News Wrap: Central U.S. starts to pick up after deadly storm

Amna Nawaz:

In the day's other headlines: The Central U.S. is cleaning up after a string of suspected tornadoes killed at least three people overnight in Ohio. Dozens more were injured. Authorities warned the death toll will likely rise, as crews and cadaver dogs search through debris in several states.

Lisa Desjardins has the latest.

Man:

Oh, my God.

Lisa Desjardins:

A terrifying scene for residents in Western Ohio.

Man:

Oh, no.

Lisa Desjardins:

A tornado tearing through last night.

The aftermath is a trail of destruction, sheared roofs, flattened buildings and downed power lines leaving thousands in the dark.

Amber Fagan, Lakeview, Ohio, Resident:

Our laundromat is gone. The old plastics building is just completely demolished. Downtown, it's bad.

Lisa Desjardins:

The area's hardest hit appeared to be at the junction of three states, in Logan County, Ohio, and the towns of Milton, Kentucky, and Winchester and Selma, Indiana.

Emergency Management officials say that half the buildings in Selma, a town of about 750, were damaged.

Capt. Tyler Parks , Selma, Indiana, Police Department: This is the first time anything like this that I can recall has happened in the town of Selma. There's been some that have been close, but never that's impacted the actual town itself.

Lisa Desjardins:

Tornadoes were suspected across a wide zone, including Illinois and Missouri, in what is now one of the worst storm nights of the year. The National Weather Service tracked more than 300 storm reports, which placed more than 13 million people under a tornado watch. Authorities are now surveying damage and looking for any more survivors.

Randall Dodds, Logan County, Ohio, Sheriff:

The devastation was such that we have to get heavy equipment into these areas to be able to move this material where homes have collapsed to see if there's anybody injured. So it's a sustained, slow pace. It's going to take a long time.

Lisa Desjardins:

Residents across the Midwest are shaken.

William Tingle , Madison, Indiana, Resident : I was always like, ah, we will never have tornado. We have got hills. And it just formed right beside my house. I'm like, I never, ever thought in 100 years it would have happened again.

James Ashton, Milton, Kentucky, Resident:

There ain't nothing you can do. If it's going to get you, it's going to get you. There ain't nowhere to go here.

Lisa Desjardins:

Meteorologists warn, the severe weather pattern has moved southeast and are watching for strong winds and the potential for more isolated twisters.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Lisa Desjardins.

Amna Nawaz:

A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Odesa today killed at least 20 people and injured scores more. The region's governor said the attack hit a residential area. Thick smoke loomed in the air, as bodies littered the ground below.

In the meantime, the leaders of France, GerMany and Poland met in Berlin and pledged continued support for Ukraine.

Olaf Scholz, GerMan Chancellor (through interpreter):

Today, we have agreed on a few main issues, and, among others, we will acquire even more weapons for Ukraine. We stand closely by Ukraine's side. We have made this clear from the beginning, and this is true for as long as it takes.

Amna Nawaz:

A United Nations-backed report today revealed new evidence of Russia's torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war. It says the practices are — quote — "horrific" and could amount to war crimes.

In Russia, elections that are sure to secure another six-year term for President Vladimir Putin are under way. He faces no real opposition and has cracked down on independent media and rights groups. Russians went to the polls to kick off the three-day voting period. Some voters were eager to show support for their country, as Russia's war in Ukraine stretches into a third year.

Svetlana, Russian Voter (through interpreter):

We couldn't miss this election, as we are for Russia, after all. We are for the special military operation. Our nephew died, but we believe. We believe victory will be ours, and we are the coolest.

Amna Nawaz:

There were at least six reports of vandalism at polling places, including a firebombing in St. Petersburg that was caught on surveillance camera.

Back in this country, White House counsel Ed Siskel sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging him to end the impeachment inquiry into President Biden. In six months, House Republicans have not been able to substantiate claims that the president benefited from his family's foreign business dealings.

Siskel wrote — quote — "There's too much important work to be done for the American people to continue wasting time on this charade."

An independent commission investigating October's mass shooting in Maine has determined that the sheriff's office had reason to take the gunMan into protective custody before the rampage. Eighteen people were killed that day in Lewiston. The gunMan, an Army Reservist, died of a self-inflicted gunshot. His family and fellow service members had raised red flags about his mental health and potential for violence prior to the shootings.

McDonald's restaurants are coming back online after experiencing a system outage that disrupted operations around the world. The fast-food giant said the issue was caused by a third-party technology provider and was not a cyberattack. McDonald's has about 40,000 restaurants worldwide. More than 14,000 of those are here in the U.S.

The National Association of Realtors has agreed to cut its real estate commissions to settle a wave of lawsuits. The group will also pay $418 million in damages over the next four years. If approved by a federal court, the deal could drive down housing costs, since home sellers would no longer have to pay agents around 6 percent in commissions.

And on Wall Street today, stocks gave up more ground amid concerns about persistent inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 191 points to close at 38715. The Nasdaq fell 155 points, and the S&P 500 slipped 33.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": the efforts to put a third-party candidate on the ballot in November's presidential election; a new book explores Jewish people's relationship with God, Israel and each other; David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines; plus much more.