captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: the president addresses the nation tonight on his plan to halt deportation foç some undocumented immigrants. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead this thursday, the analysis of david brooks and e.j. dionne on the political implications of the president's executive action. >> woodruff: then, as winterç approaches, the challenges mount for refugees and the displaced worldwide whose numbers are at their highest since world war ii. >> people see that in the middle east it's war, but it's not. some areas are were cold. they have negative temperatures.

and people can suffer tremendously because many of them have very precarious. >> ifill: an american veteran of the vietnam war returns to the country for one last mission to disarm unexploded bombs left over from the conflict. >> the defense departmentç estimates about 10% did notñi @c they fell to the ground in tact, now today 40 years later they're exploding and they kill and maim people. >> woodruff: plus, remembering the life and work of the acclaimed director, mike nichols who captivated audiences onç screen and stage. >> ifill: those are some of the stories we're covering on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

>> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and become you're own chief life officer. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutionsç and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.ç >> woodruff: president obama made ready today to deliver his prime-time message on immigration. he's issuing an executive order that blocks any potential for mass deportations and, in the process he's picking a major political fight with republicans in congress. >> i think the president will come to regret the chapter

history writes if he does move forward. >> woodruff: the political battle lines were already in sharp relief, hours ahead of tonight's speech. senator mitch mcconnell will lead the new republican majority next year. he warned the president's move will not go unchallenged.ç >> he needs to understand something. if president obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, congress will act. we're considering a variety of options. but make no mistake.ç make no mistake. when the newly elected representatives of the people take their seats, they will act. >> woodruff: mcconnell did not elaborate, but republican leaders have tried to tamp down talk of a government shutdown or even impeachment. an executive order that's widely expected to bar deportations for up to five million people out of roughly eleven million living in

the u.s. illegally. they could include: parents who've been here five years and whose children are u.s. citizens because they were born here. and younger immigrants who didç not qualify under 2012 program. they will not recieve federal benefits or path to citizenship. parents who've been in the country five years, and whoseç children are u.s. citizens because they were born here. and younger immigrants who came in illegally, but did not qualify under the president's 2012 directive. many could become eligible for work permits. but they would not receive federal benefits or a path to citizenship. republicans point to the president's own statement last year that an executive order would be ignoring the law. senate commerce side iso but mr. obama now argues that congress had its chance and failed to act, senate democrats reinforced that point today. majority leader harry reid. >> if we had it our way, president obama would be signing a comprehensive immigration bill into law instead of an executive action, but we can't sit idly by

waiting for republicans to act while homes are being broken up all across this nation. >> woodruff: democrats and the white house acknowledge the president's action can be reversed by a future chief executive.ç they say they still hope for comprehensive immigration reform in the form of a law. for a look ahead to the president's speech tonight, we're joined by david simas, director of the white house office of political strategy and outreach. david, thank you for joining us. first of all, what does the president hope to accomplishç with these executive orders? >> so, judy, the president hopes to take a very important first step towards continuing his efforts to fix what we believe to have been and be a broken immigration system that's been broken for decades. what you will hear tonight is the president articulating three concrete areas of action -- action around the border, actions around the interior, and, finally, action dealing with millions of individuals who are here that are undocumented.

but it's importandç to realize this is a first step, that ultimately the solution to fixing the broken immigration system is comprehensive immigration reform that's been languishing in congress for over 500 days. >> woodruff: how did the white house decide whomç to protect from deportation and whom should go ahead and be subject to deportation still? >> so, judy, obviously i'm not going to get out ahead of the president, but i think the principle is very important in terms of prosecutorial discretion, as any law enforcement agency in the country would say, you have to make decisions about who to prioritize and who to not prioritize in terms of deportation. in this case, the principle is fairly certain and simple, which is we need to make sure we're focusing on felons and not families. we need to make sure that the types of efforts we have on the interior allow usç to focus on people who are public safety threats while, at the same time, allocating resources to the border for additional -- for

folks who may be borderç crossers. so the best way to think about all of these actions in their totality is to begin at the border and work backwards from there in terms of how to use the resources that you have in the way that's the most effective. that's the principle that intimated the discussion and how the president has proceeded. >> woodruff: what do you and others in the white house say to the critics who are saying the president is overstepping his constitutional bounds, that he does not have the authority to do what he's doing? >> so we say a couple of things. first of all there's a long tradition, a bipartisan tradition in this country going back to president eisenhower anç a principle that's been upheld by the united states supreme court and codified in statute. the presidents in this space around immigration enforcement have wide latitude to use prosecutorial discretion, so we stand on the precedent not only of the activity over the past 50 years, but we believe, and once

all the details are out, that it will be clear and there will be no question that these actionsç are right within the bounds of the president. but, again, at the end of the day, the final and most permanent way to deal with this is for congress to pick up the baton and finish the job here on immigration reform. >> woodruff: well, speaking of that, we've talked to some members of congress and others who are saying what the president should have done is said to congress, i'm going to give you -- now that we've seen these election results, i'm going to give the new congress a finite period of time, a few months to get this done and, if you don't act then, then i will take steps on my own, why not approach it that way? >> judy, it's been 511 days since the senate passed with 68 independents and republicans, a comprehensive bill. during that period of time, there have been many discussions between the president and the speaker and other house leaders

specifically around those sameç grounds, where it was always the request that you just wait a little bit longer. and we saw, for example, when the republicans enunciated their principles, intones the principles were enunciated, they retreated from the principles and moved away. so, at the end of the day, the president has a responsibility to act consistent with his power in a way that enhances public safety and to make sure that we have a much more rational immigration system. that doesed not preclude congressional action and, in fact, it should encourage further congressional action going forward, and that's our expectation. >> woodruff: but you know what many republicans are saying is that, once the president does o make action by the congress that much less likely because of what they say is an act the president should not haveç taken.

>> judy, we have heard that type of rhetoric consistently over the past year and a half. there's always been some reason why the president should not act. but here's our expectation, and i think this is also the expectation of the american people, once there is a problem, they expect democrats, republicans and independents, even if they disagree on actions or on different issues, to essentially say, what do we agree upon, and move forward. and in this case there's perfect clarity. everyone agrees the system is broken and, so, it's our expectationç that, notwithstanding some of the rhetoric that you're hearing and will hear over the course of the next few days, that this will lead, hopefully, to a renewed effort on comprehensive immigration reform. that's the right thing to do. >> woodruff: david simas from the white house. we thank you. >> judy, thank you.ç >> ifill: we look now at the

political implications of the presidents announcement with new york times columnist david brooks. and, washington post columnist e.j. dionne. tonight we have a little politics, a little process, a little policy. what's the most important piece we're looking at tonight, david? >> the run ruin of the republic. i agree with the stance and what they're trying to do with the immigrants. first, it will create dysfunction and gridlock for the next two years. the president was completelyç comfortable delaying it in the campaign when it would help him, now he wants to blow everything up. it seems dubious. the president thought this was illegal the first three years of his presidency, now is fine witi it. third, sets a precedent. imagine the future republican president not enforcing the clean air act or others based on executive discretion. it can be tit for tat war. it will be harder now to pass immigration reform. i think it's awful.

>> woodruff: that's a lot to bite off, e.j. take a whack at it. >> he didn't say anything about the people on this. my views were affected by a conversation i had last summer with the retired archbishop of washington who's worked for years with immigrants. he says the policy we have isça scandal because it should not be the policy of the united states government to break up families, to take parents away from kids. diana guerrero from "orange is the new black" talked about how she came home from school and found her parents deported. that's not the kind of country we are. we need to focus on that. the process has been one year four mints and 24 days since the senate passed a generally bipartisan bill.ç the democrats gave a lot of ground to get republican votes. spaker boehner said he'll deal wit, obama waited.

speaker boehner said i'll get to it, obama waited. he's waited long enough. he's not biting off the whole thing. he's not being an emperor tonight because he's going to protect maybe about 40% of the illegal immigrants here, which is exactly the number that president bush and ronaldñi rean protected. so if you're going to attack this, you should have been attacking bush and reagan, and if you didn't attack them, what's wrong with obama doing this? >> woodruff: it seems atç its base you both agree there's a need for a broad-based immigration reform, a lot of republicans agree in the senate, obviously, in the senate the bill was passed, but you don't agree on how toñi get there. >> i don't think yiewnl lateral action in a democratic system is what we believe in. we haveç a legislative process. they could have gotten other things done. they could have restored faith in our system of government. this will create dysfunction and

gridlock. >> woodruff: what about what e.j. says, that there have been two years before this of dysfunction and gridlock. >> there was, absolutely. now they have a new opportunity with the majority, they need to get stuff done and the republicans know over the long term, i don't think the white house is informed what's going on in republican circles, they know they have to get immigration policy out of the way and i think there was a chance you could getç a big comprehensive something like the senate bill, that is over. >> woodruff: i'll use david's words against youç a little bi. >> please. >> woodruff: what about the idea he's putting a stick in the eye of people who might have been interested in coming up with a solution? >> first of all, i think they have to answer the question, if bush and reagan did it, over a mall and a -- million 1/2, why o horrible the president does it? history tells us the republicans have said for years, and there are certainly people in the republican party who say they

need to deal with this, but speaker boehner in particular has not been willing to challenge the right end ofç his party and bring something to the floor, and there's no reason to sort of wait and wait until he does that. i think obama's calculation is i've gotten nowhere by doing nothing. let me do something and mix things up to see if maybe that can produce something.ç even if it does not produce a bill, at the very least, 4 million or 5 million people will not have to worry about families being broken up. i think the president himself really started hearing those words, you know, that he's the deporter in chief, and i just think he decided, i can't do this anymore. >> woodruff: this is an evolution but you think in the wrong direction? >> yes, the president when he was back being a constitutional lawyer thought this was illegal for three years. >> that's not what he said. the whole senate bill in law, yeah, that would be being an emperor. he's doing a modest part that

coin sides with -- >> woodruff: we have the entire evening discuss this especially after the president makes his speech, you will be with us for special coverage.ç e.j. dionne, david brooks, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> woodruff: in other news today, there was no rest for the snow weary around buffalo, new york.ç as another two feet of snow fell on a region already buried under five to six feet. roofs strained under the weight, and some caved in. scores of streets and major highways were still closed, and a fleet of plows, loaders and dump trucks worked to clear them. governor andrew cuomo appealed to people to stay home, and let the work crews do their job. >> this is, i believe, the largest deployment of its kind ever. literally thousands of people across the state coming in to help and hundreds of pieces of equipment. we're in a much better position

than we were yesterday, but we're still not home and there are more chapters in this storyç before its done. >> woodruff: at least ten deaths are now blamed on the storm. >> ifill: cold gripped much of the u.s. this week, but it turns out last month only last monthç the world experienced its hottest october ever, the average temperature topped 58 degrees, and the national oceanic and atmospheric administration says it's the fifth month this year to set a new high. at this rate, 2014 is likely to be the warmest year since record-keeping began. >> woodruff: secretary of state john kerry arrived in vienna today for the latest round of talks on curbing iran's nuclear program. iran and six world powers face a monday deadline, but kerry said he's optimistic about reaching a deal, despite little outward sign of progress. as he left paris, he brushed aside talk of extending the deadline into march.

we are not discussing extension. we are negotiating to try to get reement. it's that simple. and look, you know, if you get to the final hour and you're in need of having to look at alternatives or something, we'll look at them. i'm not telling you we're not going to look at something, but we're not looking at them, not now.ç >> woodruff: separately, the head of the united nations nuclear agency reported iran has again failed to explain suspected research into nuclear bomb-making. the tehran government has long denied it's trying to develop nuclear weapons. >> ifill: israeli authorities moved today to demolish more homes after a spate of palestinian attacks. the latest targets belong to families of the two cousins who attacked a jerusalem synagogue on tuesday, killing five people. the families of two palestinians involved in other recent violence were notified that their homes will be destroyed as well. >> woodruff: back in thisç

country, the university of california board of regents has voted to hike tuition by up to five percent a year for five years. the regents approved the planç today for the entire ten campus system. they said the increases could be eliminated if the state approves more funding. tuition had been frozen for three years, and governor jerry brown and many students opposed the increase. >> ifill: former virginia senator jim webb is first out of the blocks in the 2016 presidential race. he announced last night that he's formed an exploratory committee on running for the democratic nomination. no one else in either major party has taken that official first step. former secretary of state hillary clinton, though unannounced, is widely considered the democratic frontrunner. >> woodruff: on wall street today, encouraging news on housing and corporate earnings helped push stocks higher. the dow jones industrial average gained 33 points to close at 17,719; the nasdaq rose 26 points to close near 4,702; and the s&p 500 added four, to

finish at 2,052. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour.ç congress grills airbag manufacturer takata over deadly defects. the struggle to meet the needs of more than 50 million refugees and displaced people worldwide. ride-sharing company uber comes under fire for cut-throat business tactics. an american veteran cleans up the unexploded bombs of theç vietnam war. and remembering the life and work of acclaimed director mike nichols. >> ifill: the growing recalls and string of revelations over exploding air bags were the focus of an often tense senate committee hearing today. at least five deaths have been linked to the air bags, and lawmakers wanted to know why. hari sreenivasan has the story. a warning: some of the images might be disturbing to some viewers. >> sreenivasan: they're designed

to help save lives. but the spotlight today was on air bags that explode, causing injury and death. air force lieutenant stephanie erdman went before the senate commerce committee to recount her 2013 accident.ç >> when the impact occured, shrapnel from my car's airbag shot through the airbag cloth and embedded into my right eye and cheek. i was instantly blinded on my right side. i felt rushing blood running down my neck. i was terrified. what happened to me was gruesome.ç the photo that the e.m.t. took of me with the schrapnel embedded in my eye is scary to look at. but i believe that this is necessary to grab the attention of those who have the ability to do something, and keep this from happening to anyone else. >> sreenivasan: the japanese manufacturer takata made the air bags. their inflators can fire with too much force, sending metal shards flying. lieutenant erdman's honda is one of about 8 million cars in the u.s., made by 11 automakers, that have been recalled for the

problem. they're largely limited to states with high humidity that can affect the inflators. takata's quality chief apologized today, but would not support a nationwide recall, as nhtsa, the national highway traffic safety administration, wants. >> sejáor, it's hard for me to answer yes or no, so if you allow me. >> it is not hard for you to answer yes or no. do you support the nationwide recall of airbags that the department of transportation has issued, yes or no? >> again senator, if we identifç the technical data from any incident to support nhtsa's new directions and work with automakers. >> i'm going to take that as a

no, you do not agree. >> sreenivasan: another democratic senator, claire mccaskill of missouri, took honda and chrysler to task for confusing language used in recalls. >> we have been had more recalls in the last year and a half in american car manufacturing than in the history, probably more in the last year than we've had in many, many years combined. the problem is i don't think that people that are drivingç these cars understand the risk because you guys aren't even comfortable with whether or not you're telling nhtsa it's a service campaign or a safety recall. >> sreenivasan: honda acknowledged at the hearing thaç it violated a federal law that requires faster reporting of potential defects. nhtsa, too, has come under fire. but acting administrator david friedman said his agency now has automakers running scared. >> no more hiding information. no more hiding behind attorney- client privilege. no more waiting to prove beyond

shadow of a doubt that there's a problem. no more fighting us when we have clear evidence of defects. they need to act much more quickly. and nhtsa needs to continue to act more aggressively and more quickly to keep them in line. >> sreenivasan: just last night president obama named his nominee to head up nhtsa-- transportation expert mark rosekind.ç the position has been empty for nearly a year. >> woodruff: we take a closer look now at the world's surging refugee problem which the united nations point person on the issue calls a mega-crisis.ç he spoke to chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner earlier today. >> warner: for nearly a decade, antonio guterres has overseen the u.n. high commission for refugees agency's far-flung operations around the world. recently, his agency issued a staggering new report-- there are now more than 51 million

people worldwide who are refugees or displaced in their own lands-- for the first time since world war two. the conflict in syria, and now in iraq, makes up more than one- quarter of that toll, as millions seek refuge in turkey, lebanon, jordan and northern iraq. guterres is in washington this week to spread the alarm. i spoke with him today at the u.n.h.c.r.'s washington office.ç high commissioner guterres, thank you for having us. you've been at this job for nine years. is this worst you've ever seen in terms of displacement? >> undoubtedly. and i think things will getç worse before eventually they start to get better. you have seen a multiplication of new crisis. mega-crisis, old crisis of the war and on and on. and all this reflects the lack of capacity in international communities to prevent conflicts and to timely solve them. >> warner: now many respected research institutions and even president obama said recently, if you look back over the decades, there are actually fewer armed conflicts in the

world than there used to be and fewer people killed in armed conflicts. if that's the case, why are we seeing more displaced people? >> well, i don't know if those >> we are witnessing different forms of fighting. in the past, we have wars between the state and the rebel groups. now we have conflicts. national forces against nationaç forces. religious accomplishes, rebel groups, benefiting from this chaos. sometimes someone. sometimes someone is a bandit iç the morning and member of a militia in the afternoon. which means that the impact on the civilian populations is much larger than the impact of classical conflicts of the past. >> warner: and they're also less controllable by political leaders then. >> well, i think political leaders have this impression that they can trigger a conflict because as the international community today we live in a world without global governance system. but we also live in a world

where power relations became unclear. so political leaders that there is an environment of impunity. and there is also an environment of unpredictability and they think that they can trigger a war and go on with that war, let's see what's happening in south sudan and then the humanitarians will come in and clean the mess. the truth is that we no longer have the capacity to clean up the war.ç >> warner: now when you say the humanitarian the structure can't deal with it. now are you talking about both your own agency and n.g.o.'s and all these neighboring countries that all are involved in this? >> look at lebanon. the world's largest population now is foreign. syrian refugees, palestinian refugees. can you imagine the impact on the economy, on the society, schools, infrastructure, water, electricity, lebanese poor people competing for jobs with syrians. work for whatever price. so salaries are going down, prices are going down. a huge impact. the same in jordan, the dame in the northern part of iraq. there is no way the international community is

supporting these countries as they need. >> warner: let's talk about syria and iraq. winter is approaching-- in fact winter is here in some parts of higher elevations. your agency has said you're $58 million shortfall just to get to the end of this year.ç what are you going to do? how are you going to choose who to help? you can't help everyone. we are moving money as much as we can from all kinds of savings everywhere to be able toç increase our capacity locally. we are asking the other partners to enhance their efforts. but, indeed, it's an enormously challenging situation. people think that in the middle east, it's warm. but it's not. in winter, some of these areas they have negative temperatures, snow, floods. people can suffer tremendously because many of them have very precarious shelter. >> warner: will you have to essentially ration care?

>> we are trying to avoid it at all costs. last year it was possible outside syria, for the refugees outside syria, to avoid any casualty due to cold temperatures or bad weather. inside syria, unfortunately, thç capacity is much more limited, even for security reasons. i hope we'll be able to do the same this year, but now we have an additional problem in iraq. and, as you know, most of the refugees are in kurdistan. in kurdistan you have also very, very low temperatures and a very harsh winter.ç what is the impact of all of this on the refugees themselves and the wider world? if the funding needs aren't addressed, for starters. >> that means an enormous amount of suffering for the people. but there is another dimension. i believe what we do is important for humanitarian reasons, but we are dealing with a world in which these crises are not only humanitarian crises. they are also threats to regional peace and stability.

you see, iraq has been completely engulfed by a conflict that started in syria. lebanon is under threat.ç so, to support these populations and to support the local communities, to avoid that people feel abandoned, frustrated, angry, is absolutely essential also to help stabilize the area and to help avoid what could be the creation of anç environment that could facilitate the life of those radical groups that of course >> warner:2and so, if the answer is to think outside of the box--

you've been traveling around trying to raise this alarm-- what more can the west do other than write bigger checks?ç we need an international community able to come together to forget about differences, contradictions, different perspective and realize that in the wars of today nobody is winning, everybody's losing. the best interest of every country is to put an end to them. i hope that the division that we are witnessing-- sometimes the memory of the cold war divisions, the sunni-shia divide, the divide between sunnis, those that support muslim brotherhood and those that are against, that are making, not cooperating with each other in relation to these conflicts. i think these are much less important than the threats that today are there and that are serious threats for everybody, everywhere. >> ifill: now, the backlash against uber. the ride-sharing company exploded onto the tech scene with outposts in cities aroundç the world.

but lately, it's been getting attention for how it's built its business, and the manner in which it competes. economics correspondent paul solman begins our look with this background. >> reporter: the ride-sharing mobile phone app, uber, which in four short years has become all the rage in more than 200 cities around the world. but growing almost as fast asç its customer base: its ruthless reputation. this week, the internet news site buzzfeed reported that at an event he thought off-the- record, uber executive emil michael raised the prospect of hiring operatives to dig up dirt on reporters critical of the company. might this be a p.r. problem, he was asked. "nobody would know it was us," he replied. michael's particular target: sarah lacy, editor of tech website pandodaily, an outspoken critic who has called uber management misogynistic andç urged readers to remove the app from their phones.

when the remarks became public, michael retracted them, in a statement: "they were wrong no matter the circumstance, and i regret them." on twitter uber ceo travisç kalanick went him one better: "his remarks showed a lack of leadership, a lack of humanity, and a departure from our values and ideals." and yet another uber executive has been accused of tracking the location of a buzzfeed reporter doing a story on the company. brazen? uber the top? uber has had that rap for awhile. it has reportedly been cutthroat in its quest to expand, ordering rides anonymously, for instance, from archrival lyft, only to cancel them. it employs contractors to lure drivers away from the competition.ç and more generally, the company faces continued backlash from taxi owners like san franscisco's hansu kim, who charges that uber doesn't face the same regulations he does.

might this put you out of business? >> yes, and not just me, theç entire taxi industry. >> reporter: meanwhile, uber's own drivers have taken to the street over decreasing pay. >> when you actually really do the math, we're making less than minimum wage. >> reporter: uber declined a request for an interview about its latest woes, but earlier this year, spokeswoman rachel holt told us that uber is changing the world for the better. >> taxi companies have traditionally had monopolies. everyone kind of gives the same mediocre level of service. and so what that means is, there hasn't been much incentive to improve.ç but now there is. and that explains why economists approve of ride-sharing services and, given uber's lower prices, why it's been a customer favorite. >> i love uber because it is so convenient. you can just do it right on your phone and they show up for you.ç >> reporter: the high tech question of the week, though:

if, as they say, culture eats strategy for breakfast, will uber's culture upend a strategy that had the company valued at a stunning $18 billion because it was transforming transportation as we know it? >> ifill: for a closer look at why uber is under fire we turn to jan dawson, chief analyst for jackdaw research, a tech research and advisory firm. thank you for joining us. let's back up a moment. $18 billion, paul solman just told us is howç it's valued. how did uber get so big so fast? >> well, they've done it by getting out in front of a lot of their competitors and being the first into a lot of the markets, a lot of the cities where they operate and by spending a lotçf money in marketing and promotions and subsidies to undercut the competition, to get both drivers and customers on board and to get there really quickly, and the numbers leaked this afternoon suggest that in some major cities the run rate

even last december was 200 million plus per year in a single city in dollar terms, and that's just rapid growth, and it's come as a result of spending an awful lot to get out there quickly to sign up customers and sign up drivers, and that's driving up valuation. >> ifill: they created a business model that hadn't existed before at least in ride sharing, but did they also cover their bets by basically setting out to crush the competition? >> yeah, the problem with uber is it's a simple model. it's a simple app tied to a base of drivers and just connects the cuw.:hu)ud the drivers and gets the car to show up when and where you need it and helps you pay for it. it's not that differentiated and there areç other alternatives like halo in the u.k. and elsewhere, they're all similar. if you have a problem not that differentiated, you have to compete on price and sales,

essentially, and that's what uber's done, it's been very aggressive around both of those things. that's where a lot of the current problems seem to be stemming. >> ifill: that's what i want to talk about. how does a company go from great! that's cool, that's new, that's so easy, to that's so arrogant, i'm going to take them off my phone. how did that make that leap? what happened in between? >> the problem stems from the lack of differentiation. whenever you have that situation, you end up competing as aggress iflt as possible and incentivizing both your ownç employees and contractors who might be working on your own behalf to do whatever it takes to sign up customers, to sign up drivers. and when you have that kind of mentality and that kind of attitude, it's very easy for people to start creeping over the line between proper behavior, questionable behavior and ultimately immoral behavior, and that seems to2not to apply just to third-party contracts they've employed to try to sign up customers and drivers but to the executives themselves if the reports are to be believed.

>> ifill: it might also suggest jealousy is involved from competitors or just poorly-managed p.r. >> yeah, the problem with uber is there's a narrative building up now. eth not just one -- it's not just one story here and there, but a consistent picture emerging of a frat boy image, do what it takes regardless ofç consequences, rules to be broken, written and unwritten, using uber in inappropriate ways, and when that narrative builds up, you start to have problems because every new story feeds the narrative and it's very similar,ç arguably, to wht happens with politicians sometimes. gerald ford and his clumsiness, mitt romney being out of touch with the people, so forth. these things take on a life of their own. uber is facing that narrative problem now.

>> ifill: what is uber's defense in all this and how are they planning to turn it around? >> they've hired david plouffe who has a past in that world to help them manage -- >> ifill: the president's former campaign manager,ç righ? >> exactly. they're borrowing from the political world to solve the problems. they're addressing it in two key ways, one is hitting some of this head on, whether the apology for the new story that came out this week or tryingç to get positive messages out there in how they're trueness forming the transportation business, whether it's talking about all the people they're helping to find jobs now and get an extra income, whether it's the way they're undercutting taxis and improving customer service and so on, that's part of the narrative, so addressing negatives head on and building their own narrative, both which are working to some extent but not completely. >> ifill: maybe free coupons along the way.

jan dawson, jawdeau research, thank you very much. ow to vietnam and one american veteran's mission back to the country to help save those he once fought. special correspondent mike cerre reports. >> reporter: 50 years ago this 3500 marines was sent to vietnam. by the end of 1965, the american military force had grown to more than 200,000, marking the start of one of the country's longest wars. the united states government and veterans organizations work on meaningful ways to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the vietnam war, there are a handful of american vets living and working in vietnam cleaning up the dangerous legacies left behind from the war. >> i'm chuck searcy from athens, georgia. when i came to vietnam in 1967,

i couldn't findç vietnam on a map. i came here because i'm a veteran of the war and ended up staying, working on humanitarian projects related to the consequences of the war, which isç unexploded ordinates. >> reporter: more than 100,000 veements have been killed or maimed by uxos since the end to have the war in 1975. here in quang tri, the zone that separated south and north vietnam, more bombs are believed to have been dropped than in all europe during world war, two many cluster bombs containing hundreds of small but lethal bomblets that were supposed to have explodedç on impact. >> the defense department estimates 10% did not detonate as designed so when they fell to the ground intact, now, today,

40 years later, they're exploding and kill and maim people. >> reporter: aç community newspaper publisher and small business administrator in washington after the war, searcy first came back to vietnam in 191992 as a tourist. he moved to hanoi nearly 20 years ago to work with american veterans organizations on restoring diplomatic relations with vietnam. afterwards, he took on the uxo, unexploded ordinates problem as his job and mission. >> for me, vietnam was an unclosed chapter in the sense that, when i left, it was a painful experience, and it's one of the reasons that i hoped that iç would come back and in better circumstances because that was a terrible state in which to leave things. >> reporter: this unexploded bomb was spotted by a farmer at the ellenç of his rice patty ls

than 30 yards from his home and where his children play. having attended one of searcy's bomb education classes, not only did the farmer know what it was, he knew how to call one of searcy's more than 20 bomb removal teams trained to safely blow it up in place rather than risk trying to remove it. before leaving, the bomb squad found two more uxos in the farmer's field. >> the seriousness of theç unexploded ordinate situation in vietnam is beyond what most americans can imagine. we dropped about 15 tons of ordinates in this part of the world in theç most heavily bomd area of the warfare. hardly a tree left standing in quang tri province when the war

was over. an explosives expert is searcy's chief technical officer. adversaries during the war, they now work together as allies. >> at a time, we were bombing, all the earth was shakingç anda lot of smoke. not until the mission was over that we knew we were alive. after the war, i came back and becameç an engineering officer. >> the real challenge in vietnam is not how to clean up every bomb and mine but how to make vietnam safe, but that does not mean that every bomb and mine needs to be cleaned up. it means people have to understand the problem, they have to be part of the process

of solving the problem, which is to know how to call in explosive ordinates explosive teams who will come in immediately and clean up the ordinates they found. >> reporter: project renew set up educational programs for preventing accidents along with prosthetic services andç occupational programs for the unfortunate victims of uxos. >> the management of the problem will have to be continued for a long time to come, but nobody should be killed, nobody should have an accident or should beç injured, lose an eye, arm or leg in the future. >> reporter: most of project renew's funding is from former relief agencies in norway and japan. rather than private or public funding from the united states. >> if my grandchildren lived in an area where we had to worry about land mines, everybody in the country would come together. >> reporter: after senator patrick lapatrick lahey's visitç

tripled funding the projects throughout southeast asia including vietnam. >> after the soldiers and airmen and marines go home, you recognize that the hurting doesn't stop. >> reporter: sam perez, a u.s. navy admiral, heads up the statç department's weapons removal office. he's charged with administering this increased u.s. funding to non-governmental agencies, such as searcy's project renew, as well as the mine action group and peace trees. they coordinate activities with local officials in the military but the actual survey and bomb removal work is done by vietnamese cruise the n.g.o.s have hired and trained. >> you see tangible action by our government to make that right. >> reporter: theç military expression "clean up your brass"

after firing your weapons is something both secretary of state john kerry and secretary of defense chuck hagel are familiar with as vietnam veterans themselves. chuck searcy ishopeful the start of next year's vehement war anniversaries will draw more funding from the u.s. and other american veterans for one last mission in vietnam. >> i think the most appropriate, the most meaningful commemoration of the war for us americans will be to come together to help vietnam make this country safe from cluster emissions and other ordinates. we could have full closure. >> reporter: mike cerre reporting in quang tri province, vietnam.ç >> ifill: we learned today of the death of a broadway and hollywood legend producer and director mike nichols' career on

stage and screen spanned five decades. jeffrey brown has our ljp9haack at his life and work. >> brown: mike nichols was prolific and hugely successful on the big screen, small screen, and on stage. winner of an oscar... >> until this moment my greatest pleasure in the graduate was making it. >> brown: ...9 tony awards, 4 emmy's, even a grammy award. washington post film critic ann hornaday: >> he honed a double sensibility, on the one hand he was extremely sophisticated, very cosmopolitan, maybe even a little bit rarified. on the other hand, he had superb instm(u:hpaout what pleased an audience. >> brown: nichols own story had its own improbable beginnings, he was born in germany, his family fled the nazis, and he arrived in the u.s. at seven speaking little english.ç he would eventually attend medical school at the university of chicago. but then his life take a turn

when he met actress elaine may, and the two formed a successful comedy duo. >> it is a moral issue! >> a moral issue. >> and to me that is always so much more interesting than a real issue. >> brown: his first film featured the high powered cast of elizabeth taylor and richard burton in an adaptation of edward albee's "who's afraid of virginia wolf." that was followed by "the graduate", which earned him an oscar for best director, created scenes that became woven into american life, and brought fame to a then unknown actor named dustin hoffman. years later, hoffman spoke when nichols was given an a.f.i. lifetime achievement award.ç >> god bless you sir, you are more than a great director, you're a real artist down to your toes because you're insanely courageous. you took a chance on me-- youç should never have done that. >> brown: film critic hornaday says nichol's sense of casting was another way he influenced

american film and theater. >> i think that everyone's idea to cast benjamin braddock would have been that california boy, you know boy next door, but he went completely the different direction knowing that not only was hoffman had the magnetism tç to be the successful leading man and a viable romantic leading man, and that opened the way for lots of successors including al pacino and others who didn't fit that blond blue eyed ideal but none the less were superb american leading men. >> brown: a string of other successful films followed overç the next decades, including, "and these show his range,"

"carnal knowlege," "working girl," "the birdcage," and "closer." nichols talked about his approach to directing in this pbs "american masters" interview. >> well i was talking about shooting a scene. i said, "what you do is you keep shooting until the thing happens that nobody could've planned and say, ok, now we can go on." that's the whole-- that's what a movie is. namely, it's the place in which the unconscious meet both in the making of and you the seeing of. or. >> brown: in the theater, nichols was equally at home and talented. his first broadway show "barefoot in the park," in 1964, earned him his first tony. later efforts included the mad- cap musical, "monty python's spamalot." and an update of the classic arthur miller play, "death of a salesman," just two years ago, starring philip(sdymour hoffman. for television, his work included an acclaimed adaptation of tony kushner's epic "angels in america." it featured meryl streep, who'd appeared in numerous nichols works, on stage and in films, including "silkwood." >> you have created a quality,

an essence, that is composed of wit, race, outrage, delight, skepticism, and true love and in doing so, you have shown us howç a person can become essential. you're one of our eras essential artists, mike. >> brown: in an interview for wnyc's "green space" series, nichols spoke of actors andç acting. >> it's the most mysterious thing, acting, and the people who can really do it, the thing that characterizes them every time, all of them, is that they wont and can't talk about it. they wont go near it and who can blame them? would you? would i? no. because you're afraid its going to go away. stay the hell away

from it. >> brown: nichols, married for more than 25 years to diane sawyer of abc news, was once asked about his favorite works. >> i have many. you know, it's sort of lh[e asking about your kids. you know, what's your favorite kid? what's your favorite memory? it's your life. it's what you love. it's what i love as much as, in fact, my family. and, i'm very lucky. i feel lucky. that's what i mostly feel. >> brown: mike nichols died of cardiac arrest last night. he was 83 years old.ç >> woodruff: president obama made ready for a primetime address announcing plans to block any deportations for up to 5 million people who are living in the u.s. illegally. he plans to say it's not amnesty but common sense. a top official at takata corporation apologized for deaths and injuries caused by his company's exploding air bags, but he refused to endorse the idea of a nationwide recallç

on the "newshour" online right now, federal reserve chair janet yellen hosted a rare meeting recently for community leaders around the country and also has spoken out about inequality and posed for selfies with unemployed people.ç people. how is the newest face of a famously secret institution navigating her new public image? we have a report on making sense. all that and more on our web site, pbs.org/newshour. >> woodruff: that's the "newshour" for tonight. on friday, we'll kick off special pbs coverage of the miami book fare as the country's premier authors descend on florida. i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: i'm gwen ifill. tuneç in on the president's speech on immigration. thank you and see you late it.

>> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> lincoln financial-- committed to helping you take charge of your life and becomeç you're own chief life officer.ç >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and...

>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

this is "nightly business report" with tyler mathisen and susie gharib. funded in part by -- thestreet.com. featuring stephanie link who shares her investment strategies, stock picks and market insights. learn more at thestreet.com/nbr. getting down to business. what president obama will say tonight on immigration and what the business community wants to hear. >> if you like what wall street did for the housing market, you'll love what wall street's doing for commodities. >> senator carl levin goes after goldman sachs, accusing it of manipulating the price of aluminum, effectively driving up costs for everyone,ro