captioningponsored by newshour productions, llc >> woodruff: good evening, i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, arguing impeachment. the u.s. house of committee debates charges against president trump as the clock ticks down to the historic vote. then, boris wins at the ballot. as election day comes to a close, exit polls in britain show the conservative party winning its biggest majority in decades. and, a prescription for prices. can congress settle on a solution for the rising cost of pharmaceutica drugs? plusnopy of health. louisville plants the seeds of an experiment to see whether more trees can improve well-being.

>> our old trees are dying and they're nobeing replaced and managed over time. nature is not a 'nice-to-have,' it's a 'must-have.' >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided b oa>> and by the alfred p. foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> carnegie corporation of new york. tipporting innovations in education, democ engagement, and the advancement of international peace and security. at carnegie.org.

>> and with the ongoing support of these institutions:and indiv. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for publan broadcasting. by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. sion, andff: col cooperation, at the u.s. capitol. a committee of the house of representatives clhed all day over impeachment charges. but, behind the scenes, negotiators also agreed on a budget deal.ng we begin with ssional correspondent lisa desjardins,ea on iment. >> the judiciary committee will please come to order.

>> desjardins: in a large, chilly hearing room, the's natieatedivide played out, in a judiciary committeehe meeting ofighest stakes.ut >> resn: impeaching donald john trump. >> desjardins: in front of lawmakers, nine pages aimed at removing the president of the united states, charging abuse of power and obstssction of cong two articles of impeachment and two radically different points of view. from democrats... >> this is the most abusive act we can imagine: trying tnc influeour elections with foreign interference.s: >> desjardnd republicans... ab these are not facts. this is testimont what somebody thought or what somebody concluded fro taken by members of the administration. >> desjardins: called a markup-- it's the final step before oticles of impeachment go the house floor, when each

member can propose changes or amendments. a process meant to be tedious... >> i have an amendment at the >> the question ise amendment. those in favor say aye, aye; opposed no, no. in the opinion of the chair, the no's have it. >> rl call! >> roll call is requested, the clerk will call the roll. >> desjardins: but it, of course, was also a dramatic debate, with democrats arguing president trump withheld military aid money and phed the president of ukraine to investigate political rival d former vice president joe biden. >> so at the end of the day, i have only two questions for my colleagues on the other side. >> reporter: today, democrats, especial to think of broader c >> desjardins: today, democrats especially implored republicans to think of broader concerns >> forget about president trump. any one of my colleague willing to say that it is ever okay for a united states of america to vite foreign interference in our elections?si

not le one of you has said that so far. >> desjardins: they repeated p raised tsident's own words, in his phone call with the ukrainian president,upfter militaryrt came up. >> and here's the very next sentence. the very next sentence is not,¡ yes, let's get with the department of defense; let's review your request.' the very next sentence: ¡i would like you to do a favor though.' >> desjardins: the president was clearly watching. soon after that, he tweeted out his own rebuttal, writing accurately that, "i said i want you to do us (our country) a favor, not me a favor." and in the committee room, his allies repeatedly assailed what they see as an unfair process and no proven case. >> it's clear that no abuse of power ever took place and there certainly isn't enough evidence to support an article of impeachment >> i know that you, some of you really think the president really did something wrong.

but the fact is, there is no, none of your witnesses, none of your fact witnesses were able to establish any evidencef bribery, treason, high crimes or misdemeanors. >> desjardins: but democrats pointed to witness testimony, text messages and concerns acro agencies. former police chief and florida ngresswoman val demings said the picture is clear, whatever words the president used.he >> have been so many things that have been said, like, "the president nerdr used the w"demand." well, i can tell you this. when a robber points a gun at usually don't walk up and say," i'm robbing you right now." >> desjardins: once forwarded by the committee, any articles of impeachment could get a vote on the full house floor as soon as next week. w druff: and lisa is up on capitol hill, as she has been all day. she joins me now.

first of all, lisa, what has been the republican strategayall thisn how to deal with this? >> hoort,a republicansve had two main strategies. they've questioned whether it's been fair. would like to call their ownthey witnesses, have what they call a "minority day" where they can have hearings of their own. the democrats have rected that. or include the whistleblower, which democats say goes aginst the whistleblower protection act. that is a very hot debate. republicans point out they've w only hd oitness out of those called by the judiciarymm tee in total. they've also done something else, judy. they've brought in thist oher of other corruption, other investigations they would like, including the brees ma investigation-- of course, that beating energy company in ukraine where hunter biden wasd on the bof directors. this is something that republicans have brought up s ain and again. today, republicy that's a distraction-- i'm sorry, democrs say that's a

distraction. , and judy, democrats also raised one other point. they said republicans could have had one very big witness, the president himself or his lawyer, but the president has decide as we continue reporting that he does not want to participate in this houseompeachment pss. >> woodruff: so, lisa, this prrks this mark-up, actually got started last nght with speeches from committee membe, both sides of the aisle. and you told us tht you see something deeper going on here with the two political parties. explain what you mean. >> this is why i'm so happyo work at newshour, frankly, because i think something was mied in having that lat hearing last night, when much of the media is focusing on today. judy, last night it was more of an elevated hearing. i think it's worth listening to, if people want to go baco,k t for both sides. and i saw something about what these parties are about at this moment and what they were doing last night. democrats one by one representing personal stories, sort of their immigrant stories about their par bgrowing up in poverty. what was the theme there? democrats were trying t say why

they love ameca, why they are tied to america, and get past the idea that they are attackinr thissident. that's something that i think they feel concerned about. they don't want to be looking on the attack. ey want to be showing their patriotismthey're attached to this country what were republicans doing last night, judy? more than i've ever heard before, republicans were pointing out that they believe mocrats are coastal elites. there was even a map showing democrats as coastal elites. do not understand the middle of the country. and, in fact, time and again, i ard republicans say democrats don't like trump voters. so this is something i know republicans feel in their bones that democrats look down on them. however, it was something adding to the divide in this aring and something they thought was very notable. >> woodruff: and so picking upth ont, lisa, take a step back. we are, literally, on the verge of the impeachment of president. what is the effect of all this from where you sit on the

lawmakers and on the american people? >> well, wl are in the ast hours, i think, of these hearings on the house side. it could go quite late tonight, judy. this is because, under this mark-up process, any member of the committee can speak on any amendment. so this could go hod hours. we don't really know. but so far, we've had 60 hours of hearings in this impeach room, this impeachment hearings, fromoth committees. and, judy, i have to sa that i've noticed the audience has gotten smaller. also today, i think the lawmakers seem a little more weary. they also haveotten a little t more serious in the end here as we approach impeachment next ek. also, ju, we've had something else happen, editorials. newspapers across this country are ringing in. we havhadveral "usa today," the "los angeles times"in "philadelphi choirer" and "boston globe" coming out saying it is time for impeachnt. others, like "the wall street journal," have said democrats have gone too far and they're contorting this process in a way that is harmful.

it feels to me lthkis week has been a week where maybe the public hasn't tuned in yet.e but i h feeling it will mount next week. i can now report that we do expect ta full house toke its impeachment vote next wednesday.now, that's subject t, but right now, that is the plan. >> woodruff: and finally, lisa, we know apart from all, this behind closed doors, the two parties were were able to agree on a spending plan to avert a government shutdown. >> let me read youl quick bulet points on the large spending bill. it is $1.4 trillion, judy, thegg t decision congress will make. and in it is, of course, somebo issues the president's wall. it looks like the president will get $1.38 billn for his wall. that's the same amount he got last year pain lot more to say about that. let me quickly mention this needs to be passed by next friday to meet e government spending dcialgd essentially a detente over the wall

immigration. this is a very large compromisde from both of the capitol and the white house tonight over spending. >> woodruff: a lot going on at the same time these impeachment hearings are under way. lisa desjardins, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: in the day's otherp news, the housoved a democratic bill to rein in drug costs under medicare on nenear- party ote. the measure would let the governnt negotiate drug prices. the bill has little chance in the senate, where reblicans have the majority. we'll have a detailed look, later in the program. reports from britain tonight suggest prime minister boris johnson and his consertives have scored an overwhelming wina in natelections. exit polls give them an outright majority in parliame. johnson called the election two years early in a bid to break

the political stalemate over brexit.we l look at the results, and what all of this could mean, right after the news summary. israel is now officially headed for a march 2 election, its third in less than a year. lawmakers set the date today after both prime minister benjamin netanyahu and rival benny gantz failed to form a governing coalition. as they read the news today, many israelis complained of the seemingly endless political stalemate. >> it's frustrating to have a third election, to think that we can't come to some sort of agreement as to how lde country shove forward.it anust feels, in some ways, a little bit hopshess that there ld ever be a peace process. >> woodruff: netanyahu is under indictnt on corruption charges, but he remains in office as caretaker prime minister. gantz has refused to serve under hi

search crews in chile have found what's left of a military transport plane that disappeared monday, headed for antarctica. it's believed all 38 people on board were killed. the c-130 vanished at sea over the drake passage, an area known for severe, rapidly changing weather. in india, violent protests erupted today against a new law letting non-muslim migrants become citizens. tires burned in tripura state, and in nearby assam. windows were smashed and vehicles vandalized, and police killed two demonstrators. the hindu nationalist government has rejected claims that the law is anti-muslim, and would attract more foreigners, diluting local cultures. back in this country, a deadly attack on a kosher market in new jersey is now being investigated as domestic terrorism.x ople, including a police officer and the two shooters, were killed in jersey city on

tuesda the state attorney general andda others said the evidence pots to anti-semitism, and more. >> we believe that tpects held views that reflected hatred of the jewish people, as well as ngtred of law enforcement. we are still woro determine how they selected their particular targets, for ese attacks. specifically both the kosher supearket and dective jose seals. >> woodruff: investigators believe the two killers, a man and a woman, acted alone, and not asart of some rger group. the federal communications commission moved today to create a three-digit number, 9-8-8, for reaching a national suicide prevention hotline. it is designed to replace the current 10-digit number, making it easier and faster to get help. the change-over could ta months to implement. 10 former national football

league players have been charged with defrauding the n.f.l.'s health care benefit program. the u.s. justice department sayd they submialse claims for medical expenses not covered by insurance. the alleged fraud resulted in paid out. $3.4 million being >> a group of former playersaz ly defrauded the plan by seekinreimbursement fore expensdical equipment that they never purchased. things like hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machinesdo used bors' offices to and even electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses. >> woodruff: four of the former players men were arrested this morning. e others also agreed to surrender. there's word the united states and china are close to an agreement to suspend newarfs from taking effect sunday. a number of reports say that, if

president trump approves the dealthe u.s. would also redu existing tariffs. china, in turn, would buy more u.s. farm products. wall street rallied on the trade news. the dow jones industrial average gained 220 points to close at ,132. the nasdaq rose 63 points, to a new record close. and, the s&p 500 added 27, also finishing at a record. still to come on the newshour: britain votes in one of the most significant general elections in generations. the dueling bills in congress aimed at lowering the price of prescription drugs. two former debt collectors embark on a cross-country mission to wipe out the medical y.bt of those who can't pa and much more.

>> woodruff: as we reported earlier, britain has voted iia its third pantary election since 2015. the choice w stark, and will result in fundamental changes to british policy, fogenerations. nick schifrin is here with the results. >> schifrin: analysts believe today is brita's most consequential vote in a generation, and perhaps since the second world war the choice was between a conservative, or tory, party whose slogan was "get brexit and a labour party that promised a second referendum on brexit, and a dramatic rewriting of the economy, so it's more socialist. according to exit polls, of 650 local districts, the tories won 368, giving them a majority of 86. labour won 191, that is a loss of 71 seats. scottish national party, at 55 and the liberal democrats, at 13. it's the biggest conservative majority since 1987.

the worst labour result in modern britain. and joining me from london, tabin niblett, the director of the british thin chatham house. and from washington, heather conley, director of the europera prat the center for strategic and international studie welcome back to the newshour to you both. robin niblett, let me start with you. this is an exit poll, it's ati proj, but historically reliable, so assuming it's true, did britains vote for boris johnson, for brexit, against jeremy corbyn, a little bit of all three? >> i think definitely for brexit, and definely against jeremy corbyn, if these num are to be seen correctly. the fact of the matter is that those who want to see brexit happen had one choe, which is to vote for the conservative party. ithose who were stuck sll on the remain and wanting to rethink how you could keep the u.k. somehow in the e.u. was split between the scottish party and the lib dems.

that divides along ep suspicion of jeremy corbyn by many in the north of egland, who traditionally held up that labor party vote, really made this, if it's to be believed, a big victee radioforred with jaw. >> schifrin: and we saw boris johnson campaign in the north the traditional labor strongholds. heather conley, let me show you some video here. this is a styrofoam wall-- or boris johnson getting into a-- into a bulldozer, we don'tis have-- there i boris johnson in a bulldozer "get brexit done." the styrofoam wall said, "gridlock." the message, oviously, blunt force on brexit. >> robin is right. this was a brexit election. jeremy corbyn and the labor party wanted to make this about everything else but brexit, about the national health care service bpoverty, about improving social care. and i think the voters were just simply exhausted after three

years. i think, also, many voters believe that the 2016 referendum, that it was the democratic will of the british people, even if they didn't agree with it. and i think there was concern that re-running that or somehow trying to annul that decision was wrong. so there manot have been enthusiasm, but i think for the british people, "let's get on with this. let's get brexit done." and they wanted to move forward. and, again this, really means that there is no left and right in thek. politically. it was really a leave-or-remain decision. and what is clear, is that there is an overwhelming majority to leave the e.u., and mr. johnson will get that done. >> schifrin: robin niblett, the deadline is jan31 for brexit. is there any doubt now that boris johnson can meethat deadline? >> if the results are as they seem to be,it anything-ooks like a majority is pretty much leave the e.u. by january 31, if not, even a little bit befthore

. that is the ultimate deadline by which they are entitled to ofse, what then happens is leave. we enter a probably 12-month period in which the u.k. isw someing to do a crash deal to complete a free-trade agresoent. boris jo at least by redrawing the theresa may deal and creating national border down the irish sea, can try to push for a fretrade gaement, which a simply type of agreement. but still, the u.k. will enter at least a 12-month period of intense negotiations. the britains will fin out that brexit is a bit done. thu.k. is left, bu the new agreement part of brexit is just getting started. >> schifrin: so january, britain will leave the e.u., begins a transitional period, au robin was st saying. e deadline for that is december 31. but k ould we be bachere in one year talking about britain once >> we ould.ing

so by july 1, the british government has to request an extension of that transition period. again, that's toellow in cas the future relationship becomes veryifficult, that's to allow a smoother process. but during the campaign, boris johnson refused to offer any extension. he is going to, he told us, get this done. and robin, again, is absolutely right.the complexityes of negotg a free-trade agreement with the e.u. the average time it tak to negotiate with the e.u. or any years.y is between seven to nine this is going to be incredibly fast. and boris johnson has said he does nont to be closely aleaned with the e.u. in the he wants to diverge. and this is actually very problematic and troubling for northern ireland, which, although it will remain in the united kingdom customs union, it will be dreatfferently. and over the campaign, prime minister johnson was chaatenged here was going to be any paper work or custom

certifications as could pass between northern ireland anea britain and northern ireland and the republic of ireland. we are with abo to see how complex this relationship valley. it won't be as simple as the prime minister has made it out to be. and i'm very fearful that this could really unleash some forces in northern ireland that could potentially destabilize a very fragile govement that has not had a power-sharing government >> schifrin: robin niblett, you mentioned jeremy cor course, part of what he was arguing for was a second heferendum. bulso talked about nationalization, seizing 10% of large firms' equity, a four-day rk week, ultimately, did britons decide his pltform was too radical? >> i think for many in the u.k., is too radical. not necessarily for his base, not for many of th true believers in the future of the labor par in a way, boris johnson not only

was offering to the right of his party, get brexit done quickly. but he was proo misingthe other part of the country, one-nation tory ism. we could see boris johnson and the conservative party squatting on the middle ground of british politics for the next five years and dporsing the labor party into a very brutal civil war, oking beyond jeremy corbyn between those who believe in his vision, that you he to push further to the left, and those who want to take a more centrist litry to push boris johnson back the other way. there could lesns here for u.s. elections. people already tried to draw some parallels there. just one last point, though, on the big challen. here we're not talked about scotland. the scottish national party regained from 35 to 55 seats out of 59.ay so weave had a confirmation in glnld of the 2016 teferendum to leavee e.u., but we've had a repudiation of the 214 referendum for scotland to

remain in the u.k. you've got a very divided scotland from the united kingdoe after thision. glich we'll have to leave it there, thanks to you both. >> woodruff: americans spend approximately $1200 a year per person on prescription drugs that's more than anywhere else in the world.y one in four 's difficult to afforthose costs.es both parre now looking to tackle that problem. but with some different approaches. as william brangham reports, the first today by passing their own bill. >> brangham: it's an ambanious plan to the government's role in the cost of prescription drugs-- costs that are becoming prohibitively expensive for many americans. the bill aims to lower the price tag for prescription drugs,

partly by overturnina 2003 rule that blocked the federal government from negotiating most medicare drug prices. house speaker nancy pelosi: >> this will make all the difference in the world and central to it is the power to negotiate. >> brangham: the 450-page bill m proposes thror changes: it lets the government negotiate medicare prices for dozens of drugs each year, including insulin. it caps out-of-pocket costs for medicare patients at $2,000 per year. and it forces drugmakers to give rebates to the government if their medicare drug prices rise faster than inflation. l democrate representative deie dingell of michigan, say it's critical that theve ment gets the power to negotiate these prices >> there is a reason that we pa nearly fmes more for prescription drugs than otherat industrializedns. they use negotiationwer drug prices, we don't.

>> brangham: republicans say itr willcompetition and shrink the number of new drugs entering the market. congressman kevin brady of texas: >> people wa more cures and lower drug costs. they don't want more cheap political shots. we do as republicans oppose hr3's gornment price setting regime because it will kill life saving cures f americans. >> brangham: the house bill is not expected to pass the senate. there is a bipartisan bill in at chamber that has some support in both parties. it, too, caps drug costs for seniors and penalis drugmakers for price increases. but does not allow the government to negotiate drug ices for medicare. the congressional budget office analyzed the pelosi bill and found it would lead to about eight fewer new drugs coming to e,market over the next decnd then 30 fewer over the subsequent decade. it also would lower medicare drug spending by $450 billion

little less than that would be spent on new vision, dental and hearing benefits. but mitch mcconnell said he won't ev bring pelosi's bille up for a v for more on all of this, i'm joined by emmarie huetteman of kaiser health news. welcome to the newshour. >> thanks so much for having me. >> brangham: so fore we get to the specifics of the legislation, can you just-- s againi touched on thi in the introduction-- but remind us what the problem is. i just worry that people who don't have these big drug cos in their life don't appreciate what's going on here. and the fact is if have good insurances in many cases you don't run up against thisut problem,any people do. and it's the kind of problem where it's affecting people, in particular, who have life-threatening illnesses-- diabetes, for example, has been one of the issues tht has really drawn attention to this because a lot of people have had trouble affording insulin, of all drugs, and insulin has been around for a long time and really hasn't improved that much. so people are asking why is the cost going up so mu the fact sdrug prices are one of

the big issues for manyan amerand coming into an election year air, lot of americans in polls say this is the biggest issue in health care they want legislators to deal with and legislators want to make sure they're showing tatey e listening. >> brangham: within of those legislators being nancy pelosi. we saw a little bit of the detail of her bill. w does that bill trto target this problem? >> it goes out in kind of a direct way and sayse're going to empower the government to negotiate when it comes to the stliest drug, we're going to empower the government to negotiate the prices of these drugs rectly. and the pelosi bill is actually interesting, because in addition to negotiating those prices on behalf of medicare sbeneficiaries, those pri would then be aailable to all pairs-- >> yang: not just medicare people. >> correct. opinion if you have employer-based insuran you would have the ability to access these pices because the law says lawmakers would have to offer you those prices. >> brangham: and it sets a cap on how much you can, also? >> it sets a cap for medicare

keneficiaries for how much you pay out of pofor your drugs every year. and that's the first time ever that this is bei proposed. so this is going to be probably pretty popular way lot of medicareeneficiaries. >> brangham: right now, what is the difference between the senate bill and the house bill? >> sure, absolutely. the senate bill and house intril a big difference. the senate bill doesn't iclude negotiations. it does have the ability to cap drugs at-- thecall it an inflationary cap. the idea is you don't want drug prices to rise faster than the pace of inflation. and both the pelosi bill and the senate bill incdes that ca and say we're going to use this to try to keep prices down mor but, otherwise, the negotiations are really the centerpiece of the pelosi bill, and the ses nae aid no, that's a no-go for us. republicans say they don't want the overnment inolved directly sneght drug price glaigz so the idea, fiunderstand it correctly sin the pelosi bill and this larger argument over, is it the federal government buys so many drugs through the medicare

e program, we should hae right to say, "hey, drug company, we're buying so much frlk you, let's tabout the price." republicans?such a problem for that seems like a very natural, capitalistic tendency. >> yes, and also republicans will mt ke the argumat in a capitalist society you want to have very little government interference in the free market. that's hallmark of aepublican and conservative perspective. and when they look at drug priceprices in particular, theyy you don't want to restrict drug makers by setting prices. their argument is you restrict the amount drug makers can chargeiror therugs, you interfere with the process o new brugz being brought to the market. there are big weaknesses in tha awrntle it m mentioned. among other things, as you mentioned, the c.b.o. report t sa pelosi plan would resu in eight fewer drugs over 10 years. to put that irspective, the f.d.a. approves 30 drugs a year. >> brangham: it not th much of a dent in the flow of

new drugs to market. it's hard to make the direct connection. i should mention a lot say new drug developers don't happen inb drug ls. they happen in academic institutions. >> brangham: we ca debate the house version versus the senateo ve there's a third party involved, president trump. what will he accept d what won't he accept? >> i say the big thing weow is donald trump is wanting to bring drug prices down in any way he can. this is one of his big priorities, especially heading into the election next year. he wants to lo like he's strong on health care and this is one of the issues that drives him crazy. he has expressed support for this negotiation idea before. ofwourse, h a candidate at the time, but when pelosi introduced her bill inhe first place, trump actually tweeted out his support saying, "nice to see your plan." of course, when the ugrassley-wyden bill came

later, tmp said, "nice to see your plan, too." and now the white house says trump supports the grassley way of doing this. yang: if you were a betting person you would say this is where it will end up being, some version of that, that will not allow the federal goverent to negotiate. >> senate republicans don't like the grassley-wyden bill. their big issue is thery inflatioap they mentioned, they see that as government nice setting, and they think that's as bad agotiations when it comes to interfering in the freeremarket. so tre some big problems there for them. >> brangham: is it possibleth g gets signed, nothing gets done this year? >> i mean, that's always possible in thicongress. i would say in this point there me bipartisan pieces. the cap on out-of-pocket costs has a lot of bipartisan support. there is a lot of consensus onal ac different small pieces of the legislation that wouldne address block cs from coming to market, and a lot of members of congress point out if you ease the path for genics

come to market, you increase competition, and you lower drug prices tet way. socould see some movement ons that as well. >> yang: emmarie huetteman of kaiser health news, thank you very much. >> my pleasure. re woodruff: on another health care story, co is still trying to work out a compromise on a different pockketb issue-- eliminating surprise medical bills. the problecan drive many people into deep debt. our economics correspondent paul solomon has a report on that debt and a unique effort to help people in need as part oour series making sense." >> reporter: 61-year-old gwenlyn quezada had a near-fatal stroke last year. >> they had told my son if i come through that i would be a vegetable. >> reporter: the north carolina resident managed to defy the experts, but not the economics. >> hearing the bill collectors that you know you don't have the money. >> reporter: how much were the bills? s over $6,000! >> reporter: thater surance.

>> then you have the doctor, then you have the labs. >> reporter:exas teacher reagen adair owed ten grand after migraines landed her in the hospital. >> this has got to be the most embarrassing thing to have to go through. reporter: and after 13 john foutch simplyart attacks, >> i don't have the money, i don't have a job, i can't pay it. >> reporter: these are a small sampling americans who collectively owe nearly a trillion dollars of >> 50% of all colls in this country are medical. thof the 100,000 collector we have in this country 50,000 or me are medical debt collectors. >> reporter: craig antico and jerry asht used to be debt collectors. were you embarrassed to tell people you were a debt collector? >> introduced myself as resolution management. >> i run a collectiocy. that's what i'd say. >> reporter: and what did what was their reaction? >> what do you want?breaker.

>> one 40 bucks. you got it. >> come on, let's tear it up! >> reporter: now it's not as if legally licensed dt collectors bear any resemblance to gangland toughs. but the objective is the same, says jerry ashn. >> a bill collector he enforcer for the financial industry. anybody who lends money, they expect to be paid. so if they can't do it, then they rely on third parties and when the third parties fail then they will consider, such as with hospitals, of selling their debt into the open market, the debt market, for a few cents on the dollar -- >> and then the collection companies try to collect the whole thing. >> reporter: chasing down borowers in default, regardless of their ability to pay. consider 94-year old elton nielsen, a navy veteran of world r two. were you under fire ever? >> oh yeah. sermandy. all hell broke l >> reporter: you were in the philippines, too? >> oh, yeah. a lot of dead bodies all through ere. >> reporter: nielsen lives off social security, in subsidized

usg, is covered by v.a. benefits and medicare. but even he has co-pays and deductibles for ambulance trips, cae.r. visits, rehab cente after numerous falls. do you get phone calls from the collection agency? >> oh, yeah. >> reporter: what do you say to iem? >> i do the bestan. >> reporter: as would most of us. one problem when we don't: embaas >> i feel bad. >> reporter: retired m.d. susan soboroff. >> often, when people owed us money, they didn't show up for pointments. and of course there were consequences of that. people with chronic illness had mo problems. they didn't get their prescriptions lled. they got sicker. >> reporter: and what almost no one knows, i certainly didn't, is that most medical bills can be contested. as many as 80% have errors. they can be past the statute of limitations. and then there's the c care exemption. that get placed for collection.

they qualified for charity care, if they make less than twothimes poverty level, they get it, no questions asked. but people don't ta" oh no, that's not for me." >> reporter: because it's a stigma you mean. d. because it's a stigma. and they're pr >> reporter: now antico and ashton knew all this as debt collectors. but then the crash of¡08 hit, and the occupy wall st. movement began, right outside their office window. intrigd by the movement's focus on debt, ashton started attending, and blogging about it. eventually, he persuaded antico to help him start a non-profit, r.i.p. medical debt, that would raise money to buy up an forgive seriously delinquent medical bills. it was a slog ana half. how do you make a living as a debt forgiver? >> you have to get donors that are willing to pay your salary. in the first three years we made hardly anything. and my wife was saying, wh

why are we going into debt to >> i ran up all my credit cards. i borrowed from my own family. >> my fe gave me the silverware and her jewelry to put into hock. >> i hocked my guitar that i used to play with as a folk musician. >> my kids had to stop going to school. i have five boys and two of them had to stop going to college.ep >>ter: and then when did it turn around? >> in may of 2016 we got on a nationwide show. >> so are you ready to do this? >> yes! >> reporter: that'sin vestigative comedian john oliver, whose hbo show had cotually created a company to buy and forgive ected medical debt. >> we were soon offered a portfolio of nearly $15 million of out-of-statute medical debt from texas at a cost of less than half a cent on the dollis, whicess than 60 grand. so we bought it. >> reporter: but, needing help to forgive tcr debt without ting tax liabilities for the debtors, oliver turned to ashton and antico's struggling non- profit. >> they will commence the debt

forgiving procs. so what do you say? are you ready to make television history? >> reporter: that segment put r.i.p. medical debt on theap. >> it's done! it is done! >> reporter: and how could they buy so much debt for so ttle? because it's the least collectible debt out there in the secondary market. >> we go to the debt buyers who now have this residue, it's uncollected, and we say you se us that debt. you're not going to collect it anyway. >> reporter: and something, like a half cent or penny on the dollar, r.i.p.'s usual cost, is better than nothing. so you're doing like the opposite of cherry picking. you're taking the wors cherries. >> we're charity picking. >> that is so great, jerry. >> i'm a visionary! >> reporter: part of the vision: harness local groups to raise money to relieve debt in their communities. at last month's veterans' day parade in ithaca, new york, judy jones was fundraising for d

second of debt relief. she'd read about r.i.p. medical debt last year.th >> i callehead of the charity and i said, can we do this? and he said, yes, if you raise $12,500.e sod. >> reporter: mostly from friends, wiping out $1.5 million of medical debt in upstate new york. so this year she decided to do it again, rgeting veterans' debt. >> so we set up a we, curevetdebt. one dollar relieves $1 of the veteran's debt. >> reporter: she sends money to r.i.p; thebuy up a debt portfolio. but though jones also ministers to local vets like elton nielsen, she can't target dividuals. neither can r.i.p., no matter .how desperate the reques >> i was diagnosed with non- operable pancreatic cancern april 2018. our bills have already surpassed $2.4 million. hospital's already sent me to colltions. please help. thank you. >> reporter: and how many of these have you gotten?

>> we've had a total of over 10,000 people write to us and ask for help. >> reporter: and you can't do anything individually. >> no, we can't abolish debts of individuals, they're not a >> reporter: but the indivuals in the portfolios get a letter in a yellow envelope telling them their medical debt has been canceled. that's how local tv stations -- which had raised money from viewers for debt forgiveness -- found the folks with whom this story began. >> you no longer owe the balance on the debt. >> reporter: a final thought. our story has been timed to run during the holiday season, a time for givin so you yourself can do as judy jones has done. or, even simplst and more moly, say the co-authors of the book "end medical debt"... >> every time somebody goes to amazon and buys the ecause the authors gave up our royalties is the same thing as donating $500 towards medical debt.ep >>ter: you mean you wipe out $500? >> it'll wipout $500 worth of medical debt andweducate you a . >> reporter: for the pbs newshour, paulolman, trying to help educate, from new york.

>> woodruff: just this afternoon, r.i.p. medical debt announced it had eliminated $1 billion in medical debt for over 500,000 people. w druff: trees can add beauty and a sense of serenity to a neighborhood. as john yang reports, what they but now, researchers have launched an ambitious project in louisville, kentucky, to see if greenery can also improve public health. >> yang: on a crisp morning in south louisville, a 20-foot evergrn is deployed into an urban laboratory. at the designated spot, a three- man crew painstakingly lifts, twists and bends the tree, a" green giant arborvitae" to beec e, maneuvering it under a

l.web of utility lines, un homeowner mark goeing is the happy"treecipient." you see that brand new tree in your yard, how does that make you feel? >> i think it looks beautifulan maybe it is just a long term impact that maybe i won't live to see, but i think, youar know, trees obviously a good thing for our environmt. >> yang: goeing,pe retired zook is among the hundreds of south louisville residentsg gettees, shrubs and other greenery over the next year. it's part of a projected $15 million research project conducted by the university of louisville and sponsored by the national institutes of health and the nature conservancy. it's called "green heart louisvil." researchers say this project is the first of its kind, a large scale scientific study of howee and greenspaces affect residents' health. it comes at a crucial time for the city of louisville. between 2004 and 2012, the city

lost an average of 54,000 trees a year to development, storms, pests and old age. during that time, the tree canopy coverage in louisville dropped to just 37%, well below other cities in the region. and since 1996, the american lung association has given the city a failing grade for airik pollutantsozone. stat's more, louisville is one of the nation's t-warming urban heat islands: parts of the city can be degrees hotter an surrounding areas. green heart researchers thinkld more trees ce a solution: they can improve air quality, col neighborhoods, help combat global warming, and even muffle noise pollution. chris chandler is the nature conservancy's urban conservation direor in kentucky. when you look at a street likeo this, whatu see? >> i see an aged neighborhood with a declining urban tree canopy. it's had a lack of stewardship over the years a a lk of

investments. old trees are dying and th're not being replacednd managed over time. nature is not a ¡nice-to-have,' it's a ¡must-have.' >> yang: so streets like this are the focus of the green heart study. crews are planting and helping maintain around 8,000 trees, inrubs and flowering plant south louisville neighborhoods that are home to about 35,000 people. researchers have made baseline physical and psychological health assessments of some 700 residents, checking their blood pressure, lung capacity and stress levels. half the participants will get new foliage on or around their properties, half will not. after two years, thee examined again to compare changes between the two groups. >> this is a very ambitious project, both in terms of its scope, its time and its >> yang: aruni bha of the university of louisville medical r.hool is the lead researc it's like testing a new drug. >> it is exactly like it-- same

methodogy. we have a control group in whi gere is no change in greenness. there is a treatup where we have put greenness. so it's exactly run like a clinal trial with a placebo. but instead of a drug, we have trees. >> yang: research has already shown that green space can relieve stress, but the team in louisville wants to know more about its effects on overall health. >> what we hope tonlock is new foundational science that better allows us to understand the role that nature plays improving our health. and if we can do that, we can change blueprints on how you buila healthy just community to be grn prints and to include nature in that story. >> yang: in louisville, as in so many cities, tree canopy coverage is a matter of rich and poor. the ew from above tells the story: wealthier areas, like have up to twice as many trees as poorer areas in the south and

west, which have histories of discriminatory housing practices. and the difference in health outcomes is staggering: due to a expectancy is up to about 13 years shorter on the west side than the east. >> your zip code determines your health probably the most. >> yang: dr. sarah moyer is louisville's public health director. >> we have neighborhoods where pele are living really lon and experiencing great quality of life. and so what gossons, what is g on in those neighborhoods that we can bring to other ones? nature is one of those things seat's different between t communities and how do we bring that to everyone in oucity >> is pretty much just always been bare in this area as far as trees go. >> yang: amy yates's south louisville neighborhood is doed with reminders of whe trees once stood. yates says she inherited a green thumb from her grandmother. >> my grandmother and i planted this tree in 2009, the year p after mysed away, kind of as a memorable thing. >> yang: the single mother of

three has lived in this house 15 she volunteered for the green heart study partly, she says, because her 14-year-old son has asthma. >> i do believe that trees produce oxygen. they clean the air. you know, they're beautiful. it sustains our life. it's the lungs of our planet. >> yang: she says she's not entirely surprised about her hometown's health inequality. >> i'm always very curious to see how where we live affects us. you know, when you have kids, you want them to live long, happy, healthy lives. and sometimes you're limited with your means. and it is very sad to think that because of that, we might live ss years on this planet be yuse of it. >>g: and this experiment will determine whether trees eacould spread a canopy ofh over more neighborhoods. for the pbs newshour, i'm john yang in louisville, kentucky.

>> woodruff: the holidays are a time to come together bufor many, the season can also heighten a sense of isolation and pression. in tonight's brief but spectacular, new york university business school professor scott galloway, focuses on our state of well being. >> so there's an art to happiness. basically from kind of zero to 25 it's the stuff of star rs, discovery,ulpilling into ood, football games, magic. then ( bleep ) gets real from kind of 25 to 45. work is hard, economic stress, you realize you're not going to be senator or have a fragrance named after you, and most devastating someone you love gets sick and dies. however, a wonderful thing happens in your 40s and 50s. you gin to take stock of your blessings, realize that life is finite, and start finding appreciation in relationships, in nature, in your achievements, and you get happier. the lesson here is keep on you.ing on, happiness waits for

so we have two types of sp ekers at n.y.uher people who are incredibly interesting and inspiring, or billionaires. we've decided at busschool that if you're a billionaire that means you know a lot about life. d they typically end the talks with one statement and that is follow your passioat and i found he majority of people who tell you to follow your passion are already rich. threproblem with thinking yo supposed to pursue your passion is that when work gets hard andy it adoes, you might fall into the trap of thinking, well, this is hard, which means it n mu be my passion and i should find something else. work is hard, being great at anything is ve difficult. if we re going to be honest about trying to increase our currency in the marketplace, we would focus the entire second year of graduate school on four companies. amazon, apple, facebook, and google. google knows more about you than any priest, rabbi, scholar, b mentor, s. your sexual fetishes, whether you're looking for a job, whether you're about to get engaged, whether you're about to get married. facebook initially held out the promise of catalyzing and strengthening relationships.

unfortunately, it's gone beyond that and tapped into our tribal instincts, because enragement is engagement. and engagement leads to more nissan ads, and more shareholder values. u ortunately, the largest platforms in the world with the greatest reach are basically fueled on rage. w whensee, if you will, the instagram version of people's lives, it makes us feel worse about ourselves.it's especiallyg teens who oftentimes if they'ree not into a party, not only have the shame of not being invited but have to see then party play outal time. so there's a correlation between social media use and and things like self harm and even teen suicide. i can modulate my lack of affirmation or cticism on social media. i'not sure my 12 year old son can do that as well. i wish i'd invested more in relationships when i was a younger person. put ten dollars away now, if you're 20, by the time you're 5, it's a0. the same is true of relationships. phoncalls, text messages, notes, reaching out to people when they're struggling, these small investnts when you're

young add up and you wake up and you have a wonderful relationship. i was selfish, and i think i paid a big pce for it when i woke up at the age of 42 and quite frankly was an island and didn't have a lot of meaningful relationships in my life. one of the things that's helped me in my struggles with anger and depression is to have some perspective and to take stocof your blessings on a regular basis. you have to express your love. people are not telepathic. moe happiest people are not only the ones who fee loved, but know there are other people y their lives that know that they are loved bu. the one best practice across meaning of your relationships. at work, do you feel respected and admired and do you admire anrespect other people? and most importantly, at home, do you feel an intense level of love and support? and again, just as importantly,o do youthey know that they are loved intensely and supported by you? my name is scott galloway, and b this is ef but spectacular take on the algebra of happiness.

>> woodruff: and we thank you, scott galloway. correction before we go. earlier this week, we reported on a story about juveniles who were sentenced to life in prison in the state of maryland we incorrectly stated that sentencing guidelines hadn't changed in maryland after in fact, maryland changed those guidelines in 2016, morehan we regret the error. and that's the nshour for tonight. m judy woodruff. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: mr. jewell, we've got a few questiont >> i was jusing my job. >> you have no idea who might have put that package there? >> no, sir. >> did you plant a bomb in centennial park? >> richard, this is a capimital here. >> my son is innocent. >> do you have any case against

t me? >> i repe facts. >> you've ruined this man's life. >> i didn't do this. >> "richard jewell--" a clint eastwood film, rated >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions d friends of the newshou >> this program was made possib by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

hello, everyone, welcome to "amanpour & co." here's what's comi up. >> i t house continues down this destructive road and sends us articles of impeachment, the senate will take them u in the new year and proceed to a fair trial. >> as congress prepares to vote on impeaching president trump, democratic senator sherrod brown ffrom the swing state o ohio joins us. then -- >> tomorrow, the people all across the uk will go to vote, and they have a choice. >> this could not be more critical. uld not be more tighter. >> on last day of campaigning in britain's f breks yet alemer british secretary jeremy hunt joins us. >> i tried to illicit the good in everybody but at the end of the day we're all human beings. >> the