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PBS NewsHour | PBS

The Morning Line: The Clash in California
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:02:00 EDT -

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Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican Carly Fiorina sparred Wednesday in an hour-long debate at St. Mary\'s College in California that highlighted their stark differences on issues ranging from the economy and climate change to immigration and abortion.

The Los Angeles Times reports, \"Much of the debate focused on the economy and illustrated the clear choice for voters between Boxer\'s call for greater government intervention and Fiorina\'s advocacy of a bevy of tax cuts that she said would give businesses more freedom to hire and expand.\"

Boxer accused Fiorina of opposing legislation in the Senate that saved the jobs of more than 16,000 teachers. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, said businesses must be \"freed from strangling regulation and freed from taxation.\"

Fiorinia also took direct aim at her Democratic opponent, who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate. \"Barbara Boxer may say she is fighting for Californians but the truth is she is fighting hardest for another six years in Washington, D.C.,\" said Fiorina.

Boxer, meanwhile, targeted Fiorina\'s tenure at HP. \"When she was CEO of Hewlett-Packard, before she was terminated actually, she shipped 30,000 jobs overseas,\" said Boxer, before slamming the multi-million dollar severance package Fiorina received in 2005.

During a round of questioning about Proposition 23, a November ballot initiative that would suspend California\'s 2006 climate change law until the state\'s unemployment rate stays at or below 5.5 percent for a year, Fiorina said she had not yet taken a position on the matter. Boxer responded, \"Well if you can\'t take a stand on Prop. 23, I don\'t know what you will take a stand on.\"

On immigration, Fiorina said she supported giving children who are brought to the United States illegally by their parents and who have lived in the country most of their lives a path to legalization and a chance to pursue high education. Boxer called for comprehensive immigration reform, noting that Fiorina had called such legislation a \"distraction.\"

The debate also covered social issues like abortion, which provided one of the night\'s sharpest exchanges, reports the Times.

\"If my opponent\'s views prevailed, women and doctors would be criminals, they would go to jail. Women would die, like they did before Roe v. Wade,\" said Boxer, a fierce critic of restrictions on existing abortion rights.

Fiorina reiterated her support for overturning the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, but tried to turn the discussion back to the economy. \"The most important issue right now in this election is the creation of jobs,\" she said.

Based on an average of recent polls compiled by Real Clear Politics, Boxer currently has a narrow lead in the race, despite the significant advantage Democrats hold over Republicans in voter registration.

Wednesday\'s debate was sponsored by KTVU-Channel 2, the San Francisco Chronicle and KQED public radio.

HOW MANY COMEBACKS DOES THIS KID HAVE?

A few months back, Bill Clinton bestowed his \"comeback kid\" title on Sen. Blanche Lincoln after she scored a come-from-behind primary victory over Lt. Gov. Bill Halter. The former president is going to try to work his Arkansan magic one more time.

Lincoln\'s campaign announced that Mr. Clinton will be campaigning with her in Little Rock next week to commemorate the one year anniversary of her becoming Agriculture Committee chairman. (An odd thing to celebrate in this anti-Washington campaign year, but Ag clout is still clearly something worth touting in Arkansas.)

However, those heady days in the aftermath of her primary victory in May are far behind. Lincoln is trailing Republican Rep. John Boozman significantly in the polls and is in a race that looks to be increasingly slipping away. Arkansas is a tough state for a Democrat in any year. This year, it may be near impossible.

But that won\'t stop Mr. Clinton from attempting to jump start Lincoln\'s fall campaign season back home. Keep your eyes on his campaign schedule later in the fall. Whether or not his visit on Sept. 8 is his final campaign stop for Lincoln will tell us a lot about where he sees the race heading on Nov. 2.

DUELING CHAIRMEN

The chairmen for the national Democratic and Republican parties are beginning to unveil their core messages, strategies and tactics as we prepare to enter the post-Labor Day crush of the midterm campaign season.

In an interview with the Hotline\'s Reid Wilson, RNC Chairman Michael Steele talked up his plans to spend most of the fall on a bus tour. He\'ll hit the 48 mainland states over the course of six weeks, fundraising along the way.

\"\'In anticipation of the cynics out there, there\'s a huge fundraising component to this trip that will help sponsor the bus, that will help pay for gas,\' Steele said, adding that he\'ll be attending fundraisers for local and state parties and candidates along the way.\"

Steele has been nothing if not controversial while at the helm of the Republican Party. The lackluster cash-on-hand totals at the RNC remains a clear signal to Republican candidates running in tight races across the country that the national party apparatus should not be counted upon as a major component in their strategies.

Facing a far more difficult task this cycle, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine plans to make the morning show rounds next week, as well as a Daily Show appearance. POLITICO\'s Mike Allen takes a look at Kaine\'s fall campaign kickoff.

\"An aide said Kaine plans \'the sharpest contrast that he has made to date on the direction the country would go if Republicans got back in charge.\'\"

And Allen reports that there will be some historical context to Kaine\'s argument.

\"\'He\'ll make a strong case for what Democrats and President [Barack] Obama have done and make an analogy to how often Americans have turned to Democrats for heavy lifting in tough times,\' the aide said.

\"Kaine will invoke President Franklin D. Roosevelt following President Herbert Hoover, President Bill Clinton taking office following a recession and 12 years of Republican rule, and President Harry Truman running against a Republican Congress.\"

FEMA Chief: Katrina Lessons Aid Hurricane Earl Planning
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:47:00 EDT -

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As government officials prepare for the possible landfall of Hurricane Earl along the East Coast, Jim Lehrer speaks with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate about the storm.

JIM LEHRER: And finally tonight: Hurricane Earl. North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland declared emergencies today, as the hurricane approached with winds of 135 miles an hour.

The big storm, seen from the International Space Station, was still 700 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, late today, but evacuations were under way along the exposed Outer Banks.

IAN BUTLER, tourist: We actually were going to stay until tomorrow morning. But when they said that they wanted the visitors to leave today from Hatteras, we decided that the best thing to do for the locals is to get out of the way.

JIM LEHRER: The state\'s beaches were already empty, buildings were being boarded up, and some people worried they were overdue for disaster.

WOMAN: People feel we\'re getting time for -- time for the big one.

JIM LEHRER: Forecasters still expected Earl to turn north as it reaches the Outer Banks late tomorrow or early Friday. The projected track then takes it parallel up the coast. As a result, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for most of the North Carolina coast and a hurricane watch extended to Delaware. The Coast Guard began flyovers along the Eastern Seaboard, warning ships at sea of the coming danger.

MAN: The hurricane will impact the coastal and offshore area.

JIM LEHRER: In Washington, President Obama was briefed by the head of the FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And from Long Island, New York, to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, beach towns began taking in lifeguard stands, while residents stocked up on supplies and marinas went into hurricane haul mode, pulling boats out of the water.

STUART SMITH, concerned about hurricane: We\'re right on the elbow of the cape. It\'s -- it\'s -- we\'re very exposed. We\'re surrounded by water on three sides.

JIM LEHRER: Still, it\'s been nearly 20 years, Hurricane Bob in 1991, since a storm this big threatened so much of the Eastern Seaboard. And today\'s talk of Earl left some coastal residents and visitors unfazed.

EDDIE CANAVAN, skeptic: But, you know, a lot of times, it never materializes, what they estimate is going to happen. It would be a -- a fitting end to a great summer, a little hurricane here at the beach.

JIM LEHRER: Even if there is no direct hit, officials warned Earl will create rough surf and dangerous rip currents through Labor Day weekend.

Craig Fugate is the administrator of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And I spoke with him earlier this evening about Hurricane Earl.

Mr. Fugate, welcome. What\'s the latest you can tell us on the strength and the path of the storm as we speak now?

CRAIG FUGATE, administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency: Still don\'t have a forecast that brings it on shore, but, as Director Bill Read at the Hurricane Center reminds us, it won\'t take much for this storm, if it does go a little bit further towards the east, to directly impact the shore. And that\'s why we\'re already seen, in the North Carolina outer barrier islands, evacuations taking place today.

JIM LEHRER: Is there a worst-case scenario you\'re dealing with?

CRAIG FUGATE: Well, absolutely. If this storm parallels to coast, we could just see impacts along the seaboard, mainly surf conditions and high seas. But if it comes inland, we could expect much more extensive damage, particularly with the high winds and storm surge moving inland, causing a lot of problems.

JIM LEHRER: Now, these evacuations are mandatory; is that correct?

CRAIG FUGATE: Yes. Down in the barrier islands out there on the Outer Banks, what they\'re focused on initially is the tourists that need to leave first, and then the permanent residents. But they wanted to make sure they gave people plenty of time to evacuate, before they start experiencing tropical-force winds, which, based upon the forecast, may be getting there tomorrow afternoon.

JIM LEHRER: Now, beyond evacuations, what other preparations are under way for this?

CRAIG FUGATE: Well, because we\'re not sure where this storm may have the greatest impact, we have been working with all of the governors\' teams from North Carolina all the way to Maine. And we have our teams ready to go in. Our teams are currently in the North Carolina Emergency Operations Center. But we\'re also moving supplies, both into North Carolina and up into New England, just in case we\'re going to need, whether, you know, we take an impact anywhere along that coast, additional supplies to support the states.

And we have some of our search-and-rescue teams on alert. And we\'re bringing in some of the management teams just in case. Again, we don\'t have a forecasted landfall. But because this is such a large area, we don\'t want to wait and find who is going to need help or where the impacts are going to be. So, we\'re putting our teams in just about every one of those states, as the states are activated for this storm.

JIM LEHRER: How big of teams are they? And do they involve?

CRAIG FUGATE: Well, these are incident management teams. They\'re smaller teams. Again, we\'re augmenting and joining the governor\'s team in that emergency operations center. And what we want to do is have folks there in case the governor or state team needs any federal assistance. We have people there that are ready to get things moving.

The other thing we\'re doing with some of these teams and some of these supplies is moving them near the coast. Even though they may not go to that state they\'re in, they\'re closer to the coast, so they\'re ready to go if they\'re needed.

JIM LEHRER: What kind of supplies are being prepared?

CRAIG FUGATE: We\'re sending in things that we would normally have available: bottled war, nonperishable food stuffs, emergency generators, tarps, and other supplies that we would need in the first couple of days if a storm came ashore. And, again, we\'re doing this based upon a track that could be anywhere from North Carolina to Maine, so we\'re getting supplies in the area, but not necessarily down to the coast until we know where the impacts are going to be.

JIM LEHRER: Are you confident that everything is ready?

CRAIG FUGATE: Well, I know we\'re working hard on our side. I\'m a little concerned, though, for a lot of people that are looking at this storm and maybe thinking, with the holiday coming up, I\'m not going to worry about it too much, because it\'s really pretty and the skies are great. This storm\'s going to pick up speed as it comes along the coast and begins moving north.

And I think that it\'s really important for people to heed any evacuation orders that may be necessary and take the time now to make sure they have got a plan and know where to go if they\'re in that evacuation zone.

There\'s too much uncertainty to say who will have to evacuate next, if any. I know a lot of people are trying to plan this weekend, their holiday. And I\'m just telling people, get a plan now. Know what you\'re going to do. Have some flexibility built in, in case this storm disrupts your plans.

JIM LEHRER: Is there any way to really have concrete, accurate advance information ahead of time, or are these things -- is it just likely to suddenly change on this whole thing?

CRAIG FUGATE: Well, it\'s the weather. And the skills of the National Hurricane Center, I put a lot of faith in what they can do. And when Director Read is telling us and telling the emergency managers and telling the public this storm is too close to the coast, that even if that track is off a little bit, it could bring more serious impacts to shore. We have got to be prepared.

The science and the ...

FDA\'s Safety Role in Question After Egg Recall
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:38:00 EDT -

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A massive egg recall over fears of a salmonella outbreak raises new questions on whether the Food and Drug Administration can handle its regulatory role. Betty Ann Bowser has more.

JIM LEHRER: Now: to the Food and Drug Administration and to questions of regulation. The salmonella outbreak and the major egg recall have raised questions once again about whether an agency charged with regulating drugs and food can adequately do its job.

NewsHour health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser has our report. Our Health Unit is a partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: For the past few years, it\'s been one food safety scare after another. There was E. coli-laced spinach, salmonella-tainted peppers. Then peanut butter products were recalled, and the latest, bacteria-laden eggs.

There have also been problems with drugs. The ingredients in a contaminated blood thinner came from China. And whether the tainted products are from abroad or the United States, it\'s the Food and Drug Administration\'s job to make sure they\'re safe for American consumption. The FDA has received some new money from Congress to police food and drugs, $141.9 million last fiscal year alone just for food safety, a top priority for FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

MARGARET HAMBURG, commissioner, Food and Drug Administration: We want to try to work with the food industry to put in place risk-based strategies and preventive controls to ensure that problems will not arise, rather than chasing them after the fact and waiting until people get sick to identify that there\'s a problem, and then scramble to address it.

All of this will take time, of course, but it will make our program, I think, much more effective and efficient.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: But Hamburg says it\'s not enough, because her agency needs more money and resources to do its job.

MARGARET HAMBURG: FDA plays this critical and unique role, and, yet, it\'s mysterious to me. I really don\'t understand, but we have never had the resources that we need to fully support our activities. We have, you know, unfortunately been under-resourced over many years in this important area, and at a time when, in fact, the global challenge is growing.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Another challenge, tens of millions of packages filled with pharmaceuticals from other countries pour into the United States every year. Most are illegal, and not approved for use in this country, and some are well-disguised counterfeits.

Any of this stuff -- this stuff dangerous?

ANDREA CHARLES-JULIEN, investigator, Food and Drug Administration: Oh, definitely, definitely, especially when you see a lot of the counterfeit medications.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Andrea Charles-Julien is the FDA\'s lead inspector in one of the busiest international mail-processing points in the country, Miami.

ANDREA CHARLES-JULIEN: We see a lot of the antibiotics, tetracycline, ampicillin. We see a lot of injectable contraceptive medications, heart medications. You name it, we see it.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Many of the counterfeit drugs have the wrong ingredients, not enough ingredients, or are just outright fakes.

The products often come from online pharmacies. More and more Americans are buying medications online with or without a prescription because they don\'t have health insurance or they can\'t afford to get a prescription from a licensed physician.

A typical Viagra pill can cost $8, on the Internet, perhaps as little as 99 cents. We found some sites offering a two-for-one, free Viagra with the purchase of another medication, and without a prescription. While there have been very few reported cases of people becoming sick or dying from taking unapproved or counterfeit drugs, the FDA is concerned because the trade is growing so fast.

DAVID ELDER, director of Regional Operations, Food and Drug Administration: The volume of imports has been growing exponentially over the past decade. Our ability to regulate them is challenged. The amount of staff that we have has certainly not kept pace with the growth.

Now, this is an interesting one.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: David Elder heads the FDA\'s field operations. He says Miami is a good illustration of the agency\'s manpower shortage. Of the 36 million pieces of mail that come through here each year, 8,000 to 10,000 get pulled for inspection. But FDA employees, just three of them, are able to inspect only about 40 a day.

Eighty percent of all the ingredients in drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies today are imported. That includes prescription and nonprescription drugs. The largest quantities come from India, China, and Canada. And while these ingredients are produced in factories overseas that are approved by the FDA, they rarely get inspected by federal regulators.

Allan Coukell, a pharmacist and director of the medical safety program at the Pew Health Group, says, in the last decade, the number of plants in India and China making ingredients for the American market has doubled, at a time when FDA has fewer resources to inspect them.

ALLAN COUKELL, Pew Health Group: If you\'re manufacturing overseas, you might never see an inspector after the initial inspection at the beginning of your manufacturing process.

When inspections do go on overseas, they tend to be much shorter than domestic inspections. They\'re generally pre-announced, meaning the manufacturer has time to prepare. And, if problems are identified, the agency is much less able to go back subsequently and follow up to see whether those problems were adequately corrected.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: In 2008, 81 people died in the U.S. after being given the blood thinner heparin. Ingredients for its manufacture came from China. Heparin is made from pig intestines and some mom-and-pop operations like this one, shown on the Wall Street Journal\'s Web site, where there is virtually no quality control.

ALLAN COUKELL: We know there are risks associated with making drugs this way. Someone in China deliberately sold a counterfeit ingredient into the manufacturing process. It looked to tests like the real ingredient, but it ended up sickening Americans here.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: A 2008 Government Accountability Office report said it would take FDA 13 years to inspect all of its approved drug facilities abroad, including 566 in China and 299 in India. Doctor Hamburg says, because drugs have become so much a part of the global economy, FDA needs Congress to update its resources and give it more legal authority.

MARGARET HAMBURG: You know, you have to -- to realize that many of the laws that created the FDA are the same laws that we\'re operating under today. And, at one time, they were fitting and appropriate, but the world has changed a lot. And we do need some new tools and authorities.

BETTY ANN BOWSER: Hamburg also wants Congress to give FDA more power to regulate the nation\'s food supply, which every day comes more and more from other countries.

A bill that would have been the first to increase FDA\'s authority over food in 70 years passed the House last year, but the Senate failed to take action before going home for its summer recess. The legislation would require many food processors to keep records and report what they do to prevent contamination, would give the agency power to recall food products suspected of contamination. Currently, FDA can only react when tainted food has made people sick.

Former Deputy FDA Commissioner William Hubbard says, the legislation is badly needed.

WILLIAM HUBBARD, former deputy commissioner, Food and Drug Administration: The Centers for Disease Control estimates that maybe 75 million people get sick each year from contaminated food, and maybe 3,000 or 4,000 of them will die, and 300,000 of them will end up in the hospital. That\'s a lot of people. And the economic costs are very high. When I started in the FDA in the 1970s, the food budget was half of the agency\'s budget. Today, it\'s only a qu...

Jumpstarting Mideast Peace Talks: Will It Work?
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:26:00 EDT -

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Gwen Ifill talks to the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Adviser Steven Hadley about the issues at stake in a new round of direct peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

GWEN IFILL: We are joined by two people who have been at that familiar table before. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright helped organize the Camp David summit between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in 2000. And Stephen Hadley was President Bush\'s national security adviser when he helped plan the 2007 Annapolis conference that brought together Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Mahmoud Abbas.

So, you have both been there, done that.

Starting with you, Secretary Albright, what about this meeting, if anything, makes it different from the past?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, Former U.S. Secretary of State: Well, I think it\'s a very important meeting, and what makes it different is that I think that this is a great moment of opportunity, because both the leaders, as the president just said, seem to have a very reasoned time to come here at this particular moment.

Things have deteriorated in many ways. And I think that they see this as an opportunity, with the United States really getting them together. I think it is really important that President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and Senator Mitchell have really made it very clear that it is the role of the United States to bring the parties together, but that they are the ones that have to make the decisions. And, so, I think it is -- I\'m -- I\'m optimistic about it. I am an optimist who worries a lot, but I do think that this is an important moment.

GWEN IFILL: Mr. Hadley, are you optimistic? And is this picking up from where you left off?

STEPHEN HADLEY, Former U.S. National Security Adviser: Well, there\'s a lot of skepticism out there. You know, we have had, through two decades of violence, recrimination, a couple failed processes that came close, didn\'t get it. So there\'s a lot of skepticism out there. But I think there is ground to be hopeful. I think one other thing that is important is what is happening on the West Bank with President Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad building now the institutions of a Palestinian state, taking responsibility for security.

The Israelis are cooperating, stepping back. What that does is, it gives the Palestinian people a sense that a Palestinian state is possible. They see it beginning to come in before their eyes. And it gives Israel assurance that that state will be under the rule of law and will have security forces that are committed to fighting terror. So, I think that\'s also a -- a positive development that wasn\'t there in either of our prior efforts.

GWEN IFILL: Let me make the skeptic\'s argument. Right of return, freezing of settlements, there doesn\'t -- they don\'t seem to be any closer on these two key issues that either side wants than they were when you were having this conversation.

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: Well, you know, what is interesting, Gwen, actually, there were solutions to all those issues. They are laid out a lot in terms of the final parameters that President Clinton put down and various other issues that you and President Bush worked on.

So it isn\'t as if there aren\'t solutions. What is lacking -- or was lacking -- was the political will to make them happen. And, so, I think that is the part that we have to look at. And I -- I listened very carefully to what Prime Minister Netanyahu said. I think that was very encouraging and sober, in terms of the ideas of the violence that had taken place.

Mahmoud Abbas has come. He -- and I fully agree with you, Steve, about what is happening on the West Bank, because that is Salam Fayyad, the prime minister, that is showing that there is a life for Palestinian people. And I think that that helps to give President Abbas a sense that this is possible, that political will that is necessary for this. But the answers are, frankly, all there. I think we -- we know what they are.

GWEN IFILL: Domestically, are either of them, politically, that much stronger, especially in the case of Abbas, who is dealing with this Fatah challenge -- I mean, this Hamas challenge at home?

STEPHEN HADLEY: Well, it\'s difficult. Prime Minister Netanyahu has a real reputation, rightly, deserved, for being concerned about Israeli security. And that, in a way, puts him in a terrific position, if a peace agreement can be obtained, to sell that credibly to the Israeli people as the basis for a long-term security for Israel.

President Abbas, there is the problem, the split with Hamas. On the other hand, President Abbas has -- has opted for peace, rather than violence, as the way to get a Palestinian state. And, at some point, he needs to show that the path of peace and negotiation produces.

And I also think that, in a way, getting Gaza back, the best way to do that is to have an agreement that provides a Palestinian state, because, at that point, Hamas and the people of Gaza will have to decide whether they want to continue on a path of violence or whether they want to be part of a Palestinian state.

So, there are -- there\'s some potential, really, for both of these leaders, who do have real political problems. There\'s no doubt about it, but there\'s some upside as well.

GWEN IFILL: As two people who have been at this table before and understand that one man\'s terrorism is another man\'s security issue, and they both accuse the other of the same thing, what are you listening for as these talks get under way as signs that either or both of them are serious about moving ahead?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: I think what is very important in any negotiation is to try to see the extent to which one party puts itself into the shoes of the other one, to really be able to see it from the other perspective.

And what they need to see is that security for one is security for the other. It\'s not the opposite of violence for one is...

GWEN IFILL: Have you heard them sound like they\'re saying that?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: I think we have to see. I think that is one of the issues, in terms of, the truth is that, if you look at what\'s happening on the West Bank, is that they also feel more comfortable when -- the people there and the leaders -- when there isn\'t violence.

And what has been so interesting, I have been involved in a project through the Aspen Institute of the Middle East Investment Initiative, where we have been giving, with the help of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, money to small- and medium-sized businesses, so people create jobs, and then they then see that violence undercuts them. So, I do think that, if they can see strength in the other one as being strength for them, that\'s what you\'re looking for.

GWEN IFILL: What are you listening for, Steve Hadley?

STEPHEN HADLEY: I think it\'s the same thing. I think it\'s, for example, the -- a recognition that terrorism is a threat to each of them. It is a threat to Israel, but it is also a threat to the Palestinian state that President Abbas and Salam Fayyad are trying to build, which is based on rule of law, not violence.

I think also a recognition that time is not on their side, that, if this is going to happen, it needs to happen soon -- and it\'s interesting -- the secretary and I were talking before the show -- that everybody has agreed to talk about trying to get it done in a year. Generally, time -- people don\'t like deadlines or even time horizons in the Middle East. And the fact that everybody has agreed that the next year is critical...

GWEN IFILL: And you think that\'s a good idea?

STEPHEN HADLEY: I think it\'s -- it is -- it indicates that all the parties understand there\'s an opportunity here, and the opportunity may not be open forever.

GWEN IFILL: Let\'s talk about all the parties, because a key person at this table, obviously, is always the U.S. president. And you both have been there with U.S. presidents who have tried to, in a physical sense sometimes, pull these two together, these two groups together.

Does the process -- is President Obam...

Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Look for Common Ground in Direct Talks
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:23:00 EDT -

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Israeli and Palestinian peace talks went on as planned in Washington even as a violent attack erupted in the Middle East. Members of the Hamas militant group shot and killed four Isralei settlers in an attempt to disrupt the peace meetings. Gwen Ifill has more.

GWEN IFILL: Israeli and Palestinian leaders return to Washington once again in search of common ground.

There was talk of peace in Washington today, but renewed violence in the Middle East. Hundreds of people gathered in the Beit Haggai settlement on the West Bank to mourn four Israeli settlers shot dead yesterday by Palestinian gunmen. The attackers sprayed the settlers\' car with automatic weapons fire outside Hebron, killing everyone inside.

The militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, claimed responsibility. It was seen as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Washington peace talks. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, said the attack wouldn\'t derail their peace efforts.

Israeli President and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres:

SHIMON PERES, Israeli president: None of us has the slightest intention in his mind to submit to this threat. We shall continue to negotiate. We shall continue our work. We shall overcome the terrorists.

GWEN IFILL: The Palestinian Authority responded by rounding up more than 150 Hamas activists on the West Bank today.

MAJ. GEN. ADNAN DAMIRI, spokesman, Palestinian Security Forces (through translator): These arrests came for security reasons. And what Hamas did was against the peace process and aimed to kill the last glimmer of hope for the Palestinian people.

GWEN IFILL: But Hamas supporters in Gaza celebrated, and the Hebron attack, plus a shooting today that wounded two Israelis, cast a pall over initial White House meetings.

President Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The message should go out to Hamas and everybody else who is taking credit for these heinous crimes that this is not going to stop us from not only ensuring a secure Israel, but also securing a longer-lasting peace in which people throughout the region can take a different course.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, Israeli prime minister: The president\'s statement is an expression of our desire to fight against this terror. And the talks that we had, which were indeed open, productive, serious in the quest for peace, also centered around the need to have security arrangements that are able to roll back this kind of terror and other threats to Israel\'s security.

GWEN IFILL: The president also met with President Abbas as well. Both leaders will join Mr. Obama for dinner tonight.

BARACK OBAMA: Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas are two leaders who I believe want peace. Both sides have indicated that these negotiations can be completed within one year. And as I told each of them today, this moment of opportunity may not soon come again. They cannot afford to let it slip away.

GWEN IFILL: The formal talks begin at the State Department tomorrow. Also joining will be King Abdullah of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt.

News Wrap: Bombings in Pakistan Kill at Least 25
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:22:00 EDT -

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In other news Wednesday, bombs killed at least 25 people and injured scores more in a religious procession in Lahore, Pakistan.

HARI SREENIVASAN: Bombs tore into crowds of Shiite Muslims in Lahore, Pakistan, today. At least 25 people were killed, and 150 others were wounded. A camera captured the first explosion, a timed bomb that went off amid 35,000 people in a religious procession. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up minutes later. The Shiites erupted in anger, hammering on vehicles and setting fires. They have suffered a series of recent attacks.

The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against the leader of the Pakistani Taliban. Hakimullah Mehsud remains at large. He was accused today of attacks on Americans in Afghanistan, including a bombing that killed seven CIA employees last December. Also today, the State Department put the Pakistani Taliban on its terror blacklist.

Another U.S. soldier was killed in Afghanistan today. He was the first American to die there in September and the 20th in the last five days. NATO officials also reported today that more than 500 insurgents were detained in August and 160 were killed.

In the Netherlands, two Yemeni men who arrived from the U.S. this week were freed without charge. Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi and Hezem al Murisi had been suspected of plotting to attack airliners. They were detained Monday when their flight from Chicago landed in Amsterdam. Al Soofi\'s luggage contained a phone taped to a plastic bottle and other phones taped together. He also had $7,000 in cash.

Today, Dutch prosecutors announced there was no evidence of any wrongdoing. And al Soofi\'s lawyer said his client is innocent.

WOUTER HENDRICKX, attorney for Ahmed Mohamed Nasser al Soofi: I cannot go into detail what my client has said to the police. We keep -- we respect the agreements we have with the district attorney. But there is one thing I want to say on his behalf. He says -- that\'s his statement -- \"I do not have any connections with terrorist organizations whatsoever.\"

HARI SREENIVASAN: There was no immediate word where the men will go following their release.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska will not be serving another term in Washington. She conceded defeat last night to primary opponent Joe Miller, a little-known conservative lawyer. He was backed by Tea Party activists and by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in Tuesday\'s close vote. Murkowski is the third U.S. senator to lose a renomination bid this year.

Wall Street started off the month with a major rally. It was sparked by upbeat reports on manufacturing in the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 254 points to close at 10269. The Nasdaq rose more than 62 points to close above 2176.

August may have been the worst month for U.S. auto sales in 27 years. General Motors, Ford, and Toyota reported today that sales fell from July. So did most other automakers doing business in the U.S. The sole exception was Chrysler. It reported a gain of 7 percent.

The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. has fallen for the first time in nearly 20 years. The Pew Hispanic Center reported today that there were just over 11 million undocumented individuals. That is a million less than last year. It coincided with the economic downturn and stepped-up border enforcement. According to Pew, unauthorized immigrants still make up 4 percent of the U.S. population.

Those are some of the day\'s major stories -- now back to Gwen

Biden: After U.S. Combat Exit, Iraqi Government Ready to Take Shape
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:06:00 EDT -

Listen to the Audio

Margaret Warner talks to Vice President Joe Biden about the U.S. troop drawdown in Iraq and what\'s next for Iraqis and their government.

JIM LEHRER: Shortly before the change-of-command ceremony, Margaret Warner spoke with Vice President Biden. They met in a building north of Baghdad that used to be Saddam Hussein\'s hunting lodge.

MARGARET WARNER: Mr. Vice President, thank you for having us.

JOSEPH BIDEN: Happy to be with you, Margaret, really am.

MARGARET WARNER: Last night, President Obama said, we have met our responsibility in Iraq. We have been here a while. A lot of Iraqis say to us: You haven\'t. You came to a country, dictatorship, but at least we had services and we had security. And now we don\'t have either.

What do you say to them? I mean, have we met our responsibility?

JOSEPH BIDEN: Well, the vast majority of the Iraqis I speak to acknowledge that there is a great deal more security than there ever has been since the beginning of the war, number one.

Number two, when the president said we have met our combat responsibilities, he means, by that, we have trained up 650,000 Iraqi forces, and, I might add, crack special forces, who really can do the job. But the president also pointed out that this is just the beginning of our engagement with Iraq. We are ramping up our diplomatic and our civilian engagement. We want to participate in helping them develop an economy. They have got great human capital. They have got great natural resource. This is far from finished, far from finished, but there has been progress.

MARGARET WARNER: Now, when the president says that the combat mission is over...

JOSEPH BIDEN: Yes.

MARGARET WARNER: ... the fact is, the brigades that are staying are completely combat-ready.

JOSEPH BIDEN: Absolutely.

MARGARET WARNER: They are combat brigades who just have a new name.

JOSEPH BIDEN: They\'re 50,000 troops that can shoot straight, if they have to, God willing. And we still have -- some of those troops are going to be going out on counterterrorism efforts, mentoring the -- the Iraqis. But what -- what it means is that the lead responsibility for the combat missions will be handed over and has been, quite frankly, as General Odierno points out...

MARGARET WARNER: For months.

JOSEPH BIDEN: ... it\'s been handed over for months.

MARGARET WARNER: But more American service men and women are going to die here.

JOSEPH BIDEN: Well, it\'s a heck of a way to put it, but there are still going to be 50,000 American service men and women here. And this is a country where you\'re at risk, randomly at risk. You have seen these recent bombings that have taken place. You know, the statistic is not comforting to people that it\'s on average that 12 events kill three people each event. Well, that\'s not comforting to the three people who got killed, so -- or their families.

So, it\'s still difficult, but it\'s nowhere near what it was before. And the Iraqis are now positioned, are now positioned to begin to take over the totality of their security needs. We\'re -- we\'re on course to meet President Bush\'s commitment to withdraw all combat -- all troops by the end of 2011.

MARGARET WARNER: On this question, as you said, the attacks have been on the uptick in the last couple of months. Do you consider that a temporary blip around Ramadan, around this handover, or could it continue to escalate?

JOSEPH BIDEN: I do think it\'s a temporary blip. And, again, put it in focus. It\'s still lower than it ever has been, even though there has been an uptick. It took a long time for al-Qaida and the extremist groups to plan that last coordinated effort, which, in a broad sense, was not very successful.

MARGARET WARNER: You are talking about the one last Wednesday...

JOSEPH BIDEN: Yes, last Wednesday.

MARGARET WARNER: ... where about 50 or 60 Iraqi civilians died.

JOSEPH BIDEN: Yes. Yes. And...

MARGARET WARNER: But when you say things are better or safer, what\'s your benchmark?

JOSEPH BIDEN: I will tell you the benchmark.

MARGARET WARNER: Are you talking about the dark days of \'06 to \'08?

JOSEPH BIDEN: No. Or six months ago, eight months ago, 12 months ago.

MARGARET WARNER: But to use as the bench -- Iraqis say to us, to use as the benchmark the dark days when they would come out of their houses in the morning and there could be hundreds of people literally in the streets, people had holes drilled through their head with power drills, I mean, it was horrific -- that is not normal life.

JOSEPH BIDEN: I\'m not comparing it to that, no. That -- that is not what we\'re comparing it to. I\'m making a comparison. This is a much more functioning society. The bazaars are open. There are still people who are -- who occasionally get killed. It\'s still, in many cases, a dangerous place. But the vast majority of this country is not today -- people aren\'t walking out their front door thinking, it\'s probable I may find myself in a situation where I may get blown up. That\'s changed.

MARGARET WARNER: Not probable, but possible?

JOSEPH BIDEN: Possible. It is possible. This is still a dangerous part of the world. There are still people who are willing to strap a bomb to themselves and blow somebody else up.

MARGARET WARNER: Here\'s another thing we hear from Iraqis. They blame this upsurge in violence on the politicians\' failure, six months after they all went to the polls to vote, the politicians\' failure to form a government.

Do you think there is a connection?

JOSEPH BIDEN: Look, if I were an Iraqi, that\'s what I would think as well.

MARGARET WARNER: But do you think it?

JOSEPH BIDEN: The truth of the matter is, they\'re taking too long to form this government. But the second piece of this is, the Iraqis went and voted. But guess what? No clear -- not only no clear majority, barely a plurality. So, in a parliamentary system, this is not unexpected. But I am confident that they are now -- all have run the course of what other options they have, and it\'s getting down to the point where, in the -- in the next couple months, there\'s going to be a government.

The only thing I have said in the name of the president, and as it relates to this government, the government has to reflect the outcome of the election, which is another way of saying, all the four major entities that did relatively well have to be included in the government. That\'s a difficult thing to put together.

MARGARET WARNER: So, would it be unacceptable to the United States for the scenario that we\'re told Iran is pushing very hard, which is to have Maliki\'s party team up with the more religious Shiite parties, and exclude, in fact, the party that won the most seats, which has been Sunni-backed, the party of Dr. Allawi?

JOSEPH BIDEN: It is not, for the Iraqi people, a formula that allows them to realize their potential if any one of the major parties are left out. In my view, in our view, you cannot have a government that is likely to succeed if all of the Sunnis are shut out. That would be a mistake. And, look, there\'s been a lot of speculation with regard to Iran. First of all, Iran invested $100 million to try to influence the outcome of this election. It didn\'t go very far, number one.

Number two, Iran has tried several gambits about how to go forward. I think what Iran is basically doing is trying to figure out what the most likely outcome is and embrace it, so they say they didn\'t lose. But I don\'t think there can be a government that is going to reflect -- going to have the sup...

Gates: History Will Judge Worthiness of Iraq War
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:03:00 EDT -

Listen to the Audio

On the first official day of a post-combat mission for the U.S. in Iraq, 50,000 American soldiers remain and no government has formed. The U.S. drawdown has many wondering -- Americans and Iraqis alike -- whether the war improved conditions there and was it worth the many lives lost. Kwame Holman has more.

JIM LEHRER: The U.S. moved into what is planned as its final military phase in Iraq today, after ending its combat role. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman begins our coverage.

KWAME HOLMAN: Cleaning up and packing, that\'s what U.S. soldiers were doing on bases across Iraq today. Humvees rolled on to flatbed trucks, and rows of equipment awaited transport home.

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Good evening.

KWAME HOLMAN: Last night, President Obama marked the formal end of combat operations in Iraq with a speech from the Oval Office.

BARACK OBAMA: Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq\'s future is not. This new approach reflects our long-term partnership with Iraq, one based upon mutual interests and mutual respect.

KWAME HOLMAN: Today, American military leaders marked the occasion with a change in command of the remaining 50,000 troops in Iraq. Vice President Biden and Defense Secretary Gates were among those presiding at the main U.S. military headquarters on the outskirts of Baghdad.

U.S. VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH BIDEN: I pray that all those scarred by this war in Iraq come to know the balm of lasting peace. And I believe, I truly believe, that their darkest days are now behind them. They have such a great opportunity as they step up to it.

KWAME HOLMAN: Defense Secretary Gates also visited American troops at Camp Ramadi. He said, only history will be the judge of whether the war was worth it.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES: Our men and women in uniform believe we have accomplished something that makes the sacrifice and the bloodshed not to have been in vain, that -- that we have accomplished -- that our men and women in uniform have accomplished something really quite extraordinary here. How -- how it all weighs in the -- in the balance over time I think remains to be seen.

KWAME HOLMAN: For their part, Iraqi military leaders reiterated that they are ready to take the lead on security. Iraqi security forces already have been tested by a rise in attacks, even though civilian deaths actually dropped in August, according to new data from the health ministry.

But, on the streets of Baghdad today, some Iraqis expressed real fear about what the future holds.

KHALID IBRAHIM, Baghdad (through translator): Iraq is a country without government and sovereignty. It is now an easy morsel that any state can occupy. And, if the American troops withdraw, Iran will enter.

FADHIL HASHIM, Baghdad (through translator): I hoped that the American troops would leave Iraq, but not right now.

KWAME HOLMAN: The deadline for all U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq is the end of 2011.

As Mideast Peace Talks Start, D.C. Think Tanks Overfloweth With Analysis
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT -

It\'s been 20 months since Israelis and Palestinians sat down across a table with each other, and that has meant quiet times for the dozens of Middle East analysts and advocates in Washington\'s think tank world. But the Wednesday-Thursday meetings at the White House and State Department have prompted a flurry of briefings and background sessions as these analysts position themselves for appearances on newspaper op-ed pages, broadcast and cable interviews and the blogosphere.

The Mideast watchers, many of whom have appeared on the five incarnations of the NewsHour over the past 35 years, cover a range of perspectives. Many have served in government and participated in the numerous conferences and meetings that come under the umbrella of the Mideast peace process that has been going on since the end of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. A few are academics or former journalists. Their institutions support a range of views from the Israeli left and pro-Likud on the Israeli right to centrist American to varying degrees of Arab and Palestinian nationalism.

And that chasm of differing views and between optimists and pessimists is wide indeed.

For instance, Daniel Levy of the New America Foundation, and a former Israeli negotiator, wrote:

\"Much of the pessimism surrounding this week\'s peace summitry derives from the rather stunning lack of originality in the approach being pursued by President Obama and his team. As currently structured, this peace process really does resemble the movie we have seen before -- the one with the unhappy ending\"

Robert Danin, an American diplomat who worked with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Quartet of the U.S., United Nations, Russia and the European Union, made this observation:

\"The difficulty of getting them to the table, despite nearly two decades of negotiations, illustrates the lack of enthusiasm with which Palestinians and Israelis approach such talks. Clearly the administration and the international Quartet....feel more urgency than the parties themselves.\"

On the Aug. 20 NewsHour, an Israeli and Palestinian analyst took a more upbeat view and asserted the two sides had their reasons for talking now.

Gaith al-Omari of the American Task Force on Palestine said several deadlines were approaching in September, among them the U.N. General Assembly and an Israeli moratorium on new settlement construction.

\"...we need to show progress before these events, so we can maintain a degree of stability in the region and in the political process there,\" al-Omari said.

David Makovsky of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy agreed, saying that President Obama was stirred to action during his July 6 meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said the president pushed the leaders of Arab nations to get behind Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and support his return to the negotiating table.


The Obama administration put a one-year deadline on the direct talks.

That may not guarantee peace, but it does assure that Washington\'s diverse collection of Middle East analysts will have plenty to write and talk about in the coming weeks and months.

We have been in touch with many of these folks and organizations, and they with us, as the NewsHour gears up for the Obama administration\'s first big round of Mideast peace talks. Who are we calling for insights and information? Here\'s a small sampling:

On Wednesday\'s NewsHour, we\'ll assess the latest effort to jump start the talks with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush\'s National Security Adviser. Be sure to tune in.

On Wednesday\'s NewsHour...
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:21:00 EDT -

NEWSMAKER: VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN | Margaret Warner sits down with Vice President Joe Biden in Baghdad to talk about the change in the mission and what\'s to come.

MIDEAST PEACE TALKS | Gwen Ifill talks to the former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Advisor Steve Hadley about this week\'s Israeli and Palestinian peace talks.

REGULATORY CHALLENGES FACING THE FDA | The latest egg recall that caused a salmonella outbreak raises questions about whether the Food and Drug Administration can handle its job. Betty Ann Bowser looks at how large quantities of imported pharmaceuticals and food are straining the FDA safety net.

FEMA MAKES PLANS FOR HURRICANE EARL | FEMA is preparing for Hurricane Earl as it inches its way toward the East Coast. Earl has been downgraded to a category 3 storm but still threatens residents and tourists for the Labor Day weekend. FEMA head Craig Fugate gives an update on emergency preparations for the storm.

Wednesday\'s anchors are Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill. Hari Sreenivasan has the day\'s other top news stories and look at the Web features. On The Rundown, more from our team in Iraq including a slideshow of the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf. Also, analysis of President Obama\'s speech on Iraq from Shields and Brooks along with a special annotated version of the address.

Plus, read more on the health care reform law and what the changes mean for early retirees who are too young for medicare.

We hope you\'ll join us.

Text Messages Study Shows Fear Turned to Anger on 9/11
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:09:00 EDT - By analyzing a database of 500,000 text messages sent on Sept. 11, 2001, researchers at the University of Mainz in Germany have created an hour-by-hour psychological profile of texting Americans on that day. The pager text messages, which were posted to Wikileaks in 2009, were analyzed for words that correlated to sadness, anxiety and anger. The results show that words related to anger dominated communications as the day wore on. The study was published in the Journal of Psychological Science.

East Coast Watches Earl\'s Approach
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:28:00 EDT -

\"\"Hurricane Earl, Sept 1, 2010 (NOAA)

Updated 5:30p.m. ET
Forecasters announced late Wednesday that Hurricane Earl has become a Category 4 storm.

Posted 2:30p.m. ET
The big question facing hurricane watchers is not whether Hurricane Earl will change its course and head northeast, but when. If the turn comes later than expected, then the eye of the storm could make landfall directly onto the far eastern tip of North Carolina.

\"Any delay in that turn would bring a higher tropical storm and even hurricane-force winds to the outer banks,\" National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read said Wednesday afternoon.

The Hurricane is now barreling over open waters east of the Bahamas with winds as high as 125 miles per hour. Read says he expects Earl to veer northeast late Thursday, and most likely skirt the east coast, remaining about 150 to 200 miles offshore.

But storm preparations are being made along the Atlantic seaboard in the event that it does strike land. Most of the Carolina coast is under storm watch, especially the outer banks and the barrier islands. Evacuations of the barrier islands are under way and federal authorities are moving water, food, generators and other supplies to the area, in case they are needed after the storm.

Hurricane-force winds could also reach Martha\'s Vineyard, Nantucket or New York\'s Long Island. Heavy rain and tropical-storm gusts are likely along the entire East Coast as the storm moves north.

At a minimum, Earl will cause strong northeasterly winds, large waves, rip currents and possibly power outages all along the coast, Read said. High surf and coastal erosion are likely anywhere on the coastline from the Carolinas northward.

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate advises families to \"build flexibility\" into their vacation plans. Trips may have to be postponed or delayed. Coastal areas may be evacuated.

The National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on two other storms. Fiona, a tropical storm, is forecast to move in a northwestern direction, slightly east of Earl\'s path. They\'re also watching a new depression that may become \"Gaston.\"

Slide Show: Najaf\'s Imam Ali Shrine
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EDT -

NAJAF, Iraq | The Imam Ali Mosque is considered the one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam. The NewsHour recently visited the shrine during Ramadan and watched as crowds grew throughout the evening. People gathered to pray, eat picnics in the rug-covered outdoor patios and meet with their families and friends.

Built in 977 over the tomb of Imam Ali, the mosque was reconstructed twice. After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the mosque was the site of several attacks and used as a base by militia members. The gold-domed shrine underwent its latest renovations two years ago. The surrounding streets are lined with hotels for pilgrims. View a slideshow of the mosque:

View a larger version of this slideshow.

Tune into Margaret Warner\'s broadcast reports about the issues at play in Iraq all this week on the NewsHour.

Pulitzer Winner Natasha Trethewey Looks \'Beyond Katrina\'
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:35:00 EDT -

\"trethewey_book.jpg\"Poet Natasha Trethewey\'s latest book, \"Beyond Katrina,\" is a personal account of how the people of the Gulf Coast region, including her family, have lived with the threat and consequences of natural disasters for generations.

\"Oddly, not until after Katrina did I come to see that the history of one storm, Camille -- and the ever-present possibility of others -- helped to define my relationship to the place from which I come,\" Trethewey writes.

Through a mix of poetry and prose, the Pulitzer Prize winner explores the experiences of her brother and her grandmother as a way to come to grips with a larger narrative of the Gulf Coast.

Her hometown of Gulf Port, Miss. was ravaged by Katrina. The shotgun houses in the neighborhood where she was born and raised were destroyed.

\"There are so many things that haven\'t come back,\" Trethewey said in a recent phone interview. \"There are these big gaps where my own history seems to have vanished. All these buildings that were landmarks of my own past [are] gone.\"

Trethewey\'s grandmother was also born and raised in the same section of North Gulf Port. She lived through Hurricane Camille, but was forced to leave her home after Katrina and never returned. She died in Atlanta before she had the chance to return to the Gulf.

Her brother Joe had just begun to settle down before Katrina struck. He had refurbished the family\'s shotgun houses and managed the properties as rentals. After the storm, they lost the homes and Joe struggled to find work.

\"At first, there was nothing to do but watch,\" Trethewey writes in her poem, \'Watcher\'. \"For days, before the trucks arrived, before the work/ of cleanup, my brother sat on the stoop and watched.\"

After the Katrina, Joe\'s feelings of listlessness lead to trouble. While Natasha won the Pulitzer Prize for her book \"Native Guard,\" Joe was arrested for transporting cocaine and sent to prison. His struggles became the inspiration of Trethewey\'s latest work.

\"The story I knew most intimately, of course, was my brother\'s and what was going on in our immediate family,\" Trethewey said.

Joe, too, began writing poetry in prison and one of his poems is published in the collection.

Unable to give voice to all of the important stories of all the people who were affected by Katrina, Trethewey hopes that by telling this one it will inspire more stories and more attention for them.

 
Listen to a conversation with Natasha Trethewey:

 
Listen to Trethewey read a prose section from \"Beyond Katrina:\"

 
Editor\'s Note: You can watch a video of Natasha Trethewey reading from \"Beyond Katrina\" here.

Early Retirees Get New Help With Health Insurance
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EDT -

About 2,000 employers will begin receiving payments this month from a new $5 billion program designed to encourage them to provide health insurance to early retirees who are too young for Medicare.

The goal of the program, part of the new health care reform law, is to stop the decades-long slide in the number of employers that offer early retiree coverage. In 1988, 66 percent of employers offered health benefits for retirees between age 55 and 64; by last year only 29 percent did. Retirees who aren\'t covered by their former employers often face steep costs on the individual market, because insurers generally charge older customers more than younger ones.

The new program will reimburse employers for large expenses -- it will pay 80 percent of retiree claims between $15,000 and $90,000. The employers can use that money to reduce premiums and other costs for their retirees and employees, or to offset increases in their own health care costs.

HHS said that nearly 2,000 employers\' applications were approved, including unions, companies, and local governments from all 50 states. (You can find a list of all those employers, broken out by state, on the HealthCare.gov website.)

The program is supposed to last until 2014, when new insurance market rules intended to make individual coverage less expensive for older adults will go into effect.

But some experts think the $5 billion funding might not last that long. In a study published in July, Paul Fronstin, a researcher at the Employee Benefits Research Institute, found that the money would run out by the end of 2011 if all eligible employers took advantage of it.

In a survey of 245 large employers conducted in May, consulting firm Hewitt Associates found that more than 75 percent planned to apply for the program.

But for now, the 2,000 employers who have been approved are only a small fraction of the eligible pool.

\"If there are many employers that don\'t apply, the money will last longer than two years,\" Fronstin said.

In a press call Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that it was too early to estimate how many employers would apply or how long the money would last.

\"Until we develop a trend, it\'s tough to give you accurate information about what this is going to look like,\" she said.

Flow of Illegal Immigrants to the U.S. on the Decline, Study Finds
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:15:00 EDT -

\"\"A study released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center found that the yearly flow of illegal immigrants into the United States dropped nearly two-thirds from 2007 to 2009 from the first five years of last decade.

This sharp decline has contributed to an overall reduction of 8% in the number of unauthorized immigrants currently living in the U.S. -- to 11.1 million in March 2009 from a peak of 12 million in March 2007, according to the estimates. The decrease represents the first significant reversal in the growth of this population over the past two decades.

The smaller illegal immigrant population was notable along the Southeast coast and the mountain West, the new estimates reveal.

Even though illegal immigration is reversing and declining, the population was still 32 percent larger in 2009 than in 2000, when it numbered 8.4 million, according to the study. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has tripled since 1990, when it was just 3.5 million.

Illegal immigrants don\'t appear to be doing better in the U.S. jobs market than others:

The unemployment rate for unauthorized immigrants of all ages in March 2009 was higher than that of U.S.-born workers or legal immigrants -- 10.4%, 9.2% and 9.1%, respectively.

The authors noted that the period covered by the study was one with major shifts in immigration enforcement, enforcement strategies and the health of the U.S. economy.

Read the full report.

Wednesday\'s Art Notes
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:54:00 EDT -

\"0901_venicefilmfest.jpg\"

A statue of a Lion is exhibited near the Palazzo del Cinema as workers put the last touch on a wall on the eve of the opening of the 67th Venice Film Festival, which runs from September 1 to September 11 at the Venice Lido. Twenty-four films will compete for the Golden Lion and the jury will be directed by US filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Photo by Vincenzo Pinto/ AFP/ Getty Images

The New York Times has a preview of the festival.

*

Speaking of Venice, the city\'s next Bienniale in 2011 may showcase an official pavilion of Iraqi artists for the first time since 1976, via ARTINFO.

*

A main venue for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival was searched for bed bugs after a film critic tweeted that a friend may have received bites while watching a movie, via The Globe and Mail. (Exterminators did not find any bugs.)

*

Mexico\'s new 500-pesos bill features the portraits of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, via the Los Angeles Times.

*

The Los Angeles Times reports on an upcoming taping of performances of the Miami City Ballet, set to air on PBS next year.

Wednesday: Mideast Peace Talks Begin, Hurricane Earl Downgraded
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:44:00 EDT -

Hours after a primetime address marking the end of combat operations in Iraq, President Obama pivots Wednesday to another complex and vexing Mideast issue: Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

President Obama will host talks in Washington with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well as leaders from Egypt and Jordan. The talks formally begin with a dinner at the White House Wednesday night.

David Sanger of the New York Times looks at the president\'s attempts to take on three big Mideast tasks: Iraq, Israeli-Palestinian peace and Iran as part of his foreign policy push:

History shouts that all the odds are against him. White House officials, eager to show concrete progress on the hardest foreign policy challenges at a time when Mr. Obama is struggling with a variety of domestic issues, contend that that the president has changed the political climate in all three arenas and has the best shot in years at creating positive and interlocking results.

The fatal shooting of four Israeli settlers near Hebron Tuesday may cast an early shadow on the talks. Hamas took responsibility for the shooting, a reminder that they remain an important force in Palestinian politics, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

And Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy magazine explains the while the first direct peace talks may be kicking off today, in reality many discussions have already begun - and there are apparently no prearranged deals on settlements or other key issues.

On the topic of Iraq, be sure to check out the Morning Line, which has a preview of Margaret Warner\'s interview with Vice President Biden this morning in Baghdad.

Hurricane Earl Downgraded

Hurricane Earl has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm, but still threatens parts of the East Coast. Vacationers and residents of some of the islands off the North Carolina coast have been told to evacuate.

Still, any ocean-side businesses along the Mid-Atlantic hoping for a last blast of summer tourism dollars over the Labor Day weekend may find their hopes quashed by the storm.

The Washington Post looks at satellite images of the storm here. And here\'s the Wednesday morning update from NOAA.

And among other stories we\'ll be watching this Wednesday:

The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission opens two days of hearings on systemic economic risk in the U.S. system and how the government decided which institutions to bailout during the 2008 meltdown.

Auto sales figures are due to be released.

And continued fallout from the arrests of two U.S. residents of Yemeni origin after a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam.

The Morning Line: Biden Grudgingly Gives Bush Administration Credit for Iraq Surge Success
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:07:00 EDT -

Updated with video 11:00a.m. ET

Vice President Biden went further, albeit grudgingly, than President Obama did in his Tuesday night Oval Office address in crediting the surge of troops into Iraq ordered by President George W. Bush in January 2007 with providing the political space for Iraq to arrive at this moment in the country\'s post-Saddam history.


Both President Obama and Vice President Biden opposed the surge at the time President Bush announced it, although both men also stated they had no doubt that the military would be successful in its mission to provide greater security.

\"The president\'s speech acknowledged President Bush\'s contribution,\" Vice President Biden told NewsHour Senior Correspondent Margaret Warner in an interview in Baghdad Wednesday morning.

Warner went on to press Biden that acknowledging Mr. Bush\'s contribution was not the same thing as crediting him with implementing a successful surge.

\"The

\"If you really go back and take a look at this, you can argue the surge made possible what was the most significant thing that occurred -- which was a political transition where we put over 100,000 Sunnis on the payroll -- the sons of Iraq,\" he said.

\"Gen. Petraeus deserves a lot of credit and the last administration,\" Biden added.

The vice president went on to say that he didn\'t want to re-litigate the surge that it was \"just time to move on.\"

\"If John Boehner or anybody else wants to say the surge did this. Fine, fine,\" Biden said. \"The fact of the matter is we\'re not there yet. We\'re making significant progress. The only time success will be able to be declared is when the Iraqis form a government and several years from now they are in a position to maintain their own security, they are not a threat to their neighbors, and their economy is growing and prospering. That\'s when everyone can say it\'s a success.\"

Be sure to tune into the NewsHour Wednesday night where you can see much more of Margaret Warner\'s in-depth interview including Vice President Biden\'s take on both the deadline to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq at the end of next year and on President Obama\'s deadline to begin transitioning out of Afghanistan next summer.

OVER IN ALASKA

Seeing the writing on the wall, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski conceded the Republican primary to attorney Joe Miller on Tuesday night.

Murkowski trailed Miller by 1,668 votes at the start of the day, before the Alaska Division of Elections began counting more than 25,000 absentee and questioned ballots. But, after 17,000 were counted Tuesday, Murkowski had barely made a dent in Miller\'s lead, picking up just 38 votes.

At her campaign headquarters in Anchorage on Tuesday night, Murkowski acknowledged the unlikelihood of making up her deficit with the remaining 8,000-plus votes left to be counted. \"We know that we have outstanding votes to count in the primary, but based on where we are right now, I don\'t see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor,\" said Murkowski.

Murkowski did not say whether she would support Miller in the general election, where he will face Sitka Mayor Scott Adams, the winner of last Tuesday\'s Democratic primary.

Miller told the Anchorage Daily News that he believes Murkowski will eventually endorse him. \"I\'m going to give her some time and we\'re going to talk more about it later,\" said Miller.

Two key factors in Miller\'s surprise victory were the endorsement of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the support of the Tea Party Express, which spent some $600,000 on the race.

Palin posted a note on Twitter Tuesday night to mark Miller\'s victory: \"Do you believe in miracles?! http://u.nu/72z2f Congratulations, @JoeWMiller! Thank you for your service, Sen. Murkowski. On to November!\"

With the loss, Murkowski joins Utah Republican Bob Bennett and Pennsylvania Democrat Arlen Specter as the third Senate incumbent to lose in a primary this year.

Miller\'s victory does little to impact the Republicans\' chances of holding onto the Senate seat in November, but Democrats may take a second look at the race to see if they can paint the GOP nominee as extreme based on his Tea Party support and certain policy positions.

MIDTERM MANIA

Four other midterm developments you should not be without as you begin your Wednesday:

-- Dan Balz of the Washington Post breaks down why something as benign sounding as the \"generic congressional ballot\" can crush Democratic Party spirits.

--More good news for Republicans from Gallup: In seven out of nine key election issues tested, American voters say they believe the GOP would do a better job handling those issues than would Democrats in Congress including the most important issues of the economy and jobs.

-- Bud Chiles plans to drop his independent bid for governor of Florida Wednesday, which the Miami Herald plays up as a boon to Democrat Alex Sink\'s candidacy:

-- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is changing traffic in Pennsylvania to add Social Security privatization into the mix of attacks against Republican Pat Toomey.

This comes on the heels of a Reuters/Ipsos poll out Tuesday showing a ten point lead for Toomey against Democrat Joe Sestak among likely voters.

Follow David Chalian on Twitter.

Murkowski Concedes Alaska Senate Primary to Miller
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:05:00 EDT -

\"\"

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski became the latest incumbent to lose a re-election battle this year as she conceded to challenger Joe Miller Tuesday evening a week after their primary.

Murkowski had trailed Miller, a Fairbanks attorney who has never held elected office but was backed by former Gov. Sarah Palin and the Tea Party Express, by 1,668 votes. Election officials began counting absentee and outstanding ballots Tuesday. Murkowski gained some votes but was never able to get Miller\'s lead below 1,100 votes.

\"We all know that this has been a long week, a terribly long week,\" she said at campaign headquarters, according to The Associated Press.

While there were still outstanding votes, she said \"I don\'t see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor, and that is a reality that is before me at this point in time.\"

After last week\'s primary, Political Editor David Chalian spoke with Jim Lehrer about the close race:

DAVID CHALIAN: Well, this is a story we have seen time and again now throughout this primary season on the Republican side, Jim. What happened there is that Lisa Murkowski, an incumbent senator, fell victim to this Tea Party energy that\'s inside the Republican Party on the right wing.

Remember, these primaries are a certain sect of the Republican Party, the activist sect of the Republican Party, that shows up in a primary in the off-year. And the Tea Party has a big pull with those groups. And, so, that\'s part of what happened here.

The other thing that happened here was Palin power. I mean, Sarah Palin, who has a long history with the Murkowski family -- there\'s no love lost there -- she defeated Senator Murkowski\'s dad, Frank Murkowski, to become the governor of Alaska in 2006. And she went out and endorsed Joe Miller, the Tea Party candidate.

She had her husband out there for him. She had her dad out there for him. She put in a big effort, rallied her troop, and really put him on the map. So, between sort of the natural Tea Party element out there and then Sarah Palin sort of injecting her energy up in Alaska in there as well, I think -- and, again, it\'s not over yet.

Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, released a statement late Tuesday about the race:

After a hard-fought primary contest, I offer my sincere congratulations to Joe Miller and offer him my strong support. The NRSC is committed to doing everything that we can in order to ensure Joe Miller\'s victory this November, and I have no doubt that he will be elected as the next U.S. Senator from Alaska.

Voters in Alaska and across the country face a serious but clear choice this November. If they are happy with the reckless spending, higher taxes, and bloated federal government in Washington, then they should vote for a Democrat. But if they believe in restoring accountability and providing checks-and-balances to President Obama\'s agenda, then they should vote for Republican candidates like Joe Miller.

On a personal note, I thank my friend and colleague Senator Lisa Murkowski for her work on behalf of Alaska and our country. In conceding this evening and avoiding a long and costly recount, she has once again put Alaska first, displaying the same selfless service that she is known for in the halls of Congress. While she will leave the Senate later this year, I have no doubt that Lisa Murkowski will continue to serve both Alaska and our country for many years to come.

For more on the Murkowski concession, check out The Morning Line here Wednesday on The Rundown.

End of Iraq Combat Mission: Annotating Obama\'s Address
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:43:00 EDT - A key pillar of President Obama\'s campaign for the White House was the winding down of U.S. involvement in Iraq. On Tuesday, he will announce combat is over for American troops, yet the mission there is far from over. Click the red tabs to see expert commentary, background links and NewsHour video related to the speech.
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Obama\'s Iraq Speech: Watch Full Video
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:59:00 EDT -

President Obama delivered an address to the nation Tuesday night marking the end of combat operations in Iraq.

Find analysis from Mark Shields, David Brooks, David Chalian and others on our special annotated version of the speech text.

Shields and Brooks: Did Obama\'s Iraq Speech Lack Political Luster?
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:31:00 EDT -

In special post-speech coverage of President Obama\'s primetime address marking the end of combat operations, analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks weighed in on what the speech means for military policy, Iraq\'s ability to \"turn the page\" and the president\'s political fortunes.

Watch pre-speech analysis from Shields and Brooks here and find a special annotated version of the president\'s speech here.

Watch Live: President Obama Marks End of U.S. Combat Mission in Iraq
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:45:00 EDT -

Watch special NewsHour coverage of the president\'s speech on the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, including analysis from columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks on your local PBS station at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday. You can also watch a livestream of the speech here on the Rundown.

Also, be sure to check out our graphic on the toll the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken on American combat forces and the how some Iraqis view this time of transition for their country.

Review Puts U.N. Climate Panel on the Hot Seat
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:13:00 EDT -

A management overhaul, more transparency, more alternative views and a stronger communications policy. These are among the recommendations that the InterAcademy Council (IAC,) a multi-national group of science academies, has urged for the U.N. Climate Panel, the international body charged with providing updates on the state of global warming. The 101-page report was released on Monday.

The review evaluated the \"processes and procedures\" of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), not its scientific conclusions. The science of the climate panel has come under heightened scrutiny after it wrongly stated in its 2007 assessment report that the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035. This followed the release of hacked emails from a British climate center, which led to a flurry of criticism that climate scientists were manipulating and withholding data. While subsequent reports from the Netherlands, the U.S. and the UK have found flaws with specific numbers in the report, they\'ve largely upheld the panel\'s findings on mankind\'s role in climate change.

The IPCC panel, which consists of a \"massive, far-flung, and decentralized network of scientists\" is still of great value, writes the IAC report chair and former Princeton University president Harold Shapiro in the report\'s preface, referencing that it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. But, he adds, it needs to better implement its own rules.

\"Their own policies say they ought to identify carefully which studies are peer reviewed or not,\" Shapiro says. \"They don\'t always do that. There is also guidance regarding what review editors ought to do, and what their authority is. They don\'t always insist that review editors meet that responsibility.\"

The report calls for the IPCC to include an executive committee, elected by and reporting to the panel, with a full-time executive director that handles its day-to-day operations, acts as its chief spokesperson and serves for the term of one assessment, which is five to seven years.* Still unclear is what this would mean for IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

An executive director could follow-up on questions and problems, respond quickly and be a needed point person, says Gary Yohe of Wesleyan University, who was interviewed for the IAC report and served as a lead author for the IPCC. In the case of the Himalaya mistake, a director could have quickly responded, he says, \"rather than let it fester and let people jump on it and say that this one mistake undermines the credibility of the process and of the institution. Such a person might also have more clout when mistakes are made.\"

The degree of confidence and uncertainty in each scientific conclusion must also be clearly communicated, the report says. This can be a tricky task when dealing with probability, incomplete data and a diverse range of possible impacts.

\"It\'s really a call that we have to be careful,\" says Joel Smith, IPCC lead author and vice president of Stratus Consulting, an environmental research and consulting firm. \"Our job is to get right ... in the name of credibility and in the name of good science.\"

The IAC recommended that review editors be charged with combing through the blizzard of comments that IPCC drafts generate and deciding which deserve the most attention. This could take the burden off the authors who typically have to respond to each comment. In the first draft of the 4th assessment report, 35 pages of text and references drew 105 pages of comments that had to each be answered individually.

Other recommendations include a rigorous conflict-of-interest policy and documented consideration of alternative views.

*Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the executive director would serve for one year.

New Orleans\' Jazz Scene Still Hurt, Inspired by Katrina
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:47:00 EDT -

Listen to the Audio

Jeffrey Brown has an update on musician Michael White who continues his efforts to keep New Orleans\' musical tradition strong, five years after Hurricane Katrina.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight: the story of a New Orleans musician and his efforts to keep a musical tradition strong, five years after Katrina. Jeffrey Brown has our profile.

MICHAEL WHITE, musician: So, you can see where the waterline was at the top of the door.

JEFFREY BROWN: You mean the line right there?

MICHAEL WHITE: Yes. That\'s the highest point. And that was at least nine feet.

JEFFREY BROWN: We first met Michael White soon after Hurricane Katrina had destroyed his home in Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans.

As both musician and scholar, White had long been one of the best-known champions of the New Orleans jazz tradition. Now he was living temporarily in Houston and had returned to sift through his belongings to see if anything could be saved.

MICHAEL WHITE: This was my piano. I used to have rehearsals in here.

JEFFREY BROWN: Thirty years of collected photos, books and pieces of musical history all destroyed -- saddest of all, White\'s collection of clarinets.

MICHAEL WHITE: Each instrument is like a person. It has its own sound, its own personality and moods almost. I couldn\'t bear to open those cases, because, to me, those were bodies inside.

JEFFREY BROWN: At that point five years ago, White was unsure about his own future and that of his city.

MICHAEL WHITE: You know, it\'s very difficult. Everyone is trying to deal with just basic survival, you know, finding money to eat, places to stay, dealing with whatever illnesses or emotional trauma that -- that remains. So, it\'s tough.

(MUSIC)

JEFFREY BROWN: Three months later, Michael White had decided to at least try to live in New Orleans. He was eager to reunite with the other displaced musicians from his Liberty Brass Band and resume teaching at Xavier University. Still, he faced numerous hurdles.

MICHAEL WHITE: They\'re sort of what I call the after-flow of the hurricane, which is pretty much almost as bad as the hurricane itself. It\'s what happens after. And, you know, what happens after is, you have to face a lot of real problems, like you\'re homeless, and, number two, that you have to figure out what\'s going to happen with your home.

JEFFREY BROWN: His neighborhood was still a ghost town. And there were doubts about whether enough students and faculty would return to Xavier to make it a viable university again. Now, five years later, Xavier University is rebuilt and thriving. But White\'s old Gentilly neighborhood is still mostly empty. Earlier this month, he sold his house to the state for a modest sum of money. It\'s slated for demolition. And he\'s disheartened at just how little of New Orleans has been rebuilt.

MICHAEL WHITE: To look at the state of much of the city, if you go into a lot of neighborhoods, off of the big streets, five years after Katrina in an American city, I think it is a great tragedy. I think it is a disgrace for the city to be in this condition now. I think that New Orleans should be two or three times more along.

JEFFREY BROWN: Still, White says, he\'s glad he\'s back in New Orleans and moving on with his life.

MICHAEL WHITE: For a long time, like many people, I went through a serious period of depression, of anger, of many different kinds of emotions.

And then I came to realize the most valuable thing that I have, I never lost. It\'s inside. It\'s that music tradition. It\'s the memory of all of those parades, of all of those older musicians who -- who brought the spirit of New Orleans\' music and passed it on to me, so that I could help to pass it on to others. And the spirit of that music is with me every day. Every time I play my instrument, everything I ever knew and felt about New Orleans is still alive.

JEFFREY BROWN: White says that, in the years since Katrina, he\'s experienced a personal and musical rebirth, another New Orleans tradition. Last year, he spent time at an artists retreat and, in the space of three weeks, wrote three dozen songs, more than he had written in his entire life. He\'s now recorded a number of them for a new C.D. titled \"Blue Crescent.\"

MICHAEL WHITE: In the beginning, all of the songs sounded sad and in a minor key and just horrible. And now I realize that was just letting go of a lot of that pain.

But many of the songs became upbeat and optimistic. You know, there\'s a great metaphor in our jazz funeral tradition for a recovery from Katrina. We have slow and sad music when the body is coming out of the church. And when it moves towards the cemetery or it\'s buried, there\'s joyous, up-tempo music and dancing.

The lesson from that is, mourn the losses of Katrina. Don\'t forget them. But, at the same time, you\'re moving and transitioning to a greater state or existence, hopefully greater.

JEFFREY BROWN: For Michael White, that greater existence means composing and performing new work while continuing to play and teach the old musical traditions of New Orleans.

In Washington, D.C., Public School Teachers Put to New Test
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:37:00 EDT -

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Teachers in the District of Columbia are being reevaluated. Special correspondent John Merrow looks at a new test for teachers in the Washington, D.C. school district as part of his ongoing reporting on education.

JIM LEHRER: Next: reforming the Washington, D.C., public schools, a story John Merrow, our special correspondent for education, has been telling over the last three years. Here is his final report, which is about the D.C. teachers and how their work is being evaluated.

JOHN MERROW: Cynthia Rivers and 42 other professional evaluators are putting Washington, D.C.\'s teachers to the test.

CYNTHIA ROBINSON RIVERS, master educator: Teachers are worried. So, there\'s a general feeling of anxiety about being evaluated. I write down everything that I hear and see the teacher doing.

JOHN MERROW: Rivers and her colleagues, called master educators, are observing classrooms as part of Chancellor Michelle Rhee\'s new way of evaluating teacher performance. She calls it IMPACT.

There\'s nothing quite like IMPACT in public education anywhere in the United States. Nowhere else can a teacher, even one who has tenure, lose his job immediately after receiving an ineffective rating.

(APPLAUSE)

ADRIAN FENTY (D), Mayor of Washington, D.C.: The wheels are in motion for action, and the time for dramatic change begins today.

(APPLAUSE)

JOHN MERROW: From the moment newly elected Mayor Adrian Fenty appointed Michelle Rhee chancellor in June 2007, she began making controversial changes to a system that\'s been failing for years.

When she arrived, just 12 percent of the district\'s eighth-graders were reading at a proficient level. Math scores were even worse, only 8 percent proficient. Families were leaving the public schools in droves, with enrollment down by nearly one-third over 10 years. Mayor Fenty vowed to fix the schools and counted on Rhee, a former nonprofit leader and classroom teacher, to get the job done.

MICHELLE RHEE, chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools: I am going to run this district in a way that is constantly looking out for the best interests of the children and of the school.

(APPLAUSE)

JOHN MERROW: Though Rhee had no experience running a school district, she promised to bring business-style accountability to Washington schools.

MICHELLE RHEE: In any other sector, employees are expected to meet certain outcomes or deliverables. And everybody knows that, if you don\'t meet those numbers, you go.

JOHN MERROW: In her first year alone, Rhee fired more than 15 percent of her central office staff and replaced nearly one-quarter of the city\'s principals.

MICHELLE RHEE: No, I\'m -- I\'m terminating your principalship now.

JOHN MERROW: And, in a move that angered many in the community, Rhee shuttered 23 under-enrolled schools for good.

MAN: I\'m telling you that you are not being serious about taking parent and community input into account.

MICHELLE RHEE: My commitment to the children of the city was, regardless of all that noise that might come up, I\'m going to continue to forge ahead.

JOHN MERROW: Rhee then set her sights on a new teachers contract, stressing the need to remove ineffective teachers. Her bold stance earned praise and attention from the national media, but, at home, Rhee\'s image suffered.

This cover of \"TIME\" magazine left many of her teachers upset and angered D.C. teacher union leader George Parker.

GEORGE PARKER, president, Washington Teachers Union: This one shot gave the picture of, look, just sweep them all out. Get rid of them all. And that\'s not the solution. You can\'t fire your way to a great school system.

JOHN MERROW: Parker and Rhee spent almost three years negotiating the new contract. They finally reached a deal in spring 2010. Teachers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the contract, which guaranteed a 20 percent raise in salary that was retroactive, with three years of back pay.

Another perk: Teachers rated highly effective would be eligible for bonuses of up to $20,000.

WOMAN: What would you like to do with it?

JOHN MERROW: What teachers gave up was traditional job security, based on tenure and seniority. Now, if school budgets are cut, the teachers hired last won\'t necessarily be the first to lose their jobs.

MICHELLE RHEE: It doesn\'t matter whether you have tenure or not. It doesn\'t matter if you taught here for 30 years or not. If you are not serving children well, then we\'re going to let you go from the system.

JOHN MERROW: But it\'s something that Michelle Rhee didn\'t have to negotiate with the union that is affecting teachers the most: her new evaluation system, IMPACT. In most places, unions and school boards negotiate how teachers will be assessed, but not in Washington, D.C. In 1997, the City Council gave the chancellor full control over evaluations, with no oversight from the union.

GEORGE PARKER: This evaluation instrument has created the highest level of fear I have ever seen among teachers anywhere.

JOHN MERROW: Fear of?

GEORGE PARKER: Fear of being targeted for elimination, unjustly.

JOHN MERROW: Across the country, most public school teachers are observed by their principal or assistant principal once or twice a year. Nearly every teacher receives at least a satisfactory rating.

But, in Rhee\'s system, every teacher is observed five times a year, three times by an administrator, twice by a master educator. Those evaluations, combined with student test scores, result in a final rating.

MICHELLE RHEE: We have added more objectivity to this process not only than we -- we had before, but, I would argue, that exists anywhere across the country.

JOHN MERROW: Special education teacher Matt Nagy (ph) says that IMPACT\'s unannounced observations have improved his classroom performance.

MAN: So, every day, I had to make sure that my objective was clear, that my kids knew it, not just the days I got observed. And I think that made my classroom a little bit more consistent, and they learned a little bit more this year than last year. My only issue is that it\'s marketed as a growth tool for teachers. And there wasn\'t as much resources to help that growth as I would have liked to see.

JOHN MERROW: Although Rhee says IMPACT is designed to protect teachers from school politics, Ben Bergfalk claims it hasn\'t.

BEN BERGFALK, District of Columbia Public Schools: A principal at the middle school that I was working at this last year came up with a fictitious evaluation date, a fictitious conference date, and entered in fraudulent scores for me.

JOHN MERROW: The phantom evaluation?

BEN BERGFALK: A phantom evaluation. He petitioned Rhee\'s office.

JOHN MERROW: Bergfalk petitioned Rhee\'s office. And, eventually, the phony evaluation was removed.

MICHELLE RHEE: There\'s never going to be a perfect tool. And, so, if the bar is that, if it has bugs in it, we can\'t implement it, then you will literally never implement.

JOHN MERROW: In late July, final evaluation scores were released. Rhee fired 75 teachers for poor performance -- 671 more were deemed minimally effective and given one year to improve, or lose their jobs. That\'s nearly 20 percent of Rhee\'s teaching force that could be out of work one year from now.

Does it surprise you that those numbers are so high?

MICHELLE RHEE: I didn\'t -- I didn\'t sort of proffer any guesses at the front end to say, well, it\'s going to be this percentage or that percentage.

But when we took control of this school dis...

\'Barbie\' Arrest Could Yield Drug War Intel for Mexican Officials
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:31:00 EDT -

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About 30,000 people have been killed since 2006 in Mexico\'s violent drug wars. On Monday, one of the country\'s biggest drug traffickers was arrested in Mexico City. NPR\'s Jason Beaubien has more.

JUDY WOODRUFF: For more on the arrest, we\'re joined now by National Public Radio\'s Jason Beaubien in Mexico City. Jason, thank you for talking with us. First of all, they caught him alive. How significant is that?

JASON BEAUBIEN, National Public Radio: It is very significant, because, obviously, he can be important in terms of other investigations, in terms of digging in to the -- the workings of these cartels. Yes, it\'s very important that -- that they caught him alive. And the hope is that they will be able to get more information about the functioning of -- of other cells, other parts of the Beltran Leyva organization that had splintered after Arturo was -- was -- was gunned down by the Mexican marines in December of 2009.

JUDY WOODRUFF: How big a victory is this for the Mexican government?

JASON BEAUBIEN: This is really huge in terms of the timing. For President Calderon, he really needed a good-news story at the moment. Last week, you had the worst massacre in this entire drug war, with 72 migrants killed by the Zetas, one of the drug cartels that operates primarily just below Laredo and Brownsville, Texas. They actually operate all over Mexico, but that\'s sort of their home base.

They\'re accused of gunning down 72 migrants. That\'s obviously -- obviously the worst massacre that has occurred in what is an incredibly bloody drug war here. And just the same day that Valdez was captured, there was a 12-hour gun battle that went on just below Tamaulipas, in Veracruz, in which the army was trying to catch these gunmen.

This went on almost all day. There\'s a sense in Mexico that things have really gotten out of control in terms of security. When you get out and talk to people, it\'s the main concern that people have. So, this capture of Valdez, for Calderon, is a chance to say, look, we are making progress. We\'re bringing down some of these top leaders. And have faith in us. And even though it\'s getting more and more violent, if we push forward, we can succeed.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Now, Valdez has an interesting background. He was born in Laredo, Texas. He played high school football. Tell us more about that.

JASON BEAUBIEN: Yes. By all accounts, he grew up in a very middle-class environment in Laredo, Texas, and went on to become a small-time marijuana dealer on the northern side of the border, in the U.S., in Texas. Then he got in with the Mexican cartels and really took off from there.

His ability to move between the two worlds was quite effective. Officials here say that, when he was captured yesterday, he was moving a ton of cocaine a month into the United States. He moved very rapidly through the ranks. Originally, he was with the Sinaloan cartel, where the Beltran Leyvas were working with the Sinaloan cartel at that point. Then, when the Beltran Leyvas broke away, he came with them, was one of their leaders of a group of hitmen that they had called Los Negros. He\'s also known as being one of the most brutal men in entire this drug war.

In a drug war in which tens of thousands of people have been killed, he\'s accused of orchestrating the murders of hundreds of people through this group, the Los Negros, that worked for the Beltran Leyvas. Eventually, when Arturo was gunned down, he split off and was trying to work on his own and run his own cartel.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, in fact, trying to set up his own drug operation. And I was reading today that there were a number of people who were happy to turn in information about him.

JASON BEAUBIEN: When he broke away from the Beltran Leyvas, and the Beltran Leyvas were sort of falling apart, it became incredibly bloody in the areas where they were working, particularly in Cuernavaca, which is just below Mexico City. This is known as a sort of vacation resort for a lot of people from Mexico, from Mexico City.

And it\'s a place that has a reputation for being very peaceful. Well, La Barbie, Valdez, turned this into basically a war zone. He was fighting for control of these roots that the Beltran Leyvas had had. They were stringing up bodies off of highway overpasses and decapitating their enemies.

It really did become incredibly violent. And there\'s even a suggestion that maybe he was involved in turning in Arturo and giving over information to the Mexican navy, so that they were actually able to take down Arturo Beltran Leyva, at this point his boss.

So, it does appear that there\'s a lot of infighting going on. And this is part of what -- what President Calderon is trying to do. He\'s trying to disrupt the structures of these cartels, knock them off at the top, and break them into smaller groups that are easier for the government to contain and to control.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Jason, finally, quickly, we understand they\'re now planning to -- to have him tried in the U.S. on -- and what would the charges be, and why?

JASON BEAUBIEN: Well, he was facing charges in the U.S. for moving tons of cocaine into the Eastern Seaboard between 2004 and 2006. So, there was a standing indictment for him in the United States for drug smuggling. So, that would probably be the main charge, obviously, that he would face. And there is a desire here to move him out of Mexico, so that he\'s not inside the prison system, not able to keep trying to -- to gain power inside these -- these cartels.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Jason Beaubien, we thank you for your reporting, joining us from Mexico City.

JASON BEAUBIEN: You\'re welcome.

Alleged Drug Kingpin \'Barbie\' Arrested in Mexico
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:28:00 EDT -

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Mexican officials brought down one of the biggest alleged drug traffickers in Mexico\'s drug war. Edgar Valdez-Villareal, also known as \'The Barbie,\' was arrested in Mexico City.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Now to another country right next to the United States that also is coping with violence. Mexican officials have announced the arrest of a major target in that country\'s drug wars.

March before the cameras this morning under heavy guard, Edgar Valdez Villarreal was a long way from his high school football days in Laredo, Texas. His coach had nicknamed him the Barbie for his green eyes and fair skin. And the moniker stuck. But now, at 37 years old, he stands accused as one of Mexico\'s top drug traffickers. The alleged kingpin was arrested yesterday outside Mexico City without incident.

FACUNDO ROSAS ROSAS, commissioner, Mexican Federal Police (through translator): This arrest is the result of intelligence work and actions carried out by the Federal Police. Throughout this investigation, we exchanged information with various United States agencies, as well as the national defense and navy secretariats and the attorney general\'s office.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The arrest was a rare success for Mexico\'s president, Felipe Calderon. His government has waged a war against drug cartels since 2006. And nearly 30,000 people have been killed. Valdez had been locked in a vicious war of succession within the Beltran Leyva cartel.

The organization\'s namesake, Arturo Beltran Leyva, died in a hail of gun fire last December, as Mexican authorities closed in on him. U.S. authorities had put a $2 million bounty on Valdez. He\'s under indictment in Atlanta for drug trafficking. But there was no word on whether he would be extradited.

Uncertainty, Security Concerns Grow Among Iraqis Amid U.S. Drawdown
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:18:00 EDT -

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Margaret Warner continues her series of reports from Iraq with a look at how Iraqi citizens feel about their safety, security and future amid the U.S. troop drawdown.

JUDY WOODRUFF: We turn to Margaret Warner\'s second story this week from Iraq. Today, she talks with Iraqis around the country about how safe they are now feeling.

MARGARET WARNER: One of the great delicacies of Iraqi cuisine is masgouf, fresh fish split open, sliced and oiled, then grilled over an open-wood flame for an hour. During Baghdad\'s years of bloodshed, this popular park along the Tigris River was shut down. And restaurateurs like Mohammad Abu Abid left town. Now he\'s back doing what he loves best.

MOHAMMAD ABU ABID, restaurant owner (through translator): People just want to go out and enjoy themselves. They are sick and tired of the situation. They want to relax again.

MARGARET WARNER: Among his customers this hot Baghdad night, Ali Alsadi and his wife, Montaha. They are relieved to be out.

MONTAHA ALSADI, resident of Baghdad: We don\'t go after two years ago any place, any place.

MARGARET WARNER: So, do you feel safer?

MAN: Yes.

MONTAHA ALSADI: A little bit safer, but...

MAN: But more than before.

MONTAHA ALSADI: When we go, all family, we (INAUDIBLE) but alone, alone, alone, no.

MARGARET WARNER: Make no mistake about it. Baghdad retains the feel of a garrison city. Drivers must navigate a maze of blast walls, checkpoints and roving Iraqi convoys. Many buildings bear the bullet and mortar scars of seven years of fighting and occupation. And bombs still explode almost daily. Its people, too, bear the scars and trauma of war, none more so, says activist Hanaa Edwar, than women.

HANAA EDWAR, head, Iraqi Al-Amal Association: We have over one million women are widows because of the violent situation after 2003. And this is a lot for the country, where the widows, they have no incomes, no source of incomes. And there are children. They have children.

MARGARET WARNER: One of those widows, 40-year-old Batol Jassin Mohammed. In 2006, her police officer husband and their two young sons were abducted by insurgents.

BATOL JASSIN MOHAMMED, widow (through translator): They took him out of the car and chained him to the back, took him to some ruins near the highway, and slaughtered him in front of his kids. And after they slowly killed him, they cut off his head in front of them.

MARGARET WARNER: Since then, she and the children have been living on the edge, and not just financially. Her house in Baghdad\'s Yarmouk neighborhood was at the center of the inter-ethnic carnage that exploded that same year.

BATOL JASSIN MOHAMMED (through translator): Bullets were flying everywhere. Sometimes, they hit inside the house. We had to lock the doors, sit inside the room, and listen to the sound of bullets. I didn\'t have a weapon. My husband was dead, and I was so scared someone would come inside and kill us.

MARGARET WARNER: During the height of the sectarian violence in Baghdad, this traffic circle in Yarmouk was a war zone. Killings, car bombs, suicide attacks, this neighborhood saw an average of 40 bodies a day pile up in its streets. Now it\'s quite a different picture.

Army and police patrol the streets in convoys and on foot. Markets are coming back, and so are some shoppers -- 33-year-old dentist and mother Maysaa Alani is shopping for shoes with her sister.

MAYSAA ALANI, dentist: And seeing the guards here, the policemen more. And they\'re in the market. You can feel safe here. You can do the shopping. Two years, three years ago, we don\'t go alone.

MARGARET WARNER: Security is so improved, she says, that she can now see her dental patients in the evening. But, still, she feels confined, since police set up random security roadblocks without warning.

MAYSAA ALANI: It could be closed. You can\'t stay in your car with your kids and this -- hot. You stay two hours sometimes in your car.

MARGARET WARNER: So, if they shut down the neighborhood...

MAYSAA ALANI: They don\'t tell you.

MARGARET WARNER: Then they don\'t tell you, and you\'re trapped -- you\'re locked out.

MAYSAA ALANI: (INAUDIBLE) It\'s blocked.

MARGARET WARNER: More than a million other professional Iraqis who couldn\'t deal with the violence or frustration fled the country. And Hanaa Edwar says Iraq\'s middle class hasn\'t recovered.

HANAA EDWAR: The middle class is suffering from poverty, from displacement of enduring the sectarian war. Many of them, they run away from the country.

MARGARET WARNER: The lack of predictable security also holds back the economy and jobs. With just a ninth-grade education, another widow, Shaimaa Ali, is now learning computer skills.

SHAIMAA ALI, widow (through translator): My dream is to get a job with a good salary, to be something in this society and support my children.

MARGARET WARNER: But do you think it will be possible to find a job?

SHAIMAA ALI (through translator): I could get a minor job, but nothing to fulfill my dream. We have students, male and female, who graduate from universities, and they can\'t find a job.

MARGARET WARNER: Do you want to stay in Iraq? Or, if you had the option, would you want to leave?

SHAIMAA ALI (through translator): I would definitely leave. It\'s just too difficult to live in Iraq. Everything is difficult.

MARGARET WARNER: Things are quite different in the ancient holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad. It attracts Shiite pilgrims from throughout the Islamic world.

This Thursday night, outside the Shrine of Imam Ali, thousands have gathered on a sea of Oriental carpets to break the daily fast of Ramadan. After picnicking on roasted chicken and rice, they relax for hours, visiting with family and friends and with us.

Najaf was brutalized in the time of Saddam Hussein and saw its share of post-invasion bloodshed, too. Yet, college student Zaid Mohammed Kadim notes, when explosions hit more than a dozen Iraqi cities the day before, the holy cities of the Shiite south were untouched.

ZAID MOHAMMED KADIM, college student (through translator): We are all Shiites here, so we feel safe and secure. We come to Najaf to visit the Shrine of Ali or to Karbala to visit the Shrine of Husayn, because they are holy places for the Shia people. We feel safe.

MARGARET WARNER: Under a tent nearby, Karrar Salman Al-Ganny man and his family are resting in the cool of a misting fan.

KARRAR SALMAN AL-GANNY, resident of Karbala (through translator): Four years ago, we could not go out after a certain hour, not because they told you not to, but because you were too scared to go out. Now, in Karbala, you can go out any time.

MARGARET WARNER: His mother agreed, up to a point.

MAYSA SALMAN SHAHEEN, resident of Karbala (through translator): I feel totally safe. Our area is just as safe for women as it is for men.

MARGARET WARNER: But she is still haunted.

MAYSA SALMAN SHAHEEN (through translator): I can say this to you. Iraqi women are tired, tir...

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