james brady, severely wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt, who subsequently became an ardent gun control advocate. he died today at age 73. >> ifill: those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. bae systems. inspired work. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. and... >> 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: fighting quieted across much of gaza for a time today, as israel declared a short truce. with negotiations to follow a halt in the gaza fighting that has killed almost 1900 palestinians and more than 60 israelis. the news came hours after israel observed its own short truce for part of the day. >> the brief unilateral cease-fire was designed, israelis said, to allow humanitarian aid into gaza. >> they all bring flour, rice and food stuffs that were ordered by the palestians according to their needs. >> woodruff: the seven hour lull did not apply everywhere, but was supposed to enable at least some palestinians to return to their homes. tens of thousands have been forced out by air strikes and heavy fighting. but hamas charged the israelis broke their own truce by striking a house in gaza city, killing an eight-year-old girl, and injuring at least 30 others. >> ( translated ): we were having breakfast and suddenly we found ourselves in the middle of rubble. we pulled all of these people out from the rubble, as you can see. >> woodruff: elsewhere, eight palestinians from one family were killed in early-morning shelling in beit lahiya, in gaza's northern reaches. the cease-fire also did not cover rafah, on gaza's southern border, where heavy fighting that began friday continued today amid widespread destruction. all of this, as much of the israeli ground force withdrew from gaza, while aerial bombardments continued. there were two other attacks today on the streets of jerusalem. a palestinian man rammed a bulldozer into a city bus near the dividing line between jewish west jerusalem and a predominantly-arab neighborhood in east jerusalem. >> the tractor made its way down the main road and flipped the bus over. at this moment in time, what we know from the police officers that arrived at the scene, opened fire one of the suspects. >> woodruff: a pedestrian was also killed in the incident. separately, an israeli soldier in jerusalem was shot and seriously wounded. meanwhile, there was more fallout from sunday's israeli air strike on a united nations school in rafah. three suspected militants were killed, along with seven others lined up for food aid. it was only the latest such attack, and drew strong condemnations. u.n. secretary general ban ki moon called it a moral outrage. the u.s. state department branded it disgraceful. today, a white house spokesman explained the strong words. >> what that state department statement made clear, suspicion that militants are nearby doesn't justify strikes the put at risk the lives of civilians. >> woodruff: with reports from egypt that israel and hamas had accepted yet another cease-fire proposal. >> woodruff: in another development, the state department played down a report that israel intercepted phone calls by secretary of state john kerry last year. the account in the german magazine "der spiegel" said kerry used unsecured phones during a push for middle east peace talks. state department spokeswoman jen psaki. >> we have better disposal tools to secure phones for highly classified communication but there are also times we communicate less sensitive communication via open lines to world leaders and others. we are fully aware of the possible risks. we will continue to use lyze open communications channels when appropriate and secure communication channels when necessary. >> woodruff: the magazine report said intelligence agencies in russia and china may also have listened in on kerry's calls. >> ifill: lebanese army soldiers advanced against islamist rebels from syria today, in a battle for a border town. the fighting around arsal began on saturday. thousands of civilians and syrian refugees have fled the area since then. >> woodruff: rescue crews in southern china dug out scores of survivors today from the rubble of a sunday earthquake. it killed at least 398 people, and wrecked 12,000 homes. thousands of soldiers and local police have now joined the rescue operation. they're working against the clock as rain is expected to fall in the area over the next three days. >> ifill: a massive landslide in nepal is raising fears of flooding and causing mass evacuations in eastern india. the disaster happened saturday on a mountain river 75 miles east of katmandu, the nepalese capital. the landslide, touched off by monsoon rains, blocked a river and formed a new lake. it now threatens to overflow and inundate villages where 125,000 people live, down river in india. >> woodruff: in northern california, two large wildfires have scorched nearly 100 square miles. the two fires, burning about eight miles apart, expanded from a national forest onto private property over the weekend. it destroyed eight homes and forced the evacuation of a small hospital. large fires are also burning in southern oregon and washington state. >> ifill: for the first time, the u.s. army corps of engineers will have to disclose how much pollution its dams are sending into the nation's waterways. the corps today settled a federal lawsuit in oregon, filed by the conservation group columbia river keeper. the group has said the corps failed to monitor oil discharges from eight dams in oregon and washington. >> woodruff: the u.s. justice department issued a scathing report today on new york city's juvenile jails. it found a "culture of violence" at facilities that hold 16- to 18-year-old offenders. federal prosecutors said guards routinely use excessive force and violate inmates rights. new york mayor bill de blasio has promised to reform the jail system. >> ifill: on wall street, stocks made up a bit of last week's lost ground; the dow jones industrial average gained nearly 76 points to close at 16,569; the nasdaq rose 31 points to close near 4,384; and the s&p 500 added more than 13 points to finish at nearly 1939. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour searching for answers to toledo's water woes. economic hopes for africa during a leaders summit in washington. health workers struggle to contain an ebola epidemic in west africa. a tribute to the fallen of world war i. and, remembering james brady, presidential spokesman, gun victim and gun control advocate. >> ifill: now, to the fallout from that big algae bloom in lake erie. toledo's mayor lifted a glass to end the water ban today, but even as he did, experts warned this episode spotlighted significant problems that remain for the great lakes. >> i'm pretty thirsty right now because it's been a long night. ( laughter ) ( applause ) >> ifill: that's how toledo mayor michael collins told the people of his city it's okay to start drinking the water again. since saturday, 400,000 people in ohio's fourth-largest city, and 30,000 in southeastern michigan, lined up for bottled water, because toxin levels in tap water were too high. >> brushing teeth we use one bottle of water, everybody, we share it. >> ifill: the likely culprit was a massive algae bloom on lake erie, a bright green scum caused by high amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous that can come from farm and lawn fertilizers. but new tests today came back without traces of the toxin. >> all six water tests came back with no problems whatsoever. there's no discernible microcystin within these systems at this moment in time. we are lifting in conjunction with the ohio epa the no drink advisory. the water is safe. algae blooms in lake erie are fairly common. 2011 saw one of worst ever, as the swirling green blooms extended all the way across the lake to canada. this year's algae buildup has come earlier than usual and water officials warn it won't be the last. >> the issue really is a chronic issue and we're going to keep on having this until we address the situation. that's what we have to do. we have to get the funds and the resources in here to look at how do we stop this. >> ifill: the economic cost of the three day ban is still being calculated. toledo officials said they'll be turning to the federal government for financial help. we get some further reporting and insight on all of this. anna michalak is a scientist who works on global ecology at the carnegie institution for science at stanford university. she is a leading expert on the water quality and sustainability of the great lakes. and, marlene harris taylor is a reporter for the "toledo blade." marlene harris taylor r people calmer today? >> yes, i would say people are definitely calmer in toledo today. there's a sense of relief that the ban has been lifted and people can now drink water. but i think that there is still a little unease. because people want a few more answers, gwen. >> ifill: what kind of answers are they looking for, just the cause of it or just what they should do? >> well, the cause of it. as you mentioned in your report that this all started on saturday morning. what people are wondering is did city officials know before saturday that the levels had actually spiked. like when did this actually start. and city officials have not over the weekend been very transparent about the actual numbers, the readings they are selfing from the epa. so people have a lot of questions about what were those final numbers? how did they actually descend over the weekend? and how did they make that final determination that it was all clear. and lastly, i think feel are still wondering is it really safe? even though the mayor drank that glass of water there are some people who are really still skeptical and have been on social media saying i'm not sure i can drink this water. i think i'm going to stick with just bottled water that i have been collecting all weekend. >> ifill: anna michalak, let's talk about the signs, should people continue to be worried about what they are drinking? >>. >> as was mentioned, i don't have access to the actual water quality reports from the lake. i think the broader issue is these tested blooms are happening at this point almost every year. and the last two years have been substantially larger than blooms we've seen before. so the question is how do we decipher all the factors that are contributing to these blooms becoming larger and larger in recent years. >> ifill: let's try to decipher a few of them here. we know in 200-- 2012 there was one larger than. and in fact officials are suggesting we may see more later this summer. what causes them to come, it feels like to the rest of us, out of nowhere. or is it something that as the water official suggested, chronic. >> correct, so 2011 saw the largest bloom by far than we had ever seen before. and in studying that bloom, what we understood is that it's a combination of management practices on farm fields as well as meteorology. so we're seeing more and more very heavy springtime precipitation events that wash fertilizers off its foomd and into the leak. and once they're there, these fertilizers are essentially fertilizing the blooms. and when you combine that with warmer temperatures and wind conditions that are just right, you end up with consequences like the one you just saw in toledo. >> ifill: why is this happening in the great lakes? are they more sus setable to this sort ofhing than other bodies of water? >> a good question. we're actually seeing more and more impact of nutrient pollution around the u.s., on the east coast, the west coast as well as inland. within the great lake system, lake erie is particularly susceptible both because of how much phosphorous goes not lake and also just because of the physical characteristics of the lake itself. >> ifill: is there something that can be done to get the farms to use different kinds of pharmaceuticals on their crops or to get people to-- to expect this to happen every summer. is there something february can do to anticipate this? >> i deally you what want is a win-win situation. so the farmers are really no more interested in the fertilizer ending up in the lake than we are. it is a waste of fertilizer and money from their perspective. the issue is to create measured practices that request somehow account for the changing features of meetology that we are seeing as climate change starts to really take hold. so the question how do we farm in a way that actually fertilizes the crops rather than fertilizing the blooms. >> ifill: so marlene harris taylor n toledo what are people-- first of all, how did people get the news. and then what did they do next? are they being told what they should do or what precautions they should take? are you personally taking precautions? >> well, which news, the news that they couldn't drink or that they could drink today. >> ifill: all of it, actually. >> how did they receive which news. okay, well, you know, it was really interesting because the news broke that we couldn't drink its water in the dead of the night. most people were asleep when these readings spiked up at 2 a.m. i myself was woken by my sister who woke me up at 6:00 in the morning to tell me that she had seen this on social media, and that people were starting to run out to the stores and starting to hoarde water so, my husband and i went out and we had to search for waters for our family, for my haunsd two children. so over the weekend, as the days have gone on t went from initial, a panic oh my god, i've got to get water, to the next day by sunday people began to really be concerned about the elderly and the shut-in and people who couldn't afford water, and peopleological started to channel their energy into these distribution sites that the city had seth i around town and started really coming together and helping others. and today now that we received the news as you showed from the mayor, finally saying that we can drink the water again, now the focus now is going to be what is next. where do we go from here. city's talking about a possibility of raising the water rates in toledo so they can do some updates to our distribution, our water cleaning system which is quite antiquated. >> anna mitchal ak, i want to ask you whether there is a long term or short-term solution for this annual bloom that we're seeing? >>. >> i think that short-term solutions are going to be very difficult. because each year is really different. and it depends not just on what the farmers are doing which of course is an important part of the equation, but also where does the rainfall look like that spring. does it come at just the wrong time to flush that fertilizer into the lake. how soon does the lake get warm enough for these blooms to take hold. and so unfortunately in the short term it's a matter of noticing things when they happen as quickly as possible so that you can react as toledo did. but in longer-term there is certainly some very serious conversations about how do we change the nutrient input into the lake so that even when the conditions are conducive to blooms, the impact is less than what we are seeing today. >> ifill: anna michal ak, and marlene harris taylor, thank you both very much. >> woodruff: now to a closer look at a continent in transition as an historic white house summit kicks off today in the nation's capital. tight security and a large police presence marked the start of the u.s./africa leaders summit in washington. nearly 50 heads of state and many other officials are attending. one goal for the obama administration is to use the event to begin catching up to china, which, in 2009, eclipsed the u.s. as africa's biggest trading partner. on friday, president obama touted the potential, including some one billion dollars in business deals being announced this week. >> i've had conversations over the last several months with u.s. businesses, some of the biggest u.s. businesses in the world, and they say, africa, that's one of our top priorities; we want to do business with those folks, and we think that we can create u.s. jobs and send u.s. exports to africa, but we've got to be engaged, and so this gives us a chance to do that. >> woodruff: africa already boasts many of the world's fastest growing economies. and is home to major deposits of gold, oil and other resources. there's also a huge potential work force, in 2010, 70% of africans were under the age of 30. but parts of the continent remain beset by violence, corruption and human rights abuses. in libya, rival militias continue battling for control of tripoli's international airport. and in south sudan, hundreds of thousands face hunger, many of them fleeing fighting between the government and rebels. the central african republic, eritrea, sudan and zimbabwe were not invited to the summit because they're suspended from the african union or under u.s. sanctions. the presidents of liberia and sierra leone are also staying home to deal with the ebola outbreak in their nations. earlier today i spoke with former new york city mayor michael bloomberg and commerce secretary penny pritzker about africa's economic promise and its challenges. bloomberg philanthropies and the department of commerce are co- hosting tomorrow's u.s./africa business forum, where president obama will give the keynote address. secretary of commerce penny pritzker, mayor michael bloomberg, thank you for talking to us. >> thank you for having us. >> woodruff: secretary pritzker let me start with you, what does the o billiona administration want to accomplish with this summit? >> well, its summit has many parts to it there's obviously a diplomatic part. there's talking about all different kinds of subjects. the part that mike and ri focused on is the c.e.o. summit. which is really an exciting anchor to this entire african visits. we have 51 heads of state attending the entire cement. and we expect to have over 40 attend our business summit, along with hundreds of business leaders, both from the united states and from african businesses. and the goal is to get them together, to start talking about what the opportunities that they can have in the business community. >> mayor bloomberg s there a message you see coming out of this gathering? >> i think the message is that for american businesses, that africa is a land of opportunity. its technologically not left back. it's now catching up very rapidly it is urbanizing, communications and transportation are all getting better. so that americans will be able to sell products oversea, will be able to buy products from america, from the african side it is trying to send the message that america cares, for too long we have let china be the main focus, the main proponent of doing deals, of making investments, in africa for natural resources to build up rare markets for their products. we have unfortunately not done anything and along comes penny pritz kering-- pritzker and now america is reaching out, and we have to do that. >> in fact, secretary pritzker there are folks out there who are critical of this administration, many of them former supporters who are saying this administration has-- did let china outpace the u.s. in terms of investment. that this president hasn't done enough when if came to investing in aids. in fact, that aid money has been cut back it that the president hasn't done enough when it comes to corruption, human rights. what do you say? >> i say first of all over the next couple of dayless you are going to hear a lot about all of the commitments that are being made to africa by this administration, there partnership where philanthropic organizations, businesses and others. so it is the government and the private sector coming together to really put its best fool forward in africa. but let's remember something, this is the first of its kind summit where you brought together this kind of leadership to really say, not just what have we done but what can we do. and what we're trying to do is to create a catalyst for increased future activities. and i'm convinced that we're going to have to great effect, will you hear an enormous number of announcements over the next two days. >> it strikes me you are talking about a lot of people that have done nothing and are complaining about the past. i don't know why everybody focuses on that shoulda wooda and coulda is the way the kids would say it. the fact of the matter is there is an opportunity. commerce is facing that opportunity, recognizing it and penny is leading the charge to do something about it. that's great. why are we going to sit around and rip ourselves. >> so some of that has to do with not wanting to repeat mistakes. but what do you think shouldn't be repeated? what needs to be done differently. >> neglect and ignorance, those are the things. people didn't pay attention, didn't know, weren't a grifs enough and ambitious enough. maybe they had other ma kets to to counsels. but we live if a tworld where you cannot walk away from any one market, particularly a market the size of africa. so let me build on that. six of the west-- economies in the world are in africa incomes have risen 30% over the last ten years. you've got expectsed 6% annual gdp growth expected over the next ten years. 2 -- 250,000 american goes to work every day in america supported by exports that are being sold to africa. and that's just the beginning. there's enormous opportunity. and what we're trying to do is really raise awareness. but then more importantly get people who know how to get things done in a room together to particular out how do you make deals, how do we get more commerce going. how do we make, and this will be good for kbot african companies, african countries, an american business and its american people. >> the american public wants jobs. this did how create jobs. the american public wants to have great products at affordable prices. this is how you get. >> at the same time you have a continent that yes has made great progress when it comes to business an investment but is also still plagued with enormous security concerns, human rights violations. >> are we talking about africa or north america. >> we have the same problems too. maybe not as great as that but we're hardly without our problems. we sit around and look at the downside or we can say just deal with those things and make things better. there is no part of the world you can go to where you don't have a security problem in this day and age. there is no place in the world you can go where there aren't some bad people so what. >> my question is what do you say to business executives about that? do they not deal with those countries where those problems exist. >> i think the answer to that is you will see the president, i hope, and i don't have any inside information, hope-- announce a whole bunch of deals. that would be a nice capstone before we went on the air, you asked us how do you end this? you end this with the president announcing some progress and hopefully the progress will be there and he will be able to explain to people what comes out of this summit. >> what dow tell business leaders in countries where there are human rights violations to ignore them or work around them. >> well, one of the exciting things about having american business present in a community is what does american business grinning to the table? they bring a respect for rule of law, commitment tothics, workforce training. csr, you know, investing in the communities. so many different things. and what i find when i'm going around the world and certainly i found this on my trade mission to africa. these countries, leaders want our businesses present. and so because they -- they're a positive force. if you look at the kind of products and goods an services that our companies are bringing to the marketplace in these countries, it's exciting whether it's access to power or access to health care. all in formats that are appropriate for those countries. so this is really fundamental what request be done. and so this is exciting. >> and so how do you neshure success, mayor bloomberg. >> the neiss thing about business, you measure success by commerce. they're real numerics. this is not just touchy-feely i feel things are better. it's how much trade goes back and forth. how many jobs are created, how many new businesses are started. all concrete things that you can measure. >> but knowing that there are some obstacles, some chall esks out there that are particularly problematic there some of these country morse than in others. >> so one of the things that we're doing as the federal government is we're expanding the presence of our foreign commercial service in tanzania t ethiopia. monday zam beak, egola and expanding our presence in other offices and opening offices. what does the foreign commercial service do. these are folks who work for the department of commerce whose seoul job it is to help american companies and a half quite those obstacles you are talking about to bring their good american made goods and services to those countries. so this is what, we can do a lot to support these-- the effort to do more commerce in these countries. and have it be beneficial to america. >> and we'll be watching and listening over the next few days and beyond. secretary pritzker, mayor bloomberg, we thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: as we just heard, despite their emerging economic power some countries in africa still lag behind on human rights issues. many who follow developments on the continent are hoping that this week's summit will be an opportunity to press for change beyond trade. one of them is nicole lee, a human rights attorney and former head of the u.s. based policy organization, transafrica. she joins me now. thank you for being here. >> thank you. >> so nicole lee, when you look at this summit, what do you think could come of it? >> obviously we know by definition this is really an opportunity for african leaders to get together with u.s. leaders and talk about investment in business. what has also happened and i'm not sure that the administration was really understood that this was going to happen, but civil society from the continent of african also got on the planes, came over and want their voices to be heard as well. they want to be heard on the issue of good jobs. so does investment mean there are going to be good jobs. does investment mean there is also human rights. while we swrt official meeting, there is also a lot of side meetings going on as well. and in those side meetings they're really talking about the preeminence or the need, if you will, for the preeminence of human rights at the table as well. >> in fact, you were telling us today that it's human rights issues that are going to make-or-break the ability of these countries to make the economic advance. >> i think so. mayor bloomberg is right when you look at the united states. many of the things that the people of africa need are the things that americans value as well. one of those things is the ability to have your voice heard to live in a democracy. the people of africa want the same thing. and so if you are's going to see real development, real sustainable change that u.s. business leaders, frankly, want to see as well, we're really going have to make sure human rights are at the forefront. some leaders that are not respecting human rights, were not invited to the table, some were invitesed to the table who also have some of the similar problems. >> so what happens, can you literally change the way people do business, the way they think, the way they treat others in their country in their society by having meetings like this one? >> i think what is important to understand about countries in africa is most countries have a very vibrant civil society, people that are interested in human rights and worker rights, lgbt rights that are working very hard within ravr ca, within the countries in africa to make sure human rights is are respected. what they do need though is make sure the international community also stands in sol darities with them it says that yes, we're going to do bliss in africa blue we're going to do business an make sure that the people of the couldn't tent benefit. africa has the youngest population right now in the planet is that young popation going to be a population in pov the or is it going to be a population in the middle class. i believe in many civil societies, even in the united states believe it's going to take all of us to make sure the african leaders really make sure that human rights are at the forefront of their campaigns, at the forefront of their policymaking rather than at the back end. >> so how tangably does that happen? dow look for them, statementses, commitments to come out of this meeting, do you look for conversations that go on while these leaders are in washington? >> one of the things that mayor bloomberg said that i think is so important is we are hoping for a lot of proclamations to come out. president obama himself, for example, really are hoping something will be done on hiv and aids and health care. we know that that is central, frankly, to the ability for people to actually be able to go out and get their jobs and take advantage of all the investment mayor bloomberg is talking about. but it also those do with making sure there is a-- for civil society from africa to really move about and make sure their voices are heard. oftentimes civil society in africa has the solution, but no one is listening to them. no one is listening to the business plans that they have. no one is listening to the ideas that they have, for really changing the couldn't negotiate. for example power africa was something that the african civil society had been talking about for such a long time, power africa is an initiativeow to make sure that there is electricity all around the continent. well, civil society has been talking about that for years, to make sure that people will really be able to take advantage of the 2 1s century. certainly at least need electricity that is something that came from civil society. >> you mentioned several minutes ago some leaders were invited whose countries are have been guilty of human right as becausementi think one people have pointed to is rwanda. what is the message that sends to others that as part of these conversations. >> i think it is a tough balance ent, if you will. i i can sympathize because if the u.s. government has a good relationship with the government, it would be an opportunity to use that relationship and explain that we will not tolerate human right as because. on the other hand, a country like zimbabwe where we do not have really any relationship to that government t does send a message to invite them that we don't respect human right, so it's a tough balance. i just hope the administration suesing this opportunity with these leaders, equatorial guinea would be a good example. these are leaders that have very, very distressing human-rights records. an that we're uses the opportunity, if we do have this sort of relationship that their invitation would suggest that we're using this opportunity to have a conversation about human rights as well. >> it's one set of meetings. but it is taking place and a lot of us are watching. >> yes. >> nicole lee, we thank you. >> thank you. >> ifill: the ebola outbreak in west africa, the largest ever is resonating around the world. one infected american aid worker, treated with an experimental drug and flown back to a special unit at emory university hospital in atlanta yesterday, is said to be improving. a second american patient, a christian missionary, arrives there tomorrow. agents at u.s. airports are watching for symptoms from travelers, international development banks are assembling aid packages for the affected countries, sierra leone, liberia and guinea. the death toll there has climbed to at least 887 people. more than 1,600 have been sickened by the virus since it first spread in february. jeffrey stern is there on assignment for vanity fair. i spoke with him by skype from guinea a short time ago. jeffrey, i have begun to the village where we believe that this outbreak began what did you see there? >> well, the vim age has really been p i mean it's really been des nature-- decimated. they lost about 40 people t is a small village, only about 3 or 400. and they sort have been shunned. they're down a really inaccessible narrow dirt path. the taxies don't go there any more. they are having a hard time doing business with other people. and they actually abide by the government's request that people don't hunt this quote, unquote, bush meat any more. which means they're actually literally said we're hungry. so it's sort of a scourge that continues to have an effect. >> where is this village sex it especially rural and what happen to its people who have survived there? so far? >> well, it is and it isn't. this is one of the things that is interesting. it is fairly rural it is in what they call the forest region in guinea. but it's been the area around it has been thinned out and deforested a little bit. and it's not quite as inaccessible as it once was. the other thing is this has played a major part in the outbreak because people are fairly mobile and they're able to move across borders, to neighboring towns. and that's allowed this to sort of spring newspaper various places and why we see it now in three or four countries. >> as it has sprung up, as it has spread s there a health infrastructure that exists at all to contain it? >> yeah, well, it's a good point. the history of health care was really weak before the international community descend upon it. the ambassador put it like this. he said there is an imbalance between sovereign tow and resource, it's been sort of a tough balance. i think for the most part the story is one of very remarkable success. there is a little bit of disorganization sort of getting out of its lane and interfering with another, but for the most part the international community has come together and for the most part really respected the sovereign teen of the ministry and tried to use this as an opportunity to build up capacities. that hasn't obviously worked perfectly and it's still a massive outbreak they're trying to deal with in all the different countries. >> talking about the people who are most affected, has been part of the spread due to we have heard tales of fear, cultural superstitions, resistance to outside help? >> there has never been an outbreak anywhere near this. and there is just no reason for anyone to have it only their radar. that this may have been ebola from the beginning. which is part of the reason it took awhile for people to understand and accept that this is something called ebola. and it's one of many reasons why now many people still don't, still don't exist that if exists. still don't accept that it's worth cooperating with health officials and it's obviously created huge problems. because one of the things you have to do, you have to trace contacts. is there an infected person, you need to machine ster-- monitor every person they come in con fact with. it's difficult enough as it s of course it's much more difficult if they don't want to you look at them. >> and if difficult part of what you are doing is dispensing of corpses, bodies. that also has to being taught as well. >> exactly. i just got a text message a couple of days ago from the ministry of health saying that the red cross will come and disinfect a corporation if you have one, that the corporations are highly contagious. we will let you deal with your corporation and do funeral rites in the traditional way you want but let us come and disinfection it first. it is something that people don't love, i mean ideally would you take the corporation away and dispense with it because it is highly contagious but that would only add to the resistance so this is koond of a compromise, the better than nothing. >> here in the u.s. there has been so much discussion about the two american victims who are going to come back to emory hospital and be put in highly secure environments in order to attempt to treat the virus. i'm wondering how you as you go around if you go to there village, if you talk to people in your reporting, how you protect yourself. >> there are a few things. i mean one of the things is that-- there are people who would reject the idea that it's a highly contagious virus because it needs direct human to human transmission it can't live in the water like alcoholero it is not aerosolized, you can't inhale testimony. but even so it's still scary to be around. even if you have that knowledge in the back of your mind, i mean there's something very sort of primal about being around it and about seeing people with these big yellow space suits. and i think that a lot of us would admit that there is always a moment where, you know, could i possibly have been infected that one time. it's irrational and you know that there's almost no chance that you could have. and the other thing to keep in mind is this is west africa. so the early symptoms of ebola being fever, headache, up set stomach, there is always a question of, you know, do i have ebola or is it tuesday, and that's something that i think has been hard for us, and i think it's difficult for them too. it's one of the reason it's become so difficult to identify this early. >> it's been a very difficult story to cover even at a distance. thank you for looking at it up close for "vanity fair", geoffrey stern, thanks. >> thank you, gwen, i appreciate it. >> woodruff: commemoration events were held throughout europe today to mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of world war i. the global conflict killed more than 14 million people from 28 countries. we have this report narrated by james mates of independent television news. in memory of a terrible past there is a determination in these anniversary commemorations to look to the future. it is the coming generations? the form the duke and duchess of cambridge that are leading the british representation here. this morning in the belgium city seen son so the earlier clashes on the western front as the german army moves into neutral belgium. the princess speaks while fully in tune with today emphasis on reconciliation. >> the fact that the presidents of germany and austria are here today and that other nations, then enemies are here too bears testimony to the power of reconciliation. we were enemy morse than once in the last century. and today we are friends and allies. we salute those who died to give us our freedom. we will remember them. >> a ten-year-old girl then released a single symbolic balloon. soofern to be followed by thousands more in the colors of every nation whose people fought and suffered in what soon became known a the great war. the prince of wales followed by the prime minister laid wreaths at the glass glue george scare among the first of many that are being laid across the country and in cemeteries across the channel throughout this day of remembrance. prince harry saluted a parade of veterans, where an estimated 10 million sailors saild on the western front. he officially opened a newly built memorial arch on what is now known as the road of remembrance. if for so many of those young soldiers the mass at the dockside was to be the last time they set foot on british soil. it is in flanders where they were heading to fight that the principal british ceremony is taking place this evening. at the small cemetery where lie the graves of both british and german dead. >> nothing better illustrates it the futility of the first world war than the fact that the british forces first saw action here in 1914, four years more than a million deaths late he-- later they were still fighting in this town. john parr barried here was the first british soldier to die, just 16 years old, he lied about his age, george el ison had fought alongside him in the first battle, survived the whole of the first world war only to become the last british servicemenman to died just an hour and a half before the armistace. whether they fought and died in vain or whether its with a war that needed to be fought continues to be debate aid century on. but it was a war that changed the world, whose mem rows and legacies are still very much with us. >> woodruff: we close tonight remembering former white house press secretary, jim brady, who died today. he was severely wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on president ronald reagan and subsequently became a leading advocate for gun control. ronald reagan was two months into his presidency when john hinckley jr. drew a $29 dollar handgun outside a washington hotel on march 30, 1981. he wounded the president, brady, a secret service agent, and a washington police officer. reagan and his guards fully recovered but the .22 caliber bullet exploded into brady's forehead and left him partially paralyzed. he spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but, with his wife sarah, campaigned for a gun control law known as the "brady bill." president bill clinton signed it into law in 1993, helping create the national instant criminal background check system that remains in use today. last year, as the law turned 30, the bradys spoke to us about the struggle for new gun control legislation. >> we want to stop the carnage, all the killing that's going on. >> woodruff: sarah brady also said she's seen a difference in the gun lobby itself. >> they have entrenched themselves more deeply, i will say that, and are much bolder today than they were 20 or 25 years ago. >> woodruff: james brady was 73- years-old. for a closer look at the life of james brady, we are joined by former white house press secretary joe lockhart, who served under president clinton. and, mollie dickenson, author of, "thumbs up: the life and courageous comeback of white house press secretary jim brady." good to see you both. thank you. >> mollie dicenson, as you know, as we know, i covered the white house of ronald reagan. i was there the day jim brady was shot, the president was shot. we're going talk about that horrible moment in a second. but first remind us who j brady was before hes with hurt. >> well, jim brady was one of the most attractive people you could ever want to meet. he was the man you wanted to be next to at any party. he and sarah both, so down to earth, so kind, also. and both very funny but jim was known for his humor. and he never lost his sense of humor. and he ner lost his political smarts either. he saw the world in realtime and he understood the world and he was a great aide to reagan. >> you spent a lot of time working on your book, talking about the courageous journey as you described it. of jim and sarah brady. its with a tough comeback for them because he almost died. >> yes, he did. he took a bullet that went from here to just above his ear. and it did a lot of damage. but did not shoot away the essential jim brady. and they both have been extremely brave in facing this. and then to take on the gun lobby which gets more and more difficult all the time, as sarah just said in your set up there. >> and joe lockhart you of course were working two presidents later, bill clinton. but you got no know jim brady through the gun control. >> we got to know him through all of the work they z both by passion the brady bill and then in the failed efforts, you know, after columbine which was very frustrating. >> the shooting at the high school. >> and you know, i think at the time it was extraordinary that we got something done on gun control, the brady bill. but if you look now, 20 years, 30 years later, it's more extraordinary. we, with the country's live through newtown where children, you know, an amazing number of children, and we couldn't do anythingment but jim and sarah, we shouldn't forget sar a she is the not so secret weapon this that team, they got it done with a lot of political help but they were the ones who got it done. >> talk about how, what it was like to work with him during that period. because as we said he was mostly in a wheelchair. but he was active in this campaign. >> the word is inspiring. you know, jim had physical limitations. and he had trouble speaking am but you could tell there is was something in there. and the most amazing thing was most people would react bitterly to this he had worked his whole ca remember and a month into having his job he wanted his whole life t was taken away from him. and what he did was he turned that into positive energy. and he was funny and irreverent and the tougher the moment got, the more positive he became. he was just an amazing and inspiring guy. >> mollie, why was he able to do it? as joe said, many people you could understand why they would be bitter. >> it's in his constitution. it's the kind of man he was to begin with. and with the help of sarah who, they're very much alike, both of them. they both love life and love jokes and laughter. i wanted to point out that the fbi told me that the bum et that hit jim in the brain would have had reagan had it not hit jim. >> because of where he was. >> eous, and also the gun that john hinckley used was illegally bought because he lied on his application to buy it at that time. >> right. >> probably wouldn't have any trouble today though. >> but before this, joe, jim brady was not somebody, he was a republican, he worked for a number of republican office holders in washington, working on the reagan campaign as press secretary. this was not an issue that was high for him, or that he spent a lot of time on. >> no, not an issue that, in fact, we weren't debating this issue in 1981. you know t wasn't at the forefront of the congressional agenda. and you know, it shouldn't be lost that as a republican and in his circles with republican friends as the country became more partisan, he lost friendships because of his willingness to go out and take a stand on this. but you know, the nice part about jim as i met him later in thinks life was he didn't care. the country was changing. we were becoming more partisan, more intractable, jim didn't care. he was incapable of not speaking the truth. and it was really refreshing. >> how did he deal with that? with mollie, you spent a lot of time with him. >> he just had that ability to deal with anything. i think even before he was so gravely wounded he was willing to say exactly what he thought, i'm sure you remember the killer trees incident when reagan went on and on about how trees were more dangerous than fresh air. >> but they from supposed to be a danger to the environment. >> yes. >> and jim didn't care. he-- flying over a forest fire one day he yelled out killer trees, killer trees and he was suspend ford a week by the reagan campaign. >> and there was some in the campaign who felt that he was dangerous to have around because of comments like that. >> but he was very wise. >> but de serve, i think, as a real useful model for a lot of press secretaries, to come, particularly for me, which was even in the toughest of times it was better to answer something with a joke, with good humor, particularly a joke at your own expense. and you know, i tell people without a doubt the best day hi in the white house was the day that president clinton renamed the briefing room in his honor. and you stand there at the podium and it is just to your right. and i think every one who has had the job looks at that and understands that you have to hold yourself to jim brady's standard which is very hard to meet. >> what you said about his sense of humor, i talked t to-- canon who covered the recognize ans for "the washington post" for a long time and he was remembering the killer trees comment and how much the press corps enjoyed him. which isn't true of all press secretaries, joe lockhart. >> yes, yes. >> and when i went to the white house to interview reagan for the book, i said i'm going to see reagan today, jim. what should i do. and he said oh, so you're going interview his couthship. >> mollie dicenson and joe lockhart, remembering jim brady, thank you both. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> ifill: again, the major developments of the day. israel and hamas agreed to a thee day cease-fire, starting early tomorrow. egyptian officials said it allows time for talks to end the fighting for good. and toledo lifted a ban on using water from lake erie after tests showed a toxin from algae is no linger a danger. on the newshour online right now, can the violent song lyrics to a song be used against an artist in a murder trial? today, the new jersey supreme court said "no they caot" and threw out one rapper's 2008 murder conviction. it's a story we've been following, and you can read the update on the rundown. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we have an interview with the president of somalia, whose country has been battling militant islamists for some 20 years. i'm judy woodruff. and i'm gwen ifill. we'll see you on-line, and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us here at the pbs newshour, thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i've been around long enough to recognize the people who are out there owning it. the ones getting involved, staying engaged. they are not afraid to question the path they're on. because the one question they never want to 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are our roads? a first in a three part investigative series looking at highway safety and the long haul trucking industry. all that and more tonight on nightly business report for monday august 4th. good evening, everybody. >> welcome, everybody, i'm tyler mathisen, it was a quiet august day on wall street. for today at least, last week's seismic jitters about the middle east