captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for sarday, september 22: thousands take to twitter, responding to the president about why they didn't report sexual assault; a new investigation of puerto rico's death toll after hurricane mari and in our signature segment, is there a way to put the world-famous parthenon marbles back together again? next on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. suand edgar wachenheim iii the cheryl and philip milstein family. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. rosalind p. walter. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america--

designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station othank you.like you. from the tisch wnet studios at lincoln center in new york, hari sreenivasan. an >> sreenivgood evening, and thanks for joining us. christin who is accusing supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of ersexual assault when they both teenagers, says she is ing to testify before th senate judiciary committee. this afternoon, ford's attorneys accepted the juds iary committevitation but said negotiations over the details need to continue. yesterday, the committee's chair, senator chuck grassley, extended the deadline for ford to schedule her testimony until 2:30 this afn. he must decide whether to continue to negotiate her appearance or move aheh the confirmation vote for judge kavanaugh.

at a rallynight in springfield, missouri, president trump continued his support for kavanaugh. >> and i said we have to fight for him, not worry about the other side. by the way, women are for that more than anybody would understand. ( cheers and applause ) >> sreenivasan: hurricane florce has killed at least 4 people now as the carolinas brace for more hazardous flooding this weekend. authorities say that although the rains have subsided, flooding is expected to continue as trillions of gallons of water that florence dumped on the region move back out to sea. emergency officials are also byrning residents to avoid roads that may be damageazardous debris. forecasters say that some inreg showers and thunderstorms could loop back over the carolinas early next week. the head of the federal emergency management agency, brerock long, wilburse the government for misusing work vehicles and willcceep his job, ding to the head of the department of homeland security, kirs ien nielsen. ernal investigation found that long used government

vehicles for trips between his home in north carolina and washington, d.c., "without proper authorization." lo acknowledging his mistake and said he accepts "full responsibility." four gunmen fired on a military parade in iran today, killing at least 25 people and wounding 60 others. the islamic republic news agency says that two of the attackers were killed and two others have n captured. both the islamic state and the al-ahwaz separatist group have claimed responsibility for the attack. today's parade was one of many throughout the country to mark" sacred defense week" that commemorates iran's war with iraq. >> sreenivasan: last sunday, the woman accusing supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexual assault came forward publeicly. prssor christine blasey ford alleged in an interview with the on post" that kavanaugh forced himself on her while the two were at a high school party

more than three decades ago. kavanaugh denies the claim. on monday, following the public accusation, white house counselor kellyanne conway said blasey ford should be heard. >> sh ne shou be ignored. she should testify under oath, and she should do it on capitol hill. >> sroceenivasan: dts called for an f.b.i. investigation. some republicans appeardo to publiclt blasey ford's claim. senator orrin hatch of utah suggested that blay ford was" staken." by friday, more than 75 women in support of ett kavanaugh held a press conference. >> brett is a pson of honor, integrity, and a person of strong moral character. >> sreenivasan: also yesterday, for the first time, president trump referred to blasey ford by name ton his more than 54 mill twitter followers, where he questioned why she did not the alleged assaul writing: within minutes, thousands used twitter to share paful stories al assault under the hashtag #whyididn'treport. marianne kimmel wrote:

david leavitt wrote: joining us now via skype from new haven, connecticut, is emily bazelon, a staff writer for the "new york times magazine," who has reported on wer and women's issues and shared her own experience with sexual assault. >> sreenivasan: this might come off as a set of questions from a person of privilege. but i was stunned to see this ewere you surprised youbeen covering this space for a long time about you've been writing about women, about power, for so long? to see such raw emotion displayed on twitter, sometimes for the very first time in their lives? >> i wasn'd,surpri believe that a lot of women have stories like the one that christine blasey ford has told us. assault that is happen to them

in some cases long time o at a time when to come forward to the police and make a rept president suggested, would have really seemed in conceivable. there was a lo st e that women felt and still feel about sexual assault. and i think in the 80's, the time period we're talking about sometimes went even really have the language to describe sithations in which you kne person. then something went terribly wrong. so i think that's why you're seeing this outpouring from women, this urgent sense that there are lots of important reasons to try to fige out whether blasey ford's story is credible. questions about co facts fair to ask. but to decide to disbelieve her simply because she didn't report in the 1980s, i think to a lot of us feels like huge mistake s >> sreenivasan: there's also beenhis line of questioning or thinking about how could someone member something to vividly but also not have access to

other details out the particular event? >> right. so for me, this blasey ford version of what she remembers and doesn't rings very true. times of intense emotion, you re you certainly remember the person who hurt you. and a sexu assault. so i think we have this very visit memory if her of what happened. but i think surrounding details kind of faded over time. because she was trying really hard not to think about them. >> sreenivasan: there was an article written in the st "washington this week by former first daughter of nancy nancy an ronald patty davis, your memory snaps photos that will haunt you fover, change your life and blacks out other parts over the story that really >> right.r much. memory is complicateded. and look, you know, i think it's important to say that asking questions to try to determine credibility, to try to figu

out surrounding circumstances, those are all legitimate things that investigators do. i think it's part of why blasey ford is foking a new tall investigation here, to try to back herself up. and it's interesting to me that if brett kavanaugh is indeed innocent why he wouldn't welcome such an investigation. >> sreenivasan: it's incredible to watch so many people around you just like it w in the me too movement to realize there were so many colleagues and people you loved that had had these experiences happen them hi. but to see other chapter of why i didn't report come forward is really heartbreakings at the the least. >> right. but also, perhaps a good that blasey ford has done by giving women a reason to come forward, and to try to recon figure the way we think about sexual assault so women don't have to feel shame and guilt about . that would be a tremendous benefit going forward. >> sreenivasan: while we're talking about kavanaugh,

regardless of what the outcome there is, as you y and as you points outlet the fact to this empowered so many women t come forward about this, what do you think the net positive is of her taking the stand and speaking to her trut that committee? >> you know, i think if she tells her story, sympathetically and credibly a lot of people will have to reckon with the accusation, the kind of outuation that produces them and to really think t brett kavanaugh's character. we're not talking about whether to send kavanaugh to jail or punish him in any way, we're talking about whether he deserves one of the greatest honors the country has to offer, life tenure on the supreme court. so i think you can ask questions about who's burden of proof it is there, and w we if there are accusations. i think though, it's really important to wait, to listen, to the testimony on botsides before we make up our minds. >> sreenivasan: emily bazelon

joining us via skype if new ven thanks for >> sreenivasan: for our full conversation with emily bazelon, go to our facebook page at www.facebook.com/newshour. >> sreenivasan: how should museums, universities and galleries trt priceless cultural works of art in their collections that came to them in ways which wouldn't pass muster today? em back?hey be giving one of the most famous examples involves a 200-year-old dispute between the united kingdom and greece over the world famous sculptures that once adorned the parthenon in athens. newshour weekend special correspondent christopher livesay reports. >> reporter: a highlight of london's british museum is one of its earliest acquisitions, the pathhenon marbles. e sculptures once decorated the great fifth century b.c.e. eemple on the acropolis in . considered among the great achievements of the classical world, they depict mythical creatures, stories of the gods

along with avege people. >> they are very significant and important masterpieces, really, of thent greek world. >> reporter: hannah boulton is the spokesperson for the british museum. she admits that how these ascal works came to be in england is a sensitive subject, one the museum takes some pains to explain. >> i think it, obviously, has always been a topic of debate ever since the objects came to london and into the british museum. it's not a ne> debate. >porter: the story starts in the early 1800s. the parthenon had fallen to ruin. half the marbles were destroyed by neglect and war. then, a british ambassador, lord elgin, made an agreement with ottoman authorities who were in control of athens at the time to remove some of statues and friezes. he took about half of the remaining sculptures. >> and then, he shipped that back to the u.k. for a long time, it remned part of his personal collection, so he put it on display. and then, he made the decision to sell the collection to the nation. and the parliament chose to acquire it and then pass itn the british museum. so, we would certainly say that

lord elgin had performed a great service in terms of rescuing some of these examples. >> reporter: but greeks don't see it that way. for cades now, they have argued that the ottomans were occupiers, so the deal with elgiwasn't valid and the marbles belong in greece. why does gr parthenon marbles back in athens? >> it's not just bringing them back to athens or to greece. that's where they were created. but this is not our claim. our claim is to put back a unique piece of art, to put it back together, bring iback tother. >> reporter: lydia koniordou was greece's minister of culture fr6 to 2018. we met her at the acropolis, whpaere thhenon temple stands overlooking athens. sos , first, it rd elgin who removed 50%. >> almost 50%. >> reporter: almost 50%. all of the marbles, she says, have now been removed from the monument for protectiontsrom the elem and then, it was greece that consciously decided to remove

the remaining. >> yes, the scientists that were responsible decided to remove and take them to the acropolis museum.as it nine years ago when the acropolis museum was completed. reporter: in fact, the new acropolis museum was built in part as a response to the british museum's claim that greeceid not have a proper place to display the sculptures. the glass and steel structure has a dramatic view of the acropolis, so while you'rei obseng the art you can see the actual parthenon. the th uird floor is sjust like the parthenon, with the same proportions. these friezes, from the west side of the temple, are nearly all orinal. on the other three sides, there are some originals but also a lot of gaps,s well as white plaster copies of the friezes and statues now in britain. >> we believe that one day we could replace the copies with the originals to show all this unique art in its grandeur. every block has two or three

figures, and here is only one. >> reporter: dimitrios pandermalis is the director of the acropolis museum, ofere the storhe missing marbles differs widely from that of the british museum. esentations for visitors portray lord elgin cfitically. one shows the marbles flying off the parthenon and calls it the "uncontle plundering of the acropolis." you have these videos that actually show how the pieces were removed another film depicts how one of the marbles was crudely split by elgin's workmen. >> he damaged the art pieces, yes. e> reporter: he did damage s pected.rse, it was to be >> reporter: the british museum disputes the claim elgin damaged the sculptures. it also sees it as a plus that half llthe tion is in britain and half in greece. >> i thin ourselves in now we feel is quite beneficial. it ensures that examples of the wonderful sculptures from the parthenon can be seen by a world

audience here at the british museum and in a world context in termof being able to compare with egypt and rome and so on and so forth. but feel the two narratives that we are able to tell with the objects being in two different places is beneficial to everybody. >> reporter: but pandermalis says rather than being in two places, the sculptures should be reunified, terally. he showed us examples around the museum, including one that is almost lecompte save for one thing. >> so, is sculpture is originacel expt the right foot. >> reporter: and this, the chest of the god poseidon. so, thee marrtion in the center where we can see clearly defined the abdomen, that's original. but the surrounding portion in plaster, the shoulders, that's in london. so, the h pie been completely split in half. >> yes. yes. >> reporter: and perhaps most dramatic, this frieze. so, the darker stone is the original; and the white aster, that represents what's in the british museum.

>> yes. exactly. >> reporter: and here it is in the british museum, the missing marbleead and chest floating in a display space. >> it just doesn't make sense. it's like cutting, for instance, "the last supper" of da vinci and taking one apostle to one museum and another apostle to another museum. we feel also it's a symbolic act todayem to bring back thiem of our world, to put it back together. ep>>ter: if you bring back this emblem, aren't there untold other emblems that need to be brought back? is this a slippery slope? >> do not claim... as gree s, ta do not claim other treasures. we feel that this is unique. this claim will never be feandoned by this country because w this is our duty. >> reporter: as for visitor ato topolis museum, how do you feel about the fact that half the collection is in the british museum? >> not good.

>> reporter: the roscoe family is from ohio. what do you guys think? >> i think it would be nice to have them in one spot where they originated. ee>> you're coming here tohe hiory of it, so it would b nice to see the complete history rather than replicas. >> reporter: you've seen them in thbritish museum. so, what do you think about the fact that the collection is kind of split? >> it's hen you see this. i think this museum is a phenomenal place to display them. it's beautiful. and the wa been built-- almost waiting to have them back-- it's interesting. reporter: as recently as may, the greek president, prokopios palos, told prince charles that he hoped the marbles would be returned. and the british opposition labor leader, jeremy corbyn, has said he too is in favor of returning the marbles to greece. but the british museum's position is, the marbles in its s.llection are legally the they would, however, consider a loan. after all, the british museum

regularly loans pieces from its collection to other museums around the world. >> i think we would certainly see there being a great benefit in extending that leand trying to find ways to collaborate with colleagues, not just in greece but elsewhere in the world, to share the ve in oucollection.s that we >> reporter: but sharing the reporter: but sharing the sculptures is not what the ancient greeks who created them would have wanted, claims pandermalis. >> thed be very angry. >> reporter: the ancient greeks would be very angry? >> yes. >> reporter: >> because they were crazy for perfection. it was a perfectio today it is not. >> reporter: as for whether he will ever l the remaining parthenon marbles together under this roof... >> i'm sure. >> reporter: you're sure that you will see them. >> but i don't know when.

>> sreenivasan: it's been a year thnce hurricane maria left a f devastation and destruction across the caribbean and in puerto rico. the death toll from the stpum has been dd, particularly in puerto rico. until recently, the number stood at 64. but findings from a report commissioned by the governor raised that number to nearly 3,000. now, a new investigaicon by puertos center for investigative journalism, the associated press and quartz has compiled an extensive database of nearly 500 ofhe victims and how they died. i spoke recently with quartz reporter ana cinpoy about the stigation. >> didard work of going and speaking to the families of these deceased. what do they feel the responsibility lies in the tragedy that's happened to their families we talked to dozens of

people. they mostly focusedri on and haven't done an in-depth analysis of who was to blame. but they see that they didn't have what they need they weren't protected. we separately did that analysis. and we found that there is a lot of blame to go arou, many different actors, local and federal. >> sreenivasan: we have so many different types of counts. is this kind of adding a littlc bit to theusion. i remember harvard had a study in july and they had a number somewhere around 4600 and george washington had had 2975, the "new york time had a count of 1,052 in august of the last year, cnn went to funel homes and talked to 499. how do we reconcile this and how doe make this easy for people to understand? >> all of those sties that you mentioned are studies that are based on demographic today. you basically take the number of people who died in the four

months after the hurricane. and you compare that to the average number of people who died usually in previous years. and the difference is called thx ss death, and so all of those reports you cited are is analf the excess death. what we did was collected case by case, individual cases real people with their names, ages, circumstances o their deaths, and we received information about 487 cases. >> sreenivasan: in your story, you go through kind of a timeline of events what was happbiing in the picture and what was happening to some individual people's lives. what were you most surprised by? some of these seem very preventable deaths >> whastrikes me the most is the ration of the disaster. i've covered hurricanes in past. and during the first few days after the hurricane, you have very chaotic situations but th

usually ends pretty fast. and here, you had people whose lives were complete up ended r months. >> sreenivasan: is puerto rico ready for another significant storm event? >> td governor himself has s it is not. we tried to get new plans and officials local officials didn't provide a copy for us to review. separately, we talked to statistics institute. we learned statistics is so important in order to guide the response. what happened in puerto rico was that we didn't know how many people died in the beginning, and so people didn't ow where to send help or how much help e was d. and so it also seems that puerto rico is not prepared have a polar accurate count the next tiaround. and we can expect that to affect the response again. >> senivasan: ana campoy

quartz joining us from dallas. thank you so pb >> this inewshour weekend, saturday. >> sreenivasan: migrants risk the mediterranean ossing from africa and the middle east, all for a chance at a new life. on christmas eve in 2001, a 13- year-old egyptn boy, hassan ali, was of those migrants, saved from a sinking dinghy. after being sent to a refugee camp in sicily where he learned italian, ali decided to devote his life to rescuing others. newshour weekend's ivette feliciano has the story. one day in august, the crew of the rescue ship aquarius locates a smallwood end boat filled with my grants, hassan ali helpove the stranded passengers to a rescue dinghy. ali made this his life's work nafter man he willer know saved him from drowning on a

slower journey. >> the only thing i remember is that a person pulled me out of the cap sizing boat. he put me on his shoulders, and i saw this person descending ow lowly under the water, he drowned in front of my eyes, i did not know him. i knew nothing about him. simply, i can never find the right words for his act. >> many migrants speak of native arabic making him an important part of the team trying to get them to safety. >> the sea taken away a lot of lives, teople become used hearing people died here or 40 people died there >> italy current government is o take many migrants crossing the mediterranean unless other eu countries take more of them. it's a policy this young survivor turned rescuer disagrees with >>obody must die because we have the means to save them. if they die someone is blame a

that someone will have to answer to god. >> sreenivasan: we'll have more tomorrow on the confirmation vote for judge brett kavanaugh to the supreme court and whether or how his accill testify in front of the senate judiciary committee. all for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. i'm hari sreenivasan. thanks for watchg. hav a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by tmedia access groupbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made

possible by: bernard and irene schwartz. sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the cheryl and philip milstein family. dr. p. roy vagelos and diana t. vagelos. the j.p.b. foundation. rosalind p. walter. barbara hope zuckerberg. corporate funding is provided by mutual of america-- designing customized individual and group retirement products. that's why we're your retirement company. nadditional support has b provided by: and by tporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like yo thank you. be more. pbs.

reporter: president felipe calden has declared war on the drug cartels. ofnewscaster: one mexico's best-known poets' 24-year-old son was murdered by drug traffickers in cuernavaca. guzman: it's one of the closest relations i've known of a father and a kid. martinez: nobody is talking about the drug war, people listen to poets in latin america. "voces" was made possible in part by the national endowment for the arts -- art works, the naofonal association latino arts and culture, and by the corporation for public broadcasting. [foreboding ambient music]