GEOFF BENNETT: We start today's other headlines with wildfires in North and South Carolina.

Lighter winds are helping crews fight the blazes that caused evacuations over the weekend.

Officials in South Carolina banned almost all outdoor fires today, including campfires, after the state's governor declared a state of emergency yesterday.

In North Carolina, the state's Forest Service reported more than 200 wildfires today, though most of them were small.

Officials across the region warned of poor air quality because of smoke from the blazes.

Authorities have not said what caused the fires, and there have been no reported injuries.

In Illinois, the man accused of killing seven people and injuring dozens more at a July 4 parade in 2022 pleaded guilty today; 24-year-old Robert Crimo III withdrew his earlier plea of not guilty just minutes before his trial was set to start.

He faced 21 counts of first-degree murder.

Survivors of the mass shooting in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park said they were stunned by today's developments.

ASHBEY BEASLEY, Shooting Survivor: It was a shock to hear the words that he was changing his plea.

I think, every single time I see him, it's stressful.

I think it's upsetting for everyone in our community.

And I think just knowing that this is this plea has been entered and we will not have to see him again is what we all need to move on.

GEOFF BENNETT: A law firm representing dozens of survivors says efforts to pursue civil justice continue.

That includes suing the gunmaker of the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting.

Sentencing for Crimo is scheduled for late April.

He's almost certain to spend life behind bars.

Pope Francis suffered a new breathing crisis today.

The Vatican says the 88-year-old pontiff was put back on noninvasive mechanical ventilation after suffering two new episodes of acute respiratory failure.

Pope Francis has been in a Rome hospital since February 14 with a complex respiratory infection and pneumonia.

The Vatican says he remained alert and cooperated with medical personnel today, but that his outlook remains guarded.

This has been his longest absence from public life in his 12-year papacy.

In the Middle East, cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are at a standstill after phase one of the truce expired over the weekend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for what he says is a U.S.-backed plan that would extend the cease-fire through Ramadan and Passover.

But Hamas accused Israel of trying to sabotage the existing agreement after it halted all food, fuel, and other aid into Gaza.

Humanitarian groups, as well as key mediators Qatar and Egypt, condemned the move.

Meantime, in Israel, one man was killed and four others injured in a stabbing attack in the northern city of Haifa.

Police say the suspected assailant was an Arab citizen of Israel who was later killed by a security guard.

Police in Germany say at least two people are dead after a driver rammed a car into a crowd of people today in the city of Mannheim.

That's about 400 miles southwest of Berlin.

Emergency crews rushed to a pedestrian street in the city center around noon, when many workers were on their lunch breaks.

Authorities say a 40-year-old German citizen is in custody.

They did not immediately call the ramming an attack, though cars have been used as weapons in Germany several times in recent months.

On Wall Street today, stocks sank after President Trump said that 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico will indeed take effect tomorrow, declaring there is -- quote -- "no room for delay."

The Dow Jones industrial average lost nearly 650 points on the day.

The Nasdaq dropped nearly 500 points.

And the S&P 500 posted its biggest loss since December.

And, in Washington, D.C., teammates, family members, and U.S. figure skating stars have been honoring the victims of January's midair collision near Reagan National Airport.

GEOFF BENNETT: Among the performers at yesterday's event was Maxim Naumov, who wept on his knees following a moving tribute to his parents, who died in the crash.

Others included men's world champion Ilia Malinin and national women's champion Amber Glenn, who also broke down after her performance; 28 of the crash victims were members of the figure skating community.

The event's host says the benefit raised nearly $1.2 million to support families of those lost.

Still to come on the "News Hour": Amy Walter and Tamara Keith break down the latest political headlines; a lunar lander successfully touches down, in a new feat for privatized space exploration; and the notable moments from last night's Academy Awards.