news", from new york here's anthony mason. ta captioning sponsored by cbs >> mason: what happened? the military struggles to give details of the niger ambush that took four american lives. one widow is demanding answers and respect. >> if my husband is out here fighting for our country, why can't you remember his name? >> mason: also tonight, paid to keep quiet. reports that bill o'reilly paid $45 million to settle sexual misconduct claims. >> this is not unique. women everywhere are used to being dismissed, ignored, or attacked. >> mason: plans to release the last classified documents from the j.f.k. assassination. and a hero's medal of honor for a top-secret mission half a century ago. >> it wasn't what we were doing.

it was where we were doing this. this is the "cbs evening news." >> this is the "cbs evening news." >> mason: good evening. i'm anthony mason. the highest-ranking u.s. military officer took questions today on the deadly ambush in the african nation of niger 19 days ago. but he had few answers on what went wrong in what was supposed to be a low-risk operation. four american soldiers were killed, and among the unanswered questions: why it took two days to recover one of the fallen americans. nancy cordes begins our coverage. >> the perception is the department of defense has not been forth coming. >> reporter: the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff tried to dispel that perception today. >> the assessment was that contact with the enemy was unlikely. >> reporter: general joseph dunford said a group of u.s. soldiers and 30 may jeerians had

been on a reconnaissance patrol 35 kilometers from niger's capital city. >> they came under attack from approximately 50 enemy using small arms fired, rocket-propelled grenades and technical vehicles. >> reporter: he describes the enemy as local tribal fighters affiliated with isis. he said the u.s. forces equipped with machine guns and small arms but no air cover didn't radio for help for an hour. >> reporter: my judgment would be was that that unit thought they could handle the situation without additional support. >> reporter: he said an unmanned drone was overhead in minutes. french mirage jets arrived an hour later. two wounded americans were airlifted during the firefight, and the bodies of three killed in action were evacuated that evening. but sergeant la david johnson was still missing. >> i want to know why it took them 48 hours to find my husband. >> reporter: johnson's widow told abc today that she still has not been told where her

husband's body was found and why she wasn't allowed to open his casket. >> i know my husband's body from head to toe, and they won't let me see anything. i don't know what's in that box. it could be empty for all i know. >> there are times when we make a suggestion to the family that they may not want the review the remains. at the end of the day, the policy is it's the family's decision as to whether or not they do that. >> reporter: dunford promised transparency and said investigators are still working to gather answers for the families and for members of congress. some key lawmakers said they weren't even aware that the u.s. had 800 service members stationed in niger until after this happened, anthony. >> mason: nancy cordes. thanks, nancy. major garrett has been looking into the white house response to this. >> reporter: myesha johnson

spoke for the first time about the call she received from president trump. >> the president said he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway. he couldn't remember my husband's name. >> reporter: mr. trump said on twitter the conversation was respectful and that he spoke johnson's name from the beginning, without hesitation. johnson's widow disagreed. >> the only way he remembered my husband name because he told me he had my husband report in front of him. >> reporter: mrs. johnson is a constituent and friend of congresswoman frederica wilson, a member of congress since 2011 and before that the florida legislature. wilson listened at the president's call last week and accused him of incense difficult, prompting a barrage of white house criticism that persisted through the weekend. the president described her three times on twitter as "wacky." press secretary sarah huckabee sanders. >> as we say in the south, "all hat, no cattle." >> reporter: and chief of staff john kelly piled on. >> even for someone that is that

empty a barrel, we were stunned. >> reporter: again sergeant johnson's widow disagreed. >> what she said was 100% correct. >> reporter: mrs. johnson was asked if she had anything to say to the president. >> no. i don't have nothing to say to him. >> reporter: arizona senator john mccain, a former prisoner of war in vietnam, joined other republicans in urging the president to end the dispute with the johnson family. >> we should not be fighting about a brave american who lost his life serving his country. that should not be the topic of discussion in america today. >> reporter: in a different interview, mccain indirectly criticized the five vietnam war deferments mr. trump received, the last in 1968 for bone spurs. mccain said during vietnam the poor were drafted in droves while the rich could buy their way out of combat with with concocted diagnoses. anthony?

>> mason: major garrett at the white house. thanks, major. army sergeant bowe bergdahl's sentencing trial got under way at fort bragg, north carolina. bergdahl was held by the taliban for five years. last week he pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, which could put him behind bars for life. bergdahl's lawyer claim the case should be dismissed because comments by the president made it impossible to get a fair trial. the president called him a "dirty, rotten liar." the allegations against harvey weinstein have opened a window into studios. over the weekend, writer and director james toback was accused of sexual harassment by 38 women. he denies it. now there are reports that bill o'reilly, the former fox tv host, paid tens of millions to settle claims. we're following this. >> never one time was there any

complaint filed against me with human resources or anybody's legal team. >> reporter: that's bill o'reilly responding today to the any "new york times" bombshell report that he paid $32 million to set alsexual harassment claim. former fox news host megyn kelly disputed o'reilly's statement today. >> o'reilly's suggestion that no one claimed about his behavior is false. i know, because i complained. >> reporter: in an interview with the "times," o'reilly was defiant, saying what his family has been through is horrible. >> we have physical proof that this is [bleeped]. [bleeped]. okay. so it's on you if you want to destroy my children further. >> reporter: the woman initially claimed o'reilly repeatedly harassed her and e-mailed her gay pornography. she then signed a sworn

affidavit renouncing the allegations. 21st century fox reportedly knew of the settlement but signed o'reilly to a four-year, $100 million deal just one month later. the company issued a statement saying it was informed by mr. o'reilly that he had settled the matter personally. according to the "times," this is the sixth known settlement that either o'reilly or fox news has made. news of o'reilly's earlier settlements came on the heels of fox news' chief roger ailes iouster following claims by gretchen carlson. o'reilly was asked about carlson when he was promoting his children's book. >> i'm not that interested in this? >> no. >> sexual harassment? you're not interested in sexual harassment? >> i'm not interested in basically litigating something that is finished that makes my network look bad. okay. i'm not interested in making my network look bad at all. that doesn't interest me one bit.

>> reporter: today o'reilly posted friendly letters on his web site he says kelly and carlson wrote to him when they worked together. megyn kelly says she complained to the co-president of fox news about them at the time, one of them, bill shine, was ousted. the other, jack abernathy, remains president of the company. >> mason: police in florida are searching for a possible serial killer in tampa. three people have been shot and killed in the past two weeks while walking alone in the same neighborhood. mireya villarreal -- omar is there. >> reporter: tampa police are trying the catch a killer. officers are keeping a close eye on the seminole heights neighborhood. tampa mayor bob buck dust horn. >> we have somebody that has killed three people. our department is now a hunter of men. we're going to get this guy. we're in the leaving this neighborhood until we do catch him. >> reporter: police won't call the suspect a serial killer but say the murders are linked.

22-year-old benjamin mitchell died after he was shot at a bus stop. a few days later 32-year-old monica hoffa was shot and killed, her body found in a vacant lot less than a mile from first murder. and last week 20-year-old anthony nyboa was killed after he got off the bus. his father kazimir says his son was autistic. >> i want them to know my son was a good kid. >> reporter: detectives released surveillance video of a man walking in the area where first victim was killed. police say he may have information about the murder. >> we will catch this guy. we want the catch him before another one happens. >> >> reporter: you think this person is going to make a mistake in. >> i think they will. they always do at some point. >> whose street? >> our street! >> reporter: hundreds of residents took to the street to take back their neighborhood and honor the victims. officers are now patrolling in unmarked cars, warning people not to walk alone at night.

police admit they don't have a lot of leads in this case, but there is a $25,000 reward for any information that leads them to a suspect. anthony? >> mason: omar villafranca. thanks, omar. today the nation's highest military honor was awarded to mike gary roaded for heroic act of terrorism. president trump said rose's love for country inspires us all. david martin introduces us. >> reporter: mike gary rose was a green beret med nick 1970 when he and 15 other americans were sent on a top-secret mission inside laos. >> this was a relatively cleared area. >> reporter: we explain why it took him to so long to get the medal laos was originally a country where the u.s. could not go.

the north vietnamese were using it as a base camp from which to launch attacks into south vietnam, so the u.s. military went in secret. all rose was told was to bring extra medical supplies. what does that tell you about the mission? >> it's going to be a tough one, and it proved to be. >> reporter: helicopters carried the americans and a company of about 120 tribesmen 50 miles inside laos. >> we took two casualties going in, and we hit the ground running. and it became a running gun battle for the next four days, which seemed like one long day. >> reporter: this is the one picture that exists from those four days, taken during a rare break in the fighting. according to the citation, rose continuously exposed himself to intense fire as he fearlessly proved from casualty to casualty. he is credited with treating 60 to 70 wounded. >> if i had done anything less than what i did, i would have failed myself, the guy on my left, and the guy on my right.

>> reporter: rose himself was hit by shrapnel in the foot. how bad was the wound to you? >> about that deep, about big around as my thumb. >> reporter: that would qualify as a serious wound. >> in that location and that environment, yeah, not a serious wound. >> reporter: rose was on the last chopper out and saved the life of a crewman who had been shot through the neck. >> he was going into shock, and i remember leaning down, and i said, can you say this on tv? >> try it. >> listen, you stupid son of a bitch, if you were going to die, you'd already be dead. >> reporter: three mountain guards were killed on the mission, but all americans came out alive. here they are coming out on crutches. five decades later he's accepting the honor on behalf of all the soldiers who fought in lowsms he could be accepting it on behalf of any soldier who has

ever been in a desperate situation. >> keep putting one foot in front of the other. that's what you do. either that or you give up. are you going to give up? no, you're not going to give up. >> reporter: sounds simple until you try to live or die by it. [applause] david martin, cbs news, huntsville, alabama. >> mason: secret bravery secret no more. coming up next on the "cbs evening news," up in smoke. legal marijuana farms were burned in the california fires. later the kennedy assassination, the last top-secret files are the last top-secret files are due to be released. da cd's, baseball cards... your old magic set? and this wrestling ticket... which you still owe me for. seriously? $25 i didn't even want to go. ahhh, your diary. "mom says it is totally natural..." $25 is nothing. abracadabra, bro.

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crop eric pearson had just harvested. no, not grape, but marijuana. >> this was a 40,000 square foot barn, which is about an acre in size. >> reporter: not just a barn... >> that's right. there was equip for processing marijuana in here. >> reporter: the first marijuana for recreational use became legal in california. >> long days of hard work but exciting. >> reporter: he's c.e.o. of spark, a company that's been running a medical marijuana dispensary since 2009. he had hoped to capture some of the $5 billion expected to be spent annually on legal marijuana in california. last month we toured spark's new sonoma facility where marijuana because being processed and prepared for retale sale. cases of marijuana were stacked along the wall. but then wine country went up in flames. >> if it wasn't metal, it's in the here anymore. >> reporter: many of the marijuana plants survived, but damaged by smoke and ash, they will lose much of their value in

the retail market. how much did you lose this this? >> i couldn't tell you exactly at this point. a lot. >> reporter: a lot. >> a lot. >> reporter: and he's not alone. there are at least 3,000 marijuana farming operations nearby. the growers association estimates tens of millions have been lost. >> it's a setback, but on the other hand, we're trying to make lemonade out of lemons. >> reporter: you'll find some way for the business to survive? >> we'll figure it out. >> reporter: growing marijuana already faced a troubling reality. the federal government still considering marijuana a crime, so there is no insurance coverage for marijuana. >> mason: still ahead, the nation's five living former presidents unite in a rare presidents unite in a rare public appearance. your eyes work as hard as you do. but do they need help making more of their own tears? if you have chronic dry eye caused by reduced tear production due to inflammation, restasis multidose® can help,

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>> mason: today a sophomore was awarded first boston college strong scholarship. jack manning lost a leg to cancer as a child and now mentors young cancer patients.

the award was presented y patrick downes and jessica kensky. the newlyweds both lost legs in the boston marathon bombing in 2013. loretta lynn had not been seen in public since suffering a stroke last may. last night she made a surprise appearance at the country music hall of fame ceremony in nashville. lynn, who is 85, was there to indebt alan jackson and said he didn't mind being upstaged. great to see her back. it's rare the see all five living former presidents in one place at the same time, but it happened saturday night. barack obama, george w. bush, bill clinton, george h.w. bush, and jimmy carter shared the stage in college station, texas. the former presidents united to attend a concert that raised more than $31 million for victims of hurricanes harvey, irma, and maria. they did not talk politics, but mr. bush did share a joke with

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so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide and learn more. >> mason: the last secret files from the j.f.k. assassination are due to be released on thursday. that's the deadline set by congress 25 years ago. will they finally answer all the questions? here's chip reid. >> something has happened here. we understand there has been a shooting. >> reporter: november 22, 1963, president john f. kennedy was shot as his motorcade passed

through deeley plaza in dallas. secret service agent klint hill leaped into the limousine and was horrified by what he saw. >> i assumed it was a fatal wound. >> reporter: lee harvey oswald was captured and accused of murder, but while he was being transferred to jail, he was shot and killed. in 1964, a special commission concluded oswald acted alone, but in 2013, the 50th anniversary of kennedy's death, 61% of americans still said they believed others were involved in a conspiracy. clint hill believes oswald did act alone, and he hopes to learn why. >> perhaps somewhere in that material will give us some idea as to the motive. >> reporter: it's unknown if the thousands of documents to be released this week will solve the many mystery of the j.f.k.'s death. joe kennedy iii, a great nephew of the former president and the current massachusetts congressman, supports release of the file, but he wishes the white house had handled it

differently. >> it would have been nice if there was some communication between the administration and members of our family. >> reporter: most of the documents have been released over the years. one concern about this final batch is that it could ignite new conspiracy theories to go along with so many others, including an unfounded one suggested last year by then-candidate donald trump, who tried to link senator ted cruz's father to j.f.k.'s death. >> his father was with lee harvey oswald prior to as -- oswald being shot. >> reporter: the c.i.a. is reportedly demanding that some of the files remain secret in the interest of national security. it's now up to president trump and the white house has suggested it is possible that some of the documents will never see the light of day. chip reid, cbs news, washington. >> reporter: and that's the "cbs evening news." i'm anthony mason in new york. thanks for watching. good night.

after 8 years of chris christie, is kim guadagno the change new jersey really needs? guadagno is christie's hand-picked successor. says she's "proud to be part of the christie administration." guadagno was chris christie's right hand as our schools came under attack, critical services were underfunded, and our credit rating was downgraded...11 times. from the bridge to the beach, we've seen it all, and we've had enough. kim guadagno isn't the change we need.

megan kelly's extraordinary attack on bill o'reilly. >> this must stop. >> and the reported $32 million he paid to this woman. >> this is the largest sexual harassment payout that i have ever seen in any industry. then -- trump versus the widow. >> he risked his life for our country, why can't you remember his name? >> now the president is firing back. and the race to free little apollo. after he lock himself in the car. >> pull on the handle for daddy buddy. plus, "dancing with the stars" shawn johnson's heart break. [ inaudible ] and paul newman's long lost rolex. found. >> if you try to get too close to touch the thing,