ki. ♪ john: tonight on "pbs news weekend"... as haiti spirals deeper into chaos, what can be done about the nation's security and humanitarian crisis? then... how the toll of climate change is affecting some people's mental health. >> i feel very anxio about the state of the climate and our future. i believe that if we don't make necessary changes now, we will be changed in the future in ways that we do not want and cannot control and will not be able to mitigate. john: and... we hear first-hand what it's been like to live through the blistering heat wave in arizona. ♪

>> 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 service team can find one that fits you. to learn more, 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 cporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you.

thank you. john: tonight, there's violence and unrest across the globe, from the middle east to western africa to the caribbean, which is where we begin. in haiti, the situation seems to be getting progressively worse. gangs control half the country's territory and most of the capital, port au prince. just this past week, an american nurse working for a christian humanitarian group and her daughter were reported kidnapped. and the state department has ordered non-emergency workers and the families of all u.s. government employees to leave as soon as possible because it wasn't safe. but for many haitians, leaving is not an option. they had sought refuge in the courtyard of the u.s. embassy in port-au-prince, dozens of families fleeing the gangs that have overrun their neighborhoods. melanie: we don't have anywhere to stay. the bandits kicked us out of our home. they rape us even if we are old,

even the little ones they rape them also, i had to run to come here last night. i had a fever, i was trembling i never experienced anything like this. we are in misery. resident: i don't know the reason for the violence. the gangs just shoot and they ask for control of the area. they took our house and we're in the street. we want help to go back home. john: on wednesday, they fled again -- this time from the police, who used tear gas to force them to leave. more than 160,000 haitians have been displaced by violence. many are now living with family members or crowding into makeshift shelters. joseph: this is an extremely catastrophic situation. it is misery. nobody comes to check on us. we live in misery, we can't find food, there is no drinking water. we don't live like humans, we are humiliated. john: haitian police and security forces are outnumbered and outgunned. they have struggled to contain the gangs since president

jovenel moise was assassinated two years ago, plunging the country deeper into chaos. the current prime minister, ariel henry, has repeatedly postponed elections. there is not a single elected official in the government. in port-au-prince, protests often turn violent. the international community is scrambling for a solution. earlier this month, u.n. secretary general antonio guterres renewed a call for a multinational force to curb gang violence -- something haitian prime minister henri has been asking for since october. sec. gen. guterres: we cannot forget the haitian people. the world must step up. john: the u.n. security council has given guterres until mid-august to come up with options for combating haiti's gangs. gary pierre pierre is the founder and publisher of the haitian times, an english language weekly newspaper. gary, we've gone from crisis to crisis, cascading crises in haiti for a while. does this time feel different? have we entered into a new phase, do you think?

gary: well, absolutely, john, and thanks for having me. i mean, the situation has gone from bad to worse. now, the clip that you played, people are desperate. they're going to the u.s. embassies, courtyard and front doors, thinking that they'll be safe there. so this is where we are. and while the u.n. security council decide what to do. john: how long can haiti endure this? gary: well, it hasn't been able to endure it for the last three years yet. it continues to endure because the situation is complex, because since 1994, we've had two interventions in haiti and one by the u.s. and then one by the u.n. and they haven't gone very well. so right now, a lot of people are skittish and nervous about what to do because no one wants to have another failed intervention of some kind. that really doesn't solve the problem. and so now people want to make sure that whatever it is that needs to be done will be something that works for the haitian people and for the international community, because

we just cannot have a repeat of the same old, same old again. john: given that legacy and shadow of previous interventions, would an international security force work? would it would it be an answer to this? gary: the question is not whether it will work. what is a long term strategy? how doou make sure that the gangs are reintegrated into society and they're not just waiting out whatever force that comes in? and then when that force inevitably leaves because it has to leave? what happens next? mid to long-term situation in haiti? are we going to be back ten years later to to try to again pacify the situation? no one wants that. john: given again, the memories of the the marines landing in 94 and the u.n. force going in after the earthquake, would the haitian people welcome that an international force coming in? gary: well, it depends.

i mean, people in haiti, yes, the diaspora, haitian americans are very, very skeptical about the international community's motives when it comes to haiti, whether they have the right policy, whether they really care about helping haiti, or is it something that they're going to pour billions of dollars that really doesn't help the situation at all? and one can understand the skepticism. john: why hasn't prime minister henri he elections? gary: the situation is untenable. people are not safe in their home. and so i don't know how he's going to organize elections, to be quite honest. first of all, you need to pacify, return the country to normalcy, then organize elections. and we're not being honest about the situation of elections. i think the united states government, think that election is what constitutes a democracy. in the case of haiti, it doesn't. we need to build in institutions first and foremost. and then you can have a climate for elections and then you can have a real democracy. you can hold elections anytime

you want. but it doesn't mean that it's going to hold together. john: what's the short term prognosis, do you think? what are things getting worse? are they getting better or staying the same in haiti right now? gary: well, it depends who you talk to. some of my sources in the u.n. have told me that they have been controlling the gangs. one of the things that they are doing is squeezing them out of the ammunitions. but, you know, the haitian people on the ground in haiti, the clip that you played is very clear what they want. they want help. and that help cannot be done through diplomacy because it -- they are being abused, they are being raped, they are being killed by these gangs. and it's not even, you know, a war because the other side is dead -- the other side, there's not any weapon to fight against the gangs. the police are inept, you said, tgunned and they are outgunned because the gang members, the gang leaders have better weapons than the police. john: at the risk of sounding frivolous, i want to ask you

about the world cup. the haitian women's soccer team is in the world cup for the first time and doing better than expected. is anyone there paying attention to that? gary: well, absolutely. i mean, thank you for that question, because it's been a really breath of fresh air for haiti. haitians all over the world. these women, young ladies, have made us very proud. and i think also this is a metaphor for haiti and what haitians can do if we put ourselves together and decide what we want to do, because the government and the haitian federation have invested millions into this team to make sure that they are performing, they are where they are. and by the way, john, they are the youngest team in the mpetition, very inexperienced to some extent, but they are playing well despite having lost two matches. it's been close. we've been competitive. and so, yeah, this is something that's a welcome distraction, if you will. and it's not vain at all because, as you know, sports is really something that brings joy to the world. and right now, all are riveted with the world cup. the women are great.

all the other teams are doing well, and i'm really enjoying it. the time difference notwithstanding, it's great. john: gary pierre pierre, the founder and publisher of the haitian times, thank you very much. gary: thank you, john. ♪ john: in northwest pakistan, a powerful suicide blast at a political rally for a hard-line religious leader killed at least 44 people and injured nearly 200 more, some of them children. the cleric is considered to be a taliban ally. an eyewitness described the scene. eyewitness: i didn't know how and what exactly happened. i just saw a spark and heard a big bang. after the blast i saw hundreds of people lying on the ground and people staed firing in the air -- a lot of firing.

john: no one's claimed responsibility for the attack. it took place across the border from an area of afghanistan where the islamic state is active. more unrest in niger today, along with mounting economic fallout, and the threat of foreign intervention, following last week's coup. in the capital, thousands took to the streets to praise the military for deposing the president. they denounced france, which once controlled niger as a colony. some waved russian flags, as moscow seeks greater influence in the region. the french embassy was a target of their anger. protestors smashed windows and set an embassy door on fire. some said change was necessary. protestor: the people are suffering in this country. nigeriens shouldn't be living like this. the people are coming out to support, because they are here to bring balance to the country. john: ecowas -- the economic union of 15 west african nations -- cut all ties today with niger, one of world's poorest countries.

ecowas also authorized a peacekeeping force if democratic rule isn't restored within a week. earlier, the european union cut off its financial support. the united states is threatening to do the same. and, russian officials say ukrainian drones hit moscow today, taking the 18-month war to the heart of russia. two office buildings a few miles from the kremlin were damaged. one person was reported to have been injured. russian president vladimir putin was in st. petersburg at the time. it was the third drone strike to hit moscow in just this past week. still to come on "pbs news weekend"... how climate change is causing a sense of despair for some about the planet's future... and what it's like living through an historic heatwave. >> this is "pbs news weekend" from weta studios in washington, home of "the pbs newshour" weeknights on pbs. john: this summer, millions of

americans are experiencing firsthand the effects of climate change. triple digit temperatures for days on end. smoke from record-setting wildfires fouling the air. warming oceans bleaching coral reefs. opinion polls find growing concern about climate change. psychologists say that can be a positive thing, spurring people to action. but for some people, it becomes an overwhelming sense of despair or anxiety. psychologists call it climate anxiety. this week, we asked people about their emotional responses to climate change. adam burke: i would say that climate change has affected my mental health in that it has certainly increased my anxiety. alfred artis: i feel very anxious about the state of the climate and our future. i believe that if we don't make necessary changes now, we will be changed in the future in ways that we do not want and cannot control and will not be able to mitigate. robert wolff: we're really not seemingly taking seriously

enough the efforts to make changes to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. that to me, it's sad and horrific in a way that i can't fully comprehend. pat: i'm worried because this is all we have right now. we talk about going to the moon and mars. but this is this is what we have. i think i'm more worried maybe than anxious at this point. mark ikeda: climate anxiety affects my daily life by the decisions i make about when i want to go someplace or where i want to go, or more particularly, how i want to travel. adam burke: my climate anxiety does affect my daily life again, because i'm living in a city that reaches 117 degrees and i watch the birds outside struggling in the heat. alfred artis: the moment when i realized that the climate change crisis was causing anxiety in my life was the day when the sky in

the san francisco bay area was orange. that is not the color of the sky. and that had a profound and deep effect on me because it so clearly showed that the danger was real. liam hefferman: i don't want to sound all kind of doomsday bunker ready to go, but like, it's a thing, i think about looking at ways to move out. what areas will be most impacted by coastal flooding? it's a lot of anxiety that i really don't have an outlet for. katherine scarlett shaw: i think it started when i started to have a panic attack, literally just chopping vegetables for dinner one day. and it was because i was sitting there ruminating on some terrifying headline that i'd seen that day. it was a full on panic attack with like not being able to breathe and the, you know, just kind of general shaky feeling. and i was just like, this is ridiculous. like, i'm just trying to make dinner here. john: the voices of americans and how climate change is affecting their feelings. lesley davenport is a climate psychology therapist. she teaches at the california institute of integral studies

and is author of emotional resiliency in the era of clima change. when does healthy concern about the planet, about climate change become this sort of climate anxiety? lesley: well, from the emerging field of climate psychology, one thing that's really important to understand is review -- we view distress, upset, sadness, grief, anger about climate change to be a really reasonable, even healthy reaction because it's ilt into us as people that if we feel risks, threats, experience losses, there's going to be upset. so it's really important to acknowledge that if you're feeling that on any level of intensity, it really means you're paying attention, you care, you're empathetic to what's happening to our world. john: but when does it become a problem? when does it become something that people feel they should go talk to someone about?

lesley: well, it can certainly grow into something that interferes with functioning in daily life, keeps you awake at night, gets in the way of enjoying life, and becomes really the predominant concern. high levels of physiological distress, racing hearts, intrusive thoughts. it can take many forms. john: you have a private practice in the pacific northwest and in california. are you seeing more people coming to you talking about this? lesley: i sure do, and i sure have. i'd say there's been a big leap in the last five years, and there are three grou i see the most. one, are people working in this field -- front line workers, scientists who are studying this and recognizing what a dangerous trajectory we e on. two, people who've been touched very directly about with big losses, lost their home in the fires in santa rosa a couple of years ago. i've had to decide if they want

-- have had to decide if they want to still live in a fire prone area. and there's a very high level of distress among children and youth. this is a time when they naturally glance into their future, deciding where they want to live, what they want to do. young adults, if they want to start a family. they're quite upset about the prospects of what their future may entail. john: this isn't like fear of flying. you're not trying to resolve an anxiety. so what do you do? how do you treat this? lesley: well, there are several approaches. two main areas. one is there are lots of tools for processing complex feelings. learning how to calm our nervous system, not getting stuck in obsessive thinking, taking media breaks when necessy. and so that's a big part of it. but also, we really encourage people to find their own way of becoming part of the solution. how can each person contribute in some way to creating a healthier, safer world?

not only is that something that we all need, but it's empowering to not feel as victimized by what's happening. john: this is not something new. you say you've been working on this for, i think, 20 years or so. is the medical community, is the mental health community aware enough about this and equipped to handle it? lesley: it's a growing awareness, but we have a long way to go. at this point, none of the mental health field -- psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, m.d.s, -- are required to have training in the mental health impacts of climate change and how to work with it effectively. and so to that extent, if a person's seeking support, they may or may not end up with a clinician who is equipped and tuned in to what needed. i'm confident that will change.

there are workshops and programs popping up here and there, but it hasn't yet become part of the mainstream training and approach. john: if there are people watching us now who are worried about climate change, but it hasn't quite reached the stage of being something that really affects their lives, their day to day functioning, what would you tell them about how to avoid that, how to prevent that from happening? lesley: talk about it. talk about it to other people who are like minded, receptive. i feel that way, too, so that it's not as isolating. if it's hard to find that there are a lot of what are called climate cafes or climate circles that can be found by an easy online search where people just get together, often online remotely, and just say what they're feeling, what they're experiencing, what people have found helpful. john: if someone thinks they have sort of almost crippling climate anxiety, how how do they

find someone who can help them? lesley: i would really recommend what's being called the climate aware therapist directory. since this training again is not built in yet to the mental health field, there are some therapies where they have chosen to have this as a specialization. john: climate psychology therapist leslie davenport, thank you very much. lesley: thank you. ♪ john: another change in the climate causing some anxiety this summer? the heat. particularly in the southwest. phoenix has been hotter, longer than any other big u.s. city -- a record 30 straight days of highs above 110. it's had a lot of us in the rest of the country asking how does

anybody live in that heat? listen to some of those sweltering in phoenix, including some of our colleagues at "newshour west," which is based there. a galapagos tortoise, a rhinoceros, an eagle owl. the unrelenting sun high above phoenix seems to be taking its toll on all livinghings. it's proving even too much for the iconic towering cacti, designed by nature for the desert heat. and then there's the human toll. in just the first three weeks of this month, maricopa county, which includes phoenix, reported 17 confirmed heat-related deaths. more than 200 were under investigation. among the most vulnerable are those without housing. cristina: i cry all the time, i yell at the heat to like go away. john: charitable groups like the salvation army do what they can. scott: some ice cold water, a hat, some sunscreen, anything like that is a lifeline for people in need that are living here out in these conditions.

john: parked air-conditioned city buses are pressed into service as makeshift cooling and hydration centers. even those with homes that are air conditioning feel the heat. justin stabley is a "newshour" digital editor. justin: the condo where me and my wife live was built in the 1960's. right now the indoor temperature is 79 to 80 degrees but it can get up to 82 even with the air conditioner running. we have to think carefully about turning on the oven or too many electronics or else that temperature could spike. john: newshour correspondent stephanie sy. stephanie: it is after 9:00 on a saturday night and it is still 105 degrees. my air conditioning unit went out about three hours ago. nobody has called me back. so, this is life. john: senior producer philip

maravilla is an avid cyclist. he takes extra precautions for his rides now part of his early , morning routine. philip: this heat is no joke. i take it seriously. i drink a lot of water. i'll estimate that i'll have drank anywhere from a quarter to maybe even a half gallon of water before i begin my ride. john: as the weather anchor at her college station, newshour intern ariana araiza is accustomed to talking about the heat. but being in it? not so much. ariana: i have lived in phoenix my entire life and i have not gotten used to the heat and i don't think i will ever get used to this heat. i think you just learn to, went to go to the grocery stores, take your dog on a walk. if not, you want to stay hydrated stay inside. john: good advice for much of the country this summer even , where the highs are in the mere double-digits. ♪

now online, how small music venues have bounced back from covid pandemic shutdowns. all that and more on our website, pbs./newshour. that is pbs news weekend for this sunday. on monday, north carolina debates how to use the billions it's getting from major drug companies in opioid settlements. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. have a good week. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- >> for 25 years, consumer cellular has been offering no contract wireless plans designed to help people do more of what they like. our u.s.-based customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. to learn more, visit consumercellular.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. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

atanásio nyusi (speaking portuguese): (explosion, drumming) announcer: "the sound of masks," on afropop. ♪ ♪ hey! ♪ ♪ hey! ♪ ♪ hey! hey! y! announcer: funding for afropop: the ultimate cultural exchange is provided by the corporation for public broadcasting