within the confines that president castro has outlined, i really dont's know. >> sreenivasan: plus, a couple of best-selling authors share their favorite reads of 2014. those are 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. >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you're own chief life officer. >> 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. >> sreenivasan: we begin with that missing airliner in indonesia. the mystery came into better focus today when search teams found the remains of victims, and mangled metal, off the coast of borneo. shaken, grieving relatives of the victims filed out of a crisis center in surabaya after their agonizing wait ended with a jolt. a short time earlier, as they watched indonesian television, images of bodies and wreckage flashed on screen, with no warning. the multi-national search had found what it was looking for in the java sea, as indonesia's national search and rescue chief confirmed. >> ( translated ): the area was where the plane crashed and the debris came from the missing plane that we have been searching for. >> sreenivasan: the drama began sunday when air-asia flight 8501 left surabaya, indonesia on a two-hour trip to singapore. 162 people, mostly indonesians were on board. but the plane disappeared off radar, without warning, about halfway into its route traveling through stormy weather. searchers found the first debris about ten miles from the plane's last-known location, in less than 100 feet of water. initial efforts brought back a blue suitcase, an oxygen tank and aircraft parts matching the serial number of the lost plane. even after the discovery, some refused to give up on the chance their loved ones might have survived. >> ( translated ): i still hope that they can find the plane and, from the bottom of my heart, i want them to still be alive. >> sreenivasan: but for most, the grim reality set in, and indonesian president joko widodo arrived at the surabaya airport to offer what comfort he could. >> ( translated ): my deep condolences go out to the families of the passengers and crew. i am feeling their loss and pray that they are given all the courage and strength to face this tragedy. >> sreenivasan: air-asia's c.e.o., tony fernandes, also spoke again today, expressing deep regrets over the carrier's first fatal crash. >> i apologize profusely for what they're going through. i am the leader of this company and i have to take responsibility. it is the worst feeling one could have but we stay strong for the families out there to ensure that we can look after them even after this incident. >> sreenivasan: the search operation now shifts to retrieving more bodies and finding more of the plane. about 30 ships, 15 aircraft and seven helicopters from six countries are assisting in the effort, and the destroyer u.s.s. sampson is heading to the scene. dozens of elite military divers will also comb the underwater site, looking especially for the plane's black box recorders. their data may tell exactly what happened to flight 8501. joining me now is wall street journal reporter andy pasztor. andy, we just rattled off these different resources bringing to bear on this search. what's next? how long might it take? >> under the best of circumstances, it could be days or weeks. the water is relatively shallow. much shallower than the previous crashes you may be aware of such as malaysian 370cies 370 disappearance where they're still kook looking and also currents to contend with. but this is a scenario where investigators and experts hope they can find what they want relatively quickly. >> sreenivasan: okay. so how do they go about piecing together a cause, even after after they get this black box? >> of course, they will construct a time line and try to determine precisely what was happening in the cockpit at what point and, also there will be recordings of what the pilots were saying and doing. and i think, to put this in some perspective, as tragic this is for the families and for the airline, this is probably not going to be a seminal investigation. experts call it a classic high altitude stall, high altitude upset instance which was probably exacerbated by storms. but i think we should talk a little bit about why it could be a very important investigation. it could be a turning point for the industry because this might be what they needed or what they require to put on tracking systems on all aircraft and also to be able to stream data off aircraft so that investigators know what happened and where the plane ended much more quickly than they do now. >> sreenivasan: there's also almost in this collective moment where the world wonders why is it that i can find my smartphone with such precision and i can't find something that's a thousand times as big? >> that's right. and the industry, so far, for the most part, has called malaysia 370 a one-off event and the response to the disappearance of that aircraft was a slow and very cautious effort to make sure airliners can be tracked everywhere in the world regardless of where they're finding. three days that's how long it took to find this aircraft debris. is that too long and should we be looking at a system that allows investigators and the airline and the flying public to know where a plane crashed and what was happening on board the plane much more quickly than the three days it took this time. >> sreenivasan: and what about the role of the u.s. u.s. samson? what can that do in a search like this? >> i think at this point it's an ancillary role because i don't believe they have underwater search capability or technology on that ship, but the u.s. probably will be asked and will help out in some underwater search efforts as this develops, and there are assets underway to the site now to be able to findn3 the bodies and the black box and the parts of the plane that may help answer what happened. >> sreenivasan: andy pasztor of the "wall street journal" joining us tonight, thanks so much. >> you're welcome. >> sreenivasan: fresh protests erupted in moscow this evening, after a leading opponent of russian president vladimir putin was convicted of fraud. alexei navalny got a suspended sentence of three and a half years, but his brother was sent to prison. later, navalny was seen being rounded up by police when he broke the terms of his ongoing house arrest and tried to attend the rally. the demonstration itself drew several thousand people, with chants of "freedom!" and "putin go away!" ringing through the air in red square. >> ( translated ): i came here first of all because i am against any repression, against politically motivated cases and prosecution for views. i think every person has the right to express his opinion. >> sreenivasan: after nearly two hours, police broke up the protests and detained about 100 opposition supporters. the united states denounced the convictions of navalny and his brother as another sign of a russian crackdown on independent voices. there's word today of a jordanian pilot who's being held by islamic state militants in syria. muath al kasaesbeh was flying a coalition air raid when his plane went down last week. now, the islamic state's english-language, online magazine has published a purported interview with the captive. in it, he's asked: "do you know what the islamic state will do with you?" he answers: "yes, they will kill me." the u.n. security council has turned back a palestinian push to end israeli control in the west bank and east jerusalem by 2017. the vote this evening fell one vote short of the nine needed. the resolution called for an independent state, with palestinians arguing negotiations with israel have gone nowhere. but u.s. ambassador samantha power criticized the palestinian effort >> the staged confrontation in the u.n. security council will not pri the parties closer to achieving a two-state solution. we voted against this resolution not because we are indifferent the daily hardships or security threats endured by palestinians and israelis but because we know these hardships will not cease and the threats will not subside until the parties reach a comprehensive settlement achieved through negotiations. >> sreenivasan: the u.s. had been expected to veto the resolution, even if it did pass. back in this country, the third- ranking republican in the u.s. house said today he regrets addressing a white supremacist group, in 2002. at the time, majority whip steve scalise was a state lawmaker in louisiana. he initially said he did not know the group's background. today, he said: "it was a mistake, and i emphatically oppose the divisive racial and religious views (that) groups like these hold." in his own statement, house speaker john boehner said scalise "made an error in judgment", but still has his full confidence. republican congressman michael grimm of new york has announced he's resigning january 5th. he pleaded guilty last week to tax evasion, after he'd been re- elected to a third term. in a statement last night, grimm said he can no longer be effective in congress. former president george h. w. bush was released from a houston hospital today after a week-long stay. a spokesman said he is resting comfortably at home. mr. bush is now 90, and is the oldest living former president. he suffers from parkison's disease and was admitted to the hospital last week with shortness of breath. on wall street, stocks were down, partly on profit-taking, and partly on worries about greece. the government there has called early elections that could unravel an international bailout deal. for the day, the dow jones industrial average lost 55 points, to close at 17,983. the nasdaq fell 29 points to close at 4,777. and the s&p 500 dropped 10, to finish at 2,080. still to come on the newshour: how washington plans to normalize relations with havana. nonprofits, big and small, seek to boost their profiles and contributions online. two best selling authors share their favorite books of 2014. high school students on how they get their news and the stories that mattered to them. and, a conversation with a long- serving member of congress as he prepares to exit, stage left. >> sreenivasan: one of the great surprises of 2014 was president obama's stunning announcement: after a more than 50-year- standoff, that the u.s. would reopen diplomatic relations with cuba. tonight, chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner takes a closer look at the challenges ahead, and talks with an american diplomat leading the charge. >> we will end an oudated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests neither the american nor cuban people are well served by a rigid policy that is rooted in events that took place before most of us were born. >> woodruff: among the changes, the president said he would: reopen the u.s. embassy in havana. further ease u.s. travel, credit and export limits to direct u.s. investment to cuba's new small entrepeneurial class. he also urged congress to lift the 54-year-old u.s. economic embargo on the island. cuban president raul castro issued a similar announcement simultaneously. but what this opening will mean, in reality, depends on hard- headed negotiations between the two governments, due to start in havana in mid-january. leading the u.s. negotiating team will be roberta jacobson the assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs. we spoke in her office yesterday. assistant secretary jacobson, thank you for having us. >> thank you margaret. >> reporter: when you head to havana in a couple weeks' time to launch these talks, what evidence are you looking for that the cuba government bureaucracy is interested in the kind of opening up president castro said they were ready to do? >> i think we've seen some signs of that already. we're hopeful that when we sit down in havana we'll have a broad range of conversations, but starting with the normalization. >> reporter: in terms of opening up the economy a lot of things the president said he wants to do. those are things that will chip away at the economic monopoly this cuban government has. >> exactly. >> reporter: are they ready for that? >> i think that's a very good question margaret and i think that's exactly what we'll find out. we certainly hope that the cuban government will allow us to engage with those who are self-employed, those who are entrepreneurs. we certainly hope that the telecommunications sector which is one where the cuban government has said they're interested in modernizing in giving more access to cubans, to information that they will be willing to go as far as we can get our business sector to go. >> reporter: when president castro spoke to i think his parliament, he said his goal is a prosperous and sustainable communism. does that sound like someone who wants to retain val party control but revitalize the economy. is that doable? >> it sounds like something that may be impossible. i think when you look at whots going on in cuba you sew an economy in a tail spin a model that's not really working and the liberalization you've seen take place although many people have commented on it, is very very minor small and slow and is still based on one patron whose own economic model is failing. i think one of the things we want to do is see how far we can really encourage cubans to take control of their own destiny. whether that is going to be able to exist within the confines that president castro has outlined i really don't know. but that's why the new policy was designed. >> many cuban dissidents who fought a long fight down there are very upset by the president's announcement. when the cuban government continues to spy on them to restrict their freedom of speech and their freedom of assembly, can the biewben people expect any greater freedoms in the short term as a result of this deal? >> i don't know but i would say we're skeptical and we don't have illusions about this government or their willingness to allow those freedoms. i think they're still fighting that fight. what you see is people beginning to lose their fear. you see performance artists. you see independent librarians and journalists and people speaking out. that's what we want to encourage. but there is no doubt that the government continues to want to maintain a level of control and a level of repression, even if that repression may be short-termed detention or other forms of repression that differ from the way it has in the past and that really does have to end. >> reporter: in the negotiations, did the u.s. try to get any greater assurances on this front? >> i think one of the things you have to remember is what was negotiated was the intelligence asset for the three intelligence agents of cuba in the united states. >> reporter: the exchange. the other things that were discussed were things we discussed with the cubans or they discussed with us but they weren't necessarily negotiated. >> reporter: the cuban government has said it will release 53 political prisoners. have they released any or all of them? >> the cuban government said those people will be released as their own decision. some of those people have been released, for example one to have the ladies in white. there have been others who have been released. we expect all of them will be released. >> reporter: is the cuban government obliged to notify you when the 53 are released? >> there is god communications on the islands and among the activists with our intersection in havana so we expect to know when the people are released. >> reporter: you say the talks are focused on the normalization of government to government. part of that, president obama said, was to open an embassy in have navment members of the new congress but many democrats as well said they will do anything in their power to frustrate that including using the power of the purse. can congress stand in the way of opening an embassy? >> well, there are certain things we'll do to transition the intersection to the embassy. >> reporter: the intersection already in havana. >> one of the largest intersections in havana. there are things we can do to transition that won't cost any money. we believe we'll baibilityd do that. the conduct of diplomatic relations is within the president's purview. when it comes time for things that will cost money, obviously, we'll have to discuss those with congress. but the transition to an embassy is something that is within the president's power to do. >> reporter: so a fundamental critique to have the president's decision to upup relations is cuba is gasping for air here and they're just on the verge of losing this subsidized oil from venezuela and essentially the united states is throwing it a lifeline that will enable the castro communist regime to sustain itself. >> well, i don't think that's true. for one thing, the embargo is still in place. for ute thing, if you look at what the president has authorized we're talking about supporting self-employed, supporting entrepreneurs, supporting the intelligence sector which is information and providing cubans with accurate information about the world, providing the ability for cubans to meet real americans in humanitarian missions church groups, athletics. these are not things that are necessarily going to allow the cuban government to survive or not survive or the cuban model to survive or not survive. these are the kinds of things that greatly empower cuban civil society and cuban individuals to help give them a sense of their own future and enable them to get the resources they need to get greater control over their lives. >> reporter: assistant secretary jacobson, thank you. >> thank you, margaret. >> sreenivasan: social media has revolutionized how we stay in touch with friends and family. how we shop and get our news. this year, the success of the viral ice bucket challenge to raise money to support a.l.s. research has people asking whether how we give is due for its own digital makeover. yesterday, we checked in on how the $220 million raised by the ice bucket challenge is being put to work. today, in the second of a series of conversations about digital philanthropy, we look at how social platforms are changing the way we give. joining me are stacy palmer, editor of "the chronicle of philanthropy." and amy sample ward, c.e.o. of the nonprofit technology network and co-author of "social change anytime, everywhere." stacy, i want to ask, was the ice bucket challenge a watershed moment or a cold watershed moment? >> it was quite the watershed. eives was doing it. it was miraculous. nobody thought social media could raise money at all and many known nonprofits were frustrated. we received an email saying, don't worry that you're not raising money. then all of a sudden everybody was joining and got engaged. it wouldn't have happened without things like facebook spreading the message. >> sreenivasan: is this a campaign that can be replicated? it had an organic feel when it began which is what got people interested instead of an email in your box that said dump a budget of ice water on yourself. >> i think a lot of organizations are feeling pressure from their boards and fundraising teams saying we have to put a plan in place and create the next ice bucket challenge. what made it successful from stacy's point, it was shareable campaign. you posted a video, something on facebook, and your friends wanted to like it, comment, and make all their other friends dump ice water on their head. so finding something that is in your either campaign strategy or in your message in general that can be shared, but it also is really fun. it's about the people participating. it's not about the organization. >> stacy, you mentioned facebook earlier and so did amy. what is the facebook effect on philanthropy if it can be measured up till now. >> up till the ice bucket, it was great for sharing information and saying i'm running in a race and will you support me but it really wasn't bringing in any money. groups were spending time scratching heads trying to figure out what to do and i think they still are, can facebook and twitter help, what do the social media tools do in terms of connecting people and spread the message, but what nonprofits really need is cash to run organizations so at a certain point spreading the message is not enough. >> what can an organization do or successful ones do to convert that from facebook being a marketing tool to actually getting people to contribute? because that's what they need at the end of the year or the day. >> sure, and i think part of that is really recognizing who's on facebook. do you have people on your facebook page because you're an organization that does lots of events and people are on there to see the photos and engage with you around events? we'll then figure out how those events hook into fundraising but if you have instead a community on facebook there for your mission and stories promoting giving and promoting events may not be what hacks them in and being realistic. the people on your email list are not all the same people on your facebook page, not the same people on your twitter list. it's all different components within your community. >> stacy, is there kind of a blanket rule or it seems like you're almost threading a needle to find the balance and it can be different for different organizations of different sizes and different causes. >> very much so. i think that's what's so frustrating for people is there's not one recipe but that's what the whole point is. but researchers are looking at what works and an interesting finding, if you don't have a big social network, you're better at raising money because people are paying attention to you. we might think, go to someone with tons of friends on facebook, that might not be the way. it might be one of the more authentic messages that works and why the ice bucket thing took off. someone who knew someone who had a.l.s. and talked about it and had a connection to the cause. it needs to be prnl in some kind of way. i think if it had just been a fun thing, it wouldn't have worked. that was an ingredient of why it worked, but it was trying to emulate how it feels when people have a.l.s. and they suddenly learned about a disease many hadn't heard of and they learned about this disease. so it was a great combination. remember the potato salad thing? this guy had this idea he wanted to make potato salad and raised tons of money. so a nonprofit in st. louis got frustrated and said i'm going to raise money for people who got hungry, a better cause and he wasn't able to raise very much money at all. it's fluky why some things work and some things don't. >> sreenivasan: is there a cultural or generational gift in how we consider giving? seems a lot of millennials are fine with giving $5 or $10 throughout the year in different causes because it's right on their phone, very easy to give and maybe they're not thinking about it as much as here's the end of the year here's my $200 to doctors without borders or unicef. >> and i think what's really important about what you just said is causes, not necessarily nonprofits. if there is an issue that someone is passionate about whether it's a really large being covered in the news political issue or something in their hometown, they feel connected to that cause, and the impact that ultimately they want to see happen, and not necessarily the same kind of traditional relationship with an organization that may have a mission focused on that but they're not giving every year like you said, at the end of the year to the same organization. they're feeling like in this moment this campaign asked for my support. doesn't matter if it's a nonprofit, political organization, a community group, i want to give $10 and i want to feel like my $10 was important noticed by them and made a difference. >> sreenivasan: how does a figure organization create that personal touch besides just sending something in the mail to me? >> a lot of groups are trying to tap volunteers to reach out to friends to make it personal. you can't say i'm at the red cross headquarters and going to send the message but i'm going to find the folks. it takes time but it's more effective in getting out to people. >> sreenivasan: the big million-dollar put my name on the side of a museum brings gifts, but i take online is growing. >> it is growing. what we see in research is email is still the most significant regenerator. the piece that is driving asks for online donations. beyond email, there are so many variables. how did they find your web site? was it on twitter? did they click through because they already follow you or see a retweet from a random person? on a hash tag there's so many other variables, so figuring out the opportunities and figuring out who the members are, whether on email and personalize the email, or you use it as a constant touch point so when you take the person out to lunch or bring the people together in their annual galah, they've already heard your story and talked to you for a number of times and they may will b ready for the ask whether it's $100,000, $1,000 or $10. >> sreenivasan: amy sample ward and sacy palmer, thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> sreenivasan: jeffrey brown recently sat down at a washington, d.c. book store with two well-known authors, for a dive into some of their favorite reads of 2014. >> brown: i'm here at politics and prose book store in washingtonwashington, d.c. and joined by best-selling authors ann patchett and daniel pink. we've asked you to come up with favorites of the year. ann? >> got a lot this year. brown girl dreaming by jaqueline woodson is actually a middle school book but i'm terrible about reading middle school books young adult novels. >> brown: normally you don't read them. >> no. i picked this up jacqueline was born in 1963 grown up partially in brooklyn. it's about a young woman in life in various settings. the book is written in verse and just gives a tremendous amount of space for the reader to enter into the experience. great for adults, great for kids and just won the national book award. >> brown: daniel? so my book of the year is this book, data-clism who we are when we think nobody's watching. this is the guy who founded a site called okay cupid. it's a dating site. he has access the massive amounts of data about what we really think, what we really believe, who we really like who we really find attractive. so this book gives us incredible revelations about how people really behave on matters of love, on matters of race, on matter of politics. >> brown: this is very much in the news these days, of course? every day seems like we're looking at some data issue not all benign, by the way. >> you make a good argument. data and numbers are a form of narrative. they put together a beautiful story. one of my favorites is two questions that better predict whether couples will connect are these, okay -- i could ask you. i'm already married but i'll ask you the question. do you like scary movies? >> no. have you ever traveled to another country alone? >> yes. so we actually could be compatible for marriage. there's a higher standard believe me, but those are the two questions that more than any other questions predict whether two people on a dating site will get together. >> and those are your answers for those two things? >> absolutely. wow. >> brown: your next book, ann patchett. >> can't we talk about something more pleasant by roz chast at the new yorker. she talks about caring for her aging parents. it's done as a graphic novel. >> brown: one a lot of people have the experience of. >> my line is if you have parents, had parents or if you ever knew someone who had parents, this is an appropriate book for you. what she gets down on paper the experience of watching your loved ones get old, it's so honest, it's cringe-inducing, but it's also hysterical. >> this book here, what i like is the modesty of the title. it's called the meaning of human existence. in football terms, this guy is throwing long. i admire that. this is which ian wilson, won two pulitzer prizes, a career out of studying ants. this book is sort of like a victory lap, sort of the greatest hits and victory laps of ian wilson. every time i read a chapter i had to stop. i had to think about it. some was disturbing, some enlightening. human beings, he puts us -- helps us understand our place in the universe, shows us the connection between how science understands the world and how humanities ups the world and basically tells us our sitting here today is the product of random conditions and natural selection that could have easily gone another way. so it's a really profound, interesting book by one of the really great scientists of our time. >> you're really making me want to read these books. >> he's a good writer. here's what we says about the earth. he says earth relates to the universe -- sort of putting us in our place -- earth relates to the universe as the second segment of the left an tina of an aphid sitting on a flower pedal in a garden in new jersey for a few hours this afternoon. >> wow. if you don't feel small after that, happy holidays. >> yeah. so it's very vivid and thoughtful. >> brown: he has us married, why we married and why we're here on earth. >> and it's not very important and is going to be over like that this marriage. >> brown: what else do you have, ann? >> mira coleman (phonetic) does beautiful work for the "new york times" as we all know. this book started out because she was hired to curate a show from her favorite things from the cooper hewlett museum and picks these beautiful items but it also becomes the story of her life and the things she loves and doesn't love. it's a very different kind of visual narrative reading experience, great gift, gorgeous book and something i think you would come back to again and again over time. >> sure looks nice. yeah, it is. beautiful. do you think the form of the books is its power? >> absolutely. this one b doesn't even have pictures. >> i'm a little slower. i like pictures. this time of year, again, i really am thinking about backs that you will read more than once, that you will come back to all year long. >> brown: one more. this is a bach that came out in paperback this year, in hard cover in 2013 but paperback this year called "drunk tank pink." >> brown: of course, you saw the pink. >> drunk tank pink is no relation. so get that out of the way. this is a book about social science and a young social psychologist at n.y.u. he goes through research on how we're affected by things we barely notice -- smells in the air, colors around us, merely the presence of other people -- and derives the title from one of the classic experiments in social psychology where they found that in a study of a navy prison, places where they took sailors that were drunk, getting rowdy and throw them in prison. they found that when they painted the prison walls a certain color and the paint-on color is baker miller pink, it mel load them out. it's called a non-drug anesthetic. it mel load them out slowed them down and took away their aggression. and since then this color has been used in juvenile detention facilities some football teams have painted their opponents' locker rooms with this color to make them less aggressive. it shows the power of color and smells and even weather to shape our behavior in ways we'll barely even understand. >> brown: one quick last one. last one my favorite book of the year "deep down dark: 33 men buried in a chilean mine and who set them free." hector to tobar tell us what's the meaning of life what is fate, who we are when pressed tarred death for an extended period of time. it's terrific. >> brown: for now, ann patchett daniel pink. thanks so much. >> thanks. >> sreenivasan: you can find the rest of jeff's conversation with ann patchett and daniel pink at pbs.org/newshour. join us again tomorrow night, when jeff will take a look at the best movies of the year. >> sreenivasan: now, a different take on the year that was. judy woodruff recently talked to several teenagers about the stories that caught their eyes in 2014, and explored how technology affects what they see and hear about the news. >> woodruff: newshour extra our website for teachers and students, has partnered with google for what we're calling the "my zeitgeist" year-in- review contest. more than 1,000 students from around the world created digital mashups, images and videos edited together, highlighting the most important stories of 2014. we don't know who won yet. that won't be announced until midnight, december 31st. but in the meantime, to find out more about how young people view current events, we've invited three students who entered the contest from t.c. williams high school in alexandria, virginia: rona ikram putri, evan williams, and shayla brown. their teacher, mark eaton, also joins us. first, here's a clip of one of their entries, to give you one idea of how young people view the news: derek jeter! (cheers and applause) ♪ >> the first patient diagnosed with ebola in the united states has died of ebola in a dallas hospital. >> woodruff: so evan williams lets start with you, that was a clip from your video. how did you decide what were the most important stories, how did you put that together? >> i kind of think of stories that have the most impact so a good way to measure that is something that became a household discussion, like a universal discussion, for example the ebola outbreak everyone was talking about that, the world cup, everyone was talking about that. >> woodruff: now shayla, shayla brown, how did you decide what were the most important stories? >> our journalism class made a list of the huge stories of 2014, so i used this and i did research like evan did and my mom helped me with the project a lot too so i got a lot of grown- ups input to it. >> woodruff: how do you get your news in general? >> i have apps on my phone that i get alerts occasionally when there's something huge in the news that happens. >> woodruff: rona, what about you, how did you decide what were the most important stories? >> basically for me, in the news there are two necessary factors. the first is its importance, the second is its interesting or not. i read newspaper every day which i think is a good habit. i think personally and also what shayla does. i look it up on the internet. and also at the beginning of the journalism class mr. eaton will say "what's going on out there?" and the students will raise their hand and they will tell about what they have found either in newspaper television or radio. >> woodruff: so you all get a chance to talk about it? >> yes so we all get a chance to talk about it. >> woodruff: we should say rona is an exchange student from indonesia, so this is a particularly interesting experience for you in the united states. >> yes >> woodruff: mark eaton, you're the teacher of this class, you're head of the english department at t.c. williams. in the eight years you've been teaching journalism in how young people get their news. >> well first thank you for having us. what i've noticed is the students seem to be getting their news with the rise of social media, students seem to be getting their news from a wide variety of sources. and i've noticed there's a particular attraction to ironic news. the steven colbert, jon stewart john oliver. these resonate with the students >> woodruff: how do you see that evan, how do you get your news? before you started this journalism class how were you getting your news? >> mostly its just twitter because twitter it's like you can follow the certain pages you want, the certain areas of news that interest, you can just scroll down. >> woodruff: rona what about you? it sounds like you're getting news from a lot of places. you mentioned newspapers online. what about your friends? how do you see them getting the news and are they typical? >> the typical teenager right now usually gets the news from twitter. they follow certain accounts that provide news. its really useful so when the teenagers are using their phone it doesn't mean that they don't care about the world-- they do. but it's only in different way they know what's going on out there in this world actually. >> woodruff: is that what you're seeing mark eaton? as the teacher do you think they're learning about the world by the sources that they choose? >> i do. i think so and its certainly something we stress in the class. we try to increase the element of curiosity about what's going on. our class in some ways is a citizenship class. we're really trying to... the question we try to ask is are you going to be a consumer or a citizen? and if you're interested in news and understand the importance of news, that's a step on the road to citizenship. >> woodruff: does the news this year make you feel uplifted about the way things are going in this country, or does it leave you worried about the world? how do you feel about that? >> i think you could go both ways with that. there is so many things that uplift people like sports, the olympics and the world cup. and also there are things that can worry people like the ebola outbreak and stuff like that so there's different types. >> woodruff: what about you shayla, does the news make you feel better or more anxious about the world? >> a little of both, but probably more anxious because there are some pretty terrible things that went on. the ebola outbreak like evan said and the shooting in missouri. >> woodruff: do you think how you consume news will change from your parents and do you think that will change when you're their age? or do you think it will stay the way it is? >> i think it will stay the way it is. i watch news shows with them, but my main way is through apps so i think i'll stick with that. >> woodruff: rona, what about you? do you think its going to stay like this or the way you get news now as you grow up? >> i think it will change because as time goes by newspaper, maybe it will just be gone and maybe it will be replaced by just online media. >> woodruff: changing fast. >> it will change. >> woodruff: mark eaton you get the last word as the teacher. do you see this younger generation changing the way everybody consumes news in the future? >> i think so, but i wouldn't hazard a prediction. i think things will be different but we don't know how. >> woodruff: i think that's a very wise way to wrap it up. mark eaton, who is the teacher of this journalism class at t.c. williams high school. shalya brown, evan williams and rona ikram putri we thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: this conversation is part of our american graduate project, a public media initiative funded by the corporation for public broadcasting. >> sreenivasan: finally tonight, what do politicians say when they no longer are running for office? yesterday we featured an exit interview with conservative senator saxby chambliss of georgia. tonight, we bring you a conversation gwen ifill had with a man known as one of the most liberal members in congress, retiring california representative george miller. >> ifill: congressman miller, thank you for joining us. there are some people who say, after 39 in congress, you stayed too long. but why leave now? >> well, i felt it was a good time. i wanted some of my time back. i wanted to come home to california, and i think i've amassed a record in congress that i'm very, very proud of. so it just felt light, after 40 -- it felt right after 40 years, it's time to go home. >> ifill: you arrived in washington in 1974. you and henry waxman are part of a last of a class of post-water gate members of congress who came to the city to change congress and the world. both of you are now retiring this year. did you accomplish what you set out to do? >> well, i accomplished a big part of it. when i think of the legislation that i had the privilege of being involved with in some cases writing that became law the access for children with disabilities to public schools in this country where many states weren't honoring the rights of disabled children to be able to go to school, the rights of parents and communities and others to know how their schools are performing and their children are doing the no no child left behind law i wrote with president bush, and certainly the affordable care act that we did under president barack obama. you know, 40 years ago, i campaigned on national healthcare and ending the war in vietnam. when that bill was signed into law by the president and i'm in that room it started to look to me like i had reached the top of what i came here to do. so it's been a wonderful, wonderful career. i've loved every moment of it. every moment of it. >> ifill: have you accomplished all you set out to do -- if you've accomplished all you set out to do, the things you named, are these things you think a congress as it is made up now could accomplish? >> this is a much more difficult environment. but i'm an optimist, you have to be if you're in congress and i in fact, believe it's starting to turn. i think -- you know, i'm not happy with the republican takeover in the senate, but they now own the congress in that sense and i think they're going to have to meet the responsibilities and the expectations of the american people. i think, to get that done, they're going to need to partner, just as i had to partner with republican presidents and chairmen and republican leadership to get the things done that i wanted to get done. so i really think this may be the beginning of a new chapter in the congressional diaries, if you will. >> ifill: we talked to congressman -- senator saxby chambliss who is retiring and talked about bipartisanship as well. who would you say you would need to reach across the aisle an work with. >> i have been able to work with the chairman of the education committee, congressman klein from minnesota. we have been able to report legislation to the floor. we have been able to report controversial legislation tow the floor and get it to the president's desk, and i think it was very difficult the first 18 months, but the last six months i think there's a recognition that all members of congress are accountable for the congress doing its job and i think if you want to push that off and say the tea party or this person won't let me do the job, that's not going to sell at home. they want you to come produce. they want you to produce on their behalf. i think the congress is going to feel that heat more in the next congress than the last cupful of congresses. >> ifill: i'm sure as you know there are people from the other party who say things like single-party passage of the affordable care act which is one of your proudest accomplishments or the president's order on executive action have poisoned the water and made it harder for bipartisan action. >> i think that's an excuse, not reality. the congress is a place where you wear long pants belts and suspenders an go to work every day and figure out how to get things done. you can't lament what happened five years ago three years ago, six months ago. you have to get these things done. that's what the people charged you. they charged you to come to washington and work on their behalf and to do that in a legitimate fashion requires a bipartisan effort. sometimes they will choose to go the road and test whether they can do it all by themselves. that's expected, too. but the fact that at the end of the day, if you're going to really reinvest in this country, the f you're going to keep america in its leadership role, you're going to have to have that bipartisan cooperation. >> ifill: what advice would you give citizens voters, people who are exasperated with congress, exasperated with washington, what would you say to them as you leave washington now, leave all this behind presumably? should they just throw up their hands and give up on washington? >> no, absolutely not. absolutely not. they're the shareholders and what the elections are about is holding the officers of the endeavor, in this case members of congress, accountable. i would like to see more americans get involved in elections. i can we're getting fewer voices involved in elections with more power and i would like to see the people come back to the election process. it's not enough to say they're not god. what role did you play in electing your member of congress, your member of the united states senate the president of the united states? that's how democracy survives is when people are engaged. >> ifill: you were tightly allied with nancy pelosi. as you go back to your home district what advice do you leave for her and other members of congress as they try to dig themselves out of the hole of public perception we're talking about? >> i think they've got to make their own weather. i think it's clear in this election there's great concern in this country about the fairness of the economy, whether or not congress is working for american families, whether or not the middle class will be able to participate in the growing prosperity in this country. much of the prosperity has grown for a few people. there may be a chance it could be shared in a wider fashion. i think that will be important to american families. working alongside nancy pelosi is like working alongside vince lombardi. this is a serious person who understands this system and how it could work on behalf of the american people and how in fact it very often works against their interests. i think that question is rising to the top and i think the congress, regardless of party, is going to be held accountable for the question of who's working on our behalf, who's working on our behalf so more of us can share in this prosperity? >> ifill: george miller, retiring after four decades from the house of representatives. thank you. >> thank you. >> sreenivasan: again, the major developments of the day. search teams found bodies and wreckage from an airliner that disappeared off indonesia on sunday. the plane went down in shallow water in the java sea, with 162 people on board. the cause of the crash is still unknown. several thousand people protested in moscow, against russian president vladimir putin, after a leading dissident was convicted of fraud. police broke up the demonstration after about two hours. and the u.n. security council rejected a palestinian push to end israeli control in the west bank and east jerusalem by 2017. the u.s. signaled it would veto the resolution if it did pass. on the newshour online right now, take a look at some of the moments captured by white house photographer pete souza in 2014. we have a photo gallery of some of the youngest americans who greeted president obama this year. all that and more is on our web site, pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. on wednesday, the unlikely connection shared by the university of oregon ducks and the florida state seminoles who face off in this week's rose bowl. i'm hari sreenivasan, we'll see you on-line, 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. >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you're own chief life officer. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> 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 report" with tyler mathisen and susie gharib. funded in part by -- thestreet.com and action alerts plus where jim cramer and fellow portfolio manager stephanie link share their investment strategies, stock picks and market insights. you can learn more at thestreet.com/nbr. big finish. storks on pace for another strong year of gains. what does 2015 hold for equities and what are some must own names for the new year? >> buy or rent. home price gains are slowing while rents are soaring. will 2015 be the year more renters turn into homeowners? >> and writing the rules. more banking restrictions coming that could mean big changes for