Thinking about how do i meet tomorrows need and not thinking about my long term wellness. Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial is committed to helping you take charge of your future. 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. In the days other news the u. S. Director of National Intelligence voiced doubt that north korea will ever give up nuclear weapons. In a washington speed, James Clapper said quote they are under siege and they are very paranoid. The best we could probably hope for is some sort of a cap. The state department quickly disputed his statement, and insisted u. S. Policy is both unchanged and realistic. Our policy is to seek, to obtain a verifiable denuclearization of the korean peninsula. That is the policy. That is both the goal and what we want to see, and theres a way to do that. Woodruff president obama has repeatedly said the u. S. Will never accept a nucleararmed north korea. But the communist state has stepped up its nuclear and Ballistic Missiles tests in recent months. Militants in pakistan stormed a Police Academy overnight, killing at least 61 people. It happened in the southwestern city of quetta. Most of the dead were Police Cadets and recruits. More than 120 others were wounded, in one of the deadliest attacks on pakistans Security Forces in recent years. Cadets told of being hunted down. translated last night, we were getting ready to sleep when suddenly we heard sounds of gunfire, and the firing continued, volley after volley, two or three times. Then they entered the building and hurled grenades and kept firing. They looked under the beds, shone torches and fired on people under the beds. Woodruff the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, but so did a breakaway faction of the pakistani taliban. The death rate for migrants crossing the mediterranean has soared this year to three times last years rate. The u. N. Refugee agency blames smugglers using flimsy, inflatable rafts. It says the numbers trying to reach europe have fallen dramatically. But despite that, the number of deaths is on track to top last years total. At least 3,740 lives are reported lost, and we might see this figure rise in the next few days. And that is just short of the 3,771 deaths reported for the whole of 2015. This is by far the worst we ever have seen in the mediterranean. Woodruff meanwhile in northern france workers today began dismantling a makeshift camp in calais, known as the jungle. Some 6,300 migrants there are being relocated across france. Back in this country the pentagon ran into new flak over demands that California National guard troops return their enlistment bonuses. Audits have found nearly 10,000 iraq and Afghanistan War veterans were overpaid in an effort to fill the ranks. Today, House Speaker paul ryan insisted the National Guard suspend efforts to collect the bonuses until congress can act. A federal judge in San Francisco has approved a record settlement in volkswagens emissions cheating scandal. Its worth nearly 15 billion. Under the terms, the Company Agrees to buy back 475,000 v. W. s and audis or pay for repairs. So far, well over 330,000 owners have registered for the deal. And on wall street the Dow Jones Industrial average lost 53 points to close at 18,169. The nasdaq fell 26 and the s p 500 slipped eight. Still to come on the newshour bracing for a doubledigit hike in health care premiums, what people in other countries think of the u. S. Election, a water fight between iowas farmers and citydwellers, and much more. Woodruff two weeks and counting. With 14 days to go, the president ial battleground is narrowing, and one state is emerging as critical to the result. John yang begins our coverage. Reporter today the race for the white house seemed like a contest to be president of florida. Donald trump was spending his third day in that state, which he says is makeorbreak. That is a mustwin for you. Correct . I believe florida is a must win, and i think we are winning it i think we are winning it big. Reporter public polls show Hillary Clinton and trump in a close race in the state, which explains why they were just an hours drive apart. Clinton was making her case that trump is unfit to be president. The first thing the president of the United States does is to take an oath to protect, preserve and defend the constitution. And i have serious doubts whether donald trump understands what that means. In america we dont keep you in suspense about outcome of elections. Reporter trump seized on the Insurance Premium spike in president obamas health care program. Obamacare is just blowing up. Were going to repeal and replace obamacare, and i can say all of my employees are having a tremendous problem with obamacare. Reporter later, the manager of that trump club said most of the workers have Company Provided insurance not obamacare. Clintons Campaign Spokeswoman rejected trumps call to repeal the health care law. Reporter as trump continues to question the integrity of the election, the Justice Department said it be monitoring polling places around the country. But their oversight will be curtailed this year because of the 2013 Supreme Court decision striking down key provisions of the Voting Rights act. Meanwhile, clinton scored another major endorsement today from a cabinet secretary in a Republican Administration former secretary of state colin powell said hell be voting for her. For the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff and late today, the Washington Post reported the Trump Campaign has ended its joint fundraising with the republican party. That could hurt the partys get outthevote efforts. The state and fate of the Health Insurance law, or obamacare, is front and center today. Thats because as the new enrollment season for coverage is about to begin, the administration announced premiums will rise by 25 on average for a benchmark midlevel plan through the federallyrun market. At the same time, choices are decreasing one in five consumers will have a single insurer to choose from. Its not a simple picture. Federal subsidies for most people getting coverage this way will increase. To help us understand more about it, and how this all plays into the campaign, im joined by two following this closely. Mary agnes carey covers the marketplace for Kaiser Health news, and reid wilson, covering the politics of it for the hill newspaper. We welcome you both. So mary agnes, to you first, how many people are affected by this . What of the population overall . Of all the people who buy Health Insurance, 5 buy on the exchanges. Most get our coverage through work and the Medicaid Program and the medicare program. So its about 20 Million People on the individual market, about twothirds of those get marketplace plans. Its important to them, of course, but you have to look at it in perspective with the overall numbers. Woodruff and these are people who live across the country . Across the country, all 50 states. The federal government is about in 38 states and the district of columbia are staterun plans. Woodruff the percentage of increase differs from state to state . All over the place. For example, in arizona you had 116 increase in premiums, 196, 422. These are before subsidies kick in. These are premiums for a 27yearold male. So we have to look at it from that perspective. Nebraska were talking about a 51 increase. Ohio a 2 increase. Massachusetts actually is 3 decrease. So its really depending on where you live. If you live in an urban area or a rural area, thats also going to affect the number of providers and the networks and that sort of thing. Woodruff is reid, this is already having an effect on the president ial. Campaign. We heard donald trump saying this is the end of obamacare. Its played a role in republican campaigns who are running for senate and house seats around the country. In new hampshire, senator kelly ayotte is already up with an ad attacking governor mag Maggie Hassan over governor hassans support for the Affordable Care act. Whats notable is the amounts of advertising specifically around the Affordable Care act is down significantly. Its almost as if Public Opinion on this matter has been baked in for the last six years since its been debated. And theres. There arent that many people who are willing to change their mind. Woodruff i know its complicated, mary agnes, but why has this happened . Its happened for a variety of reasons. Insurers may have gotten in early and underpriced their products to get more market share. Now they have to even that out. We likely have had a lot of sicker people get in first. Everyone knew that, the sickest people come first. They are the most expensive people. You also have an ability of some plans, managed costs, better than other plans. So now were going to hear more about these things called mirror networks and other tightening of costs. And also some federal programs to help insurers balance out the cost of these really sick people, two of them going away next year, and the other hasnt necessarily worked as intended, so its a combined effect. And different factors have a different effect depending on where you live. Woodruff so we talked to several people around the country affected by these rate increases. Lets begin with a woman named beth plame in maryland. I am beth blame. Im 64. I live in maryland. I am one of the small number of people who selfinsures and does not qualify for a subsidy, so my Insurance Premiums are very high, bordering on the unaffordable. Ive actually tracked my insurance even in the years before the Affordable Care act, and they were rising gradually, but after 2014, they were spiking dramatically. I started with a 548 premium, so i changed the plan, went down to a 411 premium with a higher deductible, and then next year i dont know what it will be. I cant change it again. Because this is the least expensive plan. I dont know what is going to be done because its such a complex issue. At this point you have to depend on the government to iron it out. So hopefully thats what theyll do. Woodruff mary agnes, how typical is she . Were hearing more and more from these people who dont qualify for a subsidy. Its roughly in the ballpark of 5 to 7 Million People who are buying on the individual market or in the exchanges. They dont qualify for the subsidy and its really difficult because while many people, Something Like 85 , are individuals on the exchange, can get that subsidy that can help lower the premium, there are folks that dont have that, and i receive an email this week from a Small Business person who said he felt like he had absolutely no hope for the Affordable Care act for him to be able to afford the premiums. Of course we have this requirement for coverage. Woodruff we just heard her say, she said, i wish. Its now up to the federal government to fix it. But whats the likelihood that can happen . The question depends on what happens in november two weeks from now on election day. If Hillary Clinton wins the presidency, democrats win the senate, and democrats win the house, well, theres a real good shot that the democrats will do something to repair the Affordable Care act on a wholesale basis, but taking back the house is a really steep hurdle for democrats, and weve seen republicans in control of the house vote to repeal the Affordable Care act 50plus times. This is the republicans in the house have been unwilling to even make technical corrections to the bill. So unless there is some massive sea change within the republican party, which i dont see happening, its going to be very difficult for even the smallest corrections to be made. Woodruff we also talked to sage mother with two children in greensboro, North Carolina, which is one of the states where so many insurers have pulled out. My name is natalie cunningham. Im 0 years old. I live in greensboro, North Carolina. I have coventry Health Insurance where i pay just 9 a month. The subsidy is 237. I recently found out that my insurer coventry is not going to be part of the market plates, obamacare, anymore. So now im at the point of, you know, okay, now im going to be switching to blue cross blue shield, but whether ill be able to afford it because i dont know how much the plans are going to go up, and they had already just about doubled at the end of 2015. Just going by what i can handle, because you want to pick between buying school shoes or, you know, paying extra money into the Health Insurance plan, as a mother sometimes you have to make those decisions and cut out the Health Insurance. Woodruff mary agnes, why are so many insurers pulling out . Sometimes they didnt make the moneyway wanted to make or they had a hard time managing the sicker folks who came in initially, but whats really interesting about this example it illustrates states where insurers are leaving the market, causing some problems. Shes from North Carolina. In about 230,000 people in North Carolina will have a change because two or three insurers are dropping out. Alabama and South Carolina theres one insurer state wide. One word of encouragement is her subsidy will increase as the plans increase in price. You mentioned this in your enter duction. For that benchmark plan, that will also increase. So she may find it not as unmanageable as she thinks. And, of course, for all of these consumers, getting on healthcare. Gov, you might be able to go to a plan in the same category, whether its a silver or a bronze or gold or platinum, and you might find something at a lower price that still works for you. Woodruff and thats going to take some time. This is a young woman who lives in brooklyn. She happens to be healthy. Shes looking for an affordable policy. Im laura brickman. Im a 27yearold who lives in brooklyn, new york. Im working as a freelance journalist doing video and print work. But because its freelance, i dont have an Insurance Plan through my employer. Im currently uninsured. To buy plan is frustrating because i feel that i dont use it personally, and the amount of money i would be spending on insurance is things i could divert to nonhealth care issues. Because i honestly dont have many Hillary Clinton expenses. So chances of me taking advantage of the plan are very low. I dont have any Chronic Health issues. The only thing i would use medical care for at this point is like a Major Medical emergency. Which has not happened fortunately. Woodruff so mary agnes, this reminds us, these tough choices for young people like her who know they do have to pay a fine if theyre not in the system. Right. Thats really important to remember. For next year its 695 or 2. 5 of income, whichever is greater. Even if you can afford to pay, that you still dont have Health Insurance and youre on the hook if something happens to you. So there are some things she can consider. Theres a catastrophic plan for people under 30. Theres another option. Again, you should really go to the marketplace and check it out to see if something works. Woodruff reid, before we wrap this up, talk about what it is that Hillary Clinton and donald trump have said they want to do to either fix or adjust the Affordable Care act . Well, neither have offered a lot of specifics on the matter. Donald trump has talked about allowing Insurance Plans to be purchased across state lines, which has been a staple of the republican policy for quite a long time. Hillary clinton, on the other hand, has talked about the positive aspects of the Affordable Care act, being able to stay on your parents Insurance Plan until youre 26, some of the other positives that are broadly favorable, broadly popular across the country. But whats clear is that the next president is going to have to deal with some kind of fix for the Affordable Care act. The question is what will they be able to get through what is likely to be a divided congress. Woodruff the idea of unwinding it completely, that donald trump talks about, how practical . Thats like republican being unlikely to go along be changes, unwinding th