captioning sponsored by cbs >> diaz: tonight, surprise visit. in kyiv, britain's prime minister offers ukraine a diplomatic show of support, this as atrocities mount across the besieged country. cbs news is there. >> reporter: i'm holly williams in kryvyi rih, ukraine. after military failures during this invasion, a new russian general has reportedly been put in charge. >> diaz: also tonight, the u.s. deploys new weapons as nato allies step up efforts to help ukraine fight back. plus, tight race. why france's presidential election could be a victory for russia's vladimir putin. >> reporter: i'm elaine cobbe in paris, where president emmanuel macron is in the fight of his political life. >> diaz: covid comeback:

infections rise again. we'll ask dr. david agus about the latest virus threat. tiger woods brings his magic to the masters. >> reporter: i'm jim axelrod at augusta national, where the tiger crowds are back and the hunt for the green jacket continues. >> diaz: and later, signs of solidarity. how these billboards are boston ukraine.tying support for >> this is the "cbs weekend news" from chicago with adriana diaz. >> o'donnell: good evening. a diplomatic show of force in ukraine today. european leaders announced they were reopening their embassies in the capital, and in a surprise visit to kyiv, britain prime minister boris johnson walked along the city streets with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. johnson also pledged more military aid to ukraine. in moscow, the kremlin has reportedly put a single commander in charge of an invasion plagued by casualties and poor logistics. fearing a new offensive,

ukrainians today were still trying to flee the eastern part of the country in the wake of another brutal assault. cbs' holly williams has the latest from kryvyi rih. >> reporter: good evening, adriana. russian forces have withdrawn from around ukraine's capital, kyiv, but the fighting is ongoing here in southern ukraine, as well as in the east. and russia continues to reign terror on this country from the air. this train station in kramatorsk was packed with thousands of people evacuating their homes in eastern ukraine on friday when authorities here say it was hit by a russian missile strike, killing at least 50, including children. russia claims it wasn't involved. a senior american defense defense official sails the u.s. isn't buying it. >> it is strategy how russian army, how russian troops do the war. they just kill civilians.

>> reporter: we drove north this week, near ukraine's border with belarus, where some russian forces are now thought to be regrouping. on highways, the russians destroyed bridges when they left, so we took back roads, getting bogged down in the mud and making it out with a helping manned from the ukrainian military. the russian soldiers left the village of termakhivka just over a week ago. the streets are still littered with the wreck annual of war. tetyana and oksana told us the russian troops looted in kramatorsk, everything from silverware to children's clothes, bicycles, and washing machines. this security camera footage from belarus appears to show russian soldiers sending their stolen goods home. the behavior of russian troops in ukraine has been shocking to many, not just brutal, but apparently undisciplined. termakhivka is around 30 miles from the chernobyl nuclear plant, where russian forces have

also pulled out, leaving more senseless destruction. ukrainian staff members say when they lost electricity, they resorted to stealing russian fuel to keep the generator running. "if we'd lost power, it would have been catastrophic," said safety supervisor oleksandr lobada. "i was scared it would be a tragedy for humanity." and in the red forest, one of the most contaminated parts of the exclusion zone, ukraine says the russian troops dug and occupied these trenches, exposing themselves to significant doses of radiation. >> diaz: great reporting as always, holly. vladimir putin's original battle plan appears to have failed and his forces are thought to be regrouping. what do we know about what's likely to happen next? >> reporter: well, adriana, russia has indicated that its focus is moving to eastern ukraine, and ukrainian officials have urged civilians living in the luhansk region to flee

immediately. meanwhile, following russian military failures during this invasion, there are reports that a new russian general, alexander dvoornikov, has been put in charge. now, he apparently gained experience in syria, where russia's been accused of committing war crimes by the united nations. >> diaz: holly williams and our cbs crew, thank you. on this sunday's "60 minutes," correspondent scott pelley speaks with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. he also visited bucha, where russian forces are accused of committing war crimes. you can see scott's report on "60 minutes" this sunday. today, president biden left washington, d.c., for his home in nearby wilmington, delaware. the president departed from the pentagon. marine one stayed away from the white house grounds where the gardens reopened to the public today for the first time in two years. the president's departure comes as the administration is rushing more defensive military aid to ukraine and sending a patriot

missile battery to slovakia. cbs' christina ruffini is at the white house. christina, why doesn't the u.s. just give those patriot missiles directly to ukraine? >> reporter: good evening, adriana. well, the biden administration is trying to walk this really thin line between providing support for ukraine and not engaging russia directly. this week, the pentagon announced it's going to be sending a new shipment, about $100 million worth of javelin antitank missiles to ukraine. but so far, it has declined to send heavier equipments like jets or these missile defense systems, fearing it could be seen as an escalation by russia and not wanting to exacerbate the situation. so instead, nato ally slovakia is going to give an old soviet s-300 battery. they've already given it to ukraine. the u.s. will back that with patriots on the way, so slovakia gets an upgrade, ukraine gets a missile defense, and the u.s. gets a bit of diplomatic distance. >> diaz: tomorrow, voters in france will begin choosing their president. the race is tight, with

president emmanuel macron facing a serious challenge from a far-right candidate with an anti-nato and pro-putin past. cbs' elaine cobbe is in paris. >> reporter: five years ago, he rode in on a wave of change and a rejection of extremism. but now, the woman he roundly defeated in 2017, far-right leader, marine le pen, is practically tied with incumbent president emmanuel macron in the opinion polls. and the prospect of an extremist president of france is very real. that was unthinkable a few weeks ago. while macron was engaged in shuttle diplomacy on the war in ukraine, le pen was pushing her new, toned-down image. gone is her extremist rhetoric about immigration and nationalist. but martin quencez of the transatlantic think tank, the german marshal fund, says le pen's ideology remains the same. >> she still advocates for an alliance with russia, strategic

partnerships with hungary, with serbia. she said very recently that vladimir putin should be an ally of france, even in the context of the war. >> reporter: loyalty to putin is a hallmark of europe's far-right movements, something else they now have in common is that, like le pen's national rally party, they've gone main stream, including last sunday's vote in hungary. while his role on ukraine increased trust in macron, emmanuel riviere, director of international polling at kentar public, says that hasn't spilled over into his campaign. >> there was a disconnection between his polarity as a president, incumbent president, and the desire for him as a candidate. >> reporter: there are two rounds to this election. unless one of the 12 candidates takes more than 50% of the vote, which is not expected tomorrow. it still looks like a macron-le pen runoff on april 24. a third of those who say they will vote say they'll only make up their mind at the last minute. the fear is many will simply

stay home. that could be good news for macron, whose base is more likely to turn out than le pen's, but with just three points between them, they both need all the votes they can get. elaine cobbe, cbs news, paris. >> diaz: in this country, covid is on the rise again. nearly half of states are reporting increasing infections, largely driven by the omicron subvariant ba.2. more than 80 million americans have been infected since the pandemic's start. the u.s. death toll, almost one million lives lost. for more, we're joined by cbs news medical contributor dr. david agus in los angeles. dr. agus, some are referring to this case rise as america's first "so what" covid wave. how much of a threat is this variant? and is the country prepared? >> reporter: it's a threat, but the good is we're learning to live with it rather than hide from it. with the combination of vaccines and immunity from prior

exposure, very few people are being hospitalized. so there are people still at risk, and those people, if any symptoms are exposed, need to be test because we do have paxlovid, which is a treatment that can prevent hospitalization. but i think we're doing well so far in terms of living with this virus. >> diaz: should people consider getting another booster shot to protect themselves, specifically against this new subvariant? >> reporter: well, the second booster shot for people 50 years and older is out. and it does significantly raise immunity with no down side. and so i do think if anybody is four to five months out of their last booster shot, it's certainly something to consider. dramatically will increase that immunity, which will prevent you from getting seriously ill, but also in many cases prevent infection at all. >> diaz: dr. david agus, thank you. we learned today of the death of sperl quarterback dwayne haskins. authorities in florida said of say the 24-year-old was hit and

killed by a dump truck while trying to cross a highway near ft. lauderdale. steelers coach mike tomlin says he's, "devastated and at a loss for words." haskins was a star player at ohio state and a first-round draft pick in 2019. today at the masters, a tough day for tiger woods following his improbable comeback. tiger finished six over on the day, now seven over for the tournament. cbs' jim axelrod is at augusta national taking it all in. jim, a tough assignment for a golf lover. >> reporter: it has been a tough day for tiger woods, adriana. but despite that, it's been a magical week for him here at augusta national. you know, if you pitch this story to a hollywood producer, tiger nearly loses his leg in a car crash, and then just 14 months later, comes back and makes the cut at the masters, the producer would tell you to come back with something ray little more believable. ( applause ) tiger woods returned to augusta... >> this man is truly amazing to

overcome such adversity. >> reporter: has overshadowed everything else this week here. >> would say it's so tiger woods, right. going from zero to a hero again. i don't know how many times he's done it. >> reporter: golf.com's michael bamberger covered tiger for more than three decades. >> the excitement is rooted in the basic laws of supply and demand. there has been no supply of tiger woods for 16 months now. the demand for tiger woods is not just tiger woods, the golfer. it's tiger woods, the icon of sport. >> reporter: 25 years after his historic win here... >> there it is! a win for the ages. >> reporter: ...cbs sports anchor, jim nantz, who made the call, still remembers. >> and i just had all of these vibes, and i think a lot of people can as well, that it was going to be his time. >> reporter: while tiger's story may not have a hollywood ending this year, as he started the day nine strokes off the lead, just being at augusta has added another chapter to woods'

incomparable story. ( applause ) now to the final round. golfers, of course, will be competing not just for the coveted green jacket but for the first-place winner's check of $2.7 million. adriana. >> diaz: all right, jim axelrod, thank you. straight ahead on the "cbs weekend news," the cost of diesel fuel drives change for school districts. and the man accused of kidnapping lady gaga's dogs is released by mistake.

>> diaz: drivers are feeling a little less pain at the pump as fuel prices finally retreat. today, a gallon of regular averages $4.12 nationwide. hard to believe that's the lowest price in more than a

month. but buyers of diesel fuel are really feeling the pinch, and that includes the nation's school districts. cbs' scott macfarlane reports. >> reporter: this semester, it's the schools learning the tough lesson in economics. diesel, at approximately $5 a gallon, is potentially combust iblg to the school budget. in montgomery county, maryland, the buses burn through an estimated 18,000 gallons a day. >> we go really around four and a half times around the world. it's about 112,000 miles a day on our buses. >> reporter: this public school system, like many other others in america, has signed a long-term fuel contract. but as some of those contracts expire in the coming months, a school bus-sized financial problem awaits many schools. you might want to tightenun the mileage some of these buses run? >> absolutely. we look at our routes continuously throughout the year to tighten up routing. >> reporter: there are approximately 480,000 school buses in america, according to

the national school transportation association, which calls rising diesel prices a definite and growing concern. a cbs news review finds education officials nationwide going on a diesel diet. in michigan, school districts are drawing new routes to put more kids on fewer buses. in new york, drivers are being told to avoid extended idling and rapid decelerations and stops. and in georgia, the state superintendent is seeking approval to use federal covid relief funds to offset high diesel costs. in newport news, virginia, they've raised the maximum allowable bus ride from 60 minutes to 90. how stressful is it when you see diesel get close to $5 gailon, operating all these diesel vehicles? >> it's stressful because you have to go back and look at your budget, okay, are we going to make it. >> reporter: and they've replaced one-fifth of thif fleet with propane-fueled buses which cost only half as much to fuel and first to deploy, a sign schools nationwide are facing a

different type of test. scott macfarlane, cbs news. >> diaz: that's a test nobody wants to take. still ahead on the "cbs weekend news," bizarre twist. a suspect in a famous dognapping is released.

>> diaz: tonight, a manhunt is on to recapture the person accused of shooting lady gaga's dog walker in that botched pet kidnapping last year. the suspect didn't escape. he was mistakenly released. we get more now from cbs' danya bacchus. >> no! no! >> reporter: screams of agony heard on surveillance video obtained by t.m.z. during last year's terrifying violent robbery in hollywood, when three men drove up and opened fire on lady gaga's dog walker, taking two of her three french bulldogs and leaving ryan fischer with a bullet in his chest. >> i was scared. i was in pain. the people in the e.r., who i had seen that night, told me

that they didn't think i was going to survive. >> reporter: police arrested five suspects in the attack, but now, 19-year-old james howard jackson, the accused triggerman, is once again at large, accidentally released from jail wednesday due to a "clerical error," a mix-up with a new indictment that was supposed to replace the initial charges. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: as for the victim, ryan fischer posted, "while i'm deeply concerned at the events that led to his release, i'm confident law enforcement will rectify the error." while the beloved bull dogs were recovered unharmed days after the attack, for their dog walker, it is still a long road to recovery. >> some days are great. some weeks are not. >> reporter: fischer, who was attattacked on this street, is o asking for jackson to turn himself in. but the manhunt is in its fourth day, and still no sign of the accused murderer. danya bacchus, cbs news, los angeles. >> diaz: next on the "cbs weekend news," a new manager takes the field making baseball history.

>> diaz: today, three wealthy businessmen from the u.s., canada, and israel docked at the international space station. it is the first private charter flight to the orbiting lab. the price tag for the passengers, a cool $55 million each. now to a barrier-breaking move in baseball. 34-year-old rachel balkovec became the first woman to manage a major league-affiliated team in lakeland, florida last night. her tampa tarpons, affiliated with the yankees, beat the home team 9-6. when we return, sending support with sun flowers to the people of ukraine.

>> diaz: we end tonight with billboards. they exist to catch your passing eye with an advertisement or message, but some new signs are attracting attention for a different reason. it's a simple sunflower, set against a blue sky, no words, nothing else. more than 400 of them have sprung up in seven states, from south carolina to illinois. tony cioffi of adams outdoor advertising came up with the idea. >> we get phone calls, "what is it about?" >> diaz: this is what it's about... cioffi was inspired by this moment in the first days of a new war, a defiant ukrainian woman confronting a russian soldier. she gives him sunflower seeds saying when he dies, sunflowers will grow in his place. it's ukraine's national flower, a sign of peace, long displayed on stages, and now in the streets. a field of them served as a

battleground in ukraine's 2014 struggle with russia. and now, they grow here, on billboards across america. why did you decide not to put any kind of wording on it? >> the beauty of a picture is that it's made for the interpretation of what you see. most people that love sunflowers know a lot of attachment is to ukraine. and if it makes other people find out about that, it's a beautiful journey. this isn't-- far from an advertising message, it's just a thought bomb. >> diaz: a silent symbol of resistance and solidarity. just one man helping how he can. that is the "cbs weekend news" for this saturday. first thing tomorrow, "sunday morning with jane pauley," followed by "face the nation," moderated by margaret brennan. i'm adriana diaz in chicago. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captined by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

smoke is poring over the bridge and flames are tearing through solano county. it is a windy day in the bay area and soon it will be wet. it's only april, but fire season feels like it's coming early. we are from voters who rescued two teen girls washed up to see. we begin tonight on the fire

watch. have new video ripping through the peer sending plumes of smoke up and over the bridge. the fire broke out the flames engulfed a dock. the fire crews say the underside of the peer is all timber they are having a hard time getting close to the flames. new video shows flames burning close to those ships.