PBS NewsHour full episode, May 1, 2023
amna: Good evening. I'm amna nawaz. Geoff: And I'm geoff Bennett. Regular's sees first from alike bank and sell it to J.P. Morgan concerns grow about instability in the banking sector.
Amna: Warring sides into Danny gray to negotiate as fighting continues in the capital and the humanitarian crisis reaches a breaking point. Geoff: And Idaho ob/gyn's navigate a new landscape after the passage of one of the nation's strictest abortion bands. >> I needed to do what my oath requires me to do to pay or ties the safety of my patients, and I also knew I was putting myself at risk for felony charges.
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This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Geoff: Welcome to the newshour. An intense manhunt is widening tonight for a Texas gunman who killed five of his neighbors -- including a 9-year-old boy -- in a rural town north of Houston. Amna: The shooting happened late Friday night -- yet the FBI says they still have "Zero leads", leaving the small community -- and an entire nation -- on edge. Stephanie sy has our report.
>> Wilson Garcia's head hung low as he wept. The gunman who killed his wife and son over the weekend remains at largepotentially still armed and dangerous. >> I'm trying to be strong for my kids. My daughter.. She kind of knows what's going on. But it's difficult when she comes and she starts to ask for mommy and her brother. >> Other children in the home were shielded from the hail of bullets by two women who were killed.
Five victims in all, including 9-year old Daniel Enrique Laso. Garcia says he had asked his neighbor to fire rounds in a part of his yard that wouldn't wake his sleeping baby.. Instead, minutes later, the gunman walked up to the family's home in a rural area northeast of Houston, loading up an ar-15 style rifle. Garcia's wife -- Sofia Argentina Guzman -- was killed at the front door. >> He came and shot, without saying anything.
Boom. And my wife fell. Then, he went inside the house to look for everyone.
>> The suspect - 38 year old Francisco Oropesa - is still on the loose. The newshour confirmed that he has been deported multiple times and entered the U.S. Illegally. He has a previous DUI conviction.
The Texas governor offered a $50,000 reward for the fugitive, and the FBI has put up an additional $30,000. >> We do not know where he is. We don't have any tips right now to where he may be. And that's why we've come up with this reward so that hopefully somebody out there can call us. >> Authorities identify him through an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens outside the country and through doorbell camera footage. They've also recovered the ar-15 used in the shootings.
The county sheriff dismissed questions about the victim's immigration status. >> I don't care if he was here legally, I don't care if he was here illegally. He was in my county. Five people died in my county, and that is where my heart is, in my county, protecting my people to the best of our ability. >> The victims were all originally from Honduras.
>> It is my number one priority -- police are going door-to-door as the search for the shooter stretches into the third day. Geoff: In the day's other headlines: Federal regulators seized first republic bank and sold its deposits to JP Morgan chase. It's the third mid-size U.S. Lender to fail in two months.
Its market share plunged last week following a mass *exodus of panicked depositers. Today, a treasury department spokeperson *insisted that - quote - the "Banking system remains sound and resilient," and that "Americans should feel confident in the safety of their deposits." Meantime, treasury secretary Janet Yellen is warning the U.S.
Could now default on its debt as early as June 1st. That's if congress doesn't raise or suspend the debt limit before then. This afternoon, president Biden called all four top congressional leaders to invite them to meet at the white house to discuss the budget on may 9th -- according to two sources -- across Ukraine, Russia unleash a morning volley of missiles which wounded dozens it second major air assault in three days. Ukraine's military said it shot most of the missiles down. But in the eastern city of pavlohrad, strikes turned residential areas into wastelands -- and left Ukrainians running for their lives. >> "When I saw another flash, I told my husband to get outside.
We were in the corridor when an explosion smashed off both doors. I ran outside and saw the garage was destroyed. Everything was on fire. Glass shards were everywhere. Had we been outside, we would have been killed.
Geoff: Ukrainian officials said today's attacks targeted the country's power network -- and left nearly 20,000 people without electricity. Back in this country: A surge of snowmelt has brought the Mississippi river to peak water levels in the quad-cities area of the midwest. Davenport -- in eastern Iowa -- saw the river crest today at more than 21 feet -- a few inches lower than expected. Officials are optimistic that flood defenses there -- and in neighboring towns -- will hold up.
Montana state representative zooey zephyr is suing to be allowed to return to her state's house floor. Zephyr -- a transgender Democrat -- was barred last month after protesting a ban on gender-affirming health care for minors. Rebublicans say she violated decorum. In a statement, zephyr said she was targeted because quote: "I dared to give voice to the values and needs of transgender people like myself." A judge in Missouri has temporarily blocked unprecedented restrictions on transgender health care from taking effect.
If enacted, anyone seeking gender-affirming treatments -- such as hormones and puberty-blocking drugs -- would be required to undergo 18 months of therapy. The rule was proposed by the state's Republican attorney general, who faces an ongoing lawsuit over its provisions. President Biden welcomed his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos junior to the white house today -- amid growing concerns about China's harassment of Philippine ships. It's the first time a Philippine president has visited Washington in more than 10 years. The pair agreed to deepen their countries' cooperation on trade, investment and security.
Pres. Biden: The us also remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the south China sea, and we're gonna continue to support the Philippines military modernization course. Geoff: The us also remains -- the visit comes two days after the two countries held their largest joint military drills ever, in Philippine waters.
A Florida oversight board -- appointed by governor Ron Desantis -- voted to countersue the "Walt Disney company" today. Last week, Disney filed a lawsuit to stop the governor's takeover of its theme park district -- which the entertainment giant controlled for decades. The feud began last year after Disney opposed a Florida law banning the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Workers across the globe marked this "May day" with rallies and marches.
In Asia, thousands took to the streets demanding better pay. Nurses in the uk protested their wages and working conditions. But the biggest flashpoint was in France. Demonstrators in southern France torched cars and buildings, while police in Paris used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds.
They were protesting against president macron's new pension reforms. >> Anger has never been so strong in the country. This day of mobilization is a stinging denial of the strategy of Emmanuel macron. Our determination is intact.
Protests are at a historic level for a may 1st in France. Geoff: Meantime, the Canadian government reached a deal with federal workers after two weeks of deadlock. It will raise pay by nearly 13-percent over four years, ending the largest public sector strike in that nation's history.
And, stocks edged lower on wall Street today. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 46 points to close at 34,052. The NASDAQ fell 14 points. And the S&P 500 slipped more than a point. Still to come on the "Newshour", author E Jean Carroll returns to the witness stand in the rape trial against former president trump.
A sociologist and trauma expert discusses the culture surrounding guns in America. And Hollywood prepares for a strike that could halt film and TV production announcer: This is the pbs newshour from W eta studios in Washington and in the west from the Walter Cronkite school of journalism at zona state university. Amna: Another major bank failure has shaken the U.S. Financial system federal regulators' seizure of first republic bank comes less than two months after silicon valley bank and signature bank collapsed. To help us understand why this happened and the state of the banking industry, I'm joined by robin farzad, host of public radio's "Full disclosure" podcast.
Welcome back. Always good to see you. As you well know, as you came on the show to talk about come after this previous bank collapses, some of the biggest banks rushed into shore up first republic bank -- $30 billion of rescue package. I didn't that work? Why did federal regulators have to step in? Guest: It wasn't enough of a firewall. This is all a confidence game.
You can look at this cynically like all of these banks would love to get a bank of first republic's prestige and grandstanding and clientele with financial aid from the FBI see or the Federer anyone else that cares to backstop it. That $30 billion, you could look at as a collective down payment if Wall Street is saying we would like to put in our money and it's not going to be protected above 250 thousand dollars, in theory, that would put the straight to bed finally. But it didn't happen. They had an earnings call with a cap hemorrhaging deposits.
The stock cap tanking and you had an 11th hour bailout through the entirety of the weekend and you see J.P. Morgan emerge victorious. It shows you how really, truly thin the business model of banking is and how much of it comes down to psychology and confidence.
Amna: The FBI see took control, brokered a sale to JPMorgan chase. What does this mean for bank deposits and what does it mean for shareholders? Guest: Shareholders are going to get wiped out. It's a breathtaking loss. If you to me at the beginning of the year first republic, something that was lurking beneath it that was a Monday and risk, they were getting sandwiched between markdowns on generous loans they made on the fed taking up interest rates which has been something the entire economy has had to deal with and whip lashing fashion, I would not have believed it would have led to the second largest bank failure in history.
Think about the season the bottom 2008 and spring 2000 9 -- that was subprime. There was rot everywhere and panic everywhere. This is not a panicked economy. Unemployment is close to 3.5%. But there are moments when you get complacency in if investors jump ship and depositors jump ship, there's only so much you can do without the intervention of the government and other banks.
Amna: What does this mean for JPMorgan chase? If you look at some of their acquisitions, they now include first republic bank, Washington mutual, bank one, bear Stearns -- you are talking about further consolidations in a sector dominated by institutions many have deemed too big to fail. How do you look at that? Guest: If you were to take bank one, which is firmly or to people in the midwest and accordion that out to first usa and all the various dozens of banks thank one has rolled up over the decades, and it is now a footnote in this behemoth of a Wall Street giant, I think at last count, it had two point $5 trillion of assets. Even if it didn't do anything, it was collecting $50 billion as everyone was leaving these regional banks.
It has this unique status, unique citizenship. Too big to fail doesn't even begin to describe it. If it was Jupiter, it is now the sun and that's the danger for the fed. If J.P. Morgan is the good citizen of Wall Street, the heir apparent from 100 20 years ago -- but how do you get your arms around J.P. Morgan or any of its too big to fail if anything were to happen there? That is something that regulators in this economy have punted on.
Amna: If you take a step back, three of the four largest bank failures in U.S. History have happened in the last two months. J.P. Morgan chase's CEO said this part of the crisis is over. Is it? Is this the last domino to fall? Guest: This is a problem, if you have this echo chamber on Twitter and investors selling something and it forces management to step up and say were good but we are not going to take calls on an earnings call, depositors ultimately have the deciding vote. If they pull their money, the FBI see comes in and has to bring in other pillars of support.
Brand management is only so valuable in banking when it's up to the quality of your deposits and wounds. As we have learned painfully this year, that can be ephemeral. Amna: How should depositors look at this? Should consumers be worried? Guest: Scrutinize your $250,000 max. The FBI see has some papers out saying maybe we should reconsider this.
What used to be 100 thousand dollars -- inflation has eaten away at that. You have businesses that need to have hundreds of thousands of dollars on hand. I predict congress and the FBI see are going to come in for higher limits. But it pays to read the fine print in the meantime. Amna: Thank you. Always good to see you.
Geoff: Sudan's military today agreed to send a representative to potential negotiations, 16 days after an eruption of violence that has killed more than 500 people. The street-to-street fighting and a humanitarian crisis has forced millions to flee their homes. Nick schifrin reports on the conditions, and the U.S. Evacuation of one thousand -- of hundreds of American citizens since Friday. >> The uss Brunswick help delivered salvation for hundreds of American citizens. Their journey took days through desperation and destruction, most evacuees are on their own.
X we started going through all these roads, dead bodies on the sides. >> This obstetrician has a daughter who is American. He returned to Sudan to help bury his father. And ended up caught in the crossfire of two factions that turned Khartoum into a war zone.
He escaped the violence a week ago for a five day journey to port Sudan. >> The worst part of it was the checkpoints, at gunpoint, we were manually searched a couple of times. Some of them were extremely friendly and some of them you could see they could flip at any point and basically pull the trigger. That is what -- that's a scary part.
You could tell there isn't any pattern to this. There isn't instructions how to deal with innocent people. >> Those checkpoints are run by the para-telly -- paramilitary group, our sf, currently fighting the Sudanese military for control of the country. Have accelerated and are Laurenti dyer military in crisis. Many are short of water, food and electricity in the medical system is on the verge of collapse.
Last week, artillery hit this hospital lobby and wounded 13. >> More than two thirds of the hospitals are completely out of service. Whether they were bombarded were attacked or ran out of medical supplies or rent out of medical personnel. If you are scared of getting a bullet or scared of getting a missile in your house, you will die from a medical problem that might not even be related to the war that is happening in the streets right now. >> This weekend, the international committee of the red cross delivered eight tons of mostly medical supplies to port Sudan. But the violence is so intense come of this supplies cannot move forward to the front lines.
A spokeswoman told us today from Nairobi -- >> We have a general state of lawlessness that is becoming widespread. It is extremely difficult and volatile security environment for our teams to be working in. >> One of the hospitals in need is this one.
The general manager said so many other facilities had been destroyed that they are performing 10 times their normal number of c-sections. >> In this particular institution, just Thursday, we received about five babies that were sick. Some of them, unfortunately, did not make it. Extremely difficult for the families to see babies just dying in front of their eyes because of the lack of basic medical needs. >> One of those providing for those needs was the doctor on the left. He's an American gastroenterologist who flew to Sudan from his Iowa home to train Sudanese students and treat patients.
>> He was a hero. I'd don't think there are enough words to describe what he was doing in Sudan. >> He remained despite the violence, despite the risk to himself, to treat some of the thousands wounded by war. How did he die? >> I think that's the most difficult part of it.
He was stabbed to death from a group of unknown people we believe the reason behind it was just robbery. Sudan has not just lost him but thousands of patients he was taking care of. Hundreds of students he was teaching, medical professionals.
And Sudan lost a big part of the humanitarian work he was doing. >> For so many Sudanese, there is no warship coming to the rescue, no sanctuary when even those who he'll become the targets. I'm Nick schifrin. Amna: In Manhattan, the cross-examination continues of E Jean Carroll. The magazine columnist has accused former president Donald Trump of raping her in a department store in the mid 90s.
She testified again today after the judge rejected a request from trump's attorneys to declare a mistrial. The civil trial is possible -- is being closely watched not only because of high-profile defendant but what it could mean for legal accountability in cases of sexual violence. Among those watching is Laura Beth Nielsen, professor of sociology at northwestern university and an attorney and researcher with the American bar foundation. Welcome and thank you for joining us. I know you have been watching the trial. You saw the detailed testimony by E. Jean Carroll question by
her own lawyer. As part of that cross-examination, they have been asking why she decided to sue trump in the first place and not the former CBS head, let's moon the, who also previously sexually assaulted her. She answered in this way, saying less moon vested not call me names. He did not grind my face into the mud like Donald Trump did. Trump's attorneys seem to be in play she's chasing money, chasing book sales, chasing fame. What do you make of that defense strategy? Guest: I think it's very common defense strategy, to question the motives of someone making a sexual assault allegation.
This is an effective way of bringing up the kind of rape myths or scripts we all have in our mind about rape and that we see in the media over and over again. It couldn't have really happened , if it happened in this case, why didn't you do something in this other case? What in fact, the harms associated with each sexual assault someone suffers is unique and her decision to hold one person accountable and not another is her decision. Amna: There is another line of questioning getting attention from one of the defense attorneys, specific to her assault. Last week there was this exchange in which he asked about during the assault, you never screamed for help? Carol answered you cannot beat up on me for not screaming.
I'm telling you, he raped me whether I screamed or not. In today's cross-examination, he asked why she never filed a police report. She said I was born in 1943. I'm a member of the silent generation.
Men -- women like me were taught to keep our chins up and not complain. Women my age were not trained to call the police. I would never call the police about something I'm ashamed of.
I thought it was my fault. I wonder what you thought about that line of questioning and how she handled it? Guest: Rape is the most underreported crime that we know of. This is agreed on by social scientists, medical doctors, and law enforcement. If you look at the number of recorded rapes versus the number you get when you ask women and people of gender minorities whether or not they have suffered a sexual assault, there is a vast gulf.
It is very common not to report due to shame, fear of not being believed, thinking their name is going to get dragged through the mud in this way. While she is certainly correct, there's more of a taboo for women of her generation. It's not that that is solved now. These problems still exist.
Rape remains underreported. I would not want people to go away thinking that is that generation we have progressed mightily. This is still a problem, the underreporting of sexual assault. Amna: In terms of how these exchanges are registering with a jury, is there a normal behavior someone in a jury hearing these exchanges could compare her behavior to? Guest: Unfortunately, a lot of what the defense is trying to do is going to resonate because these are the myths we have heard over and over again in our lifetimes. It is hard to know and we should say we are racing this on reporting from the courtroom. We are not -- we are not able to hear the tone and look at the jurors and see how they are responding.
I do think it will resonate and yet, at the same time, there is a recognition the law is taking this claim seriously, that sexual assault is harmful enough, pervasive enough, that even this much later than the allegations are for, we still want to remedy the situation. It's good for people to see the law taking this seriously. Amna: It is obviously getting a lot of attention because we are talking about a former president on trial for rape. But more broadly, what is at stake here when it comes to limits or a greater ability of the courts for some kind of accountability in these cases? Guest: I think we are seeing a slow but steady progress on believing, even when they are accusing very high-powered people like a president of the United States, the president of a movie studio and so on. We have seen the fall of marital rape exemptions, we have seen rape shield laws all designed to protect accusers and given the #metoo movement, lots more people know someone who has been a victim, their daughter, someone. Some people are going to read this as a reason not to report and a reason to stay silent because it is really hard to make a claim like this.
Look at what is happening. But it is also raising up the idea that the law takes this seriously and the law is beginning to appreciate what happens for sexual violence survivors. They don't report right away and suffer long-term damage. Amna: Professor of sociology at northwestern university and attorney and researcher with the American bar foundation. Thank you for joining us.
Guest: Thanks for having me. Geoff: The mass shooting in Texas this weekend is yet another stark reminder of the pervasiveness of guns in American society. There are hundreds of millions of firearms in circulation across the U.S.. A new book explores some of the forces behind that saturation -- and the political culture that goes with it. Here's William brangham.
>> Back in 2020, year of a global pandemic and ongoing social unrest, millions of Americans bought guns, including nearly 8.5 million who had never purchased a firearm before. A new book focuses on the people who sold all those weapons and the roles they play in American society and politics. It's called "Merchants of the right: Gun sellers and the crisis of American democracy it is by sociologist Jennifer Carlsen, who we talked with last year for our newshour document or a color ricochet.
So good to have you back. Your book documents this remarkable surge of people who purchased guns during this stretch of 2020 and, before we get to the central point about the gun sellers, can you tell us a little bit about who was it buying all those weapons? Guest: Thank you so much for having me on the program. In 2020, there is a massive surge in gun purchasing. There was still the sort of typical gun buyer in terms of demographic profile of being a white, conservative man who is married, owns multiple guns. In fact, what we saw during 2020 and into 2001 was a shift in that profile. People who had never bought a gun or considered buying a gun were lining up at gun stores and clearing the shelves.
Yet people who are not just first time gun buyers but racialized minorities, women, members of the lgbtq community and even liberals. All of those groups were coming into gun stores, trying to figure out according to the conversations I was having with gun sellers, what to do in this moment of just profound uncertainty and insecurity. But they came up with was by a gun.
>> One of the most interesting things in your book is the reaction of the different gun sellers she spoke with to this sudden new population of gun buyers, people who are not traditionally their customers. Can you explain a little bit about how they view that new customer base? Guest: I think there was definitely a lot of glee, insight -- excitement and enthusiasm about these new gun buyers. They saw it as a vindication of the appeal of gun rights as a basic human right, as something that transcends demographics, something anyone could turn to for safety and security. Of course, there was a limit to that and the limit was the liberal gun buyer.
They would come down and say yeah, but -- in silly words, I'm concerned about the liberals. Are they going to be any responsible gun owner? Are they going to understand the politics they are signing up for? There was an interesting bait and switch in terms of how they understood these new gun buyers as embracing the diversity but also drilling down on the partisanship. >> Everyone of the gun sellers you spoke to seems to say politics was inextricable from their profession.
You wrote early on in the book that gun sellers sell guns but also build local culture. Can you explain a little about that? >> Absolutely gun sellers use the point-of-sale oil -- point of sale as a way to instruct first time gun buyers as a means to guns regulations. One of the things they brought up, especially the in the states where there were waiting times, we can all go back to that sense of urgency -- I need my toilet paper, and gun sellers would say this is what gun control is. So they used it as a way to instruct these first time gun buyers. There were very explicit examples gun sellers told me about where one guns are talked about, described him as a kid which he obviously was not if he was purchasing a gun from a licensed dealer, came in with a Bernie Sanders shirt.
This gun seller told me how he had to politically reeducate this buyer. So there was a sense they were not just telling guns but they were the frontline of a particular clinical culture. >> You don't necessarily deal with this in your book but I wonder, given the ongoing gun tragedies we see, the murder rate with guns, the mass shootings, these shoot first, ask questions later accidents we've been seeing recently, how do you imagine gun sellers see themselves in the midst of that crisis? Do they see themselves as a part of that or because of that or antidote to that? How do they wrestle with that? >> One of the reasons this is so intractable and we are in this mutually exclusive debate that does not sever seem to go anywhere is because we have created a society in which guns are the only answer.
When we look back at the decades of defunding of social welfare, when you look at the defunding of the mental health care system, when you look at the recent data that has come out, you can see there's not a social safety net. When all those things wither away and fray, it becomes very difficult. When I interview gun sellers and ask about sales and who are you selling to and who are you not selling to, gun sellers were inquisitive in terms of why you are buying this gun, what are you going to do with it? There is a big emphasis on firearm safety, responsibility.
It is not something they want to see involving gun law. They don't want the government to mandate that. This is not an anti-gun book. The conclusions talk a lot about the new gun buyers of 2020 and 21 and what they might mean in terms of the politics of the U.S. What it is as a book that asks us to think beyond the guns as the sole solution to how we think about ourselves as citizens at how we think about ourselves as members of society together.
>> The book is "Merchants of the right: In sellers in the crisis of democracy thank you for being here. Guest: Thank you for having me. Amna: Since the supreme court overturned roe V. Wade last year, 14 states have banned abortions in nearly all cases. Many maternal health doctors say state abortion bans are untenable - for them and their patients. From Tennessee to Texas to Idaho, ob-gyns are beginning to pack up and leave.
In a segment co-produced with the pbs newshour, kff health news correspondent Sarah Varney reports on this growing crisis. >> Over beers at a local sandpoint, Idaho brewery residents held a wake of sorts, >> My fellow doctors, nurse anesthetist, you've been a family to me for 14 years. >> To mourn the closure of the labor and delivery ward at bonner general, the city's only hospital. The hospital in part blamed "Idaho's legal and political climate."
Quote "Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving. Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult." The closure comes just eight months after Idaho's abortion ban went into effect. Except in cases of police-reported rape and incest, physicians can only perform the procedure to quote "Prevent the death" of a pregnant woman. >> One of the most strict fans across the country.
>> Dr. Amelia Huntsberger has delivered babies and treated miscarriages at bonner general for more than a decade. But soon after abortion became illegal here, she saw a patient with a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, a fertilized egg that grows outside the uterus. >> We need to move quickly to stabilize her and save a life. When I got to the operating room and I removed the ectopic pregnancy, which at that point was problematic legally I needed to do what my oath requires me to do to prioritize the safety of my patient. And I
also knew that I was putting myself theoretically, potentially at risk of felony charges, which would have a minimum of two years in jail, loss of my medical license for six months. >> Dr. Huntsberger and her family have decided to leave Idaho. >> This isn't a safe place to practice medicine anymore.
>> The law has since been amended to allow for terminating ectopic or molar pregnancies, a rare complication caused by an unusual growth of cells. But, Dr. Huntsberger says it still doesn't account for many common pregnancy complications that can escalate quickly. >> For instance, there's something called an inevitable abortion, meaning the cervix is open, the pregnancy is going to pass, but has not yet.
You could have a woman bleeding heavily. And yet there still might be a heartbeat. When is it okay for me to act? Can I just say "This without treatment is really, really risking her life and I should act now?" Or do I wait until she bleeds out? Do I wait until we do cpr? When is it that I can intervene? How close to death does she need to be before I take care of her in the way that I trained for years to know how to do? >> Hope this at the base with the mountains with snow on them. >> State representative mark Sauter, a Republican, lives in sandpoint. He says he hadn't thought much about the abortion ban.
>> It really wasn't high on my radar other than I'm a pro-life guy. And I ran that way, but I didn't see it as having a real big community impact. >> Then, he started talking with local doctors including Amelia Huntsberger. What I'm wondering is for you personally did you think about abortion as it relates to obstetric care for pregnant women? >> No, I don't think I -- it's like anything, you get exposed to something and all, you go wow, there's a different way to look at this. You know, what are we going to do about all this? >> Is bonner the canary in a cold line -- in the coal mine? >> It could be.
>> With sandpoint's maternity ward closing, representative Sauter supported a bill that would have allowed doctors to terminate pregnancies to protect a woman's health, not just prevent her death. But, that effort was shot down by other Republicans. >> The list was endless when we began considering the conditions that could fall under that language we want to make sure that health of the mother doesn't become so broad that everything becomes an exception to take the life of a potential child. >> I think it sends a really powerful message to the citizens of Idaho, that the legislature doesn't think that the protection of the health of pregnant patients is important. >> Far to the south, in Boise, Dr. Lauren Miller resigned
earlier this month from her position at Idaho's largest hospital. She's been forced to send patients out of state to end dangerous pregnancies, including a woman with a serious kidney disease. >> I could very easily have taken care of that patient along with my partners. We have the kidney specialists, we have the intensive care unit. But instead she had to leave her family and fly several more hours away to receive care in an expeditious timeframe. It's just
not what we signed up to do. >> You've been working under this these laws for many months now. Why now? How did you decide to resign? >> Yeah, it's no one single it's kind of a conglomeration of factor. It's kind of a conglomeration of all of the legislation that has been passed this session. >> On top of the abortion ban she blames lawmakers for failing to extend postpartum medicaid coverage and failing to reauthorize a committee of experts that investigates pregnancy-related deaths. A recent survey found that about 40% of Idaho's ob-gyns are considering leaving the state.
That will affect women who rely on ob gyns for routine and urgent gynecological care unrelated to pregnancy like menstrual disorders, endometriosis, and pelvic pain. >> There's no official nationwide count yet, but ob-gyns and maternal fetal medicine specialists from states across the country where abortion is criminalized are beginning to relocate to places like Washington state. Here in Seattle, physicians can care for patients without fear of prosecution. >> Is there anyone you are worried about? >> Dr. Sarah Villarreal is an obgyn who moved to Washington state last summer from Texas.
There, she had to practice under a state law that allows private citizens to file civil lawsuits and earn at least $10,000 against anyone who "AIDS or abets" an abortion. In Texas, performing an abortion is a felony punishable by up to life in prison. >> Even if someone just accused me of breaking the law and I had not actually done anything wrong, I could still have to go through the court system. >> She says there's an atmosphere of fear and distrust at many Texas hospitals.
>> I had a patient who I saw in the emergency room who was actively having a miscarriage and the fetus still had a heartbeat and it was a desired pregnancy. At that point, she was losing a lot of blood to the point she was worried it was going to be threatening to her life. She was trying to figure out if me as the provider was going to report her if she did decide she wanted to do a d&c procedure to save her life over the life of her fetus versus asking questions about her health care.
>> Even medical students are beginning to change their plans. This year, applicants to ob-gyn residency programs decreased by 10.5% in states with total abortion bans. And those pursuing other disciplines are taking notice, too.
Kathryn tiger and Allie ward, first year medical students in Moscow, Idaho are planning to become surgeons. They spoke to newshour in their personal capacities. Do you imagine yourselves ever being able to work here in Idaho? >> I personally don't. I would not feel safe here is a provider and I wouldn't feel safe here is a patient. >> You're not planning on pursuing obgyn. Why do you think that these laws will affect you? >> Medicine in general is such an interdisciplinary capacity and you have to be able to her friend collaborate.
It's terrifying I would not be able to refer a patient who was seeking care or even just education to a colleague of mine I trusted because of the laws in place. >> Back in sandpoint, Dr. Amelia Huntsberger and her family are saying their goodbyes to Idaho.
>> It's heartbreaking to me to think about what it will mean for a woman experiencing a pregnancy crisis , a pregnancy publication who will now be many miles away from an obgyn, many miles away from a facility that has the staff to stabilize her and to take care of her. >> Sandpoint isn't the only city in Idaho to lose a labor and delivery ward. A hospital in Emmett, north of Boise, recently announced that it, too, will stop providing services for expecting mothers. For the pbs newshour and kff health news, I'm Sarah Varney in sandpoint, idaho.geoff: At midnight pacific time,
the contract between the Hollywood writers and major studios will expire -- potentially affecting over 800-thousand jobs , *if last minute negotiations break down and a strike begins >> More than 11,000 Hollywood TV and film writers are likely to walk off the job today. The immediate impact America's , favorite late night programing, including ´Jimmy Kimmel live!,' and ´the tonight show starring Jimmy Fallon,' will be dark. Writers guild awards officials are demanding higher wages and better working conditions. They say many of their concerns stem from the industry's greater emphasis on streaming. The last time wga members traded their pens for ticket lines was 15 years ago.
The guild essentially shut down Hollywood for 100 days, having crippling effects on the industry and the communities that support it. What's different now? Some strikers say their focus is not only on current conditions but the future of the profession. The writers guild is using this video to rally members.
>> The greatest challenge, I would say, is probably finding consistent paying jobs. And I think it has changed a lot more since I was coming up. Just the amount of free work you have to do on the TV development site. >> And the role of artificial intelligence is a new concern for Hollywood writers and doctors. >> I'm not interested in directing a [bleep] Movie that a robot writes. No."
>> Seth Meyers shared his thoughts on the strike. >> I feel very strongly what the writers are asking for is not unreasonable. And as a proud member of the guild, I'm very grateful that there is an organization that looks out for the best interests of the writers. >> As writers guild members try to secure their face in the industry's future.
Geoff: Joining us now is to add some context is anousha sakoui , who reports on the entertainment industry and labor issues in Hollywood for the Los Angeles times. Thank you for being with us. For decades and decades, TV writers could depend on broadcast TV season that started in September and ending in may, roughly nine months of work spent producing 22-2 34 episodes. How has the shift to streaming upended that models and affected writers compensation? >> There are several ways it has affected compensation. One of the ways you highlighted is streaming companies have increasingly moved to shorter seasons, something like bridgerton, its first season had only eight episodes. So writers have opportunities of working on a shorter number of episodes, especially if they are paid per episode, that diminishes how much they are paid and if they are paid weekly, the wga says some writers are working as few as 14 weeks whereas sometimes they were working 10 in days of your when broadcast networks dominated.
Geoff: What about the residuals? Writers say they are concerned about that. Guest: Every time a show is repaired, it could sustain them for the lien, down years between the shows they worked on. Now in the age of streaming, what they are arguing is they are not paid as much.
Some of the streamers get discounts in terms of how much they pay compared to others, depending on the number of subscribers they have. They are finding these royalties or residuals are not seeing them through the leaner times in the ways they could have done when most of their content was on broadcast. Geoff: I was talking with a TV executive who said writers have legitimate concerns but the timing could not be worse. Right now, pain is being felt across the board and many of these media companies and tech companies that use the writers. They've seen their stock prices drop, they are cutting costs, laying people off.
What's the argument that companies are making in the stocks? Guest: It is an interesting point because there's apparently never a good time to make these kinds of asks. The writers are asking for increases and improvements that average at about $600 million a year. But they come at a time when studios are being hit with restructuring and layoffs. Disney is laying off thousands of people, they are investing less in production and content.
But writers argue the studios remain profitable compared to recent years and are still looking to invest $19 billion in streaming in 2023. We've seen headlines about apple and Amazon wanting to dedicate a lot more money toward releasing their movies in theaters, so expanding their content dedication, if you like. Writers are arguing studios are in a good state to pay them what they want. Geoff: How are writers thinking about the threats posed by artificial intelligence right now? The ai tools you can use to write a script or screenplay rp rudimentary but that technology is advancing as I don't -- at an alarming rate. Guest: There's an interesting echo to the 2007, 2008 strike. Technology with streaming was a big issue and the writers went on strike to effectively get access to payment compensation for the content on streaming.
Today, they are trying to get ahead of a new technological advancement, which is artificial intelligence. There is a concern this technology would be used put them out of a job. The wga has been its demands as part of the negotiation going on that they have asked for regulating ai and how it is used in writing and put limits on it. Geoff: What would strike me for TV viewers? Guest: That's going to be an interesting question to see how it pans out. If it happens, we believe the first shows that will be impacted are late-night, which is filmed life and is wga-covered work. Expect to not see your favorite late night show host, Seth Meyers has already addressed that, that he might not be on TV this coming week.
There is that and new seasons of your favorite shows that might have to mirror in the fall might get delayed if their production had not wrapped by the time of the strike. Geoff: Thank you so much for sharing your reporting with us. Guest: Thank you.
Amna: With the use of streaming and social media apps, arabic music is breaking through to new audiences. The pbs newshour's deema zein spoke to two experts on what this moment means for the music world and the Arab community. >> Back in that day, you would hear arabic words and phrases being used in western pop songs and western songs in general. Has this helped or hindered the movement? >> When drake does that whole thing -- >> ♪♪ >> Ad -- is it corny, is it cheesy, is he trying to make it a trend? Yes, all of those things.
It does move the needle when the biggest artist in the world is trying to speak arabic, albeit very butchered. That's a big thing. When you see artists like Nicki Minaj collaborate with a Lebanese popstar, I think it is a big deal when you see a dj like marshmallow collaborate with another Lebanese icon. The reason that's happening are little pieces of a larger puzzle. >> What ends up happening is it ends up being labeled.
Big festivals and up deciding who is going to be at the forefront of this particular movement. As long as there are big names from artists and a thriving underground, that's a -- the only way for this scene to grow. The underground is where the ideas grow and they trickle down and get diluted. For that to happen, the underground is continuously renewed. Geoff: You can find that full interview online at pbs.org/newshour.
Amna: Join us tomorrow night for a report to raise graduation rate at historically black colleges and universities. That's the newshour for tonight. I'm on divorce -- I'm omnibus. Geoff: And I'm geoff Bennett.
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2023-05-05 09:36
