providing false information about president biden and his son hunter, some of it allegedly coming from russian intelligence officials. republicans had championed the evidence he presented. >> even a trusted fbi informant has alleged a bribe to the biden family. >> reporter: that claim from smirnov that hunter biden and his family sought from burisma, a ukrainian energy film $5 million in bribes. prosecutors now say it was a lie. republicans today struggled to answer questions about smirnov's indictment. >> all i'm saying is you've got to ask the fbi than. he may in fact may have given false statement. i don't row prosecutors argue smirnov, a dual u.s.-israeli citizen with more than 6 million in his bank account is a flight risk, given that he had contact with russian intelligence officials this past november. democrats say the republicans' impeachment probe is forever tarnished. >> any further investigation of this impeachment inquiry is now

a witting accomplice to russian intelligence. >> reporter: the same congressional investigators question hunter biden next wednesday about his business dealings. as for alexander smirnov, he has not yet entered a plea in his case, but norah, a judge has released him under restrictions pending trial. >> scott macfarlane on the hill tonight, thank you. president biden is slamming gop front-runner donald trump for refusing to criticize russia's vladimir putin following the death of alexei navalny. the former president instead compared navalny's death to his own legal troubles. cbs' nancy cordes is traveling with the president in los angeles. >> why does trump always blame america? >> reporter: a suspicious death in russia is now a u.s. election issue after former president donald trump equated last week's demise of a famed opposition leader to his recent fine for business fraud. >> a form of navalny, it is a

form of communism or fascism. >> reporter: at a town hall in south carolina, trump called alexei navalny's death in an arctic penal colony a, quote, sad situation, but declined once again to blame russia's president. >> putin is responsible for navalny's death. why can't trump just say that? putin is responsible. >> reporter: the biden administration is finalizing what it describes as major sanctions to punish putin. today the treasury department's top sanctions official met with allies in europe to coordinate on the new economic measures that are timed to mark the two-year anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine. >> we are always looking at additional ways that we can choke off the russian war machine, that we can deny the russian military industrial complex components that it needs to use to fund its war effort. >> reporter: and yet that war effort rages on.

the white house is intensifying its attacks on house republicans for failing to approve another aid package for ukraine. the embattled nation is running low on ammunition, forcing it to withdraw this week from a strategic city on the front lines. between that setback and navalny's death, pressure is mounting on republican house speaker mike johnson to buck a vocal minority in his party and bring the ukraine aid up for a vote as soon as congress returns from a two-week recess. norah? >> we'll be watching. nancy cordes, thank you so much. there is a little more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

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afternoon he is forgiving some $1.2 billion of debt for those currently enrolled in a new repayment program. it comes as the annual tuition at a private nonprofit four-year college or university tops $41,000. and that is up 4% from just one year ago. cbs' carter evans takes an in-depth look at the high price of a college education. >> i knew that college was going to be quite expensive, no matter where i went. >> reporter: freshman talia day is among 1700 students currently enrolled at pomona college, a prestigious school with a hefty price tag. gabriel starr is pomona's president. >> every time we raise tuition, it doesn't feel good. >> reporter: between 1980 and 2023, the average price of college tuition, fees and room and board in the u.s. skyrocketed, 155%. what would you say is the single biggest expense? >> single biggest expense is people. >> reporter: many colleges and universities now operate like

small cities, and critics say that's led to administrative bloat. there are now three times as many administrators and staffers as there are teaching faculty at leading schools. demand for degrees is also driving up costs. >> i feel like young people have gotten a sense that in order to be a part of the american dream today, you have to have your bachelor's degree diploma hanging on the wall. >> reporter: economist beth acre says easy access to loans compounds the problem. >> we can't just be telling people a bachelor's degree at any cost is the golden ticket. so people are signing on the dotted line, basically at whatever price it takes to get them in and through. >> reporter: so what's the solution here? >> if we get students and their parents to think about what am i paying here versus what am i getting, then we really force institutions to check themselves. >> reporter: but even at the same school, the actual costs can be different for each student. >> we give out a lot of financial aid. >> reporter: at pomona, 58% of students get some sort of aid, bringing their tuition closer to $16,000 a year.

but many still rely on loans that will take years to pay back. is it worth it? >> all of the studies show that if you graduate from college, it's worth it. it's worth it in terms of the salary that you earn, and it's worth it in terms of the other opportunities that it opens to you. >> reporter: carter evans, cbs news, claremont, california. why are force factor vitamins so popular at walmart? force factor uses the highest quality ingredients to deliver powerful, healthy results from delicious and convenient supplements. that's why friends and family recommend force factor. rush to walmart and unleash your potential with force factor.

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she already has enough on her plate. >> reporter: insulin prices recently decreased as medicare, some states and drug manufacturers move to cap monthly costs. but not all patients qualify. >> exactly how much help you'll get could depend on the drug itself, on your insurance, how big your deductible is, and in some cases even on your income. >> reporter: tara says she was shocked when her private insurance company sent her this letter in 2022 stating one form of insulin cassie needs is no longer covered. >> is not medically necessary. >> reporter: not medically necessary? >> that's what the letter said. i think i just sat there like not medically necessary? this is her air. >> reporter: but families on the facebook group that she runs for diabetes patients gave her a tip. she could download a coupon to lower the monthly price from $600 to $99. >> my worry for the future of coupons would be that they go

away. >> reporter: the three top insulin manufacturers told cbs news they have several programs to lower the costs of the drug. eli lilly says it supports bipartisan legislation capping prices at $35 for everyone. so does tara. >> every insulin should have a cap. >> reporter: then she'd know cassie could always afford the life-saving medicine she'll need. roxana saberi, cbs news, mechanicsville, virginia. a bomb threat forces a united a lines jet to

tonight the fbi is investigating a bomb threat aboard a united airlines jet. a flight from newark had to make an emergency landing in chicago this morning after a fake bomb note was found in a bathroom. passengers had to be temporarily evacuated. and that came one day after an american airlines flight to chicago was forced to turn back to albuquerque after a man had to be subdued by passengers after he allegedly tried to open

the plane door mid flight. several days of heavy rain triggered landslides today in southern california. a stretch of the pacific coast highway was closed in both directions along with several other roads in the malibu area. beverly hills ended up with 4 inches of rain in five days, while more than 8 inches fell in the santa monica mountains. finally tonight's heart of america. meet mehina. she was missing for months after wildfires ravaged her family's home in hawaii last year. her owners gave up hope of finding her after they moved thousands of miles away to montana. the 3-year-old cat survived in the burn zone for 100 days before she was rescued by the heroes at the maui humane society. last week, mehina was reunited with her family. the nonprofit covered the cost to fly her all the way to the mainland, and her owner had this message for mehina's rescuers. >> thank you so much. not even just for my kitty, but

for all the other animals out there they have rescued from this fire, just reuniting families and bringing home. it's a beautiful thing. >> as the maui humane society puts it, it takes a village. that's tonight's heart of america. and that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." you can follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm carissa lawson in new york. president biden is considering severely restricting access to the asylum system for migrants arriving at the southern border. the plan involves him using the same law used by former donald trump for the controversial muslim travel ban. the parents of gabby petito and brian laundrie have settled

a sylvester lawsuit alleging laundrie's parents knew their son killed his fiancee while on a road trip. she disappeared and was later found dead in 2021, sparking a manhunt for laundrie whose remains were later found in a florida nature reserve. and a lunar lander operated by a houston company is scheduled to land on the moon today. it will be the first american mission to do so since 1972. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening, i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. we want to begin with shockwaves being felt in the world of reproductive health care following a bombshell ruling by alabama's supreme court.

in friday's unprecedented decision, the all republican court ruled that frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children. now alabama's largest hospital is pausing all invitro fertilization treatments as health care providers across the state and the country evaluate what this means. the ruling could have a devastating effect for people who desperately want to have children in a state that already has one of the nation's strictest abortion laws. the decision may also make the already expensive costs of infertility treatments skyrocket because of rising liability costs. to understand the possible impact, look at these numbers from the cdc. nearly 100,000 babies were born in the u.s. in 2021 using ivf treatments. that's more than 2% of all births. cbs' meg oliver speaks tonight to a woman who has spent years and thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant. >> i'm angry. i'm sad. i'm just a whole slew of things. >> reporter: 34-year-old jasmine york turned to ivf to get

pregnant, but now her dream of having another child has come to a sudden halt. is ivf your last hope to have a baby? >> yes. there is no other way. >> reporter: this morning, york got a phone call from her fertility doctor at the university of alabama with the news the hospital system is pausing all ivf treatments while it takes a closer look at the state supreme court's ruling that frozen embryos are considered people. in a statement to cbs news, the university of alabama says it is saddened, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for ivf treatments. >> it is disturbing and ironic that the judgment in this case talks about trying to promote families and help people, and yet they are doing exactly the opposite. >> reporter: the alabama court's ruling could also have a chilling effect nationwide. >> how can we help our patients

if we are going to be threatened with jail time or fines or crimes for just doing our best to take care of our patients. >> reporter: like alabama fertility doctor mamie mcleap. >> ultimately we're worried that there is going to be fewer babies born in alabama because of this ruling. >> reporter: but tonight, alabama ivf patients are left in limbo. how scared are you for the future right now? >> i am scared. but i do have hope still that this can get turned around and things can be made right. >> reporter: tonight, the university of alabama told us it doesn't know how long ivf is on hold, leaving many women wondering if they'll be able to have a baby. norah? >> so many people scared about this. meg oliver, thank you. back here on washington, fallout on capitol hill after a former fbi informant was charged with lying about president biden and his son hunter's ties to a

ukrainian energy company. house republicans have used the now indicted informant as one of their main sources in the investigations of the president and his family. cbs' scott macfarlane reports from capitol hill that the president's brother, james biden, testified behind closed doors today as part of the republicans' impeachment probe. >> reporter: the president's younger brother, james, arrived ahead of his interview with congressional investigators as republicans try to salvage their impeachment inquiry into president biden. >> are you having second thoughts about this? >> no, no, because there is other corroborating evidence with other links to the president. >> reporter: james biden told the panel the president had no role in his business ventures, saying "i never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me or anyone else." but even before the interview began, the republican probe suffered a major blow. long time fbi informant alexander smirnov, seen here covered in a scarf, hat and

sunglasses has been charged with providing false information about president biden and his son hunter, some of it allegedly coming from russian intelligence officials. republicans had championed the evidence he presented. >> even a trusted fbi informant has alleged a bribe to the biden family. >> reporter: that claim from smirnov that hunter biden and his father sought from burisma, ukrainian energy firm $5 million in bribes. prosecutors now say it was a lie. republicans today struggled to answer questions about smirnov's indictment. >> all i'm saying is you've got to ask the fbi than. he may in fact may have given false statement. i don't know. >> reporter: prosecutors argue smirnov, a dual u.s.-israeli citizen with more than 6 million in his bank account is a flight risk, who is actively peddling new lies that could impact the election. given that he had contact with russian intelligence officials this past november, democrats say the republicans' impeachment probe is forever tarnished. >> any further investigation of this impeachment inquiry is now a witting accomplice to russian intelligence.

>> reporter: the same congressional investigators question hunter biden next wednesday about his business dealings. as for alexander smirnov, he has not yet entered a plea in his case, but norah, a judge has released him under restrictions pending trial. >> scott macfarlane on the hill tonight, thank you. president biden is slamming gop front-runner donald trump for refusing to criticize russia's vladimir putin following the death of alexei navalny. the former president instead compared navalny's death to his own legal troubles. cbs' nancy cordes is traveling with the president in los angeles. >> why does trump always blame america? >> reporter: a suspicious death in russia is now a u.s. election issue after former president donald trump equated last week's demise of a famed opposition leader to his recent fine for business fraud. >> a form of navalny, it is a form of communism or fascism. >> reporter: at a town hall in

south carolina, trump called alexei navalny's death in an arctic penal colony a, quote, sad situation, but declined once again to blame russia's president. >> putin is responsible for navalny's death. why can't trump just say that? putin is responsible. >> reporter: the biden administration is finalizing what it describes as major sanctions to punish putin. today the treasury department's top sanctions official met with allies in europe to coordinate on the new economic measures that are timed to mark the two-year anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine. >> we are always looking at additional ways that we can choke off the russian war machine, that we can deny the russian military industrial complex components that it needs to use to fund its war effort. >> reporter: and yet that war efort rages on. the white house is intensifying its attacks on house republicans for failing to approve another

aid package for ukraine. the embattled nation is running low on ammunition, forcing it to withdraw this week from a strategic city on the front lines. between that setback and navalny's death, pressure is mounting on republican house speaker mike johnson to buck a vocal minority in his party and bring the ukraine aid up for a vote as soon as congress returns from a two-week recess. norah? >> we'll be watching. >> we'll be watching. nancy cordes, thank you so much. when your gut is out of balance, your body gives you signs. so if you're frustrated with occasional bloating... ♪♪ [stomach noises] gas... or abdominal discomfort... help stop the frustration and start taking align every day. align probiotic was specifically designed by gastroenterologists to help relieve your occasional digestive upsets. so you can enjoy life. when you feel the signs,

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enjoy the go with charmin. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> i'm olivia gazis in washington. thanks for staying with us. saturday marks two years since russia launched its full-scale invasion of ukraine. since then, more than half a

million people on both sides have been either killed or badly wounded and entire cities destroyed. one particular battle is the subject of an award winning documentary, and david martin has a look. >> and i cannot get over the feeling that something terrible is going to happen to this city. >> reporter: something terrible did happen to the city of mariupol. and mstislav chernoff of the associated press was there to witness it. >> what i did not expect was that the bombardment would be so intensive. >> reporter: chernoff and his team spent the first 20 days of the russia invasion inside mariupol, sending out images that horrified the world and are now part of an oscar-nominated documentary. >> reporter: frantic efforts to

save a 4-year-old. a doctor urging the camera to capture it all. >> the whole city was suffering. the whole city was starving. the whole city was without water. so many people dying. >> the boy was playing soccer with his friends when the shelling started. his legs were completely blown off. >> reporter: another infant rushed in. but he is beyond saving. >> gideon, 18 months old. >> reporter: shock and brief beyond comprehension. >> my brain desperately want to forget all this, but the camera will not let it happen. >> the bombs started hitting

schools and civilian buildings and eventually they hit the maternity hospital. >> reporter: the scene of a woman named irina with her unborn child, neither of whom would live. >> we have photos. >> reporter: was denounced by russia as stage d, the women actresses, a preposterous claim in the face of chernoff's unblinking camera. but with power failing -- >> fully surrounded by russian troops. >> reporter: he could only transmit snippets of video to the outside world. >> russian troops commit war crimes. our family, our women, our children need helps. our people need help from international society. pl please help mariupol.

>> reporter: for the world to see what the russians did in mariupol, chernoff had to get his 30 hours of video out of the city. ukrainian troops went in to rescue him. >> abandoning the doctors who have sheltered us. >> reporter: you left on day 20? >> yeah. >> reporter: maricopa fell on day 86? >> yeah. believe it or not. it became worse. it seemed it can't be worse. it just can't. but it was -- it was. >> reporter: that was the beginning of war that has now gone on for two years. thousands of ukrainian soldiers have lost limbs, and a tiny fraction have been brought to the united states to be fitted for advanced prosthetics. >> i'm jedi. >> luke skywalker. >> reporter: before the war, alexei dernov was a martial arts

enthusiast. petro kulig worked in construction. yehan was a lumberjack. sergei volek repaired cars. being outgunned and outmanned by the russians. how heavy was the russian artillery fire? >> translator: in ratio to our artillery, it's one to ten. >> reporter: did the russian soldiers outnumber you? >> i don't even know by how many times, but there is lots. they come and come and come. >> reporter: the combat so intense, there was no quick evacuation from the front lines. how long before you got to a hospital? >> more than 24 hours. to the hospital, it took me around 20 hours. >> reporter: these soldiers were wounded in ukraine's much vaunted counteroffensive. last year's drive to take back occupied territory, a drive that

attempted to use american mine-clearing equipment and armored vehicles to break through russian lines. but faltered in the face of mine fields and dug-in defenders. now the american supply line, which sent ukraine over three million artillery shells is drying up, and funding for more military aid is trapped in the caustic politics of congress. >> for republicans in congress who think they can oppose funding for ukraine and not be held accountable, history is watching. >> when the history of this day is written, as it surely will be, do you really want to be recorded as being on the side of vladimir putin? all those in favor of putin, say aye. >> reporter: senator angus king, who has travelled to ukraine and met with its leader says what happens next will be a turning point. >> if we walk away, it will be the greatest geopolitical

mistake this country has made in generations, and it will haunt this country for 50 years. >> reporter: king, who serves on both the senate armed services and intelligence committees paints a dark picture of what will happen to ukraine without u.s. aid. >> there will be one of two results. russia will just take over, a and the ukrainian people's desire for freedom and democracy is gone. the other option is that it turns into a sort of guerrilla war where ukrainian are fighting from behind trees and buildings. >> reporter: du that mean the front lines as we know them today just collapse and the russians break through? >> i think that's the inevitable conclusion. >> reporter: how long can -- >> i think it's six months. >> reporter: so we could have the collapse of the front by this summer? >> i think that's a distinct possibility. >> reporter: in his documentary "20 days in mariupol," mstislav chernoff captures the battle for survival in one unforgettable

scene. a wounded mother giving birth. >> they got the child out, and the child was silent. there was this tension. i've never felt anything like that before. no one would be able to bear one more child death. [ crying ] >> it was a defining moment of the whole horrifying 20 days. one of the doctors told me that people were only dying in this room. and this is the first time the human was born in this room. >> that little baby we saw born is coming up on her second birthday? >> yes, almost second birthday, yeah. >> reporter: war is coming up on its second birthday too. more cities and towns have fallen since mariupol, and many more are under attack. >> so all of those cities, their story is represented by

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more than 112,000 deaths last year are blamed on fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. now the people who sell those drugs are being tracked down, some charged with homicide. carter evans was on the streets of l.a. with police, searching for the dealers. >> reporter: on public transportation in los angeles, surveillance video caught these two men smoking fentanyl. >> he takes a good inhalation. >> reporter: the drug can kill so fast, l.a. sheriff bobby dean says the man on the right is dead of fentanyl poisoning in less than 30 seconds. >> it's 100 times more powerful than morphine. and it will kill you in an instant if you get a bad batch. >> reporter: why is fentanyl so >> it is extremely potent high. it is dirt cheap, and it is incredibly easy to get. >> reporter: lieutenant dean leads a special task force that investigates fentanyl deaths, aiming to bring charges against dealers. are you essentially approaching these like a homicide when you go out? >> they are absolutely approached like a homicide. it is a death investigation.

it is incredibly new. overdoses used to be treated like an accidental death. >> reporter: one of their cases 18-year-old jacks margly, poisoned by fentanyl in 2022. >> i knocked on jax's door. when. >> reporter: jax's mother daisy. >> when i opened the door, i saw him slumped over on the bed and i screamed for my husband. >> reporter: did you want to find the person who provided these drugs? >> i wanted nothing less than to burn this person's world down. >> sheriff's office. >> reporter: prosecuting fentanyl dealers is a growing case nationwide. this man was run down and arrested in connection with a death in florida. l.a. county sheriff robert luna's deputies now investigate hundreds of fentanyl deaths a year. you're talking about dealers potentially facing homicide charges. >> that's the goal. because what is the difference between somebody who stabs you or shoots you or is selling you

pills that highly likely will kill you? >> reporter: last year, sheriff's deputies in los angeles county seized more than three million fentanyl pills, 300,000 more than 2022. >> going towards the exit. >> reporter: we rode along with detectives as they made an undercover fentanyl street buy. >> so that's it? it's done? >> it's done. >> reporter: they brought back this baggy with about 10 pills inside, disguised as a prescription pain medication. how much was this purchased for? >> this was for $80. >> reporter: will s there enough there to kill someone? >> yes, there, definitely. >> reporter: in fact, deputies say there may be enough here to kill 10, maybe even 20 people. >> they know damn well how deadly these things are. >> reporter: the markleys live nearby and asked to see the drug that killed their child. >> nobody should have to go through what we have gone through. losing a child. >> reporter: jax allegedly found fentanyl advertised on social media, and a woman accused of selling the fatal dose is awaiting trial in federal court.

meanwhile, all l.a. sheriff's deputies now carry narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose and is available over the counter. would you recommend that parents have narcan in the home? >> yes. it's as easy to get fentanyl as it is ordering a pizza. that's dangerous. that's deadly. we need to stop it. >> reporter: until then, his deputies will keep responding to overdoses like this one and open homicide cases when their

scientists in sweden are now looking to termites for ways to address climate change. ian lee reports. >> reporter: termites are a nightmare for any homeowner. some can destroy properties in as little as a year. but swedish scientists say the tiny insects can teach us a thing or two about sustainable architecture.

>> termites are absolutely incredible at constructing. they work with very limited resources, and they work with materials that are entirely sourced from their environment. >> reporter: architect david and ring sees the bugs as ecosystem engineers, building term night tunnels in a way that regulates the airflowing through them to create natural climate control. >> well, one of the fascinating things that the termite mound does it maintains a internal climate in the desert. >> reporter: he collected samples from termite rings from around the world to produce a 3d design using the same materials from wood, grass and mud to even fungus. >> so this is the wall, and it's a prototype we created as a response to the termite research. and thinking about how this might act as a facade in an urban environment of a building. >> reporter: the end result creates unique ecofriendly and

energy efficient designs, by building big ideas from some of nature's smallest critters. ian lee, cbs news, london. and that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings," and follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm olivia gazis. this is cbs news flash. i'm carissa lawson in new york. president biden is considering severely restricting access to the asylum system for migrants arriving at the southern border. the plan involves him using the same law used by former donald trump for the controversial muslim travel ban. the parents of gabby petito and brian laundrie have settled a sylvester lawsuit alleging

laundrie's parents knew thei and a lunar lander operated by a houston company is scheduled to land on the moon today. it will be the first american mission to do so since 1972. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. i'm angry. i'm sad. i mean, it completely derailed a lot of hope. >> tonight, fertility treatment showdown. >> we've bolstered the culture of life and protected the sanctity of life. >> the implications as alabama's largest hospital system says it's pausing ivf following a landmark ruling from the state's supreme court. >> doctors now have to question everything they do.

♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening, i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. we want to begin with shockwaves being felt in the world of reproductive health care following a bombshell ivf ruling by alabama's supreme court. in friday's unprecedented decision, the all republican court ruled that frozen embryos are the legal equivalent of children. now alabama's largest hospital is pausing all invitro fertilization treatments as health care providers across the state and the country evaluate what this means. the ruling could have a devastating effect for people who desperately want to have children in a state that already has one of the nation's strictest abortion laws. the decision may also make the already expensive costs of

infertility treatments skyrocket because of rising liability costs. to understand the possible impact, look at these numbers from the cdc. nearly 100,000 babies were born in the u.s. in 2021 using ivf treatments. that's more than 2% of all births. cbs' meg oliver speaks tonight to a woman who has spent years and thousands of dollars trying to get pregnant. >> i'm angry. i'm sad. i'm just a whole slew of things. >> reporter: 34-year-old jasmine york turned to ivf to get pregnant, but now her dream of having another child has come to a sudden halt. is ivf your last hope to have a baby? >> yes. there is no other way. >> reporter: this morning, york got a phone call from her fertility doctor at the university of alabama with the news the hospital system is pausing all ivf treatments while it takes a closer look at the state supreme court's ruling that frozen embryos are considered people. in a statement to cbs news, the university of alabama says it is saddened, but we must evaluate the potential that our patients

and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the standard of care for ivf treatments. >> it is disturbing and ironic that the judgment in this case talks about trying to promote families and help people, and yet they are doing exactly the opposite. >> reporter: the alabama court's ruling could also have a chilling effect nationwide. >> how can we help our patients if we are going to be threatened with jail time or fines or crimes for just doing our best to take care of our patients. >> reporter: like alabama fertility doctor mamie mclean. >> ultimately we're worried that there is going to be fewer babies born in alabama because of this ruling. >> reporter: but tonight, alabama ivf patients are left in limbo. how scared are you for the future right now? >> i am scared. but i do have hope still that

this can get turned around and things can be made right. >> reporter: tonight, the university of alabama told us it doesn't know how long ivf is on hold, leaving many women wondering if they'll be able to have a baby. norah? >> so many people scared about this. meg oliver, thank you. now to a tragic story out of flrida. a 7-year-old girl has died after a hole she was digging on a beach north of miami collapsed on top of her and her 9-year-old brother. cbs' manuel bojorquez has the heartbreaking details. >> there is a little girl buried under the sand, and they have not got to her yet. >> reporter: digging with their bare hands, bystanders rush to try to rescue a little girl, buried after the hole in the sand she was playing in collapsed. christina blackinger was there and tried to help. >> it was horrifying. my husband grabbed a bucket and started helping. the boy, you can see his head, and even that took a long time to get out. we could see him. the girl you couldn't see. >> reporter: the girl identified

as 7-year-old sloane mattingly was playing with her 9-year-old brother tuesday at the beach in lauderdale by the sea. her family was visiting from indiana. >> they were together as a family digging a hole to have fun in. >> reporter: the children were rushed to the hospital where the girl was pronounced dead. >> i do get the sense that this is the kind of thing that literally in a second it can happen. >> sand, again, not going to stay in a stable manner at any time. it's constantly moving. just really just like the ocean is. but when this falls in on you, there is no escaping it. it's very similar to an avalanche on the ski slopes where you're not going to be able to escape this once you're in there. >> reporter: experts warn beachgoers not to dig deep holes in the sand, but if you do, fill it before leaving. and do not dig a hole deeper than your knees. >> this is one bit of danger that you don't need to put yourself in. >> reporter: though rare, these accidents do happen.

in 2022, there were two similar deaths in other states in just one month. tonight, the 9-year-old boy who survived this accident is now out of the hospital. norah? >> manny bojorquez, thank you. tonight there are growing concerns that vladimir putin's invasion of ukraine launched two years ago could spill over into nato territory. cbs' charlie d'agata reports tonight from northeast poland, where there are now more than 10,000 u.s. troops stationed near the ukrainian border. >> reporter: u.s. live fire exercises in poland today near russian territory. an adversary has crossed on to this strip of nato-controlled soil. u.s. soldiers from the 3rd infantry division in georgia are the first line of defense. this exercise isn't just about making sure individual soldiers are ready for combat, but the military itself is ready in case there is an incursion from a regional enemy. and while no one here will name

that regional enemy, there is a good reason they're war gaming an invasion right here and right now. to military planners, the suwalki gap is the achilles heel. just 40 miles separates the enclave of leningrad and belarus. if the kremlin launched an incursion here, t would cut off the baltic states from other nato countries. but this training could be in jeopardy, with funding for ukraine stalled in congress, critical u.s. army exercises for both american and ukrainian forces, including supplying those forces is at risk of screeching to a halt. spokesman for the u.s. army, africa and europe colonel martin o'donnell. >> we are running out of money. we've got enough funds right now. if nothing, if nothing changes, we expect to run out of money before summertime, if nothing changes. >> reporter: before summer time? >> before summertime.

>> reporter: and what happens then? >> don't really want to think about it. both in terms of what we do on the two continents and both in terms of support for ukraine. >> reporter: it's the first time a senior u.s. army official has gone on camera about the urgency of that ukrainian funding package, norah, telling us the lack of funds not only threatens critical supplies to ukraine, but overall u.s. army operations here in europe. >> charlie d'agata, thank you. there is a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news

♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> back here in washington, fallout on capitol hill after a former fbi informant was charged with lying about president biden

and his son hunter's ties to a ukrainian energy company. house republicans have used the now indicted informant as one of their main sources in the investigations of the president and his family. cbs' scott macfarlane reports from capitol hill that the president's brother, james biden, testified behind closed doors today as part of the republicans' impeachment probe. >> reporter: the president's younger brother, james, arrived ahead of congressional investigators as republicans try to salvage their impeachment inquiry into president biden. >> are you having second thoughts about this? >> no, no. because is there is other corroborating evidence with other links to the president. >> reporter: james biden told the panel the president had no role in his business ventures, saying "i never asked my brother to take any official action on behalf of me or anyone else." but even before the interview began, the republican probe suffered a major blow. long time fbi informant alexander smirnov, seen here covered in a scarf, hat and sunglasses, has been charged with providing false information

about president biden and his son hunter, some of it allegedly coming from russian intelligence officials. republicans had championed the evidence he presented. >> even a trusted fbi informant has alleged a bribe to the biden family. >> reporter: that claim from smirnov that hunter biden and his family sought from burisma, a ukrainian energy firm, $5 million in bribes. prosecutors now say it was a lie. republicans today struggled to anser questions about smirnov's indictment. >> all i'm saying is you've got to ask the fbi that. he may in fact may have given false statement. i don't know. >> reporter: prosecutors argue smirnov, a dual u.s.-israeli citizen with more than 6 million in his bank account is a flight risk. who is actively peddling new lies that could impact the election, given that he had contact with russian intelligence officials this past november. democrats say the republicans' impeachment probe is forever tarnished. >> any further investigation of this impeachment inquiry is now a witting accomplice to russian intelligence.

>> reporter: the same congressional investigators question hunter biden next wednesday about his business dealings. as for alexander smirnov, he has not yet entered a plea in his case, but norah, a judge has released him under restrictions pending trial. >> scott macfarlane on the hill for us tonight, thank you. president biden is slamming gop front-runner donald trump for refusing to criticize russia's vladimir putin following the death of alexei navalny. the former president instead compared navalny's death to his own legal troubles. cbs' nancy cordes is traveling with the president in los angeles. >> why does trump always blame america? >> reporter: a suspicious death in russia is now a u.s. election issue after former president donald trump equated last week's demise of a famed opposition lader to his recent fine for business fraud. >> a form of navalny, it is a form of communism or fascism.

>> reporter: at a town hall in south carolina, trump called alexei navalny's death in an arctic penal colony a, quote, sad situation, but declined once again to blame russia's president. >> putin is responsible for navalny's death. why can't trump just say that? putin is responsible. >> reporter: the biden administration is finalizing what it describes as major sanctions to punish putin. today the treasury department's top sanctions official met with allies in europe to coordinate on the new economic measures that are timed to mark the two-year anniversary of russia's invasion of ukraine. >> we are always looking at additional ways that we can choke off the russian war machine, that we can deny the russian military industrial complex components that it needs to use to fund its war effort. >> reporter: and yet that war effort rages on. the white house is intensifying

its attacks on house republicans for failing to approve another aid package for ukraine. the embattled nation is running low on ammunition, forcing it to withdraw this week from a strategic city on the front lines. between that setback and navalny's death, pressure is mounting on republican house speaker mike johnson to buck a vocal minority in his party and bring the ukraine aid up for a vote as soon as congress returns from a two-week recess. norah? >> we'll be watching. nancy cordes, thank you so much. there is a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

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$1.2 billion of debt for those currently enrolled in a new repayment program. it comes as the annual tuition at a private nonprofit four-year college or university tops $41,000. and that is up 4% from just one year ago. cbs' carter evans takes an in-depth look at the high price of a college education. >> i knew that college was going to be quite expensive, no matter where i went. >> reporter: freshman talia day is among 1700 students currently enrolled at pomona college, a prestigious school with a hefty price tag. gabriel starr is pomona's president. >> every time we raise tuition, it doesn't feel good. >> reporter: between 1980 and 2023, the average price of college tuition, fees and room and board in the u.s. skyrocketed 155%. what would you say is the single biggest expense? >> single biggest expense is people. >> reporter: many colleges and universities now operate like small cities, and critics say that's led to administrative

bloat. there are now three times as many administrators and staffers as there are teaching faculty at leading schools. demand for degrees is also driving up costs. >> i feel like young people have gotten a sense that in order to be a part of the american dream today, you have to have your bachelor's degree diploma hanging on the wall. >> reporter: economist beth akers says easy access to loans compounds the problem. >> we can't just be telling people a bachelor's degree at any cost is the golden ticket. so people are signing on the dotted line, basically at whatever price it takes to get them in and through. >> reporter: so what's the solution here? >> if we get students and their parents to think about what am i paying here versus what am i getting, then we really force institutions to check themselves. >> reporter: but even at the same school, the actual costs can be different for each student. >> we give out a lot of financial aid. >> reporter: at pomona, 58% of students get some sort of aid, bringing their tuition closer to $16,000 a year.

but many still rely on loans that will take years to pay back. is it worth it? >> all of the studies show that if you graduate from college, it's worth it. it's worth it in terms of the salary that you earn, and it's worth it in terms of the other opportunities that it opens to you. >> reporter: carter evans, cbs news, claremont, california. new axe black vanilla? ♪♪

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recently decreased as medicare, some states and drug manufacturers move to cap monthly costs. but not all patients qualify. >> exactly how much help you'll get could depend on the drug itself, on your insurance, how big your deductible is, and in some cases even on your income. >> reporter: tara says she was shocked when her private insurance company sent her this letter in 2022 stating one form of insulin cassie needs is no longer covered. >> is not medically necessary. >> reporter: not medically necessary? i think i just sat there like not medically necessary? this is her air. >> reporter: but families on the facebook group that she runs for diabetes patients gave her a tip. she could download a coupon to lower the monthly price from $600 to $99. >> my worry for the future of coupons would be that they go away. >> reporter: the three top

insulin manufacturers told cbs news they have several programs to lower the costs of the drug. eli lilly says it supports bipartisan federal legislation capping prices at $35 for everyone. so does tara. >> every insulin should have a cap. >> reporter: then she'd know cassie could always afford the life-saving medicine she'll need. roxana saberi, cbs news, mechanicsville, virginia. a bomb threat forces a united airlines jet to make an emergency landing. we've got the details, next.

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a pfizer product. tonight the fbi is investigating a bomb threat aboard a united airlines jet. a flight from newark had to make an emergency landing in chicago this morning after a fake bomb note was found in a bathroom. passengers had to be temporarily evacuated. and that came one day after an american airlines flight to chicago was forced to turn back to albuquerque after a man had to be subdued by passengers after he allegedly tried to open the plane door mid flight.

several days of heavy rain triggered landslides today in southern california. a stretch of the pacific coast highway was closed in both directions along with several other roads in the malibu area. beverly hills ended up with 4 inches of rain in five days, while more than 8 inches fell in the santa monica mountains. finally tonight's heart of america. meet mehina. she was missing for months after wildfires ravaged her family's home in hawaii last year. her owners gave up hope of finding her after they moved thousands of miles away to montana. the 3-year-old cat survived in the burn zone for 100 days before she was rescued by the heroes at the maui humane society. last week, mehina was reunited with her family. the nonprofit covered the cost to fly her all the way to the mainland, and her owner had this message for mehina's rescuers. >> thank you so much. not even just for my kitty, but for all the other animals out there they have rescued from

this fire, just reuniting families and bringing hope. it's a beautiful thing. >> as the maui humane society puts it, it takes a village. that story of community is tonight's heart of america. and that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." you can follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm carissa lawson in new york. president biden is considering severely restricting access to the asylum system for migrants arriving at the southern border. the plan involves him using the same law used by former donald trump for the controversial muslim travel ban. the parents of gabby petito and brian laundrie have settled

it's thursday, february 22nd, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." fertility treatment showdown. shock, anger, and confusion after alabama's largest hospital system pauses ivf after a landmark ruling from the state supreme court. crackdown at the border.