to learn more, visit safetyactioncenter.pge.com >> sreenivasan: on this edition for saturday, august 14: a crucial point in afghanistan as the taliban gains more territory; a powerful earthquake hits haiti; and covid-19 cases are on the rise as the delta variant surges. 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 estate of worthington mayo- smith.

leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind 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 has 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: good evening, and thank you for joining us. more u.s. troops arrived in afghanistan today to protect the embassy and help evacuate u.s. and afghan personnel as the taliban took over more of the country, including mazar-e- sharif, the country's fourth largest city. this afternoon, president joe biden-- who is spending the weekend at camp david-- issued a lengthy statement on his decision to withdraw remaining u.s. forces from afghanistan after 20 years. the president said he has deployed 5,000 troops to “make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of us personnel and other allied personnel.” he ordered the armed forces and intelligence community to“ maintain the capability and the vigilance to address future terrorist threats from afghanistan.” he said the u.s. has told the taliban that any aion in afghanistan that “puts us personnel or our mission at risk there will be met with a swift and strong u.s. military response.” and mr. biden made reference to the deal made between the trump

administration and the taliban that set may 1 as the deadline for u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan, writing: “when i became president, i faced a choice-- follow through on the deal, with a brief extension to get our forces and our allies' forces out safely, or ramp up our presence and send more american troops to fight once again in another country's civil conflict. i was the fourth president to preside over an american troop presence in afghanistan-- two republicans, two democrats. i would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth.” in afghanistan, the taliban captured more provinces, including a district just seven miles of south of the capital. in a pre-recorded speech broadcast today, afghanistan's president, ashraf ghani, gave no indication he would resign, something the taliban has demanded. ghani said he is holding meetings and will share the results “soon." >> ( translated ): i have started extensive consultations inside the government, with the elders and political leaders, representatives of people from all walks of life and our

international partners. >> sreenivasan: at the kabul airport, thousands of afghans are trying to leave the country. the government continues to control kabul and several other areas with security checkpoints and military troops in place. for more on the situation in afghanistan, i spoke with "new york times" correspondent thomas gibbons-neff, who is in kabul. we spoke just before noon eastern time today-- that's 8:30 p.m. in afghanistan. thomas, thanks for joining us. first, what is the situation right now in kabul where you are? >> thanks for having me. so, the situation in kabul is deteriorating to the point where we have displaced people coming from all over the country as the taliban kind of pushed through the north, the south, the west. now, there's fighting in the east. i mean, on top of that, you have an influx of internally displaced people. you have this growing sense of fear among the population.

i think today there was an expectation that the afghan president, ashraf ghani, would have resigned given the deteriorating situation in the country in this wave of taliban gains, including more than half of the provincial capitals in the country, and he did not. so, it almost sounded like it was setting up for a fight. and the people in kabul, afghans in kabul who have been around in the '90s during the soviet ndering is, where is thearefht. afghan military in all this? i mean, yesterday we heard the state department say, look, the afghan forces number more than 300,000. they have trained specialists. the u.s. has been training them for so long. how is it that the afghan military is falling so quickly to the taliban in all these different places? >> it's a combination of things, and i could go on for a very long time about why it's playing out the way it is, right. but, i mean, at its core, the they have trained specialists. the u.s. has been training them for so long.

how is it that the afghan military is falling so quickly to the taliban in l these different places? >> it's a combination of things, and i could go on for a very long time about why it's playing out the way it is, right. but, i mean, at its core, the afghan military was built in the american military's image, right, and that means complex logistics systems, different levels of integration, this expectation that the afghan military would kind of operate like the american military. the american military has its own issues, right, and kind of exporting that and expecting it to look the exact same without the litany of issues is just-- it's unrealistic. not to mention, how long does it take for the military to become a military? officers, generals and experienced noncommissioned officers? that's not there. and then, kind of couple that with poor leadership, widespread corruption and other factors that have kind of led to this

mome, right, where soldiers and police on the front line have no faith in their government because they don't trust their leaders. and that's just kind of all dissolved as the americans who have provided air support for so long at the afghan military and police have become so dependent on as soon as they kind of eased ghan air force, which is aheted small but professional force and c an you know, that's left the afghan air force, which is a small but professional force and capable, but not nearly big enough to cover the geographic spread of afghanistan. and the commando units, which have been well-trained, well- equipped, can fight moderately well because they have that kind of core leadership that motivates their rank and file. again, this is not big enough to handle what the taliban have managed to throw at them. >> sreenivasan: tell me what's happening on the kind of managed to throw at them. >> sreenivasan: tell me what's happening on the kind of humanitarian front? if you have these internally displaced people coming from all over the country into kabul

because that's the last place or you have them leaving the country, that means that's a strain on the neighborhood, so to speak, the countries that are adjacent to it. where are they going to get the the basic necessities? are they just living and camping in parks on the street? question. i mean, you have to imagine right now we're in the middle of an explosion, right, as these people flee from different provinces to other provinces in the country. i mean, you know, i was in kandahar i guess a week ago now kandahar i guess a week ago now with my afghan colleagues, a photographer, and we visited a displaced persons camp, and there were barely any resources available. the government was struggling to provide for them, and now that area is completely under taliban control. so, it's kind of this moving

line of issues that need to be addressed but just aren't because everything's moving so quickly. >> sreenivasan: there's also a lot of concern about the role of women and girls, the amount of time and energy that coalition forces, the united states has spent trying to create an infrastructure for women and girls to start going to school. they're now members of parliament. they're in all kinds of jobs. does that all go away with the snap of a finger when the taliban comes to town? >> definitely. people in the west, definitely in the united states, are watching that. and i think the taliban have kind of given these half-hearted assurances or words kind of enshrined in their own language about sharia. and i mean, for the most part, i think, yes, i think afghistan will go back to something that looks very much like the 1990s. >> sreenivasan: right now, we have u.s. troops coming in to protect the u.s. embassy and to

make sure that we're able to evacuate all americans, plus the people who might have helped us during the war. that plan was put into place at a time when the taliban was not gaining control of the rest of the country. so, how desperate is that situation right now? >> like you said, they were not expecting this kind of situation. i think they had long expected that kabul would-- tre be distance between the announcement of the withdrawal, the withdrawal and something like this. so, now they're-- now the government, the pentagon is scrambling to put something in place that looks nothing like saigon in 1975, right-- enough breathing room, enough time, enough space to move everyone they need to out. today, i'd heard that the resolute support name of the nato mission here, the sign had been taken off the headquarters and thrown in the trash.

they were destroying some of the monuments in front of that headquarters. i mean, so it sounds very much like 1975, but i think the biden administration is very reluctant to display that, even though it's almost unavoidable at this point. >> sreenivasan: thomas gibbons- neff of the new york times, joining us from kabul tonight. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> sreenivasan: we'll have more on afghanistan later in the program. >> sreenivasan: a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck haiti today. as of late this afternoon, haitian authorities said at least 225 people were killed in the quake, which also destroyed buildings in the southwestern region of the island nation. prime minister ariel henry declared a one-month state of emergency and said search and rescue teams were headed to the region. the u.s. geological survey says the quake's epicenter was about 78 miles west of the capital of

port-au-prince. there was no damage reported in the capital city. the quake was on the same fault line as the 2010 7.0-magnitude quake that killed more than 220,000 people. phone lines and communications were down in the quake-damaged region as of late this afternoon and officials said there may be many more casualties. in southern japan, torrential rains continued today, triggering heavy floods. dozens of homes were damaged as rivers overflowed, forcing many residents to evacuate. the rain also triggered mudslides throughout the region, including one about 20 miles east of nagasaki that killed at least one person. local authorities issued a disaster alert for the region, affecting about 1.4 million people. the japan meteorological agency is predicting more rain for next week, which could bring further flooding and mudslides as the storm front moves east. heavy flooding has also taken its toll in northern turkey along the coast of the black

sea. more than 40 people in the region were declared dead today, killed in seve floods this week that destroyed homes and bridges, washed out roads, and swept away cars. rescue teams are continuing to search for msing people, which some local residents say could be in the hundreds. more than 2,000 people were evacuated from affected areas, and many are now being housed in student dormitories. the flooding comes just a week after wildfires in southern turkey killed 16 people and drove thousands of people from the region. new cases of covd-19 and deaths from the pandemic disease are rising worldwide with one of the most dramatic increases in the united states. iran declared a new lockdown for six days beginning monday in most of its cities. iran state media called the outbreak there a fifth wave of covid. in australia, police increased fines to $3,700 for breaking stay-at-home rules in sydney and the surrounding region. a lockdown order there is expected to be extended after the number of new locally-

transmitted cases hit a record high yesterday. and the "new york times" data project shows a steady increase in cases worldwide, with the united states one of the biggest hot spots. the u.s. is reporting more than 128,000 new cases every day, a 66% increase on average over the past 14 days, and hospitalizations are up 74%. almost all pients are unvaccinated and infected with the delta variant. hospitals in several states are warning their intensive care units are ll. oregon's governor announced yesterday that she will deploy as many as 1,500 national guard members to hospitals there starting august 20 to help with equipment and testing. for more national and international news, visit www.pbs.org/newshour. >> sreenivasan: when the united states invaded afghanistan in 2001, the taliban quickly ceded control. in the two decades since, with help from the u.s. and nato,

afghanistan ushered in democratic elections, expanding education for women and girls, and broadening civil society. one significant change was in the criminal justice system with the appointment of more than 250 female judges across the country. with the taliban regaining ground, most of that progress is now under threat as the u.s. embassy reduces its staff to" core diplomatic presence" and u.s. troops prepare to make their complete withdrawal from the country by the end of the month. as newshour weekend's christopher booker reports, afghan's female judges are worried about their safety and their future. >> reporter: if there was any ambiguity surrounding the intent of the taliban, it's mostly gone now. as each province falls, whether in the north, south, east or west, their sprint through the country seems part of a larger effort for complete control of afghanistan. while the capital city kabul still stands as the taliban expands their control from

kunduz last sunday to kandahar, herat and lashkar gah on friday, the circle surrounding democratically-elected afghanistan continues to shrink. for the islamic fundamentalists, kabul cod well be the final prize, but, for the afghans currently in that rapidly shrinking space who have been participating in the nearly 20- year effort to build a more robust civil society, a taliban victory will most certainly be accompanied by untold terror. and while the two-decade effort included untold thousands, there is an frantic effort under way to save a few of them: afghanistan's 250 female judges. looks like everyone is there. this is, of course, challenging. communication is difficult, logistics nearly impossible, and time seems to be running out. on thursday, with the help of interpreter farah arjang, we spoke with three judges desperately trying to get out of afghanistan. for their safety, we are not

sharing their names or showing their faces. >> ( translated ): so, the taliban knows about our whereabouts. they already have gathered all the information they need, so there is no way for us to hide or there is no way for us to stay. and we have to find ways for us and our family to find safe places. >> reporter: is the only solution to leave? >> ( translated ): this is obvious, and you see what is going on, that the taliban is coming to kabul. they are going to kill us, but also our families. and it is creating a lot of stress for us. >> reporter: over the past 20 years, the civil society of afghanistan has been dramatically transformed. in 2003, just two years after the taliban rule ended, fewer than 10% of girls were enrolled in primary school. by 2017, that number had risen to 33%. and when the u.s. first arrived, there were zero women serving as judges.

today, afghanistan's 250 female judges make up about 10% of the country's judiciary. >> people also changed and democracy grew, and it's a pity that the taliban is coming. they are going to ruin everything, all of our achievements. >> reporter: does she feel abandoned by the west and the americans? >> ( translated ): if this is not considered a political response, definitely. that created a crisis for us, and now they have left. >> everything that a woman judge is, is anathema to the taliban ideology. >> reporter: judge vanessa ruiz is a senior judge for the u.s. court of appeals in the district of columbia. she is also a former president of i.a.w.j., the international association of women judges. the coalition of 6,500 female judges from around the world was founded nearly 30 years ago. i.a.w.j. started working and supporting female judges from afghanistan in 2003. judge ruiz worked with many of them through the years. >> they represent everything

that the taliban do not want women to do or to be. the last time the taliban were in control in the '90s, or they took control back then, the judges were the first women that the taliban went after to remove them from their positions. >> reporter: in january, two female judges from afghanistan's supreme court were assassinated in kabul. the killings are part of a spate of violence that has included prominent politicians, journalists and activists in recent months. just last weekend, as kunduz fell, the taliban opened the prisons. and in some cases, those prisoners were the very people that some of these judges put away. so, whether you're talking about broader taliban philosophy, you also have personal vendettas at play now. >> that's right. it isn't just about ideology.

it's also just personal revenge. some of the judges have received threatening notes from within prison, within prisons about "i know who you are, i expect to be released, we're coming to get you." and now, of course, as you say, they are being released. >> reporter: is there any indication that this group of judges, these 250 judges, will be granted some type of special visa to enter the united states or to enter another western country? >> as far as we know, there is currently no category that would cover the women judges as women judges. there's been a lot of conversation around the interpreters and translators who worked with the military who assisted them. there really has not been much public conversation about women who are particularly vulnerable

>> reporter: late yesterday, canada announced it would accept 20,000 vulnerable afghans, such as women leaders, but whatever decision they make, it will have to be made quickly. in recent days, reports have emerged of taliban brutality, stories of executions and forced marriages in the areas where the taliban has taken control. on thursday, the u.s. embassy in kabul said it had received reports of the taliban executing members of the afghan military who had surrendered. has the i.a.w.j. faced a crisis like this before? >> never this-- this kind of countrywide basis where all of the women judges appear to be at risk. we need to be able to help them, to have real options. whether they will be safe. we cannot decide for them what they will do. but it is very clear, i think-- you've heard it in the interviews-- they have been quite direct in saying that if

they stay, they think they will be killed,s and that their families will be killed. and the question is how can they make it to a place of safety? right now, as far as i can tell, there is no coordinated mechanism for the women judges >> 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. >> 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 estate of worthington mayo- smith. leonard and norma klorfine. the rosalind 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. 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.

[announcer]: this program was made possible in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [music] [tog: the brain is what makes humans human. it's central to everything about us. the ability to learn things new, to experience new things. it's all between my ears. [banfield]: e brain is our command center and it's imbued with an incredible gift. it can change its structure and function through a process called neuroplasticity. [moffett]: we used to think that the brain was set up the way it was set up. but it turns out, the brain can adapt also. and if it's given a different set of circumstances, it'll