JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, extreme weather across dozens of states, home to more than 100 million people unleash tornadoes and fan the flames of wildfires and deadly dust storms.

Then, how the children of Sudan are bearing the brunt of the violence in that country's brutal civil war and why a growing number of young adults are swapping college plants for training in skilled trades.

MAN: There is a shortage of skilled tradesmen and I think the younger generation is realizing that they don't necessarily have to go to college to make good money.

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

A second round of violent weather is barreling across the central and southern United States after a deadly and destructive Friday night.

The storms have spawned violent tornadoes and fanned wildfires and dust storms that have claimed at least 17 lives and destroyed scores of homes.

More than 200,000 people are without power across five states.

Many of the fatalities have been in Missouri where at least four tornadoes touched down.

The National Weather Service says there's a heightened threat of tornadoes tonight stretching from the Deep South to the Ohio River Valley.

Earlier I spoke with Matthew Cappucci, senior meteorologist at MyRadar.

He's in Mississippi tracking the storms.

I asked him how unusual a multiday tornado outbreak like this is.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI, SENIOR METEOROLOGIST, MYRADAR: So either of these two different events would in and of themselves be very significant.

Last night we saw roughly 140 tornado warnings in a 24-hour period with numerous fatalities and at least 18 tornado warning simultaneously.

So last night was a big deal.

And yet that's the appetizer for what's been happening all day today into the evening hours.

We have a level five out of five, a high risk, which issued only less than 1 percent of the time.

And so it's a top tier event anyway.

The verbiage the National Weather Service is using is downright alarming when they say things like volatile, intense, long track tornadoes.

JOHN YANG: Long track tornadoes explain that and why they're so dangerous.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: So most tornadoes tend to be towards the lower end of the scale at EF01 or 2 on the 0 through 5 scale today, long track strong and violent tornadoes.

We're talking like EF3, EF4 plus winds of 160 plus miles per hour.

And the other thing too, these supercells, the parent rotating storms, will be self-sustained for a long time because the atmosphere is so favorable for that these tornadoes can stay on the ground for 15, 20, 30 minutes, maybe close to an hour in a few instances, leading to very long damage tracks.

JOHN YANG: What are the ingredients in the atmosphere and the environment that make this all so conducive?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: In essence, you need two ingredients.

You need cape or juice.

How warm and moist is the atmosphere?

And you need spin.

That spin comes from changing winds with height.

Now it's warm, it's humid.

We have Gulf moisture walking northwards right now, so the atmosphere is very juiced up.

But at the same time the winds at the surface are out of the south or southeast, but aloft they're more out of the southwest.

So any storm that grows tall enough will feel those changing winds and will rotate in some cases quite profusely.

JOHN YANG: This increase intensity and also the long lasting, these long lasting storms, how much of this is due to climate change or is any of it due to climate change?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: It's really not that closely linked to climate change.

You know, the spring months of every year tend to be a really rough time.

We have the insurgences of Gulf moisture and a little bit of leftover cold from winter.

And those two seasons kind of battle it out during March, April, May.

Realistically, if you're going to get big tornadoes, it'll be over Mississippi or Alabama this time of year.

That said, we do know that wintertime events when the atmosphere is warming a little bit more tend to be overachieving a bit more thanks to the warming atmosphere.

So there's a little bit of a role, but really it's the time of year.

JOHN YANG: What's your advice or what do you say to people who's living in those areas or maybe under tornado watches or warnings?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: In an episode like this, we want people to take action ahead of time.

Ordinarily, folks wait until a tornado warning issued before they seek shelter.

But on a day like today, a night like tonight, if people are in a tornado watch, it's probably a good idea to get to a site built location, someplace with a below ground shelter even before any warnings are issued.

You never want to be more than five minutes away from a shelter on a night like tonight.

So that way if a warning's issued, you can just duck and cover real quick and you don't have to worry about moving locations.

If you have elderly, family, friends, loved ones, check in with them, make sure they have a plan too.

It's one of those nights we have to be good neighbors.

JOHN YANG: And Matthew, to help people out, they hear all these watches, warnings and that's alerts and that sort of things.

What's the difference between a watch and a warning?

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: So a watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form.

Guys, that's the edge of the tornado right there.

A warning means that we're seeing one on radar or in person, something is imminent or occurring.

So watch.

This means hey, watch out.

A warning means take action right now, shelter right now.

The warnings are those ones that buzz on your phones.

Now the National Weather Service is calling this APBS for a particularly dangerous situation.

Those type of watches are only issued about 7 percent of the time, but you're three times more likely to be hit by a violent tornado.

JOHN YANG: Matthew Cappucci in Mississippi, thank you very much and be safe.

MATTHEW CAPPUCCI: Thank you.

JOHN YANG: In other news, talks between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the ceasefire remain stalled.

Hamas says it will only release American Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and the bodies of four other captives if Israel implements the latest U.S backed proposal.

Hamas said talks on the second phase of the ceasefire would have to begin the day of the hostage release and last no longer than 50 days.

Israel would also have to resume the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

This as Israeli airstrikes killed nine people in northern Gaza.

Local watchdog groups of the dead included three Palestinian journalists.

U.S. forces carried out a series of strikes on Yemen's capital, Sana'a, in an effort to stop Houthi rebel attacks on commercial vessels and U.S. warships in the Red Sea.

President Trump warned that if the attacks in the busy maritime corridor don't stop, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.

Mr. Trump also warned Iran to stop supporting the group.

The Houthi spokesman said at least nine civilians were killed and nine others injured.

Earlier this week, the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli ships in response to Israel's blockade of Gaza, but no attacks have been reported.

In a highly unusual move, the United States has expelled South Africa's ambassador.

In a post on X, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ambassador Ibrahim Rasool is a race baiting politician who hates America.

The ambassador had criticized the Trump administration in a webinar for a South African think tank.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he wants to repair the relationship and maintain a strong tie with the United States.

This is the latest in the escalating dispute between the Trump administration and South Africa.

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order offering white South Africans a rapid pathway to U.S. citizenship, saying they're being discriminated against.

Earlier, Mr. Trump cut off aid to South Africa.

Journalists at the federally funded news outlet Voice of America have been put on paid administrative leave.

In an email Saturday, staff was also told they must be available to return to work one day's notice.

The agency that runs Voice of America was among those dismantled under an executive order President Trump signed on Friday.

VOA was created in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda.

During the Cold War, it sought to bring news to people behind the Iron Curtain.

Today, it broadcasts in more than 40 languages to a global audience of 427 million people.

And two stranded astronauts are one step closer to coming home.

A new crew is heading to the International Space Station aboard a rocket that NASA and SpaceX launched last night.

They'll replace astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, whose one week mission stretched into nine months when technical issues prevented their return to Earth.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend, how children are being victimized in Sudan's brutal civil war and why many from Generation Z are ditching college for training in skilled trades.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: This week, the head of the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, told global leaders Sudan's humanitarian crisis is the world's biggest and most devastating.

A new UNICEF report says 30 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, more than half of them children.

Many of them face threats of violence and sexual assault on a daily basis.

The report also says that in fewer than two years of conflict, the number of people at risk of gender based violence has more than tripled to more than 12 million people, or 25 percent of the population.

Ali Rogin spoke with UNICEF spokesperson Tess Ingram, who recently traveled to Sudan.

ALI ROGIN: Thank you so much for joining us.

Tess, what are the major findings from this report?

TESS INGRAM, Spokesperson, UNICEF: This report tells us that we're facing a very serious situation in Sudan with sexual violence.

It is being used as a weapon of war to instill fear in communities.

The data that we got from service providers in Sudan shows that there have been 221 cases of rape perpetrated against children since the beginning of 2024.

And if that alone isn't shocking, it tells us that there are really young children in that cohort as young as one year old.

And the cases of rape are being perpetrated right across the country.

This is not an isolated incident.

It is widespread terror being waged across Sudan.

ALI ROGIN: To what extent is the civil war fueling this sexual violence?

TESS INGRAM: We know that sexual violence existed, including being perpetrated against children in Sudan before this conflict.

But we've seen it resurge again, and we've seen it happen in a number of different scenarios of armed men as they come into a city, taking young girls from their families and holding them against their will.

We've seen families fleeing that fear of that violence and death, only to find themselves apprehended or put in harm's way.

And again, when people get to places that they think are safe, they are not safe, the violence follows them.

And that is consistent in many locations across the country of Sudan right until today.

ALI ROGIN: We have a sound bite from a victim that you interviewed on the ground.

We're calling her Omnia.

And she talked to you about what she witnessed while she was abducted and held and mistreated by armed groups.

That included witnessing acts of sexual violence.

Take a listen.

OMNIA, Human Rights Worker (through translator): I endured this suffering and torment for 19 days.

Throughout the 19 days, there were daily rapes.

Every day there were rapes.

Every day there was a crime.

During those 19 days, I lived in hell.

These people are not human beings.

They subjected us to insults, humiliation, fear, terror and starvation.

ALI ROGIN: Is that similar to other stories that you've heard throughout the region?

TESS INGRAM: I spent two weeks in Sudan spending time with these incredibly brave survivors.

I think it's important for us to understand the culture in Sudan blames the survivor and not the perpetrator for the sexual violence.

And so they live with a tremendous amount of social stigma and fear of retribution.

So it's incredibly brave for these survivors to speak.

And, yes, I interviewed dozens over two weeks, hearing their stories about their experiences.

But the consistent part was, in most cases, these are children.

They are young women who were trying to survive an awful, violent conflict only to be raped and in many cases, physically beaten, threatened.

They had loved ones killed in front of them.

The youngest survivor I interviewed was five years old.

This should not happen to anybody, let alone to children in such a vulnerable position.

ALI ROGIN: What are the impacts on the wider society?

You know, the relatives, family members of the victims?

And is this happening in places that people fleeing the violence are seeking safety and shelter?

TESS INGRAM: People in Sudan now live in fear of this happening to them and to their families.

And so what it has done is creates a motivation to run and to leave when conflict descends on people's cities.

It causes massive displacement alongside the other challenges that the conflict brings, like malnutrition and like bombardments.

But sexual violence is also causing people to be displaced.

Men, women, children, frontline workers I spoke to talked about cases within the communities where these displaced people are living.

Maybe it's dark.

They have to make a long walk to a water point.

In those sorts of situations, they are again vulnerable to sexual violence.

ALI ROGIN: How is UNICEF helping the survivors of these assaults?

TESS INGRAM: We're working across Sudan to bring the supplies and services that survivors need.

But more than that, we're trying to prevent this from happening.

We're doing advocacy with the parties to the conflict to remind them of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect children.

We're also working on preventative methods such as training sessions and awareness sessions for frontline workers and for young girls.

We're also providing cash assistance to try and help those families when they flee get to places that are safer.

And if that fails and we aren't able to prevent the rape, then we are providing supplies and services like mental health support, like medical kits for hospitals and the other life-saving equipment that people need.

ALI ROGIN: Tess Ingram with an important look at what's happening on the ground in Sudan.

Thank you so much for your time.

TESS INGRAM: Thank you.

JOHN YANG: As the average cost of college in the United States soars, more young people are being drawn to skilled trades.

It's part of a career rethink.

Among Gen Z who've been called the tool belt generation, here's special correspondent Christopher Booker.

THOMAS STEWART, Westchester Community Center: There's seven different types of harnesses, right?

So you're going to help him dress out.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): The task is simple enough.

Put on a safety harness, secure the ladder and climb up.

THOMAS STEWART: Identify three items that you see up there.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): This exercise is all part of an Introduction to construction course at Westchester Community College.

And for the students, it's a first step toward a career in the skilled trades.

The certificate they get from completing this class opens the door to any trade they may be interested in.

THOMAS STEWART: You've got to start somewhere.

And this program right here is the kind of thing that will get your foot in the door.

They can build upon this and get into more specific training.

Plumbing, electrical, HVAC.

How did you guys make out at the career fair?

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): Thomas Stewart, a retired steam fitter and member of New York's Local 21 Plumbers and Steam fitters, has been an adjunct instructor with Westchester Community College for the past seven years.

Since COVID, he says the number of students walking into his course has increased substantially and the rise is happening nationwide.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, the number of students in vocational focused community college has risen by nearly 16 percent since 2020.

THOMAS STEWART: Somehow, word must have gotten out, and I've known this for years, that there is a shortage of skilled tradesmen.

And I think the younger generation is Realizing that they don't necessarily have to go to college to make good money.

Skilled tradesmen in this country can make six figures.

I'm taking it nice and easy.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): Through Local 21, Stewart receives health care and retirement benefits and its effort to keep its rosters filled, Local 21 offers apprenticeship programs to train young people and everything to do with pipes from plumbing to sprinklers.

And when they're an apprentice, that's where you get to a scenario where you actually will be working and studying.

THOMAS STEWART: Earn as you learn, we like to say it like that, because you can work your eight hour shift during the day and usually it's two, sometimes three nights a week, you'll have to go to school.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: When someone enters the apprenticeship program, do they receive benefits as well?

THOMAS STEWART: Absolutely.

Right from the start.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: So healthcare?

THOMAS STEWART: Yeah.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: In the pension?

THOMAS STEWART: Yeah.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): Well, the stories vary from student to student.

Some of the young people who come through Stewart's classroom are not coming right from high school.

CARSON SCHROCK, Student: Right after high school, I went into college at Penn State.

I spent about two years there.

I was studying data science and astrophysics, but eventually I dropped out during the pandemic.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): After a bit of time at home, Carson Schrock found an entry level position as a machinist.

CARSON SCHROCK: Originally they had me just doing some odd jobs around the shop trying to find what my role would be.

And eventually I got moved onto this 9 axis CNC machine.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): An advanced manufacturing process.

Computer Numeric Control or CNC, allows a machinist to create complex and complicated parts.

Schrock spent the last year with Westchester Community College working to earn a roster of CNC certifications.

So when you were in high school was pursuit of a trade at all part of the conversation?

CARSON SCHROCK: Not really, no.

It was mostly about like what field of computer programming I would be in.

Data science was close to what I wanted to do with the programming and making things, but I wanted to do something with my hands, something that left me with like a physical thing.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): While Schrock came to the trades after two years in college, Stewart says the renewed interest has made its way to high school as well.

SARA HALL, White Plains High School: So in our department, it was a concerted effort.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): Sarah Hall is an assistant principal of White Plains High School in White Plains, New York.

SARA HALL: We've been bringing in local tradesmen.

We had local three in.

We had our sheet metal workers in.

We're trying to bring them in so we as adults can learn more about the trades so that we can better inform our kids on what their options are.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: Has the school started to offer more by way of what would be historically called vocational technology classes?

SARA HALL: Yeah.

So we're going to start demolition on our 75 acres and we're building a career and technical building.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: So you guys are really all.

SARA HALL: So we're excited.

Yes, yes.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER: What about the conversation with parents?

Has that changed?

SARA HALL: Parents are open, but there are times where we have tough conversations with those parents and say, you know what, this might not be the path that you thought you would want for your child, but they're going to be successful no matter what they do.

We just need to support them in getting there.

But I do think that parents' perspective is going to start changing as society changes.

Right.

I think that's important about having these conversations.

Conversations is we need to demystify the traits.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): In 2023, Hall says 11 percent of White Plains graduates either went into the military or into a trade.

Last year it was 13 percent.

SARA HALL: Your top tier college is over 90 grand a year.

Kids are starting to look at that.

And society says you have to go to college to be successful.

What we're trying to say is that's not always 100% accurate.

Having a college degree does help you financially.

However, money doesn't equal happiness.

CHRISTOPHER BOOKER (voice-over): With reports that the U.S. construction industry alone will need to attract over 450,000 workers to meet industry demand this year, many in Gen Z may well be able to find out if Harris is correct.

For PBS News Weekend in Westchester, New York, I'm Christopher Booker.

JOHN YANG: Now online, two and a half years after becoming the first state to ban abortion, after Roe v. Wade was struck down, Missouri abortion clinics are reopening their doors.

All that and more is on our website, PBS.org/NewsHour.

And that is PBS News Weekend for this Saturday.

Tomorrow, a look at the DOGE layoffs at the FAA and what they could mean for aviation safety.

I'm John Yang.

For all my colleagues, thanks for joining us.

See you tomorrow.

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