it's done. >> that's it for us at 5:00. see you back here in 30 minutes. >> the cbs evening news is next. ne ♪ tonight, deadly destruction. >> search and rescue. >> tornadoes sweep across the south overnight, killing dozens. entire neighborhoods leveled. the debris path stretching hundreds of miles, as rescuers search for survivors. in silver city, mississippi, residents are picking up after a deadly storm. also tonight, trump in texas. the former president holding his first official re-election rally in waco, as he faces a possible criminal indictment and backlash over his warnings of violence if indicted. plus, credit crunch. with inflation driving up prices, more americans are keeping their cash and paying with plastic.

what this week's interest rate increase means for your money and how you can soften the blow. smash and grab. the d camera and the suspects' million-dollar getaway. you'll want to see what they stole. and later, building history. the landmark that stands up for barrier-breaking women. >> we want to embrace women and art, just like they did, back in the 1920s and '30s. ♪ >> this is the cbs weekend news, from chicago, with adriana diaz. good evening. thank you for joining us. communities in the south have been flattened by a series of tornadoes that tore through several states late friday, leaving behind an almost apocalyptic path of destruction. more than two dozen people were killed in mississippi. at least one in alabama. and the search for the missing is under way.

president biden pledged the government will do everything it can to help. nbc's omacbs' omar is in stille have silver city. >> reporter: when the sun came up, residents realized their house was tore down. this is some of the damage they're starting to see. the walls are gone. the roof is gone on this home. and residents spent all day trying to pick up the pieces. the view above silver city, mississippi, shows devastation all around. homes flattened. cars destroyed. trees split apart. >> we lost everything. we got out alive. >> reporter: rayford thomas has lived in the old town subdivision for 30 years. but last night, he almost died in his home when the tornado ripped through the neighborhood. >> i heard the loud crack. oh, i realized it was that tree.

i took my legs and everything into one ball. >> reporter: instincts. you just balled up. >> i balled up to try to get into the tightest corner. >> reporter: thomas says he's lucky. his next door neighborhood didn't make it. the man was killed when the tornado smashed a mobile home frame through his wall. this 17-year-old survived but lost everything else, including her blood pressure medicine. she was too overwhelmed to talk but found some of her medicine in the rubble. >> tornado. tornado. >> reporter: the nighttime tornado also tore through the town of rolling fork, killing at least 13. >> search and rescue. >> reporter: houses were pummeled and roofs were ripped off. the nationl weather service says the tornado cut a past over 100 miles long. and there's widespread structural damage in the city of aimry, including the water department, leaving residents

under an emergency boil water notice. a county official told us that 85% of the homes are damaged. it will take weeks to clean up. the governor has issued a disaster sdeclaration. >> omar, thank you. more tornados could be on the way. let's turn to meteorologist paul goodloe from our partners at the weather channel. >> we're in spring now. but severe weather has reared its ugly head once again. and the south, the bull's-eye, especially mississippi. the storms last night, laid out a 100-mile path of tornado reports in mississippi and 50 miles in northern alabama. and the unfortunate news is we're not quite done. we have a risk of severe weather popping up again late tonight and into tomorrow morning. here's the area, including the risk for tornados. the reason why, the cold front that sparked last night's severe weather stalls out. stationary front, that's our lifting mechanism for storms and

the upper level energy comes through. perhaps some rotating thunderstorms, maybe even tornadoes across some of the same real estate that is still picking up the pieces from the storms last night. this is unfortunately the start of severe weather season here in the u.s. >> all right, paul, thank you. former president trump is in waco, texas, tonight. the first rally of his 2024 campaign. it comes as a possible indictment from the manhattan district attorney could be just days away. cbs' caitlin huey burns is following it all. >> reporter: good evening. trump is aiming to galvanize the republican party base in his defense, as he holds his first official rally of his 2024 presidential campaign. facing the prospect of becoming the first former president to be criminally indicted, trump kicked off his third white house campaign in waco. >> when this election is over, i will be the president of the united states.

you will be vindicated and broad. and the thugs and criminals who are discrediting our justice system will be disgraced. >> reporter: as trump's legal challenges intensify, so, too has his rhetoric. taking to social immediate yo to warn of death and destruction if he is indicted. on friday, the manhattan district attorney general, alvin bragg, received a letter with a powdery white substance and a typewritten note saying, alvin, i'm going to kill you. the substance was determined to be nonhazardous. bragg is leading a investigation into hush money payments to stormy daniels, with possible criminal charges in this case looming. dump has portrayed himself as the victim of government overreach. and republicans on capitol hill are calling on bragg to testify before congress and to turnover documents related to the investigation. in waco, some supporters echoed trump. >> all political motivated.

every bit of it. >> i think alvin bragg should be arrested and thrown in prison. >> we're tired of it. trump is taking all of the arrows. >> reporter: and the grand jury in that case is expected to reconvene next week. in light of those threats against bragg, law enforcement officials have increased security around new york city's courthouses. adriana. >> thank you. senator mitch mcconnell is home tonight, released from a physical therapy rehab facility where he was treated for concussion and a broken rib. mcconnell tripped and fell at a dinner two weeks ago. today, investigators in pennsylvania are searching for answers and survivors after a massive explosion at a chocolate factory killed at least two people. the blast happened friday afternoon, leveling the plant in west reading, pennsylvania, about 60 miles north of philadelphia. and sending at least ten people to the hospital. a city official confirmed one rescue.

>> someone was found alive. someone was found alive that was in rubble. >> at least five people are still missing. what caused the blast is unknown. and a warning tonight from iran. any further u.s. attacks on iranian-backed bases in syria will be met with, quote, an immediate counterresponse. it comes as the death toll from multiple u.s. strikes in syria rose to 19. those were in retaliation for suspected ariranian drone strik that killed an american contractor. today, russian president vladimir putin struck a deal for tactical nuclear weapons in belarus, that borders russia and ukraine. it is the latest threat to war-torn ukraine, where cbs' ramy looks at a program helping the country's most vulnerable.

>> reporter: healing on horseback for children and their parents. the wounds of russia's war in ukraine, not just physical, but psychological. a method of managing. these women have fled two homes since 2014. there were missiles when we evacuated our home after russia invaded crimea. then, in 2022, it started again. we had to move, again. the war, now 14 months in, has displaced millions of ukraini ukrainians, breaking up families, forcing mostly women and children to flee. you brought your two daughters. how were they affected by the war? they are always nervous and emotional. when the air raid sirens go off, our youngest starts to scream.

this woman is the founder of the equine center. animals can't criticize. they can't judge. it gives people a chance to be at one with themselves. more than 5,000 children have come here for mental healing, redirecting their trauma and recentering themselves through touch and care. nearly 300 service members have come here, too. some with skepticism, anger and posttraumatic stress disorder. it's much harder with military and the men keep their emotions bottled up. but when they leave, some have said, i want to live here. was today a good day for you? for veronica and amelia, it was. and then, veronica starts to sing. ♪ ♪ i will be my friend if it makes you feel all right ♪ >> reporter: a few moments of

cheer, when everyone feels all right in the company of gentle giants, that help heal the mental wounds of war. ramy inocencio, cbs news, kyiv, ukraine. back at home, teachers and support staff have reached an agreement. there were cheers on the picket line as support staffers won a salary increase from $25,000 to $33,000 a year. the agreement needs to be authorized by the union. 12 the fed raised interest rates again this week, the ninth time since last march. the rate hike will have an immediate impact on the one in three americans who carry credit card debt. there's ways to lessen the blow. tonya rivero is in new york with what you need to know. >> reporter: americans have never held more credit card debt than they do right now. almost $1 trillion totaeal an

increase of 19% over the end of last year. now, with the fed's ninth interest rate hike in a row, to 5% -- >> inflation remains too high and the labor market remains to be very tight. >> reporter: many americans will see an almost immediate increase to their credit cards' interest rate. >> when the fed raises interest rates, it really kicks in quickly. and that interest rate hike applies to currently held balances, as well as future balances. >> reporter: your card's rate is not totally tied to the fed's action. your credit score has a lot to do with it. here are tips that could bring some relief. if you have good credit, transfer balances to an introductory zero percentage rate card. a personal loan can also help. and finally, try picking up the phone and asking your card issuer for a lower rate. >> we found 70% of folks who in the past year got one.t rat -

>> reporter: there is a flip side to higher interest rates. >> they've been great for people who are savers. >> reporter: while no one can predict the fed's next move in may, experts say it's wise to prepare for both prices and interest rates to continue to go up by paying down that expensive debt and putting away savings in a high-yield account. adriana? >> good advice. thank you. straight ahead on the cbs weekend news, the battle over a florida bill to defund diversity programs at state colleges. and later, breaking and entering. a not-so-subtle start to a million-dollar heist. known as a loving parent. known for lessons that matter. known for lessons that matter. known for being a free spirit. no one wants to be known for cancer, but a treatment can be. keytruda is known to treat cancer, fda-approved for 16 types of cancer.

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universities. the governor tells cbs news, quote, it's encouraging to see the legislature taking up this important topic. but florida's aclu says the bill would make critical thinking illegal. >> my initial reaction was scared. then, i was angry. >> reporter: this is a sophomore at miami's florida international university, one of the largest schools with over 55,000 students. as president of the pride student union, he believes that florida will do away with inclusion programs. florida governor ron desantis. >> we will be the first state in these united states, to wipe out dei at our public university. >> reporter: what does fiu without the dei initiatives look like to you? >> a school i would have never enrolled in. >> reporter: the florida legislature is debating house bill 999, which takes direct aim at dei funding.

in its form, the bill does not prohibit student groups, but it does prohibit universities from using funds to promote, support or maintain, programs or campus activities that advocate for diversionty equity and inc inclusion. >> i'm ashamed of this body. >> i'm happy to see that the conservative students have a voice here. >> reporter: the vast majority in attendance, opposed to eliminating the programs. >> shame. shame. >> reporter: across the state, hundreds of students have organized walkouts, marched and rallied in opposition. nationally, at least four gop-head states, including texas, are following florida's lead, and have taken action or are considering it at public universities. >> i think that will be something that will make a difference. >> reporter: earlier this month, at a forum, organized by the governor's office on dei programs in state universities, the president of florida's university system and the fiu

vice chair, sided with the governor. >> they are interested in understanding this and taking action. >> reporter: fiu has one of the most diverse college campuses in the state. with a robust set of dei programs and initiatives. the university spends $3.1 million on dei supports and clubs, including about $100,000 in scholarships, servicing thousands of students. >> that's our community. that's where we find our family. >> reporter: recently, the governor's office required public universities to provide the number of students who received prescriptions for hormone therapy and puberty blockers and to list the facilities students were referred to for sex-reassignment surgery. the governor's office said it's to understand the amount of public funding going towards nonacademic pursuits. do you feel under attack? >> i do. i do feel under attack. and i don't think one person that's in a marginalized community that lives in the state of florida, doesn't feel under attack.

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own? >> it was built for a place for professional women. >> reporter: not just for women. but financed and built by women. this trail blazing group opened up the hotel figeroa in 1926, when almost every other hotel prevented women from getting a room, unless they were accompanied by a man. in the lobby, hangs a painting of the founder. >> she rode across the country on a motorcycle to take her first job here. >> what a badass. >> she is an inspiration to us all. >> reporter: connie wang says, 97 years later almost everything is exactly as it was. >> we wanted to make sure that it still had a very strong sense of time and place. >> reporter: even the smallest detail, a bookcase. >> you push it. >> reporter: with a secret passageway. >> this whole space was a writer's salon. >> reporter: then, there's the swimming pool. >> rumor has it that it was

built in the shape of a coffin to bury the patriarchy. >> reporter: what do think of that? >> i think it's hilarious. >> reporter: every part, created by women. >> we continue to embrace women and art just like they did in the 1920eds and '30s. >> reporter: many guests come for the hotel's charm. >> we started in 1926 as one of the first hotel where's women could check in without a chaperon. >> reporter: a living monument to true pioneers. that is "the cbs weekend news" for this saturday. tomorrow on "face the nation," margaret brennan's guests including mark warner, federal reserve chairman, neil kashkari and national spokesperson, john kirby. i'm adriana diaz in chicago. good night. .

>> from cbs nes bay area, this is the evening edition. >> brian: now at 6:00, a break in the rain, but the clean-up continues. at least two bay area highways >> andrea: and small busi blow after their power was shut off for four days. some say they may not recover. >> brian: and a levee breach drowned their town. now the people of pajaro are asking for help, and they're ing that request all the way livefromcbs studios insan franco, i'm julie hackett. >> andrea: and i i e-mail an a andrea.@>> brian: 1101 shut d m frommed:00. caltrans will be working on gas lines. that closure will last until tomorrow morning. drivers being asked to take h highways 116 and 37 instead.

>> andrea: highway 84 in san mateo county is closed due a landde in the area. the slide damaged the roadway. caltrans says the slide is stil considered active. they will be keeping an eye on it over the weekend. no estimated time of reopening. darren saying get ready for . >> charl>> darren: we're close the next storm. we'll go into timing and detail. we look at the rest of sunday, nothing happening. blue skies. cold in the morning. we'll talk more about that fros advisory for tomorrow morning. so this just went all the way ahead to very late monday night into tuesday morning at 1:00 a.m. you can see the center of the storm here. that's going to be a very qu nd on the leading edge of it there will be a cold from t that's going to bring us widespread steady rain from lat day but primarily into tuesday morning. watch happens righthe