tonight a conversation with r&b superstar bobby brown. this summer the former new edition front man is out with his first album in nearly 15 years. the disc is called "the masterpiece" and has already produced a new single. later this year he and the crew are planning a reunion in conjunction with their 30th anniversary. we're glad you've joined us, a conversation with bobby brown coming up right now. >> all i know is his name is james and he needs extra help with his reading. >> i'm james. >> yes. >> to everyone making a difference -- >> thank you. >> you help us all live better. >> nationwide insurance supports tavis smiley. with every question and every answer, nationwide insurance is proud to join tavis in working to improve financial literacy and remove obstacles from economic empowerment one conversation at a time. nationwide is on your side. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television] tavis: bobby brown is back. this year marks the release of his

. >> brown: i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, the aid commitments come amid a week of violence in the arab world. we have the latest on the uprisings throughout the middle east. >> woodruff: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> brown: in health news, stephen nissen of the cleveland clinic looks at a new study that shows boosting good cholesterol does little to prevent heart attacks. ( "pomp and circumstance" plays ) >> woodruff: college costs are soaring, and so is student debt. we get four views on whether today's diplomas are worth the bills. >> brown: plus, from rome, ray suarez previews this weekend's vatican conference on hiv/aids prevention. >> there's a massive audience for whatever the catholic church teaches, because you have to remember, that with over 1 billion members around the world one out of every six people on planet earth is a catholic. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i mean, where would

i'm ray suarez. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> oil companies make huge profits. >> last year, chevron made a lot of money. >> where does it go? >> every penny and more went into bringing energy to the world. >> the economy is tough right now, everywhere. >> we pumped $21 million into local economies, into small businesses, communities, equipment, materials. >> that money could make a big difference to a lot of people. moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. pacific life-- the power to help you succeed. intel. 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. captioni

jerry brown's pretty conservative.e's legendarily cheap in his personal life and he's applied that in state budgeting. he wants to be very careful and cautious and i think that's what this budget reflects in terms of money. >> belva: before we move to paul rogers and places the governor wants to cut, tell us how redistricting might help jerry brown. >> this is the fascinating part of it. i think it could help him more, like in the old days where the legislature and the governor drew the maps. there's a palpable sense of nervousness now because the independent redistricting commission is about to release draft maps in early june where legislative congressional districts are and you've got a lot of members of the legislature are wondering where they're going to run, who their opponents will be, where they'll get their campaign money and after the maps come out in june you'll see what the political calculus will be voting for the budget, republicans, whether they can or cannot vote for the taxes knowing who their constitu

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, the announcement came as the president took time to honor the nation's servicemen and women this memorial day. we look at the day's events and the new military leadership. >> ifill: then, we get an update on efforts to rebuild joplin, missouri, one week after a deadly tornado ripped through the city. >> brown: and judy woodruff explores what's behind the recent uptick in severe weather, not just in joplin, but across the country. >> ifill: plus, ray suarez, in rome, reports on the catholic church's approach to hiv-aids prevention. >> the vatican has ended the debate but not the controversy over whether catholics or catholic organizations can use condoms to control the spread of aids. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> during its first year, the humpback calf and its mother are almost inseparable. she lifts her calf to its first breath of air, then protects it on the long journey to

i'm jeffrey brown. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, we have an on-the-ground account of the devastation. plus, we examine the power of the twisters that have ravaged the south and midwest this spring. >> brown: then, ray suarez talks to marcia coyle about today's supreme court ruling, ordering california to slash its overcrowded prison population. >> ifill: kwame holman looks at fractures within the g.o.p. over the future of medicare. >> reporter: one republican proposal would remake the federal health care program completely, but the discord is the plan is causing is reverberating at the national and local levels. >> brown: special correspondent saima mohsin reports on a program to provide affordable health care to pakistan's urban poor. >> reporter: the 40 million low-income families here, 99.3% of them don't have health insurance. >> ifill: and we update europe's economic woes, as president obama kicks off a six-day trip to the continent. >> brown: that's all ahead, on tonight's newshour. major funding for t

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we have the latest on the damage and the long cleanup ahead. >> woodruff: then ray suarez updates the state of immigration reform, as president obama revives his case for an overhaul of the nation's laws. >> brown: kwame holman reports on the politics of the debate over how much the federal government can borrow, after speaker boehner offered his opening bid. >> without significant spending cuts and changes in the way we spend the american people's money, there will be no increase in the debt limit. >> woodruff: we get two views of the obama administration's stepped-up criticism of china's human rights record. >> brown: from ukraine, special correspondent kira kay explores lessons being learned about fulfilling the promises of the 2004 revolution. >> from the failings of the orange government and the subsequent return of authoritarian concerns comes a warning for current activists in the middle east. democracy building is harder than it looks. >> woodruff: and

i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.ou online, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i want to know what the universe... >> looks like. >> feels like. >> from deep space. >> to a microbe. >> i can contribute to the world by pursuing my passion for science. >> it really is the key to the future. >> i want to design... >> a better solar cell. >> i want to know what's really possible. >> i want to be the first to cure cancer. >> people don't really understand why things work. i want to be that person that finds out why. chevron. we may have more in common than you think. >> and by bnsf railway. pacific life-- the power to help you succeed. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contribution

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the rescue operations from fema director craig fugate in joplin. >> ifill: then, we assess chrysler's comeback, as it repays billions of dollars in government loans. >> brown: kwame holman examines israeli prime minister netanyahu's address to congress outlining his vision for the middle east. >> i'm willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace. as the leader of israel, it's my responsibility to lead my people to peace. >> ifill: we have two stories about the war in libya-- a report from tripoli on the nato air strikes of moammar qaddafi's compound... >> brown: ...and ray suarez gets a journalist's perspective on covering the conflict from lourdes garcia navarro of npr. >> what became so compelling was the story of people who had never shot a weapon before. people who were architects. people who were students. all of a sudden they were fighting for their very lives. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. ma

thank you. >> brown: the u.s.reme court today ruled federal law does not pre-empt an arizona measure that punishes employers who hire illegal immigrants. the split decision was a blow to immigrant advocates, business and civil liberties groups, and the obama administration. under the arizona law, companies caught hiring illegal workers can be stripped of their business licenses. and employers are required to use the otherwise-optional federal verification program known as "e-verify." today's case is separate from another controversial arizona immigration law making its way through the court system. as always, marcia coyle of "the national law journal" walks us through it. >> thanks,. >> brown: first remind us of the background on the case and the arizona law. >> okay, there is a federal immigration law that preeferm-- preempts or blocks state and local laws that impose civil or criminal sanctions on employers who hire unauthorized aliens, other than through their licensing or similar laws. and keep that phrase in

from what i know of the brown act and from what i have seen here, it is likely there was not the brown act violation. but it concerns me to hear the appellant taking the position is. i think it is unfortunate because i know the appellant has brought many people here, who have taken time out of the middle of their day and have potentially wasted their time if this is somehow an invalid hearing. i am disappointed to hear that are taking that position, but that is what i just heard. that is the concern i have now. president chiu: let me suggest the following may -- falling way to move forward to this. are there any of us to believe we should re-much as this hearing and hold another hearing? -- re-notice this hearing and hold another hearing? we could vote on that. we could end this hearing now and what does it again for the future. but at this point, the 11 of us to believe this has been noticed properly. let us put that on the record. a future court can decide based on any appeal of this case the weather the brown act was violated. i suggest that as a possible way for us to move forward.

i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> i mean, where would we be without small businesses? >> we need small businesses. >> they're the ones that help drive growth. >> like electricians, mechanics, carpenters. >> they strengthen our communities. >> every year, chevron spends billions with small businesses. that goes right to the heart of local communities, providing jobs, keeping people at work. they depend on us. >> the economy depends on them. >> and we depend on them. >> i want to know what the universe... >> looks like. >> feels like. >> from deep space. >> to a microbe. >> i can contribute to the world by pursuing my passion for science. >> it really is the key to the future. >> i want to design... >> a better solar cell. >> i want to know what's really possible. >> i want to be the first to cure cancer. >> people don't really understand why things work. >> i want to be that person