captioning sponsored by wnet >> stewart: on this edition for sunday april 26: devastation in nepal following a powerful earthquake and aftershocks. as many as 2,400 people are feared dead. following a day of protests over the ath of a young african american man in police custody, tensions in baltimore increase overnight. and in our signature segment from new york: a block by block plan to bring internet access to poor residents. >> it's ridiculously expensive here in the united states to have this basic thing in your house that makes possible every other aspect of life. >> stewart: next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by:

corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. additional support is provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. from the tisch wnet studios in lincoln center in new york, alison stewart. >> stewart: good evening, thanks for joining for us. the death toll is mounting in he aftermath of the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake that has devastated a huge swath of nepal. emergency workers are desperately searching for survivors combing through mountains of shifting debris.

authorities say as many as 2,400 people are confirmed dead. hundreds are missing and as many as 6,000 may have been injured. >> most of them are suffering from head injuries, spine injuries, abdominal injuries. >> ( translated ): my father got injured, i lost my daughter, i broke my leg, it is very difficult now and i have nothing with me. >> stewart: a dozen aftershocks have made the search even more treacherous across the kathmandu valley, which is home to some 2.5 million people. the capital city itself is just 50 miles southeast of the quake's epicenter. thousands of displaced residents and tourists are being forced to sleep outside. >> everyone waited for it to finish. and once it finished there were just floods of people running into open spaces. >> stewart: less than 100 miles away, in the himalayas, the first rescue crews carried 15 climbers to safety this morning after the earthquake sparked an avalanche on mount everest.

at least 17 people were killed. back in the nation's capital, the quake destroyed some of nepal's treasured architecture, including this landmark built for nepal's queen in 1832. nepal is one of the world's poorest countries. india, china and singapore have dispatched rescue teams to the region. the u.s. has sent a response team along with an initial million dollars in aid. the state department said today that three americans were killed in the earthquake. tonight, nepal's government is working to set up 16 relief stations across the affected area in an effort to distribute water, food and medicine. in baltimore, a demonstration over the death of 25-year-old freddie gray started peacefully but turned violent last night when protesters clashed with police. authorities arrested about 34 people. six officers suffered minor injuries. fans attending the baltimore orioles game were told to stay in place because of safety concerns. i'm joined now once again by baltimore sun reporter luke broadwater.

>> stewart: luke, do you know why things turned snrient. >> we don't know exactly why things turned violent. up until mid afternoon it had had been a very peaceful protest. 1,200 people has descended on city hall and people were expect, respecting them gathering amend the police let them do it and then the march came down to camden yard where the orioles play and things really got out of control i would say less than 100 people were involved in the violence and the rioting and looting so it was a small minority of the protesters, but they did a lot of property damage and some people did get injured. they smashed the windows of police cars and some civilian cars, the windows of property -- of businesses in the area. there were some, and there were some assaults. so it was not a pretty sight last night in baltimore. >> stewart: can you describe

the level of the police force? there has been a lot of discussion about the militarization of the police. how many police officers, were they in combat gear? >> yes. they did not start out in combat gear but they did acquire it as the night went on. by our estimation there were over 1,000, i am sorry, over 1,000 police officers, probably about 1,300 from the police force, the state troopers did come in as well and some from the county police force as well. they had shields, they had their batons out. they had their helmets and they did engage in some crowd control tactics that, you know, looked like military operations in terms of pushing the crowd back with the shields. they had the police chopper shouting orders to disperse and then threatened those who did not with arrest. >> stewart: the mayor and the commissioner are making a

differentiation between the protesters and people they are calling agitators. to whom are they referring? >> yes. you are right. even before the protests started the mayor and the police commissioner and faith leaders in baltimore expressed a lot of concern about outside groups coming in. they didn't mention anyone by name. i believe they were referring to the shah boz the head of the new black panthers. they were worried about his influence and others influence and the protest potentially turning violent. we had had a week of nonviolent protests in baltimore and last night was the first real violence that we saw. >> stewart: luke broadwater from the baltimore sun, thanks luke. >> thank you. >> stewart: today investigators in ohio returned to the scene of the police shooting that claimed the life of 12-year-old tamir rice. they set up sophisticated cameras to put together a high- tech recreation of the incident.

the cuyahoga county sheriff's office and the state's bureau of criminal investigation took a 360-degree scan of the area where rice was killed on november 22. they'll use the footage to put together a 3-d mock-up of the shooting. tamir rice's family is suing the city and the two officers involved. russian hackers reportedly managed to get ahold of some of president obama's emails during a computer breach last year. the hackers targeted the state department's unclassified computer system. u.s. officials said no classified information was compromised. however, the "new york times" now reports the hackers snared some archived correspondence within the administration. those messages may include the president's email with people outside the white house. an official called the russian attack one of the most sophisticated to date. on tuesday, the u.s. supreme court will take on a handful of highly-anticipated cases concerning same-sex marriage. the court will hear arguments from four states that have successfully banned it. prominent attorney david boies is one of the lawyers fighting

the bans. he told nbc's "meet the press" he expects the court will effectively legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. >> just in the last couple of years, we've seen a tremendous movement that i think makes it easier now for the supreme court to make that total decision. >> stewart: we'll have more on this story tomorrow on the newshour. in malaysia, police have arrested twelve men suspected of plotting an isis-inspired terrorist attack on government targets around kuala lumpur. the suspects range in age from 17 to 41 and are reportedly linked to a senior islamic state leader in syria. investigators say they also seized equipment to make explosives and an islamic state flag during the arrests. >> stewart: earlier this week the newshour brought you a special report on high-tech mapping that helps researchers

understand and even predict major disease outbreaks, like malaria. now we're learning that millions of people who are most vulnerable to that deadly disease could be saved by a vaccine. health correspondent alok jha explains why the cost of the new vaccine could become an issue in the fight against malaria. >> it has been a long time coming. after 20 years, sustained effort of vaccines for a disease that has crippled so many countries in africa. >> ghana last year to see the clinical trials for the new malaria vaccine, scientists hoped to prevent up to half of the cases. now, after giving it to 15,000 children, they found it reduces case by about a third. >> we really do have a malaria vaccine we need one more effective than that but this is the first one and because malaria is such a major problem, so many children die from malaria, under some circumstances using a vaccine

that only gives you 30 percent of protection may be a very useful thing to do. >> when a mosquito bites it releases parasites into your bloodstream, they multiply into thousands of new parasites, which attack red blood cells causing fever and death. the vaccine has two components, one from the parasites and one from hepatitis b virus which together kick start the immune system. the treatment requires three doses of vaccine and a booster for the best results. that would be easier to administer, that is easier to administer in countries with a poor healthcare structure. but the main thing is the cost. paying for millions of the vaccine for millions is out of reach of most african countries. >> measles and polios were started only when strategic seen was paid for by others. the experiments are over, international and public health authorities will now work out where and when this lifesaving vaccine could be use.

jha. >> report >> stewart: now for our signature segment. even though the united states ranks among the top nations for internet users, the u.s. actually lags behind other countries when it comes to affordable access to the web. here in new york city, most people pay about 50 to $60 a month to get online. but in places like london, seoul and paris, it costs nearly half that. and not only is access in the u.s. more expensive, it's also slower. hari sreenivasan explains how that's affecting the poor most of all. >> sreenivasan: two years ago karen been never had to walk to get someplace. she owned a car. she also had a corporate job in atlanta and a house with a pool in the backyard. but today this single mother of two boys is unemployed and on the job hunt in new york city. they moved here for a better life but quickly ran out of money.

and the one thing she needs right now to get back on her feet is what most of us take for granted. >> i feel that the internet will definitely be a catalyst in me getting out of the situation we are in. if you are looking for a job they want me to go online and fill out an application. there is no more hardcopies when it comes to resumes. >> sreenivasan: but it's difficult for been to go online and send out her resume. she can't afford the monthly internet bill, which costs around $60 a month in new york city. so after school, the three make a beeline for the library. been's 11-year-old son ishan siddiqui rushes to finish his homework before the library closes. >> it was kind of difficult because sometimes in class i didn't understand something and i wanted to go on the computer but i couldn't go on it so i couldn't research what i wanted to. >> sreenivasan: the been family is one of 730,000 households in new york that does not have internet in the home. the city says it's doing its part to pull new yorkers out of

the digital dark, but it takes more than just having an internet connection. that connection has to be affordable too. >> the internet today is really what railroads and roads were at the turn of the century; they're our primary way both of doing commerce and for people to get connected to the economy, to get education. >> sreenivasan: maya wiley is a counsel to new york city mayor bill deblasio. her mission is to make high speed internet more accessible to new yorkers, especially for people who can't afford to pay for basic broadband. she considers it a social justice issue. >> no matter who you are and no matter your financial resources, you will be able to get online for free and get high speed internet. >> sreenivasan: so the city is focused on rolling out free wireless like with these vans that double as mobile computer labs and wi-fi hubs. they're usually parked in front of public housing apartments. the city is also expanding wi-fi underground and in public spaces like madison square park. and later this year, the city will turn defunct pay phones

into free wireless hubs. public libraries are also joining in, lending out free hotspots-- mobile devices that transmit a wireless signal-- that low-income families can check out, much like books. been and her sons took one home. >> when the library closes on friday, it closes really early, but when i go home i can finish doing what i want on the computer, and now when i study i get better grades. >> sreenivasan: but in neighborhoods where the city's wireless programs don't yet extend far enough, residents are literally taking measures into their own hands. a few times a week robert smith climbs to the rooftops of red hook, brooklyn. with equipment and funding from the red hook initiative, a community center that receives support from the city, he installs tiny routers that beam out wireless signals. there are dozens of these throughout the neighborhood essentially creating a blanket of free wi-fi. >> having internet access just opens up a whole another world

of opportunity, like people can obtain like a college level degree of education just from the internet. >> sreenivasan: smith has lived in public housing his whole life and says most of his friends can't afford an internet bill. that's because 60% of the residents in red hook live in low income public housing, where the average family's income is just over $23,000. >> it's ridiculously expensive here in the united states to have this basic thing in your house that makes possible every other aspect of life. >> sreenivasan: susan crawford is a professor at cardozo law school in new york city. she also served as president obama's special assistant for technology. she says people today expect to have internet access anytime, in the same way they expect water from a faucet or power from an electrical outlet, much like a public utility. >> in america, we're in this weird moment, where although it feels like a utility to most americans, and they need, they know they can't have a house without it or business without it. it's a luxury that actually is a utility. >> sreenivasan: a luxury, she

says because a handful of internet service providers, like time warner and comcast, have cornered the market on broadband, leaving customers with fewer choices and higher prices-- on average $30 and $60 a month. >> that's happened because of a lack of regulation. doesn't happen by magic. it happens because it's in their interests to control markets and reap steady profits. >> sreenivasan: although the federal communications commission officially classified broadband internet as a public utility this past february, it said that it would not get involved with pricing decisions. but there are other options. several u.s. cities are now offering their own publicly- funded broadband services-- cities like chattanooga, tennessee, wilson, north carolina, bristol, virginia lafayette, louisiana, and cedar falls, iowa. the hope is that these services will attract new businesses and expand internet access to more people across the economic spectrum. but there are some who are critical of this new model. >> when governments go into business and compete with the

private sector, it's just not their, it's just not their forte. >> sreenivasan: jeff eisenach is with the american enterprise institute and studies policies that affect the information technology sector. he says that, although the government can play a role in bringing internet access to poorer americans, public broadband services can't keep up with the innovation that the private broadband industry offers. >> the largest investors in the united states today, are america's broadband companies. they're at&t and verizon are always on the top, literally, the top of the list that the companies spending the most money. what you don't want is government coming in and replacing all of the innovation all of the dynamism, all of the growth, all of the technological progress that we're seeing throughout the internet, including in the broadband market. >> sreenivasan: for her part, maya wiley says that while a public broadband model isn't realistic for new york, the city can play a role in bringing free internet to its poorer residents, as well as bringing down the cost. >> we are the largest city in the country and one of the most diverse.

that means we can't just simply replicate a model from chattanooga, tennessee, even though it's a wonderful model, we're just very different. when we take our pay phones and turn them into wireless hot spots, and they're free hot spots, that is a form of competition for, say, time warner cable that has subscribers that pay money for wireless service, right? that should help create some price pressure downward. >> sreenivasan: wiley says there's no one-size-fits all solution. the city is looking to expand red hook's wireless mesh program to other communities. wiley's team also plans on working with private companies to create more free wireless, as it did with sprint for the library hotspots. karen been and her sons have had the device now for four months. she recently started taking e.m.t. training classes, and now that she has internet in the house, she can easily do her assignments online. she's hoping that internet access will give her the edge she needs to pass her certification test in june and, with any luck, to find a job. >> it wouldn't be possible to pay 50, 60, $70 a month for

high-speed internet. definitely not. so having access to the web at home allows me to look for employment more freely. >> sreenivasan: been is hopeful that the city's wireless will soon open doors for her and her sons. >> stewart: want to know how the price and speed of internet in the u.s. compares to the rest of the world? see our infographic on pbs.org/newshour. in our segment that aired on yesterday's program about israel's water surplus, we said that under a 1994 agreement israel supplies some water to jordan at no cost. however, israel does charge jordan for the operating costs of supplying that water. we regret the error. >> stewart: the "washington post" is reporting on a

startling health crisis in this country: the number of women in the u.s. who die in childbirth is nearing the highest rate in a quarter-century. an estimated 18.5 mothers died for every 100,000 births in 2013, compared with 7.2 in 1987. the post reports that this translates to "...a woman giving birth here is twice as likely to die than in saudi arabia and three times as likely than in the united kingdom." "washington post" reporter danielle paquette who wrote the story joins us now. >> stewart: in your piece there is a startling line and i am just going read it, it says the united states is the only advanced economy in the world with rising maternal mortality rates. what is going on in this country as opposed to other advanced economies that is causing this problem? >> well often this problem confounds a lot in the medical community. there is not one thing dragging the problem. experts, i have spoke to tell me that some parts of the country

there is -- there are gaps in health insurance coverage especially in the south. for example in mississippi, one of the highest maternal mortality rates that the state did not expand medicaid or something like 100,000 people who don't have access to any healthcare, and many of them are women, you have in mississippi 160 doctors, 100,000 residents, that drives part of this problem. >> stewart: one of the disinteresting things in your piece is that the problems are described as preventable. so what is stopping people from preventing them? >> well some doctors say it is something as simple as getting a routine checkup. so many women lack access to healthcare, especially in the south, and so maybe just some of the simple going to that doctor and saying, hey, something doesn't feel right. help me out. another thing, official reason

oftentimes doctors will see women, women might say something is off, something is not right and physicians may write that off as stress or perhaps just paranoia, and that and nurses say may go home and then she may enter premature labor and start bleeding, if she would have been at the hospital at the time of this, that could possibly have saved her life. >> stewart: this makes me think that this is just a very stark example of the bigger issue of that certain population ms. this country based on whether it is race or based on economic standing have better access to better healthcare. >> it is incredible to see the numbers, it is very drastic, in some parts of the country african-american women are nearly twice as likely to die of pregnancy related complications. >> stewart: daniel paquette for the washington post thanks for sharing your reporting.

>> thank you, allison. >> >> this is pbs newshour weekend sunday. >> stewart: reporters, politicians, and celebrities all gathered last night at the annual white house correspondents dinner, an event that honors washington journalists for their work. but its become better known as the night when the commander in chief tries to become the comedian in chief. saturday night live's cecily strong took a saturday night off to host the event. >> hillary's campaign slogan is it's your time, which i assume is what she says into a mirror as she deadlifts 200 pounds that's "rand," like he didn't win, but at least he "ran-d." >> stewart: and keeping with tradition, strong made fun of presidential problems >> i'll bet when the president walked in and saw all those bellhops he said, "finally some decent security."

>> stewart: the president came out swinging at republicans. >> i look so old, john boehner has already invited netanyahu to speak at my funeral. i still have to fix a broken immigration system, issue veto threats, negotiate with iran-- all while finding time to pray five times a day. >> dick cheney says he thinks i'm the worst president of his lifetime. which is interesting, because i think dick cheney is the worst president of my lifetime. >> stewart: but he didn't let democrats off the hook. >> today, thanks to obamacare, you no longer have to worry about losing your insurance if you lose your job. you're welcome, senate democrats.

>> before we leave you tonight we return to our lead story from nepal. now estimates 540,000 children in in, are in urgent need of humanitarian assistant because of yesterday's earthquake, dozens of countries are sending teams of emergency workers and other aid to the region tonight. on tomorrow's newshour upcoming supreme court's arguments on gay marriage with two couple whose are at the center of the case. >> one reason why marriage equality is so important to us is so our kids can be legally both of ours. >> these are not politically. >> they should be treated fairly there is no question amount that but to be treated fairly does not require you to change the definition of marriage. >> stewart: that's it for this edition of pbs newshour weekend

hari sreenivasan will be back next week. i am alison stewart good night. >> captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we are your retirement company. additional support is provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you.

[reflective music] ♪ ♪ [female vocalizing] ♪ ♪ (female narrator) walking in the light in deep, endless beauty. a memory filters through. carved against the canopy of sky are faces of ancient beings, smiling and familiar.