president biden and donald trump will both be at the u.s.-mexico border in texas today. trump is scheduled to make a speech in the town of eagle pass, while president biden will be meeting with border agents and local officials in brownsville. and check out these latest images from lunar lander odysseus. the module is going to sleep with hopes it can use solar power to turn back on in a few weeks. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. it's thursday, february 29th, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." the u.s. supreme court agrees to review donald trump's presidential immunity claim. why that means a delay in his criminal trial, and how close it will come to election day. last term. mitch mcconnell announces he's

stepping down from republican senate leadership. reaction from his colleagues. and remembering richard lewis. what those who knew him well are saying about the comedian and his trademark dark sense of humor. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we start with the u.s. supreme court's announcement that it will review donald trump's presidential immunity claims in his election interference trial. that pushes the timeline for trump's federal trial well into the presidential election season. yesterday trump announced the news. jarred hill has more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. you know, while the supreme court hearing is going to be focused on trump's federal election interference case, the ruling could impact a number of his other cases and shape how we think about the limits of presidential power. in the latest twist in one of former president trump's ongoing legal challenges, the supreme court is setting the stage for a landmark case that could shape the future for trump and beyond. the justices agreeing to weigh

in on the question whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office. >> we've never been here before. we've never had a president who was criminally charged. >> reporter: trump is currently facing four felony charges including obstruction and conspiracy for allegedly interfering with the 2020 election. >> we're going to walk down to the capitol -- >> reporter: special counsel jack smith says trump used the january 6th attack on the capitol to hold onto power. trump denies that and says because he was president at the time he's immune from prosecution. last night on social media, echoing an argument he's made before. >> this isn't just me. this is all presidents. they have to be given immunity. otherwise they're going to be unable to act. >> reporter: lower courts have already rejected the claim twice. first by judge chutkan who said presidents don't have, quote, get out of jail free cards.

then unanimously by a washington, d.c., appeals court. >> they explained why in their view those arguments hold new -- hold no water, there's no constitutional basis. i expect that the supreme court will come to the same conclusion. >> reporter: with the supreme court hearing arguments in late april, trump's interference trial now delayed indefinitely. all right. so let's talk about timeline. the hearing is set for the week of april 22nd. and the court is expected to have a decision by the end of june which raises the question, anne-marie, will there be enough time for in case to go to trial and finish before the election in november? that's if the court says it can move forward at all. >> all right. we are all watching. jarred hill in new york. thank you. in other major news, republican senator mitch mcconnell is stepping down from his role in leadership. skyler henry looks at his historic career and the end of an era. it's time for the next generation of leadership. >> reporter: on the senate floor, his work home for more than 40 years, senate minority

leader mitch mcconnell announced he will be stepping down as the chamber's republican leader in november. >> to serve kentucky in the senate has been the honor of my life. to lead my republican colleagues has been the highest privilege. >> reporter: mcconnell, who turned 82 last week, is the longest serving senate leader in history. deftly wielding power within the gop for almost two decades. the kentucky senator who considers himself a ronald reagan conservative and believes in strong international alliances has found himself at odds with former president donald trump and others in the party over issues including nato and foreign assistance for ukraine. >> i believe more strongly than ever that america's global leadership is essential. >> reporter: some conservative republicans want mcconnell out of leadership sooner. >> this is a welcome deelopment. my only question is why wait so long? november's a long time away. >> reporter: house speaker mike johnson said in a statement that no member of congress has played a greater role in reshaping the federal judiciary.

in 2023 mcconnell fell and suffered a concussion. and since then he's had two separate instances where he froze in the middle of speaking. mcconnell's aides say his health did not play a role in his decision, and he'll serve out his senate term which ends january of 2027. skyler henry, cbs news, capitol hill. president biden's doctor says he continues to be fit for duty after he underwent his annual physical. the results were quickly released yesterday. it called the 81-year-old healthy, active, and robust. dr. kevin o'connor said biden uses a cpap machine for sleep apnea and works out five days a week. he added his stiffened gait was the result of arthritis, a previously broken feet, and neuropathy in his feet. his memo added that biden feels well and this year's physical identifies no new concerns. the president's son, hunter biden, appeared for a deposition before house republicans' impeachment inquiry into his father.

the younger biden was defiant in the nearly seven-hour closed door session yesterday. he called the inquiry into his family's business dealings a house of cards built on lies. house republicans accuse the bidens of influence peddling. a key witness in the probe, though, was arrested this month for allegedly lying to the fbi. the smokehouse creek fire has now become the second-largest wildfire in texas history. authorities have confirmed one death, but they say they still have to make a thorough search, and the damage is extensive. the fire has grown to 1,300 square miles through several counties and into neighboring oklahoma. it is only 3% contained. a nuclear weapons facility that evacuated staff tuesday night reopened yesterday. it's estimated that dozens of homes were burned or destroyed. strong winds, dry conditions, and unseasonably warm temperatures have been fueling several wildfires in the texas panhandle that started monday. authorities have not said what

might have started the fires. republican lawmakers in alabama have introduced bills to prevent criminal and civil lawsuit protection to in vitro fertilization service providers. this after the state supreme court ruled that embryos have the same rights as children. yesterday families, doctors, and ivf advocates rallied outside the state house to pressure lawmakers. cbs' janet shamlian reports. for us, this is deeply personal. >> reporter: anxiety in alabama. [ applause ] doctors and patients pleading for legislation protecting ivf providers from civil and criminal prosecution following the state's supreme court ruling that frozen embryos are children. >> people telling their story is most important thing that we can do. >> it was hard. >> reporter: stories from patients like sarah houston who had her uterus removed after a diagnosis of cervical cancer. >> two best friends -- >> reporter: wanting another child, she endured the painful and expensive ivf process. an embryo was to be transferred

to a surrogate in march, now it's all on hold. >> it's heartbreaking to find like it was that close, and then now to kind of feel like maybe we're back at the beginning. >> i warned that red states would come for ivf, and now they have. >> reporter: beyond alabama, in washington senator tammy duckworth used ivf to have both her children introduced a bill to protect the procedure nationwide. but it was blocked by a republican. legal experts caution even state laws might not be enough. >> there's a possibility that whatever the legislature does will be challenged as violating the rights of fetal persons. >> reporter: at least 16 states have proposed personhood bills that account impact access to ivf treatments. florida lawmakers postponing their legislation just this week amid concerns it could it impact the procedure. >> do you need a bowl -- >> reporter: houston is holding onto hope for another child amid her cancer struggle. vi and henry give her ultimate joy. >> they're awesome.

being a mom is awesome. >> reporter: what if you don't have that opportunity again? >> it will be devastating. obviously an embryo transfer doesn't mean it's a guarantee that you'll end one a baby -- but without that there's no hope of us having a baby. >> reporter: alabama's republican governor, kay ivey, says she supports legislation that protects ivf and will sign it once it's on her desk. janet shamlian, cbs news, montgomery, alabama. coming up, funding deal. the temporary agreement reached by congressional leaders to try and prevent a partial government shutdown. and close call. an alligator comes within inches of two people riding on a golf cart. of two people riding on a golf cart. only unitedhealthcare medicare advantage plans come with the ucard — one simple member card that opens doors for what matters. what if we need to see a doctor away from home? we got you — with medicare advantage's largest national provider network. only from unitedhealthcare.

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sleep in an adorable position. it happened at the research center dedicated to panda conservation. health officials make a recommendation on an additional covid shot for older americans, and top lawmakers reach a temporary budget deal. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the new york times" reports congressional leaders reached a short-term deal to fund the government and avert a partial shutdown tomorrow night. under the plan congress would temporarily extend funding for some government agencies for a week and the rest for another two weeks. lawmakers will continue to try and pass government funding measures for the rest of the budget year. the house is expected to vote on the temporary deal today followed by the senate. "the idaho statesman" says an attempted execution of a serial killer was halted when prison officials could not establish an iv line. over the course of an hour yesterday, medical team members failed to find a vein to insert an iv to administer the deadly injection to 73-year-old thomas creech.

witnesses said that they tried eight times. creech was convicted of five murders in three states. officials say they're considering what to do next. and "the washington post" says the cdc is recommending that older adults get a second updated covid shot. federal health officials say americans 65 and older who received a covid shot in the fall should get a booster because they're at higher risk for severe symptoms. the cdc says the additional dose should be given at least four months after a previous dose or at least three months after a covid infection. still ahead, burger backlash. wendy's trying to reassure customers after word spreads that it's starting surge pricing. surge pricing.

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new photos from the first u.s. spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years shows at least one broken landing leg. the private company that built "odysseus" released new photos yesterday six days after touchdown. the robotic lander is on the verge of losing power ahead of schedule since it landed at an angle. its solar panels have not been able to properly charge. wendy's fast food is facing backlash, and there's a recall of jeep grand cherokees. carissa lawson has your cbs "money watch" report. >> reporter: stocks drifted lower on wall street as traders braced for today's inflation report that will guide hopes of interest rate cuts. the dow slipped 23 points on wednesday. the nasdaq sank 87, and the s&p 500 edged down 8 points. wendy's got burned on social media after its ceo said it

would test out dynamic pricing. so the chain is clarifying. wendy's said yesterday they won't be raising prices at peak hours, but testing new menus and giving value offers throughout the day so those prices will not cost the customer more. chrysler is issuing a recall of more than 338,000 grand cherokee suvs. the company says an issue with the steering wheel may cause drivers to suddenly lose control. the recall covers the 2021 through 2023 model years of some grand cherokees. owners will be notified beginning in april. disney fans, get ready to pay even more to visit the happiest place on earth. theme park and hotel bookings for 2025 are now listed. the average price for a single day admission ticket has increased by $10 per person. that means starting next year the cheapest one-day, one-park ticket will now cost you $119 apiece. that's your cbs "money watch" report for this thursday morning.

i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. and two riders in a golf cart near naples, florida, were able to escape an unexpected attack. just take a look at this alligator. it makes its way between two homes heading toward the water. to hit the accelerator and get away unscathed. the gator then headed back into the water. next, remembering richard lewis. the heartfelt tributes for the actor and comedian who died after suffering a heart attack. . when moderate to severe ulcerative colitis takes you off course. put it in check with rinvoq, a once-daily pill. when i wanted to see results fast, rinvoq delivered rapid symptom relief and helped leave bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc tried to slow me down... i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when uc caused damage rinvoq came through by visibly repairing my colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid-free remission... ...and the chance to visibly repair the colon lining.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ tributes are pouring in for actor and comedian richard lewis. his publicist said the longtime standup died tuesday in los angeles after suffering a heart attack. last year lewis revealed he had parkinson's disease. he had a recurring role playing himself on his lifelong friend larry david's show "curb your enthusiasm." lewis talked about working with david in 2009. >> i know how to aggravate him, and then he goes off on rants. that's similar to how he was on stage, and it's great. the more i aggravate him the happier he is with me. >> lewis and david were born in the same new york city hospital three days apart.

in a statement, david said lewis had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. in a tribute on instagram, jamie lee curtis, who starred with lewis in the 1989 sitcom "anything but love," called him a sweet and funny man who's the reason she is sober. richard lewis was 76. all eyes were on pitcher yoshinobu yamamoto as he made his highly anticipated spring training debut for the los angeles dodgers. >> a swing and a miss. throws a fastball right by marcus simeon. >> in two scoreless innings against the defending world series champion texas rangers. he threw 16 of his 19 pitches for strikes. the highly sought-after free agent signed a $325 million ten-year contract with the dodgers in december. and iowa superstar caitlin clark has added another career

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thanks so much for joining us this morning. it's thursday, february 29th. >> so let's get it started. >> chopping firewood. making sure we have shovels. making sure we have all the food we need. we're all set. >> not wasting any time. getting ready for what could be historic snowfall in the sierra. we're tracking the days long storm on this thursday morning. it freaked out a lot of people okay? because there was a lot of -- of people here at multiple families in these homes. and they didn't know where to go. >> a scary time for people living near coyote creek but several years later a new defense against flooding in the south bay. we want to take on a new opportunity to invest in affordable housing. >> this is