that killed 675,000 people in this country. it was a stunning moment in the trump presidency and i think in american history because he then went on to publicly dismiss the virus and he knew that this was a pandemic coming. >> and this is january 28th. >> yes. >> reporter: the next day the white house announced a coronavirus task force. this was mr. trump january 30th, two days after the warning. >> we think we have it very well under control. we have very little problem in this country at this moment, five, and those people are all recuperating successfully. but we're working very closely with china and other countries and we think it's going to have a very good ending for us, so that i can assure you. >> reporter: chinese officials were concealing what they knew

about covid-19. > foreign nationals -- >> reporter: on january 31st the president restricted travel from china. the next week, in a phone call, mr. trump told woodward what he'd been learning about the virus. this was february 7th. >> it goes through air, bob. that's always tougher than the touch. the touch, you don't have to touch things, right? but the air, you just breathe the air. that's how it's passed. so that's a very tricky one. that's a very delicate one. it's also more deadly than your, you know, your -- even your strenuous flus. this is deadly stuff. >> reporter: three weeks after that call, the president said this to the public. >> it's a little like the regular flu that we have flu shots for. and we'll essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner. yeah, go ahead. >> in that february 7th interview, it's clear that the president knows what the stakes are, but he's not sharing that with the public at that time. >> yes.

this is the tragedy. a president of the united states has a duty to warn. the public will understand that, but if they get the feeling that they're not getting the truth, then you're going down the path of deceit and cover-up. >> did the president ever disclose to you why he wasn't telling the public what the stakes were with the coronavirus? >> so in march, i asked exactly that question, you know, what's going on? and the president said -- >> well, i think, bob, really, to be honest with you -- >> sure, i want you to be. >> i wanted to -- i wanted to always play it down. i still like playing it down. >> yes, i -- >> because i don't want to create a panic. >> i think he did not understand the american public. and he said, well, i don't want to create a panic. we know from history when the public is told the truth, they

organize, we have a problem, we're going to step up, and trump thought, oh, well, they'll panic when there's a crisis when the president particularly knows something, it's time to tell the public in some form. he failed. >> you write in the book that the president's handling of the virus reflects his instincts, habits and style. what are those? >> denial. making up his own facts. >> reporter: at age77, bob woodward has fact checked nine presidents. "rage" is his 20th book. it's published by simon & schuster, part of viacomcbs. >> the title "rage" comes from him. he said he brings out rage in

people, and he doesn't know whether that's a positive or a negative or good thing or a bad thing. and also it describes a condition in the country now. there's a lot of rage out there. >> reporter: his interviews for "rage" started in the overrule office, then continued for months in phone calls, many out of the blue from mr. trump. >> yes. i mean, you have an audiotape of this where they come on. mr. woodward, the president. >> mr. woodward, the president. >> hi, bob. >> president trump, how are you? >> how are you? >> i'm turning my recorder on here as i always do. >> okay. >> just so i have -- >> it started in december 2019, before the virus was on anyone's radar. so we were talking a lot about north korea. >> reporter: in mr. trump's first year, north korea tested its first intercontinental missile. woodward says the president gave

defense secretary james mattis authority to shoot down any north korean missile aimed at the u.s. north korea dominated their earliest interviews. >> i think the public did not realize, and trump told me repeatedly. he said you don't know how close we were to war. >> reporter: instead, north korean dictator kim jong-un offered to meet. they did. three times. woodward has more than two dozen letters exchanged in their diplomatic courtship. >> kim says to trump, our meetings, our relationship is out of a fantasy film. he says, there is a magical force between us. even now, i cannot forget that moment of history when i firmly held your excellency's hand as the whole world watched.

>> did the cia have a look at kim's letters? >> yes. >> and what did they make of them? >> they never figured out who was writing them. but the analysts concluded that they're masterpieces because they're -- they are appealing to trump's sense of grandiosity. >> reporter: woodward's interviews took a sharp turn may 25th after george floyd was killed by minneapolis police officers. >> black lives matter. >> reporter: the black lives matter movement -- >> black lives matter. >> reporter: -- reignited. >> black lives matter. >> do you think there is systematic or institutional racism in this country? >> well, i think there is everywhere. i think probably less here than most places or less here than many places. >> okay. but is it here in the way it has an impact on people's lives? >> i think it is and it's unfortunate, but i think it is. >> reporter: woodward asked mr. trump if a privileged life left

him out of touch. >> and do you have any sense that that privilege has isolated and put you in a cave to a certain extent, as it put me and i think lots of white privileged people in a cave and that we have to work our way out of it to understand the anger and the pain, particularly black people feel in this country. >> no, you really drank the kool-aid, didn't you. listen to you, wow. no, i don't feel that at all. >> he was ridiculing me for reflecting what the whole movement after george floyd is. >> reporter: by the time of their final interviews in august, mr. trump had become the

leader of the one nation suffering the most from the virus. the president came to this conclusion. >> you and i -- >> nothing more could have been done. nothing more could have been done. >> nothing more could have been done. does he remember what he told me back in february about it's more deadly than the flu? i mean, it almost took my breath away that there was such certainty when he was absolutely wrong about the issue that defines the position of this country right now. >> you can see the full report on our website, cbsnews.com. the "overnight news" will be right back.

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hard was that on kingston? >> it's hard because he's used to routine. >> reporter: the sixth grader is autistic and repeatedly asked his mom when the free program would reopen. when she inquired -- >> they contacted me within ten minutes. >> reporter: within days, life town launched life town on the go, bringing a miniature village to kington's front yard. >> when life town pulled up in front of your house, kingston, what did you think? >> were you happy? >> yes. >> show me what you did when life town showed up on your front yard. >> good job. so, two. >> reporter: the interactive village helps special needs children practice important life skills like grocery shopping. >> put it in your bag. >> reporter: and withdrawing money from the bank. >> you guys want to work together and fill out your withdrawal slip. >> okay. >> it gives him some normalcy. i mean, he probably already feels outcast. >> reporter: they cater to more than 2,500 students across ohio, and with generous donations

coming in, they're expanding one

an army of volunteers in one massachusetts town has mobilized a rescue of a neighbor's home that was literally falling apart. they call themselves the glorious gladiators. steve hartman found their story on the road. >> reporter: any electrician can flip a switch. but only john kinney of woburn, massachusetts can make a customer light up like this. >> please don't pinch me because i don't want to wake up. >> that's one fine electrician. >> oh, 1,000 times over. >> reporter: last month, 72-year-old gloria scott called john to fix a ceiling light, but he soon discovered that broken light was the least of her problems. too poor to make any house repairs and too prideful to ask for help, gloria's house was in

total disrepair. >> no lights. no running water. i think i seen her on a friday and it stuck with me over the weekend. i said i got to go back there, you know? >> reporter: so john returned and started working for free. he also started a facebook page titled "nice old lady needs help" where he called on other tradespeople to join him. >> on the facebook page you said, it's not like we're trying to rebuild her whole house. >> yeah, now it looks like we are. >> reporter: it sure does. >> this whole porch is going to get rebuilt. you can see up there that's where a lot of the raccoons and stuff were getting in. >> reporter: they've been at it about a month now, putting in all new electrical, all new plumbing, new windows and walls and ceilings. almost everything is getting repaired or replaced. from the backyard lawn to the front porch steps. >> wow. >> it's what you're suppose do. >> reporter: it's what you're supposed to do. seems the whole town of woburn has bought into that mantra. even those who can't build are

rakes. sending gift baskets, supplying the workers with food. >> look at these peopl words for it, you know? >> it's not going to end with this house, though, either is it? >> i don't want it to. that's why we put a name to it, the glorious gladiators and we want to keep going with this. >> reporter: john would like to see chapters of glorious gladiators across the country helping seniors in similar situations, seniors like gloria scott who had a broken light but now shines brightly thanks to an elelectrician hard wired for kis in. steve hartman, on the road, in woburn, massachusetts. >> they say it's what you're supposed to do, and that's the "overnight news" for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs this morning" and follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm kris van cleave.

it's tuesday, september 15th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news". bracing for sally. the hurricane is expected to bring life threatening storm surge, powerful winds and flash flooding. where the storm is right now and how residents are getting ready. out of control wildfires. dozens of people are dead as flames burn across the west. why today will be another tough day on the front lines. ambush. the reward increases to find the shooter as we learn more about the heroic efforts of the female deputy shot in the jaw. the jaw. good morning. good to be with you.