captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: a fifth day of fires rage across southern california, prompt more evacuations and leave behind burned homes and tens of thousands of acres of scorched land. then, we are in jerusalem, with reaction to president trump's decision to recognize the contested city as israel's capital. >> despite protests and clashes with the police here in jerusalem, what we're not seeing on the ground is a response to those calls for all-out intifada, or an uprising. and, it's friday. mark shields and david brooks are here, to analyze jerusalem, taxes, and republican backing for alabama's roy moore as democrats force out senator al franken.

plus, the hit netflix series "the crown" launches its second season. jeffrey brown takes a look inside the portrait of the royal windsors. >> the dialogue is completely fictitious, but weirdly, he's had people from the royal house say, people who've been involved in things, they have said, "wow, that's amazing." because that's pretty much how it went. >> 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. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and friends of the newshour. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> woodruff: all across southern california, from the mountains to the coast, major wildfires are burning into the weekend. they have already destroyed hundreds of homes and forced nearly 200,000 people to flee. william brangham has our report. >> brangham: by this morning, the largest of the fires had swept across even more of ventura county. along the way, the so-called thomas fire burned at least 430 homes and other buildings. the flames scorched a car and left a staircase that now leads nowhere. >> it's amazing to watch the magnitude of the winds and the firestorms, and how fast things change, you just have to really have to be alert. >> brangham: more than 2,500 firefighters have been working in ventura county. at least half a dozen blazes are burning across southern california. the thomas fire alone covers

more than 200 square miles, stretching from the pacific ocean into the mountains. to the south, the lilac fire in san diego county ignited yesterday, and turned the small town of fallbrook into a battleground. >> the fire was coming right at us. i mean, within matters of minutes it had spread. >> brangham: wind-driven flames accelerated across more than six square miles in just a matter of hours, destroying at least 85 buildings, and leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins. that, in turn, forced new evacuations, and several people were injured as they tried to escape. at a nearby ranch, trainers were forced to release hundreds of horses, when thick smoke and flames engulfed their surroundings. the california horse racing board said today at least 25 horses were killed. and now more than 1,000 firefighters are working the lilac fire.

but yet another fire broke out east of san diego, and despite lighter winds, officials warned again, this could still get worse. >> when a hurricane hits the east coast, there's no stopping it. when the santa ana winds come in, there's no stopping them. and so the crews were out there and continuing to battle this incident. >> brangham: in los angeles county, crews have made enough progress on the skirball fire to lift most evacuation orders, allowing people to return to survey the damage. amid the carnage, president trump approved a california disaster declaration. but there is little prospect of a return to normal any time soon. if anything, the prospect of higher winds means the battle could go on for days. for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, far from the california fires, the deep south struggled with snow. as much as six inches fell from texas to georgia, in a region unaccustomed to seeing the white stuff, even in the depths of winter. thousands lost power, flights were canceled and traffic slowed

to a crawl in many places. the u.s. economy had a strong november, with a net gain of 228,000 new jobs. the numbers, released today by the labor department, mark 86 consecutive months, or more than seven years of improvement. the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%, the lowest in 17 years. still, wage gains have not kept pace. average earnings were up just 2.5% in november. to africa and the democratic republic of the congo, islamist rebels killed 14 united nations peacekeepers overnight, and wounded more than 50. it was the worst such attack in recent history. the rebels struck in an eastern province, where militias have battled for control of mineral riches for nearly a decade. >> i condemn this attack unequivocally, and these deliberate attacks against u.n. peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime. i call on the d.r.c. authorities

to investigate these incidents and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. there must be no impunity for such assaults here or anywhere else. >> woodruff: most of the peacekeepers were from tanzania. two are still missing. britain and the european union say they have made a breakthrough in talks on brexit, britain's departure from the e.u. it deals with britain's financial obligations and the rights of each side's citizens, among other issues. in brussels, prime minister theresa may said the agreement sets the stage for talks on trade and post-brexit relations. >> getting to this point has required give and take on both sides, and i believe that the joint report being published is in the best interest of the whole of the u.k. i very much welcome the prospect of moving ahead to the next phase. >> woodruff: the initial agreement also calls for the border between the republic of ireland and british-ruled northern ireland to remain open.

that had been a key sticking point. back in this country, republican congressman trent franks resigned from congress today, in the face of sexual harassment allegations. he had originally set the date for next month. arizona congressman pressed her a former aide says that the to be a surrogate mother so his family could have another child, and offered her up to $5 million. meanwhile, texas republican blake farenthold now faces a house ethics investigation over harassment allegations. the ethics committee has cleared congressman devin nunes of leaking classified information. that means the california republican-- and trump ally-- can resume chairing the house intelligence committee. if so, he would again be running a probe of russian meddling in the 2016 election. the trump administration has killed a proposal to make airlines declare all bag fees at the start of a ticket purchase. now, that information is usually

disclosed much later in the process. the u.s. transportation department says the change-- proposed by the obama administration-- would be "of limited public benefit." and on wall street, the jobs report and the brexit news gave stocks a boost. the dow jones industrial average gained 117 points to close at 24,329. the nasdaq rose 27 points, and the s&p 500 added 14. for the week, the dow and the s&p gained a fraction of a percent. the nasdaq dropped a fraction. still to come on the newshour: reaction in jerusalem to president trump's decision to recognize the city as israel's capital. how the u.s. and iran found a common goal in iraq, amid rising tensions. a sprint to the finish in the controversial alabama senate race. and, much more.

>> woodruff: wednesday's decision by president trump to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel, and move the u.s. embassy there, has convulsed the middle east. today, protestors took to the streets throughout the region, and beyond. special correspondent jane ferguson is in jerusalem >> reporter: as palestinians left the al aqsa mosque in jerusalem, they confronted israeli security forces. a day of rage had been called by palestinian leadership, and the anger on these ancient streets was clear. president trump's recognition of jerusalem as the true capital of israel had shocked much of the muslim world. and first among them, the palestinians, who claim east jerusalem as the capital of a future palestinian state. >> ( translated ): trump's decision is intended to start a religious war, an unethical war. because trump is biased to israel.

they say there is a peace process, but it is not. america is blessing netanyahu. jerusalem is the capital of palestine. it is holy, islamic land. >> reporter: protestors are clashing with israeli soldiers here. they came out of the mosque chanting and walking through the old city, and now violence has broken out here within a matter of seconds. on these streets, there is growing frustration with decades of struggling for a country of their own. >> palestinians have tried everything. >> reporter: political analyst ahmad budairi says after years of supporting an independent palestinian state, the u.s. has now taken israel's side. >> but in the end of the day, they have reached a point that they are not going to get their state, simply because america made a choice that america was going to support israel completely. >> reporter: but this jewish settler in the old city, who didn't want to give his name, says it's always been clear jerusalem belongs to a jewish homeland:

>> ( translated ): with respect to the president of the united states, it's a simple thing. it took the americans a long time to understand it, but it's simple. it's a thing that is clear to everyone that knows. >> reporter: across the west bank and in other arab capitals however, outrage boiled over. palestinians burned tires and images of president trump, and threw rocks at israeli troops, who responded with live gunfire, tear gas and rubber bullets. in southern gaza, the palestinian health ministry says a 30-year-old man was shot dead in a skirmish with israeli forces, the first death in protests since mr. trump's announcement. and later in the day, israeli's military said it bombed militant targets in gaza, in response to rockets fired at israeli towns palestinians there said 25 people were wounded, including six children. leaders of the palestinian militant group hamas called again for an armed uprising, and terrorist groups like al qaeda

urged followers to carry out attacks against u.s. sites worldwide. >> we clearly disagree with the recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel. >> reporter: the u.s. move also drew strong condemnation today at a meeting of the united nations security council. member nations in the region and europe said the decision unnecessarily re-ignited conflict. >> complicity must be recognized. that one party cannot continue to monopolize the peace process, especially not one that acts with bias in favor of the occupying power at the expense of the law and the rights of the occupied people. >> reporter: but u.s. ambassador to the united nations nikki haley dismissed that criticism, saying the u.s. is still committed to helping negotiate peace. in turn, she blasted the u.n. >> israel will never be and should never be bullied into an agreement by the united nations or by any collection of

countries that have proven their disregard for israel's security. >> reporter: despite protests and clashes with the police here in jerusalem, what we're not seeing on the ground is a response to those calls for all- out intifada or an uprising. however, on a larger scale and longer term, the fear is that palestinians are moving closer to that option. sari nusseibeh is a palestinian commentator and academic. he believes mr. trump's announcement earlier this week applies pressure to the israelis, too. if the occupation of the west bank and east jerusalem continues, and no palestinian state is created, this would create a major identity challenge for israel. >> in that case, i think the israelis will end up where they will be dealing, in addition to the 20% arab population in israel, another four million palestinians under their rule, asking for equal rights, in what

is supposedly a jewish state. >> reporter: there is no other place on earth more contested than jerusalem, sacred to christians, muslims and jews. >> and it's supposed to be the city that's the gateway to the divine, so if you have that sort of angle, the spiritual angle, that you hold dear to your heart, it's a thing you cannot do away with. it's like tearing your inner spirit apart. >> reporter: as the sun set on the holy city, a relative peace returned to its streets. after hundreds of years of fighting over this sacred place, the only thing everyone here can agree on is that the peace will be temporary. for the pbs newshour, i'm jane ferguson in jerusalem.

>> woodruff: now, the final installment in our series, "iran rising in iraq," that examines tehran's influence there, and what it means for u.s. policy in the region. washington is worried about that sway, and presence in iraq, and is taking measures to counter it, raising u.s.-iran tensions. but tonight we look at an extraordinary moment when the u.s. and iran made common cause to fight a common enemy, and why many say that is unlikely to happen again. in partnership with the pulitzer center on crisis reporting, here again is special correspondent reza sayah. >> reporter: october 2016. a coalition of military forces in iraq launched an offensive to take back the city of mosul from isis. and, fighting on the same side were the united states and the islamic republic of iran. iraqi army general ghais al- hamdawi says it was a superbly

coordinated mission. >> ( translated ): it was the perfect example of bravery and cooperation among everybody-- the p.m.f., tanks, army, air force, the american air force, special ops, and even the citizens took part. this battle should be a lesson for all the armies in the world. >> reporter: the mission was called "we are coming." among the forces helping the iraqi army, 500 american troops on the ground and u.s. fighter jets providing air support, and 16,000 fighters from the popular mobilization forces, p.m.f. for short, a volunteer iraqi militia largely armed and funded by iran and advised by iran's revolutionary guard. for the next several months, the iranian-backed militia helped overpower isis on the ground, in towns and villages surrounding mosul. once isis was encircled and trapped, in came iraqi forces backed by u.s. artillery units

and air power to finish the extremist group. >> what unites both iran and the u.s. is their goal to end isis, which we as iraqis appreciate. >> reporter: iraqi politician mazin al-eshaiker says washington and tehran never publicly acknowledged the strategy and never made direct contact to discuss it. >> the u.s. and iranians did not sit face to face, but the iraqis sat face to face with the iranians, and also sat face to face with the americans to come up with a joint plan on both sides. >> reporter: the plan worked. in july, isis was defeated in its last major stronghold, thanks in part to a rare occasion where the united states and iran tacitly cooperated to beat a common enemy. but iraqi officials say don't expect u.s.-iran cooperation again in iraq, any time soon. >> we are free to dream what we want, but it will not happen. >> reporter: under former president barack obama, the u.s.

policy with iran was cautious engagement on some issues. with the election of president donald trump, the policy immediately changed to confrontation, escalating the nearly four-decade-long cold war between the countries. in october, president donald trump repeated accusations that iran sponsors terrorism in the region, and slapped sanctions against iran's revolutionary guard. >> the iranian dictatorship's aggression continues to this day. the regime remains the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. >> reporter: mr. trump also refused to certify that iran was complying with the 2015 nuclear deal, even though the remaining world powers and u.n. inspectors said iran was complying. ten days later, u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson visited riyadh to boost iraq's ties with iran's main regional rival, saudi arabia.

tillerson also suggested the p.m.f. was an iranian fighting force and called for the militia to disband, a demand the iraqi government rejected, insisting p.m.f. fighters were iraqi nationals. >> certainly, iranian militias that are in iraq, now that the fight against daesh and isis is coming to a close, those militias need to go home. >> reporter: and last week, c.i.a. director mike pompeo revealed that he had sent a letter to qasem soleimani, a senior commander in iran's revolutionary guard, warning iran over its behavior in iraq. >> he refused to open the letter. it didn't break my heart, to be honest with you. what we were communicating in that letter is that we will hold he and iran accountable for any attacks on american interests in iraq by forces that are under their control. and we wanted to make sure he and the leadership in iran understood that in a way that was crystal clear.

>> reporter: senior iranian officials have hit back in the war of words. iran's foreign minister javad zarif called u.s. policy in the middle east dangerous. in a live televised address, iranian president hassan rouhani accused western countries, including the united states, of having fed and armed isis. and in a speech last month, iran's supreme leader called the u.s. iran's number one enemy. >> ( translated ): my dear children, don't forget that in this very important path where you're following your goals, your number one enemy is america. >> america has to learn a lesson >> reporter: iran-based pro-iranian political analyst seyed hosseini says better relations between washington and tehran is good for iraq. but that won't happen, he says, unless the u.s. changes what hosseini calls a hostile policy against iran. >> until they don't correct themselves and their policies in the region, there won't be any

hope for them. america, for them to be present in the region, they need iranian help. they must just come to terms and accept the presence of a powerful iran. >> reporter: many iraqis doubt tehran and washington will change their policies. ali elami has owned this baghdad supermarket for five decades. this is where iraq's former dictator saddam hussein used to stop by for late night shwarmas, he says. elami says the u.s. and iran are both here for their own interests, not to help iraq. >> ( translated ): the location of iraq is very strategic. there's oil, rivers. when americans came and kicked out sadam, they didn't do it for our interests. they did it for oil and money. iran has expanded here not for our sake. they did for their own benefit. >> we pay a price as a people in iraq. >> reporter: iraqi politician

muthana amin nader is happy to see isis defeated in iraq. but what he fears now is a dangerous proxy war between iran and the u.s. >> conflict between iran and america makes our people victims. we give a very expensive price it's time to say, enough bleeding in iraq, and destroying iraq. they should support us, but also keep away from us. >> reporter: with so much at stake here for the u.s. and iran, "keeping away" from iraq seems unlikely. how the two adversaries manage that high-stakes competition while they're here, may go a long way in shaping the future of iraq. for the pbs newshour, i'm reza sayah in baghdad. >> woodruff: stay with us.

coming up on the newshour: mark shields and david brooks take on the week's news. and, a behind-the-scenes look at the hit tv series "the crown." but first, to alabama, and next tuesday's special election for senate. this is the race whose trajectory turned after nine women came forward to accuse republican candidate roy moore of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers. one of those women, beverly nelson, appeared today with attorney gloria allred. nelson said nearly a month ago that moore groped and assaulted her when she was 16, and that he had written a message in her high school yearbook just days before. today, nelson and allred discussed the yearbook, and reaction to nelson's allegation. >> according to forensic handwriting and document examiner arthur t. anthony, the significant and the handwritten notation above the signature were prepared by roy moore.

>> since i spoke about my experience with roy moore when i was only 16 years old, i have been the target of threats and lies. a talk radio host said that i should be put in a town square and stoned, and he said he wanted to be the first to throw the largest stone at me. someone even sent me a photo of a casket, which i took as a threat. as a result, i have had to live behind triple-locked doors, tinted windows. i've had to even have security accompany me when i went to a doctor's appointment. >> woodruff: roy moore's campaign pushed back within hours. in a press conference, moore's lawyer maintained his client's innocence. he said moore had suffered, too. >> i remember the day that the accusations were made. i didn't get to see judge moore in person, but i saw him on tv. he came out of church. he was with his wife, and he was

with his mom, and i'll never forget the look on his mom's face when they walked out. so this has been horrible. it's been absolutely horrible for judge moore, his wife, his mom, his daughter, his sons, his granddaughters, his friends, his church members, people across the state of alabama that have known him for so long. >> woodruff: here >> woodruff: here now to talk about all this is robert costa, reporter for the "washington post" and host of pbs's "washington week." he was in alabama reporting this week. so, robert, this back and forth between these women who have made these accusations and the moore campaign is getting so much attention here in washington and nationally, but how much talk is there about it in alabama? >> on the ground in alabama, judy, it's a bit of a different scene in the sense that alabama voters i spoke to on the ground over the last four days say this race is not about the latest development in a year book or

what an accuser of roy moore has said today or yesterday, it's about identity, about the identity of the state, alabama's past versus alabama's future as much as it is democrat versus republican, and this is one of the tightest races i've seen, even in the deep south. >> woodruff: well, what does it look like to you? you're not saying these women's allegations have no effect on the campaign, are you? >> oh, no. these are credible allegations from nine women that rocked alabama politics and they're having an effect on the race because they're making many republican voters, suburban republican voters in mobile, birmingham, question their party affiliations. when i was covering doug jones, the democrat on the ground, he was reaching out and saying can the state survive with its business environment and bringing in big companies with roy moore as u.s. senator? >> woodruff: you started talking about the messages from both campaigns. what are they saying to voters in the final days before the

election is this. >> roy moore is revving up the base. he's hoping to hear more support from president trump tonight. the president will be in pensacola, florida. the democrats are looking for african-american democrats in urban areas to turn out in strong numbers. it's a special election, so they want to make sure a turnout is not as it usually is in special elections, historically low. they're trying to court republican voters, getting them to switch parties. the biggest hangup for doug jones, his position on abortion, supports abortion rights. that's a difficult hurdle for some conservative to clear. >> woodruff: donald trump is right across the border tonight. how much of an effect is he having on this race? >> it's a major effect because you say president trump for a few weeks after the allegations first surfaced. he was taking a wait and see approach, but now he has a full-throated endorsement of roy moore, and for republican voters in alabama who are looking for a cue from the white house, they sure got it. he's only a few miles away in

the panhandle of florida tonight. those republican officials in alabama i've spoken to are counting on trump voters to turn out. they may not love roy moore, they may have questions about his character, but they believe if they vote for moore they can support the trump agenda. that's why republican governors like kay ivey believe roy moore can win. >> woodruff: we have to almost remind ourselves this is a special election to replace senator jeff sessions who stepped down to become attorney general. is it getting that much attention from voters? is there expected to be a high turnout. >> is this i went to diner after diner, to different community centers and churches. this race, judy, i would say verges -- it's almost on the brink of contesting alabama football at this time of year as a major top income the statement everybody is talking about it. this is about how the alabama going to see itself, how is the

country going to see alabama. >> woodruff: robert costa and we'll be hearing much more now you later on "washington week," thank you. >> thank you. >> woodruff: and now that leads us to the analysis of shields and brooks. that's syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. welcome, gentlemen. so we just heard from robert costa, david, about the alabama race. it is on everybody's lips. as he said, not only in alabama but in much of washington. but what do we make of it right now? there is so much attention on these women's accusations, but as robert said, it's gotten much bigger than that down there. >> yeah, but what i hear is a lot of republicans looking at the roy moore case and seems to have flipped a switch. a lot of republicans disgusted by trump, not liking trump, conservatives, and then suddenly roy moore you enter a whole new realm of de. ty. how are people not nauseated with a guy hitting on 14-year-old girls and the guy comes to the u.s. senate and people not minding this. how many republicans have i talked to who have said i'm not

a republican anymore. evangelicals saying i'm a christian but not an evangelical. if evangelicals don't care about character, that's not what i believe. so to me the big test is sure if he wins the republicans will have a vote for a couple of years, but they will have a generation who find the republican party something they can't relate to and they'll find the pro-life movement is something that's of epic hypocrisy. so they may get a short-term gain but a long-term generational setback for the republican party, evangelical christianity, for the pro-life movement, for all the things donald trump and roy moore purport to be for. >> woodruff: serious consequence ifs he wins. >> serious consequences either way. if you're in alabama and loves and cares about your state, want your children to grow up there and come back and your grandchildren not to move away, you're thinking about the fact that you've already had your

overtly religious governor, republican, resign with an adulterous relationship with a woman staff member. you've had the speaker of the house indicted, convicted on 12 counts of corruption and felony convictions, and you know the state's been a punching bag. it's been a one-line joke. if it weren't for mississippi, alabama would be 50th in everything. so you want pride in your state and a sense of self-respect, and roy moore is not going to help in any way. it's going to reinforce that negative stereotype. i think robert costa, second to none, is a reporter. but i think one of the problems with the polling which is, quite frankly, shown the race very, very close is this: if you're a church-going alabamaian who is a republican, you face economic and maybe social pressure if you

admit you're voting for doug jones, the democrat. but, at the same time, if you're a church-going, serious alabamian and going to vote for roy moore, you face moral criticism. the candor level in polling is pretty difficult. from everything i have been able to find out, i will say roy moore will lose on tuesday, i really do. it's 96 hours to go, the president is going down tonight, but i think doug jones will spring an upset and i think it will be a political earthquake. >> woodruff: but, mean time, in washington, and, david, which you were just talking about, you've got the republicans torn asunder, if you will, by what's happened to roy moore, but democrats came together this week, and basically drummed al franken out of the senate, a bunch led by democratic women senators. >> yes. >> woodruff: so do we now have

some sort of moral separation between the two parties? how do you read this? >> well, it's indisputable the democrats have pushed al franken out of the senate for things much less egregious than what roy moore or donald trump are accused of. i would associate with the column our friend ruth marcus wrote today which said, for the al franken case, it should be judged on the basis of al franken and what al franken did or didn't do, and it feels we don't totally know, and feels like he was pushed out out of the senate not just because of what al franken did but because to have the political tunism of the democrat party to say, hey, we're not republicans. so i felt a lot of the pressure was for political expedience so we can have the contrast with roy moore, and whatever al franken did or didn't do and i carry no water for him, seemed unfair his case had to be

influenced by political expend yensy. >> woodruff: unfair, mark? e're in uncharted waters. i think capital punishment is not the answer for i've thing from winking at an office christmas party to what harvey weinstein did. and by the way, judy, i just have to digress for a second and say, if you want to see a newspaper at its best, this past thursday's "new york times" with megan tooy and joey cantor and susan dominus and jim rutenberg, and four pages, this is really the crime involved, this is a consortium of applying economic, social, personal, emotional and physical pressure and threats to anybody, a witness, a woman who wanted to confess or anything of the sort -- >> woodruff: this was around supporting harvey weinstein? >> harvey weinstein, that's right, exactly, and everybody, it was like donald trump,

everybody who got near him is staying sullied and diminished by it, but this was a terror organization. this is not al franken. this is what al franken did. but there's no question that the serial nature of it, the picture, the photographic evidence was damning. >> woodruff: putting his hands on a woman's chest. >> and the fact, judy, quite honestly, women led the march. it wasn't just kirsten gillibrand but other women in the senate. that was it. when john conyers fell, one to have the founders to have the congressional black caucus, there was a question of double standard. there is no question democrats are trying to draw a line between themselves. if roy moore wins tuesday, he becomes the face along with donald trump of the republican party going to 2018, which is not good for the republicans. if he loses, then there's only one person who hasn't paid some

price for this charge and that's donald trump. so either way, republicans are facing a very bleak wednesday. >> and, you know, the republicans, all the honorable republicans thought, oh, this guy trump will win, we'll give him a little, sort of tolerate him, but i can still go ahead and have my honorable career. the point i tried to make in the column today is trump always asks something more. first he asks you to tolerate his tweets, then his sexual harassment, now you have to tolerate roy moore. the next question is if i'm going to fire bob mueller, you have to tolerate that. at every type, republicans say we're not standing up to you, you own more of our soul. in any case, you make a deal with the devil, he takes over everything. that's what's happening in the republican party. they don't know where to draw the line. >> woodruff: another move president trump made this week,

mark, that has drawn reaction all around the world is to say that jerusalem, the u.s. will recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. not only that, the u.s. is going to move its embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. how did you read this move? some are saying it's politics. others are saying, no, this is what american presidents promised to do for years, and he's finally done simply what americans said they were going to do. >> presidential candidates promised for years. barack obama did not. bill clinton promised it, did not do it. george w. bush promised it, did not do it. it's a very popular campaign statement and it's been particularly popular with evangelical christians. the idea of jerusalem as the capital of israel and recognizing that, it is no accident that it happened the week before the alabama primary, where donald trump, according to the pew national poll has fallen from 78% support among

evangelical christians down to 61%. it's not a foreign policy move. it's an isolating move for the united states, not a single ally of ours in either europe or the middle east has backed us on this. netanyahu, bibi netanyahu's government is pleased and i'm sure several others are but it's a political, not strategic, move. >> woodruff: how do you read it. >> the prime minister's office in west jerusalem. west jerusalem is the capital of israel. if we put our embassy in west jerusalem and recognize west jerusalem as the capital of israel, that's not a statement of something new, that's just the facts. it doesn't rule out any two-state solution. in any two-state solution where the israeli capital, is that's always going to stay israel. what part of east jerusalem becomes palestine, that's what the negotiation will be about. so to me it doesn't necessarily

create anything new, it just revives a fact already on the ground. if i were counseling the president, i would say it's perfectly fine to move the embassy to west jerusalem but you have to get something from the israelis foret, you've got to make it part of a deal, and the deal would be you've got to stop settlement, if you stop settlements, we'll give you this gift. and that strikes me as a reasonable thing other administrations have broached, to give them out getting any concessions that will help simmer the region down, that strikes me as stupid. >> woodruff: what about this, mark? this could be a way to ease a way into a peace process, if you can get the israelis to give something back. >> if, in fact, it were, judy, but would not one renounce that? would not one indicate it? this is not a man known for his subtlety, not unlct mention

major achievements on his. this looks like a political act. in someone wrote "the art of the deal" under his name and if this is the deal there's no quo for the quid. >> woodruff: there have been protests, we reported earlier not as bad as they had been expected, but you could see conflict and worse. >> yeah, some of that's legitimate from the palestinian side. they've sort of messed up the peace process, there's no question about that. some of it is not legitimate. hamas doesn't recognize the s.a.t. of israel period, so to them they think they should have the whole region. some of the opposition is based on the idea there will be no israel state. nevertheless amongst sophisticated people on both sides, it's no doubt true if you thought there was a peace process going on which i'm not sure there is, this no doubt makes it much more difficult. >> i know the last 11 u.s. ambassadors to israel and

presidents of both parties have criticized it and faulted this decision by president trump. >> woodruff: a minute or so left. i want to ask you about the tax legislation. mark, the senate has now passed it. they're trying to work it out between the house and the senate. tell us, what does your crystal ball say, what is the final result going to look like? >> ist going to look like redistribution in the country. i mean, in the worst sense, economically. but, judy, it's become the representativrepublicans' last . we've got to do it. there's almost a desperation, an urgency about it. somehow, if we do this, things will get better. we already have seen jeff flake, senator from arizona, susan collins, senator many from maine, have the house republicans sabotage submarine, the concessions made to get their votes, but i still think the desire for unity, for

something to show and reward their donors is deep. >> yeah, it's likely to pass. i have some hope susan collins will walk away, just because it's pulling terribly. the people in the senate are not happy with it as a piece of legislation. they're only passing because they want unity. i have some 10 or 20% hope susan collins, maybe flake or others will say we couldn't come to a good deal in conference and we're going to walk away from this thing. >> woodruff: and it goes up in flames? >> that would not be likely. how about if jones wins tuesday? >> it becomes much more likely. >> woodruff: you heard it here first. david brooks, mark shields, thank you both. >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: it is one of the most expensive tv series ever made-- said to be more than $100 million for two seasons.

it is certainly one of the most ambitious, aiming to capture the 65 years and counting reign of queen elizabeth ii. "the crown" begins streaming its second season today. jeffrey brown has our look. >> brown: there they were, the happy young couple: prince harry and his american bride-to-be meghan markle, offering the world the prospect of another royal wedding of pomp and spectacle. and what do queen elizabeth and prince philip, harry's grandparents, think of the couple? >> they look marvelous together. >> they do. they're an attractive pair. >> brown: claire foy is, of course, not the queen of england, but she plays her on tv, in the popular and highly acclaimed netflix series, "the crown," just starting its second season. it's a behind-the-palace-walls, fiction-that-feels-real portrait of the windsors, beginning with

the young elizabeth becoming queen at age 25 in 1952. >> what's wrong with my name? >> long live queen elizabeth. >> brown: what was the key to getting her right? >> not trying to get her right, i think. i just never tried to play up to an idea that anyone else might have of her. we've been fed that, we know who that is, we all know who the queen is from what we see, and all the images that we have, and what she said. >> brown: the queen as icon, you mean. >> yeah, but no one knows elizabeth windsor, elizabeth mountbatten, except her and him. so that's what's interesting, that's who we're playing. >> brown: the "him" is philip mountbatten, later prince philip, a proud man who must learn to defer to his wife, at least in public.

he's played by matt smith, who along with foy joined us recently at sardi's restaurant in new york. how do you do that, play the second fiddle? >> well, with great difficulty. >> not very graciously, i'll tell you. ( laughter ) brown: what was the key to playing him, for you? >> it tends to start with something physical. he puts his hands sort of behind his back a lot. you sort of learn different behaviors. >> brown: i actually noticed you do slump your shoulders a little bit, head down. >> yes, he's quite slumpy and he sort of leans forward. he's a bit like a giraffe, his head sort of comes down and he lurches, he sort of leans into people and into life. and so i tend to start in places like that, really. >> brown: season two begins at a low moment in the marriage, amid reports of philip's infidelity. >> divorce?

it's not an option for us. ever. >> woodruff: the man who created "the crown," peter morgan-- best known for other historical dramas like "the queen" and "frost/nixon"-- clearly enjoyed exploring the public-private dynamics of a royal marriage. >> a very quiet, unassuming person who doesn't like the spotlight, became the queen, and a very powerful, triple-alpha male got to walk in her shadow; and she doesn't want to be in the spotlight and he doesn't want to be in the shadow; and that's the tension. so it's just husband and wife stuff, and it just happens to play out in westminster abbey, and the terms happen to be slightly grander than everywhere else. >> brown: a constant theme here: the "job" of being a royal, which comes with no real power but plenty of responsibility. appearances are everything; an especially difficult role for

elizabeth's younger sister, princess margaret, played by vanessa kirby. >> we've met. >> we have. >> where have we met? >> perhaps it will come to you. >> brown: it's great and fun drama, but do they get it right? catholic university historian laura mayhall has written on the royal family in popular culture. >> one could nitpick. one could point to small and large historical anomalies. but i think that the importance of it, the reality of it, if you will, is more emotional and affective. it feels real because what they do is, what the makers of the show do is, they show us first of all how mediated the monarchy is. the compartmentalization of public and private is fundamental to the job of being a monarch. i mean, they're human, after all.

>> brown: just human like you and me, but not. >> but not. most decidedly not. >> brown: peter morgan has structured the series by taking us through well-researched and documented historical events, and then imagining his way behind the scenes. >> it's not attempting to say, "this is what happened." it's attempting to go, "well, do you think this might have happened?" but the dialogue is completely fictitious, and-- but weirdly, he's had people from the royal house say, people who've been involved in things, they have said, "wow, that's amazing," because that's pretty much how it went. >> brown: oh, really? have you two had any contact yourselves? >> sadly not. we're just the vessels for the dialogue. >> prince philip doesn't text me anymore, he was so appalled by my rendition. >> no, they loved it! he's watched every episode. >> i know. can you imagine? i'd love to meet prince philip. >> brown: in fact, while the real queen and prince go on

seemingly forever-- she's 91, he 96-- the actors playing them will not. two new actors have been tapped to play "the crown's" middle- aged royals in coming seasons. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in new york. >> woodruff: brit bennett's debut novel "the mothers" caused quite a stir when it was published last fall, and it is still sparking conversations across the country. as you will hear in tonight's "in my humble opinion." >> when you write a novel where a character has an abortion, you will have a lot of conversations with strangers about, well, abortion. it usually goes like this-- someone asks what you do for a living. you say you're a fiction writer, then they ask what your book is about. my novel explores the ripples a

teenager's abortion causes throughout her church community. there's no way to describe the story without launching an intensely emotional and intensely political topic at a person you've just met. "oh," people often say. "so it is autobiographical?" all fiction writers get asked this question, but it never loses its absurdity. like, did my lyft driver just really ask if i've ever had an abortion? turns out, it's really uncomfortable to talk about abortion, and as i've traveled this past year, i've realized how rarely we do so. we debate the politics, of course. we march and protest and rally. we yell at strangers on the internet who disagree with us. but how often do we just talk to each other about abortion, as a human experience? since publishing my novel, i've heard from many strangers who just wanted someone to talk to. once, an older man who'd just interviewed me confessed that he'd personally experienced an abortion. i didn't know if it was a

girlfriend or sister. he said it quietly, not looking at me, and i wondered how many people he'd ever told. before the novel's release, a grief-stricken teenage girl wrote me on instagram. she was searching for a book that would relate to her recent abortion and stumbled upon mine. i didn't know how to comfort her, but she didn't want much. she just thanked me for writing the book, grateful for a space to process her loss. of course, you can never completely avoid politics, and i've had some readers argue that my book is "too pro-life," others that it's "too pro- choice." but i've mostly been encouraged by all the readers who've approached my novel with nuance and empathy. from wichita to san francisco, i've met readers all across the political spectrum who set aside ideology in order to connect over a human story. this is the wonder of fiction. novels help us have difficult conversations, and allow us to

explore topics that are far more complicated than our polarized politics suggest. awkward small talk aside, it's been liberating to have conversations about abortion that don't center on what side we're on. instead, we've talked about family and grief and agency and what it means for this particular girl to make this particular decision. when we seek to understand another person, our own world enlarges. and i wonder what our political debates would look like if we all approached polarizing topics like readers do-- willing to peek around our own beliefs in order to briefly experience the world through another's eyes. >> woodruff: on the newshour online right now: what would the g.o.p. tax overhaul plan mean for american individuals and businesses? there's still a lot of confusion and we want to tackle what this means for your life. you can send us your questions through a form on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour.

tomorrow on pbs newshour weekend, facing pressure from a wave of migrants, italy pulls the welcome mat and tightens its borders. >> reporter: on his latest attempt to cross into france, ali, the sudanese migrant, set out with a few friends on a road leading out of ventimiglia. >> ( translated ): we are trying to enter france any way because italy has made us tired. the suffering is a lot, not little. here in italy, we miss a lot of things-- education, health, and psychological comfort. >> reporter: they decided to sleep a few hours on a stone landing above a railroad track, and take their chances walking down the railway during the next shift change of french border guards. >> ( translated ): it's very dangerous on the railway, because if a train comes, you will get an electric shock, and it will kill you. but i will take the risk. we came to europe to study, for our future. we didn't come to escape a quick death for a slow death. >> woodruff: that is tomorrow

night on pbs newshour weekend. and we'll be back, right here, on monday, as candidates in alabama's controversial senate race make their final pitch to voters. that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. have a great weekend. thank you, and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and their solutions to the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour.

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs.

♪ hello and welcome to "kqed newsroom." i'm thuy vu. coming up on our program, state assembly speaker anthony rendon talks about changing the culture around sexual harassment in california's capitol. and the gop's tax reform plans. we'll look at their impact on your family finances and the economy. but first, in the nation's capitol, u.s. representative trent franks as stepped down over sexual harassment allegations. he is the third member of congress to resign in three days in addition to representative john conyers and senator al franken. the developments come amid a growing movement to crack down on harassment by powerful men as the nation's political and cultural divisions widen. for more perspective on this, we turn now to a veteran journalist whose career has spanned for man five