Good evening. Im norah odonnell, and thank you for being with us. We do want to begin tonight with the dueling visits at the Southern Border by the two frontrunners in this years election, showcasing the Record Number of migrant crossings that are overwhelming resources along the border and in major cities across the country. President biden was in brownsville, texas, where he issued a political dare to donald trump to join him in pressing House Republicans to help secure the border by passing the senates bipartisan security bill. Now, 325 miles away, trump was in eagle pass, where he took a much different approach, unleashing attacks on biden, democrats, and migrants, but not proposing a legislative solution. A record 2. 4 million migrants were apprehended at the u. S. Mexican border in 2023, and immigration has become the top issue for many voters heading into the 2024 election. Cbss ed okeefe is traveling with the president , and he will start us off tonight from texas. Reporter the president and the former president who wants to replace him in the white house played the blame game today along the u. S. Mexico border. This is a biden invasion over the past three years. Reporter President Biden said it was donald trump who urged House Republicans to kill the bill that would have beefed up security at the border. Its time for the speakers and some of my republican friends in congress who are blocking this bill to show a little spine. Reporter after a Record Number of Illegal Crossings last year, President Biden, who toured the border in brownsville, texas, is trying to show he is addressing an issue that more than 60 of voters call a very serious concern. Just hours before the president s arrival here in brownsville, u. S. Border patrol and Texas State Police say they stopped people on the other side of the border from bringing across drugs. But Chris Cabrera of the Border Patrol said that with Illegal Crossings into this part of texas down recently, the president has come too late. But i think the timing is a little off. I mean, if he would have come a year ago, two years ago, three years ago. Reporter trump, who visited eagle pass, more than 300 miles away, continued exploiting a crisis that he couldnt solve either, hoping itll put him back in the white house. Allies say he is Planning Mass Deportations and Detention Camps if elected. Today, he sought to falsely connect President Biden to the recent murder of a georgia Nursing Student by a venezuelan migrant who entered the country illegally in 2022. The monster thats charged in the death is an illegal Alien Migrant who was let into our country and released into our communities by crooked joe biden. Reporter the president , who didnt address trumps attacks, said they should work together. Join me or ill join you in telling the congress to pass this bipartisan Border Security bill. We can do it together. Reporter as president , trump severely restricted asylum and required migrants to await their Court Hearings in mexico. When President Biden took office, he reversed those policies but is now considering employing an Executive Power used by trump to suspend asylum. The former president also met with Texas Governor greg abbott today, who is at war with the Biden Administration for implementing his own Border Crackdown, installing National Guard troops, and razor wire barriers in eagle pass. But we spoke to local resident adam rodriguez, who says concerns there are overblown. Weve raised our kids here. You know, and there has never been any criminal element. You dont have to worry about walking down the street. Reporter notably, governor abbotts Border Crackdown suffered a legal setback just today, as a federal judge rejected a new texas law that would allow state police to arrest and prosecute people crossing the border illegally. Critics call it a form of racial profiling. The governor says he will appeal the case all the way to the u. S. Supreme court. Norah . Norah a big issue. Ed okeefe, thank you. While the two leading president ial candidates are focusing on the border crisis in texas, weve learned that migrant crossings are shifting toward california, which has seen a sharp increase in recent months. Cbss Adam Yamaguchi reports from along the Southern Border in the golden state. Reporter these migrants are taking their first perilous steps on u. S. Soil, as they navigate a steep and rocky maze along californias Southern Border. For the last few minutes, we have seen at least 50 or so people come down. Its pretty rugged, punishing terrain here. They arrive by the dozens at this border camp, roughly 70 miles east of san diego. This entire region saw nearly 25,000 Illegal Crossings in january alone from countries around the world. So this woman is from brazil. She just came down the ridge here. And she was explaining to me that she was in tijuana and got injured. She was essentially caught in the crossfire between warring gangs and the police. Despite the dangers, many are now choosing routes through california rather than cross at the texas border. Its better than the other border. Reporter better meaning easier . Not easier. Nothing easy about this. Reporter we met up with abdel talebely and other migrants who were bused to san diego and released after being processed by Border Patrol. Talebely is from mauritania in africa. He is seeking asylum after leaving behind a wife, infant son, and a nursing career. So right now, a lot of americans would say you shouldnt be here. They are right. This is their country. But i am just a guy looking for safety and security. Reporter we followed talebely as he made his way to the san diego airport, and within hours, new york city. He is staying at this shelter for now. I used to sleep in my home next to my wife and my son and now i am sleeping next to a thousand men that i dont even know, like a homeless person. Reporter norah, this is the group of migrants thats come down from the mountains. Neither the wall nor this rugged, punishing terrain is enough to stop the determination of these asylumseekers. This is what policymakers and border officials are up against. Norah eyeopening. Adam yamaguchi, thank you so much. Lets go overseas now to gaza, where there is growing International Outrage after more than 100 people were killed when israeli troops opened fire on civilians gathered around Food Aid Trucks in gaza city. According to eyewitnesses, many were killed in an ensuing stampede as people ran from the gunfire. Cbss imtiaz tyab reports tonight from israel. Reporter a truck once carrying lifesaving aid now piled with the bodies of those who had come in desperation for help. Eyewitnesses told cbs News Israeli Forces opened fire as people crowded around the Convoy Carrying Basics like flour. Israels military released this heavilyedited drone video of what it says shows how many were killed in a stampede around the aid trucks but admitted to shooting down a Smaller Group of people, which it described as a imminent threat. How do you define a threat . Anybody approaching the forces, despite being warned not to, pose a threat. Reporter how do you account for the fact that we have seen people with Gunshot Wounds to their chests, to their arms . Well, i cant confirm that. Reporter the injured were rushed to the few functioning hospitals in gaza city. Doctors told cbs news the majority of the dead were from Gunshot Wounds. Israeli tanks came out and then they opened fire, this man says. This is my brother, who went to bring food for his children. This latest violence also led to a grim milestone. The hamasrun Ministry Of Health says more than 30,000 palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed since the start of the war between israel and hamas. Thats about 1 in 70 people in gaza, half a million of which are also facing acute starvation, according to the u. N. With the pentagon now actively planning air drops of aid into gaza, which cant come soon enough. And tonight, President Biden acknowledged the shootings would complicate the talks, while a hamas spokesman told cbs news they could not negotiate with israel while palestinians were being killed in what he described as cold blood. Norah . Norah imtiaz tyab, thank you. Turning now to that massive wildfir in texas, which is now the largest in state history and has already burned more than 1 million acres. An 83yearold grandmother was killed, homes and businesses have been destroyed, and thousands of cattle are likely dead. Cbss dave malkoff continues our reporting now with news on how the cold weather is now creating problems for First Responders and those left without power. Reporter the massive Smokehouse Creek fire remains only 3 contained, as firefighters across the state fight for control. It is 1 of 5 major wildfires furiously scorching a Path Of Destruction across the texas panhandle. We had to watch from 3 miles away as as our neighborhood burned. Reporter two people have now been killed, including 83yearold Joyce Blankenship who was found inside her home north of amarillo. The panhandle is where the majority of cattle in texas are raised, and now thousands of livestock are feared dead. I run to the door and i see, it looked like armageddon. Reporter this morning, First Responders worked in snow and freezing temperatures. Residents are now returning to whats left of their homes and lives. That was my front door. Reporter tyler mccains family got out just hours before their home burned to the ground in fritch in the center of the panhandle. [crying] i want our house. You want your house . Reporter mccain posted his 3yearold daughters emotional reaction on social media. In a home offered to them by a stranger on facebook. We are in the airbnb until monday. After that, we gotta figure out what were doing. But day by day, you know . Reporter while they are still assessing the damage here in fritch, these wildfires have now grown so large that a federal team is on its way to take over operations starting tomorrow morning. Norah . Norah dave malkoff, thank you. For a look at how the weather will impact the fires in the days ahead, as well as a potentially historic blizzard on the west coast, lets bring in meteorologist mike bettes. He is from our partners at the weather channel. Good evening, mike. Norah, good evening. Unfortunately the weather is not helping matters across the lone star state. We know that dry and windy conditions will persist into the weekend. We have fire weather watches and red flag warnings extending from new mexico and texas, all the way into iowa through saturday. And here is the major factor in all of this significant wind picking back up, especially this weekend, with winds maybe gusting as high as 50 miles per hour, again fanning those flames. We expect rapid spread of the fire to continue. The rain thats falling actually falls well to the east of where the Smokehouse Creek fire is burning here in the panhandle of texas. And then our attention turns to the west. Weve got a Monster Winter Storm thats crashing in right now, significant snow and rain, as well. Some spots at high elevation, norah, could see 6 feet or more of snow, and blizzard warnings in effect across california and nevada. Norah mike bettes, thank you. Now to some breaking news. Alabama lawmakers in the state senate and house have passed bills that they say give protections to clinics that provide in vitro fertilization services. Now, this follows the States Supreme Court ruling that gives embryos the same rights as children. The final bill is expected to head to the governors desk next week for her signature. We want to turn now to a serious cyber attack on one of the nations Largest Health care companies. For more than a week, the attack has disrupted Prescription Orders at pharmacies all over the country. And as cbss Nicole Sganga reports, a lot of people are now scrambling to get their medicine. Reporter a cyber attack on the Health Care Provider change healthcare is wreaking havoc nationwide, as hospitas and pharmacies cant get paid and patients cant get prescriptions. So, i mean, we have seen a lot of claims coming through as a rejected claim, where obviously insurance providers are not being able to pay because of this attack. Reporter the Company Discovered the hack on february 21st, disconnecting impacted systems immediately, Parent Company unitedhealth stated in a federal filing. Change healthcare says it processes 15 billion transactions annually, touching one in three u. S. Patient records. I can tell you that this cyber attack has affected every hospital in the country, one way or another. Reporter john riggi is a National Advisor at the American Hospital association. Its not a data crime. Its not a whitecollar crime. These are threats to life. Reporter in a sincedeleted post on the dark web, a russianspeaking Ransomware Group known as blackcat claimed responsibility, alleging they stole more than six terabytes of data, including sensitive medical records. Change healthcare says its established workarounds for patients. For smaller hospitals, are we talking about months, weeks, days . The smaller, lessresourced hospitals, our safety net, critical access, rural hospitals, certainly do not operate with months of cash reserves. Could be just a matter of days or a couple of weeks. Norah and nicole is with us. What is the fbi doing . Reporter the fbi is investigating this malicious hack, and according to u. S. Records, Hundreds Of Breaches at hospitals and clinics nationwide are currently under investigation by various federal agencies, norah. Norah so frustrating for so many people. Nicole sganga, thank you very much. Well, now to a major breakup in the business world. Weight watchers announced today that Oprah Winfrey is stepping down from its Board Of Directors after nearly ten years. Well, the companys stock fell sharply today on that news. Cbss Nikki Battiste has more on what this cold mean for the iconic brand. We all want to be healthier. But lets just get real we also want to lose weight. Reporter Oprah Winfreys weight has been in The Public Eye for decades. Shes been on Weight Watchers board since 2015, when she acquired a 10 stake in the company. I have never felt deprived. Reporter the Weight Loss Company said wednesday winfrey is stepping away from its board. Shares of Weight Watchers stock dropped 20 . In december, winfrey said she was using a Weight Loss Medication as a maintenance tool, and she was done with shaming. I hiked up stone canyon today. All the way to the top. 2 miles straight up. Reporter in a statement, Weight Watchers said, oprah has been an inspiring presence and passionate advocate for our members. We will dearly miss her presence on the board. What is happening today in our culture when it comes to Weight Health . Its always about separating the Health Issues from the weight and appearance issues. Reporter dr. Melanie jay sat on a panel with winfrey last year. You still have to manage the medications longterm. You still have to make changes to your lifestyle. Reporter winfrey says she is donating all of her Weight Watchers stock to the National Museum of African American history and culture. Nikki battiste, cbs news, new york. Norah now this news, College Basketball sensation Caitlin Clark makes a big announcement about her future. Weve got the exciting details. Thats next. Ext. The exciting d. Thats next. theres two things a young man wanna be a cowboy or a gangster. And a gangsters outta style. I got back to my roots. We come from a long line of cowboys. My grandfat