to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com captioning sponsored by wnet >> sreenivasan: on this edition for saturday, july 31: the delta variant surges, forcing renewed calls for mask mandates. >> never more so than now has housing been paramount to public health. >> sreenivasan: millions face eviction, as a federal ban is set to expire. and, in our signature segment, social equity efforts in the massachusetts cannabis industry. next, on pbs newshour weekend. >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund.

the j.p.b. foundation. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. the leonard and norma klorfine foundation. the rolind p. walter foundation. koo and patricia yuen, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zuckerberg. we try to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal s been to provide wireless service that helps people communicate and connect. we offer a variety of no-contract plans, and our u.s.-based customer service team can help find one that fits you. to learn more, visit www.consumercellular.tv. additional support has been provided by: and by the corporation for

public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> sreenivasan: go evening, and thank you for joining us. the highly contagious coronavirus delta variant is now responsible for most new covid-19 cases in the u.s., and the numbers are rising quickly. weeks of rising infections are now turning into an alarming number of hospitalizations, 25,000 more than a month ago. the centers for disease control report a daily average of nearly 5,800 hospital admissions from july 21 to july 28. that's up almost 47% from the previous seven-day average. among those hospitalized with the disease recently, 97% were not vaccinated, according to the c.d.c. states including missouri, arkansas, florida, and louisiana, where vaccination rates are low, are seeing more new cases than at any other point during the pandemic. the county that includes jacksonville, florida is

averaging more than 900 cases a day. louisiana, which was averaging fewer than 400 cases a day at the start of july, is now reporting more than 2,400 new cases a day. in japan, newly-reported covid-19 cases in olympic host city tokyo surged to a record high of more than 4,000 today, as infections rapidly rise across the country. and, pakistan's largest city, karachi, began the first day of a week-long partial lockdown today. hospitals there are close to capacity and close to 4,500 new cases were reported in the country during the last 24 hours. across france today, thousands to to the streets to protest a new law that will require a special pass showing proof of vaccination, a negative covid test or recent recovery from the virus to enter restaurants and other venues beginning august 9. vaccinations for health care workers will be mandatory. in washington, d.c., senators remained at work today, still

trying to come up with final language for a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. as of this afternoon, a bipartisan group continued to work on the proposed legislation. when finished, it will be introduced and debated before a vote. the house adjourned yesterday and representatives headed home for their traditional august recess. senate majority leader chuck schumer said this morning that the senators should be prepared to stay in session until ”we get the job done.” as the tokyo olympic games move into the second week of competition, u.s.a. gymnastics announced that world champion simone biles will not compete in the vault and uneven bars finals. biles, who withdrew from competition last week, may still make another appearance with individual floor exercise and beam finals, set for monday and tuesday. in swimming, caeleb dressel and katie ledecky notched more wins for the u.s. team. dressel broke the 100-meter butterfly world record, and ledecky won her third consecutive gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle this morning. she closes out the tokyo olympics with two golds and two silver medals.

and in the track and field competition, jamaica's elaine thompson-herah broke the olympic 100-meter dash record set by florence griffith-joyner more than 30 years ago. she defended her gold medal th a finishing time of 10.61 seconds. it was a jamaican sweep of the race, with shelly-ann fraser- pryce taking silver and shericka jackson winning bronze. >> sreenivasan: for more national and international news, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: the federal ban on evictions is set to expire tonight. a last-minute effort by house democrats to extend the moratorium failed late yesterday. missouri democratic representative cori bush, who previously struggled with homelessness, spent the night on the capitol steps in a push for the senate to extend the ban. the moratorium was put in place to prevent the spread of covid-19, with nearly $47 billion allocated for

landlords and renters. so far, about $3 billion of that has been spent. the u.s. supreme court ruled that the moratorium could not be extended without new legislation fr congress. a census bureau pulse survey found that as of july 5, roughly 3.6 million people are at risk of eviction in the next two months. for more on the impact of lifting the moratorium, i spoke with emily benfer, visiting professor of law and public health at wake forest university. miss benfer, we have seen some form of this before. i covered hurricane katrina. there were moratoriums on evictionafter that. but this is unprecedented, the length of time and the amount of people that are affected. >> that's absolutely correct. this is the first time we've ever had a nationwide federally- issued moratorium across the country. and that's part of the reason why it's critical to have a plan to phase it out as opposed to lifting it immediately and before the $46 billion in rental

assistance can reach the landlords and the tenants who need it the most. >> sreenivasan: so, what's the snag here? if there are $46 billion allocated, why has that not gotten to the renters and then ultimately to the landlords that need to keep the economy going? >> in the same way that this is the first time we've had a freeze on evictions across the country, it's also the first time we've had this level of rental assistance funding ever available. we did not have the infrastructure to provide this type of assistance and emergency response to an eviction crisis ever before. so, this means that cities and states across the country have been building the program as they're trying to get the funds out. at this stage, we should expect those programs to be up and running smoothly, to be accessible, to be really delivering that rental assistance where it's needed most. unfortunately, that's not been the case at all. at the end of june, only $3 billion out of the $46 billion had been administered across the country. >> sreenivasan: so, why haven't the landlords been paid? >> many of the programs have

been erecting barriers that are not necessary. so, very extensive application procedures that some-- some applications being as long as 40 pages. and for people who are at high- risk, who may not have internet access or the ability to cull through that type of application, that can be extremely restrictive. there are also many people who aren't aware that the rental assistance even exists in their community. so, the outreach and the access points really need to increase, and the collaboration with the affected community and landlords themselves has to happen immediately to ensure that this gets out right away. >> sreenivasan: are there specific geographic areas,ther specific demographics that are going to feel this worse in the next couple of days? >> the southern states have had the highest risk of eviction across the country, but, generally speaking, no corner of the country has been untouched by the eviction crisis. every community is facing this issue. >> sreenivasan: is there a correlation between evictions d the spread of covid-19?

>> yes, there is. states that lifted their eviction moratoriums had an excess amount of infection and over 10,700 excess deaths just in the summer of last year. so, when we lift the federal eviction moratorium across the country, we can expect to see an increase in covid-19 infection and death in those communities. and that will have a ripple effect very quickly to bordering communities, as well. eviction makes it impossible for families to protect themselves from the pandemic. it leads to doubling up and overcrowded living environments where it's impossible to socially distance, to self quarantine if you were infected. never more so than now has housing been paramount to public health. when the eviction moratorium lifts, the people who will be evicted first will be black and hispanic mothers and children. ing a child is the single greatest predictor of an eviction, and, all else equal, they are three times more likely to be evicted than another tenant owing the same amount of back rent.

and this is particularly concerning because children are not eligible under age 12 for a vaccination, so when they are expelled from their home, they will be at heightened risk of contracting the covid-19 virus, especially the delta variant. and this is also particularly concerning because the communities there at the highest risk of eviction also have the lowest vaccination rates due to significant barriers to accessing health care at this time. >> sreenivasan: so, essentially, should we be looking out three weeks from nowor increased case numbers, six weeks from now for increased hospitalizations? >> we saw the peak excess cases and deaths about six weeks out in our study after eviction moratory were lifted of covid-19. however, the eviction itself could occur as early as the end of next week for the cases that are on pause right now, to about six weeks out in jurisdictions that have more equitable landlord-tenant laws. and this could happen very quickly. >> sreenivasan: what do you say

to the landlords out there? evicting somebody doesn't necessarily mean that they get any of that money that they're owed anyway. >> that's right. once a landlord evicts the tenant who's behind on rent, they lose their eligibility for rental assistance filing for that tenant. so, that means that they're foregoing the past debt that was due and are likely never to collect on it, in addition to incurring the filing fees, the attorneys fees and additional court costs that they might have. so, at this moment, it's in the landlords'-- especially small property owners'-- best interest to work with their community to obtain that rental assistance and to work with their tenant to make sure that they are made whole and that the tenant doesn't suffer that long-term harm that will ultimately propel the pandemic and surge this crisis in a way that we're going to be hard pressed to recover from. >> sreenivasan: emily benfer, visiting professor of law and public health at wake forest university, thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you.

>> sreenivasan: when the state of massachusetts legalized marijuana, it also established a social equity program, designed to give individuals most impacted by the war on drugs an opportunity for training and development in the cannabis industry, as well as expedited licenses. several years into the effort, the massachusetts marijuana industry is booming, but few licenses are held by minorities. now, the state has cated new licenses for delivery businesses to lower some barriers for equity applicants. newshour weekend special correspondent kira kay has more. this segment is part of our ongoing series, "chasing the dream: poverty and opportunity in america." >> reporter: it's juneteenth in the jamaica plain neighborhood of boston. e new federal holiday means a long weekend for local residents, who have come to the seed dispensary to pick up their favorite cannabis products. but seed isn't just a dispensary, it's also a museum.

curator niambe mcintosh is the daughter of reggae legend and cannabis activist, peter tosh. >> my father, just like many other musicians-- from coolio, snoop, to mick jagger, james brown-- have all been arrested for cannabis possession. >> reporter: the museum charts america's so-called war on drugs that even in the last decade saw nearly four times as many black people arrested for cannabis possession. >> our country spends hundreds of thousands of dollars performing raids to this day. >> reporter: this history is personal for mcintosh; her brother died after an attack by a fellow inmate while under arrest for marijuana possession. >> this is a multibillion-dollar industry, and most consumers have no idea. you know, ey have the privilege to walk into any dispensary without having the faintest idea about who are the peoplehat have sacrificed in order for this industry to exist. >> reporter: the blending of cannabis business and social

justice reflects a core mandate of state law. in 2016, voters approved ballot question 4, which made massachusetts the first state to require policies to bring people disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition into the newly legalized industry. the state's cannabisontrol commission requires all businesses to have a plan for positive impact on regions and communities deemed hard-hit by the war on drugs. this includes recruiting employees who ve a past drug conviction. nearly five years on, the cannabis industry in massachusetts is blooming, popping up in towns more known for tourism like gloucester with its seafaring history, which is now home to happy valley, a boutique operation where cannabis is cultivated on location, then harvested and processed, and sold in a space that more resembles an apple store. >> will that be all? >> reporter: south of boston, in brockton, legal greens opened in march.

>> there's not a lot of black businesses in brockton, and brockton is a majority-minority city. and it was my priority for me to come into downtown purposely, for me to revitalize this area because it has never been a good area. >> so, there's gummies... >> reporter: vanessa jean- baptiste is the first black woman to open a recreational dispensary on the u.s. east coast. she was an early participant in another special state cannabis initiative: equity programs that prioritize qualified applicants for expedited licenses and even offer training for those from impacted communities wanting to get into the business. >> i would not be in business without it, and it's huge for them to even do a program like that because no other state has done that before. i know people that have been killed by the war on drugs, so it's more so for me to give back to the community because i know that my community desperately needs it. >> reporter: but jean-baptiste's story is rare. she's one of only 12 equity applicants to actually open their doors out of 257 operating

licenses issued by the state. cannabis control commissioner nurys camargo agrees the system is struggling. >> the cannabis industry does not look like me. it doesn't look like a lot of the communities that have been disproportionately harmed by the failedwar on drugs. we have about 4% to 5% of apicants that either are economic empowerment or social equity applicants. that's not what we intended in the beginning. it's not what the-- the goal was. >> reporter: camargo says what's called "corporate cannabis" is dominating the market. >> i've seen many of the big players come out and open up, like, two and three dispensaries, but we're still leaving out the little guy. have folks that have done this well in the illicit market, and we want them to cross over, but there's no capital. there's no-- you know, there's-- they don't have the access, they don't have the network. >> it's funny, ten years ago, when i was arrested, i was considered the worst person around. the local paper villainized me over a very small amount of

cannabis. now, flash forwa to here we are; i'm considered a young, bright entrepreneur for doing the same exact thing that i was doing ten years ago. >> reporter: dev alexander is who the massachusetts law had in mind. he was arrested for marijuana possession in high school, derailing his plans of joining the air rce. he learned quickly that even in his hometown of quincy, he was priced out of opening a dispensary in the approved area. >> it wasn't available for lease. we had to buy it outright, which would have cost us $2 million to $3 million. >> reporter: then, there's what's called a host community agreement. even though cannabis is regulated by the state, the cities and towns have the ultimate say on who gets to open their doors. while municipalities can tax businesses up to 3% to offset what they see as additional burdens-- like parking, extra policingor drug abuse programs-- these agreements have sometimes also asked for thousands of dollars in additional fees and donations. the mayor of fall river was just convicted of extorting bribes in

exchange for his handful of available licenses. >> these towns don't have equity in mind, and they just want to go to the highest bidder, you know. if you have the money to play, you have a better chance at obtaining the host community agreement than a small-funded equity applicant. other states aren't doing this. we're the only one in the country that really gives the municipalities this level of control. >> reporter: if anyone's story demonstrates the potentially crippling impact of host community agreements, it is chauncey spencer. >> this is huge! >> oh, this is only a-- a small portion of it. >> reporter: newshour met him two years ago, at the storefront he was renting in anticipation of an agement with the city of boston. spencer was in the first pool of state-certified priority applicants, 2018. he thought thawas his ticket to success. >> i'd get my licensing first, i'd be first to open. and, y know, i knew that there would be crowds. i knew it would be hyped, you know, all this publicity i was ready for it. >> reporter: but spencer's storefront is now an immigration office. he went bankrupt after spending $100,000 and had to give up the

lease. no approval ever came. >> the longer i ited, the more competition i began to g. >> reporter: just to be clear, they didn't come back to you and say "oh, you missed a form" or "we need more clarification." >> no, nothing. >> reporter: there's a zoning issue for your location? >> no. >> reporter: you were paying rent? >> yes. paid rent, $5,000 a month, sitting on a location. meanwhile, i just watched them dole out license after license after license. >> reporter: in response to an investigation by the "boston globe," city officials said they handled spencer's application like any other, and fairly. but pushed by now-mayor kim janey, an early proponent of cannabis legalization, the city scrapped that approvals process and created a new oversight board. but it was all too late for spencer. >> i know people who have refinanced their homes. i know folks who have lost their pensions. and i think that it's up to our-- our legislators. it's up to us as regulators. it's also up to our mayors, our

town administrators. we're going to lose the opportunity and the window will close, and massachusetts would have done some things right and left some things out. and i think that other states in the country have watched massachusetts and have taken from our best practices, but i think have been a little bit more progressive in some of their social equity now in terms of their-- their funds and their programs. >> reporter: the massachusetts legislature is now considering acon to extend the state requirements of equity down to the municipal level and grant oversight of levied fees to camargo's commission. and now, new delivery licenses are being reserved only for equity applicants for at least three years. delivery is less expensive to set up. >> seeing the delivery as a sector that is completely untouched and just rea for new faces and fresh blood in it made me really want to go after the delivery model instead of having a dispensary. >> coming out of the vault, and then go right into our sally

port and load up the vans. >> reporter: devin alexander helped lobby for that period of exclusivity and is now busy setting up plans with his partners for a 2,000-square foot warehouse and a fleet of secure vehicles. he also would like to sean equity trust fund, something else the legislature is considering. cannabis is still federally illegal, making banking very hard for entrepreneurs >> you see some states like illinois and oakland, california, they're giving their equity applicants no-interest loans in the six figures. i uld tell you, that goes a long way because when you're talking to some people, trying to raise capital, and you have low-interest loans and you show them, "okay, i just need this much more to get to the next level," you would see a lot more equity applicants getting through the process. >> reporter: finally, some cities are taking their own initiative, like cambridge, which has a special period right now just for equity entrepreneurs. chauncy spencer is now trying there. he has his eye on a new space in a fast-developing area.

it's currently a pet store. the location holds a great deal of symbolism. >> they held me in that jail righthere. i-- i feel as if they should be able to allow me to become a-- a, you know, a successful businessman in the same space. >> reporter: still, it's a hard process. we went along with spencer on his crucial permitting hearing at cambridge city hall. he was grilled on everything from window tinting to trash pick-up. >> reporter: and during public comments, a local community group complained spencer hadn't consulted with them. the board made this a requirement before they would grant approval. he h that meeting and has now been given his local permit. but he's starting from scratch-- new architecture plans he drew himself and a fresh start at fundraising. in a bittersweet decision, he acceptedevelopment grant from a major cannabis company and hopes they may offer him a supplier agreement. he's excited and grateful for the help but realizes his current dreams will look different from his early ones.

>> this is pbs newshour weekend, saturday. >> sreenivasan: finally tonight, they are here, there, and everywhere. drones are now showing us aerial views from every corner of the world. and now, drones are turning the table, putting on displays for us to watch that may drive fireworks out of the skies. above tokyo's olympic stadium, more than 1,800 drones put on a light show for the opening ceremonies. it's a technology that many are now racing to perfect. in england, a company caed celestial is developing systems that can direct swarms of drones. >> our goal at celestial is to supercede fireworks. we love fireworks, but they blow things up, they're single use, they make things catch on fire, and they scare animals. >> sreenivasan: computer programs and hands on preparations put the tiny light-drones aloft.

once in flight, the results can be mesmerizing. >> we like to think that what we're doing here at celestial is marrying technology with soul. we want to inject organic movement and human spirit into these drones and into this technology. >> sreenivasan: the british company teamed up with the environmental group greenpeace recently to make a film about extinction, with drones forming the shapes of animals. >> i hope they protect t coral reefs and all the colorful fish. >> i think what we have here is something just so epic in scale and yet totally customizable, and we're developing all these live control systems now that allow a human performer to manipulate these drones in the air and create giant 3d sculptures that are alive.

>> sreenivasan: that's all for this edition of pbs newshour weekend. for the latest news updates, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. i'm hari sreenivasan. thanks for watching. stay healthy, and have a good night. captioning sponsored by wnet captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> pbs newshour weekend is made possible by: sue and edgar wachenheim iii. the anderson family fund. bernard and denise schwartz. the cheryl and philip milstein family. the anderson family fund. rbara hope zuckerberg. the j.p.b. foundation. the estate of worthington mayo-smith. the leonard and norma klorfine foundation. the rosalind p. walter foundation. koo and patricia yuen,

committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. barbara hope zuckerberg. we t to live in the moment, to not miss what's right in front of us. at mutual of america, we believe taking care of tomorrow can help you make the most of today. mutual of america financial group, retirement services and investments. additional support has been provided by: consumer cellular. and by: and by the corporation for public broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the american people. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. you're watching pbs.

(indigenous music) (indigenous music) (seagull squawking) (gentle music) - i was one of four california native people and i was probably like, of 20 native american people at uc berkeley.