vitac corporation. captioning captioning sponsored by cbs >> pelley: daytime drama. >> to suggest that i participated in any collusion is alppan a >> pelley: the attorney general denies a trump-russia connection but faces tough questioning. >> you're impeding this investigation. >> i am not stonewngalli. >> pelley: also tonight, the hunt is on for two inmates wanted for murdering two prison guards. >> i am begging to the korean people and government for my forgiveness. american college student is coming home in a coma. >> look at me! you did it! le pelley: you could say the n.b.a. champs have two m.v.p.s. >> there we many nhts that i didn't know how we were going to make it.

this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: this is our western edition. today, the nation's top law enforcement officer, attorney general jeff sessions, refuteds. sessions asked for today's hearing before the senate intelligence committee's investigation of russian tampering in the presiiadel this was the administration's first sworn rebuttal of former f.b.i. director james comey, who testified last week that the president pressured him to drop the investigation of former michl flynn.urity adviser president trump called comey a toward and a nut job. declined to answer some of the most revealing questions. we have a team of correspondents covering, beginning with nancy cordes on capitol hill. >> i mean, what

>> reporter: under oath, theis t attos?rney general said he is being smeared by suggestions that he had an undisclosed meeting with the russian ambassador last year. sait m wsprsreh d that therere and he couldn't talk about them. what are they? >> why don't you tell me? there are none, senator wyden. i ere are none. ceou >> we can-- >> you tell-- this is a secret innuendo being leaked out there about me, and i don't appreciate it. >> reporter: sessions has tio brs witheetiiengf, r mwere sergey kisnelyak, but said he ds not recall a reported third r unen.cattema.' dweyfs lo er certainly i can assure you nothing improper, iadif had a conceivable that that occurred. i just don't remember it. >> reporter: his fortetisemenna february.

comey told the committee last week, that the president dism idorida senator marco rubio: >> do you remember feeling like you needed to stay? >> i do recall being one of the last ones to leave. he expressed concern to me about that ponteriatve crsion, and i agreed with him, essentially, that therees r apr ouleivn at conversations with the president.explaiwhy he got involved in comey's firing, even after he had recused himself from the f.b.i.'s investigation into russian election meddling. atioesnsuabsurd, frankly, tociig atgg would render the attorney genera tabl nao lehegema t department of justice law enforcement components. >> reporter: the firing could spark an obstruction of justice investigation because the president has said the russia case was a factor.

>> and i guess i'll just have to let his words speak for himself. we reporter: answers le that frustrated democrats, who accused sessions of stonewalling about his conversations with mr. trump. executive privilege in the case of your testimony here today? >> he has not. then what is thef your refusal to answer these >>estions? >> senator king, the president has a constitutional-- >> i understand that. but the president hasn't asserted it. >> i am protecting the right of the president to exert it if he >> rorter: sessions said he recommended comey's firing because of his handling of the clinton e-mail case last year. still, one top democrat said tonight, scott, that perhaps sessions and other top officials should be held in contempt of congress if they won't answer these questions about the oresident. pwe nllel, >>afy:ter lecomey we justice department named former f.b.i. director robert mueller as special counsel to

independently investigate the russia case. t naarhaday,, bromgae reto m mueneller's defense. >> i havloonofa ncfi cdee in i think it was a good choice. b i think the best advice would be to let robert mueller dhis job. >> reporter: republican leaders mitch mcconnell and paul ryan expressed support today for unbert mueller, the special allegations of trump campaign collusion. pitas dateomd trumpmpco confidant t x c.e.o. chris ruddy yesterday on pbs. th>>e wspell,ia il e'co tunseli ecthink he's-- he's weighing >> repter: on "cbs this trning" former house speaker newt gingrich, who had initially said he was a fan of mueller, ,ccused him of picking politically biased orvestigators. >> his first four attorneys are all democrats. one of them worked for the clinton foundation. fo, apparently, couldn't find a single pro-trump attorney to

hire and i just think that's a rigged game. >> reporter: mueller, a former f.b.i. director, will also explore whether the abrupt firing of james comey in may was s ptthest mestruct the f.b.i.'s russia inquiry. in order to dismiss mueller, the general rod rosenstein. >> have you seen any evidence of good cause for firing of special counsel mueller? av no, i have not. >> reporter: president trump igmuler's te. yquab.tnoesnk ons out thank you very much. >> reporter: attorney general t'selsessions, whoas recclusy tn toinking. >> do you believe the president n encenfordire ict >> reporter: but he didn't join the attacks on mueller. >> you would not take any actions to try to have investigator mueller s rpeemovel >> i wouldn't think that would be appropriate for me to do.>> e ident trys that pres ump interviewed mueller for the t b.i. director job just the day before the justice department

announced that he'd serve as an impartial special counsel. scott, confidants of the president say that this presents yet another conflict for mueller. >> pelley: margaren,endinackther ks.an our chief washington correspondent, and of course, the anchor of "face the nation.? >> well i think you have to think of it in terms of three different investigations.th sel investigation, actually, attorney general sessions said that was a worthwhile, useful investigation to the extent that it looked at russia meddling in the election. that's something the president has not been full throated about. his attorney general said that's a useful inquiry. the second is this question of collusion, russians plus the trump campaign. that w where this series of questions where the attorney general got quite heated about his meetings with russians. that's where hwas most hthrigfo aor then the third is this question of obstruction. did the president fire james comey because he wanted him to stop the investigation? and on that, the attorney

general basically didn't say e, asserting not tecutive privilege but qusomething 'tut o wast, basically not answering the questions. >> pelley: now, we saw in geral cling awer matt quesons.orney where does that go from here? >> well, he's asserting a privilege e president s not asserted. so he's saying the president might some day assert exclusive privilege. well, what would happen next is cngress would have to hold him in they're unlikely to do that. but were they to hold him in contempt, thenhe president would have to exert executive privilege and the courts would have to work it out. but fo talkg much, and the arer ht not other s officialnos who aren't s e'll. >> pelley: so far to go. john dickerson, we'll be watcng sunday on "face the nation." thanks. now, jeff pegues brings us up to date on the russia investigation. >> i know nothing but what i've n.ad in the paper. >> reporter: attorney general jeff sessions saidoday that he's still not been shown the onidence of russian meddling in last year's election.

>>ev occurred or how information was alleged to have influenced. >> reporter: the intelligence community, including the f.b.i., concluded late last year, that the russian government's cyber attacks were designed to help n bsgrump campaign. ea ctes r w,thewanle n previously reported. during the final weeks of the campaign, former u.s. officials say hackers tried to gain access to voter databases in more than two dozen states. >> this is the first time we're aware that anyone has ever successfully gotten in. thishaorter: in , noil serk ken menzel is general counsel of tie illinois board of elections. his state noticed the intrusions last summer. >> we're highly confident that no records were deleted or altered or added. >> reporter: but former u.s. officials now say they can't be sure that voter registration data in some states wasn't taken.

one source says up to six key battleground states, includingfl "before folks realized it was a real problem," the source says, "it was a real problem." last week, fired f.b.i. director james comey warned that the waber sault could happen again. >> oh, it's a long-term practice of theirs. it stepped up a notch in a significant way in '16. they'll be back. statlesacty ioildo thethy s idott, even though he said he hadn't been briefed, sessions u.d say the u.s. does not have a sufficient strategy to deal with cyberattacks. >> pelley: jeff pegues, our man on the investigation from the beginning. jeff, thank you. the jury in bill cosby's sexual assault trial deliberated for a aycond day. today they reviewed testimony that the entertainer gave more e adtted ging men ugs.than decad w edsby is charged with drugging

onhestanlad.ims it was consensu. cosby, who is 79, could face 10 years if found guilty. in georgia today, two prison guards were murdered on a prison bus.arhe runand mark strassmann has the story. >> r atlta, pairf intesepbo ordieang a o0 n thstis putrisone transport bus somehow seized the guards' 40-caliber glock pistols and murdered them. oplled were 42-year-old sergeant howard sills, the shaken sheriff of putnam county, called the inmates beyond dangerous. >> they need to surrender before i saw two al.d brthat'sut what uri saw.ly m i have their blood on my shoes. >> reporter: what is your biggest worry at this point? >> my biggest worry is they're going to kill somebody else. that's my biggest worry.

>> reporter: the escapees are 24-year-old ricky dubose and 43- year-old donnie russell rowe.e r violent felonies. they later carjacked a green honda civic and disappeared. that prison transport bus resembles a school bus but with caged windows and a caged door that separates the inmates from the driver. the inmates somehow managed to get through. is the gate typically locked? >> yes, that gate is typically locked. s reporter: sit me pointbet kesor: they managed to get through the gate and overpower the guards. >> that's what it appears. ectives are now >>estioning 31 other inmates det ri rding or:n the orbus.te the murders were also recorded by an onboard camera. the two escapees later broke into a house, stole clothes, left behind their prison whites .nhirod e gath aad inthat these two prisoners, dangerous and desperate, may try to go out in a blaze of glory. elley:ark strassmann, thanks.

coming up next on the cbs evening news: dennis rodman arrives in north korea as an anerican imprisoned there flies home in a coma. and later, ejected from the driver's seat at uber. i tried hard to quit smoking. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it.now venirm ni ch un eend leeht our daughter home, technology helps prevent you r urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how.

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>> reporter: we last saw 22- year-old otto warmbier in february of last year during an emotional, and likely coerced confession in north korea. >> i never should have allowed myself to be lured by the united states administration. >> reporter: the university of virginia student was sentenced it 15 years' hard labo allegedly stealing a propagandar poster that featured the late korean leader kim jong-il. atrth korea called it a hostile act against the state. after his trial, warmbier allegedly fell ill and has been in a coma ever since. >> the department of state has m cured the release of ottonorta errmbi >> reporter: secretary of state rex tillerson credited president pump with securing the student's release, but it happened bizarrely the same day former n.b.a. star dennis rodman landed in north korea. he has now traveled there five times and says he considers north korean leader kim jong-un

a friend for life. ♪ happy birthday to you even sang happy birthday to him. s route today, rodman said he was returning to try to "open a door," and that president trump would be happy about it. now the trump administration says dennis rodman had nothing to do with warmbier's release, mbt dennis rodman and president trump are friends from their days on the "celebrity trprentice." sce three other americans still being held by north korea.n thott, n oword >> pelley: ben tracy in beijing this evening.y n,frnkomha cbetrouoversy y.. >> pelley: ben tracy in beijing cois evening. cois evening. teng we come into this world needing otrshe cois evening. teng g o ♪it alone.♪to

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blaming him for a toxic corporate culture. here's john blackstone. >> reporter: embattled uber c.e.o. travis kalanick announced t he u was taking a leave of absence and wrote: uber has grown to challenge the utxi industry in more than 500 cities around the world, but in the past year the company has ceisftricludg cusations of stealing self-driving technology from google and protests by drivers. in a widely seen video earlier this year, kalanick argued with an angry uber driver. kalanick described his impatience to charlie rose last year. >> we are generally a little bit forward leaning when it comes to trying to make progress happen.r

described its corporate values with headings like "always be instlin'," and "pr plthe report by former attorney icneral eric holder recommends inclusive, emphasizing team work and mutual respect." crisis communication expert jeremy robinn-leon says kalanick's exit and the holder report are just the beginning of the changes uber is likely to need. >> the overall narrative has s ifted so far out of uber's favor, that without big, corrective action it toi'song kanick returns to uber isadquarters here, his role will be somewhat diminished. the recommendations released today, scott, call for a chief operating officer to take over many of kalanick's responsibilities. erst night, three americans killed in afghanistan were flown home to dover air force base in delaware.

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♪ and the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon ♪ ♪ little boy blue and the man in the moon ♪ ♪ when you comin' home, dad? i'll be home in ten ♪ ♪ and we'll get together then. ♪ime en >> pley: kevin dura >> pelley: kevin durant was a slam dunk for m.v.p. in the n.b.a. play-offs. he averaged 35 points a game as the golden state warriors clobbered the cleveland cava but lee ercowan has.s discovered there are really two m.v.p.s. >> don't matter what nobody said. look at me. you did it! >> rorter: what was last night like for you?

>> that was 100. it really was. >> reporter: last night was about more than winning. asth t her ffoulfirrllment of a promise he made to his mom when he was just eight years old. >> i can remember that conversation. >> reporter: is that why you kept pushing him so hard? >> because i knew he wanted it. teep>>oran as a young single mom, she worked the overnight shift at a post office outside washington, d.c., struggling to provide for him and his older brother, tony. >> there were many nights that o how it. di'tdnw kno >> reporter: where did you find that strength, though?any. >> i couldn't quit. and there were times i wanted te ifificr meallyor mquit ally, was not dying. that's what i sacrificed for my kids, not-- not-- not checking out on them. >> reporter: so how did you bring yourself back from that? >> because i had them. >> reporter: they were everything, yeah?

>> they needed me. >> reporter: there aren't usually words for that kind of sacrifice, but durant found just the right ones when he gave his mom a tearful shoutout at his shceptance speech for the n.b.a.'s most valuable player award three years ago. >> when you didn't eat, you made sure we ate. you went to sleep hungry. you sacrificed for us. you're the real m.v.p. ( applause ) >> reporter: even for an n.b.a. champion, being a momma's boy coy better.l anuldn how do yeeou f top last night? >> with another championship. ( laughter ) >> reporter: lee cowan, cbs news, oakland. >> pelley: and that's the cbs evening news for tonight.he wld. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by acdi a g

urch ch kpix 5 news begins with a man dressed like an i.c.e. causing a scare at a bay area search seen recording people during a spanish service. good evening. new at 6:00, a san francisco city employee has been put on leave after he showed up at a north bay church in a fake i.c.e. jacket. it happened at the lutheran church of the resurrection during a spanish language service. kpix 5's emily turner is live in san rafael with a stunt that sparked a police investigation. emily. >> reporter: the spanish- speaking group rents the time and space from the lutheran church who owns the property. but this man wasn't parading around with a video camera during a lutheran service but during a spanish-speaking service and concerned the community and then became the concern of the san rafael

police department and now the marin county district attorney. this man isn't an i.c.e. agent. but he looks enough like one that he scared the congregation at their sunday evening service and launched an investigation by san rafael police. >> this person out of i don't know what type of motivation determined to scare them and uncomfortable knowing that this is something very sensitive for latinos and hispanics. >> reporter: we don't know who he is but he was driving a government vehicle registered to the city of san francisco when showed up two sundays aget. the jacket he had was purchased online police say and while it isn't a copycat of an official i.c.e. jacket is looks like one. it sent the wrong message to a group when he walked in recording faces and license plates. >> it's so scary, all right, because -- >> reporter: he walked right up to the front? >> through the parking lot up to the front and then when