JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, smoke# from raging Canadian wildfires drifts into the## United States, triggering air quality warnings# across the upper Midwest.

Then, how lawmakers## across the country are trying to rein in citizen# led ballot initiatives.

And we follow a group of## rehabilitated seals making their way back# into the sea off the coast of Rhode Island.

WOMAN: It's so important to protect# the species because prior to the 1970s,## the populations were almost completely decimated.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.# Poor air quality warnings have been## posted in the upper Midwest advising# people with heart or lung disease,## older adults and pregnant people to# limit outdoor activities.

The reason## is wildfires burning in western Canada,# some of them hundreds of miles away.

Meteorologists say that this weekend# the smoke and the fine particulate## matter it carries could reach Oklahoma,# Tennessee and Arkansas.

Chris Foltz is## a National Weather Service Central# Region fire weather program manager.

CHRIS FOLTZ, National Weather Service:# The smoke is being lofted into the air## and with the weather pattern that's in place# right now, we've got an area of low pressure## basically just east of Hudson Bay over the# Great Lakes, which is bringing that air south.

We also have a ridge of high pressure over the# Western U.S. which is kind of helping to funnel## that smoke from Canada down through the northern# plains and into the middle Mississippi Valley.

JOHN YANG: Earlier I spoke with Matthew Cappucci,## meteorologist at MyRadar.

I asked him# about the health risks from the smoke.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI, Senior Meteorologist,# MyRadar: Well, there are two things I## think folks are most likely noticing.

Number one,# .. we call it PM 2.5 down at ground level, that's# dangerous for elderly vulnerable populations.## That's a big concern over parts of the upper# Midwest, obviously Canada, where the wildfires## are originating, but across North Dakota, across# much of Minnesota, the entire state of Minnesota## under an air quality alert right now, which will# likely be pushed into early next week, parts of## Michigan north of Chicago and in Wisconsin, a lot# of folks of the upper Midwest and Great Lakes.

Now, when the smoke is up high, causing changes# to the light, it's harmless.

But down near the## surface, when we're breathing it in, it's really# bad.

It's like if you were sitting next to a## campfire and breathing that in, you wouldn't want# to do that.

If I were in North Dakota right now,## I'd be turning off my air conditioning and# only circulating the air inside my home.

JOHN YANG: So the danger and the threat is the## same hundreds of miles away as if# you were sitting next to that fire.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: Yeah, most definitely.# Unless we're really ventilating the atmosphere,## taking what's down low and sort# of diffusing it higher aloft,## then we still have those high concentrations# at the surface.

We're seeing over 200 on the## air quality scale.

Anything over 50 is bad, but# over 200 in parts of North Dakota right now.

And my fear is that as these fires continue# to burn, we're just adding more smoke to the## atmosphere and it can surf these jet stream# winds in the upper atmosphere down over North## America.

You know, back in 2023, we saw the# smoke reach all the way down to New York City,## turning the skies orange as far south# as like Tennessee Valley.

I don't think,## at least initially, it will# get that bad farther south,## but still over the northern tier, we could# see some very high end impacts with this.

JOHN YANG: And talk a little bit about the air## quality index.

What does it# take to trigger an advisory?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: It all has to do with# the concentrations of how much of that## particulate matter is in the atmosphere.

The# denser the concentrations, the higher the## number goes.

Anytime I'm seeing numbers around# 200, that's the point where you can smell and## you can taste the smoke in the air.

Your eyes# might start to sting, your throat might hurt a## little bit.

And especially for those vulnerable# populations, it's a really significant hazard.

JOHN YANG: You talked about# turning off the air conditioning,## that ventilation could bring it into your house.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: Yeah, anything folks can do# to eliminate essentially outside air coming## in is what I would really recommend.

We hate# to say it, but those N95 masks from the COVID## era could come in handy because once again, the# smoke is made up of these fine little particulates## that you don't want to be breathing in.

If you# have to go outside in the affected areas, that's## a really good thing to sort of put one protective# layer between you and the air you're breathing in.

JOHN YANG: And once again, just to remind# people, when there's an air quality advisory,## are there particular people who# need to be especially careful?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: Anybody# with preexisting conditions,## the elderly, those with respiratory# conditions, underlying conditions,## children especially vulnerable to infants,# babies, and then sort of after everyone else,## middle aged folks too.

But, but really, you# know, when the air quality gets as bad as it## is over parts of the Northern plains in the upper# Midwest right now, that's dangerous for anybody.

JOHN YANG: What are Canadian officials# saying about how significant these fires are?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: They're sort of sounding the# alarm, they're sort of peaking their scales right## now.

For example, Alberta and Ontario are under# an extreme risk of wildfires.

That's verbiage## rarely used by Environment Canada.

That's the# equivalent up there of the National Weather## Service in the U.S. and to sort of max out,# the scale says this is a higher end event.

Likewise, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire# center has drawn up a level five out of five.## They're basically saying all systems# go in terms of combating and fighting## these fires.

They're allocating# all the resources they have to.

When they sort of max out these scales,# that's a sign of a really significant## event underway.

And we're still so early in# the summer.

We're just getting into June now.## This is something we more typically see# later into June, into early July.

So I## do fear this could be another bad fire# season for our neighbors to the north.

And one thing we're noting,# you know, with climate change,## we're seeing sort of a tendency for these heat# domes, these blocking bridges of hot, high## pressure to last a little longer, be a little# stronger, be a little bigger and more stubborn.## And that's sort of tilting the# scales to higher end fire events.

JOHN YANG: Matthew Cappucci of# MyRadar, thank you very much.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: Thank you.

JOHN YANG: In tonight's other news, global# reaction to a surprise tariff announcement## from President Trump.

During a rally at# a Pennsylvania steel mill Friday night,## the president said he was# doubling levies on imported steel.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. President: We are going to be# imposing a 25 percent increase.

We're going to## bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent the tariffs# on steel into the United States of America, which## will even further secure the steel industry in the# United States.

Nobody's going to get around that.

JOHN YANG: Later, Mr. Trump posted on social# media that beginning Wednesday he'll also## impose tariffs on aluminum.

The European# Union said it strongly regrets the move## and is prepared to impose countermeasures.

Canada# said tariffs will harm North American security.

In Ukraine, Russia launched drone and missile# attacks ahead of a fresh round of peace talks.## The overnight strikes killed at least two# people, including a nine year old girl in## the frontline Zaporizhzhia region.

The# deadly attacks came ahead of peace talks## set for Monday in Istanbul.

It's not clear yet# whether a Ukrainian delegation will be there.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of U.S.# Senators met with President Volodymyr## Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday.

Republican# Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat## Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut# discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia,## which Graham said he expects# Congress to act on next week.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed Indo# Pacific allies to increase defense spending## as tensions with China rise.

At an# Asia security summit in Singapore,## Hegseth said China poses a cyber threat# to critical infrastructure in the United## States and around the world.

And he warned# China not to try to take Taiwan militarily.

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. Secretary of Defense: Any# attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by## force would result in devastating consequences# for the Indo-Pacific and the world.

There's no## reason to sugarcoat it.

The threat China poses# is real and it could be imminent.

We hope not,## but it certainly could be.

JOHN YANG: China's defense minister# didn't attend the conference,## citing the ongoing U.S.-Chinese trade war.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend,## how lawmakers are making it harder for# citizens to get proposed new laws on## state ballots.

And after nearly two months of# rehabilitation, a group of seals heads home.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Right now, voters in 24 states and the# District of Columbia can bypass their legislatures## by gathering signatures to get proposed laws# or constitutional amendments on the ballot.## But according to the Associated Press, about# 40 bills in roughly a dozen states are being## considered or have already been signed into law# to restrict this citizen initiative process.

Dane Waters is head of the University of Southern## California's nonpartisan Initiative# and Referendum Institute.

Mr. Waters,## in your view, what's the role of this citizen# ballot initiative in our American democracy?

DANE WATERS, Chair, Initiative and Referendum# Institute: Well, it's a check and balance on## representative government.

It's not a replacement# for it.

And this is what a lot .. understand is that they think that when we have# direct democracy or in the states where it does## exist, that somehow is trying to circumvent# or bypass normal representative government.

But it's not.

It's always been designed# to be a check and balance and a safety## valve for the people to use when the# legislature, for whatever reason,## is unwilling or unable to do# things that the people want.

JOHN YANG: And why are legislatures why are# lawmakers elected lawmakers trying to restrict it?

DANE WATERS: Well, there's always been this# animosity by lawmakers against direct democracy## in the United States ever since the process# has been around.

They see it as an affront to## their power.

But what they seem to forget is# that when they are elected, the people aren't## giving away their sovereign rights, they're# just loaning those rights to the lawmakers,## and they reserve the right to make laws with# the initiative process or direct democracy.

And so this this confrontation between lawmakers# and the people has always been there.

And this## is why we see that the affront and the assaults# on the process that we're seeing, what sorts of.

JOHN YANG: Restrictions are# we talking about that are## being proposed or actually enacted in some laws?

DANE WATERS: Well, you know, everything# from shortening the circulation period,## the amount of time you have to collect signatures,# putting in place distribution requirements,## saying that you have to from every congressional# district or state legislative district,## limiting who can collect signatures, saying# that they can only be registered voters or## they must be living inside the state, limiting# the amount of money that can be in the process,## you name, you know, the size of the font, pretty# much any restriction that you can think of.

The state legislatures have been# pretty creative, but the courts## throughout time have struck down many of these# restrictions as unconstitutional, which is why## lawmakers are getting even more creative in the# restrictions that they're placing on the process.

JOHN YANG: Now, some lawmakers who# are proposing these restrictions say## they're trying to prevent a special interest from# hijacking the process.

What do you say to that?

DANE WATERS: Well, first of all, every# human being on this planet has a special## interest.

Everyone has their own# interest and special interests,## just like any interest have the right to propose# anything.

At the end of the day, it doesn't## matter who is behind a ballot measure.

Only the# citizens of a specific state can vote for it.

But it's just like the state legislature.

You# have special interests.

Whether it's insurance## companies, gambling organizations, or people# who are pro LGBT rights or anti-LGBT rights.## They're always lobbying the state# legislature.

So it makes sense that## the same interest would try to influence# whether a ballot measure passes or not.

JOHN YANG: We spoke to Kelly Hall, the# executive director of the Fairness Project,## which is a progressive group# that's backed dozens of ballot## initiatives across the country.# Let's hear what she had to say.

KELLY HALL, Executive Director, The Fairness# Project: Instead of having a fair fight,## a really public conversation about the issues,## where politicians or other citizens who disagree# on an issue say, let's persuade each other,## let's have a debate.

Instead, they're making# changes to font, size of petitions and how many## you can carry and who's allowed to carry# them.

And that's the way democracy dies.

JOHN YANG: What's your reaction?

DANE WATERS: I think she's 100# percent right.

I mean, when you,## when state legislatures are trying to silence# the people's ability to use direct democracy or## be a check and balance on them, democracy will# suffer.

So she's spot on in what she's saying.

JOHN YANG: You advised ballot campaigns# in about 20 countries around the world.## How do attitudes about this compare# with attitudes in the United States?

DANE WATERS: Well, globally, the expansion# of the direct democracy is there.

I mean,## you know, most lawmakers around the world seem# to not have this animosity toward the citizens,## and they're actually trying to expand the# process.

Even Ukraine, just before the war,## they had just put in place a national# initiative process there to deal with issues,## and then the war took place, and so# they haven't had the chance to use it.

In the United States, there's# this -- as we've talked about,## this constant animosity between lawmakers# and the people where the lawmakers try to## shut the people out of the process.# So around the world, lawmakers tried## to include the people.

In the United States,# lawmakers seem to try to exclude the people.

JOHN YANG: Dane Waters, thank you very much.

DANE WATERS: Thank you for having me.

JOHN YANG:## After decades of political and social progress,# women's rights are now the subject of renewed## political debate and policy change amid# a seemingly broader backlash against the## goals of modern feminism.

Ali Rogin spoke# with Atlantic staff writer and Pulitzer## Prize finalist Sophie Gilbert about her new# book, "Girl on Girl," which argues that pop## culture of the 90s and early 2000s may# have set back a generation of women.

ALI ROGIN: So, Sophie, obviously these# days, women's rights are a huge part of## the political conversation in the United States.# So with everything that's going on right now,## why look back at this period in# the recent history of pop culture?

SOPHIE GILBERT, Author, "Girl on Girl": I# think because to me, it felt like it might## all be connected, particularly after Roe# v. Wade was overturned.

I just felt like I## couldn't understand what had happened, certainly# to feminism, but also to women in culture during## my lifetime.

And there were people who were# passing the politics at that moment.

But it## felt like it might make sense to me as a# critic to go back and look at the culture## of the moment that shaped my generation# and also the generation that came after.

ALI ROGIN: And the term feminism,# of course, through the decades,## has meant different things to different# people.

But I'd like you to tell us about## how the word and the idea of feminism# evolved during this particular period.

SOPHIE GILBERT: I've always understood# feminism personally just to mean,## do you believe that women are equal human# beings, and do you believe that they should## have equal rights to and society under the# law?

And that seems kind of simple to me,## but I've understood through my research, it's# not, you know, it's not always been so simple.

One of the questions I wanted to understand in my# book was how I think music is a useful example,## how in the music of the 1990s, went from this# really kind of ferocious activist moment of the## early 90s, so many women in rock and roll making# really impassioned music about, you know, about## womanhood, about subjects like sexual assault,# really political music in lots of ways, how## went from that energy to pop stars of the 2000s# who were sort of very highly sexualized, didn't## really speak up for themselves, weren't allowed to# in many ways, and who then were really targeted by## media across the course of the 2000s, sort of# wanting to understand how that shift happened.

It also came to tell me a little bit about# what happened in feminism during the 90s as## well.

And this shift from third wave feminism# at the beginning of the 90s and things like## the Year of the Woman and Anita Hill's# Senate testimony towards post feminism,## which was less an ideology, I would say, than# a kind of trend in media that told women that## they'd achieved everything they ever needed to,# that there was no longer any point in protesting## or in activism.

They should just go out and# celebrate all the freedoms that they'd achieved.

And often that meant spending money, which is# why I think it was appealing to lots of people.## But that shift from third wave feminism# to post feminism seemed to really play## out in the culture of the 90s in ways that# profoundly impacted what happened after.

ALI ROGIN: There seems to be a certain pattern# throughout the book that you identify where## you start in the earlier part of this era# with these very powerful expressions of## female self-actualization.

You have the riot# girl movement, who came up with girl power,## which then got kind of appropriated by the# commercial forces behind the Spice Girls.## And then in the fashion world, you had these# Amazonian supermodels who exuded presence,## who later got replaced by these very# waifish young models.

Is that a pattern?

SOPHIE GILBERT: It was 100 percent a pattern.# I think throughout the culture of the 90s,## the shift away from women, and certainly strong,## powerful women who were really a presence# in media at the beginning of the decade## towards girls.

I think you can see it in# music, as he said, but in fashion as well,## you had this shift away from the supermodels,# the Cindy Crawfords and the Naomi Campbells,## who worked very much as a unit, and they fought# for each other and they were paid very well.

And I think because of that, the designers got# frustrate and they felt that the models were## overshadowing the clothes.

And so you can see# this very intentional shift in fashion towards## the more waifish models that came later# in the 90s, the Kate Mosses, you know,## the rise of heroin chic, and this shift# towards younger women who sort of didn't## have the same energy and couldn't quite# stand up for themselves in the same way.

ALI ROGIN: Reading this book, you kind of# want to come to the end of it and think, oh,## thank God, that's over.

But it doesn't# really feel like it's over, does it?

SOPHIE GILRBERT: Yeah, there is so much that# unfortunately reminds me of the 2000s now.## And obviously there's a real element of# outrageous and cruel and dehumanizing## misogyny in a lot of the internet now.

And that# part, I think, is very gloomy to think about.

But at the same time, when I look at the culture# that's being made now, when I look at the movies## and the television and the books being written and# the art and the voices throughout media, there is## so much more about women than there was back# then.

There are so many more women making art,## certainly full stop.

And so, yes, these elements# of misogyny are still present, but they're not## being reiterated by the culture at large.

And# so that's the thing that I think I cling to.

ALI ROGIN: The book is "Girl on Girl.

"# Sophie Gilbert, thank you so much.

SOPHIE GILBERT: Thank you so much for having me.

JOHN YANG:## Finally tonight, we go to New England,# where a group of seals is making a splash.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): On a# beach in Westerly, Rhode Island,## onlookers watch as a gray seal emerges from# a crate and heads toward the waters of the## Atlantic Ocean, flopping along on its belly# in an undulating motion known as galumphing.

SARAH CALLAN, Mystic Aquarium: It's so important# to protect the species because prior to the 1970s,## the populations were almost completely decimated.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Sarah Callan manages# the animal rescue program at Connecticut's## Mystic Aquarium.

The released seal was one of six# her team rescued during March and April from the## waters near Block Island, Rhode Island.

They had# become ensnared in fishing gear and other debris.

Callan says sea litter, much of it plastic,## is a growing threat to seals and other mammals# around the globe.

Each year, nearly 100,000## marine mammals are killed or injured after# becoming ensnared in discarded plastic.

SARAH CALLAN: We've had animals get entangled in# frisbees that end up around their necks, so all## sorts of everyday things.

Animals can ingest the# plastic as well, which poses many threats to them.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Callan's team spent# weeks nursing the rescued seals back to health,## treating their severe infected# wounds with antibiotics before## releasing them.

Researchers made# sure they'd be able to track them.

SARAH CALLAN: The seals that we released had# a variety of tags on them, and those tags## are going to give us really great real# time data about the animal's location,## how deep they're diving, and then# how long they spend at each depth.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): Gray seals# can dive up to 1,000ft for food and## can hold their breath underwater for# up to 90 minutes.

And Callan says they## play a big role in the health of their ecosystems.

SARAH CALLAN: Seals help nourish the ocean,## they spread nutrients around, and they're# just such a vital part of the environment.

JOHN YANG (voice-over): In# addition to marine pollution,## habitat loss and climate change threaten# their future.

And Sarah Callan says her## group and others like it will be around as long# as seals and other marine animals need help.

JOHN YANG: And that is PBS News Weekend for this# Sunday.

I'm John Yang.

For all of my colleagues,## thanks for joining us.

See you tomorrow.

(BREAK) END