and where the team will play their home games. good luck one and all. the cbs evening news is next. we'll see you back here at 7:00. thanks or joining us. >> do you swear or affirm under penalty of perjury? >> norah: the special counsel in president biden's classified documents case faces attacks from both sides. >> you did disparage the president. >> president trump and president biden handled their classified materials differently, wouldn't you say? >> norah: the take-aways from the hours-long, contentious testimony as the hearing room seems more like the campaign trail in the race for president. >> did you reach the conclusion that this man was outright innocent? >> that conclusion is not reflected in my report, sir. >> norah: the "cbs evening news" starts now. ♪ ♪ good evening.

i'm norah o'donnell, and thank you for being with us. we want to begin tonight with that firestorm on capitol hill. the former special counsel robert hur testifying about his investigation into president biden's handling of classified documents. the special counsel was defiant, standing by his conclusion that no charges were warranted. you may recall, though, it was his final report that angered the white house. the report included personal assessments about the president's age and memory, mentioning his son, beau's, death. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle used the hearing to score political points ahead of the 2024 presidential election. republicans blasted hur for not charging biden with a crime, while democrats aimed to point out the differences between the current president and donald trump, who is facing charges for mishandling classified documents, saying trump obstructed all investigations. the white house views the matter as over and says the case is closed. cbs's ed o'keefe is going to start us off tonight from the white house.

>> i did not sanitize my explanation. nor did i disparage the president unfairly. >> reporter: former special counsel robert hur's public grilling today at times looked more like a proxy fight for the white house. republicans raised questions about president biden's mental fitness. >> what i'm trying to figure out is whether or not biden is lying because he is still so senile. >> reporter: while democrats aired unflattering footage of former president donald trump. >> [indistinct] >> reporter: hur defended his report, in its contention that the president was a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory. >> my task was to determine whether the president retained or disclosed national defense information willfully. i could not make that determination without assessing the president's state of mind. >> reporter: democrats said he went too far. >> mr. hur, you cannot tell me you are so naive as to think your words would not have created a political firestorm. you understood that, didn't you, when you wrote those words? >> congressman, politics played no part whatsoever in my investigative steps.

>> reporter: hur questioned the president for five hours over two days in october, and wrote that the president forgot key dates, like when his son beau died. but a 258-page transcript of the interview released today shows the president remembered the month and day, may 30th, just not the year. after the report was released last month, the president blasted hur. >> it was even referenced that i don't remember when my son died. how in the hell dare he raise that? >> reporter: today, hur explained. >> the need to show my work was especially strong here. the attorney general had appointed me to investigate the actions of the attorney general's boss, the sitting president of the united states. >> reporter: several republicans accused hur of letting the president off easy. >> all i have to do when i am caught taking home classified materials is to say, "i'm sorry, mr. hur, but i'm getting old, my memory is not so great." >> reporter: in the hearing, democrats also repeatedly called out the differences between the biden and trump

documents cases. the current president had roughly 80 documents in his possession, while the former president had more than 300. hur had also acknowledged in his report that there are major differences in the cases. norah? >> norah: ed o'keefe, thank you. tonight, alaska airlines is defending its decision to keep that plane the door panel blew off of mid-flight in service. it was scheduled to come in for a maintenance check that night after warning lights on the boeing 737 max indicated problems with the plane's pressurization system. alaska airlines telling cbs news just moments ago, it remains confident in its maintenance and safety actions. cbs's kris van cleave reports this comes as we are learning new details about an audit that found dozens of issues in boeing's manufacturing process. >> reporter: after the dramatic mid-air blowout of a door panel in january, the faa launched an audit of boeing's 737 production process. boeing failed 33 of 89 sections, including one dealing with the

same type of door panel. the faa also found 97 incidents of alleged noncompliance. the most common was failing to follow boeing's own standards and practices. the audit comes as boeing admitted to lawmakers last week it cannot find paperwork documenting repairs performed on that alaska airlines door panel, saying it is likely that it was never created. the ntsb investigation indicates the bolts holding that door in place were not reinstalled. >> we will continue to increase our oversight to make sure the planes that are getting their airworthiness certificates are safe airplanes. >> reporter: is not having the paperwork on "we took a door off and put it back on," not enough of a red flag? >> it is one of the factors that we are considering as we formulate a plan to get the quality assurance where it needs to be. there should be paperwork for that. >> reporter: faa administrator michael whittaker. >> it wasn't just paperwork issues. sometimes it's an order that work is done. sometimes it's tool management. so it's really plant floor hygiene, if you will, and a variety of issues

of that nature. >> reporter: as first reported by "the new york times," faa also looked at supplier spirit aerosystems, which makes the body of the 737 max. the company failed 7 of 13 sections of that audit. inspectors flagged workers using a hotel key card to check a door seal and dawn dish soap as a lubricant. spirit tells cbs news it's working to address and incorporate lessons learned from the audit. boeing today announced a series of changes it's making to improve its quality processes because of these findings, norah. >> norah: kris, i also want to ask you about this boeing whistle-blower that was found dead in his car. what do we know about that? >> reporter: yeah, john barnett was set to sit for a deposition in a defamation case he had brought against boeing when he was found dead in his truck. the coroner in south carolina says it appears to be due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. his attorneys are calling on the local police to fully investigate what happened, norah. >> norah: all right, kris van cleave, thank you very much. a powerful explosion felt and heard for miles obliterated

a home today in a small community northwest of pittsburgh, pennsylvania. a man and a woman were killed. video from the scene, look at this, shows the house was blasted down to its foundation. investigators say the home had a private gas well and propane tanks, but the cause of the explosion is under investigation. president biden offered his condolences today to the family of an american israeli soldier who is now confirmed dead. that's according to israeli officials. the president had met with the family of itay chen at the white house in december and said today no one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through. we get more now from cbs's chris livesay in jerusalem. >> reporter: itay chen was only 19, a life cut short by the hamas massacre of october 7th, when he was serving in an israeli tank unit. the israeli american was long thought to have been taken alive by hamas, among more than 240 hostages.

earlier in the war, cbs news spoke to the parents. his father, ruby, carrying an hourglass to remind the world that time was running out. >> i am just a mom that wants her son back home where he belongs. >> the most frustrating question that you could ask yourself when you are exhausted and before you fall to sleep, you ask yourself, "have i been productive? have i moved my sons, at least an inch, an inch forward?" >> reporter: they became outspoken activists, pressuring prime minister benjamin netanyahu to reach a cease-fire deal and leaders around the world not to forget those trapped in hamas' tunnels. >> do whatever they can to bring our loved ones back home. >> reporter: today, israel announced new intelligence revealed only their son's body had been taken hostage, killed on october 7th. an emotional national security advisor jake sullivan recalled conversations with his family. >> this hits hard for us, this news.

>> reporter: that leaves five americans still presumed alive among 134 hostages in gaza. itay chen's bereaved parents say they will continue to fight for their return. they are also fighting to get their son's body back. it's still considered a hostage, as well as a hamas bargaining chip. his parents say they won't hold a funeral for itay until they get it back. norah? >> norah: we are thinking of them. chris livesay, thank you. u.s. central command and the royal jordanian air force conducted another round of humanitarian air drops over gaza this afternoon to provide food to civilians. soon, there will be a floating pier to help get that aid into gaza. cbs's david martin got a firsthand look at the ships and the troops who will build it. >> reporter: once more, families say goodbye as u.s. troops depart for the middle east. this time to deliver relief supplies to gaza. president biden has said there will be no american boots on the

ground, but there will be hundreds on the water. the need in gaza is dire and it is urgent. but this base in virginia is more than 6,000 miles away. and these ships are not built for speed. and how long before you start delivering food? >> sir, we are estimating 60 days. >> reporter: brigadier general brad hinson says the army would build a floating dock off the coast of gaza and a causeway connecting to the shore. civilian ships would haul aid from cyprus to the floating dock, where it would be picked up by army watercraft, ferried to the causeway, and driven ashore. tempting targets for enemies. >> we are looking at all of the protection capabilities that the army has and that the joint military has in order to protect all of our assets. >> reporter: without interference, the army could bring in 2 million meals a day. more in one day than all of the u.s. air drops so far.

but still not enough to undo devastation left by israel's use of american-supplied weapons during its invasion of gaza. dave harden is former usaid mission director for gaza. >> there are 6.6 million meals that are required. 2 million meals a day would help really kind of blunt the most horrific famine risk. >> reporter: think of what we are seeing, norah. the same military that is sending the weapons israel is using to bomb gaza is also sending ships to keep the people of gaza from starving. norah? >> norah: you've put your finger on it. that is the problem. david martin, thank you. the embattled prime minister of haiti bowed to international pressure today and agreed to step down. violent street gangs have thrown the country into chaos, demanding his resignation. and now u.s. secretary of state antony blinken and caribbean officials are calling for new

elections. cbs's cristian benavides reports tonight from haiti's border with the dominican republic, which is shut down to fleeing haitians. >> reporter: this was the desperation playing out at the border today. this woman collapsed as she was being taken off this overcrowded immigration truck. she was among a group of haitian citizens who were being deported back to haiti. we rode along with haitian-american dana josephs, who helped rush her to a hospital. >> she was sick. they were going to drop her. i said hey, it doesn't work like that, guys. >> reporter: just after that embattled prime minister ariel henry announced he was stepping down, the streets of port-au-prince appeared calm today. henry, who has been stuck in puerto rico, lost support after secretary antony blinken met with caribbean leaders in an emergency meeting monday. they announced they will help form a special counsel to pick haiti's new leader. for months, the country has been

rocked by gang violence. their leader, jimmy "barbecue" cherizier, says the country will remain in chaos if the people are left out of the process. "we haitians have to decide who is going to lead the country," he says, "and what model of government we want." the turmoil has killed nearly 1200 people and injured 700, forcing the state department to evacuate nonessential personnel. but for americans like missionary jill dolan, she has no way out. >> we've contacted agencies to extract us. they have just said it's way too dangerous where you are. you have to stay put. >> reporter: today, it was announced that kenyan troops would not deploy to haiti until a new government is in place. and norah, those scenes that we saw play out here today, well, people tell us that they are playing out here every single day since the crisis started. norah? >> norah: cristian benavides, thank you. the police chief of uvalde,

texas, announced his resignation today. chief daniel rodriguez was on vacation nearly two years ago when 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting. his resignation comes less than a week after a report ordered by the city defended the police response to the shooting, when hundreds of officers from multiple agencies waited 77 minutes to confront the gunman. several officers have resigned or been terminated, but none have faced criminal charges. now to the surprising turn in a notorious murder case that gripped the nation. nearly 20 years after being convicted of killing his wife and their unborn child, scott peterson was back in court today seeking a new trial. cbs's jonathan vigliotti reports why peterson's new legal team believes he may be innocent. >> can you both see and hear the proceedings, sir? >> yes, your honor, i can. thank you. >> reporter: scott peterson appeared with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. the 51-year-old, convicted of killing his pregnant wife, laci, is getting a new legal lifeline.

the l.a. innocence project has requested advanced up-to-date testing on dna evidence, including a glove and a hammer left at the scene of a nearby break-in. detectives discovered there had been a burglary right here, just across the street from the peterson home. one witness told police she believed that burglary happened the same morning laci disappeared. mark geragos was peterson's original defense attorney nearly 20 years ago. >> therewas absolutely no forensic or circumstantial evidence to show what had happened, where it happened, how it happened. >> reporter: attorneys also want to test a bloody mattress found in a burned-out van around the same time. laci peterson was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on christmas eve in 2002. her body and that of her unborn son were pulled from the san francisco bay four months later. peterson, who told authorities he was fishing the day his wife vanished, was convicted and sentenced to death. he was later resentenced to life without parole.

>> i do think that there's evidence that will exonerate scott out there. i just don't know that necessarily it's been found yet or that it has been revealed yet. >> reporter: an acquittal is a long shot. police ruled out those burglars as suspects years ago, and that mattress was last tested back in 2019, norah. >> norah: jonathan vigliotti, thank you. the victim of a rare crocodile attack in florida is speaking out about his ordeal. that's next. next ♪ things are lo, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced

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>> norah: tonight, two >> norah: tonight, two harrowing stories about two men in florida attacked by an alligator and a crocodile on the same day. one of them tells cbs news it was his faith that saved him. here is cbs's roxana saberi. >> right now, i feel good because i am alive. >> reporter: rodrigo constain says when his new sail boat capsized in florida's everglades national park on sunday, he felt something bite him. >> i felt that my leg was stuck, so i put my hands in his mouth. it was a long mouth. >> adult male bit by an alligator. >> i'm sorry. can you repeat? adult male bit by an alligator? >> that's affirmative. >> reporter: it was actually a rare american crocodile. >> i don't have the strength to open his mouth. he just opened the mouth, and i can release my -- my leg. >> reporter: the 68-year-old says he escaped within seconds by swimming to the dock. a helicopter rushed him to a

nearby hospital, where he was treated for a leg wound. constain says his faith saved him. also on sunday, in leesburg, florida, another attack. a 9-foot alligator bit a man in orlando on sunday while he was fishing on a lake, taking his hand. he was also airlifted. why is this kind of attack so rare? >> crocodiles are naturally pretty shy and reclusive in nature, and there also just aren't as many of them as there are alligators in florida. >> reporter: roxana saberi, cbs news, new york. >> norah: big news about babies "r" us. that's next. that's next. postmenopausal osteoporosis and are at high risk for fracture, you can build new bone with evenity®. ask your doctor if you can do more than just slowing down bone loss with evenity®. want stronger bones?

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♪ ♪ >> norah: finally, tonight's "heart of america." meet 68-year-old bill kitfield, a now-retired mail carrier who delivered kindness in his small connecticut neighborhood for nearly four decades. bill worked several small part-time jobs out of college before finding a caree career te could put his stamp on. during his time at the u.s. postal service, he befriended every person and furry friend along his route, cracking the code to the mailman-dog relationship. >> any time i met a dog, i tried to make friends, and dogs have pretty good memories. >> norah: well, after 38 years, bill was ready to hang up his mailbag, but not before his beloved residents threw him a retirement party as a thank-you for his service and dedication to them and their four-legged friends. and what's bill's plan for a retirement? he said, "i'm going to play some bad golf and bowl." [laughs] well, congratulations, bill kitfield.

tonight's "heart of america." and that is tonight's "cbs evening news." . thanks, norah. let's begin a case that captivated the nation. 20 years after his murder conviction, scott peterson, back in court, fighting for his freedom >> if the testing shows what they think it is going to show it is a new ball game so to speak. >> the test his lawyers are now fighting for that they claim can potentially help prove his innocence. flaming hot cheat owes and doritos among the snacks that may disappear from california public schools because what they could contain. a coloring agent that is used in sunscreens, and plastics. >> and it has happened more than 20 times this year alone. how reported theft is slowing down trains in the south bay. and then disneyland, guess

what? it is on its way to becoming more magical as it clears a hurdle for an expansion. of course, not everyone is thrilled. >> we have the pollution, the noise, the traffic. >> reporter: this is cbs news bay area with juliette goodrich. >> we begin with the infamous scott peterson case. more than 20 years after he was convicted of murdering his wife, laci, and unborn child and dumping their bodies in the san francisco bay. scott peterson was back in court with a brand-new defense team again, trying to prove his innocence. he appeared via zoom, wearing a blue prison suit, hair pulled back in a ponytail. proceedings low key and mostly attended by media. a stark contrast from what we saw two decades ago. it started in 2002 when a pregnant laci peterson disappeared right