Transcripts For KPIX CBS Evening News With Norah ODonnell 20200912

As the country remembers 9 11, how the pandemic has changed the way we remember those lost. Plus, in high school on 9 11 it was a call to service because of that day. Odonnell 19 years later, the first living Delta Force Member receives the medal of honor. How Sergeant Major Patrick Payne helped save more than 70 lives while dodging isis bullets. Highrise rescue five workers hurt when a parking deck collapses. How they got out. The four expolice officers charged in the death of george floyd appeared together in court for the first time. One of the former officers in a bulletproof vest. And, on the road with cbs Steve Hartman. Heed up angi lifo chan this is the cbs evening news with norah odonnell, reporting from the nations capital. Odonnell good evening to our viewers in the west, and thank you for joining us. Were going to begin with a staggering and rising death toll tonight from 100 wildfires that are now raging across 11 western states. And as we come on the air, at least 17 people have been killed by the blazes. Dozens more are still missing in oregon, where tonight sources tell cbs news the flames are so intense they are bracing for the possibility they wont have enough resources to try to handle the dead. Now, these monstrous fires are moving so fast, they are now overwhelming fire crews, leaving much of oregon under a state of emergency. One in 10 people there are now under evacuation orders. And tonight, the toxic smoke and ash spewing from the growing blazes has made the air quality in portland and San Francisco the worst in the world. It is so bad that people in the bay area are being told to stay inside as fires continue to decimate hundreds of thousands of acres nearby. And in some places, the smoke is so thick, it is impossible to even see the scope of the devastation. And it all comes on a day, september 11, already marred by the memory of the terror attacks in new york, washington, and pennsylvania. So we have a lot of new t porting to get to on this somber anniversary. We have got our team of correspondents, they are standing by to cover it all. Cbs carter evans is going to lead off our coverage tonight from the scene of one of the largest wildfires in california history. Good evening, carter. Reporter good evening, norah. When the fire raced through here, it burned so hot, the only thing left standing is the chimney. But its not just these homes. Home after home, block afters block, town after town, the amount of destruction is staggering. Now flames are closing in on the suburbs of portland, oregon, where theres a state of emergency. Officials say theyre now preparing for a massfatality incident. As of now, there are early reports from our state police that there are dozens of missing persons related to the fires. Reporter in oregon, half a million are under evacuation orders, more than 12 of the states population. Those fires are also creating choking smoke all up and down the west coast, from los angeles to seattle. The worst air quality in the world is now in oregon. And in california, this fire north of sacramento is now the largest in state history. In the town of berry creek, california, this used to be a lakeside community, full of beautiful homes, nestled in the woods. You look around here now, though, and everything is gone. These homes have been incinerated. This man lost his house two years ago in the camp fire. This week, his new house burned down. It hurts more this time i think than last time, being that were starting to rebuild our life and getting things back together again and having to rebuild is rather devastating. Reporter homes can be rebuilt, but this fire has also claimed at least 10 lives, including 16yearold josiah williams, his body found last night near his berry creek home. In washington state, jamie and jake hylanweittheioneyearold. They couldnt make it to a nearby river in time. How long were they on the shore . It was probably 48 hours. Reporter the parents suffered severe burns, uriel died, and jamie also lost her unborn child. In my worst dreams i couldnt imagine what my sister and brotherinlaw had to go through and to do everything they could to fight for their life and to protect their child and to still lose him and their baby, there are no words, and nothing will ever make it right. Reporter little uriel was just one month shy of his second birthday. Now there is some hopeful news tonight, the wind here is forecast to calm down this weekend, and theyre expecting some rain in the Pacific Northwest next week, and thats much needed, norah. Odonnell there are no words for that loss. Err sister is right. Carter, let me ask you about the air quality there. How bad is it . Reporter well, you may be able to see around me the air is thick with smoke. And here in california, theyre now Opening Centers where people can go and catch a break from the bad air. Odonnell all right, carter evans, thank you. We heard a sobering prediction today from dr. Anthony fauci. The countrys leading Infectious Disease expert said normal life may not return until the end of next year. Six months to the day after the coronavirus was declared a pandemic, more than 192,000 americans have died. New cases have fallen since the summer peak, but there were 35,000 new infections yesterday. Heres cbs manuel bojorquez. If were talking about getting back to a degree of normality prior to covid, its going to be 2021. Dr. Anthony fauci is warning of new surges. I reporter despite downward trends in new cases in 24 states, dr. Anthony fauci is warning of new surges. I am concerned when i see things starting to move indoors, and that becomes more compelling when you get into the fall and the winter season. Reporter yet in nebraska, where covid cases are on the rise, the governor is ending nearly all social distancing restrictions in bars, churches, and gyms, beginning on monday. Other concerns nationwide cooler weather packing more people indoors, and the pandemic merging with the flu season. Watkins back in. Reporter the College Football season just got off to a start, albeit a socially distanced one. But there are concerns games where fans are allowed could become superspreader events. Even with strict precautions, this plainview, New York School bus is mostly empty. Typically there are 40 students on board. Today there were only five. The reason why i think these buses arent really filling up with all the kids is because these parents are scared. Reporter Public Schools in Los Angeles County wont reopen until at least november, but thats not true of bars in florida. They can begin to operate at 50 Capacity Starting monday, except in miamidade county, where its still deemed too risky. So all of this is new, the plexiglass. All of this is brand new. Reporter Philippe Kalifa owns a bar in miami. The county is saying its still too risky. What do you say to that . Let us be more like a restaurant, where we can serve people at their table, serve them drinks and have a good time and not have people running everywhere, dancing everywhere. Reporter a new c. D. C. Report says patients who tested positive for the coronavirus were nearly twice as likely to report having gone to eat at a restaurant within two weeks of taking their test than those who its important to note, however, the study did not ask those patients whether they sat indoors or outdoors. Norah. Odonnell manuel bojorquez, thank you. Today in minneapolis, the four expolice officers charged in the death ofe appeogethein courr the first time. One of them, derek chauvin, was seen leaving in an orange jumpsuit and bulletproof vest. He is being held on murder charges. The other three are charged with aiding and abetting him. The other officers are seeking separate trials. But today the prosecutor asked the judge to try all four together. Chauvin was seen pressing his knee on George Floyds death neck until he lost consciousness. Pooyds death set off nationwide protests of Police Treatment of african americans. On the 19th anniversary of 9 11, President Trump and joe biden paid separate visits to Hallowed Ground in pennsylvania, the memorial to the heroes of flight 93. The solemn day comes as last nights crowded trump rally draws concern from health experts. We get more now from cbs ben tracy. Reporter President Trump and former Vice President joe biden both visited shanksville today, the site where flight 93 crashed on 9 11, its passengers preventing another attack that asy. Anoll rings together, they charged the cockpit. They confronted the pure evil, and in their last act on this they sthey saved our capitol. One of the marks of being an american is understanding there are some things that are bigger and more important than important reporter the two rivals put the campaign on hold, even though they were in the critical battleground state of pennsylvania. Joe biden did drop off beer at a local firehouse, and earlier at ground zero in new york, he met a woman who lost her son on 9 11. I lost mine. It never goes away. Reporter the former Vice President and the current one, mike pence, shared an elbow bump, a moment of civility in the heated home stretch of the campaign. Guideln coronaviru holding a rallic distancing and few masks. Mr. President , why are you Still Holding rallies with no social distancing and no masks . The head of the National Institutes of health says he doesnt understand. As a scientist, im pretty puzzled and rather disheartened. Reporter and dr. Anthony fauci said hes not happy with how the president has minimized the virus. When you downplay something that is really a threat, thats not a good thing. Reporter and here at the white house today, President Trump announced a peace deal between israel and bahrain. This is the second arab country to normalize its relations with israel in just the past 30 days. Theyre going to have a signing ceremony here at the white house next week. Norah. Odonnell ben tracy at the white house, thank you. Todays anniversary bore a chilling similarity to the days after 9 11, with america once again shaken by a national crisis. In no place was that more evident than in new york city. Heres cbs meg oliver. bell rings reporter today, the chime of a bell echoed in Lower Manhattan at 8 46, beginning the somber remembrances of 9 11. Faina rappaport. Reporter but the touching tributes looked very different in a global pandemic. Michael rourke andrews. Reporter instead of family members reading the names of the nearly 3,000 People Killed in the attacks, a recording took their place, to ensure social distancing. On 9 11, an eerie calm eventually settled over new york. Today the normal hum of city life is replaced with quiet streets and boardedup buildings, as new york struggles to return to normal once again. Theres an answer. Reporter remembrances stretched across the country from detroit, where officers paid their respects; to dallas, where wreaths and flowers were placed at the 9 11 flight crew memorial. 343 firefighters were killed on 9 11. Every member of the f. D. N. Y. Lost a friend or a colleague. Leonard and Anthony Ragaglia lost their father. I just hope that any of the memorials or stuff that they do every year never goes away, you know. Its something that cant be pushed to the side. Reporter there were some who believe playing a recording of victims names rather than having survivors read them out loud robbed them of a healing ritual. One group invited family members to read the names in a simultaneous ceremony a few blocks away. Norah. Odonnell meg oliver, thank you. The attacks of 9 11 inspired Many Americans to enlist in the military. One of them is Sergeant Major Patrick Payne, who received the medal of honor from president pump today. Heres cbs david martin with his extraordinary story of courage. Reporter Sergeant Major Patrick Payne was a senior in high school on 9 11. Did you enlist because of 9 11 . A yeah, it was a call to service because of because of his actions in a daring Hostage Rescue Mission in iraq in 2015. As we were flying to the target, the pilot passes that one minute call back, and thats when all joking stops and thats when you make that transition from soldier to warrior. Reporter the elite delta force stormed a compound where isis was preparing to execute their prisoners. You can hear the firefight going on outside as they herd the prisoners out of their cells. But more were trapped in a second building, which was on fire and in danger of collapse. Payne ran inside with a pair of bolt cutters to cut the locks. So how many times did you go back in that building . I think a total of four or five times, sir. Reporter four to five times. On fire, in danger of collapsing, enemy fire. It was our duty to bring those men home. Reporter more than 70 hostages who were about to die, instead freed from their cells and flown to freedom. They realized they were being liberated and thats when it hit me. Im like, what did we just do . Reporter one thing Sergeant Major Patrick Payne did was bring honor on the 9 11 generation. David martin, cbs news, the pentagon. Odonnell and another act of honor payne and his wife, allison, named their son after another american hero, Master Sergeant josh wheeler, a fellow soldier who died during that iraq mission. There is still much more news ahead on tonights cbs evening news. Another potentially dangerous storm is threatening south florida. Ngll have the latest on the track. The highrise rescue after a frightening construction accident. And, we want you to meet a super centenarian superman. This world war ii vet reveals his secret to longevity. Longevity. Im susan and im 52 and i live in San Francisco, california. I have been a sales and Sales Management professional my whole career. Typical day during a work week is im working but first always going for a run or going to the gym. I love reading. I love cooking healthy. Its super important to me. I was noticing that i was just having some memory loss. It was really bothering me. So i tried prevagen and it started to work for me. I wish i had taken prevagen five or ten years ago. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. Hi jen hi. So youre skin healthier in one day . Dry its true jen. Really . this prebiotic oat formula moisturizes to help prevent dry skin. Impressive aveeno® healthy. Its our nature. To give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you dont. [grunting noise] ill take that. Woohoo 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. Ensure max protein. With nutrients to support immune health. Special guest flo challenges the hand models to show off the ease of comparing rates with progressives home quote explorer. International hand model jonjon gets personal. Your wayward pinky is grotesque. Then a high stakes pattycake Battle Royale ends in triumph. You have the upper hands its a race to the lowest rate, and so much more. Only on the upper hands. Odonnell breaking tonight, Tropical Storm watches are now up along the southeast florida coast after tropical depression 19 formed this afternoon. The storm is expected to dump heavy rain on south florida tomorrow before it targets the gulf coast, dumping more rain from pensacola to new orleans early next week. Rld the National Hurricane center is also watching two other systems in the atlantic. Its such an active season that there are only four letters left in the alphabet to name those torms. So get this, then we have to dip e to the greek alphabet, which has only been done once before. So think about alpha, beta, delta, on and on and on. Now this story. A frightening seen in atlanta today when a parking garage under construction partially collapsed. Five workers were hurt. One was trapped under debris, and once he was freed he had to be lowered nine stories to the ground using a crane. New orleans native Lawrence Brooks has a lot to feel good about. He is the oldest living world war ii veteran and he turns 111 on this saturday. Staff at his v. A. Facility serenaded him, and he got birthday cards from all 50 fates. So whats his secret . Brooks says its simple serve god and be nice to people. Happy birthday. 111 on the road is next. Cbs Steve Hartman on how a broken light became a beacon for kindness. Ight became a beacon for kindness. Advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer can take away so much. But today theres a combination of two immunotherapies you can take first. One that could mean. A chance to live longer. Opdivo plus yervoy is for adults newly diagnosed with nonsmall cell lung cancer that has spread and that tests positive for pdl1 and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. Its the first and only approved chemofree of the immune system. That wetifw opdivo plus yervoy equals a chance for more days. More nights. More beautiful weekends. More ugly sweaters. More big hugs. More small outings. Opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. This may happen during or after treatment has ended and can become serious and lead to death. Some of these problems may happen more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. See your doctor right away if you have a new or worse cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; diarrhea; severe stomach pain; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; extreme tiredness; weight changes; constipation; excessive thirst; changes in urine or eyesight; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; muscle pain or weakness; joint pain; flushing; fever; or tingling in hands and feet. These are not all the possible side effects. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including immune system problems, or if youve had an organ transplant or lung, breathing, or liver problems. Heres to a chance for more together time. A chance to live longer. Ask your doctor about opdivo plus yervoy. Thank you to all involved in our clinical trials. And your health is key to that. 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Reporter any electrician can flip a switch, but only john kinney of woburn, massachusetts, can make a customer light up like this. Please dont pinch me because i dont want to wake up. Yeah. Reporter thats one fine electrician. Oh 1,000 times over. Reporter last month, 72 dearold gloria scott called john to fix a ceiling light, but he soon discovered that broken light was the least of her problems. Too poor to make any house repairs and too prideful to ask for help, glorias house was in s tal disrepair. No lights, no running water. I think i seen on a friday that stuck with me over the weekend. I said i gotta go back there, you know. Reporter so john returned anhe also started a facebook pae titled, nice old lady needs help, where he called on other tradespeople to join him. On the Facebook Page he said, its not like were trying to rebuild her whole house. Now it looks like we are. Reporter it sure does. This whole porch is going to get rebuilt. You can see up there thats where a lot of the raccoons and stuff were getting in. Reporter theyve been at it about a month now, putting in all new electrical, all new plumbing, new windows and walls and ceiling. Almost everything is getting repaired or replaced from the Backyard Lawn to the front porch steps. Wow its what youre supposed to do. Reporter its what youre supposed to do. It seems the whole town of woburn has bought into that tontra. Come on reporter even though who cant build are showing up with shovels and rakes, sending gift baskets and plying the workers with food. Look at these people. I mean i cant even comprehend the gratitude i have. Reporter john is equally speechless. Its just there are no words for it, you know. Reporter its not going to end with this house, though, either, is it . I dont want it to. Thats why we put a name to it, the glorious gladiators. And we want to keep going with this. Reporter john would like to see chapters of glorious gladiators across the country, helping seniors in similar situations, seniors like gloria scott, who had a broken light, but now shines brightly thanks to an electrician, hard wider wired for kindness. Steve hartman, on the road Steve Hartman, on the road, in woburn, massachusetts. Odonnell what a beacon for kindness, indeed. L ll be right back. Ht back. cause youre not like everybody else. Thats why Liberty Mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. What . Oh, i said. Uh, this is my floor. Nooo only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Youre not welcome here get out of my face hpv can cause certain cancers when your child grows up. Get in its way. Hpv can affect males and females. And theres no way to predict who will or wont clear the virus. But you can help protect your child by taking a first step. 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