captioningponsored by wshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight: the president's former personal attorney is sentenced to three years in federal prison, saying in court he felt it was his "duty to cover up" mr. trump's "dirty deeds." then, british prime minister theresa may survives a no-cfidence vote, but the future of a brexit deal remains uncertain. plus, a potential bipartisan usbreakthrough on criminalce reform. we talk to senators from both sides of the aisle about the bill.d, ow one historic maryland town is weighing taking drastict measurprotect itself from climate change. >> if you don't take this bold step, then what will be left of the town if anothem

happens? >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding fur the pbs newsas been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> consumer cellular. financial services firm raymond jame

>> supporting social entrepreneurs and their tlutions to the world's m pressing problems-- ollfoundation.org. >> the lelson foundation. committed to improving lives through invention, in the u.s. and developingountries. on the web at lelson.org. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur undation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more iormation at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president trump's ex-lawyer michael cohen now

faces three years in prison. he was sentenced today for arranging hush money payments over mr. trump's alleged sexual affairs, and for lying about his boss's business dealings in russia. cohen said nothing after leaving federal court in new york.rd he was oed to surrender on march 6, to begin serving his time. we get more now from andrea bernstein of wnyc, who was in the courtroom today. so, andrea, i think we've got upused to it being almost a spectacle, these court scenes, when various defendants, people accused have shown up. tell us about what the scene was today. >> well, inside the courtroom, there was real drama because there was -- we didn't know what was going to happe and there were many members of cohen's family there, his parents, his children, his brother, and just a packed courthouse.

it's the first time in a new york courtroom i've heard everything from taxi medallions to russia. >> woodruff: tell us a little bit about the exchanges between the judge and what cohen himself had to say. >> right, so this was a very different sentencing hearing. i have been toa lot of sentencing hearings and, usually, what happens is the defense lawyers will say thatie their cl is really a good person who has just gone astray this once and desves leniency and the prosecutors will say, no, no, it was a serious crime. today both sides said mocracy depends on the sentence here.co n's lawyers were arguing he deserves lennc he cooperated with the special counsel, he testified against the most powerful man in the nited states, president trump, and the judge should be sending a signal to other cooperators that they should come forward, and the prosecutors in the u.s. attorney's office were arguing, no, no, he committederious

campaign finance violations, he defraud it did american people and the i.r.s., and if that's not give answerrous sentence it will give a message to otherle pehat they can do the same. so it's a very difference sentencing hearing. >> woodruff: you were saying th were speaking democracy itself depends on how the sentencing turns out. >> that s right, ands interesting because the judge said there was a point at which --ohen obviously asked for no jail time, and the judge said to him, you cannot just wipe the slate clean. you have lied grto cons, you have lied to banks, you have lied to theav i.r.s., you lied to the american people, you have committed all these crimes of deception for personal greed and ambition, and hehen gave cohen the sentence. however, it was reduced from what it could have been. under the guidelines, cohen

would havet ten four or five years for the crimes he pleadedy guo today. so getting three years, the judge was saying, okay, you're getting a little bit of credit for helping out, but if we wip these away we're undermining the american democracy and electoral system. >> woodruff: what about cohen himself, andrea? what didhe have to say? >> last summer in the croorm he came in, was relaxed, lookedfo straigard, and then he gave this impassioned appeal where he said the presidt s correct in calling me weak. i was weak because i did not stand up to him and, instead, i covered up h dirty deeds. and that was an extornary admission for a man who really came to public light when the dossier was released at thein begiof the trump presidency, which, at that time, said that cohen had tried tove up the russia collusion. so it sort of came full circle

today with the special counsel saying, actually, cohen had helped them in material and credible ways in their investigation of what they called cooperation, russian cooperation with the 2016 campaign, coordination. >> woodruff: and just very quickly, we've also learned something today from the southern district of new york, the prosecutors there, about these hush paymts. >> right. so the owners of the "national enquirer" called a.m.i. signed nonprosecution agreement which was released today, and they also described the scene that cohen had previously admitted to, which was agreeing tht they'd pay stormy daniels a sum of money and hold on toer story and not release it, and they also agreed this s the arrangement that they had made the outset of the campaign that they'd make payments to make sure that these women's stories never reached the light of day, and if juge was very

clear today when he said when that happens in the late stages of the election it undermines democracy and is not okay. >> woodruff: andrea bernstein describing the day we just had veday. thank yo much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: in the day's other news, british prime minister theresa may turned back a bid to unseat her as leader of the conservative party. but, according to supporters, she promised to step down anyway, before the next e nationctions in 2022. it all stemmed from resistance to the brexit deal she negotiated with the european union. we will have a full report, after the news summary.f hundredslice searched across eastern france today for the gunman who attacked a famedh stmas market in strasbourg. he is accused of killing at least two people and wounding a dozen. jonathan miller of independent television news reports from stsbourg.te >> repor france is back on max alert. the strasbourg lockdown failed to snare t gunman. a full-scale international manhunt in full swing echoes of the berlin christmas market

attack two years ago. the festive spirit of this city, sacked. the blood of innocents splashed again in the european strts. >> the security level will never be high enough to avoid an attack from a mad person. it's absolutely unavoidable. at can you do? >> reporter: the fugitive suspect, ned tonight as cherif chekatt, french citizen, strasbourg born and bred. he had been the terror watch list. he'd opened fire in three locations. the screamare truly chilling as he rampaged through the christmas tourist heartland of this beautiful old city, killing randomly as he reportedly yelled "allahu akbar." he evaded capture by commandeering a taxi and making his escape. >> ( translated ): during hisjo ney, he opened fire several times with a handgun, and used a knife with which he seriously injured and killed people.

faced with four soldiers from the sentinel operation, he fired in their direction. .hey shot back, and he was injured in the a >> reporter: the european parliament was in session at the time. today, they held a minute's silence. >> ( translated ): we have to go forward. we should not change oits. this is why yesterday we continued to work in the plenary session. >> repter: the truth is, habits have changed, though. it's just that seeing combat- ready troops patrolling reets is normal now. >> woodruff: that report from jonathan miller of independent television new ede united states senate m today to consider ending military support for the saun - led coalitghting in yemen. the resolution comes amid bipartisan anger over the murder of sau journalist jamal khashoggi. u.s. intelligence agencid have concluat the saudi crown prince ordered the killing. meanwhile, the u.s. house will

not consider u.s. involvement in the yemen war, for theest of this year. republican leaders narrowly pushed through that proviso today during the debate on the farm bill. the bill itself passed easily, and it now goes to president trump for his signature. it's worth $867 billion over a span of ten years. we will get the details, later in the program. in turkey, president recep tayyip erdogan warned today that he is ready to assault u.s.-backed kurdish forces in eastern syria.it the y.p.g. m has fought the islamic state group, but erdogan says the militia is linked to kurdish rebels inside turkey. in ankara today, he said an offensive is imminent, but is t aimed at american forc helping the kurds. >> ( transl and we are saying again, that we will start the operation toea clear th of the euphrates from separatist terrorists in a couple of days. our target is never u.s. soldiers our target is separatist

terrorists who are active in the region. >> woodruff: in washington, the pentagon said that any unilateral military strike into noheastern syria would be unacceptable. there is word that u.s. investigators believe china engineered the cyber-attack on marriott's starwood hotels. the breach exposed the personal dataf some 500 million guest reports in the "new york times" and "washington post" say the marriott hack was part broader effort by china's ministry of state security. the news comes as the trump administration is preparing to takection against china over tis trade and cyber actions. congressional neors agreed today on overhauling sexual misconduct rules for ls.makers and ai the compromise bill uptes decades-old rules on reporting such claims. members of the house and senate would be personally responsible for financial settlements, instead of charging them to

taxpayers. on wall street today, stocks littled to regain ground. the dow jones industrial average was up 157 points, to close at 24,527. the nasdaq rose 66, and the s&p 500 added 14. and, the u.s. national film registry is adding "jurassic park," "my fair lady," and "brokeback mountai" and more than 20 other movies. the library of congress announced its annual selections today. their addition makes a total of 750 films tapped for special presvation since the registr began 30 years ago. still to come on the newshour: the british prime minister survives a nconfidence vote following troubled brexit negotiations. two senators discuss a potential bipartisan breakthrough criminal justice reform. what's inside the latest farm bill moving through congress. and, much more.

>> woodruff: we return nownoo the cruciaonfidence vote that british prime ministerth esa may has survived. as nick schifrin reports, is unexpected challenge mrs. may comes amid the larger chaos of the drive tard brexit. >> the results of the ballot held this evening is that the parliamentary committee does have confidence-- ( applau) >> schifrin: and with that, the head of the conservatives' parliamentary committee announced that british prime minister theresa may survived. t >> the number of votes c favor of having confidence in theresa may is 200, and against was 117. >> schifrin: that hush spoke to a political fight that was close and difficult. but tonight, may projected confidence. >> this has been a long and challenging day, but at the end

of it,'m pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues itonight's ballot. >> schifrin: it has been a tumultuous 48 hours, after her brexit deal faced intense resistance, and she pulled the vote. and then this morning, members of her own party trigged a vote to oust her as their party's, and britain's, leader. so instead of attending a planned meeting in dublin to fight foher version of brexit, may headed back to the house of commons to fight for her job. >> the public voted to leave the european union. they want us to secure a deal that delivers on that result. and we shouldn't risk handing control of the brexit negotiations to opposition m.p.s in parliament, because that would mean risking delaying brexit or even stopping brexit. >> schifrin: may's defenders called the vote of no-confidence waste of time. >> can my right honorable frienn of anything more unhelpful, irrelevant, and irreonsible than for the conservative party to embark on weeks of a conservative leadersh election? >> schifrin: may might havesu

ived, but her brexit plan remains controversial, especially the so-called irish "backstop." right now, norern ireland, part of the united kingdom, and the republic of ireland, part no the european union, hav land border, and cars and goods can cross easily.ma s plan would keep that border open, but could leave britain subject to european union customs rules indefinitely. conservative politicians argued her version of brexit didn't break the relationship with europe enough. but she also faces opposition from the left,nd labour party leader jeremy corbyn. >> the time for dithering and delay by this government is over. >> schifrin: may has tried to theince europe to twe deal, in emergency meetings with european officials yesterday. but they held firm, vowing no new negotiations or concessions, as german chancellor angela merkel said today. >> ( translated ): we do notny haventention of changing the withdrawal agreement. this is the general position of the 27 member states, and therefore no changes can be expected at the end of our

debates. >> schifrin: after sur, tomorrow, y heads to a european union meeting, where she'll once again ask for concessions that the e.u. vows not to grant. and with me now on today's vote and ere brexit goes from her is robin niblett. he is the director of chatham house, the british think tank d research institute. thank you very much for being on the "newshour". can you just tell us how we got here? fy did conservatives pu a no-confidence vote? >> i think we got here -- i mean there's been a bubbling sense of dissatisfaction with prime minister may for quite a while now, but we got here specifical because she withdrew very unexpectedly the opportunity for members ofpa iament to vote on her deal on monday, and she has members of her cabinet outth sayin she absolutely was going to stick with this vote and call and let the kie crumble as it might, see how many votes go through, and she pulledt at the last minute. i think there was a sense deeply in the conservative party, this

is te prime minister who botched the election a year ago that some of the lack of political skill gave an opening for those to call a nonconfidence within the conservative party. >> there is criticism of her deal from multiple angles and she said she would try to answer the criticism by talking to the european union again, going back to testament u. and getting a better deal. but nothing changed from the european union, we heard from chancellor merkel of germanyda toy. so is prime minister may in a better or worse position to try to g some kind of tweak for this brexit deal that's been negotiated for two years? >> i think e.u7 leaders know theresa may is not going to omove, she's not going t go. she cannot be challenged again by the conservative party for her leadership for twelve months. there is a possibility of no-confidence vote by the whole ol parliament in the government,

but i think the whof conservative will hang togetr. so e.27 knows that theresa may is the person they're going to have to do the deal with and extensive opposition to the type of deal becking stru but given that there is no majority in the britishnt parliaor a very hard brexit, one in which in essence the u.k. would drop out with no deal, nor is there any appetite, i think, for a second reerendum unless it can be possibly avoided. itomes down to tweaks that atn be done on the deal, side bar commitments, ou described in your story, the backstop, the insurance policy ofhat would come into effect if no agreement was struck by the end of 2020.th ides could say this is the last resort, maybe we wouldn't extend more than one year the agreement for a future relationship to be negotiated in this period. to be frank, the best they will be able to do is tweak around the edges, and i think theresa

may has to come ba to parliament and challenge the leaders to say, if you don't want this deal, what's the alternative? it's either no deal or a seond referendum and those are the most palatable choices. >> she'soing to have a month to take the tweaks and try to se to parliament at this point. is a scond referendum likely or trying to bring down the whome gove or a crash out of the european union?>> ook, there is definitely no majority in parliament for a crash out of the european union for a no deal. i think the prospects of a second referendum are much, muh higher than they were even two or three weeks ago. i would put them certnly in the 40% range, maybe drifting toward 50%, for thesimple reason that parliament cannot agree on what type of brxit to drive through, and we know the ch wouldtive party, whi

have to carry the deal, is riven and deeply split. so tss poility of a second referendum, which could be carried out pretty quickly, is definitely, i think, on the rise. however, just because there's a second referendum doesn't mean you end up with an approval for it. what's in the question? is the question theresa may's deal may remain? theresa may's deal which is note popular or just simply leave? it's a very difficult set of questions. if there's a second referendum, ere is a possibility the country would vote still to leave but probably leave around thesa may's deal. >> neighborhood director of chatham house, we'll have to leave it there. thank you very much. >> woodruff: u.s. senateea majorityr mitch mcconnell says the senate will take up ariminal justice reform before leaving for the the "first step act" would address prison and sentencing

reform, including: lowering mandatory minimum sentences for ug convictions. expanding recidivism reduction programs iprisons. and placing prisoners no more than 500 miles from their families. it has broad bipartisan support on capitol hill, and the backing of the white house. joining me are two senators who have been pushing this overhaul. republican chuck grassley of iowa, who airs the judiciary committee. and democrat dick durbin of illinois, who is the minority whip. gentlemen, good to have you both withsls. senator gr, it was a few weeks ago that the senate majority leader mitch mcnnell was expssing not a lot of enthusiasm for this bill. what changed? >> well, we just proceeded,s you have to do, through thee legislatocess. you know, you have to have 60 votes to get something done, so show me 60 votes, so we showed him 60 votes. how are you going to get the

president? so we negotiated with the g president t him on board, and he's on board. then how are you going to get it through the house of representatives? we conferenced with the house f representatives so it's how the s,legislative process wore did everything that needs to be done and, once it got done seems to me there was no excuse for not bringing it up and we got probablytes for it, at least, i would say. >> woodruff: there clearly were some modifications made in the bill. what was done in this bill ando rked on this? >> well, i started six years ago, i believe, with senator ke lee, and we realized we couldn't get to first base withouthe chairman of the committee, chuck grassley. we worked on changes so the bil could be supped by senator grassley along the way. cory booker joined us. we've had an amazing group democrats and republicans. yes, the bill changed.

it is not my original bill.n i learned a time ago if you're determined to get the original bill without changesve you will see it happen. we had to find compromises that didn't comprose the basic values we were fighting for. >> reporter: as senator durbin was saying, senator grassley, there were changes made and a shift in the language in the substance of the bill, but ther ill opposition among yourll gues. senator tom cotton of arkansas says, yes, he likes some of these changes, but it still would allow for early release of criminals whcommitted violent offenses, bank robberies where they wer using dangerous weapons, sexual assaults. how do you answer a criticisms? like th >> well, e's wrong, first of all. thert anybody going to get out of prison as a result of our sentencing reform part of it. everybody realizes withni mandatory ms there are

some unfairness in it, and this is to address the unfairness issue. , so you know, you might have a 25-yr sentence, and somebody in prison feels it's not fair, so you go back to the prosecutor before you even go to the judge that, between the prosecutor and the judge, you can make a cas that maybe you ought to have a 15-year or a 10-year sentence in place, and if you convince the judge, that could happen, but you're not going to get out the street as a result of a judge's decision. so that's wh i sa that senator cotton is wrong on that point. >> woodruff: well, i asked about that because he's saying he has yet to betisfied on it. >> well, he isn't going to be satisfied and he kno it. today this conversation with him, i said,ou know, just look up the record, you and i votege er 92 or 93% of the time, and he says, well, i must have been wrong 7% of the time. well, he was wrong 7% of the time and he's wrong on this.

>> woodruff: senator durbin, on the other hand, there has been opposition froliberal groups who believe the sentencing rules, regulations, ws have been far too strict, that they have been too harsh. they've requir people to serve time -- much more time that beth should have served. how does this legislation address their concerns? he>> well, it doesn't give all they wanted or all that i want, but that's the nature of a bipartisan compromise. but what it boils down to is we went and said when came the sentencing provisions that the if you have committed avi noent drug offense without the use of a weapon and you are willing to cooperate with the government, with the prosecution, you will be eligle to be considered for a lower minimum sentence -- eligible. no mandate on the judge. it's still up to their discretion when it comes to the criminal records, for example, so those before them. so there aree who would like to have gone forward, and i did, too. but in order get this bill

moving forward with the support of groups like the american civil liberties union and the paternal order of police, we really struck an amazing balance here. we've got to take advantage of this when we can. it's seldom you find these groups together on anything. >> and who was responsible -- i mean, whs been the man impetus behind this, senator durbin? >> wel i introduced it wit senator lee. we brought it to senatgror sley. its been the grassley-durbin bill for some time now but we're happy to have senators lee and booker with us. we've worked together with this and i might add with support from the white house, it's be absolutely essential. >> let me add, jared kushner, n and law and advisor to the president, is a big force in moving this bill along. he isnow in pacular a big force in getting the president to back it, and the president has quite a reputation for being tough on law enforcement, and ws all know heough on law enforcement, and to have his

backing, and he had a news conference, and he says, my pen is ready to sign this bill.o >> uff: senator grassley, how do you explain the shift, though, in attitudes in the last wefew decades? ll remember the time or many of us remember the time when there was this very tough on crime, war on drugs attitude.ha there seems t been a shift in thinking over the last 20 or so years. >> yeah. part of it's because of the high cost of incarceration, part of it is a result of texas-mississippi-georgia, maybe other states, proving that if you train people and make them productive citizens, when they get out youe don't hathem returning to the high costs of prison, and you also don't have as much crime because you've gom tot another crime to get put back in prison, and then thf the unjustified sentences that were given and feling that

we've got to be more fair if you're going to have respect for the judicial system. >> senator durbin, what would you add to th how do you think attitudes have changed and why have they changed? >> well, we've got ablittle bit smarter. we want to make our neighborhoods safer, that's for sure. we want to reduce the prospect that somebody who's dangerous in going to bethe streets, but we realize that having somebody serve 20 years or a life in prison for the simple sa of narcotics without a violent ime, without a gun, went too far. we want to be a lot smarter, and as chuck said, we've learned from a lot offstates there are things you can do to make available to prisoners so we're certain when they leave they won't commit another crime, avoiding another victim, incarceration and bill to the taxpayers and ends up with another productive life. those have been proven b many states to be effective. hi woodruff: senator grassley,

clearly bipartisawork at here. is this a sign of things to come or aonone-tim situation? >> no, i think it's agood sign, and the senate promotes some bipartisanship because you've got to have 60 votes, but peovee good faith towards each other, can get togeether, and senate isn't as divided as people in the grassroots think it is. we do speak to each other, we work together, and, so, i think it's good news or the fure. >> woodruff: senator durbin, do you think we're going to see any more to have the two parties working together on significant legislation? >> you will, and even as we're waiting for thiprogram to start, chuck and were starting about other legtiis activity that we share the same views on. we're going to continue to wortk to. we trust one another. i couldn't be here with this bill without him, and i'm t sure he would have the

democratic support without myself and senator book around others, so it proves it can be done. uff: how about the border wall, immigration? (laughter) >> that's a little bit of evasion, but you're never going to get senators or even two friends in the united states senate of different parties to agree on everything, but you work together when you can, and this is an example of wherewo we'rking together, and we might have views on different things, but we're still going tp k to each other and get along and see what we can do together, and there's no end to that, if you want to be a good senator. >> it's a midwestern thing judy. >> yeah, that's right, too. >> woodruff: i had to ask. senator dick durbin, senator chuck grassley, thank you both. >> thank you very much. >> woodruff: and stay with us.n coming e "newshour", >> woodruff: and stay with us. ming up on the newshour: how one historic town is considering drastic action to counter the effects oflimate change and, a new book details the life and death of a war

rrespondent. but first, let's look at another major piece of legislation making its way tough congress this week. it is a wide-ranging farm bill that would cost $867 billion over ten years, and reauthorize various farm and food programsr ve years. among other things, this farm bill would provide new help for dairy farmers, and legalize industrial hemp. it also avoid cuts that had been proposed to the food stamp program. our own lisa desjardins joins me now from capitol hill, to dig into the details of this legislation. so, lisa, remind us, iverall, whatthe bill and why does this bill matter. >> this bill is critical to large part of america that doesn't necessarily live in cities and towns but keeps this country fed. there are 2 million farms in this country, judy, and that number has been decreasing. what's more, farmers in america since 2013 have seen their net income -- listen to this -- drop by half. what the farm bill does is itgr keeps prs in place

help stabilize farms. some of them are subsidy programssome insurance programs, but if it doesn't get esauthorized, farmers have less stability, and are people who basically are wall street traders on tractors every day, prices matter, and this bill helps them get loans and pay fon stay in the next season. without it there's a lotof instability. >> woodruff: one of the things we mentioned with dairy farmers, what kind of help are th getting and how does that make a difference? >> it's significant because iry farmers in particular have been hit bony retaliafrom the trump tariffs. in this bill, this will expand the program that is a safety nea foy farmers and give them seven times the protection they had in the last farm bill. it will allow more farmers to take advantage of that dairy price support, and, also, judy, it's important to note some conservatives wanted to tack the idea of subsidy reform. that is not in this bill. thge's a bigconversation.

that's one reason why people like chuck grassley voted no. but dairy farmers are some ofe nners in the bill. >> woodruff: another part of the bill that got attention is the food stamps, the so-called snap s rogram. tellw the bill changes that. >> the spending mas up for 80% of the farm bill's funding, and there was a huge fight over whether there should be more work requirements. the food stamp program or snap reaches 42 million people, but there will be no chans that could mean cuts in that program. some conservatives wanted to add work requirements that would have led ewto fer people getting those benefits, but that won't happen in this bill. instead, judy, as learned from multiple sources on both sides of the capitol, that the secretary of agriculture is expected to get administrative power to launch a new rule that could mean morpeople especially in cities and towns might have to abide by work

requirements, in other words, cities couldn't opt out to have e work requirements. we will have to watch for that. >> woodruff: of course, it's a farm bill, but there isa o language that addresses wildfires. so tell us about that. >> this is pivotal. there are some new proonvi happened over the last year that happened over better use, better guaranteed funding to fight wildfires. tut, judy, what's mos significant here, is some conservatives wanted to change rules to allow for more logging and clear cutting, they say something that will prevent wildfires. they say environmentalists are getting in the way. however, democrats put up a large fight and said that's a problem, too much lg would come from the changes and, in the end, the changes were not made. so a victory for environmentalists on that part of the bill. >> woodruff: and finally, lisa, lanage in here about the legalization of hemp. >> right. this is a big deal, a potential $20 billion industry. this is happening because senatomitch mcconnell of

kentucky, a state which has a very large hemy,p induswanted to move hemp from being ant lled substance, which it is now, to not a controlled substance. quickly, there is an oil created from hemp that doe not hae t.h.c. in it, and this is a victory for mitch mcconnellrs ally and for the hemp industry at large, some of which goes to medical purposes and other things. so it's something to watch veryl cl >> woodruff: well, a lot going on inside this farm bill, and we are so glad to have you to help us understand lisa deardins at the capitol, thank you. >> woodruff: climate change is forcing many communities across the country to think about new ways of adapting. one town in maryland has been hit especially hard. john yang and a te of students from the university of maryland capital news service visited ellicott city, to explore the town's future, and produced this report for our weekly segment,

the "leading edge." >> yang: it's a town people love. its streams and hills, its historic archi shops.and quaint it's no surprise that "money"en magazine ry named ellicott city, maryland one of america's best places to live. so attractive that, in recent years, its population has exploded. it was originally built as a mill town, channeling multiple stterways down to the flour mill, one of the fn the country. . has a history of floodi >> the thing about elliot city xa that about 250 years ago, it was designed to doly what has happened during these 1soods. >> yang: but thecentury effects are very different. outgoing hard county councilman jon weinstein represented the town for four years. >> every drop of water that falls in this warshed converges at this point and is constricted. it goewhere it wants to go. it's a combination of climate change, upstream development and just simply the way the town is

built. >> i have to say, you i'd have my doubts, if it were raining really hard, if i'd want to come and shop in ellicott city at that time. >> yang: for 20 years, joan eve shea-cohen has had an antique business, that she runs with some help from her friend gary weltner. >> i worry that suddenly, one day, there will be no ellicott city, maryland. >> howard county 911. >> oh my god. >> yang: in 2016, a devastating flood destroyed the downtownbu ness district. >> ma'am, what's going on? ui the water is abov the door. it's coming in theing. we need someone to come in. we have no place to go up. oh my god. >> what's, what's going on? >> there are cars, there are rs flying down the street. >> yang: it was called a freak storm, a once-in-a-lifetimeev t. three people dead. most buildings in the lowetown gutted. joan eve and other people ofpp main street into their life savings to rebuild.

they would come back sr than ever. >> no doubts that i was going to come back. >> yang: she took what had been destroyed, and made it sparkle. then this past memorial day weekend, main street leabeed it had no a once-in-a- lifetime storm after all. >> i remember, early in the day it was beautiful. and sometime in the mid- afternoon, another shop owner came up and visited, and said, you know, the rain is starting, and it's not looking good. so we of course kept an eye on the water, and decided that this could become a very serious situation, but hopefully not a repeat of 2016. but suddenly, about, i would say it was around 4:15 p.m., we noticed that the water that was coming over onto the sidewalk was now starting to come in the front door. >> and gary, if he hadn't been there, i don't know what i would ve done. i don't think i would have made it. >> so as the water started coming in, we moved a few things, thinking that all of

this is going to pass. and it didn't. the water continued to come in. i tried the back door of the building and it was dead-bolted. >> then he went to the front door and he could not open that door. the pressure of the water fromth street was already rising, and he couldn't open the door.di and when htry to push it a little bit, then all this water started coming in, and then it hes coming in. >> at one point,i'm at the front of the shop, i noticed that there were two cars very close together, actually floating down the street.>> nd gary he was amazing. he just focused, he focused on what we shld do. >> and suddenly the back corner, left corner of the building ju exploded. when that moment arrived, the showcases that were at the back suddenly started falli over, almost domino-like. >> it was like, oh my god, you know, how are we going to getou of here? i mean, we couldn't get out the back door, and now all of a sudden, owcases are following

me around in the water and, and toppling over. and i did not want to drown in my store. a >> and as moving quickly to the front of the building, you know, ready to get out, i looked back and i saw a very large, all-glass showcase tumbling into joan eve's direction. so much was happening so quickly,nd i knew that if i lost my focus, that we may lose our lives. >> but gary had the smarts. he took an antique candlestick telephone, metal, and he broke the glass in the top of the door, and he just said, joanie, i want you to hold onto me as tight as yo do not let go. >> inside ofhe store, it was probably about just above our weees. but outside, wheid step out into it, it was almost immediately up to the waist. >> yang: to t from joan eve's shop to a second floor porch right over there, gary dragged himself along this railing, with

joan eve on his back. >> howard county 911. >> yang: someone spotted them, and called 911. >> there are two people stuck on tiber river. eie water is almost above heads. >> as we crossed theridge, the water was up to our chins, and i thought, if we had waited three four minutes more, we probably would not be sitting here today talking to you. >> yang: the town's leaders had to do something. what they proposed was radical-- tearing down ten buildings here in the historic heart of this hown, including joan eve's here. that would widen the river channel, and create an open space. they hoped that would reduce the severity of fure floods by allowing the water to spread out. the cost? $50 million. the fate of ellicott city is now in the hands of the incoming county council. many have doubts about spending $50 million when there are demands for more schools, more roads, more housing. me are horrified by the idea

of destroying buildings in the heart of town. former councilman weinstein understands the dilemma. >> i think it's a valid concern. but then you have to weigh that with the practical aspects of, if we don't take this bold step, then what will be left of the town if another storm happens? >> i just think that infortunate that these bui have become, essentially, the victim of urbadevelopment. >> if you have to have buildings emoved for the safety of people, what, why is thereny other thought? >> i think about the most recent event in florida, and what happened in north carolina, and what's happened in puerto rico and what has happened in texas, pad the wildfires in california. and i can truly ize with these people. so, i think we need to take a very good look at the decisions

that are made, so we can guarantee a healthier earth for future generations. >> yang: these people are hardly alone in facing climate changes, but here, the question is immediate. do they have to destroy the heart of town in order to save its future? and can they come up with an answer before the next big rain? for the pbs newshour, i am john yang in ellicott city, maryland. n woodruff: "time" magazine named its "per the year" yesterday, choosing a group of journalists thar dubbed "the ans of truth." nick schifrin is back now, with the author of a new book who ters the life story of anot reporter killed for her own guardianship of the truth. >> schifrin: 6.5 years ago, the world lost a memorable and vitceal v marie colvin was a foreign correspondent for the "sunday times" in london, and one of the

most remarkable war reporters of her generation.e vered every conflict, from beirut in the mid-'80s to the war in syria, where she was b killthe assad regime. back in 2001, she lost her left eye in sri lanka, and a few weeks later, she wrote "why do i cover wars." "i did not set out to be a war correspondent. it has always seemed to me that what i write about is humanity in extremis, and that it is important to tell people what really happens in wars." "in exemis: the life and death gr the war correspondent marie colvin" is a new bhy from marie's friend, lindsey hilsum, international editor for channel 4 news. and it is my pleasure to have you here on the newshour. >> great to be here. o >> schifri of the remarkable things that comes out in this book, with diary entries and real access to everything that marie wrote, was her ness, and something that really drove her. and let me read one excerpt,om from thencement of yale. when she graduated in 1978 from the "yale daily news:"t esn't matter if you mess up, choose the wrong road, flop in vegas.mp

what'stant is to throw yourself in head first, to go for the gusto. and if you blow ityou blow it." how important was fearlessness to marie? >> but s she?n't blow it, did and i think that what i learned odout marie from her child on long island-- i was lucky enough to go to where she was brought upnd spend time with her family. she was the dest of five children, and they used to play this game call deadman's branch, where each child had a tree, and they would climb out along the anch. and the one who won was the one who could stay longer as they got to the flimsy end without it breaking. well, you can guess which was the child who always won that game. she always pushed it that little bit further. and i think that in that rebellious little girl, i saw the scenes of the brave woman, etthe war reporter who i many years later. >> schifrin: the second aspect that really comes across in the book is at she was, frankly, attracted to war. she was attracted to men who were connected to war, whether

for relationships, or to leaders. and also a desire to see the world, and to frankly experience danger, to think, as you write, to match her appetite for life. >> well,nk that she wanted to be where history was happening. i don't think that she was attracted to war in terms of t violence, and she certainly wasn't interested in weaponry. she said, "i don't care who is - t-55 or a 72 tank." , she said, what it is abo people. and then you come back to the title of the book, "in extremis." that was what fascinated-- how people managed to survive the unendurable, how they got through it. the horror of what was something she felt she must expose and write abou but it certainly wasn't something that she heveled in, in any way. >> schifrin: andxpressed and had-- and also wanted her readers to have-- so much empathy, i think, r people, and so much understanding for whf the people, the victims war, were going through. and let me just read a couple of extraordinary passages that she wrote. the first one, from 1987, a

palestinian woman who'd been killed by a shia militia in beirut. "though her hair was clotted with blood, haji ahmed ali seem younger now that she'd been cleaned. her body was soft and shapely. she wore two tiny gold earrings. someone opened her fist and cleaned out the handful of blood-soaked dirt she had clenched in her pain." and in baba amr, in homes where she died in february 2012 helping tend the wounded was umm amar, a 45-year-old mother of seven who had offered to be a nurse. after a neighbor's house was shelled, she wore filthy plastic gloves and was crying. 'i'm obliged to endure this because all children brought here are my children,' she said. 'but it is so hard.'" rtant was her empathy to her reporting? >> i think that that was itical, and that first excerpt when you read, she wrote aboutg tte yoman who'd been killed with the gold earrings-- in her diary, i read that this reminded marie of a pair of golden rings that she had bought for her young

sister, cat. and i think that one of the important things about that experience, ere she saw this young woman, basically, she saw her life blood seep away after she had been shot by snipegi who were bes the camp, was that she, she identified with this woman, in a sense, d u know? e saw that this was the war on women. that was what the title of the article that she wrote. the "sunday times" was an influential newspaper, and marie felt her story had made a difference, because three days lar, the siege of the camp was lifted. and that, i think, had a tremendous impact on her. the idea that, because she did feel this huge empathy and she was so, she was so committed to telling the story of these people-- but it might make a difference. >> schifrin: and that empathy and understanding, of course, drove her to stay in homs, to g back to ho go back to baba amr. and that ultimately killed her. >> yes. so now we're in 2012, and she and i were together in beirut. it was the moment when the uprising, the peaceful uprising syria, was morphing into a civil war. it was too dangerous.

i said it was beyond my danger threshold, to be smuggled over the border and go to baba amr, which was under siege by the syrian forces. but she insisted not only in going in, where-- this was reportant to her story-- w the syrian government says itri was just ters there, not civilians.a and she wrotory called "the widows' basement," about the women and the childreninho were sheltfrom the relentless bombardment underground. and anher story about the field clinic where there was no doctor, just a veterinarian who was tending to the injured civilians. so she gave the lie to what the syrian government was saying. she came out to file, and then she felt that she had abandoned the people. and so she insisted on going back in. she said, lindsay, this is the worst we've ever seen. i said, i know, but what's your exit strategy? she said, that's just it. i don't have one.'r working on it now. and a few hours later, she was killed by a mortar fired byrn gont forces.

>> schifrin: which brings us back to fearlessness. when you write this book, when you think about marie's life, where does the bravery end and the recklessness begin? >> i think that that's a very blurred line. i mean, you see her there with her eye-patch. mind you, she did have one studded with rhinestones for parties. it's important to remember that marie was the best company on the road. she was the funniest person you could er meet. i don't-- in some ways, fearlessness is wrong. it's to do with overcoming fear. because she was so committed to the story, that was why sheov came the fear she had, and i .hink obviously you can look back now, you kn she had a cat, phyllis smith. he lived his nine lives, maybe. she lived he but i suppose what i feel is enat there's been so much emphasis on the vi and tragic nature of her death that i hope that, in some way, by writing the book, that i have, i guess, brought her back to life. >> schifrin: and i think you absolutely have done tha. lindsey hils

the book is called "in extremis: the life and death of the war correspondent marie colvin." thank you very much. >> thankou, nick. >> woodruff: barbershops are often hubs of conversation in the mmunities where they are located. but one on the west side of cleveland is also a hub for health. gabriel kramer of pbs station ideastream in cleveland reports. >> reporter: barbershopst ers come in for a haircut, and maybe some friendly sports banter. >> i think we're going to win,t but i doow if we're going to sweep. >> i thought you were a money- talking dude. >> reporter: but at waverly willis' urban kutz barbershop in cleveland, some customers come in for an additional reason. >> so, your blood pressure is perfect. >> his blood pressure is perfect? >> it's perfect. it's perfect. >> get out of here, man. >> reporter: willis wanted to add a health componehis haircutting services. >> my clients were starting to

disappear. and when i would run into their wi children or their girlfriend, i would ask, "what happened to joe?" anhad they would tell mehe passed away from a stroke or a heart attack, something to thati >> reporter: wwanted to help, partially because he has his own history of blood pressure problems. >> i lost 200 pounds in the last couple of years. was able to get off of t high blood pressure medicine, which s one of my goals. unfortunately, men, we don't go to the doctor, for the most part, unless something is falling off. this is going to be a gathering place. they're going to come and get their hair cut anyway. so again, why not have a conversation about it? >> i went to the urologist last week the girl said it was 117 over 77. >> reporter: willis started this program a few years ago by asking medical professionals he knew personally to lend a hand, but recently, he partnered with cleveland's american heart association to make the process more formal. brenda parks is the multicultural initiatives director.

>> it's an ideal location for people to come and to learn, eiinly because they trust barber. and because they trust their barber, they're more likely to explain or share information that they wouldn't normally avare with anyone else. >> he you noticed a change in your energy or anything like that? >> reporter: willis also founded the urban barber association, ae ork of cleveland-area barbershops and salons that he encouraged to provide theirth customers lood pressure screenings. >> i don't want it to be strange to know that you can get your blood pressure taken at a barbershop. there's more barbershops than hospitals.ar there's morershops than urgent cares. so why not use these small satellites as beaconof hope and a resource center in our community? >> reporter: with willis' help,b four othbershops and salons in cleveland now provide blood pressure screening. he hopes tdouble that number next year. for pbs newshour, i'm gabriel kramer in cleveld.

>> woodruff: finally, we have a news update. democratic congresswoman nancy pelosi has reached a deal to limiher time, if she's elected speaker of the house, to no morn our years. that move pacifies democrats who did not support her bid or concerns the party needed new, younger leadership. and that is the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us onne, and again right here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you, and we'll see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> consumer cellular. to learn more, go to consumercellular.tv >> kevin. >> kevin! >> kevin? >> advice for life. life well-planned. learn more at raymondjames.com. >> bnsf railway.

>> and with the ongoinort of these institutions and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contrutions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here is what's coming up. nothing accordinlan, the british prime minister l stakes it european union leaders saving her plan to lead that union. we take you to the european parliament. plus, some historical perspective. this is hardly the first time we've seen a disunited kingdom. superstar margot robbie on her portrayal of elizabethi. and understanding america through the complex story of thomas jefferson. so> uniworld is a proud sp of "amanpour & co." when bea tollman founded a