News Wrap: Deadly storm system leaves trail of destruction across U.S.

John Yang:

In today's other news, the death toll from the line of monster storms that spawned tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms rose to 35 people today. The fierce weather marched across the central and southern United States, leaving a trail of destruction.

Communities in Missouri and Alabama woke up to widespread damage. Flattened homes, crushed cars and uprooted trees. In Wayne County, Missouri, Dakota Henderson helped save his aunt.

Dakota Henderson, Wayne County, Missouri:

Only room standing left of this house, she was trapped in it. We got her out the window, got her up to the earth home that's up the road. We were helping other people. We found a few bodies that was out in the field. Few deceased people.

John Yang:

The storm system is still potentially dangerous. Severe weather is forecast for the upper Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Southeast. The system won't clear the east coast until later tonight.

In North Macedonia, a massive fire that tore through a nightclub killed at least 59 people and injured 155 more. It happened early this morning in the city of Kochani. The blaze appeared to have been touched up by sparkling pyrotechnics on stage that were part of a band's performance.

Throughout the day today, people gathered outside hospitals to await news of loved ones. Most of the concertgoers were young people. So far, arrest warrants have been issued for four people.

The U.S. and rebel Houthis in Yemen both vowed to escalate fighting. Yesterday, U.S. forces launched airstrikes on the Iranian-backed group in an effort to stop them from targeting military and commercial ships.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Houthis have directly attacked the U.S. Navy 174 times. The Houthi run health ministry claimed the U.S. strikes killed 53 people and said women and children were among the dead and injured. Iran today denied it has any part in the Houthis attacks in the Red Sea.

And two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station got a welcome visit today. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams opened the hatch and greeted their replacements with hugs and handshakes. The four newcomers are from the United States, Japan and Russia.

They'll relieve Wilmore and Williams, who have been stuck in space since last June. Their Boeing Starliner capsule had so many problems that NASA insisted it return to Earth empty.

Still to come on PBS News Weekend, how cutbacks at the FAA could affect aviation safety and a global warming milestone that has scientists worried.