i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. >> this is the cbs "overnight news." good evening on this sunday. thanks for joining us. joe biden's strong words for vladamir putin are reverberating around the world. that includes warnings from some allies about reckless rhetoric following russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine. on saturday, the president called putin a dictator who cannot remain in power. today, the united nations estimates at least 1100 civilians have died and more than 10 million have been displaced in a war that's gone on far longer than the kremlin expected. this weekend, ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy accused the west of cowardice for its failure to provide

warplanes and tanks. ukraine's military says that russian troops are regrouping in the north and may aim to split the country. even the smallest gains on the ground come at a shockingly high cost. cbs' debora patta leads off from kyiv. a warning, you might find some of the images in this story disturbing. >> reporter: good evening. more than a month of fighting have left russian forces stalled outside the capital. while russia claims to have turned its focus towards the east, we're seeing a constant barrage of artillery fire and aerial bombings across the country. what russia lacks in apparent military strategy, it makes up for in boastful videos like this one, claiming how oftheir cruise missiles heading 100 miles west of kyiv. but for ukrain a bombardment from the sky, it's

hell on earth. the coastal city of mariupol has been decimated. reduced to twisted skeletons of steel and the hollowed out shells of apartment blocks. hasty burials provide fleeting dignity for the dead. the 100,000 people still trapped there have no electricity, very little food, and spend their nights in icy basements. did you ever think you would see this in your lifetime? >> no, i never imagined it. i saw children without fingers. i saw a child with hole on his face. i saw dead child 6 years old because of war. >> reporter: anastasha is a passionate public face of this children's hospital in kyiv. as its press officer, she made it her mission to document the story of the war's human toll. like that of this 13-year-old, who was brought here after the car he was escaping in with his

parents was shot at by russian forces. were you running away from the war? he used his backpack for protection. it saved his life. but left him critically injured. i see a big scar. wow. you were shot in the face? a bullet hit me here, he tells us. my back has a big wound. two bullets were removed. one is still inside. his father did not make it out alive. but not even hospitals are always safe. like this one in mykolaiv where wards have been moved to the basement for fear of being bombed. so you're worried you could be hit? >> yes, we worry, all of us. every day we don't know if tomorrow will happen. >> reporter: like everyone here, she hasn't been home since the war began over a month ago. she sleeps at the hospital, but rest doesn't always come easily. what is the worst thing that you

have seen? witnessing firsthand the horrors inflicted on the war's most invent victims is a heavy burden to bear. >> and debra joins us now in ukraine. you talk about the 100,000 people still in mariupol. what happens if the russians take control of the city? >> reporter: the russians would get their coveted land bridge between crimea and the eastern donbas, which is controlled by russian separatists, and it would be russia's first big win. >> you look at how hard the ukrainian army, military volunteers are fighting. how hard are they willing to fight to try and keep mariupol? >> reporter: as hard as they can. everyone we have spoken to here on the ground say they'll fight to the death. jericka? >> debora patta reporting from kyiv tonight. thank you so much. turning now to washington,

where nine unscripted words spoken by president biden have caused a global diplomatic uproar. cbs' skyler henry is at the white house where the biden administration has been making some very swift clarifications. skyler? >> reporter: that's right. good evening to you. world leaders were caught off guard by the president's closing remarks. while his speech earned mixed reviews even from some allies, some are concerned mr. biden's rhetoric could potentially add more fuel to the fire. joe biden is back in washington, after a three-day european trip to rally support from the west for ukraine. but the talk today is of the off-script comments he had at the end of his address in poland, seemingly calling for russian president vladamir putin to be removed from office. >> for god's sake, this man cannot remain in power. >> reporter: the white house immediately clarified that message insisting the president wasn't talking about regime change. instead, saying putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region. >> we do not have a strategy of

regime strange in russia or anywhere else for that matter. >> reporter: critics at home, including idaho republican senator jim risch, called the remarks a horrific gaffe. >> i wish they would stay on script. this administration has done everything they can to stop escalate than to call for regime change. >> reporter: and abroad, allies are dischancing themselves from the conflict, including french president emmanuel macron, who still communicates with putin, who warned against a verbal escalation with moscow. calling the strategy counterproductive. russian officials charged back that it is not up to president biden to decide who will remain in power in russia. secretary blinken also said today the u.s. is set on maintaining strong support for ukraine in the face of war as western leaders continue to try to focus on putting more economic pressure on russia. jericka? >> skyler henry for us at the white house. thank you.

dave grohl and members of the foo fighters returned to los angeles this weekend following the death of drummer taylor hawkins. he was found dead in his hotel room in colombia late friday where the band was set to perform. officials say forensic tests reveal that taylor had ten different substances in his body, including anti-depressants and opioids. before arriving in colombia, hawkins made one little girl's dream come true in paraguay. 9-year-old emma sophia played drums outside his hotel. he eventually came outside to meet her. there's a lot more news ahead on the cbs "overnight news."

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this is the cbs "overnight news." i'm jericka duncan in new york. thanks for staying with us. president biden is back home after his four-day trip to europe. he engaged in high-level talks with allies about the russian invasion of ukraine. he also paid a visit to u.s. troops, aid workers and ukrainian refugees in poland. the white house is now backing away from the president's comments that russian president vladamir putin "cannot remain in power." administration officials insist regime change in moscow is not the u.s. policy. out in the war zone, ukrainian forces have retaken some towns outside the capital kyiv. the ukrainian army and civilian

militia aren't fighting alone. in fact, thousands of americans acting on their own, have joined the battle. debora patta spoke to some of them. >> reporter: ukraine may be outgunned, but it's put up a fierce defense against russia's military might. and there's nothing like an underdog to galvanize support. just over a month ago, ukrainian artim was a singer in a heavy metal band. >> as a person, i like more to create than destroy. >> reporter: now this poet turned warrior sleeps in an underground bar turned bunk we are the rest of his ukrainian unit. unhesitatingly, he stepped forward to defend his homeland. he's fighting with his heart. he's not alone. ukrainians of every age have joined up. and over 20,000 foreign fighters have signed up to fight alongside them.

among them, at least 3,000 americans. like this cincinnati native and former u.s. serviceman alex, as russian tanks rolled into ukraine, he was on the first plane over there. >> this one is going to be in the history books. i feel like i need to be part of it. >> reporter: and part of it he is. he serves in a special unit with no promise of financial award. >> right now we're all volunteers, which is fine by me. they feed me and give me ammunition. >> reporter: but he can see they are in desperate need of sniper rifles and night vision gear. they've been in some of the bloodiest battles of this war, including irpin, where ukrainians managed to stop the russian advance on the capital for now, as civilians fled for their lives. and what is your biggest fear? >> i'm not really afraid of dying, but i guess i'm afraid of losing. >> reporter: but this is no romantic adventure, it's war. which this other american

volunteer found out the hard way. >> hey, dude, how are you? >> reporter: with the constant threat of death, her parents are concerned but supportive. >> he's done something that he believes in. and he is helping the ukrainian people. i'm proud of him for that. >> reporter: artim and his unit till the same way. >> we welcome all the help we can get. >> reporter: to fight their common enemy to the end. what is your message to other russian soldiers and to vladamir putin? >> i just wish them death. i despise them for what they are doing. >> reporter: and his unit has alrea already played a vital role of pushing back russian troops 20 miles of where we are. >> that was debora patta reporting from kyiv. ukrainian president zelenskyy signed a law restricting reporting on the movement of troops and military

equipment in his country. violators can be sentenced to up to eight years in prison. in russia, journalists can get 15 years in prison for simply using the words war or invasion in their coverage. still, some news of the battle in ukraine is making it to the public in russia. >> reporter: in the fight against disinformation, this is the frontline. in prague, writers, producers, and social media hosts for radio free europe radio liberty are battling kremlin propaganda. >> our role is to provide surrogate journalism in country where is freedom of the press is under assault. >> reporter: they operate in 27 languages and 23 countries. including russia. [ speaking foreign language ] >> these are countries where the message is decided every day in a government office about what

people should see and hear, what they should be told. >> what is it like covering this conflict as a russian? >> there is no easy way to talk about it. >> reporter: this woman is an anchor for rfe's russian language network. >> i don't want to push anyone, and i think that people should come to a conclusion themself. they need to have the options, and that is the biggest problem with media in russia. there are no other options. >> reporter: those "other options" disappeared earlier this month, when russian president vladamir putin imposed a restrictive new media law, forcing almost all independent outlets to shut down. >> we were warned unless we started to sensor our content about the war in ukraine we would be blocked. we refused to sensor, so our websites are blocked inside russia. >> reporter: and that's where patrick comes in.

>> in part, it's a cat and mouse game, where you try to anticipate what they're going to do and you react. >> reporter: he's the head of digital strategies, helping to keep rfe and consumers one step ahead of the sensors. >> is it a race against time to stay ahead of whatever measure they're implementing. >> they will block our site, then might block a copy, then we just create another copy and another copy. >> like whack-a-mole. >> reporter: since the war began, their page views from inside russia are up 51%. getting past russian sensors is familiar territory to rfe. it started in the 1950s. as a cold war koucounter propaga machine. piercing the iron curtain with short-wave radio broadcasts. >> radio free europe needs and

deserves our generous help. >> reporter: it claimed to be entirely funded by public donations. but that wasn't true. as cbs' mike wallace reported in 1967. >> radio free europe needs your support. >> if you responded to the many appeals for radio free europe, you became part of a cia cover. >> reporter: cia involvement ended in 1971. and rfe became an independent agency, openly funded by congress. still, since the fall of the soviet union, the organization has seen its relevance questioned and funding slashed. even as moscow has retooled its messaging machine for the digital age. >> it is harder to reach audiences now. the propaganda today is much more sophisticated. we have to compete more and have to be more relevant and nimble than we did during the cold war to adapt to new audience trends. >> reporter: far from a cold war relic, radio free europe, radio liberty, says its mission is now

more relevant than ever. earlier this month, congress increased the agency's budget 15%. >> information, honest, truthful, objective reporting will play a huge role eventually in helping bring about change inside russia. >> do you think ultimately truth will win out? >> everyone in this building subscribes to that notion, otherwise they wouldn't be working for radio lib. >> this is christina ruffini. i have a secret. i'm done settling. because this is my secret. no really! i put it on once... no more touch-ups! because this stick actually works! secret had ph balancing minerals; and it helps eliminate odor, instead of just masking it. so no more t-rex waves

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or go to loveshriners.org, and you'll be a part of something special too. thank you so much! with one of the most popular tourist attractions in the great basic desert, includes a ride on a historic train and a stop after dark in a place where the skies come alive. lee cowan went along for a ride on the star train. >> reporter: these tracks have been here for over 100 years. and to this day, they're about the only man made things you'll see way out here. >> if you leave, there's a sign that says next gas, 164 miles. and they mean 164 miles.

>> reporter: mark bassett looks the part of a railroad manager and it's not for sure. he's the president of a historic nevada northern railway. a town built by this railroad that is still chugging along. >> it's a long way from just about anywhere to come. and you know, that is our strength and our weakness. if we were near las vegas right now, it would have all been bulldozed down. but because of our remoteness, it was preserved. >> reporter: these trains have been running since copper was running here. there's no ore to haul any more, but the railroad offers passengers something as black as coal. >> all aboard! >> reporter: a night ride under the stars. just before sunset, it saids out for a three-hour ride toward great basin national park, certified as one of the darkest regions in the lower 48 states.

no lights are allowed. way up ahead is park ranger charlie reed, racing the sun to set up telescopes before the train arrives. >> you just let the sky do the talking for you. you don't have to do much for it, because once you see it, you see it. >> reporter: and what the star train passengers are about to see still impresses even him. >> does it ever get overwhelming out here? >> the first time i came here, the first night i was outside my house, i looked up, i was like uh-oh. i can't find my marker stars or any of the stars i used to navigate. because there were so many. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: 100 or so years ago, a night sky like this was oddly ordinary. but now, more than a third of the planet's population can't see the milky way with the naked eye, all because our world is increasingly polluted with light. >> the more darkness we lose,

we're going to lose the universe and all the secrets that the universe holds. >> reporter: and the train creeps to a stop, passengers are greeted by the eerie glow of red lanterns. and then it happens. >> whoa! whoa! >> reporter: the view of our universe. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: the way most have never seen it. >> oh, wow. really? oh, my goodness! this is incredible. i've never seen the milky way in my life. >> reporter: suzanne and her nephew, james, were spell bound. >> i couldn't believe my eyes. i've only seen things like that in pictures. >> reporter: sue mittendorff came from st. louis for this view. >> it's beautiful, it really is. it makes you feel so small. >> reporter: it looked like fireflies gathered around a campfire. but soon, it's time to board the star train and head back.

an excursion into the dark that, for a while any way, sheds a little light on our place in the

> spring has only recently sprung, so it can seem a little early to think about christmas presents. but if you want to get a jump-start, elise preston has some ideas. >> you can take to the sky, splash down in water. and drive around indoors. >> reporter: from the high flying drone, to a 40th anniversary care bear, a wide variety of new toys will be hitting store shefls this year. that includes this panda. >> omg! >> reporter: it's from the new movie "turning red." in it, a teenager deals with new emotions that are expressed in the toy. >> i'm a ticking time bomb. >> toys that help children recognize their feelings, and

then know how to deal with them. >> reporter: lori says the new go pop toy can help kids get their fidget fix or can be played as a game with a friend. >> are we tired? oh, no. >> now i won. [ laughter ] >> reporter: this guinea pig makes 30 different sounds. when when it grows, momma's surprise will be available in august. other new toys hit the market this fall. last year, supply chain issues made it difficult for parents to get certain holiday toys. that could be the case again this year. >> you want to shop early, because we don't know what the holiday season is going to look like yet. >> reporter: buying sooner rather than later is the best advice for guaranteeing those must have toys are all wrapped up. elise preston, cbs news, new york. >> that is the "overnight news" for this monday.

reporting from the cbs broadcast center in new york city, i'm jericka duncan. this is cbs news flash. i'm elise preston in new york. in-person peace talks between ukraine and russia are expected to resume in turkey. the talks come more than a month since russia invaded ukraine. turkey's president is calling for russian troops to cease-fire in ukraine. the fda is set to approve a second covid booster shot for adults over 50. booster shots wie available for those who received their first booster at least four months prior. "coda" took home the academy award for best picture, but will smith slapping chris rock on stain following a joke about his wife jada overshadowed "coda's" best picture win. during an acceptance speech, smith apologized to the academy. for more news, download the

cbs news app on your cell phone or connect to tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. it's monday, march 28th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." [ applause ] oh, wow. wow. >> oscars controversy. actor will smith slaps chris rock on stage. what led up to the shocking moment. for god's sakes, this man cannot remain in power. >> president biden goes off script. how the white house is trying to walk back his comments about russian president vladimir putin. two booster shots. the fda's plan to offer another jab for tens of millions of americans. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie gre