tonight at 5:00. >> ahead at 6:00 we'll be checking back on the fire fighting going on in clayton. at least two homes destroyed there. >> glor: on the "cbs evening news" this wednesday: swamping rains in the east lead to more flooding, as fires scorch the west. there could be a truce in one part of the trade wars. and, the study that says lowering blood pressure could stave off alzheimer's. but first, the headlines in 60 seconds. >> more than 26 million americans are under flash flood watches. >> as severe weather grips the eastern u.s. for a fifth straight day. >> you got to get out or you're not getting out. >> oh, my god. >> a colorado driver lucky to be alive after her s.u.v. is swallowed by a massive sinkhole. >> this was a very big day for free and fair trade. >> the united states and the european union are working towards eliminating tariffs and other issues with trade.

>> president trump is slamming the release of a secretly recorded conversation between him and michael cohen. >> the president tweeted, "what kind of lawyer would tape a client?" >> cohen's attorney lanny davis told abc's "good morning america"... >> don't believe me? listen to the tape. >> singer demi lovato is recovering after suffering a drug overdose yesterday. >> demi is awake and with her family. >> celebrities and fans share their support... >> demi, you're a fighter. you can win this war. you're going to win it. >> president trump's star on the walk of fame was destroyed this morning by a man with a pickax. >> tmz obtained video of the incident. >> the man turned himself in. >> scientists have detected evidence of a huge lake of water buried deep in mars. >> this raises the possibility of finding life on the red planet. >> with home prices the way they are here... >> ...it wouldn't be a bad idea to start expanding elsewhere.

>> glor: good evening. i'm jeff glor. and this is our western edition. we are going to begin here with the waves of rain drenching neighborhoods from the carolinas to new england. in pennsylvania, the floods are being called historic. some have had to escape flooded homes and cars by boat. parts of the state have gotten more than a foot of rain since the downpours started on saturday. in the capital, harrisburg, it is the wettest july ever. the surrounding county has been soaked with 78 billion gallons of water. demarco morgan is there. >> reporter: bridges are washed out and numerous nearby residents have been evacuated in hershey and lancaster county. greg warfel witnessed rescues right near his home. >> they were staging to rescue the people in the houses across the creek, because the creek had rose above the road and they couldn't drive out. >> reporter: nearby knoebels amusement park is also closed

after floodwaters rushed through. in maryland, some of the crest gates on the conowingo dam were opened to alleviate water levels following the downpours there. and, the heavy rains are bringing damage and frustration. a sinkhole opened up overnight next to priscilla stoner's home in palmyra, pennsylvania. >> it's very concerning. i mean, we're in a neighborhood where it's just happening and you just never know when you're going to wake up and have this in your back yard. if it collapsed that easily overnight, who knows what it could have done during the day. >> reporter: today, authorities recovered the body of a man reported missing on monday in a creek nearby. and if you take a look at this creek right here behind me, this creek is expected to crest some time before the night is out. as for residents who are needing help and assistance, the red cross has opened up two shelters. jeff? >> glor: hard to believe how this rain just keeps coming. demarco morgan, thank you. to the west now, heat advisories and warnings stretch from southern arizona to northern oregon. the most dangerous temperatures are inland. the mercury has topped 100

degrees in fresno, california, every day for nearly three weeks. the heat wave is fueling dozens of large fires. in california, the ferguson fire has burned nearly 40,000 acres since it was sparked by lightning nearly two weeks ago. here's dean reynolds. >> reporter: the largest wildfire in the nation, with a footprint the size of san francisco, is now perched on the threshold of yosemite, and wind-born smoke from that inferno has shrouded the park's iconic sights in a thick, choking haze. people come from all over the world to see the majestic el capitan monolith here in yosemite. unfortunately, this is what it looks like today. >> the first thing we saw was the smoke. >> reporter: raphael krings came from belgium. so you haven't seen a clear view of much? >> no. >> reporter: albert gonzalez is from spain. >> i am very disappointed. >> reporter: but park rangers said they had little choice but

to close the campsites, hotels, and lodges here and order everyone out by noon. >> this is a huge economic impact, and it's especially tough being the fact that we're right in the middle of the busy summer season. >> reporter: that said, the decision was easy. >> it's just not healthy for people to be here. >> reporter: they also needed to clear the roads for firefighters attempting to contain the blaze and keep it from inching inside the park. but it left behind a quiet, almost ghostly scene. on a normal summer day, this entrance to yosemite would be packed with cars waiting to get in, but it's closed now, jeff, and it won't reopen again until sunday at the earliest. >> glor: wow. dean reynolds, thank you. the rift is widening between president trump and his former personal attorney michael cohen after cohen released a secretly recorded conversation with then- candidate trump. here's paula reid. >> reporter: surrounded by reporters in the oval office today, president trump refused to talk about his taped conversation with former attorney michael cohen.

>> did michael cohen betray you? >> thank you very much. thank you. >> mr. president, are you worried about what michael cohen is going to say to prosecutors? >> thank you. >> are you worried about what is on the other tapes, mr. president? >> reporter: the recording was made two months before the 2016 election. the two men are heard talking about a payment to effectively silence former "playboy" model karen mcdougal, who claims she had an affair with president trump. aer nearly three minutes,

one of 12 seized by the f.b.i. during raids on cohen's home and office. the tape was released by cohen's new attorney, democrat lanny davis, who defended former president bill clinton during his impeachment. it was leaked to cnn, a frequent target of the president's ire. today, the president tweeted, "what kind of lawyer would tape a client? so sad." for both the president and cohen, the conversation could signal a campaign finance violation. cohen once said he would take a bullet for mr. trump, but releasing the secret recording is the latest signal that cohen is working to distance himself from the president. >> glor: paula, you're a former lawyer-turned-correspondent. what kind of legal risk does this tape potentially pose for the president? >> reporter: well, jeff, it's cohen who is the true threat here. he's of course the president's long-time fixer. he's privy to a lot of secret inat his business, and his family. this tape was just one of millions of pieces of evidence seized in raids on his home and office. cohen is under criminal

investigation. it is likely he will be charged, and if he is charged, this is a carrot for prosecutors to wave in front of him to potentially cooperate against the president in the russia investigation in exchange for leniency in his own case. and that is certainly a threat to the president and the white house should be concerned about. >> glor: paula reid continues her great reporting in d.c. paula, thanks very much. it appears quite a bit has changed in just a little over a week between president trump and the european union. this was our interview with the president in scotland. who is your biggest competitor, your biggest foe globally right now? >> well, i think we have a lot of foes. i think the european union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. now, you wouldn't think of the european union, but they're a foe. >> glor: foes were friendlier today as the president and e.u. chief executive jean-claude jur d pr >> this will open markets for farmers and workers, increase investment, and lead to greater prosperity in both the united states and the european union.

it will also make trade fairer and more reciprocal-- my favorite word, reciprocal. >> glor: okay, so that was the president in the rose garden today. weijia jiang was there, as well. weijia? >> reporter: jeff, president trump and the president of the european commission both said their negotiation went very well, after months of escalating tension that led to tariffs on a total of about $10 billion worth of goods. and the two leaders said they have agreed to further talks on a new trade deal to lower existing barriers. now, they did not provide many specifics, but said europe has agreed to buy more products from the u.s., including soybeans and liquefied natural gas. both sides have agreed to lower industrial tariffs and resolve the steel and aluminum ones already in place. they also agreed to hold off on now,dent trump made itrs. friendshiper we just

you, jeff, that he called the e.u. a foe. >> glor: our white house correspondent weijia jiang. weijia, thanks. the white house said today the president's invitation to vladimir putin for a washington meeting is on hold until the special counsel wraps up his investigation into russian interference in the 2016 election. regarding the conversation between the two presidents in helsinki, nancy cordes reports tonight, senators pressed the secretary of state for details. >> are you 100% confident that you know everything that president trump discussed with president putin? >> i am very confident that i received a comprehensive debriefing from president trump. >> reporter: several senators tried... >> it's not for me to disclose the contents of those conversations. >> reporter: ...but secretary of state mike pompeo would not give idenroversia meeting with putin. >> did he tell you what--

whether or not, what happened in those two hours? >> yes, and if your question implies there was something improper about having a one-on- one meeting, i completely disagree. >> reporter: new jersey democrat bob menendez wanted to know if the president promised to weaken sanctions. >> the president was very clear with vladimir putin about u.s. positions. >> he told you that? >> senator, i understand the game that you're playing... >> no, you know, mr. secretary, with all due respect, i don't appreciate you characterizing my questions. my questions are to get to the truth. we don't know what the truth is. >> reporter: the committee's chair, republican bob corker, said the questions reflect a broader concern. >> but it's the president's actions that create tremendous distrust in our nation, among our allies. >> senator, i just disagree with most of what you just said there. every sanction that was put in place was signed off by the president of the united states. every spy that was removed was directed by the president of the united states. ( crosstalk ) so somehow there is this idea that this administration is free-floating. this is president trump's

administration. make no mistake who's fully in charge of this. >> reporter: the skepticism extended to u.s. policy on north korea, where the ruling party reportedly vowed today not to give up its nuclear weapons, despite u.s. overtures. secretary pompeo insisted that nuclear talks are making concrete progress, though he declined, jeff, to share any specifics. >> glor: nancy cordes, thank you very much. isis claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks today in southern syria. outdoor markets were among the targets. more than 200 were killed on the single deadliest day in that region since the syrian civil war began seven years ago. the assad regime has been fighting to wipe out the last remnants of isis in the south. scientists today reported a remarkable discovery on mars. a huge lake of salty water has been detected deep beneath the surface of the red planet. and, where there is water, there could be life. chip reid takes a look.

>> reporter: it's hard to imagine a lake on the desolate planet of mars, but a group of italian scientists claims it's true. a ground-breaking discovery in the search for life on the red planet. even science fiction's "martian" didn't find a lake. >> i colonized mars. >> reporter: but he would be wise to hold off on buying that bathing suit. the water is a bit chilly. mars, the fourth rock from the sun, is a lot colder than earth, and the suspected lake is near the frigid martian south pole. italian scientists claim they discovered it by hitting the area repeatedly with ground- penetrating radar, revealing what they say is a body of liquid water 12 miles wide, about one mile under the surface. so there really is a possibility that there is a big 12-mile lake on mars? >> yeah. >> reporter: dr. james zimbelman, a geologist with the smithsonian air and space museum, says where there's water, there could be life. are we talking about whales and dolphins here? >> oh, no, no, no.

it would be exciting... i mean, it would be the greatest news of the century if we found a microbe. >> reporter: last month, the same italian space agency that made this discovery released the first-ever 3d color video of mars' frigid surface. but below the surface it's even colder, so how could there be liquid water? the italian scientists say the lake is so salty that the water is like sludge, making the temperature where water freezes much lower than that of ordinary water. the search for life on mars is very much alive. behind me are the first three generations of mars rovers. the fourth generation is expected to be launched in two years. a key part of its mission, to find the chemical fingerprints of life. jeff? >> glor: chip, gabt whales and . worth asking, i guess. also a good answer. appreciate it, chip reid. coming up next on the "cbs evening news," preventing dementia. scientists say a healthy heart may be the key to a healthy brain.

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breaking research was reported today in the battle against dementia and alzheimer's disease. about nine million americans suffer from dementia. more than half of these patients have alzheimer's. scientists say you may be able to lower your risk by lowering your blood pressure. dr. jon lapook is here to explain. jon, you think this is a very big deal. why is that? >> reporter: i really do, jeff, because when you think about it, this is such a huge problem in america. we already know that lowering high blood pressure and lowering other risk factors lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. and now we know for the first time, with really good evidence, what's good for the heart is also good for the head. and we know that because in this study, they very aggressively looked at lowering high blood pressure. and they found that lowering high blood pressure also lowered the risk of what's called mild cognitive impairment-- that's m.c.i.-- and that's where your thinking isn't quite right, but

it's not bad enough to affect daily function yet. and it's felt to be a gateway to full-blown dementia. now, in the study, they lowered the blood pressure, the top number, the systolic, to 120. and they found when they did that, they lowered the risk of mild cognitive impairment by 19% compared to if they lowered it to 140. now, it looked like that more aggressive treatment also lowered the risk of full-blown dementia, but the author said to me, "look, it's only a 4.5 year follow-up, we need more numbers to prove that." >> glor: very interesting. i know we'll have more from you to follow up on in the future. jon, thank you very much. up next here on the "cbs evening news," an update on demi lovato, after an overdose. ♪ ♪ it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke.

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>> glor: an american christian pastor imprisoned in turkey for to house arrest today for undisclosed health reasons. andrew brunson is facing trial, accused of helping a group behind a failed coup in turkey.e

the white house is pushing turkey to return brunson to the u.s. singer demi lovato today canceled a performance scheduled for tomorrow night in atlantic city. she is recovering after being rushed to the hospital yesterday, reportedly because of a drug overdose. lovato, who is 25, has been open about her struggle with addiction. in her most recent song, "sober," she apologizes for relapsing after six years of sobriety. this year's kennedy center honorees were announced today. ♪ do you believe in life after love ♪ they include singer and academy award-winning actress cher. also among the honorees, composer and pianist philip glass. country music star reba mcentire. and jazz saxophonist and composer wayne shorter. there will also be a special award this year for the creators of "hamilton." the gala celebration will be recorded in early december, and broadcast december 26, right here on cbs. coming up next, an officer answers an emergency call for a clean shave. sponsored by:

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the rkhere jim axelrod. >> reporter: if character is what you do when you don't know anyone's watching, then tallahassee, florida police officer tony carlson's character is solid gold. >> we've seen so many negative things in reference to police and some of the actions that have been taken. it's kind of nice that something positive was caught on film. >> reporter: last sunday afternoon, officer carlson had just finished a call and was in a gas station parking lot, when he came upon a homeless man named phil. >> when i got out of my car, he asked me if i knew anything about electric razors and that it was broke and he was trying to get it to work, if i could help him. >> reporter: while officer carlson fixed it, phil told him, if he could just clean himself up, the mcdonald's next door had promised him a job. with the repair successful, phil then tried to shave. >> he was trying to shave. he obviously was outside, didn't have a mirror or anything. after patch, and it wasn't going

too well. so i said, hey, phil, if you want me to do that, i can probably get it done a lot quicker than you sitting here struggling with it. >> reporter: a stranger with a cellphone saw what was going on, posted it on facebook, and the good deed went viral. >> when i finished with phil, i drove off. and my wife had called me, and she said, hey, did you shave some guy today? >> reporter: tomorrow, officer carlson will help phil complete some paperwork, and then it looks like phil will have a job, all thanks to a close shave with the law. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. >> glor: well done, officer carlson. that is the "cbs evening news" for tonight. tomorrow, "cbs this morning" and "usa today" have a joint investigation exposing risks women face giving birth in hospitals. hope you can watch that.ve a go. captioning sponsored by cbs

cases yet. images led police.. to sunday's stabbing suspect. ng, kpix5 news begins with b.a.r.t. security cameras breaking one of the biggest cases yet. images led police to the stabbing system. i'm allen martin. >> and i'm elizabeth cooke. -- elizabeth cook. 27-year-old john lee cowell has been charged with murder and attempted murder in the killing of 18-year-old nia wilson. >> suzy steimel has the latest in the store. >> but first phil -- has how

they cracked the case. >> reporter: just about everywhere you look you will see a camera. they were key to the suspect's arrest. >> this is the camera right here that caught the stabbing as they were standing outside of that train car door. >> reporter: the same camera captured the first imagine of suspected killer cowell but that was just the start. >> we followed him down the stairs. down across the construction area here. and-- >> reporter: this camera in a near by garage caught cowell as he was changing his clothing leading to a search of the area that found an i.d. that he had dropped. police then used the i.d. down of cowell by a police body camera when he was sited. the photos were made public monday along with a mug shot and he was recognized by riders who called to this dispatch