captioning sponsored by cbs >> this is a sad morning here at "today" and at nbc news. >> mason: tonight, the swul misconduct allegations that led nbc to fire matt lauer. >> and i'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story. >> mason: also tonight, the president retweets anti-muslim videos. an arrest in a series of murders that terrorized tampa. >> no, he did not tell us why he was doing this. >> is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane? >> mason: a computer scheduling glitch leaves thousands of holiday flights without pilots. and these guys have a plane to catch. can they do it? stay tuned.

this is the "cbs evening news." >> mason: good evening. i'm anthony mason. another powerful man has been brought down by accusations he sexually abused women. this time, matt lauer, known to millions of tv viewers as the amiable host of "today" show. nbc news fired him today for what he was allegedly doing off camera. here's bianna golodryga. >> welcome to "today," and hoa is with me because this is a sad day. >> reporter: a visibly shaken savanna guthrie broke the news only moments after learning it herself-- her cohost, matt lauer, had been fired over allegations of swul misconduct. >> you know, for the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken. >> reporter: nbc chairman andy lack made the decision after an hours-long meeting with an nbc staffer and her attorney where she rereportedly detailed egregious acts of sexual

harassment by lauer in 2014. both "new york times" and "variety" magazine reported the incident which began at the sochi olympics. they went on report additional cases of swul misconduct by lauer, including exposing himself and sending explicit text messages. nbc reported today, because of the seriousness of the accusations, together with information that it may not be an isolated incident, nbc decided to terminate lauer's contract. >> nbc is absolutely reeling. >> reporter: media reporter jim rutenberg broke the story for "the new york times." >> you really can't understate how big a deal this is for nbc. "today" is the franchise. matt lauer is their biggest star. it finances a lot of their news division. >> i have a sickening feeling of deja vu. >> reporter: just last week, "cbs this morning" cohost charlie rose was fired after the "washington post" revealed eight allegations of swul misconduct at his pbs-sponsored talk show.

cbs news independently identified four women at cbs who also say rose acted inappropriately. >> we're very excited to be celebrating you, matt. >> reporter: lauer, a 59-year-old married father of three, was the longest-standing cohost at the "today" show. he recently sat down with former fox anchor bill o'reilly, himself accused of sexual harassment. >> you were the guy that the ratings and the revenues were built on. you carried that network on your shoulders. >> what makes it even more surreal is that both men, matt lauer, in particular, covered this very top they can led to their firing. >> and-- and that footage now will wallpaper the coverage. so that legacy is cooked. >> reporter: nbc news chairman andy lack said this was the first complaint about lauer's behavior in over 20 years at the company. cbs news reached out to nbc and lauer and have yet to hear back. anthony. >> mason: bianna, thank you. one of the first comments on the lauer story came from the white

house. margaret brennan is there. >> this is a sad morning here at "today" and at nbc news. >> reporter: the president's response came just 15 minutes after nbc's stunning announcement. "wow," mr. trump tweeted. "matt lauer was just fired from nbc for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace." what the president didn't mention was that more than a dozen women have accused him of sexual misconduct. last october, in the final weeks of the presidential campaign, summer zervos claimed she had repeatedly been harassed by mr. trump in 2007. >> i'm being truthful and will always be truthful. >> reporter: he was a contestant on his nbc show "the apprentice." >> and i tried to push him away. i pushed his chest, put space between. >> and said, "come on, man. get real." >> reporter: earlier this fall, swrerveos' attorney served mr. trump a subpoena concerning all documents and any accusations that were made during the campaign."

the president's lawyers fought the request. throughout the campaign, then-candidate trump dismissed the allegations. >> the events never happened, never. all of these liars will be sued after the election is over. >> reporter: but mr. trump has not followed flew threw on that threat, an and one of his accuss told us she never believed he would sue. white house press secretary sarah sanders in late october. >> is the official white house position that all of these women are lying. >> we have been clear on that from the beginning and the president has spoken on it. >> you can do anything. >> whatever you want. >> reporter: the president may also be trying to distance himself from the infamous "access hollywood" tape. one republican ally says the president has privately cast doubt on whether it was his voice on the nbc recording, even though he had publicly apologized for it. >> this was locker room talk. >> reporter: now, the white house said the president's view on that tape has not changed, but one republican source said the president often creates his

own reality. anthony. >> mason: margaret brennan at the white house, thanks. folksy radio host garrison keillor was fired today for what minnesota public radio calls "inappropriate behavior." keeler told the "minneapolis star tribune" he had put his hand on a woman's bare back to console her. he said her shirt was open, and his hand went up about six inches. she recoiled and he said he apologized. keeler said the woman forgave him. "we continued to be friendly," he said, "right up until her lawyer called." now to the sexual misconduct allegations that have shaken congress with the dean of the house, its longest serving member, among the accused. here's chief congressional correspondent nancy cordes. >> reporter: democrat john conyers was holed up in detroit today after leaving d.c. in the middle of the work week. >> he is at home with his family. they are discussing the allegations. >> reporter: colleagues of conyers in the congressional

black caucus say it's not their place to urge the veteran lawmaker to resign over claims that he propositioned staffers. >> we think that is a decision for he and his family and his constituents to make. >> reporter: the house did vote today to belatedly require anti-harassment training for members and their aides. >> the resolution is agreed to. >> reporter: there's also a bipartisan push to prevent lawmakers from using government funds to settle with accusers, as conyers did. florida republican ron desantis: >> if you're somebody who is in power, you can misbehave. the taxpayer will bail you out. >> reporter: house speaker paul ryan said even he isn't informed when members pay off victims. does leading by example on sexual harassment mean congress should say more about the women who have accused president trump of misconduct? >> right now, we're focused on they canning sure this place works the right wray way.

>> reporter: but some female lawmaker, like new york's kathleen rice, have begun to ask why elected officials aren't being donald trumped out like their private-sector counterparts. >> you see the actions cbs and nbc takes when there are allegations against very well-known men in positions of power and we don't do the same and i think it's a disgrace. >> reporter: other members argue that the accused deserve due process and an ethics investigation. they say lawmakers were hired by voters and should be fired by them, too. anthony. >> mason: nancy cordes at the capitol. thank you, nancy. former doctor larry nassar pleaded guilty today to three more counts of criminal sexual conduct. nassar was a doctor for the u.s. women's gymnastics team. today he admitted to sexually abusing teenagers at a gymnastics club in diamondale, michigan. he faces sentencing next week on child pornography charges. president trump today retweeted

anti-muslim videos posted by the leader of a far-right extremist party in britain. the retweets were widely condemned, even by the president's political allies, british prime minister theresa may, and television host piers morgan, who won mr. trump's "celebrity apprentice." mark phillips reports from london. >> reporter: she's an admitted agitator from the far right anti-immigrant fringe of british politics who's already been convicted of religious hate crimes and provoking muslims where they live is what she does. >> you think you can take over towns. >> reporter: and now, donald trump has done jayda fransen a huge favor. was this a good day for you? >> very good day, indeed. >> reporter: early this morning, the president retweeted threings old, largely discredited videos that fransen had dug up. one, her britain first party claims, shows extremists throwing somebody off a roof. it turned out to be a fight

between rifle political factions in egypt and a crime for which the perpetrators were sentenced to death. another showed a jihadist fighter destroying a christian statue, and a third claimed to show an islamic immigrant in the metherlands attacking a dutch boy on crutches. it turns out both the attacker and victim were born and bred in holland. the content of the videos is suspect, but the message is clear: >> i think the issue here that we need to home in on is that islam has threatened the world for far too long. >> reporter: and that, said white house spokesperson sarah huckabee sanders, is why the president did what he did. >> whether it's-- it's a real video, the threat is real, and that is what the president is talking about. >> reporter: fransen could not have had a better promoter than donald trump. she is normally seen by about 60,000 followers. the president's retweets increased her audience to over 40 million. no wonder she wrote, "god bless

trump," and "thanks." others were furious, including the husband of jo cox, the british member of parl who was murdered last year by a man shouting, "britain first." brendan cox: >> these groups have always existed but they've never had a recruiter-- a recruiting sergeant like the president of the u.s. before. it makes legitimate the type of hatred that they breed. >> reporter: and, anthony, the criticism from the highest levels will of the government here was blunt as well. the prime minister's spokesman simply said, "it is wrong for the president to have done this." >> mason: mark phillips in london tonight, thanks. for nearly two months, people in tampa, florida, were living in fear, as a suspected serial killer targeted residents at random. last night, the police made an arrest, a young man they say purchased a hangun used in at least three of the killings two days before they began. manuel bojorquez is in tampa. >> reporter: victims' relatives embraced after tampa

police chief brian dugan announced the arrest that had eluded investigators for 51 days. >> i assure you, this is the man who did this. >> reporter: police arrested 24-year-old howell donaldson at this mcdonald's in ybor city after an employee alerted them to a handgun inside a food bag donaldson asked her to look after. >> he admitted that he owned the gun, but he did not admit to the murders. >> reporter: police say donaldson terrorized the seminole heights neighborhood of camp akilling four people since october: benjamin mitchell, monica hoffa, anthony naiboa, and ronald felton. >> f.b.i.! >> reporter: officers flooded the streets with few cliewrkz except the surveillance video. investigators say they have found a hollywoody similar to the one seen here in donaldson's car. what still confound police and people here is the lack of a clear motive. for monic monica hoffa's uncle, robert, relief over the arrest

is enough for now. >> it's like having somebody sit on your chest for 51 days and you're not breathing, and this 50-second day you take your first breath of air. >> reporter: police say donaldson did not live in the seminole heights neighborhood, and at this point has no known connection here. tonight, residents say they'll be able to sleep well for the first time in nearly two months. anthony. >> mason: manuel bojorquez in tampa. thanks, manny. at a news conference today, our paula reid asked attorney general jeff sessions about his department's civil rights priorities. her question seemed to touch a nerve. paula, what happened? >> reporter: anthony, i tried to ask attorney general jeff sessions about the justice department's investigation into harvard university's use of race in admissions. at issue is whether the elite school discriminates against asian american students by holding thoam a higher standard than other applicants. letters we have obtained show civil rights division investigators concluded the school is "out of compliance" with federal law. now former justice officials tell me this kind of

investigation is unprecedented. the letters also indicate harvard is refusing to hand over documents and has gone so far as to challenge the department's authority to investigate. the justice department has threatened to sue the university if it does not cooperate. now, none of this should have come as a surprise to the attorney general or his staff, but when i brought it up, here's what happened. mr. attorney general, your civil rights department, for the most part, has not done many investigations into systemic racial discrimination, but are you currently investigating. >> -- this is the attorney general of the united states. i understand you're doing your job, but i'm doing mine, too. you're-- your civil rights division is investigating harvard university for possible civil rights violations related to affirmative action, possibly discriminating against asian americans and white students. why is this a priority for your administration. >> we will take an on-topic question. >> why can't he answer that. >> this is about opioid. >> he was able to ask about

alabama, he was able to ask about sanctuary cities. we regularly ask about ongoing investigations, and mr. sessions' staff regularly declined to comment. but not allowing the attorney general to deal with a question at an open press conference is unusual. >> mason: thank you. a convicted bosnian war criminal was sentenced today to 20 years by a u.n. judge in the haig. the man gave himself a death sentence when he drank what he said was poison. he was rushed to the hospital but later died. he was 72, a former philosophy prefer in the 1990s. he coming up next on the cbs evening news, an airline mistakenly let thousands of pilots take vacation during the holidays. holidays. and later, these guys don't want to miss their plane. think you'll need in retirement?

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>> mason: attention american airlines passengers, your pilot may be home for the holidays while you're trying to fly somewhere. american is blaming its computers. here's transportation correspondent kris van cleave. >> reporter: the software glitch was in the system handling scheduling for american airlines' 15,000 pilots, allowing too many to take vacation during the very busy christmas travel season. their union says right now, so many pilots are scheduled off, more than 15,000 flights between december 17 and the 31st are at risk of being canceled. >> we don't want the story "the grinch that stole christmas" at american airlines. >> we're going to have to get creative. it will require a partnership in figuring out how we get those over-15,000 flights manned with captains and first officers. it's a heavy lift. >> reporter: american says it will use reserve crews to fill some of the void and is offering time and a half for pilots willing to pick up certain routes. the airline declined to go on

camera, saying in a statement, "we are working diligently to address the expoosh expect to avoid cancellations this holiday season." >> this was a terrible screw-up by american airlines. >> reporter: industry analyst henry harteveldt says now is not the time for holiday travelers to panic. >> is there a risk some flights may be canceled? yes. i don't think the real number, though, is going to be anywhere close to 15,000. >> reporter, of course, that's not factoring in any cancellations due to weather or other issues. now, american is declining to estimate how many dpliets it thinks could be impacted. the airline says it believes it will be able to fill many of those empty pilot spots in the next few days and, anthony, you can bet, we will be watching. >> mason: still ahead, the simple steps older drivers can take to make the ride safer. g y- all those laxatives, daily probiotics, endless fiber-- it could be wearing on you. tell your doctor what you've tried, and how long you've been at it.

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dried, flavored, and packaged for pets. the f.d.a. says about 90 dogs have reportedly become ill from the treats. 15 have died. there's a new measure tonight of america's obesity epidemic. harvard researchers looked at the height and weight of more than 41,000 people. they found more than one-third of adults and one in six children are obese. the researchers estimate 57% of children and teens will be obese by the time they're 35, even if they're not obese now. on the horizon, the speed limit may be 65, but there's no age limit. according to a federal study out today, a record number of drivers are seniors. nearly 42 million. one in five are 65 or older. a.a.a. says 90% of seniors fail to make simple adjustments to their cars to improve safety, for example, pedal extensions and seat cushion for better visibility, and steering wheel covers to improve grip. we've posted a.a.a.'s

recommendation on cb cbsnews.co. up next, what some people will do to avoid a baggage fee.

. >> mason: finally tonight, two french men were determined not to mistheir flight. in theory, their stunt was quite simple: all fred fugen and vince reffet had to do was strap on a wing suit, then leap from a 13,000-foot mountain in the swiss alps and fly into the open door of a light plane. turns out, it's not so easy. every near miss meant gliding back to earth and starting all

over. working with red bull, they practiced the stunt more than 100 times until they got it just right. with their manmade wings, they soared down the mountain head first. the plane dove after them, slowing to the same speed, about 85 miles an hour. suddenly, the target was in sight. >> go for entry. >> reporter: reffett went first. not most graceful landing but who cares. fugen was next, and he nailed it. ( cheers ) >> mason: that's what i call "winging it." that's the cbs evening news. i'm anthony mason in new york. thanks for watching. good night.

>> shock waves. >> matt lauer has been terminated from nbc news. >> we are devastated. we are heart broken. >> sickening feeling of deja vu. >> inside the downfall of the morning show host. then the extraordinary photo of meghan markle when she was just 15 outside of buckingham palace. and where we found her father living in mexico. >> will he walk her down the aisle? plus, meghan's heart breaking choice. why she had to leave one of her dogs back in the u.s. then white house christmas controversy over melania's decorations. >> according to in in the media, she can't even decorate pre white house for christmas