Him before he became their hero, that hed hurt the fbi. When Hillary Clintons campaign did a version of that during the campaign, mike pence, then governor of indiana, called it the politics of personal destruction. Of course as weve heard, comey had his own character claims to make about the president ial, said it was in his nature to lie. But then at the end of the day the president s personal lawyer had the final word on character, saying that comey had anonymously leaked that information and that he should be investigated for it. The president has called comey a nut job in the white house. You know, the president said that he had been vindicated, if you will, by comey, told that he was not under investigation three times. But now theres a special counsel. Well, thats right. So the president comey did tell the president that back then, but suggested the president was under investigation in his testimony today. Yesterday the acting fbi director also said he couldnt answer certain questions because the president was either under investigation now or will be. So the president , who was putting pressure on comey to say he wasnt under investigation, may have given efld to the investigators who are now looking into him. John dickerson, well be watching for more on all of this on face the nation on sunday. Thank you. Comey said the attempts by the russians to undermine the United States are ongoing. He said, we remain that shining city on the hill, and they dont look it. Heres our Homeland Security correspondent jeff pegues. There should be no fuzz on this whatsoever. The russians interfered in our election. Reporter comey testified that in 2015 u. S. Investigators detected Russian Hackers were sending waves of malicious pemails to government and nonprofit organizations. Committee chairman richard burr. What would be the estimate of how many entities out there the russians specifically targeted . Its hundreds. I suppose it could be more than 1,000. But its at least hundreds. Reporter as they began to investigate, u. S. Intelligence agencies discovered that some Trump Campaign associates were in contact with russian officials, including fired National Security adviser Michael Flynn. By the time comey met with the president in february in the Oval Office Comey says flynn was in legal jeopardy. There was an open fbi criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the russian contacts and the contacts themselves. Reporter comey told his senior advisers that the president had asked him to let go of the flynn investigation, but they decided not to inform attorney general jeff sessions. We also were aware of facts that i cant discuss in an open setting that would make his continued engagement in a russianrelated investigation problematic. Reporter days later sessions recused himself from the investigation after it was revealed that he had not disclosed all of his meetings with the russian ambassador. Besides flynn the fbi is now scrutinizing former Campaign Chairman paul manafort, former Campaign Adviser carter page, trump confidant roger stone, and his soninlaw, jared kushner. Arkansas senator tom cotton. Do you believe donald trump colluded with russia . Thats a question i dont think i should answer in an open setting. As i said, we didnt when i left, we didnt have an investigation focused on President Trump. But thats a question that will be answered by the investigation i think. Reporter a lawyer for Michael Flynn did not respond to requests for comment. Scott, comey noted that during their meetings the president did not ask him to take any action on the russian interference in the election, and comey warned that the russians would be back. Jeff pegues, thanks. Coming up, well get the perspective of political veteran leon panetta. And later, millions tune in you dont even want to know protection detergent alone doesnt kill bacteria but adding new lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99. 9 of bacteria with 0 bleach. Lysol. What it takes to protect. 60 of women are wearing the w. Experience leaks. Introducing always my fit. Find the number thats right for your flow and panty size on the top of any always pack. The better the fit, the better it protects. Always. 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. Not all Fish Oil Supplements provide the same omega3 power. Megared advanced triple absorption is absorbed three times better. So one softgel has more omega3 power than three standard fish oil pills. Megared advanced triple absorption. For insight into james comeys testimony today were going to turn to leon panetta, whos held top jobs in democratic administrations including defense secretary, cia director and white house chief of staff. Mr. Secretary, mr. Comey made a lot today of the fact that the president ordered everyone out of the room before he talked to mr. Comey about the investigation into Michael Flynn. Help us understand what that means. Well, that was a serious breach in the relationship between the president and the director of the fbi. It was at that point that somebody in the room should have made clear that the president ought not to be alone with the director of the fbi. And obviously no one did, and i think that was a serious lapse in terms of good discipline at the white house. Well, why shouldnt the president be alone with the fbi director . Well, the director of the fbi is conducting investigations into National Security issues, and the president should not be viewed as trying to in any way influence those kinds of investigations. And so for that reason, at least the approach in the past with other president s has been to make very sure that the president does not have that kind of oneonone discussion with the director of the fbi, particularly when the director is conducting a very sensitive investigation. That just is not done. What did you see in the testimony today that related to the charge of obstruction of justice . Theres not much question that the president will be a focus of an investigation by the special counsel as to whether or not there was obstruction of justice. The testimony by director comey raised at least a pattern in the meetings and discussions with the director that raises the issue of whether or not he was trying to influence or obstruct that investigation. That will be the subject i think of the special counsels investigation. Leon panetta of the Panetta Institute and former secretary of defense. Thanks for being with us. Thank you. Thank you. And coming up, degree has redefined deodorant thank you. And coming up, with motionsense technology. So that i can redefine. Power. Footwork. Range. The more i move, the more it works. Degree. It wont let you down. 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. Not all Fish Oil Supplements provide the same omega3 power. Introducing megared advanced triple absorption. It supports your heart, joints, brain, and eyes. And is absorbed by your body three times better. So one megared has more omega3 power than three standard fish oil pills. New megared advanced triple absorption. In his testimony today james comey claimed that the Obama Administration attorney general Loretta Lynch let politics pinfluence the fbis descriptio of its investigation of Hillary Clintons classified emails. I want to know, was she going to authorize us to confirm we had an investigation . And she said yes, but dont call it that, call it a matter. And i said, why would i do that . And she said, just call it a matter. And again, you look back in hindsight, you think should i have resisted harder . I just said, all right, it isnt worth this isnt a hill worth dying on. And so i just said okay, the press is going to completely ignore it. And thats what happened. When i said we have opened a matter, they all reported the fbi has an investigation open. And so that concerned me because that language tracked the way the campaign was talking about the fbis work and that thats concerning. Former attorney general lynch let it be known today that she chose the word matter because she didnt want to confirm or deny an ongoing investigation. Up next, where did you watch the show that stole the day . Soap operas and game shows were eclipsed today by political theater. John blackstone now on comey tv. Reporter james comey was everywhere today, watched by commuters on a San Francisco bay ferry and patrons in a miami cigar bar. It was 7 00 a. M. On the west coast when the Senate Hearing began, but at aces bar in San Francisco the tvs were turned up and the crowd was tuned in. Heidi zuhl dropped by on her way to work. I dont come to bars frankly at 7 00 on thursday mornings. Reporter im surprised. But i wanted to see who my neighbors were, and i wanted to see how everybody reacted. Reporter americans seemed compelled to experience the hearing with others. The line to get into the watch party at shaws tavern in washington, d. C. Stretched down the block. The crowd at a bar in brooklyn surprised renee masiosi. Its packed. Me and my friends figured wed see maybe ten people. Instead we couldnt walk in and get a drink. People care, bigtime. Reporter jeff kaplan, an owner of Axelrad Beer Garden in houston, opened early and filled the place. Its as if were all watching our government as actist participants and spectators together. The weird part is it feels like were all in it. It feels so close. Reporter on twitter 3. 6 million tweets were sent discussing comeys testimony. In bars uncounted millions of opinions were expressed as millions tried to make up their own minds. Thats the american way. Thats democracy. That is what its about. Reporter today a divided nation was united, listening. John blackstone, cbs news, San Francisco. And thats the overnight news for this friday. 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 Broadcast Center in new york city, im scott pelley. Announcer this is the cbs overnight news. Welcome to the overnight news. Im vladimir dutyier. The fired director of the fbi stepped back into the national spatlight thursday to testify his private conversations with President Trump and their relevance to the russia investigation. James comey was questioned by the Senate Intelligence committee in his first public remarks since the president removed him from leading the bureau. Comey wrote detailed memos about his encounters with the president. The former fbi chief says he was stunned by some of what mr. Trump told him one on one and was concerned the president could lie about the meet meetings later. The hearings focused on comments the president made about the probe into National Security adviser Michael Flynn and the broader investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election. Nancy cordes begins our coverage. I was honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of our meeting and so i thought it really important to document. Reporter comey told senators it was the president s pattern of dishonesty that prompted him to take notes. I knew that there might come a day when i would need a record of what had happened not just to defend myself but to defend the fbi. Rep he ys he wrote down everything he could remember from a january dinner where the president demanded his loyalty. My common sense told me whats going on here is hes looking to get something in exchange for granting my request to stay in the job. Reporter three weeks later, he says, the president ordered everyone but him out of a meeting in the oval office. Had you ever seen anything like that before . No. My sense was the attorney general knew he shouldnt be leaving, which is why he was lingering, and i dont know mr. Kushner well but i think he picked up on the same thing. And so i knew something was about to happen that i needed to pay very close attention to. Reporter once they were alone he says the president told him, i hope you can see your way clear to dropping an fbi investigation involving fired National Security adviser Michael Flynn. California democrat dianne feinstein. Why didnt you stop and say mr. President , this is wrong, i cannot discuss this with you . Maybe if i were stronger i would have. I was so stunned by the conversation that i just took it in. Reporter idaho republican jim risch. He did not direct you to let it go. Not in his words, no. This is the president of the United States with me alone saying i hope this. I took it this is what he wants me to do. I didnt obey that but thats the way i took it. Reporter Oklahoma RepublicanJames Lankford argued President Trump didnt say anything to comey that he hasnt said on twitter. Quite frankly, the president has informed around 6 billion people that hes not real fond of this investigation. Do you think theres a difference in that . Yes. Okay. What was theres a big difference in kicking superior officers out of the oval office, looking the fbi director in the eye and saying i hope you let this go. I think if our agents, as good as they are, heard the president of the United States did that theres a real risk of a Chilling Effect on their work. Reporter President Trump has disputed comeys account, even tweeting last month, james comey better hope there are no tapes of our conversations. Lordy, i hope there are tapes. Reporter comey says that tweet three days after he was fired led him to take an unusual step. He asked a friend, columbia law professor dan richman, to share the contents of his memos with a New York Times reporter. I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. So why didnt you give those to somebody yourself rather than give them through a third party . Because i was worried the media was camping at the end of my driveway at that point and i was actually going out of town with my wife to hide and i worried it would be like feeding seagulls at the beach if it was i who gave it to the media. So i asked my friend, make sure this gets out. Reporter comey says he resents the shifting explanations for his firing. The administration then chose to defame me and, more importantly, the fbi by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple. President trump responded to the comey hearing through his personal lawyer. Heres major garrett. Reporter President Trump watched some of the proceedings with his lawyer and top advisers like soninlaw jared kushner, daughter ivanka, chief of staff reince priebus. And in a speech to social conservatives the president sounded defiant. Were under siege. You understand that. But we will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever. You watch. Reporter later the president s attorney Marc Kasowitz denied two of comeys most damaging assertions. The president never in form or substance directed or suggested that mr. Comey stop investigating anyone. The president also never told mr. Comey, i need loyalty. I expect loyalty, close quote. Reporter kasowitz did say comeys testimony vindicated the president s assertion that he was not under investigation. He then portrayed comey as part of a governmentwide effort to undermine the administration with leaks. Mr. Comey has now admitted that he is one of these leakers. Reporter comey testified that he told his friend to leak his memo to the New York Times after this may 12th president ial tweet, comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations. While the president himself did not tweet today, his son donald jr. Wrote, im pretty sure that comeys testimony put his own character on trial. During an offcamera briefing at the White House Deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders was asked if the president was a liar. I can definitively say the president s not a liar. I think its frankly insulting that that question would be asked. Reporter sanders would not say if the president tapes oval office conversations. This was her response when asked to check. Ill try to look under the couches. For more on the legal impact of mr. Comeys testimony and what it could mean going forward, we turn to chief Legal Correspondent jan crawford. I dont think its for me to say whether the krags i had with the president was an effort to obstruct. Reporter throughout the hearing former director james comey was careful not to say whether he thought the president broke the law, as in this exchange with West Virginia democrat joe manchin. Do you believe this will rise to the obstruction of justice . I dont know. Thats bob muellers job to sort that out. Reporter deferring to the special counsel, comey instead laid out his version of the facts, that the president after firing National Security adviser mike flynn urged comey to drop his investigation into flynns postelection conversations with the russian ambassador. I took it as a direction. Reporter but even if comey thought that, its not necessarily a crime. Whats key for obstruction is intent, whether the president thought flynn was punishment enough or whether he corruptly endeavored to influence, obstruct, or impede the investigation for an improper purpose. I think the one overall takeaway would have to be obstruction of justice. Reporter Scott Fredricksen is a former federal prosecutor. The fundamentals might be there potentially, but there is more investigation in the future. Not a question i can answer in open setting, mr. Chairman. Some of comeys testimony like this exchange with Committee Chairman richard burr bolstered the president s claims he did not obstruct. Did the president at any time ask you to stop the fbi ask you to stop the fbi investigatio 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. Not all Fish Oil Supplements provide the same omega3 power. Introducing megared advanced triple absorption. It supports your heart, joints, brain, and eyes. And is absorbed by your body three times better. So one megared has more omega3 power than three standard fish oil pills. New megared advanced triple absorption. Hthats why new downyl can saprotect and refresh conditions fibers to lock out odors. So clothing odors dont do the talking for you. Lock out odors with new downy protect and refresh. People across the country carved out time in their schedules yesterday to watch the james comey testimony. Only a handful of congressional hearings have commanded so much attention theyre broadcast live on network television. Chip reid takes a look back at other blockbuster hearings that gripped the country. Until this moment, senator, i think i never really gazed your cruelty or your recklessness. In a 1954 hearing army lawyer joseph welch expressed frustration with senator Joseph Mccarthy and his ruthless anticommunist crusade. Have you no sense of decency, sir . Reporter president ial historian robert dalic remembers when then Senate Majority leader lyndon b. Johnson arranged for a Television Network to broadcast the congressional testimony. Johnson knew this, that once they saw mccarthy with his 5 00 shadow and having people see how rude and abusive he could be, it undercut him terribly. Our activities in South Vietnam reporter years later in 1966 the vietnam hearings exposed a stunning admission. I think our military involvement in vietnam has to be recognized as unfortunate, as something we would not choose deliberately if the choice were ours to make all over again today. Reporter the u. S. Was stuck in a war it was unlikely to win. It raised questions about what was the purpose of it, why were we fighting there. Reporter from the irancontra affair i came here to tell you the truth. Reporter to the infamous she said i could not keep silent. Reporter he said. It is a hightech lynching. Reporter of the Clarence Thomasanita Hill scandal. Public hearings have become part politics, part theater. Americans watched as bill clinton became the second president in u. S. History to undergo an impeachment trial. It depends upon what the meaning of the word is is. Thats exactly what we did. Reporter and then watched again when Hillary Clinton endured an 11hour grilling from the house benghazi committee. I have been racking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done. Reporter the most explosive hearing of all was watergate. These mistakes were made by only a few participants in the campaign. Reporter it uncovered the extent of the coverup by the nixon administration. I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency. Reporter what began with a burglary ended with president nixons resignation. So of course it leads up to these comey hearings, which create a sense of anticipation that people may hear something thats going to change the course of history. Its a kind not all Fish Oil Supplements provide the same omega3 power. Megared advanced triple absorption is absorbed three times better. So one softgel has more omega3 power than three standard fish oil pills. Megared advanced triple absorption. Bite into magnum double cookies and cream. And unleash your wild side. Made with cookies cream ice cream and rich belgian chocolate. Discover magnum. Our National Space council will reenergize the Pioneering Spirit of america in space, and it will ensure that america never again loses our lead in space exploration, innovation, and technology. Vice president mike pence introduced nasas newest class of astronauts this week. Some of them could take part in missions aboard spacecrafts built by private Companies Like spacex. Nasa is counting on spacex to bring cargo and eventually astronauts to the interNational Space station. Spacex relies on nasa contracts and its launch pad. But this cooperation could turn into competition. Manuel bojorquez has more from the Kennedy Space center in florida. Reporter complete with a hollywood soundtrack, nasa for years has promoted plans to send humans into deep space. But its space launch system wont be ready to bring humans around the moon until at least 2021. So it came as a surprise to nasa when spacex founder elon musk held a conference call. So this is, yeah should be super inspirational. Reporter announcing plans to use a powerful rocket that hasnt yet flown to sling private tourists around the moon next year. An ambitious timeline according to mary lynn ditmar, who represents some of spacexs competitors through the coalition for deep space exploration. If youre putting all this schedule pressure on youre automatically creating an environment where you are operating at higher risk because you have to meet a deadline. Do you see that happening currently . Im concerned about the 2018 deadline for spacex. Reporter the company is already busy launching commercial satellites while working on a nasa contract to launch astronauts to the interNational Space station. And liftoff. Reporter nasa has relied on russia for rides to space ever since its Shuttle Program ended in 2011. Not anything against the russians, but it would be good to have americans that are able to move back and forth now from earth to space using our own vehicles. Reporter the bigger prize is mars. Both nasa and spacex are working separately on plans to get to the red planet. Do you see any scenario where nasa and these Companies Might be stepping on each others toes at all . Well, yes. People have to relearn the dance steps, right . Reporter Charles Miller is president of next gen space. He advised President Trumps nasa Transition Team to embrace competition between Traditional Aerospace contractors and Companies Like spacex. It seems to have worked. President trumps proposed budget for nasa in 2018 increases cooperation with industry. Its my belief that the human space flight endeavor of nasa will collapse unless we get more innovation from American Free enterprise. Weve been evolving to that new way of business for a while. Reporter acting administrator Robert Lightfoot appeared to agree. We want big companies. We want small companies. We w579 everybody to come and help us do this because this journey is hard. Reporter yet some basic differences still have to be resolved. A nasa group expressed concern humans on board after this explosion while filling an unmanned rocket last year. Mary lynn ditmar worries any disaster involving spacex could have larger implications for the future of spate exploration. Might people extrapolate from, that well, this is so dangerous nobody should be doing it . Is there that danger . I think there is that danger. I would hope not. You know, i would hope that people wouldnt go down that road. But i do worry about it. Reporter spacex would not comment for this story. But elon musk has defended the fueling process and said the companys doing everything it can to minimize the risks. Later this year spacex is planning to test a larger version of its falcon rocket, the one that will eventually carry tourists going around the moon. The broadway music come from away is up for seven tony awards this sunday night. Its about a small canadian town that offered safe harbor to thousands of stranded Airline Passengers after planes were grounded there on 9 11. Mo rocca introduces us to the cast members and a pioneering pilot whos depicted on stage. Reporter its been called broadways surprise hit of the season. Now come from away is playing to standing room only crowds. More and more people keep coming, and you look surprised and grateful and you will have this youre beaming. What is what is drawing people . I think people are coming here repeatedly to heal. Reporter yes, come from away is less about the terrible events of 9 11 and more about the kindness of strangers. Through tragedy comes joy. They always say the light at the end of the tunnel. But if you really open your eyes, the light is always there. Pretty ladies waving from the dock reporter to shine that lot 12 cast members play both newfoundland natives and stranded Airline Passengers from all over the world who for five days nearly doubled the population of gander, a town with about 10,000 residents. On the northeast tip of north america on an island town in newfoundland. Reporter most characters are a compilation of real people whom the writers interview for the show. They say girls shouldnt be in the cockpit. Hey lady, hey baby reporter the pilot portrayed by tony nominee jen calella, howevers based on reallife Airline Pioneer beverly bass. Nothing was made up. Everything is real. And it is the way that it really happened. Reporter the first female captain of a Major American Airline and one of the pilots diverted to gander that day. Did meeting her change your performance at all . Yes. Absolutely. We i mean, look how were sitting right now. Look at how were sitting. Like i have adopted a lot of her man ri manneris mannerisms. Reporter the two have become close friends. Beverly, how many times have you seen the show . Well, last night was 68 times. The first female american captain in history i never get tired of seeing it. So ill see it many more times. Suddenly i got my air wings reporter i feel like im soaring when im listening to her sing. What does it feel like for you . It is unbelievable. Shes so little, and the way she belts out that voice. And i always just take a deep breath because i know its going to be beautiful. I like to think that youre breathing for me. Thats sweet. My hearts racing too. I think you might be the first people from labrador that ive met myself. Reporter Christina Bromley is the one cast member whos actually from newfoundland. I meet people every night who are so proud. And for me thats one of the biggest rewards of doing this show, because when in your life is your job something that makes other people proud . 13 new musicals this season. Thats the most in many, many years. Youve got some stiff competition across the street. Dear evan hansen. Were in a season in which everybody has a chance. Yes. And thats exciting. I get that the show is heartwarming, but drop the act. Were talking about the award. [ laughter ] what do you have to do to knock dear evan hansen out . Weve actually discussed this, and we feel like were fine. Yeah. Whatever happens. Reporter it really is a beautiful show without a scintilla of cynicism. Pretty rare for this day and age. And yet its making more than a Million Dollars a week. Im mo rocca from the schoenfeld theater on broadway. And dont miss the 71st annual tony awards, hosted by kevin spacey. Tune in sunday night at 8 00, 7 00 central right here on cbs. Well be right back. A new version of youth football is being tested for younger players across the country. Changes include a smaller field, fewer players, and some different rules. This comes as the sport faces continued pressure to address safety concerns and other issues. Heres jeff glor. Reporter on a field in mentor, ohio ready . Go. Reporter two teams demonstrated rookie tackle for us. There you go. Reporter there are no kickoffs or punts. Players start in a crouch instead of a threepoint stance. There are six to eight kids on a side instead of the usual 11. And the field is 40 yards long, not 100. Right down this line here would now be the out of bounds line. Reporter the executive director of usa football, scott hallenbeck, says the primary purpose of this new game is to increase individual attention and help players develop. You do want this to be a safer version of youth football. Absolutely. Our focus is always on how we create a better, safer environment. Reporter that was on kelly gilchrists mind when she signed up her 9yearold son tyler. Hes been playing tackle for a couple of years. Yes. Any reservations about that . At first we were a little bit taken back. I know that theres a lot of fears and a lot of parents that we know. Thats why we like the seven on seven idea. Reporter usa football is targeting a transition phase because numbers show that while organized youth tackle football participation is down sharply in the last five years the number of kids playing flag football is actually up. The sport wants to capture that momentum. What do you say to parents now who come to you and express concerns and say i just dont know if my son should be playing . Right. Id say come and take a look at this game. Come take a look at what were working on here. Reporter to teach rookie tackle, usa football is relying on coaches like chuck kyle, whos won 11 High School State championships in ohio. Its americas passion. But it shouldnt turn into a gladiator sport. And what do i mean by that . People yelling and screaming and loving it but not out there playing it. Thats a shame. Reporter even as the new program is unveiled, however, it is facing criticism. This is their way of saying that boys of that age are not able to play the game the way its designed. Reporter terry oneil runs a group called practice like pros. He says all youth football should be flag football until high school. Youth contact football is not correct, not safe. And when theres another way to play the game, why take those risks . Are you worried about the future of football . I think actually the work that were doing right now is going to ensure that this game is around for many generations to come. One, two, three thats the overnight news for this friday. 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 Broadcast Center in new york city, im vladimir duthi s duthiers. Captioning funded by cbs its friday, june 9th, 2017. This is the cbs morning news. Those were lies, plain and simple. Bombshell testimony from james comey. The ousted fbi director didnt mince words, calling the president s character into question. I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting. And breaking overnight, britains snap election ends in a hung parliament. Prime minister may keeps her job but falls short of keeping her party in power. Now shes facing calls for her resignation