Sreenivasan and we remember john glenn, the first u. S. Astronaut to orbit earth, who became a National Hero and senator. Woodruff all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. And by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. Supported by the rockefeller foundation. Promoting the wellbeing of humanity around the world by building resilience and inlusive economies. More at rockefellerfoundation. Org Carnegie Corporation of new york. Supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of International Peace and security. At carnegie. Org. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. 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 nation marks the passing tonight of a major figure of the 20th century. John glenn was the First American to orbit the planet, and the oldest person ever to go into space. He passed away today at a hospital in columbus, ohio, at the age of 95. President obama joined in an outpouring of tributes, saying that john glenn showed theres no limit to the heights we can reach together. Well have a full report on his life later in the program. Now, to the president ial transition. Word of john glenns passing in columbus, ohio, came shortly before donald trump arrived in the city on an alreadyplanned trip. It followed more moves to fill out his cabinet. Lisa desjardins begins our coverage. Reporter the president elect trump left new york and the transition behind this afternoon, and stepped onto his plane to visit columbus, ohio, to meet with and First Responders to last weeks ohio state stabbings. We just saw the victims and the families. Really these were brave people, amazing people. The police and First Responders were incredible. Reporter this evening, its iowa, where hell continue on that thank you tour after in stops North Carolina and ohio in the past week. All that, and more news on his cabinet. Mr. Trump formally announced scott pruitt, oklahomas attorney general and opponent of Climate Change regulations, is his choice to head the Environmental Protection agency. And late today that andy puzder, will be the labor secretary nominee. He was an early supporter of and fundraiser for candidate trump, hes also been we know hes critical of the Affordable Care act, and that he opposes raising the federal minimum wage, saying it would mean fewer jobs. What are we doing if were locking young americans, 16 to 24 year olds out of the labor force . Thats a very, very serious problem at the moment and increasing the minimum wage is just exacerbating it. Reporter this means mr. Trump now has named choices for from chief of staff, to treasury secretary, to u. N. Ambassador. That group shows a few initial trends nearly half have been business executives, including four who are billionaires. A third, are current elected officials. And so far, the proposed cabinet is twice as many men as women. Also today another chapter in that deal that mr. Trump struck with the Carrier Corporation to keep jobs in indiana. Local union leader chuck jones, in indianapolis, questioned how many jobs the president elects claim that he saved 1,100 jobs. He said its more like 800 really saved. So ive been in a lot of negotiations as a union representative, so i would have to assume that he either knew the precise numbers, or most certainly shouldve. Reporter but on twitter mr. Trump sharply questioned jones ability to fight for workers. Elsewhere, the president elect did win a significant fight today, over Green Party Candidates jill steins recount push. Last night, a judge halted the effort in michigan saying stein received too few votes to force a recount. As for and a Hillary Clinton sighting the former democratic this is not exactly the speech at the capitol i hoped to be giving after the election. Reporter the former democratic nominee appeared at the u. S. Capitol for at her first public event postelection the unveiling of a portrait of Outgoing Senate minority leader harry reid. For the pbs newshour, im lisa desjardins. Sreenivasan in the days other news, the 114th congress scrambled to finished its business. The house okayed a bill to fund the government through next april, ahead of a deadline tomorrow night. It includes Disaster Relief for louisiana and other states, and aid for flint, michigans contaminated water system. Theres also a waiver for retired general james mattis to serve as defense secretary, even though hes been out of the military less than seven years. Before the vote, lawmakers on both sides complained about the process, and the result. I truly hope that in the near future we can stop lurching from cr to cr and return to regular order for the sake of our national security, our economy and the well being of all americans. However at this point, this is our best and only path forward. We cannot go down a path of missed opportunities and just roll over and not speak out and say this isnt the best that we can do for the American People. And we owe them much better than this bill. Sreenivasan the bills passage in the senate is still threatened by a fight over Healthcare Benefits for retired coal miners. But the Senate Overwhelmingly gave final approval to a defense policy bill today. It again bars closing the prison at guantanamo bay, cuba, and grants a pay raise for the military. Woodruff Senate Minority leader harry reid delivered his final speech to the chamber today. The nevada democrat recalled growing up in a tiny town outside las vegas, and ultimately joining the senate, 30 years ago. He also looked forward, speaking about the future of the body. I would hope that everyone would do everything they can to protect the senate as an institution. As part of our constitution, it should be given the dignity it deserves. I love the senate. I dont need to dwell on that. I love the senate. I care about it so very, very much. Woodruff new york senator Chuck Schumer will take over as minority leader, when the new Congress Opens next month. Sreenivasan in syria, heavy fighting raged in eastern aleppo today as Regime Forces pushed ever deeper into rebelheld districts. Gunfire and the pounding of air strikes echoed across the besieged city. Government troops have now retaken more than three quarters of the rebel areas. President Bashar Alassad rejected further truce offers today, but russia said u. S. And russian officials will meet saturday to discuss the situation. Woodruff the city of paris spent a third day under emergency restrictions, in the face of its worst winter pollution in a decade. A haze hung over the french capital, and half of all cars were barred from traveling in the city, while Public Transportation was free. But many drivers ignored the curbs. translated i dont know if it is unique to parisians or its all the french, but people are a bit selfish. They like to take their own car when the trend would be take small buses, as you would in other european capitals. Woodruff the haze contains Dangerous Levels of very fine dust that can cause Heart Disease, lung cancer and various breathing ailments. Sreenivasan back in this country, Life Expectancy has declined for the first time in decades. The centers for Disease Control and prevention reports someone born last year is projected to live 78 years, nine and a half months. Thats a month less than for someone born a year earlier, and its first drop since 1993, when the aids epidemic was raging. Researchers cite a rise in deaths from Heart Disease and other leading ailments. Japan leads the world in Life Expectancy, at nearly 84 years. Woodruff the u. S. Surgeon general warned today of growing ecigarette use by the nations teenagers. Vivek murthy said vaping could create a new generation of kids addicted to nicotine. Ecigarettes were initially pushed as a safer alternative for adult smokers. Its already illegal to sell them to minors, but there is no Scientific Consensus yet on the risks or advantages. Sreenivasan and on wall street, stocks pushed to new highs, again, as a postelection surge continued. The Dow Jones Industrial average gained 65 points to close at 19,614. The nasdaq rose 23 points, and the s p 500 added four. Still to come on the newshour a major shift at the evironmental protection agency, soon to be run by a climate skeptic. Inside a military camp where women are training for combat roles, and much more. Woodruff now, more on todays nomination of Oklahoma Attorney general scott pruitt to head the e. P. A. We start with a little background on the man. A leading critic of the e. P. A. , now in line to take its helm. As Oklahoma State attorney general since 2011, scott pruitt has called for rolling back the agencys efforts on Climate Change, and other rulemaking. In a statement today, he said the American People are tired of seeing billions of dollars drained from our economy due to unnecessary e. P. A. Regulations. Not surprisingly, his selection drew harsh words from a number of democrats. Some of these folks only qualifications for the job that they have been appointed for is that they have attempted to dismantle and undermine and destroy the very agencies that they are now hoping to run. Woodruff but pruitt is in sync with president elect trump on a range of issues including his skepticism about manmade global warming. Writing in the National Review this year, he said that debate is far from settled. Scientists continue to disagree about the degree and extent of global warming. In fact, the vast majority of scientists agree that human activity contributes to global warming. All this underscores questions about whether a Trump Administration will refuse to abide by the paris accords on Greenhouse Gas emissions. Pruitt has also vigorously fought the e. P. A. s clean power plan, which set unprecedented caps on Carbon Pollution by power plants. And, hes repeatedly sued the agency, on the clean power plan, as well as limits on methane emissions and other regulations. Transition Spokesman Sean Spicer defended pruitts approach on the newshour last night. It is a very big difference to care about whether or not were toting to the agenda of the far extreme left that is a jobkilling, regulationtype agenda that wants to put businesses out of business, or people who actually care about the environment and whose goal is clean air, clean water, making sure that we preserve our Natural Resources. Woodruff one issue in the confirmation hearings may be oil and gas industry contributions to pruitts campaigns. A New York Times investigation in 2014 found that pruitts office sent letters to the e. P. A. And president obama that were largely written by Energy Industry lobbyists. Pruitt, in turn, defended his right to ally with what he called private sector players that shared his views. We get two reactions to the nomination now with scott segal. He advises clients on energy, the environment and Natural Resources at bracewell, a law and Government Relations firm serving the oil and gas industry. And rhea suh, is president of the Natural Resources defense council, an Environmental Advocacy group. And we welcome both of you to the news hour. Scott segal, is mr. Pruitt a good choice . Well, you know, hes done a wonderful job as attorney general of oklahoma. Its a complicated job that hes had to perform. Its a resourcerich state. It has a lot of its own environmental statutes as well as a good track record on enforcement of federal statutes. He has had to balance not just his desire to limit federal authority under a policy of federalism, but he also balances that with a much larger shop that defends Consumer Protection in the state of oklahoma and even argues against the Major Power Companies making sure that rate structures are appropriate. So he has a very balanced record as far as both Consumer Protection and working on regulations. Ive seen him in action. Hes a smart guy. Hes articulate. And i think hell do a very good job at e. P. A. Meaghan woodruff rhea suu told us you were alarmed when you heard he was chosen. Its pretty shocking to have someone nominated to lead the Environmental Protection agency, literally the name, the Environmental Protection agency, pretty much defines what this Government Entity is responsible for. Its responsible for the oversight and the enforcement of our collective environment and protections of our collective environment for all of us. To have somebody chosen that not only doesnt believe in the ability of the agency to enforce those things, as is evidenced by the multiple lawsuits that he has issued against the e. P. A. , but doesnt believe basically in the sanctity of that Government Agency and protecting its public trust responsibilities for all americans is quite disturbing. Woodruff , well, scott segal, does mr. Pruitt believe in the mission of the Environmental Protection agency, to protect the environment . He absolutely does. In fact, hes the senior Law Enforcement officer for the state of oklahomas Environmental Protection statutes, so he absolutely does believe it. What he does believe in addition to that is a Firm Commitment to the rule of law. And frankly, some of the very regulations that have been referenced so far, whether its the clean power plants or power plants or whether its the definition of waters of the waters of the United States have been such a departure from past precedent and what the statutes actually say at e. P. A. That in both cases those rules have been stayed and attorney general pruitt has been part of those stays. That tells me that he will keep a watchful eye on whether e. P. A. Does activities that are consistent with their statutes. And if that is the case, then we all win in the long run, because we want to have an executive agency that actually abide by the law. Their regulations will stay many place longer and they will be more predictable and they will end up protecting the American People. Meaghan all right, rhea suh, if thats the kind of thing hes going to do, what worries you . Well, thrufl are a whole host of things that worry us. Number one, again, this agency is responsible for protecting public health, so these are decisions that are made every day, both in terms of policy as well as in terms of enforcement that affect the daily lives of people. So whether its industries that are not held to account or whether its Climate Change, i think biggest of all policy opportunities that this administration will have, instead of taking the mantle and really seeing the authority and the responsibility associated with these jobs, we see this individual walking in and turning it 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Woodruff we just heard mr. Segal refer to power plants and water. If there is a scaling back of regulations in these areas, why isnt it still possible to at least carry out some or a large part of what you see as the mission of the e. P. A. . Can there be a middle ground is what im asking . Well, thank goodness that the middle ground i believe is the law and the statutes of the land. Theres a variety of different laws that are in place designed to protect clean air, clean water. The thing that is quite worrisome about this nominee in particular is that he has gone after those underlying statutes and questioned the very legitimacy of us as a community as a nation to have the right to things like clear air and clean water some make no mistake about it, in terms of radicalism, this is something that we have never quite seen before in the Environmental Protection agency. Woodruff scott segal, suh and others in the Environmental Community are worried that mr. Truth will undo the bulk of what. In other words the heart and soul of these regulations and the d