At dusk, a bright full moon rises in just the right position under a cloudless clear sky. That is a moonbow woodruff those are some of the stories were covering on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your life and become youre own chief life officer. 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 by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. 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. Woodruff the u. S. Coast guard and the state of california called in more help today to clean up an oil spill thats fouled nine miles of coastline, near santa barbara. Officials now say 100,000 gallons may have leaked from a ruptured pipeline on tuesday. Several hundred workers have labored to collect about 20,000 gallons that reached the sea. And overnight, governor jerry brown declared a local emergency, making more crews and gear available, for as long as it takes. The cleanup operations generally do take time, and you may see some progress earlyon maybe in the first week or two, where you can actually see progress being made on the beach. But these types of things continue on perhaps even for months. Woodruff environmental effects of the spill are still being assessed, but some birds have been oiled, and the area is closed to fishing and shellfish harvesting. Ifill the head of the boy scouts of america called today for dropping a ban on gay scout masters. Robert gates, a former secretary of defense, addressed the Scouts National meeting, in atlanta. I must speak as plainly and as bluntly to you, as i spoke to president s when i was director of the c. I. A. And secretary of defense. We must deal with the world as it is, not as we might wish it to be. The status quo in our movements membership standards cannot be sustained. Ifill gates suggested the policy should be revised soon to let local chapters decide for themselves. Woodruff malaysia and indonesia announced today they will actively search for stranded boats filled with refugees from myanmar and bangladesh. For weeks, thousands of the migrants have been turned away from landing, and left to drift at sea. But today came word that policy is changing, at least for now. translated the navy will defer to the Indonesian Foreign ministry on this matter. The Foreign Ministry discussed it and for now, as long as the migrants are in difficulty and in need of help, we will help. Woodruff malaysia and indonesia had already announced they will give temporary shelter to migrants who reach shore. Ifill in burundi, at least two people died in pitched street battles, as a political crisis deepened in the african nation. Police fired tear gas and live bullets at protesters who ignored the president s call for calm. They oppose his quest for a third term. Woodruff back in this country, a grand jury in baltimore indicted six policemen on a battery of charges, in the death of freddie gray. Theyre similar to the charges already filed by the states attorney. Gray died last month after suffering a severe spinal injury in custody. Ifill the man who maneuvered a gyrocopter onto the grounds of the u. S. Capitol pleaded not guilty to a string of charges today. Douglas hughes appeared in federal court in washington. This cell phone video showed the former postal carrier flying up the National Mall and landing on the capitol lawn in april. He said he was protesting big money in politics. Woodruff on wall street, stocks advanced, inch by inch. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained a third of a point to close near 18,290. The nasdaq rose 19 points and the s p 500 added five. Still to come on the newshour victories for the Islamic State in syria and iraq. Restoring diplomatic ties with cuba. Talks resume to iron out details and set a deadline. The Senate Advances president obamas trade agenda with asia. The Economic Impact of historic drought on californias fishermen. Domestic abuse charges for ray rice dropped. Yosemites lesser known wonders and the Science Behind the nighttime rainbows. And, why a generation of Chinese Americans toddlers are sent back to asia by their parents. Ifill after a week in which the Islamic State group made dramatic gains in three countries iraq, syria and libya there were new doubts in washington over whether they can be stopped. Isis fighters trumpeted their conquest of ancient palmyra, in central syria, after days of fighting. And syrian state tv confirmed it. translated Syrian NationalDefence Forces have withdrawn from palmyra. Islamic state fighters have entered the city in big numbers and are trying to enter archaeological sites. Ifill syrian activists reported the militants had, in fact, already seized the world renowned roman ruins, just outside palmyra. The site is famous for its 2,000yearold colonnades and other antiquities. And, there are fears that isis extremists will destroy them, as theyve done in iraq. The head of the Global Cultural agency unesco pleaded today for a ceasefire. Destroying heritage will not achieve anything. Destroying such heritage does not mean that you achieve some kind of victory over your enemy. You dont convince other people that you are right. Ifill but the seizure of palmyra does mean that isis now controls even more syrian territory. And hundreds of miles to the east, in iraq, the militants today followed up their capture of ramadi, by overrunning Iraqi Military positions to the east of the city. The group also scored gains in faraway libya, taking the city of sirte, hometown of former leader moammar gaddafi. The cascade of isis victories raised new questions about u. S. Reliance on air strikes to defeat the militants. That issue dominated a senate hearing, where lawmakers and witnesses took turns lambasting the administration. While its still unclear what president obama is willing to do in syria, it is clear our partners do not draw confidence from statements of what we will not do. We are not only failing. We are, in fact, losing this war. Moreover, i can say with certainty, that this strategy will not defeat isis. Ifill the president did not respond directly, as he met with his cabinet. But in an interview with the atlantic, he offered an appraisal of the situation in iraq, saying at todays White House Briefing spokesman josh earnest spoke directly to what will, and wont, happen next. The president is not going to be in a position where hes going to consider a largescale u. S. Military deployment. And for those who are calling on a change in strategy, i would encourage them to be specific. Ifill there was word that the u. S. Is sending 2,000 anti tank rockets to iraqs military to target suicide car bombers before they strike. For more on this, im joined by feisal istrabadi. He was iraqs deputy ambassador to the United Nations from 2004 to 2007. And, David Ignatius, a Foreign Policy columnist at the washington post. David, the president today in that interview that was published today described the fall of ramadi as a tactical setback. Is it . I think its more than that. I think its a symbol that the strategy that the u. S. Has been pursuing or encouraging iraq to pursue for the last year mosul was overrun in june of last year, simply isnt working in reaching out to sunnis, helping sunnis push i. S. I. S. Out of big cities like mosul and now ramadi, fallujah which is next to baghdad. Somehow the administration has to find a way to help or push abadi to reach out to the rest of his country. Otherwise, it looks to me as if the sunni areas are gone. Ifill do you think the problem lies with abadi . I think abadi wants to do the right thing. He certainly tells u. S. Officials often hes trying to reach out to sunnis, but for a year the u. S. Has been trying to encourage iraq to pass a law that would provide money and training and weapons for Sunni National guard that could with effective in places like ramadi like mosul in turning back the fighters. That legislation has not been passed. Abadi needs help and to be prodded. If the weapons and training dont come, there are no sunni fighters. Ifill feisal istrabadi, is this a sign by the United States and the Iraqi Government itself . That may be. The stunning success in taking mosul in four hours should have focused all our minds discreetly. I think mr. Ignatius is right, that there is not well, a year ago, the administration was right to say it would only support the Iraqi Government if political changes were made and recognized then political changes needed to be made on the ground in iraq. Over the past year, it has not done enough, in my judgment, to insist upon that political acome base being accommodation being made and has focused too much on the military aspect of this engagement and not enough ton political reforms needed specifically reconciliation and some of the things that David Ignatius talked about a few moments ago. Ifill but i wonder, and ill ask david this as well i wonder if this doesnt speak to a disconnect in u. S. Policy toward i. S. I. S. Or defeating i. S. I. S. . Its not clear to me. The spokesman said if theres a change of strategy, tell us what it is. A change of strategy suggests there is a strategy. I dont see a strategy that deals with that concerns with dealing with with i. S. I. L overall. There is a strategy for dealing with it in iraq. Im not sure there is one in syria and libya is different altogether. It isnt clear the United States or the western alliance or the regional powers in fact have a strategy of confronting i. S. I. L as such. Ifill David Ignatius, what about senate. Well mr. Istrabadi is right. The u. S. Strategy has been that iraq should come first. Its very hard to understand just what our strategy is in sir syria, frankly and on iraq, this is iraqs war. The role of the United States is to help iraq, to arm, train support, provide air support, but this has to be iraqs war. I think president obama, frankly, is reading the United States public correctly in judging that the country just isnt ready to send a big ground army back into iraq. Ifill even though there are 3,000 american advisors. But there are limits on the american role. I wish the advisors were leaning harder into the fight because i think that would help embolden the iraqi forces on whom we are depending. We have to look at whats happened in the last week. I think the only judgment you can make is that what were doing now isnt working. Important territory is being lost, and the president if he wants to stick with the strategy, he has to be tougher about implementing it with iraqis, with the American Military providing the support. A whole series of things have to be stepped up or well see more reverse also. Ifill feisal istrabadi, to what degree is iran a complicating factor in all this . Iran is a complicating factor. On the other hand, iran is also engaged in the fight against i. S. I. L for reasons of its own that include a desire not to see a reasonably friendly government in baghdad falling, but it also includes its desire not to have i. S. I. Ls ideology spread in the region where it lives. So there is an opportunity for cooperation with iran. I. S. I. L is a common enemy, and i think we are at a point where the enemy of my enemy is close enough to being my friend, at least inks its this kind of instability and of course a lot of argument against the u. S. Being friends with the enemy of their enemy but does this kind of instability make it more difficult for the u. S. To accomplish other goals like getting this nuclear deal . Well, i think the u. S. Has been careful not to go too far in attacking irans allies in particular in attacking hesbollah forces in area which have been propping up the regime of bashar alassad. But the u. S. Has to be careful. If our strategy depends on sunnis doing the fighting to clear mosul and ramadi and that seems to be the strategies you have to be careful its not assumed u. S. Is acting with iran and fronting for iran. Thats a recipe for more soonias moving toward i. S. I. S. And away from the coalition. Ifill feisal istrabadi, sounds like between a rock and a hard place again. Im afraid. So mr. Ignatius is right in that lastlast point. It has to be a delicate balancing act. The fact is there is at least a de facto cooperation between United States and iran at least in iraq and i think if nothing else its a realization they are and will be a factor and on this one, at least, theyre on the same side. The militias are a problem because the militias may well be driving people to the wrong side in places like ambar. Im not sure abadi is using the militias as having them forced on him and that the a complicated factor. Ifill thank you both very much. Thank you. Woodruff officials from the u. S. And cuba resumed talks today in washington. Theyre trying to iron out the details of reestablishing diplomatic relations, which were broken off more than 50 years ago. At issue today what it will take to reopen embassies in each others capitals. In december president s obama and castro announced theyd reestablish ties. And meeting in panama, they re affirmed that commitment. Our own Jeffrey Brown is in cuba all this week, reporting on what the opening up of cuba means for that country. And chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Margaret Warner has been following the progress of the talks here. We welcome both of you. Margaret, you have been following the talks. Whats the latest . The latest is theyve wrapped up for the day and there is still no deal. This is the fourth time theyve met over the fairly confined issue of opening up embassies in each others capitals and its proved tougher than they thought. Its encouraging today the two negotiators are having backtoback news conferences here in washington tomorrow. Some concern that they may be dragging their feet. The u. S. Has not gotten satisfaction on what it wants to open an embassy which is u. S. Diplomats can travel around the the country to cuba, two that they can receive equipment, documents and secure containers and three president castro threw in a new issue last week which he was critical of the pro democracy programs u. S. Runs out of the intersection which trains independent journalists, for example. So if you look at whats tying the issues together, there is par noia on the part of the cuban government, that the u. S. Will use the access to stir up dissent in cuba, and president obama said its not going to try to change the political system in cuba given the history there is understandable concern on the cubans part. Woodruff so jeff, you have been in havana for the last few days. Are people talking about it . Are they aware of these negotiations going on and what are they saying about it . Brown oh, very much so judy. Everyones paying attention, even today just talking to people only street, they were aware of watching the news and following the talks margarets talking about in washington and everybody talks about what happened since december any number of people said they never expected this kind of thing to happen in their life times. Everybody talks about it with real hope, actually. Caution but hope. The hope is really around two important things. The economy. The economy is really bad here. People are scrounging for a living. Theyre hoping that the opening can make a real difference. Weve heard that from a number of people. The other thing is a sense of isolation. Remember, this is how people have lived with the embargo and this isolation from the u. S. And much of the world for so long that we hear about the possibility of opening that up. Here with clips of people we talked to in the last day or two. One woman runs a small craft shop which is another sign of whats opening up in cuba, opening to the private margaret. The second is a young man whos an athlete whos interested in travel and thinks there may be hope for that. What do you think about u. S. And cuba relations now. I think its amazing this opportunity that we have here to meet people for 56 years we have been in to have we havent been in to have with each other. So its beautiful to know each other and start relationships. For many years we stopped. It is good to improve relations so everything flows better. The society improves, the blockade, all the things that have been affecting us many years. Brown you hear the object mitch but also there is caution about what exactly is going to happen how fast it will happen and how far it will go. One thing that ties a lot of this together is the internet. Everybody talks about how disconnected this place is whether youre just trying to communicate around the world or whether youre trying to have a business and we feel it here. Youre very disconnected, opening of the internet, you would be a real opening for this island. So, margaret, listening to what these people are saying, are these expectations that can be fulfilled by these talks, these negotiations . Down the line yesterday, but its interesting that they focused on a couple of things that either congress or the president has eased restrictions on. One is internet telecommunications. Congress decide add number of years ago it was all a part of lets expose the cuban people to more information. So the president then announced that restrictions any restrictions on American Companies going down you know verizon, at t, whoever to help set up a Real Infrastructure for the internet would be relaxed and