tv PBS News Hour PBS June 6, 2016 6:00pm-7:01pm PDT
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captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> ifill: good evening. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. and welcome back. >> ifill: happy to be back. on the newshour tonight. ahead of tuesday's primaries: hillary clinton is on the verge of becoming the democrats' presumptive nominee, bernie sanders vows to contest the convention, and donald trump stirs up a new hornets' nest within his party. >> woodruff: also ahead this monday. we remember boxing champion muhammad ali-- his life in and out of the ring inspired generations. >> ifill: and, how a revitalized route 66 is renewing once abandoned towns, from east to west. >> it's not going to be 1926 again. but if there's enough gems that we can recognize and preserve, i think we'll have a real valuable
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ship line. offering seven day cruises to three cities in cuba. exploring the culture, cuisine and historic sites through its people. more at fathom.org. >> you were born with two stories. one you write every day, and one you inherited that's written in your d.n.a. 23andme.com is a genetic service that provides personalized reports about traits, health and ancestry. learn more at www.23andme.com. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> supported by the rockefeller foundation. promoting the well-being of humanity around the world by
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building resilience and inclusive economies. more at rockefellerfoundation.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. >> 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 end of the democratic presidential primaries is almost at hand, and hillary clinton is just 23 delegates away from the number she needs to secure her party's nomination. she kept campaigning today in california, hoping for a big finish, as republican donald trump faced down critics in his own ranks.
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we'll have a full report, after the news summary. >> ifill: in the day's other news: an early-season tropical storm colin raised the alarm on florida's panhandle coast. governor rick scott declared emergencies in 34 counties as the storm brought winds of 50 miles an hour and several inches of rain. colin is expected to cross to the atlantic, then move along the south carolina coastline. >> woodruff: u.s. backed fighters in syria closed in today on the islamic state's last stronghold along the turkish border. kurdish fighters advanced on manbij, which sits on a major supply route to raqqa, the militants' de-facto capital. meanwhile, aid groups said isis forces in iraq are shooting civilians trying to flee fallujah by boat and other means. a government offensive there has stalled. >> ifill: the u.s. navy has banned alcohol for american sailors in japan, over a string of incidents. the latest was sunday's arrest
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of a sailor who drove the wrong way and hit two other vehicles on okinawa. in washington today, the pentagon's peter cook said banning drinking and confining sailors to base are essential steps. >> by making sure each service member understands how their actions affected the u.s.-japan alliance. the department remains committed to working with the government of japan and the people of japan to prevent such incidents in the future. >> ifill: all this comes amid a renewed effort on okinawa to remove u.s. bases. >> woodruff: there will be no criminal charges filed against the family of a three-year-old boy who fell into a gorilla's enclosure at the cincinnati zoo. zoo staffers shot and killed the animal after it grabbed the boy. a prosecutor said today the mother was watching other children, and the boy "just scampered off." >> ifill: wall street moved higher this monday, as federal
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reserve chair janet yellen said it's not clear when the next interest rate hike will come. the dow jones industrial average gained 113 points to close at 17,920. the nasdaq rose 26 points, and the s&p 500 added ten. >> woodruff: and the holy month of ramadan began today in much of the muslim world. millions will take part in prayers and dawn-to-dusk fasting. >> ifill: meanwhile, renovations began at the site of jesus' tomb in jerusalem-- for the first time in more than 200 years. the work is under way at the chamber housing the tomb in the church of the holy sepulchre. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour: it's politics monday, a look at the week ahead on the campaign trail, including what's at stake in california, a sit down with the libertarian party's candidate for president gary johnson, and much more.
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>> woodruff: and now, to politics. as we heard earlier, we have just one day until the last big primary day of the 2016 election cycle. hillary clinton won weekend primaries in the virgin islands and puerto rico, pushing her closer to the democratic party nomination. but she and rival bernie sanders are all-in in california-- the biggest delegate prize on the line. our john yang is in the golden state and he brings us this report. >> reporter: one final day, one final chance to make the sale in california. hillary clinton and bernie sanders fanned out across the state. clinton's just a handful of delegates shy of clinching the democratic nomination-- counting both pledged and super- delegates. >> tomorrow is a really big day. let's hope it is! i would be deeply honored and
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humbled for it to be hillary day. >> reporter: clinton will likely claim the delegates she needs even before polls close on the west coast, but she's working to avoid losing the biggest state of all. hillary clinton has had a laser- like focus on california, cutting short a campaign trip to new jersey to add events here. and it's been a family affair: her husband, the former president, has a number of events here in the bay area today, while she's focusing on southern california. her statewide, full-court press aims to win over more converts, like these in oakland: >> what's needed is a pragmatic approach to working with others who can make things happen. and i think that hillary does. do i love her? eh. do i think she can get the job done? absolutely. >> i have a child that's due next month, and i think it'd be great for the first two presidents from my child's life to be an african-american man and a female.
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>> reporter: at a news conference in emeryville, sanders said that the nomination contest isn't over yet. >> our goal is to get as many delegates as we possibly can, and to make the case to super delegates that, i believe, in the end, that i'm the strongest candidate. >> reporter: the delegate math may be against him, but the vermont senator is still drawing crowds of supporters who say they're still feeling the bern. >> he seems like a genuine guy. you know, i'm in all my student loan debt. so that is one of the main reasons is the student loan thing. >> i think his domestic policy of wealth redistribution, focus on education, health care and making those things a priority are the best option we have right now. >> reporter: while the two democrats mount one last battle, republican nominee-to-be donald trump kept a low profile today. but he still defended his latest attack-- on friday-- on a latino
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judge presiding in one of the trump university lawsuits. >> let me just tell you, i have had horrible rulings. i have been treated very unfairly by this judge. now, this judge is of mexican heritage. i'm building a wall. >> reporter: on sunday, the senate's top republican deplored the trump statements. >> i couldn't disagree more with a statement like that. >> is it a racist statement? >> i couldn't disagree more with what he had to say. >> okay, but do you think it's a racist statement to say? >> i don't agree with what he had to say. this is a man who was born in indiana. all of us came here from somewhere else. >> reporter: trump rejected the criticism today, telling fox news: all i want to do is figure out why i'm being treated unfairly by a judge. criticism aside, trump doesn't have to worry about the results in california tomorrow. all the focus will be on the clinton-sanders contest. here in the shadow to have the fog-enshrouded golden gate bridge, they're preparing for sanders pre-primary evernghts as much a concert as rally,
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including dave matthews, fish bone, danny glover and cornell west. judy? >> woodruff: how has bernie sanders been able to keep it so close? we know it wasn't always like this. >> reporter: it's like they really decided they were going to focus on california. they felt they could do well here if they spent a lot of time here. she spent a majority of his time here since the end of may. it appears to be paying off. he's showing in the pre-primary polls for the first time this season he's making inroads among minority voters who have tended to support clinton in the past. the polls show him splitting latinos with hillary clinton, and actually beating her among asian-americans. >> woodruff: john, we also know tomorrow night other states are voting. hillary clinton could go over the top when these other state results come in in places like new jersey. how will california even matter
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for bernie sanders if that happens? >> reporter: according to the sanders camp, california being so big, so diverse, they think if she loses here, in order to beat her here, they could make the argument to superdelegates that he's more electable, but their big fear is that, indeed, hillary clinton goes over the top, while voters are still going to polls here in california, and that the sanders supporters who haven't gone to the polls yet get discouraged and don't go to the polls. >> woodruff: what are some of the sanders supporters saying about what they'd do if he doesn't win the nomination? >> reporter: a couple of them said they could not vote for hillary clinton under any circumstances, that they were going to vote for the green party. but they were also savvy enough to know that, here in california, very unlikely that it would go republican under any circumstances, so that they would be able to make a statement by not voting for hillary clinton, while they were confident or felt assured that they weren't going to help donald trump.
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>> woodruff: john yang reporting for us from california. thank you, john. >> thanks, judy. >> ifill: that brings us to politics monday with amy walter of "the cook political report" and stuart rothenberg of the "rothenberg and gonzales political report," and columnist for "the washington post's" "power post." welcome to you both. so, stu, seems to be going through a series of turningpoint. let's talk about the democratic turningpoints first. hillary clinton could be making history tomorrow night. >> i'm quite confident she's going to get at least 23 more delegates. probably new jersey will put her over the top, that will be an historic event, remarkable. she would build up delegates throughout the evening. she'll be the de facto nominee, the question is when bernie sanders will accept it, and she'll pivot to the election. >> ifill: any sign bernie sanders is pivoting? we heard he took a phone call on
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the side of the road to the president of these united states. who knows what they can talk about, but we can guess. >> yes, we can, and we saw today the president is eager to get involved in this campaign. reports in the "new york times" saying he may be making an endorsement by the end of the week. it's been clear for some time bernie sanders' decisions will be important but the next most important person is president obama, when he decides to come out and basically hug hillary clinton and say this is the nominee, everybody needs to move on. i'm also going to be watching very closely for what other progressive leaders in the party, like elizabeth warren, do after tuesday. maybe they give bernie sanders a couple of days, but then i think the wagons start to circle around hillary clinton. >> i think bernie sanders has to get on board. it's all well and good -- >> ifill: how much time does he have to do that? >> well, look, running for president is a grueling job, and he's been doing it for months, and he's exceeded expectations,
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and he deserves some sort of victory lap, even if he loses. so i think everyone would give him a few days to recover and lick his wounds. but the reality is he doesn't nearly need to stop the campaign against hillary clinton. he doesn't merely need to acknowledge she's going to be the nominee, he needs to embrace her. he needs to bring his supporters along, particularly the 18 to 29-year-olds who are not enthusiastic about her. >> ifill: let's talk about the party who has a nominee, the republican party. donald trump is undergoing backlash because of comments john mccain was talking about, about the judge in indiana who he thinks is unfair. there seems to be real pushback this time from republicans. >> well, i mean. >> ifill: guess the question is there really pushback or a
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plain defense? i think that's where republicans are stuck here. we have this balancing act for so many republican office holders, folks who have endorsed him, those who are on the ticket with him who say i'm going to support him but try to keep my distance from him. but as this week exposed, it is a very difficult thing to do. no matter what donald trump says, especially the more incendiary things he says, you as a candidate or an office holder on the republican side are going to have to answer for those things, for as much as you would like to distance yourselves, and i think this is what they're going to have to deal with day after day after day on this campaign. i think it's quite remarkable we're on day -- i don't know what day we are -- day four or five of this story and trump continues to stoke the flames of this rather than trying to pivot himself under the other issues that we know he would have a much easier time going and focusing on. >> ifill: meantime, if you're mitch mcconnell, paul ryan, or any other number of other
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republicans who have already endorsed and kind of embraced donald trump as the nominee, you're going to be asked every time you show up somewhere, is he a racist. >> exactly. gwen, joint what we're surprised by this. this is drump's m.o. this is the way he's behaved for months, and there is no reason to think he'll change. i expect similar incidents between now and the first week in november where donald trump says things that are controversial, explosive, and you're right, microphones are put in kellie's face and mitch mcconnell and paul ryan's eve and every day. he said this to agree to disagree, and that's a problem with the campaign like this. the campaign isn't set the agenda -- well, actually, donald trump is setting the agenda. it's not the normal campaign agenda. he just refuses to act like any other politician. >> ifill: that's where i wanted to go, actually, amy. is it a campaign or is it a reality show with donald trump in the drivers seat and everybody else, including
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surrogates, endorses, including anybody else who might be a future vice presidential running mate, they all don't know what they're going to wake up to. >> absolutely. what you saw in the republican primary is a candidate who upsended the traditional norms of campaigning and i think a lot of folks assumed that's the way he could win a general election as well except the fact people forgot a couple of things. one, a republican primary electorate is not a general electorate. that's important when you realize how much more diverse the general electorate is. the second thing is donald trump is under a greater amount of scrutiny and press crch even than he was in the primary and as we see, he does not do well when he is forced to answer for his positions, when he's put on the defensive. he lashes back.
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for all the folks that said, isn't this fun? he's changing the rules of the game. the reality is the rules are there for a reason and he can try to change the rules of the game but it's going to cost him for the folks who didn't vote in the republican primary. >> ifill: which party is in a tougher spot now? the democrats trying to figure out what to do with bernie sanders or the republicans trying to figure out what to do with their own nominee? >> i suppose the democrats have the immediate problem, two candidates running for the party's presidential nomination. but h in the long run i believe the republicans have a bigger problem because they have a deeply flawed or de facto nominee, they have a divided party. the democrats are divided now but they'll get together. sure, hillary clinton has work to do among younger voters and the most progressives, but i think the democrats are more likely to coalesce, have a tighter bond than the republicans. i think that division is going to continue all the way to november. >> ifill: stu rothenberg,
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rothenberg and gonzalez political report, amy walter of the "cook political report," thank you both very much. >> thanks, gern. thanks, gwen. >> woodruff: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: the long-lasting influence of muhammad ali, revitalizing the historic route 66, plus, remembering the npr journalist who died in a taliban ambush. but first, back to politics. this year's presidential election will likely feature two major party nominees who currently have some of the highest unfavorability ratings of any such candidates in recent decades. as a result, some voters may take a look at the nominee chosen last week by the libertarian party: the former governor of new mexico, gary johnson. i spoke with him a short time ago. governor gary johnson, welcome.
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judy, such an honor to be here, watching you on television forever. here i am. >> woodruff: thank you for being here. i want to talk to you about libertarian, you believe in smaller government. you said you believe in a 20% cut across the board in government spending. >> that would be a target, yes. >> woodruff: and you would phase out social security. what else would you eliminate? >> no, i would not phase out social security. i think social security is absolutely fixable. there are reforms -- raising the retirement age. you could have a very fair means testing. you could also self-direct funds. by being able to do that, people, lower and middle income, they could actually pass on the asset of social security to their heirs by doing that. >> woodruff: you would also clearly leave sol some government functions. you would defend the country. >> well, yes. >> woodruff: but you've talked
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about law enforcement, you've talked about some other safety functions of government. so let me try to get specific. >> sure. >> woodruff: air traffic control. >> yes. >> woodruff: seat belts. would you require seat belts? would people be banned from texting while driving? i mean, all kinds of things -- >> well, as president of the united states, that's what i would get elected, i would just like people to believe i am going to sign on to any legislation that's going to make things better and i'm going to veto any legislation that at the end of the day would just add time and money to our lives and wouldn't really accomplish anything. >> woodruff: but when you say less government is better, today government requires things like seat belts -- >> of course, that's all local, that's all state initiative and, you know, i buckle up, myself. >> woodruff: what about food safety requirements? those come from the food and drug administration. >> well, food safety -- 20%
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reduction in federal spending i don't think is the end of the world, i think that is very accomplishable, and that's a target, judy. so count on me when it comes to legislation from congress to actually make government more efficient but not neglecting the fundamental role of safety. government exists to protect us against individuals, groups, corporations, foreign governments that would do us harm in the context of food safety. >> but you've also talked about eliminating the federal income tax, so how would you pay for the services that you kept? >> well, in the case of what i'm advocating is -- and by the way, i'm going to sign on to anything that reduces taxes, simplify taxes. so flat tax, hearings count on my support. but ideally, we would eliminate income tax, we would eliminate corporate tafntle because we would do that, we could abolish the i.r.s., replace it all with one federal consumption tax. now, i suggest that people look at the fair tax as a template for how to dot the is and
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cross the ts on accomplishing one federal consumption tax. if we abolic federal tax in this country, i imagine tens of millions of jobs would be created and imagine life without having to comply with the i.r.s. >> woodruff: and turning to foreign policy. so much to ask you about. you are non-interventionist but not isolationist. if, say, gla -- if vladimir putn were to go into a country in eastern europe, should the u.s. join n.a.t.o. and stand up for at the country hat the russian -- that the russians went into? >> first of all, we have many treaties with foreign countries where we are onl obligated to dd their borders. >> woodruff: you would honor those? >> these are treaties not ratified by congress. these have been presidential treaties, military treaties. we need to involve congress in all of these decisions which
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they have abdicated really to the executive, to the military. right now, russia is stretched economically. do we really want to go in and defend baltic states against russian aggression? do we really want to go to war over that? i think it's wrong to project what you would or wouldn't do, given any situation, because that's kind of drawing a line in the sand, and that's one of the problems with president obama has had is he draws lines in the sand that get crossed and no action. >> woodruff: governor johnson, we were asked if you would take votes away as libertarian party nominee from donald trump or hillary clinton. you said it would be more equal. you have been more critical with donald trump. you concurred when your vice presidential running mate said about what donald trump said to mexicans, comparing them to nazi germany.
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>> woodruff: at the end of the day, i believe hillary clinton will grow government, that government is all about giving out things. bill clinton was in new mexico talking about free electricity to the native americans. nothing free. somebody pays for that. i believe hillary will grow government. >> woodruff: you think that's as bad as the kinds of things trump r trump is talking about? >> it's going to raise taxes. i believe hillary has been one of the premier architects of the foreign policy that made the world less safe. >> woodruff: do you think that's as bad as what you've heard to mr. trump has been saying. >> i really take exception with what mr. trump says with regard to immigration, with killing the families of muslim terrorists. he's going to bring back water boarding or worse. he's for free trade but he's going to implement tariffs, on and on and on. >> woodruff: governor gary
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johnson, we'll leave it there. presidential nominee of the libertarian party. thank you. >> judy, so nice to be with you. i'm the only third party candidate that's going to be on the ballot in all 50 states. >> woodruff: thanks for pointing that out. >> ifill: this will be a week of remembrance of the great heavyweight champ and humanitarian muhammad ali. his hometown of louisville, kentucky is preparing for a funeral and a public memorial service to be held friday, as generations across the country assess the enormous scope and reach of ali's life. a sports icon, but also a social activist and powerful political voice during turbulent times. tonight, we focus on one of ali's boldest decisions. william brangham has our conversation. >> reporter: that moment was the pivotal time in the late 1960s when ali was still the heavyweight champion of the world. he resisted the draft to
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vietnam-- a court fight he ultimately won after more than three years-- but he was stripped of his heavyweight title. here's ali in 1968, talking about his muslim faith, and the loss of his boxing title. >> boxing was only for self gain, just beating up one of my brothers or somebody else's brother for money. if i would only deny my faith, if i would only join up against my religion, i could easily go back to making millions. so i could always say i turned this down. i didn't lose it. i turned it down. i go out with my head high. >> reporter: for some perspective on that time in ali's life, and our evolving perceptions of the man, we're joined by gerald early, who edited "the muhammad ali reader." he's a professor of english and african-american studies at washington university. so, gerald early, i wonder if you could remind our viewers, ali was at the peak of his powers, the heavyweight champion
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when he took the stance that cost him a great deal. >> he was at the peak of his powers as a fighter but also at the peak of his consciousness as a black man. this stance he takes coincides with the rise of the black power movement and ali has now become, really, in his own way, an icon of that movement. so here was a man standing up against the government and was willing to sacrifice his career and everything to stand up for what he believed in. so this was a great moment for inspiration for a particular generation. >> brangham: you've written some of us where misinterpreted ali's stance against the war. i wonder how so? >> well, i think people misinterpreted the stance against the war because they saw ali basically as if his stance was coming from the left. ali was not a leftist nor was he a civil rights activist.
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all of this was generated by his faith, and particularly his love of elijah muhamad. eli jay muhamad had gone to jail for not conforming to draft laws in world war ii. he felt he could do no less than what his leader was doing, standing up for the draft. so all of this was coming out of a religions consciousness not a political consciousness which sometimes i think people misunderstand. >> brangham: you say you don't think he was a civil rights activist but that was l that has been much of the commentary in the last few lies lionizing his political stance. >> they would be wrong. the nation of islam was not a civil rights organization. in fact, the nation of islam disliked the civil rights movement, disliked racial immigration because they were a separatist movement and ali, if you read interviews with ali during this time and so forth, he criticizes the civil rights movement and criticizes
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integration. he just so happens to, at this point in history, colone collidh the black activism going on at the time, but he is really not part tpart of it. being in the nation of islam, he's really quite separate from it. >> brangham: when ali was kicked out of boxing, what was he doing during that time? >> for most of the 3 1/2 years of his exile, he was touring on campuses, giving lectures. he was very popular giving lectures, mostly about his beliefs and stance against the war. it turned out to be a good and broadening experience for him because he got to meet an entire cohort of his generation he had not been exposed to because, one, he hadn't gone to college. he'd barely gotten out of high school. two, he was a professional athlete and had really not been exposed to a great deal outside his training to be a fighter and it really was part of what you might call the education of
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muhammad ali, the continuing education of muhammad ali and affected him in a positive way. >> brangham: this friday we'll see a big memorial to the man, all the luminaires will come out and speak. what do you think would be the best tribute for us to hear about ali? >> i know a lot of dignitaries and people will speak about him but i think the best tribute would actually come from the everyday people who were part of his following back when he was at the height of his popularity as an athlete and as a figure in the united states. those people who were inspired by him,. who that when they saw what he was doing and was going to sacrifice because of what he believed in were inspired by him to believe late built more in what they were about, to he felt that i, too, could do something for myself because i see what he's doing, it would actually be a tremendous tribute to hear the voices of those people, because,
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in many ways, muhammad ali was not just a great athlee or even a great dissident. in many ways, he turned out in many ways how he inspired people to become a great humanitarian. >> brangham: gerald, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: now another in our series of stories about culture at risk, and in this case, what's been lost along one of the more storied highways across the country. jeffrey brown took a recent road trip along u.s. route 66. >> brown: it was neither the country's oldest nor longest road. but hollywood and everyone else, route 66 came to symbolize america: a people on the move; a lifestyle that characterized it.
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♪ on route 66 some 2,500 miles of asphalt winding through eight states-- from illinois, south through the heartland, then through the southwest to california. it's a journey that millions once took, before the nation's economy and culture underwent vast changes. it begins here in downtown chicago: an older american story about the open road and connecting small rural communities to big cities. and a newer story about preserving some of that cultural past for economic gain today. route 66 got its official designation as a national highway in 1926. for john steinbeck in "the grapes of wrath" it was "the mother road," a major artery for migration during the dust bowl of the 1930s, and later for travel and tourism. but by the '70s the federal interstate highway system had begun to take over, by-passing towns, and devastating communities along the original route, in favor of speed.
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>> that was it. the stores started closing one by one. the gas stations went out of business. the restaurants went out of business. and boy, your town starts to look really bad in a hurry. >> reporter: now, says mayor bob russell, pontiac, illinois, an agricultural community of 12,000 two hours southwest of chicago, looks pretty good. and it's a prime example of a re-birth of route 66 that's occurring in various parts of the country. town leaders here decided to use the history of the famous road to their advantage: 20 large murals, a museum of route 66 collectibles, and much more, all bringing in tourists from around the world. they've renovated historic buildings and encouraged new mom-and-pop stores to come in. >> this building in a couple of months will be ready for sale or lease and we'll have another business here, then that generates tax revenue and keeps us from raising real estate taxes. >> brown: and when a collector of vintage pontiac cars was looking for a place to build a
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museum, pontiac, illinois michigan, provided just the right incentives. >> if you watch the old 66 movies, there's always a girl involved and there's always a fast car. the corvette or mustang. >> brown: there's a car, there's a girl-- that's part of the culture and part of the whole history? >> that is the culture. and a lot of people from other countries coming here, they want to experience that freedom that they saw in that movie. >> brown: but pontiac is still an exception. in berwyn, illinois, a suburb of chicago, some 26 stylish auto showrooms once lined route 66. most have been bulldozed to make way for fast food franchises. >> this was a chevy dealer when it was built in the '30s. >> brown: not everyone might agree that '50s era showrooms are worth saving. but businessman john fey of the berwyn preservation committee does. >> this is the kind of business that is just perfect. this is a great example of using the building in a way that
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enhances what they are doing and helps the community. >> reporter: but fey says berwyn hasn't provided enough incentives for businesses to preserve much of downtown. >> i'm realistic enough to understand we can't bring it all back. it's not going to be 1926 again. but if there's enough gems that we can recognize and preserve, i think we'll have a real valuable commodity for the community. >> brown: but it's tough going? >> it's very tough going. >> brown: far across the country, glen duncan tells a similar story about the struggles to preserve landmarks along what for many is the most famous part of old route 66. he took me to the town of barstow, california-- two hours east of los angeles-- where motels and restaurants of another era still line the route. many have shut down, but some are thriving.
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>> this is the casa del desierto, which is a fred harvey house. >> brown: the town has refurbished this former hotel and train station, which now houses two museums, a ballroom and conference space. >> in the summer, they say that 50% of the travelers on route 66 are from europe or asia. >> brown: because they're fascinated with some idea of americana? >> well, route 66 is one of the things that they know about america. i think it's because it sort of represents america back when everybody loved us. >> brown: but 15 minutes from barstow is the crumbling town of daggett. >> daggett was where they had an inspection station during the depression. if you didn't have more than $20 in your pockets and didn't have evidence that you had a job in california, they turned you back.
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>> brown: those inspection stations were designed to keep unemployed workers from pouring into california. and duncan says it's important to preserve the entire history of route 66-- even the less savory parts. that's also the mission of self- described cultural documentarian candacy taylor, who's photographing properties along route 66 once listed in what was known as the green book. >> there would be opportunities for some businesses to have their photos. >> brown: a travel guide of hotels, restaurants and other businesses that served african americans in an era when many establishments would not. >> this was a time when it was dangerous to travel for black people. so if you got stranded or you got a flat tire in the wrong place at the wrong time, your life could be threatened. >> brown: more than three quarters of "the green book" buildings on 66 have been torn down. others are at risk of demolition or decay, as here on l.a.'s skid
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row, where the regal and norbo hotels were once fashionable gathering spots. >> now it's skid row. but back in the day it was a vibrant community. so it was a place to eat, see a show and spend the night. >> brown: just five minutes away, one of the more famous listings in "the green book" has been renovated: clifton's cafeteria-- with its murals, redwood trees and wild animal displays-- was renowned for serving whites and blacks, and those who were too poor to pay. >> this is really a piece of american history, living history. these sites are physical evidence of racial segregation and integration. so there were a lot of people on the sidelines really trying to make some kind of change happen. so i think this is a part of history that hasn't been documented. >> brown: a history once vibrant, then lost, and now, perhaps, making a comeback. from downtown chicago, and 2,400
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miles away here in california's mojave desert, i'm jeffrey brown for the pbs newshour. >> ifill: some stories can only be told because of journalists who are willing to risk it all, telling dangerous stories in word and picture. david gilkey and zabihulla tamanna were two such story- tellers. they died on sunday, in a taliban ambush near marjah, in southern afghanistan. gilkey was an award-winning photographer for national public radio, tamanna, a respected local journalist and translator. here's gilkey in may, before he left for afghanistan, describing how he used his camera lens to capture the story. >> one of the amazing things about being embedded and working with u.s. forces is just how intimate you are with the subjects.
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and it's not just the soldiers, but who they interact with. and this is a picture from a farm, again in the south 2010, and the soldiers are talking with someone they suspected of planting i.e.ds. >> ifill: for more on the life and work of david gilkey, i'm joined by npr's david greene, co-host of "morning edition." >> first of all, our condolences to you and your staff. >> thank you, gwen. we appreciate that. it's been a hard day. >> ifill: it's been a hard day. >> i speak for all of us when i say thank you. >> ifill: i spoke to someone who said collateral damage has a face. this is a case of that. >> david gilkey said that and it's so sad he's fallen victim to that. i knew david very well and i think that he always knew the risks in going into conflict zones and places like this and believed it was worth it to tell the story. i mean, he wanted to capture humanity in stories like this. we all knew this was possible, but to lose a friend and a colleague, you just don't really
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think it will ever happen. >> ifill: most people think of n.p.r. as an audio, not a visual experience, but david gilkey was one of those who expanded that idea. >> you know, a lot of people jokingly asked about that, when david started almost a decade ago. they would say, what are you doing taking pictures for a radio company? i realized the journalism he does, though it's images and not sounds, it's exactly what we do. it's all the sensibilities we believe in. it's giving people time and space to just sort of collect their thoughts and think out loud. it's being respectful. it's waiting for someone's story to kind of immerge, and that's what we do on the radio and that's what david did, just to watch him operate was such a joy and inspiring because he would just be respectful. he would be curious and he would
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interact with someone and just wait for that story to come through and capture it. >> ifill: you traveled with him a great deal. >> yeah, which was a real honor. we went to russia together, to cuba together, we crossed the u.s. together in a crazy political trip in 2008. but, you know, i'm one of this mo what did the honor of traveling with him. he would travel a lot. he loved being on the road and was just a collaborator like no other. >> ifill: was he a war photographer by gene or was he just a people story teller? >> you know, it's funny. if you met him, you would think he was a war photographer. you would almost think he's at war himself. he sort of had that tough guy per sewn navment it was, like, you would want to be in a foxhole with this guy. but when you get to know him, you quickly realize he's a soft, gentle soul who was so kind and, you know, he was gruff
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sometimes. we would be cranky together, but he knew what was going on not just in my wife and my life but my wife's brother's lives and he would keep track of that and i think that level of interest and that level of sort of curiosity and caring, that's what came through in his journalism and in his photography. >> ifill: a lot of people don't understand in order for someone like david gilkey or you to do your job in a place like afghanistan, a translator or a right-hand person was necessary. >> yeah, i mean, i think of zabi as part of this extended family at that were. wherever we are abroad, you talk to any person abroad, foreign correspondents, i was in russia and worked with local translators and journalists, they are part of the family. they are risking their lives for us to do journalism with us. they care about the organization as much as people like us to who are part of it, and, you know,
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he left behind three kids and a wife and was one of the most respected journalists in afghanistan and it is def skating. >> ifill: it is devastating. david greene, thank you for taking the time toils about them both. >> thank you, gwen. >> woodruff: we'll be back in a moment. but first, take this time to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your support, which helps keep
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>> ifill: on the newshour online right now: tiny plastic particles litter our oceans. what does that mean for the health of marine wildlife? researchers in sweden found that exposure to micro-plastic seemed to change the habits and instincts of baby fish, making them more vulnerable to predators. you can find out more about that
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phenomenon on our website: pbs.org/newshour. >> woodruff: and tonight on "charlie rose:" more remembrances of muhammad ali. that is on most pbs stations. and that is the newshour for tonight. on tuesday we'll focus on the end of the presidential primary race as voters go to the polls in five states. 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: >> you were born with two stories. one you write every day, and one you inherited that's written in your d.n.a. 23andme.com is a genetic service that provides personalized reports about traits, health and ancestry. learn more at www.23andme.com. lincoln financial is committed to helping you take charge of your future.
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>> fathom travel, offering cruises to cuba and the dominican republic. travel deep. >> md anderson cancer center. making cancer history. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> 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.
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this is "nightly business report." with tyler mathisen and sue here off the table? stocks rise as fed chair janet yellen walks back talk of a possible rate hike. just about one week before the next central bank meeting. economic unease. why some of the most influential economists in business blame the presidential race for an economic slowdown. at what price? the big question hanging over some of the most promising cancer therapies ever to hit the market. all that and more tonight on "nightly business report" for good evening and welcome. timing, as they say, is everyt. especially with respect to when the federal reserve might increase interest rates for just the second time in about a decade. in a speech
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