let me suggest that we need to get over manlike david brooks. david brooks. so many republicans in this town unfortunately seem to understand conservatism and ronald reagan as much as alec baldwin understands temper management or michael more understands legance -- or michael moore understands elegance or joe biden understands anything. [laughter] is it true that the vice president of the united states has said that transgendered discrimination is a civil rights issue of our time? he really did. god help the republic. so what do we conservatives do? what is a conservative? over the last three days we have had a terrific and elegant speeches from people who have been talking about this. instead i am going to talk about what a conservative is not. paul ryan, you are a good man and you mean well and you had real courage in taking on medicare and you've shown real courage in taking on the issue of obamacare. budget of 41osed trillion dollars over the next 10 years with more and more and more spending every year, keeping the obamacare taxes is not conservatism. th

rosen, and david brooks and e.j. dionne rejoin the conversation. up after this. rosen, and david brooks and e.j. dionne rejoin the conversation. [ male announcer ] it's red lobster's lobsterfest our largest selection of lobster entrees, like lobster lover's dream or new grilled lobster and lobster tacos. come in now and sea food differently. visit redlobster.com now for an exclusive $10 coupon on two lobsterfest entrees. visit redlobster.com now been waiting for the price then hurry, sleep train's beautyrest and posturepedic closeout sale ends sunday. save up to 40% on closeout sets from beautyrest and posturepedic. save hundreds on floor samples and closeout inventory. these prices are falling fast, but these deals won't last. sleep train's beautyrest and posturepedic closeout sale ends sunday. superior service, best selection, lowest price, guaranteed. ♪ sleep train ♪ your ticket to a better night's sleep ♪ >>> you can follow me each day on twitter @davidgregory. this morning i posted some of the reading i've done

without a son or husband or daughter or wife at the table next christmas. >> woodruff: mark shields, david brooksoth. and mark and david keep up the talk on the double header recorded in our newsroom. among tonight's topics, congressional escapes and march madness. that will be posted at the top of the rundown later this evening. >> brown: again, the major developments of the day: president obama told jordan's king abdullah he's worried that neighboring syria will become a haven for extremists. parents and teachers in chicago vowed to fight back against the city's plans to close 54 public schools and the senate moved toward passing a budget bill-- >> woodruff: online, we look ahead to a topic that will be in the news next week: same sex marriage. hari sreenivasan explains. >> sreenivasan: the supreme court will hear arguments on two gay rights cases. political editor christina bellantoni hosted a google hangout with religious leaders on different sides of the issues today. watch that on the rundown. plus, tonight's edition of "need to know" examines how the f.d.a. vets medical devices such as imp

republican party don't turn inward go outward and i think his instincts are exactly right. >> woodruff: david brooks, mark shields, thank you both. >> brown: and mark and david keep up the talk, on the doubleheader recorded in our newsroom. that will be posted at the top of the rundown later tonight. also online, you can find kwame holman's blog with another take on c-pac and a video profile of one of the conservative activists attending. >> brown: now, part two of our investigative look at the safety of america's drinking water. science correspondent miles o'brien reports on the toxic chemical made famous in the movie, "erin brockovich." its potentially harmful effect on human cells and the agency charged with regulating it. his report is the result of a partnership with the center for public integrity. >> there is some lead chromate in here and some zinc chromate. >> reporter: at the wise laboratory at the university of southern maine, they are very wise indeed about a widely used heavy metal that gives millions of americans, shiny bumpers, vivid paint, and posbly, cancer. it is hexavalent chromiu

that's "new york times" columnist david brooks and washington post columnist ruth marcus. mark shields is off today. welcome to you. so go back to its top of the show, good news, david, on the jobs front. good news for the economy, even as washington dysfunction continues. >> yeah, we overestimate how much effect washington has. sort of like you're so vein, you really think this economy is about you. i have asked a bunch business leaders. >> you don't want to sing that. >> not with my voice today. i have asked a bunch of business leaders, you know, over the past five years, what government actions have really affected a concrete decision you've made. and the you get answers all over the lot. there is no consensus at all on this question. the number i get is uncertainty. i can't plan because health-care cost, financial regulation. the number two answer is nothing. i can't think of anyway the government, even the big stimulus, the third answer i get is the stimulus helped us. the fourth answer i get is some other thing. and so it has what we do here in washington has an effe

poll-- politics. >> woodruff: there is everything invincible about the two of you, mark shields, david brook, thank you. mark and and mark and david keep up the talk, on the "doubleheader," recorded in our newsroom. that will be posted at the top of the rundown later tonight. >> brown: again, the major developments of the day: the final hours ticked down to those automatic federal spending cuts after president obama and republicans failed to reach agreement. and the governor of michigan declared a fiscal emergency in detroit and announced plans to appoint an emergency manager. >> woodruff: just how much salt is in the ocean, and why does that matter? hari sreenivasan has some answers. >> sreenivasan: scientists are mapping salt levels from space, and they're discovering clues about climate change. check out that story on our science page. and on "making sense,an economist's ke on ima change legiatn. read that on our homepage. all that and more is on our web site, newshour.pbs.org. judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight. on monday, we'll look at why fewer doctors are accepting

>> david brooks, the country is divided.re are 41 states that either ban it or treat gay marriage as something different than tradition traditional marriage. does that matter? >> yeah, but i think the trend -- i'm with hilary. the trend is amazing. has there ever been a society that's given complete equality to gays and lesbians until ours and currently western europe, no. this is a big, historic moment. the movement, i think, is overwhelming and gradual and almost irreversible. why has it happened? one, because a lot of brave gay and lesbian people had the courage to come out and people got to see them. second, because it became about marriage. it became about order, about having committed, long-term relationships which people conservative and liberal believe in. those two things have moved. the debate -- to me the only fear now is the court. the court overreaches and tries to impose a solution from the top and that sort of freezes and p polarizes the debate. >> i want to get to you in just a second. i want to come back to

david brooks, mark shields, we thank you both.tough subject. >> thank you, judy. >> suarez: again, the major developments of the day: north korea stepped up its rhetoric, as its leader ordered his generals to get rockets ready to strike u.s. targets. a white house spokesman dismissed the threat as bellicose rhetoric. christians around the world marked good friday, commemorating the crucifixion of jesus. and a grand jury in atlanta indicted the city's former school superintendent and 34 other educators. they're accused of cheating to make test scores look better than they were. >> woodruff: and you can watch our earlier reporting on the cheating scandal, online. also there, a science story about a coming onslaught for the east coast this spring. hari sreenivasan has more. >> sreenivasan: a swarm of cicadas-- as many as a million per acre in some areas-- will emerge from the ground in late may. if you live between connecticut and north carolina, you may witness the bugs' loud mating ritual. read more on our science page. 34 years ag

. >> suarez: and mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> woodruff: that's all aheadn tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> support also comes from carnegie corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. 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.

really, isy change, in the acquisition of firearms, according to david brooks. >> i read the same piece. i would just add this. countryat how the change so profoundly on same-sex marriage. the country has changed on gun control. when george h. w. bush w president, 80% of americans were for stricter gun control. when bill clinton was president, 70%. that has gone steadily down. in the obama years, we are in the low 40%. a little blip after tucson. but that is why the president is trying to remind people of newtown, because that is the only thing that can generate a level of public support. >> dealing with background hunters are sending e- mails saying we are not going to hunt in your state. we are going to boycott your state. you will never convince them that the federal government is not out to take their guns. >> i doubt that will make a serious dent in the sporting world of colorado. if you really think that citizens of this country can beat the united states army of the comes to that, comen. >> one thing about all of this is that it stirs up statistics you did not know, at least i di

. >> woodruff: and mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and friends of the newshour. 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. >> brown: it was a day of diplomacy for president obama in the middle east. he promised jordan he would seek $200 million in much-needed help to cope with an influx

. >> brown: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> woodruff: miles o'brien continues his investigation into drinking water contaminated with chromium six and the regulators responsible for cleaning it up. >> yeah, it causes cancer. that's the biggest health concern. >> we know that for sure. >> there's no doubt about it. it's considered a human carcinogen by all the major regulatory agencies in the world. >> brown: and we close with today's congressional testimony by the woman who headed j.p. morgan's risk unit about a billion dollar trading error. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> support also comes from carnegie corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like y

. >> brown: david brooks and ruth marcus analyze the week's news. >> suarez: and we close with a writer'seflections on the earthquake and tsunami that hit japan two years ago. >> i felt the need to go, and it's been this lifelong thing about japan that has called me. i wanted to hear the stories. i wanted to help people. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> support also comes from carnegie corporation of new york, a foundation created to do what andrew carnegie called "real and permanent good." celebrating 100 years of philanthropy at carnegie.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and fo

we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with david brooks and ruth marcus, among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> 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 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. >>> make it three straight all-time highs for the dow, fuelled today by optimism in the job market. >>> how's the consumer feeling these days? we'll find out as we go in focus on the american recovery. >>> and i ask the ceo of general motors if people are feeling the mood to buy. >>> and the threat of hackers is engaging economic engine, small business,

we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with david brooks and ruth marcus, among others. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> 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 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 "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. zte, union bank, and fidelity investments. >> this is what a personal economy looks like. and as life changes, fidelity can help you readjust your investments along the way, refocus as careers change and kids head off to college, and revisit your plan as

. >> staying on guns but just your colleague david brooks had a column today in which he talked aboutguy. >> there are other areas in the line of violence, the actions that lead to violence. he says gun acquisition is probably the link on the killing chain. probably something like 250 million guns floating around. it's hard to get a grip on past efforts and they have not dramatically reduced violence. is it a pair question to say that other areas in this line, you know, whether it's mental health or background checks are much more -- there's much more possibility for some action? >> well, absolutely. i mean, one of the most fascinating things about what's happened in the last few weeks is the sort of untold inside story about how the nra did this. you remember wayne lapierre and he was ridiculed. he was ridiculed roundly for saying that really the solution here is securing schools. in fact, the only piece of this senate bill that could probably get through both chambers right now is inkraes einkraese ee eee funding for security. >>> at a time americans think they won't have enough mon

we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among othersthank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. 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. >> a perfect ten. the dow registers its first ten-day win streak since 1996 and posts another all-time high. the s&p is just 2 points away. >>> new treasury secretary jack lew weighs in on the markets and the american economy. his interview just ahead. >>> and the tsa under fire. the growing backlash over knives on planes. what every traveler needs to know. good evening, everyone, and welcome to our public television viewers. suzy, the market beat goes on and on. >> it's like the energizer bunny. it just keeps g

i have david brooks of "the new york times" and e.j. dionne with me in washington. richard, let me start with you. the president called on israel to renew efforts to the creation of a palestinian

we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with david brooks and ruth marcus, among others.nk you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> bnsf railway. >> 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 broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsoreby macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

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: >> 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 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 captioning sponsored by wpbt >> this is n.b.r. >> susie: good evening everyone. i'm susie gharib. the sequester deadline is tomorrow, but it could take months for those massive federal spending cuts to ripple through the economy. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. those cuts come at a time when the economy is struggling to grow, the latest showing on g.d.p. shows growth but just barely. >> susie: and a big management change at groupon: c.e.o. andrew m

we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening with mark shields and david brooks, among othersk you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. 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 acce group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

. >> and if you read david brooks' column had in "the new york times," the big effort to equate thatort of mainstream position. the president has already said that he was open to cutting medicare. i don't know why. but he is. he's open to all of these things. and we just try to pretend like they don't happen. because after all, it's an either/or thing, maybe we need more exploration, maybe there's global warming, maybe there's not global warming. it's only a 98-2 question, but 2% of the people say it's not happening. maybe the earth is 6,000 years old, maybe it's not. that's exactly true. and harold is right that a lot of parts of the country are not feeling the effects of what's turned out to be an actual recovery. for god's sakes, let's don't stop the momentum we have now and then we can do some other things to sort of help it along. this has been a god-awful recession that we've had. and a lot of people are still in it. >> jake? >> the drama gets portrayed as republicans versus democrats. but the real drama here is reasonable republicans versus unreasonable republicans. and i thin

the critique, david brooks had said the philosophy of the day of data is something. the big question is rewarding. in which situation should we rely on intuitive pattern recognition and ignore intuition and follow the data? >> it is a great question. another book recently which used the trades numerical imagination versus narrative imagination. and i think it's really important that we don't choose one in favor of the other. we see each for the values that they deliver. so i don't necessarily see the utter dominance of the numerical way of thinking. but i do think it's an important tool set to bring to bear. and i honestly think that it's been massively underutilized through the course of human history. we are just now entering a period where the vast majority of our actions are going to be digitized so let's at least develop the tools and give ourselves the options of performing numerical thinking alongside our ver well developed mechanisms for narrative thinking. >> great to you have here. come back. >> great to be here, thank you. >> rose: thank you. captioning sp