PBS NewsHour; September 29, 2017 3:00pm-4:01pm PDT

Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC

>> Woodruff: GOOD EVENING. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. ON THE NEWSHOUR TONIGHT: TOM PRICE BECOMES THE FIRST TRUMP CABINET OFFICIAL TO STEP DOWN. THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY IS OUT, AFTER CRITICISM HE USED TAXPAYER MONEY FOR EXPENSIVE CHARTER FLIGHTS. THEN:

>> WE HAVE DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB, CONSIDERING THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORK WITH.

>> Woodruff: URGENT CALLS FOR HELP. MILLIONS OF PUERTO RICANS, DESPERATE FOR BASICS LIKE FOOD AND WATER, LEADS TO RISING FRUSTRATION OVER PRESIDENT TRUMP'S RESPONSE. AND, IT'S FRIDAY. DAVID BROOKS AND EZRA KLEIN TALK N.F.L. PROTESTS, WHAT ALABAMA'S SENATE PRIMARY SAYS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE G.O.P., AND THE REALITIES OF TAX REFORM. PLUS, AMERICA ADDICTED. WE KICK OFF OUR NEW SERIES ON THE DEADLY OPIOID EPIDEMIC SWEEPING THE NATION. TONIGHT, A LOOK AT HOW WE GOT HERE.

>> Brangham: STUDIES HAVE NOW CLEARLY SHOWN THAT OPIOID MEDICATIONS CAN LEAD TO DEPENDENCY WITHIN JUST A MATTER OF DAYS, AND SO, THIS FLOOD OF PRESCRIPTIONS LED TO A SURGE OF ADDICTION.

>> Woodruff: ALL THAT AND MORE, ON TONIGHT'S PBS NEWSHOUR.

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>> Woodruff: WE'RE COVERING TWO BIG STORIES THIS EVENING. TOM PRICE'S STINT AS SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES IS OVER, AFTER REVELATIONS OF COSTLY PRIVATE AIRPLANE TRAVEL. WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A FEW MINUTES. BUT FIRST, PUERTO RICO IS STILL WAITING FOR HELP. WE BEGIN WITH THE LATEST FROM THE STRICKEN ISLAND. MONICA VILLAMIZAR IS THERE.

>> Reporter: FOR THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO, LINES ARE NOW A FACT OF LIFE. THEY WAIT FOR HOURS TO BUY SUPPLIES, TO WITHDRAW MONEY FROM BANKS, AND EVEN TO WASH THEIR CLOTHES. WILLIAM DE LARA WAS IN LINE FOR GAS THIS AFTERNOON IN SAN JUAN.

>> WE'RE IN THE HEAT, AND WE SUFFER EVERY DAY. THE MILITARY CAN BUILD A CITY IN ONE DAY IN THE DESERT. WHY CAN'T THEY DO THE SAME HERE?

>> Reporter: THE U.S. MILITARY AND PUERTO RICAN NATIONAL GUARD UNITS ARE TRYING TO REACH BEYOND SAN JUAN, TO TOWNS THAT HAVE GONE NINE DAYS WITH LITTLE OR NO ASSISTANCE. OTHERS ARE DESPERATE TO GET THEMSELVES OR THEIR LOVED ONES OFF THE ISLAND. HUNDREDS WAITED LATE YESTERDAY IN THE CAPITAL, SAN JUAN TO BOARD A ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISE SHIP TO THE U.S. MAINLAND, A TRIP BEING OFFERED FOR FREE.

>> ( translated ): I'M HERE BECAUSE I'M SENDING MY CHILDREN TO MIAMI SO THEY CAN BE MORE COMFORTABLE. SOMETIMES THEY HAVE WATER, SOMETIMES THEY DON'T.

>> Reporter: THE U.S. NAVY IS NOW ON THE GROUND, WORKING TO GET HOSPITALS UP AND RUNNING. 34 DIALYSIS CENTERS AND 36 HOSPITALS ARE CURRENTLY LIMPING ALONG ON GENERATORS. IN WASHINGTON, THE ACTING U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY ELAINE DUKE SAID YESTERDAY THE FEDERAL RESPONSE HAS BEEN "A GOOD-NEWS STORY." BUT TODAY, SAN JUAN'S MAYOR DISAGREED.

>> I WILL DO WHAT I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DO. I AM BEGGING, BEGGING ANYONE WHO CAN HEAR US TO SAVE US FROM DYING. IF ANYBODY OUT THERE IS LISTENING TO US, WE ARE DYING, AND YOU ARE KILLING US WITH THE INEFFICIENCY.

>> Reporter: AFTER TRAVELING TO PUERTO RICO TODAY, SECRETARY DUKE HAD A NEW ASSESSMENT.

>> THE PRESIDENT AND I WILL NOT BE FULLY SATISFIED, HOWEVER, UNTIL EVERY PUERTO RICAN IS BACK HOME, THE POWER IS BACK ON, AND CLEAN WATER IS FREELY AVAILABLE.

>> Reporter: BUT FRUSTRATIONS ON THE ISLAND ARE ALSO AIMED AT GOVERNOR RICARDO ROSSELLO'S GOVERNMENT. THE MAYOR OF SAN GERMAN SAYS HIS SOUTHWESTERN TOWN OF 35,000 IS STILL WITHOUT POWER, AND HASN'T RECEIVED ANY WATER TRUCKS. HE TWEETED TODAY THAT: "THE GOVERNOR IS GIVING THE MESSAGE THAT EVERYTHING IS RESOLVED, AND IT IS NOT TRUE." IN HIS OWN TWEETS TODAY, PRESIDENT TRUMP ARGUED HIS ADMINISTRATION IS "FULLY ENGAGED" WITH THE CRISIS ON PUERTO RICO. BUT HE ALSO RAISED THE QUESTION OF HOW IT WILL ALL BE PAID FOR.

>> ULTIMATELY, THE GOVERNMENT OF PUERTO RICO WILL HAVE TO WORK WITH US, TO DETERMINE HOW THIS MASSIVE REBUILDING EFFORT WILL END UP BEING ONE OF THE BIGGEST EVER, WILL BE FUNDED, AND ORGANIZED, AND WHAT WE WILL DO WITH THE TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXISTING DEBT ALREADY ON THE ISLAND.

>> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT IS EXPECTED TO VISIT PUERTO RICO HIMSELF NEXT TUESDAY. BUT RESIDENTS HERE AND SAN JUAN AND ALL OF PUERTO RICO ARE BRACING FOR A LONG RECOVERY. JUDY.

>> Woodruff: BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE SEEN, WHAT DO PEOPLE STILL NEED?

>> THEY NEED A LOT OF SUPPLIES. THEY DON'T HAVE PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING. IF YOU THINK ANYTHING THAT ANYONE NEEDS IN MORNING LIFE THEY ARE LACKING. NO FOOD, NO WATER, NO POWER SUPPLY, NO PHONE RECEPTION, THINGS ARE QUITE BAD, JUDY.

>> Woodruff: WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT HOW HARD IT IS TO GET SPLICE TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. IS THAT WHERE YOU WILL STILL SEEING ON THE GROUND TODAY?

>> WHAT WE HAVE SEEN ON THE GROUND, THE DISTRIBUTION HAS NOT BEEN EQUAL AT ALL. HERE IN SAN JUAN, THE CAPITAL, THERE IS SOME AID. HOWEVER, IF YOU TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE CAPITAL, THERE ARE RURAL AREAS THAT ARE VERY REMOTE AND HAVEN'T BEEN REACHED SO FAR AND THIS IS A WEEK AFTER THE STORM AND WE UNDERSTAND PEOPLE THERE HAVEN'T HAD ANYTHING SO FAR.

>> Reporter: WHY AREN'T THOSE SPLICE GETTING TO WHERE THEY NEED TO BE FAST SNUFF?

>> IT'S HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A COLOSSAL TASK IT IS ON THE GROUND TO GET THINGS DISTRIBUTED TO THOSE WHO NEED IT AND PRIORITIZE. BECAUSE THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE WHOLE COUNTRY WAS DECIMATED. IT'S HARD TO GET FROM POINT A TO B AND THERE ARE SO MANY AGENCIES INVOLVED BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, IT'S PROVEN HARD TO COMMUNICATE AND COORDINATE BETWEEN ALL OF THEM.

>> WHAT'S BEEN THE REACTION TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THIS THREE-STAR ARMY GENERAL TO OVERSEE THE WORK BEING DONE THERE?

>> WE HAVE HEARD THAT CITIZENS ARE WELCOMING THE FACT THAT THE U.S. MILITARY IS GOING TO TAKE MORE CONTROL OF ALL THE LOGISTICS ON THE GROUND. THEY TNK THAT CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE. THEY THINK THEY HAVE BEEN TREED AS SECOND CLASS CITIZENS, THEY SAY WHY ARE WE PART OF THE UNITED STATES, A WEEK AFTER THE DISASTER THINGS AREN'T BEING REESTABLISHED? OF COURSE, THINGS ARE MUCH MORE COMPLEX.

>> Woodruff: YOU MENTIONED EARLIER PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT A NEW NORMAL THERE. WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> WE UNDERSTAND IF SOMETHING IS NOT DONE URGENTLY -- AND THIS IS THE RED CROSS THAT TOLD US -- PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO DIE IN THE RURAL AREAS BECAUSE THEY ARE SURVIVING OUT OF BASICALLY WATER THEY ARE FINDING IN SPRINGS OR SMALL CREEKS. IT'S A REALLY DIRE SITUATION OVER THERE. WE WERE STAYING, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE EAST WHERE THE HURRICANE CAME THROUGH. THERE'S A VERY BIG MOUNTAIN AND PEOPLE THINK IT'S SAFE THERE BECAUSE BEFORE IT HAD SORT OF PROTECTED THEM FROM THE HURRICANES. WE SAW ALL THAT NATURAL FOREST HAS BEEN COMPLETELY DECIMATED AND THIS IS WHAT THE ISLAND LOOKS LIKE. THERE IS NO VEGETATION, NO LUSHNESS. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A VERY LONG TIME FOR PUERTO RICO TO LOOK LIKE IT DID BEFORE.

>> Woodruff: MONICA VILLAMIZAR REPORTING FROM PUERTO RICO, THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU, JUDY.

>> Woodruff: NOW, LET'S RETURN TO THE RESIGNATION OF TOM PRICE, AND SIMILAR QUESTIONS BEING RAISED ABOUT OTHER MEMBERS OF THE TRUMP CABINET. PRICE STEPPED DOWN AFTER IT WAS REVEALED HE SPENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON PRIVATE AIRPLANE FLIGHTS FOR HIMSELF AND HIS STAFF. JUST YESTERDAY, HE PLEDGED TO PAY BACK ABOUT $50,000, BUT ONLY FOR HIS SEAT. IN THE PAST FEW DAYS, OTHER CABINET MEMBERS HAVE COME UNDER SCRUTINY FOR AIR TRAVEL, INCLUDING E.P.A. ADMINISTRATOR SCOTT PRUITT, INTERIOR SECRETARY RYAN ZINKE, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY DAVID SHULKIN AND TREASURY SECRETARY STEVEN MNUCHIN. JUST BEFORE PRICE'S DEPARTURE WAS ANNOUNCED, PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNALED TO REPORTERS WHY HE WAS IN TROUBLE.

>> IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF CONFIDENCE. I WAS DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE I DIDN'T LIKE IT, COSMETICALLY OR OTHERWISE. I WAS DISAPPOINTED, AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS AN ADMINISTRATION THAT SAVES HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON RENEGOTIATING THINGS. SO, I DON'T LIKE TO SEE SOMEBODY THAT-- PERHAPS THERE'S THE PERCEPTION THAT IT WASN'T RIGHT.

>> Woodruff: AND NOW, OUR JOHN YANG IS HERE TO HELP BRING US UP TO SPEED.

>> Woodruff: THIS HAS COME ABOUT QUICKLY. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT WHAT'S BEHIND THIS?

>> DESPITE THE PRESIDENT SAYING ON HIS LAWN TO REPORTERS THAT HE WAS GOING TO MAKE A DECISION TONIGHT, WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS ARE NOW SAYING SECRETARY PRICE SUBMITTED HIS RESIGNATION EARLIER TODAY AND, BY THE WAY, IN HIS LETTER REFERRED TO THE CONTROVERSY AS "RECENT EVENTS." THE PRESIDENT WAS ALREADY A LITTLE BIT DOWN ON PRICE BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE TO REPEAL AND REPLACE THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, BUT HE WAS VERY UNHAPPY OVER THESE REPORTS THAT, IN THE SPACE OF THREE DAYS, EARLIER THIS MONTH, PRICE TOOK FIVE CHARTERED FLIGHTS INCLUDING A $25,000 ROUND TRIP BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND PHILADELPHIA. HE, OF COURSE, PRIDED HIMSELF, THE PRESIDENT, ON SAVING TAXPAYERS MONEY.

>> Woodruff: WHAT MAKES THIS EVEN MORE STRIKING IS THAT TOM PRICE BEFORE HE WAS IN THE TRUMP CABINET, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM GEORGIA, CONSERVATIVE, OFTEN VERY CRITICAL OF GOVERNMENT WASTE.

>> THAT'S RIGHT. TYPICAL AS THIS SPEECH THAT PRICE MADE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR IN 2005, HE SAID, TOO OFTEN MONEY THAT COMES TO WASHINGTON NEVER GETS BACK HOME BECAUSE IT IS EATEN AWAY BY WASTE, FRAUD AND ABUSE. OF COURSE, PRICE HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS H.H.S. SECRETARY, HAD CHAMPIONED BIG CUTS IN FEDERAL SPENDING PROPOSED BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND HAD TALKED ABOUT BRINGING EFFICIENCY TO H.H.S.

>> SO, JOHN, WE JUST LISTED THESE FOUR OTHER CABINET MEMBERS NOW WHO HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED AS USING PRIVATE CHARTER JETS TO GO SOMEWHERE. ARE THEY IN TROUBLE, TOO?

>> WELL, EARLIER TODAY, ONE OF THOSE CABINET SECRETARIES, RYAN ZINKE OF INTERIOR, SAID HE HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG.

>> THE FLIGHTS WERE ONLY BOOKED AFTER EXTENSIVE DUE DILIGENCE BY THE CAREER PROFESSIONALS, THE DEPARTMENT'S GENERAL LAW AND ETHICS DIVISION.

>> THERE ARE INSPECTOR GENERALS INVESTIGATIONS GOING ON AT EPA INTO SCOTT PRUITT, TREASURY SECRETARY AND STEVEN MNUCHIN. THE WHITE HOUSE LAID DOWN THE LAW, NO MORE PRIVATE CHARTERED PLANES UNTIL THEY'VE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THIS WHOLE THING.

>> Woodruff: WE DON'T KNOW WHETHER OTHER CABINET OR SUBCABINET MEMBERS MAY HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN THE SAME THING?

>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THE WHITE HOUSE SAID THEY WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THESE DECISIONS BEFORE THEY TOOK PLACE. THEY DO SOMETIMES DO GET INVOLVED ABOUT MILITARY PLANES SOMETIMES USED FOR THE SECURITY OF THE CABINET OFFICIAL OR IF THE CABINET OFFICIAL NEEDS TO HAVE SECURE COMMUNICATIONS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY REASONS, BUT THEY HAD NO ROLE, THEY SAY, IN THESE PRIVATE CHARTERS.

>> Woodruff: NOT A QUIET WEEK AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

>> NO.

>> Woodruff: JOHN YANG, THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: AND NOW, IN THE DAY'S OTHER NEWS, THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WARNED THAT HURRICANE HARVEY CAUSED A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CHEMICAL SPILL FROM A HOUSTON- AREA "SUPERFUND" SITE. THE E.P.A. SAYS THAT IT DETECTED EXTREMELY HIGH LEVELS OF DIOXINS IN THE SAN JACINTO RIVER, AFTER A PROTECTIVE CAP WAS DAMAGED AT THE SITE. DIOXINS ARE LINKED TO CANCER AND BIRTH DEFECTS, AND CAN BE SPREAD IN CONTAMINATED MUD. A 12th PERSON HAS DIED AFTER BEING TAKEN FROM A SWELTERING NURSING HOME IN SOUTH FLORIDA, IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IRMA. IT HAPPENED ON SEPTEMBER 13, WHEN NEARLY 150 PATIENTS WERE WHEELED OUT OF THE FACILITY IN HOLLYWOOD HILLS. THE BUILDING'S AIR CONDITIONING HAD LOST POWER. A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE DEATHS IS CONTINUING. NEW TRAGEDY FOR ROHINGYA MUSLIMS FLEEING MYANMAR. U.N. OFFICIALS REPORT MORE THAN 60 OF THEM APPARENTLY DROWNED LAST NIGHT, WHEN THEIR BOAT CAPSIZED OFF BANGLADESH. THEY WERE TRYING TO JOIN MORE THAN HALF A MILLION OTHERS WHO HAVE ALREADY MADE THE PERILOUS JOURNEY. TODAY, AS RELATIVES BURIED THE DROWNING VICTIMS AT A REFUGEE CAMP, A U.N. SPOKESMAN SAID THE STORY THEY TOLD IS "ASTONISHING."

>> THE BOAT LEFT MYANMAR AND HAD BEEN AT SEA FOR TWO DAYS. SURVIVORS DESCRIBED BEING AT SEA ALL NIGHT, HAVING NO FOOD, AND THAT THE CAPTAIN OF THE VESSEL, WHO WAS A BANGLADESHI NATIONAL AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, WAS TRYING TO EVADE CHECKPOINTS OR SEA PATROLS.

>> Woodruff: THE ROHINGYA ARE ESCAPING A MILITARY CRACKDOWN IN MOSTLY BUDDHIST MYANMAR. RUSSIA'S STATE-FUNDED BROADCASTER R.T. INSISTED TODAY THAT IT BOUGHT ADVERTISEMENTS ON TWITTER LAST YEAR SIMPLY TO PROMOTE ITSELF, NOT TO MEDDLE IN THE U.S. ELECTION. THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF R.T. SAID, "IT DID NOT OCCUR TO US THAT, IN A DEVELOPED DEMOCRACY, REGULAR MEDIA ADVERTISING COULD TURN OUT TO BE A SUSPICIOUS AND HARMFUL ACTIVITY." TWITTER SAYS R.T. SPENT $274,000 ON ADS FOR U.S. MARKETS IN 2016. IN SPAIN, THE REGION OF CATALONIA IS VOWING TO GO AHEAD WITH SUNDAY'S INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM, DESPITE THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT'S VOW TO PREVENT IT. THOUSANDS HELD A CLOSING RALLY TODAY IN THE CATALAN CAPITAL OF BARCELONA, AND FARMERS ROLLED THROUGH THE STREETS ON TRACTORS, IN SUPPORT OF INDEPENDENCE. SPANISH NATIONAL POLICE HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO SEIZE BALLOTS, AND KEEP POLLING STATIONS CLOSED. BACK IN THIS COUNTRY, THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY IS NOW INVESTIGATING RACIST SLURS FOUND AT THE ACADEMY'S PREP SCHOOL. THE SLURS APPEARED TUESDAY ON MESSAGE BOARDS OUTSIDE THE DORM ROOMS OF FIVE BLACK STUDENTS. NOW, THE ACADEMY SUPERINTENDENT, LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAY SILVERIA, IS LAYING DOWN THE LAW. HE CALLED TOGETHER ALL 4,000 CADETS AND THE 240 PREP-SCHOOL STUDENTS YESTERDAY, AND WARNED THEM, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS.

>> IF YOU'RE OUTRAGED BY THESE WORDS, THEN YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. IF YOU CAN'T TREAT SOMEONE WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT, THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT. IF CAN'T TEACH SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER GENDER, MAN OR WOMAN, WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT, THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT. IF YOU DEMEAN SOMEONE IN ANY WAY, THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT. AND IF YOU CAN'T TREAT SOMEONE FROM ANOTHER RACE OR DIFFERENT COLOR SKIN WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT, THEN YOU NEED TO GET OUT.

>> Woodruff: IN 2015, ABOUT 29% OF THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY CADETS WERE RACIAL MINORITIES. THE U.S. WILL ADMIT A MAXIMUM OF 45,000 REFUGEES IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR. THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMED THE NUMBER THIS EVENING. THAT IS THE SMALLEST CAP ON THE NUMBER OF REFUGEES SINCE 1980. AND ON WALL STREET TODAY, THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE GAINED NEARLY 24 POINTS, TO CLOSE AT 22,405. THE NASDAQ ROSE 42, AND THE S&P 500 ADDED NINE, BOTH MARKETS CLOSING AT ALL-TIME HIGHS. STILL TO COME ON THE NEWSHOUR: U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS DEVOLVE AFTER DIPLOMATS MYSTERIOUSLY GET SICK. DAVID BROOKS AND EZRA KLEIN ANALYZE THE WEEK'S NEWS. USING VERSE TO CAPTURE A RAPIDLY CHANGING CITY. AND, MUCH MORE.

>> Woodruff: WHAT HAPPENED IN CUBA REMAINS A MYSTERY. WE KNOW 21 PEOPLE WHO WORK AT THE U.S. EMBASSY IN HAVANA HAVE SUFFERED A VARIETY OF INJURIES, INCLUDING HEARING LOSS, DIZZINESS AND HEADACHES. TODAY, THE STATE DEPARTMENT ORDERED ALL NON-EMERGENCY EMBASSY STAFF TO LEAVE THE ISLAND. HARI SREENIVSAN HAS THE STORY.

>> Sreenivasan: THE ORDER, ISSUED BY SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON, SAYS THAT THE STATE DEPARTMENT STILL DOES NOT HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER ON THE CAUSE OR SOURCE OF THE ILLNESSES, BUT DESCRIBED THEM AS COMING FROM AN "ATTACK OF UNKNOWN NATURE." JOINING ME FOR MORE ON THIS IS JOSH LEDERMAN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTER WHO BROKE TODAY'S NEWS ON THIS; AND MARÍA DE LOS ANGELES TORRES, A PROFESSOR OF LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINO STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS IN CHICAGO. SHE HAS WRITTEN ABOUT CUBA AND CUBAN POLITICS EXTENSIVELY. JOSH, LET ME JUST START WITH YOU. THE LATEST ON THIS, YOU KNOW, THERE SEEMS TO BE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORD CHOICE. WE'RE NOW CALLING IT AN ATTACK. JUST A WEEK AGO, WE WERE CALLING THESE INCIDENTS.

>> THAT'S RIGHT. AND THE UNITED STATES HASN'T EXACTLY EXPLAINED WHAT HAS CHANGED. IT WAS ONLY A FEW DAYS AGO THAT THEY WERE SAYING, LOOK, IT'S PREMATURE TO SAY ATTACKS BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S CAUSING THIS SO HOW CAN WE SAY IT WAS A DELIBERATE ATTACK? NOW WE HAVE PRESSED REPEATEDLY TO SAY YOU'RE NOT JUST USING THIS NEW TERM CASUALLY. THERE'S AN ACTUAL DIFFERENCE OF POSITION HERE IN SAYING SPECIFIC ATTACKS AND U.S. OFFICIALS SAY, YES, WE ARE NOW CONFIDENT THAT AMERICANS WERE TARGETED IN HAVANA AND THIS WAS AN ATTEMPT TO HARM THEM.

>> IN THERE, JOSH, THE PRESIDENT SAID THEY DID BAD STUFF TO US. I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO THE "THEY ARE. DOES THE STATE DEPARTMENT OR ANY OTHER AGENCY SAY THERE WAS A CALCULATED MOVE BY ANOTHER COUNTRY?

>> NO, I THINK THE PRESIDENT WAS BEING DELIBERATELY VAGUE. THE STATE DEPARTMENT, WHITE HOUSE AND OTHER U.S. AGENCIES HAVE NOT SAID THAT BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS. IN FACT, THERE'S A LOT OF REASON THAT THE U.S. OFFICIALS ARE SKEPTICAL THAT THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT CUBA'S GOVERNMENT FROM A TOP-DOWN WAY WOULD HAVE ORDERED. RIGHT NOW THE CULPRIT REMAINS A MYSTERY.

>> WHAT HAPPENS TO U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS IN THE SHORT TERM IF 60% OF THE EMBASSY IS ORDERED TO GO HOME?

>> I THINK THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS SAID DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ARE STILL ON AND THAT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT A PRUDENT, IF YOU WILL, TAKING CARE OF THE DIPLOMATS. I THINK THAT WE WILL SEE IN THE COMING DAYS AND WEEKS WHETHER OR NOT THE CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE. I THINK THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT HAS INVITED THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO HELP INVESTIGATE THIS. I THINK THE QUESTION REALLY IS THIS IDEA OF "THEY." I THINK YOU REALLY HIT IT ON THE HEAD HERE BECAUSE THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT IS NOT A MONOLITH AND THERE ARE MANY COMPETING FACTIONS WITHIN THAT GOVERNMENT. AT LEAST THREE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES ARE ORGANIZED AND OFTEN DO COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER AND THE COMPETITION HAS BECOME MORE FIERCE AFTER THE DEATH OF FIDEL CASTRO AND, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE DATE OF GOSARD'S RESIGNATION, ALL I THINK IS WE SHOULD BE ON THE GROUND AND NOT GO BACK TO DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS.

>> Sreenivasan: JOSH, IS THERE ANY KIND CASE THIS IS SPY VERSUS SPY STUFF OR ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT COULD DO THIS GIVEN HOW DIFFERENT THE INDICATIONS ARE FROM THE VICTIMS?

>> WE KNOW ONE OF THE THESE ARE U.S. INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING AT IS WHETHER THIS WAS SOME TYPE OF NEW ADVANCED ESPIONAGE OPERATION GONE AWRY, SOME TYPE OF DEVICE INTENDED TO LISTEN TO U.S. DIPLOMATS WHO ARE VERY CLOSELY WATCHED BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT IN HAVANA THAT SOMEHOW CAUSED UNINTENTIONAL HARM. HOWEVER, THAT'S ONE OF THE THEORIES THEY'RE LOOKING AT BUT, AS YOU POINT OUT, THIS COMES IN THE CONTEXT OF HAVANA, CUBA, WHERE WE HAD EXPLODING SEA SHELLS AND EXPLODING CIGARS IN ALL KINDS OF HISTORY IN LARGER THAN LIFE SCIENCE FICTION ESPIONAGE BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CUBA.

>> Sreenivasan: MS. TORRES, THE WAY THE UNITED STATES HAS RESPONDED SO FAR DOESN'T NECESSARILY FEEL THEY KNOW THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT IS BEHIND THIS BECAUSE THE TWO DIPLOMATS WE EXPELLED WASN'T A BANISH AND NEVER COME BACK TO THE U.S. AGAIN, AN ACTION THE UNITED STATES MAY TAKE IF THEY KNEW THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT WAS BEHIND THIS.

>> RIGHT, I THINK WE DON'T KNOW AND I THINK, THEREFORE, NUMBER ONE, SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF DIPLOMATS ABROAD, WE DO THAT ALL THE TIME. WE TELL THEM TO COME HOME WHEN THERE ARE TORNADOES, HURRICANES OR POTENTIAL ATTACKS, RIGHT. WHEN WE DON'T, IN FACT, WE GO BACK AND SAY WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT. SO I THINK THAT THEY DON'T KNOW. I THINK THAT THE CAUSE TODAY BY A COUPLE OF THE FLORIDA SENATORS SAYING THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, EXPEL ALL THE CUBAN DIPLOMATS IS REALLY SO SHORT-SIGHTED BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND, IN FACT, IN ANY ONE OF THE LIKELY EXPLANATIONS THAT MAY BE GOING ON, WE SHOULD HAVE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION OPEN WITH THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT.

>> Sreenivasan: MS. TORRES, FINALLY, THE STATE DEPARTMENT ALSO PUT OUT A WARNING, A TRAVEL ADVISORY TO ANYONE ELSE COMING. WHAT DOES THAT DO TO TOURISM OR BUSINESS THAT'S HAPPENING?

>> I THINK TOURISM, REMEMBER, HAS ALREADY BEEN DOWN. THIS IS HURRICANE SEASON, AS YOUR SHOW HAS BEEN COVERING TO WELL, SO I THINK THAT TOURISM DURING THIS TIME IS DOWN. I DO NOT THINK THAT IMMEDIATELY IT'S GOING TO NECESSARILY BRING DOWN THE NUMBERS ANY FURTHER THAN THEY ARE, SO I THINK IT'S A WAIT AND SEE. I THINK THAT THE UNITED STATES SHOULD TAKE THE INVITATION OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP INVESTIGATE THIS AND KEEP THE CHANNELS OPEN.

>> Sreenivasan: JOSH LEDERMAN, ANY FOLKS YOU'RE TALKING TO ON THE GROUND THERE, ARE THEY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DETIERATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP?

>> A LOT OF THE DIPLOMATS IN HAVANA DON'T WANT THE MISSION DRAWN DOWN BECAUSE THEY SEE IT AS REALLY IMPORTANT. AT THE SAME TIME, THE FACT THAT THE U.S. IS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ASSURANCES TO EITHER TO DIPLOMATS WORKING THERE OR EVEN TO AMERICAN TOURISTS WHO MIGHT COME AND STAY IN HOTELS IN HAVANA, THAT THEY WON'T BE ATTACKED BY INCIDENTS THAT COULD CREATE BRAIN DAMAGE IS A REAL SERIOUS CONCERN AND NOT ONE THE U.S. FELT IT COULD TAKE LIGHTLY IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE.

>> Sreenivasan: JOSH LEDERMAN, MARIA DE LOS ANGELES, THANK YOU BOTH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: NOW, TO THE ANALYSIS OF BROOKS AND KLEIN. THAT IS "NEW YORK TIMES" COLUMNIST DAVID BROOKS, AND EZRA KLEIN OF vox.com. MARK SHIELDS IS OFF THIS WEEK. GENTLEMEN, GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH. WE ARE -- OUR LEAD STORY TONIGHT, DAVID, IS THE RESIGNATION OF THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TOM PRICE. WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE FLIGHTS SEVERAL TRUMP CABINET OFFICIALS SEEM TO BE TAKING BUT NOW HE'S GONE. THE FIRST CABINET MEMBER TO STEP DOWN. BIG DEAL.

>> YEAH, I DON'T THINK HE SHOULD HAVE TO GO.

>> Woodruff: YOU DON'T? IF DONALD TRUMP THOUGHT HE WAS A GOOD SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND KNEW HIS POLICIES, WHICH HE DID, HE WAS GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE WHICH AS FAR AS I COULD SEE HE WAS, THEN THIS SCANDAL DOES NOT MERIT A FIRING/RESIGNATION. HE MADE TRUMP LOOK BAD SO HE HAD TO GO, BUT I THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE A FLEET OF PLANES TO TAKE AROUND CABINET SECRETARIES. ANY COMPANY OF ANY SIZE HAS THIS KIND OF THING. THIS SCANDAL MAKES TRUMP LOOK BAD BUT DOESN'T MERIT HAVING TO BE FIRED.

>> I HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF WHAT'S A DIFFERENT HUME HUME THAN DONALD TRUMP. INTERESTING, DONALD TRUMP HAS NOT BEEN RUNNING AN ADMINISTRATION OF HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS. WHEN TOM PRICE WAS NOMINATED, THERE WAS QUITE A LOT OF ETHICAL SMOKE AROUND HIM, ALLEGATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING. THESE ARE THINGS HE DID NOT DECIDE TO DIG INTO, THEY WERE MISSTATED, HE DIDN'T HOLD A HEARING TO LOOK INTO THEM. DONALD TRUMP HAS QUO'SY SELF DEALING THINGS THAT HE'S TRYING TO GET AROUND AND NOD ADDRESS, NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT THE TAX RETURNS. THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS A BIGGER SCANDAL, NOT AT ALL WHY TOM PRICE WAS FORCED TO STEP DOWN, BUT HE'S BEEN FUNDAMENTALLY SABOTAGING ObamaCare, THEY'RE MAKING IT WORSE IN AN EFFORT TO WEAKEN IT, IT'S GOING TO MAKE PEOPLES' LIVES WORSE AND SHOU A BIGGER SCANDAL THAN WHATEVER PLANES HE DID OR DID NOT TAKE.

>> Woodruff: WE ARE TOLD THE PRESIDENT WAS UNHAPPY WITH TOM PRICE BECAUSE HE DIDN'T GET ObamaCare REPEALED.

>> YEAH, I UNDERSTAND, BUT THAT'S NOT TOM PRICE'S FAULT. DONALD TRUMP SHOULD FIRE HIMSELF, HE'S THE ONE WHO MESSED UP THE INVESTIGATION, HAD NO CLEAR AGENDA, WAS IGNORANT WHEN HE ENTERED NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CONGRESS, MESSED THINGS UP WORSE, SO IF THAT'S THE STANDARD, THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE TO BE FIRED. DONALD TRUMP HAS A PROBLEM WITH LOYALTY AND A PROBLEM WITH HIS ADMINISTRATION. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAS HE GONE THROUGH ALREADY? WE'RE ONLY A COUNTRY OF 300 MILLION PEOPLE. HE'S GOING TO RUN THROUGH ALL OF US AND HIRE LABOR FROM MEXICO. SO THERE HAS TO BE, IF YOU'RE RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL ADMINISTRATION, THEN YOU'RE LOYAL TO PEOPLE WHO ARE BASICALLY GOOD WHO MAKE A MISTAKE AND THAT'S SESSION FORTUNATELY ANY ORGANIZATION AND SHOULD BE ESSENTIAL IF THIS WERE A NORMAL ADMINISTRATION RATHER A FIRFIREFIEFDOM.

>> Woodruff: IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE FOUR MORE SECRETARIES WOULD GO.

>> I THINK THERE IS A VERY UNCLEAR LEVEL OF CONDUCT IN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. THAT'S ONE REASON YOU'RE SEEING THIS AMONG SO MANY DIFFERENT SECRETARIES. TRUMP HAS BEEN BENDING ETHICS RULES LEFT AND RIGHT BUT THE PROBLEM IS DONALD TRUMP IS LOYAL TO HIMSELF NOT THEM. THE RULES ARE DIFFERENT FOR THEM IN WAYS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND. IT'S CREATING A REAL LACK OF CLARITY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SENATE REPUBLICANS DESERVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF BLAME FOR. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH HARDER IN TERMS OF THE CONFIRMATION HEARINGS, INSISTING ON A FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL OF ETHICS AND COMPETENCE IN THE FOLKS THEY LET THROUGH. YOU DO THAT AND HAVE STANDARDS TO PROTECT YOURSELF SO THESE THINGS DON'T HAPPEN DOWN THE ROAD AND MAKE YOU LOOK BAD AND IMPAIL YOUR AGENDA. THERE IS A LOT THEY DID NOT DO AT THE FRONT END THAT IS GOING TO COME BACK TO BITE THEM IN THE COMING MONTHS.

>> Woodruff: SPEAKING OF SENATE REPUBLICANS, THEY'VE GOT OTHER HEADACHES NOW. THE LEADER OF THE SENATE REPUBLICANS, DAVID, MUCH MITCH, WAS BACKING A PARTICULAR CANDIDATE LUTHER STRANGE IN THE ALABAMA REPUBLICAN SENATE RUNOFF, THE SAME CANDIDATE PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS BACKING, BUT FOLKS LIKE STEVE BANNON WERE BACKING ROY MOORE. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ROY MOORE HERE, VERY, VERY CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN FROM ALABAMA. HOW MUCH OF A REBUKE IS THIS TO THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY IN THE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT?

>> PRETTY STRONG AND THEY'RE REBUKING THEMSELVES. THE THING WE LEARNED THIS WEEK IS ROY MOORE AND STEVE BANNON, WHAT WE CALL THE NATIONALISTS, THEY HAVE A STORY TO TELL, THEY HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE COUNTRY AND WHY IT'S GOING ASTRAY, THEY HAVE A STORY ABOUT WASHINGTON AND WHY IT'S A SWAMP AND NEEDS TO BE DRAINED. THE MITCH McCONNELL REPUBLICANS HAVE NO STORY AND THOUGHT THEY COULD HOLD OFF THE NATIONAL IPSIS WITH MONEY, LOGISTICS AND PARTY ORGANIZATION, AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE LEARNED IS THEY CAN'T DO THAT. IF YOU WANT TO HOLD OFF STEVE BANNON, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO HAVE AN ARGUMENT AND A STORY ABOUT WHY HIS KIND OF REPUBLICAN IS THE WRONG KIND, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT, AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE IT IN ALABAMA THEY PROBABLY WON'T HAVE IT IN TENNESSEE AND THEY MAY NOT HAVE IT IN WYOMING OR ARIZONA AND ALL THE OTHER STATES REPUBLICANS ARE UP FOR GRABS AT LEAST IN THE SENATE IN 2018.

>> THERE IS ONE PLACE I'D PUSH ON THAT A LITTLE BIT IS I THINK DAVID'S RIGHT EXCEPT I THINK WHAT'S STRANGE ABOUT IT IS THIS IS A STORY THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS HAVE ALSO BEEN TELLING. THE HARD THING THEY HAVE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THAT HAS GIVEN THEM A LOT OF TROUBLE IS THEY HAVE BOUGHT INTO, HELPED ALONG AND AT THE VERY LEAST INDULGED A STORY ABOUT WHAT A SWAMP WASHINGTON IS, HOW GOVERNMENT HAS BECOME DYSFUNCTIONAL, ABOUT WHAT BARACK OBAMA WAS OR WASN'T DOING, ABOUT HOW CORRUPT HE WAS ABOUT BIRTH CERTIFICATES. VOTERS BELIEVE HIM, BELIEVED THEY WERE GOING TO REPEAL AND REPLACE ObamaCare. THEY BELIEVED WHAT REPUBLICANS WERE SAYING. THEY TRY TO RUN THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS AND IT'S AT ODDS WITH THEIR OWN STORY AND BANNON AND OTHERS COME IN AND HIJACK THE PARTY. THEY HAVE TO TELL A STORY THEY CAN FULFILL.

>> Woodruff: IN THE SHORT TERM, THIS IS A HEADACHE.

>> YEAH, AND I DO THINK REPUBLICANS RIGHT NOW THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS ARE FROZEN IN FEAR AND TRYING NOT TO BE THE NEXT TARGET. I THINK IF I WERE THEM I WOULD SAY HOW DO WE GET OUT IN FRONT OF THIS THING? MAYBE MITCH McCONNELL IS NOT THE FACE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICAN PARTY, MAYBE WE NEED SOMEONE TO SPEAK TO THE COUNTRY, MAYBE WE HAVE TO HAVE A STORY TO TELL AND MITCH McCONNELL'S JOB SHOULDN'T BE SECURE BECAUSE I THINK THE HATRED WARD HIM IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

>> Woodruff: IF HE STAYS AND THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO WORK AROUND THAT, THEY'VE GOT A COMPLICATION IN SO MANY OF THESE RACES COMING UP.

>> I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S BEEN TRUE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG QUESTION HERE FOR MITCH McCONNELL, THE THINGS THAT CAN REALLY IMPERIL YOU AS A SENATE LEADER IS IF YOU PUT YOUR SENATE MAJORITY AT RISK. WE SAW A POLL COME OUT I BELIEVE TODAY THAT SAID ROY MOORE'S THE ONLY LEADING DEMOCRAT IN ALABAMA BECAUSE HE'S A STRONG CANDIDATE ACTUALLY 50-344, THAT IS NOT THE MARGIN YOU WOULD EXPECT TO SEE FOR A REPUBLICAN IN ALABAMA. IT'S EARLY, IF YOU BEGIN TO SEE THEN MAYBE DEMOCRATS TAKE SOMETHING IN ARIZONA, PARTICULARLY IF FLAKE LOSES HIS PRIMARY TO KELLY WARD, TO ANOTHER NATIONALIST PARE TEA PARTY-LIKE CHALLENGER, THE THING THAT WILL PUT MCCONNELL'S JOB IN DANGER IN H WHAT SHOULD BE A GOOD YEAR FOR REPUBLICANS, THE SENATE MAP LOOKS VERY GOOD FOR THEM, THEY LOSE MORE THAN EXPECTED OR EVEN WORSE LOSE THE SENATE, AND IT SEEMS MORE POSSIBLE THAN IT DID SAY TWO MONTHS AGO.

>> Woodruff: I WANT TO TURN TO THE N.F.L. STORY, THE PRESIDENT'S REALLY GONE TO WAR WITH THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DAVID. JUST LEARNING FROM OUR PRODUCER THAT THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF WILL HAVE TO APPROVE GOING FORWARD ALL CHARTER TRAVEL ON THE PART OF SENIOR CABINET -- I GUESS ANY CABINET OFFICIAL OR CABINET AT ANY LEVEL. BUT WHAT ABOUT -- DAVID, WHAT ABOUT THIS STORY THAT HAS -- CONFRONTATION THAT'S JUST BLOWN UP BEFORE OUR EYES OVER THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT OPENLY CRITICIZING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND THE LEAGUE STANDING UP FOR THEM.

>> YEAH, WELL, I DON'T APPROVE OF WHAT COLIN KAEPERNICK DID. I DON'T THINK YOU KNEEL BEFORE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM. I THINK IF YOU PROTEST YOU PROTEST IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T UNDERMINE OUR COMMON NATIONALITY. SO I DIDN'T THINK THAT HE DID WHAT HE DID. BUT DONALD TRUMP REACTED IN HIS TYPICAL WAY WHICH WAS TO FIND A WOUND IN THE AMERICAN BODY POLITIC AND IN THIS CASE A WOUND ABOUT RACE, STICK A RED-HOT POKER IN IT AND RIP IT OPEN. TO ME THAT'S THE MOST TROUBLING ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE BEEN SEEING IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO IS THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY IS BEING DESTROYED BY SOMEBODY WHO'S REALLY GOOD AT FINDING OUT WHERE WE'RE WEAKEST AND EXPLOITING THE DIFFERENCES TO LAUNCH A CULTURAL AGENDA. SO THE FRAGMENTATION WE SAW LAST SUNDAY AND WILL PROBABLY SEE PHENIS SOMETHING THAT HE IS EXACERBATING AND SOMEHOW WE HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO REVERSE THAT CYCLE.

>> Woodruff: DOESN'T GET A MORE SERIOUS INDICTMENT THAN THAT.

>> I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. DONALD TRUMP DID NOT NEED TO WADE INTO THIS FIGHT. THERE'S PLENTY GOING ON HE COULD HAVE FOCUSED ON -- PUERTO RICO, TAX REFORM, HIS OWN ADMINISTRATION AND HOW IT'S RUNNING. HE LOOKS FOR THESE POINTS OF CULTURAL CONFLICT. THE ONE THING HE IS DOING STILL THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO HIS BASE IN A MOMENT WHEN THEY'RE BRINGING A TAX REFORM BILL THAT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD FOR THE BASE, IN A MOMENT THE HEALTHCARE BILL WAS INCREDIBLY UNPOPULAR AMONG HIS OWN VOTERS AS WELL AS EVERYONE ELSE, HE LOOKS FOR POINTS OF CULTURAL CONFLICT BECAUSE HE'S ABLE TO DELIVER ON LEADING ONE SIDE OF A TRIBAL WAR. IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY OR ANY FOLKS. IT'S PROBABLY NOT A GOOD THING FOR DONALD TRUMP BUT IS THE ONE PLACE HE CAN STAND ON FIRM GROUND AND BE ASSURED OF KEEPING HIS SIDE COA COALESCED.

>> Woodruff: CULTURAL CONFLICT IS RIGHT. THE NEW "NewsHour" MARIST POLL SHOW PEOPLE WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR VIEWS ON ATHLETES KNEELING OR LOCKING ARMS. OVERALL, VERY DIVIDED BETWEEN RESPECTFUL, DISRESPECTFUL, AMONG DEMOCRATS 82% SAY IT'S OKAY, REPUBLICANS 88% DISRESPECTFUL. DAVID, THE PRESIDENT'S GOING RIGHT AT A SORE PLACE IN THE AMERICAN PSYCHE.

>> YEAH, I WROTE A COLUMN THIS WEEK SAYING HE'S THE ABBY HOFFMAN IN OUR ERA. ABBY HOFFMAN WAS A PRANKSTER IN THE '60s WHO WAS GREAT AT POLITICAL THEATER AND PULLING AT THE WEAKNESSES OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THAT ERA AND HIS JOB WAS TO DESTROY SO SOMETHING ELSE CAN BE IN PLACE. THAT'S WHY TRUMP WAS HIRED, TO PICK APART THE CULTURAL FABRIC AND DESTROY THE CONSENSUS OF WHAT WE'VE HAD AND THAT'S WHAT HE'S BEEN RUN DOING AND DOING WITH EFFECTIVENESS CULTURALLY FOR TWO YEARS.

>> Woodruff: WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION HOW DO DEMOCRATS AND OTHER REPUBLICANS COUNTER THIS?

>> I'M NOT SURE THERE'S A WAY TO COUNTERIT. DONALD TRUMP DOESN'T CONTROL THE VOTES IN THE SENATE, HOUSE OR EVEN THE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. HE CONTROLS HIS TWITTER FEED AND TO SOME DEGREE THE MEDIA. THERE IS A QUESTION, WHY ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT THIS? WAS THERE A POLICY PUT IN PLACE TOWARD THE N.F.L.? DID HE DO SOMETHING? HE SAID SOME STUFF AT A RALLY, HE SENT OUT SOME TWEETS. HIS ABILITY TO PULL THE MEDIA TO WHATEVER ZONE OF CONFLICT HE WANTS US IN, THAT IS DONALD TRUMP'S ONE REAL GREAT POWER. HE DOESN'T USE IT JUDICIALLY OR WISELY AND DOESN'T USE IT ALWAYS IN WAYS THAT BENEFIT HIMSELF. I'M NOT SURE PULLING APART CULTURE CONSENSUS IS EVEN GOOD FOR HIM IN THE LONG RUN, BUT THERE ISN'T A LOT OTHER ACTORS IN POLITICS CAN DO AS LONG AS TRUMP'S ABILITY TO MOVE THE MEDIA IS AS COMPLETE AS IT CURRENTLY IS.

>> Woodruff: HARD TO SEE HOW OTHERS COMPETE.

>> IF WE SOLVE THE LARGE PROBLEMS IN THE COUNTRY, A LARGE PEOPLE WHO ARE DISENFRANCHISED, THAT WILL MAKE THE CULTURE WARS LESS FIERCE.

>> Woodruff: THERE IS A LOT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE DIDN'T GET TO TAX REFORM. WE MAY HAVE A FEW WEEKS TO TALK ABOUT THAT.

>> THAT'S THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IN A NET SHELL RIGHT THERE.

>> Woodruff: EZRA KLEIN, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. DAVID BROOKS, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: STAY WITH US. COMING UP ON THE NEWSHOUR: A MODERN-DAY EXPERIENCE THAT HARKENS BACK TO THE TIME OF SLAVERY. AND, WE LAUNCH OUR NEW SERIES ON AMERICA'S OPIOID CRISIS. BUT FIRST, TO A STORY OF POETRY AND PLACE, AND A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT THE LIFE OF AN EVER-EVOLVING CITY. JEFFREY BROWN REPORTS FROM SEATTLE.

>> Brown: HOW DO YOU MAP A CITY? IN ALL ITS COMPLICATED GLORY? FOR SEATTLE, A BIRD'S EYE MAP IN 1889 SHOWED ITS EARLY EXPANSION. FOOT TRAFFIC DOWNTOWN WAS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE 1920s; PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES IN THE 1940s. THERE'S THIS MINIMALIST MAP OF THE CITY'S QUIRKY AND INFAMOUS INTERSECTIONS. AND NOW, A DIFFERENT WAY OF SEEING THE CITY: THE "POETIC GRID." THE IDEA OF THE POETIC GRID IS TO CAPTURE A SENSE OF PLACE IN A CITY GOING THROUGH RAPID CHANGE, AND TO USE THE WORDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE.

>> I HAVE A BACKGROUND IN URBAN PLANNING, AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A HAPPY CONVERGENCE, I THINK, OF MY INTERESTS, IN POETRY AND PLACE.

>> Brown: CLAUDIA CASTRO LUNA DREAMED UP THE ONLINE DIGITAL MAP IN 2015 WHEN SHE BECAME SEATTLE'S FIRST CIVIC POET. IT'S A TWO-YEAR POSITION ADMINISTERED BY THE CITY'S OFFICE OF ARTS AND CULTURE. SHE RAN A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS AT SEATTLE'S PUBLIC LIBRARIES, AND ASKED PEOPLE TO WRITE ABOUT THE PLACE THEY LIVE.

>> WE ALL HAVE STORIES TO TELL ABOUT THE PLACE WE LIVE IN. AND WE ALL HAVE MEMORIES ATTACHED TO THE PLACE WE LIVE IN. AND THAT WAS-- ONE OF THE WORKSHOPS I LED WAS ABOUT MEMORY AND PLACE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE OPENING UP A FAUCET. AND PEOPLE HAVE STORIES TO TELL! AND THAT'S ONE OF THE MARVELOUS THINGS. AT THE END, I TOLD THEM, "YOU WILL WRITE, YOU WILL SEE! YOU WILL HAVE A POEM." AND INDEED THEY HAD ONE!

>> Brown: THE POEMS FOR THE GRID SPAN THE CITY. SOME ARE ABOUT HOME-- MEMORIES OF GROWING UP IN THE AFFLUENT BLUE RIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD. OTHERS ARE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS-- THE COLD CONCRETE OF A SEATTLE UNDERPASS. THERE ARE POEMS LEFT IN THEIR NATIVE TONGUES: SPANISH, ARABIC. THE WRITERS RUN FROM WELL- ESTABLISHED POETS TO FIRST- TIMERS, AND THEY REFLECT THE DIVERSITY OF THE CHANGING CITY, WHERE CRANES DOT THE SKYLINE. SEATTLE IS ADDING MORE PEOPLE PER YEAR THAN DURING THE POST GOLD RUSH BOOM YEARS.

>> SOME OF THE POEMS EXPRESS VERY WELL WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO NOT RECOGNIZE THE PLACE YOU GREW UP IN, BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS THAT YOU HAD SO MUCH ATTACHMENT AND WERE MEANINGFUL TO YOU ARE NO LONGER THERE, AND THE SENSE OF THIS LOCATION, OF TURNING A CORNER AND THE BUILDING THAT WAS THERE IS NO LONGER THERE.

>> Brown: HING HAY PARK IN SEATTLE'S INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT HAS SEEN ITS SHARE OF CHANGE.

>> I FIRST MOVED HERE WHEN I COULDN'T AFFORD RENT ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY, AND MY UNCLE SAID "WELL, THERE'S A ROOM HERE FOR $60 A MONTH." AND I CAME HERE TO LOOK AT IT. THERE'S A TINY LITTLE TABLE I SAID, I CAN PUT MY TYPEWRITER ON TOP OF THAT, SO I TOOK THE ROOM.

>> Brown: KOON WOON WAS BORN IN CHINA, BUT MOVED TO SEATTLE IN 1960. IN THE 1980s, HE LIVED JUST A BLOCK FROM HERE, SOMETIMES HOMELESS, STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. HIS POEM, "THE HIGH WALLS I CANNOT SCALE," IS NOW PART OF THE GRID.

>> "DESOLATE IN MY CHINATOWN MORNING AMONG THE SCRAPS AND PEOPLE SLEEPING IN URINE DOORWAYS, I ACHE FROM THE POLITICS OF THE HEART. PIGEONS FLOCK TOGETHER IN HING HAY PARK, NO CHILDREN TO GREET THEM. I WALK FOR MY SANITY, SINCE ALONE IN MY ROOM BEFORE DAWN, THE MIND CONSTRUCTS IMPROBABLE THINGS."

>> Brown: WHY ARE YOU WRITING ABOUT THESE THINGS?

>> WELL, I FIRST STARTED WRITING POETRY AS A WAY TO DEAL WITH MY MENTAL ILLNESS. I COULD ARTICULATE MY FEELINGS AND TRY TO CLARIFY WHAT MY THOUGHTS WERE. I'D TRY TO SEPARATE DELUSIONS FROM REALITY.

>> Brown: THERE GO THE PIGEONS YOU WRITE ABOUT.

>> YEAH, A FLOCK OF PIGEONS.

>> Brown: FOR 17-YEAR OLD LILY BAUMGART, ANIMALS FIGURED INTO HER WRITING AS WELL.

>> THE SQUIRRELS HERE ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE, THEY EXPECT TO BE FED BY PEOPLE. AND SO WE'D WRITE STORIES ABOUT HOW THEY'D COME UP TO PEOPLE. HOW HUMANS INTERACTIONS WITH ANIMALS CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIORS.

>> Brown: WE MET IN SEATTLE'S CAPITOL HILL NEIGHBORHOOD AT VOLUNTEER PARK, WHERE BAUMGART TOOK FIELD TRIPS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND CONJURED UP IMAGES OF WHAT LIVED IN THE RESERVOIR, INSPIRING HER POEM.

>> "VOLUNTEER PARK." "THEY SAY THERE'S A GIANT SQUID IN THE RESERVOIR THAT IF YOU COULD CLIMB THE FENCE YOU COULD STICK YOUR HAND INTO THE BRIGHT WATER AND FEEL HIS SLIMY BODY SWIMMING BY YOURS.

>> Brown: SO NOW YOU'RE HERE MUCH OLDER, RIGHT? YOU THINK THE SQUID IS STILL OUT THERE.

>> I LIKE TO THINK HE'S STILL THERE. IT WOULD BE A LOT MORE FUN IF WE HAD A SQUID THERE, BUT I DON'T THINK HE IS, UNFORTUNATELY.

>> Brown: BAUMGART IS NOW SEATTLE'S YOUTH POET LAUREATE AND ONE OF THE YOUNGEST CONTRIBUTORS TO THE NEW GRID.

>> I GET TO WRITE ABOUT MYSELF AND MY OWN EXPERIENCES, WITHOUT IT SEEMING LIKE IT'S ME, ME, ME. I CAN KIND OF HIDE IT BEHIND USING DIFFERENT METAPHORS, OR EVEN CHARACTERS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. I FEEL LIKE POETRY HAS A SENSE OF INTIMACY THAT OTHER WRITING JUST CAN'T GIVE YOU, WHICH I ENJOY.

>> Brown: POETRY BROUGHT SOMETHING ELSE TO CLAUDIA CASTRO LUNA: A WAY TO WORK THROUGH TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD MEMORIES, OF WAR IN EL SALVADOR THAT FORCED HER FAMILY TO LEAVE THEIR HOME WHEN SHE WAS 14.

>> IT WAS A TREMENDOUS LOSS OF PLACE, OF CULTURE, OF FAMILY, OF LANGUAGE. AND I THINK IT'S TAKEN ME MY ENTIRE LIFE, ACTUALLY-- I THINK A LOT OF, ALL OF MY WRITING HAS TO DO WITH UNDERSTANDING THAT, WHAT IT MEANT TO, TO LOSE THAT PLACE? THIS IS WHY I'M INTERESTED IN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES, AND WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE PLACE THEY OCCUPY. "MAPS OF THIS CITY NUMBER IN THE THOUSANDS EACH UNIQUE AND FOLDED NEATLY INSIDE EACH CITIZEN'S HEART. WE LIVE IN THE CITY AND THE CITY LIVES IN US."

>> Brown: CASTRO LUNA'S TERM AS CIVIC POET HAS ENDED, BUT SHE PLANS TO ADD MORE TALES OF THE CITY TO THE EVOLVING ONLINE MAP. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M JEFFREY BROWN IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

>> Woodruff: YOU CAN WATCH THE POETS READ THEIR FULL POEMS ON OUR WEBSITE, www.pbs.org/newshour.

>> Woodruff: SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED IN THIS WEEK'S DEBATE OVER WHETHER ATHLETES SHOULD TAKE A KNEE DURING THE PLAYING OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BEFORE GAMES, IS THE ORIGINAL FOCUS OF COLIN KAEPERNICK'S PROTEST: THE DEATHS OF UNARMED BLACK MEN IN CONFRONTATIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. RILEY TEMPLE IS A LAWYER AND AUTHOR. AND TONIGHT, HE SHARES HIS HUMBLE OPINION ON WHY NONE OF THOSE FACTS MATTER WHEN CONFRONTED WITH THE PRESENT-DAY LEGACY OF SLAVERY.

>> WHENEVER I GO TO THE SMITHSONIAN'S AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM, I MAKE MY PILGRIMAGE TO JOSEPH TRAMMELL'S TIN WALLET. IT'S A HANDMADE, THIN CASE THAT HOLDS HIS FREEDOM PAPERS. JOSEPH TRAMMELL, A BLACK MAN, WAS BORN A SLAVE IN VIRGINIA IN 1831. WHEN HE WAS 21, HE WAS FREED, AND SURELY BELIEVED HE HAD SOME MEASURE OF LIBERTY SO LONG AS HE HAD HIS TIN WALLET WITH HIM. WHEN HE WAS STOPPED, HE INVARIABLY HAD TO AFFECT A SERVILE POSTURE TO THE WHITES WHO DEMANDED TO KNOW WHO, WHY AND HOW COME, AND WHAT FOR. THE VERY SIGHT OF HIM-- NO SLAVE TAG, NO WHITE SUPERVISION IN SIGHT-- WAS TERRIFYING. AN ERRANT AND AIMLESSLY ROAMING NEGRO, GOING ABOUT HIS ORDINARY DAYS. HIS FAMILY UNDOUBTEDLY REMINDED HIM, BE NON-THREATENING, SAY "YES, MA'AM, NO, SIR," AFFECT SERVILITY, COWER, EVEN. JUST DON'T GET KILLED. I WAS HAVING AN ORDINARY DAY NOT LONG AGO WHEN, IN MY UPSCALE AND OVERWHELMINGLY WHITE WASHINGTON, D.C. NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE I HAVE LIVED FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS, MY DOG WILSON AND I WALKED PAST AN APARTMENT BUILDING JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY OWN. AS WILSON PAUSED, A BLUSTERY WHITE MAN APPEARED AND BELLOWED AT ME TO NOT LET MY DOG STOP THERE. THEN HE DEMANDED TO KNOW IF I LIVED IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD. I ASKED WHY IT WAS A PERTINENT QUESTION. HE BECAME FURIOUS, THREATENED TO CALL THE POLICE. THREE COPS IN TWO CRUISERS APPEARED WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINUTES, FLASHING LIGHTS AND ALL. THEY TOLD ME THEY WERE ANSWERING A TRESPASSING COMPLAINT. I PULLED OUT MY I.D. I DIDN'T HAVE TO, BUT I KNEW I HAD TO SHOW MY PAPERS TO DE-ESCALATE THE SITUATION. I WAS NOT A TRESPASSER IN THIS RICH, WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD. I LIVED THERE. I GOT OUT OF MY BRUSH WITH THE POLICE UNSCATHED, BUT NOT BEFORE TELLING A BELLIGERENT COP TO, "GO TO HELL." AND IN SO DOING, I BROKE A RULE. THE RULE BY WHICH THE JOSEPH TRAMMELS OF SLAVERY DAYS LIVED, AND BY WHICH ALL BLACK PEOPLE TODAY ARE TOLD TO OBEY IN ORDER TO SURVIVE CONFRONTATIONS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. BE NICE. BE SERVILE. SAY, "NO, SIR, AND YES, MA'AM." BY ALL MEANS, DO NOTHING THAT SMACKS OF DIGNITY OR CLAIM OF RIGHT. ELSE, YOU'LL BE KILLED. MY STORY WAS MINOR. BUT SO TOO IS FAILING TO SIGNAL A LANE CHANGE OR SELLING ILLEGAL CIGARETTES-- AND THOSE ACTS TURNED DEADLY FOR SANDRA BLAND AND ERIC GARNER. BY QUESTIONING MY RIGHT TO BE, I WAS SUDDENLY SLAMMED ONTO THAT CONTINUUM OF HISTORY. A BLACK MAN, PERCEIVED TO BE AN INTERLOPER, A TRESPASSER. AN IMMINENT THREAT-- JUST LIKE FREED SLAVE JOSEPH TRAMMELL IN 1852 VIRGINIA.

>> Woodruff: EVERY DAY BRINGS ANOTHER STORY ABOUT THE DEPTH OF THIS COUNTRY'S OPIOID CRISIS: OVERDOSES UP, EMERGENCY SERVICES OVERWHELMED, ANOTHER FAMILY BURYING A LOVED ONE. ON MONDAY, WE'RE STARTING AN EXTENSIVE SERIES HERE ON THE NEWSHOUR, BROADCAST AND ONLINE. IT'S CALLED "AMERICA ADDICTED," AN IT WILL LOOK AT HOW OPIOIDS ARE AFFECTING COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY: FROM ITS TOLL ON ONE CITY IN WEST VIRGINIA, TO THE RISE OF POWERFUL NEW SYNTHETIC DRUGS LIKE FENTANYL IN NEW ENGLAND, AND HOW NEW PROGRAMS OUT WEST ARE TRYING TO COMBAT ADDICTION. FIRST, WE WANTED TO TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT EXACTLY HOW THIS CRISIS BEGAN. WILLIAM BRANGHAM IS BACK WITH THIS PRIMER.

>> Brangham: IT'S HARD TO GRASP THE FULL SCOPE AND SCALE OF THE OPIOID CRISIS WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF. THE NUMBERS ARE STAGGERING. ALMOST HALF A MILLION AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN THE LAST 15 YEARS FROM AN OVERDOSE, AND THE MAJORITY OF THOSE INVOLVE OPIOIDS. ON AVERAGE, 91 AMERICANS ARE STILL DYING EVERY DAY. IN THAT SAME PERIOD, THE RATE OF ADDICTION TO OPIOIDS HAS SHOT UP BY ALMOST 500%. AND THE AVAILABILITY OF ADDICTION TREATMENT HASN'T KEPT UP AT ALL. SO... HOW DID WE GET HERE? MOST EXPERTS SAY THIS CRISIS BEGAN IN THE 1990s, WHEN SOME DOCTORS AND MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS ARGUED THAT, FOR GENERATIONS, THEIR PROFESSION HAD IGNORED THE PROBLEM OF CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH HAD CAUSED UNNECESSARY SUFFERING FOR MILLIONS OF PATIENTS. THEY STARTED PUSHING THE IDEA THAT PAIN BE SEEN AS THE "FIFTH VITAL SIGN," SOMETHING TO BE CHECKED AS OFTEN AS BLOOD PRESSURE, AND TREATED ACCORDINGLY. AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME, THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY-- WHICH WAS EAGER TO BOOST SALES OF ITS NEW CLASS OF PAINKILLERS LIKE OXYCONTIN-- TOLD DOCTORS THAT THESE NEW DRUGS COULD BE USED WITHOUT FEAR OF THEIR PATIENTS BECOMING ADDICTED. THE INDUSTRY PUT OUT TESTIMONIAL VIDEOS, LIKE THIS ONE FROM PURDUE PHARMA IN 2000.

>> WE DOCTORS WERE WRONG IN THINKING THAT OPIOIDS CAN'T BE USED LONG-TERM. THEY CAN BE AND THEY SHOULD BE.

>> Brangham: THE INDUSTRY-- AND EVEN SOME DOCTORS-- ALSO CITED THIS ONE-PARAGRAPH LETTER, POSTED IN THE "NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE" BACK IN 1980. ITS AUTHORS HAD LOOKED AT THE USE OF OPIOID PAINKILLERS AT ONE BURN UNIT IN MASSACHUSETTS AND WROTE: "THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADDICTION IS RARE IN MEDICAL PATIENTS WITH NO HISTORY OF ADDICTION." WHILE THE AUTHORS AND THE "NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL" HAVE BOTH SAID THAT THIS LETTER WAS MISINTERPRETED, IT WAS CITED HUNDREDS OF TIMES AS AN ENDORSEMENT FOR THE WIDESPREAD USE OF OPIOIDS FOR PAIN. AND, IN FACT, STARTING IN THE LATE '90s AND EARLY 2000s, THE RATE OF OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS BEGAN TO SNOWBALL. BY 2015, ACCORDING TO THE C.D.C., ENOUGH PILLS WERE BEING PRESCRIBED FOR EVERY AMERICAN TO BE MEDICATED AROUND THE CLOCK FOR THREE STRAIGHT WEEKS. BUT STUDIES HAVE NOW CLEARLY SHOWN THAT OPIOID MEDICATIONS CAN LEAD TO DEPENDENCY WITHIN JUST A MATTER OF DAYS, AND SO, THIS FLOOD OF PRESCRIPTIONS LED TO A SURGE OF ADDICTION, AND IT ALSO DROVE A STEADY RISE IN OVERDOSE FATALITIES. WITH THESE NUMBERS GROWING, THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT BEGAN TO TAKE ACTION. NEW PRESCRIBING GUIDELINES WERE ISSUED; DATABASES WERE CREATED TO TRACK PRESCRIPTIONS; AND LAW ENFORCEMENT CRACKED DOWN ON THE SO-CALLED "PILL-MILLS"-- THE DOCTORS AND PHARMACIES THAT RECKLESSLY FLOODED CERTAIN COMMUNITIES WITH OPIOIDS. IN 2010, PRESCRIPTIONS OF OPIOIDS PEAKED, AND HAVE FALLEN EVER SINCE. PROBLEM SOLVED, RIGHT? NOT SO FAST. IN 2015, THERE WERE STILL THREE TIMES AS MANY OPIOID PRESCRIPTIONS BEING WRITTEN AS IN 1999, AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE TURNED TO CHEAPER OPIOID SUBSTITUTES, LIKE HEROIN. SEIZING ON THIS BOOMING MARKET, DRUG DEALERS SOUGHT TO BOOST POTENCY, AND THEIR OWN PROFITS, BY LACING THEIR HEROIN AND OTHER DRUGS WITH POWERFUL SYNTHETIC OPIOIDS LIKE FENTANYL. THOSE ADDITIVES HAVE ONLY ACCELERATED THE RISE IN OVERDOSE DEATHS, WHICH LAST YEAR KILLED MORE THAN 64,000 AMERICANS. BY ALMOST ANY MEASURE, THIS IS THE BIGGEST DRUG EPIDEMIC IN AMERICAN HISTORY, DWARFING THE NUMBER OF LIVES LOST TO CRACK COCAINE OR METHAMPHETAMINES. IT'S A CRISIS THAT TOOK DECADES TO CREATE, AND EXPERTS SAY WILL TAKE A GREAT DEAL OF TIME, PATIENCE AND WORK TO UNDO. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M WILLIAM BRANGHAM.

>> Woodruff: OUR SERIES, "AMERICA ADDICTED," WILL CONTINUE ALL NEXT WEEK HERE ON THE NEWSHOUR. MEANTIME, ROBERT COSTA IS PREPARING FOR "WASHINGTON WEEK," WHICH AIRS LATER TONIGHT. ROBERT, WHAT'S ON TAP?

>> TONIGHT WE'LL HAVE MORE ON TOM PRICE'S EXIT AS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO OTHER OFFICIALS WHO HAVE BEEN USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO FLY IN PRIVATE JETS, PLUS THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN PUERTO RICO. LATER IN "WASHINGTON WEEK," JUDY.

>> Woodruff: AND TOMORROW, ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND, MEET THE AMERICAN CITIZEN WHO IS LEADING A REBEL FIGHT TO CHANGE SOUTH SUDAN'S GOVERNMENT.

>> Reporter: IN THE HILLS OF NORTHEASTERN UGANDA, A CONCEALED FOREST PATH LEADS ACROSS THE BORDER INTO SOUTH SUDAN. WE ARE TRAVELING WITH MARTIN ABUCHA, A COMMANDER WITH A REBEL GROUP ARMY CALLED THE SUDAN PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY IN OPPOSITION. WHAT SEPARATES ABUCHA FROM OTHER COMBATANTS IN THIS WAR IS, HE'S A DUAL SOUTH SUDANESE AND AMERICAN CITIZEN, WITH FAMILY IN THE UNITED STATES.

>> I WOULD LIKE TO ENJOY EATING HAMBURGERS. I'D LIKE TO ENJOY GOING TO BURGER KING AND McDONALDS WITH MY DAUGHTERS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

>> Reporter: ABUCHA'S LIFE NOW IS A FAR CRY FROM HIS COMFORTABLE LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES. DESPITE THE HARDSHIP, ABUCHA IS DETERMINED TO FIGHT TO OVERTHROW A GOVERNMENT THAT STANDS ACCUSED OF WIDESPREAD HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES AND ETHNIC CLEANSING.

>> YOU KNOW, TO US, WE ARE NOT REBELS. WE'RE PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHTS.

>> Woodruff: THAT'S TOMORROW ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND. AND THAT'S THE NEWSHOUR FOR TONIGHT. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. THANK YOU AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND.

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>> THE WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATION, HELPING PEOPLE BUILD IMMEASURABLY BETTER LIVES.

>> AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INSTITUTIONS AND FRIENDS OF THE NEWSHOUR.

>> THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org

>> YOU'RE WATCHING PBS.

>> Rose: WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH A WAR OF WORDS BETWEEN NORTH KOREA AND UNITED STATES. WE TALKED TO MICHAEL MORRELL AND NICK BURNS.

>> I THINK THE LANGUAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OVER THE LAST EIGHT OR NINE DAYS CONFUSES THEM. WHAT WE NEED TO DO BASED ON MIKE'S ANALYSIS, IS TO GO BACK TO WHAT WE DID SO EFFECTIVELY IN THE COLD WAR. STRATEGIC DETERRENCE. HE'S A DESPICABLE LEADER AND PROBABLY EVIL IN MANY WAYS BUT HE'S NOT A MADMAN. WE ASSUME THAT HE'S RATIONAL. WHAT EISENHOWER WOULD HAVE DONE AT THE PODIUM LAST WEEK OR REAGAN OR BILL CLINTON WOULD HAVE SAID THE FOLLOWING. THE UNITED STATES IS NOT GOING TO BE THE AGGRESSOR. WE'RE NOT GOING TO ATTACK NORTH KOREA BUT SHOULD THEY SEEK TO ATTACK, WE WILL RESPOND WITH OVERWHELMING FORCE.