Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20140910

Get higher yields to feed more as this Technology Moves Forward its going to help me do a better job at what im doing and help agriculture in general. Ifill those are just some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. 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. Thats bae systems. Thats inspired work. Ive 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 theyre 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. Woodruff Health Officials reported stark new numbers today in the Ebola Outbreak across west africa. The World Health Organization said confirmed deaths have reached nearly 2,300 out of 4,200 cases. Meanwhile, a fourth american aid worker infected with the virus returned to the United States for treatment. The still unidentified patient was seen arriving at Emory University hospital in atlanta this morning. Well take a closer look at u. S. Efforts to fight the outbreak, later in the program. Ifill Carbon Dioxide levels in the worlds atmosphere hit a record high last year. The u. N. s Weather Agency reported today, concentrations of the gas last year rose by the most on record. Theyre now nearly 40 higher than preindustrial levels. The World Meteorological organization warned the trend is not only warming the earth, its accelerating. This year the important additional news is that the rate of increase of the fuel concentration see even faster than the previous year. It was fastest rate over more than 30 years. Ifill the surge is tied to increased emissions and to the diminishing ability of the oceans and plant life to absorb any more Carbon Dioxide. Meanwhile, a separate report warned of the effects of warming on north american birds. The National Audubon society said 126 species could lose half or more of their habitat by midcentury, unless Climate Change slows. Woodruff the death toll keeps climbing in monsoon flooding across pakistan and indiancontrolled kashmir, after the heaviest rain in 50 years. Officials said today more than 440 people have died, and they warned hundreds more villages could be inundated. Houses in kashmir remained under water as people gathered on rooftops, waiting to be rescued. More than 1. 5 Million People are affected. Ifill dutch authorities issued initial findings today in the ukraine air disaster that killed 298 people. The report bolstered suspicions that a malaysian plane was shot out of the sky. Richard pallot of independent Television News has this report. Reporter on another Malaysia Airlines flight, two more bodies were returned today, almost two months on. For these families in kuala lumpur, at least some sort of closure, many relatives still do not have that, but now all have an official steer as to what happened. A report released by crash investigators in holland, the country that more than half the victims were from, concluding that mh17 broke up after being hit by numerous objects at high velocity. Photos clearly demonstrating the holes in the fuselage, with no evidence of any technical or human error. The pattern of damage to the body of the aircraft and the cockpit is consistent will the damage that would be expected with a large number of high Energy Objects that penetrated the aircraft. Reporter it stops short of saying the plane was definitely hit by shrapnel from a missile, but in reality, it points to little else. The report is based on purely pictures and videos from the scene, because fighting in the area has meant its not been safe enough for investigators to visit. The malaysian government are now reporter the blame at the moment is still believed to be with prorussian separatists. The final report will be published within a year. At a similar time to the findings of a separate criminal investigation, the largest of its kind in dutch history. Ifill the rebels denied again today that they shot down the plane. A Top Commander told a russian newspaper, we simply dont have the technology. Woodruff in yemen, violence between soldiers and shiite protesters erupted today. Medical officials said at least four people were killed when troops fired on a crowd trying to storm the cabinet building. Antigovernment demonstrations have gripped the capital city, sanaa, for weeks. Ifill a federal judge in miami has resentenced convicted terrorist jose padilla to 21 years in prison. An Appeals Court had ruled the original sentence of 17 years was too lenient. Padilla was originally charged, in 2002, with plotting to set off a dirty bomb loaded with radioactive material. That charge was later dropped, but padilla was ultimately convicted of taking part in a terror conspiracy. Woodruff investigations at Veterans Affairs hospitals have found widespread efforts to hide delays in health care. The departments Inspector General told senators today that managers at more than a dozen facilities lied to investigators. At the same hearing, v. A. Secretary Robert Mcdonald said the agency has now contacted more than 266,000 veterans to get them appointments. Ifill on wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost 97 points to close below 17,014. The nasdaq fell 40 points to close at 4,552. And the sandp 500 dropped 13, to finish at 1,988. Woodruff still to come on the newshour senators weigh in on how to tackle Islamic State militants. What the u. S. Is doing to help stop the Ebola Outbreak from spiraling out of control. Using drones to help farmers limit fertilizer flowing into lake erie. Why victims of Domestic Violence stay in abusive relationships and how to break the cycle. And Apple Unveils a new way to replace your wallet with your phone. Ifill now, how to combat the Islamic State group, also known as isis. Its the biggest problem facing political leaders in washington this week. Ifill president obama called congressional leaders to the white house this afternoon to review the strategy hell outline tomorrow night for the nation. He made no public comment, but spokesman josh earnest said the president is looking for congressional buyin. The president believes thats important because he understands that congress has and should have a role as these important decisions are being made. This is a priority because the president believes that when you have the executive branch and the legislative branch, democrats and republicans bridging divides to present a united front, both to our enemies but also to the international community, it only strengthens the hand of our country as we confront those threats. Ifill but the white house would not reveal if mr. Obama will seek formal authorization to use force against the Islamic State group. And, Party Leaders themselves remained divided over how to move forward. Democratic majority leader senator harry reid was taking a waitandsee approach. Im inclined to not rush into anything. Tomorrow the president is addressing the nation. That doesnt happen very often. And thursday afternoon were having a briefing here from the administration on whats going on in the middle east. So i dont know how others feel, but im just going to wait and try to get the facts. Ifill Republican House Speaker John Boehner was also noncommittal about seeking a vote. He said it depends on whats in the president s plan. What im hoping to hear from the president today is a strategy that goes after isis and destroys them. We have a very serious problem, and what we need is a strategy. And until there is a strategy, there is no reason to talk about any of the specifics. Ifill but Senate Minority leader Mitch Mcconnell said its in the president s interest and the countrys interest to take the issue to congress in advance. The view of myself and most of my members is the president should be seeking congressional approval period, for whatever he decides to do because thats the way you hear from those of us who represent everyone in the country. Thats the way you get congressional support. Ifill the u. S. Military has been conducting limited air strikes against Islamic State fighters in iraq for four weeks, without congressional approval. New polls out today found a majority of americans believe its time to ratchet up the assault. A survey by the Washington Post and a. B. C. News reported 71 of those polled now support expanding air strikes in iraq. In addition, 65 back striking Islamic State bases inside syria. A c. N. N. Survey showed similar results. The administration is also trying to create an International Coalition of supporting states. Secretary of state john kerry left washington today to travel to jordan and saudi arabia. Ifill for the views from capitol hill, we turn to two lawmakers actively engaged in the unfolding debate. Republican senator jim inhofe of oklahoma the Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services committee. And democratic senator tim kaine of virginia, who serves on the Senate Foreign relations and Armed Services committees. Senator kaine, ill start with you since the democrats have the majority in the senate right now. What do you need the hear from the president tomorrow night . Well, gwen, im expecting and based on what im reading, im optimistic about the president laying out a crisp definition of what our mission should be to stop this admittedly serious threat with isil. And in particular im very interested in the work that the administration has been doing in the last few weeks to gather other nations who will support this effort. Because they have a lot at risk. We cant police a region that wont take responsibility to police itself. Those are some of the things that im most interested in hearing tomorrow night. Ifill senator inhofe, youve been critical of this president on this and other issues. What do you want the hear him say . First of all, i want him to take a position and develop a strategy. Gwen, ive been trying to get the president to come out with a strategy on the middle east since september of last year. Now, of course, were wanting a strategy specific to isis because that is the threat. And im very proud of secretary hagel for coming out and articulating this as the real threat to our mainland. Im looking forward to having him come out with a specific strategy. If he doesnt do it, ive already filed an aumf that wont require him to do it, but nonetheless will require him to come up with a written strategy and then use all the resources. My concern is this we dont have many disagreements between senator kaine and myself. I have a great deal of respect for him. We serve on the same committee. I think the president already has the authority. I think perhaps senator mccain is sure of that. Nonetheless, we can eliminate all doubt by having an aumf and say, president , you have the authority, win this war. Let me ask you both about that issue about congressional agreement to go forward in iraq and in syria against isil or isis. Senator kaine, do you make a distinction between consultation, talking to congress about this in advance, and asking congresss permission . I do, gwen. I have a pretty strict construction view of what i think these constitutional powers are. Forgive me for being a big James Madison fan, a virginian, but he crafted this pretty carefully, that it is congress that initiates the decision about whether to begin war. The president can take steps to defend the nation from an imminent and immediate threat. So when the president began in early august trying to protect American Embassy personnel, thats the kind of thing a commanderinchief can do, but when the air Strike Mission evolved to we need to protect this dam, or as the president said last week on tv, its time to go on offense against isil, i dont think the president can wage an offensive war under article 2 of the constitution or under either of the previous aumfs without congressional engagement. But i do agree with senator inhofe. If its a close question, ive talked to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I had lunch with the virginia delegation today, which is very bipartisan. Im talking to constituents. They see isil as a threat. They think a narrow and tailored mission, straightly a mission of air strikes is something they would strongly support. When you see that support in the public and you start to see it across the aisle, i think that presents a Good Opportunity for the president to eliminate all doubt and make sure everybody is behind this mission. Ifill senator inhofe, the aums, authorization the use military force, do you know whether the leaders in the senate or the house who are meeting with the president today, even want a vote on this . Well, you know, i dont know that because this meeting that theyre having right now with the president was one that was unexpected and not known very far in advance. I made a presentation to our conference about this today, and were going to do another one tomorrow. So i dont know where everyones going to be. I do know this, though, i was on the floor last night. I talked to. Everybody member i talked to was in agreement that we need to do something. The president needs to have that authority, and gwen, we dont have the luxury of time like we have quite often. Theyre on the march right now. Theyve already killed americans. As far as im concerned, theyve already declared war. Ifill senator kaine, he just talked about them being on the march and a threat to americans, but do we know if they are a threat domestically to america and whether there should be limits to what u. S. Action is if that case is made . I would hope there would be limits. I think an important feature of an aumf is putting timing and limitations on it. The thing about the president s speech tomorrow is this we all have access to intelligence as members of the senate. We get intelligence briefings. But nobody has as much intelligence in the capacity to gather the information thats most current as the president. So his game plan tomorrow might is going to be inform by the full range of intelligence. Thats why were all excited to have the president make that address and lay out the case. I do think an aumf with some limiting factors is a good idea. I think the best process is for the president to put a proposal on the table and for us to debit it an revise it and amend it. Thats normal of the way it happens, but i am certainly encouraging the president to do that if the president for some reason doesnt, i will contemplate the aumf that senator inhofe has introduced. There are some others that have been introduced as well. I hope the president will decide this with public support growing and members on the outside saying this is a threat we need to deal with. We can Work Together to find a common cause. Thats good for the troops we send in harms way to know theyre carrying out a mission that has political consensus behind it. Ifill setting aside the question of congressional approval, which may or may not happen, you gentlemen, senator inhofe, beginning with you, do you make a distinction between Ground Troops, the insertion of Ground Troops, and air strikes, whether its inside syria or remains in fact, my aumf does not have restrictions or guidelines. I think this is what the president needs to do. Obviously its going to. Right now there are Ground Troops already over there. If it takes Ground Troops, whatever it takes. This resolution doesnt say you are precluded from Ground Troops, nor does it say use Ground Troops. It says win a war. Were in a war. By the way, it cant go unnoticed that a poll this morning came out that 71 of the American People believe that its a threat to the homeland, and 71 of the people do not think that the president has a strategy. I hope he can correct that situation. Ifill id like to ask senator kaine about that. Then you can have a Quick Response also on the tail end of this, which is how do you rate your confidence in the ability of this white house, this president to have a strategy, an overarching strategy for dealing with this . Gwen, i have confidence, and im fully expecting to hear a very Clear Strategy tomorrow night. I think one of the elements thats taken some time from august 8th until today has been the president s strong desire to gather a coalition of nations to support this. Remember, there are nations who face a much more imminent threat from isil than the United States. And were also talking about a region that frankly has shown an unwillingness to police itself. Getting a group like the arab league on board, a willingness to express their strong condemnation of these atrocities and their willingness to be engaged publicly in the effort to police their own region is very important. What im hearing from the white house suggests theyve been spending a lot of time at the nato summit and other venues doing that. So i think were going to hear a strong statement and a strategy tomorrow night that includes that element of international support, which you have to take time to build. That doesnt happen automatically. Senator inhofe, is there anything the president can say tomorrow night that will make you feel. Have more faith and confidence . I hope that senator kaine is correct. I hope he comes out and articulates something. Hes had time to do that now. If he doesnt, this aumf does require him to come up with a strategy in writing within 15 days. I want some action. We dont have the luxury of time right now. I hope youre right. Ifill senators jim inhofe and tim kaine, thank you both very much. Thanks, gwen. Thank you, gwen. Ifill i spoke with the two senators this afternoon before the white house meeting concluded. Later white house officials said the president told lawmakers he has the authority he needs to take action against the Islamic State group, but he would welcome action by congress. Woodruff in west africa, doctors are fighting the worlds most deadly Ebola Outbreak with makeshift hospitals, a handful of vehicles and a few brave volunteer Health Workers. Meanwhile, terrified villagers and citydwellers alike can only watch helplessly as their loved ones succumb to the disease. Tonights episode of frontline on p. B. S. Takes an intimate and harrowing look at all this, on the ground in sierra leone. In the following scene, frontline cameras travel with a group of Health Workers who go to remote villages, searching for ebolas victims. Narrator theyre heading to a village where ebola has already killed an old man. Everyone they encounter, even those who look healthy, could be infectious. The team used to wear protective clothing, but the suits terrified the villagers who ran, hid and sometimes even attacked them. Manjo now relies on keeping his distance from everyone he meets. My name is manjo, and this is ishata from the world health narrator a young woman is clearly unwell. Narrator kadiatu jusu is 25 years old, the mother of four children. Narrator her husband fallah is a farmer. Hes 35. It was his father who died two weeks ago. Isheta conteh can see kadiatu is almost certainly infected. She actually fits into the Case Definition because she was the one taking care of the old man, feeding him, cleaning where the old man was vomiting, and there was direct physical contact. Narrator manjo disinfects kadiatus home with chlorine. Everything she touched could have been contaminated. Isheta notes the names of everyone whos been in close contact with kadiatu. Her children and husband are at the top of the list. 17. All these 17 people here. If anyone gets a fever or starts coughing or feels like they have malaria or pain all over their body or is vomiting or going to the toilet a lot, any of those symptoms, you must call us. They are all at risk. We need to monitor them for the next 21 days. Narrator fallah cant risk touching his wife to say goodbye. Woodruff as we reported earlier, the number of ebola deaths in this latest outbreak now tops 23,00. To find out what the u. S. Is doing to combat the deadly epidemic, im joined by nancy lindborg, assistant administrator at the United States agency for International Development which has been heading up the governments response to this growing crisis nancy lindborg, thank you for joining us. Again, how typical would you say that scene is that we just watched . I think that scene was unfortunately very typical, and what were seeing is an unprecedented outbreak that is occurring across west africa, but particularly focused in countries that are only recently emerging from decades of civil war. So they had very Fragile Health Systems to begin with. They also have practices that are enhancing the spread. You heard about the burial practices that involved touching the dead. So we are working on strategy across the u. S. Government that involves u. S. A. I. D. , center for disease control, dod, state department to work with the Global Community and countries on the ground to help stop the transmission, to expand treatment and to stand up greater capacity at the local level to do exactly what you saw be able to address this. Its clear that this is an epidemic that is much worse than was thought a matter of a few months ago, a few weeks ago. What is the u. S. Responsibility in all of this . At this point, there is not an ebola patient in the u. S. Except those who have been transported to the u. S. From west africa. But what is the u. S. Responsibility in this. Our responsibility as a Global Leader is to do what we can to contribute to that stopping of the transmission and the provision of the treatment and helping these countries stand up better systems. Were working closely with the Global Community, and this is really going to take an allhandsondeck approach. We Just Announced this morning a 10 million contribution to the African Union as they mobilize a continent response. Theyve mobilized 100 Health Workers who are going in and will provide the Logistical Support for them to be successful. This will. We know what it takes to stop this. We also know that it will take significant ramping up by all the various partners, and it will probably take several months to get this under control. Woodruff 10 million. Is that enough at this point . Is that a drop in the bucket . How do you compare that to the challenge . Thats just to support the African Union mobilization. U. S. Aid has committed about 100 million. Weve got additional commitments from the dependent of defense. Theyre bringing in diagnostic labs, a field hospital. Were bringing in almost a daily airlift of supplies, protective personal gear that you saw people wearing, the backpack sprayers, household kits so that households have what they need to take care of loved ones and keep themselves safe. Food, a whole variety of supplies. Woodruff is the u. S. Able to understand and to. I mean, do you now have a list somewhere that says, okay, here are all the things that are needed, and were going to provide these things, or are you still figuring this out as you go along . We have a very Clear Strategy that were pursuing in coordination with the World Health Organization, with the local countries, and their Health Systems and with our partners, the europeans and the African Union. There is. Its stop the transmission, expand the treatment and set up local systems, and also help the Home Health Care strategy so that people are not continuing to handle the dead the way that they do and to practice the kind of daily Health Practices that can change forever the way this is transmitted. But that means getting more people on the ground to spread the word. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, both to spread the word and to help with the setting up of the treatment facilities. And as you at this point is it a matter of resources, or is it a matter of time, people . What is it thats needed most to bring this raging epidemic under control . Its really all of the above. Its surging in the supplies. Its surging in the people who are trained to have the very rigorous protocols required to provide the treatment. Its activating all the ways that we can provide the information to people in the communities. We are. Weve searched about 100 people into the region of. Of americans . Of americans, u. S. A. I. D. , c. D. C. , dod, all parts of the u. S. Government on the ground to get us moving ahead and further identify how to plug in, how to activate a coordination system on the ground. Woodruff how much are you concerned . What are the odds, the chances that ebola could spread to the United States . Part of what weve done is brought in a lot of those thermometers that we saw the Health Workers using and set up the kind of screening that is done at the airport so that theres that additional control. Theres. We always want to be concerned about global epidemics, but this is controllable and this is what we see this effort spread to places like senegal is that they have the systems to do the tracing, the treatment, and theyre able to keep it from spreading. Ultimately there needs to be strengthening of the Health System so that when these kinds of cases appear, there can be the kind of Immediate Response that keeps it from becoming the kind of really terrible outbreak that were seeing right now. An enormous task. Nancy lindborg with trust agency for International Development, we thank you. Thank you. Ifill now, in the aftermath of the Water Quality emergency that plagued lake erie last month, some residents who live along its shores are calling for solutions. And they are looking outward, to the countryside. Reporter Christy Mcdonald of Detroit Public Television has our story. Reporter farmer Jeff Sandborn thinks this drone could help solve the tainted water problem that left toledo, ohio without access to Safe Drinking Water for three days earlier this summer. Thats because experts believe the toxic algal bloom in lake erie that turned tap water noxious was caused by the fertilizer runoff from farms like sandborns throughout the great lakes basin. We only have so much land that can grow crops, productive crops. And this planet continues to have more people on it, so we have to do a better job and get more out of the land we have to get higher yields to feed more people is what it boils down to. Were here to feed an ever growing population. Reporter unfortunately, pressure to increase Food Production can have a negative impact on the environment, and today, many are convinced lake eries problem starts on the farm. Fertilizers that feed crops, like nitrogen and phosphorus, also feed the blue green algae in the water. Experts believe changes in farming practices have led to an increased amount of phosphorus runoff in recent years. Kristy meyer works for the ohio environmental council, an advocacy group, where part of her time is spent sharing with other farmers best Management Practices for controlling run off. So weve moved away from the small quaint farms to these larger farms. We are spraying this fertilizer out over the fields with huge equipment, and it just sits on top of the soil. But when we have these extreme storm events, it carries those fertilizers right off the land. Reporter right off the land, and into the rivers and streams that feed into major Drinking Water supplies. But how can farmers prevent run off from their fields . Part of the answer is not overusing fertilizer. Larry antosch from the Ohio Farm Bureau says farmers would agree with that. The biggest cost that a farmer has is their fertilizer bill, so if i put on two extra pounds of a nutrient, then, thats money essentially im throwing away. Reporter for sandborn, using fertilizer efficiently is a no brainer. Everything that i do on a field costs me money. Whether its the seed i buy, the fertilizer i use, the chemicals that are applied. So i want to grow as much crop as i can out of that given unit of fertilizer. Reporter increasing the amount of fertilizer does not necessarily mean a farmer will see an increase in the amount of crops he or she is able to produce. Thats why sandborn has teamed up with Michigan State University Researcher bruno basso. Bassos drone provides farmers with detailed maps, which can help them determine exactly how much fertilizer is needed in a specific location of a field, maximizing crop yield and minimizing harmful nutrient run off. So a uniform application that normally a farmer does, by definition he over estimates this input in one area, and he underestimates the input in another area, and one size fits all is not the case in agriculture, there is a lot of variability, so what does the drone do . It tells us about that variability. Reporter understanding field variability is one part of the puzzle, but for all that information to be useful, a farmer has to know what practical measures to take. Thats why basso is also developing a Predictive Modeling software that allows a farmer to digitally testout a fertilizer application. You can simulate your field, and you compare two nitrogen treatments, and you basically learn that 80 of the time 100 kilograms will give you the same response as 200 kilograms. Or maybe 100 of the time, so if you get that kind of confidence, why use 200 . Reporter for sandborn, implementing new technology to increase fertilizer efficiency is more than a Smart Business decision. We want to do the best we can with every year we get to farm. So anything that brunos doing or you know as this Technology Moves Forward its going to help me do a better job at what im doing and help agriculture in general. Reporter experts agree, doing a better job means incorporating a suite of fertilizer best Management Practices known in the Agricultural Community as the four rs thats right fertilizer source, applied at the right rate, at the right time, and in the right place. Four r program really looks at blending together conservation practices for nutrient management, that protect the economic, the social and the Environmental Concerns of, of society and, and of the farmer themselves. Reporter farmers say practices recommended in the four rs make sense, like avoiding fertilizer application before a large storm, where it will washoff of the crops and into nearby rivers and streams, and perhaps thats why many say they are already doing the right thing. Agricultural community has been engaged in the discussions early on to, to be uh, part of the solution. Reporter lana pollack, the United States section chair of the International Joint commission overseeing the great lakes, believes these types of voluntary conservation efforts are a step in the right direction, but they simply dont go far enough. Thats why she thinks government regulation of Fertilizer Use is necessary. No one wants to ruin the lake. No one wants to deny people their Drinking Water for heavens sake. And no one wants to waste money putting on phosphorous thats going to fertilize the lake instead of their, their, their, corn. But its not working. So whatever theyre doing is clearly not enough. Reporter farmlobbying groups, like the Ohio Farm Bureau, would prefer conservation and best Management Practices remain voluntary for farmers. They like to be able to have control of their operation. Have the ability to oversee and to make the management decisions that they want to do or the things that are most appropriate to them versus a regulatory approach in which everyone must do the same thing. Reporter but to environmental advocates, the time for voluntary conservation on the part of farmers is over. They argue that more regulation of the Agricultural Sector is necessary to reduce the toxic blooms. If i want to open up a business, im pretty sure im gonna have to apply for a number of permits. So agriculture is really a business. In ohio, its our number one industry. So, maybe it should be started to treat like a business. Its not just an ohio problem. Its not just a lake erie problem. It isnt just a national problem. Its an international problem. Reporter the u. S. And canada are working to create new targets for how much phosphorus can flow into the lakethose might be announced this fall. And the International Joint commission, which has no regulatory power, is encouraging state, federal, and International Lawmakers to start enacting policy that will clean up the great lakes. Ifill detroit public televison is cohosting a conference on the future of the great lakes this week. Topics range from algae blooms to the threat of plastics in the water to concerns about oil pipelines. You can watch it all in a live stream on our website. Check the rundown for times. Woodruff the numbers are staggering. One in every four women in the u. S. Will experience Domestic Violence in her lifetime. And an estimated 1. 3 million american women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year. In many cases the abuse is coupled with silence. But the release of a video this week of an n. F. L. Star hitting his thenfianceee has sparked a National Conversation on how best to address the issue. Woodruff ray rice wont be playing nfl football any time soon, but the storm swirling around him only intensified today. The star running back told espn and cnn hes trying to be strong for his family. He was let go monday by the Baltimore Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the nfl. Thats after tmz sports released video that showed him slugging his thenfiancee, janay palmer, last february. Vice President Joe Biden joined the National Conversation about the incident, appearing on nbcs today show with tamron hall. When the video was out there and you saw how brutal it was, the ravens did the right thing fired him. Immediately. Now you can argue they should have done it sooner, they didnt want it, whatever the reason is, its happening. Woodruff the ravens had defended rice when the incident first happened, and nfl commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for two games. He later acknowledged he mishandled the case. Today, there were new calls for goodell to resign. And rices nowwife janay spoke out. In a post today on instagram, she defended her husband, saying woodruff her decision to marry rice, even after the incident, also generated widespread commentary on social media. On twitter, thousands of assault victims used the hashtags why i stayed and why i left to tell their personal stories of abuse. Woodruff to help us better understand this complex issue, i am joined by esta soler, founder and president of futures without violence, a Nonprofit Group that works to end physical abuse she was also influential in the passage of the 1994 violence against women act which celebrates its 20th anniversary today. Esta soler, welcome to the news hour. Thank you so much. Woodruff speaking of the violence against women act, i understand you just came from a celebration of the anniversary today in washington. I did. It was Vice President biden. We were celebrating the 20th anniversary. And theres some good news to celebrate. Woodruff i want to ask you about that. It takes some times a case like this for us to begin to talk about these issues, but how. First of all, how common is domestic physical abuse in this country today . Well, its way too common, but let me put that in context. In celebrating the 20 years since the passage of the violence against women act, we have seen a 64 reduction for Domestic Violence among adult women. That is extraordinary. So what i think we need to say is take a pause and say, we have made some progress. But were only really halfway there. What this case points out, what the ray rice situation points out is we still have so much more work to do. Woodruff why has there been progress . I want to preface by saying you were telling us this happens across all social, economic, racial lines. It happens to men, as well, as women and children. Thats right. Thats right. Woodruff why has there been some progress . Whats happened . Well, for a couple of reasons. In every Community Across the country, there are women and men who have created services that are providing critical support to people who are in these situations. Since the passage of the violence against women act, we have seen a comprehensive response from Law Enforcement, from the judiciary coming together and basically creating a support system and a prosecutorial system that holds people accountable. So we have been able since 1994 to say in this country, though clearly we have so much more work to do, that theres no excuse for Domestic Violence, that its not excusable. Theres no reason for it. We need to continue to say that because were only halfway there. But it is still, as you were just saying, still happening. It is. It is. Woodruff why it is happening, and why, as we saw in the instance of ray rice and his nowwife janay, people who are victims of abuse stay with their partners. Why . Well, there are a couple of things. First of all, i believe this violence is preventable. I think its learned, and if its learned, it can be unlearned. While we have put in place a very good comprehensive system with Law Enforcement and our judiciary and support services and shelt, across this land, we have not done enough for our young people, for kids in high school, in middle school, and weve been hearing about the horrific epidemic of Sexual Assault on our college campuses. We need to do way more for our young people because at the end of the day, you can give people tools to have healthy relationships. If youve seen it, if youve witnessed it in your home, you need to unlearn it. Thats the next body of work that we need to do. Why do people stay . People stay for a lot of reasons. My question is why do people abuse . At the end of the day, we need to make sure that before somebody abuses we give them the tools so they can lead a better life. But is there enough information out there for victims of Domestic Abuse to know where they can go for help . Well, i hope we have enough information out there. I think well redouble our efforts as i was going in the cab to celebrate the violence against women act and seeing the horrific image of that video, i said the myself, yes, weve done a lot, but we obviously have to do way more. There is national hot line. There are programs in every community that are doing extraordinary services. But we obviously need to reach everybody and we have not done that yet. And this involves health care providers, doctors, nurses. Workplaces. Its really, really important. Woodruff so its not just police. I totally agree with you. We now know that most people either talk to a friend or they tell somebody who they know that this is going on. So its really important that we equip everybody with the right information. So what advice would you give for someone who is either in a situation where they are being abused, know of someone who is being abused or someone that. A friend thats confided in them or they have strong reason to believe it . I think the most posh thing is if you can, get somebody to support you, speak out and believe that there is a better way. I think at the end of the day, too many people think that theres a reason why they should stay in a situation. They might be afraid. They might think that, oh, my god, what am i going to do for our kids . But at the end of the day, thats not going to stop the violence. Whats going to stop the violence is the violent person needs to stop the violence. And its really important for people to know that theyre not going to be able to do that. Because in some of these instances, it is financial support. I absolutely agree. If they separate from this individual, how will they survive . I think thats real. So i think the programs that really empower women economically are absolutely essential so that they have options to choose a different life if thats what. That they have that option. I also think whats really important is that we change the norms. Its really critical that the social norm says very clearly that theres no excuse. And thats why i think its so important that the sports leagues step up. They are such a powerful conveyor of whats acceptable behavior, not only to their fans, but also to the next generation. And as a parent and as a grandparent, what do you want to give your kids . You want to give them the possibility of having healthy relationships. You want them to go to school and not get hurt. You want them to date and not get raped, and you want them to go to college so they can learn. Woodruff esta soler, the founder of futures without violence, we thank you. Thank you. Woodruff finally tonight, the eyes of the tech world turned once again today to cupertino, california, where, with the hype that has come to mark its periodic product upgrades, apple unveiled the latest iphone. But carrying on telephone conversations is probably its least interesting feature. The device is a watch, a wallet and, more than ever, a walking, talking computer. But is the iphone six the future happening now . Or is it paving the way to the end of privacy . John simons, media and Technology Editor for the associated press, covered the latest rollout. John, of all the whizbang elements that were rolled out today, watch, wallet, size of the iphone, the battery life, which was the most innovative to you . I think whats most innovative is the Payment System that apple introduced into its iphones today. Its called apple pay. And it allows people to go to bring and Mortar Stores and use their iphones to pay for things at the register rather than pulling out a credit card. You can swipe your phone at the point of sale and make your purchase. Ifill in this age now it remains to be. Ifill go ahead. It remains to be seen whether this will catch on. This technology exists in other phones and its within around for a while, and it requires a lot of retailers to upgrade their systems in order for this to be widely used. Ifill in this age of data breaches and hacking, should we worry about the possibility that all of your information is i hate keeping all my information in one wallet, let alone one phone. This is a concern, but what weve seen in a lot of our reporting and a lot of our look at research is that consumers, while they say that theyre really interest and concerned about recent highfrom file hacking events and concerned about nsa surveillance, consumers continue to use the digital technology, their phones, storing things in the cloud. They just are. They say theyre concerned in polls, but they continue to use their technology and continue the use the newest things. So there is a challenge to this Nfc Technology thats nearfield communication, the name of the new technology thats in the iphone but its, you know, people will use this. It is a privacy concern, though. Apple will say that this is more secure than using a credit card, but only slightly more secure in that the person at the register doesnt see your card number. Ifill we have heard for years and years in these apple announcements of things getting smaller, thinner, lighter. This seems to be getting bigger. Why is it going in the opposite direction . Yeah, well, consumers are basically sort of commanding this direction in the marketplace. Consumers are basically showing they want bigger screens. Apple for a while said, for the last two years, if you walk into any store, a best buy, a Retail Telecommunications store, youll notice that the iphone was one of the smallest smartphones in the store. And thats just because a lot of other companies, htc, samsung, noticed that Consumers Want a slightly bigger screen. And apple is, you know, for a while they were insistent that this was the size of the iphone. But they came around i think and they want to challenge samsung, which is the numberone. The worlds numberone smartphone seller now. Ifill androids like samsung produces have gotten very popular. Apple still makes a tremendous amount of money obviously on these new devices. Absolutely. Are they the leader in innovation . Are they the leader in finding out what the people want . Well, you know, apple, whats interesting about todays developments with apple is that the company has historically entered markets late. Theyve surveyed the landscape. Theyve historically entered markets late. They were not the first producer of a Digital Music player. They were not first smartphone company. They were not First Company to produce a tablet. But when they enter a market, they generally make a big splash and they end up sort of really competing and competing well and making a statement. And the question is can apple continue to rely on that on its ability to do that with these three major advancements that were introduced today . The iphone, the apple watch and apple pay. Ifill we didnt even get to talking about the apple watch, mosley because i cant figure out why i would need one, but ill let you try it first and ask you about it next time. John simons of the associated press, thanks a lot. Woodruff again, the major developments of the day. President obama called in congressional leaders to discuss an expanded campaign against the Islamic State group. The white house said he told them he already has the authority for additional military action. The World Health Organization reported ebola has now killed almost 2,300 people in west africa. And Carbon Dioxide levels in the worlds atmosphere hit a record high last year. Ifill on the newshour online right now, one artist transforms californias coastlines into largescale earthscapes. With rakes and ropes he carves his masterpieces into the sand, all before the tide comes and sweeps it away. See his grand designs for yourself, on our art beat page. All that and more is on our web site, newshour. Pbs. Org. Woodruff and again, to our woodruff and thats the newshour for tonight. On wednesday, special coverage of the president s address to the nation. Outlining his plan to confront the Islamic State group. Im judy woodruff. Ifill and im gwen ifill, well 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. This is nightly Business Report, with Tyler Mathisen and susie gharib. Spike and slide, Apple Unveils new phones, a mobile Payment System. A watch and the stock twitches, word by word, did the company prove it is still on the cutting edge of innovation . Safe to swipe . Could the breach of safety be worse than first thought . The tip of the iceberg. And watch your language, the odds are increasing that the Federal Reserve may make an important change to its policy statement as soon as next week. All that and more tonight on nightly Business Report for tuesday, september 9th. Good evening, everyone, a big