♪ >> good evening. >> on the news hour tonight, a multibillion-dollar settlement could compensate former ncaa players and allow current college athletes to be paid. >> louisiana restricts access to abortion pills after becoming the first state to classify them as a controlled substance. >> and myanmar's military regime suffers a series of defeats to

rebel forces as the brutal fighting compels thousands to flee to neighboring thailand. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- the ongoing support of these individuals an institutions. and friends of the newshour, including jim and nancy and the judah and peter bloom k. foundation, upholding freedom by strengthening democracies at home and abroad. >> a proud supporter of public television. the world awaits. a world of flavor, diverse destinations, and immersive experiences.

a world of leisure and british style. all with white star service. ♪ >> fostering informed and engaged communities. more at kf.org. ♪ >> 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 station from viewers like you. thank you.

>> welcome to the newshour. the u.n.'s top court at the hague ordered israel today to stop its military operations in the southern gazan city of rafah. but the ruling from the international court of justice does not require a full cease fire. >> it is unlikely that israel will follow the icj's ruling. but the action adds to mounting pressure on israel after three european countries said they would recognize a palestinian state. south africa called the case calling for israel to halt the military operation in rafah and accusing the country of genocide. israel's government called the charges outrageous and morally repugnant. in its ruling, the court expressed doubt israel is doing all they can to minimize civilian harm and deaths. >> the court is not convinced that the evacuation efforts and related measures israel affirms to have undertaken to enhance

the security of civilians in the gaza strip and in particular those recently displaced are sufficient. >> hamas leaders welcomed the icj's decision and call for the security counsel to enforce the ruling. the israeli army said it recovered the bodies of three more hostages during an overnight military operation in the northern city. officials say the victims were killed during the october 7 hamas attack and their bodies were taken there. some 100 hostages remain captive in gaza along with at least 39 that are presumed dead. 17 bodies have been recovered so far. an american missionary couple were shot and killed by gang members last night in haiti's capital. a third victim, jude montes, who worked with the couple, also died in the attack in northern port-au-prince. the missionaries were a young

married couple, davey and natalie lloyd, according to a facebook post from natalie's father. a police official and the religious group said the religious group where the three worked said they were leading a local church when they were attacked -- leaving a local church when they were attacked. more than 100 people in papa new guinea are feared dead after a massive landslide overnight in a remote village nearly 400 miles northwest of the island's capital of fort mosby. the side of the mountain collapsed around 3 a.m. video today showed more of it giving way. a community leader said the entire village was flattened and hundreds are missing under the. >> -- missing under the debris. >> people cannot do anything because it is difficult for them. this situation has never happened in history. we are seeking assistance from people around, because people right now are speechless. >> the country's prime minister is sending disaster officials to help the area to help with the relief and recovery effort.

the australian government has also offered to help. families of 19 victims of the uvalde school shooting are suing three companies that they say played a role in the gunman's actions, meta platforms, the maker of the call of duty video game and the maker of the weapon used in the shooting. they claim they trained him to use it. the loss of comes two years to the day when the teenage gunman burst into the elementary school killing students and teachers. two high-ranking democratic senators are calling on justice samuel alito to recuse himself in cases related to the 2020 election after a pair of new york times reports about two instances when flags carried by january 6 writers were flown outside his properties. in a letter to chief justice ron

roberts -- john roberts, alito created an reasonable doubt about his impartiality and ability to fairly discharge his duties. u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin is undergoing a medical procedure this evening and will temporarily hand overpowered to his deputy. the pentagon says he is still dealing with bladder issues that arose in december following his treatment for prostate cancer. in a statement, pat reiter said the procedure is elective and minimally invasive and is "not related to his cancer diagnosis." the 70-year-old sparked a political uproar in january after it was revealed he failed to disclose his initial cancer diagnosis. on wall street today, stocks ended the week on steady footing after sharp declines thursday. the dow jones industrial average, with a gain of four points, closing at 39,069

points. the nasdaq ended the week on a new record gaining 184 points. the s&p 500 added 36. a passing of note -- documentary filmmaker morgan spurlock has died from complications of cancer in new york. he was best known for his oscar-nominated 2004 film, "supersize me." as part of the movie, he ate mcdonald's for 30 straight days to highlight the effects of fast food on the body. his career veered off course during the height of the #metoo movement, when he revealed his own history of sexual misconduct. morgan spurlock was 53 years old. still to come on the newshour, david brooks and jonathan capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines. the airline industry efforts to secure enough sustainable fuel to power a carbon neutral future. and a look at why the great british pub has become an endangered establishment. ♪ >> this is the pbs newshour,

from weta studios in washington and in the west from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. >> in an historic first, the ncaa and nation's power five conferences have reached a deal to pay their athletes. the acc big ten, big 12, sec and pac-12 accepted the general terms of a settlement that will see the ncaa pay nearly $2.8 billion in damages over 10 years to nearly 14,000 athletes, dating from 2016 to now. it also creates a new system that allows schools to use up to $21 million a year to pay student athletes in any sport starting in 2025. the agreement was proposed to resolve a series of lawsuits challenging the ncaa which may have had to pay billions more. it still needs to be accepted by a judge and many details need to be worked out including high school was will pay athletes, whether payments will be

equitable by gender and what it means for different sports. for more on this landmark deal, we are joined by the senior writer for sports illustrated, cap forwarding. great to have you here -- pat f. great to have you here. help us understand how significant this moment is. >> this is the death of amateurism which has been on the books forever and college athletics. it's a significant milestone. the castle walls of amateurism had been eroding for years, most specifically starting three years ago when name, image and likeness payments were first approved. this is a major acceleration from that. this provides back damages to four years' worth of college athletes who are no longer in their sports. and also a framework to pay for a decade going forward. this is a lot of money being transferred from the traditional ocffers of the athletic --

coffers of the athletic administration, coaches and athletic directors, facilities, directly into the hands of the players and it being done by the schools themselves is the real change here. >> how soon could we see the payments start going out to athletes? >> i think it'll be about 14-15 months from now heading into the 2025-2026 academic year. there are still a one million loose ends, a lot of work to be done on the details. but that is the target date for when you will start seeing major sums of money going directly from institutions to the athletes. >> how are schools thinking about compensating athletes and the sports that generate a lot of revenue versus those that don't, say, the star football, basketball player versus the star pulled -- pole vaulter? >> this will be one of the great sources of curiosity and

controversy i would imagine. as it stands now, it seems the preponderance of thoughts is to make this an institution by institution the season, not a nationally mandated pay scale. there will not be conferences dictating how much is going to go to which athletes, which sports. it will be up to each school to decide whether they can afford a full 21-22 one million dollars a year for the athletes or less than that -- $21 million, $22 million a year for the athletes or less than that. and operably increasingly -- probably increasingly, female players will get a portion of this. in terms of recruiting star power, and experience, as far as who gets what, that will have to be sussed out at the institution

level. it will be a process to get to those deliberations. >> how does title ix factor into the financial calculus here? >> that will be another fascinating element of this. obviously title ix has really changed the game, in terms of allowing females equal opportunity or near equal opportunity to the men. but is it the same asequal compensation ? so far, it has not been. most nil dollars have gone to men's basketball and football players. does this ruling have an effect on that and say, women have to be compensated in a similar manner in terms of the actual outlay of money or just may be the number of female athletes has to be commensurate of or proportional to the men? i think that is going to be a major flashpoint of this. we will be hearing a lot about that in the next year plus. >> one flashpoint is,

how do the colleges and universities go about paying the student athletes without classifying them as employees? what about that question? >> that is an attempt to thread the needle by the ncaa and college athletics. i have been playing that game -- these people probably are employees in a business setting but they don't want to be classified as such and they don't want to face antitrust legislation along those grounds. so what they are hoping is for the significant movement here to get the attention and the motivation of congress to help come up with some antitrust exemption for college athletics to protect them from further lawsuits and have a system where athletes are sharing in revenue and being compensated but they are not necessarily considered employees of the university. >> lastly, at, -- pat,

this does not replace the nil, the image, likeness opportunities. >> no, that is still going to be an ongoing fact of life. it'll be fascinating to see how much money is still in an nil sort of pool versus what is now going into a straight university reimbursement pool. if donors are necessarily less inclined to give nil money now through a collective or otherwise because they are already seeing athletes getting paid by the school itself. but nil will still be part of the dynamic and there will be schools that want to spend more than the $1 million caps, they will turn to donors, can you help us out with this star quarterback over here? we would like to give him more money. the nil is changing but not going away. >> pat, thanks so much. >> thank you. ♪

>> a controversial bill that would restrict access to abortion pills has now been signed into law in louisiana. the bill reclassified abortion pills as a controlled substance, grouping it with xanax and valium. possession of the pills without a prescription from a specially license doctor could be -- a specially licensed doctor could be punishable by up to five years in prison. where joined by dr. jennifer a. the director of the new orleans health department and emergency medicine physician. this free classifieds two abortion medications. what does the reclassification mean in practical terms? >> abortion medications our already illegal -- are already illegal for elective terminations in louisiana. we have some of the most restrictive laws. what we are talking about is not abortion care, it is all the routine medical uses

mifepristone is used for everyday, to induce childbirth and stop uterine hemorrhage, miscarriages. there are several other non-obstetric indications. this is a routine practice of health care that these drugs are being mischaracterized as somehow dangerous drugs of abuse. >> tell me who will be most impacted by that. y u mentioned other uses for the medications -- you mentioned other uses for the medications but who else is going to be impacted? >> unfortunately, louisiana has some of the worst maternal health outcomes in the country. we to have really wonderful dedicated providers who are doing their best every day to try and provide best practice evidence-based care. whenever you place restrictions on a medication that is commonly used for miscarriage, for an example, that means there are multiple barriers that both the

provider and the patient now face to get a medication that would've been easy to get before. any barriers means that patient might not get the care that's medically indicated. when you don't get the care that's medically indicated, you have a risk of getting worse. if you are miscarrying, you cannot access the drug, you could continue to bleed, hemorrhage, you could develop sepsis, and up in the emergency department -- end up in the emergency department and lead to future problems with future pregnancies. these are unnecessary restrictions on the practice of medicine and routine health care that are definitely going to affect our already poor outcomes. >> we mentioned briefly there doctors could also be punished as a result of this restriction. tell me a little bit about what you are hearing from other doctors and what that impact could be on the medical community. >> the reason why nearly 300 of my physician colleagues

and i wrote a letter urging that this amendment be removed is because we know how it is going to affect our ability to practice. in louisiana, we already criminalize physicians who would perform elective abortions. there's already a chilling effect on our providers. because the law is vague, there is the fear that in the practice of caring for a woman having a miscarriage or who needs to have a termination, to save her life or for her health, that someone will misconstrue that is doing an elective abortion and that physician could face jail time, making this practice of simply providing routine health care more criminalized leads to physicians having to make really terrible choices -- and ultimately deciding that they might not want to practice in a state like ours. >> we pulled back the lens of it here, we know according to the

reproductive rights think tank, medication abortions to account for the majority of abortions in the u.s., some 63% last year. across the country, a number already restrict access to those medications in some form, with all-out bans or some requiring a different level of restriction on those medications -- you see those highlighted in orange. this bill in louisiana will make it the only state to categorize those two medications as controlled dangerous substances, do you see other states following that example? >> unfortunately, i do. i'm very concerned. in talking to colleagues around the country, they are very concerned this could be coming for them. again, if elective medication abortion is already illegal, then why would we want to place barriers on health care that is legal? our concern as it sets a precedent not just to do it in other states but what else could be inappropriately mischaracterized as a drug of

abuse, could it be a drug that a lawmaker does not like? contraception? this is really a dangerous precedent and i think that is why you find so many doctors willing to speak up about it and not just obstetrics. internal medicine, psychiatry specialists --this is something that affects the general practice of medicine in america. >> that is dr. jennifer a., director of new orleans health department joining us tonight from louisiana. thank you for your time. ♪ >> myanmar's civil war has taken a critical turn in recent weeks following a series of defeats from the military junta that reclaims power in 2021. the exiled civilian government deposed in that coup says victory for the resistance is coming soon. but there are fears of a violent struggle as the military

attempts to regain lost ground. neighboring thailand is nervously watching. thousands of people have spilled over the border in recent weeks to escape the fighting. correspondent patrick f. reports. reporter: over the last few weeks, fears gun battles have erupted across myanmar. rebel fighters have made major advances and forced hundreds of government soldiers to surrender. it's been an intense period for the resistance. many of the rebels, like this combat fighter and his wife also part of the resistance, are now recuperating in the border town. >> i rented this place. we live here because we cannot get to the front line all the time. we need to rest and take care of our health. we also need to look after family matters. >> he comes from central myanmar. he ran a fitness center business

before the conflict began. he joined the resistance days after the military ousted the country's democratically elected government. since then, and has been wrapped by violence. the project which tracks wars globally estimates more than 50,000 people including civilians and resistance fighters have been killed. he carries the memory of some of those he fought alongside on his chest. >> that is an emblem. comrades died. somewhere arrested by military. some in jail. reporter: there's an official population of around 50,000 people. but the number hasn't swelled as a result of the war with some experts estimating there could be an additional 100,000 natives from myanmar seeking shade --.

seeking shelter here. many come by the bridge. it is difficult to stop immigration in the river separating the countries. she is very pregnant and clearly desperate. she and her husband left their village after it was struck by government air raids. >> i came here with my husband. we walked across the river. the bridge was closed and i could not wait for it. so we crossed illegally. the water level was high. reporter: they rely on the help of a supporter of the burmese resistance. but conditions are tough and she fears being arrested by thai border authorities. >> it is difficult. i live with other people. i eat what others give us. they are not even related. i just asked for help. i met that person online. she accepted my request. i have not had problems with the police so far

because i don't go outside. >> thailand is not a part of the u.s. refugee convention for illegal immigrants. and has pledged to accept over 100,000 refugees but it has also pushed back many of those that have come across seeking shelter over the last few weeks. adding to the recent influx are many young men. earlier this year, the government introduced compulsory military service. it wants to bolster its ranks following recent defeats. according to the u.s. institute of peace, the junta lost control of around half of the 5000 military positions it holds, including outposts, bases, and headquarters. mr. friedman as an assistant professor at the deponent of sociology and anthropology an expert in myanmar at the national university of singapore. >> this law was a sort of nuclear option. it has the danger of really backfiring on them. it forces people who don't feel like they want to take

a stand on this to choose a side. they are most likely not going to choose the side of the people who are forcibly conscripting them to fight against their friends and democracy. reporter: nevertheless, reports say government troops are launching a counteroffensive and are moving toward the other side of the border. it's been a stronghold for the military but the group has been severely weakened following recent battles. billions of dollars of trade pass through here each year making it a strategically vital place. there are fears of further violence as a junta attempts to regain control. thailand is pushing for dialogue between the junta and rebel forces. but there is little appetite for negotiation among the resistance. >> one of the issues is you can only get one shot at a transition and at credible peace. there is no way the burmese military can credibly commit to a piece or another democratic transition because it is very hard for the resistance to take

them seriously. reporter: the exiled civilian administration known as the national unity government says, since warming aligns with ethnic armed forces a year ago, the resistance has seized control of more than 60% of the country. but it has come at a terrible cost for many fighters. at this makeshift rehabilitation clinic, hidden on the outskirts, rebel soldiers injured in the conflict are recovering. there are men who worked in marketing. he lost a leg when he stepped on a land mine and battlefield -- in the battlefield just a few weeks ago. >> i so my foot -- saw my foot scattered, meat and bone. >> he plans to go back and fight when he regains his strength. >> i think victory is drawing near but we still have a long way to go. no one is helping us. we only have ourselves. >> experts say there's a lot riding on the outcome of the battle. a complete takeover by the

resistance could accelerate gains elsewhere. the military still has superior firepower and is unlikely to retreat without a fight. meaning there will likely be many more casualties on both sides. patrick f., thailand. ♪ >> after months of hammering former president trump on the campaign trail, nikki haley announces she will be back in her former arrival this fall. we will turn out to the analysis of brooks and capehart with david brooks and jonathan capehart, associate editor for the washington post. great to see you both here in person together. let's start with nikki haley. since she ended her campaign, the big question was if she would endorse trump this week. she answered that. take a listen. >> i will be voting for trump.

having said that, i stand by what i said in my suspension speech, trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of who voted for me and continue to support me, and not assume that they are just going to be with him. and i genuinely hope he does that. >> david, she did not have to do this, right? chris christie ran against him and has not endorsed him, asa hutchinson, the same. why do this and why now? >> if you are a republican politician, you have two options, the liz cheney option, where you take a principled standing and you become a former politician, or the second, the marco rubio option, which as you get along with the program and don't say anything and just get along with trump world. i assume nikki haley wants to continue her career as a politician and believes fundamentally in the republican party and she has gone for the marco rubio option.

the question i would ask her is, in most lines of work, if you think someone is a moral degenerate, you don't get to the second question of, what do you think about tax policy? [laughter] you sort of stop there. she really has serious not only doubts but is totally condemning of his character. why do we care about marginal tax rates? if he's a bad guy, he's going to be -- she cares about america's alliances abroad and i agree with her on most issues on that front but he's not going to be good for allies if he's going to betray allies, as he betrays all his friends. moral character really does matter. it is not something you jump over for political expedience. >> is it about political survivor, is it a vp play, potentially? >> who knows? quite frankly, i don't care. and i say that because for all the things david just said, the marco rubio option, get with the program, you throw all the values -- all your values, all your positions, all your character out the window for political purposes? the marco rubio option

is a soulless option. she called trump everything but a child of god in the closing weeks of her campaign and now she is saying i'm going to vote for him -- but? the david's point, there is no but here. when it comes to domestic policy or foreign policy. i wish nikki haley had stood by the conviction she showed in the final weeks of her campaign and gone the liz cheney route and not blow up her career but to something bigger than craven political ambition somewhere down the road. >> you say she did it for political survivor, is that political future undermined by someone who completely 180'ed on her stance? now she endorses him? >> not in my lifetime, hopefully a little longer than that. [laughter] for the next decade. this is a working-class

populist party and you better get with a trump program or i really don't see a future for you. >> speaking of former president trump, by this time next week, we could have a verdict in his criminal hush money trial in new york which the latest polls show a lot of americans have been paying attention to in some form. the latest numbers from quinnipiac show a 70% of those polled say they are very closely or somewhat closely following the trial. do you think a conviction or acquittal changes the race at all? >> yes, how could it not when you have 70% of the people who are paying attention? if it is an acquittal, i'll be curious to see how the people react. if it is a conviction, i'll be curious to see how people react. that is a great sign. i am glad the majority of the american people are paying attention to a trial that is not even being televised. before the trial started, i thought, you know what? maybe this year will be

like the january 6 committee hearings. not many people thought they would have an impact but they did. because it was like a slow trickle. people paid attention. they might not have told people they were paying attention. but how can you sit through 10 episodes of compelling testimony and not have it impact you? what's interesting here is -- this child is not even being televised. on cable television, they are getting live readouts from reporters inside the courtroom yet people are paying attention. that is a great sign for the republic. >> i'm super skeptical. [laughter] u.s. people, are you playing -- you ask people, are you paying close attention to the entire election? is like 45%, 50%. i'm super skeptical. [laughter] will it affect the election? i am unsure about it.

a significant amount say it will. but the crucial question is, what is this election about? abraham lincoln said every election is about an essential question, is this election about -- donald trump is a threat to democracy, if that is what is at the center of people's minds, then the trial will have an effect. but the crucial question is, the elites are screwing us and crushing this country and if not, people will not be affected by the child because people have bigger things on their minds. my revelation is, it is a mistake to look at this election in america only terms. if you look around the world, who was doing well, it's people like donald trump whether it is in modi in india, in indonesia, in the netherlands, all around the world, right wing parties, portugal, they are doing phenomenal. this may be just that kind of year. but i am uncertain. which will be the central question? >> if the trial matters, and

if there is a conviction, so far we have seen president biden keeping it at arms length, do you think we will hear more from him if there's a conviction? will he lean into it? >> we will hear more from him once of the judicial process has played itself out. no matter what the verdict is. if it's a conviction, you better believe he will say something about it. you want it criminally -- a criminally convicted president of the united states? if it is an acquittal, i look forward to hearing what the message is. just as president biden did not talk about trump by name until he was the presumptive nominee, i don't expect them to say anything until the case is done. >> we have seen president biden and former president trump doing a lot of outreach to voters of color in particular, black voters and hispanic voters, a group that went heavily for mr. biden and 2020 -- in 2020. here is part of what he had to

say to the graduating class at morehouse college. >> we know black men are going to help lead us in the future, from this class and this university. [applause] graduates, this is what we are up against, extremist forces. they peddle fiction, a caricature. but being a man is about tough talk. abusing power, bigotry, their idea is toxic. >> here is how former president trump addressed a crowd in the bronx last night. >> these millions and millions of that are coming into our country -- the's biggest impact on the biggest negative impact is against our black population who are losing their jobs, losing their housing, losing everything they can lose.

>> those are two very different kinds of messaging yet trump has made inroads with some of these voters of color. why do you think that is? >> ok, buckle up. [laughter] this inroads, this notion trump has made inroads as a result of a new york times poll that came out in february, where shockingly it said trump was getting 23% of black support -- now, when i was confronted with this, i was like, do you even know the sample size? because i don't believe that -- as any black pollster, they are like, it's not there. the sample size on that poll was 119 respondents for a national poll. >> it's a false narrative. >> it's a false narrative. we go through this every four years. will black voters show up? the support is softening -- my god, it feels like, to lots of us that these narratives are

perpetuated so that if the democrat loses, no matter what race, oh, the african americans did not show up so it is their fault. with the president's's speech, he made the moral argument about democracy and masculinity in everything but he also talked specifics. $16 billion invested in hbcus. cutting black child poverty. what got the biggest applause line was student debt relief. he is combining an economic message with the moral message. and knowing who his audience is, donald trump, this is not about getting black voters to vote for him, this is not about getting latino voters to vote for him, because there are quite a few hispanic americans there, at that rally in the bronx, but this is not about courting them, this is about a permission structure for white voters on the periphery who look and hear

language like that and think, i don't like that, i don't like him, i don't like the way that sounds, but wait, he is in the south bronx, talking to those people, maybe he's not that bad. that is outrageous. >> david, a final word here. we've got a minute left. >> i don't think this is about one poll. [laughter] obama won the white working class by 76%, biden is up by 6%. the results in texas and california, latino voters in 2020, those were actual results. those were results showing a shift. the wall street journal poll showing african-american men, 30% for trump, these are a whole bunch of bowling results -- the question is, will the results lead to voting results? a lot of these people are so disaffected that they may not vote. it is fundamentally true that working-class voters are voting more like working-class voters no matter what other identities they may have. i think there's a gender gap where guys are moving.

how big that is? a lot of these people may register a protest with the poster because they are upset with things but that does not mean they are going to vote this way. i will leave it up to -- i think the trend toward working class people voting, that is a real thing that is across a lot of elections and a lot of polls. >> polls our a moment in time, they are not predictive. it's great to see you both. thank you so much. ♪ >> the memorial day season is the unofficial start of a big summer travel season, and that means a lot of driving and flying. when we talk about greenhouse gas emissions and transportation, we largely focus on cars and trucks, since they generate the most. but the aviation sector is under pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, too. in the second of two reports,

science correspondent miles o'brien looks at efforts to create greener fuels for the skies. reporter: a half-mile outside the fence from boston's logan airport, carlos florez is helping grease the skids for an ambitious goal, erasing the carbon footprint of airline travel. he is at a wing stop, harvesting used cooking oil, or yuko, it contains hydrocarbons and can be refined into sustainable aviation fuel. from wing stop, to wing tank. >> every time i fly in brazil, i think about it. maybe i help in here, you know? [laughter] reporter: he drives for mahoney environmental, a subsidiary of a finn -- a finnish oil refiner. dave campbell is mahoney's

president and ceo . >> the real cool thing about cooking oil is and has already had one run and we are having a second life with it. reporter: mahoney currently sucks around 400 million pounds of grease out of dumpsters nationwide. it is cooking up plans to retrievability and by 2030. even though sustainable aviation is two or three times more expensive than the possible alternative, the airlines are demanding it. facing public backlash under the climate footprint, the industry has set an aggressive goal, net zero carbon emissions by 2050. and it has no other short-term alternative to fossil fuels. >> there's a drop in fuel. you have to modify anything to use it. you don't have to build charging stations for airplanes and all those types of things. so to me, that is the logical next step. >> globally, sustainable

aviation fuel production will likely reach nearly a half billion gallons in 2024. a sixfold increase since 2022. yet still only one half of 1% of the 91 billion gallon annual burn rate for jet fuel. in 2021, the biden administration launched a sustainable aviation fuel grand challenge. the goal is to produce 35 billion gallons of saff in the u.s. by 2050. but to get there, grease is not the only word. >> there won't be a silver bullet. there won't be one commodity that will satisfy the 35 billion gallon target. >> jerry t. as the director of the center for bioenergy innovation at the oak ridge national laboratory in tennessee. he says oil from fire grease, soybeans and corn can produce a third of that goal, adding hydrocarbons to existing ethanol production can address another

third, and the rest will have to come from new crops dedicated to energy. he says 20-40,000,000 acres of land will be needed. there are about 100 million acres of farmland in the u.s. >> we can have it all and not having to make a choice between fuel and food. >> there's enough land potentially available to produce 35 billion gallons of aviation fuel. it will take a portfolio or a mixture of species geared toward adaptive production and specific regions. >> the team is partnering with 17 other institutions, including the university of illinois, home of the center for advanced bioenergy and bio products innovation, a professor in the department of crop sciences. >> we are at the stage where we are testing the first iterations of making jet fuels from the bioenergy crops that we have today. reporter: she gave me a tour of

their energy farm where they grow, tweak, and study so-called bioenergy crops. >> when you say bioenergy crops, what exactly are we talking about? >> we are talking about crops that are used to capture carbon out of the atmosphere and used in place of plants that captured them out of the atmosphere years ago, fossil fuels. reporter: it is offset by their zeal to absorbed as the feedstock grows in the fields. because the cycle does not unearth any agent -- any ancient carbon, it is called net zero. one of the leading contenders is miss campus gigantism. a perennial grass plant that thrives in marginal down in cold climates. >> they are getting pretty big. it's about time to cut them

back. >> did you bring a machete? [laughter] >> inside this greenhouse,they are crossbreeding this canthis with sugarcane, hoping to add fatty compounds known as lipids to it to make the conversion to aviation fuel cheaper and easier. how much growth is this? how long to get this big? >> this is a single growing season worth of biomass. >> it can grow 14 feet high, but that is just half the picture. >> you can start to get a feel for what's below ground. >> there was an equal amount of -- there is an equal amount of biomass beneath the surface. >> if you include the avoided fossil emissions because we are not fertilizing very much, we are not telling, storing things , it comes back carbon negative. >> the energy farm is outfitted with a million-dollar network of air, water, soil, and whether sensors -- weather sensors.

but ultimately it will be the budget of farmers that will determine the success of these ideas. it is chicken and egg problem, as i learned one morning as i visited emily's parents' farm 20 miles west. >> you can put a wire in here, here and here. reporter: narrow focus on pasture raised beef -- reporter: they are focused on pasture raised beef and land. but right now it is not a viable option for most farmers. the streamlined infrastructure that makes this such a productive place to grow corn and soybeans does not exist for grass production. >> if you are thinking about growing grass, alternately -- ultimately, it might fuel an airplane. the system is not set up for that. >> no, it's a long way off. reporter: to entice farmers to grow energy crops, they will need new equipment, financing

and crop insurance. for now it is a field of dreams. except if you build it, the market may not come. >> our best use for it right now is animal bedding. >> that's it? >> that's it. reporter: but this family is undeterred. energy crops not only offer benefits for the climate, they also improve the local environment, reducing runoff and improving soil health, adding diversity. >> getting back to our roots using contemporary carbon to base our society, so the fossil carbon is a choice that we need to make, if we are to persist on this planet. reporter: and still freely travel around it without caring a lot of excess carbon baggage. for the pbs newshour, i am miles o'brien and boston. -- in boston. ♪

>> an historic bicentennial anniversary is upon us. the humble pint is now 200 years old. it was first introduced back in 2024 to british drinkers who claim the taverns were treating them of precious ale. >> now, those taverns are facing a crisis. what happens when the public no longer heads to the pub? our special correspondent malcolm b. bellies up to the bar. reporter: heritage in motion. happy 200th birthdates of the pint. a humble measure that helps but the great in britain. you americans also have the pint. as you know, size matters. ours is 20% bigger than yours. the institution has lubricated the nation for centuries, but is

facing an existential crisis, the pub has become an endangered species. >> this is over 100 years old. it's important for bringing people together. reporter: he is an environmental consultant. >> you get everybody, from heart surgeons -- but we are all equal. . so we all socialize and we have a good time. this is all predicated on a good land law. reporter: is pub is confronting the perfect storm. this trouble during covid lockdowns and restrictions -- they struggled during covid lockdowns and restrictions. >> it has not gotten any better. reporter: many drinkers have not returned. >> if it carries on the way it is, only the strong pubs will stay on the rest will fall by the wayside. reporter: 70 miles away, the king george the fifth has expired after providing merriment for more than 300 years. once a brothel, then a naval

office in napoleonic times, then a pub, it may be lost forever. >> i used to come here when it was really busy. you would meet all these soldiers and sailors and hear lots of wonderful stories. to m this -- to me, this was a great place to come and meet people and have a drink of course. reporter: they hope they can revive it against the odds. >> after covid, people have not gotten used to going into the backstreet, the local pub anymore. when they close, they are not reopening. i think that is the greatest loss to british society. to people meeting, chatting, talking to each other. society is changing. i think we are losing that personal touch we will never get back again. reporter: how bad is it? how many others are facing a lost cause? the numbers are sobering. according to brian's campaign, 1300 pubs close last year. that's virtually four every

single day. three out of four pubs failed to make a profit. thousands of jobs were lost and sick to form you learn fewer pines -- 64 million fewer pints were produced. reporter: nine years ago, the residents revived one pub with events like this, when families can get a free meal once a week. she is the operations manager. >> it is massively important. it does make a big difference. especially with the cost of living prices and shopping prices going up. the families are getting a meal for their children, it can save them buying a meal for the evening. reporter: the pub is a godsend for the mother of three, taylor heather. >> we are here every single week, every time that it's on, we are always here. we don't have to worry about what we need. the kids love it. reporter: they claim to have the cheapest pints in the city, but they struggled to break even and rely on subsidies for their charitable work. >> we are here for the community's benefit, not to make

a profit. whenever you do. people call their family. you get to know people and you can help them out. reporter: warren carter leaves the committee that runs the pub. >> this government has just screwed pubs with taxes and everything. it makes it impossible. when you are hit with bills, gas, electric have doubled or tripled. reporter: appeals to the government to reduce the tax burden on pubs resonate across the country, especially with steve p. >> everyone says we love the pub, we don't want to see it go. but it's one thing to say we want to british pub to still be here. but if you don't go to it, eventually they will start to close. >> they underestimate the importance of the local community. that is definitely true. bringing people together. that is the release you get from having a good quality meal and basically enjoying yourself. it is a very important thing,

just like church for some people as well. reporter: the pub life is not the religion it once was in britain, and no matter how hard they work, landlords faced a potentially better future. for the pbs newshour, i am malcolm b. in southern england. ♪ >> on the newshour online, our weekly digital show looks at the war in gaza during the week that the icc salt arrest warrants for leaders of israel and hamas. that plus much more can be found on our youtube channel. >> and be shorted to an end washington week with the atlantic tonight. jeffrey goldberg and his panel examined donald trump's historic hush money trial and how it is playing out on the campaign trail. >> and on pbs news weekend, the hidden history of enemy w. one of the first asian-american -- a. wong. who made a name for herself whilst fighting dissemination.

>> before there was lisa -- lucy lou, aquafina, or michelle yo, there was anna mae wong, considered hollywood's first asian-american film star. she appeared in more than 60 movies beginning with the silent era. but racism meant that in most of them, she played stereotype supporting roles while white actresses in yellow face got top billing. >> that is tomorrow on pbs news weekend. that is the newshour for tonight. i'm jeff minute. >> i'm menopause. for the entire team, thank you for joining us. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by -- and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions and friends of the newshour, including kathy and paul anderson, and camilla and george smith. ♪ the walton family foundation,

working for solutions to protect water during climate change, so people and nature can thrive together. ♪ >> the william and flora hewlett foundation, for more than 50 years, advancing ideas and supporting institutions to promote a better world. at hewlett.org. ♪ and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. ♪ and friends of the newshour. this program was made possible by the corporation from public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪

hello, everyone, and welcome to "amanpour & co." here is what's coming up. >> you can't say you're in favor of a two-state solution and not recognize two states. >> diplomatic pressure ramping up against israel. i speak to the issue prime minister simon harris after the groundbreaking move by ireland, spain, and norway to say they will formally recognize palestine as a state. and general secretary of