it's thursday, march 18th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." tornado it's thursday, march 18th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." tornado outbreak. dangerous storms sweep across the south. the damage so far as millions brace for more severe weather today. deadly shooting spree. new details about the suspected gunman charged with killing eight people. his confession about having a sexual addiction. seeking a new life. rare access inside a shelter where migrant families stay where migrant families stay after crossing into the u.s. captioning funded by cbs good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we're going to begin with the search for a motive in the

shooting rampage in georgia that left eight people dead. the suspected gunman, 21-year-old robert long, has been charged in the killings. authorities released new pictures of him following his arrest tuesday night. six of the dead are asian women. but long told police race was not a factor. naomi ruchim has the latest developments. how is the shooting raising alarms across the country? >> reporter: although the suspect said that race was not a factor in this shooting, police are working to determine whether or not that's actually the case here. this has caused a lot of pain, a lot of worry among asian americans, especially after a long string of incidents since the start of the pandemic. asian americans across the country are on edge following the atlanta area spa shootings that left eight people dead, six of whom were of asian descent. >> our communities have been so scared. they were scared before covid-19, but they're even more scared now.

>> reporter: the group stop asian american and pacific islander hate says there have been nearly 3,800 reported hate incidents in the u.s. since the coronavirus pandemic began last march. >> somebody just pushed me and hit me. >> reporter: danny yu chang was blind sided while working to work on monday in san francisco. >> i cannot see on my left, left eye. they didn't rob me. i think it's a hate crime. >> reporter: this 76-year-old woman was one of two people attacked yesterday where police are looking into if race was a factor. this woman defended herself and left her attacker handcuffed to a stretcher. >> around the area and fight back. >> reporter: in georgia, authorities are working to determine if the rampage was racially motivated, though the suspect told police it was a sexual addiction issue. >> we believe that he frequented these places in the past and may have been lashing out. >> reporter: 21-year-old robert aaron long has been charged with

the murders. >> he made a comment that he was headed to florida and that he was going to do similar acts in that state. >> reporter: long's family recognized these security photos posted to social media and alerted deputies who then tracked his cell phone. anne-marie, although police are not yet linking this to a hate crime or even calling it that, they do say they are still looking into everything. the investigation is very much open, and they have not ruled anything out. right now they say they are taking a hard look at the suspect. anne-marie? >> naomi ruchim in new york. thank you very much. a new round of extreme weather is expected today across the south. roughly 26 million people are under a severe weather threat today. most notably in the carolinas where storms may intensify in the afternoon. some of the latest storm damage happened overnight. this tree fell on a home and crushed a car in east louisiana. no one was hurt.

a tornado hit whistler, mississippi, yesterday, tearing apart a chicken farm and destroying almost every building in that area. and a bystander captured this tornado from a distance in western alabama. yesterday's storms reportedly knocked out power to more than 70,000 homes and businesses from texas to alabama. the democratic-controlled house is set to vote on two immigration bills today. the bills would provide a path to citizenship for millions of so-called treatmenters and farm workers. meantime, the homeland security chief testified yesterday on the surge of migrants across the southern border. he's calling it a serious challenge, not a crisis. mireya villarreal got rare access inside a private shelter where migrant families are staying. >> reporter: cbs news was allowed inside catholic charities in mcallen, texas, a first stop for migrant families after processing before moving on to stay with relatives or sponsors while their requests for asylum linger. roberto is here with his

6-year-old daughter. the two were among thousands who received comfort from sister norma bemantel. what makes this time so much different than previous years? >> several components are definitely different. the fact that we have a president, an administration that is very open to respond in a very caring, compassionate, respectful way to human life. >> reporter: migrants seeking a new life are emboldened by a false belief that the borders are open. we saw a steady flow entering the rio grande valley illegally, some as young as 10 traveling alone. 60% of family units apprehended are being allowed to stay while their cases are processed. a big increase from the 38% permitted in january. unaccompanied minors can stay, and now more than 13,000 children are in u.s. custody. homeland security secretary mayorkas testified a day after saying the u.s. is on pace to reach the highest number of apprehensions at the border in

20 years. >> the border is not open. >> reporter: republicans point the finger at president biden. >> the biden administration has created chaos where there was order. >> reporter: president biden warned would-be migrants to stay home. >> don't leave your town or city or community. >> reporter: and yet sister norma says compassion must be part of any solution. >> it is about making sure we find solutions why these families are coming and take care of the border correctly. >> reporter: mireya villarreal, cbs news, brownsville, texas. ahead on "cbs this morning," we will speak with the homeland security secretary for an update on the situation at the border. to the latest on the battle against the coronavirus now. more than 73 million people across the country have gotten at least one dose of the vaccination. that's about 22% of the u.s. population. nevada is making all residents

ages 16 and older eligible for the shot starting next month. the governor said that the action is made possible due to an uptick in vaccines being sent. and new york governor andrew cuomo flashed a thumbs up after getting his covid shot yesterday. he did not address the misconduct allegations he's facing from seven women. coming up, a security scare. police arrest a man near the residence of the vice president on a weapons charge. and the war on murder hornets intensifies. how scientists plan to wipe out the dangerous insects. this is the "cbs morning news." the dangerous insects. this is the "cbs morning news." needles. essential for pine trees, but maybe not for people with certain inflammatory conditions. because there are options. like an “unjection™”. xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections,

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murray of san antonio was taken into custody following a texas police bulletin indicating that he had been experiencing paranoid delusions. police say a rifle and ammunition were found in murray's nearby vehicle. the battle against murder hornets continues, and we remember a former met opera conductor. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the new york times" reports on the death of james levine, the former maestro of new york's metropolitan operator has died. the conductor died march 9th of natural causes in california. he led the metropolitan opera for more than 40 years. he conducted more than 2,500 performances. in 2018 he was fired by the met after it investigated allegations of sexual abuse and harassment of younger men over a 25-year period. james levine was 77 years old. the "dallas morning news" says a former dallas maverick center sean bradley is paralyzed

after a recent bicycle accident near his utah home. yesterday the 48-year-old former nba player disclosed that he was paralyzed in january after being hit from behind by a vehicle while riding a bike. the philadelphia 76ers drafted the 7'6" center out of brigham young university with the second pick in the 1993 draft. bradley says that he plans to use his accident to promote awareness about bicycle safety. the "associated press" says scientists in the u.s. and canada are set to battle so-called murder hornets. yesterday scientists said that they are opening new fronts against the giant insects in washington state and british columbia as they begin establishing nests this spring. that's where the hornets have been spotted in recent years. government agencies and private citizens will be setting traps to capture queen hornets. >> we are shooting for at least one trap per one kilometer by one kilometer grid.

that's going to total somewhere a little over 1,500 traps for us. we will add traps should detections warrant that. >> scientists were able to eradicate a nest of hornets last year. the hornets can deliver painful stings to humans. they are also a threat to bees and other insects. still ahead, disneyland is set to reopen. california's popular theme park will welcome customers for the first time in more than a year. . what's the #1 retinol brand used most by dermatologists? it's neutrogena®

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honors. the measure passed yesterday in a vote of 413 to 12 with all no votes coming from republicans. the officers are being recognized for helping save lives during the attack on the u.s. capitol in january. on the cbs "money watch" now, we will have more time to file our taxes this year, and disneyland is set to open its doors again. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. well, this morning the labor department will be out with the latest numbers on weekly jobless claims. yesterday a milestone on wall street. the dow closed above 33,000 for the first time. that's after the federal reserve upgraded its economic outlook and indicated nearly-zero interest rates through 2023. ultimately the dow rallied 189 points. the nasdaq gained 53. the s&p 500 added 11 points, also closing at a record high. you have more time to file your taxes this year.

the irs pushed the deadline to may 17th. more than a month after the traditional april 15th due date. accountants had asked the tax agency for an extension due to the ongoing challenge of the pandemic for taxpayers. the postponement also gives the irs time to issue guidance on recent changes to tax law under the latest government stimulus package. forget window shopping, nordstrom is launching live streaming selling events today. burberry is slated to kick things off with a virtual video. store employees or brand partners will showcase products on video. customers can then purchase products in real time. the virtual events will allow shoppers to engage with the hosts and ask questions about the featured merchandize. and california's disneyland will soon be open for business. it is set to reopen april 30th at limited capacity, 15%. under current state guidelines, only california residents will be allowed in. all visitors ages 3 and up will require a reservation.

the park has been closed for more than a year due to the pandemic. orlando's disney world reopened last summer. anne-marie? >> i know people are excited about that. i know people who already have their outfits picked out. got the whole thing planned -- >> the ears, absolutely. >> yeah. during the last year for sure, i think people need a dose of the happiest place on earth as they call it. >> that's right. >> diane king hall in new york. thanks a lot, diane. >> thank you. so up next, a treat for "justice league" fans. an extra edition is being released. extra-: edition is bei released. eight months continuous protection against fleas and ticks. it's effective, convenient. seresto. keep playing. more on seresto.com psoriatic arthritis, made my joints stiff, swollen, painful. tremfya® is approved to help reduce joint symptoms in adults

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most unusual places. >> we are getting our first look at an endangered sumatran tiger cub born at a zoo in miami. the female cub was born in january. the yet-to-be-named cub appears to be developing well. she and her mother are being kept in isolation to reduce stress. they are believed to be -- there are believed to be fewer than 500 sumatran tigers living in the wild on the india indonesian island of sumatra. there are only 72 at u.s. zoos. today's the day fans of the 2017 superhero movie "justice league" have been waiting for. ♪ >> i need to bring us together. there are enemies coming from far away. >> the movie's original director, zac snyder, is releasing his four-hour director's cut version on hbo max. snyder left the project abruptly in 2017 when his daughter died. another director was brought in to finish the movie. it was criticized and reportedly

lost its studio, warner brothers, $60 million. fans launched a campaign to let snyder do his own cut, and he did. >> this movie would not exist at all without the fans, without the fans' pressure and without their constant drum beat and without their dedication on such a level that, you know, you can't even -- we can't even imagine. >> when it was released in 2017, "justice league" brought together some iconic superheroes for the very first time. they're back along with some new characters who were cut out of the original version. and march madness tips off today in anybody. -- today in indiana. to help celebrate the start of the ncaa men's basketball tournament, a giant 47,000 square-foot game bracket was attached to the front of the jw marriott hotel in indianapolis. the company behind the bracket says that it took several weeks to design, 100 hours to print and more than five days to install. last year's tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.

coming up on "cbs this morning," we're going to take you to indianapolis for a preview of the march madness basketball tournament and the covid policies that will be in place. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ ♪ irresistibly smooth chocolate. to put the world on pause. lindor. made to melt you. by the lindt master chocolatier. for skin that never holds you back don't settle for silver #1 for diabetic dry skin* #1 for psoriasis symptom relief* and #1 for eczema symptom relief* gold bond champion your skin you clean dishes as you cook, gold bond to save time and stay ahead of the mess but scrubbing still takes time. now there's dawn powerwash dish spray. the faster, easier way to clean as you go. it cleans grease five times faster on easy messes, just spray, wipe, and rinse.

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our top stories this morning -- authorities are trying to determine a motive in a shooting rampage in georgia that left eight people dead including six asian women. police say robert long confessed to tuesday's attacks. long denied the shooting was motivated by race, pinning it on a sex addiction issue. and a new round of extreme weather is expected to hit the south today. about 26 million people are under a severe weather threat. most notably in the carolinas

where storms may intensify this afternoon. yesterday nearly two dozen tornadoes were reported in five states including mississippi and aabama. well, like a lot of good sons and daughters, cbs' chip reid has spent a lot of time zooming with his mom. finally, mother and son have been reunited. >> reporter: it had been a long time. hi, mom. >> oh, hi, chip. >> reporter: how are you? >> hi, my boy. >> reporter: over a year since i last saw my 90-year-old mother in person. does it seem like a whole year to you? >> no. >> reporter: no. >> no, it seems longer. much longer. >> reporter: we talked by phone and zoom -- hi, mom. >> goodness. oh -- >> reporter: how are you? >> i'm good. oh. so good to see you. >> reporter: but there's no substitute for being face to face even if her nursing home still requires six feet of

distance though we've both been vaccinated. across the nation, families painfully separated for so long have been reuniting after last week's new government guidelines for nursing homes that encourage in-person visits. frank demaranus is executive director of my mother's nursing home in wilmington, delaware. what does it mean to you to have us, the visitors, back again? >> it brings spirit back into the community. i'd like to think we're a community again, not just a facility. >> reporter: soon he says they hope to allow hugging, and after that, maybe even travel. i'm hoping that we can do our annual trip to the beach there -- this summer. >> oh -- oh, hallelujah, wouldn't that be wonderful? >> reporter: yes, it would. chip reid, cbs news, wilmington, delaware, and soon hopefully from the jersey shore. >> hopefully. coming up on "cbs this

morning," march madness tips off today. we'll take you to indianapolis for a preview of the basketball tournament and the strict covid policies that will be in place. plus, homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas with more on the migrant situation at the southern border. first on "cbs this morning" we talk with d.j.de nice about the one-year anniversary of his groundbreaking series "club quarantine." that's the "cbs this morning" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. have a great day.