tv PBS News Hour PBS June 25, 2018 6:00pm-7:00pm PDT
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captioning spowsored by ur productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: the state of the immigration date as congress prepares for votes and the president conveys his support for deporting undocumented immigrants without a court hearing. then, turkey's leader is re-d elec an even more powerful presidency. what this means for democracy in turkey and its relations with europe and the u.s.ec and prng gun-owners with dementia. inside the difficult process of removing firearms from those in cognitive decline. t i started thinking about it that if he didn'know who i was, i felt that with those events happening it was safest to take the gun. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.
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and individuals. s >> this program de possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: a much-awaited decision today from the u.s. supreme court on racialrr andering. in a 5 to 4 ruling, the court upheld current state anddi congressionaricts in texas. unlower federal court had republicans intentionally drew the districts to dilute minority voting clout. we'll get the full details, later in the program. the funeral for the black teenager shot to death by a white policeman ne pittsburgh
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was held today. antwon rose died last week. mourners lined up outside school for the services. rose was shot when he ran from a vehicle linked to an earlier shooting. meanwhile, there were protests in minneapolis after police killed 31-year-old thurman belvins jr. on saturday. they say he fired a handgun into e air and ground. some witnesses say he was unarmed. a state of emergency was declared across northern california today as a wind- driven wildfire burned out of control. the pawnee fire erupted saturday and spread across a dry, rural area north of san francisco. it's destroyed 12 buildings and prompted evacuation orders for at least 3,000 people. farther north, another fire has burned multiple homes and businesses, and threatens 200 more. warm weather and calm seas have set off a new wave of migrant sailings from north africa to euro i. spain rescued more than
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1,400 people over the last three l ys. but one rescue vesrrying 234 migrants was still stranded off malta today. taly has refused to let i dock. italy's interior minister matteo salvini s in libya today, proposing new migrant checkpoints to stop th into europe. >> ( translated ): we believe that the pblems of libya must be solved and faced in libya, and not in other situations or other european capitals. the fact that the reception and identification centers must be set up south of liby at libya's external borders, to help both libya and italy to block the migration we are both suffering. >> woodruff: separately: the associated press reports algeria sent 13,000 migrants into the sahara desert in the past 14 months to stop them heading north to europe.un video showededs walking away from buses.
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the migrants say many haveed peri jordan says it will not take in some 17,000 syrians who've fled new fighting in their country. syrian government forces-- backed by russian are pushing into daraa province. the first anti-government protests began there in 2011. pital, large-scale protests have broken out for a second day over the country's economic struggles. cellphone video showed crowds in front of parliament today. police answered with tear gas in a bid to disperse thetr demoors. similar protests in iran spread to 75 cities and towns last december and january. in nigeria: mass burials began today after at leastople died in violence between muslim herders and christian farmers. otage from sunday showed people waving machetes amid overturned vehicles and smoke in the distance. women and children fled with whatever they could carry.
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back in this country, motorcycle maker harleyavidson says it will shift some production from u.s. plants to overseas to aid european tariffs. the e.u. imposed levies last week to answer president tmp's tariffs on european steel and aluminum. harley-davidson sold almos 40,000 bikes in the e.u. last year. on wall street: stocks sank on reports that the trump administration might limit high- tech business with china. the dow jones industrial average lost 328 points to close at 24,252. it had been down well over 500 points, earlier. the nasdaq fell 160 points-- 2%, and the s&p 500 gave up 37. and, for the first time, apr cription medicine made from marijuana is going on sale in the u.s. the food and drug administratio toproved epidiolex made by g.w. pharmaceuticals of britain. it can reduce epileptic seizures, but it does not
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usntain t.h.c., the ingredient in pot that makes ers high. l to come on the newshou we follow two immigrant families making their way to the u.s. the supreme court weighs in on election maps. turkey's president consolidates power withn election victory, and much more. >> woodruff: advocates for separated migrant families here in the u.s. are keeping the heat on the trump administration. but the prident and his lieutenants are turning their attention to speeding up deportations. white house correspondent yamiche alcindor begins our coverage. >> no hate! no fear! immigrants are welcome here. >> reporter: today, in the border city of mcallen, texas, outrage over separating families boiled over into a new week.
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>> free those kids! free those kids! >> reporter: and in reno, nevada, hundreds of miles north of the border, this demonstration was to protest general jeff sessions. it was his zero tolerance policy of prosecuting migrants for illegal entry, that ignited the storm over family separations. >> the president has made clear: we are going to continue to prosecute those adults who enter here illegally. but we are going to do everything in our power to avoid separating families. >> reporter: president trump ordered an end to the veparations last week, and the weekend, the department of homeland security claimed progress. it said, so far, it has re- united more than 500 children with parents who'd been separated from under the zero tolerance policy. it said the department of health and human services was working to re-unite another 2,000 or so separated children i custody. and.h.s. said it was makin information available to help
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detained adult migrants get in touch with their children. news reports, however, haveif underlined howcult it will be. in washington today, democratic senator bill nelson florida said the president's executive order did not provide much helpr nelsently visited a florida shelter housing separated children. >> the executive order was a sham. it was an attempt to divert attention. the executive order does not address the 2,300 children that were separated from their families. >> reporter: the president has now turned his focus on the legal process for those crossing the border illegally. yesterday, he said, "whenme dy comes in, we must immediately, with no judges or court cases, bring them back from where they came." nghe followed up today, du sit-down with king abdullah of jordan. >> we want a system where, when people come in illegally, they have to go out. and a nice simple system that works. >> reporter: there was this, too, from white house press secretary sarah sander
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briefing news reports for the first time in a week. >> just because you do't see a judge doesn't mean you aren't receiving due process. >> >> reporter: ithe meantime, the administration is edging closer to using military bases to house detained migrants. defense secretary jas mattis today named the two bases-- fort bliss and goodfellow air force base-- both in texas. for the pbs newshour, i'm yamiche alcindor. >> woodruff: we turn to the p other end nsylvania avenue now, for a look at the immigration debate from capitol hill. i'm joined by republican congressman leonard lance, of new jersey. congressman lance, thank you very much for joining us. the compromise bill that the republican house leadership has put together, i call it a compromise, it's a cross between what the leadership and republican moderates have first of all, are you for it and second of all do you think it's going to pass. >> i am for it. i did not vote for the good last bill i was one of 41 republicans
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not to vote for thaant bild therefore i hope that this bill passes but only time will tell this week, judy, whether this bill will pass. >> woodruff: what is in th tt is bi not contain a path to citizenship hir dream dreamers and this bill doesment and i nk that is a significant difference. swz it's my understanding thath bill also has language that uns do the cur lregal language that basically says that children cannot be held in detention with their parents, that they have to be separated. and that this bill ould say, essentially, that those children can be held with their parents but indefinitely, that will is no longer a 20 day limit on that. >> i say we're holding children for no morn e tha days. in other words, the agreement, i best that it is not in the interest of the nation to hold children longer than 20 days.
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and i also think, judy, that children should be with their parents and i am a cosponsor of another piece of legislation that does that. and also, scrudy, i think we have to increase the number ofd immigration s and as you know, senator dianne feinstein and senator ted cruz are working on that issue, in what is apparently a bipartisan capacity in 9 senate. >> woodruff: well, i want tok u about the judges but i first want to get clarification on this question of whther children could be held indisefl with their parents f that an gage is in the bill, you said you could still support it? >> i'm not sure i cou children are held indefinitely. i want children held only to 20 days. >> but obviously with their patientsut again, it's our understanding that that is the language in the bill, that they would be held but it woulbe for an indefinite period of time. >> i don't want to hold people indefinitely. i would have to look at that language. i think indefinite time frame is of course problematic. >> well, l me ask you about
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the judges. the president has said we don't need more judges. you said you call for there to be a doubling at least of the judges who can deal with immigration cases. where is the compromise ground there. >> i disagree with the president. w i do think th need more judges. ard whicthe end tow others are, withouting and i am, withouting. and we now have about 350 judges, immigration judges, hjudy, and i think we sould at least double the number to 700. >> woodruff: but it sounds like you are far away from thet presid that one. he says we don't need these judges. >> that's correct. i disagree with what the president has said. i favor due process of law i think due process of law is important in thissier as it is as becaut in all ar some of those who are coming north are in a very cha situation in their own country. and we have to see whether we
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theed to be asylum, that is not true of a majority but it may b. true of so and we should be able to examine inthat case by case because asylum is warranted in certain >> woodruff: well, i'm sure you know that am so people coming to the u.s. seeking asylum are beingurned back. they are being told we understand, that it is because the are just too my case as heads of them there is no space for them. are you comfortable with the way those are being handled >> absolutely not. and that's why i favor a doubling the number of judges, for reasons that you understand. i think regyarding alum we should have an ajudicatory proceeding for each case. >> woodruff: the other thiyong, eluded to a moment ago, the president is saying in the last 24 hours peotoe who come his country without documents should be sent back to their own countries immediately. and we heard the white house ress secretary ah sanders dubl down on that. are you comfortable with that approach >> i am not comfortable with
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that approach. i think there should be an arksz judicatory proceeding and that is why i far doubling the number of judges. >> woodruff: but not to get reo much into the weeds here, there is a dife in el doing with people coming asking for legal asylum and those mply saying i want toome in. >> yes, yes, of course. there certainly are those who cross the border illeg sly. but me of the situations, not a majority but in some, the ishe question of asylum and this country has a longio tradregarding asylum. >> congressman, hodo you, do you see this issue as helping the republican party or not, this debate, i know that right now you've taken some pretty clear positions. we just heard a yourticulate them. you have republican opposition in the primary in your district in new injuriesy, your opponent among others things hasa tken a more conservative view, are you concerned that you may be more vul ynerable becauu oppose the president on some of these thing things. o i was honored to have been
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renominated a coup weeks ago. and yes, i did have somebody to my right on this issue. it is of course a challenging issue for our nation but i'm confident my vews are the views of the-- not only of the district i serve, juzy, but also the american people. the american people want to secureerur souborder but they certainly want a process where there can be asylum, wre that is warranted, but we have to move forward in a bipartisan capacity, judy, and also we have to move forward recognizing that these are not mutually inconsistent. we can secure ouru sothern border but we also can have a isgal process where asylum warranted, that that can be adjudicated appropriately. >> woodruff: y believe this bill is going to pass this week, the compromise bill? >> i'm not sure of that. the more conservative bill did not pass. there were 41 of us on thewh republican sido votedded against it. i am not sure this bill is going to pass but have to continue to work on the issue, and we
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have to work on thwissue no, judy. we can't wait until after the november election. >> woodruff: which is something i know you said the president had told house members he thought would work, would work. would be preferrable. congressman leonard lance of new jersey, we thank you. >> thank you very much, judy. ow woodruff: for many of the immigrant familieseparated here in the united states by the trump administration poly, their stories begin amid terror and persecution in their home countries. in many cases, the decision to flee is one of survival. nick schifrin is in mexico city, preparing to cover the country's presidential election this weekend. but first, he sought out families making the arous journey north. >> reporter: two-month old "leti" isn't old enough to know what her fher "pedro" sacrificed to get her here.ld seven-yearpaulina" is old enough to know, and hangs onto her mother "lupita," after they've been through so much to get here, and survived, together.
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they are children who play just like other children,nd like to put on their parents' shoes. but they've all been forced to grow up too fast, forced to leave their homes and run for their lives, until they fo this sanctuary. s a mexico city shelter for refugees run by nuns, including sister "soledad." c about entral american families live here for free. the shelter requested we not show their faces, and change each of their names, to help protect them. s,ey get a safe place to live with their familnd three meals a day. breakfast is eggs and black beans. 24-year-old "pedro" says he needs to staanonymous, because it could save his life. is it safe for you to go home? >> ( translated ): i had several properties in guatemala and here i am penniless. but to sell the things that i have there, i would have to go back to guatemala, and once i crossed the border, ey would kill me. >> reporter: he and his 24-year- old wife gaby are atemalan. she breastfeeds leti.
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that's 2-year-old heidi on the right. pedro says he's wanted by guatemalan gangs bause he helped law enforcement accuse gang members of kidnapping. they threatened gabby too. >> ( translated ): my husband arrived in mexico before me, and ane threats against me beg. they told me that if my husband did not return, then they wouldm kidaughter, and if not her, then me. they called me again, they told they sey were going to kill the two girls, or kidnap them.te >> rep would you prefer to stay in mexico, or do you want to go to the united states? >> ( translated ): if we're going to be here, they'll still find us. i do not want to lose one of my daughters, or my husband. translated ): if i ge asylum, that would be fine, but not here in mexico city. it needs ta little bit more north. if they reject my application, then i will have to em to another country, maybe to the united states. ef reporter: 23-year-old "lupita," on the is honduran. she too fled violence fromer
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withinwn home. >> ( translated ): i was getting death threats from the father of my children. because i had separated from him, and had a new relationship. then, i was threatened by both men. i had no option. i had to leave with my children. >> repter: her daughter 7- year-old "paulina" is safe here. but she's been out of school for a year. the only lessons she's learned, were on the migrant trail. >> ( outranslated ): i riske lives, knowing that anything could happen along the way. it took us four months to get here. the journey was traumatic. >> reporter: what's the trauma that you and your children have experienced? et ( translated ): they cry for no reason, and ses they can't explain why they feel sad. but i understand. >> reporter: still, she and so many here believe the journey's been worth it. lupita wants to get to the u.s. to give birth. she's six months pregnant. you want to go to the united states? >> ( translated ): that's where i have family, and where i would feel supported and secure. but then i heard about the
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separation of families and children. and my baby who's about to be rn, to be locked in a cage-- we don't deserve that. if i were separated from my child, that would terrorize me. because children are the lives. of their paren >> the violence is real. the situation with the lack of ability of the count the state, to protect people in ceral america, is real. >> reporter: gretchen kuhner works with refugees in mexico as the direor of the institute for women in migration. she says while refugees have closely watchethe trump administration's policies, long- term, no u.s. borderolicy can prevent people's interest in the u.s. >> maybe they're moving around in difrent ways or waiting because you know they are terrified to be detained andif they're ted to be separated from their families. but then after that, people start going toward the border again because ey're looking for the best situation for their families.n
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>> reporter:is sunday, "pedro," "gaby," and "leti" get ready and put leti in her nicest dress. they get in a local taxi, and head toward the center of mexico city. in another car, "paulina" and her brother "diego" are also heading downtown, mesmerized by the largest city they've ever seen. they walk through the business lestrict, "paulina" and "lupita," never ing go of each other. and they walk toward a they also consider a sanctuary. the basilica of our lady of guadalupe is one of catholicism's holiest pilgrimage sites.e, in hoth refugee families seek a respite from their fears of the future, and memories of the past. they don't know what's next. and so they pray for their children, and themselves. >> woodruff: and nick joins me now from mexico city. nick, we've heard so much about people from central america coming through mexo to get t the u.s. president trump makes it sound a iif mexi doing
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nothing to stop them, how is mexico handling it? >> i think president trump said it was almost like walking through central park to getme througico to the united states. and a lot of people here would t.sagree with tha with u.s. help mexico has increased attempts to try and stop central amerins from getting to the u.s. border, that means increased security, patrols and crackdown as long mexico's southern border. also crackdowns in arrests long ile my grant or refugee tra that these people use to get to the u.s. at the same time a lot of these people, central americans are choosing to stay in mexico. asylum cases are actually up seven times in the last few years. and on paper, the a-- asylum laws are much more again russ than they are in thes. you can apply based on againized olence an internal conflictment but at the same time i talked to a lot of these grants or refugees describing this route as perilous. theyave told me that they have been abused by mexican police.
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y havelso told me that the been attacked by gangs inside mexico or even from their own countr i in some way, judy, the refugee thras we heard from this that piece or in thse shelters are actually the lucky ones. >> woodruff: we heard the woman you interryud ien piece talk about she's concerned about u.s. policy about family separation. how much do these my grants follow whais going on in the u.s. what is said and done here? ly.very clo after the trump, after president trump was inaugurated, there wai actually a st decline in people trying to get to the states and border patrol officials at the time said that was a trump effect. but quickly thereafter that decline reversed and the numbers went back up. the experts i talk to say at the end of the day it is not a u.s. president or policy that will determine whether the central americans leave their homes and d get to the states. it is the conditions in the l places that the. and the people will risk this perilous journey to the north only if it is safe for them
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staying at home. >> nick schifrin in mexico city r us now, and al this week. thank you, nick. >> thank you. >> woodruff: turkey held its presidential and parliamentary elections yesterday. president recep tayyip erdogan won a new term, and as william brangham reports, erdogan is nos armed wieping new powers, cementing his status as turkey's preeminent leader. >> reporter: fireworks erupted over the turkish capital ankara as news spread last night of president erdogan's victory. >> ( translated ): the winner of this election is democracy, our hition. the winners of ts election are every one of the 81 million citizens. >> reporr: erdogan was first elected president in 2014, after 11 years as prime minister. on sunday, he won just shyf 53
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percent of the vote-- enough to avoid a runoff with opposition candidate muhareem ince, who finished distant second. ince ultimately conceded, but blasted erdogan. >> ( translated ): turkey has cut off its links with democracy. unfortunately it is understood that for a while longer we won't depend on rules and institutions. we have entirely transitioned to a one-man regime. >> reporter: erdogan's rulingd justice velopment party lost its majority in parliament, but will stay in power with a coalition partner. erdogan will now exercise sweeping new powers that were granted to the presidency in a referendum last year. chief among the changes: the position of prime minister isti eliminated, sh executive powers to the president. erdogan will get to appoint many judges and cabinet officials-- positions that were previously elected. d, he will also be allowed to serve for up to three new terms- - potentially, until 2032.ss >> he can ruletially
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unfettered, the opposition is quite concerned thatll use these new powers to rule pesentially unchecked to d authoritarianism in turkey. >> reporter: steven cook is a seniorellow for middle east and africa studies at the council on foreign relations. >> whout judicial review without parliamentary oversight erdogan can do what he wants how rk wants it in the name of the transformation of h society. turkey is one of the world's leading jailers of journalists in the world gng after academics who have voiced opposition to the governnt a whole range of people who don't agree with the government have faced legal jeopardy as a result. >> reporter: erdogan has already waged a sweeping campaign against dissent, largely in response to an attempted coup in 2016. his government has fired or detained more than 100,000 government officials, and shuttered dozens of newspapers d television stations. erdogan's record has caused
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friction between turkey and the european union, but ankara retains major leverage. >> there is one issue that is dutting a brake on european criticism of the c of this election and that is the presence of almost 3 million refugees in turkey.do n and other turkish officials have in the past threatened to essentiallyre unleasgees from the middle east on europe.ap they may notly accept this outcome but nevertheless they won't be too critical of erdogam and the new syn turkey. ld>> reporter: the same hotrue for the u.s. despite heated disagreement over america's kurdnh allies fighting isis i syria, steven cook says the trump white house will accept e status quo in turkey. >> as long as the united states can continue to fight the islamic state i think the conduct and outcome of turkey's election are of secondary at best concern for the trump administration. >> reporte president trump has praised the turkish leader, citing their great frienhip during a meeting in 2017.
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for the pbs william brangham. w oodruff: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: the struggle to protect gun owners who have dementia. it's politics monday. the continued immigration fight on capitol hill. and remembering the poet donald hall. but first, this term the u.s. supreme court was asked to weigh in on one long-running political debate. as amna nawaz explains, it's all about what is and isn't allowed when lawmakers draw electoral districts. >> reporter: over the past year, the supreme court-- in more than one case-- has tackledng gerrymande today, the court ruled on a case out of texas questioning whe rer the state ial discrimination when drawing four state district lines. "the national law journal's" marcia coyle joins me at the table.
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thanks for being here. >> pleasure. >> let's talk about the case toad, it's about a texasco ressional and legislateddive map, the allegation was it was challenged as racial gerree mandzerring, what did the court said. >> the court dividessed 5-4 along ideaological lines. juice alito joined by four conservative justices lead the court in the majority opinion. and the majority rejected a lower court's findings that texas had engagedin racial discrimination primarily against black and hisvopaniers in its 2013 redistricting map. justice alito said that the evidence of discrimination was insufficient to shoi that texas had-- the texas letuis which drew the map had bad faith or had engaged in intentional discrimination. >> so is that really a decision about whether or not this was racial gerrymandering? >> oh yes, absolutely.
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justice alito did say that there was ondistrict though that stood out as being racially gerrymt dered. and ths a state house district in which texas had argued we had to do it in order to comply with the federal voting rites actment ands tice alito said there wasn't enough evidence to show that they had to diskrim nice-- diskrim 2345eu9 ainst hispanic voters. >> justice society mier said-- sotomayor said quote the court today does great damage to that right of equal opportunity, not because denies the existence of that right but because it refuses its enforcement. that's pretty strong language.he >> it is, s very passionate when it comes to racialna discrion in voting or even in the criminal justice system. the dissenters that she lead really had a difference of opinion with the majority over what the lower court found,jf-ic
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justice tyñi meyer said-- somayor said they mischaracterized the findings and that there was ample evidence tt the texas legislature acted in bad faith and intentions ly diim natured. >> this isn't the only gerrymandering case, it is the only one dealing with rac the other two dealt with partisan gerrymandering. so where does today sort of fit to the landscape, the way the courts ruled. >> i really think it staons because the court has dealt with racial gerrymandering in many contexts over the years and decides these cases. the partisan gerry mannerring cases are different because the court has yet to am could up with a standard or a test to determine when politics goes too far, and violates the constitution in redistricting. so today they actually had ao case fromth carolina that was a challenge to north carolina's conessional map, a partisan gerrymander challenge. and they sent that back to the lower court saying reconsider
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this in light of a decision we made this month in a wises business case. and in that wisconsin e asagain the court didn't come up with a test. all it did basically was say what you have to show in order to get your foot in the courthouse door f you want to challenge part i san gerrymandering. so it offered a little bit of guidance but not a whole lot. >> very quickly now, the central question in this seems to be does the constitution forbid gerrymandering and if so where should the court draw the line, do we have an answer to that? >> no, we don's. and eally a question of when is part i sonship so-- part i sanship so extessive that it challenges the constitution. and many of these maps and cases will keep coming back to thcoe supremt until it does rule, or the basis of the challenges are violates the first amendment, your right of assoation, violates the 14th amendment, your right-- your right not to haveie your vote d lawsuited for part
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i san reasonsness-- partisan reasons. >> thanks for being here. >> my pleare a woodruff: now, the intersection of gu dementia. around half of all americans older than 65 live in a home with a firearm. and one in three sentizens dies with some form of dementia. by one estimate, by 2050 as many as 12 million people wit dementia may live in homes with guns. that is prompting doctors, researchers and family members to ask how to prevent a potential tragedy. john yang reports on this part of our partnership with kaiser health news. >> 9-1-1 where's your emergency? >> hi, this is dee hill. my husband just accidentally shot me. >> reporter: dee hill-- distress palpable in her voice-- called
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9-1-1 in may 2015. >> he shot you? okay, where are you injured at? >> in the stomach and he can't talk. please! >> okay, stay with me, we're going to get you some help. r reporter: dee's husband, darrell, was at hede, but unable to help. two years earlier, the former police chief, two-term sheriffd rtified gun safety instructor, was diagnosed with rapidly progressive dementia. b about a yearore the shooting, dee reluctantly took away his car keys. when he still insisted on drivin she sold the car.e when hnted to check on their guns, she locked them in theed safe in a sh behind the house and changed the combination. >> he asked me every day where are my gs. and i'd tell him, they're in the safe. "well, i want to see them."f
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i'd get him another subject and that worked for a while but then pretty soon he was just almost obsessive about seeing his guns. ha reporter: like many with dementia, darrell good days and bad days. after mother's day he was doing so well that dee relented. she took out the revolver he used for target shooting and the glock pistol he carried a sheriff, checked to see if they were loaded, and placed them on the table in front of his wheelchair. >> he reached for the pouch that it was in. knocked it on the floor. i bent down to pick up the pouch and just as i was coming up i heard the gun go off. >> reporter: she had ma round that had been left in the glock's chamber. was now lodged in dee's back. darrell's dementia was so advanced that he wasn't aware of what had just happened. >> he didn't realize the gun had gone off.it ust didn't even faze him. skand i convinced him, i a him to get me the phone. and he said why do you want the
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phone. who are you going to call. and i said, well i'm going to call the ambulance. >> reporter: for months, kaiser health news reporter jonel aleccia has led a team looking into the deadly combination of guns and dementia, uncovering dozens ostories like dee's from across the country, fily membs shot and even killed b loved ones suffering from dementia, as well as suicides by people with dementia, which experts consider an even bigger problem. >> we've found reports of people who were sleeping people with dementia sleeping with firearms under their pillows and then having to have the guns taken t away becauy were a danger to themselves or others. >> reporter: how widespread is this problem? >> you know, the interesting thing is that no one really knows. but what we do know is that people older than 65, about 45% of them live in homes with guns. and we also know that about one
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in 1people older than 65 has alzheimer's disease. and so the trajectory of those two numbers showthat there could be some concerns going forward. >> reporter:n dee hill's case, it had near-tragic results. she spent seven weeks in the hospital and had threeio oper. ost a kidney, part of my stomach, my colon. gae doctor said he took out everything but mbladder. >> reporter: darrell died a year after the shooting, never realizing, dee says, wd happened. >> he knew ias hurt, knew i s sick but he didn't have a clue why and i'm grateful for that. >> reporter: families with both a gun and a loved one with dementia in the household can find themselves facing some tough choices without of guidance. some find themselves making up as they go along. in eastern idaho, that's the approach delmar and verg scroughams take as they they try to avoid what happened to dee hill. delmar is a retired home- builder, known for his hobby
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restoring vintage carriages. his dementia diagnosis came in 2013. not long after, he decided on his own that he should stop driving. verg began to worry about their guns as his condition worsened, and he showed signs of aggression, a common symptom of dementia. >> one night he grabbed my arm. and if he cove got my left arm with my right arm held in his one hand he would have hit me. i have no doubt he would have hit me.my usband in his right mind would never lift a hand against me. never. >> reporter: and he wouldn't always recognize his wife of 45 years as he sat in his lounge chair-- beside a table where he kept a loaded pistol for protection. >> it's only time it hokpened that ihim up out of a sleep and he says, "well, who are you?" and i said, "well, i'm your wife."
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and then i started thinking about it that if he didn't know who i was. i feel that with those events happening that it was safest to take the gun. >> reporter: together, they agreed to sell or give away many of their guns, lock up the remaining rifles, and hide the revolver. >> i got a disease that it's going to end up killing me and you know i can turn bad and hurt somebo. >> reporter: was there anyone who was giving you advice guidance on this-- a doctor or a clergy? >> i never thought about the doctor bringing it up because the doctor doesn't even know we have guns. >> i think the role of ngysicians is really helpi families be aware of the issues that are going to be coming.te >> rep dr. emmy betz is an associate professor of emergency medicine at the university of
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colorado, boulder, a founder of the colorado firearm safety coalition. she studies >> so getting them thinking about all of the issues they need to address so firearms, driving, home safety, and access to power tools, and the kitchen and the gas stove. all those kinds of things. b >> reportez says many physicians wrongly believe they're prohibited from askingti their ts about firearms in the house. >> there is no state or federal law that prohibits health care providers from talking to patients or asking about firearm acss in the home. as a health care provideitmyself i thin really important. >> reporter: in fact, ere are few laws across the nation that deal specifically with the problem of dementia and guns no federal law that would bar a person with dementia from owning guns, unless a court rules them incapacitated.an just two states specifically mention brain diseases in their a n laws: hawaii prohibits someone with demenom owning a gun. texas simply prevents someone with a diagnosis from obtaining a public carry permit. >> it really comes back to thisa is something tfamilies are dealing with.
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it's not currently something that's going to be fixed by policy. >> reporter: 11 states currently have so-called "red flag" laws-- allowing authorities to mporarily seize guns from people deemed dangerous, including those with dementia. at least six other states are considering similar legislation. verg scrougham's advice: talk about the guns smen after e is diagnosed with dementia, so that the persona playle in deciding what to do about the >> have these discussions and mke these decions before your loved one no longer knows anything because that makes it more diffilt and it's more demeaning. i want to keep his dignity as long as we can and because i love him. he's my life. >> reporter: dee and darrell
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hill were married for 58 years. she felt she couldn't do anything with her husband's guns without his nsent while he was alive, but his condition deteriorated so ickly that she never had that conversation. after darrell died, she sold the guns. one is still waiting for the buyer to get a gun permit. she keeps it in the safe-- along with the bullet that lodged in her back. >> reporter: do you regret or have second thoughts about bringing the guns out that day? >> no. i mean that sounds stupid, but no, i don't. he spent darn near 40 almost 50 years in law enforcement and a gun was always with him and to deprive him of not even seeing them in my heart of hearts i't couleny him now, not any longer and regardless of the >> reporter: it's a dilemma that more families across the country will find themselves facing.pb for ths newshour, i'm john yang in the dalles, oregon.
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>> woodruff:s the immigration crisis continues, recent polling finds republican support for present trump is as strong a ever. it's politicmonday and susan page of "usa today" and stuart rothenberg of inside elections are here t is politics monday, susan, polling in just a moment but dfirst this wholeebate about immigratn continues to rage, the president doubling down on his zero tolerance poly. yes, he backed off on separating children from parents but he'sin taat this point about just sending people back from the border without a legal procedure. and other very tough steps. what doetethis pornds as congress prepared to figure out whether it's going to suppodi onction or another? >> we know congress is going to debate what to do. but we are pretty certainl
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congress wt decide to do anything. we think we'll have a votee tomorrow or eks day in the house. unlikely they'll get anything th tugh. impossibt something gets through the house and senate signed by the president so this is an issuee will be livi with this area. maybe it would take a decisive yection in november to t to sort out where americans would like to go on this issue. >> how do you see the calculus members of congres we talked to leonard lance, a moderate republican a little bip earlier in togram. he said he's for the so called compromise bill but then he's not for this notion of-- permanenermanently allowing children and families to be permanently detained. >> from republicanshey're between a rock and a hard place because they want to be loyal to the president, they know their voters a supporting the president. at the same time many of them are in swing districts and understand certain types of voters, particularly suburban voters suburban women arenc ned about the issue so they're trying to fudge testimony i think the democrats believe they have the upper hand on these issues.
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nd they're going to press them. let me say one thing, judy. this is classic donald 2ru6r7, c he doesne about process. he just cares about the yut come. he doesn't want judges and juries and he doesn't care about the rules. we have too many laws. let's just take them and get ri of them. and that is a problem for many voters who dislike the president t reminded them what they don't like. >> it is classic donald trump in another way n that what was the first issue he talked about,ci almost prly three years ago today when he came down that escalator and announc he was going to run for. it was immigration t was ssible way. so we should not be surprise thrad this is an issue to which he has returned now as he is facing the deterne election. >> and we're bringing up the democrats and can i pull theat demoas this next part of the question here, and that is new it polling showing the president's support among republicans-- republicans is higher than it has ever been. nearinll90%. in some ts 90% his support
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is up among independents. and some are suggesting that is is because as opponents lamb-base the president for whae s doing on immigration and other issues. his supporters are saying wait a minutek you've gone too far. i will hold to dontrump even more. >> two things, on one hand his support among republicans may reflect the fact that some republicans have already left the part and ty no longer-- republicans wdzh identifyse republicans. >> right. reflects part is it the deep division in the country. i can only say that, for republicans they have doubled down in support of the president because theyhink he's right in terms of public policy and seeology. but also there is se among republicans that the system is frozen. and you needed someone to come in and just rip it apart. you needed someone to desoy the establishment.
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and so they still see him as person who is taking on the national mdia, liberals, the democratic party and even the eolitical establishment in th gop. >> woodruff: how are you seeing trk susan. ame are saying it is a phenomenon that th greer his opponents are, the people who originally liked him arein ng to him. >> we've been saying the nation is polarized for years. we've gone beyond that i don'te think we hae words to describe the way people view one another on the two sdes. it's like we don't not only don't talk to each other, we have different responses but the 90% approval rating monday republicans, what a g safety t that is for donald trump. because for one thing it makesep congressional licans very leery about challenging him on anything. this has been a huge advantage for him that he has been able hold his core supporters. >> in connection and picking up on what you are saying about this incredible division that wh see right nowich gets even farther, the polls get even
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farther apart, to what we have even over the last few days people who are identified with the president, are being set upon when they go out to dinner, kristjen nielsen, in ara rest in washington, the president's press secretary sarah sanders was asked by the owner of a restaurant to ef loow maxiters democratic congresswoman from kl kal was, it's noted that she was telng democratic supporters to go out and confront people who support donald trump. and the proesidentday tweeted watch out what you wish for, xine waters, and we're showing here part of the tweet. he said this may, heaid be careful what you wish for. so in other words, the fight, the language gets tougher and it gets rougher. >> susan and have i been doing it a long time and you have been doing it a long time too, judy. >> woodruff: a long 250eu78. >> i thought back to the clinton era, bill clton and we all thought what a deep division
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there. because there was a cultural division, i did not inale, i did not have sex with that woman. and hillary clinton runninghe health-care plan, what a deep division, republicans really had all this anger.en and e had george bush and hanging chads and cat inna and iraq and and on, and obama. each time i thought it couldn't get any worse. i thought this was it, this was thepe dee split and every day it seems to get worse and there is no sign it will change. we'll have the mid terms and we will be in a presidential race and both parties will play to the base. hat does it say about our political discourse to talk to each other. >> i worry that we're just becoming frayed. in a way thatill be very hard to get back together. because the ture of a democracy is we-- you may disagree with someone but there will be some middle grund ton move forward issues, and we seem to have lost the ability to at.th and i'm not sure there is a way out of that unls ess votcide
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they want to go in some other direction. a certainly there won't b way out of it with this president. i think that we can be surof. maybe the next president will decide that he or she number one goal will be to bring the country together again but that will be quite a challenge. >> for now you're saying compromise is junat unimae with this president, is that what. >> i can imagine it but i can imagine a lot of weared things. in this case, no, it's not a realistic possibility, i'm afraid. >> i don't think you can see it from now until the mid terms. let's see what happens in the mid terms if there is decisive outcomes f democrats win the house and the snatd, does that lead us to more common ground, or does it just mean that the two branches of government will be more at odds with each other d investigating than the white house the way they are now. >> we are all struggling understand what is going on righnow. >> susan page, stu rothernberg, thank you both.
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>> woodruff: finally tonight, jeffrey brown remembers renowned writer donald hall-- widely considered one of the greatest poets of his generation. >> reporter: in 1975 donald hall came to live in the small new hampshire farm he'd visited as a boy, when his grandparents lived here. he told me of it when i visited in 2006. >> i'm incredibly lucky. i fell in love with this place o when i was eig10, and loved it, and loved the people in it, and loved the culture around it, loved the and valleys, loved the old houses, wike this one, white cobbe green shutters. nen i came back, i decided i'd been writing abo hampshire from a distance so wuch. now that back in new hampshire, i wouldn't write about it anymore. que the reverse: i went through everything. i wrote about all the old farm animals.
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i wrote about the hill everything about it stimulated me, and i had perhaps the most prolific year of my hen i first came back. >> reporter: there's a poem called "mount kearsarge." >> "mount kearsarge." "great blue mountain, ghosts. i look at you from the porch of the farmhouse where i watched you all summer as a boy. steep sides, narrow flat patch on top. you are clear to me, like the memory of one day. >> rorter: two of his best known books-- "without" and "the painted bed"-- are about hisnf most p subject: the death of his wife, poet jane kenyon, who died here of leukemia at age 47.th wa hard to do or was that helpful? >> it was helpful in any extreme. and writing her letters after her death gave me the only sort
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of happinesse day. i felt in communication with her somehow, not supernaturally, buc poly. it just happened. and every important thing in my life had found itself into poems. but though when she was sick, dying of leukemia, what else could i write about? >> reporter: hall was a prolific writer, in addition to poetry there were memoirs, essays, children's books, even two books about his beloved baseball. he served as u.s. poet laureate in 2006. among many other honors, he received a national medal of arts from president obama. and always, he was a writer of, and advocate for, poetry. >> poetry offers works of art that are beautiful, like paintings, but there are also works of art that embody emotion and that are kind of school for
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feeling. they teach how to feel, and they do this by the means of their beauty of language. >> reporter: donald hall died o cancergle pond farm in new hampshire on saturday. e was 89. >> woodruff: onlu can read a poem by the late author. that's on our web site: pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newt.our for toni on tuesday: new threats to ancient wonders on one of theot world's most rplaces: easter island. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> consumer cellular. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic
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performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundationui committed toing a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: pr >> thiram was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs. ♪
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♪ ♪ ♪ -today on "america's test kitchen," bridget and julia share the secrets to perfect thai cornish game hens on the grill. jack challenges julia to a tastingf tahini. and dan makes bridget a middle eastern staple -- grilled pita stuffed with lamb. it's all coming up right here on "america's test kitchen." -i've always been a big believer
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