i'm tom hanson, cbs news, new york. it's thursday, march 17th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." unrelenting invasion. russia continues its violent war in ukraine. the latest attacks sending shock waves across the world the same day ukraine's president called on the u.s. to do more to help. deadly head-on crash. we have the latest on a crash that left members of a college golf team dead. and jussie smollett released. the ruling that allowed the convicted actor to walk out of an illinois jail. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with the russian invasion of ukraine entering its fourth week today as devastating attacks continue in one of most tragic instances to date.

russia destroyed this theater in mariupol which was acting as a shelter. there's no word on the death toll, but hundreds were said to be there including children. this satellite image shows the words "children" written in russian outside of the theater before the bombing. that didn't stop it from being shelled. look at these satellite imimage showing a before and after look at apartment buildings and a church in the city of sumy. just total devastation. here's a look at a series of homes leveled in the same city. president biden has announced more aid for ukraine, and in his strongest words yet called vladimir putin a war criminal. laura podesta is in new york with the latest on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. putin said during a speech yesterday that the operation was unfolding successfully, in strict accordance with preapproved plans. however, ukrainians say that moscow's ground offense in kyiv is stalled. negotiations between ukraine and

russia continue with both sides suggesting progress is being made. >> being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. >> reporter: speaking to congress, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy called on president biden to do more to support his country's fight against russia invoking pearl harbor and the attacks on 9/11 -- >> our country experienced the same every day. >> reporter: the ukrainian leader said a no-fly zone is needed to stop the carnage. >> translator: through tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to live freely in our own country. >> reporter: mr. biden and other western leaders have rejected that idea in hopes of avoiding a direct confrontation with russia. the president did announce an $800 million aid package that includes anti-aircraft systems, small arms, and drones. >> we're going to continue to have their backs as they fight for their freedom.

>> reporter: he took a new step forward in his assessment of vladimir putin. >> oh, i think he is a war criminal. >> reporter: ukrainian officials accuse the russians of bombing this theater in mariupol where hundreds were sheltering. a satellite image before the attack shows the word "children" in russian lettering written outside. and in the northern city of chirnihiv, the u.s. embassy in ukraine says russian forces shot and killed ten people who were standing in line for bread. six nations have called for united nations security council meeting to be held today on the war. britain's u.n. mission which is among those requesting the meeting tweeted "russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians." anne-marie? >> laura podesta in new york. thank you so much. well, more than three million people have fled ukraine, that's according to the most recent numbers from the united nations. others have gone to western ukraine which has not been under heavy attack like much of the country. imtiaz tyab shows us how everyday people with no military

background are stepping up to defend their country. >> reporter: this is the most basic of training. after just four hours of learning how to fire a rifle, these ordinary citizens say they're ready to defend their homeland. 31-year-old anastacia is originally from the capital kyiv. she fled after the russian invasion began. she's gone from working in tenant rights to learning how to use a kalashnikov. how important is it to get this training? >> i hope that i will not have to use it. but it's important because it can be a question of life. >> reporter: ukrainians of all kinds have joined the volunteer battalions which are fiercely resisting russia's vastly more powerful military in ways few expected -- defending the most vulnerable. including those that live at this school in lviv.

these children, some as young as 4, are all orphans and have developmental disabilities. they were brought here less than a week ago after fleeing brutal violence in eastern ukraine. natari is a social worker here. >> i mean, kids with mental and physical disorders -- >> reporter: as we were talking -- [ siren ] >> an air raid siren went off. the older kids were told to run inside, while the youngest were guided by their careers who took them into a basement classroom and tried to calm them down any way they could. nadeeya is one of the teachers. what do you tell the children when they hear the noise? what do you say to them? "the children don't hear the sirens from here. they are hidden," she says, "we are safe here." these orphans may be among ukraine's most vulnerable, but they are deeply cared for and still manage to smile and make new friends during the most

uncertain of times. >> that was imtiaz tyab reporting. nine people are dead following a crash in texas involving members of a college golf team. janet shamlian has the details. >> reporter: a horrific head-on crash in west texas. nine dead including six members of a college golf team and their coach who was driving the passenger van heading home from a competition to the university of the southwest in hobbs, new mexico. two teammates are in critical condition. the driver and passenger in a pickup truck, authorities say crossed the line into the path of the van, also died. >> it's a very tragic scene. very, very tragic. >> reporter: this is the spot where it happened,a long a two-way highway with no lighting. the golfers were about 60 miles from their university. tyler james was head coach of the men and women's golf teams at the university. freshman laci stone also among the dead. today ktvt spoke to her grandmother, carol patterson, by phone.

>> we are glad that she was doing what she loved, but her loss is going to leave a hole in our hearts. >> reporter: the university in a statement said the usw campus community is shocked and saddened. flowers and tributes arriving at the golf course and a community devastated. >> just about every golfer in hobbs has personally had -- has dealt with those kids. they had nothing but positive reputations. >> reporter: the golfing community and the school are small, and this is a tremendous blow. the ntsb tells cbs news it is sending a 12-member team to investigate. janet shamlian, hobbs, new mexico. actor jussie smollett is out of jail this morning after an illinois appeals court ordered him released pending an appeal of his conviction. you can see smollett leaving the cook county jail last night. last week the former star of the "empire" tv show was sentenced to 150 days for lying to chicago police about being the victim of a hate crime in 2019. smollett's lawyers argue that he could be in danger of physical

harm if he remains in jail during the apple process. a tsunami alert has been canceled after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northeastern japan. video from inside a home in fukushima showed violent shaking and items being knocked off shelves yesterday. at least four people were killed, and about 100 others were hurt. it is the same region that was devastated by a deadly earthquake and tsunami in 2011. and coming up, multimillion-dollar settlement. some of the families of the victims in the parkland school shooting have reached a deal with the government. and search operation. rescuers track possible victims under a massive avalanche in colorado. this is the "cbs morning news." ng with age comes more... get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin.

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600-foot-long debris field for anyone trapped under the snow yesterday. avalanche dogs and a helicopter mounted scanner were used in the search. a single track was discovered in the slope, but no one was found trapped. and there were some surprising arrests in a human trafficking sting, and a settlement was announced in a deadly school shooting. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the "associated press" reports families of the victims of the 2018 parkland, florida, school massacre reached a multimillion dollar settlement with the justice department. the families of 16 of the 17 people killed and some of the survivors will receive more than $127 million. they sued the government over the fbi's failure to stop the gunman even though it received information weeks earlier warning of his plan to attack. the information was never passed on. "the washington post" says former cnn anchor chris cuomo is seeking $125 million in compensation from the company. cuomo was fired last year after

a new york state attorney general's report revealed he helped his brother, governor andrew cuomo, fight sexual harassment allegations. chris cuomo claims he was wrongfully terminated, and his bosses knew that he had advised his brother. cnn declined comment. and "the orlando sentinel" says more than 100 people were arrested in a central florida prostitution sting operation. the under cover operation is being called operation march sadness two. it included sex workers who posted ads on line as well as suspects searching the web for prostitutes including those looking for people they thought were minors. a retired judge from illinois and several disney employees were among those arrested. still ahead, your netflix subscription could cost you more. the streaming giant is testing a small fee for sharing a password with someone outside of your household. i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ on the cbs "money watch," walmart announces a hiring spree, and netflix is cracking down on password sharing. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. stock futures are pointing to a flat open this morning after big gains on wall street yesterday. it came after the federal reserve announced a quarter percentage point interest rate hike to help fight the highest inflation in 40 years. it's the first increase since 2018. policymakers projected six more similar-sized rate hikes this year. the dow ultimately rallied 518, the nasdaq gained 487, and the s&p 500 rose 95. some welcome news for job seekers.

walmart says it wants to hire an additional 50,000 workers by the end of april. the jobs will be in stores, supply chain facilities, and other sectors. the world's biggest retailer also says it's looking to expand in the health and wellness and advertising departments. walmart currently has some 3.9 million employees worldwide. a big shakeup at starbucks in the c suite. the company announced that ceo kevin johnson is retiring after 13 years. and a familiar face will be taking his place. former ceo howard schultz. under schultz it grew from 11 stores to more than 28,000 worldwide. the abrupt move comes after months of turmoil within the company with stores across the country filing to unionize. and netflix is looking to crack down on password sharing. the company plans to test ways to charge account owners a fee for anyone logging into their account from outside the household. the so-called sub-users can be

added at a lower price than a regular subscription. netflix says the lost revenue from users widely sharing passwords impacts its ability to invest in new content. uh-oh. anne-marie? >> i know a lot of people are going to be upset. i feel like this is going to help ape lot of people who have been looking for a way to unload their netflix buddy. they broke up three years ago, they're not following them on social media anymore. but they just don't know how to pull the trigger on the password. >> it's true. it's true. netflix says no chill. no more chill. >> that's right. diane king hall in new york. diane, thank you very much. >> you got it. up next, fire emergency. a walmart distribution center in indiana catches fire with smoke seen for miles away. smoke seen for miles away. (vo) at dog chow we believe helping dogs live their best life... should be simple. that's why dog chow is made with real chicken and no fillers.

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ smoke could be seen for miles as a massive fire broke out at a walmart distribution center near indianapolis. fire officials say the more than one million square-foot structure was completely engulfed in flames by the time firefighters made it to the scene. all the workers got out safely. one firefighter suffered minor injuries.

investigators say it could be weeks before they find out what caused that fire. health officials are warning americans to be on high alert for the lone star tick. ahead of spring's warmer weather, the ticks in georgia carry a relatively new virus called the heartland virus. that's according to a study from emory university. the ticks have been found in five other states, as well. missouri, alabama, illinois, kansas, and new york. there are concerns that it can sicken and potentially kill older people and those with underlying conditions. communities in and around birmingham, alabama, are attempting to dry out this morning after they were battered by heavy rains and flash flooding. emergency crews carried out high water rescues after motorists were trapped in their cars yesterday. muddy water could be seen as high as some headlights. there is more rain in the forecast today. did you fill out your bracket yet? if not, you only have a few

hours left because today marks the start of march madness. the defending champion baylor bears are looking to become the first team since the 2007 florida gators to win back-to-back ncaa tournament titles. they have the number-one seed in the east region. the other number-one seeds include gonzaga, kansas, and arizona. 16 opening games take place today, four of them here on cbs. and coming up on "cbs mornings," clark kellogg of cbs sports shares his love letter to march madness 40 years after playing in the basketball tournament. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news."

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our top stories this morning -- ukraine is accusing russia of bombing a theater in mariupol where hundreds of people were sheltering, including children. ukrainian president zelenskyy delivered a virtual address to congress invoking 9/11 and pearl harbor as he pleaded for more help. president biden called vladimir putin a war criminal. and actor ss s appeals court ordered him released pending an appeal of his conviction. smollett walked out of the cook county jail last night. last week he was sentenced to 150 days for lying to chicago police about being the victim of a hate crime in 2019. smollett's lawyers argued that he could be in danger if he remained in jail during the

appeal process. on this st. patrick's day, no one is ready to celebrate more than owners of irish pubs. they were some of the first small businesses to feel the pain of the pandemic that forced them to close just before the holiday in 2020. bradley blackburn has more on how they are toasting a return to normal. >> reporter: at mcgee's pub in new york city, they've spent decades pouring pints for regulars, but for the first time in a long time, the neighborhood pub is starting to feel regular again. >> the restrictions are lifted. we're looking for a pre-covid paddy's day. >> reporter: the manager and owner frank mccawley remembers when he was gearing up for big crowds the pandemic forced him to close. you couldn't pick a worst time. >> no. we lost our busiest time of year. >> reporter: pubs have always been more than a place for a drink. they're part of the community. >> it brings the neighborhood together. >> reporter: so many pubs didn't survive the pandemic. irish pubs have closed across the country from boston to

denver, dallas to sacramento. >> the irish are known for their hospitality. >> reporter: sean murphy writes about new york bars for murphguide, tracking pandemic closings he's counted 25 irish pubs in manhattan permanently shuttered. that's more than 10%. what is lost when one of these pubs closes? >> a business owner loses his jobs, people lose their favorite watering hole. so the loss is on both sides of the bar. >> reporter: this st. paddy's, survivors like mcgee's are celebrating and counting on others to join in. >> getting back to doing what we do. running a pub. >> reporter: it's taken more than the luck of the irish to make it, and now raise a glass to the future. bradley blackburn, cbs news, new york. coming up on "cbs mornings," vlad duthiers talks to the owners of a beloved ukrainian restaurant in new york city. and how they are getting support from the community more than ever. plus, we'll take you to maya

bay, an iconic beach in thailand, and show how the pandemic shutdown has given it time to recover from environmental disruptions. and clark kellogg of cbs sports shares his love letter to march madness 40 years after playing in the basketball tournament. news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. happy st. patrick's day.