reporting from the nation's it's tuesday, september 22nd, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." paying tribute. the nation will honor ruth baden ginsburg later this week. she will lie in repose outside of the supreme court instead of inside. flaring up again. the stubborn bobcat fire grows near los angeles. what's at stake as it races towards a historic observatory. >> covid confusion. the cdc takes an unusual step on how the virus is spread. us is spread. good morning. i'm michael george in for anne-marie green. we begin with the high stakes battle in washington that could reshape our lives. the president is expected to announce his supreme court

nominee by the end of this week. senate republicans are ready to act quickly on mr. trump's pick. it comes as the nation prepares to bid a final fairwell to justice ruth baden ginsburg. laura podesta is at the supreme court in washington. how are the public paying their final respects? >> reporter: her casket will be arriving here at 9:30 tomorrow morning. a private ceremony inside. then she will lie in repose at the top of the steps for two days for the public to pay its respects. the nation is preparing to say its final good-byes to justice ruth baden ginsburg. wednesday and thursday her body will lie in repose outside the supreme court. on friday she will become the first woman to lie in state at the u.s. capitol. meanwhile the political battle rages on over the vacancy left behind. >> so as our nation mourns the

loss of supreme court justice ruth baden ginsburg, i will soon announce a nominee for the united states supreme court. >> reporter: president trump is expected to nominate a woman on friday or saturday. ginsburg was the court's leading liberal but the nominee is expected to be a staunch conservative who could reshape the court if approved. >> i'm proud to serve alongside the most pro life president in american history and i know that same standard will be met with his nominee to fell this vacancy on the supreme court. >> reporter: senate republicans are preparing to move quickly to confirm the nominee. >> the senate has sufficient time to process a nomination. >> reporter: democrats say it's hypocritical. >> leader mcconnell put the senate on pause for four months while covid-19 devastated our country. now he'll move earth and heaven and ignore all principle and consistency to install a new supreme court justice. >> reporter: ginsburg will be buried in arlington national

cemetery next to her husband who was laid to rest there in 2010. one of the front runners to replace justice ginsburg is judge amy barrett. she was at the white house yesterday and she's the mother of seven and a front-runner because so many conservatives find her popular for her anti abortion views. >> as people pay their respects to justice ginsburg why will she be outside of the supreme court. >> reporter: that's to allow for social distancing. usually late justices lay in repose inside in the great hall for just one day but because of ginsburg's popularity for being a pioneer she will be outside to accommodate the expected crowds. >> laura podesta at the supreme court. thanks. ahead on "cbs this morning," senator ted cruz joins us to discuss the battle in the senate

to fill ruth baden ginsburg's seat on the supreme court. breaking in texas where tropical storm beta he made landfall overnight, it's lashing parts of the texas coast with severe flooding. this is what it looked like in city of kema yesterday. southeast of houston. floodwaters seeped into local businesses and restaurants. streets were submerged. rough surf from the storm caused a pier to break off. >> not my favorite day. but, you know, i have a business on the ocean and this is kind of what we deal with. >> a tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of louisiana and texas through today. beta could bring up to 15 inches of rain and up to four feet of storm surge in some coastal areas. the bobcat fire in california is threatening more than a thousand homes and historic mount wilson observatory this morning. firefighters are battling new flareups in the mountains near

los angeles. it's the second time in little over a decade the observatory has faced a threat of destruction from a wildfire. it's home to about $1 billion worth of transmission equipment for tv, radio, and government agencies. so far the blaze has torched more than 106,000 acres and it's only 13% contained. the u.s. will likely hit 200,000 coronavirus deaths today. the grim milestone comes just six months after the pandemic was declared. as the country takes on this crisis the cdc took an unusual step, back tracking on new guidance about how the virus spread. mola lenghi reports. >> reporter:fuafteofficiuidance transmission is the primary way the virus is spread and there is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by other and

travel distances beyond six feet. in a sudden reversal they removed that guidance. saying the bottom line is airborne transmission is possible but not the main way it spreads. >> it may not be the main way but the evidence is it can spread under certain circumstances at distances greater than six feet. >> reporter: the bells at the national cathedral tolled 200 times on sunday as the u.s. nears 200,000 lives lost to the virus including rebecca's father fred. >> i held his hand and i told him i loved him. i put my head on his chest. my mom was there. we took turns saying good-bye to fath's death needless. adding to the sense of confusion it's been months since the cdc or white house task force briefed the american people but

health officials still stress keep wearing your masks and keep social distancing. mola lenghi, cbs news, new york. president trump is expected to criticize china over its handling of the virus in his pre-recorded address to the u.n. general assembly today. he said he'll have a strong message for that country where the first cases of covid-19 were reported. the police department in louisville is under a state of emergency this morning. that means emergency staffing and no days off ahead of a major decision involving the deadly shooting of breonna taylor. the first floor windows of the federal courthouse are boarded up. the city is waiting to hear whether the officers who shot taylor will face a any charges. the 26-year-old was killed in her home back in march when those officers executed a no knock search warrant. the female sheriff's deputy in california who was ambushed and shot in the jaw is now out of the hospital. the 31-year-old mother spent time in icu before being released yesterday.

she was one of two deputies shot earlier this month in compton where a gunman walked up to their patrol unit and started firing. the other deputy was released last wednesday. the search for the shooter continues with a reward of $700,000. coming up on the "cbs morning news" the fearless girl statue gets an accessory to pay tribute to ruth baden ginsburg. shrinking audience. ratings for the emmys sink to an all time low. this is the "cbs morning news". s for the emmys sink to an all time low. this is the "cbs morning news". it's not getting in my way. joint pain, swelling, tenderness much better. my psoriasis, clearer... cosentyx works on all of this. four years and counting. so watch out. i got this! watch me. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are feeling real relief with cosentyx. cosentyx is a different kind of targeted biologic.

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power through your day medicine. there are memberships for all kinds of things today. but what about being a member of the family? what about being a member of the community? what about being a member of humanity? ♪ what if there was a membership that gave us the time to celebrate the things that connect all of us? ♪ >> ruth bader ginsburg's home of new york city is paying tribute to the late supreme court justice. a lace collar was put on the fearless girl statue outside of the new york stock exchange. in brooklyn mourners placed flowers, notes and candles outside the home where ginsburg grew up. ratings for the emmy awards

hit a new low and the president might face a new investigation. those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. the "new york times" report the manhattan district attorney's office indicated for the first time that president trump could be investigated for tax fraud. the d.a.'s office has been locked in a year long battle to obtain mr. trump's tax returns. yesterday prosecutors told a federal appeals court that a mountainous record of public misconduct allegations against mr. trump supports their attempts to gain access to the returns. the president has called the investigation a fishing expedition. "the miami herald" says florida governor desantis is pushing for a state law cracking down on protesters. the governor said he wants to prevent the violence and civil unrest seen in other cities in recent months. his proposed legislation would impose federal level penalties on protesters who block traffic

without permit, damage property or injure someone and target cities trying to defund the police. >> we're not going permit localities to defund police. if you defund the police then the state is going defund any grant or aids to you. that applies to any municipality or local government throughout the state of florida. desantis is proposing penalties against anyone who topples a monument during a protest. and the associated press says ratings for sunday night's emmy awards hit a record low. the show hosted by jimmy kimmel was done without a live audience. nominees were seen remotely. nielsen said 6.1 million watched. that's down from 6.9 million last year when viewership slipped below 10 million for the first time. sunday's show faced competition from nfl football and nba playoffs. still ahead an exclusive club for kit kat lovers. how you can get new flavors of the popular candy before anybody else. how you can get new flavors of

the popular candy before anybody else.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. we're excited. this is the first time to be here. we're looking forward to it. >> india's taj mahal opened its

doors to visitors for first time since it was closed by the pandemic six months ago. visitors will have their temperatures taken and must maintain social distancing. tickets are only being sold online. 5,000 people are allowed inside. that's down from an average of 20,000 before the pandemic. on the "cbs money watch" facebook is working to increase voter turn out and kit kat candy bar is starting a sweet new club. diane king hall is in new york with that and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: today federal reserve chair jerome powell will testify before congress to discuss the economic response. stocks ended lower fueled by economic concern is a ripple effect over fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections. so the dow skidded 509 points. nasdaq fell 14. s&p 500 dropped 38. facebook says it is more than halfway to its goal of

registering 4 million voters ahead of election day. the social media giant says 2.5 million users can cast ballots after signing up through facebook and instagram. that figure already surpasses the 2 million new registrations facebook estimates it racked up in 2016 and 2018 election. walmart is out with a zero emissions goal by 2040. it plans to harness enough renewable energy including wind and solar to power its facilities by 2035. all its vehicles including long haul trucks will either be electric or zero emission trucks. they plan to switch to eco-friendly heating and cooling equipment by 2030. the announcement was made ahead of the company's sustainability milestone summit as part of climate weekend. and there's now a flavor club for all the kit kat lovers. fans of the candy bar will be among first to try never before seen flavors.

three will be sent to club members. it will include the new mocha and chocolate flavor. only 200 people can get break. kit kat want feedback from the fans. people can win a spot on the club from now to next tuesday. >> that's my favorite candy bar. >> break off a piece of that kit kat bar. >> diane king hall in new york. diane, thanks. up next, ellen degeneres apologizes. the comedian address's the controversy involving her talk show on her season premier.

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. [ whistling ]

this man not only whistles while he works he whistles all the time. the chinese man says he can whistle more than 400 songs including the chinese national anthem, pop and classical songs. he loves to share his music with people on the streets. he says whistling is not only a form of art but also a science. ellen degeneres responded to allegations of a toxic work environment at her talk show as she kicked off the start of a new season. she returned to her studio for the first time in months yesterday due to the pandemic. three of the show's top producers left over the summer amid complaints of insensitivity. ellen degeneres addressed issues that she acts differently when she is off camera. >> i was an actress. i played a straight woman in movies.

i'm a good actress but not that good i can come out here every day for 17 years and fool you. this is me. my intention is to always be the best person i can be. and if i ever let someone down, if sorry for that. >> she did the show in front of a virtual audience. michael jordan is gearing up for another sport. the nba legend and charlotte hornets owner is starting a nascar team with denny hamlin. bubba wallace will drive for the team. jordan becomes the first black majority owner of a full-time nascar top series team since the 1970s. and we're getting our first look at the sequel to the 2013 animated movie "the croods." thoug cave people d >> we have me, you. >> thanks. >> oh.

>> dreamworks released a trailer for "the croods: a new age." r hver ore coming up on "cbs this morning," late night talk show host desus and mero talk about their new book, "good level knowledge darts life lessons from the bronk. i'm michael george. this is the "cbs morning news".. i'm michael george. this is the "cbs morning news".

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without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. ou'rngth hiv . . . . . epanask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. morning, president trump is expected to name a supreme court nominee by the end of the week. senate republicans will try to get mr. trump's pick confirmed by the end of this year. but democrats argue a vote shouldn't happen until after the election. it comes as the nation gets ready to bid farewell to justice ruth bader ginsburg this week. tropical storm beta made landfall overnight about five miles north of port o'connor, texas. it's lashing part of the state's coastline with flooding. storm surge and heavy rainfall is the main threat and some areas seeing 15 inches of rain. for all the misery of the pandemic it's also inspired a burst of creativity from

photographers both amateur and professional. nancy chen spoke about documenting the crisis. >> reporter: ron has traveled photojournalist for 30 years raising awareness about human rights abuses. now he's covering a different kind of suffering. >> it's something that is larger than anything that i've really documented before. >> reporter: each picture building a visual record of this historical time. >> our responsibility is to make sure we're observing and documenting the history that's happening before us so when we look back or when we want to look back in a week, a month, a th tok back >> reporter: therofessionals are getting plenty of help. >> our business overall and really has grown in significant double digits.

>> reporter: shutterfly president attests to a surge in photo storage along with a 50% increase in photo gifts as may you're the photographers find inspiration in once in a lifetime scenes. >> people step back and say this is a unique time in my life and as much as i want to be done with it i'll make sure i look back on it and recognize what was meaningful about it. >> reporter: google photos has seen a jump so big it decided to stop backing up pictures from messaging apps to save space. what is the power of photography right now? >> photography has this ability to humanize. >> reporter: the pandemic has cut close to the . died of the coronavirus in may. a loss he shared with the world through his lens. >> we can witness that and see family interaction. that could very easily be myself and my family. that's what photography really comes in. >> reporter: creating a document of this time not just for americans but for humanity. nancy chen, cbs news, new york.

>>ing," fronline workers ea we'lhed nuesboow the pandemi taking a toll on them. we'll talk to senator ted cruz why he's back tracking on his opinion about filling a supreme court seat during an election year. and late night talk show hosts desus and mero talk about their new book, "god-lovel knowledge darts: life lessons from the bronx". that's the cbs news for this tuesday. thanks for watching. i'm michael george. have a great day. watching. i'm michael george. have a great day.

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