captioning sponsored by cbs >> pelley: missiles with a message. >> united states will no longer wait for assad to use develops without any consequences. >> we cannot in one breath speak of protecting syrian babies and in the next close america's doors to them. >> pelley: also tonight, the 14-month battle to fill a supreme court vacancy is over. >> confirmed. >> pelley: but the fallout is just beginning. terrorists again turn a speeding truck into a weapon of maz destruction, this time in stockholm. and steve hartman. eugene yoon sets out to get a paralyzed man to walk.

>> reporter: you don't have a medical degree. >> i have a film degree. this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: after 11 weeks in office, president trump just had his best 24 hours. his supreme court nominee was confirmed by the senate, he wrapped a summit meeting with his most important counterpart, and he pulled off a military strike in syria without going to war with russia. we'll start with syria. m fired his first shots in anger over a moral outrage. the syrian dictatorship's use of an outlawed nerve gas to kill more than 80 civilians. throughout syria's six-year-old civil war, no country has taken military action baens bashar al-assad's war crimes, but today most world leaders applauded america's limited naval

bombardment. david martin tells us about the target. >> reporter: u.s. officials estimate 20 russian-made aircraft belonging to the syrian air force were reduced to scrap metal. satellite photos show 59 cruise missiles, each with a 1,000-pound warhead, hit ammo dumps, storage sites, and radares spread out around the 10,000-foot runway. commodore tate westbrook commanded the small navy task force. westbrook told cbs news he first was alerted for the mission oned it, the same day a syrian jet was tracked taking off from the airfield and dropping a bomb loaded with nerve gas on a roadway, where it left a small crater and a cloud of death.

at the time, destroyers "porter" and "ross" were some 1500 miles away. >> reporter: by the time president trump approved the strike at 4:30 thursday afternoon, the "porter" and "ross" were southwest of cypress, well within the 1,000-mile range of their cruise missiles. the command center for the operation alertedly the russians a strike was coming but was not aimed at them. the russians had helicopters and crews at the airfield, and the missiles thribtly avoided those locations. at 7:36 thursday evening, the "porter" and "ross" began launching 60 missiles. one failed and went in the water. the other 59 flew different routes in order to reach the target at the same time. this is what it looked like from a distance as shown on sir yoon tv. neither syrian nor russian air

defenses tried to shoot the missiles down. >> reporter: u.s. intelligence believes the syrian regime resorted to chemical weapons in a desperate attempt to top opposition fighters from capturing key terrain. it is still investigating whether russia, the regime's protector, had anything to do with that chemical attack. scott. >> pelley: david martin at the pentagon tonight. david, thank you. well, assad remains in power because russia saved him with their air power. after an attack in 2013, the russian and obama administration coordinated in to seize and destroy assad's chemical weapons, but tuesday's attack shows assad cheated on that agreement. we asked one of the most experienced reporters on syria, elizabeth palmer, to tell us more about russia's reaction. >> reporter: from state tv,

which broadcast pictures of the aftermath, to russia representatives at the united nations, the outrage was unanimous. "the attack" said vladimir safronkov, "was a flagrant violation of international law." in moscow, major general igor konashenkov said the missile attack on the shayrat airfield violated russia's agreement to cooperate with the u.s. in the fight against isis. russia has been fighting in syria but on bashar al-assad's side since 2015. the kremlin says it's there to fight terrorism. military analysts say it's to protect its mediterranean base on the syrian coast, and, also, its own influence in the middle east. as soon as the news of the chemical attack horrified the world on tuesday, russia denied syria's military was responsible. in fact, back in 2013, russia

was supposed to make sure the syrian government gave up all its chemical weapons. the fact that, apparently, it didn't do that is an embarrassment for the kremlin. today, russia's foreign minister, sergey lavrov, said the strikes had harmed already-broken u.s.-russia relations but that he hoped the damage would not be irreversible. in spite of the kremlin's anger and outrage, scott, it has left the door open to dialogue. secretary of state rex tillerson will be in moscow next week, and the way forward in syria will be at the very top of the agenda. >> pelley: elizabeth palmer in our london newsroom. liz, thank you. and late today, the trump administration said it will follow up on this attack with more economic sanctions against syria. margaret brennan is covering mr. trump's first summit meeting with the president of china in florida. >> reporter: president trump wrapped up his meetings with china's leader xi jinping today,

a crucial test of diplomacy that was largely overshadowed by last night's military action. >> i believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away. >> reporter: after dinner last night, the president informed xi that u.s. missiles had just made impact in syria. he told the nation shortly afterward. >> it is in the national security interest of the united states to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. >> reporter: the decision to intervene in syria's brutal six-year war seemed a sharp departure from the "america first" policy outlined by president trump on inauguration day. >> we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone. >> reporter: secretary of state rex tillerson said the strike does not signal a new u.s. offensive in syria, where there are already nearly 1,000 troops focused on the fight against isis. but u.n. ambassador nikki haley

said the strike was a warning. >> we are prepared to do more. but we hope that will not be necessary. >> where do we go from here? >> reporter: republican senator lindsey graham said mr. trump needs a long-term strategy. >> we're in the early stages. i'm glad they did it. it was a resetting moment. it was a wonderful signal to send but it's gogot to be followed up. >> reporter: even former opponent hillary clinton said she supported the strikes, but pointed out they were inconsistent with the president's order to ban syrian refugees from coming to the u.s. > and i also hope that they will recognize that we cannot in one breath speak of protecting syrian babies and in the next close america's doors to them. ( applause ) >> reporter: and at the conclusion of this china summit, there is one key foreign policy that is taking shape. if beijing doesn't help counter the threat posed by north korea, the u.s. will go it alone.

scott. >> pelley: margaret brennan with the president at his resort in florida. margaret, thank you. this sunday, secretary of state tillerson will make his first appearance on "face the nation" with cbs chief washington correspondent john dickerson. the vacancy on the supreme court since the civil war has been filled. the senate today confirmed neil gorsuch to succeed antonin scalia, who died 60 weeks ago tomorrow. here's our chief legal correspondent jan crawford. >> the ayes are 54. the nays are 45. >> reporter: with vice president pence presiding, a bitterly divided senate confirmed gorsuch's as the supreme court's 113th justice. the 49-year-old colorado native, with sparkling academic credentials and a solidly conservative judicial record will be sworn in monday, giving the court its first full complement of justices since the

sudden death of justice antonin scalia 14 months ago and sparked an unprecedented political battle. when president obama tapped respected judge merrick garland, republicans refused to even grant him a hearing, saying the next president should fill the advocacy. democrats then vowed to block president trump's pick, so republicans yesterday changed the senate rules, triggering the so-called "nuclear option," to do away with filibusters of supreme court nominees. democratic leader chuck schumer: >> as a result, america's faith in the integrity of the court and their trust in the basic impartiality of the law will suffer. those are serious things for this republic. >> reporter: but republicans like senator john mccain, said the fight was never about neil gorsuch. >> the real reason why most of my friends on the other side opposed judge gorsuch's confirmation is that president trump nominated him. >> reporter: gorsuch's confirmation won't change the

bnls of the supreme court. it will remain a conservative majority, but his confirmation fight will have long-lasting consequences, because with the filibuster now a thing of the past, democrats have no way of blocking president trump's future nominees. now, since judge gorsuch is being sworn in on monday, he'll be on the bench for the last two weeks of arguments this term. he won't have a vote in any of the cases that already have been argued but not yet decided. although, scott, the justices could reschedule any of those that divided them 4-4. >> pelley: jan crawford at the supreme court for us tonight. jan, thank you. in another important story, speeding trucks are becoming a weapon of choice for terrorists. they've been used in france, germany, and england, and now, today in stockholm, sweden. low tech, high impact. at least four were killed, 15 others hurt, and jonathan vigliotti is in stockholm. >> reporter: a man driving a

stolen beer truck barreled down stockholm's busiest shopping street, hitting dozens of pedestrians, before ramming into a department store. the truck burst into flames. police immediately cordoned off a large area while first responders tended to the victims. at least 15 were injured. eyewitness annievi petersson was nearby. >> there was blood everywhere. there were bodies on the ground everywhere. and a sense of panic, people standing by beloved ones, but also people running away. >> reporter: the driver managed to escape, and police released these photographs but wouldn't say if he was the attacker. a somber prime minister told the country they'd been attacked. "we are treating this as an act of terror" said stefan lofven. swedish parliament was loblgd down, the subway suspended, and the country put on heightened alert. sweden has been relatively immune from the spate of terror attacks in other parts of

europe-- france, germany, and britain have all been hit by truck or car attacks by suspected isis followers. >> it has been a terror attack. >> reporter: last month in london, an s.u.v. deliberately mowed down pedestrians on westminster bridge before crashing into the gates of parliament. the city center remains blocked off this evening as the investigation continues. police have arrested one man but at this point, scott, they're not saying if he is the attacker. >> pelley: jonathan vigliotti in stockholm for us tonight. jonathan, thank you. a fifth victim of that london attack that jonathan just mentioned has died. the terrorist was running down pedestrians on london's westminster bridge last month when he forced andrea cristia, a tourist from romania, into the river thames. she suffered a lung injury that led to a clot of blood in her brain. she was taken off life support yesterday. after crashing that s.u.v., the

attacker stabbed an officer to death. police shot him dead. coming up next on the cbs evening news, what's behind a sudden drop in hiring? and later, steve hartman with a young man answering the call. >> i remember kind of just, like, looking up at the sky and being like, "god, are you sure about this? because i'm pretty happy right now." needles. essential for him, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened.

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in february, and that pumped up the job creation, places like construction. but then march it got colder, and those jobs kind of disappeared. that does not exactly explain what happened in the retail sector. we've lost about 30,000 jobs a month for last two months in retail, worst two-month performance since 2009. that probably has more to do with longer term trends where we're going brick and mortar to online. we're going to have to keep an eye on that. >> pelley: now, this is the best unemployment rate we've had since the great recession but it doesn't tell the whole story. >> reporter: there is a broader unemployment rate. it's called u6, for the wonks. can means we take into account those who are working part time who want full-time work. we also take into account those who are disgruntled. they kind of have one foot out the door. that rate dropped to 8.9%, the lowest since 2007, the first month of the great recession. and it's really good news. it's neither the prerecession average of 8% to 8.5%. that's where i see progress in

the jobs front. >> pelley: it has been a long climb back. jill schlesinger, our business analyst, thank you, jill. >> reporter: thanks. >> pelley: the category is rock 'n' roll. the answer is yes. and the question is straight ahead.

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>> pelley: michigan has taken away the medical license of larry nassar, a former doctor with u.s.a. gymnastics. "60 minutes" reported that dozens of female gymnasts, including olympians, accused nassar of sexual abuse. he faces charges in michigan. powerful gusts today knocked down trees and knocked out power from northern california to washington state. wendz in portland, oregon, reached 60 miles an hour, but there were no serious injuries. delta has a lot of angry customers. the airline canceled 3,000 flights this week after storms all but shut down its major hub in atlanta.

many passengers can't rebook now because with passover and easter coming, there just aren't enough seats. it's a big night for rock 'n' roll. the hall of fame class of '17 will be inducted in new york. who are they? ♪ ♪ yes is among a diverse group that includes e.l.o., folk singer joan baez. journey, grunge rockers pearl jam, and rapper tupac shakur. producer nile rogers is getting a special award for musical excellence. steve hartman does his rockin'' on the road next.

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spot a good one a mile away. >> reporter: by any logical standard, two years ago, eugene yoon made the craziest decision of his life. >> i remember kind of just, like, looking up at the sky and being like, "god, are you sure about this? because i'm pretty happy right now." >> reporter: did it feel like that, like a calling? >> it felt like a calling. >> reporter: what eugene felt called to do was one really big random act of kindness. he didn't know who he was supposed to help or how. all he knew was that he had to help someone and it had to be life altering, and that's when a video came across his facebook page. as we first reported in 2015, it was a video of a guy he never met named arthur renowitzky. after being mugged, shot, and paralyzed 10 years ago, arthur vowed that he would walk again some day. and when eugene heard about that, he called another immediately. >> he wasn't going to give up until i was walking again. >> reporter: to walk again. >> to walk again.

>> reporter: and you don't have a medical degree. >> i have a film degree. >> reporter: which makes you wonder then, how were you going to make him walk again? >> that's the part i had no idea. >> reporter: eventually, though, he learned about this exoskeleton device that can help some people walk again. unfortunately, it costs about $80,000. so to pay for it, eugene quit his job at a research company in northern california to hike. >> here we go! >> reporter: from the california-mexico border to canada. >> we're going! >> reporter: along the way, he posted videos of the adventure and asked people to donate on social media. until round about mid-washington state-- >> we did it! >> reporter: ...when eugene learned he had reached his fund-raising goal. >> you're going to walk! >> reporter: a few weeks later, arthur did walk, right into the arms of a total stranger who made it all possible. >> i'm so happy for you. >> thank you, brother. >> i call him my brother now. we are brothers.

i'm just very thankful to have a friend like him. >> reporter: since this story first aired, eugene has been looking for another total stranger to help with another huge act of kindness, and here he is. alberto velasquez lives in poverty with 24 family members under one roof. eugene met alberto's family on skid row in los angeles, and then hired alberto, a skilled seamster, to help start a clothe line called kin lov gra. proceeds will guarantee alberto and his family a living wage and fund other kindness projects to come. eugene may have started with a walk! >> yes! >> reporter: but is now clearing up and running. steve hartman, "on the road," in los angeles. >> pelley: kindness catches on. and that's the cbs evening news for tonight. for all of us at cbs news all around the world, i'm scott pelley. i'll see you sunday on "60 minutes." good night.

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. tonight, the new twist in mel b's divorce battle. after accusing her husband of physical violence. what he's now demanding from her. plus new video of the nanny caught in the middle of the scandal. >> any truth in the else as apt mel b? >> then olivia and aaron rodgers split? >> probably -- >> we're not even engaged. >> oh. >> is family to blame? >> bye-bye. >> after mama june's weight loss is she hoping to win sugar bear back? >> and does blake have more love for gwen or adam. >> i think you have the worst face. i'd like to punch it. >> you have the worst breath. i'd lick to kov it. >> tough worst