Can this project clean up millions of tons of ocean plastic?

About 9 million tons of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans every year — enough to fill a football stadium 23 miles high. But a project dubbed the Ocean Cleanup aims to eliminate it with a method that researchers are testing in the North Sea.

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on August 14, 2016.

Producer/Writer: Saskia de Melker
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Melanie Saltzman
Editor: Judith Wolff
Correspondent: Saskia de Melker

Native community in Louisiana relocates as land washes away

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on July 30, 2016.

Isle de Jean Charles in Louisiana has lost 98 percent of its land to coastal erosion caused by sinking land and exacerbated by rising seas and increased storm surges. The tribal community that lives there will be the first to receive federal tax dollars to help them relocate in response to climate change.

Producer/Writer: Saskia de Melker
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Melanie Saltzman
Editor: Steve Thompson
Correspondent: Hari Sreenivasan

 

How Democrats have changed since the Bill Clinton years

This report aired on PBS NewsHour on July 24, 2016.

This week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia will have a “back to the future” feel as another Clinton readies to become a presidential nominee. But, as NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield reports, the Democratic party of today is not the same as the party of the 1990s.

Producers: Saskia de Melker and Mori Rothman
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Mori Rothman, Saskia de Melker, Melanie Saltzman
Editor: Mori Rothman
Correspondent: Jeff Greenfield

 

Foreign-born workers in the UK share their fears for the future

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on June 26, 2016.

 
Uncertainty prevails in Britain after Brexit has left immigrants feeling vulnerable. The service sector, a large part of the British economy, is also a big employer of foreigners, which means these workers may be hit hard.
Producer: Saskia de Melker
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Melanie Saltzman
Editor: Michael Pilgrim
Correspondent: Hari Sreenivasan

Rethinking wages for tipped workers

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on March 26, 2016.

Due to low federal minimum wages for tipped workers, many grapple with poverty rates. Seven states, however, pay tipped workers full minimum wage before tips. And with minimum-wage hikes looming, some restaurants are pioneering no-tipping policies, eliminating gratuities in favor of higher hourly wages for workers.

Producer: Saskia de Melker
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Melanie Saltzman
Editor: David Kreger
Correspondent: Alison Stewart

The opioid epidemic’s toll on pregnant women and their babies

The risk for overdose from opioid painkillers and heroin among women, including pregnant women, has skyrocketed, which means a growing number of babies are born dependent on opioids. NewsHour Weekend Special correspondent Alison Stewart reports on the challenges for pregnant women struggling with addiction.

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on January 9, 2016.

Producer/Writer: Saskia de Melker
Associate Producer: Melanie Saltzman
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Melanie Saltzman
Editor: Judith Wolff
Correspondent: Alison Stewart

Why is New York City cracking down on Airbnb?

This report aired on PBS NewsHour Weekend on August 1, 2015.

Short-term housing rental industry giant Airbnb now lists more than 1 million rooms available in 192 countries. The platform’s largest market is in New York City, with more than 25,000 listings per night, but it’s also where the debate over how to regulate short-term rentals is the most contentious. In light of a new report by the NY Attorney General that says nearly three-quarters of Airbnb’s listings in the city are technically illegal, the city is cracking down.

Producer/Writer: Saskia de Melker
Correspondent: Hari Sreenivasan
Camera:  Saskia de Melker and Sam Weber
Editor: David Kreger