medics trapped inside, like dr. mohammed abdel fattah from california, standing here in front of the same "i love gaza" sign an israeli tank drove over last week as the rafah offensive began. >> it has been very difficult leaving my wife and two kids and surrounding family. it was something that i had to do. i felt like the efforts back home were not going anywhere. they were falling on deaf ears. >> reporter: but as israel marked its independence day, thousands of israeli settlers also marched towards gaza, demanding the right to rebuild settlements inside the palestinian territory while others also tried to block aid from entering. and aid agencies are warning over a million palestinians now face catastrophic levels of hunger, but help could soon be on the way. a floating pier president biden ordered the construction of to help ramp up the distribution of

aid in gaza could become operational any day now. norah. >> that is some good news. imtiaz tyab, thank you. as storms push through the south tonight, we've learned that at least three people were killed in louisiana on monday. that includes a pregnant woman and the baby she was expecting, who died after a tree fell on a home. another death was reported in mississippi after severe weather slammed the state sunday into monday. president biden is taking a hard line on chinese imports, charging a 100% tariff on electric vehicles, and that's just one product the administration is targeting, a move the president says will help u.s. companies counter the chinese government's, quote, cheating and anti-competitive practices. cbs's nancy cordes is at the white house with what this means for american consumers. >> reporter: after years of warning china, president biden put his pen where his mouth is today, quadrupling the tariff on chinese evs from 25% to 100%.

>> i'm determined that the future of electric vehicles will be made in america by union workers, period. [ applause ] >> reporter: the move comes as evs from chinese automaker byd gained traction around the world at about half the price of u.s.-made cars. >> one thing that my grandfather used to always tell me is good things aren't cheap, and cheap things aren't good. >> reporter: dorian jimenez owns a chevy dealership in oklahoma city. >> i'm glad our government is going that direction, and the more things we can keep in-house, the greater it can be for us. >> reporter: biden's hikes apply to far more than evs. chinese steel and aluminum will be hit with a 25% tariff. solar panel sales will go to 50%. and so will chinese syringes and needles. >> biden finally listened to me. he listens to me. >> reporter: former president donald trump hiked tariffs on a much broader swath of chinese goods in 2018. at the time, biden argued that

would spark a trade war, raising costs for everyone. >> we're going after the wrong thing with china. >> reporter: even today, reaction from around the country was mixed. colorado's democratic governor, jared polis, said, this is horrible news for american consumers and a major setback for clean energy. this tax increase will hit every family. but the white house argues china's unfair trade practices have been hurting manufacturing states like michigan and pennsylvania. those happen to be swing states as well, but officials here insist these new tariffs have nothing to do with the fact that we're in an election year, norah. >> nancy cordes, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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courtside seat to the new era of women's basketball. >> reporter: the dominant las vegas aces are looking for a three-peat as the wnba bets on an historic season with incoming stars building on the excitement they sparked in college. >> on the drive. gets inside. >> reporter: in indiana, superstar caitlin clark is bringing new fans and already helping to sell out arenas across the league. >> she's just a good person to look up to, like a good human. >> i'm glad, you know, people are supporting the "w" and understanding how amazing it is because it's been that way for years. >> angel reese, 13 points in 18 minutes. >> reporter: in chicago, rookies angel reese and kamilla cardoso, a pair of new skyscrapers, are hoping to tower over opponents. and in washington, aaliyah edwards wants to get the mystics back on top. >> this class is so special. we saw the impact in college. we're hoping to bring that same impact in the "w." >> reporter: overall, wnba

ticket sales are up 93% since last season. that explosive interest already is changing the league. last week, commissioner cathy engelbert announced players would fly charter for this entire season for the first time in history. >> little girls are dming me, reaching out to me, saying, i watched you play today, which is amazing because i didn't have that opportunity. >> so kind of a crazy moment right now in women's basketball. >> i think that we're pushing the boundaries. we're forcing people to tune in. >> reporter: now, the action gets started here as the mystics tip off against the liberty. also tonight, caitlin clark's indiana fever against the connecticut sun. it's the suns' first opener to sell out since their first season in 2003. norah. >> jan crawford, our new courtside reporter, thank you. tonight, a cbs news investigation into who is overseeing elect

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♪ cherry chewables ♪ ♪ liquicaps ♪ ♪ that make relief easy. ♪ ♪♪ ♪ pepto bismol. ♪ pick your pepto. what's the worst part of the locker room? shareef: axe. axe. brandon: i like that. shareef: reminds me of like a designer store. brandon: this smells like a candle. shareef: is this a joke? you chose axe! brandon: i knew i had good taste! shareef: i thought that was a designer brand. tonight, a cbs news investigation into dozens of election officials in key battleground states. many have promoted election conspiracies, including false claims about president biden's 2020 victory. cbs's caitlin huey-burns reports. >> reporter: here in washoe county, nevada, home to reno, republican tracy hilton thomas is campaigning for a seat on the county commission in one of the country's fiercest political battlegrounds. >> 2020 saw some things that should not have been going on.

>> reporter: the five commissioners administer elections. they appoint the county's top election official, set the budget, and ultimately certify the results. >> we are adjourned. >> reporter: part of hilton thomas' campaign to oversee future presidential elections is fueled by her doubts about the last one. >> i do believe that there is interference in our elections. >> do you believe the results? >> i would have to say at this time, no, i do not. >> reporter: there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in washoe or any other county in the u.s. but our new cbs news investigation found there are nearly 80 officials working in election oversight positions across 7 swing states, including nevada, who either don't believe the 2020 election results, refuse to certify the election, have publicly supported the actions taken on january 6th, or have pushed election conspiracies. >> what kind of impact would a county commissioner have on elections? >> we are in a national

election. that national election is being run at the local level. and at that local level, they can completely shut down the election for the state and for the nation. >> reporter: the power of the commission seat has attracted local right-wing activist robert beet lds, who endorsed hilton thomas. >> it's fraud. our elections are rigged. >> reporter: beetles have been lobbying for several controversial election changes, including having the national guard at polling places, which the aclu says is categorically illegal. >> they're really scared of trump, but what they should be scared of trump 2.0s running aunder 0 the country. >> reporter: beetle's approach has been promoted by top trump supporters like steve bannon. >> why the focus on the county commission? >> you want to save a county, you save the county commission because they're the ones with one vote that can fix or destroy a county. >> reporter: beetles has already spent heavily supporting the campaigns of two of the five current commissioners, both of whom are pushing election conspiracies. if beetles is successful in

getting one more vote on the commission, his allies will be in charge of certifying elections in the future. caitlin huey-burns, cbs news, reno. our heart"heart of america" next.

finally, tonight's "heart of america" with a group of siblings in a class of their own. here's cbs's meg oliver. >> well, we definitely missed out on prom, right? graduation. >> reporter: the pope lows are making up for lost time with the quintessential graduation. >> it's huge. i mean like it's the first in our family. >> reporter: born in new jersey on july 4th, 2002, quintuplets victoria, veeco, ashley,

michael, and marcus have done it all from sharing birthdays to bedrooms. >> we know everything about each other. >> reporter: but they weren't sure they'd share a college education. >> some of us even thought of maybe not going to college or just community. >> refinanced the house, asked for loans. we were in that process when the big surprise happened. >> reporter: montclair state university pulled through with a big surprise, offering five full academic scholarships. >> so happy. our mom was crying instantly as soon as she found out. >> is this a dream come true for you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: on monday, four years after missing their high school graduation during the pandemic, the povolos made up for it five times over. >> hopefully med school down the line. >> i might go to law school. >> hopefully by the summertime, i have a teaching job. > i want my own business. >> i think i'm going to be continuing to work in my corporate banking job. >> reporter: meg oliver, cbs

news, little falls, new jersey. and with that, the povolo quintuplets are tonight's "heart of america." and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings" and remember you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting here in the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the biden administration has informed congress that it plans to transfer $1 billion in weapons to israel. the move comes just days after the u.s. withheld some missiles because of concerns over israel's growing operation in rafah. the first manned launch of the boeing starliner has now

been moved to next tuesday at the earliest after a helium leak was found on the spacecraft. a launch originally scheduled for earlier this month was scrubbed just hours before liftoff when an oxygen valve malfunctioned. and sage the mini poodle won best in show at the westminster kennel club dog show tuesday night. it's the 11th time a poodle has been named top dog. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. tonight, the combative cross-examination of donald trump's former fixer. >> mr. trump, are you directing surrogates to speak on your behalf? >> trump's team attacks the credibility of michael cohen. the show of support from the speaker of the house, trying to discredit the prosecution's key witness. >> this is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge.

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. we're going to get to the intense and contentious questioning of former fixer michael cohen by donald trump's defense team in just a moment. but first, there is some breaking news about a horrific accident in florida. now a truck driver is under arrest for a dui after a deadly crash that killed at least 8 people and injured 40 others in central florida early this morning. state investigators say the driver of that pickup truck collided with a bus that was carrying 53 migrant farmworkers. cbs's manuel bojorquez reports tonight on the conditions of those still in the hospital in ocala. >> reporter: more than 30 ambulances rushed to the scene of the crash at about 6:30 this morning. it happened on a rural road about 50 miles south of gainesville.

53 farmworkers were riding in a bus once used as a school bus when police say an oncoming pickup truck veered toward the center of the road. the two vehicles sideswiped. >> the school bus traveled off the roadway onto the grass shoulder, where it went through a fence, struck a tree, and overturned. we've had approximately 40 people transported to local area hospitals. >> reporter: bryan maclean howard, the driver of the pickup truck, has been arrested on eight counts of driving under the influence/manslaughter. migrant workers from mexico were among the victims. they were in the u.s. legally according to government officials and were on their way to a farm that was harvesting watermelons. >> we are a very big agricultural county. so this time of year, we always have migrant workers that are in our county that are on buses. they're hardworking individuals, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them being here. >> reporter: advent health received multiple patients and called on spanish-speaking chaplains to help.

>> as you might imagine, that's a touching experience. >> reporter: ernesto ruiz, with the farmworkers association of florida, spoke with the family of one of the men who was riding the bus. >> they haven't spoken to him since yesterday. they're terrified. they don't know if he's alive, if he's injured, what his state is. >> reporter: of the 40 people injured in this morning's crash, at least 7 were listed in critical condition at area hospitals. the mexican consulate in orlando says it has activated emergency phone lines to try to connect victims here with loved ones in mexico. norah. >> manny bojorquez, thank you so much for that update. turning now to the fireworks in the criminal trial of donald trump as defense attorneys questioned the prosecution's star witness, michael cohen. trump's lawyers repeated cohen's own expletives back to him as they tried to portray the former president's personal attorney as an opportunist motivated by revenge. but cohen laid out key details in the plan to cover up the

payment to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, and that included an oval office meeting where he drilled down on trump's alleged role in falsifying business records by claiming the repayment scheme was all legal expenses. cbs's robert costa was inside the courthouse today. >> today we had a very -- i think a very good day in court. >> reporter: donald trump's defense attorney, todd blanche, took direct aim at michael cohen's credibility today, noting he's publicly attacked his former boss, from calling him a cheeto-dusted cartoon villain to selling merchandise on tiktok, including a $32 t-shirt depicting trump behind bars. addressing cohen blanche asked, "do you want president trump to be convicted in this case?" cohen: sure. >> the trump defense team is coming hard out of the box at cohen's credibility, his integrity, the fact that he makes no bones about having an intense dislike of donald trump.

>> reporter: trump is under a gag order and barred from criticizing witnesses. but trump's gop allies, including an entourage at court today, are not, including house speaker mike johnson and two former presidential candidates. >> he is someone who has a history of perjury and is well known for it. no one should believe a word he says today. >> reporter: inside court and under questioning by prosecutor susan hoffinger, cohen testified about a 2017 oval office meeting where he and trump allegedly discussed his reimbursement for the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels. cohen, who took a picture during his visit, said trump knew the financial records would be cast as ordinary legal expenses. hoffinger: if not for the campaign, mr. cohen, would you have paid that money to stormy daniels? cohen: no, ma'am. hoffinger: at whose direction and on whose behalf did you commit that crime? cohen: on behalf of mr. trump.

>> whether the jury views michael cohen as a truth-teller or whether they view him as just spinning another one of his lies is probably going to drive this verdict. >> reporter: cohen was the target of an fbi raid in 2018, part of an investigation into the hush money payments. he said it left him despondent and angry. but trump, he testified, offered him reassurance. "don't worry, i'm the president of the united states," cohen said trump told him. it was the last time they spoke. after making his statement, speaker johnson refused to take questions, but i did ask him would he stand with trump even if trump is convicted. he rushed off and ducked into his motorcade, underscoring how many republicans are coming here to show solidarity with trump, but few want to talk too much about the details of this trial. norah. >> robert costa, thank you so much. now to that tragedy over mother's day weekend when a teenage ballerina was killed in a hit-and-run while waterskiing in miami.

cbs's cristian benavides has the new information. >> reporter: tonight, florida officials say they've identified a vessel of interest in the hit-and-run death of 15-year-old ella adler last weekend. >> fwc officers have identified a boat fitting the description of the vessel that struck ella adler. the boat is in our custody, and its owner is cooperating. >> reporter: adler was waterskiing in biscayne bay near miami saturday when the accident occurred. >> we have multiple reports of a person that got run over by a boat. a lot of blood in the water. >> reporter: officials say she was waiting for her boat to pick her up when a light blue boat with dark blue paint on the bottom struck her, causing her to die from her injuries. the driver never stopped, and officials say it was unclear if they even knew they had hit her. a dancer with the miami city ballet, her death has rocked her community. on monday, hundreds of friends and family laid her to rest. >> a great dancer, my daughter's best friend. it's a tremendous loss. she had such a bright future.

>> reporter: this remains an open investigation. adler was killed while celebrating a friend's birthday. her family wrote in a statement that the world lost a star and that she was their light. norah. >> just awful. cristian benavides, thank you so much. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm erica brown in washington. thanks for staying with us. in the past 36 years, the republican candidate for president has won the popular vote one time. that was george w. bush's re-election after the september

11th attacks and the u.s. invasion of afghanistan and iraq. over the past few years, some republicans have taken to denying lost elections, claiming for instance the 2020 presidential election was stolen from donald trump though he lost by more than 7 million votes. a growing number of these so-called election deniers are now overseeing the vote in counties across the nation. caitlin huey-burns has the story from the swing state of nevada. >> reporter: reno, nevada, is known as the biggest little city in the world, and its home in washoe county is becoming one of the country's fiercest political battlegrounds. >> how are you today? >> reporter: at pinocchio's bar and grill, republican tracey hilton-thomas is campaigning for a seat on the county commission. >> and 2020 saw some things that should not have been going on. >> reporter: the five commissioners administer elections. they appoint the county's top election official, set the budget, and ultimately certify the results. >> we are adjourned. >> reporter: part of hilton-thomas' campaign to

oversee future presidential elections is fueled by her doubts about the last one. >> do you think the 2020 election was legitimate? >> from a lot of stuff that i've seen, i do believe that there is interference in our elections. >> do you believe the results? >> i would have to say at this time, no, i do not believe the results. >> reporter: there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in washoe or any other county in the u.s. but our new cbs news investigation found there are nearly 80 officials working in election oversight positions across seven swing states, including nevada, who either don't believe the 2020 election results, refused to certify the election, have publicly supported the actions taken on january 6th, or have pushed election conspiracies. >> nevada is a battleground state. we are going to be part of a small group of states who determines the next president of the united states. >> reporter: democrat francisco aguilar is nevada's secretary of state. >> what kind of impact would a

county commissioner have on elections? >> i think it's important to realize that we are in a national election. that national election is being run at the local level. and at that local level, they can completely shut down the election for the state and for the nation. >> reporter: the power of the commission seat has attracted local right-wing activist robert beadles, who endorsed hilton-thomas. >> our elections are rigged and that's what your own data shows. again, it's treason. >> reporter: since 2022, beadles has been lobbying washoe commissioners to implement controversial election changes, including eliminating voting machines in favor of hand-counting paper ballots and having the national guard at polling places, which the aclu said is categorically illegal. beadles' approach has been promoted by top trump supporters like steve bannon. >> they're really scared of trump, but what they should be scared of is like 25 to 100 million trump 2.0s running

around the country. >> why the focus on the county commission? >> you want to sieve a county, you save the county commission because they're the ones with one vote that can fix or destroy a county. >> reporter: beadles, who says he made his fortune in real estate and cryptocurrency, has already spent heavily supporting the campaigns of two of the five current commissioners, both of whom are pushing election conspiracies. and to ensure a majority, he says he needs one more. >> we're always one vote away. so i'm going to make sure that one or both of you, to the best of my ability, will not be a commissioner coming in '24. >> reporter: one commissioner in particular he wants out, republican incumbent clara andrew ola. >> make sure you do not vote for clara the clown. >> reporter: andrew ola has held the line against election changes pushed by beadles. >> i think elections have been run as best as we can. >> reporter: which led to her censure by the washoe gop, where beadles serves on the executive

committee. >> it was disappointing. it was hurtful. but i am a republican. i still am a republican, and i will vote as a republican. >> reporter: but as far as beadles is concerned, she is not republican enough. and if he's successful in driving her out, his allies will be in charge of certifying elections in the future. >> what would you say to those who say, look, that's just democracy at work? >> it's not democracy. anybody who is trying to tear down the system or tear down an election or deny results should never be engaged in the election process. >> reporter: and washoe county voters will decide between clara andriola and tracey hilton-thomas in a primary on june 11th. meanwhile, the republican national committee filed a federal lawsuit challenging nevada's election law that currently allows mail-in ballots to be counted after election day as long as they are postmarked by then. >> that was caitlin huey-burns. the overnight news is back in two minutes.

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the national inventors hall of fame has inducted its class of 2024. 15 pioneers in the world of science, medicine, agriculture, automobiles and more among the living inductees is lanny smoot. he holds more than 100 patents for his discoveries and was honored for his work making movie magic. skyler henry paid him a visit. >> reporter: there's no mistaking that signature sound and glow. an icon of science fiction. >> this is my lab. >> reporter: that jedi late saber brought into the real world by disney's research and development team in glendale, california. >> hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo. >> how long did it take to come up with this? >> it was a few tries. >> yeah? >> a few early models, and the key is to have a uniform blade, very bright and full retraction

into the hilt. those were the challenges with something like this. >> reporter: lead inventor lanny smoot loves a challenge, dreaming up ideas at disney imagineering for the last 25 years. >> bridge the gap for me, if you will, between storytelling and invention. >> sometimes you'll have an invention that inspires a story, right? sometimes i'll hear a good story and realize that a specific technology can make it real. so the two things support each other. my peers on the movie side of things can fake things with computer-generated effects in movies. i have to make them for real. >> reporter: from live action props to interactive theme park attractions, he uses science to create joy. but smoot says his own story was improbable. growing up in brownsville, brooklyn, with a wealth of ideas and encouragement but very little means. >> when i was quite young, probably 12 years old, i saw a

unicycle rider. i said, i want one of those. my parents were poor. i made a unicycle by taking the front wheel off of a tricycle because it hadded pedals, banging a pipe onto the top of it, putting a bicycle seat on top of that, rode that around. >> let me guess, you weren't wearing a helmet either. >> i wasn't wearing a helmet and those tires were not air filled so it was a bumpy ride. i never wanted to ask my parents for a real unicycle. but one day i came home, and there was a unicycle laying up against my bed because my dad says, i saw you clunking along on the street. >> reporter: he credits his father for that initial spark. >> as early as i can remember, he brought home a battery, a bell, a little light bulb. i was probably 50 years old. he gets the light bulb to light and the bell to ring and that light lit my entire career. >> reporter: a career that began at bell labs, where for 22 years, he made strides in fiberoptics and broadband systems. but his greatest pride is his most recent invention.

>> so what do we have here? >> this is the hollow tile floor. >> mm-hmm. >> it is the world's first omni directional, multi-person treadmill floor. it can have any number of people on it. so it's like having an infinite walking surface but in a finite size. >> i'm entering the ship's hollow deck, where images of reality can be created. >> reporter: inspired by another sci-fi technology. >> i reasoned that it won't work unless you have a floor surface that can have everybody on that floor moving in any direction they want. they might be in vr, but how do you solve the floor problem? this is the solution. >> so i'm going to let you control a chair here. >> okay. >> reporter: and i got quite the demo. >> i'm just going to teach you the controls to our game here. >> okay. >> i think he's been practicing. he's really good. >> i could do this all day.

>> reporter: not to mention, a little jedi training. it's all part of why smoot now joins the national inventors hall of fame. >> this gallery of icons is actually a patented wall. >> reporter: re knee pie va is their vice president of selection and recognition. >> i think one of the really interesting things about this wall is you also see the pace of innovation. >> reporter: here at the nihf museum in alexandria, virginia, the evolution of invention is on display. >> a lot of times these names aren't people who are going to be recognizable. but the applications of their inventions are. we want to show the world how important they are, so that's what we do. we're looking for a patent holder. and then what our selection committee will look at is whether that patent has had some sort of significant impact, so economic, cultural, societal. >> reporter: and for smoot's colleagues, change and collaboration are linked. so, too, is embracing the challenge. >> where does competition play a

part? >> we compete -- he's very creative. i'm very creative. >> reporter: he is alfredo ayala, a disney r&d executive and smoot's friend. >> lanny smoot is a renaissance man. he's a genius. >> and our favorite thing to say to each other is, what's not to like? now, what does that mean? i might build something that's pretty cool, design something, and he'd come over and say, hmm, that's really cool, but there's something missing. >> and when we say that, and he'll say it to me, and i will say it to him. it's kind of like, you win. it's just what's not to like about it? >> reporter: their camaraderie seems to hold more weight than their successes, and to ayala, that's everything. >> he represents many people, people like me, and that means the world to me. >> i work in a company where creative artists are all over the place, and i can say, oh, look at this horrible-looking thing that i made that can do magic.

what do you think about it, buddy? >> reporter: part of smoot's magic, advice for the next generation. >> get it out of your head, into the world. many people waste time in their lives by saying, oh, i could have done that or i should have done that. do it. >> being able to do things that other people might have thought is either impossible or difficult, and if it can inspire young kids to do it s an liz neeley: you know, you've probably heard it said that some people have to hit rock bottom before they really come to the lord and give him their life. and that's what happened. i probably had a lot of anxiety at that point about my future,

but as i began to study the word and a lot of dr. stanley's teachings and sermons, i began to realize that, through the love of jesus, god saved me for a purpose.

there's a new effort to use healthy nutrition to cure what ails you. dr. malika marshall has this report on food as medicine. >> i'm making a harvest salad. >> reporter: it may look like a set of a television food show, but lisa taylor is a dietitian, and she's preparing healthy dishes at the mass general brigham's new teaching kitchen. the lesson, that food is medicine. >> it means thinking about food and nutrition in the same way we

think about medications and surgeries. >> reporter: dr. jacob mur ski, medical director of the teaching kitchen, actually prescribes food to patients. they can get the ingredients at a pantry next door, then sample the dirks dishes in made in th kitchen. >> food is directly related to both the progression of chronic illnesses but can be used to prevent the progression and treat as well. >> reporter: some of these are obvious like diabetes and heart disease. but dr. mur ski says foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats are directly related to cancer, liver disease, stroke, and more. >> anxiety and depression are also very closely related to nutrition. >> i love leaving the little leaves whole. >> reporter: these lessons are also available even if you're not a patient through an online cooking class developed by mass general brigham called new cook. thousands of people have joined in the classes to cook along with a professional chef and learn the power of nutrition. >> you can really make a

difference in your health outcomes, in the risk of chronic diseases, by changing what you're eating, how you're looking at food, what you put on your plate. >> reporter: with a focus on plant-based meals and affordability. >> we try to prepare for a family of four for less than $20. >> reporter: it's a good combination for a healthy life. dr. malika marshall, cbs news, boston. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm erica brown. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the biden administration has informed congress that it plans to transfer $1 billion in weapons to israel. the move comes just days after the u.s. withheld some missiles because of concerns over israel's growing operation in rafah. the first manned launch of the boeing starliner has now

been moved to next tuesday at the earliest after a helium leak was found on the spacecraft. a launch originally scheduled for earlier this month was scrubbed just hours before liftoff when an oxygen valve malfunctioned. and sage the mini poodle won best in show at the westminster kennel club dog show tuesday night. it's the 11th time a poodle has been named top dog. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or w york. tonight, the combative cross-examination of donald trump's former fixer. >> mr. trump, are you directing surrogates to speak on your behalf? >> trump's team attacks the credibility of michael cohen. the show of support from the speaker of the house, trying to discredit the prosecution's key witness. >> this is a man who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge.

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. we're going to get to the intense and contentious questioning of former fixer michael cohen by donald trump's defense team in just a moment. but first, there is some breaking news about a horrific accident in florida. now a truck driver is under arrest for a dui after a deadly crash that killed at least 8 people and injured 40 others in central florida early this morning. state investigators say the driver of that pickup truck collided with a bus that was carrying 53 migrant farmworkers. cbs's manuel bojorquez reports tonight on the conditions of those still in the hospital in ocala. >> reporter: more than 30 ambulances rushed to the scene of the crash at about 6:30 this morning. it happened on a rural road about 50 miles south of gainesville.

53 farmworkers were riding in a bus once used as a school bus when police say an oncoming pickup truck veered toward the center of the road. the two vehicles sideswiped. >> the school bus traveled off the roadway onto the grass shoulder, where it went through a fence, struck a tree, and overturned. we've had approximately 40 people transported to local area hospitals. >> reporter: bryan maclean howard, the driver of the pickup truck, has been arrested on eight counts of driving under the influence/manslaughter. migrant workers from mexico were among the victims. they were in the u.s. legally according to government officials and were on their way to a farm that was harvesting watermelons. >> we are a very big agricultural county. so this time of year, we always have migrant workers that are in our county that are on buses. they're hardworking individuals, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them being here. >> reporter: advent health received multiple patients and called on spanish-speaking chaplains to help.

>> as you might imagine, that's a touching experience. >> reporter: ernesto ruiz, with the farmworkers association of florida, spoke with the family of one of the men who was riding the bus. >> they haven't spoken to him since yesterday. they're terrified. they don't know if he's alive, if he's injured, what his state is. >> reporter: of the 40 people injured in this morning's crash, at least 7 were listed in critical condition at area hospitals. the mexican consulate in orlando says it has activated emergency phone lines to try to connect victims here with loved ones in mexico. norah. >> manny bojorquez, thank you so much for that update. turning now to the fireworks i the criminal trial of donald trump as defense attorneys questioned the prosecution's star witness, michael cohen. trump's lawyers repeated cohen's own expletives back to him as they tried to portray the former president's personal attorney as an opportunist motivated by revenge. but cohen laid out key details in the plan to cover up the

payment to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, and that included an oval office meeting where he drilled down on trump's alleged role in falsifying business records by claiming the repayment scheme was all legal expenses. cbs's robert costa was inside the courthouse today. >> today we had a very -- i think a very good day in court. >> reporter: donald trump's defense attorney, todd blanche, took direct aim at michael cohen's credibility today, noting he's publicly attacked his former boss, from calling him a cheeto-dusted cartoon villain to selling merchandise on tiktok, including a $32 t-shirt depicting trump behind bars. addressing cohen, blanche asked, "do you want president trump to be convicted in this case?" cohen: "sure." >> the trump defense team is coming hard out of the box at cohen's credibility, his integrity, the fact that he makes no bones about having an intense dislike of donald trump.

>> reporter: trump is under a gag order and barred from criticizing witnesses. but trump's gop allies, including an entourage at court today, are not, including house speaker mike johnson and two former presidential candidates. >> he is someone who has a history of perjury and is well known for it. no one should believe a word he says today. >> reporter: inside court and under questioning by prosecutor susan hoffinger, cohen testified about a 2017 oval office meeting where he and trump allegedly discussed his reimbursement for the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels. cohen, who took a picture during his visit, said trump knew the financial records would be cast as ordinary legal expenses. hoffinger: if not for the campaign, mr. cohen, would you have paid that money to stormy daniels? cohen: no, ma'am. hoffinger: at whose direction and on whose behalf did you commit that crime? cohen: on behalf of mr. trump. >> whether the jury views michael cohen as a truth-teller

or whether they view him as just spinning another one of his lies is probably going to drive this verdict. >> reporter: cohen was the target of an fbi raid in 2018, part of an investigation into the hush money payments. he said it left him despondent and angry. but trump, he testified, offered him reassurance. "don't worry, i'm the president of the united states," cohen said trump told him. it was the last time they spoke. after making his statement, speaker johnson refused to take questions, but i did ask him would he stand with trump even if trump is convicted. he rushed off and ducked into his motorcade, underscoring how many republicans are coming here to show solidarity with trump, but few want to talk too much about the details of this trial. norah. >> robert costa, thank you so much. now to that tragedy over mother's day weekend when a teenage ballerina was killed in a hit-and-run while waterskiing

in miami. cbs's cristian benavides has the new information. >> reporter: tonight, florida officials say they've identified a vessel of interest in the hit-and-run death of 15-year-old ella adler last weekend. >> fwc officers have identified a boat fitting the description of the vessel that struck ella adler. the boat is in our custody, and its owner is cooperating. >> reporter: adler was waterskiing in biscayne bay near miami saturday when the accident occurred. >> we have multiple reports of a person that got run over by a boat. a lot of blood in the water. >> reporter: officials say she was waiting for her boat to pick her up when a light blue boat with dark blue paint on the bottom struck her, causing her to die from her injuries. the driver never stopped, and officials say it was unclear if they even knew they had hit her. a dancer with the miami city ballet, her death has rocked her community. on monday, hundreds of friends and family laid her to rest. >> a great dancer, my daughter's best friend. it's a tremendous loss.

she had such a bright future. >> reporter: this remains an open investigation. adler was killed while celebrating a friend's birthday. her family wrote in a statement that the world lost a star and that she was their light. norah. >> just awful. cristian benavides, thank you so much. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." israel targeted hamas with an intense round of strikes in gaza today, including in the south, where hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing rafah. tonight we're hearing from an american medic who is among the

doctors and aid workers who are trapped in the war zone. cbs's imtiaz tyab reports from israel tonight. >> reporter: israeli warplanes targeted this building in the central refugee camp. a cbs news team was there as first responders dug survivors out from the rubble. several were killed, including women and children. in another strike nearby, the israeli military says it struck a hamas war room at a u.n. school, killing over 10 fighters. cbs news could not independently verify the claim. the carnage comes as aid agencies say nearly half a million palestinians have fled the southern city of rafah since israel began targeting areas there last week, including 81-year-old mustafa, now displaced in this camp. [ speaking in a global language ] >> reporter: "i live in extreme fear," he says. all crossings out of gaza are now blocked, leaving 20 american

medics trapped inside, like dr. mohamad abdelfattah from california, standing here in front of the same "i love gaza" sign an israeli tank drove over last week as the rafah offensive began. >> it has been very difficult leaving my wife and two kids and surrounding family. it was something that i had to do. i felt like the efforts back home were not going anywhere. they were falling on deaf ears. >> reporter: but as israel marked its independence day, thousands of israeli settlers also marched towards gaza, demanding the right to rebuild settlements inside the palestinian territory while others also tried to block aid from entering. and aid agencies are warning over a million palestinians now face catastrophic levels of hunger, but help could soon be on the way. a floating pier president biden ordered the construction of to help ramp up the distribution of aid in gaza could become

operational any day now. norah. >> that is some good news. imtiaz tyab, thank you. as storms pushed through the south tonight, we've learned that at least three people were killed in louisiana on monday. that includes a pregnant woman and the baby she was expecting, who died after a tree fell on a home. another death was reported in mississippi after severe weather slammed the state sunday into monday. president biden is taking a hard line on chinese imports, charging a 100% tariff on electric vehicles, and that's just one product the administration is targeting, a move the president says will help u.s. companies counter the chinese government's, quote, cheating and anti-competitive practices. cbs's nancy cordes is at the white house with what this means for american consumers. >> reporter: after years of warning china, president biden put his pen where his mouth is today, quadrupling the tariff on chinese evs from 25% to 100%.

>> i'm determined that the future of electric vehicles will be made in america by union workers, period. [ applause ] >> reporter: the move comes as evs from chinese automaker byd gain traction around the world at about half the price of u.s.-made cars. >> one thing that my grandfather used to always tell me is good things aren't cheap, and cheap things aren't good. >> reporter: dorian jimenez owns a chevy dealership in oklahoma city. >> i'm glad our government is going that direction, and the more things we can keep in-house, the greater it can be for us. >> reporter: biden's hikes apply to far more than evs. chinese steel and aluminum will be hit with a 25% tariff. solar panel sales will go to 50%, and so will chinese syringes and needles. >> biden finally listened to me. he listens to me. >> reporter: former president donald trump hiked tariffs on a much broader swath of chinese goods in 2018. at the time, biden argued that

would spark a trade war, raising costs for everyone. >> we're going after the wrong thing with china. >> reporter: even today, reaction from around the country was mixed. colorado's democratic governor, jared polis, said, "this is horrible news for american consumers and a major setback for clean energy. this tax increase will hit every family." but the white house argues china's unfair trade practices hve been hurting manufacturing states like michigan and pennsylvania. those happen to be swing states as well, but officials here insist these new tariffs have nothing to do with the fact that we're in an election year, norah. >> nancy cordes, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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women's basketball. >> reporter: the dominant las vegas aces are looking for a three-peat as the wnba bets on an historic season with incoming stars building on the excitement they sparked in college. >> clark on the drive. gets inside. >> reporter: in indiana, superstar caitlin clark is bringing new fans and already helping to sell out arenas across the league. >> she's just a good person to look up to, like a good human. >> i'm glad, you know, people are supporting the "w" and understanding how amazing it is because it's been that way for years. >> angel reese, 13 points in 18 minutes. >> reporter: in chicago, rookies angel reese and kamilla cardoso, a pair of new skyscrapers, are hoping to tower over opponents. and in washington, aaliyah edwards wants to get the mystics back on top. >> this draft class is so special. we saw the impact in college. we're hoping to bring that same impact in the "w." %-p

last season. that explosive interest already is changing the league. last week, commissioner cathy engelbert announced players would fly charter for this entire season for the first time in history. >> little girls are dming me, reaching out to me, saying, "i watched you play today," which is amazing because i didn't have that opportunity. >> so kind of a crazy moment right now in women's basketball. >> i think that we're pushing the boundaries. we're forcing people to tune in. >> reporter: now, the action gets started here as the mystics tip off against the liberty. also tonight, caitlin clark's indiana fever against the connecticut sun. it's the suns' first opener to sell out since their first season in 2003. norah. >> jan crawford, our new courtside reporter, thank you. tonight, a cbs news investigation into who is investigation into who is overseeing elections in several finally yasso!

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commissioners administer elections. they appoint the county's top election official, set the budget, and ultimately certify the results. >> we are adjourned. >> reporter: part of hilton-thomas' campaign to oversee future presidential elections is fueled by her doubts about the last one. >> i do believe that there is interference in our elections. >> do you believe the results? >> i would have to say at this time, no, i do not. >> reporter: there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in washoe or any other county in the u.s. but our new cbs news investigation found there are nearly 80 officials working in election oversight positions across seven swing states, including nevada, who either don't believe the 2020 election results, refused to certify the election, have publicly supported the actions taken on january 6th, or have pushed election conspiracies. >> what kind of impact would a county commissioner have on elections? >> we are in a national election. that national election is being

run at the local level. and at that local level, they can completely shut down the election for the state and for the nation. >> reporter: the power of the commission seat has attracted local right-wing activist robert beadles, who endorsed hilton-thomas. >> it's fraud. our elections are rigged. >> reporter: beadles has been lobbying washoe commissioners to implement several controversial election changes, including having the national guard at polling places, which the aclu says is categorically illegal. >> they're really scared of trump, but what they should be scared of is like 25 to 100 million little trump 2.0s running around the country. >> reporter: beadles' approach has been promoted by top trump supporters like steve bannon. >> why the focus on the county commission? >> you want to save a county, you save the county commission because they're the ones with one vote that can fix or destroy a county. >> reporter: beadles has already spent heavily supporting the campaigns of two of the five current commissioners, both of whom are pushing election conspiracies. if beadles is successful in

getting one more vote on the commission, his allies will be in charge of certifying elections in the future. caitlin huey-burns, cbs news, reno. our "heart of america" is next.

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finally, tonight's "heart of america" with a group of siblings in a class of their own. here's cbs's meg oliver. >> well, we definitely missed out on prom, right? graduation. >> reporter: the povolos are making up for lost time with a quintessential graduation. >> it's huge. i mean like it's the first in our family. >> reporter: born in new jersey on july 4th, 2002, quintuplets victoria, vico, ashley, michael,

and marcus have done it all from sharing birthdays to bedrooms. >> we know everything about each other. >> reporter: but they weren't sure they'd share a college education. >> some of us even thought of maybe not going to college or just community. >> refinanced the house, asked for loans. we were in that process when the big surprise happened. >> reporter: montclair state university pulled through with a big surprise, offering five full academic scholarships. >> so happy. our mom was crying instantly as soon as she found out. >> is this a dream come true for you? >> absolutely. >> reporter: on monday, four years after missing their high school graduation during the pandemic, the povolos made up for it five times over. >> hopefully med school down the line. >> i might eventually go to law school. >> hopefully by the summertime, i have a teaching job. >> i want my own business. >> i think i'm going to be continuing to work in my corporate banking job.

>> reporter: meg oliver, cbs news, little falls, new jersey. and with that, the povolo quintuplets are tonight's "heart of america." and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings" and remember you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from here in the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the biden administration has informed congress that it plans to transfer $1 billion in weapons to israel. the move comes just days after the u.s. withheld some missiles because of concerns over israel's growing operation in rafah. the first manned launch of the boeing s starliner has now

been moved to next tuesday at the earliest after a helium leak was found on the spacecraft. a launch originally scheduled for earlier this month was scrubbed just hours before liftoff when an oxygen valve malfunctioned. and sage the mini poodle won best in show at the westminster kennel club dog show tuesday night. it's the 11th time a poodle has been named top dog. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. it's wednesday, may 15th, 2024. this is "cbs news mornings." combative cross-examination. donald trump's team goes on the attack against michael cohen questioning his credibility by using his own words against him. arms to israel. the biden administration plans to send $1 billion in weapons to the jewish state just days after pausing another shipment of bombs.