Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20161203

Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Xq institute. Lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. 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. Woodruff president elect trump filled up another cabinet seat, while some of his supporters aggressively challenged recount efforts in three states. The Newshours John Yang has our report. We are going to appoint mad dog mattis as our secretary of defense. But were not announcing it until monday, so dont tell anybody. Reporter president elect trump scooped himself thursday night, making his choice public in cincinnati, the first stop of his thank you tour. He met with retired general james mattis last month in new jersey. He is the real deal. He is the real deal. Reporter mattis retired as a fourstar general three years ago, after four decades as a marine. He headed u. S. Central command until 2013, in charge of operations in iraq and afghanistan. He would need a special congressional waiver, because federal law says a defense secretary has be out of uniform for at least seven years. In cincinnati, mr. Trump pledged to ease still simmering post election tensions. Were going to bring our country together. All of our country. Were going to find Common Ground and we will get the job done properly. Reporter but at harvard university, top officials of his campaign clashed with Clinton Campaign managers at a normally civil, postelection review. Clinton aides said the Trump Campaign fueled racism. I would rather lose than win the way you guys did. Do you think i ran a campaign where White Supremacists had a platform . Youre going to look me in the face and tell me that . It did, kellyanne; it did. Really . And thats how you lost . Do you think you couldve just had a decent message for white workingclass voters . Reporter there were also sparks when clinton aides noted that their candidate won more votes than the president elect. You guys won. Thats clear. You won the electoral college. Thats the currency. Lets also be honest. Dont act as if you have some popular mandate for your message. The fact of the matter is that more americans voted for Hillary Clinton than donald trump. Hey guys, we won. You dont have to respond. I mean, seriously . Reporter today, Trump Supporters moved to block recounts in wisconsin, pennsylvania and michigan. The president elect was in new york today, meeting with longtime supporters republican senator david perdue of georgia and former u. N. Ambassador john bolton. His schedule also included an unusual suspect senator Heidi Heitkamp of north dakota a democrat. For the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff well have much more on the mattis pick right, after this news summary. Late today the Transition Team reported president elect trump spoke by phone with the president of taiwan. It is a highly unusual move. The u. S. Cut formal diplomatic ties with taiwan in 1979. In the days other news, the economy posted solid job growth for november, with the Unemployment Rate hitting a nineyear low. The Labor Department reported u. S. Employers added about 178,000 jobs, and the Unemployment Rate dropped to 4. 6 , largely because many people stopped looking for work. Stocks were mostly flat on wall street today, in spite of that betterthanexpected jobs report, but crude oil prices posted their biggest weekly gain since february of 2011. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 21 points to close at 19,170. The nasdaq rose four points, and the s p 500 added less than a point. For the week, the dow gained a fraction of a percent, the nasdaq fell nearly 3 , and the s p 500 slipped 1 . House lawmakers overwhelmingly backed a nearly 619 billion bipartisan defense bill today. It will give u. S. Troops their biggest pay raise since 2010. It also prohibits the pentagon from closing military bases, and the prison at guantanamo bay. While most members of congress supported the bill, some criticized it for including over 3 billion more in war funding than last years budget. It stops the troop reductions in our armed forces, thereby increasing readiness while reducing stress and strain on our force and the families. Instead of writing blank checks to the pentagon, Congress Needs to live up to its constitutional obligation to debate matters of war and peace. We need to rip up the 2001 blank check for endless war, we need to stop funding wars without end with no debate on the cost and consequences to our troops or the american people. Woodruff the senate is expected to vote on the bill next week. Officials in gatlinburg, tennessee raised the death toll from days of fierce wildfires to 13 people today. Thousands of residents also returned home for the first time to survey the extent of the devastation. Officials said the number of damaged homes and buildings is now close to a thousand. In indonesia, 200,000 people flooded jakarta today to protest against the citys christian governor, who is being prosecuted for allegedly insulting the koran. The sea of conservative muslim demonstrators gathered peacefully to demand the governor be jailed for blasphemy. Ten people were arrested by police, who accused the dissenters of using the protest to overthrow the government. And, Ford Motor Company is recalling more than 680,000 vehicles for potentiallyfaulty seat belts. The recall affects its midsize sedans, like the ford fusion and lincoln mkz, that were mostly sold in the u. S. The automaker says the seat belts might not restrain passengers in a crash. Still to come on the newshour who is mad dog mattis . Trumps choice to head the defense department; dakota pipeline protestors facing a deadline to clear out; cubans think back on Fidel Castros legacy, and much more. Woodruff so, who is the man president elect trump has picked to be his secretary of defense . Whats his track record, and how does he think the United States should confront the threats it faces . For that, we turn to two who know retired general james mattis well. Steve simon was the senior director for middle eastern and north African Affairs on the National Security Council Staff during the obama administration. Hes now a visiting professor of history at amherst college; and Michael Gordon has covered general mattis as a reporter at the New York Times. For years, gordon covered the pentagon, and now the state department. And we welcome both of you to the newshour. Let me start with you, Michael Gordon. Tell us what you know about james mattis beyond what we reported a moment ago. Well, hes certainly an unconventional choice for secretary of defense simply because hes only been out of the military for three a marinee commander in the hottest wars that weve had over the past ten years iraq, afghanistan and ran the Central Command which oversees both those wars, and thats a position that also involved him with a lot of diplomacy in the region, i think. But hes famous for a lot of his mattisisms. His sayings. When i was in iraq, there was a sign on one of the outposts that said, be polite, be professional, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. I mean, that pretty much expresses mattis approach. He was prepared to use violence to achieve ends in war but also sought to work with the population and to, you know, constrain the violence as much as possible, which wasnt always easy in an environment like iraq. Woodruff steve simon, what would you add to that and where did the nickname mad dog come from . Well, ive never seen him in combat so i dont know how mad a dog he can be, but certainly in his capacity as commander and seen your u. S. Official dealing with National Security issues, i never saw him than anything less than selfpossessed and having a cool head. Im not sure where that epithet comes from. Hes also known by soldiers who work with him and for him as the warrior monk because he does have a somewhat monkish temperament. You know, hes in some ways really into, you know, selfdenial and focusing on his troops, and that has won him a dwreel of loyalty, which will stand him in good stead if hes confirmed by congress as doctors of se de fence. Woodruff secretary of defense. Woodruff Michael Gordon, you said as the leader he would be prepared for violence but what is his view of the role of military in carrying out Foreign Policy . Well, as steve pointed out, hes not a onesided person. Every military person has to execute military operations, which means you have to fight, and fight to baghdad or in afghanistan and all these environments wasnt easy. Hes also famous of his study of military history, his thousands of books, the fact he claims not to own a television, thats where the warrior monk comes from. But he has views on Foreign Policy that really put him i think in the mainstream. For example, he doesnt want to rip up the iran agreement. Hes criticized the agreement. He said he wished it would impose stricter constraints on Irans Nuclear program. He said just walking away from it would work against american interests and the allies would never go along with that. Hes against torture and president elect trump remarked on that. He argued against using that. He argues its simply not effective. And hes wary of russia, which, you know, president elect trump, at times, has implied that hes sympathetic with Vladimir Putin or might want to Work Together with Vladimir Putin and sir. I cant i think mattis would be extremely skeptical of that kind of approach. Woodruff fill in more of that picture, steve simon. How do you see mattis aligning with what we know of what donald trump thinks. Well, hes a bit of an awkward fit primarily, i think, because he does support u. S. Compliance with the deal negotiated with iran to contain its Nuclear Program and to block its pathway towards a bomb. He has referred to it as providing what hes called a nuclear pause, but not a nuclear halt, and said, effect, a pause is better than nothing. Where he does differ, i think, from the Outgoing Administration is his view that, even as the United States maintains its commitment to the deal it negotiated, that it pushes back on irans regional maneuvers, and i think, by that, jim mattis would point to do things, one is syria where the iranians are very deeply involved, and the other is in iraq where the iranians gained a great deal of influence after the u. S. Overthrew the regime of saddam hussein. And i think as center of Central Command, james mattis is aware of the fact many deaths of u. S. Servicemen in iraq were attributable to weapons designed or provided by iran. Woodruff Michael Gordon, people are talking about the fact that, if hes confirmed, hes going to have to have this exemption from the law which says military people who are few than seven years out of the military cant be secretary of defense. How do you see him running that department, coming from the military . Well, first of all, i think the waiver will go through senator mccain who chairs the armearmed services committee, ss he supports it. Senator hill brando poses it but thinks he has enough support. I think he has enough experience running the large organizations, ranking the Central Command, the joint forces command. That requires a certain amount of bureaucratic capability and finesse. So i think he, in his own mind, understands i mean, he would be the first person since George Marshall to do this that there is a responsibility on him to try to run the department as a civilian that hes only been for three years and not as a military man. Woodruff steve simon, how do you see that, because there has been this tradition that is in law that somebody whos been in the military recently shouldnt be running the pentagon, how do you see him fitting into that . Well, look, hes going to have to deal with issues he hasnt had to deal with as a combatant or unified commander. R d, weapons acquisition, largescale budget issues, you know, personnel issues of an immense scale, in addition to being a politician in his dealing with congress in particular, hes going to have to learn how to deal effectively with a white house staff. That can be a challenge, especially in an Administration Like the one thats shaping up, i think. And hes going to have to be a diplomat as well. Now, ive seen him work in a diplomatic mode, and i think hes gifted in that domain. I dont think hes going to have a problem there. So, all in all, you know, i would say that he has good prospects for success. Woodruff steve simon, Michael Gordon, as we learn who general james mattis is and he has confirmation. Thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff even as temperatures in north dakota are plunging into the single digits, the fight over the Dakota Access oil pipeline is only intensifying. William brangham is here with more. So, william, i understand theres a deadline coming . Brangham thats right. Starting on monday, anyone at the large protest camp in north dakota will be considered trespassers and could be arrested. Thats according to the u. S. Army corps of engineers. For months now, thousands of people calling themselves water protectors have gathered to stop the pipeline. They say its destroying lands that are sacred to the Standing Rock sioux, and that a leak could threaten the tribes water. Despite the army corps order, and a similar one from the governor, protestors say theyre not going anywhere. David archambault ii is the chairman of the Standing Rock sioux. I spoke with him earlier today, and i asked with the deadline looming, and reports of 2,000 veterans traveling to north dakota to support the protestors, did he fear monday could get out of hand . No, i dont. I dont believe that anything will happen. I believe that the corps of engineers is not going to come in with force, and i dont think the State Government is going to come with force, and i know that the veterans are coming to stand with peace and prayer. Their presence is symbolic. Its representing the men and women who fought for this nations freedom, and theyre coming here to let the nation know that its not right to treat indigenous peoples, to treat tribes in this way. We have to start listening to tribes. Thats very symbolic for us to know that our veterans, the ones who fought for this nation, are coming. Theyre not coming to start a war. Theyre coming to let the world know that they, too, stand with us. December 5th, its not going to be a showdown. Its just going to be another day. Brangham so if protesters do stay there, i mean, the governor and many others have said it is just not safe with subzero temperatures out there to sleep out on the plains like this. My comment to that is its not safe for Law Enforcement to spray water on water protectors in sub freezing temperatures. Thats not safe. Its not safe to fire concussion grenades at crowds. Its not safe to fire rubber bullets and target peoples heads, thats not safe. People are there, and they are ready for this. They knew that winter was coming. They have some temporary shelters that are very insulated and warm, and they are taking care of each other. They know how to check on each other, and they know what to do in case of an emergency. So it is a safe place for individuals to gather and pray. What is not safe is the way Law Enforcement has been using aggression and weapons on unarmed people. We spoke a few weeks ago with the c. E. O. Of the Company Building this pipeline and he argues that your concerns over a leak into your water supply are over when. He says this will be brandnew pipeline, state of the art, all Safety Measures and you need not be as concerned as you are. I understand, and then why not put it north of bismarck . Brangham thats where it originally would go. Hell say it cant go there because to have the population of the community, the environmental impacts, the sacred sites that are there, the wetlands it has to cross. These are all the same concerns we have, its just that we are the numbers show that were a lot fewer, so if the pipeline and if there is no worry, if the safeguards are there, then relocate it to that location. Thats okay. Brangham but the company says the pipeline is not going to be rerouted, the governor says the pipeline wont be rerouted, president obama will soon be out of office and president elect trump made it very clear this pipeline will be built. As long as i look at it, as long as the pipeline is not under the river, there is still hope. Its unfortunate this nation continues to treat our tribe and tribal nations around this country in this manner. We have every right to protest this pipeline. We have indigenous lands, we have ancestral lands, we have treaty lands. The pipeline is 500 feet from our reservation border, and history will show that the federal government, the State Government has always built the economy, has secured Energy Independence and has secured National Security off the backs of our nations, and this is another example. And whether the governor of north dakota says its not going to be rerouted, the Energy Transfer partners say it wont be rerouted and whether the president elect says it wont be rerouted, we still want to build awareness on the treatment of our nations, the first people of this nation, and how everybody benefits from the costs that we paid over history. Brangham David Archambault David Archambault, chairman of the Standing Rock sioux, thank you so much for being here. Youre welcome. Brangham you can find all the newshours coverage of the dakota standoff on our website, www. Pbs. Org newshour. Woodruff stay with us. Coming up on the newshour mark shields and david brooks on trumps cabinet picks; and, is it time to end youth football . But first, in cuba, Fidel Castros ashes are approaching the city of santiago, where the dictator who died last friday began his revolutionary journey nearly 60 years ago. In partnership with the Pulitzer Center on crisis reporting, special correspondent Nick Schifrin and producer zach fannin look at castros legacy and the future of the island, starting along the route of his final journey. Reporter the road to Fidel Castros final resting place was lined with the revolutions faithful, for whom its never too early to be wrapped in the flag. With the military that castro created circling overhead and leading the way, his ashes drove by into the morning sun. For more than 55 years, castro was cubas indispensable force, and many here expressed a sense of loss. 93yearold zoila andreu sain needed help from her 66yearold daughter ailsa. They live together on the parade route. They were joined by a third generation, 23yearold giselle gallego. This familys revolutionary faith hasnt faltered. translated my admiration for fidel comes above everything. He wasnt just a leader for the cuban revolution, but a leader for the world. Reporter the two matriarchs show off their favorite photos a younger son, eugenio, at the commanders side fidel made him the head of a Housing Development program, and provided the family with opportunities theyve never forgotten. translated women stopped being domestic objects and were given the chance to work. All thanks to the revolution, and to fidel. translated i love fidel. I love him very, very, very much. He fought for cuba. They had marched right across the island in a triumphant progress, joyfully acclaimed all the way. Reporter january, 1959, castro and his men seized havana and overthrew the batista dictatorship. So began the heros myth. Hed descended from the mountains and convinced people he was cubas destined savior. For his fans, that origin story still holds. translated he took everything that was bad, and made it better. He will continue to do so from the cemetery where hell rest. Reporter but 30 miles outside of havana, Fidel Castros legacy is not as universally positive. This is hershey, built by the american chocolate baron, and today, population about 3,000. Castros 1959 revolution promised a better future. Here, as in many towns like this, the economic promises of the revolution have not been fulfilled. The train used to arrive here with cubans from many towns. Today it brings only a few locals, just enough to keep 29 yearold Carlos Gonzalez afloat. He sells tiny, folded pizzas for 20 cents. The profit on each is 510 translated we struggle every day. I wake up at 3 00 a. M. To be able to afford food, afford clothes, and keep on going. Reporter garcias oldest client is the citys oldest resident. 92yearold amparo dejongh was the first person born here. Quien es eso . Whos this . Yo. Reporter thats you . Wow, wonderful. And what kind of town was hershey . translated it was conceived to be perfect. In housing, in education, in social order. Reporter her photos show a model town created exactly a century ago. Hersheys sugar mill was one of the worlds most modern. After the revolution, castro nationalized the factory and all other american property. Eventually, the economy collapsed. Today the factory is a heap of rust. translated the political machine is very big. Here, they appoint a leader and he does whatever he wants. Reporter residents here are thankful for the revolutions positive advances. The racial segregation that hershey imposed on its workers has been replaced with apparent racial equality. Residents receive free health care, and students get free education. But for many, the Economic Future remains bleak. When you think about 1959 and you think about what this country has been through since then, do you view the legacy positively or negatively . He didnt want to answer that question. His fear, says dissident Carlos Millares falcon, is widespread. What would happen to you if you criticized the government publicly . translated automatically, they would drive me to the headquarters of internal security. Very fast. Reporter in his living room, falcon keeps american and european flags. He says cuba lacks western freedoms of speech, participation, and multiple political parties. That keeps criticism rare and the opposition fractured. In march in havana, president obama spoke alongside current president raul castro. Obama argued normalizing relations would force the cuban government to liberalize. But from january to october this year, the government is reported to have detained 9,125 people, more than quadruple the 2010 number. translated the pressure on us has increased. I dont think fidels death will create any policy change. The government will maintain the same policy of zero tolerance. Reporter but 22yearold Alejandro Rodriguez says zero tolerance doesnt mean zero evolution. translated for us young people, we do need a change. Were tired of the same old, same old. Reporter in cuba, the internet is rare and expensive. So he collects the entertainment people cant get, and copies it onto hard drives, called packets. Theyre full of local musicians who pay to be in the packet, alongside illegally copied tv shows, and bad shark movies. The packets are delivered by bike messenger. Unless the internet opens, the packet will only get more popular, and rodriguez predicts thats not coming anytime soon. translated the packet will last. I dont see an end to it right now. Reporter in many ways, cubas stuck in the past. But people seize whatever openings they can find. 80 of the country works for the government, but in the last decade, jesus reyes and half a million others have been allowed to go private. Hes trained as a nuclear physicist. His wifes a biologist, and together, their job was finding a cure for cancer, but that only paid each of them 40 a month. So while she stayed in science, hes driving a taxi. Unfortunately, we have an inverted pyramid here. The people who give more to society make less money, and those who give less, make more. Reporter he and his 1957 chevrolet bel air can make four or five times what he made as a governmentpaid physicist. He wishes that wasnt the case. He Still Believes in the revolutions principles, but he believes cuba needs to change. translated its one thing to hold static, like we are today, without perfecting or improving, and its another thing to slowly improve. Thats what people like me aspire to, where we can acknowledge our individual values. Reporter castro always said revolution was a process, and that change was inevitable. But holding onto the revolutions principles means that whatever change does come, is likely going to come slowly. For the pbs newshour, im Nick Schifrin in havana. Woodruff now, back to politics, and a whole week full of cabinet picks. Time to turn to the analysis of shields and brooks thats syndicated columnist mark shields and New York Times columnist dvid brooks. Welcome, gentlemen, and i know you have been paying very close attention to every one of these nominations, mark. David archambault, so its james mattis the to defense this week, tom price to health and human services, mnuchin. What do you think trump is doing . I would have the say hes exceeding expectations. Sometimes in the campaign he seemed to be actively misgovern, and here he seems to be having a successful administration. Some of them are genuinely good picks. General mattis i would say is one of those, a man with good Foreign Policy views. Other people are experienced legislators. So theyre people who know their way around washington while representing the trump world view. So for those skeptical of trump, i would say its exceeding expectations. Woodruff exceeding expectations . A little skeptical . Wow thats dialing it back. Judy, i am pleased, relieved, and almost thrilled with the appointment of james mattis, the secretary of defense. Woodruff wow. General joe dunnford is chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, marine, former commandant, and now general mattis, former marine, so you can be sure there will be a lot of sniping from the army, navy, marines, the smallest force. But why am i pleased . Everything David Archambault said about general mattis is true. He is a scholar, hes independent, thoughtful, smart, hes a great leader. The marines have a rule, unlike any other Military Branch i know, officers eat last, okay. That is, no officer eats until the sergeants, the corporals, the privates under his command have first been fed. Woodruff and you speak from personal experience. Nobody embodied that more than jim mattis. Hes very much an enlisted mans general. Quick anecdote, when general charles kulack was commanding the marine corps, he and his wife would bake cookies before christmas and he would get up and deliver them to the packages to the marines standing duty that day because every marine post has to have someone standing duty. He showed up at quantico and asked the Lance Corporal on duty, where is the officer on day and who it is . He said general mattis. No, no, i mean, he said, who is the officer of the day. He said general mattis. And here comes the Brigadier General and he has his sword and the commandant said what are you doing here . He said, a young lieutenant was on duty today and he has a wife and children and i thought it important he have christmas with his family. Thats the find skinned of man he is. Independent, strong and will be good for the country. Woodruff were off to some high praise here. Lets talk about Something Else donald trump did this week. That is, the first public speech he made since the election, he went to indianapolis, and announced a deal that hes cut with the carrier corporation, air conditioners, furnaces, to save a thousand jobs, not all the jobs that were going to mexico, but a lot of them. What kind of precedent does this set . What do we make of it . I agree with sarah palin on this one. She wrote an oped today where she called it crony capitalism and source of corruption and i think thats true. The job of government is to be a level Playing Field where Companies Compete and make money honestly. By rewarding one company over another, by getting involved in these sort of petty deals, the first thing youre doing is encouraging rent seeking for companies to make money off government rather than the honest way, and especially in this administration its an insri case to corruption. If youre cutting deals with company after company, doing this and that kind of deal, inevitably there will be underthetable lobbying, and its a terrible precedent for the economy and the administration. Woodruff even with 1,000 jobs . First of all, its a very expensive way to save a thousand jobs. Carrier is a defense contractor totally dependent on u. S. Government interests for their well being. If we cant negotiate a good deal with them, where we have to pay 700,000 in tax credits to save a thousand jobs, its a bad deal even from that perspective. Woodruff are you as worried about it . No, im not as worried about it. I think it is bad public policy. I think its a political master stroke. I think donald trump raised this issue during the campaign, when it first appeared, when carrier showed the gross innocence, where it was on youtube where they went in and told a thousand workers that their jobs were leaving, that the company was leaving, and it was just it was abjectly insensitive to the workers, and donald trump picked that up. It was part of his prairie populism of the time, unlike his cabinet appointments to treasury and commerce. But i think, judy, there is 1,000 people who are going to have christmas who werent going to have christmas. Were the deals cut . Sure. Have deals been cut on crony capitalism in the past . Yeah. Its gone to the company. I give barack obama credit for rescuing the automobile industry, saved hundreds of thousands of jobs. But the fact is weve had deals cut and the jobs have ended up going elsewhere. I think donald trump, this is a master stroke eh said he would do something, he did it and its been a long time since the president to have the United States has made that kind of announcement. Woodruff what would you say back . First of all, there will be a thousand people who have christmas, thats true, but there will be a lot of people who will be paying for that. Second out of all, you will have a less efficient economy, so less job creation. Thirdly, when companies shift jobs overseas, they just dont take the factory and move it abroad, they scale back production here or flat line it and scale it up there. If the economics is still favoring a job in mexico over a job in indiana, carrier will be doing it but they will be getting taxpayer money and a sludge on economy. Woodruff this is a drop in the bucket in the face of Enormous Economic change. Of course it is, but did he do something that positively affected peoples lives . Yes. Is it a coherent National Macro policy . No. But as a microact, its a very positive act politically, and i think it reflects better upon him and his commitment to these people and their well being and their survival than an awful lot thats happened in the past. Woodruff we have been talking a lot about donald trump. Do i want to bring up the democrats today because this week in the house, David Archambault, they voted on their leadership. Nancy pelosi reelected to be the minority leader, but not with as large a vote as last time. She won twothirds against a challenge ohio congressman tim ryan. Whats going on with the democrats . Youre hearing them speaking out saying we dont like the campaign Hillary Clinton ran and we have to be worried about things in this election. The republicans were preparing for defeat and reorganization, democrats were preparing for victory, so quonk the democrats are far apart on where the party should go. The top three leaders in the house,domes, all in their 70s. Nancy pelosi, a fresh face for the party in an era of change . No, but shes a good tactician and legislative leader and i can see why she ended up winning because its a local race and they probably wanted someone who could craft the master of legislation and they all owe her. Soist a testimony to her, even in adverse climate, its a testament to what people think of our skills that she ended up winning by a comfortable margin. Woodruff what do you think . I think David Archambault is right in his assessment of leader pelosi. The fact shes from san francisco, if anything, is a help, in the sense you want a leader that can take tough positions and not jeopardize their own survival. Thats one of the things you want in a leader. She has been a very formidable leader. She was a great speaker. But i think for people and it was a considerable vote. A third of her caucus voted against her. Only 12 people came out publicly and were willing to stand up with tim ryan, but privately, 60 came out and voted in the secret ballot. If 35 had comout, maybe 75 or 80 would have been emboldened to vote outside. To put the folks on nancy pelosi is ludicrous. The democrats have an enormous problem. Today as we sit here, there are five states in the United States that have a democratic governor and two houses of the legislature controlled by democrats. Thats the lowest in the history. There are 12 fewer Democratic Senators than there were the day barack obama was sworn in. There were 16 fewer democratic governors than there were the day. Nobody restricted state lines than the day barack obama was sworn in, 63 fewer house members, fewer Democratic State legislators today in the 50 states than any time in history. So or since 1900, i should say. But i look at this and say the Democratic Party is noncompetitive west of new jersey all the way to carson city, nevada, with the exception of the blue island of illinois and latino strengthened states of new mexico and colorado. To say its Nancy Pelosis fault and her replacement would solve their problems is self deception. Woodruff are there solutions out there . Its not her fault. I wouldnt say shes the solution, though. Which way will the Democratic Party go . Likely in the Elizabeth Warren direction. That may not be stupid. There way be a way to tap into what trump tapped into. But when theyve gone left, whether howard dean or jesse jackson, theyve lost the heartland. Theyve lost people who are angry at government but dont seem to be angry at business. So going to the center would violate all the momentum you feel on the left but i do think there is a case to be made for it. Woodruff are you saying thats what happened in this election . Democrats as individuals are moving to very few places rand clustering, and thats just a democrat graphic problem for the party. When barack obama was reelected in 2012 with the majority of the vote in the country, first president science eisenhower to win a popular majority in consecutive elections, he failed to carry a majority of congressional districts. Halt hasnt happened since 1960. So the democrats are not competitive in wide swaths of the country. Theyre a coastal party. I think theyve become and nancy pelosi bears some of the burden on this i think they have become too culturally liberal a party. I think theres been a willingness to emphasize lgbtq issues rather than working class issues of people and declining incomes and families falling behind and carrier jobs leaving. I think thats been that the democrats have become a party that quite honestly is more emphasizing the cultural issues, and i think thats been to their disadvantage in the national appeal. Woodruff on that note, maybe the democrats will have an autopsy like the reps. It certainly helped them. Woodruff it did it was a good autopsy. Woodruff mark shields, david brooks, thank you. Woodruff well be back in a moment, with one view on why children should stop playing football. But first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. Its a chance to offer your support, which helps keep woodruff finally, as the College Football season comes to an end, keith strudler, director of marist Colleges Center of sports communication, shares his ideas about children on the field. Its another in our regular friday series, i. M. H. O. in my humble opinion. I think its time we end youth football altogether. Im not talking about the n. F. L. , or College Football, or Even High School and middle school. Im talking about five through tenyearolds. Grade school kids. The kids that, when they put on shoulder pads, theyre wider than they are tall. Let me be clear. I like youth sports, and i watch a lot of football. I embrace the positive virtues kids can get from organized athletics. So why get rid of kids football . Ive got three reasons, and none of them have anything to do with concussions, although thats a fine reason as well. For starters, young kids playing football is about as natural as pigs playing piano. They can do it, but its forced. Kids that age barely understand simple concepts, like how mom is related to cousin jacob or why you cant have cotton candy for dinner. But, were trying to teach them how the left tackle covers the blind side in an iformation. For young kids with developing minds and bodies, moving and exploring should come before memorizing playbooks. Next, when most kids sign up for sports, they want to do two things touch the ball and score. In youth football, the first thing coach tells most of the team is that you will never do either of those things, and if you try, someones going to throw a yellow flag, which gets the whole team in trouble. Its like making the whole office work late because frank from accounting faked a sick day. Finally, what kinds of lessons do young kids learn from playing football . That boys compete and girls cheer . That success comes through brute force . Or that lifes work is to take someones property, known here as field possession . I hope that these are fading constructs in a collaborative, ideabased society. You could argue these are problems for older kids in football as well. But with age comes cognitive development, and a more nuanced understanding of the differences between sports and reality. A sixyearold may not realize that football is not a metaphor for life. Now, this doesnt mean i could never get behind youth football. Imagine football if everyone touched the ball, and most people had a shot at scoring, where kids move all game, and boys and girls play together. Thats a football i could put my kids in. Funny thing, that football already exists only, in america, we call it soccer. Woodruff first Lady Jacqueline kennedy was known for guarding her private life while serving as the public face of the white house. Online, we look at the new film, jackie, that aims to shed light on this elusive figure. All that and more is on our website, www. Pbs. Org newshour. On Washington Week tonight, a roundtable discussion looking at the trump cabinet so far; what and a look at challenges the democrats, who just reelected nancy pelosi minority leader, face in a republicanled congress. Thats tonight on most pbs stations. And well be back, right here, on monday, with a look at the phenomenon behind art basel, the enormous, highend art fair in miami. Thats the newshour for tonight. Im judy woodruff. Have a great weekend. Thank you, and good night. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. Bnsf railway. Xq institute. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. 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 this is nightly Business Report with Tyler Mathisen and sue herera. Help wanted. Companies are hiring, the Unemployment Rate is falling. But not everything is going gangbuster. Strategic advice. Donald trump picks a whos who of Corporate America to advise him on the economy. But theres one group noticeably missing. Girl power. Female Action Figures are invading the toy aisle, thanks to the bright idea of a mom turned entrepreneur. Those stories and more tonight on nightly Business Report. For friday, december 2nd. Good evening, everyone. And welcome. 74 straight months of job creation. Employers continue to add workers at a steady clip last month, and the Unemployment Rate dropped to a nineyear low. According to the labor