On tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. Supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the worlds most pressing problems skollfoundation. Org. The lemelson foundation. Committed to improving lives through invention, in the u. S. And developing countries. On the web at lemelson. Org. Supported by the john d. And catherine t. Macarthur foundation. Committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. More information at macfound. Org 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 a former sports doctor pleaded guilty today to sexually assaulting seven girls when he worked for u. S. A. Gymnastics and Michigan State university. Three of Larry Nassars victims were under the age of 13 at the time. Some of his accusers were in the courtroom in lansing, michigan today as nassar entered his plea under a deal with prosecutors. For all those involved, im so horribly sorry that this was like a match to turn into a forest fire out of control. And i pray to the rosary every day for forgiveness for their i want them to heal. I want this community to heal. I have no animosity towards anyone, i just want healing. Its time. Woodruff nassar could face a minimum of 40 years in prison when he is sentenced in january. In all, more than 125 women and girls have accused him. They include olympic gymnasts aly raisman, Mckayla Maroney and gabby douglas. At least four states have opened investigations into a major data breach at uber. The Ridesharing Company confirms that hackers stole information last year on 57 million users and drivers. It says it paid 100,000 to have the information destroyed. Attorneys general in illinois, maryland, massachusetts, and new york said today they are examining the companys actions. In zimbabwe, the man tapped to be the next president returned from his refuge in south africa, a day after Robert Mugabe resigned. Cheering crowds in harare greeted former Vice President emmerson mnangagwa. In a speech, he appealed for unity to support a new and unfolding democracy. No one is more important that the other. We are all zimbabweans. We want to grow our economy, we want peace in our country, we want jobs, jobs, jobs in our country. Woodruff the former Vice President is 75. He is to be sworn in friday. The Prime Minister of lebanon says that he is not resigning after all, reversing a surprise announcement three weeks ago. In beirut today, saad hariri declared that he is putting his decision on hold. Instead, he called for a Real Partnership with all political factions. In his original statement, hariri had condemned the lebanese militia, hezbollah, and its ally, iran. A north korean soldier who defected to south korea last week has regained consciousness. Doctors in seoul said today said he needed two rounds of surgery, after being shot during his escape. They also removed large intestinal parasites. Now, they say, the defector is enjoying american movies and south korean pop songs on television. translated his condition has become much better since yesterday. We also turned on the tv for him yesterday. However, he still cannot eat anything properly. He has just started to drink water. The soldier said he felt great pain when he was shot, but he doesnt feel the pain now. Woodruff meanwhile, the United Nations command in korea released dramatic video today, showing the north koreans desperate dash to freedom. In one tense scene, other north koreans run toward the defector after he has crashed his jeep in a ditch. He escapes the vehicle and sprints across the border just before being shot, at least four times. The video also shows one north korean actually chasing him across the line before turning back. Eight people have been rescued, with three still missing, after a u. S. Navy plane crashed in the western pacific today. The transport plane went down southeast of okinawa, japan, while it was en route to the u. S. Aircraft carrier ronald reagan. There is no word on the cause of the crash, but its the latest in a series of accidents involving the u. S. Navys seventh fleet. In the u. S. , a longrunning lawsuit that grew out of the 9 11 attacks is ending. American airlines, United Airlines and other defendants have agreed to pay 95 million to developers of the World Trade Center site. The settlement follows 13 years of litigation, and resolves claims that security lapses led to the attacks. President trump officially began his thanksgiving holiday today, in florida. He spent the morning at his golf club in west palm beach. Earlier, he tweeted new insults at lavar ball, whose son, a u. C. L. A. Basketball player, was accused of shoplifting in china, then released. The president called the father an ungrateful fool for minimizing his involvement in the release. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average lost 64 points to close at 23,526. The nasdaq rose about five and the s p 500 slipped two. And, onetime teen idol and pop singer David Cassidy has died. He passed away tuesday of organ failure, at a hospital in fort lauderdale, florida. Cassidy shot to stardom as lead singer in the 1970s sitcom the partridge family. Their hits included i think i love you and ill meet you halfway. We can find the time to reach out for one another we have been traveling in circles such a long, long time trying to say hello oh if we can just let it ride but youre someone id like to get to know woodruff in later years, David Cassidy battled alcoholism and dementia. He was 67 years old. Still to come on the newshour picking up the pieces as syrias civil war dwindles down. A bosnian war commander sentenced for genocide. Solar Energy Powers up remote villages in kenya. And much more. Woodruff now, the nearly seven year war in syria has left an estimated half million dead, displaced millions more, and become a proxy conflict among great powers. Today, one of the main drivers of the war these past two years, russias president Vladimir Putin, began an effort to put a greater political stamp on what comes next in syria. It was a confident putin who declared the end of the Syrian Civil War is finally in sight, and he was clear about who gets the credit. translated largescale military action against terrorist groups in syria is coming to an end. Thanks to the efforts of russia, iran and turkey, we have managed to prevent the collapse of syria, and prevent it from being captured by international has appeared to put an end to a war which has lasted for many years. Woodruff putin hosted irans president Hassan Rouhani and turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the summit in sochi. The trio represent the main backers of the warring parties russia and iran support the syrian regime, turkey the opposition. translated we can state with certainty that we have come to a new stage, a possibility to initiate a real political process of settlement. It is obvious that the process of reforms will not be an easy one. It will require compromises and concessions from all of its participants, including of course, the Syrian Government. Woodruff putin said syrias president Bashar Alassad is prepared to enact constitutional reforms and to hold u. N. Supervised elections. It remains unclear whether assad would agree to step down, something the u. S. And opposition groups had once demanded. On monday, putin greeted the syrian leader warmly at a bilateral meeting. Assad, in turn, praised russias military support for saving his regime. translated today, after more than two years, the results on the ground are obvious for everyone, and this is due to the russian air support of the Syrian Arab Army in countering and fighting terrorism. On behalf of the syrian people, i would like to thank and salute you, and every officer. Woodruff since russias intervention in 2015, the Syrian Government has regained control over broad swaths of the country. In the northeast, kurdish fighters backed by the u. S. Have taken territory from the Islamic State. Isis still holds areas in the southeast, although greatly reduced, and rebel groups have been pushed from all but a few pockets. The United States was not included in todays sochi summit, and has been largely quiet on the russianled talks. Putin did phone mr. Trump yesterday, and they spoke for more than an hour. In a readout afterward, the white house said both president s also stressed the importance of implementing return home, and ensuring the stability of a unified syria free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens. All this comes as members of the deeplyfractured Syrian Opposition are meeting in saudi arabia. They hope to agree on an agenda and a delegation for peace talks in geneva later this month. For more on syria, russia and irans role, and where this leaves the United States, im joined by vali nasr. He is dean of the Johns Hopkins school of advanced international studies. He served as a Senior Adviser in the state department under president obama. And, faysal itani is a senior fellow in the Rafik Hariri Center for the middle east at the atlantic council, a washington think tank. And welcome to both of you to the newshour. Vali nasr, to you first, is president putin right that military conflict in syria is just about at an end . No, probably this a war will continue in fits and starts for some time, but he would like to tell the world that the major reasons as to why the war was going on, in other words the fight against i. S. I. S. , is over, and the other Important Message is that if the war was really about removing assad from power, he wants to say that effort is over as well. So its a major signal he wants to send that as far as russia is concerned, were moving to the next stage. Woodruff as far as russia is concerned. To faysal itani, and russia is the most influential factor in the war at this point, is that correct . They are the reason that the war took a turn from the regime being at a disadvantage to the regime now being in a consolidated position and secure. They arent the single most powerful actor in syria but theyre the reason things took that turn and theyre trying to capitalize diplomatically. Woodruff whats the significance, vali nasr, of the meeting in russia, Vladimir Putin inviting first president assad and today meeting with mr. Erdogan from turkey and president rouhani of iran . I think two things, one is that by making a declaration, in a sense, that the war is over at least thats what president putin is saying, everyone should focus on postwar hes trying to change the psychological effect, get other leaders to accept what he thinks are the facts observe the ground, the war is over. This is a big moment for him. He is taking that role that has traditionally been that of the United States, the power that brings everybody together, charts the way toward a peace process, imposes a political settlement and ends a conflict, so this role has been completely abdicated by the United States and is now putins moment, if you were to say, im going to be deciding the fate of syria and by extension the fate to have the middle east. Woodruff faysal itani, is there any argument that president assad is going to remain in power . No, i think he is going to remain in power, i think thats clear. All the major backers of the insurgent groups pushing to confront him militarily, that is over. There will be holdout and extremist groups like h. T. S. Woodruff being an al quaida offshoot, essentially. But without turkey and saudi arabia and qatar actively trying to hurt the regime, without jordan at least agreeing, there is no significant military threat to the regime. Woodruff and whats the significance, vali nasr, you referenced this a couple of times, the u. S. Does not have a significant voice at this point in whats going on. How tid we get to this place . I think it started where the Administration Policy was that syria is not worth abamerican effort and i think the Obama Administration underestimated putins tenacity and willingness to shape this war and sort of thought this is a fools errand and putin is going to crash and burn. Then the Trump Administration which has a very different approach to russia in the sense that theyre not concerned about russia coming out of this conflict stronger but, at the same time, they much like the Obama Administration are not willing to really put their resources on the ground that would make the United States a factor. Woodruff how much difference does it make, faysal itani, that the u. S. Does not have a major voice at this point . I mean, for it to have a major voice, it would have had to have had a major impact and influence on the ground at the military and diplomatic level. This is a reflection we dont have any of that. We played the diplomacy game a few years in the conflict. Now were seeing after five or six years, the diplomatic situation reflects who has skin in the game. The United States doesnt have it and the others do. Woodruff does that matter, vali nasr, that the u. S. Doesnt . There is a larger audience than syria. This is not just about syria. So this is the second major event in the region in the last month that the United States has had no role so first you had the kurdish referendum, iran was the decider of the outcome. Now with the war in syria russia is the decider of the outcome. So there is an audience across the region of governments, Opposition Forces who are watching this and deciding that the United States now is a spectator and not a decider. Woodruff so where does that leave syria . I mean, you both weve talked about iran. Iran continues to play a significant role in syria. Yeah, absolutely. Where it leaves syria is you have to deseg date and divide between the conflict over the survival of the regime, between the opposition and the regime, i think thats more or less over at least for now. Woodruff with assad staying in power. In power, and the other half is what happens to the territories that we and our allies took in the process of fighting i. S. I. S. , and thats a big chunk of territory, that the fate of that area is much more uncertain than the one that the regime controls. Woodruff how do you see that playing out, is nonassad. We showed this map a few moments ago, but the part of syria that assad doesnt control, what happens there. I think the goal for the alliance behind assad is to gradually eat up that territory as well or neutralize it. I think the assumption of putin and his allies is, once they make it clear that they are going to shape the future of syria, the United States would be even less incentivized to put resources on the ground and is going to completely abdicate any role in syria, which then gives them the free hand, lets say, over five years, six years, to do mopup operations and take over the entire territory. Woodruff in the longer run, with the u. S. Out of the picture, faysal itani, in terms of deciding on syrias fate, is that good for u. S. Interests overall or not . If even if you think syria itself is unimportant, and there have been arguments made that its not, on the u. S. Side, jordan is important, israel is important and, even leaving all that aside, the future of turkey is important, and the iranian presence and control, an unprecedented one from iraq, syria, running all the way through lebanon, thats a new geopolitical reality, and does affect american interests. I dont know how long it will take for something to happen to make the United States realize that thats not an acceptable situation or at least one that needs a tough plan to manage. That hasnt happened yet for whatever reason, but its still early. Woodruff so the u. S. May end up having to get involved again. Is that what were saying here . I think its going to be very difficult for the u. S. To get involved. I think putin is now creating a situation that the United States would have to go against russia to get involved in syria, if the russians are deciding that. But the larger issue for us is that putin has, and iran and assad, have now shown a way in which you could shape the future of regions and marginalize and exclude the United States, and this will play out in asia, its going to play out in europe and ukraine, its going to play out in other regions of the world. The audience for syria is much larger for syria or the middle east. Woodruff big implications that go well beyond the middle east. Vali nasr, faysal itani, we thank you both. Thank you. Woodruff as we reported earlier, the serbian military commander, ratko mladic, was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the brutal balkan civil war that tore apart the former yugoslavia in the 1990s. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant covered the conflict then, and reports now from bosnia on todays decision. Reporter mladic had spent 14 years on the run before being captured, and in the weeks before todays finale, his lawyers had t