Unlivable wages and working conditions. Ifill and Vice President joe biden hangs out with Hari Sreenivasan on google plus to talk about gun violence. Make your voices heard. This town listens when people rise up and speak. Ifill thats all ahead on tonights newshour. Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by and by the alfred p. Sloan foundation. Supporting science, technology, and improved Economic Performance and Financial Literacy in the 21st century. And with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. 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. Brown the u. S. Military has a new order of the day working up plans for putting women on the front lines. The process was set in motion today at the pentagon. Not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. But everyone is entitled to a chance. Brown with that, defense secretary leon panetta joined by the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, general Martin Dempsey announced hes ending a 1994 ban on women in combat roles. As secretary, when ive gone to bethesda to visit wounded warriors, when ive gone to arlington to bury our dead, there is no distinction thats made between the sacrifices of man and women in uniform. They serve, theyre wounded and they die right next to each other. The time has come to recognize that reality. Brown nearly 300,000 women have deployed over the past 11 years in iraq and afghanistan, where the frontlines arent so clearly drawn. And 152 have died there. Todays decision opens up some 230,000 battlefront positions to women, many in army and marine infantry units. Commanders will have to decide whether women will be eligible for elite forces, such as the navy seals and the armys delta force. Let me be clear were not talking about reducing the qualifications for the job if they can meet the qualifications for the job then they should have right to serve, regardless of creed or color or gender or sexual orientation. Brown the move drew wide praise from womens groups and others. But one former member of delta force, now with the conservative Family ResearchCouncil Called the move another social experiment. Jerry boykin, said in a statement that commanders will now have the distraction of having to provide some separation of the genders during fast moving and deadly situations. Is it worth placing this burden on small unit leaders . I think not. Panettas announcement followed a house hearing yesterday on Sexual Misconduct in the military. A recent study found that in 2012 alone there were some 800 reported incidents. But general dempsey said ending the ban on women in combat will make a difference. When you have one part of the population that is designated as warriors and another that is designated as something else, i think that disparity begins to establish a psychology that in some cases led to that environment. I have to believe the more we can treat people equally, the more likely they are to treat each other equally. Reporter the decision comes nearly two and a half years after the repeal of another ban dont ask, dont tell which barred gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military. Ifill for more on how this came together, and what comes brown still to come on the newshour confirmation hearings for secretary of state nominee john kerry. Chinas growth bubble. And an online fireside chat with Vice President biden. But first, the other news of the day. Heres Hari Sreenivasan. Sreenivasan president obama announced his nominees today to run two key financial regulatory agencies. He tapped Mary Jo White to chair the securities and exchange commission. Shes a former federal prosecutor in new york, with a long record of prosecuting financial fraud and other white collar crimes. If confirmed by the senate, i look forward to committing all of my energies to working with my fellow commissioners and the extremely dedicated and talented men and women of the staff of the s. E. C. To fulfill the agencys mission to protect investors, and to ensure the strength, efficiency, and transparency of our capital markets. Sreenivasan the president renominated Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial protection bureau. The former Ohio Attorney general has held that position for the last year, but his temporary appointment will expire in december. We understand that our mission is to stand on the side of consumers our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters and see that theyre treated fairly. For more than a year weve been focused on making Consumer Finance markets work better for the American People. We approach this work with open minds, open ears, and great determination. Sreenivasan the president initially used a recess appointment to put cordray in the job, to get around Senate Republican opposition. Senate leaders agreed today on a plan to limit the use of filibusters, at least somewhat. The new limits will reduce how many times filibusters may be used, and restrict the time spent debating bills and nominations. Some democrats wanted to go much further, saying minority republicans have abused the filibuster. Republicans said thats because theyre frequently blocked from trying to amend bills. Millions of americans from the midwest to new england endured another day of bitter temperatures, as an arctic cold wave refused to let go. Hardy skiers in New Hampshire braved subzero wind chills that extended from upstate new york to northern new england. And several midwestern states had to shovel out from lake effect snow. Some of the most severely affected were on staten island, new york. People whove had no heat since Hurricane Sandy last october spent the night in tents with propane heaters. Britain, the netherlands and germany are warning their citizens to get out of benghazi, libya. The alert today cited an the city. The alert today cited an imminent threat to westerners in the city. There were no specifics, and the u. S. Embassy in libya said it had nothing pointing to threats against americans. The u. S. Ambassador to libya and three other americans died last september when islamist militants attacked the u. S. Consulate in benghazi. North korea declared today it will conduct a Third Nuclear test, defying newly expanded u. N. Sanctions. The announcement came two days after the u. N. Security Council Condemned the north for a longrange rocket test last month. In response, the norths top governing body the National Defense commission issued this statement, on state t. V. translated we do not deny that a variety of satellites and longrange rockets will be launched. One after another and a nuclear test of a higher level which will be carried out by it in the upcoming allout action, and a new phase of the antius struggle that has lasted century after century will target the us, the sworn enemy of the korean people. Sreenivasan there was no word on when or where the next rocket launch, or a nuclear test would take place. In washington, a white house spokesman said the north korean statement was needlessly provocative. In syria, fighting raged around the outskirts of damascus, as rebels pressed to cut a key road from the capital city to its main airport. Government planes and artillery also blasted rebel positions in a suburb to the southwest. Its near a key military air base and government ministries. Meanwhile, president Bashar Al Assad was seen publicly for the first time in two weeks. State t. V. Showed him attending a religious ceremony honoring the prophet muhammeds birthday. An american who helped plan the deadly 2008 attacks in mumbai, india has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison. David headley scouted out the targets for islamist militants from pakistan. The assault killed more than 160 people, including six americans. Headley could have gotten life in prison, but federal prosecutors in chicago asked for a more lenient sentence, citing his cooperation. The United Nations opened a special investigation today into drone warfare. It will focus on civilian casualties resulting from strikes aimed at suspected terror cells. Under president obama, the c. I. A. Has stepped up drone attacks, especially in pakistan. Britain and israel also use the unmanned aircraft. The u. N. Report is due in october. In economic news, firsttime claims for Unemployment Benefits hit a fiveyear low last week. If that trend continues, it could signal a better job market. And on wall street, the Dow Jones Industrial average gained 46 points to close at 13,825. But the nasdaq fell 23 points to close at 3,130. Those are some of the days major stories. Now, back to gwen. Ifill president obamas nominee for secretary of state senator john kerry took the first step toward Senate Confirmation today. Newshour Congressional Correspondent kwame holman reports. Reporter for john kerry, it was a day long in coming. The diplomats son, veteran senator, and former democratic president ial nominee has been considered a potential secretary of state for years. Youve almost lived your entire life for this moment. Reporter indeed, kerry first appeared before the Senate ForeignRelations Committee in 1971, as a vietnam veteran challenging senators over the war. We cannot fight communism all over the world and i think we should have learnt that lesson by now. Reporter now, the massachusetts democrat chairs the committee, and he warned today that the u. S. Must put its fiscal house in order, to lead in the age of an emerging china and the arab awakening. It is urgent that we show people in the rest of the world that we can get our Business Done in an effective and timely way. Every day that goes by where america is uncertain about engaging in that arena or unwilling to put our best foot forward and win, unwilling to demonstrate our resolve to lead is a day in which we weaken our nation itself. Reporter as secretary of state, kerry would face the thorny issue of iran and its nuclear program. He said today he is totally committed to enforcing sanctions. We must resolve the questions surrounding Irans Nuclear program. The president has made it definitive; we will do what we must do to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And i repeat here today our policy is not containment. It is prevention. And the clock is ticking on our efforts to secure responsible compliance. Reporter kerry also pointed to the civil war in syria and lamented a missed opportunity. He had met with president Bashar Al Assad back in 2009. I remember president assad said to me, i have 500,000 kids who turn 18 every year, and i dont have a place to put them; i dont have jobs for them; i need to be able to change whats happening here. And, you know, clearly, thinking down the road, you know, he wanted to try to find some way to reach out to the west and see if there was some kind of an accommodation. History caught up to us. That never happened. And its now moot because he has made a set of judgments that are inexcusable, that are reprehensible and, i think, is not long for remaining as the head of state in syria. Reporter republican senator john mccain supports the kerry nomination. But he again criticized president obama for not taking stronger action against the assad regime. We are sowing the wind in syria, and were going reap the whirlwind. And that whirlwind will be the increased presence of alqaida and islamist groups, which are now flooding into syria, as you know. And we can do a lot more without putting american boots on the ground, and we can prevent this further slaughter and massacre and inhumanity. Otherwise, we will be judged very, very harshly by history. I have complete understanding of where youre coming from on this and knowing your frustration and know what youre trying to say about it. What i think everybody worries about, john, is that if you have a complete implosion of the state, nobody has clear definition of how you put those pieces back together, number one. And number two, you have a much greater risk with respect to the chemical weapons. Now, thats why i want to get in and see what the contingency plans are because i cant measure risk without having a sense of whats on the table. Reporter kerry also fielded pointed questions about another cabinet nominee former republican senator chuck hagel tapped for secretary of defense. Tennessee republican bob corker voiced concern about hagels support for reducing u. S. Nuclear weapons by 80 . The president has nominated he was part of a group called global zero, and for those of us who care deeply about our Nuclear Arsenal and modernization and that type of thing, some of the things that were authored in this report candidly are concerning. I will say this. I know chuck hagel, and i think he is a strong, patriotic former senator, and he will be a strong secretary of defense. Reporter there were no doubts expressed about kerrys own qualifications or his prospects. His confirmation to succeed Hillary Clinton at state is considered a virtual formality. Brown and we look at the kerry nomination and Foreign Policy challenges hell face with two men whove served as National Security adviser to the president. Zbigniew brzezinski held that position with president carter. Hes now a counselor at the center for strategic and international studies. Stephen hadley served under president george w. Bush. Hes currently a Senior Adviser at the United States institute of peace. Welcome to both of you. First Zbigniew Brzezinski your thoughts on john kerry as nominee for secretary of state . I think hes an absolutely topnotch choice. Very good. Experienced, solid energetic with a broad vision and with a strong focus on trying to stabilize those parts of the world that are especially dangerous. I think hes practical intelligent well informed. Brown Stephen Hadley . Hes in a way spent his whole life preparing for this job and its good he did because he takes in the a very challenging time and i think hes going to have a lot of challenges before him. I think one of them is to prioritize where hes going to put his time. Brown well you know he spoke about the economy getting the economy right first and foremost. He said more than ever Foreign Policy is economic policy. Did that sound right to you . I think thats right and i think this is a man whos grown up really, in the political military side of Foreign Policy and National Security and i think one of the challenges will be for him to recognize that the economic instrument in trade is really very important. If you look at asia, the coin of the realm in asia is trade and economics and, you know if were going to have a rebalancing toward asia it needs to be an economics and trade overwhelmingly. So hes got i think, a real opportunity to help lead the administration in using all of our instruments for National Power influence particularly economic and trade. Brown what do you think i mean, i know what you think about we talked about this in your last book about the need for economic thinking i guess changing the way we think about the world. But do you think that the administration has understood that well . I think obama understands it. I think obama understands that were in a new age. If you will the 20th century was a century of struggle for hegemony. And that involved direct political contests military power. We are now in an age in which struggle for hegemony makes no sense its more whether we can establish enough stability in the world that we can deal with global problems. In that context Economic Health is the point of departure. Its also the point of departure for Global Support for the United States and respect for the United States. Brown when he brings up Climate Change though through security, thats what hes talking about . Exactly. But i do suspect as a practical matter hes going to be more preoccupied with potential strategic challenges. In the middle east first of all and that involves a whole gambit of issues in our relations with china, potentialfully our relations with russia and the growing problem of how do we structure an Effective Alliance with europe. And these the kind of issues that require a lot of patience and intelligence and a good team my last point is i think i now see a single team in the area of Foreign Affairs headed by the president. With his new choice for chief domestic advisor who happens to have been in the n. F. C. For the last four years then with mr. Don len, with mr. Kerry with mr. Hagel and mr. Brennan thats a cohesive team. So now weve had two teams, a White House Team and the secretary of states team. This is now a single team. I think its going to be focused much more on those needed challenges. Brown well, the team but also the particular challenges its facing because we can talk about the domestic economy but trouble