Involving a u. S. Ship in just two months. 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 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 people gathered across the country for a historic event today, a total eclipse of the sun in a 70 mile wide band, crossing from the pacific to the atlantic coasts. With special eyeglasses or homemade boxes, tens of millions looked to the sky to witness a sight not seen in most peoples lifetimes. Our science correspondent, miles obrien, was in idaho to watch for us and in partnership with our colleagues from the pbs program, nova. Miles gets us started and then, he and William Brangham discuss the days celestial and earthly events. Reporter it is the first coast to coast american eclipse in a century. Millions had front row seat for a celestial minuet of moon and sun. We got to charleston yesterday morning and came up because this was in our path and we could come and when you can, you should, so we came to see the eclipse because its a onceinalifetime deal. Id never seen an eclipse so i figured this was my chance since i was so close to chicago. Reporter beneath a 70mile wide path from salem oregon to charleston, South Carolina day turned to night for two minutes or more. It thrilled the public and the experts alike. Williams college astronomer Jay Pasachoff was among them. He has traveled the world for years chasing eclipses. This is his 66th. No one has seen more. Pasachoff is drawn by the beauty, and the scientific opportunity, when the moon appears to swallow the sun. And then this white corona appears all around you. Its dark and its just a wonderful experience to have. And theres great science that you can do. Only on the days of eclipses do we see the corona appear, and so we want to take advantage of that as much as possible. Reporter understanding the suns corona is a priority for scientists. Among the mysteries why is it hotter than the surface of the sun itself . But there are practical reasons as well. Sometimes, the corona breaks free of the suns Magnetic Field, causing a coronal mass ejection billions of tons of hot plasma moving at 2,000 miles per second. Normally, the earths Magnetic Field deflects most of the highly charged particles. But every now and then a large coronal mass ejection can overwhelm our defenses disabling satellites and causing power outages. Bill murtagh is among the scientists watching this space weather for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in boulder, colorado. The biggest event they ever saw came in 2012. And this is what we saw. All of a sudden that flare occurs, the eruption occurs and that blast was tremendous. Very big. Very, very fast. Reporter fortunately, it did not hit earth, as it would have caused widespread power outages. A total eclipse is one way scientists try to better understand coronal mass ejections. We would love to improve our capability to predict. If we can better model what the Magnetic Field might look like within an eruption, then we would be in a great place. Reporter nasa and the European Space agency have sent several craft to study the sun over the years. The next big mission, the parker solar probe, is slated for launch next august. It will fly through the corona itself gathering data. But no spacecraft can match the Teaching Opportunity provided by a total Solar Eclipse which occurs when the earth, moon and sun are perfectly aligned, so the moon blocks the suns light. The moon is 400 times smaller than sun. But also 400 times closer to the earth. So from our vantage point, they seem to be the same size. But this happens rarely because the moons orbit is tilted five degrees. And it is ellipical, so sometimes it is too far away to completely obscure the sun, causing a so called annular eclipse, with its distinctive ring of fire. The last total Solar Eclipse visible in the continental United States happened in the northwestern corner of the country in 1979. Of course, jimmy carter was president back then. That eclipse was in the northwestern u. S. , ideally suited for washington state. This time around, washington, d. C. Wasnt a bad place to watch. President trump did so, briefly forgetting to put on protective glasses before he finally did the right thing. William . So, miles, you were there in the actual shadow cast by the moon on the face of the United States. For those of us who were here outside that shadow, what was it like . You know, william, ive never seen the total eclipse of the sun before. This is my First Experience with this. Weve all seen the pictures in the films. The experience of being in it is surreal. Its the combination of all the senses that are involved, the temperature dropping. The light becoming this ethereal kind of blue and suddenly darkness at noon for a brief period of time. I stopped looking through the willedders glass and looked at what was the sun, this disk with this amazing aura around it, and i was truly gob smacked, i was at a loss for words. We all the were so advanced and evolved, but i think it appears to us in a fundamental, lining oflympic brain place, its difficult to put into words but spectacular. I understand you were with a unique brand of scientists. It was like the knackings of astronomy here. People from five nation here. Some operators of planetariums, some professional astronomers, some astrophysicists, some doing science here. What i like about covering science in general is it affords opportunity that bring us together. We live in a time when things that bring us together seem to be in short supply. So it was really nice to see us in this particular place come together and really in many respects the country kind of savor this moment together. Brangham you reported how crucial this day was for science. I was wondering why do we have to wait for an eclipse to do these measurements . Cant we put a filter on the telescopes or devices to measure the sun . Why do we have to wait for the moon to block it . You can cover the sun with your thumb right and maybe get the same thing. Doesnt work that way. Its important to have something in space that does the blocking because the atmosphere gets in the way of the science. If you have something coincident ri, the moon being 400 times smaller than the sun yet 400 times closer makes it a perfect distock occult the sun creating the clean view of the corona which you likely cant get unless youre in space. So this is an opportunity for science. There are probes that have gone to the sun and will go to the sun that will get all other types of science but this gives scientists a great opportunity to further understand the corona and its behavior. The last one was in the late 1970s. Today was an historic event for the u. S. Whens the next chance we might have to get a garden at Something Like this . April of 2024, seven years away. By quirk, this is happening, roughly, as we said, about every 18 months, that eclipse happens somewhere. Any given place observe the planet, the odds are one in 65 years you will see a total eclipse. Put that into the rubrics cube and you get another american eclipse from texas into pennsylvania, new york and maine in seven years time. I havent done this one and seen it in person. I can tell you, william, if im around, i will be there seven years from now to see it in person. Brangham fantastic. We are always grateful for our miles obrien especially on days like today. Thank you so much. Youre welcome, ewilliam. Woodruff stay with pbs for novas special eclipse across woodruff and remember to stay with pbs tonight for novas special, eclipse across america. In the days other news, here on earth, Spanish Police shot and killed the fugitive suspected of plowing a van through a crowd in barcelona last week. They caught up with Younes Abouyaaqoub about 30 miles west of barcelona. Police said the 22yearold moroccan was wearing a fake bomb belt when officers confronted him and opened fire. translated the continuation of the investigation can be extended to but the 12 people that we have always referred to in the cell have been all accounted for. Now we can say the 12 people that were part of the group are all dead or detained. Woodruff the death toll rose to 15 today, in the barcelona attack and one that occurred hours later. The count includes a man stabbed to death by the fugitive who was killed today. Theres been yet another car ramming attack in europe, this time in marseilles, france. Police say a man drove a van into two bus stops about three miles apart today. One woman was killed. The driver was captured later. Officials say the suspect has psychological problems, and theyve ruled out terrorism. The u. S. Fired a new diplomatic broadside at russia today. The American Embassy in moscow stopped issuing nonimmigrant visas for eight days, and three u. S. Consulates stopped indefinitely. The move could affect hundreds of thousands of wouldbe russian tourists. In moscow, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov denounced it as a bid to stir discontent. translated my First Impression is that the american authors of this decision have embarked on another attempt to provoke the displeasure of russian citizens with the actions of russian authorities. This is a famous logic. Its the inertia of the Obama Administration in its purest form. Woodruff the visa action is retaliation for moscows order that the u. S. Cut diplomatic staffing in russia by hundreds of employees. The us and south korean militaries began annual war games today, amid heightened tensions with north korea. Some 17,500 u. S. Troops are taking part in the drills. They began with computer simulations of a north korean invasion. Back in this country, at least eight people were killed and more than 50 others injured in chicago over the weekend, in a new spate of shootings. The Chicago Tribune reports the violence unfolded in a 13 hour period ending sunday evening. The city has recorded more than 450 homicides this year. Theres word the secret Services Budget is stretched to the brink, again. Its partly because agents have to protect 42 people under the Trump Administration, up from 31 under president obama. The director says some one thousand agents have already hit salary caps for the entire year. He says its been a recurring problem in recent years. A los angeles jury has ordered johnson and johnson to pay 417 million to a woman who says talc in baby power caused her ovarian cancer. The company says theres no scientific basis for the claim, and it plans to appeal. Hundreds of similar lawsuits are pending nationwide. On wall street today, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained 29 points to close at 21,703. The nasdaq fell three points, and the s p 500 added two. And, finally, from london, the famed clock tower big ben chimed its last today, for the next four years. bells chiming big ben had been in Service Since 1859, but now, its undergoing renovations that will keep it mostly silent until 2021. Still to come on the newshour the navy wants answers, ordering an investigation after another warship accident this year. A drought threatens to turn off the eternal citys renowned fountains. From the newshour bookshelf, a witty novelist capturing the humor and drama of middle age, and much more. Woodruff since inauguration day, the Trump Administration has been deliberating over what to do about the war in afghanistan. Tonight the president will address the nation and reveal changes to that policy. The u. S. Has almost 10,500 troops there now. More than 2,400 americans have died and more than 17,600 have been wounded since the u. S. Invaded afghanistan after 9 11. And tens of thousands of afghan civilians and military personnel have been killed. For afghans, President Trumps announcement cant come soon enough. Special correspondent Nick Schifrin starts our coverage. Reporter in afghanistan this weekend, an anxious country celebrated its independence day. Security was extremely tight. The government controls only half the country. Over the last couple years, violence has increased, stability has decreased. And the Afghan Government says it still needs the United States. Hopefully there is one day we will be a good partner without having any troops in afghanistan. But for the time being, it is necessary. Reporter Mirwais Yasini is the first Deputy Speaker of afghanistans lower parliament. In 2009, he ran for afghan president. He speaks for many here when he asks President Trump to increase us troops. We would like to have a steady and continuous war against isis particularly, and taliban. Ambiguity is costing us. And we are paying, and International Security is paying, the prices for the delay of the strategy which is coming out of the white house. Reporter for months, the Trump Administrations been debating its policy. Nowfired Senior Advisor steve bannon advocated withdrawal, or replacing troops with private contractors. President trumps expected to reject that plan and endorse a four to 5,000 troop increase advocated by military advisors with long histories in Afghanistan National security advisor h. R. Mcmaster, who as Brigadier General was tasked to fight afghan corruption. Chief of staff john kelly, a former fourstar whose son First Lieutenant robert kelly died in afghanistan. And defense secretary james mattis, who led troops on the ground during the afghan invasion. Theyve teamed up with current commander general john nicholson, who just yesterday painted an apocalyptic picture if the u. S. Abandoned afghanistan. If we were to fail, it would unleash waves of migration in the millions around the world. If we were to fail, it would embolden jihadists globally to putting some more firepower back in can make a huge difference at the right time and at the right place to be successful. Reporter from 2011 to 2013 general john allen was the u. S. Top Commander in afghansitan. Last year he campaigned against donald trump, for Hillary ClintonHillary Clinton will be exactly, exactly the kind of commanderinchief america needs. Reporter but today hes backing President Trump if he increases troop numbers. Heres an opportunity for President Trump to make decisions that can put us on the road to the success hes looking for. Reporter allen and the president s military advisors say deploying more troops that are better integrated and have no departure date can turn the tide, and help push the taliban to the negotiation table. You can get a lot more out of 5,000 if theyre properly positioned, to train and to advise and if we resource this properly, and we resource it in the context of both time and the right kinds of individuals we can be successful. Reporter as a civilian, donald trump disagreed. Between 2011 and 2013, he wrote at least 11 tweets criticizing the Afghan Government and urging president obama to withdrawal. We should leave afghanistan immediately, he wrote in march 2013. No more wasted lives. If we have to go back in, we go in hard quick. Rebuild the u. S. First. That skepticism is shared by retired lt. Col. And former National Security council staffer doug ollivant. What is this magic powder, this secret sauce, this new idea that youre going to do with this new 4,000 troops that you werent doing when we had almost 100,000 troops in country . And if it didnt work with 100,000 troops, why do you think its going to work now . Reporter ollivant used be a Senior Advisor in eastern afghanistan advocating for more troops. But today he and other critics advocate leaving a small number of u. S. Assets to ensure Afghan Government stability, and to facilitate counterterrorism, and otherwise, to withdrawal. Finally pulling the band aid off will hurt. But are the policy options going to be any different from 10 years from now . 15 years from now . The best tribute we might be able to give to someone who died in afghanistan is not to have another generation of children die in afghanistan. Reporter many afghans acknowledge while the country has made great strides, major parts of the u. S. Policy have not worked. But they do not want the u. S. To abandon them. And they urge the president not only to increase u. S. Troops, but somehow help fix the government. Problems that have long plagued the Afghan Government a lack of resources, and endemic corruption. My advice is to support the people of afghanistan economically. Financially, the corruption. Fighting against the corruption is not less important than fighting against the terrorism. Reporter its been 16 years since the u. S. Invaded afghanistan. President trumps hoping his decision can prevent what hes complained about his s