♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> dubois: on the cbs evening news this thursday, shot down-- an iranian missile strike takes out a u.s. drone. the president vows the u.s. will not stand for it. >> they made a very bad mistake. >> this is a dangerous neighborhood, and miscalculation on either side would be very bad. >> here's what iran needs to get ready for: severe pain. >> biden shouldn't need this lesson. >> joe biden firing back as critics pounce on his comments about segregationists who served with him in the senate. >> there's not a racist bone in my body. >> dubois: a navy seal's murder trial is thrown into turmoil when a star witness makes a stunning admission. >> multiple shots fired. >> the sacramento police department is mourning the loss of one of their own.

>> officer tara o'sullivan shot and killed answering to a disturbance call. >> dubois: and... >> the u.s. is on top! >> dubois: a u.s. soccer star's unconventional path to the world cup. >> our little girl scored! wooo! >> dubois: good evening. i'm maurice dubois. this is our western edition. president trump is facing perhaps his biggest foreign policy challenge yet. iran shot down a u.s. surveillance drone today. this is iranian video purporting to show the missile striking the drone in the first direct military contact between the two nations in more than 30 years. where it happened is in dispute. iran says it was over its territory. the u.s. says the unmanned drone was over international waters. the president briefed congressional leaders today, but now the question is how to respond. david martin begins our coverage. >> reporter: the moment an iranian missile slammed into the american drone. then a corkscrew smoke trail as it fell tens of thousands of feet into the sea, a direct

attack by iran on a u.s. military aircraft. >> iran made a big mistake. this drone was in international waters, clearly. we have it all documented. it's documented scientifically, not just words. and they made a very bad mistake. >> reporter: how will you respond, mr. president? how will you respond? >> you'll find out. >> reporter: but after that, the president seemed to give iran's leaders the benefit of the doubt. >> i have a feeling-- i may be wrong and i may be right, but i'm right a lot-- i have a feeling that it was a mistake made by somebody that shouldn't have been doing what they did. >> reporter: he pointed out there was no loss of life since the drone was unmanned and laid the destruction of an aircraft costing $110 million off on some trigger-happy officer down in the ranks. >> i think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it. >> reporter: later at the white house, congressional leaders were briefed in the situation room on the details of the shoot

down of the global hawk, which occurred just after 4:00 a.m. local time. a map released by the pentagon showed the location of the iranian missile battery and the drone, which the u.s. military said was more than 20 miles off the coast of iran at the time, the same area where last week, two tankers were attacked by what the u.s. said were iranian mines. >> reporter: iran's foreign minister tweeted coordinates that put the shoot down closer to iran and claimed, "we've retrieved sections of the u.s. military drone in our territorial waters." iran has now taken two shots at u.s. drones in the past seven days. it missed the first time, but hit the second. if president trump wanted to, that is sufficient justification for a strike against iranian

anti-aircraft missile sites. maurice. >> dubois: david martin at the pentagon, thank you. let's bring in margaret brennan, cbs news senior foreign affairs correspondent and moderator of "face the nation." margaret, it sure sounded like the president was trying to downplay the significance of what happened. what did you make of that? >> well, by signaling this could be a mistake, the president seemed to be giving himself a little bit of wiggle room to decide on the type of response he wants to take. before this latest incident, the administration had warned iran that if there was any loss of u.s. life, it would provoke a military response. but anything short of that, it's really up to the president to decide what a proportional action would be. so he is surrounded by hawkish advisers. that's clear. but it is important to remember the president campaigned on ending costly wars. >> dubois: so is military action on the table here or off the table? >> well, the president has been given a range of options. the secretary of state has said as much.

that does include potential use of force. but the white house believes it has the legal authority to carry out a strike or any kind of limited action without going to congress to get approval. the risk, though, is that even a limited action by the united states or an ally-- say israel-- could escalate into a full-blown war. >> dubois: now, with all this going on, behind the scenes, though, is there any kind of direct diplomacy taking place between the u.s. and iran? >> there is no direct contact now. that ended when president trump exited the nuclear agreement. he thought he could get a better deal. so far, that hasn't panned out. the president sent a message to the supreme leader last week offering to begin talks. it was rejected. iran is now threatening to restart its nuclear program. so as this lack of contact continues, you're looking at the risk of miscalculation getting greater. >> dubois: okay, thank you very much, margaret brennan tonight. a government witness dropped a bombshell today at the court- martial of a navy seal accused of murder.

another navy seal testified he was the one who executed an isis prisoner in iraq, not the accused. here's carter evans. >> reporter: the stunning admission on the stand came from navy seal corey scott, a prosecution witness. scott says he killed the injured teenage isis fighter, not navy seal chief edward gallagher, who is accused of premeditated murder. "i held my thumb over his tracheal tube until he quit breathing," scott said under cross-examination. the defense attorney then asked, "why did you kill him?" scott replied, "because i knew he would die anyway." he says he did it to prevent him from being tortured later by iraqi forces. this video shows the isis teen after he was injured by an air strike but before navy seals detained him. as he's struggling to breathe he told an iraqi tv reporter that his father forced him to join isis. other seal team members have testified they saw gallagher stab the isis fighter and then

pose in front of the corpse, texting a photo to friends saying, "good story behind this. got him with my hunting knife." corey scott claims he asphyxiated the young fighter after the stabbing and gallagher had left. gallagher is also accused of randomly shooting at iraqi civilians and threatening to retaliate against any members of his team who reported him. he denies all the charges against him. >> to hear today that someone has finally had the bravery to stand up for the truth was refreshing after all of these years. >> reporter: corey scott received immunity in exchange for his testimony, and today in court, the prosecutor accused him of lying on the stand to protect gallagher. scott said he does not want to see gallagher go to jail. maurice. >> dubois: carter evans, thank you. late today, the house judiciary committee released a transcript of its seven-hour, closed door interview with hope hicks, the president's former aide was asked if the trump campaign was happy to receive information

damaging to hillary clinton. hicks said it was more like relief that theirs wasn't the only campaign with issues. when questioned about her time in the administration, white house lawyers stopped hicks from answering 155 times. now to the 2020 presidential campaign. democratic front-runner joe biden refuses to apologize for controversial remarks in which he defended working in the past with segregationist senators. today, fellow democrats kept up the pressure. here's ed o'keefe. >> reporter: several of joe biden's presidential campaigns r the comments he made at a fund- raiser earlier this week. >> they were misplaced and, frankly, misinformed. >> i don't understand why he needs this lesson. >> reporter: at the event, biden touted his ability to work with people with whom he disagreed, citing two late democratic segregationist senators. civility," he said. "we got things done." >> i was surprised that he didn't apologize for what he said. >> apologize for what? cory should apologize.

he knows better. >> reporter: biden defended his remarks wednesday night. >> there's not a racist bone in my body. i've been involved in civil rights my whole career, period, period, period. >> reporter: but campaign aides say privately they wish biden would use a different example when trying to explain his ability to find common ground. it's another self-inflicted wound after a recent about-face on using federal funds for abortion and his jokes about the way he interacts with women. >> i just want you to know, i had permission to hug lonny. ( laughter ) >> reporter: it's also an unnecessary distraction for biden as most of the democratic field heads to south carolina this weekend where african americans make up most democratic primary voters. democratic congresswoman cheri bustos hasn't endorsed biden's campaign, but said she thinks his comments were misunderstood. >> the point he was trying to make is, you know, working together is a good thing. >> reporter: so maybe some of his competitors are overblowing it? >> we have 24 people running for the presidency.

they're going to look to get a leg up. >> reporter: adding more intrigue to this story, cbs news has learned that biden and senator booker spoke last night about phone about all of this. both gentlemen conveyed privately what they had been discussing publicly. biden clarified, but didn't apologize for his remarks. maurice. >> dubois: okay, ed o'keefe, thank you. there is shock and grief tonight in sacramento, california. a rookie police officer was gunned down while responding to a domestic violence call. tara o'sullivan is the first officer killed in the line of duty in sacramento in 20 years. jamie yuccas is there. >> we're devastated tonight. officer tara christina o'sullivan gave her young life while protecting our community. >> reporter: the nightmare unfolded in seconds... >> multiple shots fired. multiple shots fired. >> officer down, officer down. >> reporter: ...but seemed to last an eternity... >> high-powered rifle, multiple reloads. >> stay away, you're out in the

crossfire, crossfire. >> reporter: sacramento police officer tara o'sullivan lay on the ground, hit by gunfire. the 26-year-old rookie had just helped a woman leave an abusive home. officers swarmed in, but the suspect, adel sambrano ramos, kept firing, pinning them down. >> we do not believe a rescue can be accomplished yet until we lock down where he's at. we still don't know exactly where the shooter is. >> reporter: sacramento police tried to radio the stricken officer. >> when they get here, we're gonna make a barricade and pull you out. >> reporter: but by then, 44 agonizing minutes had passed. officer o'sullivan was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. as a hearse carrying her body left, a large police procession followed. she had been on the force just six months, and those who knew her best are devastated. >> she was always a rising star and very proud. >> reporter: and it sounds like an inspiration. >> yes. i remember thinking, like, this

is who we need in our community to keep us safe. she was there to make that difference. and she died in honor and integrity. >> reporter: the domestic abuse victim was able to run from this area during that eight-hour standoff. remarkably, she is okay. ramos has a history of domestic violence. he will be arraigned on murder charges next week. maurice. >> dubois: jamie yuccas in sacramento tonight. thank you. protesters in philadelphia are demanding that dozens of police officers be fired for posting racist and other offensive messages on social media. 72 officers were put on administrative duty yesterday, and jeff pegues is there. >> reporter: protesters at city hall ratcheted up the pressure on philadelphia's leaders to go a step further and fire the six dozen officers who were pulled off the street. the 72 officers are accused of making racist, violent and offensive statements on facebook. for example, in 2017, a police sergeant posted a facebook status saying, "death to islam."

the posts were uncovered by the plain view project, led by philadelphia lawyer emily baker- white. >> we started this project because we wanted a conversation about subcultures and policing, and i'm really happy that that conversation is happening on a national level. >> reporter: as of yesterday, there have been 153 homicides in the city, a number that is 9% higher than at the same time last year. >> we understand how this can tarnish, or did tarnish our reputation. >> reporter: in a news conference on wednesday, richard ross, the city's police commissioner, acknowledged how the officers' facebook posts can have an impact. i want your initial reaction when you heard these allegations. >> i thought they were idiots. >> reporter: but city councilman, curtis jones, who represents a predominantly african american district, said his constituents are concerned about something more important: whether the posts are evidence that bias seeped into law enforcement. >> you can have an opinion, but then when you cross the line and

act it out while stopping a citizen or interacting with a citizen, how many of those officers actually have active complaints against them? so that raises the investigation and concern to a whole 'nother level. >> reporter: a chicago nonprofit says that there already is a correlation. according to injustice watch, of the 328 philadelphia officers who posted troubling content, more than a third had one or more federal civil rights lawsuits filed against them. maurice. >> dubois: jeff pegues in philadelphia tonight. thank you. up next, a rare look inside a crime lab dealing with a major backlog. and a woman's agonizing wait for justice. and later, are cell phones really causing some people to grow horns? from an infection, human papillomavirus i knew widespread hpv is and while hpv clears for most, that might not be the case for him.

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mireya villarreal has one woman's story. >> reporter: on new year's eve 2016, sheriffs deputies in macon, georgia, pulled dasha fincher and her boyfriend over. dashcam video shows the pair calm and cooperative. when was the moment that things changed? >> when he come out the back seat and said, "what is this in this bag?" >> reporter: a search of the car turned up a bag of blue cotton candy that fincher says had crystallized overnight with the humidity. but a roadside test kit identified it as meth. >> i couldn't believe it. i wanted to cry but i was like, "this will be over in a minute, over in a minute." >> reporter: she was charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and sat in jail for three months enable to pay her $1 million bond. >> it's been two years, and i still get upset about it. >> reporter: was it the hardest time in your life? >> it was. i missed a lot. >> reporter: desperate to get out, fincher considered taking a plea deal but eventually passed. her attorney, james freeman, says in georgia, testing any

kind of evidence could take at least three months. so there is a chance innocent people are taking these plea deals just to get out of jail. >> it's not just a chance. it's a fact. >> reporter: so the backlog isn't just about cases like dasha's. >> it's not just drug cases. it's everything that needs to be tested by the crime lab. >> reporter: but georgia isn't the only state facing a growing crime lab backlog. cbs news has uncovered dozens of states are significantly behind. illinois has a backlog of more than 23,000 cases. in south carolina, it could take more than nine months to get results back on d.n.a. or firearms testing. in idaho, some cases have been pending for almost two years. we were given rare access inside arkansas' crime lab where scientists and machine are working around the clock to test evidence. director kermit channel says the problem escalated about six years ago, coinciding with the rise of the opioid crisis. this isn't just an arkansas problem. >> oh, absolutely not.

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>> dubois: the u.s. women's soccer team shut out sweden today 2-0. there are a lot of ways to get to the world cup. roxana saberi on how one player took the road less traveled. >> reporter: for the player behind team u.s.a.'s first goal against sweden, this field holds a lifetime of dreams. >> horan just goes in, beats her defender back. >> this has been a dream of mine since i was a little girl. >> reporter: lindsey horan was 18 when she set off on an unconventional path, leaving colorado for paris to play professionally. as the first female soccer player in the u.s. to skip college and head straight to the pros, she made headlines. she became a star, but missed the u.s. women's world cup roster in 2015.

disappointed, but not defeated, she says her love of the game pushed her even harder. >> there's been so many difficult times, but i always remember that, you know, this is the game that i fell in love with, and i think that's what kept me on this path for so long. >> reporter: that path led her back to the u.s. national women's soccer league, where she was named m.v.p. and finally, came this. >> knowing now that i am on the world cup roster is just incredible. >> reporter: when horan scored her first world cup goal against thailand, her parents were there with her. >> hey, what just happened? >> she scored! our little girl scored! wooo! >> reporter: and tonight, she showed again how sometimes you have to pave your own path to reach your dreams. roxana saberi, cbs news, le havre, france. >> dubois: go, team u.s.a. that is the cbs eving ne i'm maurice dubois. we'll see you back here tomorrow night. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

right now at 7:00. the young the bay area native and ricky officer killed in the line of duty. >> she was a hero. that's exactly what she was. she was a role model to so many people. what happens if bus drivers and light rail operators go on strike. >> we will be up the creek without a paddle? >> the kids who did that it was so low. what police are finally doing tonight to stop young criminals from trapping victims on a bridge in san mateo county. and >>, can cannabis help combat and opioid addiction? >> people being able to