>> tonight on pbs news weekend. guns in america. what some states like michigan are doing to tighten gun laws, especially background checks and red flag laws. the growing struggle many to recover the costs of their furry friends veterinary care. >> i did not have the money to take her when she needed to go. it is $100 to walk through the door, no matter what you are getting done. >> the pros and cons for student athletes taking advantage of the ncaa's name, image, and likeness.

>> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- >> 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 team can find one that fits you. visit consumercellular.tv. >> 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. >> good evening. i'm john yang. former president trump took two social media to say he expects to be arrested tuesday in new york. and with echoes of january 6, called on supporters to protest. a spokesman later said trump has no direct knowledge of an impending arrester when it might happen. his attorney -- said the post was based on news reports. new york officials have been discussing security at the manhattan criminal court in case there is an indictment. the manhattan prosecutor has been investigating payments during the 2016 campaign intended to find the silence of several women who claim to have had extramarital sex with trump, including stormy daniels. if indicted, trump would be the first foreign president to be charged with a crime. wyoming has become the first

state in the country to categorically outlaw the use of abortion pills. the most common way to end a pregnancy in the u.s. it takes effect in july pending any legal challenges. several other states have introduced legislation to ban or restrict abortion pills. medication abortion remains legal and half of the country, but more than one dozen states limit its use. more demonstrations across france as people protest the government's move to raise the country's retirement age from 60 to t64. demonstrators vandalized buildings and lit fires. police deployed teargas. in paris, protest took the form of growing piles of trash as garbage collectors were on rike for the 13th straight day. a vote of no-confidence for president macron's government expected early next week. a wartime deal that allows ukrainian exports to safely travel the black sea was expended.

it is the second renewal of the unprecedented deal. it is not clear how long the extension will last. ukraine claims it will be for another 120 days. russia claims 60 days. it is essential lifeline for impoverished countries suffering mass starvation. march madness in full swing. no major upsets in the basketball tournament today. last night brought the biggest upset of theen's tournament. number 16 seed fairleigh dickinson defeated number one seed perdue. only the second time in history that has happened. in the women's tournament, the university of south carolina dominated in its first round game. they play again tomorrow. in other college sports, olivia pajaro became the first woman ever to appear in a men's division i baseball game when she pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning.

still to come. the rising costs of veterinary care in america and how female college athletes are navigating a world of endorsement and advertising deals. >> this is pbs news weekend from w eta studios in washington. weeknights on pbs. >> while congress is unable to agree on major new federal gun safety legislation, some states are making progress on their own laws. the democratic-controlled michigan senate passed a major gun safety package sending it to the house, also controlled by democrats and expected to pass, as well. it was spurredy last month's shooting that killed three students and wounded five others at michigan state university less then four miles from th michigan capital. lisa geller is the director of state policy at johns hopkins

center for gun violence solutions. a lot of these things are things gun safety advocates want congress to do. expanding the types of transactions where a background check is required. red flag laws. is this state law going to be as effective as a national law? >> thank you for having me. what we know about how gun policy and gun violence prevention has, it is typically at the state level. last summer, president biden signed the bipartisan the community's act into law. most of what we have seen on gun violence has been at the state level. while it would be great to pass universal background checks, have a storage law to apply to all 50 states, the same with an extremist protection order, it is unfortunately the reality of getting gun policy passed at the state level. >> he was able to buy his

weapons legally, even though he had a history of mental problems. >> extremist protection orders are designed to be a preventative measure. if an individual is at risk of harm to self or other, an individual in that state can be family, household members, law enforcement, and other groups can petition a court to make sure they temporarily don't have access to firearms. while i won't say any one policy would absolutely prevent it, we do know that these laws are being used every day to temporarily restrict access to firearms from someone at risk of gun violence. >> while the law being considered in the legislature would expand background checks, include gun shows, close the gun show loophole, you have a state of indiana to the south with

much less restrictive gun laws as people in chicago and illinois no. how do you solvehat problem, the checkerboard nature of state laws and the fact state borders are poorest? >> you are right. i say your states gun laws are only as good as your neighboring state gun laws. certainly someone, if they were determined, could travel to a neighboring state and still possess a gun. it is important to put the protection into state law to prevent the purchase. >> are there other states moving forward in this way? >> this legislative session, a lot happening on gun violence prevention. michigan's neighbor in minnesota is also considering an extremist protection order. 19 states in the district of columbia already have these laws in place. what we saw last summer was congress allocated funding for the first time to implement these gun laws.

i'm hopeful not only the 19th state and district of columbia with extremist protection orders will have funding to implement them, but other states will follow suit now that there is a funding stream to make sure they are used equitably and efficiently. >> you were talking to lawmakers in michigan, what have they said about the michigan state shooting, how it affected them and whether this is the main impetus for what is going on? >> because democrats control the trifecta in michigan. that is ultimately making these bills able to go through and be signed by the governor into law in the next couple of weeks. emigrants also tried introducing this legislation after the oxford heights shooting in michigannd introduce gun violence protection policies for several years. the michigan state university shooting combined with the fact democrats have control of the michigan legislature means we can actually do something now to keep people safe from gun

violence in michigan. >> you mentioned the safer communities act, which was passedy congress, signed into law by president biden, is it having an effect? >> we know that funding has been allocated to states to implement crisis intervention orders. they include the red flag law, the extremist protection order. i'm proud to announce the johns hopkins center for gun violence solutions got a grant from the department of justice to enact a national extremist protection order training in technical assistance sector. as codirector, i will be able to work directly to have extremist protection orders to make sure they are utilizing the fund and implementing them in the ways they need to to reduce gun violence. it is a historic accomplishment the biden administration has been able to do to prioritize gun violence prevention. we saw it with more executive orders that really solidify the bipartisan safer communities act.

i'm hopeful and excited about the next couple of years with federal funding to enact these policies. >> lisa geller, thank you vy much. >> thank you for having me. >> throughout the pandemic, millions of americans have become pet owners. about 70% of u.s. households have pets. but many owners struggle to cover the costs of veterinary care. our special correspondent traveled to tennessee to find out more. >> it is breakfast time at her kitchen. and bubba, tiny, tina, king, and buttercup are hungry. oster lives alone on the outskirts of knoxville, where she takes care of her great-granddaughter and cleans homes on occasion.

her pets are a huge source of comfort. >> they sleep with me. king is usually on my left 24/7. >> she says many of her cats and dogs over the years arrived at her door as strays. others she's taken in from family members, including dixie, who passed away several years ago. >> this is the last night before we had her put to sleep. she could not walk anymore. >> dixie's death was tough because she could not afford some of the veterinary care she needed toward the end of her life. >> i love her so much, it makes me cry thinking about it. i did not have the money to take her when she needed to go. >> it has been difficult to cover medication and vaccinations for her other pets. she's far from alone. according to a 2018 study from the university of tennessee, nearly 30% of pet owners experienced barriers to veterinary care.

the main one, cost. >> the cost of care continued to rise while household income is not. that is the national crisis at work. >> dr. michael blackwell who led the study is a veterinarian and director of the university's program for pet health equity. >> over time, what we have seen is certain animals like dogs and cats have become members of the family. i mean quite literally members of the family. when we coin the term bonded family, the human and animal bond, that is the kind of society we are. f >> but many of america's bonded families are not getting the care they need. >> unlike human health care, veterinary medicine operates on a cash basis. 3% of the transactions involved can help insurance. when the public goes in for care, they are paying cash.

it may be on a credit card, but not third-party support. one can be middle-class and still be challenged to pay, especially aunforeseen veterinary bill. >> he says everyone should be to enjoy the benefits of owning pets, regardless of income. he says the lack of access to veterinary care can impact owners mental health and the overall public health of communities. another significant issue for owners, a shortage of veterinarians. according to the american veterinary medical association, there are roughly 150 million dogs and cats in the u.s., and just under 60,000 veterinarians who care for them. the shortage is exasperated during the pandemic have led to longer appointment wait times. when pet owners are struggling, they often turn to animal shelters for help. >> for families, their pet can

be the reason they keep going, they get up in the morning. >> amanda hylton is the pet resource center and intake manager at the young williams animal center in knoxville, which takes in about 1000 animals a month. sh says roughly 20% are owners surrenders because of housing policies that prohibit pets or medical care owners can afford. >> this is dobby, she came in injured, she's had to have her hips replaced. >> an injured dog arrived in an animal control truck. the owner suspected it was hi by a car when it was out of town. >> broke the chain and was wondering around. could not afford et care. >> it does happen often. it seems the only option, i don't have money to take my pet to the vet, the only other option is a local shelter. >> organizations are trying to

address the problem nationally. like the humane society. there pets for life program offers free or heavily subsidized pet care services, including transportation to appointments. in portland, oregon, a new community veterinary hospital provides services on a sliding scale to under resourced clients and their pets. in 2020,r. blackwell and his university of tennessee colleagues launched a research project in knoxville, asheville, and eventually eight other communities across the country. >> is designed to spread the cost and control the cost. if we get more parties involved with trying to support the care, we have a better chance at success. >> participating veterinary clinics reduce fees by 20%. eligible pet owners are responsible for a 20% co-pay per visit and must be enrolled in a

government assistance program like food stamps in order to qualify. a line care, supported by grants, pays the remaining amount. the program, which also offers support services through veterinary social worke currently serves about 1400 pet owners, including charlotte, who enrolled earlier this year. she brought in one of her cats recently to knoxville's central veterinary hospital to see if he needed oral surgery. a procedure she says she probably could not afford on her own. >> these lesions that pop up in the mouth can happen at a young age. >> she says it is not just about treating ailments or injuries. >> a lot of dogs and cats come in with infectious diseases that could he been prevented with vaccines. parvovirus is a vaccine we vaccinate dogs for. a lot did not have vaccines before hand and are really sick. >> the initial research grant funding will be ending by june

2024. dr. blackwell and his team are in the process of turning it into an independent nonprofit. in the meantime, partner communies are asked to raise their own funds. some enrollees are losing benefits for now. that worries her, but she remains hopeful. >> i think it would be nice people love animals would step up and everybody can pitch in and try and help. >> this year's ncaa men's and women's basketball tournaments have tipped off as the sport is getting the highest television ratings in years. for nearly two years, athletes have been able to capitalize on the popularity of college sports through endorsements, sponsorship, and advertising

deals. a policy known as name, image, and likeness. a chance for athletes, very few of whom go to professional sports careers, to make money. it is also exposing them to the dark side of fan cultur she's a former sports reporter who teaches journalism. molly, when name, image, likeness began, commentators said it would be benecial for female athles in the less glamorous sports, battles that did not get a lot of attention. has it worked out that way? >> yes, it has. it has worked out that way in the sense that we see a lot of universities putting together collectives. i just read in the athletic that ucla women's basketball is putting together a collective where each player will get something along the lines of $15,000 each.

in that sense, it is helping. it is putting money into the pockets of female athletes and athletes in non--- sports. not doing it to the extent of men's football and men's basketball. the only woman in the top 10 right now is a gymnast from lsu. her social media is valued at about $2.5 million. >> there are many people who say what olivia done is doing on her social media is not as much about athletic excellence as it is about selling conventional standards of beauty. is that a difference beten the men and women how they are using it? >> without question. this is the entertainment businesses. college sports is an entertainment business. all traditional standards of

beauty, she hits those. what is interesting to me about this, it has literally impacted her safety. when she went to a meet in utah, their bus was surrounded by boys and men clamoring for her attention. security was brought in. a less than desirable situation talking about the safety of a young woman. this is where the money is for her right now. you can't really say she brought this on herself or something like that. she's just conforming to the traditional sense of where she is in the spectrum of things. on one hand, it is great. she is monetizing this. she can do what she wants. on the other hand, a lot of female athletes cannot capitalize on it, their game is what they need to capitalize in. we have seen especially with the women's basketball tournament, i

just watched a commercial with the south carolina basketball team. that does put money in their pockets. but being the entertainment business it is, she has found her niche. universities are going to have to figure out how to protect athletes. >> she's also got a lot of criticism for being regressive, as it were. the people who far for equality and college sports for women say it should be about athletic excellence and it is going back to the idea of women as decoration. what do you say to those people? >> this is one of those things were on one hand, i don't disagree. on the other hand, as a gymnast, she's not going to go pro and make millions of dollars. this is her opportunity to do that. if her looks and athleticism can bring this out, she has to

capitalize if what she is looking for is that money. you can't knock someone for at. did they fget about anna kournikova who never won a major tournament, but her face was all over everything. she got endorsement deals. she is a millionaire because she has those traditional good looks. >> are there any changes you would like to see in the schools name, image, likeness policies? >> that conversation would take an awful long time. much of the nam image, likeness policy came out of state legislatures, meaning there is no federal policy, not even an overall nca policy. for all of the rulemaking the nca reports to do, this is where in one way or another, it has to get under control. i say it with the quotes around it. it can be limiting to the athletes. the first things that need to

happen are universities need to provide safety, security for female athletes, and the other thing is with the nonrevenue sports, i think we are going to see a title shift in how college sports rose. we are going to see increments of that here and there. there has always been the haves and have-nots in college sports. but we will see a further separation of that. when it happens, you will see nonrevenue sports and revenue sports run differently. the name, image, and likeness -- i think we are just seeing the beginning of it. >> thank you very much, molly.

>> online right now, william brangham and nicole ellis break down the severity of the current avian flu outbreak and how it is affecting birds and people across the country. that and more on our website, pbs.org/newshour. that is pbs news weekend. sunday, a look inside the world of book talk. the growing online community of book lovers making recommendations and reviews and helping drive book sales. for all of my colleagues, thank you for joining us. see you tomorrow. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by. >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has offered no contract wireless plans to help people do more what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can find the plan that fits you. to learn more, visit consumer cellular.tv. >> 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. ♪ ♪

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