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pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" >> this is bvc world news america. the search for survivors will continue into the night after the collapse of a major baltimore bridge that left six construction workers missing. the u.s. supreme court appears skeptical in a case to limit the use of abortion pills. a moscow court extends that attention of a wall street journal reporter. -- the detention of a wall street journal reporter. welcome to world news america. the u.s. coast guard says the

search and rescue operation underway here in baltimore will continue into the night. the dramatic rescue mission began after a container ship struck the francis scott key bridge, causing it to collapse. six people are still unaccounted for. all six are believed to be part of a construction crew working on a bridge at the time of the collapse. two other people were pulled from the water, one hospitalized in critical condition. the singaporflagged cargo ship crashed into the bridge early monday morning around 1:40 a.m. eastern me. officials say the vessel lost propulsion and struck a supporting tower of the bridge at rapid speed. multiple investigations have been launched. we are still in the early stages. the chairwoman of the national transportation safety board said investigators would look for the ship's recorders.

earlier, president biden praised first responders who reacted to a made a call from the crewmembers, insuring more vehicles were stopped from causing the ridge. pres. biden: the ship was able to alert the maryland department of transportation that they lost control of their vessel. as a result, authorities closed the bridge to traffic before it was struck, which undoubtedly saved lives. our prayers are with all those involved in all the families, especially those awaiting the news of their loved ones right now. i know every minute of that circumstance feels like a lifetime. you just d't know. it is terrible. we are incredibly grateful to the brave rescuers who immediately rushed to the scene, and to the people in baltimore. i want to say we are with you. we are going to stay with you as long as it takes. it is my intention that federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge. i expect congress to support my effort. this is going to take some time.

the people of baltime can count on us, though, to stick with them every step of the way until the porch is reopened in the bridge is rebuilt. >> the bridge provided critical passage over the attached go river. 11.3 million quotes across every year. president biden called it one of the most important elements for the economy in the northeast. reaction has poured in from the state of maryland and across the country. maryland's governor gave an update this afternoon on the state of the emergency response. >> the thing i would ask for people to remember is this. the first, this is very much still a search and rescue mission. we are still activy looking for survivors. we know, and that is the pledge we have made to these families, and this is still very much an active search and rescue

mission. there is not a single resource that we will hold off on deploying. i have already authorized the deployment of everything from air, land, and sea resources to make sure that this search and rescue operation is carried out to its fullest intent. the second thing i want to remind people is that this will not be short. there is going to be a long road. there was going to be a long road not just as we go from search and rescue. there will be a long road as we talk about what the future of the area looks like. we are going to need it from each and every one of you. >> questions have been raised over both the safety of the ship's operator as well as the infrastructure of the bridge. the bridge was fully up to code and there were no structural concerns during what is believed to be the most recent role inspection, the bridge scored a number characterized as being in fair condition. it passed inspection in may 2020 two, but our partners at cbs

news were part there was concern -- report and was concerned with one of the bridges columns. the bridge issued a distress call moments before the crash, but he was traveling too quickly to change course, with the ntsb investigation just getting underway to learn more. we have been looking at the sequence of events and how the massive bridge may have come down. >> what do we know about what actually happened in baltimore? data shows the ship setting off on the port at 1:21 a.m. local time. these are mariners from the local port with a specialist knowledge to guide the vessel out to sea. it was headed towards the central section of the bridge, which is wide enough and high enough for the vessel of the ship to pass through, but it

veered off course, crashing into the support column. what happened? in this video, the ship is nearing the bridge, but at 1:24 a.m., the lights suddenly go out , and then a minute later, the ligh come back on. three minutes after this, you start to see black smoke billowing from the ship. on the bridge, you can see the work vehicles where the team are fixing potholes. they made a call went out moments later. at 1:28 a.m., the ship collided with the bridge and caused it to collapse. >> if you lose power while maneuvering this, there is a possibility you could lose control and steering of the vessel. there are regulations as to how you would be able to regain control of that does happen, but obviously, in such a confined area, those seconds or minutes

can make a difference. reporter: so, why did such a large part of the bridge collapsed? the bridge opened in 1970 seven, and at its center is a continuous structure which is 366 meters long. underneath that, there are four support columns. bridges are tested for impact, but we do not know if the qualifications would have applied to avisail this size. the entire collision took out an entire loadbearing structure. >> do you have a long element supported by four supports, i cannot imagine another situation where a bridge like that would resist such a massive force. reporter: effort is still going on, using sonar to try to locate any vehicles that fell into the 50 mets of water.

an investigation into the tragedy has already begun. anchor: to another top story, justices on the supreme court appearing skeptical of antiabortion groups asking the court to restrict access to a widely used abortion pill. the nation's top court heard arguments related to the u.s. food and drug administration's decision to lift restrictions on the drug. opponents argue the drug is unsafe and that the government inappropriately expanded access to it over the last decade. numerous studies have shown that the drug, first approved by the fda in 2000, is safe. they also argue its members,

which include doctors, might suffer harm my having to treat patients who use them to end a pregnancy because it would be in opposition to their own religious police. the bite in the ministration argued that doctors cannot show that the fda's decisions directly harmed them and that the ruling in favor of the antiabortion group would severely disrupt the federal system for developing and improving drugs and would inflict great harm on women across the country. a research organization that doesn't support abortion rights repoed that there were approximately 642,000 medication abortions in 2023, about 60% of all abortions in the u.s., a 10% increase since the year 2020. for more on this story, we can turn to our supreme court reporter. great to have you back. can you explain why some justices appear skeptical of the antiabortion arguments, including some of the justices appointed by republican presidents? >> one of the things the justices spent a lot of time on today was not what we think of as the heart of the case, which was the fda's decision to expand

access to the drug in 2016 and 2021, but instead on whether or not the challengers in this case, who are doctors and physicians groups whose members are opposed to abortion, have a legal right to come to court at all to challenge the fda's approval? on two levels, first of all, whether or not someone can come to court to sue is sort of a bipartisan issue, something the justices of all ideological stripes pay attention to. it would also offer the justices kind of an off ramp to send this case back, to try this case out without having to get to the heart of the case, the tougher question about the fda's approval. what the government argued was that the doctors in this case who are opposed to abortion are not required to prescribe

mifepristone they have to show that they are facing imminent harm from the access to myth or per stone. -- to mifepristone. the government says they cannot show this. their argument is not that they have to prescribe it, but a woman who takes the drug who is prescribed to her by someone else might experience publications which are very rare, come to an emergency room, and one of these doctors might have to provide treatment that might include abortion. this is particularly when there are federal laws that provide protection so that doctors do not have to violate their conscience, these kind of conscientious objectors. this is such an attuated serious offense that it is not the kind of imminent harm that will give you the right to go to court to challenge the fda's approval. anchor: were you surprised that the justices did not go to the heart of this case, that they

chose the line of questioning they did? >> it was not altogether surprising. both sides spent a lot of time on this question of the right to su. it was going to be hotly contested, and there is also the idea that it had given justices and offramp to decide this case. it was not necessarily a surprise that justices from both sides of the bench were skeptical of the regulations. in 2023, when the case was in a military stage, the vitamin administration had come to the supreme court, asking the justices to allow mifepristone to remain widely available while the litigation was going on. the justices granted that request to two of the most conservative justices on the court, the only ones to dissent from that order last year.

>> we expect a decision on this case in june. what type of impact will it have? >> it depends on what they rule. if the court were to say the challengers do not have a legal right to sue, the case would be thrown out and mifepristone would remain widely available. the government says that a decision that upholds the lower court ruling that rolled back the fda's changes, that expanded access, it could have a significant effect, because as your introduction says, mifepristone is one of two drugs used in medication abortions, the most common form of abortion in the united states. mifepristone would remain available, but the manufacturer of the drug said there could potentially be a gap in access because it might have to go back to the fda for new approvals. and with some of the changes that would be rolled back would

be, for example, allowing the drug to be used through the 10th week of pregnancy instead of the seventh week, allowing the drug to be prescribed by health care providers who are not doctors. even in the states were abortion remains legal, mifepristone would be available, but there would be less access to pregnant women than there were before. anchor: ok, amy, thank you so much for joining us. amy: thanks for having me. anchor: on tuesday, u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin called the situation in gossett a humanitarian catastrophe and issued its strongest comments on the war so far. the secretary also said that it was a moral necessity and strategic imperative to protect palestinian civilians. it comes as israel said it struck more than 60 terror targets in gaza, despite the

passage of a un security council resolution demanding an immediate freeze. the government has accused the u.s. of emboldening how moss -- hamas. our correspondent has more on today's developments. reporter: it was no surprise the fighting and gauze i continued a day after the un security council approved for the first time a resolution calling for an mediate cease-fire in gossett. if there was no expectation this with lead to any kind of laws in the fighting. in gossett today, health officials said dozens of palestinians were killed in israeli airstrikes across the territory, including any city of rafa, the last relatively safe place in gossett, were more than one million palestinians have been sheltering. the resolution was only approved because the u.s. abstained in the boat something that was heavily criticized by the israeli authorities. this shows a growing discontent

in the biden administration with the way the israelis have been conducting this military campaign, and it also shows growing international isolation ofhe israeli government. more than 30 thousand palestinians have been killed in gaza, and a humanitarian crisis continues. in washington, the israeli defense minister had meetings with the american secretary of defense, who had a very strong message to the israeli authorit ies, that it was a moral imperative to step up a distribution in gauze. -- in gaza. he also said gaza is suffering a humanitarian caster free and the situation is getting worse. anchor: our partners at cbs news reporting a law enforcement sources said fbi divers on

rescue and recovery boats are using robotic cameras to search for victims. their sources said they are not able to confirm whether one or more of the divers are in the water, or if it is too dangerous with the jagged debris in the water. let's now speak to marilyn senator ben cardin. very good to have you on board. thank you for joining us on a day of tragedy in your state. the mayor said these scenes look like they are from an action movie. what do you make of what you have seen today? sappelt cardin -- >> it is as horrific of an event for baltimore, for our country. it affects the local commerce. it is horrible. our thoughts are with those lost in the waters. we hope they will be recovered and rescued. we still have a search and rescue mission going on. but clearly this was a horrific event. the port of baltimore is basically shut down.

the channel is blocked. the bridge is down. the traffic is terrible. the impact on our economy is going to be a mess. anchor: what can you tell us about the state of the investigation and those search and rescue operations? we know that state and federal local authorities are working closely together. >> the search and rescue is continuing. it is extremely challenging because of not being able to get under the water because of safety issues. and the debris that is located there. it has mostly been a surface effort, and so far without any positive results. they are doing anything they can, but it is a very challenging situation. our hearts and prayers go out to the families. we recognize it is a very difficult moment for the families.

anchor: senator, if you look at the press conference you were speaking at, you talk about the importance of the port and also of the bridge. tell us why it is so critical to get them back in operation as soon as possible. sen. cardin: the port of baltimore in and of itself means literally thousands of jobs affected every day. aliens of dollars every day of payroll that is not going to be paid because of the port being closed. it is going to affect our economy in a very dramatic way. but it will also affect our regional economy. you will have supply chains interrupted, business is not able to get product to the market or get the raw materials they need. it is going to affect businesses and the communy that will not have people with paychecks in order to use their services. it is going to have an immediate impact on our local and regional

economy, with an impact literally around the world. and then the brie itself is unimportant, vital road that connects the north and south on i-95. it is a major highway bridge that commuters use. interstate traffic is going to be affected. make no mistake, this is going to have a lasting impact. anchor: senator, we saw president biden pledging full support. what support do you think marilyn, the city of baltimore needs the most right now? -- maryland, the city of baltimore needs the most right now? sen. cardin: president biden, i had a phone call with him earlier today. he has pledged all the help he can. his team is on the ground in baltimore. all the major agencies are present, working with us. what we need immediately as the help assessing how we can get the port opened. we are going to be the technical

support and equipment from the navy, from the army corps to get the channel open as quickly as we can. we are going to need the help of the president and his administration to get the bridge rebuilt as quickly as we can. it is vital to our surface transportation. we are going to need help cutting red tape and helping us with the cost of the damages caused by this bridge collapsed. anchor: maryland senator ben cardin joining us. take so much. -- thank you so much. sen. cardin: thank you. anchor: a russian court extended the detention of an american reporter for the wall street journal by three months as he

awaits trial. the reporter was arrested on espionage charges nearly a year ago while on a reporting trip, making him the first western journalist to face espionage charges since the fall of the soviet union. steve rosenberg has more. correspondent: we were not allowed in to the moscow city courthouse. nothing personal. all journalists were being kept out. instead, the court released its own video, just six seconds of the journalist. a judge ruled he must stay in jail. this week marks one year since the wall street journal reporter was arrested in russia. evan gershkovich the first journalist here since the cold war to be charged with spying. the u.s. government insists he

is innocent, demanding russia let him go. >> the message is release him now. he was and is a journalist who was doing his job, doing nothing wrong. the insinuations that he was somehow engaging in some kind of criminal activity is just flat out false. correspondent: last month, vladimir putin hinted tha mr. gershkovich could be freed in a prison swap. in exchange for a man serving a life sentence for murder in germany. no deal yet. if convicted, the u.s. journalist faces up to 20 years in prison. russian officials no longer hide the fact that evan gershkovich is a bargaining chip, someone they would in theory be willing to exchange for one of their own imprisoned in the west. his fate has attracted worldwide

attention but he is by no means the only american behind bars in russia. former u.s. marine paul whelan is serving a 16 year sentence for espionage. america insists he is innocent. another journalist who holds u.s. and russian citizenships has been accused of spreading false information about the russian army. as for evan gershkovich, those who know him well just want him home. >> we all miss our best friend. we all miss talking to him all the time. all his friends feel the same way. they have some part of their lives where there is this kind of big absence. correspondent:van gershkovich is a journalist who loves russia and reporting on russia, but he remains in a russian jail. steve rosenberg, bbc news. anchor: thank you for watching

world news ameca. you can get the latest developments on the bridge collapsed on our website,/news. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

william: good evening. i'm william brangham. geoff bennett and amna nawaz are away. on the “newshour” tonight, a baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by a container ship. the search for survivors and for answers. reproductive rights are back before the supreme court. at stake -- access to a commonly-used abortion pill. and israel's defense minister