revelation from the star witness mean for the state's case? the "cbs evening news" starts now. ♪ ♪ tonight, a dramatic day in court. good evening. i am norah o'donnell, and thank you for joining us. the first-ever criminal trial of a former american president is nearing an end. late today the prosecution has rested, and now donald trump's legal team has the case. closing arguments could begin in about a week, and then the former president's fate will be in the hands of a jury. witnesses on the stand today made for what some experts are describing as a "wild day." michael cohen, trump's former fixer admitted under oath to stealing money from the trump organization during an intensive cross-examination. and then fireworks during testimony of a defense witness that led to the judge clearing the courtroom and reprimanding the witness for rolling his eyes and making comments under his breath. well, there is still one big question tonight. will donald trump take the stand in his own defense? here's cbs's robert costa who was inside the courthouse. >> reporter: michael cohen already had his credibility challenged, and then today's admission that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from donald trump and his company. he testified that the trump organization owed a tech company $50,000 and that he paid them about $20,000 in cash in a brown paper bag. but kept the rest. "you stole from the trump organization, right" asked trump attorney todd blanche. "yes, sir," michael cohen said. michael cohen has admitted to stealing from the trump organization, does it matter for this case? >> it may matter a lot to some juror, and then not to to others. michael cohen is such a proven liar, why would it surprise us that he is also a thief. >> reporter: cohen defended his actions, saying he was angry that his bonus had been cut and felt that he was owed the money. "i just felt like it was almost self help," he said. cohen is this witness to direct trump paid to the witness of stormy daniels which are at the heart of the case. trump has been charged with falsifying business records to conceal the transactions. >> i paid a legal expense, and they marked it legal expense. >> reporter: blanche cast cohen as someone using trump's name to promote himself. even discussing a tv show about himself called "the fixer." >> i fixed things, but i am no longer your fixer, mr. trump. >> reporter: with the defense repeatedly calling cohen's credibility into question, prosecutor susan hoffinger reminding the jury that he is not the defendant. "are you on trial in this case," she asked. cohen's answer, "no." late today, todd blanche moved to dismiss the entire case, and sources close to trump's legal team tell me they don't expect trump at this point to take the stand. they see too many potential vulnerabilities should he ever get up there as a witness. norah. >> norah: robert costa, thank you very much. well, tonight, the world is watching closely. what happens next in iran after the country's ultraconservative leader was killed in a helicopter crash? the state department tonight is calling him a brutal participant in the repression of the iranian people. and as cbs's charlie d'agata reports, who succeeds him has global consequence. >> reporter: in the dense fog at first light, iranian state media showed what was a crash site of a trail of twisted metal and debris. rescue teams pulled bodies from the wreckage all eight people killed when the chopper came down in remote mountainous terrain where president ebrahim raisi and the foreign minister had been on a trip near the border with azerbaijan. mourners gathered in tehran and in other cities across the country. but in cities like berlin and london, iranian demonstrators celebrated the death of the former prosecutor known as the butcher of tehran. on his watch as president, enforcing that brutal crackdown on dissidents following the death almost two years ago of 22-year-old mahsa amini detained for allegedly not wearing a headscarf properly. and that massive drone and missile attack against israel just last month in addition to backing hamas, hezbullah, and houthi rebels. raisi was seen as a possible successor to the 85-year-old supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei. but not the only one. khamenei's son mojtaba is also now possibly a favorite. the us state department says iran had asked for u.s. assistance after the crash but was unable to provide it for logistical reasons and dismissed accusations that u.s. sanctions were to blame for restricting aviation marks. >> ultimately it's the iranian government that is held for a decision to fly a 45-year-old helicopter and what was described as "poor weather conditions." >> reporter: today defense secretary lloyd austin was asked if he was concerned there iran would try to blame the u.s. for the crash, norah. he said, "the united states had no part to play in that crash. that is a fact, plain and simple." >> norah: charlie d'agata, thank you. now to some breaking news out of the white house. president biden not holding back. sharply criticizing the request for an arrest warrant for israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu from an international court prosecutor. >> let me be clear, contrary to allegations against israel made by the international court of justice what is happening is not genocide. we reject that. >> norah: cbs's imtiaz tyab has more now from east jerusalem. >> no foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader, no one can act with impunity. >> reporter: the icc's chief prosecutor kareem khan making it clear that hamas is october 7th attack and israel's response to it allegedly breached international rules of war, prime minister benjamin netanyahu named alongside defense administrator yoav gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity responding with fury. >> what a travesty of justice. what a disgrace. >> reporter: the potential arrest comes as netanyahu is undergoing political pressure at home. still reaction at this demonstration to the potential of an arrest warrant for prime minister here many want out of power was mixed. what is your reaction? >> i want to kiss him on both cheeks. >> reporter: you think that mr. netanyahu should be tried? >> yes. >> reporter: and what's your reaction to it? >> there's no way you can compare hamas and hamas leaders to anything our leaders have done. definitely -- there is just no match. >> reporter: three of hamas' senior leaders yahyah sinwar, mohammed deif, and ismail haniyeh may also face icc arrest warrants for crimes including extermination, murder, hostage taking, rape and sexual violence, and torture. prominent human rights lawyer amal clooney admitted she was a part of the panel of legal experts that recommended the arrest warrants. neither the u.s. nor israel recognize the iccs authority, but just like vladimir putin for his actions in ukraine, netanyahu could have a warrant out for his arrest in more than 100 countries. but it could take up to two months for any potential arrest warrants to be issued as the court now has to decide not only whether to do so, but also if the case against the leaders of israel and hamas can proceed. norah. >> norah: imtiaz tyab, thank you very much. the israel-hamas war is a big issue on the campaign trial as president saw firsthand in the crucial battleground state of georgia where he gave an commencement address at morehouse college. both he and president trump are trying to fire up their bases with six months till election jay. cbs's weijia jiang has the latest. >> reporter: over the weekend as president biden delivered a commencement address at morehouse, an all-male historically black college in georgia, several students refused to stand. some even turned their backs. biden acknowledge their feelings about gaza as well as challenges here at home. >> what does it mean? as we have heard before, to be a black man who loves his country, even if it does not love him back at equal measure. >> reporter: black voters especially men helped biden win four years ago. from georgia to a campaign stop at the naacp in michigan, another critical swing state, biden made his case against former president donald trump. >> you are the reason donald trump is going to be a loser again! >> reporter: in dallas, trump focused on his base too with a fiery speech at the national rifle association convention. >> in my second term, we will rollback every biden attack on the second amendment. >> reporter: trump boasted about his poll numbers. >> like "the apprentice" joe, you're fired. >> reporter: the latest cbs poll in two key states shows trump leading by nine points in florida and five points in arizona immigration is a major issue. many democrats are urging biden to talk more about border security including michigan senator gary peters. >> absolutely, that's what a campaign is about and a campaign to make sure that people have that information. >> reporter: just this morning, biden issued a new statement urging congress to pass a border bill. he and trump are preparing to face of in their first debate of 2024, now just about five weeks away. norah. >> weijia jiang, thank you so much. tonight a new line of powerful storms is targeting the heartland. with the need to burn greater threat of tornadoes, high wind, and hail for tuesday. for more let's bring a meteorologist mike bettes from our partners at the weather channel. good evening, mike. >> reporter: norah, good evening, we are staring down a multi-day's severe weather threat across the plains in the midwest. this is the area on tuesday to watch especially i-80, des moines over to the quad cities, but large areas affected. some strong low level winds and upper level winds that will lead to a straight-line wind event especially as the system unfolds tomorrow. also watch for winds that could be 75 miles or more per hour, hurricane winds from the storms come a lot in the morning and the flood risk will be prevalent. the more storms for the afternoon as a whole system races through the upper midwest. look at that big squall line that stretches from the great lakes all the way down through the midsouth. as i alluded to, norah, because so much heavy rain is coming out of the storm system, we will watch for flooding from the midwest all the way down to portsmouth, arkansas. >> norah: mike bettis, thank you. a milestone to restoring business as usual at the port of baltimore. this time-lapse video shows a massive cargo ship that brought down the francis scott key bridge nearly eight weeks ago being towed into port. the front of the ship still holds large pieces of steel and concrete from the accident. the crew mostly from india remained stuck aboard the ship, many with expired visas. now to our historic interview with pope francis where we discussed a wide range of issues impacting the world. you saw some of it on last night's "60 minutes" including his views on the war in gaza, migrants, and same-sex couples. tonight we will have much more with the pope in a one-hour special including one topic he has been very outspoken about, climate change. how worried are you about climate change? >> unfortunately, we have gotten to a point of no return. it's sad, but that's what it is. global warming is a serious problem. climate change at this moment is a road to death, a road to death. and it is an artificial climate change, no? something provoked, not the normal climate change, right? >> norah: you have placed blame on wealthy countries. >> in great measure, yes, because they are the ones that have more of an economy and an energy based on fossil fuels that are creating the situation, right? they are the countries that can make the most difference given their industry and all, aren't they? but it is very difficult to create an awareness of this. they hold the conference, everyone is in agreement, they all sign, and then bye-bye. but we have to be very clear, global warming is alarming. >> norah: and you can watch more of our extensive interview with pope francis. that's tonight at 10/9 central right here on cbs and streaming on paramount+. once america's favorite seafood chain, red lobster, files for bankruptcy protection. we've got the details next. ♪ ♪ we've got the details next. ♪ ♪ greater risk of stroke, heart attack or worse death. even when meeting your a1c goal. discomfort can help you act. i'm not trying to scare you. i'm empowering you... to get real with your health care provider. talk to them about lowering your risk of stroke, heart attack or death. alice loves the scent of gain so much, she wished there was a way to make it last longer. say hello to your fairy godmother alice and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain! shingles. the rash can feel like an intense burning sensation, and last for weeks. shingles could make it hard to be there for your loved ones. over 50? 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