john: tonight on pbs news weekend, with new covid variance and a bird flu outbreak in cows, how concerned should we be? then, why being around younger people is helping older

americans stay healthier and happier. >> when we see the little ones, it's very heartening, makes us all feel younger again. john: the hidden history of a photographer who captured the daily lives, struggles, and contributions of asian americans. >> major funding for pbs news weekend has been provided by -- -- >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs news weekend. cfp professionals are committed to acting in their clients' best interests. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and friends of the newshour.

this program was made possible by the corporation for pubc broadcasting and contributions to the station from viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening. i'm john yang. in gaza, tens of thousands of palestinians are being forced to flee again. the israeli military has issued new and expanded evacuation orders amid signs it is preparing to move into densely populated central rafah. about a third of rafah has been evacuated. that's more than 300,000 people. many of them have already moved several times in the past seven months as they fled israeli air bombardment. this time they are being asked

to go to what the israeli army is calling an expanded humanitarian era -- area. >> we received a call from the army, a recorded call, asking us to evacuate the area we are in. we are preparing to go to muwasi because they said it is a humanitarian area, but we do not know whether to go. i don't think it will be a safe area, because the israeli army does not have a safe area in gaza. they target everything. john: in centralaza, overnight airstrikes killed at least 15 people, 16 of them -- at least 19 people, 16 of them women and children. the u.n. warns that a full-scale rafah invasion would further cripple humanitarian deliveries of much-needed food, water and fuel. russian forces have taken control of five more villages outside of kharkiv as they press a renewed offensive in ukraine's northeast. the region's governor says russian artillery and airstrikes are pummeling more than 30 villages. the capture of that territory expands the russian buffer zone along the border. ukrainian authorities say nearly 2000 civilians have fled the fierce fighting.

the russian push comes as ukraine waits for promised western ammunition and weapons to reach the frontline. heavy rains have triggered deadly flash floods on three continents. in northern afghanistan, the u-n -- the u.n. says more than 300 people have died in the past few weeks. more than a thousand homes have been destroyed, swamped in mud. in southern brazil, new storms battered a region already reeling from more than a week of deadly floods. at least 136 people have died. in kenya, floods and mudslides have swept away people and homes. at least 267 people are dead. hundreds of thousands of people in both countries are now displaced. and unusually strong storms on the sun are producing brilliant displays in the night skies here on earth. the splashes of dazzling colors known as the northern lights are being seen as far south as the florida keys, across the west coast from seattle to southern california, and in europe from the united kingdom to spain. scientists say we're in a period

of peak solar activity. a large number of explosions called solar flares and coronal mass ejections are sending energized particles into space. when those particles hit earth's atmosphere and magnetic field, a vivid, colorful glow is produced. the spectacle is drawing people out into the night to see it and photograph it. noaa's space weather prediction center issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning, saying power grids, gps, and high frequency radio transmissions could be affected. sightings of the northern lights may be possible through the weekend and into next week. still too, on pbs news weekend, how living and working around young people is keeping older americans happier and healthier and the legacy of a photographer who chronicled the daily lives of asian americans. >> this is pbs news weekend from w eta studios in washington,

home of the pbs newshour, weeknights on pbs. john: four years after the start of the pandemic, hospitalizations for covid are at an all-time low, but there are new variants. and now bird flu is in the headlines. it's been found in at least 36 dairy herds across nine states, but so far this year there's been only one confirmed human case. so how concerned should we be about all of this? katelyn jetelina writes the popular newsletter "your local epidemiologist" and was just named one of time magazine's 100 most influential people in health. how concerned should we be about bird flu? katelyn: what's clear is this is continuing to spread among cows and other animals, but the risk to the general public is very low. this really means there is nothing we can do, other than don't touch dead birds or animals, don't drink raw milk and maybe even call your congressmen for better biosecurity support.

but this is denitely not march of 2020. and it's definitely not even january of 2020. but of course, the situation can change. and usually with outbreaks it can change very quickly. i think that alarm bells for the general public should really start going off if we start seeing human to human spread. right now, it's really an all hands on deck response for public health to prevent another pandemic, and staying laser focused on protecting the small group of americans that are at higher risk. and that is dairy and poultry workers right now. john: another thing that's caught a lot of people's attention is the report that the fda had found dead viral fragments in milk. milk bought at grocery stores. that sounds pretty scary. how concerned should people be about that? katelyn: it is scary, and it does sound scary, but i calmed down when i knew that we have over 100 years of data on the effectiveness of pasteurization. also, just to confirm that the pasteurization was working, the

fda tried to grow active virus from these pasteurized milk samples from grocery stores. and the experiments failed, which is actually a good thing, because that means these viral fragments were broken pieces that just could not replicate and thus cannot harm us humans. since those studies have been done on the milk, they've also tested other milk products like cottage cheese and sour cream. and those are safe, as well as beef in grocery stores is also safe to consume. i think the bottom line here is just do not drink unpasteurized milk. it can make you very sick, especially at this time. john: so that's bird flu. let's talk about covid. tell us about these new variants that have the intriguing nickname flirt. katelyn: yeah, so what we know is that covid continues to mutate, right? this is just what viruses do. the latest and greatest variant is omicron, but with very small changes, right. these flirt variants have only two additional mutations on the

spike protein. this is compared to about 50 changes that we saw with the huge omicron wave back in 2021. so just with two small changes, we know that this isn't going to cause a tsunami of infection. it's just not different enough than previous ones. the question is whether it will cause a wave, a wavelet or nothing at all. and unfortunately, time will just tell. john: so only two mutations. does that mean that if you got a booster last fall or since last fall that that would take care of it? that those variants would not be able to get around that booster? katelyn: if you are up-to-date on your covid-19 vaccine, which for the majority of people means a fall vaccine -- some are eligible for a spring vaccine -- and yeah, it's not a perfect match, but it will certaly help against severe disease and death. because this is mutated a little, that may mean we'll see a little more infections than before. but you are very well protected

against severe disease if you're up to date. john: is the covid vaccine going to continue to be reformulated and keep up with these variants and sort of almost like the annual flu, they have to figure out what the dominant strain is going to be? katelyn: yeah, that's exactly right. it looks like we're moving towards a flu model. where covid 19 vaccines will be updated every year, to match as best as possible the circulating strain. the fda meeting is actually next month is mid-june. to make a final decision on what exact strain is in that vaccine. but to the general public, know that you can definitely expect an updated vaccine this fall again. john: measles, there was a global surge in measles. there was some talk earlier that the united states was worried about what was going to happen here. what is happening with measles here in the united states? katelyn: yeah, i mean measles is coming in hot this year. and while the u.s. has a small number of cases, 132 cases

across 21 states, it still more than double what we had last year. i think the biggest problem with this is we're giving measles opportunity to spark more, right, with more embers. because fewer people are getting vaccinated. and the challenge and problem with this is it just increases the probability of a spark finding a really large unvaccinated pocket and spreading like wildfire. so we were really wanting to reduce these embers as much as possible right now. john: [16:59:49]back to covid. with the ebbing of the pandemic, a lot of these requirements are going away, and just recently, the requirement for hospitals to report data about covid hospitalizations ended. they no longer have to report that information. as an epidemiologist, does that concern you? katelyn: it's incredibly concerning, because it feels like we are kind of going back to our pre-pandemic times. it was incredibly important to have hospitalization data to understand where we need to be concerned, where action needs to

take place, or like right now , that the hospitalizations are really low and we can relax a little. i think the the positive news, though, is that health and human services is proposing a new rule that all hospitalizations continue to report covid 19 as well as other viruses, starting on october 1, during non-emergency times. and it's certainly open for public comment, but i'm optimistic that this reporting will continue, which will allow us to have a really nice national picture on what is going on with viruses at the moment. john: thank you very much. katelyn: thanks for having me. john: census bureau data says america's population is older than it's ever been. about 18% of americans are 65 years old or older. in 30 years, it's projected they'll represent 28 percent of

the population. and as that demographic grows, some of them are reimagining retirement. ali rogin's report is part of our series "rethinking aging." >> one, march it out. ali: 76-year-old shelley malinoff doesn't go to work anymore, but she doesn't feel retired. >> there's the exercise class, and i leave it a little early to get to water aerobics at 9:00. and then there's tai chi, and then i'm taking three classes on campus, so i do need to have time to do my homework. the hardest thing is not to do too much. ali: you have a busier schedule than most millennials i know. >> yeah, yeah. which is great. ali: shelley lives at mirabella, a luxury apartment complex for older adults, right on arizona state university's campus in tempe.

she has access to asu classes and facilitiesand, most important, to her access to the community. >> no. thursday is a busy day for you. ali: charity morrison is a gradua student here studying music, and she's part of shelley's regular social group. ♪ she is also one of mirabella's artist in residenc who perform for and with their older neighbors. >> one of the things that i really admire about shelley is the moment we met, she speaks so positively of the people around her and the experiences around her. that's a characteristic that i really would love to emulate. narco you meet people that you would never, ever met before. i mean, charity comes to dinner, we're going to be cooking. where would i have met someone like charity? ali: university based retirement communities are popping up at campuses countrywide, but mirabella lifelong learning director lindsay beagley says fewer is integrated into everyday campus life as asu's model. >> these folks are really kind

of pioneering the new retirement, which is a lifestyle that's centered on learning and deep, purposeful engagement. ali: studies show that intergenerational relationships are mutually beneficial. young people gain self-esteem and have better attitudes about older adults, and interacting with young people boosts the mental and physical health of their older counterparts. narco these are the preschoolers. they have got a lot of energy. ali: one case study is the benevilla community center for older adults in arizona's west valley, where many members are in the early stages of dementia. one of its biggest draws is an on-site preschool, activities with benevilla's grandparents and grandparents are built into the curriculum. >> ♪ i stay out too late so nothing in my brain that's what people say ♪ >> when we get to see the tall ones, it's very heartening and makes us all feel younger again. ali: benevilla member colleen peterson has family nearby but

loves interacting with the younger generations here. >> i had one little boy and he was just sobbing and sobbing, and i just kind of patted him and then pretty soon he just slid right off my lap and went with the other kids and started playing. ali: peterson has mild cognitive impairment, which led to depression and anxiety. her daughter kathy -- cathy says the children are a powerful antidote. >> i think the best treatment is, you know, socializing and working with those kids is so cheerful, and i think that has really helped. ali: an added bonus, the kids benefit from these intergenerational interactions, too. aleena smallman's three year old daughter luna attends benevilla's preschool. >> she's had so much fun in a couple of the different like activities that they do. she'll just tell me about it for days, or she'll ask me when she gets to go and see them again. ali: do you like being with the grandmas and grandpas? do you

have favorite grandmas and grandpas? luna didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, so she didn't name names. arizona is a popular retirement destination, but all across the country, there are plenty of programs for people who prefer to stay where they are. here in the nation's capital, a number of neighborhoods are bridging the generational divide for far less money. 77-year-old fred o'regan first moved to washington, d.c.'s mount pleasant neighborhood 40 years ago. i thought we had three children. they grew up on this street. they went to public schools here in d.c. >> grab your bag, we are going to walk to the school. ali: his kids moved out long ago, but o'regan is still a fixture in the neighborhood. he pays $50 a year to be part of his neighborhood's village movement. it's a grassroots initiative that helps older adults stay connected to their communities. there are 270 villages nationwide, with dozens more in development. the first started in 2002 with a group of older neighbors in boston. >> they wanted to change the paradigm of aging and they didn't want to move.

they loved their community. and how to do that? ali: barbara hughes sullivan is the executive director of the village to village network, which connects individual communities. >> they looked at the resources that were available to them. one of the things, as they are aging, they are going to need, such as, you know, possibility of transportation. most certainly social programs and more interaction, but also the capacity to volunteer. narco -- >> watch out for this guy here. hold on. get these kids out of the way. ali: fred o'regan volunteers with the village's safe streets initiative, a collaboration with the d.c. government. every school day, the street in front of the local elementary is closed during drop-off and pickup. >> wait, wait. ali: fred's job twice a week is to guide students from the crosswalk to the school's entrance. >> i didn't join the village because i was aging. i joined the village because of its involvement in the overall community. ali: principal jessica morales says the school needs the villagers. >> without our volunteers, we would not be able to do this

work. it's been a very reciprocal kind of relationship. we're like, they're keeping us safe and we're also building relaonships with everyone. ali: some villages charge up to $900 a year to support a small paid staff, but that's still far less than other programs for seniors. the average annual cost of adult day programs is $20,000, and full time living arrangements can range between $50,000 and $100,000. >> we have a very large population of middle class folks in this country, and they are not poor enoh to receive state, local governmental support services, but they're not wealthy enough to pay for those services either. villages appeal to all spectrums, all economic and socioeconomic communities, because it's there for everyone. >> there are younger members of the village, which is great, and there are older members and together that's the melding that really takes place. and that's the sort of dynamism.

it's good for younger kids to interact with older people, to see that these aren't just, you know, stuffy old people waiting for the wheelchair. there's an integration process to this as well. so it's meaningful to me. ali: back in arizona, shelley malinoff often winds down her day in the kitchen. she was solo when we visited, but she often entertains. >> i don't want to be in a place with just older people because you're really limiting yourself, so i feel it does make me feel better, really, being with younger people. i never had kids, so for me it's i can adopt them, and i don't ever feel like they think of us as these old folks. ali: malinoff doesn't think of herself that way either. for pbs news weekend, i'm ali rogin in phoenix. john: may is asian american, native hawaiian, and pacific

islander heritage month. so tonight, for our "hidden histories" series, we introduce you to corky lee, a photographer who chronicled the daily lives, struggles, and contributions of asian americans, a community that's often marginalized, unsung, and unseen. corky lee said his life's mission was the pursuit of what he called photographic justice, changing america one photograph at a time. corky: in all my photographs, i'm trying to include as vignettes, pages that should be in american history books, that have been omitted. john: his photos were used by the new york times, time magazine and the associated press among others. lee was there when chinese-americans took to the streets of new york in 1975 to protest the police beating of a chinese-american man. he was in detroit in 1983, when protests erupted there over the lack of prison time for two white men who had pleaded guilty to killing vincent chin. lee said one of his most defining images showed

sikh-americans in central park in the days after the 9/11 attacks, a time when sikhs were targets of violence and discrimination. corky: we read in the history books that america is a nation of immigrants. i just want to say that asians in this country are part and parcel of a much larger picture. john: telling the story of his career, lee often said it began in junior high school, when he saw this iconic photo of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in a textbook. it shows only white men. where, he wondered, were the thousands of chinese laborers who laid the tracks? on the 145th anniversary of the event in 2014, he did something about it, gathering descendants of those workers in utah for a recreation. lee considered it his greatest achievement. >> that photograph will be hong next to the one that appears in every history textbook.

so this is my small contribution or way for chinese-americans to reclaim part of their history. john: lee young kwok was born in queens in 1947, the eldest son of a laundry owner and a seamstress. he attended new york city public schools, where he acquired the nickname he carried the rest of his life, corky. he was the first member of his family to go to college, studying history at queens college. it was while working as a community organizer on new -- on manhattan's lower east side in the 1970's that lee began taking pictures, documenting poor housing conditions. corky: when people look at the photographs, people can sort of read into it. if they see deplorable conditions, they can say 'this has to change,' and maybe it'll motivate people to do something to enact those changes. john: lee took pictures of other things, too, and began selling them to newspapers and magazines. corky: it got to a point that i started to use the photographs for documentary purposes. and it became, i guess, a means

of expression, because i can't write. i can't sing. i can't dance. john: in a five-decade career as a freelance photographer, he captured the everyday, often unsung accomplishments and struggles of asian americans and pacific islanders in politics, and demonstrating for bett housing, education and voting rights. he was a great believer in paying it forward. annual photo auctions raised more than $100,000 in scholarship funds for the asian-american journalists association. he never stopped working. while the world shut down for the pandemic, he documented the anti-asian hate that spread from it. he died of complications of covid-19 in january, 2021 at age 73. he left behind what may be the largest collection of photos depicting the asian-american experience in the last half-century. more than 200 of corky lee's photos have been collected in a new book, "corky lee's asian

america," and he's the subject of a documentary called "photographic justice: the corky lee story." it airs monday on pbs stations. ♪ now on the newshour instagram account, more of the stunning images of the northern lights from around the world. all that and more is on the newshour instagram account. and that is pbs news weekend for this saturday. on sunday, a new film documents the toll the russian invasion has taken animals in ukraine. 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 -- >> consumer cellular, this is sam, how may i help you? >> this is a pocket dial. well, i thought i would let you

know that with consumer cellular you get nationwide coverage with no contract. that's kind of our thing. >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to celebrate pbs news weekend. cfp professionals are committed to acting in their clients' best interest. more information at let's make a plan.org. >> 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.]

funding for this program has been provided by the fsc foundat bringing together adults of all abilities and backgrounds as they pursue passion, prosperi and purpose. linda and alvaro pascotto the carol frank buck foundation in memory of carroll. frank buck. additional support provided