need to stay strong because of my daughter said jamila abu jeb ara. she named her six other sons and daughters killed in an israeli strike seven months ago today. "i think i'll dreaming and i'll wake up and find my children around me." deema, now an only child, said, "i just want this war to end." but hostility runs deep and wide. today israeli settlers attacked an aid convoy headed to gaza, ransacking the trucks and throwing their contents onto the street. as the country marked its first memorial day since october 7th for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the u.s. warned israel it needs a plan to replace hamas as a governing body in gaza. >> then you're going to have a vacuum and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos and anarchy. >> reporter: the health ministry is appealing for international pressure to let in desperately needed aid, medical supplies,

and fuel, norah. the strip's crucial southern border crossing in rafah remains closed. >> ramy inocencio, thank you for being there. now to the intensifying war in ukraine. russian forces are carrying out a major assault in and around ukraine's second largest city, kharkiv, capturing more than a half dozen towns and villages over the weekend. russia has also been pounding ukraine's power grid while ukraine's desperately outgunned troops wait for more military aid to arrive from the u.s. and western allies. tonight, new york city is on edge following a string of random assaults, including two hgh-profile incidents in just the last week. a tourist in times square was stabbed over the weekend, and a celebrity was punched in the face by a stranger just a few days earlier. cbs's nikki battiste reports on what's behind this rise in frightening attacks. >> reporter: surveillance video shows this terrifying moment on saturday in times square. a man jumping up from a walker,

pulling out a knife, and lunging at two women walking by, stabbing one of them in the chest. a few minutes later, police handcuff the suspect. it's the latest in a series of random assaults across new york city. about a dozen people, mostly women and one 9-year-old, have reported incidents to police. some shared stories online, saying they were randomly punched in the face while walking down the street. >> it was like a zombie walking and just punched me and just keep walking out of nowhere. >> reporter: actor steve buscemi had a swollen, bloody eye after he was allegedly hit by this man last week. his publicist said in a statement that the sopranos and boardwalk empire star was another victim of a random act of violence in the city. >> i think it's a combination of factors, and one of it is unaddressed mental illness. >> reporter: overall, murders, burglaries, and shootings in new york city are down. but there have been about 1,000 more misdemeanor assaults like punching incidents this year

compared to last, about a 7% jump. >> is it the randomness of these incidents that causes the alarm? >> it is. i'm just minding my business. i'm not engaging with anybody. i'm not making eye contact. i'm not being hostile, and yet i get assaulted, and that's what makes people afraid. >> reporter: the nypd believes there are multiple people behind these punching attacks, and they don't all appear to be connected. so far there have been at least four arrests. we reached out to the nypd to ask if they're stepping up street patrols, but we haven't heard back. norah. >> nikki battiste, thanks very much. tens of millions of americans are gearing up for the upcoming memorial day weekend. aaa says 43.8 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this year, making it the busiest in nearly 20 years. here's cbs's kris van cleave. >> reporter: hoping to beat the potentially record-breaking summer travel rush, joy noel

booked her vacation months ago. >> i'm definitely am excited for this travel season. i do plan on traveling on airplanes. i do plan on taking my car, just like seeing where this summer season takes me. >> reporter: and she will not be alone. aaa is p expecting about a 5% bump in airline travel this memorial day weekend. united airlines is planning for its busiest ever, flying over half a million people a day. but most will drive. aaa predicting a record 38.4 million will hit the road, up 4% from last year. >> it goes back to that bucket list, yolo, you only live once mentality. a lot of people are going, you know what? let's not take those trips we always take with our family. let's get a little bit more adventurous. >> reporter: one of the fastest growing segments is cruising of. the industry is expecting 35 million passengers this year, a new high. for the thousands on board carnival fa ren day, vacation season started early. >> what do you like best about

cruising? >> that you get to go to multiple destinations, unpack your suitcase once. you got food, entertainment, even the casino if you're into that. >> reporter: now, when it comes to holiday traffic, aaa expects the roads to be busiest next thursday and friday between noon and 7:00 p.m. united airlines thinks the airports will be busiest on thursday. top domestic travel destinations include orlando, the florida beaches, los angeles, las vegas, and here in denver, norah. >> kris van cleave with good information, thank you so much. a church congregation pulls together to stop a gunman while dozens of kids await their first holy communion. the heroic

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is soooo soft and soo smooth. charmin ultra soft smooth tear has wavy perforations that tear so much better for a smooth more enjoyable go. charmin, enjoy the go. quick-thinking churchgoers joined forces to stop a gunman in louisiana this weekend. cbs's omar villafranca has the dramatic video. >> reporter: chaos during communion caught on a livestream. it happened saturday at saint mary magdalene church during a frst communion ceremony for children in abbeville, louisiana. police say a 16-year-old boy carrying a gun opened the back door of the packed church but was immediately confronted and escorted away from the church by parishioners. the priest tries to calm everyone by asking them to recite a prayer while altar servers can be seen running for

cover and clergy ducking behind the altar. no one was hurt. the 16-year-old was arrested and taken for a mental evaluation. saturday's incident comes a week after a man attempted to shoot a pennsylvania pastor mid-service. video captures the moment his gun jams and the deacon dives over a pew and tackles him. >> i just tried to get out of the way of him shooting because he pointed it right at me, and i just -- you know, i'm looking right down the barrel of a gun. >> reporter: bernard said he heard voices. he is now under arrest, charged with murdering his cousin earlier that day. omar villafranca, cbs news, dallas. what's supposed to be a new simply pied system for federal college loans is upended by glitches. what students and parents need to know. that's next.

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anxiety was mounting for senior jojo henderson. >> it's where you belong. >> reporter: the 18-year-old from pittsburgh, texas, couldn't commit to college without knowing his financial aid. >> i'm frustrated because it's just like you do everything that you're supposed to do, and then you have to wait on the government to catch up. >> reporter: henderson filled out the free application for federal student aid, known as fafsa, almost five months ago. he finally received his financial information last week, after some college decision deadlines. typically the department of education releases the forms on october 1st, then sends the students data to colleges within one to three days of submission to calculate aid. this year, the application forms came out three months late. it's estimated more than a quarter of colleges have still not sent aid packages. >> did you ever think of giving up, maybe not going to college? >> yeah, many times actually. >> really? >> um, i was just, like, so

tired of waiting. >> reporter: new jersey high school senior jaylen james finally received her aid package close to the decision deadline. >> my biggest advice is to not give up. >> reporter: sarah urkida oversees college counseling for thousands of public school students in the dallas area. >> ask for extensions. ask if deposits or housing are refundable. ask for anything they possibly can to help make a decision, but don't opt out at this point in the process. >> reporter: a fafsa fiasco that's still not finished. meg oliver, cbs news, wayne, new jersey. "heart of america" is

finally, tonight's "heart of america" as we celebrate asian american and pacific islander heritage month. cbs's nancy chen has the story of an inspiring maestro who is breaking barriers while hitting all the right notes. ♪

>> reporter: new york's metropolitan opera sets the tone as one of the world's most prestigious stages, and conductor xinjiang is helping to shape its sound. the groundbreaking maestro born in china made her guest debut earlier this year, one of the first asian american women to lead from its podium. > do you hope to inspire other musicians? >> absolutely. >> reporter: in the u.s., only about 1 in 4 music directors are people of color, and even fewer are women. >> do you think it was harder as a woman, as a person of color? >> the double standard? oh, absolutely. but to be within this group, one also has to learn how to grow from it and give yourself the space to make mistakes. it's okay. ♪ >> reporter: experience jong passes on while also leading the

new jersey symphony, in her eighth season as its first female music director. and as she blazes a new path, jong hopes the music itself strikes the highest note of all. nancy chen, cbs news, new york. [ applause ] >> conductor shin jong, tonight's "heart of america." and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, athletic back later for cris mornings kwiegs and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. storms lashed southern louisiana and new orleans tonight with high winds and flash flooding.

police say there's at least one fatality and more than 118,000 customers lost power. the toll from severe weather in indonesia has now climbed to at least 50 people dead with 27 still missing. violent storms in sumatra over the weekend caused a combination of flash flooding, mudslides, and ash debris from a nearby volcano. and walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and moving most remote workers back to offices according to a report in "the wall street journal." walmart is america's largest employer with more than a million workers across the country. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. do you have any messages for donald trump today? >> the prosecution's key witness takes the stand in donald trump's so-called hush money trial. >> is there anything he could say that could put you in jeopardy? >> michael cohen ties his old boss directly to hush money

payments to stormy daniels. why he says the former president was afraid the adult film star's story would be a disaster for his 2016 campaign. >> i paid a lawyer a legal expense. it's marked down in the book. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us after a pivotal day in the criminal trial of donald trump. the former president coming face to face with his onetime personal attorney, michael cohen, who gave six hours of detailed testimony under oath, painting a behind-the-scenes picture of what was happening in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign. the former fixer and inside man detailed how trump personally approved the so-called hush money payouts to hide stories that he believed would hurt him with female voters in his 2016

run for the white house. it was the stormy daniels payment and trump's reimbursement to cohen disguised as legal expenses that is at the heart of this criminal case. trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal that information from voters. reporters in the room say trump spent much of the day in court with his eyes closed. cbs's robert costa was there for today's riveting testimony and reports tonight on a secret recording between cohen and trump that the jury heard just today. >> what do you have to say to donald trump? >> reporter: michael cohen left early this morning for what would be a blockbuster day in court, where he testified that when stormy daniels started shopping her story, donald trump told him, "just take care of it." cohen set the scene. the 2016 election was just weeks away, and according to cohen's testimony, trump said, "it's a total disaster. women are going to hate me."

>> i have no idea what they're even doing. >> reporter: as trump continued to deny all the allegations, cohen detailed how he made the $130,000 payment to daniels to keep her quiet, which he described in 2019. >> he asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair and to lie about it to his wife, which i did. >> reporter: before finalizing the $130,000 payment to daniels, cohen said he called trump to tell him because everything required mr. trump's sign-off. "on top of that, i wanted the money back." >> cohen so far has been effective for the prosecution. he is the first witness who's really placed donald trump directly in these discussions about the payoff to stormy daniels. >> reporter: cohen pointed to a trump tower meeting where he and former chief financial officer allen weisselberg showed trump this document with cohen's name at the top and $130,000 scribbled at the bottom. it was there, cohen testified, that trump approved the plan to

pay him in monthly installments. jurors also heard trump and cohen allegedly talking together in 2016 about a separate hush money payment made to former "playboy" playmate karen mcdougal, a recording cohen made without telling trump. >> and i spoke to allen about it. when it comes time for the financing, which will be -- >> listen, what financing? >> we'll have to pay him something. >> no, we'll pay with cash. >> reporter: one major challenge for prosecutors is getting the jury to believe michael cohen. he's a convicted felon who spent time in prison and admitted lying to congress. >> i think the only way they could do that is really by allowing cohen to be himself on the stand and testify and come across as a person who is credible, who may have lied in the past but is telling the truth now. >> reporter: trump and cohen barely looked at each other all day, but there was one moment where cohen was asked to single out the defendant, and he did just that. cohen will be back in the courtroom tomorrow. norah. >> robert costa, thank you so much.

now, breaking news from the scene of that deadly bridge collapse in baltimore. in a risky operation, engineers just hours ago set off controlled explosions in the wreckage of the francis scott key bridge to help try and free the massive cargo ship that crashed into it nearly seven weeks ago. cbs's nicole sganga is there. >> reporter: explosive precision cuts at the site of the key bridge collapse. workers demolishing steel beams to remove a colossal steel truss atop the container ship dali, where 21 crew members remained below deck during this operation. >> it is going to allow for the pressure from those cuts to literally separate the metal and cut through the steel. >> reporter: once clear, crews will work to refloat the container ship dali in hopes of moving the ship out of the channel in just two days. the massive container ship

spanning 985 feet and weighing 116,000 tons, and moving it is one of the last remaining barriers to clearing the channel. >> the key bridge is down. >> reporter: this is the moment the first police marine unit arrived on-scene at the deadly bridge collapse seven weeks ago. >> at least several vehicles in the water. >> reporter: authorities have recovered all six bodies of the construction workers who died during the key bridge collapse. maryland has now offered $22 million in assistance to impacted small businesses plus $2.8 million in cash to port workers. >> we're talking about a port that has, you know, economic output of $191 million daily. >> reporter: amid calls for accountability as investigators dive into the most expensive maritime tragedy in u.s. history. >> we know that those who need to be held responsible for this tragedy will be held responsible.

>> reporter: findings from a preliminary investigation by the ntsb are expected to be released tomorrow. meanwhile, maryland transportation officials say that the new bridge is expected to cost as much as $2 billion. norah. >> nicole sganga, thank you so much. more than 100 active wildfires are burning in canada, sending thick smoke across the border south into the united states. minnesota officials issued the state's first air quality alert of the year with parts of wisconsin and iowa also facing air quality issues. canada had its worst wildfire season on record last year, and extreme drought conditions could make this year even worse. tonight, severe weather is once again taking aim at parts of the country. this tornado striking a short time ago in southern missouri while heavy rains flooded roads across texas, dropping hail the size of golf balls -- look at that -- on homes near austin. more than 10 million americans are under flood alerts from texas to florida with more rain in the forecast.

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washington. thanks for staying with us. spring is here, and summer vacation is on the horizon. and if you haven't made your getaway plans yet, you may want to get on that. the memorial day holiday begins next weekend, and aaa predicts it will be the busiest in 20 years. nearly 44 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. kris van cleave has some tips from phoenix sky harbor airport. >> reporter: it's definitely all aboard. aaa is expecting a record number of drivers. airlines bracing for a potential record number of flyers. and one of the fastest growing ways to travel, go on vacation, that's by cruise ship. on board the brand-new carnival firenze ahead of its sold-out inaugural mexican cruise, the summer vacation season has started a little early for the cruz family. >> this is probably the most eventful vacation you can have in such a small area. >> part of it is also you can sort of lock in the cost. >> oh, absolutely, yeah.

>> reporter: cruising is surging in popularity. nearly 35 million passengers are expected this year, 5 million more than pre-pandemic. the firenze was originally intended to serve china but was shifted to the u.s. instead to meet the demand. >> are you full for the summer of 2024? >> there's still space available, but we are telling people you've got to book early and plan ahead. >> carnival fir enza. >> carnival president christine duffy. >> we're seeing more people that are discovering cruising as a great family vacation. the value of a cruise vacation relative to what it costs today to go to a resort makes it extremely attractive and efficient and easy. >> reporter: aaa expects travel by cruising or train to jump nearly 6% this memorial day. the vast majority, though, will drive. a record 38.4 million, up 4% from last year. gas prices have been ticking down though they're still sitting about 8 cents a gallon

higher than they were last year nationally. >> people are still prioritizing travel, and they're budgeting for it. maybe they're cutting back in other areas of their life, but we're not seeing pull back on travel and how they're spending. >> reporter: and at airports, aaa expects about 5% more flyers this memorial day. joy noel booked her summer trips months ago but pivoted destinations when she spotted a deal. >> to go to japan would have been $1,200 round trip for one person. when we switched to go to canada, it was $1,200 round trip for both of us. >> reporter: flexibility is key when trying to find a deal during a busy travel time for sure. aaa expects the busiest time to drive will be next thursday and friday between noon and 7:00 p.m. united airlines says thursday will be its busiest days in the sky. >> that was kris van cleave in phoenix. we have an update now on a joint investigation by cbs news and kff health news into a

dental device that patients claim has damaged their mouths. it's called the anterior growth guidance appliance, or aga. the device's inventor, dr. steve galella, claimed it could cure tmj jaw disorder and sleep disorder. the agga and the doctor are now under criminal investigation. this morning we're learning the dental lab that made the device was never inspected by the fda before our investigation. anna werner has the latest. >> reporter: it was our investigation that brought the agga device to the fda's attention last march. public documents obtained by cbs news and kff health news show several months later, the agency showed up for its first ever inspection at the device's manufacturer, johns dental laboratories, an 85-year-old company in indiana. vards these are some of the patients who told us a dental device described by its inventor as a cure for common conditions instead wrecked their mouths. >> i noticed my teeth were starting to get loose. >> i can't bite into absolutely anything. >> my front six teeth also

became extremely flared outwards. all six of them -- yes, they were doing this. >> reporter: the agga was promoted as a device that could expand the upper jaw without surgery to help treat tmj problems and sleep apnea. >> it's the best kept secret in orthodontics. >> reporter: its inventor, tennessee dentist dr. steve galella, seen here in australia training dentists to use the agga in 2017. >> you could cure people of things they never thought they could be cured of. >> reporter: his device was manufactured here at johns dental laboratories in terre haute, indiana. medical device companies are supposed to register their products with the fda in most circumstances. but documents obtained by cbs news reveal that the fda became aware of the agga through our investigation. johns dental never told the fda it was making it, and the manufacturer had never been inspected amptd i few months after our report, an fda

inspector showed up unannounced at the company's door. what did he find? he wrote that customer complaints to john's dental about the agga were not adequately investigated. in fact, of four complaints the manufacturer received after our story ran, alleging the agga device had caused patient harm, zero were investigated, the inspector wrote. each complaint was closed on the same day it was received. attorney jason brook, who specializes in medical device regulation, says of that finding -- >> usually it takes weeks to perform a thorough investigation, and to do that in less than 24 hours is -- is -- is almost impossible. >> reporter: device companies are also supposed to alert the fda if they get complaints that their products may have seriously hurt patients. but the fda inspection report said john's dental had never told the agency about any complaints about any of its products. >> that's a red flag for me. >> reporter: former fda manager ma drees kennard runs a company that analyzes fda data.

>> and what does that say to you? >> well, it says to me that the company isn't duing their due diligence, or if they are, they aren't commune cating that to the fard. >> reporter: the fda's response? it told us it did not believe it was required to inspect johns dental prior to 2018 because it was under the impression the company was operating as a dental lab, which does not make its own devices as opposed to a manufacturer. >> there hasn't been much attention to dental devices in the past and that hopefully that's going to change in the future. >> reporter: both johns dental and dr. galella have declined to comment. they've each settled at least 20 lawsuits filed by agga patients but have not publicly admitted any liability. an attorney for galella told us last year that the agga is safe and can achieve beneficial results when properly used. both the fda and the department of justice have opened investigations into the device after our stories. after our stories. >> that was a head & shoulders bare clinically proven dandruff

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armadillo, a capybara, a ball python, some mandarin ducks, a zibu. >> hello, baby. >> reporter: and a skunk named squirt. >> is he soft? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: these 120 animals haven't been convicted of anything. >> come on in, everybody. >> reporter: for them, getting assigned a life sentence here is actually a good thing. it's a safe place where they can live out their days with regular visitation from hundreds of admirers. >> all of our animals have been abandoned, abused, confiscated, or donated. >> good morning, wilbur. >> reporter: biologist jeannie sealander has supervised the monroe county sheriff's office animal farm since 2006. >> are you going to dance for us today? >> reporter: this small zoo got started by accident in the mid-1990s when word got out that the sheriff had rescued some ducks from a nearby road. >> people just showed up with animals they didn't want anymore because the rumors were that jail was taking in animals, and they were asking if they could leave their animal or drop it

off down here in the keys, there aren't a lot of rescue facilities. >> reporter: so the open air beneath the jail turned into one. the center is located next to key west, just a few miles from the southernmost point in the contiguous united states. sealander, who isn't law enforcement, originally moved here to work for the local aquarium. >> i was really apprehensive about working with inmates. i had never even been to a jail before. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> reporter: the animal farm is maintained by a small team of incarcerated men. those we met during our visit were all serving time for drug-related charges. each morning, sealander briefs them on their tasks. >> the meds for dash are on the table. >> reporter: only low-level, nonviolent offenders can apply for animal duty. this is a coveted work assignment. >> what's up, jack? >> this is by far the best job.

>> reporter: ashley able mar says that working with animals and being outside -- >> there you go. >> reporter: -- helps take his mind off the time he's serving inside. >> when i'm here, all the worries that i have of myself, it takes it away from me. i don't even exist. i'm here to just serve a higher purpose, taking care of these animals, making sure they see tomorrow and the next and the next. >> reporter: on this day, tyler cunningham is on meal prep duty. he's tasked with feeding everything from the rhinoceros iguana to the ca waty mundy. >> do you feel a connection with the animals? >> oh, for sure. definitely. it's a very therapeutic. it makes me feel a lot of love, you know, and be able to give love. it's a very good thing. >> reporter: jeannie sealander sees that as a win/win. >> they give back to the community when they're here. they help with all the chores that need to be done. they care for the animals. they learn about some of the animals they've never seen, they've never heard of. >> reporter: like lemurs. eric garcia had only seen animated ones before he arrived

at stock island. >> the lemurs, i remember some in the madagascar movie. >> madagascar movie and jail. >> and jail. >> say hi to calypso. >> reporter: twice a month the public is invited free of charge to get up close and personal with the animals. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: the program is primarily funded by donations. >> thank you for the donation. >> reporter: cash. >> oh, the cap barra is going to love you. >> reporter: and of kale. >> it was nice just to see them. >> reporter: robert devvelazque was once incarcerated here. >> i'm not in an orange yeun storm. >> reporter: he wanted to bring his family back to show them the animals he used to work with. >> that's kelsey. isn't that crazy? >> reporter: one day, he hopes to start an animal-focused nonprofit of his own. >> yeah, his face is shaped like a rhino. >> reporter: those are the types of stories that motivate jeannie. >> if i can make a difference in one person's life, then that means something to me. so not only am i changing

inmates' lives, but i'm making a difference in the animals' lives as well. >> it's interesting to me, though, that you referenced them in that order because i think a lot of people, especially coming from a biology background, they're doing it to save the animals, and you certainly are, but to reference the inmates first is a different way of helping. >> absolutely. i think a lot of them are unseen, and i do see a lot of changes when i look back on all the probably couple of thousand inmates i've had in my time here. the fact that this made a difference in their life and that i made a difference in their time here, that makes you feel good. >> conor knighton in the florida keys.

organized theft costs retailers more than $100 billion a year, but some cities are fighting back. here's lilia luciano. >> reporter: we've all seen the videos. flosh mobs and smash-and-grabs targeting plan chain stores.

now police say some of those thefts could be fueling organized retail crime. >> they were doing this to make money. >> reporter: manhattan district attorney alvin bragg announced recovering a million dollars in stolen goods headed for resale. >> we found hundreds of boxes of stolen items ranging from designer purses, electronic devices, over the counter medications. >> reporter: it's called fencing. >> the people behind fencing operations often use individual shoplifters to steal goods from your local duane reade, your bodega, your convenience store. from there, the goods are brought to the fencers, who boost their bottom line by reselling them. >> reporter: a similar operation shutdown in los angeles. police found hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen items believed to be from target, cvs, and walmart. los angeles, san francisco, oakland, houston, and new york are the most impacted by organized retail crime.

recently, norah spoke with the ceo of cvs health, karen lynch, about the problem. >> i remember back in the day the really expensive stuff would be under lock and key. i get that. but now it's like shampoo and toothpaste. why? >> because they're coming in, and they're just ripping through like the entire counter. and so we're trying to keep things safe. >> reporter: experts say this type of crime doesn't only impact what consumers could end up paying but also jobs because many of these retailers end up shutting down stores. >> that was lilia luciano reporting, and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm olivia gazis. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. storms lashed southern louisiana and new orleans tonight with high winds and flash flooding.

police say there's at least one fatality and more than 118,000 customers lost power. the toll from severe weather in indonesia has now climbed to at least 50 people dead with 27 still missing. violent storms in sumatra over the weekend caused a combination of flash flooding, mudslides, and ash debris from a nearby volcano. and walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and moving most remote workers back to offices according to a report in "the wall street journal." walmart is america's largest eployer with more than a million workers across the country. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or co i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, w york. do you have any messages for donald trump today? >> the prosecution's key witness takes the stand in donald trump's so-called hush money trial. >> is there anything he could say that could put you in jeopardy? >> michael cohen ties his old boss directly to hush money payments to stormy daniels.

why he says the former president was afraid the adult film star's story would be a disaster for his 2016 campaign. >> i paid a lawyer a legal expense. it's marked down in the book. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us after a pivotal day in the criminal trial of donald trump. the former president coming face to face with his onetime personal attorney, michael cohen, who gave six hours of detailed testimony under oath, painting a behind-the-scenes picture of what was happening in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign. the former fixer and inside man detailed how trump personally approved the so-called hush money payouts to hide stories that he believed would hurt him with female voters in his 2016

run for the white house. it was the stormy daniels payment and trump's reimbursement to cohen disguised as legal expenses that is at the heart of this criminal case. trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal that information from voters. reporters in the room say trump spent much of the day in court with his eyes closed. cbs's robert costa was there for today's riveting testimony and reports tonight on a secret recording between cohen and trump that the jury heard just today. >> what do you have to say to donald trump? >> reporter: michael cohen left early this morning for what would be a blockbuster day in court, where he testified that when stormy daniels started shopping her story, donald trump told him, "just take care of it." cohen set the scene. the 2016 election was just weeks away, and according to cohen's testimony, trump said, "it's a total disaster. women are going to hate me." >> i have no idea what they're

even doing. >> reporter: as trump continued to deny all the allegations, cohen detailed how he made the $130,000 payment to daniels to keep her quiet, which he described in 2019. >> he asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair and to lie about it to his wife, which i did. >> reporter: before finalizing the $130,000 payment to daniels, cohen said he called trump to tell him because "everything required mr. trump's sign-off. on top of that, i wanted the money back." >> cohen so far has been effective for the prosecution. he is the first witness who's really placed donald trump directly in these discussions about the payoff to stormy daniels. >> reporter: cohen pointed to a trump tower meeting where he and former chief financial officer allen weisselberg showed trump this document with cohen's name at the top and $130,000 scribbled at the bottom. it was there, cohen testified, that trump approved the plan to

pay him in monthly installments. jurors also heard trump and cohen allegedly talking together in 2016 about a separate hush money payment made to former "playboy" playmate karen mcdougal, a recording cohen made without telling trump. >> and i spoke to allen about it. when it comes time for the financing, which will be -- >> listen, what financing? >> we'll have to pay him something. >> no, we'll pay with cash. >> reporter: one major challenge for prosecutors is getting the jury to believe michael cohen. he's a convicted felon who spent time in prison and admitted lying to congress. >> i think the only way they could do that is really by allowing cohen to be himself on the stand and testify and come across as a person who is credible, who may have lied in the past but is telling the truth now. >> reporter: trump and cohen barely looked at each other all day, but there was one moment where cohen was asked to single out the defendant, and he did just that. cohen will be back in the courtroom tomorrow. norah. >> robert costa, thank you so

much. now, breaking news from the scene of that deadly bridge collapse in baltimore. in a risky operation, engineers just hours ago set off controlled explosions in the wreckage of the francis scott key bridge to help try and free the massive cargo ship that crashed into it nearly seven weeks ago. cbs's nicole sganga is there. >> reporter: explosive precision cuts at the site of the key bridge collapse. workers demolishing steel beams to remove a colossal steel truss atop the container ship dali, where 21 crew members remained below deck during this operation. >> it is going to allow for the pressure from those cuts to literally separate the metal and cut through the steel. >> reporter: once clear, crews will work to refloat the container ship dali in hopes of moving the ship out of the channel in just two days. the massive container ship

spanning 985 feet and weighing 116,000 tons, and moving it is one of the last remaining barriers to clearing the channel. >> the key bridge is down. >> reporter: this is the moment the first police marine unit arrived on-scene at the deadly bridge collapse seven weeks ago. >> at least several vehicles in the water. >> reporter: authorities have recovered all six bodies of the construction workers who died during the key bridge collapse. maryland has now offered $22 million in assistance to impacted small businesses plus $2.8 million in cash to port workers. >> we're talking about a port that has, you know, economic output of $191 million daily. >> reporter: amid calls for accountability as investigators dive into the most expensive maritime tragedy in u.s. history. >> we know that those who need to be held responsible for this tragedy will be held responsible.

>> reporter: findings from a preliminary investigation by the ntsb are expected to be released tomorrow. meanwhile, maryland transportation officials say that the new bridge is expected to cost as much as $2 billion. norah. >> nicole sganga, thank you so much. more than 100 active wildfires are burning in canada, sending thick smoke across the border south into the united states. minnesota officials issued the state's first air quality alert of the year with parts of wisconsin and iowa also facing air quality issues. canada had its worst wildfire season on record last year, and extreme drought conditions could make this year even worse. tonight, severe weather is once again taking aim at parts of the country. this tornado striking a short time ago in southern missouri while heavy rains flooded roads across texas, dropping hail the size of golf balls -- look at that -- on homes near austin. more than 10 million americans are under flood alerts from texas to florida with more rain in the forecast.

some areas could receive up to a foot by the end of the week. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news." it's never a good time for migraine, especially when i'm on camera.

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urging israel to focus on a clear endgame for its war with hamas with a political plan for the future of the palestinian people. this comes as israel finds itself fighting hamas in areas it once thought had been cleared of militants. and as cbs's ramy inocencio reports, the struggle for food and shelter in gaza is getting worse. >> reporter: israeli strikes echoed across northern gaza, like in the first weeks of this war. more wounded and more dead, with thousands running out of refugee camps as israel's military rolled in, it says, to stop hamas from regrouping. "a tank is behind the school," yelled this mother. "we don't know where to go." on gaza's southern end, parts of rafah city sit shattered and abandoned as israel advances there. nearly 360,000 people have fled in the past week, says the u.n., as israel ramped up its attacks. the already displaced again displaced to the sands of

al mawasi and further north. [ speaking in a global language ] >> reporter: "i need to say strong because of my daughter," said jamila abu jebara. she named her six other sons and daughters killed in an israeli strike seven months ago today. "i think i'm dreaming and i'll wake up and find my children around me." deema, now an only child, said, "i just want this war to end." but hostility runs deep and wide. today israeli settlers attacked an aid convoy headed to gaza, ransacking the trucks and throwing their contents onto the street. as the country marked its first memorial day since october 7th for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, the u.s. warned israel it needs a plan to replace hamas as a governing body in gaza. >> then you're going to have a vacuum and a vacuum that's likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and ultimately by hamas again. >> reporter: and now gaza's health ministry is appealing for international pressure to let in desperately needed aid, medical

supplies, and fuel, norah. the strip's crucial southern border crossing in rafah remains closed. >> ramy inocencio, thank you for being there. now to the intensifying war in ukraine. russian forces are carrying out a major assault in and around ukraine's second largest city, kharkiv, capturing more than a half dozen towns and villages over the weekend. russia has also been pounding ukraine's power grid while ukraine's desperately outgunned troops wait for more military aid to arrive from the u.s. and western allies. tonight, new york city is on edge following a string of random assaults, including two high-profile incidents in just the last week. a tourist in times square was stabbed over the weekend, and a celebrity was punched in the face by a stranger just a few days earlier. cbs's nikki battiste reports on what's behind this rise in frightening attacks. >> reporter: surveillance video shows this terrifying moment on saturday in times square.

a man jumping up from a walker, pulling out a knife, and lunging at two women walking by, stabbing one of them in the chest. a few minutes later, police handcuff the suspect. it's the latest in a series of random assaults across new york city. about a dozen people, mostly women and one 9-year-old, have reported incidents to police. some shared stories online, saying they were randomly punched in the face while walking down the street. >> it was like a zombie walking and just punched me and just keep walking out of nowhere. >> reporter: actor steve buscemi had a swollen, bloody eye after he was allegedly hit by this man last week. his publicist said in a statement that "the sopranos" and "boardwalk empire" star was another victim of a random act of violence in the city. >> i think it's a combination of factors, and one of it is unaddressed mental illness. >> reporter: overall, murders, burglaries, and shootings in new york city are down. but there have been about 1,000 more misdemeanor assaults like punching incidents this year

compared to last, about a 7% jump. >> is it the randomness of these incidents that causes the alarm? >> it is. i'm just minding my business. i'm not engaging with anybody. i'm not making eye contact. i'm not being hostile, and yet i get assaulted, and that's what makes people afraid. >> reporter: the nypd believes there are multiple people behind these punching attacks, and they don't all appear to be connected. so far there have been at least four arrests. we reached out to the nypd to ask if they're stepping up street patrols, but we haven't heard back. norah. >> nikki battiste, thanks very much. tens of millions of americans are gearing up for the upcoming memorial day weekend. aaa says 43.8 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this year, making it the busiest in nearly 20 years. here's cbs's kris van cleave. >> reporter: hoping to beat the potentially record-breaking summer travel rush, joy noel booked her vacation months ago.

>> i definitely am excited for this travel season. i do plan on traveling on airplanes. i do plan on taking my car, just like seeing where this summer season takes me. >> reporter: and she will not be alone. aaa is expecting about a 5% bump in airline travel this memorial day weekend. united airlines is planning for its busiest ever, flying over half a million people a day. but most will drive. aaa predicting a record 38.4 million will hit the road, up 4% from last year. >> it goes back to that bucket list, yolo, you only live once mentality. a lot of people are going, you know what? let's not take those trips we always take with our family. let's get a little bit more adventurous. >> reporter: one of the fastest growing travel segments post-pandemic is cruising. the industry is expecting nearly 35 million passengers this year, a new high. for the thousands on board carnival's "firenze," vacation for its sold-out inaugural

sailing, vacation season started early. >> what do you like best about cruising? >> that you get to go to multiple destinations, unpack your suitcase once. you got food, entertainment, even the casino if you're into that. >> reporter: now, when it comes to holiday traffic, aaa expects the roads to be busiest next thursday and friday between noon and 7:00 p.m. united airlines thinks the airports will be busiest on thursday. top domestic travel destinations include orlando, the florida beaches, los angeles, las vegas, and here in denver, norah. >> kris van cleave with good information, thank you so much. a church congregation pulls together to stop a gunman while dozens of kids await their first dozens of kids await their first holy communion. ♪♪ are you tired of your hair breaking after waiting years for it to grow? meet new pantene pro-v miracles. with our highest concentration of pro-vitamins yet, infused with ingredients like biotin & collagen. strengthens hair bonds and repairs as well as the leading luxury brand without the $60 price tag.

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protection with just 9 essential ingredients no sulfates, no silicones, no dyes. dandruff protection, minimal ingredients. job done. quick-thinking churchgoers joined forces to stop a gunman in louisiana this weekend. cbs's omar villafranca has the dramatic video. >> reporter: chaos during communion caught on a livestream. it happened saturday at saint mary magdalene church during a first communion ceremony for 60 children, all second graders in abbeville, louisiana. police say a 16-year-old boy carrying a gun opened the back door of the packed church but was immediately confronted and escorted away from the church by parishioners. the priest tries to calm everyone by asking them to recite a prayer while altar servers can be seen running for

cover and clergy ducking behind the altar. no one was hurt. the 16-year-old was arrested and taken for a mental evaluation. saturday's incident comes a week after a man attempted to shoot a pennsylvania pastor mid-service. video captures the moment his gun jams and the deacon dives over a pew and tackles him. >> i just tried to get out of the way of him shooting because he pointed it right at me, and i just -- you know, i'm looking right down the barrel of a gun. >> reporter: bernard polite said he heard voices. he is now under arrest, charged with murdering his cousin earlier that day. omar villafranca, cbs news, dallas. what's supposed to be a new simplified system for federal college loans is upended by glitches. what students and parents need to know. that's next.

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job done. new head & shoulders bare. nearly two weeks after what is traditionally college decision day, many students are still unable to commit to a school. that's because of computer glitches plaguing the education department's newly overhauled financial aid system. cbs's meg oliver has an important update. >> reporter: with high school graduation just weeks away, anxiety was mounting for senior

jojo henderson. >> it's where you belong. >> reporter: the 18-year-old from pittsburgh, texas, couldn't commit to college without knowing his financial aid. >> i'm frustrated because it's just like you do everything that you're supposed to do, and then you have to wait on the government to catch up. >> reporter: henderson filled out the free application for federal student aid, known as fafsa, almost five months ago. he finally received his financial information last week, after some college decision deadlines. typically the department of education releases the forms on october 1st, then sends the students' data to colleges within one to three days of submission to calculate aid. this year, the application forms came out three months late. it's estimated more than a quarter of colleges have still not sent aid packages. >> did you ever think of giving up, maybe not going to college? >> yeah, many times actually. >> really? >> um, i was just, like, so tired of waiting.

>> reporter: new jersey high school senior jaylen james finally received her aid package close to the decision deadline. >> my biggest advice is to not give up. >> reporter: sara urquidez oversees college counseling for thousands of public school students in the dallas area. >> ask for extensions. ask if deposits or housing are refundable. ask for anything they possibly can to help make a decision, but don't opt out at this point in the process. >> reporter: a fafsa fiasco that's still not finished. meg oliver, cbs news, wayne, new jersey. "heart of america" is next with a s phony conductor wh

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finally, tonight's "heart of america" as we celebrate asian american and pacific islander heritage month. cbs's nancy chen has the story of an inspiring maestro who is breaking barriers while hitting all the right notes.

♪ >> reporter: new york's metropolitan opera sets the tone as one of the world's most prestigious stages, and conductor xian zhang is helping to shape its sound. the groundbreaking maestro, born in china, made her guest debut earlier this year, one of the first asian american women to lead from its podium. >> do you hope to inspire other musicians? >> absolutely. >> reporter: in the u.s., only about 1 in 4 music directors are people of color, and even fewer are women. >> do you think it was harder as a woman, as a person of color? >> the double standard? oh, absolutely. but to be within this group, one also has to learn how to grow from it and give yourself the space to make mistakes. it's okay. ♪ >> reporter: experience zhang passes on while also leading the new jersey symphony, in her

eighth season as its first female music director. and as she blazes a new path, zhang hopes the music itself strikes the highest note of all. nancy chen, cbs news, new york. [ applause ] >> conductor xian zhang, tonight's "heart of america." and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings" and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. storms lashed southern louisiana and new orleans tonight with high winds and flash flooding. police say there's at least one

fatality and more than 118,000 customers lost power. the toll from severe weather in indonesia has now climbed to at least 50 people dead with 27 still missing. violent storms in sumatra over the weekend caused a combination of flash flooding, mudslides, and ash debris from a nearby volcano. and walmart is cutting hundreds of corporate jobs and moving most remote workers back to offices according to a report in "the wall street journal." walmart is america's largest employer with more than a million workers across the country. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new it's tuesday, may 14th, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." on the stand. donald trump's fixer turned foe

michael