sloan foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and viewers like you. nasa announcer: liftoff! the clock is running. pilot: they have mass casualties up here. ringside announcer: schmeling is down!

and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontline is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional funding is provided by the park foundation, dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the wyncote foundation. and by the frontline journalism fund, supporting investigative reporting and enterprise journalism. >> narrator: reporter muhammad ali is crossing into syria as a violent new phase of the civil war is beginning. he is filming his journey into the north of the country under the protection of fighters from the free syrian army, who began the uprising against the regime of bashar al assad, but are now also battling radical islamic factions-- jihadists who want to take over the country. >> we have just crossed from the syrian borders with turkey. the jihadists don't like journalists. they don't like the fsa battalions because they are accusing them of

corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by prudential. additional funding is provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. >>> next on kqed "newsroom," more than 200 flu deaths in california, and counting. >> nice and relax for me. >> why is this year's outbreak worse than others? >>> san jose state university grapples with race-related harassment. the search for solutions now under way. >>> and one san francisco doctor's experience treating kids coping with the stress of urban life. >> folks who are exposed to adversity in childhood have increased risk of chronic disease in adulthood.

corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by prudential. additional funding is provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. >> be more. >>> next on "kqed newsroom," contra costa county under fire for allegedly mistreating teens in juvenile hall. >>> squalor, security problems, and mismanagement. an investigation of richmond's public housing agency. >> this is a health hazard to me. bugs. i don't do bugs. i don't do mice. >>> and the president of the golden state warriors discusses michael samm and the debate over sexual orientation in professional sports. >> this is kind of an exclamation point on the things that happened in our society and certainly in sports over the last three years.

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additional support is provided by -- and by -- the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnep studios at lincoln center, new york -- >> good evening, thanks for joining us. dramatic change under way tonight in ukraine, the former soviet republic of more man 45 million people separating north from west. tymoshenko set free, hours earlier, victor yanukovych fled the country and he was voted out of office calling it a coup. we have the latest from james blake of britain's channel 4 news. [ chanting ] >> reporter: they chant her name, the opposition leader in prison for more than two years, yulia tymoshenko has at last been freed. these images showed emotion of her release after a day of rapid and momentous change. it is a defining and iconic image of revolution, yet this is not 1989, but 25 years on in western ukraine as people here declared freedom from russian influence. they've always been closer to europe in this part of the country. but it's not that easy. protesters and opposition groups took control

corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by prudential. additional funding is also provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. on this valentine's day, why is there no love for washington? could it be because everything seems so partisan? this was vice president biden, speaking to house democrats at their retreat today in maryland. >> i wish there was a republican party. i wish there was one person you could sit across the table from, make a deal, make a compromise and know when you got up from that table, it was done. all you had to do was look at the responses to the state of the union. what were there, three or four? no, i'm not being facetious. and so i think we should just get a little focused here. gwen: and here's senator john cornyn, earlier this week, talking about the health care law -- but not really. >> it's the president's responsibility to enforce the laws that congress makes and that he signs into law, but this president and this administration e

>> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from: and by the corporation for public broadcasting. major support for frontline is provided by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. more information is available at macfound.org. additional funding is provided by the park foundation. dedicated to heightening public awareness of critical issues. the wyncote foundation. and by the frontline journalism fund, with major support from john and jo ann hagler and a grant from scott nathan and laura debonis. >> the pta put together this event tonight because as parents, we're all going through the digital revolution with our kids. we have douglas rushkoff... >> douglas rushkoff: i've been speaking at events like this for more than 20 years now. >> my sister has two twitter accounts... >> rushkoff: i've written books and taught classes about this stuff, so people turn to me for answers. >> what do you do in the case of extreme bullying? >> my son plays a game called starcraft. >> how much does that show up in tracking

corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by prudential. additional funding is provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to pbs stations from viewers like you. thank you. once again, live from washington, moderator gwen ifill. gwen: good evening. gauntlets were thrown down, heroes were cheered, trash was talked. and then a funny thing happened on the way out of the state of the union. republicans and democrats began hinting about getting things done. even if it's done around the edges. here's john boehner on immigration. >> this problem's been around for at least the last 15 years. it's been turned into a political football. i think it's unfair. and so i think it's time to deal with it. but how we deal with it is going to be critically important. gwen: then there was the president, still talking about moving on without congress, but not quite as aggressively as before. >> while congress decides whether it's going to raise the minimum wage or not, people outside of washington are not waiting for congress and i'm not, either. so as the chief executive, i'm going to lead by example. gwen:

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: a new report on economic effects of the president's health care law struck sparks today. the congressional budget office projected as many as 2.3 million workers will reduce their hours or drop out of the work force by 2021 as they gain health insurance. jason furman chairs the president's council of economic advisers. >> even if the net result of this is a net reduction in labor supply, to the degree it's because of people's choices, we'll think about it differently than if businesses are cutting jobs. this is not businesses cutting back on jobs, this is people having new choices they didn't use to have. >> woodruff: furman also argued the report does not take into account a number of economic benefits of the law. but republicans, including senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, said in fact, the new estimate proves the law is indeed a job killer. >> the cbo report is certainly not pretty if you'

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the interim leaders in ukraine issued a warrant today for ousted president viktor yanukovych, for the killings of protesters. yanukovych fled kiev over the weekend for the eastern, pro- russian half of the country. we have a report from james mates of independent television news. >> reporter: the city of sevastopol is in ukraine but as its now daily demonstrations show, the flag its people show allegiance to is the russian one. it's here the fugitive former president yanukovych is now believed to have sought sanctuary at a russian naval base. if true, russia's president putin is unlikely ever to hand him over. still, celebrating the end of his sochi olympic party, his prime minister today made russia's anger at what's happened abundantly clear. "some of our western partners," he said, "think there's a legitimate government there. it's strange to call a government legitimate when it's the result of an a

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: a political firestorm in one state, a major court fight in another and strong words from the nation's chief law enforcement officer. it all served today to highlight the shifting political and legal landscape on gay rights. >> woodruff: the shift was evident this morning as u.s. attorney general eric holder told his state counterparts they are not obliged to defend bans on gay marriage. >> any decisions at any level not to defend individual laws must be exceedingly rare. but in general, i believe that we must be suspicious of legal classifications based solely on sexual orientation. and we must endeavor in all of our efforts to uphold and advance the values that once led our forebears to declare unequivocally that all are created equal and entitled to equal opportunity. >> woodruff: so far, 17 states and the district of columbia have legalized same-sex unions. and a trial opened in detroit today on

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the latest attempt to restore benefits for the long-term unemployed has stalled in the senate again. democrats fell one vote short of the 60 needed to limit debate. republicans today blocked the bill for the second time this year. an estimated 1.7 million americans have been affected since the benefits began expiring in late december. prospects for passing immigration legislation appeared to dim today. house speaker john boehner argued the root of the problem is that congress and the country doubt president obama would fully implement a new law, even if one did pass. >> the president seems to change the health care law on a whim wherever he likes. now he's running around the country telling everyone that he's going to keep acting on his own. listen, there's widespread doubt about whether this administration can be trusted to enforce our laws and it's going to be difficult to move any immigration leg

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: this was the day after for much of the eastern seaboard, digging out from the latest winter storm. in parts of the northeast, snowfall topped two feet, and in the south, nearly half-a-million customers spent a third day with no power. the storm was also blamed for 25 deaths. hari sreenivasan reports on the day's developments. >> reporter: heaps and heaps of snow made a messy aftermath as the big storm moved on. plows and trucks worked overtime to clear streets from the deep south, all the way to the northeast and new england. but for many, the morning commute was treacherous. one stretch of the pennsylvania turnpike outside philadelphia had three separate pile-ups this morning. >> there was a big truck right behind me and he didn't stop in time he slid into the back of me, which pushed me right into the b.m.w. >> reporter: in washington, it was back to work for federal employees after yesterday's sn

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: there was no rest for the winter-weary across the south today. the latest storm to hit the region sent power outages heading toward the half-million mark. newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report. >> reporter: the stinging sleet started falling in georgia overnight, and by morning everything was crusted with a coat of ice, just what many across the south were dreading. >> we're getting ready for the ice, cause that's what we're concerned with, not the snow. >> reporter: ice already was weighing down tree limbs and power lines, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in georgia and elsewhere. and, that number was expected to rise steadily. as the storm kept moving, freezing rain, sleet and snow were forecast to cover a wide swath of the south, from west of the mississippi, across georgia and up the coast through the carolinas. in north carolina, black ice already wa

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the capital of ukraine erupted in fighting and fire today, with officials reporting more than a dozen people killed. the battle in kiev stretched into the night, pitting the pro- russian government against protesters demanding closer ties with the west. we have a report narrated by james mates of independent television news. has been asking when the ukrainian authorities would move to clear the demonstrators from a kiev's main square. at 8:00 p.m. local time ranks riot police, armored vehicle decided to move in and met with volley's of bombs and fireworks. the demonstrators have prepared their defenses well, barricade, tires, anti-vehicles all quickly ablaze to stop the advancing troops but stun grenades, rubber bullets all slowly beat down the resistance in their fire. even before night fall in kiev, nine people have died, including two policemen. that toll is now known to be raising with every pa

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: millions of winter- weary americans got no relief today. instead, a new system knocked out power, grounded flights and sent cars careening the second major storm this week dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain from the midwest to new england, causing delays for thousands of commuters at airports and on the road. >> i'm waiting for the summer. i've had enough. please, no more snow. >> ifill: more than a million homes and businesses lost power, most of them in pennsylvania. and, the governors of new york and new jersey declared states of emergency. in the midwest, indianapolis began trying to dig out from eight inches of snow that fell tuesday. at one point, a southwest jet arriving in kansas city, missouri, had to be towed off a snowbound runway. >> i came here because i thought i would be going south and it would be warmer. and it's really not. even so, many judged it safe enough to take to the streets

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: january's jobs report is raising new questions about the strength of the american economy. the labor department reported today that employers added 113,000 workers, fewer than expected. at the same time, the unemployment rate actually fell again, by a tenth of a point, so it's now 6.6 percent. paul solman sorts out the numbers for us, right after the news summary. >> woodruff: wall street apparently saw some bright spots in the employment data. the dow jones industrial average gained 165 points to close at 15,794. the nasdaq rose more than 68 points to close above 4,125. for the week, both the dow and the nasdaq gained a fraction of a percent. woodruff: president obama signed a new, five-year farm bill into law today. it costs $956 billion, keeps most crop subsidies intact, but cuts $800 million a year from food stamps, a reduction of about 1%. the signing ceremony took place at michigan state univ

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: in ukraine's capital city, the standoff between police and protesters exploded into mayhem. a doctor working with the protesters reported at least 70 people dead and 500 wounded in kiev. we have a report from james mates of independent television news. a warning, some of the images may be disturbing. >> reporter: no one wants to call what's happening in central kiev a war. but it's beginning to look very like one. as riot police began to redeploy around the city's central square early this morning, protesters moved forward to fill the empty space. and from that moment all hell broke loose. for a while it was hand to hand fighting. then headlong retreat. and then the normal vocabulary of riot control or violent protest became redundant. there was suddenly no restraint. they were shooting and shooting to kill. this extraordinary footage is of protesters coming under sustained and highly accurate snip

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: this was a day of deepening crisis in crimea, amid growing signs of a possible bid to break away from ukraine. ukrainian leaders accused russia of a military invasion and occupation of crimea. newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report on the day's events. >> reporter: the situation in crimea approached a dangerous pivot point, as ukraine's new government accused russian forces of taking over two airports, a coast guard station and a border post. at a roadblock near one airport, this man said he had no idea who the armed men were, but they quickly set up a security perimeter. >> ( translated ): they arrived around 10:00 p.m. right there a machine gun was installed. the trucks passed through and immediately took control of the whole area; armed men jumped out from the trucks. >> reporter: the crimean peninsula is a bastion of support for moscow, and is home to russia's black sea naval fleet.

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the new chair of the federal reserve bank signaled today she's largely keeping the policies of the man she replaced. janet yellen made her first public comments since taking over last week from ben bernanke. she told a congressional hearing the fed will keep interest rates low, and gradually reduce stimulus efforts, as long as the economy improves. and, she played down the january drop-off in job creation. >> we have to be very careful not to jump to conclusions in interpreting what those reports mean. there were weather factors we've hawe've, unseasonably cold temperatures, temperatures that may be affecting economic activity in the job market and elsewhere. >> woodruff: yellen's testimony went over well on wall street. the dow jones industrial average gained nearly 193 points to close well over 15,994 the nasdaq rose almost 43 points to close at 4,191. some of the nation's leading tech firms join

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: winter bore down on the northeastern u.s. again today, walloping everything from washington d.c. to boston after leaving a treacherous mess across the south. the latest big storm barreled up the east coast as it was being blamed for the deaths of at least 20 people. one official in the philadelphia area summed up the feelings of many, saying: "snow has become a four-letter word". newshour correspondent kwame holman has our report >> snow, more snow, sleet, snow, freezing rain and snow again. that was the sequence for the drubbing the south, mid-atlantic and northeast endured in the last 24 hours. the huge system spread across hundreds of miles today and even earned a nickname "sno-chi" drawing on the russian city hosting the winter olympics. the washington d.c. area got upwards of 11 inches of snow overnight. and by this morning, winter sports enthusiasts were out in force. federal offices were clo

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: ukraine's parliament voted in a new government today and it immediately faced a challenge from the country's crimea region. pro-russian gunmen seized official buildings there, as russian military jets patrolled along the border. it raised concerns at a nato meeting in brussels, where u.s. defense secretary chuck hagel said he's keeping a close watch on russian actions. >> let's keep the tensions down. let's see no provocative actions by anyone, any military. these are difficult times, we all understand that, but this is a time for very cool, wise leadership. on the russian side, on everybody's side >> woodruff: in washington, secretary of state john kerry said he spoke with russia's foreign minister, who promised to respect ukraine's sovereignty. meanwhile, russian news accounts said ousted ukrainian president viktor yanukovich is sheltering at a kremlin retreat near moscow. there's word he plans a

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the sell-off on wall street picked up today where it left off friday, on worries about sluggish growth. the dow jones industrial average lost 326 points to close at 15,372. the nasdaq fell 106 points to close under 3997. amid the downturn, janet yellen was sworn in as chair of the federal reserve. she's the first woman to lead the central bank in its 100-year history. >> ifill: frigid weather cut into the car business in january, as buyers stayed away from showrooms. ford, general motors, toyota and volkswagen all reported today their sales were down from a year ago. chrysler, nissan and subaru bucked that trend, reporting increased sales. >> ifill: in a few years, all new cars and light trucks may come with technology that can prevent most wrecks. transportation secretary anthony foxx announced today he expects to make that proposal before the end of the obama administration. it involves special tran

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: ukraine's pro-russian president has announced a truce after a late-night meeting with the pro-european opposition. that follows tuesday's all-out battles and bloodshed in kiev that left at least 26 dead and hundreds wounded. we have a report from matt frei of independent television news. >> reporter: independence square is a busy place today humming with the solemn industry of an ant hill. last night the trade union building which served as the headquarters of the revolution was burnt down. today the wreck and its con at any times were already being recycled, as building materials for the new set of barricades. everything and anything will do, even a hairdresser's chair. mean meanwhile a poet with a keen eye on a career opportunity mounts the barricades to recite his latest ballad. but if all this looks like epic set for a revolutionary nostalgia film, don't be fooled. on the other side of wall of smo

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: charges and counter- charges flew back and forth today over the stalemate in the syrian peace talks. secretary of state john kerry accused the syrian government of stonewalling after negotiations broke off saturday. kerry spoke in indonesia. >> they have refused to open up one moment of discussion legitimately about a transition government. and it is very clear that bashar al assad is continuing to try to win this in the battlefield rather than to come to the negotiating table in good faith. >> ifill: the secretary also accused russia of enabling assad by giving him weapons and other aid. but in moscow, foreign minister sergei lavrov said the real blame lies with the u.s. and others backing the syrian rebels on the battlefield. >> in other words, they leave the peace talks and once again faying a military option. they won't get the strong support from outside as was the case in libya. >> ifill: there'

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: tensions inside and outside ukraine ratcheted higher today, as lawmakers prepared to approve a new government. in crimea, pro-russian demonstrators clashed with supporters of the protest movement. meanwhile, russian president vladimir putin ordered surprise military exercises near the border with ukraine. we'll get more on all of this, right after the news summary. the u.s. military's top commander is warning the impasse on a security deal with afghanistan could embolden the taliban. army general martin dempsey -- chairman of the joint chiefs -- spoke a day after president obama ordered plans for a total u.s. withdrawal by year's end. mr. obama also spoke with karzai by phone, for the first time since last june. today, karzai's spokesman played down any tension between the two. >> 2014 is the year of withdrawal of most of us forces anyway. and there was no such discussion of a complete withdrawal in t

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: ukraine pulled back from the brink, just a bit, today. the pro-russian president reached agreement with pro- western opposition leaders to limit his power and speed up elections. protesters are supposed to disarm and withdraw, but it's far from clear they will, after scores were killed and hundreds wounded this week. james mates of independent television news filed this report. >> independent square in kiev for once at a stand still. the only signs that chanting increased is the coffins of yesterday's dead hoisting up above the crowd. so many is making it extremely difficult for those who live to make it anything less than total victory. the deal that was signed today by a battle president yanukovych opposition leaders and two european foreign ministers is less than total victory. it's a compromise that will see a new constitution and fresh elections later this year. the foreign ministers of german

. >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: supporters of the much-debated keystone oil pipeline project won a key round today. a state department review found completing the pipeline, from canada to the gulf, would cause no serious environmental problems. we'll have more on the review, and its implications, right after the news summary. the state of california is cutting off state-supplied water to 25 million people in the face of severe drought. the unprecedented decision today means 29 water agencies will have to rely on local sources of water. the head of the state water control board says it's essential to conserve what little water is left in state reservoirs. this is the most serious drouted we've faced if modern times. and we'll have to face it head on and make many hard decisions in days, weeks and months to come. everyone, farmers, fish and people is cities and towns will get less water because of the drought. >> woodruff: the cut-