April 7, 2024 - PBS News Weekend full episode

JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, as the women's college basketball tournament wraps up why women's sports are reaching new heights and popularity and revenue, then how one community is working to preserve its mid-century architecture and the history behind it.

WOMAN: These buildings act as living textbooks to help us understand the progression of time and because they endure for so long.

I see very little reason why they shouldn't endure much longer for future generations.

JOHN YANG: And the projected economic boon as millions of people traveled to see Monday's total eclipse of the sun.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

It was six months ago today that the brutal of hostile attack on southern Israel triggered the war in Gaza.

Today Israel set it's pulling some of its troops out of southern Gaza, which has been the center of military operations for the last few months.

The move brings the Israeli presence in Gaza down to one of the lowest levels of the conflict.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in the area where the troops spent the last four months, Hamas is no longer what he called a functioning military unit.

Other Israeli officials cautioned against reading too much into the move about the future of the war.

On ABC this week, White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby echoed that view.

JOHN KIRBY, White House National Security Spokesperson: It is really just about rest and refit for these troops that have been on the ground for four months and not necessarily that we can tell indicative of some coming new operation for these troops.

They've been on the ground for four months.

The word we're getting is they're tired they need to be refit.

JOHN YANG: Fears of a wider regional conflict was stoked today when a top Iranian military adviser said no Israeli embassy is safe.

That's after last week's strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus, blamed on Israel that killed several Iranian generals.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is prepared for anything.

Russia has declared a national emergency as the Ural River has flooded causing a dam to break near the Kazakh border.

Rising waters of force more than 4,000 people from their homes and officials say the situation is getting worse.

Russia has launched a criminal investigation into the construction of the dam.

In Kigali, Rwanda, somber ceremonies marked 30 years since an estimated 800,000 people were killed by government backed extremists.

Bill Clinton, the U.S. president at the time, joined African and Western leaders to lay wreaths in light of memorial flan.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the international community's inaction allow the genocide of ethnic Tutsis at the hands of Hutu extremists.

And there's finally a winning Powerball ticket.

It was sold in Oregon and is worth $1.3 billion.

That jackpot built up over a record time 41 straight drawings without a winner.

If taken as a lump sum rather than paid out over 30 years, the haul would be $621 million.

That is, of course before taxes.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend.

What's behind the effort to protect a style of architecture in Phoenix and how it clips tourism is brightening the economies of some small towns.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Interested in women's sports has never been higher than it's been this past week during the NCAA women's basketball tournament, which ends today, at least two of the games were the most watched women's basketball games ever, more viewers even than last year's World Series or NBA Finals.

Earlier, I talked about what's behind this boom in women's sports with Claire Watkins, she's hosted the podcast, the late sub for the website, Just Women's Sports.

Claire, we've seen such a growth in the popularity and even revenue for women's sports in the last few years, what's behind this boom?

CLAIRE WATKINS, Just Women's Sport: Yeah, I think it's twofold.

I think we're seeing investment off of the field off of the court, where people are realizing that this is an opportunity, not only on the business end, but also just in that we're seeing the rise of the parity in sports themselves.

I think if you look, for example, at the NCAA tournament this year, we're seeing rising parity in the league or across the NCAA.

And that is turning into more local and national interest.

And we're also just seeing larger media properties like ESPN seeing this as a valuable part of their assets.

And so we're seeing more investment in making women's sports more accessible as well.

JOHN YANG: You're talking about parity, there doesn't seem to be interest parity between the men's tournament, the women's tournament this year seems that there's a lot more excitement, a lot more interest in the women's tournament.

Why do you think that is?

CLAIRE WATKINS: Some of it is just purely logistical.

I think in some ways, it's the norm in women's basketball for players to stay for an entire four years.

So for example, if you have a really exciting freshman like, for example, Paige Becker's four years ago, or Caitlin Clark, four years ago, they stay at those programs for their entire college career.

So you get attached to them.

And those jerseys, you get local fan bases get attached to these players.

And so I think the iconography of women's college basketball has more opportunity to grow or surrounding players themselves, than perhaps we see in the men's game with the more one and done structure.

JOHN YANG: Since 2022 the women's tournament has had 68 teams just like the men's tournament, do you think that has had any effect on the quality of play?

CLAIRE WATKINS: Absolutely.

I'm a big believer that more programming raises parity throughout.

I think you see this, not only in college sports, but also in professional sports.

So I think if you give the greater opportunities, if you treat it like that premier event that it deserves to be treated as and you give more schools an opportunity to participate in it, that encourages those schools to then invest in their programs recruit a little bit deeper, it encourages players to maybe not chase certain schools and maybe stay closer to home.

And so those greater opportunities to play on the big stage or to do go to the big dance, I do think makes a huge impact in seeing higher talent levels further to the fringes of the sport.

JOHN YANG: It also seems like the women's game has evolved.

Over the years, you're seeing more three-point shots, you're seeing more physical play, you're seeing more on court taunting sort of getting more like the men's game used to be, do you think that's a factor to the rise of the popularity?

CLAIRE WATKINS: Absolutely.

I mean, basketball is a personality driven sport.

It's one of the most personality driven sports that we have in this country.

And again, once you get to know these players, and they get to know each other, and the women's college game is a little bit more based in traditional post play, you do see players drive to the rim, you see big blocks, maybe like a past era of what we saw in the men's game, and it does it drives competition, we're seeing these players be encouraged to express themselves.

And this is a big deal, right?

Like as you do see more investment into the sport, there are high stakes and you're seeing players respond to that as well.

JOHN YANG: You're talking about more investment into the sport, you know, 2021 the picture of the women's weight room at the NCAA tournament compared to the men's wait room went viral.

The NCAA wouldn't until then wouldn't allow the term March Madness to be used with a women's tournament.

Do you think you're going to see colleges and schools put more money into women's programs now?

CLAIRE WATKINS: I would like to think so.

I mean, as we know, college athletics is in sort of a state of flux every year right now.

I do think NIL opportunities have changed the commercial viability of women's sports dramatically.

I think a lot of that is being done outside of traditional avenues.

I mean, I think we see a lot of brands investing in these players, we're seeing a reach on social media that has an impact for these players.

I would like to think that that will be followed by further and traditional investment from athletic departments.

But I think there's so much in flux, just with NCAA sports in general, that it's a lot of wait and see.

But I do think again, when you see -- are seeing the output and you're seeing the exponential growth of not only popularity, but just the quality of play.

I would like to think that that's encouraging to see more traditional resources.

Absolutely.

JOHN YANG: Talking about the exponential growth.

What do you see as the future in the next few years or even beyond for women sports?

CLAIRE WATKINS: Oh my gosh.

I mean, I think what we're seeing in terms of television numbers will only go up.

I think we're seeing obviously a rising tide, I think in sports in general.

And people are really excited about new properties.

And I think it's underrated just how young women's sports are in terms of traditional leagues.

Or in that, like we said that traditional march madness for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament is so new, you're going to see allegiances get built lifelong fandoms.

You're going to see people respond to women's sports less like something they're being introduced to, and more like something that they've always had in their lives.

And I think that's just going to continue to grow up this in this equity space, versus what's been pretty overpowered by men's sports traditionally, JOHN YANG: Claire Watkins hosted the podcast The Late Sub, thank you very much.

CLAIRE WATKINS: Of course, thanks for having me.

JOHN YANG: Some see older buildings as revered artifacts that have stood the test of time.

Others see them as occupying sites that could be used for new development.

Ali Rogin went to one place where that tension is playing out Phoenix which is a rich source of one specific style of architecture.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): In the Valley of the Sun, nature's gifts abound, so to do manmade treasures that help tell the story of postwar America.

Phoenix is a trove of mid-century modern architecture style that mirrored the optimism of America after soldiers returned home from World War II.

Designs focused on function, creative use of materials and a connection to nature.

ALISON KING, Modern Phoenix: It's what we call desert architecture.

ALI ROGIN: Alison King is a professor of design history and runs Modern Phoenix, an archive and community for enthusiasts of mid century modernism.

ALI ROGIN: Why is Phoenix such a hub for mid-century modern architecture?

ALISON KING: Well, this really was the land of opportunity in the post war era.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): In the 40s, more than a million young men trained for deployment at military bases throughout Arizona.

After the war, many of those GIs returned, drawn by cheap land and a warm climate.

And it was two of those out of town servicemen, Al Beadle and Ralph Haver, who became the architectural founding fathers of Phoenix, ALISON KING: they saw a lot of opportunity for growth, as well as for business.

And so many of these architects were part of the pattern of growth of our city to help build the civic buildings, the schools, the banks, the infrastructure, and of course, most importantly, the housing to house these people.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): When Beadle executive towers condo building opened in 1963, it was the tallest in Arizona, billed as vertical living for the upwardly mobile.

ROBRT PELA, Writer: It's the Frigidaire flair.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): Writer Robrt Pela tried not to change a thing in his unit, including the appliances.

ROBRT PELA: When you buy an old building, I think you're beholden to honor it.

Because if we continue to rip down our visual heritage, our architectural history, we will never have any character.

ALI ROGIN: In Phoenix and around the country, you'll find Mid Century Modern enthusiast who are passionate about protecting these buildings.

But there's another school of thought that believes sometimes preservation impedes progress.

ADAM MILLSAP, Stand Together Trust: It can restrict the growth of that area, increase the price of housing and make it difficult for neighborhoods and communities to adapt as the situation around them changes.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): So economist Adam Millsap is a senior fellow at Stan Together Trust, a philanthropic organization funded by billionaire Charles Koch, he says he's not opposed to all historic preservation.

ADAM MILLSAP: I think it's more about how it can be misused.

But I think that's where you run into problems and you just start preserving things for a variety of reasons that don't necessarily have to do with preserving history but might be done for other purposes.

ALISON KING: We're in Marlin Grove, which was designed by Ralph Haver in the mid-1950s.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over) Alison King says not every piece of modern architecture can or should be saved.

But she and other preservationists believe Arizona's laws make it harder to protect historic buildings.

That includes a 2006 measure that strengthened the rights of property owners when faced with government attempts to take private property for public use what's known as eminent domain.

ALISON KING: It's not always easy to convince property owners that what they have is worth putting on some sort of register to afford it protection.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): King and her peers have had some high profile victories.

In 2012 they blocked a developer from tearing down a home built by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright for his son demonstrating in front of the house and convincing the city to delay demolition.

MAN: Right now at six trying to preserve Arizona history this mid-century modern home could be demolished.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): King's latest challenge saving white gates and iconic Beadle home never designated as historic.

Its new owner intends to build an entirely new house but there's hon demolition until mid-April.

King and her community are trying to convince the owner to sell.

ALISON KING: These buildings act as living textbooks to help us understand the progression of time and because they endure for so long, I see very little reason why they shouldn't endure much longer for future generations.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): That's what architect Tyler Sternberg and his wife Vanessa had in mind for their Ralph Haver design home.

Haver's trademark was mass produced but customizable dwellings perfect for the post war baby boom.

TYLER STERNBERG, Architect and homeowner: We kind of had a couple kids right when we bought this house and we knew we needed to grow a little bit more.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): In the 1950's Haver hoods were marketed as middle class mechas.

ALISON KING: What's so cool about Haver homes is you can tinker with them.

Maybe they were they were designed that way because they were so modest in the beginning, the idea was to let families grow into them.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): But not all families are welcome.

Some homes were advertised as highly restricted code for whites only.

The deeds to many historic Phoenix homes still have those restrictions, which some homeowners have tried to expunge.

But experts like Rashad Shabazz believe that history should remain exposed.

RASHAD SHABAZZ, Arizona State University: Retaining these restrictive covenants in the deeds are a reminder of Arizona's relatively recent history around racism that is really imbued into the housing market.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): Shabazz is a Professor of Geography and African American Studies at Arizona State University, the deed to his home has a restrictive covenant.

RASHAD SHABAZZ: 50 or so years ago, I couldn't have moved here with my family, and other black and brown people couldn't have moved into this neighborhood.

It really helps us to see how deeply institutionalize it is.

But it's also a reminder of how close we are to it.

ALISON KING: I think that it's important that we as citizens feel tied to the roots of our city and understand the story of how our city developed.

And as well, many of these works of architecture are actually works of art.

CRAIG DEMARCO, Upward Projects: He was glamorous to walk down the stairs.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): There's no mistaking the artistry inside the office of Upward Projects, a restaurant group located in the Phoenix financial center, designed in the mid-60s for a booming banking industry.

CRAIG DEMARCO: When we were looking for office space really wanted something architecturally relevant to go with our adaptive reuse style of the way we do business.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): Like Phoenix's mythical namesake, the process of adaptive reuse creates new structures from the remains of the old and 2001 co-founders, Craig and Chris DiMarco started that process inside an old post office.

CRAIG DEMARCO: We fell in love with the architecture, the age of the building, the neighborhood that surrounded it and giving it a second life.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): The post office reopened as Postino, a wine bar that since grown to 25 locations across six states at 40 years old Postino's original site was hardly historic.

CRAIG DEMARCO: I think as time has gone on, people have realized they are special they need to be preserved.

They need to be celebrated and recognized.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): And like the wines on the menu with Postino, preservationist say these buildings will only get better with time.

ALISON KING: Architecture is shelter, essentially.

And the way that we shelter each other and take care of each other is a symbol of the story of who we are as humans.

ALI ROGIN (voice-over): For PBS News Weekend, I'm Ali Rogin in Phoenix.

JOHN YANG: Tomorrow the moon will slip between the Earth and the Sun, casting a shadow that will cut across North America from Mazatlan on Mexico's Pacific Coast to Newfoundland on Canada's Atlantic coast.

Communities along that path hope it will be a bright spot for hotels, restaurants and gas stations, as people flocked to them to experience this rare event.

By some estimates, eclipse tourism could generate as much as a billion and a half dollars.

One place that's drawing attention is Oklahoma.

And that's where communities reporter Adam Kemp is based.

Adam where in Oklahoma will a total eclipse be seen.

ADAM KEMP: Totality will cross a pretty narrow path across the southeastern corner of Oklahoma, covering the area and darkness for about four and a half minutes.

You know, most people might think of Oklahoma as you know open plains and farmland but this area of the states pretty different.

It's very lush forests, lakes, rivers, streams and a lot of hiking trails, which is kind of making it an ideal spot for people looking to experience the eclipse in some nature.

JOHN YANG: What effect is that having on that corner of the state?

ADAM KEMP: Yeah, experts are expecting a financial boon for the area basically.

The Oklahoma Department of Tourism has already come out to say they expect a $7 million impact for each day of the weekend and the eclipse day itself.

Really kind of benefiting that area.

I talked to the Marriott of Hoja town Oklahoma which is a popular weekend getaway spot.

They have more than 2400 rental properties in the area and right now more than 95 percent of those are booked out.

Those rooms and rental rates are going upwards of 400 to $500 a night.

And I even talked to some local businesses who are selling their parking spots off to for people just to sit during the day of they're going for $100 for the day.

So a financial boon for these areas for sure.

JOHN YANG: And I would also imagine a lot more people than normal are going to be in that corner of Oklahoma.

What are officials doing to prepare for the crowds?

ADAM KEMP: Experts say 70,000 people are expected to visit the area upwards of that.

And that's more than double what this area would see on a really busy holiday weekend.

Because of that the state and city officials have really been planning for this for months now.

The Oklahoma National Guard has been called out to be on guard during that time, they will be stationed to handle both crowd control and traffic which is expected to be really horrible as this area is mainly just two lane highways.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol will also send 100 officers down to the area to be on standby.

Beyond that, local businesses are actually asking employees to spend the night the night before just in case they can't get to work the day of the eclipse due to this bad traffic.

And city officials are saying, you know, pack your patience.

Make sure that you have full tank of gas that you are bringing plenty of perishable food and water with you just in case you're in your car for an extended period of time.

JOHN YANG: You know over the years, there's been a lot of folklore and legends connected and relating to eclipses.

I know there are a sizable Native American population in Oklahoma is there any folklore among them?

ADAM KEMP: The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma actually is a big swath of this area of totality.

And ahead of the eclipse, they've been telling a story that they say dates back to their ancestors on the Trail of Tears.

It's about a Fvni Lusa.

It's a giant black squirrel that attempts to eat the sun but is scared away by the Choctaw people who are get out there and bang pots and pans as well as firing off of guns.

The Choctaw Nation has actually been telling the story ahead of the eclipse and I talked to Dawn Standridge of the Choctaw Nation just about what it means to have people come visit and to be able to share their culture with people from across the US.

DAWN STANDIRGE, Wheelock Academy History Site: It's exciting for us to be able to have all these individuals coming from everywhere to learn about Choctaw history in the midst of this eclipse.

Yes, we're going to tell about the squirrel and what our beliefs were around that.

But it's also telling us, you know, how our people got here from Mississippi, Alabama, you know what they had to endure.

So being able to impart that history to them as well, that's, you know, we are excited about it.

We're looking forward to it.

ADAM KEMP: And on the day of eclipse, they actually plan on telling that story and encouraging people to bring their own pots and pans.

JOHN YANG: So Adam, I know this is not your first Total Eclipse I believe it's at least your second but what are you going to be doing tomorrow?

ADAM KEMP: I'm actually going to head down to the Choctaw Nation.

I want to experience that myself.

I'm going to be at one of the historic sites listen to the story of Fvni Lusa and really experienced that the weather right now is projected to be really nice.

Not a lot of cloud cover in the area so I might have to bring my pots and pans with me.

JOHN YANG: Okay, have fun Adam Kemp in Oklahoma Thank you very much.

ADAM KEMP: Thanks.

JOHN YANG: Finally tonight, an annual gathering of global cruciate verbalist, people who love to solve crossword puzzles.

Nearly 1,000 of them are gathered in Connecticut this weekend for the 46th annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

Will Shortz has been the New York Times crossword editor for more than 30 years.

He started the event in 1978.

This year's competition drew the biggest crowd yet.

Over two days solvers race to complete eight specially created puzzles.

The fastest and most accurate among them took home a grand prize of $7,500 and bragging rights to last a lifetime.

This year's champion solver 23 year old Paulo Pasco, a first time winner, he completed the final puzzle in just five minutes and 42 seconds without a single mistake.

An update for you, South Carolina beaten Iowa 87-75 to win the women's college basketball national championship.

It's their third title and caps an undefeated season.

Now online while millions are preparing for tomorrow's total solar eclipse, scientists are using the celestial event to learn more about the sun.

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

And that is PBS News Weekend for this Sunday.

On Monday, millions of people prepare for the total eclipse of the sun, the likes of which we won't see for another 20 years.

I'm John Yang.

For all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us.

Have a good week.