Pollution by reducing coal plant emissions. Tonight, we hear from the head of the Environmental Protection agency, Gina Mccarthy. And from mississippi to iowa, primary campaigns are hitting the home stretch. We look at whats at stake ahead of tomorrows voting. Those are just some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by ive been around long enough to recognize the people who are out there owning it. The ones getting involved, staying engaged. They are not afraid to question the path theyre on. Because the one question they never want to ask is, how did i end up here . I started schwab with those people. People who want to take ownership of their investments, like they do in every other aspect of their lives. When i was pregnant, i got more advice than i knew what to do with. What i needed was information i could trust, on how to take care of me and my baby. United healthcare has a Simple Program that helps moms stay on track with their doctors and get care and guidance they can use before and after the baby is born. Simple is what i need right now. Thats health in numbers, United Healthcare 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 and. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Ifill russia convened an emergency session of the u. N. Security council today to press for an immediate ceasefire in ukraine. The draft proposal also demands a start to peace talks, and the creation of humanitarian corridors so civilians can safely flee. Hours before the u. N. Gathering, hundreds of prorussian rebels attacked a border guard camp in eastern ukraine. Amateur video showed flames and heavy black smoke rising from the base at luhansk. At least five rebels were reported killed, but one of their commanders said the battle would continue. translated valeri bulatov, the peoples governor of luhansk, gave the Government Troops an ultimatum and they have time to surrender their weapons and go home from the luhansk peoples republic. They refused to do that. That is why we launched special operations against them. Ifill later, the separatists said a Government Air strike killed two people. The military denied it, and blamed the explosion on a rebel rocket that misfired. In libya, at least 20 people were killed in the latest fighting between islamist militants and forces of a renegade general. Almost 70 others were wounded in battles in benghazi as helicopter gunships attacked the militants camps. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas swore in a new unity government today. The new cabinet has the support of both fatah, from the west bank, and the Islamist Militant Group hamas, which controls gaza. The two factions have been divided for nearly seven years. Israel considers hamas a terrorist organization, and has condemned the unity move. The king of spain, juan carlos, has announced hes abdicating after nearly 40 years in power. Hes credited with leading the country from dictatorship to democracy. Matt frei of independent Television News has our report. Reporter i come to you this morning, he declared, his face bloated by medication. His voice frail beyond his 76 years. With profound emotion and after deep thought to tell you that it is time for me to step down. He returns spain to the fashest dictator who became his political god father and groomed him to become a successor. speaking in Foreign Language reporter a young and nervous looking juan carlos decided to take spain in a different direction, to democracy. Not everyone agreed. In 1981, remnants of the Franco Regime stormed parliament and tried to strangle democracy. It didnt work. The king stepped in and stopped the coup. It was his finest hour. The one that the cold eye of history will remember whatever happened later, much later. At home, juan carlos was just as popular until 2012 when a lot of things went wrong all at the same time. The king was caught in flagrante delicto on an elephant hunt in botswana with a german mistress. He had to be flown home after breaking his hip. All this while spain was mired in the deepest recession in living memory. They never really forgave him. His Approval Ratings plummeted and todays abdication seemed like the honorable way out. What has rescued the monarchy is the man who takes over, crown prince felipe. Tall, handsome, competent and married to a journalist. His job will be to preserve spains brittle unity and heal the wounds of recession. Spains ifill the king said he wants the handover to take place early next year. First, the Spanish Parliament has to pass a law setting up the Legal Mechanism for abdication and royal succession. A brutal rape and murder in india sparked new protests by women today in Uttar Pradesh state. But police blasted the women with Water Cannons in a bid to disperse the crowd. The protesters were demanding the State Government be dismissed. Five suspects have been arrested in the attack and killing of two teenage girls. Their bodies were found hanging from a tree. The Justice Department today charged a russian man in a hacking operation that stole more than 100 million worldwide. Evgenny bogachev allegedly orchestrated a ring that infected thousands of computers with malware to get passwords and account numbers. Bogachev is described as one of the worlds leading cyber criminals. He remains at large. The government may be able to force a New York Times reporter to reveal his sources in a c. I. A. Leak case. The Supreme Court declined today to hear james risens appeal of a lower court order. His reporting is at the center of criminal charges against jeffrey sterling. The former c. I. A. Officer is accused of leaking classified information. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained 26 points to close at 16,743. The nasdaq fell five points to close at 4,237. And the sandp 500 added a point, to finish just under 1,925. Still to come on the newshour mounting questions over the deal that freed an american prisoner of war; the white house plan to cut down on Carbon Pollution; we talk with e. P. A. Head Gina Mccarthy and a representative of the energy industry; plus, whats at stake as voters head to the polls in iowa and mississippi. Ifill its been two days since the emotional announcement of Sergeant Bowe bergdahls release from his taliban captors. Criticism of the deal, which includes the transfer of five guantanamo prisoners to qatar, came soon after and is intensifying. Jeffrey brown reports. Brown Sergeant Bowe bergdahl remained today at the u. S. Military hospital at landstuhl germany, undergoing evaluation and debriefing after five years in captivity. But questions swirled in washington and in kabul, especially about the five senior taliban leaders swapped for bergdahl. Theyd been held at the Guantanamo Bay prison and were flown to qatar on sunday. The Afghan Government complained today that it was never consulted. translated the recent release of five afghan citizens in exchange for American ArmySergeant Bowe bergdahl goes against the agreement we have had with the u. S. Government and their transfer to the qatar government was not agreed upon by the Afghan Government. Brown the released men are all in their midtolate forties. The most senior is khirullah said wali khairkhwa, a Founding Member of the taliban, former interior minister, and an associate of osama bin ladens; he was handed over to the u. S. By pakistan in 2002. Mullah Mohammad Fazl was the taliban army chief of staff, he is wanted by the u. N. For possible war crimes against shia afghans prior to 9 11 Abdul Haq Wasiq was taliban deputy minister of intelligence, and helped run the groups alliances with alqaida and other groups mullah Norullah Noori was a provincial governor. And Mohammad Nabi omari was a Communications Official who helped al qaida members escape to pakistan. Qatar has agreed to keep them there, under supervision, for a year. But arizona senator john mccain and other republicans warned of what happens later. The big issue here is whats going to happen to these five individuals. If they reenter the fight, then it is going to put american lives at risk, and none of us want that to happen, not secretary hagel or anybody. There were also questions today about whether the president breached a longstanding protocol against negotiating with terror groups. White House Press Secretary jay carney. Although, as you know, we dealt with the qataris in order to secure his release, it was absolutely the right thing to do because he was a uniformed member of the u. S. Military who was in captivity as a prisoner, not as a hostage and so we sought his recovery and succeeded in recovering him. Brown meanwhile, the circumstances of bergdahls capture in june 2009 remain murky. He gave this explanation on a video released by the taliban, shortly after his capture. What were you doing . I was behind a patrol, i was lagging behind the patrol and was captured. Brown men who served in bergdahls unit say that is untrue. Writing today in the daily beast, former soldier Nathan Bradley bethea wrote there was no patrol that night. Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot. He deserted. Brown bethea said several soldiers were killed in the ensuing search. Nonetheless, he wrote, hes glad bergdahl was released on his way to afghanistan yesterday, secretary of defense chuck hagel declined to discuss claims that bergdahl had deserted. Instead, he said other circumstances that may develop, they will be dealt with later and in his saturday announcement, with bergdahls parents at his side, president obama focused not on the capture, but the release. We also made an ironclad commitment to bring our prisoners of war home. Thats who we are as americans. There is a profound obligation within our military and today, at least in this instance, its a promise weve been able to keep. Brown the white house has acknowledged that in arranging the exchange, it did not give the congressionallymandated 30 day notice before prisoner transfers from guantanamo. But National Security adviser susan rice said sunday, the priority was bergdahls health. We had reason to be concerned that this was an urgent and an acute situation, that his life could have been at risk. We did not have 30 days to wait. Brown the administration has also disputed the requirement of 30days notice to congress. It argues the mandate infringes on executive branch powers. Ifill we pick up on all of this now with vikram singh. He held a number of senior jobs in the defense and state departments focusing on afghanistan and south asia in the Obama Administration. Hes now Vice President for National Security and International Policy at the center for american progress. And James Kirchick is a fellow at the Foreign Policy initiative, another nonprofit policy organization. Welcome to both of you. Vikram, to you, is this in the best interest of the United States . Yes, and most importantly in the best interest of Bowe Bergdahl and his family. When somebody puts on the uniform to fight for america, thats a sacred commitment and obligation. Our obligation is to look for those people and bring them home. Anybody who has a p. O. W. m. I. A. Flag should be cheering for bergdahl and their family and their opportunity to be reunited. Brown james . I think everybody should be happy hes coming home, but the circumstances of his being captured in the first place are now very much in question. We have many of the men who served with him saying that he deserted. Six people died trying to save him and then, in response to that, we gave up five of the most highly valued terrorists in Guantanamo Bay. These are not low level men we gave back to the taliban. So i think its a much more ambiguous story. Brown and those are the two key issues. Start about the fairness of the exchange and the taliban leaders. Theres a lot thats been made about giving back senior taliban leaders in afghanistan in exchange for bergdahl. I would say this is a very good deal if you look at what was going to happen with the taliban leaders in any case. This war is ending. This will be the afghan battle to take forward or Peace Process to look forward, should the taliban decide to reintegrate into afghan society. These are leaders of the former taliban government, the government we went to war with because they harbored al quaida. They were eventually going home home in any case. Guantanamo will close, we got an american soldier back and guarantees that will prevent them from going back and fighting against the Afghan Government. Brown theres no worry they may always come back into the fray . I think there is always reason to worry when you have people that are enemies of the United States or a part nare that they will do things detrimental to your interest. I just dont think those would override getting Bowe Bergdahl home and moving to the conclusion of the afghan war. Brown and you. Wars dont say they end because you say they end and the president gives a deadline of how to pull the troops out. Thats not how the world works. If your enemy wants to keep fighting, the war is still going on. So im not so sang win that guantanamo is shut down in two years time. I think its possible it could be open indefinitely. Brown what about the other issue james brought up at the beginning, the circumstances of his capture. Does it matter . No, i dont think it matters at all. You put on the uniform, these things happen. We dont know the circumstances or the facts around what happened to Bowe Bergdahl. Weve heard a lot of accusations and things coming out and well learn about that in time as he comes back, but i think its important to focus on getting our men and women in uniform home should they be captured. He was captured, missing in combat, thought to be captured and its good were getting him home. I think its important that the afghan war come to an end. We achieved the core objective, get core al quaida, get osama bin laden, help the Afghan Government to function and be stable and build their own society. Theyve had a successful election, held with us in the background, and its time for us to trab digs and help them continue going forward. Brown what is the larger context . I think it matters if someone deserts, then the amount of resources you will expend to get that person back is not the same as if he had been captured fighting in the open. Certainly you wont ask young men and women to risk their lives to rescue someone who knowingly left the fight to wander off. I think that should absolutely play the role not only in the amount of force used to return him but also what we were willing to give up. Brown do you want to come back on that . I think if and a american soldier is captured, it is unlikely you know the exact circumstances. I think it is extraordinarily risky for people to say somehow we should not have worried about Bowe Bergdahl because of the way he might have been lost to the taliban. Did he stray off from patrol and get captured . Did he desert, wander off his post, was he in Emotional Distress . Suffering from dehydration to just excessive stress . I think the first obligation is to get our people back, and then we can figure out what actually happened. Brown what about the issue thats been raised about negotiating with the taliban . The Administration Says it went through using the third party from qatar, but what does it look like to you in terms of how the u. S. Conducted itself that way . Well, the United States has often negotiated with bad guys. Weve done that throughout our history. Thats not what bothered me as much as we kept our afghan allies in the dark. They are the ones that will deal with the brunt of this and this was a total surprise to them 57bd not only them but members of kong. The Obama Administration did completely Keep Congress in the dark, when hes supposed to give them 30 days notice. Brown but we heard the explanation from susan rice. Yes, and i dont know if its a good pattern that the president decide which statutes 4e79s to acknowledge and which ones he wants to ignore. He criticized president bush on that. Brown what do you think . Im sure th