>> john: welcome to "cbs evening news plus." i'm john dickerson. late tuesday, a federal judge turned back an effort by attorneys general in 14 states to slow elon musk's department of government efficiency saying they did not present clear evidence of imminent irreparable harm. chief white house correspondent nancy cordes has the latest on that and the president's blaming ukraine for the russian invasion of ukraine.

you knew that there would be footage. this is the clearest view of what happened to that delta regional jet in toronto the hard landing, the fuselage roll, all caught on camera. aviation expert captain laura einsetler gives us her analysis on what may have gone wrong. and our in-depth focus tonight is on the trump administration's immigration sweeps in sanctuary cities like new orleans, as we saw not all who were arrested are violent criminals and that's making migrants like this mother from honduras very nervous. those stories and more right after our news headlines. ♪ ♪ hamas is speeding up the release of israeli hostages and will free six people saturday instead of the agreed-upon three. the bodies of four deceased israeli hostages, including a mother and her two young sons, will be released on thursday. in return, israel is freeing palestinian prisoners and allowing construction equipment and mobile homes into gaza.

senior u.s. and russian officials met in saudi arabia for more than four hours today for talks aimed at ending the war in ukraine and planning a trump-putin summit. not in attendance? ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy. a fire that started monday night at a manufacturing warehouse in the philadelphia suburb of abington burned into the day today until firefighters finally got the flames under control. there are voluntary evacuations in the area, however, over concerns about air quality. ♪ ♪ today, a federal judge called the department of government efficiencies access to sensitive government agencies data unchecked authority of an unelected individual but allow the access to continue. at mar-a-lago, the president defended the individual, that's elon musk, but went on the offensive against ukraine's president, blaming zelenskyy

for russia's invasion saying he "should never have started it." cbs's chief white house correspondent nancy cordes was there. nancy, we will get to doge in a moment. but help us understand what the president was saying in the context of what sounded very much like he was blaming zelenskyy for being invaded. >> reporter: right. he kind of got his back up when he asked why his secretary of state marco rubio was meeting with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov, in saudi arabia, without ukrainians at the table even as they discussed ending russia's invasion of ukraine. and he said well, ukraine never should have started this war in the first place which is of course patently false. ukraine was invaded by russia. it was one of several eye-opening untrue things he said. at one point, he argued that the ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy wasn't really in a position to be making demands because his

approval rating is at 4%. that's not true. his approval rating is very similar to president trump's in this country. it's at about 50%. these kinds of comments add to concerns that have been expressed by the ukrainians and by u.s. allies in europe who say that president trump appears to be putting his thumb on the scale for russia before these talks about ending the war even officially get underway. >> john: we'll see if his officials repeat those comments about blaming zelenskyy. let me ask about doge, this judge's ruling. it's allowed to have access to the data. what are the practical implications? >> reporter: the implications are that this one particular federal judge tanya chutkan, is not going to get in the way of elon musk and doge doing what they want to do which is to gain access to

various government computer systems and to identify more federal positions that can be eliminated. but there are plenty of other federal lawsuits out there, particularly having to do with these mass firings and with the refusal to pay some contractors so those lawsuits will go on. interestingly, john, on. interestingly, john, with the state ags who brought the case, that it appears that elon musk and doge have unprecedented, unchecked power within the federal government. she agreed that's a concern but she said basically the state ags hadn't provided enough evidence there was irreparable harm that was about to take place that required her stepping in so it almost seems as if she was telling them to just go back to the drawing board and try again. >> john: chief white house correspondent nancy cordes. thank you so much, nancy. new video of the runway crash of that delta regional jet in toronto gives us our clearest view of the hard landing

and that caused the plane to roll. the ntsb is assisting with the investigation into whether -- whether there was a mechanical failure or pilot error that played a role. let's turn to captain laura einsetler. commercial airline pilot with three decades of flying experience. thanks so much for being with us. when you saw the videos, what was your reaction? >> well, it's a very concerning situation obviously, and the investigators are going to be looking through all the different factors that are involved. any accident is usually a series of events so they are going to look at different variables that are in play here so that this won't happen ever again. >> john: what questions would you want asked? is it about, what was the pilot doing? what was the wind like? what kind of questions would you be asking, given your experience? >> the investigators are going to be looking at things like runway conditions, icing, definitely the gusty winds they were experiencing at that time.

obviously the high descent rate that we see here, they are going to look at conditions of the aircraft, the pilots themselves, anything they can think of, as well as just the parts of the aircraft so they can make the determinations and we can make those necessary changes as an industry that we need to make. >> john: captain, there's going to be a lot of armchair analysis going on. so i want to ask you a question. distinct from this event, when there is a hard landing, are planes equipped for that kind of thing? is that something for a passenger to be concerned about? >> these aircraft are designed, built, and tested to withstand extreme conditions. as you can see in this situation, the cabin, the fuselage itself maintained its integrity even with this strong downward force and high rate of descent. passengers can know that, always listen to those safety videos. keep your seat belts fastened

about you at all times that you have to. just know that we put our lives on the line every day to keep you safe. >> john: and listen to the captain. captain laura einsetler, thank you so much. illegal crossings along the southern border are now at the lowest level they've been in nearly five years. that's according to a new monthly data released today by u.s. customs and border protection. cbs's omar villafranca reports from dallas on what's behind the dramatic drop. >> 218. that's the total number of southwest border apprehensions recorded yesterday, monday, february 17, according to a spokesman for texas state troopers. that's roughly 1600 less on the same day a year ago. just one month into the new administration, customs and border protection officials credit the drop in illegal crossings at the u.s.-mexico border to president trump's executive actions that include ending catch and release and sending 1500 u.s. troops to the southern border.

the numbers released today show that in the first 11 days of the trump administration, border patrol apprehensions dropped 85% compared to the same time last year. back in december of 2022, we talked to john martin, who helped run a shelter for immigrants in el paso, texas. a spike in border crossings meant the shelter was filled to capacity inside and hundreds more slept outside on the street. >> we're here to fill a need. we'll continue to follow through with our mission. >> reporter: we were just in el paso a few weeks ago. how would you describe what it looks like now? >> very different picture. we are just seeing a handful of folks and in all honesty, there's been days that we have seen none. >> reporter: later, border crossings began to drop after president biden issued his own executive order shutting down asylum claims once the numbers spiked too high. for their part, texas officials have touted their own actions for the dip in illegal crossings including operational lone star. governor greg abbott sent state

troopers to the border to deter migrant crossings, setting up miles of razor wire, floating buoy barriers in the rio grande and staging the texas national guard along the border. omar villafranca, cbs news. dallas. >> john: here are three things to know. the number of dead in kentucky has increased to 14 following last week's flash floods and mudslides. officials are now concerned that a looming snowstorm will complicate the flood response. the associated press reports a chinese navy helicopter flew within 10 feet of a philippine fisheries patrol plane near the disputed scarborough shoal on tuesday, apparently trying to force the philippine aircraft out of the airspace china claims is its own. "you are flying too close," radioed the pilot. "you are very dangerous." a painting by the mysterious artist banksy is expected to sell for up to $6 million or more when it was up for auction next month. the painting shows a couple

dancing on a beach, oblivious to two other figures in hazmat suits hauling a barrel of toxic waste. the painting has been known owned by mark hoppus, the front man for the band blink-182 for more than a decade. coming up on the "cbs evening news plus," our

>> john: president trump's immigration crackdown has resulted in more than 8000 arrests an operation spanning nearly two dozen cities in the first two weeks since returning to office. cooperation between immigration officers and local law enforcement in so-called sanctuary cities has been limited. in tonight's "in-depth," cbs's kati weis looks at the tension between federal policy and local priorities. >> let me see your hands! >> reporter: it's 5:30 in the morning just outside new orleans. this group of i.c.e. and dea agents have just pulled over and arrested a man in an operation to detain and deport three different immigrants they say are undocumented and who recently were charged with a variety of crimes. i.c.e. says these ops are a top priority. >> we are working a lot more on our caseload.

>> reporter: the new orleans dea chief is happy to help. how often would you say you assist? >> every day. >> reporter: during this operation, i.c.e. agents detain one man charged with rape as well as another man they say is undocumented who happened to be in the car. >> laid in the back of the car. >> i.c.e. calls this type of arrest collateral. that worries 25-year-old gracey who asked us to only use her first name for fear of retaliation. originally from honduras, she says she's committed no crime since crossing the border five years ago. gracey has received some temporary protections to live and work here while her immigration case is still pending. what is it that keeps you up at night? she says she's afraid she'll never see her daughter again. gracey's 3-year-old daughter is a u.s. citizen. her 8-year-old is undocumented. right now there are more than 10,000 noncitizens living in new orleans and most are undocumented. but a new louisiana state law now bans the very policies that

make new orleans a sanctuary city, the only one on the gulf coast. >> take the worst of the worst off the streets. >> reporter: new orleans i.c.e. deputy field officer brian acuna says they are targeting criminals. the sheriff's office declined and interview. but the district attorney says the parish only cooperates with i.c.e. in case of undocumented immigrants accused of violent crimes. do you foresee new orleans staying on that trend of continuing to be a sanctuary city? >> i don't think the tolerance level or the way that new orleanians show love is going to change because of the change in the administration. >> we are not going to help i.c.e. deport you. >> reporter: terra lawson-remer recently passed a ban on all county corporation with i.c.e. >> when you don't have people to

work the fields, you're going to see prices rising in the supermarket aisle. they work so many jobs that make our economy function. >> reporter: gracey cleans new orleans city hall. she hopes her family can stay together. do you still feel like you did the right thing? she still believes she's in the right place for however long that lasts. kati weis, cbs news. new orleans. >> john: america's economy seems to be one of the best in the world, but what about other measures like life expectancy and overall well-being? we'll take a look at the data

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>> john: here's a question. how do you measure america's standing in the world? by the strength of its economy or the welfare of its citizens? a bipartisan group of scholars

crunched nearly 30 years of data and found where america stands in the world may leave some on -- unsure. "new york times" senior writer david leonhardt looked at the data and talked to me about the findings for tonight's "interview." i want to start with what the academics working on these questions were trying to get at. what was the beginning of this project? >> there is an economist at tulane named douglas harris and he was worried that we americans couldn't agree on anything. there is so much misinformation so much polarization, we couldn't even agree on what things we should be looking at. to tell us how we're doing as a country. he wanted to get the group of experts across the political spectrum and decide what are the best measures of what our country is doing and he did it. they sat down and they came up with about three dozen metrics they think are reasonable ways to look at how our country is doing. >> john: so david, what was the topline finding of this analysis? >> even though we have the world's best performing economy in terms of output, it doesn't seem to be translating into

really good lives for people and we're actually falling behind other countries in terms of the noneconomic measures of how good life is in the united states which is really quite puzzling. >> john: how do you see that disconnect play out in our political conversations? >> to me the statistic that best captures this is that in 1980 the united states had a fairly normal life expectancy, how long you can expect to live for a rich country. for the last 15 or 20 years, we've had the lowest life expectancy of any rich country. today we are in last place and it's not even that close. we are not that close to the country in second to last place. if you heard that statistic and said, boy, would the citizens of that country be happy or unhappy, i think you'd say they were unhappy. the fact that the gdp statistics look pretty good don't mean that suddenly everyone should ignore the other problems and think things are going extremely well in this country. >> john: does it suggest something about our long-term thinking in political life and public life, that these other issues that americans score low on are the ones that are

fuzzier, harder to get your hands around, that require some common ground that's very difficult to find in a polarized electorate? >> to me, as a society, we have basically made a choice. i'm not saying any one individual has. but we have made a choice. we maximize gdp. we have low taxes particular on rich people. we work really, really long hours. we have a culture of risk-taking which in many ways is wonderful. but then we don't do the things that could really make a difference in other realms. the thing that's important about this report is this concern should span the left and the right. the left is probably going to be more concerned about economic inequality which is a huge problem in this country. and some aspects of public health. the right is going to more concerned about the fact that as a society we have more children growing up without having two parents in their household. but all of these feed together and create what really is, what jimmy carter might call a national malaise. >> john: you quote in your

piece one of the academics saying this is the central question of our time. why is that? if it's the central question, to whom it is that question posed most acutely? >> the fact that we have this gdp that's very good, even when you go to other measures like employment, income for a typical family, and when you go further to life expectancy and loneliness and depression and self-reported life satisfaction and trust in other people, in all those other measures, the united states doesn't look like a very successful country. i think this is a basic way in which our society has failed its citizens, and it really helps me to understand why we see so much anger in american society. on a basic level when americans say our country isn't headed in the right direction, it hasn't been, whether there's been a democratic or republican president, for several decades, they in a very basic way are responding rationally to a set of really alarming metrics about our country, even as gdp continues to look very good. >> john: david leonhardt, senior writer for

"the new york times." thank you so much, david. >> thanks, john. >> john: coming up, a trip to the far side of the moon. dave's been very excited about saving big with the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. five years? -five years. and he's not alone. -high five. it's five years of reliable gig speed internet. five years of advanced securit. five years of a great rate that won't change. it's back. but only for a limited time. high five. five years? -nope. comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee.

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>> john: there is so much activity in space, it's possible to lose your sense of wonder and if you're going to get excited about space, the moon isn't a likely culprit. i mean, it's always there but here's a little moon wonder for you. new footage from the blue ghost lander zooming over the moon's

far side, the dark side, as pink floyd called it. it's not actually dark. rather, dark means unknown, though with images like this and a chinese lander stationed there it's become less mysterious. we only see about 50% of the moon because it is gravitationally locked to earth. that hidden inside remained a mystery until 1959 when the soviets photographed what they called the reverse side. like the flip of a coin, the back proved strikingly different from the familiar face we see. the moon reminds us that we can look at something repeatedly, devote poetry and song to it, and still not fully understand it. it shares this with emotions like love to which the moon has often been yoked. and here's a metaphor. what was hidden from us may help us see what was hidden. the far side of the moon is not polluted by earth's radio chatter, so telescopes there can hear signals we can't on earth of the universe's origin, or other life forms. a few minutes considering the

moon and even its boring regularity has pull. because the moon is fixed, that means you and i and cleopatra and knights returning from the crusades have all looked up at the same lunar desk, the closest object all humans have shared in viewing. a reminder that wonder can also be found not just in the new but in long looking at things that are always there. that's tonight's "cbs evening news plus." i'm john dickerson. good county's newly sworn in d.a. plans to rebuild what some call

a broken trust. >> it's been hours and i'm still on edge. >> you saw that right, a car flying off an overpass and crashing. and this guy was there. >> it all just happens in slow motion. >> close quarters and they like it that way. humans need each other, we're social animals. >> come inside housing communities making sure you know your neighbor. and we're live at giants spring training with a future hall of famer. >> i feel like a little kid when i'm around him. >> will and we are glad he's on our side this time. well, we begin in alameda county, where the trump administration could turn a notorious federal prison into an immigrant detention center. good evening, i'm ryan yamamoto. fci dublin was forced to close last year after more than