House crises are eroding public trust. And it may be that we need to look to an independent commission or special prosecutor to regain that credibility. This as her Party Debates just how damaging these comey memos are and what they mean for the president s future. If the allegations are true, yes. Reporter michigans justin amosh became the first to say the president s actions might merit yes, maam peachment. I think its pretty clear i have more confidence in director comey. Reporter the latest allegations have rattled many republicans. It would be very serious, and i would think that the Justice Department would take a look at that. I think its reaching the point where its of watergate size, and scale. Reporter thr republicanled committees have sent letters to the fbi, seeking any notes or memorandum prepared by the former director memorializing interactions he had with president s trump and obama. Obviously, republicans ought to be concerned. Reporter but for every concerned republican there are several others who doubt the reports. A lot of its all speculation. The facts rbs in. Im convinced that the president did nothing that he thought was outside the interest of this country. Reporter and House Speaker paul ryan urged critics not to rush to judgment. It is obvious, there are some people out there who want to harm the president. And im sure well hear from mr. Comey if this happened as he allegedly describes, why didnt he take action at the time. Reporter the Washington Post is reporting that paul ryans number two, Kevin Mccarthy told ryan and other leaders in a private conversation last year that he thought that russian president Vladimir Putin was paying donald trump. His aides initially told the paper that he never said that, until they were confronted with the existence of an audiotape. And just a few moments ago, scott, mccarthy told reporters that it was a bad attempt at humor. Nancy cordes on capitol hill lysol max cover kills 99. 9 of bacteria, even on soft surfaces. One more way youve got what it takes to protect. Lucky for me, theres some great golf here in the carolinas. Whether you golf or not, geico could help score you some great savings on car insurance. Maybe even hundreds of dollars. Whoa chuckles hole in one and thats a par five, mind you. See how much you could save on car insurance. Go to geico. Com today. You knmegared omega3s. But did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too . Introducing megared advanced 4in1. Just one softgel delivers mega support. She pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress. But once a week i let her play sheriff so i can wash it. I use tide to get out those week old stains and downy to get it fresh and soft. You are free to go. Tide and downy together. Because your carpet theres resolve carpet care. It lifts more dirt and pet hair versus vacuuming alone. Resolve carpet care with five times benefits first you start with this. These guys. A place like shhh no. Found it and definitely lipton ice tea. Lots of it. A lipton meal is what you bring to it. And the refreshing taste of lipton iced tea. Well, the classified intelligence that the president divulged to the russian diplomat involved isiss plans to bring down jetliners by hiding bombs in laptop computers. Charlie dagata is learning more. Reporter among the mostly bombed out ruins of a university, they have uncovered evidence that isis was developing a new type of bomb that could pass through an airport scanner undetected. We joined Iraqi Special forces here days after the hardfought battle to recapture the university in january. Its long been believed that Mosul University was the center of the militants bombmaking. Researchers now believe the Research Includes a new generation of more powerful explosives that could be concealed in a computer. When isis overran mosul in 2014, they also captured the citys international airport, and with it all the modern security scanner and screening equipment necessary to test their new bombs. On our trip, there were certain nogo areas. Iraqi forces kept us well away from entering the most sensitive buildings, warning that isis had booby trapped them. A commander told us isis had also torched some of the facilities in order to hide evidence, but it appears what was left behind has given u. S. Officials new cause for concern. The threat from isis has already led in part to the u. S. Banning electronics on flights from ten airports in the middle east and africa. Talks are now under way on whether to expand that ban to cities in europe. Charlie dagata in the london newsroom. Now in syria, u. S. Backed forces are closing in on the city of raqqah. The isis capital. Families are fleeing the battle. And Holly Williams is inside syria. Reporter in the desert, west of raqqah, theres exodus, in the only vehicle they have, their belongings, caked in dust, they stream out of villages where isis is losing territory. Some shepherding the animals that are their livelihood. Many women throwing off the black veils that isis forced them to wear. They wanted to suffocate us, to cover us says this woman, who tells us she lived under isis for three years and had her 13 year old son smuggled out of the country, fearing hed be recruited by the extremists. This woman is seven months pregnant and told us she fled her home three days ago. Thousands of people are now camped in the open, with precious little water and no medicine. Inside raqqah, the u. S. Believes an are 3,000 to 4,000 isis fighters. Killers and executioners. Theyre expected to fight to the death as americas kurdish partners tighten the noose. They recaptured a town and its dam earlier this month. Just 25 miles from raqqah. Their commander told us theyll reach the city by next month and could capture it by the end of the summer. Thats a long time for these people, whove escaped isis only to find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Holly williams, cbs news, west of raqqah. Coming up next, a surprising coming up next, a surprising revelation clearasil rapid action begins working fast for clearly visible results in as little as 12 hours. But will it stop this teen from chugging hot sauce . Oh jeremy. So lets be clear clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen things. You knmegared omega3s. But did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too . Introducing megared advanced 4in1. Just one softgel delivers mega support. No matter who was in there last. Protection. New lysol power fresh 6 goes to work flush after flush for a justcleaned feeling that lasts up to 4 weeks. Lysol. What it takes to protect. Tom bradys wife told cbs this morning that her husband played through a concussion on his way to his fifth super bowl championship. Jericka duncan is in foxborough, massachusetts. Reporter tom bradys wife Giselle Bundchen made the revelation in an interview with cbs this morning. He has concussions. Reporter those remarks by bundchen sparked controversy because over bradys 17year career he has never been officially diagnosed with a concussion, and now many are wondering did the patriots quarterback or team choose not to report the concussion or did bundchen get it wrong. Last year the nfl which has been criticized for not swiftly addressing head injuries introduced new rules concerning its concussion policy. Teams can now be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars and possibly lose draft picks if they fail to take players out of games. Over the last decade, researchers have linked the degenerative brain disease, cte, to Football Players and athletes with repetitive brain trauma. Reporter professor lee eagle. When a player like tom brady sustains concussions, and they go unreported but then theyre revealed some point late irdor the line, it makes it difficult for players who want to report it. And it trickles down to the youth level as well. Reporter bundchen expressed concern for the toll football has taken on her husband. I only think its a healthy thing for everybody to go through that kind of aggression like all the time. Reporter the nfl says there are no records to indicate that brady suffered a head injury or concussion. Scott, tom brady, the new England Patriots and the nfl players,,,,, violent storms are again threatening the plains and upper midwest tonight. This follows yesterdays tornado outbreak in five states, from texas to which isconsin. A man was killed and two dozen injured when a tornado flattened a mobile home in wisconsin. Another man was killed in elk city, oklahoma by a tornado that was on the ground for five minutes. Army private Chelsea Manning was row leaseleased from a mili prison today. She served seven years of a 35 year sentence for giving government secrets to wikileaks. She posted a picture of her feet with the caption first steps of freedom. Well be right back with an update on the breaking news from the white house. This portion is sponsored by cialis. Were back at the white house, with the brakieaking new the Justice Department has appointed a special counsel for the russia investigation. Former fbi director robert mull mueller will look into the russian meddling in the election and all other things surrounding that case. The chairman of the House OversightCommittee Told us his investigation will continue, and he expects comey will testify publicly next wednesday. It has been a turbulent two weeks for the president , and today he said, quote, no politician in history has been treated worse or more infairly. Thats the overnight news for this thursday. For some of you, the news continues. For others, check back with us a little bit later for the morning news and cbs this morning. From the white house, im scott pelley. This is the cbs overnight news. Hi, everybody. And welcome to the overnight news. Im dimarco morgan. James comeys memo allegedly documenting President Trumps efforts to kill an investigation into fired nsa director Michael Flynn is making waves from washington to wall street. The stock market may never get on track. Meanwhile, leaders of both parties in congress are rach ratcheting up the investigations into russian influence, not to mention the comey ouster. Reporter the Tipping Point came yesterday when it was revealed former fbi direct eaor james comey had taken notes after his meeting with President Trump. In his memo, comey wrote that President Trump said i hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting flynn go. He is a good guy. That raised the spectre of obstruction of justice. And today Rob Rosenstein authorized a special counsel to ensure a full and thoreau investigation of the russian efforts. The pick of Robert Mueller puts a veteran Law Enforcement official at the helm. He is best known for leading the fbi for is 12 years after the 9 11 attacks. Before that he led the investigation of the pan am 103 bombing in 1988. More recently, i conducted a probe of Domestic Violence in the entful. The white house has denied comeys account. And continues to lash out to those leaking to the press. But some former and current officials believe it is their patriotic duty to expose the truth. It is unclear who at the Justice Department and fbi may have seen comeys memos. The doj today declined to comment on whether attorney general Jeff Sessions or rosenstein had read them. Sessions was forced to recuse himself from the investigation after revelations of his own contacts with the Russian Ambassador ser ggei kislyak. But he did may a role in the firing of comey. Ser g Sergei Kislyak is center to the russian investigation. In december, surveillance picked up communications between flynn and kislyak. Were you concerned that the Obama Administration policy and this Nations National security was being undermined by somebody internally in. I will simply say that weve had a longstanding principle in our country of one president at a time 6. Reporter was that adhered to in this case . Well, you can draw your own conclusions about that. Reporter it is now up to Robert Mueller to come to those conclusions. He will have the power to prosecute any crimes he discovers. President trump is back in washington after delivering an address to a graduating class. He has an avalanche of troe controversies that seem to grow by the day. No politician in history, and i say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly. You cant let them get you down. Reporter a defiant President Trump rallied graduating coast guard cadets by recounting his own approach to adversity. You will find that things are not always fair. You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted. But you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight. Reporter sources say the president s own frustration is at a high point. He is doubting his top advisers, even soninlaw Jared Kushner who supported firing fbi director comey despite the ongoing russia investigation. The white house is also trying to contain fallout from President Trumps decision to share classified intelligence with top russian diplomats. Reporter today in moscow, president putin dismissed the scandal as political schizophrenia. Putin even said he would share transcripts of the president s comments with the u. S. Congress if the white house approved. White house Spokesman Sean Spicer said he was unaware of any Russian Recording of the meeting and said the public should rely on accounts given by National Security adviser hr mrk master. As to what the president shared was wholly appropriate. Reporter President Trump said today he is trying to ignore the media firestorm. I didnt get elected to serve the washington media or special interests. I got elected to serve the forgotten men and well of our country, and thats what im doing. Congressman Jason Chaffetz wants to know what was said. How does the appointment of a special prosecutor change your plans to investigate this . The house has its own equities we will pursue our own investigation and hope to have a hearing with director comey as early as next week. I do applaud and i do think the department of justice, if they saw fit to appoint this special counsel, director mueller will provide a great deal of court on both sides of the aisle, a real professional. People will have great trust in him. He served in the Obama Administration, the bush administration, but amazing credentials. Hell do a great job. Do you expect to have the fired fbi director james comey sitting in the witness chair on wednesday . Weve had a little bit of trouble contacting him. Hes had telephone number change since he left the department of justice, but we have formally noticed the hearing for next wednesday, 9 30 a. M. Eastern time, and ive got some flexibility. It comes with an asterisk because i havent spoken with director comey yet, but we hope to hear from him and see the documents, remember nobodys seen these documents so we have to secure those documents as well. What documents are you asking for in. Well, you know, the New York Times report said that there were these documents and notes that director comey had taken. And but we havent seen the content of those. Theyve only been read out to a reporter, at least part of them have been. So we want to see what those documents are and then talk to director comey and understand from his perspective, how did he take the information and the conversation with President Trump. What was his reaction to it. And if at the time, did he actually do anything about it and if so, what did he do . And if he didnt, why not . Do you intend to have this hearing in pub sflik. Yeah, i think its important that the public get to hear this. You have democrats and republicans both peppering the former director with questions. Hes wellseasoned in doing this, but it really should be in public. The cbs overnight news will being right back. Ng right. You know your heart loves megared omega3s. But did you know your eyes, your brain, and your joints really love them too . Introducing megared advanced 4in1. Just one softgel delivers mega support. Clearasil rapid action begins working fast for clearly visible results in as little as 12 hours. But can ot fix this teens skateboarding mishap . Nope. So lets be clear clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen things. Two kids barfed in class today. It was so gross. Lysol disinfectant spray kills 99. 9 of bacteria, even those that cause stomach bugs. One more way youve got what it takes to protect. Because your carpet theres resolve carpet care. It lifts more dirt and pet hair versus vacuuming alone. Resolve carpet care with five times benefits the political firestorm raging around President Trump didnt begin with his firing of fbi director james comey but the socalled comey memo where he supposedly asked him to drop the investigation into flynn. Comey became director in 2013. He gave his first indepth interview for 60 minutes. I think americans should be deeply skeptical of government power. They divided power among three branches. With regard to privacy and civil liberties, what guarantee are you willing to give to the American People . The promise ive tried to honor my entire career that the rule of law and the founders, congress will be at the heart of what the fbi does the way youd want it to be. Does the fbi gather l electronic surveillance that is then passed to the National Security agency. Thats one of those things i dont know if i can talk about that in an open setting so i better not start to go down that road with you. You have said, quote, we shouldnt be doing anything that we cant explain, but these programs are top secret. The American People cant see them. And you cant explain them. Right. We cant explain everything to everybody or the bad guys will find out what our capabilities are. Both nations and individuals. What i mean is, i need to be able to explain it either directly to the American People or to their elected representatives, which we do extensively with congress. There is no surveillance without court order. By the fbi . No. We dont do electronic surveillance without a court order. You know that some people are going to roll their eyes when they hear that. Yeah, but we cannot read your emails or listen to your calls without going to a federal judge, making a showing of probable cause that you are a terrorist, an agent of a foreign power or a serious criminal of some sort and get permission for a limited period of time to intercept those communications. It is an extremely burdensome process, and i like it that way. Thats a principle over which james comey is willing to sacrifice his career. He proved it in 2004, when he was Deputy Attorney general. Comey was asked to reauthorize a package of topsecret, warrantless surveillance, targeting foreign terrorists. But comey told us significant aspects of the massive program were not lawful. He wouldnt be specific, because its still top secret. This was not something you were willing to stand for. No, i was the Deputy Attorney general of the United States. We not going to authorize, reauthorize, participate in activities that did not have a lawful basis. At the time, comey was in charge at the Justice Department, because attorney general John Ashcroft was in intention sieve care with near fatal pancreatitis. When comey refused to seen off, the president s chief of staff, andy card, headed to the hospital to get ashcrofts okay. You got in a car with lights and siren and raced to the hospital to beat the president s chief of staff there. Yep, raced over there, ran up the stairs, got there first. What did you tell the attorney general lying in his hospital bed . Not much, because he was very, very bad off. I tried to see whether he was oriented as to place and team. And it was clear to me that he wasnt. Tried to have him understand what this is about. It wasnt clear that he understood what i was saying, so i sat down to wait. To wait for andy card, the president s chief of staff. Yeah. And then white House Counsel gonzalez. They spoke to attorney general ashcroft and said that the program should be reauthorized and you were there to argue that it should not be. How did it end . With the attorney general surprising me, shocking me, by pushing himself up on his elbows and in very strong terms articulating the merits of the matter and then saying but that doesnt matter, because im not the attorney general, and then he turned to me and pointed and said theres the attorney general and he fell back. And they turned and left. Youd won the day. It didnt feel that way. How did you feel . Probably a little sick and a little sense of unreality that this was happening. The next day they tried to push it through a different way, so comey wrote a resignation to the president , calling the situation apocalyptic and fundamentally wrong. He left the letter on his desk and he and Robert Mueller went to the white house to resign. Yep, we stood there together. Waiting to go meet the president , looking out at the rose garden, both of us knowing this is our last time there and the end of our government careers. Wasnt it your responsibility to support the president . No. My responsibility, i took an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States. This is something the president wanted to go forward with and you were standing in front of the president of the United States telling him he shouldnt do it and if he did youd quit of do i have that right . I dont think i expressly threatened to quit at any point, but that was understood. President bush was persuaded. The program weve discussed as i understand it was in fact reauthorized but in a modified form. It was made to conform to the law in your estimation . Yes. Help me understand the principle at stake here. That caused you to write a letter of resignation, to rush to the attorney generals bedside, to tell the president that he couldnt have what he wanted and to face down the president s chief of staff. What was it that motivated that . The rule of law. Simple as that. Hes been a federal prosecutor most of his career. In 2003, president bush appointed him Deputy Attorney general, number two at the Justice Department. But after two years he left for private industry, telling his wife that it was her turn to do what she wanted. Then the phone rang. The attorney general called me and asked me if i was willing to be interviewed for fbi director. And the truth is i told him i didnt think so. I thought it was too much for my family but i would sleep on it and call him back in the morning. So i went to bed that night convinced i was going to call him back and say no. What happened . I woke up, and my amazing wife was gone. And i found her down in the kitchen on the computer looking at holmes in the d. C. Area, which was a clue. And she said ive known you since you were 19. This is what you are, this is what you love. Youve got to say yes. And then she paused, and she said, but theyre not going to pick you anyway, so just go down there and do your best and then well have no regrets. At least you would have tried. Yeah. So you met the president. I did. What happened . I had to give my wife some bad news in her confidence in them not picking me was misplaced. What goes through a president s mind when picking a fbi director. Somebody whos competent and independent to direct the investigation. You said the president wanted independence from the director but the Justice Department answers to the president. It does, but it has to maintain a sense of independence from the mitt cpolitical forces. I dont mean that as a pejorative term. But thats why the director is given a tenyear term so its guaranteed youll span president ial administrations to make sure youre leading it in a way thats not influence the by the political winds. You can see the full report on our website, cbs news. Com. The overnight news will be right back. Lysol max cover kills 99. 9 of bacteria, even on soft surfaces. One more way youve got what it takes to protect. And they happen easily. The other side of this. Is they can be removed. Easily. Spray and washs. Powerful formula. Removes over 100 stains. Spray and wash. Better on over 100 stains. Ltry align probiotic. N your digestive system . For a nonstop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. Get 24 7 digestive support, with align. The 1 doctor recommended probiotic brand. Also in kids chewables. Because your carpet theres resolve carpet care. It lifts more dirt and pet hair versus vacuuming alone. Resolve carpet care with five times benefits clearasil rapid action begins working fast for clearly visible results in as little as 12 hours. But will it stop this teen from being embarassed by her parents . Nope. So lets be clear clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen things. A monster hunt is under way in the florida everglades, and the monster at issue is a burmese python. Thousands of these are slithering through the grasslands eating everything in their path. Some grow to 20 feet long. Florida has hired more than two dozen professional hunters to trim the population. Mark strassmann went along for the hunt. Reporter in a remote corner of the ever graglades, we found searching for pythons. Irwin closed in. This is a burmese python. And this is the one causing all the trouble. Reporter burmese pythons, giant constrictors native to asia became a nuisance in florida after 1992. Hurricane andrew toppled a reptile breeding facility and all its pythons slithered into the wild. Females can lay dozens of eggs at a time. And by one estimate, 100,000 live in the everglades today. Some can grow longer than 20 feet. And here this Invasive Species has no natural predators. Theyre nonvenomous, but those rows of teeth are razor sharp. It coils itself around its prey, squeezes and suffocates it before swallowing hole. This video shot late last year in the everybody glades shows a burmese strangling an alligator. They an articulating jaw, and that allows them to be able to eat and swallow just massive objects that you would not think that a snake could do. They captured one here not too far from here that had a dear inside. Reporter to these muss car eating machines, the everglades are like a buffet that never closes. They devour birds and mammals and disrupt food sources for panthers, alligators and other creatures. This month, the south Florida Water management district launched a burmese bounty program. Through may, 25 elite hunters like irwin can capture and kill as many as possible. They also get to sell what they catch. I make a whopping 8. 15 an hour. And when you capture a snake anything under 4 feet is 50, and then 25 a foot as it goes up. Reporter hunters have trapped roughly 100 snakes already. Some of them huge. Patrick campbells catch measured 15 feet, 10 inches. This 15 footer was nabbed weighing at 144 pounds. We saw up close the one sanchez and baun yos caught, dead but still intimidating in hollywood, florida. Wood has spent nearly 30 years selling animal skins to marquee names like gucci. Good for the environment, good for business. Absolutely. Good for the environment, good for hunters, a win win. Its not a lot of money. I dont do it for the money. Reporter rodney irwin sees himself fighting on the front line of floridas war on the burmese. I do it because it needs to be done. Reporter in hunters,,,,, it has been 105 years since the unsinkable titanic hit an iceberg and sunk off the coast of nova scotia. Reporter titanic was called the ship of dreams until a nautical nightmare that fascinated the be lick, inspiring more than a dozen films and a new generation of explorers like stockton rush. The wreck was discovered in 1985. Since then. Fewer than 200 people have crossed over its bow or glide past its promenade desks. Rush of oceangate hopes to increase that number. Starting in 2018, he will begin a series of yearly expeditions to the titanic, the first time anyone will have been to the site in more than a decade. Where is your excitement fact or on this . Its on the level. Reporter the fiveperson submersible that will be used is still under construction at a new jersey factory. When complete, the cyclops ii will look like this model and be able to dive 13,000 feet. People will enter and exit through the dome. Reporter it will be just one of five submersibles on the planet capable of reaching the titanic and the only one privately owned. One of the goals is to generate a 3d model of the site before its too late. Ive heard some researchers say that the titanic will melt away and be gone in 20 years. Reporter to make the most of the expeditions, oceangate will include researchers for a sea, but the seats on the subdont come cheap. Theyre going to pay 1,129. Reporter even so, all 54 seats for the 2018 trips have all sold out. This woman paid pour one of those seats. Ever since ive had a job, ive been saving to go to titanic. Ill probably cry the whole time. I get emotional. Reporter about the titanic. You do, you really do. Rojas isnt afraid to go more than two miles below the waves, and rush says thats for good reason. You believe the cyclopsii is invulnerable. By the time we finish testing it, i believe its pretty much invulnerable. Reporter and thats what they said about the titanic. Thats right. Chip ryeid, new york. For some of you the news continues, for others you can check back later for the morning nenene m o its thursday, may, 18th, 2017. This is the cbs morning news. In the wake of several days of scandal surrounding the white house, the acting attorney general appoints a special counsel to investigate the president s possible ties to russia and the ensuing fallout. And breaking overnight. A white officer in tulsa is cleared in the killing of an unarmed black man. So you dont know if you going to make it home or youre going to be kied