captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> wooduff: a city wiped out, untold numbers dead, survivors desperate for aid, but that aid's been slow to come. the scale of devastation in the typhoon-ravaged central philippines is only now becoming clearer. good evening i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. also ahead, iran agreed today on a u.n. road map that would allow for the inspection of key nuclear sites. but there is not yet a broader agreement on how to freeze iran's nuclear program. margaret warner reports. >> wooduff: and from san francisco this veterans day, the

story of a college program-- one of only a handful nationwide-- helping soldiers overcome the scars of war. >> i don't care if you've got 1,300 vets like we do, or 30 vets, every place should have something like this to turn to. >> wooduff: those are just some of the stories we're covering on tonight's "pbs newshour." >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for

public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: the president of the philippines declared a state of emergency today, in the wake of typhoon haiyan. vast stretches of the central part of the country lay in ruins, especially the city of tacloban, where officials warned there could be thousands dead. for now, the confirmed death toll stands at 942. we begin with a report from angus walker of independent television news, in tacloban. you may find some of the images disturbing. >> reporter: tacloban city. survivors call it ground zero. the old coast road, a route rubble for mile after mile. entire neighborhoods washed away. tens of thousands of families

lived around busy marketplaces and back streets. now parents scavenge for food. there's no power, no phone signal, no internet, no other way to send a message. the local market place, one of the worst affected areas in tacloban, all these shops and houses made of wood, now a pile of tangled timber. nothing here stood a chance just 100 meters from sea. there were hundreds fishermens' huts here. now only the stilts they stood on are left, snapped off by wind and waves. the dead float in the sea which once gave them a living and offered a future. raya al massira, eight months pregnant, shows me the house, one of the few made of concrete that her father had sheltered in. >> we were not able to save our father. it's very sad.

we were in the house because it's big. >> reporter: they were trusting this house because it was big but when the water hits, they all fell down and they all died. >> reporter: everywhere there are bodies, four days on and in the baking heat. it's no exaggeration to say that the stench of death hangs over this entire city. behind this pile of debris are the bodies of two adults and a child. it's too distressing to show. one identified, but all three as we find a group of men using a lorry taking away the dead. they fill the truck. when we speak to one of them, alexander dosina, he said six of corpses are his own family. his mother his wife and four children. four children you've lost? >> ( translated ): four children, one mother, one wife.

>> reporter: it's difficult to comprehend the loss of life, of homes. difficult to understand how people can have faith when they have nothing left. >> ifill: a short time ago, i spoke to save the children's lynnette lim, who rode out the storm in tacloban, and is now in manilla to help coordinate relief efforts. lynnette we know you were in tacloban up until yesterday. tell us what you saw. >> after the storm had struck. everyone was inside and it was just a complete mess everywhere. our entire place was completely blackened. children and the family were coming out. obviously there was nothing much they could do. there was also no food, no water. they were dependent on the government to be able to provide

all of the basic necessities but children and the families found absolutely nothing. by saturday morning, 24 hours after the storm, by midday saturday it had taken place all around the city. >> ifill: while you were there, did you see any evidence of any relief supplies reaching people yet. >> no, not yet. the city officials as well as local government units were incapacitated and therefore were not working with the military that were arriving with the goods to people in tacloban city. they were largely dependent on the national government at this point to provide the relief that was needed for everyone. >> ifill: when you talk about relief, how would you prioritize what is needed first. >> well the most important

points is what is necessary for children and their families to survive. and there's shelter as well as sanitation, therapy, those are key for these people at least a couple weeks before we find a way to help the entire area. it's all destroyed so all of that needs to be reconstructed as well. >> ifill: where are people sleeping now until these supplies reach them? are they on the streets. >> some of them are in the streets while others are in buildings and evacuation centers. by the time i reached it after the storm, it was absolutely terrible. i saw children walking around

and openly -- with other disasters. absolutely nothing to support these families. and they would come out with the evacuation centers during the day and cleaning up the mess outside while waiting for relief to come. at night if it's raining, they would go inside and wait for the rain to stop before coming outside. now it's simply intolerable. >> ifill: relief can't get there soon enough. lynnette lim of save the children thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> ifill: we'll hear more about relief efforts in the philippines disaster after the news summary. >> ifill: iran reached a deal today with the u.n.'s nuclear chief to allow expanded monitoring of its nuclear sites. the announcement came one day after the u.s. and other world powers failed to achieve a broader agreement to curb iran's nuclear program. we'll talk to margaret warner about where the negotiations stand later in the program.

gunmen in pakistan have killed a senior leader of the haqqani network, a major ally of the afghan taliban. nasiruddin haqqani was gunned down outside a bakery in islamabad on sunday night. the assailants fired from a motorcycle. haqqani was believed to be the militant group's chief financier. america paid tribute to those who served in the military, on this veterans day. in keeping with tradition, president obama laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns at arlington national cemetery. he said as u.s. combat troops wind down their mission in afghanistan, the country must not forget their sacrifices. >> our troops wear the uniform for a time, yet they wear another proud title, the title of "veteran," for decades, for the rest of their lives. as a nation, we make sure we have the best-led, best-trained, best-equipped military in the world. we have to devote just as much energy and passion to making

sure we have the best cared-for, best-treated, best-respected veterans in the world. >> ifill: one of the nation's oldest veterans attended the arlington ceremonies. richard overton is 107 years old, and lives in texas. he was in the army in world war two, and served at pearl harbor, okinawa and iwo jima. two weeks of climate change negotiations have opened in warsaw, poland. envoys from 190 countries will discuss how to cut emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases linked to rising global temperatures. united nations officials hope to lay the groundwork for a climate pact in 2015. a wind farm 12 miles off the coast of fukushima, japan powered up today for the first time. officials hit the "on" switch from shore and then watched for the first turbine to start turning. electricity is being fed to the grid that was crippled after an earthquake and tsunami severely damaged the fukushima nuclear plant.

>> ( translated ): many people were victimized and hurt by the accident at the fukushima dai- ichi nuclear power plant, so it is very meaningful to have a new source of energy-- renewable energy-- based here at fukushima. it is the government's mission to ensure this project is a success. >> ifill: there will eventually be 143 floating turbines at the fukushima wind farm, anchored to the seabed by huge chains. wall street had a quiet start to the week. the dow jones industrial average gained 21 points to close at 15,783. the nasdaq rose a fraction of a point to stay above 3,919. >> ifill: still ahead on the "newshour": the struggle to deliver aid to typhoon-ravaged philippines; the latest on negotiations with iran over its nuclear program; convincing so- called young invincibles to buy health insurance; a college program aimed at helping veterans write the next chapter in their lives and the youngest winner ever for britain's top fiction prize.

>> wooduff: the devastation in the philippines has overwhelmed that government's ability to provide relief to typhoon victims. one supplier-- the country's air force-- struggled today with limited supplies and access to remote areas. we have a report from alex thompson of "independent television news." >> reporter: it can be agonizingly slow. brigadier general quiapo is not happy. he wants more aid to distribute. there are remote areas, hungry people, time is slipping by. so they push out what they've got into the waiting helicopters. the 206th tactical helicopter squadron of the philippines airforce now on the life saving rice delivery service. out over this shattered saturated landscape, there are people who have still not been reached.

south from roxas, the provincial capital, to a remote fishing village, apparently cut off by flooding. desperate, hungry, they are alerted by the noise and come from nowhere. smiles that say it all, but the payload is puny. this is over in seconds. even as others arrive in hope. at that we were ordered back on board. back at the civilian airport commandeered by the military, you soon realize, this airbridge is itself completely dependent on the incoming c-130s and the aid they can bring in from the capital. >> we cannot fail our countrymen. and we have to do our job. it's a very taxing job but we have to help our countrymen. >> reporter: we waited and we waited but another expected delivery of rice simple didn't

arrive. so the mission into the interior this afternoon and the mountains was purely about water. the spiritual protection of the our pilot made three passes and still the ridge was too precarious to actually hit land. so a few seconds of hovering and vital water delivered. anyway you can, so long as it's fast. so it is that the lifeline of drinking water comes not from the village wells anymore but from the 206th tactical helicopter squadron. today president akino declared a state of calamity. essentially a way of stopping profiteering and looting and freeing up state funds so get aide where it is needed. night has fallen and they've come down from their shattered villages in the mountains to live here now, in a primary school. four families in this one small

classroom. no power, no running water. one mother has already come down with chicken pox. outside, analissa delgado cooks tuna donated by a charity. >> reporter: a few feet away, tiny inista bowlas. he was born the day before typhoon. rendered homeless on the second day of his life. such is the scale of what is happening here. that these people will be considered fortunate by the standards of some in this region. yes, they are homeless and destitute, but they are at least alive and unhurt. >> wooduff: for more on how the philippines will have to navigate it's massive humanitarian effort with the help of international aid agencies and governments, i'm joined by andrew natsios, former director of the office of foreign disaster assistance at the u.s. agency for international development during the george w. bush administration.

andrew natsios, thank you for talking with us. compared to other dals stirs you've seen, what is the challenge, how would you describe the challenge presented by what's happened in the philippine. >> there are two things here. one it's the worst typhoon in history so the damage is more severe. the second thing we're facing is the fact this is the fourth typhoon that's hit the philippines this year. then they had an earthquake a few weeks ago. this is not the first disaster but the fifth disaster in one year. the third problem is there's so much debris that it's difficult for trucks to get through and aircraft to get through. the u.s. office of foreign disaster assistance and usaid sent a team in before the typhoon struck so they would be there as soon as the typhoon was

over. and they started assessments within one hour after the storm subsided. paycon, u.s. pacific command is working with usaid to send in logistical support and u.s. aid and paycon, worked together and they did their job and there was no political interference. sometimes people in washington they get so impatient they start immobilizing domestic agencies to get involved in the u.s. that really have no experience in disaster response. my urge for policy makers are let u.s. aid and u.s. military get their work done. they're the ones in the field who know what's going on. they should be making the decisions at the field level. >> woodruff: who is in charge in a situation like this, the philippine government is there but as you pointed out they've been tested by one disaster after another in the last few weeks. >> but they have a command structure that's in place to

make decisions. ultimately it's the philippine government in charge. in terms of the u.s. effort it puts the usaid administrator for five years, i was the cored -- coordinator for u.s. disaster abroad and it's reports to ais in terms of responses and what needs to happen. >> woodruff: what happens in terms of order. is it the matter of one agency focuses on water, another one on housing and another one on sanitation? i mean, how do these agencies divide it up. >> well there's an international accepted system that's been worked out over many years. we call them clusters. housing is a cluster, water and sanitation is a cluster, food and nutrition is another emergency medical care in aid construction. human and other government

orgainizations specialize in certain areas. they all know what they're assigned to do. ngo's already had programs in the philippines. they're on the same wavelength as usaid and the un agencies. the office on the coordinated humanitarian assistance is supposed to coordinate the international response and they usually do, not always a good job. they were there very quickly along with usaid officer and the philippine government. so far from what i can tell, people are trying their best under the circumstances. the people's expectations are so high they want immediate assistance when it takes time simply to move everything. i know for example planes were arriving this morning in manila in the regional cities nearby at 11:00 this morning philippine time were the first shipments of shelter material, cooking equipment and health equipment

as well. aid and u.s. government have contributed $20 million this morning. that's only the first bunch of assistance they will be providing, 10 million to the world food program to bring in protein biscuits and rice to be brought in. that's being shipped now by the way of food corps probably one of the most competent of all the human agencies in terms of response. they usually do have very good job. >> woodruff: before we wrap up here for people who are watching and want to be helpful what's the best thing they can do. >> one thing not to do is don't send used clothes or cans of food or thing out on their medicine chest but they should contribute cash to the ngo who works in the philippines or through their church or synagogue or mosque they give money through. i suggest they go to interaction

a consortium of ngo's, and they can choose which one they want and make a cash contribution. it's much easier to move money into the philippines than it is to move commodities and what the commodities are actually worth. >> woodruff: thank you with the helpful information. we thank you. >> thank you. >> wooduff: online, we have a guide to organizations that are delivering aid to victims of the typhoon and ways you can help. find that information on our homepage. >> ifill: despite initial signs of hope, an interim deal over iran's nuclear program was not reached in geneva this weekend. chief foreign affairs correspondent margaret warner reports on what happened, and on efforts to keep a future agreement alive. >> reporter: secretary of state

john kerry was in the united arab emirates today, trying to reassure america's arab allies that negotiations with iran will not put their security at risk. >> our hope is that in the next months we can find an agreement that meets everybody's standard. this is not a race to complete just any agreement. no deal is better than a bad deal i have said many times as has president obama. >> reporter: the secretary had diverted from his middle east tour, at the weekend, to attend the talks in geneva with iran and five other world powers-- britain, russia, france, china and germany. they reportedly were seeking a halt to iran's nuclear activity for six months, in exchange for an easing of some sanctions. but early sunday morning, the diplomats came up short, amid reports that france had demanded stricter curbs on

iran's program, particularly its heavy water reactor in arak, which could produce plutonium once it's operational. today, though, kerry insisted it was iran that said no. >> there was unity but iran couldn't take it. at that particular moment, they weren't able to accept that particular agreement. >> reporter: in london, british foreign secretary william hague warned iran could face tougher sanctions if no deal is reached. in the meantime, he said: >> sanctions are costing the iranian economy at least $4 billion a month. and this cost will be maintained until we reach an agreement. until such a moment, there is no question of us relaxing the pressure of sanctions in any way. >> reporter: israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu repeatedly condemned the emerging deal, as he did yesterday on cbs's "face the nation." >> iran gives practically nothing, and it gets a hell of a lot.

that's not a good deal. >> reporter: iran did reach a separate agreement today with the international atomic energy agency, for greater access to some nuclear sites. meanwhile, tehran's talks with the world powers are set to resume on november 20. >> ifill: and margaret joins me now. so margaret, last we talked about this, everything was about to happen over the weekend. now it collapse the in what looks like a welter of fingerpointing. what happened. >> you see there's competing versions with something kerry say with roorn could accept the deal and you have france objecting. but the iran farm minister tweeted out today a couple times i know it will not change but what went on in the p5. another point he said mr. secretary, was it iran that gutted the agreement. i think the reporting i've been able to do and i caution to say that neither secretary kerry nor

undersecretary sherman are back yet. so a lot of the principals aren't here but it was both. in other words, one we know they felt close to planning the events while secretary kerry wasn't going to fly in until they got it down to one issue in which he could come in and negotiate at the end. like the you foreign ministers did. two it's clear the french farm minister raised this objection having to do with the iraq heavy water reactor. and then three, it's clear that by late saturday night and early sunday morning, somehow the p5, that is the u.s. partners came often with something together which then iran balked at. what we don't know is was it if they felt they hit the goal post. last time we talked on thursday night you said what do the other

members mean and i would say yes, of course, but really the u.s. and iran have been antagonists here. so essentially implying that's what counted. that's what the administration thought. clearly a miscalculation. and the u.s. was, it's no surprised that france has always been the most hawkish in private discussions based on long history of negotiating with iran and come close to israel. but to be publicly blind sided that did come untold as a surprise and now the administration has to figure out how to not let that happen again. >> ifill: it's clear that netanyahu was not ever going to be on board. how much of this changed because of his insistence this was a bad deal not only to his allies who were there in geneva but also here in the u.s. dealing with our domestic concerns about israel. >> i think prime minister netanyahu's objections and role

cannot be overstated or under estimated. he's had a drum beat you said talking to people not only to the administration borrow the people on the fill and he confirms suspicions yesterday he called most of these european leaders. and he said don't do a premature deal that would enable ruin to yesterday saying he had been given the outlines by his american sources and that's what they are going to do. a lot more details will emerge but i haven't heard anyone say in fact he's dead wrong about that. in other words some of the fine points to what level they might be able to continue enriching during this pause. >> ifill: i was interested to see u.s. senators coming out and saying and even governors coming out and saying this is a bad deal over the last few days which suggested someone was suggesting to them there's a bad deal. so when john kerry gets back to

the united states what's his first goal. >> he's going right to the hill. tomorrow he's going with caroline kennedy as ambassador to japan, i don't know when he gets home. but wednesday he's giving a classified meeting to the senate banking committee. as you and i discussed thursday it's on the banking committee some allies want to hamstring the president from being able to even offer sanctions through a waiver provision in the legislation. in other words, one, someone threatened to add a new sanctions during the negotiations. but others are saying well at the very least we should remove the president's ability to deal with the legislation was passed and if so, what reports are that the u.s. put on the table that is to unfree funds overseas would not be able. >> ifill: is it better alive.

>> i think it's still alive. i think the secretary has a lot of work to do on the hill and the negotiating partners and with ruin in nine days rifle rifle all right, margaret warner, thanks very much. >> wooduff: tonight we begin a week-long series on reactions to the affordable care act, now that americans have had time to read the fine print. first, we focus on a pivotal demographic needed to make the state health exchanges work-- a group often referred to as "young invincibles." our report comes from our colleagues at wisconsin public television. the correspondent is frederica freyberg. >> take a deep deep breath in. >> 25 year old georgia curry is a college graduate and yoga instructor. >> working at the freelance and different areas of different yoga studios in fitness. and i need insurance.

grab your left ankle. >> she says she needs insurance by next year when she turns 26 and is no longer on her parents plan. curry acknowledges her work keeps her fit. she knows she's young and healthy but not invincible. >> you never know when you're going to break your leg or get in a car accident. like you never know. >> in wisconsin, 19% of 18-34 year olds are uninsured. in will walkie that number is 26%. state-wide that's 229,000 uninsured young people in that age group. brian brel is the broom called young invincibles which advocates for economic security including the affordable care act. >> young adults are the large uninsured age group. this is a huge group and a lot of people in the lower income been able to qualify for some benefits. the thing is you came up with the name because we're not invincible. young people are going to get hurt and sick at some point. it's a matter of when.

when you compare looking at a premium that costs you a hundrd a month or a broken bone there's a big difference and can give you real financial security. >> some young people just don't buy it. 20 year old haley sinclaire is a madison u student active in young americans for liberty, staunchly opposed to the new healthcare law. >> you are being taxed or fine if you don't sign up for healthcare. and that's frustrating because it's mandated for healthcare. >> under the affordable care act the penalty for an individual not having insurance is $95 in 2014. it goes up to $325 in 2015 and $695 in 2016. >> i would like to pay no premium. >> according only to estimates because she couldn't get into the on-line marketplace curry's insurance premium for 2014 for a

mid tear plan would be $2,428 a year. but because of her income, she could get a government tax credit of $2, 888, making is her premium $240 a year. >> i will venture who guess who will not buy insurance the first year and have the penalty but as the penalty increases year to year i think you get to a point where it's worthwhile to just pay and have the coverage. >> the choice that people think they would rather pay the penalty, but i think especially starting in 2016 the penalties will actually be quite a bit higher, it will be a minimum of $700. in some instances with tax credits it could actually be cheaper to buy health insurance. >> the push is on and built into the law to incentivize 18-34 year olds to enroll in the healthcare marketplace. we asked u.s. department of health and human services

regional director kathleen bit. how important is iate to get this young healthy demographic into the kind of group. >> it's important to help a bigger pool so we all pay lower rates. we all have some skin in that game. but it's also important because of their health. >> insurers and providers in the marketplace acknowledge they want the young enrollees. >> the big demographic we're trying to attract here with the market place is the young invincibles as we call them. young people that could get health insurance but may not have the chronic illnesses that somebody in the medicare age grew do. so just because they'll have insurance doesn't mean they'll need that care. >> sinclaire says she opposes the premise. >> i have to try to find a job to pay off my student loan debt but also pay exorbitant amount for new health care premiums and that's for the young people because they're 9 ones covering

everyone else. what happens, this is what supporters talk about, you across the university avenue and you get hit by a car and you break your leg. what then? >> what i have to do is suffer the consequences because i made that choice as an individual to go uninsured and deal with the expense and if i have to into debt after college i have to. that's my individual responsibility. >> 1986 law requires hospitals to provide care to anyone needing emergency healthcare treatment regardless of ability to pay. the new affordable care act is designed to reduce that most expensive kind of treatment by incentivizing primary and preventive care. because emergency room bills add up fast and certainly not all of those charges incurred by even the best intentions, but uninsured young invincible will or could be paid. >> i work paycheck to paycheck pretty much. >> for young people like georgia

curry working jobs that offer no insurance ... >> i don't want to take the risk of not having insurance. >> her salary couldn't withstand the high cost of emergency care big into the marketplace is the preferred position. >> exhale, hands to the matt, stip back, take a bow. >> wooduff: later this week the obama administration is expected to release its first report of how many people of any age have enrolled in the insurance marketplaces so far. the "wall street journal" today pegged that number at fewer than 50,000. >> ifill: as the nation struggles with its health care demands, so too do veterans whose health challenges are complicated by their service. more than a million iraq and afghanistan vets have used the gi bill to pursue a college degree.

but they are often coping with injuries and stress that make for a tough battlefield-to- classroom transition. our partners at kqed and the center for investigative reporting bring us the story of a community college program that offers a simple solution-- bring health services where they're needed most. special correspondent aaron glantz has that story. >> danny signed up to be a cook in the u.s. army. within weeks, he was deployed to iraq. >> i was about 17 when the atrocities of 9/11 happened and that really affected me and i wanted to actually make some change. >> i was reassigned to a machine gunner running convoices from saddam hussein's home town. >> lieutenant comes up to me and says hey private, have you ever fired a 50 caliber machine gun before. no, sir.

you better learn. >> when he returned from his tour, his mother lucy thought he had changed. >> you see the picture of that first hug the first embrace. i look in his eyes and i thought oh my god his eyes are that of an old man. >> if anyone would ever get near mean when i was sleeping i was on high alert that i would swing. >> i was waking him up and he wanted to put a move on me to protect himself. and when he had dreams, we watched him very closely i think. >> he had quite a few episodes. >> where like he saved the family from attack. >> he held a series of odd jobs after leaving the army. seven years passed before he decided to get a fresh start at city college of san francisco. but one day in english class, the war came flooding back. >> some things were brought up in particular of a little boy who i knew, an iraqi child that

had died. and i couldn't sit in class anymore, i had to leave. and my hard was palpating with different memories coming back, i just couldn't go on. >> he didn't have to go far for help. within minutes, he was talking with a therapist at the on-campus clinic run by the department of veterans' affairs. >> i went in, spoke to one of their counselors and he just listened, had me talk it out, calmed me down. i don't know what i would have done without him. i mean, i was kind of in panic mode. >> when it opened in 2010, the clinic at city college marked the first time that the national agency charge was helping veterans had ever offered healthcare on a college campus. a simple solution but one that can be life saving. >> we want to make it as easy as possible for veterans to receive

services. >> chief armstrong runs the va clinic at city college. >> what we know about veterans especially veterans coming home from war and they have symptoms consistent with post traumatic stress. >> someone came up to me and said were you in the military. yeah. how many people did you kill over there. come on. >> how did you handle it. >> very politely i said no one today. >> senior va officials have praised the clinic of city college. secretary of veterans affairs eric has toured the country urging colleges to do more to help veterans. >> they must graduate, otherwise there's no pay off to them, to any of your institutions or to the american people who have underwritten this most generous of education programs. >> but the va has been slow to

build on the discuss of its city college clinic. in may the non-partisan government accountability office issued a report saying the agency isn't doing enough to back up its $10 billion investment in veterans' education. the report said that colleges were working without any guidance or assistance from the va. and the senator for investigative reporting found that at 150 colleges that the largest numbers of iraq and afghanistan veteran students, the va provides services at just four. >> it's not an expensive program. initially it's a challenging program to get set up because it involves the va doing something with another bureaucracy. >> three years on, the program remains in the pilot stij, with no plan for a major national rollout. a va spokesman fold us the agency is still gathering data on best practices. here at city college, it was the football coach, george rush who

saw a need. >> for this campus the commitment was these people have made the greatest sacrifices, and as such deserve the most attention. and they're going to get it here. >> coach rush comes from a military family. he and other leaders sought help from trade unions. >> it was very uninviting. you had to stand in the hallway, it was one person coming off at the time there was no chairs. it was very very upsetting if i was a veteran coming back and thinking my life and the thing i had gone through and i was standing like a kindergartner waiting in line. >> they made college a destination for younger veterans across the region. iraq war veteran andre rogers is president of the veterans' alliance. >> i'm hanging out. i'm not sure everybody's safe, comfortable and they're getting you know what they need. >> every week day, rogers drivers past six other community colleges on his way to san

francisco. city college may be fighting for hits accreditation but it is the only school where he can get counseling for the flashbacks that still occasion me plague him during class. >> whether it's medical benefits or disability compensation, classes. any problems that they v they can come to me or i just walk around and ask them how are you doing, is there anything you need. >> are marine corps veteran ed win was studying to be a mechanical engineer. earlier this spring he was struggling. he stopped going to class. >> you called the suicide hotline so were you thinking about it at that point. >> yes, i was. >> what were you thinking about doing? >> cutting my wrists. >> in afghanistan, dell rio came upon a family, including two small children that had been shot by the taliban. here at the veterans' lounge

he's been able to talk with others about his experience and learn that he is not alone. >> we were in the same tents and same camp, went on the same patrol and same hardships. so we knew the problems each of us might face, and we're family. >> before he enrolled at city college, daniel was searching for a sense of belonging. he joined the reserves. he says the community and services at city college have helped him turn the page to the next phase of his life. >> i started going to school here and it just took on a whole different persona. i started getting good grades, i started thinking maybe i could go to a really good university. >> he hopes to transfer to uc berkley and he wants more veterans to get the kind of help he's had. >> every institution, i don't care if you got 1300 vets like we do or 30 vets, every place should have something like this to turn to. because who knows one of these

veterans, they might have it worse than how i had it in class. maybe they won't get the help they need in time. >> wooduff: that story was part of a longer documentary that aired last summer. for more on k.q.e.d. and the center for investigative reporting's coverage of this issue, go to kqed.org/lifeafterwar. >> ifill: the mann booker prize is britain's most prestigious award for novelists from britain, ireland or commonwealth countries. jeffrey brown sat down recently with this year's acclaimed winner. >> brown: in 1866, a young man arrives from england to join the gold rush under way in new zealand. in a hotel lounge he comes upon 12 men discussing a crime. one reviewer called it a mass

confabulation, frontier justice, victorian and very modern storytelling and much more. awe this eleanor catten is from new zealanding and at age 28ian es right to win the brook prize. congratulations to you welcome. >> thank you very much. >> it's fascinating to read this and to read the reviewers trying to figure out and explain to their readers what it is. so let me ask the author. what do you think you have done here or created here. >> i think it is a novel way to have two hemispheres like the brain has two hemispheres. it's the kind of the 19th century type with blackmail and that kind of thing. and the other hemisphere is maybe the slightly more heady hemisphere of the book is kind of an astrological dance that's going on where as you discovered

each of the characters is typical of one of the signs and the emotion that reflects what is happening at that time. >> the astrology even determines the length of chapters, right, and the way the story unfolds. is it you were interested in astrology or were you interested in a structure to which you could put this sort of old fashion as you say crime story. >> in my research for the book i discovered to my interest and astonishment that astrology really is an incredibly mathematical system and one that has think in common with music. in music we have the 12 notes and the scale and as descrawlg you've got the 12 signs and the planets. all kinds of interrelations that have and the harmonies that

happen in the sky is the same as the harmonies or the chords. >> you had this idea i'll take a story and sort of use astrology to kind of help me tell it. >> yes. i felt you know, i began by playing around i think and feeling my way into the system and seeing what interested me. >> so the results at the awards ceremony the book you jokingly called your book a publisher's nightmare. what did you mean by that because it's a good read but it's a big read. >> yes. well i mean i broke lots of rules in this book. i was two years behind my schedule and my publisher's contract. they had certified a work of a certain length that i was to deliver and this book's about three times that word count. i mean, it was a wonderful thing actually because you know, there's some risks that

publishers have to take that writers never really see, the financial risks and all the risks of labor and effect and that kind of thing. i felt massively trusted and all the schairkz in the world. >> in the end wasn't the fun to write. again going back there's a lot of puzzle aspects to it. there are many characters and one thinking leads to another story and there's the astrology. was it fun to put all that altogether. >> it was enormous fun. i think it has to do. if you're not having fun you can't hope that the reader's going to have fun. >> am i right in thinking that partly you're looking back to victoria novels, one can sense dickens here, but of course it's a modern contemporary tale. am i write in thinking that you're interested in sort of what the novel can do in all of this. >> very much so, yes.

an interesting thing about new zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century. so we have a tradition of new zealand in 19th century novels of george el yet or people of that kind. trying to write new zealand in a tradition that's not included in a new zealand voice. >> and being from new zealand, does that bring something to this that we're not aware of? >> yes, i think so. i think it's a different project for a novelist from a small country because you can't rely on anybody knowing any of the things you're talking about already. and so you have to both create the impression in the reader's mind and also kind of explore it. a lot bit different than you know if you're rushing about a place or a paper or an incident that is already a fixture in

kind of the imagination of the world. >> it's the longest book ever for the prize and you're the youngest author. that got a lot of attention. did it mean anything to you, the age part. >> well i mean, i'm very, i feel it's a great honor, you know, very pleased that it worked out the way it has. but the funny thing is in my mind whenever i hear youngest girl longest book. i kept switching the adjective are hearing oldest author youngest book. >> what's next for you. >> back to new sealand. i'm teaching down there and hopefully keep my head over my shoulders. >> thank you so much. congratulations. >> ifill: you can see eleanor catton read from "the luminaries" online, on our art beat page.

>> wooduff: finally tonight, the women veterans of world war ii. they logged more than 60 million miles in every type of military aircraft, but after the war, the women air force service pilots, or wasps, were disbanded and their contributions largely forgotten, until 2009 when they received the congressional gold medal. a new documentary, "we served too," tells the story of these heroic women. it begins airing on select pbs stations tonight. here is an excerpt. >> this is the factory and picked up the brand new airplane as they came off the line and where they were going to go to a school or point of embarkation or some place where that airplane was to go. and then we would angle back and pick up another one. it was a job that had to be done. unfortunately we were allowed to do it. it was a great privilege

actually. >> the wasps were often the first pilots to sit in the cockpit and fly the military's newest and most advanced and fastest airplanes. in most cases they had no training how to fly the aircraft. >> they often wouldn't be trained in this particular plane, right. most of these aircraft were single cockpit planes. so your first flight would be your first flight in that airplane. and so they would arrive and be given the orders with the numbers, right. you take off at the speed, you put the flaps down at this speed you land at this speed. and you have to memorize those and then just go. and they would often take off and then they would practice. one tells the story she would shoot landings on clouds. she would find a cloud and she would practice her landing speeds and her approach on clouds until she became

comfortable with the aircraft and then she would would go and do her business and land wherever she is supposed to land. >> you go in and check yourself out, the dashboard and figure out where the instruments ear. you know where the throttle is and the mission control. somebody on the ground says good luck, you're on your own. >> the women also flew across the country with limited navigation. >> we didn't have gps or anything like that but we had a campus. well, we had a map and we flew what is called ifr which is i followed a railroad. if you ever got lost you followed a railroad and it got you some place. >> ifill: "we served too, the story of the women air force service pilots of world war two," airs tonight and over the course of this week on pbs stations around the country. check your local listings for the exact time. >> wooduff: again, the major developments of the day: survivors of a devastating typhoon in the philippines grew increasingly desperate or aid and iran reached agreement with

the u.n.'s chief: to allow expanded inspections of its nuclear sites. >> ifill: on the "newshour" online right now: visitors travel from around the world to the vietnam war memorial and they leave behind remembrances to their lost loved ones. on this veterans day, we visited the national parks resource center, where curators gather and catalogue the personal items: letters, photos, stuffed animals, even a motorcycle. you can read some of their stories and learn about what happens to it all on our homepage. all that and more is on our website newshour.pbs.org. >> wooduff: and that's the "newshour" for tonight. on tuesday, we'll sit down with former vice president dick cheney to discuss his new book: "heart: an american medical odyssey." i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill thank you and goodnight >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by:

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in election years, politicians become collectors... of votes. here's our collection of appraisals celebrating american politics. young man: we took it in for show-and-tell. here's my mom and the teacher in a big argument of how it's real or not. your teacher didn't believe this was real? no, she didn't believe it. it was the one that was issued to john quincy adams in the house of representatives, and it's the one he actually died in.

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