swimming competition. >> an outstanding time last night in the pool at seattle. >> we'll see you at 6:00 for a full hour of news. captioning sponsored by cbs >> glor: on this special edition of the cbs evening news from washington, we remember the nation's 41st president, george h.w. bush. his remarkable journey from world war ii pilot to the white house, his love story with his wife of 73 years, his lifetime of dedication to his country, and devotion to family. all starting with the headlines in 60 seconds. >> we are a team. we're a united country, and when the going gets tough, we get moving! >> the nation mourns the passing of president her. >> he was one of the last true american political heroes. >> he passed away in houston at the age of 94. >> president trump has ordered american flags to be flown at

half-staff. >> december 5 will be a national day of mourning. >> he was a wonderful person, a wonderful man. >> americans remember the life and legacy of president h.w. bush. >> the strength he exhibited is what helped bring the cold war to an end. >> and one of his favorite hobbies, sky diving. >> our family has had a front-row seat for the most amazing love story. >> the bushes were married for 33 years, longer than any other president and first lady in u.s. history. >> i love you, precious. with all my heart. >> cartoonist marshall ramsey has drawn a touching work. >> showing the former president reuniting with his daughter robin and his wife, barbara. >> glor: good evening, i'm jeff glor reporting tonight from washington, and the nation's capital is preparing for an official farewell to the 41st president, george h.w. bush. the former president died last night at his home in houston at the age of 94, seven and a half months after his wife, barbara,

passed away. the president's body will lie in state at the u.s. capitol rotunda from monday evening until wednesday when a state funeral will be held at the national cathedral. president trump declared wednesday a national day of mourning, and ordered flags lowered to half-staff for 30 days. mr. bush is being remembered for a lifetime of service to his country, from a world war 22 pilot, to the presidency that navigated the end of the cold war. he wanted americans to be, in his words, kinder and gentler, 1,000 points of light. we start tonight with omar villafranca in houston. >> reporter: outside of president george h.w. bush's houston home, mourners paid their respects, leaving flowers and hanging an an flag. at a statute near downtown, sean cunningham was one of many houstonians who came to honor the late president. >> he was a good man, really represented, i think, all the qualities that the country represents, or should represent. >> reporter: president bush died at his home last night

upon. his health had been diminishing in the last few days. he was surrounded by family. his last words were to his son, former president george w. bush. they spoke on the phone. the elder bush told him, "i love you, too." he took his last breath at 10:10 p.m. condolences soon poured in from leaders around the world, from the united kingdom to the netherlands and russia. bill clinton, who beat bush in the 1992 presidential election, and later shared a close friendship with him, said, "few americans have been-- or ever will be-- able to match president bush's record of service to the united states." barack obama wrote, "while our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude." the 43rd president, george w. bush, said in a statement, "george h.w. bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for." president trump praised bush's character while attending the

g20 summit in argentina. >> one thing that came through loud and clear, he was very proud of his family, and very much loved his family. so he was a terrific guy, and he'll be missed, and he led a full life. and very exemplary life, too, i will say. >> george h.w. bush! >> reporter: no place knew that better than his adopted home town of houston. but for residents like mike peterson, he was simply the president next door. >> he brought people together. if you were a democrat or a republican, it didn't matter. and he brought leadership to both sides of the field. >> reporter: after the president's body leaves washington, d.c., he'll come here to st. martin's episkical church for a memorial service. it's the same church where his wife had a memorial service when she passed away earlier this year. then he'll be laid to rest at his presidential library in college station. jeff. >> glor: all right, omar, thank you very much. george h.w. bush, before he was 25, could have written a book,

covering his world war ii experiences, not to mention meeting babe ruth. as captain of the yale baseball team. but those were just the early chapters in an epic american story. ( applause ) it was 2011 when president barack obama awarded george h.w. bush the highest honor a civilian can receive, the medal of freedom. >> i'm a man who sees life in terms of missions, missions defined and missions completed. >> reporter: bush enlisted in the navy on his 18th birthday, becoming the navy's youngest fighter pilot during world war ii. in 1944, his plane was shot down in the pacific. >> i knew that if something didn't pick me up, i would be captured. >captured. >> glor: he returned home a hero. just weeks later, he married barbara pierce. >> i think he's the wisest, smartest, most decent, caring person i know. >> reporter: after his graduation from yale in 1948,

they moved to texas. he built an oil business, and together, they built a family. they would have six children. their first daughter died of leukemia at age three. >> it had a profound effect on me and on barbara. and i think that horrible incident drew us even closer together. what a day! >> glor: in the early 60s, bush pivoted to politics. he won two terms in the u.s. house, then served presidents nixon and ford as u.n. ambassador, envoy to china, and director of the c.i.a. in 1980, he campaigned for the g.o.p. presidential nomination, but instead became ronald reagan's vice president. eight years later, he won his party's nomination. >> i want a kinder and gentler nation. ( applause ) >> glor: waging a successful presidential campaign against democrat michael dukakis. >> i will faithfully execute... >> glor: the 41st president called for a new world order as the global scene shifted

rapidly. the berlin wall fell, then the soviet union. in panama, the president sent troops to overthrow the corrupt regime of manuel noriega. >> the day of the dictator is over. >> glor: but a battle with another dictator had only just begun. when saddam hussein's iraqi forces rolle rolled into kuwait, president bush assembled a global coalition. operation desert storm liberated kuwait in six weeks. his popularity was sky high after the war, but it plunged as he ran for re-election against bill clinton and independent ross perot. the promise he made in his first campaign came back to haunt him: >> read my lips: no new taxes. >> glor: he did raise taxes and amid an economic slowdown, he wound up losing in an electoral landslide. >> i couldn't do what ronald reagan, my friend and predecessor, did so well-- communicate effectively enough with the people. and that was my biggest

shortcoming. >> glor: president bush's legacies include a political dine see help piz son george served as governor of texas, then president. son jeb was elected governor of florida and was a presidential contender. but perhaps his life's greatest legacy is his marriage to barbara. the bushes were together for 73 years, longer than any other president and first lady in u.s. history. >> our family has had a front-row seat for the most amazing love story. >> glor: at barbara's funeral, jeb bush read a love letter his father wrote his mother on their wedding anniversary in 1994. >> "i've climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even that cannot hold a candle to being barbara's husband." >> glor: at the g20 summit in argentina today, president trump said after he returns to washington, as a special tribute to former president bush, he will send air force one to houston to carry mr. bush's casket to washington. major garrett has more tonight from argentina.

>> we lost a president who truly was a wonderful person, a wonderful man, a great man. >> reporter: before a meeting with german chanceler angela merkel at the g20, president trump offered condolences to the bush family. >> he was just a high-quality man, who truly loved his family. >> reporter: merkel recalled president bush's steady leadership as the cold war ended and a divided east and west germany forged a new future. >> and he's the father or one of the fathers of the german unification, and we will never forget that. >> glor: the president spoke today with president bush's sons and mr. trump's occasional rivals, jeb and george w. >> jeb bush is a low-energy person. >> glor: during the 2016 campaign, candidate trump attacked the former florida governor and the bush politicalp mocked the senior bush's slogan and still-running charitable foundation. >> thousand points of life. i never quite got that ron >> reporter: the former president told an octoberor he

did not like mr. trump, calling hum a blowhard. the bushes did not attend the inauguration, although bush 41 apologized for missing that. president bush was not invited to barbara bush's funeral earlier this year, but first lady melania trump did attend. both trumps will attend president bush's funeral wednesday. today, the president said he canceled a scheduled press conference here out of respect for president bush. he then turned his attention to a high-stakes trade meeting with chinese president xi jinping. >> i think at some point we are going to end up doing something which is great for china and great for the united states. >> reporter: president trump said the death of former president bush put a damper on talks with china. even so, senior administration officials predicted enough progress would be made here to avert another round of tariffs and an intensification of hostilities between the countries. jeff. >> glor: major, thank you very much. for more on president george

h.w. bush now we are so happy to have bob schieffer here with us tonight. bob, you covered president bush's runs in '08y and '88. what stood out most for you? >> you know what i always will remember about him is his modesty. he was i think probably the most modest person who ever held the office, certainly in my lifetime. and that played so well. when the soviet union was coming apart, when berlin wall was falling, when communism was imploding, he never tried to brag about it. he-- he kept the rhetoric low, and he kept the situation cool. and i think that had a tremendous impact on a very dicey situation. >> glor: and he was able to self-analyze, too. i mean, you heard that clip when he said, "one of my failings was i didn't think i could communicate as well as reagan. that. seems pretty remarkable. >> it was for someone to say that. but the fact is he was a much better public servant than he was a politician. and i think it came out of his

upbringing. in his family, they were discouraged from ever bragging on any personal feat they might have accomplished. and so it was very difficult for him to get out on the stump and say, "here's why i'm such a great guy." he-- he never did that. and in today's politics, that's quite unusual. >> glor: he didn't want to write a book because he thought it would be-- he thought it would be bragging. >> he was the first president of modern times, the first one they remember that did not write a book about his presidency and give his version of events for history. but he said others would do that. instead, he put together a book of thank you notes he had written to friends over the years, thanking them for their friendship. he probably had-- you know, presidents, by the time they get to be president, they don't always have very many friends left, people that they can trust. i mean, it's just-- it's just part of the job. he had thousands of friends. he liked them. he was a good friend to them. and they were a good friend to glor: so good to have you here, bob.

>> thank you, jeff. >> glor: thank you so much. we are going to have much more on president george h.w. bush coming up here on the broadcast, and special coverage tomorrow. margaret brennan's guests on "face the nation" will include former vice president dick cheney, and former secretary of state james baker. tomorrow night on "60 minutes," three former presidents pay tribute to bush 41. but up next here, from washington tonight, we do have an update from the earthquake zone in alaska.

>> glor: we are back now from washington, and crews are inspecting buildings and bridges in anchorage, alaska, tonight, after a powerfulua. it caused severe damage. carter evans is there. >> earthquake! >> reporter: violent shaking

rocked the city of anchorage for more than the 30 seconds. ceilings collapsed. students dove under desks. and families scrambled for safety. >> it was nuts. i mean, you could hear it, like, glasses were shattering, things were flying off the wall. >> reporter: laura butcher's security camera was rolling when the quake hit. ( screaming ) >> the mom instinct was get my child out of this house. this house is going to collapse. >> reporter: you could hear you screaming. what was going through your mind? >> is it happening again, a 1964 earthquake. >> reporter: because you heard all about that. >> yeah, because my grand mark she survived it. >> the strongest earthquake ever to hit north america. >> reporter: the 9.2-magnitude quake in 1964 killed more than 100 people. alaska governor bill walker says stricter building codes saved lives this time. >> it was amazing the power behind what we saw. it was humbling, but i think most people felt, "wow, this is a big earthquake without a loss of lifement of the.

>> reporter: several major roads just crumbled when the earthquake struck. that hole is probably 20 feet deep. governor walker says the state is still assessing all the damage to infrastructure. jeff. >> glor: carter, thank you very much. coming up here tonight, a deadly tornado strikes the heartland today. and later, 41's advice to 42.

>> glor: a tornado swept through missouri today. at least one person was killed in the town of aurora. a number of homes were damaged. it rimed the side off this building and damaged vehicles at a car dealership. at least two people were killed in a plane crash today in fort lauderdale. it went into a building housing a therapy center for children with autism. eight teachers and five children were inside.

the kids are okay, but a teacher was hurt. overseas in paris, rising fuel prices sparked violent protests today. buildings and cars were set on fire in what are being called the worst riots is there in more than a decade. graffiti was spread on the arc de triomphe. police used tear gas on the crowd. more than 100 people were hurt. hundreds more were arrested. up next here tonight, bill clinton on the letter that started his friendship with george h.w. bush.

>> glor: when a new president is inaugurated, the departing president traditionally leaves a letter in the oval office, offering advice to the incoming president. for tomorrow night's "60 minutes," bill clinton shares with norah o'donnell the note he received from george h.w. bush. >> i, william jefferson clinton.

>> reporter: former president bill clinton says he learned a lot about the character of the man he replaced from a letter. he read us the note george bush left him in the oval office in 1993. >> "dear bill, when i walked into this office just now, i felt the same sense of wonder and respect i felt four years ago. i know you will feel that, too. i wish you great happiness here. i never felt alone as some presidents have described. there will be very tough times made even more difficult by criticism you might not think is fair. i'm not very good one to give advice, but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course. you will be our president when you read this note. i wish you well. i wish your family well. your success now is our country's success. i'm rooting hard for you. good luck." this letter is a statement of who he is.

and it's why he's a world-class human being, in my book. >> glor: tomorrow's "60 minutes" will feature three former presidents, clinton, obama, and george w. bush, remembering bush 41. up next here tonight, when george met barbara and began a seven-decade-long love story.

>> glor: so many of us today were struck by this political cartoon. george h.w. bush reuniting in heav wen his wife, barbara, and their young daughter robin who died at the age of three. it would be a fitting end to a love story that began in 1941, when two teenagers met in greenwich, connecticut, at a christmas dance. jim axelrod takes it from there. >> reporter: the young navy pilot married the 19-year-old love of his life while home on leave from world war ii. "i married the first man i ever kissed," boosh used to say.

"when i tell this to my children, they just about throw up." and while they did their best to keep pace with modern life over the next 73 years, this couple remained an old-fashioned love story. the two exchanged love letters throughout hir relationship, including one george sent in 1943, while serving in world war ii. they shared it on "the oprah winfrey show." >> i love you, precious, with all my heart. >> reporter: they were married longer than any couple in presidential history. >> you make me feel wonderful. but then, i always feel wonderful when i get to talk about the strongest, the most decent, the most caring, the wisest-- yes-- and the healthiest man i know. ( applause ) >> reporter: their six kids produced the widest range of parental emotions imaginable. watching one son become president. another the governor of florida.

and burying a daughter, robin, who died of leukemia at the age of three. through it all, poppy and bar, as they called each other, celebrated and endured together. >> the way i describe it is they could be at a dinner table and they can look at each other, and they're talking to one another without saying a word. that's what happens when you're-- >> when you're in love. >> in love and together for that long. >> reporter: george and barbara bush were married for 73 years. he lasted just 227 days more without her. as everyone who knew them always said, there wouldn't be much point hanging around once they could no longer hold hands. glor:hat is all tonightew y for this special edition of the cbs evening news. i'll be back here tomorrow from washington. good night.

chilling new details on the deadly siege. how the shooter set it all up the night before. >> two weeks ago they were on the front lines of the camp fire as it smoked out the big game in berkeley. tonight, hundreds of first responders were in the stands as bests of honor. >> and as the nation pauses to honor life and legacy of president george h.w bush, we look back on some of his high-profile visits to the bay area. good evening. i'm juliet goodrich. >> i'm break hakmey. the flag flying in honor of george h.w bush, died

last night at his houston home. he was 94 yemrbush visited the several times during his presidency, most notely in october of 1989 when he toured the devastation from the deadly oma prieta earthquake. . >> it was straight down. a lot of the people were killed. >> yeah. >> with their cars. >> unfortunately it didn't provide enough elevation for the cars. >> mr. bush visited a few of the other damaged areas, but he spent most of his time shaking hands and talking with firefighters and policemen and others working at the scene. in 1990, president bush and first lady barbara bush welcomed joe montana, jerry rice, and the rest of the san francisco 49ers to the white house to celebrate the team's super bowl victory that year