10/31: CBS Evening News

SEVERAL OF THOSE WHO DIED TODAY ARE FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES ACCORDING TO BELGIUM'S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER ONE BELGIAN DIED, TWO OTHERS WERE INJURED. AN ARGENTINE OFFICIAL IS REPORTING THAT ONE ARGENTINE DIED TODAY, AS WELL. HERE AT BELLEVUE WE'RE TOLD THAT THERE IS EXTRA SCRUTINY HERE FROM POLICE. THERE ARE I. D. s BEING CHECKED TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE ARE INDEED WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE. JEFF ?>> Glor: MICHELLE MILLER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FROM BELLEVUE. THE PRESIDENT'S FIRST COMMENT ON THE ATTACK IN HIS HOMETOWN CAME ON TWITTER. MAJOR GARRETT IS AT THE WHITE HOUSE WITH MORE ON THIS. MAJOR ?>> Reporter: JEFF, THE PRESIDENT WAS BRIEFED BY HIS CHIEF OF STAFF, RETIRED MARINE GENERAL JOHN KELLY AND LATER ISSUED A STATEMENT THAT READ IN PART, " MY ADMINISTRATION WILL PROVIDE ITS FULL SUPPORT TO THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING THROUGH A JOINT INVESTIGATION WITH THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION. WE OFFER OUR THANKS TO THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO STOPPED THE SUSPECT AND RENDERED IMMEDIATE AID TO THE VICTIMS OF THIS COWARDLY ATTACK ." EARLIER THE PRESIDENT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST AND MOST PROMINENT FEDERAL OFFICIALS TO DRAW A LINK BETWEEN THIS ATTACK AND ISIS, TWEETING, " WE MUST NOT ALLOW ISIS TO RETURN OR ENTER OUR COUNTRY AFTER DEFEATING THEM IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ELSEWHERE ." BEFORE THAT THE PRESIDENT CALLED THE ATTACKER A " VERY SICK AND DERANGED PERSON ," ADDING IN ALL CAPS, " NOT IN THE U. S. A ." THE VERY FIRST WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL TO TWEET ON THE NEW YORK ATTACK WAS IVANKA TRUMP, SAYING SIMPLY, " HEARTBREAKING NEWS COMING OUT OF NEW YORK CITY. PRAYING FOR THE VICTIMS ." JEFF ?>> Glor: MAJOR, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MORE UPDATES THROUGHOUT THIS BROADCAST. WE GO BACK NOW TO ANTHONY MASON IN THE STUDIO .>> Mason: THANKS, JEFF. AND COMING UP NEXT ON THE " CBS EVENING NEWS ," AFTER INDICTMENTS AND A GUILTY PLEA, PRESIDENT TRUMP TRIES TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION. AND SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES TELL CONGRESS RUSSIAN ELECTION HACKING WAS A LOT BIGGER THAN THEY THOUGHT .>> Mason: PRESIDENT TRUMP TODAY TRIED TO PUT DISTANCE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO RUSSIAN INTERFERENCE IN THE ELECTION, THIS DESPITE THE INDICTMENT OF HIS FORMER CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN AND A GUILTY PLEA BY A FORMER CAMPAIGN ADVISER. MAJOR GARRETT REPORTS WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID TODAY IS AT ODDS WITH WHAT HE SAID IN THE PAST .>> Reporter: ON TWITTER, PRESIDENT TRUMP FALSELY CLAIMED PAUL MANAFORT'S ALLEGED OFFENSE �� BUT THE INDICTMENT ALLEGES MANAFORT LIED TO FEDERAL OFFICIALS AND CARRIED OUT A MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME DURING HIS TENURE AS CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN AND WHILE ADVISING THE TRANSITION. MANAFORT HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY TO ALL CHARGES. THE PRESIDENT ALSO SAID, " FEW PEOPLE KNEW GEORGE PAPADOPOULOS ," A TRUMP CAMPAIGN FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER WHO HAS PLED GUILTY TO LYING TO THE F. B. I. ABOUT EFFORTS TO CONTACT RUSSIAN INTERESTS FOR THE CAMPAIGN. MARCH 2016, THE PRESIDENT SPOKE TO THE " WASHINGTON POST .">> Reporter: THAT SAME MONTH, PAPADOPOULOS WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AT A FOREIGN POLICY MEETING WITH CANDIDATE TRUMP AND FUTURE ATTORNEY GENERAL, JEFF SESSIONS. THE WHITE HOUSE SAID MR. TRUMP BARELY REMEMBERS PAPADOPOULOS. THIS WAS THE

>> ONE OF THE GREAT MEMORIES OF ALL TIME .>> Reporter: TODAY, PRESS SECRETARY SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS SAID THE CAMPAIGN TURNED OVER PAPADOPOULOS' EMAILS TO THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S OFFICE, WHICH INCLUDED COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PAPADOPOULOS AND SAM CLOVIS, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN NATIONAL CODE CHAIRMAN. THE PLEA AGREEMENT CITING THOSE EMAILS SAYS THAT THE CAMPAIGN SUPERVISOR, NOW KNOWN TO BE CLOVIS, TOLD PAPADOPOULOS " I WOULD ADVISE AND YOU OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE THE TRIP TO RUSSIA IF IT IS FEASIBLE ." BUT SANDERS TRIED TO CONTRADICT THAT ACCOUNT TODAY .>> MY UNDERSTANDING IS THERE WASN'T ENCOURAGEMENT. HE MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT SETTING UP A VARIETY OF MEETINGS. THAT WERE CONSTANTLY REBUFFED .>> Reporter: CLOVIS HAS BEEN NOMINATED TO A TOP SCIENTIFIC POST IN THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND DESPITE QUESTIONS RAISED BY THE TOP SENATE DEMOCRAT ON THE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE, THE WHITE HOUSE SAID IT SEES NO REASON TO WITHDRAW CLOVIS' NOMINATION .>> Mason: THANKS MAJOR. SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES TOLD A SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE TODAY THAT RUSSIAN- LINKED ACCOUNTS BEGAN TRYING TO INTERFERE WITH THE ELECTION IN 2015, AND THEY KEPT AT IT LONG AFTER THE VOTING HAD ENDED. HERE'S NANCY CORDES .>> WE TAKE WHAT HAPPENED ON FACEBOOK VERY SERIOUSLY .>> Reporter: EXECUTIVES FROM FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND GOOGLE TOLD SENATORS TODAY THAT RUSSIAN TROLLS WERE MORE PROLIFIC THAN THEY INITIALLY BELIEVED, POSTING 80, 000 PIECES OF CONTENT ON FACEBOOK ALONE BETWEEN 2015 AND THIS SUMMER .>> SO THIS CONTINUED AFTER HIS ELECTION ?>> IT CONTINUED UNTIL WE DISABLED THE ACCOUNTS .>> Reporter: MOST OF THE POSTS AND ADS ORIGINATED FROM ONE OFFICE BUILDING IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, WHERE AN OPERATION INNOCUOUSLY NAMED " THE INTERNET RESEARCH AGENCY" UPLOADED 1100 VIDEOS TO YOUTUBE AND PUBLISHED MORE THAN 131, 000 DIVISIVE MESSAGES ON TWITTER. FACEBOOK ESTIMATES UP TO 126 MILLION USERS SAW FAKE RUSSIAN POSTS LIKE THIS ONE, FALSIFYING HILLARY CLINTON'S RECORD WITH VETERANS. IT CLAIMED TO COME FROM A GROUP CALLED " TEXANS FOR TRUTH .">> THAT ADVERTISEMENT HAS NO PLACE ON FACEBOOK .>> Reporter: ALL THREE TECH GIANTS SAY THEY HAVE INVESTED IN STAFF AND SYSTEMS TO KEEP BAD ACTORS OUT .>> WE ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING EVERY SINGLE DAY TO GET BETTER AT SOLVING THIS PROBLEM .>> Reporter: LOUISIANA REPUBLICAN JOHN KENNEDY WAS SKEPTICAL .>> THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS YOU HAD FIVE MILLION ADVERTISERS. THEY CHANGE EVERY MONTH, EVERY MINUTE, PROBABLY EVERY SECOND. YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO KNOW WHO EVERYONE OF THOSE ADVERTISERS IS, DO YOU ?>> TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT SEEING ESSENTIALLY BEHIND THE PLATFORM TO UNDERSTAND IF THERE ARE SHELL CORPORATIONS, OF COURSE, THE ANSWER IS NO .>> Reporter: A BIPARTISAN GROUP OF SENATORS HAS INTRODUCED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES TO DISCLOSE WHO IS PAYING FOR POLITICAL ADS. BUT, ANTHONY, MOST OF THIS RUSSIAN MATERIAL WAS FREE CONTENT, NOT PAID ADVERTISING, MAKING IT THAT MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO ROOT OUT .>> Mason: NANCY CORDES ON CAPITOL HILL, THANKS. OUR COVERAGE OF THE TERROR ATTACK IN NEW YORK CITY CONTINUES IN A MOMENT .>> Mason: THE TOLL IN THE TRUCK ATTACK HERE IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY IS AT LEAST EIGHT DEAD, MORE THAN A DOZEN INJURED. WITH ME NOW IS CBS AND SECURITY ANALYST PAUL VIOLIS. PAUL, JOHN MILLER, THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT, SAID TRUCKS ATTACKS ARE THE NEW NORMAL. IS THAT RIGHT ?>> IT'S THE PERFECT WAY OF PUTTING IT. THE BEST WAY THE LOOK AT THIS IS WE'RE IN THE EMBRYONIC STAGE OF A HOLY WAR. WE AS AMERICANS HAVE A DIFFERENT CULTURE. WE LOOK AT THINGS IN A TIME FRAME. WE WANT THINGS DONE. IN THIS PARTICULAR CULTURE, THE ISLAMIC RADICALISTS, THEIR CALENDAR IS A LIFETIME CALENDAR. SO THEY'RE IN THE BEGINNING STAGE OF THIS. TO SAY THIS IS THE NEW NORMAL, I THINK IT'S A REALLY ACCURATE STATEMENT BECAUSE IT'S THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY PLAN ON GETTING ATTENTION .>> Mason: SO WHAT ARE INVESTIGATORS HERE IN NEW YORK URGENTLY DOING RIGHT NOW ?>> THEY'RE TAKING THE TRUCK. THINK, IF WE MARKET BOARDED THIS, THINK OF THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON. THEY HAVE THE TEAM THAT'S PUT THE TRUCK ON A FLATBED AND THEY'VE TOWED THE TRUCK AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE TRUCK AND THEY'RE HANDLING THE TRUCK. THEY'RE PROCESSING EVIDENCE AT TWO LAYERS OF THE CRIME SCENE, AND NOW THEY'VE PROBABLY SECURED SEARCH WARRANTS AND THEY'RE GOING TO GET HIS COMPUTERS AND PHONES, HIS CELL RECORDS, IDENTIFY WHO HE SPOKE TO, WHEN HE SPOKE TO THEM, AND START LOOKING UP THOSE PEOPLE. BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYONE ELSE INVOLVED WHATSOEVER. THEN THEY'RE GOING TO GO AND SPEND MORE TIME ON THE DRIVER. WHO IS HE? WHERE DID HE GO? WHERE DID HE TRAVEL TO, WHICH IS GOING TO BE KEY. THE FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT WILL BE INVOLVED IN THIS ARE KEY .>> Mason: YOU... BEYOND THIS ATTACK BEING DELIBERATE, YOU THINK IT WAS ACTUALLY CALCULATED ?>> NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT, THIS ISLAMIC RADICALISTS, AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, I KNOW THIS HASN'T BEEN VERIFIED, BUT I UNDERSTAND HE'S MADE SOME MENTION OR THERE WAS SOME MENTION WHETHER IT WAS IN WRITING OR MADE VERBAL MENTION THAT IT'S TIED TO ISIS. IT WOULD APPEAR IT WOULD BE, CLEARLY TIED TO THE METHODOLOGY OF AN ISIS, BUT I'M NOT SURPRISED WITH THE WAY THAT THIS IS TURNING OUT WHATSOEVER .>> Mason: RIGHT .>> WHEN YOU THINK OF THE PLANNING THAT ARE INVOLVED 3: 00 P. M ., IT'S IN FRONT, IT'S DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL BUS THAT'S TRAVELING THAT ROUTE TRAVELS THAT ROUTE EVERY DAY .>> Mason: IT'S ON HALLOWEEN .>> IT'S ON HALLOWEEN, THE STREETS ARE FULL .>> Mason: IN THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER .>> HE'S GOING TO GET THE MAXIMUM INPUT AND MAXIMUM OUTPUT FROM THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT .>> Mason: PAUL VIOLIS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING WITH US TONIGHT .>> MY PLEASURE .>> Mason: AND UP NEXT, JEFF GLOR IN LOWER MANHATTAN WITH AN UPDATE ON THE TERROR ATTACK .>> Glor: NEW YORK CITY IS GOING AHEAD WITH THE ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PARADE IN DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN TONIGHT WITH EXTRA SECURITY. THE EVENT WHICH OFTEN DRAWS TWO MILLION MARCHERS AND SPECTATORS IS BEING HELD JUST A MILE FROM THE SCENE OF TODAY'S TERROR ATTACK. GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO URGED NEW YORKERS TODAY TO NOT LET THIS ATTACK CHANGE THE WAY THEY BEHAVE, TO BE NEW YORKERS, AND NOT LET IT CHANGE THEM. FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN IT HAS NOT. NEW YORKERS HAVE BEEN OUT AND ABOUT ON THIS HALLOWEEN TONIGHT. AT LEAST EIGHT PEOPLE WERE KILLED. AT LEAST 11 INJURED WHEN A MAN DRIVING A RENTAL TRUCK PLOWED ONTO A BIKE PATH AND THEN CRASHED INTO A SCHOOL BUS. POLICE SHOT AND WOUNDED THE SUSPECT, WHO HAD A PAINTBALL AND PELLET GUN WITH HIM. HE'S IDENTIFIED AS 29- YEAR- OLD SAYFULLO SAIPOV ORIGINALLY FROM UZBEKISTAN. THIS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED BY POLICE AS A LONE WOLF TERROR ATTACK. WE WILL HAVE MUCH MORE ON ALL OF THIS ON OUR STREAMING NETWORK CBSN, ON YOUR LOCAL NEWS, AND ALSO I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW ON CBS THIS MORNING. THAT IS THE " CBS EVENING NEWS ." WITH ANTHONY MASON, WHO IS ALSO IN NEW YORK, I'M JEFF GLOR. THANK YOU FOR WATCHING. GOOD NIGHT.