Its the only way i can think to honor his death and provide his legacy, as well as protect my surviving child. Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Carnegie corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. 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 house and Senate Republicans are rushing to finish their sweeping overhaul of the tax code, as they press to hold a final vote next week. As William Brangham reports, details of the compromise are still emerging, as are some potential roadblocks. Brangham Congressional Republicans raced to keep their promise of sending a final tax overhaul bill to the white house by christmas. House Speaker Paul Ryan this tax cut will means less of a paycheck going to washington and more for the hardworking people who earned it. Brangham yesterday, g. O. P. Lawmakers announced they reached a compromise in principle to bridge the house and senate bills. That clears the way for final votes on legislation that would cut taxes by 1. 5 trillion over a decade. Today, President Trump again championed the bill, what could be his first, major legislative victory. I think we will get there it will be in a very short period of time it will be the greatest Christmas Present a lot of people have ever received. Brangham late changes to the bill include a Corporate Tax rate of 21 starting in 2018. Thats a major reduction from the current rate of 35 . And for the richest americans, a lowered top individual tax rate of 37 thats down from the current rate of 39. 6 . House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lambasted the changes, charging that they tip the scale even more towards the wealthy. Its Daylight Robbery and at every iteration, the g. O. P. Tax scam becomes even more cowardly, outrageous, dishonest, brazen theft from middle class families, giving money from them brangham the bill also reduces popular tax breaks like the ability to deduct state and local taxes. That deduction will be capped at 10,000, which can be split between property, income or sales tax. In a break from the house proposal, the revised bill would still let taxpayers claim a deduction for medical expenses, and expand it for two years. The revised bill will repeal the obamacare individual mandate, double the estate Tax Exemption and scale back the deductibility of mortgage interest allowed on loans up to 750,000. Still, there are some issues looming for republicans. For one thing, the health of republican senator john mccain of arizona hes been diagnosed with brain cancer and is currently in the hospital. And there are some holdouts senator bob corker of tennessee already voted against a Senate Version because of the bills impact on the federal deficit. Senator marco rubio of florida is threatening to vote against a bill unless it raises the child tax credit. Well see how it plays out. I want to support tax reform, i think its important for the country but i think this needs to be part of it. Brangham the white house has vowed to work with him. Republicans can only afford to lose only two senate votes. For the pbs newshour, im William Brangham. Woodruff in the days other news, the federal Communications Commission rolled back obamaera rules that safeguarded equal access to the internet. The socalled Net Neutrality guidelines were repealed in a three to two vote along party lines. The decision grants more power to internet providers, allowing them to prioritize certain websites over others. F. C. C. Chairman ajit pai said the move will also increase competition. By removing heavy handed regulations that stand in the way of deploying digital infrastructure, especially in rural and low income urban areas, im also confident that more consumers will enjoy better, faster and cheaper internet access. Woodruff new yorks attorney general said hell lead a multi state lawsuit seeking to reverse the f. C. C. s decision. The devastating thomas fire in Southern California is now the fourth largest in the states history. The wildfire has already scorched more than 242,000 acres, and still threatens communities north of los angeles. Its now 30 contained. And today it claimed a second life, a firefighter, who died battling the flames. Texas republican congressman Blake Farenthold says he wont seek reelection when his term ends next year. The announcement comes amid a swirl of claims from former staffers accusing him of sexual misconduct. Hes now the fourth member of congress in two weeks to announce resignation or retirement over Sexual Harassment allegations. Television host tavis smiley says pbs overreacted in its decision to suspend distribution of his show, after investigating misconduct claims against him. In a facebook post, smiley denied the allegations. He said this has gone too far, and vowed to fight back. A pbs spokeswoman said the public broadcaster stands by the investigations integrity, after finding a pattern of multiple relationships with subordinates and other conduct inconsistent with pbs standards. Meanwhile, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock confessed in an online post to Sexual Harassment, infidelity, and being accused of rape. Spurlock said, ive come to understand after months of these revelations, that i am not some innocent bystander, i am also a part of the problem. U. N. Ambassador nikki haley called today for a Strong International response against irans, destabilizing behavior. She accused iran of fanning the flames of conflict in the middle east, flouting a u. N. Resolution. Haley spoke against the backdrop of a missile she said iran supplied to Houthi Rebels in yemen, and fired at a saudi airport. This is terrifying, it has to stop, its not just about the nuclear program, its about Everything Else theyre doing. They believe theyre being given a pass. We have to show theyre not given a pass, actions have to stop immediately. Woodruff irans mission to the u. N. Claimed the missile on display was fabricated. A Doctors Without Borders investigation has found at least 6700 Rohingya Muslims were killed in majority buddhist myanmar, in august and september. More than 620,000 rohingya have fled to bangladesh since august, to escape the brutal military crackdown. The aid group said rohingya men, women and children were routinely and systematically targeted because of their ethnicity. Military soldiers, armed militias would come to their villages. Some people would say that they would then come and shoot people, individuals or in groups but also, that then there was elements of Sexual Violence that was occurring as well or they would set fire to the houses and the People Living inside those houses would burn to death. Woodruff meanwhile, the United Nations secretary general is demanding the release of two reuters journalists. They were arrested by myanmars Security Forces while documenting the rohingya crisis, and could face up to 14 years in prison. Back in this country, house Speaker Paul Ryan proposed a way to save the social safety net in the u. S. have more children. Ryan said entitlements like medicare and Social Security were strained as millions of baby boomers retire or pass away. The u. S. Birth rate plummeted to a record low in 2016. Former apprentice star Omarosa Manigault newman spoke out today about leaving her position as a senior white house aide. On abcs good morning america, she alluded to situations at the white house that concerned her, as one of only two African American members of the senior staff. She denied reports she was fired, and teased that she has a story to tell. I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people. And when i can tell my story, it is a profound story that i know the world will want to hear. Woodruff when asked about manigault newmans concerns today, White House Press secretary Sarah Sanders said, its something that we take seriously and something that we want to see improve. And on wall street today, stocks took a downward turn over lingering worries about the tax compromise bill. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 76 points to close at 24,508. The nasdaq fell 19 points, and the s p 500 slipped nearly 11. Still to come on the newshour what russians living in brooklyn think of the heightened tensions with the u. S. Disneys plans to buy another Major Media Company 21st century fox, and what it could mean for consumers. Making sense of the tax overhauls benefits to corporations, and much more. Woodruff russias president Vladimir Putin held his annual News Conference today in moscow. Always lengthy, todays lasted nearly four hours. Among other things, he was asked about relations with the United States and about President Trump. Putin made a point of lavishly praising his american counterparts accomplishments. And then, in words strikingly similar to mr. Trumps, he again denied interfering in last years u. S. Election and scoffed at charges the Trump Campaign colluded with russians. translated this has all been invented by the people who oppose trump to deligitimize his work. This is strange for me, to be absolutely honest with you. This is being done without understanding that by doing this, i mean, the people who do this, they are dealing a blow to the domestic politics in the country. It means that they dont respect the voters who voted for him. Woodruff late today, the kremlin said putin and President Trump spoke, discussing bilateral relations and north korea. Before that news, i spoke with greg miller of the Washington Post, who coauthored a detailed report today on mr. Trump, and his routine denials of what u. S. Intelligence agencies say was vast russian interference in the 2016 election. I asked him just how clear the evidence is. Well, i think that Vladimir Putin and President Trump are among the few that ive encountered who really doubt it, frankly. I mean, in our interviews for this story, we spoke with more than 50 current and former officials, many of them very close to trump, and we found only one other senior white house official who sort of sided with the president on this issue. Most of his members of his cabinet believe the intelligence, even though the c. I. A. Director sometimes complicates that or muddies that in some of his public statements. I dont think theres much doubt about the russian interference in the 2016 election. Woodruff well, weve seen some of President Trumps refusal to accept this this public, but you found there were many more instances of it behind the scenes. Yeah, thats right. I mean, in and were all very aware, as you point out, of trumps hostility to this idea, his rejection of this case publicly, but even behind the scenes, right, we did interviews with aides who even in the weeks leading up to his inauguration, were pleading with him, staged what amounted to impromptu interventions with him in his office at trump tower, trying to persuade him, just accept this, boss, just so we can get past it. If you cant say this publicly and get it behind us, this is going to continue to follow us and impede your ability to do what you want to do as president. And even then, he just gets agitated and denies it, and strikes out, lashes out at the intelligence and insists that its not real. Woodruff and the one time, i guess, he came the closest to saying he thought it had happened at that News Conference at the white house, you write that almost immediately thereafter, he said it was a mistake. Yeah, this was this was a press conference at trump tower in the lobby, january 11, about two weeks before his inauguration. And hes you know, his aides are prodding him, leading up to that moment, just say it. Just get it out there. He does. He says, it might i think it could be russia. But then he sort of backs away from that. But afterwards he goes after his aides and says, thats wrong. I shouldnt have done that. That was a mistake. Thats not me. I dont believe that. Woodruff why do the people around him think he is so insistent on not acknowledging this happened . I think some of his closest advisers are sympathetic. This is somebody who just the reporting on this, the constant reminders to trump that russia interfered, russia interfered, are taunts in his ears. They are reminders that, you didnt win this election legitimately, and i think thats what he rejects. I think there are other factors at work here, too. Other officials told us he really believes that if he could only have this relationship with putin that he wants, if that were only allowed to happen, they could solve a lot of problems. So its a its a beginnings of things, but, really, it boils down to his personal insecurities about the election. Woodruff so to some extent, this explains why he seems more conciliatory toward russia, toward putin, than he does even towards u. S. Allies. Right. I mean, in our story we write about the striking contrast in the way he handles, encounters in meetings with counterparts like the german chancellor angela merkel, than with putin. Every time we see him with putin, theyre very chummy, theyre joking other shaking hands, theyve had private conversations without any other u. S. Officials present. And, you know, when hes meeting with merkel, or even others from europe, you really can see this sort of hostility come across in his demeanor. Woodruff bottom line, greg miller, why does it matter that the president acknowledges this . Is it enough just to have intelligence fors and others say, okay, it happened . Why does it matter . I mean, that was the fundamental chequeen elizabeth we set out to answer with this story and the answer is it really ask does matter. When the president rejects the rationale, when he rejects this conclusion from his own intelligence agencies, it reverberates across the government. It affects the state department. It affects the c. I. A. It affects the pentagon. It affects other agencies. It is it impairs their ability to pursue policies. They cant even bring these policies to him. The president has yet to have a Single NationalSecurity Council meeting on the russian interference in the election last year. How can you have a coherent strategy to deal with it if you dont have leadership from the top . Woodruff some excellent reporting. Greg miller with the Washington Post. We thank you. Thank you so much. Woodruff new york city and the surrounding area is home to the largest russianamerican community in america. So, how has the crisis in u. S. Russia relations, and the fallout from the election meddling story, affected them . We sent special correspondent Ryan Chilcote, who lived in russia for 20 years, to Brighton Beach, brooklyn, to find out. Reporter the start of here in america should be the give away. But thats not the only clue ari kagan is not an americabashing russian talk show host isnt the american talk show host you might be expecting. Im antiputin person. Im i strongly believe that putin love dictatorship, i have a statue of liberty on my tv show for 17 years. Reporter this is not the kremlinfunded channel rt. Rt is a clear, clear absolute example of kremlin propaganda. Reporter kagan presents a weekly show for the Russian Television network of america, out of a studio in south brooklyn. This is the only american based, americanrussian language tv station. Everything else is just probably 90 or 100 rebroadcasting from, kremlin, basically. Its only one pointofview, kremlin pointofview. So, if you just disagree with putin, you can do it here in the studio. Reporter the day he moved his young family to america, is second only to his birthday in its importance. And yet. People have accused you of hating america . Because they dont know who is russian . Russian federation citizen, russianspeaking american. Like, as american as american pie. Trump is treason. Trump is treason. Reporter has america stumbled into a new red scare . We have been attacked. Reporter Brighton Beach is where brooklyn meets the atlantic. Its also the first stop for many of the some three Million Immigrants that come to the