Transcripts For WUSA CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley 20170516

In. It turns out to be a license to steal. This is the cbs evening news with scott pelley. Pegues has more of the breaking news. Reporter President Trump and thenf. B. I. Director james comey met at the white house on february 14th, the day after National Security adviser Michael Flynn was fired. Flynn had lied to the Vice President about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Those contacts are now under investigation by the f. B. I. Comey wrote up a memo about the meeting with the president. In it he said that mr. Trump had asked him to drop the flynn investigation. I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, he wrote. He is a good guy. A senior white house official denied that account and said the president never asked mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving general flynn. Just last week acting f. B. I. Director Andrew Mccabe told congress there has been no interference in the russia investigation. She to impede our investigation to date. Reporter but a Law Enforcement source told cbs news there is a whole will the of interfering happening. Comey was fired last week, and the president said it was because of his handling of the russia investigation. In a 2014 60 minutes interview, comey said it was imperative that the f. B. I. Resist any political pressure. Thats why the director is given a tenyear term, so its guaranteed that youll span president ial administrations to make sure that youre leading in a way thats not influenced by the political whims. Reporter the existence of the memo also raises questions about the president s threat on twitter last week that comey better hope there were no recordings of their conversations. Scott, we were told at the time that comey was not concerned about any tapes. Now we may know why. Pelley jeff pegues for us. Jeff, well be back with you in a moment to talk about the intelligence question that also came up today. Last week shortly after President Trump tweeted that the investigation into russian interference in the u. S. Election was a hoax and a taxpayerfunded charade. Nancy cordes is on capitol hill. Shes with congressman adam schiff, a democrat, the ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee. Nancy . Reporter scott, in that capacity, congressman schiff met often with director comey. Thank you for being with us this evening. Have you seen this memo, and did you ever ask with director comey his concerns about President Trumps comments regarding this investigation . I have not seen the notes or the memo, and we did not have a conversation about the president ever suggesting that he drop the investigation. This is obviously a very serious charge. The heart of which would be interference or obstruction of the investigation, and when you add it to the allegations of just a few days the statement made by the president himself that in the context of james comey wanted to keep his job, the president brought up whether he was a suspect, another deeply troubling allegation. Congress needs to bring director comey back to testify. We need to get those notes if they exist. We need to get tapes if they exist. But there is i think mounting concern over just how this administration appears to be interfering with the russian investigation. Reporter youre a lawyer. To your mind, does this comment, when added to others, if true, constitute obstruction of justice . Well, i would need to look at just what the president said, and ill be very interested if there are notes in precisely what the president said and in hearing from the director filling in on what those notes have reported. I think its too early to say in the absence of that evidence. In fact, at this point were still dealing with allegations, not evidence, but itsug director coming back, on obtaining this evidence. We really do need to determine whether there was a consorted effort by the president to interfere or obstruct this investigation. Reporter you just got out of a meeting with c. I. A. Director pompeo. Did this come up, and did he shed any more light on the other story that was really gripping capitol hill all day until this new story broke about President Trumps comments with Russian Diplomats and whether he may have inadvertently or intentionally shared Sensitive Information with them . We did have a meeting with the director. It was a previously schedule meeting where we covered a lot of ground, but i certainly did raise this with the director, and while i cant go into what he had to say, i can tell you on the basis of what the administration has said publicly that general mcmaster did not deny that classified information may be involved, and im deeply concerned that we may have jeopardized a source or a relationship. Thats also, i think, Something Congress needs to further investigate. Reporter adam schiff, top democrat on the house intelligence committee. Thank you so much for joining us this evening. Scott . Pelley nancy cordes, thank you. Now, this remarkable day began with the president confirming that he had disclosed topsecret intelligence to Russian Diplomats at a white house meeting. In a series of Early Morning tweets, he wrote, as president , i wanted to share with russia, which i have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and Airline Flight safety. The intelligence came from israel. The white house spent the day fighting back against accusations that the president may have compromised the Israeli Intelligence operation. Here again is jeff pegues. Reporter the meeting in the oval office lasted 25 minutes. President trump told russias foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov and ambassador Sergey Kislyak down a passenger planeng usi a bomb hid anyone a laptop. That intelligence was classified, and the unexpected disclosure prompted the president s Homeland Security adviser, tom bosser, to notify the c. I. A. And n. S. A. Sources tell cbs news some of the information came from israel. There is now concern russia could share that intelligence with some of its allies, like iran, an enemy of israel, but today the president s National Security adviser, h. R. Mcmaster, denied that mr. Trump had done anything wrong. He shares information in a way that is wholly appropriate, and i should just make maybe the statement here that the president wasnt even aware, you know, where this information came from. He wasnt briefed on the source and health odd of the information either. Reporter it is unclear why the president was not aware of where the intelligence came from, but some former and current intelligence officials fear the disclosure could jeopardize lives. A formeric only could a person be killed, but isis could speed up plots. The u. S. Intelligence community has been focused on the laptop threat for over a year. In february of 2016, a laptop bomb caused extensive damage to this plane in somalia, even though the pilot managed to land. The white house says Aviation Security is a concern for both the u. S. And russia. In 2015, a russian passenger jet blew apart after a bomb hid anyone a soda can exploded. 224 people were killed, and investigators blamed isis. Mcmaster cited that bombing today. The president was emphasizing, hey, we have some common interests here. We have to Work Together in areas. We have a transnational terrorist organization, isis in particular, an organization that has already taken down a Russian Airliner and murdered over 200 people. Reporter intelligence officials are also concerned that other sharing information with the u. S. Because of this incident. Scott, Homeland Security is weighing expanding a ban on carryon electronics on International Flights to the u. S. As a result of the isis threat. Pelley jeff pegues, thanks again. Margaret brennan is covering the white house tonight. We had a very, very successful meeting with the foreign minister of russia. Our fight is against isis. Reporter standing alongside turkeys leader, President Trump defended sharing intelligence with russian officials. We want to get as many to help fight terrorism as possible. Reporter this morning the president tweeted it was his absolute right to share what he called facts pertaining to terrorism and Airline Flight safety. He said it was intended to get the russians to greatly step up their fight against isis and terrorism. Yesterday his National Security adviser, general h. R. Mcmaster, strenuously denied that any intelligence sources or methods we i was in the room. It didnt happen. Reporter today he acknowledged that the disclosure was not preplanned, and he did not deny that classified information was revealed. I stand by my statement i made yesterday. What im saying is the premise of that article is false, that in any way the president had a conversation that was inappropriate or that resulted in any kind of lapse in National Security. Reporter for the second time in two weeks, white house aides have been left scrambling to explain the president s actions. Last night after the story broke, raised voices of staffers could be heard coming from the cabinet room. Mr. Trump on twitter blamed leakers in the intelligence community. The white house described it as an intentional effort to make the president look bad. I think National Security is put at risk by this leak and by leaks like this. And there are a number of instances where this has occurred, and i think its important to investigate these sort of things. Reporter the president has been publicly critical of the intelligence community, both scott, he has repeatedly accused u. S. Intel agencies of politically motivated attacks to undermine him. Pelley and once described them as like nazis. Margaret brennan at the white house for us. Thank you very much. Mr. Trumps meeting with turkeys president erdogan has exposed a rift between the two nato allies. The u. S. Is now arming kurdish rebels in syria, rebels that turkey considers to be terrorists. The kurds are fighting their way toward raqqa, the city that isis calls its capital, and Holly Williams is with them. Reporter we were 12 miles west of raqqa today, the socalled isis capital, where these kurdish fighters are gradually encircling the city. And watching closely for isis fighters trying to flee. Theyre americas closest partners here in syria, backed up with u. S. Coalition air strikes. The americans are helping, and we appreciate it, said this man, who has been fighting the extremists for three years, but you can bomb isis 24 hours a day, and without us on the front line, it will be no use. There are several hundred u. S. Troops also on the ground here, though its the new weapons from america, mortar shells as well as artillery and armored vehicles, that the kurdish soldiers say will help the most. But its also those weapons that have so infuriated turkey. It says the kurdish fighters are linked to terrorists, accused of carrying out a spate of suicide bombings inside turkey. Agid silopi is a kurdish commander here and told Us Donald Trump has proven that hes a true friend by sending weapons. He showed us the bodies of two isis fighters killed by his men and then revealed that hes originally from he would be arrested if he returned there. We asked silopi if the new american weapons could be used over the border in turkey. If someone attacks us, well defend ourselves, he told us. But we havent used the weapons from the u. S. Against turkey because we stick to our word. That will not reassure the turkish government, but here in syria, the u. S. Has no good choices, only bad and worse options, and, scott, the u. S. Seems to have decided that backing the kurdish fighters and enraging turkey is its leastbad choice. Pelley Holly Williams on the battlefield tonight. Holly, thank you. Still ahead on the cbs evening news, bundling tv and internet ended up costing them a bundle. Now packed into a pill so small, we call it mini. New clearminis from nexium 24hr. See heartburn differently. How do you become americas bestselling brand . You make it detect what they dont. Stop, stop, stop sorry. You make it sense whats coming. Watch, watch, watch mom. Relax im relaxed. You make it for 16year olds. Whoawhoawhoa and the parents who worry about them. You saw him, right . Going further to help make drivers, better drivers. Dont freak out on me. Thats ford. And thats how you become americas bestselling brand. Find fast relief behind the counter allergies with nasal congestion . With claritind. [ upbeat music ] strut past that aisle for the allergy relief that starts working in as little as 30 minutes and contains the best oral decongestant. Live claritin clear, with claritind. A group of young people when they thought they should start saving for retirement. Then we asked some older people when they actually did start saving. This gap between when we should start saving and when we actually do is one of the reasons why too many of us arent prepared for retirement. Just start as early as you can. Its going to pay off in the future. If we all start saving a little more today, well all be better prepared tomorrow. Prudential. Bring your challenges. Pelley a lot of tv subscribers have some choice words for cable and satellite companies, some ad atcustomers are complaining some at t customers are complaining of a baitandswitch. We asked anna werner to look into every month you open up your envelope, and you say, okay, whats the surprise this month . Reporter gary raia signed up for an internet promotion. When his first bill in july was nearly double 200, he complained to at t. As im talking to them, i get on the internet, and i look thats right special, and theyre special is 99. 99. I said, can you just look at the internet. Reporter months later he was still paying a lot more. That tells me that theyre cheating people. The bundle price you sign up for is guaranteed to stay the same for two years. Reporter at t tells us they fully honor the terms of their promotions, but our investigation uncovered over 4,000 complaints against at t and directv related to deals, promotions and overcharging in the past two years. Like one woman in florida. How can i help you today . I keep getting bills for 79. 49, and my that i was only going to be 24. 99 for two years. Reporter over three hours, five different representatives gave her five different explanations. There are some specials, some discounts. That will be removed in error. It was done onor end. The price you are getting is because you were a new customer with the service. Now youre an existing customer but you guys gave me a twoyear agreement. Reporter and that lower price she was promised. It is your fault. Its an expired promotion. Once its gone, its gone. Reporter customers who then decide to cancel the Service Often to have to pay an early termination fee, which can cost hundreds of dollars. There is nothing they will be able to do. Reporter paul bland, a lawyer who specializes in consumer law, he told us all of at ts contracts require customers to use arbitration, paor the company says its faster and cheaper for consumers, but we found out of nearly 150 million customers, only 18 went through arbitration for small claims in the past two years. It turns out to be a license to steal. Reporter license to steal is pretty strong language. In my experience, when a Large Company has a lot of consumers coming forward and saying, we feel that we were baitandswitched, we were promised one thing and we got something else, the Company Knows about it. Reporter thats something customers might claim in a class action lawsuit, except at ts contract also forbids class actions. Anna werner, cbs news, new york. 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Heres tony dokoupil. Reporter 16yearold davis cripe loved to play the drums and life. Sean cripe says his son stayed away from drugs and alcohol, not the type of boy a father expected to bury. I stand before you as a brokenhearted father and hope something good can come from this. Reporter davis collapsed at school last month and later died after overdosing on caffeine. Richland county coroner gary watts. These drinks, the aims of caffeine, how its ingested, can have dire consequences. Thats what happened in this case. Reporter watts said the teen suffered a cardiac event after a 20ounce mountain dew, and a 16ounce energy drink. Thats over 400 milligrams of caffeine that the f. D. A. Says an adult can consume in 24 hours. It wasnt a car crash that took his life. Instead it was an energy drink. 2011, the number of emergency visits involving Energy Drinks more than doubled to nearly 21,000 a year. Cbs news medical contributor, dr. David aga says the food and Drug Administration may have to step in. Maybe there needs to be better labeling, restrictions on their marketing or restrictions on the amount of caffeine, because one death is too many death. Reporter sean cripe is hoping his sons death can save another parents child. Please, talk to your kids about the dangers of these Energy Drinks. Reporter the f. D. A. Does not require labels to show how much caffeine is in these Energy Drinks. Now, scott, the American Beverage Association says they have less caffeine than a comparable coffee house drink. Pelley tony dokoupil, thanks. Well be back with a recap of our top story. Tell your doctor about your medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. Do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, or adempas® for pulmonary hypertension, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. Do not drink alcohol in excess. 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The president s first National Security adviser. Flynn was fired for lying to the Vice President about conversations he had with russias ambassador to the u. S. The white house tonight says mr. Trump never asked comey to end the probe. The president fired comey one week ago, and late today the trumppence political cig out ag accusing the media and unelected bureaucrats of trying to sabotage the president. Thats the cbs evening news tonight. For all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. President playing russian roulette with classified information. The white house tries to calm the fears of republican leaders. If this report is indeed true, it would mean that the president badly damaged our National Security. While Mitch Mcconnell says the drama is slowing the republican agenda. I think we can do with a little less drama from the white house. A lot of things. We are going to get to news out of the white house in a couple seconds. We want to start with breaking news from the Turkish Embassy in northwest d. C. There is been injuries and people arrested after demonstrations got out of hand this comes as the president of turkey visits the white house. Wusa 9 john henry is live. John, whats the very