♪ >> good evening. i'm judy woodruff. under fire. president trump response to mounting criticism over syria. his willingness to use his own hotel for a gathering of world erle, and escalating impehment inquiry. then on the ground in iraq, we have the first-handcc ant of the impact of the withdrawal of u.s. forces on refugees and the fightgainst isis. one--one with senator bernie sanders. the democratic presidential candidate discovers -- discusses the cost of his medicare for all plan and more. and food for flint, new programs work to battle the adverse effects of lead-laden water in flint, michigan, with focus on

nutrition for child >> nutrition is like a forever medicine. children need to always have great nutrition to limit the ongoing potential exposure. judy: all that and moren tonight's "pbs newshour." ♪ >> mor funding for the "pbs newshour" habeen provided b -- ♪ >> moving our economy for 1 years. bnsf. >> consumer cellular.

for more than 50 years, advancing ideasrt and suppog institutions to promote a better world. and with o theoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ >> this programss was made le by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions from viewers like you. thank you. judy: president trump is facing new week spots in hi of support and he is urging his

he spoke for me than an hour at a cabinet meeting and condemned the drive to impeach him. our white house correspondent -- >>ma so, h up a lie. >> at a white house cabinet meetinsident trump lashed out at democrats. >> they want to impeach and do it as quick as possible and that is pretty much the story. mulvaney who has fueled the impeachmentes fire, sete him. he acknowledged last week that the president did withhold military aid to ukraine, moved at forcing an investigation into the 20nv election and democrats. thlate day, mulvaney insisted there was no quid pro quo. ache walked itagain on sunday. >> it is legitimate to tie foreign aid from other countries -- can i seethow people took the other way? absolutely. iever saithere was a quid o quo. >> secretary of state mick

mulvaney -- secretary oftate mike pompeo would not defend mick mulvane d but he never sere was wrongdoing. >> the conversation was all raise around the -- always saround tategic implications and with the money get to the right place? wl leave to the chief of staff what he said and what he intended. >> president trump today repeated his denials of anything improper in his dealings with ukrain >> i haven't heard one ukrainian say that there was pressure of an kind. ere have not even been reports of it. nobody has even said it. the reason aven't heard it, because there is none. >> growingracks in the president's republican support. in an interview on sunday, mitt romney of utah issued a broad indictment of president trump. a long time trump critic, he efused to take impeachme off the table. >> i want to get as muchas informatioe can , make an assessment consistent with the law and constitution. >> republican criticism of the

president is building behind closed doors. era nu of reports say he faced intense private criticism from republican lawmakers over hosting the g7 summit at his resort in florida. late saturday, he gav in and reversed his decision. today, he was still defending the idea. >> i was willing to do this for this phony emoluments laws -- by the way, anywhere from $2 billion to $5 billion. >> the emoluments because is a revision in article one of the u.s. constitution and is unclear how much money the president has lost or gained since taking office because he has not released his tax returns. the backlash from his own party comes as democrats are methodically working through their impeachment inquiry. tomorrow, the acting u.s. ambassador to the ukraine win iam taylor will testify closed-door session as part of the investigation. ju: and our correspondent

joins us now to help make sense of so much of what is happening. we just are clause heard the president refer to the emoluments clause --ar we just the president refer to the emoluments clause as phony. >> the president at the white house was really lashing out at his critics who said it was wrong for him to host g7 at his property in florida. he called this clause phony. it is article one, section 9, paragraph 8 in the constitution and it says that no person holding office should accept any present or gift a of kind from a king, prince, or foreign state. at the founders were thinking as thedid not want american ambassadorand lawmakers to ve any sort of influence that would come from european powers. that is iortant to president trump because there are several lawsuits that say he is violating that clause by having

the trump hotel and other operties andhat foreign governments are essentially giving him gifts by staying there. his lawyers have pushed back saying that the hotels are providing a service and that he is not getting gifts in return. this is all a part of the trump presidency. therekire lawsuits still w through theourts and it is clear that the emoluments clause is real and not phony. judy: and his offering to use the doral hotel to host this next meeting has raised this issue all over again. so, we know today nancy pelosi, the speaker, and the democrats impeachment.ct sheet what are we seeing in terms of how the democrats and the white housere navigating this impeachment process? >> democrats and republicans really understand thamessaging is going to be very important when it comes to this inquiry. this morning, nancy pelosi and house democrats debuted this fact sheet. it is called "truth exposed it

is going to try to make the case that the president is involved in a shakedown or pressure campaign and a cover theyth are using those words to message to the american people what this is all about. tthe president today white house also was doing his own messaging, saying republibens need tougher. he said democrats are being vicious and sticking tether. he said they don't have a mitt romney in theiridst, saying my rty needs to stick with me and he should be an anomaly and all the other republics should not be publicly criticizing him. judy:inally, you put it altogether, this has been a rough few days for thede pre -- not only what you have been talking about, you had the president's acting chief of staff having to walk back what he said at that briefing last week. you have had the change of position on whether to use the preside's own hotel for this meeting of world leaders. you also have republicans breaking with the president in syria. n how is this adding uprms

of its effect on the president? >> the president is looking at a season of weakness. that is what "the washington post" is using as phrase. his own party is criticizin g hm about t about syria. he is having to reverse himself. ewe h not seen this president reverse himself in really anything. he has mainly stuck to his guns, except for mably in -- maybe in family separation and the government shutdown. he is seeing dents and a teflon presidency and that is whconcerning to many in the house, even the republicans overwhelmingly still support the president. judy: the president is saying, we will get through this. >> he is saying i will be reelected and democratsre angry about the 2016 election. judy:h. thank you very muc thanks. ♪ judy:n american troops be leaving syria today as a

cease-re held between turkish and syrian kurdish forces. twhere americans were once hailed as helping the kurds defe, i says, todny in northeast syria jeered and american convoys wit rotten vegetables and stones. our report -- special correspondent reporting from iraq. >> u.s. forces left the northeast syrian tn under the cover of darkness. but protesters with signs blocked the convoys. one read, "thanks for u.s. people, but trump betrayed us [lawrence -- horns] on the turkish border, residents hurled potoes. as they followed the president's orders and drive away, america's troops are leaving behind men and women they fought side-by-side with against isis.

u.s. defense secretary said most of the 1000 troops leaving northet syria are headed to iraq to press the fight against remnants of isis. that f came despite a twem president trump saying he was, "bringing soldiers home." today, he added some forces will stay in syria to protect kurdish held fields and fight i says. in afghanistan, the move would be deliberate it was said. >> this withdrawal will take weeks. until that time, our forces will remain in the towns located near the oil fields. >> but we witnessed a withdrawal that appears to be well on its way. arriving across the border in iraq, a massive column of u.s. special forces on their way to a new base. american flags flying as iraq's kurds watched from the streets. president trump modified his earlier t explanatit all

troops were coming out. >> they will be sent initially to different parts -- ultimately, we are bringing them home. g we are bringr troops back home. kurds for the. retheirtect the lives >> the u.s. broke date -- brokered a five-day cease-fire la week amid widespread panic over possible war crimes committed by turkish back arab militias and the threat of ethnic cleansing against the kurds. as part of the deal, the kurds agreed to withdraw from within 20 miles of the turkish borde in areas where fighting is already underway. over thes weekend, there some fraying of the fragile cease-fire, with shelling across the syria-turkish border, each side accusing the other of aggression. brdish leaders said shelli the turkish army killed at least 17 people in a town. >> the turkish army and its mercenaries did nte stop there

ive attacks, aiming to the shelling conti, and even now >> and a stumble, turkey's kurds who initiated.it was the he said they were still horing the packed, but added that turkey would resume its operation if the kurds don't leave the border areas. >> i thinkd aro 30 harassment fires and we lost one shoulder -- soldier. we, as we agreed with the americans, we have retaliated. if they don'titraw, our operation will restart. >> amid the up people, not just fiters are fully in but terrified civilians. the united nations says more rhan 176,000 people have been uprooted from th homes, including 70,000 children. some of them end up in camps like this. in northwest iraq, here we met one of many mothers who now

ar she may be forced to raise her children as refugees. when would you return? >> when will it become a settled country how we needed to be? weto are afraieturn. there is shelling, warplanes, soldiers. >> more like her arrive every day from their homes inside syria. four people here, there is such an incredible degree of becausenty and that is their lives are impacted by a foreign policy that changes by the day. on wthing everyone we spoh was certain of was who they blamed for this crisis. >> trump is responsible. he betrayed the kurds. children have died, people have these people, it is trump's fault. he tookld the decision and out the kurds. >> they said they believe strongly the american soldiers don't want to leave. >> it is not the american

military's fault. it was the president's decision, the military has to follow orders. >> tomorrow, the cease-fire is set to expire. fothe pbs newshour, i'm jane ferguson in iraq. ♪ judy: -- >> good evening from "newshour west," lebanon's leaders approved economic reforms aimed at stopping mass protests aimed at the ruling elite. demonstrations shutdown banks and businesses for a fifth day. protests continued into the night with banks expected to stay closed tuesday tuesday -- closed tuesday. >> you have put the lebanese national identity back in its place above all sectarian or religious identity and this iti

the biggest al victory. i'm not asking you to stop protesting or expressing ur that is a decision you take and no one can give you a deadline. >> the prime minister's economic reform package promises to deal with massive debt by cutting salaries of top officials in nghalf and cloome ministries. in hong kong, new protests brought new street clashes, heavily armed police fired tear gas to break up brute -- groups a day after riot police mistakenly sprayed a mosque with the blue dyedater as mass demonstrations turned violent. city leaders apologized. anred by growing economic inequality and a transit fare increase, demonstratosh in santiago lay -- chile defied a curfew today. the city became a battleground with at least 11 dead. hundreds gathered as police trieer to combat them with wat cannons. in a coastal city, police used

gunshots to disperse protesters and prevent looting. the president denounced the protests. >> we are at war with a powerful , relentless enemy that respects nothing or anyone and is willing to use violence and cme without any limits. even when it involves the loss of hum lives. >> the president has suspended the transit re hikes, but he imposed a state of emergency in thsantiago and cities. the israeli prime minister announced that he has given up on forming a national unity government. his chief rival, the former military chief, will now take a turn. if he fails, it could lead to election in less than a year. ilmean british prime minister boris johnson was dealt another blow in his efforts to get a v a brexit plan. the speaker of the house of commons refused to allow a vote today because parliamentary rules do not allow a second vote on the same question.

lawmakers had refused to vote on then pturday. as the political machinations continue, britain faces an october 31 deadline to leave the european union. polls aretill closing at this hour in canada's national election, with prime minister justin trudeau's job at stake. has been hurt by an ethics scandal and his admission that he wore black face years ago. he was joined by his wife and children as he cast his vote in montréal. he is vying to a remaineading progressive voice in the world stage. his main opponent is the leader of the conservative party. back ithis country, the three largest drug dtributors and a major pharmaceutical manufacturer reached a settlement withwo ohio counti in the opioid epidemic. its tot60 million and it could lead to a broader national lawsuits.t omore than 2600 we will take a closer look later in the program. the governor of texas has

declared a disaster in 16 counties after severe stos, including tornado, roared through the dallas area sunday night. the twister touched down during it left thousands in the dark. the dallas mayor said it could have been much worse. >> considering the path that the storma took, it went acros pretty densely populated part of our city, i think we should consider ourselves very fortunate that we did not lose any lives. no fatalities and no serious injuries, so i think we should all be very grateful for that. >> the same weather system killed one person in arkansas and three in oklahoma. the trump administrations moving forward with a plan to connect dna samples from asylum-seekers and anyone who enters the u.s. illegally. de justice departnt iss the proposed rule today. it said biometric records would

be transferred to an fbi database and used for criminal instigations. there are growi ccerns about the safety of government workers on public land after a new repo assaulted or threatened at least 360 times over a five-year period. the government accountability office sayshere are 19% fewer officers in the ranks of the u.s. forest service and the bureau of land management. lawmakers will address the findings on capitoshill tomorrow. and after 166 years, new york's central park will have a monument to famous women. a city commission voted to build a statue of three pioneering figures -- the' are women' suffrage icons elizabeth cady stanton and susan b anthony and sojourner truth, who escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist. the park has 23 statues already, all of n. still to come, the latest from the campaign trail and a

one-on-one interview with senator bernie sande we break down theatt on the impeachment fight in congress. four drugompanies reach a last-minute deal in a high-stakes opioid caseal. and g flint. how focused and nutrition products batute the effects of led-laden water. >> this is the "pbs newshour," from w eta studios in washington and from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. judy: we turn now to the democratic presidential race. candidates spent the weekend working to build up enthusiasm contest. a crowded at a saturday rally of more than 20,000 peopleen in q new york, bernie sanders had a clear message. sen. sanders: i am more than ready to assume the office of

president of the united states. to put it bluntly, i am back. [cheering] hedy: less than three weeks after suffering t attack, the vermont senator got a big boost. [cheering] judy: the endorsement of new york f -- freshman wocongren alexandria a kasi a cortez. sanders is seekinghe to cement legacy of his revolution. >> over the next few weeks, i'm going to be putting out a plan. judy: this progressive presidential rival, elizabeth warren, is feing off criticism. it is over how she would pay for medica for all. sanders signature health care plan, which warren supports. >> i've bn working on this for a long time now. it still has a little bit more work before it is ready to roll out. >> i think how you -- you have

to show how youre going to pay r things. judy: centrist candidates like amy klobuchar and pete buttigieg spent the weekend building on the gains they have made in the race after citshing elizabeth warren in health re in the last debate. klobuchar enjoyed lards -- large crowds in iowa. pete buttigieg is now in striking distance. >> i'm going to make sure that americans get a generous raise. judy: with teacher strikes ongoing in chicago, joe bid at an event in new york with 1000 union teachersromised better teacher wages if he is elected president. today, elizabeth warren released a new $800 billion k-12 education plan that she says she would fund with a wealth tax. >> there are a lot of them --

judy: elsewhere in the campaign trail, democratic presidenti candidates still trying to break through in the crowded field held events from south carolina to alabama to iowa. and one of those presidential candidates, senator bernie sanders, joins us now. senator sanders, welcome back to the "newshour." good to see a back on the campaign trail. congratulations. sen. sanders: thank you very much. judy: first question. has this heart issue slowed you down at all? sen. sanders: not at all. i took some time off. i'm feeling great right now. we had a wonderful rally on saturday in iowa. in a few day we are back and nning. judy: i want to move from your own health to your health care plan. you would eliminate private premiums from patients, froms or people, you would give everybode

cove but the nonpartisan urban institute and we just looked at their -- a pthe study th out last week, is estimating that over its first dede your plan would cost $34 trillion. more than total cost of social combined. medicare, and medicaid n. sanders: two responses, judy. first of l, if we do nothing, it isimated we will be spending $50 trillion. we have byar the most expensive health care system in the world. were spending twice as much countries in the iializedst world and yet we still have 87 milliouninsured or underinsured, 30,000 die, we pay by far the highest prices for prescription drugs, and some 500,000 people apt year go banks a relt of medical debt. we bureaucratic system whose main

goal is to makeuge profits for e insurance companies and the drug companies and that has got to end. health care is a human right, not a privilege. we don't have to spend twice as much per person as any other major country. judy: as you know, a lot of people are saying that $34 trillion figure is just a shocking number. the reporting we have seen in "the atlantic," ronrostein, he is saying this would literallyequire more tax increases than anything the country has seen since world war ii. sen. sanders: you know, we are taking on the drug companies and the insurancewe companies are taking on the republican establishment, the democratic enestablis we are the only major country on earth that does t arantee health care care to all people. what these guys keepge fing is that if you are paying as is not uncommon, $1500 a month in

premiums, $15,000 a year or more, that is gone. if you end up in the hospital with a $50,000, 0,000, that is gone, copayments are gone, all out-of-pocket expenses are gone. for the average american -- what republicans do is they do these 30-second soundbites and they say you are going to pay more in taxes. they forget to say you are going to p less for health care then you currently are. our family spends $20,000 per year in health care, they will be spending a lot less and are medicare for all. judy: to set the record state, this is a study by a nonpartisan grou not aepublicans. sen. sanders: look, i'm not denying we will spend a lot o money, but they cannot deny that we are saving people substantial sums of moneyy eliminating all premiums. i talked to a woman in new 17hampshire, a month in

premiums. huge prescription drug costs. under our bill, nobody pays more than $200 a year. the average american will pay less for hmelth care under care for all. judy: to clarify, you voted for president obama's affordable care act, but you are now saying that it is flawed enough or inadequateho enough that itd just be thrown out and replaced? sen. sanders: ' i'saying that over a four-year period, we health insurance program in the country, which is medicare. we cover hearing aids, dental care, eyeglasses and my first then we lower the eligibility age down to 55. xt year 45, next year 35, then we cover iverybody. ththe simplest way, the most cost-effective way to guarantee health care to every man, woman, and child in the country. judy: let me ask you about your worldview, for lack of a better word. talked to some strategists

who say it is either going to be bernie sanders or elizabeth warren, when it comes down to the finalists for the nomination. that is the view out there. you yourself describe yourself as a democratic-socialist, she says she is a capitalist to her bones. for people out there looking at these two worldviews, what is the difference? sen. sanders: first of all, elizabeth is a good friend of mine, r work toget the senate in so many issues. i think the only way we bring about real change in this country is n within capitol hill. what i believe is we need a political revolution like the labor movement did in the 1930's, like the women's movement, the civil rights movement, millions of people have to stand up and fight for justice. what our campaign is about is twofold. i do believe in bhe strongest candidate to beat tht president in the history of this country, theost dangerous president, donald tmp. second of all, i know that no

ent, not bernie sanders or anybody else can do it alone. with thicampaign is about is not just winning the election,di it is about bu a movement of millions of people, who in fact will stand up to the greed and corruption of the fossil fuel industry, the drug companies, the insurance companies, the military-industrial complex, etc. that is the only way i know as to how we can bring about real change. are the only campaign who is going forward in that direction. judy a question about foreign policy. president trump this month pulled out 1000 u.s. troops from syria. he has been criticized by people in both politicalti p as selling out the kurds. you have been someone who has been, to put it mildly, skeptical of the value of u.s. troops abroad. what would you do if you were esident right now about syria?

would you put those trips back in? sen. sanders: judy, you are certainly right. i would say the word skeptical uis anerstatement. i helped lead the opposition to the war in iraq tragically, much of what i feared ended up taking place. i will say this, that i think trumps betrayal of the kurds, ople who lost 10,000 soldiers fighting againstsis, is one of the worst foreign policy and nsmilitary decis ever made by any president in the history of this country. it is outrageous and it s going to haunt us for long time because of our allies all over the world are going to say, can we really trust the united states of america to stand with us? syria is an enormously complicated issue. they have a president who has used chemical weapons against his own people. our job rht now is to work with the internationalmm ity, with our allies, to prevent further russian gains

regionnian gains in th , bring stability to th area, and do everything we can to create a peaceful situation in terms of what is going on. judy: would you put the tps back into northern syria? sen. sanders:ou are asking me how i would undo the damage that trumhas inflicted on us in that region. it is something i think that as a nation and a community, we and our allies are going to have to work together on that issue. what trump did is unforgivable terms of his betrayal. judy: you would have left the troops there? sen. anders: yes, i would have. when you deal with troop withdrawal, when you deal with trng to end the endless wars, you don't do it based on a phone call with erdogan of turkey and you ion't do through a tweet. these are difficult issues, we want our troops home, i would do everything we can to end our involvement in endless wars, but

you don't do it based on a phone call with the president of turkey. judy: senator bernie sanders joining us today from vermont. thank you, very much. sen. sanders: thank you. ♪ judy: and now we turn to politics monday with "the cook political report." and tamra keithrom npr. she cohosts the npr politics podcast. it is politics monday. what did you think? senator sanders did what many of the democrats have done, pretty much all of them. criticized the president's decisions, the way presint with the kurds, but did not really offer a clear review of

how he would fix the problem. that has essentially been wood all the democratic candidates have been doing because it is much easier to criticize the president than to get into the nitty-gritty details of how to solve the morass that is syria. >> and the fact that most democrats like bernie sanders argue they want to bring t mops out of tdle east. to get all of the troops out of the middle east. what we do now about sia, that gets a little complicated. that is what beingouresident is complicated. >> i was tryinto ask him on what the differences are between him and elizabeth warren. he has been reluctant to talk out it and this time, he stressed he wants a revolution, she would do through capitol ll. >> and that does seem to be the

distinction betweenhem, that bernie sanders has always talked about a revolution, big structural change -- but she talks about all the structures that exist. bernie sanders kind of wants to do something different. that is how they have approached the campaign. he has been very cautious abouty reallyg to attack her in any way. he has been very cautious about that, ihink in part because he in this race other him thatdate is most likely to go .ward his visi >> plus, he does not necessarilr have to go a her. every other candidate is doing that for him. there was a big target on top of her head and all the candidates were coming at elizabeth warren, most specifically as you mentioned, about how she pays

for her medicare for all plan, which she said thisnd wee that she is going to have more details, finally, very soon. judy: do we agree on how much of a threat she is to him right w? >> she is absolutely a threat to him, she is also absolutely a threat to vice president joe biden. a threat she is in this race,ch how she has gaid in the polls, by looking at what the democrats stage did weh her. they w going after her. it is not just that they were gog after elizabeth warren, many of these moderate candidates were trying tolv show them as, if this biden i'm addition and to the moderate alternative. judy: and they have done that and continue to try to play off that. >>th pete buttigieg getting a lt of media attention, he knew paul

coming out i guess this morning from iowa, showing pete buttigieg moving into trd place in iowa. he has been trying, we have been talking a while, to be this bridge candidate betwe biden and sanders and warren, saying he may be a little bit too old, to establishment, this idea of returning toma ny, just passé, not going to work. this guy over here, i cane that nice, i'm going to be the more progressive, to the left e ear. now you eing amy klobuchar, who really came out and sort of stood her ground as the moderate in the race. whatow we don't et is if there is enough room for all of those folks in this race. joe biden has really sucked up that lane all to himself. he really will need to slip in order for one of those other candidates to move in and

potentially dominate that piece of the debate. dy: and particularly striking that peteov buttigieg too third-place, beating out and anknocking burnerrs back to fourth in iowa, which has to have sandersorried. >> right, and also pete buttigieg has a lot of money. we have all these campaign finance report out over the past week. petegi but has more cash on hand than vice president joe biden. a lot of people have more cash on hand than joe biden. judy:' 's talk about the president. a rough few days. impeachment, syria, continuing blowback over that, now the discussion that has not gone away about his being willing to e his own hotel to host world leaders and they pulled it back, but it is still out there. is this another blip, another quick storm we armoving through, or is this lasting? >> again, this president's

,proval ratings just do not budge. good times and bad. if you look at the average where he is right now, it is around 41% or 42%, which is where it has been the past 4-6 months. what we really don't know as are moving along is where we are in ampeachment how, if anything new is going to change the way ichange which americans view this. is there going to be some ount of information that could blow this open one way or the other? either a majority saying, let's not impeach, or overwhelmingly saying impeachment should happen. t see that happening rig now, which means we have an impeachment vote, the venate es ne to convict, and amnican history, we have a first-term president impeached running for reelection. judy: it is going to last for weeks and weeks. >> there are the mile marker

markers people talk about of christmas and new year's and whether or not it slips past that or whether it wrecks everybody's holidays. right now, it is all happening behind closed doors. all of these interviews are ghappen there are going to be transcripts that may be released. it is not happening in public, there are not the splashy public hearings. it is hard for this kind of thing to move public opinion as aesult. it is getting the story setrted out very simple. it is getting increasingly more colicated. you need more lines and circles and things in your chart to try to understand who all the players are and who all the drama.ters are in this growing trying to keep this focused onis the ukraine interaction. >> but even the ukraine transaction has gotten complicated. judy: a lot of players. but it looks as t there is a deliberate effort on the part of

the democratic leadership in the house to keep thid as focu that is possible. >> keep it focused on the issue and keep the timeline as narrow as possible. nger this drags outcome the conversation about impeaching the president during an election year, that becomes tougher for democrats to defend. thus far, they have the benefit of at least in the process argument. a majority of americans are with them on this idea of having an inquiry. if this drags out and we are five or six months away from an election, are americans going to ving of this inquiry? judy: all right. it is politics monday. so much going on. >> always. judy:>> thank you. you're welcome. ♪ judy: today was supposed to be

the start ofar lan trial against drug companies and distributors for their epidemic and the devastating toll it has left across the cotry, but just hours before a jury was set to hear argumentsv, l companies announced a settlement. this trial was expected to set the benchmark for more than 2000 other lawsuits against the companies. that reckoning has been layed for now. >> today's $260 million settlement covers just two of unties, states, and native american tribes that have lawsui corporations involved in the distribution and sale ofid op this settlement involves the big three distributors. as well as a pharmaceutical -- israeli pharmaceutical drug thousands around the country are watching to see whether a nationaltl sent can be

reached, possibly as high as $50 billion. let's t how the deal took shape and what comes next. "the washington post" has been covering this case from the beginning. lennywelcome back to the newshour. before we get to these other thousandcases that are still pending some form of an agreement, tellles what was selate last night between these ohio counties? >> what the counties and the drug companies have agreedn is that instead of going to trial, the g three distributors will provide $215 million in cash and will provide another $20 million in cash and anti-addiction drugs. that money goes as quickly as possible to the people in cuyahoga county and summit coty, who needed for treatment , for law enforcement to take care of foster children, for all

of the needs created by the opioid epidemic. >> my understanding is that everyone is watching this particularas the one just settled, to see it as a particular bellwether. how would a jury reao te evidence and the counter arguments? >> precisely. this was chosen by the federal judge as a bellwether, inlet missed test of how otherht communities mare at trial. you did not have a tal, so the jury did not get the numerous questions the plaintif's were going to put before them in theiror effort to say that these drug companies are culpable for the epidemic. what you got instead was a negotiated settlement, so that gives some data or reference point, but it does not give us an up orco down in druany behavior. >> just to bring people who may not be following this that closely up to speed, can you remind u briefly, what are the plaintiff's arguing and what are the defendants arguing inlt this

ude of cases? >> sure. let's start with this one. the plaintiffs argued that the drug companies created a public nuisance. dathat is, they er the counties by pouring all these opioids into the public domain, where inevitably, some portion of them b woulde diverted to illegal use. they also accused the drug companies as acting as a cartel, almost like a drug cartel, working in concert to spread the message that these drugsere not that addictive and that thea could be used for a wide variety of aches and pains. they are actlly only intended for cancer pain, end-of-life care,is certainses that are extremely painful. so, many of e oth plaintiffs have adopted similar arguments. the public nuisance argument i refe to carried the day in oklahoma and a state judge

agreed that johnson & johnson had created a public nuisance and order that company to pay >>0 $2 million. my understanding is that the companies haved, arge were operating in a regulated market, the fda, the deapo were sd to be looking after this, and that we were not really guilty anall of this. i wonder if you could just tell me understand now, if a jury trial was not held and this settlement is a bellwether of sorts, what are we to read from this settlement for all of these other cases? >> well, it is fuzzy, but it is more information. thousands of other communities are looking at this settlement rightow, as well as the drug companies themselves, everybody is trying to assess theth streand weaknesses of their relative positions. there are also the attorneys general. the state courts want in on the action.

everybod wts to assess their strengths and weaknesses and try to come up with where they might position themselmos to gain the . now, we know thaiethe drug compare not going to hand out $260 million to thousands of counties. where do we go from here? how do we negotiate? some people are going to have to come up,ompeople are going to have to come down, some people are going to have to change their time frames. >> my understanding is that there is a bit of a dividing line between the litigants in this case, that some attorneys generalng see did not want to push for a tougher fight and others were ready to is that how you read it? >> yes, but t is largely in the purdue pharma case. has your viewers mue remember, pu pharma is also trying to craft a hugeationwide

settlement that would get rid of all the litigation against them over ocontin. the attorneys general are divided roughly along party lines. more republicans are interested in settling. democrats are interested in pushing harder for money from the sackler family, which owns the company. that is playing out in bankruptcy court, a totally separate vue. >> thisoh judge i has said he wants to bring all the parties together and a settlement. is there any chancerom your reporting that a grand settlement may not actually come to pass? >> well, the alternative is really sort of untenable. imagine if 2400 cities and counties, e by one, went right

up to the edge of a lawsuit again and again and again and again and again against various drug companies, some against the pharmacies, some against the distributors, somehe against manufacturers, we would be added for decades. there is little alternative to some kind of widespread global negotiated settlement. right now,e are not there. >>ny lernstein of the washington post, thank you very much. >> my pleasure. ♪ judy:ju it has been five years since the flint waters cri rose to national attention. while it is not over yet, it has given rise to initiatives thatco age good nutrition to combat lead exposure and improve ovall health.

we sent john yang to michigan to take a look. >>ro assional chef leads a cooking class for kids in a kitchen at the farmers market in flint. they are not just learning how to make pot pies, tacos, and bake cheese sticks, they are learning hlthy eating with foods that doctors say limit the amount of lead their bodie absorb. milk, drieden fruits, and gre vegetables. it is called flint kids cook and it is one of a number of programs that started or t expanded afterhe city's public triggered by high levels of lead in the drinking water. one pediatrician, who was among the first to sound the alarm about lead in the water, explains that the metal is stored in bones and can reenter the circulaty system. >> and. support intrusion in the future or stress or pregnancy, it can come back out of your bones and ty over that toxi agai >> research shows that certain

ease lead de absorption. iron founded lean meats, spinach, and beans, vitamin c in tomatoes, citrus fruit, and peppers, and calcium in milk, cheese, yogurt. medicine.orever children need a great nutrition to limit the ongoing potential exposure. >> the six-wk course is an outgrowth of the nutrition prescription program that the cities two big pediatric clinics run, one in the same buildingmes the far market. every child who comes to this clinic gets a food prescription, a voucher for $15 worth of icuits or vegetables. because the clins right here at the farmers market, that prescription can be filled right away. the three-year-old proam of one-timed vouchers given at every office visit is among the

first of its kind geared toward children. the ide of adding cooking classes was a way to introduce kids to more kinds of produce. >> virtually everyone told us the kids were not familiar with vegetables and wouldn't it be nice if we could find a way to get them to sortf eat vegetables more often? >> nikki works at steady eddie's veggies and has seen the effects. >> kids will come iand their parents will let them pick out fruits and veggies for themselves. that is pretty cool. >> food stamp recipients can also get a nutrition boost with doubled up foodbucks, a national nonprofit called the fair food network operates the program in more than 25 states. for every dollar spent in produce or milk products, participants get another dollar to spend on more fruits, vegetables, or milk. yshir triplett used her benefits at the farmers market.

what did you buy today? >> i bought brockley and apples so far. >> you use the double up with this? >> yes, i do. i lovehat program. merchants like it. the co-owner of landmark food center. >> i keep encouraging my staff to encourage and teach the customers about it. it is good for the customers. >> double lot had been in flint since 2009, when the water crisis hit. the founder and ceo of fair food network. >> we went to r work andlly expanded the program from one location to know about a dozen locations throughout the city. >> in 2015, 9% of the city's food stampecipients used double up. now, 60% are doubling their money in fruits, vegetables, and milk. or they could get healthifo by growin themselves in gardens, where experts say using nalead-contamited water has

little effect. that is the idea behind a group called edible flint. last year, this demonstration plot produced nearly 2000 pounds ofer kale, tomatoes, and o produce. >> sometimes, people will drive up with quests. like do you have green tomatoes today? >the demonstration grew out of a desire to have learning laboratories for people toes see techni and learn about different ways of growing food. since the water crisis, we have had a focus on connecting what we ahe doing witth. >> health is also the focus of flint kids cook. there is evidence theseid take what they learn home. t since the class, they are wanting to writehe grocery list and gto the grocery store and say, we need this. >> at the end of their six week session, the youngou cooks y served dinner to their families. a tasty lesson in good nutrition

and good health. for "pbs newshour," in john yang. judy: so heartening to see something positive coming t of that. that is the "newshour" for tonight. joinon une and here for tomorrow evening. for all of us, thank you and we will see you soon. major funding for the "pbs newshour" has been provided by -- bsnf -- bnsf railway, consumer cellular, and blo the alfred p foundation, supporting science, technology, and proved economic performance andac financial litin the 21st century. ry>> supported by the john dee d catherine macarthur foundation, committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. ♪ >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions. ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ -today on "cook's country," natalie makes t a streamlined recipe for classic roast-beef tenderloin. adam reveals his top pick for tongs, and lawman makes julia the ultite lyonnaise potatoes. that's all right here on "cook's country."