On tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by love me tender love me true we can like many, but we can love only a precious few. Because it is for those precious few that you have to be willing to do so very much. But you dont have to do it alone. Lincoln financial helps you provide for and protect your financial future, because this is what you do for people you love. Lincoln financial youre in charge. Md anderson cancer center. Making cancer history. Bnsf railway. Xq institute. 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 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 republicans in the u. S. House of representatives are going to investigate the f. B. I. s inquiry into Hillary Clintons email practices. They announced today that f. B. I. Director james comey will testify tomorrow on why he recommended no criminal charges be filed. Attorney general Loretta Lynch will be called before the Congress Next week. We will focus on the reasoning behind the f. B. I. s decision, later in the program. A republican gun and antiterror bill has run into trouble in the house. It bars gun sales to anyone on a terror watch list if prosecutors can prove probable cause of a potential crime. Some 40 members of the Freedom Caucus came out against it today, even though the National Rifle association endorsed a similar bill in the senate. That leaves House Speaker paul ryan without the votes to pass the measure for now. We have members from both sides of the aisle who want to make improvements, who want to make changes to the bill. We want to make sure we get it right. The last thing were going to do is rush something to the floor that we dont have right. And again, this matters to us. This is the constitution. This means we get this right. We do not want to violate a citizens due process rights. Woodruff meanwhile, House Democrats called again for much stronger gun legislation. Congressman john lewis of georgia spoke at a capitol rally today. We cannot give up now. We cannot be patient. We have come to that point where were trying to say to members of congress, all of our members, you must do something you must act, and act now. Not tomorrow, but now woodruff democrats staged a sitin on the house floor last month, but so far, speaker ryan has turned aside their demands for votes. A longawaited report today painted a damning picture of britains march to war with iraq in 2003. The governmentcommissioned probe found that the legal basis for military action was far from satisfactory; it concluded that britain joined the war effort before all peaceful options had been exhausted; and, thenprime minister tony blair overestimated his ability to influence u. S. Policy. But blair today stood by his decisions obviously, some of the intelligence has turned out to be wrong, the planning wasnt done properly, i have to accept those criticisms. I accept responsibility for them, but i think people want me to go one step further, and this is my problem. Its a very fundamental problem and i know it causes a lot of difficulty, even with people who might support me otherwise. They say, no, we want you to apologize for the decision. I cant do that. Woodruff british combat forces left iraq in 2009, after losing 179 dead. In syria, the military announced a unilateral, threeday truce to mark the end of the muslim holy month of ramadan. State tv showed syrian president Bashar Alassad at Prayer Services in homs. Government forces recaptured the city earlier this year. Rebel groups said fighting continued elsewhere. A judge in south africa sentenced Paralympian Oscar pistorius today to six years in prison, for murdering his girlfriend in 2013. The double amputee could have gotten 15 years. Pistorius stood silently in the court in pretoria, as a judge handed down the sentence. She called him a fallen hero. Back in this country, a Congressional Commission reports the Veterans AffairsHealth Care System is still plagued by profound deficiencies. It finds quality of care differs widely, and veterans still face long waits. The findings come two years after revelations that v. A. Officials falsified paperwork about wait times. And european markets slipped again, amid concerns about britain leaving the e. U. , but wall street made modest progress. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 78 points to close at 17,918. The nasdaq rose 36 points, and the s p 500 added 11. Still to come on the newshour protests break out in baton rouge after video of another Police Shooting emerges; whats driving the president to keep more troops in afghanistan; a deeper look at the Legal Standard used in the clinton email investigation, and much more. Woodruff the u. S. Justice department has opened a civil rights investigation into another Police Shooting this time in baton rouge, louisiana. Yesterday, 37yearold alton sterling was confronted and shot by an officer responding to a disturbance call. The citys police chief said sterling had a gun at the time. But a cell phone video that caught part of the altercation and was widely viewed on social media led many to ask whether the shooting was justified. Here is some of what was seen. And a warning the video is graphic. Woodruff at a press conference today, the mother of one of Alton Sterlings children, spoke of his death. It will not go unnoticed. Especially for the future. I, for one, will not rest, not allow him to be swept in the dirt. Woodruff the two officers involved in the incident are now on administrative leave. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called the video disturbing and said he has a very serious concern. Kevin litten is covering the story for the timespicayune. Kevin litten, tell us exactly what is known about what happened to alton sterling early tuesday morning. Hi, judy. So what we know now is that alton sterling was in a parking lot of a Convenience Store in north baton rouge, its a welltraveled area both night and day, and someone called the police and said that someone was threatening in that parking lot with a gun, when Police Responded they made contact with mr. Sterling and an altercation ensued. From what you can see on the video, they apparently had mr. Sterling on the ground and, during that altercation on the ground, shots were fired at mr. Sterling, and he died very soon after of his injuries. Whats unclear right now is whether or not mr. Sterling actually did have a gun. Theres a witness report that said police removed the gun from him, but at a press conference later today, the police would not confirm whether he had a weapon. So i believe its going to be a key part of the investigation that the f. B. I. Is looking at. The other thing we learned today is theres some questionable video from the body cameras that the police had. There is questions about whether or not its actually going to be able to be used. Apparently both officers lost the body cam or it fell off during that altercation, but we obviously had the video that you just showed, and that is what is really driving much of the anger in this city. Woodruff and just quickly, youve done some reporting about alton sterling, his life, who he was . Yeah, i just got back from meeting with someone who runs a transitional housing complex thats, many times, for offenders that are being released from prison or trying to get back on their feet. So my understanding is mr. Sterling was a sex offender. He had been released for about six months. But he was on the right track. The person i spoke to said mr. Sterling was one of the good ones and never had issues with him, was always on time, loved to cook for the men he lived with, red beans and rice was his favorite dish to cook, and was good to his children. Sounds like in the six months he had been released, he was working a parttime job as a cook, selling c. D. S as a side entrepreneurial gig and in the other time he had, he was trying to see his kids. As you can see from the emotional reaction from his son in the heartbreaking press conference today, there was a closeness he was able to to have with his children and he wanted to stay on the right track to continue to be a part of their lives. Woodruff kevin litten with the New York Times picayune, we thank you. Thank you. Woodruff our nations longest war just got longer. The Obama Administration had hoped to cut the number of u. S. Service personnel in afghanistan, currently 10,000, in half by the end of the year. But today, the president said increased threats will put the number at 8,400. We have to deal with the realities of the world as it is. We cant forget whats at stake in afghanistan. This is where al qaida is trying to regroup, this is where isil continues to try to expand its presence. If these terrorists succeed in regaining areas and camps where they can train and plot, they will attempt more attacks against us. We cannot allow that to happen. Woodruff Hari Screenivasan is in our new york studios to explore why this decision was made and what it means. Sreenivasan and we get that from seth jones, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the rand corporation. Hes written extensively about the afghan conflict, and has served as an advisor to the special Operations Forces commander in afghanistan. So, seth, the difference between the numbers, 8400 to 5500, why the decision now . Well, i think it reflects a bit of a collaboration between the military which wanted higher numbers the numbers came down from just under 10,000 they wanted those roughly the same or close to that, and the president which had asked for about 5,500 or so. This largely meets up somewhere in the middle. Didnt go down to the levels the military feared but gives the president an argument politically that he continues to end the u. S. Involvement in the war. Sreenivasan whats the difference in real practical terms . If we have another couple thousand troops on the ground in different parts of afghanistan, what does that mean to Afghan Forces . I thinkest issue is if the u. S. Had gone down to 5500, it would have been mostly kinetic operations, strikes against al quaida, taliban. With the numbers, 8400, theres some ability to train, advise and assist Afghan Forces in the field, giving the military more wiggle room to train Afghan Forces out in the field and back in their barracks. Sreenivasan this isnt what the military wanted, so does that end up compromising the end goal here to get the Afghan Forces standing up as fast as possible . Well, look, i think this is one of many factors. This is about a number of forces. Trr a lot of other things, the posture of u. S. Forces, which forces to put in whether special or conventional. I think at this number, it does allow the u. S. To do some trainingadvising, some strikes against the taliban, but a lot of this will be outside the u. S. s control, its going to be about the quality of the Afghan Government and thats something the military wont be able to control. Sreenivasan and havent we recently loosened the restrictions on what American Forces are allowed to do if theyre engaged in combat with the taliban or other torses. Restrictions in two senses, one is who the u. S. Can target on the ground for a while. It was largely just al quaida forces. The u. S. Loosened that a couple of months ago to include Islamic State operatives mostly in eastern afghanistan and now also to include some senior taliban officials and we saw that with the targeting of mansour recently. There is also changes in what the u. S. Can do in putting forces on the ground in combat area. Reporter this is tailored to help afghan force. Is there something official our troops are engaged in when it comes to Training Afghan military forces . The commandos and special forces, having this number more than the 5500 the president initially said he wanted to get down to the end of 2016, does allow him to tailor some of the training to the highend forces that will be important in case the taliban try to storm, take and hold a major afghan provincial or even district capitol. Sreenivasan the geopolitical aspect, this comes before the n. A. T. O. Summit. The timing is good, just before warsaw. This sends a message to americas n. A. T. O. Allies that the u. S. Is going to be committed at roughly decent levels through the next administration and there are german forces, for example, operating in northern afghanistan, italians in the west. Theyre going to keep their forces roughly the same numbers with the u. S. Commitment, now. Sreenivasan and also, lets take a look at the counterweight here. The president says that this should indicate to the taliban that w that really is only wy through this, leaving forces on the ground. The negotiations are in an infant stage, not a lot of serious discussions like in a lot of other conflicts. Its not clear if well get to this end. Only a quarter of insurgencies end by settlement, the u. S. Would like it to end this way clearly, but we have to get to a stalemate before a settlement. Sreenivasan how much is the shadow of iraq looming over these decisions especially in the last few weeks and months when weve seen such incredible violence in iraq . I think theres no question that the shadow of iraq hangs over afghanistan. The u. S. Decision, sort of black and white, to pull out forces in 2011, and then what happens after that with the Islamic State state takeover of mosul and other places, i think the u. S. Is operating more cautiously in incrementally pulling out forces so as to not take too much risk. Sreenivasan seth jones from the rand corporation. Thanks so much. Thank you. Woodruff there is some breaking news this evening related to Hillary Clintons handling of emails attorney general Loretta Lynch will follow the f. B. I. s decision to not pursue criminal charges. She said in a statement i received and accepted their unanimous recommendation that the thorough, yearlong investigation be closed and that no charges be brought against any individuals within the scope of the investigation. While that appears to put an end to the prospect of legal action, Lisa Desjardins reports on the political fallout. Reporter candidate Hillary Clinton was out stumping for the presidency on the jersey coast today. But the democrat was still taking heat for her time as secretary of state. This morning, House Speaker paul ryan slammed the f. B. I. Decision to not recommend charges in its investigation probe of clintons private email use, suggesting the democrats nomineetobe not get classified briefings. I was on the ticket in 2012. After the convention, you get the full deep classified information as part of transition, as part of being a nominee. I think, the d. N. I. , clapper, should deny Hillary Clinton access to classified information during this campaign, given how she so recklessly handled classified information. Reporter he was asked, did clinton get preferential treatment . Ill let everybody be the judge. Looks like it to me. Reporter f. B. I. Director james comey is also in republicans sights the House Oversight committee quickly set up a hearing for tomorrow where comey will testify about the email case. Attorney general Loretta Lynch will appear before another panel next week. Republican president ial hopeful donald trump pressed the issue on the trail in north carolina. I always felt that Hillary Clinton would escape criminal charges for her dangerous and illegal behavior. Because i always knew, and i always see, and its so sad, that our system is in fact rigged. Its totally rigged, okay . Reporter as for team clinton, their day today was spent on offense bidding to move the focus off the email story. Part one of her game plan, expanding proposals on student loans. In a statement, clinton said she is taking a page from Bernie Sanders in proposing to make public universities tuitionfree for most american families. Part two of her pivot to offense, confronting trumps Business Record headon, in a place he knows atlantic city. Were standing in front of old trump plaza and casino. Trump once predicted itd be the biggest hit yet. Now its abandoned. Its fair to ask since hes applying for a job. What in the world happened here . Reporter but as clinton and her campaign fired off their broadsides, trump responded right away in kind he issued a statement saying it was common practice to use bankruptcy proceedings to. Ultimately save jobs. And he continued nobody understands the economy like i do and no one, especially not crooked Hillary Clinton, will do more for the economy than i will. Meanwhile, theres one fewer person on trumps possible v. P. List the man he campaigned with last night, tennessee senator bob corker, took himself out of the running. And amidst all this, Bernie Sanders met today behind closed doors with democrats in congress, pushing to chang