joe biden's camp called the statements by trump, beneath the office. politics stops at the water's edge and he repeatedly targeted biden. he sided with kim jong-un, whose state-run media called biden a low-i.q. individual. >> kim jong-un made a statement that joe biden is a low-i.q. individual. he probably is, based on his record. >> reporter: he attacked sleepy biden for his anti-crime bill. biden reemerged after ten days off of the campaign trail. at a teacher event in houston, his slower style is noticeable from other candidates who have been barn stormistorming for we. some biden rivals are hitting

him on his record, agreeing with the president about that 1994 crime bill. >> that crime bill was one of the foundations of mass incarcerati incarceration. a very painful era in our nation's history. >> that bill contributed to mass incarceration, in a country that is the most grievously incarcerated in the world. >> reporter: younger candidates may say it's a changing party. >> we need to bring in new energy. we need to bring in new voters. ptweeted again about biden. and a campaign spokesman called it rich that biden would criticize the president for getting political overseas. pointing out that biden criticized the president in germany earlier this year. >> the campaign season is just beginning. >> that's right. opening statements were made in a landmark trial in oklahoma. it could determine whether states can hold drugmakers responsible for the opioid crisis.

omar villa fran ka k ka is ther. >> reporter: t.j. served his country in the kentucky national guard. he was addicted to opioids and tried to get clean. >> i followed him to drug testing him. i put $11,000 on a credit card to put him into treatment. and he wanted to get better. >> reporter: in 2012, t.j. died after overdosing on oxy. he was only 21. >> reporter: >> it's extremely hard for people to overcome that. >> reporter: emily and thousands of other families are watching closely, as the opioid crisis is on trial in oklahoma, in a case that could impact 1,800 other pending lawsuits. >> the worst manmade crisis in the history of offur country. >> reporter: in 2017, mike hunter filed lawsuits against

several pharmaceutical companies for misrepresenting the risk of addiction and making millions in profit. >> money can make businesses and people do very bad things. that's why i'm here today. >> reporter: purdue and teva settled with the state out of court, admit nothing liability. johnson & johnson and their subsidia subsidiary, jansen, are accused in the lawsuit, of creating a public nuisance. during the height of the opioid epidem epidemic, 500 oklahomans died from overdoses a year. in a statement, johnson & johnson said the products in oklahoma were clearly labeled and they were designed to prevent abuse. the subsidiary jansen called the allegations baseless and unsubstantiated. at one point, there were enough prescriptions to provide 135 pills for every adult here in cleveland county. this trial is expected to last

about two months. margaret? >> thanks, omar. a quick programming note. nora o'donnell, the incoming anchor of "the cbs evening news," has an exclusive intervieh the boeing ceo dennis mullenburg. it's his first interview since two crashes killed people and led to the grounding of all 737 max jets. nora's interview airs tomorrow on "the cbs evening news" and all cbs news platforms. there's much more ahead tonight. next up, a hiker's harrowing story. what she now admits she should have brought with her. and later, flavored e-cigarettes are linked to a very serious disease. uh-oh, looks like someone's

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a woman who got lost in a hawaiian forest for more than two weeks spoke with reporters today. amanda eller admits she should have taken her cell phone with her, along with other supplies. jonathan vig yot ifliotti has h

story. >> every step was i choose life. >> reporter: the woman who gained national attention after being lost in the hawaiian jungle for 17 days finally told her story in her own words. amanda eller says one of her darkest moments dealing with a flash flood, just one day after injuring her legs. >> i was sitting in a foot of water, on hard rocks, that i knew were digging into my skin but i didn't have another choice. >> reporter: she says her ordeal began when she went into the forest to jog and meditate. >> when i got up and tried to go back the way i came, the path was not leading me back to my car. and i was trying different paths. i thought, these are boar paths. >> reporter: last, the yoga instructor hiked for seven days until she reached a waterfall. she lived on insects, wild

berries, stream water and mud. >> it's very cold and it doesn't warm up. >> reporter: after two weeks after searching, a volunteer team spotted them. >> they came over me in an hospital. i had a plant in my mouth i was planning to eat for dinner. >> reporter: monday night, she had an emotional reunion with those who kept up the search until the very end. >> these guys were not going to give up on me. thank god. >> reporter: while eller's spirits are high, she has a long road to recovery ahead. her legs were heavily bandaged and her feet so swollen, she still can't walk. she also said a prayer for a man who went missing in the jungle last week. >> fingers crossed for him. thank you, jonathan. still ahead, taking the pledge. how jeff bezos' ex-wife plans to share her billions.

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17 others were hurt. the attacker cut his own neck as he ran away and later died. a new study warns that vaping can damage blood vessels, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease. stanford university researchers found that some flavors are more harmful than others. menthol and e-cigarettes are the most toxic. the ex-wife of amazon founder, jeff bezos, today, pledged to join other billionaires by giving away half her fortune to charity. she is worth an estimated $36 billion after her divorce. in a letter, she described this decision as a disproportionate amount of money to share. historian lonnie bunch made history today. he's the new secretary of the

smithsonian institution and the first african-american to lead the organization in its history. he will oversee t9

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

if you're afraid of heights, you'll want to sit down for this one. here's mark strassmann. >> here we go. >> reporter: the new sky bridge is tough to beat for a mountain panoramic. it spans 680 feet.

every step stakes a claim as the best seat in the smokey mountains. randy watson oversees sky lift park. this bridge was his idea. >> it opened up a view that is unbelievable. >> reporter: in 2016, the great burned gatlinburg off of the map. flames damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings. 14 people were killed. how close did the flames get? >> the flames came across where you and i are sitting. >> reporter: right here? >> this is probably the hottest spot of this mountain right where you and i are sitting. >> reporter: bridge construction took nine months and three miles of steel cable, to build a platform across a ravine, capable of holding 500 people at once. in the middle of the bridge is a surprise in the deck, 15 feet of clear glass. you can see straight down. it's like walking on air. if you have any fear of heights

at all, the freak-out factor is high. from the grbridge to the ground the drop is 150 feet. for many people, don't look down. this is the view you didn't expect, of people bridging their ducks, like this family. is this a height thing? >> yeah. it doesn't feel sturdy at all. >> i walked out on it probably 100-plus times now. you have to stop and look. >> reporter: seeing past uncertainty. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> reporter: in the mountains, it's all about the view. mark strassmann, cbs news, gatlinburg, tennessee. that's "the overnight news" for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for the morning news and of course, "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center here in new york city, i'm margaret brennan. ♪

this is "the cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the overnight news. ohio is the latest state grappling with the aftermath of the severe weather that's been plaguing the nation's midsection. a string of tornadoes ripped through the state, including two monther twisters that devastated the suburbs about dayton. and the deadly weather is not over yet. dean reynolds has the story from dayton. >> tornado on the ground. wait for the power flashes. >> reporter: one storm after another, pummeled the nation's midsection, leaving a trail of despair and destruction and one death.

some 53 twisters may have touched down across 8 states overnight. >> the tornado destroyed our house. >> reporter: in ohio and indiana, winds up to 140 miles per hour ripped homes from their foundations, razed roofs and toppled thousands of trees. a dollar store looks to be worth about 10 cents. north, we found john barber, a resident here for 44 years. >> i grabbed a flashlight. i knew we were going into the basement. before we got out of the bedroom, the lights went out. >> reporter: directly across the street, jeremy sutter looked at what is left of the home he purchased just five months ago. you were in the hallway? >> i had a blanket over us. >> reporter: most people we spoke to have insurance. but it will be a very long time before they're back in this neighborhood. where are you going to spend the night? >> back in my mom's garage. i'm a homeowner. back to my mom's garage. got to love it.

>> reporter: at least 130 people were injured in these widespread storms overnight. unfortunately, the forecast calls for more stormy weather here in ohio and elsewhere, tonight, tomorrow and possibly thursday, too. the people who live along the arkansas river are filling sandbags and hoping for the p t best. the river is at flood stage, with heavy rain to the north sending a huge crest of water headed their way. manuel borojquez is there. >> reporter: the only way to access this ft. smith, arkansas, neighborhood, is by boat. jason took us along. what is it like to be on a street you would normally drive? >> it's pretty devastating to see all this water in the neighborhood. >> reporter: riverland terrace is now part of the arkansas river. this is a neighborhood that's seen some flooding before but never like this. take a look at this house. the water is up to the roof. storms upstream have pushed the arkansas river to historic levels.

more than 40 feet after it started flooding a week ago. by tomorrow, it could reach its peak, 20 feet above flood stage. and officials caution that the parts of town that remain dry because of the 26 miles of levees are not out of the woods. they appear to be holding for now but they never contained so much water. bud cooksie is not waiting to see what happens. he has moved out most of the family's belongings. >> we first got notification, i didn't worry about our street. i'm not required to have flood insurance where i live here. >> reporter: the house is now inches from taking on water. >> this year has probably been the most nerve-racking experience i've had in my entire life. >> reporter: that's coming from someone who fought in korea. the forecast is only adding to the anxiety here. some areas could get up to three inches of rain by tomorrow night, adding to the misery and the time it will take for the water to recede.

in missouri, the only abortion clinic in the state is expected to be shut down this week after the health department refused to renew its license. it's just the latest move in republican-led states to limit access to abortion. janet shamlian has the details. >> reporter: the only abortion clinic in missouri may be forced to stop performing them friday. planned parenthood said the state will likely not renew its license. >> banning abortion is not going to stop abortion. but it will stop safe, legal abortion. >> reporter: it would mark the first time since the 1973 roe versus wade decision, that a state would be without an abortion clinic. jennifer used a clinic to terminate a previous pregnancy due to a genetic anomaly. >> if something is wrong, i won't be able to do anything in the state we live in. and that feels awful in a way i don't know how to articulate. >> reporter: brian westbrook is

an anti-abortion rights advocate. >> the way this is written, we can save lives immediately here in the state of missouri, with or without roe versus wade. >> reporter: 15 states have enacortion rtricts or outright bans in 2019. five states have passed so-called heartbeat bills, forbidding an abortion, once a heartbeat is detected, likely in six weeks. john is sponsoring this bill. where is the consideration for the woman? what about rape? what about cases of incest? there's no accommodation for that. >> actually, our belief is that, if someone commits a sexual assault, the unborn baby has committed no crime. >> reporter: the vote scheduled for tomorrow here at the louisiana state capitol is expected to pass. this state has a democratic governor and is in a divide with

other democratic leasign joe biden remains the front-runner for the democratic nomination. but he hasn't been visible on the campaign trail. ed o'keeffe has the latest. >> reporter: minutes after the president returned from a four-day trip to japan, joe biden's campaign called recent attacks by mr. trump beneath the dignity of the office. the president broke an unofficial rule, that politics stops at the water's edge and repeatedly targeted biden. in tweets he sided with north korean dictator, kim jong-un, whose state-run media called biden a low-i.q. individual. >> kim jong-un made a statement that joe biden is a low-i.q. individual. he probably is, based on his record. >> reporter: he attacked sleepy biden for his 1994 anti-crime bill. biden reemerged after ten days off of the campaign trail. at a teacher event in houston, his slower schedule is in

noticeable contrast to other candidates, who have been barnstorming for weeks. some biden rivals are hitting him on his record, agreeing with the president about that 1994 crime bill. >> that crime bill was one of the foundations of mass incarceration. a very painful era in our nation's history. >> that bill contributed to mass incarceration, in a country that is the most grievously incarcerated in the world. >> reporter: younger candidates also say that someone else might best reflect a changing party. >> we need to bring in new energy. we need to bring in new voters. >> reporter: the president tweeted again about biden. and a trump campaign spokesman called it rich that biden would criticize the president for getting political overseas. pointing out that biden criticized the president in germany earlier this year. "the cbs overnights ne news

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this is "the cbs overnight news." >> the nationwide measles outbreak continues to spread, with 60 new cases reported just last week. in all, the cdc has confirmed more than 940 cases of measles in 26 states so far this year. that includes several linked to the nation's airports that may have put thousands of air travelers at risk. i spent part of yesterday at newark international airport where a case of measles was confirmed. the cdc tells us that the measles virus can linger in the air up to two hours, which is pretty normal for airborne viruses. but it's the attack rate that's

high. if you have the measles, on average, you'll infect up to 18 people. compare that to the flu, where most people, on average, will infect one to two people. this summer, travelers may be dealing with more than crowded airports. the measles virus has been in four u.s. airports this year. >> this is one of the situations where somebody got exposed overseas and brought it back here. >> reporter: texas officials addressed an exposure at dallas-ft. worth airport last week. >> the general public is not at risk. only individuals who might have been at the airport during that time and don't have immunization against meezles. >> reporter: the cdc is encouraging people to get vaccinations. with travel notices in five countries, the cdc recommends flyers protect themselves ahead of time. >> when you arrive at the

airport to get on the airplane, it's too late to get your measles vaccine. >> we have a very high volume of people coming through all over the world. it's the perfect place to have a great swath of bacteria and viruses. >> reporter: a lot of hands. she is chief officer at georgetown university school of medicine and health sciences. she says when exposure occurred, disease detectives are investigating and looking for traces of the virus behind. >> where were they. what restaurants did they go through? >> reporter: they can cover ground. >> and get that information out. >> reporter: time matters in she these situations? >> right. >> reporter: she showed us what millions of travelers can do to steer clear from the virus, ofteni in offering familiar but useful advice. >> if you have hand sanitizer

shed. ye going to like to get your ticket.>> repr. this germaphobe sometimes takes it a step are going with gloves wipe down our area. hand sanitizers, sprays, gels, lotions. we still get sick. it's one of those things where i say my prayers and hope for the best. a much more dangerous public health emergency is ravaging the republic of congo. the epidemic of ebola has claimed 1,200 lives. and making matters worse, a civil war is disrupting efforts to contain the virus. debora patta is there. >> reporter: entering the ebola hot zone. a rare look inside, as a doctor

steps into the isolaon cube. he checks his patient's eyes, her mouth, every point of contact, deadly. this outbreak is getting worse every day. but ebolay enemy here. nine people were killed in this village by an armed militia group. at daybreak, soldiers took the bodiceies to be tested for the disease. it's standard practice. ebola is at its most contagious immediately after death. we don't understand what this ebola is, this man says. we want to bury the bodies ourselves. a 3,000-strong u.n. peacekeeping force is deployed in this area, to protect villagers from the over 30 armed militia groups. you can see how thick and dense the jungle is here. this is where the militia hide out, making it difficult to track them. now, war-weary residents have to

fight another invisible enemy, runs deep. american doctor bill clemmer has worked in the drc for over two decades. >> i have never been in a context where people throw rocks at our vaccination team, where they block roads and they loot and pillage our health care facilities. >> reporter: only 20% of those effected with ebola are seeking help. bennie has all of the tools to fight this outbreak. but they're useless if the sick and the dying hide in their homes, refusing medical treatment. debora patta, cbs news, democratic republic of congo. closer to home, relief could be in sight for the nearly 44 million americans saddled with student loan debt. in all, they owe more than $1.5 trillion. ed o'keeffe has the details of

one possible solution floating around capitol hill. >> reporter: the idea is to allow companies to provide tax-free student loan relief. it's supported by hundreds of democrats and republicans here. but it's being held up by politics. recent college grads looking for help and the companies looking to provide relief are going to have to wait a little longer. 24-year-old juan navarro works in the corporate offices of grocery stores in iowa. he has $19,000 left to pay in student loans. >> i didn't grasp when i was going to graduate that i am going to have all of this daebt. >> reporter: fairway is giving him $5,000 to erase his student loans. >> i'm able to save money on stnd g r o t icker.>>or befs xed.rwayn congress to sweeten

the deal. a company can contribute year for tuition assistance, helping workers who are on the job. but no such tax break exists to help workers pay off student loans on degrees they already earned. a bill in congress would let companies do just that. so far, starbucks, verizon, and hewlett-packard support the legislation. new balance said in a statement, if the bill passes, the company will introduce a student loan repayment benefit. all we're waiting for is federal legislation. >> this gives a win for the student and a win for the employer. >> reporter: democratic senator, mark warner, and republican john thune, are lead sponsors of the bill that would provide the tax break. >> so many students work hard to get a degree. they come out and trade in their cap and gown for a mountain of debt and uncertainty. >> reporter: the idea is backed by two dozen other senators and

140 members of the house. but in the senate, it will either pass as part of a larger tax bill that is being produced. >> in the long run, the worst thing that we could do is say, even more to students, someone else is going to pay that debt and not you. >> reporter: why not focus on compelling or forcing colleges and universities to just charge less? >> that's got to be part of the solution. >> it's not going to solve every problem. but we think it's realistic. >> even in a place as dysfunctional as washington this, should be a no-brainer. >> reporter: know var rnavarro payment benefit he's receiving has changed his life. >> i will be out of debt sooner. >> reporter: late last night, we got word that this legislation has support from ivanka trump, someone known to have a little sway with her father. she said in a statement to cbs news, she and her team will have

a legislation, will have a transformative effect on students in the workforce and workers seeking to advance their careers. we hope congress can set its differences aside and provide solutions. "the cbs overnight news" will be right back. ♪

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the vatican is moving into the 21st century, digitizing its vast trove of ancient documents. but it's not as easy as scanning them into a computer. seth doane reports. >> reporter: deep inside vatican city holds a bunker, with a remarkable historic record. millions of church documents, including decrees and correspondence from every pope, for a millennia. today, only academics with special permission can access this. otherwise, it's locked away. this is the vatican secret archives. >> yes. >> reporter: upstairs, a pa paleographer, shows us the

records. valuable records have not been digitized and remain inaccessible for most. it has absecure abbreviations and is handwritten in medieval latin. >> where is the "u," the "m," the "n." >> reporter: they're all crunched together. and more difficult for a computer, which needs to identify letters to transcribe and make the text searchable. enter an unlikely group of helpers, hundreds of high schoolers in rome. what looks like a rudimentary video game is a lesson in latin that students, including christian, are teaching the computers. >> the program doesn't know, which of these letters are an "a" or a "b." by highlighting them, we can teach the program. >> reporter: this was your idea?

>> yes. it was my idea. >> reporter: paolo enlisted 600 italian high school students to help the computers develop this linguistic artificial intelligence. >> we're providing sort of a google translate. >> reporter: a google translate for ancient text. >> yeah. >> reporter: artificial intelligence can democktize these documents, allowing them to be digitized and made accessible beyond the vatican walls. the technology could one day be used to decipher ancient m manuscripts anywhere. it's a clash of two different worlds. >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: so many other people would be able to explore the ancient writes that surround him. >> i imagine that i stay inside history. >> reporter: it's like traveling back in time. >> it's a time travel, yes.

>> reporter: a journey that high school students and new software

>> dr. stanley: remember this: cannot change the laws of god. when he has visited you in some form of adversity and he brings you through that, that's like he has increased the strength of the foundation of your life and your faith in him. [music]

heroes can be found in all walks of life, somewhere you least expect. steve hartman found one superhero driving a school bus on the road. >> reporter: you can see why someone might hate being a school bus driver. the early hours, when the weather sours, the abundance of responsibility, provided with absence of eyes in the back of your head. >> have a good day. >> reporter: nevertheless, curtis jenkins loves delivering these little ones in dallas, texas. emily is the principal. >> he goes beyond the outlined responsibilities and duties of a bus driver. that bus is like a family. >> these are my children. these are my community. i love them all. >> reporter: to accomplish community -- >> what's your job, man? >> reporter: he starts with

giving everyone responsibility. it's an elaborate flow chart. >> administrative assistant to the president. >> reporter: everyone working together to build a yellow bus y utop utopia. >> we're going to care about everybody, right? i put time, loving, effort, care, understanding, in each one of those kids. >> reporter: to show his love and understanding, curtis gives presents throughout the year. >> you like baseball. >> reporter: each gift, personally selected with that child in mind. he gave this girl a t-shirt. with a picture from a book she made. >> i'm hoping this t-shirt inspires her to keep writing books. >> reporter: over the years he has bought these kids bikes, backpacks, handed out cards on birthdays and turkeys at thanksgiving. he has spent thousands out of his own pocket. and yet, if you ask the kids what they like most about curtis, the gifts don't even come up. >> he really cares about us. >> he's really kind.

>> he helps anyone in need. >> reporter: ethan is a fifth grader. he means a lot to you? >> yeah. >> reporter: he says the bus ride is often the best part of his day. >> my mom got divorced when i was only 4. she he's the father that i always wanted. in some ways, i just -- i wish my dad could have been like that. >> reporter: we make the mistakes sometimes of thinking certain jobs are more important than others. but curtis jenkins made his job important. s own salary.so, even created >> that's the paycheck right there. if i can get that, you can keep the money. >> reporter: steve hartman, on the road, in dallas. >> teaching doesn't stop when they leave the classroom. that's "the overnight news" for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back a little later for the morning news, and

you don't want to miss "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city. captioning funded by cbs it's wednesday, may 29th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." tornadoes terrorize the central u.s. it's been two straight weeks of vicious storms, and the severe weather isn't over yet. banning abortion. missouri's only abortion clinic ma i be forced to shut down by the end of this week, making it the only state without a facility. plus another deadly plane crash near alaska. it's the fourth fatal crash in the region in the last few weeks. good morning from the studio

57 newsroom at cbs news