we have links to the bay area food banks on our website, just click on food for bay area families. and that does it for us at 5:00. but tough break for st. mary's. but now tonight, political firestorm. republicans rush to defend former president trump as his possible indictment looms. >> feels like a politically charged prosecution here. >> mr. trump appears in public after claiming the arrest is imminent and calling on supporters to protest. >> we'll have the latest in the hush money investigation. also tonight, surprise visit. a defiant vladimir putin drives himself through a ukrainian city on the front lines of a war that he started. on my orders -- military importance. >> plus, the iraq war 20 years

later. >> in baghdad, 20 years after the u.s. led invasion we take a look back at the major events while the iraqi people look forward. new banking bail yut. this time it is the swiss in trouble. in california, getting ready for another soaking. for this homeowner it is a cloif hanger. that jingle -- ♪ those commercials and that so-called dog named spot. ♪ this is the "cbs weekend news" from new york with jericka duncan. good evening and thank you for joining us. u.s. presidential history could be made this week. that's if former president trump is indicted by a manhattan grand jury following an investigation into hush money paid for an

alleged sexual encounter. in posts this weekend mr. trump referred to the allegations as old and fully debunked. calling on them to protest, protest, protest why cbs' skylar henry in washington with the latest. good evening. >> reporter: good to see you. his team says that that's based off media reports and not from the manhattan district attorney's office. donald trump was greeted with cheers at the ncaa wrestling championships in tulsa, oklahoma, last night. calling his supporters to protest. a manhattan grand jury is investigating alleged hush money payments. trump denies any wrongdoing and sunday republicans rushed to his

defense. >> i'm taken aback at the idea of indicting a former president of the united states. >> reporter: but not everyone is in lockstep. >> he only profits and does well in chaos and turmoil. >> reporter: manhattan district attorney alvin bragg said we do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office. >> i worry that it will have a ripple effect legally and politically on the other pending investigations. >> reporter: trump also faces criminal investigations in georgia and washington. and the justice department has been presenting evidence before a grand jury investigating hundreds of classified documents found at trump's florida estate. >> michael cohen who's considered a key witness said he will return to manhattan on

monday. what is the latest on where this case stands? >> reporter: cohen says that he was asked to appear as a rebuttal witness if the grand jury hears from his former attorney costello. cohen served three years in prison for his role in this case and in vocal opposition of the former president since. jericka? >> thank you. now to the latest bank crisis. today swiss banking giant ubs agreed to a deal to credit suisse. president vladimir putin made surprise visits to two russian occupied parts of ukraine this weekend, including the city of mare mariupol.

>> reporter: a victory lap of driving himseou russia's media bombed, seized then annexed the port city in may. he toured newly built facilities in what is believed to be the closest visit to the front lines of the war he started. put season a criminal returning to the scene of the crime. the russian leader arrived from crimea saturday was the ninth anniversary of the illegal annexation of the peninsula from ukraine. on the same day in the east sudden death for this woman in a park. a reason for living now lost. my son's in the cemetery says this woman. no one needs me anymore. and putin's charm offensive is

not over. tomorrow he meets with chinese president in moscow. this will be a visual coup the kremlin is sure to exploit showing the support. >> thank you. 20 years ago tonight president george w. bush informed americans that the invasion of iraq had begun. >> on my orders forces have gun to strike targets of military importance to undermine saddam hussein. >> today polls show that most americans do not believe the u.s. made the right decision to invade. >> reporter: shock and awe. the u.s. military's term and intent. for the aerialme that began the war but the takedown

of saddam hussein's regime invoked a conflict. tragedy that cost the lives of huski hundreds of thoughs of iraqis. this is baghdad today. gone are the cement blast walls. amid the capital, something else has returned. a sense of optimism. but threats to iraq's security remain. not least from the powerful neighbor iran which continues to increase its influence with political parties and powerful paramilitary groups tied to tehran. all across baghdad you will find bill boards and banners like this honoring the memory of the top iranian general accused of killing hundreds of american soldiers in the war and considered such a threat he was

killed here in the city in 2020. we put the question to the u.s. ambassador. iran proven in the past to make it a very difficult place to operate in. >> the iranians have made it a difficult place to operate and contributed to some of the insecurity but i do think that this is a somvereign decision they need to sort out. >> reporter: iraq is recovering from decades of war and sanctions and widespread corruption continues to plague the country. but the ambassador believes iraqi leadership turned a corner. >> i think you have a government committed to improving the liveses and services for iraqi people. >> reporter: iraqis tell us what they want most is for the fragile peace to remain and hope that prosperity wille.

of this wa fm baghd.yo giping what is it like to be back there in baghdad now? >> reporter: baghdad is a world away from what it was even a few years ago. on that note, we pay tribute to the cbs colleagues and my friends cameraman paul douglas and sound man james bro lynn killed in 2006 when a car bomb exploded very close to here. returning here this week is a reminder of that. jericka? >> thank you. today in ecuador officials are searching for survivors after a 6.8 magnitude quake caused widespread damage in the country and peru. tomorrow marks the end of

w at least two systems are forecast this week bringing flooding, rain and mountain snow. we have more on what to expect this week. good evening. >> reporter: good evening. the rain is already falling again here and storm weary california is bracing for what will be another powerful punch. twin storms are set to batter california this week, the latest in rounds of rain, snow and high winds. tens of thousands are struggling to dry out and dig out. >> my snow tunnel to the house after some clearing work has been done. >> reporter: in southern california there's new fears of more landslides. a block gave way taking a chunk out of several properties. this poolou go c are repairing

roads after numerous washouts and mudslides. new flooding concerns after a levee failed swamping farmland. many still can't go home. >> i can't be paying rent here and then a hotel $200 something a day. imagine a week. >> reporter: yosemite is set to reopen tomorrow. california's reservoirs are filling up. the dramatic turn around has ended years of draught for nearly half the state. and california is set to break its 40-year-old snow pack record which is a critical indicator of future water supplies. >> thank you. straight ahead, nasa debuts the new space suits destined for moon. the latest on busters. and later, why it is the end of the road for an iconic car

dealership.

it's been more than 50 years since the last americans walked on the moon. the iconic space suits were bulky and limiting moeblgt. now there's an upgrade. cbs' mark straussman has more. >> it is the most beautiful sight. >> reporter: in space to dress for success is a matter of survive. how hard is this? >> very. it is very, very challenging. >> the inner layer. >> reporter: russ works for axiom space. to the lunar south pole. this is it? >> yes. it is praet close. we'll tweak a couple things but in larng part that's praet much the suit. >> reporter: the collar.

the outer layer will be w l kr. what aut suit mak neil and busizz and the apollo guys jealous? >> probably everything. >> reporter: the apollo suits were bulky and inflexible. getting back up looked like slapstick. >> it was hard work. >> reporter: charlie duke was the tenth man to walk on the moon. picking up a hammer was a struggle. >> working against that suit was demanding. squeezing the gloves and moves the arms and trying to bend over was exhausting. >> the suit is much easier to

walk in. but to do it in a little bit easier way. >> reporter: axiom engineer russell kelly slipped into the suit. to show us how flexible it can be. it's a top to bottom redesign. greater viz jblt the boots were made for moon walking. and until now no space station suit was ever designed to fit a woman. >> i think it looks really cool. >> reporter: peggy woodson is director of human. >> heading back. >> reporter: she spent more time in space than any american and completed ten space walks wafering suits now more than four decades olding. >> i couldn't get the hands together. >> reporter: this 21st century space suit is made with 21st century technology.

laser cutters precisely slice different fabrics. they save time and money. but some parts are still assembled the old-fashioned way. making a suit for a snautd is no ordinary trip to a tailor. >> i go to church with astronauts. their kids. their life will depend on that. >> reporter: the moon seems closer than ever and this new suit is a big step. mark strauz straussman, cbs news still ahead, march madness. the latest on the upsets and of course the underdogs.

it's been a wild weekend at the ncaa weekend. but that's why they call it march madness. here's cbs's a friday martinez.

>> the men's sweet 16 round will be set tonight after a weekend of stunning up sits. 16 seed doing the unthinkable. the new jersey school knocking out number 1 seed purdue. another bracket buster, number 15 priston tigers roared the way to the sweet 16 mauling number 7 missouri. >> that's why you come to march madness. >> reporter: in the women's tournament ole miss had the first tournament win since 2007. the renls take on number 1 seed stanford tonight. that's the beauty of march madness. it's anyone's game. >> oh, no-look! that was special. >> reporter: tonight trying to advance tacking on florida-atlanta university. a dream season for fdu. a team that wasn't supposed to

make it to the tournament. >> always exciting. ahead, mikayla schiff ren's stunning season ended today with a new record. that's next.

today skiing sensation mikaela shiffrin closed out the season with another win. it was her 88th victory. that's the all-time record for career wins, man or woman. it is mother's day in britain, that is. the royal family shared new photos today to mark it. one shows kate middleton and her children perched in a tree. man, they got big.

king charles also remembered his late mother releasing a photo of him as a baby on queen elizabeth's lap. why it's the end of the road for an iconic piece of automotive history.

finally tonight, it is the ent of an era in auto sales. after 40 years the last dealership is gone. cbs' joy benedict looks back at the man and his unforgettable commercials. ♪ >> reporter: growing up in car crazy california, you couldn't escape the wacky commercials of cal worthington. ♪ the oklahoma native bombarded tv for more than half a century. >> oh! >> reporter: ung animals jingle

cars. >> running along with a tiger doesn't hurt. >> reporter: those commercials often ran 100 times a day and helped the pitchman build an empire of 29 dealerships from teixeira to alaska. how do you think he would feel about his last dealership being changed? >> you know, he wouldn't like it. he would have been a car dealer forever. >> reporter: he grew up poor in an oklahoma town that no longer exists but went on to fly planes in world war ii and even teach astronauts but his commercials made him a pop culture icon. licked by a bear. kissed by a camel.

and the animals were all named spot. >> people want to know where is spot. is he here at the dealership. >> reporter: wasn't actually his dog spot? >> no. never a dog. >> the tiger would come with them. sit on the couch and kind of cool off between takes. >> reporter: worthington kept making those commercials well into his 90s. his legacy lives on. >> grandpa would say we love you. i'll say thank you. and thank you for coming to see cal. >> reporter: what he left behind is hard to forget. joy benedict, cbs news, long beach, california. >> what a life. did you see the prices of the cars back then? that's the cbs weekend news for this sunday. thank you so much for tuning in. have a

now at 6:00, a soggy sunday with more rain on the way. darren peck has the details on when it will roll in and how strong it could get. and the massive snowfall helping fight california's drought. but now researchers are finding microplastics and remote areas of the sierra. >> we don't know what the biological consequences of that are at the moment. what we do know is that these microplastics are there. that exposure is occurring. and really it shouldn't be occurring. >> we've all seen it. scooter riders behaving badly in san francisco. the future of scooter companies as the city works towards one common goal. good evening, i'm andrea nakano. this near record snow ason

s boosd sierra business and dented the drought.not the changes we're seeiin our mountains. scientists have found tiny particles called microplastics in newly fallen snow in the sierra. as john ramos reports, scientists say this is part of a growing global problem. >> reporter: typically, the concern over plastic pollution has centered on our waterways. but now there's growing evidence that it may actually exist in the air around us. the snow that's fallen in the sierra holds hope for an end to the drought. but it may also hold a warning. for the past two years, the doctor an associate professor for the desert research institute, has tested high sierra snow in several locations and found something that shouldn't be there. tiny plastic fibers in the new fallen snow. >> do what we found so far is that some of our sites to have microplastics in them. we have identified nylon and rayon so far. we