weekend. candidates make their final pitch in bitterly cold iowa on the eve of the first contest of the 2024 presidential election. then, the growing humanarian crisis in afghanistan two and a half years after the taliban

returned to power. why american farmers have some of the highest suicide rates of any occupation, and what some rural communities are doing to help. >> i never thought depression would happen to me and losing the legacy played a lot with my mind. ♪ >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by. >> nationwide coverage with no contract. >> and, with the ongoing support

of these individuals and institutions. this -- thank you. john: good evening, i am john yang. tonight the eve of the presidential -- candidates are making appeals in iowa. the national weather service is warning of dangerously cold wind

chills as well as 45 below monday night. lisa desjardins joins us now indoors south of the morning. what of people -- what have people told you about the cold? >> this is where former president trump was not that long ago, supporters came out in negative 21 degree cold. the trump campaign did have some buses. one factor here is president has

canceled three events in the last day and a half. >> we feel like going to this college and having a wonderful opportunity is worth it. >> we want to hear what he has to say. >> what do you think is going to happen customer-- >> the same things going to happen tomorrow. as long as it's not snowing, the roads are clear. people are going to come out. >> there is a lot of discussion, i would say the most competent dram pain -- confident campaign is the trump campaign, however i

have spoken to trump supporters who told me they think the former president is ahead so much that he does not need their help, others say it will be too cold and either they themselves don't want to risk it orhey are with parents. john: what about the other campaigns? >> i think the campaign has been nikki haley's. yesterday, surprisingly she canceled an event even though roads are clear, there are cars by the sides of the roads, black ice. ron desantis showed up in the same town. john: we had a final poll last

night, the last one before the caucus, any surprises and how does it match up with what you are hearing? >> it is newsworthy that nikki haley has come into second place , this poll is seen as the gold standard. she is not ahead by much, as you can say donald trump is less than half. it is significant she is in number two, but donald trump is still ahead by almost 30 points. there is a question of enthusiasm, and this indicated donald trump supporters are by far the most enthusiastic. 88% of trump supporters say they

are very enthusiastic. while she is gaining voters . john: chris christie dropped out on thursday. does this make any difference? >> never planned to do well, he did not campaign here. he had a few supporters, i spoke with them. it is significant that while polls show, i have talked to many events to say, --

john: we will have live coverage starting here on pbs. it's not just iowa in the deep, temperatures have plunged to dangerous levels, and nebraska it's 11 below zero with wind chills of 25 below. it has been known as hostages secure where -- some expressing

solidarity. 132 israelis are still being held hostage in gaza including the remains of about two dozen. federal officia say a woman and two children drowned trying to cross from mexico, and happened friday in area of eagle pass, texas state authorities have taking control over. it's the latest and an escalating standoff between texas over immigration enforcement. the iowa high school principal who was shot while protecting students has died. had been -- the january 4 attack left an 11-year-old student dead and six others injured. still to come on pbs news weekend, the worsening humanitarian disaster in afghanistan. tackling suicide among farmers.

>> this is pbs newsweekend from weta studios in washington. john: since the taliban reclaimed control and afghanistan, the country. natural disasters exacerbate one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. >> almost two thirds of afghanistan's population are in need of humanitarian assistance, a 45% increase since the taliban takeover. meanwhile donor fatigue has left , a humanitarian funding gap of $1.3 million. and in the impoverished west, a string of powerful earthquakes last fall killed more than 1300 people. another 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit this region just this week, and now the country is facing an influx of returnees being expelled from neighboring pakistan following that

country's announcement that afghan migrants were no longer welcome. dayne curry is the afghanistan director for mercy corps, a global humanitarian organization in town this week. thank you so much for joining us here. can you first give us an update on just what life is like these days for the average afghan person? dayne: well, certainly the humanitarian challenges in afghanistan are steep and the situation is dire, particularly economically for the country, especially when there have been multiple, as you referenced, multiple emergencies facing the country, both with the earthquake and with the returnee situation. it is a challenge for these communities to recover. the earthquakes in herat were incredibly devastating. i visited one community where of the 150 villagers that were living in that community, only five survived. the impact was severe, and it's going to take a long time for recovery to occur. when you then add additional regional issues such as the returnees, you know, maybe many, as many as a million people coming back from pakistan into an already challenging economic situation. it just creates even more challenges for the ordinary

afghan to be able to make ends meet day to day. ali: and i know it's even harder for women and girls in afghanistan. what is the situation like for them now? dayne: we are very concerned about the situation for women and girls, and we obviously can note the social and political challenges that face them, but the humanitarian challenges are of prime importance to us. it is incredibly important that women and girls have access to

humanitarian aid, and we work to engage the authorities to ensure that they are able to have access to that assistance. you know, for many women in afghanistan, it's just a question of how they provide food for their families, that their children are able to get enough to eat, that they have clean drinking water. ali: and how has the earthquake affected the work that you do in getting this humanitarian aid to where it needs to go? dayne: well, thankfully, we, along with partners, were able to respond very rapidly to the earthquake. the importance for what we see with the earthquake w is beyond just the initial emergency support. beyond that first surge of assistance is the long term recovery efforts that will be needed for these communities. it needs to be a long term commitment to make sure that the resilience in our province is possible, and that people are able to recover in a way that doesn't further exacerbate vulnerabilities. ali: and, as you just mentioned, there's going to be an influx of up to 1 million afghans returning. how does that affect the need situation right now? dayne: yeah, potentially it could be a million more. it's already it could be a million half a million. more. and the thing to remember is that just because they're coming across the border on the pakistani side, they're not staying. they're returning to their communities of origin and and these communities are resettling there. and these communities arealready stressed. they may not have, again, clean

drinking water. they may not have jobs. they may not have just basic means to support themselves. so when you add that many more people into the situation, it underlines the need for funding and assistance that will be committed to the afghan people for the long haul. ali: and the hunger crisis is, of course, also worsening. the world food programme had to cut back its aid to 10 million afghans last year. how is that affecting the overall situation? dayne: it affects it significantly. it's important to remember, while there's emergency assistance going into these communities. that's essential to provide that emergency help with food aid. it's also important that there's efforts to support agriculture and livelihoods, ways for communities to be able to provide for themselves so they're not wholly dependent on food aid. and when there are reductions of emergency support, it stresses the importance of trying to be more strategic with that funding so that afghans can have their own agency to take care of their needs and not be so reliant on that assistance. ali: state department & u.s. officials have been on capitol hill this week testifying about the situation in afghanistan. here's what house foreign affairs committee chaian michael mccaul had to say about the situation post withdrawal. >> there are no plans to ensure

enduring peace or support the afghan people, now under the failed policies, continues to deteriorate every day. >> what do you see as some of the solutions you would like the united states and other partners to focus on? dayne: well, the united states is obviously the largest donor to afghanistan and a significant we're thankful for the assistance that the american people continue to provide for afghanistan. what we would urge the united states government is to not only consider the amount of funding that they're giving, but how they strategically use that money. like i mentioned, resilience for afghan communities is important: helping afghan farmers to grow more viable crops, helping afghan women to access the job market, and to be able to have the skills to do that. these are all important, resilient steps that can be provided for the afghan people so that the aid that goes into afghanistan is more effective than it has been in the past. ali: what are the messages you

are hearing from stakeholders who are reluctant to provide that donor money, especially citing taliban control, making it even harder for, for example, women to find those jobs that you mentioned. dayne: yeah, we understand the concerns and the challenges that donor funding goininto afghanistan presents. it has for a long time presented many challenges. and we as humanitarian organizations take integrity with that funding very seriously. we have measures in place to ensure that the funding that we provide to afghan people reaches the people that it's intended to reach and can be used most effectively to provide assistance to people in a sustainable way. ali: dayne curry, afghanistan director for mercy corps, thank you so much for your time. dayne: thank you very much. john: what leads to suicide

could be a mystery because they are reluctant to talk about struggles. >> days start early brenda. >> usually i'm wide awake, i get chores done. >> the farms was inherited from his parents. >> we love showing him how to farm. >> farming is a hard way to earn a living. after the birth of her second

son in 1989, leanne and her farm became the only source of income. >> he tell me if i fail, we all fail. that is when his first bout of depression started. leon struggled on and off with depression for years,, at times overwhelming. leon came to regret it. i am a failure, i am not fitted farming even though financially we were mine, his mind would not let them see that. >> in october of 2018, he took his own life. >> whether he's here are not,

someone had to get up the next date and feed the cows. somebody had to get up and do the chores. the crops still had to be harvested. no timto stop. >> farmers are 3.5 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to the national rural health association. >> farmers face really unique stressors in their businesses. >> karen endres coordinates wellness programs at the wisconsin farm center, a state agency. >> they are working in very complemarkets. they are often dealing with things like whether that are out of their control. >> most firms are run by families which could cause conflict and stretch -- stress. clicks they feel like they have access to a lot of things like large equipment, firearms,

things that can cause self harm. >> everyone thinks farming is the red barns, b what goes on behind the scenes is the stress of the markets. hommel's get sick, things happen. >> randy rocawear and his family's dairy farm a few miles away, he says things are tough for dairy farmers. >> there we go. we do such a good job producing a wholesome product yet we are not making money to cover the cost of operating. >>'s grandparents started the farm in the 1930's. he invested millions of dollars in a newborn and state-of-the-art parlor. >> we did that for 2008. >> milk prices tanked and he

cannot pays bills. >> i would get in the truck and i would drive out on our back 40 acre field and sit in the truck and describe. i never thought depression would happen to me. but this financial struggle and feeling that you're losing this legacy that your grandfather started. displayed a lot with my mind. >> he saw several therapists but none were farmers themselves. >> i went to so many different ones and not one understood what i was going through. >> but after about six recovered. then came the death of his neighbor. in his obituary, his family was clear saying he passed away after a long fought battle with depression. >> when we wrote the obituary they said we need to put this in here people need a reality check that this happens. we need to own it, and where we

going from here? >> randy was asking the same question. >> and some people talking and i said you don't have any idea, you don't know what we are going through. >> they felt they needed to do something, so they started a group called the former angel network. >> we are bringing mental awareness into the light and making it ok to talk about this. >> story about getting hurt but to say they are in a bad place, they can get going, they will never admit that. >> why can't they admit that? >> because it is weakness, fear of other people knowing. >> to counter the stigma, volunteers set up a booth and hand out pamphlets around the community and give talks to read the word about suicide prevention programs.

>> we are not mental health people but we are bringing resources to the forefront. when i went there, i did not know about any resources. >> other groups are teaching people who interact with farmers to recognize signs of distress and intervene. anyone from a neighbor or veterinarians. >> say that i am available to talk to you anytime. >> and if there wisconsin farm center, karen helps give vouchers to cover the cost of counseling and help locating therapists. >> she will give me a gentle situation. >> she grew up on a farm. >> having a farming background help build they were or.

you don't have to explain it because i get it. >> she understands the schedule and stay flexible. >> cancellation is happening. you have to be ok with that. a rainy day like today is a great day to connect with farmers especially if you have telehealth. >> will so's it's not convenient, also private. >> a lot of times we find that is the therapist. a lot of my farmers are not even in wisconsin. i don't know them, i don't know my family. >> the state offers an appointment free of charge. >> the demand has grown tremendously, last year we hit a

record high. we paid for two-edged 17 appointments. >> what do you think explains the demand? >> awareness. >> the volunteers would like to think they have played a small part in that. >> met him on his death -- i don't want his death to be meaningless. at we have gone through together has taught me so much that if i can pass that on to someone else who is struggling and trying to find their way, maybe it will give them hope that there is help out there. you don't have to go alone. >> i am megan thompson in wisconsin. john: if you are someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text the national suicide prevention hotline at 988.

that is pbs news week and for this sunday, i am john yang. thanks for joining us. have a good week. >> major funding has been provided by. >> cunard is a proud supporter of public television. a world of leisure and british style. >> with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

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