captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, the supreme court upholds the president's travel ban: how the decision will affect u.s. immigratiopolicy going forward... then. >> shame! shame! shame! >> woodruff: ...the state of civierdiscourse in america aft multiple trump administrationof cials are publicly shamed. and, culture at risk: a close-up molook at the home of the moai statues. what's threatening easter island's survival. >> it is a very sensitive place so you're going to have a signal relatively early on. from climate change. >> from oceans rising. >> exactly. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonig's pbs newshour.

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>> and with the ongoing supportu of these insons: >> this program was made by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank u. >> woodruff: president trump is tonight celebrating a gnal victory on a signature policy of his. the united states supre court today rejected challenges to his travel ban, aimed mainly at mostly muslim nations. the decision was 5 to 4, with the court's conservative majority upholding any president's wide authority over immigration. amna nawaz begins our coverage with a reminder the ruling comes against a backop of many months of controversy. >> nawaz: the travel ban was

among donald trump's first acts as president, and at the white house today, he lauded the supreme court ruling that upheld it. >> a tremendous success. a tremendous victory for the american people and r 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 mood. >> no court derades the ters of our community's humanity!aw >>: outrage, as politicians and activists denounced the ruling, including one, who spoke about her family in syria being unable toisit the united states. >> they have already had to miss my graduation with melors degree, my graduation with my master's program and the day i married the love of my life. how many more life moments and mile miss?will they have to >> nawaz: as a candidate, mr. trump proposed a blanket ban on all muslims from enting the country. >> donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of slims entering the

united states until our country's representatives n 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 across the country, where some foreign nationals were being detained after landinin the u.s. that first ban was wide-ranging, blocking most people from seven muslim-majority countries from entering the u.s.-- libya, sudan, somalia, yemen, iraq, syria, and iran. but federal judges intervened to block the president's order. in response, the trumpon administraade adjustments, and rolled out a second travel ban in m that ban took iraq off the list, excluded green-card holders, anp who already had valid visas.ju but a federae 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,udan was taken off the list. but north korea, and a small numberf people from venezuela were added to it. the administration also added chad, then dropped i the list earlier this year. avis third version of the ban is what the supreme court upheld today.ba already in effect, as justices had allowed it to remain in place while legal challenges were pending. for the pbs newshour, i'm amna nawaz. chief justice john roberts said their decision reflects the results of a worldwide review process undertaken by multiple cabinet officials and their agencies. but liberal justices decried the ruling. here to explain both sides and the poible future effects i'm joined by marcia coyle of the

"national law journal" and yeganeh torbati, who coversim gration for the reuters news service. and we welcome both of you back to thprogram. mash alet's start with you on what the justices said upon. entiallyf justices ess upheld this, writing for the majority, saying the president has broadrauthority as pesident to determine what our immigration laws ae, and he also wrote with discrimination. >> judy, this was a comicated case. >> and really urge people to read the opinions on the court's website. tm going to boil it do basically three questions the justices faced. one,a you just said, the majority found that president trump did not exceed hisor auy under federal immigration law. the key provision gave th president broad discretion, and exuded deference to tht. presid second issue-- did the travel ban discriminate on the basis of nationality in the issuance of visas-- again until federal

immigration law. there, the court said there was no limit on the presetident's disn. and the majority pointed to president reagan, who blocked immigration of cuban nationals; presidentarter whsuspended thsas of iranian nationals. and he sai if majority-- if hawaii's arguments had prevailed, a president would be unable to respond, say, even to stop noncitizens from coming into the country from a region that was experiencing an epidemic, when we were on the verge of war. finally, di the policy violate the first amendment establishment clause by discriminating on the basis offings are? h heaii relied very heavily on the preside's campaign and postelection statements to show that there was antmuslimias. the majority said, okay, we're going to look beyond the text of this policy, and see, even considering those statements, is

the a legitimate purpose served by this policy? andj maority said there is. the purpose of this policy is to prevent inadequately vetted noncitizens from coming inedo te untates, and, also, to induce countries to improve their practices. >> woodruff: but not finding that it was discrimination based on nationality or religion. >> that's right, exactly. >> woodruff: so, marcia, you mentioned what the chief justice wrote in a concurring opinion, another conservativeustice, anthony kennedy, though, did single out president trump andm his ks. >> he didn't mention him so much by name. i sort of chracterize it as a slap on the wrist because he spoke directly about religus lerance and how important it was for government officialses to address religious tolerance, support religious tolance, not only within our borders but as a nation that leads the world. and the chi justice also mentioned this as well. he talked about how early in our

history, presidents disd peak about religious tolerance. he went all the way back to president george washington. >> woodruff: and just quickly, before i go to yeganeh, in the dissenting opinion, you had both justice breyer, who spe from the bench, and justice sotomayor, who gave an impassioned statement that wento for what, you said, 20 minutes. >> from the bench, yesdr >> wf: and there she did single out president. >> she did. and what was so afecfng about it was she read each of the president's statements that the challengerchallengers had said d anti-muslim bias, one by one, repeating the president's name,u , trump, trump," 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 th travel 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. he would like to have sent case back to the lower court to get evidence of whether the federal government is applying waivers the way it 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 wfet the immediate e of this ruling is. >> so the immediate effect is the policy that's been in pla since around december is going to move forward. you'll remember the supreme court allowed thea travel bn to go forward in full effect iny eaecember, pending its final ruling. and so we've seen now over the last few months the evidence of what the full, you know, travel ban ll look like in practice. what that look likes -- i had enlculated some of the numbers the state deparhas been issue, regular visa numbers in terms of how many they're issuing. and under the five countries g vered by the travel ban are receiving somethke an 88% drop in the number of

nonimmigrant vas, compared to this time last year and a 94%, 95% drop in tnumber of immigrant visas, issued to family members of u.s. citizens and the like. >> woodruff: where will that leave those counies going forward? >> for now, it looks like the country will remain on the ban.r feist cos lested either have no relationship with the united states, and it seems unlioly that they are going want to improve their information sharing with the enited states. iran and syria a fairly hostile relationships with the united states. and libya, smallia, yemen have massive internal conflicts. their governments right now, that's not their focus to improve security information sharing with the united states. they havcivil wars and like happening at home. >> woodruff: just quickly, fore people sng legal asylum in the united states from those countries, how does thfect that? >> so the refugee restrictions are a little t separate from this travel ban. during the first iteration they were very much connected, butly

eventuhe administration did separate those. separately, we are seeingge renumbers drastically lower than they were in previous years, and even too low to hit thcap tht had been set by the trump administration last year. >> woodruff: just quickly,to referring back what marcia said about justice breyer writing about the waivers. what's the significance of that? >> so the trump administration nits own proclamation and in before the supreme court, repeatedly relied on this issue of waivers saying that, you know, this travel ban is tailored. if you have a sinificant need if, for instance, you have a medical emergency or if there'sy reignificant need for you to be in the united states, we will consider that application and we will-- we cod issue a waiver. but we've talked to dozens and dozens of lawyers of people m these countries, of advocates, and they all to a "t" say this waiver process is very opaque. it is unclear how many wavers are actually being issued. l d even people who have significant medied-- for instance, we covered a case of a man in boston who needed his

brother fr iran to come and be a bone marrow donor-- he had not been issued a waiver unl wrote about the story and then two days later, that happened to him. and so it's very unear what this process is. >> woodruff: just finally, yeganeh, you have been follong the reaction throughout the muslim american community and the comunities representing those countries. and as we heard, there's been a very stronreaction from may democrats. what are you picking up today? >> i think people are disappointed. they feel-- members of these communities of iran americans libyan americans-- et cetera-- feel they are a part of this country. and, you know, they were able to come here because thes no ban in place, and they established their lives here in the united states, and they feel like this baniscriminates against them. and they don't bate argument that isbased on national security. they feel like it's sowrt of a b musln in disguise. >> woodruff: on the other side, people supporting the pretty position are aplauding it today. >> judy one small-- not small point but one othnter poibout

the decision today. the court didn't use the magic wo bs "overrulet it did make it clear the decision of the supreme court back in 1944, holding the internment of japanese americans-- koramatzo versus the united states-- had no placen the law or constitution of the united states. that's something the descendants of japanese americanhave wanted the court to say for years, and they finally said-- it ironically, because many of the descendants had filed an amicus bief in the travel ban case asking the court to strike it down because they saw parallels in the koramatzo case. >> woodruff: that infims decision coming af all these years. thank you both. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, republican leaders in the tos. house of representatives called a vote forrow on an immigration bill , but they acknowledged it might fail. the bill would give young miants a chance at tizenship, fund a border wall

and keep migrant families er if they enter the u.s illegally. house speaker paul ryan said it contains the "seeds of consensu" but he would not predict passage.ex >> we made iemely clear, we want to keep families together and we want to cure the border and enforce our laws. our government, because of a court ling or a law, should not be forced to choose between keeping families together and securing the borg r and enforcr laws. we should be able to do all of those and that is the 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 migrantti children are in his department's custody. and, 17 states, all with democratic attorneys general, filed suit to force immediate reunification of separated families.

new fighting in southern syria has driven up to 50,000 people from their homes.ng that's accoro united nations officials. the refugees are fleeing as government forces push deeper into rebel-held areas in the southwest.go thrnment of turkey has resumed its political crackdown, following president recep tayyip erdogan's re-election. the state-run news agency reports warrants have been issued for 138 people. they're suspected of ties to an opposition cleric now living in the u.s. meanwhile, turkey says president onump spoke with erdogan by phone today, andatulated him on his victory. iran, there were protests for a third day in tehran against a crumbling currency and surging inflation. but president hassanouhani 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, musto first deiranian'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 grewov again night and now threatens 600 homes and other buildings.e wnee fire is burning 70 miles northwest of sacramento. more than 230 firefighters are battling the wind-driven flames. the ustice department reports women are under-in representeey jobs across four major law enforcement atencies. the report lookehe f.b.i., the drug enforcement administration, u.s. marshals rvice and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives.p

women madest 16% of criminal investigators, and hele executive positions, as of 2016. president trump berated motorcycle maker harley- dadson 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 tweets, the president said harley is "justtr using tariffade 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: hawaii's democratic senator on the immigration debate in congress. banking on peace: real estate prices spike near the china, north korea border. white house officials subject tc publhaming-- we delve into the nation's political divide.

and much more. >> woodruff: we turn now to capitol hill. where, as congressional correspondent lisartesjardins re there's new fallout after today's supreme court decisions and the ongoin immigration debate. >> djardins: while house republicans struggle on a compromise immigration bill, members of the senmoe are showin signs of bipartisanship, but it might not be enough for a sotion to the immigration battle brewing on the hill. senator mazie hirono is democrat from hawaii and the only immigrant currently serving inhe senate, having come t the u.s. from japan as a child with her mother and brother. senator hirono, we're going to talk about immigration and child separation, but, first, i want to start with the news of the hy, the decision by supreme court on the president's travel ban. you've had some very strong words, comparing this to the

koramatso decision. chief justice john roberts wrote in the decision that he said it was wholly inapt to lien that to this one today. is he right? >> am not th only one making the comparison. in fact, justice sotomayor, in her dissent, also likened this decision to theramatzo, which was also justified on the basis of national security. that is what the president isg saying rard his muslim ban-- or at least that's the argument being mae-- even though during the campaign and even after, he ryde it very plain he was ve overt about wanting to prevent muslims from coming tohis country. and they cleaned it up in the third iteration, or fourth iteration, of his muslim ban, but it's stul aimuan. and you not supreme court has handed him, basically, wide powers to do whatever else he

wants. just call it national security. they will not go behind thhee words of executive order itself, to raise the kind of issues where our president in this case, as noted by the dissents. >> senator, many republicans say it's not a muslim ban. t 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 story of your younger broth. >> well, when i was brought to this country by my mother when i was abo seven. my older brother, who was nine, came with us. and my mother had to leave my younger brother, who was only three ars 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 because we could go to school, and there was noby to ke care of my younger brother who was too young to go to school. oso my yunger brother never overcame the trawmav that separation. and he would ask my

grandparents, who raised him rring this peiod, every single day, looking at our pictures, "when are theyoming home?" it broke my grandmother's heart, and i still get emotional talking aut it now so i know the trauma that separation creates, and this is what the president did to 2400 children. and then not too long after,y basica's saying, "never mind," as though it makes it all go away. and, by the way, re's still chaos as to how this administration is going to reunite all ofsehehildren with their parents. it's just unconscionable and cruel. but he takes no responsibility for it and he continues to blame everybody else, takes no responsibility for it. >> this is a hekirtbr situation. i'm very sorry for what your brother went through. the questions what does congress do now? and it seems that republicans in congress are moving toward billses that would detain families tohogether. do you feel about that? >> well, you know, what, detention, what is tt?

and for indefinite periods of time of time? that's also unconscionable. and the bottom line is, it is the erroneous policy to begin with. it's the zero tolerance. that means every single personr who could besecuted, it could be hundreds of thousands of people who need to be there is no justification. there is no national securityif juation for that. it is thawrnd lying policy that led to the children being parated from hir parents to begin with, and that is now leading to masdetentions to facilities that we don't even have. and so ne now the military is coming up. reminiscent of what happened to the japanese americans during world war ii. laura bush said we cannot repeat that kind of unconscionabl d action thatestroyed the lives of all those japanese ame families. >> are you concerned, if democrats do not compromise in

some way, do not go along with ase idea of family detention, the presidentndicated he will, perhaps, separate families again. are you wiing to take that risk by not agreeing to the republicans' idea? >> you know, the question should be is he 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? whdoes he not take reponsible for the chaos that he, helms, cread? so i say to the president undo what did you. you know, border security can be done in many different ways, bu you have chosen the cruelest way to do it. and this does not have why put it on other people? i ask you the same question, lisa. h >> senator mazono of hawaii, thank you. >> thank you.

>> woodruff: as the nuclear showdown with north korea has sed, there is economic ctimism growing in the north's most important allna, and especially on its border with rtrth korea. investors have s speculating in the property market, and local businesses are hoping for a windfall. special correspondt katrina yu reports from the chinese port city of ndong, on the yalu river separating china and north korea. >> reporter: north korea, as seen from boats setting sail from china's border city of dandong. this week, thousands have taken these half-hour tours, offering curiouurists a glimpse of life in one of the world's most secretive, and closed, countries. from all across china, visitors are flocking to this port city, to historic hotspots, like the remains of a bridge built during the korean war, used by chinese

ldiers 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, but as a travel opportunity. >> ( translated ):'d like to see how different it is, what the people are like, and try the food of course! >> ( translated ): the , lationship is progressing positively i thinkry frndly, friendship forever >> reporter: it's a cue being taken from the very top. president xi jinping hostedea north koreanr kim jong-un, for the third me in three months, this visitollowing chinese state media are touting strengthening ties, kim's new focus on the economy and his williness to learn from beijing's brand of socialism, with chinese characteristics.

and that road ahead is paved with gold, at least according to tors.rty inv dandong real estate prices 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 possible economic opening. providing more entertainment and dining options, real estate developers here are trying to create a sort of dandong riviera, but the real highlighta is over there iew of north korea. new developments are booming all 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'sun proving a forte coincidence: apartment sales quadrupled in the lead up to the historic hyeting. sold mostly to wea speculators from china's south, betting on the north soon

opening up. sales agenluan gui hong says it's bad news for locals, suddenly squeezed out of the property market. >> ( translated ): pollyics definias an impact and people are watching these developments. i was speaking on the phone with one property owner who told me "trump and kim signed an't agreement, i cell 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 pointat last year, after china enforced united n north korea for continuing its weapons testing. dandong's friendship bridge, the main thoroughfare for those trading in seaod, textiles and other goods, is today mostly quiet, as is 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 the peace that's good enoughhina is willing to see denuclearization as a long- term goal. the actual rigor with which china is inspecting customs at the border, to what extent police cracking down on smuggling, to what extent there is enforcemeit of sanctions - 's pretty clear that's relaxed 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 fro the d.p.r.k. can afford to shop here. >> ( translated ): more north koreans are coming back, many more than we had lt year. >> reporter: make-up and vitamins are top sellers, luxury goods for north koreans. should north korea open up its economy, the opportunities for local business owners would be

endless, she says. >> ( translated ): they don't know anything about modern society. they would need us to go there and educate them about new products. >> reporter: but the optimism isn't shared by all. many shopkeepers refused to speak to the newshour. one local was all too happy to explain why, saying many are exhausted by the drama playing out on the world stage. >> ( anslated ): these leaders, in america and north korea, they change their minds so frequently, they'reab unre! we just want peace.ts everyone weace. that's the main teal. >> repor despite thevi posi 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 country does open up, it will seen and felt first here by the new yalu river bridge. the $330 million project stands

lf completed, abandoned following funding disagreements with the north. there are rumors that construction on thbridge will soon restart and eventually connect dandong with not only pyongyang, but south korea's capital, seoul. it's a hope the city has invested in. the roads are built, 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,mi 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 wave

of protests and roiling anger. but as william brangham reports, it's also caused some to wonder if the protests are going too far. t>> if you see anybody frt cabinet in a restaurant, in a depament store, at a gasolin station, you get out and you create a cwd. and you push back them. and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhe. >> brangham: congresswoman maxine waters has become the latest leading voice in th 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 tsupporters... of the make america great again movement. be careful what you wish for." those supporters were in full force at a rally isouth carolina last night. >> they're only good at one thing. what's thaterm?

resist. it's the party of maxine waters, do you believe her? >> brangham: last night on msnbc, waters clarified that her calls for protest are not calls for violence. >> i did not call for harm for anybody. the president lied again. >> brangham: this back and forth is juslatest in an escalating debate over political discourse and juo how far is r. activists have alignedith watersstrategy, openly confronting some administration ficials who implement or defend the president's immigration policies. last week, homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen was shouted oureof a mexican aurant. protesters also rallied outside nielsen's home, and of trump adviser stephen miller. over the weekend, white hoe 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 pocies. >> we're allowed to disagree, but we should be able to do sond freelyithout fear of harm. and this goes for all people, regardless of politics. >> brangham: some democratin atngress, including house leader nancy pelosi and sleader chuck schumer, have urged more civility and a different kind of action. >> if you disagree with a litician, organize your fellow citizens to action and vote them out of office. but no one should call for the harassment of political opponents. that's not right. that's not american. >> brangham: but waters and others point out that president trump has his own history of inflammatory statements, some of which they say encourage violence: >> i'd like to punch him in the face, i'll tell you that. don't hurt him, but if you do, i'll pay your legal fees. >> brangham: the president'ssi s are so frequent, the "new york times" has tracked p

"472 peoplces 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 appropriatresponse to policies that have crossed their own boundaries? to explore these qstions, i'm joined by quentin james. he's the founder of thewh collective pach is working to increase african-american representation in elected offices. chris buskirk is a radio host in phoenix, 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 like to start with you first. sarah sanders gets asked thief a restaurant. protests are occurring outside kirstjen nielsen's home. these protesters seem vry angry about what they are protesting. what do you make of all of this? s great.nk it' it's great for our country. it's great for democrats.

lien, the adinistration is, you know, in the midst of working on critical issues that are affecting people's real lives. we are removing children from their parents at the brders. we are, you know, talking about taxes that e benefiting the rich. and, you know, we're talking about n.f.l. plars andheir inability to protest, and even today, the muslim ban. these are real issu that get to the core of american values. so i think it's a great show of where the country stands, where americreally is on these issues, and, you know, we want to see more of it. >> brangham: chris buskirk, i know you're supporter of the president. what do you make of these very p publotests against members of the administration? well, i'll tell you, more than-- more than a supporter of the president-- which i am andan happy-happy to say so-- i am a supporter of civil and that is what i see being degraded daily by the advocacy of unrest, and in some cases of

violence by the left. we loked-- we lok at the sarah sanders incident at then restaurantrginia the other day. this wasn't the owner politely asking her to leave saying, i don't want to serve you here. this w the owner chang 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 itt sn't. and it degrades what we're trying to accomplish as a country, fellow citizens that want to govern themselves according to our exraens not according to our passions.ha >> brangm: ed rendell, what do you think this? does it degrade the public discourse or some meal,ning vigorous democracy at work? >> well, i think you have to draw a line. if people potest outside a governmental office, outside the senate chamber, the ho chamber oh, at a town meet where a public official is called a part of his or her business,

that's absolutely appropriate and fair and the left should do it and the right should do it,be use that's our god-given rights as americans. someonenterfere wi private life when they're going out with their family somewhere, that is uncivil discourse, and rezowndz to the detriment of the people who are doing it. and i agree wit wchris-- ife keep doing this-- and we're not alone in doing it. the right has certainly done it-- if we keep doing this it's going to fire up the republican base in ways that nothing positive can, and it's going to make winning the election much cumore dif. but i want to say one thing: the person who could solve thisn who bears the greatest responsibility for creating these-- this type of vicioness is the esident himself. because he has been the most vicious, the most insulting, the most degraigdz of all the commentators, whet r they be fre left or the right. and the president doesn't understand that i think the number one joeof the prdent of the united states is to set a

moratone for the country. and the president should say,it "sto people who support me, stop it. people who are against me, stop 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 james, pick up on what ed rendell said. he argues if you want to protest, protest ouide a government building. don't confront someone at a restaurant, irn't go to the home. >> listen, i completely respect governor rendell, but i disagree, and here's why. we saw during the civil right movement, when african americans were told, don't march," you know, "don't protest." d we saw congressman john lewis, at the time, ng beat in the head bloody with a billy club by police who wee, you know, supposed to be there to protect and serve. but if we fast forrd today, i think we're hearing similar things. it is totl-ally lawfolks are not breaking the law by raising

their voices and showing up, whether they're at movie theaters or restaurants or even to someone's home. these individuals are public officials, or they work for public officials and the public is expressing their feelings and showing again therue american values of freedom of speech, the true american value of acount,ic of jus we are literally, again, talking about banning muslims in thisth country today he supreme court's ruling. we are talking about ripping childrenarom their familie from their mothers and fathers' arms. this isn't a conversation about civilityli this is aboue and death for many people. so this is, in my opinion, justifies. and, again, if democrats want to win in november, we need to see more of this.in we're taabout not the trump voters we need to bet persuading, lot of democrats who didn't hear enough from us or see enough us from in 2016, those are the folks we want to see turn out in november and again i think we need to see more of this work. >> brangham: chris buskirk, i know you disagree with this type

of action-- but let's put the shoe on the otr political foot. let's imagine the circumstances 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 this cy, and for many on the left who are protesting, ripping children from their parents at the border fits that bill. let's say someone of doing those t tions that you really disagreed with, whwould do you? what would you urge your supporters to do? >> i would urge my suporters -- and this exact same thing we would try to do tod-- which i try to win the argument. try to wint political debate, convince people why you're right, and take that to the ballot box. that is the system that we have, and it's the only sustainable system if we want to live in aet sothat values freedom or justice. the idea that by-- the idea that by breaking that boundary between the public and the ivate some ns way advances 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 direement. these people are literally making policy that impacts's peopives. i'm not a public official, so you're right, i'm not going to put my addwress on titter for folks to come to my house and showe, you know, what they believe. this isn't did bdisagreements on ideology. this is about, again, banning peopleo rom coming tis country because of their religious background. this is about banning children and removing children from their parents who seeking asylum,la coming herfully. this is not about a civil discourse. and t's, also, not forget, this is the same party, the same individuals who wer ue hangi obama efgeez by nooses in 2010. these are folks who showed up at tongressional town halls in 2010

with semitic rifles. these are folks who are wearing "make america great" hats, going into our schools and churches is and killing people. so this isn't about th left i turning to violence. no, this is about-- >> i remember ne 14, 2017, when a left-wing activist showel up at a basdiamond and started shooting at a bunch of republican congressmen. that's what i remember. and that's-- >> brangham: gentlemen, can i interrupt foena second. edll i'd like to you pick up on this issue because sms of this is something the president indicated in his criticism of xine waters. he said she was calling for violence. she said absolutely notdo ou 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 that in deference to civil discourse. but they're wrong in partca e, chris, part of the constitution gives us the right to protest. not just vote. and i agree wih you, we should

vote. but we alsoave the right to protest. but that protest should be done nay decent way outside of gornment buildings, town meetings, where it's part of the public dynamic. it shouldn't be visitop on when they're doing private things like shopping in a supermarket or eat naig restaurant. and, quentin, if you 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' tnot goi vote democrat or republican. both sides suc and this type of action backfires on us because it a doesn't ything to help us, and it fires up the republican base, and they're going to come out in droves. whereas, a month ago they wer 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 solve its problems, we have to do it together. have to do it'rogether. never going to have 61 votes in the senate, the house

and the presidency ag gin. you're ning to be able to get things done 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 weon't start doing things >>gether, we're going down the tubes. rangham: gentlemen, i'm sorry, we have to end it there. ed rendell, quentin james, chris buskirk, thank you all very muu.. >> thank y >> 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, "cture at risk." >> brown: it's one of the most spectacular sights in the world: the 15 giant statues, some as tall as 40 fee at tongariki on easter island. the island, called "rapa nui" in

the polynesian language, is considered one of the most remote inhabited spots on earth, some 2200 miles from the coast c le. the statues, called "moai," are said to portray the rapa nui ors, and evoke history a mystery. u.c.l.a. archeologist joanne va tilbs worked here for more than 35 years. >> to me they're a challenge, to me they're friends in a lot of wa. to me they're frustrating and upsetting and difficult, but-- >> brown: becausy >> because tude me sometimes. >> brown: the atues were made from around 1100 to 1600 a.d., from hardened volcan ash called tuff, and most were carved here in the rano rara 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 very quickly because it's a remarkable material, wonderful for sculpture. >> brown: the people who carved them arrived here from pacific islands to the west, beginning as early as 940 a.d. the rapa nui people survived and thrived-- the population may ,000.reached 15- but something, or things, happened. just what is still much debated. an over-use of resources, including cutting down forests, the importation of seed-eating rats on the polynesian canoes, a civil wang the people here that left the moai toppled, all the statues we see standing on t ceremonial sitay have been restored since the 1950's. this one by the fameorer thor heyerdahl. finally, the coming of europeans: first on easter day in 1722,hus the island's name. easter island became a symbol of what hums can achieve, and

then destroy. and it is once againoday. the new threat: climate change. laura gallardo directs the center for climate and resilience research at the university of chile. easter island is alread interesting because it's a sentinel of changes.wn >> ba sentinel of change, meaning what? >> that you can learn about e changes that are goingn. 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 and storms, new wave and wind patterns: everywhere you look, signs of coastal erosion. unlike some pacific islands, much of rapa nui is on higher ground. the windswept plains and extinct volcanoes, like the breathtaking rano kau crater that dot thistr rdinary landscape.mm

the moreiate problem here: most of the moai and ahus-- the platforms they were built on, were set along the coast, where they face battering seas.a rael rapu has worked with archeologists here for decades to sury and restore sites. at runga ba'e he showed us a alatue, now face down on the ground, that hadn into the sea and been raised out by crane. to protect this site, team re-enforced the cliff with tons of rock. >> ( translated ): it is very difficult because we have toet the big rocks that weigh thousands of pounds and we have to bind and tie them together in place. unfortunately, todaye 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 more than 100,000 people a year visiting 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 layer of threat. >> you have to look at rapa nui as a big, open-air museum brown: the whole island. >> the whole island. >> brown: pedro edmunds paoa is the longti the island's one town. he trace people who settled here and built extraordinary sites such llas orongo, a ceremonial e high above the pacific. it wasd ground in the past and it's still magical today. but the mayor has reason to fear the future. >> orongo is a very special site. it's the last part of our ancient culture, the lastul changes of there. it's in danger because it'

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 t cliff. as it hits, the cliff is 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 anmillions of u.s. dollars. >> brown: in the midst of all the natural and built beauty, it can be easy to overlook the people who did all t>>s. think that's the mistake we do sometimes. we're just thinking of the statue, and we forget the human part. >> brown: rapa nui archeologist sonia haoa says the key to understanding life here is-- adaptatiow people learned to survive even as the environment and culture changed. the volcanic rock everywhere, for example, was used to form agricultural gardens.>>

irst is to keep the soil. >> brown: the hold the soil. >> they hold the soil. .d nutrients from the roc and humidity protection, temperure. >> brown: by t 1860's, after western contact brought disease and enslavement, thelandigenous poon 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 controlled the island since 1888. and, as we s at the ¡heritage day' celebration at the island's sole ahaeological museum, a continuing effort to pass along musical and other traditions. there are also artists, like 71 year old bene tuku pate, holding onto the artistic ways of the past.

a master carver of wood and stone, he sells his sculptures here and abroad. >> ( translated ): this is the art of my land, my ancesr's t and i have to keep doing it this way, it also important to when i create the n atues i ofteink that the moai are alive! they show me the form the woodak should t >> brown: christian arevalo pakarati, who's worked for s with jo anne tilburg, also an artist and graphic designer, a skill he puts to use in documenting the condition of the statues. his initial sketches, in the field, aim to capture what he calls a feeling. when you're looking at the yeatues do you see personality? >> well certainl they really represent the faces of the ancestors. actually there are many features out there, outside. i'm talking about these which are rely like what you see in the town, in the street. >> brown: people today.>> ame nose, long ears, whatever. some of these statues look like they are smiling, even when they

are like a kind of straight line y a mouth. they seem like te smiling like people. >> brown: arevalo pakarati and van tilburg are now training 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 digitalai archive with dd information on every statue and artifact on the island, now with new urgency. >> it became very clear to us that if we didn't keep at this no one else was going to do it. and it also became clear to us that we were losing the detail that we had been documenting. so each ti we would go back and revisit one of the statues, we would find that it had changed. the environment had changed it. >> brown: whatdeinds of sions have to be made? how do you prioritize these versus those, the ones you see all around the island? >> that's the crux ou'the matter, hit exactly the right question. i think the biggest threat to the statues today is that the counity is required to

mobilize itself, to make decisions about what they want to do anhow they want to do it, and do it rather quickly. >> brown: suns at tahai, on rapa nui's western shore: a once-in-a-lifetimelace to ponder both human achievement and folly. fothe pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown on easter island. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour foronight. 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. f >> majorunding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide.

>> carnegie corporation of new irk. supportiovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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