captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, terror strikes paris. multiple shootings and explosions reported, leaving dozens dead, and hostages being held at a theater. plus, kurdish forces backed by u.s. airstrikes declare a victory over isis as they take back the town of sinjar in iraq. then: dissecting strong language from donald trump, anticipating tomorrow's democratic debate, and more. mark shields and michael gerson analyze the week's news. and investigative journalism on the silver screen: we look at the new movie "spotlight." >> there's something about the blue collar approach to this work, a kind of boots on the ground journalism that's more or

less a dying art and why it's important and why this is fascinating. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us.

>> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: multiple attacks have erupted in paris tonight, with at least 35 people killed and 60 or more held hostage.

gunmen killed dozens at a cambodian restaurant, and at a concert hall, where they also took the hostages. and, at least two explosions near a soccer stadium where president francois hollande was attending a match. police report apparently coordinated shootouts and bombings across the french capital. >> i sat inside the restaurant i was having a meal with my friend who was sitting right at the window when there were numerous gunshots. directed at the window, towards the restaurant we were eating in. we immediately dropped to the floor with all the other diners and we were there for maybe one minute lying on the floor as we continued to hear numerous gunshots. >> woodruff: later, another shooting was reported at a paris shopping mall, and president

francois hollande announced he is deploying the military around the city and closing the borders of france. in washington, u.s. officials said they are monitoring but there appears to be no credible threat against the united states. and president obama came into the white house briefing room to speak about the attacks. >> once again, we've seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. this is an attack not just on paris, iters an attack not -- it's an attack not just on the people of france, but this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share. we stand prepared and ready to provide whatever assistance that the government and the people of france need to respond. >> woodruff: for more on the attacks right now, we turn to reporter kate moody of france 24. she is in paris. kate moody, what is the very latest you know?

>> the latest we've heard from the french president and he said declaring a national state of emergency. he announced he would be closing the borders of the country in an effort to protect france. he described this as a series of coordinated, unprecedented terror attacks, which he believes has left several dozen people dead. local french media, though, is putting the death toll higher. b.f.m. tv said there are already at least 60 dead and reporting there is still a hostage situation unfolding. so that could go even higher. >> woodruff: kate moody, where is is hostage situation taking place? >> reporter: that's at a theater at the music venue where there was an american group performing this evening called "the eagles of death metal" performing in this location of paris. it's a theater that can sit up

to 500 people. we understand two gunmen entered the concert area, fired several warning shots and a few downwards in one direction. some people managed to get out of the area but the situation is still unfolding. people are on highest alert surrounding the area. >> woodruff: kate moody, staying with you, americans are familiar with what happened in paris during charlie hebdo, the attacks on the newspaper last year. how would you compare what's going on now to that? >> the entire city of paris changed very much affected by the charlie hebdo shootings you were referring to, 20 people killed in the attacks, a thee-day terror alert across the country back in jrn, and the city has really changed since then. we've seen a huge military presence outside schools and religious areas and the city

hasn't gotten back to the way it was since before that, so i think people certainly remember those attacks and everything that we're seeing seems to indicate that this series of apparently very coordinated and very deadly attacks has already become more deadly than those attacks that changed paris some time ago. people are really truly in shock at this latest development. >> woodruff: fair to say security was already high before what happened tonight? >> exactly. this level of security across paris and across the country have been raised since those attacks. there was no apparent threat towards the city on this friday, there was no particularly high level of alert today. but in general, over the past few months, the level of alert certainly has been raised. police and the military have

been deployed throughout the city for months, really. there is a much more heavy security presence, something that might be familiar to the people in the united states but not the case in france before the charlie hebdo attacks in january. >> woodruff: reporter kate moody with france 24 television, reporting on what is the latest unfolding and continuing violent situation in paris. hostages being held and dozens reported dead. kate moody, we thank you, and we are going to continue to follow this paris story throughout the program tonight. in the day's other news, islamic state forces sustained major losses across the territory they control in iraq and syria. they were driven from the northern iraqi town of sinjar, after holding it for more than a year. and there were growing signs that one of the most notorious of the militants was killed in syria. chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner has the story. >> warner: it was cold, but surprisingly quiet, as the sun rose over sinjar and kurdish

peshmerga fighters waited to advance. but within hours, the calm was broken, as the kurds... ( gunfire ) ...pushed their way into the city center, firing guns in celebration, raising their flag, and unfurling a banner to signify their victory. michael gordon of "the new york times" entered sinjar with them. >> it's american air power that enabled-- weakened the islamic state over the preceding weeks, and it's american air power that allowed them to take the city today. >> warner: but securing the city will take work. >> all the risks within sinjar are not gone, and it's probably gonna take some time to clear the city of snipers and i.e.d.s, but that said, the major part of the battle appears to have been won. >> warner: kurdish fighters had also taken a vital highway linking islamic state territory in iraq and syria. the militants suffered a second blow too, in neighboring syria, as a coalition of arab, christian and kurdish rebels

took the town of hol, in northern hassakeh province. separately, iraq's defense ministry announced an iraqi military operation in western iraq. to liberate ramadi from islamic state control. but local police and officials said progress was very slow. the militants struck back in baghdad, with a suicide bombing at a shi-ite funeral, killing more than two dozen people and wounding many more. >> we'll begin to slaughter your people on your streets. >> warner: meanwhile, a u.s. drone strike targeted the islamic state executioner known as "jihadi john." u.s. military spokesman steve warren, speaking from baghdad, said the strike hit a car in raqqa, the syrian city that isis calls its capital. >> we know for a fact that the weapon system hit its intended target, and that the personnel who were on the receiving end of that weapon system were in fact

killed. we still have to finalize the verification that those personnel were specifically who we thought they were. >> warner: "jihadi john" was, in fact, a british citizen named mohammed emwazi who'd appeared in videos depicting the beheading of western hostages. they included american journalists james foley and steven sotloff, as well as u.s. aid worker abdul-rahman kassig. two british aid workers and a japanese journalist were beheaded as well. adam goldman has covered that story extensively for "the washington post." >> tactically, i don't think "jihadi john" meant much to the organization itself. he wasn't a battlefield general, he wasn't coordinating troop movements, but he held great symbolism for that group and i think his demise is a blow to the organization. i think he was a great recruitment tool and he also seemed untouchable, but the u.s. just let isis know that we can reach any of you. >> warner: later, the pentagon said it is "reasonably certain" that "jihadi john" was indeed killed in the strike. >> woodruff: in tunisia, secretary of state john kerry said the turn of events shows

the islamic state's days are numbered. in this country, abortion policy is going back before the u.s. supreme court for the first time since 2007. the nine justices agreed today to consider a texas law that could force most of that state's abortion facilities to shut down. the case turns on whether the law places an undue burden on a woman's constitutional right to seek an abortion. a utah judge today reversed his decision to take a 9-month-old girl away from a lesbian couple- - after sparking a backlash. on tuesday, the judge ruled against foster parents april hoagland and beckie peirce. he said same-sex marriages are more unstable. today, the couple's lawyer said they're relieved and "are very optimistic that the child will remain in their care." still, state officials said the judge's latest ruling could be temporary. back in the middle east, this was another deadly day in a two

month surge of violence between palestinians and israelis. israeli officials said at least two jewish settlers were killed when a palestinian opened fire on their van near hebron, in the west bank. police launched a manhunt for the shooter. elsewhere, at least two palestinians were shot and killed by israeli security forces in separate clashes near hebron and ramallah. the national election commission in myanmar has confirmed the opposition party's historic win in parliamentary elections. the "national league for democracy," led by aung san suu kyi, captured a majority of seats in sunday's voting. supporters celebrated today by buying up campaign buttons and stickers as mementos. and the party's spokesman welcomed the formal announcement. >> ( translated ): according to our tally, we already knew that we won. but as the election commission lists are official, we had to wait for it. now that the commission announced what we expected,

we'll be able to work freely, and i'm so happy about that. >> woodruff: under myanmar's constitution, suu kyi is barred from becoming president. but she has said whoever holds that office will be a figurehead, while she will wield actual power. back in this country, the state of alabama has agreed to change its voter registration system after a finding of "widespread noncompliance" with federal law. the u.s. justice department says the state failed to let people register to vote when they get driver's licenses or similar documents. the two giants in daily fantasy sports, "draft-kings" and "fan- duel," went to cout today to keep their gaming websites operating in new york state. the state's attorney general had ordered both companies to shut down, after ruling they're engaged in illegal gambling. but in lawsuits today, the firms argued they're running skill-based games. the centers for disease control and prevention now estimates one in 45 american children has

autism. that figure, in a new report today, is significantly higher than the previous estimate of one in 68. researchers say a change in the wording of survey questions could be a factor. the cause or causes of autism are still unknown. and on wall street, stocks slumped again over growing concerns that the holiday shopping season will be disappointing. the dow jones industrial average lost more than 200 points to close at 17,245. the nasdaq fell 77 points, and the s&p 500 dropped 23. for the week, both the dow and the s&p 500 lost roughly 3.5%. the nasdaq fell more than 4%. still to come on the newshour: more on the attacks that rocked paris; how every day acts of racism can build to a tipping point, and much more.

>> woodruff: now a look at what questions authorities are asking in paris tonight. we turn to lorenzo vidino, he is the director of the program on extremism at george washington university here in washington. mr. vidino, thank you for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> woodruff: what questions are you asking? what groups could be capable b of pulling off something of this magnitude? >> it's very difficult to determine at this point. the situation is still unfolding. obviously, the first thing, it appears that we're talking about quite a sophisticated operation. we're talking about simultaneous attacks in three, four, five parts in the city, we don't really know. obviously, this is not one of the spontaneous attacks we've seen in france and other western countries including the united states. here, we're talking about a

cluster, a cell of people, we'll determine over the next few days how many individuals but clearly coordinated and synchronized. but something we've seen in the past in europe but not really seen something that seems bigger than the charlie hebdo attacks we saw in paris in general. >> woodruff: we spoke with kate moody with france 24 television a few minutes ago. she said there has been a lot of ramped-up security in paris since the charlie hebdo attacks, but, despite that, whoever it is could pull off something of this size. >> obviously, the french have been dealing with a massive problem internally. assuming, of course, that we are talking about terrorism of jihadist inspiration, linked to al quaida, i.s.i.s., other groups of their ideological galaxy, the french have a large problem on their hand. we're talking of 1200 people who went from france to fight with iraq and other groups, a number

of people inspired by that ideology. the french are talking about 5,000 individuals of interest to authorities. but it's very difficult to monitor such a large pool of people. >> woodruff: do you assume this is an islamic terrorist group? >> it's very difficult to call anything. obviously that's the first guess everybody has. but we've had cases where what seemed to be the case is not the case. in norway, what everybody called an islamic terrorism, turned out to be a right-wing militant. so it's very early and i would caution everybody to call it. obviously, at this stage, the groups that have the capabilities, the motivation and intention tend to be those inspired by bad ideology, to al quaida and i.s.i.s. in particular. >> and we're very early, as we have been reporting. this just developed a couple of hours ago. we know dozens are reported to be dead, many more than that being held hostage lorenzo

vidino, why france? why is paris -- why is france the site of something like this? >> well, i think we've seen a lot of western countries are targeted by terrorism and we've seen attacks also in the united states, though of a smaller amplitude. but france has a larger number of individuals linked to that movement in particular, and authorities are struggling with that. france also has a very aggressive foreign policy, whether increased presence in north africa, syria, iraq against i.s.i.s., so that makes it a target. very hard to say what group is behind it and what the motivations, are but we see a large problem in france. >> woodruff: i'm hearing from our producer that the french police are confirming that there have been -- there were two suicide attacks at least and one bomb, one explosion near the

paris stadium. this is the kind of information we were getting earlier. as the night goes on, what will you be looking for, lorenzo vidino, to try to understand what's happened here? >> well, obviously, authorities will investigate all the links. they will probably find some of the perpetrators dead. they will usually find the identities of them. they will look at their phone, social media presence. trying to see do they have other people in paris, do they need to carry out attacks, claim responsibility, although you will see a lot of people claiming responsibility even if they do not have anything to do with the attack. we've already seen it on twitter, a lot of chatter, but obviously a lot of people who have nothing to do with the attacks but getting the perpetrators and investigating their backgrounds and seeing if they have connections. >> woodruff: well, it is still very early in all of this and so much yet to understand. in fact, the situation is still alive and unfolding. but clearly, a horrific situation at this point, lorenzo

vidino with george washington university, thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: tonight we bring you another conversation in our series, "race matters- solutions," during a week when racial tensions on campus have led to protests and high profile resignations. special correspondent charlayne hunter gault sat down with columbia university teachers college professor gerald sue to learn more about the small slights that some say are more insidious than the overt racial tensions that can be seen and observed by all. here's that conversation. >> dr. sue, thank you for joining us. so tell me, what exactly is micro-aggression? >> well, micro-aggressions are varying from being conscious, deliberate, on a continuum, to

being outside one's level of awareness and unintentional. micro-aggressions really are reflections of world views of inclusion, exclusion, superiority, inferiority, and they come out in ways that are outside the level of conscious awareness of an individual. when i'm asked, "where were you born?," and i say, "i was born in portland, oregon" and persist by saying, "no, no, no, where were you really born?" and i'll say, "portland, oregon?" and they'll say, "no, what country were you born in?" and i'll say, "the united states." they get very embarrassed. now this is an example that they are intending to make a personal connection, but the hidden communication, the true world view is that i am a perpetual alien or foreigner in my country. i am not a true american because true americans only look the

following way, and that's what generates these behaviors that are micro-aggressions. >> reporter: but you describe it as unintentional, and yet we've seen at the university of missouri very blatant examples of racism. >> you're right about that. micro-aggressions vary from being conscious, deliberate, intentional, from old-fashioned racism and biased statements to the unintended consequences. and our studies do indicate that it's the hidden, unintentional forms of bias that are most damaging to people of color. and that like at the university of missouri where you have people being called racial epithets or behaviors that are going on, it actually is only the tip of the iceberg. the reason why i believe students of color, faculty of color are reacting is such a

major way is that they are experiencing a climate that is hostile, that is full of aggressions. these hate incidents on campus are triggering off this discontent, pain and feeling of being silenced. >> reporter: but there are critics of your studies and the notion even of micro-aggression, which they say have morphed from 1970 when it was unintentional to now everything that happens, and that people are just being overly sensitive. they say, "if you coddle these students on campus, how does that prepare them to live in the real world?" >> you know, the problem is that believe people micro-aggressions are very similar to the everyday in-civility and rudeness that individuals, white americans, experience in their day to day lives. they are quite different.

micro-aggressions for people of color are constant, continual and cumulative. they occur to people of color from the moment of birth to when they die, and, as a result, any one micro-aggression in isolation may represent the feather that breaks the camel's back. and people who don't see the lived experience of people of color and the daily onslaught that they experience tend not to believe that is a major event. >> reporter: you know there is another criticism because this has been called, some of the things that people have called, now they say the n-word and other things like that, is hate speech, and that it's protected by the first amendment. so, isn't that okay, given that kind of reasoning? >> i think that people who say that we are preventing individuals from free speech

don't realize, ironically, that it is people of color that, historically, have not been able to express themselves openly or freely without punitive actions being directed at them. and so, there has to be this balance, but, at the same time, an understanding that there are limits to free speech when it harms and hurts people. >> reporter: why do you think that students commit microaggressions, or adults for that matter? >> that's a good question, and i think it goes to the heart of the matter-- that none of us are immune from inheriting the racial biases of our forbearers. we have attitudes and biases that are delivered through micro-aggressions. >> reporter: but when some of these micro-aggressions come out in the form of real hatred, is that solvable? >> we can deal with that

deliberately, but the subtle forms of micro-aggressions are hard to prove, hard to quantify in some way, and very difficult for us to take actions against because people oftentimes don't perceive it as harmful and significant. you know, people oftentimes tell me that white americans are the enemy. i say, "no, white americans aren't the enemy. white supremacy is." it's the social conditioning of the superiority of one group over another. and many white americans are equally victimized because they have been socialized into a society that tends to view them with these images that they believe in, but it's no fault of their own. if you really reach white americans, they can become valuable allies. one of the reasons why our

research concentrates on the unintentional forms of microaggressions is very much what maya angelou said, "it's the unintentional bias that does the greatest harm to people of color." and i oftentimes use the example that when you look the disparities and inequities we have in education, employment and healthcare, it is not due to the overt racist or the white supremacist. it is due to the well- intentioned teachers who educate our children, employers who decide who to hire, who to retain and who to promote. and it is those individuals who are unaware of their hidden biases that are having the major impact on our standard of living. >> reporter: well, professor sue, thank you for joining us. >> well, thank you. >> woodruff: you can find more about micro-aggressions,

including a video made by professor sue explaining how they have impacted his life, on the race matters section of our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. >> woodruff: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: mark shields and michael gerson's take on the week's news; and an on-screen portrayal of the investigation that uncovered the catholic child abuse scandal. >> woodruff: but first, this week we've seen shifts in the 2016 race in both parties. we start with the left. political director lisa desjardins reports on the next phase for bernie sanders. >> reporter: the summer for sanders was a wave of big crowd, topping 2016 turnout records for

people so far. 28,000 in portland, oregon, according to sanders' campaign. >> whoa! (cheers and applause) unbelievable! >> reporter: he centers on a different set of numbers, the polling. let's take a look at iowa. in september, sanders was on the rise, but he had ups and downs since then. meantime, hillary clinton is pulling far ahead, now by more than 20 points, according to poll averages there. and in new hampshire, right next door to sanders' home state of vermont, he had a 10-point lead in september, now he and clinton are virtually tied. as sanders' numbers shift, no accident, so does his strategy. >> it's true, we have been through a different phase of the campaign. >> reporter: that's the strategist behind bernie sanders' campaign. he says the campaign needs to get beyond the big crowd energy. >> we have to balance it with the need particularly in the early states for him to be accessible, talk to voters and deliver the message to people

whom we can persuade. >> reporter: one way, go traditional, spend money on tv. this month sanders launched his first tv a.d. campaign, $2 million on this 60-second spot, including a biographical touch that is not in his stump speech. >> the son of a polish immigrant who grew up in a brooklyn tenement -- >> reporter: it came three months after clinton launched her first tv spot in iowa. speaking of clinton, sanders is doing more of that, too, once he was a no-attacks candidate. >> this campaign i am running, let me reiterate, is not against hillary clinton or anybody else. >> reporter: even avoided take a shot in their october debate. >> i think the secretary is right, and that is that the american people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn e-mails! >> reporter: now he's getting more aggressive and more critical. >> there are real differences between hillary clinton and myself. in terms of disagreeing with

hillary clinton, yeah, i do, on many, many issues. >> reporter: as his campaign tries to find the right formula, some political observers points out sanders has two goals, the white house and his agenda. professor at george washington university. >> the real thing for sanders is not that he personally wins, it's that his ideas become more accepted and diffused across the democratic party. he really wants voters to appreciate who he is, what he believes and why it is important for them. >> reporter: sanders has two and a half months before the iowa caucuses when voters will weigh in and if his strategy is working offfor the pbs "newshour", i'm lisa desjardins. >> woodruff: republican donald trump made news last night for a 95-minute long speech in fort dodge, iowa that was full of attacks, including on voters. here are a few excerpts,

starting with trump's words about rival ben carson-- and carson's claim that he once tried to stab someone but hit the person's belt. >> i have a belt. somebody hits me with a belt is going in because the belt moves this way! it moves this way! it moves that way! he hit the belt buckle! carson's an inanything mavment he wrote a book, doing great in iowa, second in the polls. with all these professional politicians, i'm first, carson's second. and i don't understand it. i really don't understand it. i know more about i.s.i.s. than the generals do, believe me. i would bomb the (bleep) out of 'em. (cheers and applause) she's going to run. she's going to be the candidate, and she's going to lose. how stupid are the people of

iowa? how stupid are the people of the country to believe this crap? >> woodruff: before we >> woodruff: and now an update on the situation in paris. there are reports now of more gunfire and five explosions at the music hall where police say hostages are being held. we turn now to shields and gerson. that's syndicated columnist mark shields and washington post columnist michael gerson. david brooks is away. >> woodruff: gentlemen, this is a fast-moving story. very much we know president hollande closed the borders of france and called emergency. even though foreign defense policy has not been front in the minds of americans but something could change in an instance. >> no question, and this is a shock, but increasing awareness of vulnerability, and i think

that's the reaction and understandable reaction is of most people. beyond the sympathy and sense of outrage and people have done it, and the simple the for those who are suffering. but it does remind us of her vulnerability. >> woodruff: and it's clear at this point that president obama and administration officials have said there is no indication of an immediate threat to the united states but, of course, that's where your thinking goes. >> this is one of the strategies of al quaida-like organizations, spectacular attacks designed to demoralize countries. this is true of the u.s., true in britain in 2005 with the underground attack and true in france now. but it doesn't work. it actually hardens resolve and, you know, france is playing an important role in the middle east. i think they're not going to be deterred from that. >> woodruff: well, we will continue to monitor it, but it's disturbing at the very least

horrific as the scale of it unfolds. let's turn back to the campaign, mark. we've heard a little bit of what donald trump had to say in that really surprising speech that he made last night in iowa. what are we to make of this? he went after ben carson, he went after many of the other candidates. used some very, very tough language. >> judy, i don't know what to make of it. in 48 hours, he went from the milwaukee debate where he was subdued, repetitive, uninteresting. i mean, not donald trump at all, the man who had generated such great audience numbers for these debates, to the 95 minutes in fort dodge, iowa in which he berated dr. carson. every other candidate, george pataki, lindse lindsey graham, o rubio, john kasich, everybody,

basically, except ted cruz, who was spared. for the first time, he had a sense of he wasn't just talking about perceived short coming to whether low energy or sweat glands of the candidate and people could kind of giggle, the mischievous giggle. watching it, i think he made people uncomfortable in that room and especially going after ben carson who is the best liked and the most popular. >> woodruff: you mean based on the reactions of people. >> of people and the reports i have read and talking to people who were there. i do think that there is an uncomfortableness about it, and i don't know which donald trump it's going to be, whether the milwaukee donald trump which is sort of a presidential in quotes that he didn't go after everybody, the question was it was an elegant evening to this person who really is a vandal and basically accused ben carson of being a psychopath --

pathological, i guess, excuse me. >> woodruff: michael, what do you make of it? >> there are a lot of problems with our presidential nomination process, but it does over time reveal candidates, reveals them under pressure, and this was very revealing. i think that people have a democratic duty to watch what took place in those 95 minutes, as much of it as you can stomach. you know, trump was vial and vulgar and vicious and morally deformed. this was an unbelievable performance. you know, i think conservatives just have to have a tough time defending this. if this isn't the line, there is no line. this was really the worst type of politics. you know, we'll see what the effect is. he has jumped the shark so many times and avoided the consequences, but this really struck me as something different.

>> woodruff: is it worth even speculating about why or there is just no way to know, i mean, why he would do that? >> i don't pretend to know, i really don't. it appears that ben carson bothers him, and the fact ben carson is ahead of him. >> woodruff: the two are leading in the polls in iowa. >> i think ben carson is ahead in iowa, at least in the register poll which is the gold standard. i think that's part of donald trump's introduction of himself every time, i'm leading in all the polls. i don't know if he's bothered by that or just what it is. >> trump's biggest strategic failure in this speech, he actually attacked carson's religious conversion, so this isn't the way things happen. that is a central tenant of evangelical belief, the possibility of redemption and conversion -- i once was blind and now i see. by attacking that, in a very

religious state, iowa, i can't imagine what reason there could be. this was religious ill literacy, it also showed a hostility toward the evangelical tradition. i can't explain that at all. >> woodruff: we just heard the really good report from lisa desjardins, it mr. th it -- poll director, about bernie sanders. he's trying a different tack. does he feel his message isn't getting across? what do you feel is behind this? >> bernie sanders' problem has always been the same. hillary clinton, while she's a polarizing figure nationally and has a ceiling pollsters say of how far she would go is enormously popular with democratic primary voters and has a big lead. bernie sanders' best bet has always been a two-stage

strategy. necessity being the mother of invention, but to compete where he can, whether resources would be of some parody in iowa and new hampshire where he can have a chance, and to make the case, judy, basically not against her but a case of whom do you believe, whom do you trust? i mean, who do you think the 1% are most against? who stood up on the war in iraq? who stood up against wall street? >> woodruff: remind people. ho is really against the trade pacts that cost americans jobs? i think that is probably his best strategy. to make it a case of -- he's not been a candidate of convenience, he's been a candidate of conviction. >> it's also a reflection that, in the last couple of weeks, hillary clinton has essentially sewn up the democratic nomination. when joe biden gave in, he did

well in the states and polarizing numbers went up. i don't think hillary clinton's campaign is afraid of sanders. i think it's afraid of the f.b.i. director because that's where the real threat comes from. that looks like an expanding investigation over the possibility of, you know, hindering an investigation and that, i think, is the real source of concern. >> i'll just add one thing, judy, and that is if, in fact, bernie sanders were to win iowa and new hampshire, that changes the dynamic of the race. the inevitability of hillary clinton or anybody who just has taken a licking in the first two contests, the dynamic changes and that sense of inevitability is frayed if not eroded. >> woodruff: that's where he's

pressing a lot of the focus now. i wanted to ask you both about really one of the things i think emerged from that republican debate and that is on immigration, michael. you saw a clear split between those republicans who are arguing like donald trump, do everything you can to keep -- to get those who are here undocumented immigrants out of the country and those in the party who are saying, wait a minute, that doesn't make sense. >> yeah, i think clearly for republicans we'll have a chance going forward, not just this election but future elections, the nature of demographics. the candidate that comes out of this is going to have to repudiate the idea of mass deportations. they're going to have to positively distance themselves from this and win. so it's someone like rubio or john kasich that can play the role. the question is whether the forces of negativism in the party can defeat them and make it impossible for a viable republican to get the

nomination, and i think that's the main issue we're going to see. >> woodruff: mark, but are we now seeing a situation where if you're a moderate republican and you say just enough to appeal to hispanic voters that maybe republicans have a chance on the immigration issue that we didn't see. >> this, to me, is suicidal on the part of republicans. i mean, we have an increasingly minority america. the republican primary electorate, judy, is 6% minority and 92% white. the general election in the country in 2012 -- i think they're playing playing to an o, whiter, more conservative electorate the republican candidates are. and i say if immigration -- that is opposition to immigration,

cacategorically just outspoken, untrammelled opposition to immigration becomes the decider of who wins, the republicans will lose. one place i disagree with michael is i think marco rubio face as test. but i think ted cruz -- >> he was burned in that process. >> i agree, but i thought ted cruz had the best night when he made the economic populous argument. if those were lawyers and bankers and journalists coming across the rio grande, there would be a concern that we would have our jobs taken. >> woodruff: mark shields, michael gerson, thank you both. >> thank you. >> woodruff: finally tonight, one of the year's most acclaimed movies and the journalism behind it. reporters frequently don't

come off well in the movies these days. but the new film-- opening in many cities this weekend-- is built around the investigative journalism that uncovered a major scandal in the archdiocese of boston. the fallout of that report, in turn, triggered numerous other investigations and revelations in other archdioceses. jeffrey brown has the story. >> the numbers clearly indicate there were senior clergy involved. >> reporter: it was one major institution, the hometown newspaper, taking on another, the catholic church. >> show me it's systemic. >> reporter: the new film, "spotlight," recounts the "boston globe's" investigation revealing that the church knew about sexual abuse of children by priests and covered it up, even allowing guilty priests to keep their jobs. the film is, in that sense, the story of the story.

director tom mccarthy: >> we became fascinated with the minutiae, with the procedure, with the craft of journalism. and i think early on we committed to not only writing but portraying that accurately as possible. and i think we felt that, and the rest of my creative team felt that if we found it exciting, hopefully our audience would. >> reporter: the newshour was there in boston in the spring of 2002, covering the case as it unfolded. the "globe's" efforts were led by then-editor martin baron, who was new to the city and the paper. he'd read a column by a "globe" writer about one case of abuse that was under a court seal. >> i thought it was an extraordinary story. here was a priest who had been accused by 130 people of having abused them as minors. that was just an extraordinary number in and of itself. and i was just struck by the fact that i haven't heard of the case. i said, "have we considered challenging that confidentiality order? maybe we should do that." >> i'd like to challenge the

protective order in the geoghan case. >> you want to sue the catholic church? >> we're just filing a motion, but, yes. >> reporter: in the film, baron is played by actor liev schreiber. today, martin baron is editor of the "washington post." he talked at length to the filmmakers about his experience in boston and told us of seeing the results. >> i think this movie is quite authentic. they got the outlines of the story right. they really understood the subject matter. they understood how newsrooms work. and i think that's one thing that's impressed a lot of journalists is that they get the workaday life of journalists so right. it's incredible. we're not used to seeing that in movies. >> got cover-up stories on 20 priests, but the boss isn't going to run it unless i get confirmation from your side. >> are you out of your mind? >> reporter: the film has an ensemble cast that includes michael keaton, mark ruffalo and rachel mcadams. it closely follows the "globe's"

investigative "spotlight" team as it slowly unwinds the story, including the actions of a priest named paul geoghan, implicated in many abuse cases, and his ultimate superior, cardinal bernard law, then the very prominent leader of the catholic church in boston. the "spotlight" reporters culled 18 years of church directories to track over 900 active and retired priests. the team then created a database which allowed it to match a target list of 100 priests with allegations of abuse. they homed in on priests who had been moved from a parish, sent on sick leave or otherwise removed from active service and left "unassigned." in 2002, the newshour talked to walter robinson, who headed up the "spotlight" unit. >> the documents to me were breathtaking in the extent to which they knew the cordiality of the correspondence between the cardinal and father geoghan and the other bishops and father geoghan.

here's a fellow who they knew was accused of and had committed these acts against scores of kids, and the letters were, "dear jack, we hope you're coping with your problem." >> boom, and then connect their thoughts. >> reporter: director mccarthy says he and his team took great care in how they would tell such a raw story. >> i think we were very careful not to sensationalize the story, not to be gratuitous with the telling-- again, to approach it as the reporters did. we had the great good fortune of sitting down with several survivors of abuse-- namely the two depicted in the film, joe crawley and phil saviano. these men and the courage they exemplify in talking with us and dealing with this every day of their lives and becoming advocates for survivors, it's hard not to be greatly impressed by it. >> reporter: the scandal began to snowball even as the church vehemently pushed back. the "globe" published its first story on january 6, 2002, with

the headline "church allowed abuse by priest for years." it also printed the phone number of a confidential call-in line, bringing in many new allegations from victims. >> why does it take us so long to see that something in hindsight seems so obvious? >> reporter: in portraying the process of investigative journalism, the film has drawn comparison to "all the president's men," which documented the washington post's pursuit of the watergate scandal 40 years ago. inevitably, that means also capturing the changing world of newspapers at a time of cutbacks, layoffs and closures. today, martin baron says this: >> well, we're a profession that's under tremendous pressure, a lot of financial pressure. so, clearly, it's going to be more difficult given that there are fewer resources to do it. this is very expensive work to do, and yet we have to commit ourselves to doing it.

somebody needs to hold powerful institutions and individuals accountable, and we're the ones who have that particular role in our society. >> reporter: the "boston globe" would win a pulitzer prize for its coverage of the church sexual abuse cases. >> they knew, and they let it happen. >> reporter: "spotlight" is receiving early critical praise, including some from high reaches of the catholic church. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: before we go, an update on the attacks in paris. at this moment we know: a series of bombings and shootings tonight killed at least 35 people at a restaurant, a concert hall and a soccer stadium. police mounted an assault on the concert hall to free hostages, and new gunfire and explosions erupted there.

and french president hollande called out the military and closed france's borders. we turn again to kate moody of france 24 in paris. kate moody, what more are you learning? >> well, judy, we understand the hostage situation at the theater in paris has now been brought to an end. we're hearing police sources say two terrorists have been killed in this assault. but what police are uncovering as they go into the theater is really a scene of blood -- of -- a scene of bloodshed and terror. we understand the death toll is going to go up much, much higher as the evening progresses, although this hostage situation does now seem to have been brought to an end. >> woodruff: so the concert hall situation was the one i guess you would say live hostage situation, that's now at app end. what about the other locations

where they were attacked tonight? >> we understand there was as many as seven separate attacks being reported in paris this evening and the situation is still unfolding. not each of the incidents has been brought to an end, but the incident in this concert hall was the one that involved the most -- the highest number of people. it was a concert hall that has the capacity of 1500 people, so a huge number of people there. that's where the focus has been this evening. that's where the biggest police presence has been. the situation, we believe may be under control. a situation is developing rapidly. francois hollande addressing the nation about an hour ago, will be meeting with his council of ministers and hearing much more from them as the evening goes on. >> woodruff: kate moody, how are people dealing with this? we're looking of video, scenes inside the stadium, clearly people are in a state of shock. >> exactly.

we were talking about it earlier, judy. people still remember the attacks from january when 20 people were killed in the charlie hebdo shooting. the terror that was unclenched on the city from several months ago. and there is, unfortunately, that sense of fear back in paris this evening. metros have been shut down, the police presence is absolutely huge. people aren't quite sure what to do. they have been advised to stay inside. obviously people checking in on their loved ones. you have to remember this is a friday night in paris. the places that were attacked this evening, a football stadium, a busy restaurant, concert hall, these are all places full of people very, very concerned and very, very afraid here. >> woodruff: kate moody, thank you, joining us from paris. we'll continue our coverage of attacks online at pbs.org/newshour.

that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. have a great weekend. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by bnsf railway. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> 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. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by

>> this is "bbc world news america." >> funding of this presentation is made possible by -- the freeman foundation. newman's own foundation, giving all profits from newman's own to charity and pursuing the common good. kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and hong kong tourism board. >> i'm going to take you on a culinary journey to consume a whole cow. look at all of these beef dishes. i love eating like this. one thing you should not miss in