your local area, that you get a better sense of who they are as a person. >> reporter: but sometimes watching a politician eat can leave a bad taste in the mouths of voters. remember when gerald ford ate a tamale without eating the huss being or george h.w. bush said he didn't like broccoli. >> and i haven't liked it since i was a kid and i'm president of the united states. and i'm not going to eat any more broccoli. >> reporter: or the time gary bower fell off a stage while flipping pancakes. when john kerry ordered swiss cheese on his philly cheese steak, they loathed him. and recently pete buttiegieg got fried on line for slicing a cinnamon roll and eating it like a chicken wing. >> my hope is instead of us harping on candidates when they make these mistakes, we encourage them to ask questions, right. when you go into a restaurant you've never been to before, to say, i haven't had this, but i'm so excited to try it. >> reporter: over the summer we stopped in columbia, south carolina, at the world famous

clie burn fish fry hosted by jim clie burn. it was his largest ever. more than 44 fish sandwiches served for thousands of voters, there to see nearly two dozen candidates. >> here we go, a moment of truth. um. that is good. >> did it pass the test? >> of course you did. >> reporter: in iowa a state fair is a stop for any presidential contender. there's corn chops to flip and ice cream to lick. they had a local democratic steak fry. >> you're catering for? >> 10,000 attendees for the steak fry. >> how many of these have you been through? >> i don't know, lots the >> reporter: candidates flip steaks and buy the beer and try to prove they've got what it takes. >> are the crowds coming for the politicians or coming for the food? >> i think the politicians are like a la mode, a little food joke. >> reporter: senator amy "closing bell" char thinks catching up with voters over a

meal is essential for any politician. >> they may do it over a root beer float or over a tiny tim donut, but they talk to you, and that's what you want to have, as a politician. you don't want to become so insulated that the only people you hear from are on twitter feed. that's why i think it's so important to go to things like state fairs and eat the food with the people. >> reporter: we got lots of tips from the candidates how they handle food when campaigning. senator "closing bell" char said her strategy is avoid buying big servings herself and try a bit of everything offered by voters. >> try some of everything. good advice. ed o'keefe reporting. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. in a world where everything gets a sequel. it's finally time for... geico sequels! classic geico heroes, starring in six new commercials,

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eddie murphy is back. he's got a new movie that's garnering oscar buzz and a whole new outlook on his life and career. the comedian discussed it all with tracy smith. >> how did my life get so damn small? i came out here with some big plans, jimmy. i was going to do it all just like sammy davis, jr. >> reporter: in the new netflix movie, dolemite is my name. >> all my life people have been telling me no.

>> reporter: he's the real life eddie ray moore. >> i'll do whatever it takes to get in. >> reporter: a comedian whose life was going nowhere. >> let's bring dolemite to the screen. >> reporter: in desperation he created dolemite. >> dolemite is my name. >> reporter: a swag erring swearing comedian in action films. >> do you know karate? >> no, but i'll learn. i'll chop me -- >> reporter: eddie says he doesn't look at reviews, but we did. let me read you some of the things. pure joy. eddie murphy brings down the house. it's a triumph. eddie murphy gives a killer comeback performance. is it a comeback? >> i guess they like to say comeback. i don't know. let's make it easy. yes, it's my comeback. [ laughter ] >> this is my big comeback. every ten years or so, i launch a big comeback. i've been doing that for the last 40 years. every ten years, i come back. [ laughter ]

>> reporter: comeback or not, the movie has set off an avalanche of accolades and award nominations, including the golden globe. >> and eddie murphy, dolemite is my name. >> i am gum by, damn it, you don't talk to me that way. >> reporter: you might say it's another high point in a career with too many high points to count. >> why, it's our old friend mr. landlord. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: eddie murphy was only 19 when he joined the cast of saturday night live in 1980. >> buh-weet. ♪ in all the wrong places working -- >> reporter: and bringing new life. >> and actually experience america as a white man. >> reporter: and a new sense of racial awareness. >> finally, i was ready. >> reporter: to a show that was then on the verge of cancellation.

[ laughter ] [ applause ] >> you know, this is the cleanest and nicest police car i've ever been in in my life. >> how are you doing? >> reporter: he broke new ground in movies, too. >> is there a problem, officers? >> reporter: turning likeable characters -- >> fascinating. america is great indeed. imagine a country so free one can throw glass on the streets. >> there's a new sheriff in town. >> reporter: and to box office heroes. >> y'all be cool. >> i have some ice cream. >> reporter: and then there were his stand-up specials. >> you didn't get none 'cause you are on the welfare. [ laughter ] >> reporter: where he'd say everything he couldn't say on network tv. >> i'm afraid to get people. >> reporter: plus a few things that would make the internet explode if he said them today. when you watch that stuff, do you laugh? is it still funny to you? >> some of it. some of it i cringe when i

watch. oh, my god, i can't believe i said that. [ laughter ] >> reporter: i mean, people were picketing you. >> yeah. >> reporter: did that bother you? >> no. in the moment you kind of was like, it is what it is, you know? >> reporter: does it bother you now? >> i've seen stuff that i go like, oh, let's -- ooh, yeah, give a joke every now and then that's cringy. that's not to say i don't appreciate it. i still appreciate it. i'm looking at it within the context of the times, you know. i'm going, okay, i'm a kid saying that. >> reporter: no regrets? >> none whatsoever, no. >> hi, i'm eddie murphy. >> reporter: andy has no regrets about the 1988 oscars when years ahead of his peers, he called out the academy for its lack of diversity. >> i said, but i just feel that we have to recognize as a people, i want you to know i'm going to give this award, but black people will not ride the caboose of society and we will not bring up the rear any more. i want you to recognize.

>> reporter: at the time did you have people saying, eddie, you shouldn't have done that? >> no, you know what's interesting after i said that, it went the exact opposite way. there was no mention -- it was almost like i wasn't at the awards that night. the next day there was no mention of it in the papers. >> reporter: not even a blip? >> not a blip, and there were no pictures of me at the oscars. >> i'll probably never win an oscar for saying this, but, hay, what the hay, i got to say it. >> reporter: you said this probably ruins my chance of getting nominated for an oscar. >> and then i didn't, i didn't get nominated for oscars for years. >> reporter: do you think that had something to do with it? >> i don't know. what do you think? [ laughter ] ♪ you can fake your way to the top ♪ ♪ >> reporter: you did eventually get a nomination for the 2006 movie "dream girls." >> car chase scene, take one. >> reporter: he might get a nod for another oscar soon.

staying power is about more than just talent. >> i've always been really comfortable in my skin. it's because i've always been grounded spiritually, you know, and i believe in god and i believe in prayer. >> reporter: do you pray every day? >> yeah, i play all the time, you know? i pray all the time. you don't have to like get down on your knees and pray. you can pray wherever. you know what i found? a lot of people in show business that get really successful at an early age, a lot of them go through a lot of stuff and have issues and drug problems and all these -- or self-destructive. and i never had that because i was grounded spiritually. >> lord, have mercy. you're killing us. >> reporter: murphy says what also grounds him is family. he has ten children, ages 1 to 30. and he had no problem taking me to school.

>> this score here, 25-13. don't think that i was going to take it easy on your ass. >> reporter: at 58, eddie still has a lot of game left in him. [ cheers and applause ] ♪ it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood -- >> reporter: earlier this month he made his triumphant return to snl. >> i am still your neighbor. >> reporter: and there's a new stand-up special in the works with eddie murphy, like any great comedian, it's all about perfect timing. >> my neighbor has gone through so much. it's going through something called gentrification. can you say gentrification, boys and girls? it's like a magic trick. white people pay a lot of money and then, poof, all the black people are gone. >> reporter: what's it like to get that kind of laugh from somebody like that, fall on the floor, gut-busting laugh from somebody? >> there's nothing like making people laugh. and being, being able to do that

for a living is a blessing and a privilege. there's no higher calling for an artist. it's nothing like hearing a big

millions of americans will be braving the airports today, heading home from their holiday trips. it can be bad enough for you and me, but what about for children with autism? kris van cleave reports on the airline industry's effort to help. >> reporter: for 6-year-old nathan diamond, today is a big day. he'll be walking on an airplane for the first time since he was a baby. he has autism, so he's sensitive to the noise and activity of an airport and changes to his routine can be disruptive. they don't travel often, but when his parents sonia and jonathan take him to visit family, they make an eight-hour drive to arkansas. they could fly in about 90 minutes. how is it going so far?

>> i'll be honest. it was, it was a little nerve-racking i think for us. but for him, he was taking the challenge on. >> reporter: once a month delta offers a special orientation program for families touched by autism to get kids comfortable with the airport process, from check-in and security to boarding. and what to expect on the plane. >> the easiest thing for us was like, whew, we're sitting down, we're on the plane. but this is the hardest part for him, sitting down, these narrow ways. that's the hardest part for him. >> reporter: one in 59 eight year olds is on the autism spectrum. among them captain eric reese's son. he's led the atlanta tours for the last four years. >> you worry about your child. and when you've seen a child have a meltdown that's on the spectrum, it's scary. and these families are scared to death that it's going to happen on the plane and that we're going to land and create all sorts of problems and disrupt passengers and things like that.

but i assure them that's not the case. >> reporter: delta offers these tours at its atlanta and minneapolis hubs. other airlines including alaska, american and jet blue offer similar programs at airports across the country. >> o. >> reporter: delta built this special sensory room in atlanta's international terminal as a place families can go to calm down if the airport becomes sensory overload. it's a first for delta. >> what's it like for you? what's it like seeing the reactions from the kids, particularly when their eyes light up? >> it's just amazing and that it's doing good and it's making families feel empowered and confident and comfortable. i want them to have the same experiences with their children reporter: and the diamonds are ready. they just have to agreeo agree e to go. >> my first one as parents. >> my newest. he wants to do fairs. we keep praying. i just want to go to disneyland. >> have a seat in the captain's

seat. >> reporter: whatever the final destination, from the looks of nathan in the cockpit, he's about ready for take off. kris v cleave, atlanta. >> and that's he overnight news for this new year's day. it it's wednesday, january 1st, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." welcome to 2020. we'll take a look at celebrations around the world as the clock struck midnight. embassy attack. in an exclusive interview with cbs news, secretary of state mike pompeo accuses iran of, quote, state-sponsored terror. and pontifical slap. why pope francis smacked a woman's hand in st. peter's woman's hand in st. peter's square. captioning funded by cbs