>> pelley: clarissa ward reporting from an increasingly unstable eastern ukraine. clarissa, thank you. in another major story tonight, the jobs report. the labor department told us 288,000 jobs were created in april, and that's the most in over a year. unemployment fell .4% to 6.3%, the lowest since 2008. anthony mason has the story. >> reporter: in chicago, belly creates online loyalty programs for small- and medium-sized businesses. the company logan lahive founded just two and a half years ago already has 120 employees. >> i think we had 18 new hires in march. and as of right now, i know we have ten offer letters that are accepted for people that are starting within the next three to four weeks. >> reporter: nationally, of the 288,000 jobs created in april, the largest number, 75,000, were in business service companies like belly, as the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since 2008. that looks like good news. underneath, is it? >> today, it wasn't really for the right reasons. >> reporter: annetta markozeka attributes the entire decline in the unemplo

clarissa ward on today's clashes. a study says more than a quarter of a million kids who feel bullied are bringing weapons into american schools. mark strassmann breaks down the details. >> one, two, three. >> jeff: and the power of lacrosse. to them the sport was new. >> they thought it was a fishing net. >> the lessons are timeless captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> jeff: good evening, everyone, i'm jeff glor with a western edition of the broadcast. it is called the hair hang act. acrobats suspend in the air performing a sort of human chandelier. today it went terribly wrong in providence, rhode island. this is video from inside the ringling brothers and barnum & bailey performance. a camera phone was recording as eight performers dropped to the ground below. we begin with don dahler in providence, don? >> reporter: jeff, the show had just about reached the halfway point when the accident happened. shocking the audience of 4,000 into a stunned silence. it was a dramatic sight on its own.

clarissa ward reports from eastern ukraine. >> reporter: at some polling stations there were lines as long as five city blocks as thousands of ukrainians defied the will of the international community and even a request from russian president putin. some of these people have been waiting more than an hour and a half to cast their ballot, and one woman told me that she has lived here for 23 years and that she's never seen so many people come out to vote. certainly the referendum did not meet international standards. many polling stations had no booths, leaving voters to cast their ballots at an open desk. we saw one older woman vote twice. the ballot had just one question. do you support the independence of the donetsk people of the republican. with one exception every ballot we saw had one tick for ukraine. we love ukraine, one voter told us but they took power and are destroyed our country. the crowd echoed their approval. there were pockets of violence. ukrainian forces shut down a polling station in a nearby town. later surrounded by an angry crowd, they began firing their weapons.

clarissa ward has more on new clashes in eastern ukraine. and "on the road" and into the jungle with steve hartman. the unbreakable bond between mother and son. >> family's family, you know. no matter if she makes me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or presents me with a piranha head. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> glor: good evening, everyone. scott's off tonight. i'm jeff glor. this is our western edition. in the business world, richard parsons is known as a mr. fix- it. he just got his toughest job yet. today, the nba chose parsons as the interim c.e.o. of the l.a. clippers. parsons is 66. he played basketball at the university of hawaii. he's been chairman of time warner and later citigroup. carter evans has more. >> reporter: the choice of richard parsons as interim c.e.o. of the clippers is the league's first major move to seize control of the team since owner donald sterling was banned for life. in a statement, parsons said he's been, "deeply troubled by the pain the clippers' team,

clarissa ward is watching the vote. this afternoon as mark albertia tells us a third victim is found after friday's deadly hot air balloon crash. ♪ a house is a heart even when it's gone ♪ >> jeff: and on this mother's day, anthony mason with ben harper. he has played music all around the world, but there's nothing like singing with someone back home. >> i just, you know, came to my mom and said, "let's do a song together, just one song." and from that one song came another song and another song. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> jeff: good evening, everyone, i'm jeff glor with a western edition of the broadcast. the danger stretches from texas to illinois. severe thunderstorms and tornado threats, the worst of it is today and there is now a confirmed tornado touchdown in clay county, nebraska. here's a look at the map. it is currently moving east to iowa. this is what has already happened in orik missouri this weekend during one of the most volatile systems of the season. a tornado swept th

clarissa ward is in donetsk for us tonight. clarissa, these numbers in favor of independence, donetsk, it was 89% in favor and against, 94% is what's being reported by the pro-russian separatists. what was the voting actually like? these numbers seem awfully high. >> reporter: well, we visited quite a few polling stations, and certainly there were some very big crowds, but i think it's fair to say that this vote did not meet any international standards we would recognize. we went to polling station where's there were no booths. people were voting in the open. we met a 16-year-old girl who was waiting in line to vote. we saw an older woman who was allowed to vote twice because she panicked that she accidentally checked no the first time and certainly many of the people who don't support the pro-russian separatists simply didn't vote at all. >> pelley: decided to stay home. so these two regions have essentially declared independence. what happens to ukraine now? does it break apart? >> reporter: well, that's the question everybody

cbs news correspondent clarissa ward and her crew are free and safe after being detained in ukraine. clarissa will give full story. >> new developments in the donald sterling drama. the clippers owner reportedly has cancer. >> and memphis gets ready for a british invasion. what prince william and prince harry will be doing together. >> but we begin with a look at today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> embroiled in scandal, donald sterling has reportedly been battling prostate cancer. >> a new twist in the l.a. clippers controversy. >> sterling has fled his home paranoid the mansion might be bugged. >> and the head of the naacp in los angeles stepped down amid questions about his past dealings with sterling. >> a 17-year-old in minnesota is making charges after police uncover a masterful plot. >> police found three fully functioning bombs and numerous firearms in his home and storage locker. >> he seemed like a good kid. you'd never expect it from him. >> and the health of our economy, hittingunemployment hitting its lowest level in two and a half years. >> two helicopters

cbs news foreign correspondent clarissa ward joins us. >> there has been sporadic fighting across parts of eastern ukraine as military continues with its offensive to try to take back towns that have fallen under the control of pro-russian rebels. so far it's not really clear how successful this defensive has been, but we're seeing the rhetoric growing stronger, both sides talking about war and we've seen the violence spill in to new parts of the country. there were fierce clashes in the southern eastern port city of odessa left mr. than 40 people dead. this is city thatch until recently had largely been calm. >> schieffer: you had a very scary moment on friday you were arrested by pro-russian militants, you were blindfolded, one of your crew was beaten. do you know who these people were who took you? were they russian? >> well, bob, the men who took us appeared to be predominantly young men from local villages, really it's so difficult to tell. i think this is something that sometimes lost on people, just how fluid the lines are tweeny crane and russia in this part of the country. many

clarissa ward is in cairo tonight, clarissa? >> reporter: good evening, jeff, well, what a difference a year makes. this time last may egypt's president was the muslim brotherhood's mohammed morsi. today, morsi is in a prison cell after being deposed in a coup last summer. and the man who orchestrated that coup field marshal fatah cece is almost certain to become egypt's next president. since seizing power he has overseen a massive crackdown on the muslim brotherhood, more than 1300 people have been killed, tens of thousands have been arrested, including liberal activist and western journalists. but many egyptians here simply don't care. all they want to see after three chaotic years is a return to stability and an improvement in the economy. and they believe that cece is the only man who can do that, jeff. >> jeff: clarissa ward, thank you. the first no-hitter of the baseball season today. happened this afternoon it longs to josh beckett of the l.a. dodgers. he struck out chase utley of the phillies to clinch this one in bucket

clarissa ward is in donetsk. clarissa, you have been talking to organizers of this referendum, what are they saying tonight? >> reporter: well, jeff, they say that the vote will go ahead as planned, regardless of the security situation, and regardless of the wishes of president putin, whose request yesterday they told us they chose to interpret as friendly advice rather than as an order. now, we spent some time today with the head of the electoral commission. he's operating out of an abandoned building that has been taken over by pro-russian separatists. while we were there, we didn't see any team or any operation, even, but he was adamant that more than 3 million ballots have been printed. of course, realistically, there are many people who don't support the separatists and those people, jeff, are not even expected to vote. >> glor: clarissa ward, thank you very much. what happens when private snapshots aren't so private? in a medical breakthrough, scientists create artificial d.n.a., the building blocks of life.

here's clarissa ward. >> i fell in a hole. thankfully, i didn't keep falling. >> reporter: this is where 44- year-old john all found himself on monday, alone on a narrow ledge in a 70-foot-deep crevasse, below him a further drop of several hundred feet. above him, nothing but packed snow and ice, and in the distance, a tiny patch of sky. >> that hurt bad. but i got to get out. i have to somehow climb out that way. >> reporter: he had a broken arm and four broken ribs. using his ice ax, he tried to climb out of the crevasse. >> climbed all the way, over, up, over. >> reporter: all said it took him six hours to reach the surface, and another three to stagger to his tent. poor weather delayed a rescue helicopter's arrival until the next day. >> at that point, i was so close to death, they had to drag me out of the tent, and drag me on to the helicopter. >> reporter: he was taken to the intensive care unit of a katmandu hospital. >> i remember the utterly suppressed terror of being in that hole, and it's not something i'll easily

clarissa ward is in ukraine. the new unemployment numbers point the way for the economy.hony mason reports. dr. jon lapook tells us a rare and deadly virus has been seen for the first time in the united states. police say they stopped a plot to bomb an american high school. jamie yuccas is on the story. and steve hartman "on the road"- - everyone but lauren could see she was dying. >> it was that desperate? >> at that point, yes. >> pelley: it took strangers in a gym to strong-arm her back to life. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley.

we'll get the latest from cbs news correspondent clarissa ward. the attack in benghazi that left four americans dead is back in the news. we'll check in with south carolina senator lindsey graham. plus, hollywood comes to washington. the latest addition of the capital tradition. 60 years of news because this is "face the nation." captioning sponsored by cbs good morning again, there are new developments in the donald sterling controversy and they are positive ones for a team that is trying to put this scandal behind them. last night the nba announced they were starting the search for a new c.e.o. and sterling's wife, shelly, issued a statement expressing her support for the nba's punishment and the take over of the clippers. sterling is coowner of the team. there is no comment so far from sterling who has remained out of sight except to tell the magazine, i wish i had just paid her off. he is of course referring to his associate, who he made the racist remarks to. miss sat down with an interview that aired friday. >> is donald sterling a racist? >

clarissa ward is in cairo. >> reporter: voting isn't over yet, but egyptians all ready know who will be their new president. the streets of cairo are plastered with his image, field marshal abdel fatah al sisi. the former defense minister who just last summer deposed egypt's first democratically elected president. the muslim brotherhood backed mohamed morsi. morsi is now in prison along with tens of thousands of his supporters. part of a massive crackdown on the muslim brotherhood that left more than a thousand people dead. but sisi's tough tactics appeal to a lot of people here. that is exactly what liberal activist mohamed nabil, who boycotted today's election, is afraid of. >> reporter: so they are choosing stability over freedom. >> bye, bye, muburak! >> reporter: it is a chilling thought for nabil who first took over tahrir square three years ago to protest the dictatorship of hosni mubarak, and now watches as another military strongmen cements his hold on power. we visited about a dozen polling stations around the city today and it was interesting because we didn't see any big

effectiveness and even the very objective of the ukrainian military strategy here. >> pelley: clarissa wardcovering eastern ukraine for us tonight, clarissa thank you. today we saw what may be a turning point in the world's most vicious war. the syrian dictatorship retook the city of homs, the birth place of the rebellion that started three years ago. in a negotiated deal, the last of the rebels in homs, more than 1,000 of them, boarded buses out of the city, evacuating to rebel-held territory in northern syria. the city of one million was blasted to rubble by government heavy artillery. the dictatorship has been gaining the upper hand lately after the deaths of an estimated 150,000. the report card is in for american high school students. and the government decides whether to force g.m. to take cars with a deadly defect off the road when the "cbs evening news" continues. it's how i look at life. especially now that i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. i was taking warfarin but wondered, could i focus on somethin

clarissa ward, cbs news. >> pelley: the battle over a major pipeline is being fought in the fields ofebraska. and watch where you step. the end zone is sinking when the cbs evening news continues. when folks think about what they get from alaska, they think salmon and energy. but the energy bp produces up here creates something else as well: jobs all over america. engineering and innovation jobs. advanced safety systems & technology. shipping and manufacturing. across the united states, bp supports more than a quarter million jobs. when we set up operation in one part of the country, people in other parts go to work. that's not a coincidence. it's one more part of our commitment to america. ♪ killing weeds where they grow ♪ ♪ a barrier forms so weeds can't appear ♪ ♪ serious weed prevention up to a year ♪ ♪ new roundup max control 365 ♪ with no more weeds, it's your year ♪ i'm d-a-v-e and i have copd. ♪ new roundup max control 365 i'm k-a-t-e and i have copd, but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way my volunteering. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-dail

clarissa ward is there. >> reporter: after more than a week, the seven european observers were finally free to leave the city of slavyansk, where they had been held captive by pro-russian separatists. we caught up with them as they were leaving for the airport, though they were unwilling to discuss their ordeal. sir, how were you treated in captivity? were you mistreated at all? >> no. >> reporter: you were not? >> no mistreatment. >> reporter: no mistreatment. the release came as the ukrainian military continued an offensive to take back towns in the east that have fallen under the control of pro-russian rebels, but the violence has now spread to other parts of the country. in the southern port of odessa yesterday, clashes between pro- ukrainian and pro-russian factions left more than 40 people dead. most of the casualties came after a building, where pro- russian activists were hunkered down, caught fire, reportedly because of molotov cocktails thrown inside. today, the usually bustling seaside resort was a city in mourning. most ukrainians are shocked by the violence that has grippe

the fighting spread to other regions and clarissa ward is in ukraine. >> reporter: in odessa today, mournersept for the latest victims of ukraine's conflict. more than 40 people were killed in street clashes friday. most of them, pro-russian activists who died in the blaze that consumed the building where they had retreated. we won't forget, these people chanted, we won't forgive. some fear the violence in odessa is a sign that the government in kiev is losing control of the country. pro-russian separatists seized government buildings in at least a dozen towns across the east. we visited the city of lugansk 20 miles from the russian border. militants last week stormed town hall and security services headquarters. pro-russian rebels have taken over a large chunk of this city center and they're now building up barricades all around this camp in anticipation of a possible ukrainian military offensive. armed guards patrol the camps. we met andrei who wore a crisp uniform and carried a new ak-74. can i ask where you got your gun from? it's a trophy, he said. the power in the country belongs to th

clarissa ward on today's clashes. study says more than a quarter of a million kids who feel bullied are bringing weapons into american schools. mark strassmann breaks down the details. >> one, two, three. >> jeff: and the power of lacrosse. to them the sport was new. >> they thought it was a fishing net. >> the lessons are timeless captioning sponsored by cbs

clarissa ward. >> reporter: good morning.e've been to quite a few polling stations this morning and there are some long lines out there. everybody who we saw with the exception of one young woman appeared to be voting yes for independence. but let's be clear. this vote does not meet any international standard. we visited polling stations where there were no booths, where people were simply voting out in the open at a large desk. we saw one older woman who voted twice because she panicked that she accidentally voted no the first time 'round. and one young man who was allowed to vote in a polling station where he wasn't actually registered. and then, of course, there are the many people here who don't support the pro russia separatist movement. they are not even voting in today's referenda because like the government of ukraine and of the u.s. and much of the international community, they view this vote as being illegal and illegitimate. >> schieffer: thank you so much, clarissa, and we'll be watching. and joining us now, the c

clarissa ward is watching the vote. this afternoon as mark albertia tells us a third victim is found after friday's deadly hot air balloon crash. ♪ a house is a heart even when it's gone ♪ >> jeff: and on this mother's day, anthony mason with ben harper. he has played music all around the world, but there's nothing like singing with someone back home. >> i just, you know, came to my mom and said, "let's do a song together, just one song." and from that one song came another song and another song.

clarissa ward has more on new clashes in eastern ukraine. and "on the road" and into the jungle with steve hartman. the unbreakable bond between mother and son. >> family's family, you know. no matter if she makes me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or presents me with a piranha head. captioning sponsor b

clarissa ward reports tonight from cairo. >> reporter: egypt's government tried to entice voters out today with a surprise national holiday, but turnout was still low. it was an unexpected setback for field marshall abdel fattah al- sisi, who is expected to win a landslide victory. the outcome of this election was always known, but the big surprise yesterday and again today is what you see around me- - no lines outside the polling stations. inside was just as quiet. after several minutes, the official in charge here became nervous and told us to stop shooting. "because there's no one here?" we asked. "yes," he said. hala shukralla told us the low turnout was revealing. >> i think a lot of people don't feel they really have a role to play, that this has already been decided for them. >> reporter: sisi and the egyptian military orchestrated the overthrow of president mohammed morsi ten months ago. since then, authorities have launched a massive crackdown on any form of dissent. tens of thousands have been arrested, more than 1,300 killed. demonstrating in egypt is now a crime. the only

clarissa ward is in done everything, eastern ukraine. good morning, clarissa. >> reporter: good morning. well, a red cross team has been released here after they were held for seven hours by pro-russian militants. one was severely beaten because they were suspected of espionage, this after one of the bloodiest days here in eastern ukraine. in the city of mariupol there were clashes. the army continued with its offensive to take back buildings under the control of militants. some of the worst violence happened at the police headquarters as security forces bombarded it with herb fire to push out the rebels inside. hours later firefighters were still tackling the blaze. at least one dead body lie on the street outside. pro-russian rebels blocked out the main street with a makeshift barricade and burned tires outside the town hall to stop the army from pushing into the city's center. elsewhere men tried to block the military any way they could. for many here where support for russian russia is high the ukrainian army has only heightened the s

clarissa ward is in donetsk as pro-russian insurgents address a referendum. >> reporter: these people are marching toward the square and they're flying russian and regional independence flags. it was the moment they all had been waiting for, their first visit from their new president on victory day. celebrations began early this morning in moscow. thousands of russian troops marched across red square as fighter jets streamed through the sky. russia's annual display of military mite was 14 minutes longer than usual this year. a sign of the wave of fierce patriotism that has gripped the country in the wake of russia's annexation of crimea. president putin did not mention ukraine in his speech. but he spoke of the glory of a former empire. the iron will of the soviet union yet people he said saved europe from slavery. here in ukraine, some people would like to see that empire restored. pro-russian separatists have decided to push ahead with a referendum sunday to determine whether this region becomes an independent republic. this council member explained the position to a group of foreig

clarissa ward has the latest from the city of donyesk. >> reporter: good morning.city of slovyansk where they have been held. this is good news in a story turning rapidly sour with the violence spreading across to the south of the country to the port city of odessa. this is ukraine's third largest city. yesterday we saw clashes there, more than 40 people killed. most of them consumed by the flames of a fire that broke out in the trade union building where pro-russian activists were hunkered down, reportedly that fire started by molotov cocktails thrown from the opposition. here in eastern ukraine, things still very tense as the military continues an offensive to try to take back towns throughout this area from pro-russian rebel control. nor cbs "this morning: saturday," i'm clarissa ward in danyansk ukraine. >>> and an attack on benghazi libya and the obama administration's response to it. the latest from mark al fwhertbert in our washington bureau. >> reporter: good morning. speaker of the house boehner plans to select a committee to investigate investigate. commi

clarissa ward explained what happened. >> we had to stand against a wall with our hands like this whenll of our belongings were taken from us. >> mike in a tweet wrote, we were taken from a pro-russian checcheckpoint. the ordeal took three hours. (u) taken into captivity in eastern ukraine by pro-russian forces. >> they pulled a hat over my eyes, then went through my pockets, took everything i had out of my pockets. took my coat off of me. threatened to make me get on my knees, didn't end up making me get on my knees. and then they taped my hands behind my back. and you know threatened to shoot me a couple of times. the whole procedure seemed like its purpose was to intimidate me as much as possible. >> and in syria, named as one of the 10 most influential people in the world because of his work there. >>> you douglas franz says an open press is an essentially part of society. >> an astack ons from freedom -- an attack on press freedom inchm anywhere is an attack on press freedom everywhere. franz also commented on the issue in egypt. >> freedom of expression is one of the underpinning

with former secretary of defense robert gates, intelligence committee chairman, mike rogers, and clarissa wardine. plus, we'll talk with massachusetts senator elizabeth warren, who's i shaking things p on capitol hill. cbs news got the first look from inside the washington monument, which reopens tomorrow after three years of

>> kroft: now, cbs news correspondent clarissa ward, on assignment for "60 minutes." >> ward: we usuallyas a condition that develops late in life. but in africa, hundreds of thousands of children are dying every year of heart failure. their condition is caused most frequently by strep throat. it's called rheumatic heart disease. an estimated 15 million african children have it, and four out of five of them will die before they reach the age of 25. if you've never heard of it before, that's because it's long ago been eradicated here in the west. for most children who have it, the only cure is open heart surgery. there is just one hospital in all of africa which offers the expensive operation free of charge. it's run by an italian organization called emergency, whose founder and chief surgeon, dr. gino strada, believes that doctors have to fight for every life, regardless of the cost. our journey began in sierra leone, where we met a sweet, healthy looking girl called mariata with a ticking time bomb in her chest. sierra leone is a tiny country on africa's west coast which holds a sad reco

cbs news correspondent clarissa ward and her crew are free and safe after being detained in ukraine. issa will givehe full story. >> new developments in the donald sterling drama. the clippers owner reportedly has cancer. >> and memphis gets ready for a british invasion. what prince william and prince harry will be doing together. >> but we begin with a look at today's "eye opener," your world in 90 seconds. >> embroiled in scandal, donald sterling has reportedly been battling prostate cancer. >> a new twist in the l.a. clippers controversy.

we'll get the latest from cbs news correspondent clarissa ward.n benghazi that left four americans dead is back in the news. we'll check in with south li

so i was with correspondent clarissa ward and female interpreter for buzzfeed and the men were in another >> you must have been scared out of your wits. i can't even imagine, what was that like and how long were you held and were they okay? did they treat you okay? >> reporter: i think any total it was only about 3 or 4 hours but it felt like a full day and there were some moments that were scary. >> reporter: they were asking scary. >> they were rough with us at the beginning and tell us that everything was going to be okay. when you're blindfolded in a room where you don't know where you are it's hard to be encouraged by that. >> we report every day on what's going on out there. but you're seeing it firsthand. what can you tell us? >> reporter: well, i think it's hard -- it's hard in washington and in america to understand that what's happening here isn't -- they are not taking orders from russia. they are not taking orders from ukraine. these are local residents with uniforms and guns and they are doing things on their own. so when a deal is struck with ukraine and russia, it has no im

in march poroshenko spoke with "60 minutes" and told clarissa ward that he supported and helped fund revolution. >> reporter: how much time did you spend in the square during those months? >> almost all the time. so if you want people being with you, you should be together with the people. that's important. >> reporter: it paid off. ukrainians by the millions turned out to vote in kiev and in the western parts of ukraine, it was a virtual shutout. pro separatists paid a visit to donetsk, smashed ballot boxes and turned them into trash cans. most people here said they felt cheated of an election. others told us this morning they wouldn't have voted anyway. "poroshenko is not our president," this resident told us. these elections mean nothing to us. poroshenko says he's willing to speak with separatists who lay down their arms but some are digging and and demanding all ukrainian forces leave this territory or face the consequences. anthony? >> charlie, thanks. this morning egyptians began two days of voting to elect their own new president. in july he led a coup that forced mohamed mor

clarissa ward is in donetsk, ukraine, with the insurgents' next move. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. supporters of the pro-russian separatist movement are calling this a sweeping victory. the kremlin has weighed in as well and said that the views of the people must be respected, but the ukrainian government and many in the international community have called the vote a farce and illegal and have warned that it could further destabilize the situation. at polling stations across eastern ukraine, lines stretched as long as five city blocks as thousands of supporters of the pro-russian separatist movement waited patiently to cast their ballots in favor of independence. the referendum did not appear to meet international standards. many polling stations had no booths leaving voters to cast their ballot at an open desk. we saw one older woman vote twice. some of the people waiting in line were clearly too young to so the, like 16-year-old nazia, who told us she feared the government in kiev. who do you feel closer to? >> putin. putin is closer to us

clarissa ward has more on this video. this is amazing. >> reporter: it is.fe on the edge but earlier this week he discovered just how dangerous that can be. >> i fell through the hole. thankfully i didn't keep falling. >> reporter: this is where 44-year-old john all fond himself on monday, 70 feet below the surface of the himalayan mountains, alone, still breathing and with a cell phone camera in hand. >> i got trapped here. this ledge, my army can't use. >> reporter: that ledge saved his life below him another 300 feet. the western kentucky university geology professor was studying the effects of climate change gathering snow samples on the 23,000 foot mountain in north central nepal when the ground beneath him gave way. with a broken arm, four broken ribs and two dislocated shoulders, he used what strength he had left to crawl toward the sunlight. >> i thought, do i want to die? no, i don't want to die. >> reporter: it took him six hours to reach the service and another three to stagger to his tent, but poor weather delayed a rescue helicopter's arrival un

for "cbs this morning," clarissa ward, lugansk, ukraine. >> up to 27 people may have been killed, 250 bodies have been recovered, but a second landslide buried rescue crews. afghan officials say it may be impossible to dig up all the bodies. >> an islamic terrorist group is claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of more than 250 nigerian school girls. the leader of the group says "i abducted your girls, they were taken april 14th." the terror group opposes educating girls on social media. pakistan's malia with a sign "bring back the girls." the taliban shot her and nearly killed her for promoting girls educational rights. >> parties on capitol hill are sniping over a new investigation of the deadly benghazi attack. adam schiff says appointing a special committee will be, quote, a colossal waste of time. senator graham said sunday the families of those killed deserve to know the truth. >> if we're playing with fire on ben benghazi, if the administration tried to cover up the truth, that i am get burned. >> republicans say a document proves they tried to suspend the attacks for poli

clarissa ward is in donetsk, ukraine, one of the cities that will be voting this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. pro-russian separatists here say they have decided to ignore president putin's request. at a press conference just now, they announced a unanimous vote to go ahead with the referendum as planned. outside the pro-russian rebel controlled donetsk city hall today, the mood was somber but resolved, in a request from president putin that a referendum from sunday should be delayed. do you want the referendum to happen on sunday? >> of course. >> reporter: ballots have already been printed for the vote, which would determine whether this region becomes an independent republic, potentially paving the way for secession to russia, as in crimea. many here chose to see putin's shift as a recommendation and not a command. i deeply respect the man, this pro-russian separatist told us, but he's just giving us advice. holding a referendum would not be easy. things have deteriorated in towns across the east. while hostility is common in this region, a new poll

for "cbs this morning," clarissa ward ukraine. >> and america is seeing climate change from worsening drought to above average rain. >> it is more than 1.5 degrees hotter than it was a century ago meg in the plains. pr the study was produced by more than 300 scientists and other >> g experts. megan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you.tates the report focused on the united states is considered the most comprehensive of its kind. it concludes climate changes here humans are primarily to billions. blame and it's costing billions. president obama told me he hopest obama told u these findings will convince people it's time to act. torrential rains, flooding heat waves, drought and wildfires, it's all getting worse. so says a new federal report that's been four years in the making. years i >> the assessment is clear. >> not only is climate change a problem in the future, it's already affecting americans. >> take hurricanes for example. according to the report the repo intensity, frequency and y has duration of north atlantic the earl hurricanes have increased since peo the early

. >> clarissa ward is in ukraine where this morning the local airport cancelled dozens of flights. >> reporter: good morning. that's right, the airport here is closed and the government has ordered a no-fly zone over the entire donetsk regions. they're not giving a reason or timeline for the closure, but it comes as violence here escalates. on the streets of fighting remains. ukraine's interior minister said that more than 30 militants and four government soldiers were killed yesterday, though the numbers cannot be verified. all the people here want peace, this resident said. why fight one another. the goal of the offensive is to rout out pro-russian separatists who have seized government buildings in at least a dozen towns across the east. we visited the city of lugansk just 20 miles from the russian bord border. pro-russian militants stormed the town hall and secured the services headquarters. in the center of opportunity to rebels have built up barricades around their camp, fearful that it may be the military's next target. a local commander told us he does not want to join russia,