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news" starts now. ♪ ♪ >> maurice: tonight, 62 million americans are under threat of severe weather from alabama to new york. good evening and thank you for being with us on this memorial day. i am maurice dubois in for norah o'donnell. tonight, storms a part of the same system that brought deadly tornadoes to the central u.s. this weekend. this is valley view, texas, where tornadoes bulldozed through, turning homes into unrecognizable piles of lumber and metal. at least 23 people have been killed, including two children, in texas, arkansas, oklahoma, kentucky, and virginia. the force of the winds clear from the sheer scale of the damage tonight. now that system is drenching parts of the northeast, slowing down returning travelers. more than 5,000 flights have been delayed in major hubs like atlanta, chicago, and new york, with alerts posted up and down the east coast. cbs's meg oliver starts us off with more on these catastrophic storms. >> reporter: shattered homes and debris litter the landscape across valley view, texas, after saturday night's tornado killed seven people, including two children, in cook county. others barely survived. >> the loudest thing i'd ever heard. never been through anything like that before. >> reporter: a dark, terrifying scene as an ef2 tornado with 135-mile-per-hour winds ripped through this truck stop. hugo parra shouted for everyone to take shelter in the bathrooms. mangled metal is all that is left. today, cbs's dave malkoff spoke with parra, who witnesses say, he may have saved more than 100 lives. >> and i say, let's go to the restrooms. go, go, go! and everybody listened, and everybody go to the restrooms. >> i can't do anything! >> cover your head. >> reporter: as that same tornado hit, best friends velenia gill and brenda thought they were driving away from the storm, but instead, drove right into it. >> i feel for everybody else that is injured and don't have homes or clothes. >> reporter: the powerful series of storms rolled through seven southern states, packing dangerous winds and hail in some areas, spawning more than 40 reported tornadoes that killed at least 23 people. >> i would say that i am 100% sure it's going to be delayed. >> reporter: the severe storms are now moving here in the northeast. frustration brewed as hundreds of flights canceled and delayed at maor airports, including boston, new york, and new jersey. >> we were trying to find any other flight for today. they said, no, nothing is going out today because of the weather. >> reporter: as millions of people try to get home tonight, the airports seeing the most delays and cancellations include atlanta, new york, and here at newark, with more than 100 flights delayed close to two hours. maurice? >> maurice: oh, boy. okay, meg oliver in new jersey, thank you. and there is more severe weather in the forecast tonight into tomorrow. so let's bring in meteorologist mike bettes from our partners at the weather channel. good evening, mike. >> reporter: maurice, good evening. a weekend full of tornadoes and severe storms, and that continues into tonight and tomorrow. you can see a large area across the northeast with a lot of storms right through the night, even early morning hours. then most of that clears by midmorning tomorrow. down into the south, including in texas, some discreet super cells. what we are watching for, 75-mile-per-hour winds, the possibility of some incredibly large hail with these storms and can't rule out tornadoes. right through the heart of texas is going to be the target for those storms. and yes, dallas to san antonio and houston all get hit. and because there is so much rain in our forecast in isolated pockets, 3-5 inches of rain, and extending all the way through the plains, we could see some flooding, maurice, that could extend all the way through the end of the week. >> maurice: okay, mike bettes, thank you. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu tonight calling a fiery air strike on a tent camp in rafah a tragic mistake. at least 45 people are dead, hundreds more wounded in that camp for displaced palestinians. those numbers are only increasing the international condemnation of israel. cbs's imtiaz tyab is in east jerusalem with the disturbing images of the aftermath. >> reporter: following the series of air strikes by israeli warplanes, fire raged through the makeshift encampment in rafah's tel al sultan area in what is being described as the tent massacre. the horrifying aftermath defies belief. bodies burnt beyond recognition. a man holding the body of a child beheaded from the force of the blast. as first responders rushed to treat those who were sheltering in what was a designated safe zone for civilians. by morning, a "cbs news" team had made it to the western rafah neighborhood where survivors, mainly families, gathered in shock at what happened. and as children dug through the scorched remains of a food distribution tent, trying to salvage whatever they could with their bare hands. israel insists it targeted a hamas compound in which "significant hamas terrorists were operating." but at a nearby hospital, one of the few still functioning in gaza, the vast majority of the dead and wounded were children. parents inconsolable with grief. "they burned the people. they burned them," he says. "they burned the whole neighborhood!" just days ago, the u.n.'s top court ordered israel to halt its offensive in rafah to protect the huge number of civilians there. but since then, the israeli military has only intensified its attacks. the air strikes on the safe zone came just hours after hamas launched eight rockets from gaza towards tel aviv, the first since january. most were intercepted by the iron dome missile defense system, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. while for months now, president biden has warned a major israeli offensive there would be a "red line," maurice, even pausing a shipment of bombs to israel over concerns for the safety of civilians. >> maurice: imtiaz tyab in east jerusalem tonight. thank you. police in los angeles are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a former tv soap actor. 37-year-old johnny wactor was best known for his role on "general hospital." family members say wactor was killed early saturday when he approached three men who were trying to steal the catalytic converter from his car. they are a common target and thieves sell them for the preciou metals inside. turning to the presidential election. tonight, we are a month away from the first debate, a head-to-head rematch between the current and former president. as donald trump returns to a manhattan courtroom tomorrow for closing arguments in the so-called hush money trial. cbs's robert costa with a look ahead. >> reporter: donald trump spent memorial day weekend campaigning. >> going to be a great race. >> reporter: something he has had little time to do during the past six weeks of his historic criminal trial. tuesday kicks off with closing arguments. jury instructions from the judge expected wednesday, followed by jury deliberations. a verdict could come as early as this week. >> closing arguments are the one time that a lawyer is allowed to truly persuade a jury, to be theatrical, if they are theatrical, but to be authentic. >> reporter: the prosecution could remind jurors of stormy daniels' testimony about the alleged sexual encounter with trump and is expected to point to former fixer michael cohen's testimony that trump was directly involved in the hush money payments to daniels. trump's lawyers, meanwhile, will argue michael cohen's word cannot be trusted, and to avoid conviction, they will need to persuade at least one juror that prosecutors have failed to prove trump is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. >> reporter: the jury of seven men and five women, including two lawyers, will deliberate in secret, and there is no time limit. trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the daniels payments, and jurors will need to evaluate each count. trump's attempts to win over libertarian voters at their convention saturday was met by heckles and loud boos. >> the libertarian party should nominate trump for president of the united states. [boos] whoa. that's nice. >> reporter: he fired back at the raucous crowd. >> only do that if you want to win. if you want to lose, don't do that. keep getting your 3% every four years. >> reporter: sources close to president biden tell me he is watching all of this and will soon speak out more about trump's character, linking that issue to his broader argument that trump is a threat to american democracy. maurice? >> maurice: robert costa, thank you. today, the nation paused to honor the service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. ♪ ♪ biden took part in the solemn memorial day tradition at arlington national cemetery, laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier. the president said freedom is never guaranteed, and every generation has to fight for it and defend it. tonight, the sports world is remembering basketball hall of famer bill walton. the two-time nba champion died today at 71 after a long battle with cancer. cbs's elise preston on one of the most colorful characters in the game, on and off the court. >> reporter: everything about bill walton was outsized, from his hall of fame career... >> walton, nice move. >> take a bite out of it while it's lit. >> reporter: to his over-the-top personality. for decades, he treated basketball fans to colorful, quirky commentary. >> this could be eaten, this could be burnt as fuel. >> reporter: but on the court, it was his dominant play that did all the talking, winning two national championships at ucla for legendary coach john wooden, and then two nba titles with the portland trail blazers and boston celtics. walton always embraced the counteculture, arrested as a ucla student opposing the war in vietnam, and advocating for marijuana before it became legal. tributes have poured in from some of the game's greatest who see walton as one of the best to ever play, his enthusiasm always infectious. >> it doesn't get any better than this! >> reporter: bill walton lived his entire life to the fullest. elise preston, cbs news, los angeles. >> maurice: an american original. if you are beach-bound this summer, head's up before you grab your sunscreen. why sunblock sold here in the u.s. may not be the most effective. and later, "eye on america" with a group of veterans fighting for medical benefits over a top-secret mission from the cold war. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ et mission from the cold war. ♪ ♪ love. some things should stand the test of time. long lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision and can help you go up to 4 months between treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness, or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eyla hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen. there's an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most common side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury, and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today, for the potential for fewer injections. so, i didn't think i needed swiffer. until... i saw how easily it picked up my hair every time i dried it. it only takes a minute. look at that! the heavy duty cloths are extra thick for amazing trap and lock. even for his hair. wow! and for dust i love my heavy duty duster. the fluffy fibers trap dust on contact up high and all around without having to lift a thing. i'm so hooked! you'll love swiffer or your money back! 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(vo) purina one true instinct. a difference from day one. i couldn't get my hair done. then psoriatic arthritis. cosentyx works on both for me. people with psoriasis on the scalp have a 4 times higher risk for psoriatic arthritis. serious allergic reactions, severe skin reactions that look like eczema, and an increased risk of infections, some fatal, have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to, or if ibd symptoms develop or worsen. still workin' for me. ♪see me.♪ ♪ ♪ >> maurice: as we honor our fallen troops on this memorial day, we are also focusing on a group of veterans who say they cannot get their desperately needed medical benefits. the vets say they were exposed to radiation during a top-secret cold war mission, so secret the military still will not acknowledge it. dave savini of cbs news chicago with tonight's "eye on america." >> reporter: it was the mid-1980s. mark ely was in his 20s, a physically fit air force technician, inspecting secretly obtained soviet fighter jets. their engines roaring inside hidden hangars, called hush houses. >> when you were at that moment, everything is shaking, your hands are shaking, your eyes are shaking, your brain is shaking. >> reporter: the work was part of a classified mission in the nevada desert, 140 miles outside of las vegas, at the tonopah test range, sometimes referred to as area 52. the mission was so under wraps, ely had to sign this nondisclosure agreement. >> upholding the national interest was more important than my own life. >> reporter: that is not just talk. >> the loss of my health -- >> reporter: ely, now 63 and living in naperville, illinois, is confronting life-threatening consequences. >> it scarred my lungs and i got cysts on my liver. >> reporter: from the radiation, he says, he was exposed to there. >> i started having lipomas, tumors inside my body that i started having removed. my lining in bladder my was shed. >> reporter: for decades, the u.s. government conducted nuclear bomb tests near area 52. according to a federal environmental assessment from 1975, those tests scattered toxic and radioactive materials nearby. >> someone made a decision that your lives and the risk was worth it for our country. >> yes. >> reporter: all these years later, his service records include many assignments, but not the mission inside tonopah test range, which means he can't prove he was ever there. >> coverup? >> right. that's right. there is this slogan people say, deny, deny, until you die. it's kind of true here. >> and the only reason why it is becoming known now is because of all the illnesses. >> it was because of all the illnesses. >> reporter: dave crete says he also worked at the same site as a military police officer. he has breathing issues, including chronic bronchitis, and even had to have a tumor removed from his back. he spent the last eight years tracking down hundreds of other veterans who worked where he did. >> so you have seen bladder cancer, liver