i'm jeffrey brown. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. on the newshour tonight, we get the latest on the campaign landscape for both the white house and the senate from susan page and stu rothenberg. >> brown: then we look at the largest-ever survey on global tobacco use, showing a troubling rise in many developing countries. >> ifill: john merrow has the story of summer school in a failing district in rhode island, where officials are trying to help students catch up. >> i didn't do a lot of math this summer and i don't think my scores are improving. >> my friends just sit home and watch tv. they don't do much.

jeffrey brown picks up that story. >> brown: how bad? and what to do?pressure in some quarters has grown on the federal reserve to act, the fed today gave its latest answers. jon hilsenrath, chief economic correspondent for the "wall street journal," tells us more. john, first, another gloomy portrait of the state of the economy, right? what is the fed seeing? >> the fed is seeing an economy that slowed down in the first half of the year which we all knew about but what is important is what the fed is signaling which is that it's response running out and that it's preparing to take new actions to bolster growth if it doesn't see a pick up soon. that use pretty blunt language, blunt as for as signal bankers go to show they will take new steps to try to accelerate the economy is bring down unemployment if they don't see some improvement fairly gloon well, blunt as in central bankers, that language there was fed speak that you could interpret for us. they said it will provide additional accommodation as needed. that's great fed speak. what does that mean?

jeffrey brown has been talking to people who have known ryan for many years. >> brown: this afternoondowntown tampa, it was beer and brats. at a party for a state that's been much in the political spotlight in the past few years. wisconsin delegates celebrated some of their rising stars. most of all, paul ryan. >> thanks so much. it's great to see you. the 42 year old from janesville has been a fast-riser, spotted early as a man destined to go places. >> everybody knew immediately, even though he was only 22 or 23 years old, this was a real star in the making. >> brown: it was vin weber who hired the young ryan to work for empower america, a conservative advocacy group founded by jack kemp. >> it was born of a real optimistic vision of what conservative principles can do, to make america better. so people came to us-- paul ryan notable among them-- they were not frustrated. they were optimistic. they were eager to engage in the battle of ideas of what would make america a better place for everybody. >> brown: ryan engaged in ideas and very soon in politics itself, running for the firs

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we examine the gathering suspicions and heightened tensions between tehran and the west. >> woodruff: then, we get the latest on the lifetime ban from cycling imposed on lance armstrong after he ended his fight against doping charges. >> brown: ray suarez marks a milestone in the afghanistan war as the death toll for u.s. troops hit 2,000 this week. >> woodruff: while delegates gather for the g.o.p. convention, paul solman is on the ground talking to business owners about taxes, regulation, and the party's platform. >> in tampa florida, the republicans make their economic case. at thunder shirts, accoustablock and the convention hall. >> brown: and mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: bnsf railway. carnegie corporation >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we assess the toll of war-- in afghanistan, and here at home, where suicides by army soldiers have spiked. >> woodruff: then, we turn to the prison sentences for three female punk rockers in moscow who denounced president putin; and margaret warner examines what the trial says about dissent in russia. >> brown: paul solman reports on a government program that allows u.s. firms to hire foreign students for the summer. is the motivation good will or cheap labor? >> they're disenfranchising young american workers who need these jobs. their motivation is not good international relations. their motivation is the bottom line. >> woodruff: plus mark shields and rich lowry analyze the week's news. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we assess the row, coming just as the republican party polishes its official position on abortion ahead of next week's convention. >> ifill: then we examine apple's rise to the largest-ever american company, even as facebook's stock troubles continue. >> brown: from seattle, hari sreenivasan has the story of a year-round program that asks students as young as ten to commit to graduating from college. garance franke-ruta. jon ward. ted schadler. sylla. diana nyad. mickey edwards. >> brown: i'm jeffrey brown. an epidemic of whooping cough and briz winning whnchs i grow up. i want to be a paleontologist because i want to study reptiles and amphibians. >> i want to be an engineer and technology engineer and i'm going to have to go to mit. >> ifill: margaret warner talks to diana nyad after she was plucked from the florida straits today, ending her fourth attempt to swim 103 miles from cuba to florida. >> three single things we were up against was an obstacle, a hu

. >> ifill: and jeffrey brown talks to pulitizer prize winning author richard ford about "canada," his new novel on murder, morality and coming of age. >> woodruff: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshou" 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. >> ifill: the nation could be pushed into a major recession next year if scheduled spending cuts and tax hikes kick in at the end of the year. the congressional budget office said going over the so-called fiscal cliff could have dire consequences. unless congress acts by the end of the year, americans can expect more than $300 billion in tax increases as bush-era tax cuts expire. and nearly $200 billion in across-the-board spending cuts congress agreed to last year in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. the c.b.o. said those changes would reduce the deficit substantially. but the economy would also shrink

jeffrey brown has that. >> brown: he was born, raised and still lives in janesville, wisconsin; servedesident, prom king, and worked at mcdonald's in high scol; atteed miami uversity in ohio; and was first elected to the house of representatives when he was just 28. among those watching his rise in wisconsin and on the national stage has been craig gilbert, washington bureau chief of the "milwaukee journal-sentinel," who joins us now. craig, start with the personal side. what's important to know about paul ryan's family background. >> well, he comes from a big irish-catholic family, multigeneration family in jamesville wisconsin. his father was a lawyer who died when he was 16. paul ryan s tked about having to grow up rlly qickl and talkd about learning lessons of self-reliance and independence that sort of put him on his road to pretty conservative brand of politics. >> brown: tell us a little bit more about that, the development of his political and social beliefs. when and how did they come? >> well, i think as a young man he kind of gravitated toward thinkers like and writers like

good evening, i'm jeffrey brown. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. he "newshour" tonight, we get the latest on the syrian conflict and assess what annan's resignation means for future diplomatic efforts. >> brown: then we turn to the presidential campaign-- keying on mitt romney's tax plan and debating what it means for middle class voters. >> woodruff: we get a wrap up of another big day for u.s. athletes at the olympic games from christine brennan in london. >> brown: from california: spencer michels reports on a fierce fight over a proposal to build two tunnels to divert water from the northern part of the state to the south. >> woodruff: and paul solman talks to the former government watchdog for the bank bailouts, who says too much help went to wall street, not enough to main street. >> i didn't take an oath of office in order to cheerlead bad policies and to turn and look away when, when they did things that harmed, actually harmed people and protected the banks instead of what they were supposed to do. >> brown: that's all ahead on tonight's "n

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, even with the hiring, the overall unemployment rate ticked up to 8.3%. we break down both sides of the report. >> woodruff: then margaret warner examines a "have we seen this before?" moment for members of congress arguing about an approaching budget crunch deadline. >> republicans are saying the so-called "sequestration" ax threatened for january would cost too many defense jobs and should be put off for a year. the administration and democrats are saying, "step up to the table on tax revenues first." >> brown: mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> woodruff: science correspondent miles o'brien previews nasa's latest high-risk mission. it's mars or bust for their curiosity rover. >> how many things have to go right? >> a tremendous number. we have 79 different pyro devices that have to go correctly that all have to function. >> all 79 have to fire. >> all 79 have to fire. if one of them doesn't, game over. >> brown: plus, we talk with a n

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight: with the campaign now fully engaged, we hear from the four men as they make their arguments in four different states. >> woodruff: then, we begin a series of reports about life in the digital age-- tonight, putting and protecting personal information online. >> brown: margaret warner updates the bloody day in afghanistan, where attacks by as many as 14 suicide bombers have killed dozens of people. >> woodruff: we profile rock and roll icon gregg allman of the allman brothers band, whose new memoir chronicles the ups and downs of life, love and music. >> brown: and we remember i mean no pun, but everybody and their brother has a band rock'n'roll band. my brother said, no, man, we're going to be the band. we're going to be >> brown: and we remember another cultural legend, the longtime editor of "cosmpolitan" magazine, helen gurley brown, who died yesterday. >> single girls weren't supposed to have any sex life. that was not the case, of course. they always have

jeffrey brown begins our coverage. >> brown: at the "tampa bay times" forum this morning, a different kind of racket as carpenters set up a new podium, designed to offer a more intimate feel for mitt romney in the big hall on this final day of the convention, republican officials were hoping to carry forward momentum from last night. the crowd gave former secretary of state condoleeza rice a boisterous embrace and she responded with a speech focused first on america's role in the world with a sharp jab at president obama's record. >> we cannot be reluctant to lead, and you cannot lead from behind. ( cheers and applause ) mitt romney and paul ryan understand this reality. our well- being at home and our leadership abroad are inextricably linked. they know what to do. they know that our friends and allies must again be able to trust us. >> brown: it was her own personal story that brought the audience to its feet. >> a little girl grows up in jim crow birmingham, the segregated city of the south where her parents can't take her to a movie theater or to a restaurant, but they have her ab

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.n the newshour tonight, we have a report on the clashes and mounting tensions in egypt and beyond. >> woodruff: in syria, government forces launched a major ground assault against rebel-held areas of aleppo. we'll have a first-hand look at the bloodshed from james foley of global post. >> brown: in the wake of the sikh temple shooting, we examine the scope, profile and power of homegrown hate. >> woodruff: ray suarez has part two of our energy series. tonight, he's in colorado, where natural gas battles coal for prominence, but it comes with a hefty price tag. >> taking a 60-year-old plant that's been generating electricity by burning coal and converting it to natural gas isn't cheap, and it isn't easy as flipping a switch. >> brown: margaret warner continues our look at congress' "unfinished business." tonight, solving the threat of cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure. >> woodruff: and poet priscilla uppall captures the olympic spirit. >> i just love it because it's really me

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight, we have a report on the clashes and mounting tensions in egypt and beyond. >> woodruff: in syria, government forces launched a major ground assault against rebel-held areas of aleppo. we'll have a first-hand look at the bloodshed from james foley of global post. >> brown: in the wake of the sikh temple shooting, we examine the scope, profile and power of homegrown hate. >> woodruff: ray suarez has part two of our energy series. tonight, he's in colorado, where natural gas battles coal for prominence, but it comes with a hefty price tag. >> taking a 60-year-old plant that's been generating electricity by burning coal and converting it to natural gas isn't cheap, and it isn't easy as flipping a switch. >> brown: margaret warner continues our look at congress' "unfinished business." tonight, solving the threat of cyber attacks on our critical infrastructure. >> woodruff: and poet priscilla uppall captures the olympic spirit. >> i just love it because it's really

good evening, i'm judy woodruff >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, we have the latest on the outbreak that's killed 16 in texas alone. the state that accounts for more than half of some 700 cases nationwide. >> woodruff: then, we update the diplomatic showdown brewing in london, after ecuador granted asylum to wikileaks founder julian assange. >> brown: from our series on "coping with climate change," hari sreenivasan reports on the sour season for cherry farmers in michigan. >> statewide more than 90% of the tart cherry crop was lost when freezing weather followed an unusually warm spring. >> woodruff: we look at the outpouring of young undocumented immigrants who lined up yesterday across the country for the chance to defer deportation. >> we've all been waiting for this, you know? i mean it's not the dream act, but it's something. the main thing is school-- go to college, be somebody, help my family. >> brown: and on the "daily download," we examine how the no-holds barred campaign rhetoric is playing online. >> woodruff

. >> ifill: then, jeffrey brown examines the pressures on the federal reserve to jumpstart the still faltering economy. >> woodruff: we look at a new pew research study showing a spike in neighborhoods segregated by income. >> ifill: from chicago, elizabeth brackett reports on the city's struggle to combat a sharp increase in homicides. >> on june 24, a 13-year-old was gunned down on this block. his was the 21st death since january 1. >> woodruff: margaret warner updates health care reform law, as the new benefits for women kick in today. >> ifill: and we remember the prolific and provocative man of letters author gore vidal. >> i would apologize if it hurts your feelings, of course i would. >> no, it hurts my sense of intellectual pollution >> well, i must say, as an expert you should know about it. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown.n the newshour tonight, we have the latest on jared lee loughner's appearance in court today, and how he convinced a judge he was now competent to plead guilty. >> woodruff: then we follow the campaign money trail, who's raised what and from whom, and what are the presidential candidates spending it on? >> brown: ray suarez begins a special series about the impact of natural gas and oil surpluses in america. tonight he's in a north dakota town trying to cope with its sudden prosperity. >> woodruff: track and field heats up at the london olympics as gymnastics winds down. we get the latest from christine brennan of "u.s.a. today." >> brown: and we remember robert hughes and judith crist, two legendary critics of the arts whose deaths remind us of another era. >> warner: that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the en t

good evening, i'm judy woodruff >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the "newshour" tonight, we have the latest on the outbreak that's killed 16 in texas alone. the state that accounts for more than half of some 700 cases nationwide. >> woodruff: then, we update the diplomatic showdown brewing

. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. on the newshour tonight: with the campaign now fully engaged, we hear from the four men as they make their arguments in four different states. >> woodruff: then, we begin a series of reports about life in the digital age-- tonight,