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, john larson. Larson good evening, and thanks for joining us. Im john larson in for Hari Sreenivasan. French officials have confirmed the identity of the wouldbe mass shooter who terrorized a passenger train in europe on friday night and say he is an islamic extremist. The Officials SayAyoub El Khazzani is a 26yearold from morocco who lived in spain until last year, and reuters reports he traveled to wartorn syria. Elkazzani was convicted of drug dealing in spain. Tonight, he remains in French Police custody. French Officials Say el khazzani, armed with an ak47 and a luger pistol, boarded an amsterdamtoparis train in brussels with a backpack full of ammunition. An attorney assigned to represent the gunman seen here after he was subdued and tied up by passengers said he merely intended to rob passengers, not kill them and that he does not belong to any terrorist group. translated asked him about his motivations, if he had received instructions, if there was a sponsor. These are the first questions i asked him based on the nature of this case. He told me, no. Larson three Young American friends on vacation stopped the attack Spencer Stone and alek skarlatos, both in the military, and anthony sadler, a college senior. Stone, who tackled the gunman and was stabbed by him, told reporters in paris today how the friends responded when they saw the gunman on the train. Alek just hit me on the shoulder and said, lets go and ran down, tackled him. We hit the ground. Alek came up and grabbed the gun out of his hand while i put him in a chokehold. It seemed like he just kept pulling more weapons left and right. Pulled out a handgun. Al took that. Took out a boxcutter, started jabbing at me with that. We let go. All three of us started punching him while hes in the middle of us. And i was able to grab him again and choke him unconscious. Larson joining me now by skype from paris to discuss the latest developments in the train attack investigation is andrew callus of reuters. Andrew, thanks so much for joining us, trawl, you know, we are just hearing that, you know, the first gun jammed, the second one wasnt fully loaded it sounded like an extraordinarily lucky situation. Certainly, yes t3 Young American men who were involved in the bringing those, the gunman down, giving press conferences a while ago and they said it was quite clear he had no weapons training, through those servicemen, so i guess they should know. Where does that lead investigators to think about this gunman . Where was he from . He spent his life in a very poor drug crime ridden unemployment type of suburb of so we know that about him. A local Community Leader said he was a pretty ordinary young man who played football, went fishing. Larson are there any actual ties being shown yet to any terrorist group . Not as of yet. He was so he was on a list of suspected islamist militants. He basically had been ties to some goods. The boldest assertion we have seen is in a belgian newspaper which says he was linked to the group which was involved in a shooting in brussels just a few weeks, a few days after the one in paris in january. Larson i read he was on this f list in france, where they are tracking, you know, people that are concerned about how many people are on these types of lists . The Prime Minister earlier this year said there were 3,000 on that f list who were considered to be islamist militants and of course the problem is, until they actually do something that they can be arrested for, there is not very much anyone can do to actually stop them from moving around. The countries that train and struggling through, people travel across the borders without passports, without security checks and so on, so these people can travel around. Larson ever since first news of this arrived here in the united states, there have been questions about whether or not he actually, the gunman actually went to syria. Any news on that . The sources have been Spanish Security services are saying he did go to syria, from france, not necessarily directly. French Security Services say that they know he traveled from berlin to istanbul and on the tenth of this year, at least he was in berlin airport on his way to istanbul. Now, istanbul in turkey, that is a destination for a lot of would be european jihadists, wanting to go and join the fight in syria. Larson finally, any idea of whether or not they are going to have to change or ramp up security measures on the train . They are certainly talking about it. It has been a few years now that people have said that these high speed trains between the European Countries are potentially vulnerable to an attack, and here we have one. That is certainly going to be a debate over the coming weeks. Larson andrew callus from reuters in paris, thank so much for joining us. My pleasure. Larson more than 4,000 migrants from the middle east and africa were rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea yesterday. Italys coast guard coordinated the rescues with ships from other European Countries. Thats the most migrants rescued ever in a single day, this in a year when a quarter of a Million People have made the crossing. In macedonia, following several days of clashes with migrants at the countrys border with greece, macedonia allowed 1,500 migrants to enter the country overnight. Many crossed into serbia to board trains and buses carrying them north into western europe. Three american civilian contractors are among the 12 People Killed by a suicide bombing in the afghanistan capital of kabul. The attacker rammed his vehicle into a nato convoy outside a downtown hospital during rush hour yesterday. The contractors, from dyncorp, drove military trucks. More than 60 civilians were wounded in the bombing. The taliban denied it was responsible. But no group has claimed responsibility. The British Embassy in iran is open for the first time in four years. Britains foreign secretary Philip Hammond attended the flagraising ceremony today in tehran. The embassy had been closed since november 2011, when iranian demonstrators stormed the building to protest International Economic sanctions. The reopening comes after britain, the u. S. , and other major powers agreed to lift sanctions if iran curbs its nuclear program. A similar ceremony took place at the Iranian Embassy in london. South korea is warning north korea has doubled its artillery strength along their shared border and sent 50 submarines away from their bases. The deployments comes as senior officials from north and south korea met for a second day today to diffuse tensions. The talks began yesterday in a village in the demilitarized zone, where earlier this week the countries exchanged artillery fire. The crisis began when land mines in the d. M. Z. Injured two south korean soldiers and south korea resumed blaring propaganda messages on loudspeakers facing the north. Learn more about the migrants who are arriving en masse in greece. Visit us online at pbs. Org newshour. The meltdown at the chernobyl plant in ukraine, in 1986, was the worst Nuclear Power accident in history. The resulting plume of radioactive dust spread across Northern Europe and turned the area surrounding the plant into an uninhabitable ghost town. Three decades later, however, the Natural Environment and wildlife around chernobyl are showing signs of recovery. Itns science editor tom clarke reports. Every ride is a ghost train. Now, the loudest voices here are the cuckoos and the Physics Classroom time is out of the equation. This was a Showcase Nuclear city for elite scientists and engineers. Now all that is sleft a vision of what the world might look like if all the people suddenly disappeared. It is just two miles from the chernobyl reactor complex. August 26, 1918 it blew up and caught fire. The unlucky few who dealt with the worst of the cleanup died from radiation sickness. Everyone else in the vicinity was evacuated to escape the worse of the fallout. The remains a young thousand square mile exclusion zone all around the plunt. Although it may still be one of the loneliest places on earth, it is far from empty. There cant be a more powerful display of the risk of radiation, 30,000 people used to live here but come back 30 years after they are all evacuated, what strikes you is that it is an equally powerful symbol of our influence over nature. If you take humans out of the equation, the wildlife surge is back, despite the contamination. We are here to go on a fallout field trip into one of the most radioactive areas of the zone. 30 years on there is no need for gloves or masks, but the suits prevent us from carrying contaminated soil and dust home. Ecologist mike wood leads the project. This is the ridge of the and it is a very a western trace. And the western trace is part of a plume of the fallout that came from the initial explosion of the plant. Yes. The narrow plume extends off to the west, and at this particular location the levels of contamination was such that some of the buildings were deliberately demolished and, to clean up the activity. The guide is a ukrainian scientist who knows more about the wildlife here than perhaps anyone else. He pioneered the use of camera traps to study ecology in this forbidden zone. But before they switch on the equipment, three decades worth of reading to get on with. There is a popular conception that radiated fallout from chernobyl somehow devastated the Natural Environment here but when you come to the zone you realize that is anything but. The case on what these scientists are trying to figure out is just how wildlife manages with that radioactivity. Also to study its return to what used to be a human environment. And take a look at what they found. Over the last year, they, the camera traps have caught the return of european bison as heavy as a car and absent for centuries, wolves, never seen here before the accident, slowly migrated in from neighboring belarus. Horses are thriving, along with wild boar, europes largest cat, the lynx and last winter a incredible discovery, a brown bear, the first ever recorded in eastern ukraine. Do you say this looks like a healthier ecosystem than areas outside the zone in the ukraine . Absolutely. Absolutely much more healthy. Because since for wildlife, more important, absence of people, absence of their activity. But he will need more evidence and putting camera traps in areas of the zone that have varying levels of fallout, they are not just looking but listening. What we have got here is a wildlife recorder, so this is going to capture the soundscape of the area that we are in. It is going to capture the noise from the invert brats flies buzzing around and capture sounds of the birds singing, it will capture noises of large imagine malls coming through this area. Nice. It will give us a picture, sound picture of the wildlife present in the area. There is much needed research, some previous studies have claimed to find serious impacts of radioactivity but so far this teams work found little effect outside of the most contaminated areas. The two disare quite confused as to whether or not that is the case, so actually here in chernobyl it is more to learn about how the animals in chernobyl are fairing fairing. They are no significant change at the population level then we start need to rethink our assessment of examining what level can be described as safe. And even in highly contaminated animals, the scientific debate about what harmful effects of radiation really are, and standing now above the cooling ponds of the reactors, take a look at these fish. These wildcat fish have grown up to eight feet long, they have been described as radioactive mutants, and it is true. Studies have shown damage to their dna from radioactive mud in which they feed, but by every other measure they are healthy and numerous. The truth is, they are big because they like blood from visitors but no one is allowed to catch them. It makes it hard now to imagine the disaster in this reactor released 400 times into radioactivity, from the hiroshima bomb. This exclusion zone is not radioactive anymore but because of the way the fallout fell immediately after the explosion some areas are still very radioactive. This is about 5000 times normal background radiation. It is harmful in small doses but you wouldnt want to spend too long here at all. But it is all relative. The radiation dose we received during our entire trip to the zone was similar to what you would get from a single transatlantic flight. She has as much respect for radiation as she does for authority. She tells us how she sent them packing more than once. Ordered to leave in 1986, she came back a year later to live in the house in which she was born. She is 87. Levels they found werent high and this is the garden she fed herself from every day. Her only real complaint is the lack of rain and the potato beatles eating away through her spuds. Thank you very much, it was nice to meet you. She waves us off and we leave her to get back to one of the quietest lives in the world. Then back along the decade roads and into the bush to check the camera traps. In the thick vegetation of summer, we failed to spot any large animals, but they are most certainly here. Besides from overnight, the sort of animal it is teams are here to study. Look at that, mother and baby moose. What a fantastic shot. Chernobyl was a human disaster in every sense, it cost lives, hundreds of billions of dollars, and perpetuated a fear that follows Nuclear Power to this day. But another part is legacy is now emerging. The mess left behind banished humans and gave nature the upper hand. This zone is now one of the few places in the world that is getting wilder. Larson with 72 billion in bond debt the puerto rican government says it cannot repay, officials there hope boosting agriculture production will help fix the economy. Puerto rico grows only a small portion of its food supply, but there is a Small Movement on the island to try and turn things around. The newshours Ivette Feliciano has the story. Reporter for two years, chef paxx moll has been preparing farmtotable meals at the san juan restaurant El Departamento de la comida, which means the department of food. translated when i cook, everyone is a vip, moll says. You give some of your soul and love to the person. Cuatro libras de habichuelas, 15 quesos. Reporter moll works with a Small Network of puerto rican farmers for the restaurants organic, signature dishes, like their falafelplantain fritters and coconut flatbread. I think its fresh food with puerto rican essence and its all locally grown, which makes it uber puerto rican. Reporter yet getting Quality Ingredients from puerto rico is not easy. On this lush tropical island, more than 85 of what people eat is imported. Seafood, meats, and staples like rice and beans and coffee mostly come from the united states, neighboring latin american countries and even china. The main reason puerto ricos Agricultural Sector is dismal, representing less than 1 of the islands gross domestic product. Reporter carlos reyes albino, one of the coowners of the restaurant, says the islands dependence on imports makes it dangerously vulnerable to any unforeseen event threatening its food supply. Reporter in fact, puerto ricos agriculture secretary warns the territory only has a onemonth food supply on hand. So the government has implemented a plan to redevelop the islands Agricultural Sector, providing farmers with subsidies and new equipment. Already, in the last two years, puerto rico has seen a 25 increase in agriculture revenues and 6,500 new jobs. The restaurant El Departamento de la comida is also trying to engage more local farmers. Theres a lot of variety here theres anon, theres grapefruit. Reporter farmer Daniel Cadenas has been providing the restaurant with organic produce for two years. I think its really positive what theyre doing, because theyre helping promote what is the agriculture in puerto rico. Reporter cadenas splits his time between his familys medical billing business and their 25 acre farm in the town of carolina, about 20 miles outside of san juan. He hopes more people in puerto rico will see farming in a new light. Its very important that people get back to their roots and they learn how to deal with the land and how to grow their own produce. We kind of have lost that or have not done enough of it, and we can definitely produce our own and wont have to depend on an outside supply. Reporter the shortage of locally grown food here results from a decline in farming and social stigma. Sugar was the dominant crop. But the grueling and lowpaying work on mostly americanowned plantations, gave rise to the term jibaro, for peasant. A word also synonymous with ignorance and poverty. Reporter an International Collapse in sugar prices after world war ii led puerto rico to focus more on industrialization. Today, the island uses a quarter of its agricultural land. The folks at the restaurant El Departamento de la comida say theyll continue to do their small part to get puerto rico on track to a Sustainable Future in food. Larson and now, to viewers like you, your chance to comment on our work. Heres some of what you had to say about yesterdays story from puerto rico, where crippling debt and increasing healthcare costs have contributed to the islands historic financial crisis. Jeff in madison commented rob rocklin added but there was this from Jorge Rodriguez sanabria and candid one had this to say some took a broader view. Bruce mccoy said l. Jamie christopher commented and finally, there was this from malcom as always we welcome your comments. Visit us at pbs. Org newshour, on our facebook page, or tweet us at newshour. And finally tomorrow french president francois will present the three americans and one british citizen who stopped that train gunman, the countrys highest award, the lesion of on, legion of honor. Reports on Hurricane Katrina ten years later. This is john larson, Hari Sreenivasan will be back next week. Thanks for watching. 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. R mommy have, your poppa may have [music fades in] dawn singing but god bless the child thats got his own, thats got his own. [music fades] [jazz music plays] dawn pop put an instrument in your hand and you played. [jazz music continues] he said you can always get a job if youre a performer, and he was right. maceo music seemed to be our way out. virtue we were unique because a lot of places hadnt seen negroes before. slide the hampton band was a good example of what jazz does for people