from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm tony do captioning funded by cbs it's thursday, october 19th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." the controversy surrounding alleged comments president trump made to a grieving widow of a fallen soldier have turned into a case of he said/she said, and neither side is backing down. and mr. trump changes his stance on the proposed bipartisan health care plan as ten governors urge congress to back restoring subsidies. plus a ten-hour manhunt ends with the arrest of a man accused of shooting and killing three of his co-workers.

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, president trump says claims that he was disrespectful to a family of an american soldier killed in action is incorrect. this case involves a phone call mr. trump made to the widow of a soldier killed nearly two weeks ago in africa. seth lemon is here in new york with more. seth, good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. twitter he had proof his phone conversation with the bereaved military widow went well, though, neither he nor congress let it up. they're standing by what they say they heard. wednesday was a day of he said/she said, pitting president trump against florida congresswoman fredericka wilson.

>> did say what that congresswoman said. didn't say it at all. she knows it. >> at issue, the condolence call president trump made to the army sergeant's widow of army soldier la david soldier. he was killed in an ambush in afghanistan. for a second day wilson insisted the president made an insensitive comment. >> i heard him say, well, he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts. >> sergeant johnson's mother has confirmed the congresswoman's account. the president insisted via tweet he has proof to the contrary. >> he is not the proof. we are the proof. i regret that i did not record it. >> reporter: the white house did not specifically refute those exact words were said. press secretary sarah sanders said she took issue with the congresswoman and the press for portraying the call as anything but sincere and respectful.

>> i think, frankly, it's a disgrace of the media to try to portray an act of kind ps like that and that gesture and try to make it into something that it isn't. >> reporter: the father of dustin wright, another soldier killed in the ambush, told cbs news the president called him too. he said the phone call went well and divide president trump as cordial in his condolences. the white house says chief kelly is disgusted that the death has become politicized. the president mentioned kelly's son who was killed in action in afghanistan a few years ago as part of the discourse over phone calls to gold star families. anne-marie? >> seth lemon here in new york. thank you, seth. the attack in niger that killed sergeant la david johnson and three other americans is being investigated by the pentagon. as david martin reports, the defense department wants to know why the soldiers were caught off guard.

>> reporter: the four soldiers were killed on a patrol where the briefing said no enemy contact expect. they were members of a team of u.s. advisers and soldiers from niger, about 40 in all who set out to meet with local village leaders that day, and according to the pentagon's lieutenant kenneth mckenzie had no reason to expect trouble. the patrol last week had done 29 patrols with no contact over the previous six months or so. there was no indication this was going to occur. >> reporter: yet they were ambushed by a band of fighters described in an after-action report as well trained, well equipped, and will organized, a band which the pentagon now believes is a local offshoot of isis. the patrol's vehicles were destroyed and the soldiers were cut down as they tried to take cover. because no enemy attack was expect, there was no air contact they could count on.

the first aircraft to arrive were french mirage jets. >> they were able to fly over within minutes, which is pretty impressive. >> reporter: but by then it was too late to drop bombs and the helicopt soldiers had to wait for helicopters to pick up the mortally wounded soldiers. black is survived by a wife and two sons, johnson by a wife and two daughters. the body of sergeant la david johnson was not recovered until two days later. he and his wife were expecting their third child. in hindsight it's obvious the patrol went out without enough backup. it will take an investigation to determine whether warping signs that an ambush was in the works had been missed. david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. today senators lamar alexander and patty murray are formally introducing a bill for

subsidies to insurance companies. the white house said the president does not support the measure in its current form and some speakers like paul ryan are speaking out against it, but last night a bipartisan group of ten governors signed a letter urging congressional leaders to support the plan. the 'agreement on a two-year extension of federal subsidies to insurers would help lower income americans obtain medical coverage. the president cut off the subsidies last week. attorney general jeff sessions and spawned some contentions and back-and-forth over alleged russian meddling. sessions was questioned about any role he might have had in the firing of james comey. he refused to say if he discussed comey's involvement in the russian investigation with the president. >> i did not confirm or deny the existence of any communication between the president that i consider to be confidential. >> sessions insisted that comey was fired because of his handling of the hillary clinton e-mail case.

the fbi says a shooting rampage in maryland appears to be an act of workplace violence and not terrorism. the suspect shot five co-workers, killing three. he has a long criminal record. a former employee once thought he was so dangerous he tried to get a restraining order. nikki battiste has our report. >> reporter: 37-year-old radee labeeb prince is now in custody after a day-long ambush that spanned two states and ended in delaware. >> the suspect was taken into custody after a brief foot chase. >> reporter: police say prince showed up to work at this business park wednesday morning and shout five of his co-workers at advanced granite solutions. three of them died. a witness says he saw the employees coming out of the business. >> one guy was crying.

might have been friends or co-workers. >> reporter: harford county authorities say prince used ha a handgun in the attack and then fled in a black gmc acadia. that vehicle was found in the evening after he shot another man at a used car dealership in wilmington. >> he knew every one of the people he shot and they had some type of a relationship and he knew them. >> reporter: police recovered the weapon prince tossed during the foot chase. prince has a criminal history, but police have not yet commented on his motive for the shooting. nikki battiste, cbs news. a white former tulsa, oklahoma, police officer has been convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the shooting of his daughter's african-american boyfriend. this was shannon kepler's fourth trial. juries in the three previous trials deadlocked. kepler said he shot 19-year-old jeremy lake in 2014 because he thought lake had a gun, but no weapon was found at the scene. the jury recommended 15 years in prison. a sentencing hearing is scheduled for next month. rain is forecast for

northern california later today, which should help in the battle against a slew of deadly wildfires. firefighters report they've stopped the forward progress of all of the fires that swept through seven counties, but at least 42 people have been killed and 6,000 homes destroyed. white nationalist richard spencer is scheduled to speak at the university of florida today. the university says it will spend $600,000 on security for the event. a white supremacist rally in charlottesville, you may remember, in august turned violent. florida's governor declared a state of emergency, saying the threat of a potential emergency is imminent. nfl commissioner roger goodell said the league is trying to stay out of politics. goodell spoke at the football league's fall meetings where altering the league's policy regarding the "national anthem" was not discussed. goodell says the league wants its players to stand but won't order it. our anna werner asked goodell

about a tweet from president trump says that showed total disrespect for the country. >> we respect our country, we respect our flag, we respect our "national anthem." we show pride and we're going to continue to do that. >> nfl owners have differing views on the issue. 49ers ceo jed york says he will not force players to stand, but dallas cowboys owner jerry jones however, says players who do not stand will be benched. coming up on the "morning news" now, bathroom law. a settlement with transgender advocates is announced in north carolina. and the fda approves a second gene-altering treatment for cancer. this is the "cbs morning news."

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confederate jefferson davis and hello to former president barack obama. the predominantly black school was named decades ago for davis, but the pta announced this week the school's name is being changed to honor mr. obama. is a new gene therapy is approve, and a possible deal in the dispute over north carolina's bathroom law. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. carolina's "news & record" talks about a deal that would expand changes in the state. democratic senator cooper announced the settlement yesterday that could end legal challenges over the so-called bathroom law and its replacement. it would allow transgender to use bathrooms that match their identity. a judge needs to certify the deal. the "houston chronicle" reports on a federal judge's ruling allowing an undocumented teen to have an abortion.

the ruling allowed the girl to visit an abortion provider. she's being held in texas where officials have refused to let her get an abortion. she's in her 15th week of pregnancy. the justice department is appealing. a toddler who's father gave him a loaded gun has been charged with murder. he allegedly gave a 3-year-old son a gun and told him to chase a man around the yard. while he was chasing the man, the gun went off and killed him. "sports illustrated" reports gymnast michaeckayla maroney sae was the victim of sexual abuse. she was alleged by former gymnastics coach larry nassar. nassar is accused of sexually

abusing over 140 girls and women. maroney shared in the #metoo. a cutting-edge treatment has been approved to fight another deadly cancer. yesterday the fda approved the gene therapy treatment for adults with aggressive nonhodgkin's lymphoma. the treatment is called car-t cell therapy. it genetically alters its own cells to fight cancer. it was approved for the first time in august to fight childhood leukemia. well, still ahead, massive recall. a problem with door latches in ford trucks prompts a major recall of one of its most popular pickups. an epic flavor... it's cranberry. it's pineapple. and there's no. sugar. added. cranberry pineapple 100% juice. the next big thing to hit the juice aisle. cranberry pineapple 100% juice. with steak and shrimp? more shrimp. and you know what goes great with that shrimp? you guessed it. more shrimp. steak and unlimited shrimp, starting at $15.99. only at outback.

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here's a look at today's here's a look at today's d forecast in some cities around the country. on the "cbs moneywatch" ford announces a major recall and nielsen starts measuring netflix user. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, diane. >> good morning, anne-marie. we'll start with this. the dow begins sitting above 23,000 for the first time. all three major averages closed at record highs. the dow rallied 160 points. the s&p 500 rose nearly 2 points. and the nasdaq finished slightly higher. ford is calling about 1.3 million trucks in north america to fix a faulty door latch.

the recalled trucks are 2015 through 2017 ford f-150 and 2017 ford super-duty f-series trucks. there's a bent cable that may result in a door not opening or closing. ford says affected customers will be notified next month. nielsen, the viewing measurement company, says it will now be able to measure everything that is watched on netflix. previously nielsen was able to track audiences from streaming programs and studio networks that opted in. now nielsen can measure all netflix content including whether a studio wants it. next year they'll include amazon and hulu programming. and a 19 karat pink diamond that was once part of the french crown jewels will be auctioned next month in geneva.

it once belonged to king louis xiv and napoleon bonaparte. christie's puts the resale value at between $6 million and $9 million. anne-marie? >> oh, is that all? >> that's a pretty penny. >> i think i'll pass. diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thank you, diane. still ahead, medical mystery. a boy gets a scare of a lifetime after he sleeps for 11 straight days. boy gets of a lifetime after he sleeps 11 days. so baking is delicious and easy. ooh, cookies! ah, ah, ah! (laughter) i ...prilosec otc 7 years ago,my doctor recommended... ooh, cookies!

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ don't you know that we're able that alone makes us major ♪

lego is honoring the women of nasa. the toy company unveiled a 231-piece set yesterday. it features the first american woman in space, sally ride, and the first black woman in space, mae jemison. the set goes on sale november 1st. a kentucky second grader is awake again after a mysterious illness caused him to sleep for 11 days straight. 7-year-old wyatt shaw attended a wedding two weeks ago, but when his mother tried to wake him up the next morning. she knew something was wrong. >> i tried to wake him up and it caused him to stay in a con stand sleep. >> she took him to the hospital

and he kept on sleeping for ten days. they gave him a seizure medication. it took a toll on him. he's still regaining his movement and speech. coming up on "cbs this morning," gayle talk with grammy award winning singer bruno mars as he tours for his latest album 24k magic. tours fors his k magic. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the all new 2018 camry. toyota. let's go places. bob jimmy dean day breakfast sandwich. the real eggs, sausage, and cheese fill him up with goodness, so he gives his umbrella to nancy,

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morning, president trump says claims that he disrespected a grieving military family are fabricated. a florida congresswoman says the president told the widow of sergeant la david johnson that her husband knew what he signed up for. johnson was killed during an ambush in africa nearly two weeks ago. and a man is in custody. police say 37-year-old radee labeeb prince was captured in delaware after a chase that spanned two states. prince shot and killed three co-workers and then shot another man at a car dealership in wilmington. as we mentioned, the

california wildfires are now blamed for 42 deaths. a fire crew is sharing video of what they encountered battling the flames in santa rosa. adriana diaz has more. >> reporter: berkeley firefighters thought they were responding to a grass fire, but instead they drove in to an inferno. this was a kmart and this fireball a gas station. >> i can actually feel the heat. >> reporter: this rare account of the moments on sene were reported by firefighter mike shukin. >> this is over a hundred homes. >> what was it that took your breath away? >> we expected to see a row of houses, a structure, a school, something we could save. you know, that was the most discouraging part because that's what we do. we go out and help people. at that point there was no one to help. >> nothing left.

>> nothing but homes that had vanished, homes that had vaporized. >> reporter: neighborhoods eviscerated on the ground now look like grids of gray ash from the air. >> oh, my gosh, you can't even tell there were houses there. >> reporter: we saw the scope from the sky of a national hospital. but there was one bright spot. they stopped the flames from advancing. >> reporter: firefighters were struck by the random packet. ones next door were completely untouched. adriana diaz, cbs news, santa rosa, california. well, coming up on "cbs this morning" -- >> reporter: we're under the ground in central alaska where vast stretches of the earth that have been frozen for tens of thousands of years are thawing,

and that has big consequences, not just for the arctic but for the rest of the world. we'll have that story coming up on "cbs this morning." plus, we'll take you to rome where starting next month there will be a new way to see the ancient coliseum. seth doane has details. and gayle talks with grammy award-winning singer bruno mars as he tours for his next album 24k magic. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com watching i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

do you want to do a monster check? yes. no monsters. ♪ how about the drawer? ♪ no monsters. nightly monster checks are how grant makes home his. and homegoods is what makes it all possible. amazing finds. always great prices. make home yours. i'm kenny choi. and i'm michelle griego. good morning, bay area. as we take a live look at you, we feel you, we're waking up with you, michelle is getting

the last few spritzes of hairspray. we're waking up. good morning, it's thursday, october 19th. i'm kenny choi. >> i'm michelle griego. >> it's an exciting day in the weather word. >> i used the windshield wipers this morning. >> i used them last night. >> me, too. >> there's a little drizzle. more the moisture from the fog but this afternoon we are going to get raindrops. so you will have to use your windshield wipers a lot more as you start your evening commute later on. right now, look at our temperatures. the cloud coverage out there is keeping things a little warm. if you think 50s or warm. we have been in the 40s for the past several days in the morning hours. so at least 57 concord, livermore 53. temperatures won't go up much this afternoon. we have a cool front associated with this rain that's coming. so temperatures are going to be dropping about 20 degrees since monday. that's quite a significant difference. and the rain will arrive this afternoon. i'll track the rain