news app on your cell phone or connect to tv. i'm tom hanson, cbs news, new york. it's friday, march 18th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." deadly civilian attacks. russia continues bombarding nonmilitary targets in ukraine including a school leaving dozens dead. this as another american has been killed by russian forces. another covid wave? after st. patrick's day events there are concerns a new strain of the virus could cause cases here in the u.s. to surge. and teen behind the wheel. the shocking update to the deadly texas crash that left a group of college student athletes dead. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. and we begin with a dire warning in the war in ukraine. the top u.s. diplomat says that

with progress, stalling for russian troops vladimir putin could be setting the stage for a chemical attack. while the momentum may have slowed, russia's brutality has not let up. you are looking at an image of a school destroyed near the city of kharkiv. at least 21 people were killed. and in kharkiv itself, three died when russian shelling caused this massive fire at a marketplace. we've learned that this american man, jim hill, is among those dead in ukraine after he was killed waiting in a bread line in the city of chernihiv. laura podesta's in new york. we are hearing about an attack near the western city of lviv now which has been largely spared at this point. wham are you hearing? rte thas ri lviv's mayor says six missiles were launched from the black sea. two were shot down, but four hit a facility used to repair military aircraft and hit a bus repair facility. right now we're hearing that no one was hurt in these strikes, but as you mentioned, this is in

the western part of ukraine which has not seen as much action as the east. and lviv's airport is the second largest in ukraine. after more than three weeks of fighting, russia's ground forces appear to have halted their advance, but its aerial campaign has intensified. bombs and missiles continue to rain down on urban areas throughout ukraine. this video shot near the western city of lviv shows a location just outside the airport believed to be hit. the u.n. has confirmed nearly 2 though the real nu ithought to have already fled the country. >> pure thug who is waging an immoral war against the people of ukraine. >> reporter: president biden is scheduled to speak with chinese president xi jinping this morning. the white house says mr. biden will urge xi to refuse the kremlin's request for military aid.

>> our concerns about china assisting in any way russia as they invade a foreign country is of significant concern and would -- the response would be consequences. >> reporter: secretary of state antony blinken says beijing should be working to convince vladimir putin to call off the invasion. >> instead it appears that china is moving in the opposite direction by refusing to condemn this aggression while seeking to portray itself as a neutral ar bitter. >> reporter: blinken said he believes russia has committed war crimes in ukraine and warned that as putin becomes desperate, he may deploy chemical weapons as part of a false flag operation aimed at justifying an escalation of attacks. the secretary general of nato said any use of chemical weapons by russia would be a violation of international law, but he did not specify whether it would be a red line that might draw a military response from nato. anne-marie? >> laura podesta in new york. thank you very much. well, the u.s. is sending

weapons to ukraine as part of an $800 million military aid package. david martin looks at what equipment we are sending overseas. >> reporter: defense secretary austin stopped in the eastern european nation of slovakia to lobby for an urgent shipment of the air defense missiles which ukraine has been using to keep russian warplanes at bay. >> our goal has been to continue to reinforce those things that have worked for the ukrainian forces. >> reporter: slovakia uses the same russian-made system known as the s-300 as ukraine. so it could be pressed into service immediately without any need for training. >> it has a range upwards of 80 to 100 miles and can gauge targets up to 80,000 feet. >> reporter: retired air force general david deptula -- >> they've been firing those missiles. they have the bars, they have the launchers. what they need are replenishment missiles. >> reporter: they need a

resupply of the anti-tank weapons they have been using against russian armored vehicles. especially the javelin which strikes tanks from the top where the armor is thinnest. on wednesday, president biden promised to send 2,000 more javelins, plus 7,000 other anti-tank weapons. >> that's far more than the number of tanks that the russians have inside ukraine right now. so i think that leaves them in very good shape to continue this campaign for some weeks or months to come. >> reporter: the weapons shipments are being driven across the border from poland and romania. so far the russians have been unable to intercept them. >> they're going to simply have to do that to shut off the flow of lethal aid. if they don't, the tide could turn against them. >> reporter: if putin gets desperate, he might decide to attack those weapons shipment sites in poland and romania directly. that could start a war the u.s. couldn't stay out of. david martin, cbs news, the pentagon.

with covid rates down in the u.s., st. patrick's day events looked a lot like they did before the pandemic began. but there are concerns that we could soon see another wave of covid cases. meg oliver explains. ♪ >> reporter: thousands of people lined up along new york city's famed 5th avenue to celebrate st. patrick's day without covid restrictions. >> it's been two years of us doing it virtually or just with close family. and now we're out. ♪ >> reporter: but as people hope the luck of the irish will bring more festive scenes like this, covid cases are rising in china and across europe where some places have also relaxed some covid mandates. >> europe has trended about three to four weeks ahead of the u.s. in terms of its covid patterns. and in the u.s. we're already seeing an increase in the amount of covid in the wastewater which would also signal that we're heading into a surge here, as well. >> reporter: the average daily number of new cases has dropped

to about 31,000 per day, down 96% from the omicron peak. although the spread of the new ba.2 subvariant is more transmissible, it is not more deadly than omicron. vaccines and a prior infection are effective against the new strain. how concerned are you with large gatherings today on st. paddy's day? >> i think large gatherings can be done safely if they're done outside, in spaces that are well ventilated. if you are talking about large gatherings in a crowded indoor bar, for example, i think that certainly could result in a lot of transmission. >> reporter: it will take a few weeks before we know if st. patrick's day parties result in more covid cases. and this all comes as covid funding is running out. if congress doesn't pass a new bill, federal programs that fund testing, treatment, and vaccines will start expiring next week. meg oliver, cbs news, new york. breaking overnight, moderna is asking the fda to authorize a fourth shot of its covid vaccine

as a booster for all adults. the company says the request for all adults could give the cdc and medical providers flexibility to determine the appropriate use of a second booster dose. now earlier this week pfizer asked for approval of a fourth dose of its vaccine for people 65 and older. ahead on "cbs mornings," we'll speak with the incoming white house covid-19 response coordinator, dr. ashish jha. there's disturbing new information about that horrific crash in texas that killed nine people including six members of a college golf team and their coach. officials say a 13-year-old boy was driving the pickup truck that swerved into the opposite lane tuesday slamming head on into the teens' van. the boy and a man in the truck were also killed. investigators say the pickup was traveling on a spare tire that blew out before impact. two students in the van were also critically injured. and coming up, a deadly pileup.

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'cause you're all over your overall wellness. so treat the skin you don't see, like the skin you do with strong cleaningripples® that remove more at once, part of cottonelle's refreshingly clean routine that leaves you feeling ahhhh -mazing downtherecare with cottonelle almost everyone on board a united arab emirates cargo ship that sank in the persian gulf has been rescued. video shows the ship tilting in bad weather yesterday off the coast of iran. it was transporting cars. iranian state news says that all but one of the 30 crew members was rescued. a search is under way now for the one person that is still missing. former trump aide mark meadows is under investigation for alleged voter fraud, and there was a deadly pileup in missouri. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." missouri's cbs affiliate kfvs says at least six people were killed and many injured in a massive chain-reaction crash

involving up to 70 vehicles. it happened yesterday in foggy weather on interstate 57 near charleston, missouri, about 150 miles south of st. louis. officials suspect that someone reaction followed. the crash involved multiple tractor-trailers and cars, and some of the vehicles caught on fire. the highway was closed for about 25 miles. the "miami herald" says two people were shot and killed on board a commuter bus near the ft. lauderdale police department. police say a bus driver heard several shots and then drove the bus into the police department parking lot. the bus also crashed into a car. two people on board the bus and three people in the car were hurt. the suspected gunman was arrested a short time later. there is no word on a motive for the shooting, though. and "the washington post" says north carolina authorities are investigating former chief of staff mark meadows over reports that he never lived where he registered to vote. meadows reportedly registered to vote in 2020 using the address of a mobile home he never owned

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ nasa took a major step in returning american astronauts to the moon after more than 50 years. the giant armetis 1 rocket slowly rolled out to the launchpad yesterday. it is 32 stories tall and is the

most powerful rocket ever built. nasa is aiming for a human moon landing as early as 2025. on the cbs "money watch," home buyers are facing higher mortgage rates, and amazon lands a big deal. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. stock futures are pointing to a lower open this morning. yesterday, though, wall street rallied for a third straight day despite oil prices jumping back above $100 a barrel. the dow soared 417 points. the nasdaq rallied 178, and the s&p 500 rose 53. mortgage rates are on the rise hitting their highest level since 2019. according to freddie mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed home loan jumped to 4.16% this week. that's up from 3.85% last week. the increase comes after the federal reserve announced on wednesday it would raise benchmark lending rates by a quarter point. it is a done deal. amazon has bought mgm for $8.5

billion. the deal means amazon will add more than 4,000 films including the bond franchise and the "addams family" movies as well as 17,000 tv shows to its library. amazon has been looking to boost its streaming content to compete against netflix and disney plus. and a recall to warn you about involving airborne gummies. the manufacturer is recalling nearly four million bottles of the supplements after reports of people being injured while opening the bottles for the first time. the company says the pressure build-up in the bottles could cause the cap and seal to pop off with force. more than a dozen minor injuries have been reported, and one person needed medical attention for an eye injury. anne-marie? >> all right, diane king hall. thank you very much. >> thank you. up next, march madness bracket buster. number-two kentucky falls in a first round shocker.

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let fellow russians know the human catastrophe that is happening in ukraine. >> arnold schwarzenegger reached out to the russian people asking them to see what is really happening in ukraine. the actor told them that there are things being kept from them, and they need to know the truth. the former california governor shared personal stories and sent vladimir putin a message saying, quote, you started this war, you are leading this war, you can stop this war. a troubling development for american basketball player brittney griner. russian news media reported that a court has ordered the two-time olympic champion to continue being detained in moscow until at least may 19th. griner was arrested at a moscow airport in february on drug charges for allegedly carrying vape cartridges containing hashish oil. she could face up to tense ten years in prison.

despite her request it does not appear that dolly parton will be taken off the ballot. in addition to her incredible talent, parton's humility is another reason she is such a beloved icon. it went on to say that her music has impacted a generation of fans, and it's proud to have nominated her. parton had declined the honor saying she didn't earn it. they call it march madness for a reason. day one did not disappoint with big shockers including none bigger than the wildcats losing to st. peter's. the overtime thriller marks just the tenth time ever a fifth seed has beaten a two seed. guess that's how you say it. there were also two 12-5 upsets. the iowa hawkeyes fell to the richmond spiders, and not long after that, new mexico state defeated the uconn huskies. day two of the first round is today if you can handle it. coming up on "cbs mornings"

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our top stories this morning -- as the russian bombardment of civilian targets in ukraine continues, secretary of state antony blinken says the u.s. is documenting potential war crimes. at least three people were killed in kharkiv when russian shelling caused a massive fire at a marketplace. more than 20 people were killed when a school and community center were destroyed. and moderna is asking the fda to authorize a fourth shot of its covid vaccine as a booster for all adults. the company says the request would give the cdc and medical providers flexibility to determine the appropriate use of a second booster dose. earlier this week, pfizer asked for approval of a fourth dose

for people 65 and older. it's women's history month. as part of our coverage, we are highlighting women who are breaking barriers in the male-dominated sport of auto racing. danya bacchus introduces us to two women who are blazing new trails in nascar. [ siren ] >> reporter: inside these fire suits carrying air wrenches and tires are nascar first brehanna daniels and dalanda ouendeno. do you understand the impact that you're having on the sport? >> we're still realizing it, yeah. so it's hard to realize that. like from looking at all -- how other people react to us makes me realize more. >> reporter: daniels became the first black woman pit crew member in 2017. now ouendeno joins her. the first foreign-born black woman. they put together a changers for the xfinity series. what was it like when you knew you were going to be pitting together? >> you remember the daytona 500 day? i was really emotional. >> i saw her crying and being emotional. i'm like, what's wrong with you?

>> a little nervous -- >> we've got to perform. >> reporter: both are former college athletes who knew nothing about nascar until they were recruited by gnats car's drive for diversity program. it's designed to provide driver and pit crew training opportunities for women and minorities. >> not a car girl at all. actually a race car driver before i changed my own tire. >> trains and buses really common. you don't need a car. you can't live without a car at all. >> reporter: now they say they're along for the ride, they aren't the only ones. breanna o'leary is also a nascar tire changer. the three are speeding past barriers. >> we have to be on our game and work ten times harder than the next person. it's never easy. >> sometimes when i go home like bruised and hurt, i'm like, maybe -- maybe -- maybe it's for the event. it's also really rewarding at the end of the day. >> reporter: they are proving to anyone who had a doubt that women are capable of doing the job. danya bacchus, cbs news, fontana, california.

coming up only on "cbs mornings," an update on the state of education during the pandemic. we'll speak with the secretary of education miguel cardona. plus, nancy cordes speaks with longtime friends of supreme court nominee judge ketanji brown jackson ahead of her confirmation hearings next week. and actor pablo schreiber joins us to tell us about his paramount plus tv series "halo," based on the classic video game. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great weekend. ♪