next. we are back here after that with cbs news bay area at 7:00. we will see ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> norah: tonight, severe weather sweeping the nation. parts of the south bracing for tornadoes. and the state of emergency tonight along the mississippi river. the five states on alert for possibly life-threatening flooding. here are tonight's headlines. ♪ ♪ baseball-sized hail and dangerous rain as the threat continues. ♪ ♪ >> former advice columnist e. jean carroll has taken the stand in the civil trial against former president donald trump. >> she claims trump raped her in a department store dressing room in 1996. ♪ ♪ >> norah: montana republicans vote to ban a transgender lawmaker from the state house floor for the rest of the year. >> today, i rise in defense of those constituents of my

community and of democracy itself. ♪ ♪ >> everybody is having this struggle. >> norah: crime in america. our exclusive reporting. the major challenges in keeping the nation safe. all crime up 25%. murder up 24%. motor vehicle theft up 107%. what's going on in our nation's capital? ♪ ♪ >> allergy season is here, with specialists telling cbs news it is now lasting longer, with patients experiencing more intense symptoms. ♪ ♪ >> norah: president biden and south korean president yoon, the official state visit and the agreement to deter north korea. >> it is an unbreakable bond, forged in bravery and the sacrifice of our people. ♪ ♪ >> norah: good evening to our viewers in the west, and

thank you for joining us on this wednesday night. we want to begin with the severe weather that is making its way across the southern part of the country, while residents along the mississippi river are forced to evacuate ahead of rising floodwaters. nearly 22 million americans from central texas to the florida peninsula are in the path of significant storms, including heavy rains, damaging winds, and possible tornadoes. further north, in five states across the midwest, spring snow melt is leading to some of the worst flooding along the mississippi river in more than 20 years. communities in minnesota, iowa, and wisconsin are busy filling sandbags as water levels are nearing all-time records and are still rising. cbs's omar villafranca is following this fast-moving system, and he is going to start us off tonight from dallas. good evening, omar. >> reporter: good evening. the texas governor isn't taking any chances.

he activated state emergency response crews, as severe weather hammers texas. tonight, the lone star state is getting slammed again by severe storms. in west texas, the national weather service is surveying the overnight storm damage east of lubbock. powerful thunderstorms brought baseball-sized hail and winds up to 90 miles per hour, smashing windows and denting car roofs. >> wow. >> reporter: it was a similar story for residents in central florida yesterday. a rare blanket of hail turning yards into layers of ice. to the north, it's a wet and soggy mess. >> we just need to keep a very close eye on the weather patterns up ahead. >> reporter: from north to south, melting snow has triggered flood warnings all along the mississippi river. in the town of wabasha, minnesota, streets are under water. meteorologist nick stewart from our cbs affiliate kgan is farther downstream. >> i am on the mississippi river near mcgregor, iowa. the river is currently in a major flood stage, behind me is indian aisle. >> reporter: melting snow in

the sierra nevada has communities racing for major flooding, brought on by near record warm temperatures. and yosemite national park will be off-limits to visitors starting friday, with temperatures expected to be 15 degrees above normal, leading to dangerous flooding. it could be a long night for people in north and central texas. some of those tornado watches don't expire until 10:00 p.m. norah? >> norah: omar villafranca, thank you very much. for more on the threats tonight and tomorrow, let's bring in meteorologist chris warren from our partners at the weather channel. good evening, chris. >> reporter: good evening, norah. more dangerous severe weather is expected across parts of the united states, including here where i am standing virtually in dallas. all generated by this big area of low pressure that is moving through the southern plains, damaging winds, hail, and tornadoes a possibility. tornado watch in effect until 10:00 this evening for this part of texas. the threat for damaging hail

possibly up to baseball sized, also exists in florida, not just possible, but it is likely there is going to be some severe weather in texas, louisiana, and into florida tonight. tomorrow, the threat includes more of the southeast, and once again, with damaging winds and hail, norah, it is possible there could be more tornadoes. >> norah: chris warren, thank you. there was graphic and disturbing testimony today in a new york city courtroom. a former columnist for "elle" magazine described in detail how she says former president donald trump raped her in a department store dressing room nearly 30 years ago. cbs's elaine quijano reports this trial can take place because of a new state law changing the statute of limitations. >> reporter: e. jean carroll took the stand in the civil trial against former president donald trump, and in graphic detail told jurors "i'm here because donald trump raped me." the former "elle" magazine writer and tv talk show host alleges trump overpowered her in

a new york department store dressing room in the mid-'90s. describing the alleged assault, she said, "he put his shoulder against me and held me against the wall. he put his whole weight on me. he pulled down my tights." and then, carroll says, that is when he raped her. carroll ever reported the alleged assault to police, but she says shortly after, she told two friends what happened. they are scheduled to testify. carroll first shared her story publicly in her 2019 autobiography. by then, it was too late for a criminal investigation, but a new york state law allowed carroll to file a civil lawsuit. trump says he has no plans to attend the trial and has repeatedly denied the allegations. what is the task for donald trump's attorneys, in this case? >> donald trump's attorneys must destroy this story. he has got to show this jury that the story of

tells this jury, is not e. jean carroll, that what she tells this jury, is not credible, and if he cannot destroy her credibility, she will carry the day. >> reporter: e. jean carroll is expected to be back on the stand tomorrow, where she will be cross-examined. the judge gave a stern warning to trump's attorneys, telling them if their client continues to post about this case, he could face potential liability. norah? >> norah: elaine quijano, thank you. well, now to the political turmoil brewing in montana. today, republican members of the state house voted to ban the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, democrat zooey zephyr, from the house floor. cbs's carter evans reports the censure comes after zephyr criticized republicans over their votes to ban gender-affirming medical care for minors. >> thank you, mr. speaker. >> reporter: just minutes before the vote to bar montana democrat zooey zephyr from speaking on the house floor, she

made an impassioned plea. >> today, i rise in defense of my community and of democracy itself. >> reporter: the public was banned from hearing after this scene on monday. when house leaders denied zephyr the opportunity to talk. [chanting "let her speak"] zephyr had spoken days earlier during a debate on montana's proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors. >> if you vote yes on this bill, you see the blood on your hands. >> reporter: today, the state's first openly transgender representative refused to apologize for those remarks. >> i have had friends who have taken their lives because of these bills, so when i rose up and said, "there is blood on your hands," i was not being hyperbolic. >> reporter: laws targeting gender-affirming care for minors have exploded around the country. 15 states now have bans in place. 17 more, including montana, are currently considering a ban. at the start of the year, just three state governments had bans. >> mr. speaker, 68 representatives vote aye, 32 have voted no. >> reporter: the decision to

ban her came from a majority republican house. >> when you shut out 11,000 montanans, it is no surprise those montanans will come and demand that their voices be heard. >> reporter: now, the vote was right down party lines and effectively silences her. she's not allowed to debate any legislation, and must vote remotely. now, the session only lasts a couple more weeks, but the debate over surgery and hormone therapy for children continues across the country. norah? >> norah: carter evans there in montana, thank you. back here in washington, president biden welcomed south korea's president to the white house today, where they called their bond "unbreakable," amid ongoing threats from north korea. but as cbs's ed o'keefe reports, the newly-announced candidate for reelection fielded questions today about his age. >> yes, how old i am, i can't even say the number. it doesn't register with me. >> reporter: president biden brushed off questions about his

age this afternoon, even as polls show most americans, even most democrats, consider it a real concern as he seeks reelection. >> they are going to see a race, and they are going to judge whether or not i have it or don't have it. >> reporter: today, republican presidential candidate nikki haley went so far as to question whether the 80-year-old president would live through a second term. >> the idea that he would make it until 86 years old is not -- is not something that i think is likely. >> reporter: when asked, mr. biden says he is ready for a rematch with the 76-year-old former president donald trump. >> i know the danger he presents to our democracy, and we have been down this road before. >> reporter: today's official business with the south korean president was focused on a dictator who has outlasted several u.s. administrations, north korea's kim jong un. ballistic missile tests by the north have increased in recent months, ratcheting up tensions on the peninsula. at the white house, the two men announced a new deterrence plan

that would allow american nuclear armed submarines to dock in south korea for the first time in more than 40 years. a symbolic warning to the north, even if it aggravates tensions with china. >> a nuclear attack by north korea against the united states or its allies will result in the end of whatever regime where to take such an action. >> reporter: the south korea state visit includes a state dinner tonight for hundreds of invited guests, and it is a taste of what is to come, as the president's reelection campaign begins. aides tell cbs news the goal early on is to keep him doing the actual job, while republicans keep duking it out on the campaign trail. norah? >> norah: ed o'keefe, thank you. disney sued florida governor ron desantis today, saying the potential republican presidential candidate has waged a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power" against their company. the federal lawsuit alleges that desantis retaliated against disney after it criticized a florida bill that bans classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. the governor and his allies then revoked the special tax district

that allowed disney to essentially self govern for nearly 60 years. turning now to the important issue of crime in america. nationwide crime rates are at an alarmingly high level, and tonight, we are focusing on the nation's capital, which has one of the highest rates in the country. through our reporting, we learned there are three major issues facing police department's across the country: a shortage of officers, gun violence, and repeat dangerous offenders who often end up back out on the streets. we spent hours with d.c. police chief robert contee, just tapped to join the fbi, to understand the crime facing america's cities. >> a lot more guns are in communities now. a lot more guns than what we experienced over the course of my time here in the police department. >> norah: one of the other problems is a shortage of orces rs.

a half-century low. >> whether it is d.c., new york, l.a., detroit, chicago, it doesn't matter. like everybody is having this struggle when it comes to recruiting and retaining police officers. >> norah: and do you have the funding to hire the police officers that you need? >> yes. >> norah: you do? >> yes, we do have the funding to hire. the challenge right now is really making sure that we have an environment that is supportive of our police officers, to make people want to be police officers. >> norah: last friday night, eight people were shot in the nation's capital, including a 12-year-old girl. we have the data right here from your website about d.c. crime. all crime up 25%. murder up 24%. motor vehicle theft up 107%. what's going on in our nation's capital? >> you talk specifically about the violent crime, earlier this year, we had a couple cases where we saw individuals, youino

reason, individuals who are unable to resolve disputes, simple arguments that turn into homicides, why? because people have access to illegal firearms. when they have access to illegal firearms, they use them, unfortunately. >> norah: crime rates across the u.s. are lower than they were in the '90s, but have jumped since 2019, becoming a major fear for americans. what do you say to a d.c. resident who was carjacked and decided to move out of the city? >> people obviously want to feel safe, but if there is any one person who moves out, any one person who doesn't feel safe, again, we've still got a lot of work to do. >> norah: making that work harder, the chief says, is a lack of prosecutions. last year, the district's u.s. attorney declined to prosecute two-thirds of people arrested by the mpd. i thought the whole idea of law enforcement was to enforce the law. >> it is. and when police officers enforce

the law, that is only one part of that criminal justice ecosystem. it's only one part of it because that case then again has to be prosecuted, like, people would assume, yeah, bad guy rob somebody, bad guy goes to jail, bad guy is not back out in the community. that is not necessarily the case. >> norah: i was stunned when you told me that the average homicide suspect has had 11 prior arrests. how is that possible? >> that is correct. that is of the state of affairs, unfortunately. >> norah: well, about that state of affairs, we checked with the u.s. attorney's office, and the spokesperson told us it prosecutes violent crime aggressively, and they said that every firearms offense that they believe they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. tomorrow night, we are going to take a closer look at illegal guns and their prevalence on america's streets. while spring is in full bloom, that unfortunately means allergy season is upon us. all of us, including me. approximately 81 million americans suffer from seasonal allergies, and it is only getting worse. so, in tonight's "health watch," cbs's errol barnett tells us why

and he does have some advice on how to manage your symptoms. >> reporter: for many, spring flowers are a welcome sight, but for a growing number of the consistently congested, pollen is painful. >> your eyes become red and watery, constant runny nose. >> reporter: ryan pfister says he has been suffering from seasonal allergies his entire life. >> definitely it feels longer, and i suffer for longer periods of time. >> reporter: he's right. allergy season is getting longer, starting 20 days earlier and lasting ten days more. what differences are you seeing, as far as patients coming to you, suffering with allergies? >> the allergies have been unusually more severe. the most important factor that we are seeing is the climate change. >> reporter: that's increasing the amount of pollen in the air by more than 20%. pfister is now receiving immunotherapy treatment in the

form of weekly allergy shots, gradually relieving his symptoms. >> there are a lot of people that just have mild allergies that can be controlled with minimizing their exposure, as well as just taking antihistamines or prescription medications. >> reporter: for those looking to minimize pollen exposure, doctors suggest checking the pollen count, changing your clothes and showering once home to remove pollen particles from your body, keeping windows closed, and installing high-efficiency filters in your home's ventilation system. if you're taking allergy medicine, start at least two weeks before the season begins. now, allergies can lead to conjunctivitis, better known as pink eye, but doctors are now concerned because it could also be a symptom of covid. they advise not running your eyes at all, and norah, i know you suffer with allergies, as i do. they suggest washing hands regularly. >> norah: i'm doing it. washing my hands. errol barnett, thank you so much. all right, a manhunt is underway for three inmates on the run. that's next. ♪ ♪ cool. you're all set.

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i'm norah o'donnell. good night. ♪ ♪ now at 7:00, new video just released that appears to show former san francisco fire commissioner spraying homeless people with some kind of pepper spray not once, but twice and those are just the times it was captured on camera, how the tables may have turned for the former fire commissioner who claims he was brutally attacked first. meanwhile, elizabeth homes remains free at least another week, the latest ploy to stay out of prison. what to expect from an antioch city council meeting tonight as fallout from racist and homophobic text messages sent by dozens of city police officers continues. then the weeks long waiting game, local high schoolers have to deal with after they graduate as if getting your

degree wasn't already stressful enough. this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. >> we begin tonight with those explosive new developments, including new surveillance video in the case of former san francisco fire commissioner don carmignani with the city public defender's office saying today he may be responsible for as many as eight unsolved assaults against unhoused people. katie nielsen has the details on this quickly evolving case. >> reporter: the public defender's office believes don carmignani is the person in this video taken in the marina in november 2021. >> on the same vote that mr. carmignani lives it shows a man asleep on the sidewalk. he sprays this bear spray at the homeless not just passing by, but focusing on the victim's face. >> reporter: the public defender says this is one of eight