GEOFF BENNETT: In the day's other news: The death toll climbed to more than 40 people killed in a series of storms that ravaged the Central and Southeastern U.S. over the weekend.

The system hit eight states, producing tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms.

Now residents are starting to sift through the wreck.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT (R-OK): This was my place.

GEOFF BENNETT: Among those wading through the rubble, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

GOV.

KEVIN STITT: We will be rebuilding with the rest of Oklahoma.

And you never think it's going to happen to your place.

And these wildfires just come out of nowhere.

GEOFF BENNETT: More than 130 wildfires tore through Oklahoma on Friday.

First responders said they were helpless against the power of the wind-driven flames.

TERRY ESSARY, Stillwater, Oklahoma, Fire Chief: Nobody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70 miles an hour.

It's just simply -- it's an insurmountable task.

GEOFF BENNETT: More than 400 homes across the state were damaged or destroyed.

As the storm marched east, it spawned more than 80 tornadoes across multiple states over the weekend, leveling homes and uprooting trees.

At least 12 people died in Missouri when the storm swept through.

One county in Mississippi saw two tornadoes rip through within an hour of each other, leaving a trail of destroyed houses.

Further east in Alabama, more tornadoes ripped apart this school gymnasium and tossed a bus as if it were a toy.

ANITA OWENS, Alabama Resident: Mama, her house is gone.

It's leveled and -- it's leveled.

GEOFF BENNETT: At least three people died in the Alabama twisters, including Anita Owens' mother.

ANITA OWENS: You wouldn't think just a wind and tornadoes would do this much devastation.

GEOFF BENNETT: The storms hit mere weeks after the Trump administration cut hundreds of jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, which tracks severe weather.

Oklahoma Republican Congressman Tom Cole spoke with PBS News after he lobbied the administration to save the NOAA facility in Norman, Oklahoma.

REP. TOM COLE (R-OK): With NOAA, I think it's a no-brainer.

There's only one national severe storm center in the country, and it forecast for all the tornadoes all over across the country, all the hurricanes, all the bad weather, drought.

It's an absolutely vital institution.

GEOFF BENNETT: That agency will have its hands full again this week as a potentially hazardous system is expected to move across the Midwest.

Also today, President Trump is warning Iran that it will suffer the consequences of Houthi rebels in Yemen carry out further attacks on shipping routes in the region.

Iran is the group's main backer.

The president's comments on social media come after his administration launched airstrikes this weekend that killed more than 50 people.

Last week, the Houthi said they would again target Israeli ships traveling through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden because Israel has blocked aid to Gaza.

Today, in Sanaa, thousands of Yemenis chanted anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans at a rally to show solidarity with Gaza.

Later, Pentagon officials told reporters that the offensive would end as soon as the Houthis pledged to stop their attacks.

SEAN PARNELL, Chief Pentagon Spokesperson: We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.

This is also not an endless offensive.

This is not about regime change in the Middle East.

This is about putting American interests first.

GEOFF BENNETT: Meantime, Iran told the U.N. Security Council that the comments from President Trump and other U.S. officials were -- quote -- "reckless and provocative."

In a letter, the country's ambassador to the U.N. insisted that Iran is not involved in -- quote - - "any destabilizing activities in the region."

In North Macedonia, authorities are seeking answers and accountability after a nightclub fire this weekend in the Eastern town of Kocani killed at least 59 people.

More than 150 others were injured.

Cell phone video from inside the club shows the pyrotechnics that caused the blaze.

Officials detained 15 people and ordered a nationwide review of licenses for such venues.

Police are also investigating suspicions of bribery and corruption at the club, which was crammed at double capacity with only a single exit.

Today, the country's prime minister vowed justice.

HRISTIJAN MICKOSKI, Prime Minister of North Macedonia (through translator): We will have no mercy.

What happened was worse than a crime.

This was, I would say, a mass murder allowed to happen by someone for money, for bribes, for corruption.

GEOFF BENNETT: There was an outpouring of grief and condolences today in the town of just 25,000 people, but there were also scenes of rage as demonstrators smashed up another bar said to belong to the same owner.

Back in this country, the retailer Forever 21 is set to close all us stores as it files for bankruptcy for a second time.

The one-time staple of America's malls cites rising costs and shifting consumer trends as major factors.

It also lost ground to online competition from Amazon, Temu and Shein.

Founded back in 1984 by Korean immigrants in California, Forever 21 was kept afloat after a prior bankruptcy filing in 2019.

The company's Web site will remain active as it looks for possible partners to keep the stores going.

Its overseas locations and Web sites will continue operating as normal.

On Wall Street today, stocks started the week on steady footing.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 350 points on the day.

The Nasdaq added about 50 points, or a third of 1 percent.

The S&P 500 also ended in positive territory.

And cities and communities across the country have been celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

In New York City, overcast skies failed to dampen spirits at the city's 264th annual parade.

Organizers say some 150,000 participants marched up Manhattan's famed Fifth Avenue.

And, in Dublin, Ireland marching bands, revelers and plenty of green capped off a three-day festival.

St. Patrick's Day was originally meant to mark the death of Ireland's patron saint, but has grown into a wider celebration of Irish heritage.

Still to come on the "News Hour": a new book examines the escalating effort among some conservative politicians and businesses to silence journalists and curtail free speech; and Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines.