captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> sreenivasan: good evening. i'm hari sreenivasan. judy woodruff is away. on the newshour tonight, amid a flurry of meetings to fill his cabinet, president-elect donald trump taps a vocal critic of the a.c.a. to head an offensive against obamacare. then, inside aleppo's battle: 16,000 syrians flee as government forces are poised to take back the rebel-held city. and, the impact of a trump presidency on mexico's economy. how the future commander in chief plans to restructure trade with our southern neighbor. >> that flat screen that you bought-- that's like 60 inches huge, which would sound surround, and it's really nice, and it cost you $1,000. guess what? you're not going to have that anymore. because that was made in mexico. >> sreenivasan: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour.

>> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> xq institute. >> bnsf railway. >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. >> 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. >> sreenivasan: president-elect trump whittled down his options for key administration positions today. john yang has our report. >> reporter: traffic in the trump tower lobby was heavy today, as the trump cabinet takes shape. representative tom price was picked as health and human services secretary-- tasked with fulfilling a key campaign promise: repeal and replace obamacare. the six-term georgia congressman is an orthopedic surgeon. chairman of the house budget committee, he's one of obamacare's most outspoken critics, introducing a detailed plan to replace it in every congress since 2009. senator chuck schumer, the incoming democratic leader, signaled a tough confirmation fight. >> he is going to get a lot of

very strong and very thorough questions about the kinds of things that he has proposed. and if he sticks with them, i think there is a chance that his nomination will fail. >> reporter: health policy expert seema verma will be in charge of medicare and medicaid. she runs a consulting firm called s.v.c. she designed indiana's medicaid expanion while vice president- elect pence was governor. it requires participants to make monthly payments to get the most coverage and has become a model for other republican governors. still a big question: who will become secretary of state? mitt romney-- now targeted by trump loyalists-- is to have dinner with president-elect trump this evening, their second meeting. senate foreign relations chairman bob corker, another contender, met with him today. >> the secretary of state role is so important to a president. he needs to choose someone he's

comfortable with. that he knows there's going to be no daylight between him and them. the world needs to know that the secretary of state speaks fully for the president. >> reporter: president-elect trump also picked elaine chao for transportation secretary. chao is an experienced administrator, restoring public trust to the united way after a financial scandal, and serving as labor secretary under president george w. bush-- the first asian american woman cabinet member. she's also married to senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. mr. trump hits the road again for a campaign-style rally in cincinnati on thursday: a way for him to meet face-to-face with voters who propelled him to victory. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. in the day's other news: a chartered plane carrying a top brazilian soccer team crashed overnight in colombia, killing 71 people on board. the plane went down in the mountains near medellin, as the athletes-- and a group of journalists covering them-- were

en route to a major tournament. three of the team's players were among the six survivors. both of the plane's flight recorders have been located, and should help determine what caused the crash. they were ready to play in the biggest game in the history of the upstart soccer club. this was the brazilian soccer club, chapecoense, moments before they boarded the fated flight to the south american cup tournament in colombia. 21 journalists were also on board to cover the game. the charter flight was only five minutes from landing when it crashed into a mountainside. first responders combed through the wreckage in the middle of the night and during a torrential downpour, looking for anyone left alive. the few survivors, including players, flight crew members and one journalist, were rushed to the nearest hospital. daylight revealed the scope of the devastation. >> ( translated ): today, we will officially begin the task of identifying the dead, and,

unfortunately, moving the bodies. >> sreenivasan: the cause is under investigation, and colombia's aviation agency said signs pointed to a possible electrical failure. colombian president juan manuel santos said he was coordinating emergency response efforts with brazilian leader michel temer. >> ( translated ): sadly, all we can do, beyond crying for those who have left us, is to take measures that support, to the families who are in mourning. >> sreenivasan: the relatives, in the team's home city of chapeco, in southern brazil, gathered at the club's headquarters. this afternoon, local fans held a vigil at the club's stadium. and on soccer pitches around the world, there were moments of silence for the victims. the islamic state has now claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack by a somali- born student at ohio state university in columbus. that comes as the associated press reported the attacker, abdul razak ali artan, had complained on facebook about american interference in muslim countries. but he was not on the f.b.i.'s radar. three of yesterday's 11 victims

remain hospitalized. weeks of severe drought across the southeast gave way to fast- growing wildfires in eastern tennessee overnight. at least three people have died, and more than a dozen were hospitalized, including some with burns. william brangham has the story. >> huge fire, blowing out of control right now with the gusts. >> reporter: the air around the great smoky mountains was filled with flames and acrid smoke. the fast-moving blazes damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings, including an entire resort. tens of thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuate gatlinburg, pigeon forge, and other parts of sevier county, near the smoky mountains. >> we were aware of the fires in the area, but we didn't know that they were anywhere close to where we were. with the wind blowing like it was, we needed to leave. >> reporter: gatlinburg fire chief greg miller said nearly 200 firefighters battled through near-impossible conditions. >> there were times last night that we had wind gusts in excess of 87 miles an hour. that is hurricane force.

that is nowhere to be when trying to fight a fire. this is a fire for the history books, because it is unlike anything most have seen. >> reporter: the tennessee national guard was also deployed, but miller said the worst is "definitely over." wind speeds dropped to about 15 miles per hour today, and the fires also closed dollywood, country music star dolly parton's theme park. and in gatlinburg, the ripley's "aquarium of the smokies" remained untouched -- and its more than 10,000 animals were safe. wind speeds dropped to about 15 miles per hour today, and rain is in the forecast for some of the hardest-hit areas. >> sreenivasan: south korea's embattled president park geun- hye offered a conditional resignation today, in a bid to stave off impeachment. park has been embroiled in a corruption scandal in which she has been accused of providing special favors to a childhood friend. that touched off massive demonstrations demanding her ouster. in a national address today in seoul, park said she's ready

to step down if parliament arranges the technical details. >> ( translated ): i will leave everything, including the shortening of my presidential term, to the parliament's decision. i will resign, along with a schedule and procedure that is decided by political parties that can minimize any confusion arising from the unexpected transfer of power. >> sreenivasan: opposition parties immediately called the offer a stall tactic to avoid impeachment before her term ends in early 2018. south korea's national assembly could vote on a motion to impeach her as early as friday. back in the u.s., thousands of low-wage workers staged protests and sit-ins today in hundreds of cities, demanding a $15 minimum wage. they included employees of fast food restaurants, uber drivers, child care providers, and airport workers. at chicago's o'hare, hundreds of protesters gathered outside terminals, chanting and waving signs. at a press conference later, striking employees voiced their frustrations. >> we are not asking for special treatment. we are asking for decent

treatment. we are asking for decent wages. we're asking... no, we're not asking. we're demanding respect. >> sreenivasan: meanwhile in los angeles, police arrested several protesters picketing a mcdonald's for blocking traffic. all told, dozens of people were arrested across the country. and, stocks rose on wall street today, led by a rally in the health care sector. the dow jones industrial average gained more than 23 points to close at 19,121. the nasdaq rose 11 points, and the s&p 500 added nearly three. still to come on the newshour: what donald trump's pick for health and human services secretary means for obamacare; syrian government forces gain ground in aleppo; expanding charter schools into black communities, and much more. >> sreenivasan: as president-

elect trump's pick to lead the health and human services department, congressman tom price would oversee programs as wide-ranging as medicare and medicaid. but first, he would help lead efforts to carry out one of mr. trump's signature campaign pledges: repeal and replace the affordable care act, also known as obamacare. for more, we turn to sarah kliff. she has written extensively on this topic for the website vox.com. what do we know about congressman price and the plans he already has in mind? >> he's a congressman who spent a lot of time thinking about what would go in place of obamacare. he's the author of a 248-page replacement plan for obamacare. he's the guy you'd pick if you're quite serious on moving forward on obamacare. >> sreenivasan: republicans have tried to do repeal and replace before. what do these plans have in common? >> they leave a few million people uninsured. the exact number depends on the plan. they're better for young, healthy people and worse for sick, older people. >> sreenivasan: how so? >> they have a lot less

protection for people with preexisting conditions. they make it possible for insurance companies to charge more to those who are sick. that would be a really big change from obamacare, which outlaws those provisions. >> sreenivasan: what of the pick say about this new team put in place. she's worked on medicaid expansion? >> she's incredibly experienced in medicaid policy. it suggests to me that the trump administration is thinking about making some big changes to medicaid, possibly adding premiums into the program, which serves low-income americans. >> sreenivasan: obamacare gets this bigham um thing, but on brass tacks when it comes to specific policies that impact folks, so let's, for example, take contraception coverage, how could that change? >> that's something that's very easy for a trump administration, for congressman price in office to really turn back on day one. it's something that the obama administration did in regulations. it's not in the law. they could rewrite those regulations to say

contraceptives are no longer covered under obamacare. >> and congressman is against abortion, congressman price is, so it takes something else to try to get even your personal view put into legislation that gets passed by all of congress. >> sure. there will be a lot of back-and-forth, a lot of heated battles like we had around obamacare in to 2010. there will be a lot of in-fighting and figuring out what does the republican agenda on hillary clinton look like, what is one that trump and senators and representative price, what can they agree on? >> sreenivasan: what about medicare, that affects a huge population? >> the republicans have a cohesive view for medicare. they want to switch it to more of a voucher plan where seniors get a set amount of money, they shop for different plans. one might be government-run medicaid. there would be private competitors and they would use this set amount of money to pick whatever plan they could afford. >> sreenivasan: how about health insurance most of us get through insurance coverage. >> there is a big change to that in representative price's plan,

as well. he would cap the tax exclusion for insurance, meaning the cost of insurance that you get at work could go up pretty significantly under representative price's plan. >> sreenivasan: all of these have political consequences when you feel it in your personal pocketbook. you might choose to vet a different way. >> i think there will be things that republican legislators like, that they like in policy and in theory that are quite politically difficult to implement. the cap on employer sponsored insurance is a great example of that. democrats wanted to make the same change in 2010, but they found it politically impossible to do so. i think republicans will face similar barriers. >> sreenivasan: all right sarah kliff, thanks so much. >> sreenivasan: all right, let's dig a little deeper now on the potential fallout for obamacare and the people who use its benefits. sabrina corlette specializes in the health insurance markets, as a research professor at georgetown university; and bob moffitt is a senior fellow at the heritage foundation's center for health policy studies. the trump team has been meeting with people at heritage during

the transition. so bob moffitt, what does this appointment signal to you? >> it signals that president-elect trump is serious about the promise to repeal and replace obamacare. the appointment of congressman price is the appointment of an individual who has a long experience in health policy in the house and has introduced legislation to repeal obamacare and to replace it with provisions of his own. so i think from the standpoint of the administration, this is a very serious appointment. it's a very, very big signal to both the house and the senate that the trump administration is very serious about this issue. >> sreenivasan: sabrina corlette, he has a 240-plus page plan on the books in addition to other republican plans out there to repeal and replace. >> i think one thing mr. moffitt and i would agree on is the nomination of mr. price is a clear signal that the repeal of obamacare is a top priority for this new president. however, i don't think that we can say anything that the

republicans have put forward, including many mr. price, constitutes a replacement of the affordable care act, because none of the proposal, including mr. price's proposal, would cover nearly the same number of people that the affordable care act cover, nor would it provide the same consumer protections for people with preexisting conditions. >> sreenivasan: what's the cost that maybe a new administration is willing to tolerate in the number of people that got... >> well, i think that the president-elect himself made a comment at the very beginning of this and put it in print that, in fact, nobody should fall through the cracks. remember that tom price is an orthopedic surgeon, so i think what we're looking at is a surgical approach to the affordable care act. i don't think what you will see is any kind of massive disruption. i think the major concern right now for those of us in health policy is that we are already

facing a massive instability in the insurance markets, particularly in the small group and the individual markets. with premiums jumping 25% nationwide, average premiums in the exchanges and then with these breathtaking deductibles for family with a bronze plan, about a $12,000 deductible, health insurance is becoming less and less affordable for millions of americans. the people in the exchanges are only one part of this problem or only one part of the problem. but you got about 10 million people in the individual market outside of the exchanges who do not get any subsidies at all who are being affected by this, and then you also have another 15 million people in the group market. so a small group market. so this problem that we have right now with affordability and cost and the instability of the insurance market is affecting millions of people. what that means is that the straight cannot waste time on

this. they have to come to the rescue of people to make sure that those who have coverage don't actually lose it, and we have higher rates of insurance as a result. >> sreenivasan: sabrina corlette, how do you take a surgical approach but also contain costs? >> i'm not sure how you take a surgical approach based on what we have heard mr. price and other congressional leaders say. they have called for a wholesale repeal, including the expansion of medicaid, which is the program that covers low-income people. that would include a repeal of tax credits that help moderate income people afford coverage as well as the individual mandate, which is supposed to get healthy people into the pool and make coverage more affordable across the board. once you repeal all of that, that's going to cause massive disruption in the market that's going to throw as many as 22 million people off of coverage. now, mr. price has put forward a bill, however, the tax credits that it provides are a tiny

fraction of what the affordable care act provides to people. they're also not income-based, so they heavily favor higher income people over lower income people, and if you have a preexisting condition and you have even a tiny lapse in coverage, you're left out in the cold. >> sreenivasan: mr. moffitt, this is also on the heels of president-elect trump saying he'd like to preserve the clause that says you can't discriminate on preexisting conditions. >> there is nobody arguing we should exclude individuals from health insurance coverage because they are sick or they have a preexisting condition. that's nonsense. that's never been the debate. the question is what is the best way to do it. >> sreenivasan: how do you pay for it? >> we'll have to pay for it in any event because we're paying one way or another. if people do not get access and they end up in the emergency room, the most expensive place on the planet, tax players are stuck with the bill. we have to address this. frankly, i think mainstream proposal right now that is circulating among house

republicans is to adopt one of the practices that we have in group insurance right now under the health insurance affordability and accountability act, which is this: if you have credible coverage, credible coverage, and you move from one job to another and join different types of groups, you cannot be rated up, regardless of any kind of preexisting condition. we do not have any kind of crisis of preexisting conditions in employment-based health insurance. the problem is in the individual market. if you're going to be personally responsible and buy insurance at an affordable rate, you can do that, otherwise you can be rated up. that puts the responsibility where it belongs, on the individual who is buying the insurance. >> well, for people who have come off an employer-based plan, that typically means they've come off because they've lost their job, it can be very difficult for those people to afford the premiums you have to pay to maintain health insurance coverage, particularly given the fact that the tax credits that some of these republican proposals are talking about are

paltry. so what would happen is if you skipped some time and go without coverage because you can't afford it, you can't afford the premium, what some of these proposals would do would effectively lock you out until you get back into an employer-based plan or begin eligible for medicare. >> sreenivasan: this is a conversation and legislation will eventually make its way to capitol hill. thank you both. >> thank you. it was a pleasure. >> all right. >> sreenivasan: overseas now, thousands more civilians fled the eastern, rebel-held sectors of syria's largest city, aleppo, this week as the war there took an even more violent turn. the syrian civil defense rescue group reported that at least 50 people were killed today, and 150 injured, amid relentless shelling and bombing.

chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner reports. >> reporter: in the last few days, syrian government forces have retaken a large swath of east aleppo, long a stronghold for fighters opposed to president bashar al assad. aid groups say shortages of food and medical care there are the gravest yet. >> reporter: how did your mother die? >> ( translated ): she died of hunger. we haven't had any water or food for five months, they did not feed us. they ate bread, and we were hungry. >> reporter: as the death toll keeps mounting, the top u.n. envoy to syria suggested today the rebels may not be able to hold out. >> this is a military acceleration, and i can't tell you how long eastern aleppo will last. >> reporter: major aid groups are still being denied entry to help civilians remaining the city. >> we are ready to mobilize food, preposition in warehouses in western aleppo, or across the

border from turkey to the people trapped in eastern aleppo, if access is granted. so once again, we join like everybody else, let us get into eastern aleppo, we can help the people there, let us in. >> reporter: there is not a single working hospital left in east aleppo. >> medical structures that we have been supporting for many years, that have been bombed now almost a dozen times over the last year. it's just incredible. >> reporter: and russian and syrian planes reportedly have dropped leaflets on east aleppo, warning: "if you do not leave these areas urgently, you will be annihilated. you know that everyone has given up on you. they left you alone to face your doom." >> you know the syrian rebels have always felt abandoned. >> reporter: journalist rania abouzeid in beirut keeps in contact with western-backed rebel commanders. >> they felt abandoned by an international community that said "assad must go" but didn't really help them to see that

through. so there's a great sense of abandonment, there is a sense of anger, and a sense that really >> reporter: the battlefield tilted sharply in assad's favor, when russia entered the war 14 months ago. with russian airpower, and shiite militias from iran, lebanon and iraq on the ground, the assad regime has regained its footing, and territory. >> we've seen several instances in the past year when it looked like aleppo might fall. but certainly nothing in terms of the scale and the speed at which we've seen regime gains in the eastern part of the city in the last 24 to 48 hours. so it certainly looks like this might be the decisive moment for the future of rebel-held aleppo at this point. >> reporter: secretary of state john kerry keeps pushing for a cease-fire for aleppo, negotiated with russia and regional powers backing different rebel factions.

>> the syrians have some hope that if the bigger guys, the bigger players can find some sort of agreement, than perhaps that might trickle down to mean something in terms of the battlefield on the ground. >> reporter: but other top obama officials suspect russia wants to cement a military victory on the ground now, in the administration's final weeks. said one: "if you're sitting in moscow, would you rather deal with president obama, or present a fait accompli to new president trump?" for now, it looks like the rebels want to fight on in aleppo. >> well, certainly the rebels will try and win it back. but the question is, will they have the means to do that? will they have the international support to do that? and will this change anything, in terms of the calculus of their international backers? >> reporter: questions that will have to be faced by syria, its neighbors and the new american president alike. for the pbs newshour, i'm margaret warner in washington.

>> sreenivasan: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: economic ties between the u.s. and mexico under a president trump; and athletes who are having an impact off the field. but first, the battle over school choice and public education is likely to intensify under the trump administration. his choice for education secretary, betsy devos, is a big supporter of vouchers and charter schools, both of which use tax dollars that would normally go to neighborhood public schools. the fight over these issues is already building in the african american community, with the n.a.a.c.p. calling for a moratorium on new charter schools, and some parents are pushing back against that. special correspondent lisa stark, of our partner education week, reports from memphis, part of our weekly series, "making the grade." ( drums ) >> reporter: at freedom preparatory academy in memphis, there's a constant beat echoing through the hallways.

( drums ) and it's not just from the african drum class required of every middle schooler here. ( drums ) what's being drummed into these charter school students is that education-- a college degree-- and proper behavior-- are critical to getting ahead. if i were to ask you to describe freedom prep in one word, what would it be? >> college. >> preparation. >> life. >> reporter: senior tyler vaughn, 8th grader brianna todd and 5th grader taly ordonez all came to freedom prep after stints in traditional public schools. >> since sixth grade, they always instilled in us that we would be going to college and excel in college. >> it definitely teaches us to be responsible throughout out entire life. >> charter school, it prepares you for college and life. >> reporter: nearly three million students in the u.s.

attend charter schools in 42 states and the district of columbia-- about 6% of all public school students nationwide. but in more than a dozen cities, at least 30% of the students attend charters. as in many cities, african american parents in memphis are voting with their feet. this was a struggling elementary school three years ago, when the state asked freedom prep academies to take it over. they came in and enrollment immediately doubled. charter schools often open in poor neighborhoods, and predominantly serve children of color. and they have a mixed record. some are excellent, other fall far short. some states have strict standards for charters, others do not. >> the issue for us is just simply making sure everyone operates by the same rules. >> reporter: the n.a.a.c.p. is calling for a moratorium on new charter schools, concerned about a host of issues-- including

charters that seem to cherry- pick students, or have high suspension rates for children of color. the group wants reforms. >> make sure the math adds up. make sure kids aren't being suspended or expelled unfairly. make sure you have standards of accountability, and transparency, and let's make sure that we don't cream the best students to the disservice of all the students. >> reporter: n.a.a.c.p. president cornell william brooks insists the group is not anti-charter, but stresses accountability for these schools, which receive public education dollars but are often run by private organizations and boards. >> if we think that setting up a system without standards, like an education wild, wild west, is going to save public education, public education of all children, we are sadly mistaken. >> reporter: do you think there's a schism, a break in the black community over this? >> i know it is.

>> reporter: sarah carpenter believes in charter schools, and worries that the n.a.a.c.p. is out of touch. >> most of these people live in suburban areas. they look like me, but they not connected to me. >> reporter: carpenter lives in north memphis, an area of high poverty, with both traditional and charter schools. she sent her oldest granddaughter to a charter more than a decade ago, inspired by the school's focus on college. >> it changed my life. because they made our kids believe they could do this. growing up in this neighborhood, my mom didn't talk about college. >> reporter: carpenter's granddaughter did go on to college, and carpenter now runs memphis lift, an education advocacy group for parents, funded partly by groups that support charters. she led a noisy protest at the n.a.a.c.p. board meeting in cincinnati this fall, as the board ratified the charter

moratorium resolution. >> we were screaming to the top of our voice, "you're not speaking for us." >> i don't think they have the full understanding and exposure of what a proper, adequate education is for their children. >> reporter: keith williams is the executive director of tennessee's largest local teacher's union, and he believes parents are often hoodwinked by charters. >> reporter: it sounds to me like you're saying parents shouldn't have a choice. they aren't smart enough to know where their kid should go to school. >> i'm saying that some parents are not capable, are not capable of determining venues that will be the most advantageous for their children. that's a fact. >> reporter: teacher's unions have long opposed charters, which-- in most cases-- can hire and fire teachers at will, and williams believes charters have harmed public education as a whole. >> if we did not have the competitive, economic interests

of these self-serving entrepreneurs in charters, public schools would be in better condition. they would be more academically sound-- certainly, more financially sound. >> reporter: but for parents such as kimberly mcneal, there is no debate. she even moved just so she could easily get her daughters, cassidy and kai, to a nearby charter school, vision prep. >> me coming from a memphis city school, i wanted something different, something more challenging for my children. >> reporter: it's important for you to have a choice? >> it is, it's important for anybody to have a choice, whether it's public or private or charter. everybody should have a choice in where they feel their children would do better and succeed at. >> reporter: at vision prep, which is well regarded, you'll find the hallmark of many charters: students are called scholars, and college is emphasized, from pennants to

classroom cheers. >> we are the bisons, etc. >> reporter: and like many charters, this is a "no-excuses" school, stressing high standards in academics, and behavior. >> good morning, kinshaw. look at me! >> reporter: practices that don't always sit well with charter opponents, but appeal to many parents. >> i think it's good because it's teaching children focus. it's teaching them to be on one accord at school. they're trying to be more organized and put together. which is a good thing, because it not only teaches them here, it teaches them how to be like that at home. >> back to your book. >> reporter: the battle over charters is only likely to heat up. president-elect trump is a big supporter of school choice. but many argue this is the wrong debate-- that what's critical is finding schools that work, no matter how they're set up. >> i feel so sad because, we shouldn't have to fight for our kids to get a quality education.

why we have to keep fighting as a race of people, black people. and what's wrong with us wanting what's best for our kids? just because we are black and poor, do not mean that we don't want what's best for our kids. >> reporter: so when african american parents and students find what they hope is the best school, it's no wonder they're celebrating. in memphis, i'm lisa stark of education week for the pbs newshour. >> sreenivasan: now to president-elect trump's focus on mexico, and how mexico is responding to his victory. last week we examined trump's promises to build a wall and deport undocumented immigrants. tonight, in part two of our series, his economic pledges and threats: to derail trade deals and interrupt billions of dollars of remittances sent from the u.s. to mexico.

special correspondent nick schifrin and producer zach fannin, again with the help of the pulitzer center on crisis reporting, begin our story well north of the border, in columbus, ohio. >> reporter: what would you have described this community as when you were growing up? >> blue collar, hard working, good schools, just good, honest people. >> reporter: for 49 years, jeff ferrelli, his sister and their father have run an italian restaurant at the center of a neighborhood where everybody knows your name. >> same people sitting in the same booths at the same time every day. and sort of like, that "cheer's" kind of atmosphere, you know. >> reporter: just down the block was the neighborhood's heart and soul. this huge space used to be the delphi auto plant, the area's largest employer. ferrelli worked there for 15 years. >> it was hot. it smelled. but everybody in there worked hard, and were proud of what they were doing. >> reporter: but by the early '90s, the economy started declining. by 2007, the plant closed. they ripped it down to build a casino, and the community never regained its prosperity or pride.

today, the macy's is still barren, other than the graffiti. the nearby movie theater has gone dark. once-thriving businesses can't find new owners. >> we're living through the greatest jobs theft in the history of the world, it's true. delphi laid off 5,805-- what's with delphi! the trump administration will stop the jobs from leaving ohio and from leaving america. >> reporter: the message that trump put out during the campaign, did that appeal to you? >> the incentives are to put your businesses overseas. hopefully some groundwork will be put in place to correct that. >> reporter: ferrill knows that there are many reasons for the closed plant, but his nostalgia allows for an easy target: the neighborhood's growing number of hispanic and somali immigrants. >> the influx of new people does not match the ones that have left-- and i guess that's kind of the big thing. >> reporter: president-elect donald trump links those immigrants with jobs lost to

some of the same countries. >> they get the jobs, the plants, the money; we get the drugs, we get the unemployed. it's a one-way street. not going to happen anymore, folks. not going to happen anymore. >> reporter: 2,300 miles south, in the mexican city of juarez, the delphi plant occupies pride of place. this 24-year-old works on the factory floor. delphi declined an interview request, so he felt he had to stay anonymous. he invited us for breakfast burritos. how important are the delphi plants to you and this community? >> ( translated ): it's my means of work, my means of sustaining my family, and it's the means of sustaining the community. >> reporter: early every morning, he and hundreds of people file out via bus after delphi's overnight shift. delphi is mexico's largest private employer, and has helped lift up the working and middle classes here. it's provided the collective pride western columbus lost. even if his starting salary was only $12 a day.

how have american companies like delphi helped changed the city? >> ( translated ): it's much more stable economically. we have better houses, better cars, even the school system has improved. >> reporter: on the campaign, trump argued delphi's gains in moving to mexico came at the expense of american losses, because of the north american free trade agreement, or nafta, the 1994 trade deal between the u.s., canada and mexico. according to the nonpartisan congressional research service, nafta's benefits have been spread out, and not widely felt. but its costs have been concentrated and helped accelerate u.s. manufacturing losses. in order to protect that manufacturing, trump has promised to pull out of nafta, or impose heavy tariffs on mexican goods. >> this wave of globalization has wiped out totally, totally our middle class. it doesn't have to be this way. we can turn it around, and fast. >> reporter: juarez mayor armando cabada can't even

imagine trump enacting his campaign pledges. what impact would changing nafta have on the people juarez and the city of juarez? >> ( translated ): we are the principle makers of tvs in the world, one of the principle providers for the car industry in the world. how can he halt this? only a crazy man could do that. >> reporter: from his roof, juarez is only a few feet from el paso, texas. the two economies are just as inter-dependent. the u.s. buys nearly 80% of mexican exports. and mexico is the u.s.'s second- largest trading partner. >> ( translated ): he's going against the current. it's a misunderstanding of the world we live in now, the globalized world in which we are all immersed. >> reporter: since nafta, in cities like juarez, american companies line the streets. the stores and supply chains are completely integrated across the border. mexican workers now manufacture parts that american workers need. two weeks ago, delphi's c.f.o. said if trump closes the border, "in less than a week, all the people who voted for him in

michigan and ohio would be out of work." economics professor valerie moy agrees. >> you are going to disrupt all the supply chains. that's going to be huge, not only for mexico-- of course for mexico, it's going to be huge. but for the states, it's going to be huge. >> reporter: she points out, nafta hasn't only helped mexico. those american companies in mexico are profitable. nafta helps employ six million or more americans, and provides americans with cheap products. >> that flat screen that you bought, that's like 60 inches huge, which would sound surround, and it's really nice, and it cost you $1,000. guess what? you're not going to have that anymore. because that was made in mexico. >> reporter: and that means mexico's economy is now much more dependent on its ability to send products north. >> many parts of the country will be very significantly damaged if donald trump enacts any measure of protectionism. >> every time i see a delphi, and i see companies leaving, that wall gets a little bit

higher and keeps going up. >> reporter: to try and force mexico to pay for the promised southern border wall, trump has threatened a second blow to the mexican economy, and to people like marta garcia. she runs a mexico city food truck and makes a few dollars a day. last year, her oldest daughter fled to the u.s. and sends money home. every year, mexicans send $25 billion of remittances. trump is promising to halt or tax that money. what would happen if your daughter is not able to send any money, or if she sends only a fraction of what she has sent recently? >> ( translated ): well, what i would do is tell my children i am very sorry but i would take them out of school so they could work. >> reporter: every few days, the family walks together to pick up the daughter's money at the local western union. marta hopes the money keeps flowing, so her children receive the education she never did. >> ( translated ): you have to have an education, so that they can pay you a little more. if you don't have an education,

they will not pay you enough, and that's why many people leave to the u.s. >> reporter: that's a warning that many here make. cutting remittances, curtailing trade, and imposing tariffs could exacerbate the very problems that trump is vowing to stop. >> it will enhance the idea of illegal immigration, because the situation in mexico is going to be worse. >> reporter: enrique krauze is one of the country's most prominent historians, and goes even further. >> nafta, immigration, deportations, the wall. yes, those are very important issues, socially and economically. but first of all, dignity and respect. we need an apology. >> reporter: he says mexicans overwhelmingly oppose trump, not only because of his policies, but because of the most negative rhetoric by any u.s. president since the late 1920s, when president calvin coolidge considered mexico a communist enemy. >> those wounds are now part of the remote history. truly remote. now, those wounds, incredibly, would be opened.

>> reporter: we saw signs of those festering wounds on an otherwise normal tuesday at a quintessentially mexican store. trump has sparked a piñata renaissance. we thought mexicans would, well, bash trump, but they were measured and deeply fearful. >> ( translated ): i don't like that he was elected, because the situation is already hard and will become harder next year. >> ( translated ): the wall, if >> ( translated ): it's not fair. donald trump talked about many things that offended us mexicans. the truth is, i don't like he came into power. >> reporter: for many mexicans, trump's victory is a nightmare. for some americans in the struggling midwest, it's an opportunity. the relationship hasn't been this fraught in nearly a century. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick schifrin in mexico city. >> sreenivasan: we'll be back in a moment with a look at how college athletic teams are helping kids with life- threatening illnesses.

but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station.

>> sreenivasan: now to a "newshour shares:" something that caught our eye, that we thought you might find interesting, as well. a program called team impact is trying to bring normalcy to what can be a stressful situation for parents and children fighting sometimes life threatening diseases. the organization has matched more than 1,000 children with college athletes across the country. from pbs station wgbh in boston, tina martin introduces us to one little girl who is feeling the team spirit. >> reporter: this is seven-year- old ava girolimett. she loves to cook, and eat. >> cheese is one of my favorite foods. >> reporter: she has a collection of fancy hats with flowers. >> let's see, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, i think. >> reporter: and she loves

soccer. >> we play all positions, but i don't play positions. >> reporter: outwardly, ava's a pretty normal little girl, but she was diagnosed with leukemia last spring. >> everything moved so quickly, from when she was diagnosed. we went to the hospital on saturday, and didn't come home for six weeks. >> reporter: doctors started chemotherapy immediately, and ava was sidelined her from her favorite sport. >> at home, we have scheduled medications that she has to take on a near daily basis. >> reporter: ava may have been too sick to play soccer, but that doesn't mean she can't be part of a team. both she and her sister sophia are part of the babson college woman's soccer team, through a program called team impact. >> for her, its been a great experience, because she plays soccer herself and she's not able to play this season. >> reporter: based in massachusetts, team impact matches college sports teams with critically- or chronically- ill children. >> we are currently in 45 states, 427 campuses with 30,000

student athletes. >> reporter: here in massachusetts, team impact currently has 118 children like ava matched with all kinds of college teams. >> you don't see that battle on her face, when she's around these student athletes and female athletes. >> reporter: babson junior colleen beggan understands ava's battle better than most. >> my sister was also a soccer player and she had cancer in her ribs. >> reporter: babson takes on a special meaning for marc and allison-- it's where they went to college and fell in love. >> it means everything, to see your child, sort of, in a much more natural environment, with the understanding that without her having cancer, we probably wouldn't be having this experience. >> reporter: being part of the team allows ava to be a fun, curious, and outgoing kid. her big sister sophia says she is pretty good on the soccer field, too.

>> she's very, very good-- she's awesome. >> reporter: her family says she has a long way to go with treatment, but believe the future is bright. >> sreenivasan: online tonight, our "ask the headhunter" column has tips for how to overcome age discrimination during job interviews. plus, learn about an innovative buoy floating just outside the port of new york, that could help save the lives of some of the rarest whales in the world. and finally, on our facebook page, watch a video of the great barrier reef, where scientists say warming seas this year have caused the worst coral die-off on record. all that and more is on our web site, www.pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. tomorrow, an on-the-ground report from our correspondent in cuba. i'm hari sreenivasan. 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:

>> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your financial future. >> bnsf railway. >> xq institute. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.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. 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. getting hotter. the economy is expanding, home prices are hitting records, confidence is climbing and one fed policy maker says the case is strengthening for a rate hike. prescription for reform. donald trump picked a vocal critic of obamacare for his cabinet, signaling an aggressive overhaul of that landmark health law. deal or no deal. what happens if opec does not reach an agreement to cut oil output. we'll soon find out. those stories and more tonight on "nightly business report," for tuesday, november 29th. good evening, everyone. and welcome. we begin tonight with the economy. new reports today that show a pickup in momentum. growth, the