but first, this is pledge week on pbs.eak allows your public television station to ask for your support. >> good evening, and thank you for joining us for another edition of the pbs newshour. i'm paul anthony with kimberly suiters. as you may know, we take these opportunities a few times a year to ask for viewer support. now, each time, we count on contributions from a few more people like you. and if you haven't made a gift yet, we're hoping that tonight will be your night. each evening on the pbs newshour, you are witnessing collaboration at its best. the team of anchors, reporters, producers, field and studio crews are all working on different tasks but toward the same goal-- to bring you an unbiased account of the day's news. as you can tell, each time you tune in, they take this responsibility very seriously. but there is another important collaboration going on. that is the collaboration between viewers and this station. these are viewers who financially support the station. they are the ones who make this service--

now back to the pbs newshour.nks again for your support., >> ifill: now to the story of the americans, including the son of a cabinet secretary, who traveled to egypt to observe the elections and ended up under arrest. ray suarez has our story. >> suarez: for the year since president hosni mubarak was overthrown, there's been continuing unrest in egypt. protesters have demanded immediate reforms and an early end to the interim government installed by the military. the regime, in turn, targeted foreign groups that observe elections and promote democracy in egypt. a court charged 43 foreigners with stoking unrest and the government barred them from leaving egypt. the group included 16 americans, although nine had already left. those remaining included sam lahood, son of transportation secretary ray lahood, and director of the international republican institute. that sparked warnings from washington about more than $1 billion in american aid. >> we are very clear that there we have worked very hard the last year to p

but first, this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public television station to asan sthat helps keep programs l >> and good evening. we'll return to the pbs newshour in just a few moments. i'm paul anthony with patty kim. but, first, we're taking this brief opportunity to tell you how important you are to this public television station. as a viewer of the pbs newshour, you are someone who cares about quality programming, right? the pbs newshour is created for people like you who know that having a newscast you can trust is more important than ever. just as the news is important to you, you are just as important to us as both a viewer and, of course, a supporter. we turn directly to the people who value what pbs offers and ask for your financial contribution to keep programs like the newshour on the air. the pbs newshour is worth your time, and it's worth your financial support as well. >> thanks, paul. when you make a contribution, we can thank you with a gift that's just right for the newshour fan. pledge $75

we're ready to return to the pbs newshour. thanks again for your support. >> ifill: finally tonight, a look at one element of syria's opposition, the free syrian army. many are defectors from syria's regular army that is putting down the anti-assad rebellion with brutal efficiency. hugh macleod and annasofie flamand, a reporting team from our international news web site partners, global post, spent time with the fighters in northern lebanon. an unnamed photographer accompanied them into syria.ri macleod voiced this report. >> reporter: these guys with me are from the free syrian army. they are defected soldiers from the army of the syrian regime. i feel proud that we the free syrian army can say that we are here, we are here on the ground. and hopefully soon we will conduct large operations, operations to topple the regime. >> one year into his brutal crackdown on peaceful protests syrian president bashar al assad is facing an armed insurgency by the rebel fighters of the free syrian army. the group is led by officers and sold

now back to the pbs newshour. and thank you. >> woodruff: "need to know" airs tonight on most of these public television stations. check your local listing. >> suarez: finally tonight, one other story about the emotional toll of fukushima, a year later. it's not well known there were 38 americans at the fukushima plant when the earthquake hit. carl pilliteri, a nuclear technician, was one of them. he recently spoke with alex chadwick, the host for the new american public media series, "burn: an energy journal." it's the first time any american who was at the plant has spoken at length to the media. he started out by telling chadwick what it was like inside the turbine building that day. >> the entire building was moving, then, i remember praying aloud for everyone, for all of us, just praying aloud. i'm thinking that were going to perish inside this turbine building, and i could still hear the turbine making its most unwelcome sounds in front of us there. >> reporter: can you describe what the sounds were like com

sun-maid proudly supports pbs kids. rainforest cafe: proud sponsor of pbs kids, reminding you that reading and creative thinking are great ways to let your imagination run wild. curious george is also brought to you by contributions to your pbs station and from: (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by universal animation narrator: one great thing about living in the country

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first this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public television stati >> ifill: online, stacy pearsall describes the ambush that resulted in her final combat injury. >> woodruff: finally tonight, we come back to the republican presidential race on this super tuesday, and to the analysis of shields and gerson. that's syndicated columnist mark shields and "washington post" columnist michael gerson. gentlemen, good to see you on this very important day. mark, the polls are closing in just about 10 minutes in virginia, in georgia, and in vermont. but let's talk about what's at stake for these candidates and start with romney. what does he need to have happen today. >> mitt romney needs this to be over. when asked which political party do you think does a better job of reach beyond its own hard core supporters to people not in that select group, it's 55% democrats, 26% republicans. that is a direct consequence of this primary where they've been debating really a very narrow range of issues of very conservative c

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first this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public television station to ask for your support. that support helps keep programs like ours on the air. >> woodruff: for those stations not taking a pledge break, we have an encore look at images of wounded warriors, taken by a combat veteran who wants americans to see the impact of war. newshour correspondent tom bearden reports. >> reporter: combat photographers have been documenting the terror, the violence, and the boredom of war ever since the invention of photography. america's 21st century conflicts in iraq and afghanistan are no different. these pictures were taken by air force sergeant stacey pearsall. she is one of a very small number of women to have been admitted to the elite ranks of combat photographers. >> i joined the air force at 17. it just seemed like a natural thing to do since the majority of my family served in one branch of the military or another. the military history in my family goes all the way back to the revolutionary war. >> repor

pbs kids, where a kid can be a kid. for over 90 years, stride rite's been there, from the first wobbly walk to the first day of school, helping you choose the right shoes. stride rite is a proud sponsor of curious george. funding for curious george is provided by contributions to your pbs station... ooh. ...and from: (lively drum intro) ♪ you never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ when you're curious like curious george ♪ ♪ swing! ♪ ♪ well, every day ♪ every day ♪ ♪ is so glorious ♪ glorious ♪ george! ♪ and everything ♪ everything ♪ ♪ is so wondrous ♪ wondrous ♪ ♪ there's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ and meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ i know you're curious ♪ curious ♪ ♪ and that's marvelous ♪ marvelous ♪ ♪ and that's your reward ♪ you'll never be bored ♪ if you ask yourself, "what is this?" ♪ ♪ like curious... ♪ like curious... curious george. ♪ oh... captioning sponsored by nbc/universal (man snoring) narrator: george was trying his best not to wa

welcome to our viewers some pbs in america and also was around the globe. id has been another testing date for nato troops in afghanistan. 3 soldiers were killed in two separate incidents, apparently shot by the afghan forces supposedly their allies. one soldier was shot by a local policeman and earlier today two british soldiers a shot in the south of the country by an afghan army lieutenant. we have this from kabul. >> this is a tough conflict at the best of times, but for international trips, the risk of being shot by the very men they are training alongside is the hardest one they face. these deaths bring the total to 15 of british troops who led died and in this way. >> details are still emerging, but it appears a member of the afghan national army opened fire, killing the two british service personnel. >> afghan anger has followed stories of burned copies of the koran, and then 17 villagers were killed by a one road soldier. in military jargon, nato is blue and afghan forces are green. news of a third green and blue -- green on blue attack today. six

pbs. >> be more. pbs. na because they're good. and it's very safe and it's ai'm cheap. zamola: passion is the key to this thing. n: they got a crunch to them. it's even got a vegetable and i'm in good shape. we will serve it but we won't put

welcome to our viewers on pbs and also around the globe.onorth korea's decision suspend nuclear activities a huge breakthrough or a modest first step? months after kim jong-un took over from his father, they have announced that they will suspend the nuclear program in order for food aid. it would kickstart disarmament talks. there is a good deal of skepticism. >> on both sides of the pacific, at two of the world's most bitter adversaries confirm what has been rumored here for months. the u.s. and north korea had a deal. >> north korea has agreed to implement a moratorium on long- range missile launches, nuclear tests, and nuclear activities including uranium enrichment activities. today's announcement indicates a modest first step in the right direction. >> in return, north korea can expect almost a quarter million tons of nutritional assistance. one more reminder that the world is transforming around us. not everybody is celebrating. many have been here before. the cooling tower at this nuclear site was destroyed. a symbol of success for m

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. the end of the road, that is how afghanistan's president described his frustration with the u.s. over its investigation into the killing of 16 afghan villagers by an american soldier last week in. hamid karzai was speaking after meeting with the victims' relatives. currently the u.s. service members suspected of carrying out the attack is being transferred to a military prison in the u.s. >> the blood of afghans spilled inside their own homes. they were killed mostly by a single shot to the head. the gunman was an american soldier it is believed. he gathered them together, including the children, and burned the bodies. >> it started with a prayer when the villagers came to the presidential palace. 11 people were killed in one home, says this village elder. they were acting like animals, smashing down doors. hamid karzai listened and appeared to agree that this was not the work of a single attacker. >> they believe it is not possible for one person to do that. in his family, in four ro

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also of around the globe. the assad regime has so much blood on its hands already that it is bound to continue its crackdown. that is the grim assessment. he spoke to the bbc after they entered the district of hams last week. thousands continue to flee the violence. >> this is why so many families are fleeing syria. it looks as if the government forces are still showing parts of homs, although it is impossible to know when these pictures were taken. there is no end to the violence in sight. britain's ambassador to syria was withdrawn last week. today, he told me about some of the violence he witnessed. >> i have met people who were tortured. i met a cartoonist whose hands were broken because they did not think his cartoons were respectful enough of the president. >> you are an ambassador and diplomat, but it must make you angry. >> yes, it does. they have so much blood on their hands that they are preceded -- they are committed to pursuing that course no matter which way it goes. they are in the cul-de-sac of

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the globe. if you are a minority in southern prague to buy, you have reason to be nervous -- prague tonight, you have reason to be nervous. in the the third such attack, -- in southern france tonight, you have reason to be nervous. in the third such attack, a rabbi and his two children were among those killed. >> as parents drop the gates -- dropped children at the gates of the ozar hatorah school, a gunman opened fire. he shot everyone in front of him and chased it is terrifying -- chased the terrified children into the school. among the dead, the rabbi and his two sons. >> at first, he shot one bullet into the air. he hit the tree. then he shot the father and the two children. i did not turn around. i ran straight into the school. when he left, he started shooting again. >> the fourth victim was also a child between eight years old and 10 years old. eyewitnesses said one of the weapons jammed. that may have saved some of their lives. >> i just arrived. we heard shooting. we were frightened and

but first, this is pledge week on pbs. this break allows your public >> woodruff: finally tonight, a closer look at the verdict in the case of a former rutgers university student and the roommate he spied on. ray suarez has our story. >> suarez: the jury found dharun ravi guilty on 15 counts of bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, and tampering with evidence, among others. the 20-year-old was not charged with tyler clementi's death. but ravi's actions, including the spying on his roommate with a web cam, came three days before clementi took his own life. no direct connection was alleged, but the se became a fsh point foriscussions about bullying, intimidation, and attitudes towards gay men and women. kate zernike has been covering the case for "the new york times," and has been at the courthouse in new brunswick today. have any jurors talked to the media? >> we've talked to one juror. it wasn't just one message. it was several, which showed an intent. that showed his intention to invade his privacy >> does this open him

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. after months of shelling, large parts of the syrian city of homs are barely functioning. valerie amos has described the situation there as terrible. 40 civilians were killed by government forces. all this just a day ahead of a visit to damascus by international envoy kofi annan. from turkey, jonathan head begins our coverage. >> this is how dinner is served to more than two thousand refugees sitting in an old tobacco factory along the turkish-syrian border. it is one of six camps built over the last six months, and like others, it is filling up with arrivals fleeing the syrian government's onslaught of opposition. many feel badly let down by the lack of international support, like this family who arrived three weeks ago. >> we do not ask anything from other countries because so far they have been no use to us. what we want is for them to give weapons to the free syrian army. if they do that, then we can save our country. >> decision by the free syrian army to pull back has not saved f

welcome to our viewers on pbs and around the globe. just two years ago, a burmese opposition leader aung san suu kyi was under house arrest, banned from taking political activity. next, she will stand in parliamentary elections. sherman's critical of the election process in burma, climbing the campaign has not been free or fair. these elections are being said as part of a test of political reform of the new government, which is led by a civilian but backed by the military. >> across this city, people have since something out of the ordinary. there is an energy not felt in decades. never mind that just over 40 of the 400 parliamentary seats are on offer. many believe this is the first step to reforming burma. soldiers once ordered to shoot at pro-democracy crowds seemed bemused at the roadside. not far away, the leader was reminding people of the long road to this moment. >> i have never seen people vote in a free election. >> this was her first public appearance since she became ill from the rigors of campaigning last week. the questio

welcome to our viewers on pbs and around the globe. a radical islamist suspected of killing in france died as he jumped out of his apartment window, still firing weapons at the police. before his death, mohammed merah admitted to shooting jews and muslims in recent attacks. police had hoped to take him alive. the country is on edge. the president has warned the french public not to seek revenge. >> the final act of the most dramatic siege that had lasted over 30 hours. it was thought mohammed merah had taken his own life in the early hours of this morning, but as police moved in to clear the apartment, there came intense gunfire that signified a ferocious last shooting. this is mohammed merah: about in his car. he was a 23-year-old criminal with a string of convictions for robbery and violence, a french citizen trained in afghanistan who claimed he had orders from al qaeda. for hours, he negotiated with police. late last night, he told them it was against his conscience to surrender. there were attempts to break his resolve. flash gren

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