The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

as bitten was ben was b sam and arun good evening i'm jim lehrer on the newshour tonight are summary of the mayors then full coverage of the president's decision to lift tariffs on imported steel with the launch of a new campaign snapshot series with howard dean in iowa and the growing national debate over gay marriage the editorial writers in chicago san francisco boston and augusta georgia major funding for the newshour with jim lehrer has been provided by something's beautiful as christians

and by the spca companies one hundred twenty five years of getting the job done after one hundred twenty five years we are just getting stuck on the car this program was possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to this edition from viewers like you think you need the bush administration lifted its tariffs on foreign steel today and also announced a monitoring program to guard against the new flood of steel imports the president impose the charity's twenty months ago to help the american steel industry but last month the world trade organization ruled the effort was illegal european nations threatened to retaliate against us products by mid december and a statement today mr bush said the safeguard measures have now achieved their purpose and

as a result of change the economic circumstances it is time to lift them we'll have more on this story in a moment secretary state how urged nato to take a more prominent role in iraq to date the war cause the divisions in the alliance that at least sixteen current and future nato members now have personnel in iraq and brussels belgium today powell said he had hoped that commitment would grow not a single member of the vote against the war talked about the reasons not to do it the question really was surely not in the interim in the immediate near term focus on afghanistan and think about what we might be able to do that in the coming months some time perhaps next year nato forces are planning to expand operations in afghanistan and in kabul today defense secretary rumsfeld out a surge in taliban attacks would not

derail national elections the voting is set for june palestinian militant groups opened formal talks in egypt today on a new ceasefire with israel in turn israel signaled it might accept a truce a top defense official said israeli forces could scale back operations in the west bank and gaza if the militants stop their attacks the auto and insurance industries announced new crash safety standards today for vehicles sold in the united states they're meant to protect smaller cars in collisions with sport utility vehicles automakers may redesigned the front ends on s u visa so they don't slow i'd over the bumpers of other vehicles at most companies will and side impact airbags as standard equipment the standards are voluntary but in washington and insurance official predicted most out oil companies will comply there seems to be no disagreement there if we see evidence of manufacturers somehow looking

to escape from some of these commitments or use loopholes will be the first to publicly complain because our credibility is on the line here the changes could cost at least three hundred hours of beer cooler to be phased in between two thousand seven and two thousand and nine the international olympic committee agreed today to we test urine samples from the two thousand two winter olympics in salt lake city the screening at forty hg astaire or that improves an athlete's performance its existence was discovered this past summer also today baseball star barry bonds became the latest athlete to go before a federal grand jury in san francisco a panel is investigating a bay area lab as the possible source a t h j bonds has denied taking steroids investigators in for a raided the offices of rush limbaugh's dr today a search warrant alleged the radio commentator engaged in illegal

doctor shopping you obtained prescription painkillers landau has not been charged with anything and today he denied any wrongdoing the environmental protection agency offered new rules today on air pollution from power plants and factories the goal is to reduce emissions that form smog and soot by forty to seventy percent and the cuts would be in place by two thousand fifteen but the natural resources defense council and other environmental groups god for even larger reductions rules are now open for public comment on wall street today the dow jones industrial average gained fifty seven points to close above ninety nine thirty the nasdaq rose more than eighty points to close above nineteen sixty eight that's it for the most honored tonight now it's on to the steel decision being in iowa and the gay marriage debate as president

listens tariffs on imported steel spencer michaels begins our coverage today's decision cancels as of midnight tonight tariffs imposed last year to protect the alien domestic steel industry steel producers have complained that cheap imports threaten their livelihood it's the tariffs which would make foreign steel more expensive and therefore american steel more competitive were supposed to last for three year it's enough time for the industry to recover us allies around the world called foul china south korea japan and russia said the tariffs were unfair and unacceptable and the european union which produces twenty five percent of the steel imported into the us reacted this way says that's a fall this is a particular case or the americans has clearly placement of vested interests over the international laws to which they have subscribed

soon some nations threatened retaliation say made levee their own tariffs on us goods such as textiles and it's actually in the southern states and citrus products from florida and california at a meeting last month a three member world trade organization panel ruled the american tariffs on steel illegal and said it would permit more than two billion dollars in retaliatory tariffs the rizzi is not just abroad but here at home the issue of terrorists is likely to play into the two thousand for presidential campaign steel producers who benefit from the tariffs are centered in the mid atlantic states of pennsylvania ohio and west virginia important battlegrounds in past elections industries that use steel and impose tariffs are in hotly contested midwestern states such as michigan minnesota and wisconsin of late the tariff issue has been high on the president's agenda on monday he met with small business people in michigan who oppose the

tarps they're firms you steal to manufacture products like car parts and appliances and the next day he attended a fundraiser in pittsburgh pennsylvania called steel city was hosted by the ceo of us steel who had pushed for the tax cut the president steered clear of the hot button issue and instead lot of growing us economy productivity is business investment is rising housing construction is wrong the economic stimulus package that we passed out the united states congress is working outside the hotel about three hundred steel workers brave freezing temperatures and fresh president this afternoon us trade representative robert zoellick to justify the decision saying the tariffs have accomplished their mission during the twenty one months they were in effect to safeguard deftly provided the industry workers were needed breathing

space and to its credit much of the industry's use this time well the bulk of the restructuring it was necessary to make the industry more competitive he's now taken place was pressed by reporters on whether politics played into the decisions that your article you were an open in sendai mr terrace are pretty low i won't open our peoples markets you gotta listen to people in terms of the need to give them a chance to get back on their feet and take an odyssey that helps you with congressional politics in terms of trying to get support for trade so large my job involves international politics that domestic politics economics that's the whole immigration system so the shore in that sense the politics are part of trying to accomplish an agenda one key player in that political fight the steel manufacturers said they were disappointed in a statement us steel said this decision will only make it harder to deal with the underlying problems distorting the global steel market pennsylvania

republican congressman phil english also called the decision disappointing but said he blamed the world trade organization that present yeah i understand how we got here as disappointed as i am i and i think the real villain of the piece is clearly the wto meanwhile the reaction from abroad was immediate the european union called the decision good news and said it would suspend any retaliatory tariffs for the reaction now from leo gerard president of the united steelworkers of america representing nearly one million working and retired member he's in the united states he joined us from pittsburgh and lois leibowitz chief counsel of the consuming industry's trade action correlation the coalition represents business consumers of steel mr gerard you do you make a statement and then you said today's decision was a trail of americans do workers how is that sir oliphant we're very very concerned that it would appear

that the president has capitulated to the european economic union and the japanese who are in fact it's responsible for a lot of the dumping a lot of the illegal trade in a gun on the other problem and is in fact that we have a trade surplus from the european community japanese and we have a deficit with them and then lastly but certainly not least we in that regard they have a safeguard of their own on steel into japan into the european community itself the restructuring of the steelers are is not over there were in fact five bankruptcy since the tariff have been put in place restructuring as non event it's a process and we have two hundred and forty thousand retirees were counting on a successful steel industry and this will make that that much harder will it how will it affect them what we bargained the substantial profit sharing that would go into a trust fund to buy benefits for those

retirees of almost a quarter of a million retirees who lost their benefits through forty three bankruptcies and seventeen liquidations now with the turf removed it will own a lot of instability for the industry it will lead at a much more complicated process of ongoing restructuring consolidation we still have something like seventeen steel companies in bankruptcy trying to work their way out five new ones that win and says the tariff command and we've gotta return those companies to profitability so the profits can go into the trust fund to get some benefits for these folks some of arabia nine years old these are the folks had fought in the second world war in korea and vietnam these are folks that built the steel that built the towers and built the bridges and made this a strong country and it's not just about steel giant it's also about industrial manufacturing we went step following the us trade laws through hundred thirty plus dumping case is that we want something everyone we push

for a two one investigation because of the dumping cases were working and the eitc hell the international trade commission held an investigation they recommended unanimously for one of the few times in their history that the president take a safeguard action so we followed the law and then the president put in a three step program step one was a three year declining curve step two was trying to negotiate at the oecd a reduction in the global overcapacity an unfair subsidies thirdly was to encourage the union and the industry to take part in the consolidation we've held up our end of the bargain and now because of threats from europe and japan it appears the president has capitulated to themselves and make life much more difficult it was really word so for you on the people you represent this is happiness are correct it's a great day for steel consumers ended the us still consumers in the united states who represent about twelve million workers stood up and argued for their interest to be considered along side of the head of the

steel industry the president made a fair decision based on all the facts that i beat your decision was one of those facts but chief among those facts in our view is the plight of steel consumers who had that if i'm so consumers who are you who are you talking about the her company is about a hundred thousand businesses in the united states who use steel and manufacturing employment twelve million workers nationwide in every state now how is this decision today affect them until this time they are still consumers had to pay higher prices than their foreign competitors who make products out of steel auto parts break parts appliances and electric motors and so for many thousands of products and they were rendered uncompetitive globally and a lot of business was flowing are sure to offshore companies that is still manufacturing still steel users were a big loser from the tariff policy and that it was time to get rid of them now this decision gabaldon you a week we're clearly learning ensure we hear

his position a comeback your promise with her that but this means to this decision today means that that that the people who you steal to make things are going to get be able to buy steel at a cheaper price they'll be a lullaby globally competitive prices which may be cheaper than they are today or maybe more expensive but they are cheaper than they otherwise be in addition to that though many steel products aren't available in the united states or are available in sufficient quantity and still uses who need those products will be able to get them on the global market where they're available now what do you think of the argument we just heard from mr gerard entered the what he said was going to happen to his faith his folks and politically the retirees as a result of that but many retirees have been disadvantaged by the plight of the steel industry and that's not true just the steel industry bible in many industries have declining active workers and a great deal of the great number of retirees steel industries one of those yes but i think that most of those workers their fate is

no longer tied to the fate of individual steel companies we need a steel industry we will have one the healthy companies will be able to pay their own responsibility for health care for retired workers an active workers and for pensions but it's time to consider the rest of the economy too and that's why this is such a different city do you agree with richard gerard that whatever your position maybe on today's decision it will result in fewer us steel companies and fewer steel workers and fewer and less money in this part he's talking about the repairs to workers is it just inevitable but it is inevitable that there will be a struggle in that regard i think that if you if you look at the facts and you'll see that the benefit of continuing the terrace from this point onward would be very marginal in comparison to the harm that would do to the rest of it can harm in what way again higher prices more jobs going off shore as the price ways for companies most of whom are small businesses in the united states losing business

offshore too competitors and that their pensions and their health care going on tour with the future or what about that your get your pictures one the bigger picture according to mister a little wood says is is better it's more upbeat as a result of what happened little about me i was i was anxious to get in because of louis' misconstruing and actually sending on some misinformation first and foremost lewis's group represents the importers not necessarily consumers suffer secondly that steel presented a measurable before you go on in the people who buy steal some of that is formed from oil from overseas summit from our domestic makers as are the balls of our group is of americans still using manufacturers not the importers of their arsenal porters and amber you're going after but in an act and the price and the price of steel has fallen continuously since the imposition of the tariff the reason

steel prices peaked around the terror of time as they were twenty five million tons of steel production shut down in bankruptcy of tv was one we brought that back with it we save the family say i asked you what i say but it will still group an international student we saved a number of these companies and without production came back on supply came back on prices drop the other thing that list and talk about is always seven percent of the steel consumed in the united states was covered by the tariff it was a three year declining care of where the last sixteen months roughly and in the last twelve months you could buy still in america made in america cheaper than it could by stealing year maybe a year and the reason that that came about this through the tariffs were able to participate in a meaningful restructuring of the steel industry to return at the profitability so we can have re investment in the industry and the two international still group us steel and a couple of others

almost four billion dollars was reinvested many as yet week we were able to take some of those profits and i'll take them to a trust fund and that's just not gonna happen now and then we're still selling still in united states cheaper lewison says importers can bring influence that their of the importers again prices went up for the last nine months of last year they peaked at the end of last year and they are now headed up again there is a short including the real world equivalent when you guys this is really the world giving your you all know the lingo another world we're so when you say prices going up with a line up where for whom they're down rice's ard price increases haven't announced effective january first well the major steel producers in the united states for shipments as of january first they are sticking other words the price increases are being accepted in the market but there is a looming shortage mostly because of increased demand abroad especially in

china so that they have the combination of that it is a market and the continued terrace would be devastating for americans what is it your position mr gerardo so to put it simply that these terror should remain on for ever or that you wanted him to play out the two thousand and five that as originally planned we we wanted them to play out the two thousand and five and that and the reason is that we worked with all of these steel come is to help create new business models new business plans and then when we negotiated collector agreement based on those business models and business plans now that that's pulled out from under us the business plans in the miles we put in place to help our members mary terese or god and when will those talks about rising prices we need to say relative to build and the rising prices are rising everywhere but you can still buy steel in the united states you really can in europe cheaper you can and japan to bring a can lot of south american countries that we've taken our production of activity down that

we can prove still in almost every major us know around one to one after an hour for ten minutes is amongst the best in the world than if i finally understood it was for or goad this is this goes into effect at midnight tonight that her what will be the immediate effect if any i think in your immediate thought to be largely psychological we don't expect a huge influx of steel imports and immediately takes several months for imports to be delivered once they're ordered so old the united states needs imports twenty five to thirty million tons a year because we don't make enough steel in this country to satisfy demand into imported been too low they they will go up some little take a while rocha immediate effect the psychological common sight of a fur muff thank you still to come on the newshour tonight a campaign snapshot from iowa an editorial opinions on gay marriage but first this is public on public television were taken a short break now so your public television

station can ask for your support that support helps keep programs like ours on the air for those haitians not taken a pledge break the newshour continues now with a seasoned dancer interview with rock star an aids activist llano he was in washington to push for more aids funding you call this the most extraordinary year in the history of development assistance why or say he knew few years ago i'd be laughter of what we talked about it's getting and you're at work and you really was a phrase africans don't have wristwatches to excuse was not getting drugs like even if their lives and those africans couldn't take those drawings and in fact the turnout that they have better and

adhering to their drug regimens than europeans are our mac with them this year would it were getting groped people that that that's that's one thing i think the lessons would double its foreign assistance and this year that starts on some that are no action it will double its exhibits for assistance to africa this year but on the overall foreign assistance it's still a huge jump might be the biggest in and forty years so that's a result mama rock stars and their student activists and i think of these injuries to us but actually the board with church folk soccer moms regular americans it's in corporate america people are getting together and we've got as they say in dc at the big a big tent on the stage let's talk about a global fund which you mentioned a moment ago the us is the largest single national donor to the global fund but

yet it's been urged to do much more is the united states doing enough and what really should all donor countries be doing to support the global fund it's not fear to compare the united states with the uk or france say we're doing more than anyone else it's fair to states to europe and in fact his party they're in their contributions to the global health front europe after tasting and a lot more and they're bilateral programs one way as usual reply to that is well private philanthropy in the united states and makes a virtual doesn't inside of probably bill gates and europeans give the sentiment of a bar so i think the americans so wang when it comes to this issue of well of support for that an ideological well formed people can

and dodgers by saying you know work where we're giving up her biological programs the only way to win in the war against aids is is is it will get together it can't be done individually can't even the dumb as individual governments this is an extraordinary thing it's a problem that's really out of control seven a half thousand africans dying every day of this disease twenty three million dead ten million more aids orphans by the end of the decade and it's it's it's really extraordinary as a problem in the analogies is probably medical cancer and metastasize is so he actually cost you more money the longer you leave it to get the air the problem under control and global health fund is the smart money i don't like you know an achievable goals airy fairy idea female

world peace you know i've grown or you know i'm not a hippie it's the second site by moons and there will be a day when an aids is resigned to the sorting rubbish bin of history how will history described this moment in time i wouldn't describe loss and there is more dismal is more the question you know how well many people will die well in the meantime before a vaccine was discovered and many people we decide no you can't go on these drugs week but you can go on the end and how will history look at how history judges how god judges if we have a moment of unimaginable prosperity in the history of civilization we let an entire continent and good and a toilet and that's where the questions it now the first of many presidential

campaigns snapshots we planted broadcast over the next several months on the democratic side will focus mostly on the front runners as they make their case to voters first in iowa and new hampshire we begin with an excerpt from a recent howard dean appearance in up on what i know you have the power to take this country that the president has forgotten ordinary americans you have the power to take his party back make a stand up or some again sunni tragedy democrats and together we have the power to take the white house back in two thousand for and that is exactly what this thanks very much have a comments questions including martin mrs sims and those nine in iraq as well as you know as i said in the speech i think was regarded the first was divorcing are being heated netting foreign policy experience will look like how they'll have enough foreign policy experience is mostly composed of patients and judgment to

figure out it was a mistake to go there i want to do that we don't want leave iraq were dangerously as they said was we found so many that we're going to create an international reconstruction effort that of an american occupation and cry just because i have a son who's serving bearing his time has been extended also have this that was a senior in college and i need to know about the economy and what we're going to do to get some of this this going for these this generation coming into the work with the liberals or the attack by george bush who at ronald reagan came out now i wouldn't understand his deliverance country all those reasons that is the greatest country on the face of the earth the largest middle class of this year the biggest problems cutting the long term is a growing gap between those who have everything george was very rote and those are rapidly losing their middle class status is tougher and tougher to make a living in this country and we'll stop that were neutral and ha moment passes been very

successful at that because again in season two women work hard for a living you get treated properly one and so investors small business investment in infrastructure getting rid of the president's tax cuts which are really a tax increase for middle class people are and strong support that in what i think is the term began to turn this country yes it's true that was well shocking thing this administration is that they have a couple people that makes more than genes seiler know i'm promising to quote every case it was president elect prices there are other up every i hear the specials every day fighting for friday's and they somebody always brings it up some time during the day we don't know a lot about this but i'm very worried about the voting machines that dont even a paper trail as is no i'm waiting on

so it is a real issue were not on top of that yet because we've got so many things to do to try to get the nomination but we will be on top of it and so the big issue in the november of two thousand there were two thousand four yes sir mercy you know mice they refer to try to create a little ways and by having average under eighteen ensure our minimum wage as of this next january is that of a seven dollars an hour an archival that allows a place for exactly the reason you just said if

you put a little money and we're able to guess what the good is that downtown the local store and that's good for the economy i can understand these people who supposedly know something about economics word in washington is that the way to save money it's a short word big step away to save money as a way to ruin our economy that's exactly what george bush has done george bush i call could rub the case for the last two years says wealthy friends were getting those contributions and i think that's the wrong thing to do these republicans don't understand economics they don't you cannot trust of a lot of money did most of their energy the poll doesn't it and robin your statement so your city and hearsay i went to medical school in new york i wonder why because when you leave your medical school they assign the war was to a place like a lot to define politics is jimmy carter in nineteen eighty i met a woman who ran his campaign in vermont and there's a volunteer in the

office at a convention in new york and that was the or ted kennedy right yes you for air i was about thirty years old was a story almost a party or they were teaching me all the time on politics and so i sales so i came back to vermont just a generally absent another five years that to resign we need to guide your we'd like to do it why can't do that alimony set you're happy with israel in one i can find in a long far people and again the uk and saudi king county chair for a while the narrator the legislature which has a part time job i was there it serves iran's neighbors also part time job so i'm practicing medicine part time is late nights after legislature closer on mondays we didn't meet and then one day in august nineteen eighty one or the other about art and i was governor and then in january two thousand three i stepped down from the governor's office in the sinai would run for president and i did it because i was tired of the democrats like

george bush we need to stand up for some once again no this campaign's about change scientists about getting elected to the white house and running but i want to change this country now a change this country so it stands for what i believe in and i was twenty one years old in the civil rights movement i want us all to be in this together again that's where i want that when i get back unless we stand of george bush as i said earlier that was just the beginning was similar takes from other democratic campaign appearances in the days and weeks ahead as finally tonight the national debate on gay marriage and the media correspondent karen smith last month the massachusetts supreme court ruled forty three states ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional the court ordered the state legislature to come up with a solution within a hundred and eighty days the ruling intensified a

national debate prompting a proposed constitutional amendment in the us senate defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman for a sampling of editorial opinion from across the country on this issue we're joined by for editorial page editors john diaz of the san francisco chronicle bruce told the chicago tribune michael ryan of the augusta chronicle in georgia and virginia buckingham of the boston herald welcome to you all that john diaz i your editorial applauded the massachusetts supreme court ruling i wonder why what was your reasoning that that cause you to take that position oh terry i think the massachusetts supreme court was really doing what a court is supposed to be doing and that's really looking at the odd legal foundations are behind the discrimination that there was in in the treatment of same sex and heterosexual couples in massachusetts

i really think at this point that the gay marriage is inevitable that the legal arguments for this type of discrimination are unsustainable and you look no further than the us supreme court which is very similar reason in a striking down the at texas sodomy laws namely saying that you cannot draw a distinct the state is not in a position to draw distinction between heterosexual and homosexual conduct as well as the right response philly stand up you took the option to walk in the court clearly overstepped its bounds here this is a legislative matter that is being debated has been debated in the end there is no consensus and that is in the laboratories of democracy that this issue needs to be decided and now they've sparked a political figure and unfortunately i think we're going to end up with a constitutional amendment at the state level potentially at the federal level because of the core overstepping its

bounds bruce know what you think of that argument in essence that the court went too far too fast yeah i think if you read the opinions in the majority and you know this one barely crept over the finish line a look at three justices signed wunderkind in the fourth justice found in our view of it although he signed on to the calamity the majority of calls on i'm pretty strong around and saying that the state does have an obligation to provide equal protection under the law now in matters of inheritance in matters of their home as a come on rudolph in a way they seem to get adventurous was telling the legislature only remedy for this is to redefine marriage and intervene in the majority of knowledge that they were saying this is a fundamental change in something that had been recognized by society's or for centuries the the dissenters i thought pretty good argument that you don't get rid of the sense you don't find any many are unique criticism of gay relationships they take a traditional conservative view that the courts should not

be stepping into this that the courts had a narrow definition of what they're supposed to do and in this case they're trampling all over what the legislature's role is supposed to be michael ryan that your paper the augusta chronicle is firmly against a gay marriage even against as civil unions i wonder what you think of the arguments that de jong un and rows of just has made the opposite direction well now we think the court overstepped its bounds like virginia said even the court opinion itself acknowledges the fact that they're ignoring not only the state law and legislative intent behind it but the hundreds of years of common law we think it or in five areas first of all it basically said that the government has no business regulating marriage and ashes seller second of all it's the judicial equivalent madonna kissing women on mtv is trying to undo legitimize at a lifestyle that most americans oppose

third it could ironically for the gay caused by attempting to force it on the public unwilling to fourth you're looking at an uncharted path hear the chords of opinion talks about the great benefits of marriage but at the same time its own ruling is going to affect marriage in ways nobody understands in the fifth one is that we're just talking about a judicial takeover of american life that judges all cross country are overturning laws overturning public votes and substituting their own judgments for that hours and the elected representatives was in office despite her your opinion on gay marriage that a body john diaz i wonder what you think of michael rhymes five points particular the last one on on judicial acts well i think ultimately first of all that the that this will be decided by the courts because really when you talk about equal treatment equal protection civil rights that it really ought not to be something that's subject to

popular women today and certainly societal attitudes are changing and it's rigged as for this issue has gained a great deal of the losses as recently as nineteen eighty nine in this city san francisco voters rejected a domestic partners sell accordance now were cartel for years of two thousand five is going to basically give all rights of marriage to domestic partners partners with the exception really of our joint tax returns but when you come to it i think that the comparison that we draw here is with the civil rights segregation or you can't just look at history and what society and culture say but is there really a legal foundation for this kind of discrimination virginia buck him what about that argument that they then said john let's have the courts are the right place to decide matters such as s and there's not a net comparison to be made between this striking down a discriminatory law banning interracial marriage

marriage is an endgame marriages this isn't about discrimination as stacy in massachusetts basically said this is about re formulating the basic definition of marriage and that's where they went too far and that is clearly a matter for legislators and judges are legislators and they're not chosen by the people to represent them in a deliberative body in i think people ultimately are going to have to say here a constitutional mandate is likely going to be on the ballot in massachusetts potentially and across the country as well and in ads as it is it should be there should be a consensus of the people i we're this question and ultimately should come out at this point there is no moral consensus on whether same sex marriage is right or wrong there's more of a consensus about whether benefits of legal protection should be afforded to same sex couples i think polling data which show you that most americans are comfortable with that and again i think by pushing it to the next level where people are

comfortable at this point it really does actress rose told el polls are interesting recent want by the pew research center says that nearly sixty percent of the respondents that they thought to oppose gay marriage what does that tell you about this argument and where it stands in societal term yeah i get a little snapshot of the politics on this and there i met a newspaper that it's traditionally a conservative we've supported civil unions we've also endorsed legislation to prohibit discrimination based on their sexual orientation of a state illinois democrat is governor democrats run the house and democrats on the senate they couldn't get a vote this year on the discrimination legislation and civil unions outside even a million the table that's it been under discussion here so i do think there's going to be a tremendous an unfortunate backlash to this kind of rule that the comparison that's often made two when the supreme

court struck down the racial marriage in nineteen sixty seven i think there's a big difference there at that time there were fifteen states that prohibited interracial marriage that's where the country was going there isn't a single state that has endorsed same sex marriage here great majority of states have blocked it so you know this is the case where the court is the head of the parade of the top three blocks and i'm afraid i do think you're going to see a huge backlash michael ryan in virginia mentioned a year the idea of a constitutional amendment on this either at the state level or at the federal level is that necessary as well and maybe now you would think the framers would they would be aghast at that notion but it appears to be and if we get this to continue judicial activism and maybe the only way to get around you know it strikes me that the key to the soul thing is whether this is

a legislative duties and the question there is is there a compelling state interest in regulating there age well it seems to be a compelling interest in getting got out of the pledge of allegiance there seems to be a compelling interest in getting the tenth minnesota public view there seemed to be a compelling interest in getting scholarships away from the theology students but there's no compelling interest in preparation for a touring the species that i don't think that's quite the case john diaz i wonder what you think of that and an end up really who should make this decision courts legislatures religious organizations who should decide what what marriage is ocean well i think fundamentally it does go to a constitutional question in fact that in the dissent in the texas sodomy cases justice scalia heck had basically laid out one of the reasons that he was in dissent was he saw this week we the state no longer is making these types of moral distinctions that it then becomes a

case where the foundation for other types of discrimination i really think that in response to the previous comment that the framers would be aghast at the idea of a cost issue amendment to restrict the rights of gays and lesbians to marry it if you look at our history of this country our constitution and its amendments to really been either reserve or right it's been the rights of americans not to restrict the mcchrystal visual art last attempt and odd constitutionally i regulate morality was the last example i think a breach an example of why it's her was territory but michael ryan direct you on that point of a friend with me i guess that's just not the way you you meant it i think they would be surprised that they wouldn't want the cost just think it was to begin with but they would be a surprise that we need to do in this case means is it seems to me that that marriage being defined as a union between a man in a woman would've been as

obvious as the wigs on their heads dr virginia about new york that this is now the law of the massachusetts state legislature and they're under their under in order to come up with something and six months or less what you do well there are confused and then rightly so they're looking at this gigantic court decision that is very ambiguous about what they actually need to do in the attorney general and the governor are both said they think the language allows civil union type structure to be and football word in and passed by the legislature and that may be where they go by the speaker of the house said today that the legislature will do nothing in this throwback to the courts and then what the court again the more direct about what what they're actually ordering time for sure it's going to be the hot political issue in massachusetts and around the country for the forseeable future well it's as rose bowl around the country at least and in the middle west is it a hot political issue or is it

likely to come out and it's going to be a very tough issue for democrats because i think they recognize that republicans are largely of one mind on this and democrats are not they're split right down the middle and in fact you you have democratic presidential candidates that are against this and republican presidential republican president is very much against that so the democrats end up and a waffling and trying to please certain constituency as one constituency that very much opposed to the same sex marriage in another one of those sort of weren't so yes and i i think that it's you know it's it's the kind of issue that becomes a wedge issue that becomes an issue that they'd get away from fundamental questions of the economy and national security men want to be in a tough on millions of democrats well it's clearly one that isn't going away thank you all for for your views and your papers news very much eric now again the

major developments of this day the bush administration lifted its tariffs on foreign steel secretary of state power urged nato to take a larger role in her rack and a search warrant in florida allege that rush limbaugh used illegal doctor shopping to obtain pain killing drugs authorities made the war in public today they rated lam bows doctor's office last month and yeah and once again to our honor roll of american service personnel killed in iraq we had them as their deaths are made official and photographs become available here in silence are ten more the pope fb we'll see online and again here tomorrow evening with king abdullah of

jordan as well as mark shields and david brooks among others i'm jim lehrer thank you and goodnight major funding for the newshour with jim lehrer has been provided by the world as one giant pharmacy a school where they don't dance to improve agricultural efficiency make food more affordable and eight hundred ad and the nature of what's to come and by spca communications committed

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are sam and arun good evening i'm jim lehrer on the newshour tonight north summary of the mayors then full coverage of the president's decision to lift tariffs on imported steel with the launch of a new campaign snapshot series with howard dean in iowa and the growing national debate over gay marriage the editorial writers in chicago san francisco boston and augusta georgia major

funding for the newshour with jim lehrer has been provided by something's beautiful as christians and by the spca companies one hundred twenty five years of getting the job done after one hundred twenty five years we are just getting started all of these programs possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to this edition from viewers like you the bush administration lifted its tariffs on foreign steel today and also announced a monitoring program to guard against the new flood of steel imports the president impose the terrace twenty months ago to help the american steel industry but

last month the world trade organization ruled the effort was illegal european nations threatened to retaliate against us products by mid december and a statement today mr bush said the safeguard measures have now achieved their purpose and as a result of change the economic circumstances it is time to lift them we'll have more on this story in a moment secretary state how urged nato to take a more prominent role in iraq to date the war cause the divisions in the alliance that at least sixteen current and future nato members now have personnel in iraq and brussels belgium today powell said he had hopes that commitment would grow not a single member of the vote against the war talked about the reasons not to do it the question really was surely not in the interim in the immediate near term focus on afghanistan and think about what we might be able to do that a lot in the coming months some time perhaps next year

nato forces are planning to expand operations in afghanistan and in kabul today defense secretary rumsfeld out a surge in taliban attacks would not derail national elections the voting is set for june palestinian militant groups opened formal talks in egypt today on a new ceasefire with israel in turn israel signaled it might accept a truce a top defense official said israeli forces could scale back operations in the west bank and gaza if the militants stop their attacks the otto an insurer