captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. onhe newshour tonight, stepping down-- ambassador to hee united nations nikki haley announces r resignation, marking the official to leave the trump administration. then, bracing for "michael." at least three statedeclare emergencies as a fast moving hurricane barrels toward the lf coast. and, as ett kavanaugh's tenure on the supreme court begins, we take a look at how the confirmation btle is playing on the ground in a key senate race in north dakota. it is this state that is poised to be the biggest determinant this f have a chance of taking control of the u.s. senate. all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour

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>> woodruff: president trump is in the market tonight for a new ambassador to s.e united nati nikki haley will formally resign at year's end, afterwo years in the post. foreign affairs correspondent ni schifrin begins our coverage. >> schifrin: in the oval office today, president trump and ambassador nikki haley exchanged mutual praise. >> you've been fantastic, you're my friend, and on behalf of the country, i want to thank you for a great job. >> now, the united states is respected. countries may not like what we do, but they respect what we do. they know that if we say we're going to do something, we follot ough. and the president proved that. >> schifrin: and outside the white house, more thanks from secretary of state mike pompeo. >> she's been a great partner of mine, for the five months we've been together, and i want toer rish her vwell. >> schif from the beginning, haley was well respected by many u.n. diplomats, wellmeovered by

tha, and embraced president trump's foreign policy and combativeness. >> for those who don't have our back, we're taking names. >> schifrin: she trumpeted the u.s. embassy move to jerusalem, and the u.s. ending edn and humanitarian support for palestinians. and when 128 countries voted their disapproval, she once again warned she was taking names. >> the united states will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the general assembly. >> schifrin: on iran, she reflected trump policy when she spoke in front of iranian weapons she said proved iran sends missiles to gional allies. >> it's hard to find a conflict, or a terrorist group in the middle east, that does not have iran's fingerprints written all over it. >> schifrin: alongside pompeo, >> schifrin: and on russia, she criticized moscow's support for syrian president bashar al- assad, especially after an april 2017 checal weapons attack. >> how many more children have to die before russia cares?

e >> schifrin: that's whershe reflected the foreign policy establishment's antipathy to russia, over president trump's positive rhetoric. allied officials describe her as a kind of translator of t,esident trump's isolationism. they sought her nd defense secretary james mattis, who today said she did quote yeoman's wor >> we have a very close working relationship. we saw ourselves on many occasions collaborating together, on how we would de with certain issues. >> schifrin: that collaboratioor started whenr secretary of state rex tillerson's ineffectiveness belowed her to me a high profile voice of trump's foreign policy. but when tillerson was fired, she didn't get the secretary's job. when pompeo did, and john bolton became national securi advisor, her wings were cut. that's when she says sst told the president she wanted to resign, and when she got over her skis announcing ssian sanctions that never came. >> you will see that russian sanctions will be coming down.

despite that dust-up, as she has for the past few years, haley remained in the president's goo gracen though in 2016 she campaigned for one of his main rival, florida senator marco rubio. >> we need to show that south makes presidents and that our next president will be >> schifrin: despite that history,resident trump's iticism of her was always tempered. >> nikki haley, very nice woman, she said i'm an angry person. and they said to me, they said, you were an angry person. i thought, i am, i'm very angry, urcause i hate what is happening toountry. >> schifrin: haley assumed and conveyed that anger at the u.n. white house officials describe her as overly political, but on policy, she reflected the president's style, and substance. for the pbs newshour, i'm nick oihifrin. >> woodruff: andng me now is our white house correspondent, yamiche alcindor.

so, yamiche, so many people are asking, why is nikki haley doing this now? she said personal reason, term limits, but what else do we know about what's happeningere? >> what we know is that washington was really, really nikki haley made this announcement. it's because our newshour producers here studied the list of the last 30 years of u.n. ambassadors, and i almost every single case, when that person resigned in the middle of a president's term, it's bau they were taking another job within the administration that. is not the case with nikki haley. i spoke with someone who is close to nikki haley who also helped get her elected in south carolina. that person says she's very politically ambitiou good way and that she would know when to leave, and in this case,av she's g when the administration's having a good couple weeks. they had brett kavaaugh confirmed. the trade deal went through. you also have the economy doing well. so nikki haley is kind of leaving on this high. there is, of course, this idea that she could run in 2020, but nikki haley was very firm today.

she said she's not runng in 2020 and she's going to help president trump campaign. she's throwing her support we 'sde the president, but th what people are talking about today. >> woodruff: we heard in nick's report that the president was complimenting her today. she was complimenting him. how does leaving compare to the departure of other high-level trump administration e officials? thve been a few. and what do we know about who might take her place? >> well, nikki haley's announcement is very abnormal because it was so normal. there is an idea that in the trump admi people have left, it's usually because of scandal and they've been fired because of twitt. everyone that's been fired on twitter, some people are secretary of state rex tillerson, you have secretary of veterans affairs david schulken, james comer, the forme f.b.i. director, who was fired as he was speaking to f.b.i. agents. there was the scene of the motorcade being followed by a news chopper because everyone was so shocked. then youave scaals, the secretary of health and human services, tom price, and the e.p.a. administration, that's environmental protection agency,

they were bh fired or resigned because of ethical concerns. all thiseing said, the president said there are many, many names of people who could be people that would replace nikki haley. he is floating the idea, he had oated the idea of ivanka , ump, even though she tweeted very quickm not the next u.n. ambassador. there's dina powell, the formeur white deputy of national security. she's very well regarded. really we'll have to waidt see, judy. >> woodruff: ivanka trump his own daughter, but he mentioned there might be a nepotism charge around that. fascinating today. nikki haley leaves at the end of the year. yamiche alcindor, thank you. >> thanks. our other major story tonight is hurricane "michael." it's roaring toward the florida panhandle, and rapidly growing to a major threat. ibndfall is expected tomorrow, po near panama city, and 180,000 evacuation orders.nder so far, florida, alabama and georgia have declared emergencies. william brangham takes it from there.

>> brangham: judy, in e of hurricane michael the president today approved an emergencr declaration orida that authorizes federal assistance for preparations and disaster relief. for more on this storm, i'm joined now by ken graham, director of the national hurricane center, based in miami. mr. graham, thank you very much for being here. can you just give us the latest on this storm? >> i would just have t latest information. now we're acagory 3, winds 120mph with this system. some strengthening as forecast. we're southwest of apalachicola. you see a healthsystem with the eye in the center and some a nvection. so really lookingsystem that is large. you're alr some of these rain bands work their way northward in the gulf of mexico. >> brangham: your sense right now is the track is likely to hit somewhere in the northern panhandle >> yeah, that's what it look like. a lot of the messaging that we're talking about is alsot abe size.

so you're looking at landfall tomorrow afternoon right on the upper portion of the gulf coast there in the florida panhandle, but this is an important point here. look at the size of the winds. this is tropical storm force winds really looking about 185 miles away from the center.y 40 miles arom the center of the hurricane-force winds. this is not just a center. it's really outside the cone, these impacts. this is a large swath of winds making its way northrd. some of that, these rain bands could even arrive as early as tonight. >> brangham: i understand floridis undergoing what' known as a "king tide" right now. can you explain what that is anh we would care about that with regards to storm surge? >> really some of that tide going on adds somate morer to the whole situation, because when we really look at this, we have the rainfall threat, of course, that we've been looking at. but look at these values lated to your question. it's an amazing amount of water, life-thrtening situation when it comes to the water. so if you take in those tides, which are already a few fee

above what they should be, and then you add the storm surge on top of that, both of those numbers combined, nine to 13 feet of storm surge. that's inundation above groun that's absolutely copletely life-threatening, not just around the center and to the right side, far away. look at cedar key, six to nine feet. down toward crystal river, four to swa feet. as faras tampa you can see areas as two to four feet, and even pensacola you can see those values some a life-threatening situation en it comes to the water. and by the way, 50% of fatalities in a tropical system is the storm surge. so we need to make sure people are safe and out of those risk zones. >> brangham: i saw on the earlier map you re showing simply the size of this. this is likely to carry across the southeastern united states as the week progresses. is that right? >> yeah, that's an important point that you make there, because it's a situation that you have these large winds, and you also havehe rainfall. so all that rain could actually start saturating the soil. soven after landfall, you

know, looking at a very powerful hurricane, you're still in georgia a tropical storm. look at this in the carolinas still a tropical storm. if you take all that rain plus that wind, you can see power outages very devastating right along the actual coast of the panhandle of florida. but some of those power outag can stretch into georgia, maybe uren the carolinas over time, because saed soil and the wind, you start knocking down trees and power lines. we have to get peop ready. some of these power outages could last well more than a week. brangham: lastly, you sense is that this forecast is pretty solid now. you don't see any real change in s track? >> no, we really don't at this point. lite.e looking at the satel the forecast is really on track, not only with the intensity, but also with the track. it's interesting with e storm surge, you know, small changes in these systems can make a big difference on the ground, but as a result, you know, we really need everybody ready in these areabo if you thinkt preparedness, you know, you're going to start seeinghose tropical storm force winds arriving tonight. some of the higher tides already arrivito.

people neerap up their preparedness and be in a safe place by tonight >> brangham: all right. ken graham at the national hurricane center, thank you so much. >> you bet. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, authorities in turkey announced plans toabearch saudi 's consulate in istanbul, where a saudi journalist vanished last week. turkey says jamal khashoggi was murdered there. thsaudis deny it. a surveillance photo published by "the washington post" shows khashoggi entering the consulate. there's no evide.e he ever le president trump said today he has not spoken with udis about the incident, but plans to. china insisted today it has no plans to weaken its currency ier order to cou.s. tariffs. that comes a day after the chinese yuan sank to a 22-month low against the dollar. the foreign ministry denied china would use devaluation to make exports less expensive, and offset the tariffs. >> ( translated ): we have no

intention of promoting exports through the competitive devaluation of currency, and will not use the exchange rate as a tool to respond to disputes in trade or other areas. i also want to say that these types of remarks are just some people making groundless speculation, and they are irresponsible remarks. >> woodruff: so far this year, china's yuan has lost almost 10% , its value against the dollar. back in this counte trump administration is moving to lift a ban on year-round sales of high-ethanol gasoline. it's expected to be a boon to corn producers worried about the trade war with china. existing rtrictions had limited ethanol use during the summer, in order to cut down on smog. and, on wall street, the dow jones industrial average lost 56 points to close at 26,430. the nasdaq rose two points, and the s&p 500 slipped four. still to come on the newshour: b explore where the supreme court is headed witt kavanaugh now on the bench.

i travel to north data for an up-close look at a key senate race. how cities and states are wooing recent college graduates to their job markets, and much more. >> woodruff: we're in week two of the brand new supreme court term. but today is day one for its newest member, justice brett kavanaugh. the white house marked the occasion last night, holding a ceremonial swearing-in with the other supreme court justices in atugndance. kavas nomination had been upended by sexual misconduct allegations, allegations he denies. and at last night's event, president trump chose to defend kavanaugh once more. >> on belf of our nation, i

the entire kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forceto endure. our country, a man or a woman, must always be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [applause] with that i must state that you, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent. >> woodruff: kavanaugh followed by singling out some of the senators who backed his nomination, before pledging to be fair and impartial on the bench. >> i give special gratitude to senators rob portman, susan collins, joe manchin, john kyl, and lindsey graham. they're a credit to the country and the senate. every american can be assured that i will be an independent and impartial justice devoted to tual justice under law.

althou senate confirmation process tested me, as it has tested others, it did not change me. my approach to judging remns the same. >> woodruff: here tonoelp us procesjust last night's remarks, but day one of kavanaugh in the courtroom today is "newshour" regular efrcia coyle, cashington correspondent for the "national law journal." >> hi, judy. we had thef: s comments of last night. then today the president was talking to reporters at theho whitse, and he again spoke about the kavanaugh situation. he said the people who accused the judge, in the president's words, were evil. my question to rst is: is all this angry language from the president and some republican senators, is that having an effect on the suprem court? >> i don't think so, judy.if i thinhere is any effect,

it is the court's mae stronger u desire, strongest desire to try to ere that the american public views it as a non-partisan, non-political institution. d d that, of course, is the challenge ahr the entire e kavanaugh inic particular as they take up cases later that may be highly divisive. to be able to reach a certain consensus so they don't always divide 5-4 a way that is five republican-appointed justices and four democratic-appointed justices. >> woodruff: as we said, we heard about new justice kavanaugh's comments last night. as we heard, he singled out some of the senators who voted for him, who fought for his confirmation. and then last week he talked about democrats bein motivated by revenge. >> yes. >> woodruff: are his words,

can they just be forgotten as he moves on to the court? n> no, i don't think he. can i think w he wrote an op-ed piece in the "wall street journal" before he was confirm, he did attempt to walk back some of the intense partisan language that he used at his last hearing before the judiciary committee, but that could almost be percved by some peoples an effort to lobby for votes for his confirmation. so it was i think almt incumbent on him after his confirmation, and since he was in the public cereony last night, to say something to reassure those who did view that ne-ed piece as not a genui expression of regret, that he will be a neutral, open-minded justice. >> woodruff: so let's talk about today. first day there. you were telling us a large crowd of people who wanted to get into the court. what was it like? >> well, it was almost, judy, like a normal y except for the

fact that there was a new face on the bench and justice kavanaugh now sits at the extreme right end of the bench, as you face it. right next to him is jtice kagan, who actually was an obama-appointed justice. it was a normal day. he asked, i counted, tout eigh questions during two hours of argument in two cases. and his delivery was very sional, straightforward much as he has been described when he sat on the appellate court. right before the argument, he actually seemed happy to be there. he was chatting and laughing with justice kagan. his family, his wife and two daughters wereti sng in special seats that are for guests of the justices. ustice kennedy, who had sworn him ina second time last night at the white house also attended. >> woodruff: what about, marcia, the cases that are expected to come up this term for the court.

are they the kinds of case where we maybe can look for some momentous precedent-breaking decisions on the part of the court? well, right now the docket is very low key in terms of the cases thatgrhey'ved to hear and decide, but that could acally change next week. in fact, it could even change this week. in the wings right now are cases involving whether our national job anti-discrimination law protects against sexual orientation discrimination. there are two cases involving medicaid funding cut-offby states for planned parenthood clinics. there's a case involving a world war i memorial cross on public land, which also... these are all flash point kinds of cases. and just today it looks as though the case involving whether there's to be a citizenship question on the census is coming to the court very quickly. so, yes, there are going to be

many challenges i think don the road. there's so much more in the pipeline to the court involving the trump administration that really will test the court in rms of whether they can find consensus and not appear ufrtisan. >> woo this new court just getting under way with a ninth justice sitting there. marcia coyle watching it all. >> interesting times. >> woodruff: tt's for sure. interesting times. marcia coyle, thank you. >> my pleasure, judy. >> woodruff: four weeks from tonight, the newshour political skam will join me at this to cover the midterm elections when we'll find out which party controls the u.s. house en reprtives and the senate for the next few years. one of the most closely watched races is in rth dakota, which many republicans think holds their best shot at taking over a senate seat now held by a tmocrat. i headedre this past weekend for a close-up look. the place to be this sunday in

southeastern north daks the annual festival in tiny rutland, celebratingts scandinavian r. toring on grass, a kids' tra race, and the highlight, a parade attcted young and old and the two can dates in one of the most competitive races for a u.s. senate seat this fall. >> you notice all the norwegian flags. this is a norwegian town. >> doodruff:ocrat heidi heitkamp, the only high-level member of her party left in a state that for years sent mostly democrats tong washin, is in the bull's-eye of a republican drive to hang on to itmajority in the u.s. senatd e. a bonus, sweep democrats out of power here. >> they couldn't keep up with where north dakota was going. senator heitkamp may be the last casualty. i don't know. >> woodruff: taking her on is republican kevin cramer, north dakota's only member of the u.s. siasti and an enthu backer of president trump.

>> all i can say is, mr. president, thank you for not forgetting us. ng woodruff: he won here by a whop6-point margin two years ago. only two states in the coutry have a smaller population than north irkota. it is to say most americans are familiar with the name of its major cityse only becauf a movie. eve so, it is this state that is poised to be the biggest determinant this fall in whether democrats have a chance of retaking control of the u.s. senate. heitkamp, li other red-state democrats up for reelection this year, often remindsoters o her independence, how much she works across party lines. >> there are too many people who only vote on one side 100% of the time, and that will never be me. >> woodruff: in her case, she's not only voted with president trump more than half the time, she was one of a tiny number of democrats mentioned far job in a hisinistration.

but when the brett kavanaugh nomination to the supreme court came up, shee v against, a move sure to please her base voters. >> this is an issue of conscience. this is an issue of judicial tamperament. anng this hyper partisan ixecutive branch, the hyper partisan llative branch, let's make a partisan court. i think that's absolutely the wrong direction. >> woodruff: she wens concerned gh about how her volt would go over that she cut a paid ad about it. >> first off, honestly, i don't think he toll the truth. and even if he did, he showed himself to be too biased to be impartial. a >> woodruf a house member, cramer didn't have a vo but was foravanaugh for the start. hi had the clarify his views after he told a reporter that nothing happened to blasey ford. >> i don't go with the premise that it really did happen. >> her allegations a obviusly serious. hearly she's had something very

traumatic . i don't know what it is. >> woodruff: two women voters we spoke to in fargo this weekend told us their view is closer to cramers. >> i do question the timing, and i wonder about kind of the political motive there. >> i have a hard time with something that happen so long ago. you know, like we've all been young and dumb and made mtakes in the past. >> woodruff: one person in the crowd at sunday's festivities in rutland said heitkamp handled it just right. >> couldn't be more proud of her. at took a lot of guts. >> woodruff: did vanessa kummer, who we met at her family's farm near colfax. >> it probably strengthenings my ideal of what heidi stands for, beiluse whether he was or not, he proved not to be judicial and very partisan. >> the trucks come in down the driveway and come right here. >> woodruff: but ms. kummer

has an even stronger reason to support heitkamp, her opposition to president trump's get-toughow trade policyrd china, which china responded to by ending its purchase of u.s. soy beans, one faof north dakota's main exports. the result has been drastic losses for soybean farmers here. >> it's basically been shut down for us. >> woodruff: kummer is but one of tens of thousands of soybean farmers in north dakota who are feeling the effects the trade war with china. >> the combine will come across, and it will cut it right here. >> woodruff: uh-huh.ov sara l and her husband oversee 8,000 acres in hillsborough, half of which are soybeans. >> we're really feeling the effects here in north dakta. soybeans have become a very good crop for us here in thisge raphy and on our own farm. china is a major customer of ours. we miss having thetu opporty to sell our beans to them. they've been great customers over the years.

>> woodruff:a ls estimates their losses alone could run to almost $200,000 this year, meaning they can't growi tr business as they had planned. >> we were actually thinking about getting another combine earlier this year. well, the soybean price started plummeting in may and june, noad we diddo that because we didn't think we had enough money to go and invest in that extra equipment. >> woodruff: senator heitkamp is making the china trade dispute a centerpiece of her campaign. >> you can spend 30 years getting a market and one year losing it. we already know that china is taking their market down from 20% in terms of what they feed their hogs down 12%. >> woodruff: congressman cramer also says he was against the idea of these tariffs. >> that's convenient, isn't it? i'm against tariffs, but it'sf okay ithe president imposes them. o that's the kin double talk you get in washington, d.c., that doesn't work so well in

north dakota. >> woodruff: cramer says now that president trump has proved eainst the chinese, u.s. cannot back down. >> if we don't stick to our guns now, if china can can break the united states, which is what some politicians seem to be cheering for, then we will never be able to negotiate a good deal with china again. >> woodruff: lovas, who identifies as conservative, says sh hhasn't decid she's voting in november but had a clear message for everyone in washington: >> what i am hoping is that all of our elected officials remember that we as farmers ext out here i think there's concern for farmers both dealing th the democrats and the republicans that, you know, hey, don't forget us. we're here. >> woodruff: vanessa kummer, on the other hand, places blame auarely on president trum the republicans who support him. >> i support heidi heitkamp 100%, because she has right from

the beginning understood tha w th going to be difficult for farme, while crameraid farmers just need to hold on and, you know, don'tave hysteria ruling the day. well, it's not hysteria. it is loss of money. it's profit loss, and it could mean losing some farmers in our area. >> woodrf: some voters we met in rutland suggest the farmers' concerns may be exaggerated. >> they got graimills. >> woodruff: meaning they can -- >> they have storage. >> woodruff: and so you don't think it's hurting them? >> n really. >> woodruff: a farm equi operator, brian bladow says he's for cramer all the way. >> i'm a single dad, two girls i worked more in the last year and made more money this year than i have in years prior for a long time. you got the freedom to do whatever you want. he's not going too encrach on your freedoms. >> woodruff: and you think senator heitkamp believes in that? >> yes, i do.

>> woodruff: what's your opinion of president trump? >> he's awesome. >> woodruff: in what way? what has he done that you like? >> he's ma america great again. ku woodruff: farmer vanessa er disagrees. >> i feel like he likes things to be in confusion. he likes just throwing things up in the air and thenin not takg credit for if it doesn't work out and taking credit fo everything that is going good. >> woodruff: the tactt so many voters here like president trump is complicateling things for heitkamp. >> we need vanessa kevin cramero replace heidi heitkamp. >> woodruff: heitkamp is hoping that voters see her as soone who works with the president at times but independent of both parties.

>> woodruff: stay with us, coming up on the newshour: a conversation with afghanistan's chief executive on the state of his nation and presidential historian doris kearns goodwin discusses "leadership in turbulent times." now, one state's plan to counter an aging workforce by helping students reduce their debt level. hari sreenivasan has a report tonight on what maine is promising college graduates if they agree to live and work in the ate. for the next four tuesdays, we'll be looking at different ways of "rethinking college," a periodic series we do for our weekly segment on "making the e ade." >> sreenivasan: ma famous for noisy gulls and fishing ports, end les miles of rocky coastline, lighthouses that seem made for postcards and, oscourse, the ctacean

that is dipped in butter and served up for a luxurious dinner. but the state is also known for having the oldest population in the median age here is 43, and the trend has some local businesses concerned. atna connors is the president of the maine chamber of commerce. >> right now 400,000 or ation isd of our popu at retirement, has recently retired or is about to retire. >> sreenivasan: in order to reverse that aging workforce, lawmakers came up to an idea, an offer recent college graduates, come and live and work in maine, and we'll help you pay off your student loan. >> come back home. we'll help you pay off your student debt. >> i have the bird. >> sreenivasan: pay owns a local brewery. she was one of the sponsors of mains student loan pay yang offer. >> the fact of the matter is for my age group we have some very serious issues facing us as far as being able to be part of

weerican dream. have student debt. it can be hard to get a car. b it c hard to look at other jobs. t is really becoming a barrier m. the nexep of the american drea >> sreenivasan: according to the nerve bank of north korea 17, americans owed $1.4 trillion in ltudentoan debt, and the amount of money borrowed doubled in the past eight yrs the debt relief comes in the form of a tax credit. it allows college graduates who work in the state to deduct student loan paymnts from their state income tax. a ten-yearbe over plan. the amount varies whether it's a stem degree or not.if t's a stem degree, it is up to $5,000 credit. and if is a non-stem degree, it's up to $3,500, $4,000. oa sreenivasan: daughtery took out a studentn in order to save money. she proved back home and for aed time lith her parents. she says many graduates who left maine need a financial incentive

to return. in a lot of our friends want to come back the ma. they say, we saved up money, maybe we'll beable to return. there's a real stroke draw to come home, but they are not able to pull down the types of salaries that they can get in boston, new york, washington, d.c. >> what are you doing? >> sreenivasan: erica skiff took out $7000 to earna bachelor's degree in nursing from st. joseph's college. >> it'senverwhelming ou go through school. you don't think about it. then you graduate and it's like, oh, i have to pay all this back now. yeah, it's definitely overwhelming each month. can you smile? >> sreenivasan: this summer she and her husband elias had gheir first child. erica wae an four-week maternity leave from her nursing job at 66% of her normal pay. at 33%, that's a significant ces. in the finan >> sreenivasan: using the educational tax credit, erica received $4,500 a year. >> that credit allows us a

little more wiggle room than we normally have. i'm able to stay home without feeling the burden so much of t not having pay that i normally would have at work. >> it's an issue in maine like it is across the country. >> sreenivasan: nate wiles markets the tax cdit for a campaign called "live and work in maine." we walked through downtown portland as he explained how important a postsecondary degree can be to employers. >> the commitment maine has made to those with a higher education says a dollar is a dollar, but student debt is recognition you've invted in yourself, you've given yourself skills over two, four, six, eight, plus years that you didn't have before and now adds value to you in the workplace. >> sreenivasan: the credit is also an attempt by maine to upscale their workforce. cliff johnson, the president of kennebec technologies says today's workforce calls for a secondary education. the company produces

high-precision parts for aerospace defense and technology companies. johnson says higher ucation is necessary to be globally competitive. >> in andf,f itse batch already's degree, a piece of paper is not a requirement, but we work in a ve sophisticated environment. what we do is driven by the arket.ations of the and you have to have that workforce in order toomply with the expectations. >> sreenivasan: for drew leeman, a design supervisor at general dynamic's path iron works facility. >> this is a 300-foot ship. >> sreenivasan: who helps design navy vessels, the tax relief goes toward $110,000 in student loan. how does that $4,00 impact your life? >> it impacts me greatly. getting it in bulk right at the beginning of the yr from a tax credit, you can do whatever you want with it. you can buy a new car, buy a new house, you can do a lot with ,000. >> sreenivasan: matthew glass thought about leaving maine for work but decided to staydn

open his own business. .> order for lou >> sreenivasan: the tax credit meant he can pour money back into the food truck cafeé he op.ed three years a so how much of consideration did u give the tax breaks in deciding whether to stick around or not? >> quite a bit. my amount is $373 a month that i can get back, if maximum reimbursement, which is more than my monthly payment. so essentially my student loads are pa full by the state as asng as i stay. >> sreen: as for madi's student loan dead, she qfied too early for the tax credit and m.e cannot take advantage of the prog so how long does it take you to get out of debt? are you out? >> 2340e7. nope. i still have $4,982 left, that i checked this morning. >> sreenivan: in maine for the pbs newshour,'m hari sreenivasan.

>> woodruff:he united states s now been fighting in afghanistan for 17 years. for that entire time, dr. abhellah abdullah has sat at forefront of afghan politics. he twice ran for president in fraud-riddleelections, and twice lost. after a bitter post-election fight 2014 with eventual winner ashraf ghani, abdullah signed a pow and became "chief executive officer." the talibaand other insurgents still conduct daily attacks, and the country's stability remains in doubt. en discuss all this, nick schifrin ry sat down with abdullah in new york. >> schifrin: dr. abdullah abdullah, chief executive of afghanistan, thank you so mulc. >> you're e. >> schifrin: there are now 26 districts under taliban control according to your government, more than 5,00 civilians became casualties last year according to the u.n., one of the hie

totals ever. why do you think there hasn't been more progress in afghanistan? >> that's one side of the piure, which is challenging, of course. it is challenge for us. the other side of the picture shows progress in the lives of the citizens and the economy and the education, services, private sector development. the security is a challenge. that absorbs most of our resources, energy and time. >> schifrin: about a ye president trump announced a new south asia strategy. >> my original instinct was to pull out, and historically, i like following my instincts. >> schifrin: president trump has expressed scepticism about keeping troops in afghanistan. do you think the strategy is sustainable? >> to make it work, of course,

part of it is for us inside the country we authorities a as the citizens of that country, and rt of it is the cooperation from the region,a which the segy has a regional aspect in it.rt another f it is the sanctuaries. >> schifrin: you used the word "sanctuary." are you ferring to pakistan? >> yes. that part of the issue remains to be an impediment, a challenge. >> schifrin: the u.s. has spent $750 billion on security in afghanistan and $125 billion on reconstruction. those of uso whve in afghanistan know it has been about the money. but it had been 17 years. why do you believe this strategy can succeed where the last 17 years of strategy hasn't produced the resultthat were promised? >> there was detraction.

engagement in iraq was o distraction. the announcement i 2012, that was another draction, and that affected the security situation, the economic situation, and also the calculus of friends and foes toward afghanistan. these are behind us now. afthe responsibility of than security forces, mainly security and defense forces, that's big shift. so that means that the u.s. is not having the same burden on its shoulders as it used to have. >> schifrin: what about commitment fro senior afghans to the united states? there have been some prominent political figures, some parliamentarians recently who biestioned the utility, the teral security agreement between afghanistan and the united states. does that signal an erosion of trust in nato a the united states on the afghan part?

>> i would say that... i would consider that part of freedom of speech. there was a meeting. there was a get-together of some political leaders which had developed their own opinions in the past throw years based oner dit reasons. at times, you have to remember, when we have citizen casualties as a result of military operation, people a upset. we don't expect those tragedies, those losses to affect all of us, inuding us in the government. >> schifrin: the u.s. has tugun talks with the taliban about peace negotiations. have you seen any evidence the taliban is serious abot this round of talks, more serious perhaps than they have been about previous rounds? >> that remains to be seen. the taliban so far has not shown real intentions. from time to time they've particated in some context

with talks, and then they use reat only for p.r. purposes, which weot the purpose of wose meetings ith those contacts. the pressure on taliban inside afghanistan should coe military security-wise, and outside afghistan also,hey should feel pressure. >> schifrin: there used to be a lot more pressure on them because there used to be 100,000 u.s. troops. whabwould they come to the and speak directly to you, the afghan government, which the u.s. is asking for, when theuly 't in the past? >> now taliban don't have the same excuse as they were using because they are facing the afghan forces. the afghan civilian forces were non-existent 17 years back. part of this strategy is to double the ses of our commando forces, which are effective forces, the ai force. these are capabilities which will enable us to pursue a dual

track. one is to protect our citizens. a second one is find out whenever there is an opportunity for talks and negotiations and s capitalize on it. ifrin: presidential elections in april almost you be nsnning with president ghani or aghim? >> there is a solid commitment on my part to help the unity government function until the last day of its mandate. to run with president ghani is not an option for me as the tose n as any other candidate. >> schifrin: today you're in the united sr tes. what's yssage to u.s. officials you're meeting with and to american viewers who might still be sceptical about the war? >> the u.s. has made a big investment in peace, in fact, and stability of part of the world. we are grateful. our people deso have ma big

sacrifice together we have been through this journey. my message is that it is doable. it is also in the interest of peace and stability in that part of the world that we complete this journey together. >> woodruff: on our bookshelf tonigh presidential historian and author doris kearns goodwin, on "leadership in turbulent times." i sat down wither recently and began our conversation by asking aw she came up with the i for this, her eighth book. >> when i began it five years ago there was a feeling that washington was broken, thatpa isanship had been lost, and i decided i wanted to look back at othereridents, my guys especially, i call them that because i've lived with them f so long, wn they had gotten to more challenging times

even than ours and yet somehow were able to pull the citizens ved the leaders together to make the country better. then it got even more turbulent as time went ooon. >>uff: one thing i notice, on the back cover, you have positive comments, they call them blurbs from warren buffett and jim collins, who is knr the book "good the great." these are business people. does that tell us this is a different kind of history book? >> at onet i was speaking to a lot of groups over these last couple decades but also to colleges and universities, and a kid raised his hand and said, how can i ever become one of these guys. they're on mount rushmore, it's too hard to become them.ou i ht, what if i write about them when they first start to run for office when they're 23 and 25 and 28 and when they're still unform and when they make mistakes and screw up things. then maybe young people can aspire to be leaders. iwould just love it if more peopthis country went into public life, went into leadership positions, because that's what we nee right now. >> woodruff: and of course,ou

the four choose to focus on is abraham lincoln, theodore roosevelt, franklin roosevelt d lyndon johnson. fu use the term "screwing up" and youus on the problems they face earlier in their lives. why is that important? >> people who have been through rofficult times and come gh with resilience, there is a strength and wisdom. they've learned from their mistakes. they've learned from what fate might deal them. lincoln had a near suicil depression when he broke his promise to his constituentses and mary they had to take knives and scissors from his room. he comes out of that saying, i'e just as soon now but i have not accomplished anything t make anyone know i have lived. teddy roosevelt loses his wife and mother. by being in the west, he absorbs thhe love of nature an becomes a westerner as well as an easterner. f.d.r. has polioen when he took

up that rehab center in one spring and he was doc roosevelt iv his fellow polio patients, he taught them how to a life of joy even if they were paralyzed. that's what he was able to d with the country when it's paralyzed. lbj has a massive heart attack and he says, what if i die now, what would by remmbered for. he goes right for civil rights in the senate, goes right for civil rights in the presincy. so something happens when you go through a hard time. you come through it withsi ence, a really important quality. it doesn't have to be as harrowing, but it has to be something. >> woodruf you describe the adversity, but is there some secret sauce, some magic formula that we should learn what they went through? that's what some people look at this and they say, i want to know. what is the magic formula? >> there is no magic trick. in fact, there is n clear trajectory for any of them to reach the top oref theidency. there is a family resemblance of traits i would argue, humilit is one of them, empathy, if you

can develop empathy en if you're not born with it. resilience as we've just been talking about. search repolitics. being able to acknowledge errors. build a theme you can share credit and youan shoulder blame if something goes wrong. learning how to communicate with ntople. but most imporat some point, ambition for the self became ambition for something larger. and that's what united all of these disparate characters. >> woodruff: it's striking that the first word you used, tyris kearns goodwin, was humi we don't think of that necessarily when we think about our great leaders, our presidents, do we? >> i think it's because we think of humility as humbleness, and that's not what it means. it means an awareness of your limitations so you can learn from them. teddy rose velad a swelled head in the state legislature. he was blistering and returning around and saying terrible things about his opponents and hetting nowhere. ouldn't get anything through the legislature. so he finally said, i learned that i had to collaborate and compromise. that's the humility of learning from your errors. ic schifrin: in a way this is

a psychol study, isn't it? >> in some ways it's the most personal books. i wanted to get inside the heads of these people. i had written biographies and families and history. i wanted to know when didhey first think of themselves as leaders. when did other people recognize them. where does ambition com. all these questions are so interesting. >> woodruff: did you get answer centers. >> not answers. i just could explore things i don't think there's an easy answer. for example, ambition came later to f.d. he seemed like abordinary student at harvard. he seemed like an okay student at columbia. he was not even a partner, a clerk in a law firm. somebody comes to hiand says, would you like to run for the seat in duchess down tim h says, yes! he gets out on the campaign trail. he's barnstorming. he's an absolute natural. he what philosopher william james said, sometimeyou find that voice within you that says, this is the real me, this is what i want to be.n they all fthat at a certain point in their life. politics was their love. it was their vocaion as well as

their avocation. >> woodruff: so if you runha intocollege student who confronted you a few years ago and he or she a says, right, can i do this, can answer is, >> yes, but you y fail. and you may fail again. you have to keep trying. >> woodruff: dor goodwin, the book is "leadership: in turbulent times." thank you. >> you are most welcom. >> woodruff: this afternoon we launched "that moment when," pbs newshour's latest facebook watch show, a ecial video on demand section of the social media site. appearing every tuesday at 3:00 p.m. and hosted by contributor steve goldbloom, the creator of our brief but spectacular series, this new series tells the behind-the-scenes stories of successful people. in our debut episode, civil rights lawyer bryan stevenson

shares that moment when he decided to value redemption over revenge. st can you describe the moment when you fisited death row and the experience that that left you? i took a course that required me to spend a month with an organization providingegal services to people on death row and that's what got me to death row. and i was completely unprepared, but th asked me to explain to somebody that he's not at risk of execution anytimen the next year. that was my task. and i went to georgia's deatso row and i waervous and distraught that when this man walked in, i was a bit overwhelmed. and what i remembered about him is just how burdened with chains he was. he had handcuffs on his wrist, they had chain around his waist, he had shackles on his ankles. it took them 10 minutes to unchain him. and when they did, he walked over and i began to apologize. stsaid, "i'm sorry i'm just a laent. i don't know much about the death penalty, i don't know much about criminal appeals or procedure, i then said they sent me down here to tell you that you're not at risk of execution,

any time in the next year. and i was surprised that when i said that, the man said, "wait, wait, wait, say that again." i said you're not at risk of execution anytime in the next year. and the man said, "wait, wait, say that again." i said, you're not at risk of execution anytime in the next year and that'grwhen this man bed my hands and he said," thank you, thank you, thank you're the first rson i've met in two years i've been on death row who's not a death row prisoner or death row guard." he said, "i've been talking to ife and kids on the phon but i haven't let them come and visit because i was afraid they'd show up and i would have an execution date." he said, "now, because of you, i'm going to see my wife and i'm going to see my kids." and i couldn't believe how, even in my ignorance, being proximate i someone, showing up for someone, uouldn't believe the difference that it could make in someone's life. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight.

i'm judy woodruff. us online and again her tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> majorunding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> the ford foundati v. working wiionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international pea security. at carnegie.org. h >> and we 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 viewersyou. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media acss group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone, and welurme to "amanpo co." here's what's coming up. time is running out as a stark new report urges governments and all of us to act now to stop catastrophic climate change. what you can do to fight back. the architect of the paris agreement joins the show. also ahead, what happened to journalist and saudi critic jamal khashoggi? journalistse laim hs killed after entering the consula in istanbul. plus, brett kavanaugh and the politicalization of the supreme court. my conversation with the leading conservative thinker robert george. and then a much-needed antidote for our times.