PBS NewsHour; March 6, 2015 6:00pm-7:01pm PST

Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC

>> Woodruff: SIXTY STRAIGHT MONTHS OF JOB GROWTH, AND ANOTHER DROP IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. WE GET THE SECRETARY OF LABOR'S TAKE ON THE NEW NUMBERS. GOOD EVENING, I'M JUDY WOODRUFF. ALSO AHEAD, AS IRAQI FORCES MOVE ON THE MILITANT-HELD CITY OF TIKRIT, A LOOK AT HOW IRAN IS BOLSTERING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE. THEN, WE TRAVEL TO VIETNAM, WHERE U.S. VETERANS ARE HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR, FIFTY YEARS AFTER THE CONFLICT BEGAN.

>> I CONTINUE TO HEAL AS A RESULT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH THE VICTIMS HERE BUT JUST INTERACTING WITH THE KIDS, I CAN SEE THAT IT MAKES THEM HAPPY. IT MAKES ME HAPPY TOO.

>> Woodruff: AND IT'S FRIDAY, MARK SHIELDS AND MICHAEL GERSON ARE HERE, TO ANALYZE THE WEEK'S NEWS. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE STORIES WE'RE COVERING ON TONIGHT'S "PBS NEWSHOUR."

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>> Woodruff: FEBRUARY WAS A SOLID MONTH FOR AMERICANS LOOKING FOR WORK. THE LATEST JOB NUMBERS FROM THE LABOR DEPARTMENT SHOW EMPLOYERS ADDED 295,000 JOBS LAST MONTH. THAT HELPED PUSH THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DOWN TO 5.5%. BUT IT ALSO FELL BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE STOPPED LOOKING FOR WORK. WE'LL BREAK DOWN THE NUMBERS WITH LABOR SECRETARY THOMAS PEREZ RIGHT AFTER THE NEWS SUMMARY. THE STRONG JOBS REPORT PUSHED STOCKS ON WALL STREET DOWN, ON FEARS IT MEANS AN INTEREST RATE HIKE IS IMMINENT. THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE TUMBLED 280 POINTS TO CLOSE UNDER 18,000. THE NASDAQ FELL 55 POINTS, THE S-AND-P 500 LOST 30 POINTS. FOR THE WEEK, THE DOW AND S-AND-P LOST 1.5%. THE NASDAQ SLIPPED LESS THAN A PERCENT.

>> Woodruff: CITY OFFICIALS IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI, FIRED THREE EMPLOYEES TODAY BECAUSE OF RACIAL BIAS FOUND IN THEIR EMAILS. IT FOLLOWED THIS WEEK'S RELEASE OF A FEDERAL REPORT ON POLICE PRACTICES THERE IN THE WAKE OF THE KILLING OF BLACK TEENAGER MICHAEL BROWN BY WHITE POLICE OFFICER DARREN WILSON. DURING A COLLEGE TOWNHALL IN SOUTH CAROLINA TODAY, PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID THE REPORT HAD 5EXPOSED A "BROKEN, RACIALLY BIASED SYSTEM."

>> WHAT HAPPENED IN FERGUSON IS > AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK FRUSTRATED THE PEOPLE OF FERGUSON, IN ADDITION TO THE SPECIFIC CASE OF MICHAEL BROWN WAS THIS SENSE OF, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'VE BEEN PUTTING UP FOR THIS FOR YEARS AND NOW WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT IT, EVERYBODY'S PRETENDING LIKE IT'S JUST OUR IMAGINATIONS.

>> Woodruff: PRESIDENT OBAMA ALSO MADE CLEAR HE AGREED WITH THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S DECISION NOT TO CHARGE WILSON, SAYING THE STANDARD FOR FEDERAL CHARGES IS HIGH AND THE OFFICER IS ENTITLED TO DUE PROCESS. IT WAS WIDELY REPORTED TODAY THAT CRIMINAL CORRUPTION CHARGES ARE PENDING AGAINST DEMOCRATIC SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ OF NEW JERSEY. U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE TOLD SEVERAL MEDIA OUTLETS THE CHARGES WILL BE FILED IN THE COMING WEEKS. THEY RELATE TO AN INVESTIGATION INVOLVING A FLORIDA DONOR WHO IS A CLOSE ALLY OF MENENDEZ. TODAY, A MENENDEZ AIDE SAID THE SENATOR'S ACTIONS HAVE BEEN "APPROPRIATE AND LAWFUL." A HUGE SWATH OF THE U.S. SPENT TODAY DIGGING OUT AFTER A MASSIVE WINTER STORM. THE CLEAN-UP CAME WITH RECORD- SHATTERING COLD FROM TEXAS TO NEW YORK. IN SOME PLACES, TEMPERATURES WERE 10 TO 30 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY, TRAFFIC ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY WAS FLOWING AGAIN AFTER STALLED TRACTOR- TRAILERS WERE REMOVED TRAILERS WERE REMOVED OVERNIGHT. SOME DRIVERS WERE TRAPPED FOR NEARLY 24 HOURS. IRAQI GOVERNMENT FORCES CLOSED IN ON A STRATEGIC CITY THAT'S BEEN HELD BY ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS SINCE LAST JUNE. THEY MADE IT TO TOWNS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TIKRIT, BUT RETREATING ISLAMIC STATE FIGHTERS LEFT THE AREA RIGGED WITH BOMBS. MEANWHILE, REPORTS THE ISLAMIC STATE BULLDOZED THE ANCIENT CITY OF NIMRUD IN NORTHERN IRAQ DREW CONDEMNATION. THE HEAD OF THE U.N.'S CULTURAL AGENCY CALLED IT A "WAR CRIME", AND ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAID IF TRUE, IT WAS A MAJOR LOSS.

>> THERE'S NOTHING LIKE NIMRUD. THIS IS A SITE WHERE WE'VE HAD NUMEROUS DISCOVERIES THAT ARE UNIQUE, THE QUEEN'S TOMBS, THE IVORIES THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND THERE, ALL THESE ARE VERY UNIQUE KINDS OF FINDS, SO WE KNOW THIS IS A SITE OF SUBSTANTIAL IMPORTANCE AND UNIQUENESS IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, SO ANY DAMAGE TO IT IS OF GRAVE CONCERN.

>> Woodruff: NIMRUD DATES BACK ALMOST 3,000 YEARS AND IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY'S MOST IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE IS CALLING IT THE "LARGEST DATA BREACH IN THE HISTORY OF THE INTERNET" AND TODAY CHARGED THREE PEOPLE IN AN EMAIL HACKING SCHEME. TWO ARE VIETNAMESE CITIZENS AND ONE IS CANADIAN. BETWEEN 2009 AND 2012 THEY STOLE OVER A BILLION EMAIL ADDRESSES, SENT SPAM MARKETING TO THEM AND MADE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROFIT. TWO OF THE MEN ARE IN CUSTODY. ONE REMAINS AT LARGE. THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION HAS APPROVED THE FIRST LOW-COST VERSION OF A BIOTECH DRUG, DRUGS MADE FROM A LIVING ORGANISM. IT'S A COPY OF THE DRUG NEUPOGEN THAT BOOSTS BLOOD CELLS IN CANCER PATIENTS TO HELP FIGHT INFECTION. IT WASN'T UNTIL 2012 THAT THE F.D.A. EVEN HAD A SYSTEM TO APPROVE CHEAPER COPIES OF EXPENSIVE BIOTECH DRUGS. THE SO-CALLED "BIOSIMILAR" WILL LAUNCH LATER THIS YEAR. BUT THERE WERE NO IMMEDIATE DETAILS ABOUT ITS PRICING. IN WISCONSIN, THE REPUBLICAN- CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE APPROVED A STRONG ANTI-LABOR LAW TODAY, AFTER AN OVERNIGHT DEBATE. THE SO-CALLED "RIGHT TO WORK" LAW PROHIBITS BUSINESSES AND UNIONS FROM REQUIRING WORKERS TO PAY UNION DUES. DEMOCRATS ARGUED THE MEASURE WOULD REDUCE WAGES AND STUNT JOB GROWTH. THE STATE'S REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR, SCOTT WALKER, IS EXPECTED TO SIGN IT INTO LAW MONDAY. 24 OTHER STATES ALREADY HAVE SIMILAR LEGISLATION ON THE BOOKS. JIM BOEHEIM, THE COACH OF THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM, WAS SUSPENDED TODAY FOR NINE GAMES NEXT SEASON. AFTER A LONG INVESTIGATION BY THE N.C.A.A., OFFICIALS FOUND HE DID NOT PROPERLY OVERSEE THE BASKETBALL PROGRAM WHEN A SERIES OF ACADEMIC, DRUG AND OTHER VIOLATIONS WERE COMMITTED. THE N.C.A.A. ALSO TOOK AWAY SCHOLARSHIPS AND PUT THE SCHOOL ON PROBATION FOR FIVE YEARS. STILL TO COME ON THE NEWSHOUR: THE SECRETARY OF LABOR ON THE LATEST JOBS GAINS; IRAN'S ROLE IN FIGHTING THE ISLAMIC STATE; U.S. VETERANS HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WAR IN VIETNAM; SHIELDS AND GERSON ON THE WEEK'S NEWS; PLUS, TWO COMPELLING STORIES FROM SPACE.

>> Woodruff: THE FEBRUARY JOBS REPORT CAME IN STRONGER THAN EXPECTED. WITH MORE THAN 200,000 JOBS A MONTH BEING ADDED FOR THE PAST YEAR, THE BEST PACE SINCE 1995. THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE HAS FALLEN TO ITS LOWEST POINT SINCE THE FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 2008. STILL, IT HAS NOT TRANSLATED AT SOME LEVELS. WAGE GROWTH REMAINS SLUGGISH. HOURLY EARNINGS WERE UP JUST A TENTH OF A PERCENT LAST MONTH. AND THE CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE, PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING OR ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR WORK, SHRANK IN FEBRUARY. THOMAS PEREZ IS THE U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR, HE JOINS ME NOW. WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM.

>> PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU.

>> Woodruff: BREAK THESE NUMBERS DOWN. WHO IS CREATING THESE JOBS WHO'S GETTING THEM?

>> AS YOU CORRECTLY SAID, THIS IS THE BEST 12-MONTH PERIOD WE'VE HAD IN DECADES. WE HAVEN'T SEEN 200,000 OR MORE JOBS FOR 12 MONTHS IN A ROW LITERALLY IN DECADES. THE NICE THING ABOUT THIS REPORT AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE LAST YEAR, JUDY, IS IT IS BROAD-BASED GROWTH. THE BIGGEST JOB CREATOR IS BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. THOSE ARE WELL-PAYING JOBS AND CONSULTANTS ACCOUNTANTS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. THEN WE HAVE HEALTHCARE WHICH HAS BEEN RECESSION-PROOF. CONSTRUCTION IS DOING WELL. THE AVERAGE PERSON IN MANUFACTURING IS WORKING 42 HOURS A WEEK. SO NOT ONLY ARE THE QUANTITY OF JOBS INCREASING BUT THE QUALITY OF JOBS OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS BEEN MUCH BETTER.

>> AT THE SAME TIME, YOUR FRIENDS, REPUBLICANS ON THE JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE AND THE HOUSE AND THE CONGRESS ARE SAYING, STILL AT THIS RATE, YOU NEED TO CREATE OVER 400,000 JOBS A MONTH IN ORDER TO CLOSE WHAT THEY CALL THE JOB GAP UNDER THIS PRESIDENT.

>> WELL IT'S HARD TO LISTEN TO THAT WITHOUT WONDERING WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I MEAN, IF WE HAD -- MY BIGGEST FRUSTRATION JUDY, IS WE'RE AT 5.5% UNEMPLOYMENT RIGHT NOW. WE COULD BE AT 5% IF WE DID THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN TRIED AND TRUE AND BIPARTISAN IN THE PAVEMENTS TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, THE MINIMUM-WAGE, IMMIGRATION REFORM THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE. LOOK AT THE BIPARTISAN IMMIGRATION BILL FROM THE LAST CONGRESS, IT LIFTED WAGES, CREATES JOBS HELPS SUSTAIN THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUND. SO WE COULD BE DOING EVEN BETTER IF WE COULD GET SOME HELP FROM THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS RIGHT NOW.

>> YOU MENTIONED WAGES. LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT. THEY'RE GROWING SLOALS. YOU SAID HOW LITTLE IT WAS LAST MONTH 2% A YEAR. THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION SAYS RIGHT NOW ALMOST TWO-THIRDS AMERICAN HOUSEHOLDS EARN LESS MONEY TODAY THAN THEY DID MANYO TWO. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

>> WELL, THE ISSUE OF REAL WAGE GROWTH IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECES OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS FROM THE GREAT RECESSION. WE HAVE THE WIND AT OUR BACK BUT WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOW AND THE LATE '90s IS THAT THE GROWTH WE SAW IN THE LATE '90s RESULTED MANY A GREATER SHOW OF PROSPERITY. THE RISING TIDE LIFTED MORE BOATS. WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW IS MAKE SURE OUR TAILWIND SHOWS PROSPERITY AND THE ISSUE OF STUBBORN GROWTH OF WAGES ISN'T SIMPLY AN ISSUE THE FUNCTION OF THE GREAT RECESSION. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AND A CHALLENGE FOR LITERALLY 30 YEARS. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LATE '90s, WE HAVE SEEN GREAT PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH BUT IT HASN'T TRANSLATED INTO REAL WAGE GROWTH. FOR THE DECADES BEFORE THAT PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH AND WAGE GROWTH WENT HAND IN HAND.

>> Woodruff: IS THIS A STRUCTURAL PROBLEM? WE HAVE BEEN HEARING FOR SOME TIME THE WAGES ARE GOING TO COME BURKS THEY'RE STILL NOT COMING AND I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE VAIING WHEN IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN? IT'S NOT TRANSLATING INTO A BETTER LIFE FOR ME FOR ORDINARY PEOPLE.

>> FOR THOSE WHO ARE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED AND ARE BACK TO WORK IT IS TRANSLATING INTO BETTER LIFE AND I'VE NET SO MANY PEOPLE IN THAT BOAT. FOR OTHERS, THEY HAVEN'T HAD A MEANINGFUL RAISE IN YEARS AND I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN I HEAR THE WORD "STRUCTURAL," I THINK THAT IS FRANKLY ALL TOO FREQUENTLY AN EXCUSE FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING. THERE'S A LOT WE CAN DO TO ENSURE PROSPERITY AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE'RE USING OUR REGULATORY AUTHORITY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF PEOPLE WHO WORK OVERTIME WHO OUGHT TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THAT AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. WE HELP 2 MILLION HOME HEALTH WORKERS. WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK IN A NUMBER OF AREAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE HELPING TO BAKE THE PIE OF PROSPERITY IN THIS COUNTRY THAT THEY SHARE IN THAT PROSPERITY, AND IT'S NOT FAIR THAT WE HAVE RECORD PROFITS ON WALL STREET BUT THEN WORKERS AREN'T SHARING IN THAT PROFIT.

>> Woodruff: WHAT ABOUT THIS OTHER TROUBLING PART OF THESE NUMBERS AND THAT IS A SO-CALLED LABOR PARTICIPATION RATE, THE PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WHO COULD BE WORKING CONTINUES TO DROP. WHAT'S BEHIND THAT? WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHY IS THIS SO HARD TO TURN AROUND?

>> WELL ACTUALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST YEAR AND THIS IS ACTUALLY I THINK A PIECE OF GOOD NEWS, OVER THE LAST YEAR, THE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE HAS BEEN BASICALLY FLAT. IT IS LITERALLY GONE BETWEEN 62.7% AND 62.9%. SO YOU HAVE A FLAT LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE AND YET WE STILL SEE THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GOING DOWN 1.2%. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE REASON WHY -- THE MAIN REASON WHY THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DIPPED WAS THAT MORE UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE GOT WORK. IF THE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE DIPPED PRECIPITOUSLY AND WE HAD SEEN LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE THAT WOULD BE A LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR BAD REASONS, BUT WE HAVE HAD BASICALLY A FLAT LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE OVER THE LAST YEAR AND WE SEE OUR UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GOING DOWN AND AGAIN THE MAIN REASON IS BECAUSE MORE UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE ARE GETTING WORK. THAT'S GOOD NEWS. THEY'RE GETTING WORK IN GOOD JOBS. WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE VOLUNTARILY QUITTING THEIR JOBS THAN IN YEARS AND THAT'S A GOOD SIGN BECAUSE PEOPLE ONLY QUIT THEIR JOB IF THEY FEEL THEY'RE CONFIDENT THEY DID A BETTER JOB AND THAT'S SOMETHING LIKE 2.8 MILLION PEOPLE VOLUNTARILY QUIT THEIR JOB LAST YEAR AND ROUGHLY HALF OF THAT IN THE DEPTH OF THE GREAT RECESSION. WE HAVE A GREAT ROBUST HABE MARKET WITH A CHURN WE NEED TO GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK.

>> Woodruff: A PICTURE EVERYONE WANTS TO UNDERSTAND BETTER. THANKS FOR TALKING WITH US.

>> A PLEASURE.

>> Woodruff: THOMAS PEREZ, U.S. SECRETARY OF LABOR. THANKS.

>> ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU.

>> Woodruff: NOW WE TURN OUR SIGHTS ON THE BATTLE AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE GROUP. IRAN'S ROLE IN FIGHTING THE EXTREMISTS CAME UNDER INCREASING FOCUS THIS WEEK AND IS PROMPTING FEARS AMONG U.S. ALLIES. JEFRREY BROWN REPORTS.

>> Brown: THE BIGGEST OFFENSIVE YET TO PUSH BACK ISLAMIC STATE MILITANTS IS RAGING AROUND TIKRIT, THE BIRTHPLACE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN, 110 MILES NORTH OF BAGHDAD. AS IRAQI FORCES DRAW CLOSER TO THE CITY, THEY'RE HELPED NOT BY THE U.S., BUT BY IRAQI SHIITE MILITIAS WITH IRANIAN BACKING. SOME OF THE MILITIA HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY ACCUSED OF ATROCITIES AGAINST SUNNIS ON LAND RE- CAPTURED FROM ISLAMIC STATE ALL THIS HAS RENEWED HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT IRAN'S INFLUENCE IN IRAQ AND IT'S PUT THE U.S. ON THE SPOT, AS THE LEADER OF THE COALITION AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE. JOINT CHIEFS CHAIR GENERAL MARTIN DEMPSEY SPOKE TUESDAY:

>> IRAN AND ITS PROXIES HAVE

>> THIS IS THE MOST OVERT CONDUCT OF IRANIAN SUPPORT IN THE FORM OF ARTILLERY AND OTHER THINGS. FRANKLY, IT WILL ONLY BE A PROBLEM IF IT RESULTS IN SECTARIANISM. OF THE SIZE OF THE FORCE GOING IF THEY PERFORM IN A CREDIBLE WAY, RID THE CITY OF TIKRIT TURN IT BACK OVER TO ITS INHABITANTS, THEN IT WILL, IN THE MAIN, HAVE BEEN A POSITIVE THING IN TERMS OF THE COUNTER ISIL CAMPAIGN.

>> Brown: THE MATTER IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY UNCONFIRMED REPORTS THAT GENERAL QASSEM SOLEIMANI WAS SEEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD THIS WEEK. HE COMMANDS IRAN'S ELITE QUDS FORCE, WHICH WASHINGTON CONSIDERS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. HE ALSO ORCHESTRATED ATTACKS ON U.S. FORCES DURING THE WAR IN IRAQ.

>> WHEN IT COMES TO IRAN AND ISIS, THE ENEMY OF YOUR ENEMY IS YOUR ENEMY. IRAN AND ISIS ARE COMPETING FOR THE CROWN OF MILITANT ISLAM.

>> Brown: AND JUST YESTERDAY, SAUDI ARABIA REGISTERED ITS CONCERNS WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY DURING HIS VISIT TO RIYADH.

>> Brown: JOINING ME NOW IS LAITH KUBBA, SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA AT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY. LET'S CLARIFY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE MEAN BY IRANIAN INFLUENCE OVER THESE SHIITE MILITIA GROUPS.

>> WE'LL START WITH THEY ARE CURRENTLY ARMED DIRECTLY BY A FLOW OF AMMUNITION ARMS COMING TO THEM FROM IRAN, NOT FROM THE IRAQI ARMY OR THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT. THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT IS PAYING THEIR SALARIES BUT THEIR COMMANDERS IN THE FIELD, THE NETWORK THAT RUNS IT ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE FORMERLY WITH ANOTHER BRIGADE WHICH ARE A POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. THE MINISTER OF INTERIOR LOST PART OF THAT BRIGADE. THE GENERAL COMMANDER OF THESE FORCES WAS A FORMER LEADER OF THE BETTER BRIGADE WHICH WAS BORN OUT OF THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS AND TRAINED BY THE REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS.

>> Brown: THE PREVOCTIVE PRESENCE OF GENERAL SOLEIMANI. HE'S AN IMPORTANT FEATURE IN THE REGION. HE MIGHT BE LEADING THIS?

>> HE DEVELOPED AND EMERGED OUT OF THE IRAQ-IRAN WAR. HE'S A VETERAN OF THE IRAQ-IRAN WAR. HE WORKED ONLY WITH THE IRAQIS OVER THE LAST TWO OR THREE DECADES. WHEN SADDAM WAS IN POWER HE WAS BASED IN NORTH IRAQ SO HE KNOWS THE IRAQI SCENE VERY VERY WELL. HE REPORTS DIRECTLY TO KHOMEINI. HIS HIS PRESENCE IS A PUBLIC STATEMENT AND IN THE --

>> Brown: SAYING WHAT?

>> Woodruff: WELL, THE PUBLIC STATEMENT IS IRAQ IS DIRECTLY A VITAL SPHERE, LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE WE HAVE AN INTEREST AND INFLUENCE, BUT THE WAY THEY'RE DEALING WITH IT CURRENTLY, THEY SAY THIS IS LIKE IRANIAN CITIES, WE HAVE DEFEND IT AND BE THERE AND WE MOVE IN AND OUT AS WE SEE FIT.

>> Brown: A STATEMENT, THIS IS LIKE IRANIAN TERRITORY.

>> ONE OF THE COMMANDERS SAID THE SECURITY OF THOSE CITIES ARE EQUIVALENT TO THE SECURITY OF IRANIAN CITIES.

>> Brown: WE HEARD GENERAL DEMPSEY TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS COULD BE A POSITIVE OUTCOME IF IT DOES MOTT NOT LEAD TO MORE SECTARIAN VIOLENCE WHICH, OF COURSE, IT COULD. SO DESCRIBE THE FINE LINE AND THE FINE BALANCE HERE FROM THE UNITED STATES IN WATCHING WHAT'S UNFOLDED.

>> I THINK ALSO A LOT AT STAKE. I THINK, AS I SAID, IRAN HAS A STRATEGY ON IRAQ AND ON THE REGION. IT'S WORKING WITHIN THAT STRATEGY. IT DECIDED TO MAKE ITS PRESENCE VERY CLEAR. IT HAS APPROVAL FROM THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT BUT THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT HAS APPROVED IT AND WELCOMED THE SUPPORT BECAUSE IT NEEDS IT. I THINK WHAT IS NOTICEABLE HERE IS THAT THE IRANIANS HAVE MADE THAT STATEMENT AND IT'S MORE OR LESS WENT UNCHALLENGED BY ANYBODY, NOT EVEN A PROTEST OF ANY KIND.

>> Brown: BRIEFLY, FOR THE U.S., WHAT KIND OF POSITION DOES IT PUT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IN, WATCHING IRAN POSSIBLY TAKE THE LEAD IN THIS FIGHT AGAINST --

>> WELL, IRAN IS NOW TAKING THE LEAD AND IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BENEFITS TODAY BUT IT'S ABOUT THE DAY AFTER. SO AT SOME POINT I.S.I.L WILL BE PUSHED OUT OF THE IRAQI CITIES BUT THEN THANKS TO IRAN THAT TOOK PLACE, AND NOBODY KNOWS THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF OFFICERS AND SOLDIERS THAT ARE IN IRAQ TODAY. ONLY THREE OR FOUR MONTHS AGO, DURING A PUBLIC RELIGIOUS CEREMONY, OVER A MILLION IRANIANS WENT TO IRAQ. NOBODY KNEW HOW MANY ARE SOLDIERS, HOW MANY STAYED IN THE COUNTRY. SO THE REALITY ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ IS THAT IRAN'S INFLUENCE HAVE PASSED A LANDMARK.

>> Brown: AND THE QUESTION AS YOU SAY IS WHAT COMES THE DAY AFTER I.S.I.L IS KICKED OUT IF THEY ARE. THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Woodruff: FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, THE U.S. BEGAN ITS "ROLLING THUNDER" BOMBING CAMPAIGN IN WHAT WAS THEN NORTH VIETNAM. IT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE LANDING OF THE FIRST MAJOR COMBAT UNITS IN SOUTH VIETNAM ON MARCH 1965. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT MIKE CERRE WENT BACK TO THE SITE OF THE INITIAL MARINE LANDINGS IN DANANG, AND MET A GROUP OF AMERICAN VETERANS WHO HAVE RETURNED TO THE COUNTRY TO FIGHT A VERY DIFFERENT BATTLE.

>> Reporter: AS THE FIRST MAJOR AMERICAN COMBAT UNIT DEPLOYED TO VIETNAM IN 1965, THE NINTH MARINE EXPEDITION RIBRIGADE LAND AD IN DANANG WITH ONLY PACKS ON THEIR BACKS ON A LIMIT MISSION TO PROTECT THE STRATEGIC AIR BASE IN DANANG, BUT LANDING WAS DECEPTIVELY QUICK AND PEACEFUL. (GUNFIRE) THESE MARINES SOON BECAME PART OF ONE OF THE LONGEST AND MOST BITTER RICONTESTED MILITARY CAMPAIGNS IN AMERICAN HISTORY WHICH WOULD SPAN TWO DECADES. 50 YEARS LATER DANANG'S BEACHES ARE A POPULAR VACATION DESTINATION FOR VIETNAMESE AND FOREIGNERS AND HOME FOR A HANDFUL OF VIETNAM VETERANS WHO CAME BACK TO LIVE AND WORK ON CON OF THE MOST DANGEROUS LEGACIES OF THE WAR WHICH THE VIETNAMESE REFER TO AS THE AMERICAN WAR.

>> MY NAME IS CHUCK PALAZO. THE FIRST TIME I CAME TO VIETNAM WAS IN 1970 IN THE WAR. YOUI WAS A U.S. MARINE. I HAD JUST TURNED 18 YEARS OLD AND FOUND HISELF 18,000 MILES AWAY FROM MY HOME TURF OF NEW YORK. I HAD A DREAM TO COME BACK AT SOME POINT AND DO SOMETHING POSITIVE HERE IN VIETNAM AND FOR THE VIETNAMESE PEOPLE.

>> I'M MADDIS CAMPBELL FROM NEW JERSEY, A FORMER MARINE, SERVED IN VIETNAM IN 1967 AND '68. I MOVED TO VIETNAM IN 2010. MY ORGANIZATION FUNDS EDUCATION FOR DISABLED CHILDREN AND FOR VICTIMS OF UNEXEXPLODED ORDINATES.

>> Reporter: I'M MIKE CERRE. LIKE THE OTHERS, I FIRST CAME TO VIETNAM DURING THE WAR. IN 1970 AND '71 I WAS WITH THE MARINES FLYING AS AN OBSERVER OUT OF THE DANANG AIR BASE.

>> MANY OF OUR MISSIONS TOOK OFF AND LANDED AT THE AIR BASE AND MUCH OF AGENT ORANGE WAS STORED AT THE AIR BASE FOR ABOUT TEN YEARS. MUCH OF THE AREA RIGHT AROUND THE PERIMETER OF WHAT IS NOW THE AIRPORT WAS CONTAMINATED AS A RESULT OF THAT.

>> Reporter: AGENT ORANGE, THE DEFOALIANT USED EXTENSIVELY BY THE AMERICAN MILITARY DURING THE WAR CONTAINS DIOXIN A DANGEROUS COMPOUND BELIEVED TO CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS IN VIETNAMESE FAMILIES AND AMERICAN VETERANS.

>> THE OLDER BOY WHO IS LAYING HERE HE'S JUST ABOUT INCAPACITATED 100% AT THIS POINT. WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE OF THE GENETIC RESULTS OF AGENT ORANGE. THESE TWO BOYS ARE THIRD GENERATION VICTIMS AND I SEE IT IN OUR OWN VETERANS' FAMILIES BACK IN THE U.S. THE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN SKIPPING GENERATIONS -- GRANDCHILDREN AND NOW GREAT GRANDCHILDREN ARE BEING BORN WITH PROBLEMS AS A RESULT OF THE GENETIC ISSUE WITH AGENT ORANGE.

>> Reporter: AFTER A 30-YEAR CAREER AS A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER RECENT DIVORCE AND A LONG STRUGGLE WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYNDROME, CHUCK SOLD HIS HOUSE AND MOST OF HIS POSSESSIONS TO COME TO DANANG AND WORK WITH A LOCAL ORGANIZATION ASSISTING AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS.

>> ONE OF MY MOTIVATIONS FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO WAS TO RESOLVE MY OWN ISSUES AS WELL AS TO WORK WITH THE VICTIMS. I CONTINUE TO HEAL AS A RESULT OF THE WORK THAT WE DO WITH THE AGENT ORANGE VICTIMS HERE. I HAVE NO MEDICAL OR SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND BURKS JUST INTERACTING WITH THE KIDS, I CAN SEE IT MAX THEM HAPPY. IT MAKES ME HAPPY, TOO. HELLO.

>> HELLO.

>> Reporter: MADDIS CAMPBELL A RETIRED NEW JERSEY STATE TROOPER IS REDIRECTING HIS PENSION AND VETERANS DISABILITY PAYMENTS TO SUPPORT SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN AT THIS DAYCARE CENTER.

>> WHEN I LEARNED THAT FOR $60 A MONTH I CAN BRING A CHILD OUT OF HIS HOME WHERE HE'S BASICALLY IN BED OR ON THE FLOOR WATCHING TV ALL DAY BRING HIM TO A SCHOOL WHERE HE CAN INTERACT WITH HIS OWN PEERS, HE CAN REALIZE HE'S NOT ALONE IN LIFE, THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE JUST LIKE HIM AND HE CAN DEVELOP FRIENDS.

>> THE DANANG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FORMERLY THE DANANG AIR BASE REMAINS ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST TOXIC AGENT ORANGE SITES IN VIETNAM WITH CONTAMINATION LEVELS 350 TIMES INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS.

>> WE SPENT $100 MILLION TO MEDIATE THIS. WE BUILT A STATE OF THE ART FACILITY.

>> Reporter: SENATOR PATRICK PATRICK LEHEY WAS IN DENANG LAST YEAR FOR THE INAUGURATION OF THE THREE-STORY OVEN-LIKE BUILDING TO COOK THE DIOXIN OUT OF THE SOIL, THE DANGEROUS COMPOUND WHICH HAS BEEN CONTAMINATING THE LOCAL WATER AND FOOD CHAIN. THE U.S. HAS NEVER AGREED TO PAY VIETNAM REPARATIONS OR THE $3 BILLION IN RECONSTRUCTION FUNDS PRESIDENT NIXON PROMISED DURING THE PARIS PALES ACCORDS THAT ENDED THE AMERICAN INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM IN 1973.

>> HERE WE HAVE BOTH THE MORAL AND THE HUMANITARIAN REASON TO BE INVOLVED. IT'S IN OUR LONG-TERM BEST INTERESTS TO HELP BRING ABOUT CIVILITY IN VEHEMENT AND HELP VEHEMENT RECOVER FROM THE RAVAGES OF WAR THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE OCCURRED.

>> Reporter: DANANG'S HUTS AND SINGLE STORY BUILDINGS I REMEMBER FROM THE WAR HAVE LONG SINCE BEEN REPLACED BY ONE OF VIETNAM'S MOST PROGRESSIVE METROPOLISES AND A NEW GENERATION OF VEEMEDZ VIETNAMESE WHO MAKE LITTLE IF ANY REFERENCE TO THE WAR. THE BEACHES THE MARINES ORIGINALLY LANDED ARICS PERSONSING A NEW WAVE OF FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC INVEST WHICH IS EXPERIENCING A BOOMING ECONOMY SINCE THE TRADE EMBARGOES WERE LIFTED. DO THEY KNOW YOU WERE HERE DURING THE WAR?

>> THEY DO. THERE'S NO ANIMOSITY OR FRICTION AT ALL. THEY ALL WELCOME ME WITH OPEN ARMS. THEY INVITE ME TO THEIR HOMES AND WE DRINK BEER TOGETHER AND I FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE AND VERY MUCH PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

>> THERE'S NO ENEMY HERE ANYMORE. THESE PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE WAR. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE WAR, THEY SAY FORGET IT. THEY DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.

>> BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH VIETNAM IN THE PAST AND WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AS A 19-YEAR-OLD DURING THE WAR SHAPED MY LIFE TO THE POINT WHERE I CAME BACK HERE TO DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: FOR THE PBS "NewsHour", MIKE CERRE REPORTING FROM DANANG VIETNAM.

>> Woodruff: AND TO THE ANALYSIS OF SHIELDS AND GERSON, THAT'S SYNDICATED COLUMNIST MARK SHIELDS AND "WASHINGTON POST" COLUMNIST MICHAEL GERSON. WE WELCOME YOU BOTH. DAVID BROOKS IS OFF TONIGHT. A NATIONAL LEADER, GENTLEMEN, CAME TO WASHINGTON THIS WEEK AND SPOKE BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS, GOT A ROUSING RECEPTION MARK. WASN'T THE PRESIDENT. IT WAS ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU. HE ROUNDLY CRITICIZED ANY DEAL WITH RIERN ON ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM. WHAT ARE WE LEFT WITH AFTER THIS? WHAT ARE THE REPERCUSSIONS?

>> WHEN YOU FEEL IT'S NECESSARY TO SAY AT THE OUTSET WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SAY OR DO IS NOT POLITICAL, YOU CAN BE SURE IT'S POLITICAL. THIS WAS A POLITICAL EVENT. PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU COULD HAVE GIVEN THE SPEECH TWO WEEKS FROM NOW BUT THERE'S AN ELECTION ELEVEN DAYS FROM NOW ISRAEL. HE TRAVELED 6,000 MILES TO MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT CAMPAIGN APPEARANCE UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE REPUBLICAN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE FOR THE PARTISANNIZING, WHAT HAD BEEN A BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL. AND HE MADE A VERY IMPASSIONED I WOULD SAY ELOQUENT INDICTMENT, CRITICISM OF THE PRESIDENT'S POLICY. THE REPUBLICANS WERE RAPTURES, EVEN POST-ORGASMIC, IN THE AFTER GLOW OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY WHICH THEY HADN'T BEEN ABLE TO DO. THEY WOULD HAVE NOMINATED HIM ON THE SPOT THE REPUBLICANS IF THEY COULD HAVE. HE MADE A CASE WHICH HAS BEEN MADE REPEATEDLY IN THIS COUNTRY BY OTHER AMERICAN COMMENTATORS POLITICIANS, PUBLIC FIGURES, AND HE PUT THE ADMINISTRATION UNDER CENSUS. WHATEVER THEY COME UP WITH THEY WILL HAVE TO COUNTER THE ARGUMENTS THAT HE MADE AND WE'LL FIND OUT IF IT HELPED HIM ON MARCH 17 AT HOME IN ISRAEL.

>> Woodruff: WHAT ABOUT ANY POTENTIAL IRAN DEAL? DID THIS ADVANCE THE CASE HURT THE CASE IN WHAT DO YOU THINK?

>> WELL, I WANT TO AGREE IT'S A BAD PRECEDENT FOR A FOREIGN LEADER TO COME AND MAKE THE CASE BEFORE CONGRESS IN THE PLACE WHERE THE PRESIDENT SPEAKS. GEORGE W. BUSH WOULD NOT HAVE WANTED THIS.

>> AGAINST THE WAR, RIGHT. SO I THINK THERE ARE PROBLEMS THERE. THE PROBLEM IS NOT JUST THE PROTOCOL, IT'S THE ARGUMENT AND THE ARGUMENT IS THE NUCLEAR FILE THAT'S ALL THE EMPHASIS JUSTIFIABLY IS NOT THE ONLY PROBLEM. IRAN IS ACTUALLY ON AN AGGRESSIVE MARCH FROM BEIRUT TO BAGHDAD. THEY HAVE PROXIES WITH MISSILES AIMED AT ISRAEL. THEY HAVE PROXIES COMIGHT MASS ATROCITIES IN SYRIA. PROXIES THAT ARE TAKING OVER THE SECURITY SECTOR, EVEN THE OIL SECTOR IN IRAQ. AND THESE ARE THE REAL CHALLENGES HERE. AT THE U.S. IS MAKING THIS CASE ON NUCLEAR ARMS, A VACUUM IS BEING FILLED ACROSS THE REGION AND IT'S NOT JUST NETANYAHU THAT BELIEVES THIS. IT'S ALSO THE ARAB STATES THAT ARE MAKING THIS COMPLAINT. THAT CASE AS YOU SAID, IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE ANSWERED, IS THE UNITED STATES ABDICATING ITS ROLE IN THIS REGION WHICH I THINK IS PART OF THE QUESTION.

>> Woodruff: SO DOES THIS MAKE IT HARDER FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO GET THE DEAL IT SAYS IT'S WORKING ON SOME.

>> I THINK THE OPPOSITION IS STIFF AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGHER, JUDY. I THINK IT'S AWFULLY TOUGH TO PAY GREAT HEED TO SOMEBODY WHO HAS BEEN SO CONSISTENTLY WRONG AS PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU HAS BEEN ABOUT THE REGION. HE URGED THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES TO GO TO WAR AGAINST SADDAM HUSSEIN ON THE GROUNDS THAT IT WOULD BRING A POSITIVE, AFFIRMATIVE REVERBERATIONS IN THE ENTIRE REGION. HE WAS MAKING THE CASE NOT SIMPLY AGAINST SADDAM IN IRAQ BUT THAT WOULD DESTABILIZE AND CHANGE THE REGIMES IN IRAN. SO HE WAS WRONG. HE SAID IN 1996 THAT WITHIN FIVE YEARS BIOONE, IRAN WOULD HAVE -- BY 2001, IRAN WOULD HAVE A BOMB. I THINK THIS IS A TERRIBLE PRECEDENT. I THINK JOHN BOEHNER HAS MADE A SERIOUS MISTAKE BY INVITING HIM. I THINK THE IMPLICATIONS ARE GOING FAR BEYOND THE 170 FORMER MILITARY OFFICIALS AND INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS AND SIX DECORATED GENERALS PUBLICLY EXCORIATED NETANYAHU FOR GIVING THE SPEECH AND EMBOLDING IRAN AND POISONING OR MAKING TOXIC THE RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT.

>> FIRST OF ALL ISRAEL WAS NOT VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE IRAQ WAR. THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT SO MANY OF THE CONSEQUENCES THERE. BUT I STILL THINK WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS ANSWER THE ARGUMENTS HERE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THAT NETANYAHU IS WRONG ABOUT IRAN. THAT'S THE QUESTION. BUT THE REAL QUESTION, OF COURSE, IS ABOUT THE DETAILS OF THE PACK WE DON'T KNOW.

>> Woodruff: TURN TO SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT. HILLARY CLINTON'S E-MAILS. MICHAEL, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU. WE LEARNED THIS WEEK SHE HAD HER OWN PRIVATE EMAIL, HER OWN PRIVATE SERVER AT HER HOME IN NEW YORK WHEN SHE WAS SECRETARY OF STATE. NOW, SHE SAYS SHE'S TURNED OVER THESE E-MAILS TO THE GOVERNMENT TO THE ADMINISTRATION, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

>> I SAW HEADLINES SAYING HILLARY CLINTON HAD FAILED THE FIRST TEST OF HER CAMPAIGN. BUT IT'S NOT EVEN THE FIRST ONE. SHE'S ALSO REALLY BOBBLED HER SPEAKING FEES, THE DONATIONS OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES, A VARIETY OF THINGS. THAT IS RETURNING MEMORIES OF THE HILLARY CLINTON CAMPAIGN IN 2008, WHICH WAS NOT A VERY GOOD CAMPAIGN, IT WAS CHAOTIC AND INEFFECTIVE AND IT'S ALSO RETURNING MEMORIES OF SOME AMERICANS TO THE DOWNSIDE OF THE CLINTON YEARS IN THE 1990s WHERE YOU HAD YOUR DECEPTION AND BULLYING AND REALLY STYLE OF POLITICS THAT AMERICANS WERE TIRED OF AT THE TIME AND MAY NOT WANT TO RETURN TO NOW.

>> Woodruff: DOES THIS HURT HER IN THE LONGER RUN?

>> IT'S BEEN 20 YEARS SINCE THIS COUNTRY HAS CREATED 200,000 JOBS A MONTH FOR 12 CONSECUTIVE MONTHS WHICH WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IN THIS COUNTRY. WE DID IT IN 1995 WITH PRESIDENT CLINTON. THAT'S WHERE THE CLINTONS WANT THE FOCUS AND THE ATTENTION TO BE. THE ECONOMIC GOOD TIMES, THE BOOM, THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. BUT IT IS A REMINDER OF SORT OF THE CLINTONNIAN QUALITY OF WHITEWATER, THE TRAVEL RECORDS, THE SECRET HEALTHCARE TASK FORCE MEETINGS. BUT I WILL SAY THIS TIME AND AGAIN THE CLINTONS HAVE BEEN SAVED BY THEIR POLITICAL ENEMIES. NEWT GINGRICH AND THE REPUBLICANS CLOSED DOWN THE GOVERNMENT IN 1995, BILL CLINTON WAS REELECTED. THE REPUBLICANS TRIED TO IMPEACH BILL CLINTON AND MADE HIM INTO A MARTYR AND VICTIM AND THE MOST POPULAR AMERICAN PRESIDENT IN A GENERATION. WHAT HAPPENED TO HILLARY CLINTON AND I AGREE THIS WHOLE EMAIL THING IS KIND OF SKETCHY AND NOT PARTICULARLY DEFENSIBLE, THE REPUBLICANS COME UP WITH BENGHAZI. IMMEDIATELY THEY TURN IT INTO A POLITICAL BACK AND FORTH, SO PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE BOTHERED BY IT SAY, JEEZ, IT'S A TIT FOR TAT. I WILL SAY THE DEMOCRATS, THERE'S A CERTAIN NERVOUSNESS IN THE RANKS AND THE QUESTION THAT SHE IS THE BALL GAME. THERE REALLY IS NOBODY ELSE OUT THERE ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE.

>> Woodruff: LAST THING I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT, ON THE EVE OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY ON THE MARCH ON SELMA ALABAMA THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT THIS WEEK ISSUED A REPORT AND ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY CLEARED THE POLICE OFFICER WHO KILLED MICHAEL BROWN THE FERGUSON, MISSOURI TEENAGER, BUT SAID THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN FERGUSON WAS GUILTY BIBIIAS, DRIVEN BY A PUSH TO RAISE A LOT OF MONEY AND ESSENTIALLY IN EXAMPLE AFTER EXAMPLE AFTER EXAMPLE TREATED AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THE COMMUNITY FAR WORSE THAN THEIR NUMBERS WOULD WARRANT. MICHAEL, WHAT DO WE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS? THE PRESIDENT TODAY SAID THIS SPEAKS ABOUT SOMETHING BIGGER THAN JUST FERGUSON MO, 20,000 PEOPLE.

>> I THINK IT DOES. THE INDICTMENT PARTICULARLY ON THE FERGUSON POLICE FORCE THAT USED THE POLICE AS A FUNDRAISING FOR MUTANTS PALLETS AND THEN HAVING AN UNREPRESENTATIVE POLICE FORCE WHICH INTRODUCED BIAS BUT IN READING THE STORY IT'S INTERESTING HOW MUCH BIAS WE SEE IN THE STORY. INSTEAD OF ANALYZING, YOU HAVE TO APPROACH THIS FROM THE ELEMENT OF EMPATHY. IF YOU WERE A YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN IN AMERICA TODAY, YOU WOULD SEE A SYSTEM THAT'S DEEPLY BIASED AGAINST YOU. YOU WOULD NOT TRUST THE JUSTICE OF THAT SYSTEM. I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO GO IN ONE ANOTHER'S SHOES WHEN WE READ A REPORT LIKE THIS. EMPATHY IS THE REAL BASIS FOR EVENTUAL REFORM OF THESE TYPES OF ABUSES.

>> I DO BELIEVE AND WANT TO BELIEVE THAT FERGUSON IS THE EXCEPTION. I MEAN, THE REPORT ON THE FERGUSON POLICE AND THE PERVASIVE RACISM OF THEIR PRACTICES IS -- CRIES TO HEAVEN. IT'S ARRESTS THE ONLY PEOPLE ON WHOM DOGS WERE LOOSED, THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS, AND IF THERE'S ANYBODY WHO NEEDS POLICING, GOOD, EFFECTIVE HONEST POLICING IT'S PEOPLE IN LOWER INCOME COMMUNITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE OF COLOR WHERE THE CRIME RATE IS TRAGICALLY HIRING. I WOULD SAY THAT YOU MENTION SELL MARKS JUDY, IT IS A POLITICAL TRAVESTY THAT THIS WEEKEND WE SPENT THE 50th 50th ANNIVERSARY OF SELMA, THE MARCH ACROSS THE EDMUND PETTUS BRIDGE, DOZENS AND DOZENS OF REPUBLICANS INCLUDING PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WILL BE THERE, NOT A SINGLE MEMBER OF THE HOUSE, AND JUSTICE SCALISE WHO NEEDS TO GET RIGHT WITH PEOPLE AFTER HIS DAVID DUKE ASSOCIATION WAS REVEALED.

>> THAT WAS A TERRIBLE MESS. WE'LL BE WATCHING. MARK SHIELDS, DAVID GERSON, WE THANK YOU BOTH.

>> Woodruff: DON'T GO ANYWHERE SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT MILES O'BRIEN IS HERE TO TELL US ABOUT TWO STORIES THAT ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD. BUT FIRST, IT'S PLEDGE WEEK ON P.B.S. THIS BREAK ALLOWS YOUR PUBLIC TELEVISION STATION TO ASK FOR FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR, LEIGH PATERSON, IN WYOMING.

>> Woodruff: LET'S CLOSE OUT OUR FRIDAY WITH THE CONTINUING SEARCH, NOT JUST FOR LIFE, BUT FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW LIFE BEGAN. THERE'S A CONNECTION IN TWO SPACE STORIES TODAY. THIS MORNING NASA SAID ITS "DAWN" SPACECRAFT ARRIVED IN ORBIT AROUND THE DWARF PLANET, CERES. A JOURNEY OF MORE THAN 300 MILLION MILES THAT LASTED MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS. CERES LIES IN AN ASTEROID BELT BETWEEN MARS AND JUPITER. AND YESTERDAY, NEW RESEARCH FOUND THAT MARS ONCE HAD EVEN MORE WATER THAN WE REALIZED, ENOUGH TO COVER 20% OF THE PLANET AND LARGER THAN OUR ARCTIC OCEAN. WE'RE JOINED BY SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT MILES O'BRIEN. SO, MILES, TELL US, WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR ON THIS TINY PLANET?

>> WELL, WHEREVER YOU LOOK IN THE WORLD ON OUR WORLD AND YOU SEE LIQUID WATER, YOU WILL FIND LIFE. DOESN'T MATTER WHERE. YOU CAN BE IN THE HOT SPRINGS OF YELLOW STONE OR DEEP IN THE OCEAN IN THE DARKEST PLACES, IF THERE'S LIQUID WATER AND AN ENERGY SOURCE, THERE THERE IS LIFE. THIS TIES THESE TWO STORIES TOGETHER. DAWN IS ARRIVING AT CERES AND THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE CERES HAS QUITE A BIT OF WATER, PERHAPS AN ICE CRUST PERHAPS EVEN WATER GUISERS. THE PLANET HAS A MOLTEN CORE AND REASON TO BELIEVE THERE'S HEAT BENEATH THE SURFACE WHICH MEANS WILL COULD BE LIQUID WATER WHICH MEANS THERE COULD BE THINGS ALIVE THERE WHICH DATE BACK 4.5 BILLION YEARS. IT'S KIND OF MIND BOGGLING BUT THIS IS LIKE A SNOWBALL THAT'S BEEN IN THE DEEP FREEZE BUT HAS A LIQUID CORE. SO UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S GOING ON THERE WILL TELL US A HOT ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF LIFE HERE AND MAYBE ELSEWHERE.

>> Woodruff: SO THEY THINK THIS IS GOING TO ANSWER SOME BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COSMOS?

>> THINK ABOUT EARTH AS A SOUFFLEEÉ AND YOU WANT TO FIGURE OUT THE INGREDIENTS THAT MAKES US. IT'S HARD TO DO THAT WHEN THE SOUFFLEEÉ IS COOKED. BUT IF YOU CAN GO TO THE FREEZER AND LOOK ALT THE INGREDIENTS THAT'S INSIDE, YOU CAN FIGURE THINGS OUT BETTER. THE ASTRO BELT IS A DEEP FREEZE FOR 4.5 BILLION YEARS AGO WHEN THE SOLAR SYSTEM GOT STARTED. IF WE GO AND LOOK AT WHAT'S IN THE FREEZER WE'LL SEE THE INGREDIENTS AND CERES IS A GOOD PLACE TO GO. >>GO.

>> Woodruff: SEPARATELY, MILES, THE FINDING OF THIS BODY OF WATER OR WHAT WAS A BODY OF WATER ON MARS, HOW DOES THIS EXPAND OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND WHAT HAPPENED?

>> THE STORY OF MARS IS A STORY WE HAVE BEEN STELLING A LONG TIME YOU GO BACK TO GIOVANNI AND WHAT HE OBSERVED THAT LED US TO BELIEVE IN MARTIANS AND THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. BUT NOW YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE WATER ETCHED IT OUT WHERE DID THE WATER GO IS THE QUESTION. THE NAY IS A MISSIONS HAVE SHED A LOT OF LIGHT ON THIS AND SAID BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THERE WAS WATER THERE ON THE ORDER OF 3 BILLION YEARS AGO. THIS LATEST PAPER IS REALLY EXCITING BECAUSE THEY USED TELESCOPES BASED ON THE GROUND TO MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF HEAVY WATER IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND BY FIGURING OUT THE RATIO BETWEEN THE HEAVY AND LIGHT WATER, THEY WERE BE ABLE TO BACKTRACK 4.5 BILLION YEARS AGO AND COME UP WITH AN OCEAN ABOUT THE SIZE OF OUR ARCTIC OCEAN, 5,000 FEET DEEP AND MOST IMPORTANT PRESENT FOR 1.5 BILLION YEARS, AND THAT'S ENOUGH TIME, AT LEAST ON THIS PLANET, FOR LIFE TO TAKE HOLD. SO YOU'VE GOT A WARM PLACE A WET PLACE AND A BILLION AND A HALF YEARS OF THIS BIG OCEAN. SO SURELY -- WELL, I'LL SAY SURELY, THE STEINTISTS WON'T BUT I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THERE ARE TINY FOSSILS THERE SOMEWHERE.

>> Woodruff: MILES O'BRIEN, THANK YOU.

>> YOU'RE WELCOME.

>> Woodruff: ON THE NEWSHOUR ONLINE, WE REMEMBER ALBERT MAYSLES. THE AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER KNOWN FOR THE CINEMA VERITE DOCUMENTARIES HE MADE WITH HIS BROTHER, DIED TODAY AT THE AGE OF 88. WE'VE GATHERED CLIPS OF HIS WORK FROM FILMS LIKE "GREY GARDENS," AND "GIMME SHELTER," ABOUT AN ILL-FATED ROLLING STONES CONCERT TOUR. YOU CAN FIND THOSE ON OUR HOMEPAGE, pbs.org/newshour. AND A REMINDER ABOUT SOME UPCOMING PROGRAMS FROM OUR PBS COLLEAGUES. TUNE IN LATER THIS EVENING TO "WASHINGTON WEEK." AND ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SATURDAY, A REPORT FROM OREGON, THE FIRST STATE IN THE NATION TO LEGALIZE ASSISTED SUICIDE.

>> THIS IS MY HUSBAND.

>> Reporter: IN 2011, PAM'S HUSBAND OF 43 YEARS, BEN, DISCOVERED AN EARLIER BOUT OF CANCER HAD RETURNED. SOON AFTER THE DISEASE BEGAN TAKING A LETHAL TOLL.

>> BEN WOKE ME UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND HE SAID PAM, WE'VE GOT TO TALK. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP -- YOU KNOW, I'M DYING PAM. I'VE HAD A GOOD LIFE WITH YOU AND BONNIE. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO JUST KEEP LIVING LIKE THIS.

>> THAT'S TOMORROW NIGHT ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND. BEFORE WE GO, WE WANT TO MARK A MILESTONE. REGULAR VIEWERS MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT IT HAS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE WE LAST AIRED AN "HONOR ROLL" OF AMERICAN SERVICE PERSONNEL KILLED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. THAT'S BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN NONE: TODAY IS THE 84TH DAY WITHOUT AN FATAL U.S. CASUALTY IN A MILITARY COMBAT ZONE, THE LONGEST STREAK SINCE A 56-DAY PERIOD IN 2002, ACCORDING TO "THE WASHINGTON POST." IN THE YEARS AFTER THE EVENTS OF 9/11, THE UNITED STATES HAS LOST 2,356 MEN AND WOMEN IN THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN AND 4,489 IN THE WAR IN IRAQ. OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE FAMILIES OF EACH ONE OF THEM, AND WE HOPE TO GO MANY MORE DAYS WITHOUT LOSING ANOTHER ONE. THAT'S THE NEWSHOUR FOR TONIGHT I'M JUDY WOODRUFF, HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT.

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>> THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. Captioning sponsored by NEWSHOUR PRODUCTIONS, LLC Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >>> THIS IS "NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT" WITH TYLER MATHISEN AND SUE HERERA. >>> OUT OF PATIENCE? STOCKS TUMBLE AS HIRING SURGES AND PRESSURE RAMPS UP ON THE FEDERAL RESERVE TO POSSIBLY HIKE INTEREST RATES SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. >>> A TASTE FOR APPLE. THE MOST VALUABLE COMPANY JOIN THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS STOCK MARKET INDEX. >>> MEET THE MEN WHO ARE FINDI A HIGH-TECH SOLUTION TO AN EVERYDAY PROBLEM AND CREATING JOBS IN THE PROCESS. ALL OF THAT AND MORE TONIGHT ON "NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT" FOR FRIDAY MARCH 6th. >>> GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE AND WELCOME. A SURPRISE ADDITION TO THE EXCLUSIVE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL. APPLE WILL SOON JOIN THE BLUE CHIP INDEX, BUT WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH THE BLOWOUT FEBRUARY EMPLOYMENT REPORT AND HOW STOCKS REACTED TO