captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: exit plan. nopresentative charlie dent ces he's leaving congress now, speeding up his departure as one of a large number of republican lawmakers leaving office. then, the hannity connection. ethical questions mount after the fox news host is linked to president trump's personal lawy investigation.deral and, "making the grade." how a focus on leadership is helping to turn around poor- performi public schools in chicago. >> high schoolraduation rates are up in chicago over the past ten years. they've gone from 57to 74%. we're seeing more students going on to college. i we're seeirovements in a.c.t. scores. >> woodruff: all that and more,

on tonight's pbs newr. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ >> kevin. >> kevin. >> kevin. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's ten to 15 minute lessons are available as an app, or online. more information on babbel.com. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular.

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: disaster on ada u.s. airliner an engine exploded on a southwest airlines flight, sending metal fragments into a ndow and killing a woman the plane had been en route from new york city to dallas, but it made an emergency landing in philadelphia. rescuers srmed the site, and in washington, federal safety investigators got to work. >> we will begin immediate investigation, examition of the engine and the dame to the fuselage. the engine will be ultimately

inipped off-site, where we can do a detailed exion, tear- down of the engine. >> woodruff: this was the first time a passenger has died on a u.s. airliner since 2009. the i.r.s. website for online payments broke down today, hours before the midnight deadline for filing 2017 income tax returns. ere was no word on the cause, but millions of last-minute online tax filers could be affected. nutreasury secretary stevein said that anyoto who is unable ay on time due to the trouble will get an extension. koesident trump says that a summit with norta's leader kim jong-un could happen in june, or not at all. he spoke today as japan's prime minister shinzo abe arrived at his mar-a-lago resort in palm beach, florida. and he said there have been "very hi level" talks with north korea. >> let's see what happens.

we'll either have a very wood meeting won't have a good meeting. and maybe we won't even have a. meeting at a depends on what's going in. but think that there's a gre chance to solve a world problem. >> woodruff: mr. tru also confirmed that the two koreas are negotiating a formal end to the korean war, and he add, "they do have my blessing." china will allow now full, foreign ownership of chinese territory automakers within five years, instead of partnership arrangements. mpe announcement today addresses one of president t complaints about trade practices. but, the cnese also declared imported u.s. sorghum is being under-priced and hurting chinese grain farmers.ta it could facffs of 179%. the question of the president's powers to order air s in syria is starting to simmer in ngress. a bipartisan team of senators pushed today to replace the "authozation for the use of

military force," or a.u.m.f., that dates bk to 2001 and the 9/11 attacks. house speaker paulyan counseled caution, while democratic senator tim kaine argued it's long overdue.>> he goal is to do something bipartisan-- to do something to date these old authorities, to do something that puts limitations on the when, where and who we are at war against. it's specifically about non- state terror groups, not nation. stat >> there is existing authority, and this was article two in this particular strike, but the current a.u.m.f. does have the isting authority. and the question going forward on any new a.u.m.f. is, does ite he military the tools they need, or tie their hands behind their back? >> woodruff: meanwhile, e state department disputed syria's claim that international inspectors have entered the city of douma. that is where a suspected chemical attack sparked last weekend's air strikes. officials in gree report a new surge of migrants entering the

country from turkey.li say they have detained more than 500 people crossing over nd, since sunday. the refugees are from northern syria, fleeing heavy fighting in a turkish military offensive there. icck in this country, president trump cred california's democratic governor jerry brown for fusing to use tional guard troops to stop illegal trmigration. mrp tweeted that the "high crime rate will only get highe"" as a rest. brown was in washington today, and said the calalornia guard is ady focused on cross-border crime. >> we have a couple hured guardsmen throughout the state dealing with the same problem, so it is a very logical next step to add a couple hundred more, or more than that. and the guard is chomping at the bit, ready to go. >> woodruff: republica governors in texas, arizona and atw mexico have embraced the call to send thenal guard to their borders. missouri's attorney general

says that its republican governor, eric greitens, may have illegally used a charity's donor list in his 2015 campaign. josh hawley, also a republican, said today that it is grounds for pursuing impeachment. greitens called the allegationou "ridic" he is already charged with invading the privacy of a woman who had an affair with him. starbucks says that it will close more than 8,000 u.s. stores on may 29 to train employees on racial bias. that follows an outcry over the sts of two black men at philadelphia starbucks. the training will last several hours, and involve some 175,000 workers. technology stocks took wall street higher today. the dow jones industrial average rallied 213 points to close at 24,786. the nasdaq rose 124 points, and the s&p 500 added 28.g-

and, lme npr host carl kasell died today, of comlications from alzheimer's disease. he spent his career in radio, and served as news anchor for npr's "morning edition" from 1979 to 2009. in 1998, he became the judge on the news quiz show "it, wait, don't tell me." winners got kasell's famed lritone on their answering machine messagese this one: ( phone rings ) >> hello, this is carl kasell from national public rad. kristin and george are not available at this time, but before you leave a message, i'd like to sing you a little tune: ♪ what's new pussycat whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa ♪ ♪ what's new whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa ♪ ( phone beeps ) >> woodruff: carl kasell was 84 years old. still to come on the newshour: representativeharlie dent,

on why he is leaving congress early. the supreme court considers a case that would allow states to tax online retail. px news host sean hannity is named as a client sident trump's lawyer. how chicago is relying on its school principals to enact education reform. and, much more. >> woodruff: seven-term u.s. representative charlie dent of pennsylvania announced today that he will resign, leaving office next month. last fall, dent, who has served in the house for nearly 14 years, said he would not seek re-election. this eveningi asked dent, why leave now? >> wel with my family for some time, and we decided now was the right time. i should tell you that i really want to get out there and bring

a voice to the sensible center for this untry. i also have no final plans about my own professional opportunities, but i've been slanning, and i'd just as soon deal with those es when i'm out of congress rather than in. >> woodruff: what do u mean "be a voice for the sensible center?" >> we haa primary process that tends to rewardo those move to the extremes. i think those folks are much more represented in congressan eople who are more solution oriented. ahe center is a large swath of the country but nolarge swath of the congress right now. >> woodruff: but it's the moderates, whether it's center right, as i think you describeyo self, or center left, are all leaving, who will do that job in congress? >> well, we'll have to work on it from the outside, tooi . s encouraged to see groups like the problem solver

they stepped in and helped dan lipinski in his race in the democratic primary in illinois where he was being attacked from the far left. and he prevailed. so i think there needs to be a political infrastructure much further developed out across the country to help candidates like that who can speak to a broader audience and who have the capaci b to get to yeause many of these people who are attacking the bases and some to the extreme just find their political base, they are not in a position where they can seek consensus and ultimately support a compromise.dr >> wf: you've told reporters in the last year or so, congressman dent, that you tve grown tired of tryi explain to people what's happening in washington,in inclunder the leadership of president trump. is that a part of your decision? >> well, i've noticed that th polarization and paralysis in this congress has been going on for some time. it preated donald trump.

certainly with donald trump, he has made this even more challenging. i would say the present was factor in my decision to not seek reelection but t the factor. i have been thinking about this for a few years, but paralysis is what it is. we saw governme shutdown in 2013, an absolutely futile, stupid gesture, all toed -- to advance the political interests of one u.s. senator. it made no sense. people went along on this suicide mission for no reasston. ted to see things break down. that predated donald trump. now thatnte have presi trump, he brings his own set of issues in terms of chaos and dysfunction at the white house that makes governing very difficult. i voted agast the healthcare bill, for example, and, you know, i'm glad i did for a lot of reasons, but after the bill passed the houseidthe prest said it was mean, the bill was mean, or just watching the other day with nikki haley taking a

position on russian sanctions only to have the prident say, well, that's not where we are. he seems to contra dictd or undermine some of his own staff from time to time. >> woodruff: i'm sure you know a lot of people believe republicans face an uphill fight thisall. they may lose a majority control of the house. how strong is the republican party right now going into these elections? ell, the republican party is certainly in a very defensive position. during the first mid-term of a president, the party in power usually loses 32 seats in the use. we're running into a very strong headwind. this mid-term election will kely be a referendum on the president of the united states and his conduct in office, and that will drive this election probably more than ang else. so i tell my colleagues,ul partly those in marginal districts, they need to put themselves between themselves and the president just as connor lamb did in southwestern pennsylvania. he put some distatween the

himself and his own party's leadership, which i think is a smart thing to do. republicans will probably have to do the same thing in swing and marginal districts. >> woodruff: do you think republicans can n a majority? >> well,'d say it's tough. it will be an uphill cli it's probably 50/50 at best. the odds can change. certaiy the energy, the enthusiasm and the anger is on the democratic side in this election. there's no sugar coating that.o so, you , it's a beg wave coming. some members will have to get off the beach. you got to watch this real carefully. so i don't know what -- members are going to -- republican members will likely try to localize these races the best they can. these races now are much more nationalized than they used to be. i should sness, republi candidates will have to go out and discredit their opponents early. that might be the best way to proceed in this type of cycle when everything is kind of stackeagainst you >> woodruff: congressman charlie dent stepping down in coming weeks after serving 14 years in congress. thank you very much. >> thank you, judy.

great to be with you. >>oodruff: today, of course,n is a big daye tax calendar. while some americans rush to file their income tax returns, the supreme court heard arguments in a case on state sales taxes and online shopping. thajustices also handed dow ruling that will make it harder for the trump administrationo deport some immigrants. marcia coyle of the "national law journal" was in the court, and she joins me now. hello, marcia. >> hi, judy. >> woodruff: let's talk first about this immigration ruling. tell us what the law says and what the justices y. >> all right. if you're an illegal alien and you commit what's called an aggravated felony, you're going to be deported, but thated aggravelony definition includes crime of violence. that's what the court was looking at in the case today,

the definition of "crime of violence," which basically says a felony in which there is a substantial risk that physical force would be used to commit the crime. this alien, who actually was a legal permanent resident of the united states, had committed to burglaries with no violence invoed. the court today said in a 5-4 decision by justice keegan that the definition of crime of violence was unconstitutionally void or vague. sorry. it was arbitrary. it was confusing.if judges went inerent directions on the same sort of crime. >> woodruff: and it was interesting in that a conservative justice, justice gorsuch, voted with the morest liberal es. >> that's right. this is the second time the court heard the case. dhey heard it in 2016 after justice scalia di. they apparently deadlocked. justice gorsuch made the hdifference this time, an did join the more liberal wing of the court and took an

originalist approach to finding whether this law was vague and unconstitutionally vague >> woodruff: interesting to point out the trumpon administraot happy. the department of homeland security says this will make it harder to keep the nation safe. there is a category of crimes that seem to fall into this crime of vlence definition that was confusing and vague,re and so those the ones that will be affected, t t administration still will be able to deport aliens who commit very violent crimes as aggravated felonies, bu, yes, the department of justice and homeland security have asked congress to step in now. >> woodruff: urginghem to close some loopholes. now, separately the justices hed this case having t do with whether states should be able to charge a sales tax for purchases made online. tell us about that. >> right. euth dakota brought the co the supreme court. they want the court to basically

overturn a 1992 decision that said states can't require out-of-state retailers and other sellers of goods and servesto collect sales tax unless those out-of-state sellers have a physical presence in the state that wants to have them collect the tax. a building, employees. south dakota claims that physical preseence test, tims have changed. it's out of date. the growth of ecommerce now has put their ownn-state sellers at a disadvantage, and they basically are losing billions of dollars in potential revenue that they need. wayfair is on the other side of the case along with overstock.com and new egg. they claim what's going to happen if you eliminate that test, you're going to subjectou of-state retailers to more than 12,000 individual taxi

jurisdiction, and they will have huge costs in time and money and trying to figure out each of those jurisdictions' taxation system. >> woodruff: any suggestions from the questions the justices asked about what they're thinking? >> i took away two main things, judy. one, the justices are very concerned about the fallout if they do eliminate the physical presence test. justice soto mayor said what about retroactive liability, and how do weow decideuch contact is enough. the justices also wondered, wi all the problems we could have, maybe this is for congress. congress can make the compromises that we can't do. they can balance interests on both sides. >> woodruff: justice soto mayor took a fall at her house yesterday, broke her slder. >> she broke her left shoulder. there was no evidence it in the courtroom under her robe, but

apparently her arm is in asl g. she's keeping her schedule. >> woodruff: soldiering on, showing up for work. >> absolutely >> woodruff: marcia coyle, thank you for showing up here. >> my pleasure, judy. t >> woodruf revelation in court yesterday that sean hannity is also a client of president trump's lawyer, michael cohen, has triggered a wave of criticism about the fox ws host. william brangham reports. >> bngham: anyone who's seen sean hannity's show knows exactly where he stands. the longtime fox news host has been a stefast champion of president trump and his agenda, and a fierce critic of specialul counsel robertr's russia investigation. for example, here'how, last week, hannity reported the news that federal prosecutors had raid the offices of michael cohen, president trump's personal lawyer: >> all right, tonight we have an explosive new chapter in mueller's partisan witch hunt.re

now we've ena dangerous new phase, and there's no turning back from this. it's been clear, as i've been warning, mueller is out to get the president, and it appears at any cost. here's what happened. upon referral from special counsel robert mueller-- the f.b.i. has raided the office, the home, and the hotel room of michael cohen, the personal attorney of the president of the united states. this is now officially an all- hands-on-deck effort to totally malign and if possible, impeach, the president of the unitedes st >> brangham: what hannity didn't say, and what we only learned yesterday, was that he, too, was aeallegedly a client of mi cohen's, and some of the material seized from cohen'sce ofight relate to hannity. so, should fox news violers have beenof this connection? i'm joined now by margara sullivan, meitic for the "washington post." welcome. >> thank you. >> brangham: there is a lot we still don't understand about this relationship, but wk t do you thout that? should fox news viewers have been told about this

relationship? >> yes, absolutely. and fox news brass should houe been told it, too, which apparently they weren't. but the viewers deserve to know that the person who was being talked about on hannity's show was actually hannity's own lawyer to some extent ateast, maybe not in a full-fledged, on-a-retainer way, but someone with whom he said he shared attorney-client privilege. >> brangham: why duds it matter? why do you need to know that? >> it's a conflict of interest. you want to know someone is dealing straight. you want to know they're doing it because there's favor or they're endebted or ther something we don't know about. >> brangham: last night fox news had alan dershowitz on. he said hannity should have disclosed this. here's what han nity had toy later in the broadcast. >> let me set the record straight. here is tiche truth:hael cohen never represented me in any

legal matter. i never retained his services. i never received an invoice. i never paid michael cohen for legal fees. i did have occasional brief conversations with michael cohen, great aorney, about legal questions i had or i was looking for input and perspective. my discussions with michael cohen never rose to any level that i needed to tell anyone that i was asking him questions. to be absolutely clear, they never involved any matter, any - sorry to disappoint so many -- any matter between me, a thd party, a third group at all. and my questions focused exclusively almost on real estate.ha >> bra so what do you make of that? >> that last part seems to be trying to get out the message tha this was not part of what michael cohen does, which i to arrange payoffs to women who are making complaints about sexual misconduct.

hannity --ho >> brangham: are the other two. >> those are the other. two he's done that for president trump and for t g.o.p. fund-raiser who was the second client. hannity turns out to be the mystery third client. he wanted to be cle, if we can believe him, and it sounds somewhat believable, that's not what this was about. so that's what he was saying there. >> brangham: fox news issued a statement today that said in essence, we did find out about this like the rest of the world did, but we talked with sean auburn we think this was an informal relationship and we're ready to move on.ng >> bm: >> it's not surprising that fox will not do what theyo,hould to take disciplinary action to, apologe to uh havers, and possibly to suspend or something more. at a lot of news organizations this kind of deceit would be considered a possible fireable offense. but here at fox news, which s such a strong agenda, it's just brushed over. >> brangham: we are talking about the ethics as they pertaim

to journabut hannity goes to great lengths to mesay mes, i'm in the really an journalist. i'm an opinion guy. sometimes he sys he's a journalist. but do these guidelines still a i ply to someone like sean hannity? >> they do. i think whether he calls himself a journalist or not, you know, and sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't, he still is someone a major media figure wi the top-rated or has been the top-rated cable news show, who is affecting the way people perceive what's going on in our world. and, you know, clearly a strong ally of president trump, perhaps probably his strongest media ally. so i think because of all that f is going to call itself what it does, fox news, then he works for a news organization and i think he should be subject reasonable ethical guidelines. >> brangham: this is fox newse welking about. they have many, many good, talented journalists there, but there is also a decidedly conservative bent to the organization, so do you expect

different from them?ot >> i'm nurprised that fox news has not done anything. when i think about the other kinds of things they've done in ittheseuations, you know, the long-time sort of stonewalling about roger ailes' sexual misconduct and that of billo' illy, you know, they kind of wait as long as they can until it affects the bottom line. i don't think here that at this point it doesn't seem like that's goingo happen, ando they're willing to say, well, we really don't care and there's no problem here. >> brangham: the atlantic today put out a report today reporting that aher lawyer, jay sekulow, might have done work with sean hannit regards to a radio station in what do you make of that if true? ,> what i make of it, if true is it seems to suggest this is a very close circle that iludes president trump, his attorneys, and the people he works most closely with and depends most closely on in the mead.

-- media. it's not a separation and an addrsarial or independent k of setup. it's all very tight knit, we're all on the same tea >> brangham: a lot still to be figured out about all of this. margaret sullivan, thank you very much. >> thank you. wi >> woodruff: sta us. coming up on the newshour: how the trump administration apmoaches asylum requests f women from abroad who are victims of abuse. the latest on the trial of bill cosby. plis, how a small utah town using the arts as an economic enne. but first, the chicago public schools system is one of the largest in t country, and historically one of the most troubled. its problems, and itefforts to turn things around, are often watched nationally. but in spite of pa troubles,

chicago schools are reporting academic improvement. now, city leaders are hoping to keep things moving forward with a new boss, who believes school principals are the key. special correspondent kavitha cardoza, with our partner "education week," filed this report from the windy city, for inour weekly segment, "makthe grade." >> reporter: calling janice jackson "new" to anything in chicago public schools isn't quite accurate... >> hi! >> should bow or curtsy? >> they all work! ( laughter ) >> reporter: jackson has deep roots in t system, starting as a toddler in head start. since then... >> i've been a student in c.p.s., a teacher, a principal, a district leader. and the one i think is most important is that role ofnt pare >> reporter: in january, she r as c.e.o. of chicago's school system. jackson recognized the

importance of developing principal leaders early on. >> the media and hollywood portrays educators athese heroic leaders, and you have this one person who comes in and changes everything. and i thk that can happen, but it's not sustainable, right? i learned very quickly that it takes a team in order to be successful. >> reporter: jackson walks through george westinghouse college prep, one of the ost successful high schools in the state. she was foundingrincipal. >> when i took over, some would y i had big shoes to fill. i said, i have big stilettos to fill. >> reporter: principalatrick mcgill took over from jackson. he's aware of her laser focus on supporting principals, because jackson was and, he says, continues to be his mentor. >> right away, i knew she was going to be someone i could learn from. what i didn't know is how much she was really committed to helping me learn how to be a leader. >> reporter: jackson has seenth e challenges in chicago schools up close. she was in the fifth grade when the then-u.s. secretary of education william bennett said he didn't know a worse schoolem syhan chicago. more recently, the last two

c.e.o.s resigned in disgrace. one for corr >> i apologize to them. they deserved >> reporter: ...the other for ethical violations. >> i regret my actions, and i've apologized for them. >> reporter: there were teacher strikes and a city-wide uproarho when 50 scs were closed. like other big cities, chicago embraced testing, closings and teacher accountability-- ideas that many critics say have not fode enough of a differenc student learning. even now, fewer than a third of children in chicago can read and do math grade level. despite the turmoil at the top, a stanford study found chicago studts are learning at a faster pace than other children. >> the growth rate from third to eighth grade in chicago is the stest among the 100 larg districts in the united states. it is number one.n >> reporter: sardon co-authored that study. he found that chicago children were squeezing six years worth of learning into five years. >> not just for large districts,

but for all kids in the countryr >> repr: that growth was for boys and girls of all races. >> it's really impressive that this is a universal change. >> reporter: jenny nagaoka is a researcher with the university of chicago who studies the city's public schools. you know, sometimes in other districts, when you hear of something like this, it could be ntbecause teachers and stu are more familiar with the test. sometimes, it's teachers are teaching to the tests. metimes, it's outright cheating. >> people often think when they see that, there's something fishy going on here, but it turns out these improvements ari not just happe on one test. we're seeing this across different tests. >> reporter: and nagaoka says it's not just on tests. >> high school graduation rates are up in chicago over the past ten years.m they've gone f% to 74%. we're seeing more students going on to college. we've seen improvement a.c.t. scores. we're seeing improvements in g.p.a. >> reporter: researchers largely

credit the district's focus on principals. studies increasingly show aic cr link between school leadership and student learning. effective principals support teachers, who in turn support children. >> reporter: steve tozer was jackson's professor. that's why steve tozer says it's the most effective way to scale up academic success. the numbers are manageable. >> illinois, one of the most populous states, only needs 400 new principals a year. 400 principals, if prepared at a tlgh level, would signific improve student learning throughout the state. 400 principals a year, that'sha the size of my high school class. this is a scale that we can actually operate at. >> reporter: chicago schoolsnc have high trations of poverty, like other cities. but it has provided a lot of support and mentoring for principals and a lot of autonomy for successful ones. l

distriders say the proof this strategy works? improved test scores. even so, there are parents and teacher who feel their voices are being ignored.? a flashpoi school closings. shaasia martin is a parent who's upset about further closing. >> my entire family went here. >> repter: martin says harper high school, where she and her siblings went for school and which is her daughter now attends, is an anchor in her troubled nghborhood. she's frustred that it's one of four area high schools slated to close. >> safety is a huge issue, you know? and you are telling me that they've got to go further, io neighborhoods they don't know? >> reporter: jackson has delayed the closings until current studentsraduate, but says they will close. there are too few students to support programs. but jesse sharkey, with the chicago teachers union, says there's a reason for the low enrollment. tahe says the district hased neighborhood schools of resources, even as several different charter schools have been allowed to open nearby.

>> and while their enrollment has skyrocketed, thelment at these neighborhood schools has plummeted. it's almost like they've tried to implement a sort of" "survivor,kick-people-off-the- island behind a vision of test score competition. >> reporter: sharkey says this is an ongoing effort toed privatization. he says they should measure success on more than just test scores. >> let's measure outcomes in terms of, are students able to get trades? a are studene to succeed a college? let's measure things like violence in and around schools. >> reporter: parents like anika maews-feldman agree. >> there's absolutely no trust. you're not working for the children in the schools.yo re working for whatever the mayor just tells you to do for the schools. h>> reporter: jackson kno biggest challenge as c.e.o. is building the same kind of trust astem-wide that she enjoy a school principal. >> when i became a district leader, i noticed that people, they love the school, but they don't trust the system. >> reporter:nd she's aware that many see her as mayor rahm emanuel's political appointee. someone called you theayor's puppet.

>> i disagree with that. the mayor has a vision that happen to agree with, and a vision that i think works. >> reporter: jackson realizes she has plenty of challenges ahead. declining enrollment and enormous debt, and the state is ioinvestigating special edn services. but, she says she's ready for the job. >> don't let the smile fool you! i believe i have a nice blend of high expectations and support. i believe if you just have high expectations without support, you're setting kids up r failure. and i think if you only support them, you are supporting them to death. really, i just want to get ta place where our students are learning for the sake of learning.ep >>ter: for the pbs newshour and "education week," i'm kavitha cardoza in chicago, f >> woo from his campaign promises to build a "big,au

ful wall," to ordering national guard troops to the border, president trump has made cracking down on illegal ofmigration a central them his presidency. amna nawaz reports on the administration's efforts to toughen the ruleoffor one group mmigrants: women fleeing from domestic violence. >> reporr: while there is no evidence of an overall increase in people crosng the southern border illegally, the statistics on who is seeking asylumnd why are striking. according to the departmenof homeland security, prior to 2011, single adult males made up more than 90% of migrants seeking refuge in the u.s. today, 40% are classified as"li fa and children," many of whom are women who say they are fleeing domestic abuse in their home country. for more, i am joineby julia preston of the marshall project.

attorney general jeff sessions has made it pretty clear that he's sceptical that domestic abuse and what he calls private crimes should be the basis of any kind of asylum claim. he's taking a broad review of e case law and those cases toho see ifse types of claims should continue to be recognized by the courts. >> reporter: you mentioned a pattern with the administration. they have made clear this is part of this. they want to reduce the number of people wre seeking asylum and refuge here. isn't this just part of that mission? >> well, certainly the attorney general has the authority to

reach into the immigration courts cnd pick outes that he wants to decide for himself.a and this is he's doing in this case with these domestic violence cases. i think it's worth talking a little bit about what's going on in these case, which ishese women have really suffered sustained abuse, so in the case that i wrote about for the rshall project, this was a woman who woke up almost on a daily basis to han husb pulling her hair, punching her in the face, beating her with belts. she had endured this for many years going to work with bruises and lacerations on her body visibly, and so ts is the kind of claim that the women are bringing to the immigration courts. and it's not clear, particularly at a moment when sexual abuse and domestic abu pe isart of the national dialogue and wher

the "me too" movement. nas had such an impact o workplaces and on women in the united states, it's not clear how curtailing this narrow avenue that's opened up for these women would actually eed up the process in the immigration courts. >> reporter: julia preston of the marshall project, thanks for your time.>> hank you. >> woodruff: prosecutors in the re-trial of ll cosby today told the judge they are close to wrapping up their case. the first trial ended in a hung jury last year. now, he is facing prosution again over sexual assault charges. yamiche alcindor gets the latest. it comes after a judge ruled today that jurors can hear cosby's 2005 testimony, admitting he gave qualudes to women before what he says was consensual sex.

>> reporter: jurorspent friday and yesterday hearing from cosby's principal accuser,dr costand. she asserts the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted her at his philadelphia home in january 2004. cosby claims the encounter was consensual, and that costand-- who took a more than $3 million dollars from him in a 2005 settlement-- is a con artist looking to cash in. more than 50 women have made similar accusations cosby, dating back decades. cosby denies all charges of assault. maryclaire dale is a long-time l associated preal affairs reporter, currently on leave for a neiman fellowship in journalism. she has been in the courtroom phroughout both trials, and joins us now froadelphia.ai mary, thanks for being here. now, several women have testified during this trial and have accused cosby of using his celebrity status and drugs to sexually assault them. walk me through what might have been powful moments in the

courtroom, and wt are they saying? >> right. this trial is different in that the judge allowed five othwoer n who accused cosby of drugging and molesting them to take the stand. last year when the crur deadlocked, only one other woman was allowed to testify to support constand's accusations. these women include the former supermodel janice dickinson, a colorado music teacher, heidie thomas, and the others, testified to very similar patterns of alleged beha tor. they sy went to meet cosby sometimes in a hotel suite or a home that they had gone to to iperhaps have an ang lesson or they were hoping that he might inoduce them to othr people in the music or entertainment world, things like thaeyt. aid that they went there, that maybe they had a sip of wine, mae he gave themsome pills for a cold that knocked them out, and they were thn sexually assaulted. so the jury heard from these women. of course, the defenseame at them, talked about if they had ever had problems in their

lives, called into question their credibility. many of the women, you know, nonetheless maintain that, you know, their storietagai cosby are true. they acknowledged perhaps problems in their lives but said this was absolutely true and that, you know, one even said, you remember me, don't you, >> reporter: talk to me about the "me too" movement. and what impact it's having on the trial. the first trial happened before the "me too" movement happened. this time around things are different. >> rig. it's a very moment, even though it's not even a year later. in this trial, you know, for one thing, the jury is somer what younis time around, and more importantly, perhaps some jurors who have kept up with the "me too" movement during questioning before they made the jury, many of them said they were familiar withthe moment and the movement. so the accusations are coming forward in a time when perhaps more people are aware of, you

know, the history tht som women have had with sexual harassment or other forms of. harassme in fact, the prosecutors changed their strategy this time. their very first witness they called was an expert, a forensic psychodie tryst, an expert in deing with sexual assault, both abusers and victims, and he discussed and explained to the jury how it's not uncommon for victims of sexual assault to stay in touch with the abuser sometimes they have to for family reasons. sometimes they want an explanation. sometimes they demand to know what happened. and that isat exactly he defense is pointing out andrea constand did. she stayed in touch with him afterward to some extent. they had a relationship through her job at temple university where he was a booster of the basketball team for whom she worked. but even after she left that s job, there wae exact between them, and prosecutors are pointing out that that shows that she had consensual relationship with him. they are painti her this time

around as a con artist who framed cosby to get the $3.4 million settlement that he paid her in her civil lawsuit. w >> reporter:t to ask yout abuse -- cosby's defense attorneys strategy. you talked about painting her as a con artist, but what else are they doing this time ar >> right. it's a very different defense really, because last year theot judge did allow jurors to hear about the lawsuit that constand filed against cosby when a former prosecutor declined to arrest him. she filed a civil lawsuit. after cosby was made tove deposition over two years, four da of testimony over two years in which he acknowledged gettina des in the '70s to give women that he wanted to have sex with, and he acknowledged some other patterns of behavior, giving young womectn,resses and models wine before sexual encounters, they again say they were knocked out by the wine or the pills. so that settlement money is

coming in, and so the quetion isn't consent as it was last year. last year really the whole issue was just was it a consensual retionship or was it a consensual encounter. this time they are saying that she is a c artist and deliberately set out a plan to frame cosby and get this money. >> reporter: well, thank you so much maryclaire dale of the association. i really appreciate you joining us. >> thank you. >> woodruff: now, how a rural community is using art and architecture to bring new life to the small town of green river, utah. jeffrey brown takes us there, as part of his occasional series, "american creators." >>his is a town called gre river. >> brown: what kind of future should a struggling ral town choose? that's the question posed by a

recent exhibition at the utah museum of fine arts in salt lake city. t >> mayt's a fun thing that people could come on vacation and do. >> brown: visitors choose from four options: become a tourist magnet, lure a new industry sucw te recycling, establish a futuristic space researchny coor, withdraw further from the outside world. >> you know, each of them has os and cons, which is th reality of a real place. if a new industry comes in, there's going to be a lot ma new jobs, bue we lose the small town vibe that we really love. >>rown: maria sykes was in charge of the exhibition, but this was no academic exercise.rk sykes in the real world of the really small town of green river, 180 miles tthe south of salt lake. it's a stunning setting underneath book cliffs. in the 1950s and '60s, green river prospered thanks to uranium mining and a nearby missile base, swelling the population to 2,700.

with those jobs gone, the populations hovers at 950, and the town mostly caters to tourists stopping briefly on their way to the spectacular national parks further sth. sykes first came here nine years ago.nt a rerchitecture graduate from the university of alabama, she was volunteering for americorps. >> the first thing i saw was the beautiful landscape,urse. and then i saw a lot of potential. we can only do 50 people at a time in the quarry.an >> brown: shtwo colleagues formed a non-profit called "epicenter," with the goal of using art and architecture to give new energy and n a rural setting.is >> so ths the community center, which was actually the original non-profit where we came to. >>: each individual project is necessarily small: a welcome sign at the edge of town. ginstallations from visit artists. romountain-biking trail.

a model home the hopes to replicate for low-income residents. but they are all part of a larger vision. >>rchitecture isn't just looking at a building. nk's looking at how the city is shaped, and then tg about what can we do as citizens to mave it a better place to li, through architecture and design. >> brown: initially, says mayor ist brady, there was skept from local residents. >> they were outsiders. why are u trying to do all this stuff? >> brown: who are you to tell us? >> right. some were calling them sociists. there was some resistance to them because of their thought patterns. they're different. you know, we're pretty set in our ways here. so you have to follow these instructions. >> brown: brady, who in addition to being mayor is also a math teacher in a grade 7-12 school of just 90 students, says theto has grown to accept and embrace these "outsiders." what tipped the balance? >> their longevity and willingness to live here, buy houses and become members of the community.

>> hey, guys. brown: one approach: epicenter's "fix-it-first" program, which has helpenomake repairs to dozens ofn houseswn. architect steph crabtree built two new porches, repaired the roof and installed new windows at the home of karen smith. >> there's no way we could have done it on our own. my husband has a bad back cd he physical't do it. and financially, it was the only way we could afford it. >> we loan them the money to have the repairs done. we're able to either do the labor ourselves or get volunteer labor in to keep costs down. >> brown: that's how you make it work financially? >> yeah. and then they pay that back to us at a very low interest rate. >> bwn: all around town, sig of the boom-bust cycle. abandoned buildings-- a ba, gas stations and numerous motels-- are reminders of its more prosperous past. like many rural communities, green river has seen a mass exodus of young people. >> we have a lot of great people. students graduate and go off to college. but they can't come back,

because there's nothing here for them. >> brown: we met 17-year-oldrl lindsey mcd, a star student at green river high, who plans to attend college in the fall, and says she likely won't be able to return to live in this tn she loves. >> they just don't have jobs that i'm interested in. so, they have restaurants and really at i'm n cook. >> brown: what do you want to do? >> i want to be a biochemical or biomedical engineer. >> welcome! >> brown: but there are signs of life, with epicenter's help. one exception to the exodus is joshua row y, who grew up here and graduated in a high school class of 16. he went off to sr t lake city llege and assumed that's where he'd stay. >> i vowed never to come back. >>rrown: you thought you ne would. >> oh, no. when i td my siblings and my parents that i was moving back, they just didn't believe it. >> brown: t then he and his

husband saw a green river restaurant for sale, one he himself had worked at as a teenager. with two other parers, and marketing and other assistance from epicenter, they renovated the building, updated the menu and opened three boutique guestrooms. siness has been good. >> it was the exact opposite of what i thought when i left. there is so mu opportunity here. >> brown: epicenter has also attracted fresh blood, including artists who appreciate the lower cost of living. christopher henderson is a designer and builder who moved here from salt lake city.va anna e is a jeweler and fabric artist from portland. they met doing volunteer work for epicenter, and quickly fell in love with each other and the town. rcfor just $4,000, they puhased an abandoned miniature golf course and are sitwly renovating o create a garden, studio space and eventually, a house.

>> i just wanted to re effort into my art and have time for that, and not just try to scrape by to live. >> i guess we both sort of w realized we weking to stay in the city rather than working for ourselves. >> it's a stationary taco truck. >> brown: maria sykes is proud of the improvements her organization has helped bring about,ut is quick to say the goal isn't radal change. >> i've heard, if there is ever a stoplighin this town, i'll move away. and actually, the longer that i live here, the more i start to like, really relate to those folks. we don't want this to look like park city, utah-- >> brown: a place for wealthy people? >> exactly. like, we want it to be like a pretty down to earth, authentic place, because that's what it is. it's nitty-gritty here.no >> brownrand plans then, but a mix of art and economic development that might help foster a healthy future. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown in green river, utah.

>> woodruff: later tonight on pbs, "frontline" presents a filn about senator ccain, who recently underwent surgery at the mayo clinic. "mccain" examines how the g.o.p. has changed across hisli cal lifetime, and how the of sarah palin as vice president might have contributed li the rise of president trump. on the newshour right now: the latest poll from pbs newshour, npr and marist finds that public support has slightly decreased for special counsel robert mueer's investigation into the trump campaign's alleged russia ties, and that support for the f.b.i. may show signs of slipping. you can read all about our survey findings on our website, www.pbs.org/newshour. and that is the newshour for

tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online, and again right here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches real-life conversations in a new language. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> financial services firm >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> carnee corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.or

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. >> this program was ma possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. caioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs. en

phil ral: that's as perfect a bite of meat as i've ever had in my whole life. look at his face. ac it's italy-- speular, delicious italy. it's so beautiful i could watch it all day. from florence with its amazing gelato... ta (shouting inan) and ry passionate chefs... (more shouting) into the countryside in search of new flavors with my friend and favorite chef nancy silverton. it's a little emasculating! - work on it. rosenthal: celebrating food, love, family, and art the italian way. together, weake the dough. ne on... - (in italian) i'll have what phil's having. rosenthal: there were things i never tasted growing up, li food with any flavor. in our house, meat was a punishment. when i went into the real world, i was like a man coming out of the desert. then i started writing comedy and traveling to other lands to eat.