pbs region nine offsite leadership meeting in napa. food is reported to be about $40,000 for that particular offsite. we're also looking into allegations regarding other offsites and tours, like a jeep tour and that sort of thing charged to the federal government. >> that one in napa was just recently, wasn't it? >> in march, yes, of this year. >> thank you. mr. miller, i wonder if also the investigation that you've been overseeing with your hats off investigations revealed that more than $400,000 was spent in region nine alone for that awards program? . i know you found evidence of employee exchanging awards with one another and supervisors getting awards from subordinates. what control, if any, were in place to prevent this? >> well, the problem with hats off was there was very little controls. gsa had a policy about all of the so-called reward stores and they were not being followed in region nine. we did our report, we did a draft report in may of 2011, along with the interim western regions report. our hats off report became final

pbs. >> be more. pbs.

that is our show for tonight, see you next time on pbs. thanks for watching, and as always, keep the faith. >> for more information on today's show, visit tavis smiley at pbs.org. tavis: hi, i'm tavis smiley. join me next time for a conversation with a preview of this crucial talks with iran. i will see you then. >> every community has a martin luther king boulevard. it's the cornerstone we all know. it's not just a street or boulevard, but a place where walmart stands together with your community to make every day better. >> and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning made possible by kcet public television]

remember he's a pbs commissioner. he makes sure that these people report around the regional administrator and straight up to the commissioners, the respective commissioners. that means if i'm coming in, i'm looking at less authority for me because my own person there no longer has the authority that she had before. why did you accept this organization -- this form of organization which was not put in by a presidential appointee, but was put in by someone who acted for a very long period of time when there was no presidential appointee. in fact, he may have gone over into two administrations and left in place this structure that we have now with a series of figureheads including at the regional level where mr. neely was able to do his work when he was both regional administrator, of course, and pbs commissioner didn't much matter because prouty before him had reorganized the place so that the regional administrator wasn't left with much authority anyway. now prouty is on administrative leave because he is implicated i

as pbs commissioner i was not involved in planning conferences. as a political appointee i had a policy to not be involved in the selection of contractors or vendors. in the case of 2010, western regions conference, it was a regionally organized event. and while i was invited to address the conference, i had nothing to do with its planning, nor was i involved in approving any part of its spending or program in advance. i was present for only a portion of the conference before returning to d.c. as is the case with most large federal agencies, the gsa holds training conferences for its employees. in my many years at the gsa i attended a number of conferences. from what i personally saw, the conferences i attended were not extravagant. the 2010 western regions conference described in the i.g.'s report was a serious aberration. when i arrived the first afternoon of the conference, i was shown to a very large suite. i questioned the organizers as to the cost. they told me that all the rooms were within the government rate, including this room, and that

pbs. >> be more. pbs. like much of france, is laced by canals dug in the early industrial age. 200 years ago, canals like these provided the cheapest way to transport cargo. with the help of locks, you could actually ship your goods clear across france, from the mediterranean to the atlantic. today, trains and trucks do the heavy hauling and canals are for relaxing -- an art form in which the french excel. whether you're cruising in a big full-service luxury barge or a small captain-it-yourself boat, the basic experience is the same -- a lazy glide by pastoral scenes. this time, i'm joined by my friend and co-author of my france guidebook, my favorite francophile, steve smith. i love slowing down. cruising is the best way to see burgundy. it forces you to slow down. steves: and steve's family is hitching a ride, too, as we learn how the french, who invented our modern concept of a vacation, are on to something good with barging. oh, my. steves: the canal-side lane, built as an industrial-age tow path, is i

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: ♪ 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 (dance music playing) narrator: it's no secret that all little monkeys love to d

funding for curious george is provided 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 (chattering) narrator: george loved spending time in the country where there was nothing to do but... nothing.

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welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. it was supposed to be a moment of national pride for north korea. a rocket launch meant to send a message of strength around the world. instead, it ended in failure, exploding shortly after takeoff. the international committee had already condemned the launch. -- community had already condemned the launch. the concern is over how the new young leader may be reacting to the national embarrassment. our correspondent is in the north korean capital and begins our coverage tonight. >> he is 29 years old. today, anointed supreme leader. the third generation of the kim dynasty. a statue of his father next to his grandfather was unveiled this afternoon. both ruled before him. north koreans are taught to revere them like gods. his elevation was meant to be accompanied by news that north korea had successfully puts a satellite into space. the achievement would help such a young man and reinforces right to the mantle of power. there is no mention of the rocket blowing up. a brief statement earli

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and also around the world. dozens of people have died in serious is the u.n.-brokered ceasefire came into effect last -- have died in syria since the u.n.-brokered cease-fire came into effect last thursday. access to the country for foreign journalists is restricted, but our been insidects have northern syria and they sent us this report. >> there is supposed to be a truce in syria. it does not sound like it. to come here, it seems uneasy, and the ground remains highly dangerous. we move with rebel fighters into a northern town of firmly under the grip of president assad's minh. they rely on the stealth and cunning. they know these routes while. -- well. but the rebels are vastly outgunned and were unable to resist the ferocious government offensive that swept through this region just days ago. the international community talks of cease-fires and peace plans, but the view from the ground is very different. >> they are buying time. the government lies to the people. if lies to the whole world. it is not surprisi

welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the world. republicans have engaged in a bruising fight to become their party's candidate. today, the field shrank with the seven exit of rick santorum. the former senator had become the most viable component -- upon it to mitt romney. -- upon it to mitt romney. >> it has been a long, arduous road, but we cannot say with certainty that this 65-year-old businessman will be the republican challenger to barack obama of. this was the moment today won the race -- rick santorum suspended his campaign. after spending easter in hospital with the sick daughter. >> we made a decision over the weekend. we will suspend our campaign, effective today. we're not done fighting. >> what do we know of the man who would be president? mitt romney was born in 1947 and studied business at harvard. as a venture capitalist, he amassed a personal fortune estimated at a quarter of a billion dollars. 10 years ago, he entered politics, becoming governor of the massachusetts. he is a follower of the minority must -- mormon

>> welcome to our viewers on pbs in america, and around the globe. the world should push for tough, comprehensive sanctions against bashar al-assad's government to force him to comply with the u.n. cease-fire. that is the call today from hillary clinton as the u.n. secretary general confirms the fact on the ground, saying syria is not honoring the cease-fire. he is still pushing for more u.n. monitors to be allowed into the country. our colleague in powell has seen evidence of the continuing assaults. >> on april 1, syria agreed to kofi annan's peace plan, saying it would not move further into populated areas. in a pattern of broken promises, it sent its soldiers. the story of what happened just down this road is perhaps worse than many other areas, but it is not unique. in villages across the north, people were not just single out. there were collective punishments, and many paid the ultimate price for having the audacity to call for change. this remains a dangerous place, where rebel fighters offer a thin veil of protection. but it was a chance to