captioning sponsored by ll newshour productions >> woodruff: good evening. i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight:nd the wiover the water. the u.s. mainland arshes to prepas hurricane dorian picks up speed over the atlantic. then, on the ground in el salvador. the u.s. homeland security chief takes the fight ov immigration to central america, while the trump administration attempts to rewrite the rules of citizenship. and, jump starting america. how investing in scientific research can revive strugglingr cities all ovee country. >> the existing hubs on the west coast and east coast have become rather crowded, extremy expensive,ctually quite difficult places to do business.

what we really need is growth moat as in the past is muc widely spread across the country. >> woodrf: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshouras been provided by: life well-planned. learn more at raymondjames.com. >> babbel. a language learning app that uses speech recognition lichnology and teaches rea conversations. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved econoanc

performancfinancial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. supporting innovations in education, democratic engagement, and the adncement of internaseonal peace and rity. at cargie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: and individuals. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastin and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: millions of people along florida's atlantic coast are watching and waiting tonight, as hurricane dorian grows into a maj menace.

the national hurricane center says the storm could be a category storm, with winds of it hits on monday. by the time today, lines of shoppers waited outside supply stores, preparing enfor a tense labor day we governor ron desantis said it's the smart move. >> you saw long lines for gas,o people going ie grocery store to get water. we don't want to see people wait in line. but people are heeding the call to just be prepad. we can't tell you exactly where this thing is going to go right now. it's been kind of here and there, not been a very consistent path in some respects. but nevertheless, be prepared. >> woodruff: desantis also declared an emergency for the entire state. and, president trump said he is canceling a planned trip to poland to keep an eye on the storm. we'll hear from the national hurricane center after the news summary. the u.s. justiceepartment's inspector general says former

f.b.i. director james comey mishandled memos ofth ump.ersations resident today's report found broke f.b.i. rules by arranging for a journalist to see one memo. the report states that "comey set a dangerous exampl by using sensitive infoation to build public pressure. it also found that none of the information was classified.th justice department had already declined to prosecute. the u.s. environmental protection agency called today for revoking obama-era rlees on methans at oil and gas drilling sites. the proposal would exempt some companies from monitoring leaks of the gas that contributes to climate ange. we'll ok at the details, later in the program. in britain, restance is mounting to prime minister boris johnson's move to suspend parliament before the brexit deadline of october 31st. today, protests, legal challenges and petition drives

gathered steam. the opposition labour party leader jeremy corbyn vowed to fight the move when parliament returns from its summer recess. >> we will be back in parliament on tuesday to challenge boris johnson on what i think is a smash-and-grab raid against our democracy, where he's trying to suspend parliament in order to prevent a serious discussion and a serious debate, to prevent a ba deal brexit. >> woodruff: by suspending parliament, johnson givesne ops little time to prevent britain from leaving the european union without a formal agreement. tochina sent fresh troops hong kong today, calling it ang state television showed dozensof oldiers arriving in hong kong overnight, and tanks rolling throh otherwise empty streets. the deployment also raised fears about a possible cradown on mbo-democracy protesters. hardliners in co's main rebel group, the farc, issued a new call to arms today.

it was a blow to a three-year- old accord that ended decades of fighting. in an online video, the rebels accused the government of failing to live up to the peace agreement. >> ( translated ): when we signed thegreement, we did it with the conviction at it was possible to change theives ofle the hund the dispossessed, but the state has not fulfilled even the most important of the obligations. that is, to guarantee the li of its citizens and particularly to prevent their murder for political reasons.l >> woodruff: colombia's president offered a reward of nearly $1 million for the leader of the hardliners. back in this country, there's word that the mumps virus has swept through crowded migrant detention facilities in the last 12 months.e nters for disease control and prevention says mumps appeared in 57 facilities across 19 state nearly 900 migrants and more than 30 staffers came downith the illness. top federal health officials issued a national warning today

geout marijuana use by tee and pregnant women and the risk to developing brains. re and more states and cities have legalized mcaijuana for meor recreational use. but surgeon general jerome adams along with health and human services secretary alex azar said the drug is dangerous. >> not enough people know at today's marijuana is far more potent than in day's past. the amount of t.h.c., theen compresponsible for euphoria and intoxication but for also most of marijuana's documented harms has increasedms three to five fold in the last few decades. or, as i like to say, this ain't your mother's marijuana. >> woouff: the federal government still classifies marijuana as a controlled substance. a major study in the ud britain has found five new genetic variants that may be linked to same-sex sexual behavior.or but, the researchers say there

may be thousands more, and they also reaffirm that genes alone do not determine whether someone will be gay or lesbian. the study involved half a million people in the largest project its kind. alabama governor kay ivey apologized today for wearing blackface during a college skit 50 years ago. her then-fiance had described c the episode inlege radio interview. ey said today she does n remember the skit but does not deny it, either. and, the first-term republican said, "that is not who i am today." and, on wall street: stocks rose on hopesor progress in upcoming u.s.-china trade tal the dow jones industrial averagi gained 326s to close at 26,362. the nasdaq rose 116 points, and the s&p-500 added 36. still to come on the newshour: preparing for landfall asdo hurricanan churns across the atlantic.

on the ground in el salvad while the white house hardens its ance on citizenship. the trump administration moves to roll back key regulations for monitoring natural gas. and much more. r woodruff: hurricane dorian is threatening to bwn on florida by monday, prompting residents there to start stocking up on bottled water, gas and other supplies. but the category 1 hurricane's precise path is hard to predict. dorian veered towards the virgin islands, drenching them with heavy rain and whipping winds, but then largely missed puerto rico. ken graham is the director of the national hurricane center in miami, and joins us for an update. ken graham, welcome back to the newshour. first of all, tell us what you

know right now about dorian. >> every indication is she coinues to get stronger. we're studying this 24 hours a a day. getting stronger is exactly what we're forecasting, continuing to get stnger with tie. there's a lot of warm water, not a lot of sheer, and not a lot of interaction with terrain, as well. sot's going to keep getting stronger. e are forecasting to bec major hurricane, even a category 4 strength, 130mph as we approach the florida coast. so a big ent. a lot of uncertainty in the forecast. that center could er anyin that cone. >> woodruff: and ken, you say a lot of uncertainty. what is goi to determine the exact path and the strength of this storm m >> soy factors going on here inch this case we have this ridge of high preur it's out here. it almost acts like a bubble. so when this storm moves forward, it hits that bubble. so the stronger that hiesgh re is, then we're going to have a quicker turn if it's ae littleer, it's going to,

wait a little bit longer, and that will be the northern track. is we're really trying to understand how strg that is. that's why we're seeing the that's why we haone.le bit, and because with that uncertainty, it could be anywhere in there. sohe message is yone along also inland has to be ready. an >> woodruff: do you have a sense of when we're going to know better where it's hitting? >> you know, i think really when we start seeing that turn.g i think 24 -- this is one of those situations as we see itst move northwe see it turn more toward the northwest. i think with time you can extrapolate from there. we'll have a better idea. in the next few dayws i think we'll ha a better handle on it. but either way new york matter matter where the center, is florida will be impacted by rain, storm surge, the wids, just a big impact of that. >> woodruff: so the advice then to people who live anywhera inbubble area you have at the end is to do what? >> its to be ready.

if you think about it, it's interesting, we havted the arrival of trical storm force winds. no matter the exact track newer york mattered the center is, you'll start seeing tropical storm force winds recoh the tline. here is florida. p.m. or so moving on shore some the winds are coming, the rainom is coming, the storm surge is coming. so be prepared and listen for the latest information, and especially listen to those local officials. >> woodruff: well, we'll certainly do everythinan to get the word out. ken graham with the national hurricane center, thank you. >> you bet. >> woodruff: the acting seetary of homeland security, kevin mcaleenan, is on a three- toy trip to central americ talk about migration and border security with leaders in el salvador. our amna nawaz is along with mcaleenan on this visit, and joins me now from n salvador, the capital.

amna, hello. this is aleenan's sealnd trip to eldor in this role. what are they looking to accomplish? >> nawaz: judy, basically seetary mcaleenan is trying the formalize some of those past negotiations he's been having with leaders in the area. it's not just el salvador. he's been meeting with leaders in gotlieb and -- guatemala and honduras. yesterday they signed a letter of intent. it's not a formal deal or agreement, but what it does do is broadly lay out four eas the u.s. says ar common areas both el salvador and the u.s.mo ca forward to reduce those may immigration numbers. u.s. officials laid them out ouo us, border security, economic vestment, asylum capacity andl the overalal goal is to reduce the number of peple looking to cross the u.s.r. southern bor i asked secretary mcaleenan, when you te working towardat

goal, what what does success look like? what is the threshold you're working toward. here's what he said in response? >> the rezaire for a secure and well-mannered border. w t to return to numbers so we don't see families and children responding tone wees in the legal framework of the united states or the policy objectives the president is trying to counter, forced migrati where its either duesecurity concerns or lack of economic opportunity. >> nawaz: secretary eyaleenan went on to say the primary driver te seen specifically among people from el sell ecnomics. judy, what we have heard froe folks here on the ground when it comes to where they're putting their energy and their effort right now, economic investment seems to be one of the in areas of u.s. focus. >> woodruff: is there any indication that the deals will work? keen to tell us about the are numbers they've already seen from here in el saldo here's what they told us

yesterday. the number of salsivadorans cr the boarder in may was 16,000 inch august they say they got that number down to 6,000. that's something they hold up as a sign of success, that a lot of these efforts and a lot of these conversations are working. at's worth pointing out th overall when it comes to southern u.s. border crossings, down. numbers have gon in july, in fact, those total numbers were below 100,000 for the first time in about five months. we know that detention numbers have gone down. customs have gone down. erall because of weather, because ohistorical trends, but also largely because of a number of the stepshe mp administration has been taking to try ttry to limit the number of people crossing the norder, those numbers have bee going down. >> woodruff: amna, we noelle does have major problemsi wth violence, especially with regard to gangs. what did the president of el salvador have to say about tha >> nawaz: obviously addressing

those homicide rates and the violence levels here. it's been a priority just for this president, president muhammad who just came intoa powew months ago. but for previous administration, as well. it's worthoting they have seen those numbers going down. he's implemeed more heavy handed law enforcement tactics to address that gang violence. flu are also things at the president wants to see from the u.s., in addition to security help, things that werinen't necessarily mentioned by uofs. cials. i asked the president directly, when you're in these conversations with the u.s., what is it you're asking for when the u.s. is asking for you cooperation to stem the flow of people coming from el salvador. he listed a few thingngs inclu some kind of permanent status for salvadorans in the s., many who have back-up protection or cps protection. he wanted to lower the state department travel warning from a 3 to a 2 for el salvador, whicht nks would encourage would much rathee economiche investment in some form rather than any kd of economic aid,

judy. >> woodruff: amna nawaz capital of el salvador.ador, the thanks. er woodruff: it is a shift in the process of dning who can be a u.s. citizen. tithe latest move on immig by the trump administration at first sparked confusion and outrage yesterday.d the rule is smaller in scope than initially thought, but still says some children born to americans living abroad working r the u.s. military or as diplomats will no lo automatically be u.s. citizens. we want take time now to clarify the move and lk at the administration's broader strategy on immigration with ken cuccinelli. he is the acting director of the u.s. citizenship and immigration services and he ins me now.

thank you for being here. >> judy, good to be with you. >> woodruff: so a lot of changes. they've been coming fast and furious in the field ofgr imion and as we have been listening to all -- nomin in citizenship and immigration. what i want to ask you about this new policy, we just learned out it this week. it ends au ctomaticitizenship for --pe >> no nope. >> woodruff: it ends automatic citizenship -- >> new york it doesn't. >> woodruff: can i state it and you can corct it if you disagree, but ends automatic ci zenship for someildren born to u.s. citens who are stationed abroad either working for the u.s. government as diplomats or themilitary? why this move >> well, first of allthe statement about who becomes a citizen at birth is not crect. all the same people still become citizens at birth. this is -- for ur viewers, this is all about people outside the united states. some people have said, oh, this is birthright citizenship. it has nothing to do with being born in the u.fos. it ipeople who are born

outside the united states who are not u.s. citizens when they are born. and already.tr that wase before or after. >> woodruff: or their parents. >> no, not necessarily. not necessarily. hd the only thing tha have to fill out, the processy they have to go through to get that child to be a u.s. citizen. that is it. we didn't change a sigle person who would or could become a u.s. >> woodruff: but wo that? >> that's an excellent questionp because thetment of state obviously also issues travel documents. we issue various visas and other documents. .,d u.s.c.ihe agency i lead, was not conforming to the law. there is a very specific thi that was wrong. let me finish, please. so somebody could go rough th process we have now and show up to get passport to travel home r their child and they wouldn't get passport. the state departmentizouldn't recothem as a citizen

because what we were doing didn't comply with the law. so we've brouges oursen compliance with the law and all the same pcaopln still become citizens. >> woodruff: the bottom line is it makes it somewhat more difficult. >> no. nope. checked this ear!a doesn't even take longer. there's still paperwork, but it's diwoferent pap. >> woodruff: so you're saying this has all been a lot of fuss over nothing? >> yes. we obviously could havune coated this a lot better, but it is almost nothing. in efft, in paperwork only, about 20 to 25 people a year, and we came to that number by yooking back through how man people fell in this category in previous years. >> woodruff: all right. well, we appreciate having that clarification from you. >> i appreciate you letting me clarify. >> woodruff: i do want to ask you about some other changes. in the last few days the tipolicy as we understand it around how immigrants with dire health conditions are treated.

previously they were granted what's called medical def action, which is a special status that allows them to i remathe country legcoally, receive medicaid if necessary, and work while ey get medical treatment. thousands of people who have serious health condition, whether cance cystic fibrosis, are subject to being -- toir losing tbility to stay. >> right. anwe have a b visa, a tourist visa which can can also be used for medical trefoatment for peoe here. no one getdes ferred action who is here legally. >> woodruff: they're here undo. ed. >> right they're here ill.egal so ice is the enforcement agency some this is u.s.c.i.system, we're not a law enforcement agency, some years ago started issuing def ranses, which

isn't appropriate for us. that's left for ice to do, and it only happens once people are removeddable from the country. >> woodruff: but you're ,sking, let me just point out you're asking people who are in this situationwith a very sick fami member to turn to an enforcement agency to let them know that they are here in an undocumented status, and let me bring it to a personal level. we saw the story of a mother from honras, with a 16-year-old son with cystic fibrosis, who is being treated boston, his older sister has already died of cytic fibrosis. his mother says if he can't con this treatment, he will die. so what's the reason for squeezing people in these circumstances? >> well, obvlyiously this fa is not targeted, swriewdy. what was going on before and started some time ago and has now raised expectations, it raised yours others was no w consisteh the law. it was a law that says on a

case-by-case basis this can be grant. it was granted across the board. so now it will be granted on a case-by-case basis. a humanitarian basis is a basise the grant orts of relief. so it can still be granted to that family in you example, but let's remember, theseeople also can get b visas and come here legally to dhe all of tse things. >> woodruff: quickly, again, it's making it harder for them to do that. >> only in the sense they now have to go do something. >> woodruf ano.ther newule enacted under your agency, the so-called public charge rule, under which the government wil deny green cards to legal u.s. residents and visa holders currently using or expected to use government benefits like food stamps, medicaid,ousing assistance. my question is: how does this comport with america's long history of welcoming, i mea you go back to huddled masses yearning to be free. are you now saying america doesn't want people wheed any

help? >> that's an excellent question, judy. under federal law, all the way back to 1882, almt os0 years, have required people coming to this country to meet ese sorts of standards, to be self-sufficient, and the american people want immigrantss who arf-sufficient. that means that won't go on these sorts of welfare programs. and it isn't all welfare prograd even medicaid is only for adults, it isn't for peop under 21 and so forth, but that's a longstanding requirement of american law, and it's a core value. >> woodruff: but is it a coreba value that goek to the founding of this country? >> it goes back t1645 in massachusetts. >> woodruff: but people were welcomed into this country who were, again, your h dled masses yearning to be free. people came to this country with nothing at all. >> and tens of thousands of them were turned back as expected to be public charges.

and that is -- that has lonbeg part of the law, the law we passed this rule for was bipartisan basis in 1996 and signed by bill clinton. >> woodruff: but the point of it appears to be to sqeze the definition of who can be an american.is hat what you and the administration are trying to do? my question is: you're clearly trying to make it harder to become a u.s. citizen. >> f people who can't support themselves in america. who would go welfare in the future. >> woodruff: and why are they not welcome? >> for the same reasons you referred to the american tradition. this is straight out of the american tradion, both legally and historically, this is the most generousnd welcoming f then in the history world.>> woodruff: even with ths new definition? >> we have always expvected people to stod on their own tw feet and be self-sufficient. we are not the welfare provider for the wold.

and this is just continuing that tradition.>> oodruff: but again, and forgive me if i'm rep'meating myself, in the beginning this was a country thwelcomed people of all circumstances, the poorest people on the planet were welcome to come to this country. >> poor people can still come to this country, and when you loo k benefits in our short discussion here. it's one factor among many. and it ines always only factor among many. so let's take a trulyed impoveriolks whoed might -- who have used welfare benefits up to the timree the considered for that green card. please let me just finish, but during that time th have also gotten a plumbing asserthti ca they have a jobe . those are other factors. they have gotten education they didn't have before. all of those can offset the us of welfare benefits. the point is that they can stand on their own in the future as they live here long tthrm wis as fellow americans. >> woodruff: are you saying

the ideal portrait of an american is different from what it was? >> no. excellent question. you now, it has been... i'm from virginia, the beginning of 16 i assume we're a little different from then, but for 140 years the amerin people have strongly supported and had in law and we do today the requirement that the people we lcome here will stand on their own and be self-sufficient. self-sufficient pi is one of those core vlues that makes america inning. >> woodruff: i'm sure many americans do th at differently. they still see this country as place with open ars.m >> i do too. and this isn't closing our arm, but it is expect people to carry their own weight and t expecting to come here and for us to carm theas fellow americans or legal permanent resides, which is what a green card is. w >>druff: ken cuccinelli, acting director of the u.s. citizenship and immigration

service. >> judy, good to be with you. oo >>uff: it was widely reported that the trumpmi stration may block $250 million in military its overall efforts to curtailof foreign aid. mr. trump began supplying weaps to ukraine two years a in its fight against russian- backed separatists. the war there is now in its sixth year, with thousands dead and no signs of an end in sightn with no u.s. troop presence anywhere near the front lines, some american citize have decided to go and fight anyway. from those front lines, special correspondent simon ostrovsky reports. >> reporr: damien rodriguez is an american citizen from the bronx with a habit of figh mng

in wars thy would say are not his own. >> my passion is to volunteer for different milita militias, and help defend their land. >> reporter: in 2015, damien traveled to syria. >> the isis videos that were coming out-- decapitating people, burning peoplelive, selling women-- i felt like i had to do something, and our government wasn't doing enough. and i heard that people were out there helping and decided to go out there and help. >> reporter: he had no military experience. the only branch he'd served in was a bank branch in delaware. >> i dealt with altothe auted cash transactions, a lot of spreadsheets, excel. not for me, i guess. way from the spreadsheets, long fighting an enemy even more formidable than isis or arithmetic: the russianli miry. last year, damien joined theed c marineps of ukraine.

we're in a trench on a hill that's overlooking some of the russian-backed forces' positions. the reason damien's 's been sent here is because they're to ovide covering fire for another ukrainian unit that's hunting anti-tank crews that have been harassing ukrainian vehicles lately. this machine gun nest overlook the positions of the russian military and their local separatist allies who want to aiest control of eastern u from the central government in kiev. >> go, go, go, go, go, go, go! >> reporter: it's a war that's clai00d the lives of some 13,0 people since russia's annexation of crimea in 2014. and aside from the occasional foreign volunteer, ukraine,s which gularly committed its troops to america's wars around the world, has had to well, almost.ht on its own. damien came here not just

without the blessing of his government, but also without his family's. he left his girlfriend and two sons behind in the united states. up that didn't go over too well. she was extremelt,s give up my family.she's seen itb famiause, of course, there's a possibility of death. is putting it lightly.y.upset" in the months leading up to his departure to syria, damien's ex sued him for whdrawing money from a joint account. and when he returned in 2017, he was arrested for missing thsands of dollars in chil support payments. >> she kind of basically told me at that time, i wasn't in a good state of mind.e i had just camback from syria. >> reporter: are you saying that you lost custody of your son? >> yeah. ( explosion )

>> reporter: so, the united states... the united states has sent $1.5 billion of miliukry aid to ine, but there are no boots on the ground. that $1.5 billion goes to weapons, equipment and training. the only american servicemen here are in a facilityear the polish border, over 800 miles west of the frontlines.li the canadian and british soldiers who are also in ukraine, they're providing training at a safe distance from the violence. there's hundreds of other frontlines in a muerrom the environment. what does it feel like to be one of the only ones actually on the front line in the only active war in europe? >> last thing we need is another war. if you have more boots here, that means russia's going to have more boots over there. and you know, do you really want this to a huge, you know, possibly worldar, you know?

commanding officers tells us he's gratel for the foreign fighters from the u.s., great britain and estonia that have joined this unit. how did you feel when the foreigners first joined your battalion? >> we know the reason why we are here, ukrainians, because it's our nd, we defend it. but why foreign guysome here? we didn't... these guys, very good guys. they're very patriotic. one of them want to take ukrainian citizenship w because our laws allow to do that. >> reporter: following in the footsteps of the u.s., ukraine changed its laws to make it possible for foreigners serving the military to receive citizenship. not everyone plans on taking it, but the defense ministry says there are currently about 130 foreigners serabng, including several americans. >> someone who proves that he wants to be ukrainian citizen and he also has the good record

of fighting for this country,ha well, he alsthe privilegeth to be granted ukrainian citizenship. >> reporter: the reforms are seen as part of an effort to redirect internationals awayom olunteer battalions that were not fully under the defense miniry's control-- groups li the azov battalion, which hasny recruited maf its fighters from the ranks of e far right and has ties to organizations that participated in t 2017 white tionalist rally in chlottesville. >> that's why you need somehow to regulate these volunteers or foreign fighters or whoeveyois fighting o side. it was impossible to plan some military operations because voluntrs never accepted your orders, and they did their own military operations. >> reporter: so, what about the equipment provided with u.s. tax dollars? some of it has apparently filtered down to the troops. >> we were issd night vision. i actually just used it the

other night, last night.ep >>ter: but there is a desperate shortage of one thing on these front lines: safe armored vehicles. in this sector, we saw none of the humvees america handed over with much pomp at this ceremony in 2015. we were told there weren'tgh eno go around. so, for the most part, ukrainian marines use either these aging soviet-era troop carriers they call "steel coffins" or simply the ukrainian military improvises, and damien is his unit's pilot. >> so, this video actually shows ually using the drone as weapon. >> reporter: whoa! there it goes! and he runs back into the dugout. >> we were targeting the vehicle. we had no clue who was in the vehicle. it just so hpened to be one of the big commanders of that battalion.r: >> reporte anyone can order this quadcopter fromndmazon for ar1,500, but it has one de.ly handmade modification >> just has an attachment here to drop bombs.

stuff this plastic explosives into the tube, set a detonator inside, and, oncit hits the detonator, explodes. get a bunch of nice ttle screws inside there. >> reporter: should an american like you really be here fighting another country's war? >> our government actually supports ukraine, ry much so.ul i never go against my country's wishes. syria was a bit on the line. when i got back, guys from, like, homeland security and even f.b.i. guys. they were like, know?thank you very much," you i share a room with another guy. sorry for the mess. >> reporter: for damien, being out he on the front lines, despite the constant dangers, things somehow seem easigh and more strorward than then life he abandoned in the u.s. >> don't get me wrong. i love america, i love my home and my family.

but ukraine is growing on me, and i really respect the people, especially the people in the military. >> reporter: few americans have dared oply fight against russia in its war in ukraine,ki but, i continues welcoming foreign fighters, america and other western countries may get more boots on the groun they ever bargained for. fonthe pbs newshour, i'm si ostrovsky on the frontlines in eastern ukraine. in an effort to boost gal and naforaproduction, the trump administration is planning to roll back rules regarding the release of the highly potent greenhouse gas methane.

as william brangham reportte this is the move to dial ck environmental rules put in place by the obama administration. >> brangm: that's right, judy. these rules were first put in place because methane is one of the most potent greenhouse gasses, many times more potent than carbon dioxide at trappinge in the atmosphere. when oil and gas is produced and shipped and stored, a lot of methane leaks out, which then makes climate change worse. the environmental protection agency now argues those rules about limiting methane leaks are they don't do much to protect the climate. sttimothy puko of the "walet journal" first broke the storypr of thiosed change and he welcome to news hour. >> thank you for having me. >> brangham: so environmental groups, a lot of ading democrats are furious about this proposed change. what are they arguing? >> they're arguing that because of climate change that we really need these rules. methane,s you mention, is incredibly potent. the oil and gas industry is the leading industrial source of ity ere intended to be part of a three-pronged attack from the obama administration, take care

of emissions from cars. like care of emissionsrom power plants oit them, and then the oil and gas sector was next. that was seen as he otheig emilter that could use some tightning up. e>> brangham: the rules y were written by the obama administration required the industry to do what abouts? methane le >> more inspection, adding newer technology to primarily the issue was contain these leaks. lke sure you know whks happen, so monitoring systems, and then have bettetechnology there to make sure that gas doesn't escape. >> brangham: i touched on the sort of lity of rationale the trump administration has put forward as to why they want to get rid of these rles. what is their position on this. >> climate one, notor a priy for this administration, certainly prident trump has made his feelingon that ver clear, and that has empowered a lot of people within the administration, nojust the e.p.a., but other department, to who feel that the prior administration had gone too far, had used the clean air act to

address climate in ways it was never intended to be used.ra >>d.m: is there evidence that these rules actually did what they were intend to do? meaning if we know meth and that is a problem, we don't want to let it leak out, did these rules stop those leaks? tecology would certainly help? increase inspections would i think the big question is what's reasonable? and the oil and gas industry felt that in many cases ths se rure not reasonable, that they asked too much,yhat the might be restrictive, they might prevent the industry from c innovating aating more effective technology. ultimately we don't even know the answer t your qustion because like many climate policies in the obamaon administrathis was in limbo. it was not something that had taken effect. they did not finalize it until 2016. there were court challenges and ultimately the trump administration takes ond they have their own ideas. so that basically there wasa

transitioning happening before those rules could ever really make an iact. >> brangham: one of the most interesting things in your reporting was that this wast a unanimous industry opposition to these ieles. big compwanted to keep them in place, smaller. explaiwhy that occurred. >> the industry is really divided. the larger companies that have more capital to address these things have quite tranically in many cases an advantage if there are more regulations governing the industry. but even beyond that, they're realizing, they have realized, they have made nantvestments that are climate related intrao nagas in particular. it's a cleaner fuel, as long as you are not leaking it, as long as you are not putting raw methane into the atmosphere. natural gas burns cleaner than certainly coal and oil and ites prodany fewer emissions. and so, you know, they have been able to market tal gas to governments and utilities all over the world. it's a huhue thing, a ge business for them.

the fear is that reif there not strong government relations to regulate that, that bad actors can take over or when times get tough and prices are lower, there isn't as much of a profit and -- motive for the industry to invest on the technologies they need to shell, b.p., they're looking at it and saying, we're trying sell this natural gasrlround the we want governments toeliever they can transition to it as a cleaner anel. we don'tthe run the risk that that gets undermined. we have to have a cost come from the outside to make sure that everyone is playing by the same rules and keepi natural gas clean. >> brangham: such an intesting dichotomy in the industry. >> if i could say, you see that t. there are big divides right now on all sorts of issues between the s,arge companhe global major, and then the mid-sized and smaller companies. those companies have less capital to spend. theyant to produce a produce and produce. in the other shale places.sful

they also have the ear of this administraon. so in many cases, they're there. they're saying, no, our, friens in the white house, make surent the governs not in our way, that we're not overburdened by cost and by rules we have to follow, and they're promising that they'll police themselves and keephe drilling boom goigong full tilt. next steps here.tly, what are i know these don't go into effect right away. you saying?hallenges, wha >> absolutely. even before we get to legal challenges, 60 days of public comments. it will have to come back for we're aiming to get that finished and get that finalized by 2020. administration the meet time lines like that. even if they were to get thised finiwhile president trump is still inidffice, as you elude to, there are going to be lawsuits. the environmental community wants tight regulations related to climate. they want climate issues to be addressed. they have launched a -- legal

this the administration hasi done. those are all still in the courts. this one is likely tplay out in the courts if we get there. >> brangham: timothy puko of the "wall street journal," great reporting. thank u. >> thank you. >> woodruff: one of the mautr concerns ahe economy is whether there's enough real growth compared to the past. and whether that growth can be spreadut more evenly to areas that need it. our economics correspondent paul solman has a look at a new call to spur at growth through major government investments in science and technology. the idea: spread that investment, capital and potential jobs to cities in real need. it's the focus otonight's "making sense" report. >> so, these are roombas, and this is the first roomba. >> reporter: at irobot outside boston, the flagship product is

on prominent display. >> this is the f-9. and so tthis is like a monster. the eyes look left and right. >> reporter: nearby, products that flopped.'t >> if that doereep out your child, then nothing will. we were working on robots thatdo into oil wells. we were working on robot toys. we were working on robots thatcl wouln industrial buildings. >> reporter: and who's buying these things? >> no one was buying them. >> reporter: irobot now boasts 1,000-plus employees in the u.s. but, for years after its founding in 1990... >> irobot-- i say, nobly-- we didn't take investment until year eight. couldn't get invesfrom as, we thir iparty until year eight of our existence. >> repter: what kept them alive? >> irobot wouldn't exist without government contracts. >> reporter: starting with small contracts in the mid '90s resech and develop military robotsculminating in a contract to build thousands of so-called packbots at $120,000

ch, to search out weapons in afghanistan and iraq. >> this used to be a robot. >> repedter: and this is debris? >> yeah, that's pacbot 129, or what's left of him. these guys literally have saved thousands of lives over in afghistan and iraq. >> reporter: and with the money and technology it earned on packbot, irobot launched a consumer business. >> 25 million roboold. about a quarter of the money spent on vacuum cleaners is now spent on robot vacuum cleaners. >> reporter: due to government research and development spending. >> when those big breakthroughs occur, you create a lot of good f w jobs. >> reporter: andly we spent like we used to, say m.i.t. economists simon johnson d jonathan gruber, the u.s. economy would be bigger, fairer, better braced for the future. >> by the mid 1960s, we were spending 2% out of our entire

economy, one in every $50, on public r&d investments. anthat paid off in creatin enormous new sectors of the economy. remember what was the firstll microwave ? >> these amana radar range microwave ovens have cookmatic power shift. >> the "dar range" because it came with the technology that was used to develop the radar. >> speed, for informed decisions. >> digital electronic computers come entirely out of this big post-war r&d governmen effort. modern pharmaceuticals, jet engines, civil aviation. >> liftoff. >> and, of course,d the space program. big, positive, lasting effects across the entire economy. >> reporter: this was the norm for half a century. but nowadays, says gruber... >> we've gone from 2% of g.d.p. to 0.7% percent of g.d.p. and importantly, from by far the highest in the world to tenth in the world. r orter: the top five: austria, denmark, finland, korea and switzerland. thus, gruber and johnson's mission: "ju starting america"-- the name of their new book, restoring government r&d spending.

we want more good jobs. >> reporter: and they're on the stump, making the case across the country. but not for ending just anywhere. >> hello, rochester. it's great to be back.>> eporter: they want to jump start r&d hubs in areas that don't havetahem. >> peopl about a rural- urban issue in america.in it's not really that. s it's sort oferstar city- rest of america phenomenon. >> the existing hubs on the weso t and east coast have become rather crowded, extremely expensive, actually quite difficult places to do business. what wreally need is growth that, as in the past, is much more widely spread across the country. >> reporter:nd that's why they and we were in rochester, new york, which popped out number onon their list of 102 potential new r&d hubs. >> we didn't know about rochester. i'm pleasant surprised as to how good a fit it is for us. >> reporter: their criteria? >> is it a big place? because this won't work unless it's a big enough population center. is it well-educated? is there a good science education system? it affordiole? is there a low crime rate? how's the commute time? >> reporter: how did rochester

come out on top? >> right now, you can get anywhere in 20 minutes. >> reporter: how many universities? >> 18. >> reporter: what's it cost to buy a house around here? >> the avera price is less than $200,000. >> reporter: of course, admits jennifer leonard, who heads the rochester area community foundation, there's a reason for those low housing prices. >> we are still the third poorest city in the top 75 metry areas, third highest in the top 100 cities for concentration of poverty. we need help. >> reporter: but that's what jump start means. and like so many cities,r' chesde-industrialized past could be a key to its future. >> industries have developed here that have made the name rochester synonyy us with quald precision manufacturing. >> reporter: kodak, bausch and dmb, and xerox once emplo over 100,000 locals.ew today, ahousand total. >> if you don't change, change will change you.y

>>ther worked for kodak, and my dad worked for xerox. >> reporter: lovely warren is chester's mayor. >> i don't think anyone ever imagined that the indust would change as rapidly as it did and that we would experience the economic decline that we did. >> reporter: jobs fled, but people stayed... with know-how, says the mayor. >> building on a legacthat was once here that was lge in kodak, xerox and bausch and lomb. ak reporter: in an old kod factory and a former downtown department store, new york state grants have eded high-tech incubators. >> this is our spindleng system, and we enable you to ee now with ten times improved precision in three dimensions. >> we use the front camera of these small devices and detect the subtle changes in the color time your heart beats.rs each >> so, we have this innovave fluorescent microscope withsm l implants that go into multiple regions of the brain.te

>> rep these things actually go into your brain. >> yes. and these tiny blobs that turn neurons.ff are individ >> reporter: every one of the dozens of firms at this recentus conference foc on optics and photonics, the science of light. >> how much data can be transferred over what distance, at what power, using what cost. and it just so happens that photons beat eleofrons every day he week. >> reporter: terry clas, a longtime kodakrexecutive, chthe conference. >> do i believe that rer, new york, or the finger lakes region could be the photon valley of the future? absotely. >> reporter: and there's a huge johnson: the privatorer and doesn't invest in sic r&d.n consider yasaman soudagar's brain implants. >> so, if you understand exactly how the memory circuitry in the brain works, then, when alzheimer's is happening, we can understand what is going wrong in the brain thais causing the disease. >> reporter: so, if this is

technology which could actually arrest, maybe reverse alzheimer's humans someday, en investors are throwing money at you? >> ( laughs ) no. no, they are not. investors want to get ten times return in three to fivs on their investment. >> reporter: and you know this because you've pitched invests? >> and they have told us that we are just not advanced enough for them. they want us to talk to them when the device is ready to be used in humans.>> eporter: we have all this investment capital in this country.e we have all thnture capitalists whose job is to deploy that capital most efficiently. what's wrong? if you want more growth, higher productivity, and yout want t be spread across the entire geography of the united states, the only entityee that hasenough pockets and the potential to deploy enough is the federal govt.difference >> reporter: but hold on. government, picking winners? how about the failed solar panel fi solyndra, which got

$500 million in federal loan guarantees? government invests in a company, company goes kaput. it's as if we burned the dollars. >> that was less than 2% of e money we spent on this clean energy program, and all the st of the portfolio is paid back. indeed, all of the solar production the u.s.-- and, obviously, solar production is a f y industry for the future-- all of it grew othat program. >> reporter: and look at the human genome project, says simon johnson, into which the federal government pumped some $3 billion. >> that industry has created 270,000 jobs today. it pays about $6 billion in taxes per year. it's a win-win. it's a symbiotic relationship. >> reporter: as it has been for irobot and boston's "route 128" science hub. >> there are 25 companiesun d by ex-irobot employees in this 128 area. the boston area the center of

industry.rse for the robot >> reporter: as anyone who's's watched boston dynamics videos on youtube will understand. irobot itself? perfecting more modest cyborgs these days-- a mop, a wn mower. look, mom and d, no hands. for the pbs newshour, business and economics correspondent paul solman. >> woodruff: you can see iakyour own city the list of potential new technology hubs on the website, http://jumpstartingamerica.com. >> woodruff: photographer >> woodruff: onl hten democratefuls will be on stage because of new democratic

criteria for thedebate. learn how candidates who won't get online are chaing their campaign strategy. that's online at pbs.org/newshour. that is the newshour for tonight. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorr evening with mark shields and david brooks on a republican challenging the debate narrows theratice next field. for all of us at the ord see you soon..k you >> major fundinghe pbs newshour has been provided by: >> babbel. a language learning app that uses speech recognition technology and teaches real-lifa convons.ag in a new lan like spanish, french, german, italian, and more. babbel's are available as an app, or online. more informati on babbel.com. >> consumer cellular. financial services firm raymond james.

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