>> no. i wouldn't do it at all. despite how about you darren? >> i'm just glad dennis was here for the historical context. >> thank you. that's it for us we will see you back here at 6:00 for a full hour ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> garrett: tonight battleground blitz, voting is on, election day 16 days away. an underdog in key states, president trump packs his schedule with campaign rallies attacking his rivals and taking on michigan's democratic governor, the target of an alleged kidnapping plot. >> they said she was threatened >> it is wrong. it's got to end. it is dangerous. >> garrett: biden sets his sights on north carolina, a must-win for the president. the final presidential debate expected this week. also tonight record turnout. voters have their say in person or by mail. we speak to california secretary of state about disputes there and keeping voters informed. in texas janet shamlian shows us election obstacles and ongoing

legal struggles, plus covid infections rise in the fall, across the u.s. and abroad. still more wildfires scorch the west. spacex launching satellites intended to make wi-fi universal and later, cronutt, a sea lion plagued with seizures saved by surgery. >> he is a sweetheart. this is the cbs weekend news. >> >> garrett: good evening, everyone, i'm major garrett in washington. president trump has returned to the campaign trail with apparent gusto, pressing against re- election head winds. most polls show the president trailing former vice president joe biden in key battleground states. the trump campaign however continues to bet on undetected pockets of support in rural areas and among african-american and hispanic voters. a new cbs news battleground tracker poll shows mr. trump

trailing the former vice president in wisconsin, a state mr. trump narrowly won in 2016. the president also trails biden in arizona, the last democrat by the way to win there was bill clinton in 1996. this weekend the president made stops in michigan, wisconsin, nevada and california. at airport rallies he was greeted by big crowds, many not wearing masks. as the nation watches it is also voting in astonishing numbers. s.re than 27 million ballots more than 27 million ballots cast by mail or in cast by mail or in person. a reflection of pandemic fears and political energy. with 16 days it go, election history is being made every day. one of the next chapters, a final presidential debate this ts us off with the presid weijia jiang starts us off with the president in las vegas. >> reporter: president trump started his day at a church service in las vegas, nevada, one of five states with the covid-19 positivity rate higher

than 20%. wisconsin is also on the list where the president held a rally last night without social distancing. >> we're rounding the corner. we have the vaccine, but even without it we are rounding the corner, you will see it. >> reporter: former vice president joe biden doubted that. >> my grandfather would say this guy's gone around the bend if he thinks we've turned the corner. turned the corner? things are getting worse. >> reporter: from battleground north carolina, biden urged people to vote. >> the very soul of the nation is at stake. folks, as my coach used to say in college, it's go time. >> reporter: president trump is banking on the economy for help arguing democrats will hurt it with lockdowns. in michigan, he criticized governor gretchen whitmer. >> the schools have to be opened, right? ( chanting "lock her up" )

>> lock them all up. >> we haven't had a stay-home order since late spring. >> reporter: whitmer was the target of an alleged kidnapping plot by a group that disagreed with her orders. she blamed the president. >> inciting this kind of domestic terrorism, it is wrong. it's got to end. it is dangerous. not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere. >> reporter: lara trump, a campaign advisor, defended the president who is her father in law. >> he wasn't doing anything i think to provoke people to threaten this woman at all. he was having fun at a trump rally. >> reporter: many people who attend trump rallies don't cover their faces. today twitter removed a tweet from dr. scott atlas, mr. trump's hand-picked medical advisor, that claimed masks do not work, because the post contradicted guidance from the world health organization that wearing masks can suppress transmission and save lives.

>> garrett: weijia jiang joins us now from las vegas, nevada. one of the biggest questions for the president's re-election campaign and fellow republicans, will he have a different strategy in the coming thursday debate? >> reporter: major, you know president trump received widespread criticism from democrats and republicans alike for aggressively interrupting joe biden during their first matchup as senior campaign official tells cbs news, advisors are encouraging him not to do that this week but we do expect he will go hard on biden about his son hunter and the issue of court packing. major? >> garrett: weijia jiang in las vegas, thank you. e alreadyrnia more than 3 million people have already voted early. that's nearly 21% of the state's entire turnout in 2016. california is one of 43 states where early voting is occurring by mail or in person, last week a nasty dispute erupted over unofficial ballot dropboxes and preident trump got involved via twitter.

california secretary of state alex padilla joins us from los angeles. mr. secretary, explain the dispute you have with the california republican party over dropboxes and where that dispute now stands. >> california law does allow voters who need assistance to choose someone they trust to return their ballot for them and therein lies the problem. what was brought to our attention last week were unauthorized, unofficial and frankly deceptive dropboxes that were representing themselves as official, when they weren't, and voters were likely duped into surrendering their ballots into a possibly insecure dropbox, not knowing who it was that would eick them up, not knowing if the at the county to be ballots would ultimately arrive at the county to be counted. so it is a violation of state law and undermines voter confidence in the election. thankfully it seems that they have been removed. >> garrett: now the republican party in california said third parties can collect ballots, you

eluded to that and these were rules they are following that you and others on the democratic side authorized earlier this year. your response. >> look, is ballot collection allowed in the state of california, absolutely. but even ballot collection has strict requirements including the person assisting the voter in returning their ballot must also add their name and sinature, relationship to the voter to the envelope. and that again is what was lost with these unofficial unauthorized dropboxes. >> garrett: mr. secretary i'm sure you noticed president trump said we'll see you in court. he said that on twitter. will this be fodder for post election legal challenges and thereby throw some elections for the u.s. house or state races into doubt? >> we stand by free and fair elections in california. they are accessible. they are secure. and yes, they are safe. and so if team trump wants to sue us for anything, then we like our chances. >> garrett: along those lines, what are you now seeing in terms

of efficiency, the use of vote centers and mail-in balloting d mail-in balloting >> look, if voter registration numbers are any indicator, we are going to see a huge turnout this election. more than 21.5 million voters on the rolls and growing every day, if early ballot returns are any indicator we going to have a record-breaking election. nearly ten times the number of ballots returned at this stage compared to four years ago. >> garrett: california secretary of state alex padilla, thank you for your time, sir. >> thank you. >> garrett: now to the latest on the covid crisis, more than 70,000 new infections were recorded saturday. the first time that has happenea since july. as of today more than 8 million people in the u.s. have been infected. nearly 220,000 have died. here is lilia luciano. >> reporter: covid's latest surge relentless tonight hitting almost all of america. in new york a coronavirus crackdown, officials breakup an illegal gathering at a banquet hall.

and health officials ban a t,dding where 10,000 were expected. >> we have to move fast, jump on top of that viral spread >> reporter: michigan br cluster. >> reporter: michigan breaks its record for the biggest weekly jump in cases. >> there is no relief in sight. our numbers keep getting worse. >> reporter: ohio also set a pandemic record for the most infections in a single day. >> this thing has roared back. >> reporter: 26 states are in the red zone for new infections. in all, 38 states have new cases trending up. nationally over the last week, ne new cases jumped 18% averaging 51,000 a day. five states have positivity rates higher than 20%. especially shocking, south dakota's rate, 36%. and iowa, just under 50%. >> it can happen to anyone. >> reporter: wisconsin teen ava pennycook is still battling long haul covid syptoms three months after testing positive. >> i stumble on my words, body aches, hot flashes, and the headaches. >> reporter: a warning from former fda commissioner scott

gottlieb telling "face the nation," it's going to be a tough holiday season. >> i think this is probably going to be the hardest phase of this pandemic. >> reporter: as covid touches every part of american life, alabama football coach nick saban testing negative now and back on the sidelines. and as one coach comes back, another one sits out after facing backlash for wanting to pack an almost 90,000 seat stadium, florida gators coach dan mullen now announcing he is covid positive. without a vaccine americans are bracing for what could be a very rough fall and winter. ldliday travel, colder temperatures and more gatherings inside make it easier for the virus to spread. and then there's the wildcard of flu season. officials are hoping all of the health measures will be enough to avoid more and stricter lockdowns. major? >> garrett: lilia luciano, thank you. europe is facing tough new covid restrictions as governments reassert efforts to control the virus. but elsewhere there are some signs of progress.

cbs news chief foreign correspondent elizabeth palmer reports. >> reporter: movie theaters in india reopened this week, though customers were few. the coronavirus infection is slowing here just a little as it is in another of the world's hot spots, brazil. but the number of deaths every day remains along with the u.s. the highest in the world. in iran the infection rate is climbing again after flat lining for months and hospitals are braced for a lethal wave. but it is europe's governments that are scrambling to suppress the most dramatic surge, nearly 100,000 new cases a day. in paris and other major cities french police are enforcing a curfew. anyone out after 9 p.m. has to have a good reason. and across the continent covid- weary europeans are preparing for a bleak season. across the u.k. different restrictions are in place

depending on how bad the outbreak is locally. here in london, for example, as of this weekend, people from different households can't visit each other, even if they are family. but even as the authorities crackdown in britain, there was a ray of hope from the head of the vaccine task force kate bingham. >> i do think we have a shot at seeing the two leading candidates, seeing efficacy of those this side of christmas. >> reporter: until there is a vaccine though, anti-covid measures: masks, social distancing and limited travel will be with us. as well as on again, off-again lockdowns. israelis are emerging this weekend from their second since the pandemic began. life is returning to normal after a strict month-long lockdown got the virus back under control. though how long for is anybody's guess. elizabeth palmer, cbs news,

london. >> garrett: to colorado now where mandatory evacuations have been ordered after an explosive wildfire erupted in boulder county. the fast-moving fire fueled by 70 mile per hour winds scorched thousands of acres and homes in the foothills outside denver. the cameron peak fire, the largest wildfire in colorado's history is still raging, it has blackened more than 200,000 acres and several properties. >> ignition and lif >> ignition and liftoff. >> reporter: spacex fired another falcon 9 rocket into orbit early this morning from kennedy space center. the mission, to release 60 star link satellites. they will join hundreds already deployed, part of a plan by elon musk to create a wireless, high speed satellite-based internet service. that is hard to say. straight ahead on the cbs weekend news, a record turnout in texas for early voters despite long drives to long lines. also, how a dummy with a bad cough shows how flying could be

safe again. and meet cronutt, a sea lion whose life was saved by cutting- edge surgery. ery. by getting vaccinated. 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, and/or swelling where you got the shot, muscle ache, headache, and general discomfort. other side effects may occur. if you're 65+, don't settle for a standard-dose flu shot.

move up to superior flu protection. see your health care provider and ask for fluzone high-dose quadrivalent by name. and mine's unlisted.. try boost® high protein... -with 20 grams of protein for muscle health- -versus only 16 grams in ensure® high protein. and now enjoy boost® high protein in new café mocha flavor. my hygienist cleans with a round head, so does my oral-b. my hygienist personalizes my cleaning, so does my oral-b. my hygienist uses just the right pressure, and so does my oral-b. oral-b combines a dentist-inspired brush head with the gentle energy of micro-vibrations for the wow of a professional clean feel every day. my mouth says wow and so does my oral-b.

but i got a second chance to be there for the people i love. when i had a heart attack, my doctor chose brilinta. it's for people who have been hospitalized for a heart attack. brilinta is taken with a low-dose aspirin, no more than 100 milligrams as it affects how well brilinta works. brilinta helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. brilinta reduced the chance of having another heart attack or dying from one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor, since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily, or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers, a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. slow heart rhythm has been reported. tell your doctor about bleeding, new or unexpected shortness of breath, any planned surgery, and all medicines you take. i take nothing for granted. because i'm a survivor.

ask your doctor if brilinta is right for you. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. >> garrett: now to america decides, counting your vote, tonight texas. early voting is under way in the lone star state and like elsewhere it's happening in record numbers. but republican governor greg abbott has limited the locations to drop off ballots to one per county. that has created unexpected challenges and prompted some lawsuits. so far the governor's order stands. here is janet shamlian. >> reporter: richard and mae joyce nickerson inside this red ilesup truck just drove 35 miles to vote. to vote. >> it really does not make sense. it's totally inconvenient. >> but we had to do it. ivereporter: they used to just a few minutes to a dropoff location near their home just outside of houston in harris county which has almost 5 county which has almost 5 mill there were 12 dropoffs in this

largely democratic county but the other 11 were forced to close under republican governor greg abbot's executive order limiting every county to a single collection site. >> is there a legitimate reason to close these satellite dropoff locations? >> i don't see a legitimate reason. i think it's completely illogical. >> reporter: harris county judge lina hidalgo has joined civic leaders across texas in criticizing the governor's order. >> i think we can all see a very transparently it is about voter suppression. >> reporter: this tent a couple hundred yards from houston's football stadium is now the only place to drop off a ballot in all of harris county. a county that is one of the most populous in the nation, spanning more than 1700 square miles and geographically larger than the state of rhode island. the nickersons, in their 70s had time and transportation to make the almost two hour round trip. they worry about those who don't. >> the bus ain't going to bring

you here. you can't walk across this parking lot, they are not going to let you. so you have to have some type of vehicle to get you into this location. >> reporter: in a tight race, what could be a barrier to the ballot box. janet shamlian, cbs news, houston. >> garrett: still ahead on the cbs weekend news, what this dummy is proving about the covid protection provided by a mask. in fact, tremfya® was proven superior to humira® in providing significantly clearer skin. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. tremfya®. uncover clearer skin that can last. janssen can help you explore cost support options.

(fisherman vo)ce) how do i register to vote?ential election... tremfya®. uncover clearer skin that can last. hmm!.. hmm!.. hmm!.. (woman on porch vo) can we vote by mail here? (grandma vo) you'll be safe, right? (daughter vo) yes! (four girls vo) the polls! voted! (grandma vo) go out and vote! it's so important! (man at poll vo) woo! (grandma vo) it's the most important thing you can do! thisa window of time to help protect the ones you love. your preteen benefits from staying up-to-date with their well visits. this is your window of protection. schedule their well visit now. eh, not enough fiber... chocolate would be good... snacking should be sweet and simple. the delicious taste of glucerna gives you the sweetness you crave while helping you manage your blood sugar. with nutrients to help support immune health. proof i can fight moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

proof i can fight psoriatic arthritis... ...with humira. proof of less joint pain... ...and clearer skin in psa. humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. humira is proven to help stop further joint damage. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira citrate-free. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

>> garrett: the military was hoping to learn a lot from a dummy, in this case a dummy simulating a coughing airline passenger. the testing aimed to determine transmission risks on a plane. kris van cleave reports the findings could be welcome news to those itching to get back in the skies. >> reporter: this is ruth, a test dummy simulating a coughing passenger. during each of 300 tests during 38 hours of flight time and 45 hours on the ground ruth spewed out 180 million particles, equivalent to the particles released from thousands of coughs. researchers from the military and darpa wanted to know what the exposure risk to viruses like covid-19 was for troops on an airline, they used 767 and triple 7. >> its analysis showed a low exposure risk from airborne

pathogens from covid-19. >> reporter: especially when the coughing test dummy wore a mask. testing found on average just .003 percent of the particles reached another passenger's breathing zone, even sitting next to someone coughing there was limited risk as the mask minimized exposure. >> it certainly should give people confidence in flying. and people who are inclined to travel, this makes flying an even more attractive option. >> reporter: using 42 bio defense sensors to act as passengers set up in every seat across multiple rows, each section of the plane was tested along with the galleys and jet bridges. >> specifically can i tell you sit in seat xyz, no, they all performed very well. >> reporter: researchers say approximately 99.99 percent of these simulated cough particles were filtered out of the cabin within six minutes due to the plane's advanced air filtration systems. they use hospital grade hepa filters and push air straight down instead of cycling around the cabin. the study did not look at what happens when a coughing person

moves through the cabin and did not quantity the risks if that passenger takes off their mask to eat or drink. the findings are awaiting peer review, kris van cleave, cbs news, washington. >> garrett: next on the cbs weekend news, the extraordinary surgery to save cronutt the sea lion. one wishful thinking, right? but there is one step adults 65 or older can take to help prevent another serious disease - pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you from this bacterial lung disease that may even put you in the hospital. it's not a yearly shot. prevnar 13® is used in adults to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. don't get prevnar 13® if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, limited arm movement, fatigue,

headache, muscle pain, joint pain, less appetite, vomiting, fever, chills, or rash. even if you've already been vaccinated with another pneumonia vaccine, prevnar 13® may help provide additional protection. get this one done. ask your doctor or pharmacist about prevnar 13® today. tonight, try pure zzzs all night. ask your doctor or pharmacist unlike other sleep aids, our extended release melatonin helps you sleep longer. and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. and mine's unlisted.. try boost® high protein... -with 20 grams of protein for muscle health- -versus only 16 grams in ensure® high protein. and now enjoy boost® high protein in new café mocha flavor. who've got their eczema under control. with less eczema, you can show more skin. so roll up those sleeves. and help heal your skin from within with dupixent.

dupixent is the first treatment of its kind that continuously treats moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, even between flare ups. dupixent is a biologic, and not a cream or steroid. many people taking dupixent saw clear or almost clear skin, and, had significantly less itch. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines, don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. if your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help.

>> garrett: finally tonight a survival story, humans we must admit can be hard on animals. perhaps we forget this is a planet we share. but sometimes we humans help in extraordinary ways. here's tom hanson. >> reporter: each day at six flags discovery kingdom in vallejo, california, trainer dianne cameron gets a greeting from this guy. >> he likes to spend time with us, he's a sweetheart. >> reporter: meet cronutt, a special sea lion with a serious medical condition. >> he had a seizure in the water on september 18. had we not been there when we did he probably would have drowned. so it was really touch and go. >> reporter: a growing number of marine mammals are suffering brain damage, seizures and weight loss from toxic algae blooms, a natural occurrence made worse which climate change.

when medicine stopped working for cronutt, cameron turned to dr. scott baraban at u.c. san francisco for a ground-breaking brain surgery using pig brain cells to reverse the effects of epileps. >> my first reaction had been wow, we would love to try, but i didn't know if we would be able to pull it off in three or four weeks. >> reporter: it sounds like you were kind of building the plane as you were flying it. >> that is a great way of putting it. >> reporter: two weeks after surgery, cronutt is on the mend but doctors won't know if the procedure is successful for at least 30 days. >> reporter: a second chance at life for cronutt and a medical breakthrough doctors hope will save countless lives in the wild. >> this surgery gave him an opportunity to survive. but not just survive but to thrive. >> reporter: tom hanson, cbs news, new york. >> garrett: that is the cbs weekend news for this sunday. "60 minutes" is coming up. i'm major garrett in washington.

good night. captioning spons now at 6:00, a bold burglary in san francisco ends in an arrest. the target a pair of pricey puppies. >> someone bought this pup and realized people don't sell these dogs for $250. >> my heart is full of gratitude that somebody did the right thing. >> but the case isn't closed yet. >> you might think with a beautiful marine layer like that and a 20-degree cool down in the city today, we wouldn't have to talk about fire weather concerns, but we do. a new watch to tell you about coming up. saying the crime just isn't worth it.

the new jobs it could be created and the existing ones that could be uprooted. >> it's going to help the community on jobs, but at the same time, what will it do for mom or pop shops? what will it do for the shops that have to survive? good evening, i'm juliette goodrich. brian has the night off. new at 6:00 our cameras were there when san francisco police arrested a suspect in a bizarre dog napping case. tonight one very pricey puppy has been reunited with her owner. but da lin reports the search is still on for another. >> the arrest happened at that homeless encampment at the corner of mission and 18th streets. the suspect is apparently refusing to tell police where the second missing puppy is. this is ten-week-old indigo. a little shaken, nonetheless a great puppy appears in great shape even after being on the street for 24 hours. >> i'm super excited,