Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20151017

News. All that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. The ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. 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 a series of suicide bombings rocked Northern Nigeria today. Four women blew themselves up early this morning as soldiers challenged their entrance to maiduguri, killing at least 18 people. The blasts occurred just hours after two bombs struck a nearby mosque. At least 30 people died in those explosions. Officials suspect boko haram extremists are behind both incidents. Nick schifrin is on assignment for us in nigeria; i spoke to him earlier today in the capital, abuja. Nick, so you were in the town where the bombings happened. Youre in a different city now. What can you tell us about todays violence. Hari, good evening. Cant get into the center of maiduguri nor can they seize any land outside of it. Theyre strapping people with bombs, more bombs, according to intelligence officials, in the last nine months than the previous 16 years combined. This morning, the attack was actually thwarted by police. Last nights attack, horrific. Somebody actually got into a mosque and blew himself up. The vast majority of boko harams victims are muslims. Sreenivasan whats the u. S. Doing to fight boko haram. The hope is to retrain Nigerian Forces to fight boko haram and flood the zone with drones. There is a brandnew base in northern cameroon. Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, these are the kinds of things the u. S. Will give nigeria and the whole region. There will not be troops on the ground. The u. S. Hopes to train more to have the local forces and give them the intelligence they need. Sreenivasan nick thanks, hari. Sreenivasan well have more on the security situation in nigeria right after the news summary. Tensions between israelis and palestinians flared for another day. A palestinian man wearing a press tshirt stabbed and wounded an israeli soldier in hebron, while elsewhere in the west bank, palestinians firebombed a jewish holy site. Violence also broke out in gaza, where Israeli Soldiers shot and killed two palestinians. All this, as both sides pleaded for international help, at a special meeting of the u. N. Security council. translated we come to you today asking the council to urgently intervene to end this aggression against our defenseless palestinian people, and against our shrines, which are subjected to violations by the Israeli Military occupation and by Israeli Settlers and by extremists. Israel is facing an onslaught of terrorism. Yet for them, there has been no demand for a emergency session of the Security Council, no call for the palestinian leadership to stop their incitement, and not even a whisper of condemnation of these acts could be heard from this council. Sreenivasan there was also word that u. S. Secretary of state john kerry will meet israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week in germany. The two also spoke today about the conflict, during what the state department called a constructive conversation. The u. S. Ambassador to the United Nations insisted today an Iranian Missile test last weekend was a clear violation of u. N. Sanctions. Samantha power issued a statement warning the u. S. Will seek Security Council action, now that it has determined that the Iranian Missile was, inherently capable of delivering a nuclear weapon. And at a News Conference today, president obama maintained the landmark deal over Irans Nuclear program wont deter the u. S. From pressuring the country over its missile program. Syrian troops initiated a fresh offensive against rebel forces today. The new push in the Northern Province of aleppo was coordinated in conjunction with russian airstrikes. It follows a separate operation launched yesterday farther south in homs province. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military shot down an unauthorized drone flying in their airspace near the syrian border. U. S. Officials believe it was of russian origin, but moscow insisted all its aircraft were accounted for. Hungary is further sealing itself off from the sea of migrants flowing into europe. The government is officially closing its border with croatia tonight, a month after doing the same with serbia. Earlier in the day, more than 1,000 refugees streamed off a train in a croatian border town, hoping to make it into hungary before the closure. More than 383,000 migrants have entered hungary this year. Parts of Southern California were digging out from a deluge of mud and debris a day after powerful storms soaked the area. Emergency crews worked around the clock to reopen one of the states major thoroughfares, interstate five, north of los angeles near fort tejon state park. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded in the area yesterday in up to five feet of mud. On wall street today, stocks closed higher for a Third Straight week. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 74 points to close at nearly 17,216. The nasdaq rose more than 16 points. And the s p 500 added nine. For the week, the dow, nasdaq, and the s p 500 all gained around 1 . Still to come on the newshour, the journalist who spent 400 days in an egyptian jail cell; three former inmates try to beat the odds by staying out of prison, a u. S. Ambassador gets his own Reality Tv Show in denmark, and much more. The deadly attacks in nigeria this week come as the Obama Administration announced 300 u. S. Soldiers would be sent to neighboring cameroon. For more on all this im joined now by peter pham, director of the Atlantic Councils africa center. What does the u. S. Hope the to accomplish here . What kind of skills are we bringing . Two things, hari. First, to provide better intelligence on the increasing core activity of boko haram. Its no longer a threat in nigeria but theyre reaching into niger, chad and cameroon. So to monitor its movement. Once the full complement of the 300 u. S. Personnel are there, to engage in further training of cameroons military. Cameroons military halls the Rapid Reaction force known by the acronym b. I. R. The b. I. R. Has been u. S. Trained, has had u. S. Cooperation and equipment since 2009. Its one of the best military units in the region, so bringing them up to speed, up to the level necessary to fight this new type of challenge theyre facing. Sreenivasan compare that to the rest of the neighborhood, the military capacity. Nigeria has the Largest Military in terms of personnel in the region, but since 1999, when the military ceded power back to civilian rule, in an effort to avoid future military coups, nigeria has contributed to peacekeeping in africa and darfur and elsewhere in the world. But the skill sets in peacekeeping are entirely different from war fighting, much less the type of specialized warfare, counterinsurgency and counterterrorism boko haram calls for. Chad has an army but face as new type of challenge in boko haram. Niger is one of americas best partners in america but a desperately poor country. Its in cooperation but needs our help. So were struggling to find the units that can be trained up to the standards we need. Sreenivasan whats the threat to the u. S. Interests here . Well, boko haram is an evolving threat. Its been evolving for the last several years and its alliance and allegiance to the socalled Islamic State presents a new dimension to the challenge. That being said, however, one has to be frank. Boko haram does not present a direct threat to the United States but, as a growing dynamic, an evolving part of the Islamic State and one that ties down the resources of a number of countries that are critical partners of the United States in west africa, it does pose a challenge to u. S. Interests. So i think the best way to approach it is the way the administration has already taken which is building up partner capability to knit the challenge nip the challenge in the bud. Sreenivasan given how long we have been working with trainers on the ground there, will the addition of this 300 make a difference . I think it will make a difference marginally in cameroon. We have a trained unit but its not trained for the desert or counterinsurgency and counterterrorism it needs. So this will be helpful and the intelligence gathering will be helpful. Lets be realtyic, its going to take time to build up the Multinational Force to train up the elements. So were in for the long haul, not only the United States, but the other partners of west africa, france and other countries. Sreenivasan i assume were supplying drones for intelligence gathering as well. Yes, the predators will be deployed in cameroon together with manned aircraft in the region operating in other countries and this will build a better, broader picture of whats going on. Sreenivasan peter pham, Atlantic Councils africa center. Thanks so much. Thank you. Sreenivasan journalist Mohamed Fahmy returned home to canada this week, the end of a long saga that began in egypt almost two years ago. Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Margaret Warner sat with him for his First American interview. Warner this din of everyday life in dowtown toronto is new again for Mohamed Fadel fahmy and his wife marwa omara, three weeks after his sudden release from an egyptian prison. The canadianegyptian journalist was pardoned september 23rd by president abdel fattah elsissi, ending a nearlytwoyear ordeal. Our families have suffered so much. Warner fahmy, a longtime cnn producer and Los Angeles Times writer, was the new cairo bureau chief for al jazeeras English Channel when he and two colleagues, Baher Mohammed and peter greste, were arrested in their cairo hotel on terror charges dec 29, 2013. The raid was quickly broadcast on egyptian television. Thus began a kafkaesque journey through egypts judicial system, just months after thengeneral sisis ouster of the elected president , mohamed morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood. The three were initially charged with terrorismrelated offenses to aid the brotherhood, which had just been branded a terrorist organization. Al jazeera is owned by the government of qatar, which continued to back the brotherhood, even after morsis ouster. Caged in court, fahmy emphatically denied the charges. Evidence . I dont even see it do you see it . I dont see it. Warner they were convicted and sentenced in june 2014. After a retrial was ordered in january, the australian peter greste was deported. But fahmy and baher were retried and convicted again this summer, sentenced to three more years. Finally, amid worldwide pressure, and with the help of noted human rights attorney amal clooney, president sisi pardoned them. I spent some time with fahmy yesterday in toronto. E scorpion super maximum security prison is probably the worst prison in the middle east. I was in the terrorism wing with mohamed alzawahri and fighters and extremists who arrived from syria to topple the egyptian regime and members of the brotherhood group. And it was surreal because i am a journalist, what am i doing with these people . There was no outing, no sunlight, no way of telling time. It was pretty brutal and really freezing in the cell. I had a broken shoulder, sleeping on the floor, lots of insects. Reporter the human rights report talks about torture, beatings, isolation. Were you subjected to any of that . I wasnt. I had been to three prisons throughout my 438 days in detention. I didnt see any torture. I was not ill treated or abused in any way. Of course, its psychologically unbearable. You cant see your family, you have no writing material. The food is limited. Its pretty harsh. The fact that you are living with these terrorists, its seriously insulting. Of course, we tried to do what journalists do and we were interviewing them and trying to understand what theyre doing there. It was very interesting to dig into their minds. It represented a mirror image of whats happening in egypt now, that many of these people are in prison, including some seculars as well. Reporter the pro democracy activists. Who started the revolution in 2011 when we worked together. Reporter were the jihadists among them as ext warner the Tahrir Square with revolution. And i dont know how to ask this question but i want you to describe but i mean were the jihadists among them as extreme still in their views and beliefs . They were as extreme as can be, they were they have no respect to democracy, humanity unfortunately i was incarcerated during the time of Charlie Hebdo and the slaying of my friend Steven Sotloff who had visited me in cairo before going to syria and just seeing them celebrate this. Warner when he was beheaded yeah when he was beheaded and was really awful and again it was just really weird seeing them and living with them for a year and realizing that there is no hope for these people. They twist the meaning of islam to suit their unacceptable actions. Warner did the Muslim Brotherhood members who were in there were they cheering the beheading of sotloff . No they werent. There is a clear distinction between how the Muslim Brotherhood were viewing these extremists actions and what these hardened extremists were saying and i was playing the devils advocate inside and we sort of had a radio mock show to keep ourselves entertained and we had like a hatch in the door of our cell because we were in solitary confinement you could only see the eyes of the person in front of you and this other cell so wed call everybody to come up to the hatch and wed have like one hour show which contained poetry or reciting of koran and also interviews. Very so i would play the devils advocate and put the extremists and the Muslim Brotherhood on the spot and compare of how they view things. Warner and did you take notes . Were you able to take notes . I did and i took notes and i smuggled them out during family visits with my wife when she visited me and it was very important because a lot of these notes are useful in what im writing my book now and of course some of the journalists outside also got a little bit of the notes from what i wrote inside. Warner we just were just talking about that you took notes and all that and thats going to be the basis of your book and did you manage to communicate with people on the outside somehow . Well my family when they visited me my wife used to smuggle in inside the food printouts of articles that had been written outside and i realized there is a Serious Movement across the globe and people were fighting for us and i this is what kept me going knowing that you the journalists and armies of diplomats and ngos and i felt that its not about me now its about our cause, freedom of expression and thats what kept me going and i somehow the news always slipped through the concrete cracks and the very, very secured prison and one guard would come in and say hey they are fighting for you in canada so that kept me going and it made a huge difference. Warner even though you thought your employer aljazeera and the canadian government were letting you down. Yes i mean i was very critical of aljazeera my employer because although they had a very successful Staff Campaign and keep our fight alive they didnt really have a parallel strategy with good lawyers in the courtroom and weve seen that the lawyer that michael quit abruptly and confirmed a lot of the acquisitions of prosecution made us look really bad and then he went on other tv channels and he started attacking us warner you think the prospects are now for egypt to ever realize the promise of the arab spring . Now i think the arab spring is dead and buried. I think press freedoms are at its worst times and i think that the Political Parties are almost nonexistent so in order for egypt the country that i love and where i grew up and where i had the dream in Tahrir Square wants to reach this true Democratic State a lot of work needs to be done and a more inclusive approach should happen and you know i am willing, i am already cooperating with the egyptian journalists in syndicate in a new charter thats been written as we speak that will be submitted to the egyptian president to make sure that journalists are not imprisoned under any situation and to make sure that you know we as journalists are protected from prosecution and i just really hope that the democracy i see here in canada where i am today could be one day implemented in egypt. I remember the first time i saw him smiling in years. He was like a young kid. There are so many people giving us hugs and saying hello and asking for photos. You feel a lot of warmth and love. Reporter the two of you go to vancouver, starting your new life . Im looking to listen to music go to the movies. Reporter are you a good dancer . Not bad. Not bad. When im happy. Theres nothing to dance about the last two years. Were excited to start all over and just have a normal life and just put it all behind us. Its therapeutic as well to help others. I feel thats the way of dealing with it, and i think that will help us move forward, and we do want to help because we are here because of all the help that we got from others. Reporter mohamed and marla have begun their own foundation to help other journalists held behind bars. They describe it as a healing process. Im Margaret Warner for the pbs newshour in toronto. Sreenivasan stay with us. Coming up on the newshour, mark shields and david brooks dissect the democratic debate and the u. S. s role in afghanistan. The ambassador to denmark gains celebrity status. And, Fantasy Sports gambling or an investment . But first, last night, we introduced you to three inmates serving time at a maximum security jail in southern maryland. All three were part of a pilot jobs program aimed at teaching them the skills to stay out of prison after their release. Tonight, a look at their struggles and successes as they try to do just that. William brangham continues our report. Brangham 20yearold Jordan Taylor is about to be a free man. He changes out of his county issued jumpsuit, and back into the clothes he was wearing the day he got locked up over a year ago for violating probation on an Armed Robbery charge whats your name sir . Jordan taylor. Good luck to you. Brangham and with that, hes done, and heads out to the open arms of his parents and older brother. Are you all right, mom . You know i was coming home mom. Brangham for the past several months, weve been following jordan and two other prisoners, carlos colon and ashley wilson, as they transition from a life behind bars to a life outside them. Will they fall back into a life of crime, or will they manage to start over . This isnt an idle question, because, as the number of people behind bars in the u. S. Has skyrocketed from 500,000 in 1980 to more than 2. 2 million today, so has the cost of incarcerating them, which now costs taxpayers roughly 80 billion a year. Now, theres a strong, bipartisan push to do something about this trend. And one of the key efforts is to reduce recidivism. Right now, twothirds of convicts end up getting re arrested within three years of their release. So the goal is to somehow stop that revolving prison door from spinning. Unlike a lot of newlyreleased prisoners, Jordan Taylor has a pretty big welcome mat laid out for him. Hes back home in gaithersburg, maryland with his mom and dad. Theyve been married 26 years. His longtime girlfriend, shawna, also is thrilled to have him back. Exprisoners with strong support systems do better lower rates of drug use, higher employment, and less criminal activity. Im applying everywhere i can apply really, not really being picky at all. Brangham but still, three months after his release, jordan hasnt been able to find a job. I tried mostly fast food, i tried warehouse jobs. I applied there, to the aldis supermarket, but i dont know whats going on with them. Brangham the Unemployment Rate for blacks is twice that of whites, and for a young black man with no High School Diploma and a criminal record, its particularly hard to find entry level work. Now, maryland, where jordan lives, is one of 17 states that has a socalled ban the box law where you dont have to check a box on a job application indicating if youve got a criminal record. But jordan says he still gets asked the question, and he tells the truth. Their whole demeanor changes, no matter how good your First Impression was, or how you talk, how articulate you are, every time they immediately change. Every single time. Im just hoping that something works out, that there is a miracle and thats all im going with. Brangham as his release date approaches, carlos colon has a different problem than Jordan Taylor he has nowhere to go when he gets out. This 32yearold car thief has been turned down by multiple Halfway Houses because of a prior prison escape. He has no family or friends to go to, and hes broke. Hopefully i never see you again. Brangham but just before his release, hes accepted into this group home. One thats not easy to get into. Brangham why did you pick him . It was really just his attitude, just his upbeat spirit. You know he has that spirit of where hes just excited about life and not giving up. Brangham cindy cook started great compassion ministries in 2008. Its a faithbased program that houses seven residents at a time in this treelined suburban maryland neighborhood. Im gonna go over some of the rules and some of the expectations i have of you and that you may have of me. Brangham there are house rules, and a 10 pm curfew, but tonight, for the first time in three years, carlos is a free man and one who gets to sleep in a real bed. Brangham so if you hadnt found this place, where would you have ended up . Where would you go . I probably would have gone and stole me a car. Brangham first night . First night i would have had to take my chances and thats the reason i would have waited til night time. I know it sounds crazy and i know it sounds insane that youre doing the same thing over, but thats just what i do. Thats what i know how to do. Its not like i can go home to my parents. Brangham and thanks to a pilot jobs program in the Montgomery County jail where he served time, carlos might have a better shot at finding legitimate work. Several weeks ago, back in jail, he was interviewed by a National Company they didnt want us to say their name but they want to help convicts find work when they get out. Im a hard worker. Like the jobs that ive had before, the only reason i lost them was because they find out i have a criminal record, and thats the reason i lost them. So with this guy, he says he knows my record. He came in understanding you came to a jail to interview me, you gave the break. Theres no telling him, oh, i forgot to tell you, im a car thief. Brangham carlos also got to visit this nonprofit which provides free business clothes to lowincome individuals. These kinds of resources and opportunities resources are pretty rare. Exconvicts are blocked from up to 800 different occupations nationwide. In many states theyre also ineligible for food stamps, public assistance and educational loans. And their job prospects do suffer hundreds of thousands of prisoners are released every year, and more than half remain unemployed a year after getting out. And those who dont find work . Theyre 3 times more likely to wind up back behind bars. Im really fortunate that i found this place. Now i just got to get on my feet and earn some money and start paying my own rent. Then hopefully within six months, eight months, i can move on. Brangham ten miles away, 20 yearold ashley wilsons first taste of freedom has given her a headache. Cause my eyes were just not used to sunlight. You dont get any sunlight at all in the jail. Its completely closed in except for the windows are open bars. Brangham today is ashleys first full day at whats called a prerelease center. Its a countyrun transitional home. This is where shell serve the remainder of her 18month sentence for prostitution, possession of heroin and check fraud. On the surface, its a far cry from jail. You get regular clothes instead of a jumpsuit. Theres no barbed wire, and you can have your own cell phone which, experts argue, is crucial for getting a job these days. But residents are still not free. They get breathalyzed each time they come and go from the center, and leaving without permission is a first degree felony that will get them an additional five to ten years on their sentences. So we can do your intake. Brangham each resident gets a case manager to help them craft a plan, and to help find a job. But for ashley, who struggled with heroin addiction for much of her young life, she says staying clean and sober will be the biggest challenge. Right now you have a clean slate. Youre in the program, youre sober. So how can i help you get past those difficulties youve had with your lifestyle choices . I think i really need help building that foundation. Having something to work towards, to strive for, to have something i dont want to lose. To get back to being a responsible citizen in society and a responsible parent and an active parent. Brangham its been six months since ashley last saw her two year old daughter, talia. Talias father has sole custody, and hes under no obligation to bring her here for visits. Today is particularly rough because its talias birthday. Im really excited, but pretty sad about that because i dont get to see her or talk to her today. Having a child is a wonderful thing. You know, shes not like, mommy, you have all these flaws, or you look ugly to me. She thinks im beautiful, strong and i want to nurture that. Brangham longterm, ashley hopes to get custody of her daughter and earn a college degree. But in the short term, she just wants to finish her time at this center and stay out of jail. She says her fellow inmates back in jail used to take bets on how quickly shed end up back there. Lets say they gave me two weeks. Ok, im going to count down til the end of those two weeks, regardless if im ever going to see that person again. Im gonna say, haha, thats just me. Brangham at first, ashley seemed like she was proving the doubters wrong she got a visit at the center with her daughter. She landed a day job at panera, which the center encouraged. But it only lasted one day. Ashley was caught using synthetic drugs, and she was expelled from the center and sent back to jail for the rest of her sentence. She wont get out until at least next spring. For all prisoners, putting the past behind them wont be easy. Recidivism is the norm for most exconvicts. Well continue following these three to see what they do with their second chance. For the pbs newshour, im William Brangham in Montgomery County, maryland. Sreenivasan on our website, you can catch up on part one of this series, and take an in depth look at carlos, jordan and ashleys lives. Thats at pbs. Org newshour. The Democratic Candidates for president faced off in their first debate this week and new fundraising numbers give a closer look at which contenders are winning the money game. For all that and more we turn to the analysis of shields and brooks. Thats syndicated columnist mark shields and New York Times columnist david brooks. So you watched the debate, obviously. How was the tone different . It seems perhaps fox news set the tone in a much more aggressive and sharp way for the questioners in the round. Is that what were going to see throughout the cycle . I think democrats, generally speaking, felt better about their debates than probably republicans did about theirs. There is no question that donald trump by big numbers and by a certain level of suspense and you kind of hold your breath at whats going to happen to him, but Martin Omalley and the former governor of maryland and n one of his rare good moments on tuesday night pointed out that the democrats had gone through an entire debate discussing issues with no personal attacks, nobody had been accused of being ugly or a loser and there had been no racial stereotyping or negative. So i think in that sense there was an entirely difference in tone. There was a difference in tone and subject matter. The democrats actually talked about middle class concerns whereas republicans talked about weird stuff. The other factor is the republicans are actually arguing and fighting with each other. What i saw was Hillary Clinton performing extremely well and four other guys lying down and letting her have the nomination. Bernie sanders held up the white flag of surrender when he refused to go after her on the character and moral issue, which is the his only way, in and the other three, i dont know why theyre there. Martin omalley is the one who surprised me the most. I thought he would see the fiorina model and come out with aggressiveness. It was just passive. Sreenivasan how do you think sanders did . I thought Hillary Clinton had the best night of her campaign. I thought she was in command, she was comfortable, she was spontaneous. She came back from the break and was a little late getting to the stage, having obviously visited the ladies room, and gave light to the stereotype of the joyous feminist that it takes women a little longer to go to the lavatory and i thought it bordered on the authentic. I thought she did very well. Campaigns are about differences, and when youre behind somebody, you better draw the differences with them, whether in style, substance, character, and the others did not do that. I thought Bernie Sanders had a better night than david thinks he did, and i think it was reflected in the polls which viewers watch it and their emotions and reactions are gauged. Its a very legitimate way of measuring peoples reaction. People listening to president ial acceptance speeches and so forth. He did well on that and the focus groups. I dont think he expanded in any way. I think he went deeper with his constituency. I dont think he ex panned his message or made his case better. But i think, all in all, he probably improved his own status, but i think she had a good night. I would just say this one thing about her this is the time for her to say why have i had one good night and six bad months . And i think its time for an examination of conscience almost to sit down and say who has given me good advice over these six months, what did i do wrong, why did it take me five months to admit that the emails were my mistake and im wrong about it . Because right now, i think this is the moment for her to figure that out. I mean, not to be just confused and put off by shes a debater, always has been. She did well against barack obama. She did. It suits her, the preparation, the depth of knowledge, the aggressiveness, all that suits her. But i just think sanders missed the opportunity, with that email moment, with the crucial moment, he doesnt have to go after emails, democrats dont want to talk about emails, but the only piece of leverage he has, i dont think hell win because hes further to her left. He has to win because were not sure shes electable and he passed that opportunity and im not sure he can get that back. Sreenivasan campaign money, the Third Quarter fundraising numbers are out. On the democratic side, you can see clinton with a total of 29. 9 million, all the way down to chaffee with no million, and then on the republican side is a good range, ben carson is doing well 20. 8 million and rubio at 6 million. Trump has some of his own funds with other donor moneys that dont necessarily show up, i think hes maybe in eighth place. What does this say about the campaigns . At this point, should there be war chested or bigger to keep the lights on . The first story is Bernie Sanders. I mean, Bernie Sanders has been the surprise. He has proved that there is an outsider constituency that has captured a large share, chunk of the democratic imagination. Bernie sanders is not leading some antiwar movement. Hes getting huge crowds. Hes getting a lot of money. He has more money on hand right now i believe, cash on hand than the three Top Republicans do. I mean, they see democrats as more fiscally responsible which they have been with their Campaign Contributions than the republicans, is something to see. But i think the sanders thing is remarkable in terms it is reflective of the mood in the country that washington and wall street are in bed together, that wall street is playing the tune and washington is dancing to it, and the 1 and the inequality in the country, the shrinking middle class, i think that is a real world story. The other story is that were talking about before is many of the republican candidates and democrats, too, its a temptation, you get lured by the big money of pacs which you cant spend in your own campaign to open your own headquarters and i think thats become a problem. The pac contributions are concentrated in the small groups. The outsiders are doing well like the carsens, the sanders, the pio rinays, and theyre doing it with the small donations. Carson has direct mail because hes probably got an older group, but the others are online. Its super cheap to raise that kind of money. Its sort of democratizing. A lot of people are getting involved. Thats good. The second thing in the headline to me is ted cruz. Ted cruz is doing very, very well. He is. So as donald trump fades, which i still assume he will, cruz is the natural receptacle, and hes got a lot of money and small contributions. So you begin to see a possibility where it gets down to a bushrubio versus a cruz. Suddenly he looks bigger than if you just looked at the polls. You cant talk at the money without talking about the concentration of big money in this campaign. In the New York Times, they did a story last sunday of 158 families in the United States that have given over half the money in this campaign. Citizens united, justice roberts, justice scalia, thomas, kennedy, i mean, this is truly oligarchy. And people who worry about big money having too large a voice, this is giving them a mega phone and the golden rule operates where he has the gold rules, and it is truly terrifying for those who care about democracy. Sreenivasan the withdrawal from afghanistan, its been something the president campaigned on, it was a promise to get us out of these wars, and this week, is this a scenario where his decision is a clash of kind of political insingt and will instinct and will versus military reality on ground . I think its a politically tough cal. He made the promise he would like to get us out, but the troops on the ground can stabilize a country. In iraq we learned we left a vacuum i. S. I. S. And others were happy to fill and while the administration denies it, the basic principle he applied to afghanistan. He went against his own wishes and his political promises, so he wouldnt leave a mess. So, you know, i sort of salute him for looking at reality, looking at context and saying, ive got to do this for the good of afghanistan and america. Sreenivasan is this just kicking it down for his successor . At least there is a greater likelihood he will not leave a complete disaster with his successor. I disagree with david about iraq. I think it would be impossible to leave any troops there and certainly dealing with the Iraqi Government and their unwillingness. This has been Barack Obamas war. In 2008, he said afghanistan was the right war. I do think that the 5,500 that will be there in 2017, youre not talking about a significant number to make a profound difference. I mean, it could make a profound difference in their lives. Theyre there. I mean, afghanistan right now is not capable of defending itself, and i just think that its really not an answer. The reality is that its unavoidable. We talk about both parties sending american troops in harms way and the idea of training proxies is sort of a salve for the consciences of the congress and president and it has never worked. If anybody can show me where its worked, i will stand corrected. The american revolution. Sreenivasan well have to look at that. Thanks so much. Television viewers in denmark are tuning in tonight for the season two premiere of a surprise hit reality show. Its star is the u. S. Ambassador to copenhagen, Rufus Gifford, who was given the job by president obama as a reward for raising more than a billion dollars during the last election campaign. Ambassador gifford, who is gay, married his partner in denmark last weekend. And as special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from copenhagen, his unique brand of diplomacy, is raising eyebrows amongst traditionalists. Reporter in a city accustomed to flamboyance, the union of the u. S. Ambassador to veterinarian Stephen Devincent was not only the wedding of the year but also a landmark for diplomacy, Rufus Giffordstyle. Here in the country that created fairytales, we get to have our fairytale. And now i guess its a case of happily ever after or something, right . But americans are pretty good at that, so were so happy. Reporter the couples cheerleader in chief is the ambassadors father chad, former chairman of the bank of america. Rufus is just such a people person. He has this unique ability, and theres nothing false about it. He just cares, and he cares about people. That smile says it all. Hes so genuine it amazes me. Reporter seriously, how do you think this style helps america . As an american, i worry about our country and frankly about our politicians, that seem to say what they think they need to say to get elected. And i abhor that. I think its sad for our country, and rufus is the opposite of that. He says what he thinks and he just believes what he says, and i just wish we had more like him. Reporter within an hour of tying the knot, the ambassador was posting on social media, where he has a huge following. Our time in denmark is running out. siren ive got the best job in the world. This is not our average wednesday. I had just over a year left in denmark and i want to spend every minute of my time here engaging as much as i poss reporter tv executive Erik Struve Hansen recognized the ambassadors Box Office Potential and is responsible for creating a show that has wowed viewers of the countrys main youth channel. I think its become that big success because of rufus character. He is what we call a big character. All of our viewers and a lot of people in denmark, they love him. They think hes a good role model. Hes so positive and he likes denmark as well. Hes very positive about our country. Reporter for ambassador gifford, it was a huge relief when in june the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was a constitutional right a quarter of a century after denmark led the way. The idea were doing it here is a tribute to that as well, recognizing samesex unions. humming thats hail to the chief. Thats giving me a pretty big promotion half laugh. Not talking about you. I think a very good ambassador as he is, and so open and so warm, of course gives the danes a good impression of america. I dont know if this a diplomatic thing today or not. I mean, let me put it this way actually we, as the United States, on these issues have come so, so far over the course of the last ten years today, i think we tip our hat to denmark and the journey youve been here on for so many years. And tonight we are celebrating, partying late into the night with all of our friends and family under the american flag. And i am so grateful for the journey i think our country has gone on these issues. So perhaps theres a little bit of diplomacy there, too, and what i say all the time is that diplomacy is about people. The wartime british Prime Minister Winston Churchill once defined diplomacy as the art of telling someone to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions. Former president harry s. Truman described tact as being the ability to step on a mans toes without messing up the shine on his shoes. The reality is that in terms of foreign relations, denmark is a walk in the park. It doesnt provide the challenges of say russia or china. Reporter but the ambassador, a former hollywood producer, has not managed to win over Foreign Policy expert hans mouritzen, a traditionalist when it comes to diplomacy. Dont you think hes got some lessons to teach traditional diplomats in that he seems to be doing an awful lot to promote americas image. Yes, but i think hes promoting his own image because i think people can understand that its more his own image than the american image. People know all kinds of things about american Foreign Policy which they dont like, but they like mr. Gifford. Reporter do you not think this might work in other parts of the world, for example, where perhaps you need to have a different fresh approach . It wouldnt work in Eastern Europe because they dont like gay people. So it has to be in western europe. Yes, thats about it. It couldnt be in africa. You have to have a common cultural background because to understand many of the things he says, you have to have this angloamerican background which we have in scandinavia. So it works very well here. Reporter at his residence, the ambassador disagrees. I think you could do this in any country around the world. Is it easier in denmark . Absolutely. If you go to other countries which certainly might not be as receptive to american messaging generally speaking and the american brand is worse than it is in denmark i think the work is going to be much harder. I think openness and honesty always win out in the end. And will you get hit in the meantime . Sure. Will it be hard in the meantime . Absolutely. But its still worth it because i think people respect it. Reporter Rufus Gifford has worked for president obama for almost nine years, and diplomatic sources say he enjoys the trust of the white house. The big question is whether he will seek Political Office once his term ends in a years time. His father hopes not. He says the ambassador is too good for that. For the pbs newshour, im Malcolm Brabant in copenhagen. Sreenivasan weve all seen the ads for draftkings and fanduel playing Fantasy Sports is now a multibillion industry. Today, regulators in nevada are the first to rule that playing daily Fantasy Sports is considered gambling, and ordered the companies to cease operating in the state until they obtain gambling licenses. Frontline and the New York Times recently produced a story about playing daily Fantasy Sports bryce mauro, a student at Depauw University says he makes six figures by betting on daily Fantasy Sports, putting his study of economics to daily use. I wagered about 12,000 this morning. Thats a lot of money. Yeah, it is. You confident . Im very confident. I wouldnt be wagering money on this scale if i wasnt very confident in my abilities. I mean, i lost about 18,000 last night, so it offsets it. It fluctuates. How much have you won . My bankroll, i mean, its in the hundreds of thousands. Ive made hundreds of thousands of dollars doing this over the past. Almost two years now. The core of our game is not about the money. When you ask people why they play, they play because it makes the games more exciting. Whats the biggest prize a player could win . We have contests where people can win up to several million dollars. Several million . So you dont view what you do here at fanduel as gambling . No. Thats a word that isnt used very much around here, i take it. Is what you do gambling . No, its not gambling at all. Um, i mean, its. I consider it more of investing. You know, i have a portfolio. Im trying to diversify the portfolio by picking players every day. Im trying to maximize returns. Im trying to optimize my line up each day. Sreenivasan you can see more of the film at nytimes. Com and on the frontline page at pbs. Org. On the newshour website for four years, french photographer Laurent Kronental has documented seniors living in the massive housing complexes in suburban paris. One image in particular captures the grand expanse of the fortresslike buildings, and the isolation of its inhabitants. He writes about what drew him to this subject. See his photo and read his response, on our home page pbs. Org newshour. And a reminder about some upcoming programs from our pbs colleagues. Gwen ifill is preparing for washington week, which airs later this evening. Heres a preview ifill tonight well talk about promises made and promises not kept. From the debate stage to the campaign trail to the white house war, peace, money and politics. Tonight on washington week. Hari . Sreenivasan on pbs newshour weekend saturday could legalized hemp replace tobacco as the next big crop in kentucky . Heres a first look at that report. Reporter brian furnish and his family have been growing tobacco for eight generations. For us, i guess its a labor of love, one we have always done. Reporter but the days when kentuckys crop grossed nearly a billion dollars a year are no more forcing brian, and farmers like him, to imagine a future without tobacco. Brians most recent bet is cannabis sativa, also known as hemp. But there is a catch to the federal government, hemp is just as illegal as marijuana. Kentucky agriculture commissioner james comer is determined to change that. There is no reason why Industrial Hemp shouldve been outlawed in the United States or in kentucky. Sreenivasan thats tomorrow night on newshour weekend. Sreenivasan and again to our honor roll of American Service personnel killed in the afghanistan conflict. We add them as their deaths are made official and photographs become available. Here, in silence, are eight more. And thats the newshour for tonight. Im hari sreenivasan. Have a great weekend. Thank you and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. 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 newshour productions, llc captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org announcer this is nightly Business Report, with Tyler Mathisen and sue herera. Strong quarter. What shares of General Electric did today that they havent done in years. Move or improve. Why homeowners are choosing to put a lot more money into their current home. And buy and hold. The stocks our market monitor says should be in your portfolio for a year or more. All that and more tonight on nightly Business Report for friday october 16th. Good evening, everyone, and welcome. A sevenyear high. Thats where General Electric shares finished the day after reporting strong Third Quarter results. The conglomerate said its earnings improved as it continues a massive restructuring and a return to its industrial roots. The stock thats widely held in mutual funds rose more than