captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc >> nawaz: good evening. i'm wna nawaz. judruff is away. on the newshour tonight: barred from entry. israel takes the unprecedented step of denng entry to two mbers of the u.s. congress. where does it leave the relationship between the two countries? then, crisis in venezuela. ambassador carlos vecchin joins us forupdate at a critical moment for the embattled nation. and, parentin a new baby means a never-ending supply of advice, but what actually works? one economist breaks it all do. >> i try to go through all of the studieous, picthe ones that i think are most convincing and are giving us something that is closest to a causal relationship. >> nawaz: all that and more on tonight's newshour.

ro major funding for the pbs newshour has beended by: life well-planned. learn more at raymondjames.com. >> babbel. a language learning app that uses speech recognition -lchnology and teaches ree conversations. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. s supportingence, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporof new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the advancement of international peace and

security. at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broinadca and by contributions to your pbs station frikom viewersyou. thank you. >> nawaz: israel is barring two muslim u.s. congresswomen from visiting jerusalem and the west bank democratic representatives ilhan omar of minnesota and rashida tlaib of michiga critics of israel's policy towards palestinians. prime minister benjanyn neu reversed his earlier decision to allow the women to visit after president trump urged him to deny their entry.

mr. trump sdefended hnce before leaving for a rally in hew hampshire a short ti ago: >> they are very anti-jewish and they're very antk israel. i th's disgraceful the things they've said. you have lists, this isn't just a one-line mistake, what they've said about israel and jewish people is a horrible thing. and they've become the face of the democrat party. >> nawaz: we'll take a closer look at the impact of today's unprecedented decision after the news summary. gibraltar has released the iranian tanker it seized last month under suspicion of transporting oil to syria, a violation ofsanternational tions. authorities allowed the tanker to leave the british territory, defying a last-mine effort by the u.s. to claim possession. iranian foreign minister mohammad javad zarif tweeted the u.s. request was a "piracy attempt." but he gave no indicouion that iran release the british tanker it seized in retaliation. inhiladelphia, the gunman in yesterday's hours-long standoffh

olice is now in custody. 36-year-old maurice hill hasd criminal recat includes firearms charges. he has not yet been charged. hill fired more than 100 rounds at police as they were trying to serve a drug warrant. six officers were wounded in the seven-hour standoff before hill surrendered. today, the city police commissioner described the harrowing wait. >> for a long time last night, i know our collective hearts were in our throats, not just at that scene, but probably for many people not knowing how this was gog to end. and i have to be honest with you, in te beginning of that scene, being there, i did not thin nit would endrly the way it did. >> nawaz: the six wounded officers have all been released fromhe hospital. a coroner said today that thegu an who killed nine people in dayton, ohio earlier this month had alcohol, cocaine, and anti- depressantin his system. authorities also found a bag of cocaine in his pocket. police fatally shot the 24-year-

old gunman at the sce. scientists say july was the hottest month measured on earth since reco-kping began in 1880. that's according to the national oceanic and atmospheric administration here in the u.s. on averagely, as nearly two degrees warmer than the 20th century average for the month. a deadly cross-border firefight broke out between indian and pakistani foayrces tthe latest escalation over the disputed region of kashmir. tensions havflared there since the indian government revoked the territory's political autonomy last week. indian prime minister narendra modi defenhaded the statuse today, during independence day celebrations. >> ( translated ): the old arrangements during the last 70 years encouraged secessionism.h they gave bi terrorism and nurtured nepotism. and in a way, they made the foundations of corruption and discrimination stronger. and that is why we had to ensure that the women in kashmir get their rights. and the rights available to the tribal communities in the rest of india should also be

ailable in kashmir. >> nawaz: but few attended independence day celebrations in kashmir's main city. nearly 4 million people in the indian-administered part of kashmir are in their 12th day of an unprecedented security lockdown and communications blackout. >>translated ): we are facing a lot of difficulties. we are not celebrating independence day. everything is shut down here. you won't be allowed to go anywhere. everythings locked down. >> nawaz: the u.n. security council is set to discuss the tense situation in kashmir tomorrow, response to requests from neighboring pakistan and china. back in this country, there are new questions today about the circumstances surrounding accused sex traffieier jeffrey eps apparent death by suicide in a manhattan jail. "the washington post" reported today that the autopsy, which hayet to be made public, found that epstein's neck was broken in several places. such injuiecan occur in a death by hanging or in someone who was straled. it's sti unclear when the autopsy results will be made public.

the house judicisuy committee two new subpoenas today as part of its investigation into the trump presidey. the democratic-led panel is requesting president trump's reformer campaign manager lewandowski and former deputy chief of staff rick dearborn testify at a public hearing on september 17. both played significant roles in special counsel robert mueller's report on the president's possible obstruction of justiced a eral court in san francisco has upheld an order requiring u.s. immigration officials to provide food, water and basic hygiene items to children detained at the u.s.-mexico border. a lower court ruling said conditions at the facilities did not meet safety and sanitation standards from a 1997 settlement agreement. the trump administration had appealed the decision. but the 9th circuit court of appeals today sided with the lower court. former colorado governor john hickenlooper dropped out of the presidential race today. that brings the number of candidates vying for the democratic nomination to 23.hi

enlooper said he is now considering a senate bid, facing off against republican incumbent cory gardner who's up for re-election next year. and on wall street, stocks attempted to claw their way back into positive territory after suffering their worst day of 2019. the dow jones industrial average gained nearly 100 points to close at 25,579. the nasdaq fell seven points. and the s&p-500 added seven. still to come on the newshour: what's next for the.s. - israep li relationshinow that two u.s. congresswomen have been denied entry? heightened tensions in hong kong as china signals the potential for a cracown. venezuela's opposition ambassador on his country's ongoing polical and economic crisis. plus much more.

>> nawaz: we return to our top story, israel banning two muslim-american congresswomen from entry. in a tweet this morning presi would show "great weakness" by allowmeing the congresswoto enter. he added that the representatives "hate israel and all jewish people." the president has targeted the two representatives repeatedly, as part of a four-woman freshman democratic group that's dubb itself "the squad." atlaibnd omar have facedit cism in the past for their statements on israel, which some critics have called anti-semiti and their support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions, or b.d.s. movement, designed to pressure israel to leave the palestinian lands and recognize their rights by targeting israeli companies, as well as international companies, universities and other groups that invest in israel. in 2017 israeli lawmakers passed a lawen that can bay to people considered advocates of the international b.d.s. movement, last month the u.s. house of

repre resolution condemning the b.d.s. movemenas one that "promotes principles of collective guilt, mass punishment and group isolation." president trump's stance puts him aodt ds with rebublican congressmen, like house minority leader kevin mccarthy who was in israel this week. >> speaking with the president, he knows there are people who have cedifferof opinion. i think it would be healthy for anyone who has that opinion, should come just as all these members have, to see, and i feel very issecure in anyone who comes with open ears, open eyes and an open mind will walk away with an understanding, just as all these me embers herdo, that this bond is unbreakable." >> naiswaz: israeli prime minter benjamin netanyahu is in the middle of a close election campa aig critics say he can't afford to appear weak while facing criticism of israel.r now foaction from a former top israeli diplomat. dannyn ayarved as deputy

foreifrgn ministe 2009 to 2013, and as israeli ambassador to the un2ited states from 2 to 2006. ambassador ayalon, welcome back to the news hour. isk want toou about what the israeli ambassador said last month. he said "thewo lawmakerd be allowed to visit out of respected to the great alliae between israel and america." that was last month. what changed between then and now? >> i would o things. first of all, there was an invitation by the bipartisan delegation, and we have had here last week basically s70 member of congress from both parties headed my bothority and minority leader, and it would have been much better for them to come then. they refused. not only that, they have decided on their own accord to actually

ignore israel, to go only to the palestinian side. they are sponsored by an organization, palestinian one, which supports terrorism, and i think that by the latest analysis, the reason for this visit was just a clear provocation and rlly to harm and hurt israeli interests. >> nawaz: i want to be clear about something, ambassador. you mention they had been slvited previ you are saying if they had visited with that other delegation they would have been welcome in >> by all means. you know, israel is a free country. we're a democracy. we are not afraid of criticism. if anything, younow, israelis are the most severe and fice critics of themselves and of our own government. >> nawaz: you tweeted that the israeli government accepted the u.s. administration'she suggestion, recommendation, and that's what led to the ban. so how is this to be seen? is t gis the israel

government taking orders from president trump and the u.s. administration on who is allowed and who is not? >> i believe that the main issue was on the merit o the provocation, however, what added i'm sure to the decision, although from jerusalem i heart otherwise, body can deny the president's tweet, once there is a request from the esident of our best friend and ally, you know, the united states america, certainly you have to heed or you have to take into consideration their request. so i'm sure this was also added into the mix. and you can here invoke a waiver because of what we call national interest. >> nawaz: mr. ambassador, as part of the justification forhe denying entry, president netanyahu said their support for this bbs movement was part atof decision. israel has long held itself a

bastion of doesn't this send the message anyone who is critical of the government won't be welcomee ? >> th a difference between a criticism and undermining the very legitimacy and existence of a state. and democracies also have the right, i would say the obligation to, defend themselves this group is not justin ca for boycotts and sanctions against israel, it's not just criticizing y israelipolicy, which is fair and legitimate, but actually they are undermining the very existence. the battle cry of the bds movement is basically from the thriver to sea palestinian will be free. if you look at the map, from thy israel, there no room for any other state let alone the jewish state. >> nawaz: let me ask you: israel has also welcome people who have clearly used anti-semitic rhetoric in the past. i'm talking abou hungary's leader viktor orbaán, also an

italian leader. both of them have been anti-semites in so of their political language. they were welcomed to israel. what's the difference in. >> they respect the country. they promote cooperation with our country. and if they d have semitic references, of course we would not condone it and we would call the out. >> nawaz: former ambassador danny ayalon joining us tonight. thank you very much for your time. >> my pleasure. >> nawaz: for a lawmaker' perspective now we turn to representative bradsherman, a senior member of the house foreign affairs committee and a democrat from california. congressman sherman, welcome back to the news 7news "today in newhour. way the ask you t respond. both congresswen tlaib and omar would have been welcome with the bipartisan delegation. he saw this visit setup as a ovocation. what do you say to that? >> well, he's trying to put perhaps a better face on it, an

israeli pride face on it. the israeli government wer going to let my two colleagues in until they were pressured by trump. now, it's tough for any country to say they're bepgding to that kind of pressure, "when: the scientific secrets of perfect timing" you're a tiny country when you are a tiny country with one friend nd the world you get that kind of pressure, and foreign countries tend to red sox at our executive as the main source of our power, they don't fully understand the role of congress under our constitution, when you'reat under ind of coercive power, you respond to it. the fault here is donald trump, because while he claims to be a friend of israel, he is trying to delegitimize israel or at least hurt israel with about half the population eof th united states, including those who support the role of congress, its oversight and ct gathering responsibilities. so trump claimsieo be a nd of israel, i call him a

ozionist. >> nawaz: there is a law on the books in israel from 2017 that ahours them to banntry to anyone who is seen as a supporter of this bds movement. they have barred from entry other people before. is it different somehow now because it's two members of congress? >> israel has welcomed muslim leaders, muslim officials from all over the wdild, inc those who are nominally in support of the arab boycott of israel.e isrolled out the red carpet for president sadat when he came to jerusalemt a time when his country was at war with israel technically ander isly -- and certainly supported the boycott of israel. the israelis made the right decisiot which was to y two colleagues in. they were forced out of that in way that is harmf to israel by the coercive pressure of the presint. but let's also put in context,

and i think danny did this well, this is not your regular boycott movement. i mean, i've got a friend or two who won't buy a toyota because they want japan to sinp ki whales. they're not trying to force jaevery nese citizen out of asia and to be killed or somehow drifted into the pacific, but the international leaders of the bbs move. ment are trying not the try to get israel to change this or that policy, but to try to remove every jew from the middle east, just as hitler wanted a jewish-free europe, this bds group wants a jewish-free middle east. >> nawaz: let me ask you about that, sir. doou believe your colleagues have the right to support that bdsovent? pportthink my colleagues changes in the policy of israelo

i haveeason to think that they support the ia of excluding every jew and every israeli from the middle east. >> nawaz: sir, before i let you know -- >> but there are supporters. >> nawaz: i know your time is limited. i want the make sure i ask this of you. do you worry today's decision tt ban those members of congress from entry will have an impact on u.s.-israeli relations >> israel has one friend in the world. it cannot afford to have only one half of one friend inhe world. trump is a pseudo zionist who has forced inthe name of helping israel, which is most pernicious part of it, has forced the israeli government to take an action which will slightly weaken israeli s upport hein the united states. i think we can recover from this, c but itarly is not a day when the israeli government was abit to do wha had decided to do, which was to admit my two colleagues. >> nawaz: democratic congressman bradsherman of

calihornia, thank you very m for your time. >> nawaz: calm largely prevailed in hong kong today, but the city staced for more large pro this weekend, as menacing talk continued from beijing. chinese security forces mustered just acrossong kong's border, and president trump inserted himself into the tense standoffi spal correspondent bruce harrison reports from hong kong. >> reporter: soldiers marched amid a sea of paramilitary vehicles parked near the border dividing china from hong kong. chinese military exercises today-- a reminder of beijing's thinning patience with its territory. it's another warning against protes engulfing hong kong which target beijing's efforts to whittle away at hong kong'. autonomy lsd today, the rhetoric from top chinese officgain matched the military flex.

>> their moves ae severe and signs of terrorism.nddy >> rertpoer: but hong kongers are preparing for another weekend of demonstrations, which have veered into violent clashes with hong kong police. legal experts are warning hong kong's government may also call on beijing's army garrison stioned in hong kong to ctervene. >> ifna is permitted to use force, i presume it will use the force necessary to quell thing. >> reporter: david lampton is a research at the asia pacific research center. >> i think beijing has not decided whether or not to use force, hopes not to, but in the d if it's that or control from the viewpoint of beijing, i hav littubt they would use the force they think necessary to quickly subdue it. >> reporter: today president trump expressed confidence that chinese president xi would find

a solution. and humanely solve the hong kong problem, he can," and today, predicted a "happy and enlightened" ending if xi arranged talks with pro-democracy hong kongers. but hopes for a dialogue may be just that. >> the idea of xi talking to protesters from a chinese pointed of view is a, even worse idcause the chinese have some experience of that in 1989 when the then-premier talked to the protesters.on of the protesters, the lead one talking with him came in in pajam humiliated the premier, and that probably even accelerated the move on the protesters in tiananmen. >> reporter: as the stand off between china's mainland and hong kong stiffens, many in beijing feel it's only a matter of time before their government cracks down.

>> ( translated ): the chinese national government will not allow you to do this. causing chaos like this. you can tell people about your complaints, but if you use these exuteme means then in thee you'll run into trouble. >> reporter: some hong kongers are growing weary of the chaos, too. >> ( translated ): what are the core values of hong kong? they are democracy, freedom, fairness and justice! but is it democracy for the rioters to beat me if i don't agree with what they say? >> re inconveniences, as some residents call them, will almost certainly continue this weekend. a number of demonstrations are planned on friday and saturday, including rallies of students and teachers. but it's often been the marches through hong kong's streets that descend into violence between police and protestors. and another long march is scheduled for sunday, testing the pocatience of the government and beijing. for the pbs newshour, i'm bruce harrison, in hong kong.

stay with us. coming up on the newshour: a long-denied crisis comes to light: the contaminwaed water of k, new jersey. the spirit of the times. faith leaders on the role of relig divisive moment.t a and, reing by the numbers. what economics can tell us about how to raise a child. the leadership and the future ol venezuela isocked. opposition leader juan guaido, whom the u.s. recognizes as president, has so far been unable to oust nicholas maduro. but maduro retains support within the all-powerful venezuelan military. the two sides were at the negotiating table until earlier this month, when maduro left in otest of new u.s. sanctions. joining me now to discuss all of this is ambassador carlos vecchio, who represents the guaido government in washington. ambassador vecchio, welcome back.

>> thank you for having me. >> nawaz: so last week the trump administration introduced to.her sanctio i have to ask you, maduro has surviveprevious sanctions, protest, international pressure, even internal attempts to ost m. do you think these new sanctions will have any effect? >> absolutely. i don't have any doubt that thes will put more pressure ono the madregime and will help to foe maduro to facilitate a .ansition in our count it is important to highlight that these sanctions are targeting the maduro regime. they're targeng the inne circle of maduro and the people who are helping maduro to stay in power. it's not against the vends lands the second point that is important in my view, this executive order is protecting the venezuelan assets here to avoid the diluting of our ittion, to preserve those assets, and alss important to mention that this executive order allows transactions

related to food, medicines, anai humanitariato the vends -- venezuelan people. so it's putting the pressure where it should be. >> nawaz: at the se time, the sanctions are what forced maduro to say enough and aywalk from those talks. the talks offered enough for path forward. is that path now gown? >> maduro has always used negotiations as a way to manipulate the international community. they have not agreed to anything .n those negotiations so the important thing in my view is to increase the pressure , not internationally, idternally, i of vends la. more than 85% of the people of venezuela are looking for a change. we have a legitimate president in venezuela, an guaido. juan guaido has become the most important person in venezuela in the last 20 years. >> nawaz: let me ask you about those talks. they are ongoing. do you think they will l anywhere? even though maduro has left? >> we need to force them.d

we n force them. we need to conquer the power. they will not giveou the power. we are dealing with alcan estate. we are dealing with a criminal organization. that is posh to keep in mind. that's why it's important to put more pressure on the maduo regime. >> nawaz: let me ask you about the military support that maduro asks. last month my colleague nick schifrin spoke with maduro' former chief, who has since rather defected to the u.s. take a listen to what heold my colleague nick schifrin. >> okay. great. >> >> ( translated ): have worked firsthand withicholas maduro, after telling him about all the eruption i saw, i realized there was no will, too much evil, andu to desire for power. >> nawaz: is there any way you think to take away some of that military support toe eventually further weaken maduro? >> that's one example, a clear example, but they have 2 military officers in venezuela. they have been detained andd. tortu we have been having contacts

with many middlend lower ranks of the institution. they have venezuelan. nay are suffering the sameop e that all united people are suffering. at the end of the day, they will part the people of venezuela who are looking for a change. it is important to mentionles that we cannot look at this as a single event. we have been climbing a mountain every single day, moving forward. we're very close to the peak. i don't have any dutt that we'll conquer freedom again. >> woodruff: to that point, it's been going og. for so l talks do continue. are you concerned the longeres this n maduro can run touted clock until maybe regime change as an interest goes away the international community. >> we need to keep our detedemination and also out of venezuela with the pressure we have created. >> nawaz: do you think you can keepthat up? >> absolutely. when you're fighting for freedom, you never lose momentum. we will prevail. i'm fully confident, because the

majority of people in venezuela right now are looking for ch ge. in my view we are in an irreversible process ofhange that. change will come. pi'm wfully confident tha will prevail. >> nawaz: is full regime change the only acceptable outco. would you accept a new election in -- >> what we wt to do is resolve the political crisis, which has been created by maduro. >> nawaz: does that include madur >> the only way to resolve this is putting an end of t dictatorship. it's the only way to resolve y.at, otherwise the power structure will s we need the take maduro out of power. we need to set a transitional government. an we need to call for a free and fair election in venezuela. that's to resolve the political crisis in our country. this is our proposal. that's whenwe have sking for the support of the international community. >> nawaz: in the meantime, i have to ask you, i have been on the border between venezuela and brazil. i have met some of those

families who traveled days without eating, carrying their children and whatever else they can. their children, many of them have only ever lived in this state as it is right now. they're malnourished. iey will suffer for the rest of their lives, wh your message to them the longer this takes town fold? >> this is a man-made disaster. they have more than four million venezuelans to get out of our country looking far better future. maduro has created the largest refugee crisis in this con nentd, and if maduro continues in power, it wille be thrst one in the world, even more important than the syrian regee crisis. so we need to stop this. my message to them is that we are looking for a change i venezuela, and we'll want to set a transitional government in w venezuela, a would like to restore a democratic system so that we will have the conditis for the return of all venezuelans to cover our country. that's my mainsage. andles that we need to understand that maduro is a threat not only against even venezuela but against the entire

world. if we want to have political stability in the region, we need freedom again. a nawaz:assador carlos vecchio, thank you for being here. >> thank you, amna. >> nawaz: worries and anger over contaminated drinking water are growing new jersey.n newark, in a case that echoes the water crisis in flint, michigan, high len levels have been found many newark homes. city officials have distributed water fters since then. but the e.p.a. now says those filters may not be effective enough. that warning came after a handful of water samples showed lead levels are well the e.p.a.'s standard of 15 parts per billion. the .p.a. says bottled water should be distributed to many residents. the matter is now being fought in court, which lisa desjardins will discuss in a moment. but first, our colleagues at njtv ha covered the reaction in newark. here's brenda flanagan.

>> reporter: ebony willia says she installed a pur filter cartridge from the city of newark on her kitchen faucet just a couple weeks ago. it's already blinking red, and she wasn't able to get free bottled water handed out by the city. the m concerned about lead in her water after tests showed these filters failed in two other uses. officials are now planning a much broader survey of homes with .filtered wat have you had the kids tested for lead? >> i'm taking them today to williams street - instead of gettierng in line for the w i'm gonna get in line for the lead test. >> if aarent is concerned their child's been lead-exposed, they should get their child tested. it's the only way to tow for sure, re's been exposure. the long term consequences both developmentally and neurologically are really staggering and irreversible: >> reporterwark started distributing filters last november, after officials learned lead from corroded service pipes was leaching into water supplied by the pequannock system. the city's handed out more than 38,000 pur filters but never tested whether they were working

properl august because they're nationally-certified and endorsed by the e.p.a. residents are confused. >> at this point, it els like it'sa band-aid they're using to lull everyone to think everything is okay. but it isn't enough. if the pipes need to be replaced, let's do that. we're paying for water. homeowner we're paying for water we cannot use. >> reporter: pequannock's water system connects to 14,730 lead service lines in newark. administration sources say thereic's no evidence of syst failure; perhaps it was a bad batch of filters. but ty hewon't know until they conduct further tests, and they're now devproping a survey otocol..p the e.a. ordered bottled water to be distributed in the meantime, but the first delivery from new jersey's emergency management stores apparently displayed an expired "best by" date. that orheld up distribution few hn ours evethough the f.d.a. has stated there's no limit to bottled water's shelf life.

>> icame at 10, they told me, after 11. now i'm back after 11, they told me, fter 1. so it's like all of this run- around. >> reporter: city officials are urging residents to run their water. that helps distribute the new anti-corrosion chemical, which should be working by year's end. williamsorries about her unger son's lead levels. 's very hard for him t concentrate on certain things and the sptoms i've been ading up on lately-- he's following that trend. >> desjardins: this all led to the start of a federal urt hearing today. the natural resources defense council brought the lawsuit, accusing the city of newark and the state of new jersey of violating safe drinking water laws. the n.r.d.c. says bottled water must be distributed for all the city's 285,000 residents another member of the nrdc teamc

on this story,el hill, was in the courtroom and joins me now. michael, newark has acted essentially because they were sued. room youto the cou were in today. i heard the judge had some very strong words. >> she really did and this really boiled down today to corrosthn control at e treatment facility. the experts or the enronmentalists say it'sot working well and it had been leading to very high parts per billio onad being found in several homes. three of them, 18 parts per billion in one home,6 parts per billion in one home, and 246 parts per billion at a home in newark, that's 16 times higher than the e.p.a. actionabl level. now, the expert morr e ety says, wait a minute, those levels are high because corrosion control had been an issue. those issues are being resolved. we're seeing lead levels come down becausean of better more stable treatment of water there. so what's the recommendation for homeowners cght up in the middle of this? the experts for the city says, well, just flh you water 15 to

30 seconds at the tap, and the experts for the environment said that's woefully too low.ge he ss five minutes, and he says that really depends on the forceful flow of the water. if it's a slow force, five minutes may not be enough. if it's fast force, two minutes may do the job. now, the judge did have some very pointed questions. as a mattfact, some points today, she took over questioning from both of the attorneys, becase she wanted answers about the effectiveness of the somesion control and then simple things, lisa, such as is the water safe for bathing? is it safe for washing clothes? is it safe for washing dishes? is it se for food preparation and so forth. the expert for the environmentalists said yes, li, it certainly is. >> nawaz: michael, let me get a couple more questions to you on thenis. we'v this story continue to pop up in city aftit across the country. we know tens of thousands of least willt there at be affected. with you talk about something else i saw in your story, what

appears to be an opening rift, rich versus poo and communities of color over this issue. >> for some people it certainly is. i had a conversation with the new jersey sierra club director this week talking about this issue. we've asked some lawmakers, as well, if this were taking place perhaps inmont clair new york westfield new york shorhill, someof the suburbs surrounding newark, would those suburbs still be dealing with this kind of issue,e're talking about two, three decades down the road. a lot of the answers thatom up are absolutely not. the sierra club says the new jersey department of environmental protection is responsible for making sure that the water i clean, that it's of good quality in new jersey, and it really ould be on the forefront of trying to get money to resolve this issue in newark, which is so widespread. the d.e.p. commission we understand was for new jersey was actually in washingtc., meeting with the head of the e.p.a. today. lisa? >> reporter:ichael, one

question briefly, how long do you think citizens will have deal with unsafe water? is it clear? >> it is not clear. these corrosion control issues have toed be reso and then there is a plan under way right now in newark. it is kindf piecemeal some describe it, an eight-year plan, $75 million to replace some of these lines that are going from the street into individual homes, the homeowners, of course, on those lines. it is mter of funding, but there is a program under way, but some people say that needs to be expedited, and, in fact, what newark needs for this issue is a marshall plan. lisa? >> reporter: michael hill on this important story. thank you, michael. >> nawaz: during times of divisiveness, people often turn to faanith leaders for gu. jeff brown spoke to two such

leaders about how they see their roles in the current polarized political landscape. >> brown: some lead verse been long-time forces in national politics and a number of cal lead verse been vocal supporters of the current administration. others tend to seek out what they consider key moments. late last month leaders at the washingtonational cathedral released a very direct public message labeled a response to the president. it reads in part, "as faith leaders, we serve at washington national cathedral, the sacred space where america gathers at moments of national signficance. we feel compelled to act. after two years of president trump's words and actions, whe will americans have enough? one of its authors joins us now, bishomarianne budde leads th episcopal diocese of washington. also with us to talk about the role of faith l centers this political climate, richard land, president of the southern evangelical seminary. welcome to both of you. let me start withyou, bishop

budde, why did you start to speak out and why not? >> 2 country has become accustomed to speaking up each day to a daily barrage from president trump v social media, often abusive, slanderous and dishonest. these last few weeks, however, we felt that he had crossea threshold of rhetoric that had become dangerously racialized. first with his insults to the four women om the house of representatives, insinuating they did not belong in this country, and second with his critique of representative cummings, spreading his attacks to the entire district of baltimore that he reesents. heo -- we wanted t say two things. first, this low level of polit bical discourse need note our normal for america, and second, the president's words

matter, and words such as the ones i cited have dangerous potential to encourage others, both to speak and then to act witnch condoned vio that's why we spoke. >> brown:ichard land, you have supported the president on many policies. do you distinguish the policie from what bishop budde is referring to as a dangerous rhetoric? >> yes. you know, if you look at the polling, 8 2% of white evangelicals vot trump, and if you talk to them, i would include myself among them, probably 80% of tha 82 3-bg9 were not voting so much for the president as they weg re votiainst mrs. clinton and against mrs. clinton's policies. i think that distinction is made. in fact, i have told the maesident that he was my last choice in the p. i wince when i read the tweets. i have said, i wish that his twitter had a clutch and

editor. >> brown: you wince, but bishop budde is calling r something much stronger. why not speak out about thepl ations or impact of such statements? >> i disagree with a lot of the interpretations of are evidence i think at this particular time we need to be as religious leaders not so much accusing people of racism or xenophobia as seeking talk to each other, not at each other, and not in an accusatory way, and seeking to lower the temperature and lower te rhetoric. i have condemn racism my whole life, and by the way, i'm oldou gh that i have known real racists, an i know donald trump is not a racist. whairks is your response, bishop budde? another opportunity is to speak in a way, as richard land

suggest, so try to lower the temperature. >> first of all, iould say the president of late and indeed throughout his presidency has done almost everything in his power to divide the country. and while i understand and agree with reverend land that we need to be talking respectfully with ach other, in sense, i feel as a white american christianle er that it's my responsibility and the responsibility of others to acknowledge he damage that has been done and not just with the rhetoric, but with the policies themselves. you see the rise of white supremacist groups who have complete freedom in twn mind to do what they say because of the president's actions, and for him to come out afterward and to say that he does not condone hatred is -- it rings more than hallow irk let me let richard land come in, because it is true that you have never been try about spe out about policy, so why make this disshun

between speaking out forcefully on policies you believe in but not speaking out and suggesting we should n tamp down whe's a question of rhetoric that, as we just cheard, have real implications? >> i said that people should tamp down thehetoric on all sides, and by the way, i hold a ligious leaders to higher standard than i hold political leaders. and i think religious leadershe needamp down the language and the implications that people who support trump are racist. that's dangerous. it's inaccurate. and it's mccarthyism reverse. it's projection of mccarthyism to say, if you support crump and you support his policies, then you're being a racist. it's implied that you're a racist. that's simply not true, and i awould hope the people w saying it know that it's not true. >> well, i would like to -- may i say something? >> i support donald trump primarily because he has been pro-life. irk bishop? >> i think there is a real

distition between calling someone a racist, which is a personal viewpoint vis-a-vis another person, and acknowledging that we have systematic racism in this country that works against epand certain people out of the benefits that othe have. and so i am not calling the president personally racist, but i would say that hisie pol and actions contribute to the systematic racismf this country. >> brown: i started with you, bishop, so richard land, the last word. >> yes, we have racism in this country, but we're a lot better than we with.e lack unemployment rate is lower than it's ever been.th hispanic unemployment rate is lower than it's ever been. the president is doing enterprise zones in inner cities, and he's done prison reform. >> brown: all right, richard land and bishop marianne budde,e thank you bot much. >> thank you. >> thank you both.

>> nawaz: raising a child is complicated and can be confusing, with advice available just about everywhere you turn. one economist and mother actually dug into the data to help parents make informed choices about raising their little ones. business and economics correspondent paul solman has the story. ."'s part of our series, "making sense >> we've got to go to swim. yeah, we do. ( toddler screams ) >> reporter: raising kids, as every parent knows, is a constant conundrum. >> yum yum yum! ( toddler cries ) >> reporter: putish! no, be t! the advice out there is more abundt than ever. ( toddler cries ) >> reporter: but each parenting onp seems to get turned on its head by the nex how many of you have been conflicted about-- seriously conflicted-- abouuinformation e gotten about raising your kids? every single one.

>> people will just come up to you on the street and tell you ways .that you're doing it wro >> reporter: health economist emily oster has taken a more scientific approach. once heshe became pregnant, began applying her statistical skills to the data. the result was the bestseller, "expecting better." now a mom of two, in the book "cribiesheet," she apher economics training to everything from breast-feeding to discipline, to help parents make data-driven choices. >> the e skills that we h data analysis are just really crucial. so to give an example, something like breast-feeding. so were're ined in the impacts of breast-feeding on, say, kids' i.q. >> reporter: and there is evidence, or supposedly evidence, to suggest that if you breast-feed, your kids will have a higher i.q. yes. the issue with basically all of those studies is that the choice of breast-feeding is not something people ma randomly, onim. it's a-- it's a considered choice, and it happens thats t also difflot across groups.

so, more educated moms, richer moms, y married mom know, people who are broadly what we'd igher socioeconomi status," are more likely to breast-feed. so, se breast-feeding on i.q. from the impact of all of the other differences ohai.q. is really . >> reporter: but oster looked at a study of siblings in which the same mother breast-fed one baby but did not breast-feed the other. it showed no statistical fference in i.q. >> i try to go through all of the tudies, to pick out the ones that i think are most convincing and are giving us something that is closest to a causal relationship. >> reporter: but one of the mt robust findings around breast- feeding, at least as i read you, is reducing the mother's rinc of breast . >> yeah. there are some effects on the baby that do seem to be supported in the data. reductions in gastrointestinal problems in the first year, while the baby is being breast- fed. reductions in ear infection, reduction in rashes, and then there there's actually a pretty sizable effect on breast cancer risk for the mom.

on the flip side, many of the claims that people make about the long-term health effects of breast-feeding for infants, like obreductions iity later in life, reductions in other diseases later in life, improvements in i.q., those don't seem to be supported in the, in the best data. >> reporter: comedian amy schumer became a fan after reading "expecting better," and interviewed oster on her salty podcast, "three girls, one keith": >th> k what most pregnant people are interested in is, can i drink? >> you shouldn't have a lot. one small glass a day in the second and third trimester. >> melon-flavored mad dog? >> no, tely not. >> reporter: oster's mild drinking "okay" was actually denounced by doctors, who say no amount of alcohol is safe while pregnant. and now, "cribsheet" has been criticized by the american academy of pediatrics f underselling breast-feeding. >> but i haven't actual been able to get them to engage on discussing the merits of the

evidence. i'm definitely not a doctor, but i also think that wcan all read the evidence together and it would be great to have those discussions. >> reporter: oster doesn't shy away from other charged topics, like sleep and the decision to skip the crib and co-sleep in a family bed. >> on the one hand, you'll have people telling you, like, this i.s the natural way to sle this is how everybody has slept for millions of years. >> reporter: family bed. l that's how your kids w attached. and also it's easier, and everyone will get more sleep and it's great. and then you have on the other side sort of sometimes very, ry harsh rhetoric around "you shouldn't do this." so there was an anti-co-sleeping ad campaign, which showed pictures of babies in a bed with a giant knife. >> reporter: and that's because you would-- the kid would get smoered. >> yeah. i think that it's dangerous, like a knife would be dangerous. when i dug into the data, i think that on the one hand, it's-- it does show that the safest way to sleep is not with your baby inour bed, that there are some risks to co-sleeping. on the other hand, if you do this and sort of, as safely as

possible, which means in a bed wokith parents who are not g or drinking or that has relatively few covers, there probably is some excess risk, - but it's-- it''s small. it's, you know, on the scale of the kinds of risks that you're taking all the time, by putting your kid in a car. >> reporter: still, the american academy of pediatrics does not recommend bed-sharing. ( crying ) sleep training, or letting your baby "cry it out" is another fraught subject. oster found it so tough, she had to let her husband take charge. >> i just left the house. jesse just did it. >> reporter: really? >> yeah, i left. >u > reporter: where'd yo? >> the bar down the street. ( laughter ) >> reporter: sleep training is a bear for parents. and don't babies feel abandoned when left to cry? mightn't that prevent them from bonding? not accor oster.the data, says >> kids, right after they sleep tter., they will sleep and the parents will sleep better also, and so when we look azet, you know, rando evaluations that study the

impacts of sleep training on parental mtisfaction or aternal depression, we actually see pretty big effects. >> reporter: yeah, one thing you emphasize in breast-feeding and in sleep training is the effect on the mother. >> we've sometimes gotten into a place where it seems like we're saying, anytng you could do hat even anyone has ever suggested could have any tiny good effects on the baby, you should do that, even if it is infinitely costly for the family. >> reporter: oster says most penting decisions boil do not to right against wrong, but costs against benefits, comprehensily weighed, and including personal preferences. >> pticularly the question o like, stay at home mom versus working mom sometimes feels like theeind of crux of the-- of mommy wars. my read is that the best data n suggests it do matter for the kid whether you work or not. and so i say, like, okay, here are some things you can think about in a decision, like what is the best thing for the kid? what is going to work logistically for your family? and also what do you want?

i decide to work not because i hbuave to, t because i think that's what works for my family. >> reporter: and after a while, taking care of a kid... >> uld not be for me. i love being with my kids, but you know, the marginal utility is diminishing. you know, the first hour is great, the second hour is pretty good. brey, like, hour four, i'y to go to work. that's hard for people to say. like, somehow as a parent, there's a sense that you should be like, "oh, i just my dream is to spend every moment with my kid." that'inot my dream. love my kids. they're the best. but my dream is not to spend every minute with them. >> reporter: i would say probably the majority of working women, it's notheo much that like the job. it's economically, they have to. >> yeah. like, if you have more money, more resources, you can make more different choices about parenting, and whave sort of otten into a place where sometimes we're arguing about, you know, who's the best kind of parent, around these pretty r miings that don't matter. and i worry that it distracts us from thinking about, how can we make better policy for poor families in the u.s.? >> reporter: like paid family

leave, for example. > it's very clear that there are benefits, including reductions in infant mortality, from having paid pareal leave, that is not accessible to a lot of people in the u.s. > reporter: in the end, by mining the data and making her results broadly accessible, /mom emily oster has one overriding objective-- to make parenting just a bit less stressful than it inevitably is. ( toddler screams ) for the pbs newshour, this is business and economics correspondent, parent and grandparent, paul solman in providence, rhode island. >> nawaz: on the newshour online

that's on our web site, www.pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonig a. ia nawaz. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, tnk you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshr has been provided by: >> babbel. a language learning app that uses speech recognition technology and teaches real-lif. conversatio daily 10-15 minute lessons are rsvoiced by native speakend are at babbel. babbel.com. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. ewd by contributions to your pbs station from s like you. thank you. captioningponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> you're watching pbs. >> you're watching pbs.

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