this. >> i would be miserable. >> you'd be miserable. captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs it's tuesday, march 20th, 2018, this is the "cbs morning news." wicked weather. a severe storm stomps across the south leaving widespread damage. the aftermath and where the storm is heading. plus, a bankruptcy filing by the weinstein company may open a new chapter for victims of alleged sexual misconduct at the hands of harvey weinstein. and chasing the austin serial bomber. a city is gripped in fear as law enforcement makes catching a suspect a top priority.

good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with extreme weather. on this, the first day of spring, there are violent storms across the southeast, some producing powerful tornadoes. high winds and hail like this in southeast texas is threatening nearly 30 million people. northern alabama was hard hit. significant damage is reported there. and tornado watches are posted ask this morning for central georgia. hena doba is here in new york. good morning, hena. >> reporter: good morning. forecasters say the storm threat is unusually dangerous because of the possibility of several tornadoes. this could be the most widespread severe weather event since last summer. watch this windshield begin to crack and buckle as it gets

pummelled by baseball-sized hail in cullman county, alabama. severe storms are bringing scenes like this throughout the south as it sweeps in with not just hail but also heavy winds, rain, and tornadoes. >> in the blink of an eye. i mean, it's just so quick. that's what we try to tell everybody, to get prepared. these come out of nowhere. >> reporter: are there are reports of tornadoes touching down in jacksonville, alabama, where this church was decimated. in nearby south side, the owners of this house say they were huddled inside just waiting for the high winds to pass. >> my ears were popping, and a ton of trees fell down. two trees on the house. >> i grabbed my kids and threw them in the closet and just held them. it seemed like minutes, but i know it was seconds. it just felt like it was sucking the house apart. >> reporter: residents of ardmore on the border with tennessee say the town is littered with trees, power lines, and pieces of what used

to be homes. >> it's a mess. it's a war zone in there. >> reporter: forecasters warn the storm could threaten more than 29 million people as it makes its way toward georgia, florida, and the carolinas. and the governor of alabama says there is significant damage in parts of the state, and resources are being sent to the affected areas. >> hena doba here in new york. thank you very much, hena. the same weather system that's hitting the southeast is likely to produce another nor'easter along the atlantic coast. paul deanno, chief meteorologist at our san francisco station kpix, has the latest. >> what does severe weather in south carolina and a blizzard in boston have in common? this week it's going to be the same storm. the storm is rumbling through southeast this morning, and more severe weather is likely throughout the day. northern georgia, south carolina, north carolina, even southern virginia may see some severe weather. that's the front moving through

overnight into the morning hours. the actual low-pressure area which is what we're going to have to watch the next couple of days, that is trailing behind over kentucky and the ohio valley. eventually it moves offshore and becomes yet another nor'easter. that means heavy snow and gusty winds, yes, i know, again, from boston south to new york city and newark. farther south all the way to washington, d.c. up to 10 to 12 inches of new snowfall with very strong winds is likely wednesday into thursday morning. another nor'easter, but it's severe weather that will impact us later this morning. i'm meteorologist paul deanno for cbs news. the weinstein company filed for bankruptcy protection but has a prospective buyer if the courts agree. co-founder harvey weinstein was ousted following a sexual misconduct scandal. two weeks ago a deal to sell the company to a group of investors fell through. one investor, a private equity firm, agreed to buy the company. the weinstein company also announced it was releasing any victims or witnesses to harvey weinstein's alleged misconduct from nondisclosure agreements. austin, texas, police are desperately looking for a sophisticated serial bomber who

has killed two people and wounded four others. the latest bomb sunday night was triggered by a trip wire. it's a frightening development that has the city on edge and authorities scrambling for answers. omar villafranca reports. >> reporter: the fourth bomb exploded after two men on bicycles hit a trip wire, setting off the device that was placed next to a fence. cbs news obtained this home security video where you can hear the bomb detonate a few houses away. the men in their 20s were taken to the hospital with serious injuries but are expected to survive. austin police chief brian manley -- >> we have seen similarities in the device that exploded here last night and the other three devices that have exploded in austin starting on march 2nd. >> reporter: several schools were closed or delayed, and the

travis country subdivision was locked down until the early afternoon. 500 federal agents flooded the scene looking for more explosives and any clues to help catch the bomber. you tried to reach out to the suspect earlier. do you think the suspect or suspects still has a message for police? >> again, we've opened ourselves up for a message. that's why we asked him to contact us and gave him phone numbers to contact us at. >> reporter: a trip wire explosive shows more sophistication. is this person showing off? >> i think this person is showing that he's quite good. this person is taunting law enforcement and the city, that he's one step ahead. >> reporter: fred burton is a former counterterrorism agent. he says the suspect is probably watching media coverage of the attacks. and when police warned residents to avoid suspicious packages, he or she switched to a different type of bomb. >> this is a bomber that knows explosives. he's been around it. he's either practiced a heck of a lot in rural texas getting

this right, or it's a learned skill. perhaps something that he's acquired on the battlefield in iraq or afghanistan. >> reporter: the austin police department is still the lead agency for this investigation, but we've seen bomb investigators from houston and san antonio's police departments. cbs news was also able to confirm that this investigation is the top priority for the atf. omar villafranca, cbs news, austin, texas. today facebook will hold an open meeting for its employees to discuss and ask questions about the company's latest data privacy scandal according to "the verge." it's reported that facebook's chief information security officer is leaving. alex stamos is leaving over a disagreement about security and facebook's role in spreading misinformation. that's according to "the new york times." he tweeted that he remains fully engaged at facebook but that his role has changed. the social network is under fire after a campaign consulting group obtained data from 50 million facebook users to target voters for the trump campaign.

ahead on "cbs this morning," cbs news contributor nicholas thompson, editor-in-chief of "wired," has a new report out this morning on the cambridge analytica scandal. and now to the russia investigation. president trump's lawyers have handed over documents to special counsel robert mueller's investigators. the president's lawyers are negotiating the scope and terms of a possible interview with the president. mueller is investigating possible collusion between the trump campaign and russia. on twitter the president called the investigation a total witch hunt with massive conflicts of interest. the president is back in washington after unveiling his plan to fight opioid addiction during a trip to new hampshire. the president called for broadening education and awareness, but he said all of that won't work unless drug traffickers face the toughest punishment. >> if we don't get tough on the drug dealers, we're wasting our time.

just remember that. we're wasting our time. and that toughness includes the death penalty. >> opioids killed more than 42,000 people in 2016. more than any other year on record, according to the cdc. uber suspended all road testing for its self-driving vehicles after one killed a pedestrian in a phoenix suburb. it's the first death involving a fully autonomous vehicle. the volvo had a human backup driver when it hit elaine hertzburg as she stepped out into the street. place say she was jaywalking, and preliminary indications are uber was not at fault. it's unclear why the self-driving technology didn't sense the hazard and stop. and coming up on the "cbs morning news" now, mystery in bermuda, the body of a missing college student found on the caribbean island. and why the brother of suspected florida school shooter is arrested. suspected florida scooter is arrested. -- school shooter is arrested. a.

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♪ a driver pinned by an overturned suv that's on fire is saved when police push the vehicle over and pull him to safety. it happened in a school parking lot in pennsylvania last week. police say the driver lost control. the vehicle hit the median, went airborne, crashed into several parked cars, and flipped over. remarkably, the driver was not seriously hurt. the body of a missing college student has been found, and the nation's most restrictive abortion law, those are some of the headlines on "morning newsstand." mississippi's "clarion ledger" reports the state imposed the toughest abortion ban in the u.s., but the new law is being challenged in court this morning. republican governor phil bryant signed the law yesterday. it bans most abortions after 15

weeks of pregnancy. the state's lone abortion clinic sued trying to block the new law. a federal judge is scheduled to hold a hearing this morning. "the philadelphia enquirer" reports of body of a missing st. joseph's university freshman was found in bermuda. police say 19-year-old mark dombroski was found in a moat outside an historic fort. an autopsy is planned. foul play has not been ruled out. he was a member of the school's rugby team which had traveled to bermuda to play in a tournament. "the miami herald" says the brother of the teenager accused of killing students at marjorie stoneman douglas high school was arrested for trespassing at the school. 18-year-old zachary cruz had been warned several times to stay away from school grounds. security cameras recorded him skateboarding at the school yesterday afternoon. police say cruz said he there was to reflect on the shooting and soak it in. the "washington post" reports the u.s. supreme court refused to stop new

congressional maps in pennsylvania from being used in elections. republicans wanted to block a redrawn congressional district map that was imposed by the state supreme court. it had ruled the previous map drawn up by republicans violated the state constitution's guarantee of free and equal elections. and "the new york times" reports actress cynthia nixon has entered the race for new york governor. the former "sex and the city" star is challenging two-term incumbent governor andrew cuomo in september's democratic primary. nixon is an openly gay, liberal activist who has never run for political office before. still ahead, facebook's stock slide. why the social media giant is having a meltdown on wall street. . for robes. they're both cushiony, comforting, and add elegance to your home. but quilted northern is not a robe. it's just really nice toilet paper.

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on the cbs "money watch," facebook stocks tumble, and why little caesars will be giving out free pizza. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning. new fed chair jerome powell leads his first policy meeting today. stocks took a hit due to concerns that president trump may impose additional protectionist trade measures. the dow tumbled 335. the s&p 500 finished 39 poins lower. the nasdaq lost 137 points on the day. both the s&p 500 and nasdaq suffered the worst day in five weeks. shares of facebook suffered its biggest loss in four years yesterday. down nearly 7%. the social media giant is struggling to explain how political consulting firm that worked on president trump's election campaign improperly obtained data on 50 million facebook users. "the new york times" reports that security chief alex stamos will step down in august over

disagreements over how aggressively the site should address its role in spreading this information. the accessories chain claire's filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy as expected. claire's says it's confident it will emerge from bankruptcy in september and be able to compete with online shopping. it hopes to reduce its debt by $2 billion. meanwhile, claire's says its iconic ear-piercing services are unmatched and cannot be replicated on line. volkswagen is expanding its operations in chattanooga, tennessee, with plans to build a five-passenger suv. volkswagen says the vehicle's a variant of its seven-passenger atlas design for the american market. chattanooga's volkswagen's only u.s. manufacturing facility. and anne-marie, an unprecedented upset means free pizza for all. for several years, little caesar's has offered a free pizza and drink if a 16th seed beats a number-one seed in the ncaa men's basketball tournament. pretty safe bet. never happened. until this year. the university of maryland

baltimore county umbc stunned virginia and just about everyone else. the giveaway happens between 11:30 and 1:00 on april 2nd at participating little caesars. get in line early. the offer's good while supplies last. >> umbc may be out of the tournament, but we're all winners. diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thank you so much, diane. >> thank you. still to come, musical mash-up. two of broadway's biggest stars team up for a powerful new song to benefit an upcoming march. ♪ tries to get in my way? watch me. ( ♪ ) mike: i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ( ♪ ) joni: think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it. they're moving forward with cosentyx. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. it's proven to help people find less joint pain

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ an inspirational message on a dance floor in wheeling, west

virginia. the dancing wheels company of cleveland conducted a dance workshop for people with disabilities. organizers of the program say it gives everyone an equal opportunity to dance. and another inspirational message, this one a song from two of broadway's biggest stars. ♪ have you ever felt like nobody was there ♪ ♪ have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere ♪ >> "hamilton" creator lin-manuel miranda and the original star of "dear evan hanson," ben platt, recorded a duet called "found tonight." proceeds will benefit saturday's march for our lives, demonstrations against gun violence. and the first image of actress renee zellweger as legendary singer judy garland was are you -- garland was released yesterday. she was star in "judy," based on the true story of garland's final concerts in london in

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our stop stories this morning -- a severe storm system swept across the southeast triggering damaging hail and high winds. significant damages reported in northern alabama. the same storm system is expected to move off shore and form a nor'easter, bringing heavy snow to the mid-atlantic and northeast. the hunt for the austin, texas, serial bomber continues. four bombs in three weeks have exploded in the texas capital killing two people and injuring four others. the last bomb sunday night was more sophisticated. it was detonated by a nearly invisible trip wire along the side of the road. the first three were package bombs left on doorsteps.

and the weinstein company filed for bankruptcy protection. it's the company's latest effort to survive the fallout from a sexual misconduct scandal that forced out co-founder harvey weinstein. the company also said it is releasing any victims or witnesses to weinstein's alleged misconduct from any nondisclosure agreement that would prevent them from speaking out. police in northeast mississippi are investigating the death of a 14-year-old girl. they believe her younger brother shot her after an argument over a video game. nikki battiste has details. >> reporter: 14-year-old dejonae white was shot in the back of the head saturday. she was rushed to the hospital but died the next day. the prosecutor says the killer was her 9-year-old brother. >> we asked him what happened. he told us they were playing a video game, and he wanted the controller. she wouldn't let him have it. >> reporter: the shooting took place inside their home in the town of wren in northeast mississippi.

>> he went to the nightstand where there was a gun, and he got it and come up behind her and shot her. >> reporter: according to the sheriff, the children's mother was home but was in another room. >> she was -- the mother was there in the kitchen fixing lunch for another children and a guest that she had there. the mother heard the gunshot and ran to the bedroom and found the little girl laying on the floor. >> reporter: white was a student at tupelo middle school where he played on the basketball team. grief counselors are in place to help students deal with the tragedy. >> i believe she was a well thought of young lady and is going to be missed. a lot of people are upset. >> reporter: the boy's aunt told cbs news he thought the gun was fake. the unidentified 9-year-old is in his mother's custody pending the outcome of an investigation. nikki battiste, cbs news, new york. coming up on "cbs this morning," david begnaud is in puerto rico six months after hurricane maria. he'll visit some of the hardest hit places to find out if things have improved. new orleans' mayor stops by

the studio with his new book about his personal journey on race and the events that led to his decision to take down confederate monuments in his city. and paris' iconic cathedral is falling apart. we'll show you why people in the u.s. are being asked to help save the 855-year-old church. that's the "cbs morning news" for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

the first day of spring! i'm michelle griego. and i'm kenny choi. time is 4-- good morning everyone. it is tuesday, march 20. a beautiful shot on this very first day of spring. happy first day of spring. >> good morning.

it is also the first day of the new year. a kicks off at 9:15 am. the first day of the new year and persia. the in season kicking off a new start to the year. it will be nice if you like rain. the forecast is not very springlike. the rain arrives this morning. we will have on and off heavy rainfall through at least friday, if not saturday morning. it will start to pick up this afternoon. wet and windy, especially tomorrow night into thursday. that is when this storm system will be most intense. right now we are tracking and earlier accident along