a crime, he would have a moral obligation to report it. >> reporter: most say they think mueller should testify before congress. but he said he hopes the first time speaking about the investigation would be his last. >> reporter: the report is my testimony. i would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before congress. >> reporter: mueller also wanted to make sure the public did not forget about what his investigation did find. >> i will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments, that there were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. >> paula, did mueller ever explain why he investigated the president for obstruction when ultimately he knew he couldn't indict him? >> well, mueller emphasized that investigating a sitting president is important because you want to gather evidence while people's memories are still fresh and documents are

still available. he said, you can use that evidence to pursue coconspirators or pursue a president through a process like impeachment. and he said investigating obstruction is of paramount importance. he feels when people interfere in elections, that strikes at the core of truth and holding people accountable. >> paula reed, thank you. it's clear congress has the next move. and house democratic leaders are feeling new pressure to start the impeachment process. nancy cordes has that part of the story. >> reporter: lawmakers put on their catcher's mitts when mueller tossed the ball their way. >> it calls to congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of president trump. >> reporter: mueller's announ announcement only added to the democratic drumbeat for impeachment proceeds, especially from presidential candidates, who said mueller's words

amounted to impeachment referral. democratic leaders have not ruled out impeachment. but in san francisco, nancy pelosi said it's too soon. >> you don't bring impeachment unless you have all of the facts, the strongest possible case, so that the president is held accountable. >> reporter: republican leaders insisted the case is over. and it is time to move on. and mueller himself seemed reluctant to go before congress. >> the work speaks for itself. >> reporter: multiple committees are pushing mueller to testify. virginia senator mark warner says he should. do you want to hear from him, even if, as he said, he's not prepared to go beyond what's in the report? >> i think for the sake of the american people, that bob mueller, in whatever setting is appropriate, ought to answer congress' questions. >> reporter: mueller would

prefer to answer those questions behind closed doors. but democrats want open hearings. they think anytime he speaks publicly, margaret, it bolsters their case that the president is lying about the russia probe. >> nancy, thank you. cbs news legal correspondent john crawford will speak with attorney general william barr in his first network interview. it will air on friday on "cbs this morning." we'll have a portion for you right here on "the cbs evening news." one of the busiest trnornad seasons in years is not letting up tonight. there's reports in texas, including one near the city of canton, about 60 miles east of dallas. there's reports of injuries and damage. more than two dozen twisters were reported yesterday, including a monster ef-4, the second-strongest classification. it traveled 32 miles through kansas with winds up to 170

miles per hour. at least 15 people were hurt. and in arkansas, historic floods turned deadly today. a 64-year-old man drowned in his van near the city of ft. smith. manuel borogues is there. >> reporter: that row of trees is typically where the river bank is. look where the water is now. the game and fish commission is patrolling the waters and brought us along. this feet in ft. smith is under five to eight feet. homes are still taking on water. >> i'm not sure we'll ever see what we saw before the flood. i think it will change the landscape around here. people may not come back. >> reporter: those who have been spared are nervously watching the levees, which for now, are still holding. what are the difficulties going forward? >> the bad thing is it keep se keep on raining. >> reporter: that has people

downstream preparing to leave. >> you go through this anxiety of what's going to happen when it gets here. and it's like christmas. you prepare until the big day gets here. >> reporter: people here are getting the last thing they needed today. more rain. officials do not expect the river to start receding until this weekend, and even then, very slowly. margaret? >> thanks, manny. next up, we're along for the ride as u.s. warplanes send a message to their

american and allied warplanes are joining forces this week at the top of the world. they're conducting aerial military exercises in the arctic circle. that's a remote part of the world where russia has been flexing its muscles. we go along for a thrilling ride. >> reporter: f-18s from u.s. attack squadron 251 soar into the skies above the arctic circle. alongside jets from finland and denmark. war games against an imaginary enemy, right on russia's doorstep. for this exercise, lieutenant colonel roy neegen and his team will play that imaginary enemy.

and on this particular mission, we have the rare opportunity to ride along. their mission, to penetrate allied air defenses. viewed from the cockpit of one of the most capable jet fighters in the world. after a steep climb, a refueling stop with a british tanker, precise maneuver. also, france, sweden, norway and the netherlands. more than 1,000 personnel. >> it's a deterrence exercise. we know that russia is going to watch. >> reporter: we spoke with u.s. marine major general russell sanborn in london. >> so, if they are watching, i would imagine the thought process, i would think, in their head, is, wow, nobody is going to come at us alone. they're going to come at us as a coalition. >> reporter: russia has responded with increasing aggression. norway accused russia of jamming

communication systems during nato exercises in 2018. and launching dummy aerial attacks in 2017. this dogfight ended badly for the aggressors. >> we got killed. >> we did. we died valiantly. >> reporter: but our loss was a victory for america's allies. cha cha coming up, "jeopardy!" host stop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. try new clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. it works great on bathtubs. and even stainless steel. try new clean freak from mr. clean. ♪ i want it that way... i can't believe it. that karl brought his karaoke machine? ♪ ain't nothing but a heartache... ♪ no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico.

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there's breaking news tonight from louisiana. lawmakers there just approved new restrictions that ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. that's around six weeks of pregnancy. five other states have passed similar laws this year. and louisiana's governor, democrat john bell edwards says he will sign it into law. the last of the original gorillas in the mist, is believed to have died. poppy is one of the gorillas featured in the book "gorillas in the mist," by conservationist dian fossey. poppy would have turned 43 last month. there was encouraging news from alex trebek. the host of "jeopardy!" says his doctors tell him that his stage 4 pancreatic cancer is in near remission. he calls the prognosis

mind-boggling, but says he has several more rounds of chemotherapy to go before he's declared to be in full remission. up next,

it's rare for a first pitch to make the news, unless it's really good or really, really bad. and in chicago, dean reynolds saw one for the history books. >> here was the ceremonial first pitch. look out. >> oh, no. >> that was ceremonial, okay. >> reporter: let's take another look, shall we? for being employee of the month, mary got a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and made the most or the worst of it. she was supposed to be throwing toward that uniformed guy at home plate. but what appeared to be her slider was just a bit outside. and it sailed directly at

photographer darren george's camera. this afternoon, mary and the uninjured photographer were together with the scuffed baseball and newfound fame. >> it didn't hit me yet. get it? >> reporter: what was it like out there? >> i was like, maybe nobody saw that. >> reporter: over the years, the honor has become an almost daily treat. the rapper, 50 cent, stood out for futility. serena williams did not exactly have command of her stuff. and even hall of famer nolan ryan was wild. mary is in good company. >> are you ready to try again? >> oh, god no. >> reporter: don't point that at us, mary. dean reynolds, cbs news, chicago. that's "the overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news

continues later and for "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm margaret brennan. this is "the cbs overnight news." >> welcome to "the overnight news." i'm don dahler. robert mueller broke his silence. the special counsel who led the investigation into russia's attempts to hijack the 2016 presidential election, went before the cameras. it was mueller's only public statement since being named special counsel two years ago. and he says he hopes he won't have to speak publicly again. mueller denied his investigation exonerated president trump of obstruction of justice. but he said he was barred from bringing a criminal indictment, adding that it's up to congress to decide the next steps. paula reed begins our coverage.

>> reporter: in his first public statement since being appointed special counsel in may 2017 -- >> good morning, everyone. >> reporter: -- robert mueller made it clear, he has not exonerated president trump of obstruction of justice. >> if we had confidence that the president did not commit a crime, we would have said so. >> reporter: instead, mueller cited a policy that prohibits charging a sitting president >> charging the president with a crime is not an option we could consider. >> reporter: rarely looking up, reading closely from his script, mueller implied the evidence he gathered could be used by congress to pursue impeachment. >> the constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system, to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing. >> reporter: president trump has repeatedly declared that mueller cleared him. >> the mueller report came out, no obstruction, no collusion, no nothing. it's a beautiful report.

>> reporter: today, he changed his tune, tweeting, there was insufficient evidence, and therefore, in our country, a person is innocent. white house press secretary sarah sanders tried to downplay mueller's statement. >> if bob mueller had determined there was a crime, he would have a moral obligation to report it. >> reporter: most say they think mueller should testify before congress. but he said he hoped the first time speaking about the investigation would be his last. >> the report is my testimony. i would not provide information beyond that which is already public in any appearance before congress. >> reporter: mueller also wanted to make sure the public did not forget about what his investigation did find. >> i will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments, that there were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. >> paula, did mueller ever explain why he investigated the president for obstruction when ultimately he knew he couldn't

indict him? >> well, mueller emphasized that investigating a sitting president is important because you want to gather evidence while people's memories are still fresh and documents are still available. he said, you can use that evidence to pursue coconspirators or pursue a president through a process like impeachment. and when it comes to investigating obstruction of justice, he says it's of paramount importance. he feels when people interfere in elections, that strikes at the core of truth and holding people accountable. there's a growing drumbeat in the democratic party to begin impeachment proceedings. nancy cordes has this report from capitol hill. >> reporter: lawmakers put on their catcher's mitts when mueller tossed the ball their way. >> it calls to congress to respond to the crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of president trump. >> reporter: mueller's announcement only added to the

democratic drumbeat for impeachment proceedings, especially from presidential candidates, who said mueller's words amounted to impeachment referral. >> he is laying this on the lap of congress. >> reporter: democratic leaders have not ruled out impeachment. >> nothing is off the table. >> reporter: but in san francisco, nancy pelosi said it's too soon. >> you don't bring impeachment unless you have all of the facts, the strongest possible case, so that the president is held accountable. >> reporter: republican leaders insisted the case is over. and it is time to move on. and mueller himself seemed reluctant to go before congress. >> the work speaks for itself. >> reporter: multiple committees are pushing mueller to testify. virginia senator mark warner says he should. do you want to hear from him, even if, as he said, he's not willing to go beyond what's in

the report? >> i think for the sake of the american people, that bob mueller, in whatever setting is appropriate, ought to answer congress' questions. >> reporter: mueller would prefer to answer those questions behind closed doors. but democrats want open hearings. they think anytime he speaks publicly, it bolsters their case that the president is lying about the russia probe. boeing's ceo dennis mullenburg is all-apologies for the crashes of two 737 max aircraft. both planes fell from the sky after mechanical malfunctions leaving 340 people dead. the 737 max has been grounded worldwide while boeing works on a software fix. nora o'donnell spoke to mullenburg who insists the 737s will be back in the sky by the end of the year. >> i do personally apologize to the families. we feel terrible about these accidents. we apologize for what happened. we are sorry for the loss of lives in both accidents.

and that will never change. that will always be with us. i can tell you it affects me directly as a leader of this company. it's very difficult. >> reporter: the common link between both crashes was the performance of a new flight control system called mcas, which activated after it was fed erroneous information. the first crash after takeoff, killed 189 people onboard. what's your understanding of what brought that flight down? >> we know there was inaccurate sensor data. there appears to be a maintenance issue with that sensor. we know the mcas software was activated multiple times during that flight. and in the end, that added to the pilot workload. >> reporter: it was more than multiple times. it was two dozen times.

the pilots were essentially in a tug-of-war with the plane for control of the plane. that flight control system, the mcas, overrode the pilots more than two dozen times. and the pilots ultimately lost control. and that plane essentially did a deck dive into the ocean at 450 miles per hour. >> we examine every dimension of the accidents, not to attribute fault or point fingers, but it's to understand, end-to-end, what happens. >> reporter: tonight, boeing admits it was a mistake in a software for a warning light called an angle of attack disagree alert, that could have notified pilots and maintenance that there was a problem. that light was supposed to be active on all 373 max jets. and it was not. you knew this in 2017 and did not tell the faa for 13 months. why? >> the implementation of that

software, we did not do it correctly. our engineers discovered that. >> reporter: you're fixing that now? >> we're fixing that now.

this is "the cbs overnight news." >> russia's attempt to hijack the 2016 presidential election is back in the spotlight in washington. special counsel robert mueller who has resigned that position, spoke publicly about the probe for the first time. he said his investigation was never allowed to bring charges against president trump for obstruction of justice. and it's up to congress to take the next steps. president trump tweeted, case closed. here's robert mueller. >> two years ago, the acting

attorney general asked me to serve as special counsel. and he created the special counsel's office. the appointment order directed the office to investigate russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. this included investigating any links or coordination between the russian government and individuals associated with the trump campaign. i have not spoken publicly during our speaking out today our investigation is xleecomple. our investigation is largely public. we're closing the special counsel's office. and i'm resigning from the department of justice to return to private life. i'll make a few remarks about the results of our work. but beyond these few remarks it

is important that the written work speaks for itself. let me begin where the appointment order begins. that is interference in the 2016 presidential election. as alleged by the grand jury in an indictment, russian intelligence officers who were part of the russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system. the indictment alleges that they used sophisticated cyber techniques to hack into computers and networks used by the clinton campaign. they stole private information and released that information through fake, online and identities and through the organization wikileaks. the releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate. at the same time as the grand jury alleged in a separate indictment, a private russian entity engaged in a social media

operation, where russian citizens posed as americans in order to influence an election. these indictments contain allegations and we are not commenting on the guilt or innocence of any specific defendant. every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. the indictments allege and the other activities in our report describe, efforts to interfere in our political system, they needed to be investigated and understood and that's among the reasons why the department of justice established our office. that is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation. the matters we investigated were of paramount importance and it was critical for us to obtain full and accurate information from every person we questioned. when a subject of an

investigation obstructs that investigation, or lies to investigators, it strikes as the core of the government's effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable. let me say a word about the report. the report has two parts addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate. the first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating from russia to influence the election. this volume includes a discussion of the trump campaign's response to this activity, as well as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy. and in a second volume, the report describes the results and analysis of our obstruction of justice investigation involving the president. the order appointing the special counsel authorized us to investigate actions that could

obstruct the investigation. we conducted that investigation and we kept the office of the acting attorney general apprised of the progress of our work. as set forth in the report, after that investigation, if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so. we did not, however, make a determination to whether the president did commit a crime. the introduction to the volume two of our report explains that decision. it explains that under longstanding department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. that is unconstitutional. even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that, too, is prohibited. the special counsel's office is part of the department of justice and by regulation it was

bound by that department policy. charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider. the department's written opinion explaining the policy makes several important points, that further informed our handling of the obstruction investigation. those points are summarized in our report. and i will describe two of them for you. first, the opinion explicitly permits the investigation of a sitting president because it is important to preserve evidence while memories are fresh and documents available. among other things, that evidence could be used if there were coconspirators, who could be charged now. and second, the opinion says that the constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accused a sitting president of wrongdoing. and beyond department policy, we

were guided by principles of fairness. it would be unfair to potentially accuse somebody of a crime when there can be no court resolution of the actual charge. so, that was justice department policy. those were the principles under which we operated. and from them, we concluded that we would -- would not reach a determination, one way or another, about whether the president committed a crime. that is the office's final position. and we will not comment on any other conclusions or hypotheticals about the president. we conducted an independent criminal investigation and reported the results to the attorney general, as required by department regulations. the attorney general then concluded that it was appropriate to provide our report to congress and to the american people.

at one point in time, i requested that certain portions of the report be released and the attorney general preferred to -- preferred to make the entire report public all at once. and we appreciate that the attorney general made the report largely public. and i certainly do not question the attorney general's good faith in that decision. i hope and expect this to be the only time that i will speak to you in this manner. i am making that decision myself. no one has told me whether i can or should testify or speak further about this matter. there has been discussion about an appearance before congress. any testimony from this office would not go beyond our report. it contains our findings and apologia analysis and the reasons for the decisions we made. we chose those words carefully and the work speaks for itself. and the report is my testimony.

i would not provide information beyond that, which is already public, in any appearance before congress. in addition, access to our underlying work product is being decided in a process that does not involve our office. beyond what i've said here today and what is contained in our written work, i do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the justice department or congress. it is for that reason, i will not be taking questions today, as well. now, before i step away, i want to thank the attorneys, the fbi agents, the analysts, the professional staff, who helped us conduct this investigation in a fair and independent manner. these individuals who spent nearly two years with the special counsel's office, were of the highest integrity.

and i will close by reiterating the central allegation of our indictments, that there were multiple systematic efforts to interfere in our election. and that allegation deserves the attention of every american. thank you. thank you for being here today. >> that was robert mueller, speaking publicly for the first time about the russia investigation. you're watching "the cbs overnight news." here's a simple true-or-false quiz for you. if you're between age 50 and 85, it's important for you to know the truth, so please listen closely. i'm alex trebek, and all of the answers are false. so what is true? you can get coverage, regardless of your health, with the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available

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a pair of fourth graders in medford, massachusetts, came up with a novel idea to keep the streets around their school safe. how about a three-dimensional crosswalk? it may sound like it's out of "star wars." but the kids were able to put it together. >> reporter: drivers on the road can be dangerously distracted. >> i've seen people speed past stop signs. speed past crosswalks. and people could get real injured. >> reporter: 10-year-old isa and her classmate, eric, came up with a plan, just outside their school that would make drivers look twice. >> it is an illusion painted on the ground to look like actual objects. >> reporter: the idea came from a close call eric's brother had when they were crossing the street. and they found illusions like

these are a worldwide trend. 3d crosswalks are popping up in places like germany and beijing. in 2017, more than 193,000 pedestrians were injured in crashes. >> they were concerned about safety for their fellow students. >> reporter: the fourth graders turned to medford mayor stephanie burke, who hopes to take this to every school in the district. >> it's something you see happen. you see success and you try to emulate it and do more. >> reporter: isa is part of the center for citizenship and responsibility, an organization that encourages young people to get involved in the community. mike coates is an adviser to the center. >> this is a great example of them sticking to an idea and going through all of the steps and talking to all of the adults and the powers that be. >> reporter: isa is hoping to

get three 3d walkways on the roads everywhere. >> hope it works. >> pretty good idea. that was vladimir reporting. you're watching "the cbs

we're going to end this half hour with a sweet and tender barbecue experience. steve hartman serves it up on the road. >> reporter: for barbecue lovers, brad's barbecue in alabama is heaven on earth. but 80-year-old ellner baker said her visit here was especially divine. >> i think it was a god thing. i think god sent me there. >> reporter: you think we needed the example? >> yes. that people ca about other people and how important it is. >> reporter: eleanor is a widow. she lives with her dog, rufus. and even though she has a big family, they mostly live out of

town. she was alone when she went to brad's barbecue. about that same time, these three young men arrived. they said they were having a good old time. >> we were just talking. >> reporter: when jamarrio saw eleanor. he said he hates seeing people eat alone. when most of us see someone eating alone, we feel that way. but our sympathy never solves anything. so, jamario wanted to fix this. he got up and came to hers. >> he said, i saw you hitting here alone. and he said, do you mind having some company? she said, goo go right ahead. and i introduced myself and she introduced herself. and that's how it started. >> reporter: they ended up having dinner together. >> it was a nice, pleasant evening. >> reporter: what those 20-somethings did that night speaks volumes about their character. but they say it wasn't entirely

altruistic. they enjoyed her company as much as she enjoyed theirs. >> that's all we talked about. >> you make that connection with somebody, it's hard to let it go. >> i already feel like we're her grandkids. >> reporter: you have room for these guys in your life? >> of course. >> i'm glad you all would make it. >> reporter: they have vowed to make room for one another. if eleanor's right, that god played any role in this, it may be to remind us of the joy that awaits just outside the bubble we live in. >> i used to say when i was young aeroeni snd i still say t want to change the world. i'm not rich and i'm not famous and i'm not very smart, either. i can't be the president. we can show the world it's all right to be ikind. and maybe before long, the world will be a better place. >> reporter: amen. steve hartman, on the road, in oxford, alabama. that's "the overnight news" for this thursday.

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 tfrom the broadcast center new york city, i'm don dahler. captioning funded by cbs it's thursday, may 30th, 2019. this is the "cbs morning news." the special counsel breaks his silence. in his first comment on the russian probe, robert mueller doesn't exonerate president trump. more storms stomp across the heartland. and reproductive rights showdown. louisiana lawmakers pass a strict new abortion ban as missouri is poised to stop them altogether.