visitor forced the bellagio to halt its fountain show last night. here's why. >> ladies and gentlemen, due to technical difficulties, the next regularly scheduled show at the fountains of bellagio will not be performing. >> what? why? that's because a yellow loom landed on the lake. it's first spotted on february 26 in henderson after getting blown off course during a migration north to alaska. >> it is really off course here. very unusual to see >> these brazen, heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated. >> norah: tonight, crime in america. new york's governor deploys national guard troops to patrol the country's largest mass transit system amid an uptick in violent crime. >> because i don't think that

makes people safe. >> sometimes i'd rather take the bus because it's -- it's not safe. >> norah: the "cbs evening news" starts now. ♪ ♪ good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us on this wednesday night, and we do want to begin tonight with the rising crime rate in new york on america's largest subway system, with millions of commuters and tourists riding every day. well, now, an extraordinary new approach by the governor there to bring down crime in the big apple. the democratic governor announcing a major crackdown, hundreds of national guard will begin tonight patrolling subway platforms and checking riders' bags. the show of force comes after a recent spike in crime in the underground transit, including three killings since january. and even today, just hours after the announcement, a train conductor reported that she was hit in the head with a glass bottle. cbs's elaine quijano spoke with

subway riders about the new security. >> reporter: new york governor kathy hochul's plan is aimed at improving subway rider safety, adding 1,000 more personnel, including 750 national guard troops, to help with patrols and random bag searches. >> anyone looking to do harm or spread fear on our subways, you will be caught. >> reporter: the move comes after a more than 46% spike in major crimes in the city's transit system in january compared to 2023. across the country, cbs news polling shows crime is a top concern for voters. but data shows crime is down in big cities, including new york, chicago, and los angeles. >> in the daytime, i feel safe. night time, i don't know, man. because i be saying, where's the cops? you don't see them that much. >> reporter: already this year, there have been several high-profile crimes in new york's subway system,

including three killings and a brutal attack on a conductor. >> but you have to feel safe in the system because i know how it plays on your psyche when you hear about some random acts of violence. >> reporter: danny pearlstein is with the transit advocacy group riders alliance. >> with stationing troops there, that is going to create a heightened climate of fear of the subway. it's not getting at the root causes of the problems. >> reporter: the governor's plan does include $20 million for mental health outreach. >> in the morning, you see nothing but the homeless on the trains. i don't feel safe. sometimes i just take the bus. >> reporter: more than 3 million people ride the new york city transit system every day. but, norah, that is down from a peak of 5 million people per day before the pandemic. >> norah: all right, i know that's controversial. we will be watching. elaine quijano, thank you. now to some breaking news. a verdict just in in the trial of the weapons expert on alec baldwin's movie "rust." hannah gutierrez-reed was found guilty for her role in the accidental shooting that killed

the movie's cinematographer. they deliberated just two and a half hours. cbs's elise preston has the late-breaking details from the courthouse in new mexico. >> reporter: the jury quickly found hannah gutierrez read guilty of manslaughter. she remained stoic, her mother stunned and visibly shaken. >> this case is about constant, never-ending safety failures >> reporter: gutierrez-reed was in charge of nearly 20 weapons during the filming of the movie, "rust," including the prop gun held by actor alec baldwin that discharged, killing halyna hutchins, and injuring director joel souza in october 2021. >> and what do you know? >> reporter: prosecutors argued gutierrez-reed was negligent because she mixed live ammunition with dummy rounds on the set. >> she had three hours in the morning waiting for the camera crew to arrive. she had every opportunity to go through that box of dummies.

>> that's something you can consider. >> reporter: the defense tried to shift the blame to baldwin, who they argue never should have pointed the gun in the direction of hutchins. they say at the time of the shooting, gutierrez-reed wasn't inside the church and didn't give baldwin the gun during the rehearsal. >> he's going off-script. that defeats any idea that that was foreseeable to miss gutierrez-reed. if she doesn't know what's happening, she can't foresee it. >> reporter: now, gutierrez-reed was taken into custody as she awaits sentencing. as for baldwin, he was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but always maintained that he did not pull the trigger. baldwin's trial is expected to start in july. norah? >> norah: elise preston in santa fe for us, thank you so

much. turning now to the weather, with millions of people under flood watches tonight in the northeast, while severe storms are threatening the south. for more, let's bring in meteorologist mike bettes. he is with our partners at the weather channel. good evening, mike. >> norah, good evening. another wet stretch ahead for the northeast, now through tomorrow, some heavier rain across the northeast, with more than 30 million americans under flood watches, especially that i-95 corridor. generally speaking 1-2, but pockets of 3-5 could cause that flooding. a break on friday, right back into it in the weekend. another comes in, rain and wind. what is different about this one, a little colder. the tail end of this that bring some snow from ohio up to maine. some of that could be very heavy especially in the mountains of new england, but from boston southbound it is all rain for you here. then there is the southeast. several days of heavy rain and thunderstorms back in our forecast. as much as 5 inches of rain is possible, norah, also can't rule out severe weather, including hail, high winds, and the threat of tornadoes >> norah: mike bettes, thank you. the stage is all but set for november's presidential election now that nikki haley has dropped

out of the race. polls show it is a matchup few americans wanted, but last night's dominant super tuesday victories for both president joe biden and predecessor donald trump will now lead to eight months of a rutal, bitter campaign. here is cbs's caitlin huey-burns. >> i said i wanted americans to have their voices heard. i have done that. >> reporter: after a year on the campaign trail, nikki haley said she had no regrets. but a super tuesday near sweep for donald trump convinced her it was time to leave the race. >> and although i will no longer be a candidate, i will not stop using my voice for the things i believe in. >> reporter: while she congratulated the former president, she declined to endorse him. >> it is now up to donald trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it who did not support him. and i hope he does that. >> reporter: but that could be a challenge.

voter exit polls in north carolina showed 79% of haley supporters said they won't necessarily vote for trump. >> i always say, if it's a biden-trump rematch, i have no idea who i would vote for. >> reporter: trump invited haley supporters to join his movement, but not before criticizing her, saying she got trounced last night. >> we want to have unity, and we are going to have unity. >> reporter: one sign of party unity, an endorsement today from senate minority leader mitch mcconnell, who had been the highest-ranking republican to withhold his support. president biden also made direct overtures to haley supporters, saying, there is a place for them in my campaign. biden won overwhelmingly in most super tuesday states, but it came with a warning in minnesota, where tens of thousands voted uncommitted in political protest to his handling of the israel-hamas war. yet one of biden's few challengers, dean phillips, also dropped out today and endorsed him, saying he would work to help keep a man of decency and

integrity in the white house. and trump could win enough delegates next week to officially clinch the republican nomination. and tonight, after skipping all of the republican debates, he is challenging biden to a debate, saying he'll meet him anytime, anywhere. norah? >> norah: that's interesting. caitlin huey-burns, thank you so much. well, there's lots to talk about let's dive deeper with cbs's robert costa and ed o'keefe. robert, all right, former president trump, resounding victory, but still a number of challenges ahead. >> robert: norah, top republicans tell me behind-the-scenes today that president biden's overture to nikki haley's voters, that is a warning sign that trump can't take anything for granted. biden is coming right for those suburban republicans who have real concerns about trump's conduct and character. but that's not the only issue trump is facing. he is going to be sitting in a courtroom in new york in just a few weeks for that criminal hush money trial.

logistically, so much on the horizon for him. not just that trial in new york, but potentially a supreme court decision on presidential immunity, and a possible trial on january 6th and classified documents. that will crowd the campaign. and then, finally, raising money. just on sunday, trump met with billionaire elon musk. now, musk said today he is not going to donate a cent to any candidate, but it's clear trump and his allies want musk to be involved in some way politically. >> norah: and ed o'keefe, a big night for president biden ahead, with the state of the union address. he has some work to do to convince voters about his record. >> ed: he sure does. but overarching all of that is the concern he may be too old to do the job. now it is his turn to put away those questions with a little bit of humor and suggesting donald trump has had some bumbles and stumbles of his own. the big argument we are expecting him to continue making, don't judge me by my age, but the age of my ideas, trying to be forward-looking when donald trump and republicans are trying to turn the country back on issues like reproductive rights. diffusing voter frustrations. we saw in minnesota again high percentage of people voted uncommitted, criticizing his position on the israel-hamas war. if he can't turn that around,

there is a real risk base voters, base democratic voters, won't show up in the battleground states. and the messaging on the economy. polling continues to show us americans upset about the direction of the economy. he's got eight months to reverse that. i feel your pain, i'm trying to do something to help. the state of the union obviously a unique opportunity to try. >> norah: all right, ed o'keefe, robert costa, thank you so much. and cbs news prime time coverage of the state of the union address and the republican response begins tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 p.m. pacific, and we hope you will join us. now to the middle east and the dangerous situation in the red sea. tonight, for the first time since this conflict began, a houthi attack on commercial ships has led to deaths. cbs's david martin reports on the escalating situation. >> reporter: the aftermath of the first fatal houthi attack on commercial shipping. three dead. three more in critical condition. the rest of the crew forced to

abandon ship. earlier this week, the indian navy had to come to the rescue of another burning ship. and over the weekend, the rubymar, leaking both fuel and its cargo of fertilizer, became the first vessel to sink as a result of a houthi attack. damaging undersea internet and telecommunications cables as she went down. the ship the houthis sank ended up causing the severing of these undersea cables? >> our assessment is the same, that those cables were cut, most likely by an anchor dragging from the rubymar as she sank. >> reporter: the severing of 3 of 14 cables running under the red sea disrupted up to 25% of communications between asia and europe. forcing companies to reroute traffic until they can be >> we have to go to the point of where the last known fault was, find the cables, bring them up to the surface, and splice the fiber and repair the cable.

>> reporter: that sounds like a pretty involved operation. >> and it's a dangerous area to be operating in. >> norah: cbs's david martin is with us now. david, i want to ask you about another dangerous area amid the major conflict in ukraine. i understand that ukrainians are saying tonight there was a close call, that a russian missile strike happened less than 2,000 feet from ukraine's president zelenskyy. do they believe this was a targeted attack? >> reporter: well, i asked john kirby about that. and he says that the u.s. assessment is the russians were not deliberately targeting zelenskyy. they were going after some other target in odesa, and he just happened to be nearby. >> norah: a call for air defenses. david martin at the pentagon, thank you. well, tonight, the popular social media app tiktok is facing a potential ban in the united states due to national

security concerns for its ties to the chinese communist party. cbs's scott macfarlane reports what a bipartisan group of lawmakers are demanding from the parent company, bytedance. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: fueled by viral videos, tiktok offers a stage for millions. but soon, the curtain could be coming down, including for kim pham, who says she leans heavily on tiktok to lure customers. >> so follow us to come along on this journey... >> reporter: to her company in california. what happens to you if it's just banned one day? >> it wouldn't kill us tomorrow, but tiktok as a platform has represented a very kind of meaningful and new way that we reach consumers. >> reporter: new legislation set for review by a u.s. house committee tomorrow requires tiktok to separate itself, or divest, from its chinese-based owner, bytedance. or risk a ban from app stores in the u.s. >> we implore bytedance to sell tiktok so that it's american users can enjoy their dance videos, their bad lip-sync, everything else that goes along with tiktok.

[beatboxing] >> reporter: amid growing fears, the personal information tiktok devours from its users could fall into the hands of chinese adversaries. there may be millions of tiktok users who say don't ban this. we love this. >> well, the choice is up to tiktok. they have a choice to make as to whether or not they want to remain with bytedance, that we know is controlled by the chinese communist party. >> reporter: tiktok blasts this plan, saying they already have firewalls in place to protect user data. and they say it would trample on the first amendment rights of 170 million americans. norah? >> norah: but i do know a lot of parents that want to ban tiktok. all right, scott macfarlane, thank you. a hero police dog helps to rescue a little boy who wandered away. we've got the details next. ♪ ♪

so clearly you. sotyktu. oh... stuffed up again? so congested! you need sinex saline from vicks. just sinex, breathe, ahhhh! what is — wow! sinex. breathe. ahhhhhh! >> norah: tonight, a 55-year-old pennsylvania woman is recovering from a rare bear attack. it happened north of pittsburgh last night when she let her dog outside. she is expected to be okay after suffering injuries to her arm, face, neck, and head. wildlife officials put down the mother bear that attacked her and moved her three cubs to another area. near kalamazoo, michigan, a 3-year-old boy who climbed out a window of his grandmother's home is back with his family, after being spotted by a police dog and a drone. a deputy's body cam video shows him closing in on the boy about an hour and a half after he wandered off on monday wearing only a diaper. the boy was found near a pond,

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>> norah: with spring break travel starting to pick up, the tsa is experimenting with new technology it hopes will make going through airport security as easy as self checkout at the grocery store. it's a temporary fast lane for prechecked flyers, and cbs's carter evans shows us how it works. >> reporter: the future of airport security could be self-service. >> you have everything tucked inside your bin? >> yes. >> reporter: a remote agent now greets passengers at the tsa's innovation checkpoint at las vegas international. a real agent, real person. >> right, who doesn't have to physically be in the checkpoint with you. officers can reach x-rays from any machine that generates them,

not necessarily the machine that if they are standing next to. >> reporter: the agency wants to make the process more do-it-yourself. >> something where people have a little more self pacing and control of how they move through the airport. >> good morning! >> reporter: passengers get instructions on screen, walk into a secure scanner, while an automatic conveyor directs bags for rescreening or a hand search. the idea is it is supposed to be like a regular tsa checkpoint, except fewer tsa agents and hopefully streamlined. so now we going to the body scanner here. it's a little different. okay, overall, it's pretty simple. there's my bag, waiting for me. but for some, the machine was very sensitive. >> i see, the hair clip. >> the hair clip? oh, my god, are you serious? normally i would not have a hiccup, but i don't like getting scanned four or five times. >> reporter: others breezed right through. >> i seem to have no problem. >> reporter: the tsa says it won't sacrifice security for speed. last year, agents confiscated a record more than 6700 weapons nationwide.

is this as secure as a regular tsa checkpoint? >> yes, it is. we do independent test and evaluation against the kinds of threats and things that pose risks to air travel. >> reporter: the agency admits the new system is a learning process for passengers and agents. >> the bottom line is all the technology we put in place is much better for security. >> reporter: now, passengers will be able to use the new self-service checkpoint in las vegas beginning next week, but the entire system won't appear in other airports anytime soon. once testing is complete, the best elements of this system will be integrated into current checkpoints. norah? >> norah: all right, i love that you brought us this story. carter evans, thank you so much. "heart of america" is next, with a daughter who ran the distance thanks to a mother's love. ♪ ♪ "heart of america" is next with a daughter who ran the distance thanks to a mother's love. from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms

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soon realized she could go even further and faster. and in doing so, she discovered a new passion for running. it was that passion, along with support from her mother, now a breast cancer survivor, that helped her finish the line. >> i just love the fact that she's still here. it's very encouraging for her to say, you can do this. you can do this. >> norah: look at that. berenice alfaro. she is tonight's "heart of america." and that is tonight's "cbs evening news." i'm norah o'donnell. . and norah, thank you, i'm juliette goodrich. funnel clouds, lightning, rain, we saw it all today. a busy first alert weather day. now the weather is calming down. i am adding up how much rain we picked up today and how much is still in the forecast coming up in first alert weather. also truck loads of stolen

merchandise recovered. how a particular theft in an alameda old navy store led to the take down of an alleged crime ring. a sobering perspective through the eyes of an er doctor who left his own children in the bay area to treat children in gaza's war zone. >> it makes you wonder what the rest of the world is doing.. and panera is raising the minimum wage in a wake of a firestorm with the ceo's connection to governor newsom. this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. so, let's start with the wild weather. it really made for rare sights around the bay area. take a look. you may of seen this. it appears to be a funnel cloud. this photo showing the scene in vacaville just before 3:00 p.m. emergency officials say it did not touch down and no damage was reported. we have seen