>> Sreenivasan: ON THIS EDITION FOR SUNDAY, JULY 8: DANGEROUS RESCUE: THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE TRAPPED THAI YOUTH SOCCER TEAM EMERGE.

ALSO, A LIVING LEGACY OF WAR: BOSNIA'S CHILDREN OF RAPE AND, HOW THE BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF CONGRESS IN THE MIDTERMS BEGINS WITH THE PICK TO FILL THE SUPREME COURT VACANCY.

NEXT ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

FROM THE TISCH WNET STUDIOS AT LINCOLN CENTER IN NEW YORK, HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Sreenivasan: GOOD EVENING AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

FOUR OF THE BOYS TRAPPED IN A CAVE COMPLEX IN NORTHERN THAILAND ARE OUT AND BEING TREATED AT A NEARBY HOSPITAL TONIGHT, AFTER A DANGEROUS AND COMPLICATED MISSION TO RESCUE THEM STARTED EARLY TODAY.

AFTER BEING TRAPPED IN A CAVE FOR MORE THAN TWO WEEKS, THE FIRST GROUP WAS BROUGHT OUT FOLLOWING A NINE HOUR OPERATION.

>> ( translated ): THE OPERATION TODAY HAS BEEN MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN WE EXPECTED.

>> Sreenivasan: A MULTINATIONAL TEAM OF DIVERS HELPED THE BOYS NAVIGATE THROUGH ALMOST THREE MILES OF NARROW PASSAGEWAYS IN THE FLOODED CAVES.

EIGHT MORE BOYS, AGED 11 TO 16, AND THEIR 25-YEAR OLD COACH REMAIN TRAPPED IN THE CAVE.

RESCUERS ARE RACING AGAINST CONTINUED MONSOON RAINS THAT WILL INCREASE THE RISKS.

A THAI DIVER WAS KILLED AS PART OF THE RESCUE OPERATION ON FRIDAY.

THAI OFFICIALS SAID THE OPERATION IS EXPECTED TO RESUME ON MONDAY, AFTER SUPPLIES ALONG THE ROUTE ARE REPLENISHED.

THE RESCUE COULD TAKE ANOTHER TWO TO FOUR DAYS.

TOMORROW NIGHT, IN A PRIME-TIME ADDRESS, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS SCHEDULED TO REVEAL HIS CANDIDATE FOR THE SUPREME COURT.

IT'S A CHOICE THAT IS WIDELY EXPECTED TO MOVE THE COURT SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE RIGHT.

IT'S ALSO A DECISION THAT WILL MARK THE START OF AN INTENSE POLITICAL FIGHT THAT COULD HELP DECIDE WHICH PARTY PREVAILS IN THE NOVEMBER MIDTERMS.

BUT, AS SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JEFF GREENFIELD NOTES, THE SUPREME COURT AS A POLITICAL BATTLEFIELD IS RELATIVELY NEW.

HE JOINS ME NOW FROM SANTA BARBARA.

JEFF, IN RECENT HISTORY WE THINK OF THE COURT NOMINATIONS AS PITCHED POLITICAL BATTLES, BUT YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE LONGER ARC OF THIS.

>> YES.

IT SEEMS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTEMPLATE, BUT FROM 1894 TO 1968, ONLY ONE SUPREME COURT NOMINEE WAS REJECTED, THEY WERE RELATIVELY NONCONTROVERSIAL AND EVEN WHEN CONTROVERSY DID BEGIN TO ERUPT THEY WEREN'T PARTISAN BATTLES.

RICHARD NIXON LOST TWO OF HIS NOMINEES, AND IN THOSE FIGHTS, 17 DEMOCRATS ORDERED FOUR RICHARD NIXON'S NOMINEES, 13 REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST THEM, AND THE REAL SURPRISE TO A LOT OF PEOPLE IS THE MOST CONTENTIOUS BATTLE OVER NOMINATION IN MEMORY WAS CLARENCE THOMAS IN 1991.

HE IS ON THE COURT BECAUSE 11 DEMOCRATS VOTED FOR HIS CONFIRMATION.

>> Sreenivasan: SO WHAT CHANGED?

>> IN A WORD, POLARIZATION.

YOU DON'T HAVE ANY LIBERAL REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATS.

THEY "R" AND THE "D," BECOMES ALMOST ALL-ENCOMPASSING IN TERMS OF HOW YOU WILL VOTE AND WHAT THE BASE WANTS TO CONSIDER, AND THAT IS WHY, FOR INSTANCE, IN MOST RECENT NOMINATIONS, FOR INSTANCE, NO REPUBLICAN VOTED AGAINST NEIL GORSUCH, I THINK ONLY FOUR DEMOCRATS VOTED FOR HIM, ELENA KAGAN, OBAMA'S LAST NOMINEE, ONLY ONE DEMOCRAT VOTED AGAINST HER AND FEWER THAN HALF A DOZEN REPUBLICANS VOTED FOR HER, IT HAS ALL BECOME PARTISAN NOW IN A WAY IT NEVER WAS BEFORE.

>> Sreenivasan: WAS THERE A NOMINATION IN PARTICULAR?

>> YEAH, I THINK HISTORY IS GOING TO LOOK BACK AND SAY THAT THE NOMINATION OF DAVID SOUTER IN 1990 BY THE FIRST PRESIDENT BUSH WAS THE TIPPING POINT, FOR DECADES REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS NOMINATED JUSTICES THAT TURNED OUT TO BE VERY LIBERAL, EARL WARREN, WILLIAM BRENNAN, HARRY BLACKMUN, JOHN PAUL STEVENS, BUT WHEN SOUTER WHO WAS CALLED A HOME RUN FOR CONSERVATIVES BY BUSH'S CHIEF OF STAFF WENT LIBERAL, THAT WAS KIND OF IT, THE CONSERVATIVE BASE SAID THAT'S IT.

THEY HAD A RALLYING CRY, NO MORE SOUTERS, FROM HERE ON IN, THEY DEMANDED ANY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT WHO NOMINATED A JUSTICE WHO HAD BEEN VETTED BY RELIABLY CONSERVATIVE OUTFITS LIKE THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION AND THAT'S BEEN THE CASE I THINK AND WILL BE THE CASE CERTAINLY WITH THIS PRESIDENT.

>> Sreenivasan: SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF WHOEVER GETS NOMINATED NOW.

>> WELL, RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE FIVE DEMOCRATIC SENATORS UP FOR REELECTION, THEY COME FROM STATES THAT TRUMP WON BY LANDSLIDE MAJORITIES, THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN CAMPAIGNING IN THOSE STATES SPECIFICALLY TO PUT PRESSURE ON THOSE DEMOCRATS TO EITHER VOTE FOR HIS NOMINEE OR SUFFER AT THE POLLS.

AND WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THAT BECAUSE THE SUPREME COURT WAS SO MUCH BIGGER AN ISSUE FOR CONSERVATIVES WHO FELT BETRAYED BY THEIR PRESIDENTS THAN LIBERALS WHO ARE PERFECTLY CONTENT TO SEE REPUBLICANS NOMINATE MODERATES AND LIBERALS, AMONG VOTERS WHO PICKED THE COURT AS THEIR KEY VOTING ISSUE IN THIS LAST PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, THEY BROKE HEAVILY FOR TRUMP, IN FACT YOU COULD ARGUE THAT'S WHY TRUMP IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE GOING TO SEE IS THAT THE PROSPECT OF A VERY CONSERVATIVE SUPREME COURT, WE WILL FIND OUT WHETHER THAT IS GOING TO MAKE DEMOCRATS MAKE THE SUPREME COURT AS BIG A VOTING ISSUE AS IT HAS BEEN FOR REPUBLICANS, SO THERE IS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT AT STAKE, WHOEVER THE PRESIDENT DECIDES TO NOMINATE TOMORROW.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT, JEFF GREENFIELD JOINING US FROM CALIFORNIA, THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: READ HOW AND WHY THERE ARE FEWER ZIKA VIRUS INFECTIONS, AND HOW IT MAY COME BACK.

VISIT pbs.org/newshour.

>> Sreenivasan: THE BOSNIAN WAR OF THE EARLY 1990'S DREW THE WORLD'S ATTENTION TO THE TERM "ETHNIC CLEANSING."

IT ALSO BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE PRACTICE OF MASS RAPE AS A WEAPON OF WAR.

A U.S. INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT AFTER THE WAR CONCLUDED THAT ALL SIDES, INCLUDING ETHNIC CROATS AND BOSNIAN MUSLIMS, DID IT, BUT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE ATROCITIES WERE CARRIED OUT BY SERBIAN FORCES.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT MALCOLM BRABANT HAS THE STORY OF SOME YOUNG ADULTS, BORN AS A RESULT OF RAPE, WHO ARE NOW EMERGING TO CAMPAIGN FOR SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING.

>> Reporter: CLOSE TO SARAJEVO'S WARTIME SNIPER ALLEY IS A SMALL PARK CONTAINING MILITARY MUSEUM PIECES FROM FORMER YUGOSLAVIA.

IT'S HERE WE MEET AJNA JUSIC, A 25-YEAR-OLD PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT SPEAKING ON CAMERA FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT BEING A LIVING LEGACY OF WAR.

>> ( translated ): FOR A LONG TIME, OTHER CHILDREN WERE LAUGHING AT ME BECAUSE I NEVER KNEW MY FATHER'S NAME WHEN THEY ASKED ME IN HIGH SCHOOL OR IN PRIMARY SCHOOL.

>> Reporter: AJNA IS THE PRODUCT OF RAPE.

HER MOTHER WAS RAPED BY A SERB SOLDIER WHO WAS A FAMILY ACQUAINTANCE.

AFTERWARDS HER MOTHER MADE A DECISION THAT MANY OTHER PREGNANT RAPE VICTIMS FOUND IMPOSSIBLE.

SHE CHOSE TO KEEP HER CHILD.

>> ( translated ): I AM NOW LIVING LIVE TO THE FULL.

BUT JUST TWO YEARS AGO I WAS LITERALLY STRUGGLING TO SURVIVE; PROCESSING EVERYTHING AFTER I DISCOVERED WHO AM I AND WHAT AM I AND HOW I CAME TO THIS WORLD.

I WAS SEEING A PSYCHOLOGIST FOR A LONG TIME.

I WENT TO VARIOUS EXPERTS WHO WORKED WITH ME ON EMPOWERMENT, BUT AS I GOT OLDER I BEGAN TO EMPOWER MYSELF AND ACCEPT THE FACTS.

>> Reporter: IT TAKES COURAGE TO BREAK COVER AND REVEAL YOURSELF AS A PRODUCT OF WARTIME RAPE.

A BOSNIAN RAPE SURVIVORS' NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION ESTIMATES THERE ARE ABOUT 60 SUCH YOUNG PEOPLE.

THIS MALE NURSE MAKES NO ATTEMPT TO HIDE.

HIS NAME IS ALEN MUHIC AND HE WAS BORN IN GORAZDE, A TOWN 60 MILES FROM SARAJEVO THAT WAS BESIEGED FOR MUCH OF THE WAR.

>> ( translated ): I KNEW THAT I WAS A WAR BABY BUT I DIDN'T IMAGINE MY LIFE AND MY PAST TO BE WHAT THEY ARE, THAT I WAS ADOPTED AND THAT MY PARENTS ARE NOT MY BIOLOGICAL PARENTS.

>> Reporter: ALEN'S MUSLIM MOTHER BECAME PREGNANT AFTER BEING RAPED SEVERAL TIMES BY A SERB MAN SHE KNEW BEFORE THE WAR.

TRAUMATIZED, SHE ABANDONED BABY ALEN IN THE HOSPITAL WHERE SHE GAVE BIRTH.

AND THAT'S WHERE HE WAS SPOTTED BY MUHAREM MUHIC WHO WAS WORKING AT THE HOSPITAL DURING THE SIEGE.

>> ( translated ): WE BROUGHT HIM HOME FOR TWO OR THREE MONTHS WHILE HE WAS AT THE HOSPITAL.

WE PLAYED WITH HIM.

WE SIMPLY LOVED HIM AND COULDN'T BE SEPARATED FROM HIM.

>> Reporter: MUHAREM AND HIS WIFE DECIDED TO ADOPT ALEN.

>> ( translated ): I JUST WANTED TO GET ALEN OUT OF THE HOSPITAL SO HE COULD BE WITH US, AND TO EDUCATE HIM PROPERLY.

WE WERE AFRAID WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM IF THE RED CROSS PUT HIM UP FOR ADOPTION.

WHO WOULD TAKE HIM?

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO HIM?

>> Reporter: GORAZDE IS NOT A BIG PLACE AND GOSSIP GETS AROUND.

AFTER SOME PLAYGROUND CRUELTY ALEN'S ADOPTIVE PARENTS WERE FORCED TO TELL HIM ABOUT HIS BACKGROUND EARLIER THAN THEY HAD WANTED.

IN 2007, THIS SERB MAN, RADMILO VUKOVIC, WAS TRIED FOR THE RAPE OF ALEN'S MOTHER.

SAMPLES OF ALEN'S D.N.A.

WERE USED AS EVIDENCE.

VUKOVIC ADMITTED COMMITTING THE RAPE AND WAS CONVICTED BY BOSNIA'S NATIONAL WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL.

INITIALLY HE WAS JAILED, BUT WAS FREED AFTER THE BOSNIAN APPEALS CHAMBER OVERTURNED THE CONVICTION, CITING VUKOVIC'S PRE-WAR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALEN'S MOTHER AS A MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCE.

>> ( translated ): WHEN HE OPENED THE DOOR, I SAW MYSELF 20 TO 30 YEARS IN THE FUTURE.

SAME PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, SAME SHAPE OF THE HEAD.

IDENTICAL.

IT WAS LIKE COPY, PASTE.

WE INTRODUCED OURSELVES, SAT DOWN IN THE GARDEN, AND STARTED TALKING.

I WAS SO FURIOUS WITH HIS ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS.

I WANTED TO KNOW WHY HE ADMITTED EVERYTHING AT THE TRIAL, BUT NEVER GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME AFTER HIS RELEASE.

HE SAID HE HAD NEVER KNOWN MY MOTHER, HE DIDN'T COMMIT ANY CRIME.

I BECAME SO ANGRY WHEN HE SAID THE D.N.A.

ANALYSIS WAS FAKE AND WAS PLANTED ON HIM.

I REALIZED THEN THAT THERE WAS NOTHING HUMAN IN HIM AND I JUST TURNED AROUND AND LEFT WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE, WITHOUT ANYTHING.

>> Reporter: AS FOR AJNA JUSIC, YEARS OF THERAPY HAVE ALLOWED HER TO COME TO TERMS WITH HER ROOTS.

>> ( translated ): WHEN SOMEBODY ASKS ME WHAT MY MOST IMPORTANT IDENTITY IS, I SAY THAT I AM A DAUGHTER OF A LIONESS MOTHER, A MOTHER WHO IS A FIGHTER.

>> Reporter: BAKIRA HASECIC, IS A ANOTHER SURVIVOR OF WARTIME RAPE.

>> ( translated ): THAT IMAGE, EVEN WHEN I'M TALKING, I SEE IT.

IT'S ALWAYS THERE IN THE SHADOWS.

IT NEVER GOES AWAY.

MEDICINE HASN'T YET COME UP WITH AN ERASER TO GET RID OF THESE MEMORIES.

I WILL LIVE WITH THEM UNTIL THE DAY I DIE.

>> Reporter: HASECIC CAMPAIGNS ON BEHALF OF FELLOW VICTIMS.

SHE RUNS A NONPROFIT THAT GATHERS EVIDENCE AND TRIES TO BRING WARTIME RAPISTS TO JUSTICE.

IN HER OFFICE THIS PICTURE DEPICTS A WOMAN ENDURING RAPE BUT ULTIMATELY REGAINING HAPPINESS.

THE REALITY IS NOT SO SIMPLE.

>> ( translated ): IT'S VERY HARD TO TALK ABOUT IT, EVEN AFTER 26 YEARS.

THREE TIMES I WAS TAKEN TO THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND RAPED.

SOMETIMES I IGNORE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, ESPECIALLY WHEN I THINK OF MY CHILD BEING TORTURED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO HELP HER.

>> Reporter: THIS IS HER DAUGHTER AMELA.

SHE WAS A SCHOOL GIRL WHEN SHE TOO WAS RAPED BY SERB SOLDIERS IN FRONT OF HER PARENTS.

VISEGRAD IS WHERE THE LIVES OF HASECIC AND HER DAUGHTER WERE TORN APART.

TODAY THIS PREDOMINANTLY SERB TOWN IN EASTERN BOSNIA MARKETS ITSELF AS A TOURIST DESTINATION.

BUT IN 1992, 3,000 MUSLIMS WERE MURDERED AND THEIR BODIES HURLED FROM THE BRIDGE INTO THE RIVER DRINA.

70 PEOPLE WERE BURNED ALIVE IN THIS CELLAR, AND HASECIC IS FIGHTING TO PRESERVE THIS HOUSE AS A MUSEUM AND MEMORIAL TO SAVAGERY.

HER WORK IS NOT LIMITED TO HELPING RAPE SURVIVORS.

SHE HAS AN EVEN BROADER GOAL.

>> ( translated ): PEOPLE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR THE BONES OF THEIR LOVED ONES SO THEY CAN BURY THEM WITH DIGNITY.

I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THESE PEOPLE, DREAMING ABOUT THEM FOR YEARS.

THEY WERE MY NEIGHBORS LIVING TWO TO THREE KILOMETERS FROM ME.

ONE WHOLE VILLAGE, KORITNIK, WAS BURNED ALIVE IN THIS HOUSE.

THE YOUNGEST VICTIM WAS A TWO DAY OLD BABY WHO DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A NAME.

>> Reporter: BESIMA CATIC SULJEVIC IS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST WORKING WITH HASECIC'S NON PROFIT.

SHE SAYS PEOPLE IN CONFLICT ZONES LIKE SYRIA, IRAQ, AND AFGHANISTAN MUST LEARN FROM BOSNIA AND AVOID STIGMATIZING RAPE VICTIMS.

>> ( translated ): THE MAJORITY OF US REALIZE THAT THE WOMAN WAS THE VICTIM AND SHE DID NOT HAVE THE POSSIBILITY TO DEFEND HERSELF.

BUT THERE ARE COUNTRIES WHERE IT IS IMPORTANT TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AND SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE: IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, YOU ARE THE VICTIMS, AND YOU COULD NOT DEFEND YOURSELF BECAUSE IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A WOMAN TO DEFEND HERSELF.

>> Reporter: SOME POLITICIANS WANTED TO SET UP A FUND SO THAT RAPE VICTIMS AND THE CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN AS A RESULT COULD RECEIVE MONTHLY COMPENSATION OF ABOUT $280 AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL BENEFITS.

AND THIS PACKAGE WOULD INCLUDE MEN AS WELL, BECAUSE MALE RAPE WAS USED AS A WEAPON OF WAR.

BUT THE LEGISLATION WAS THWARTED.

IT WAS BLOCKED BY SERB LAWMAKERS.

AND CRITICS SEE THIS AS ONE OF THE FAILINGS OF THE BOSNIA PEACE AGREEMENT, BECAUSE AS THE COUNTRY IS CURRENTLY CONSTITUTED, ANY ETHNIC GROUP CAN BLOCK ANY LAW THAT IT DOESN'T LIKE.

PETER VAN DER AUWERAERT WORKS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS AND HAS STUDIED THE IMPACT OF RAPE IN BOSNIA'S FORMER BATTLE GROUNDS.

HE BELIEVES IN PROSECUTING PERPETRATORS, BUT SAYS THERE ARE KEY LESSONS TO LEARN FROM BOSNIA'S POST WAR EXPERIENCE.

>> THERE WAS A TOTAL IMBALANCE IN THE INVESTMENT OF RESOURCES AND ENERGY IN FOCUSING EVERYTHING ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND NOT PUTTING ENOUGH RESOURCES INTO SOFTER MEASURES IF I COULD PUT IT IN THAT WAY TO PROVIDE VICTIMS WITH REPARATIONS, TO PROVIDE VICTIMS WITH ACCESS TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE, TO GIVE THOSE PEOPLE THE TOOLS, TO GIVE THEM THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES.

>> Reporter: IF SHE WANTED TO, AJNA JUSIC COULD PROVIDE A SAMPLE OF D.N.A.

AND ALLOW BOSNIAN PROSECUTORS TO OPEN A CASE AGAINST HER BIOLOGICAL FATHER.

BUT SHE'S UNWILLING TO DO SO.

>> ( translated ): WHEN I TURNED 18, I HAD THE RIGHT TO INITIATE A COMPLAINT AGAINST HIM.

THEN, I WAS IN A DIFFICULT PROCESS OF TRYING TO GRASP AND ACCEPT WHAT HAPPENED, NOT TO MENTION TRYING TO SURVIVE.

BUT NOW AT THIS STAGE OF MY LIFE AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF EFFORT AND US WORKING TOGETHER TO OVERCOME ALL OF THIS, I REALLY DON'T WANT TO MEET HIM.

>> Reporter: IN GORAZDE, THE CIRCLE OF LIFE HAS ROTATED.

ALEN MUHIC IS NOW A FATHER AND HE PROMISES TO EMULATE HIS ADOPTIVE FATHER, THE MAN HE CALLS DAD.

>> ( translated ): I WANT MY SON TO LEARN ALL THE THINGS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME.

TO BE RIGHTEOUS, REALISTIC, NOT TO JUDGE PEOPLE NO MATTER HOW THEY APPEAR, OR WHAT RELIGION THEY FOLLOW BECAUSE I ALSO DON'T JUDGE PEOPLE.

THIS INJUSTICE IS THE ONLY THING THAT HURTS ME.

>> Sreenivasan: ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTH OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA'S SALTON SEA WAS ONCE HAILED AS A MIRACLE IN THE DESERT.

FORMED AFTER THE COLORADO RIVER BREACHED ITS DIKE IN THE EARLY 20th CENTURY, THE STATE'S LARGEST INLAND BODY OF WATER WAS A HAVEN FOR FISHING AND RECREATION.

TODAY, THE SEA ITSELF STRUGGLES TO SURVIVE, AND HAS BECOME A HAVEN OF AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SORT.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S CHRIS BOOKER REPORTS.

>> Reporter: THE SUNSET PAINTS THE SKY IN A TIE-DYED FIRE OF RED AND ORANGE.

BUT IT IS THE SILENCE ON THE WATER THAT TELLS THE REAL STORY.

LIFE IS LEAVING THE SALTON SEA.

THE WATER IS EVAPORATING, FISH ARE DYING AND THE LAKESIDE RETREATS ARE SHELLS OF WHAT THEY ONCE WERE.

CALIFORNIA'S LARGEST LAKE, NOW A PORTRAIT OF ABANDONMENT.

BUT SOME BELIEVE THIS EMPTINESS CAN BE FILLED.

>> THIS PIECE HERE IT HAS AN INTERESTING HISTORY TOO.

>> Reporter: TO HEAR BRIAN SADLER TELL IT, THE OPEN AIR DESERT MUSEUM OF EAST JESUS IS A LIVING, BREATHING, EXPERIMENT IN FREE EXPRESSION.

JUST OFF THE SHORE OF THE SALTON SEA, IT'S A COMMUNE THAT ALLOWS PAINTERS, SCULPTORS AND CONCEPTUAL ARTISTS TO DO BATTLE WITH THE SAND, THE SUN AND THE WIND.

>> THIS IS EL BRINO, THE LOST DINOSAUR OF THE SALTON SEA.

TOUCH ANY PART OF IT BECAUSE IT'S, LIKE, POWDER, IT GOES BACK TO POWDER.

>> Reporter: IT DISINTEGRATES.

>> YEAH.

TOTALLY DISINTEGRATES.

>> Reporter: IS THAT PART OF WHAT'S GOING ON, DISINTEGRATION, THE IDEA THAT THINGS ARE TEMPORARY IN THIS ENVIRONMENT?

>> THAT IS THE MESSAGE I'M GETTING THAT NOTHING ON THIS LEVEL, ON THIS PLANE IS REALLY WORTH CLINGING TO 'CAUSE IT'S JUST STUFF.

IT'S ALL JUST STUFF.

>> Reporter: THE BRAINCHILD OF LATE ARTIST CHARLES RUSELL, EAST JESUS BEGAN ON THE DUMP SITE OF SLAB CITY, A SQUATTERS CAMP ON AN ABANDONED MILITARY BASE, JUST OUTSIDE OF NILAND, CALIFORNIA AND THE LOCATION OF LEONARD KNIGHT'S FAMED SALVATION MOUNTAIN.

>> AS SOON AS CHARLIE RUSSEL HEARD ABOUT HIS ADVENTURE OUT HERE IN THE DESERT USING TRASH TO BUILD A TEMPLE TO GOD, HE SAID HE WANTED TO BE A PART OF THAT BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS YEARNING TO MAKE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING.

>> Reporter: IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED, RUSSELL INVITED MORE AND MORE ARTISTS TO EAST JESUS, TO COME AND BUILD, CREATE, AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS TO THE WORK AS THE DESERT TAKES HOLD.

THIS ONE HERE?

>> I HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE IT TO YOU BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NOT ABOUT THE TIN CANS IN THERE.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THIS.

MAKING SOUND OUT OF JUST PEBBLES AND EMPTY CANS.

>> Reporter: OH, THAT'S GREAT.

>> IT CAN SOUND LIKE THE RAIN.

>> Reporter: AFTER RUSSELL PASSED AWAY IN 2011, THE GROWING ROSTER OF ARTISTS IN EAST JESUS FORMED THE TAX-EXEMPT CHASTERUS FOUNDATION TO PROTECT THE PROJECT.

>> HIS FRIENDS RALLIED AROUND AND SAID, "LOOK, WE DON'T WANT THIS IDEA TO DIE.

WE'VE ALL HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME CONTRIBUTING AND INSPIRING ONE ANOTHER."

AND SO THEY FORMED A 501.3C TO PRESERVE HIS MEMORY.

>> Reporter: IN 2013, THE FOUNDATION PURCHASED THE 30 ACRES OF LAND THAT SURROUND THE COLLECTION, AND THREE YEARS LATER, EAST JESUS BECAME AN ACCREDITED MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA MUSEUM ASSOCIATION.

>> MOVING RIGHT ALONG.

THIS IS OUR TV WALL.

ONE OF THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED AND SHARED PIECES, I THINK, OF EAST JESUS ONLINE BECAUSE PEOPLE LOVE IT.

IT SAYS SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS TO SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: BUT THIS ISN'T THE ONLY ARTISTS' HAVEN ALONG THE SALTON SEA.

IF EAST JESUS WAS BUILT ON THE DISCARDED, THE WORKS OF BOMBAY BEACH SPRING FROM THE YET TO BE HAULED AWAY.

AT ONE TIME THE 1,000 LOT COMMUNITY OFFERED ACCESS TO THE WATER AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE.

BUT AS THE SEA STARTED TO DIE, SO TOO DID THE TOWN.

>> I FELL IN LOVE WITH BOMBAY BEACH FROM THE BEGINNING BECAUSE ITS SO DIFFERENT FROM EVERYTHING ELSE IN-- THAT YOU SEE IN AMERICAN LIFE.

AND I JUST THINK IT INSPIRES ARTISTS.

>> Reporter: FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS, TAO RUSPOLI AND HIS PARTNERS HAVE BEEN USING THE NEARLY ABANDONED TOWN AS A STAGING GROUND FOR ART INSTALLATIONS, LECTURES AND PERFORMANCES.

>> EVERY TIME I WOULD COME HERE FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS I'D SEE PEOPLE SHOOTING MUSIC VIDEOS, DOING FASHION SHOOTS.

LIKE, REALLY KIND OF CAPITALIZING ON HOW STRANGE AND REMOVED IT WAS.

AND YET, THE TOWN HAD NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.

>> Reporter: IN 2015, RUSPOLI AND HIS PARTNERS STARTED BUYING UP HOMES AND LOTS FOR AS LITTLE AS $5,000 AND INVITED ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO COME TO AND START CREATING.

TWO YEARS AGO, THEY LAUNCHED THE BOMBAY BEACH BIENNALE, A THREE DAY GATHERING BILLED AS A CELEBRATION OF ART, MUSIC AND PHILOSOPHY.

THE ONLY AGENDA: SAVING "THE SEA."

>> I THINK THE JOB OF THE ARTIST IS TO HELP PEOPLE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH NEW EYES.

AND THEREFORE, IT'S LIKE A SENSE OF, LIKE, DISCOVERING SOMETHING TOGETHER, UNCOVERING SOMETHING, REINTERPRETING SOMETHING AND SO WHEN AN ARTIST DOES THAT TO A PLACE-- IT BRINGS IT TO LIFE.

>> Reporter: THE EFFORTS HAVE SPARKED A RENAISSANCE OF SORTS, THERE ARE NOW 40 DIFFERENT PERMANENT EXHIBITS IN BOMBAY BEACH.

>> SO LIKE EVERYTHING THAT THIS PLACE INSPIRES, THERE'S A BIT OF-- THERE'S A BIT OF SADNESS MIXED WITH A BIT OF HUMOR MIXED WITH A BIT OF ABSURDITY.

>> Reporter: PERHAPS NO OTHER INSTALLATION ILLUSTRATES THIS MIX BETTER THAN THE BOMBAY BEACH OPERA HOUSE.

♪ ♪ ♪ CREATED BY BRITISH ARTIST JAMES OSTRER, THE HOUSE IS LINED WITH FLIP-FLOPS COLLECTED FROM THE BEACHES OF NIGERIA, >> THIS DOOR OPENS ON-- ON-- ON HYDRAULIC HINGES.

AND SUDDENLY THIS IS TRANSFORMED INTO ONE-- INTO ONE OF THE GREAT-- PERFORMANCE SPACES, I THINK, ON EARTH.

AND JAMES WAS DOING ANOTHER INSTALLATION WITH THE FLIP FLOPS IN NEW YORK A FEW MONTHS AGO AND SOMEONE CAME UP TO HIM AND SAID, "OH, SOMEONE'S ALREADY DONE THAT IN BOMBAY BEACH."

SO THAT WAS THE GREAT VALIDATION THAT WE HAVE COME ON TO THE MAP.

>> Reporter: WHILE BOMBAY BEACH MAY HAVE ARRIVED IN THE ART WORLD AND EAST JESUS MIGHT HAVE ITS ACCREDITATION, YOU ARE NEVER FAR FROM THE BACKDROP THAT ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN.

IT'S HARD NOT TO HAVE VERY KIND OF APOCALYPTIC FEELINGS ABOUT ALL THIS.

I MEAN, IT'S A FRIGHTENING PORTRAIT OF-- OF CHANGE, OF AN ENVIRONMENT CHANGING.

>> YEAH.

>> Reporter: IS THAT TOO HYPERBOLIC?

>> NOT AT ALL.

IT'S LIKE THE CLOSEST THING THAT I'VE SEEN TO AN ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE IN MY LIFETIME.

AND IT'S-- AND IT'S SO TANGIBLE.

IT'S RIGHT HERE.

YOU CAN WATCH THE SEA GOING AWAY.

YOU CAN SMELL THE PROBLEM.

YOU CAN SEE THE DEAD FISH ON THE SHORE.

I THINK THAT THIS PLACE EMBODIES A LOT OF CONTRADICTIONS.

AND THEY'RE ALL THERE FOR PEOPLE TO KIND OF CONTEMPLATE.

>> THIS IS PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND, SUNDAY.

>> Sreenivasan: THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED IT IS HALTING PAYMENTS FOR AN OBAMACARE PROGRAM THAT HELPS INSURERS COVER COSTS FOR SICKER PATIENTS.

IN A STATEMENT YESTERDAY, THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES SAID IT IS FREEZING PAYMENTS THAT REDISTRIBUTE MORE THAN $10 BILLION A YEAR FROM INSURANCE COMPANIES WITH HEALTHIER PATIENTS TO INSURANCE COMPANIES WITH SICKER PATIENTS.

THE FEDERAL AGENCY SAID IT MADE THE CHANGE BECAUSE OF CONFLICTING COURT RULINGS IN LAWSUITS FILED BY SMALLER INSURERS.

THE BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION, WHOSE MEMBERS PROVIDE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT COVERAGE, SAID IT WAS "EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED" WITH THE DECISION AND WARNED THAT PREMIUMS FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES WILL INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY.

SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO DISMISSED COMMENTS FROM NORTH KOREA TODAY THAT THE U.S. HAD MADE "GANGSTER-LIKE" DEMANDS IN ITS NEGOTIATIONS ON DENUCLEARIZATION.

IN TOKYO, POMPEO MET WITH JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS, AND DESPITE RHETORIC FROM NORTH KOREA HE REITERATED THE TWO DAYS OF TALKS WERE PRODUCTIVE.

>> WE HAD DETAILED AND SUBSTANTIAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS TOWARDS A FULLY VERIFIED AND COMPLETE DENUCLEARIZATION.

>> Sreenivasan: THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS NOW IN VIETNAM, PART OF A 13-DAY OVERSEAS TOUR THAT INCLUDES THE NATO SUMMIT IN BELGIUM LATER THIS WEEK.

IN JAPAN, A THIRD DAY OF TORRENTIAL RAIN, FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES PUSHED THE DEATH TOLL THERE TO MORE THAN 80 PEOPLE.

DOZENS ARE STILL MISSING, MOSTLY NEAR HIROSHIMA, WHERE HEAVY RAIN TRIGGERED MUDSLIDES THAT SWEPT AWAY CARS AND HOMES.

IN THE CITY OF KURASHIKI, MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE WERE RESCUED BY MILITARY PERSONNEL, MANY OF THEM WERE ELDERLY PATIENTS FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL.

JAPANESE OFFICIALS SAY THREE MILLION RESIDENTS ARE BEING URGED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND AND INTO SHELTERS AS THE RAIN CONTINUES.

>> Sreenivasan: DAWN STURGESS, A BRITISH WOMAN EXPOSED TO THE NERVE AGENT NOVICHOK OUTSIDE OF LONDON LAST MONTH, DIED LATE TODAY.

44-YEAR-OLD STURGESS AND HER PARTNER, 45-YEAR-OLD CHARLIE ROWLEY, BOTH WERE HOSPITALIZED AFTER COMING INTO CONTACT WITH THE NERVE AGENT.

ROWLEY REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION.

THE FORMER RUSSIAN SPY SERGEY SKRIPAL AND HIS DAUGHTER YULIA WERE SICKENED BY NOVICHOK IN MARCH, BOTH HAVE RECOVERED.

BRITISH INVESTIGATORS SUSPECT STURGESS AND ROWLEY WERE EXPOSED THROUGH A CONTAMINATED ITEM LEFT OVER FROM THE FIRST ATTACK, WHICH BRITAIN BLAMES ON RUSSIA.

RUSSIA HAS DENIED THE ALLEGATION.

AND TOMORROW ON THE NEWSHOUR, THE LATEST ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S SUPREME COURT NOMINEE.

THAT'S ALL FOR THIS EDITION OF PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

I'M HARI SREENIVASAN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.