PBS NewsHour; May 3, 2016 3:00pm-4:00pm PDT

Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC

>> Woodruff: GOOD EVENING. I'M JUDY WOODRUFF.

>> Sreenivasan: AND I'M HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Woodruff: ON THE NEWSHOUR TONIGHT: THE SPOTLIGHT'S ON INDIANA. HOOSIERS CAST A CRITICAL PRIMARY VOTE IN THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE.

>> Sreenivasan: ALSO AHEAD THIS TUESDAY: THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION ON RETHINKING EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS. WE SIT DOWN WITH EDUCATION SECRETARY JOHN KING.

>> Woodruff: PLUS, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN A FAMILY MEMBER RUNS AWAY FROM HOME TO FIGHT FOR ISIS? MOTHERS AND BROTHERS OF TERRORIST FIGHTERS SPEAK OUT.

>> NOT ONLY DO THEY LOSE THEIR SON OR THEIR DAUGHTER TO SOMETHING HORRIFIC, BUT THEY ALSO CARRY THE GUILT OF WHAT THEIR CHILD HAS DONE TO OTHERS AND IT'S A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE BURDEN TO CARRY.

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

>> MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: LINCOLN FINANCIAL IS COMMITTED TO HELPING YOU TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FUTURE.

>> AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INSTITUTIONS:

>> THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: THERE'S A LOT RIDING ON THE RESULTS FROM INDIANA'S PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY TONIGHT-- AND THE TENSION IS HIGHER THAN EVER. THE TOP TWO REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES UNLOADED ON EACH OTHER TODAY, TAKING THE VITRIOL TO NEW LEVELS.

>> THIS MAN IS A PATHOLOGICAL LIAR.

>> Reporter: TED CRUZ-- IN INDIANA THIS MORNING-- UNLEASHING A BLISTERING ATTACK ON DONALD TRUMP. THE REPUBLICAN FRONTRUNNER HE CITED AN UNSUBSTANTIATED "NATIONAL ENQUIRER" REPORT THAT LINKED CRUZ'S FATHER, RAFAEL, TO THE MAN WHO KILLED PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY.

>> HIS FATHER WAS WITH LEE HARVEY OSWALD PRIOR TO OSWALD'S BEING, YOU KNOW, SHOT. NOBODY EVEN BRINGS IT UP; I MEAN THEY DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT THAT.

>> Reporter: TRUMP ALSO CHIDED CRUZ OVER A CONFRONTATION WITH THE NEW YORK BUSINESSMAN'S SUPPORTERS.

>> WELL, THEY KNOW HE'S LYING. THEY'VE BEEN WATCHING HIM LIE. AND THAT'S WHAT HE DOES. THAT'S WHY WE CALL HIM LYIN' TED. AND THESE PEOPLE ARE SMART PEOPLE. AND THEY HAVEN'T BEEN PROPERLY BEEN TAKEN CARE OF, BY THE GOVERNMENT.

>> Reporter: HOURS LATER, IN EVANSVILLE, CRUZ BRANDED TRUMP "UTTERLY AMORAL". AND COMPARED LIKENED HIM TO A CHARACTER IN THE "BACK TO THE FUTURE" MOVIES.

>> A CARICATURE OF A BRAGGADOCIOUS, ARROGANT BUFFOON, WHO BUILDS GIANT CASINOS WITH GIANT PICTURES OF HIM EVERYWHERE HE LOOKS. WE ARE LOOKING, POTENTIALLY, AT THE BIFF TANNEN PRESIDENCY.

>> Reporter: THIS VERY PERSONAL WAR OF WORDS WENT WHITE-HOT EVEN AS INDIANA VOTERS WERE GOING TO THE POLLS. AND WHILE TRUMP WAS TRADING BARBS WITH CRUZ, HE WAS TAKING FIRE ON ANOTHER FRONT: FROM DEMOCRATIC FRONTRUNNER HILLARY CLINTON. SHE WAS INTERVIEWED ON MSNBC.

>> WHEN I LISTEN TO DONALD TRUMP

>> HE HAS GIVEN NO INDICATION THAT HE UNDERSTANDS THE GRAVITY OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT GO WITH BEING COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, AND THAT WILL BE A BIG PART OF MY CAMPAIGN.

>> Reporter: CLINTON SPENT THE DAY IN WEST VIRGINIA AND OHIO. BUT DEMOCRATIC RIVAL BERNIE SANDERS MADE A LAST-DITCH PUSH IN INDIANA.

>> THESE TRADE DEALS, WHETHER IT'S NAFTA, OR TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA, WERE A DISASTER FOR AMERICAN WORKERS. I UNDERSTOOD THAT, I FOUGHT 'EM, I WAS OUT ON PICKET LINES. SECRETARY CLINTON HAS SUPPORTED EVERY ONE OF THESE DISASTROUS TRADE AGREEMENTS.

>> Reporter: AFTER TODAY, THE PRIMARY SEASON MOVES INTO THE HOME STRETCH-- HEADING TOWARD THE FINAL BIG DAY ON JUNE SEVENTH AND THE BIGGEST DELEGATE PRIZE: CALIFORNIA. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M JOHN YANG.

>> Sreenivasan: WE'LL HAVE A REPORT FROM ON THE GROUND, IN INDIANA, AFTER THE NEWS SUMMARY.

>> Woodruff: IN THE DAY'S OTHER NEWS: "ISLAMIC STATE" FIGHTERS KILLED A U.S. NAVY SEAL IN NORTHERN IRAQ. THE ISIS ATTACK-- NEAR THE CITY OF MOSUL-- WAS THE BIGGEST IN MONTHS BY THE MILITANTS. THEY BROKE THROUGH KURDISH MILITIA FORCES BEFORE BEING DRIVEN OFF. U.S. OFFICIALS SAID THE SEAL WAS THERE IN AN ADVISORY ROLE.

>> YOU HAD AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WAS NOT IN A COMBAT MISSION COME UNDER WITHERING ATTACK FROM ENEMY FORCES. HE WAS IN A COMBAT SITUATION. HE WAS PREPARED TO DEAL WITH IT, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, UNDER A COMPLEX ATTACK, HE WAS KILLED. AND IT'S TRAGIC.

>> Woodruff: IN ALL, THREE AMERICANS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN COMBAT, SINCE THE ANTI-ISIS CAMPAIGN BEGAN IN 2014.

>> Sreenivasan: REBEL ROCKET FIRE RAINED DOWN ON A HOSPITAL IN ALEPPO, SYRIA TODAY KILLING AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE. THE HOSPITAL WAS IN A GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED PART OF THE CITY. A HEALTH OFFICIAL SAID MORE THAN 30 PEOPLE WERE WOUNDED IN THE BOMBING-- MANY OF THEM WOMEN AND CHILDREN. SEPARATELY, THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL DEMANDED PROTECTION FOR HOSPITALS IN WAR ZONES. THE PRESIDENT OF DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS PUSHED FOR THE VOTE.

>> WE WILL NOT LEAVE PATIENTS BEHIND AND WE WILL NOT BE SILENT. SEEKING OR PROVIDING HEALTHCARE MUST NOT BE A DEATH SENTENCE. YOU WILL BE JUDGED NOT ON YOUR WORDS TODAY, BUT ON YOUR ACTIONS. YOUR WORK HAS ONLY BEGUN. PLEASE MAKE THIS RESOLUTION SAVE LIVES.

>> Sreenivasan: MEANWHILE, ATTEMPTS TO RESTORE A TRUCE ALL ACROSS SYRIA CONTINUED IN MOSCOW. A SPECIAL U.N. ENVOY SAID PEACE TALKS CAN RESUME IF THAT HAPPENS.

>> Woodruff: IN KENYA, A SMALL MIRACLE. A SIX-MONTH-OLD BABY GIRL HAS BEEN PULLED ALIVE FROM A BUILDING THAT COLLAPSED FOUR DAYS AGO IN NAIROBI. OFFICIALS SAY SHE WAS DEHYDRATED, BUT OTHERWISE UNHURT. AT LEAST 23 PEOPLE DIED FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN THE SEVEN-STORY BUILDING BUCKLED AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF HEAVY RAIN. MORE THAN 90 OTHERS ARE STILL MISSING. INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICIALS SAY THE BUILDING HAD BEEN MARKED FOR DEMOLITION.

>> Sreenivasan: BACK IN THIS COUNTRY, MORE THAN 45,000 DETROIT STUDENTS MISSED CLASS FOR A SECOND DAY AS STATE LAWMAKERS WORKED TO END A TEACHER SICK-OUT. THE TEACHERS RALLIED OUTSIDE PUBLIC SCHOOL HEADQUARTERS TO PROTEST A FUNDING SHORTAGE. UNION OFFICIALS SAY IT COULD LEAVE SOME OF THEM UNPAID THIS SUMMER. LEGISLATIVE LEADERS INSISTED TODAY THE TEACHERS WILL BE PAID. THEY'RE DEBATING A $720 MILLION PLAN FOR THE DEBT-RIDDEN SCHOOLS.

>> Woodruff: TWO STATES CHOSE DIFFERENT PATHS TODAY ON ALLOWING CONCEALED GUNS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. IN TENNESSEE, A BILL PERMITTING THE PRACTICE BECAME LAW, WHEN REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR BILL HASLAM CHOSE NOT TO SIGN IT OR VETO IT. BU IN GEORGIA, REPUBLICAN NATHAN DEAL VETOED A SIMILAR BILL.

>> Sreenivasan: U.S. CAR SALES SLUMPED LAST MONTH, BUT TRUCKS AND S.U.V'S SOARED, THANKS TO CHEAPER GAS. HONDA AND NISSAN GAINED 13% TO 14%-- THEIR BEST APRIL EVER. BUT WALL STREET HAD A DOWN DAY, ON WORRIES ABOUT GROWTH IN EUROPE AND CHINA. THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE LOST 140 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 17,750. THE NASDAQ FELL 54 POINTS. AND THE S&P 500 SLIPPED 18.

>> Woodruff: AND THE HIP-HOP BROADWAY MUSICAL "HAMILTON" ISN'T DONE MAKING HISTORY YET. THE GROUNDBREAKING SHOW GARNERED A RECORD 16 TONY NOMINATIONS TODAY. IF IT WINS AS MANY AS 13, THAT WOULD BE A RECORD, TOO. THE TONY AWARDS FOR LIVE BROADWAY THEATRE PERFORMANCES WILL BE HANDED OUT JUNE 12th. STILL TO COME ON THE NEWSHOUR: HOW INDIANA'S ELECTION RESULTS COULD SHAPE THE REST OF THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY, EDUCATION SECRETARY JOHN KING TALKS ABOUT THE IMPACT NEW NATIONAL STANDARDS ARE HAVING IN THE CLASSROOM, INSIDE THE GOVERNMENT-HELD AREAS OF SYRIA, AND MUCH MORE.

>> Woodruff: NOW BACK TO INDIANA AND TODAY'S CRUCIAL PRIMARY VOTE. WE'RE JOINED BY BRANDON SMITH OF INDIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING. SO, BRANDON, WE TALKED TO YOU LAST WEEK, AND I THINK A LOT OF US THOUGHT THE REPUBLICAN RACE COULDN'T GET ANY ROUGHER, BUT, APPARENTLY, IT IS. WHAT'S THE STATE OF THAT RACE RIGHT NOW?

>> WELL, CERTAINLY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN SAY ANYTHING NEW FROM DONALD TRUMP'S SIDE. SOME WOULD CALL WHAT HE SAID OUTLANDISH, WHAT HE'S BEEN-- THIS WHOLE J.F.K. ASSASSINATION CONNECTION BETWEEN CRUZ'S FATHER, BUT CERTAINLY CRUZ'S REACTION IS SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T QUITE SEEN BEFORE. AND WHAT SOME THINK IS A HINT OF FRUSTRATION, CERTAINLY, AND PERHAPS EVEN SOME DESPERATION.

>> Woodruff: WHY ARE PEOPLE SAYING THAT?

>> WELL, THIS IS HIGH NOON FOR TED CRUZ. I MEAN, AND HE'S MADE IT THAT WAY. HE'S MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT INDIANA IS THE TIME. IT'S THE PLACE TO-- IF HE'S GOING TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN THIS RACE IN STOPPING DONALD TRUMP FROM THE NOMINATION, THAT INDIANA IS THE PLACE TO DO IT. HE SET HIMSELF UP FOR SOME PRETTY BIG STAKES HERE. AND YET, JUST ABOUT EVERY POLL WE'VE SEEN HAS HIM TRAILING.

>> Woodruff: WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING FROM YOUR-- AND FROM YOUR REPORTING, BRANDON SMITH, ON WHAT IS DRIVING THE TRUMP VOTE? HOIS SUPPORTING DONALD TRUMP AND WHY?

>> A LOT OF NEW VOTERS. I'VE TALKED TO COUNTY CLERKS AROUND THE STATE WHO SAY THEY'VE SEEN RECORD NUMBERS IN SOME CASES OF NEW REGISTRATIONS, BRAND-NEW VOTERS WHO HAVEN'T VOTE BEFORE. SO THAT'S CERTAINLY PART OF IT. IT'S ALSO PEOPLE WHO AREN'T THE EVANGELICAL VOTE THAT TED CRUZ BRINGS OUT BUT ARE REPUBLICANS AND SCRND CHIEFLY WITH ECONOMIC ISSUES, HOW-- HOW THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY IS IN THIS STATE. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DONALD TRUMP SPEAKS A LOT TO.

>> Woodruff: WHAT ABOUT ON THE CRUZ SIDE? WHAT DO YOU SEE DRIVING HIS VOTE?

>> SOME OF IT IS, LIKE I JUST SAID, THE EVANGELICAL VOTE THAT HE BRINGS OUT, AND IT'S CERTAINLY STRONG IN SOME PARTS OF THIS STATE. THERE'S ALSO NO SMALL PART OF THAT CROWD WHO'S IN IT TO STOP TRUMP. SOME KASICH SUPPORTERS WHO SAY, "I'M HERE TO STOP TRUMP. I'M VOTING FOR CRUZ." THAT'S SOME OF IT. BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT WILL BE ENOUGH.

>> Woodruff: HOW MUCH IS ORGANIZATION GOING TO MATTER, DO YOU THINK, WHEN THEY COUNT THE VOTES TONIGHT?

>> I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH IT WILL END UP MATTERING BECAUSE THE BEST ORGANIZATION IS PROBABLY TED CRUZ. HE CERTAINLY SPENT MOST TIME HERE. HE'S BLANKETED THE STATE. IT'S BEEN QUITE THE BARNSTORMING TOUR OF INDIANA, AND YET HE STILL PROBABLY-- IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOING TO LOSE, OR AT LEAST NOT GET A VERY BIG VOTE HERE. SO I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH THE ORGANIZATION WILL END UP MATTERING.

>> Woodruff: WELL, LET ME ASK YOU NOW, ABOUT THE DEMOCRATS. IF YOU BELIEVE THE POLLS THAT ONE IS MUCH CLOSER. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

>> THAT'S THE WAY IT'S LOOKING HERE. TOO. AND IT LOOKS TO BE AN ECHO OF 2008 WHEN HILLARY CLINTON BEAT BARACK OBAMA. BERNIE SANDERS DRIVES OUT A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE. TURNOUT HAS BEEN HIGH AROUND THE STATE SO FAR IN EARLY VOTING AND WHAT HOST SEEN IN THE POLLS TODAY. SO THAT WILL CERTAINLY HELP HIM, TOO, IF THERE ARE A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE OUT THERE VOTING. PUBUT IT LOOKS TO BE A PRETTY CLOSE MARGIN. HILLARY IS EXPECTED TO WIN.

>> Woodruff: WHAT'S MOTIVATING THE HILLARY CLINTON VOTE? WHAT DO PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT HER THAT SAY THEY'RE GOING TO VOTE FOR HER?

>> IT'S A COUPLE OF THINGS PIMENTIONED 2008. THIS IS IN MANY WAYS A CLINTON STATE IN THAT RESPECT. SHE SPENT A LOT OF TIME HERE BACK THEN AND PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT. SHE HAS A LOT OF SUPPORT FROM THE SO-CALLED PARENT ESTABLISHMENT, A LOT OF BIG-TIME DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN THIS STATE THREW THEIR SUPPORT BEHIND HILLARY CLINTON, AND SOME OF IT IS THOSE ECONOMIC POORNZ BUT IT'S THE IDEA THAT HILLARY'S IDEAS, HILLARY'S PLANS ARE PERHAPS A LITTLE MORE ACHIEVABLE THAN BERNIE SANDERS'.

>> Woodruff: AND SANDERS, JUST QUICKLY, HIS SUPPORT, YOUNGER VOTERS?

>> YOUNGER VOTERS, PEOPLE DISILZ LOSINGED. A LITTLE BIT OF THE DONALD TRUMP SUPPORT, PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE THE SYSTEM AND THINK BERNIE WILL UPSET THE APPLE CART FOR GOOD.

>> Woodruff: BERNI BRANDON SMITH THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. FOLLOW THE LATEST RESULTS FROM INDIANA ON OUR WEBSITE. PLUS, FIND A PROFILE OF ONE OF PENNSYLVANIA'S DELEGATES WHO WILL CAST A CRITICAL VOTE AT THE G.O.P. CONVENTION IN CLEVELAND. IT'S THE FIST IN OUR SERIES PROFILING DELEGATES. READ THAT ON OUR HOME PAGE: pbs.org/newshour.

>> Sreenivasan: EDUCATION SECRETARY JOHN KING HAS ONLY BEEN OFFICIALLY IN HIS POSITION ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF-- TAKING OVER FOR ARNE DUNCAN WHO SERVED FOR THE FIRST SEVEN YEARS OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ADMINISTRATION. BUT KING HAS INHERITED A VERY FULL PLATE-- INCLUDING THE SUCCESSOR TO NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, INCREASING RESEGREGATION OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND A HIGHER EDUCATION ADMISSIONS PROCESS HE LIKENS TO A "CASTE SYSTEM." I SAT DOWN WITH HIM EARLIER TODAY AS PART OF OUR "MAKING THE GRADE" SERIES ON EDUCATION.

>> Sreenivasan: WHILE THE MAJORITY OF THE STATES ARE IMPLEMENTING COMMON CORE, IT HASN'T BEEN WITHOUT RESISTANCE. THERE ARE STILL HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PARENTS OUT THERE WHO ARE HAVING THEIR CHILDREN OPT OUT OF SOME OF THESE TESTS. AND MY QUESTION IS: DOESN'T THAT STRUCTURALLY DEFEAT THE SYSTEM IF, AT A CERTAIN THRESHOLD, YOU CAN'T GET GOOD DATA ANYMORE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE OPTING OUT?

>> SO THE EFFORT TO RAISE STANDARDS IS REALLY ABOUT ENSURING THAT ALL STUDENTS GRADUATE READY FOR WHAT'S NEXT. AS YOU SAID, WE HAVE 40-PLUS STATES THAT ARE WORKING ON HIGHER STANDARDS. THERE ARE CHALLENGES, FOR SURE, IN RAISING STANDARDS; CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO INSTRUCTION, TO CLASSROOM MATERIALS AND TO ASSESSMENTS, AND STATES ARE MAKING SMART ADJUSTMENTS ALONG THE WAY. I THINK WE GENERALLY HAVE POSITIVE MOMENTUM. WE HAVE THE HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE WE'VE EVER HAD AS A COUNTRY LAST YEAR. BUT IT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY AND, AND STATES ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO WHAT THEY'RE HEARING FROM PARENTS AND EDUCATORS, MAKE ADJUSTMENTS WHILE STAYING FOCUSED ON RAISING STANDARDS.

>> Sreenivasan: SO CONSIDERING THAT NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND, WE ALL NOW IN HINDSIGHT KNOW THAT WE DID NOT REACH 100% PROFICIENCY BY 2014. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT DID DO FOR US IS GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF VISIBILITY INTO HOW SPECIFIC SCHOOLS AND SPECIFIC SUBGROUPS WERE PERFORMING. SO NOW, WITH THE EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT, IT SEEMS THAT YOU'RE LETTING POSSIBLY THOUSANDS OF SCHOOLS WHO WERE UNDERPERFORMING OFF THE HOOK BY FOCUSING ON JUST THE 5% THAT ARE REALLY GOING TO GET, BE TARGETED THE AID.

>> THE STRUCTURE OF EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT IS TO GIVE STATES AND LOCAL DISTRICTS MORE FLEXIBILITY, BUT WITHIN CLEAR CIVIL RIGHTS GUARDRAILS. THERE IS A VERY CLEAR REQUIREMENT FOR STATES AND, AND DISTRICTS TO INTERVENE WHEN SCHOOLS ARE STRUGGLING, AS YOU SAY, IN THE BOTTOM 5%, BUT ALSO SCHOOLS THAT HAVE CHRONICALLY LOW GRADUATION RATES. SCHOOLS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENT GAPS WHERE SUBGROUPS, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS, LATINO STUDENTS, ENGLISH LEARNERS, IF THOSE SUBGROUPS ARE UNDERPERFORMING, STATES AND DISTRICTS ALSO HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO INTERVENE. THE PRESIDENT SIGNED THE LAW BECAUSE HE BELIEVES IT BUILDS ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEGACY OF THE LAW, WHICH WAS FIRST ADOPTED IN 1965 AS A CIVIL RIGHTS LAW. AND SO THOSE CIVIL RIGHTS GUARDRAILS ARE KEY, WE THINK, TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION.

>> Sreenivasan: IT ACTUALLY TAKES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF POWER OUT OF THIS VERY OFFICE AND GIVES IT BACK TO THE STATES IN SEVERAL WAYS. SO YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY IMPOSE ANY SPECIFIC GUIDELINES ABOUT COMMON CORE OR ABOUT THINGS THAT STATES HAVE TO DO, SO I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WHAT'S THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S INVOLVEMENT AND STATE GOVERNMENT'S ADMINISTRATION OF EDUCATION?

>> YOU KNOW, WE THINK ON STANDARDS THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE'VE TRIED TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE. SO THE LAW REQUIRES THAT STATES ADOPT STANDARDS THAT WILL ENSURE THAT WHEN STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL THEY'RE READY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREERS, THEY'RE READY TO DO CREDIT BEARING COURSEWORK IN COLLEGE. THAT'S GOOD BECAUSE IT MEANS EVERY STATE HAS TO HAVE HIGH STANDARDS. THAT SAID, THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THOSE STANDARDS ARE LEFT TO STATES. WE THINK THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT, THAT STATES SHOULD BE THE ONES DETERMINING THEIR STANDARDS. ON ACCOUNTABILITY, IT'S CLEAR STATES AND DISTRICTS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO INTERVENE WHERE SCHOOLS ARE STRUGGLING AND WHERE THERE ARE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS, BUT THE EXACT NATURE OF THOSE INTERVENTIONS, THEY CAN DESIGN BASED ON LOCAL CIRCUMSTANCES.

>> Sreenivasan: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT STRUCTURALLY IS THAT THERE ALMOST SEEMS TO BE A SEGREGATION OF EDUCATION IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW. THAT IN THE LAST THREE YEARS, TWO THINGS HAVE CHANGED PRIMARILY: THE MINORITIES NOW OUTNUMBER WHITES IN THE NATION'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND THE MAJORITY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE POOR, AND THAT THEY QUALIFY FOR FREE LUNCHES. HOW DO WE CHANGE THIS NARRATIVE ABOUT ALMOST TWO SEPARATE EDUCATION SYSTEMS?

>> SO IT'S A HUGE PROBLEM. WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE TONS OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE OVER DECADES SHOWING THAT STUDENTS DO BETTER IN DIVERSE SCHOOLS, AND YET, SIX YEARS AFTER BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION, WE STILL HAVE RACIALLY ISOLATED, ECONOMICALLY ISOLATED SCHOOLS. WHAT'S ENCOURAGING, THE CENTURY FOUNDATION JUST DID A REPORT ON THIS RECENTLY, WHAT'S ENCOURAGING IS YOU HAVE EFFORTS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, LOCALLY- LED, VOLUNTARY EFFORTS TO CREATE SOCIO-ECONOMICALLY INTEGRATED SCHOOLS. AND WE WANT TO, WE WANT TO ACCELERATE THAT WORK, SO WE'VE MADE SCHOOL DIVERSITY A PRIORITY FOR INVESTING IN AN INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM, THE PRESIDENT'S PROPOSED AN INITIATIVE CALLED STRONGER TOGETHER, $120 MILLION IN HIS 2017 BUDGET THAT WOULD SUPPORT LOCAL EFFORTS TO CREATE SOCIOECONOMICALLY DIVERSE SCHOOLS. SCHOOLS, YOU CAN IMAGINE AN ART SCHOOL THAT MIGHT DRAW STUDENTS FROM ACROSS DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES. DUAL LANGUAGE SCHOOL WHERE NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS AND ENGLISH LEARNERS WOULD TOGETHER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN TWO LANGUAGES.

>> Sreenivasan: EVEN IN TERMS OF HIGHER ED, YOU'VE SAID BEFORE THAT THERE'S ALMOST A CASTE SYSTEM OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS. SO HOW DO WE CHANGE THAT?

>> I THINK OF A PLACE LIKE FRANKLIN & MARSHALL, THAT'S COMMITTED TO ENROLLING LOW INCOME STUDENTS, HAS RAISED THEIR ACADEMIC STANDARDS THE SAME TIME AS THEY'VE ENROLLED MORE LOW INCOME STUDENTS, AND THEY'RE PROVIDING THE SUPPORTS NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT THOSE STUDENTS GRADUATE. AND SO I THINK THERE'S A BULLY PULPIT ROLE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO PLAY. I BELIEVE ALSO WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THE RESOURCES ARE THERE, AND THAT'S WHY THE PELL GRANT PROGRAM IS SO IMPORTANT, IT'S WHY THE PRESIDENT HAS ADDED $1,000 TO THE AVERAGE PELL GRANT SINCE THE ADMINISTRATION BEGAN. IT'S WHY WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO LET STUDENTS ACCESS PELL GRANTS IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE THAT WILL HELP LOW INCOME STUDENTS STAY ON TRACK TO GRADUATION. SO THERE'S BOTH A-- THERE'S BOTH A MORAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT HIGHER ED INSTITUTIONS HAVE, AND A RESPONSIBILITY THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO PROVIDE THE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT ALL OF OUR CITIZENS IN MAKING IT THROUGH HIGHER EDUCATION.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY, UNLIKE A LOT OF EDUCATION SECRETARIES OR CABINET MEMBERS, YOU'VE GOT A KIND OF A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO EDUCATION. YOU LOST YOUR PARENTS WHEN YOU WERE VERY YOUNG AGE, AND YOU'VE SAID BEFORE THAT IT'S REALLY TEACHERS THAT SAVED YOUR LIFE. EXPLAIN THAT.

>> SCHOOL REALLY DID SAVE MY LIFE. MY MOM PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS EIGHT, IN OCTOBER OF MY FOURTH GRADE YEAR. I LIVED WITH MY DAD WHO WAS SUFFERING WITH UNDIAGNOSED ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. AND SO HOME WAS THIS VERY SCARY AND UNPREDICTABLE PLACE. MY DAD PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS 12. AND DURING THAT PERIOD, MY LIFE COULD HAVE GONE IN A LOT OF DIRECTIONS. YOU KNOW, TEACHERS COULD HAVE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, HERE'S AN AFRICAN AMERICAN LATINO MALE STUDENT, FAMILY IN CRISIS, GOING TO A NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL IN BROOKLYN, WHAT CHANCE DOES HE HAVE? BUT THEY DIDN'T. THEY CHOSE TO INVEST IN ME AND MADE SCHOOL THIS PLACE THAT WAS ENGAGING AND COMPELLING AND INTERESTING WHERE WE READ "THE NEW YORK TIMES" EVERY DAY, WE DID PRODUCTIONS OF "MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM" AND "ALICE IN WONDERLAND." WE WENT TO THE BALLET AND THE MUSEUM. SCHOOL WAS ENGAGING AND A PLACE WHERE I COULD BE A KID WHEN I COULDN'T BE A KID OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. SO I'M VERY CLEAR: I'M ALIVE TODAY DOING THIS WORK TODAY, BECAME A TEACHER AND A PRINCIPAL BECAUSE THE TEACHERS I HAD SAVED MY LIFE. AND YOU KNOW I BRING TO WORK EVERY DAY THE GOAL OF TRYING TO DO FOR OTHER KIDS WHAT MY TEACHERS DID FOR ME. AND YOU KNOW THAT'S WHY IT'S SO

>> Woodruff: STAY WITH US. COMING UP ON THE NEWSHOUR: PARENTS OF ISIS FIGHTERS GRAPPLE WITH THE WARNING SIGNS THEY MISSED, A CINDERELLA STORY FOR A SOCCER TEAM AND A CITY, PLUS, WHY BECOMING A GRANDMA ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE. BUT FIRST, WE RETURN TO THE WAR IN SYRIA. MOST OF THE COUNTRY'S URBAN CENTERS HAVE BEEN HAMMERED BY BOMBS, ROCKETS, AND BULLETS. BUT THE HEART OF THE CAPITAL, DAMASCUS, HAS BEEN LEFT RELATIVELY UNSCATHED, AS THE WAR CONTINUES ON THE CITY' SOUTSKIRTS. A PUBLIC PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION LAST WEEK. AS THE WAR CONTINUES ON THE CITY'S OUTSKIRTS. THE "NEW YORK TIMES'" DECLAN WALSH CITY-- ALEPPO-- THE SCENE OF HEAVY FIGHTING IN RECENT WEEKS. HE JOINS ME NOW FROM CAIRO, EGYPT. DECK DECLA DECLANDECLAN WALSH, E PROGRAM. YOU'RE ONE OF THE FEW WESTERN REPORTERS TO BE INSIDE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED SYRIA DURING THIS MOMENT IN THE CIVIL WAR. WHAT IS IT LIKE?

>> Reporter: WELL, IT'S A COUNTRY THAT IS UNDER TIGHT CONTROL FROM BASHAR AL-ASSAD IN THOSE PARTS OF SYRIA THAT HE STILL CONTROLS. AND THERE ARE MILITARY CHECKPOSTS EVERYWHERE. THERE IS THE IMAGE OF THE PRESIDENT, BASHAR AL-ASSAD, EVERYWHERE YOU TURN, ON EVERY MAJOR PUBLIC JUNCTION. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY STRANGE PLACE IN MANY WAYS, A PLACE OF GREAT CONTRASTS. YOU HAVE IN DAMASCUS, JUST ON OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY, THERE ARE MANY NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE CONTROLLED BY THE REBELS. THERE IS SPORADIC FIGHTING THAT GOES ON ALL THE TIME THERE. YET, IN THE CITY CENTER ITSELF, THERE IS SOME FORM, A SEMBLANCE OF NORMAL LIFE THAT'S TAKING PLACE. PEOPLE ARE GOING BOOK BTHEIR BUSINESS. THERE'S TRAFFIC. AT THE WEEKENDS, PEOPLE CELEBRATE. I SAW MANY WEDDINGS TAKE PLACE. SO PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE DETERMINED, AS MUCH AS THEY CAN, THAT THEY NEED ON GET ON WITH THEIR NORMAL LIVES, EVEN WHILE PRETTY INTENSE FIGHTING IN SOME CASES IS TAKING PLACE IN GREAT PROXIMITY TO THEM.

>> Woodruff: HOW ARE THEY MANAGING TO HOLD UP?

>> Reporter: YOU KNOW, THERE IS AN INTERNATIONAL AID PRESENCE ON THE GROUND THAT IS HELPING PEOPLE OUT SOMEWHAT. THE MACHINERY OF THE STATE IS STILL FUNCTIONING TO SOME DEGREE. BUT PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY STRAIPPED. IN CITIES LIKE ALEPPO AND HOMS, WHICH I VISITED, YOU HAVE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING ROUGH. THEY'RE LIVING IN SHELTERS. THEY'RE LIVING IN ABANDONED BUILDINGS. AND THEY'RE LIVING AMONG THE-- AMONG THE RUBBLE OF BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN AIR STRIKES. SO ALREADY THERE'S A HOUSING PROBLEM. AND PEOPLE ARE ALSO VERY VULNERABLE WHEN IT COMES TO THINGS LIKE FOOD, ELECTRICITY, WATER, BUT IT DOES DEPEND WHERE YOU ARE IN THE COUNTRY.

>> Woodruff: AND WHO ARE PEOPLE HOLDING RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR PLIGHT, WHERE THEY ARE RIGHT NOW?

>> Reporter: WHEN YOU SPEAK TO SYRIANS, PEOPLE ARE RETICENT TO TALK ABOUT POLITICS, PARTICULARLY IN GOVERNMENT-HELD AREAS. JOURNALISTS WHO VISIT, LIKE ME, TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY, IN THE COMPANY OF AN OFFICIAL FROM THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION. IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET PEOPLE TO OPEN UP, FOR INSTANCE, ABOUT THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD BASHAR AL-ASSAD OR INDEED TO TALK ABOUT THE REBELS IN OTHER AREAS. BUT WHAT PEOPLE DO TALK ABOUT IS, YOU KNOW, HOW-- THEY RECOGNIZE HOW BAD THEIR SITUATION IS. THEY CAN TALK ABOUT THAT WITH GREAT, GREAT FREEDOM, AND THEY FEEL EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED. AND THERE'S A GREAT SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS AMONG SYRIANS AT THIS STAGE AFTER FIVE YEARS OF CONFLICT ABOUT THE WAR. THEY SEE IT AS SOMETHING THAT'S MUCH BIGGER, EVEN THAN THEIR OWN COUNTRY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS A CONFLICT THAT HAS SO MANY FOREIGN FORCES INVOLVED WITH IT NOW, PEOPLE WHO WILL TALK TO YOU ABOUT AMERICA AND RUSSIA, IRAN, SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY. THESE ARE ALL THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE SUPPORTING DIFFERENT SIDES IN THIS CONFLICT. AND THEY-- WHEN YOU SPEAK TO PEOPLE, THERE'S AN OVERWHELMING SENSE OF HELPLESSNESS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO EASY SOLUTION TO THIS WAR IN SIGHT.

>> Woodruff: WHAT WAS SO FASCINATING, DECLAN WALSH,. YOUR REPORTING IS THAT, I MEAN, ORDINARY PEOPLE, YOU TALKED WITH A SHOPKEEPER, YOU TALKED WITH SO MANY OTHERS,UN, THEY'RE STILL HUMAN BEINGS. THEY STILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, NORMAL HUMAN FEELINGS. YOU WERE EVEN ABLE TO SEE A SENSE OF HUMOR THAT SOME OF THEM HAVE STILL.

>> Reporter: OH, ABSOLUTELY, YEAH. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I SUPPOSE IT'S ONE OF THE BEST DEFENSE MECHANISMS FOR ALL OF US IN SITUATIONS OF ADVERSITY. IF YOU CENTE HAVE THE STRENGTH,Y TO TURN SOMETHING TO A JOKE, FEIGN DARK JOKE. IT'S ONE WAY OF GETTING THROUGH THE DAY. FOR SYRIANS WHO ARE NOT DIRECTLY CAUGHT UP IN THE FIGHTING ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS, THEY'RE STILL LIVING IN SITUATION OF ADVERSITY. AND THEY'RE TURNING TO ALL SORTS OF COPING MECHANISMS TO TRY AND GET THROUGH THAT. HUMOR IS ONE THING. YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS IN ALEPPO, ONE OF THE MOST STRIKING THINGS WAS THAT IN THE CITY CENTER, THERE WAS INTERMITTENT SHELLING. BOMBS WERE LANDING HERE AND THERE. YOU WOULD BE DRIVING AROUND IN THE STREETS, AND YOU WOULD HEAR AN EXPLOSION 500 METERS AWAY. THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER EXPLOSION AN HOUR LATER, MAYBE A KILOMETER AWAY. IT MADE A TREMENDOUS RACKET. AND FOR A NEWCOMER LIKE ME, YOU WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY ALARMED WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GOING ON? OR WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM? BUT THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO LOCALLY WOULDN'T EVEN FLINCH. THEY JUST WENT ON LIKE IT WASN'T HAPPENING. AND WHEN YOU ASK THEM WHY, THEY SAID, "LOOK, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH THIS SITUATION SO LONG, THIS IS THE WAY WE DEAL WITH IT."

>> Sreenivasan: WELL, SOME REMARKABLE REPORTING FROM INSIDE SYRIA. DECLAN WALSH OF THE "NEW YORK TIMES," WE THANK YOU.

>> Reporter: THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: FOR MONTHS, WE'VE REPORTED ON WESTERN-BORN YOUNG PEOPLE WHO'VE TRAVELED TO SYRIA TO JOIN THE ISLAMIC STATE. PARENTS AND RELATIVES OF SOME OF THE YOUNG EUROPEAN MEN WHO'D JOINED ISIS AND OTHER EXTREMIST GROUPS MET LATE LAST WEEK AT A CONFERENCE IN PARIS. AMONG THE GROUP WERE ALSO FAMILY MEMBERS OF VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS LAST FALL IN PARIS. THEY GATHERED TO GRIEVE, TO CONDEMN TERRORISM, AND THE EXTREMISM THAT DRIVES IT, AND LOOK FOR WAYS TO PREVENT OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE FROM FOLLOWING THE FATES OF THEIR LOVED ONES. FROM PARIS, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT MALCOLM BRABANT REPORTS.

>> Reporter: THIS IS THE BATACLAN CLUB WHERE ISLAMIST GUNMEN SLAUGHTERED 89 CONCERT GOERS LAST NOVEMBER 13. IT WAS, BRIEFLY, A PLACE OF PILGRIMAGE, FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THE MASSACRE THROUGH THE IDEOLOGY EMBRACED BY THEIR RELATIVES, EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN THE ATTACK. KAROLINA DAM, MOTHER OF 18-YEAR- OLD LUKAS, A BOY WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES, CONVERTED AND RADICALIZED IN DENMARK AND BELIEVED KILLED IN AN AIRSTRIKE ON THE SYRIAN TURKISH BORDER. JANNE MORTENSEN, ALSO FROM DENMARK, WHOSE CONVERT FOSTER SON KENNETH WAS KILLED IN SYRIA THREE YEARS AGO. BRITON MICHAEL EVANS, WHOSE BROTHER THOMAS CONVERTED AND JOINED AL SHABBAB IN AFRICA. THIS FOOTAGE SHOWS THE JIHADIST WITH THE NOM DE GUERRE ABDUL HAKIM JUST BEFORE HE WAS KILLED IN A BATTLE WITH KENYAN TROOPS.

>> IT'S JUST SUCH A TRAGIC WASTE OF LIFE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE JUST OUT ENJOYING THEIR NIGHT WERE CUT DOWN FOR NOTHING. IT'S SO SAD TO BE HERE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE WHO IS MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD COULD THINK LIKE THIS. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.

>> Reporter: CANADIAN CHRISTIANNE BOUDREAU WANTS DERADICALIZATION PROGRAMS TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE EXPERIENCES OF FAMILIES LIKE THESE, BY USING THEM AS EDUCATORS, HELPERS, AND GUIDES. SHE'S CAMPAIGNING IN MEMORY OF HER CONVERT SON DAMIAN, KILLED IN FIGHTING NEAR ALEPPO IN SYRIA.

>> IT COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN MY SON THAT HAD BEEN WALKING INTO HERE. IT COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN ME HAVING TO DEAL WITH WHAT HE HAD DONE. IT'S ONE THING WHEN HE'S OVER IN SYRIA AND WE DON'T SEE IT. BUT HERE, WE'RE FACED WITH IT. AND THE PARENTS THAT LOSE A LOVED ONE IN THIS WAY, IN A VIOLENT WAY, NOT ONLY DO THEY LOSE THEIR SON OR THEIR DAUGHTER TO SOMETHING HORRIFIC, BUT THEY ALSO CARRY THE GUILT OF WHAT THEIR CHILD HAS DONE TO OTHERS AND IT'S A HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE BURDEN TO CARRY.

>> Reporter: GEORGE SALINES IS TALKING ABOUT HIS DAUGHTER LOLA, ONE OF THOSE MURDERED AT THE BATACLAN. LIKE OTHERS AT THE CONFERENCE, HE WANTED IT TO BE A TURNING POINT IN THE BATTLE AGAINST EXTREMISM.

>> I VERY MUCH WANTED TO TELL MY FELLOW CITIZENS THAT EVEN THOUGH I WAS A VICTIM, I HAD NO HATE I JUST WANTED TO PREVENT THOSE EVENTS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN.

>> Reporter: NOT ALL OF THE RELATIVES PARTICIPATING IN THE CONFERENCE WANTED TO BE IDENTIFIED. BUT THE SENSE OF SOLIDARITY COULD BE INSTRUMENTAL IN HELPING MORE PARENTS TO GO PUBLIC. MICHAEL EVANS MADE IT CLEAR THAT ISLAM WAS NOT UNDER ATTACK.

>> NO, IT HASN'T ALTERED MY VIEW OF ISLAM BECAUSE MY BROTHER WASN'T PRACTICING ISLAM. HE WAS PRACTICING A SICK IDEOLOGY THAT JUST HIDES BEHIND ISLAM.

>> Reporter: ACCORDING TO THE PENTAGON, THE NUMBER OF FOREIGN FIGHTERS ENTERING SYRIA AND IRAQ HAS DROPPED BY 90%, DOWN FROM ABOUT 2,000 A MONTH, TO JUST 200. BUT THIS PARIS CONFERENCE HAS BEEN TOLD THAT INTEREST IN JOINING THE ISLAMIC STATE REMAINS ENORMOUS. THE LATEST RESEARCH SHOWS THAT GOOGLE REGISTERS 50,000 SEARCHES A MONTH FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF IS OR HOW TO GET TO SYRIA. BUT EACH OF THESE PEOPLE LEAVES AN ELECTRONIC TRACE, THUS PROVIDING A CHANCE FOR WESTERN SOCIETY TO COUNTER THE ALLURE AND PROPAGANDA OF THE EXTREMISTS AND TO WIN THE WAR FOR HEARTS AND MINDS. THIS SHORT FILM DRAMATIZING THE THREAT OF A WOUNDED ISLAMIST FIGHTER IS AN ATTEMPT TO MATCH THE HIGH PRODUCTION VALUES OF ISLAMIC STATE VIDEOS, AND TO WIN THE WAR OF IDEAS.

>> Reporter: ADAM DEEN, WHO HAS TURKISH HERITAGE, ONCE BELONGED TO ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST MILITANT ISLAMIST GROUPS. HIS OWN INTELLECTUAL CURIOSITY SAVED HIM, BUT HE WORRIES THAT NOT ENOUGH IS BEING DONE TO CONVINCE VULNERABLE YOUNG MUSLIMS TO ABANDON THE PATH OF EXTREMISM.

>> AT THE END OF THE DAY A VERY SMALL MINORITY OF INDIVIDUALS WILL TAKE UP ARMS, WILL TRAVEL TO ISIS. IF WE HAVE A COMMUNITY THAT HAS DEVELOPED A RELIGIOSITY, AND IDENTIFIES THEMSELVES WITH THE ISLAMIC FAITH, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE DEFAULT POSITION FOR A YOUNG MUSLIM IS ISLAMISM AND THIS TYPE OF PURITANICAL ISLAM. AND THE DANGER IS THAT IF THEY DON'T HAVE COUNTER NARRATIVES THEY WILL BE SUSCEPTIBLE. SO A LARGE PORTION OF MUSLIMS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS INTERPRETATION, THIS PERNICIOUS READING.

>> Reporter: NORWEGIAN BJORN ILHER IS COMMITTED TO OPPOSING EXTREMISM IN ALL ITS FORMS. HE RETURNED TO THE ISLAND OF UTOYA WHERE THE RIGHT WING FANATIC ANDERS BREIVIK GUNNED DOWN 69 YOUNG PEOPLE AT A POLITICAL SUMMER CAMP. BREIVIK SHOT AT ILHER BUT MISSED. ILHER BELIEVES SIMILAR METHODS CAN NEUTRALIZE BOTH THE ULTRA RIGHT AND ISLAMISTS.

>> ALL FORMS OF EXTREMISM ARE VERY SIMILAR IN MANY WAYS. EXTREMISM THRIVES ON THE SAME KIND OF FACTORS REGARDLESS OF WHAT IDEOLOGY IS TITLED. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY IDEOLOGY VERY QUICKLY BECOMES AN EXCUSE ESSENTIALLY FOR BEING VIOLENT. THE ISSUES WE NEED TO ADDRESS ARE NOT NECESSARILY THEOLOGICAL ISSUES, BUT RATHER THE IDEOLOGICAL ISSUE OF VIOLENCE AND HOW VIOLENCE IS BEING USED FOR POLITICAL MEANS.

>> Reporter: ILHER SHARES THE VIEW OF SOME EXPERTS THAT BOMBING THE SO CALLED ISLAMIC STATE WILL LEAD TO MORE RADICALIZATION. BUT FORMER BRITISH GOVERNMENT MINISTER PAULINE NEVILLE JONES DISAGREES.

>> IF YOU USE FORCE THERE WILL OF COURSE BE THOSE WHO THINK THIS IS A GOOD REASON FOR JOINING THE JIHAD. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT DAESH IS ACTUALLY TO DESTROY ITS CLAIM TO CONSTITUTE A STATE, TO BE A CALIPHATE, BECAUSE IT'S A MAJOR PART OF THEIR APPEAL. WE WON SOME TERRITORY. WE ARE A REAL STATE FORCE. WE HAVE ACTUALLY TO DESTROY THAT BECAUSE IT'S VERY INSIDIOUS, IT'S VERY POWERFUL.

>> Reporter: THE BATTLE AGAINST ISIS MAYBE PRIMARILY MILITARY, BUT KAROLINA DAM BELIEVES MOTHERS LIKE HER CAN PLAY A VITAL ROLE.

>> FOR ME HERE, I MISS HIM LIKE CRAZY. I REALLY DO. I JUST WISH HE WAS HERE. I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO TALK MORE WITH HIM ABOUT HIS RELIGION AND WHAT HE WANTS TO DO, AND HOW I CAN BE A BETTER PART IN HIS LIFE. WE WERE VERY CLOSE, ME AND MY BOY. BUT OBVIOUSLY NOT CLOSE ENOUGH. OTHERWISE HE WOULD HAVE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS DOUBLE LIFE.

>> Reporter: PARIS MAYBE PEACEFUL ONCE AGAIN, BUT THERE REMAIN FEARS THAT SOMEWHERE SOON IN EUROPE, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER BATACLAN. FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, I'M MALCOLM BRABANT IN PARIS.

>> Sreenivasan: NOW, AN UNDERDOG STORY FOR THE AGES. THE ENGLISH SOCCER TEAM LEICESTER CITY CAME INTO THIS SEASON AS OVERWHELMING LONG- SHOTS, BUT NOW, AFTER DEFYING ALL THE ODDS, EXIT AS THEIR COUNTRY'S OVERALL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS. THE ANTICIPATION BUILT, AND THEN... [CHEERS] PLAYERS FROM LEICESTER CITY ERUPTED IN CHEERS, CELEBRATING THE TEAM'S FIRST LEAGUE TITLE-- EVER-- AFTER 132 YEARS. THE FOXES WERE A 5,000-TO-ONE SHOT, BUT THEY WON WHEN SECOND PLACE TOTTENHAM PLAYED TO A TIE IN ITS GAME ON MONDAY. WITH THAT, THE PARTY SPILLED OVER INTO THE STREETS OF LEICESTER.

>> I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR 40 YEARS OF SUPPORTING LEICESTER CITY. UNBELIEVABLE, AND WE'VE DONE IT.

>> I MEAN, THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS WHO WE ARE NOW, THAT'S IMPORTANT. MAYBE THE AMERICANS CAN LEARN TO PRONOUNCE LEICESTER PROPERLY AS WELL.

>> Sreenivasan: IT'S BEEN AN IMPROBABLE RUN FOR A TEAM THAT HAD BARELY AVOIDED DEMOTION FROM THE ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE-- THE COUNTRY'S TOP CIRCUIT. WINNING THE TITLE WAS AN EVEN LONGER SHOT THAN THE U.S. HOCKEY TEAM'S "MIRACLE" WIN OVER THE SOVIET UNION IN THE 1980 OLYMPICS. MUCH OF THE TEAM'S SUCCESS HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO ITS JOURNEYMAN MANAGER CLAUDIO RANIERI. BUT HE SAID TODAY THE CREDIT BELONGS TO HIS PLAYERS.

>> HOW HAVE YOU DONE IT, WHAT IS THE SECRET TO LEICESTER'S SUCCESS THIS SEASON?

>> I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW THE SECRET. I THINK THE PLAYERS, THEIR HEART AND SOUL, HOW THEY PLAYED.

>> Sreenivasan: LEICESTER HAS TWO GAMES LEFT TO PLAY, BUT THOSE ARE NOW A FORMALITY. THE TITLE ALSO GUARANTEES THE TEAM A SPOT IN NEXT YEAR'S ALL- EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT. FOR MORE ON THIS UNLIKELY SEASON AND THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN, WE ARE JOINED FROM LONDON BY ANDI THOMPSON WHO COVERS SOCCER FOR S.B. NATION, AN ALL-SPORTS WEBSITE. SO, HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW BIG A MOMENT THIS IS FOR THIS CITY, THIS TOWN.

>> IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE MOMENT FOR LEICESTER THE TOWN, AND LEICESTER THE FOOTBALL CLUB. IT IS SOMETHING THAT ABSOLUTELY NOBODY INVOLVED WITH THE CLUB OR OUTSIDE THE CLUB WOULD HAVE EXPECTED WHEN THE SEASON KICKED OFF. THEY'D HAVE BEEN HOPING FOR, AT BEST, A SOLID MIDTABLE FINISH TO AVOID A RELEGATION STRUGGLE LIKE LAST SEASON. SO, YEAH, THIS WILL HAVE BEEN SURPRISING AS IT WILL HAVE BEEN KIND OF MOVING.

>> Sreenivasan: AND DID THE MOMENTUM BUILD UP THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE U.K., AS THIS POTENTIAL GREW CLOSER?

>> I THINK SO. I THINK THERE'S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT LEICESTER AS FROM A NEUTRAL PERSPECTIVE. THERE'S THE UNLIKELINESS OF THE STORY. THERE'S THE FACT THAT CLAUDIO RANIERI IS A VERY POPULAR PERSONALITY AND MANAGER IN GENERAL. AND SOME OF THE PLAYERS, NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT SOME OF THE PLAYERS ARE QUITE EASY TO WARM TO IN SOME WAYS. SO, YEAH, I THINK THERE'S BEEN I LOT OF OUTSIDE INTEREST PLUS JUST THE NOVELTY OF SEEING SOMEONE OUTSIDE THE NORMAL CLUBS WITH A SHOT OF WINNING THE TITLE IS SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE.

>> Sreenivasan: HOW CRUCIAL WAS THE MANAGER IN ALL THIS? THIS IS A PERSON WHO HAS BEEN IN BIG CLUBS BEFORE.

>> YEAH. AND HE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE CLUB. HE CAME IN-- HE WAS VERY MUCH A SURPRISE APPOINTMENT. THERE WAS A LOT OF SKEPTICISM ABOUT WHETHER HE-- WHETHER HE WAS THE RIGHT PERSON TO STRUGGLE AGAINST RELEGATION. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE RESPECTING TO DO. INSTEAD, HE SEEMS-- HE INHERITED A SQUAD THAT JUST SURVIVED RELEGATION LAST SEASON, AND HE SEEMED TO HAVE CARRIED MOMENT FRUM THAT IMPROBABLE ESCAPE AND UNITED THEM AS A TEAM AND AS A UNIT.

>> Sreenivasan: THIS ISN'T A CLUB THAT HAS BIG SUPERSTARS THAT ARE PAID LAVISH SUMS OF MONEY. THIS IS A PRETTY AVERAGE GROUP OF GUYS.

>> YEAH. I MEAN, BY THE STANDARDS OF ANYONE OUTSIDE FOOTBALL, THEY'RE EXTREMELY WELL PAID PROFESSIONALS, BUT BY THE STANDARDS OF THE LEAGUE THEY'RE COMPETING IN, THEY ARE VERY MUCH FROM THE KIND OF BOTTOM RUNG IN TERMS OF THE WAGES. THE PRAIRIE LEAGUE HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN WON BY ANYBODY OUTSIDE THE KIND OF TOP-WAGE-PAYING CLUBS. AGAIN, THAT'S JUST ANOTHER FACTOR THAT MAKES IS A SURPRISE VICTORY.

>> Sreenivasan: AND, YOU KNOW, YOUR ODDSMAKERS ARE NOT WRONG THAT OFTEN. WHEN SOMEBODY DECIDES TO PLACE 5,000 TO 1 ODDS AGAINST THE TEAM DOING THIS. WHAT HAPPENED? HOW DID THEY GET THE MATH SO WRONG?

>> WELL, I MEAN, THE 5,000 TO 1, THAT'S LONGER ODDS THAN THE LOCH NESS MONSTER OR ELVIS BEING FOUND ALIVE. IF YOU WANT TO THROW 10 POUNDS AWAY IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT. THE FACT THAT IT BECAME A LIVE BET AND A POSSIBILITY IS UNPRESS DEPARTMENTED.

>> Sreenivasan: IS THERE A CLASS DIMENSION TO THIS? I MEAN, IS THIS A WORKING CLASS TOWN? I MEAN, FROM THE FOLKS WE HEARD FROM, VERSUS SOME OF THE ELITE CLUBS AND THE FAN BASE THAT THEY DRAW?

>> CERTAINLY I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT IN THE BIG CLUBS IN THE PREMIERE LEAGUE, THEY MARKET THEMSELVES VERY AGGRESSIVELY AS GLOBAL CLUBS. MANCHESTER UNITED HAS SPONSORS ALL OVER THE WORLD, MANCHESTER CITY HAS TIE-INS NEW YORK AND MELBOURNE. LEICESTER FELLS VERY MUCH LIKE A TIE-IN THE OF WITH THE CLUB AND THE TOWN, IN A SLIGHT OLD FASHIONED WAY, THE WAY ENGLISH FOOTBALL USED TO BE BEFORE IT BECAME STRETCHED BY THE MONEY OF THE PREMIERE LEAGUE. THERE IS DEFINITELY AN ELEMENT THAT IS REFRESHINGLY OLD-FASHIONED ASPECT TO IT.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY, ANY OF THESE PLAYERS GOING TO GO ON AND TRANSFER TORG CLUBS NOW THAT THEIR STOCK HAS IMPROVED?

>> YOU WOULD EXPECT BIG CLUBS TO BE CHASING THEM, CERTAINLY. I THINK RIYADH MAREZ AND CANTE, THERE WILL BE BIG BIDS FOR THEM OVER THE SUMMER. WHETHER THEY GO OR NOT, I DON'T KNOW. LEICESTER, THE CHANCE TO GO INTO THE CHAMPION LEAGUE-- THE PLAYERS ARE QUITE KEY ON ONE ANOTHER AND WORK VERY WELL AS A TEAM. HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL GIVE IT AT LEAST ONE SHOT IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BEFORE THEY ACCEPT THE BIG OFFERS AND MOVE ON.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT ANDI THOMPSON FROM S.B. NATION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: NOW, THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE NEWSHOUR BOOKSHELF. IT'S A VERY PERSONAL LOOK AT THE CHANGING ROLE OF GRANDPARENTS AND COMES FROM LONG-TIME "60 MINUTES" CORRESPONDENT LESLEY STAHL, WHO HAS FULL-HEARTEDLY EMBRACED THE JOB IN HER NEW BOOK, "BECOMING GRANDMA: THE JOYS AND SCIENCE OF THE NEW GRANDPARENTING". I TALKED WITH HER RECENTLY. WELCOME, LESLEY STAHL.

>> THANK YOU, JUDY WOODRUFF.

>> Woodruff: SO WE HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER GOING BACK TO BEING WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS --

>> THE BEGINNING OF TIME, JUDY.

>> Woodruff: THE BEGINNING OF TIME, PRESIDENT CARTER, PRESIDENT REGAN. YOU ARE SHOWING A SIDE OF YOURSELF THAT PEOPLE DON'T SEE ON "60 MINUTES" HERE.

>> WELL, THAT'S TRUE. I DON'T GO AROUND SAYING, "I'M A GRANDMOTHER!" ALTHOUGH I FEEL IT. I FEEL IT. I WANT TO TELL EVERYBODY.

>> Woodruff: I'LL BE HONEST RIGHT UP FRONT, I HAVE SERIOUS GRANDMOTHER ENVY. I'M DYING TO HAVE GRANDCHILDREN. IS IT REALLY AS GREAT AS YOU MAKE IT OUT TO BE?

>> IT'S TWICE AS GREAT AS I MAKE IT OUT TO BE. IT'S-- IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY NEW CHAPTER THAT OPENS UP SUDDENLY, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE TELL YOU IT'S THE BEST THING THAT COULD EVER HAPPEN TO YOU, IT'S-- YOU DON'T-- YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY MEAN UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU. BECAUSE IT'S SO FULL, BODIFUL. IT JUST TAKES YOU OVER IN SUCH AN ELATION WAY, ELATED WAY, THAT YOU JUST CAN'T BELIEVE THIS NEW KIND OF EMOTION THAT YOU'VE NEVER FELT BEFORE.

>> Woodruff: AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU DECIDED TO WRITE ABOUT. I MEAN, YOU COULD WRITE ABOUT YOUR CAREER BJOURNALISM, BUT IT'S THIS.

>> THIS FELT RIGHT. AND THE REASON I DECIDED TO DO IT IS BECAUSE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT EMOTION. WHAT IS THAT? DO ALL GRANDMOTHERS HAVE IT? TURNS OUT THEY DO. AND WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT? WHY DOES IT COME FROM? AND ONCE I STARTED LOOKING AT THAT, THEN ALL THESE DIFFERENT AVENUES OPENED UP TO ME. THERE'S A WHOLE CHAPTER ON STEP-GRANDMOTHERS AND I DISCOVERED THERE ARE NAN GRANNY NANNIES-- WOMEN TAKING CARE OF THEIR GRANDCHILDREN ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, SATURDAYS, HELPING THEIR KIDS OUT. THE WHOLE WORLD OPENED UP.

>> Woodruff: SO MUCH OF THE PREMISE OF THIS, LESLIE, IS THAT THIS IS A NEW ERA OF GRANDPARENTING. GRANDMOTHERS TODAY ARE NOT WHAT OUR GRANDPARENTS WERE. AND YOU WRITE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US HAVE HAD CAREERS. YOU WRITE ABOUT OUR HAND COLOR IS DIFFERENT.

>> WE DON'T PLAY CANASTA. WE GO TO WORK. YOU KNOW, BABY BOOMERS ARE KIND OF THE SEPARATE SPECIES OF HUMAN BEING. AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT BABY BOOMERS IS THAT WE WANT TO BE YOUNG. LET'S FACE IT. AND WE'RE YOUNG GRANDPARENTS, BECAUSE WE'RE BABY BOOMERS. AND, OF COURSE, WE DETERMINE EVERYTHING AS WE GO THROUGH OUR HISTORY. WE'RE SUCH A BIG BULGE. WE'RE YOUNG. WE'RE ENERGETIC. WE'RE SPENDING INFINITELY MORE MONEY ON OUR GRANDCHILDREN THAN GRANDPARENTS OF OLD. I SAW A STATISTIC THE OTHER DAY-- IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE BOOK-- GRANDPARENTS TODAY SPEND SEVEN TIMES MORE ON THEIR GRANDCHILDREN THAN THEY DID JUST 10 YEARS AGO. SO-- ?RG PART OF YOUR TITLE IS "THE JOYS AND THE SCIENCE OF THE NEW GRANDPARENTING."

>> OH, YEAH.

>> Woodruff: IS THAT WISHFUL THINKING?

>> NO, NO. WHAT WAS THAT FEELING I HAD? WELL, I WAS STUNNED TO DISCOVER AND DELIGHTED THAT THERE ARE BIOLOGICAL CHANGES THAT GO ALONG WHEN YOU'RE A MOTHER, BUT GRANDMOTHERS HAVE SOMETHING SIMILAR. AND IT'S REAL. WHAT YOU'RE FEELING IS A CHANGE IN YOUR BODY. YOU'RE BEING REWIRED TO CONNECT TO THIS BABY.

>> Woodruff: IT'S NOT JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE CUTE AND CUDDLY.

>> WELL, IT'S ALSO BECAUSE THEY'RE CUTE AND CUDDLY, BUT THEY'RE YOURS. THERE'S A REAL BINDING THAT GOES ON THERE.

>> Woodruff: YOU WERE JUST TELLING ME THE COVER PICTURE, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE SITTING THERE AND YOU'RE READING TO YOUR GRANDDAUGHTERS.

>> IT LOOKS THAT WAY, RIGHT? SO THEY WOULDN'T COOPERATE. THEY WOULD NOT BOTH SIT QUIETLY TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME. SO WE PUT AN iPHONE-- WE TAPED IT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK, AND THEY'RE WATCHING "FROZEN." IT'S THE ONLY-- AND I THINK THAT'S THE ONLY PICTURE WE GOT WHERE THEY WERE BOTH COOPERATING.

>> Woodruff: YOU DO FOCUS SO MUCH IN THE BOOK, LESLIE ON, THE POS TIFDZ OF GRANDPARENTING. AND YOU'VE HAD A VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE.

>> I HAVE.

>> Woodruff: BUT WE ALL KNOW THERE ARE GRANDPARENTS OUT THERE WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON, AREN'T BEING ALLOWED TO SEE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, WHO ARE FORCED TO COMPLETELY RAISE THEIR GRANDCHILDREN UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. IT'S A MIXED PICTURE, ISN'T IT?

>> WELL, I WRITE ABOUT THAT AND DISCOVERED IT ACTUALLY. I'VE BEEN ASKED WHAT'S THE THING THAT MOST SURPRISED ME. AND THAT GRANDPARENTS ARE DENIED ACCESS TO THEIR OWN GRANDCHILDREN, WHICH IS FAIRLY PREVALENT, REALLY SURPRISED ME AND SHOCKED ME. IT'S-- I GET-- I ACTUALLY GET PAINED EVEN TELLING YOU ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE GRANDMOTHERS WHO ADMITTED IT TO ME-- AND A LOT OF THEM ARE ASHAMED ABOUT THIS-- TOLD ME WITH TEARS STREAMING DOWN THEIR FACES. IT'S A HORRIBLE THING.

>> Woodruff: THIS BOOK, LESLIE, IT'S A VERY PERSONAL STORY. I MEAN, IT IS VERY MUCH ABOUT YOUR OWN FAMILY, YOUR GRANDCHILDREN, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR MOTHER. WHAT KIND OF A GRANDMOTHER SHE WAS. YOU ALSO WRITE ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND, AARON LATHAM, AND YOU OPENLY SAY IS DEALING WITH PARKINSON'S. SO THERE'S A LOT YOU LAY BARE HERE, ISN'T THERE?

>> WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS-- ONE OF THE REASONS I WROTE. MY OWN RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MOTHER-- WHICH WAS A LITTLE DIFFICULT-- UNLIKE MINE WITH MY DAUGHTER, WHICH IS WONDERFUL. BUT MY MOTHER AND I CLASHED A LOT. BUT SHE WAS A COMPLETELY BESOTTED GRANDMOTHER. I WOULD LOOK AT HER AND SAY, "WHO IS THAT?" AND I HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER FROM WOMEN MY AGE. "MY MOTHER IS SO DIFFERENT WITH MY CHILDREN." AND THAT'S PART OF BEING A GRANDMOTHER. YOU GO FROM BEING WHO YOU ARE TO BEING A MUSHBALL, LIKE THAT. PEOPLE SAY, WHO IS HE?" WE DON'T KNOW OURSELVES. WE GET SO MUSHY. AND THIS IS PART OF THE REASON I WANTED TO WRITE IT. THEY JUST SOFTEN US COMPLETELY.

>> Woodruff: YOU CAN BE-- I GUESS PART OF THE MESSAGE IS YOU CAN BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF GRANDMOTHER FROM THE KIND OF MOTHER YOU WERE?

>> TOTALLY DIFFERENT. AND IT'S OUT OF YOUR CONTROL, EVEN YOU DIDN'T WANT TO BE.

>> Woodruff: I WAS STRUCK AT THE END, YOU URGE DPRPS TO JUMP IN IF THEY'RE NOT ALREADY INVOLVED IN THE LIVES OF THEIR GRANDCHILDREN, AND URGE PARENTS, LIKEWISE, TO LET THEIR OWN PARENTS BE INVOLVED.

>> WELL, CHILDREN TODAY, YOUNG PARENTS, NEED OUR HELP BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT MAKING MUCH MONEY. THEY'RE BOTH WORKING. THEY'RE SUFFERING ECONOMICALLY. SO THEY NEED OUR HELP. THOSE BABIES NEED THEIR GRANDPARENTS. WE ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THEIR DEVELOPMENT. AND WE NEED THEM BECAUSE THEY MAKE US HEALTHIER. AND SO IT'S A WIN-WIN-WIN. WHY NOT?

>> Woodruff: WELL, THERE ARE SOME GREAT STORIES HERE LESLEY STAHL, THE JOYS AND THE SCIENCE OF THE NEW GRANDPARENTING." THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> THANK YOU, JUDY.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY, THE LATEST IN OUR OCCASIONAL SERIES ON POETS AND WHAT INSPIRES THEM. TONIGHT: OCEAN VUONG, RECENTLY CHOSEN FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS WHITING AWARD. HIS NEW BOOK "NIGHT SKY WITH EXIT WOUNDS" EXPLORES THE LEGACY OF THE VIETNAM WAR AND THE POWER OF ORAL HISTORY.

>> SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY WELL HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE THE FIRST POET, AND I SAY I'M NOT THE FIRST POET. I COME FROM A LONG LINE OF POETS. THEY WERE NOT DOCUMENTED. AND IT'S INTERESTING HOW POEMS ARE CARRIED FROM ONE CULTURE TO ANOTHER. IN VIETNAM, ONE NEEDS THE BODY TO REMEMBER THE POEM, SING THE POEMS AND PASS THEM ALONG. WHEREAS IN OUR AMERICAN CULTURE, THE INFORMATION IS PASSED THROUGH BOOKS. AND SO I JUST FEEL LIKE I'M ADAPTING TO ANOTHER CULTURE, BUT I'M DOING THE SAME WORK THAT MY FAMILY HAS BEEN DOING. MY GRANDMOTHER, YOU KNOW SHE WAS A RICE FARMER. IN A SENSE ALL VIETNAMESE FARMERS WERE POETS, BECAUSE WHILE THEY WERE WORKING THEY SANG, AND THE SONGS HELPED THE RHYTHM OF THE HARVESTING AND THE SEEDING OF THE FIELDS. BUT ALSO THE DAILY NEWS OF LIFE, WHO GOT MARRIED TO WHOM, WHOSE CROPS ARE DOING WELL. AND ULTIMATELY WHEN THE WAR CAME, WHERE THE BOMBS WERE FALLING, WERE THESE NEWS STARTED TO-- INFORMATION STARTED TO COME INTO THE RHYMING COUPLETS IN THE POEMS AND THE SONGS. AND THIS IS HOW INFORMATION WAS PASSED. IN THE POEM "AUBADE WITH BURNING CITY," I TOOK IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS, THE LYRICS, AND WOVE IT THROUGH A SCENE ABOUT THE COLLAPSE OF SAIGON. NOW WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD TELL ME ABOUT THE COLLAPSE OF SAIGON, SHE WOULD SAY, "SAIGON, THIS SOUNDS VERY STRANGE, BUT I REMEMBER IT FELL DURING THE SNOW SONG." AND AS A CHILD LISTENING TO THAT, IT WAS SO SURREAL TO ME. THAT WAS THE SONG THAT WAS USED AS A CODED MESSAGE FOR AMERICAN PERSONNEL TO EVACUATE. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THE CITY FALLING APART DURING THIS BEAUTIFUL CELEBRATORY SONG, "I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS." "OUTSIDE, A SOLDIER SPITS OUT HIS CIGARETTE AS FOOTSTEPS FILL THE SQUARE LIKE STONES FALLEN FROM THE SKY." MAY ALL YOUR CHRISTMASES BE WHITE AS THE TRAFFIC GUARD UNSTRAPS HIS HOLSTER. HIS FINGERS RUNNING THE HEM OF HER WHITE DRESS. A SINGLE CANDLE. THEIR SHADOWS: TWO WICKS. A MILITARY TRUCK SPEEDS THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, CHILDREN SHRIEKING INSIDE. A BICYCLE HURLED THROUGH A STORE WINDOW. WHEN THE DUST RISES, A BLACK DOG LIES PANTING IN THE ROAD. ITS HIND LEGS CRUSHED INTO THE SHINE OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS. WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER PASSED AWAY IN 2008, I WANTED TO PRESERVE THAT MEMORY LANDSCAPE ON PAPER. I WAS FACED WITH WHERE TO BREAK HER LINES. AND OF COURSE THE ORAL TRADITION DOES NOT OFFER A PAGE. IN A WAY I WAS COLLABORATING WITH THIS-- WITH MY GRANDMOTHER BEYOND HER LIFE. WHEN WE IMMIGRATE TO AMERICA, ALL SHE HAD WERE THESE SONGS AND POEMS. MY MOTHER WAS ALSO ILLITERATE. HER FATHER WAS AN AMERICAN VETERAN, IS AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHEN WE ARRIVED IN AMERICA, SHE WENT RIGHT INTO THE NAIL SALON TO WORK MANUAL LABOR. SHE MADE IT HER GOAL TO TEACH ME HOW TO WRITE. AND THE POEM, THE GIFT, IS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE SHE ONLY KNEW A.B.C, THREE LETTERS. BUT SHE WOULD HAVE ME WRITE THOSE LETTERS ANYWAY. "A, B, C A, B, C A-- THE PENCIL SNAPS. THE "B" BURSTING ITS BELLY AS DARK DUST BLOWS THROUGH A BLUE-LINED SKY. "DON'T MOVE," SHE SAYS, AS SHE PICKS A WING BONE OF GRAPHITE FROM THE YELLOW CARCASS, SLIDES IT BACK BETWEEN MY FINGERS. WE LOOK AT THIS WALL, THE INTERESTING AND TENSE RELATIONSHIP I HAVE WITH THE WAR IS THAT WITHOUT IT I WOULDN'T BE HERE. AND IF I WERE TO TURN AROUND AND WALK DOWN THIS MEMORIAL AND FIND MY GRANDFATHER'S NAME, I WOULDN'T BE ALIVE IF HIS NAME WAS THERE. THE FACTS AND THE TRUTHS OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN, IS TO BE INVOLVED IN THIS. AND THAT PERHAPS, IT'S SEEMINGLY SO STRANGE THAT A WAR IN VIETNAM AND AN AMERICAN SOLDIER WOULD BRING CAUSE TO A POET LIKE ME, A VIETNAMESE-AMERICAN POET. "WHEN THEY ASK YOU WHERE YOU'RE FROM, TELL THEM YOUR NAME WAS FLESHED FROM THE TOOTHLESS MOUTH OF A WAR-WOMAN. THAT YOU WERE NOT BORN BUT CRAWLED, HEADFIRST-- INTO THE HUNGER OF DOGS. MY SON, TELL THEM THE BODY IS A BLADE THAT SHARPENS BY CUTTING. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER OUT OF VIOLENCE, TRYING TO DO THEIR BEST TO MAKE MEANING OUT OF THEIR EXISTENCE.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU CAN READ MORE OF OCEAN VUONG'S WORK-- ALONG WITH ALL OF OUR POETRY COVERAGE ON OUR WEBSITE. THAT'S AT pbs.org/newshour/poetry. TUNE IN TONIGHT ON PBS. "FRONTLINE" HAS DOCUMENTARIES FROM INSIDE TWO OF THE WORLD'S MOST WAR-TORN AREAS. "YEMEN UNDER SIEGE" FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN TOLL IN THE CHAOS OF WAR IN THAT COUNTRY, WHILE "BENGHAZI IN CRISIS" DOCUMENTS THE BATTLE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT FORCES AND ISIS MILITANTS IN LIBYA'S SECOND LARGEST CITY.

>> Woodruff: AND LATER ON "POINT TAKEN"-- WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOUR BOSS MAKES? SHOULD SALARIES BE TRANSPARENT? CARLOS WATSON SITS DOWN WITH THE C.E.O. WHO SET HIS COMPANY'S MINIMUM WAGE AT $70,000 A YEAR. THAT'S "POINT TAKEN" AT 11:00 ON MOST PBS STATIONS. ON THE NEWSHOUR ONLINE: WHAT GETS LOST WHEN A COMPANY OUTSOURCES? ITS NEW EMPLOYEE SELECTION PROCESS? IN THIS WEEK'S "ASK THE HEADHUNTER" COLUMN, READ HOW EMPLOYERS, AND THOSE THEY ARE HIRING, SUFFER WHEN COMPANIES DON'T TAKE HIRING INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. ALL THAT AND MORE IS ON OUR WEB SITE: pbs.org/newshour.

>> Sreenivasan: AND THAT'S THE NEWSHOUR FOR TONIGHT. I'M HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Woodruff: AND I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. JOIN US ONLINE AND AGAIN HERE TOMORROW EVENING. FOR ALL OF US AT THE PBS NEWSHOUR, THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

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>> PLANNING A VACATION ESCAPE THAT IS RELAXING, INVITING, AND EXCITING IS A LOT EASIER THAN YOU THINK. YOU CAN FIND IT HERE IN ARUBA. FAMILIES, COUPLES, AND FRIENDS CAN ALL FIND THEIR ESCAPE ON THE