captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc i woodruff: good evening, judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, zero tolerance: examining the trump administration's tough immigration enforcement policies then uninvited: a visit to the white house by the super bowl champions is canceed. and, 50 years later: remembering the life and legacy of robert kennedy.hi >> i tnk that we have to recognize that those of us who have the advantages that you have and that i have, that we have an obligation and responsibility to those that do not. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

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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: the president's former campaign chairman, paul manafort, will face a heoving next wee accusations he tampered with witnesses in his criminal case. special counsel robert mueller's team says manafort tried to oursuade witnesses to lie his lobbying work for pro- russiapoliticians in ukraine. manafort has pleaded not guilty to money launder to register as a foreign agent. meanwhile, president trump lashed out at attorney general jeff sessions on twitt today, for recusing himself in the russia investigation. in a separate legal challenge, a federal judge in new york

ruled today that president trump can be deposed in a defamation lawsuit, brought by former "apprentice" contestant summer zervos. zervos alleges that mr. trump forcibly groped and kissed her in 2007, and then defamed her by calling her a "liar" after she spoke out. the president's gal team is awaiting an appeal. senators will spend much of this august on capitol hill, after majority leader mitch mcconnell canceled a majority of the summer recess today. mcconnell chard today that, "historic obstructionism" by democrats senate.ed the minority leader chuck schumer insisted democrats were eager to get to work. >> we've got a lot of appropriations bills to-- to pass.t we've is backlog of nominations certainly we .nticipate and hope to have less obstruction on tho >> healthcare, we welcome the opportunity to address

and we're going to work very hardn august to require our republican colleagues to do something out it. > woodruff: but more time in washington means less time on the campaign trail for senators fighting for reelection in the midterms. the white house's top economic adviser says the president hopes to split two separate trade deals with canada and mexico. larry kudlow told fox news that mr. trump will not withdraw from the north american free trade agreement, but will "try adi erent approach." trade representatives from the three countries have met multiple times in recent months to work out a new deal. >> he is very seriously contemplating a shift in nafta negotiations. his preference now, and he asked me to convey this, is to actually negotiate with mexico and canada separately. >> woodruff: today, mexico announced new tariffs of 15 to 25% on u.s. agricultural and

steel products, in response to tariffs imposed by the trump ad canada vowed to continue negotiations. iran says it's preparing to ramp up its nuclear enrichmental ntogram if to salvage the 2015 nuclear agreeail. the u.n.'s iran informed them in a letter of "tentative" plans to start ineasing uranium enrichmen capacity. israel's prime minister warned of iran's intentions in paris today. he's urged eurean leaders to take a tough stance against tehran. >> ( translated ): ayatollah khamenei, iran's leader, declared that his intention is to destroy the state of israel. yesterday, he said how he would chdo this, by unlimited ennt in order to produce an arsenal of nuclear bombs. we are not surprised, we will not allow iran to obtain nuclear apons. >> woodruff: the u.s. pulled out

of the nuclear deal last month and imposed new sanctions on iran. france, britain, ganmany, china russia remain in the agreement. a new report says medicare is running out of money even faster than predicted. the program's trustees say medicare will be insolvent by the year 2026, three years sooner than last year's projection. social security is set to run out of money by 2034. treasury secretary steven mnuchin acknowledged "long term issues persist" with both programs, but insisted they remain secure. the white house aide who criticism for mocking senator john mccain no longer works in want of administration. kelly sadler made light of the arizona senator's health condition in a meeting last month. mccain has been battling bra cancer. change is comi to the miss

america competition. the organization announced it's dropping the swimsuit portion, and ending a requirement that contestants wear evening gowns. chairwoman gretchen carlson said miss america will longer judge women on their physical appearance. she's part of an all-fale leadership team appointed after the pageant's former heads came under fire for disparaging contestants' weight. on wall street today, the dow jones industrial average lost 13 points to close at 24,800. the nasdaq rose 31 points, and the s&p 500 gained two. the fashion world lost an icon today. designer kate spade was found dead in her manhattan apartment. police say it appeared to be a suicide. spade built an iconic handbag and clothing empire, kate spade new york, which she sold last ar in a $2.4 billion deal. she was 55-years-old. still to come on the newshour:

zero tolerance: a senator goes t to texlearn about the trump administration's immigration policies; tee super bowl champions are uninvited by the wouse; a british double agent inside al qaeda, and much more. >> woodruff: there were fresh calls today for the trump administration to end its policy t of separating families ae u.s./mexico border. william brangham begour coverage. >> brangham: the numbers show the scope of the crisis. according to u.s. customs and border protectn's own figures, more than 650 children were separated from their paren at the border during a two-week period in may. just today in geneva, the u.n. office for human rights condemned the situation. >> there is nothing normal about detaining children.

the u.s. should immediately halt this practice of separating families and stop criminalizing what should at most be an administrative offenhat of >> brangham: these separations are occuing in large part because, in april, attorneyje genera sessions announced a "zero tolerance policy" at the border. sessions directed authorities to criminally prosecute all instances of illegal border crossings. r past administrations, these were usually treated as civil cases. the department of justice correctly points out that its new policy makes no mention of separating families, but under criminal proceedings, children cannot stay with their parents,r and so they separated. during an appearance today on the hugh hewitt radio show, sessions again defended the licy.

>> brangham: democrats and immigration rights groups argue these separations are the clear intention of adminstration policy, but president trump today blamed democrats, tweeting: "separing families at the border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the democrats. border security laws should be changed but the dems can't get their act together!" the president is likely referring to laws passed under previous administrations, including one okayed unanimously by congress in 2008, andigned by president george w. bush. it called for releasing immigrant children into the "least restrictive setting" while their cases went through immigration court. crall this led oregon demoic senator jeff merkley to visit ndthe texas border region ay. video showed his attempt to enter a federal facility where some of these immigrant children were being held. he was denied entry, the police were eventually called merkely was told to leave. >> they don't want anyone to know what's going on behind those doors.

>> brangham: a sthkesperson for department of health and human services, which oversees the children, accused merkley of grandstanding, writing in a for the pbs newshour, i'm william brangham. >> woodruff: and just back from texas and now onck in washinsenator merkley himself. so, senator, what did you see exactly at whe border? ll, i saw two things. i was able to go to a processing center, and i was giv permission to enter that. that's run by the department of homelad security. n that processing center, you have one room where people have just arrived. there are cyclone fence and post t.ges in which people are pu it was very, very crowded. folks had nothing but their clothing and these space blanket, tin foil contraptions. and then they went through processing w and then the a warehouse warehouse with much larger units,lso built with fences and fenceposting. d there people were separated.

children were separated from theiparents. and there was one enclosure that had a significant number ofve children, sl dozen-- maybe three or four dozen children-- and they were lining up for food, and they were from the smallest to the largest. and what just really struck me the fronttle kid of the line must not have been four, five years old, and thecey ed in height through 16 and 17. and i was just sitting there thinking about some of these were unaccompanied minor. but many of them were without their parents because the administration tore them out of their parents' arms and put tem into this enclosure. and these are folks who are asylum. for so they have experienced horr horrendous circumstances overseas. they have in mind that statue of liberty and the fact we are nation of folks with ancestors who came to america escin affliction, and then what what happens? bthey're aplymouth county our own government. >> woodruff: senator yoused

the term-- you talked about cyclone fence." you used the term "cages." what exactly did you mean byat >> by page, i'm sorry? >> woodruff: i'm sorry, when you said cages, where people are held. >> it's fenceposting and cyclone feke, and it's lie what you would see if you were picturing a-- like a dog kennel, how that would be constructed in a yard. and much larger, a variety of sizes, but that's-- that's the structure that's used. >> woodruff: senator, i want to cite what the administrataun has said b you talk about these families being retraumatized after what they've been through. the ministration says, look, it's our policy to use the least-restrictive accommodation possible for these children. is that what you saw? once these children were separated? >> no, absolutely not. so the administration adopted a new policy in april, and sessions gave a speech on it in may, saying that they were now gog to p the children out of

the parents' arms when those parents were awaiting a hearing for asylum. and that mans hearings to present their case on the affliction they experienced in their home country, and whether they w risk should they return. we've always treated suches famiraciously, because we have a whole history of people coming here escflaping aftion. but experts are weighing in. they're saying what damage this does to the children, and, of course, completely stresses out the rents to have their children taken away and sent to some unknown place. >> wdruff: senate, ciesm things. as you know, the president tweeting today that democrats are responsible for this. he pointed to bad leg that's been passed over the decades. and we just heard about that po that r. >> this is a complete phony argument. taere is no legislation that says you have te children away from their families when they're waiting for an asylum hearing. this was a policy that was debated inside the. administrati they first deputy don blankenshiped it shortly after trump came into the office.

they had did a pilot project with it last sermmer. theyvery consciously making an administrative decision to inflict this harm on the children in order to influence their parents. and sessions confirmed that agaitoday when he talked about, "we need to get the message out for people not toco ." the argument was, if we afflict the children, the parents will not come and seek asylum. >> woodruff: the white house-- again, i'm sure you've heardh this today-- white house spokesman is accusing you of "irresponsibly spreading blatantalize, smearing hardworking, dedicated law enforcent officials" who ar working at the border, and then goes on to talk about some things that have happenedn your own home state, where immigrants have been treated badly. >> yes, theadministration doesn't want to address the actual issue of their decision to affct children to influence parents. and so they're change the topic. they're running a smear campaign. they're attacking me on a number of things. realize what that is. that is an enormous distraction. it's important for the media to go back to the exphrgz say, "quit changing the ty pic.

d you adopt this policy? why are you inflicting harm on the children to influence the parents, as you have described that you are doing?" >> woodruff: senator jeff merkley of oregon, just back from the border with mexico. we thank you. >> you're welcome. thank you, judy. >> woodruff: the president is engaging again in a bitter cultural battle with n.f.l. players over the national anthem, questions of respect for it and the right of s to protest. as amna nawaz reports, this time the stakes involved a trip from the super bowl championag isiladelphias to meet the president, and a dn by mr. trump uninvited the team after many players opted out of seeing m. >> nawaz: these are some of the superbowl champion philadelphia eagles the president was planng to meet at the white house today. a meeting that's become almost as much a tradition, apathe victory rade itself.

tot president trump cancelled that meeting sayinmany players opted out at the last minute, and that they disagreed with his insistence on standing during the national anthem. in fact, none of the eagles players took a knee during the anthem last season. today, the white houseosted what they called "a celebration of america" instead. flanked by the united states army choruthe president spoke briefly. >> we stand together for freedom we come together for patriotism this is a beautiful big celebration actually to be honest, it is even bigger than we had anticipated >> nawaz: the president has long railed against players who take a knee during the national anthem, to protest police brutality and social injustice. the issue has become a common rallying cry. >> get that son of a bitch off the field right now. out. he's fired, he's fired. >> nawaz: last month, the n.f.l. bent to the pressure, announcine

policy, requiring players to stand for the anthem or remain in the locker room. ue had hoped it found a compromise. but a number of eagles players opted out of the white house visit. several criticized the president's cancellation and statement. wide receiver torrey smith, who spent last year with the eagles and is now with the carolina panthers, tweeted: "no one s fused to go simply because trump 'insists' foand for the anthem. the president continues to spread t false narrative that players are anti-military." the battle continued throughout the day. two n.b.a. superstars, lebronst james anhen curry, said neither of their teams would visit the white house after onec of them wins trent nba championship. howard bryant has been watching all of this closely. his new book is called "the heritage: black athletes, a divided america and the politics of patriotism." he's a columnist for espn as well and this evening he is in chrtford connecticut. howard, thanks so or making the time. i want to begin by asking you about that decision made by the

league lat month. they thought they had an answer here, right, a way to bance the players' protests with can sident.sm from the pre what do the events of the last 24 hours tell buthat? >> i think the events have told me this is precisely what this collision between this history of african american at etes exertieir-- using their platform for social justice, against social injustice, collide waig president who has really engaged in a crture . this culture war started back in september, and during the clip that you showed. and the players-- the plsay believed in the game. the players believe, with ownership, they creat a compromise. they made this $90 million partnership to fight socialic inju and then the league pretty much turned on them, and now they see a president ramping up the same culture war where the players are the red meat fo this base. nawaz: do you think that decision made a difference? did it help, did it hurt, will it continue to create problems?

>> for whom. >> nawaz: the n.f.l. owners' decision? >> abolutely. the n.f.l. owners have even bigger problems than they could have imagined before becevse i thinybody in december, when they made this deal, they believed that the relationship had been-- that they were-- they had reached a copromise, that they felt this was done, this was not going to be a issue. now we're going to start next season wondering if the players are going to be upset with thownership. ar going to pull some wildcat strike of demonstrations during the games? are thte going to pro in another way? how is this going to play out? i think the ownership and the ayers believed this is had been put to rest. and now it's just getting starteet >> nawaz: soe ask you just about the events of the last day now. this one single event, ju through the lens of what's happened, i can't imagine a single white house that wouldn'e een offended if most of the team had said, "you know what, we're not coming. we'll send a player. we'll send a coach. we'll send a mascot, but that's." can you really blame them for

cancelling the event? >> wel tl, absolute,ink you can blame them because, number one, this is something that was created by them. i could see if the philadelphia eagles had said, "we're are notn to come to the white house regardless." they didn't say that. this is something that this president has started. it's not as thoughlayers doesn't dnt have issues with presidents before. tim thomas of the boston brdnuis go to the obama white house when the boston bruins beat vancouver in the stanley cup eight years ago. i think what it is is that he started this war with the players. he questioned their patriotism. this is one of the things that the book is about: who gets to be the patriot? he questioned their citizenshiph he questioneir patriotism. he said they didn't belong in the country. and now the players are responding in kind. and i think that if-- had that not started, i think that you have a better relationship. it's one thing for the players to say, "okay, we disagree with your politicking." it's another to have your patriotism, toave your citizenship, to have your identity as an american questioned, and this is their way of saying, "we don't like

that. back.ig >> nawaz: howard, there are a lot of folks out there who will say we're glad the said something. this is something we have been thinking and feeling all along. he put ou there what we believed. the polling out there shows thhe is a split onis, whether the players should be allowed to protest during the anthem or noyo. what dmake of that? what would you say to them? >> i would say to them this is something very disturbing if we understand what this country is supposed to be about. one of the things in the book they enjoy very much is listening to theer ves talk about the-- supposedly we're talking about veterans here sticking up for veterans. so many of the veterans i spoke to said that they appreciate what the players are doing. this is one of the reasons why they fight-- eveeyn thisagree with the way the players are handling themselves, they feel that this is not the area toni weap players, weaponnize the flag against players. this is not something that they want to see in their sports. and i think that the playersth selves also recognize that if we're going to walk the walk in terms of what are ouer idals

stand for, the ideals of the american flag is not to be in feely to the military. it's to thehe ideals of country itself. and this all runs -- it flies in the face of that. >> nawaz: very quickly, befor i let y go. are we going to continue to see protests in this upcasoming ? >> i think what you're going to see first is you're going to see the owners and the players get tother on this and there gog have to say, "look, are you backing us?" players to owners. and if the players don't feel the owners are going to bac them against a hostile president, i think on the field next season you could see all kind of different protests that you hadn't anticipated because i oink both sides thught this oorves over and the psident reopened it. >> nawaz: howard bryant, thank you for your time. >> thank you. >> woodruff: it's been almost 20 years since american embassies in africa were attacked by al qaeda. the bombings made the terror

group's leader, osama bin laden, an infamous, household name, three yearbefore the horror of september 11th, 01. during that period, m.i.-6, the british foreign intellence service had an agent inside al qaeda. he has now unmasked himself, and spoke with jonathan rugman of independent television news. >> reporter: he calls himself aimen dean. for eight years he worked for m.i.-6 as a double agent ,mostli al qaeda. and now one of the west's most important spies has broken cover to tell his story. >> if you spend eight years under cover at some point you will start to feel the effects,r >>orter: in 1996, aimen dean underwent al qaeda training in afghanistan. the teenager from bahrain had already fought as a jihadi in bosnia. now he swore an oath of

allegiance to osama bin laden, did he impress you? you write that he was tall, hely was sopoken. s >> absoluteleone who was, ululd have a luxury life in saudi arabia, who have had avan easy life, and yet he all that up to serve a cause bigger than him, even if that >> reporter: al qaeda's bombings of u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania left hundreds dead and aimen dean outraged by the rnage. then three years later september the 11th. almost 3,000 people killed and dean had known one of theck his. by now though he'd moved to london, using the need for medical treatment as cover to become a british spy. your job was to carry radios and phones into afghanistan that

enclosed m.i.-6 bugging devices, was that it? >> well more than that, my job was to report on locations of camps, the new training methods, the individuals coming in and out and keeping up with al qaeda's weapons of mass destruction program at the time. >> reporter: but if you were doing all that, why did an attack like sept 11th happen? >> if you wanted to stop 9/11 you have to have at least 12 spies inside al qaeda and each one inside one of the different departments, only then could you have stopped it. >> repter: what was your biggest coup in intelligence terms, in terms of what you managed to prevent? >> well there were several, therwas a plot to attack the new yo subway with chemical weapons, a chemical device that was invented during my time in that specialt lab in afghanistan and i was reporting on it regularly the u.k.

secret services. a series of phone boxes to be given a rendezvous andllow spotters from mi5 to check he wasn't being followed. he was told the americans had leaked details of his identity b a journalist. m.i.-6 ordered hk to london. three years later he wased i betr bunch of people, as simple as that. >> he lives quietly somewhere in the brh isles. aimen dean lives quietly somewhere in the british isles. his code lawrence of arabia, an identity

he left behind over a decade ago. >> woodruff: that was jonathan rugman of independent television news. >> wdruff: now, remembering the legacy of robert f. kennedy, 50 years after his death stunned the nation. >> my thanks to all of you. now it's on to chicago and let's win this. >> woodruff: 50 years ago today, senator robert f. kennedy finished his victory speech after winning the 1968 california presidential primary. moments later he was gunned do >> everybody stay back! stay back! >> woodruff: and when kennedy died a day later, so did the dreams of many who saw him as the progressivhope for unity in a country deeply divided in dr. martin luther king was killed just two months earlier. kennedy, an irish catholic

democrat and former attorney general in his brother's administration, became a champion of the poor and critic of the wealthy and powerful. >> i think that we have to recognize that those of us who have the advantages that yout have and thai have, that we have an obligation and responsibility to thosat do not. >> woodruff: he held rallies in ubran ghettos, farming towns and appalachian coal country. s ported an end to the vietnam war and appealed to americans across race and class. >> the way that we're going to make a difference is whether if people work together, if whites and blacks make an effort together. >> woodruff: when martin luther king was murdered that same year, senator kennedy marched in the funeraprocession. >> this generation did not create most of the conditions and convtions that lead us to this day. but this generion has a responsibility to resolve them >> woodruff: senator kennedy's

alleged gunman was sir sirhan, a 24-year-old palestinian immigrant who hid his pistol in a rolled up campaign poster. kennedy was shotdihree times and at the age of just 42. his assassination sent shockwaves through the country. let's talk further about robert kennedy's impact over the years and the traumaf 1968. kathleen kennedy townsend is his daughter, the eldest of robert and ethel kennedy's 11 children. she is the former lieutenant governor of maryland. and dawn porter is a filmmaker and the director of the documentary series, "bobbyed kefor president," which is now available on netflix. she joins us from los angeles. and we welcome both of you to e program. kathleen kennedy townsend, it's hard to believe it's been 50ar how are you and your family marking this day? i is hard, and it was a real, as you know, extraordinary goss. but tomorrow, we'rng to

have a service at arlington cemetery, and over 4,000 people are coming. they wrote letters, how much they were grateful to be invited. people are coming from as far away as california, ireland, italy, even australi so it really shows that 50 years after he died, people still remember him. they remember what he cared for, what he stood for, and they wat to come together in unison.av >> woodruff: ito ask you, your mother is 90, his widow. how is sye doing? >>other is great. she just had her 90th birthday. joe biden came, nancy pelosi, steny hoyer, with lots of grandchildren,nd we sang songs and ve very funny toasts. my mother has a terrific spirit. >> woodruff: dawn porte you decided to do this documentary by kennedy. where did the idea come from? why di you want to do it? >> you know, over the course of

my career, so many people that i admire told me how much they were influenced and admired bobby kennedy. and i was really curious about at. so, for example, attorney general eric holder, i interviewed him fora previous film in the justice department, and he told me as a 12-year-old in queens, he looked at the kennedy brothers and thought ybe i could do some public service. you know, bobby kennedy, john f. kennedy jr., were always really, really important in marginalized communities, in the african american community. and i thought what a great tim to explore that legacy at a time when politics fee so dark and when so many peoplpeople-- are so impacted by the political discourse of today. isthis was-- thealed like a really good time to look back at his life and legacy. and i really wanted to focus on his life, and that's kind of the inspiration for the film.

woodruff: kathleen townsend, you started to talk about his legacy yourself ate miago. how do you feel it over all these years?i >> well, i t you saw it in the film, which is, first of al he could reach out t all sorts of people. as you know, on his funeral lrain it was white working class and black workingss, standing there, saluting him,h singing battle hymn of the republic" feeling that he was talking to them.to anhe people who were fortunate, he was saying, "you have a responsibility. you have-- you have been given privilege. e it for others. use it to make this world berser. help ot he was-- he had a very strong moral sense about what we should do with the talents we've bee given. >> woodruff: dawn porter from the perspective of someone who wasn't around whebobby kennedy was campaigning for president, became the person that he was, what did you see in him?

i mean, you talked about the effect he's had over time i this country, but what was it about him, do you think that made him the standout figure that he was? >> you know, so we had the benefit of looking through hundreds of hours of footage. it wa a te when the news networks were covering hisin campaignependent film makers were covering his campaign. so there was some rich treasure trove of archived aterial. and, you know, the editors and i, we rely kind of steeped ourselves in it. and the picture that emerges is really exraordinary. it's a person of conviction, of compassion and empathy and intelligence. and i think that that moral sense, that sense that he just, as kathleen is saying, bobbyun kennederstood acutely the privilege and the talents thata he, and what he challenged america to do and what he didms f is he used thoseital

oants for people who did not have a voice. it was rmally eotional and impactful. and it said a great deal to all of us about leadership and the importance of having people who have compassion and empathy intelligence, and who aren't afraid to reach out to othrs who have different experiences. >> woodruff: and kathleen kennedy townsend, from your own family. >> yes. >> woodruff: what does family tell you about where that came from in your father? >> well, i think it came a lot from his parents franom the irish experience. first of all,-- because his mother and his father grew up in a time where there were theat signs said, "help wanted, no irish need apply" because his own father had to leave boston to go to new york because there was such prejudice against the irish. he always had a foot in his camp that understood what it was to e be marginalized becauseard it over and over. and yet, because he had-- viously, his father had done very well because he was very

well off-- he understood power. so it's an interesting situation atere oner peson is both come from a discrim group on one hand, but also has power on the other, and doegesn't fort where they came from. but i would like to say, just to build on what daw said, because one of the things he was great about-- and dawn mentioned it-- is his ability to bring people up that disagreed with him. h whwent to college campuses, or when he was in japan or south america, and people were throwing, you know, apples or bananas-- or whatever-- at him because they didn't like hihe aid, "i'm glad they don't have better aim." but then he would say, "okay, come up on stage. let's tal let's discuss this." and rather than say-- push th out, he wanted to actually talk with peoe who-- most leaders are usually afraid to do so. >> woodruff: the very last thing i want to ask you both

about very quickly, and here we are 50 years later, and, kathleen, you have made a statement recently that you think that there's reason to believe sirhan sirhan didn't acn we only have a few seconds, but lu're saying this is something that needs to oked at. >> i talked to my brother boab who has looked into this a gre deal, and i think he makes a very powerful argument that it should be looked at again. >> woodruff: and, dawn porter, it comes up in your film. o you knw, we dedicated the last episode, i think what is clear is that sirhan sirhan had e trial that is not a trial that anyone would hnted for their loved ones. and so i leave it to others to continue to investigate that question. but that's-- it's important for us to feel like the criminal justice system is fair, and there's a good reason to feel like perhaps this wasn't so fair. >> woodruff: well, we arece ainly gog continue to follow that. thank you. dawn porter, kathleen kennedy townsend, thank you both very much.

>> thank you. >> thank you so much. >> very much. >> woodruff: for the past few weeks, we've focused on how colleges and universities are trying to help lower-income students move up the ladd. economical there are other alternatives to college degrees. john yang examines some of them. it's part our weekly segment, "making the grade." >> yang:ven as the u.s labor market has added jobs for more than 90 months in a ro, analysts are concerned there won't be enough skilled workers to fill new jobs at indtrl work, manufacturing, and technology. one widely cited analysis estimates that more than two million jobs will go ufilled by 2025 because of a shortage of skilled workers. we look at efforts to close that gap with two people who specialize in this issue. nicole smith is a professor and

economist at georgetown university's center on education in the workforce. and beth cobert is with the markle foundatioad she's the f a program called "skillful," which helps find qualified jdib cantes cands and prepare them for a changing economy. nicole and beth, thank you story being here. nicole, let me start with you. what are te pathways to tryo close that gap, the skills gap ftween the jobs available and the people able ll them? >> well, one of the first things we have to do is identify where some of the shortages lie. and once you do that, we can, figure ou know, is there a way of attracting more people t inse types of professions? the problem that we have here is that a loof these-- quote, unquote-- middle-skills jobs-- jobs in manufacturing, jobs inob construction, s in production occupations-- still suffer from a p.r. problem, so that most people don't want to do those jobs because they haveue know,

they associate them with hard work hard hts. what they fail to recognize is that these jobs are now good jobs that pay well, and in some circumstances, even pay more than standard associate's and bachelor's degree. >> yang: what sorts of jobs are we talking about? >> so we're talking about welding jobs. we can be talking about jobs in transportation and logistics. we kook talking from women's perspective, jones in health care, professional and technical services j there are many of these types or two-ssociate's degree, certificate, certification, licensing jobs that can pay very well if you have th qualifications required. >> yang: beth cobert, i know your organization works with employers. are you working with the employers to try to get them to look for skis rather than credentials? >> that's right. we are working with employers to get them to think about skills andedentials. what do you really need to do a job? what do you need start on that job?

and what are some of the skills that can be trained while you're we found in our work with employers that when they think abt that waywhen they distinguish between what's required and what's preferred, it opens up the a labor pool t variety of candidates who might-- they might have not thought about for tho.se rol so it creates opportunities for individuals to get to the good jobs that nicole is describing,l and to be once they're there, to advance in those organizations wi good wages and good jobs. >> yang: nicole, beth is talkg a lot about sort of doing these in midcareer, tarpz, or people who are looking to change jobs. what about at the beginning, at high school, guiding students into the right places, the right wt for them? have to start much sooner now than we did in the past. if we want to make sure that you are connecting what people learn in school all the way through school-- and this is from high school all the way tough college-- you can start in high school, and you can expstose ents to career opportunities. so by the time actually leave

high school and you go to college, guto a two-year college or a four-year collegeue ransition from exposure to those years, tperience in those careers thrteough ships, externships, get hands on exactly what is expected for thajob. that can create a lot of interest that's beyond just learning something that's academic in a book in front of niyou. >> yangole, about what these pathtelevise these skills through what we don't traditionally think of as higher education, whether a four-year degree or two-year dree d.e.a.-- apprenticeships, other programs like that? >> well, these types of pathwraiz really taking foot in terms of offering opportunities for many young people. and nontraditional pathways are-- you know, we can look to those a lot more than than in the past, mostly because they don't represent a closed door anymore to a bachelor's degree.n it might bopportunity to try something new.

you can do it for two years. you can try your apprenticeship program. you can do your associate'sur degree, ertificate, your certification. and later on decide on a bachelor's degree. there's no dual pathway anymore that steers peoplen one ore other. so for many, the idea that they can, you know, maybe just try it out for a couple of years is much more palatable thacommit tying four-year degree where we know some of the completion rates are held inn. quest >> yang: and, beth, are employers opening themselves up up increasingly to this idea of an apprenticeship program? >> employers re opening u to it. one of the great initiatives under way in colorado that has been created under governor hickenlooper's leadership is called "career-wise." it's a statewide youth apprenticeship program starting in high school and working youru way thr, where you have an opportunity to learn and earn at the same time.t we've aclly got a terrific apprentice who is working in our office in skillful, who is a

great contributor, has learned a lot through that apprentice, and as nicole described, is simultaneously pursuing his bachelor's degree at metrostate. so a great example of what is a growing cadre of apprenticeships through career we, across colorado. o yang: beth cobert, nicole smith, thank youch for being with us. >> thank you for having me. >> thanks for having us. e woodruff: and we'll back shortly. >> woodruff: and we'll be back shortly, but first, take a moment to hear from your local pbs station. it's a chance to offer your support. >> woodruff: for those stations stayth us, a second look at how cutting-edge imagery is helping scientists preserve centuries-old shipwrecks. tonit, jeffrey brown reprises this culture at risk report. >> so, welcome to one of our walk-in virtual realityen

environm. >> brown: it's meant to transport you across space and time. ea it's the world's highest resolution virtualty environment. it's running at 500 agapixels, haigapixels worth of resolution. >> brown: called the "sun cave," it's an mersive, sci-fi-like wonder-- hard to fully convey on television-- driven by the latest advances in computer visualizatn and 3d imaging. >> so, it really gives us a mechanism to deliver, visually, ve compelling representations of that environment. >> brown: it's all part of a project overseen by faulko kuester, a german-born professor of structural engineering at the fornia, sa of cali diego, one that puts high tech to work on behalf of cultural preservation. >> virtual reality is a very powerful mechanism that allows us to explore spaces, and environments, and scale, but on our own terms, in a controlled and it became somewhat natural to think about how we can

actually create a future for the past. >> brown: a future for the past? >> yes, can we make sure that world heritage gets preserved? >> brown: all around the lab, the tools of the de: specially-designed drones and cameras, computer visualization programs, 3d printers, and the recreations made from them.t it's an effor that involves scientists, engineers, archaeologists, and art historians, documenting and analyzing historic sites a artfacts around the globe. >> so what we have here is a quarter-scale replica ofdo leona vinci's adoration of the magi. our research team had the opportunity to actually work very closely, intimately, with this painting. >> brown: after scanning the original, kuester's team createa a digital inci, allowing a whole new way to interact with the painting. we can actually, and it's these

amazing stories which suddenly unfold, which make it exciting for the younger generation to you can becometehe explorer. me what's really happening on that staircase. can we peel away the pigment, which the curator really >> brown: the san diego team has also visited and begun to digitally document sites as diverse as mayan caves in guatemala, and the baptistry of san giovanni ancaadjacent duomedral in florence, highlighting areas of aging and deterioration. but last march, the team decided to go deeper-- mh deeper-- and launched an ambitious project to virtually catalogue 100 underwater shipwrecks in bermuda, an island that has a history of wrecks dating back more than four centuries. >> what bermuda has given us is

the .ility to become aquanau explorers under the water. >> brown: because everyone is interested in a shipwreck. >> right, that area is tru a treasure trove of wrecks. >> brown: kuester teamed up with marine scientist philippe rouja, bermuda's "custodian of historic shipwrecks," who's been diving and documenting these underwater sites for years. >> it's not just the tragedy. i think it's the investment, you know, what a ship is and what it actuly represents, and the loss of that, and then the romance of it sitting on the bottom and being this time capsule. >> brown: the project, called the "bermuda 100," is currently re-examining a pair of the island's most famous shipwrecks; the "montana" and "mary- celestia," two confederate blockade runners sunk in 1863 and '64. >> blockade runners have this

mystique about the because they are this tool that was essentially used to run goods into the confederate south during the civil war, the u.s. civil war. brown: over the last year, rouja has sent keuster hundreds of thousands of still images and videos shot underwater, capturing these wrecks from every conceivable angle. >> suddenly, we're diving on wrecks we've dove onor 30 years and it's like you're diving it for the first time. "oh, wow. i really want to capture that. oh, did you see the door? yeah, let's get a clos that part." >> brown: back in san diego, the team uses the data to gitally recreate the ships. >> what is left, wt is its state of health. how is it deying? what other artifacts are there? now we can tell a story about a shipwreck. >> brown: keuster is also keeping track of every artifact rouja finds. >> we see actually a masonic jar that was found on one of the shipwrecks. and interestingly enough, tse were truly priceless artifacts. they were as valuable filled as

they were empty, and they were actually being shipped back and forth to be refilled. >> brown: the result: three- dimensional models and videos that allow researchers and amateurs alike to visit the sites from their own computers and mobile devices-- no wetsuit required. >> we actually have seen many of the sites in ways nobody else ever ha >> brown: the model shows the "mary-celestia" now rests on a at, sandy seabed just 600 yards off bermuda's south coast. at the "montana," it becomesea clhow wrecks become part of the marine habitat, allowing scientists more comprehensive data on the current health of bermuda's coral reefs and fish populations. >> you're actually capturing data that people didn't even know they were collecting. you start to lrn things about a level rise, about coastal change. all these things suddenly come

into play in ways that i never imagined. >> brown: that's the hope with the bermuda project-- to explore and preserve in new ways going forward. and keuster and his am are thinking far beyond these waters, hoping to replicate this work in ever greater scale. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown from bermuda and san diego. >> woodruff: the national parks belong to all of us. but as tyler fingert from the cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university reports, that shared treasure is at risk of being chipped away.ep >>ter: across the desert landscape, their silhouette is unmistakable. at saguaro national park near tucsoncacti are the main attraction for hikers like jean gascho. >> you feel likea ou're so much rt of the desert and just

surrounded by these beautiful cactes. >> reporter: but the park's namesake cactus is facing a threat from thieves. >> it's ironic that we set aside great places like our national park and people think that they can just come take the iconic cactus for which the park is named. >> reporter: kevin dahrks with the national parks conservation association. he says being a cactus thief can be lucrative: each one can fetch $100 or more per foot. >> it's absolute robbery and it's absolute criminal acvity and it's for profit a mature saguaro in a landspe. add something to the value of the home or the business that's for sale or rent. >> reporter: across the country, other parks are facing a similar threat. last year, death valley national park says some visitors walked off with fossil foots. at joshua tree national park, people have stolen artifacts from old mines. >> some parks taal with people ng rocks, some parks deal with people taking plants and animals. places like mount rushmore

people take the chips that were created when they created the sculptures. reporter: bill parker leads the natural and cultural resources team at petrified forest national park. here, he says, visitors take small pieces of petified wood. some people do still take wood and we catch them and give them tickets. but whole areas aren't being stripped clean as was thought in e past. >> reporter: the park turned to photography to test the theory. taking century old photographs to recenting them photos taken at the same location. and the results, says parker, if you look at photos from today most of the artifacts are still intact. >> it's a souvenir that peopl want but one thing the photography project has showed us is that most people do the right thing. >> reporter: some people have even returned stolen wood and it ends up here, often referred to back in saguaro national park, to help make sure theft doesn't happen, the national park service has turned to technology, putting tiny,tr passivkers in some of their cacti. allowing them to iolntify ones st from the park.

of their roughly 1.9 million saguaro cacti, only 1,000 of them are tagged: the ones cle t roads and, the smaller cacti, those most likely to be stolen. the trackers, which are similar to pet microchips, don't actively broadcast a signal, so if a cactus goes missing, ray o'neil, saguaro national park's chief ranger says the only way to know if it's from the park, is to scan it using a reader. making the trackers more symbol than substance. >> our biggest hope is that that leit's a deterrent that pe recognize that if they steal cacti from saguaro national para that there's ae that we're going to be able to identify that cactus came from the park. >> reporter: while technology is helping to track natural resources, education is still a huge part of keeping parks pristine. and kevin dahl wants to make sure that visitors understand the national parks are saved by the people for the people. >> it's a selfish thing when when someone does an act of vandalism or steal something from a national park and it's selfish and it's an act against the american public.

ri>> reporter: pieces of an history being taken from some of amera's most treasured land. for the pbs newshour, i'm tyler fingert at sagauro national park in arizona. oodruff: on the newshour online right now, find ideas for how to help guatemala after the deadly volcanic eruption there. that and more is on our web site, pbs.org/wshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you anyou soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on thf frontlines ocial change worldwide.

>> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and curity. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutionsdi and duals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastin and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by history detectives:

th what doe letter reveal about america's early efforts on to h its war dead? they were being directly bombarded by artillery in this little hospital. elyse: how was this wooden fragment connected to one of the most celebrated political protests of the 19th century? gwendolyn: and what does this little black book reveal about spying on the home front during world war i? on he might be to a major threat. elvis costello: ♪ watchin' the detectives an ♪ i get sgry when the teardrops start ♪ ♪ but he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart ♪ ♪ watchin' the detectives ♪ it's just like watchin' the detectives ♪