Deep level because its a part of history that has been overlooked, you know . This is more important than anything ive done in my career. Stewart all that and more on tonights pbs newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by lincoln financial is committed to helping you take charge of your 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 inclusive 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. Stewart the director of National Intelligence says he has very high confidence that russia hacked Democratic Party computers in a bid to interfere with the u. S. Election. James clapper spoke at a Senate Hearing today, with admiral mike rogers, of the National Security agency. He also addressed president elect trumps criticism of u. S. Intelligence agencies. Who actually is the benefactor of someone who is about to become the commander in chief trashing the Intelligence Community . I think there is an important distinction here between healthy skepticism, which policy makers to include policy maker number one should always have for intelligence, but i think theres a difference between skepticism and disparagement. Stewart clapper confirmed that president obama has now received a final report on the issue. Meanwhile, it was widely reported that former indiana senator dan coats is the president elects choice for the next director of National Intelligence. Mr. Trump also walked back from his criticism of intelligence agencies. He tweeted woodruff in turkey a senior official says police are closing in on the gunman who killed 39 people at an istanbul nightclub on new years eve. The deputy Prime Minister said today hes likely a member of the muslim uighur minority in china, and part of a specialized terror cell. Meanwhile, in iraq new bombings killed at least 27 people today in baghdad. Stewart the Obama Administration released four more prisoners from guantanamo today. Thats despite president elect trumps vow to keep the military prison open. Those released were from yemen, and had been held more than 14 years, but never charged. They were sent to saudi arabia. 35 inmates remain at guantanamo. Woodruff the battle over the fate of obamacares had president elect trump firing barbs today at Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. In a series of tweets, mr. Trump criticized democrats in general, and branded schumer, the head clown. The new york senator answered, during a morning news conference. Id say to the president elect and the republicans, that this is not a time for calling names, its time for them to step up to the plate if they want to repeal and show us what theyd replace it with. Woodruff Vice President biden also commented, youll see that shortly in our interview. Meanwhile, House Speaker paul ryan said today that republicans plan to act this year on both repealing and replacing the president S Health Care law. Stewart an assault in chicago that was live streamed on facebook drew National Attention today. Police charged four black suspects with hate crimes against the mentally challenged white male. The video showed the victim being threatened with a knife and shoved down. He was later beaten and forced to drink from a toilet. As the attack progressed, the assailants yelled obscenities about whites and president elect trump. Woodruff president obama is touting progress on criminal Justice Reform during his tenure and urging more. He wrote about it today in the harvard law review, and said mr. Obama served as the law reviews first black president , in 1990. Stewart on wall street today big banks and Department Stores struggled, but online retailer amazon surged. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost nearly 43 points to close at 19,899. The nasdaq rose almost 11 points to a new record close, and the s p 500 slipped a point. Woodruff and, theres word that living near a lot of traffic could make you more prone to dementia. A canadian study found the risk is 7 greater for People Living within 55 yards of hightraffic roads. Researchers say it could come from breathing the pollution in car exhaust fumes. The findings appear in the medical journal the lancet. Stewart still to come on the newshour judys interview with Vice President joe biden, the secret to boosting workers productivity, and much more. Woodruff now to my conversation with Vice President joe biden. We sat down at the white house earlier today and began by discussing the future of the obma administrations signature legislative achievement the Affordable Care act. I dont know whats going the happen. I think as i said last night, it was reported in the press speaking to newly elected members of the house, theyre going to inherit the wind. All the things they say they dislike about the Affordable Care act, theyre all able to be adjusted. We knew when we passed the act that wed have to constantly see how it worked and improve it. For example, making sure that there were more subsidies for young people to be able to get into the Affordable Care act, bringing down overall costs. But anyway, i think theyre going to find when they repeal it, youre going to be reporting on your program on night on pbs about so and so died because they got their insurance cut off it would no longer cover them. Women are paying more than men again for the same insurance. Youre going to find out that preexisting conditions are able to disqualify you or make the cost of insurance prohibitiv, and so theyre going to have. Thats why theyre having a problem now. That have no replacement. Woodruff do you think democrats should work with them . I think democrats should say, look, lets take a look at what you have right now. What dont you like about it . Lets see if we can fix it. Talk to us. Tell us what your ideas are. But this wholesale, the numb disagreement most republicans have is they dont think health care is a right. They think it is a privilege, not a right. We believe health care is a basic right. If youre entitled to an education, why wouldnt you be entitled to Adequate Health care . Period. Woodruff but based on conversations, we know the president , we spoke the president elect trump about this, based on that, what parts do you think may survive . One of the good parts can survive without the funding pieces of it. The part they say they dont like is the funding. There is a reason why. Theres a reason why its constructed the way it is. You cant go to Insurance Companies and say, you know what, were not going to change anything having to do with the pool from which you draw you people. Were not going to do anything, but guess what, you can no longer allow for preexisting conditions and disqualify somebody. They go, oh, okay, how do i pay for that . So, you know, they talk. Its obvious they dont know much about it. Mr. Trumps a good man, but he doesnt know much about the health care system. Woodruff but theyre very serious about undoing it. Oh, theyre very serious about undoing it. So lots of luck. Undo it. See what happens. Woodruff more broadly, the republicans are saying they want to dismantle much of the entire obamabiden legacy, legislation, regulation. What are you most worried they may do . I think theyre kidding themselves if they think they can do away with legislation leading to the progressive values weve built into the law. The public has proved beyond politicians. Im not worried about them repealing protections for the l. G. B. T. Community. The public is beyond that. Im not worried about them being able to change the way in which we have reached out to and provided many more opportunities for women. But heres what does concern me it concerns me that they will make some judgments in the form of policy area without having thought it through that may cause a lot of problems. For example, ukraine of the northern triangle here in the hemisphere or dealing with colombia, unless you are very sophisticated about what your actions or. Let me say it another way. I was asked to go down to australia several months ago to meet with the same Prime Minister but with a no coalition and to make sure that we had close relationship. While i was there i got a call from the president of latvia saying, you have to come to the baltic states, because mr. Trump during the Campaign Said that, you know, they may not protect us against the russians. So words matter. Im not suggesting thats his position, but you have a lot of folks around the world that have relationships with us now that based on some of the rhetoric thats occurred, if they follow through with the rhetoric by nonaction, it could cause serious diplomatic and physical consequences. Thats what worries me. Woodruff youre worried more about Foreign Policy . I am. Woodruff the environment and the rest of it . Look, they will probably do some very rash things relative to the environment, but they again will reap the wrath. The public has proved beyond the position that these fellas have taken. So in the near term, that may happen, but theyll pay a heavy price if they do that. For example, they could come along and decide that theyre not going to have to enforce the clean air standards. They could do that, but there will be a backlash. Woodruff let me ask about the Supreme Court. You chaired the Senate Judiciary committee for eight years. You know very well what it means when the Republicancontrolled Senate sat on the nomination of Merrick Garland to fill that ninth seat. The court sat on it for almost ten months. First time ever. Woodruff thenpresident trump, once he chooses someone, should the democrats do the same thing and oppose and refuse to go along . No. Woodruff or should they think, you need to fill that vacancy on the court . I think. Look, the constitution says the President Shall nominate, not maybe could maybe can. He shall nominate. Implicit in the constitution is that the senate will act on its constitutional responsibility, will give his advice and consent. No one has required to vote for the nominee, but they, in my view, are required to give the nominee a hearing and a vote. Its been my policy since ive been in the United States senate. I have presided over more Supreme Court nominees over anyone living, never once, even the ones ive disagreed with, have they been denied a hearing. So i think the democrats should not take up what i think is a fundamentally unconstitutional notion that the republicans initiated ten months ago. I think they should see who they nominate and vote on them. Woodruff youve seen the list of names that the president elect trump has put out there. Are any of them to you acceptable and are any unacceptable . Im not going to comment. To be honest, i dont know all that hes put out there. Ive been having trouble enough following some other things. So im in the prepared to comment on any one of his nominees. Woodruff come back the Foreign Policy. Have you seen now the report by the Intelligence Community on russian hacking . Yes, i have. Yes, ive read it. Woodruff and . There is overwhelming consensus in the community and overwhelming evidence is up Police Department by the community that russia did engage in an effort to impact on thes. There is no evidence that they atually tampered with voting booths or tampered with voting roles, but there is clear evidence that they, in fact, there were engaged in activities designed to try to impact the outcome of the election. Woodruff evidence of any american cooperation with the russians in doing that . Im not going to comment on that, you easy. I dont want to comment on any of the details. There will be an unclass void version released very shortly, and it will lay out in bold print what they know. Woodruff will the American People learn something new from this . I think it will probably confirm what a lot of the American People think. But it will state clearly that the russians did as a matter of policy attempt to affect and three things, one, it attempted to discredit the u. S. Electoral process by implying that or laying the foundation for it is not on the level. Two, there is evidence that there was an attempt to hurt mrs. Clinton, but there is also evidence that there was wider hacking than some people thought. So the idea that the russians were not involved in an effort to engage in our electoral process is simply not able to be sustained. They were. Woodruff excuse me, in connection with that, the criticism by the president elect of the Intelligence Community in this country, belittling of the Intelligence Community do, you think thats just politics, or do you think its dangerous . Sreenivasan i think its. I hope. Some very smart people like general mattis and others, for a president not to have confidence in, not to be prepared to listen to the intelligence agencies from Defense Intelligence to the c. I. A. , et cetera, is absolutely mindless. Its just mindless. How would you. Now, can you disagree . Can you ask for more detail . Can you question whether or not there is a disagreement among the various intelligence agencies . Thats all legitimate. But the idea that you know more than the Intelligence Community knows, its like saying i know more about physics than my professor. I didnt read the book, i just know i know more. Its not a. Its worrisome. Im assuming it will change. Woodruff if what the russians did is is serious, should there be me retaliation than what the administration has Just Announced . When the question was would we respond to the hacking, over a month ago i said our time and choosing we would. Some of what we did you will know and some you will not know. And weve done both. Things you do not know, and things that are known, like expelling people. Woodruff will we know those things . I hope not. Woodruff syria. Will that go down as one of the administrations great failures do you think . And is the u. S. Now impotent to affect the outcome there . No and in. No and no. It is not a failure. To be failure, you would assume there was an alternative that could have been offered that would have benefited or been in the greater interest of the security of the United States. If you notice, there wasnt anybody in either Political Party everring too about putting troops on the ground. If you notice, there wasnt anybody talking about. There was in plan put forward by anyone that demonstrated that there was a sufficient, coherent, nucleus of democrats with a small d who were in opposition to the assad regime who would, given the requisite training and capability, have the ability to be able to take on both extreme elements of the sunnis meaning al qaeda as well as isis as well as alnusra and take on the assad regime at the same time. So our focus has been the dismantling of the socalled caliphate, the dismantling of isis being able to occupy territory and govern like they were nation state, like they were a government. They have lost enormous amounts of ground, and i predict there will be no such place where they occupy anywhere in syria as well as iraq. The cal fight will have been dismapsled. It will still be a problem, but that has been our focus because that is the greatest exestem cell existential threat. Woodruff assad will still be in power . That remains to be seen. I say that because this needs to be a negotiated sem. Therussians appear to be, in Congress Junction with the turks as well as the iranians, appear to be at a point where they are realizing for their interest, as well, say sad assad being in power indefinitely is not in their interest. Weve been trying the put together the ability to bring a negotiated settlement to think. Its still a reach, but well see. Woodruff looking back to the election, why did Hillary Clinton lose in middle class, working class places like wilkesbarre, pennsylvania, close to where you grew up, and what economic message could have changed the outcome . Well, first of all, im not. Theres false choice being put forward by some democrats now. Either we double down on our progressive values or we go out there and talk about the middle class and the working class. I have never found them inconsistent. They go together. The reason im a democrat is because the essence of the Democratic Party is