♪ ready to talk. christine blasey ford reaches a tentative agreement to testify on thursday. she'll tell a senate panel about her sexual assault allegation against supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. we'll hear from the accusers's sister-in-law. >> she's a serious person, and she has a very full life. she didn't need to bring this into her life. also, bill cosby faces sentencing this week for drugging and assaulting a woman in his home. >> mr. cosby, do you have any reaction. as hurricane floodwaters continue to rise in the

carolinaed, a flock moves its church to higher ground. >> tiger woods scores his first victory in more than five years. and it's the end of the road for paul simon. last stop for the homeward bound legend, queens, new york. ♪ good evening. i'm elaine quijano. with a crucial seat on the supreme court as stake, all eyes will be on a senate committee hearing set for thursday. university professor christine blasey ford will testify that supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in 1982. kavanaugh will again deny the accusation. >> reporter: in a new statement, dr. christine blasey ford's lawyer said we made important progress on our call this morning with senate judiciary committee staff members. they agreed to an open hearing on thursday at 10:00 a.m. and to continue to negotiate the

conditions. sources tell cbs news it will run in 45-minute increments to allow for breaks. it's unclear whether senators or outsie lawyers will ask questioning on behalf of republicans. but ford's legal team said the committee rejected their request to call other witnesses. >> if they really want to be heard, they can be heard in a small room with a lot of security, limited press availability. she'll be treated fairly. >> reporter: south carolina republican lindsey graham said there was little ford could say to change his yes vote on judge brett kavanaugh. >> unless there's something more, no, i'm not going to ruin judge kavanaugh's life over this. >> reporter: ford has accused kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school, 36 years ago. >> i think it's very important that accuser -- that accusers are heard and that their story is heard. but i also think the accused needs to be heard. >> i think it really speaks to her credibility at this moment. what in the hell did she have to

gain by doing this? >> reporter: ford identified four people she says were at the house party where the attack happened. but in a statement released last night, the white house said all four of these individuals have provided statements to the senate judiciary committee denying any knowledge of the incident or even having attended such a party. ford's attorney fired back saying her client did not share her story with anyone for years. adding ford, of course, will never forget this gathering because of what happened to her there. >> is there a chance the two sides don't reach an agreement on the hearing's condition? >> that seems really unlikely. the hearing was added to the official senate judiciary schedule and ford's attorneys made a point to say, yeah, there are logistics that have to be hashed out but that's not going to impedes this hearing from taking place. >> so much interest in this. weejia jang, thank you. the accuser's sister-in-law is speaking out saying facts

matter in christine blasey ford and she's hoping to be treated fairly by the senate committee. here's meg oliver. >> i believe her completely. there's just no doubt in my mind. >> reporter: sandra menler is dr. christine blasey ford's sister-in-law. ford says a drunken brett kavanaugh put a hand over her mouth at a high school party and groped her. an accusation he denies. 51-year-old blasey ford is a mother of two, a professor and research psychologist who has spent most of her career studying the effects of trauma. >> she's a serious person, and she has a very full life. she didn't need to bring this into her life. >> i revere the constitution. if confirmed to the supreme court, i will keep an open mind in every case. >> reporter: republicans are firmly supporting the u.s. circuit judge, husband and father of two. >> brett kavanaugh is one of the finest human beings you will ever have the privilege of knowing or meeting.

>> judge kavanaugh has been through six fbi investigations in the course of his lengthy public career. >> reporter: but menler says it's been difficult for blasey ford, too. enduring death threats and forcing her family into hiding. >> she decided to come forward and tell the story and own it as her story. >> with a lifetime appointment to the supreme court in the balance, this is shaping up not only as a political showdown but a battle of reputations. elaine? >> meg oliver, thank you. iran is blaming the u.s. and saudi arabia for provoking a deadly attack this weekend on a military parade. more than two dozen people were killed, including a child. an arab separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley, rejected iran's accusations. tensions between the u.s. and iran will take center stage

this week at the u.n. general assembly in new york. president trump will preside over the security council meeting. in the 12 months since his last visit to the u.n., president trump has jolted the status quo by pulling out of the iran nuclear deal. john dickerson discussed that with british prime minister theresa may. >> reporter: has iran been holding up its end of the bargain of the 2015 deal? >> well, this is the question is not -- i do have a difference of opinion with president trump. because we believe the jcpoa should stay in place and others involved in putting that deal together believe that it should stay in place. we do agree with the united states that there were other aspects of iran's behavior that we need to be dealing with, too. so looking at the issue of ballistic missiles, the way in which iran is acting in the region and to destabilize the region. we need to address those issues, too, but also want to ensure we

have a nulear deal in place that prevents them for a period of getting a nuclear weapon. >> by your assessment, iran is keeping up its end of the bargain? >> from what we see, we believe it is doing that. >> you can see john dickerson's full interview with british prime minister theresa may tomorrow on "cbs this morning." a texas man who stirred up controversy with his instructions on how to milwaukee an untraceable 3d printed gun was booked at a houston jail sunday morning. cody wilson was arrested in taiwan last week on charges of sexually assaulting a child in austin. the 16-year-old girl told investigators wilson paid her for sex. a federal court last month barred wilson from posting his designs for 3d printed guns online free of charge. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

♪ this is the "cbs overnight news." >> bill cosby faces sentencing this week for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in his home back in 2004. jericka duncan covered the trial and will be in the courtroom when cosby is sentenced. >> reporter: 81-year-old bill cosby is set to return to the montgomery county courthouse in norristown, pennsylvania, tomorrow. >> do you have any reaction? >> reporter: the man once known as america's dad was convicted in april of drugging and molesting andrea constand at his philadelphia home. constand is a former temple university administrator. cosby's sentencing hearing is

expected to last two days with constand likely to give a victim impact statement. judge o'neill could sentence cosby to as many as ten years in prison for each of the three counts he was convicted but cosby's lawyers are expected to plead to keep the entertainer at home because of his age and health problems. cosby's criminal case began nearly three years ago at the end of 2015. the county's district attorney's office reopened the sexual assault case against cosby just days before the statute of limitations ran out. prosecutors charge cosby with aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting constand. at the first trial in june of 2017, dozens of cosby's alleged victims from across the country attended in support of constand. but after more than 50 hours of deliberations, the first jury could not reach a verdict resulting in a mistrial. but nearly one year later, the second trial ended with a conviction. over the laugh several years, more than 60 women have accused bill cosby of sexual misconduct,

but cosby insists he is innocent of all allegations. jecicka duncan, cbs news, norristown, pennsylvania. on this first full day of autumn, firefighters are battling a new wildfire in southern california. the so-called charlie fire broke out this weekend. about 40 miles north of los angeles. it quickly burned nearly 3,500 acres and forced the evacuation of about 20 homes. floodwaters from hurricane florence are still rising in the carolinas. new drone video shows a neighborhood under water between the hard-hit towns of lawns and conway, south carolina. as manuel reports, many in the area have lost everything but not their faith. >> reporter: when trinity united methodist church started to flood activity, pastor kim strong put out a call. he expected maybe a handful of people to help move the pews to higher ground. dozens showed up. >> what we've seen from our

congregation this week goes beyond brick and mortar. we got the bad news it's going to get worse. >> reporter: he's been pastor only ten weeks. on wednesday he met the president as he surveyed damage to conway, south carolina. but since then, the wackama river has continued its record-breaking rise. and not just around the church. >> we have families from our church and other churches in the community. they had to pack up a u-haul truck or move everything out, and they don't believe they're ever going to get to come back in. >> reporter: what strong won't readily tell you is he's lost something, too. his family's house is taking on water. it's the second time a hurricane has inflicted damage on their home. but today is sunday. >> in a way, this is a temporary home. >> this is our temporary home until we can get back in. >> reporter: and worship they did. >> god is good. all the time. >> reporter: even if it was in another congregation's church. >> when i saw my people come out

to help our children not knowing what condition their homes were in, that says more about your faith than jesus christ that anything you could ever say in a worship service, any check you can ever write, anything you could ever do. >> reporter: this is the neighborhood where many in that congregation live. the church is no longer accessible by foot. even if the river crests on tuesday as predicted, the floodwaters may not recede for days, even weeks. elaine? >> manuel, thank you. tiger woods today scored his first pga victry in more than five years. woods won the tour championship in atlanta. it was his 80th tour win putting him two short of sam sneed's record. woods, now 42 years old, went through spinal fusion surgery last year. it's the end of the road for paul simon. ♪ the 76-year-old music legend

returned to his childhood neighborhood in queens, new york, last night for a farewell concert attended by thousands. simon says he'll still perform, but his touring days are over. coming up next -- a diplomatic breakthrough between the catholic church and china. an

pope francis celebrated sunday mass in lithuania and honored the victims of nazi and soviet crimes in the baltics. he prayed at the vilnius ghetto where thousands of jews were executed or sent off to concentration camps and visited a museum dedicated to the horrors of the soviet occupation. this weekend the vatican announced an historic agreement between the catholic church and china on the appointment of bishops. the diplomatic breakthrough could open the door for a papal visit to china. seth doane has more from rome. >> reporter: the vatican sees chin's 1.4 billion people as a land rich for evangelization. the country's estimated 12 million catholics have historically been split. one branch and churches recognized and controlled by the officially atheist chinese government. the others is an underground or secret church loyal to the pope.

previously each side appointed their own bishops. for the first time now they've announced they'd appoint those church leaders together. how that would work and how much power the pope would have is not yet clear. it has been reported the pope may have veto power. ahead of this weekend's announcement, father bernardo chervellero expressed concerns about allowing china to control the candidates for bishops, potentially putting politics above faith. >> so they could choose the candidates who are weak, candidates who are easily manipulated. sometimes can be also candidates who are corrupt. >> reporter: the holy sea recognized eight bishops, one of them deceased, who had been appointed by the communist party but had been, until now, excommunicated from the church. the vatican secretary of state said the church is pushing for unity. >> today, for the first time, all the bishops in china are in

communion with the bishop of rome. >> reporter: but the status of other bishops who had been in underground churches and critical of china's government is not clear. the vatican and china have not had official diplomatic relations since 1951. this step puts into motion work started by pope francis' predecessors, but the director of the press office says this is not the end of the process but the beginning. seth doane, cbs news, rome. a survivor has been rescued from inside that tans nian ferry two days tafr capsized on lake victoria. the man was found by divers who heard his knocking. more than 200 others died. still ahead

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her heart wouldn't be able to pump oxygen to her body. she also had a condition called intacts atrial septum, worsening her case. doctors told the fins there was a surgery never performed before in the womb that might give ivy a chance. >> i was just very thankful that there was something that we could attempt. >> reporter: last month the finns moved from their home in jacksonville, floerrida, to houston where ivy could receive treatment at children's hospital. >> they placed her on my chest as soon as she was born. she came out screaming and that was something that we weren't sure we would ever hear. and so it was amazing. >> it was amazing. amazing. >> reporter: ivy had her first open heart surgery today, one of three at are planned. >> i mean, our faith has been what's gotten us this far. and just holding on to hope knowng that, you know, this life isn't everything. and so we're just thankful for the time we've been given so

far, and we pray that we have many, many years ahead of us with her. >> we've made almost a pact since we found out with the diagnosis that we kind of said, ivy, if you live for 10 seconds or if you live for 100 years, we're going to be there and love on you with all of who we are throughout your entire time. >> jeff glor reporting. up next, an update on the relationship between two of the most beloved roommates in pop culture, bert and ernie.

there was much adieu this past week about the relationship status of two beloved "sesame street" muppets, bert and ernie. here's tony dokoupil. >> do you like me birth? >> do i like you? well, of course, i like you, ernie. you're my best friend. >> reporter: for nearly 50 years, bert and ernie have been the symbol of friendship for young audiences around the world. ♪ i like you >> reporter: but a former writer for the show now says the two were more than just pals. in an interview with the lgbtq website queerty, the man who

wrote for sesame street said bert and ernie mirrored the relationship he had with his partner ernie. i don't think i'd know how else to write them other than a loving relationship. that's what i had in my lfrife. those comments have reignited a debate that's lasted for years. one that came to a head in 2013. a photo on the cover of "the new yorker" showed the two watching the supreme court's landmark decision that declared a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. in a statement, sesame workshop refuted the claim writing bert and ernie were created to be best friends. bert's creator frank oz agreed on twitter. does it really snaerts there's more to someone than just straightness or gayness. sesame street has long been at the forefront of diversity. >> the other children at school don't want to play with me because i'm hiv positive. >> reporter: featuring a character live with hiv in 2002.

>> i know it helps you feel calm, too. >> reporter: and last year introducing julia who has autism. >> they belong to the people who create them but they also belong to everyone else. >> reporter: a writer for "the washington post" says people's interpretation of these characters might go against the creator's intent. >> people are longing to see a more accurate representation of the world in which they live. it's just touching a nerve for a lot of people who are thinking more deeply about the notion of representation and how people even talk about sexual orientation. >> reporter: according to a book about the history of sesame street, the relationship between the two could actually have another tie. it might possibly mirror the friendship between bert creator frank oz and the puppets crea r creator. tony dokoupil, cbs news, new york. that's the overnight news for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back a little later for the morning news and

"cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm elaine quijano. this is the "cbs overnight news." >> welcome to the overnight news. i'm elaine quijano. the stage appears to be set for a highly anticipated hearing this week on capitol hill. the woman accusing supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers has agreed to testify before the senate judiciary committee. this comes after several days of contentious negotiations over the terms of her testimony. here's weej ijia jiang. >> reporter: christine blasey ford's lawyer said we made important progress on our call this morning with senate judiciary committee staff

members. they agreed tune open hearing on thursday at 10:00 a.m. and to continue to negotiate the conditions. sources tell cbs news it will run in 45-minute increments to allow for breaks. it's unclear whether senators or outside lawyers will ask questions on behalf of republicans. but ford's legal team said the committee rejected their request to call other witnesses. >> they can be heard in a small room with a lot of security, limited press availability. she'll be treated fairly. >> reporter: lindsey graham said there was little ford could say to change his yes vote on judge brett kavanaugh. >> unless there's something more, no, i'm not going to ruin judge kavanaugh's life over this. >> reporter: ford has accused kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school 36 years ago. >> i think it's very important that accuser -- that accusers are heard and that their story is heard but i also think the

accused needs to be heard. >> i think it speaks to her credibility at this moment. what in the hell did she have to gain by doing this. >> reporter: ford identified four people she said were at the house party where the attack happened, but in a statement released last night, the white house said all four of these individuals have provided statements to the senate judiciary committee denying any knowledge of the incident or even having attended such a party. ford's attorney fired back saying her client did not share her story with anyone for years. adding ford, of course, will never forget this gathering because of what happened to her there. >> the accuser's sister-in-law is speaking out saying that facts matter to christine blasey ford and that dr. ford is hoping to be treated fairly by the senate committee. here's meg oliver. >> i believe her completely. there's just no doubt in my mind. >> reporter: sandra mendler is dr. christine blasey ford's sister-in-law. ford says a drunken brett kavanaugh put his hand over her mouth at a high school party and

groped her. an accusation he denies. 51-year-old blasey ford is a mother of two, a professor and research psychologist who has spent most of her career studying the effects of trauma. >> she's a serious person, and she has a very full life. she didn't need to bring this into her life. >> i revere the constitution. if confirmed to the supreme court, i will keep an open mind in every case. >> reporter: republicans are firmly supporting the u.s. circuit judge, husband and father of two. >> brett kavanaugh is one of the finest human beings you will ever have the privilege of knowing or meeting. >> judge kavanaugh has been through six fbi investigations in the course of his lengthy public career. >> reporter: but mendler says it's been difficult for blasey ford, too. enduring death threats and forcing her family into hiding.

>> she decided to come forward and tell the story and own it as her story. >> with a lifetime appointment to the supreme court in the balance, this is shaping up not only as a political showdown but a battle of reputations. elaine? >> meg oliver, thank you. iran is blaming the u.s. and saudi arabia for provoking a deadly attack this weekend on a military parade. more than two dozen people were killed, including a child. an arab separatist group claimed responsibility for the attack. the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, nikki haley, rejected iran's accusations. tensions between the u.s. and iran will take center stage this week at the u.n. general assembly in new york. president trump will preside over the security council meeting. in the 12 months since his last visit to the u.n., president trump has jolted the status quo by pulling out of the iran nuclear deal. john dickerson discussed that with british prime minister theresa may.

>> has iran been holding up its end of the bargain, the 2015 deal? >> well, this is the question is not -- i do have a difference of opinion with president trump. because we believe the jcpoa should stay in place and others involved in putting that deal together believe that it should stay in place. we do agree with the united states that there were other aspects of iran's behavior that we need to be dealing with, too. so looking at the issue of ballistic missiles, looking at the way in which iran is acting in the region and to destabilize the region. we need to address those issues, too, but we also want to ensure we have a nuclear deal in place that prevents them for a period of getting a nuclear weapon. >> by your assessment, iran is keeping up its end of the bargain? >> from what we see, we believe it is doing that. >> you can see john dickerson's full interview with british prime minister theresa may tomorrow on "cbs this morning."

a texas man who stirred up controversy with his instructions on how to make an untraceable 3d printed gun was booked at a houston jail sunday morning. cody wilson was arrested in taiwan last week on charges of sexually assaulting a child in austin. the 16-year-old girl told investigators wilson paid her for sex. a federal court last month barred wilson from posting his designs for 3d-printed guns online free of charge. >> bill cosby faces sentencing this week for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in his home back in 2004. jericka duncan covered the trial and will be in the courtroom when cosby is sentenced. >> reporter: 81-year-old bill cosby is set to return to the montgomery county courthouse in norristown, pennsylvania, tomorrow. >> mr. cosby, do you have any reaction? >> reporter: the man once known as america's dad was convicted in april of drugging and molesting andrea constand at his

philadelphia home in 2004. constand is a former temple university administrator. cosby's sentencing hearing is expected to last two days with constand likely to give a victim impact statement. judge steven o'neill could sentence cosby to as many as ten years in prison for each of the three counts he was convicted, but cosby's lawyers are expected to plead to keep the entertainer at home because of his age and health problems. cosby's criminal case began nearly three years ago at the end of 2015. the county's district attorney's office reopened the sexual assault case against cosby just days before the statute of limitations ran out. prosecutors charge cosby with aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting constand. at the first trial in june of 2017, dozens of cosby's alleged victims from across the country attended in support of constand. but after more than 50 hours of deliberations, the first jury could not reach a verdict resulting in a mistrial. but nearly one year later, the second trial ended with a conviction.

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♪ this is the "cbs overnight news." the university of maryland has been found culpable in the heatstroke death of one of the school's football players. 19-year-old jordan mcnair collapsed during a practice and later died. now the results of an independent investigation are revealing what went wrong and

what can be done to avoid similar tragedies. here's dana jacobson. >> reporter: the 74-page report provides a timeline of the may 29th football practice that ended up costing jordan mcnair his life. the offensive lineman collapsed after running a series of sprints and had to be helped off the field. he was hospitalized with heatstroke and died two weeks later. >> i wish we could say that we could bring jordan mcnair back to life. that would be the greatest thing that we could possibly do. that cannot be done, and the tragedy the mcnair family has had to deal with cannot be overcome. >> reporter: investigators say more than an hour passed between the time mcnair showed signs of heatstroke and when team trainers called 911. the report also found the trainers did not follow proper procedures, including using cold towels and ice packs to try to bring mcnair's body temperature down. >> the university of maryland has a good service in place with

the integration of team physicians. there is a need for better integration of this service. >> reporter: university of maryland president wallace lowe had already taken what he called legal and moral responsibility on the day mcnair was hospitalized. lowe says the school has already begun implementing some of the changes recommended in the report, including increasing the number of medical professionals at practices and games, adding more cooling stations at practices and increasing the length and frequency of recovery breaks. mcnair's death raised questions about maryland's football coaching staff. the head coach is on administrative leave while a separate investigation looks into what was described as abusive behavior by the coaches. on this first full day of autumn, firefighters are battling a new wildfire in southern california. the so-called charlie fire broke out this weekend about 40 miles north of los angeles. it quickly burned nearly 3,500 acres and forced the evacuation of about 20 homes.

a survivor has been rescued from inside that tanzanian ferry. two days after it capsized on lake victoria. the man was found by divers who heard his knocking. more than 200 others died. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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not just coming back for more laughs. lee cowan sat down with the cast in a story for sunday morning. >> 30 million people tune in to see me every week. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: it's been 20 years since candice bergen took her final bow as murphy brown. >> sorry, jim. this babe can't be bought. >> reporter: the fictional news woman many real life journalists secretly wished they could be. >> he'd really like you to do the interview but if not, he's going to give it to jane pauley. >> reporter: the show had a good, long run. ten seasons. the cast and crew earning their fake newsroom a slew of very real emmys. when it finally ended in 1998, most thought it would go where most sitcom goes. make a dvd box set or reruns on cable. then came election night 2016. >> we have been told that

hillary clinton has called donald trump to concede. >> reporter: let's just say it didn't exactly go her way. >> it was just grief, frankly for -- until now. >> reporter: and so now murphy's back on the air hosting murphy in the morning. just in time for the midterms. >> cold and flu season is approaching so get your shots, pull out your heavy winter coats and ruth bader ginsburg, stay away from drafts, please. >> is this, at some level -- >> and we're clear. >> -- activism in a sitcom? >> well -- >> yes. >> yes? >> we haven't really articulated that we consider ourselves the resistance, but i think that's a subtext, certainly. >> reporter: at bergen's side is the woman who created murphy brown. show runner and writer diane english. >> so if hillary had won, you

guys probably wupts ouldn't be . >> i don't think so. we didn't feel we should go back and revisit it until there's a reason. >> and this is it? >> it got us close. when you look at what's going on on the front page of the newspaper every day, that's what put us over the top. >> reporter: it wouldn't really work, of course, unless the rest of murphy's gang felt the same way. >> what a perfect time for murphy brown, a reporter and frank and corky, reporters to come back and start covering some of the madness. >> i'll never meet a woman working these crazy hours. >> reporter: joe, faith ford and grant shaw were all anxious to return. >> two years on "the view." it will kill me. >> was it a strange thing to reinhabit a character you hadn't dealt with in 20 years? >> i was sort of concerned about that because my character was based on being young and in over his head and i thought, you know, if i'm sort of freaking out at my age right now is that going to be awkward. >> now you're just old. >> now i'm just old.

>> i love the two babies talking about being old. >> that's phil's bar we're sitting in. murphy's washington watering hole. it looks just like the original. >> i really miss phil. he always gave the best advice. >> reporter: the only difference now is tine dailey serving the worst coffee in town. >> you wanted to talk and i thought cleaning the men's room was going to be the worst part of this job. why can't they hit a target that big. >> reporter: murphy's townhouse had to be recreated, too. >> when you saw all that, what was that like? >> tears came to my eyes because it's almost identical to the set we had when we started 30 years ago. >> i walked in with faith and candice was already crying on the set. >> i was a heap. i was just a heap. i wasn't expecting it. >> we're home again, and you don't go home again, but we came home again. >> reporter: what does it mean to be home again in such

different times? there were tough issues in the '90s, and the show dealt with them. everything from alcoholism to cancer. >> lumpectomy, mastectomy, i like my breasts fine but they're not worth dying over. >> reporter: english hopes the new murphy brown will be more topical. >> journalists are the only real firewall between power-hungry politicians and the people they were elected to serve. someone told me that once. >> yeah, who? >> reporter: story lines include gun control, immigration and sexual harassment. >> hello. the show is called "murphy in the morning." they're not firing me. >> today's matt lauer, charlie rose and bill o'reilly ring any bells? >> we have 13 episodes. we're here to make some noise. we're expecting a little backlash but we used to get it in the old days. >> reporter: most notably back in 1992 when murphy became a single mom. which brought this famous rebuke. >> bearing babies irresponsibly

is simply wrong. >> reporter: from then vice president dan quayle. >> primetime tv has murphy brown mocking the importance of fathers by bearing a child alone and calling it just another lifestyle choice. >> reporter: some of the new cast members aren't even old enough to remember that backlash. >> hey, guess who is back from america's heartland. >> reporter: including jake mcdormand who plays murphy's son, now all grown up. >> actually hadn't seen any of the original series. >> hadn't seen anything? >> no. i knew about it but hadn't seen any of it. >> did you go back and look at older episodes? >> not until after we filmed the first episode which was a smart move because it's intimidatingly good. >> reporter: what may be most intimidating is the idea of the current white house reacting. >> i'm terrified. >> i'm ter fitd. >> reporter: don roca's character is especially timely. >> can i get some more ice, please. >> what's that? >> ice. >> he plays an immigrant in constant fear of being deported. >> what's the problem?

>> i'm kind of known as the tweet raider. >> in real life, he thinks he's better off not knowing what the white house might say. >> i deactivated my twitter. i deleted my twitter. >> that was smart. >> it's my message to america, delete your twitter. >> reporter: with just days to go before the premiere, you might expect nerves to be a little raw. and they are. >> wine. >> imagine because the expectations are so high, maybe impossibly high. >> you had to bring that up. >> reporter: the last three episodes aren't even written idea, by design. so they can be flexible to react to the news of the day. >> he invited me to his house afterwards and i assumed there would be other people, but there weren't. and something happened. that's it. >> did you tell anybody? >> no. >> every show night i start getting all weepy and faith comes in and goes, now can-do, you can do this. >> i know, but it's so much.

>> so why do you get weepy? >> the show was so important to many of us when we were doing it and you really connect on a level that's deeper. >> reporter: the world is perhaps more polarized than it was when murphy was last on the air. with candice bergen and the rest of the cast are counting on the fact that somewhere in the middle is the left and the right there's still a little room for humor. >> murphy would cut shannon down to size, just like she did with jeff sessions. he used to be 6 feet. now he sleeps in an acorn. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

there was much ado this past week about the relationship status two of beloved sesame street muppets, bert and ernie. here's tony dokoupil. >> do you like me bert? >> do i like you? well, of course, i like you, ernie. you're my best friend. >> reporter: for nearly 50 years, bert and ernie have been the symbol of friendship for young audiences around the world. ♪ i like you >> reporter: but a former writer for the show now says the two were more than just pals. in an interview with the lgbtq

website queerty, mark saltzman who wrote for "sesame street" said bert and ernie mirrored the relationship he had with his partner ernie. i don't think i'd know how else to write them other than a loving couple. that's what i had in my life, a bert and ernie relationship. how could it not permeate? >> i miss my old buddy bert. >> reporter: those comments have reignited a debate that's lasted for years. one that came to a head in 2013. a photo on the cover of "the new yorker" showed the two watching the supreme court's landmark decision that declared a ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. in a statement, sesame workshop refuted saltzman's claim writing bert and ernie were created to be best friends. bert's creator frank oz agreed on twitter. does it really matter? there's much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness. "sesame street" has long been at the forefront of diversity in television. >> the other children at school don't want to play with me because i'm hiv positive. >> reporter: featuring a character living with hiv in

2002. >> i know that helps you feel calm, too. >> reporter: and last year introducing julia who has autism. >> they belong to the people who create them, but they also belong to everyone else. >> reporter: a wrir for "the washington post"ays people interpretation of these characters might go against the creator's intent. >> people are longing to see a more accurate representation of the world in which they live. it's just touching a nerve for a lot of people who are thinking more deeply about the notion of representation and how people even talk about sexual orientation. >> reporter: according to a book about the history of "sesame street," the relationship between the two could actually have another tie. it might possibly mirror the friendship between bert creator frank oz and the muppets creator jim henson. they performed the characters for many years. tony dokoupil, cbs news, new york. that's the overnight news for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back a little later for the morning news and "cbs this morning." from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm elaine quijano.

it's monday, september 24th, 2018. this is the cbs morning news. another accuser, more allegations against supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. this time it's a college classmate. what she says allegedly happened to her. a sentencing hearing for bill cosby for his conviction of sexual assault. what his punishment could be. tap in for tiger. we thought we'd never see it. >> and tiger woods is a champion once