captng sponsored by newshour productions, llc dr >> wf: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, the supreme court upholds the president's travel ban: how thef decision wilct u.s. immigration policy going forward. then. >> shame! shame! shame! >> woodruff: ...the st civil discourse in america after multiple trump administration officials are publicly shamed. and, culture at ri: a close-up look at the home of the famous moai statues. what's threatening easter island's surviva >> it is a very sensitive place so you're going have a signal relatively early on. from climate change. >> from oceans rising. >> exactly. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

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>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from vwers like you. thank you. w druff: president trump is tonight celebrating a signal victory on a signature policy of his. the united states supreme court today rejected challenges to his travel ban, aimed mainly at m mostlim nations. the decision was 5 to 4, with the court's conservative majority upholding any a president's wihority over immigration. amna nawaz begins our coverage with a reminder the ruling comes against a backdrop of many months of controversy. >> nawaz: the travel ban was

ong donald trump's first acts as president, and at the white house today, he laudedt he supreme coling that upheld it. >> a tremendous success.us a tremenictory for the american people and for our constitution. we have to be tough, and we have to be safe, and we have to be secure. >> nawaz: outside the supreme court, a different m >> no court decides the parameters of our community's humanity! >> nawaz: outrage, as politicians anactivists denounced the ruling, including one, who spoke about her family in syria being unable to visit the united states. >> they have already had to miss my graduation with my chelors tgree, my graduation with my master's program a day i married the love of my life. how many more life moments and milestones will they have to miss? >> nawaz: as a candidate, mr. trump proposed a blanket ban on all muslims from entering the country. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the

united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. >> nawaz: one week into his presidency, the first version of a travel ban became policy. there was outrage then, too, at airports acrthe country, where some foreign nationals were being detained after landthg in the u.s. first ban was wide-ranging, blocking most people from seven muslim-majority countries from entering the u.s.-- libya, sudan, somalia, yemen, iraq,ri sy and iran.t deral judges intervened to block the president's order. in response, the tru administration made adjustments, and rolled out a second travel ffn in march of 2017. that ban took iraqhe list, excluded green-card holders, and ople who already had val visas. but a federajudge blocked that ban too, prompting president trump to publicly attack the judge.

>> this is, in the opinion of many, an unprecedented judicial >> nawaz: the trump administration pivoted again, introducing a third travel ban in september of 2017. this time, sudan was taken off the list. but north korea, and a small number of people from venezuela were added to it. the administration also added chad, then dropped ifrom the list earlier this year. this third version of the travel ban is what the supreme court upheld today. a n already in effect, as justices had allowed it to remain in place while legal challenges were pending. for the pbs newshoa, i'm amna naz. chdf justice john roberts s their decision reflects the results of a worldwide review process undertaken by mul cabinet officials and their agencies. but liberal justices deced the ruling. here to explain both sides and the possible fut iure effecm joined by marcia coyle of the

"national law journal" and ganeh torbati, who covers immigration for the reuters news service. backe welcome both of you to the program. mash alet's start with you on what the justices said upon. ihe chief justices essentially upheld s, writing for the majority, saying the president has broad authority as pesident to determine what our immigration laws are, and he also wrote with discrimination. >> judy, this was a complicated case. >> and really urge people to read the opinions on the court's website. i'm going to boil it down to basically three questions the justices faced. one,a you just said, the majority found that president trump did not exceed his authity under federal immigration law. the key provision gave the president broad discretion, and exuded deference to the president. second issue-- did the tvel ban discriminate on the basis of nationality in the issuance of visas-- again until fedimal gration law.

there, the court said there was no limit on the president's discrion. and the majority pointed to president reagan, who blockedgr imion of cuban nationals; president carter who suspended visas of iranian nationals. and he said that if majority-- if hawaii's arguments had prevailed, a president would be unable to respond, say, even to stop noncitizens from co cng into tntry from a region that was experiencing an epidemic, or wh wen weere on the verge of war. finally, did the policy violate the first amendment's tablishment clause by discriminating on the basis offings are? here hawaii relied very heavily on the president's campaign and postelection statements to show that there was anti-muslim bias. the majority saied, okay, 're going to look beyond the text of this policy, and see, even considering those statements, is

there a legitimate purpose served by this policy? and majority said there is. the purpose of this policy is to prevent inay dequatetted noncitizens from coming into the united states, and, also, to induce couries to improve their practices. >> woodruff: but not finding that it was discrimination based on nationality or religion. >> that's right, exactly.dr >> wf: so, marcia, you mentioned what the chief justice wrote in a conicurring nion, another conservative justice, anthony kennedy, though, did single out president trump and his dmarks. >> hdn't mention him so much by name. i sort of characterize it as a slap on the wrist because he spoke directly about religious tolerance and how important it was for government officialses to adderess rligious tolerance, support religious tolerance, noo only withr borders but as a nation that leads d.e wo and the chief justice also mentioned this as well. he talked about how early in our

story, presidents did speak about religious tolerance. he went all they back to president george washington. >> woodruff: and just quickly, before i go to yeganeh, in the dissenting opinion, yo had both justice breyer, who spoke from vhe bench, and justice sotomayor, who gan impassioned statement that wento for what, you said, 20 minutes. >> from the bench, yes. >> woodruff: and there she did single out president. she did. and what was so affecting about it was she read each of theid prt's statements that the wedllengerchallengers had said o anti-muslim bias, one by one, repeating the president's name, "tump, trump, tr," and pausing and saying, "consider the gravitas of these statements, and that these statements are being made by the current president of the united states." she said theavel ban was religious discrimination masquerading as national security. justice breyer went off on a different issue-- waivers.

and i think yeganeh is going to address that.i he woulde to have sent case back to the lower court to get evidence of whether the deral government is applying waivers i the way says it is. he said if it isn't, that's further evidence of religious discrimination. >> woodruff: so, yeganeh, let's pick it up there, and look at what the immediate efect of this ruling is. >> so the immediate effect is bee policy that's been in place since around decis going to move forward. you'll remember the supreme court allowed the travel ban to go forward in full effect in eay december, pending its final ruling. and so we've seen now over the last few monththe evidence of what the full, you know, travel ban will look like in practice. what that look likes -- i had calculated some of the numbers the state deparent has been issue, regular visa numbers in terms of how many the issuing. and under the five countries covered by the travel ban are receiving somethg like an 88% drop in the number of

nonimmigrant visas, compared tio ime last year and a 94%, 95% drop in te number of immigrant visas, issued to family mebers of . citizens and the like. >> woodruff: where will that leave those countries go forward? >> for now, it looks like the country will remain on the ban. feist cotries lested either have no relationship with the united states, and it seems unlikely that they are goingoo wantmprove their information sharing with the united states. iran and syria ae fairly hostile relationships with the united states. and libaya, smllia, yemen have massive internal conflicts. their governments right now, that's not their focus to improve security information sharing with the united states. they have civil wars and likeg happen home. >> woodruff: just quickly, for people seking legal asylum in the united states from those countries, how does ths affect that? >> so the refugee restrictions are a little bitar sepe from this travel ban. during the first iteration they were very much connected, but

eventually the administration did separate those. separately, we are seeing regee numbers drstically lower than they were in previous years, and even too low to hit the cap tht d been set by the trump administration last year. >> woodruff: just quickly, referring backato wht marcia said about justice breyerab writint the waivers. what's the significance of that? >> so the trump adm nits own proclamation and in before the supreme court, repeatedly relied on th issue of waivers saying that, you know, this travel ban is tailored. if you have a sinigcant need if, for instance, you have a medical emergency or if there's reuly significant need for to be in the united states, we will consider that application and we will-- we could issue a waiver. but we've talked to dozens and dozens of lawyers of people rom these countries, of advocates, and they all to a "t" t sayis waiver process is very opaque. it is unclear how many waiverst are lly being issued. and even people who have l need-- fo medi instance, we covered a case of a man in boston who needed his

brother from iran to come and be a bone marrow donor-- he had not been issued a waiver until e we wrout the story and then two days later, that happened to him. and so it's very unclear what this process is. >> woodruff: just filly, yeganeh, you have been following the reaction throughout the muslim american community and the comunities representin those countries. and as we heard, there's been a very strong reaction from may democrats. what are you picking up today? >> i think people are disappointed. they feel-- members of these communities of iran americans,ca libyan ame-- et cetera-- feel they are a part of this country. and, you know, they were able to come here because the was no ban in place, and they established their lives here in the unit states, and they feel like this ban discriminates against them. and they don't bate argument that it's based on national security. they feel like it's sowrt of a musl ban in dsguise. >> woodruff: on the other side, people supeporting pretty position are applauding it today. >> judy one smotall-- small point but one other point about the decision today.

the court didn't se the magic words "overruled"ut it did make it clear the decision of the supreme court back in 1944, upholding the internment of japanese americans-- koramatzo versus the united states-- had no place in the law or constitution of the united states. that's something the descendants of japanese americans have wanted the court to say forye s, and they finally said--it ronically, because many of the descendants had filed an amicus brief in the travel ba case asking the court to strike it down bechausey saw parallels in the koratzo case. >> woodruff: that infims decision coming after all these years. thank you both. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, republican leaders in the u.s. house of representatives called a vote r tomorrow on an immigration bill , but they acknowledged it might fail. the bill wou give young migrants a chance at citizenship, fund a border wall

and keep migrant famil together if they enter the u.s. illegally. house speaker paul ryan said it contains the "seeds of consensus," but he would not predict passage. >> we made it tremely clear, we want to keep families together and we want to secure the border and enforce our laws. our government, because of a court ruling or a law, should not be forced to choose between keeping families together and securing the border and enforcing our laws. ee should be able to do all of those and that is legislation that we are supporting and proposing. >> woodruff: meanwhile, the family separations issue sparked new protests. demonstrators in los angeles blocked a street ahead of remarks by u.s. attorney general jeff sessions. the secretary of health and human services, alex azar, said today more than 2,000 migrant children are still in his department's custody. and, 17 states, all with democratic attorneys general, filed suit to force immediaten reunificat separated families.

new fighting in southern syria has driven up to 50,000 people from their homes. that's according to united nations officials. the refugees are fleeing as government forces push deeper into rebel-held areas in thees sout the government of turkey has resumed its political crackdown, foipowing president recep ta erdogan's re-election. the state-runews agency reports warrants have been issued for 138 peoe. they're suspected of ties to an opposition cleric now living in the u.s. meanwhile, turkey says president trump spoke with erdogany phone today, and congratulated him on his victory. in iran, there were ts for a third day in tehran against a crumbling currency and surging inflation. but president hassan rouhani blamed the troubles on u.s. sanctions. rouhani told a meeting of judges that the u.s. is waging "economic war," but he insisted it won't succeed.

>> ( translated ): america, or any other enemy, if it wants to defeat the iranian nation, must first destroy iranian's hopes for the future and their trust. but this is a proud nation that has stood up for its values throughout history, and is ready to give its life and blood for islam and iran. >> woodruff: last month, president trump withdrew the u.s. from the 2015 nuclear deal with iran, and is set to reimpose sanctions. back in this country, a wildfire in northern california grew again overthght and now reatens 600 homes and other buildis. the pawnee fire is burning 70 miles northwest of sacramento. more than 230 firefighters are battling the wind-driven flames. the s. justice department reports women are under- representein key jobs across four major law enforcement agencies. the report lookeat the f.b.i., the drug enforcement administration, u.s. marals service and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives.

women madep just 16% of criminal investigators, and held s few executive positions, 2016.en prestrump berated motorcycle maker harley- davidson again today for shifting production overseas. the company says it's trying to sidestep european tariffs that answered u.s. tariffs on steel and aluminum. but in a series of tweets, the president said harley is "just using tariffs/ade war as an excuse." and on wall street, the dow jones industrial average gained 30 points to close at 24,283. the nasdaq rose 29 points, and the s&p 500 added six. still to come on the newshour: waii's democratic senator on the immigration debate in pngress. banking ce: real estate prices spike near the china, north korea border. white house officials subject to public shaming-- we delve into the nation's political divide.d

ch more. >> woodruff: we turn now to capitol hill. where, as congressional correspondent lisa desjardins reports, there's new fallout after today's supreme court decisions and the ongoing immigratn debate. >> desjardins: while house republicans struggle on aig compromise ition bill, members of the senate are showing more signs of bipartisship, but it might not be enough for a solution to the immigration battle brewing on the hill. senator mazie hirono is a democrat from hawaii and the only immigrant currently serving in the senate, having come to the u.s. from japan as a child with her mother and brother. senator hirono, we're going to talk about immigration and child waseparation, but, first, to start with the news of the day, the decision by the supreme court on the president's travel ban. you've had some very strong words, comparing this tthe

koramatso decision. chief justice john roberts wrote in the decision that he said ita wholly inapt to liken that to this one toy. is he right? >> i am not the only one making the comparison. in fact, justice sotomayor, in her dissent, also likened this cision to the koramatzo, which was also justified on the basis of national security. that iwhat the president i saying regard his muslim ban-- or ateast that's the argument being made-- even though during the campaign and even after, dee t very plain he was very overt about wanrng to pevent muslims from coming to this country. and they cleaned it up in the third iteration, or fourth iteration, of his muslim ban, but it's stul a muslim ban. d you not supreme court has handed him, basically, wideo powerso whatever else he

wants. just call it national security. they hill not go b the words of the executive order itself, to raise the kind of issues where our president in this case, ased not by the dissents. >> senator, many republicansay it's not a muslim ban. but i want to talk to you about the other issue going on right now, and that's on child and family separation. and you have a unique personal perspective on this. do you mind telling us the sto of your younger brother. >> well, when i was brought to this country by m mother when i was about seven. my older brother, who wasine, came with us. and my mother had to leave my youngebrother, who w only three years old at the time, because she was escaping an abusive marriage, and she would be our soul breadwinner. she brought the two older kids-- use beuse we could go t school, and there was nobody to take care of my younger brother who was too young to to school. ther neverger bro overcame the trawmav that separation. and he would ask mywh

grandparents raised him during this period, every single day, looking at our ctures, "when are they coming home?" it broke my grandmother's heart, and i still get emotional talking about it now i. know the trauma that separation creates, and this is what the president did to 2400 children. and then not too long after, basically he's saying, "never mind," as though it makes i all go away. and, by the way, there's still chaos as to how thisti administ is going to reunite all of these children with their parents. it's just unconscionable and cruel. but he takes no responsibility for it anntd he ues to blame ierybody else, takes no responsibility f >> this is a heartbreaking situation. t yourry sorry for wha brother went through. the question is what does congress do now? and it seems thalit repns in congress are moving toward ld detainhat wo families together. how do you feel about that? >> well, you know, wht, detention, what is that? and for indefinite periods of

time of time? that's also unconscionable. and the boom line is, it is the erroneous policy to begin with. it's the zero tolerance. that means everygle person who could be prosecuted, it could be hundreds of thousands of people whoneed to be prosecuted criminally. there is no justification. there is no national security justification for that. it is thawrnd lying policy that led to the children being separated from hirents to begin with, and that is nowle ing to mass detentions to facilities that we don't eve have. and so ne now the military is coming up. reminiscent of what happened to the japanese amerricans ding world war ii. laura bush said we cannot repeat that kind of unconscionable action toyat des the lives of all those japanese american families. >> are you concerned, if democrats do not compromise in

along witdo not go the idea of family detention, the presidentas indicated he will, perhaps, separate families again. are you willing to take thatri by not agreeing to the republicans' idea? >> you know, the queision should bee willing to take that risk? he's already gotten a lot of angry people-- this is the reason that he backed uve. is he willing to take that risk? why is it always put on other people? why does he not take rer sponsie e chaos that he, helms, created? so i say to the president undo what did you. you know, border secur done in many different ways, but you have chosen the cruelest way to do it. and this does not have to be. why put it on other people? i ask you the same question, lisa. >> senator mazie hirono of hawaii, thank you. >> thank you.

>> woodruff: as the nuclear showdown with north korehas eased, there is economic optimism growing in the north's most important all china, and especially on its border with north korea. investors have srted speculating in the property market, and local businesses are hoping for a windfall. special correspondent katrina yu reports from the chinese port city of dandong, on the yalu river separating china and north korea. >> reporter: north korea, as seen from boats setting sail from china's border city o dandong. this week, thousands have taken these half-hour tours, offering tourists a glimpse of life in one of the world's most secretive, and closed, countries. from all across china, visitors e flocking to this port city,is toric hotspots, like the remains of a bridge built durinw the kore, used by chinese

soldiers to join forces with their north korean comrades to fight south korea and the americans. last year was marked by weapons tests and fears of conflict, but here in dandong today, they no longer view north korea as a war zone, t as a travel opportunity. >> ( translated ): i'd like to see how different it is, what the people are like, and try the food of course! >> ( translated ): the relationship is progressing positively i think, ry friendly, friendship forever! >> reporter: it's a cue being taken from the very top. president xi jinping hted north korean leader kim jong-un, for the third time in three months, this visit following chinese state media are touting strengthening ties, kim's new focus on the economy and his willingness to learn from beijing's brand of socialism, with chinese characteristics.

and that road ahead is paved with gold, at least according to atoperty investors. dandong real estprices have doubled in recent months. the main selling point? these are north-facing properties north korea facing, that is, and a front-row seat to its ible economic opening. providing more entertainment and dining options, real estate developers here are trying to create a sort of dandong riviera, but the real highlight is over there a view of north korea. ngnew developments are booll over dandong, one of the most popular: singapore city. named for the city-state where trump and kim held their summit. first built in 2008, it's proving a fortunate coincidence: apartment sales quadrupled in the lead up to the historic meeting. sold mostly to weahy speculators from china's south, betting on the north soon

opening up. sales agent luan gui hong says it's bad news for locals, suddenly squeezed out of the property market. >> ( translated ): politics defini people are watching these developments. i was speaking on the phone with one property owner who told me "trump and kim signed an agreement, i c't sell for so cheap!" >> reporter: mr. trump's meeting with kim has helped boost prices, but here it's beijing's relationship with pyongyang which really counts. ties reached a low pointate last year, after china enforced ntited nations sanctions against north korea for uing its weapons testing. dandong's friendship bridge, the main thoroughfare for those trading in seafood, textiles ant r goods, is today mostly a quieis this food factory restrictions also hit hard on dandong's korea street, a shopping area popular with north korean traders. but after months of slow sales, business has improved in recent weeks. while sanctions remain in place, analysts say they're being

implemented less stringently. >> as long as north korea is not disturbing t peace that's good enough and china is willing to see denuclearization as a long- term goal. the actual rigor with which china is inspecting cuoms at the border, to what extent police cracking down on smuggling, to what extent there is enforcement of sanctions - it's pretty clear thataxed quite a bit. >> reporter: when we visit helen zhou's beauty and health store. she's serving a woman from pyongyang. only the most privileged from the d.p.r.k. can afford to shop here. >> ( translated ): more northco koreans arng back, many more than we had last year. >> reporter: make-up and vitamins are top sellers, luxury goods for north koreans. should north korea open its economy, the opportunities for local business owners would be

endless, she says. >> ( translated ): they don't know athing about modern society. they would need us to go there and educate them about new toducts. >> reporter: but optimism isn't shared by all. many shopkeepers refused to speak to the newshour. one local was all too happy to s explain whing many are exhausted by the drama playing out on the world stage. >> ( translated ): these leaders, in america and north korea, so frequently, they're unreliable! we just want pce. everyone wants peace. that's the main goal. >> reporr: despite the positivity over property and from the press, those in dandong understand that banking on north korea is a gamble. but if sanctions are lifted and the closed cntry does open up, it will be seen and felt first here by the new yalu river idge. the $330 million project stands

half completed, abandoned following funding disagreements with the north. there are rumors that construction on the bridge willr sotart and eventually connect dandong with not only pyongyang, but south korea's capital, seoul. it's a hope the city has invested in.ar the roadbuilt, shop-spaces ready. for now, all that's left to do is watch, and wait. for the pbs newshour, i'm katrina yu, in dandong, china. >> woodruff: stay with us, ming up on the newshour: saving easter island: climate change threatens a historic site. but first, president trump's policies, and his comments and tweets, have sparked a new waveo

of protests aning anger. but as william brangham reportsa it's alsed some to wonder if the protests are going too far. >> if you see anybody fr that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. and you push back on them. and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere. >> brangham: congresswoman maxine waters has become the latest leading voice in the resistance to president trump, most recently protesting the administration's controversial zero-tolerance immigration policies. the president, a self-described counter-puncher, pushed back on twitter, calling waters, "an extraordinarily low i.q. person." adding: "she has just called for harm to supporters... of the make america great again movement. be careful what you wish for." those supporters were in full force at a rally in south carolina last night. >> they're only good at one thing. what's that term?

resist. it's the party of maxine waterse do you b her? if brangham: last night on msnbc, waters cld that her calls for protest are not calls for violence. rm>> i did not call for haor anybody. the president lied again. >> brangham: this back and forth is just the latest in an escalating debate over political discourse and just how far is o far. activists have alignedith waters' strategy, openly confronting some administration officials who implement defend the president's immigration policies. last week, homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen was shouted out of a mexican reaurant. protesters also rallied outside nielsen's home, and the home of trump adviser stephen miller. over the weekend, white house press secretary sarah sanders was asked to leave a virginia

restaurant by the owner who said her staff felt angry over the impact of the president's policies. >> we're allowed to disagree, but we should be able to do so freelynd without fear of harm. and this goes for all people, regardless of politics. >> brangham: some democrats in congress, including house leader nancy pelosi and s chuck schumer, have urged more civility and a different kind of action. if you disagree with a politician, organize yllow citizens to action and vote them llt of office. but no one should or the harassment of political opponents. at's not right. at's not american. >> brangham: but waters and others point out thaident trump has his own history of inflammatory statements, some of which they say encourage violence: >> i'd like to punch him in the face, ll tell you that. don't hurt him, but if you do, i'll pay your legal fees. >> brangham: theresident's musings are so frequent, the "new york times" has tcked

"472 people, places and things donald trump has insulted on twitter." so, is there a point where these public protests go too far? or are these moves the appropriate response to policies that have crossed their own boundaries? to explore these questions, i'm joined by quentin james. he's the founder of the collective pac, which is working to increase african-american representaon in elected offices. chris buskirk is a radio host in phoex, and editor of the conservative blog american greatness and former pennsylvania governor ed rendell, a longtime and prominent voice in the democratic party. gentlemen, thank you all for being here. quentin james, i would likeo start with you first. sarah sanders gets asked thief a restaurant. protests are occurring outside kirstjen nielsen's home. these protesters seem very angay t what they are protesting. what do you make of all of this? >> i think it's great. it's great for our country. it's great foremocrats. listen, the administration is,

you know, in fhe midst working on critical issues that are affecting people's real lives. we are removing children from their parents at the borders. we are, you know, talking about taxes that are benefiting the rich. and, you know, we're talking about n.f.l. players and the inability to protest, and even today, the muslim ban. these are real issues that get to the core of american values. so i think it's a great show of where the cotry stands, where america really is on these issues, and, you know,nt to see more of it. >> brangham: chris buskirk, i know you're a suppter of the president. what do you make of these very publicnsrotests agmembers of the administration? well, i'll tell you more than a supporter of the president-- which i am and happy-- and happy to say so-- i am a supporter of civil discourse. and that is what i see beinga degradedily by the advocacy of unrest, amd in soe cases of

violence by the left. we looked-- we looek at th sarah sanders incident at the restaurant ivirginia the other day. this wasn't the owner politely asking her to leave saying, i don't want to serve you here. this was the owner chasing her family across the street to where they were trying to eat another meal. look, if democrats think that's good politics, then i say we'll see you in november, because it ju and it degrades what we're trying to accomplish as aun y, fellow citizens that want to govern themselves according to our expraens not according to our passions. ham: ed rendell, what do you think this? does it degrade the public discourse or some meaningful, vigorous democracy at work? >> well, i think you have to draw a line. if people protest outside a governmental office, outside the senate chamber, the house chamber oh, at a town meet where a public official is called as rt of his or her business, that's absolutely appropriate

and fair and the left shouldo it and the right should do it, because that's our god-given rights as americans. but to interfere with someone's private life when they're going out with the family somewhere, that is uncivil dscourse, and it rezowndz to the detriment of the people who are doing it. and i agree with chris-- if we keep doing this-- and we're not alone in doing it. thright has certainly done it-- if we keep doing this it's going to fire up the rep wlican base iys that nothing positive can, and it's going to make wcnning the election mh more difficult. but i want to say one thing: the peon who could solve this and who bears the greatest responsibility for creating these-- this type of viciousness is the president himself. because he has been the most vicious, the most insulting, the most degraigdz of all the commentators, whether they be fromthe left or the right. and the president doesn't understand that i think the sident one job of the pr of the united states is to set a moral tone for the country.

and the president should sy "stop it. people who support me, stop it.e peho are against me, sto p it. we've got to get together and move this country an forward and we're not going to do it by shouting hateful things at each other." ,>> brangham: quentin jam pick up on what ed rendell said. he argues if you want to protest, protest outside ant governuilding. don't confront someone at a restaurant, don't go to their home. >> listen, i corempletelpect governor rendell, but i disagree, and here's why. we saw during the civil rights movement, when african americans were told, don't march," you know, "don't protest." and we saw congressman john lewis, at the time, geting beat in the head bloody with a billy club by police who were, you know, supposed to be there to protect and serve. but if we fast forward today, i think we're hearing similar things. it is totally lawful-- folks are not breaking the law by raising

their voices and showing up, whether they're at movie theaters or restaurts or even to someone's home. these individuals are public officials, or they work for a public officia the public is expressing their feelings and showing again the true american values of freedom of speech, the true americanalue of acount, of justice. we are literally, again, talking about banning muslims in this country today with the supreme court's ruling. we are talking about ripping s andren from their famil from their mothers and fathers' arms. this isn't a conversabout civility. this is about life and death for many people. sohis is, in my opinion, justifies. and, again, if democrats want to win in november, we need to see more of this. we're talking about not the trump ters we need to be persuading, but a lot of democrats who didn't hear enough from use or se enough us from in 2016, those are the folks we want to see turn out in november and agen i think we need toe more of this work. >> brangham: chris buskirk, i know youisagree with this type

of action-- but p lett the shoe on the other political foot. let's imagine the citances were changed, and there was someone in the white house you vehemently disagreed with, someone who thought you policies were chipping awayv interest foundation of thisr ountry, and ny on the left who are protesting, ripping children from their parents at the bordea fitsbill. let's say someone of doing those actions that you really disagreed with, wht would d you? what would you urge your supporters to do? >> i would urge my supporters and this exact same thing we would try to do today-- which iw try n the argument. try to wint political debate, convince peorie why you're t, and take that to the ballot box. that is the system that we have, and it's the only stainable system if we want to live in a soeeety that values frm or justice. the idea that by-- the idea that by breaking that boundary between the public and the private some nsme waydvances the public good, i think it is

self-evidently false. and i don't see quentin putting his home address out on twitter right now asking people who disagree with him to come by his house-- norshould he. norshould he. >> it's not about diesagreement. people are literally making policy that impacts peopn's lives. i't a public official, so you're right, i'm not going to put my address on twitter for folks to come to my house and show me, you know, what they believe. this isn't did bdisagreements on ideology. this is about, again, banning people from coming to thi country because of their religious background. this is about banning children and rengmohildren from their parents who seeking asylum, coming herislawfully. s not about a civil discourse. and leto,'s, alsot forget, this is the same party, the same individuals who were hangi up obama efgeez by nooses in 2010. these are folks who showed up at congressional town halls in 2010 tomatic rifles.

these are folks who are wearing "make america greagot" hatsing into our schools and churches is and killing people. so this isn't about the left i turning to violence. no, this is about-- >> i remember june 14, 2017, when a left-wing activist showed up at a basmoall dia and started shooting at a bunch of republan congressmen. that's what i remember. >> and that's-- >> brangham: gentlemen, can i interrupt for a second. ed pendell i'd like to yock up on this issusue becae sms of this is something the president indicated in his criticism of maxine waters. he said she was calling for violence. she said absolutely not. do you believe, as some do, that this is a slippery slope that could lead to violence? >> look, quentin is wrong, and chris is wrong in part. and i say tht in deference to civil discourse. but they're wrong in prt because, chris, part of the constitution gives us the rightp otest. not just vote. and i agree with you, we should

vote. but we also have the right to protest. but that protest should be done nay cent way outside of government buildings, at town meetings, where it's part of the public dynamic. it shouldn't be visited on people when they're doing hopping inings like a supermarket or eat naig restaurant. and, quentin, ifyou think this helps us win the election, you're crazy. i have had a lot of independent, people who were tending want to vote democrat for congress saying i'm not going to vote democrat or republican. both sides suck. and this type of act backfires on us because it doesn't do anything to help us, and it fires up the republican base, and they're going to come out in droves. whereas, a month ago they were dispiritedispirited and they wet going to come out. we were gog have a 10% lead in turnout. but bottom line is, if this country is ever going to solves, its proble have to do it together. have to do it together. we're never going to have 61 votes in the senate, e house and the presidency again.

you're not going to be able to get things doe unless we try to work together. and the more that we have this hateful stuff, the more difficult it becomes for us to do anything. if we don start doing things together, we're going down the tubes. brangham: gentlemen, i' sorry, we have to end it there. ed rendell, quentin james, chria buskirk, t you all very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> thanks. >> woodruff: finally tonight: what humans build, what humans destroy. jeffrey brown takes us to a magical spot in the south pacific for his series, "culture at risk." >> brown: it's one of the most spectacular sights in the world: the 15 giant statues, some as tall as 40 feet, at tongariki on easter island. the island, called "rapa nui" in

e polynesian language, i considered one of the most remote inhabited spots on earth, some 2200 miles from the coa of chile. the statues, called "moai," are said to portray the rapa nui ancestors, and evoke history and mystery. u.c.l.a. archeolist joanne van tilburg has worked here for more than 35 years. me they're friends in a lot of ways. to me they're frustrating andff upsetting and ult, but-- >> brown: because? >> because they elude me sometimes. >> brown: the statues were made from around 1100 to 16 a.d., from hardened volcanic ash t callf, and most were carved here in the rano raraku quarry. where van tilburg and her rapa nui colleague christian arevalo pakarati have been excavating two statues, while they document the more than 1000 others around the island. >> once the rapa nui people discovered this material, i

think the process and the progress of carving increased ry quickly because it's a remarkable material, wonderful for sculpture. >> brown: the people who carved them arrived here fris pacific nds to the west, beginning as early as 940 a.d. the rapa nui people survived anh thrived-population may have reached 15-20,000. but something, or things, happened. just what is still much debated. an over-use of resources, g cutting down forests, the importation of seed-eating ratsn the polynesian canoes, civil wars among the people here that left the moai toppled, all the statues we see standing on ceremonial sitesoday have been restored since the 1950's. this one by the famed plorer thor heyerdahl. finally, the coming of europeans: first on easter day in 1722, thus the island's name. easter island became a symbol of what humans can achieve, and

then destroy. and it is once again today. the new threat: climate change. laura gallardo directs the center for climate and resilience research at the university of chile. >> easter island is already interesting because it's a sentinel of changes. >> brown: a sentinel of change, meaning what? >> that you can learn about the changes that are going on. it is a very sensitive place so you're going to have a signal relatively early on. from climate change. >> brown: from oceans rising. >> exactly. >> brown: stronger surges andne stormswave and wind patterns: everywhere you look,al signs of coarosion. unlike some pacific islands, much of rapa nui is on higr ground. the windswept plains and extinct volcanoes, like the breathtakink ra crater that dot this extraordinary landscape.

the more immediate problem here: most of the moai and ahus-- the platforms they were built on, were set along the coast, where they face batterg seas. rael rapu has worked with archeologists here for decades to survey and restore sites. at runga ba'e he showed us a statue, now face down onhe ground, that had fallen into the sea and been raised out by crane. to protect this site, rapu and a team re-enforced the cliff with tons of rock.tr >> ( slated ): it is very difficult because we have to get the big rocks that weigh thousands of pounds and we have to bind and tie them togher in place. unfortunately, today we see these sites are deteriorating rapidly and we do not have the funds to restore them. >> brown: the statues, petroglyphs, and other archeological artifacts here, more than 30,000 in all, are the island's economic lifeline.

tourism has taken off, with morh 100,000 people a yearsi ving an island with a population of just 6000. that's brought new money, but also new pressures on this resource-strapped island that must import almost everything consumed. climate change adds another >> you have to look at rapa nui a big, open-air museum >> brown: the whole island. >> the whole island. >> brown: pedro edmunds paoa is the longtime mayor of hanga roa, the island's one town. er traces his ancestry to the people who settledand built extraordinary sites such as orongo, a ceremonial llage high above the pacific. it wasacred ground in the past and it's still magical today. but the mayor has ason to fear the future. >> orongo is a very special site. it's the last part of our ancient culture, the last changes of theulture. it's in danger because it's

right on the top of a cliff 400 meters steep. and this cliff is on the south the ocean rises, there's more waves hitting that bottom part of the cliff. sso as it hits, the cliff getting, it's going in. that's a huge engineering thing that we need to design quickly to protect that. >> brown: do you have the resources to do that? >> we don't have the resources. it's millions and millions of u.s. dollars. >> brown: in the midst of allna thral and built beauty, it can be easy to overlook the people who did all this. ak>> i think that's the miwe do sometimes. we're just thinking of the statue, and we forget man part. >> brown: rapa nui archeologist sonia haoa says the key to understanding life here is adaptati to survive even as the environment and culture changed. the volcanic rock everywhere, for example, was used to form agricultural gardens.

il>> first is to keep the >> brown: the hold the soil. >> they hold the soil. and nutrients from the rocks. and humidity protection, temperature. >> brown: by the 1860's, after western contact brought disease and enslavement, the indigenous polation here fell to just 111. today, rapa nui people run local businesses and some send their children to the mainland and abroad for college. there's a continuing struggle for greater autonomy from the chilean government, which has t controllhe island since 1888. and, as we saw at the ¡heritage day' celebration at the island's sole archaeological museum, a continuing effort to pass along musical and other traditions. th1e are also artists, like year old bene tuku pate, holding onto the artistic waysf the past.

a master carver of wood ands stone, he ses sculptures here and abroad. >> ( translated ): this is the art of my land, my ancestor's ngart and i have to keep dt this way, it also important to when i create the statues i often think that the moai are alive! they show me the form the wood should take. >> brown: christian arevalo pakarati, who's worked for decades with jo anne tilburg, is also an artist and graphic designer, a skill heto use in documenting the condition ofe the st his initial sketches, in the field, aim to capture what he calls a feeling.en ou're looking at the statues do you see personality? >> well certainly yes. they really represent the faces of the ancestors. actually there are many featursi out there, o. i'm talking about these which are really like what you see in the town, in the street. brown: people today. >> same nose, long ears, whatever. some of these statues look like they are smiling, even when they

are like a kind of straight line as a mouth. they seem like they are smiling like people. tr brown: arevalo pakarati and van tilburg are noning a new generation of rapa nui to document and help preserve the statues, including with the limited use of chemicals to hold the rock together. and they're creating a digital archive with detailed information on every statue andr fact on the island, now with new urgency. >> it became very clear to us inat if we didn't keep at this no one else was to do it. and it also became clear to us that we were losing the detail that we had been documenting. so each time we would go back and revisit one of the statues, we wou find that it had changed. the environment had changed it. >> brown: what kinds of decisions have to be mad how do you prioritize these versus those, the ones you see all around the island? >> that's the crux of the matter, you've hit exactly the right question. i think the biggest threat to the statues today is that the community is required to

mobilize itself, to make decisions about what they want to do and how they want to do it, and do it rather quickly. >> brown: sunset at tahai, on rapa nui's western shore: a once-in-a-lifetime place to ponder both human achievement and folly. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown on easter island. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. 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: >> the ford foundation. workeg with visionaries on th frontlines of social change worldwide.

>> carnegie corporation of new york. supporti innovations in ucation, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. ra >> this prwas made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ni captio sponsored by newshour productions, llc by captione media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org wes: this week on history detectives:

what might this rettered camera al about a photographer who changed the ima p of an americresident? gwendolyn: what can this child's plaything tell us about disease, death, and daring gwendolyn: what can this child's plaything tell us w during the civil? this is contraband of war; . they could be arrested tukufu: and how did this faded map help unlock the riches of the new world? so the british are coming. elvis costello: ♪ watchin' the detectives ♪ i get so angryta when the teardropsrt ♪ ♪ but he can't be wounded 'cause he's got no heart ♪ ♪ watchin' the detectives ♪ it's just like watchin' t detectives ♪