Banjo for this musical, because i find the banjo very provocative. Woodruff all that and more 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. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. 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 the u. S. Military has suffered its worst single day in afghanistan in a year andahalf. Six soldiers were killed and two wounded today in a taliban attack. It was the strongest sign yet of the militants resurgence. Well have details and a full report on the state of the fight against the taliban right after the news summary. Ifill president obama now says theres legitimate criticism of his efforts to battle the Islamic State group. In a yearend interview with n. P. R. , airing today, he said hes failed to keep the public fully informed about thousands of air strikes and recaptured territory. The president also urged americans to keep the threat in perspective. I understand why people are worried. The most damage they can do, though, is if they start changing how we live and what our values are. And part of my message over the next 14 months or 13 months that i remain in office is to just make sure that we remember who we are and make sure that our resilience, our values, our unity are maintained. Ifill the president also criticized republican president ial candidates whove accused him of not doing enough to fight terror. He said its important not just to shoot, but to aim. Woodruff the man who allegedly bought the weapons used in the San Bernardino shootings was ordered held without bond today. Enrique marquez is accused of conspiring to aid terrorists, among other federal charges. Authorities say he bought the assaultstyle rifles that syed farook and Tashfeen Malik fired at a holiday party, killing 14 people. Ifill the first of Six Baltimore Police officers in the freddie gray case will go on trial next june 13th for a second time. A judge set the new date today for officer William Porter on manslaughter, assault and other charges. His first trial ended last week in a hung jury. Gray died in custody last april, touching off violent protests. Woodruff world soccer moved to rid itself today of two leaders engulfed in a corruption scandal. The leader of the sports governing body, fifa, sepp blatter and his heir apparent were banned for eight years. It stems from a payment of more than 2 million thats now part of a criminal probe. Steve scott of independent Television News has our report. Sepunshaven with a plaster covering the aftereffects of some minor surgery, sepp blatter fought his way through the attention to deliver a typically defiant message shortly after hearing of his 8year orbaaan. Im really sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry that i am still, somewhere, a bunching ball. I am sorry that a i am, as president of eava, a bunching ball and Punching Ball and football. But sorry about me. He claims the 1 million payment to michelle in 2011 was part of a salary deal in 1998. The advisor at the time agreed to take some of the wages then and some later. Blatter claims that settled the debt but fifa rules it breached the ethics code as the payment was not accounted for in the books. Six months ago the frontrunner to take over the presidency, that ambition now looks dead. He said today the fifa ethics commissions procedure against me is a true mockery, orchestrated to trnish my reputation. While blatter will now not get the dignified handover of power he so wanted, needed or not, he wont give up. There is a type for me and a type for fifa. Suspended eight years for what . I will be back. Thank you. Woodruff switzerlands attorney general is investigating the case. Theyre also looking into alleged corruption in fifas award of the next two world cup finals to russia and qatar. Ifill rescuers in Southern China have spent a second day digging through a mudslide, searching for 85 missing people. Buildings crumbled as a pile of excavated dirt and construction waste, 330 feet high, collapsed sunday at an Industrial Park in shenzhen. It buried or damaged 33 buildings, including factories, offices and dormitories. At least 16 people were injured, but no deaths have been confirmed yet. Woodruff spain braced today for weeks of political limbo, after no party won outright in sundays election. The ruling conservatives celebrated winning the most votes, but failed to keep their majority in parliament. And, leftwing parties are refusing to join in a coalition. Spain has been roiled by a backlash over austerity, and by unemployment that tops 20 . The countrys stock market dropped 3 today on the election outcome. Ifill back in this country, gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood for the first time in nearly 30 years. The food and Drug Administration ended the ban today, saying its not needed to prevent the transmission of the aids virus. The new policy still bars donations by men who have had sex with other men within the previous 12 months. Woodruff and wall street managed to recover a little of its losses from last week. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 123 points to close above 17,250. The nasdaq rose nearly 46 points, and the s p 500 added 15. Ifill still to come on the newshour u. S. And nato troops killed in afghanistan. Democrats divided over how to fight isis. Why health care coops are shutting down. And much more. Woodruff now, afghanistan, and the deaths of six americans, amid a renewed taliban offensive. It happened near bagram air field, outside kabul, when a suicide bomber drove a motorcycle into a joint u. S. Afghan patrol. Woodruff the bagram attack was even worse than this one last august when three American Security guards died in a Suicide Attack in kabul. And, it came just three days after secretary of Defense Ash Carter was in afghanistan. We have made gains that will put afghanistan on a better path. More work lies ahead, and the National Security of both our nations remains very much at stake. But we will succeed. The talibans advances in some parts of the country, even if only temporary, underscore that this is a tough fight, and its far from over. Woodruff indeed, taliban fighters are pressing the afghan army hard, across the country. In late september, the militants managed a three day takeover of kunduz, a provincial capital in the north. And now, Government Forces are falling back in Helmand Province in the south. Officials there say the taliban seized the strategically important sangin district last night. More than 90 Afghan Soldiers were killed there in two days of fighting. But some, at least, still sounded defiant. translated the operation is going on by Afghan Security forces in this area. The enemies cannot defeat us, we have a strong resolve to defeat them and defend our country, afghanistan. Woodruff and, theyll have american help for a while longer. Two months ago, president obama reversed course and announced some 5,500 u. S. Troops will stay in afghanistan beyond 2016. Woodruff late today, defense secretary carter said the bagram attack is a painful reminder of the dangers u. S. Troops face in afghanistan. And, in a related development, the u. N. Security Council Voted unanimously today to extend sanctions against the taliban for 18 months. For more on the situation in afghanistan, we turn now to freelance journalist Sune Engel Rasmussen in kabul. I spoke with him a short while ago. Woodruff thanks very much for joining us. How did this suicide bomber get close enough to these american troops to kill them . What happened . ni the american troops were carrying out a patrol on foot close with a unit after National Police and as theynr were walkig the suicide bomber drove up to them on a motor bike with explosives and detonated and killed six american shareholders is what were hearing and injured another three and injured three afghan police. So it didnt seem that difficult for them to get very close because they were walking on foot. Woodruff is it common for the u. S. And other n. A. T. O. Troops to be so vol dmecial that way so close to this big air base . I dont know how vulnerable they were becaus but i know thef conducting patrols, not u. S. But other nations. And this is somethingco they wil probably continue to do as mart of the train and advise and assist missions as they go out with afghans and assist them on the ground. Woodruff we know there are Something Like 9,800 u. S. Troops in afghanistan right now. Whatni isni their mission right . Is it to defend . Is it to go after the taliban . How would you describe it . co well, n. A. T. O. nr and the u. S. Train and advise and assist missions, training the Afghan Security themselves. Advising, on the ground the forces as they try to retake the districts in southern provinces, and assists which is a little more difficultnrnrco g÷nrnrnriy what that is but that is,ni fori example,coni j fighting undergrd along afghan conduct their own operationnr bs theyco are also carryingnr airstrikes and fighting a counterterrorism mission. That sometimes is what the rest of us define as counterinsurgency where they go out where there is terrorism. Woodruff i ask because i think americans dont hear as much about whats going on in afghanistan. You mentioned helman province in the south. The taliban is putting up quite a serious fight there, arent they . They have been quite a while now. The taliban launched what they call the spring fighting season in the spring that has been going pretty much continually since then for almost a year now. It hasnt been as bad as weve seen in the past 48 hours now. The provisional capital in now as it hasnt been at any point during the car. Managed to take a lot of districts surrounding the capital and ive seen a recent u. S. And u. K. Forces to help out helman and secure the province. Eventually the afghanis will have to take control of security themselves, but the regular and special Afghan Forces are quite competent in fighting now. Woodruff well, very tough, especially as we get so cles to christmas. Sune engel rasmussen, we thank you. Youre welcome. Ifill and it is time for politics monday, following a busy campaign weekend. Political director Lisa Desjardins catches us up, starting with the strong contrasts that emerged in saturdays democrat debate. Reporter the democrats walked in ready to talk security. Topic one how to fight the Islamic State. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton argued the u. S. Must move syrian president Bashar Alassad out. We will not get the support on the ground in syria to dislodge isis if the fighters there who are not associated with isis, but whose principal goal is getting rid of assad, dont believe there is a political, diplomatic channel that is ongoing. We now have that. Reporter but clintons main rival, vermont senator Bernie Sanders, said any focus on assad is a distraction. Yes, of course assad is a terrible dictator. But i think we have got to get our foreign policies and priorities right. The immediate it is not assad who is attacking the United States. It is isis. Reporter that was an opening for former Maryland GovernorMartin Omalley, a distant third in the polls, to take his own swipe at clinton. I believe that we need to focus on destroying isil. That is the clear and present danger. But we shouldnt be the ones declaring that assad must go. Reporter even as her fellow democrats differed with clinton, some republican candidates agreed with her approach. On cbs face the nation sunday, florida senator marco rubio called for helping Syrian Rebels oust assad. The argument that assad, and we have no vested interest, and hes not an enemy of america is wrong. For example, assad is the reason why theres a refugee crisis. Reporter and in a Youtube Video today, another antiassad candidate, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, again stressed the issue, even as he dropped out of the race. Im suspending my campaign but never my commitment to achieving security through strength for the american people. Reporter of course, security was not the only topic at saturdays debate. Candidates talked wall street as well. Should Corporate America love Hillary Clinton . Everybody should. I have said i want to be the president for the struggling, the striving and the successful. But i also want to create jobs and i want to be a partner with the private sector. Hillary and i have a difference. The c. E. O. S of large multinationals may like hillary. They aint going to like me and wall street is going to like me even less. Reporter but the two rivals did have a moment of detente on news that the sanders staff had accessed secret clinton data. Not only do i apologize to secretary clinton and i hope we can Work Together on an independent investigation from day one i want to apologize to my supporters. This is not the type of campaign that we run. I very much appreciate that comment, bernie. It really is important that we go forward on this. Reporter the debate drew more than eight Million Viewers on the saturday before christmas. Thats less than half the number that tuned in for the primetime g. O. P. Showdown last tuesday. For the pbs newshour, im Lisa Desjardins. Ifill to talk more about this, of course, is our politics monday panel amy walter of the Cook Political Report and joining us from new hampshire, tamara keith of n. P. R. Tamara, youre on the trail, so well start with you. Lets say farewell today to Lindsey Graham. What did he or not bring to this race . Lindsey graham was the hawkish candidate on defense, he also was in favor ofco comprehensiveb 78aj reform, including a path toninr citizenship, whichni is basicaly not what primarynininrwc buying on the republicancuu this timea5a and i just have a quick story from o9 about ani monthconini ago, i wao cover a donald trump event at this hotel, and thenr line to gt into zt]i9co event around the hotel. I walk into the hotel restaurant, and Lindsey Graham is sitting alone in the restaurant basically surrounded by a line of people going to see donald trump. I had that,0n happen with ger patakinzinr9 sitting in a big restaurantnr alone in a big moment. The candidate that came in to be in the race is the covenant that wont be the nominee but at least wanted to inject these issues into the debate. Were talking a lot about immigration and National Security but not necessarily in the ways Lindsey Graham would like republicans to be talking about them. Ifill perhaps he has a couple of supporters in North Carolina who can be of help to other candidates. Absolutely. Ifill lets talk about the debate, the interesting moment where Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton kissed and mate. I think it was a smart decision for Bernie Sanders campaign to stop the controversy before it began. It started late friday where the dnc said were cutting off access to the Bernie Sanders campaign to our joint voter file database because there is evidence his campaign accessed Hillary Clintons data and may be holding on to it now. It got a little dramatic. They since have worked things out. Its not completely over at this point, but i think it was smart for the Sanders Campaign and sanders himself who positioned himself as honest and authentic and just come right out and say, listen, i apologize, its not who we are. Lets go talk about the issues we know hepts to talk about and come into equality. Ifill lets talk about what the candidates and his staff says because there was harsh rhetoric exchanged among the staff that wasnt as sweet as apple pie that happened between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders on stage. The harsh rhetoric was in full force in the spin room before and after the debate. Information, just because the candidates out on stage said, sorry and i accept, more or less, just within the last hour i got an email from Sanders Campaign manager, a new statement, calling on the Clinton Campaign to support that independent review. So the Sanders Campaign isnt really letting this go, and i think this Clinton Campaign isnt letting it go either. The remarkable thing about the Sanders Campaign is that campaign got access to and took data that wasnt theirs and they have remarkably turned it around and mad