Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20170411

Woodruff and, a forgotten generation. The challenges of educating syrian children in the middle of war. All that and more, on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. 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. Woodruff President Trumps top diplomat is now in russia, at a moment of high tension. It centers on last weeks u. S. Military strike on syria, after the regime launched a chemical weapons attack on its own people. Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Margaret Warner reports on this days events. Reporter secretary of state Rex Tillerson arrived in moscow this evening on the heels of some tough talk about syria at the group of seven meeting in italy. Russia has really aligned itself with the assad regime, the iranians and hezbollah. Is that a longterm alliance that serves russias interest . Or would russia prefer to realign with the United States, with other western countries and middle east countries who are seeking to resolve the Syrian Crisis . Reporter u. S. Russian tensions surged after last tuesdays chemical attack, which killed more than 80 people in syrias rebelheld idlib province. The u. S. Responded with Cruise Missile strikes on a Syrian Air Base thursday. Tillerson again today faulted russia for failing to enforce a deal it helped negotiate in 2013, to rid syria of chemical weapons. In a communique today, the g7 ministers said they were shocked and horrified by the attack, but, they decided against further actions for now. Speaking in moscow, russian president Vladimir Putin likened the allegations about syria to false u. S. Claims in 2003 that iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He said he expects more such incidents. translated we have intelligence from various sources, that similar provocations are being prepared in other regions of syria, including the Southern Suburbs of damascus, where they are planning to plant chemicals and blame the Syrian Government for using them. Reporter hours later, white house officials accused moscow of attempting to cover up syrias culpability for the attack with false narratives. They cited declassified intelligence that establishes syria was responsible, and disproves russian claims that the gas was released by a government strike on a rebel depot. A senior u. S. Official had said monday theres evidence russia knew ahead of time about the chemical attack, but White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer walked that back today. Theres no consensus in the Intelligence Community that there was involvement. Reporter at the same time, spicers own words proved a distraction for the white house. We didnt use chemical weapons in world war ii. You know, you had a someone who was as despicable as hitler, who didnt even sink to the. To using chemical weapons. Reporter when challenged, he acknowledged that hitler gassed millions of jews and others in death camps; and spicer later clarified his remarks in a statement, saying he was in no way trying to minimize the holocaust. Meantime, at the pentagon, defense secretary james mattis and central commands top general, joseph votel, reiterated that the u. S. Focus would be the fight against isis. Mattis was asked why the u. S. Acted after the chemical attack, but not after conventional strikes that kill syrian civilians. There is a limit to what we can do. We knew we could not stand passive on this, but its not a statement that we could enter fullfledged, fullbore into the most complex civil war on the planet. Reporter for the pbs newshour, im Margaret Warner. Woodruff in the days other news, north korea issued a fiery new warning to the United States. State tv threatened nuclear strikes on American Military bases in south korea and elsewhere, if the u. S. Makes any aggressive move. The report noted that a u. S. Aircraft Carrier Group is moving toward the region for military exercises with the south. translated the United Statess dispatching of its Nuclear Carrier task group in the waters off the peninsula proves that its reckless moves for invading north korea have reached a serious phase. If the u. S. Dares opt for military action, then north korea is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the u. S. Woodruff meanwhile, President Trump used twitter to send his own warning to pyongyang and to china. He tweeted north korea is looking for trouble. If china decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them. Democrats hoped for an upset today, in the first Congressional Election since President Trumps november victory. Its a race to fill the kansas seat vacated when representative mike pompeo became c. I. A. Director. Democrat James Thompson is challenging republican ron estes. The president tweeted his support for estes today. The state of texas must decide how to proceed after a federal judge ruled for a second time that a voter i. D. Law discriminates against minorities. In a previous ruling, the judge likened the law to a poll tax. A federal Appeals Court asked her to reexamine the case, but she reaffirmed her finding on monday. A separate court has found that texas racially gerrymandered several congressional districts. On wall street today, stocks struggled to make any headway. The Dow Jones Industrial average gave up six points to close at 20,651. The nasdaq fell 14 points, and the s p 500 slipped three. And in thailand, they have begun festivities to ring in the buddhist new year, starting with elephants spraying people with water. The animals marched through the countrys ancient capital today, dousing revelers and tourists alike. The tradition is said to wash away bad luck and usher in prosperity for the new year. Still to come on the newshour what happens to undocumented immigrants after deportation; why doctors now say men should get screened for Prostate Cancer; corporations versus consumers how Airline Ticket rules led to this paying customer being forced off a United Airlines plane, and much more. Woodruff attorney general Jeff Sessions today outlined the Trump Administrations tough approach on immigration during a visit to the u. S. Mexico border in nogales, arizona. He credited President Trump for a decline in Border Apprehensions and urged federal prosecutors to focus on smugglers, and immigrants who reenter the u. S. After deportation. For those that continue to seek improper and illegal entry into this country, be forewarned this is a new era. This is the trump era. The lawlessness, the abdication of the duty to enforce our laws, and the catch and release policies of the past are over. Woodruff and for more, we are joined from tucson by nancy montoya, Senior Reporter on immigration and border issues for arizona public media. Nancy montoya, welcome back to the program. Youve been covering border issues for many years. What struck you the most about what the attorney general had to say today . I think it was more what he didnt say, judy. One of the things that has been happening on a regular basis with the Trump Administration is officials come into the border, they spend a couple of hours, they talk to cbp, which is customs and border protection, they talk to border patrol, they talk to officials, but they never talk to community members, to some of the civil Rights Groups, to some of the human Rights Groups who have really been protesting a lot of the strategies and policies of the Trump Administration. So that was one of the things that really caught me off guard is that there was no conversation with those on the other side of the controversy. Woodruff what are you hearing from this administration that differs from Obama Administration policy . I think it is the types of people who they are targeting for deportation. Under the Obama Administration, yes, it was true, he was dubbed the deporter in chief for deporting more people than the past three administrations put together, but there was also a targeted group they were deporting, bum Obama Administration was deporting. Those were people with felonies. Those were people involved in drug trafficking, dangerous people, people who had committed murder or assault. Those were the people who were being targeted. Whats different here is that you are now considered illegal if you cross the border once, and youre considered to have broken the law. So one time will get you a possible prosecution. Two times where youre caught crossing the border illegally will get you a felony. And thats one of the biggest differences. Also anybody who is caught up in a net in any kind of a raid are eligible for deportation immediately. Woodruff and there was also, we noticeed, the march today seemed to be addressed to parents of children, parents who came across the border and had children worn in the u. S. , but the vulnerability that those parents still find themselves in. That was also one of the things that struck me as difficult to hear as someone who has lived and worked along the border for 3 years is 30 years. In many cases you have people that crossed the border 20, 30 years ago. They had their children here. They have grandchildren. And now they too, if they are not citizens and did not cross into this country legally, they are subject to deportation. That has already happened where u. S. Born children are being separated from their parents. Parents are being deported. There is no safety net anymore. You are. If you are here and you cross the border illegally, the Trump Administration is putting you on warning that you could be next. Woodruff one of the things the attorney general, nancy montoya, referred to was the administrations plan the hire 50 more Immigration Judges this year, 75 more next year. How much of a difference could that make in the processing of immigration cases . Thats very unclear, and theres actually two things to consider here first of all, the backlog with Immigration Court cases is about 500,000 people, a 500,000 people backlogged in the immigration system. Its unclear whether these 25 to 50 to 75 new judges will be handling only the new cases coming in or will they be spread out throughout the entire system . Thats still unclear. There is also a lot of worry that you wont get these judges up to speed. I know that attorney general sessions said were going to streamline the process, were going to push people through, but it still takes up to a year to get a new judge in place. An we still have no evidence that streamlining is going to mean faster. So in the meantime, you will be arresting more people and putting more people into the system, more people into private prisons and some of the public prisons, and further overloading an already overwhelmed Immigration Court system. Woodruff and just in a couple seconds, the status of the border wall that weve heard so much about . Border wall, no go. Mexico will in the pay will not pay for it. Congress needs to appropriate the money. So far they dont appear to be willing to do that. Woodruff well certainly see about that. Nancy montoya with arizona public media. Thank you. Thank you, judy. Woodruff so, part of what attorney general sessions called the trump era includes speeding up the deportation process. But what happens to those who are deported . Special correspondent Nick Schifrin traveled to mexico to answer that question. He begins in mexico city. Reporter in mexico citys airport, the recently deported arrive by the planeload. This is the country of their birth, but most have been gone so long, it feels foreign. translated you come back here, knowing nothing about your future. Reporter 52yearold felizio gonzalez was arrested last year in seattle for running a stop sign. Hes been living in the u. S. As an undocumented immigrant, installing carpets, for the last 20 years. translated i had a girlfriend i was living with, but now its all over. She stayed there, and i came back to mexico. Reporter gonzales, and every deportee arriving from the u. S. Is greeted by City Government workers and local aid groups. Rudy lopez leads an organization that provides basic, immediate assistance. He says he feels recent arrivals pain he was deported for traffic tickets and getting in a fight, a year and a half ago. His two American Children still live in las vegas. I fight because i dont like families is destroyed, you know . I miss my boy, i miss my daughter. Reporter is the government helping recent deportees . Really, really, its a little bit, the help. Our government is im sorry for the word its bleep . Really. Mexico, its got a lot of money, but not for everybody. Only for the governments. Reporter today, lopez is the deportees only source of help. He hands gonzales a little spending cash and leads him outside the airport. Gonzales carries only what u. S. Immigration allowed him to take a mesh bag, the clothes on his back. They lead him into mexico citys sprawling metro system. Gonzales is almost immediately lost. He gets off the metro. He hopes its the right stop. He looks for a bus to take him an hour out of town, to his exwifes house, but he hasnt talked to her in four years. translated it feels he decides shes a long shot, and there is only one remaining sanctuary. translated im going in to pray, to ask god for help all i can do is ask god to make it a little easier. Reporter why cant you help these people more . Its a huge challenge, i would say. Reporter Carlos Sada Solana is mexicos Deputy Foreign minister. He admits the government is overwhelmed by the recent arrivals. We still have to make it better, so that people feel really welcome and protected by the institutions of mexico, and also offering some alternatives for jobs, and that is what we are trying to improve. Reporter many people here blame President Trump. But his predecessor, president barack obama, was dubbed by his proimmigrant rights critics, the deporterinchief. And according to mexican statistics, the Trump Administration deported slightly fewer mexicans in february compared to last year. Mexico says what has changed is that the Trump Administration is moving undocumented mexicans through the deportation steps faster, and is deporting more undocumented mexicans from cities far from the mexican border. We are very concerned because it has extended the expedited removal, not only from the border area, to the whole territory of the United States, including alaska. And these could provoke also violations of human rights, not giving the due process to the people. Reporter 1,100 miles north, on the arizonamexico border, the two towns divided by a fence are both called nogales. The deportees in nogales, mexico arrive from the u. S. By the busload. The u. S. And mexico coordinates their arrival. They have just a few days to plan their next steps. This is my first day over here in mexico. I feel, like, weird because i dont know nothing about over here. Reporter for the last 15 years, 29yearold jose mesa lived in phoenix and worked as a caregiver. He says he was arrested for driving under the influence, and then deported. Is there a lot of fear in immigrant communities in the United States about getting deported today . Yeah. Basically, yeah, they got a lot of fear. If you walking over there, they can get you. The administration of trump is getting more worse. Reporter he says since the inauguration, immigration agents are more aggressive, and his neighbors are more prejudiced. They dont give you respect. I mean, they treat you like trash. Reporter nearby, the deported find sanctuary at the San Juan Bosco shelter. This has been housing recent arrivals for more than 30 years. Some will try and cross again. But others are preparing to travel south, to their homes in mexico. They say the border has gotten too difficult to cross. Jorge rivera uribe is only 19. His American Dream was to provide money for his two sisters, his wife, his daughter, and his mother, who has diabetes. translated i dont have money to take care of them. So i wanted to see if i could earn more money, to give them all a better life, so they dont have to suffer. Reporter in the u. S. He was building homes, making in one day what it takes a week to make in mexico. But the border is now much more dangerous. Last month, he tried to sneak into the u. S. Without paying the 500 charged by local drug cartels. They almost beat him to death. translated they told me, if they find me crossing again, theyll blow my head off. They dont know im alive. If they did, they would have come for me. Thats why i want to leave here. I wont let them kill me. Reporter uribe and the others are allowed to spend three nights here. Its comfortable, but they know they need to move on soon. The next morning, they wait to be transported to other locations that offer help. 32yearold Sergio Guererro has four American Children in california. Whats changed for you since donald trump was elected president . translated its gotten moe difficult. If you go nowadays, its scarier. Reporter their reticence reflects a recent trend. U. S. Border patrol says in march, compared to last year, crossings from all countries dropped by 64 . Homeland security secretary john kelly takes credit for that decrease, and says the administrations policies discourage wouldbe crossers. What were doing on the border what we intend to do on the border has added to the deterrent effect. Reporter but that has left some of the deported in no mans land, too scared to try and cross back to their american lives, forsaken by their birth country that feels alien. Martin lopez is 48. He was born in tijuana, but spent 44 years in california. He worked in restaurants and says he paid taxes. He was deported three months ago after he says he took the rap for his american wifes welfare. I had to, because i didnt want my kids taken away from her. Reporter he left mexico when he was four, and doesnt have his birth certificate. He never got any american documentation. He feels like a john doe. Hes run out of money, and hope. Its difficult. Very difficult. I never suffered this much, like i had in a month, two months. I mean, it comes down to the point where you dont want to live no more. Thats all it is. Its very difficult. I have to survive, you know . Its not much to say. My kids hold me up. Reporter you talk to them . Yeah, i talk to them. Reporter what do they tell you . They say, just not to lose hope. Not to lose hope. And hang in there. But theyre kids. Not much they can say. Reporter when he first arrived, he could sleep and eat in local shelters. But theres a time limit on their assistance. So today, hes on his own. He tried to cross back into the u. S. , but fell and hurt his back. He too turns to god. He feels trapped between two countries, neither of which offers help. Well, this is my sleeping area. Here is where i sleep. Ever since i got deported, when im not working, i mean, this is where im at. Right here, as you can see my blankets here. Not much of a comfort. Its very sad, sleeping like this. You go through a lot of thinking. I dont have that support where i can pay and get across. I just think for the next day, how am i going to make it, how am i going to live, what am i going to do . Going to sleep with an empty stomach, waking up; very sad. Reporter he sleeps now among the dead. They are his neighbors of necessity, and from them, despite everything hes been through, he takes resilience. Yeah. I will overcome this. I have to. Theres no life here. No life. Reporter for the pbs newshour, im Nick Schifrin in nogales, mexico. Woodruff each year, 26,000 men in the u. S. Die from Prostate Cancer. But there is confusion over conflicting advice about who should get tested for the disease. There is new guidance out today from an influential task force. William brangham has the story. Brangham heres where some of the confusion started five years ago, the u. S. Preventive Services Task force told men aged 55 and over not to undergo the common p. S. A. Test for Prostate Cancer, citing fears of overtreatment or false positives. But today, that panel reversed course, saying that men 55 to 69 should consider the test, but that men 70 and over should still skip it. Im joined now by the doctor who chairs that task force. Dr. Kiersten bibbinsdomingo is an general internist at u. C. San francisco. Welcome to the news hour. Thank you for having me. Brangham so forgive my sense of whiplash here, but help me understand, what is a task force recommending today . Whats the evidence behind your recommendation . The task force is recommending that men between the ages of 55 and 69 have a conversation with their doctor about Prostate Cancer screening. We want men to know about the benefits of screening. We want them to be aware of the harms that might occur along the way. The key is men should have this discussion. Shay should be aware the benefits and harms and make the right decision thats right for them. Brangham what would be the harms . I can understand the benefits, you find out whether you have cancer or not, but what are the harps involved . The challenge with Prostate Cancer screening is test we use, the p. S. A. Test, is not that good for distinguishing the types of cancers that will cause problems, the aggressive cancers, distinguishing those from those that are slow growing and may not cause man a problem during his lifetime. And since most men who get diagnosed end up getting treated, those men are then subjected to the harms of treatment, which are important and include impotence and incontinence, harms that happen in most men. Were fortunate that the task force has new evidence that led to the change in our grade. And the new evidence is both about the benefits, but also about approaches that can be used to allow some men to reduce some of these harms. Brangham lets just say im one of these men, i get the p. S. A. Test, and it indicates that i have cancer. Whats next . After the p. S. A. Test, you have to have a prostate biopsy. Thats what would be important for us to determine whether you have cancer. The strategy called active surveillance was one of those new strategies that we reviewed evidence for in the update. If you have lowrisk Prostate Cancer, this might allow you to. Active surveillance might allow you to avoid or delay treatment, because we watch you over time to see if the cancer is progressing and only treat those men whose cancer is progressing. So that was what allowed us to say that for some men the harms might be reduced. Brangham so if i understand correctly, the new evidence that helps you change your mind was that this testing saves more lives than it hurts in these ancillary side effects . Well, i think the most important thing to say is that there are benefits and there are harms, and what that balance looks like for any given man depends on how he values those benefits and harms. So some men might say, i want to redaughters my chance of dying of Prostate Cancer no matter what. I dont care about the risks that youre talking about, lets go ahead. Other men who might say, the likelihood of benefiting from screening is so small, its only about 1 or 2 men in 1,000 screened who actually are prevented from dying. That man might say, that likelihood is too low and im not willing to subject myself to the potential risks associated with screening. Brangham theres a lot of urologists and the American Cancer Society are very happy with your new guidelines. Other doctors have said this is a complicated conversation youre asking people to have with their doctors. Doctors dont have a lot of time to talk the patients, and they worry these guidelines will be blanket everybody get a p. S. A. Test and we will see all of these negative side effects. How do you weigh that concern . Well, its definitely true that these are complex discussions. These are complex decisions. We do think that every man deserves to really understand what the science is telling them. And thats why we really emphasize that these discussions are important ones to be had between doctors and patients to really understand for any given man what is the right choice for him. We are happy that many have engaged in the conversation and its rally important that we get the right input and have the discussion about our draft recommendation, but in the end, the most important thing for a given man is that he is aware that the science is telling us about benefits and harms and that he uses that together to make the right decision for himself. Brangham so the recommendations are 55 to 69 strongly consider the test, talk to your doctor about it. Men over 70 not necessary. What about younger men under 55 . So there are definite gaps in our evidence right now. Wed like to have Better Research about the types of tests that we could use to screen for Prostate Cancer. I told you Prime Minister p. S. A. Test is not a great test. Wed like more research on highrisk men. We know African American men have higher risks of Prostate Cancer, so do men with a family history. A lot of times these types of cancer occur earlier in life. We dont have enough evidence about how we with screen those men effectively, whats the best age the start, how often to screen. You really need evidence for these men. In the absence of that evidence, i would say that our recommendations definitely apply to these highrisk men, thats important to get out, there but we also need more research. Brangham all right, dr. Kiersten bibbinsdomingo, thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff stay with us. Coming up on the newshour a generation torn out of school by the syrian civil war; a bat killing disease thats spread across the entire country; and, making art out of breaking news. But first, the International Uproar continued over the forced removal of a passenger from a United Airlines flight. Today, the airlines c. E. O. , oscar munoz, issued an apology, saying, no one should ever be mistreated this way. I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right. Along with the outrage, many were asking, just how could this happen . Jeffrey brown picks up the story. Brown by now, the video has been watched hundreds of millions of times. In china alone, more than 270 Million People saw it on social media, many wondering if the passenger had been singled out because he is asian. The cellphone video shows a bloodied man, identified as dr. David dao, being pulled from his seat on a plane set to depart from chicago on sunday night. The flight was sold out, and passengers were first offered vouchers to take another flight, so members of a united crew could board. When that didnt work, dao and three other passengers were asked to leave. Questions remain about what happened, and whats supposed to happen in a situation like this. Ben mutzabaugh is covering the story for usa today and joins me now. Welcome to you. Thanks for having me. Brown one thing that was clarified was that the flight was not overbooked but oversold, right, sold out . Thats correct. It wont move the needle, but what technically happened was the plane was full. United had four employees with affiliate airlines that needed to make it to louisville so more flights didnt get canceled down the line. They had the make space for them. They asked for volunteers. Three were okay with being voluntarily kicked off the plane. One wasnt and here we are. Brown as we heard, the c. E. O. Munoz made that apology today after huge criticism for not apologizing sufficiently up to this point. This is a mess for united, right . This is really, really spiraled out of control. I think the apology today was probably helpful. It certainly sounded more sincere than the one we got yesterday, and it also came after the internal memo that pretty much said employees had done things the right way. Even if thats true, you cant see that video and have that with what you hear. They are facing a fullfledged, allout Public Relations crisis at a time when theyre trying to change the perception of the airline. Brown so everybody watching this wonders, what kind of rules apply or should apply in a case like this . So its very common these days that flights are overbooked, right . Thats the way the airlines operate. What rules apply . Well, the government says airlines can overbook flights. They can sell more seats than there are on the plane. They have to inform you of your rights, and then they have the call for volunteers. If that doesnt happen, the airlines can remove passengers based on a list of criteria. The only thing the government really requires is for the airline to inform passengers of their rights and to get a written copy of the rules, which basically list the criteria that theyll use to choose people to leave the flight, and they set compensation levels that top out, 400 of your oneway ticket for a flight thats two hours late or a maximum of 1,350. Brown first of all, they offer the vouchers, were all familiar to, try to lure people the take. 200, 300, keep raising it. Brown i understand united was offering up to 1,000. Definitely 800. Weve seen some reports, there are so many. Watching this spiral out of control, its amazing to see all the stories that have surfaced on spoacial media, which is probably part of the problem for united. They offer l 800, 1,000. They got to the last four and then they just couldnt. They should have raised it more perhaps. Brown when it gets to this next stage where they are asking people the leave, youre saying. Every airline has its own criteria . How do they decide on who theyre going to ask to get up and go . Its generally a combination of frequent flyer status, the lowest fare paid, if you boot the person who paid the lowest fare, that the least amount of compensation youll owe them under the federal regulations on dumping about what you would owe them, so it stands the reason you might bump passengers who paid the lowest fare. Other things can include the last ones to check in, there is a list of factors, but perhaps what makes it so troubling for the airlines, especially in a situation like this, is that although its somewhat transparent, its not completely transparent. You get a list of factors but not a hardandfast checklist. Brown and if you want to say no, as dr. Dao did, do passengers have any right to say no . They do not. This is where this particular situation i think really went off the rails. So united probably in my opinion should have done more to entice him or someone else to get off the plane, because once you turn this situation over to the authorities, you have an airline that says you have to get off the plane, you have passenger that says im not getting off the plane. If you call authorities in there, is only one way that turns out, and thats what we saw in the video. This video turned out probably much worse than anyone would have anticipated, but if they could have done anything and got mr. Dao off the plane, this becomes not even a local story in louisville and were in the talking about it today. Brown in our last 30 seconds here, people still mostly based on price and convenience, right . Thats right. Brown how much brand loyalty is there . How much Lasting Impact would you expect this to have . Frequent flyers will stick with an airline in matter what, but what weve seen for the public at large, people in frequent flyers, no matter how big the scandal, no matter how big the crisis, no matter how poor the reputation, passengers have shown time and time again, theyll book the fare thats 199 instead of 200 no matter what. Now, it remains to be disturb this is a big situation. Brown this is unusual. This is not good attention. This will test that if people will come back if the fares are lower. Brown they will be watching carefully. Exactly. Brown ben mutzabaugh, usa today, thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff whitenose syndrome is a disease that has been killing millions of bats across the northeast since 2006. Last year, the disease mysteriously appeared in the seattle area. As Michael Werner from public medias earthfix desk reports, researchers are racing to learn what west coast bats are in for. Reporter it sounds unlike anything else in nature, but for john huckabee, its the sound of a very uncomfortable patient. Huckabee is on the lookout for symptoms of a deadly and contagious disease. A disease that kills bats by the millions. There are a few small, deep pigmented areas of scarring, but overall, looks like hes in very good shape. Reporter this silverhaired bat doesnt seem to be a carrier. But a few months ago, a little brown bat arrived at his office outside seattle. As i was examining it, i saw that one of the wings had a lot of contracteur and some wounds, some lesions on the wing that were dry, and it had an appearance that it may have a fungal infection. Reporter the odd scarring was a possible sign of white nose syndrome, one of the deadliest wildlife diseases in modern times. First discovered in new york state in 2006, whitenose syndrome has killed more than five and a half million bats and counting. The disease, which is spread primarily by battobat contact, can wreak havoc in these large colonies. We have seen populations of bats in eastern colonies decline, in some cases, to 100 . Reporter but western bats behave differently. Reporter until recently, it wasnt even known how the disease killed its victims, but new Research Suggests that bats with whitenose wake up more often during hibernation. This causes them to burn through fat reserves that would usually sustain them through winter. Starvation and death soon follow. In just a few short years, the epidemic raced across the country, spreading from the northeast all the way to nebraska and oklahoma. But then it hit an enormous natural barrier. The Rocky Mountains kept the disease from reaching western bats or so scientists thought, until huckabees discovery. Some speculate that an infected bat may have hitched a ride on a freight truck bound for washington. Others think hikers or cavers may have unwittingly carried the fungus to washington on their clothes or equipment. Since hikers discovered that first little brown bat in the forests outside seattle, the whitenose fungus has been found twice more in washington state, both near the original site around north bend. Reporter this fear has jumpstarted research, not just in washington but around the northwest. In oregon, researchers are trying to learn what species are present and how big the populations are. Bats hang out in the dark. They hang out in these big cliffs and crevices that we cant access, so we just, ah weve gone for decades without really understanding whats happening with bats. Theres really no way for us to ascertain whats happening with our bat populations without this kind of a coordinated large scale survey effort. Reporter back in washington, researchers such as abby tobin are trying to learn how bats spend their winters. Were trying to figure out what type of habitats theyre roosting in . If theyre hibernating through the winter, or if they are kind of active throughout . Also, looking at those habitats theyre using, and whether the environment there is conducive for the fungus to thrive. Why dont we go down a little bit and get away from the trail . Reporter shes setting up bat detectors specialized microphones that can pick up bats highfrequency calls. Each bat has a unique echolocation call, and so were able to identify them based on that call from those acoustic detectors. Reporter in the lab, tobin looks for small signs that the disease is taking hold in the northwest. I am looking to see if there is any damage to the wing membranes, which would be a sign that it had whitenose syndrome. You would see holes or discoloration or texture change. Its important to detect white nose syndrome early because it allows us to get a sense of where it is, and so we might be able to do some sort of containment or treatment with the animals within the area. Reporter these small differences in behavior may be what ultimately saves western bats. But it could be years before definitive answers emerge. Woodruff and, High School Students at our Student Reporting Lab outside of louisville, kentucky produced a story on the effect of white nose syndrome on bats at Mammoth Cave National Park and how local students are getting involved. You can find that report on studentreportinglabs. Org. Woodruff lets return to the war in syria, and focus on the effect it is having on children. The schools have been devastated; more than a third have closed since the war began, and a recent report by the International Rescue Committee Found more than 1. 7 million children and youth are out of school. That is the focus of our weekly segment, making the grade, and were joined by david miliband, the president of the International Rescue committee. He recently visited the region and refugee children in lebanon. David miliband, welcome back to the program. We know this war has taken a terrible toll on lives in so many ways, but what is the main finding of your report on the effect on children and their ability to learn . Thank you, judy. Well, the situation inside syria is obviously top of the news, the crushing and appalling chemical weapons attacks last week. But the longterm impact of six years of war on 1. 7 million children inside the country being denied education is very grave indeed. There is the fundamental stress of being involved in a war, and for those inside the country, theyre denied the most basic access to education. Obviously that problem is doubled by the experience of the rest jis in the country, 5. 5 million refugees out of the country. Half of them kids, half not getting an education at all some it is true the talk about a generation of Syrian School children being denied the most basic elements of an education, and of course that stands in stark contrast to the fact that they would have expected in the a middleincome country, which syria was before 2011, to get a decent education. Woodruff what does this mean, based on this report that the International Rescue committee has put together, what does this mean specifically in terms of childrens literacy, their ability to read, their ability to do basic math . Well, we found that children in grades six, seven, eight, children in almost approaching teenage years, were unable to do the kind of sums or spelling that youd expect from a grade one student. So thats what six years of education being lost means. Never mind the huge blow to the childrens understanding and selfesteem from seeing their country blown apart and their families blown apart, as well. And so i think the message i would get across to your view verse the toll on children is greater than on any other group, but secondly, never underestimate the resilience of the children and the ability of them when given proper educational provision, to bounce back. We, the International Rescue committee, offer education to children inside the country. We also offer education in the neighboring states. What we find is that however hard the children have been hit, theres a remarkable capacity to bounce back if theyre given proper help. That makes International Humanitarian aid especially important. Woodruff so what is proper help . What does that consistent of . What can be done about this . Because people are certainly looking for ways out of this war, but if anything that looks harder than ever today. Youre rating about the huge diplomatic effort thats going to be necessary, but on the humanitarian front, and especially the educational front, there are two things that are essential. First of all, theres no point in pretending that kids who have been through a war are like any other first grader or fifth grader turning up for school. They need proper attention to their social and emotional resources, whats called the toxic stress that they have suffered is effectively brain damage and or what would be called amongst adults p. T. S. D. These children need to have that addressed before theyre able to access learning. In addition to those social and emotional skills and resources they need to build up, they also need the basic elements of an education, and our argument is that at a time when the overall humanitarian budget is under huge stress, at a time when less than 2 of the global humanitarian budget is spent on education, that is the worst possible time for the administration in washington to be talking about onethird cuts, 31 cuts in americas contribution to aid. America was for its commitment on the humanitarian front. Those children need americas help. Woodruff youre saying theres a direct link between what the u. S. Does in terms of foreign aid and the longterm repercussions and survival of these children, their ability to be functioning human beings . Well, you dont need to just take my word because i lead a human and the organization, so you might expect me the say that humanitarian aid is important, but just listen to the u. S. Defense secretary, secretary mattis, hes very clear as a military man that military effort on its own is not enough on its own. It needs to be allied to diplomatic efforts but also to humanitarian and development efforts, as well. And those three aspects of American Foreign policy, the military, the diplomacy and the humanitarian need to go together. And so the suggestion from the administration that now is the time to flash americas leadership on humanitarian aid seems extremely misguided. Were living through the worlds. Certainly this centurys worst civil war in syria. We know there are four famines hitting parts of africa, the global refugee crisis is at its height. Humanitarian aid is an essential commitment to the future of those children, but its also a stabilizer from a society from which they come. Woodruff you mentioned defense secretary james mattis. He said at his news conference, the u. S. Sounded as if what he was saying that unless there is another chemical weapons attack by the assad regime, at this point the u. S. Has no further plan the intervene militarily. What does that mean to the efforts of groups Like International refugee committee. We can report from the ground that our staff, ive got about 1,400 staff working for the International Refugee committee inside syria. They rushed toward that attack, rescued pen teem, took them to a hospital and saved their lives, but obviously they are in fear not just of chemical weapons attacks but conventional weapons attacks, as well some my message from the ground would be that we. Its inincumbent on american Political Leadership to make stop the killing the central demand. Until we stop the killing, not only will the humanitarian situation get worse, but the prospect for any kind of durable peace evaporates, as well. And my fear from the ground is that in the few days since the chemical weapons attacks, theres been an intensification of conventional weapons warfare. Thats cold comfort to anyone on the ground trying to live their life inside syria. Woodruff but it was clear today again quickly, in listening to secretary mattis, that the administration is drawing a line between responding if there is a chemical weapons attack but something very different if its short of, that even if its barrel bombs on civilians. Well, obviously as a leader of a humanitarian organization, its not for me to say one military tactic or another. But i can say the situation on the ground is grave and getting worse. The fires have not held at all. And with 500,000 dead, 5. 5 million refugees, its well past the time when syria was not just a humanitarian emergency but it was political emergency, as well. Its a surs of massive instability across the middle east and europe. That calls for the highest levels of diplomatic and political engagement. Woodruff david miliband, the president of the International Rescue committee. Thank you. Thank you so much. Woodruff finally tonight, a Museum Exhibition explores a different way of covering the news, through art. Jeffrey brown is back with the story, from a recent trip to los angeles. Brown 24hour news channels; digital news feeds; the latest tweet. Its the nowfamiliar, nonstop, sometimes overwhelming world of news and information we live in. But that sense of news bombardment isnt really new, and an exhibition at the getty museum in los angeles shows how artists have often commented on, wrestled and played with it. Curator arpad kovach most of us just dont know how to make sense of it, and i think thats where artists step in and are able to, kind of, make something fruitful and thoughtful, and take the images, take the text, take the information as source material to make something that looks critically at information that we receive every single day. Brown the exhibition, titled breaking news, takes us to a preinternet era, featuring work by artists often seeking political as well as aesthetic expression. For martha rosler, the starting point was life magazine, as a guide to the american psyche as the vietnam war raged, the magazine captured the war in photographs but turn the page, to sumptuous home interiors. Rosler put the two together. In one photo pat nixon in the white house, with the image of a war victim over the fireplace. Shes making this juxtaposition, bringing these two disparate images together, in an effort to show how we can sometimes be oblivious to whats happening in this world. This work is from 7072. Brown artist Donald Blumberg also sought to transform a news medium into a work of art, one that says something about the times. He took images from newspaper stories about slain soldiers or war atrocities. And i rephotographed them, and i wanted to enlarge them to a size that was inescapable for the viewer to pass. And it was intended to be a direct political act against the war in vietnam. Thats what it was intended to do. Brown by saying look hard at these photographs. Look hard. You cant escape it. Brown he also began photographing his television set, freezing in time major historical events. His first work captured images from the funeral of dr. Martin luther king, jr. It was a way of creating a new type of reportage, to photograph off the television and translate it into a mosaic. A mosaic in which the person could look at the whole story and break it into little fragments. Once cell, two cells, horizontally, diagonally. Brown then, theres a kind of strange news poem created by omar fast in the wake of the 9 11 attacks. He took single words spoken by cnn anchors and reporters you will certainly recognize one of them to fashion a piece about fear and anxiety. Robert heinecken played with news anchors in a different way, as a kind of commodity, in his piece case study in finding an appropriate newswoman. He used photos of newscasters and combined them into an idealized coanchor. I think what he was interested in is all of the complex decisions that go into making such a choice, that the general public is not aware of. Here we have five panels of life magazine. Brown for some artists, the subject was whats left out whats not there. Chilean artist alfredo jaar created this largescale five panel piece with every cover of life magazine. In a kind of wheres waldo style, he called it searching for africa in life. When you look at this work, you realize that there are very few instances where the continent of africa is represented. Brown the news as art; the art of the news. The exhibition breaking news is at the getty through april. From los angeles, im Jeffrey Brown for the pbs newshour. Woodruff and for the record, the Getty Foundation helps underwrite the newshour. And thats the newshour for tonight. Im judy woodruff. Join us online, and again right here tomorrow evening. For all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, and well see you soon. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. The ford foundation. Working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. 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