john: tonight, we ask nato secretary general if the delayed aid to ukraine is too late to make a difference.

and, reshaping policy across the country. >> cities generally use much more punitive policies to effectively punish people who are experiencing homelessness for behaviors that are associated with the realities of homelessness. john: and the tensions in one montana city over homeless people living in vehicles. >> major funding for the "s news weekend" has been provided by -- >> consumer cellular, how may i help you? this is a pocket dial. well someone's pocket, with consumer cellular, you get nationwide coverage with no contracts. that is kind of our thing. have a nice day. ♪ >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs news weekend.

cfp professionals are committed to acting in their client's best interest. more infortion at letsmakeaplan.org. >> and with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. and, friends of the newshour. ♪ >> 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. ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy hailed yesterday's house vote to resume aid to his embattled nation, calling it a

side of unwavering u.s. support for ukraine, and the ukrainian people. other western leaders also welcome that $61 billion aid package. german chancellor olaf scholz called it a "strong signal." polish prime minister donald tusk said the much delayed funding is "better late than too late." the kremlin, on the other hand, said it would "further ruin ukraine and result in the deaths of even more ukrainians." on nbc's meet the press today, zelensky said that the new weapons will give his fighters a "chance for victory." >> we really need to get to the final point. we need to get it approved by the senate, and then we want to get things as fast as possible so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the front line as soon as possible, not in another six months, so that they will be able to move ahead.

john: senate approval and president biden's signature are both widely expected in the coming days -- both are necessary before the desperately needed aid can start flowing. palestinian health officials said 22 people died today in israeli strikes on rafah in southern gaza. 18 of the dead were children. israel has bombarded rafah from the air almost daily. they say they are targeting hamas terrorists. israeli officials say a ground offensive there is still in the works, despite international calls for restraint. the hamas-run gaza health ministry says the palestinian death toll since the war began has surpassed 34,000. and roman gabriel has died. he was one the leading pro quarterbacks of the 1960s and 70s. he played 16 seasons in the nfl for the los angeles rams and philadelphia eagles. he was voted m.v.p. in 1969, the year he led the league in touchdown passes. gabriel was the first filipino-american nfl quarterback. in retirement, gabriel worked as a broadcaster, coached, and dabbled in acting, appearing on such tv shows as gilligan's island and wonder woman. roman gabriel was 83 years old.

stl to come on pbs news weekend, what's at stake for the unhoused across the country in monday's supreme court case. and how montana city is one grappling with the issue of homeless people living in cars and rv's. >> this is the "pbs newshour weekend" from weta studios in washington, and in the west, from the walter cronkite school of journalism at arizona state university. john: among the western leaders welcoming yesterday's house approval of ukraine aid was nato secretary general jens stoltenberg. he tweeted: "this makes us all safer, in europe & north america." earlier i spoke with stoltenberg from nato headquarters in brussels. i asked him what effect the aid will have on the war.

>> the u.s. decision we saw on saturday is big and it will be important. and it will make a difference on the ground and are absolutely confident that the u.s. will be able to get, support to, to the battlefield, to the frontlines, and then, of course, the delay quickly. has had a, consequence, because the ukrainians have been totally outgunned. and we have seen also how the, russian missiles, drones have been able to hit the more and more, ukrainian targets because, the ukraine's had too little air defee. if you look at the numbers, canada and european allies, they are non-us allies. since the start of the war they have provided roughly half of the total military support, which is substantial. if you add economic support to ukraine and humanitarian support and the aquatic -- economic cost

of hosting millions of ukraine refugees, the reality is that european allies are paying a much higher economic price for the war in ukraine's than the united states. this is burden sharing. and that is what we should do. john: friday you said, we are talking about patriot missile batteries that ukraine had asked for, they say they desperately need them. you said that there are some nato allies that could provide them. why have they not already been sent? why haven't they been sent before? >> first of all a nato allies , have provided patriot batteries, but also, many other types of air defense systems. nato defense ministers met on friday together with president zelenskyy and made it very clear that we need to do even more.

we are also engaging with the defense industry and from the nato side to make sure they can do whatever they can to ramp up production on new systems and to ensure we can refurbish all systems. this is not only about having batteries, they also need ammunition and batteries where we are working with batteries and ammunition as fast as possible to get to ukraine. john: during the congressional debate yesterday a number of opponents of the aid to ukraine said this is a european problem, which also sort of tracks along with donald's isolationism. what do you say to them? >> isn't the security interests of the u.s. that ukraine prevails. because if putin wins in ukraine it will be a tragedy for ukraine but also will send a clear

message that when putin uses military force and violates international law, he gets what he wants. all the world then becomes more vulnerable. john: what is your assessment of the situation on the ground? there was talk that ukraine could lose the war this year. >> it is a difficult situation partly caused by the delays in provision of ammunition and weapons from the united states, but today i think we should just be glad and welcome the very important decision that was taken saturday. the u.s. support will make a difference. by nature, it was a very unpredictable. but we need to be prepared for the long haul. and therefore, it is important that now we are discussing not only short-term support, but also we can establish a more institutionalized nato framework

around the support to have more predictable, robust support long-term and a long-term funding. that will send the message to putin that he cannot wait us out and will increase the possibility of some kind of negotiated solution. john: would you support ukraine striking inside russia to pressure them and to raise the cost to russia of waging this war? >> we have to remember what this is. a war of aggression. one country attacks another country, invades them with tanks and planes and soldiers. according to international law, the victim aggression -- the victim of aggression has the right to self-defense and we have the right to support them without becoming part of the conflict. the right to self-defense includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets outside ukraine. it's not for nato to decide, but the reality ishat ukraine has the right to defend themselves. that includes also destroying

military targets outside ukraine. john: do they have the capability to do that? >> we have seen that they have been quite capable of conducting deep strikes against different russian military capabilities behind the lines. in particular, they have been able to sink a large number of russian ships, combat vessels in the black sea. so the ukrainians have been able to open a corridor in the black sea to ship out grain. we need to remember the war started in february 2022. most experts feared that ukraine would collapse within weeks and that did not happen. ukrainians have the skills, commitment to prevail.

we need to provide the military equipment to them. john: president zelenskyy was on newshour last week and he talked lot about the role that russian propaganda has played in this fight. there are a number of nato allies who have important elections this year, not just the u.s. how big a threat is the possibility of this sort of russian battling in those elections on what can nato do about it? >> we need to be very aware of the risk of disinformation. russia attempts to manipulate, meddle in our political process in our countries. but i actually believe that the best way to counter this information is the truth. but truth will prevail. to ensure that we need a free and independent press journalists who are going -- who are doing the job and checking the resources. in democracies there will be different views and discussions,

different opinions. but as long as we have open debate with a free and independent press i am certain we can be resilient against any attempt from russia to undermine our democratic institutions. john: [00:037]nato secretary-general jens stoltenberg, thank you very much for your time. tomorrow, the supreme court is to hear arguments on whether laws limiting homeless encampments are unconstitutional because they punish people for being homeless. the case is about laws in grants pass, oregon, a city of about 40,000 in the southwest corner of the state. but the outcome could reshape policies nationwide for years to come. charley willison teaches public health at cornell university. she's the author of “ungoverned and out of sight: public health and the political crisis of homelessness in the united states.” the filings for the case, these laws are about public health and public safety. the homeless people who brought the case say it is about pushing

homeless people out, forcing them to go move someplace else. what is your take on that. >> this is really getting out the deep tension american cities face when thinking about how to -- this is such an important question, and what this case is really getting at is a deep tension that american cities face when thinking about how to respond to homelessness across the country, but especially in west coast cities that have very limited shelter capacity and are also in the midst of a housing crisis. and these two tensions that i'd like to emphasize are that cities generally use much more punitive policies, these criminalization approaches that are at the heart of johnson versus grants pass to effectively push people who are experiencing homelessness for behaviors that are associated with the realities of homelessness.

now, importantly, the use of these punitive policies actually facilitates cycles of homelessness and does not effectively end homelessness, while the alternative addressing homelessness through the use of more housing as well as housing paired with access to social and medical services, does successfully end homelessness. however, we have seen cities across the united states have much less emphasis on the use of housing and supportive services compared to these punitive policies that are at the heart of this case. john: but at the same time, these camping bans are really spreading. just this spring, governor desantis in florida signed a ban statewide banning camping in public places. but you say this really doesn't help homelessness. does it hurt it? charley willison: so these camping bans and other broadly punitive responses, again, where we see people who are experiencing homelessness being either fined through civil penalties or criminalized through criminal penalties for realities associated with homelessness, whether it is sleeping in public, sitting down in public, eating in public, things like this do actually promote cycles of homelessness. the florida law that is in question is a ban on camping. however, it is also using an

interim solution where there are temporary shelters and that will hopefully be used, as opposed to criminalizing people. so banning cping as opposed to incarcerating people or fining people, directing people into temporary shelters which appear to be sanctioned camping sites. john: what about the purpose of the ballot proposal that narrowly passed in california this year that directs counties to spend more money on housing programs and on drug treatment programs? will that help? will that make a difference? charley willison: proposition 1 in california, which passed just about a month ago raises the issue of the housing crisis itself and the need for west coast cities in particular, but especially cities across the united states, to enge in more housing based solutions, which are the only solution that effectively successfully ends homelessness across the country

having these investments. and in california, especially where there are by far very limited or far more limited shelter and housing opportunities compared to other east coast cities, for example, having more accountability where cities are required to spend a certain proportion of their budgets on housing will likely help improve the situation. and it requires cities to engage in these evidence based policies, which are far more effective. john: from your perspective, what's the public health issue or what's the public health effect implications of homelessness? charley willison: there are many, many grave public health effects of homelessness. if we think about homelessness in general, people experiencing homelessness, whether it is short term or long term, face far greater morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. both short-term and long-term. for example, we know that people who are experiencing sheltered homelessness, so this is when they don't have to sleep outside, they have a place to

go, their mortality rates are about three times higher than the general population. whereas people who are experienci unsheltered homelessness, which is the population that is at the heart of this court case, have mortality rates that are about ten times higher than the general population. so when we're thinking about population health, homelessness is absolutely a public health problem because of the gravend dire consequences for people and their health in these ways. john: in your view, what's at stake in this case? charley willison: there are many things at stake in this case, but i would say probably the most important thing is, again, going back to this tension where cities have placed a l of very robust resources in these punitive responses to homelessness. now, if they are allowed to continue to do this, the question will be whether or not cities will be incentivized to create these alternative solutions using housing paired with social and medical services, which we know actually

successfully ends homelessness. however, if the court rules in favor of johnson, i think this is a very big opportunity for cities to engage in these evidence-based solutions and make investments, especially in west coast cities where they have not previously done so, so that we may actually successfully reduce and end homelessness. john: charley willison of cornell university, thank you very much. charley willison: thank you so much. ♪ john: in some cities with growing numbers of homeless people, the issue goes beyond encampments in public places. they're also coping with more people living in cars and rv's parked on city streets. montana pbs' joe lesar reports on how city leaders in bozeman, montana, are dealing with the tensions brought on by this more visible display of homelssness.

>> i will tell you, man, you have to have thick skin out here. >> the window broke out. it is completely gone. joe steve and belinda ankney : have been living in their trailer on the streets of bozeman for the past three years. >> we take plates around, or if people are having a hard time and they're not eating they'll stop by and ask if we can help in any way. joe the rising cost of living has only compounded issues they've been facing for years. >> i was raised with the drugs, i was raised with the alcohol. it's all i knew. joe both have struggled with : addiction. belinda works full time at a restaurant, but health issues made worse by inconsistent access to care have affected steven's ability to work.

belinda: one of the biggest misconceptions is that we want to be here and we are not trying to get out. joe: belinda's legal troubles add another barrier to securing housing. belinda: the mental health issues, the drug issues, in and out of incarceration, not getting the right help, not being on the right meds. joe: urban camping, as it's been named, has increased by 200% in the last 2 years, according to city officials. it's a growing issue that's increasingly dividing bozeman. >> if bozeman is too expensive to live in, choose another place to live. >> it feels more like a warzone with all this housing crisis and no solution to anything. >> bozeman doe't owe anybody anything. >> i've never been in a city where there's so much conflict over this homelessness thing. joe: to tackle this growing issue, bozeman recently implemented a new ordinance limiting camping in the same spot to 30 days, with the option of filing for an extension. there are rules about keeping camps clean, and after three warnings, $25 civil penalties

will be issued. if unsanitary conditions continue, the city can clear a camp 72 hours after giving notice. but some are criticizing city leaders for putting too much of a burden on the unhoused. others feel they are being too lenient. mayor terry cunningham says the rules about where camping will be allowed will help make the situation more manageable. >> you cannot be parked in front of a business. you cannot be parked in front of a school, child care facility, residence, etc. so narrowing the areas that it is acceptable to camp in front of is important so we can get some level of predictability and control. joe: but many camps are already in compliance with those rules. a group of businesses are suing the city, alleging that it is refusing to enforce existing laws within the homeless encampments.

andrew hinnenkamp runs one of the businesses involved in the lawsuit. andrew: early on, we had some theft of services on the property. we had a little bit of a harassment interaction with an employee and one of the individuals. >> homelessness has always been on the radar. this with urban camping come up more cars, this is a recent phenomon. joe: because of the generators, new model cars and tv antennas, there's a sentiment in bozeman that people are choosing to camp in order to save money on housing. city officials acknowledge that some people are doing that, and will be asked to move on. but -- move on. but figuring out who those people are comes with challenges. >> one of the difficulties is having that discussion and asking, why are you currently homeless? they are not required to provide us with that information and are often uncomfortable answering that type of question.

joe: the population of people experiencing homelessness in bozeman has increased by 50% since 2020. and the groups providing services to this growing population have struggled to meet the demand. >> as a result of covid, there was this big uptick in demand and there was this outpouring of support, and now the outpouring of support has dropped off. but the demand has stayed up at this level and the resources are very insufficient to meet the need. joe: heather greiner, who runs the nonprofit human resource development council, says her organization's caseload is at capacity, and there are not many alternatives available. heather: it's remarkably difficult because there's no pathway for us to help them, there's no housing, there's no rental assistance to help them get into a housing unit, even if there were a housing unit, there's no transitional housing. joe: usage of hrdc's overnight shelter has nearly doubled since 2019. some of that need should be eased when their new 24/7 overnight shelter opens, but that's not expected until next year.

grenier believes this newer, more visible form of homelessness has caused a shift in attitudes arounbozeman. heather: just the general sentiment that everyone deserves a safe, warm place to sleep is not -- doesn't really resonate with everyone anymore. belinda: are weut? are we out for real? stephen: no, it is heating up. i don't know. joe: caught between a lack of services and a frustrated community are people like steven and belinda. stephen: there are good people in bozeman. it is just overshadowed, the ugly overshadows the good. we are having the struggles and we are having these problems.

but we are going to make it to the other side. joe: for pbs news weekend, i'm joe lesar in bozeman, montana. ♪ john: that is pbs news weekend for this sunday. i'm john yang. for all of my colleagues, thank you for joining us. have a good week. >> certified financial planner professionals are proud to support pbs news weekend. more information at letsmakeaplan.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. ♪

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