Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support is 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 in Lincoln Center in new york, hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan good evening. Thanks for joining us. We begin tonight in indonesia, where search teams have found four large objects on the sea floor. The objects are believed to be parts of air asia flight 8501, which went down last sunday with 162 people on board. The airbus a320, traveling from surabaya indonesia to singapore, disappeared less than half way into what was supposed to have been just under a twohour flight. So far, at least 30 bodies have been recovered. Difficult weather conditions are slowing the International Search effort. Waves as high as 16 feet have been reported in the area. translated i ordered the divers not to resume until tomorrow. The currents in the sea are very strong. Sreenivasan todays discovery of the wreckage came as indonesian transport officials said airasia did not have permission to fly the planned route on sundays. A cargo ship with 360 syrian migrants on board docked in italy today, days after being abandoned by its crew. Authorities described the rescued passengers as being in relatively Good Condition after a threeday ordeal at sea. Migrants often pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to try to escape the violence in syria. The United Nations estimates that 160,000 migrants arrived in italy by sea during the first 11 months of 2014. A Senior State Department official suggests the u. S. Might trim aid to the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas if it continues efforts to join the International Criminal court. That would make it possible for the palestinians to pursue war crimes against israel. In a separate incident yesterday, a group of Israeli Settlers threw rocks at u. S. Consulate vehicles in the west bank. The americans were there to investigate allegations that olive trees belonging to palestinians had been damaged by jewish settlers. No one was injured. In libya, for the second time in a week theres been an attack on christians. 15 armed masked men reportedly went room to room in a residential complex, asking for identification papers. They reportedly left muslims alone but handcuffed and then kidnapped 13 egyptian Coptic Christians. A few days ago, seven other Coptic Christians were abducted by islamic extremists there. A suspected al qaeda leader said to have helped plan the 1998 bombings of u. S. Embassies in kenya and tanzania has died in custody in new york. The cause was listed as complications from liver surgery. The man known as Abu Anas Al Libi had been captured by american commandos in october 2013 in libya. He was to have stood trial for the Embassy Bombings later this month. 224 people were killed in the bombings. A u. S. Appeals court today denied a defense request to delay the trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber, zhokhar tsarnaev. Jury selection is set to begin monday. He is accused of the april 2013 bombings that killed three people and injured some 260 people, a number of them severely. An earthquake measuring 4. 9 on the Richter Scale struck a remote area of idaho today triggering rock slides that blocked roadways but causing no injuries. Authorities say there were several smaller quakes in the area recently. In california, a new law has gone into effect making it possible for undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses, and, yesterday, thousands went to department of Motor Vehicle offices to apply. The new law, which had been supported by the States Police chiefs and insurance commissioner, requires proof that applicants live in california but does not require proof of legal residency. There are 2. 4 million undocumented immigrants thought to be living in california. It becomes the tenth state in the nation to offer undocumented immigrants licenses. And the f. B. I. Reports that the number of Violent Crimes committed in the United States dropped by 4. 4 in 2013 compared to the year before. Such crimes include murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery. Louisiana has the nations highest murder rate, but alaska, new mexico and nevada have the highest per capita rate of overall violent crime. According to this report, vermont and maine are the nations two safest states. Sreenivasan Congress Returns to work tuesday, and republicans will have substantial majorities in both the house and the senate. Republican leaders have promised they will initiate legislation, and one of their first efforts may be to roll back parts of no child left behind, the education law passed under president george w. Bush. Stephanie simon is the Senior Education reporter for politico and joins us now from boston. So, this was approved in a bipartisan manner. Whats wrong now, 10 12, years later . It was a very bipartisan bill as you said, had huge support. To give you some idea, ted kennedy and john boehner was coauthors of it, so that gives you a hint of how widely it was approved. And now 12 years later, people are looking back and thinking that there are huge problems with this bill. It mandated annual testing in reading and math for students in grades 38 and again in high school, and theres a huge backlash now against so much standardized testing. And it also set out strict sanctions for schools that did not continually improve their students performance on those tests and that also has created a huge backlash and kind of an idea theres too much federal interference in local schools expwhrar one of the critiques in between periods was schools were trying to teach to the test just to get those numbers up, right . Exactly right. There were sort of two strategies. A number of states actually reduced the rigor of their test sort of a race to the bottom to try to make the test easier so more kids would pass them and you would look better as a state or school and want other strategy was to teach to the test and that created a narrowing of the curriculum where there was so much focus on getting the math and reading scores up that subjects like civics and social studies and science and electives like art and p. E. , kind of fell by the wayside. Sreenivasan that are some of the possible legislative solutions to try to roll back elements of no child left behind or start from scratch . This is a gar gant union bill covering about 25 billion in annual federal funding. It is not a small task to rewrite it. The key question will be how far the republicans want to pull back from federal involvement in education policy. And, you know, the answer might seem way back, you know. It might seem obvious that they want to go as far pull the federal government as far away as possible. But theres a strong appeal to many republicans, to the chamber of commerce and to Many Democrats as well to continuing to have some federal role so that states are held to account and schools are held to account for actually teaching kids and making sure that theyre learning. Sreenivasan the annual testing thats become so contentious, it seems that was one of the ways that the administration or any member of congress could measure the disparities in outcomes that are happening throughout the United States. Right, and that remains probably the most popular part of the bill was that not that the testing part isnt popular, but the requirement that states and schools report the results by subgroups so that you could see exactly how well or how purely children with disabilities, children who are still learning english children of lowincome families are doing on those tests. And stlag requirement in place was really the first time that we were able to see as a nation how poorly some of those subgroups were doing because if you report in the aggregate, you know, it might look like you have an 80 pass rate and that might seem great but that might be because 99 of the kids of highincome families are doing great and only 30 of the kids of lowincome families are doing okay and thats clearly a disparity that has to be addressed. Sreenivasan heading into this congress is also making for some very strange alliances. The Teachers Unions are coming out really against the administration, which is not usually a position that you see. Exactly. Theres a lot of tension and strange bedfellows. The National Education association, the biggest Teachers Union, has been on a campaign for over a year now against what they call toxic testing, too much testing. And they might find themselves aligned with republicans who want to roll back the testing where the administration has vowed not to do that. Thats one strange alliance. The administration is also aligned with republicans on wanting more of a roll for charter schools, and thats something that the Teachers Union opposes. So theres kind of shifting alliances and it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. Sreenivasan Stephanie SimonSenior Education reporter for plilt politico, thanks so much. Thank you. Sreenivasan and now to our signature segment. If you are looking for a sign of the times, consider this a former United States senator 84yearold mike gravel of alaska, has a new job running a company that manufactures marijuana products. The movement to legalize marijuana is spreading rapidly nowhere more so than in colorado, where the legal sale of marijuana for Recreational Use is beginning its second year. Its created thousands of jobs and generated millions in tax revenues. But some coloradans worry that the legalization of the drug has not eliminated the underground market for it, especially in minority communities. Newshour special correspondent rick karr updates his report that first aired in september. Reporter marijuana grower and retailer Andy Williams can barely keep up with the demand for his product these days. He says he cant imagine a more exciting and lucrative industry to be in right now. But the buzz is all coming from capitalism. He doesnt even like cannabis. I tried every few years just to prove to myself i still dont like it. You know, it just affects me very poorly. Reporter when he started his business a few years ago williams could only sell medical marijuana. That put him in position to be one of the first to sell Recreational Cannabis when it became legal last year. Business has been so good that williams now employs 75 people and expects to hire more. And this past august he opened a new stateofthe art facility that will produce 7,000 pounds of cannabis a year. Its manufacturing is what it is as far as im concerned. You are manufacturing marijuana. This is an industrial manufacturing plant that grows marijuana. Reporter stores like these can now sell up to an ounce of marijuana to customers who are 21 and over. The products come in all kinds of forms cannabis buds from a range of varieties bred to treat particular ailments, provide a mellow buzz, or deliver a powerful rush. Prerolled joints, potlaced brownies, hard candy, and chocolate bars, marijuana infused beverages and massage oil. Consumers spend tens of millions of dollars a month on those products, but williams is sure theres a lot more money to be made in his business. You know i did this so that my family can be set up for their rest of their lives. Right now, i already know of some Blue Chip Companies that are on the, on the start line. Theyre gonna come and buy people up, and quite honestly, i wanna be one of those guys. Reporter one of the benefits attached to legalization was that it would eliminate the black market. But that market is still thriving, according to a 39 yearold marijuana grower who asked us to call him john doe and to conceal his identity because he sells on the underground market. The illegal trade is doing especially well in black and latino communities, and he says it works the same way it did when pot was illegal. You have that one guy, that guy that shines, thats the robin hood of the neighborhood. This man supplies a little ghetto area. Simple as that. Breaks his own pound into little ounces and helps everybody in his community. So they can afford it with him. Thats how its happened. Reporter yeah. And thats how it happened before, too. Yeah. Yeah. Nothings changed. Reporter john doe says low income buyers turn to the black market because prices are higher at legal retail stores. Theres conflicting information, but an ounce of pot on the black market hr j 180. At the store Andy Williams owns, you have to pay around 240 for an ounce. Thats partly because the price includes a 15 excise tax, a 10 marijuana tax, the state sales tax, and denvers marijuana sales tax. The taxes are an overreach and excessive. And its a regressive tax and it impacts the poor most. Reporter Larisa Bolivar was involved in the fight to make marijuana legal for medical purposes. She uses it herself to treat stress. She campaigned for legalization but she doesnt like how its working out. She believes all those taxes guarantee a black market. But taxes have been beneficial, according to mason tvert, who also campaigned for legalization and helped draft the states regulations. In the first 10 months, those taxes have generated nearly 41 million. A chunk of that is slated for Public School construction. Besides, he says the legal market offers some things that consumers find more important than the lowest price. Variety, convenience, safety. Thats what drives every product in the entire world. You know, thats whats going to drive this market. If someone is lower income or a higher income, chances are theyre going to go to a store and purchase it because itll be safe. Itll be convenient. Therell be variety. These are what drive peoples decisions. Reporter how has that worked out so far . I mean, is the black market gone . Is the black market going away . I think its absurd for anyone to assume that we can eliminate a black market that grew over 80 plus years within the course of eight, nine months. But weve seen this industry take a huge bite out of the underground market. Reporter to enter the Legal Marijuana industry, you have to be a colorado resident in good legal standing. You also need the capital to get licensed, and that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Its classist. The regulations support those that have access to wealth. And middle and lower classes dont have access to wealth. I cant just go and ask my dad, hey, can i have 20,000 for licensing and application fees . You know . And then can i get a Million Dollars to get a property . Reporter to start the legal Recreational Marijuana business, an entrepreneur needs a lot of capital to fund an indoor grow facility, hire employees wholl cultivate the product, install security systems, all while complying with state regulations. Tvert acknowledges the expenses limit the abilities of minorities to enter the industry. This is a symptom of Race Relations and Economic Justice in our nation. This is not exclusive to marijuana. You know, right now people in lower income areas or communities of color are facing discrimination and bearing the brunt of social policies across the board, not just for marijuana. Reporter but tvert says since legalization there have been fewer arrests of minorities for marijuana possession. People of color were being disproportionately impacted when it came to marijuana possession, and now whether youre white whether youre black, whether youre a latino, you are no longer going to be booked and convicted and treated like a criminal the rest of your life simply for possessing marijuana. Reporter but for anyone who was caught and convicted of a drugrelated felony before legalization, state law makes it virtually impossible to join the industry now that marijuana is legal. John doe says that keeps a lot of people working on the black market. Theres a lot of people that have broken the law that are great entrepreneurs, work very hard, have good work ethics, family values, good communication skills. I mean, i definitely believe that they should be given a chance. The rules and regulations should allow a good grower thats been in trouble to do this. Theyre not hurting anybody. Theyre not out there you know, stealing and robbing. Most of these people probably got caught up trying to make a living. Trying to make money. Reporter the counter argument, though, is it also shows that they are willing to break the law, because it was illegal. So maybe if we give them a license and they open up a grow facility, licensed, maybe they wont pay the taxes. Maybe theyre more prone to breaking laws. Well, you know, they say that about many people, but you have to see their track record. Reporter john doe says his family has been growing marijuana for many generations in latin america. He believes the Legal Industry should benefit from his experience and passion for the plant. Its the end result is this Little Flower thats growing up and all full of joy. When this comes out, thats when you say, okay, i am proud of my work. Reporter this past november, voters in oregon and alaska approved initiatives legalizing the possession and sale of Recreational Marijuana. Last month, the department of justice responded to inquiries from native american tribes by announcing that it would allow tribal governments to make their own decisions on the cultivation and sale of marijuana, even in states where its still outlawed. Legalization in colorado is still a work in progress. But the states a pioneer and as other states consider, or implement, new marijuana laws, theyll be watching to see how colorado does. Sreenivasan it was last april, more than eight months since more than 200 school girls were captured by islamic militants in nigeria. And though there have been periodic reports about their imminent release, not one of them has been found or freed. For the latest on the search and the increasing tensions between nigeria and the United States we are joined now via skype from drew hinshaw of the wall street journal. Hes reporting tonight from accra in nearby ghana. So i think the question on most americans minds is why havent we found these girls and why are we hearing about more kidnappings throughout the year by boca what ram . The short answer is boko haram is doing something very much like winning in the northeast of nigeria. The girls, there are 276 at first, and now its down to 219 after a number of them escaped. And thats just a small segment of the total number of people boca hararksam has kidnapped. They control a large section of eastern nigeria, including mountains, caves forests small towns, even small cities at this point. Its a hard thing to find individual scirlz girls who have all been split up at this point. In may the u. S. Sent drones and manned surveillance flights, and they did spot large groups of girls twice in june and july. They have no idea if those are the girls or if those are a separate group of girls that boko haridiculousam kidnapped. They did find large groups of girls. They sent the drones elsewhere where theyre needed elsewhere. They were flying just a few manned flights a week last time i checked in. The Nigerian Government by itself says it knows the location of the girls but cant get them out. Sreenivasan whats happened to them . They tonight see they dont see the girlsals having any value to them. They kind of arent cut out for life in the militant group. But, frankly theyre not going to get rid of them either. It seems like theres sort of an impasse. Theres not a lot of trust between nigerias government and boko haram to come to some sort of settlement. Sreenivasan two relationships i want to explore very briefly. One is the tensions in those negotiations between boko haram and the Nigerian Government but there seems an increased amount of tension between the Nigerian Government and u. S. Government. When it comes to communication between boko haram and nigerias government, its speculation. In february the president said he doesnt talk to them. He said journalists talk to him more than he does. When he said that i kind of furrowed my brow because frankly i dont know a single journalist who has been able to have a verifiable conversation with boko haram. They said we have this breakthrough, weve been talking to them. Theyre going to release these girls. In fact, they said theyre going to release all captives boko haram has taken which is hundreds and hundreds if not thousands of men, boys, women, and children. They never did. They came out with a tape a few days later saying jokes on you. We have no intention the negotiating with you. You are an infidel government and we will continue waging jihad. The nigerians are frustrated by this. And i think some of that anger is being deflected against the United States. There have been a lot of statements like we could deal with boko haram, but the big neocolonial power america wont let us buy helicopters because they say were abusing human rights. I think some of that is political posturing. There is an election in february, and nijaesh is the government is looking for a reason why they havent wrapped up a fiveyearlong conflict with boko haram. Sreenivasan drew hinshaw joining us tonight from accra, ghana. Thank you. Thank you, too. This is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. Sreenivasan and now to viewers like you your feedback about some of our recent work. Many of you commented about our updated signature segment last sunday, describing how some struggling towns have used for Profit Companies to collect fines and that some poor people are being jailed when they cant pay. This, even if theyve been acquitted of the charges they faced. I didnt sell drugs. I didnt break into anyones home. Overwhelmingly, you thought the practice was wrong. Angela erichsen wrote us debtors prison weve regressed 200 years. From linda rummel devendorf purely dickensian times were entering. Janice friedman said ridiculous let them work it off with Community Service and Patricia Evans added this due process requires an impartial decision maker; anytime a privatized system is used, by definition, due process is gone. Jeff goldman wrote besides being obviously unconstitutional, whatever happened to fair play and treating people who are otherwise good people with respect and rational penalties for very minor offenses . Particularly since they were found innocent of the original charges. This is just another case of the poor or working poor getting the shaft so to speak. This story makes me sick to my stomach. And Steven Mitchell had this to say our system is no longer based on justice it is based on revenue. No longer is it protect and serve, its harass and extort. Judith harlan said the practice prisons are very expensive, and funds are provided by local and national government. Taxpayers, self defeating. Finally, a few of you praised our reporting. Greg childre wrote shining light on a system that is so broken. As always, visit us online at newshour. Pbs. Org, follow us on twitter newshour, and visit the Newshour Facebook page. Sreenivasan some late news before we leave you tonight. Edward brooke who in 1966 became of first African American elect toltd u. S. Senate since reconstruction has died. The massachusetts republican was 95. President obama will visit michigan, tennessee, and arizona in the days leading up to his january 20 state of union address. The white house says he will announce new executive actions and legislative proposals on housing, education and jobs. Thats all for tonight. Im hari sreenivasan. See you back here tomorrow. Captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by Media Access Group at wgbh access. Wgbh. Org pbs newshour weekend is made possible by Corporate Funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Beethoven always exists in the unexpected. He is trying to break away from the impending doom of his deafness. Adre joliver seems to understand the guitar and have he can interact with another guitar