john: tonight on pbs news weekend, president biden vows to "hold all those responsible to account" after a drone strike kills three american troops along jordan's border with syria. uganda awaits a constitutional court ruling on an anti-homosexuality law that threatens fines, life imprisonment and even death. then, a conversation with dr. uche blackstock, the author of a memoir that intertwines historic healthcare inequities and her own family history. >> black patients, their pain is often undertreated. and that connects to really deep

rooted systemic beliefs back from from slavery days, that somehow we are biologically different, that we feel pain differently than other people do. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, this is sam, how may i help you? pocket dial. well, thought i would that you know that with consumer cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that's our thing. have a nice day. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour.

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs news station from viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening. i'm john yang. three american servicemembers have been killed, and nearly three dozen others wounded, in a drone attack in jordan that u.s. officials blame on an iran backed militia. it's the first time hostile fire has taken the lives of u.s. personnel in the middle east since israel's war with hamas began, and represents a sigificant escalation in the already tense region. officials said it happened overnight at a u.s. outpost in northeast jordan near the syrian border. officials said the location has been attacked in the past and is

populated mostly by members of the army special forces. president biden says it was work of an iran backed militants working in syria and iraq, and said the u.s. "will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing." u.s. led negotiations in paris are discussing the possiblity of an agreement for israel to pause fighting in gaza for about two months in exchange for the release of the more than 100 hostages still held by hamas. but, the u.s. officials caution, it's not clear if hamas will go along. in the negotiations, cia director william burns is meeting with officials from israel, qatar, and egypt. house republicans released two articles of impeachment against homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas today. they allege that he "willfully and systemically refused" to follow immigration law, and knowingly made false statements to congress, in "breach of the public trust." democrats say the effort to oust mayorkas is an election year political stunt. the house homeland security committee is to vote on the impeachment articles on tuesday.

three west african nations ruled by military juntas say they're quitting the regional economic bloc known as ecowas. the leaders of mali, burkina faso and niger all say it's in response to ecowas sanctions put in place after they took power in coups, as well as what they say is outsized foreign influence. the nearly half-century old ecowas partnership has struggled lately in its effort to restore democratic rule across the region. and in paris, environmental protestors calling for a sustainable food system targeted the mona lisa today. two activists threw soup at the protective glass surrounding da vinci's masterpiece. museum officials quickly blocked the scene from the view of onlookers. the painting wasn't damaged. on its website, a group called food counterattack claimed responsibility and called for monthly payments to give french citizens better access to healthy food and to help maintain farmers' incomes. still to come on "pbs news weekend," a look at on physician's family legacy and

the thread of systemic racism running through american healthcare. and saving an iconic american landscape in montana, the prairie. >> this is pbs news weekend, from weta news weekend studios in washington, home of the pbs newshour, weeknights on pbs. john: in uganda, the country's constitutional court is expected to rule on a law that threatens fines, life imprisonment, even death, just for being gay. ugandan civil rights groups challenged the anti-homosexuality act in december, and the united states has joined growing international outcry by sanctioning uganda, restricting visas, and withholding trade. ali rogin spoke with two ugandan lgbt activists. including one who just survived an attempt on his life. and we should warn you that some of the images in this report may be disturbing for some viewers.

>> the man that tried to cut my neck shouted, what is in the local language of uganda, "ffa musiyazzi," which is translated "die, you homosexual." ali: steven kabuye is the executive direct of the advocacy group "colored voice truth to lgbtq." he's faced death threats since march because of his sexuality. then last month, he filmed himself on the ground clinging to life, after being stabbed repeatedly by unknown assailants outside his home. he's now receiving care outside uganda, but kabuye says the police seemed more focused on his being gay than on the attack. >> people wanted to end my life. and the police was really looking into my sexuality and everything. and two days later when they came to get a statement for me, they kept on asking me how i became gay. ali: activists say that this is the new normal for the lgbtq + community since the anti-homosexuality act became law last may. it calls for life imprisonment for having gay sex, and imposes up to 20 years in prison for

anyone promoting homosexuality. and it calls for the death penalty for havingame sex relations with minors, disabled persons, or people with hiv. a majority of ugandans support the controversial law. and most of its main enforcers have been everyday citizens. a coalition of rights groups documented 281 instances of vigilante abuses against lgbtq + people last year, versus 25 times when the government was behind the abuse. some suffer in silence and can't rely on friends or family. >> as a person i felt suicidal. my family was like, if they give you, they told me themselves, even if they give you the death sentence, for us we shall see it as justice because we believe in god. ali: the law's fate is ultimately up to uganda's constitutional court, but the united states and others hav stepped up pressure to repeal the law and protect the

country's community. last august, the world bank halted new loans to uganda and in december, the u.s. imposed visa restrictions on hundredof ugandan officials and their families. ugandan president yoweri museveni dismissed the actions. >> they they try to put pressure on us. "if you don't do this, we should not allow you to go to america." i don't want to go to america. ali: this isn't the first time uganda has grappled with a law like this. in 2014, a similar but less restrictive law drew protests. the court overturned it on procedural grounds, following western sanctions and suspension of aid. for more, we turn to clare byarugaba, an lgbtq+ activist. she's the equality and nondiscrimination coordinator for chapter four uganda, a civil rights group. clare, thank you so much for joining us. how has this law affected you personally, if you wouldn't mind sharing? and also how has it affected your community? [00:01:08][18.1] clare: thank you so much for having me. as an lgbt community, we are we

really facing one of the worst experiences that anyone can go through. we see that these laws are form of state sponsored homophobia and transphobia. the very purpose of this law is to respectfully erase thlgbt community from the face of the earth. but we are fighting back. ali: we understand that the constitutional crt is set to rule any day on the constitutionality of this law. what are your hopes for the outcome of that ruling, and how would it affect the implementation of the law? clare: we're asking courts to look at the substantive arguments that we are putting in our petitions to declare that this law is unconstitutional on substantive grounds, to protect and enshrine the rights of lgbt individuals, because this means that once the courts, if they're independent enough, declare this law unconstitutional, it would mean that the risk of having another anti-gay law are very low. and of course, the world is

watching and especially african countries that are thinking of proposing or passing similar laws, they are watching to see what happens in uganda. ali: since this law's implementation, how has it affected the ability for lgbtq+ communities to access health care, particularly in the context of uganda's fight to eradicate aids? clare: this law has rolled back the current trend that uganda was on to reach zero infections by 2030. we see that the lgbt community, particularly men who have sex with men, gay men, and transgender individuals failing to go to hospitals for care. because the law requires doctors to report suspected lgbt individuals or those that are suspected to be involved in same sex sexual activity, consensual or otherwise. so this has rolled back, really

the progress that uganda had made in the past. ali: how popular is this law with ugandan citizens overall? clare: we see a resurgence of particularly u.s. evangelical extremists coming to uganda, coming to other african countries, saying this is something that you have to focus on. so we are seeing, it's kind of, a form of re-colonization where u.s. evangelical extrests have lost round -- ground in their own counies, and they see africa as ground zero. we often say that homophobia is not a homegrown fight. you know, africans don't hate each other. you know, someone has to radicalize them. someone has to tell them lies, false obligations -- allegations that lgbtq individuals are recruiting their children or that we have this plan to

eradicate the traditional family in uganda. so this dangerous rhetoric has, unfortunately, is unfortunately being believed by the ordinary citizen of uganda. and in turn they have become vigilantes. ali: what do you make of the response that the international community has had to this law, particularly from countries where protections for lgbtq+ communities do exist? clare: we have called for international solidarity. we've called for international pressure, and it's working, because without without international pressure, i would probably be in jail at this moment. ali: has the united states in particular done enough? clare: the united states has done quite a lot, and i will applaud the u.s. government for responding to our call for sanctions, financial and visa restrictions. but the u.s. government can do so much more. the u.s. govnment is seen as a

leader in protection of international human rights. so it's important that the government continues to do more, in terms of applying pressure, and increasing the sanctions against proven individuals that are blatantly promoting the violations of lgbt individuals and opposition leaders. we know that, any country, any country's democracy is measured in how it treats its minorities. and in this case, the ugandan government government is failing us. it's failing to protect us. it is putting us at risk every day. and this is unacceptable in any democratic country. ali: clare byarugaba, an activist with the civil rights organization chapter four uganda. thank you so much for your time. clare: thank you, ali. john- dr. uché blackstock has

seen firsthand how medical racism shapes america's health care system. she's seen it both as a physician and as a patient. she's dedicated her career to work at the intersection of medicine, health equity and systemic racism. she is an emergency medicine physician and is ceo and founder of advancing health equity, an organization which works to dismantle racism in health care. and now dr. blackstock has written a memoir entitled "legacy: a black physician reckons with racism in medicine." it details both historic health care inequities and her own family history. dr. blackstock, thanks for joining us. i love the title "legacy" because there are really two legacies that run through this book. i want to start with the family legacy. your mother was, what was very rare in the 1980's and 1990's, a black female physician. w did watching her work, seeing her go to work every day , and actually seeing her at work, how did that affect your decision to become a physician?

we should mention your twin sister is also a physician. dr. blackstock: well, obviously she was a huge influence on us. she had a very different upbringing than we did. she s born in poverty and public assistance, the first person in her family to graduate from college. and then she went to medical school, harvard medical school. then she came back after medical school to practice in the community in which she grew up in. and so that was a powerful message for us that, you know, you go and, you know, you get a great education and you come back and bring those resources back, and you help those that are your family and neighbors. and that's exactly what she did. and she would get together with other black women physicians in our community and hold community health fairs, really to help out the folks who lived in our neighborhood. and i love that message that she sent to us. john: your mother died relatively young. she was 47. she died of leukemia. and also, you had an experience that you detail in the book where you had appendicitis that was misdiagnosed and became very, very seriously -- your appendix burst. do you think the outcomes or the treatment might have been different if you weren't black women? dr. blackstock: i think it's very, very likely.

and it's not just because of my own anecdotal experiences. it's because we have a lot of data that shows when black people, when women, when black women go to seek care, often their concerns are ignored, dismissed, or minimized. when i had appendicitis, i was a first year medical student, and i went to the er three times. my appendix ended up rupturing. i had long term complications. i had to be out of school for a month. and after that happened, i looked back and said, wou that have happened if i wasn't a young black woman? i have to think that the fact that i was a black woman really impacted how i was cared for. john: the first physician you saw at the emergency underestimated your pain. she said this can't be appendicitis, she's not in that much pain. dr. blackstock: exactly. and that's something that we see a thread in terms of how that black patients are cared for. there is something called pain in equity where we have seen a trend, and it's in the research that black patients, their pain is often undertreated. and that connects to really deep

rooted systemic beliefs back from slavery days, that somehow we are biologically different, that we feel pain differently than other people do. john: leads me perfectly into my next question. the two legacies sort of come together at harvard medical school. you and your sister with your mother became the first mother-daughters graduates of harvard. dr. blackstock: yes. john: but you also write about things that are taught in medical school as fact that date back to the 19th century or to jim crow. talk about some of those. dr. blackstock: yeah, i talk about this idea that, whether explicitly or implicitly, in medical school, we're taught this idea that our patients who are black are biologically different. so, for example, there's something that is called the race correction factor that is associated with assessing or measuring kidney function. and for a very long time, up until very recently, there was a different set of normal values for black patients and non-black patients. and that was based on this myth, this idea that black people had higher muscle mass, which somehow translated into a different set of normal values for kidney function. but anyway, what that has led to

is black people being deferred or having delayed specialty care for their kidneys or not placed on transplant lists. so these ideas that are deeply rooted, that we are taught in school actually end up having a detrimental impact on our patients. john: and it's also the sort of institutional racism or systemic racism also has that effect on the number of black physicians. dr. blackstock: yes. and so i write about in the book the flexner report, which came out in 1910, that was actually commissioned by the american medical association and carnegie mellon foundation. they sent an educational specialist, abraham flexner, to assess all of the medical hools in the u.s. and canada and to hold them against the standards of western european medical schools or, in the u.s., johns hopkins. and that led to the closure of five out of seven of the historically black colleges and universities that up to that point had trained about 1600 students. but it's estimated if those five medical schools at the turn of the century, those black medical schools had stayed open, they would have trained between 25,000 and 35,000 black

physicians. that is such a tremendous loss, not only in the workforce, but the patients they could have treated, the students they could have mentored, the research that could have been done. jy: back to the title "legacy." we see your mother's legacy in your work, your sister's work. what would you like your legacy to be? dr. blackstock: my legacy, will above to be able to, especially with this book, to help connect the dots for people in terms of how did we arrive in 2024 to the place where we have these very horrific racial health inequities? how can people do better? and i have a call to action at the end of the book, how different groups of people, even in their personal lives, can help address this problem. john: dr. uché blackstock. the book is "legacy: a black physician reckons with racism in medicine." thank you very much. dr. blackstock: thank you for having me. john: in montana, an unlikely

group of allies is working together to preserve a unique prairie ecosystem. and at the same time, they're -- their work is helping their own rural economies. stan parker of montana pbs takes us to one of the planet's last remaining intact grasslands. stan: in central montana, family ranchers are stepping up to protect the grasslands, and their rural way of life. >> this is one of the last really great intact grasslands left in the world. >> grasslands provide habitat for hundreds of wildlife species that need this particular ecosystem to survive. stan: for ranchers, like the nowlins, grassland conservation is about survival. >> what it comes down to is, if we're not taking good care of the land, we're not going to be here anymore. stan: on a hot day in august, laura nowlin and her kids, jack and anna, are tearing out some old fences. they'll replace them with a different type that allows migrating animals to pass through safely.

>> so the bottom wire is high enough for an antelope to go under and then the top wire is low enough for the deer and the elk to go over. and then there's a space between the first and second wires that the sage grouse can go through. stan: the federal government is helping pay for this project. it's one example of a conservation trend that's been gaining steam in recent years. major environmental non-profits and government agencies are expanding financial incentives to help family ranchers protect this vast grassland ecosystem. with a population under 200, the small town of winnett is playing an outsized role in this work, thanks in large part to a local group called aces, or agricultural community enhancement and sustainability. laura nowlin helped start the organization. >> in a nutshell, aces is a group ofeople who care about winnett, specifically, but central montana more broadly and rural communities even more broadly. stan: the group makes

conservation projects, like this stream restoration, possible, by linking local ranchers with funding and sometimes volunteer labor. and the work comes with some unexpected alliances, says rancher bill milton. >> 20 or 30 years ago, a group like the nature conservancy or world wildlife fund, or audubon , these are traditionally perceived by ranchers as the enemy. >> those were organizations, definitely, that we feared before we got to know more about them. stan: today, their goals are aligned. >> over time, the sort of mainstream environmental groups realized, most of this ground that supports this wildlife is privately owned. so if you're in a colict with a person who's providing most of the habitat for what you think is important, you either have to beat them, put them out of business and turn it all into a park, or you have to form an alliance with them. >> we've met a lot of traditional and nontraditional partners in this adventure that we're on.

>> i think people sometimes are surprised that world wildlife fund has a program that works with ranchers. stan: alexis bonogofsky raises sheep near billings, and manages the sustainable ranching initiative for the world wildlife fund. >> if a rancher wants to change their grazing practices to, for example, give more rest to a certain area on their ranch every ye, then world wildlife fund is able to help them with infrastructure costs to make that possible. >> we are all kind of meeting in the middle here because we do have these common goals. part of that too, is we have to not always be so defensive as ranchers and landowners. there are -- we can improve what we're doing, and we should improvwhere we can. stan: these ranchers and wildlife organizations are also working together to help the small towns that support ranching. >> we know that supporting these communities in the work that they're doing is the only way we will protect the northern great plains ecosystem. the conservation work isn't separate from the community

work. >> it demonstrates to people who are still, i think, in the ranching community a little bit askance at le, well, i don't trust ese guys. in the end they're really coming out to get us. and i just don't believe that anymore because the evidence of people's actions are a lot more credible than people's projections of what they think they are. stan: one of those team efforts -- restoring a historic building on main street, turning it into an ice cream parlor, coffee shop, apartment, and community gathering space. >> we all know that rural america in many places has been struggling. and i think we're finding that don't wait for some white horse to come galloping over the ridge to help you. if you want to create something better, you're going to have to take a role in creating that. stan: for pbs news weekend, i'm stan parker in winnett, montana.

john: now online, the story of a 17-year-old palestinian american who was killed while visiting family in the west bank and how his hometown in louisiana is calling for justice. all that and more is on our website, pbs.org/newshour. and that is pbs news weekend for this sunday. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. have a good week. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. on a voyage with cunard, the world awaits, a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences. a world of leisure and british style.

all with cunard's white star rvice. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corration for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

>> you're

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