the cbs weekend news is next. news updates are always on cbs-sf dot com. that will do it for us. we will see you back at 6 pm. captioning sponsored by cbs >> ninan: a former president into the battle for the white house. ( cheers and applause ) barack obama rallies democrats in southern california and blasts the trump administration. >> this is a government for everybody. it's not for sale. that's what we believe in. >> ninan: back at the white house, the hunt continues for the rogue writer of a scathing critique of the president. >> i think the author of the anonymous editorial should be ashamed. >> ninan: also tonight, a raging wildfire threatens homes and turns a long stretch of a major interstate into a ghost highway. tropical storm florence prompts state of emergency declarations in several mid-atlantic states. an african american teenager just riding in a car with his

white grandmother is handcuffed by police. and a dramatic day at the u.s. open women's championship. >> you owe me an apology! >> ninan: good evening. i'm reena ninan. the midterm elections are now less than two months away. 59 days, if you're keeping counts. and the battle for the house of representatives is heating up today as former president barack obamalld for democratic congressional candidates in southern california. mr. obama stepped off the campaign sidelines yesterday in illinois and kept the political punches coming in today in anaheim. mola lenghi has more from the white house. >> reporter: former president barack obama laid out the stakes as democrats try to retake the house in the midterm elections. >> if we don't step up, things can get worse. in two months, we have a chance to restore some sanity in our politics. >> reporter: he campaigned

saturday for several california democrats who he hopes will be part of a blue wave this november. >> all across the country, you can feel the energy. you can feel people saying, "oh, enough is enough." >> reporter: but president trump mocked obama's reemergence in an interview on friday. >> i dozed off watching him. i always sort of dozed off watching him. he's trying to make a comeback because the democrats are really in shambles. >> reporter: as the president poants to dysfunction within the democratic party air, recent "new york times" op-ed paints a picture of chaos in the white house. more than two dozen officials have denied penning the anonymous opinion piece as the president continues to seek out its author. aboard air force one on friday, mr. trump urged attorney general jeff sessions to investigate. >> jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was. >> reporter: even suggesting that the op-ed could be treasonous, a claim some of the president's own politicalsli dismissed. >> it's not treason under the law. it's disloyalty.

it is cowardly. >> reporter: asked if the department of justice has launched a formal investigation into the anonymous op-ed aughtosh the white house referred us to the president's air force one remarks, and the d.o.j. refuses to comment on any potential investigations. reena. >> ninan: mola lenghi from the white house. s this, mola. in a rare interview today for "face the nation," margaret brennan asked vice president pike mense who he thinks is the rogue op-ed writer. >> reporter: the writer of this anonymous "new york times" op-ed identifies him or herself as a trump appointee. who do you think wrote this? >> well, i wouldn't know, but what i can say is it's a disgrace. i think the author of the anonymous editorial-- and, frankly, "the new york times--" be ashamed. but it seems to me to be just an obvious attempt to distract attention from this bog economy and president trump's record of success. >> reporter: one of the claims

made in the op-ed is that there has been discussion of invoking the 25th amendment to even remove the president from office. have you-- ha been part of a conversation about that? >> no, never. and why would we be, margaret? i mean, the truth of the matter is over the last eight years, despite what we heard from president obama on friday, i mean, this-- this country was struggling. i mean, it was the weakest economic recovery since the great depression. >> ninan: you can see more of margaret's interview with the vice president, mike pence, sunday morning on "face the nation." about a dozen large wildfires are burning tonight in california. the state's firefighting agency, cal fire, says it's running out of money in the middle of a busy fire season. among the immediate challenges is the delta fire in northern california. carter evans has the latest. >> reporter: drivers on i-5 in northern california got a big scare this week as towering flames raged on both sides of

the highway. >> it's hot. whoa! feel the heat? >> reporter: the delta fire has scorched nearly 58 square miles since it began near lake shasta on wednesday. as the fire burned through dense forest, flames shot up to 300 feet into the air, spreading so fast, some truckers were forced to abandon their rigs and flee on foot. now, a 45-mile stretch of the interstate is closed in both directions, forcing drivers to take a 100-mile detour on winding mountain roads jammed with traffic. >> i've been delayed a day and a half already. >> reporter: it's a big problem for truckers transporting perishables like bananas. >> by the time i go the banana will be too ripe and the company upset. >> so fire the state has been hit with 51 wildfires this year, burning more than 1.25 million acres. the state's fire agency says it's almost out of money, spending $432 million to fight fires through august, and the

official fire season has only just begun. cal fire says it has just $11 million left in its annual budget. but the agency will likely need another $234 million to fight fires through the end of the year. reena. >> ninan: carter evans. thanks, carter. tropical storm florence prompted state of emergency declarations today taid in virginia and the carolinas. the approaching storm could soon become a major hurricane again. chief meterologist craig setzer is tracking florence at our cbs station in miami, wfor. hi, craig. what's the latest? >> hi, reena. the latest is florence getting better organized this evening and moving slowly to the left, will likely be a hurricane later tonight. winds as of 5:00, up to 70 miles per hour, moving slowly to the west. the future track with the models laid on top of it-- remember, this is where the center of the storm would be, not the whole storm itself-- still a wide amount of uncertainty. the southern-most reliable model could potentially bring it towards the georgia coast, south

carolina, north carolina, under the gun. and some of our models have shifted to the north and the right. what's causing al the uncertainty is what's going on in the steering winds of the atmosphere, strong blocking hyper. that's going to keep the storm moving mostly on a western track but towards early and the middle part of next week, that high slows down. there's an opportunity to move north or west. it's really how strong and what the shape of this high is. that's going to determine whether florence eventually goes and we may not know that until tuesday or wednesday of next week. so don't let your guard down. you need to continue to prepare there. and, reena, that's not all that's out there. we also have tropical storm isaac, and tropical storm helene should stay out in the atlantic. >> ninan: craig setzer from miami. thank you. the mayor of dallas said an independent and transparent investigation is under way after a white police officer shot a neighbor inside his only apartment.

26-year-old botham jean was killed thursday night as the officer was returning home from work. the officer said she mistakenly walked into the wrong apartment. mayor mike rawlings met last night with the victim's family. >> we've got to make sure we get to the twriewght and to the facts of this. we will be staying in contact with the family through this process. >> ninan: authorities intend to charge the unoafed officer with manslaughter. north korea is staging a massive military parade on sunday, celebrating the nation's 70th anniversary. the show of force comes nearly three months after president trump held an historic summit with north korean leader kim jong-un. ben tracy reports tnight the capital city of pyongyang. >> reporter: on saturday, north korean officials took us on a tour of a cosmetics factory, where these women were busy making more than 300 different kinds of products, some of them exported to countries, such as china. they want us to see this because kim jong-un has told his people he wants to focus on the

economy, that they need to be able to build and make things other than nuclear weapons. that strategic shift is why some think sunday's military parade might be a toned-down affair, or as toned down as a north korean military parade can be. weapons analysts will be watching to see if kim jong-un displays his intercontinental ballistic missiles, the ones he claims can reach the united states. if he doesn't, it could be a sign that kim is serious about the agreement he made with president trump at their summit in june to work towards the denuclearization of the korean peninsula. north korea has shown some goodwill by not launching a single missile so far this yearr test site, and kim jong-un recently made good on his promise to return the remains of american soldiers killed in the korean war. north korea now wants the u.s.

to reciprocate by agreeing to a formal end of the korean war and easing sanctions, but so far, the trump administration has not been willing to do that. reena. >> ninan: ben tracy in pyongyang. thanks, ben. well, russian and syrian air strikes were reported today in the providence of idlib. that's the last rebel stronghold in syria. russian and syrian forces are said to be planning an all-out assault on the area where there are about 70,000 rebel fighters and nearly three million civilians. there are about 2,000 u.s. service members inside syria. it was a dramatic day at the u.s. open women's championship. naomi osaka defeated her rifle, serena williams, who had a meltdown after arguing with the umpire. >> reporter: this is now hows can nay imagined her championship dream match with her hro serena williams would go. it all started when williams was penalized for smashing her racket in frustration after the umpire accuses her of being

illegally coached from the stands. williams repeatedly denies cheating and demands an apology. >> i'm telling you i don't cheat to win. i'd rather lose. you need-- you owe me an apology. you owe me an apology. i have never cheated in my life. >> reporter: after several warnings, the umpire again penalizes williams, this time for verbal abuse. >> you stole a point from me. >> reporter: williams tearfully fleedz plooedz her case to tennis officials. >> it's not right. >> reporter: williams tries to compose herself and play resumes, but osaka easily cruises on, defeating her idol, and becoming the first japanese player to win a grand slam final. osaka celebrates in tears and covers her head with a towel. at the emotional trophy ceremony, both williams and osaka put the drama behind them. >> uhm, well, i don't want to be rude, and i don't want to sprupt-- i don't want to do questions. i just want to tell you guys, she played well, and this is her

first grand slam. ( applause ) >> reporter: osaka apologized for winning. >> i know that everyone was cheering for her, and i'm sorry it had to end like this. >> reporter: meg oliver, cbs news, new york. >> ninan: coming up next, an african american teenager riding to work with his white grandmother is handcuffed by the police. and later, rifle rappers reportedly in a shoe-throwing brawl at a fashion week party.

>> ninan: police in wauwatosa wisconsin, say it was a big misunderstanding. officers mistook an african american teenager for a robbery suspect and handcuffed him. as michelle miller explains, the teen was only riding in the car with his white grandmother. >> reporter: after ordering 18-year-old akil carter out of

his grandmother's car... police placed him in handcuffs and ordered him into the back of a squad car. grandmother paulette barr had just left church and was akil to work when police stopped them. officers say they initially started following them after a n african american man manand woman identified the vehicle. they said it was carrying a white woman who was being robbed by two black men, but police never got a formal statement because they left the area. the family's attorney seems skeptical. >> it seems strange for all the dash-cam footage the police have turned over we have not seen anything where the officers were interacting with these people. >> reporter: after carter was detained an officer is seen exiting his patrol car with his gun outside the holster. officers then approached the teen's grandmother.

police say carter was handcuffed for approximately six minutes. after the teen was released, a witness captured his grandmother's reaction. >> reporter: the family's attorney says even if the police account is accurate, the officers clearly over-reacted. >> any random person can run up to a police officer now and say, "stop that car. it's engaged in a robbery," and that's all it takes. >> reporter: the family's attorney says the frightening encounter left the grandmother feeling helpless, wondering what she could have done to protect her grandson. michelle miller, cbs news, new york. >> ninan: up next, rifle rappers cardi b and nicki minaj separated by security guards at a fashion week party.

>> ninan: rifle rappers cardi b and nicki minaj squared off last night at a new york fashion week party. the hair-pulling, show-throwing scuffle reportedly took place on anibal connie during a christina aguilera performance. cardi b was escorted out of black-tie event with a large bump on her head. she later wrote a staithing instagram post claiming nicki minaj had tried to sabotage her career. the richest man in china, jack ma, cocowrnd of the e-commerce empire, alibaba, plans to retire from the company on monday, his 54th birthday. his net worth is $4 billion. the former english teacher says he plans to return to teaching and focus on philanthropy. actor bill daily has died. he starred in a string of hit comedies in the 1960s, 70s, and 80, including "i dream of

jeannie." ♪ ♪ jeanie herself, actress barbara eden, remembered daily on twitter today calling him, "our favorite zany astronaut." bob newhart, who costarred with daily on the "the bob newhart show" right here on cbs, said daily was one of the most positive people he's ever known. bail was 91 years old. still ahead, the most famous slippers in movie history are finally coming home.

>> ninan: one of the great lines from the "the wizard of oz" goes, "clickier heels together three times and say 'thros hme' and you'll be there." a pair of dorothy's ruby slippers are finally back home, and as lee cowan reports, it took an f.b.i. sting to make it happen. >> reporter: it was the kind of caper that would make your toes curl. >> they're gone! >> reporter: talk about walking in someone else's shoes. >> give me back my slippers! >> reporter: memorabilia

collector michael shaw understood the wicked witch of the west's pain. after all, his pair of ruby slippers was ripped off, too. >> my knees buckled when i was on the phone, and the shoes were stolen. and the only thing i could blurt out is, "get them back." >> reporter: he loaned them to the judy garland museum in grand rapids, minnesota, but in 2005, someone broke in and made off with them on a magic broom or something. they just disrnd. >> they're more than just a pair of shoes, the slippers. they're an enduring symbol of the power of belief. >> reporter: for 13 long years, the museum had replicas in their place, like the man behind the curtain, no one saw the originals again. >> and now under the rainbow. >> reporter: the f.b.i. finally found them, one of only four known pairs, authenticating them by comparing them to the ones in the smithsonian. >> it turns out they're not only intact. they're as pristine, i was told, as when i put them on display,

so yay! >> reporter: authorities aren't saying how they got them back, other than that it involved a sting operation set up to bust an extortion plot. they've made no arrests but vow to hunt down whoever is responsible with the same tenacity as the wicked witch of the west. >> i'll get you my pretty and your little dog, too! >> reporter: maybe they'll leave the dog out. lee cowan, hollywood. >> ninan: and when we return, how a police officer's encounter with a homeless woman changed his life and his family.

>> ninan: we end tonight in santa rosa, california, where a police officer went far beyond the call of duty, providing a family for a homeless woman's baby. john blackstone has the story. >> reporter: as a 10-year veteran of the santa rosa police department, jesse befriended a pregnant, homeless woman with a drug addiction, whom he

frequently ran into while on patrol. >> there were times i got her shelter at different locations. sometimes she would take me up on it, and sometimes she wouldn't. >> reporter: then his wife met her on a ride-along last august. >> we got to talking and she was very obviously pregnant. and i said, "oh, you're pregnant." and she grabbed my hand and she put it on her stomach and i had no idea that a year later, the baby i was feeling in her womb would be our daughter. >> reporter: in february, they got an unexpected life-changing call. the birth mother had specifically asked for the whittens to adopt her child. they agreed, despite concerns about the baby's health. >> we didn't know what to expect. >> we didn't know. >> we knew that we were going to take her no matter what. >> yeah. >> burt we were like is this going to be something where she's going to be hooked up to tubes the rest of her life? >> she did go through some withdrawals. she had some shaking and they were worried about some seizures. >> reporter: now they say she's hitting all the normal baby milestones and is expected to lead a healthy life.

>> she's got the sweetest desposition. she's so nice, she's so even ceeld. >> she's very observant. she smiles all the time. >> reporter: and with permission from her new sisters. >> yes. >> yes. >> 100% yes. >> reporter: ...harlow was officially adopted by the family last week. ( applause ) >> there's enough love, there's enough love for her. >> there's enough love to go around. >> more than enough. >> reporter: the whittens are still in contact with harlow's biological mother and are sharing baby phot woes her. as an officer with a duty to protect and to serve, whitten says he's serving a higher purpose with new perspective on the job. >> obviously, i wasn't expecting this or asking for this. but i'm really glad that it happened. >> reporter: john blackstone, santa rosa, california. >> ninan: and a higher purpose, indeed. and that's the cbs weekend news for this saturday. later on cbs, "48 hours." for more news any time, go to our 24-hour streaming channel,

cbsn, that's at cbsnews.com. this is kpix 5 news. >> new at 6, yet another problem at san francisco's tilting millennium tower. our cameras were there as the latest attempt to inspect the sinking skyscraper came to a crashing end. >> building managers were conducting an aerial survey of the structure when their drone suddenly dropped from the sky. kpix 5's dahl lynn was the only to catch it on camera. >> so the homeowners association hired this drone pilot to take videos and photos of this cracked window, but that nearly cost another nightmare, because that drone crashed

within 10 feet of some pedestrians. the pilot says the drone lost its satellite signal. you can see the drone drifting left and hitting a building across from the millennium tower. >> watch out, watch out. >> reporter: the drone missed several people on the sidewalk, including a little boy, by about 10 feet. the boy says in spanish it was falling before it came crashing down. a pilot flew the drone to the 36th floor to take videos and photos of this cracked photo. >> we're trying to evaluate where the tilting has anything to do with it. we're also looking at all other aspects of it, structural, whether it's part of the window assembly, the manufacturing process, the installation process. >> reporter: since its completion in 2009, researchers say the 58-story millennium tower has sunk at least 16 inches. it has also tilted 2