♪ >> good evening, i'm geoff bennett. tonight on n news weekend. mariupol last stand as the battered port city appears on the brink of falling to russian forces, ukrainians refuse to wunder. then, the impact of the war in ukraine on teenagers studying ousands of miles away, and 75 years after jackie robinson became the first black player in major league baseball we look a how his story still resonates beyond the sport. >> he knew he could not respond to all the racism that would be hurled at him as he simply tried to play the game of baseball. geoff: all tha and more on tonight's pbs news weekend. ♪

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>> 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: in ukraine, russian lo-range attacks continue to rain down near kyiv even as russian troops consolidate and the south and east and the city of mariupols on the brink of a full russian takeover but the remaining ukrainian forces aren't going willingly. >> in the battle port city of mariupol, a russianeadline has come and gone but there's no sign of giving in. >> ukrainian forces were asked to voluntarily lay down their arms and surrender, however, the kyiv regime forbad negotiations

on surrender. >> has the city fallen? >> no, the city still has not fallen. there is still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight till the end and as for now, they still are in mariupol >> moscow says there are about 3,000 ukrainian fighters left in the city. using a steel plant as a fortress. taking mariupol would be a major victory fothe russians, allowi them to focus more attention on the nearby bonn -- donbas region. but president zelensky said it would eliminate the change -- chance for future peace talks. >> russia is making a big mistake. what they're doing now can put an end to any form of negotiations. >> eastern cities are on high alert, bracing for a renewed russian assault but in the capital city of kyiv, signs of a

influence normal. things like food shopping are now a declaration of defiance. >> some are buying groceries. kyiv is gradually coming back to life. >> even sow -- so, attending easter sunday church services took courage. >> my children were afraid of my coming here. but i didn't tell them, i used back streets. i was a little bit afraid. >> for roman catholics in st. peter's square, pope francis lamented that it was an easter of war. >> please, please, let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace from our balconies and in our streets. may the leaders of nations hear people's plea for peace. >> a plea that for now falls on deaf ears in russia.

♪ geoff: in today's headlines, a rare converge yens. pass over, easter and ramadan are all being celebrate this would weekend. thousands gathered in st. peter's square to celebrate easter for the first time since the pandemic started. pope francis called for world peace, especially in the middle east. may israelis, palestinians and allho dwell in the holy city together with pilgrims experience the beauty of peace, dwell in fraternity and enjoy free access to the holy places in mutual respect for the wright of each. geoff: tensions in jerusalem's old city after clashes left

seven palestinians wounded. israelry -- val israeli police entered the mosque to secure it. police contend palestinians were waiting with stones and fireworks. at least two palesnians were arrested. the palestinians accuse israelis of using excessive force on swillians. two days ago at least 150 palestinians were injured at th same site, clashing with israeli police in riot gear. and back at home, three mass shootings in less than a day. overnight in pittsburgh, two minors are dead and at least eight others injured when gun pyre erupted at a large party at an airbnb. police say they're investigating eight separate crime scene spanning several blocks but no suspects are in custody. today pittsburgh's police chief said the shooting should not have happened.

>> it's heartbreaking. here we are at easter and we have multiple families -- two that won't see a loved one. how can you even have a holiday when your child was involved in something traumatic like this? geoff: and in columbia, south carolina, an arrest was made following a saturday shooting at a crowded shopping kill -- mall. no one killed but nine were shot. several critically and five others were trampled as people fled the scene. authorities say they believe it was not a random attack and a second shooting, gunfire at a club in hampton county, west of charleston left at least nine people injured. and the department of agriculture has now detected cases of aveion flu in at least 29 states. affecting mostly chickens, causing egg prices to soar. and still to come on pbs news

weekend, students at a school in rural new mexico we athletic on the war in ukraine and jackie robinson's legacy in baseball and bond. 75 years after his major league debut. >> this is pbs news weekend from weta studios in washington, home of the pbs newshour weeknights on witness -- pbs. geoff: this week president biden will travel to portland and seattle in his first visit to the pacific northwest as president. the white house says his visit will center on his efforts to address inflation as americans see skyrocketing pricings on everything from groceries to gas. for more on how the white house is trying to fight inflation and what it means politely, i spoke with our reporter and special correspondent. the year of year inflation rate is now at 8.5%.

the highest since december 1981. i was astro struck that both the fed chairman jerome powell and janette yellen have both said it's time to retire the term transitory. i guess the question are we going to be dealing with high prices for a whi? is inflation here to stay? >> i think the picture is a little bit complicated, mostly due to the war in ukrne. so we have points of inflation that come from the coronavirus pandemic. we have supply chain issues and we have weirdness in our demand. we had a lot of demand for goods during the pandemic and now some of that demand is switching over to services, which didn't have demand during the pandemic. that whole dynamic is making prices very wonky. that will pass but the probl is now we have to deal with the war in ukraine and that has led

to rising prize -- pricings in commodities from wheat to oil to fertilizer and that is going do complicate things and we don't know for how long. >> inflation is damaging for a white use on multiple levels. one, there'sittle this president or any president can do to retain costs andt's an issue for every american. >> that's the key. to use the political cliche, it's a powerful mesge and it's a message that cuts across race, gender, party preferences, age and it is a powerful negative message. it so overwhelms the news about economic growth that most americans any we're now in a recession even know statistically that's not true and to make it worse for the white house, we haven't had high inflation in seven years. so 8.5 inflation, which in 1980 would have been an improvement is now something people really feel they're suffering under.

geoff: white house officials say those of us in the media focus too much on inflation. yes, it's at a 40-year high but the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low. hiring is up in this country across the board except in one sector, which is trucking, which really compounds the inflation issue. >> i don't know if you noticed this but walmart is paying $120,000 a year to truckers. no one can find them anywhere. the labor shortage is also contributing because wages are going up. geoff: give us the long view. the current bout of inflation i think is a moment of deja vu for people who lived there out price hikes of the early 1980's. how did the administration deal with it and what political price did they pay? >> well, presidents, because they're blamed for inflation, try to do things and they have very little power. richard nixon imposed wage price control, smog -- something

shocking for a republican. but as soon as they have they were pulled out. inflation went back. jared ford tried things. the one president who indirectly made a huge impact was jimmy carter by putting paul voelker in charge. interest rates went up to 20%. unemployment went up to 10%. it cost ragan and the republicans in the 1982 mid terms but by 1 4 inflation was pretty much gone, the economy was ok and ragan had a land slide and for biden, does -- does he really want to be facing a recession in november? i doubt it. >> one thing the white house has going for it right now is that the labor market is strong and the economy is strong. >> i wouldn't want to be in joe biden's position. do you want to allow inflation

to increase? donald trump put a lot of pressure on the fed so i think biden will try to stay away from that because he doesn't want to do what his predecessor did. geoff: earlier you mentioned political messaging. the white house has councilled what is now a new proper noun to scuss inflation. putin's price hike in all capital letters. they're using it in emails and press cferences and things. it was initially used to describe the increase in gas prices and now they're using it for everything across the economy. be mr. will that less nate, do you think? >> i uld not bet a foot nickel on it. the polls say americans would support biden in this fight against putin but the polls also say americans want to eat more vegetables and exercise. the president is the guy at the center of that target and i don't think an attempto change the verbal messaging has got

much chance of success. geoff: thank you both for your insights. we appreciate it. ♪ the crisis in ukraine is reverberating across the u.s., even to a rural town in northern new mexico. our special correspondent has the story. >> that's even better than we do at home. >> decorating eggs with multicolored patterns in wax is an eastern tradition for max. the 16-year-old is from poland with you cranian roots. >> we call them -- with bright and new life, with new hope, which is really important right now. >> max and others here at the united world college are playing close attention to the war,000 michaels away. 290 students from 90 countries

attend this high school. itself home is a former 19th century resort they call the castle. nestled in the foothills of the mountains about an hour east of santa fe. this is one of 18 world colleges across the continue nocents. the first opened in 1962 at the height of the cold war. the aim then and now remains the same. >> the mission is to make education a force for peace and a sustainable future. >> victoria mora is the school's president. >> what happens here is that anything you see in the headlines there are human beings here who not only have really strong views because they come from the places that the headlines are addressing but they also have deep, deep connections. >> phone ringing. >> hello. >> one of those is 19-year-old masha. her parents and three younger

siblings live southeast of kyiv. when air raid sirens blair, they hunker down in a bomb shelter near their apartment. >> whenever i call them, i just want to make sure they're alive and safe. >> the family has a summer home in erpine, which miraculously survived heavy russian shelling there last month. the city has since by liberated by the ukrainian military. >> all houses around our house there are completely destroyed. there are dead bodies on the streets. erpine was a very developed city. now it's a living hell. >> images of war prompted sofia born in moscow but not living with her family in n mexico, to do something with her russian and ukrainian friends. >> i thought it might be a good

idea to have a little fundraiser here with some good food because people love food here. >> togetr they made bellinis, a typical slavic treat. mariyarom mexico city joined in. >> we're young and able-bodied and fresh minded and reall want to all do our part. so far we have made close to $500. >>oney they'll donate to ukrainian hospitals. >> this is not going to buy you a tank. not a whole hospital. it's going to buy maybe a couple of bandages. it's cadood to feel that at least you're doing something, no matter h small. >> i can educate people, fundraise. make people awear of what's happening. >> raising awareness is why max started an effort to plant sun flowers later this spring.

>> we want people to see, which when they go to the castle, both the blue sky and yellow flowers. >> max's parents herself evacuees who have told the families, ukrainian students carry sunflower seeds as symbols of hope. >> there are so many stories about soldiers with sunflowers in their pockets so if they don't survive, sunflowers will at least grow in the ukrainian grnd. this is my idea, to inspire people this way. >> coping with conflict isn't new here. sara came from california from a.f.c. in 2016. she understands what her ukrainian classmates a experiences -- experiencing. several members of her evacuated familyvacuated from kabul last suggest. >> it's really scary a that's

the same as how i felt when the taliban took over afghanistan. they are far away from their family, they don't know what is going on. i'm really worried -- like there's a really huge chance of many people inow that they would just die, get killed and i don't think i would be able to survive it. and it would be a massive loss. >> after congratulations, masha will attend college in the united states. she doesn't know when she can go back to ukraine. for pbs news weekend, in month zumaya, new mexico. ♪ geoff: it's been nearly 50 years since jackie robinson's death but he remains one of the most celebrated athletes in american history. we look at why his significance

continues to resonate well beyond baseball. 75 years ago this week, jackie robinson first took the field for the brooklyn dodgers, becoming the first black man to play in the modern major leagues. robinson later told reporters that his goal was a simple one during that historic 1947 ason. >> my main ambition was to get along with whoever i was playing with so that they would realize that there wasn't any friction because i was colored and they were white, we could play together. that was any main ambition. not just for me to go to the major leagues. i just wanted someone to go. >> prior to joining the dodgers, he had built a name for himself at ucla. the first college athlete to earn varsity letters in four different sports but after serving in the army during world

war ii he faced a segregated sports world. so in 1945 he joined the kansas city monarchs of the negro leagues. later on he caught the eye of dodgers manager branch richie who conventioned people he should be the one to segregate america's pastime. >> the right man with ability on the field and with control of himself off the field. if i can find tha kd of a man, the american public would accept him. >> the jackie robinson that we think of, i think, today, isn't necessarily the jackie robinson who entered major league baseball. >> kevin blackistone is a university of maryland professor and contradictory to the "washington post." what was he facing? >> one of the greatest experiments of black relations in this country. >> robinson said he was forced to make a promise that heaved

never fight back when players are are fans insulted him. >> when he turned the other check can -- cheek, what was he having to swallow? >> he was having to swallow who he was. he's an educated black man. he knew the pressure on him. he knew he had to perform, he had to be twice as good and he knew he could not respond to all the racism that would be hurled at him as he simply tried to play the game of baseball. >> robinson's mental toughness would be tested repeatedly during his first season says a robinson biographer. he said some of his own teammates didn't want him to succeed. >> you have 399 players in the league, that you have to worry about whether they're going to want you there, throw at your head, spike you on the base paths. death threats from haters. robinson was up against that every day

>> belts one high off the screen for a double. >> despite a torrent of hostility and tay tread, robinson excelled. in 1947 he won rookie of the year, two years later, national league m.v.p. and over the course of his 10-year playing career, robinson was a six-time all-star and he played in the world series six times. >> his his play on the field just wasn't about the game but it was really an opportunity for african-americans to show that when given an opportunity to compete on an equal playing field, they could succeed. >> damian thomas is the sport's curator at the african-american mew seem of history and culture in washington, d.c. he said even after his playing days, robinson continued to fight for equality. >> martin luther king jr. said jackie have beenen -- robinson was a sit-inner before sitins.

he was able, in a nonviolent way, take a lot of abuse and criticism and bounce back from it and find ways to succeed and that's the story of the civil rights movement. >> while major league baseball now celebrates jackie robinson day each-year. kevin blackistone says the league has never dealt with entirety of his story. >> they celebrate jackie robinson. they have commercialed him. co-modified him. diminished who he really was. you never hear major league baseball officials talk about the three generations that they refusedded to let hen impact of african provenance play their game. >> now jonathan ikes says robinson is still the most important baseball player in american history. >> he reminds us that black athletes, that athletes in

general have theight, responsibility, and power to speak up for what they believe in. that they do not have to play ball and keep their mouths shut. robinson proved that a long time ago. ♪ geoff: and that is pbs news weekend for tonight. on monday, a look at the challenge of hiring and retaining nurses in one of the most remote areas of the country. i'm geoff bennett. join us online and again here morrow evening. for all of us at pbs newshour weekend, thanks for spending part of your sunday with us. >> mainly 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. ♪

(bright music) - i love easter. it's one of my favorite times of year, full of new life and hope. (bright music) it's a time when food is at the very heart of our celebration. in my family, easter isn't easter without hot cross buns, simnel cake, and of course, roast lamb. as well as showing you how to cook some of my easter favorites... it doesn't get better than this. in these two programs, i'm off to find out how britain's many vibrant christian communities commemorate easter. (bright music) (speaking in foreign language) - why cooking has such an important place. what does that say? - have faith in my cooking. - have faith in my cooking. well, you certainly did have faith in my cooking. (he laughs) - found one! - [mary] and why food particularly symbolic at this time of year.