captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> brown: the focus of the health care reform debate shifted back to presidential politics, after three days of arguments at the supreme court. good evening, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, we look at what the candidates are saying and talk with two reporters following the issue: brian mooney of the "boston globe" and amy gardner of the "washington post." >> brown: then, we examine a new report showing autism on the rise with one in 88 american children now being diagnosed. >> woodruff: in the first of two reports from burma, kira kay

previews the coming elections in the once secretive nation. >> it's a scene many burmese thought they'd never seen: opposition leader and nobel peace prize winner aung san suu kyi on the campaign trail once again. >> brown: margaret warner updates the efforts to stem the violence in syria, as arab leaders gather in baghdad for the first time in decades. ♪ >> woodruff: and we remember two legendary artists banjo player earl scruggs and poet adrienne rich. >> brown: that's all ahead. on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations.

and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcastin an by ntritionto yr pb station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the long wait began today, until the nation's highest court decides the future of the 2010 law that reshaped american health care. in the meantime, the debate continues in the presidential campaign. two years ago this month, president obama signed health care reform into law-- his signature domestic policy achievement. now, after three days of supreme court arguments, its fate is in the hands of the nine justices, and their ruling is expected this summer. white house press secretary jay carney said today that until then, nothing will change.

>> we're going to keep implementing this law. the president is pleased with presentation and continues to believe this is constitutional. >> woodruff: for his part, mr. obama made no mention of health care during a morning appearance in the white house rose garden. but it remains a hot-button issue, and the court's decision could have far-reaching consequences for health coverage, and the president's re-election hopes. health care reform has also roiled the republican race. rick santorum was at the supreme court on monday, arguing his case that mitt romney is ill- suited to challenge the president on the subject. >> there's one candidate who is uniquely disqualified to make the case. it's the reason i'm here and he's not; the reason that i talk about obamacare and its impact

on the economy and fundamental freedoms and mitt romney doesn't. it's because he can't, because he supported government run healthcare as governor of massachusetts. >> woodruff: the massachusetts plan that romney signed into law, has long been considered a political liability among many conservatives. but the former governor has forcefully defended the program, including in michigan last may, before he officially announced his candidacy. >> i recognize that a lot pundits around the nation are saying that i should just stand up and say this whole thing was a mistake, that this was a bone-headed idea, and i should just admit it: it was a mistake, and walk away. i presume that a lot of folks think that if i did that it would be good for me politically. there's only one problem with that: it wouldn't be honest. >> woodruff: even so, romney has been unsparing in his criticism of the obama administration's approach. >> obamacare in my opinion is obamacare substitutes government

intrusiveness for the dynamics of individual responsibility, for individuals being able to pursue different options and for the dynamics of a free market. >> woodruff: the administration counters that the massachusetts plan served as the blueprint for its effort. here's white house senior adviser david plouffe last weekend on nbc. >> mitt romney is the godfather of our health care plan, okay? if he's president-- remarkably he's running away from that past, and he's going to say he's going to try and throw all this away. we're going to have a big fight about health care again. we know we have to do this for our economy, for our deficits, for the health and safety of the american people. >> woodruff: the obama team is also using social media sites trying to claim for its own the obamacare label given to the law by opponents. it's a strategy the president previewed in minnesota last august while on a bus tour through the midwest. >> so part of the affordable care act, health care reform, also known as obamacare.

by the way, let me tell you, i have no problem with folks saying "obama cares." i do care. ( applause ) if the other side wants to be the folks who don't care, that's fine with me. >> woodruff: for now, the health care fight goes on, with both sides are waiting to see how the supreme court's decision in june re-shapes the debate. for more on how the health care debate has spilled ontohe campaign trail, we turn to "washington post" reporter amy gardner and brian mooney, a reporter with the "boston globe" who wrote a series about the romney plan. brian-- and thanks to you both for being with us. brian, you have written a lot about the mitt romney health care plan which the obama team and the rick santorum team are saying was a basis for obamacare

for the president's health care plan. is that accurate? >> it's accurate. it's the templa that was used in the national plan. the national plan, obviously, has a lot of things that the massachusetts plan did not. it's a lot more complicated and ambitious but the key elements, the innovations are basically the ones that were launched in massachusetts back in 2006. >> woodruff: what is the chief comparison between the two? >> well, the individual mandate, for one. massachusetts is the only state to have done this and it's a concept based in conservative republican circles in the '90s asnlteati to thhilry clinton health care plan. been dole, newt gingrich, people like that supported it. that's a key component of the federal one as well. this idea of state-based exchanges that would provide a marketplace for commercially sold insurance policies is another key feature. so all the major features are

very similar. >> woodruff: and brian mooney, just remind us, where did the idea come from for the romney health care plan in massachusetts and how did he get it passd? >well, as you know, massachusetts is an overwhelmingly democratic and liberal state. ted kennedy was alive, the champion of universal health care. there's a culture in the state that's very favorable towards expanding insurance and romney as a republican took an unusual step and said he was going to make it a major issue in the second half of his term as governor and he proposed some new ideas that democrats hadn't used before. it was a long process. it took about two years to get passed. there were fights in the legislature over it but in the end out of 200te lislato on t opposed it and there was no real organized opposition to it so romney gets credit for it. >> woodruff: amy gardner, you've been following the republican candidates on the trail. what have they been saying about

the mitt romney health care plan? >> it's been the issue upon which to make the case, argue the case that mitt romney is not the person to litigate health care against barack obama in the general election. both newt gingrich and rick santorum had the clip a moment ago, illustrated with santorum on capitol hill has been hammering governor romney on the issue, day after day after day. >> woodruff: meanwhile, move over to the white house and you've been covering the obama white house the last few days, how concerned are you after hearing the supreme court arguments. what are they saying? >> they're not saying. it's very clear that they're executing a concerted strategy not to get in the middle of this so their response is we believe the bill... the law is constitutional, we are going to continue to move toward implementation. you heard press secretary jay carney say that today. youer thatay message out of campaign headqutersin chicago. they're on t.v. saying the exact same thing. they don't want to get into the middle of the political

discussion that the candidates are having and we're having on t.v. shows. >> woodruff: aside from this... the court argument, what's going on with the court. should have the president talking about health care reform in this campaign? >> well, you know, any good campaign and candidate and elected official is thinking about what the potential outcomes are of any important issue so, of course, they're talking aboutit and, of course, they'rthinkingbout what will happen the supreme court overturns it and what will happen if the supreme court upholds it. we don't know any more than vast speculation which i'm... i feel perfectly safe putting out there. we know that he's very interested in the case, he's, of course, a constitutional scholar himself. he taught constitutional law in law school and we know that he read the briefs on air force one on tuesday on his way back from korea and that's about all we know. >> woodruff: what about the president's democratic allies?

the democrats on the hill. how much are they sweating it snout >> you hear a little more candor about the concern folks have. there's fairly universal view that the argument didn't feel like they went very well for the democratic side this week with very tough questioning for individual justices, particularly in the individual mandate on tuesday. so certainly people are starting to think much more about the possibility of of the court overturning this so youear a couple fferent things. you don't hear about how we would replace this law. the view is, look, we considered plans b, plan "c," plan "d and plan e in 2009. we believed this was the plan that work. the individual mandate they say is the cornerstone to the bill because it requires 30 million additional people to come in to the market and helps pay for some of the popular provisions of the bill like pre-existing conditions and all that stuff.

>> pelley: brian mooney, bac to you. we learned the supreme court... the justices are going to take a vote among themselves on this friday but nobody will know what those results are until the opinions are written and they come out sometime at the end of june. but in the meantime, what do you think we should expect to hear from mitt romney about this on the campaign trail? >> well, the great irony is romney as you prepared to run for president in 2008 but this achievement would be a great asset to him it's turned out to be very much the opposite in his own party and i think president obama thought the national overhaul would do the same for him and it's proved to be not very popular. foomn, he's standing on a narrow ground of federalism which is the only place he can stand which is saying states should be doing this by themselves not with a mandate from the federal government. it's a very narrow political piece of ground it will be interesting to see in the general election how he deals with that if it appeals to a

broader audience. >> woodruff: but it's knelt the romney campaign he can talk about it? >> well, he's not leading with it that's for sure. if he goes for the nomination it's been a liability and a lot of people thouht iouldill his chances which it hasn't happened but some people think republicans talking about health reform is a good thing. it's a party that's not been identified with that issue. but it's tricky ground for him. >> woodruff: we're going to leave it there. brian rooney and amy gardner. thank you both. >> thank you. >> brown: still to come on the "newshour": the rise in autism; the coming elections in burma; the summit of arab leaders and remembering a visionary poet and a bluegrass legend. but first, the other news of the day. here's hari sreenivasan. >> sreenivasan: president obama pressed congress again today to end tax breaks for big oil companies. he said americans are getting hit twice, once by paying high gas prices, and again, by subsidizing oil companies.

a short time later, the senate refused to move ahead on repealing $4 billion in energy tax breaks. republicans argued it would actually lead to higher fuel prices. the u.s. house approved a republican-crafted budget today totaling $3.5 trillion. it would cut the deficit by revamping medicare and reducing food stamps and otheprogms. also rejects president obama's call to raise taxes on the wealthy, but calls for ending unspecified tax breaks. the bill is expected to be dead on arrival when it reaches the democratic-controlled senate. funding for highway construction will keep flowing at least, for another three months. congress passed the short-term extension today. the senate had already approved a two-year funding measure, but so far, house republicans have balked. without the stopgap measure, the funding would expire this weekend. the number of americans filing their first claims for unemployment compensation fell again last week. buthe news failedo give wall street, much of a lift. the dow jones industrial average gained 19 points to close at 13,145.

the nasdaq fell nine points to close at 3,095. a new video has emerged in last month's fatal shooting of florida teen-ager trayvon martin. a neighborhood watch volunteer george zimmerman has said he shot martin in self-defense. he says the 17-year-old broke his nose and bashed his head against the pavement. a 90-second police video shows officers with the handcuffed zimmerman on the night of the shooting. but the mtin family attory said today there's no sign of any injuries. >> george zimmerman doesn't exhibit a broken nose he doesn't exhibit blood on the back of his head, he doesn't exhibit his clothes messed up. america can judge for themselves. you don't have to take my word for it, you don't have to take travyon's mother nor his father's word for it. you just look at it with your eyes and listen with your ears and that's all the evidence you need in this case. >> sreenivasan: martin supporters say the shooting was racially motivated, and they've demanded that zimmerman be arrested. apple is promising a revamp of worker conditions at its suppliers in china.

the world's most valuable corporation agreed today to improve wages and working conditions at foxconn factories in china. the announcement came as the fair labor association reported foxconn workers often put in more than 60 hours a week, making ipads and iphones. foxconn said it will hire thousands of new workers, cut back illegal overtime and improve safety protocols. spain was all but shut down today in a massive general strike by workers against labor reforms. factory floors emptied, ports closed and transportation slowed to a crawl. protesters marched in cities across spain, and some turned violent. in barcelona, hooded activists hurled rocks at bank offices and set fire to garbage containers. unions organized the strike against proposals making it cheaper and easier for companies to lay people off and cut wages. those are some of the day's major stories. now, back to jeff. >> brown: and we turn to the latest look at the increasing prevalence of autism through a

new government report. the number of children diagnosed with autism has been rising for several decades. last year, robert macneil examined many of the issues surrounding the group of disorders in a six-part series on the "newshour." he introduced us to his grandson, nick, who was first diagnosed when he was two years old. >> here you can see the disconnect between us. nick, which one's thomas? for me, the father of four children, with four other grandchildren, seeking connection with nick is a very poignant experience. he likes to go through the tunnel. to have a grandson who can tune me out, or simply ignore me like this, make no eye contact for long stretches of time, gives me a strange and painful feeling. >> brown: those symptoms are fairly typical of what some children with autism spectrum

disorder deal with difficulties with socializing, communication and behavioral issues. in a 2006 government study, an estimated one in 110 children were diagnosed with autism. but a new report out today by the centers for disease control and prevention found the prevalence of autism is higher still with one in 88 children being diagnosed. among boys, the rate is one in 54-- nearly five times the rate for girls. more now about these findings and the diagnosis of autism. doctor thomas frieden is the director of the c.d.c., which produced the latest report. and doctor susan hyman is the chair of the autism subcommittee of the american academy of pediatrics. she's with the university of roester medical ceer. dr. frieden, start with you. one big question here is to what extent these numbers represent a major increase or more result of better and increased diagnosis

of autism? what do you read from this study? >> there are a few things that we know for certain and there are some things that we don't know. we always want to be up front about what we do and don't know. we know for certain that doctors are getting better at diagnosising autism. we also know for certain that communities are getting better ovidng servic to chdren with aism. and that at c.d.c. we've gotten better at tracking all of the children in the community who may have been diagnosed or identified with autism. so we know that some of the increase is certainly because we're detecting more cases of autism. whether that's all of the increase or not we simply don't know. but we do know that there are many children with autism and that many of them need services and that diagnosis is often too late so whether this is a real increase or not it's really secondary to saying that this i a bigroblem, lots of people are out there who need services and would benefit from services.

>> brown: dr. hyman, tell us more about getting get better at the diagnosis. it's often referred to as a spectrum of symptoms. >> that is correct. the american academy of pediatrics recommended patients get screened in 2007. screening requires lookingor co symptoms autism in very young children and continuing surveillance through school that relates to social give and take, using words and language and habitual behaviors or habits. so there's a spectrum of symptoms that are made more or less intense by other developmental disorders. >> brown: and your sense is that in your world you're better at diagnosing that and finding it early on? >> well, better because we're looking. we're better because we have more tools and we're better because parents and teachers are more informed about identifying concerning symptoms earlier and

earlier. bown: dr. frieden, you were talking about what we know and don't know. of course this big question about the causes. questions and debates about vaccinations, childhood vaccinations, environmental causes, genetic links. what do you feel that can be said at this point. >> well, for one thing, we know that boys are nearly five times more likely to have autism than girls. there's a huge difference there and a much higher rate among boys. there have been 19 different studies th hve loed at vaccines and autism and none of them have found a link. in fact, this study that we're producing today outlines the behavior and the fate of children who were born in 2000. so they were eight years hold in 2008. thimerosal which some people were concerned about being linked was phased out of vaccines around 2000 and 2001.

so virtually all of the kids with autism in this study were most likely born and grew up without bng exposedto thimerosal-containing vaccines. we don't know the cause of autism. is there are some factors associated with slight increases in autism such as parental age but those factors account for a very small proportion of cases. some combination of genes and the environment. we're working hard to understand this more and c.d.c. has additional studies under way, the largest study in the country, to help us understand the risk factors for awe stichl that ultimately we could prevent it. >> brown: dr. hyman, what would you add to that and fill in a little bit what are the ars of research at this point? >> the research the c.d.c. released is critically important. it's an'm deem logic study so it's the framework of where to look and who to look in. as dr. frieden said, the... until fairly recently we thought that it was all about genes and what we know now from some

fairly recent research is that there are multiple genes that result in susceptibility but environmental factors may turn these gene on and off at different times of development so that it's really... the epidimiologic stud drese incredibly important to n helping to frame where took for these potential causes because autism is not a singular diagnosis. >> brown: there are some concerns raised that because children diagnosed with autism receive government support and some help that that may contribute to the number of incidences that we're seeing. what is your response to that? >> so the question is are the increased services around autism fueling more diagnosis. and i think the studies like the one released today obviate that question by using specific diagnostic criteria.

by using standard validated screening tests and standard diagnostic approaches. we're hoping that children who are diagnosed in rochester and children who are diagnosed in atlanta will be diagnosed with the same disorder and that the same criteria will help make the behavioral symptoms objective because the... to be ab to understand the biologic research that will ultimately... you need to have very careful diagnosis and consistency. so your question is a a really important both from a community planning standpoint that you need accurate diagnosis but also from a scientific standpoint. >> well, dr. high man, when you were referring to the screening process are you saying that it should be done earlier and more often now? what do you want to see happen? >> i'd like to see it done earlier. the

american academy of pediatrics recommends that screening take place at the 18 and 24-month visit and that if possible a 30-month screen but that surveillance needs to be on going. children who have typical intelligence may not present so to do and ask, to to is is, in and line is, or your or to be ae that continues? >> we hope to release the next set by next year or shortly thereafter. we want to better understand that early diagnosed so we're studying children four years and younger. this is eight years and young sore we can be sure to cash essentially all of the children with autism but by also looking at the four and unders we can e about earlyiagnosis and then our seed study is looking at what may be the causes of autism. >> pelley: dr. thomas frieden and dr. susan hyman, thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> and you can watch our series on autism and find additional resources online at newshour.pbs.org.

>> woodruff: now, the first of two stories from the once secretive and closed nation of burma, officially known as myanmar. the country long under military dictatorship is about to hold an election, the most visible sign of its political thaw. our report comes from special correspondent kira kay and producer jason maloney. >> reporter: it's the beginning of another busy day for the young burmese journalists who >> "mother suu" or simply "the lady" spent 14 of the last 22 years sentenced to house arrest by a military dictatorship that rejected her party's win in the 1990 election. but today suu kyi ski an official candidate for a seat in

burma's parliament. members of her party, the national league for democracy or n.l.d., are contesting another 47 openings. >> ( translated ): we formed this party genuinely support the cause for democracy, for democracy to take root and to fully protect human rights. these policies, however, have not as yet become successful, honestly speaking. our people have not yell fully achieved human rights. in fact, there is still no democratic system in this country. >> reporter: indeed, the campaign has not been perfectly free. indeed, the campaign has not part of a speech aung san suu kyi was permitted to give on state television was censored when she attempted to criticize past government abuses. but even though the vacant seats will represent only seven percent of the entire legislature, that the nld can run at all is an extraordinary change of events for burma.

sanctioned for its poor human rights conditions. secretive and in 2005, this leadership manufactured spread of imposing concrete in the middle of the country. this 16 lane highway through the center is thinly trafficked. in the grand halls of the massive parliament building, 25% of the seats are reserved for 2010 elections to fill those seats were widely considered by the outside world to be a sham. but last year, burma's curtain started to lift with the inauguration of a new president, thein sein. once a military general himself, he put aside his uniform and vowed to lead as a civilian. american ambassador derek mitchell was appointed president obama's special envoy to burma

in august. we caught up with him on his 6th visit to the country. >> aung san suu kyi is out campaigning on an almost daily basis that was unheard of just really a year ago or eight months ago. you also get a sense that the media and the civil society are a little freer. certainly the media is. civil society is nascent but people are now speaking openly. they had a thousand or more political prisoners and theyve released now hundreds of the most important leadership of the democratic movement over the past two decades. so we see a whole host of areas that seem changed and as that change continues we will be responding. >> after 20 years they know that they cannot develop with the current political system, so we have to change. >> reporter: dr. phone win, who is an opposition politician yet has advised the new president on health and educational issues, says the government realized it needed to modernize when 2007 street protests lead by monks over rising fuel prices threatened to upend the country and the military cracked down violently.

disaster. >> after the you know saffron revolution, the military government start thinking seriously about how to, you know, the, what we call repair the damage. another reason is after the 2008 cyclone nargis they understand that they have to cooperate with the international community. >> reporter: the governments pursuit of reform led to two landmark events in 2011: aung san suu kyis public meeting with president thein sein last august, heralding her return to politics and the november visit of the first american secretary of state in 50 years. >> ( translated ): it was a

striking scene for us to see a us secretary of state giving warm treatment to a woman just released from prison. then came subsequent visits by nearly ten foreign ministers of other countries within a period of one month. all of this seemed to me as extraordinary events. we did not have a similar experience within the past 50 years. we are way behind the world we are way behind asia. so we must go down this path. because this is a final chance for our country. >> reporter: zayer thaw is 31, a popular musician, former political prisoner and now a first time candidate. approached by aung san suu kyi to join the nld, he says it was a tough choice to give up the >> i loved to be an activist because its just more free. i can express myself clearly but the lady said the nld needs a new blood and young blood. so i accept it with my pleasure.

>> reporter: while zayer thaw is aware of his exceptional turn of zayer thaw is a long shot to win -- hes running in a township bordering the national capital, where residents may not be so quick to vote against the sitting government. but he's clearly being groomed for a prominent political future, with eyes set to the more pivotal nationwide 2015 elections, when most of parliaments seats will be at stake. at least one resident has already changed his mind. retired soldier maung pyone says in the 2010 elections, he was too fearful to vote outside the military party. >> now we can vote freely. we can choose our favorite party as we like. in a way, all powers have been transferred to the people and they can choose a trustworthy leader who is

>> reporter: but whether this new freedom burmese are experiencing will be permanent is still an open question. there are worries of divisions between reformers in the government and hard liners who may fear losing their power and economic benefits. and despite these elections, the military remains constitutionally entrenched in the leadership. at a press conference following her meeting with u.s. special envoy derek mitchell, aung san suu kyi told me of her concerns. what are the benchmarks that would convince you that progress is irreversible? >> that the military is fully behind the process. if you have read the present constitution, you will understand that without the backing of the military, we can never say that we are really on the road to democracy. >> reporter: and human rights groups warn that despite efforts at a ceasefire, the burmese army special envoy mitchell says the united states is watching developments closely.

>> the concerns at every level. certainly they have a long period of transition because it is reversible. it is clear that this has only been only six or seven months. so until we see changes in the constitution, until we see unconditional releases of political prisoners, all political prisoners released, until we see the election coming up, by election being free, fair and transparent and then a truly engaged citizenry in the society, we have to be very careful about whether this is >> reporter: what might be a benchmark for the lifting of our sanctions, political and economic? >> i think we have to take that

case by case. i think that the key factor in sanctions is whether sanctions e getting in the way of reform, whether any restriction in our ability to assist the country in reform, we ought to be taking a look at. >> reporter: opposition politician phone win believes sanctions need to go if the country is to remain on the right path. >> hardliner is everywhere. not only in the government but also in the public and political group. if they can see the development of our country, i think everybody will happy and everybody will go to the same direction. otherwise, you know if we sanction and isolate, there will be no economic development and we start fighting each other, struggling each other which is not good for our country. >> reporter: back on the road to mawlaymang, aung san suu kyis convoy rolled on into the night, and even after arriving at its final destination, the candidate was called back onto her balcony the vote on april 1 will be a first step in determining if the changes that have so quickly come to burma are here to stay. >> woodruff: aung san suu kyi, who is 65, has been off the

campaign trail since the weekend, ordered by her doctors to get some rest. online, you can see a slideshow of images from an opposition rally in burma. in her next story, kira examines civic activism and press freedom and censorship. her reports are a production of the bureau for international reporting. >> brown: for the first time in decades, arab leaders have gathered in baghdad, but the main issue was syria. margaret warner has that story. >> warner: one year after the syrian uprising began, violence continues to rage. this amateur video today in homs showed four men digging through rubble amid heavy gunfire and explosions. elsewhere, rebels ambushed an army truck, killing two soldiers, north of hama and in aleppo, syria's largest city, gunmen killed two army colonels in a downtown traffic circle.

earlier this week, the northern town of saraqeb fell to the military, leaving destroyed buildings and vehicles-- the latest in a series of rebel defeats. global post reporter james foley witnessed the fighting there on saturday. he spoke todayy phone from turkey. >> the city was attacked, strongly on the first day. the attack basically pushed the free syrian army out of the city. they came back in early morning but syrian army tanks were much more and had a much stronger presence around the city. so again the free syrian army escaped and by the third day almost everyone was out of the city and we heard reports that the army was going house to house checking to see who was on their wanted list. >> warner: on tuesday, u.n. envoy kofi annan announced syrian president bashir assad had accepted a six-point peace plan calling for a cease fire and troop withdrawal from the cities. today, assad told syrian state television:

"syria will spare no effort to make annan's mission a success," but said the rebels must cease their terrorist acts. his message came as leaders of the arab league met in baghdad for the group's annual summit. u.n. secretary general ban ki moon called for assad translate his commitments into action. and the head of the arab league, nabillaraby of egypt, said damascus must immediately implement the annan plan. >> syria now has the responsibility. you can say now, the ball is in syria's court. they have to react positively. >> warner: syria's chair was empty. the assad regime, pointedly, not invited. yet only 10 of the 22 league member states attended. many sunni countries, like egypt and most gulf states, stayed away. the summit also highlighted continuing unrest inside iraq. three explosions went off in central baghdad, just outside the green zone, whe the gathering s being he.

i'm joined now by kelly mcevers of npr who's covering the summit in baghdad. kelly mcevers, thank you for joining us. you just came out of the summit press conference. did they come to any agreement on the next steps they want to see on syria? >> they did come to an agreement and that agreement was to support a u.n. plan that's already in place. so the arab league didn't break any new ground here. the u.n. plan is a six-point plan. it's being pushed by former u.n. secretary general kof annan. that requires the syrian regime to pull its troops from the streets, release political prisoners begin a political dialogue with the opposition and so the syrian regime has said that it's already agreed to this plan so, again, the arab league today coming out in support of this is basically just backing something that's basically already in place. >> warner: and whafsz the scuttlebutt in the corridors? was there any confidence expressed that assad means it when he says he'll follow through on it? >> there's a lot of skepticism

about that. we've been down this road before. the arab league already put forward a peace plan asking assad to pull troops from the streets, asking them to release political prisoners, asking him to begin a dialogue with the opposition and the arab league sent monitors in to see that he was going to comply with this and, in fact, he did not comply. in fact it was after that mission that the assad regime stepped up the violence against civilians in syria. hundreds more people, possibly thousands more people were killed in bombardments on syrian cities that are known to be centers of opposition. so here at the summit there's a lot of skepticism and we put the questi to the arab league secretary general what would be the consequences if assad doesn't comply? there's been talk of further sanctions from the arab league, possibly someday from the u.n. but right now he didn't have a very clear answer to that question. >> warner: how deep are the rifts in the arab league over how to deal with syria? and what's behind them? >> it's a pretty sectarian issue. you have predominantly sunni

arab countries like saudi arabia qatar very much in favor of seeing assad fall. the opposition in syria is predominantly sunni. so you have other countries that are led by shiites right now-- iraq-- that are not so keen on seeing assad fall. assad's a key ally of iran, so is iraq. so not just between sunnis and shiites, it's falling along the cold war between saudi arabia and iran here in the region. so what does that mean for today's summit? it meant that while iraq was sort of reasserting itself and saying that this is our time to have our summit, its position on syria was very middle of the road while saudi arabia and qatar only set low-level representatives to the summit and that sort of sent a message that they weren't really willing to engage on that level. they want to take a pump harder line on syria and because they weren't going to do b able to do that in baghdad they didn't send their leaders at all.

>> warner: now, there are other differences between many arab league members and iraq, aren't there? to explain why they wouldn't have sent delegations in >> the fact that iraq's government, it is a coalition government but it's dominated by shiites and it's not particularly popular with conservative countries like saudi arabia and qatar. nouri al-maliki is not a popular figure. they've got a lot of differences over the years. for years iraq accused these countries of sending terrorists into iraq during the worst years of the violence here, during the u.s. occupation those times are over. iraq is trying to mend fences. saudi arabia did actually just appoint an ambassador to iraq for the first time. that ambassador isn't going to be based here in iraq but it's a small step. but diplomats in the region say it's important for iraq to pull itself away from those who had influence on it before, particularly the united states, iran, and turkey. this is a way to sort of gain more friends in the region.

>> warner: this is the first time in more than 20 years iraq hosted an arab league summit. i gather they went to extraordinary lengths to prepare for it. >> absolutely. the baghdad government spent a half billion dollars to make this summit happen, put tens of thousands of security men in the streets. basically put the city on lockdown. there were checkpoints everywhere, most of the city was without phone service for the past two days. they renovated hotels, planted flowers and i have to say that the summit did go off without incident almost. today as arab leaders walked into the palace we heard a couple telltale booms. officials later confirms it was a couple of mortar rounds that fell, no casualties. but, you know, in the bigger picture this is a big deal for baghdad not just to say it's a safer place, a place where people might want to do business but it's tryingo reassert itself in the arab world. ever since saddam hussein invaded kuwait in 1990 baghdad

was a pariah state and now baghdad officials, iraqi officials are saying no, that time is over, we're back in the arab world and we're here to stay. >> warner: kelly mcevers of npr, thanks so much. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: finally tonight, we remember two american artists, beginning with poet adrienne rich in her own words. rich was one of the most widely- read and influential poets of her time. a leading feminist, known especially for her politically- engaged verse. her best-known volume, "diving into the wreck," won the national book award in 1973. she died tuesday at her home in santa cruz, california. here she is at the dodge poetry festival in 1998 reading her poem, "what kind of times are these." >> there's a place between two stands of trees where the grass

grows uphill and the old revolutionary road bleaks off into shadows near a meeting house abandoned by the persecuted who disappeared into those shadows. i've walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don't be fooled. this isn't a russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here. our country moving closer to its own truth and dread, its own ways of making people disappear. i won't tell you where the place is, the dash mesh of the woods meeting the unmarked strip of light. ghost-ridden cross loads, leaf-mulled paradise. i know already who wants to buy it, sell it, make it disappear.

and i won't tell you where it is so why do i tell you anything? because you still listen. because in times like these to have you listen at all it's necessary to talk about trees. >> woodruff: that was poet adrienne rich reading "what kind of times are these." she died tuesday at age 82. >> brown: and we close with another artist, bluegrass musician earl scruggs, who died yesterday in nashville at 88. scruggs helped create a new sound for the banjo and blue glass music. first with bill monroe and then with his long-time partner lester flatt and the foggy mountain boys. theiring so "foggy mountain breakdown" used in the film "bonnie and clyde" won a grammy in 1968. he also performed the theme music to the television show "the beverly hillbillies." he later formed the earl scruggs

review, playing and recording with his sons. here's a clip from a scruggs performance in north carolina in 2002. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> come on picking, earl! ♪ ♪

>> brown: we're joined now by another grammy winning banjo player, bela fleck. thanks so much for joining us. >> my pleasure. thank you for asking me. >> brown: tell us about the earl scruggs sound. what did he do with the banjo to create something new? >> well, he's the guy who really made that leap of using three fingers in a rotating fashion to create this fast rippling sod that had never been heard before. and i can show you. >> brown: please. >> he wears two finger picks and a thumb pick and by alternating them he can play about as fast as he wants. ♪ ♪ so it's this action. you couldn't move one finger that fast but all three it's pretty easy and it's kind of an incredible leap. >> brown: tell us a little bit more about the history of his playing and really changing the sod of bluegrass music. >> well, he really exploded on

the scene in bill monroe's band in the early '40s and when he joined the band it was an incredible thing. they played the grand ole opry and i think it was like a beatle's type response where nobody had heard anything like this before and i think his playing propelled bluegrass and bill monroe's music to the level where we're all still talking about it. >> brown: how do you describe that sound? you're the one of the people that picked up on it. what did you first hear when you heard it? >> well i first ard ths: (playing "beverly hillbillies" theme) >> brown: i think a lot of people remember that, yeah. >> yeah, they do. and earl scruggs had this thing that it wasn't just the technique or even the instrument it was him. there was this soulful quality that came through that made you... you'reomeby like

me whoas, i guess, suosed to play the banjo, it made you stop in your tracks and you couldn't do anything until you got done hearing him play and immediately you have to go try to find a banjo. i've heard of people stoping their cars, having car wrecks, all kinds of things. but most of the banjo players had that moment when they heard earl scruggs. for me it transcends the technique. it's the musician in him and his musical personality. such great technique. very, very createive. >> brown: and you see that influence today still >> the influence, absolutely. if it wasn't for earl scruggs, guys like me wouldn't be doing what we're doing. i mean he's changed so many people's lives. i was thinking about people that live in nashville like myself. there's no reason a guy from new york would end up down there if it weren't for the sound of earl scruggs' banjo change mig life and it's happened so-to-so many

people i know. it's made people richer from hearing him and we're very lucky to have him in the world. >> brown: you got to play with him. whatas t like? what was he le? >> he was really cool because he was very quiet and he wouldn't say much but then he would come out with a quip that was like so perfect and brilliant. very smart and over the last few years i got to know him a lot better. he was home a lot more and we live about a mile apart in nashville, tennessee. in fact, i shouldn't be talking about me but he came to see my concerto performance in nashville with a symphony in september and i was thrilled that he would do that. but also on occasion i could go to his place and we'd sit around and play or talknd it s just very sweet and i feel fortunate to have had that time with him. >> brown: can you take us out with about 30 seconds more of earl scruggs music? >> sure. the time when he came up there was a lot of swing and jazz going on in the world, too, and it affected him so i'll play a little of that that you might

not expect from earl scruggs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

>> brown: bela fleck on the music and life of earl scruggs. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> woodruff: again, the major developments of the day: the focus of the health care reform debate shifted back to presidential politics, aer three days of arguments at the supreme court. the centers for disease control reported the number of children with autism is continuing to climb. and the u.s. house approved a republican-crafted budget totaling $3.5 trillion. it's expected to go nowhere in the democratic-controlled senate. it's science thursday online. hari sreenivasan explains what's there. hari? >> sreenivasan: we profile a non-profit that helps engineers and construction workers build earthquake-resistant homes after a jor disaster. that ps a idesw is on ou iencpage on our health page, we have a webcast from our partners at

kaiser health news about this weeks supreme court hearings on the health care reform law. also, join us for a live chat about learning differences on friday afternoon. find details on our homepage. all that and more is on our web site: newshour.pbs.org. jeff? >> brown: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. i'm jeffrey brown. >> brown: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among others. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us.

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