capitol -- it's friday, march 26th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." breaking overnight, deadly tornadoes, severe weather roars through the south tearing apart neighborhoods and causing miles of destruction. one woman's near-death experience. also breaking, lawmaker arrested. why a georgia representative was handcuffed and removed from the state capitol. facing the press. what president biden blames on the border crisis in his first the border crisis in his first formal news conference. captioning funded by cbs good morning to you. really glad that you are with us.

i am anne-marie green. we're going to begin with severe weather in the south after a string of deadly tornadoes killed at least five people in alabama. gightning, rain, hail, and powerful winds. >> oh! oh, no! >> these people in pelham, alabama, got caught in the storm while in their car as trees snapped around them. one tornado traveled around 100 miles across the state. one of the hardest hit areas was shelby county where twisters uprooted trees, destroyed homes, and reportedly trapped people. one woman described the terrifying moments a tornado barrelled through her neighborhood. >> i looked out, and it started getting dark. i said, well, i'd better get out i aetal garba can. i said let me run to the utility

room, put it over my head, isn't -- went in there, i stayed no more than two minutes and all is of this, i couldn't believe it. >> officials say as many as eight tornadoes may have pummelled alabama, more than 35,000 customers were without power statewide. also breaking overnight, the arrest of a georgia lawmaker. state representative park cannon spent time in jail after protesting the governor's decision to sign a controversial election bill. >> why are you all arresting her? >> why are you arresting her? >> why are you arresting her? >> capitol police nd removed representative cannon from the state capitol last night. she's facing several charges including felony obstruction. they say she knocked on the door of the governor's office, disrupting his remarks about the new election law. governor brian kemp released this photo showing him signing the bill last night. part of the new law requires a photo i.d. to vote absentee by mail, cuts down on the time period to request an absentee

ballot, and limits where ballot drop boxes can be placed. democrats say that the law disproportionately impacts voters of color. it's one of many republican-backed election bills being considered nationwide after former president trump st rather, that the 2020 election was stolen. meantime, a group of senate republicans is heading to the rio grande valley to get a firsthand look at the border crisis. it's an issue that took center stage yesterday at president biden's first news conference since taking office. he rejected allegations that his administration is to blame for the recent surge of unaccompanied minors crossing into the u.s. elise preston is in new york. elise, how is he defending his border response? >> reporter: anne-marie, the president said the surge was migrants typically make the trek during warmer months. republicans headed to the u.s.-mexico border today put the

issues they're going to see squarely on president biden's shoulders. >> if the administration thinks that they have this under control, they are sadly mistaken. >> reporter: gop members believe yesterday's news conference by the president will make the surge worse. >> it will lead to a tsunami this summer. >> reporter: at the first press conference of his presidency, mr. biden said the increase at the border was expected as migrants try to beat the summer heat. >> it happens every single solitary year. there is a significant increase in the number of people coming to the border in the winter months. >> reporter: president biden also defended changing former president trump's hard-line immigration tactics. >> rolling back the policies of separating children from their mothers, make no apology for that. >> reporter: dylan corbett, director of hope border institute, says most adults are still being sent back to mexico. >> title 42 remains in place, and that's a highly consequential policy because it's resulting in the majority

of us being returned back. >> reporter: 17,000 unaccompanied children are in u.s. custody. the president vowed to open new. >> i can't guarantee we're going to solve everything. but i can guarantee we can make everything better. >> reporter: president biden said his administration is taking steps to speed up how quickly children on are -- children are connected it relatives in the u.s. and democrats are also sending a delegation to texas today to a resettlement facility for unaccompanied children. anne-marie? >> elise preston in new york, thank you very much. the suspect in the colorado supermarket shooting remains held without bond this morning, accused gunman ahmad alissa appeared in court. a defense attorney asked for an assessment of his mental health. he is charged with killing ten people in monday's shooting. he is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at another police officer. boulder county's district attorney said they plan to file more charges.

it is the largest sex abuse settlement ever against a college in this country. the university of southern california will pay a total of $1.1 billion to hundreds of women who accuse the school er gynecologist of sexual a usc, as well. >> reporter: more than 700 women branded former university of southern california gynecologist george tyndall a sexual predator. they've been awarded $850 million. that combined with a previous class-action lawsuit brings usc's payout to more than $1 billion. now a sex crimes prosecutor, this is one of tyndall's survivors. when this first happened, did you think there was something wrong? >> i knew the way he talked to me and the filthy, disgusting stories he told me. when he was taking pictures

under the guise of treatment, i didn't know those things were wrong. >> reporter: the lawsuit claims the university knew about the complaints yet did nothing to protect students. >> they're very powerful institution, usc. the fact that they didn't care and threw us to the wolves is so disgusting. >> reporter: anika orionan said she was also a victim. >> using two fingers, he performed an examination in deeply massaging, penetrative motion. >> reporter: tyndall was arrested in june, 2019, pleading not guilty to 35 criminal charges. >> that was jamie yuccas reporting. tyndall is due back in court today. the president of usc said that she's deeply sorry for the pain experienced by the women and hopes that the settlement provides some relief. some survivors have said no amount of money can make up for what happened. so coming up, pfizer has begun testing a covid vaccine for younger children.

when one might be ready. and we remember award-winning actress jessica walter from the tv show "arrested development." this is the "cbs morning news." " start with all the non-sports dads. narrow it to the ones whose kids who can catch almost everything. especially a cold. meaning, you. you're the one we made mywalgreens for. join and get 30 minute pickup at walgreens.com if you have obstructive sleep apnea and you're often tired during the day, you could be missing out on amazing things. sunosi can help you join stay awake for them.ckup once daily sunosi improves wakefulness in adults with excessive daytime sleepiness due to obstructive sleep apnea. sunosi worked for up to nine hours at 12 weeks in a clinical study.

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and save water. did you know certified dishwashers... ...use less than four gallons per cycle, while a running sink uses that, every two minutes. so, do it with cascade. the surprising way to save water. emmy award winning actress jessica walter is being remembered for her six-decade career. in movies, television, and on broadway. she died at her home in new york on wednesday. she played clint eastwood's stallinger in "play misty for me." she was the scheming matriarch on "arrested development" and the won an emmy in 1975 for the limited series "amy prentis." walter was 80. a university is requiring vaccines for the fall semester, and it could be a while before a blockage on the suez canal is cleared. those some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the new york times" reports that it could take days or even weeks to free the giant cargo ship wedged in egypt's suez

canal. satellite images show the ship stuck sideways in the narrow manmade canal. it became wedged in one of the world's busiest waterways tuesday after rungr more than 15ssels e aing to ent dred, tugboaand a courr post" says rutgers is the first university in the nation to require all students get coronavirus vaccinations to attend fall in-person classes. the school says the federal government's assurance of enough vaccines for all americans prompted the decision. rutgers says students can request exemptions for medical or religious reasons. faculty and staff are being urged to get vaccinated, as well. still ahead now, an easter sugar rush.orecial drink. a special drink.

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here's a look at the the untry.n some citaround ♪ having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative, the bill is passed. >> the senate voted 92-7 yesterday extending the paycheck protection program. that means small business owners still reeling from the pandemic will get extra time to apply for low-interest loans. the application deadline has been pushed back to may 31st. the measure also provides an additional 30-day period for the small businetrto process applications that are still pending. on the cbs "money watch" now, a covid vaccine trial is under way for young children, and peeps and pepsi collaborate for an easter treat. naomi ruchim is in new york with those stories and more. good morning.

piecin a mll get to theps uresre trending higher adding to earlier gains during the regular session. the three major indictions extended into positive territory for the first time in three sessions. the dow rallied 199 points. the nasdaq gained 15, and the s&p 500 added 20. pfizer has started testing its covid vaccine in children under age 12. a pair of 9-year-old twin girls were the first included in the trial. they were vaccinated at duke university in north carolina on wednesday. a spokesperson for the drug company says the results are expected in the second half of the year. pfizer hopes to get the shot in early next year. about 30 million social security recipients are still waiting for their stimulus checks. cotee is poiing thfingns at theociacu adminira

ency to starseg information two weeks before president biden signed the covid relief bill. the ssa data to the irs until yesterday. the irs has not said how long it will take for social security recipients to get those checks. and there's a new soft drink just in time for easter. pepsi is teaming up with peeps to launch this pepsi by peeps beverage. the new cola mixes the taste of pepsi with the pillowy soft and sweet marshmallow flavor of peeps. yollble to get your hands on a limited edition flavor through an online contest. just post your favorite springtime celebrations on instagram or twitter with the hash tag #hangingwithmypeeps to possibly score a three pack. to me it sounds just like adding more sugar to an already sugary drink. how bad could it be?

>> that's exactly what i thought. i thought to myself, i wasn't even aware that peeps had a flavor. i thought they tasted like sugar and food coloring. not a bad combination. >> yeah. i want to know what color the drinks will be. uh-huh. >> clearly it's working. yeah, day-glow pastels, i'm sure. >> yes. >> i would try. >> same. >> thank you so much. >> thanks. so up next, a super fan continues her march madness. sister jean will join loyola chicago as the team heads for its sweet 16 match-up. s the tea its sweet 16 match-up. ♪ ♪ are you ready to join the duers? those who du more with less asthma. thanks to dupixent. the add-on treatment

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home to any possibility. sign up today. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ ♪ that's how i walk see me walk walk walk walking all round the town ♪ so a group of penguins walk into a restaurant -- i know, sounds like the start of a joke, but it isn't. three penguins from the shedd aquarium visited shaw's crab house to help celebrate the city's restaurant week. this is the latest adventure for the aquarium's penguins. they've also made field trips to museums and chicago's soldier field. people living in the pacific northwest were startled by something in the sky last night.

a streak of slow-moving bright lights was spotted over parts of washington state and oregon. the national weather service says it appears that the lights were caused by the second stage of a spacex falcon 9 rocket breaking up ads it reentered the atmosphere. the rocket was part of a launch earlier this month of spacex star link satellites. the nation's first national youth poet laureate, amanda gorman, is sitting down with oprah winfrey to revisit her historic inauguration day poetry reading. >> because being american is more than a pride we inherit, it's the past we step into and how we repair it. >> winfrey interviewed the poet for the apple tv-plus series. it's being release today. gorman became the youngest inaugural poet in history when she recited her poem "the hill we climb." in her interview with winfrey, she discusses how she created the poem and her hopes for the future.

and loyola chicago's biggest fan, sister jean, is heading back to indianapolis today for the next game in the ncaa men'sr root the ramblers in their first two tournament wins. they play oregon state in the sweet 16 tomorrow here on cbs. yesterday, sister jean, who's 101, delivered her scouting report for the game. >> you need to get a good backup of points right from the beginning and try to make some fast breaks so that we -- see that we're not lagging behind. if we play the way we played illinois, we'll be doing very well. >> sister jean, who is in a wheelchair, said that she will be jumping around literally if the team reaches the final four again like they did in 2018. coming up on "cbs this morning," we're going to take you inside hartsfield jackson atlanta international airport for an exclusive look at how delta airlines is helping to vaccinate tens of thousands of people. i'm anne-marie green.

this is the "cbs morning news." " start with all the non-sports dads. narrt whoatchespeally aol. mywalgreens for. join and get 30 minute pickup at walgreens.com at novartis, our goal is to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you're taking cosentyx and your insurance or coverage changes or you need help paying cosentyx connect is here to help. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis.

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our top stories this morning -- at least five people are dead after a string of tornadoes tore through alabama. one of the worst hit areas was shelby county, near birmingham. as many as eight tornadoes may have hit the state. one traveled about 100 miles and stayed on the ground for more than an hour. and georgia state congresswoman park cannon was arrested after she knocked on the governor's door as he signed a controversial elections bill into law yesterday. cannon calling for transparency. critics of the bill say it dramatically limits access to voting for communities of color. picking up garbage in your neighborhood. a simple idea.

one man in new jersey has turned it into a viral phenomenon. michael george explains. ♪ oh good morning good morning ♪ ♪ it's great to pick up trash ♪ >> reporter: steve shimshick may seem like he's talking to himself, but he's talking to thousands of fans who tune in every morning just to watch him pick up garbage. >> so how is everybody doing? >> reporter: steve is a 27-year-old musician from new brunswick, new jersey. a few months ago he started live streaming his neighborhood trash cleanups on reddit. who would have guessed within weeks he'd have more than 12,000 followers. why does this connect with people so much? >> i think there are a couple of reasons. one, there's a sense of community on the streams. and there's that sense of connectedness that i don't think -- i thi len >> reporter: he calls it trash love, but the trash isn't the

star. it's steve and the positivity he spreads every morning. >> first of all, congratulations on the new job to amy. amy, this piece goes out to you. unexpected happened -- viewers started doing their own trash cleanup walks. and not just in the u.s. steve's small act has now been global. in munich, germany, shifa was inspired to clean up her neighborhood, and she has her own audience of 2,000 viewers. >> it wasn't just about picking up trash but also picking up spirits. i've met lots of friends all over the world. >> reporter: steve doesn't just talk to people. he listens. inviting followers to relay what's happening in their liucf. >> reporter: proving that one not man's trash -- >> maybe not the largest problem in my city, but it's something i can do slowly. get out there and feel like i'm helping in some way. >> reporter: can be a neighborhood treasure. michael george, cbs news, new brunswick, new jersey. ♪

coming up on "cbs this you inside hartsfield jackson atlanta international airport for an exclusive look at how delta airlines is helping to vacinate tens of thousands of people. plus, a history of immigration. tony dokoupil explores the differences between immigration policy then and now. and comedian and actor anthony anderson tells us about hosting the naacp awards tomorrow night. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great weekend. ♪