Frankly i did my time, i did it like a man, i paid the price and the law says i can run and im running. Sreenivasan those are some of the stories were covering 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. 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 and. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. We begin with the secret service. Director pierson offered her resignation today because she believed that it was in the best interest of the agency to which she has dedicated her career. Sreenivasan from White House Press secretary josh earnest, the official announcement this afternoon, pierson offered to resign, and the president accepted. Over the last several days, weve seen recent and accumulating reports raising questions about the performance of the agency, and the president concluded that new leadership of that agency was required. Sreenivasan just yesterday, pierson, a 30year secret service veteran, had apologized for security lapses before a house panel yesterday. This is unacceptable and i take full responsibility. Sreenivasan pierson was called to account for a series of revelations, that in 2011, it took four days for the secret service to realize shots had hit the white house. That last month, a fencejumper made it deep inside the mansion. But the directors apology and her answers left lawmakers from both parties cold. I wish to god you protected the white house like youre protecting your reputation here today. Sreenivasan after the hearing ended, came a new report, that two weeks ago, while the president was in atlanta, a private Security Guard with a gun and a record of assault and battery got on an elevator with him. In an interview with Bloomberg News today, pierson said i think its in the best interest of the secret service and the American Public if i step down. Its painful to leave as the agency is reeling from a significant security breach. Sreenivasan meanwhile, also in washington, gonzalez appeared in federal court, his lawyer entered a not guilty plea to charges that he entered a restricted building with a deadly weapon. For more on the pierson resignation, we turn to Carol Leonnig of the washington post. Shes broken several major stories on the secret services lapses, and she joins us now from the posts newsroom. The scales as of this morning, the white house seems to still express confidence in her. Why did she resign . Well, if you saw the white house previousing, josh earnest was asked sort of pointedly that exact same question, and he was asked, was this because lawmakers had increasingly sort of lost confidence in her after her pretty unremarkable performance on the hill yesterday . And he said, no, the president had concluded we needed an agency change in leadership as a result of, you know, these recent and accumulating accounts of bad performance in the agency. I mean, you have to think about all the things the president has been learning in the last couple of days. One, the details about how a shooting at his home was fumbled by the secret service in 2011. The fact that he got on an elevator with an armed Security Guard who had not been checked by the secret service and had a criminal history, unbeknownst to them. And that a fence jumper actually made it a lot further into the house than the director of the secret service had told anyone, including in a criminal complaint about that fence jumper. Sreenivasan will it be enough . Will the resignation be enough . Whats the reaction been from lawmakers . Well, certainly, lawmakers think her resignation is a step in the right direction most of the ones i talked to today. But i think if youre a secret Service Agent or officer what, youre looking for is that second part of the press release, which is the toptobottom review of the agency. I mean, this is an agency with this amazing, elite reputation of yore, that has really taken a bruising an because of these security lapses. And the agents who love it and work for it dutifully want it to be fixed as much as anybody who was on capitol hill and on that oversight committee. They want to see Higher Quality leadership. They want to see intensive training. I dont want any more complacency. They want to see staff thats exrenserate with all the added chores that the secret service has received since 9 11. They they are lookinged for to the challenge of doing this job well and returning their focus to the core mission. Sreenivasan briefly, what do we know about joseph clancy, the man in the interim seat . Yes, ive interviewed a few people who worked with him and know him well. They described him as genteel, lovely, a real gentleman, a conflict of order, somebody who really likes to be around others and is not going to rock the boat. Hes going to be a very good cared taker until a permanent replacement is found is what ive heard from folks who knew him. Sreenivasan all right Carol Leonnig from the washington post, thanks so much. You bet. Sreenivasan in other news of this day, texas officials announced more than a dozen people, including children, could have had contact with an ebola patient now hospitalized in dallas. The man contracted the disease in liberia, but was not diagnosed until after he arrived in texas on september 20th. Well have a full report and talk to the head of the center for Disease Control in just a moment. But first, todays other headlines. The ebola news helped fuel a selloff on wall street. Airline stocks were hit hard over fears that people will be worried about flying. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 238 points to close at 16,804; the nasdaq fell 71 points to close at 4,422; and the s p 500 slipped 26, to 1,946. In syria, twin car bombings struck near an Elementary School in the city of homs, killing at least 32 people. Officials said at least ten children died in the first blast, when school was letting out. The second bomb exploded as parents frantically searched for their sons and daughters. To the north, activists reported Islamic State militants beheaded nine kurdish fighters captured near kobani. The victims included three women. A car bomb in baghdad today killed 15 iraqis and wounded 40 more. It was the latest in a continuing surge of violence that left more than 1,100 people dead in september alone. The United Nations reported that number today. It does not include killings in areas held by Islamic State fighters. A nearly monthold ceasefire in ukraine did little to stop the fighting in donetsk today. Rebel forces closed in on the city airport and a few miles away, at least ten people died when shells struck a minibus and nearby school. No children were killed, but glass lay everywhere after the attack as students and adults emerged from basement shelters. Each side blamed the other for the attacks. Crowds of protesters are still building in hong kong, with leaders now threatening to storm government buildings. That came today as china marked its national day. Lucy watson, of independent television news, is in hong kong. Reporter their hong kong, their protest, and their vision for democracy which continue to surge through this city. And these are the faces of this uprising, young outnumbering the old. Their commitment to this campaign spanning night and day on the day that celebrated the founding of communist china. The flag raising hong kongs protesters jeered at. And their cause fascinates, but baffles mainland chinese tourists, but inspires others. Kenny woo traveled here just to support it, but doubts its success. Its difficult to succeed when faced with the communist party, he says. Mainland chinese wouldnt do this. Theyre too scared to tell the truth and protest. Unlike here, where unity has become power, and so many want to be involved. And tonight those numbers strengthened. 150. 000 people have turned out today. All believing a compromise is possible. And its a tactical move, to keep these demonstrators peaceful. Yes, it makes beijing uneasy. But if china wants to be considered a real global superpower, how can it possibly respond to polite protest with extreme violence while the world watches . Lee jaw ren is a chief organizer and a man with a clear agenda. We may escalate our action to try to, you could say, occupy more places. Reporter so this campaign has direction. A new wave of actions planned. As resolve hardens. Sreenivasan in washington, the visiting Chinese Foreign minister said what happens in hong kong is chinas business and no one elses. He warned all countries should respect chinas sovereignty. The death toll rose again today in japans volcano eruption. Its now 47. Military rescuers used helicopters today to recover more bodies near the peak of mount ontake. They found victims buried in ash, and caught between boulders. The volcano erupted in ash and smoke on saturday, with no warning. Back in this country, a federal Appeals Court blocked parts of north carolinas new voting law. Saying it is likely to dis enfranchise black voters. The republicanbacked law eliminated sameday Voter Registration during early voting. It also banned any ballot cast outside an assigned precinct. Republicans said they will appeal the ruling. Today marked one year since the launch of president obamas Online Health insurance marketplace. Healthcare. Gov at first received a mountain of criticism from congress and the public for glitches and long wait times. But, as of august, 7. 3 Million People were enrolled for coverage. The next open enrollment starts next month. Still to come on the newshour. The head of the c. D. C. On containing ebola in the u. S. The stalled Israeli Palestinian peace process. Chicagos push to get more low income students enrolled in college. Paul ryan on how republicans can tackle poverty. Buddy ciancis bid to come back as mayor of providence, rhode island after spending time in prison. And, a renowned poet remembers the wild energy of his departed son. Sreenivasan we further explore the efforts to contain and deal with the first case of ebola diagnosed in the u. S. Officials sought to reassure americans there are systems in place to control its spread even as dallas braced itself for the possibility of a second case and the fact that more people could have been exposed. The ebola patient at texas presybterian hospital in dallas was identified today as thomas eric duncan, a liberian visiting the u. S. Officials also announced that five schoolchildren are among 12 to 18 people who came in contact with duncan, and they are now being closely watched. Texas governor rick perry. These children have been identified and they are being monitored. The disease cannot be transmitted before having any symptoms. Sreenivasan not much is known about duncan, except that he traveled from liberia with a stopover in brussels, belgium, on september 19th flew on to dallas the next day. Under screening policies at many west african airports, he was checked for signs of fever before boarding in monrovia, but wasnt sick then. Then, six days after arriving in dallas, he went to an emergency room with a fever and was sent home. Two days later, he returned and was admitted. Since his arrival on friday he was not vomiting or having diarrhea and therefore there was no exposures. So we really think there is very little likelihood any Health Care Worker was exposed on friday and certainly virtually zero exposure starting sunday. Sreenivasan ambulance workers who transported duncan tested negative for ebola, but theyre now under quarantine. Doctors say theyre tracking all of duncans movements but state Health Officials say dallas is equipped to stop ebolas spread. This is not west africa. This is a very sophisticated city, a very sophisticated hospital and the dynamics are so significantly different than they are in west africa that the chances of it being spread are very, very, very small. Back in liberia, some 2000 people have already died from the disease, with thousands more infected. The chief of the u. N. Mission there appealed again today for help. The world is absolutely not doing enough yet. We are still challenged to outrun the disease. And as long as the new cases continue to increase the way they are, as long as we look around and dont see spare bed spaces in ebola treatment units, we know we arent winning yet. Ebola needs to be tackled here or it will be on everyone elses doorstep, and the texas case shows us this. Sreenivasan u. S. Navy engineers have now Broken Ground on a new ebola facility in liberia to house 25 patients. Doctor tom frieden is the director of the centers for Disease Control. The governments top point person on all of this. And he joins me now for the latest. And local officials are saying there is a possibility that a second person. Is that confirmed . Absolute not. Were in the early stages of the investigation. This is going to be a very intensive set of work. Today, our team on the ground interviewed about 100 workers at the hospital to really parse out were people exposed, and if so how, so that we can make sure we have a roster of everyone who was exposed and then track each one of them for 21 days to see if they become ill. Sreenivasan so tracking is not the same as quarantine, except while we were watching the videotape those ambulance workers are not under quarantine now . The details really have to be worked out locally. Our general approach is to say if someone has been exposed, they need to check their temperature twice a day. We would check their temperature at least once a day, and then if there are any symptoms at all they need to be isolated immediately. But the bottom line here is we know how to stop ebola. We have two things in this country that they dont have and they need in west africa. One is good Infection Control in Health Care Facilities so it doesnt spread there. And the second is good core tried and true Public Health find contacts, trace them, monitor them. If theyre sick, isolate. You do those two things you can stop ebola and thats what im confident will happen here. Sreenivasan also about those five children that were reported to have had contact with the person thats infected. Any idea how we monitor thaem that and all the people that those children might touch . Very important point to be clear about. If someone is exposed to a person with ebola, they cannot spread it to others unless they get sick. And until they get sick. So even if youve been exposed, if youre not sick, youre not shedding the virus. You cant make other people sick. Sreenivasan okay, so one of the things weve been hearing consistently is that there is this travel thats happening outside of countries, outside of west africa, why not theres a bunch of questions we had on facebook why do they continue to let people travel back and north . Sthnt there be restrictions until at least the situation is under control in africa . How do you control it . First off, months ago we recommended americans restrict nonessential travel. But paradoxally, if we were to isolate the from others, thats actually going to increase risk to the rest of the world. You have to think it through for a minute top to get there you have to fly. To fly, you have to have airlines going and coming back. If people there feel theyre isolated from the rest of the world, theyll leave more. Both within countries and between countries if we try to seal borders were going to do more harm than good. Were going to spread the disease more than we stop the spread of it. This is something shoos thats very important to understand. Its crucial to isolate patients but isolating communities or countries is counterproductive. Sreenivasan when youve isolated this patient now who is in the u. S. And when you have increased the depth of your dive on who he has touched what, are pieces of information youve learned now . It will be days as we interview others and follow and get more information until we know how many people really might have been exposed. We take kind of a concentric circle approach who are those who really did have a lot of contact who are going to need to be very careful to monitor . Who are those who might have had the slightest of contact, but out of an abundance of caution were going to also monitor. Thats something we will will be going through. Sreenivasan what kind of treatment . With ebola, even without experimental medicines there is a lot that can be done to improve the patients outcome by providing fluids and balancing their electrolights, that kind of intensive care that gets provided. Were really hoping for his recovery but last we heard he was quite sick. Sreenivasan we heard he might have come in contact with as many as 100 people . Is that true . I have not heard that number. There are a lot of rumors, rumors about cases, rumors about contacts. Lets take things one step at a time. What we know is we have one patient with ebola in the u. S. He is being cared for in a hospital in isolation. Were going to identify who might have had contact with him and well have that information over the next day or two. Sreenivasan given the kinds of laws of probability and the number of people who are traveling aircraft all over the world, is it statistically likely there might be others, whether theyre coming to the United States or elsewhere . I think with what were seeing in west africa, with many thousands of cases, it is highly likely that well see ebola in other parts of the world, particularly neighboring countries or other parts of africa, even if you were to stop flights and thats not being done but even if you were, people travel. They travel by various routes, overland. Borders are porous. They have sometimes citizenship in multiple countries. So this idea we can somehow seal it off is not going to work. We have to recognize the way to keep ourselves safe is to help stop the outbreak there. Thats most effective in fact thats the only way were going to ensure that were safe.