Transcripts For KPIX CBS Weekend News 20210103

Her brother speaks to us. Its as old as this country, so what brought this ferrys historic run to a halt . And later, cardboard fans the craze that helped us connect. Hot dogs hot dogs here this is the cbs weekend news from chicago. Heres adriana diaz. Diaz good evening. A group of 11 current and incoming republican senators today announced plans to reject Electoral College results in certain states won by president elect joe biden. This despite no credible evidence of widespread fraud in the election. Lawsuits claiming the election was stolen have been consistently rejected by the courts, including the u. S. Supreme court twice. The last stand is set for wednesday when congress meets to certify mr. Bidens victory. Weijia jiang is at the white house and leads us off tonight. Reporter senator ted cruz is leading a challenge to president elect joe bidens victory. Cruz is among 11 republican senators who announced today they will object to the certification of the election results, unless a tenday emergency audit is completed by an Electoral Commission to look at election returns in disputed states. We knew that there needed to be something that was done. Reporter earlier this week, missouri senator josh hawley said he plans to contest the outcome, too. Four of the lawmakers were just elected on the same ballot as President Trump, but they are not questioning the legitimacy of their victories. The biden team said in a statement, this stunt wont change the fact that president elect biden will be sworn in on january 20. The move is more symbolic than practical. A majority in both the house and senate would have to vote to overturn the will of the voters. Democrats control the house. These are political arsonists, at this point in time. They are undermining the integrity of our democracy. Reporter the Trump Campaign has lost dozens of Court Challenges to the election, and the Justice Department said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Late last night, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuits filed by texas congressman louie gohmert, who falsely claimed Vice President mike pence has the power to decide the winner of the election. Today in georgia, cruz did not mention his effort as he campaigned for two g. O. P. Colleagues fighting to keep their seats in runoff races on their seats in runoff races on tuesday. The forces that are seeking to tear this country down have set their targets on the state of georgia. Reporter highprofile members of both parties are crisscrossing the state. The results will determine control of the u. S. Senate. Last night, President Trump falsely claimed that the special elections are invalid and illegal, but this morning, he urged people to vote in them while promoting a rally he plans to hold in dalton, georgia, on monday. Adriana. Diaz weijia jiang at the white house, thank you. Now to the coronavirus crisis. The latest tally of vaccinations is three million doses administered. Thats nowhere near the 20 million vaccination goal set by operation warp speed for the end of 2020. And u. S. Infections have soared past a new milestone, now topping 20 million. More than 349,000 have died. Cbs tom hanson has the latest. Reporter with 2020 behind us, hopes placed in vaccines are already plagued by confusion and long lines. Vaccine distribution has been anything but warp speed in several states. In jacksonville, joan tischer camped in her car overnight to make sure she was one of 600 people to get first shot. Its better than a night in the i. C. U. Reporter elsewhere in florida, cars stretched as far as three miles. In cleaveland, tennessee where hae Positivity Rate is 27 , many were turned away after doses ran out. So far, just 12. 5 million doses have been distributed, and less nhan three million have actually been administered, not even close to the 20 million vaccinations pledged by the end of the year. To me, its a crying shame, and its very upsetting because there are lives that can and should be saved, but were not doing it. Reporter Healthcare Systems nationwide, already on the brink, brace for another surge as millions of americans ignore warnings to stay home. Georgia and North Carolina are relying on field hospitals to handle patient overflow, and the more infectious covid19 variant is confirmed in at least thr is now confirmed in at least three states, including colorado, florida, and hardhit california. The state set a grim record on new years day, surpassing 585 deaths in 24 hours. We dont know what else to do. Were breaking. Reporter in los angeles, relief cant come soon enough for frontline workers like bad. A senior. Were things are pretty bad. Things are really bad. Were overwhelmed. Were stressed. Were were stretched so thin. Its really unimaginable. Reporter in 49 zip codes across new york city, at least one out of every 10 covid tests positive. Back positive. Now, the goal h now, the goal here is to vaccinate one Million People by the end of january, and Health Experts say getting those vaccines out quickly is critical. Adriana. Diaz tom hanson in new york. Thank you. Tomorrow on face the nation, Margaret Brennan speaks to operation warp speeds Moncef Slaoui about the pace of the vaccine rollout. Also, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on the surging virus. Overseas now, tensions are heightened in the middle east this weekend as iran marks one year since the assassination of a top military commander in a u. S. Drone strike. That operation last year provoked this angry condemnation, and chants of death to america, as well as missile strikes at u. S. Bases in iraq. Adding to the volatility, iran says it now plans to increase its uranium production. Cbs imtiaz tyab is in our london bureau. Imtiaz, youve reported extensively in the region. Tell us, is there a real threat here . Reporter adriana, good evening. Well, on the surface of it, irans plan to move a step closer to producing weapons grade levels of enriched uranium is a huge concern. But tehrans announcement is part of a much bigger danger brewing in the region. Tensions are running high as the iranians mark the oneyear anniversary of the killing of general qassem soleimani. Now, at the time, iran retaliated with fury at his assassination by carrying out a Ballistic Missile attack on a u. S. Military base in western iraq that left dozens of american troops injured. Just hours later, in what was described as a horrifying mistake, Iranian Forces shot down a ukrainian passenger jet killing all 176 on board. Since then, the tensions with the trump administration, even now in its final days, have continued to boil, and this Nuclear Announcement isnt helping. Diaz so, what signal is iran trying to send to the world by increasing its uranium enrichment . Reporter well, tehran wants the world to know, despite President Trumps maximum Pressure Campaign of crippling tanding and still has leverage standing and still has leverage. But when we consider the assassination of the top nuclear scientist, the killing tehran blames on israel, and u. S. Warships and bombers skirting past iranian territory, the fear is, it could all lead to an all out war. Adriana. Diaz cbs imtiaz tyab in london. Thank you. Saudi arabia sentenced one of t prominents most prominent womens rights activists to nearly six years in prison this week, drawing international condemnation. Among her alleged crimes, fighting for the right to drive. Cbs Holly Williams speaks to the womans brother for the cbs weekend news. Reporter Loujain Alhathloul took on the Saudi Arabian government by take the wheel. Ll banneeous form of protest when women were still banned from driving by the ultra conservative islamic kingdom. She was arrested in 2018, ironically, just weeks before saudi arabias crowned prince, mohammed bin salman, finally gave women permission to drive, the last country in the world to do so. The crown prince wanted to make sure that nobody would take credit for the rights for women to drive. His personality is to make sure that he gets all the credit for himself. Reporter Loujain Al Hathlouls brother walid told us his sister has always been courageous. Her family says she was tortured in jail, subjected to electric shocks and threats of rape. It was brutal. It was insane. It was inhuman. Reporter a saudi court found there was no evidence of torture, but alhathlouls family claims it was supervised by this man, saud alqahtani, a former close associate of the crown prince, who also allegedly directed the 2018 murder of jamal khashoggi, a saudi journalist who angeredlet authorities. Women fighting for thei weve been reporting on saudi women fighting for their rights since 2014, interviewing other women who took to the roads illegally, and then posted evidence of their crimes online. No woman, no drive saudi comedians, who poked fun at the hardliners trying to stop women from driving, and the hardliners themselves. It is going to affect the harmony, tranquility of the saudi nation. Reporter with time served and a partially suspended sentence, Loujain Alhathloul could be released in three months. But her brother told us in saudi arabia, shell be far from free. She will be still monitored. She will be censored. She will not be able to speak out. So, thats not freedom. She will be moving from a small prison to a big prison. Reporter Holly Williams, cbs news, london. Diaz in other news, you to a get more australian than this. A koala bear found its way to a beach and walked on surf boards near melburn. Beachgoers were delighted. The koala ventured onto the sand after emerging from nearby trees. To our winter reality now. Snow is forecast this weekend from the ohio valley to the trtheast. The same system hit kansas city new years day, giving this dad a chance to take his toddlers on a snowy bike ride. And one man turned the tedium of shoveling into a fun game with his dog. Straight ahead on the cbs weekend news, the loss of this historic ferry, shut down after more than 200 years on the job. Also, the threat of microplastics to the oceans and to our food supply. Later, the idea seemed flat at first, but these fans proved to be cut out for the job. Take 1. Hey guys, my windshield just got broken, i feel like i need to blow off some steam. 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C. , is a ferryboat that until recently carried hundreds of cars a day on a scenic journey across the river. But today, whites ferry is tightly moored to the maryland shore, with debris piling up. Its the victim of a legal dispute between the ferrys owners on the maryland side, and the landowners across the river in virginia, who recently obtained a court ruling that the ferrys landing is on their private property. The ferrys owners say they cant afford what the Virginia Land owners are asking to use the landing, so they ceased operations earlier this week. We are devastated, but it made no business sense to remain open at this point. Reporter for commuters like riley jamison, its a nightmare. I have been using the ferry this, on the. I grew up on this, on the herland side, and all of the shopping over here, its just a necessary thing to have. Everybody is upset about it. Reporter but convenience isnt the only loss. Theres been a ferry of one sort or another at this point on the Potomac River since the late 1700s. That means this ferry crossing is about the same age as the nation. And thats what a lot of people fear will be lost a piece of american history. The entire history of American Transportation has crossed here on all kind of ferry boats, while countless children played nearby. A Historical Marker notes that the ferry was used during the civil war civil war by union and confederate forces. After the civil war, the ferry was bought by a confederate officer, who named his boat in honor of his former commander, general jubal a. Early. But that name eventually became too heavy a burden for the ferry to carry, because early was not only a confederate general, he was a notorious lifelong white supremacist. Last summer, the ferrys owners relented and gave the boat a new name, historic whites ferry. Over the past two centuries, there have been more than 100 ferryboat crossings from one end of the potomac to the other. This was the only one left. So for the sake of convenience and history, people here hope the landowners on opposite banks of the potomac will find a way to keep that history alive. Chip reid, cbs news, dickerson, maryland. O diaz still ahead on the cbs weekend news, we go on the hunt for a nearlyinvisible enemy polluting our oceans. Mornings were ma nz. A pill for adults with moderate to severe Rheumatoid Arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. Xeljanz can help relieve joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and helps stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. Xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. Before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. Tell your doctor if youve had hepatitis b or c, have flulike symptoms, or are prone to infections. 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Well have a look to see if there are any microfibers in this water here. Reporter microfibers are microscopic strands shed from crnthetic fabrics that we wear and wash. There are also fragments of plastic products, like bottles and bags. Scientists estimate around three million tons of microfibers now pollute our oceans, even reaching antarctica, where we traveled a year ago. Theyre found in the guts of fish. The microfibers, microplastics can accumulate up to the food chain. Reporter all the way up to human beings. Reporter possibly. Four sites inthompson sent sea the antarctic, to the greenp water samples from four sites in the antarctic, to the greenpeace ntillo andter, england, where scientist David Santillo and his team poured over them for months. What they have now discovered is disheartening. You can see the fiber there. Reporter microfibers in iery sample, similar to what they found at the same sites two years earlier. Its a piece of microplastic. Its a piece of polyester floating out there in antarctic waters. Reporter people could say these particles are so tiny, how could they possibly be dangerous . We dont know what the biological consequences of that that thes moment. What we do know is that these microplastics are there. That exposure is occurring, and, really, it shouldnt be occurring. This is part of a manmade problem that has now gone global. Reporter but environmentalists say there are llutions, like using special filters or bags in washing machines to catch some microfibers. Still, they say, what we really need to do is make and use less plastic. We can focus on buying clothes that are made of natural fibers. We should be using much more Sustainable Materials every day. We just need to think about it. Reporter our planet, she says, needs healthy oceans, and we have the power to protect them. Aberi, cbs news, exeter, exeter, england. Diaz next on the cbs weekend news, we take you out to the ballpark to meet the cardboard fans. Uch as id like. Thats why i take osteo biflex. It helps with occasional joint stiffness, while it nourishes strengthens my joints for the long term. Osteo biflex, find our coupon in sundays paper. Osteo biflex, find our coupon shh i took mucinex dm for mye phlegmy cough. What about robs dry cough . Works on that too, and lasts 12 hours. 12 hours . who studies that long . Mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs. Find our 5 coupon in this sundays paper recommercials witht exciting stunts. So to help you remember that Liberty Mutual customizes your Home Insurance, heres something you shouldnt try at home. Look, Liberty Mutual customizes Home Insurance so we only pay for what we need. Its pretty cool. That is cool grandma very cool. Only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Nicoreyou get advice like smoking is freaking hard. Try hypnosis. Or. Quit cold turkey. 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Fans bought them to stand in their place nationwide, the mugs sometimes garnering mixed reactions at rival stadiums, like a lessthanwarm greeting from phillies mascot phanatic. The pinch hitters included plenty of furry faces. The allpet section is here. Reporter . And familiar ones, too. Tom hanks returned to the home of the oakland as where he once worked as a teenager, the actor recording his voice to play over the speakers. Hot dogs, here colossal hot dogs Reporter Team president dave kaval says fans also recreated favorite memories. People had loved ones that had passed away, and they actually had a cutout of them made, and they were sitting there watching the game with them like 20 or 30 years ago. It really shows how baseball and sports can bring people together, especially in times of crisis. Reporter fans sometimes got to keep the foul balls that hit their cutouts. A players pet had a Close Encounter from the opposing team at citi field, home of the new york mets. The cutouts did more than just raise spirits. The m. L. B. Says teams participating donated money from the programs to local charities, with some raising hundreds of thousands of dollars. In chicago, white sox fan paul garrett sent a forceful message at the Season Opener with 100 cutouts of himself. Yelling at the twins, which is something i like to do, because anybody who is a white sox fan knows how we feel about the minnesota twins. Reporter the selfdescribed diehard grew up going to the games with his dad, and hasnt missed a Season Opener in 15 years. Technically speaking, does this mean you still kept your streak going . Y iteah, ill say it kept the streak going. Reporter hitting home runs on the field, and off. Nancy chen, cbs news, new york. Diaz thats the cbs weekend news for this saturday. Later on cbs, 48 hours, and first thing tomorrow, sunday morning with jane pauley. Im adriana diaz, reporting from cbs station wbbm in chicago. Live from the cbsn bay area , this is kpix 5 news. Now at 6 00, the bay areas icu capacity has hit a low tonight. How many beds are available where you live . We are barely just finishing now with todays drizzle but it is time to look ahead already. The next rain coming here on monday. Coming up. A Police Officer punching his k9 partner. We will have that story coming up. Onemans trash is another mans treasure. One man is putting that phrase to use by buying people out of their encampments. If everything works out for me, i might be able to get out of this situation. It gives me hope. Good evening. I am brian hackney. And i am juliette goodrich. 95 of the bay area icu beds are occupied. We need to get that number back up to 15 to avoid having the stayathome order extended a week from now. So, what does that capacity percentage break down to an actual numbers . According to the state health department, San Francisco had 58 icu beds available as of yesterday. That equates to 6. 6 beds for every 100,000 people in San Francisco. That is the best ratio in the area right now. Napa and santa clara counties have about 2