>> norah: relentless severe storms slammed the south. >> what the [bleep]! >> norah: tonight, the devastation from another tornado outbreak, as more than 200,000 customers are without power after a wild week of weather. >> i went right in the house in the nick of time. they just tore everything up. >> norah: tonight, the multi-day threat with large hail pelting parts of texas. the "cbs evening news" starts now. ♪ ♪ good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us on this friday night. we want to begin with a story we have led this broadcast with almost every night this week: deadly and dangerous storms unleashing fury and dozens of tornadoes from michigan to florida. a line of severe thunderstorms, winds gusting above hurricane force, and tornadoes tore through the florida panhandle, including the city of tallahassee, early this morning. this drone video shows the long trail of destruction to homes and businesses. roofs you can see, in some cases, completely gone. massive chunks of hail battered parts of central texas, with some pieces bigger than a baseball. cbs's cristian benavides will start us off tonight from tallahassee, where he saw the destruction up close. >> reporter: fierce, howling winds slammed into tallahassee early this morning. packing powerful, 84 mile-per-hour winds, which left behind widespread destruction, ripped off rooftops, tossed vehicles, downed power lines, and toppled trees. >> there's trees in people houses, you got trees on top of houses. this is some of the worst storm i done seen since i've been in tallahassee. >> reporter: just west in crestview, this gas station awning was shredded into pieces, scattered several blocks. it's part of a weather system that's been wreaking havoc across the south and much of the central midwest. near record hail the size of melons fell in johnson city, texas, damaging homes and forcing residents to seek shelter. >> y'all, look at the pool. >> reporter: back in tallahassee, business owner% anna edson mcbride says part of her roof is missing, but she still feels lucky. >> my optimism has been my faith for a really long time, and somehow, i think that it will, it will still be there for me. >> reporter: nearly every business here in the art district has suffered substantial damage, and norah, that art studio owner that we spoke to, she said that she has lived here in tallahassee for ten years. she has gone through two hurricanes, and that she has never seen storm damage like this. norah? >> norah: wow. cristian benavides, thank you for being there. donald trump will be back in a new york courtroom on monday for his so-called hush money trial, and cbs news has learned his longtime fixer michael cohen will take the stand. today, the judge cracked down on cohen, telling him he needed to stop taunting donald trump after cohen wore a shirt on social media depicting the former president behind bars. it comes after a week of dizzying testimony of sex and innuendo from adult film star stormy daniels. we get more now from cbs's robert costa. >> reporter: former president donald trump closed a fourth week in court, frustrated stormy daniels had testified in detail about an alleged sexual encounter he denies. >> everything you have been watching has nothing to do with the case. >> reporter: daniels took a swipe at trump online, writing, "real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. oh, wait, never mind." prosecutors say daniels was a key witness. she accepted a $130,000 payment from trump's former attorney michael cohen before the 2016 election, in exchange for keeping quiet about her story. on the stand friday, former white house aide madeleine westerhout testified about a 2017 oval office meeting, where prosecutors say trump and cohen discussed those payments. are you ready to testify? >> yes. >> reporter: as the prosecution's star witness, cohen will take the stand on monday to lay out his account of how he and trump allegedly falsified records to suppress daniels' story, which trump has denied. >> did you know about the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels? >> no. >> then why did michael cohen make it if there was no truth to her allegations? >> reporter: cohen's credibility will be intensely scrutinized by the defense. he has served jail time on federal charges related to the hush money payments. >> yes, i lied to congress, at the direction of, in coordination with, and for the benefit of donald j. trump. >> reporter: cohen could be a decisive witness, but also a wild card, according to cbs news legal analyst rikki klieman. >> he is going to be expansive in his answers, probably much more than the prosecution would like. and certainly going to be a difficult witness for the defense to control. >> norah: and robert costa joins us now. and robert, there is news tonight about another member of trump's inner circle, former circle. >> reporter: for former white house strategist steve bannon, a legal reckoning. an appellate court ruled bannon was rightfully convicted of contempt of congress and he now faces a four month prison sentence. what the committee was trying to find out in the house january 6th committee was what bannon told trump behind the scenes in the days ahead of the capitol attack. >> norah: and he still won't say? >> reporter: he still won't talk. but he is on his podcast every day, but he won't not talk to congress or the courts. >> norah: robert costa, thank you so much. two schools in virginia are getting new names. actually, they are old names, the names of confederate officers. the shenandoah county school board is the first in the nation to revert to names from before the racial reckoning of 2020. and as cbs's nikole killion reports, the community is fiercely divided over the move. >> let the record show that the motion carried. >> reporter: in a 5-1 vote, the shenandoah county, virginia, school board voted to restore the names of two schools to confederate generals after a heated, hours-long meeting. >> why are we here tonight? to go back to a time in history that was very cruel. >> everyone is going to think that we are racist rednecks. and that's not okay. >> reporter: the schools were initially stripped of their confederate names in 2020, after massive protests surrounding the death of george floyd. >> our streets! >> reporter: mountain view high schoolwill be renamed for confederate general stonewall jackson, while honey run elementary school will bear the names of two confederate generals, robert e. lee and turner ashby. do you see this as a slap in the face to african americans who live in this community? >> it is absolutely the slap in the face to african americans, and quite frankly, the school board, as it is currently comprised, made a decision to go against the will of the people there. >> i respond by saying hopefully this can open up dialogue where people can sit down and civilly discuss issues such as this. >> reporter: mike scheibe said the renaming process four years ago was flawed. >> the process, it was not followed, and people were not given a voice in their own government, which, i mean, that is the cornerstone of our republic. >> reporter: the virginia naacp told me it is considering potential action. some board members are defending their votes, but earlier, a school administration building was placed on lockdown as a precaution following a threat on social media. norah? >> norah: nikole killion, thank you. turning overseas, russian officials are investigating a terrifying commuter bus crash today on a bridge in historic st. petersburg. seven people are dead. several others are badly hurt, and the bus driver is in custody. cbs's chris livesay has the dramatic video. >> reporter: captured on surveillance footage, the moment a st. petersburg bus jerks across the median, collides head on with oncoming traffic, then plunges into the moyka river with some 20 passengers on board. several bystanders leapt to the rescue. "they just dove in with their clothes on and helped," says this witness, as others try to save more with life preservers. russian authorities reportedly said the owner of the bus had been cited nearly two dozen times previously. the driver has been detained. "either he was stearing erratically or the brakes failed," accounts this witness. the bus driver's wife blamed exhaustion, telling russian media he had been forced to work a morning shift after driving for 20 hours the day before. chris livesay, cbs news. >> norah: now to some breaking news. a brand-new report from the biden administration says israel may have violated international human law -- humanitarian law in gaza, and may be misusing u.s. weapons. but the report does say that the u.s. cannot make a definitive assessment. cbs's ramy inocencio is in tel aviv with the latest. >> reporter: with eastern rafah encircled by israeli tanks, hamas launched at least six rockets. the projectiles fell into southern israel. no one was hurt. israel attacked sites from central gaza to the south, as its war cabinet greenlit the military to deepen its operations in rafah. retired army general israel ziv explains the tactics. >> go through the main street with a combination both of tanks, infantry, and air support. >> reporter: block by block? >> block by block. we don't have any other choice. >> reporter: as israel's military advances, more than 110,000 people have evacuated rafah since last weekend, says the u.n. satellite images show white tent camps disappearing across three days. "there is no choice," said this displaced man. "we have to go to the coast like everyone else." the u.n. in gaza tells us the strip only has three days worth of food left. general ziv says he believes prime minister netanyahu is making a mistake with this operation. >> so the issue of rafah is not actually rafah. it's about the decision the day after rafah. and i think that netanyahu cannot avoid that decision anymore. >> reporter: and that day after decision is who will be in charge of gaza if peace can be reached? ziv said the corrupt palestinian authority is not the best choice, but it is the lesser of two evils compared to hamas. norah? >> norah: ramy inocencio, thank you. back here at home, that war is still stoking unrest on college campuses, especially with graduation season underway. just today at mit, police officers in helmets and riot gear cleared out a pro-palestinian encampment. ten protesters who refused to leave were arrested. there were similar scenes at upenn, with police arresting 33 people and breaking down tents. and at the university of arizona in tucson, police in riot gear used tear gas against protesters. schools are taking different approaches to handling protests on campus, with very different outcomes. one school that stands out is sacramento state. cbs's elise preston goes "in depth" for an exclusive interview with the university's president. >> reporter: even the peaceful tree-lined campus of sacramento state has not been immune to protests. >> free, free palestine! >> so i am definitely running without sleep. >> reporter: this week, university president luke wood oversaw a peaceful end. the encampment here came down, not with violence, but with dialogue. >> we want to take the time to thank luke wood for not following suit after other administrations and not calling sacramento police. >> that is what a lot of students are really looking for, to take a moral stance about what is taking place in the world. >> reporter: he leads with empathy. the 42-year-old grew up in foster care, suffered bouts of hunger and homelessness, and received his degrees here. >> i did 92 listening sessions, 75 minutes each, with over 1500 of our students, faculty, staff. >> reporter: there were several schools across the country, you saw police move in with riot gear. this isn't a war zone. it's a college campus. >> well, i got to first tell you how i feel as a person and as an individual. and really, as a black man. i get a heightened level of anxiety. when people are in fear, they respond in a protected mechanism, which doesn't always lead to the best outcomes. >> reporter: this protest ended as the university shared a new policy that excludes direct investments in corporations "that violate fundamental human rights." >> we are not investing in students' future by engaging in relationships with companies that profit from war. >> reporter: political science major sarah bukhari was inside the encampment. >> i do feel heard. i'm not going to lie to you, i cried a couple times. my whole life, no one has asked me what i thought about the arab -- u.s.-arab relations. >> reporter: what is the message? >> it is to create an environment where people can engage in honest and open dialogue without being vilified or canceled. >> reporter: across the country, college presidents have faced backlash from alumni and donors. wood says he has, too, but his focus remains on the students who call sacramento state home. norah? >> norah: it has cost some presidents their jobs. elise preston, thank you. the pageant scandal within the miss usa organization, and later, "on the road," with a mother's day wish that came true, and then some.♪ ♪ mother's day wish that came true, and then some. ♪ ♪ d... but instead remade over and over... into the things that keep our food fresher, our families safer, and our planet cleaner. to help us get there, america's plastic makers are investing billions of dollars to create innovative products and new recycling technologies for sustainable change. because when you push for smarter solutions, big things can happen. 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[cheers and applause] >> reporter: noelia voigt wrote her relationship with the pageant was unendurable and said she had been diagnosed with anxiety because of the mental and emotional toll it had taken. in a resignation letter provided to cbs news by a source, voigt also said there is a toxic work environment within the miss usa organization. voigt also said she was made to feel unsafe at events, including an experience where she claims she was sexually harassed at a christmas parade. voigt announced she was stepping down from her role monday in an instagram post. >> there is breaking news right now, and there is a secret code involved. >> reporter: some social media users noticed the first letters of the sentences starting the post spelled "i am silenced." miss usa contestants sign restrictive nondisclosure agreements that bar them from speaking about the pageant without the organization's approval. juliana morehouse is last year's miss maine. she said her experience with the pageant was positive, but she is calling for the organization to release voigt from her nda. >> we want noelia to be able to speak on her experiences so that there can be some transparency. >> reporter: natalie morales, cbs news, new york. >> norah: the miss usa pageant said in a statement to cbs news, "we are committed to fostering a healthy, communicative, and supportive environment." the northern lights will put on a dazzling display in parts of the u.s. where you will have a chance to see them, that's next. ♪ ♪ will have a chance to see them, that's next. ♪ ♪ i needed more from my antidepressant. vraylar helped give it a lift. adding vraylar to an antidepressant is clinically proven to help relieve overall depression symptoms better than an antidepressant alone. and in vraylar clinical studies, most saw no substantial impact on weight. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles, or confusion, as these may be life-threatening, or uncontrolled muscle movements, which may be permanent. high blood sugar, which can lead to coma or death, weight gain, and high cholesterol may occur. movement dysfunction and restlessness are common side effects. stomach and sleep issues, dizziness, increased appetite, and fatigue are also common. side effects may not appear for several weeks. i didn't have to change my treatment. i just gave it a lift. ask about vraylar and learn how abbvie could help you save. i thought i was sleeping ok... but i was waking up so tired. then i tried new zzzquil sleep nasal strips. their four—point lift design opens my nose for maximum air flow. so, i breathe better. and we both sleep better. and stay married. salonpas lidocaine flex. a super thin, flexible patch with maximum otc strength lidocaine that contours to the body to relieve pain right where it hurts. and did we mention, it really, really sticks? salonpas, it's good medicine. >> n >> norah: keep an eye to the sky this weekend. millions of americans could be in for a special viewing of the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis. a series of solar flares and eruptions from the sun have prompted scientists at noaa to issue their first severe geomagnetic storm watch in nearly 20 years, and while there could be communications disruptions and power outages, there will also be a spectacular light show, possibly visible across much of the northern u.s. 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[laughter] it started with a laugh. jennifer had been off life support but still in a coma when her mom said something funny. and that was it. >> oh, lord have mercy. >> reporter: a year later, jennifer came home. although she still can't walk and struggles to speak, her mind is sharp and her heart filled with joy. what's the best part about being back among us? >> everything. >> reporter: everything? >> yeah. >> reporter: she especially loves visiting with her boys. and as for peggy, the mom who made these moments possible, this mother's day may be her best one ever. because even though she won't be getting flowers or candy, jennifer can now muster those words that matter most. and deliver them as sincerely as they've ever been spoken. >> i love you. >> reporter: you love your mom. >> yeah. >> reporter: steve hartman, "on the road," in dowagiac, michigan. >> norah: there can be nothing good evening. another beach day for much of the bay area. how long will it last? at least one more day of hot temperatures for inland parts of the bay area. some of us cooling down already. breaking down all of the details in the first alert forecast. it was once known as the harlem of the west with the lively jazz clubs and thriving businesses. then, families were forced to move out. >> it is hard. just being in the home that we grew up in and the fact that she left and did not want to leave >> now, the vibrant history is coming to life again thanks to the theater. and, we will take you under ground to see the work to make the south bay largest reservoir seismically safe. >> we are touching a reservoir with this tunnel. we are below water. a look at the moving parts for this multibillion dollar project. >> this is cbs news, bay area. with juliette goodrich. it is 7:00 and we kickoff the weekend with more summer-like conditions for much of the bay area. if you got an early start, the beach was certainly a perfect place to be. we saw families enjoying the water at the crown beach where it was in the 70s. the big question, will the temperatures stick around for mother's day in with that we go to paul. >> it looks like '