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narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. announcer: and now, "bbc news". ♪ anchor: this is "bbc world news america." an assassination attempt on president putin, moscow accuses ukraine saying this shows a drone targeting the kremlin. hopes for a breakthrough against alzheimer's with a new drug that appears to slow down symptoms of the disease. ♪

a song for the carnation, children -- coronation. children play kate for the day. ♪ welcome to "world news america" on pbs and around the globe. russia has accused ukraine of trying to kill president putin. unverified footage on social media appears to show an object flying over the kremlin before an explosion. ukraine said it had nothing to do with it. russian officials say they disabled the drone. our russia editor reports from moscow. reporter: flying in from the left, what appears to be a drone. then, an explosion over the kremlin. this footage is unverified, but the kremlin says overnight, two drones targeted the residence of

the president. moscow blames ukraine but says no one was injured. on russian state tv, a dramatic start to the talkshow. the presenter announces breaking news. there has been an attack to assassinate putin. in daylight, we could not see any obvious signs of the explosion. lots of questions remain unanswered about what happened here. who launched the drones? what aim? ukraine has denied involvement. if this was a ukrainian drone attack, and attempt to kill the president in the heart of moscow, that is usually embarrassing -- usually embarrassing for the authorities. where was the security? this is supposed to be one of the most heavily guarded seats of power. last week, russia accused ukraine on launching a drone

strike in crimea. days later, bombs detonated and derailed two freight trains near the ukrainian border. citing security concerns, several regions have canceled military parades for victory day. now, the kremlin continues to insist the big red square parade in moscow will go ahead despite last night's explosions. there is a nervousness here. you can feel it. red square has been closed to the public since the end of april. that is unusual and was -- reflects the unease. more than 14 months since the kremlin launched its invasion of ukraine, the war is feeling closer to home. anchor: steve joined me a short time ago. thank you for taking the time.

russia is accusing ukraine of carrying out this attack, something president zelenskyy has denied. what do we know at this stage? reporter: as dramatic as the images looked, explosions over the kremlin, to me it does not look like an assassination attempt. what was it? cards on the table, we don't know. we don't have the full picture. there has been feverish speculation about, was this ukraine trying to send a message that we can get to you? was this russian partisans. ? was this russian hardliners? we simply do not know. we're going to have to watch what the response will be from the kremlin in the coming days that might give some clues as to what this was about.

anchor: so many western -- question marks. it's fair to say this will raise questions about the effectiveness of russian air defense. i wonder what people in moscow are saying about seeing a potential alleged attack come so close to the heart of moscow? reporter: they know about it. state television is telling them. presenting it in a way as to blame ukraine and president zelenskyy. that is how it is being portrayed in the state media. this adds to the general sense of nervousness that you can feel in moscow at the moment. especially in the run-up to may the ninth, victory day. there have been so many drone attacks and sabotage attacks in russia over the last few weeks, there is a sense of unease.

regions have canceled military parades citing security concerns. the kremlin insisted that the big parade in red square would take place. but, there is still a few days ago. certainly, things are feeling uneasy. more than 14 months since russia launched a full-scale invasion of ukraine, it's feeling very much as if the war is very close to home. anchor: our russia editor, steve rosenberg. thank you. the u.s. central bank has raised interest rates to the highest level in 16 years, the federal reserve lifted the benchmark rate by one quarter of one percentage point on wednesday, the 10th straight time that the fed has raised interest rates as it tries to bring inflation under control without taking the economy.

speaking after the announcement, jerome powell said the u.s. has a greater chance of avoiding recession but he acknowledged he could not rule out a recession. we can bring in a reporter in new york. good to have you with us. we have interest rates at the highest level since 2007, it is fair to say many people in this country will be wondering and hoping that this is it for now. what is the sense you are getting? reporter: for the first time, we really heard a signaling that perhaps the federal reserve policymakers are prepared to pause interest rate rises, but they were very careful in the language in making sure that this would be understood by economic data. that is a change from previous meetings where it seemed like a pause was probably more likely after this meeting.

they seemed to have put in a few more caveats. on the one hand, you see inflation is starting to come down but it still is really high. raising interest rates has had a knock on effect on other industries, notably, the banking crisis. anchor: some cautious language. we have seen three banks fail in the united states. do you think this will put more pressure on the banking system? reporter: the banking crisis was a part -- a part was a rise in interest rates. the financial instruments -- instruments became less wordy monetarily, -- worthy monetarily, that is why you had the crisis, an unintended consequence. it could reduce that kind of pressure if other banks failing, the central banker jerome powell

was very clear at the beginning and said, the american banking system is safe and that is a message many people have been saying. anchor: from new york. good to talk to you. to soon don where classes -- clashes have continued despite a seven-day truce. 100,000 people have fled amid warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe that could affect the entire region. the u.n. is trying to get supplies safely into the worst affected areas. the british air rescue comes to a close. our africa correspondent reports on one family's flight to safety. reporter: in the war-torn center, in a bullet-riddle department, a terrified family of four.

>> me and the kids would stay here because it is the safest area to stay. reporter: seen here earlier. able to work and his three young -- a widower and his three young children. >> they were shooting at each other and we were in the middle. that was the hardest point of the whole situation. we lay down, i was talking to them constantly, nothing is happening to us. i'm not going to turn around and tell my children we are in danger. reporter: for 10 days, he races out to find water. he is a sudanese national whose wife died three years ago. >> i could not take my kids out with me because it is a war zone. i cannot leave them behind me because they were panicking.

reporter: finally, they make a run for it. >> this is some of the damage. reporter: first, they reach a neighborhood controlled by the regular army. >> we are finally amongst the army. reporter: then on to join crowds hoping to be airlifted out by british forces. after the ordeal. he and his sisters do not have british passports. their father's is enough to get them on the plane. relief on every face. within hours, the family reaches cyprus. then, an emotional reunion in london. his brother waiting at arrivals. >> it is bittersweet, i work and

business is back in sudan but i plan to leave my kids here. they are quite happy about it. reporter: swapping the chaos of war for a quiet street in liverpool. andrew harding. bbc news. anchor: striking film and television writers are in talk to discuss the work stoppage that has thrown hollywood into chaos. manyopular late-night shows ran reruns on tuesday nights after the writers guild went on strike. they are calling for higher pay and future safeguards around the use of artificial intelligence. covering a story from l.a. is our correspondent. great to have you with us. it is fair to say this strike is officially underway in earnest, reruns last night. how long do you think people could be watching these reruns?

reporter i love the end of your question. the strike is underway. this is day two of the strike. just outside paramount studios, the studios in l.a. are very close together, a stones throw away is sunset bronson, there were hundreds of picketing protesters this morning and yesterday. it's fair to say the mood was very high, they are disappointed they have had to take this action but they are defiant. you will be aware the last time there was a strike in 2007 and lasted some 100 days. at the moment, this is day two. as you said in your introduction, it has taken late-night talk shows off the air. those shows where staff writers

will scripts jokes hours before they go to air. if the strike continues, it's likely to have an impact on autumn releases of shows. it's not just the writers, we have seen some actors come out and support. rob lowe came out yesterday, his son is a writer. he came out to show support and said actors are only as good as the writing. studios and streamers are on the other side of the dispute. they said they made a very generous offer. streaming residuals are a sticking point, the royalties that writers use get paid for networks are much less. they said they made a generous offer. i spoke to the president of the wga and she said that was inaccurate. what they have not engaged on, this is a major sticking point is that use of artificial intelligence. the writers guild want it

contractually based that they will not use ai in any form of written material. at the moment, i am told all of the studios and streamers have committed to having an annual meeting. as far as the wga is concerned, that's not good enough. anchor: some of the other issues we have seen in other industries with the gig economy. how much does this speak to issues facing other imageries as well? -- industries as well? reporter: i think it has died. it's making strange noises. anchor: we appear to have lost the connection in los angeles. thank you so much if you can hear us. h children and a security guard

have been killed in a school suiting in belgrade. police arrested a 13-year-old boy who had been planning the attack for a month with a list of children he wanted to kill. reporter: he 13-year-old boy -- a 13-year-old boy is led away by police. the main suspect in a mass shooting at one of the best state schools in belgrade. he came to school with two guns. he fired at the security guard and three girls standing in the hallway. >> i was walking up the stairs, i could hear a sound and thought it was boys, some kids growing firecrackers -- throwing firecrackers. i could hear it closer and it was coming from in front of the school, then i saw the security guard falling to the ground so iran from where i was. i did not want to go upstairs. reporter: he walked into a history class where he shot the

teacher before turning his weapon on his fellow students. police say the shooter planned the attack a month in advance and had drawn up a list of children to target. the 13-year-old is being put in a psychiatric facility, is alleged to have used two guns belonging to his father, both his parents have been arrested. all day, people have come to pay their respects to those who were shot. there is a deep sense of shock and sadness here. this is normally a lively part of town, but the people who live here say it has never felt so quiet. they are struggling to understand how a day at school turned into a nightmare. with candles and flowers, the city is morning instead. -- mourning its dead. anchor: officials in georgia say

one person has been killed and four others injured at a shooting. all of the victims were women aged between 25 and 71. police advised residents to shelter in place out of the area as they track down the suspected gunman. stank in the u.s., police arrested a wife in cleveland, texas. they were facing felony charges for hindering the prosecution by providing things like food and clothing. she has been taken into custody. she will be charged with helping the suspect flee the neighborhood where the crime took place. brazilian police raided the former president's home on wednesday morning as part of an investigation into his covid vaccination records. police suspect his vaccine information was falsified to gain entry into the united states.

three of his assistants have been arrested and his phone has been seized. the ex-president denies any involvement and says he has nothing to hide. there is new reason for hope in the battle against alzheimer's. after major trials, and experimental club -- drug has been shown to slow down the disease significantly that could have global implications. the who estimates more than 55 million people are living with dementia, the most common form of which is alzheimer's. that figure, which is expected to rise to 78 million by 2030 will spike to 139 million two decades after that. the alzheimer's association in the united states says more than 6 million americans are currently living with the disease. our medical editor has been looking into the new drug and has more. reporter: still awaiting the

full results, but this does look like another highly significant moment. after decades of failed trials, there are now two antibody drugs which could slow early-stage alzheimer's disease. the drug is given as a monthly infusion, it works by clearing a protein which builds up in sticky clumps in the brains of alzheimer's patients. in the trial, it slowed cognitive decline by about 35% over 18 months in a group of nearly 1200 patients with early-stage alzheimer's. the best results seen in trials so far. there were serious side effects. at least two died as a result of brain swelling. in november, another antibiotic treatment was the first drug ever to show it could slow the progress of alzheimer's disease. researchers say we are entering

a new era where alzheimer's is treatable. >> we are seeing a turning point. we now need the regulators to make quick decisions so patients that could benefit are able to benefit. reporter: we don't know how much it will cost, but another drug is over 20,000 pounds a year per patient in the u.s. where it's license. specialists say we will need a complete overhaul of alzheimer's services including access to brain scans if patients here are to benefit from these new drugs. anchor: that was our medical editor. a more fanciful moment spent daydreaming. have you ever wondered what you might do in the unlikely event you are made king for a day? would it be a trampoline or baby giraffes? according to a new song to mark the coronation, that is exactly what they would do.

ricky went to the primary school where the song is being recorded. ♪ reporter: children in primary schools up and down the land are belting this song, "fit for a king." the author hopes it will connect younger people to the coronation. >> once you can get children excited about something, once it becomes relevant, they will engage and this song has the idea of being a leader and power very relevant. they are excited about the coronation. they have never experienced a coronation. i am equally as excited as they

are. ♪ reporter: the song is all about what you would do if you working king for a day. perhaps you would have a marshmallow milkshake. it is a song that has these children notice. with a nod to the lyrics, what with these children do if they were king for the day? we don't have a throne, but we have the next best thing. the teacher's chair. >> i would call buckingham palace "cat castle." >> i would make every castle and palace have a giant open air

roof garden. >> if i were king, i would eat pizza every day. reporter: rehearsals have kept these children busy, they have even shot a music video. the song is set to be released on the day of the king's coronation. anchor: i happen to think it is quite catchy. before we go, a mystery on the mona lisa may have been solved. not the famous smile, but a bridge. a historian claims to have identified the structure in the background of the painting. he says he used historical documents and drone images to determine the bridge is in a specific problems. for now there have been many theories over which bridge it could be. it was painted in the 16th century. he has made other claims, saying

leonardo used a male and female scissor. -- sitter. you can find more on our website. thank you for watching "world news america," i will see you soon. ♪ presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. and by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ ♪

narrator: you're watching pbs.

>> good evening. geoff bennett is on assignment. on the nshour, the federal reserve raises interest rates. signals of future pause amid uncertainty in the banking sector. russia accuses ukraine of drone attacks on the kremlin to assassinate president vladimir putin. a claim that risks escalating the ongoing war. in the latest installment of america at a crossroads, judy woodruff examines the history of racism in america and the role it plays in the nation's divisions today. >> it may not be possible for us to live in a democracy this large but not pursuing that is the death of the american idea.