PBS NewsHour; December 29, 2011 3:00pm-4:00pm PST

Captioning sponsored by MacNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS

>> Brown: REPUBLICAN HOPEFULS SHIFT INTO CAMPAIGN OVERDRIVE WITH JUST FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST-IN-THE-NATION NOMINATING CONTEST GETS UNDERWAY IN IOWA. GOOD EVENING, I'M JEFFREY BROWN.

>> Suarez: AND I'M RAY SUAREZ. ON THE "NEWSHOUR" TONIGHT, WE DEBATE THE MAGNIFIED IMPORTANCE IOWA PLAYS IN THE NOMINATION PROCESS WITH HISTORIAN RICHARD NORTON SMITH AND POLITICAL ANALYST JEFF STEIN.

>> Brown: THEN, PAUL SOLMAN LOOKS AT SOME OF THE DEFINING MOMENTS IN HIS COVERAGE OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN THIS YEAR AND WE EXAMINE THE CHALLENGING PATH BACK TO A ROBUST ECONOMY.

>> Suarez: ANOTHER IN OUR "AMERICAN GRADUATE" SERIES ON THE NATION'S HIGH SCHOOL DROP- OUT CRISIS. TONIGHT SPENCER MICHELS REPORTS ON A CALIFORNIA PROGRAM DESIGNED TO KEEP GIRLS IN SCHOOL BY ENCOURAGING SCIENCE STUDIES.

>> SCIENCE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE EASIEST THINGS TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN. SCIENCE IS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN DO SOME THINGS THAT ARE FUN, INTRIGUING, CHALLENGING.

>> Brown: AND WE

>> Brown: AND WE LOOK AT THE VISA HOLDUP FOR THOUSANDS OF IRAQI CIVILIANS WHO PROVIDED VALUABLE ASSISTANCE TO AMERICANS DURING THE WAR.

>> Brown: THAT'S ALL AHEAD ON TONIGHT'S "NEWSHOUR." MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY:

>> COMPUTING SURROUNDS US. SOMETIMES IT'S OBVIOUS AND SOMETIMES IT'S VERY SURPRISING WHERE YOU FIND IT. SOON, COMPUTING INTELLIGENCE IN UNEXPECTED PLACES WILL CHANGE OUR LIVES IN TRULY PROFOUND WAYS. TECHNOLOGY CAN PROVIDE CUSTOMIZED EXPERIENCES, TAILORED TO INDIVIDUAL CONSUMER PREFERENCES, IGNITING A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES FROM THE INSIDE OUT. SPONSORING TOMORROW, STARTS TODAY. THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.

>> Suarez: JANUARY 3rd LOOMED EVER LARGER ON THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CALENDAR TODAY-- THE DATE OF THE IOWA CAUCUSES. SIX OF THE SEVEN HOPEFULS CAMPAIGNED IN THE STATE, SOME HOPING FOR A FINAL SURGE TO VICTORY-- OTHERS, HOPING JUST TO SURVIVE. THE HOME STRETCH IN IOWA WAS CROWDED WITH CANDIDATES TODAY, RACING FROM ONE EVENT TO THE NEXT, PRESSING THE FLESH, PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS.

>> GOOD MORNING. HOW ARE YOU THIS MORNING?

>> Suarez: NEW POLLS SHOW MITT ROMNEY LEADING OR TIED FOR THE LEAD. ROMNEY HAD ONCE PLAYED DOWN IOWA, BUT NO MORE. HE ROLLED OUT A MINUTE-LONG TV AD TODAY, EXTOLLING THE SPIRIT OF ENTERPRISE.

>> THE AMERICAN IDEALS OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY NEED A CLEAR AND UNAPOLOGETIC DEFENSE AND I INTEND TO MAKE IT BECAUSE I HAVE LIVED IT.

>> Suarez: THE FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR PLAYED UP THE SAME THEME IN CAMPAIGN STOPS TODAY. HERE, IN CEDAR FALLS.

>> I WANT AMERICA TO REMAIN AMERICAN. I WANT US TO HAVE GOOD JOBS IN AN OPPORTUNITY SOCIETY AND THE PRINCIPLES THAT MADE AMERICA GREAT IN THE PAST ARE THE PRINCIPLES THAT I BELIEVE WILL MAKE OUR ECONOMY STRONG IN THE FUTURE.

>> Reporter: TEXAS CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL WAS DRAWING BIG CROWDS AND RUNNING SECOND OR EVEN TIED WITH ROMNEY FOR THE LEAD.

>> AND THIS IS THE DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN NOW AND EVEN FOUR YEARS AGO. THE PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A SERIOUS ECONOMIC PROBLEM TO DEAL WITH. AND MOST PEOPLE NOW-- I BELIEVE THE STATISTICS AND THE POLLING SHOWS THAT-- 70% OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOW SAYING ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

>> Suarez: HE GOT ANOTHER BOOST OVERNIGHT WHEN IOWA STATE SENATOR KENT SORENSEN ENDORSED HIM. SORENSON HAD BEEN STATE CHAIRMAN FOR MINNESOTA CONGRESSWOMAN MICHELLE BACHMANN.

>> IN 2010, WHEN I WAS RUNNING FOR THE STATE SENATE, CONGRESSMAN PAUL CAME IN THREE SEPARATE EVENTS FOR ME, AND I FELT LIKE HE WAS BY MY SIDE IN A TOUGH RACE, NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO BE BY HIS SIDE, WHEN HE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY, AND HE'S IN A TOUGH RACE HIMSELF.

>> Suarez: BACHMANN INSISTED SHE'S STAYING IN THE RACE, DESPITE LAGGING NUMBERS. AND HER CAMPAIGN CLAIMED SORENSEN WAS PAID A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO DEFECT-- A CLAIM RON PAUL DENIED. MEANWHILE, THINGS WERE LOOKING UP FOR RICK SANTORUM, WHO TRIPLED HIS SUPPORT IN THE NEW POLLS. THE FORMER PENNSYLVANIA SENATOR WAS LOOKING TO SEIZE ON THE MOMENTUM STARTING ON NBC'S "TODAY" SHOW.

>> THIS HAS BEEN DIFFERENT THAN EVERYBODY ELSE THAT'S SORT OF RISEN IN THIS RACE. THAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN TESTED AND WE HAVE. PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE'S AUTHENTICITY HERE. THAT THEY CAN TRUST ME. WHAT I SAY THAT I'M GOING TO DO IS WHAT I'VE DONE IN THE PAST.

>> Suarez: BUT WHILE SANTORUM WAS RISING, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH APPEARED TO BE IN FREE FALL, DOWN 20 POINTS FROM A FEW WEEKS BACK. IN SIOUX CITY, TODAY HE STAYED AWAY FROM ATTACKS ON RIVAL REPUBLICANS AND FOCUSED INSTEAD ON PRESIDENT OBAMA.

>> HE'S GOING TO RUN A HE RAN ON "YES WE CAN." HIS NEW SLOGAN IS GOING TO BE "WHY WE COULDN'T." I BELIEVE WE CAN DESIGN A CONTRACT WITH AMERICA THAT WILL BE ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL. WE CAN RUN AS A TEAM. WE CAN WAGE A CAMPAIGN IN WHICH BY OCTOBER IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFEND OBAMA.

>> Suarez: TEXAS GOVERNOR RICK PERRY WAS LIKEWISE WELL BACK IN THE FIELD. AND THIS MORNING, IN WASHINGTON, IOWA, HE WAS PEPPERED WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER HE MIGHT QUIT AFTER THE CAUCUSES.

>> FIFTH PLACE GOOD ENOUGH TO KEEP IT GOING?

>> WE'RE GOING ON.

>> REGARDLESS OF THE OUTCOME?

>> WE'RE GOING ON, WE'RE PRESSING ON.

>> Suarez: ONE CANDIDATE SHUNNED IOWA. JON HUNTSMAN-- FORMER UTAH GOVERNOR-- DEFENDED HIS DECISION TO FOCUS ENTIRELY ON NEW HAMPSHIRE. "THEY PICK CORN IN IOWA," HE SAID. "THEY ACTUALLY PICK PRESIDENTS HERE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE."

>> Brown: SO THAT'S WHERE THINGS STAND IN IOWA. BUT, WHY SHOULD WE CARE? AND WHAT DOES IOWA'S FIRST-IN- THE-NATION VOTE TELL US, ANYWAY? WE EXPLORE THAT NOW, WITH HISTORIAN RICHARD NORTON SMITH, SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY. AND JEFF STEIN, VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF IOWA. NOW RICHARD, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES CALLED YOU TODAY AND YOU SAID ALMOST WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED, I'M SICK OF IOWA. COME AND TELL US ABOUT THIS.

>> LET ME DRAW A VERY IMPORTANT DISTINTIONS BETWEEN IOWA, A PLACE I LIVED VERY HAPPILY FOR SIX YEARS AND FOR WHOSE PEOPLE I HAVE GREAT AFFECTION AND THE OVERREPORTED, OVERANALYZED, OVERINTERPRETED KABOOKI THEATRE THAT IS THE QUOTE IOWA CAUCUS.

>> Brown: WHY IS IT KABOOKI THEATRE.

>> WELL, GOSH, WE HAVE THE AMES STRAW POLL WHICH WE ARE TOLD IS THE CAUCUS BEFORE THE CAUCUS. AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE AMES STAU POLL AND GUESS WHAT MITCHELL BACHMANN WON THE POLL AND HER CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN DOWNHILL EVER SINCE. A LOT OF THIS IS THE MEDIA. A LOT OF THIS IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT HAS POURED INTO THE STATE. SOMEONE HAS TO GO FIRST. AND IOWA IS-- IS, YOU KNOW, IS AS ENTITLED AS ANYONE. ULTIMATELY IT'S UNREPRESENTED BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE CAUCUS AS OPPOSED TO A PRIMARY ELECTION. AND BECAUSE ITS FURTHER UNREPRESENTATIVE BECAUSE WITHIN THAT CAUCUS TURNOUT THERE IS A DISPROPORTIONATE EMPHASIS GIVEN TO SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES, AND PARTICULARLY TO EVANGELICAL VOTERS.

>> Brown: OKAY, LET ME GET JEFF STEIN IN HERE FROM IOWA. YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO US WHAT IS THE CASE FOR IOWA PARTYING. RICHARD JUST LAID OUT SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE HEARD OFTEN, PARTICULARLY THE LACK OF IT BEING REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S VERY REPRESENTATIVE OF RANK AND FILE AMERICA. WE HAVE A VERY EDUCATED POPULATION. THE PEOPLE IN IOWA TAKE THIS JOB, THIS RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE ABOUT 600,000 REGISTERED REPUBLICANS IN IOWA AT THE TIME OF THE CAUCUS. AND GRANTED ABOUT 20% OF THEM WILL SHOW UP, BUT THOSE ARE THE MOST INTERESTED PARTISANS. AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS A PARTISAN NOMINATING PROCESS. THE DEMOCRATS WILL BE MEETING THAT NIGHT AS WELL. AND SO AS EACH PARTY STRIFES TO NOMINATE ITS CHOICE, I THINK IT WORKS JUST AS WELL AND ACTUALLY BETTER IF YOU CARE ABOUT A STRONG PARTISAN SYSTEM THAN A WIDE OPEN PRIMARY WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, A WEEK AFTER IOWA IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BE A REGISTERED VOTER AND SHOW UP AND TAKE WHATEVER BALLOT YOU WANT. IT'S A PURER PROCESS BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS WILL MEET WITH REPUBLICANS. DEMOCRATS MEET WITH DEMOCRATS. AND IN IOWA THERE ARE MORE INDEPENDENTS THAN EITHER REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS. SO WHILE IT MAY BE A NARROW SLICE, IT IS A VERY REPRESENTATIVE SLICE OF WHAT IT IS PURPORTED TO BE, A PARTISAN NOMINATING PROCESS.

>> OKAY, RICHARD SO, IT IS WHAT IT IS, HE IS SAYING. IT IS A PARTISAN PROCESS AND IT IS THAT SMALL FEAST TO FEAST POLITICS THAT YOU OFTEN DON'T GET.

>> SURE. THE WORD WE USE IS PURIST. AND I COULD NOT AGREE MORE. IT IS-- IT'S ALL ABOUT PURITY. IT'S ABOUT WINNOWING OUT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT-- WITHOUT DON'T MEET YOUR IDEAOLOGICAL STANDARD.

>> YOU ARE IN NOT QUITE THE SAME WAY.

>> ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN 2000 ALLEN KEYES GOT 15% OF THE CAUCUS VOTE. GARY BOWER GOT ALMOST 10% OF THE CAUCUS VOTE. IOWA TRADITIONALLY HAS BEEN SECURED TOWARD THE-- SKEW ERRED TOWARD THE EXTREMES OF BOTH PARTIES. AND AT A TIME WHEN LOTS OF AMERICANS FEEL DISENFRANCHISED BY THE POLITICAL PROCESS, THEY LOOK AT THIS AND THEY SEE THIS IS IN MANY WAYS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO THEIR FRUSTRATION. THE PURIST ITS, THE IDEAOLOGICAL HARD-LINERS. THE TRUE BELIEVERS, THE ANGRY ELECTORATE.

>> Brown: JEFF STEIN, THAT'S ONE OF THE CHARGES, THAT THIS ACTUALLY SKEWERS AND HURTS OUR POLITICS BY THE WAY IT'S SET UP.

>> WELL, I CONCUR WITH THE EARLIER COMMENT THAT IT IS HOW IT'S INTERPRETED IN TERMS OF HOW WE LOOK AT IT FROM A MEDIA STANDPOINT. WHOEVER IS FIRST IS GOING TO BE OVERREPORTED, I THINK. I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IS THAT IOWA IS ONE STEP IN A MUCH LONGER GAME. WHERE NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS A VERY DIFFERENT WAY. SOUTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA, AND I THINK THEY ALL WORK TOGETHER TOWARD THE NOMINATION PROCESS. IF YOU SIMPLY LOOK AT THE IOWA RESULTS AND TAKE THEM TOO FAR, THAT'S INAPPROPRIATE, THAT'S MISREPORTING. BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO NOTE THAT AS WE SIT HERE TODAY THE MOST RECENT POLL HAS THE MOST MODERATE CANDIDATE, MITT ROMNEY IN FIRST PLACE. AND I'VE SAID FOR A LONG TIME, I THINK THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MORE MODERATE REPUBLICANS WHO YOU MAY NOT HEAR MUCH FROM IN THE MONTHS LEADING UP TO THE CAUCUS BUT WHO INTEND TO SHOW UP ON JANUARY 3rd. AND I THINK YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT IN THE POLLING NOW.

>> AND RICHARD THAT GOES BACK IN PART TO WHERE YOU STARTED. THAT YOU THINK THIS IS JUST PART OF THE PROBLEM. MAYBE EVEN THE MAIN PROBLEM IS IT'S OVERINTERPRETED.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Brown: BY THE MEDIA.

>> AGAIN, IOWA, I DON'T MEAN TO PICK ON IOWA PER SE. BUT I TELL YOU THERE IS ONE MORE REASON TO LOOK ASKANCE AT ALL OF THIS. AND THAT IS, THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE IN THE MEDIA. AND SOME IN IOWA WHO WILL BE PERFECTLY PREPARED ON WEDNESDAY MORNING TO SAVE-- TO SAY THAT THE WHOLE CAUCUS WAS IRRELEVANT IF RON PAUL WINS.

>> Brown: THEY'LL JUST SAY NEVER MIND.

>> PRECISELY.

>> Brown: AND THAT TELLS YOU --

>> OR TO A LESSER DEGREE IN RICK SANTORUM, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO APPEARS TO BE SURGING AT THE END, WERE TO PULL OUT AN UP SET VICTORY. AND YET IT GOES TO THE HEART LESS OF WHATEVER FLAWS THERE MAY BE IN THE PROCESSES THAT PLAYS OUT THAN IN THE WAY THAT THE MEDIA CHOOSES TO INTERRUPT IT.

>> Brown: JEFF STEIN S IT POSSIBLE THAT ON WEDNESDAY WE WAKE UP AND PEOPLE THERE AND PEOPLE BACK HERE IN WASHINGTON ARE SAYING NEVER MIND. NOW WE'LL MOVE ON. OF COURSE WE'LL MOVE ON TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, RIGHT?

>> WELL, THE CONCEPT THAT THE REPUBLICAN ELECTORATE IN IOWA IS ANGRY, I THINK IS A MISREADING. I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT HALF THE PEOPLE IN IOWA WHO ARE GOING TO SHOW UP ON JANUARY 3rd DON'T YET KNOW FOR SURE WHO THEY ARE GOING TO VOTE FOR IS NOT BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FIND ANYONE THEY'RE ENTHUSIASTIC B IT'S BECAUSE THEY VERY MUCH WANT TO DEFEAT AN INCUMBENT IN THE FALL AND THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY DO IT RIGHT. I THINK THAT IF RON PAUL WINS, THERE'S GOING TO BE THE TEMPTATION NATIONALLY TO JUST DISMISS IT. AND I THINK THAT'S MISREADING THE REASON FOR THE VOTING. AND I DON'T THINK IT'S ANGER. I THINK IT'S DISSATISFACTION WITH HOW THINGS ARE RUNG. AND TO A VERY LARGE DEGREE IT'S A PROTEST VOTE.

>> OKAY, SO JUST OUR LAST MINUTE HERE, RICHARD, AND I WILL GIVE JEFF STEIN A CHANCE TOO. HOW DO YOU WANT TO LEAVE THE VIEWERS HERE, DOES IOWA MATTER.

>> SURE, IOWA MATTERS. IOWA MATTERS FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. IF NOTHING ELSE, IOWA WINNOWS THE FIELD. THERE IS NO WAY THAT THESE SIX CANDIDATES ARE ALL GOING TO CEDABLY GO ON TO NEW HAMPSHIRE, SOUTH CAROLINA AND FLORIDA.

>> Brown: BUT DON'T OVERDO IT.

>> DON'T OVERINTERPRET IT.

>> LET THE ELECTORATE INTERPRET THE RESULTS.

>> Brown: JEFF STEIN?

>> I TOTALLY AGREE. YOU HAVE TO TAKE IOWA IN CONTEXT. ALTHOUGH IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. A COUPLE OF CANDIDATES, BACHMANN AND SANTORUM PRINCIPALLY HAVE PUT ALL THEIR EGGS IN THE IOWA BASKET SO LITERALLY ON THE MORNING AFTER, THE FUTURE OF THEIR CAMPAIGNS WILL BE TOLD. BUT GENERALLY, WE JUST NEED TO SIT BACK AND REALIZE THIS IS THE FIRST STEP IN A LONG MARATHON.

>> Brown: ALL RIGHT, JEFF STEIN, RICHARD NORTON SMITH, THANKS SO MUCH.

>> YOU BET.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Suarez: STILL TO COME ON THE "NEWSHOUR": LONG TERM IMPACT OF THE RECESSION; MOTIVATING GIRLS THROUGH SCIENCE AND IRAQIS LEFT BEHIND. BUT FIRST, THE OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY. HERE'S HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Sreenivasan: THERE WAS HOPEFUL NEWS FROM THE ECONOMY TODAY. THE FOUR-WEEK AVERAGE OF NEW JOBLESS CLAIMS FELL TO THE LOWEST SINCE MID-2008. AND HOME SALES IN NOVEMBER WERE THE BEST IN A YEAR AND A HALF. THE TWO REPORTS HELPED THE MOOD ON WALL STREET. THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE GAINED MORE THAN 135 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 12,287. THE NASDAQ ROSE MORE THAN 23 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 2,613. IN EGYPT, POLICE AND SOLDIERS STORMED 17 OFFICES OF PRO-DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS THAT HAVE CRITICIZED MILITARY RULE. WITNESSES REPORTED SECURITY FORCES INTERROGATED EMPLOYEES, AND SEIZED FILES AND COMPUTERS. AT LEAST THREE OF THE TARGETED OFFICES BELONGED TO GROUPS BASED IN THE U.S. IN WASHINGTON, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN VICTORIA NULAND CALLED FOR A HALT TO THE RAIDS.

>> THIS ACTION IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE BILATERAL COOPERATION WE HAVE HAD OVER MANY YEARS. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, WE DON'T THINK THAT THIS ACTION IS JUSTIFIED, AND WE WANT TO SEE THE HARASSMENT END, AND WE WANT TO SEE THE PROPERTY RETURNED.

>> Sreenivasan: NULAND SAID THE U.S. AMBASSADOR IN CAIRO HAS SPOKEN TO EGYPTIAN OFFICIALS ABOUT THE SITUATION AND INSISTED ON IMMEDIATE ACTION. THE U.S. HAS FINALIZED THE SALE OF $30 BILLION WORTH OF F-15 FIGHTER JETS TO SAUDI ARABIA. THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY INVOLVES 84 NEW PLANES, AND UPGRADES TO 70 MORE. IT'S PART OF A LARGER, TEN-YEAR AGREEMENT. WORD OF THE FIGHTER DEAL FOLLOWED THREATS BY IRAN TO DISRUPT OIL TRAFFIC FROM THE PERSIAN GULF, IF THE WEST EMBARGOES IRANIAN OIL. THOUSANDS OF SYRIANS RALLIED IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY TODAY AND GOVERNMENT FORCES ANSWERED WITH LETHAL FIRE. THE PROTEST AND KILLING PLAYED OUT ON DAY THREE OF AN ARAB LEAGUE OBSERVER MISSION. WE HAVE A REPORT NARRATED BY LOUISE BEALE OF "INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS."

>> Reporter: DEMONSTRATORS IN THE CITY OF DOUMA, THEY CHANT SUPPORT FOR THEIR FELLOW PROTESTERS IN OTHER SYRIAN CITIES LIKE IDLIB AND HOMS. WAITING AT THE END OF THE STREET IS A BARRICADE OF SECURITY FORCES AND IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE GUNFIRE BEGINS. ( GUNFIRE ) AFTERWARDS, A SOLDIER PICKS UP SPENT BULLETS TO COVER HIS TRACKS. ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY, THIS FOOTAGE OF SECURITY FORCES. THOSE WHO POSTED THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE CLAIM AFTER HE WAS PUT IN THE VAN, HE WAS SHOT. BUT WE'VE BEEN UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THAT. ARAB LEAGUE OBSERVERS ARE IN SRYIA FOR A SECOND DAY. THEY WERE DUE TO ARRIVE IN DOUMA, A SUBURB OF THE CAPITAL DAMASCUS BUT LOCAL SECURITY FORCES DIDN'T LET THEM IN. YESTERDAY, THE MONITORS WERE PICTURES IN HOMS FILMING EVIDENCE ON CAMERAS. THEY WERE SEEN WITH TANKS WHICH ARE MEANT TO BE BANNED FROM THE STREETS. NOW QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN RAISED ABOUT THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS CRITICIZED THEIR CHOICE OF LEADER-- SUDAN'S GENERAL DABI, SEEN HERE ON THE LEFT IN THE BASEBALL CAP. AMNESTY SAYS HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATROCITIES IN DARFUR. IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF IDLIB TODAY, THERE WAS A LARGE DEMONSTRATION, BIGGER THAN ANY SEEN IN RECENT DAYS. THE MONITORS WERE EXPECTED HERE AND THE PEOPLE WERE DETERMINED TO SHOW THEM WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON. IN DERAA, THEY AWAITED A VISIT, TOO. BUT THE CLASHES CONTINUED. WOMEN WHO CAME OUT TO THE STREET TO PROTEST WERE CONFRONTED BY SECURITY FORCES AND ONE WAS ARRESTED. MEANWHILE, A SOLDIER AIMS HIS GUN AT A BOY. THE PROTESTERS ARE GETTING INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED. THEY DON'T THINK THE MONITORS ARE BEING GIVEN PROPER ACCESS TO ASSESS WHAT'S GOING ON IN SYRIA AND THE DEATH TOLL KEEPS RISING.

>> Sreenivasan: THE SYRIAN OPPOSITION CLAIMED AT LEAST 26 PEOPLE WERE KILLED NATIONWIDE TODAY. KIM JONG UN WAS OFFICIALLY DECLARED NORTH KOREA'S NEW SUPREME LEADER TODAY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME AT A MASSIVE PUBLIC MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR HIS LATE FATHER KIM JONG-IL WHO DIED OF A HEART ATTACK NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO. HUGE CROWDS TURNED OUT IN PYONGYANG'S MAIN SQUARE FOR THE CEREMONIES. KIM JONG UN WHO IS IN HIS LATE TWENTIES LOOKED ON FROM A NEARBY BALCONY, ALONG WITH TOP PARTY AND MILITARY OFFICIALS. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DAY'S MAJOR STORIES. NOW, BACK TO RAY.

>> Suarez: ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES OF THE ELECTION SEASON UNDER WAY IS THE SLUGGISH STATE OF THE ECONOMY. THINGS ARE NOT NEARLY AS BLEAK AS THEY WERE AT THE DEPTHS OF THE RECESSION. BUT FOR MANY AMERICANS, IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG ROAD BACK TO FINANCIAL HEALTH, AND THE KIND OF PROSPECTS THEY ONCE BELIEVED THEY HAD. "NEWSHOUR" ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT PAUL SOLMAN SAW THIS EXTENSIVELY IN HIS COVERAGE OF THE PAST YEAR, PART OF HIS REPORTING ON MAKING SENSE OF FINANCIAL NEWS.

>> Reporter: FORECLOSED HOMES LEVELED...

>> IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE ABOUT 20,000-30,000 MORE LIKE THIS IN THE COUNTY.

>> Reporter: ...THE UNEMPLOYED, QUEUED UP AT JOB FAIRS FOR WORK THAT RARELY MATERIALIZED...

>> IT'S VERY DIFFICULT. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT.

>> Reporter: ...PEOPLE WITH JOBS, LIKE SECURITY GUARD BOBBY HICKS, TREADING WATER.

>> I AM THE MOST INSECURE SECURITY OFFICER YOU WILL MEET, BECAUSE I'M WORRIED. RIGHT NOW, I LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK. I WANT BETTER FOR MY DAUGHTER, ALL RIGHT? BUT, I MEAN, SHE REALIZES THAT, HEY, DADDY CAN'T GET IT FOR HER.

>> Reporter: IN 2011, A MELANCHOLY MEDLEY OF SOUND BITES ON THE ECONOMICS BEAT. A SINGLE MOTHER OF THREE EARNING $34,000 A YEAR, COOKIE SHEERS STRUCK A CHORD WE HEARD ALL YEAR.

>> WE ALL FEEL STUCK IN A RUT. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T MOVE, YOU CAN'T GROW, LIKE YOU'RE JUST AT THAT EDGE OF WATER WHERE YOU CAN COME UP FOR AIR EVERY FEW MINUTES, BUT NEVER LONG ENOUGH TO FEEL THAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO GO BACK DOWN.

>> Reporter: IT WASN'T ALL DOOM AND DEMOLITION. SOMETHING LIKE A MILLION AND A HALF JOBS ADDED IN THE PAST YEAR. REAL, IF VERY MODEST, ECONOMIC GROWTH. CORPORATE PROFITS, ROBUST. BUT FOR SO MANY PEOPLE, DESPAIR. HOME PRICES DOWN YET AGAIN, WITH SIX MILLION AMERICANS MORE THAN A MONTH LATE ON THEIR MORTGAGES; TWO MILLION MORE IN FORECLOSURE THIS YEAR. IN CLEVELAND, OHIO, THIS HOUSE WAS WORTH $94,000 IN 2005. THIS SUMMER IT WAS A TEARDOWN, JUST TO SAVE THE NEIGHBORHOOD. GUS FRANGOS WAS RUNNING THE COUNTY'S LAND BANK.

>> NATURALLY, WE DON'T WANT TO BE JUST DEMOLISHING STUFF FOREVER, BUT BEFORE YOU CAN STABILIZE SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO STOP THE HEMORRHAGING. AND SO WE HAVE TO BURY THE DEAD.

>> Reporter: A MAJOR REASON SO MANY HOMES HAVE BEEN ABANDONED: CONTINUED UNEMPLOYMENT, SO MUCH OF IT LONG-TERM. NEARLY SIX MILLION AMERICANS HAVE BEEN JOBLESS FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. NEARLY 30 MILLION, ACCORDING TO OUR OWN MONTHLY RECKONING, WANTING WORK OR PART-TIME, LOOKING FOR MORE. AND THAT TOTAL INCLUDES MORE AND MORE INDEBTED COLLEGE GRADS LIKE EVAN MELILLO, JUST NORTH OF CAPE COD, A HISTORY MAJOR WHO GRADUATED WITH $40,000 IN STUDENT LOANS.

>> I WENT ON CRAIGSLIST AND I LOOKED UP EVERY TUTORING, ASSISTANT TEACHER. I THINK I APPLIED TO A DRIVING SCHOOL. AND, SO FAR, I GOT TWO E-MAILS BACK.

>> Reporter: TOTAL STUDENT DEBT AT YEAR'S END TOPPED THE TOTAL OWED ON CREDIT CARDS AT MORE THAN A TRILLION DOLLARS AND HELPED TRIGGER THE OCCUPY WALL STREET MOVEMENT.

>> YOU KNOW, I WENT TO SCHOOL AND A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE WENT TO SCHOOL. AND NOW THAT WE'RE OUT FOR THE SUMMER OR OUT COMPLETELY, THERE'S NO JOBS. WE CAN'T PAY THEM, WE CAN'T PAY THOSE STUDENT LOANS BACK. AND ALL WE KEEP HEARING FROM THE CREDITORS IS WE'RE LAZY. WE'RE NOT DOING OUR PART.

>> Reporter: THE MAIN MESSAGE OF THE SO-CALLED 99% WAS, OF COURSE, ECONOMIC INEQUALITY AND THE YEAR'S ECONOMICS COVERAGE BEGAN AND ENDED ON THAT NOTE. LAST WINTER, LONG BEFORE ZUCCOTTI PARK, DENISE BARRANT, A MIDDLE MANAGER WHOSE SUBURBAN BOSTON IS IN FORECLOSURE AND HAS BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS, SOUNDED THE THEME.

>> THE TOP 1% IS LIVING WELL, AND THEY DON'T GET IT. THEY DON'T GET WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS COUNTRY. AND I FEEL LIKE WE'RE CREATING A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY SUBCULTURE WITHIN THIS COUNTRY.

>> Reporter: NOT EVERYONE AGREES, OF COURSE. AND ADMITTEDLY WE WERE, FOR THE MOST PART, CHRONICLING THE DOWNSIDE. BUT AFTER 2010, IN WHICH MORE INTERVIEWEES CRIED ON CAMERA THAN IN MY ENTIRE 34-YEAR CAREER IN PUBLIC TELEVISION, FRANKLY, 2011 DIDN'T SEEM A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

>> Suarez: JOBLESSNESS AND THE LOSS OF SO MUCH PERSONAL WEALTH IS ALSO LEADING TO A HIGHER POVERTY RATE IN AMERICA. 15% OF ALL AMERICANS FELL BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LINE. JUST OVER $22,000 FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR, A LITTLE MORE THAN $11,000 FOR AN INDIVIDUAL. WE TAKE A CLOSER LOOK NOW AT THE IMPACT OF THIS SLOW RECOVERY NOT JUST IN 2011 AND 2012, BUT BEYOND WITH DON PECK. HE'S BEEN WRITING EXTENSIVELY ABOUT THESE ISSUES FOR THE ATLANTIC. HE'S THE AUTHOR OF "PINCHED: HOW THE GREAT RECESSION HAS NARROWED OUR FUTURES AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT." ANNETTE LAREAU IS A PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK, "UNEQUAL CHILDHOODS." AND TERRY SAVAGE IS A NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PERSONAL FINANCE COLUMNIST FOR THE "CHICAGO SUN- TIMES." WHAT I'VE LIVED THROUGH, YOU HAVE LIVED THROUGH MULTIPLE CYCLES OF RECESSION AND RECOVERY. IS THIS ONE DIFFERENT, DON PECK, LIKELY TO HAVE A LONGER LASTING EFFECT ON LIVING STANDARDS?

>> I THINK IT ALMOST CERTAINLY IS. WE TEND TO THINK OF RECESSIONS AS ENTIRELY TEMPORARY. JOBS GO AWAY, JOBS COME BACK, SAVINGS GO DOWN AND WE REBUILD THEM. THAT'S TRUE TO A LARGE EXTENT BUT ESPECIALLY DEEP AND LONG RECESSIONS SUCH AS WE HAD IN THE 19 --, 91890s, TO AN EXTENT IN THE 1970s, THESE DO TEND TO HAVE MUCH LONGER LASTING EFFECTS AT LEAST ON SOME PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE FIRST FINDING THEIR WAY INTO THE JOB MARKET, WHOSE ENTIRE CAREER PATHS ARE REALLY GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THEIR START, IN THE FIRST FEW YEARS THEY EXPERIENCE. AND PARTICULARLY, I THINK, FOR THE UNEMPLOYED THEMSELVES. YOU KNOW, THE AVERAGE DURATION OF UNEMPLOYMENT SO EVER NINE MONTHS TODAY. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR SIX MONTHS, A YEAR, TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS. AND TEMPORARY UNEMPLOYMENT DOES BECOME PERMANENT AFTER A TIME. EVEN ONCE THE ECONOMY BEGINS TO RECOVER. I REALLY FEAR THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR TWO OR THREE YEARS OR MORE WILL HAVE REAL TROUBLE FINDING THEIR WAY BACK INTO JOBS, WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL HELP. THAT'S A PROBLEM THAT EUROPE HAD IN THE 1980s AND 1990s. IT'S NOT A PROBLEM THE U.S. HAS HAD ON A WIDESPREAD BASIS IN A LONG TIME BUT I FEAR IT'S A PROBLEM THAT'S COMING.

>> Suarez: TERRY SAVAGE, I AM SORRY I REASSIGNED TO YOU A ONE PERSON NEWSPAPER TO ANOTHER. THEY ARE SAYING IT WAS ALREADY GETTING HARDER TO MOVE UP THE LADDER IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE THE GREAT RECESSION BEGAN. IS IT GOING TO BE TOUGHER TO BREAK EVEN ARE MANY AMERICAN FAMILIES, IN FACT, NEVER GOING TO BREAK EVEN ONCE EVEN A MORE SOLID RECOVERY TAKES HOLD?

>> OH, RAY, I WOULD NEVER HAVE SUCH A NEGATIVE OUTLOOK IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHICH LADDER YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. YOU KNOW, WE'VE COME THROUGH SOME REALLY TOUGH TIMES BEFORE. THE PEOPLE WHO WERE CAUGHT IN THEM OBVIOUSLY FEEL THE PAIN. WHETHER IT WAS THE 30s OR THINK ABOUT THE 1970s WHEN WE REALLY HAD A STAGNANT ECONOMY AND SENIORS AND SAVERS WERE DECIMATED BY INFLATION. BUT IN EVERY ONE OF THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN WE CAME OUT OF SAY THE 70s RECESSION, FEW REMEMBER THAT IN 1980 THE PRIME RATE WAS 21%. PAUL VOLCKER CLAMPING DOWN ON INFLATION. THE DO YOU WAS UNDER 1200, UNEMPLOYMENT WAS OVER 12%. IF HI STOOD THERE THAT DAY AND SAID WELL 120 YEARS FROM NOW THE DO YOU WILL BE OVER 10,000, UNEMPLOYMENT WILL BE LOW, WE'LL BE HAVING A GREAT BOOM, EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A HOME. THE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE YANKED ME OFF THE CAMERA. THE FACT IS WE NEVER KNOW WHAT NEXT POSITIVE UPTREND WILL COME. NO ONE PREDICTED THAT TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION THAT CREATED SO MANY NEW JOBS. AMERICA HAS BEEN THROUGH THESE CYCLES BEFORE. EARLY IN OUR HISTORY THE FRONTIER CLOSED. OH MY GOODNESS T WAS THE END OF AMERICA. OR THE AGRARIAN REVOLUTION, WE DIDN'T NEED FARMERS ON THE LAND, OR THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. WE CHANGE. AND THE QUESTION NOW IS NOT WHETHER WE SHOULD VALIDATE WHAT'S GOING ON. OBVIOUSLY THERE'S TREMENDOUS PAIN. THE QUESTION IS WHAT IS THE WAY OUT AND UP? IS IT TO CREATE A STAGNANT ECONOMY? WE'VE HAD YEARS AND YEARS OF BOTH REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS SPENDING TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND PROVING THEY COULD GET US NOT VERY FAR OR IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO CREATE THE GROWTH AND THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL LIFT MORE AMERICANS BACK INTO WORK?

>> WELL, YOU'VE HEARD FROM DON AND TERRY, PROFESSOR LAREAU, TWO VIEWS OF THE SAME LANDSCAPE. DO YOU SEE A LONG TALE, A LONG SHADOW, ESPECIALLY FOR WORKING CLASS AND POOR FAMILIES IN THIS COUNTRY WITH WHOM YOU HAVE BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME?

>> I DO. BECAUSE I THINK OTHER RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT POVERTY IS HARMFUL FOR CHILDREN. AND IT DOES CAST A LONG SHADOW INTO ADULTHOOD SO IF WE COMPARE CHILDREN WHO GREW UP POOR, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE AND COMPARE THEM WITH COMPARABLE CHILDREN, THEY, EVEN MANY YEARS LATER INTO THEIR 30s, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THEY EARN LESS MONEY, THEY HAVE LESS EDUCATION, POORER HEALTH. MEN ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE INCARCERATED. SO THERE REALLY IS QUITE A LONG SHADOW. AND THAT'S BECAUSE IN RESEARCH I HAVE DONE FOR MY BOOK, UNEQUAL CHILDHOOD, WE FOLLOW PARENTS AROUND AND CHILDREN AND CHILDREN ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO THEIR PARENTS MOVES AND ARE VERY AWARE WHEN THEIR PARENTS ARE UNEMPLOYED OR UNDER ECONOMIC STRAIN.

>> Suarez: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCE DO THEY MAKE DIFFERENT LIFE CHOICES, DO THEY MAKE DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR TRAJECTORY IN THIS COUNTRY.

>> MANY CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS ARE VERY HOPEFUL. THEY WANT TO DO BETTER AND THEY THINK THAT THEY WILL DO BETTER. BUT IF WE LINE THEM UP, COMPARE THE CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS EASTERN JUST EVEN A LITTLE BIT MORE, THOSE CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS EARN AID LITTLE BIT MORE, THEY HAVE HIGHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION, THEY WORK MORE HOURS IN THE LABOR MARKET, THEY HAVE BETTER JOBS AS ADULTS. AND SO THAT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN LIFE CHANCES.

>> Suarez: TERRY, IT'S UNDENIABLE THAT THE COUNTRY HAS COME BACK IN THE PAST FROM RECESSIONS. BUT WERE THEY SIMILAR IN THE WAY THEY RACED WEALTH FROM BALANCE SHEETS? HISPANIC FAMILIES IN THIS COUNTRY LOST 67% OF THEIR NET WEALTH OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO BEFORE THEY EVEN GET BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE FIVE YEARS AGO, THEY FIRST HAVE TO BUILD BACK FROM THAT ENORMOUS LOSS.

>> YEAH, BUT THAT'S WHAT AMERICA DOES BEST. I MEAN I THINK THE AMERICANS OF MY FATHER'SENERATION WHO GREW UP IN THE '30s FOR EXAMPLE WOULD BE VERY APPALLED TO HEAR THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES. THEY WERE THE ONES COMING OUT OF WORLD WAR II, EVEN THOUGH THEY LIVED IN CHILDHOODS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE ECONOMY, DEEPLY AFFECTED, THAT BUILT AMERICA'S INDUSTRIAL POWER IN THE '50s AND '60s, I DON'T THINK THAT HAVING A CHILDHOOD THAT IS DEPRIVED AND YOU SEE THE PAIN OF UNEMPLOYMENT AROUND YOU IS NECESSARILY A NEGATIVE. I THINK THAT GENERATION GREW UP AND UNDERSTOOD THAT THEY SHOULD PAY OFF THEIR MORTGAGES AND NOT GET INTO DEBT. IT'S WE, THE BABY BOOMERS WHO GREW UP IN RELATIVE PROSPERITY WHO WENT ON IN MANY CASES TO TAKE ON DEBT AND NOT RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF IT. SO I THINK TODAY'S CHILDREN WILL GROW UP WITH A MUCH BETTER SENSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF WORK, THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING, THE IMPORTANCE OF SAVING. AND ON THE CONTRARY TO WHAT ANNETTE SAID, I THINK WE ARE BUILDING THE BASE SO THAT NEXT LEVEL OF ECONOMIC GROWTH, WITH A MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE GROUP OF AMERICANS WHO ARE COMING INTO THE WORKFORCE IN THE DAYS AHEAD.

>> Suarez: KNOWLEDGEABLE, CHASTEN, DON PECK?

>> LOOK, WE WILL RECOVER FROM THIS PERIOD. I CERTAINLY AGREE WITH TERRY ABOUT THAT. AND NOT EVERY LONG-STANDING CONSEQUENCE OF THIS PERIOD WILL BE NEGATIVE. I MEAN I'M CERTAINLY SEEING A TURNING TOWARDS THRIFT AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY. IF THIS PERIOD IS LIKE PAST PERIODS LIKE THIS ONE, THAT MAY ENDURE AND THAT WILL MAKE YOUNG PEOPLE MORE RESILIENT PROBABLY FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. BUT WE CAN'T IGNORE THE VERY REAL LONG-TERM NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE THAT THIS PERIOD IS HAVING FOR MANY MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. THERE IS SUBSTANTIAL ACADEMIC RESEARCH THAT SHOWS THAT PEOPLE IN THEIR 20s WHO COME OUT ON TO A RECESSIONARY JOB MARKET, A BAD JOB MARKET AND WHO STRUCK TELL IN BAD JOBS OR NO JOBS FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOT ONLY START OUT BEHIND, THEY NEVER FULLY CATCH UP. AS TO THE UNEMPLOYED, AGAIN, EVERY YEAR THAT GOES BY WHERE THERE IS HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT AND LITTLE JOB AVAILABILITY, HARMS THE UNEMPLOYED MORE AND MORE. AND OVER TIME ITS NATURAL RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT CAN RISE FOR A PERIOD OF MANY YEARS THEREAFTER. THE ECONOMIC TERM FOR THIS IS HISTORISIS IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS AFFECTED EUROPE IN RECENT DECADE-- DECADES. WE HAVEN'T HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS YET. I THINK THIS DISTINCTION IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE AS WE CONSIDER RECOVERY FROM THIS PERIOD, AS CAN KURT AGGRESSIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT ACTION THAT WE SHOULD DEMAND, IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE LONGER WE STEW IN THIS PERIOD, THE MORE LONG-TERM DAMAGE WE ARE DOING. AND I THINK PEOPLE OFTEN UNDERWEIGHT THAT LONG-TERM DAMAGE IN THE MOMENT.

>> Suarez: SO TREADING WATER, DON PECK SAYS IS HARMFUL. IT'S NOT THAT YOU ARE JUST STAYING IN ONE PLACE, IT ACTUALLY HURTS YOU ONCE YOU START MOVING AGAIN.

>> IT DOES. ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. I MEAN THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IS AN ELITE SCHOOL, IN THE IVY LEAGUE. MY STUDENTS ARE ANXIOUS. BUT THEY WILL PROBABLY DO BETTER THAN CHILDREN OF THE WORKING CLASS. MANY JOBS, TO GET INTO THE JOB YOU NEED AN INTERNSHIP AND MIDDLE CLASS PARENTS ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT AND SUBSIDIZE THEIR CHILDREN IN WAYS WORKING CLASS PARENTS ARE NOT. BUT PEOPLE ARE WORRIED. AND WE SEE MANY CONSEQUENCES OF THAT, INCLUDING MARITAL CONFLICT IN THE HOME. AND TO GO BACK TO WHAT POINT TERRY SAID, THE U.S. POSITION IN THE WORLD ECONOMY IS DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS AFTER WORLD WAR II WHEN THE KINDS OF JOBS THAT ARE BEING CREATED ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

>> Suarez: TERRY SAVAGE, DO YOU THINK WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE WITH OCCUPY AND BEFORE THAT WITH THE TEA PARTY, IS AN OUTGROWTH OF THE KIND OF ANXIETY PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT THE DEBT OVERHANG? THE LONG-TERM BIG SCALE FISCAL PICTURE WITH THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND ITS FINANCES?

>> SLEIGHT. WHO WOULDN'T BE ANXIOUS WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE POLITICIANS, BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE IN WASHINGTON WHO ARE FACED WITH THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, THE DECISIONS THEY MAKE TODAY ABOUT HOW TO GET AMERICA GROWING AGAIN. AND WHO CAN'T EVEN VOTE ON A TWO MONTH EXTENSION OF SOMETHING WE HAVE ALREADY. NOT THAT IT'S A RIGHT THING TO ROB SOCIAL SECURITY NOW BUT THE FACT IS, THAT THEY CAN'T GET TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO GROW OUR ECONOMY INSTEAD OF BORROWING MONEY AND THROWING IT AT PROBLEMS THAT DON'T SEEM TO GETS SOLVED. THAT'S THE GREATEST ANXIETY OF ALL. I THINK THAT'S WHAT IS CREATING OCCUPY WALL STREET AND THE TEA PARTY. AND THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO SEE GOING ON. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME BIG DECISIONS IN WASHINGTON IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS. AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ANOTHER DEBT CEILING DECISION, THE U.S. POSTAL SYSTEM WHICH IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE RESCUED BY THE TAXPAYERS ONCE AGAIN. WE HAVE THE ENTIRE ECONOMIC PICTURE GOING FORWARD. IN THE HANDS OF THIS CONGRESS. AND THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON THE ELECTORATE THIS SUMMER I'M SURE.

>> Suarez: FERRY SAVAGE, DON PECK, ANNETTE LAREAU, THANK YOU ALL.

>> Brown: NEXT, ENTICING STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY GIRLS, TO STAY IN SCHOOL BY PROMOTING A FUTURE FOR THEM IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY OR ENGINEERING. "NEWSHOUR" CORRESPONDENT SPENCER MICHELS HAS THE STORY. IT'S PART OF OUR "AMERICAN GRADUATE" SERIES: AN 18-MONTH PROJECT WITH OTHER PUBLIC MEDIA PARTNERS TO EXAMINE CAUSES OF AND SOLUTIONS TO THE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT PROBLEM.

>> SO THIS WAS A WEAPON TO ATTACK USUALLY A CASTLE.

>> Reporter: IN AN AFTER SCHOOL CLASS AT FRICK MIDDLE SCHOOL IN OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, 20 GIRLS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUILD A CATAPULT OUT OF TONGUE- DEPRESSORS AND RUBBER BANDS.

>> SO YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP IT THERE.

>> Reporter: AMONG THEM IS 13 YEAR OLD EBONY GREEN, AN EIGHTH GRADER WHO DECIDED TO SIGN UP FOR THIS EXTRA SCIENCE CLASS TO IMPROVE HER ACADEMIC RECORD AND HER CHANCES OF FINISHING SCHOOL AND GOING TO COLLEGE.

>> TRY AGAIN.

>> Reporter: EBONY IS ONE OF 600 MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS IN OAKLAND AND NEARBY CITIES ENROLLED IN A PROGRAM CALLED TECHBRIDGE, WHICH TRIES TO INSPIRE THEM TO ENTER FIELDS TRADITIONALLY DOMINATED BY WHITE OR ASIAN MALES. AT THE SAME TIME, IT KEEPS KIDS AT RISK OF DROPPING OUT INTERESTED IN SCHOOL. TECHBRIDGE LETS GIRLS ENGINEER AND BUILD THINGS ON THEIR OWN, WITH A LITTLE HELP.

>> WHOA, THERE YOU GO.

>> IT'S INTERESTING. I NEVER KNEW ABOUT SOLDERING, OR I NEVER KNEW ABOUT CRYSTALS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND SINCE I'M INTERESTED IN THAT I WANTED TO GET INTO A PROGRAM WHERE IT'S A LOT ABOUT IT.

>> Reporter: IN ADDITION TO TECHBRIDGE, SHE'S ALSO TAKING PART IN SCHOOL ACTIVITIES LIKE CHEERLEADING, WHICH ALSO MEETS AFTER SCHOOL. IT'S DARK WHEN SHE FINISHES PRACTICE AND WALKS THE SIX BLOCKS HOME FROM SCHOOL, THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE POLICE SIRENS ARE COMMONPLACE.

>> THE HARD PART IS PROBABLY LIVING IN A BAD NEIGHBORHOOD. I KNOW PEOPLE THAT GO HERE AND THEY LIKE GET IN A LOT OF TROUBLE AND THEY'RE LOUD SOMETIMES. POLICE LIKE COMES OVER HERE SOMETIMES, BUT LIKE OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS LIKE THAT, LOUD MUSIC AND STUFF LIKE THAT, DISTURBANCES.

>> Reporter: SHE COMES FROM A SINGLE PARENT FAMILY. HER MOTHER, INA HUBBARD FINDS WORK OCCASIONALLY AS A HOME CARE WORKER, AND HAS TWO OTHER CHILDREN.

>> I'VE LIVED IN WORSE NEIGHBORHOODS GROWING UP, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REALLY BAD, BUT SHE DOESN'T GO OUTSIDE MUCH, YOU KNOW, HANG OUT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS OR ANYTHING.

>> Reporter: EBONY DOES PRETTY WELL AT SCHOOL, NOT GREAT. AT HOME, SHE HAS A COMPUTER, BUT NO INTERNET CONNECTION. SHE SAYS IT COSTS TOO MUCH. SHE IS FREQUENTLY LATE FOR CLASS, OFTEN AN INDICATION OF PROBLEMS.

>> WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING I DON'T GET UP LIKE REALLY EARLY, SO I HAVE TO RUSH, AND THEN WHEN I GET TO SCHOOL I GET THERE LATE.

>> Reporter: KEVIN EASTMAN--LIKE MANY TEACHERS IN THE OAKLAND SCHOOLS-- ROUTINELY DEALS WITH CHILDREN HAVING TROUBLE.

>> RUDOLFO, YOU NEED A PASS.

>> Reporter: EASTMAN TEACHES REGULAR SCIENCE CLASSES AT FRICK. ONCE A WEEK, AFTER SCHOOL EASTMAN SPENDS TWO HOURS AT TECHBRIDGE, WHICH PAYS HIM, USING GRANT MONEY, TO HOOK KIDS WHO ARE HAVING ACADEMIC PROBLEMS ON LEARNING.

>> OH. TOUCHDOWN.

>> SCIENCE IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE EASIEST THINGS TO GET THEM INTERESTED IN. I KNOW I'VE TAUGHT A LOT OF MATH AND KIDS ARE REALLY FRUSTRATED AND STRUGGLING IN MATH BECAUSE OF LACK OF SKILLS.

>> I GET CONFUSED VERY EASILY WHEN I'M DOING MATH.

>> SO SCIENCE IS A PLACE WHERE WE CAN DO SOME THINGS THAT ARE FUN, INTRIGUING, CHALLENGING.

>> Reporter: TECHBRIDGE IS ENTHUSIASTICALLY ENDORSED BY OAKLAND SCHOOL OFFICIALS, AND OAKLAND CAN USE THE HELP. IT'S A CITY WITH STARTLING CONTRASTS OF WEALTH, BOASTING CHARMING HILLSIDE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH BAY VIEWS AND GOOD SCHOOLS. STILL, 45% OF OAKLAND CHILDREN DON'T ATTEND OAKLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE CITY ALSO CONTAINS LARGE POCKETS OF POVERTY, MOSTLY IN THE FLATLANDS, WHERE EBONY'S FAMILY LIVES. TAKEN TOGETHER, THE CITY'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE AN ALARMINGLY HIGH DROPOUT RATE; ONLY ABOUT HALF THOSE ENROLLED GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, ACCORDING TO TONY SMITH, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

>> Reporter: I THINK WE HAVEN'T DESIGNED SCHOOLS AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN WAYS THAT REALLY MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL YOUNG PEOPLE, IN PARTICULAR CHILDREN OF COLOR, AFRICAN AMERICAN, LATINO KIDS ARE BEING PUSHED OUT FASTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE. THAT PLAYS OUT IN TERMS OF WHO'S EMPLOYED AND WHO ISN'T, AND THAT PLAYS OUT IN TERMS OF THE CRIME, IN TERMS OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MURDER RATE AND VIOLENCE IN OAKLAND.

>> Reporter: RECENT STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FIGURES SHOW THAT 3% OF EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS IN OAKLAND DROP OUT, BEFORE STARTING HIGH SCHOOL. FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT, A MAJOR PROBLEM IS THAT THE STUDENTS THEMSELVES AND SOME EDUCATORS DON'T EXPECT MUCH OF THE KIDS.

>> WE HAVE PATTERNS IN THE SYSTEM OF PARTICULAR GROUPS OF KIDS NOT TAKING EITHER ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSE OR STAYING IN SCHOOL, OR COMING IN SO FAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL THAT PEOPLE START TO EXPECT LESS AND LESS.

>> Reporter: THOSE ARE ISSUES EDUCATORS AND NON PROFIT GROUPS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FOR DECADES. TECHBRIDGE-- ONE OF THOSE GROUPS WAS FOUNDED IN OAKLAND BY LINDA KEKELIS, WHO PUTS A LOT OF STOCK IN POSITIVE ROLE MODELS.

>> A LOT OF THE GIRLS THAT WE WORK WITH NEVER THINK ABOUT BECOMING AN ENGINEER OR BEING A COMPUTER PROGRAMMER. FOR GIRLS FROM MORE DISADVANTAGED AREAS AND UNDER- RESOURCED SCHOOLS, THEY DO HAVE LESS ACCESS TO ROLE MODELS. THEY HAVEN'T MET AN ENGINEER; THEY HAVEN'T MET SOMEBODY IN COMPUTER PROGRAMMING WHO COULD SAY WHAT GREAT JOBS THERE ARE IN THESE FIELDS.

>> Reporter: TECHBRIDGE ATTACKS THAT PROBLEM HEAD ON BY TAKING ITS GIRLS ON FIELD TRIPS TO HIGH TECH COMPANIES LIKE GOOGLE. COMPANIES THAT ARE CRYING OUT FOR TECHNICALLY TRAINED WORKERS, AND NOT FINDING ENOUGH.

>> HAS ANYBODY DONE ANY PROGRAMMING BEFORE? HAS ANYBODY USED SCRATCH BEFORE?

>> Reporter: IT'S A CHANCE TO SEE WOMEN AT WORK IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

>> HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE EVER CLICKED ON "I'M FEELING LUCKY."

>> Reporter: IN SHORT CLASSES-- THIS ONE IS THE SOPHISTICATED USE OF SEARCH-- THEY LEARN FROM GOOGLE EMPLOYEES.

>> THIS IS A CHANCE FOR ME TO REACH OUT TO THESE GIRLS AND SHOW THEM SOMETHING THAT'S POSSIBLE FOR THEM; A ROUTE THAT COULD BE THEIRS.

>> Reporter: AT LUNCH IN THE BIG GOOGLE CAFETERIA, THEY SIT NEXT TO WOMEN SOFTWARE ENGINEERS AND PROGRAMMERS, SOME ONLY A FEW YEARS OLDER THAN THE GIRLS.

>> WE DO COMPETITIONS IN MATH.

>> YEAH, WHAT KIND?

>> Reporter: ONE OF TECHBRIDGE'S GOALS IS TO CONVINCE THE GIRLS THAT HARD WORK ACTUALLY PAYS OFF.

>> I THINK PART OF THE MESSAGE THAT TECHBRIDGE WANTS TO COMMUNICATE IS THAT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ARE FUN AND REALLY COOL, BUT THAT IT ALSO INVOLVES WORKING HARD AND THAT WORKING HARD REALLY CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR FUTURE. WE'LL TALK ABOUT A REALLY HARD MATH CLASS THAT THEY TOOK. HOW THEY FOUND A TUTOR, STUDIED HARDER, TALKED WITH TEACHERS AFTER SCHOOL TO GET SUPPORT.

>> Reporter: EBONY GREEN IS GETTING TUTORED IN MATH; SHE'S FINDING SUPPORT AT SCHOOL THAT ISN'T ALWAYS AVAILABLE AT HOME.

>> EBONY IS A REAL HARD WORKER. SO I THINK THAT SHE'S GOING TO MAKE IT, BECAUSE SHE TRIES HARD. A LOT OF KIDS, THEY'LL JUST LIKE THEY'LL BE LIKE, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO GOOD. BUT THEY USUALLY JUST DON'T. THEY JUST SAY THEY WILL. BUT WHEN I SAY IT, I ACTUALLY TRY, AND SOMETIMES I FAIL, I FAIL BUT I JUST TRY AGAIN. I'M NOT LIKE OTHER KIDS. I WANT TO BE LIKE A LOT OF THINGS, BUT I KNOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO CHOOSE A COUPLE: AND THERE ARE VET, AN ACTRESS, A HOME DESIGNER, A FASHION DESIGNER AND A PEDIATRICIAN.

>> Reporter: THOSE GOALS ARE NOT IMPOSSIBLE, SAY INDEPENDENT EVALUATORS, WHO RATE TECHBRIDGE HIGH IN CHANGING ATTITUDES, KNOWLEDGE AND CAREER ASPIRATIONS OF ITS GIRLS. AT THE STANFORD SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, THE DEAN, CLAUDE STEELE, SAYS THAT GIRLS CAN SUCCEED IN TECHNOLOGY.

>> I THINK YOU DEFINITELY CAN GET THEM INTERESTED IN TECH. EVEN KIDS WHO DON'T HAVE THE BEST ACADEMIC SKILLS WHEN THEY GET THEIR HANDS ON SOMETHING, THEY REALIZE THEY CAN UNDERSTAND IT AND UNDERSTANDING IT EXCITES THEM.

>> I THINK IT'S GOING TO LEAD ME TO GO RIGHT TO A SCIENTIFIC COLLEGE, WHEN I GET TO HIGH SCHOOL I MIGHT STILL BE INTERESTED IN SCIENCE, AND I MIGHT BE DOING LIKE REALLY GOOD IN IT, AND I CAN PROBABLY GET A COUPLE SCHOLARSHIPS.

>> Reporter: EBONY WORKING, OFTEN ON HER OWN, HAS FIGURED OUT HOW TO BUILD COMPLICATED THINGS WITH HER OWN HANDS. AND THAT'S A SOURCE OF PRIDE AND ENCOURAGEMENT. IN THE LAST 11 YEARS, 3000 GIRLS HAVE TAKEN PART IN TECHBRIDGE, FOR EBONY-- THE PROGRAM MAY BE THE NUDGE SHE NEEDS TO STAY IN SCHOOL.

>> Suarez: SPENCER'S STORY IS PART OF OUR "AMERICAN GRADUATE" SERIES, A PUBLIC MEDIA INITIATIVE FUNDED BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. ON OUR WEBSITE, WE HAVE EXTENDED INTERVIEWS WHICH SPENCER DID WITH OAKLAND SUPERINTENDENT TONY SMITH AND CLAUDE STEELE, THE DEAN OF STANFORD'S SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.

>> Brown: FINALLY TONIGHT, HELPING IRAQIS WHO HELPED AMERICANS DURING THE WAR. IN 2008, CONGRESS PASSED A LAW ALLOWING UP TO 5,000 IRAQIS WHO'D WORKED WITH AMERICANS TO COME TO THE U.S. WITH THEIR FAMILIES AS REFUGEES EACH YEAR. BUT THE PROCESS OF ISSUING VISAS HAS BEEN SLOW. IN NO YEAR HAS THE NUMBER EXCEEDED 1,500 AND SINCE 2009, IT'S BEEN FALLING. IN ALL, NEARLY 3700 IRAQIS HAVE BEEN GIVEN REFUGEE STATUS UNDER THIS SPECIAL PROGRAM, ALONG WITH A SIMILAR NUMBER OF FAMILY MEMBERS. ANOTHER 62,000 IRAQIS HAVE COME HERE UNDER OTHER REFUGEE PROGRAMS. WE LOOK AT THE SITUATION NOW, WITH ERIC SCHWARTZ, WHO UNTIL OCTOBER WAS A TOP STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL DEALING WITH THE ISSUE. HE'S NOW DEAN OF THE HUMPHREY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. AND TRUDY RUBIN, FOREIGN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST FOR THE "PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER." TRUDY, I WILL START WITH YOU. YOU HAVE BEEN WRITING ON THIS A LOT. FIRST HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE IN WHAT KIND OF SITUATIONS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

>> THESE ARE VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE. THESE ARE THE IRAQIS WHO WORKED FOR OUR MILITARY, GOING OUT WITH THEM ON RAIDS OR HELPING THEM ON BASE. THEY COULDN'T HAVE FUNCTIONED WITHOUT THEM. THEY WORKED FOR OUR STATE DEPARTMENT, FOR OUR CONTRACTORS, FOR JOURNALISTS LIKE MYSELF, FOR AID AGENCIES, BOTH GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE. THEY WERE PROMISED 5,000 VISAS A YEAR, 25,000 IN TOTAL. ONLY 3800 HAVE BEEN ISSUED SO FAR, THAT'S 18%. AND THEY HAVE BEEN THREATENED WITH DEATH. RADICAL SHIITE MELISHIAS HAVE LOOK OF MUQTADA AL-SADR HAVE SAID THEY WILL TARGET THESE PEOPLE AND ASSASSINATE THEM. AND YET THEY ARE BEING LET IN AT A SNAIL'S PACE. AND THE NUMBER IS GOING DOWN. 98 IN OCTOBER. 60 IN NOVEMBER. AND OF ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT ALSO LETS IN PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR US IS SIMILARLY BLOCKED.

>> Suarez: ERIC SCHWARTZ, FIRST DO YOU AGREE THAT THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM AND IF SO, WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR WHAT TRUDY RUBIN CALLS THE SNAIL'S PACE.

>> FIRST OF ALL I THINK IT IS FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST PEOPLE IN GOVERNMENT WHO WORK ON THIS ISSUE HAVE AS MUCH PASSION ABOUT IT AS DOES TRUDY. AND I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND ALSO REALIZE THAT SINCE 2007, SOME 70,000 IRAQIS HAVE COME INTO THE UNITED STATES THROUGH A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, AS CITIZENS OF DETROIT, HOUSTON, LOS ANGELES, AND MANY OTHER CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY CAN ATTEST. WE HAVE SO MANY IRAQIS WHO ARE HERE. AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE BEGIN THE DISCUSSION WITH THAT FACT THAT THERE IS A DEEP COMMITMENT TO BRING IRAQIS HERE. THE PROGRAM TO WHICH TRUDY REFERRED, THE SPECIAL IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM DOES HAVE A CEILING OF 5,000 A YEAR. BUT THAT'S NOT THE PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH MOST IRAQIS HAVE COME IN, AS I SAID, THE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM HAS RESETTLED THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE 70,000.

>> Suarez: BUT A-- .

>> Brown: BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO DO WANT TO COME UNDER THAT PROGRAM, AS SHE IS SAYING, HAVE FOUND IT VERY CONVOLUTED, COMPLICATED, IMPOSSIBLE.

>> PART OF THE PROBLEM IS THE PROGRAM ITSELF HAS BEEN UNDERSUBSCRIBED BECAUSE IRAQIS WHO ARE IN IRAQ WHO WANT TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES OFTEN CHOOSE THE REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM, THE PROGRAM THROUGH WHICH SOME 62,000 HAVE COME IN, BECAUSE IN MANY RESPECTS IT IS EASIER TO ACCESS. AND ALSO THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO THAT REFUGEE PROGRAM THAT DON'T EXIST FOR THE SIV PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, MORE FAMILY MEMBERS CAN OFTEN COME IN THROUGH THIS OTHER PROGRAM. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT TRUDY'S CONCERNS DON'T HAVE MERIT. MORE HAS TO BE DONE TO MOVE THESE CASES MORE QUICKLY AND MORE EXPEDITIOUSLY. BUT WE HAVE DUAL IMPERATIVES HERE.

>> Brown: GO AHEAD.

>> FIRST OF ALL, I WAS TOLD BY SENIOR WHITE HOUSE SOURCES THERE ARE 1500 IRAQISES WHO HAVE TOTALLY GONE THROUGH ALL THE PAPERWORK, THE INTERVIEWS FOR THE SIV PROCESS, THAT'S THE SPECIAL VISA PROCESS. THEY ARE PENDING. THEY ARE BEING HELD UP FOR NEW SECURITY CHECKS, EVEN THOUGH MANY OF THEM WORKED FOR THE MILITARY AND HAVE ALREADY BEEN VETTED MANY TIMES OVER. I HAVE ALSO SEEN OFFICIALS' FIGURES THAT THERE ARE NEARLY 15,000 IN THE PIPELINE. THESE ARE IRAQIS WHO WORKED FOR US WHO NEVER LEFT THE COUNTRY. MANY OF THE REFUGEES WHO WERE ADMITTED UNDER THE PROGRAMS THAT ERIC SPOKE OF ARE PEOPLE WHO FLED TO SYRIA, TO JORDAN. THESE IRAQIS STAYED IN IRAQ. THEY WERE WORKING FOR US. THEY WERE HELPING US. AND AS A TRIBUTE TO THEM MANY MILITARY OFFICES ARE DESPERATELY STILL TRYING TO GET THEIR INTERPRETERSnd THEIR FAMILIES OUT. I GET SLEWS OF E-MAILS FOR THEM. SO THIS IS A VERY REAL PROBLEM. AND THERE IS A SECOND PROGRAM FOR IRAQIS WHO WORKED FOR US IN BAGHDAD. AND THERE ARE 39,000 PEOPLE INCLUDING FAMILY MEMBERS IN THAT PIPELINE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR US TO WHOM WE PROMISED VISAS AND THEY ARE NOT GETTING THEM BECAUSE OF NEW SECURITY CHECKS THAT ARE DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN MAY WHEN TWO IRAQIS IN KENTUCKY WHO DID NOT WORK FOR AMERICANS, NEVER WORKED FOR THEM, WERE FOUND TO HAVE TERRORIST CONNECTIONS. BUT THE NEW SECURITY CHECKS ARE BLOCKING EVERYONE. AND THAT IS WHY THINGS ARE FROZEN.

>> Brown: LET ME LET ERIC SCHWARTZ RESPOND TO THAT ON THE SECURITY ISSUE.

>> SURE. TWO QUICK POINTS. FIRST OF THE 70,000 OR SO WHO HAVE COME IN OVER THE PAST THREE OR FOUR YEARS, ABOUT 10 TO 15,000 OF THOSE HAVE COME DIRECTLY FROM IRAQ. TRUDY'S CORRECT. THE REST HAVE COME FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, THAT'S POINT ONE. ON THE SECURITY, THERE ARE DUAL IMPERATIVES HERE. ON THE ONE HAND WE HAVE A PROFOUND COMMITMENT TO RESETTLE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNITED STATES. I THINK GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TAKE THAT COMMITMENT VERY SERIOUSLY. ON THE OTHER HAND WE HAVE THE IMPERATIVE OF PROTECTING AMERICANS. AND THE FACT S THE UNFORTUNATE FACT IS THERE HAVE BEEN REFUGEES AND SIV APPLICANTS WHO HAVE COME INTO THE UNITED STATES WHERE THERE HAVE BEEN SERIOUS SECURITY CONCERNS IDENTIFIED. THAT'S WHY OVER THE PAST YEAR THERE HAVE BEEN ADDITIONAL SECURITY SCREENING PROCEDURES WHICH TRUDY IS CORRECT, HAVE SLOWED THE PROCESS. THE ONLY ANSWER TO THIS IS PERSEVERENCE BY GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. WE NEED TO THROW MORE RESOURCES AT THE EFFORT TO INVESTIGATE THESE CASES SO THEY CAN BE CLEARED AND MOVED IT THERE IS NO SIMPLE SOLUTION TO ADDRESSING THESE DUAL IMPERATIVES.

>> TRUDY RUBIN IN OUR TIME LEFT, DO YOU HAVE A SOLUTION? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN?

>> THERE WAS A SOLUTION WHICH THE BRITISH, THE POLS, THE DAINS AND AUSTRALIANS USED, THEY AIRLIFTED THEIR PEOPLE OUT. WE DID IT TO IRAQI OPPOSITION PEOPLE IN 1996. WE AIRLIFTED 6,000 OUT TO GUAM AND DID THE SECURITY CHECKS THERE. SHORT OF THAT, THE ONLY ANSWER IS A POLITICAL DECISION FROM THE TOP. BECAUSE THE SECURITY CHECKS CANNOT BE MOVED WITHOUT A REAL PUSH FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. BACK IN 2007 CANDIDATE OBAMA SAID ONE TRAGIC OUTCOME OF THIS SWAR THAT THE IRAQIS WHO STOOD WITH AMERICA ARE BEING TARGETED FOR ASSASSINATION. AND YET THEY CANNOT GET IN HERE. AND HE SAID THAT IS NOT HOW WE TREAT OUR FRIENDS, THAT IS NOT HOW WE ARE AS AMERICANS. AND MY QUESTION IS, AND I WENT THROUGH THIS PERSONALLY WITH MY DRIVER-- MY QUESTION IS, WHEN IS THE ADMINISTRATION GOING TO ACT ON CANADA-- CANDIDATE OBAMA'S WORDS AND MOVE THIS LOGJAM.

>> Brown: ALL RIGHT, ERIC SCHWARTZ, FIRST TO YOU, AIRLIFT IS THAT FEASIBLE?

>> HAVING BEEN AT THE WHITE HOUSE AND HAVING BEEN IN CHARGE OF MANAGING THAT AIRLIFT IN 1996, I SHARE TRUDY'S, YOU KNOW, DEEP COMMITMENT TO MOVING THESE PEOPLE-- MOVING PEOPLE WHO ARE AT RISK. BUT THAT WAS 6,000 PEOPLE T WAS A DISCREET NUMBER THERE ARE SOME 40,000 PEOPLE IN THE PIPELINE IN IRAQ RIGHT NOW. AND SO THE ANSWER IS, YOU KNOW, MORE DILIGENT, MORE AGGRESSIVE EFFORTS TO MOVE THESE CASES THAT ARE STUCK ON SECURITY HOLDS.

>> Brown: DO YOU THINK IT HAS TO COME FROM THE TOP AS SHE SAID.

>> OF COURSE IT HAS TO COME FROM THE TOP. THESE KINDS OF DECISIONS HAVE TO COME FROM THE TOP.

>> Brown: WE WILL LEAVE IT THERE, ERIC SCHWARTZ, TRUDY RUBIN, THANK YOU BOTH VERY MUCH.

>> Suarez: AGAIN, THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS OF THE DAY: THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES CAMPAIGNED ALL OVER IOWA, JUST FIVE DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST-IN-THE-NATION NOMINATING CONTEST THERE. AND THOUSANDS OF SYRIANS RALLIED IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. GOVERNMENT FORCES ANSWERED WITH LETHAL FIRE, KILLING AT LEAST 26 PEOPLE. AND TO HARI SREENIVASAN FOR WHAT'S ON THE "NEWSHOUR" ONLINE. HARI?

>> Sreenivasan: HOW DO ECONOMIC JOKES GO OVER IN CHINA? STAND-UP ECONOMIST YORAM BAUMAN FILED ANOTHER VIDEO DISPATCH FROM BEIJING ON PAUL SOLMAN'S MAKING SENSE PAGE. ON THE "RUNDOWN," JUDY WOODRUFF WROTE ABOUT HER FIRST TIME COVERING THE IOWA CAUCUSES. IT'S ALSO SCIENCE THURSDAY ON OUR SITE. FIND SOME OF THE MOST INTRIGUING STORIES OF 2011, INCLUDING A MILES O'BRIEN REPORT ON SCIENTISTS GROWING HUMAN TISSUE; THE RECENT DISCOVERY OF TWO EARTH-SIZED PLANETS AND MUCH MORE. ALL THAT AND MORE IS ON OUR WEB SITE: newshour.pbs.org.

>> Brown: AND AGAIN TO OUR HONOR ROLL OF AMERICAN SERVICE PERSONNEL KILLED IN THE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN CONFLICTS. WE ADD THEM AS THEIR DEATHS ARE MADE OFFICIAL AND PHOTOGRAPHS BECOME AVAILABLE. HERE, IN SILENCE, ARE TEN MORE.

>> Suarez: AND THAT'S THE "NEWSHOUR" FOR TONIGHT. I'M RAY SUAREZ.

>> Brown: AND I'M JEFFREY BROWN. WE'LL SEE YOU ONLINE AND AGAIN HERE TOMORROW EVENING WITH MARK SHIELDS AND DAVID BROOKS, AMONG OTHERS. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT. MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: AND BY THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION. SUPPORTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND IMPROVED ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY. AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INSTITUTIONS AND FOUNDATIONS. AND... THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. Captioning sponsored by MacNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org