potential mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars over four rounds of hunting ammo airport security found in his carry-on bag as the couple was set to leave turks and caicos earlier this month. >> we were trying to pack flip-flops. packing ammunition was not at all our intent. >> reporter: we spoke with the watsons sunday before they learned valerie would not be charged and be allowed to return home. >> this went from what was supposed to be a dream vacation to a nightmare. >> reporter: brian held rich from pennsylvania is awaiting trial after ammo was found in his checked back in february. >> subsequently spent eight nights in their local jail. some of the darkest, hardest times of my life quite frankly. >> reporter: possessing a gun or ammunition is prohibited in turks and caicos. however, tourists were often able to pay a fine until a february court order mandating even tourists in the process of leaving the country be subject to prison time. last september, the u.s. embassy posted this travel alert online,

warning people to check your luggage for stray ammunition. >> i can't even begin to think that this very innocent incredible mistake would prevent me from being able to, you know, watch my son graduate or teach him to shave or take my daughter to, you know, dances. >> reporter: a mistake that could land american tourists visiting an island paradise in a prison hell. kris van cleave, cbs news. now to breaking news tonight. cbs news is confirming that the fda has found evidence of the bird flu virus in grocery store milk. but expressed confidence that there is no threat to human health. the government agency said tests are being conducted to determine how well pasteurization works to reduce the risk of infectious bird flu in the milk supply. tonight we continue our cbs news investigation into the growing wave of online romance scams. cbs's jim axelrod reports on a

sinister new twist when the victims themselves become accomplices. >> my mom was actually very specific about wanting to do online dating, and it felt safer. >> online dating felt safer? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: if it wasn't painful enough that kelly gowe's mother, laura kowal, was scammed out of $1.5 million, then found dead in the mississippi river, when kelly started investigating what happened, she discovered her mom's role in something criminal. >> she got so deep into the scam, and when she tried getting out of it, she became what is known in these scams as a money mule. they got her hooked into it. >> reporter: laura wasn't alone. >> my name is glenda. >> reporter: it's the latest scammer tactic, now so widespread that federal agents have broadcast warnings. >> police officers told me that my love was a scam. >> reporter: this feels like it moves to a whole other level of

sinister. >> they use victims till the end. >> reporter: retired postal inspector natalie rita investigated cases where victims fell so hard for their scammers, they'd do anything they were told, like depositing other victims' money in their accounts to launder it and stay one step ahead of the authorities. at first, the victims might not have realized they were committing a crime. >> they checked their reasoning at the door. >> reporter: kelly says her mom opened bank accounts, created fake corporations, and even set up phony dating profiles for the scammers. >> could your mom have been compromised, actually been working for these guys? >> i believe so. >> reporter: at the time of her death, police said quelly's mom, laura, was actually under investigation for money laundering. federal agents had traced some of the money laura unwittingly sent to scammers to chicago and arrested this woman, jennifer gosha, along with two nigeria

nationals, for alleged involvement in romance fraud. while prosecutors say gosha was an active participant, she has pleaded not guilty and told us she, too, was a money mule duped by one of the nigerians and says she never made a nickel. >> it wasn't like a ding, ding, ding, something's wrong. >> reporter: gosha says she dated one of the nigerians in real life, but he operated behind her back. >> i served in the iraqi war. i raised my children. i am not someone who decides after all i've accomplished in my life, now i'm going to become a criminal mastermind. i'm going to come up with a scheme, it's not going to be this dumb ass scheme. >> reporter: if convicted, gosha could face up to 30 years in prison. >> do you ever think to yourself, i played a part in someone's life being ruined? >> i have thought that many, many times, and i didn't play a

part in it knowingly. >> you're saying you're a victim of the scammers as well. >> i'm absolutely a victim. but i -- >> and you're a victim who may end up doing time. >> and only because they feel like i should have known. >> reporter: as for kelly gowe, her thought is simple. someone has to pay. >> i have so much anger towards them. they took everything away from her, and i and my family will never get that time back. >> wow. eye-opening, disturbing. jim, where does your investigation go now? >> law enforcement tells us that the explosion of romance scams is tied directly to the increased popularity of online dating apps. they are, after all, a target-rich environment for

scammers. so tomorrow, we'll dive much more deeply into that on "cbs mornings." >> that's must-see. jim, thank you. officials overseas investigating a midair crash between two helicopters. we'll have the details next. finally yasso! a ridiculously creamy, dipped, chipped, sandwiched,

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if operators are busy, call again or go to loveshriners.org to say yes right away. there were no survivors today when two helicopters collided in midair during a rehearsal for a military parade in malaysia. one helicopter clipped the other's rotor, sending both crashing to the ground and killing all ten crew members on board. the accident prompted malaysia's government to cancel saturday's 90th anniversary celebration for its navy. the future of the popular security screening company clear appears to be murky in the state appears to be murky in the state of (psst! psst!) ahhh! with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy long lasting relief in a scent free, gentle mist. flonase all good.

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and also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic. lighten everyday the metamucil way. feel less sluggish & weighed down after just 14 days. sign up for the 2 week challenge at metamucil.com tonight the popular security screening service clear is facing some possible turbulence in california. the company could be banned from the state's airports after lawmakers say it's created a system of haves and have-nots when it comes to skipping the long lines. here's cbs's carter evans. >> reporter: in long airport security lines, one thing is perfectly clear. those who pay extra get rewarded. >> what the current system does is it allows a clear customer to cut the line. >> reporter: california state senator josh newman introduced a first in the nation law that would stop customers who pay the $189 annual fee from leap

frogging the security line at the state's airports. >> all clear really does is it moves me in front of you, and we get to the same place in front of the conveyor belt. only by then, you're mad. the tsa agent's all stressed out, and i paid $189 because i think i'm better than you. >> how is this different than any other service that we pay to jump the line? >> people pay to jump the line at theme parks. they pay to jump the line going into music concerts, sports sta stadiums. >> reporter: the company says it has nearly 1 million california customers and paz airports there $13 million. several airlines have taken a stake in clear and say the lost revenue could mean higher fares. but clear, which uses fingerprints and eye scanning in is screenings, has had issues in recent years with security lapses. that's the main reason the union representing flight attendants supports the bill. and lawmakers don't want to ban clear entirely, just separate

the lines. >> if you pay for clear, you know, go do your line somewhere else. >> that's financially and logistically impractical. tsa doesn't have the funding it needs now to adequately staff all of the security lanes that exist. >> reporter: and clear is also facing another business challenge. the tsa and airlines are already investing in similar technology at checkpoints around the country, including right here at l.a.x. the goal is to move everyone through security faster whether you've got clear or not. maurice. >> okay, carter. we'll keep an eye on that one. kafrter evans in los angeles tonight, tha you.

finally here, tonight's "heart of america." we meet the nasa scientist who repaired a spacecraft from 15 billion miles away. the voyager 1 is known for being the first spacecraft to go beyond our solar system. so when it stopped sending data back to earth last november, the team faced a daunting task. they traced the problem to a single manufacturing computer chip and announced yesterday that they've finally made contact once again. suzanne dodd, the voyager project manager, said this was

all about teamwork. >> it's just incredible to be a part of this mission va that continues to this day and that has inspired so many generations of people to go into space exploration or science. >> suzanne dodd and the voyager 1 team at nasa, tonight's "heart of america." all about teamwork. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings" and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm maurice dubois. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the senate has passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that provides funding for ukraine and israel and calls for the sale of tiktok. it was passed by the house over

the weekend. president biden says he will sign it today. despite heavy protests, tennessee lawmakers voted to allow teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns at public schools. it comes after a shooting last year at a nashville elementary school killed three children and three adults. and former congressman george santos says he is ending his run to return to washington. santos is dropping his independent bid for new york's 1st district, saying it would guarantee a democratic win. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. i'm not sure that anybody's ever seen anything like this before. >> tonight, trump on trial. david pecker telling jurors about a secret deal between him and donald trump to bury negative stories during the 2016 presidential campaign.

and the former president blasts the judge and gag order. >> an unconstitutional gag order by a highly conflicted judge. >> president biden -- >> we have the worst president in the history of our country. >> and the courtroom. >> it's freezing by the way. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for being with us. i'm maurice dubois. norah is on assignment. we begin tonight with day two of testimony in the criminal trial of former president donald trump. former "national enquirer" publisher david pecker was back on the stand, where he said he worked with trump and his longtime fixer, michael cohen, to hide negative stories about him during the 2016 campaign. the prosecution claims it was all a part of a conspiracy to influence the election. before today's testimony, there was a tense hearing over whether trump repeatedly violated a gag order by attacking witnesses and jurors on social media. prosecutors urged the judge to fine trump thousands of dollars

and hold him in contempt while the former president complained that his right to free speech was being taken away. cbs's robert costa was inside the courthouse and starts us off tonight. >> reporter: former president trump aired his frustration with being in court today. >> this is a very unfair situation. >> reporter: after listening to former "national enquirer" publisher david pecker, a man he's known for over three decades, explain the strategy he testified they agreed upon ahead of the 2016 election. the paper would bury any negative news about trump while promoting fake stories about his political opponents, including senators ted cruz and marco rubio. pecker testified the plan was concocted at trump tower in 2015. trump and former fixer michael cohen allegedly asked him how he could help the campaign. he told them, "i would be your eyes and ears," explaining the practice of catch and kill. the "enquirer" would buy the rights to any damaging story about trump and never publish it. prosecutors say that plan was

the origin of cohen's $130,000 payment to former adult film star stormy daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with trump, who denies it all. one example of catch and kill discussed in court today involved the trump building doorman, who was selling what turned out to be a fake story about trump fathering a son. pecker told the jury today he bought the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and mr. trump. >> david pecker is a very strong witness for the prosecution. he seems very solid on the stand. he certainly seems like he doesn't have any ax to grind with donald trump. >> reporter: on the stand, pecker said trump called him about another story he wanted kept quiet. that of former "playboy" model karen mcdougal, who claimed to have had a 10-month-long affair with trump in 2006, which he denies. >> after we had been intimate, he tried to pay me, and i actually did not take that. >> reporter: four days before the 2016 election, "the wall

street journal" reported that american media, which owned the "enquirer" at the time, had paid mcdougal $150,000 for the rights to her story, which was never published. in the gag order hearing, the prosecution argued that trump should be held in contempt for all of his scathing commentary about this case. trump's lawyer, todd blanche, said his client's being careful with his words. to that, the judge said, "that's just not credible." maurice. >> robert costa, thank you. now to those escalating clashes and threats of violence on college campuses. protests are growing as more students across the country are staging demonstrations against israel's war in gaza. cbs's nancy chen tonight on what protesters are demanding. >> we are not afraid of you! >> reporter: pro-palestinian demonstrators clashed with police at cal poly humboldt in northern california after a group of students used chairs and other furniture to barricade themselves inside one of the

school's main buildings. at nyu, nypd officers in riot gear cleared out a pro-palestinian encampment last night after students defied the university's order to leave. >> we want to see an acknowledgement from our university that there is a genocide happening. >> leave the plaza now, or you'll be arrested for trespass. >> reporter: 120 people were arrested. >> free palestine! free palestine! >> if you're going to host a protest, you should host it in a spot that's not so busy and dependent upon students' classes. >> reporter: today, new york city mayor eric adams says students who protest peacefully are not the problem. >> we can't have outside agitators come in and be destructive to our city. there was someone wanted something to happen at that protest at nyu that police officers didn't respond to. >> reporter: from coast to coast, campus to campus, protests are growing louder in solidarity. students are also joining in at uc berkeley. >> quite frankly, i think it's important that people start to align themselves with

palestinian resistance. >> reporter: here at columbia university, the seventh day of protests. demonstrators want the school to divest from all business that supports israel. >> i think that it's time to divest from those weapons manufacturing and re-divest them into other important things. >> reporter: they're also demanding amnesty for all students who have been punished. as you can see behind me, demonstrators both on and off campus are still demanding to be heard. meanwhile, there are growing calls for the university's president to resign. maurice. >> and no real end in sight tonight. nancy chen at columbia university in new york, thank you. at a campaign event today in florida, president biden blamed his opponent, former president trump, for a growing wave of restrictive abortion laws across the country. cbs's nancy cordes has more on what is shaping up to be a key issue in the polls in november. >> this isn't about states' rights. it's about women's rights. >> reporter: president biden traveled to tampa today, just eight days before florida's abortion crackdown is set to go into effect.

the nation's third most populous state will ban abortions at six weeks, a point at which many women still don't realize they're pregnant. >> there's one person responsible for this nightmare, and he's acknowledged and he brags about it -- donald trump. >> reporter: when it comes to abortion, there is one thing biden and trump agree on, that it was trump's appointment of three deeply conservative supreme court justices that changed the balance of the court and brought about an end to roe v. wade. >> we broke roe v. wade, and we did something that nobody thought was possible. >> reporter: since then, about half of all u.s. states have rolled back reproductive rights, and yet polling by cbs news shows only a third of americans say trump deserves the blame. >> he described the dobbs decision as a miracle. maybe it's coming from that bible he's trying to sell. >> reporter: today biden highlighted the recent spike in pregnant women being turned away from emergency rooms.

caitlin joshua was turned away by two hospitals in baton rouge, louisiana, when she was having a miscarriage. >> i was told that i would be sent home with prayers but would not get a diagnosis of miscarriage on paper verbally. >> reporter: five months after florida's abortion ban goes into effect, voters in that state will have a chance to reverse it. there's a referendum on november's ballot in florida that the biden team hopes will drive democratic voters to the polls there, though florida hasn't gone for a democratic presidential candidate since 2012. maurice. >> okay. nancy cordes at the white house tonight, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. and we're done. (♪♪) hmm, what about these? (♪♪) looks right. [thud] [rushing liquid] nooo... nooooo... nooooooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! only bounty absorbs spills like a sponge. and bounty is 2x more absorbent so you can use less and get the job done with one.

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ceremonies of the summer olympics in paris, the sports world is rocked by scandal. an investigation found that nearly two dozen top chinese swimmers tested positive for banned substances right before the tokyo olympics. but the findings were never reported, and the athletes were allowed to compete. the world doping agency insists it had no obligation to suspend them or to even report the case. holly williams has the story. >> reporter: at this swim meet in southern china, 23 chinese swimmers tested positive, all of them for the same substance, trim ataz zine, or tmz, a prescription heart medication that improves stamina. te world anti-doping agency says it followed due process in accepting an explanation from chinese officials, who said the swimmers ingested tmz inadvertently and claim they found trace amounts of the drug in the kitchen of the hotel where the swimmers were staying.

no athletes were banned, and the case only came to light after an investigation by "the new york times." >> the rules are crystal clear that you have to announce a case like this and disqualify at the theses at the event. >> reporter: travis tie got is the head of the u.s. anti-doping agency. >> do you buy the explanation from chinese sports officials? >> i frankly don't believe it. relying on, you know, tinker bell coming in and magically, you know, sprinkling this controlled substance in a kitchen is just laughable. >> reporter: one of those who tested positive was xiangyu fay according to "the new york times." she won gold in the 200 meter butterfly in tokyo, beating american reagan smith. >> i think they're on drugs. >> reporter: allegations of systemic doping are denied by the chinese government that date back to the 1990s, when chinese female swimmers suddenly began setting world record times, some with muscular physiques that raised suspicions.

in 1998, one chinese swimmer was caught entering australia with human growth hormone, and several others have tested positive for banned substances, including triple olympi gold medalist sun yang. travis tie got told us there should now be an independent investigation. >> this has been going on for decades. at this point, does it look systemic to you in. >> so we hear these stories about decades ago of chinese doping. well, we have evidence of it now. but the system swept it under the carpet. that's the horrendous part of this story. >> reporter: holly williams, london. this week, we're looking into the growing problem of online romance scams. thousands of people become victims each year, and billions of dollars are stolen. jim axelrod spoke to the daughter of one victim who lost more than her money. and those numbers, they're actually thought no underestimate the damage done by the scammers becaus shame and

embarrassment actually keep people from reporting the crime. kelly gowe's mom fell in love with and got fleeced by someone she never actually met, conducting the entire relationship online and over the phone, and leaving kelly with a very painful question. how did someone an ocean away lure in her mom? >> she had all these buckets full in her life, but there was this one bucket that was missing that you or i or nobody could fill after losing my dad. >> reporter: to fill that bucket, laura cowl, a 57-year-old retired health care executive and widow, turned where 3 out of 10 americans have to find love -- to dating apps. >> it felt safer than to go to a bar and meet somebody. >> online dating felt safer? >> mm-hmm. she would never put herself in a position of harm, right? >> reporter: the profile laura put on match.com drew attention from a man using this picture, who said his name was frank.

he claimed to be a swedish businessman and convinced laura to talk offline. >> initially she was extremely giddy and happy talking to him. but as the relationship grew, the phone calls transitioned to nighttime. then they almost became more secretive. >> reporter: over the next two years, they exchanged hundreds of emails, spoke regularly by phone, and declared their love for each other. >> i think as i went through and started uncovering this, i just became almost sick at just the depths of all of it. >> reporter: frank convinced laura to hand over her life savings, $1.5 million, for his fake investments. >> she never met frank? >> i don't believe that she physically met frank. >> reporter: federal investigators traced those who victimized laura cowl to ghana. investigators tell us ghana and nearby nigeria are home to

thousands of scammers operating with impunity. we spoke to a former scammer who called himself emanuel and told us how scammers can trick people like laura once they establish trust, hope takes over. >> you need to be very good in building the trust. >> actually, you need two things. you need to establish trust, and you need to exploit their hope. >> that is it. so when we are able to do that, then we start extracting money from them. you cannot do that without an online dating site. >> you need those online dating platforms? >> definitely. definitely. >> reporter: emanuel says he worked with a team of scammers who could impersonate different accents. but his success depended on dating websites like match.com, where laura met frank, who used a picture stolen from a doctor in chile. >> how hard was it for you to set up a fake profile?

>> it's easy. >> it's a substantial problem, and it's one that's rapidly accelerating. >> reporter: arun row oversees romance investigations for the department of justice and says scammers are using a.i. to manipulate their voices and trick their victims. >> if you are not perhaps accustomed to dealing with technology, then you may find yourself as a potential target. >> reporter: last year, more than 64,000 americans reported being a romance scam victim. many are older singles, lonely after a spouse dies, often with more money to target. but no one, says law enforcement, is safe. >> we believe that is also substantially undercounting the extent of the problem. >> undercounted because people are racked in shame and embarrassment? >> they may be embarrassed that they have been victimized in this way. they may be afraid to tell their friends or family. >> i've interviewed all walks of

life -- lawyers, doctors, to ditch diggers. >> reporter: retired postal inspector natalie rita interviewed hundreds of romance scam victims. >> it's hard to watch. getting a little emotional about that. some people, you know, when you talk to them, it's the first time they've admitting that they've been scammed. >> kelly? >> yeah. >> the search for a missing woman. >> reporter: when laura kowal went missing, you just knew. >> i just knew. >> you looked around. she's not in the yardny where? >> reporter: kelly turned her mom's house upside down and found this note dpraesed to her that read, i've been living a double life. yes, it involves frank. i tried to stop this, but i knew i would end up dead. >> it's still hard looking at this because i remember being so confused. like she's leaving me a clue. >> reporter: laura kowal's body was found two days later, 235

miles from home, floating in the mississippi river in a place kelly says she'd never been. laura's death opened up a number of tough questions for kelly. >> could your mom have been compromised and then leveraged and actually been working for these guys? >> reporter: the answer to that and several other dimensions to this diabolical crime is what we're digging into all week on the scam epidemic that's plaguing so many families. >> that was jim axelrod, and this is the "cbs overnight news."

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steve hartman now with a story of motherly love that he found "on the road." >> reporter: a lot of kids in america want to run a lemonade stand, but not many feel like they have to. 7-year-old emery johnson started her business a few weeks ago after a terrible nightmare morning. >> i woke up with the worst news of my life. >> reporter: emery's mother, carly, died unexpectedly at the age of 29. she was a single mom and emery's everything. >> we go see mommy? >> reporter: which is why she couldn't understand the first time she went to the cemetery with her grandmother, jennifer, why everyone else got giant granite headstones, but her mom, just this tiny metal one. >> did that bother?

why? >> because it felt like she was being left out. >> reporter: her grandma tried to explain how they couldn't afford a headstone right now. >> she had tears in her eyes and wanted to help. >> reporter: so she did the only thing that she could think of to raise money? >> yes. >> i made a lemonade stand. >> reporter: a lemonade stand to pay for her mother's headstone. at first, she didn't make mention of her cause. >> thank you. >> reporter: but word got out. >> thank you. >> reporter: and before long, emery says it seemed like just about everyone here in scottsboro, alabama, was thirsty for lemonade. the price was a dollar. >> thank you. >> reporter: but she says people liked it so much. >> how many cups do you want? >> reporter: they often paid more. >> the most we got from one cup of lemonade was 300 bucks. >> for lemonade? >> yeah, for one cup. >> whoa! >> reporter: so far, emery's lem snad stand has raised more than

$15,000, which will all go into savings because a monument company is now donating the headstone. but more importantly, emery has taken that lemon life handed her and squeezed out hope. >> her comment was when all these people came, she couldn't believe so many people cared for and loved her mommy. >> reporter: they always say it takes a village to raise a child. but sometimes it also takes a village to mourn a mom. folks around here take that role seriously, offering emery comfort by the cupful and all the love she can drink. >> thank you. >> you're

the war in ukraine has left tens of thousands dead, hundreds of thousands of injured, and a country shattered. many soldiers returning from the front lines suffer from ptsd, and some of those are finding

peace in art. ian lee reports. >> reporter: these ukrainian soldiers are trading the battlefield for the classroom, armed with buckets of clay and tools for creativity. >> they all smoke because of the war, so the first thing they want to make is ashtrays. >> reporter: alexi per homen chick is their commander, a local sculptor looking to help these troops suffering from psychological trauma linked to the ongoing war with russia. >> people come here. they have a frown on their faces. they cannot even speak properly to their families. they don't understand how. they forgot. >> reporter: but psychologists say getting their hands dirty is helping them heal as they sculpt tanks and other memories from the battlefield. this soldier says "it's become a kind of rehabilitation for us. when you focus all your attention on what you can create." many are starting to smile again for the first time in a long

time. >> they're laughing. they're joking. they're just the same people again. >> reporter: helping to heal the hidden wounds of war. ian lee, cbs news, london. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for cbs mornings and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm nidia cavazos. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the senate has passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that provides funding for ukraine and israel and calls for the sale of tiktok. it was passed by the house over the weekend.

president biden says he will sign it today. despite heavy protests, tennessee lawmakers voted to allow teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns at public schools. it comes after a shooting last year at a nashville elementary school killed three children and three adults. and former congressman george santos says he is ending his run to r urn to washington. santos is dropping his independent bid for new york's 1st district, saying it would guarantee a democratic win. for more, download the cbs connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. i'm not sure that anybody's ever seen anything like this before. >> tonight, trump on trial. ex-tabloid publisher david pecker telling jurors about a secret deal between him and donald trump to bury negative stories during the 2016 presidential campaign. and the former president blasts the judge and gag order.

>> it's an unconstitutional gag order by a highly conflicted judge. >> president biden. >> we have the worst president in the history of our country. >> and the courtroom. >> it's freezing by the way. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for being with us. i'm maurice dubois. norah is on assignment. we begin tonight with day two of testimony in the criminal trial of former president donald trump. former "national enquirer" publisher david pecker was back on the stand, where he said he worked with trump and his longtime fixer, michael cohen, to hide negative stories about him during the 2016 campaign. the prosecution claims it was all a part of a conspiracy to influence the election. before today's testimony, there was a tense hearing over whether trump repeatedly violated a gag order by attacking witnesses and jurors on social media. prosecutors urged the judge to fine trump thousands of dollars

and hold him in contempt while the former president complained that his right to free speech was being taken away. cbs's robert costa was inside the courthouse and starts us off tonight. >> reporter: former president trump aired his frustration with being in court today. >> this is a very unfair situation. >> reporter: after listening to former "national enquirer" publisher david pecker, a man he's known for over three decades, explain the strategy he testified they agreed upon ahead of the 2016 election. the paper would bury any negative news about trump while promoting fake stories about his political opponents, including senators ted cruz and marco rubio. pecker testified the plan was concocted at trump tower in 2015. trump and former fixer michael cohen allegedly asked him how he could help the campaign. he told them, "i would be your eyes and ears," explaining the practice of catch and kill. the "enquirer" would buy the rights to any damaging story about trump and never publish it. prosecutors say that plan was

the origin of cohen's $130,000 payment to former adult film star stormy daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with trump, who denies it all. one example of catch and kill discussed in court today involved the trump building doorman, who was selling what turned out to be a fake story about trump fathering a son. pecker told the jury today he bought the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and mr. trump. >> david pecker is a very strong witness for the prosecution. he seems very solid on the stand. he certainly seems like he doesn't have any ax to grind with donald trump. >> reporter: on the stand, pecker said trump called him about another story he wanted kept quiet. that of former "playboy" model karen mcdougal, who claimed to have had a 10-month-long affair with trump in 2006, which he denies. >> after we had been intimate, he tried to pay me, and i actually did not take that. >> reporter: four days before the 2016 election, "the wall

street journal" reported that american media, which owned the "enquirer" at the time, had paid mcdougal $150,000 for the rights to her story, which was never published. in the gag order hearing, the prosecution argued that trump should be held in contempt for all of his scathing commentary about this case. trump's lawyer, todd blanche, said his client's being careful with his words. to that, the judge said, "that's just not credible." maurice. >> robert costa once again at the criminal courthouse in lower manhattan tonight. thank you. now to those escalating clashes and threats of violence on college campuses. protests are growing as more students across the country are staging demonstrations against israel's war in gaza. cbs's nancy chen tonight on what protesters are demanding. >> we are not afraid of you! >> reporter: pro-palestinian demonstrators clashed with police at cal poly humboldt in northern california after a group of students used chairs and other furniture to barricade themselves inside one of the

school's main buildings. at nyu, nypd officers in riot gear cleared out a pro-palestinian encampment last night after students defied the university's order to leave. >> we want to see an acknowledgement from our university that there is a genocide happening. >> leave the plaza now, or you'll be arrested for trespass. >> reporter: 120 people were arrested. >> free palestine! free palestine! >> if you're going to host a protest, you should host it in a spot that's not so busy and dependent upon students' classes. >> reporter: today, new york city mayor eric adams said students who protest peacefully are not the problem. >> we can't have outside agitators come in and be destructive to our city. there was someone wanted something to happen at that protest at nyu that police officers didn't respond to. >> reporter: from coast to coast, campus to campus, protests are growing louder in solidarity. students are also joining in at uc berkeley. >> quite frankly, i think it's important that people start to align themselves with

palestinian resistance. >> reporter: here at columbia university, the seventh day of protests. demonstrators want the school to divest from all business that supports israel. >> i think that it's time to divest from those weapons manufacturing and re-divest them into other important things. >> reporter: they're also demanding amnesty for all students who have been punished. as you can see behind me, demonstrators both on and off campus are still demanding to be heard. meanwhile, there are growing calls for the university's president to resign. maurice. >> and no real end in sight tonight. nancy chen at columbia university in new york, thank you. at a campaign event today in florida, president biden blamed his opponent, former president trump, for a growing wave of restrictive abortion laws across the country. cbs's nancy cordes has more on what is shaping up to be a key issue in the polls in november. >> this isn't about states' rights. it's about women's rights. >> reporter: president biden traveled to tampa today, just eight days before florida's abortion crackdown is set to go into effect.

the nation's third most populous state will ban abortions at six weeks, a point at which many women still don't realize they're pregnant. >> there's one person responsible for this nightmare, and he's acknowledged and he brags about it -- donald trump. >> reporter: when it comes to abortion, there is one thing biden and trump agree on, that it was trump's appointment of three deeply conservative supreme court justices that changed the balance of the court and brought about an end to roe v. wade. >> we broke roe v. wade, and we did something that nobody thought was possible. >> reporter: since then, about half of all u.s. states have rolled back reproductive rights, and yet polling by cbs news shows only a third of americans say trump deserves the blame. >> he described the dobbs decision as a miracle. maybe it's coming from that bible he's trying to sell. >> reporter: today biden highlighted the recent spike in pregnant women being turned away from emergency rooms.

caitlin joshua was turned away by two hospitals in baton rouge, louisiana, when she was having a miscarriage. >> i was told that i would be sent home with prayers but would not get a diagnosis of miscarriage on paper verbally. >> reporter: five months after florida's abortion ban goes into effect, voters in that state will have a chance to reverse it. there's a referendum on november's ballot in florida that the biden team hopes will drive democratic voters to the polls there, though florida hasn't gone for a democratic presidential candidate since 2012. maurice. >> okay. nancy cordes at the white house tonight, thank you. e "cbs overnight new nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea,

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the justice department announcing today it will pay more than $138 million for the fbi's mishandling of the investigation. olympic stars simone biles, mckayla maroney, and aly raisman among the more than 100 people who sued the fbi for failing to respond to their complaints with urgency. the com bhiened payouts to nassar's victims now top $1 billion. now a story that should serve as a warning for gun owners traveling to the caribbean islands of turks and caicos. an american tourist is behind bars tonight, facing up to 12 years in prison after officials found ammunition in his luggage. cbs's kris van cleave reports on a state department travel alert. >> reporter: a tearful reunion at the oklahoma city airport this morning was not the way valerie watson thought her turks and caicos vacation would end. >> just getting to hold them again, it just fill might mama heart. >> reporter: she's home, but her husband and father of two, ryan, is in jail on the islands,

facing a potential mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years behind bars over four rounds of hunting ammo airport security found in his carry-on bag as the couple was set to leave turks and caicos earlier this month. >> we were trying to pack flip-flops. packing ammunition was not at all our intent. >> reporter: we spoke with the watsons sunday before they learned valerie would not be charged and be allowed to return home. >> this went from what was supposed to be a dream vacation to a nightmare. >> reporter: brian hegrich from after ammo was found in his checked bag in february. >> subsequently spent eight nights in their local jail. some of the darkest, hardest times of my life quite frankly. >> reporter: possessing a gun or ammunition is prohibited in turks and caicos. however, tourists were often able to pay a fine until a february court order mandating even tourists in the process of leaving the country be subject to prison time. last september, the u.s. embassy posted this travel alert online, warning people to check your

luggage for stray ammunition. >> i can't even begin to think that this very innocent regrettable mistake would prevent me from being able to, you know, watch my son graduate or teach him to shave or take my daughter to, you know, dances. >> reporter: a mistake that could land american tourists visiting an island paradise in a prison hell. kris van cleave, cbs news. now to breaking news tonight. cbs news is confirming that the fda has found evidence of the bird flu virus in grocery store milk but expressed confidence that there is no threat to human health. the government agency said tests are being conducted to determine how well pasteurization works to reduce the risk of infectious bird flu in the milk supply. tonight we continue our cbs news investigation into the growing wave of online romance scams. cbs's jim axelrod reports on a

sinister new twist when the victims themselves become accomplices. >> my mom was actually very specific about wanting to do online dating, and it felt safer. >> online dating felt safer? >> mm-hmm. >> reporter: if it wasn't painful enough that kelly gowe's mother, laura kowal, was scammed out of $1.5 million, then found dead in the mississippi river, when kelly started investigating what happened, she discovered her mom's role in something criminal. >> she got so deep into the scam, and when she tried getting out of it, she became what is known in these scams as a money mule. they got her hooked into it. >> reporter: laura wasn't alone. >> my name is glenda. >> reporter: it's the latest scammer tactic, now so widespread that federal agents have broadcast warnings. >> police officers told me that my love was a scam. >> this feels like it moves to a whole other level of sinister.

>> they use victims till the end. >> reporter: retired postal inspector natalie rita investigated cases where victims fell so hard for their scammers, they'd do anything they were told, like depositing other victims' money in their accounts to launder it and stay one step ahead of the authorities. at first, the victims might not have realized they were committing a crime. >> they checked their reasoning at the door. >> reporter: kelly says her mom opened bank accounts, created fake corporations, and even set up phony dating profiles for the scammers. >> could your mom have been compromised, actually been working for these guys? >> i believe so. >> reporter: at the time of her death, police said kelly's mom, laura, was actually under investigation for money laundering. federal agents had traced some of the money laura unwittingly sent to scammers to chicago and arrested this woman, jennifer

gosha, along with two nigerian nationals for alleged involvement in romance fraud. while prosecutors say gosha was an active participant, she has pleaded not guilty and told us she, too, was a money mule duped by one of the nigerians and says she never made a nickel. >> it wasn't like a ding, ding, ding, something's wrong. >> reporter: gosha says she dated one of the nigerians in real life, but he operated behind her back. >> i served in the iraqi war. i raised my children. i am not someone who decides after all i've accomplished in my life, now i'm going to become a criminal mastermind. if i'm going to come up with a scheme, it's not going to be this dumb-ass scheme. >> reporter: if convicted, gosha could face up to 30 years in prison. >> do you ever think to yourself, "i played a part in someone's life being ruined"? >> i have thought that many, many times, and i didn't play a

part in it knowingly. >> you're saying you're a victim of the scammers as well. >> i'm absolutely a victim. but i -- >> and you're a victim who may end up doing time. >> and only because they feel like i should have known. >> reporter: as for kelly gowe, her thought is simple. someone has to pay. >> i have so much anger towards them. they took everything away from her, and i and my family will never get that time back. >> wow. eye-opening, disturbing. jim, where does your investigation go now? >> maurice, law enforcement tells us that the explosion of romance scams is tied directly to the increased popularity of online dating apps. they are, after all, a target-rich environment for scammers.

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there were no survivors today when two helicopters collided in midair during a rehearsal for a military parade in malaysia. one helicopter clipped the other's rotor, sending both crashing to the ground and killing all ten crew members on board. the accident prompted malaysia's government to cancel saturday's 90th anniversary celebration for its navy. the future of the popular security screening company clear appears to be murky in the state of california. we'll explain why ne

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at the state's airports. >> all clear really does is it moves me in front of you, and we get to the same place in front of the conveyor belt. only by then, you're mad, the tsa agent's all stressed out, and i paid $189 because i think i'm better than you. >> how is this different than any other service that we pay to jump the line? >> people pay to jump the line at theme parks. they pay to jump the line going into music concerts, sports stadiums. >> reporter: the company says it has nearly 1 million california customers and pays airports there $13 million. several airlines have taken a stake in clear and say the lost revenue could mean higher fares. but clear, which uses fingerprinting and eye scanning in its screenings, has had issues in recent years with security lapses. that's the main reason the union representing flight attendants supports the bill. and lawmakers don't want to ban

clear entirely, just separate the lines. >> if you pay for clear, you know, go do your line somewhere else. >> that's financially and logistically impractical. tsa doesn't have the funding it needs now to adequately staff all of the security lanes that exist. >> reporter: and clear is also facing another business challenge. the tsa and airlines are already investing in similar technology at checkpoints around the country, including right here at l.a.x. the goal is to move everyone through security faster whether you've got clear or not. maurice. >> okay, carter. we'll keep an eye on that one. carter evans in los angeles tonight, thank you. "heart of america" is next

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finally here, tonight's "heart of america." we meet the nasa scientists who repaired a spacecraft from 15 billion miles away. the voyager 1 is known for being the first spacecraft to go beyond our solar system. so when it stopped sending data back to earth last november, the team faced a daunting task. they traced the problem to a single malfunctioning computer chip and announced yesterday they'd finally made contact once again. suzanne dodd, the voyager project manager, said this was all about teamwork.

>> it's just incredible to be a part of this mission that continues to this day and that has inspired so many generations of people to go into space exploration or science. >> suzanne dodd and the voyager 1 team at nasa, tonight's "heart of america." all about teamwork. and that's the overnight news for this wednesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings" and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm maurice dubois. this is "cbs news flash." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the senate has passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that provides funding for ukraine and israel and calls for the sale of tiktok. it was passed by the house over the weekend.

president biden says he will sign it today. despite heavy protests, tennessee lawmakers voted to allow teachers and staff to carry concealed handguns at public schools. it comes after a shooting last year at a nashville elementary school killed three children and three adults. and former congressman george santos says he is ending his run to return to washington. santos is dropping his independent bid for new york's 1st district, saying it would guarantee a democratic win. for more, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm shanelle kaul, cbs news, new york. it's wednesday, april 24th. this is "cbs news mornings." campus standoff. columbia university's president issues a warning to pro-palestinian protesters who set up tents as more demonstrations pop up nationwide. arming teachers.