♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. tonight on pbs news weekend, in the wake of the supreme court's landmark reversal of roe v wade, multiple states put an immediate stop to abortions, sparking protests nationwide. then, southeastern afghanistan struggles to get the aid it needs, after a major earthquake killed hundreds and turned villages into piles of rubble. >> in the houses, that is where you saw the devastation that was incredibly deadly. it was the collapsed roofs of these mud brick homes. geoff: and congress extends a pandemic-era school meal program days before it was set to expire, but advocates voice concern about the delay, and who it leaves out. all that and more on tonight's "pbs news weekend."

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>> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. geoff: it is good to be with you. the nation is coming to grips with a new reality today. roe v. wade is no longer the law of the land after the us supreme court reversed the landmark ruling that legalized abortion. [chanting] geoff: from coast-to-coast americans taking to the streets. in phoenix a protest involving thousands of people in support of abortion rights at the arizona capital came to an end,

law enforcement using tearas to scatter the crowd. >> my body. my choice. geoff: demonstrators mostly opposing the rolling return to the icenter today outside the supreme court. president biden criticized the court for making what he called terrible decisions. pres. biden: i know how painful and devastating the decision is for many americans. geoff: conservative lebrate what they see as a victo 50 years in the making. almost half of the states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion as a result of the supreme's decision. in oklahoma aborti was automatically banned on friday because of a so-called trigger law. >> it is my hope the rest of america will follow oklahoma's lead. geoff: performing an abortion is now a felony offense in obama. >> the womb is in oklahoma the

safest place for a child to be. geoff: the decision was by far the most controversial dispute of its term. the justices eliminating a long-held constitutional right. as conservatives across the country celebrate the supreme court's decision that struck down the nationwide right to abortion, democratic leaders are quickly moving to make sure they ensure access to reproductive care where state laws and politics allow it. for more on these efforts, i'm now joined by california attorney general rob bonta. thanks so much for being with us. i will start with this. california, waington and oregon formed an alliance to ensure abortion access on the west coast. what will that look like? >> west coas offense that we e creating in the spirit of when we work together, we can accomplish more. it looks like greater access to

abortion care, more resources to support those in our states respectively as well as throughout the nation who will not be able to get care after the dogs -- dobbs decision and trigger laws. they will need a place to go. it is important to do what we do and collaborate and team up. that is what that offense is about. geoff: how will you handle the legal and logistical challenges? more than half of california's abortion clinics are concentrated in five counties. california has 50 counties. research shows pple finding their way to california could increase 30 fold. >> when it comes to legal

aspects, the bills that i am supporting or moving through legislature with the bills already in place, which may california a strong reproductive freedom state, the right to reproductive health care and an abortion are alive and well, fully legal in california and we are making historical investments in expanding access to care including individuals from other states who can only find it in california as well as filling gaps in california. we are doubling down on expanding access to reproductive health care. we will see with those historical investments do, and if we need more, we will take care with one another andare of tho who need access to abortion care and reproductive health care. geoff: taking the big picture perspective, what does it means -- mean that we will now be living in a bifurcated america when icomes to the ability to

get an abortion where people living in the south and midwest do not have access to an abortion >> people are going to die. health will be undermined. that is the bottom line of this dangerous and devastating decision, which is outrageous and unconscionable. it is an attack on pregnant women, equality, freedom. it is a sad day yesterday. will have states who ban reproductive health care and abortion care and we will have california which will be safe havens,anctuaries, a place where abortion is fully legal and will remain so. there is work to make it a constitutional protected right to health care. it is going to hurt people, because access will not be as broad and distributed throughout

the nation. california will do its part to make sure those who need care can come to california and receive access to reproductive health care. geoff: in his concurring opinion, justice clarence thomas wrote that the high court should revisit all cases built on similar legal footing, including cases that guarantee the right to same-sex marriage. in 2008, california voters approved a statewide ballot initiative that bannedame-sex marriage. that was later overturned. what steps, if any, is your e, taking to address that? >> justice tonus made his position and his intention clear. the dobbs case is unique and historical and unprecedented in a terrible and painful way and that it eradicated andbolished a long-standing constitutional right on the books for 50 years. justice tom s -- thomas is not

done yet seeking to rollback rights. right now we are in a place where our children and our young people are living in a world where they have less rights than their parents. that is wrong and we need to change that and we are taking steps to know what else might be coming. we hope for the best, prepare for the worst. california is on it when it comes to creating greater access to reproductive health care and abortion. the same is true with respect to the second amendment case that came out the day before dobbs and other potential abolishment of rights when it comes to access to contraception, same-sex marriage. we will be ready. geoff: rob bonta, the attorney

general for the state of california. ♪ in the day's other news, president joe biden today signed into law the first major federal gun safety legislation passed in decades. it marks a major bipartisan breakthrough on one of the most contentious policy issues in washington. the legislation came together following recent mass shootings at a ulde, texas elementary school and a buffalo, new york supermarket. president biden called the bill a historic achievement. pres. biden: from columbine, to sandy hook, charleston, orlando, los vegas, parkland, el paso, atlanta, buffalo, uvalde, and for the shootings that happen every day in the streets that are mass shootings that we don't even hear about. the number of people killed every day in the streets. their message to us was do something, how many times have we heard that? just do something. for god's sake just do something.

well today we did. while this bill doesn't do everything i want, it does include actions i have long called for that are going to save lives. geoff: the law strengthens background checks for the youngest buyers and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole, prohibiting romantic partners who are convicted of domestic violence from ning firearms. it also provides billions in funding to bolster mental health and violence prevention programs in schools. e-cigarette maker juul can keep selling its products for now, after a federal court temporarily blocked a government ban. earlier this week, the fda ordered the company to remove its popular vaping device and cartridges from store shelves. the agency accused juul of providg insufficient and conflicting data about the safety of its products. juul has been widely blamed in recent yea for a surge in teen vaping. in oslo, norway, a gunman opened fire overnight killing two and

injuring more than 20 outside a popular gay club. officials there say the gunman was detained within minutes. norwegian authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible terrorist attack during the city's annual pride festival. the parade set for today was cancelled, but hundreds of people showed up anyway, waving flags and laying bouquets. still to come on "pbs news weekend." what's next for the millions of children who rely on free school lunches after congress extends a pandemic-era meal program. and a closer look at gender equality in college athletics fifty years after title ix became law. ♪ >> this is pbs news weekend from weta studios in washington home of the pbs newshour weeknights on pbs. geoff: more than 1100 people have died in the earthquake that

devastated several regions of eastern afghanistan. and even though many international aid organizations got to work immediately after, it has taken days to make bigger deliveries of desperately needed emergency aid. ali rogin reports. >> after days of little outside help aid is finally arriving in remote villages ravaged by the earthquake. getting up there takes time. delivees must be flown into kabul and loaded onto smaller trucks and helicopters for eight 1000 mile journey. the washington post's susannah george shot this video as her reporting team traveled to the affected villages. >> this is not the kind of area that tse large aid trucks are going to be able to easily access. it's going to require aid being brought to one of the towns near the affected areas. and then brought down piecemeal to the families who are in need. corresndent: and those families need not just food but shelter. >> the villages that we visited,

every single house had either been destroyed or damaged beyond repair. corrpondent: as families brought us into the houses that is where you saw the devastation that was incredibldeadly. it was the collapsed roots of these mudbrick homes. correspondent: some survivors are trying to salvage their homes. but they are met with reminders of afghanistan's existing challenges like it's economic crisis. the taliban has been under severe international sanctions since it seized power. >> wood is very expensive. our houses are destroyed. there is no business, no jobs. we request the islamic emirate to help us adequately. correspondent: but not all afghans are convinced the islamic emirate as the taliban calls itself can help. what were villagers telling you about whether they had confidence that the taliban could effectively deliver recovery? >> a lot of the people who were

impacted by the quake said they didn't believe that the taliban was going to be any less corrupt when it came to delivering aid money than the previous government. but when we did speak to taliban supporters in the region they told us that the taliban are known for not being corrupt unlike the previous government, and that was going to be the key element that it was going to allow the group to deliver aid in a more effective and faster way. correspondent: as the taliban's disaster relief abilities are tested hospitals continue to fill with survivors of the earthqua and the ground fills with more of its victims. congress voted friday to extend a pandemic era school waiver program set to expire at the end of the month. the bilon bill provide some relief but reduces the number of

children able to access school meals. advocates say the delay in passing the extension has jeopardized access to meals for 7 million children. yesterday i spoke with wilfrid chan, a contributor at the guardian. democratic leaders, as you know, in rushing to get this legislation to president biden's desk, they were trying to avoid a hunger cliff for millions of children. why were senate republicans holding it up? why were they opposed to school meals for needy children? >> what advocates have told me is that the's not a lot of political willo extend any program that would imply that the pandemic is still going on. but obviously, the pandemic is not over. a loof the supply chain issues that are affecting these schools are still present. so, you know, it's causing a lot of problems. geoff: so how will this new bill change the program? because the pandemic waivers allowed all children to get free school meals regardless of

income. and as i understand it, this new legislation reduces the number of kids who have access now. >> that is right. the pandemic waivers actually made it so that all kids, regardless of how much they could pay, would get these free meals from schools, no questions asked. and then the schools could get reimbursed for every meal that they handed out under the new bill. basically, schools are going to have to go back to the old system where kids and their families would have to fill out somewhat invasive applications with their personal financial information to qualify for these meals. schools are actually going to be reimbursed at lower rates as well compared to during the pandemic for giving out these free meals. geoff: and one of the problems, based on my reporting with congress waiting until the last minute here is that you have lots of schools that have already set up their summer meal programs under the pre-pandemic rules.

and it's really difficult for these schools now to to change quickly, because, one, they may not have the food available or the staff available to prepare it and run the distribution sites. wh have you picked up on your reporting about that? >> well, you know, what happens is that a lot of these schools have to place their orders for their summer meals as early as january. and the vendors have a sense that congress wasn't going to renew the summer meals program, which means that a lot of these vendors have actually shifted their priorities back to the commercial market, which in many ways is more lucrative for them. so even with this extension, there is a lot of doubt whether the schools and these other communitorganizations can get the food that they need to keep this program going at the rate that it was for the last two years. geoff: in this extension, if it is signed by june 30th, that will invariably end at some point. and then you have a cliff that will inevitably come for schools and families unless congress passes a more permanent solution.

so what might that look like? >> what advocates have been calling for and some of the cafeteria workers i've spoken to want is universal free school meals. and that's going back to a permanent version of pandemic era waivers, where schools get reimbursed for every free meal that they give out to kids. and that way, there's no doubt that kids who are hungry can get the food that they need. geoff: wilfred chan is a contributor at the guardian. thanks so much for sharing your reporting with us. >> thanks. ♪ geoff: title nine turned 50 this week. the federal law bars educational institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex, most recognizably in athletics. but some top college sports programs are skirting the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. ali rogin is back with a look at that. >> a new investigation served --

survey 107 top colleges around athletics. it found most of them are creating the illusion of gender equity in sports programs. some schools count men who practice with women's teams as full members of the fema squad. colleges double and triple count athletes if they are eligible to compete in more than one sport. schools routinely use the sport of rowing to inflate their fema rosters. some never compete. for more on this i am jned by usa today's rachel erickson and a civil rights attorney and three-time olympic gold medalist in swimming and the founder of an organization dedicated to gender equality in sports. rachel, why do schools do this? >> the short answer is taycan. some of these counting methods are allowed under the rules.

double and triple counting, indoor and outdoor track and field. one female athlete can count two or three times. florida state has 13 men on their cross-country roster and 43 women. it looks like more opportunities even if there are not. the federal government allows that type of counting. having these numbers out there is the best publicly available numbers allows schools to avoid scrutiny either in the form of a complaint to the federal government or any federal lawsuit. if they look better maybe someone does not do those complaints. there is effectively no enforcement from the federal government. even when they investigate or do a compliance review the worst that will happen is they will sign a resolution agreement and have years to make changes. correspondent: to pick up on lack of enforcement you have been sounding the alarm for a long time. what needs to change? what do colleges need to do to

make it more equitable? >> colleges and universities know what they need to do. they can look at the difference between their football and baseball and sofall facilities. they kno what to do. the issue is how can you get change? ncaa used to require schools to ow they were moving toward enter equity. as soon as the head of the ncaa came on board they stop doing that and the gap between men and women in the last 17 years has grown 28%. history is not going to solve this problem. what we do at champion women is we try to empower current students to make it happen. correspondent: when did these rules change? >>n 2010. correspondent: this has affected generations of athletes as they arcomi through.

i want to talk about real-world implications. beyond the numbers on the page these colleges are required to report what are the real-world implications for women's sports programs when repoing gets distorted like this? >> there are massive implications. these decisions to make the numbers look better instead of making them better deprive women of opportunities and all the benefits that come from sports. 87% of schools are not offering opportunities. they would have to add 11,501 spots for women. the tools and skills it gives women, 94% of c-suite women had experience playing a sport. it has real effects beyond their college experience. correspondt: nancy, i want to talk about what you mentioned earlier, football teams. we are talking division i athletics.

the football teams tend to provide lots of players, they can be cash machines for the schools. there are some who argue football teams should be exempt from title ix requirements for parity. >> title ix requires school does not discriminate in any program or activity. women are entitled to the same program or activity. everybody canee there are wom's football program spirit you could have more women's rugby, wrestling, equestrian. they can add more sports for women. the ladoes not care about what the uniform is. the law cares about are y giving what rachel was talking, those types of educational opportunities. correspondent: as you have both pointed out, the demand is there.

it is not like there is lack of female athletes. >> girls in maine have three times the sports opportunities that boys in high school in florida have. it is the size of the athletic department. coespondent: rachel and nancy, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having us. >> thank you. ♪ geoff: and that's pbs news weekend for tonight. i'm geoff bennett. 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 the corporation for broadcasting and contributions to your local pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

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