Transcripts For KQED PBS NewsHour 20240713 : vimarsana.com

Former secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen about her controversial tenure enrcing the administrations immigration policy. And then finally, rethinking college. The Airline Industry is booming, but the cockpits are empty. How Community Colleges are tackling an unprecedented Pilot Shortage, by prepang students to take flight. Its very competitive, and theres only so many. And so, as this shortage increases, the pool gets smaller and smaller, and you can imagine its going to be more enticement, more bonuses. All the Airlines Want to grow. Woodruff all that and more, on tonights pbs newshou major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by Consumer Cellular offers nocontract wireless plans thatp are designed to help you do more of the things you enjoy. Whether youre a talker, texter, browser, photographer, or a bit of everything, our u. S. Based Customer Service team is here to find a plan that fits you. To learn more, go to consumercellular. Tv bnsf railway. And with the ongoing support of these institutions this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributionso your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff the congressional impeachment inquiry now has critical new evidence tying President Trump to possible abuse of power. It came today from the man ukraine. The u. S. Embasn White House Correspondent Yamiche Alcindor begins our coverage. Alcindor a new day. A new startling witness in the growing impeachment inquiry. This time, it was ting ambassador to ukraine, bill taylor. Taylor delivered a 15page Opening Statement that stunned the room. Taylor said Gordon Sondland, the u. S. Ambassador to the European Union, had been told by President Trump that he was n asking for a quid pro quo. but President Trump did insist that president zelenksy go to a microphone and say he opening investigations of biden and 2016 election interference. Freshman Democrat Andy levin of michigan called taylors testimony disturbing. All i have to say is that, in my 10 short months in congress its not even noon, right . And this is my most disturbing day in congress. Alcindor taylor had been ambassador to ukraine a decade ago. He agreed to fill in again in june, after ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was abruptly removed. In Text Messages to Gordon Sondland, the u. S. Ambassador to the European Union, taylor voiced his concerns. He called it crazy to withhold Security Assistance for help with a political campaign. Sondland then replied, the president has been Crystal Clear no quid pro quos of any kind, and, i suggest we stop the back and forth by text. Today, House Democrats said those messages, and taylors deposition, are central to their impeachment inquiry. Meanwhile, there was bipartisan backlash to President Trump comparing impeachment to lynching. Early today, the president tweeted that, all republicans must remember what they are witnessing here a lynching. The blowback came quickly. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn well, i think the president classifying a constitutional remedy to an unlawful, egregious act such as lynching is beneath the dignity of the office of the president of the United States. Alcindor tim scott, the only black republican in the senate, also spoke out. There is no question that the impeachment process is the clost thinof a political death row trial, so i get his absolute rejection of the process. I wouldnt use the word lynching. Alcindor g. O. P. Leaders like House Minority leader Kevin Mccarthy and Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell distanced themselves from the president s language. Given the history in our country, i would not compare this to a lynching. Alcindor but South Carolina senator lindsey graham, a close ally of President Trump, defended him. This is a lynchy sense. This is unamerican. Alcindor and, White House Deputy press secretary hogan gidley said this hes not comparing himself to those dark times. Whether youre white, black, brown, red it doesnt matter. His polici have lifted all thes boats in this cotry, and that is the story. Alcindor all this comes as new reports suggest russian president Vladimir Putin and hungarys farright leader victor orb negatively influenced President Trumps view of ukraine. Both countries view ukraine as hostile to their own interests. Woodruff and yamiche joins me now, even as this story continues to develop. So yamiche, its pretty clear that ambassador taylor, what he had to say startled lawmakers in what he had to say about the administration in exchange for information about what happened in 2016 and Going Forward about joe biden that the ambassador was saying the administration clearly withheld military aid. At he had to say today . Arn about bill taylor is a top u. S. Diplomat in ukraine. He came to capitol hill and delivered stunning testimony. I spoke to several people who were in the room, and they told me that there were audible gasps and people were really sighing and really surprised by the fact that bill taylor was laying out what he believes was a Pressure Campaign by President Trump and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani to really pressure ukraine to investigate democrats for his own political gain. I want to walk threw some of that 15page Opening Statement, because it was stunning, even as bill taylor spoke for hours. Some of the things he said is ambassador sondland, the e. U. Ambassador, the ambassador to the european unio said he had talked to president zelensky and a top aide to president zelensky and told them that although there was not a quidam, quid pro quo, if president zelensky did not clear things up in public, we would be at a stalemate. I understood stalemate to mean ukraine would not receive muchneeded military assistance. Everything was dependent upon such an announcement, including Security Assistance some you saw bill taylor rely walking lawmakers through what he felt was a Pressure Campaign to get ukraine to do things to benefit President Trump politically, and its also stuning to put in that statement that bill taylor said he pushed back on Ambassador Gordon Sondland and said, you know, why is President Trump doing this . It seems crazy, and Gordon Sondland told him, well, President Trump is a businessman, and he feels as though he needs to get whats owed to himbefore he signs, and bill taylor essentially said, well, President Trump isnt really owed anything from ukraine. And Gordon Sondland basically doubled down and said the president needed to get what he wanted to get before this military aid would go to ukraine. Woodruff yamiche, given, that how does what ambassador taylor had to say, how does this fit into the overall impeachment inquiry at this point . Democrats say that bill taylor is now a central part of the impeachment inquiry. They say his testimony is really evidence that President Trump was engaged in this quid pro quo. Now, a number of lawmakers came out praising bill taylor for his words. I want to also explain that bill taylor talked specifically about the president s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Heres what he said. He said his involvement, shows how the official Foreign Policy of the United States was undercut by the irregular efforts led by mr. Julian giuli so hes saying mr. G. Q. s personal work was entertained and was troubling to him. That doetails with what all the other people have been saying to lawmakers that have come to capitol hill. The former ambassador to ukraine that was removed said the same thing, and thats what were seeing is a clearer and clearer picture of the fact that Rudy Giuliani was doing the president s bidding, but tere are lawmakers that say this is just the beginning of this and that bill taylor will be possibly leading to Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, being called back to congress. Theyre also saying his testimony might accelerate th impeachment inquiry. So well have to really see how these developments continue as bill taylor might just be the beginning of other people being called back to congress. Woodruff and separately,a mogadishu, you separately, yamiche, you heard the president comparing this inquiry to a lynching. I know you have been talking to the white house. How does this what does this say about how they view this impeachment inquiry and how theyre dealing with it . President trump understands what a limping is, and he rally was trying the use the stronst language that he fell possibl to explain the facat he feels as though hes being wronged by this impeachment inquiry. The white house is saying he did not mean to compare himself to the mass murder of africanamericans, which is what lynching refers to, but that said, there ray will the of people, including members of the president s own party, who are up in arms with his use of the language of lynching. We should explain to people that lynching is something that happened between 1882 and 1958 according to the naacp, and about 4,700 americans were lynched, the vast majority of them were africanamericans. So there are people who are still alive whose family members were lynched and killed just because they were African American some this is painful history President Trump was talking about that. Being said, there are democrats who arreally saying this is more othe same from esiden trump, that hes been someone who has been using they consider racist language and other things that have really been making Race Relations in this country harder and harder and the divisions deeper. But there are republicans who say the president should feel wronged because they feel as though the impeachment inquiry is unfair. Woodruff interesting to hear the different reangsts from the two republican u. S. Senators from South Carolina, tim scott and ken graham, to the president s comments. Yamiche alcindor reporting for us from the the capitol today. Thank you, yamiche. Thanks so much. Woodruff the ceasefire between turkey and syrian kurds expired earlier today, but was quickly replaced by a new agreement, brokered by Vladimir Putin, not the United States. Now, the fragile truce will continue, and as Nick Schifrin reports, it raises the question, where does the leave the u. S. And their kurdish partners . Schifrin with cameras flashing, syrias top two powerbrokers met to discuss, and divide, northeast syria. In the russian resort of sochi, turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat down with his host, russian president Vladimir Putin. After a sixhour meeting, erdogan said turkey, russia, and the Syrian Regime together would evict kurdish fighters known as the y. P. G. translated y. P. G. Terrorists and their arms will be taken farther than 30 k. M. From the border. Their fortifications and positions will be destroyed. Turkish and Russian Joint patrol will begin. Schifrin that is not what the u. S. Expected. Last week, u. S. And turkey negotiated a buffer zone, 18 miles deep and 75 miles wide, where turkish forces, in blue, entered, and Kurdish Forces retreated. And this is the area turkey and russia agreed to the syrian Turkish Border all the way to iraq, and the strategically important towns of manbij and tal rifat in the west an expanse of more than 300 miles across. And after six da, the turks and russians promise joint patrols, indefinitely, within six miles of the border. Russian forces have backed and saved syrian president bashar alassads regime. Today, russian president Vladimir Putin called the agreement a permanent solution. translated in my opinion, these decisions are very important, maybe even momentous, and will allow to resolve the situation. Schifrin but today, russian ally assad met with his forces in idlib, the final rebel stronghold. He called the agreement an illegal annexation. translated erdogan is a thief who stole the factories, stole wheat, stole oil in collaboration with isis, and now he is stealing the land. Schifrin the u. S. Also objects. Today, the administrations point man on syria, ambassador james jeffrey, told the House Foreign Affairs committee that the russianturkish agreement increased instability. In the process has scrambled the entire northeast, undercut our efforts against isis, and brought in the russians and the Syrian Regime forces in a way that is really tragic for everyone involved. Schifrin the administration has promised to impose new sanctions on turkey. Jeffrey did not follow through on those threats, and instead called the Russian Military paper tigers. The ability to patrol with the russians, 10 k. M. Deep, and a potentially, not particularly believable russian commitment to get the y. P. G. Out of that area. Turkey has not really gained that much from this. Schifrin but its not clear the u. S. Can do anything about it. U. S. Troops crossing from syria into iraq were dubbed traitorse by kurds, who up until last week, called them partners. Today, the pentagon said u. S. Troops would move to iraq to fight isis. But, iraq said those troops dont have permission to stay in the country. U. S. Defenseecretary mark esper promised not to keep them there forever. The aim isnt to stay in iraq interminably. The aim is to pull our soldiers out and eventually get them back home. Schifrin today, the white house authorized 4. 5 million to help the group known as the white helmets, who try to protect civilians from assasd and russian bombs. But while millions have fled syria and the regime, nearly 200,000 more civilians have now fled the turkish incursion. Some escaped to iraq. Others, like this group still in syria, wait to cross the border. translated the future is gone. We left our future. I left and came here, just so we can save these children. Schifrin but its too late to save many Kurdish Forces who fought against isis, and were killed by turkishbacked troops. In total, more than 700 have been killed. Woodruff and nick joins me now here, and with us from northern iraq, special correspondent Jane Ferguson, on assignment there near the syrianiraqi border. So, jane, tell us, you have been talking to people there. How are people who live in that area affected by all these changes . As we heard there, judy, from nicks piece, up to 200,000 people have already fled that area, and what were likely to see Going Forward is a great deal more people fleeing. There is huge uncertainty. Now, if this deal does bring an end to the fighting, thats only one facet for kurds living in that area. They will be very afraid of the prospe of seeing thin arces acre border, although it wont be as deep across the border as erdogan initially wanted, the full 20 miles. Those six miles are still host to many kurdish families. Its still part of the kurdish heartland. So were likely to see me people fleeing, both within syria, being internally displaced, but also across the border here in iraq. Weve seen families arriving every day. And theyre not just fleeing the fighting. Theyre fleeing the prospect of a potential Turkish Occupation of their homeland. Woodruff and, nick, what do these changes mean for the United States, the things that the u. S. Has focused on, including those isis prisoners who were being held by kurdish fight centers. 10,000 isis prisoners according to the u. S. Are being held by kurdish fighters. For the first time today we saw a senior u. S. Official, jim jeffrey, who we saw in that piece, admit that dozens, not hundreds, dozens of isis fight verse been released. The syrian obse