evening news. ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> when the president loses confidence in somebody, he'll no longer be here. >> mason: will rex soon be ex? >> he's here. rex is here. >> mason: also tonight, britain's retweet rebuke. >> action is needed now. >> mason: pressure is growing. >> congressman conyers should resign. >> mason: but he's not going. >> nancy pelosi sure as hell won't be the with one to tell the congressman to leave. >> which is smarter, dog or cat? what a new study found. >> what's your name? >> gomer pyle. >> mason: remembering jim nabors. >> shazam! >> mason: and, 60 years on the job in the air. >> it's the people. of course i like being paid, too this is the "cbs evening news."

>> mason: and this is our western edition. good evening. i'm anthony mason. in ten months as america's chief diplomat, rex tillerson has found no world leader a greater challenge than the president of the united states. relations between president trump and the senior member of his cabinet, the former c.e.o. of exxon-mobil, have been strained almost from the start. now cbs news has confirmed the white house has a plan to force tillerson out. here's white house and senior foreign affairs correspondent margaret brennan. >> he's here. rex is here. >> reporter: today president trump refused to answer questions about a white house plan to replace secretary of state rex tillerson after less than a year on the job. mr. trump has been publicly frustrated with his top diplomat. >> we disagree on a couple of things. sometimes i'd like him to be a little bit tougher. >> reporter: that comment came just three days after tillerson held an extraordinary news conference last month to shoot

down reports that he had called the president a moron. >> there has never been a consideration in my mind to leave. i serve at the appointment of the president, and i am here for as long as the president feels i can be useful to achieving his objectives. >> reporter: the two have clashed on policy issues, including north korea. shortly after tillerson announced that the u.s. was in diplomatic contact with pyongyang, trump treated that he is "wasting his time." >> no, we don't agree on everything. yes, sometimes he changes his mind. >> reporter: tillerson successfully convinced the president to keep the u.s. in the iran nuclear deal, but he now appears poised to lose an argument over tillerson's objections the president is leaning towards recognizing the disputed city of jerusalem as the capital of israel. one of tillerson's closest allies, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee bob corker, said mr. trump has effectively neutered tillerson. >> he said the president has "castrated you before the world stage." >> i checked. i'm fully intact. >> reporter: tillerson's aloof

management style and cost-saving plan to restructure the state department, including slashing around 2,000 positions, has not helped his popularity. today corker defended him. >> it's been evident to me that for some time somebody is, you know, seeking to undermine his presence here. i don't know who that is. >> reporter: the white house insists that no change is imminent. the leading candidate to replace tillerson is current c.i.a. director mike pompeo. that would leave a vacancy at the c.i.a., likely to be filled by either republican senator tom cotton of arkansas or retired vice admiral robert harworth. anthony. >> mason: margaret brennan at the white house. thanks, margaret. the non-partisan joint commission on taxation estimated today that the senate republican tax bill would add $1-trillion to the deficit over the next decade. that conflicts with g.o.p. claims the tax cuts in the bill would pay for themselves. even so, a final vote is expected by tomorrow and nancy cordes tells us prospects for approval are improving.

( bell ringing ) >> reporter: the dow surged 330 ndints today as wall street sensed an impending windfall after several g.o.p. hold-outs said they were leaning towards voting yes. >> i think it's likely to pass. >> reporter: the centerpiece of the senate plan is a huge cut to the corporate tax rate, which republicans say will be a boon for u.s. workers. >> we'll have more jobs, more companies, existing companies are expanding. >> reporter: democrats argue past tax cuts haven't trickled down to workers. >> this is a fantasy! >> this bill greases the wheels to send more jobs overseas. >> just a show of hands. >> reporter: a group of business leaders were asked recently if they would invest those tax savings in their workforce. white house economic adviser gary cohn was disappointed by the response. >> why aren't the other hands up? >> reporter: delaware democrat chris coons. >> c.e.o.s of pfizer, cisco, coca-cola said, that's not what we're going to do.

if we get a significant rate cut, we're going to give that back to our shareholders in dividends and in stock buybacks. >> reporter: the bipartisan joint committee on taxation projected today that the g.o.p. plan would boost job growth by an extra half a percent over the next ten years. the j.c.t. has also projected that the plan's individual tax changes would initially benefit earners at all levels, but those savings would quickly evaporate for those making less than $75,000 a year. tennessee republican bob corker says that part of the plan needs major work. >> i wish we could just take the individual side, put it in the trash can, and take it quickly to the incinerator. >> reporter: but many republicans are worried they'll miss the moment if they tinker with the bill any longer. >> i want us to pass tax reform. i think in its current structure it would make things better than things are today, not perfect but better. >> reporter: if republicans do manage to pass their bill, which they're hoping to do in the next 24 hours, they will have another

opportunity to make some changes when they work to reconcile their plan with the very different plan that passed the house earlier this month, anthony. >> mason: nancy cordes at the capitol. thanks. it's not often an earthquake rattles major cities in the east, but this afternoon a magnitude 4.1 quake centered near dover air force base in delaware was felt from washington to poughkeepsie, new york. this was the scene in belleville, new jersey. there are no reports of serious injuries or damage. now to the sexual misconduct accusations rocking 30 rock. executives at nbc have received at least two new complaints about now-fired "today" show host matt lauer. lauer put out a statement today saying he's "embarrassed and ashamed." here's bianna golodryga. >> our top story isonce again about matt lauer. >> the "today" show may be without its star anchor, but matt lauer still managed to lead

his past, releasing a statement before air. "there are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain i have caused others by my words and actions," he said. "as i am writing this, i realize the depth of the damage and disappointment i have left behind at home and at nbc." lauer, seen near his home in the hamptons today, said some of the allegations are untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. nbc says two women in addition to the female employee whose complaint led to lauer's firing have come forward. also one woman told "the new york times" that she was sexually assaulted by lauer in his office in 2001. and some of lauer's female colleagues told "variety" magazine that he summoned them to his hotel room at night during nbc's olympic coverage. some told "variety" their complaints to management fell on deaf ears. "variety" reporters elizabeth wagmeister and ramin setoodeh

wrote the story. >> matt lauer's public persona as a very squeaky clean's america's dad was very difficult from his private persona where he focused on women that worked at the "today" show, and there was a clear pattern of that. >> reporter: lauer is the latest in an expanding list of powerful men forced out of their jobs over charges of sexual misconduct, including now former "cbs this morning" co-anchor charlie rose. new to the list, def jam founder russell simmons, who earlier today resigned from his media companies after a second woman alleged he forced her to have sex against her will. simmons doesn't deny the encounters, but says he remembers them differently. as for lauer, nbc said in a statement that current management was never made aware of any allegations prior to monday night when the first woman came forward. anthony? >> mason: bianna golodryga, thanks. pressure is growing on the longest-serving member of the house of representatives to step down in the face of sexual misconduct accusations.

more on that now from julianna goldman. >> congressman conyers should resign. >> reporter: today the top democrat in the house of representatives called on john conyers to step down immediately. >> zero tolerance means consequences for everyone, no matter how great the legacy. it's no license to harass or discriminate. >> reporter: conyers' attorney arnold reed shot back, saying the 88-year-old congressman is staying put. >> nancy pelosi did not elect the congressman, and she sure as hell won't be the one to tell the congressman to leave. >> reporter: pelosi and other democratic leaders spoke out after marion brown, the staffer with whom conyers settled a sexual harassment complaint in 2015, came forward for the first time. >> i'm here to say that i'm not a liar. >> reporter: offering disturbing details. >> he pointed to areas, genital areas of his body and asked me to, you know, touch it.

>> reporter: since brown's $27,000 settlement was first reported last week, several women have accused conyers of sexual misconduct. conyers has denied the allegations. his attorney said he was hospitalized last night for stress-related issues and also seemed to suggest that conyers is being treated unfairly due to his race. >> nancy pelosi is going to have to explain what is the discernible difference between al franken and john conyers? >> i apologize. >> reporter: several women have accused senator al franken of groping, both before and after he was elected. unlike with conyers, top democrats in the senate are not calling on franken to resign. separately today, republican congressman joe barton announced he would not seek reelection after a lewd selfie he had sent to another woman circulated online. anthony? >> mason: julianna goldman, thank you, julianna.

's a verdict in the trial of jose garcia, charged with murdering her on a pier in 2015. we have a west coast update on a case that sparked a national debate over immigration policy, john. >> late this afternoon a jury here in san francisco found an undocumented immigrant not guilty in the shooting death of a young woman whose killing became part of a nation's immigration debate. when 32-year-old kate steinly was shot and killed on a pier in san francisco her death instantly became part of a heated presidential campaign. it was july 1, 2015, just two weeks after donald trump loud his bid condemning illegal immigration from mexico. >> they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crimes, they are rapists. >> the man arrested for shooting her, had already been deported back to mexico five times. two months before the shooting,

he was released from san francisco's jail instead of being turned over to federal immigration authorities. >> another victim is kate steinly gunned down in sanctuary city of san francisco. >> but guard yeah's immigration status is not part of the case against him. alex bastion of the san francisco district attorney's office. >> the defendant is charged with second degree murder and the sole question after all the testimony is in is whether or not he intended to fire that handgun. >> the prosecution accused garcia of looking for someone to kill, playing a secret game of russian roulette that ended with steinly shot in the back as she walked the pier beside her father. defense attorney matt gauze -- gus finding the stolen law enforcement gun under a bench on the pier. >> this is someone that unknowingly touched an object

and it fired and struck the ground where it was pointed 78 feet away from ms. steinly. >> testimony showed the bullet hit the concrete 12 feet in front of garcia, ricochet and travel 78 feet before striking steinly. the jury was given the choice of finding him guilty of first degree, second degree or involuntary manslaughter. they found him not guilty of all three. the only charge they did find him guilty on was illegal possession of a firearm. anthony. >> mason: john blackstone, thanks. the suspect in a string of deadly shootings in tampa, florida appeared in court today over a video link. 24-year-old howell donaldson wore a padded robe to prevent him from harming himself. he's charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of four people over five weeks. donaldson was arrested tuesday night after handing his gun to a mcdonald's coworker. american airlines said today despite a computer glitch, it

does not expect mass cancellations during the holidays. cbs news has learned american discovered the software problem last friday. it mistakenly allowed thousands of pilots to take vacations in late december. the airline says it has been fixed and just a few hundred pilot slots remain unfilled. coming up next on the "cbs evening news," women fight for their freedom in saudi arabia. and later, he was known to the public for playing a private. i go with anoro. ♪go your own way copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way" with anoro. ♪go your own way once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators, that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. anoro is not for asthma . it contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death

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this, after all, is oil-rich saudi arabia. her brothers have already started giving her driving lessons in the desert, she told us. women fought for the right to drive in saudi arabia, illegally taking to the road and shaming their government with these protest videos. in this ultraconservative country, the genders have traditionally been segregated, so the driving ban has never made much sense, because women are allowed to catch taxis or use ride apps to get a car with a male driver they have never met. most people we've spoken to here want to see women behind the wheel. and women are fighting for other freedoms, too. >> they're not victims. we are not victims. we are strong. >> reporter: halah alhamrani, who has opened a boxing gym called "fight like a girl," told us she wants an end to saudi arabia's male guardianship system, which means all saudi women still need a male

relative's permission to travel overseas or get married. you think that needs to change? >> i hope that it does, yes. >> reporter: and you think the government is going to do it? >> i think we're going in that direction. god willing. >> reporter: by saudi standards, the country's new crown prince, mohammed bin salman, is a reformer. he's allowing women into sports stadiums for the first time, and a stampede of saudi women is now joining the workforce. these girls could one day have very different lives from their mothers, but in saudi arabia, any change is jarring. a backlash always possible. holly williams, cbs news, jeddah, saudi arabia. >> mason: and when we come back, the battle of the brains. cats versus dogs. ate to severe rheumatoid arthritis?

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>> >> mason: well, chalk one up for dog lovers. new research finds dogs are far brainier than cats with more than twice as many neurons in their cerebral cortexes. that means dogs are capable of more complex tasks, which could explain why there are no bomb- sniffing cats. full disclosure, the lead researcher from vanderbilt university, admits to being a 100% dog person. actor and singer jim nabors died today at his home in hawaii. nabors is best known as gomer pyle, the country bumpkin marine private, a spin-off of the role he created on the andy griffith show. >> we don't make no charge for it. now you take a different provision entirely. >> mason: amazingly, nabors' singing voice was a beautiful baritone. ♪ to dream the impossible dream

nabors sang back home again in indiana most years at the indy 500, and he was the first guest each season on "the carol burnett show." she called him her good luck charm. jim nabors was 87. a lot of hours of "gomer pyle" as a kid. up next, she's been flying since ike was in the white house. ik ouse.

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here's kris van cleave. >> how are you doing? >> reporter: if it seems like everyone knows flight attendant bette nash on this early morning american shuttle flight from d.c. to boston-- >> good morning. thank you. >> reporter: --they do. flight crews call her the nash dash. and this month she's celebrating her 60th anniversary in the air. frequent flyer florence tate. >> she is magnificent. she's my mentor. the cup is always half filled. >> reporter: what is your secret to doing this for so long? 60 years in one job is a long time. >> it's the people. the people. i thrive on the people. you say something to them and they say something to you and they're happy. of course, i like being paid, too. >> reporter: nash started in november 1957. the names on the planes have sure changed, eastern, trump shuttle, u.s. air, and now american. so has the industry.

in the 1950s, flight attendants were typically required to be single and couldn't work past their early 30s. >> can't take another ten years, though. >> reporter: nash had only planned to do this a couple years. instead she turns 82 next month with no plans to retire. what is the biggest thing that has changed in the airline business? >> technology. there is nothing like technology that has changed. the people are exactly the same. everybody needs a little love. are you happy? >> reporter: especially at 30,000 feet. >> would you like some cookies to make you happier? >> reporter: at 6:30 a.m. kris van cleave, cbs news, washington. >> mason: everybody needs a little love. that's the "cbs evening news." i'm anthony mason in new york. thanks for watching. good night. we leave you now in washington with the lighting of the national christmas tree. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

of murder. and his attorney has a message for president trump. good evening, i'm veronica kpix5 news begins with the accused killer of kate steinle found not guilty of murder and his torn has a message -- his torn has a message for donald trump -- his attorney has a message for donald trump. good evening. >> not guilty of first degree murder or manslaughter, the only conviction? felony possession of a firearm. 32-year-old kate steinle was shot as she walked along san francisco's pier 14 with her father. her family issued a statement to the chronicle saying, "we're just saddened and shocked. justice was rendered, but it was not served." we have team coverage of the stunning verdict and the reaction starting with kpix5's andria borba. she was in the courtroom when the decision came down. andria?

>> reporter: well, allen, inside the courtroom it was stunned silence when that verdict was read. once everyone had left, the gallery had left, mr. zarate hugged his public defender, matt gonzalez, after everyone left the building. now it was clear from that verdict that the jury believed matt gonzalez's version of events that the shooting on pier 14 was accidental. when asked if this case was overcharged as a first degree murder case, alex sebastian from the san francisco district attorney's office said it passed the preliminary process and other filters. >> it was a verdict we were not hoping for. i know that both sides fought very hard, but again the jury is the one. the jurors are the ones that make the determination on a case and we will respect that decision.