♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. tonight on "pbs news weekend" -- russia escalates its attacks in eastern ukraine, as authorities in kyiv announce more than 900 bodies of civilians have been found in the capital region alone. then, a nationwide shortage of baby formula is sending parents across state lines to keep their infants fed. and our weekend spotlight. i speak with jeff kinney, author of the bestselling children's book series, "diary of a wimpy kid," about making his mark on children's literature. >> we expect our cartoon characters to stick around, and that's why the best cartoon characters don't just last for years, they last for decades, because they're one thing in fe that can be really reliable. geoff: all that and more on tonight's "pbs news weekend."

♪ >> major funding for "pbs news weekend" has been provided by - >> for 25 years, consumer cellular's goal has been to help people connect. we have a variety of plans that our customer service team can help you find one that fits you. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions -- and friends of the newshour. ♪

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: russia pounded military targets throhout ukraine today, in apparent retaliation for the sinking of its flagship in the black sea, and as it prepares for an offensive in the donbas region of eastern ukraine. that's as ukrainian authorities today announced more than 900 bodies of civilians have been found in the capital region alone. correspondent ali rogin has the latest on the devastating toll from the ongoing russian attacks. >> in the air and on land, russian forces are regrouping in the east, leaving destruction in their path, shelling the northeastern city of kharkiv.

on friday, officials say seven people were killed, including a seven-month-old baby, and 15-year-old boy, artem shevchenko. >> let me see him! my baby. my golden sunshine. we just spoke today. my dear, why should i live, if you are gone? >> overnight, the russian defense ministry said it also hit industrial targets in cities from which troops already withdrew. >> productn buildings of a tank factory in kyiv and heavy armour maintenance facilities in mykolaiv were destroyed with air-launched high-precision weapons. 16 enemy targets were struck by high-precision air-launched missiles during the night. ali: in the southeast, russia says it has driven all ukrainian forces out of the port city of mariupol, and only a

small amount remain in a steel mill. in the eastern donbas region of luhansk, civilians dodged russian shelling in a town center. in his nightly address, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy said more challenges lie ahead. >> the successes of our military on the battlefield is really significant, htorically significant. but it's still not enough to cleanse our land of the occupiers. in the south and east of our country, the situation is still very difficult. ali: natalia evdokimova needs no reminder. in the northeastern town of trostyanets, she visited the grave of her son dmytro despite warning signs that the russians littered the cemetery with mines. >> we put a photo of him there, how he always was, always smiling. always cheerful. ali: for her, visiting dmytro's final resting place, and seeing

his smile, is worth the risk. for "pbs news weekend," i'm ali rogin. ♪ geoff: in today's headlines -- the number of migrants encountered at the southern border surged past the 220,000 mark in march, which u.s. officials say is a 22-year high. that's as the biden administration prepares to wind down pandemic-related border restrictions next month. meantime, texas republican governor greg abbott continues to send busses of migrants to the nation's capital to protest the biden administration's immigration policy. on friy, abbott lifted his immigration order to have all texas-bound trucks go through a secondary inspection, when crossing from mexico. abbott's mandate created a logjam that resulted in hundreds of millions of lost dollars from spoiled produce and shipping delays. progress tonight in new mexico, as authorities have lifted some

evacuation orders, but thousands still cannot return home as massive wildfires rage across that state. the mcbride fire in the southeast corner has burned more than 6000 acres, damaged hundreds of homes and businesses, and claimed two lives earlier this week. fire officials say conditions have finally improved enough to get air support to help contain the blaze. a former trump admistration official is running for the u.s. senate -- scott pruitt. pruitted the epa until resigning amid a series of ethics scandals in 2018. he is now launching a senate bid in oklahoma. pruitt is running in a special election to replace longtime republican senator jim inhofe, who is retiring at the end of this year. and, the oldest sitting u.s. senator, dianne feinstein of california, is firing back against claims she is mentally unfit to serve. in a statement, feinstein, who is 88, said she would "put my record up against anyone's."

six other senators are 80 or older, including minority leader mitch mcconnell. feinstein's defense came in response to a "san francisco chronicle" article in which colleagues and former staffers, who remained anonymous, said her memory is rapidly deteriorating. still to come on "pbs news weekend" -- parents face empty shelves as baby formula shortages worsen. from "wimpy kid" to celebrated children's author. my conversation with jeff kinney. and -- panda-monium. the national zoo celebrates 50 years of panda conservation. ♪ >> this is pbs news weekend from weta in washington. geoff: a nationwide shortage of baby formula is sending parents across state lines in search of their preferred brand, and some major retail chains have started rationing their supplies.

ali rogin has more on the crisis, and how parents e coping and keeping their babies fed and healthy. ali: 75% of infants receive at least some formula by the time they're six-months-old, according to the c. formula companies, like most businesses, are dealing with supply chain issues, but on top of that, one of the largest suppliers of formula announced a recall in february. to discuss this, i'joined by mallory whitmore. she's a certified infant feeding ecialist, and she runs the formula mom website. mallory, thank you so much for joining us. i want to start with one of the reasons behind the shortage. abbott laboratories, which is the parent company of the similac formula brand, announced a massive recall in february. but, how is it that one company's recall can cause this much disruption throughout the entire marketplace? mallory: yeah, absolutely. so, most parents don't know that there's actually only five fda approved infant formula

manufacturers in the united states. three of those control the very large share of the market. and so, when one of the largest, similac, goes offline, due to a recall or something similar, it creates just a huge ripple effect in what we're able to find on the shelves. ali: we should note that, in a statement, abbott has said they are working to leverage their global manufacturing and supply network, including increasing production at their plants in europe. let's talk about particularly vulnerable families. about half of the infants born in the united states receive some form of supplemental nutrition funding. what are some of their specific challenges, and for their parents? mallory: it's really tough for some families right now, with the large majority of infants that receive formula through an assistance program receive wic -- women, infants, childre and so, wic providers are aligned with one particular formula manufacturer per state. so, there are some states where

the only formula provided via wic is similac, or was similac. and so, u've got families that are not ableo get the formula that they particularly, or usually, have had covered. ali: for some infants who have medical issues, it's very difficult to switch formula brands. how are families that have infants with medical problems dealing with this? mallory: it's en really tough. it's not the case that formulas are all the same. different formulas have different ingredients. different babies will react certain ways to new ingredients. it's not as simple as going and picking up something off the shelf. and so, for families that have children with allergies, or intolerances, we're seeing an increase in some of these digestive symptoms and digestive issues, as a result of having to do a very sudden change. ali: and, some infants who don't even have medical issues, it can be a challenge to transition them to anotheform of formula, right? mallory: absolutely, especially a sudden transition like this.

pically, i would recommend a slower transition. you're introducing the new formula, you're seeing how baby tolerates it. with a recall or a shortage, you can't find your existing formula, it has to be a cold turkey transition. and, that can create some digestive upset for many babies, whether or not they have any sort of intolerance. ali: what are your recommendations for parents who are trying to extend the amount of formula that they have, or perhaps find alternatives? what should they be thinking about? mallory: yeah. first, we want to talk about what i do not recommend that parents do. you never want to try to dilute your formula extra, or stretch thlife of your can by adding more water. it's very dangerous to do that. it really throws off the macronutrient profile of the formula. you also never want to make your own homemade formula. babies have very specific nutrient needs. we want to make sure that they're getting what they need, and we can't do that with a homema mixture. ali: and, what about parents who are relying on generic brands? isn't it correct that a lot of

the same generic brands are produced with the same recipe? mallory: absolutely, and most parents don't know that. generic brands are a great option. they're as nutrient dense, they're fully regulated, as any namebrand formula, and you're right, the recipe is the same store to store. so, your target brand infant advantage formula is the same as your walmart brand. d, that can really increase the number of stores that parents can look at to find a formula their baby tolerates. ali: and, in the time we have left, what are your thoughts on what the industry should be learning from this? are there improvements that can be made, once this shortage is dealt with? mallory: absolutely. i think we need to really pay attention to the fact that a shortage like this affects our most vulnerable citizens, which are our babies. we need to be able to do right by them. that may mean that we need to diversify the formula industry, so it's not so concentrated with three big players. that may mean we need to give parents additional formula education, so that, if they're in a pinch, they know what they're looking for, and what their baby could need.

ali: mallory whitmore, founder of the formula mom website, thank you so much for joining us. mallory: thank you for having me. ♪ geoff: time now for our weekend spotlight, with best-selling children's author jeff kinney. this month marks 15 years since “diary of a wimpy kid” made kinney one of the world's most popular writers. i spoke to him about his start in children's literature and the rk he's left. jeff kinney is a lerary superstar among pre-teens and their parents. his best-selling book series, "diary of a wimpy kid," tracks the the misadventures of middle-schooler greg heffley, sketched as a skinny boy with a round head, semi-permanent frown, and precious few strands of hair. its 16 installments have been translated into 65 languages and

inspired a film adaptation. there are now more than 250 million copies of the series in print worldwide. i spoke with jeff kinney this week about his unexpected path to international success. so as i understand it, you did not set out to be a children's author. jeff: i didn't. i set out to be a newspaper cartoonist, and that seems a little antiquated at the moment in a way. but that was my big dream. when i was in college, i went to the university of maryland college park. i had a comic in the daily paper , circulation of about 30,000, and i got really addicted to that. and that's what i wanted to do for the rest of my life. but when i went out into the real world, i found out i had a lot of doors closed in my face and i had to find another way. geof so what did you set out to accomplish when you wrote the first book? jeff: i just wanted to have my cartoons in print in some way.

so i actually worked on diary of a wimpy kid, the first book for about eight or nine years before i showed it to anyone at all. and i had a 1300 page first draft. i then brought that out into the world. geoff: and how did you go about creating this world of middle schooler greg heffley? jeff: well, i was a bit of a wimpy kid when i was growing up. i actually was an average kid, but i had really wimpy moments, for example, when i was on the swim team. i used to hide out from the swim coach every single day in the locker room, and i'd get so cold sitting in that stall that i would wrap myself in toilet paper, to stay warm. i think that's where greg heffley was born, and i knew that there were these comic moments, these shameful moments from my past that might give people a laugh. geoff: i think that's why so many kids connect with this book. i mean, greg heffley is not defined by heroics. he's not a superhero, he's just a regular kid, flaws and all. >> yup, i'm pretty sure i'm

going to therapy for this. jeff: a lot of kids in children's literature, the protagonists are like miniature adults, and they always do the right thing. they're brave, they're aspirational characters. while i was writing "diary of a wimpy kid," i was actually reading harry potter, and harry is brave. he's magical, he's powerful. he's famous, he's all the things that i was not, so i wanted to create a character who is more like me. and if you look at greg on the cover of the book, he's got a frown on just about every cover. and, you know, he looks like he's not having an easy time of things. i think the books would be really different if greg looked happy or joyful or strong on the covers. i think that kids wodn't reach for the books as much. geoff: is there anything that you try to teach kids through the character of greg heffley? jeff: i'm reallyrying to teach kids to laugh at their own circumstances. i like to think of my books as being very similar to what a stand up comedian does.

they stand on a stage and make themselves vulnerable and they're relatable. and we're laughing along with them because we can see ourselves in those comedians. geoff: kinney's illustrations are simple, and his stories about the absurdities and indignities of middle school life are straightforward, relying on stinky, gross-out humor that appls equally to boys and girls. jeff: you know, we found that girls are much bigger readers than boys. so it doesn't surprise me that a lot of girls read my books. when i first started putting my book out there, i started getting emails from teachers and parents who said, my reluctant reader really loves these books. and i've come to understand that "reluctant reader" can sometimes mean code for boys. so, you know, a lot of boys, it's it's difficult getting them to pick up a book, but once they get a good book in their hands , they are hooked. geoff: i asked my son, i said, do you have a question for mr. kinney? and he said, when's the next book coming out?

jeff: i always have a book that comes out in the fall, and i think there is something really special about that. a cartoon character is like a promise. you know, we expect our cartoon characters to stick around, and that's why the best cartoon characters don't just last for years, they last for for decades , because they're one thing in life that can be really reliable. geoff: what does it feel like to be in this privileged position where what you write reaches millions of kids across the world? jeff: at this point right now, if i write a book and it's not very good, still millionof kids will read it. so i don't take that privilege lightly. and in fact, that's what really motivates me because i know that there is an expectation that these books are good. so i feel like it's a responsibility and i'm doing my best to live up to tt responsibility. geoff: jeff kinney, happy 15th anniversary of diary of a wimpy kid. jeff: thank you so much. i really appreciate it.

♪ geoff: today marks 50 years since giant pandas first came to the smithsonian's national zoo in washington. the historic program with china has fostered a collaboration between scientists and led to a conservation success story for the once endangered species. i recently got an up close look at these popular and precious animals. panda caretaker laurie thompson led us through the bamboo shed. so this is where you store the bamboo before you give it to them? and then around the corner to a holding area where the pandas wait before being allowed into their outside yards. laurie: so this is tian tian. geoff: hi tian tian. we were helping thompson set up tian tian's panda yard, leaving him an afternoon snack. laurie: it's a special treat he gets. generally they get something every day. geoff: thompson picked the

perfect spot, dropping off the treat where zoo visitors would get the best view. so this is just a regular popsicle or is there something special in here? laurie: so this is apple juice. mixed with some water. geoff: thompson has been working with pandas here for 28 years -- more than half the time pandas have been at the zoo. laurie: tian tian is my favorite. geoff: really, why? laurie: he's just a cool guy, he's laid back, nothing fazes him, he lets you know when he's hungry, when he wants something. very straightforward. geoff: giant pandas first came to the natnal zoo fifty years ago, welcomed by then-first lady patricia nixon as part of a goodwill gesture by the chinese government after her husband's historic state visit to china in early 1972. >> here at the national zoo, they will be enjoyed by the millions of people who come from across the country to visit the nation's capitol each year. i notice dr. ripley is wearing a

panda tie, and i have on my panda pin. i think panda-monium is going to eak out at the zoo. [laughter] geoff: and it did. ling ling and tsing tsing sparked an american love affair with a giant pandas, and decades of scientific collaboration with china that continues to this day. china loaned the second pair of pandas in 2000, and over the years, they have had four cubs that survived, captivating crowds with their adorable antics. brandie smith is the director of smithsonian's national zoo and was once herself a giant panda curator. brandie: looking at the reactions, they are so excited just to catch a glimpse of a panda. geoff: i imagine it's quite the draw. they are still a rare animal despite moving off the endangered species list in 2016. worldwide their numbers rose from 100 under human care in 1980 to more than 600 in 2020. brandie: to save an endangered

species, you have to make more of them. so you really need to understand reproduction. and that was one of the biggest mysteries with giant pandas because they're only reproductively viable for a few days a year. we spent a lot of time trying to understand, study and crack the code on giant panda reproduction. our scientists our conservationists are the reason why we're able to successfully produce so many panda cubs. geoff: and their numbers in the wild have grown, too. there are now an estimated 1,864 pandas in china. >> moving from endangered species to a vulnerable species, i think it's it's a real conservation success story. geoff: mel songer is a conservation biologist who tracks how humans transform landscapes and assesses how that affects endangered species and their habitats. mel: because of policies in china and the government's actions to protect new areas, most of the loss of habitat has been stopped. they've had a ban on logging and they've they've stopped agriculture going to higher

levels where it wod come in contact with the pandas. geoff: the chinese government has set aside 67 habitat sites for giant pandas, something songer has worked on with her chinese colleagues for the past 20 years. but the giant panda isn't out of the woods yet. mel: in terms of the next sort of threat that we see coming is going to be due to climate change. but what happens if climate change causes their habitats to shift? shift to the north, shift up in elevation? will there be potential to move if there are new areas becoming suitable that are not protected? where are the opportunities to protect those areas so that they will be able to shift? geoff: giant pandas are an umbrella species, which means the 4000 species that live in china's new giant panda national park also benefit. songer and her chinese counterparts catch many of them on camera trs. an elaborate camera setup in

washington lets anybody in the world see how the pandas spend their days. during the pandemic, millions streamed the panda cam. there was even a new addition. xiao qji, or “little miracle”, was born when much of the world was under lockdown. his mother was artificially inseminated at the age of 22, the oldest giant panda to give birth in e u.s. 25 million page views and counting, the world looked on to watch him gup. why do pandas have such wide appeal? brandie: we're actually genetically programmed to love giant pandas. geoff: really? brandie: yes. so we like things that look like babies. you know, it's we need to care for a baby so that our species survives. so the round faces, big eyes, the cute little noses. and when you look at giant pandas, those are the features that they have. mel: we get inspired bpandas and you can see what's possible when you have that inspiration and you get the expertise, you get the backing, the financial and just the political will.

it just shows you what's possible. geoff: tian tian is due to return home to china, as all the pandas eventually do, next year. but e national zoo hopes to be serving fruit popsicles and bamboo to pandas for many years to come. ♪ that is pbs news weekend for tonight. on sunday, we look at the enduring story of jackie robinson, 75 years after he broke baseball's color barrier. i'm geoff bennett. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at pbs news weekend, thanks for spending part of your saturday with us. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions -- ♪

this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

this program was made possible in part by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. (record crackling) (upbeat music) (car honking) - [announcers] ladies and gentlemen, from oakland, california, the east bay kings of soul, tower of power. (audience cheering) ♪ they done found the stroke ♪ ♪ they done found the oakland stroke ♪ ♪ you done found the stroke ♪