captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff . >> ifill: on the newshour tonight: the taliban gains ground in a key strategic district in afghanistan, while american troops are killed in an attack near the largest u.s. military facility in the country. >> woodruff: also ahead this monday: we talk politics and look at some of highlights from the latest democratic debate. >> ifill: and... ♪ a look at the new bluegrass musical, "bright star" by comedian steve martin, and musician edie brickell. >> my part of the song, was written on the banjo. and the banjo lays out a certain way for the melodies to be played. but i also like the sound of the banjo for this musical, because

i find the banjo very provocative. >> 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.

>> 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. >> woodruff: the u.s. military has suffered its worst single day in afghanistan in a year- and-a-half. six soldiers were killed and two wounded today in a taliban attack. it was the strongest sign yet of the militants' resurgence. we'll have details and a full report on the state of the fight against the taliban right after the news summary. >> ifill: president obama now

says there's legitimate criticism of his efforts to battle the islamic state group. in a year-end interview with n.p.r., airing today, he said he's failed to keep the public fully informed about thousands of air strikes and recaptured territory. the president also urged americans to keep the threat in perspective. >> i understand why people are worried. the most damage they can do, though, is if they start changing how we live and what our values are. and part of my message over the next 14 months or 13 months that i remain in office is to just make sure that we remember who we are and make sure that our resilience, our values, our unity are maintained. >> ifill: the president also criticized republican presidential candidates who've accused him of not doing enough to fight terror. he said it's important not just to shoot, but to aim. >> woodruff: the man who allegedly bought the weapons used in the san bernardino shootings was ordered held

without bond today. enrique marquez is accused of conspiring to aid terrorists, among other federal charges. authorities say he bought the assault-style rifles that syed farook and tashfeen malik fired at a holiday party, killing 14 people. >> ifill: the first of six baltimore police officers in the freddie gray case will go on trial next june 13th for a second time. a judge set the new date today for officer william porter on manslaughter, assault and other charges. his first trial ended last week in a hung jury. gray died in custody last april, touching off violent protests. >> woodruff: world soccer moved to rid itself today of two leaders engulfed in a corruption scandal. the leader of the sport's governing body, fifa, -- sepp blatter -- and his heir apparent were banned for eight years. it stems from a payment of more than $2 million that's now part of a criminal probe. steve scott of independent television news has our report.

sepunshaven with a plaster covering the aftereffects of some minor surgery, sepp blatter fought his way through the attention to deliver a typically defiant message shortly after hearing of his 8-year orbaaán. >> i'm really sorry. i am sorry. i am sorry that i am still, somewhere, a bunching ball. i am sorry that a i am, as president of eava, a bunching ball and -- punching ball and football. but sorry about me. >> he claims the $1 million payment to michelle in 2011 was part of a salary deal in 1998. the advisor at the time agreed to take some of the wages then

and some later. blatter claims that settled the debt but fifa rules it breached the ethics code as the payment was not accounted for in the books. six months ago the frontrunner to take over the presidency, that ambition now looks dead. he said today the fifa ethics commission's procedure against me is a true mockery, orchestrated to trnish my reputation. while blatter will now not get the dignified hand-over of power he so wanted, needed or not, he won't give up. there is a type for me and a type for fifa. suspended eight years for what? i will be back. thank you. >> woodruff: switzerland's attorney general is investigating the case. they're also looking into alleged corruption in fifa's award of the next two world cup

finals to russia and qatar. >> ifill: rescuers in southern china have spent a second day digging through a mudslide, searching for 85 missing people. buildings crumbled as a pile of excavated dirt and construction waste, 330 feet high, collapsed sunday at an industrial park in shenzhen. it buried or damaged 33 buildings, including factories, offices and dormitories. at least 16 people were injured, but no deaths have been confirmed yet. >> woodruff: spain braced today for weeks of political limbo, after no party won outright in sunday's election. the ruling conservatives celebrated winning the most votes, but failed to keep their majority in parliament. and, left-wing parties are refusing to join in a coalition. spain has been roiled by a backlash over austerity, and by unemployment that tops 20%. the country's stock market dropped 3% today on the election outcome. >> ifill: back in this country, gay and bisexual men will be able to donate blood for the first time in nearly 30 years.

the food and drug administration ended the ban today, saying it's not needed to prevent the transmission of the aids virus. the new policy still bars donations by men who have had sex with other men within the previous 12 months. >> woodruff: and wall street managed to recover a little of its losses from last week. the dow jones industrial average gained 123 points to close above 17,250. the nasdaq rose nearly 46 points, and the s&p 500 added 15. >> ifill: still to come on the newshour: u.s. and nato troops killed in afghanistan. democrats divided over how to fight isis. why health care co-ops are shutting down. and much more. >> woodruff: now, afghanistan, and the deaths of six americans, amid a renewed taliban offensive.

it happened near bagram air field, outside kabul, when a suicide bomber drove a motorcycle into a joint u.s.- afghan patrol. >> woodruff: the bagram attack was even worse than this one last august when three american security guards died in a suicide attack in kabul. and, it came just three days after secretary of defense ash carter was in afghanistan. >> we have made gains that will put afghanistan on a better path. more work lies ahead, and the national security of both our nations remains very much at stake. but we will succeed. the taliban's advances in some parts of the country, even if only temporary, underscore that this is a tough fight, and it's far from over. >> woodruff: indeed, taliban fighters are pressing the afghan army hard, across the country. in late september, the militants

managed a three day takeover of kunduz, a provincial capital in the north. and now, government forces are falling back in helmand province in the south. officials there say the taliban seized the strategically important sangin district last night. more than 90 afghan soldiers were killed there in two days of fighting. but some, at least, still sounded defiant. >> ( translated ): the operation is going on by afghan security forces in this area. the enemies cannot defeat us, we have a strong resolve to defeat them and defend our country, afghanistan. >> woodruff: and, they'll have american help for a while longer. two months ago, president obama reversed course and announced some 5,500 u.s. troops will stay in afghanistan beyond 2016. >> woodruff: late today, defense secretary carter said the bagram attack is a painful reminder of

the dangers u.s. troops face in afghanistan. and, in a related development, the u.n. security council voted unanimously today to extend sanctions against the taliban for 18 months. for more on the situation in afghanistan, we turn now to freelance journalist sune engel rasmussen in kabul. i spoke with him a short while ago. >> woodruff: thanks very much for joining us. how did this suicide bomber get close enough to these american troops to kill them? what happened?ñi >> the american troops were carrying out a patrol on foot close with a unit after national police and as theyñr were walkig the suicide bomber drove up to them on a motor bike with explosives and detonated= and killed six american shareholders is what we're hearing and injured another three and injured three afghan

police. so it didn't seem that difficult for them to get very close because they were walking on foot. >> woodruff: is it common for the u.s. and other n.a.t.o. troops to be so vol dmecial that way so close to this big air base? >> i don't know how vulnerable they were becaus but i know thef conducting patrols, not u.s. but other nations. and this is somethingçó they wil probably continue to do as mart of the train and advise and assist missions as they go out with afghans and assist them on the ground. >> woodruff: we know there are something like 9,800 u.s. troops in afghanistan right now. whatñi isñi their mission right? is it to defend? is it to go after the taliban? how would you describe it?çó >> well, n.a.t.o.ñr and the u.s.

train and advise and assist missions, training the afghan security themselves. advising, on the ground the forces as they try to retake the districts in southern provinces, and assists which is a little more difficultñrñrçó -g÷ñrñrñrïy what that is but that is,ñi fori example,çóñi&j#fighting undergrd along afghan conduct their own operationñr bs theyçó are also carryingñr airstrikes and fighting a counterterrorism mission. that sometimes is what the rest of us define as counterinsurgency where they go out where there is terrorism.

>> woodruff: i ask because i think americans don't hear as much about what's going on in afghanistan. you mentioned helman province in the south. the taliban is putting up quite a serious fight there, aren't they? >> they have been quite a while now. the taliban launched what they call the spring fighting season in the spring that has been going pretty much continually since then for almost a year now. it hasn't been as bad as we've seen in the past 48 hours now. the provisional capital in) now as it hasn't been at any point during the car. managed to take a lot of districts surrounding the capital and i've seen a recent u.s. and u.k. forces to help out helman and secure the province.

eventually the afghanis will have to take control of security themselves, but the regular and special afghan forces are quite competent in fighting now. >> woodruff: well, very tough, especially as we get so cles to christmas. sune engel rasmussen, we thank you. >> you're welcome. >> ifill: and it is time for politics monday, following a busy campaign weekend. political director lisa desjardins catches us up, starting with the strong contrasts that emerged in saturday's democrat debate. >> reporter: the democrats walked in ready to talk security. topic one: how to fight the islamic state. former secretary of state hillary clinton argued the u.s. must move syrian president bashar al-assad out. >> we will not get the support on the ground in syria to

dislodge isis if the fighters there who are not associated with isis, but whose principal goal is getting rid of assad, don't believe there is a political, diplomatic channel that is ongoing. we now have that. >> reporter: but clinton's main rival, vermont senator bernie sanders, said any focus on assad is a distraction. >> yes, of course assad is a terrible dictator. but i think we have got to get our foreign policies and priorities right. the immediate -- it is not assad who is attacking the united states. it is isis. >> reporter: that was an opening for former maryland governor martin o'malley, a distant third in the polls, to take his own swipe at clinton. >> i believe that we need to focus on destroying isil. that is the clear and present danger. but we shouldn't be the ones declaring that assad must go. >> reporter: even as her fellow democrats differed with clinton, some republican candidates agreed with her approach. on cbs' "face the nation"

sunday, florida senator marco rubio called for helping syrian rebels oust assad. >> the argument that assad, and we have no vested interest, and he's not an enemy of america - is wrong. for example, assad is the reason why there's a refugee crisis. >> reporter: and in a youtube video today, another anti-assad candidate, south carolina senator lindsey graham, again stressed the issue, even as he dropped out of the race. >> i'm suspending my campaign but never my commitment to achieving security through strength for the american people. >> reporter: of course, security was not the only topic at saturday's debate. candidates talked wall street as well. >> should corporate america love hillary clinton? >> everybody should. i have said i want to be the president for the struggling, the striving and the successful. but i also want to create jobs and i want to be a partner with the private sector. >> hillary and i have a difference. the c.e.o.s of large multinationals may like hillary. they ain't going to like me and

wall street is going to like me even less. >> reporter: but the two rivals did have a moment of detente on news that the sanders staff had accessed secret clinton data. >> not only do i apologize to secretary clinton -- and i hope we can work together on an independent investigation from day one -- i want to apologize to my supporters. this is not the type of campaign that we run. >> i very much appreciate that comment, bernie. it really is important that we go forward on this. >> reporter: the debate drew more than eight million viewers on the saturday before christmas. that's less than half the number that tuned in for the primetime g.o.p. showdown last tuesday. for the pbs newshour, i'm lisa desjardins. >> ifill: to talk more about this, of course, is our politics monday panel: amy walter of "the cook political report" and joining us from new hampshire, tamara keith of n.p.r. tamara, you're on the trail, so we'll start with you. let's say farewell today to

lindsey graham. what did he or not bring to this race? >> lindsey graham was the hawkish candidate on defense, he also was in favor ofçó comprehensiveb/78áj reform, including a path toñiñr citizenship, whichñi is basicaly not what primaryñiñiñrwc buying on the republicanç'uu this timea5á and i just have a quick story from(o9 about añi monthçóñiñi ago, i wao cover a donald trump event at this hotel, and theñr line to gt into zt]i9çó event around the hotel. i walk into the hotel restaurant, and lindsey graham is sitting alone in the restaurant basically surrounded by a line of people going to see donald trump. >> i had that,0ñ happen with ger patakiñziñr9/ sitting in a big restaurantñr alone in a big moment. >> the candidate that came in to be in the race is the covenant

that won't be the nominee but at least wanted to inject these issues into the debate. we're talking a lot about immigration and national security but not necessarily in the ways lindsey graham would like republicans to be talking about them. >> ifill: perhaps he has a couple of supporters in north carolina who can be of help to other candidates. >> absolutely. >> ifill: let's talk about the debate, the interesting moment where bernie sanders and hillary clinton kissed and mate. >> i think it was a smart decision for bernie sanders' campaign to stop the controversy before it began. it started late friday where the dnc said we're cutting off access to the bernie sanders campaign to our joint voter file database because there is evidence his campaign accessed hillary clinton's data and may be holding on to it now. it got a little dramatic. they since have worked things out. it's not completely over at this point, but i think it was smart

for the sanders' campaign and sanders himself who positioned himself as honest and authentic and just come right out and say, listen, i apologize, it's not who we are. let's go talk about the issues we know hepts to talk about and come into equality. >> ifill: let's talk about what the candidates and his staff says because there was harsh rhetoric exchanged among the staff that wasn't as sweet as apple pie that happened between hillary clinton and bernie sanders on stage. >> the harsh rhetoric was in full force in the spin room before and after the debate. information, just because the candidates out on stage said, sorry and i accept, more or less, just within the last hour i got an email from sanders' campaign manager, a new statement, calling on the clinton campaign to support that independent review. so the sanders' campaign isn't

really letting this go, and i think this clinton campaign isn't letting it go either. the remarkable thing about the sanders campaign is that campaign got access to and took data that wasn't theirs and they have remarkably turned it around and made it the spab lishment, the democratic national committee trying to keep sanders down. >> ifill: what's true and what's not and what doesn't matter? it's a pretty obscure fight. >> an extremely obscure fight. most people didn't know the voter file existed and even fewer people have any idea how it works. there is a very small select number of people who know how it works. but it goes -- the theft potentially of data creates this image of sort of cloak and dagger politics that we sort of imagine when we think of underhanded politics. >> it's like every bad movie you've seen about politics out

of hollywood. >> it's more fundamental than that. the voter information, this is the most important thing any candidate has, and they all have something unique about what they're strategy is to win these two states, especially iowa and new hampshire, and when another campaign sees your play book, that can be very damaging. >> ifill: when this becomes a one-on-within fight between bernie sanders and hillary clinton, standing on the sidelines is martin o'malley who seems to be having a hard time getting attention. >> what the republican electorate wanted is very different than what the democratic electorate wanted. republican electorate said we don't like washington, don't like the establishment, don't want another bush necessarily. the democrats liked the idea of

experience, happy with another clinton potentially in the white house, so not that easy lane there for martin o'malley and he hasn't been able to capture the aspirational message like barack obama did in 2007 and like bernie sanders has been able to do this time around. >> ifill: tamara, bothrooms and democrats have spent a lot of time in this campaign talking about america's role in the world and on that point there was a distinction to be drawn between hillary clinton and bernie sanders and the republicans as well. >> and also martin o'malley. both o'malley and sanders came back to this idea a couple of times in the debate that hillary clinton, they say, may be a little too quick to support regime change. o'malley even mentioned libya as an example. then you take that to the republican side, and marco rubio is more in favor of regime change and wants assad out,

where ted cruz and rand paul are less interventionist. so there is a divide and it's a pretty interesting one. >> ifill: it is interesting and crosses parties. >> it is and crosses party lines. it's not often you say hillary clinton and marco rubio agree on something, and this is even stranger, ted cruz and bernie sanders agree more on the role of america in terms of foreign policy toward syria than hillary clinton and the rest of the field. >> ifill: last debate of the year, finally. as we get into the holidays, things freeze in place. so tamara, what do you have a sense is going to happen next? or are we just waiting till mid january where everybody gets revved up again? >> i think it will be a little bit before mid january, but, yeah, i think that things do sort of freeze in place, and the real question for bernie sanders becomes can he win new hampshire, and the polls show it's close, and can he win

iowa, that's less close. he's going to be working very hard in both of those states because they are critical to him making a case that he is a strong opponent to hillary clinton. >> and on the republican side, i think going into the end of this year, ted cruz looks like the frontrunner at this point. er would argue the person -- i would say the person that is best positioned, how about that, to take down the person at the front of the national poll. >> ifill: you don't consider donald trump to be the frontrunner? >> i consider him to be a frontrunner but not likely to be the nominee. >> ifill: i have a challenge for both of you for the post-christmas politics monday -- put on your santa hats. i know you can -- tell us what happens in the period between christmas and new year's. don't have to answer me now. think about it. have a happy holiday both of

you. >> thank you. happy holidays. >> woodruff: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: the obama administration protects two breeds of african lions. what a drought revealed in nevada's lake mead. and steve martin's musical of love and redemption in the south. but first, the demand for health insurance and concerns over choice. the federal government reported higher demand this year for people trying to enroll on insurance exchanges for coverage. six million had signed up by last week for coverage that begins next month. more than two million of them were new customers. but in 11 states, there's one change that's complicating the picture this year: half of the state-run "health co-ops" were forced to shut down. special correspondent mary jo

brooks looks at what happened in colorado. it's been a tough year for 36-year-old jessica, a denver attorney and divorce mother of two, she suffers from severe neurovascular ailment which led to soaring medical bills. in 2014 she signed up with a brand-new health insurance company called colorado health op. >> provides health insurance for all your needs. >> a nonprofit co-op formed under the affordable care act and funded by the federal government. she chose it because the price is right. >> 50% in premiums and out of pocket co-pays from the year before. >> 50%. so this cost saving is a difference. when i was at my sickest, to be able to pay my bills, put gas in my car and at one point having the difference in premiums was

probably the only thing that kept me afloat. >> at her sickest last year peck was forced to have her right leg amputated and hospitalized for 24 days. peck was the first to admit the co-op wasn't perfect including billing errors she was trying to sort out but was dismayed when she heard the co-op was being shut down. >> now i'm back into the marketplace i was in before the big guys who hurt me before, who denied care that was absolutely 100% essential and i have to go back to that marketplace and pay twice as much as what i'm paying now. >> colorado health co-op is one of 23 started around the country who wanted a private alternative to insurer. michelle heads up a research group colorado health institute. >> a number of politicians and legislators wanted to have a government choice, something

like medicare people could opt into and that was not politically feasible, an olive branch offered to the left was this idea of creating co-ops, that this would be something that was owned and operated by the people who needed it the most. >> reporter: offering some of the lowest-priced plans in the state, the co-op quickly became very popular. by 2015, it had 83,000 policy holders which represented 40% of all policies sold on the colorado health exchange. still, it was tough to compete against long established companies. for one thing, most of the patients who signed up with the co-op had been previously uninsured which meant they had greater needs. c.e.o. julia hutchins. >> people who signed up for health insurance in 20 sh had a lot of pent-up demand. and it wasn't hospital care. these are procedures when you're uninsured or underinsured for a long time then have insurance, there is a lot of care that

needs to be provided. so we spent more on claims in the first year than projected. >> reporter: the government was supposed to offset costs of high-risk patients but in october the administration announced it would only be able to pay 13% of the $3 billion it owed insurers across the country. colorado health op is counting on $40 million. >> when that money did not come in, that's what really put them under. >> reporter: scott lloyd with the colorado division of insurance said without the federal money the co-op didn't have enough capital on hand to be recertified. >> if the capital drops to a certain point it's called man tore scroll level, so we're mandated at staifl state level to take control of an entity when capital drops below that. we can't wait to see if it turns around because the longer you wait the worse the situation could become. >> when i heard it, i was sick to my stomach. >> reporter: hutchins was confident they could raise the

needed money elsewhere. she had three investors but no cash to meet the insurance deadline so at the end of the year the co-op will shut down. many 80 employees have been begun packing up the office. >> it's unfortunate we were part of a healthcare program that's been so politicized. we were orphaned by politics. >> who are you angry at? obama. why is this. because so many different ways the administration made the affordable care act work but they really abandoned the co-op program at the time that it was most important. >> reporter: in fact, more than half of the co-opens nationwide are shutting down leaving mex scrambling to find new molesies for next year -- policies for next year. in littleton, colorado, insurance companies are trying to attract the members but the higher cost plans are a tough sell. >> everybody has these $6,000,

$7,000 deductibles and when you're on disability you don't have that money. >> s a compromise. it isn't for me because i don't have that. >> reporter: what could the co-opens have done differently? michele says perhaps they shouldn't have relied so heavily on the government. >> other states didn't rely on the money. they had hiring premiums to create the necessary reserves but they didn't rely on this promised payment from the federal government and those are the ones by and large that are still in existence today. >> reporter: julia hutchins says she's not sure if anything could have helped. >> it says something when you have a local company who was doing all the right things and was still able to offer the lowest cost and said to be profitable and that we couldn't figure out how to navigate the powers that be in health insurance to survive. it's important to recognize that

this isn't just a co-op story, this is a small health plan story. we really haven't seen any good solutions to reduce costs from the big health plans. >> these have larger premiums. >> reporter: coloradans will get another chance to experiment with an alternative health insurance plan next november when they vote on a ballot measure that would create a state-wide, single-payer insurance system. in denver, mary jo brooks for the pbs "newshour". >> ifill: next, the obama administration today took steps in this country to protect lions in africa under the endangered species act. jeffrey brown has that. >> brown: the u.s. fish and wildlife service listed central and west african lions as endangered, generally prohibiting importation of lion trophies from that region into the u.s. lions in southern and eastern africa are now classified as

threatened, which will allow u.s. trophy imports under certain conditions. the move comes five months after an american hunter killed a lion named "cecil" outside a national park in zimbabwe, and almost five years after u.s. conservation groups petitioned for greater protections for lions. for more, i am joined by daniel ashe, director of the u.s. fish and wildlife service. why is it right to see the killing of cecil as a game changer of galvanized public attention and now government action? >> well, we have been considering the listing of the lion for more than five years petitioned under the endangered species act, that's been our responsibility. we proposed listing the lion in october 2014 before the controversy over the cecil the lion, but cecil and that controversy certainly has valvized -- galvanized public emotions about lions and brought us to where we are today.

>> brown: advocacy groups want to know what took so long. >> we are a scientific organization and we're dealing with the sixth mass extinction so we have many priorities, a lot of work under the endangered spears act, this is one of those things, and we have had lots of comment and lots of science to pore through. >> brown: why would a u.s. law or designation have such a big impact on what happens in africa and in what ways would it have an impact? >> it's one of the great successes of the u.s. endangered species act is it projects u.s. leadership into world conservation, the economy of the united states oftentimes causes species' extension and decline, but in this case we could use the power of the u.s. economy and our position as a trade leader to influence conservation of species like the lion. >> explain the distinction and the reasons for the distinction between putting some lions on

the endangered list and some on the threatened list. >> the law allows us to protect some species and defiance tells us there are two species of lines, one theñi asiatic line closely related to lions in northern and western africa and another distinct subspecies in southern and eastern africa. >> brown: why not go further? why not go further were the other species? >> the one species, the panthera laya laya, only 900 remain in the wild and severely endangered and in very small populations. the other subpopulation layomelankiaa, 17,000 are in the world and some are in better populations and increasing in the last decad decade.

>> brown: what is the real problem at the core? >> human conflict with lions. we're seeing human and human economies occupying the same habitat lions need to prosper. as populations increase and become more affluent in africa, we're seeing more conflict with lion. so the future for lion is bleak at this point in time and could beçó looking at añi futureçó whe theret(ñi is nothing called a ln in the wild unless we take important actions and that's what we're doingñi today. >> brown:zv the hunting industy argued for a long timeñikçm thar hunting can be controlled and, b, thatxd thexdññi money that cf from these hunts provide resources for conservation in countries that often you don't have enough money, enough funds. >> and that argument in general is a good argument and we see it here in the united states where hunting, well-regulated and prosperous wildlife but i think, inñiñ'içó africa, s we think about the plight ofñi t

lion and the drasticñi declines thatñ of añiñi zimbabe"n proverbñi wi says until the side of themy ln can be told, the story of the hunt always glorifies the hunter, and what we need to do in the united states is we need to do better. the united states needs to do better and can do better. theñi hunting industry needs too better and can do better and the american hunter in particular needs and can do better. and q5t listing today we think is going to provide that kind of incentive. >> brown: thanks soxd much. thank you, jeff.ñi ñiñiñiñi >> woodruff: as the drought drags on in the western part of the country, lake mead in nevada

is sitting with water at its lowest point since the 1930s. but there has been one silver lining of late for that area: lake mead has been revealing some of its deepest secrets as the water levels drop. special correspondent sandra hughes has the story. >> reporter: on a cloudy day in nevada, this boat and its passengers launch into lake mead. they're on a treasure hunt, not for gold or silver, but history. and it's all because of the devastating drought. >> the lake is down almost 150 feet from when we first began diving it and what's that's done is it's exposed other dive sites. >> reporter: the bathtub ring around lake mead shows how low the man made reservoir has dropped from it's high point of 1,220 feet above sea level. some 30 million people in the u.s. rely on the water system

from the western reservoirs from arizona to, california to mexico, and some of the country's most productive agricultural lands. already, communities have been put on water restrictions. in las vegas, you can not have grass in your front yard. in los angeles, water prices are going up. and watering is assigned to certain days of the week. but the drought has had an upside: it's made sights accessible that were never seen before. because the water level is so low now, these underwater history hunters --who are just recreational divers-- are going to scuba dive in lake mead to see a vintage b-29 bomber from world war two that crashed in 1948. the war was ending but the bomber was on a mission when it crashed into the water at 230 miles an hour. the crew survived, but the bomber sank to the bottom. >> the instrument they were testing was considered secret, and so information about the

crash, although the locals knew about it, nobody really knew where or what the information was considered classified until 1998. and then divers began looking for it and ultimately found it. >> just a few years ago, the average scuba diver couldn't visit this site. >> reporter: but the severe drought level water means recreational diver cindy shaw can now see the wreck for herself >> i'm really jazzed. >> reporter: joel silverstein's company has the only park service permit to take a limited number of divers to see the sunken bomber. the national park service wants to keep the location of the bomber quiet. very few people will get to see what lies below these waters. that's because it's been at the bottom of lake mead for almost 70 years and is very vulnerable. three of the engines flew off on impact. still, there is so much to see. where the pilot sat, the control

panel, it's an underwater chapter of history...that can not be touched. some parts are made of fabric and you could just touch it and it would pop right in. so the goal is to not touch it at all. >> reporter: what was the best part about it? >> when we first dropped down and we couldn't see the entire plane. but we could see the tail and the tail is like 12'-15' straight up. and then you look into the cockpit and see the pilots seat and the steering wheel and it was like "oh my gosh. this is where those guys were when this happened." it's so cool, it's so cool. >> reporter: it's like going back in time? >> it is. it's like you're back there and you're not just like looking at a plane wreck. it's like "wow, this is where they had to climb out. this is their legacy." >> reporter: sometimes dives are murky because this is a lake. other times, the sun shines bright enough to reveal a view of the entire aircraft from nose

to tail. the b-29 bomber is not the only artifact that's been revealed by receding waters. lake mead is a man made reservoir, formed after the depression era construction of the hoover dam. it was created to help serve the western united states with water. when the dam was completed in 1936, areas of nevada and arizona were flooded to store water, burying entire towns like st. thomas, nevada. so where we're walking now would we be underwater? >> at certain points in the reservoirs history, this would be underwater. >> reporter: the ruins of what was originally a mormon outpost, created by brigham young himself, have emerged. st. thomas started as a cotton farming community. this is the tallest structure? >> there were taller structures

constructed back then but this is the tallest one that hasn't fallen yet. this is iconic st. thomas and it's the ice cream parlor. >> reporter: after the mormons moved out, prospectors and outlaws moved in. >> the stories that we hear are that it was like an old west movie. it wasn't really safe. guys out here with their guns, there was heavy drinking, there was prostitution, there was a mix of things that happened out here. >> reporter: but by the early 1890's, a community had emerged. then in 1936, the hoover dam was completed. >> most were opposed to it. they weren't looking forward to it after everything. they had settled here in the community they had built, but some of them stayed until the very last end. >> reporter: then the water came, and st. thomas was no more. people were paid for their property, but not their memories.

and as this drought continues and lake mead recedes, more evidence of a long buried era may yet be uncovered. for the pbs newshour, this is sandra hughes in lake mead, nevada. >> ifill: finally tonight, cue the banjo as two leading as two leading entertainers make their first foray into musical theater. we go back to jeff, who has our look at the broadway-bound, "bright star." >> ♪ if you knew my story, you'd have a good story to tell. >> brown: a good story to tell. and to sing. that's the idea behind "bright star", a new musical set in

north carolina in the 1940's with flashbacks to the 1920's. based on a true story, it involves hidden identities, youthful coming of age, tragedy along with humor and, of course, love lost and found. but unlike most musicals, this one features a bluegrass-style band, complete with banjo. ♪ now at washington d.c.'s kennedy center after an initial run in san diego, it's the creation of steve martin and edie brickell. >> we both grew up on musicals their emotions and their melodies, and we got this brain, this hare-brained idea to make one ourselves. >> brown: yeah. let's make a show. >> in the tradition of the ones that we love so much. >> brown: you didn't come to it

with much experience. or any experience. >> no, just a great love. and i think if you pay attention to what you love and try to write the way that you love, then maybe you'll come up with something that you love and others will love as well. >> brown: steve martin, now 70, is one of the most acclaimed entertainers of our era. a comedian. actor. writer. and banjo-playing musician. edie brickell, 49, a veteran singer-songwriter, first rose to fame in the late 1980s for her work with the folk/rock band, "new bohemians." the two collaborated on the 2013 grammy-winning album, "love has come for you". a follow-up, "so familiar" -- the basis for "bright star" -- came out this fall.

at the kennedy center recently, i asked how the collaboration works. >> every way you can imagine. but it started off with steve sending me his banjo tunes, his tracks. and i would just walk around my kitchen and sing to them, until a song emerged. >> brown: just wondering around in the kitchen? >> yeah. >> it was like somebody turned a projector on my mind. i would see images and all i'd have to do is say what it is that i saw and make it rhyme and have rhythm and melody. >> brown: and you got to have a musical theater with a banjo in it? >> my part of the song, was written on the banjo. and the banjo lays out a certain way for the melodies to be played. but i also like the sound of the banjo for this musical, because i find the banjo very provocative. it's not a bluegrass musical at all. when you combine the banjo and the cello and the violin and the

viola, you have the punctuation of the banjo and these long, long notes of the strings, i think it's a really good sound. >> brown: what is it about the banjo that you love? >> i find it to be almost two things simultaneously. it's very emotional, and melancholy. >> brown: and hard-driving and fast and represents an incredible joy. ♪ >> brown: what was it like for you to put the songs into the characters' voices? >> it's more fun. i've watched people all my life, i'm not a good dinner companion- - because it's hard for me to pay attention to the person in front of me. i'm always looking at other tables and making up stories about people based on their body language and i've just always just done that. so, it's great to be given the opportunity to let that side of

my imagination come forth and express what i believe people are feeling and thinking. >> brown: steve martin has written plays before. but a musical, the mix of dialogue and singing, how to convey the story, is a different matter. ♪ >> the rule we actually went in is that you can't have two characters fall in love and talk about it, and then sing about the same thing. ♪ so that's really been fun to do. it's really about listening to the audience. and trying to fathom what they're understanding, what they're going through, what they're liking,

>> brown: but i mean this idea of what's conveyed through language, through words, dialogue. what's conveyed through the songs? so, falling in love should happen during the song? >> well, i always loved the "you are sixteen, going on seventeen" song and that moment that they're... >> brown: "the sound of music." >> yeah! i love it so much. >> brown: is that the one... >> that's the one that breaks my heart, because it's so beautiful and so sweet. i love it. and so, i woke up one morning realizing, "we need a song like that! we need a 'you are sixteen, going on seventeen' moment." and so, those little epiphanies help direct this sense of writing. >> brown: there is much tenderness in "bright star." it has a jarring tragedy at its core, but also an almost old- fashioned sweetness. ♪ a lot of our culture today is not sweet. it's sort of crass and crude, and it's certainly loud and fast. >> i think edie and i think alike in that regard. we wanted to make something that was touching. and we have a very, that's not

to say that it's saccharine, because we have a very shocking ending to act one. i think we both feel that the shock value through language or it's just really not that shocking. anymore. at all. >> i've grown weary of the vulgarity in our culture, and i wanted to respect the innocence that i think still exists and is alive in all of us. just honor it again. and revisit it, with joy and adulthood. and i don't think adulthood means that you have to get crude and vulgar. >> brown: comedian, actor, novelist, playwright, musician, now musical theater. is this, is it a restless mind or is it... >> no, it's just... i think it's just one thing leads to another. >> brown: after its run at the kennedy center, "bright star" heads to broadway in february.

for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown. >> ifill: on the newshour online, remembering the archaeologist who devoted his life to the ancient city of palmyra. khaled al-asaad was killed in august by the islamic state after its forces took over the city. a new poem celebrates his work, uncovering some of palmyra's greatest treasures. you can find it on our homepage at pbs.org/newshour. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on tuesday, we'll look at some of the world's geopolitical hot spots enges facing the united states in the year ahead. i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs

newshour, thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> 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. big savings. the price of gasoline hits a six-year low. and it is saving americans big bucks in the process. the money trail. is the low price of oil damaging a main revenue source for isis? to-do list. if you save for retirement, there are a few things to keep in mind before year-end. we'll tell you what they are. all that and more tonight on "nightly business report" for monday, december 21st. good evening, everyone. i'm sharon epperson in tonight for sue herera. >> and i'm tyler mathisen. oil and gas in focus to start this holiday shief short epd trading week. brent crude prices hit their lowest level in 11 years. american crude domestic