othersrs. >> vladimir duthiers, thanks. and that is the "cbs overnight news" for this wednesday. reporting it's wednesday, september 16th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." breaking news -- sally drenches the gulf coast. how the rare slow-crawling storm is impacting millions. when will it end? dozens of wildfires in the west have burned millions of acres as smoke drenches all the way to the east coast. trump town hall. the president fuels questions from undecided voters with the election seven weeks away. why democratic challenger joe biden didn't take part in his biden didn't take part in his own. captioning funded by cbs good morning, good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we are going to begin with hurricane sally. it is dumping rain and causing power outages along the gulf coast, and it's in no hurry to

l ni sally head strengthened to a category two packing maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per the storm surge, which is expected to be life threatening, is already slamming parts of alabama and louisiana. the gulf could also see historic flooding with some areas being hit with more than two feet of rain. nancy chen is in fort walton beach, florida. what are conditions like where you are right now? >> reporter: good morning to you, anne-marie. you can see just how strong these winds are around me and how heavy this rainfall is. hurricane sally will make landfall soon, but we're already under a flash flood warning as this storm moves very slowly on shore. hurricane sally is battering parts of the gulf coast with heavy rains and strong winds. >> gulf shores of alabama getting slammed.

>> reporter: power crews were out overnight trying to minimize outages. the slow-moving storm destroyed docks in pensacola beach, florida, on tuesday, with massive waves threatening others. protective dunes in dolphin island, alabama, washed away. just north in mobile, robert martin was out enjoying the weather about had his sights set on better days. >> after the storm, i'm just looking through and looking at the weekend. it's going to be sunny and 75. nice beach here. >> reporter: the governor warned of historic flooding. >> those who live on the gulf coast are all too familiar with mother nature's wrath. we still hope and pray that sally will not bring that type of pain and heartache. >> reporter: you can see how powerful the winds are right now and how heavy the rainfall is as hurricane sally moves on shore. it was moving so slowly, just two miles per hour at points, allowing it time to strengthen as it moved toward the coastline here. originally taking aim at mississippi, the storm turned

east, taking greater aim at alabama and the florida panhandle. >> sally is all over the place. >> reporter: residents in mississippi took advantage of the near miss while keeping those in the path of sally in their thoughts. >> just because we're not going to be the direct hitter in the path, that means somebody else is. >> reporter: because sally's moving so slowly, forecasters say up to 30 inches of rain may fall in some areas. and the storm is just barely moving, creating conditions potentially for life-threatening storm surge and making for a very long and dangerous day ahead. nancy chen, cbs news, fort walton beach, flflorida. >> all right. nancy, thank you so much. we are closely monitoring hurricane sally. cbs news weather producer david parkinson joins us now with the very latest on the storm's path. good morning, david. you are up early. >> reporter: well, good morning. this storm is rapidly intensifying as it approaches land, and that is really

dangerous. so here's the latest on the storm that we have right now. the winds at 105 miles per hour. it is just 20 miles from gulf shores, alabama. but because the storm is only moving at two miles per hour, it's going to take some time to get there. the interesting thing here is that the eye is 35 miles long. so once you actually get into the eye, it may be calm for hours before then you get into the worst of the storm, and the eye wall, that eye wall is 20 miles wide. what you're dealing with are incredibly ferocious winds and rain rates at three, four, five inches an hour for hours on end because though it's only 20 miles wide, it is moving incredibly slowly. here's the rain so far. any place with white it over a foot. you're seeing some places with two feet of rain, and more is still to come. as we look at the track, by 1:00 this afternoon, the storm is still dumping rain along the gulf coast. the heaviest rain moves into

alabama by the morning on thursday. in fact, the heaviest rain is up by atlanta. when it's all said and done, over two feet of rain, potentially three feet in some spots. this this going to be a storm for the record books. anne-marie? >> yeah. you really get a sense of how many people will be impacted. thanks a lot, david parkinson in new york. on the west coast, historic wildfires are impacting cities across the country. the satellite images taken from nasa show shocking amounts of smoke and other pollutants spreading as far as the east coast, affecting even skies in new york city. in oregon, firefighters are battling more than two dozen wildfires that have torched more than one million acres. president trump declared a major disaster in the state, paving the way for much-needed aid. the fires have forced more than 40,000 people from their homes. >> the reality of this is slowly but surely sunk in day after day, it gets a little harder, a

little worse, you know, a little bit more, oh, my god, is this ever going to end. >> in california, firefighters are racing to get an upper hand on the bobcat fire just northeast of los angeles which exploded again yesterday inching closer to the historic mt. wilson observatory. the city of louisville, kentucky, announced a huge settlement in the case of breonna taylor. it will pay $12 million to the family of taylor, the young black woman who was shot to death by police in her home in march. the city is also pledging new police reforms. jericka duncan reports from louisville. [ chants ] outde ofrt forn emotional tamika palmer, breonna taylor's mother. inside she received an apology from the mayor. >> i cannot begin to imagine ms. palmer's pain. and i'm deeply, deeply sorry for breonna's death. >> reporter: the 12 million settlement is one of the largest

in the country involving a police shooting death. >> come outside -- >> reporter: but six months after taylor was fatally shot five times during a no-knock warrant raid, no officer has been charged. >> we still are demanding that kentucky attorney general daniel cameron bring charges immediately against the police officers that murdered breonna taylor. [ chants ] >> reporter: taylor's death has sparked more than 100 days of protest. today's settlement includes family demands on search warrant reforms and social workers added to some 911 calls. >> today i felt like pressure was applied. >> reporter: we spoke to taylor's mother. >> i don't think what i've asked for has been anything other than what she deserves. it's been justice all along. >> that was jericka duncan reporting. taylor's mother joined a protest last night in downtown louisville. she wants to continue to put pressure on the state attorney general's office who is still

investigating three officers involved in that fatal shooting. we are less than seven weeks away from the election. and last night, president trump took part in a town hall hosted by abc news. he fielded questions on a number of topics including his response to the pandemic. >> and it's probably going to go away now a lot faster because of the vaccine. it would go away without the vaccine, george. but it's going to go away a lot faster with it -- >> will it go away faster with -- without the vaccine? >> sure. over a period of time. >> and death. >> you'll develop a herd mentality. it's going to be herd developed, and that's going to happen. that will all happen. >> the town hall featured undecided voters who questioned the president on issues including racial injustice and immigration. abc newsit offer to hoown ll with decric presidenti cot ay. meantime, biden is slated to address the full democratic

caucus today. it's the first time he's done so since clinching the party's nomination for president. biden is expected to speak by phone. the conversation will reportedly center around mobilizing voters in individual states. the move comes as biden is leading president trump in most national polls. so coming up on the morning news now, a transgender activist is set to make history after winning the delaware state senate primary. and comic relief. don't we need that right now? actor paul rudd makes a funny video about a serious matter. this is the "cbs morning news." ." your dog is your best friend. ♪ ♪ but your dog's best friend is your ex-girlfriend... because she always has irresistible pup-peroni. be your best friend's best friend. pup-peroni. for people with heart failure taking entresto, it may lead to a world of possibilities.

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country. she is likely to win. democrats outnumber republicans in her district 3-1. "scientific america" magazine endorses its first presidential candidate and a top health official apologized for his comments. those some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "politico" reports the top spokesman for the department of health and human services apologized to his staff and signaled that he might be taking medical leave. michael caputo reportedly called an emergency meeting yesterday to apologize for a facebook live video where he accused cdc scientists of conspiring again he also warned of an armed insurrection if mr. trump loses the election. caputo is also accused of trying to pressure government scientists to change what they say about the coronavirus. he reportedly blamed his recent behavior partly on health issues. "the advocate" in louisiana

reports lsu head coach ed ozuran said he thinks most of the team has already caught coronavirus. he said three or four of the 105 players are currently sidelined with the virus. >> tells me this person tested positive, this person's going to be quarantined. they give me the number of days. we've got to make adjustments. two weeks ago, we had everybody in our office in line except two or three guys without. we couldn't go to any team, we adjusted for well. >> lsu's football team reportedly had an initial spike of around five or six coronavirus earlier this summer. the school's athletic department has not released information about covid-19 cases. lsu is scheduled to open its season in ten days. and for the first time in its 175-year history, "scientific america" is endorsing a presidential candidate. the magazine urged its readers to vote for joe biden. it said biden is offering

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♪ on the cbs "money watch," a major bank reports covid cases at the office, and a special green cocktail is coming to red lobster. diane king hall is in new york with that and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. oh, 2020. today we're expected to hear how the economy is faring during the pandemic from federal reserve chair jerome powell. stocks finished higher yesterday. the dow added two, the nasdaq gained 133, and the s&p 500 was up 17. a number of jpmorgan chase traders have been sent home after employees tested positive for covid-19. the action comes less than a week into the bank's push to start getting employees back into the office. the number of workers who are sick has not been disclosed. a bank spokesman declined to see

-- to say whether jpmorgan chase will continue its effort to reopening offices by next monday. lego is ditching plastic bags for paper ones inside its boxed toy sets. the danish company said it will start making the switch next year and expects plastic bags to be completely phased out in the next five years. the bags are used to hold loose blocks. lego is making the move to ease customer worries about how their purchases impact the environment since plastic does not disintegrate. and have you heard of a dewgarita? red lobster is kicking off a partnership with pepsi launching the first-ever mountain dew cocktail. the green drink includes the citrus flavored soda, tequila, and, quote, a few other special ingredients. it's rolling out to some red lobster locations this month. the response on social media was wide ranging. some users were intrigued, and others disgusted. anne-marie? >> i will file that under only in america. diane king hall in new york, thanks. >> you got it. >> great seeing you.

so up next, spoofing millennials. actor paul rudd creates a funny video with a serious message about wearing face masks. aring face masks. mornings were made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. when considering another treatment, ask about xeljanz... a pill for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis when methotrexate has not helped enough. xeljanz can help relieve joint pain and swelling, stiffness, and helps stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections, like tb and do blood tests. tell your doctor if you've had hepatitis b or c, have flu-like symptoms, or are prone to infections. serious, sometimes fatal infections, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines and serious allergic reactions have happened. don't let another morning go by

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here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ say cheese -- or maybe in this case say banana. a man in malaysia said he discovered video and selfies seemingly taken by a monkey after he found his missing cell phone. video shows the monkey staring at the camera before putting it in its mouth. there were also photos that appeared to be taken by the monkey. who owns the rights to those pictures? that's my question. kim kardashian west and other celebrities say they are freezing their instagram

accounts today to protest how its parent company, facebook, has handled misinformation and hate speech. kardashian west has 188 million instagram followers. other celebrities freezing their accounts for the day include katy perry, leonardo dicaprio, and jennifer lawrence. it's part of the stop hate for profit campaign that has pressured facebook to remove hate speech. some have criticized the celebrity instagram freeze as a stunt saying it's not much of a sacrifice. and there's a new statue honoring first lady melania trump in her native slovenia after the first one was set on fire. the new bronze statue was unveiled yesterday near mrs. trump's hometown. it's a replica of the wooden one carved by a local folk artist. it was burned by unknown arsonists on july 4th. and actor paul rudd is pretending to be a millennial in a humorous psa video about the importance of wearing those masks. >> yo, what up, dudes? paul rudd here, actor and certified young person.

a few days ago i was talking on the iphone with my homey, and talking about wearing masks. apparently a lot of covid is transmitted by us millennials. >> rudd said new york governor andrew cuomo asked him to be part of his "mask up america" campaign. the video does get serious toward the end. rudd tells millennials it's not hard to wear a mask as hundreds of thousands of people are dying, and it is a preventable virus. coming up on "cbs this morning," we're going to speak with country music star kelsea ballerini about tonight's acm awards and her new album. i'm anne-marie green, this is the "cbs morning news."

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our top stories this morning -- hurricane sally is drenching the gulf coast. the slow-moving storm has ramped back up to a category two, packing maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. the gulf coast could see historic flooding with some areas being hit with up to 30 inches of rain. and firefighters in oregon are battling more than two dozen wildfires that have torched more than one million acres. president trump declared a major disaster in the state paving the way for much-needed aid. meantime, crews in california are trying to gain ground on the bobcat fire northeast of los angeles which exploded again yesterday. some of country music's brightest stars will be honored tonight at the 55th academy of country music awards. as chris martinez tells us, it promises to be a memorable year of firsts for the awards show.

>> reporter: it's a celebration of country music in a way that's never been seen before. >> you know, it's the first of the acms, and to do it in three different venues is going to be incredible. >> reporter: reigning entertainer of the year, keith urban, is hosting the academy of country music awards for the first time and predicts the virtual event will deliver some epic moments. the coronavirus pandemic delayed the awards program which was originally planned for las vegas in april. organizers decided to move the show to nashville, a historic first for the acms. performers will take the stage at one of three iconic venues including the grand ole opera house. >> it's incredible that it's happening at all is incredible. >> reporter: the socially distanced program is among the first awards shows to broadcast during the pandemic. "variety's" chris willman thinks the nashville setting could become the norm for the acms. >> there's always been the allure of country stars as well

as fans to go to las vegas for a few days. you know, people are becoming more home bodies these days. so next year and the year after at this time, the stars may be going, let's just keep it town. >> reporter: the show will feature 20 performance was some of the industry's biggest stars including luke bryan, carrie underwood, and taylor swift who makes her first acm appearance in seven years. kelsea ballerini is also among the performers and nominees. she says they're ready. >> i just have to like pat everyone on the back because it's been so safe, and everyone's taking every precaution to get music to people that do it the right way. i think that represents country music so well. >> reporter: the 55th annual academy of country music awards airs tonight right here on cbs. chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles. coming up on "cbs this morning," more on the acms. we'll speak with singer kelsea ballerini about her female artist of the year nomination and her new album.

plus, in our "pushing the limits," series. we'll show how some olympic athletes are getting creative to stay in shape after the summer games were postponed. and an update on schools and covid as students in the nation's largest public school district begin their first day of virtual learning. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.

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