b captioning sponsored newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evendrg. i'm judy wf. on the newshour tonight: the department of justice charges a russian citizewith conspiring to interfere in american elections, including this yr's midterms. then, health care on the ballot in idaho. will voters approve an expansion of medicaid? >> we're already providing it so the most costly way possible, and it's about jusing that solution in a way that's conservative.an it's friday. mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's ns, as president trump campaigns across the country, warning of consequences if demoats win seats in congress. and, the latest fall film, "beautiful boy." a family struggles in the face of addiction. all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour.

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>> woodruff: they are the first criminal charges aeging foreign meddling in next month's midterm elections. the u.s. justice department today disclosed the complaint against a russian citizen. a woman there is accused of managing finances for a social media campaign to spread distrust about american policy debates and candidates. for more details on our top story, let's turn to nina jankowicz of the wilson center, non-partisan political think tank in washington, d.c.th welcome back tprogram. so we've heard again and again the russians interfered in, succeeded in intnerfering 2016, they're still at it. what's new in this complaint? >> we have hard eviredence the interfering on all sides of the political spectrumimnd that's rtant for americans to know going into the elections in two weeks, that this is anss about attacking our democracy and clearly the juice department wanted to put that

out there before we go to the polls. >> woodruff: this can be confusing. we were told in 2016iahat the ru were up to and the people indicted by the special counsel so far, robert mueller, have people who seem to be working on behalf of president trump. but this has people, as you say, on ae sides of soof these issues. >> we've seen pro robert mueller tweets and anti-robert mueller tweets. we have seen things that say voter fraud is a felony, we hav also seganization of rallies that the russians have pported where resistance folks would turn out in front of a white house for a flashob on july 4th. so these are on all sides of the political spectrum and this is exactly thace tic russia has used time and time again notth only iunited states but across eastern europe. >> as an example, we have a aphic of voter fraud. this is a tweet about voter fraud. this is a felony, hold them accountabl fight, fight,

fight, and then donald trump potus. that's an rgument people hear from the public. >> the desire to sow chaos and dismay is a tried and true russian tactic and the idea is to turn us inward, to get us toe fight amongch other so that we're less focused on what russia is doing one international stage. >> woodruff: there is interestin nina jankowicz, about the financing. this woman appears to be an accountant in russia. doesn't appear they will ever be able to extradite her to the united states to face tese charges. >> right. it's extremely interesting to know that over three years they've spent at least $35 million on advertising, on doins and proxies, on th payment of actual activists, again, which is a staggering statistic, and if you look at what, for instance, thelobal engagement center, the center created to fight this information at the the state department, they budgete

$60 million for a single year, hard for the state department to get thain hands on, for -- to get their nds on, for countering statewide. >> woodruff: you mentioned the flash mob. people showh up for tat. >> absolutely. this isn't the first time we've seen activist showed up to russian organized or pported events lining this but i think it's important to know this is not just an abstract social media campaign, this is chain people's behavior and the discourse surrounding the election. >> woodruff: and you wer telling me what you noted here is how much it says that the special counsel and his officeb now knowut this. >> absolutely, yeah, yeah. it's a staggering level of detail. i don't know what that means for the future, but i think it's an important issue for our democracy heading io the mid transportation. it's not a partisan issue, and i would hope tha ot politicia all sides of the aisle begin to understand that and advocate for solutions that are nonpartisan

to it, as well. >> woodrf: nina jankowicz with the wilson center, we thank you. >> thanks for having me. >> woodrf: in the day's other news, president trump says it is still too early to determine a u.s. response in the disappearance of saudi journalist and disside jamal khashoggi. in scottsdale, arizona, the president suggested today that it could involve sanctions against saudi arabia, if the kingdom were responsible. but he said he wants to consult congress. >> i'm going to have very much congress involved in determining what to do. we hav$450 billion worth of things ordered from a very rich country, saudi arabia. 600,000 jobs, maybe more than that. w and ld be very hurtful to this country if we said, "oh, we're not going to sell it to you." >> woodruff: meanwhile, secretary of state mike pompeo denied a report that he has heard recordings of khashoggi being murdered at the saudi consulate in turkey.

the u.s. and south korean militaries today suspended a second joint military drill this year.ls pentagon officaid they hoped that the move aids diplomatic progress with north korea. the north has long protested the annual exercises, insisting that they are in reality dress hearsals for invading north korea. in afghanistan, officials have postponed paiamentary elections in kandahar province for a week. that is after a security guard killed an influential police chief and the local head of intligence yesterday. the u.s. military commander in afghanistan, general scott miller, escaped without injury. he told an afghan news agency today that he does not believe ow was the target.

>> what happenedthere was an attack on the security forces, but i'll tell you, we still remain with the security forces. the messages we had from the ndahar people were unity, and peace, and confidence in the security forces, very specifically in preparation for the upcoming elections. ws woodruff: a u.s. official confirms to the ur that miller pulled his gun during the attack. the taliban has claimed responsibility, and said that it had targeted both the police chief and general miller. the group has vowed to disrupt tomorrow's elections in the resa hanistan. in the gaza stmip, the health stry says israeli soldiers shot and wounded 130 palestinian prot,0ters today. palestinian demonstrators gathered along the israeli border. some threw burned tires and explosive devices at troops acrosshe fence. egypt is trying to broker a new cease-fire.

some 3,000igrants streamed through a border town in guatemala today, attempting to cross noh into mexico. they moved toward a border bridge and tore down a metal gate. about 50 got through before mexican police intervened. the caravan has been traveling mostly on foot since the journey began in honduras last week. u.s. secretary of state pompeo voiced concern when he met with his mexican counterpart today in mexico city. >> we are quickly reaching a point which appears to be a moment of crisis-- recor numbers of migrants. foreign secretary videgaray and i spoke about the importance of stopping this flow before its reace u.s. border. we are deeply aware that the wah mexico will handle this, the way you will handle this, is your sovereign decision. >> woodruff: president trump had threatened to send the u.s. to the mexican border, but later today, he thanked mexico for its efforts to stop the caravan. china reported today that its

economic growth has slowed to the lowest level since 2009. it slipped to an annual rate of 6.5% in the third quarter. the chinese economy was already slowing under governnt-imposed credit controls before trade tensions heated up with the u.s. stocks were mixed on wall street today. the dow jones industrial average gained 65 points to close at 25,444. the nasdaq fell 36, and the s&p 50dropped a point. and, the mega millions lottery jackpot climbed to $1 billion today, making it the second- largest in u.s. history. the odds of winning remain at about one in 302 million, but that didop many from testing their luck. the semi-weekly drawings have yet to pick a winner, since june 24. if no one claims tonight's prize, next week's jackpot will grow to $1.6 billion. still to come on the newshour:

u.s. interior secretary ryan zinke under scrutiny for misuse of taxpayer dollars. how healthcare is playing in the midterm election race in republican idaho. spain overtakes italy as the main entry point for undocumented migrants coming to europe. and, much more. dr >> wf: another member of president trump's cabinet has come under scrutiny for alleged ethical lapses. interior secretary ryan zinke is being investigated on several fronts, and as william brangham reports, they include misusing taxpayer funds for family travel, and using his office to further his and others' business interests. t >> branghat's right, judy. the interior secretary is currently under at least four different investigations by the department's inspector general. according to the "washington

post," the most recent i.g. thport concerns allegation zinke tried to secure free travel for his wife in government vehicles. any non-government employee is supposed to reimburse the government for those kinds of trips, but zinke allegedly tried to get his wife a volunteer job at the department so she could travel with him for free. zinke has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. the secretary is also being investigated separately for a few different matters,cl ing: his involvement in a land deal in montana that could benefizinke and his wife; zinke's reversal of a decision to grant a casino in connecticut-- after meeting with lobbyists from a different sino operator; and his decision to redraw the boundaries of two national monuments. for more on these questions, i'm joined by the "washington post's" juliet eilperin. juliet, welcome back to the "newshour". you are one of the rep bters who helpeak the most recent

story about the questions over zinke's wife's trae vel. thve been other questions about zinke's travel and use of taxpayer money. can you explain how this all fits together? >> sure. ary zinke has come under scrutiny from the early months to have the administration for how he spentaxpayer funds and they've dealt with a range of different issues from the facte thatas combined political appearances from some of his ficial travel, the fat that, for example, his unarmed security detail accompanied him on vacation last summer to turkey ad greece ich cost taxpayers more than $25,000, and the fact that his wife has come with him, as wee l as som his associates, on official trips and that that, too, has translated, at times, into additional taxpayer expense so all of those issues have raised potential flags and prompted some of these inquiries. >> as i mentioned, there wer several other investigations going on into some of his

activities including the blocking to have the casino in connecticut, the redrawing of two national monuments, but also the land deal in white fis montana. can you explain a little bit about what that question is about? >>there's a development in white fish called 95caro which involves the chairman of halliburton, a major oil services firm, potentially fected by interior decisions as well as a local developer, and the zinckies because the land they both donated to the town as well aadjacent property they own could be affected byev the opment doctor zinke, who stepped down as president from the foundation and handed to reins to his wife, has been involved in discussions and a meeting with david lazar, his son and this developer while in washington and that is now a subject of an inspector general probe.

>> stepping back from the questions, can you remind us about the impact zinke has had on the interior department, what kind of policies he's has been enactings. >> he has been an active proponent of energy development fland and onshore. he reversed several siglenificat that were put in place by barack obama and has bekien ng more energy devopment available for private interests on public lands and public waters. we've seng him chae out draft recommendations which have shrunk national monuments, protected areas out t, and we're seeing an array of activities, whether it has t do with scientific findings, how the department considers, forpl ex findings of its own researchers to offshore wind development and the other area. so no question he's a very active member of the president's

cabinet. >> brangham: utility utility utility -- juliet eilperin of "the washington post." thanks as always. >> woodruff: the midterm elections are a little more than two weeks away, and national polls show that health care is the top issue for voters. in four heavily repuican states-- idaho, montana, utah and nebraska-- the ballots will include initiatives on expanding medicaid under the affordableca act. john yang goes to idaho for a report, produced in partnersp with politico. >> yang: nichole stull's life in suburban boise, idaho, is overflowing. four bouncing daughters, ages four to 14, and a baby on the way.us with hernd, jared, she runs a start-up that produces videos for local companies. but, she also finds herself in a dangerous gap.

they make too much money to qualify for traditional medicaid in idaho, but not enough to qualify for help to pay for premiums under the affordable care act. so for three years now, while the kids have been covered by, medicam and dad have gone without health insurance. it weighs on her minas the years go by. e i always joke that we have had the "hope for st" plan, you know? which is okay when you're in your 20s, and you're healthy. we don't smoke, drink, drug. but, as you get older, that doesn't work forever. >> yang: both stull's mother and sister have been diagnosed withs breast cancer,he herself carries the brca-2 gene, which is linked to breast cancer risk. >> they say when you find the brca-1 or the brca-2, it's not a matter of if you get cancer, but when. so, i would love to be able to get the care i need now, so that

i can move forward without this ever-hanging presence and weight that possibly could happen. >> yang: while she's pregnant, stull has temporary medicaid coverage. but she can't have the preventive surgery that herme doctor recoms for her while she's expecting, and she'll lose medicaid shortly after giving birth. in the 17 states that have not expanded medicaid coverage under the affordable care act, moreeo than two milple have the same trouble getting insurance.a in, if a family of four earns more than about $5,200 a year, theyon't qualify for traditional medicaid, but if they make less than $24,600, they don't get help with obamacare insurance premiums. they fall into what's known as the medicaid coverage gap. nichole stull is among the estimated 62,000 people here in idaho who fall into that gap. on elect could do something that idaho

lawmakers havet done-- give those people health insurance by expanding medicaid. >> can we count on your supportr to vote yes foosition 2? >> yang: backers collected more than 74,000 signatures to get the issue on this fall's ballot, after efforts in the republican- dominated state legislature went nowhere. polls indicate it has a good shot at passing. for people like robyn page, it's more than just a political question. i wouldn't have to worr about letting a prescription run out for a couple weeks until i got the money to gett. >> yang: and you do that now? >> yeah. >> yang: page is a substitute school teacher who spends most of her days caring for her quadriplegic son, jonathan. she has diabetes, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, and a slew of other conditions that require dailyme dications.

>> let's take a listen... f>> yang: page and tens o thousands of other uninsured patients in idaho rely on community health center clinics for reduced-cost primary care. but when it comereto specialty they're usually on their own. donna scranton hasn't worked for several ars, since shortly after she began having mysterious seizure-like spasms. she se a primary care physician at a community health center, but hasn't been able to see a speciast, so her gncondition has gone undiaosed and untreated. uninsured patients oen end up in the emergency room, costing the state tens of millio of dollars each year. >> we're already providing i at the most, most costly way possible, and it's about just solving that solution in a way that's conservative. >> yang: that's why christy perry-- a conservative, republican state lawmaker-- is co-chairing the medicaid expansion campaign. under the affordable care act,ve the federal ment pays at least 90% of the costs of expansion.

'sperry doesn't care that part of a law unpopular in idaho. she says it's the fiscally responsible way to provide needed insurance coverage. >> this doesn't have anything to do with the affordable care act atin the way that they loot. they're relating it to "obamacare." i think what it is, id's been a that is how we pay for indigent care, in not only our state, bui innation. >> yang: fred bibaum disagree he is vice president of the libertarian idaho freedom foundation, which opposes expansion. he argues, it would shift funding from the truly needy to what he describes as able- bodied, working-age adults. >> one of the reasons it's been thrd to repeal obamacare i states have been given this deal-- if you expand medicaid, the federal government will pick up 90% of the costs, the states 10%.

we're at a fork in the road. if idaho, and utah, and montana, nebraska, and other states expand medicaid, it will be harder for congress to reverse that. >> yang: nationwide, democrats are focusing on healthcare as ey try to win back the house and senate. according to the wesleyan medi n project,early 55% of all midterm democratic campaign ads have talked about it.in >> pre-exiconditions has become a huge issue. >> yang: paul demko covers alth care for politico. >> they have really been back on their heels for the last four elecon cycles, getting bludgeoned by republicans because of the shortcomings of obamacare. and now the tables are kind of reversed, and they are, the law, the popularif the law among voters, has improved.

especially as some of the popular provisions have been at risk of being taken away. >> yang: democrat paulette jordan believes the issue is boosting her uphill campaign to become the first female and the first tive american to govern this deeply republican state. >> in rural idaho, most of our folks are concernewith accessibility, or even just affordability, of heth care. so now, we have this opportunity to expand medicaid. that would be very helpf not only to counter the indigent care cost, but you know, allow folks to be covered. and then on top of that, would save our state money. >> yang: lieutenant governor brad little-- the republican candidate, who is heavily favored-- has pledged to implement medicaid expansion if it pses, but hasn't said how he'll vote on the ballot initiative. we met little, who is campaigning on the state's booming economy, at a boise manufacturing plant where he esrves on the board. >> we have to adthese people in the gap, and i'm very committed to doing that.

the question is: do we just do the categorical medi expansion like the other states, or do we do something else? >> yang: little argues that the a.c. is responsible fordr ing up insurance costs, despite state efforts to make it work. idaho was the only deep redre state toe and still run its own online exchange to help customers buy insurance under the affordable care act. during next month's open, enrollmeere will be at least three insurers offerin plans. many parts of the country will have just one. state officials estima premiums have risen so much that as many as 40% of those seeking insurance on the individual market can't afforit. >> some of us have fallen through the cracks on this whole health insuran, health care, and i'm one of them. >> yang: among those priced-out: semele freeman-hall. the money she earns as a hair stylist in boise and from

selling real estate is too much to qualify for either expanded medicaid or help with premiums under the a.c.a.-- but too little to afford them on her own. >> i made a decision between paying for health insurance, or buying food. b it wically what it came down to. >> yang: the premiums would be that high? y , yes. i think if they would come up with affordable plans, they probab wouldn't have to expand medicaid. >> yang: nichole stull and her husband, both indepe with conservative leanings, are eager to vote for medicaid expansion.u they're also taking a hard look at their options if it fails. >> i was actually thinking about the stuff in our house, and we drive two old cars. i thought, okay, if we sold all of our possessions, we could afford health insunce for about a year. and that's it, for a whole year. yang: on election day,

they'll be heading to the polls, and holding their breath. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang in boise, idaho. >> woodruff: stay with us. coming up on the newshour: mark shields and david brooks on the week's political news. and, "fall films." c a famies with the strain of addiction in "beautiful boy." it turns out that spain has become the main point of arrival over italy for illegal migrants heading to europe from africa.

spain has been mor than italy where a new right wing government has adopted strong anti-immigrant measures. ain has taken in nearly 34,000 migrants this year, which is 43% of all those crossing the mediterranean.t as p our continuing series "desperate journey," with the help of the pulitzer center, special correspondent malcolm brabant reports. >> reporter: for the legitimate treler with the right documents, the journey between africa and europe could not be more agreeable. 50 bucks buys a ticket from the moroccan port of tangier to southern spain on a hydrofoil, crossing one of the world'spi busiest ship lanes in just over half an hour. but this is reality for migranta who drof europe, and that most of europe wants to keep out-- a $1,000 place on leaky plastic dinghies tt sometimes make it to the spanisholiday beaches. this is one of several landings captured on vio by tourists this summer. the migrants' beacon is the rock of gibraar. according to the u.n.'s international organization for migration, so far this year, nearly 400 people have drowned aiming for these beaches. in the mediterranean as a whole, the number is around 1,800.

is spanish coast guard video highlights the perils. this trio from congo arrived in spain w days ago and have ventured out from a red cross hostel in the town of algeciras they fled congcause of recurring violence. 42-year-old pauli asked us to mask her face as she discussed the traumatic crossing. >> ( translated ): the moroccans are bad, and aa result, people t on these small boats. many of them die in the water, and it's all because of the t suffering inir own countries. those little boats! it's so difficult to get to spain. and it's only anks to god that i got here. >> reporter: some loca politicians had warned that tourist resorts risked being swamped by africans. but pro-immigrant campaign groups say the newcomers only stay a few days inhe south, and after being processed, are shipped out to other parts of spain. but not everyone leaves.

yacob from togo has sted in the south, and is working as a plumber in the town of la linea. he asked us to protect his identity. >> ( translated ): my advice would be: i am not god, but i'd say that if you are able toev aceverything you want in your country, stay there. sometimes when you are there, you build expectations, like europe being a paradise or a place where you can ge everything you want without suffering. but when you get here, thingsdi arerent. if you are not lucky, it will be difficult for you to be free in europe. >> reporter: dr. saida ayala is a lecturer in migration studies, who is also actively involved in helping the newcomers. she argues that spain needs to do more. >> ( translated ): i believe the situation is so tough europe should open borders and open doors and help every person. it is not just italy, it's all of europe. we should op doors and receive

and host. spain has the capacity to accept people. op reporter: three years into this crisis, and eremains as divided as ever. more countries are becoming increasingly hartiine in their des against migrants. italy stands out in particular, having closed its ports to migrants rescued at sea. but spain is an exception. its stance has softened since a socialist-d administration took control this summer. but the socialists have the most fragile government since democracy returned to spain 40 years ago, and anyisstep could lead to its demise, so this kind approach is not necessarily set in stone. these two far-right politicians are working to bend europe toth their vision ofuture-- italian deputy prime minister matteo salvini, and austria's vice chancellor heinz christian strache. >> ( translated ): generally, i would like to state that oneit cannot agreeany deliberations to make migration a human right. that is contrary to all our principles, and the principles d ocratic states.

of course, every state must be able to safe-guard their own sovereignty. >> ( translated ): it is our goal to secure the outer borders of the european union. and looking to the coming year, we want to change europe completely and exclude all socialists from the european parliament. >> reporter: but in a recent interview with the reuters ws agency, the spanish socialist prime minister pedro sanchez made it clear that he wants to be a bulwark against the rise oh the in europe. >> of course it's important indeed to make thaticontrol of frs. tht of course you also need to see globally whamigration policy means. it means, first of all, to enforce and strengthen the cooperation and the dialogue with the countries of origin and the countries of transit. and this is something that we are delivering as the spanish government. >> reporter: overlooking gibraltar is a man o immigration front-line. jose villahoz is president of algeciras welcomes, a non-profit that works to protect, educate and integrate newcomers.

he's skeptical about the new governme's promises to be more generous to migrants, but is more worried about those on the right wing. >> ( translated ): what usually brings racist or xenophobic reactions is the speeches of the spanish right-wing forces. this causes an unjustified alarm, because we are all seeing that there is nothing specinl on here, and most of the people that arrive here on ail boatnot stay in spain, and therefore it won't be a problem for spain. at they give is a false version. frightening people will ultimately reactions.enophobic >> reporter: in algeciras, many immigrants gravitate towards a picturesque square near the port. it contains nurous ethnic cafes and shops. at nighttime, there is some prostituon.as as heen well documented, a manyican women are forced to become sex workers to pay for the journey to europe. pte changing demographics make former ship's can enrique feel uncomfortable.

he says he rarely ventures out with his dog after dark. >> ( translated ): because we have been on the street this year to defend our pensions in spain, and then these people come and, for the simple act of coming here, they are earning more than a retired person. i personally don't like that. be>> reporter: with libya ing such a dangerous place for migrants, the trail to europe via morocco and spain will increase in significance. ide european union has dec to establish an international border force to protect these and her beaches, but it won' be ready for two years. in the interim, the tide will continue to be irresistible. for the pbs newshour i'm malcolm brabant in southern spain. >> woodruff: and now, to the analysis of shields and brooks. that is syndicated columnist mark shields, and "new york d times" columniid brooks,

joining us in this evening from los angeles. and welcome to both of you. midterm elections, we can just feel it. they're just a bit over two weeks away. the president has been out gn the camprail, he's been talking up republican candidates. hislanguage, the rhetoric getting more combative. i want you both to listen to something he said. he was in montana last night talking about the terrible things that will happen democrats are elected, mob rule, and so forth, but heent out his way to praise montana agngressman grg ji gianforte convicted two yearof misdemeanor assault on a news reporter. here's what the hpreside the say last night. >> greg is smart. by the way, never wrestle him. an you understand? never. guy that can do a body slam, he's my candidate! (cheers and applause)

he's my guy! >> woodruff: so he'been talking, he's been parts up, david, but now the language is getting tougher, more combative. what do we make of this? >> well, a couple of things, one, it's appalling. anybody who assaults a journalist for doing the job has done something appalling, anybody who praises that is doing something appalling. second, he's a showm. he tries to offend and, when he offends, his people go cra and they like it. so, i sort of think it is palling. i sometimes wonder if we should ignore it because it sets off a cultural drama where one group of people gets upset and the otr group are deighted the group got upset and it creates a drama that benefits trump and he's not stupout that kind of thing. >> woodruff: so we're amping it up by talking about it, mark? >> i think we have to talk about , judy. there's a week in which the disappearance of k mr.shoggi,

the murder of a journalist, "thn waon post" journalistfor what he was writing, apparentlr has beenont and center, and the president is not unaware of this because he's been a central tagure in disparaging the investigation anng up the cause of those who ar allegedly involved in it. so, you know, this is irresponsible, it's reckless, and it's really cheap in the liberal sense of it. this is a reckless act of an irresponsible man, and i don't think i can go -- it can go unremarked upon. >> woodruff: are there consequences, david. >> i think the major damage donald trump is doing to the counhy is weakening normals of deenlsy and si viflt andt without th's dog eat dog. i don't und,erestimate the ha

but when he went after carly fiorina about the way she looked and the people -- the worldwide wrestling association ethos has been the ethos he's played on the campaign trail. the desire to offend is part of the fun of the thing. i totally get mark's point. you have to try to maintain standards of how public officials are supposed to act with integrity but sometimes i feel mann ipulated whei react because that's what donald trump wants. >> i want davi to trust hisn instincts, which are good, but david tumped on wat i think is the central element of the campaign, are we going to have guardrails and establish guardrails in this country as tt establish s right and wrong and i think that to a great degree is what this election is about.

gianforte himself public pi aapologized and accepted thed court's ent. >> woodruff: meantime,re hard-fought coional races around the country and dozens of hard-fought senate races t i was honorbe asked to be part to part ofa moderat debate last night in st. louis, missouri. what came out of that discussion, i think, loud and clear is that healthcare really is an issue in a lot of these races. i want to play a bit for the two of you of what harley and senator mccaskill had to say about that. >> we need to fix the problems in obamacare, not throw it out. and his lawsuit is so reckless because there's backup here, there's no backup plan for pre-existing conditions if he's success. if he believes we have been

xisting conditions he should ask for the case to be dismissed. >> t bottom line, senator mccaskill will not support any plan to cover people with pre-existing conditions that isn't obama care. eyou would have to hav obamacare to get this coverage, supposedly and that's what she based the campaign on. >> woodruff: obamacare ofe fordable care act was working against democrats. now they're trying to use it to their advantage. do you thngink it's wor >> i think a bit. you know, if you ask americansp what is the t issue you care about, healthcare comes out first, the economy slitly second, guns and immigration. so healthcare does seem to be the dominant issue and it is a tradition that wants an entitlement and a benefit from the federal program is instituted becomes pretty sacred a, meicare, social security, and republicans fight it for a while and give in, that's what dwight dwight -- dwight

eisenhower did to the new deal. democrats think it's working because 55% of the congressional and gubernatorial level ads are healthcare so they're making that issue front and center. i think the norms, as mark and i have bee discussing, what trump is doing to the political culture is more of an issue an vulnerability and i wonder if democrats would win over more swing vote interests they focused on that because there are a lot of pretty conservative people that think what's happening to the country is pretty awful. >> woodruff: what about that mark and what about whether healthca is working to democrats' advantage or not? >> well, democrats pe affordable care act. it took courage on thea part of lot of democrats who voted for it, who knengw they were sta in the political aby css. gress as a result of it, nancy pelosi deserves great credit. but it's been unp donald trump has made it popular

and the republicans made itpu r. they keep within one vote of repealing the entire affordable care act, which includes pre-existing conditions, i would remind attorney general hawley, he signed the suit ohat seeks repeal the entire act to have it thrown out as being illegal, ich would take away the affordable care act.n 1.1 mill missourians have a prix existing condition, and they would be denied or left to the mercy of the insurance companies, and we know their record, prior to the enactment to have the affordable care act. so, -- prior to the enactment or the affordableact. so this is a real issue for real people and it is total hoax to say i have a pln. 80 years, they've tried t pass limited national healthcare, they finally did it in 2010, and, you know, the idea that

we're going to magically do do u anfor the one vote of the late senator john mccain, it would be repealed and we wouldn't even be talking about pre-existing conditions or the affordable care act in any way toda >> woodruff: it's some kind of turnaround if it turns out this is something thwos to help democrats. david, mark brought uphe jam khashoggi disappearance a minute ago, the saudi journalist. wethave been hearing aboutt now for several weeks and just tonight the saunm govt is saying they are firing people, asking people to step down, they are detaining others in all this. we still don't have a clear picture of what thetrump administration is going to do. how do you se -- can the president walk a middle line here? bl the one hand, say, yes, it was a terthing, but we don't want, in a serious way, changeeur relationship with t saudis. >> well, that's what's going to

happen. in the middle east, people understand you go through periods where people tend to be mad at you and go back to normap affairs and i t that's what the trukdz will do in saudi arabia. the prior problem is whoever de the decision in saudi arabia to do this didn't worry about donald trump ord america f the u.s. withdraws its normal role as th enforcerme sort of international decency, then the people liksie prnt putin and those in saudi arabia and north korea are instinctivelya anost unconsciously going to go, well, i can get away with this, until you get action. it's the power of american power and standing that seems to be rye core problem. this happens eime the trump administration alliance themselves with the bad person. thoebad person s something bad. they try not to react because they like the bad person, then public opinion drags them into a grudging, meaningless msknowledgment and that seo be the pattern here. >> woodruff: does the administration have to take the

tough li g or can thet away with walking the middle ground here? >> i don'think there is a middle ground. judy, michael hayden, the forme. director undert presidsh and n.s.a. oirector as well under president obama, made, i ht, a penetrating observation. he said, president trump has clos personal relations with three heads of state who have on their hands the murder of a citizen in another country. kim jong un, mr. putin and now the saudi royal family. i know if you're accused of mud slinging if you quote the president, but i do want to quote the president. some of his ardent supporters say he shouldn't be quted because he doesn't always mean it, but he has said, am i supposed to dislike tem, speaking of the saudis? i like them very much. they make rich. they make me millions and

hundreds of millions. i make a lot oney with them. d this is about his values, and these are now the united states vaues. that's what he's embodying and represents. isjust think i absolutely terrifying for the united states foreign policy andho we are and what we believe in the world. >> does this haveg- lonsting consequences, david? >> well, we'll see. i guess this is why i'm a little mystified that the democrats are not going after this issue, why they're going after healthcar and other policy issues. to me this is theig issue of the election that, frankly, if the republicans keep the house and the senate, then donald trump willeel unleashed, he'll feel this style of politics andn foreign polic definition of our moral order has been tot vindicated by the american people. to me, that's the core issue. how do we seerselves in this country, what kind of country do we say we are?

are we strictly a money country? we sometimes look like thato outsiders. i don't thk it's true, but that's the ethos president trump is embodying in quite an embarrassed way. >> woodruff: can democratdo something? >> are democrats willing to stand up and say this is a matter of national strength, charter, national values? when pat roberson become the moral theologian of the republican party and say going after udi arabia for a journalist who disappeared is not worth risking one dollar billion worth of arms usales, does that tell y about moral leadership? that's really the proposition that's been presented by this thesident to the country. the democrats, do have the courage, decency and integrity to stand up? i mean, these are th people running a civil war in yemen and muering children by the thousands, and we have been essentially mute and supportive of that enterprise. >> woodruff: and on that note, i'll thank you both, mark shields, david brooks, thank

you. >> woodruff: a film that femiered at the toronto international fitival earlier this falis now set to open nationwide. an as jeffrey brown reports, it takes on a harrowing subject affecting families acrs the country. >> brown: in the film, "beautiful boy," a young man enters the hell of drug addiction; a father struggles to understand what's happened to his little boy; and the two go through cycles of recovery and relapse--r- a seemingly neding world of heartbreak. it's a tough subject. also, one ve much in the psyche of a nation in the throes of an opioid addiction crisis. >> it's the reason i chose the movie. >> brown: it is?

>> yeah. i felt that it was about the most timely thing you could choose to make a film about. >> brown: steve carell plays the faner, david sheff, a north california freelance journalist whose life comes crashing down. >> my son is missing. has he been in? i have a 14- and a 17-year-old, and every night i'd go home and i'd look at them and i'd hug them, and it's, you know, it e unds like a cliche but, you can't help but huff like this get inside of you as you're doing it. >> browntimothee chalamet plays young nic sheff, living a secret life that spins out of control. in his case, from addiction to methamphetamines. >> dad, i'm really sorry. today, we live in a ally

confusing world, and this is an out, in many ways. >> this is a story about family, and about a deep love and connection between this father and son specifically. and that's how i approached it. i didn't approach it as an "addiction drama" or a "recovery ama." i thought of it as a compelling story. >> brown: the film is based on a true accou-- two accounts, in fact. the real-life david and nic sheff each published aemoir of his experience, offering director felix van groeningen a kind of duet of voices, sometimes in sync, other times

sailing past one another. >> the things they talked about were the same, but writtt in a differy and seen from a different point of view. so bancing those two points view, and understanding the two of them, even as it leads to almost tragic breakup, and understanding those two points of view, i thought it was really powerful. >> brown: steve carell is known as a brilliant and versatile comedian, perhaps ill most of all for his role on the tv series, "the office."t' >> twhat she said! (laughter) >> brown: but he's now taken on a number of dramatic roles, including the 2014 "foxcatcher." >> brown: timothee chalamet, already a veteran actor at just 22, burst into larger publicas awareness withyear's "call me by your name." ♪ ♪

>> you think that deu have this control, and i understand how scared you are. > >> brown: in "beautiful boy," the two are comfortably together and horribly apart. sometimes, at the same time. >> they both keep trying in their own way to reach the other, but it's almost like one of them is underwater, and one of them isn a boat, and they're trying to talk to each other. >> by the nature of playing the symptoms of meth addiction, there's a spontaneity to that. and steve is like a major improv legend, and i uld see we were, >> brown: but does your improv experience come into play in a scene like that? ch not so n the context of improvising dialogue, but as timothy was saying, it was more the physicality of improv, the

trying to suss out where the other character is within the scene. i don't know, i have such a hard time talking about acting.? >> brown: you >> i do. i really do. >> brown: because?d >> i always so incredibly pretentious, talking about, to talk about "craft." i don't know, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and i thinso much of it is just who your partner is, who you're working with. >> brown: no one's surprised to see you doing these serious films anymore, i don't think. are you? is this what you've wanted to do? >> to be pretentious? yeah. >> brown: to have peopleike me asking you about this serious film. >> you know, i've itnally made o pbs. that was it. >> brown: congratulations. >> thank you. there's no specific career trajectory that i was looking e r. >> brown: do you he? because you're just starting o t. people are gettingow you,

and know you big-time, suddenly. >> there's no roadmap. i feel that i just want to work on the good things and keep working with good people and people i can learn from. and it's a new world in many ways. i think it's a beautiful thing for creatives, perd. there's a great raw new energy. >> brown: "beautiful" opens nationwide october 19. for the pbs newshour, i'm jeffrey brown at the toronto international film festival. >> woodruff: later on "washington week," a closer look s the challenges and choi president trump is facing as the world watches his response to the death of a sdi journalist. plus, a midterm preview. you can join robert costa later tonight on "washington week." on pbs newshour wedoend saturdayors in congo battle an ebola outbreak in the conflict zone. that's tomorrow on pbs newshoure end. and we will be back, right here, on monday, as the two-week

countdown to the midterm elections begins. f.at's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruf have a great weekend. thank you, and we'll see you soon. >> major fding for the pbs wshour has been provided by: >> kevin. >> kevin! >> kevin? advice for life. life well-planned. learn re at raymondjames.com. >> bnsf railway. >> consumer cellular. >> supporting social entrepreneurs and theirs solution the world's most pressing problems-- skollfoundation.org. >> the william and flora hewlett foundation. for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at www.hewlett.org.

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and friends of the newshour. >> this program wamade possible by the corporation for puic broadcasting. d by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc capta ned by mecess group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs.n

tonight o kqed "newsroom," with lehan three weeks to go to the novemberlections a look at key california congressional races and how silicon valley is being tested by the saudi crisis. plus we'll he from state senator kevin de leon, the man trying to win dianne feinstein's seats in the senate. and the photographer who brought us an intimate view of president obama's white house, his visual commentaries on president trump, has made him an instagram star. hello and welcome to kqed "newsroom." i'm thuy vu. we begin tonight wh politics. around thetate some high-stakes congressional races are turning nasty. in san diego county republican representative duncan hunter's campaign has sought to portray muslim nent as a terrorist. meanwhile, in the central valley represent stiff devin nunes is