May 12, 2024 - PBS News Weekend full episode

JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, why millions of Americans are using apps to get paid between paychecks then what motherhood means to people with children without children, and those somewhere in between?

WOMAN: I think that the word mother is such a tiny word for such a large job, and that there are many ways that we are mothered and that there are many different types of mothers out there.

JOHN YANG: And a new film documents the toll the Russian invasion has taken on animals in Ukraine.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening, I'm John Yang.

Tonight Israeli forces are again fighting Palestinian militants in northern Gaza, an area the military said it had cleared months ago.

But Israel's earlier operations there left a security vacuum and Hamas has taken advantage of it to regroup.

In southern Gaza, Israel further expanded operations.

The military describes what it's doing now as targeted and precise.

Not the all out offensive it's been promising.

And today on was Memorial Day in Israel the first official commemoration of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism since the October 7 attacks killed about 1,100 Israelis, most of them civilians.

In Gaza the Hamas run health ministry says 35,000 Palestinians have died since the start of the war.

They don't distinguish between civilians and fighters.

Russia says part of a 10-storey apartment building in the border city of Belgorod collapsed under Ukrainian shelling.

At least eight people were killed and 20 others were hurt.

In the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine Russia continues to gain ground forcing thousands more civilians to flee.

Moscow says Russia has taken four more villages surrounding Kharkiv.

That makes a total of nine this weekend.

Ukraine says Russian advances the forced withdrawal of at least one battalion.

The first person to receive a transplant a genetically modified pig kidney has died nearly two months after undergoing the procedure.

Rich Layman's families at the groundbreaking animal to human transplant gave hope to thousands of people on the waiting list for a human organ transplant.

Every year thousands die before an organ becomes available.

Doctors said they didn't have any indication that the 62-year old slim and died as a result of the transplant.

And filmmaker Roger Corman has died.

You may not know the name, but you probably know the careers he helped launch.

Corman was known as King of the Bees directing about 50 low budget films and producing 300 more.

They include the cult classics, Little Shop of Horrors and the Attack of the Crab Monsters.

He nurtured the early careers of Jack Nicholson, Ellen Burstyn and Robert De Niro.

He gave early opportunities to aspiring directors like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Ron Howard.

Some of Corman's small roles in their later films, including Silence of the Lambs and Apollo 13.

Corman received a an Honorary Oscar in 2009.

Roger Corman was 98 years old.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Two years of high prices for everything from groceries to gasoline have left some people struggling to get by until their next payday to help some returning to what are called earned wage access apps, which offers small short term loans until the next paycheck.

Proponents say they help people with low incomes manage their finances, critics say they can lead to a cycle of overspending and borrowing, and that the costs aren't always clear.

We spoke to people who use these apps.

SHERI WILKINS: My name is Sheri Wilkins.

I was working as a home health aide.

And using the app DailyPay, I would need something at the grocery store, you know, trying to get food and trying to do that.

And this, and I have a pet.

So you know, I have expenses that had to be taken care of immediately.

ANNA BRANCH: My name is Anan Branch.

Honestly, I was like most Americans working paycheck to paycheck, scrolling on the internet, and to me sounded like a no brainer, payday hasn't come, I need some money, they'll give me some money, and then I just have to pay it back.

SHERI WILKINS: I probably spent 300 and something dollars a month on transfer fees alone.

ANNA BRANCH: Every two weeks, I just have to keep borrowing to pay back borrowing to pay back.

And it kind of just turned into one of those cycles.

SHERI WILKINS: You become so dependent on that daily money that you don't look at the broader picture of when you need the money to pay your rent or utilities.

ANNA BRANCH: Once you start getting into that habit, it just -- it kind of feels like a trap.

And something that's never ending.

This is not working the way that y'all said it was going to work.

I'm still trying to pay y'all back and stop paying y'all at some point.

So I can have this money not keep coming out of my account.

JOHN YANG: According to our financial services research firm in the three years between 2018 and 2020, transactions on these apps went from $3.2 billion to 9.5 billion.

Cora Lewis is a business reporter for the Associated Press Corps.

Let's get the basics.

How do these things work?

CORA LEWIS, The Associated Press: So if you're a worker who has an unexpected expense, or you're not sure you can make rent that month, you might see an ad for one of these apps, on YouTube or Instagram.

And all you have to do is download the app and link it to a bank account and agree to whatever the fees might be.

And then on pay day, the app will debit the amount you borrowed along with any fees or tips you've agreed to.

JOHN YANG: How this different from payday loans?

CORA LEWIS: So payday loans typically have very high interest rates like these loans do themselves.

But a payday loan might have a balloon payment down the line, they might sue or send a collector after an unpaid debt which these apps don't do.

So there are some key differences.

JOHN YANG: The advertising for this is that you're getting an early reach into your paycheck is that really what's going on?

CORA LEWIS: The waters are a little muddied right now, because some employers do offer earned wage access that's linked directly to your paycheck.

So, Walmart and Amazon both offer earned wage access without any fees to their employees, which is very different from the direct to consumer model.

In the direct to consumer model, a worker can simply tell the app what their expected wages will be.

And that's enough information for these short term lenders to extend a couple $100 to whoever's using the app.

And there's no credit check for these types of loans as well.

JOHN YANG: Who are typical users of these apps.

CORA LEWIS: A lot of gig workers and hourly workers and retail and food service use these apps and government study found that the average user makes less than $50,000 a year.

So it's really people living paycheck to paycheck, who are already having trouble meeting expenses who are turning to these apps.

JOHN YANG: What are some of the pitfalls?

CORA LEWIS: So if you use them for one unexpected expense, if your car has a flat or you just need a couple $100 one time a month, it might be a really good and safe option.

But what ends up happening often is an employee will use the app one pay period, and then their paycheck will be much smaller in the following week or two weeks.

And so to plug that hole, they may turn back to the app again, which leads to a cycle of borrowing as much as once or twice a month.

And those fees can really add up.

It makes it increasingly difficult to budget some researchers have found, where instead of having a reliable amount of money every two weeks, you have this much smaller paycheck on pay day that you then have to compensate for perhaps by taking out another short term loan.

JOHN YANG: And you're talking about the fees and the cost of this.

What are there fees?

CORA LEWIS: So the companies will say the fees are comparable to ATM fees.

So really just a couple of dollars per use case and cheaper than overdraft fees which can be $25 to $36.

So maybe cheaper than overdrawing and account.

Many apps do ask for a monthly subscription fees or tips which increase the costs.

And when you look at them proportionally, the fees are really very high for such small dollar loans.

JOHN YANG: Is there any federal or state regulation of these like payday loans are regulated?

CORA LEWIS: So at the state level, Connecticut has passed a law making sure that these apps abide by the state's usury limits for interest.

And as a result, at least one company stopped operating there.

California is looking at similar laws to cap the fees.

And at the federal level, there's an industry back to bill that would allow them to continue operating as they are now.

JOHN YANG: Wasn't there a recent opinion from the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau that said these are not loans and so they do not fall under federal regulation.

CORA LEWIS: So that's part of what's contributing to the regulatory gray area right now, the question of whether these are loans or cash advances, and that will really determine how high the fees can be in the future.

So there's a possibility that the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau will review that guidance and decide that these apps should be regulated the same way payday lenders are, which would have a considerable impact on the business as it as it stands right now.

JOHN YANG: Someone who's running low on cash before the next pay day, they've got bills coming due, what should they consider?

What should they think about before using these?

CORA LEWIS: Before downloading any app, make sure you have a sense of what the cost of that loan will be.

So that means look for monthly subscription fees.

Think carefully about linking your bank account.

And then when you are asked for fees when it comes to an instant transfer, look for a one to three day transfer option, which is often cheaper or free.

And then keep in mind that when these apps asked for tips, it may sound like they're going towards other vulnerable consumers and low income people who need to make ends meet.

But in fact, many of those tips simply support the company's operations themselves.

JOHN YANG: Cora Lewis with the Associated Press, thank you very much.

CORA LEWIS: Thank you for having me.

JOHN YANG: The war in Ukraine has upended the lives of millions of people.

It's also disrupted the lives of an untold number of animals, both pets and zoo animals.

Some were left for days without food or water traumatized by the sounds of war.

Next, Wednesday's episode of PBS's Nature is called Saving the Animals of Ukraine.

That tells how war torn Ukrainians are reclaiming a bit of their humanity by rescuing animals.

Earlier I spoke with the director Anton Ptushkin about how the film came about.

ANTON PTUSHKIN, Director, "Nature: Saving the Animals for Ukraine": That was February 2022.

And it was just the beginning of the full scale invasion from Russia side.

And, you know, there was a vast majority of photos and videos with people from Ukrainian trying to save themselves and their animals.

And we were so moved by this foolish, you know, because it was some kind of light of hope, and meets this dark time.

So we decided to just develop this topic and eventually, you know, made a documentary.

JOHN YANG: You show us a lot of stories about many animals, some of them very tragic, some of them happier.

One of the happier ones is about the Jack Russell Terrier named Patron started out as the pet for a young boy and now is actually serving his country in a way of enlisted into the war effort.

Tell us about Patron and what he's doing ANTON PTUSHKIN: Basically he's sniffing the bombs.

And for me, the story is like speaks speak volumes because Parton was just a regular dog, you know, he just wants to play and just walk but because his father, you know, dog parent, Michael, he's a Colonel of engineer troops of Ukraine.

He is looking for the mines.

So that's why Patron's starts looking for the mines as well.

Eventually, this dome become like a symbol of resilience of Ukraine.

And he become, I believe, for the first time in history of UNICEF, he become like, Good Will Ambassador dog.

JOHN YANG: You also show us animals who have been severely traumatized I think of the lion named Bretzel.

He lived through a Russian missile barrage and keep telling us a little bit about him.

ANTON PTUSHKIN: Yeah, it turned out that animals they almost share the same suffering as people.

And the story of poor lion who was being kept in a cage in Donetsk region which is almost like a front line.

And he was bombarded, you know, this area was bombarded many times and these poor lion he had like, severe symptoms of PTSD.

He was trying to break away the cage and he smashed his face against the cage.

So eventually he was immigrated to the Spain and to the place that we can call, like, let's say Animal Rehabilitation Center.

And he completely recovered.

You wouldn't believe like this is completely normal lion right now.

And I remember him like a year ago.

And he was just roaring, you know, every time when you come close to the cage, but right now he's completely recovered.

JOHN YANG: There were other powerful stories that you told about animals that went long periods of time without food or water Shafa, a cat that was stranded on the seventh floor of a building for 60 days, the rest of the building had been destroyed.

And you spoke with producer Kate Parunova, who was one of the first to spot Shafa?

KATE PARUNOVA: I came to them and said, Look, guys, I'm so grateful that's having so much disaster and misery around you right now with people, you find time to help animals in such cases.

And he replied to me, we don't care if it's an animal or a human being, we're Rescue Service, and every life matters to us.

I mean, that was a point when you just start crying.

JOHN YANG: You know, Anton, earlier you talked about these stories illustrating hope and dark times.

What do you think these stories say about the spirit in the character of the Ukrainian people in this dark time of war?

ANTON PTUSHKIN: You know, for me, all these documentaries, about people about resilience and about the moral aspects of Ukrainians, you know, because, as one of the main tenants of our documentary said, like, your attitude towards animals is basically your attitude towards people, you start to save animals, and then animals save you, because they help you drastically, you know, just to cope with the stress and those stories.

I mean, they really bring us some hope.

JOHN YANG: As you may know, there was controversy in the United States about continued aid to Ukraine in this war effort.

Are you hoping that this film will remind people in the United States around the world that this is still going on that Ukraine still needs help and aid?

ANTON PTUSHKIN: Yes, that's, that's my dream, actually.

And I just came back from Ukraine, and a couple days ago, I lost my friend in this horrible war.

Unfortunately, you know, these stories, we, people of Ukraine that we become kind of get used to.

I mean, it's -- it may sound cynical, but we get used to such stories, but I believe that people are America, people in the world.

After watching this documentary, yeah, they feel, you know, this idea that the war is to go in and we don't need to forget about those horrible events that are going in my country.

JOHN YANG: filmmaker, Anton Ptushkin, we are very sorry for your loss.

And thank you for your time today.

ANTON PTUSHKIN: Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

JOHN YANG: The American family has changed significantly since Mother's Day became a national holiday 110 years ago, families are smaller, more people are choosing not to have children, and more are choosing to be single parents.

Still others want to have children but aren't able to.

On this Mother's Day, we asked people around the country for their views on what motherhood means to them.

WOMAN: I did not set out to be a big family mom, although I would say I was open to it.

And then one thing led to another and we decided to engage in this adventure of having a big family.

GERALD OLSON: Mother's Day is a very traditional holiday.

And we have a very non-traditional family.

I decided to have a child solo.

I'm just getting old.

And I realized that this thing inside me that wanted to be a parent was not going to go away.

JAMIE TOTH: I decided I didn't want to be a mother pretty early on.

I wasn't the type of person who wanted to play with a baby doll or to play mother.

I just didn't have that in me.

MAN: I am a single dad to a two year old boy named Theo.

And I've been raising him alone since he was four months old when his mother passed away.

DANIELLE WADE: At the end of 2023 we decided to stop IVF treatment and walk away without a child because it was taking a huge emotional toll and was financially impossible for us to afford any longer.

So initially, Mother's Day has been a little bit of a challenge for me.

I enjoy spending it with my mother and I honor it as a holiday for my mom and have never really had the chance to honor it for myself.

JAMIE TOTH: When I was younger.

My mother actually abandoned me and so my relationship with Mother's Day has always been fairly complicated.

VANI VERMA: My mother's birthday actually falls right on the weekend of Mother's Day.

So it's always feels like a reminder of the fun and love and affection of my kids.

But at the same time, there's always a feeling of missing my mom.

KYLE BERGMAN: I think in the future as he becomes more aware of the fact that his mother passed away when he was very young, you know, I definitely want to keep her memory and spirit alive.

GERALD OLSON: I think that the notion of celebrating mothering is kind of profound.

And however mothering looks I don't think that has a gender or an identity around it.

I think it's a thing you do.

VANI VERMA: I feel, the way I can define motherhood is, it's like this bridge between being the child of your mother and the mother of your children.

As you're learning on your path of motherhood, you're always looking back at what your mom's did and how your childhood was.

And yet it's a new adventure every day.

DANIELLE WADE: Since my miscarriage especially I see motherhood differently because I still wear my mother in a way because I did carry the two children that unfortunately, and loss.

And I do see motherhood as a role that people take on in other children's lives, to support them, to help raise them, to guide them.

And to mentor them.

JANE HOLMAN: There's been many moments where it has seemed like perhaps I jumped in the deep end, perhaps I put off a little more than I could chew.

JAMIE TOTH: When I married my husband was very delightful to have my stepdaughter come into my life, she has taken to calling me her bonus mom, which is super cool.

I think that the word mother is such a tiny word for such a large job, and that there are many ways that we are mothered.

And that there are many different types of mothers out there.

JANE HOLMAN: Having all these people who need you in different ways at different times.

And they really helped draw out virtues in you that you may not otherwise have been able to draw out of yourself.

I think that is my favorite thing about motherhood.

And it's something that I can't wait till when my kids are all out of the house.

And I can look back and see all the ways in which they've transformed me.

JAMIE TOTH: I've certainly been told that I'm not really a woman because I didn't have kids, which I think is a ridiculous charge.

I think in some ways, I've been able to be more of the woman I sought to be.

And I think if my mother had known me, she would have been proud of me.

GERALD OLSON: If you look around people, Mother us in so many ways, it's not a biological thing at all.

VANI VERMA: I just want to wish everybody a very Happy Mother's Day in whichever way they celebrate.

I know it can be hard for a few people.

And I just hope they find solace in memories.

DANIELLE WADE: I think it's very important that people recognize that there are so many different stories, and that it may not be the happiest day for everyone.

But we all still deserve to be seen.

JOHN YANG: Finally, tonight for Mother's Day, an animated story from our partners at StoryCorps.

Yomi Young was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes her bones to break under the slightest pressure.

She and her mother Sarah Churchill talks about the day she was born.

SARAH CHURCHILL: Your skull was fractured your arms, your ribs, your legs, and they said that you would probably die noon and night.

So the best thing would be to leave you at the hospital.

But there was no way that I was going to leave you there.

And they had a rocking chair.

And I would sit there and hold you.

And I remember, our hearts touched each other.

I used to always say we have one heart, you and I. YOMI YOUNG: So what was it like caring for me throughout the years?

SARAH CHURCHULL: Well, I remember giving you a bath.

And you turned your arm and I heard it.

YOMI YOUNG: The bone snapped.

SARAH CHURCHILL: Yeah.

And you were crying.

I'm crying.

YOMI YOUNG: I used to keep track of my fractures, but then they just got out of control.

I would fall.

Or I remember one time when my sister has dropped an orange on me.

And that broke something.

I mean, look at me too hard, and I would break.

So I have my down periods.

But I don't always have to articulate every single thing because you get it.

You understand?

You know one of my regrets is that I didn't have my own children.

And I think one of the biggest desires for wanting to mother is to be able to carry on this legacy of love that you started with me.

You tell me often that you believe I picked you.

SARAH CHURCHILL: I think children come as a gift to their parent.

YOMI YOUNG: I don't know if I've ever told you this but I also feel like you picked me if you had walked away and left me there when I was born, nobody would have looked askance SARAH CHURCHILL: But I felt that you were a part of me so I knew that I made the right decision YOMI YOUNG: And I've always admired you for that.

SARAH CHURCHILL: It was my honor.

JOHN YANG: Now online why undocumented immigrants worried that a new law in Oklahoma targeting illegal drugs will also target them.

All that and more is on our website pbs.org/newshour.

And that is PBS News Weekend for this Sunday.

on Monday's NewsHour, Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen takes the stand and Trump's hush money trial.

I'm John Yang.

For all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us.

Have a good week.