they had never lived in a libya without him. and i think there was a difficult, you know, it was a difficult prospect for them to vision a country where he was not there. >> warner: and lynsey, go back to this long trek you took, really, from ajdabiyah all the way to tripoli and tony has just said that you had seen kind of the wreckage of a state. you have this photographer's eye. give us just a little flavor of that. >> i mean, unfortunately i was bound most of the trip and blindfolded and so i couldn't see very much. but we were blindfolded. we took a six-hour journey in the back of a pickup truck where they blindfolded us and tied our hands behind our back and threw us in the back of a pickup truck and we were taken from probably the outskirts of ajdabiyah all the way to sirte where he spent a night in prison. and in that drive tyler was able to see out from under his blindfold and he was sort of narrating the scenes as long the side of the road. and i was hiding, i was sort of in fetal position if the back of the truck. just

called again today for qaddafi's departure from power and from libya. but one of his sons told a french news channel that it's "ridiculous" to imagine his father leaving. opposition groups in yemen have rejected a proposal from gulf arab nations for president ali abdullah saleh to step down. instead, thousands protested across yemen again today. saleh has accepted the peace initiative. it would have him hand over power to his vice president at an unspecified date, and it might offer him immunity from prosecution. a subway explosion in the capital of belarus killed 11 people today and wounded more than 120 others. the blast in minsk hit during evening rush hour at an underground train station crowded with passengers. officials did not say directly what caused the explosion, but president alexander lukashenko called it a terrorist act. lukashenko has ruled belarus with an iron hand since 1994. prosecutors in the netherlands are looking for answers after a weekend shooting rampage. 24-year-old tristan van der vlis walked into a shopping mall saturday and f

the city is the gateway to much of eastern libya. meanwhile, france and britain complained nato air strikes are not doing enough to protect libyan civilians. the french foreign minister made the claim in luxembourg, and a top nato commander answered in brussels. >> nato absolutely wanted to leave this operation. voila. this is where we are. i trust them to assemble the necessary means. it is unacceptable that misrata can continue to be bombed by ka doofy's troops. >> when you look at what we've done in the high operational tempo of the last few days taking out numerous things, armored personnel carrier, with the assets we have we're doing a great job. >> sreenivasan: nato took control of operations in libya from the u.s., france, and britain on march 31. in northeastern syria, government forces staged attacks on two villages. neighboring villagers said they could hear heavy gunfire for much of the day. the towns are outside the city of banias, now sealed off by the army. in washington, a white house spokesman accused the syrian gover

we've lost a significant volume of oil coming out of libya. this is very high-quality oil that was typically used to create... to make a lot of gasoline. but that's led to oil prices across the board being significantly higher up, some 20%. the other factor, though is that even prior to this demand had also been increasing, along with the general economy had been improving, especially over the last year. americans had been driving more and so we saw our inventories, our stock, our excess supplies of gasoline slowly coming down over the last several months. that's also led to it. so we have factors on both the supply and demand but it's really the crude oil price that's gotten us so quickly to $4 a gallon. >> suarez: if america's crude comes closefully closer places: canada, mexico, venezuela, why does a crimp in the libyan supply affect our supply at a pump in des moines. >> right, exactly. especially you're at the pump in des moines you're doing a little bit better because you've got some canadian crude coming in and it can only go to the u.s

in libya, the city of misrata came under heavy shelling again from moammar qaddafi's troops. we have a report from emma murphy of "independent television news," who is in libya. >> reporter: they hurry through misrata's devastated streets in search of sanctuary and supply. both are limited. this town is under siege and under relentless attack. reports suggest 13 people were killed in a 90 minute bombardment by qaddafi loyalists close to the port. doctors believe humanitarian boats on their way in were deliberately targeted. the port is the only supply route into misrata and so they are arming their fishing boats in benghazi for the 36-hour journey to smuggle goods in. within a few hours this boat will be en route to misrata taking with it the aid for the people but also the weapons the rebels so desperately need if they're to hold the town against qaddafi's forces. load of weaponry and ammunition is being brought to the port to resupply fighters. it's hidden amongst food and water which is also in desperately short supply. >> we support our people by sending food medicine and

macneil/lehrer productions >> lehrer: president obama said the war in libya is at a military stalemate, and nato allies continue to pressure colonel qaddafi to surrender power. good evening. i'm jim lehrer. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the newshour tonight, we have the latest on the conflict, and on unrest elsewhere in the middle east. plus, we examine how the u.s. is dealing with uprisings around the region. >> lehrer: then, mark shields and david brooks analyze the week's news. >> woodruff: tom bearden returns to the u.s. gulf coast to see the environmental costs of the oil spill one year later. >> hundreds of fisherman are getting ready for the upcoming shrimping season, hoping against hope that the catch will be good fluff to allow them to stay if business next year. >> lehrer: robert macneil previews his upcoming series of newshour reports on autism. that's all ahead on tonight's newshour. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> okay, listen. somebody has got to get serious. >> i think... >> we need renewable energy. >> ...renewable energy is vital to

a tragic symbol of the dead locked libya war. the humanitarian crisis exposing nato's inability to stop the killing turn the tide of war or force regime change. air strike can't protect the panicked cornered residents of misrata. >> one month,.... >> reporter: a former libyan fighter pilot says that in a month he's called in the coordinates of this position at least ten times. the nato bombers haven't come, he said. rebels claim they have no choice but to stand and fight. >> i'm not going outside misrata. but when someone coming to your town to try to tell you what to do. >> reporter: an investigator from amnesty international told me she had witnessed rockets fired by qaddafi's forces raining down on residential areas. she had seen dozens of cluster bombs. misrata's hospital administrator says a thousand people may have been killed. 3,000 wounded. 260 bodys in the morgue since friday. in tripoli the government forcefully denying outrage us allegations. >> the army would not follow orders to kill civilians because this is the arm

on wednesday, we'll look at the worsening humanitarian crisis in libya. i'm gwen ifill. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. we'll see you online, and again here tomorrow evening. thank you, and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> oil companies have changed my country. >> oil companies can make a difference. >> we have the chance to build the economy. >> create jobs, keep people healthy, and improve schools. >> ...and our communities. >> in angola chevron helps train engineers, teachers and farmers, launch child's programs. it's not just good business. >> i'm hopeful about my country's future. >> it's my country's future. >> and by bnsf railway. >> pacific life-- the power to help you succeed. >> 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 pb

hetherington was killed in libya today. he was 41 years old. and now to hari sreenivasan for what's on the "newshour" online. hari? >> sreenivasan: watch all of jeff's interview with tim hetherington, and read more about his career, on "art beat." see a slideshow of images from the b.p. oil spill narrated by an associated press photographer who has covered the story from the beginning and our science unit asks experts what's happened to all the oil in the gulf. plus tonight's edition of "nova" looks at the use of technology to defeat global warming. all that and more is on our web site: newshour.pbs.org. gwen? >> ifill: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. on thursday, we'll look at allied aid for the opposition in libya. i'm gwen ifill. >> lehrer: and i'm jim lehrer. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> oil companies have changed my country. >> oil companies can make a difference. >> we have the chance to build the economy. >> create jobs,

predator drones are now targeting moammar qaddafi's forces in libya. good evening, i'm jim lehrer. >> woodruff: and i'm judy woodruff. on the "newshour" tonight, we have the latest on the war. and examine beefed-up efforts by the u.s. and by nato on behalf of the rebels. >> lehrer: then, we sort through the competing democratic and republican plans for medicare. >> woodruff: robert macneil reports his fourth autism story. tonight, treatment and schooling for children with the disorder. >> for children with autism, many of the lessons teach basic life skills to talk, to sit still, pay attention, learn how to shave, know the dangers of traffic. >> lehrer: plus, we have two takes on the b.p. oil spill. hari sreenivasan talks to joel achenbach of the "washington post" about his new book chronicling the disaster. >> woodruff: and we close with a sampling of the year's images from the gulf coast taken by a.p. photographer, gerald herbert. >> there's whole sections of this island that are not even recognizable from what it was before. so, where there was mang

on monday, we'll have the latest on the war in libya. i'm judy woodruff. >> 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 monday evening. have a nice weekend. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> okay, listen. somebody has got to get serious. >> i think... >> we need renewable energy. >> ...renewable energy is vital to our planet. >> you hear about alternatives, right? wind, solar, algae. >> i think it's got to work on a big scale. and i think it's got to be affordable. >> so, where are they? >> it has to work in the real world. at chevron, we're investing millions in solar and biofuel technology to make it work. >> we've got to get on this now. >> right now. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. pacific life. the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing supp

previously, italy had stayed away from direct involvement because of libya's status as a former italian colony. in afghanistan, taliban militants tunneled their way into kandahar's main prison and helped at least 480 inmates escape. most of the prisoners were taliban fighters, including 100 commanders. they got out through a 1,000- foot-long tunnel the taliban had been digging for months from the outside. it marked the second major jailbreak at the facility. a spokesman for president hamid karzai admitted the taliban had pulled off the daring jail break. >> our first reaction is that this is a blow. it is something that should not have happened. and now that it has happened, we're looking into finding out as to what exactly happened and what is being done to compensate for the disaster that happened in the prison. >> reporter: the incident comes on the heels of a deadly weekend for nato forces. roadside bombs killed three nato service members in the south. a fourth soldier died in a helicopter crash in the east. there was no immediate word on their nationalities. a civil rights group in

>> this morning was a discussion about the wide range of issues not just libya. obviously afghanistan which remains our main effort and the situation in egypt, what is happening in syria. what's happening in bahrain, what's happening in the rest of the gulf, what is happening in yemen. secretary gates said to me a few weeks ago it's like watching the seven playings of egypt unfolding. and as he said we haven't got to the locusts yet. we've been seeing an unusually large number of unstable situations in the region, all of which we're having to respond to. >> warner: but is there anything new that you came up with on libya to increase the pressure still further? >> well, it's not so much new as a continuation of the pressure we've been bringing on qaddafi. up until relatively recently really until the last few days, if you look at it from qaddafi's point of view, this has been something happening at arm's length, something happening in misrata, something happening in benghazi. what we've seen in recent days are attacks on tripoli to increase the psychological press

the besieged city of misurata in western libya had a day of relative calm, after nato air strikes beat back moammar qaddafi's forces. the lull enabled a much-needed mercy vessel to reach the city's port. we have a report from alex thomson of "independent television news." >> reporter: a 38-hour voyage that should take 20 delayed by heavy shelling, the red star ferry charter from albania finally docks in misurata. smoke rising still from yesterday's bombardment. the rebels are nothing if not organized. a car and a driver laid on and straight to the hospital, they want world to see. outside in a car park, a tent is a hospital ward. the latest injured fighters, this man being patched up with a bullet in the buttocks and another in the chest. what you're witnessing here is the care and meticulousness necessary to move just one patient from this intensive care unit out to the vehicles and beyond to the ship and away from the resident safety of benghazi and europe after that. and that is just the gravity of the nature of the injuries that we're dealing with here on the one hand but also it s

the battle of britain memorial flight , followed by the same typhoons and tornadoes in action over libya right now. after lunch, a delight to the crowds, a short ride to clarence house in prince charles' aston martin-- that's the one converted to run on english wine. more than anything else today, the moment that sets the more human tone they'd like to project, and another chance to suggest they are a bit like the rest of us. if you need any more proof of how well it went, back at the abbey, the clergy were literally doing cartwheels. the virger, ben shoar, doing what so many have imagined, but never dared before. for more on the significance of today's event we turn to john burns, london bureau chief for "the new york times". john, there was a lot of talk in advance that the britons had become kind of blasse about this, it didn't look that way on television today watch. did this wedding mean for britain today? >> it didn't feel blase in the streets. i'm not sure there were a million people there. i think that might be a somewhat hopeful estimate but this was the second of the two four-d

in libya, a confrontation escalated as militiamen surrounded the justice ministry in the capital city, tripoli. it's the third day of trouble, as armed groups test the government's political transition. gunmen stood guard today beside trucks mounted with anti- aircraft guns. roads around the justice ministry were sealed off, the building was closed, and visitors were turned away. the militias are trying to force out members of moammar gadhafi's regime who are still in government posts. the parliament of cyprus narrowly passed a multibillion- dollar bailout plan today, avoiding national bankruptcy. the government struck the deal with its euro partners and the international monetary fund last week. officials had warned that without the agreement, the country faced economic collapse and possible withdrawal from the euro system. the deal has angered many cypriots by forcing large bank depositors to take major losses on their savings. the u.s. economy is giving off more signals of growth. consumer confidence rose in april, after falling in march. the conference board, a private research gr

warplanes were pulled from front-line missions in libya. britain, france and other nato allies will now take the lead in enforcing the no-fly zone. security forces in yemen cracked down on thousands of antigovernment protesters today. at least 15 people were killed when military forces and police snipers opened fire on a crowd in the southern city of taiz. dozens more were wounded. meanwhile, the "new york times" reported the u.s. has shifted its stance on yemen, and is now seeking the removal of president ali abdullah saleh. in washington, white house press secretary jay carney downplayed the report. >> we support dialogue, political dialogue. and president saleh has publicly indicated his willingness to engage in a peaceful transition of power and we believe the timing and the form of that transition should be accomplished through dialogue and negotiation. so we urge that process to continue. >> sreenivasan: saleh has been a close u.s. ally for years, particularly in yemen's role in fighting al qaeda. two american soldiers were killed in

because libya... we think of it as part of the middle east and as an arab country but it's an african country. >> i think jessica, it's interesting that you are picking on countries which are democratic. there have been elections very imperfect ones in pakistan and in most of africa, there are now elections. i think that goes to the heart of the issue which is elections are not enough. that doesn't necessarily give you a government that is trust and representative and legitimate. which again takes us back to why this is going to be a difficult transition. because an election in a country which has no history of pluralism, no real middle class to be the kind of bedrock of a new system. well, you wonder in syria, yemen, particularly libya, just how easy it will be. i think it's a very good point. we all know where we want to go but some of these journeys are going to be very difficult. i think it's also worth pointing out in the "new york times" today had an article which i've been waiting for is, oh, m

a boat that set sail from libya loaded with 300 migrants has capsized in the mediterranean. it overturned in rough seas off the coast of a tiny italian island near north africa. rescue crews were battling strong winds in their search for survivors. 51 of the migrants were rescued and brought ashore. thousands of people have fled to italy to escape the recent unrest in their home countries. unrest in the middle east continued for another day. thousands of protesters in yemen defied a government crackdown and took to the streets of sanaa to demand president ali abdullah saleh step down. major rallies were also held in the southern city of taiz. meanwhile, u.s. defense secretary robert gates traveled to riyadh, saudi arabia for talks on the spreading unrest in the region. japanese engineers turned their focus today to preventing new explosions at the destroyed fukushima dai-ichi nuclear plant. they began injecting nitrogen near the reactor to prevent more hydrogen explosions like the ones that happened after a tsunami hit last month. that came as the new york times reported the

we had high oil prices because of the libya uprise. and people thought well, we're passed that now. and the fact that we seem to be going through that cycle again is very troubling. however there are some reasons i think to expect that this was not the sign of an economy that is about to flat line. first of all, 120,000 is not a bad number. it is just bad because we were expecting so much better. second of all, we do have some other data about how the economy is doing such as the weekly number of people looking for unemployment insurance benefits. those numbers are dropping. we have some survey data from factory managers. those numbers suggest that things are getting better. so i think it is probably the case the economy is still on track. possibly what we have seen is a number that is a bit of a payback for employment growth that was stronger than we could sustain for a little while. >> woodruff: so i was reading one analyst today who said yes, it's disappointing. but he said when you look under the hood, the numbers are a little bit better. so is that the kind of thing are you tal

what's changed is the target environment in libya. it's now much more difficult to stage airstrikes. they moved from the desert where they're sitting ducks-- sitting tanks as it were-- and they're in the cities which makes it much more harder to strike there and is part of the reason for the american reticence. >> warner: jim hoagland, bowes, thank you. >> lehrer: now, writers, poets, and one of the nation's leading literary institutions. jeffrey brown reports. >> "all the little birds fluttered through our block, cocoa-buttered up in their poom- poom shorts..." >> reporter: a portrait of the artist as a young writer: 23- year-old marcus burke, a first year student at the iowa writers workshop, where his short story in progress is about street life where he grew up, near boston. iowa's a famous place but you didn't grow up knowing about it? >> no, no. god, no. there were no writers in my neighborhood. >> reporter: but now, burke has turned from basketball-- he was a high school star and played in college-- to a different kind of bruis

in that time, nato says it has flown 1,500 sorties over libya. this attack by a british tornado on a pro-qaddafi tank outside misrata was one of them. the landscape around ajdabiya is littered with tanks that have been taken out by nato air strikes. this one even has its own signage. and the organization is clearly trying to convince people that it's doing everything it can, by publishing the number of strike missions its aircraft are flying. on the way to the front lines, the rebels are using pink paint to help the pilots distinguish their vehicles from their enemies. war is always messy, but here, the nato effort is coming close to being defined by its deadly slip-ups. >> sreenivasan: also today, heavy fighting broke out again around the western libyan city of misrata. troops loyal to moammar qaddafi battled rebels for control of a key road linking the city to its port. at least five people died. millions of people in northern japan remained in the dark today after a major aftershock knocked out power. the overnight tremor was the strongest sin

go to fight for liberating libya inch by inch from the traitors and from nato. the end of the rats is near. >> reporter: but towns are falling like dominos to those desert rats. battles intense and still raging. it's exactly six months since the uprising erupted. first in been ghazi and then zawiyah but loyalist forces fought back. by the time the u.n. security council authorized the use of all necessary measures to protect civilians, qaddafi's army was at the base of been ghazi. providing air cover for the rebels libyan forces retreated west wards. since mid march the strategic town and the oil ports of brega have repeatedly changed hands. further west ms. rat a self lib liberated after a long, bloody siege. it's only in reset days that opposition fighters claim to have liberated the garrison town and now zawiyah. 40 minutes down the road in tripoli and it's another country. >> of course we will not let them into tripoli. we will stand together. >> reporter: tonight the rumor mill is in overdrive though. strange goings on at tripoli airport. a u.n. envoy joinin

rebels in libya worked to secure gains today in key towns near tripoli. there was more fighting in zawiyah, where forces loyal to libyan leader moammar qaddafi were holding out, using snipers and rocket salvos. u.s. and nato officials said qaddafi's military even fired a scud missile on sunday, but it exploded harmlessly in the desert. we have a report on the situation narrated by damon green of independent television news. >> reporter: these pictures taken by libyan rebels supposedly show them inside the town of zawiya today, bringing to hospital a fighter injured in the struggle. these, they say, are soldiers loyal to colonel qaddafi who have been captured. qaddafi's opponents say his days are numbered, that his forces are almost exhausted. but many are wary of the fact that this has been said before, and the closer the fighting gets to tripoli, the more desperate his loyalists might become. even so, nato spokesmen say the use of unguided scud missiles by the regime is no more than a gesture of defiance. >> the current regime does not have any more effe

rebel fighters in libya scored a new advance today. they took control of an oil refinery in the western town of zawiyah just 30 miles outside tripoli-- moammar qaddafi's last stronghold. we have a report from lindsey hilsum of "independent television news." >> reporter: this is the rebels' latest prize-- the oil refinery at zawiya, along the road from tripoli to tunisia-- a key installation and a sign of the pressure colonel qaddafi is now under. >> the rebels are more than happy to drive us around the oil refinery, to show that they now control it. there was fighting here until yesterday. it's not that it was supplying so much fuel to tripoli, just a trickle. but it's a very important symbolic victory and they want to show they've got it. yesterday, qaddafi landed soldiers here by boat. but after fighting they fled overnight. nato said they hit a military boat in the area. the local rebel commander told us what happened. >> they came in, they started to fight us, but late when our soldiers-- they have heavy, really heavy fighting, som

who knows what will happen next in libya. it's a long and uncertain road to democracy and the rule of law. there's still fighting in tripoli and other cities, but today is a day in the history of this country like none other. >> brown: i talked with lindsey hilsum from tripoli after she filed that report. lindsey hilsum, thanks for talking to us. it's nighttime there now. what's the situation? is fighting continuing. >> yes, i understand it is in the center around the compound which is colonel qaddafi's compound although we don't think he's there. and the hotel which is where many were trapped. i am in the west of the city in a quiet area. all i can hear is a little bit of gun fire and the sound of nato planes overhead. in other parts of the city it's extremely dangerous, violent and volatile tonight. i have just heard a couple of bangs even as i'm speaking to you. >> brown: you mentioneded ka gaffey. is there any better sense of his whereabouts even if he's in fact still in the country. >> not really. i asked one man today w

they seized weapons from the malian army, to add to those they'd been given by colonel gaddafi of libya, and claimed northern mali as an independent tuareg state flying their own flag, but al qaeda hijacked their victory. the tuaregs and local islamists fought in gao and other towns. the tuareg separatists were pushed out and the islamists prevailed. now the al qaeda flag flies over northern mali, so many tuaregs are being forced into exile. the journey from the border to the refugee camp isn't easy, especially in the rainy season. pastures new, but not for the refugees who face a life of uncertainty. mbera camps 1,000 kilometers from the mauritania capital in a remote and inaccessible corner of the sahara. 100,000 people are living here and more arrive every day. at least here they have water and the basics needed to survive. fatima sidi mohammed's makeshift dwelling collapsed in the rain and wind. her neighbors helping her build another. she tells me she spent all her money hiring a vehicle to get to mauritania and now she has nothing. in the clinic, they're treating diseases caused b

saadi had made himself head of libya's olympic committee. libyans hated the fact they had to praise his prowess on the football pitch. they posed by the mural even as gunfire echoed outside. then, the rebels removed a few souvenirs. one fighter who used to be a dentist in bath showed me his memento. what have you found? >> this is from saadi's house. >> reporter: this is from the house of the son of colonel qaddafi? >> this is his daughter, probably done by some famous guy. bless her. she's a lovely girl; her father's not. >> reporter: so that's your souvenir from the day you went into bab al aziziya? >> to remind of that moment. i'll give it back after everything settles, i promise you. >> reporter: by late afternoon, they'd done it. the rebels had claimed victory at bab al aziziya, colonel gadhafi's compound in central tripoli. these are scenes libyans never thought they'd see. the ultimate symbol of gadhafi's now power topped by a rebel flag. they climbed over the statue of a golden fist clutching an american jet, the symbol of power colo

. >> suarez: the revolution in libya isn't over yet. moammar qaddafi and his immediate family are still at large. firefights continue in the capital and elsewhere. we begin our coverage with a report narrated by jonathan rugman of "independent television news." >> reporter: yesterday, they were celebrating its capture. but today colonel qaddafi's compound was a battlefield again. the fighting was fierce. libyan rebels used everything they had, even a gun designed to shoot down aircraft. the rebels say hundreds have been killed in tripoli in the last few days. as a hard core of qaddafi loyalists seems determined to fight till the last. in a radio broadcast last night, the man once known as brother leader vowed to fight or die. victory or martyrdom he said. calling on libyan tribes to march on the capital. the man who ruled for over 40 years hasn't been seen in public since april. yesterday, he claimed he was walking around tripoli incognito. and maybe he's so delusional we should believe him. today, qaddafi's former justice minister said

i think the same is true in libya. we applaud the rebels, but i have to tell you, the future of the united states is not tied to libya. and it's not tied to afghanistan. and it's not tied to iraq. i hate to inform you. it's really tied to whether or not this country is up for the competitive challenges of the 21st century, and that's an economic battle that's going to play out across the pacific ocean more than anything else. >> brown: now let me ask you about the tough fight that you're in right now. you sent out that recent tweet about supporting revolution and the science of global warming. you wrote,"call me crazy." and then you also said recently, "the minute the republican party becomes the antiscience party, we have a huge problem." the question is, do you believe that the republican party is moving in the wrong direction for the american people as a whole? >> i believe that the republican party is still a centered party-- although i do believe there are many who have left the republican party who are now indepe

so it is really year zero in libya. they're having to start absolutely from scratch. >> brown: well, this is a good time then to turn to the hundreds of thousands who aren't even involved in the fighting. are they still in the city? are they hunkered down in their apartments? can they get food? is there a way to get water? >> well, what i've seen on the streets of tripoli today is that there are barrels of water going out and about. and people are coming out with their cans and their buckets and collecting water to take home. and sometimes you pass a queue 6 people and that's a bread queue. you do see women out now, in the last few days you see women and children out which means they feel much more secure. because before only the men were coming out on to the street. so people are putting a lot of energy and time into surviving. but they are out there. and i have to say that there is still this huge sense of joy here. that however hard the conditions are, whenever you talk to people and you say how are you feeling, they

they want to bring him to just indianapolis in libya, if that happens. but, yes, negotiations, if they ever were interested in negotiations they're certainly not interested in them now. they think they more or less won. they want to see qaddafi captured or killed. that is what most libyans say. they won't feel completely secure until qaddafi is captured. you know, they don't necessarily want him to be lynched. they want him to be on put trial. they want him to pay for what they consider to be his crimes. >> warner: finally briefy, does anyone have any idea of where he is right now? >> the honest answer is not really. i mean, we do have these reports confirmed by the algerian government that members of his family have fled to algeria. it's entirely possible that he may have joined them but the algerians aren't admitting that there. he doesn't want to admit that yet. there are reports he could be in a town south of ms. rat a which is a town where he does have tribally a lot of support, so that's a possibility. there are other towns in the south that we hea

the interim leader of the new libya spelled out his terms today. "by saturday," he said, "we will decide this matter militarily. we do not wish to do so, but we will wait no longer." the defense of sirte is being led by gadhafi's son, mutassim, as others in the family flee across the border to algeria-- among them, his wife saifa, son hannibal, and daughter aisha-- who's reported today to have given birth to a daughter herself. aisha was last seen at a rally supporting the failing regime in april on a balcony in the heart of the qaddafi compound in tripoli. today, in the very spot where she stood, newly liberated libyans dance and celebrate. the former qaddafi compound here is now tripoli's' number one tourist attraction. thousands come every day to shout their hatred of qaddafi and all who were associated with him. no wonder the family want to be as far away from this place as possible. they know what fate will await them-- a fate that has already caught up with khamis qaddafi, reputedly the most ruthless of the whole family. rebel commanders say

on thursday, we assess what's next in libya, as top officials from around the world meet in paris. plus, a conversation about presidential nominees who were defeated, but still influenced history. i'm gwen ifill. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. we'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. thank you and good night. major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: 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 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

a packed list of military missions: the wars in iraq and afghanistan; supporting nato operations in libya; and disaster assistance in haiti and japan. the death toll in syria's crackdown on anti-government protesters climbed higher today. activists reported more than 100 people were killed in the past 24 hours in hama, the city at the heart of the latest assault. we have a report narrated by harry smith of independent television news. >> reporter: despite four days of military operations by syrian forces, these pictures suggest that the people of hama are as rebellious as ever. reports which accompanied these postings on the internet say people have been shot dead during demonstrations in hama and other cities, including the capital, damascus. in these pictures apparently showing the attack on hama, gunfire can clearly be heard. bullets striking the buildings can clearly be seen, but there's no way of telling where the gunfire is coming from. more pictures are emerging of tanks on the streets of hama, firing into the heart of the city. smoke can be seen billowing from streets nearby. a ma

consulate in benghazi, libya has produced its first criminal charges. it was widely reported overnight that u.s. prosecutors have begun the process of bringing suspects to trial. word of the charges comes almost a year after the attack in benghazi, that killed ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. it's unclear how many people are included in the sealed complaint, or what the charges are, but the reports name ahmed abu khattala, the former commander of a benghazi-based militia group. khattala has denied involvement in the past, and did so again today. he insisted he's left the militia group and that he has not been questioned in the case. in washington, the u.s. justice department refused to comment, except to say the investigation is ongoing. but republican congressman darrell issa of california said anyone charged must be placed in u.s. custody without delay. issa and other republicans have accused the administration of neglecting security in benghazi and misleading the public about what really happened. authorities in yemen said today th

democracy and there were celebration ten years ago its same way we see celebration in egypt and tunisia and libya now. but unfortunately with the multiparty democracy, different political parties control different police forces. and often the police forces are actively fighting each other. which is an extraordinary thing that is happening like when in one state prisoners were being let out of a jail to commit murders in a separate state, carry out massacres and returning to their cells in the evening. so incredible things are happening there. >> is there anything that the government is doing that is working? >> well, the government is effective in taking down the big cartel leaders. we see big figures like arturo-- a major international drug trafficker with information from the u.s., the mexican marines gunned him down. but what happens is when these kingpins are taken down, you get different rivals fighting over their empires. and because the drug trade is worth about $30 billion every year selling heroin, crystal meth, marijuana and cocaine to american users, the rivals are keeping fighting ove

are women who were in the squares in tunis or cairo or supporting the fighters in libya, are they going to be given a chance to fulfill their own pop ten shl? so there are a lot of unanswered question to say nothing of the kind of geopolitical implications for israel and for our interests and so much else. but supporting democratic transformation and economic transformation is in america's interest. >> lehrer: speaking of israel was what newt gingrich said about the intervention of... the invented people of palestine helpful? >> no. no. (laughter) and i think he realized it. i think he realized that was one of those innovative moments that happen in politics. >> lehrer: madam secretary, thank you very much. >> thank you, jim. >> ifill: the conference on innovation, trade and jobs was co-sponsored by the aspen institute, the pbs newshour and intel corporation. >> woodruff: even as u.s. troops leave iraq this month and in three years will depart afghanistan. the psychological wounds of war will last for some time. the "newshour's" health correspondent, betty ann bowser, reports on a new a

consulate attack in benghazi, libya. today, white house, spokesman jay carney rejected any delay. >> what is unfortunate here is the continuing attempt to politicize an issue -- in this case through nominees that themselves had nothing to do with bengs ay and to do so so in a way that does harm to our national security interest. senator hagel, mr. brennan, they need to be confirmed. they're highly qualified candidates for their posts. >> sreenivasan: any effort to hold up the hagel and brennan nominations would wait until they reach the floor of the senate. former u.s. army staff sergeant clinton romesha received the nation's highest military decoration this afternoon, the medal of honor. on october 3, 2009, in northeastern afghanistan, he and 50 other americans were attacked by 300 taliban fighters at combat outpost keating. he led a desperate day-long battle despite being wounded, and killed at least ten insurgents himself. at the white house today, president obama said romesha risked his life to rescue the wounded and

director, until he gets more answers from the white house about the september attack in benghazi, libya. in a statement today, white house spokesman josh earnest reaffirmed president obama's support for hagel. and said: late today, reid forced a vote on breaking the fillibuster. the current defense secretary leon panetta who'd been due to leave his post today has said he will stay on until his successor is confirmed. and, at a ceremony honoring for and late today the president said it was unfortunate to have politics intrude while he's still presiding over a war in afghanistan. to help us understand the implications, the politics and what's next, we turn to pentagon reporter mark thompson of "time" magazine. and todd zwillich of public radio international's "the takeaway." welcome back, gentlemen, todd, begin with you. decode for us what happened today. i mean, the republicans told harry reid they had the votes to block the nomination-- block consideration of the nomination, yet he forced it to a vote in the amp anyway. why? >> he did. well, there are different imperatives floating arou

libya has a real shot as building a real democratic society. >> brown: and ray suarez examines the efforts to resolve a critical drug shortage, involving a treatment for childhood leukemia. >> ifill: that's all ahead on tonight's "newshour." major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> 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 you. thank you. >> ifill: fire engulfed a 1940s- era prison in honduras overnight. by late today, 272 inmates were confirmed dead, but officials said the number was expected to go much higher. more than 450 others escaped with their lives. margaret warner has our story. >> warner: this shaky cell phone video captured the fearful scenes-- flames raging into the night sky. honduran television showed the fast-moving blaze burning out of control at a prison

. >> reporter: benghazi is libya's second biggest city. eyewitnesses say police used rubber bullets to disperse around 2,000 people protesting and throwing stones last night. and with no independent media, these pictures were posted on the internet. the brief arrest of a human rights lawyer prompted these demonstrations, and one libyan official claimed that most of the 14 injured were police. the protests began outside benghazi's security directorate. the crowds called for the arrested lawyer's release and then moved to other parts of the city, railing against corruption and against colonel gadaffi's 41-year rule. at one point, a poster of gadaffi was torn down. but benghazi has seen protests before, and there is no organized opposition in libya because political parties are banned. colonel gadaffi is 69 now. libyan television has today shown him greeting relatives of protestors killed in benghazi five years ago-- perhaps to show he's on the people's side. he's known as the leader of the revolution and doesn't believe libya needs another.

this is not libya. this is the imperative most civil wars. they do drag neighbors countries into them. we've seen the spillover in lebanon last week. we've seen iraqi tribes in the western side in iraq trying to help people across the borders syria. the turks have a vested interest in there. >> suarez: you say the situation is crying out for a leading country. why isn't that you are the economy? a long border with syria, an economic power, a regional power. it would seem to be a place where they could really step up, no? >> there's a turkish predicament here. turkey is a rising power but at the same time when it comes to syria and iran it's a reluctant power. the turks sent their foreign minister to washington a few days ago to ask the united states how long can the united states... how far the united states is willing to go with them to support them. if they're asking to take stronger measures against the government in damascus and the united states it's still wedded to the view that it's still possible to have a political solution. in my op

and crowds marched in libya for a second day. the opposition reported ten protesters in two cities have been killed. >> brown: and we take a broad look now at the upheaval sweeping across the region. haleh esfandiari is director of the middle east program at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars. shibley telhami is the anwar sadat professor of peace andpmef maryland. he's conducted numerous public opinion surveys in the middle east. because it is interesting to think about public opinion now, isn't it? what's happened? did it suddenly shift in what's going on? >> if you think about a month ago, governments were scaring the public. if you had to ask me what is the state of affairs, that was state of affairs where the public was afraid of government. a month later, governments are afraid of the public. >> brown: governments are afraid of the public? >> governments are afraid of the people. that's a remarkable change and i think it's the beginning of what i call an arab awakening, the likes of which we have not seen.

. >> brown: ...to libya... >> the road to tripoli is about an eight-hour drive that seems to capture the hopes and ambitions, anxieties and fears of a country wrestling with its future. >> brown: ...and finally, syria. >> we have seen scenes of hundreds of thousands of people gathering in downtown hama. >> brown: it was in syria that shadid died yesterday of a severe asthma attack while reporting on the violent crackdown by the assad government. the 43-year-old american of lebanese descent spent much of his career covering the middle east for a variety of news organizations, most recently "the new york times." he also appeared often on the newshour with his reporting from the region. as one of the few american reporters fluent in arabic, shadid was able to shine light on untold human stories. >> security remains the overwhelming topic of conversation in baghdad today. these three families that i was spending time with over the past few weeks, it's almost the only thing they wanted to talk about. >> brown: he won two pulitzer prizes for his dispatches, in 2004 and 2010, both while wor

such scenes have been repeated in half a dozen towns, including libya's second city, benghazi. today, they held funerals for those killed in benghazi yesterday. it can't be confirmed, but protestors are claiming that the army is now on their side and is helping them fight the police. some protestors calling themselves "the youth" appear to have taken over the radio station, and are broadcasting locally and online. >> ( translated ): we call upon you to release all the prisoners, whoever they are. 40 years is enough! strike! don't go to school or the shops. >> reporter: early this morning, colonel ghaddaffi briefly appeared at green square in tripoli, surrounded by supporters but saying nothing. later, state tv showed people demonstrating their loyalty, as if nothing had changed in libya, as if the country were immune to the revolutionary contagion spreading across the middle east. >> lehrer: protesters in yemen dubbed this the "friday of rage," and at least five people were killed. government supporters fought with protesters in sanaa and other cities. police used tear gas and

. >> warner: compare it, for instance, to libya, where at least... i mean there were areas that didn't get any assistance but there were areas that did. >> libya, there was a clear demarcation between areas controlled by the rebels in the east and areas that continued to be controlled by the qaddafi government until its fall. the difficulty was in, of course, the conflict areas. but there was a sense in libya that there was a liberated zone which non-governmental organizations were able to access with medical assistance and other supplies. that does not exist in syria, and that makes it virtually impossible for organizations to try and enter and get something done. >> warner: now, doctors without borders has also put out a statement saying that they have reports that medical personnel and medical as if facilities have actually been targeted by security forces. have you been able to confirm any of that? what's that about? >> i have not been able to confirm that. some of that is coming from groups that are in touch with individuals inside the country.

libya has oil which has unified libya. >> reporter: but not for much longer. if reports emerging from the north african country are to be believed gadhafi has fled. there has been no sighting of him since he appeared on state tv in a choreographed display of popularity. protestors are said to have taken control of at least half a dozen main towns surrounding tripoli. in response, military aircraft are reported to have shelled roads lead to go the capital and to have fired live rounds on demonstrators in the city itself. >> we saw the airplanes go by over us and it's really bad here. we still hear gunshots. it's getting (inaudible). they were sent back because they were shooting the doctors and people at the hospital. >> reporter: in contrast two libyan fighter jets landed in malta today amid reports the pilots refused to attack their own people. but tripoli is becoming more violent by the hour. the u.n. secretary general has been in direct contact with the libyan leader and told him to stop immediately. even the country's own u.n. delegation has accused georgi

libya is largely a tribal society. and he has played the various tribes against one another, ensuring that no one tribe gets too powerful and ensuring that he remains the only institution and that there's no real civil society in libya. >> brown: is that what you meant by divide and rule? >> absolutely. >> brown: expand on that a little bit. >> that's exactly what he's done. first of all, he created his popular committees. after that he created revolutionary committees to oversee the popular committees. nurz, putting one against the other. he created a militia to undermine the army. he created security forces and different levels of security forces to spy against each other. he put urban administrators in rural and tribal areas to pitch one against the other. he broke up the tribes and tried to pitch one tribe against another. that's what we're coming back to haunt him now because i think that's exactly what you were talking about. the tribes are arising against him. >> brown: these defections we're seeing at very high

i have my gun, my rifle to fight for libya >> lehrer: then 27 years old, overthrew libya's king idriss in a bloodless coup. since then the eccentric son of a bedoin herdsman has periodically and flamboyantly appeared on the world stage, as he did monday night to prove he had not fled to south america. qaddafi has no official government function, but rules with an iron fist. and he has often been characterized as unstable. >> we read that you are mad. >> ( laughs ) >> you know those things have been printed. does it make you angry? >> ( translated ): of course, it irritates me. never the less, i consider or do believe a majority of ordinary people in the four corners of the globe do love me because they different vision of that of the official governments. >> lehrer: for many years, he was best known in the west as a principal backer of international terror, using libya's vast oil wealth to provide funds and training camps. qaddafi defended his actions and scolded washington in an interview on the "newshour" in 1981, after president reagan expelled libyan diplomats from the u.s. what ki