john: tonight on pbs news weekend, volodymyr zelensky goes to london to rally european support after the fiery exchange in the oval office signals a rift in u.s.-ukrainian relations. then, canada braces for a trade war after trying to head off the

steep tariffs washington is set impose next week. and, why medical experts say the risk of dementia for people over 55 is much greater than previously known. >> if you're thinking about your lifelong health, it makes you realize that you need to consider the risk that at some point you may hit dementia before death. ♪ >> major funding for the pbs news weekend has been provided by -- >> in 1995, two friends set out to make wireless coverage accessible to all. no long-term contracts, nationwide coverage and 100% u.s.-based customer support, consumer cellular. freedom calls. ♪ >> the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions.

and friends of the news hour. ♪ >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening, i'm john yang. tonight, washington and european capitals are still feeling the reverberations of yesterday's heated oval office exchange between president trump and ukrainian president volodymyr zelensky. hours after mr. trump scolded zelensky for not showing enough appreciation for u.s. support, the ukrainian leader posted on

x: we are very grateful to the united states for all the support. i'm thankful to president trump, congress for their bipartisan support, and american people. he also reiterated his opposition to a quick-cease fire that president trump wants, saying russian leader vladimir putin can't be trusted. now he is in london to rally support of european leaders and yesterday he met u.k. prime minister keir starmer and tomorrow, he'll attend a summit in london to discuss the way forward. kurt volker is a former u.s. special envoy to ukraine and former u.s. ambassador to nato. what do you expect to come out of this european summit tomorrow that zelensky is attending? mr. volker: there are good things we have seen already, expressions of european support and solidarity for ukraine. it is important for zelensky psychologically and the ukrainian people. i hope behind closed doors they are talking about what kind of

things need to be done to get ukraine and the u.s. and europe on the same page again. we cannot be creating a dynamic of europe and ukraine against the u.s. we all have to pull together. there i think it will be a matter of europe being willing to put on the table forces for security assurances for ukraine. i think has to be president zelensky saying he wants peace, wants to have a cease fire, will agree to one as soon as put in does, to get things -- putin does. john: if usaid were to be cut or go away, could zelensky and ukraine go along with a just european support? are there enough forces and hardware to keep it going? mr. volker: it is not enough. it is good and supportive and will buy ukraine time but the u.s. provides unique capabilities including intelligence, satellites, training, equipping, logistics. there is so much the u.s. is

doing that is vital to this. it is not enough europe on its own although it is important europe play a major role. -- john: you say it is important to get them all in the same side, but in european capitals aren't facing what happened yesterday, the way he talked about the war in ukraine, a message to europe that you're on your own? the war in ukraine is about european security to the european leaders. mr. volker: no, i don't think that was the message. i think the message was, we have to get putin to the negotiating table. you don't want to bash putin, criticize him personally and never get an end to the war. if you want to end the war, you have to get putin to the negotiating table. taking a position firmly fighting against putin trump is not going to do that. he wants to end the war right now, so he is being careful not

to position himself that way. unfortunately, what happened in that meeting, zelensky i think mr. real opportunity to get the u.s. and ukraine in alignment. trump has been putting together this concept of a cease fire, reciprocity with ukraine, where we get paid back for military assistance so it is a fair deal for the american people, deterrence in terms of security assurances and european presence, so putin does not attack again, and improving the burden sharing ratio so europe does more and the west is relatively less. john: since this meeting he has said he does not want a quick cease fire because he does not believe putin will keep his commitments. clearly that is what trump wants. how do you bridge that gap and save this relationship? mr. volker: zelensky needs to reframe the way he is talking about this. saying he does not want to cease fire because he does not trust putin is the wrong way to say

it. he should say he wants a cease fire as soon as putin agrees to do that as well. it will never be ukraine that is the first to break, but if putin breaks a cease fire, ukraine will defend itself. he needs to flip it back onto putin and say ukraine is willing and ready for peace. john: yesterday in the oval office we saw a continuation of a pattern of president trump not criticizing putin and expressing sympathy with putin. and excoriating the leader of the country putin invaded. mr. volker: earlier in the meeting trump was positive toward zelensky and ukraine, praising ukrainian soldiers. he was setting this up to be very positive for zelensky. it was only after zelensky responded to jd vance talking about policy that it became a back-and-forth and argument. then you saw trump lash out and could assize president

zelenskyy. as far as putin goes, trump is trying to avoid personalizing and demonizing putin because he needs to get putin to the table and i think trump thought he was getting this together. he was moving putin that way, working with president zelensky, shaping a deal to put the u.s. and ukraine in alignment, then that discussion the oval office got out of hand. john: former ambassador kurt volker, thank you. in the days other news, phase of one the israel-hamas ceasefire ended today and talks about phase two have all but disappeared. u.s. and israeli negotiators are in cairo with egyptian and qatari mediators, representing hamas, but no progress has been reported. what happens next isn't clear. phase two is supposed to include the release of more isreali hostages and the ceasefire is to continue during phase two negotions. in phase one, hamas released 33 hostages in exchange for more than 1700 palestinian prisoners

and detainees. it's estimated that 59 hostages remain in gaza, half of them are likely dead. a federal court judge extended an order blocking president trump's plans to pull federal funding from institutions that provide care for transgender youth. the judge said two of the president's executive orders are unconstitutional because they treat people differently based on their transgender status. it's a setback for the administration's efforts to limit official recognition of transgender people. three years after resigning in scandal, former new york governor andrew cuomo is trying for a comeback. as was widely anticipated, cuomo said today he's running to be new york city mayor. in a video announcement he promised to guide the city out of social and political turmoil and lower crime. he briefly acknowledged past mistakes. in 2021 he resigned after a number of allegations of sexual harassment. the democratic primary is in june. the vatican says pope francis is improving after a breathing crisis yesterday. they say the pontiff drank coffee and read newspapers

during breakfast. the vatican also said francis spent several hours today off of a non-invasive ventilator, a sign his lung function is improving. he was put on the ventilator after a coughing fit led him to inhale vomit. today, healthcare workers at the rome hospital where the pope has spent more than two weeks with double pneumonia, made a pilgrimage to st. peter's basilica to pray for the 88-year old pontiff. and, david johansen, the frontman and last surviving member of the 1970's punk band, the new york dolls, has died. the glam-rock group was a forerunner of punk. it made a big cultural impact but was never commerically successful. johansen's greatest commercial success came in a solo career as his lounge-lizard alter ego, buster poindexter. david johansen was 75 years old. still to come on pbs news weekend, with tariffs expected to go into effect on tuesday, we explore last minute efforts to avert them. and, the growing risk of dementia in adults over the age of 55.

♪ >> this is pbs news weekend from the david m. rubenstein studio at weta in washington, home of the pbs news hour weeknights on pbs. ♪ president trump says his 25% tariff on imports from canada will go into effect on tuesday, despite the efforts of canadian officials to persuade their american counterparts that they've been working on border security and improved it. david mcguinty is canada's minister of public safety and this week he's been in washington, meeting with administration officials. i want to remind people why trump says he is opposing these tariffs, he posted on truth social, drugs are still pouring into our country from mexico and canada at very high and unacceptable levels. until it stops or is seriously limited, the proposed tariffs, scheduled to go into effect on march 4th, will indeed go into effect. what do you say to that?

david: i think what we say is we have had a wonderful four days here in washington, d.c., meeting with our counterparts, both folks in the senate, the house. i brought down the head of our canada border services agency, brought down the head of our rcmp, brought down our new fentanyl czar to meet with executives and folks in the white house, for example. so i think what we've been able to show this week is enormous progress on that border. and it's important for us to remember that a border is a two way street. we've made progress in terms of southern flowing problems, and we're making progress with the united states on northern flowing problems. john: what is their response? david: i think we are all encouraged because we are remembering the extent to which we are connected. we have had a relationship that goes back 150 plus years, a very productive one, frankly, a special relationship between both our countries, not something either of us once to compromise. what we are hearing back is, think you for bringing us back up to speed and for the practical measures.

there've been all kinds of those as mentioned appointing a , fentanyl czar, listing criminal cartels as terrorist organization last week. a series of these measures which are really starting to kick in. john: in terms of meeting what the president says he wants, he says either wants the fentanyl traffic either ended or seriously limited. have they told you what seriously limited means? david: it means as little as possible, if no fentanyl, because fentanyl is a terrible scourge wreaking havoc in both of our countries. there are some days on a per capita basis, there are more canadians dying from fentanyl and opiate overdoses than the united states. we understand as we get this. we also know that we cannot wrestle the fentanyl crisis to the ground unless we do it together. john: looking at the statistics, there's very little compared to the southern border. very little comes in over the northern border. david: less than 1% of fentanyl entering the united states comes from canada. less than 1% of illegal immigration in the united states

comes from canada, but there is more to be done. i think this week was a very good series of meetings for us to share the improvements and to see where we can continue to cooperate. john: as you say the canadian , fentanyl czar, kevin brousseau, was on your delegation. his appointment is one of the things that helped president trump decide to delay these tariffs at the beginning of february. how was he received and what was he able to tell them about what he's done since he's been in that job and how was it received? david: i think it was very well received in the sense that the the administration and politicians and others understand that this fentanyl crisis is a whole of society problem. it is not just law enforcement, not just chemistry and tracking and tracing precursors, for example, from other parts of the world. it's many, many factors, many players together. and the fentanyl czar's job in canada is to help integrate all of those responses so we can really wrestle this to the ground. last week we convened six of canada's top banks to strike a new agreement on tracking and

tracing money flows. finding out how folks are money laundering through our banks, engaging the private sector. when we listed these cartels as terrorist organizations, we've given our law enforcement now more powers to interrupt the flow of money and really to go after the money and to seize assets, even assets of those who cooperate with these groups. john: you talk about the fentanyl problem, that it's got to be worked on both sides. is this a bit like the drug situation a few years ago that it is not so much the supply as it is the demand? david: it is both and it is wreaking havoc on our communities right across both of our countries, which is why we're are here to indicate the degree to which we're prepared and are cooperating. another measure we launched is a new joan -- joint strike force. ten new teams in the united states and canada working together. more cooperation at the border and more cooperation in terms of tracking and technology. so these things, we believe will really help wrestle this scourge to the ground. john: based on your meetings

this week is there any reason to hope or believe that these tariffs will be paused again, as they were at the beginning of february? david: one of the things i learned a little while ago, we can only control what we can control but the president of the u.s. and a new administration has said that concerns about these issues, we've addressed them the best of our ability. john: canadian public safety minister david mcguinty, thank you very much. david: thank you. ♪ john: a new study shows that americans risk of developing dementia at any time after turning 55 is more than double what earlier research found. the new york university study estimates that the number of dementia cases will double by 2060 -- reaching 1 million new diagnoses each year. dr. joseph coresh is the director of the optimal aging institute at nyu langone health

system. he is also one of the authors of the study. how significant are the findings? dr. coresh: it is important for all of us. if you are thinking of your lifelong health, it makes you realize that you need to consider the risk that at some point you may hit dementia before death. john: what accounts for the higher risk? dr. coresh: so basically we did a study that was more diverse in more centers and spanned both white and black americans and we also spent an enormous amount of energy to make sure we captured all the cases. then the population has gotten older. as life expectancy has gotten older, the risk is higher. the risk by age 75 is 4%, by age 85, it is 20%, and by age 95, it rises to the full 42% chance of getting to dementia before death. but more than half the risk is

after age 85. john: to make sure i understand, this is because the population is aging, not because something has changed about dementia. dr. coresh: exactly the population in the u.s. is aging and that is also the reason that we expect the number of new dementia cases to double between now and 2060. it is also true that our estimate of the incidence, the risk is higher than the previous estimate, but i think our estimate aligns with the current estimate of the number of people we have in dementia in the us, which is about 6 million people. and the old estimate of risk needed to be adjusted was about two fold to low. john: who is most at risk? dr. coresh: when you talk about 42% you are talking about all of us. when you talk about earlier onset black americans are at higher risk. people who are genetically susceptible with a gene called apoe e4 alleles are at higher risk.

that risk manifests before the age of 75. women, because they have a lower risk of mortality, get to the more advanced ages and as we said more than half the risk is , after age 85 and women are more likely to get there so they have a higher lifetime risk. john: why is the higher risk among black americans? dr. coresh: among black americans, i think we'll get to the fact that the lancet commission estimates that about half the risk of dementia is preventable. the factors include more education and better quality education that early life and creating cognitive reserve. and the black participants, particularly the ones in this study, which were often from jackson, mississippi, probably had fewer educational opportunities. the other thing that happened is vascular risk factors are connected to dementia risk. black participants had more hypertension, more diabetes, more obesity, and possibly somewhat less treatment for those conditions increasing

their risk. john: is the health care system ready for this surge in dementia cases? dr. coresh: i think we're already struggling with the number of dementia cases we have. i think we need to think about how to adjust to our aging population, which would include both trying to reduce the risk of dementia through some of the risk factors i talked about and we need to make sure older adults are allowed and able to stay productive and are not socially isolated, which is another risk factor for dementia. at older ages we need to have care and partnerships between care facilities, care team, health care teams and families. there is a lot of work to do. john: what is the link between hearing and developing dementia? dr. coresh: we spent quite a bit of time on that. it is clear that people with hearing loss and hearing loss increases dramatically with age, much like dementia are at an

increased risk of dementia. last year we published a large randomized study which showed in the first three years, if you are at high risk of having cognitive decline, hearing aids with a proper fitting and several times to make sure you really use them, the majority of the people found them to be transformative, improving their quality of life and reduce their rate of quality of cognitive decline by 48%. john: what are other mysteries of dementia researchers are trying to unlock and answer? dr. coresh: i think the biggest thing for us is the focus on late onset dementia after age 85, because we have more than half the cases of dementia, the number of years with dementia is lower, but it is really important, both societally and in terms of quality of life and engagement. i do think that we should spend a little time on the good news that over the last 10 to 20 years we've realized that a lot of dementia risk is preventable. john: talk about what can be

done to prevent it. dr. coresh: the lancet commission has the wonderful report that names 14 different risk factors. early in life we talk about more education to create cognitive reserve. you want to reserve -- avoid traumatic brain injury, both early, middle and late life sports injuries and later in life falls. once you hit your head hard enough, you need to allow your brain to recover. otherwise you have an increased risk of dementia. in midlife and later, vascular risk factors. prevent diabetes, no smoking, less alcohol, blood pressure control and low bread pressure is critical. cholesterol and obesity as you -- obesity. as you get later in life, sensory losses, hearing and vision, correcting those should really help and as you get to very late in life and earlier social isolation, depression, , addressing those issues and then later teamwork in terms of

caring for people can allow lots of people even with the onset of dementia. the majority of people in early stages stay at home, can be cared for by family members and with the correct teamwork and medication be managed quite well. john: very interesting. thank you very much. dr. coresh: my pleasure. thank you for having me. ♪ john: that is pbs news weekend this saturday. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us. see you tomorrow. ♪ >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- ♪ >> 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. ♪ ♪ >> you are watching pbs. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy.]

gates: i'm henry louis gates jr., welcome to "finding your roots." in this episode, we'll meet debra messing and melanie lynskey, two actors struggling to make sense of their family trees.