york city. good night. it's friday, december 14, 2018. this is the "cbs morning news." president trump speaks out about allegations of hush money payments made right before his election. and he's throwing all the blame on michael cohen. coast to coast bomb threats turn out to be hoaxes. the common factor. and this might be the way you take your first trip to you take your first trip to space. captioning funded by cbs 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 he never directed his then lawyer michael cohen to break the law. cohen implicated the president in a hush-money scheme to hide alleged affairs with two women. mr. trump says he was following bad advice from a bad lawyer. marc liverman is here in new york with more on this story. good morning. >> good morning. after cohen was first sentenced on wednesday, president trump was silent. but within about 24 hours he started speaking his mind. and it turns out when it came to his former attorney michael cohen, he had a lot to say. >> i never directed him to do anything wrong. >> in an interview with fox news, president trump blames his former attorney michael cohen for any possible illegal activity. >> whatever he did, he did on his own. he's a lawyer. a lawyer who represents a clien thing, that's why you pay them a lot of money. >> cohen was sentenced to three years in prison this week for lying to congress, tax evasion

and campaign finance violations. he says then candidate trump directed him to pay 1 thirty thousand dollars to stormy daniels shortly before the election. according to court papers, he also worked with american media which owns the "national enquirer" to arrange a $150,000 payment to karen mcdougal. >> what he did was all unrelated to me except for the two campaign finance charges that are not criminal and shouldn't have been on there. they put that on to embarrass me. >> multiple media reports have surfaced saying mr. trump was in the room with cohen and "national enquirer" david pecker as they discussed hush money payments. last night white house advisers defended the president. >> the president was clear that he directed no one to do anything wrong. >> not a campaign expense, it's a personal expense. >> in a deal with federal prosecutors, american media admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment

was to suppress the woman's story to prevent it from influencing the election. and federal prosecutors are also investigating whether president trump's inaugural committee misspent some of the funds it raised from donors as a possible pay for play scheme. anne-marie. >> very interesting. marc liverman here in new york. thank you, marc. the fbi and law enforcement officials across the country are working to unravel a nationwide bomb threat hoax. e-mail threats were sent to hundreds of schools, businesses, and government offices across the country. they said pay up or a bomb will explode. jeff reports on the extortion attempt. >> reporter: at this doctor's office in washington, d.c. and other locations across the country, the e-mailed bomb threats led to mass evacuations. in charlotte, firefighters were on the scene to help clear a downtown building. in san francisco, a threat shut down this jewish community center. all told, dozens of police departments in the u.s. and canada notified the public of

the threat. the nypd said there were approximately 30 to 40 of these messages sent to schools, hospitals, and other locations in the city. officers responded to the different locations, but assessed the threats as likely not credible. a copy of the e-mailed threat shows that whoever sent it was asking for $20,000 in bitcoin and it said if you are late with the money the device will detonate. >> this is false, it's not real, it's fraudulent. please do not respond to these people. >> reporter: cbs news has learned that in recent weeks federal law enforcement sent a bulletin to local police departments warning of these types of threat after 15 states received several messages between august and november of this year. in the past, investigators have been able to make arrests in cases like these. in 2017 there was a series of e-mail and phoned in threats to jewish organizations. in that case investigators made an arrest in israel. and just last month that suspect

was sentenced to ten years in prison. cbs news, washington. the senate delivered an unusual double barreled rebuke of saudi arabia and president trump's response to the killing of journalist jamal khashoggi. one measure called for the u.s. to end its assistance to saudi arabia. for the war in yemen. the other blamed saudi crown prince mohammed bin salman for jamal khashoggi's death. the bipartisan vote came two months after khashoggi was killed. measures were vigorously opposed by the white house and largely symbolic. it's unclear if the resolutions will even be considered in the house. a russian woman admitted that she was a secret agent for the kremlin who tried to influence the american election. maria butina pleaded guilty to a conspiracy chrge as part of a deal with federal prosecutors. prosecutors say that she infiltrated the american gun rights movement specifically targeting the nra to gather information on conservative political groups. court dos and her russian handler saw the republican party as ripe for

russian influence. she faces a possible sentence of five years in prison. police in richmond, indiana, say a tip about potential violence undoubtedly saved lives in an area middle school. it was already on lockdown when an armed 14-year-old arrived yesterday morning. officers knew who to look for. the team got into the school, exchanged gunfire with police and then killed himself. no one else was injured. dean reynolds has more on this. >> reporter: the call to officers was distressingly familiar. >> rescue and all medics, need you to stay in the area. we have school shootings. >> reporter: at an increasingly commonplace, a middle school, grades five through eight. >> a shooter at the middle school. >> reporter: the school was locked down and full of petrified kids. mommy i'm scared said one text. there is a shooting. somebody shooting. i love you, angel, her mother responded. police from several that trouble ad been tipped

was headed toward the school. indiana state police department. >> had they not made that call, there is no doubt in my mind that we would be having a much different conversation at the school right now. >> reporter: the 911 caller had alerted police who to look for and had they confronted him he shot his way into that school door and the police raced in right after him. even as he shot at them before killing himself. >> it was a 14-year-old male. he lives in the richmond area. i am comfortable with telling you that he was not a student at this school. >> reporter: and at the school after minutes that seemed like hours, there was heart felt relief. >> having that text from your daughter that says you're the best mom in the world, i don't know if i'm going to see you again but i love you, i don't even remember the ride here. i'm just happy to be able to hug

her. >> reporter: no one besides the gunman was shot and we know very little about him. because he was a juvenile, police are not releasing his name nor the identity of the 911 caller who saw something and said something. dean reynolds, cbs news, richmond, indiana. investigators still don't know what happened to a colorado mother who was last seen on thanksgiving day. a vigil was held last night for 29-year-old kelsey berreth. her fiancee said he met with berreth on the holiday to pick up their child. after that the only sign of her had been text messages from her phone. tracking data indicated her phone was pinging some 800 miles from her colorado home. overseas now, the suspect in the shooting rampage at a christmas market in strasbourg france is dead. cherif chekatt died in a shootout with police yesterday. he was on a watch list of potential extremists. he was spotted in strasbourg and

opened fire when confronted by police. chap cat is suspected of killing three people and wounding 13 others during the shooting spree tuesday night. witnesses say he shouted god is great in arabic before he started shooting. coming up on "the morning news" now, a migrant tragedy. a little girl from guatemala dies after being taken into u.s. border patrol custody. and serena williams scores a big victory for players returning from maternity leave. this is the "cbs morning news." leave. this is the "cbs morning news." mopping robot. its precision jet spray and vibrating cleaning head loosen and scrub stains from your hard floors. braava jet is designed to navigate kitchens, bathrooms and even those hard to reach places. so you can enjoy cleaner floors and a fresher home everyday. you, roomba and braava jet from irobot. better together. ibut it doesn't always come naturally. this i can do, easily.

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take a moment. to unwrap, and unwind... with lindor. a milk chocolate shell with a smooth, melting center. crafted by the lindt master chocolatiers whenever. wherever. lindor, only from lindt. serena williams is celebrating new victories and an investigation into a migrant's death. those are some of the headlines on the morning news stand. "the washington post" reports a 7-year-old migrant girl from guatemala died from dehydration, exhaustion, and shock after she was taken into u.s. border patrol custody. the girl was traveling with her father and a large group of migrants last week when they turned themselves in to agents at the new mexico border.

government records show that she began having seizures and eight hours later she was taken to the hospital where she had died. she had not eaten or consumed water in several days. the tallahassee democrat reports the jury is expected to begin deliberations today in the trial of a florida woman accused of plotting her husband's murder. denise williams and the man she was having an affair with, brian winchester, planned the murder of her husband in 2000. all three went to high school together. mike williams disappeared while duck hunting on a lake in tallahassee. winchester testified this week that he pushed williams overboard and circled him in the boat. >> he was in the water, and as i passed by, i shot him. >> williams' body was discovered last year. denise williams collected $1.75 million in insurance payments and she and winchester later married.

but that relationship soured and she faces life in prisoned if she's convicted. the seattle times reports on a southwest airlines flight that had to turn around and head back to seattle after a human heart was found on board. the plane took off from seattle on sunday bound for dallas but the captain announced over idaho that they were turning back. the heart was left on the plane after someone forgot to unload it in seattle after an earlier flight from sacramento. it was being sent to a tissue processer to recover a valve for use in a future transplant. the delay did not impair the heart's usefulness. and britain's telegraph reports the women's tennis association is offering more protection for players returning from maternity leave. the wta says players returning from maternity leave or injury will now be able to use their previous ranking to enter 12 tournaments over a three-year period. the wta is also allowing players

to wear leggings and mid-thigh length compression shorts after williams created a stir with her black cat suit at the french open. still ahead, a new round of toyota recalls, possible safety issues involving tens of thousands of suvs and pickups. the thing is i didn't know how. chantix, along with support, helps you quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke to the point that i could quit. when you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix, you may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. some people had changes in behavior or thinking, aggression, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, or suicidal thoughts or actions with chantix. serious side effects may include seizures, new or worse heart or blood vessel problems, sleepwalking, or allergic and skin reactions which can be life-threatening. stop chantix and get help right away if you have any of these. tell your healthcare provider if you've had

depression or other mental health problems. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. the most common side effect is nausea. for me chantix worked.boom. end of story. talk to your doctor about chantix. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country.

♪ the best things in life are free ♪ ♪ but you can keep them for the birds and bees ♪ ♪ now give me money ♪ what i want ♪ that's what i want >> it was raining money on a new jersey highway. cash spilled from an armored truck yesterday. authorities say there was an issue with a door lock. drivers stopped their cars and began grabbing the money. that led to two accidents at least. it's unclear just how much money fell from the truck and police say people who picked up the cash can return it without getting into trouble, just so you know. on the "cbs moneywatch," a new toyota recall and starbucks is expanding delivery. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. good morning, diane. >> good morning, anne-marie. after a mixed finish yesterday, u.s. stock futures are lower this morning. trade tensions and the prospect of rising interest rates

continues to weigh on investors. some corporate earnings due next month could show the impact of u.s. tariffs on china. on wall street yesterday, stocks fluctuated between small gains and losses. the dow rose 70 points. s&p 500 shed less than a point, and the nasdaq finished the day almost 28 points lower. toyota is recalling near ly 143,000 suvs and pickups to fix air bag and brake issues. the affected models are 96,000 toyota land cruisers and lexus lx 570 suvs 2008 to 2019. toyota says a seat belt sensor can malfunction deactivating the passenger's front knee and side air bags. owners will be notified of the fix by february. the other recall involves 47,000 tacoma pickups model years 2018 and 2019. the issue there is a potentially leaky brake master cylinder seal that can reduce brake performance. u.s. house officials are

lifting some of the restrictions on romain lettuce as they zero in on the source of an e. coli outbreak. the bacteria has been traced to one farm in central california but they say other farms are likely involved. 59 people in 15 states have been sickened, 23 of them hospitalized. the outbreak has been narrowed to three california counties. monterey, san benito and santa barbara. lettuce harvested outside those counties after november 23rd should be safe. texas governor greg abbott is hailing apple's decision to build a new campus in austin. at a milestone event for this city. apple says it plans to build a $1 billion campus in austin creating at least 5,000 jobs. the company already employs about 6,200 workers in austin. apple also announced it's also opening offices in seattle, san diego, and culver city, california. each office would employ at least a thousand workers. and starbucks is expanding

its delivery service in the u.s. and china. by next summer, starbucks will offer delivery from 2,000 stores in this country through a partnership with uber eats, and china delivery will also be offered in 2,000 stores in 30 cities by the end of this year. starbucks plans to open 600 stores a year in china through 2022. anne-marie. >> diane king hall at the new york stock exchange. thanks a lot, diane. >> all right. thank you. still to come, flying to the edge of space. the latest test rocket to bring space tourism one step closer to reality. step closer to reality. multi-surface rubber brushes to grab and remove pet hair. and the roomba filter captures 99% of dog and cat allergens. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba. ♪ ♪

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♪ it's over >> the music world is mourning the death of grammy winning jazz and pop singer nancy wilson. her manager says she died last night at her home in california after a long illness. wilson referred to herself as a song stylist. she was familiar to npr listeners as the host of the series jazz profiles and she was also a frequent guest on tv shows and starred in a variety series in the '70s. nancy wilson was 81. space tourism company virgin galactic is one step closer to sending paying customers to the edge of space. yesterday it sent a ship with two pilots on board more than 50 miles above california's desert. it's the first time the company has reached the boundary of space. more than 600 people have signed up to pay $250,000 for the ride. the founder, richard branson, says he hopes to put tourists

into space in the second half of next year. coming up on "cbs this morning," a holiday travel alert. why more guns are being discovered at airport checkpoints. i'm anne-marie green, this is the "cbs morning news." -marie green, this is the "cbs morning news." seriously, what is this? new listerine® ready! tabs™ aren't gum, mints, or marbles. if you guessed they're tabs that turn into liquid as you chew, so you can swish and clean your whole mouth instantly, then you were correct. and that was a really good guess. nice job. mopping robotthe from irobot. its precision jet spray and vibrating cleaning head loosen and scrub stains. all while navigating kitchens, bathrooms and those hard to reach places. you and braava jet from irobot. better together. excedrin sees your intense,

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and what's possible without it. our top stories this morning. president trump says it's michael cohen's fault if any campaign finance laws were broken and that he never directed cohen to do anything wrong. cohen was sentenced to three years in prison this week. he claims just before the election then candidate trump directed him to pay off two women who claim they had affairs with mr. trump. and law enforcement officials across the country say a wave of bomb threats e-mailed to hundreds of schools, businesses, and government buildings is a hoax. but the threats triggered evacuations and searches. the e-mails appeared to be an extortion attempt demanding bitcoin to prevent a bomb from going off.

european leaders met in brussels yesterday looking for a solution to an ongoing migrant crisis. more than 23,000 migrants arrived in italy this year, but the italian government is now cracking down. thousands are now fleeing to other countries meeting new dangers. seth doane is in the italian alps. >> reporter: sneaking through this alpine pass and carrying what they could, these migrants were trying to avoid being caught by french police who catch the vast majority and send them back to italy. we are in the alps heading to france with migrants who are trying to cross the border in search of opportunities. when a car comes with a light, everybody crouches down to try to hide. with safer routes now blocked, thousands of ill equipped migrants try this deadly route through the alps. javi is from the ivory coast.

we first met in an italian train station where many start this trip. >> this road is not for children. >> reporter: but you're 15 years old. >> yes, i have 15 years. it's not for -- >> reporter: i couldn't get documents in italy or a job, 27-year-old mohamad told us. many are from former french colonies and dream of a future in france whereas in italy migrants are faced with an increasingly hostile environment. a new security law could strip migrants' benefits. life or death we have to try to leave italy, 16-year-old lachina told us. they follow gps and their gut until they finally reached france. their journey took five hours. at a migrant refuge in france, we found them exhausted but relieved. we wanted to come here, he said, and god made it happen. the red cross and the alpine

rescue team tell us they will often find migrants with hypothermia and frostbite. last year at least three migrants died on this trail. their bodies were not found until the snow melted in may. seth doane, cbs news on the france/italy border. coming up this morning, a holiday travel alert. more guns are being discovered at airport checkpoints. krition van cleave has the details. and a california lawmaker was arrested on child cruelty stemming from spanking his daughter. jericka duncan has that story. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day and a great weekend.

live, from the cbs bay area studios. >> we take a live look at the east bay and the bay bridge, it is drbut that's going chit frid

od rning. i'm kenny choi. >> i'm michelle griego. it's friday. we made it through the week. how are you feeling? >> i'm good. >> everyone's been sick here. >> i know. >> thankfully we're dry. we have some showers. it doesn't look wet the whole week. we definitely need the rain. a live look at our camera, we're starting off with light rain moving in, a few showers saturday. we'll be in between storms but could see few showers from the north bay to the golden gate. a stronger system rolls in for sunday with heavy rains at

times.