ou yiu is for you. exactly. yvonne yiu. democrat for controller. ♪ ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight as we come on the air this friday night, news about the state of the american economy, a solid job market despite more americans living paycheck to paycheck. strong hiring from hotels to airlines as unemployment nears its lowest level in 50 years. but on wall street, stocks fall again after a wild week. breaking news: millions more in aid to ukraine as first lady jill biden is in the region, thanking u.s. troops. the battle for mariupol. russia's desperate bid to declare victory. mystery children's illness. the c.d.c. investigates the deaths of five kids and more than 100 sick with pediatric hepatitis. the symptoms parents should look out for. deadly explosion in cuba.

what caused the blast that killed at least nine, injuring dozens more? shooting missiles into mexico? the request from former president trump. >> i was reluctant to tell this story because i think-- i thought, people won't believe this. >> o'donnell: tonight's other top headlines: the w.n.b.a. season tips off with one of its biggest stars detained in russia. a car linked to an escape prisoner and corrections officer found. plus, raising a child with extra medical needs while in a military family. >> i know that my husband has said that he would give his life for our country, but we never thought they'd ask for our daughter's. >> o'donnell: and finally "on the road," a record-breaking horse who never made the winner's circle. >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west, and thank you for joining us on this friday night. we're going to get to those job

numbers and the state of the u.s. economy in just a moment. but first we have some breaking news tonight. president biden just announcing a new $150 million security package for ukraine. at the pentagon today, spokesman john kirby confirmed the u.s. is providing intelligence to the ukrainians to help them defend themselves, including in sinking a russian warship. kirby said the kind of intelligence provided is legitimate, lawful, and limited. in mariupol, ukrainian forces are making a last stand against a russian onslaught against that besieged steel plant. russia is stepping up their attacks ahead of moscow's victory day celebration on may 9. and look at this. the italian government today ordered the seizure of a luxury super-yacht, the $700 million ship has been linked to vladimir putin, and was reportedly getting ready to set sail. meanwhile, first lady jill biden is on a four-day visit to eastern europe, thanking u.s. troops deployed to the region to deter russian aggression. we have a lot of news to get to

tonight, and cbs' debora patta will start us off from kyiv. good evening, debora. >> reporter: good evening. heavy fighting continues at that azovstal steel plant, making the evacuation of civilians slow and perilous. around 15 made it out safely today, but there are still many more inside with them, ukrainian soldiers who remain defiant. ♪ ♪ ♪ ukrainian soldiers holed up for over two months inside the plant might be delaying the inevitable, but they are the only defense against russia gaining full control of mariupol. nobody expected them to hold out for so long. this is what the city looked like just after the start of the war. look at it now. trapped alongside the fighters, over 100 civilians. the kremlin had promised another cease-fire today to allow them safe passage, but it's unclear how successful it's been.

fighting along several fronts has intensified ahead of russia's version of v-day. that's when president vladimir putin is reportedly hoping to celebrate a major victory in this war. instead, he's facing accusations of war crimes, to date, over 9,000, and ukraine is wasting no time building its case, gathering evidence of executions, torture, and rape, as well as proof that residential areas were deliberately targeted. just look at these homes. every single one of them has been hit in one way or another. and this is repeated over and over again in towns and villages across the country. using drones, videos, and cameras, oleksi komandyrov is documenting the devastation caused when russia declared war on these civilians. you've been going street after street after street seeing this every single day for a month now?

>> yeah, yeah. more than a month. >> reporter: it's a daunting task. it's grim. "yes, but everyone works on different front lines," he told us. "our armed forces are defending us, and this is my front line." his work has only just begun. in a show of unity, both presidents biden and zelenskyy will attend a virtual meeting of g7 leaders sunday. their focus: building on the already unprecedented sanctions against their russian counterpart. norah. >> o'donnell: debora patta, thank you. let's turn now to the economy let's turn now to which remains strong despite rising inflation numbers. the labor department says employers added 428,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate stayed at 3.6%, nearly a half century low. that didn't stop the markets from falling for the second straight day. all three indexes closed in the red, with the nasdaq dropping the most. we get more now from cbs' carter

evans. >> reporter: americans are back to work in record numbers. two million jobs created just this year, more than 6.5 million in the last 12 months. and while paychecks are up, too, many workers say it's just not enough. >> it's very disheartening. >> reporter: daniela capparelli recently got a job in florida that pays $30,000 more than her last one. has it made a huge difference in your life? >> honestly, in the past year or so, it hasn't because with gas prices going up, groceries going up, just everything going up in general.ter: when did yo >> reporter: when did you start to notice that things were feeling tighter? >> you know, it's just actually hit me more in the last couple of weeks. >> reporter: virginia mosier is a kindergarten teacher in las vegas. even though she makes more than the average teacher salary of $61,000, she's cutting back. >> i go out and buy a lot of stuff for my class, prizes, little things for the end of the year, and it's a struggle now. >> reporter: median yearly wages in the u.s. are just under $52,000 and many salaries fall

well below that, including bank tellers, office clerks and flight attendants. scott sanborn is c.e.o. of online bank lending club. its research suggests the number of people living paycheck to paycheck jumped to 64% in march, including nearly half of workers making more than $100,000 a year. why do you think so many six- figure earners are living paycheck to paycheck? >> housing, education, and healthcare are rising at a much, much faster pace than wages. >> reporter: for capparelli, that means her dream of owning a home is still out of reach. >> you work so hard to try to achieve that american dream of buying a house and being financially stable, and no matter what you do, costs are rising, and it puts us at a disadvantage. >> reporter: at a recent survey of college students suggests they're expecting to make big money in their first jobs out of school, more than $100,000 a year. but here's a reality check: the

average college grad starting salary is about half that, $55,000 a year. norah. >> o'donnell: carter evans, thanks so much. tonight, rescue efforts are underway in downtown havana, cuba, following a deadly explosion at an historic hotel. authorities say at least nine people were killed and dozens more were injured in the explosion that tore through several floors of the building. officials fear the death toll could rise as emergency crews search for the missing. the hotel saratoga is undergoing renovations, so no guests were there. officials say a gas leak appears to be the most likely cause. all right now to more of our interview with former defense secretary mark esper for his new book "a sacred oath." on this sunday's "60 minutes," esper describes when president trump suggested launching a secret missile attack on a neighboring country. >> the president pulls me aside on at least a couple of occasions and suggests maybe we have the u.s. military shoot missiles into mexico. >> o'donnell: shoot missiles into mexico for what? >> he would say to go after the

cartels. and we would have this private discussion where i would say, "mr. president, you know, i understand the motive." because he was very serious about dealing with drugs in america. i get that. we all understand. but i had to explain to him we can't do that. it would violate international law. it would be terrible for our neighbors to the south. it would, you know, impact us in so many ways. why don't we do this instead? >> o'donnell: you politely pushed back on the idea. did president trump really say, "no one would know it was us?" >> yes. yes. he said that. and i just thought it was fanciful, right? because of course it would be us. i was reluctant to tell this story because i think-- i thought people won't believe this, that they'll think i'm just making it up. and folks in-- in trump's orbit will dispute it. and then i was having dinner after the election in 2020 with a fellow cabinet member, and he said to me, he goes, "you know, remember that time when president trump suggested you

shoot missiles into mexico?" and i said to him, "you heard that?" he goes, "oh, yeah, i couldn't believe it. i couldn't believe how well yout managed and talked him down from that." at that moment i knew i have to write the story because i have at least one witness who will verify this really happened. >> o'donnell: cbs news reached out to president trump. in a statement he told us, "no comment." you can see more of our interview with former defense secretary mark esper sunday night on "60 minutes." tonight, the w.n.b.a.'s 26th season is kicking off without one of its biggest stars. u.s. officials say brittney griner has been wrongfully detained in russia since mid- february. there is a full court press to free the phoenix mercury all-star. here's cbs' nikole killion. >> one on one, griner. >> reporter: instead of being part of the opening lineup... >> griner turns, forces and finishes. >> reporter: ...brittney griner's initials and jersey number 42 will be emblazoned on the hard wood by all 12 teams as the w.n.b.a. season officially

tips off. >> it's nice we are doing the floor thing. i wish she was here physically. it's just not the same without her. >> reporter: allie quigley and courtney vandersloot both played with griner in russia before her arrest in february at a moscow airport on drug charges. >> we were obviously there when it happened, and it could have been any of us. >> reporter: griner's wife, sharel posted a video of her hugging brittney while social media tributes have poured in with the hashtag #wearebg. it's been 78 days since the detention of the wnba all-star, who was last spotted at a court hearing in march. cbs news has learned former u.n. ambassador bill richardson is now assisting griner's family, while the state department signaled a more-aggressive posture this week. >> we now consider brittney griner to be a case of wrongful detention. >> reporter: griner currently plays for the phoenix mercury, but stood to earn much more playing overseas. >> this is a pay equity issue.

>> reporter: terri jackson heads the players' association. how much more can a player make overseas? >> there are players, i know folks have heard, that can go and sign deals that are 700, 800, $1 million. it is very difficult to pass up those kinds of opportunity. >> reporter: jackson told me she hopes brittney griner comes home before the season is out, and said many players have been writing letters to her daily. she's also on the minds of fans. her next court appearance in russia is expected may 19. norah. >> o'donnell: an important story. nikole killion thank you. for military families, sacrifices are a part of service. and when a family has a child who needs extra medical attention, that complex life can become even more complicated. tonight, we continue our series "the modern mom" with a mom fighting for her daughter and helping others along the way. >> she is probably the center of

our entire family. and i think that she's a person who gave us a purpose in life. there you go. you can have that one. >> o'donnell: austin carrigg's purpose is to make sure her daughter, melanie, lives a full and normal life. >> yeah, that's one. >> o'donnell: austin's husband, joshua, is in the army, forcing the family of five to move seven times. carrigg says that's impacted access to care for nine-year-old melanie. she's deaf and has down syndrome. >> i know that my husband has said he would give his life for our country, but we never thought they would ask for our daughter's. >> o'donnell: an undiagnosed blood vessel disorder led her to suffer a devastating stroke two years ago. did you feel doctors were doing enough for your child? >> they dismissed us and acted like nothing was wrong. our daughter almost died. that was hard, right. i didn't trust myself, and because of it, i almost lost her. >> o'donnell: do you think being part of a military family altered melanie's course of care? >> absolutely. >> o'donnell: to help her daughter and others like her,

carrigg created a national nonprofit to make it easier for military families to navigate the complicated system. >> we know what this road is that you're working through. and we're meeting with legislators to change the laws. melanie's turn. >> o'donnell: she hopes this program will be melanie's legacy. until then, she celebrates every day they have together. what will you be thinking about on mothr's day? >> last year, she was discharged right before mother's day from the hospital. we beat it a year, and i feel like i got her back. so it's a celebration. >> o'donnell: especially blessed. >> yes. it's a celebration that she's thriving and not just surviving. and that our family is still whole. >> o'donnell: in a statement, the army told us its leaders recognize the need to improve the processes in place to help families like the carriggs, and that a new system will be rolled out this summer. all right, still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news,"

the deadly outbreak of hepatitis among children spreads to nearly half the country. the signs parents need to look out for. and new details on the queen's jubilee celebrations. will harry and meghan be there? ? . woooooooooooooo... we are not getting you a helicopter. only pay for what you need. ♪liberty, liberty, liberty. liberty.♪ (hamlet) it's beggin'!

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have needed a liver transplant. symptoms can include jaundice or yellowing of the skin or eyes, fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and joint pain. health officials have not identified the source, but say more than half of all patients have tested positive for a common group of viruses. all right, tonight, the search for a murder suspect on the run with an ex jail guard from alabama is entering its second week. investigators say a ford edge they were believed to be driving was found abandoned in tennessee. jail keys and handcuffs were inside. the u.s. marshals also released photos of casey white and his white supremacist prison tattoos. we learned today that princes andrew and harry, and harry's wife, meghan markle, will not join the queen on the balcony of buckingham palace as she greets the public at her platinum jubilee celebration in june. but prince harry says he, meghan, and their two children will travel to britain for ceremonies marking the queen's 70 years on the throne. "on the road" is next, with a

horse that proved winning in life is far more important than winning on the race track.

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>> o'donnell: the winner of tomorrow's kentucky derby will get nearly $2 million in prize money, along with the glory of the racing world. cbs' steve hartman goes "on the road" to remember a horse that never came close to winning the derby, but he won plenty of hearts along the way. >> reporter: not long ago, friends and fans gathered to pay their final respects to one of the most unlikely celebrities in sport-- zippy chippy. >> zippy loved being a race horse. he just wasn't very good at it. >> reporter: and farcical, as it may look... >> he's going to live forever in my heart. >> reporter: ...unofficial zippy fan club president rosanne frieri says this memorial is hardly horse play. >> it could be a joke to some people, but the people that know the real story about zippy, they're heartbroken. >> reporter: zippy chippy was born into a acing royal family.

he's the grandson of kentucky derby winner northern dancer. >> northern dancer gets it! >> reporter: and zippy, too, could have been one of the all- time greats, if only at the start of every race, he just would have... started. >> they're off, and dwelling in the gate is zippy chippy. >> reporter: zippy never quite understood why everybody was in such a rush. he lost every race he was in, 0-100. >> zippy chippy finishes last. >> reporter: 101, if you count the time he lost to a minor league baseball player. that cemented his reputation as the losingest race horse in history. this is zippy back in 2000, with his owner and faithful companion felix monserrte. felix died a few years ago, but he never gave up on this horse. >> zippy is like my son. i like him a lot. and every time he run, he makes me feel good. >> reporter: zippy lived out the last leg of his life here at the old friends at cabin creek

retirement farm in upstate new york. he died last month at the age of 31 and is now being celebrated, finally, as the winner that he was. >> he was loved. we'll miss him. >> reporter: not a single person even mentioned his racing record. quite to the contrary. >> in a sport that winning is everything, zippy taught us that losing is a normal thing. >> reporter: do you think people see themselves in zippy a little bit? >> oh, yeah. i think we all see ourselves in zippy, because it was always on zippy's terms. whatever zippy wanted, zippypy y did. did. >> reporter: at the kentucky derby, all that matters is speed. but zippy reminds us there's more to life than running for the roses, that sometimes it's better to just stop and smell them. steve hartman, "on the road," in greenfield center, new york. >> o'donnell: and we'll be right back.

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right now at 7:00. extreme heat may force our cut this summer. how the drought could make it even worse. a small plane goes down in heavy fog in the marin headlands. the aftermath caught on camera. what we have learned about the deadly crash. weekend sideshows, the event that attracted more than 700 people and ended in a shooting in the north bay. the san francisco police department cracking down on unvaccinated officers. you and hager one to its former glory. the south bay landmark getting a major makeover. >> it has been a long, tough road.

we're moving toward mission accomplished. right now at 7:00 and streaming on cbs news bay area, a warning that rolling blackouts could be back this summer due to an abundance of heat and shortage of supplies. good evening, i am juliette goodrich. >> i am ryan yamamoto. indicate the state preparing for potential shortfall. 1700 megawatts during peak summer demand. that is roughly what it takes to power 1.3 million homes. we could be looking at a scenario like we saw in august of 2020 when a western heat wave forced rolling blackouts. regulators say supply-chain issues are also slowing down the transition to other sources like solar that could help bridge the gap. >> looking at modeling. we are looking at the worst hour, which means the sun has set. solar is not going to help us. we have a huge amount of solar in california system, and it is still hot and people are still running their air conditioning and in the worst month, which at this point is looking like september.