capital, i'm kris van cleave. it's wednesday, october 14th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." in the hot seat, supreme court nominee amy coney barrett endures nearly 12 hours of questioning. the key issues she avoided and her take on a possible election dispute. breaking overnight, stopping the count. the supreme court says the u.s. census can end early, why it's considered a victory for the trump administration. and 38 million cases, another sobering milestone in the fight against the coronavirus as two popular athletes test positive for the illness.

good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, supreme court nominee amy coney barrett returns to capitol hill thismorning to face another round of questioning by members of the senate judiciary committee. yesterday barrett testified for nearly 12 hours at her confirmation hearing with some exchanges turning heated. laura podesta is in washington. so laura, what can we expect for today? >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. we can expect a slightly shorter day for judge amy coney barrett after yesterday's marathon question and answer session. for one, senator also get 20 minutes as opposed to yesterday's 30 to inquire how she would rule on key issues. like previous supreme court nominees, amy coney barrett tried to avoid taking a stance on key issues during her confirmation hearing. >> it's not something really that's appropriate for me to comment on. i've never expressed a view on it. i can't answer questions like that.

>> reporter: what answers she did give on obamacare. >> i'm not here on a mission to destroy the affordable care act. >> reporter: and roe versus wade. >> i can't pre-commit or say yes i'm going in with some agenda because i'm not. >> reporter: did not always sit well with democrats. >> it's distressing not to get a straight answer. >> reporter: barrett tried to convince them she'll be an impartial justice. >> judges can't wake up one day and say i have an agenda and i like guns, i hate guns, i like abortion, i hate abortion and walk in like a royal queen and impose their will on the world. >> reporter: nominated by president trump, barrett would not commit to recusing herself if the supreme court has to rule on a case involving the election. she said she would consult with the other justices about what to do. campaigning in pennsylvania, president trump said his nominee will stop what he believes is a radical agenda by democrats. >> to defend our constitution from this madness, i proudly

nominated judge amy coney barrett. >> reporter: joe biden told supporters in florida republicans are rushing the process for one reason. >> it's about wiping out the affordable care act and wipe it off the books. >> reporter: barrett faces another round of questions from senators today. republicans are likely to confirm barretett just days befe the election, securing a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court. anne-marie? >> laura podesta in washington, thank you so much, laura. advocates have fought a lawsuit in virginia where the voter registration website went down yesterday. the final day for people in the state to register ahead of election day. crews rushed to fix a fiber that was accidentally cut outside of richmond impacting connectivity for multiple state agencies. outraged voters want a 48-hour extension. governor ralph northam supports an extension but says it's out of his control.

>> we have been exploring all of our options to extend the voter registration deadline. that deadline is set in our code and it does not appear that i have the authority to change it. that is up to the courts. >> the site was running again by around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. while it was down, voters were directed to fill out and print a paper application. with 20 days left until the election, millions of people nationwide have already cast a ballot. texas has traditionally been a red state but according to our cbs battleground tracker poll, it's a virtual tie between president trump and joe biden, with both polling at 49%. yesterday voters in the lone star state waited hours in lines on the first day of early voting, in-person voting as janet shamlian reports, some people may have a hard time casting a ballot because of the limited number of drop-off

ballot boxes. >> in their red pickup, richard and mae joyce nickerson both in their 70s just drove 35 miles to vote. >> it really does not make sense. it's totally inconvenient. >> but we had to do it. >> reporter: they used to drive a few minutes. the nickersons live outside of houston in harris county, home to almost 5 million people, but one absentee ballot drop-off location. there were 12 in this largely democratic county. the other 11 forced to close after republican governor greg abbott citing election security limited every county to a single collection site. is there a legitimate reason to close these satellite drop-off locations? >> i don't see a legitimate reason. i think it's completely illogical. >> reporter: harris county judge lina hidalgo joined civil rights groups across texas, calling it a blatant attempt at voter suppression. this tent a couple hundred

dollars yards from houston's football stadium is the only place to drop off a ballot in all of harris county, one of the most populous in the nation spanning more than 1,700 square miles and geographically larger than the state of rhode island. the nickersons had time and transportation to make the trip but worry about those who don't. >> the bus ain't going to bring you here. you can't walk across this parking lot. they're not going to let you. so you have to have some type of vehicle to get you into this location. >> reporter: for some, what could be a new barrier to the ballot box. janet shamlian, cbs news, houston. >> the supreme court has ruled that the trump administration can stop the census count tomorrow, two weeks early. some say it's a blow to efforts to ensure everyone is properly counted, especially racial minorities. the trump administration says it needs to meet a deadline for delivering census results to the president. the count determines just how

approximately $1.5 trillion in federal spending is directed. an appeals process could play out in a lower court but the case will not be argued before the original october 31st deadline. and we've reached another silver milestone in the battle against the coronavirus. the number of global cases has just surpassed 38 million. the number of u.s. infections has now surged to nearly 8 million. the coronavirus is rocking the sports world as well. soccer superstar cristiano ronaldo is diagnosed in isolation with no symptoms and the world's number one golfer dustin johnson tested positive. he has been experiencing symptoms. he will miss this weekend's tournament in nevada. now to a cbs news exclusive, the only broadcast interview with breonna taylor's boyfriend, kenneth walker. he and taylor were together when police carried out a botched raid at her louisville apartment in march. walker fired a shot believing

they were intruders, officers returned fire killing taylor. none of the officers were charged in her death. wlker told "cbs this morning's" gayle king how he wants the world to remember taylor. >> to the world just hashtag, a picture and all of that but to me it was much more. >> yes. >> more than a girlfriend, too, i think that's what i want the world to know the most. that was my best friend. >> that was your best friend. >> easy. the most important person to me pretty much on earth, and they took her. >> you can see more of gayle's exclusive broadcast interview with kenneth walker coming up on "cbs this morning." and coming up on the "cbs morning news," a crew including an american astronaut launches to the international space station and marks the end of an era. and streaming shakeup, netflix pulls its free 30-day trial. this is the "cbs morning news."

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three, two, one. >> a russian soyuz spacecraft carrying a nasa astronaut and two russian cosmonauts lifted off this morning were kazhakstan. the first time a fast track maneuver is used to reach the international space station in three hours and the last scheduled time nasa is paying russia to ferry a u.s. astronaut to space. nasa is planning to use private space "x and boeing's spacecraft to carry astronauts in the future. republicans in california are defending unofficial ballot boxes and the mayor of anchorage has resigned. those are some of the headlines on "the morning newsstand." the "anchorage alaska daily news" reports the city's mayor resigned after a day to what he called a consensual inappropriate messaging

relationship with a local television anchorwoman. mayor ethan berkowitz announced his resignation at last night's anchorage assembly meeting. last week the anchorwoman claimed berkowitz posted nude photos of himself on an underaged girl's website. berkowitz denied the allegation but admitted to a relationship with the woman. police found no evidence of criminal conduct by the mayor. "the los angeles times" reports california's republican party is pushing back against an order to stop using unauthorized ballot boxes marked as official. in recent weeks metal containers labeled as ballot drop boxes have been placed in several counties. republicans acknowledge responsibility for the boxes but say that they're not doing anything wrong. state officials say the boxes are illegal and ordered them to be removed by thursday. >> i think we made it pretty clear these unofficial ballot drop boxes are not allowed and they're prohibited to be used for the collection of ballots

that are unattended. >> republicans say state law allows them to collect ballots and deliver them to election officials. "the seattle times" reports washington state officials failed to live-track a murder hornet in hopes of destroying its nest. last week state scientists captured a live giant asian hornet. they used dental floss to tie a tracking device to the female hornet but lost her when she went into a forest. the insects are known as murder hornets because they can quickly kill honeybee populations. 18 hornets have been found in the state since last year. still ahead oprah's latest surprise. oprah winfrey is calling up people in texas with this message. biktarvy is a complete, one-pill, once-a-day treatment used for h-i-v in certain adults. it's not a cure, but with one small pill, biktarvy fights h-i-v

to help you get to and stay undetectable. that's when the amount of virus is so low it cannot be measured by a lab test. research shows people who take h-i-v treatment every day and get to and stay undetectable can no longer transmit h-i-v through sex. serious side effects can occur, including kidney problems and kidney failure. rare, life-threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid and liver problems. do not take biktarvy if you take dofetilide or rifampin. tell your doctor about all the medicines and supplements you take, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or liver problems, including hepatitis. if you have hepatitis b, do not stop taking biktarvy without talking to your doctor. common side effects were diarrhea, nausea, and headache. if you're living with hiv, keep loving who you are. and ask your doctor if biktarvy is right for you. lyis committed to being here.ols programving who you are. to encourage kids to keep a little distance. here to reassure parents who are a little worried. here to support teachers who make limited resources feel limitless. and for lisa, who needs unlimited reminders.

by providing disinfecting wipes and healthy habits resources like reminder posters, social distancing guides, and timely lesson plans. lysol is here for healthy schools. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. you can no longer get a free 30-day trial of netflix. the company stopped offering the deal in the u.s. a spokesperson says netflix is looking at different marketing promotions to attract new customers. in august, the company rolled out the netflix watch free site which offers some top-rated movies and tv shows for free to stream without a membership.

on the "cbs money watch," a new timetable for relief, covid talks and another movie theater chain is hitting some hard times. naomi ruchim is in new york with those stories and more. naomi, good morning. >> anne-marie, good morning to you. stocks dipped yesterday after word a pair of front-runners developing coronavirus treatments announced their trials were put on pause over safety concerns. the dow dropped 157 points. the nasdaq fell 12 points, and the s&p 500 lost 22 points. lawmakers are slated to vote on a coronavirus relief bill next week. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell set up the date to teak take up the $500 billion economic aid bill. democrats already rejected similar legislation as they hold out for trillions in relief including help for the unemployed. at this point, it's unlikely both sides will reach an agreement before the upcoming election. movie theater chain amc entertainment is warning

it could run out of cash by the end of the year. it's the largest theater chain in the u.s., and though it has reopened most of its venues, it's operating at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing. a government filing amc said it has seen an 85% drop in attendance since reopening. it's hoping to reduce financial losses by raising cash and through cost-cutting measures including considering taking out a loan. and go ahead, satisfy that sweet tooth today. that's because it's national dessert day. some stores including baskin robbins and burger king are offering sweet deals you can dip your spoon into. according to rancor.com, the top desserts are ice cream, brownies, chocolate chip cookies and cake. i agree with all of those. i think ice cream might be the best one. it's food any time of the year and any time of day. >> ice cream is great. i am a black forest cake fan ever since i was 8 or 9 years old.

>> ooh. >> does that mean it's okay to have cake for breakfast today? >> absolutely, you can call it coffee cake. >> there you go! yes, i'm an adult now. i can do those things. naomi ruchim in new york, thank you, naomi. >> thank you. all right, up next, parking lot play, a theater reinvents the drive-through to entertain audiences one car at a time. a time. 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,

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ we could walk for hours, walking on the moon ♪ the next time astronauts walk on the moon, there will be

some new rules to follow. nasa released a set of guidelines for the artemis moon landing program. they include everyone must come in peace, space junk must be properly disposed of and no trespassing at historic lunar landmarks like apollo 11's tranquility base. early voting started yesterday in texas, and oprah winfrey wants to make sure voters there have a plan for casting a ballot. she called eligible voters, some wanted to make sure it really was oprah. [ phone ringing ] >> hi, this is -- christian, this is oprah winfrey. it really is oprah winfrey. >> is this oprah? >> this is oprah winfrey. >> oh. >> that was oprah's first call of the day to a voter. she volunteered with former congressman beto o'rourke's organization, powered by people. kraft is stopping its new online promotional campaign

for mac and cheese, after it was criticized for sexualizing the comfort food. earlier this month, kraft revealed a new send noods advertising campaign, it calls on fans of the classic dish to send loved ones a free box or coupon to redeem one. but critics say the message is inappropriate for children. hmm. a virginia theater that used to stage live indoor performances is finding a new way to entertain audiences during the pandemic. the alden theater in mcclean is doing drive-thru drama in its parking lot. the audience stays in their cars and drives from station to station to see actors perform. the theater goers helped solve the play's central mystery from their vehicles. >> both of the pieces we've done were created out of nothing for this format. it's not like we're trying to jackhammer "fiddler on the roof" into the parking lot.

>> the actors say that they get a much better read on how audiences react because they're right there with them. so coming up on "cbs this morning" in our series "the new normal," how restaurants are finding a creative way to continue outdoor dining as the weather gets colder. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." if you're 65 or older, get the superior flu protection of fluzone high-dose quadrivalent. it's the only 65+ flu vaccine with four times the standard dose. and it's free with medicare part b. fluzone high-dose quadrivalent isn't for people who've had a severe allergic reaction to any flu vaccine or vaccine component, including eggs or egg products. tell your health care professional if you've ever experienced severe muscle weakness after receiving a flu shot. people with weakened immune systems, including those receiving therapies that suppress the immune system, may experience lower immune responses. vaccination may not protect everyone. side effects include pain, redness,

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go to takeahealthystand.org. our top stories this morning, supreme court nominee amy coney barrett will be grilled by lawmakers for a third second day. yesterday she faced nearly 12 hours of questioning. like other supreme court nominees, barrett tried to avoid taking a stance on key issues. and the supreme court has ruled the trump administration can stop the census count tomorrow, two weeks early. some say it's a blow to efforts to ensure everyone is properly counted, especially racial minorities. and as election day approaches, there's an uptick in new coronavirus cases around the country. that has many voters worried

about how to stay safe while casting those ballots. nancy chen shows us what doctors are recommending. >> reporter: rona cantor considers it her duty to vote in person. with the pandemic, the florida retiree says it's too risky to wait in long election day lines. >> even if we voted early, the lines would be enormous. for the first time in our lives we decided to do a mail-in ballot. >> reporter: election officials around the country are reporting a record number of requests for absentee ballots. >> from a coronavirus perspective, the safest way to vote is to vote by mail. >> reporter: because that may not be an option for everyone, dr. kruppalli with the infectious diseases society of america helped develop guidelines for safe in-person voting. >> it's not about election day. it's what we do in the days and weeks prior to the election. we need everyone to play a role in trying to help decrease the rates of community transmission. >> reporter: while states have different laws, dr. kruppalli recommends voting early to avoid

long lines, wearing a mask and trying to maintain social distance, something voters in georgia already witnessed is difficult. to create more space, texas election officials transformed this sports arena into an early polling site. >> even when you're voting, the machines are six foot apart. we'll sanitize the machine after every vote. >> reporter: dr. kruppalli says polling stations need to be vigilant to keep voters healthy. >> have sand sanitizer available at entrances, exits and every step along the way during the polling process and also to have disposable pencils, pens or ballot marking devices. >> i've never forgotten that wonderful feeling of walking out of the voting booth going, yes! i certainly will miss that but i think what i'm doing is just as important right now. >> reporter: cantor says we need to make sure our voices are heard no matter what the circumstances. nancy chen, cbs news, new york. coming up on "cbs this

morning," more on gayle king's exclusive broadcast interview with breonna taylor's boyfriend, kenneth walker. plus a new study on women in the workplace, and how the pandemic has caused many women to consider scaling back their careers. and in our series, "the new normal," how restaurants are finding creative ways to continue outdoor dining as the weather gets colder. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.