: based on what i'm reading, this is not given a serious chance of passage this year. what argument are you making to your colleagues? you know, i gather especially republicans are not exactly excited about this. >> well, you know, i think there is a chance it could pass. i have been talking with not only senator reed but center lahey and i are together on a bill and we see the smaller sentencing about which reduces mapped tore minimums, give judges more discretion in these cases as a base bill that maybe senator booker and i on a bill could be attached as an amendment but i think there are 60, 70 votes in the senate on this on both sides of the aisle. there are still some naysayers but i think the public at large is saying we're not so sure drugs are right for people but we are thinking maybe we should rehabilitate people, that people, particularly kids, deserve second chances. when they make mistakes, let's get them back into society and working which makes them less likely to get back into drugs. >> woodruff: senator paul, you campaigned for senator booker's opponent when he ran. >> we hope he forgets that. >> woodruff: so was it difficult for the two of you to initiate conversations about this? >> from my point of view, no. i look at campaigns differently. i may well campaign for a republican again in new jersey. when we're up here, we're elected officials and i try to be civil and at peace with all. we have a lot of similar areas. this is not splitting the difference on an issue, it's actually we both do agree on this and there are some we won't agree on and we'll be polite and vote the other way. at least that's the way i see it. >> woodruff: senator booker, i guess this is the second day in a row we have been talking with two senators from across the aisle working for funding for veterans healthcare, is this something that helps you to be working with senators on the other side in the other party? >> this is what i promised new jersey voters i would do. we're tired of washington who has the partisan camps where nothing gets done. one of the main purposes i had coming down here was to solve new jersey problems, not in a democratic camp, by reaching out creating common coalitions necessary to solve complicated problems -- immigration reform, drug policy reform, supporting the veterans, corporate tax reform. we will be solving them the american way, by the people eelect coming together, finding compromise and moving our nation forward. >> woodruff: senator paul, your name very much out there, a potential candidate in 2016, again, is this something, when you work with senators from the other side of the aisle in the senate, is that seen as helping you in iowa and new hampshire? >> i think it helps both parties. congress in general has about a 10% approval rating, so anytime we work together, it does help both parties. but i don't do it simply because i think it will help me or senator booker. i passionately believe in this. i think the war on drugs has a racial outcome and we have to fix that as well. there's a host of issues. i've introduced five criminal justice issues in the last few months. is it good politically? yeah, obviously, as a politician i like to get votes, but it's also the right thing to do and that the the thing that motivates me. >> woodruff: the two of you worked on at least one other piece of legislation last year and that was to prevent the federal government from spending money to interfere with state marijuana laws. are there other issues where the two of you are working together or in agreement? >> there are a lot of things we have been discussing from the disparity between crack and powder cocaine, making that one to one. there's areas within the policy reform. so the great thing about senator paul and our conversations, and he came up to me literally moments after i was sworn in, is there is a lark reg anything that he and i have that criminal justice is costing taxpayers too much money. i want to add credence to what he's saying. democrats, paul ryan, whether you agree with what he's saying, he's talking about poverty, you heard rand paul talking about racial disparity. we have more african-americans under criminal supervision than ever. this should weigh upon your consciences, we need the truth of who we are as americans and we need to address it. rand paul and i have disagreements but we find common ground and have common sense to say if we agree, let's join hands with our colleagues. >> woodruff: senators, thank you. >> thank you very much. >> ifill: again, the major developments of the day: the u.s. and europe slapped russia with the toughest economic sanctions yet for its support of separatist rebels in eastern ukraine. they target russian energy, weapons and finance industries. and israel widened the scope of its military barrage against hamas in gaza, killing at least 100 palestinians. hamas insisted it won't stop firing rockets into israel until it gets an international guarantee the border blockade will end. and that's the newshour for tonight. on wednesday, new legislation to >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org 

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