informs and inspires. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: good evening. thanks for joining us. syrian government warplanes today resumed bombing the same town hit by a chemical weapons attack earlier this week. that attack was in violation of international law and prompted an american missile strike in retaliation. at least 87 people have died since syrian president bashar assad unleashed chemical bombs on civilians in the rebel-held town of khan sheikhoun in the country's northern idlib province. today's government air strikes with conventional bombs killed at least two people, according to human rights groups. elsewhere today in syria, near raqaa, the de facto capital of the islamic state group, american warplanes targeting isis militants killed more than 20 people. today in florida, president trump spoke by phone with saudi arabia's king salman. the white house says the king reaffirmed his support for thursday's u.s. military attack on a syrian airfield, calling it "a necessary response." syrian officials have surveyed the damage, and the syrian military has already begun reusing the base. while turkey applauded the attack, assad's key allies-- russia and iran-- condemned it today, calling it "blatant aggression" to slow "victories by syria's army." today, iranian president hassan rouhani called for an impartial international committee to find out where the chemical weapons came from. dozens of syrians gathered outside the united nations office in damascus to protest the u.s. missile strike. it was the first direct american attack on the assad regime since syria's civil war began six years ago, a war that has displaced half of the country's population and claimed more than 400,000 lives. to discuss the situation in syria, the u.s. military role there and throughout the region, i am joined by doug ollivant from new america, in washington; and kimberly marten, from columbia university, here in new york. doug, i want to start with you. if this was a one-off incident, how consequential is it? >> well, if it's a one-off that is designed with the strategic purpose of informing not just syria, but all regimes that the united states has a zero tolerance policy on the use of chemical weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, then it's making that point. but in terms of the syrian civil war itself and u.s. policy in the middle east, probably very little >> sreenivasan: kimberly marten, the concern that everybody has now is not just necessarily what syria's response, but what's big brother, russiaa's, response. >> well, you know, i think it's not going to be as bad as some people have been predicting. i think russia must have been very embarrassed by syria's use of chemical weapons because it really undercut pint's role back in 2013 in saying he had helped get rid of syria's weapons. and what's truly striking is they got hours of advance notice of the strike, and there were no russians killed and no russian helicopters hit but there were syrian soldiers killed and syrian airplanes hit. and i think that might be an indication that russia didn't tell syria that the strike was come glg wow. doug, what about that, is there enough daylight between syria and russia there, at least on this specific issue, considering how geographically important syria is to russia's military presence in the middle east? >> well, certainly in the larger picture, syria's very important to russia, much more important than it is to us and, therefore, they're very vested. but i really agree with kimberly's analysis. the russians had to be embarrassed by this. it's really hard for me to get my head inside the logic of the syrian regime, why they would do this, why they would provoke the international community, embarrass their patrons, the russians. this seems to make no sense to me. and i totally agree with kimberly it's not beyond the russians to let them feel the brunt of the attack so they don't do something like that again >> sreenivasan: rex tillerson is supposed to go to moscow next week. how does that conversation go. >> well, you know, putin is somebody who really respects strength, and i think this might have been quite intentional as a way of showing russia and showing putin, in particular, that president trump is not going to take lying down whatever it is that russia does in the middle east. and we zto be concerned that russia is also increasing its military influence in egypt, potentially in libya, also in afghanistan. and so i think a message of strength here in syria is something that might actually benefit tillerson in getting a good deal in moscow >> sreenivasan: doug what, about that influence that russia has been increasing throughout the middle east? >> well, as kimberly pointed out, it has-- it has not had a strong relationship with the three countries she mentioned, with afghanistan, with libya, with egypt. it's certainly trying to extend tentacles into those regimes. it's not the same kind of relationship they have with syria, but certainly they're starting to expand their influence in the region. i still maintain this strike was much more about chemical weapons than about the syrian civil war or russian influence or anything else. but if the russianing are willing to take away a message of u.s. strength from, this i certainly have no problem with that >> sreenivasan: kimberly, this wasn't an issue about sort of u.s. versus russia, more specific not even about regime change, but really specifically about chemical weapons. >> yes, it was. it did follow a dave discussion in the u.n. security council about what had happened in syria, and so it wasn't out of the blue. it was clear that there would nothing a u.n. security council resolution that condemned syria because syria is russia's ally, and russia has a veto in the u.n. security council, but least there was an attempt made to get the international community thinking about this. and in fact, what we see is that the majority of u.s. allies are on board behind what the u.s. did >> sreenivasan: there was also talk that the treasury secretary said we were going to impose new economic sanctions on syria. doug is that correct going to have any more of an impact? >> they're pretty isolated now, so i'm not sure how much more impact this will actually have in tangible terms, but as a symbolic gesture of, again, we're not just gog punish the poor pilots on the ground who were on the receiving end of the missiles, but the the regime actors themselveses who are responsible for this strategic decision that, again, sends a very, very strong message. and, again, i suspect the people this is aimed at peripherally are not so much other players in the area but the north koreans and maybe also the iranians. this is a w.m.d. message >> sreenivasan: we talked quite a bit about syria and it's by no means the only country in the middle east, and there is afghanistan, where the u.s. has been at war since 2001, and the spillover against islamic militants based in pakistan. there are still 5,000 u.s. troops in iraq where the war to topple saddam hussein began in 2003 and there are conflicts in somalia and yemen, where the trump administration escalated the u.s. presence, aiding one side or other. doug, thinking about this in the regional context, does this change the equation least how want actors in these places see the role of the united states? >> well, talking to my friends in the region, it sounds like the-- the leaders in middle east are thrilled to see this. they're thrilled to see a strong trump administration. the middle east, most of these rescreams were notably not happy with the last administration. some of them were very happy to see this new administration, and they're happy to see this show of strength. but i think in terms of trying to apply this to all the places we're engaged in the region, these are all very, very different. you know, the iraq fight against isis is going very well. we can fairly be said to be winning there. afghanistan is going much more poorly, and yemen we're largely just supporting the saudis. these are all individual fights we have to take one at a time >> sreenivasan: kimberly marten, does this change russia's thinking about the fact that the united states is willing to use force in specific instances, especially when they're thinking about expanding geographically or other decisions that they've already made? >> i think it might be sending a message there are limits. there doesn't seem to be evidence that this is going to become a new u.s. military presence that has any kind of a permanent basis. and so i don't think we're necessarily going to see the u.s. and russia become out and out military competitors against each other. but i think it does send a message that there are limites, and if russia says that it has these allies that are its client states, it better be able to control what they do >> sreenivasan: all right, kimberly marten, doug ollivant, thank you, both. >> thank you. >>, mr., hari. >> sreenivasan: former president george w. bush is calling on congress to continue funding for pepfar, the plan he launched for aids relief. in an op-ed in today's" washington post," mr. bush said since the program began in 2003, mainly in africa: pepfar also screens women and girls for the h.p.v. virus that causes cervical cancer. with bipartisan support, pepfar received $6.8 billion last year. when it comes to humanitarian aid for africa, traditionally, it has meant taxpayer-funded programs like pepfar or privately-funded shipments of medical supplies, food and other goods. a non-profit organization called givedirectly is pioneering another approach in eastern africa: giving cash unconditionally to the needy. the latest project involves providing what's called a" universal basic income," whereby every adult in a designated area receives a regular cash payment. in tonight's signature segment"" newshour weekend" special correspondent christopher livesay reports from kenya. >> reporter: magline awino ndiwa lives in a rural village in western kenya called kaluande south. as a subsistence farmer, she and her husband struggle to support their five children. >> ( translated ): most of the money that we get is always spent on school fees because if we don't pay the fees, they are sent home. >> reporter: for years, she's made tough decisions on whether to pay those fees, buy food or improve her tiny, mud-thatched home with its leaky tin roof. then, last year, a u.s.-based nonprofit organization called givedirectly came to her village and offered her $1,000 in cash-- ten times her annual earnings-- and said she could spend it on whatever she wanted. 70% of the 281 families in this village received cash from givedirectly, which targets people living on less than $1 a day. ndiwa used her cash to build this bigger house. how has life changed now that you've gotten this cash? >> ( translated ): it's not easy to live with five children in a small house, but now i have a good home that's not leaking and has enough space to accommodate all the children. i am happy. >> the big idea was giving people money to make them less poor. it almost seems so obvious. >> reporter: economist michael faye was one of four graduate students studying development economics who co-founded givedirectly in 2009. unlike other aid groups that provide goods or services, nearly 90% of its donations go straight to recipients as cash. >> we were frustrated with many of the same things that a lot of donors are frustrated with. non-profits are opaque; the money has to pass through multiple hands, and only a fraction of it winds up in the hands of the poor. >> reporter: funded by private donors and foundations, including several based in silicon valley, givedirectly has distributed nearly $56 million across western kenya and uganda since 2011, providing up to $1,000 to 65,000 families with no strings attached. people use givedirectly's cash in a wide variety of ways. sylvanus olweny oluoch used the money to buy food, clothes and livestock, and build this modest new house. daniel omondi odipo used part of his givedirectly grant to pay his wife's dowry. and many recipients use the money to start a business. chicken broth, some candy. i see toothpaste. jane aketch orege opened this small general store and a barber shop next door. so, there's nothing keeping a recipient of this money from doing something with it that the donor doesn't like? >> that's right. there's obviously things that a lot of us would agree are bad-- smoking, alcohol, and so on-- but there are other things that we as donors think about. maybe we think someone should spend it on education. maybe we think they should spend it on a cow. and i think there's a degree of self-reflection that we should have on why we have those preferences, and why we think those preferences are more important than the poor's preferences. >> reporter: givedirectly's cash is distributed through m-pesa, a widely used mobile money system that allows kenyans to receive and send money for a small fee. if a potential cash recipient doesn't own a cell phone, givedirectly provides one. the money is given in three lump-sum payments, and, as part of enrolling in the program, every recipient is vetted in person. >> saba saba? >> reporter: diana achieng mwaga is a givedirectly field officer. while leaving decisions up to the recipients, mgawa documents how they plan to spend the cash, and collects data on their lives before they receive the money. givedirectly relies on outside researchers to assess the impact of their cash-transfer program. one study published last year on givedirectly's work found recipients increased livestock ownership by 50%, reported a significant decrease in depression, and didn't spend more on alcohol and tobacco. >> cash transfers are not only the future, they're the present. >> reporter: world bank economist berk ozler says research across the globe shows the advantages of cash as a form of aid, especially in the short term. >> i think we have more and more evidence that suggests that unless you have a very good reason to give people something else, you should give them cash instead. >> reporter: while certain benefits of cash have been widely studied, givedirectly still has to convince the people it's trying to help, many of whom are skeptical. field officer diana achieng mwaga has had to knock down rumors of ties to sinister religious forces. magline ndiwa says, unlike her, some people in her village refused the money. >> ( translated ): they were saying so many things, that we will be forced to give up our children, that we will die. >> reporter: mary akoth is co- wives with ndiwa, married to the same man, a common practice in this part of kenya. when you first heard about givedirectly, what did you think? >> ( translated ): i was not happy because money that you have not worked for, you cannot be comfortable taking it. >> reporter: the kenyan government also runs cash grant programs for more than 700,000 households with vulnerable children, the elderly and the disabled, providing monthly stipends of about $20. gladys wanga is a member of kenya's parliament. are you learning anything from givedirectly? >> yes. i think one of the lessons that the government programs can learn from givedirectly is transparency and just a level playing field for everyone. and just a tool that vets. and when you... if you meet the criteria, you're good to go. >> reporter: wanga represents homa bay, an area in western kenya where givedirectly has given out cash since 2015. have they followed through on what they claimed they were able to achieve? >> yes, they've certainly followed through. lives have changed. they promise what they do. they don't promise what they can't do. >> reporter: givedirectly has been making lump-sum payments to the poorest individuals in kenya for years, but what would happen if entire villages were recipients? that's what givedirectly wants to find out with an experiment stretching 12 years. the idea is to provide what's known as a "universal basic income," universally providing every adult in a village enough cash to cover the basic cost of living. the concept of a universal basic income has been debated in both poor and rich countries around the world. in wealthier economies, it's been proposed as a replacement for safety net programs, a way to combat growing income inequality and even to address job losses expected from automation. other countries are already experimenting with the idea. in finland, the government has begun a universal basic income trial for some of its citizens. and governments in canada, scotland and the netherlands have also proposed trials. and in the united states, a private organization has proposed a trial in oakland, california. givedirectly's $30 million program in kenya will be the largest and longest experiment of its kind. recipients will receive about $22 a month, which is close to 75 cents a day. last october, it started providing a basic income in this village to test the model. kennedy aswan abagi is the village's elected "elder." >> ( translated ): 12 years is a long time. hopefully, by that time, everybody shall have invested in something that can support their families, like rearing livestock or farming crops, so that their lives can continue smoothly. >> reporter: his village is one of 300 that will be part of the universal basic income experiment. the villages will be randomly divided into four groups. some will get lump-sum transfers; some will get money for 12 years; some for two years; and other villages will get nothing, acting as "controls" to see the impact of the basic income. >> how much income does she usually make in a month? >> reporter: princeton university economist alan krueger is one of the independent researchers that will analyze data from the basic-income experiment. he was visiting the pilot village along with givedirectly co-founder michael faye. so, this is the questionnaire that recipients go through? >> that's right. >> reporter: it's pretty weighty. how long does it take to actually get through all these questions? >> at the moment, it's taking just under three hours, and we're trying to cut it down. participants will be asked about everything from their hopes for the future to their incomes. you don't just focus on a single outcome, you have to look at a range of outcomes. >> how did you react the first time you heard about it? >> reporter: although worlds apart, faye believes lessons from the universal basic-income experiment in kenya will be relevant to europe and the u.s. that might seem like apples and oranges to a lot of people, kenya compared to the u.s. >> it is absolutely apples and oranges, and you could also say detroit and oakland are also apples and oranges. and as an economist, this is why you do the experiment many times, to learn what is universal and what is locally specific. but you certainly need to pick somewhere to start. >> i think there are aspects to economic behavior that cut across cultures, but we'll see how much we can extrapolate from the fields here in kenya to other contexts. >> reporter: world bank economist berk ozler has doubts about how much researchers will learn from the basic-income periment in both rich and poor countries. >> if we're talking about the u.s. or finland or switzerland or something like that, the context and the amounts will be so different. and then, on the developing country side, i think that i'm worried that the amount is too large. >> reporter: ozler fears that a country like kenya could never afford to implement a program like givedirectly's for all of its citizens. he would also like to see the experiment go further and test givedirectly's cash payments against other types of charitable aid in rural africa, such as vaccines, mosquito nets to prevent malaria or free livestock. >> i'm not going to convince you that cash transfers are better. you're not going to convince me that giving people chickens is better. so let's just put it to the test. >> reporter: how do you measure success in a program like this? >> it's almost hard at some basic level for it not to be successful simply because you're giving people that are living on 50 cents, 60 cents a day money that will take them above the poverty line. the broader success is shifting the sector to a place that is based around evidence, that is transparent and honest, and puts the recipient at the center of aid programs and not just the donor. >> reporter: aid recipient kennedy aswan abagi says he plans to use his cash gifts to expand his carpentry business and invest in more livestock, and he's thinking long-term. >> ( translated ): our only hope is that givedirectly will fulfill its promise of continuing to send us the money for 12 years without interruption so that we can continue investing in projects that will sustain us afterwards. >> sreenivasan: on earth day later this month, the nation's capital will see a "march for science." where do you stand? tell us on our web site at www.pbs.org/newshour. >> this is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. >> sreenivasan: swedish police say the man who slammed a hijacked beer truck into shoppers and a department store in stockholm yesterday is a 39-year-old native of uzbekistan. police say they haven't ruled out whether others were involved but haven't found links to extremist groups. flags flew at half-staff today for the four people killed in the attack. 15 others were injured, and ten remain hospitalized. prime minister stefan lofven visited the attack site, as did crown princess victoria. in india, police have arrested the alleged mastermind of a massive call center scam that bilked thousands of americans of $300 million. police arrested 24-year-old sagar thakkar, seen here wearing a black hood, today at the mumbai airport. he faces criminal charges in india and the united states. thakkar's call center workers allegedly impersonated i.r.s. and immigration agents and threatened them with arrests, today, eta directed police across the border in france to sites where it had hidden guns, ammunition and explosives. the spanish government called on eta to go further by disbanding and asking forgiveness from families of 800 people killed in its attacks. eta declared a truce six years ago. south korean automaker hyundai is recalling about 1.5 million cars and s.u.v.s in the u.s., canada and south korea to fix an engine problem. the company says a manufacturing defect could make engines stall and increase the risk of a crash, though hyundai says it's received no such crash reports. the recall covers popular models like the 2013 and 2014 hyundai sante fe sport s.u.v. and sonata midsize cars, and various kia models made between 2011 and 2014. a complete list is posted on our web site, www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: finally, the rock 'n' roll hall of fame inducted its newest class last night in nework in a ceremony that opened with a tribute to the late chuck berry, the first artist ever inducted. the six honorees ranged from 76- year-old folk legend joan baez to the late rapper tupac shakur. also inducted were seattle-based pearl jam, san francisco's journey, and the british groups yes and electric light orchestra. that's all for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. i'm hari sreenivasan. good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. judy and josh weston. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the john and helen glessner family trust-- supporting trustworthy journalism that informs and inspires. sue and edgar wachenheim, iii. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. trumental music]