captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruf on the newshour tonight: democrats in congress weighr their options vestigating president trump, including whether to begin impeachment proceedings. then, another abuse crisis engulfs the catholic church, as nuns begineak out about the sexual violence they have endured at the hands of priests. >> anybody who wants to become a nun, wants to serve, and wan to give herself to god. and that's why it's so easy to abuse nuns. because they are so ready to listen to others, o tell them how they are supposed to be. >> woodruff: plus, for millions of adults in the u.s. who lacksk basic reading ills, there is already little funding t provide the services they need.

now, budget cuts threaten adult education further and the second chance that literacy represents. >> once you learn english, you can participate in a much moreme ingful way. you can participate in community meetings and neighborhood associations.le the peho came to portland adult ed ten, 15 years ago are some of the pillars in our community. >> woodruff: all that and more, on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been providedy: kevin. >> kevin! >> kevin? >> advice for life. life well-planned. learn more at raymondjames.com. >> ordering takeout. >> finding the west route. >> talking for hours.

>> planning for showers. >> you can do the things you like to do with a wireless plani ed for you. with talk, text and data. consumer cellular. learn more at consumercellular.tv >> babbel. aca language program that s spanish, french, italian, german, and more. >> 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 lu. thank you. >> woodruff: democrats in the u.s. house of reveesentatives truck the latest blow in their subpoena struggles with the trump administra the house voted today to let committees sue agencies and witnesses who defy subpoenas. that includes the attorneyge

ral, william barr, and former white house counsel don mcgahn. president trump insisted again today that a key part of his deal with mexico, to curb migration from central america, has not yet been revealed. on the white house lawn, he repeatedly held up a single piece of paper, and said, "that's the agreement thatys everybody don't have." a blown-up image of the document showed writing that said mexico agreed to a regional asylum plan and, possibly, to new laws. president trump and democratic presidential candidate joe biden fired new broadsides at each other today, on a day when both men campaigned in iowa. the former vice president currently leads the democratic field. but, as he left the white house ump called him a "loser" and a "dummy." >> i'd rather run against, i think, biden, than anybody. i think he's the weakest mentally, and i like running against people that are weak mentally. i think joe is the weakest up here. he looks different than he used

to. he acts different than he used to. he's even slower than he used to be. >> woodruff: biden answered in xitumwa, iowa, branding the president, "anential threat to this country." >> this is a guy who doesyt evng to separate and d ighten people. it's about fear athing. it's about what he calls people, the names he calls them. no president has done something like that, for god's sake. i mean, it's bizarre, and it's damaging. and so i think he's genuinely a threat to our core values. >> woodruff: the two men also traded jibes over trade policy, and who has done more to help farmers. the nation's largest protestt ligious denomination, th southern baptists, opened their annual meeting today, focused on sexual abuse. hundreds of church leaders abe staffers hav accused of sexual misconduct over the last two decades. ithe agenda at the meetin birmingham, alabama, includes

making it easier to expel churches that mishandle abuse claims. meanwhile, u.s. catholic bishops convened in baltimore, undal pressure to ith their own long-running clergy abuse scandal. at issue is how to hold bishops accountable if they fail to address abuse cases. the head of the conference, cardinal daniel dinardo, is himself accused of improperly handling a case in texas. in hong kong, new protests geared up against extradition proposals that could extend china's control over the territory.at hundredsred as the city's legislature opened debate this evening. s e crowds oppose extraditing hong kong reside the mainland, to face criminal charges. china defended the proposals. it also rejected u.s. criticism. >> ( translated ): i want to stress oe again that hong kong's affairs are purely china's internal affairs. c ntry, organization or individual has the right to intervene.ss

we exptrong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the u.s.'s irresponsible remarks on hongff kongrs. >> woodruff: hong kong lawmakers are due to vote on the extradition issue next wee in south korea, a human tghts group sat it has identified hundreds of public execution it cites interviews with more than 600 north korean defectors. they report that north korean leader kimong-un is using executions as intimidation, with family members of the condemnedf n forced to watch. today, president trump cited a "beautiful, warm letter" he received from leader kim, and said that under his leadership, north korea has great potential. back in this cntry, comedian jon stewart blasted congress at a hearing on capitol hill on helping 9/11 responders with health problems. stewart is a long-time advocate

of that cause, and he appeared before a house subcommittee. but, most of the members were absent when his turn to speak came-- and he denounced them. >> behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders. and in front of me, a nearly empty congress., sick and dyiey brought themselves down here, to speako toe. >> woodruff: in fact, 12 of the subcommittee's 14 members did attend parts of e hearing, but many had left for other hearings when stewart spoke. tomorrow, the full house is expected to approve payingit health benfor 9/11 responders for the next 70 years. flooding rain this spring may take a heavy toll in the gulf of mexico this summer. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration

reports the so-called "dead zone" in the gulf could reach near-record levels, roughly the size of massachusetts. scientists say that runoff from all the rain is feeding algae that will rob marine life of oxygen. on wall street, the dow jones industrial average lost 14 points to close at 26,048. the nasdaq fell a fraction, and the s&p 500 slipped one point. and, the u.s. women's socceror team began its cup title defense today, in france, with a record-breaking win over thailand. the final was 13 - nil.or alex mn scored five times to lead the onslaught. overall, the u.s. tallied the most goals ever in a single match in women'sorld cup play. e americans play chile on sunday. still to come on the newshour: how will democrats move forwardt ir investigation of president trump? sitting down with 2020 p democratsidential

candidate, massachusettsth congressman oulton. catholic nuns speak out, after years of sexual abuse by priests. the hardships faced by adults who lack basic reading comprehension skills. and, much more. >> woodruff: democrats on capitol hill are still grappling with questions of whether pursue impeachment against president trump. speaker of the house nancy pelosi was asked today why she supports congressional investigations intthe president, but not a formal impeachment inquiry. >> so the question you ask, do we get more by having an inquiry? some say yes, some say no. >> if a majority of your caucus wants to go forward with an impeachment inquiry, would you go for it? >> it's not even close in our caucus.nt >> but elly? >> why are we speculating on

hypotheticals? what we're doing is wiin court.t the path t're on is a path that, i think-- look, i want to tell you something. ( crosstalk ) there is nothing as much, as divisive in our country, in my view, than impeachment. >> woodruff: and our congressional correspondent, lisa desjardins, is here with me now. so, lisa, we've just heard what speakepelosi is saying. so tell us what exactly are the house democrats doing or not doing today. >> well, let's talk about the thsolution that the house passed todd. is is a resolution that democrats refer to as "civil contempt," but what it really does is it gives democrats house committee chair men the power to move forward with civil lawsuits they want to do that in order to try to compel testimony from a court from the witnesses who have us far r to talk to them. on that list, at the top of that list, is former white house counsel, don mcgahn, but also on the list is the current attorney general hiself, bill barr. and basically, judy, democrats like this because it will give

this power tocommittee chairman. republicans say that's exactly the problem-- that it's too much power in committee chairmen cnds. it's noar when the committee chairmen will file the lawsui, but i'mld they're interested in doing it quickly. >> woodruff: what's the plan the democrats have. and what are these documents that they now are going to have permission to see that have to do with the mueller investigation? >> dowas able to ome good reporting on these documents. these documents are available starting today only to members of the house judiciary committee and only in a secure setting. they cannot take them out department of justice. now, also, we don't know how many documents there will be. they will be given to these members in sort of trawrchs. they won't get all of themow, because the department of justice has to go through and make surexecutive privilege is honored, all of those kinds of things. but they can start looking at them now. they're not sure what's there. they think perhaps interview transcripts, other evidee that ed to the mueller report. we'll find out more maybe in the days ahead.

as to the democratsacy plans now, judy tinclude looks at these documents, holding more hearings, probably issuing more subpoenas and probably because o tf that goicourt more often. so it is a long-term plan, and there is no plan for formal impeachment inquiries right now. >> woodruff: so let's talk about the politics. what are the democrats thiking in terms of impeachment, both from inside thecaucus, what the members are thinking, but also what they're hearing from their constituents. >> that's the thing. there is so much pressure on many thieves membein, especially the more liberal, more democratic districts, they say they are getting hundreds of phone calls from their voters saying, "we would like this president impeached. what are you waiting for?" it's very different in moderate swing diswrictz democrats may be vulnerable, they're hearing impeachment as well, but they're hearing that perhaps that could be a negative, that democrats are moving too fast, look like they're vindictive. but the pressure is also coming from chiwhtty chairmeo are

frustrated because they haven't been able to get answers they want. in all, jude i, they're in a difficult position. i did see some discipline today. those who want impeachment inquiries seem to be doing downi le bit, going with ploas' plan, which is just to investigate. i heard a strange quote from a freshman democrat, he told me formality, formal impeachment proceedings. that's all relative. don't know what that means. it shows they are having trouble explaining this to some people. >> woodruff: as the speaker said the country is divided on this. >> that's right. >> woodruff: lisa desjardins, thank u. >> woodruff: seth moulton, a democratic congressman from massachusetts, is among the crowded field of candidates running to claim the democratic rty's nomination for president. a former marine who served

four tou in iraq, moulton has made service and national security central elements of his campaign. congressman seth moulton joins me now. welcome to the newshour. >> thanks, judy. it's good to be here. >> woodruff: so in this crowded field of democratsmore than 20 of you, what makes you the person to take on donald trump? we know there are several other candidates who as young as you are. there are several who have served in the military. what's unique? >> i think donald trump is going to bcu more dif to beat than many democrats think. and to do so, we need to build a coalition, a coalition that includes everybody in our party, plus those independent obama trump voters and even disaffect republicans, and that's hard to do. but that's exactly the job they in iraq. and unluke any other candida in this rae, i led troops on the ground, had to build aal ion of people from all over this country in my platoon-- different reigious beliefs, different political beliefs -- and get them to not just vote for me but actually to risk the lives for what we were trying to do. i'm also taking on donald trump in his job not just as esident

but as commander in chief. i think that's actually where he's weakest, annei think we to do that if we're going to win. >> woodruff: let's talk about something that's before the congressnight now in may ways, and we just talked to our correspondent, lisa deins, that is the question of impeachment proceedings. you've said they should start right away. speaker pelosi is saying no, let's hold off. why is her argument wrong? >> well, st makes acually a very good argument on the politics, which is that maybes the politke this tricky, and i understand that. i accept that that might be the case. but how about just doing the right thing on principle, on the oath that we swore not to protect our political party but to protect and defend the constitution of the united veates? the principle isy clear here. i mean, half the president's campaign team is in prison. his campaign chairman is in ison. you can't read just a page of the executive summer of the mueller report and not say th just by the facts, we should be having this debate in congress and before the american people. >> woodruff: let's talk about

some of the issues congressman-- as i said you served in active duty. you've just talked about that, gives you some credentials when it comes to national security. in a nutshell, what is working with the trump administration foreign policy and what's not arking? >> well, theremost nothing that's working. he is putting us in tremendous danger around the globe. the one thing i will give him fcredit for or standing up to china because china is a serious long-term economic and national security threat to the united states but his tactics are all wrong-- throwing around tariffs, not working with our allies. it's exact let's wrong approach. we should actually be buildinal ions in the pacific. i talked about a pacific version of nato to help containt rise of china and north korea. we should be strength nin the iran deal not pulling out of it arting a war. we should be strengthening nato toeal with the net generation of threats from russia, which is-- which are coming through the internet not by rolling tanktanks into eastern europe. trump is doing nne of these

things. he's just disparaging our allies and, frankly, cozying up to our enemies all around the globe. >> woodruff: veterans-- you have talked, of course, about veterans. a veteran yourself. president trump says that he more than any other president would take care of america's veterans. >> well, he's faid to do so. he's failed to do so. i mean, we still have historic rates ofeteran suicide. president trump thinks that patriotism is hugging the flag. that's not true. triotism is fighting for what the flag stands for. and this is a man who dodged th draft, let someone else go in his place when it was turn to sei e the country. ink that's wrong. and i think it's a good thing that unlike any other candidate isin th race, the first time inat i have to make a decision invothe lives of young americans and live with the consequences of thatsion won't be when i'm sitting in the situation room at the white house. i've made those decisions before, and i can talk with credibility abt our national security and making the hard choices about when we go to war and. when we do not.

>> woodruff: some domestic issues: health care. are you for the-called public option. >> that's right. >> woodruff: whereas, many of your fellow candidates say they favor a government-n single-payer health care system. what's wrong with their idea >> well, i' the only candidate in the race that gets a government-run single-payer system because i made ita cont to keep going to the v.a. for my health care between when i w elected to congress. and i've seen the good, the bad, the ugly of thasystem. that's why i'm with president obama. his plan, admittedly was not passed. it was to have a public option that would compete with private-sector plans. >> woodruff: the original plan. >> that's the original plan. that's what we should have today. there are this somethings the v.a. does well. they negotiate prescription drug prices, which medicare does not. but i also had surgery at the v.a. a few years ago and was literally sent home with e wrong medications. that's not the health care that everybody in america deserves.

woodruff: the economy the other bay state, massachusetts ndidate in the race, elizabeth warren has talked about what she calls a "wealth tax" a special tax on people whoe have save t overs $50 million, an annual tax. do yougree with her about that? >> it's not nice idea about theute noaboutbut youcan't make. we neef to ence the tax system toik ma it fair. right now, almost every aerican is paying more taxes than amazon, netflix, delta airlines combined. there are true inequities in our tax system. what we need to do is make sure everybody isirpaying the fair share, not pit the poor versus the wealthy or anything lik that, but just make sure everybody is on an equal playing field. and if you do hard or a living, you're going to pay the same taxes as someone who is just trading money on wall street. right now, that's not the case. upon that's whatwe need to fix. >> woodruff: senator warren argues you need to raise thisom money to doof the great

things democrats want to do. >> i agree with that. but i'm not going to pt forward a tax system that will not work and her system has been proven ineffective in other countries around the world. i like the idea of it, but it won't work. what will work is raising the corporate rate%ack up to 25 i'm for that. it's raising the rate on cainvestment money so theital gains tax is comparable with what you make in a payroll tax, so if you're doing hard work you're going to pay the same rate as people trading money. that's basic fairness that's what we need in the system. >> woodruff: s we know president trump is famous for putting labels on people'te doelike. today and recently he called joe biden-- he called him "1% joe,e sleepy and today i think he called him weak. today joe biden called the president an existential threat. do you think decrats have to come up with a way to label the president, or can democratbe above the frey? >> no, i think that's kind of a

waste of time. this is the di pitics the president plays. we need tuke about what we're going to do in tee country. weto put the president in place. we can't ignore him. he's the comma the united states and he's a real threat to our country. that's true. but let's talk about how we are going to lead. let's talk about how president trump has failed in his policies, about how he promised a tax cut for the middle class but just gave it to the rich. how he promised to take caes of veterans but he's failed at the v.a., how he promised to give health care toverybody but his administration has spent years trying to take it away. let's focus on where he's failrd asdent, where he's failed as demander in chief and then talk about our vision for the country. that's what i'm doing in this campaign. >> woodruff: congress seth moulton, looking to win the democratic nomination, thanks very much.h >> tanks, judy. >> woodruff: this week, catholic bishops are meeting in baltimore

to discusshe priest sex abuse crisis in the catholic church. and new rules on reporting that abuse go io effect throughout the church. keey are the most concrete steps the vatican has to counter priest sex abuse and cover-ups. most of the attention has focused on child victims. but, as special correspondent christopher livesay ports from the vatican, now, in the #me-too era, there's a growing chorus on nuns speout as survivors of abuse, as well. >> reporter: they're known as brides of christ, revered for their quiet servic not for speaking out. but that's beginning to change. >> i joined the convent in 2003, and i was raped in 2008. >> reporter: raped, she says, by a priest. a devout catholic from germany, doris wagner was 24 years old, living and working at thisco religiouunity just outside the vatican. >> and he came into the room.

closed the door behind him. was sitting on my right hand. he just started to undre me. s reporter: when she told her superiors, she se priest ant unpunished, allowing him to rape her again ain. this whole time, the perpetrator was still living in the same... >> yeah.yo >> reporter: shad to see your rapist... >> every day. >> reporter: every day.s >> he eaching at the chapel. he was giving me holy communion. he was sitting at breakfast, at lunc at dinner, at the same table. i was ironing his shirts. >> reporter: story after story like wagner's is reaching a crescendo. in india, a bishop currently faces charges for repeatedly raping a former mother superior. and a recent investigation by

the associated press found cases of abuse across four continents. now, the vatican can no longer ignore the scandal. this year, pope francis made a shocking admission and acknowledged what had been a longstanding dirty secret in the roman catholic church-- that some priests had sexually abused .u it was a stain the church could keep under wraps.nt that is, the #me-too era. now, religious women arebe nning to speak out, and aoo #nunra has been born. helping break down that wall of silence was, of all things, a vatican magane: "donna chiesa mondo," or "women church world." its all-women staff included former editor lucetta scaraf ta. she listenhundreds of stories from nuns, and in february, published an article accusing the all-powerful priestod of not only exploiting them for sex, but first and foremost, for eir labor. t >> ( translated ):ppens as

high as the vatican ministries, ere women carry out secretarial work, and translations, but they c never be promoted, and the men get all the credit. they also exploit nuns as housekeepers. they do all of the cleaning, prepare all the food, wiout fixed hours, all day, every day. priests see this almost as their right to take advantage of women. >> reporter: they're not paid for their work. c there's nce of advancement. some people have likened thisst atment to slavery. is that accurate? >> ( translated ): that's accurate. given this habit of servitude, it's easy to understand how it can morph into sexual exploitation. ys reporter: doris wagner that's what happened to her in rome. >> i was only working in the kitchen, chopping vegetables.yo who wants to become a nun wants to serve, and wants to give herself to god. and that's why iuss so easy to nuns. because they are so ready to

listen to others, who tell them how they are supposed to be. again and again, i was reproached for not sit right, not walking right, not talking right, because some man in the house had a problem with ha. >> reporter: thea problem with you? >> they were, in a way, attracted to us. >> reporter: and this was your fault? >> this s our fault. >> reporter: she says it was also her fault when she reported thpriest's advances to her female superior. >> she became furiou she literally jumped on her feet and was shouting at me, and she was very angry with me, and she said, "you are dangerous for him! leave him alone!" >> they tell them, "keep quiet, or our congregation will be persecuted." these women can't even contemplate leaving, becauseey on't have any alternatives. they have no trade, no support oup. they've severed ties with theiri

es. , they are forced to endure this abuat often leads to pregnancy, and the priests or bishops force them to have abortions. r orter: nuns are forced by the fathers of these children, by priests, to have abortions? >> ( translated ): yes. and these poor women now have to lig with the anguish of hav committed a mortal sin. we have many testimonies from h nuns w more than one abortion in this way. >> reporter: testimonies that became too much for the vatican to handle, she says. soon after they were pubctshed, the di of the vatican newspaper, andrea monda, told her that he would now be sitting in on the editorial meetings of her women's magazine. monda denies any interference in the editorial process. >> ( translated ): there was an effort to suffocate r voice. so we decided, before we're suffocated, it would be better for us to resign. >> reporter: and almost all of the women did indeed resn. change, she says, is happening, thanks to nuns speaking out.

this year, the vatican held an extraordinary summit on sex abuse by priests. some of the most powerful testimonies there came from nuns, such as sister veronica adeshola openibo from nigeria, who read the riot act to a room full of the most powerful men in the catholic church. >> i think of all the atrocities we have committed as members of the church. i say we. not they. we. >> reporter: openibo sits on the executive board of the international union of superiors general, which counts some ed0,000 women religious leaders. it's recently can nuns across the world to report abuse, and held a rare meeting in rome, where pope francis, surrounded by nearly 1,000er si once again confessed that priests are abusing nuns. >> ( translated ): i'm aware of the problems. yo's not just the sexual abuse of nuns. didn't sign up to become some cleric's housekeeper. no.

>> reporter: on the sidelines of the meeting, the executive board reed to an impromptu discussion with me. y the church has had so m cases, and has been defending itself like on a football field. >> reporter: can you provide any insight into what the pope could do to fix this proem? >> i think i know what we could do. we need to create a culture of care. care at every leve an open space. it's not shameful. >> and also to be able to say who the perpetrator was. we would not want that person to continue hurting other sisters. >> we can be a dangerous memory. we can call the church to what they are professing, that they want to see changes made, but d thon't happen. >> reporter: right after the meeting, pope francis made a surprise announcement, and

issued a new rule calling on ibcal dioceses to create public and "easily acce" offices to receive abuse claims. the rule also lays out a way tor eed when prelates are accused of a cover-up or carrying out abuse themselves.ps it's perhe pope's most concrete attempt to battle abuse. but critics say the s a major weakness: it still keeps the handling of cases within the church, as opposed to involvingt outside auths, and does not detail any specific punishmentfor prelates, like the one who raped doris wagner. >> they should find whoever is a perpetrator orrotected perpetrators, and make sure they are legally prosecuted. >> reporter: somethi that never happened to her rapist. instead, she says he's still a priest in the me community today. the trauma was so unbearable, she ys she almost committed suicide, one day when she was high up on a balcony, inside the

papal palace, right in front of the pope. >> and i could jump on the square. it would have been so easy. you know, i had my leg already halfway up the wall. >>eporter: instead, she decided to speak out. it was a long process, thatly eventued to her leaving religious life. today, she works as a headhunter back in her native germany, and hopes that young women entering the convent today do so with open eyes. >> she should be aware that xual abuse of nuns exists. if victims don't speak out, perpetrators will just go on. so i actually have the responsibility to speak. t ri reporter: f pbs newshour, i'm chstopher livesay, in rome.

>> woodruff: adults often go back to school to get a better paying job. but one important, andften- overlooked, segment of the population are those who struggle to read or do basic math. they can't read a street sign, a pay stub or a menu. ery year, thousands of these individuals overcome shame and fear to go back to school. but inadequate funding and long waiting lists ve made their struggles even harder. maine is one of the few states where the governor has proposed increasingunding for adult education. special correspondent kavitha cardoza, of our partnere "educationk," reports on those efforts, part of our regular segment, "making the grade." >> the two-digit numbers from my, by my... >> reporter: carol palmer is 63. hee graduated high school years ago, even thoughouldn't read or write. g i always read backwards.

i ended ng to special ed class because i couldn't do the work, and i didn't get no help to do it. >> reporter: palmer developedng several cokills to hide the fact she couldn't read. >> if i went to the gr store and spell peas, i'd find a picture and then i'd know it was that. >> reporter: gail senese heads adult education in maine. she says a lot of people hide the fact they can't read. they're so ashamed. >> we've had students who didn't even want to tell a spouse for years that they were kinof faking it. "i don't like to read, i'd rather watch television." or "you pay the bills, its just easier that way." it's isolating because you don want your secret to be found out. >> reporter: palmer's at the third grade level now, and dreams of being able to read oks to her grandchildren. she's not alone. >> spruce mountain adult education has grown almost 200% in the last three years. >> reporter: robyn raymond runs this program.

she says the ireased demand for classes is because local paper mills went to automation, or moved jerseas. also, there's less demand for paper. so, positions that paid well even if you didn't have a high ed.ool diploma, vani >> a month after i started, verso paper laid off 300 workers from their mill. a year later, they ended up laying off another 200 workers. >> reporter: mill closings caused a ripple effectho thro this region. >> it does tend to look like a ghost town. here's the site of the old otis mill, that's been gutted and rui down, s now a scrap yard. >> reporter: the need for adult education isn't just concentrated in maine, where mafacturing was the backbone the middle class. hundreds of adult education centers acss the country help with everything from high school completion to resume writing toi job ng. but an area that's often overlooked is basic ading and math. >> 36 million adults in the u.s.

lack the basic literacy skills that they need. >> reporter: sharon bonney heads the coalition on adult basic education, a national nonpfit. >> these are folks at the lowest literacy levels. they can't find a job, oif they find a job, it's at entry level, minimum wage jobs. >> reporter: she says of the 36 million, adult education programs across the country only serve 1.5 million because of funding. federal dollars have not kept up with inflation. as>> historically, funding actually been about half what it was just 15 years ago. so we are only able to serve a percentage of what we were 15 years ago. >> reporter: state and local funding has also seen cuts. bonney says some people don'tho realizbig a need there is. others feel adults have already had a chance at an education. a trump administration proposal for next year has called for an% almostut to state adult education programs. advo devastating. would be

some states already have long waiting lists, some have can back classesothers have s d to increase student fees. many adult learnerve an added challenge. they need to learn to speak english. >> these are our graduatesrom last year. >> reporter: anita st. onge is the dictor of portland adult education, which serves 2,000 studen, mostly immigrants. some were doctors and lawyers in their home countries. a others never ghance to go to school. st. onge says they offerlasses from 8:00 in the morning to 8:00 at night. >> some of o classes have 30 in a classroom, so they're quite full. our students have lives. they have children, they have fhaamilies, the jobs. sometimes they have two and three jobs. >> i have a fever. >> reporter: this beginning english class allows students practice speaking. >> i remember the challenge we have to learn one word everyday. >> reporter: 27-year-old divine mushiya is from the democratic republic of the congo.w

>> all i k say was "hi" and "good morning!" even when you go out and people try and talk to you, you cannot eyswer them, because you don't understand what ay. that was really hard. >> reporter: she staa s work in ctory at 4:00 in the morning, so she can come tos clas night. she's slowly getting more fluent. >> when you learn english outside, you don't kno vocabulary, how to use correctly the word. so coming here was verful for me. when my english get better, i get a promotn! it was really great. >> he has a backache. >> reporter: st.nge says her students say they want to feel more integrated into the fabricf ocial life. >> once you learn english, you can participate in a much more meaningful way. you can participate in cmunity meetings and neighborhood associations. the people who came to portlandn

adult ed t15 years ago are some of the pillars in our community. >> reporter: advocates also say giving adults a second chance at an education makes economic sense. better jobs, more taxes, less o reliansocial services. adults who are poorly educated are also less likely to be involved in their child's education, and less likely to volunteer or vote-- all of which have implications for the entire country. lisa crawford can trace her family back five generations in maine. she's 45, and struggled through school before dropping out.e uldn't fill out forms, couldn't read road signs, couldn't help her kids with schoolwork. >> i felt really upset and justd f stuck in the box of not having that education that i wanted. i felt worthless. >> reporter: three years ago, she enrolled in adult education classes. she received her highool

equivalency diploma. now, she's a school custodian, a job e wouldn't have qualifie for in the past because she needs to read and write every day. >> you have to know everything that's labeledbecause some chemicals can be really harmfulc some y't mix together. >> reporter: crawford orders cleaning supplies, reads ma oinery manuals, and fills accident reports. she says her life now is a dream come true-- a stable job with benefits. >> if i didn't have that, i wouldn't have my smile today. i'm always smiling. i can't stop, even if i cry! my life back then, i was an ostrich in the ground. and my life now? i am bloom and blooming!te >>r: for the pbs newshour and "education week," i'm kavitha cardoza in portland, maine. w

druff: ever since the february summit in vietnam between president trump and north korea's leader, kim jong-un, u.s. officials say the two sides have not been talking. but today, president revealed he received a letter from kim. and president trump also extended an olive branch to kimr ise not to spy on him, usinhis family. that news was revealed in a new book out todayinand nick schias that story. >> schifrin: kim jong-un has gone from privilegedf a dictator, to mostly-anonymous student in switzerla, to commander of a military with a thermonuclear bomb, to scribe of what president trump calls w"beautiful letters" to tte house. he is only 35, and leads one of the most opaque countries on t planet. perhaps that's why the c.i.a. recruited his half-brother. the book, out today, reveals that news, and tries to makes

clear kim'history and motivations, and also reveals what life is really like in north korea. it is called "the great successor, the divinely perfect destiny of brilliant comrade kim jong-un." the author is anna fifield, the "washington post's" beijing bureau chief. thanks so much for coming onthe newshour. >> thank you. >> let's start with the news today, kim jong-un's half-brother was providing information to the c.i.a. that was something you first revealed. president trump was asked about that today. and he was also asked about a h letts received from kim jong-un. so let's take a listen to that. >> i just received a beautiful letter from kim jong-un, and i think the relationship is very well, but i appreciated the letter. i saw the information about the c.i.a. with respect to his brother, or half-brother, and i would tell him that would not happen under my-- under my aufoices. that's sure. >> schifrin: president trump saying he would not rec member of kim's family for

spying. remind us, who was what dide provide to the c.i.a. and remind us how he died so publicly >> he was the firstborn son of the leader kim jong il, according to the hierarchy of korea, he should have been the .uccessor, the firstborn s he was not. he apparently fell out of favor, and he put himself into a kind of quasi-exile after 2001. until his younger brother, kim jong-un, became the leader ofko norta at the end of 2011, and then he seems to hve really fallen out of favor. he started to publicly criticize his brotr in quite oblique terms, but stilt leader brooks no criticism even that was too much. and what i discovered in th course of reporting this book was that he had become an informant for the c.i.a. that he was supplying information about the regime to

american intelligence services. he would meet them in variouson locain southeast asia, and in fact, on the day he died, when he was killed with a chemical weapon here, had $120,000 in cash in his backpacke >> schifrin:s killed by foreigners. that was the first time the north korean regime had doneth and done an assassination like this so brazenly. the grelat successor is led that, of course, because you mentioned kim jong-un's father, which he-- whom he succeeded. and you talk about how the succession wasan riskyd this crackdown on any dissent, even members himily, was part of kim jong-un's power from the very beginning.ca and yol him the most >>chiavellian leader of our time. right. so kim jong-un was only 27 years old when he became the leader of north korea. and this family has kept a hold on this country for 70 years by propagating this myth that they are some kind of quasi-deities

who he this divine right to rule. so he very much gains his legitimacy from this family ne from being the sion of this family. he was staking his claim to the leadership, and he wanted to get rid of any detractors, anybody who might rival his claim to beh leader of the north korean regime. and his brother who had the same divine blood mp thriewg his veins was clearly a rival. he dispatched with him. but kim jong-un also got rid of his uncle quite early oin the second year of his regime. the uncle was accused of having too much power or trying amass power. so kim jong-un was very kind of shrewd and ruthless in how got rid of anybody who could pose a threat to him and his hold on power. >> schifrin: and yet you right how he took power, unlike his father and his grandfather before him, at a young age. kim jong-un was so young. and, therefore, he had to do more than survive. he had to give, as you put it,

give his own people a sense of a better life. and that in part le toonomic changes and an opening up that we haven't seen before, right?a >> veryrly on, in 2013, he veid north koreans will r have to tighten their belts again. so, first of all, he tended to the nucleprogram. now that that's all done and he has a credible nuclear threat, he's really turning all of his attention to the economy as a way to prove tht life is getting better under him. so he isol rathe markets on a much greater base than ever before, and is a real kind of nascent entrepreneurialism in north korea where individual people are able to go out and trade and make money for thselves and to be more independent of the state. that is changing, andng it's mon that direction. and this has given people more freedom fromehe state and mor ability to make their own living. -u schifrin: and kim jon himself, talk about how secluded

his childhood was. and one of yo interesting source, talk about the japanese chef >> soim jong-un, when he was growing up, didn't have anybody else to play with, so when this japanese sushi chef arrived to make schussy for the royal household, kim jong-un seems to have kind of taken a shine to him as somentbodyeresting and eccentric and spent a lot ofm time with they flew kites it is. he went out fishing wh m, and he told me, when i ha met hm in japan, he would cah fish from the boat, and kim jong-un would come along and take the fishing pole off him and brag b, i caught a fish! i caught a fish." antake the credit for this. he was somebody who was used to being doted upon and haing his own way from a very early age. >> schifrin: ft forwarding today, does the boy who was doted on and who claimed to catch fish he dn't actually catch, is he going to consider giving up his nuclear weapons in

talks th the u.s., and is going to keep talking with the u.s., do you think? >> there is no way he is gg up his nuclear weapons. he has put so much energy int this nuclear program because it gives him a lot of legitimacy in this militaristic regime. it's a way for him to placate the hardliners. often, something that is not recognized about north korea, is that this nuclear program is a great source of national pride amongst the ordinary people,en mongst people who defect and don't like the regime, they're still proud that nor rea has managed to develop this nuclear program thatanouth korejapan have not. it was in 2011 when heas taking over the leadership thath e arab spring was happening, and he saw what happened to muammar gadaffy in libya, who had given up his nucinlear progm deal with the u.s. soy i cannot see a situation where he gives it up entirely. but i can see a situation where he gives up something, he makes

some gestures. may give up some hardware, some of these missiles. because i think he does want these diplomatic talks with the united states to continue because he wants sanctions relief. he wants to gat economy, and he can't do that while the sanctions are in place. >> schifrin: an insight into kim jong-un's motivations. the book is called "the great successor." the author is anna fifield. thank you very mh. >> thank yu. >> woodruff: we continue our series now on the best summer tertainment. tonight, jeffrey brown gets a heeview of what's to come the big screen, from blockbusters, to movies not to miss. an is part of our arts and culture series, s." >> brown: as always, blockbuster series will dotenate many th this summer. but there are also a number of smaller films thap may whet your tite.

to tell us more, ann hornaday, the chie "washington post," is back with us. she joins us this evening from baltimor and nice to see you again. so, start with some of the biggies. "avengers: endgame" is out and it's really big. what else do you see coming that you're interested in? >> well, you know, this is the summer of the sequel-prequel/ reboot-remake. i counted more thaa dozen movies that are based on something else, and something that we're all familiar with, but two thateally i have very high hopes for are "toy story 4"-- anything with a four at the end fills me with fear usually, but the people at pixar are so good with their stories. >> a great day in class and we're going on a road trip. road trip. >> vacation! >> but something really weird happened-- bone made a friend in class. >> oh, she's aleady making friends. >> no, no, she literally made a w friend. hey! it's okay. come on out. that's it. come on. there you go. come on. let's get you out of th

you got this. good, good. everyone, i want to you meet... forky. >> look at that! >> look how long his arms are! i >>ean, they really make sure that script is solid before they proceed. so i do have cautiously high hopes for that one. and th action remake of the classic animated disney tale. this is directed by jon favreaud who i think ju a spectacular job with "jungle book," sort of in a similar mde. so, and this has just an amazing voice cast, wi beyonce and donald glover and many others, so those are the two i have my eye on. >> brown: how about a slightly smaller scale? i mean, one that's getting a lot oftion, of course, is "rocketman," the elton john film. you know that one. what else? >> yeah. that's a lot of fun. one that i have kindcrush on right now is a raunch-com called "booksmart." it's a coming-of-age movie in the tradition of a "fast times at ridgemont high" or "dazed and confused" or "super bad," but this features two young women,

beanie feldstein and caitlin deaver, who are really charming as these two girls seeking a night of debauchery in modern day l.a. >> we haven't done anything! we haven't broken any rules. okay, we've broken a lot of rules-- one, we sae d.s. >> fake college i.d.s so we can get into their 24-hour library. >> name one person whose life was so much better becausechey broke ple of rules. >> micauseo. >> he broke an art >> it's the directorial debut oc thess olivia wilde. i think she really makes a veryc assured, very ul directing debut with this movie, so i would encourage people to check this one out. it's a lot of fun. >> brown: there's one called "the kitchen," right? >> i am very intriguy this. this stars tiffany haddish and melissa mccarthy, as well as elisabeth moss. but in a drama. and this is set in the 1970s, in hell's kiten. it's based on a graphic novel, so it's not based on a true story, but it sounds very

reminiscent of the westies and the gang-land wars and compitions that were going o in hell's kitchen in that era. it's such an evocative atmosphere and environment, that i-- and i can't wait to see what melissa mccarthy and tiffany haddish do in a more dramatic setting. >> brown: and thenif we go even smaller, to some of the independents, there were a few you were ierested in that came out of sundance. >> yes, there were two in particular that got a lot of buzz coming out of park city in january. one was called "the last black man in san francisco," starring jimmy fales, directed by joe talbot, who got an award at sundance for this movie. it's about a man sort of navigating this rapidly gentrifying san francisco that's being priced out of any kind of livability for normal people. >> i'm the last one left. >> it reminds me of thematically a little bit of "blindspotting," a movie that i was a huge fan of last year, and again this got incredible positive buzz coming out of sundance. i'm very much looking forward to that.

another one called "the farewell" with awkwafina, who a lot of people remember from her scene-stealingerformance in "crazy rich asians." this is sort of a serious comedy raout a chinese family who learned that theirmother is facing death, and want to give h a wedding to sort of send her off with-- without telling her that she's actually dying. and so, it kind of has, again, it reminds me little bit of maybe "the big sick" in terms of the tone. so i have i have high hopes for this one too. >> brown: what about documentaries? it strikes me that there's so many good ones out and continue to come. what's new, what's coming? >> one, "maiden," which just made a sensation at the toronto film festival last year. it's about the first all-female team to sail in the whitbread yachting race, a really grueling long sailing race.t, and it jt has captivated audiences on the festival circuit.an then one that i saw recently at the maryland film festival

here in baltimore, again out of sundance. it's called "cold case hammarskld," and it's about the death of the u.n. chief dag hammarskjold in 1961, which for many years has been since suspected to have been a murder. and this movie takes the true crime genre into completely untold territory. ery unsettling, very wel done, and a really excellent, i think, excellent piece of non-fiction storytelling. >> brown: just as you briefly and, does summer matter anymore as a season? icw do studios think about it? how do you as a crhink about it? what do we look for in the summer now? >> well, i do think it matters, and it's that season has been extended. buwhat fascinates me is th it has really become a documentary season. i mean, last year, the summer saw these breakout hits likeu "rbg," "won't my neighbor," "free solo," "three identical stranger" and i guess the term of art for that is counter-programming, right? so people don't really want to go to a spectacle or a blockbuster.

it's a chance for these smaller movies that connect on a human level and become reallbig hits and punch far above their weight. so that's always what i look forward to. >> brown: all right. ann hornaday of the "washington post," thanks very much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: so many movies, so little time. and that is the newshour for tonight.f. i'm judy woodr join us online, and again 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 idproved by: >> babbel. a language app that teaches language, like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. >> consumer cellular. >> financial services firm raymond james. >> the ford foundation. working with visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in

education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and serity. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. s >> togram was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from vwers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by nehour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wg

hello, yoevne, welcome to amanpour and company. here's what's coming up. mexico tarif are off the table for now. but what is it promising and what doeshe u.s. gain? i speak to the former ambassador to the united states. thenanhe mu cost of the showdown of the u.s.-mexico border. we look a the dire state of the deteion facilities and how one non-profit has built a financial empire housing child migrants. plus. i am looking through and realizing no one l lookse me or my family. >> why? >> because i'm brown.