any of those states would turn the other way and certainly not enough to reverse the outcome of the election. >> more than the courty esy of concession, the trump white house is declining to free up the funds and facilities for the incoming administration. president-elect biden is not receiving secret national security briefings as mr. trump did when he was president-elect. >> what would our adversaries be thinking right now, russia, china, about the fact the transition is not moving forward. >> well, look, i think our adversaries have seen us weakened not just as when it comes to this election but over the last several years. we have these cleavages in the body politic that they're convinced they can exploit.

there's an old adage that partisan politics should stop at the water's edge. when it comes to our foreign policy, that it is the united states of america, not the divided states of america. >> we met the former president at a symbol of america's past divisions, the smithsonian's national portrait gallery was a hospital in the civil war. clara barton and walt wittman cared for patients in the building where the 16th president consoled his wounded. we joined mr. obama's peers in the gallery of the presidents to talk about his book. >> i'm curious about the title. i think a lot of people feel that we are farther from a promised land. >> well, i titled it "the promised land" because even though we may not get there in our lifetimes, even if we

experience disappointments along the way, i at least, still have faith we can create a more perfect union, not a perfect union, but a more perfect union. >> you write in the book our democracy seems to be teetering on the brink of a crisis. what do you mean? >> we have gone through a presidency that disregarded a whole host of basic institutional norms, expectations we have for a president that had been observed by republicans and democrats previously. and maybe most importantly and most disconcertingly, what we've seen is what some people called truth decay, something that's been accelerated by outgoing president trump, the sense that not only do we not have to tell the truth but the truth doesn't even matter.

>> what are these false claims of widespread election fraud doing to our country right now? >> the president doesn't like to lose and never admits loss. i'm more troubled by the fact that other republican officials who clearly know better are going along with this, are humoring him in this fashion. it is one more step in de-legitimizing not just the incoming biden administration but democracy generally. and that's a dangerous path. we would never accept that out of our own kids behaving that way if they lost. i mean, if my daughter's in any kind of competition pouted and then accused the other side of cheating when they lost when there was no evidence of it, we would scold them. you know, i think that there has

been this sense over the last several years that literally anything goes and is justified in order to get power. and that's not unique to the united states. there are strong men and dictators around the world who think, i can do anything to stay in power. i can kill people. i can throw them in jail. i can run phony elections. i can suppress journalists. but that's not who we're supposed to be. and one of the signals i think that joe biden needs to send to the world is that, no, those values that we preached and we believed in and subscribed in, we still believe in. . >> in his last moments in the

oval office, mr. obama left a note in the president's desk for his successor. it read in part, we are just temporary occupants of this office. it's up to us to leave the instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them. >> on that last day, the emotions really focus on the team that you've been working on. and it's very rare outside of maybe wartime where you get a collection of people working together in a sustained way under that kind of pressure and stress. so, there's a melancholy to it. there was also though -- and i write about this -- a satisfaction in knowing that i had finished the job. i had run my stretch of the race, and i could say unequivocally despite regrets and disappointments about some thing not getting done, the country was better off when i

left than when i got there. >> you can see the full "60 minutes" report on our website, cbsnews.com. "the overnight news" will be right back. vicks vapopatch. easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks because i want to be a part of something amazing. - i know my gift to shriners hospitals for children makes a difference in the lives of children. - our support gives kids a bright future. - i give because when i see a child smile, i smile.

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scientists have discovered that human versus a powerful ally in the battle against climate change, and we never knew it. it's a mysterious sea creature called larviation. they devour tons of carbon, keeping it out of the atmosphere. >> reporter: if you drained the bay in central california, you would see a chasm the size of the grand canyon. it's here that scientists just discovered a key to how the oceans keep carbon out of the atmosphere. >> these animals are playing out roles in how things are moving away and functioning in the ocean. there's the laser housing here. >> reporter: she's the engineer who built and deployed this

unique camera and laser scanning system. it was just used to look inside a creature that has puzzled and amazed scientists for decades. >> 3, 2, 1. >> reporter: her team attached that system to a remote underwater vehicle that dove almost a mile deep in the bay to find their illusive subject. >> what are lar investigations? >> what's really amazing about these animals is their ability to create really complex structures completely out of mucous that they secret. >> 1,200 meters. >> reporter: the camera gave them these images of the tiny creature at the center of the sometimes three-foot diameter web of intricately constructed mucous. >> three feet of snot. >> exactly. some people say snot palace. i feel like a palace is a better term than a house because of the

complexity, right? >> reporter: it was only when the crew deployed their laser scanning device that they were able to explore the interiors of those palaces. that's when they discovered the creature's vital role in the ecosystem. >> those structures serve to filter particles and food from the water around them. those particles are made up of carbon. they actually stay kind of confined or trapped within those mucus structures. and these animals will actually abandon these structures, women away and build new ones. >> reporter: as they swim away, the particle-laiden webs sink to the ocean floor keeping that carbon trapped out of the earth's atmosphere. >> we have estimates that filter anywhere from 40 to 80 liters on hour. here in monterey bay, there's approximately 500 olympic size

swimming pools being filtered per hour. >> reporter: since carbon in our atmosphere traps heat and warms the planet, scientists say anything that helps keep it sequestered in the ocean is a huge ally in our battle against climate change. >> i spend a lot of time looking to nature for designs or developments that could be inspirational for new engineering technologies. so, this is where i'm hoping the research will go. >> how possible is it for man and woman to mimic what it does? >> it's a great question. i wish i knew the answer. >> it seems to me that if we could somehow tap into what it knows and does, we could eliminate carbon permanently. >> perhaps. it's hard to say at this point. >> reporter: what's easier to say is that since they have been found in every ocean basin on earth, these tiny palace builders of the sea played a huge role in keeping life

sustainable for us back on land. >> they're amazing

when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been designed for you.

>> crawford: we end this half hour with a story of strength and determination. here's norah o'donnell. >> chris has spent 21 years defying the odds. chris has down syndrome. every day he vows to be 1% better, a concept he learned from his father nick. >> you wake up every day thinking how do i get just a little bit better today than i was yesterday. >> one more push up, one more lap, one more mile. his motto. >> ju for chris it was never about his disability. it was about making the possible

possible. buy a car, become a homeowner, marry a pretty blonde like his mom and complete an iron man. a grueling 140 mile race that includes swimming, biking and running the in one day. the special olympics paired him with veteran iron mandan reed. the two are now best buddies. >> you have to earn it. it's 140 miles of blood, sweat and tears. >> at mile 80, an inspirational pep talk. >> you're done with two out of three. you're almost in the iron man. >> chris finished the race in 16 hours and 46 minutes. making history as the first iron man finisher with down syndrome. >> his low expectations for him and everyone that follows behind him are now forever gone. >> you need to set big dreams and big goals. it's the only way you're going to figure out what you're made of. >> crawford: and chris tells us he plans to compete in the world

iron man competition next year as well as the special olympics in 2022. we wish him luck. you're watching "the cbs overnight news. kwrs " >> crawford: and that's "the overnight news" for this tuesday. for some of you the news continues. follow us any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's reporting from the nation's capital, i'm jan crawford. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

it's tuesday, november 17th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." coronavirus cases surge in all 50 states. some governors are imposing sweeping new restrictions as concerns grow about a thanksgiving spike. hurricane iota reks havoc. spacex success. the crew dragon resilience docks with the international space station after a 27-hour trip. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we are going to begin this morning with the race to contain rising coronavirusas