captioning funded by cbs captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, may 17th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." another bombshell rocks the white house. this time the president's accused of telling the fbi director to drop his investigation into michael flynn and his ties to russia. this morning even top republicans are retreating. >> i think it's reaching a point where it's of watergate size and scale. good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york.

good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, this morning another cloud of controversy hangs over the trump white house. maybe the most serious yet. the trump administration is denying allegations that the president asked then fbi director james comey to end the investigation of former national security adviser michael flynn. "the new york times" first reported the existence of a memo comey wrote following a private meeting with the president on february 14th. the allegations that the president tried to influence the flynn investigation has added another notch of anxiety and concern on capitol hill. hena daniels is here in new york. hena, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. the white house issued a furious denial near the end of yet another tumultuous day. "new york times" is now raising questions about obstruction of justice. lawmakers investigating russian meddling into the 2016 election are also calling on comey to testify ons he interactions with the president. >> the country is being tested

in unprecedent ways. >> as democrats began questioning whether president trump's latest scandal amounted to an itmpeachable offense, members of the president's own party have appeared to have reached a breaking point. >> i think it's reaching a point where it's of watergate size and scale. >> late tuesday the republican chairman of the house oversight committee jason chaffetz sent this letter to fbi requesting the bureau turn over all memos former fbi director james comey possibly wrote about his meetings with the president, this after "the new york times" reported the existence of one showing president trump asked comey to end the investigation into his former national security adviser michael flynn saying, quote, i hope you can see your way clear to letting this go. he is a good guy. >> i don't want to read the memo. i want to hear from him. >> a source familiar with the matter tells cbs news comey did,

in fact, write that memo following a february 14th meeting at the white house. that meeting came one day after flynn resigned for misleading vice president mike pence about his conversations with the russian ambassador. in a statement released yesterday the white house admitted a conversation did take place, but said, quote, the president has never asked mr. comey or anyone else to end any investigation eninvolving general flynn. flynn remains a central figure in the fbi's probe into whether the trump campaign colluded with russia. president trump fired comey last week and admitted he had the on going russian investigation on his mind at the time. tomorrow deputy attorney general rod rosenstein will come to capitol hill to brief all senators on comey's termination. anne-marie? >> hena daniels here in new york. thank you so much, hena. as we mentioned "the new york times" was the first to report details of comey's memo

which cbs news later confirmed. the reporter behind the piece discussed what led to the memo. >> look. i've been spending a lot of times over the past few days trying to understand what went on between mr. comey and mr. trump and trying to understand what it was that mr. trump didn't like about mr. comey and what was it about mr. trump that really concerned mr. comey, and in the process of that i learned that there was a series of memos that comey had written about every single interaction with that he had had with trump because comey was so concerned about what trump may try and do to the fbi. >> well, the "times" detailed another suggestion by mr. trump to comey. speaking about leaks to the media, mr. trump reportedly floated the idea that mr. comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information. adam schiff is the ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee. in that role he met with former fbi director james comey often.

nancy cordes caught up with the congressman at the capitol. >> have you seen this memo and and did you ever discuss with director comey about his concerns about the president? >> i did not see the notes or the me ho or have a conversation about the president ever suggesting that he drop the investigation. this is obviously a very serious charge, the heart of which would be interference or obstruction of the investigation, and when you add it to the allegations of just a few days ago, actually the statement made by the president himself that in the context of james comey wanted to keep his job, the president brought up whether he was a suspect, another deeply troubling allegation. congress needs to bring director comey back to testify, we need to get those notes if they exist, we need to get tapes if they exist, but there is, i think, mounting concern over

just how this administration appears to be interfering with the russian investigation. >> and so you're a lawyer. to your mind does this comment when added to others if true justice?te obstruction of >> well, i would need to look at just what the president said, and i'll be very interested if there are notes of precisely what the president said and in hearing from the director on filling in on what those notes have reported. so i think it's too early to say in the absence of that evidence. income, at this point, we're still dealing with allegations, not evidence, but it's enough for congress to insist on the director coming back, on obtaining this evidence. we really do need to determine whether there was a concerted effort by the president to interfere with the investigation. >> we do know there was a white house meeting in the oval office.

the white house contends mr. trump acted appropriately. in a southeast of tweets the president wrote he had the absolute right to share the information. he wants russia to step up its fight against isis and he wants to find the leakers in the intelligence community. meanwhile lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are concerned. president trump dismissed questions about reports that he shared cladormati with russian officials during their visit at the white house last week. >> we had a very, very successful meeting with the foreign minister. >> the "washington post" article claims mr. trump discussed classified information that came from a u.s. partner that was so sense tifb it had not been shared with u.s. allies and was even restricted in the u.s. government. the president's national security adviser denied the allegations for the second straight day and said the information discussed had already been reported. >> it's wholly appropriate for the president to share whatever information he thinks is necessary to advance to the american people. that's what he did. >> the president does have broad

authority to disclose classified information as he sees fit, but the concern is over what he disclosed and whether it compromised a sensitive intelligence source. some lawmakers fear the president's disclosure may have damaged national security. >> the only thing i would tell the president is if you feel like you need to share something with the russians, make sure it goes through the system because i don't trust the russians. >> a senior european intelligence official says his country may stop sharing information with the united states if it confirms president trump shared classified details with russian officials. as we reported, republican arizona senator john mccain voiced his concern last night in washington. he voiced his concerns last night in washington speaking with cbs contributor bob schieffer. >> every couple of days there's a new aspect of this really

unhappy situation, and, you know, my friends, none of us, no matter what our political innings are or how we feel about trump, it's not good for america. >> mccain said the president has to get it all out because the longer you delay, the longer it's going to last. well, ahead on "cbs this morning," we will talk with cbs contributor bob schieffer about the latest white house controversy and we'll ask cbs news chief analyst jan crawford what it takes to prove obstruction of justice. well, at least nine people were injured when a protest turned violent outside a turkish ambassador's residence in washington. turkish security personnel clashed with demonstrators as police tried to control the situation. the fighting broke out just hours after president trump met with the turkish president at the white house. two demonstrators were arrested. and at least two people were killed by tornadoes that struck

the plains. and more severe weather is expected today. the oklahoma storm hit last night about 100 miles west of oklahoma city. one resident of elk city was killed. at least 40 homes were destroyed and phone service was knocked out. another tornado swept through a mobile home park in wisconsin causing extensive damag and killing one person. >> there's a whole row where there should be trailers that there's nothing but debris, so i would say there was probably six to eight trailers in a row and there's absolutely nothing but debris. >> the wisconsin tornado was part of a severe weather system stretching from the texas panhandle to wisconsin. there have been reports of more than 20 tornadoes. a severe thunderstorm watch is posted from texas to wisconsin. and removal of another confederate monument is under way in new orleans. the statue of general p.g.t.

beauregard is being taken down. the battle has lasted nearly two years but the city is still divided over the issue. >> i'm very happy that the city is finally getting to it. >> you can't change history. you can't pick and choose what you decide is history. you learn -- >> the statue is the third confederate monument taken down by the city in recent weeks. well, coming up on the "morning news" now, choosing sides. ambassador nikki haley issues a warning to countries that support north korea. >> and frontier airlines flight. flight attendants sue for the right to pump milk on the job. this is the "cbs morning news." job. this is the "cbs morning news." but entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ i love ya, tomorrow in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital

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for fewer interruptions from the amazing things you do every day. live claritin clear. every day. so chevy is the most awarded car company three years in a row. wow. -really... let's see how quickly you can read through all their awards. oh gosh... -lot of pressure. you ready? go! 2017 motor trend car of the year. kelly blue book 2016 best resale value... u.s. news best cars for the money 10 best blah blah blah 2017 iihs...top safety. only about 90 more to go! 2015 (laughs) support north korea. who would of thought? great, now i'm going to have to go buy a new car. the song "reunion" was bon joe dickerson university. the rockers played the medley

jovi's musical message to the graduates at dickerson university. the rockers played the medley yesterday at metlife stadium. the graduates won a contest to bring the band there. flight attendants fight for the right to pump breast milk, and new pressure on north korea. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. "the new york times" is suggesting sanctions against countries that help north korea. u.n. ambassador nikki haley says the world must pick a side on the issue. the "post and courier" of south carolina screens video jail visits of the killer of the church massacre and his family during the trial. they show dylann roof angering his mother and making his father cry. roof has been sentenced to death for killing nine people. the "denver post" details legal complaints by two flight attendants against frontier airlines. the women say the carrier discriminates against women who are pregnant or breast-feeding heir newborns.

they accuse frontier for failing to provide accommodations related to breast-feeding. a frontier spokesman says the company is complying with all laws and contracts. "the seattle times" covers boeing's delivery of their first retooled 737. first of the 3,700 max jets the company will build went to a malaysian carrier. the plane will fly on less fuel. and the hartford quarankucu says a woman will call the plays of an nfl game for the first time in 30 years. >> it is scooped up by kentucky and mike douglas. and douglas will go all the way. >> beth mowins is assigned the a season night opening in september. she'll become the only female to cover play by play. facebook pays back

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it's the rich man's curse ♪ you really wouldn't want one of these earrings to fall into your soup during dinner. they were auctioned yesterday in swids switzerland for about $51 million. the earrings are mismatched but that doesn't matter they're flawless 16 carat diamonds. i'd wear them. good morning, jill. >> good morning. it was a quiet day on wall street. the nasdaq hit another record high. u.s. production shot up 1% last month, third straight gain. in all the dow lost 2 points, yesterday, s&p finished a point lower. the nasdaq gained 20. construction of new homes fell in april by 2.6% according to the commerce department. that is the second month in a row that housing starts fell leaving home building at its lowest point since last

december, but analysts expect the numbers of americans seeking homes will rebound by gains in employment. facebook is offering refunds to some advertisers. some facebook advertisers were billed incorrectly when users clicked on a certain video. they were overcharged by a median amount of $10 over the course of the year. it's unclear how many were affected. and alexa's making its way into television. amazon is now taking orders for special tvs with alexa built in. along with telling alexa to change the channel, you'll be able to tell alexia to dim the house lights and other smart appliances. it will cost between $450 and $900. anne-marie. >> what every couch potato needs. thank you so much, jill. still ahead, repurposing firearms. we'll show you a company that's ta using illegal guns to create jewelry to help fight violence.

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around president trump after he reportedly tried to interfere with an f-b-i investigation... and we'll take you inside the bay area company that's building a new generation of robots to be more human than ever... join us for kpix 5 news this morning... beginning at 4:30. ,,

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. a philadelphia company is making jewelry with a message. liberty united makes bobbles using steel forged from confiscated guns. the company's cofounder explains their purpose to roxana saberi. >> you know the story behind this. it's an illegal gun. >> that's exactly what we want to have happen. >> the company gives up to one-fourth of the proceeds back to the cities where the guns were seized. and coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," former supermodel gisele be up chen talked with charlie rose about getting involved in protecting the planet. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." at panera, a salad is so much more than one thing.

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our top stories this our top stories this morning. the white house is denying allegations that president trump asked former fbi director james comey to end the investigation into former national security adviser michael flynn. cbs news has confirmed comey wrote a memo detailing their conversation. republican senator john mccain of arizona says the latest white house controversy is handcuffing the administration. >> the team is in place and that's what's kind of sad about all this is you have such a strong national security team in this most dangerous times, and yet they're not able to function because everything seems to be siphoned into this whole issue of russia.

>> mccain added that the string of scandals is not good for america. the top secret information about isis president trump shared with the russians came from israel. the administration says mr. trump acted appropriately with some lawmakers. senators like lindsey graham say the president may have damaged national security. >> the only thing i would tell the president is if you feel like you should share something with the russians, make sure it goes through the system because i don't trust the russians. >> mr. trump tweeted he has the absolute right to share information with russia. that sharing of information came up during a meeting yesterday between adam schiff, the ranking democrat on the house intelligence committee, and cia director mike pompeo. schiff spoke with nancy cordes about it. >> they certainly did raise this with the director, and while i can't go into what he had to say, i can tell you on the basis of what the administration has said publicly that general mcmaster did not deny that

declassification may be involved, and i'm deeply concerned we may have jeopardized the source of relationship, and i think that's also something congress needs to further investigate. >> it appears the president's team is trying to use the last two days of bombshell headlines as a fund-raising opportunity with the subject line "sabotage," mr. trump's team sent a blast e-mail to its list of campaign subscribers alleging there are people within our own unelected bureaucracy that want to sabotage president trump. and then a call to action. contribute $1 to drain the swamp. coming up after your local new this morning on "cbs this morning," we'll speak with senator mccain and we'll show you how hunters and trapping predators and former model

gisele bundchen talks about k p keeping her quarterback husband tom brady on a strict diet. >> did you influence how your house and your husband and your children feel about plant based diet and other things? did that come from gisele? >> but they love it. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm kenny choi. time to rise and shine! we take a live look at the skyline of san francisco. check that out. you see that woman -- the moon right there? the waning gibbous moon this morning. good morning, it is wednesday,

may 17. i'm kenny choi. and we got sunshine right here. >> sunshine! or michelle griego. whatever you want to call it. but look, jaclyn is sunshine, too. >> we dressed alike this week. >> i'm going to refer to you as my little minions this morning. >> love it. [ laughter ] >> we have our sunshine here today and we certainly do have sunshine on tap for late today along the coast, socked in this morning with brisk winds but later, we will reveal ample sunshine. right now 49 degrees in santa rosa to 55 in oakland. winds are still blowing. 21 sfo. 16 san francisco. 13 antioch. however, calm in novato. winds will blow 10 to