jeffrey brown has the story. >> brown: as the school year comes to an end across the country and withtate budgets facing tens of billions of dollars in shortfalls, cuts in the classroom are looming. education secretary arne duncan has said 100,000 to 300,000 public school employees are at risk of losing their jobs. unions put the number of potential teacher layoffs at 160,000, with the biggest cuts projected to come in states like new york, up to 16,000, and california, as many as 36,000. a year ago, states were confronted with the possibility of making similar cuts but federal stimulus funds helped avoid them. this year, no apparent relief is in sight. the threat of layoffs comes as school systems from coast to coast seek to implement major education reforms, including the often contentious issue of how to weigh teacher experience against teacher performance. >> where's civilization? inside or outside? >> reporter: that includes washington, d.c., a reform effort we've been chronicling for the past few years where just yesterday the teacher's union ratified a new contract. it gives sc

jeffrey brown has our book conversation. >> brown: in late april, american troops withdrew from the corn gal valley in eastern afghanistan, a six-mile sliver of rock canyon high in the mountains bordering pakistan. for much of the five years americans fought that there, the korengal was controlled by rotating companies of u.s. troops trying to wrest control from the taliban and other insurgents. during 2007/2008, author and journalist sebastian judger took five one... junger took five one month trips there to chronicle the soldiers of battle company that the 173rd air airborne. it's now a book called "war and a documentary film titled to "es reprep poe. s reentrepreneur poe." you've taken a big war and honed in on one group of soldiers. what were you after? >> what i wanted was to understand the sort of universal experience of combat. i had the idea that that doesn't change much for the soldier on the ground war to war, censure troy century. >> brown: wherever you are. >> wherever you are. so i picked one platoon, second platoon of battle company. they were at a very remote out post call

jeffrey brown looks at a dancing phenomenon. >> brown: almost 30 years after appear in "sophisticate ladies" maurice hines is still at it. ♪ if it ain't got that swing ♪ >> brown: at 66, the man who gained fame tapping away with his brother, gregory, remains a marvel-- dancing, creating the choreography, and taking audiences through a review of the life of one america's greatest musician, duke ellington. >> it's the celebration of the greatness and genius of man. he really was quite exceptional as a musician. and as a personality, of course, when we said, "i love you madly, we love you madly," you can't make those things up. you can't make those things up. i'm the happiest i have been on the stage, with the exception of working with my brother. even with injuries, which you do get as a dancer, i can't wait to get on that stage. >> we, love, you, madly. ( applause ) >> brown: and there's added history to this revival being presented by arena stage. it's performed at the historic lincoln theater. ellington got his start in a club in what's now the theater's basement. and which sits in

jeffrey brown has the story. 7 ♪ >> brown: if it's nashville and there's a need to rouse the communityat, better way than music? last night, the capital of country music staged a special benefit concert dubbed, "nashville rising," to aid victims of the floodinging that hit this city and early tennessee in early may. in a 24-hour stretch, beginning may 1, nashville and the surrounding area got drenched in 13 inches of rain, causing the bank of the cumberland river to overflow. more than 30 people died in the region. at least 12,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. parts of downtown nashville were inundated with water. and landmarks, including the grand ole opry, were hit. weeks later, with a benefit concert about to get under way, we found a mix-- continuing loss and worries about the future alongside a steady rebuilding effort and a strong determination to show that nashville is well on its way back. even as the rain was falling, officials with hands on nashville, a local volunteer group, were localizing thousands of people to organize aid and rescue efforts. >> are you the host church

. >> ifill: and jeffrey brown closes with a conversation with two authors married to each other, both writing about happiness. >> lehrer: and that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. 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. >> innovative young minds taking on tomorrow's toughest challenges. >> 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 contributions to your pbs station from viewers like

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, a new law would establish regulation aimed at preventing another wall street meltdown. >> woodruff: then we explore why senate republicans blocked the extension of jobless benefits. >> brown: betty ann bowser looks at the mental health struggles for crisis-weary citizens of the gulf the people who live in southern louisiana are trying to work their way through another disaster but this time the psychiatric consequences may be more long lasting. >> woodruff: mark shields and david brooks offer their weekly analysis. >> brown: and margaret warner reports on world cup fever in bra expwril looks ahead to the report she's preparing on the impact of the gulf oil daft disaster on brazil's offshore drill plans. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. chevron. this is the power of human energy. 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

i'm jeffrey brown. president obama said today the u.s. won't miss a beat in the afghan war effort after the ouster of commanding general stanley mcchrystal. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight: afghan and other allies embraced mcchrystal's replacement, general david petraeus, and the senate set confirmation hearings for tuesday. we get three views on what will be different with petraeus in charge. >> brown: then, marcia coyle of the "national law journal" walks us through today's supreme court rulings narrowing the scope of a law used to convict prominent white-collar criminals. >> woodruff: we tell the tale of the longest match in tennis history, finally won by american john isner at wimbledon after 11 hours of play over three days. >> brown: paul solman has a very different kind of sports story: basketball star lebron james' economic impact on the city of cleveland. >> no one really knew where cleveland was. maybe is it close to new york? is it close to chicago? now lebron james gets on the team. "where you fro

jeffrey brown has our story. >> may it please the court? as i understand the position of the distinguished defense counsel.... >> brown: in 1954 thurgood marshall organized argued one of the most important cases in american history, brown versus board of education which would pave the way for integration nationwide. the moment is captured in the play thurgood now at washington's kennedy center for the performing arts. >> only one thing can justify continued segregation. and that is a determination that the people who were once held in slavery be kept as near to that condition as is possible. and now is the time for the court to make it clear that that is not what the constitution of the united states stands for. >> brown: thurgood marshall would go on to become the nation's first black supreme court justice. >> my professional life has been marked by great good fortune. >> reporter: and now one of his former clerks solicitor general elena kagan is president obama's nominee to follow in his footsteps. >> thurgood marshall who did more to prom

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on tonight's newshour, the market fall came after news of a disappointing jobs picture in may. we'll look at the numbers and the state of the recovery with economist lisa lynch and market analyst liz-ann saunders. >> woodruff: then, an update on the situation in the gulf of mexico as president obama made his third visit to the region. plus, spencer michels looks at how the oil spill is affecting louisiana's lucrative drilling industry. >> there are thousands of oil production platforms like this in the gulf of mexico. now, there is fear that there won't be any more drilling, and that will affect the economy of the region. >> brown: we get the weekly analysis of mark shields and david brooks. >> woodruff: and paul solman talks to harvard economist ben friedman about the college graduates who still flock to wall street, three years into the financial crisis. >> it's all the more troubling when i think that, after they leave us, so many of them go into activities that are not economicall

i'm jeffrey brown. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer."washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you online and again here on monday evening. have a nice weekend. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. 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

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, with hundreds of thousands of oily patches in the gulf, and tar balls on the shore, we look at cleanup efforts likely to stretch into the fall and beyond. >> ifill: then, as two new jersey men are accused of plotting violence with suspected terrorists in somalia, we look at home-grown conspiracy. >> this is a very real danger. it's one of the department of justice and our law enforcement partners take very seriously. >> brown: ray suarez gets a mostly "good news" update about cancer treatments, unveiled at a meeting of specialists in chicago. >> ifill: fred de sam lazaro reports on a housing program in kenya, helping the very poor escape nairobi's slums. >> to houses like that, that are cheerful and airy with bathrooms. to me it was almost a sign of you just got to keep going. >> brown: and judy woodruff previews tomorrow's coast-to- coast primary contests with amy walter of "hotline" and dan balz of the "washington post." >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight: the churning surf also pushed more oil onto gulf coast beaches. we get an update on the growing storm. >> ifill: then, we have a newsmaker interview with richard holbrooke, the u.s. special representative for afghanistan and pakistan about the firing of general stanley mcchrystal and about the war. >> brown: kwame holman takes us through day three of the confirmation hearing for supreme court nominee elena kagan and judy woodruff gets analysis from marcia coyle of the "national law journal." >> ifill: tom bearden reports from florida on scientists going deep underwater to explore the damage caused by the gushing oil well. >> the whole idea about oil impacting known delicate ecosystems is really a new one. toxicity studies done in the lab do not come close to replicating the impact this might have. >> brown: and poet benjamin saenz talks of living and writing amid the violence of the u.s./mexico border. >> this is the place that really defines me, because it

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, it was a 5-4 vote, with the court deciding that chicago's law aimed at curbing gun violence was unconstitutional. marcia coyle of the "national law journal" fills in the details, and we get two views of the ruling. >> ifill: then, we turn to the future of the supreme court, as senate confirmation hearings begin for nominee elena kagan. >> i will do my best to consider every case impartially, modestly, with commitment to principle and in accordance with law. >> brown: we get the latest on the arrest of ten russians allegedly acting as long-term deep-cover spies in the u.s. >> ifill: and we remember west virginia senator robert byrd, who died today at age 92. >> could i ever imagined that i would become the longest serving member in the history , the great history of the united states congress. >> ifill: 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 foundati

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight: tony hayward denied he was stonewalling ouse committee and said the company is doing everything possible to contain the spill. we have excerpts of his testimony and the latest from the gulf. >> there is a lot of tension and it's still quite volatile. humanitarian aid is coming there but it is quite difficult to deliver the aid in appropriate way to the people who are suffering. >> lehrer: we have another in our blueprint america series on infrastructure. miles o'brien reports on dubuque, iowa-- a rustbelt city with big hopes for a green and vibrant future. >> it is a community where you can live, you can go to the grocery store, the drug store, the doctor's office, you can get all over... around that neighborhood and around the city without ever having an automobile. >> brown: and we update europe's debt crisis as governments across the continent announce big spending cuts. >> lehrer: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour

. >> brown: go ahead. >> jeffrey, that's a good point but one thing that matea mentioned was that part of the revenue stream comes from the cable operators. that means that cnn has got to ask for top dollar for a news network from the cable operators. if the ratings are low, if the audience can't watching, cnn's bargaining power with the cable operators declines. >> brown: you've both said that... go ahead, matea. >> i was just going to say it's also just an image problem. i think that aside from the financial bottom line right now cnn has been battered really with story after story about its prime time woes. even though that's just a fraction of their, you know, schedule across the board, that has created a perception that the network is no longer as vibrant and as essential as it used to be. that's something that deeply troubles people inside the network. >> brown: but that's the case even though, bob, you've both said that it still has this global presence. it still has the brand name. how much influence does it still have these days? >> cnn has great influence. it's still watched i