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JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening.

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I'm Judy Woodruff.

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On the "NewsHour" tonight: 
parsing the president.

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We break down Mr. Trump's 
latest statements in a barrage 
of interviews and tweets.

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Then, we continue our series on 
South Sudan's brutal civil war 
with a look at the devastating

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food shortage facing those 
forced to flee their homes.

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JANE FERGUSON: These are the 
roots of the water lily flowers.

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This is all people in this part 
of South Sudan have to eat.

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It's muddy.

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It has very little nutritional 
value and is deeply unpleasant.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And how one 
county in California is cutting 
the high costs of asthma with a

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home care program focused 
on keeping kids healthy 
and out of the E.R.

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LINDA NEUHAUSER, University 
of California, Berkeley: In 
Alameda County alone, we might

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be able to save as much as 
$16 million a year just on 
hospitalizations of children.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: All that and more 
on tonight's "PBS NewsHour."

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(BREAK)

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JUDY WOODRUFF: President 
Trump and Russia's President 
Vladimir Putin have been on the

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phone again, and they agreed 
to step up diplomacy in Syria.

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The two men spoke today for 
the first time since the U.S. 
attacked a Syrian air base

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last month.

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Earlier, Putin met 
with Chancellor Angela 
Merkel in Sochi, Russia.

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He claimed again that 
Moscow didn't meddle 
in the U.S. election.

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VLADIMIR PUTIN, Russian 
President (through 
translator): We never 
interfere into political

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lives and political processes 
in other countries, and 
we would very much like 
that nobody interfered

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into our political life and into 
the political life in Russia.

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These are just rumors used 
in the internal political 
struggle in the U.S.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Meanwhile, 
Hillary Clinton said today 
that Putin certainly interfered

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in order to help Donald 
Trump and defeat her.

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U.S. intelligence agencies and 
the Congress are investigating 
whether the Russians coordinated

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with Trump aides 
during the campaign.

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The head of Thailand's military 
junta says he is now expecting 
much-improved relations

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with the U.S.

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They cooled sharply after he 
seized power in a 2014 coup 
and became prime minister.

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But, today, he said President 
Trump assured him in a weekend 
phone call that -- quote

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- - "Thai-U.S. relations will 
now be closer than ever before."

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The president also invited 
him to visit the White House.

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Mr. Trump gave out conflicting 
messages today on the compromise 
measure to fund the government

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through the end of 
this fiscal year.

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First, in a tweet, he signaled 
displeasure, and suggested 
shutting the government down

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in the next budget fight.

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Later, though, as he honored 
the Air Force Academy football 
team, he praised the spending

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deal, and said -- quote -- "This 
is what winning looks like."

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DONALD TRUMP, President of the 
United States: This bill is 
a clear win for the American

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people.

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We brought lawmakers together 
from both sides of the aisle 
to deliver a budget that funds

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the rebuilding of the United 
States military, makes historic 
investments in border security,

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and provides health care for 
our miners and school choice 
for our disadvantaged children.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Later, 
White House Budget Director 
Mick Mulvaney said Mr. 
Trump is unhappy with

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portrayals that Democrats 
won the budget fight.

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MICK MULVANEY, White House 
Budget Director: The president 
is frustrated with the fact

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that he negotiated in good 
faith with the Democrats and 
they went out to try and spike

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the football and 
make him look bad.

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It doesn't surprise me at 
all that his frustrations 
were manifested in that way.

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We have got a lot to do 
-- we have got a lot to 
between now and September.

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I don't anticipate a shutdown in 
September, but, if negotiations 
-- if the Democrats aren't

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going to behave any better than 
they have in the last couple 
of days, it may be inevitable.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: The leader of 
Senate Democrats, Chuck Schumer, 
said that shutting down the

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government at any time 
would be a bad idea.

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A guilty plea today from 
a white former policeman 
who shot a black man 
to death in Charleston,

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South Carolina.

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Michael Slager shot Walter 
Scott five times as Scott 
ran from his car in 2015.

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A state court jury deadlocked 
on murder charges, but, today, 
Slager pleaded to federal civil

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rights violations.

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Under the deal, the state 
agreed to drop its murder case.

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No sentencing date was set.

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There are two reports tonight 
that the Justice Department 
will not charge police officers

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in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 
in the killing of Alton 
Sterling last July.

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He was shot dead after 
being pinned on the ground.

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But the incident was 
videotaped and sparked tense 
protests in that city.

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A little over a week later, 
a gunman killed three 
Baton Rouge officers.

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There's word today that 
the overall death rate 
among African-Americans 
dropped sharply

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from 1999 to 2015.

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The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention reports that it 
fell 25 percent in that period.

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However, the overall life 
expectancy for African-Americans 
is still four years less 
than that for whites.

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Black Americans are also 
far more likely to die 
of heart disease and 
cancer than are whites.

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Airline executives found 
themselves in the hot seat at 
a congressional hearing today

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on the issue of 
overbooking flights.

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It followed United Airlines' 
forced removal of a passenger 
who refused to give up his

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seat last month.

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United CEO Oscar Munoz 
was one of four airline 
representatives at the hearing.

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He called the incident a 
turning point for his company.

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OSCAR MUNOZ, CEO, 
United Airlines: It will 
accelerate, at least from 
United's perspective,

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and as you heard from others, 
this will make us better.

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Once you sit on our aircraft 
and you are on a seat, other 
than for safety or security

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reasons, we will not 
take you off that flight.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Republicans 
and Democrats alike warned 
the airlines to shape up.

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Committee Chair Representative 
Bill Shuster said customer 
service had better improve,

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or else.

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REP.

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BILL SHUSTER (R), Pennsylvania: 
Get together collectively 
and figure this out.

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Seize this opportunity, because, 
if you don't, we're going to 
come, and you're not going

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to like it.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: United reached 
a settlement with the ejected 
passenger last week for an

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undisclosed sum.

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U.S. auto sales 
tumbled last month.

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Six major companies 
today reported weaker 
showings than a year ago.

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And, on Wall Street, the Dow 
Jones industrial average gained 
36 points to close near 20950.

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The Nasdaq rose more than 
three points, and the S&P 
500 added nearly three.

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Still to come on the "NewsHour": 
the ripple effects of what 
President Trump says and tweets;

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the world's newest country 
devolving into war and famine; 
does a Netflix hit push its

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portrayal of teen suicide 
too far?; and much more.

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President Trump has given a 
flurry of interviews in the past 
week or so to commemorate his

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first 100 days in office.

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And he made a dizzying amount 
of news, giving controversial 
and, at times, contradictory

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comments on topics 
ranging from North Korea 
to the U.S. Civil War.

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To try to make sense of it all, 
we are joined now by our own 
Lisa Desjardins, by Yeganeh

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Torbati.

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She's a State Department 
reporter for Reuters.

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And Julie Davis, she 
covers the White House 
for The New York Times.

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And we welcome all three 
of you to the program.

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Let's talk first about 
the president's comments 
about the health care 
bill, this replacement

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bill.

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Lisa, he was asked some pointed 
questions over the weekend, 
CBS' John Dickerson, in

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an interview for 
"Face the Nation."

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Here is some of that interview.

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Let's watch.

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JOHN DICKERSON, Host, "Face 
The Nation": They are worried.

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Are they going to have the 
guarantee of coverage if 
they have a preexisting 
condition, or if

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they live in a state where the 
governor decides that's not a 
part of the health care, or that

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the prices are going to go up?

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That's the worry.

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The American Medical 
Association says...

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DONALD TRUMP, President of the 
United States: We actually...

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JOHN DICKERSON: ... it 
could effectively make 
coverage completely 
unaffordable for people.

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DONALD TRUMP: Yes, we 
actually have -- well, 
forget about unaffordable.

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What's unaffordable 
is Obamacare, John.

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(CROSSTALK)

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JOHN DICKERSON: So, I'm 
not hearing you, Mr. 
President, say there's a 
guarantee of preexisting

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conditions.

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DONALD TRUMP: We actually 
have -- we actually have 
a clause that guarantees.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Lisa, today, 
there are Republicans saying 
this newly reworked legislation

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doesn't guarantee preexisting 
conditions will be covered.

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What's going on here?

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LISA DESJARDINS: And it's 
changed one major vote, Judy.

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That's Fred Upton of Michigan.

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Our viewers might be familiar 
with him because he used to 
chair the committee that wrote

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health care policy.

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He says he's now a no vote on 
the Republican plan as it stands 
now, because he says preexisting

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conditions are not protected 
in this latest version.

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It seemed that either President 
Trump didn't exactly understand 
the latest version, or

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he was talking about not 
the preexisting waivers 
that states could get, 
but perhaps the high-risk

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pools that they're hoping 
states use to protect those 
folks who have preexisting 
medical conditions.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And at one 
point in that interview, 
Julie Davis, the president 
did refer to pools.

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What do you think 
was going on there?

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JULIE DAVIS, The New York Times: 
Well, I think what we're hearing 
is a president who doesn't

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like to get very steeped in 
the details of policy, and 
what he wants to emphasize is

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his message, which is that he 
wants everyone to be covered 
as effectively and as fulsomely

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as they are under the 
Affordable Care Act.

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The problem is, members of 
Congress have to vote on an 
actual piece of legislation, and

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they're looking at a bill that 
doesn't do what he says it does.

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So, that's why we're seeing this 
initiative stall yet again, and 
it sounds like the president's

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rhetoric is out of step with 
what is actually happening.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And, as we 
mentioned, this is to all three 
of you, we mentioned a minute

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ago in our news summary, 
there is also conflicting 
language coming out of 
the White House today

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about the spending plan that 
was agreed to in the last few 
days between Democrats and

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Republicans.

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Democrats are saying, we won.

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The Republicans, some of 
them are acknowledging 
that Democrats got 
the better of this.

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The president tweeted this 
morning -- and, Julie, I'm going 
to come back to you on this

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- - he said, "The reason for 
the plan negotiated between the 
Republicans and the Democrats

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is, we need 60 votes in the 
Senate, which are not there.

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We," he said, "either elect 
more Republican senators in 
2018 or we change the rules now

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to 51 percent.

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Our country needs a good 
shutdown in September 
to fix this mess."

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He sounds frustrated, Julie.

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JULIE DAVIS: He is frustrated.

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And we heard from his 
OMB director, his budget 
director, Mick Mulvaney, 
this afternoon, that

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he thought that those tweets 
were because of the president's 
frustration, not that he

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didn't want -- get what he 
wanted in the deal, according to 
the White House, but that they

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were acting, that Democrats 
were acting like they had won, 
when, in fact, you know, the

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president had been 
negotiating in good 
faith, Mr. Mulvaney said.

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The fact is, the president did 
have to come to the table and 
Republicans in Congress did

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and compromise to get a 
spending agreement through.

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And while most presidents 
would be spending this time 
saying, we got a lot of what we

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wanted, it was a good 
compromise, I showed that 
I was willing to come 
to the table, instead,

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the president started the 
day really emphasizing 
how willing he is to 
sort of spark a partisan

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conflict in the next go-round.

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So, rather than enjoying 
the fact that he was able to 
broker a compromise that most

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people thought it was going 
to be difficult for him to do, 
he is now looking forward to

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the next negotiation and 
saying, well, I'm ready 
to torpedo that one.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And how is that 
received on the hill, Lisa?

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LISA DESJARDINS: Yes, that 
was a big lead balloon on the 
Hill, Republicans shaking their

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heads, openly saying, no, 
none of this makes sense.

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We don't want a 
shutdown, actually.

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It achieves nothing, with 
very exceptions, they were 
saying, and also saying, on the

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Senate side, Senate Republican 
Leader Mitch McConnell was 
adamant with reporters today,

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saying the vast majority 
of the Senate does not 
want to change the rules.

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We heard from top to bottom 
they feel that those rules do 
protect the minority in a way

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that both parties 
agree on right now.

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So he's out of step.

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And there was a lot of 
head-shaking, a lot of 
question marks about 
exactly what the president

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is trying to achieve here.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: So, 
Yeganeh, I want to bring 
you in now, because I 
want to share this clip.

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This is the president's 
interview yesterday 
with Bloomberg News 
in which he was asked

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about North Korea, and, of 
course, its young dictator, 
Kim Jong-un, came up.

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Let's listen to this.

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This is an audio interview.

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DONALD TRUMP: We have 
a potentially very bad 
situation that we will 
meet in the toughest

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of all manners if 
we have to do that.

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If it would be appropriate 
for me to meet with him, I 
would absolutely -- I would be

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honored to do it.

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If it's under the -- again, 
under the right circumstances.

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But I would -- I would do that.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: So, he's 
honored to meet with the 
dictator of North Korea.

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How is that being received at 
the State Department and abroad?

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YEGANEH TORBATI, Reuters: Right.

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I think the question 
here is that it's not 
so much a fundamental 
shift in U.S. policy.

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As you will remember during 
the 2008 presidential campaign, 
former President Obama said that

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there's no reason why 
we shouldn't meet with 
rogue nations in order to 
advance U.S. interests.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: That's true.

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YEGANEH TORBATI: It's really 
the wording of saying that he 
would be honored to meet with

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Kim Jong-un, who is someone 
that, you know, U.S. officials 
have said violates his own

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people's rights and 
is ruling really North 
Korea with an iron grip.

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And so I think that sort of 
language, especially coming on 
the heels of his interview last

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week, one in which he said 
that there's a potential for 
a major, major conflict with

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North Korea, causes a 
little bit of whiplash 
within the bureaucracy, 
especially the national

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security bureaucracy 
here in Washington.

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The State Department, the 
Pentagon, the Treasury 
Department, they're 
all looking for signals

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from the president as to sort 
of what their talking points 
and what their policy should

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be.

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And it's a little bit 
contradictory at the moment.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And, Lisa, on 
the Hill, again, you have so 
many members looking to see how

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the president speaks about these 
very sensitive international, 
national security question.

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LISA DESJARDINS: There is 
no lack of reaction to this.

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And, of course, as 
expected, Democrats said 
this was a problem, but 
many Republicans did

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as well.

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Senate Foreign Relations 
Chairman Bob Corker 
told reporters the 
president's iPhone needs

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to be taken away.

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John McCain, Armed Services 
chairman, went farther.

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He said that he thought 
this was disturbing.

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So it is both serious, and 
to some degree people aren't 
taking the president seriously

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as well.

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And that's a problem for him.

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I did speak to one source in 
Trump world who spent a lot 
of time with the president who

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said he's a disrupter, and 
that people should realize he's 
trying to find solutions, so

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he is both hot and 
cold at the same time.

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Washington doesn't know how 
to deal with that, and that's 
what we're seeing right now.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: The last excerpt 
I want to share with the 
audience brings up the Civil

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War, and I'm going to come back 
to you, Julie, on this one.

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The president was talking.

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This is in an interview 
he did a couple of days 
ago with Sirius radio.

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He was being interviewed by 
the reporter Salena Zito, and 
Andrew Jackson, president Andrew

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Jackson''s name came up.

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Let's listen to that.

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DONALD TRUMP: I mean, had 
Andrew Jackson been a little 
later, you wouldn't have had the

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Civil War.

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He was -- he was a very tough 
person, but he had a big heart.

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And he was really angry that 
he saw what was happening 
with regard to the Civil War.

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He said, there's 
reason for this.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Julie Davis, 
we know President Andrew Jackson 
died 16 years before the Civil

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War started.

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The president was trying to 
clean this up a little bit 
on Twitter this morning.

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What are they saying 
at the White House?

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JULIE DAVIS: Well, I think, as 
with many of his tweets, they 
weren't professing to know

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exactly what he meant 
when he made that comment.

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I think one of the more 
charitable explanations 
was that the was talking 
about the nullification

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crisis, when the Southern 
states wanted to secede, 
and he was against that.

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But, really, I mean, historians 
point out that this is a 
president who is really not

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steeped in the details of 
history, even sort of the broad 
outlines of history, the way

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that many presidents have been.

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Again, he's not interested in 
the details, so much as he's 
making the point, Andrew Jackson

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is a populist who he has said 
he very much admires and sort 
of wants to fashion himself

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after.

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The question, though, is, Andrew 
Jackson was also a slave owner.

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And to the degree that he might 
have been suggesting that there 
might have been a solution

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short of the Civil War that 
would have ended the conflict, 
but preserved slavery or some

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element of it, that had 
people really concerned, 
and that had both historians 
and other analysts

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just sort of scratching 
their heads, like, why would 
you make a point like that?

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It's just one of those comments 
that left I think a little 
bit more of a mess than he

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intended.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Yeganeh 
Torbati, obviously, the 
Civil War, they don't 
have to worry about

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that any more at the 
State Department.

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(LAUGHTER)

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JUDY WOODRUFF: But they do 
obviously consider the way the 
president uses language and the

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way he speaks about and his 
knowledge of American history.

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What do the diplomats you speak 
with, those who pay attention 
to the sensitivities of

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00:16:53,766 --> 00:16:55,866
all this, say?

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00:16:55,866 --> 00:16:59,766
YEGANEH TORBATI: There is some 
concern that our allies and 
our rivals abroad, U.S. allies

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00:17:01,733 --> 00:17:05,500
and rivals abroad, are somewhat 
behind closed doors a little 
bit mocking of some of the

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things that President Trump 
says, and U.S. diplomats sort 
of just have to kind of grin

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and bear it.

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00:17:12,333 --> 00:17:16,033
There's not much they can really 
say either in defense or sort 
of an explanation, because

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00:17:16,033 --> 00:17:19,933
they're not really sure 
themselves what the president 
might be getting at.

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There's a broader question of, 
when he makes these kind of 
contradictory remarks or remarks

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where he's sort of whipsawing 
from sort of statement to 
statement, you know, do the rank

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00:17:31,333 --> 00:17:35,633
and file, do the bureaucrats 
within the National 
Security Agency, do they 
know which direction

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00:17:35,633 --> 00:17:39,333
to follow when they're 
trying to sort of set 
the agenda for meetings?

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They're not quite sure right 
now, because they usually get 
their signal, their policy

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signal from the president.

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And it's not really 
clear right now.

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00:17:46,633 --> 00:17:50,600
Even if Secretary of State 
Tillerson or Secretary 
of Defense Mattis are 
very consistent in their

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00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:54,833
own messaging, the State 
Department and the Pentagon may 
not sort of -- the right hand

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00:17:54,833 --> 00:17:58,866
may know what the left hand 
is doing, and so that's sort 
of the concern that diplomats

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00:17:58,866 --> 00:18:01,066
at least have right now.

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00:18:01,066 --> 00:18:04,366
JUDY WOODRUFF: It's a 
reminder that every word 
out of the president's 
mouth has repercussions

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00:18:04,366 --> 00:18:09,366
on Capitol Hill, elsewhere 
around the executive 
branch, Julie and Yeganeh, 
completely, around

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00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:14,800
the world, not just in the 
diplomatic community here, but 
literally around the globe.

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Yeganeh Torbati, Julie Davis, 
Lisa Desjardins, we thank you.

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YEGANEH TORBATI: Thank you.

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00:18:17,566 --> 00:18:20,233
LISA DESJARDINS: Thank you.

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00:18:20,233 --> 00:18:25,233
JULIE DAVIS: Thanks, Judy.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: Last night, 
we brought you a look at the 
brutal civil war ravaging South

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00:18:34,900 --> 00:18:37,400
Sudan and the lives 
it has scarred.

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Tonight, another 
calamity afflicting South 
Sudan, a famine, caused 
by drought and man.

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The United Nations estimates 
40 percent of the country's 
people are at risk.

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00:18:50,133 --> 00:18:53,466
Again in partnership with 
the Pulitzer Center on Crisis 
Reporting, special correspondent

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00:18:53,466 --> 00:18:56,266
Jane Ferguson reports.

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00:18:56,266 --> 00:19:01,266
JANE FERGUSON: She studies 
with focus and poise.

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00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:06,633
Rebecca looks like a typical 
student next to her classmates 
in Thoahnom (ph) school,

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00:19:06,633 --> 00:19:11,633
in a remote area of South 
Sudan, but few of them have been 
through what she has endured.

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00:19:13,500 --> 00:19:17,333
Her family fled for their 
lives when government 
soldiers raided their village.

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00:19:18,533 --> 00:19:21,000
They survived by hiding 
in swamps for two weeks.

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00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,433
REBECCA RIAK CHOL, South 
Sudan (through translator): 
When we fled our village, 
we were 28 people.

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00:19:26,300 --> 00:19:28,666
When we got here, we were 24.

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00:19:28,666 --> 00:19:30,633
Two were shot and 
two died of hunger.

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00:19:30,633 --> 00:19:35,000
JANE FERGUSON: One of those who 
died was her 13-year-old sister.

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00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,533
Rebecca watched her grow 
weak and starve to death.

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00:19:37,533 --> 00:19:41,966
REBECCA RIAK CHOL 
(through translator): 
We didn't have anything 
to dig with to bury her,

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00:19:41,966 --> 00:19:44,733
so we just put grass on 
the body and left it there.

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00:19:44,733 --> 00:19:49,733
JANE FERGUSON: Marco 
Nuer is 16 years old and 
also goes to school here.

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00:19:51,766 --> 00:19:53,733
Two months ago, he made it 
to this village with what 
remained of his family.

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00:19:53,733 --> 00:19:58,066
MARCO NUER, South Sudan (through 
translator): When we fled 
the fighting, I saw at least

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00:19:58,066 --> 00:19:59,666
20 people killed.

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00:19:59,666 --> 00:20:02,366
Along the road later, 
people died of hunger.

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00:20:02,366 --> 00:20:07,366
JANE FERGUSON: His brother, 
sister and father were among 
those who died of starvation.

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00:20:09,366 --> 00:20:13,200
The trauma of their 
loss haunts him.

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00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:18,200
Both Rebecca and Marco have 
found safety in this village 
controlled by rebel gunmen.

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00:20:20,166 --> 00:20:23,166
Rebecca's family have been 
given this small hut to 
shelter in by local people.

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00:20:23,166 --> 00:20:28,166
Her mom, Tipasa, tries to sell 
tea to make extra money for 
food, but it's never enough,

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00:20:30,366 --> 00:20:32,966
so she forages in the marshes.

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00:20:32,966 --> 00:20:36,233
These are the roots of 
the water lily flowers.

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00:20:36,233 --> 00:20:40,433
This is all people in this part 
of South Sudan have to eat.

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00:20:40,433 --> 00:20:41,966
It's muddy.

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00:20:41,966 --> 00:20:45,300
It has very little nutritional 
value and is deeply unpleasant.

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00:20:45,300 --> 00:20:49,900
This is what they ate when 
they were hiding in the bush, 
too, and how countless numbers

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00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:54,900
of people in South Sudan are 
trying to survive, on the run 
from government troops targeting

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00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,433
them because of their tribe.

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00:20:58,433 --> 00:21:03,433
A split between president Salva 
Kiir and his vice president, 
Riek Machar, in 2013 tore

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00:21:04,566 --> 00:21:08,000
apart the country, 
sparking a civil war.

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00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:11,133
Both sides have been 
accused of war crimes.

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00:21:11,133 --> 00:21:16,133
Most recently, government 
soldiers have been 
attacking communities of 
tribes seen as supportive

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00:21:18,100 --> 00:21:21,233
of Machar's rebel fighters, 
killing civilians and forcing 
large groups of people to flee.

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00:21:23,433 --> 00:21:25,666
They run into these 
massive swamps.

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00:21:25,666 --> 00:21:30,666
It is a good hiding place from 
soldiers hunting them, but 
there is nothing to eat here, so

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00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:35,766
famine has come to both 
Marco and Rebecca's homes.

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00:21:35,766 --> 00:21:39,400
This is a cruel 
manmade disaster.

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00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:44,400
There is food in South Sudan, 
but many have had to leave 
it behind when they flee.

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00:21:47,100 --> 00:21:52,100
Food is being dropped by aid 
agencies to the most desperate.

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00:21:55,833 --> 00:22:00,400
Those with the strength 
come out of hiding to 
get lifesaving supplies.

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00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,900
This is Leer, the famine 
area where Marco is from.

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00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:07,266
People here used to grow their 
own vegetables and farm cattle.

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00:22:07,266 --> 00:22:12,266
When they ran for their lives 
into the bush, they left behind 
any way of feeding themselves.

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00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:19,100
The International Committee 
of the Red Cross is giving 
them tools and seeds.

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00:22:19,100 --> 00:22:24,100
If they plant maize now, they 
can harvest it by August, 
if they live that long.

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00:22:26,066 --> 00:22:30,233
In many ways, this area is 
symbolic of the link between 
war and hunger in South Sudan.

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00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:36,233
An area where aid agencies 
are giving out food to local 
people, they say this once was

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00:22:36,233 --> 00:22:41,233
a vibrant marketplace, until 
government troops came in 
and burned it to the ground.

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00:22:42,833 --> 00:22:46,133
And now the only thing 
left of that market is 
just ash on the ground.

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00:22:46,133 --> 00:22:51,133
The numbers of those in 
need here are staggering; 
100,000 people are right 
now starving to death

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00:22:52,766 --> 00:22:54,600
across the country.

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00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:56,633
Millions more are on the brink.

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DEEPMALA MAHLA, Mercy Corps: 
Before I came here, I thought, 
I know the drill, I have

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00:23:00,533 --> 00:23:02,533
been there.

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00:23:02,533 --> 00:23:06,500
I have never seen anything more 
complicated, more saddening 
as compared to South Sudan;

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00:23:07,700 --> 00:23:09,866
4.8 million people do 
not have enough food.

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00:23:09,866 --> 00:23:12,466
It really shocks me.

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00:23:12,466 --> 00:23:16,166
JANE FERGUSON: Deepmala 
Mahla runs the U.S.-based 
charity Mercy Corps' 
operation in South Sudan.

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00:23:17,266 --> 00:23:19,800
She is not optimistic 
for the future.

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00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:23,433
DEEPMALA MAHLA: I have 
to say the gap between 
being brink of starvation 
and actually starving,

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00:23:23,433 --> 00:23:25,566
there isn't a whole 
lot of time left.

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00:23:25,566 --> 00:23:29,066
It happens -- the deterioration 
happens pretty fast.

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00:23:29,066 --> 00:23:34,066
JANE FERGUSON: South Sudan 
is the most dangerous 
place in the world for 
aid workers, yet people

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00:23:35,233 --> 00:23:37,700
here desperately 
needs their help.

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00:23:37,700 --> 00:23:42,700
Over 80 have been killed since 
the war started, a fifth of 
those in this year so far alone.

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00:23:44,533 --> 00:23:48,233
Aid agencies often 
struggle to reach people 
starving in the wilderness.

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00:23:48,233 --> 00:23:53,233
Flying for hundreds of miles 
over this vast country, you 
rarely see even a dirt road.

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00:23:55,300 --> 00:23:59,866
It's in these remote areas 
where people are dying, 
far from the world's view.

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00:24:01,366 --> 00:24:05,266
People in urban areas like the 
capital, Juba, can get help.

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00:24:05,266 --> 00:24:08,366
International Medical 
Corps runs this hospital.

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00:24:08,366 --> 00:24:13,366
In the intensive care ward 
for children, Dr. Sadia 
Azam shows us how she 
diagnoses malnutrition.

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00:24:14,300 --> 00:24:16,233
So, she is in danger?

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00:24:16,233 --> 00:24:18,133
DR.

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00:24:18,133 --> 00:24:20,133
SADIA AZAM, International 
Medical Corps: Yes, 
she is in danger.

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00:24:20,133 --> 00:24:22,466
She is really 
acute malnourished.

385
00:24:22,466 --> 00:24:24,733
JANE FERGUSON: What's 
causing that for her?

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00:24:24,733 --> 00:24:25,866
DR.

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00:24:25,866 --> 00:24:27,600
SADIA AZAM: The 
children are like this.

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00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,700
Their bodies are very fragile.

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00:24:29,700 --> 00:24:31,433
They are very weak.

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00:24:31,433 --> 00:24:36,066
JANE FERGUSON: And weak bodies 
can't fight off deadly diseases.

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00:24:36,066 --> 00:24:39,633
One-and-a-half-year-old 
Nyagoah also has pneumonia.

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00:24:39,633 --> 00:24:44,500
This hospital exists 
largely because of U.S. 
government funding.

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00:24:44,500 --> 00:24:48,600
American money is responsible 
for much of the aid relief 
in South Sudan, whether it's

394
00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:53,600
food drops from planes 
or the seeds and tools 
distributed in famine areas.

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00:24:55,666 --> 00:24:58,400
Cuts to foreign aid proposed 
by the Trump administration 
could mean less money makes

396
00:24:58,400 --> 00:24:59,400
it here.

397
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,633
And charities are nervous.

398
00:25:01,633 --> 00:25:05,566
Jason Straziuso is the 
regional spokesperson 
for the International 
Committee of the Red

399
00:25:05,566 --> 00:25:07,600
Cross.

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00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:09,133
JASON STRAZIUSO, International 
Committee of the Red Cross: The 
United States is the largest

401
00:25:09,133 --> 00:25:13,800
single supporter of the ICRC, a 
substantial part of our budget.

402
00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:18,800
And we view this 
American generosity and 
goodwill as vital to our 
operations, as vital to our

403
00:25:21,633 --> 00:25:24,766
humanitarian assistance 
around the world.

404
00:25:24,766 --> 00:25:29,766
JANE FERGUSON: Rebecca 
escaped the horrors of 
widespread killings, 
only to face starvation

405
00:25:30,500 --> 00:25:32,566
in the wilderness.

406
00:25:32,566 --> 00:25:36,400
Famine will continue to stalk 
families like hers in this 
country for as long as people

407
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:40,766
cannot peacefully farm their 
cattle and grow food at home.

408
00:25:40,766 --> 00:25:44,400
And the war that drives 
hunger here is far from over.

409
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:49,400
For the "PBS NewsHour," 
I'm Jane Ferguson in 
Unity State, South Sudan.

410
00:25:51,366 --> 00:25:55,433
JUDY WOODRUFF: In her final 
report tomorrow, Jane brings us 
the stories of women in South

411
00:25:56,833 --> 00:26:00,966
Sudan who have survived rape 
used as a weapon of war.

412
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:12,666
Stay with us.

413
00:26:12,666 --> 00:26:16,600
Coming up on the "NewsHour": 
home visits that cut back on 
the risks and cost of asthma;

414
00:26:18,566 --> 00:26:22,700
and from our "NewsHour" 
Bookshelf, a new perspective 
on a polarizing president.

415
00:26:24,066 --> 00:26:28,033
But first: Can a dramatic 
depiction of suicide go too far?

416
00:26:28,033 --> 00:26:33,033
A new series on Netflix about 
a teenage girl's tragic death 
has some school districts and

417
00:26:35,100 --> 00:26:39,033
mental health experts worried 
that the show has gone beyond 
just entertainment, and could

418
00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:41,766
pose a threat to young students.

419
00:26:41,766 --> 00:26:43,566
William Brangham 
explores the controversy.

420
00:26:43,566 --> 00:26:46,200
It's part of our weekly 
series Making the Grade.

421
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,466
And a warning: The story 
contains graphic content.

422
00:26:49,466 --> 00:26:53,766
KATHERINE LANGFORD, 
Actress: Some of you cared.

423
00:26:53,766 --> 00:26:55,966
None of you cared enough.

424
00:26:55,966 --> 00:26:58,100
Neither did I.

425
00:26:58,100 --> 00:27:03,000
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: "13 Reasons 
Why" tells the fictional story 
of Hannah Baker, a 17-year-old

426
00:27:04,133 --> 00:27:06,733
high school student 
who takes her own life.

427
00:27:06,733 --> 00:27:11,733
Hannah leaves behind 13 cassette 
tapes, where she narrates 
the events leading up to her

428
00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:13,433
suicide.

429
00:27:13,433 --> 00:27:14,100
KATHERINE LANGFORD: 
Hey, it's Hannah.

430
00:27:14,100 --> 00:27:16,133
Hannah Baker.

431
00:27:16,133 --> 00:27:19,866
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Each tape 
centers around one person, and, 
in it, Hannah tries to explain

432
00:27:21,233 --> 00:27:24,533
why that person was or wasn't 
to blame for her death.

433
00:27:24,533 --> 00:27:28,333
KATHERINE LANGFORD: Don't 
adjust your -- whatever 
device you're hearing this on.

434
00:27:28,333 --> 00:27:30,433
It's me, live and in stereo.

435
00:27:30,433 --> 00:27:34,766
Get a snack, settle in, because 
I'm about to tell you the story 
of my life, more specifically

436
00:27:39,333 --> 00:27:41,000
why my life ended.

437
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:45,333
And if you're listening 
to this tape, you're 
one of the reasons why.

438
00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,833
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The 
show, which was released 
in its entirety a month 
ago, brutally depicts

439
00:27:50,833 --> 00:27:53,933
some very tough topics: hazing, 
cyber-bullying, and rape.

440
00:27:53,933 --> 00:27:58,933
Hannah's own rape by one of her 
classmates is unsparingly shown.

441
00:28:00,966 --> 00:28:05,100
The series is based on a 
2007 young adult novel by Jay 
Asher, and it was produced by

442
00:28:05,833 --> 00:28:07,833
singer Selena Gomez.

443
00:28:07,833 --> 00:28:11,533
Since its release, school boards 
around the country have sent 
warning letters to parents,

444
00:28:11,533 --> 00:28:16,533
alerting them to the show, 
offering ways to talk about its 
content with their kids, but

445
00:28:17,966 --> 00:28:20,633
also suggesting that some kids 
probably shouldn't watch it.

446
00:28:20,633 --> 00:28:25,633
Among the concerns cited is 
the very explicit way Hannah's 
suicide is shown in the final

447
00:28:26,100 --> 00:28:27,600
episode.

448
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,666
KATHERINE LANGFORD: Pardon me, 
but you really hurt my feelings.

449
00:28:31,666 --> 00:28:35,733
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Some 
psychologists say it 
glorifies suicide.

450
00:28:35,733 --> 00:28:38,700
Others worry it could 
lead to copycat behavior.

451
00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:43,433
The National Association 
of School Psychologists 
advised teenagers who 
suffer from suicidal

452
00:28:43,433 --> 00:28:48,433
thoughts not to watch 
at all, saying it "may 
lead impressionable 
viewers to romanticize

453
00:28:49,566 --> 00:28:51,600
the choices made 
by the characters."

454
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:56,600
Both groups found fault with 
the notion of Hannah sending 
these taped messages from beyond

455
00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,600
the grave, and criticized the 
depiction of a school counselor 
on the show who, they argue,

456
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:05,400
fails to follow up on 
Hannah's obvious distress.

457
00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,466
Following the outcry, Netflix 
says it will add a warning 
at the beginning the series,

458
00:29:09,466 --> 00:29:12,900
in addition to the 
warnings in front of the 
most graphic episodes.

459
00:29:12,900 --> 00:29:17,266
And from the beginning, the 
show's creators say they 
consulted mental health experts,

460
00:29:17,266 --> 00:29:20,600
and tried hard not 
to glamorize suicide.

461
00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,633
Brian Yorkey is one of 
the show's creators.

462
00:29:22,633 --> 00:29:26,466
BRIAN YORKEY, Co-Creator, "13 
Reasons Why": We did want it 
to be painful to watch, because

463
00:29:26,466 --> 00:29:31,466
we wanted it to be very clear 
that there is nothing in any 
way worthwhile about suicide.

464
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,233
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We asked 
the "NewsHour"'s own Student 
Reporting Labs to ask some high

465
00:29:39,233 --> 00:29:42,000
schoolers for their 
take on the series.

466
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,033
Some applauded the show.

467
00:29:44,033 --> 00:29:47,566
JULIA, Student: I thought the 
series would help students that 
were grappling with suicide,

468
00:29:47,566 --> 00:29:52,566
just because the show promoted 
awareness for students who deal 
with suicide and depression,

469
00:29:55,066 --> 00:29:57,733
and they wanted it to 
start conversations.

470
00:29:57,733 --> 00:30:02,066
So, it became so popular and 
so many people were talking 
about it, that I felt like it

471
00:30:02,066 --> 00:30:04,200
did.

472
00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:08,000
STUDENT: I really think 
that it's important for 
adults to know how much 
social media impacts

473
00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:10,066
us now.

474
00:30:10,066 --> 00:30:14,466
It's a different time, 
and social media is one 
of the biggest reasons 
why suicide happens

475
00:30:17,133 --> 00:30:19,233
nowadays.

476
00:30:19,233 --> 00:30:20,933
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Others were 
concerned about how the show 
dealt with suicide and mental

477
00:30:20,933 --> 00:30:22,866
health.

478
00:30:22,866 --> 00:30:25,166
ZOIE, Student: I feel like 
there is a lot of younger 
audiences who watch it, and that

479
00:30:25,166 --> 00:30:30,166
they watch it and they get the 
wrong idea that maybe suicide 
is OK or suicide is romantic,

480
00:30:32,166 --> 00:30:36,233
or maybe, if I kill myself, 
there will be a boy somewhere 
who turns out to be in love

481
00:30:36,233 --> 00:30:38,366
with me.

482
00:30:38,366 --> 00:30:41,466
It shows the pain that others 
are suffering, but it doesn't 
really address the fact that

483
00:30:41,466 --> 00:30:43,600
Hannah is dead.

484
00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,533
MUNA, Student: The 
message behind it was to 
be kind to everyone so, 
like, they don't commit

485
00:30:45,533 --> 00:30:46,833
suicide.

486
00:30:46,833 --> 00:30:47,800
But, in the show, 
no one helped her.

487
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:49,000
The counselor didn't help her.

488
00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:51,133
Like, all the students 
didn't help her.

489
00:30:51,133 --> 00:30:54,333
Like, she reached out to 
people, but none of them, 
like, tried to help her,.

490
00:30:54,333 --> 00:30:57,400
And that, like, it brings a bad 
message to people who actually 
have depression and stuff,

491
00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:01,400
like they can't talk to 
someone about it, like 
no one's going to listen.

492
00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:06,400
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So, is "13 
Reasons Why" just a powerful, 
provocative drama, or something

493
00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,166
more troubling?

494
00:31:09,166 --> 00:31:12,500
I'm joined now by Dr. 
Christina Conolly, who 
oversees psychological 
services for all the

495
00:31:12,500 --> 00:31:17,500
public schools in Montgomery 
County, Maryland, and 
by Sonia Saraiya, a TV 
critic for "Variety."

496
00:31:18,800 --> 00:31:19,800
Welcome to you both.

497
00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:21,700
DR.

498
00:31:21,700 --> 00:31:23,366
CHRISTINA CONOLLY, Montgomery 
County Public Schools: 
Thank you for having us.

499
00:31:23,366 --> 00:31:25,366
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Dr. 
Conolly, I would like 
to start with you first.

500
00:31:25,366 --> 00:31:28,933
Before we get to some of the 
concerns about this show, I 
know your job is to oversee 100

501
00:31:29,666 --> 00:31:31,633
school psychologists.

502
00:31:31,633 --> 00:31:34,666
You look out for the welfare 
of young people, but, as a 
person, as a viewer that watched

503
00:31:34,666 --> 00:31:36,500
this show, what was your 
reaction when you saw it?

504
00:31:36,500 --> 00:31:38,033
DR.

505
00:31:38,033 --> 00:31:39,966
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: Initially, 
the show is very provocative.

506
00:31:39,966 --> 00:31:42,766
I first watched like an episode 
a day, and I was watching 
at night after work, and I

507
00:31:42,766 --> 00:31:44,166
was like, like, oh, my goodness.

508
00:31:44,166 --> 00:31:47,066
And it really draws you in.

509
00:31:47,066 --> 00:31:50,300
And then, at the end, like, 
over the weekend, I was like, 
OK, I have to finish it.

510
00:31:50,300 --> 00:31:52,700
So, I watched like four 
or five episodes at once.

511
00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:53,833
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: So you did a 
little binge-watching yourself.

512
00:31:53,833 --> 00:31:55,333
DR.

513
00:31:55,333 --> 00:31:56,300
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: I did a 
little binge-watching myself.

514
00:31:56,300 --> 00:31:58,466
And it was very emotional.

515
00:31:58,466 --> 00:32:00,766
I had trouble sleeping 
after watching it.

516
00:32:00,766 --> 00:32:05,400
I even cried after the 
episode tape -- Clay's tape.

517
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:10,400
And it was just very 
heart-wrenching to see 
everything that was 
occurring, all the negative

518
00:32:11,533 --> 00:32:13,133
experiences that 
Hannah went through.

519
00:32:13,133 --> 00:32:15,633
And all I kept thinking, 
OK, oh, my goodness.

520
00:32:15,633 --> 00:32:19,733
I can only imagine 
teenagers watching this, 
especially vulnerable 
teenagers, and wondering,

521
00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:21,566
how are they feeling with this?

522
00:32:21,566 --> 00:32:22,733
Because I'm an adult.

523
00:32:22,733 --> 00:32:23,966
I'm a mental health 
professional.

524
00:32:23,966 --> 00:32:24,566
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I'm 
just going to stop you.

525
00:32:24,566 --> 00:32:25,566
DR.

526
00:32:25,566 --> 00:32:27,600
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: OK, stop me.

527
00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:28,133
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Just 
be careful about banging 
on your microphone there.

528
00:32:28,133 --> 00:32:29,066
DR.

529
00:32:29,066 --> 00:32:29,600
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: Oh, OK.

530
00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:31,300
Sorry.

531
00:32:31,300 --> 00:32:33,300
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Tell 
me a little bit more 
about those concerns.

532
00:32:33,300 --> 00:32:34,666
What is it that you worry 
about a kid who might be having 
some -- suffer from some sort

533
00:32:34,666 --> 00:32:35,200
of psychological 
trouble, what's the fear?

534
00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,233
DR.

535
00:32:37,233 --> 00:32:39,733
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: The biggest 
fear is that there will be 
copycat behavior, that they

536
00:32:39,733 --> 00:32:44,733
will watch Hannah's death, 
watch her die by suicide, 
because it graphically shows her

537
00:32:46,766 --> 00:32:50,033
with the razor cutting her 
wrists, and say, is this 
how I can die by suicide?

538
00:32:52,133 --> 00:32:55,266
Is this how -- kind of like a 
recipe for how I can die, how 
-- a way of coping with what's

539
00:32:56,733 --> 00:32:58,766
happened.

540
00:32:58,766 --> 00:33:01,600
And that is not -- as educators, 
as mental health professionals, 
we do not want students

541
00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:05,666
and other adolescents 
following along in -- 
with what Hannah has done.

542
00:33:05,666 --> 00:33:07,133
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Does 
that actually happen?

543
00:33:07,133 --> 00:33:09,900
Is there evidence that copycat 
suicides really do occur?

544
00:33:09,900 --> 00:33:11,966
DR.

545
00:33:11,966 --> 00:33:15,500
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: Yes, there 
is research out there showing 
that suicide can be contagious.

546
00:33:15,500 --> 00:33:19,200
It can be copycat, especially 
-- even in schools.

547
00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:22,766
Even in the series itself, there 
is Hannah who dies by suicide.

548
00:33:22,766 --> 00:33:26,966
In the last episode, there is 
another student, Alex, who was 
involved in the tapes and then

549
00:33:26,966 --> 00:33:28,533
he attempts suicide.

550
00:33:28,533 --> 00:33:30,566
So, absolutely, this 
can happen in schools.

551
00:33:30,566 --> 00:33:33,233
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Sonia Saraiya, 
I would like to turn to you.

552
00:33:33,233 --> 00:33:37,566
Again, before we get to the 
concerns that have been raised 
about the series, as a TV

553
00:33:37,566 --> 00:33:41,700
critic, as someone who analyzes 
this as a piece of art, what 
was your reaction to the

554
00:33:41,700 --> 00:33:43,666
series?

555
00:33:43,666 --> 00:33:45,733
SONIA SARAIYA, "Variety": 
You know, I found it 
extremely compelling.

556
00:33:45,733 --> 00:33:50,733
I think that Christina's 
experience of watching 
it was one I felt, too.

557
00:33:52,666 --> 00:33:55,833
I wasn't expecting to be so 
taken in by a show that was 
aimed at teenagers, and I really

558
00:33:55,833 --> 00:33:59,600
ended up bingeing 
it in the same way.

559
00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:04,600
And part of it is because, you 
know, more than being about 
teenagers and being about

560
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,733
their feelings, the show is 
constructed really brilliantly.

561
00:34:08,733 --> 00:34:13,733
Brian Yorkey, who adapted the 
show from Jay Asher's novel, 
it's adapted so well as a TV

562
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:17,800
series, with each 
tape being an episode.

563
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:22,466
You feel like you're in a 
mystery story, even though you 
know what's going to happen.

564
00:34:22,466 --> 00:34:27,466
And there's something 
very moody, almost noirish 
about the way that the 
atmosphere of the school

565
00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:29,400
was constructed.

566
00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,700
That's a very 
compelling atmosphere.

567
00:34:31,700 --> 00:34:36,700
And it was really easy to sink 
into it and to watch this whole 
story with these characters

568
00:34:37,833 --> 00:34:39,933
who were really 
going through a lot.

569
00:34:39,933 --> 00:34:43,266
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Sonia, 
how would you respond 
to that concern, though, 
that it in some ways

570
00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:48,666
could be seen as a guidebook, 
a textbook, that a young 
woman goes through some very

571
00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:51,066
troubling things?

572
00:34:51,066 --> 00:34:53,166
This is not to discount 
the things that happen 
to her in the series.

573
00:34:53,166 --> 00:34:57,166
It's really awful things that 
she experiences, but that we 
see the resolution of that is

574
00:34:59,133 --> 00:35:02,600
her suicide, and then this very 
long sort of -- what some have 
argued is a sort of revenge

575
00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,633
fantasy played out on all of 
her classmates, how do you 
respond to that, that that's not

576
00:35:06,633 --> 00:35:08,533
really a great thing 
to be showing kids?

577
00:35:08,533 --> 00:35:13,300
SONIA SARAIYA: Stories 
are not always about 
recreating what's happening.

578
00:35:15,266 --> 00:35:19,000
They're about showing us the 
-- showing us what happens 
with these characters in this

579
00:35:20,466 --> 00:35:23,733
story, in this world, so that we 
can take away something from it.

580
00:35:23,733 --> 00:35:28,500
If you were someone who was 
thinking about this, you would 
understand what it might do

581
00:35:28,500 --> 00:35:33,233
to the people around you, what 
it -- how difficult it might be 
for your parents to find you in

582
00:35:33,233 --> 00:35:35,233
that situation.

583
00:35:35,233 --> 00:35:39,900
And you might also feel that, 
if someone else had gone through 
this experience, that you

584
00:35:39,900 --> 00:35:44,900
were not so alone in 
your experience of it, 
especially because one 
of the main takeaways

585
00:35:46,900 --> 00:35:50,200
of "13 Reasons Why," I think, 
is that you know Hannah's 
going to do this, but you also

586
00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:55,233
see how much of a mistake 
it is, as you see the entire 
texture of her life and how many

587
00:35:55,233 --> 00:35:59,200
people love her and care about 
her, even though they weren't 
able to express it in the right

588
00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:03,066
ways throughout her life 
when she needed those crises.

589
00:36:03,066 --> 00:36:05,466
At the end, you don't 
think it was a good idea.

590
00:36:05,466 --> 00:36:09,200
You know, that certainly wasn't 
the takeaway that I think a 
lot of people are taking away

591
00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:10,533
from the show anyway.

592
00:36:10,533 --> 00:36:13,266
To me, it seems like 
she -- it was a mistake.

593
00:36:13,266 --> 00:36:15,300
She really had a 
lot to live for.

594
00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:18,300
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Well, 
Christina, what do 
you think about that, 
the idea that, in some

595
00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:23,166
ways, this really does show 
the emotional wreckage, not 
only that cyber-bullying and

596
00:36:23,166 --> 00:36:28,066
rape and the assaults and all 
of those things do to her, 
but also her own death and the

597
00:36:28,066 --> 00:36:30,100
aftermath of that?

598
00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:33,500
Could that be -- from your 
experience as a mental health 
professional, could that be

599
00:36:33,500 --> 00:36:35,066
cathartic for a lot of kids?

600
00:36:35,066 --> 00:36:37,033
DR.

601
00:36:37,033 --> 00:36:39,633
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: I think that, 
for kids, showing -- giving 
information about what can

602
00:36:39,633 --> 00:36:44,566
be part of the high 
school experience, these 
negative experiences 
that can occur, these

603
00:36:44,566 --> 00:36:46,166
do happen in real life.

604
00:36:46,166 --> 00:36:48,666
And, as educators, we 
have to be aware of that.

605
00:36:48,666 --> 00:36:52,866
We have to help to promote 
to our parents that these 
things are happening.

606
00:36:52,866 --> 00:36:57,833
Our goal is to make sure that 
our parents and our teachers 
and other staff members at

607
00:36:57,833 --> 00:37:00,833
schools know that the show is 
happening, kids are watching it.

608
00:37:00,833 --> 00:37:03,466
They're in lunchroom talking 
about it, on the bus.

609
00:37:03,466 --> 00:37:05,500
What can we do to help them?

610
00:37:05,500 --> 00:37:09,333
And, as they talked about, 
one of the big things was the 
counselor, and parents were

611
00:37:09,333 --> 00:37:13,466
not shown or teachers were not 
shown in a way as a helper.

612
00:37:13,466 --> 00:37:15,966
We want people to know 
that that's not the case.

613
00:37:15,966 --> 00:37:20,100
And, in school, we want students 
to know that they should 
have a trusted adult in their

614
00:37:20,100 --> 00:37:24,633
life that they can go to when 
things are going wrong, and 
that educators and their parents

615
00:37:24,633 --> 00:37:28,466
are people that they can go 
to when these things happen, 
unlike Hannah, who went to

616
00:37:28,466 --> 00:37:30,533
this counselor.

617
00:37:30,533 --> 00:37:33,100
The majority of mental health 
professionals are not like 
that, and we just want people

618
00:37:33,100 --> 00:37:35,200
to understand that.

619
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,233
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Could the 
series still have retained its 
power and changed it a little

620
00:37:38,233 --> 00:37:42,233
bit that would make it 
more -- that you would 
be more comfortable 
with its depiction of

621
00:37:42,233 --> 00:37:43,233
all of this?

622
00:37:43,233 --> 00:37:45,200
DR.

623
00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,333
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: They go 
through and they talk about 
these horrible things that have

624
00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:47,966
happened.

625
00:37:47,966 --> 00:37:50,833
And then they -- in the 
end, they show Hannah's 
death by suicide.

626
00:37:50,833 --> 00:37:53,833
But they don't show, where 
can you go to get help?

627
00:37:53,833 --> 00:37:57,800
What are things that 
adolescents can do when 
these things are happening?

628
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:02,766
They show the substance use, 
binge-drinking, drinking and 
driving, the rape, the stalking,

629
00:38:02,766 --> 00:38:07,566
all these things, but never 
does the show go into, where 
can you go and how do you get

630
00:38:07,566 --> 00:38:09,333
help?

631
00:38:09,333 --> 00:38:11,400
How does your 
friend help others?

632
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:13,866
When you see your friend 
who is going through this, 
where can they get help?

633
00:38:13,866 --> 00:38:18,666
But also that Hannah 
more than likely has a 
mental health disorder.

634
00:38:18,666 --> 00:38:23,133
Over 90 percent of individuals 
who die by suicide have a 
mental health disorder, and

635
00:38:23,133 --> 00:38:26,066
the show doesn't 
discuss that at all.

636
00:38:26,066 --> 00:38:30,433
And mental health disorders 
are treatable, and so that, 
if we help to treat the mental

637
00:38:30,433 --> 00:38:32,733
health disorder, that helps 
to us prevent suicide.

638
00:38:32,733 --> 00:38:36,433
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, 
Dr. Christina Conolly, Sonia 
Saraiya, thank you both very

639
00:38:36,433 --> 00:38:37,433
much.

640
00:38:37,433 --> 00:38:38,600
DR.

641
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:39,766
CHRISTINA CONOLLY: 
Thank you for having me.

642
00:38:39,766 --> 00:38:44,433
SONIA SARAIYA: 
Thank you, William.

643
00:38:46,166 --> 00:38:51,166
JUDY WOODRUFF: Roughly 
25 million people in the 
U.S. have active asthma.

644
00:38:53,166 --> 00:38:57,800
For most, it can be controlled 
with the right medications 
and by avoiding environmental

645
00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,366
triggers.

646
00:39:00,366 --> 00:39:03,800
And yet nearly half 
of all adults and 40 
percent of children have 
uncontrolled asthma, which

647
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:07,733
can lead to expensive 
medical interventions.

648
00:39:07,733 --> 00:39:12,633
Total annual costs 
for the disease are 
estimated at $60 billion.

649
00:39:12,633 --> 00:39:17,633
Today is World Asthma Day, which 
makes it a good moment for this 
report by special correspondent

650
00:39:19,566 --> 00:39:23,733
Cat Wise about a California 
program that's drawing attention 
for its way of keeping kids

651
00:39:24,633 --> 00:39:27,100
healthy.

652
00:39:27,100 --> 00:39:32,100
CAT WISE: Three-year-old Jesus 
Cresto (ph) has been to the 
emergency room twice in the

653
00:39:35,933 --> 00:39:38,433
past 12 months for 
asthma attacks.

654
00:39:38,433 --> 00:39:41,466
His mom, Angelica (ph), 
says she isn't getting 
much sleep these days.

655
00:39:41,466 --> 00:39:42,533
ANGELICA CRESTO, Mother: I 
will just be checking on him.

656
00:39:42,533 --> 00:39:44,000
Is he OK?

657
00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,033
It's really hard, because 
they change your life.

658
00:39:46,033 --> 00:39:50,266
I just want to take 
care of my kids better.

659
00:39:50,266 --> 00:39:55,266
CAT WISE: The Cresto 
family lives in East 
Oakland, a predominately 
low-income community

660
00:39:57,233 --> 00:39:59,433
in Alameda County ,which has 
some of the highest rates 
of asthma in California.

661
00:39:59,433 --> 00:40:04,033
Children with uncontrolled 
asthma, especially those from 
low-income families, who often

662
00:40:04,033 --> 00:40:08,800
have government-funded health 
care insurance, account 
for a disproportionate 
number of costly

663
00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:10,833
E.R. visits and hospital stays.

664
00:40:10,833 --> 00:40:15,733
So, keeping Jesus and the more 
than one million other kids with 
asthma in California healthy

665
00:40:16,466 --> 00:40:18,933
is a big priority.

666
00:40:18,933 --> 00:40:22,133
And Alameda County has 
been leading an effort 
to do just that, focusing 
on the place where

667
00:40:23,300 --> 00:40:27,166
kids spend the most 
time, their home.

668
00:40:29,566 --> 00:40:32,233
On a recent morning, a team 
of cleaners specializing 
in asthma trigger 
remediation, arrive at the

669
00:40:32,833 --> 00:40:34,833
Cresto home.

670
00:40:34,833 --> 00:40:38,500
They cleaned up pest droppings 
behind the fridge, removed 
mold spots on a bedroom window,

671
00:40:38,500 --> 00:40:41,366
and put a dust mite 
cover on a mattress.

672
00:40:41,366 --> 00:40:45,866
The cleaning visit was 
arranged by Sandra Rodriguez, a 
community outreach worker from

673
00:40:45,866 --> 00:40:48,533
the county's Healthy 
Homes Department.

674
00:40:48,533 --> 00:40:52,666
She is part of a unique 
collaboration between housing 
and public health agencies.

675
00:40:52,666 --> 00:40:55,133
SANDRA RODRIGUEZ, Alameda 
County Healthy Homes Department: 
Where does Jesus spend a lot of

676
00:40:55,133 --> 00:40:56,666
the time?

677
00:40:56,666 --> 00:40:59,066
ANGELICA CRESTO: He usually 
likes to be on the floor.

678
00:40:59,066 --> 00:41:03,433
So, how I clean the 
house, I use Clorox a lot.

679
00:41:03,433 --> 00:41:04,966
SANDRA RODRIGUEZ: OK.

680
00:41:04,966 --> 00:41:07,733
ANGELICA CRESTO: Because I think 
I want to keep the floors clean.

681
00:41:07,733 --> 00:41:12,733
SANDRA RODRIGUEZ: Using harsh 
chemicals like Clorox can really 
exacerbate a child's asthma.

682
00:41:14,766 --> 00:41:19,133
And so we recommend that you try 
natural products, just soap and 
water, soap and water, and one

683
00:41:20,500 --> 00:41:22,400
of the additional 
is baking soda.

684
00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:24,533
ANGELICA CRESTO: OK.

685
00:41:24,533 --> 00:41:28,166
CAT WISE: The program, which 
began in 2001 and was among 
the first of its kind in the

686
00:41:28,166 --> 00:41:32,500
country, is open to all 
children in the county who have 
been diagnosed with asthma.

687
00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:36,666
Allergen-reducing products 
like HEPA filter vacuums are 
offered to families who can't

688
00:41:36,666 --> 00:41:40,100
afford them, and the 
program will even pay 
for minor home repairs.

689
00:41:40,100 --> 00:41:42,166
BRENDA RUEDA-YAMASHITA, 
Alameda County Public 
Health Department: We 
saw these very high

690
00:41:42,166 --> 00:41:46,133
rates in our county, and we 
didn't want to have residents 
who were dealing with issues

691
00:41:46,133 --> 00:41:48,200
like that.

692
00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:51,166
CAT WISE: Brenda Rueda-Yamashita 
manages the Public Health 
Department's side of the program

693
00:41:51,166 --> 00:41:53,300
called Asthma Start.

694
00:41:53,300 --> 00:41:57,700
She says the up-front costs, 
which average about $2,500 
per family, depending on the

695
00:41:57,700 --> 00:42:01,100
needs, are worth spending to 
prevent the back-end costs.

696
00:42:01,100 --> 00:42:05,466
BRENDA RUEDA-YAMASHITA: It's 
around $23,000 for a child to 
have an asthma hospitalization,

697
00:42:05,466 --> 00:42:10,466
and around $3,500 for an E.R. 
visit, so that's the highest 
impact, mom losing money, dad

698
00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:14,833
losing money, because they have 
to stay home with a child or 
take the child to the E.R.,

699
00:42:14,833 --> 00:42:17,333
and their employer 
doesn't pay for sick time.

700
00:42:17,333 --> 00:42:22,233
There's a cost to cities 
and/or counties for their fire, 
because fire departments show

701
00:42:22,233 --> 00:42:24,266
up to 911 calls.

702
00:42:24,266 --> 00:42:28,200
CAT WISE: The other key priority 
for the program is educating 
families about the importance

703
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:31,233
of taking prescribed 
asthma medications.

704
00:42:31,233 --> 00:42:36,233
That's where medical social 
worker Amy Sholinbeck comes in.

705
00:42:41,900 --> 00:42:46,733
On this day, she is back for 
a second visit with 2-year-old 
Romani Webb (ph) and his mom,

706
00:42:46,733 --> 00:42:48,733
Artency (ph).

707
00:42:48,733 --> 00:42:52,266
Romani has had several hospital 
stays for asthma attacks, 
but after an initial two-hour

708
00:42:52,266 --> 00:42:56,166
visit a month ago, the 
family has been on top 
of his medications.

709
00:42:56,166 --> 00:42:59,600
AMY SHOLINBECK, Medical Social 
worker: Have you noticed that 
he's been having less symptoms

710
00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:01,166
since you have been doing this?

711
00:43:01,166 --> 00:43:02,100
ARTENCY WEBB, Mother: At 
the nighttime, definitely.

712
00:43:02,100 --> 00:43:03,333
He sleeps a lot better too.

713
00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:04,766
AMY SHOLINBECK: Oh, I'm 
so happy to hear that.

714
00:43:04,766 --> 00:43:06,400
It's all about his health.

715
00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:09,466
We want to keep you out 
of the hospital, baby.

716
00:43:09,466 --> 00:43:14,466
Sometimes, the family ends up 
confusing the inhalers, or it 
wasn't explained to them in

717
00:43:15,066 --> 00:43:17,100
enough detail.

718
00:43:17,100 --> 00:43:20,733
So, we're in a calm environment 
in their home, and we take a 
lot of time to make sure they

719
00:43:22,066 --> 00:43:24,366
understand what the 
medications do in the body.

720
00:43:24,366 --> 00:43:29,366
And we have special stickers 
we put on the medicines, and 
we just make sure they really

721
00:43:30,066 --> 00:43:31,533
get it.

722
00:43:31,533 --> 00:43:33,033
WOMAN: I just want to give 
you an update on our numbers.

723
00:43:33,033 --> 00:43:37,300
CAT WISE: The program has served 
about 250 families each year.

724
00:43:37,300 --> 00:43:41,400
It's been funded through 
a combination of sources, 
including grants, taxes, tobacco

725
00:43:41,400 --> 00:43:44,833
settlement money, and a local 
Medicaid managed-care program.

726
00:43:44,833 --> 00:43:49,833
A data review by that 
organization in 2012 
found health care costs 
for pediatric patients

727
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:56,033
ages 0 to 5 were cut in half 
during the 12 months after 
they went through the program.

728
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:02,500
Those results and the program's 
long track record are generating 
new interest in Alameda

729
00:44:02,500 --> 00:44:04,533
County's preventative approach.

730
00:44:04,533 --> 00:44:07,400
LINDA NEUHAUSER, University of 
California, Berkeley: I have 
studied a lot of programs,

731
00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:12,400
but when I got introduced 
to this program, what I 
saw was a very seasoned, 
careful intervention

732
00:44:14,066 --> 00:44:18,500
that draws on the best 
practices that we get 
from research to date.

733
00:44:20,533 --> 00:44:23,566
CAT WISE: U.C., Berkeley, 
Professor Linda Neuhauser is 
leading an in-depth study of

734
00:44:23,566 --> 00:44:25,600
the program.

735
00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:28,800
Her research is ongoing, but 
she believes policy-makers 
around the country should pay

736
00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:30,866
attention.

737
00:44:30,866 --> 00:44:34,800
LINDA NEUHAUSER: It's hard 
to estimate the cost savings, 
but I think, in Alameda County

738
00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:40,066
alone, we might be able to 
save as much as $16 million a 
year just on hospitalizations

739
00:44:43,066 --> 00:44:44,533
of children.

740
00:44:44,533 --> 00:44:47,300
This is an amazing saving 
of health care costs.

741
00:44:47,300 --> 00:44:52,166
CAT WISE: Eight-year-old Mihlen 
Michael (ph) is one of those 
children who is happy to be

742
00:44:52,166 --> 00:44:54,066
out of the hospital.

743
00:44:54,066 --> 00:44:58,233
A year ago, she was in 
intensive care after an 
especially bad asthma attack.

744
00:44:58,233 --> 00:45:02,633
Her mom, Nebiyat Hagos (ph), 
says some big changes have 
happened since the asthma teams

745
00:45:02,633 --> 00:45:04,166
visited their home.

746
00:45:04,166 --> 00:45:06,100
NEBIYAT HAGOS, Mother: Now 
she's doing a lot better.

747
00:45:06,100 --> 00:45:08,700
She hasn't been to 
the E.R. in a year.

748
00:45:08,700 --> 00:45:10,733
They made a great difference.

749
00:45:10,733 --> 00:45:15,033
We were living close to a 
freeway, and they mentioned 
to me how that affects asthma.

750
00:45:16,633 --> 00:45:19,200
So, we moved away 
from the freeway now, 
and that also helped.

751
00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:23,533
CAT WISE: Hagos is now working 
for the program, and using the 
training she received to help

752
00:45:23,533 --> 00:45:25,600
other families with asthma.

753
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:29,800
The home-based asthma program 
recently got a temporary boost 
in funding from a national

754
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:33,200
nonprofit and the Alameda 
County Board of Supervisors.

755
00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:38,200
That money is being used in 
part to help an additional 
250 families this year.

756
00:45:39,800 --> 00:45:43,733
For the "PBS NewsHour," 
I'm Cat Wise in Alameda 
County, California.

757
00:45:45,866 --> 00:45:50,866
JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, 
a new look at one of the 
most controversial American

758
00:45:56,866 --> 00:46:00,733
presidents in modern history and 
a man of many contradictions.

759
00:46:00,733 --> 00:46:04,466
Jeffrey Brown has this 
latest addition to the 
"NewsHour" Bookshelf.

760
00:46:04,466 --> 00:46:09,433
JEFFREY BROWN: Few presidents, 
we read early is a new 
biography of Richard Nixon, came

761
00:46:09,433 --> 00:46:14,433
so far, so fast, so alone, 
and, we can add, few fell 
so far, so fast, so alone.

762
00:46:16,433 --> 00:46:21,233
More than that, as "Richard 
Nixon: The Life" makes clear, 
so much of his political legacy

763
00:46:21,233 --> 00:46:23,033
continues to permeate today.

764
00:46:23,033 --> 00:46:25,800
Author John A. 
Farrell joins me now.

765
00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:27,366
And welcome to you.

766
00:46:27,366 --> 00:46:28,866
JOHN A. FARRELL, 
Author, "Richard Nixon: 
The Life": Thank you.

767
00:46:28,866 --> 00:46:30,933
JEFFREY BROWN: Let me start 
there for some broad context.

768
00:46:30,933 --> 00:46:34,433
In what fundamental way is 
Richard Nixon still with us 
in our political culture?

769
00:46:34,433 --> 00:46:39,433
JOHN A. FARRELL: Nixon 
practiced what I call the 
politics of grievance.

770
00:46:41,333 --> 00:46:44,966
He came from a very unfortunate 
background, almost a Dickensian 
childhood, with a mean

771
00:46:46,866 --> 00:46:50,466
father, a very frosty 
mother, poverty and 
sickness in the household.

772
00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:56,233
And he had that ability 
to identify in his 
audiences, in the electorate 
their own resentments,

773
00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,033
and to tap them.

774
00:46:59,033 --> 00:47:03,200
And he didn't realize until the 
end, the famous speech where 
he talks about hate destroying

775
00:47:04,500 --> 00:47:07,100
yourself, how 
dangerous that was.

776
00:47:07,100 --> 00:47:12,033
And, by then, this sort 
of politics of deliberate 
polarization that he 
pioneered had taken root.

777
00:47:13,900 --> 00:47:16,866
JEFFREY BROWN: It was so 
interesting to me to see the 
younger Nixon, even in his first

778
00:47:16,866 --> 00:47:21,866
time running, where you get 
the mix of the kind of sincere 
ambition to serve, but already

779
00:47:23,900 --> 00:47:28,600
a lot of the tricks, the 
bad side of Nixon, it was 
there from the beginning.

780
00:47:28,600 --> 00:47:32,100
JOHN A. FARRELL: Yes, it's one 
of the things I found was that 
Nixon, throughout his life,

781
00:47:32,100 --> 00:47:36,533
was always using yellow pads 
and making lists, and then 
crossing out as he went.

782
00:47:36,533 --> 00:47:41,533
So, he comes home from war 
in 1946, and like lots of the 
younger veterans, having seen

783
00:47:43,100 --> 00:47:45,133
the sacrifices that 
were made, they wanted 
to improve their world.

784
00:47:45,133 --> 00:47:48,066
They wanted to make sure those 
sacrifices weren't in vain.

785
00:47:48,066 --> 00:47:51,266
And that's where that idealism 
that you talked about came from.

786
00:47:51,266 --> 00:47:55,900
But, young congressional 
candidate, there was also 
this dark side already.

787
00:47:55,900 --> 00:47:59,766
And he was running 
against a fellow named 
Jerry Voorhis in 1946.

788
00:47:59,766 --> 00:48:04,766
And in one of these 
yellow lists, as I went 
down ticking them off, 
you know, get volunteers,

789
00:48:06,733 --> 00:48:10,100
put ads in newspapers, 
and there at the bottom 
was the instruction, 
put spies in Voorhis

790
00:48:10,100 --> 00:48:11,100
camp.

791
00:48:11,100 --> 00:48:12,333
JEFFREY BROWN: Put spies...

792
00:48:12,333 --> 00:48:14,133
JOHN A. FARRELL: Put 
spies in his camp.

793
00:48:14,133 --> 00:48:16,700
So, right from the 
beginning, he had that 
inclination towards intrigue.

794
00:48:16,700 --> 00:48:21,700
JEFFREY BROWN: One bit 
of news that you make in 
this book is confirming 
his role in sabotaging

795
00:48:23,466 --> 00:48:27,100
the Paris peace talks, 
right, the attempt to 
end the Vietnam War.

796
00:48:27,100 --> 00:48:29,200
JOHN A. FARRELL: Yes.

797
00:48:29,200 --> 00:48:31,366
JEFFREY BROWN: He didn't want 
his Democratic opponents to 
get credit for ending the war.

798
00:48:31,366 --> 00:48:33,366
JOHN A. FARRELL: That's right.

799
00:48:33,366 --> 00:48:35,366
Lyndon Johnson desperately 
wanted to end the war 
before he left office.

800
00:48:35,366 --> 00:48:39,733
And in October 1968, 
he announced a bombing 
halt to bring the North 
Vietnamese and the

801
00:48:40,600 --> 00:48:42,666
South Vietnamese to the table.

802
00:48:42,666 --> 00:48:46,433
And Nixon got wind of it, and 
dispatched a woman named Anna 
Chennault, who was one of

803
00:48:46,433 --> 00:48:51,433
his aides in his campaign, to 
approach the South Vietnamese 
and say, drag your heels,

804
00:48:53,100 --> 00:48:55,066
scuttle the talks, and 
you will get a better 
deal when I'm elected.

805
00:48:55,066 --> 00:48:57,166
And he denied it all his life.

806
00:48:57,166 --> 00:49:01,433
He denied it in one of the taped 
conversations that you can hear 
at the Lyndon Johnson Library.

807
00:49:02,166 --> 00:49:04,200
He denied it directly.

808
00:49:04,200 --> 00:49:08,500
But I was able to find the 
little, tiny jigsaw piece that, 
again, one of those yellow legal

809
00:49:09,966 --> 00:49:12,466
pad notes, this time from his 
chief of staff, Bob Haldeman.

810
00:49:12,466 --> 00:49:15,733
JEFFREY BROWN: You end 
up calling this his 
most reprehensible act.

811
00:49:15,733 --> 00:49:17,766
JOHN A. FARRELL: I think it was.

812
00:49:17,766 --> 00:49:21,833
Because of the number of lives 
that were at stake, for a 
presidential candidate to do

813
00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:27,766
this, I thought, was really 
awful, whereas, in Watergate, 
like the bumper stickers always

814
00:49:28,633 --> 00:49:30,266
said, nobody died in Watergate.

815
00:49:30,266 --> 00:49:32,633
Certainly, our political 
system was tarnished.

816
00:49:32,633 --> 00:49:37,633
But so many lives in the next 
four years, next five years, 
if you count Cambodia and

817
00:49:39,633 --> 00:49:42,566
the Vietnamese boat people, 
almost genocide in Cambodia, 
and if the war could have been

818
00:49:42,566 --> 00:49:45,966
ended in '68, what a 
difference it would have been.

819
00:49:45,966 --> 00:49:48,600
JEFFREY BROWN: Here's a man 
who's been written a lot about.

820
00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:52,333
How do you go about 
writing a new biography, 
and making it fresh?

821
00:49:52,333 --> 00:49:53,333
Where do you look?

822
00:49:53,333 --> 00:49:55,466
JOHN A. FARRELL: Yes.

823
00:49:55,466 --> 00:49:58,600
There's a great advantage of 
being there 40 years later, 
because a lot of people have

824
00:49:58,600 --> 00:49:59,700
died.

825
00:49:59,700 --> 00:50:01,833
And , privacy 
restrictions are lifted.

826
00:50:01,833 --> 00:50:06,766
A lot of the national security 
restrictions on documents are 
worked through, and the stuff

827
00:50:06,766 --> 00:50:08,733
is released.

828
00:50:08,733 --> 00:50:12,766
JEFFREY BROWN: You know, 
throughout, it is this strange 
mix of insecure, very human man,

829
00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:15,866
with a very ruthless politician.

830
00:50:15,866 --> 00:50:20,733
There is sincerity on 
the one hand, mixed with 
this kind of cunning.

831
00:50:21,600 --> 00:50:23,800
You humanized him, right?

832
00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:25,033
JOHN A. FARRELL: A bit.

833
00:50:25,033 --> 00:50:27,166
JEFFREY BROWN: You lived 
with him a long time.

834
00:50:27,166 --> 00:50:28,500
How did you come to see him?

835
00:50:28,500 --> 00:50:29,533
JOHN A. FARRELL: Yes.

836
00:50:29,533 --> 00:50:31,633
I developed sympathy for him.

837
00:50:31,633 --> 00:50:36,633
I was a young teenager 
during the 1960s and early 
'70s, when he was in office.

838
00:50:38,633 --> 00:50:40,733
And he was a villain.

839
00:50:40,733 --> 00:50:45,600
But when -- your biography, 
inevitably, you open windows 
into souls of people, and you

840
00:50:47,533 --> 00:50:51,533
explore how awful his childhood 
was, and you begin to get 
this empathy for the person.

841
00:50:51,533 --> 00:50:56,533
And then you have to balance 
it with a cool analysis of how 
Nixon behaved as a politician.

842
00:50:58,533 --> 00:51:02,366
So, there's a lot of really bad 
stuff in the book about Nixon, 
but I also hope that there's

843
00:51:04,000 --> 00:51:07,666
a more humane approach 
to him as this sort of 
tortured individual.

844
00:51:07,666 --> 00:51:11,000
JEFFREY BROWN: So, 
thin-skinned, media-hating.

845
00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:16,000
Soon as your book came 
out, there were some 
obvious comparisons...

846
00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:17,000
JOHN A. FARRELL: 
Yes, us as the enemy.

847
00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:18,666
(LAUGHTER)

848
00:51:18,666 --> 00:51:19,466
JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, 
to our current, our 
new president, right?

849
00:51:19,466 --> 00:51:20,433
JOHN A. FARRELL: Yes.

850
00:51:20,433 --> 00:51:21,933
Yes.

851
00:51:21,933 --> 00:51:22,733
JEFFREY BROWN: But how far 
do you make the comparison?

852
00:51:22,733 --> 00:51:24,833
Where does it end?

853
00:51:24,833 --> 00:51:27,666
JOHN A. FARRELL: While they 
both seem to have resentments 
growing out of their childhood

854
00:51:27,666 --> 00:51:32,666
and a need for public acclaim, 
the difference is of the two 
men's personalities is very

855
00:51:33,133 --> 00:51:34,066
stark.

856
00:51:34,066 --> 00:51:35,633
Nixon was an intellectual.

857
00:51:35,633 --> 00:51:37,633
He not only read books.

858
00:51:37,633 --> 00:51:42,433
He actually wrote books and he 
was -- had a basic reverence, 
despite what he did in

859
00:51:43,866 --> 00:51:47,500
Watergate, for the 
institution of the presidency.

860
00:51:47,500 --> 00:51:52,500
When he lied, he expected that 
you would believe him, whereas, 
Trump, I get the idea sometimes

861
00:51:54,066 --> 00:51:58,833
it's the actual blatant lie that 
he doesn't want you to believe.

862
00:51:58,833 --> 00:52:01,533
He's just sort of 
rubbing it in your face.

863
00:52:01,533 --> 00:52:04,866
So, those are, I think, 
major differences 
between the two of them.

864
00:52:04,866 --> 00:52:09,733
But they did both practice 
what I was talking 
about, that politics of 
identifying in individuals

865
00:52:09,733 --> 00:52:14,733
or identifying in the voters 
resentments of race and class, 
and capitalizing on them.

866
00:52:16,166 --> 00:52:18,533
JEFFREY BROWN: The new book 
is "Richard Nixon: The Life."

867
00:52:18,533 --> 00:52:23,333
John Farrell, thank 
you very much.

868
00:52:23,333 --> 00:52:27,966
JOHN A. FARRELL: My pleasure.

869
00:52:27,966 --> 00:52:29,800
Thank you.

870
00:52:29,800 --> 00:52:33,733
JUDY WOODRUFF: Tune 
in later tonight.

871
00:52:33,733 --> 00:52:38,733
"Frontline" examines what 
happens when teenagers 
convicted of murder are 
permitted to reenter

872
00:52:39,200 --> 00:52:41,266
society.

873
00:52:41,266 --> 00:52:44,733
"Second Chance Kids" focuses 
on two men, among the first to 
be released following a 2012

874
00:52:46,733 --> 00:52:50,400
Supreme Court decision 
that found sentences of 
mandatory life without 
parole for juveniles

875
00:52:51,266 --> 00:52:53,766
unconstitutional.

876
00:52:53,766 --> 00:52:58,433
Anthony Rolon was a teenager 
when he was convicted 
in the death of Bobby 
Botelho in New Bedford,

877
00:52:59,066 --> 00:53:01,200
Massachusetts.

878
00:53:01,200 --> 00:53:04,333
WOMAN: Twenty-year-old Bobby 
Botelho was stabbed to death 
nearly two decades ago.

879
00:53:04,333 --> 00:53:08,600
Tonight, his family speaks to 
Eyewitness News as they wait 
to hear if his killer will stay

880
00:53:08,600 --> 00:53:09,600
behind bars.

881
00:53:09,600 --> 00:53:10,600
WOMAN: It's unfair.

882
00:53:10,600 --> 00:53:12,300
It shouldn't even be happening.

883
00:53:12,300 --> 00:53:15,400
And we will fight until 
we have to, and we will 
do whatever it takes.

884
00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:17,500
ANTHONY ROLON, Convicted 
Murderer: I knew that 
the victim's family 
believed I shouldn't

885
00:53:17,500 --> 00:53:22,466
even be having this 
hearing, shouldn't be 
having this opportunity 
to give this individual

886
00:53:23,066 --> 00:53:24,066
a second chance.

887
00:53:24,066 --> 00:53:25,300
MAN: Good morning, Mr. Rolon.

888
00:53:25,300 --> 00:53:27,433
I'm chairman of 
the parole board.

889
00:53:27,433 --> 00:53:31,500
We are here today to consider 
your petition for parole from 
a first-degree murder sentence

890
00:53:32,866 --> 00:53:34,900
for stabbing and killing 
Robert Botelho on January 21.

891
00:53:34,900 --> 00:53:39,133
ANTHONY ROLON: I wanted to 
have respect for the family, 
so I didn't want to look over

892
00:53:39,133 --> 00:53:44,133
there, but I went there 
with the purpose of 
having that opportunity 
to just say, I'm sorry.

893
00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:47,766
It's time to speak the truth.

894
00:53:47,766 --> 00:53:50,933
It's time to say what happened.

895
00:53:50,933 --> 00:53:53,000
It's time to own up.

896
00:53:53,000 --> 00:53:58,000
After being convicted of taking 
Mr. Botelho's life, I told 
his mother that I didn't kill

897
00:53:59,366 --> 00:54:01,500
her son.

898
00:54:01,500 --> 00:54:05,366
For the past 18 years and six 
months, Mr. Botelho's mother 
has deserved for me to speak

899
00:54:07,366 --> 00:54:12,366
the truth, by saying that it 
was me who killed her son, and 
that I'm sorry for creating the

900
00:54:17,200 --> 00:54:19,933
pain that is in her heart.

901
00:54:19,933 --> 00:54:24,933
JUDY WOODRUFF: "Frontline" airs 
tonight on most PBS stations.

902
00:54:26,600 --> 00:54:28,333
And that's the 
"NewsHour" for tonight.

903
00:54:28,333 --> 00:54:30,400
I'm Judy Woodruff.

904
00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:34,333
For all of us at the "PBS 
NewsHour," thank you, 
and we will see you soon.