JOHN YANG: Tonight on "PBS News Weekend," a look at the push to raise the age limits to buy a firearm in an attempt to fight the epidemic of gun deaths in America.

Then, the devastating decline in Florida's citrus harvest that threatens a way of life.

FRANK HUNT, Third Generation Citrus Grower: Some trees take a little longer than others to die, but we're basically fighting a losing battle.

JOHN YANG: And a new film documents the devastating effects of the war in Ukraine and the Ukrainian people's fight for survival.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John Yang.

Tonight, a massive Pacific tropical cyclone is barreling toward Myanmar and Bangladesh with winds as strong as a category three hurricane.

The storm is expected to bring heavy rains and landslides.

Aid workers walked along the coast and used loudspeakers to urge residents of refugee camps to seek shelter.

The storm threatens the world's largest refugee camp in Bangladesh, home to nearly 1 million Rohingya, with only flimsy makeshift shelters for shelter.

The United Nations, the World Food Program, and the World Health Organization all have sent resources ahead of the storm.

Tonight, Egypt says it has brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in hopes of ending five straight days of violence.

Earlier, Israeli jets pummeled targets in Gaza leveling buildings.

Palestinians fired a barrage of rockets into Israel.

In the occupied West Bank, three Palestinians were killed in two separate incidents today.

At least 33 Palestinians and two Israelis have died since Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Rome today.

Italian officials are pledging continued military aid despite some members of Italy's coalition government supporting Russia.

The centerpiece of the visit was an audience with Pope Francis, who has tried to play peacemaker in a way some Ukrainian officials describe as counterproductive.

Zelenskyy's next stop is expected to Berlin.

Today, Germany pledged its biggest military aid package of the war more than $3 billion worth of weapons, including tanks and antiaircraft systems.

North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper vetoed a ban on nearly all abortions in the state after 12 weeks.

He signed the veto message at a rally at the state capitol.

Republicans hold veto proof majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and are likely to try to override the veto soon.

And last night, WNBA star Brittany Griner played in her first game since she was released from a Russian prison.

She played 17 minutes for the Phoenix Mercury in the preseason contest, scored 10 points and had three rebounds.

She missed the entire 2022 season while she was in Russian detention.

After the game, Griner told reporters that hearing the pregame Star Spangled Banner definitely hit different.

Still to come on "PBS News Weekend," a decline in Florida's citrus harvest threatens the grower's way of life, and a new documentary captures the spirit and fortitude of Ukrainians fighting for their country.

(BREAK) JOHN YANG: It's been an up and down week for both advocates and opponents of laws restricting gun buyers by age.

On Monday in Texas, where there were two mass murders this month, in the space of a week, a House committee unexpectedly passed a bill to raise the age for buying a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21.

The legislation has stalled and is now unlikely to get a vote in the full House.

And on Wednesday, a judge in Virginia struck down federal laws barring gun dealers from selling handguns to anyone younger than 21.

The Justice Department is likely to appeal that ruling, which does not affect either state laws or private gun sales.

Lisa Geller is the Director, State Affairs, The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Lisa, there are eight states that have age restrictions, fairly tight age restrictions for buying any kind of firearm, any firearm at all.

Do we have an expense sense of what it tells us about whether it helps or not?

LISA GELLER, Johns Hopkins Center For Guns Violence Solutions: We do.

So, as you mentioned, there are several states that have raised the age to 21 to buy certain firearms, some cases all firearms.

And what we know, stepping back, is that the 18 to 20-year-old period is an extremely high risk time for teenagers.

We know that arrests for murders are highest among this age group.

We also know that policies in states to restrict gun purchases to those 18 to 20 have lower rates of gun suicide.

So we do know that protecting those under 21 from buying guns is backed by evidence and keeps youth safe.

JOHN YANG: The two recent shootings are last year rather, the Uvalde shooting and the shooting at the Buffalo supermarket.

Both cases, the shooters were teenagers who bought their weapons legally.

Do you believe that an age limit would have helped in those cases?

LISA GELLER: I do believe that.

I think there are a number of other situations we can point to, notably the Sandy Hook shooter and the Parkland shooter, who also bought their guns legally shortly after turning 18.

And we know that if there were a law in place to restrict that purchase until they were 21, they wouldn't have been able to buy guns just at the time period that they did and carry out the mass harm that they did.

JOHN YANG: What's the significance, do you think, of the ruling in Virginia striking down the federal law that restricted handgun sales to people 21 and over?

LISA GELLER: Well, as you noted, this is federal law.

Federal law states that you have to be 21 years old to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer.

So the Department of justice has already indicated that they're going to appeal this.

I don't want to be an alarmist here, because this is just one district court judge, one federal judge ruling that this law is unconstitutional.

It does not apply yet to residents of Virginia.

I don't want to state that this is going to go into effect immediately, even if the higher court does agree with the lower court.

But we know that this is dangerous.

This goes against the will of the people.

In fact, even a Fox News poll from just a couple of weeks ago found that 81 percent of people are in favor of raising the age to 21 to buy all guns.

We also know that guns are the leading cause of death for teenagers.

So doing this and issuing this kind of dangerous decision at a time when guns are killing teens more than any other means is extremely dangerous and not consistent with what we see in the data.

JOHN YANG: But this ruling also doesn't apply to private gun sales.

Someone 18 to 20 could buy a gun from a private dealer in the parking lot of a licensed dealer, but he couldn't go inside?

I mean, is that a problem that you'd like to see closed in the law?

LISA GELLER: There are too many loopholes in our gun laws.

Just as you indicated, this does not apply to private sales.

At Johns Hopkins, at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, we believe that there should be universal background checks on all gun sales.

We believe that the age to buy guns should be raised for all gun sales because it really doesn't make sense that someone can't go into a federally licensed firearm dealer at 18 and buy a gun.

But as you indicated, they can have a gun given to them as a gift in some states, or they can buy it through a private transaction.

Absolutely, this law should be amended and loopholes should be closed to keep people safe.

JOHN YANG: You mentioned earlier the link with suicide and obviously gunshot death is, I think, the leading cause of death among children now.

Is there any evidence of a link between states where it's easier to get a gun and higher rates of suicide?

LISA GELLER: The biggest predictor of a suicide is access to a firearm.

We know that 90 percent of suicide attempts with a firearm are fatal, whereas only two to 3 percent of suicide attempts with non-firearm means are lethal.

So, if there's anything you take away from this conversation, it's that guns are the reason why suicides are so high in this country.

We know that putting time and space between someone and a firearm purchase is the best way to save their life, and that goes for children, but also adults.

And we also know that many mass shooters, particularly these young mass shooters, may be suicidal.

When they are carrying out this mass shooting, they are also, at the end, taking their own life.

So I do believe that mass shooting prevention also have to include suicide prevention.

JOHN YANG: You know, after the mass shooting in Texas last week, we heard the governor of Texas come out and when asked about tougher gun laws, talked more mental health services.

They make it sound like it's one or the other.

Is that a false dichotomy?

LISA GELLER: We absolutely need more mental health care in this country, but there's no way to address gun violence in this country without addressing the gun.

Data shows that only about 4 percent of violence in this country can be directly linked to mental illness.

So even if were able to prevent every single individual living with mental illness from buying a gun, we would not see meaningful reductions in violence and even more specifically, in gun violence.

So I would never say that a shooter is mentally well, but that does not mean that they are mentally ill. JOHN YANG: Lisa Geller, the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions thank you very much.

LISA GELLER: Thank you for having me.

JOHN YANG: To many people, Florida means oranges.

They're a key element of the state's economy.

This year, Florida projects the worst citrus harvest since the great depression.

William Brangham examines what's driving this decline and how it threatens a way of life for many Floridians.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: In Central Florida, orange grove stretch as far as the eye can see.

What's not so visible is the disease that is slowly killing one of this state's biggest industries.

So if I didn't know better, I would look at this and think, like, oh, this looks like you got a lot of fruit.

The tree looks pretty decent to me.

FRANK HUNT: It looks like a lot of fruit because you don't know how much fruit should be on the tree.

These trees are suffering.

They are not generating an economic crop.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Frank Hunt is a third generation citrus grower.

His grandfather Dealy started the Hunt brothers family business in Lake Wales, Florida, a century ago.

Because all that fruit that's dropped, that's waste.

FRANK HUNT: Yes, that's waste.

You can't do anything with it.

And probably 50, 60 percent of the crop that was set ultimately drops on the ground before it's harvested.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: An insect borne bacteria has infected virtually every orange tree in his groves.

FRANK HUNT: Some trees take a little longer than others to die, but we're basically fighting a losing battle trying to sustain the tree.

The plastic bins would be set on the conveyor.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: For the Hunt Brothers business, it's had a devastating impact.

So this would have been loaded with oranges.

FRANK HUNT: Full conveyor.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Climbing up the road, FRANK HUNT: Full conveyor.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Millions of oranges were once processed, sorted, and shipped from this packing house.

So if I had been here at its peak, what would this have sounded like or looked like?

FRANK HUNT: We wouldn't have been talking right here because the machinery is such that you'd have that rubber machinery and the conveyors running that where we're standing, actually, was the packing area.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Last year, the conveyor belts were turned off, doors shuttered, and 50 workers lost their jobs.

You got a couple of cobwebs here.

I mean, this has got to feel like -- FRANK HUNT: Well, this is the first time I've walked back here in a while, so we start crying, y'all forgive me.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: And this year, Florida projects its orange harvest will be the lowest since the 1930s.

MICHAEL ROGERS, Citrus Research And Education Center, University of Florida: I look back to when I first started working in citrus in 2004.

Florida produced over 220 million boxes of oranges.

WILLIAM BREANGHAM: Michael Rogers is the director of the University of Florida's Citrus Research and Education Center.

MICHAEL ROGERS: Fast forward 20 years, and we can't produce enough oranges.

We're down to a 16 million box crop from 220 million down to 16 million.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: While several factors are to blame for this crisis, hurricanes Ian and Nicole damaged a lot of trees when they tore through Florida last year.

Rogers says the main issue is this blight, which is known as citrus greening disease.

It's spread by tiny insects known as psyllids.

While nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, their impact has been catastrophic.

MICHAEL ROGERS: Pretty much all the trees in commercial groves now in Florida are infected with this disease.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All of them?

MICHAEL ROGERS: Yes.

The ones that aren't were planted yesterday is what I tell people.

WILILAM BRANGHAM: Wow.

MICHAEL ROGERS: Because it doesn't take long for them to become infected.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The disease slowly kills the roots, which starves the tree of nutrients, and it often changes the color and ruins the taste of the fruit.

That is, if the fruit doesn't fall from the limb first.

Far too early to be harvested.

MICHAEL ROGERS: Before you see any symptoms of this disease in the plant, we'll lose 30 or 40 percent of the root system.

The leaves start to get these modeled appearances.

They don't look nice dark green.

They look weak and stunted.

WOMAN: A day without orange juice is like a day without sunshine.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Since the vast majority of Florida's oranges are squeezed into juice, this disease has also squeezed wallets.

Orange juice is just the latest staple to slam inflation weary consumers.

Whether it's fresh squeezed or concentrated, retail prices have hit record highs for both.

ARCHIE RITCH, Business Owner: It's blueberry puree.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Citrus greening is also hit smaller growers especially hard.

ARCHIE RITCH: Most all of your mom and pop, I would say farmers that had 10, 20, 40, 80 acres, they're very few and far between.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Archie Rich runs this general store in Haynes City, Florida selling his fruit and his freshly squeezed juice directly to customers.

On top of citrus greening, last year's hurricanes left him with his worst orange heart harvest since he started here in 1992.

Five years from now, ten years from now, are you still growing citrus in Florida?

ARCHIE RITCH: It's hard for me to imagine Florida without having citrus.

I don't think it'll ever get back to where it was.

BRENDA EUBANKS BURNETTE, Executive Director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame: This threat we've never dealt with anything this severe, this capacity where it has just brought our industry basically to its knees.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Brenda Eubanks Burnette runs the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame.

She's been involved in the industry since 1981 when she was named Florida's Citrus Queen.

BRENDA EUBANKS BURNETTE: Once the queen always is queen, I guess.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I don't think I've ever interviewed a queen before.

Eubanks Burnette says citrus has always been a part of the state's DNA and she remains optimistic about the future.

BRENDA EUBANKS BURNETTE: We're seeing people investing back into the industry so hopefully it's not something that's going to be completely going away.

There were some times when we did not think that were going to have an industry here in Florida.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Back at the University of Florida's citrus research facility several solutions are being tested.

One is growing trees under these gigantic protective canopies.

They're covered with a mesh that's fine enough to block the insects but still allow rain and sunshine in.

Another is developing new blight resistant varieties of citrus trees.

MICHAEL ROGERS: There's a lot of things that we can do that are short term fixes to try to keep these trees healthy.

But ultimately the solution is going to come in the form of a new variety, a new citrus plant variety that's resistant to disease whether it be through conventional breeding or genetic modification.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Today there is still no cure and many of these solutions aren't affordable for growers like Frank Hunt.

But he's not giving up.

Hunt says he's passing his 4,000 acres onto his son.

FRANK HUNT: The question would be is there anything for the generation after that?

And I don't know and I don't know what that'll look like.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: It's a question many here in Florida are now asking.

For "PBS News Weekend," I'm William Brangham in Lake Wales, Florida.

French philosopher, writer and filmmaker Bernard-Henri Levy has made numerous trips to Ukraine and spoke with Ali Rogin about his latest documentary Slava Ukraini.

ALI ROGIN: This is Bernard-Henri Levy's second documentary on Ukraine since the full scale invasion began in February of last year.

It takes place over four months at the end of 2022 and spans 15 cities from the capital city, Kyiv, to Kharkiv in the northeast, to then newly liberated port city of Kherson.

And Slavo Ukraini, Levy takes viewers to the front lines and barren city centers to bear witness to the spirit of Ukraine's defenders and its people.

He joins me now from New York, Bernard-Henri Levy, thank you so much again for joining us.

In the last few years, you've told stories from all sorts of conflict zones, from Nigeria to Somalia to Bangladesh.

This is your second now documentary on Ukraine.

Why return to Ukraine?

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY, Filmmaker, "Slava Ukraini": Because it's the most important, crucial, tragic war of our times.

Our destiny is really at stake here.

When I made some documentaries about other wars, it was often forgotten wars.

I mean that at this time, I made a film because I thought that nobody was talking about it and that it was unfair.

But the outcome of the war would not change a lot to the order of the world.

This time it is the opposite.

The outcome of the war will have huge consequences on the whole world, on our whole destiny in Ukraine, but also in the west, in Europe, but also in America.

This is a world war, Ali, a world war, which could become a real hot world war if we are not able to stop the one who created it with Vladimir Putin and his entourage.

ALI ROGIN: What do you want people who watch this film to take away from it?

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY: What I want is, first of all, to see scenes, moments which they did not see elsewhere.

100 percent of those images which will be seen in value theaters in America were not seen anywhere else.

We did it.

We made them with the help, of course, of the Ukrainian forces who gave us, my team and myself, some exclusive accesses and so on.

So this is the first thing.

Second, I want people to take out of that, to take away a sense of this incredible spirit, bravery, courage which we thought could have disappeared from our mental landscape, but that are here in Ukraine, embedded in the minds and in the bodies, in the flesh and blood of these ladies, of these boys and gentlemen who fight for Ukraine on the front line, in the trenches where I had the privilege to be admitted at their side.

ALI ROGIN: And you've had incredible access.

You've been on the front lines with many of these commanders and leaders multiple times.

You've really gotten to know them.

In this film takes us inside their units, including my favorite was the Mozart group, which is a response to Russia's mercenary Wagner group.

But I want to know, in the time that you've gotten to know these people, how has this war changed them?

How are they different from when you first met them?

On a basic human level, how are they doing?

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY: At the end of the film, there is a song written by Slavabakatuk (ph) whose title is we Will Never Be the Same Again.

This is what happens to all the Ukrainians whom I met since 14 months.

They are different persons.

They have crossed this tragedy.

Some of them not dead, wounded, crippled.

Some of them, of course, OK, but deeply changed with a sense of tragedy which they did not have before, with maybe the death in themselves of a lightness of frivolity, maybe of happiness.

It's a different people, and myself after that, after Bakhmut, after Kherson, after Lehman, I would not say I'm completely the same.

ALI ROGIN: At the end of this film, you conclude by asking, how will this end?

Do you think we're any closer to knowing the answer to that question?

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY: I think since the beginning, that Ukraine will win.

Ukraine will win for one simple reason because she knows Ukraine.

Why?

They combat.

This is the key.

When why you combat for your family, for your fatherland, and for some values of Europe.

When you fight like a Mafiazo, like a gangster with Putin, and when you fight as a citizenship behind Zelenskyy, it is night and day.

So I always thought that the only question mark is when will the victory happen?

When will the Russian army and people will admit that they have to capitulate.

This is question mark, but it depends on us, you American people, us European people.

If we decide to provide the necessary weapons and if we stop to do it in this crazy, incremental way, which we got since the beginning, drop after drop, if you decide to deliver the weapons massively, then the nightmare will end quickly.

The war will stop soon and we will spare a lot of human lives.

This is in our hands.

ALI ROGIN: Powerful words to end with the film is Slavo Ukraini and the filmmaker is Bernard-Henri Levy.

Thank you so much for joining us.

BERNARD-HENRI LEVY: Thank you, Ali.

Thanks so much.

JOHN YANG: Now online, how the video game industry is increasing accessibility for players with disabilities.

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

And that is "PBS News Weekend" for this Saturday.

I'm John Yang.

For all of my colleagues, thanks for joining us.

See you tomorrow.