captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight... >> i've heard its one of the toughest deals of all. >> woodruff: ...in israel, president trump insists peace in the middle east requires resolving the long-standing conflict with the palestinians then, we break down the upcoming battle over federal government spending: what's on the trump administration's chopping block? and, preserving the heart of a very old city: jeffrey brown takes us to tunisia, a country with a newly democratic government, working to embrace the richness of its culture. >> civil society is very active today in investing. investing time, money, energy, advocacy to restore such beautiful spaces and bring back

the magic to the medina. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives.

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: 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: president trump is spending tonight in israel, after a day of talking up peace prospects in the region. it's all part of his first overseas trip since taking office. we begin our coverage with a report from john yang. >> yang: amid the pomp of president trump's arrival

ceremony in israel, an issue of policy that's confounded presidents for generations-- the israeli-palestinian conflict. >> we must work together to build a future where the nations of the region are at peace, and we have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region. >> israel's hand is extended to all nations, including the palestinians. the peace we seek is a genuine and durable one in which the jewish state is recognized, security remains in israel's hands and the conflict ends once and for all. >> yang: the warmth between the two men was evident, as was the israeli prime minister's pleasure in both the change of u.s. presidents, and a new direction on iran. >> i want you to know how much

we appreciate the change in american policy on iran. i want you to know how much we appreciate your bold decision to act against the use of chemical weapons in syria. i want to tell you also how much we appreciate the reassertion of american leadership in the middle east. >> yang: in an unscripted moment, the president seemed to give the first official confirmation that the highly classified intelligence he gave russian officials came from the israelis. >> i never mentioned the word or the name israel. never mentioned during that conversation. >> yang: in jerusalem's old city, mr. trump visited two of the holiest sites of christianity and judaism: the church of the holy sepulchre, believed by many christians to be the site of jesus's tomb, and the western wall, believed by jews to be part of herod's second temple. mr. trump began his trip with a much-anticipated stop in saudi

arabia, where he appealed to sunni arab leaders to unite to against extremist movements like isis and al qaida, and other militant groups backed by shiite iran. the centerpiece was a speech the white house billed as an address to the muslim world. >> a better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and extremists. drive them out. drive them out of your places of worship. drive them out of your communities. drive them out of your holy land. drive them out of this earth. >> yang: it represented a big shift in tone and temper from the campaign, when he condemned islam for hating america. >> this is not a battle between different faiths, different sects of different civilizations. this is a battle between

barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it. the is a battle between good and evil. >> yang: mr. trump also joined the leaders of egypt and saudi arabia to open a center aimed at combating on-line militant ideology and messaging. the president's saudi visit coincided with the re-election of hassan rouhani as president of iran, which was the target of much of mr. trump's rhetoric. today, rouhani contrasted the heavy iranian voter turnout with the lack of elections in mr. trump's host kingdom. >> ( translated ): he has gone to a country where i think the word election has no meaning for them. they have never seen a ballot box. i hope that the day will come that saudi arabia will adopt this path.

>> yang: like the israelis, the saudis also welcome the shift in the u.s. approach to iran that the change in leaders brings. one reason for the opulent saudi welcome for mr. trump, which included a traditional sword dance to underscore the friendship saudi king salman extended to the president. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang. >> woodruff: i spoke earlier to tamara keith of npr from jerusalem. i began by asking if president in israel that he got in saudi arabia. >> there was another big red carpet at the airport just like in saudi arabia. there was a marching band and then tonight there were fireworks over the old city. though it's not clear that those were really for president trump but probably for jerusalem day. >> woodruff: i want to ask you about the president's surprising comments when he was with prime hipster netanyahu earlier today and he spoke about

his disclosure of classified information with russian officials. >> reporter: this was one of the times when reporters come into the room to -- basically a photo op they made brief remarks then a reporter from bloomberg shouted out a question asking prime minister netanyahu if he was concerned about sharing intelligence with the united states. both leaders were eager to respond, president trump said, well i never said anything about israel when i gave information to the russians. which is an interesting point to make husband although there's been reporting that it was israel, none of the reporting ever said that president trump had revealed to the russian forein minister that it was israel's information that he was revealing. >> woodruff: he was essentially confirming it with his own remarks. tam, i want to ask you about going go back to saudi arabia portion of this trip it was

clear that the president was willing go out of his way avoid using a term that we heard frequently from him on the campaign trail, radical islamic terrorism. what do you know about that? >> reporter: on the campaign trail he frequently criticized people nor not saying those words. say the words, radical islamic terrorism. but in this speech he carefully avoided saying those words. though he kind of stumbled right around that section of the speech and departed from the prepared remarks. later an aide said he's exhausted guy, attributed it to that. and not any sort of purposeful going off script. he certainly seemed to be toning down the language, he wasn't as directly critical of saudi arabia as he had been during the campaign either. though an aide, senior administration official insisted that, no, he wasn't actually toning things down he is

actually being tougher. but it certainly seemed toned down. >> woodruff: and tam, finally, it was in that regard, it was also clear to those who were listening that he did not bring up human rights in saudi arabia. >> reporter: he did not bring it up certainly in a big way. there was one short sentence that mentioned the oppression of women and christians and others but it was not a centerpiece of the speech, it was barely a paragraph, sort of a sentence. and there were other phrases in the speech that made it clear that they're not emphasize can human rights saying that he wasn't there to lecture countries and that he was looking for partners not perfection. many team took that as signal that he was sending to the leaders in the room that he wants to work with them to counter isis and he's willing at least on some level to not put human rights in their face.

what the administration says, he's approaching this quietly and strongly and that by sort of easing in to it he might have bigger impact. >> woodruff: tamara keith reporting from israel, the second leg of president trump's trip abroad. >> reporter: glad to be with you. >> woodruff: we'll have more on the president's trip right after the news summary. in the day's other news, president trump's former national security adviser michael flynn invoked his right against self-incrimination, and refused to give documents to the senate intelligence committee. it involves potential ties between the trump campaign and russian officials. but flynn's lawyers cited an "escalating public frenzy" and said "any testimony he provides could be used against him." it's reported that two other former trump associates, paul manafort and roger stone, have turned over documents to the committee. meanwhile, democrat elijah cummings, on the house oversight

committee, says government documents suggest flynn lied to pentagon investigators about his income from russian sources. north korea says it's ready to start mass-producing new medium- range missiles. state media today called it an "answer to the trump administration." on sunday, the north test-fired a missile capable of reaching japan and major u.s. military bases there. the u.n. security council condemned the launch as "highly destabilizing". iran's newly re-elected president hassan rouhani is calling for better relations with the united states. but he says, first the trump administration has to get its bearings. he spoke in tehran, three days after he easily defeated a conservative challenger, backed by hard-liners. >> ( translated ): iran and america, over the last almost 40 years, have traveled a curvy road together. we are waiting for the u.s. government to become stable

intellectually, in terms of its i hope it can settle down so that we can more accurately pass judgments on their leaders in washington. >> woodruff: also today, iranian reports said reformist supporters of rouhani swept all the local offices in tehran and did well in other cities as well. back in this country, the supreme court has struck down two north carolina congressional districts. the justices ruled that, during 2011 redistricting, republican lawmakers placed too many african americans in the districts, weakening their voting strength elsewhere. the state legislature in texas is nearing approval of a transgender "bathroom bill" similar to north carolina's measure that sparked national outrage. the texas bill limits children in public and charter schools to bathrooms that correspond with their official gender at birth. in last night's debate, state house members argued over whether the bill amounts to discrimination.

>> there is absolutely no intent and i would argue nothing in this language discriminates against anyone. in fact it makes sure there is reasonable accommodation for all children. >> bathrooms: white. colored. i was living through that era of not only america but of texas history as well. bathrooms divided us then and it divides us now. >> woodruff: the bill cleared the state house today and went to the senate for final approval. meanwhile, the texas legislature also voted to let publicly funded foster care and adoption groups refuse to place adopted children with parents who are gay, unmarried or non-christian. an elite new hampshire prep school has acknowledged sexual abuse of students, by 13 former teachers and staff, dating back decades. st. paul's school in concord today released results of an independent investigation.

it comes amid reports of similar scandals at several other private boarding schools across new england and the northeast. in economic news, ford motor company replaced mark fields as c.e.o. after just two years, amid doubts about the automaker's direction. the new c.e.o. is jim hackett, a former office furniture executive. and on wall street, the dow jones industrial average gained 90 points to close near 20,895. the nasdaq rose almost 50 points, and the s&p 500 added 12. and, after nearly 150 years, the ringling brothers-barnum and bailey circus held its final show last night. "the greatest show on earth" faced declining attendance and high operating costs, as well as protests from animal rights groups. the last show on sunday, held just outside new york city, received a standing ovation. performers hugged, as the ring master sang "auld lang syne."

still to come on the newshour: president trump abroad-- attempting to reset relations in the middle east. how medicaid cuts could trickle down to students with disabilities. it's politics monday... a look at the storm brewing at home while trump is overseas, and much more. >> woodruff: during the presidential campaigning candidate trump said he'd strengthen relations with middle eastern countries, and do a better job fighting islamic terrorism. so, with the president in saudi arabia this weekend and meeting with arab leaders, we thought we'd ask how of a change in u.s. policy is the president making? for that we turn to daniel benjamin. he was ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the u.s. state department during the obama administration. he's now at dartmouth college.

elliott abrams served in the reagan and george w. bush administrations. he's now a senior fellow at the council on foreign relations. and robin wright is fellow at the u.s. institute of peace as well as a contributing writer for the "new yorker" magazine. we welcome all three of you back to the program. beef talking 'little elliott about the president shifting language how he talks about terrorism extremism. what i want to ask the three of you is how much of a shift in policy is what president trump is saying in his, particularly in that speech in saudi arabia. how much of a shift in policy would that be? >> there is a shift, i would say from the obama policy which was much more open to friendship or better relationship with iran and was not casting iran as a central problem in the middle east. in saudi arabia, the president said very much, iran is the

problem, the king of saudi arabia then said the same thing, iran is the problem. now of course we're hearing it from prime minister netanyahu. this isn't a change i would say from bush policy actually but these are changes from obama policy which was centered on improving the relationship with iran. >> woodruff: david benjamin, how do you see what the president had to say? >> well, i a agree with elliott about the tilt toward the sunni arabs, he was going all in, in terms of standing where them and with israelis against iran. that brings with it some challenges, i think it's also noteworthy that he pushed the saudis and others to do more against terrorism themselves, but it was quite interesting, the way he described terrorism it was flat. it was in very good verse evil terms but no larger discussion of what the drivers of terrorism

are, no discussion about bad governance, about economic stagnation, about -- repression, as a result, leaves the impression that this is going to be purely about military law enforcement and not anything else which is really at odds with the policy we had. which was that you can't shoot your way out of this. >> woodruff: robin wright, you're nodding your head. >> it walks away from the kind of nation building of george bush or the democracy promotion of barack obama. it takes a very one dimensional approach to extremism which did is kill them all, drive them back, it is -- doesn't factor in the kind of economic grievances, the political sense among many in the region that their governments don't represent them. president trump is siding with the autocratic regime, which is most repressive, which not devoted much time or energy to some of the broad solutions of the 21st century. so this is a huge departure from

the past. and i think that it opens up the united states to some vulnerability in the same way, once again looking for stability rather than the kinds of regime, is that reflect our own values. >> woodruff: is this an approach, elliott, that is likely to work? these regimes have had plenty of opportunities to come together against against terrorism, against extremism. is this new appeal from president trump likely to bring the wall? >> better cooperation, let's say, on terrorist financing. there can be better cooperation on the military and police side. but i think robin wright, if terrorists were coming down from from outer space the military approach would be fine. but they're coming from the very countries whose leaders he was addressing, he didn't discuss at all y. is that? and what can be done about it in your country? >> woodruff: given that, dan benjamin, are we -- are these countries just basically left to ignore the president, i mean,

has the expectation been raised for them to do something now or not? >> well, he has suggested that, one of the reasons that the gulf arabs are so excited about donald trump is that he is signaled that he's giving them a complete pass on human rights issues. so, we could well see more repression over the long term that doesn't mean less terrorism that may mean more terrorism. but he's really just say knowledge, you know, do what you need to and be there for us when we ask. that's also a problem because over the last five or six years they have paid a lot more attention to the sectarian rivalry with iran than they have to sunni extremism. >> woodruff: and speaking that have robin, that's come up in all of this discussion. does it make sense in the long run for the president to pit basically sunni against the iran regime? >> this is the great danger are, the united states is often

faulted with fostering this sectarian divide by its intervention in iraq in 2003. and now the administration is taking a very definitive stand on the side of the sunnis against predominantly shiite iran. this i think is going to deepen intentions than try to diffuse them, the great danger is that you see not only tensions within saudi but deafening regional conflict, after all the saudi-iran rivalry plays out in every major conflict in the middle east, in syria, yemen, iraq. we're not going to find solution to any of these crises unless there's a much more collaborative effort that brings in all the major powers in the region. and so that's one of the challenges. he talks a game about finding peace and stabilizing the regimg extremism but how do you do that when you're actually adding fuel to the flame. >> woodruff: what about, that

i will rot? >> there i say i disagree. there i think the problem seen from the israeli point of view and sunni arab point of view, is remarkable effort by iran in iraq, in seary in lebanon, in yemen, in bahrain to, create trouble. i think they are really a problem for all of those countries and for us, this is a country that is still saying death to america. i think the president's focus is reasonable. >> woodruff: daniel benjamin, pick up on that. what is the meat on the bones that needs to come down for something to grow out of this that advances the cause, the anti-extremist cause? >> i'm skeptical, because one of the things that president trump apparently didn't do while he was in saudi arabia was talk to the saudis about the activities that they carry on that actually promote extremism, he is spiff i

cannily with their missionary activities around the world to provide provings, materials and the like which have really the more hard edge, i don't think we're going to see anything from this administration on that score. and the other thing is, on the sectarianism if it just gets worse it's going to undermine regional stability and it could threaten the nuclear accord in the region, that ultimately would be bad news for everyone. >> woodruff: we haven't mentioned the elections in iran, robin, but iran has just re-elected the more moderate candidate, mr. rouhani. at the same time the president is painting iran as the enemy. >> he's painting that picture in country that doesn't hold democratic elections where women can't even drive much less participate or run for office. iran has had a female vice president. the contrast is very stark, no question that iran is a big problem for many in the international community, the

extremism, it's missile program, abuse of civil rights. there is a deep contrast. remember, saudi arabia is a country that developed or promoted the ideology that was the bed of the place that gave us the ideology of al qaeda and isis. so we need to be rational or reasonable when we talk about who are the good guys and bad guys, a lot of them share the blame. >> woodruff: there's so much here we're going to continue to look at what the president had to say, thank you all three, robin wright, daniel benjamin, elliott abrams. >> thank you. >> woodruff: let's move to the president's domestic agenda now. later tonight, he will release his first full budget plan, which lays out his priorities

for spending and taxes. congress ultimately will weigh in on all of it, but it lays down an important marker for the coming year. early reporting suggests mr. trump's proposal will feature big changes including substantial spending cuts and a shift in priorities overall. lisa desjardins has been reporting on this as well and is here to give us a preview. lisa, what's different abut this budget and the way they're approaching it? >> very dramatic proposal the president is making to congress, he would significantly increase military spending and significantly decrease spend ink other domestic agencies. as part of this he is starting to change the way he look at budgeting, congressional source are giving me this information they say he's trying to say, don't just look who is recipient of a program, look at those who are funding it, taxpayers and ask, do taxpayers think this is worth it. that's a sign of cuts to come. >> woodruff: we're hearing big changes to medicaid, health care for the poor, what do we

know about that? >> the source say the president will propose additional cuts to medicaid on top of what is already in the house republican bill. we talked about that extensively. there's a lot of shifts in that bill, it would likely mean, according to congressional budget office, millions fewer americans on medicaid, president the a's plan would have additional decreases to that. >> woodruff: finally, we're hearing about several other changess to the so-called social safety net, what are you hearing about that and why. >> reporter: a couple of big programs. the earned income tax credit, again congressional source say the president feels that there should be more responsibility, accountabilityish these programs and going to require that everyone in that program have a social security number. who does that affect? undocumented immigrants could. also affect their children some itics point out. one other program, judy, snap, referred to as food stamps. the president is going to propose that states share more in that cost. that would be a big difference.

one key to all of this is the dramatic proposal the congress ends up deciding all of these funding debates, i talk to some republicans on friday they were ready for the proposal they said a lot of these cuts will not pass there. >> woodruff: all right, lisa desjardins. we'll be able to talk more about it tomorrow. thank you so much. >> woodruff: as we heard, medicaid cuts are a key part of the president's budget plan. many are tied to the republican health care bill that passed the house last month. we've been looking at the potential impact of the bill. and tonight, we focus on what it could mean for schools and particularly special education. william brangham has our conversation. >> reporter: special education just wasn't part of the debate over the house g.o.p.'s health care bill. but special education is hugely reliant on medicaid and that bill could trigger major cuts to medicaid, up to $880 billion over ten years. what would this mean for the

millions of public school kids who receive special ed services? i'm joined now by sasha pudelski. welcome to the "newshour." >> thanks, happy to be here. reporter: i was surprised by this, i didn't appreciate fully how reliant special ed service are on medicaid, can you give us a suns ever how crucial they are to those budgets? >> absolutely. so, special education funding has always been low. we've never met our medical commitment to school districts to fund special education. and about 30 years ago the federal government decided that this they would allow to bill medicaid for some of the therapies in particular that are very costly to provide special ed occasion students. and so, school districts have been reliant on medicaid to supplement some of the fecial education funding they receive for a very long time, standard practice in many districts. >> reporter: they spend this money then they go to the government say, we did this, we provided these service, please reimburse us. >> exactly. not one for one match by any means but a substantial amount they receive back.

>> reporter: generally speaking who are the kids that we're talking about here and what kinds of services are we talking about? >> it's virtually every special education child. because things that medicaid can cover run from from therapies like mental health therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy to equipment that they may need. hearing aids, may run from wheelchairs to school buses, actually, that provide specialized transportation for kids. the service are vast despite levels of funding. >> we don't know right now the house g.o.p. bill has to go through the senate, obviously going to get changed quite a bit, let's assume there are still major cuts to medicaid in whatever r whatever comes out of congress. what is the main concern for the school districts? >> the main concern is by this major federal disinvest. in medicaid, we're going to have states having to pick up the t tab. and if school districts are competing with hospitals and clinics and other providers for scarce dollars, i don't see how a governor or stayed medicaid

director or state ledge sly tour will decide schools need this money not a hospital, not a doctor. >> reporter: would argue, we have federal deficits that are going to be massive in the future, we have to address some of these programs like medicaid and that these are cuts that are just fiscally smart, how do you respond to that? >> it's not kids that are breaking the medicaid bank. it's the bank is even being broken which i contend it's not. when you look at who benefits from medicaid, 46% of medicaid beneficiaries are kids. but one out of every $5 spent on medicaid is spent on children. so it's really efficient way of spending dollars on children's health care in this country. >> reporter: let's say these cuts do come down and school districts have to find some way to compensate, what is your sense from talking to school administrators around the country how are they going to make up the short fall? >> the situation is rather bleak. we surveyed a thousand school leaders earlier year to ask them exactly that question.

and they told us that they believe service for kids can be recused and some cases professionals will be laid off who work with those kids like the school nurse, for example. whose salary may be subsidized substantially by medicaid. they indicated may have to raise taxes in order to compensate for this loss and some districts can do that, others just can't. so, it's willing go to be a major financial hilt not just on special education budget but the general education budget, because the general will have to subsidize the loss of funding in special education. >> reporter: what you're talking about is really cuts that are really not just for this one dedicated population, but for potentially every student in a public school district. >> absolutely. when you fog a school nurse's office they don't ask, are you medicaid eligible they take your temperature and find out whether you need to go home. so this is someone who benefits every child just like a mental health practitioner in the school and when we no longer can afford their service because they're subsidized via medicaid, every childish that building will be hurt.

>> reporter: sasha of the school superintendent association. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: tunisians revive their capital's old city center dating back to the 7th century. and a retiree nearing 100 years- old finds a sweet way to make a difference. but first, for more on the president's overseas trip and the troubles he's facing back home, it's time for politics monday. this week i'm joined by stu rothenberg, senior editor at "inside elections" and susan page, washington bureau chief of "usa today." welcome both of you back to the program. so i was going to begin by asking you about the trip and how much that overshadows what's going on here at home but just in the last few moments we have

seen that the "washington post" is reporting susan that the president, this is literally just come out moments ago, asked intelligence chief, two of them, to push back against any story, any allegation of fbi collusion, he asked both dan coates, the director of national intelligence and admiral michael rogers who is director of the national security agency. the "washington post" story says that both of them refused to comply, they both said it was inappropriate. they are not commenting on this story bit the "washington post" is running it as a headline. >> this of course is entirely consistent what we have heard the president ask james comey to do as fbi director to try to help him with this kind of pr problems with the russia investigation. consistent with that, one more example of how you can be on a foreign trip, give big speeches but not escape the cloud over your presidency when it comes to disclosure after disclosure on this. that is going to be the case i

think for the foreseeable future for this president. >> woodruff: we are starting to get the cents, stu, no matter how much we talk about the budget did report on earlier in the program tonight, of course the president's trip. but this russia investigation and how the president and white house handled it is just the story that keeps on unfolding. >> republicans complain that national media spending too much time on the subject that we should be talking about other issues, but this is the focus of attention for a reason. we're talking about the president of the united states and his aides appropriate behavior, inappropriate behavior, illegal behavior, we don't know. but this is a giant story. saying there are other issues, yeah, we should cover them but this is the story of the day. >> woodruff: even on the trip the president confirmed when he was with prime minister netanyahu in israel that he in essence said i didn't say the word israeli when i talked about intelligence that i shared with russian officials.

he in a way is keeping some of this alive. >> one more self-inflicted wound on the part of president trump because he wasn't asked the question, this was question posed by an american reporter to benjamin netanyahu. and the president trump jumps in to say, this is a bad story, i never said the word israel. first of all the stories at the time said he used the word israel, just said that he disclosed highly confidential intelligence. secondly, this confirms in a neglect israel was the source of the intelligence, u.s. officials have refused to do on the record. a third thing, puts a spotlight right back on this story on a day when you had a rather emotional and successful visit to israel. now that's been really over shadowed. >> these kind of trips have been used by previous presidents t to -- they go internationally, the areas that the president has most authority in, national security, presidents look presidential leading the leaders of other countries, i note that

richard nixon took a ten-die, seven country trip in trip in june of 1974 then he came back to washington, went back on -- >> woodruff: two months before. >> the judiciary committee, house judiciary was meeting when he came back was three weeks later, he was impeached. this president cannot get out of his own way, is that too strong a thing to say? he continues to bring back the focus on himself and a trip is a good idea and presidents need to do that. but it's not going to make americans forget about the underlying problem he has. >> woodruff: susan, do we know yet how much this is going to affect the president's substantive agenda, we were talking earlier with lisa desjardins about the budget, we'll hear more about that tonight. the republicans on the hill very much want to pass a health care reform law, how is all this affecting that? >> just two things that are damaging, one distracts attention. you're paying attention to this

not to the details of the health care bill or what might be included in tax cut package. another thing, it starts to chip away at the president's approval rating, that is important because members of congress keep a close look at the president's approval rating to anything out how much they should fear him. how much attention do they have to pay to him. how much political clout does he have. his approval rating and gal pulp polling was 37% which s dismal approval rating for a president. and it's just a bit lower than it's been, it was about 40 for a long time, it's beginning to get just a little bit lower, even among his core supporters, many are sticking with him, he's seeing some attrition. >> woodruff: stu, you spent a lifetime studying members of congress and how they think about how to vote and what they are going to do and their re-election prospects, what is the calculus for the republicans? >> if you tell me who is going to win the montana special election later this weaknesses georgia special election next

month i'll have better idea of what the impact s. i think susan is exactly right. what they are in safe districts that are going south carolina with the president and are sticking with him. just as some republicans stuck to richard nixon right to the very end. those republicans in swing districts, those who worry about republicans who are not democratic, not in districts or states that can flip, they are nervous, they will get more nervous. this is not a distraction it's defining this presidency now. >> woodruff: what sit going to take -- is it going to take? is it a drip, drip -- >> simply be time. it's funny, people in the national media talk -- look at every poll as if one is going to show dramatic tush in public opinion. the president only been in office four months. so, you give this another four months, eight months and some of his supporters may start to take the criticism more seriously. easy to say i voted for him he's trying. four months from now, six months things might be different. >> woodruff: stu is right,

the loyal trump supporters, people from districts where people -- there was another story just yesterday about this in kentucky, several communities in kentucky where donald trump received high poll numbers -- high vote totals, back in november. he still very popular. >> of course the idea that he's being embattled by the national news media or democrats that doesn't hurt president trump. but what could hurt president trump if he doesn't deliver on the promises he made to these voters, that would include bring back manufacturing jobs, making their lives better, bringing down the cost of health care. those are the things on which president trump going to be measured by his supporters the fact that he's got this cloud of scandal over him, makes it harder for him to deliver to them on those issues. >> woodruff: politics monday, susan page, stu rothenberg, great to have you both. >> thanks, judy.

>> woodruff: and now to a story about history and culture in tunisia, the birthplace of the arab spring. its democracy is new and fragile, and its economy has been hurt by terrorist acts that have scared away tourists. but among the signs of hope are a rise in citizen efforts to take part in the nation's political and cultural life, jeffrey brown has our story, part of his ongoing series, 'culture at risk.' >> brown: the medina of tunis, the old center of the city, dating back to the 7th century. its narrow walkways, vibrant colors, and grand architecture evoke a rich past. now nestled within a sprawling modern city, the medina remains a home to some 100,000 residents, 15,000 homes, 700 monuments, and abundant commerce

within its sprawling souks, or markets. for hundreds of years, places like this were the heart of life in the arab world. the question today is how to preserve something of their old character, even as the society around them changes. architect zoubeir mouhli grew up here in the medina, now heads an organization to preserve it. >> ( translated ): when i was a student, i dreamed of working in the medina because i knew there were so many hidden things people didn't know about that are incredibly valuable. >> brown: for him this place represents a way of life, an alternative to the modern city. >> ( translated ): there is no soul there, yes yes absolutely. done for the cars, not for the people, not for the pedestrians, not for the people who want to see each other, to talk to each other, to go and have a coffee together. all this is so important to me. >> brown: dramatic change came to the medina in the 1950s, as the era of french rule ended.

many laborers from the countryside moved in seeking work, while elites and those with means left for the new suburbs, which continue to develop today. the medina was ignored, and slowly decayed. >> ( translated ): the medina was considered an archaic space that was contrary to the country's modernization, and even the cause of our underdevelopment and the reason for the french protectorate. >> brown: by the time the medina was added to a u.n. list of places of special cultural importance in 1979, more than half its buildings were in disrepair or ruins. but changes in the country are also changing the medina. in late 2010, a tunisian fruit vendor set himself ablaze, setting off a chain of protests that overturned the country's dictator, abedine ben ali, and spread across the region as the arab spring. tunisia has been the only country to successfully transition out of protests into

a democracy. among much else, that unleashed new civic pride and an interest in preserving the country's culture-- one influenced by roman, ottoman, arabic and european traditions. >> this house was on sale in 2006. i bought it from a family that lived here for 300 years. >> brown: 300? >> yes! >> brown: for leila ben gacem, that meant rehabilitating an old home to turn it into a boutique hotel, a project that required working with local artisans-- tile specialists, woodworkers, gypsum carvers-- who understood the materials and artistic styles. >> so these stones could be recycled from the destroyed site of carthage. >> brown: yeah. you mean the ancient archeological site of carthage. >> yes, exactly. >> brown: yeah, not far from us. >> yes. the tiles could have came with the andalusians. >> brown: yeah, in spain. >> in spain. >> the arches could have came with the ottomans. so it's the blend that makes tunisia today. >> brown: it's been difficult

work: the house had to be entirely retrofitted with modern plumbing and electricity. not a good place for a car. >> no, that's why taxi drivers hate to come here. >> brown: and the area faces all kinds of challenges, including maintaining enough infrastructure to hold onto old businesses and attract new investment. >> since the birth of the medina in the 7th century, or 8th century, there always been an ecosystem of traders, of artisans, of businesses. so the trading sectors change with time. and i think to convert the medina into a cultural artistic destination, that needs a whole new ecosystem to be developed now. >> brown: ben gacem's doing her part. she's already working on a second guesthouse and has opened a workspace nearby to help transfer some of the skills being lost. on saturday mornings there's a calligraphy class... and next door a workshop on bookbinding, taught by mohamed

ben sassi, whose shop is just down the street. he's thought to be the last bookbinder working in the medina, and is eager to reach a new generation. >> ( translated ): there is nobody! no one left, for 40 years i work in national library and there was nobody to do this job, 40 years! the book will never go away, the book witnessed a lot of gales and thunderbolts and lots of disasters and it didn't go away. >> brown: up the street is a beautiful but dilapidated building called "la rachidia," opened in the 1930s and once one of the most famous concert venues in north africa. here volunteers are digitizing sheet music, historical documents, concert posters and photographs found sitting in bos, saving traditional tunisian music, known as malouf. ♪ ♪ and then there's a project called "medina-pedia," in the belly of an old christian church.

here volunteers are documenting every building and monument in the area, researching famous residents, and uploading that information to wikipedia. a variety of projects, committed people, young and old. everyone we spoke to said it will be important to move forward in a way that maintains the character and the inhabitants of the medina, even while trying to attract tourists to a country in desperate need of the economic boost they'd bring. despite the many challenges the government faces, leila ben gacem says cultural heritage should continue to be one of its priorities. >> the government underestimates the potential of heritage and culture in creating opportunities, and maybe they even think of it as something for elite or something as a luxury. in the meantime, civil society is very active today in investing. investing time, money, energy, advocacy to restore such beautiful spaces and bring back the magic to the medina.

>> brown: magic found in every tile and stone. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in the medina of tunis. >> woodruff: now to something sweet. more often than not, a dessert is better when you share it. that's the thinking of one man who uses baking to reach out to his community. from pbs station net in nebraska, dennis kellogg explains. >> reporter: if you're looking for a good dessert in hastings, you can find plenty of places to get a sweet treat. but some of the city's tastiest pies and cakes come from the kitchen of this small home where leo kellner has lived for more than six decades. >> red velvet is my favorite. >> reporter: the doorbell seems to be always ringing here, as

friends stop by to pick up one of leo's culinary creations. >> thank you so much for making this cake. >> reporter: leo spends his days in the kitchen, gladly baking hundreds of pies and cakes every year. >> my crust is flaky and tastes more-or-less like a cookie. >> reporter: and leo kellner is 98-years-old. >> i've got to have something to do. i'd be dead if i wouldn't be doing this. i lay at night in bed and think how i can change things, make things better. i've changed my pie three times, the apple pie. >> reporter: leo grew up during tough times in the 1930s watching his mom and sister bake with whatever ingredients they happened to have. he spent a lifetime working with irrigation and grain drying

businesses. he didn't retire until he was 92. that's when madelon, his wife of 72 years, got sick and passed away. >> i started about four months or so after my wife died. i was sitting here not knowing what to do with myself. i was used to working. i'd given up what i was doing, you know? sitting here in the house and i said to myself, "i can bake." >> reporter: he made 144 apple pies that first year and hasn't stopped since. you might think it provides a great retirement income for leo, but the thing is, he doesn't charge a cent-- he gives every one of his pies and cakes away for free-- to friends, those who are sick, or to hospice volunteers. to those attending a funeral, to an elderly woman or a man who just can't afford a good meal. >> you don't know what that

means to a person, unless you've been poor like i was years ago. i would have been so tickled and my folks couldn't even give me a pie or a cake, so i lived that life. that's why i am happy when i can help somebody put a smile on their face. >> hey leo! >> reporter: leo is even building a piemaking legacy. he's mentoring 12-year-old maddy musich, teaching her how to bake because as leo puts it, girls today need to know more than just how to run a computer. >> he's like my other grandpa kind of. when i get older, i want to bake for my kids and teach them how

to do it, and even if they don't like it, who doesn't love food anyway? >> i consider her more than a friend, like part of me. when i go i want her to take over where i left off. i think she will. >> reporter: he can share his recipes with maddy, but she'll soon learn leo adds something to his pies and cakes that you can't buy in a grocery store. >> i make it with love. i don't just make it to be making it. i make it with love. that's my secret ingredient. >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, i'm dennis kellogg in hastings, nebraska. >> woodruff: finally tonight, our newshour shares of the day, something that caught our eye that we thought may be of interest to you too. in this case, it caught my eye while i was delivering a commencement address at

muhlenberg college in allentown pennsylvania yesterday. i had the chance to hear mahsheed mahjor, an afghani citizen and student speaker who graduated yesterday. she spoke of hardships and inequities around the world, and the value of good citizenship. here's some of what she said. >> i will never take it for granted for it has changed my life and transformed my life is ways i could never have imagined among others education taught me how interconnected and how interdependent our world is and how beautiful and meaningful these relationships could be. an education motivated me to stand for what is right for human liberation for human dignity. i hope it's done the same for you. the heart-breaking news from inside the united states and

around the globe is evident to the fact that the world is a bloody awful place for many in case you haven't realized that yet. it is so because of the unequal distribution of wealth and power, it is so because the racism and sexism are often put before human dignity. it is so because the life to some seem to be worth more than others. we must remember that our crucial task is what we will do for others for those who do not have privileges we do. we should continue to be global citizens and concerned for what does not necessarily impact us but does impact a fellow human being near and far from us. we ought to think and work

towards a common goal towards human liberation towards something bigger than ourselves towards a world that will reduce and dismantle institutionalized classism, racism and sexism and foster social justice and equity. ( cheers ) granted this is a young woman going places. for all of and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

>> 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. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

rose: welcome to the program. we begin with michael hanna and a look at president trump's trip abroad to saudi arabia, israel and rome. >> trump with come away from those trip and the whole nine days looking like he is engaging in foreign policy as president of the united states, the trap pings, the context will actually be much more of a win than anything he could have in the united states. >> we continue with the national security and robert mueller at the fbi go to think about this investigation and what it is and isn't. as bob mueller, throughout his career if you give him a mission he will do it to the best of his ability and he is also not going to go outside of the lines of that mission. so i would not expect at the end of the day for