we will continue to monitor this massive fires all day long. we will see you back here in about 25 minutes and remember, the latest is always online and our webs e. ♪ good morning to you, our viewers in the west. welcome to "cbs this morning." it's august 20th, 2020. i'm gayle king with anthony mason and tony dokoupil. making history. kamala harris becomes the first black woman on a major presidential ticket. what this means for the campaign and why former president barack obama says the very idea of democracy is on the line. >> firestorms explode. hundreds of wildfires burn in california made worse by lightning strikes and record heat. how the unpredictable flames pose a terrifying threat to thousands. >> breaking overnight, one of vladimir putin's top critics hospitalized after a suspected poisoning. we'll have the latest on alexei

navalny's condition and how his spokesman says it happened. and keeping students safe. college parties lead to more coronavirus outbreaks on campus. while many younger children begin school. and we asked teachers how they really feel about getting back into the classroom. >> but first, here's today's "eye opener." it's your world in 90 seconds. >> it is truly an honor to be speaking with you. i am here tonight is a testament to the dedication of generations before me. >> history was made as kamala harris became the first woman of color to accept the democratic nomination for vice president. >> i did hope for the sake of our country that donald trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously. but he never did. >> fire crews are battling hundreds of wildfires across california. >> mass evacuations are under way. >> with all the fires we're currently seeing, we're woefully short of resources period. >> the president criticizing

colleges for sending students home. >> it's significantly safer for students to live with other young people than to go home and spread the virus to older americans. >> the president asked about the conspiracy group known as qanon. >> this belief that you're secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. >> is that supposed to be a bad thing? >> russia's most prominent opposition politician apparently poisoned. alexei navalny was a critic of vladimir putin. >> fire and sparks shooting from the plane's belly. >> deep left field. it is a grand slam to walk it off! >> and all that matters. >> dominating! >> upsets in the nba bubble. the dallas mavericks even up the series with a win against the clippers. >> i've got to hear it. >> i love it! >> maybe we're still not sure which candidate you'll vote for

so let me tell you about my friend, joe biden. >> i told you we were best friends. barack and i are closer than two scoops in a cone except i'm melting a lot faster. hit me with some sprinkles. >> the "eye opener" presented by toyota. we've got breaking news. as you wake up in the west, we should know that right here in new york city, steve bannon, president trump's former senior political adviser, was arrested this morning. he and three other people are accused of defrauding hundreds of thousands of fundraising donors. paula reid is at the white house with the latest information. paula, good morning to you. what are we just learning? >> good morning, gayle. i've been reading this indictment. we've learned the president's former chief strategist steve bannon was taken into custody this morning. he's been charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of investors related to a fund called we build the wall. according to prosecutors, bannon

and his co-conspirators allegedly capitalized on raising money for the wall telling do r donors the money would be used to build the wall. instead this money was funneled to the folks in charge of this conspiracy. according to prosecutors, bannon received hundreds of thousands of dollars and he now faces up to 20 years in prison, gayle. >> so paula, how does this impact the president going forward? >> well, we're going to ask the president in just a few moments. the prime minister of iraq will be at the white house. we'll have a chance to ask the president his reaction to this news. it's significant. this is the sixth close associate of president trump who has been criminally charged by the trump justice department during this administration. while the president has tried to dismiss a lot of the investigations swirling around the white house as a hoax or some sort of democratic conspiracy, these charges would have been approved by his attorney general. these are known, being carried out by his own justice

department. and as we head into november, there's a question for voters about exactly why there is so much criminal activity swirling around this white house. the administration and previously the trump campaign. >> it will be interesting to hear the president's response today. paula, thank you very much. now to last night's history-making democratic national convention. senator kamala harris officially became the first black woman ever on a major party's presidential ticket. formally accepting her party's nomination for vice president. the night also saw former president barack obama delivering a sharp rebuke of president trump. he called on all americans to vote and said democracy itself is at stake in this election. ed o'keefe is in wilmington, delaware, where harris made her speech. ed, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anthony. on what is said to be the biggest day in the political life of joe biden. we'll get to that in a moment. we begin with senator harris who became just the third woman ever

to accept the vice presidential nomination. and as she did, she remembered her mother. >> she probably could have never imagined that i would be standing before you now and speaking these words. i accept your nomination for vice president of the united states of america. >> reporter: in an acceptance speech unlike any ever given before, california senator kamala harris shared her family's history, recalling her parents' activism and a stroller's eye view of the civil rights movement. >> she raised us to be proud, strong black women and she raised us to know and be proud of our indian heritage. >> reporter: the senator who has faced criticism for her past prosecutorial record spoke frankly about the ongoing national reckoning on race and how minorities are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. >> there is no vaccine for

racism. we have got to do the work. for george floyd, for breonna taylor, for the lives of too many others to name. >> reporter: and she pinned the blame squarely on president trump. >> donald trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods. >> donald trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't. >> reporter: former president barack obama delivered the most stinging rebuke of a sitting president by a former president in modern history. >> for close to four years now he's shown no interest in putting in the work. no interest in finding common ground. no interest in using the awesome power of his office to help anyone but himself and his friends. no interest in treating the presidency as anything but one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves. >> reporter: speaking from the

museum of the american revolution in philadelphia, he spoke about americans once marginalized because of who they were. >> if anyone had a right to believe that this democracy did not work and could not work, it was those americans. our ancestors. >> reporter: at times the former president almost pleaded with americans to take action. >> do not let them take away your power. do not let them take away your democracy. >> reporter: so did many of the women who spoke including nancy pelosi and mr. trump's 2016 opponent hillary clinton. who recalled what can happen when people don't turn out to vote. >> and don't forget, joe and kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. take it from me. >> reporter: someone who was watching closely last night, perhaps no surprise, president trump, who fired off several angry tweets with false and misleading claims. some democrats immediately said the president was in essence

proving mr. obama's point that he's unfit to serve. tonight, attention turns to joe biden at the chase center on the riverfront. looks like a home depot, but we promise this is an event center that actually can hold a television studio that democrats have built for the event, similar to what kamala harris spoke from last night. biden has been seeking the presidency in 50 years and will accept the nomination on the third try. of course, this isn't at all what we were expecting to cover. we were supposed to be in the battleground state of wisconsin. biden was supposed to speak in front of thousands. tonight he'll speak from his hometown, the city that, as a senator, he came home to almost every night. tony? >> yeah, and thank you, ed. not expecting to cover a convention quite like this one, but it is another big night. we'll be watching and seeing if the sitting president is watching as well. i suspect he will be. let's go to northern california where the san francisco area is surrounded by a series of wildfires that are threatening homes and blanketing the region with dangerous smoke.

there is more hot weather likely today that could make conditions even harder for firefighters there. the fires are burning out of control all over california including around a dozen of a thousand acres or more. those are very large fires. carter evans is in vacaville. what are you seeing now? >> well, i'll tell you. when the fire came through here, it was so hot, is incinerated everything. you see this melted aluminum on the ground. that came from the rim of this car. everything on this property was leveled. california governor gavin newsom says there are about 360 fires burning in the state right now. they generated -- it happened during a storm that generated about 11,000 lightning strikes. and all of this during a record-breaking heat wave. fast-moving flames forced our cbs sacramento affiliate to flee with seconds to spare.

about ten minutes south, firefighters worked to contain the growing wildfire in nearby fairfield. it forced emergency evacuations at nearby travis air force base and shut down a busy interstate. so you can see what firefighters are dealing with as the wind picks up here blowing this smoke sideways across the road. they're trying to keep the fire from jumping right now but it's not just the flames. the smoke is so thick it's hard to see. late last night, flames tore through this santa cruz mountain south of san francisco, part of what's known as the czu lightning complex fires. at least three of california's wildfires are each now greater than the size of 20,000 football fields as many areas swelter under record-breaking triple-digit temperatures. this mobile home park in vacaville was destroyed among at least 60 structures consumed by flames as the so-called lnu lightning fire tore through the community. >> i woke up, and the whole hill was on fire.

i mean, the entire thing was on fire. >> reporter: farm owner rhonda says she and her family narrowly escaped but much of her livestock was lost. >> i went outside. it was the roar of the fire that i never heard anything like that before in my life. >> what did it sound like? >> like a locomotive. it was freaky scary. >> reporter: well, there are reports now that this covid is making these fires harder to fight and that's because inmate crews normally help out with the firefight but there are reports right now that those have been severely cut back to cut down the spread of the coronavirus. >> roar of the fire so loud it sounded like a locomotive. you don't forget that, carter. thank you. breaking news overnight from russia where president putin's most prominent critic is fighting for his life this morning after a suspected poisoning. roxana saberi is following the story in london. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. a spokeswoman says alexei

navalny is in a coma after drinking a cup of poisoned tea. he drank the tea at an airport in siberia and then lost consciousness after boarding. this video appears to show scenes inside the plane when paramedics arrived with navalny heard moaning. he started feeling unwell. other unconfirmed clips show navalny lying motionless, being wheeled into an ambulance. he's now in stable condition but his life is still at risk. one chief doctor says they're looking into various diagnoses, including poisoning. navalny has been a fierce critic of vladimir putin for more than a decade. the activist has been detained several times for organizing anti-government protests. last year, he was hospitalized with what his doctor said could be the result of poisoning. naval navalny's spokeswoman is pointing the finger at russia's president for today's incident but the kremlin says it's wishing navalny a speedy recovery. gayle? >> boy, thank you very much,

roxana. teachers unions in two of the biggest u.s. cities are threatening walkouts over returning to school during the coronavirus pandemic. new york city teachers will not return to class if their health and safety demands are not met. teachers in detroit have authorized a potential strike there. colleges in the u.s. now report more than 1,000 coronavirus cases. our lead national correspondent david begnaud is tracking this story for us. david, so what are they doing to control these outbreaks? good morning to you. >> gayle, good morning. you have some universities postponing in-person learning. others are canceling it altogether and moving strictly toward virtual online learning. and then you have some universities that are actually punishing students for putting their peers at risk. it was this video of students partying inside the university of connecticut student housing that led to several students being evicted from their campus residences. iowa state university released

party smart guidelines for its student body this week after crowds of students were seen partying over the weekend. this video shared online apparently shows some of those parties. in tennessee, the state government is allowing school districts to declare teachers as essential workers which would get them back into the classroom, even if they've been exposed to the virus. we spoke with the state's education commissioner penny schwenn. >> if you're going to do that at the lovely level we want to make sure you do everything to keep those students safe. >> reporter: many are worried local leaders are not adequately protecting them, their students and their families. in new york city, the teachers union is suggesting it may take legal action if schools reopen without what they're calling essential precautions like mandatory testing and tracing. >> this city went through hell and came back, and we are not going back to hell because of sho shortsighted political agendas. >> in florida, the state's

largest teachers union is suing over a state-wide in-person learning mandate. at wednesday's virtual court hearing, one teacher was overcome with emotion. >> i've chosen my kids, my students over so many difficult things, but i can't put my family at risk. >> reporter: we're talking about young people. there's a new study published in the journal of pediatrics about research done at massachusetts general hospital. they looked at about 200 kids infected with coronavirus and found that 50 of them had higher levels of coronavirus in their airway than some adults in the icu at the hospital. what does that mean? it means that kids may be even more active when it comes to actually contributing to the spread of coronavirus in the community, even if they don't get as sick as some of those adults in the hospital. >> that's so scary. makes me grateful that my favorite son, favorite daughter

of 30-something are potty trained and employed. i'd be terrified if we had a child going back. >> this weekend we're going. he's worried, too. and we've got a panel of teachers, they're all worried as well. >> but i'm not worried about nick mason. i saw a disturbing interview with a kid saying, i think this is all a hoax. nick does not think -- >> he knows it's serious. >> you know when you get to school. you have friends, things happen and people make bad choices. so it's just -- there's just so much that is uncertain and there hasn't been a lot of planning for this. >> i know. it's a very uncertain time. but they have those party guidelines safely. >> how about no parties? >> i like that best of all. no parties. ahead, a major new development in flint, michigan. six-year fight over tainted tapwater. adriana diaz who has covered this story for all those years will tell us about a huge financial se

ahead, why president trump is welcoming support from qanon. plus, how the mayor of los angeles tried to punish a home that's become party central in the middle of the pandemic. you're watching "cbs this morning." still fresh... ♪ unstopables in-wash scent booster ♪ downy unstopables hold on one second...

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good feeds us all. hormel natural choice lunch meats. ahead, the continuing storm that ripped across the midwest like a hurricane. >> corn stalks blown over by last week's severe weather in the midwest. i'm adriana diaz in clinton county, iowa. why this is so devastating for farmers and how it could affect

the food supply chain. that's coming up on "cbs this morning." this is a morning update. good morning, the czu august lightning complex fires burning in the santa cruz mountains has now ripped through 40,000 acres. cal fire says of more than 20,000 residents have been evacuated and they expect the blaze to spread aggressively today. no containment so far. in solano county, officials have lifted evacuation orders

in the areas of peabody, band and road, and cement hill. solano community college and fairfield high school have been removed from the evacuation center list. >> we are looking at the roadway. road closures are continuing along the coast. highway one is shut down both directions due to the wildfires around santa cruz but also highway 1 closures are in effect. they will be in both directions along highway 9 between western avenues. it is still pretty busy around allatoona pass. there is a crash westbound 205 around mount house.

the state of michigan announced it's reached an agreement to settle all claims with victims. you may recall that people in that city, the city of flint, have protested for years over unsafe amounts of led in their drinking water. the preliminary agreement calls for a payment to city residents of $600 million. it follows more than a year and a half of negotiations. adriana diaz has extensive reporting on this story from flint and she joins us now. adriana, good morning. $600 million might sound like a lot, but on the other, a lot of damage there as well. how are residents of flint

reacting this morning? >> good morning. although the state claims flint's water quality has met federal standards for three years now, many residents tell us they don't trust officials and they still don't trust the water. one person told us yesterday that no amount of money can heal the suffering of those impacted by this crisis and the coronavirus pandemic is just making the situation worse. made the situation worse. >> it ain't worth nothing. money -- money don't equal help. it don't -- you can be rich and die. like it ain't the same. >> reporter: craig davis is a lifelong flint resident who has lived the devastation brought on by the city's tainted water crisis. >> it's almost like we've got ptsd with the water. who's going to drink it comfortably? when people lost their lives to it. >> reporter: he's also a coronavirus survivor and says he and his neighbors are struggling to deal with both issues at the same time. >> you got people that's taking extra money out of their pockets and just going to the grocery store and just buying up the

water in the grocery store. but you add on the pandemic, now the water's not even there to grab. >> reporter: the water crisis started in 2014 when as a co cost-cutting measure the city switched the water source from lake michigan to the flint river. it was not treated. the city switched back to the original water source in 2015. >> my heart breaks because the fact of the matter is i handed then the glasses of water. >> reporter: cbs news was on the ground flint for months at the height of the crisis. we heard firsthand from parents about how they believed the tainted water affected their children. >> when i hear my son get up at night and cry because his bones hurt, and there's flnothing i c give him, nothing i can do to take away his pain, i feel completely helpless. >> reporter: although tens of thousands of plaintiffs will receive a payout, but much of the money is expected to go to

the children affected by the crisis. flint mayor sheldon neeley says he hopes the their provides some sense of victory for families. >> it allows residents to move forward in a positive way, getting out of the mindset of being victims but t that way, it's not much. thank you. a reminder, you can always get the morning's news by subscribing to the "cbs this morning" podcast. hear today's top stories in less than 20 minutes. we'll be right back. more import. access to healthcare, affordable prescription drugs, opportunities to save for the future. that's what aarp fights for because that's what everyone deserves.

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traffickers inside the government. nancy cordes is on capitol hill with more on this story. nancy, this is all so bizarre. what does law enforcement say about q-anon? >> reporter: well, the fbi has actually warned that conspiracy theories like q-anon could fuel a rise in domestic terrorism.

and yet some believers may soon be serving in congress. and president trump had nothing but praise yesterday for people who adhere to these disturbing claims. >> i've heard these are people that love our country. >> reporter: president trump was asked pointblank wednesday does he believe in q-anon, the so-called prophecy that claims he is secretly hunting down thousands of satanic, deep-state pedophiles, and cannibals. >> is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing? if i can help save the world from problems, i'm willing to do it. >> reporter: it's not the first time president trump has lent credence to a fringe theory. this one first emerged on the website fourchan in late 2017. >> the idea is this anonymous poster who people refer to as q was giving secret clues about becoming, quote, great awakening. >> reporter: political science

professor joe uscinski studies conspiracy theories. >> the beliefs themselves are almost an incitement to violence. there isn't anything worse you can say about your political competitors than that they are satanic sex traffickers who molest and eat children. >> reporter: this sounds like something out of a bad sci-fi movie. >> it has a lot of properties that make it more like a cult. >> reporter: q-anon believes are a frequent sight at trump rallies, some seeking office themselves. >> i stand with president trump. i stand with the team. thank you -- >> reporter: jo rae perkins, a senate hopeful in oregon, is one of at least 19 gop congressional candidates who have paid lip service to q-anon. >> george soros and the democrats are trying to take me down. >> reporter: there's also georgia's marjorie taylor greene who claims there's been an

islamic invasion of government offices. and yet, several republican leaders congratulated her on her primary win last week, while the president called her a future republican star. so absolutely i did congratulate her. >> reporter: what is q-anon? >> reporter: that bothered centuadam kensington posted on line. he's worried q-anon could corrode democracy. >> for the president to say no, i don't believe these theories, they're ludicrous -- >> reporter: but calling out those theories made him a target. >> i have the people on twitter telling me i created isis with john mccain. >> reporter: do you think that's why more republicans don't speak out, because they're worried about the attacks they will get on line? >> you know, i can't speak for everyone, but i certainly think there are some that are concerned about that. >> reporter: facebook announced new restrictions wednesday to block and remove q-anon ads,

fund-raising, and searches. the site has already removed nearly 800 groups and 100 pages tied to the conspiracy theory. >> i don't know really anything about it other than they do supposedly like me. >> reporter: despite warnings from federal law enforcement, one media watchdog estimates president trump has amplified the tweets of q-anon believers more than 200 times. joe uscinski said there's a reason for that. >> he brought him to the prom, and he need to continue dancing and that's what he's going to continue doing. >> reporter: he said the predictions as nutsy as they sound aren't even that new. some of the theories resemble the plot of oliver stone's movie "jfk" 30 years ago. polling finds that 5% to 10% of americans believe this stuff, that president trump is this

secret crusader working to take down a cannibalistic cabal within government. anthony? >> very scary stuff. thank you. ahead, vlad duthiers will look at the stories you'll be talking (woman) is there a natural litter that actually works?! (vo) at tidy cats, litterventions come naturally! naturally strong unscented with activated charcoal. or, new scented clean lemongrass, with plant extracts. 100% natural, 100% powerful. there's a tidy cats for that!

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we're back, and it's time for "what to watch." as we're learning it is possible to have a political convention without convening. there is no "what to watch" without yours truly. >> good to see you all. the only thing that senator kamala harris and i have in common, perhaps, with the exception of our skin shade is that we deliver comments to an empty room with just a camera man and a sound engineer. >> we're here. we're here. we're here, vlad. >> yeah. >> we're your audience. >> we ain't nothing, we're here. >> you're right. i do a little clap, a little -- little wave.

good to see you all. here are a few stories we think you will be talking about today. the city of los angeles has shut off power at a hollywood hills mansion rented by tiktok stars bryce hall, noah beck, and blake gray because of excessive partying. this is the house -- totally in the dark after the electricity was cut off last night. hall has 13 million followers on tiktok. if you're wondering why we're telling you about this, your kids know who they are. he was criticized over this video of his 21st birthday bash last friday. the party which happened actually at a different rental house was packed with dozens of people. mayor garcetti says the tiktok group continues to use its residence as a nightclub in the hills despite several warnings earlier this month. the mayor announced a public order allowing utility shutoffs at the houses that violate public health orders hosting large gatherings during the pandemic. so tony, again, your kids probably know who these dudes are. and more importantly, there are

kids getting ready to go back to school, we've been talking about kids partying in the wake of this pandemic, without taking precauti precautions. there is why this is -- this is why this is such an important story. >> it's difficult to charge your phone without power. i don't know if the tiktok posts will continue. we might see bryce at the local starbucks with the plug under the table if it's open. the mayor of los angeles, he's not playing around, this is serious. we'll have to see when the power comes back. vlad, speaking of power, we've got in country moscow power that got a big surprise. >> keith urban, i love keith urban. he surprised two new singers who are getting top honors at this year's academy of country music awards. watch this. >> i feel really good right now. >> you're about to feel a whole lot better. congratulations, you are the female artist of the year, tenille townes. >> yeah, pretty cool.

>> congratulations. >> riley greene and tenille townes thought they were doing virtual meetings when all of a sudden keith urban suddenly breaks the news that they are the new male and female artists of the year. townes and greene will perform at the acm awards which for the first time ever will be hosted in nashville. you can catch the 55th acm awards live on september 16th right here on cbs. i've covered the acms, several times, gayle. what i love about the country music world is how friendly everybody is. >> yes. >> i mean, everybody loves each other. they love us. it's great. >> and i love them, too. i always say that they are a different breed. i totally agree with you, some of the nicest, kindest people. look at the songs that they write. and it's so great for those two new up-and-coming stars. to have keith urban say, hey, we salute you. that's got to be a really nice feeling. you've also got a guy who's -- got very creative. got a very creative way to get

people to wear their masks. good. >> yes, yes. this actually came to me via my cameraman, derek davis. s he showed me the video. if you get upset when you see someone not wearing a mask in public, a california man has an invention that you just might like. take a look. >> three, two, one -- oh! oh -- i can't breathe on you now -- >> he is so excited. that is alan pann. this device that he invented launches a surgical mask at someone's face using a co2 canist canister, the brake line from a car, and the pistol grip of a spray paint can. he told us he doesn't want to sell them, it's not to make money, it's not available to the public. it's a goofy video to remind people how important it is to wear masks and to stay safe. listen -- >> you make a mask on because who patent seen someone without

a mask and wish there was a way to slap one on their face. >> it is so great. >> better be careful. >> to launch a mask at someone's face. he got the inspiration from in their "simpsons" episode when homer created something to put marge's face. coming up, more of the democratic national convention. (vo) we've got your back, road warriors.

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this is a kpix 5 morning update. it is 7:56. in fairfield, solano county officials have lifted evacuation orders in the areas of peabody, bandon road, and cement hill. new evacuations were ordered in napa county last night near st. helena. this is some of the smoky

aftermath along box canyon road. we saw the remnants of several homes burned to the ground last night. in sonoma work healdsburg, some people are packed up and going to safety. they are under an evacuation warning and their two separate fires burning in that area and both are 0% contained. we are looking at the bay bridge toll plaza. things are looking a little better. we got a minimal backup right to the 880 overpass, maybe a little shorter than that. it is slower into the city. also, look at traffic on highway 4 the west end. it is low out of bay point. you have some brake lights into

it's thursday, august 20th, 2020. welcome back. i'm gayle king with tony dokoupil and anthony mason. breaking barriers. kamala harris makes history as a nominee for vice president. what does this mean for the democratic party and the campaign? >> classroom concerns. teachers tell us about their serious worries about returning to school. why they say many schools are not prepared. and nourishing the soul. for our series a more perfect union. a look at food and equality in america and what one farmer is doing to help. >> first, here's today's eye opener at 8:00. kamala harris officially

became the first black woman ever on a major party's presidential ticket. >> someone who was watching closely last night perhaps no surprise, president trump who fired off several angry tweets. >> the president's former chief strategist charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of investors related to a fund called we build the wall. gavin newsom says there are about 360 fires burning in the state. it happened during a storm that generated about 1100 lightning strikes. >> some universities are moving to online learning and some universities are punishing students for putting their peers at risk. >> now trump's calling for a ban on good year. >> there's one problem with his boycott. it turns out the president's boycott hits close to home. the president's custom limo is

fitted with good year tires. >> welcome back to "cbs this morning." last time i checked, the goya beans don't work so well on the car. the beast tires will run even if you get a flat tire. >> wow. i don't think the cans of beans are going to roll that well down the highway. i think it's going to have to stick with the wheel-shaped ones. we'll see. >> there's a reason why stephen colbert did that joke. >> well done. time marches on and last night we watched capital h history at the democratic national convention as kamala harris became the first woman of color to be nominated for vice president. and she was cheered on by several other prominent women in the party. >> kamala harris is the vice president we need right now. >> tonight i'm thinking of the

girls and boys who see themselves in america's future because of kamala harris. >> we all need to be in the fight to get joe and kamala elected. >> harris described her running mate, joe biden, as a stable leader. in stark contrast to her description of president trump. >> the constant chaos leaves us adrift. the incompetence makes us feel afraid. the callousness makes us feel alone. it's a lot. and here's the thing. we can do better and deserve so much more. >> we learned former president barack obama was initially going to speak after harris but asked to go first symbolically to pass the torch in a significant shift he condemned president trump by

name and warned about what he called the danger to american democracy. >> donald trump hasn't grown into the job because he can't and the consequences are severe. >> joe biden will wrap up the convention with a speech laying out his vision for the country should he be elected. >> we're joined by president trump's former chief of staff. we're hoping hillary clinton's former campaign manager was going to join us, but our feed went down. maria, i want to start with you. this was history making. it was history shaking it up last night. i want to start with the history making. here we are kamala harris who is the third woman nominated for

vice president. the first woman of color. could you paint the picture on why this is so significant other than the obvious? >> well, just like you said, she's not the first woman to be vice presidential candidate, but somehow this feels different. i think the moment that we're living in probably contributes to that. i mean, she can attract a coalition of voters, women, african americans, asians, immigrants as a whole. children of immigrants also. i mean, she is very relatable, because people will see her immigrant families will see her and imagine their kids in that position, and kids of immigrants can say that could be me. her speech was important. she showed the different facets to her. she showed she could be a tough prosecutor ready to take on president trump, but you could relate to her as a woman, a step mom, as a woman in her 40s who

met her husband on a blind date, her first marriage. there's different layers to kamala harris that ultimately they hope will attract the vote. >> robbie, what does the harris nomination mean for the democratic party? good to see you. there's reince. there's rob by. >> good to see you. a few technical glitches at the dnc last night. it's part of the genre. >> it's all good. >> look, this was really historic. obviously. and given that what was interesting to me last night was that harris really spent the time in that speech to talk about herself, her biography, where she comes from, what she believes in, her family, so on, so forth. normally vice presidential nominees spend a lot of time hitting the other side and kind of being the attack dog. and president obama ended up kind of playing that role. so i thought that was

interesting and really good. because this is someone a lot of voters hadn't heard from before. so i thought it was important she had that opportunity to provide that background. >> reince, republicans have painted senator harris as some too progressive. others say she's not progressive enough. how do you think that republicans will take her on? >> well, look, i would go back to 2016. and what i saw last night and monday and tuesday was pretty much the same play book. if you go back and watch hillary clinton's speech in 2016, she said that trump creates a movement, a moment of reckoning. barack obama said that trump was full of hate and anger. there was two things the democratic convention in 2016. the qualifications of hillary clinton and the fact that trump, they claimed was too divisive.

the american heard that and heard about the tweets and all the things the democrats didn't like about trump, and what did they do? they voted for donald trump. they drained the swamp, and crushed the way things used to be. and so what the dnc is trying to do is harken back to the way that things used to be. you know? let's go back to back. and they've got to make the case for joe biden. i don't think they're doing anything differently in that convention that they've been trying basically since 2016. >> really? reince? were you watching the convention last night? it felt very different. >> i was. >> i know. i'm being facetious. >> look, people that have watched the live -- we have to watch it. you have to watch it. conventions normally don't include a lot of persuadable

voters. what matters how does the news play the next day? how does the news feed into folks that aren't sitting and watching conventions virtually? those types of people are -- they have their minds set. they know what they're doing. they either love trump or don't love trump, or they don't know much about biden but they know they don't like the president so they're watching. persuadable voters don't watch virtual conventions. >> but last night the president, president obama, said something that i thought was interesting. he said most voters may have already made up their minds but he issued a call. he said the democracy of this country is at stake. it was a code red. he called it it seemed a national emergency, cleanup on aisle three. times it felt like he was pleading with voters. democrats and republicans. to pay attention to this. that the democracy is at stake. we have never seen anything like that before. what was your take on that?

>> well, reince was talking about 2016. you know, reince knows more about wisconsin than me. donald trump got less votes in wisconsin than romney. trump won by people either deciding not to turn out or voting for third party candidates. i think part of what president obama was trying to do was send out that call, that beacon to everybody to say we can't sit back. it's getting harder to vote in some places because of co-vid. because of efforts to suppress the vote. he was saying you've got to do everything you can do get that vote in. i think that was very important. and to reince's point about who watches this. he was talking to the base. we heard the president, president obama in particular, talking to young people. and so i think that was a very important piece of work here. i get particularly worried like 2016, we hear all the time biden is doing well in the polls.

this can change. so i think it was important to put people on notice. we all got to do our part. >> i thought president obama made a point of saying listen, he was a better president because of joe biden. i thought he made that case very well. i want to talk and get a closing point about the take on the convention last night and what do you think this means for women in power? what message was it send? >> there were a lot of women on the -- there have been a lot of women in the last three days on the air and showing in the convention and showing how strong women can be but also encouraging women to go out and vote. we know the majority of the population is female. and at this point when you look at the polls, you see the majority of women are supporting joe biden and kamala harris. but another theme that we have heard throughout the whole convention is making sure that people go out and vote.

they were saying president obama was talking to those that maybe are on the fence. i think at this point there are few people on the fence. there's less undecided voters than in previous elections. right now the important thing for the democrats is to make sure that people do not stay home and that's why they have been pushing and pushing people to get out and vote. women, minorities, anyone who is out there, go vote. >> well, joe biden, joe biden will make his case tonight and then the republicans take the stage on monday. both parties are saying whatever your thinking, go out and vote. thank you very much. thank you for getting up for this this morning. our prime time coverage of the democratic national convention continues tonight at 10:00 eastern, 9:00 central right here at

we've got much more news ahead including this -- how the powerful storm that sent hurricane-force winds tearing through the midwest caused billions of dollars in damage, billions with a "b." what that means for farmers and the food you eat.re watching "c morning." we appreciate it. ♪ five dollar. ♪ five dollar footlong. ♪ piled high with veggies. the new barbecue rib, or any footlong, is just 5 dollars when you buy 2. only in the subway® app.

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many people are still cleaning up for the rare and powerful storm that tore across

the midwest last week. the storm called a derecho brought hurricane-force winds of up to 130 miles per hour. it caused billions of dollars in damage to homes and farms. adriana diaz shows how the devastating blow came just weeks before the critical harvest season. >> reporter: this massive storage bin was no map for last week's derecho. >> this came crashing down. i never seen anything like it. >> reporter: hurricane-force winds plowed through dennis campbell's iowa farm and much of the midwest last week, leaving behind hurricane-like aftermath. just look at this mangled metal. >> yeah. >> reporter: unbelievable. >> yeah. this is tough stuff. this is not -- this is not tinkertoy stuff. >> reporter: the weather struck fast, and right before what was supposed to be a great corn harvest. wow, these are almost flattened back here. >> so we're -- we're standing in a 290-acre field of what i would

call essentially flat corn. this will be very difficult to harvest. this plant is trying to figure out what happened, trying to repair its leaf damage and trying to upright is itself. >> reporter: the storm cost campbell more than $2 million. insurance will cover most of it, but none of the lost time. >> we've mentioned that as a farmer, we don't feel a need to go to las vegas and go gamble. meaning that we're taking incredible risks out here on a daily basis with our business, with our livelihoods. >> reporter: the damages statewide are in the billions. tens of thousands are still without power, and in cedar rapids, some are living in tents. the derecho, which means straight in spanish, sped across 770 miles straight through the corn belt, 36 counties in iowa, about one-third of the state sustained severe damage affecting millions of acres of crops. have you ever seen anything like this? >> no. not as far as the widespread nature of this wind event.

>> reporter: an egronomist says the damage is worse than initially thought. >> after the storm, we knew there was going to be corn that was laying flat. as we got into the latter part of the week, we started to see the huskts starting to turn -- husks starting to turn brown which told us that the severity of the wind probably did break off roots, hindering its ability to take up water and nutrients. >> reporter: why should americans living in cities who have no connection to the heartland care about what's happening here? >> well, this corn crop is affecting the livestock producers already. the other thing is is that we're all producing food that we're all eating. >> reporter: and american farmers iran just dealing with storms. they're weathering a trade war with china and lower demand due to covid, closing restaurants, schools, and meat processing plants. with travel down, there's less need for ethanol, a renewable fuel derived from corn. >> i'm sixth generation farmer here in iowa.

and we've been farming in this community for 170 years. we'll rebuild, we'll come back, we'll work through it. it's just going to take time and effort. >> reporter: here in the heartland one thing there's a basis point of is re-- bounty of is resilience. for "cbs this morning," adriana diaz, grand mound, iowa. >> i find his confidence reassuring. you know what the devastation is costing in time and money and your sanity. >> farmers go through a lot. >> they do. >> this is a big blow. this is a really big blow. >> resilience, i'm very encouraged by that. ahead, anthony -- >> that's me -- >> you're going to be speaking with a group of -- threw me. i thought anthony was supposed to read it because i saw his name. that's why i hesitated. >> you okay now? >> i got it now. anthony's going to be speaking with a group of high school teachers heading back to the classroom amid this pandemi. they'll tell us what they're concerned about. you're watching "cbs this morning." anthony and i will be right back.

tony, too.

ahead, a new snapshot at how many americans are losing their jobs during the pandemic. your local news is next. this is a kpix 5 morning update. good morning, a complex of wildfires have now burned a 40,000 acres. 20 structures are destroyed in more than 1000 homes are friends. 22,000 people have evacuated, including from the town right here. in fairfield in solano county, they have lifted evacuation hours. evacuation orders are

still in effect right now for all other areas of the city unless specified. in healdsburg and sonoma county, some are packed up and going to safety. the entire city is under investigation and evacuation warnings. both fires are 0% contained. i want to take you right here around the san mateo county area with some of those closures due to the ongoing wildfires. highway one is still closed down between santa cruz and pescadero. there more closures that were just issued within the last hour. skyline right at page mill in la honda, there is no traffic allowed it through their. there is a closure because of this a fire's. highway nine is close to through saratoga. another day of hazy, smoky skies remain in effect. a red flag warning for critical fire weather conditions is highlighted in red.

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welcome back to "cbs this morning." the labor department has just released its weekly report on jobless claims. that's how many people are filing for unemployment benefits in the 50 states. last week the number of new

claims fell below one million for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began five months ago. the newest total out this morning is 1.1 million. so it's ticked back up. and it's still much higher than the average weekly number of claims before the pandemic. so the economy continues to struggle. it is time now to bring you some of the stories that are the "talk of the table" this morning. you know the drill -- >> yes. >> we want to share with each other and with all of you. >> yeah. >> and look at this -- i have the first story. how did that happen? >> says who? >> i'm in charge here. it's fine. there's new music from the late tom petty. a solo demo version of his 1994 song "wildflowers" premieres this morning with a video that features never-been-seen footage of petty. here's a first look. ♪ you belong among the wildflowers you belong out at sea ♪

>> petty's landmark 1994 album "wildflowers" will be reissued in october. he originally envisioned it as a double album, 25 songs. but the label cut it down to 15 songs. "wildflowers" and the rest, the new package, will include everything including live tracks and more. all sorts of cool stuff. if you're a tom petty fan, and that includes me, you cannot wai to get your hands on this. and that video of him almost made me cry last night when i was looking at this. >> oh. i know you liked him. so nice to hear his voice. >> it's wonderful to hear his voice. can't get enough tom petty. i'll go second. we're hearing more from a security guard who made a memorable appearance at the democratic national convention the other night. joe biden's campaign chose jacqueline, she doesn't want us to use her last name, as the first person to nominate him for president on tuesday. there's miss jacqueline. last december she met biden by chance at the "new york times" building where she ran an

elevator. she was caught on video telling biden, "i love you, you are like my favorite." so genuine. cbs news asked her what was going through her head during that encounter. >> even though i escort vips or high-profile clients often, this is the gentleman that i want to lead our country. right off the bat, he was just a genuine guy. i felt almost like our souls connected. >> souls connected -- clearly. >> a great picture of the two of them. >> clearly they did connect because he chose her, she says she hopes to meet with biden again once it's safe to socialize. what i like so much is i heard jacqueline say, you know, i take important people up and down the elevator all day long. i just go back to the lobby, they go to their meetings. but she said he took the time to really sit and talk with her. >> yeah. >> it wasn't a photo op. you hear all these stories about joe biden doing that over the years with people. >> again and again. >> again and again. i thought it was nice. and her expression i think, if you haven't seen it on line, i

think is precious. >> i love that they picked her -- >> i do, too. tony? >> that's a great choice. i had a coach in high school who used to say that character is what's revealed when you think no one's looking. when you point out that it wasn't a photo op it wasn't an official appearance, just an encounter in the elevator makes it more real. bravo. i've got kind of a mental health break for us, a story that doesn't involve politics. doesn't even involve people. just baby penguins at the shedd aquarium in chicago, taking their first brave leap into the water. >> whoa! >> four penguin chicks, their first swim eventually -- they're a little bit uneasy about it. they've been a big hit on social media. some of the grown-ups have been seen -- i think, anthony, it was one of the your "talk of the table," the grown-ups abandwand taking in the sights. they have extra feathers, looks

like they're swimming with their clothes on. until they learn to swim, the feather are on, they get the slick penguin body later on. i don't know -- this is comforting. watching this as opposed to the animal kingdom, if you know what i mean. >> it's comforting and makes you smile, too. i love this. >> can't get enough penguin videos. i miss the central park zoo and the penguins there. i don't know if the shedd aquarium is open, but when it does, go. it's fabulous place. students in many states are already back in school. you may remember this picture taken when students returned to a class in georgia showing no social distancing and few masks. as part of our "school matters" series, we sat down with a group of educators from a diverse mix of public high schools in the cafeteria of parsippany hills high school in new jersey. the group included pedro hernandez, who teaches social studies, emily krieger, who teaches health in a rural part of new york state. sheena graham is a music and chorus instructor in

connecticut's larger estate, bridgeport. and matt baker who teaches in new york city. here's what they had to say. show of hands -- who's anxious about going back into the classroom? everybody. pedro, what are you anxious about? >> i want to be back in the classroom. i'm a part of a response team in our school here, and i see everything that our school is trying to do to keep it safe and clean. once you leave the school and the kids, you don't know what they might bring in. that's my biggest concern is what i might bring home to my family and my kids and the people watching my kids. >> when a student tests positive, now what? right? that was part of the contact tracing. we're not equipped to do that. we're educators. >> yeah. >> we're not health care professionals. to put that on schools is unfair. >> you teach health, and you don't feel ready for this. >> no. not the all. >> sheena, in your school, kids will not be required to wear masks? >> as of right now, they will be. but a lot of teachers are

feeling they won't keep them on. if you see people on line saying that they're not necessary, that it's all a farce -- >> the masks -- >> it's a hoax, this, that, this that can come back to haunts you. >> reporter: how do you keep kids socially distanced at school? >> you can't. >> reporter: by the nature, kids want to be close together. >> uh-huh. >> i think that students think they're walking back into school. you're not walking back into the school that you left in march. >> yeah. >> you're walking into a completely different environment that is keeping you away from your friends, keeping you away from your peers. >> the argument is that kids need to be back in school emotionally so they don't fall behind educationally, what do you say to that? >> i do believe that there is value in having them back. but i also think that we need to have a lot of support in place for when they come back. and the young lady that posted that picture with the crowded hallway, i am eternally grateful

to her because i think that there's a misconception that everything is organized and we all know what we're doing, and the kids are going to come back and everything's going to be resolved. and that young lady by posting that picture said, you know what, things are not what they seem to be. >> yeah. you think the kids are ready for this? >> i don't think you can be ready for someone getting sick and dying at your school. >> yeah. >> i don't think you can be ready for taking this disease home and giving it to someone you love and dealing with that. >> someone did get sick and die at your school. >> yep. lots of us got sick. and someone died. and it was awful. the risks if we mess this up are literally life and death. and we all want to be back. it doesn't seem safe yet. >> what if i gave to one of my students? how will i feel if one of them is ill or their parent? what if one of my students gave it to me? how is that child going to be impacted for life? >> uh-huh.

>> we became beyond flexible in all of this. and to say that we're supposed to put our lives ain harm to mae that happen to be in person when it could be done through a computer, i don't want to be through a computer. but i also don't want to be taking home covid to my family. >> i think every teachered say this, you don't go into teaching for the money. i think everyone knows that. >> really. >> my wife and i are both teachers and living in new jersey, you can't live here on one salary. we're both going back, we both have never talked about it before, but we are asking questions should we get a will for our daughters. >> do you feel like you're being taken for granted in this? >> i think a lot of people think teachers are being selfish, that we don't want to go back. i love teaching. i've wanted to be a teacher since the fifth grade. we are not baby sitters. and i think a primary push for kids to be back in school, yes,

social, to build on practices that they need, but also people need to go to work. i understand that they're struggling, but you can't just dump kids at school if we're not fully prepared just so parents go back to work. >> what would make this easier for you? >> what would make me feel comfortable at this point. >> i know it might be a little more difficult, but if you notice they opened a restaurant, they didn't just say, okay, everybody's back. >> right. >> it's like let's start at 25%. >> yeah. >> it seems when it comes to the schools, it's just like "let's do it." >> i'm worried that the kids that are going to be most affected are the communities and the kids that have already been most affected by this. the argument for us to go back is that these communities need support, but those are the communities that are going to be the most affected if this falls apart. they're using these kids as the reason that we need to be back, and they're not planning to take care of the kids. >> i think that some people viewed it as if we just had time off. >> yeah. >> when we went to remote

learning. and what they weren't seeing behind the scenes is how we were dealing with students, all different hours of the day. so for example, if i have a high school student, there's one device in that family, but there's four or five children that have to use it, some of them have to actually work to help support their families because of lost income. >> yeah. >> when they get off from work, we had class. >> yeah. >> there was a misconception that we weren't doing our jobs. we were doing our jobs plus some. >> yes, they were. a footnote here. matt baker, the brooklyn teacher we heard in the piece, actually had covid last march and continued teaching remotely while sick. he lost his colleague, kimarlee nguyen, to covid, as well. you may remember her from a "lives to remember" piece we did, she was 33. >> i remember because she was 33. i thought it was interesting that you wore masks because you

were socially distanced? >> one of the teachers literally was coming out for the first time in public and was concerned. so out of respect -- my sincere thanks to matt, pedro, sheena, emily, for talking honestly about all of this. >> they were all so good. >> many teachers are afraid to express their feelings because of blow back because of this. >> they were talking -- talk about blow back, i love how sheena got the shout out to the student who posted the picture in the crowded hall. remember that student was suspended at first. they then reinstated it. it's important that we get to see what is happening in the schools. >> what's really happening. >> i love that she gave a shout out. they were good talkers. >> very good. >> they all get as, a-plus. nicely done, teachers. ahead in "a more perfect union," we'll show how one farmer is fighting racial inequity in the food system so that everybody can have access to healthy and affordable food. we all think that's a great reinventing. it's what small businesses do.

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our series "a more perfect union" aims to show that what unites us as americans is far greater than what divides us. so here's the situation this morning -- more than 39 million americans live in low-income areas with limited access to grocery stores. think about that. according to the usda which tracks this kind of thing. this morning we're introducing you to one farmer who is trying to change that situation. she's using her farm, a

nonprofit farm, to fight against racial inequalities in our food system. erroll barnett now shows how leah penniman is helping families eat healthier and also opening the door for the next generation of farmers. all of these are going to the refugee center tomorrow. >> reporter: over the past two decades, this farmer and activist has plowed through history and traveled the globe. >> i spent six months in ghana, and i learned from the women farmers there. >> reporter: using the momentum of the black lives matter movement, leah penniman is stepping up efforts to combat racism and injustice in the food system. she says that while violence against african-americans deserves the attention it's getting, black americans are actually more likely to die from diet-related issues. >> i'm talking about the mortality rates based on cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, and heart disease. >> all of that can be linked to where you get your food -- >> all of that can be linked to whether you have access to fresh

fruits and vegetables. that does not say that food dishes are more important. i think fundamentally we fail at creating a racially just society if we don't address the interconnectedness between the issues of mass incarceration, food injustice, housing description, and so on. >> reporter: they provide fresh produce to albany's underserved areas at little to no cost and serves as a means to end what she calls food apartheid. the usda refers to spots all over the country as food deserts. you don't have access to fresh groceries. you use a different term -- food apartheid. why is that? >> the problem with using desert is it implies a natural phenome phenomena. there is nothing natural about whole communities who don't have access to supermarkets. the reason we call it apartheid is because it's a human-created segment of creation and anything that humans creates we can also undo. >> reporter: she's also helping to educate young aspiring farmers like justin butts who runs his own business raising

pigs. >> i feel like if you're eating meat you should be able to take part in the food system in some way. >> reporter: then there's mother of two terishia ellis. >> we're getting fruits and vegetables, things that they wouldn't have had otherwise. so access is key, especially in troy where we don't really have any grocery stores that people who are walking can get to. >> reporter: thanks to the resources provided by the farm, ellis is able to pay it forward, building a community garden in her back yard. what are you getting out of this? >> there was this beautiful moment where a 4-year-old child, little black girl, said "when i grow up, i want to be a farmer like you." it's moments like that, when you drop off the box of vegetables for people, and they say if it wasn't for this all i would have is boiled pasta for my children all week. that feeds me and makes me feel like i'm living a worthwhile life. >> boiled pasta will not do. such an important story. well done, erroll barnett.

we'll be right back.

this is the morning update. a complex wildfire has now

burned 40,000 acres, 20 structures are destroyed and more than 1000 homes are threatened. 22,000 people have evacuated, including from the town right here. new evacuations were ordered in napa county near st. helena. this is some of the smoky aftermath along box canyon road. we saw remnants of several homes burned to the ground last night. firefighters have made a slight progress with the scu lightly complex fire. it is 5% contained and they have burned 159 square miles in five counties, including alameda and contra costa. we will start with some positive news. if you're about to head out the door, for the most part, freeways are looking pretty good. there is a broken down vehicle at the san mateo bridge, but not causing much of the backup. there are closures due to the fires. one is down to santa cruz enclosures are in effect. highway 9 closures are between 35 to skyline and western avenue. i am tracking those hazy and smoky skies. unhealthy air quality because of that, there is a "spare the air" alert. it is all the way through the weekend. so through sunday, that alert will be in effect. we are looking at

wayne: ha ha, i got you! - what's up, wayne? - i'm going for door number two. jonathan: it's a trip to ireland. gold rush! cat: it's going good. wayne: or is it? jonathan: it's a new motorcycle! tiffany: aw, yeah. - the box. jonathan: $20,000. wayne: who wants some cash? jonathan: it's time for "let's make a deal." now here's tv's big dealer, wayne brady. wayne: hey, america, welcome to "let's make a deal," wayne brady here. thank you for tuning in. thank you for making a deal. lauren, come on, let's make a deal. (cheers and applause) everyone else, have a seat. this is how we're doing this. lauren, welcome to the show. - thank you. wayne: now what are you? - i am a bouquet of flowers. wayne: who are you to? - who am i to? well i was going be to you, but my husband said no, i have to stay for him.