Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20171115

And then i think thats when i figured that i wanted to be an engineer. Woodruff all that and more, on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by collette. Celebrating 100 years of travel, together. Bnsf railway. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff Top Republicans ratcheted up pressure again today on Alabama Senate candidate roy moore. The former judge denied multiple allegations of Sexual Misconduct or abuse against teenage girls, and he is refusing to drop out of a december special election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell repeated today that moore is not fit to serve, but he said replacing him is complicated. Its up to the people of alabama to make this decision. I think they have a lot of information now, in making a decision. Obviously from a Republican Point of view, we would hope to save the seat. That might require a writein, and all those things are under discussion. Woodruff the december election is to fill out the term of former senator Jeff Sessions, who is now the u. S. Attorney general. Sessions said today he has no reason to doubt moores accusers. He spoke at a wideranging hearing, and we will hear more on that, right after the news summary. Senate republicans will try again to repeal the individual insurance mandate under obamacare. They are including it in their tax reform package. Lisa desjardins is at the capitol. Hello, lisa. What are the republicans doing . Thats right. Senate republicans tell us its a night theyre adding to that sweeping tax reform bill. Nothing less than the full and immediate repeal of the individual mandate that is obamacare. And they tell us they have majority support from the Republican Congress to do it. This is one step in a listening process on tax reform, but this is a big one because aides a cornerstone bill for senate republicans. Woodruff is it known how this will affect the prospects for tax reform . It gets even more complicated. I have talked to the House Republican who says they will try to add the individual mandate, a conservative, to their version on the house side. It is something they think might win over some conservative votes. Of course, democrats already say they think its a terrible idea. Woodruff and lisa, prospects beyond that . I mean, as you get to the other chamber . Thats right. This is fourdimensional chess now. Were expecting a house vote on thursday now. There may be changes to the bill then. Then the senates turn comes up in about three weeks. Woodruff all right. Lisa desjardins at the capitol. Thank you. In iran, rescuers kept digging today, as the earthquake death toll rose to at least 530. More than 7,800 were injured in sunday nights tremor that struck near the border between iran and iraq. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani surveyed the damage today, and vowed to investigate why so much Government Housing collapsed. It was built by his hardline predecessor. Rescue workers in syria are still looking for victims after air strikes on monday on a northern town held by rebels. Activists say that at least 61 people were killed, when three strikes hit a busy market. Nearly all of the dead were civilians. It is not clear whether russian or syrian planes were involved. President trump headed back to washington today, after a ten day tour of asia. Before leaving the philippines, he hailed the trip as tremendously successful. On Board Air Force one, he said other countries are getting his message. Over a period of years, they will be treating us much differently than they have in the past. People were taking advantage countries were taking advantage of the United States. More than just this region, but the world. And those days are over. Woodruff the president also promised what he called a major statement about the trip, later this week. At least five people are dead in a series of shootings in rural northern california. A gunman killed four today, and wounded several more including three children before being shot dead by police. It happened around the town of red bluff. Authorities say it started with a Domestic Violence incident, and then the shooter picked targets at random. A trial opened in las vegas today for a rancher accused of leading a standoff with federal agents. Cliven bundy, two sons and a codefendant face 15 felony charges each. Prosecutors say they tried to spark a range war in 2014, over attempts to stop their cattle grazing on public land. In economic news, a study by Credit Suisse finds millennials are struggling to make as much money as their baby boomer parents. The swiss bank also says they face greater wealth inequality than previous generations. It cites higher home prices and student debt burdens. And on wall street, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost 30 points to close at 23,409. The nasdaq fell 19 points, and the s p 500 slipped nearly six. Still to come on the newshour a busy day on capitol hill. Lawmakers press attorney general Jeff Sessions on russia. Senators question the president s ability to launch nuclear warheads. Representatives address claims of Sexual Harassment. And, much more. Woodruff now, the sessions hearing. The nations top Law Enforcement official faced a battery of questions today about his shifting statements on contacts with the russians during the Trump Campaign. He spoke to the house judiciary committee, and Lisa Desjardins was there. I will not accept, and reject, accusations that i have ever lied under oath. That is a lie. Reporter attorney general Jeff Sessions insisted from the start today that hes never deliberately misled congress. He returned to the refrain in his opening statement, and in questioning, here by democrat Hakeem Jeffries of new york. Your story has never changed, correct . I believe thats fair to say. Weve added things that i did not recall at the time. My statement, at the time, was my best recollection. Reporter at his january confirmation hearing, sessions told democratic senator al franken that hed had no communications with russians during the 2016 campaign. But hes been dogged by disclosures that contradict that statement, and about his knowledge of other Trump Campaign officials. I do now recall the march 2016 meeting at trump hotel that mr. Papadopoulos attended. Reporter thats George Papadopoulos, a former Trump Campaign aide on the Foreign Policy Team Sessions chaired, who told prosecutors he talked about connecting with russia in a meeting with both trump and sessions. Sessions initially denied any such meeting. Now, says he remembers it. To the best of my recollection, i believe that i wanted to make clear to him that he was not authorized to represent the campaign with the russian government, or any other foreign government, for that matter. Reporter papadopoulos has now pleaded guilty to lying about his contacts with russians and the campaign. Sessions has already had to amend his original answers at other senate hearings. Texas democrat Sheila Jackson lee pressed the point again today. Do you want to admit under oath that you did not tell the truth . I will just say this, i stand by my testimony in the intelligence committee. I never had any furthermore, i never had any contact with russians. Reporter todays hearing also came the day after donald trump, jr. Acknowledged that he communicated with wikileaks in the last year and a half. That, after wikileaks released some 50,000 documents last year from the private emails of Hillary Clinton, her Campaign Manager and of Democratic Party officials. Candidate trump said throughout the campaign, i love wikileaks. Do you love wikileaks, mr. Attorney general . Was it appropriate that trump, jr. Communicated with wikileaks during the course of the campaign . Im not able to make a judgment about that. Reporter sessions drew fire from both parties over whether he should appoint a special counsel for a new clinton investigation. That could include the 2010 sale of uranium one, a Mining Operation in the u. S. That then secretary of state clinton allegedly approved in exchange for donations to the clinton foundation, and the f. B. I. s investigation into clintons handling of classified information. Democrats decried the idea of a new probe, pointing to tweets from President Trump pushing sessions to do it. Is it common for the leader of the country to order the criminal Justice System to retaliate against his political opponents . The department of justice can never be used to retaliate politically against opponents, and that would be wrong. Reporter republicans, who want a new clinton probe, also asked sessions to look into the socalled russian dossier of Opposition Research about mr. Trump, but sessions pushed back. All that including the dossier stuff whats it going to take to get a special counsel . Sometimes we have to study what the facts are, to warrant a special counsel. Reporter for the pbs newshour, im Lisa Dejardins on capitol hill. Woodruff we take a closer look at todays testimony with nprs justice correspondent carrie johnson. Carrie, welcome back to the program. This was practically an allday affair for the attorney general, wasnt it . More than five hours of testimony back and forth, republicans centering on issues other than russia, democrats almost exclusively asking him a version of the same question, what did you know and why did your story change . Woodruff and the fact is, he has had to change what he said about his knowledge of and any participation in communications with the russians in the campaign. This was his fourth testimony under oath on capitol hill this year, judy. Jeff sessions vehemently denied any notion that he had intentionally tried to deceive members of congress or lie under oath. Instead he said today he had a memory lapse. He did not remember meeting. That meeting in march 2016 where George Papadopoulos had suggested a meeting between donald trump and russian leader Vladimir Putin, but he said, Jeff Sessions said recent news accounts had jogged his memory and he remembered objecting to the idea of papadopoulos speaking on behalf of the campaign or engaging in Foreign Policy business on behalf of the campaign. Woodruff including setting up a meeting between candidate trump and the russian leader Vladimir Putin . Absolutely. And sessions also mentioned that he did recall interacting with carter page, another Foreign Policy aide on the campaign. He said, what was i supposed to do, stop carter page from traveling . I had just made clear simply, sessions said, that he wasnt going to be speaking on behalf of the campaign. Woodruff quickly, carrie, on the question of this wikileaksdonald trump, jr. , exchange, he was asked about that and it seems he didnt have any information to offer. Jeff sessions is recused from the special Council Investigation enter russia. Sessions was asked a basic and blunt question about his take on donald trump, jr. s, take on wikileaks. That may come under the special councils purview. I think Jeff Sessions was careful about not wanting to go there under oath. Woodruff we heard today that the republicans on the committee as well as President Trump really want him to look into some of the allegations around Hillary Clinton. They want him to appoint a special counsel. They do, and, in fact, on the eve of this hearing, the Justice Department sent a letter to republicans on capitol hill saying the attorney general and his deputy had directed senior federal prosecutors to look into these allegations with respect to the clinton foundation, this uranium deal when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, and some other allegations with respect to Hillary Clinton in her email. There was no commitment to name a special council, though, and Jeff Sessions got into a backandforth with republicans about the need for a factual basis. Things just looking bad, Jeff Sessions said, arent enough to launch an investigation. Woodruff setting a higher bar. Finally, carrie, i was struck. They were asking him about his. Democrats were, about just how far would his loyalty to President Trump go. This is an open question and a sore spot for democrats because donald trump more than any president since Richard Nixon has openly talked about wanting to interfere with the business of the Justice Department and the f. B. I. Jeff sessions said today he would not permit any interference, but he also refused to answer questions about whether the white house had contacted the Justice Department with respect to a merger involving at t and time warner. Time warners asset, cnn, is a very big foe of the president , at least according to President Trump. Woodruff very, very sensitive area. Carrie, npr, thank you again. Thank you. Woodruff on the other side of the capitol, senators focused on President Trumps power to launch a nuclear war. Nick schifrin reports on this critical chain of command. Reporter in a world full of threats, Senate Democrats today asked whether the biggest threat is in the white house. Donald trump can launch Nuclear Codes as easy as he can use his twitter account. Reporter the United States Nuclear Command structure was born out of the cold war. The soviets continue to develop and deploy Strategic Offensive nuclear forces. Reporter pengaton videos described the soviet threat as imminent. The president needed to be able to launch Nuclear Weapons quickly, in case the u. S. Was being attacked. Tennessee republican bob corker this process means the president has the Sole Authority to give that order. Reporter today, the threat comes north korean inntercontinental ballistic missiles, that u. S. Intelligence predicts could soon carry a nuclear warhead. President trump has threatened preventive war. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. Rocket man is on a suicide mission, for himself and for his regime. Many americans share my fear that the president s bombastic words could turn into nuclear reality. Reporter the president has the Sole Authority to launch Nuclear Weapons. But that doesnt mean he can launch a weapon for no reason, whenever he wants, said duke professor peter fiever, who has studied Nuclear Command for 30 years. Where the military wakes up the president and warns him that there is about to be an attack, or were experiencing an attack, he alone would have the authority to make the decision. But in the other context, where the president is waking up the military, maybe in an extreme funk, saying, im angry and want something done, in that setting, he requires the cooperation of a lot of people. Reporter that cooperation would not be forthcoming if his order were illegal, said retired general robert kehler, the former head of United States strategic command. The United States military doesnt blindly follow orders. A president ial order to deploy Nuclear Weapons must be legal. The basic legal principles of military necessity, distinction, and proportionality apply to Nuclear Weapons, just as they do to every other weapon. Reporter maryland democrat ben cardin because of legalities, you retain that decision to disobey the commander in chief . Yes. If there is an illegal order presented to the military, the military is obligated to refuse to follow it. The system is not a button reporter todays hearing was called by senate republicans, but many of them urged extreme caution. They said the u. S. adversaries needed to understand the president is still the sole person able, and still willing, to use Nuclear Weapons. We cannot have a bunch of bunker lawyers, or activists, up and down the chain, who decide theyre going to disobey any order they disagree with. Pyongyang needs to understand that they are dealing with a person who is commander in chief right now, who is very focused on defending this country, and he will do what is necessary to defend this country. Reporter democrats have introduced legislation that would limit the president s nuclear authority. Some today questioned whether sound legal advice would prevail in a Nuclear Weapons discussion, and massachusetts democrat ed markey questioned whether president ial advisors, current and former generals, could constrain the president. I dont think we should be relying upon a group of individuals to be resisting an illegal order, when they have all pretty much been hired by the president. Reporter since president harry truman became the only person ever to have ordered a nuclear strike, u. S. Law said only a president should carry the nuclear responsibility. But today, that singular authority is being questioned. For the pbs newshour, im nick schifrin. Woodruff there was a third congressional hearing of note today. House members confronted the seriousness of the Sexual Harassment within capitol hill itself. This on the same day that Speaker Paul Ryan put out word that the house of representatives will require antiharassment and anti discrimination training for all members and staff. During this mornings hearing, two congresswomen, Virginia Republican barbara comstock, and california democrat Jackie Speier, shared their perspectives on just how pervasive the issue is. They also suggested without naming names that a few current members of congress are part of the problem. I wanted to close with something i just had somebody tell me recently. This is about a member who is here now, i dont know who it is, but somebody who i trust told me the situation. This member asked a staffer to bring them over some materials to their residence. And the young staffer, its a young woman, went there, and was greeted with a member in a towel, who was a male, who then invited her in. At that point, he decided to expose himself. She left, and then she quit her job. She left, she found another job. But that kind of situation what are we doing here for women right now, who are dealing with somebody like that . Since i shared my own story on metoo congress, i have had numerous meetings and phone calls with staff members, both present and former, women and men, who have been subjected to this inexcusable, and oftentimes illegal behavior. In fact, there are two members of congress, republican and democrat, right now, who serve, who have been subject to review, or not have been subject to review, but have engaged in Sexual Harassment. Woodruff and with us now is representative Jackie Speier of california. Congresswoman speier, thank you for being here. You come to this topic with your own background. Youve talked about it recently, and that had to do with your being assaulted as a young congressional aide by a senior staff member at the capitol. Thats right, judy. When i was a young aide in 1973, the chief of staff in the office i worked, when we were in a room alone, came up to me, put his hands on my face, kicked me and stuck his tongue in my mouth, and i recoiled and was panicked, and i just made a point of never being alone with him ever again. So i told my story mostly to encourage women on the hill to come forward and know that they have an ear that will listen to them. I have been working on this issue for many years. I attended mandatory Sexual Harassment in 2014 amendment, and it never got hearing. Today we have hearing and now the speaker is mandating Sexual Harassment prevention training for all members and staff, but we have to go beyond, that because the office of compliance is fraught with problems for victims, and has been created to protect the harasser and not to provide any protection whatsoever for the victim. Woodruff how pervasive do you think Sexual Harassment is today on the hill . Well, you know, its hard to measure, because victims are afraid to come forward, and, i mean, most victims, three quarters of those who were sexually harassed never come forward because theyre in job environments where they need the job. Theyre afraid if they come forward theyll lose their job or they will be a pariah. And so the result is that we really dont know. We do know that over the last ten or 15 years there have been 50 million that we as tack payers have paid out for conduct by staff or members who sexually harass other staff in the building. Woodruff as you just said, the process that it takes to process a complaint right now in the congress is unusually onerous. What is it going to take to change that . Im introducing a bill tomorrow that hopefully will have all of the elements to success. No longer will a victim be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement. They will not be forced into mediation. They are going to be represented by their own council. Those who are interns and fellows who have nowhere to go now will be able to access this process, as well. So were going to change it so that it is more victim centric. Woodruff do you have cosponsors from both parties . I do have coauthors from both parties. Woodruff what do you think the prospects are . Well, doing mandatory Sexual Harassment prevention training does nothing if we dont have a system thats going to protect the victim. So it would be a a shame if we only do mandatory training. Woodruff i noticed you said today women and men have this to fear, not just women, but men who experience sexual people coming on to them in unwelcome ways and worse, as well. Thats right. And sometimes, you know, men are subject to hostile work environments. I had one young man who was disabled who spoke to me last week and was working in a very hostile work environment, and he attributed to his disability. Woodruff list put hit the way why do you think this persists in this environment . Members of congress are well educated. They come to this city to do the business for the american people. Why is thill happening . You know, i think its because they become intoxicated with power that it continues to happen. But also it continues to happen because they have been able to get away with it. They have never been named. Theyre not outed. They dont have to pay for the settlements. And so there really is no down side to conducting themselves in a manner that allows them to assert their power. You know, sometimes this place has been called hollywood for ugly people. And i think sometimes its the sense that somehow persons who have never been seen as attractive, all of a sudden they are because they have power, and they find ways to abuse it. But its a cultural problem, its a cultural problem throughout this country and one that has plagued many workplaces and many professions and one that i think were finally at a Tipping Point that well be able to fix, and thats good news for men and women in this country. Woodruff i notice the House Majority leader nancy pelosi at one point was quoted as saying she never experienced this herself, wasnt aware of it. It is possible that some people just dont come across this . I think its possible that people have not been subject to Sexual Harassment, but i think the likelihood of being subject to Sexual Harassment is greater here than in many other locations because it is a predominantly male environment, and we have had a system that has protected harassers. So they had the freedom to operate in that manner. I cant tell you the number of staffers who have come up to me over the last couple weeks and said, were so grateful youre doing something about. This we have 1,500 former staffers on capitol hill who signed a letter to the membership of the House Admin Committee seeking to have this issue finally dealt with. And they have served from the 70s through the 2000s. Woodruff remarkable. Remarkable. So many people. Representative Jackie Speier, thank thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff stay with us. Coming up on the newshour handson afterschool programs to get kids excited about math and the growing rift over allegations facing Alabama Senate candidate, roy moore. This evening, the newshour is confirming news that the Republican National committee is severing all ties with the moore campaign. This exposes a growing divide between the socalled g. O. P. Establishment and a key player in President Trumps success steve bannon. John yang has the story. I have not been guilty of Sexual Misconduct with anyone. Yang that might be the defense for roy moore, the republican running in alabamas special senate election. But while top Establishment Republicans distance themselves from the candidate. I think it would be best if roy would just step aside. I dont believe thered be any place for him in the u. S. Senate. I think he should step aside. Yang . The insurgent outsider whos championing him is doubling down on his support. Until i see additional evidence on judge moore, im standing with him. Yang steve bannon, the ousted white house advisor whos looking to send shockwaves through the Republican Party in 2018, and beyond. Bannon is a divisive figure. A political lightning rod as mr. Trumps campaign c. E. O. , then a Top White House advisor, whose seemingly outsized influence on the president made him a household name. Send in steve bannon. dramatic music yang bannon left the white house in august amid Oval Office Tensions and reports he was responsible for the president s tepid response in denouncing deadly racial violence in charlottesville, virginia. I think there is blame on both sides, and i have no doubt about it, and you dont have a doubt about it. Yang bannon returned as executive chairman of breitbart news, a conservative website he once dubbed a platform for the altright. Now, he is chief antagonist for mr. Trump and his brand of ideology, taking aim at the heart of the senate g. O. P. And party establishment. Bannon has threatened to identify and support primary challengers against almost every republican running for reelection next year except texas senator ted cruz and some democrats. His goal to load the senate with insurgents who are loyal to mr. Trumps populist ideas and want to buck Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell. There is a time and season for everything. And right now, it is a season of war against the g. O. P. Establishment. Its an incredibly stupid and a counterproductive idea. Yang Michael Steel is a longtime republican consultant, and an aide to House Speaker john boehner and jeb bushs president ial campaign. This isnt a matter of ideology. This is a matter of math. If you have a 52seat majority in the senate, where most things in order to move forward requires 60 votes, you need more republicans, not more pure republicans. Yang just a year from the 2018 midterms, and bannon has already claimed credit for upending at least three incumbents. In september, when moore won the primary against incumbent senator Luther Strange every person in this country should get down every night and thank god donald trump is president of the United States. Yang that same day, bannon cheered when a moderate republican from tennessee announced he wouldnt run. Senator corker stepped down today. Hes not going to run for reelection. applause yang then, a new height i am announcing today that my service in the senate will conclude at the end of my term. Yang . As incumbent senator jeff flake of arizona said he would not seek reelection, either. Bannons website, breitbart news, quickly took credit, with a headline flashing winning flake out. In arizona, bannon has endorsed kelli ward, a former state legislator. I think of myself as an americanist, and i think thats what resonates so much with the people in arizona, and i think thats what resonated with President Trump across the country. Thats why hes in the white house, and thats why ill be in the senate. Yang ward unsuccessfully ran against senator john mccain last year. Now, shes casting herself as an americafirst conservative insurgent. We want a secure border. We want to stop illegal immigration. We want obamacare out of here. We want the tax code fixed. We want the military to be strong. We want all of those things, and the people who are in washington. , d. C. , right now are not delivering. Yang at her Kickoff Party in scottsdale, arizona, bannon made clear its him and candidates like ward versus the establishment. Its an open revolt, and it should be. These people hold you in total contempt. When they attack donald trump and dr. Kelli ward, its not donald trump and kelli ward theyre trying to shut up. Its you theyre trying to shut up. Yang his message resonated with the crowd. I am very unhappy with mcconnell, i am very unhappy with the senate. I think they go back to washington, and they just think theyre set for life there. Steve bannon is carrying on with that clear agenda that was promised to us during the donald Trump Campaign. Yang for his part, mcconnell is already firing back his super pac, the Senate Leadership fund, launched ads linking ward to a Conspiracy Theory that the government uses airplanes to spread mind control chemicals. Chemtrail kellys got her head in the clouds, with crazy ideas. Yang he wouldnt be the first to try and clean house within his own party, says president ial historian michael beschloss. Franklin roosevelt tried that in 1938 with some senators especially from the south, who were blocking his programs. And he would actually go into the home state of the senator and give speeches against him. It didnt work, he didnt get one of them elected. If youre trying to change the party, that always happens in history over the course of a number of elections. It just doesnt happen overnight with one election night. And so, when you hear a David Plouffe or a karl rove say, im not just trying to change the party for this moment, im trying to change it for the next generation, thats very much within the tradition of american history. Yang bannon also says hes looking for a longterm change, and his first test will be in 2018. For the pbs newshour, im john yang. Woodruff the demand for skilled workers in science, technology, engineering, and math, or socalled stem fields, is only going up. Special correspondent lisa stark of Education Week reports on one of those programs in rhode island, for our weekly series on education, making the grade. Your timer, your tape. Reporter these fourth and fifth graders at ella risk elementary in central falls, rhode island are about to embark on an engineering adventure. Yeah, lets move out this thing. Someone tape this so the marble wont fall off. Reporter their job is to construct a track, then let loose a marble. Heres the tricky part. So we put the marble and we have to make it into the goal in exactly one minute. Reporter how hard is that . Very hard you guys are pretty good. Reporter teacher Sheryl Wilson says this feels like a fun game, but its really much more. The lesson scientifically was about friction, potential, kinetic energy, slope how are we going to make it last 60 seconds . So its a continuation of redesign, redesign, redesign. And what works and what doesnt. Oh tape is too slippery. Ohhhhhh. Reporter the students are here because they want to be. They can sign up for this free stem club that meets weekly after school. Afterschool programs like this allow students to learn in a lowstakes environment. There are no tests, there is time for exploration, and failure is celebrated. You make a mistake, you learn from that, you try a different approach. This program, called smile, is one of hundreds of different afterschool science, technology, engineering and math stem programs around the country. Here, the idea isnt to mirror the school curriculum, but to compliment it. I knew that smile was science, so i wanted more time with science. Reporter why did you want more time with science . Because i dont get that much science in my class and because i like science. Reporter nationwide only about half of fourth graders get handson science activities at least once a week. By eighth grade, the vast majority of students have access to science labs, but only about 40 have sufficient lab supplies. Its why afterschool opportunities have taken on added importance. Its fun, we got to do a lot of building. Reporter stem advocates say classes like this one, that encourage teamwork and analytical thinking, are critical in our increasingly technological world. Claus von zastrow runs a businessbacked nonprofit that works to expand and improve stem education. When we see the rate at which stem skills are increasing in importance in jobs across the country, we would like to see the same increase in student performance in stem in our schools. And were not seeing that yet, and thats very concerning. Reporter only a third of eighth graders are proficient in math and science, and in 12th grade, about a quarter are. And measured against other countries, u. S. Students lag behind. 14 year olds in the u. S. Rank 10th in math worldwide and 11th in science. It took us a long time to get to the point where we actually have really strong standards, for example, and curriculum in stem, and one could argue that in many states that curriculum hasnt even been fully developed yet. Reporter von zastrow says stem skills are needed in a broad range of jobs, from Computer Programming to healthcare to manufacturing, and that there are not enough qualified workers to fill them. There is a debate about the size of this job skills gap, or whether it truly exists in most stem fields. But government studies show stem jobs are growing faster than other jobs, and do tend to offer higher salaries. We do seatbelt ourselves in, so think about how you might be able to mimic that. Exposing students to stem early has benefits, building interest and confidence in math and science. Science, im pretty interested in. But math, man, im not good at math. Were going to learn about math, and i feel like now im going to start getting math more and enjoying. The research shows, the earlier we interest kids in science and technology, the more likely they will follow through with it. Reporter afterschool stem programs tend to be local. Carol englander started smile in rhode island, based on a program she saw in oregon. Funded by corporate and foundation grants, it now serves over 500 students in the state, from fourth to 12th grade. Everybody, show me your two sets of wheels, your two axles. Reporter the lesson for these middle schoolers in pawtucket design a car, taking into account mass and momentum, and ensure it will protect the passenger, in this case a hard boiled egg. What do we see as one immediate concern . Reporter its not hard to get kids enthusiastic about handson science and engineering. I want to be an engineer when i grow up. Reporter what do you want to do . I want to create things. Reporter but it is difficult to sustain that interest, especially as classes get more difficult. We work very hard at promoting a cohesive peer group where everyone knows its cool to be smart. They identify with science, they identify with stem. That carries them into high school, to take the harder science and math courses. After, like, the first couple of sessions, kind of, just got hooked. Reporter pedro raposo said his stem group became like a family, all there on their own time, all eager to learn. He participated through high school. The smile program tried to hit on a lot of different subjects, so i was able to kind of like, have a little taste of all these different fields. And then i think thats when i figured that i wanted to be an engineer. Reporter raposo has just graduated from the university of rhode island with a degree in engineering, and is on the job hunt the first in his immediate family to attend college. Lowincome students, minorities and women are less likely to take stem classes or pursue those jobs. Many afterschool stem programs aim to change that. Teacher Janelle Haire right now, science is dominated by white men, and i dont know if you noticed in our club, its not all white men. So, its really to show them too that you can be an engineer regardless of your race or your gender or your age or your education or where youre from. Reporter to reinforce that message, stem programs often get outside the classroom. Smile goes to science competitions and the university of rhode island. Seeing all the Students Walk around. The students with their backpacks going from building to building. I was really able to imagine myself there in four more years. Mass has to do with weight. Reporter exposing students to stem jobs and opportunities, and surrounding them with equally enthusiastic students, can boost interest in stem. It takes a concerted effort, both in school and out. For Education Week and the pbs newshour, im lisa stark, in central falls, rhode island. Woodruff now, the long lasting and powerful influence childhood has had on one writer. Jeffrey brown has the latest addition to the newshour bookshelf. Brown imagination and memory, tools amy tan have mined since her hugely successful debut in 1989 with the novel, the joy luck club, followed by five other novels, two childrens books and more. In her fiction, shes written of mothers and daughters, and the chinese american experience. Now, she explores just where the writing comes from in a new book titled where the past begins a writers memoir. And welcome to you. Good to be here. Brown you actually call this an unintended memoir. When did you realize thats what youre actually doing . I was going to write a book about writing how does the mind work, how does my writers mind work, creativity, imagination; and it wasnt until i started writing things spontaneously and seeing that they kept reverting to what had happened to me in childhood, that it became more of a memoir. Brown one of the things that comes through in the book, as youre pulling out those documents and looking at photographs, each one is clearly a story, connecting to you as a storyteller, right . It was finding out that my father and mother were illegal, and thats why my parents had lied on a form. Or, it was finding out that i wasnt my fathers favorite. Things that were traumatic in a way, to discover at this age, that you were lied to. And then i went into the reasons why, who i became. And that became part of the memoir. But it also had to do with my sensibility as a writer. Brown your mother stands out as the most vivid person in your life, and she was always looking, sort of living in the past, in a way. She hid that past, but it always kind of snuck up in different warnings that she gave me, like dont let a man kiss you, or dont let a boy kiss you and then youll end up pregnant and youll kill the baby and then i mean, not knowing where that came from, and realizing later she was married to a sociopath. Not my father, but somebody else. Brown in her life in china. Yeah, and the past, then, was always present in our lives. I found, in unearthing all these things, i found poignant things about our relationship. The letters she wrote to me and the letters i wrote to her. I had always thought that we were apart, and what i realized in writing this, that we were almost dangerously like symbiotic twins. That there was almost a pathological need to be within each others feelings and to understand each other, which then i realized became part of my skills as a writer. You have to empathize with the character, you have to sympathy for them. Brown well, i was almost wondering, as i was reading, obviously, these are real people in your life. But as youre going back and looking, to what extent are they characters . Because you are a writer that writes characters. No. They were never characters. Brown no . It was like going back into my past and being that kid again, and this is my mother and my father, and im in that scene again. Where my mother and brothers and i are in a car. My mother is in the front seat, something is going on between my mother and my father, and i notice everything thats going on and i tell myself to be strong. My mother is about to commit suicide, and i know shes going to do it, and then she opens the door and her foot is out. I was there again, reliving something that i had pushed out of my mind a long time ago. Brown she did not, i mean she didnt kill herself. Brown but this was the threat that you sort of lived through. It was a constant, because she actually tried a number of times. We couldnt ever dismiss it. It always made us quake. Brown ive seen your fiction referred to as semi autobiographical. Is that fair, is that true . Everybodys novel is semi autobiographical. I mean, you have questions, or the way you think of life, or the kind of people you think are interesting or not interesting, people who have impacted your life and made you who you are. Thats who you put in your story, so theyre all autobiographical. People say its autobiographical even if ive written about a ghost. Brown there are ghosts in your past, right . I mean, from the family, they are much alive as the real people. They are always with me when im writing. When im writing, what often happens is our strange coincidences, and i think these are the clues. Its like a little thing i have to follow and i keep following more coincidences. Im on the right track, and then i find something that is shocking, that maybe my grandmother was a cortisen, that my mother had been in jail. All of these things come together and they make sense. Fiction makes those things happen faster because i let myself go and im not as self conscious, but all these things from the past, they somehow rise up when you let go and say its fiction. Brown youre used to praise and criticism for the fiction. Does this feel different, putting this out into the world, this slice of your real self . Yeah, i wrote this thing so spontaneously and i didnt get to edit it in the way that i wanted and it feels very raw, it feels too new. So its not a criticism about the writing so much as about privacy, and misinterpretation of who i am, and its almost as though i cant bear to hear people talking about me. Brown youre the one who put it out there. You did it yourself. I know, its a contradiction. Its a contradiction i have in myself to be very private, and then i write about privacy. Im uncensored in a way and contradictory as a writer and so im very ambivalent about this book. Its out there. I told my editor i hate it. Its too early to be out there. Im still the kid, i havent grown up yet. Brown all right, well, its out there. Its called where the past begins a writers memoir. Amy tan, thank you very much. Thank you. Woodruff finally tonight, remembering someone who was an essential member of our newshour family my former coanchor and our beloved friend. Gwen ifill died one year ago today. She was a leader both on air and off, sharing her wisdom, her passion for reporting and her love of politics and people. We set our journalistic compass with gwen as the north star. We were devastated to lose her after her almost yearlong battle with cancer, but her values inspire us here every day. Here now, a conversation she had in 2014 with her good friend, the journalist michelle norris, for the pbs Series History makers. When you went to television ifill yes. We heart from Pete Williams that you took to it almost immediately. Ifill thats so not true. I was i love pete, and its so sweet that he thought that. But it was really hard making and you know this making the transition from print to television. You had to figure out how to write differently. You had to figure out how present differently. And you had to settle on the right shade of lipstick, which was huge. laughter it turned out that everybody had something to say about you when youre in front of a television. But the other thing is, you get your phone calls returned. People felt they knew you. That accessibility quotient came to work, and you reached a much broader audience. So, when i left the times, i remember going to the then publisher, arthur sulzberger, at the times and told him i was thinking of leaving to go to work for nbc. And he said, why would you go to work in television . I dont watch television. laughter well, thats changed. But the point was, i wanted to make sure another important lesson for the children, which is, i didnt burn bridges. I made sure, in case i failed in television, i could go back to print. And i didnt fail, for the same reasons why you dont fail. You work hard. Its not how you get in the door, its what you do once you are through the door. And you make sure that you make friends and learn lessons from the people who are willing to help and ignore the haters. But, you know, and one thing that i can say, having worked in television also, is that everywhere i would go, i would find camera crews who loved them some gwen ifill. That you remembered that it was a team that got you on the air. Ifill well, i would flirt with the camera crews, too. I should say, to this day. laughter you covered a lot of conventions. Ifill yes. And you have said that covering the conventions is actually one of your favorite parts of covering politics. Ifill yes. What do you love so much about conventions . Ifill im one of the last holdouts who think conventions kind of matter. I like a room full of people who are enthusiastic about the process. I like i think its important that we hear from the future leaders of our party. I was standing on the podium the podium . The dais, in 2004 when the keynote speaker finished speaking. And when barack obama walked over to me with the you know, place was crazy, and the confetti was flying and balloons. The balloons and all that. Ifill and there was this electricity, you will remember, that night. And i asked him how he thought he did, and he says, ah, i think i did okay. Now, i found out later that michelle had said to him in advance, just dont screw up. laughter so, you know what . He didnt. And it was great to be there in that moment, at that time, and to talk to him about it, and to capture that sparkle that came off him as he was bursting on to the scene. Your brother has said that you, as a kid, used to watch conventions. Ifill yes. Dont believe everything my brother says, but thats right. You did . You did . Ifill we watched conventions kind of for recreation. Once again, this was an extension of the fact that my parents thought that what happened in american politics and government mattered. So and, also, keep in mind that, when we were growing up and watching conventions, we didnt know how they were going to end. They were actually kind of dramatic. And imagine watching a convention when Barbara Jordan gets up and speaks, and youre a little black girl at home who sees nothing like this on television. It blows your mind. Where else was i going to see that voice, hear that voice . And so, as a result, whenever i go through the austin airport, i stop and pat her a little bit. Theres a wonderful bronze sculpture of her in baggage claim at the austin airport. And i just greet her every time, because she was amazing. And shirley chisholm. I mean, there were women, black women, who were out there speaking their truth in an environment where it wasnt generally welcomed. As i listen to you talk about this, though, im imagining children watching television now and seeing you. Ifill okay. laughter shes going to make me a little verklempt here. You know, when i was a little girl, there was a woman named Melba Tolliver who was on the news, and she had a big afro. And i just was transfixed by this idea. Not it didnt make me want to be in television, as much as it made me want to tell the story. And every now and then, im not particularly interested in you know, i just get caught up in whatever the days work is. And, invariably, somebody will come up to me and tell me the story of their little girl. And it always stops me in my tracks, because, as long as i remember that there is someone on the other side of the piece of equipment, the camera, who is watching me with expectation, and it can shape what they do next, i just take what i do seriously every single day. Woodruff gwen ifills alma mater, simmons college, today announced a wonderful tribute to its alumna from the class of 1977. The Gwen Ifill College of media, arts and humanities at simmons will formally launch in the fall of 2018. We know she would be so proud. And we think gwen would be pleased to know she was trending today on twitter. As we go tonight, we leave you with just some of the tweets that caught our eye. Im judy woodruff. For all of us at the pbs news hour, thank you, and we miss you, gwen. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by bnsf railway. Collette. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by you know, in life, we tend to do the same thing over and over again without really thinking, like looking in the refrigerator for that item thats never going to be there, or arguing with a friend whos never going to change their mind. I do that all the time. Or maybe youre licking frosting off the beaters of a handheld electric mixer without unplugging it from the wall. That isnt so smart. Well, todays show is about breaking bad habits. Were going to start with a stew. Were not going to brown the meat, and were not going to use any kind of canned stock, just water