so it's been a good way to kind of share what i'm making and bringing a little bit of joy to people around me. connor in the kitchen. and that's the overnight news for is wednesday. reporting fro it is wednesday, it is wednesday, november 18, 2020. this is the cbs morning news. joe biden builds his team. the president-elect picks his staff as president trump looks to block biden's win. out of control spread. coronavirus continues to grip the u.s. and the fda authorizes the first at-home test kit. return to the skies. the grounded boeing 737 max expected to fly again. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green.

we begin this morning with president trump's efforts to reverse the results of the presidential election. mr. trump fired the top cyber official after the agency he has rejected the allegations of voter fraud. >> joe biden is building out his white house staff as the trump administration continues to block his move into office. from washington, what is on tap for mr. biden today? >> president-elect joe biden is going to be meeting in a virtual round table with front-line health care workers. he's pushing forward despite president trump continuing to falsely claim he's won the election. >> two weeks after election day, supporters of president trump cheered on the president in pennsylvania. >> i want to help support the president and what he's doing and make sure all the legal votes get counted. >> president trump lost pennsylvania to joe biden by

more than 80,000 votes. the legal effort led by rudy giuliani is a long shot. >> every single legal vote has been upheld in every piece of litigation so far. >> last night, the president fired chris krebs, a top security official. he has been vocal since election day. disputing claims of voter fraud. >> to seek trusted sources of information, that's going to be your state and local election officials. >> with president trump refusing to concede, president-elect has been blocked from receiving information usually given during the transition process. he's had to find other ways to prepare for the white house. yesterday, mr. biden spoke with former national security officials who served in republican and democratic administrations.

>> my presidential responsibility for the american people. >> also prohibited from speaking with federal health officials, the biden team will meet with pharmaceutical companies this week to learn more about the coronavirus vaccines. >> president-elect biden has been naming white house staff picking up positions from his top senior campaign staff and also long-time aids. >> all right, debra in washington. thank you so much. so after a political fight, michigan's largest county unanimously certified its results showing joe biden beat trump. republicans had temporarily blocking certification in wayne county. the action was condemned by democratic officials and

bipartisans officials who said the election in detroit had been conducted cleanly. biden won by more than 48,000 votes. the victory made possible by a strong showing in wayne county. officials on the coronavirus task force are warning the spread of covid-19 is now aggressive and unrelenting nationwide. >> yesterday, the u.s. recorded 162,000 new cases. the 15th straight day of new topping 100,000. more than 1,700 deaths were reported. more on how states are racing to respond to the virus. >> the coronavirus is now spreading out of control in cities and states across the country. >> we are in a war right now. the virus is winning. >> on tuesday, a record 73,000 people were hospitalized with covid-19. officials say health care systems are at risk of being overwhelmed. >> our hospital system is in a period of stress right now. >> both democrats and republicans are sounding the alarm about the surge.

>> it is the real, real thing and it is eating us alive. >> iowa governor reynolds had dismissed masks. on tuesday, she did an about face. >> masks are required to be worn. >> california's governor is strengthening the mask mandate and people must wear masks even when outdoors. >> people waited hours outside dodger stadium. long lines in wisconsin, colorado and massachusetts. patience is wearing thin. >> i got my name on the list. they sent me home twice. they said come back in an hour, two hours. nothing yet. >> the demand is spiking a little more than a week before thanksgiving. iowa senator chuck grassley is quarantining after testing positive for the coronavirus. the 87-year-old is the longest serving republican senator and

third in line to succession. he said he's feeling good and will continue to work from home. >> the first at-home coronavirus test has been confirmed. the test created by a california manufacture takes 30 minutes and allows users to swab themselves using a nasal sample that is plugged into a vile that shows portable results. the test will require a prescription likely limiting its initial use. the acting secretary of defense announced the u.s. will withdraw thousands of troops from afghanistan and iraq by january. some top military officials are not in favor of the draw down.

>> chris miller was a soldier and today, the acting secretary of defense and he announced a draw dawn from 4,500 to 2,500 troops. by january 15, 2001. excuse, i clear liam thinkily af where this started in 2001. >> commanders were opposed to any decrease. faced with trump's determination to bring troops home, they responded, if you want to draw down, we recommend you go to 2,500. president trump decided to go to 3,000 down to 2,500 troops in iraq where personnel remain under attack. just finishing the statement when these launch pads lit up in with rockets fired near the u.s. embassy in baghdad. reporting for cbs news, the pentagon.

the faa is set today to lift the grounding order on the boeing troubled 737 max fleet. the fleet was grounded after two deadly crashes killed 346 people. the faa is requiring new pilot training and software upgrades linked to a stall program. american airlines planning the first flights next month between miami and new york city. coming up, tallying the damage in central america after the most powerful hurricane of the season hits the region. a landmark settlement, a deal in the purdue pharma opioid case clears a hurdle. this is the "cbs morning news." clears a hurdle. this is the "cbs morning news." to all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing

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just two weeks ago. two people were killed and several missing in nicaragua. panama reported one person dead. the storm could dump as much as 12 inches of rain. the president of honduras warned the entire country is at risk. rapper lil wayne is facing a farm arms charge and a settlement in the purdue opioid case. those are the headlines. a federal bankruptcy judge approved a landmark $8.3 billion settlement that stems from the company's involvement in helping to fuel the country's addition in oky con ton and other dangerous opioid drug. members of the family that own the company agreed to pay $225 million to settle civil claims.

the miami harold claims lil wayne was charged with possessing a gun as a convicted felon. records say the rapper admitted to owning a gold-plated gun in his personal jet. the documents reveal authorities reported finding ammunition and suspected illegal drugs. he pleaded guilty from possessioning a firearm in 2007. convicted felons are barred from boning guns and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted again. two republican senators were absent from the vote because they had to go into coronavirus quarantine. three other republican senators opposed the nomination. senate majority leader can still bring up shelton's nomination in the future.

still ahead, pandemic buying, major grocery stores are limiting certain products that shoppers can buy.

here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. on the cbs money watch, super markets are trying to avoid a pandemic shortage and twitter introduces disappearing tweets. stock futures are showing a mixed open. the dow fell 167 points, the nasdaq lost 24 and s&p 500 gave up 17. you may notice some bare shelves again when you go to the store. people are stockpiling supplies

as coronavirus cases spike across the country. super market chains kroger and publix are limiting how much toy lot paper and paper towels customers can buy. amazon is sold out of most wipes and sanitizers. you may remember a similar scenario played out in march. amazon is getting into the pharmacy business, unveiling amazon pharmacy yesterday allowing customers to order prescription medication for home delivery including free two-day shipping for prime members discounts up to 80% on generic and up to 40% discount when paying without insurance. twitter is out with a new format called fleets. allowing to post messages that vanish in 24 hours. posting content they don't want to keep on their twitter pages.

users will be able to react through direct messages and they appear at the top of the time line. >> that does not mean you can act a fool on twitter because screen grabs last forever. >> exactly. >> diane king hall in new york. thank you so much. >> you got it. up next, returning home safely. what college students should do to prevent the spread of coronavirus when they go back home for thanksgiving. go back home for thanksgiving. 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.

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here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. for the first time in 42 years, there will be no mardi gras parades in new orleans. being banned for the 2021 season. the cdc said crowds this past february may have contributed to new orleans getting hit hard which took place before the mandate to wear masks. >> with coronavirus cases surging and thanksgiving approaching, there is concern college students could

unknowingly spread the virus. what some schools are doing to minimize the risk. >>there are a lot of things i wish i could be doing this semester. >> making the best of her sophomore year at skidmore college and said she and her friends are trying to stay safe. students are tested regularly. >> i feel more comfortable knowing everyone is getting tested once a week. >> with thanksgiving here, experts are concerned. research shows more than half of the transmissions are from young asymptomatic people. >> from the yale school of public health. >> we don't want thanksgiving to be an event where a whole bunch of silent spreaders, ticking time bombs are unleashed. airports and train stations. >> impact varies from college to college. some require tests, offer

voluntary tests or rely on quick symptom checks. temple university are offering free testing. >> i want to go home so i'll get tested as soon as possible. >> some universities will finish the semester remotely. others are bringing their students back. >> i trust her. i know what she and her friends are doing. i was pretty hopeful up until early today that a very small thanksgiving between me and my three kids may actually happen. >> stella was informed she had been in contact with someone who tested positive. they told me i need to be in quarantine later today. she'll be tested later this week. and hopes she can get home soon. >> coming up this morning, we'll show you how plywood is being repurposes to build much-needed shelters for animals.

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our top stories this morning, officials on the coronavirus task force are warning the spread of covid-19 is now aggressive nationwide. yesterday, the u.s. recorded 162,000 new cases. it is the 15th day of new cases topping 10,000. more than 1,700 deaths were reported. president trump fired chris krebs, the nations top security official after he rejected trump campaign's baseless claims of voter fraud. saying president trump's statement was inaccurate. krebs tweet back, we did it right.

>> in the bid to challenge the results of the presidential election. as reports, the trump campaign has failed to provide proof of voter fraud. >> in the few times he's spoken, president trump has offered a string of false hoods. >> there is major fraud in our nation. >> if you count the legal votes, i easily win. >> frankly, we did win this election. >> more than 400 tweets over the past two weeks are mostly false clams of fraud or that he won an election he clearly lost. more than a dozen lawsuits brought by his campaign have been unsuccessful. >> every single legal vote cast and reported has been upheld by the courts in every piece of litigation nationwide so far. >> the pennsylvania supreme court handed the trump campaign another loss.

when the presidential's legal team withdrew, rudy giuliani stepped in reportedly asking for $20,000 a day though he denies this. one attorney said this about the president's prospects days before being hired by the campaign. >> at the end of the day, in my view, the litigation will not work. it will not reverse this election. >> in georgia, the hand recount is nearly finished after no irregularities were found. after senator graham asked a top official about the legit massy of some ballots. >> here is a problem with trump's campaign and republicans with him. in a court of law, you have to argue a point of law and produce evidence it was violated. in this case, so much so that valid votes must be invalid dated. not one piece of litigation so far has that basic legal standard been met. reporting for cbs news,

washington. coming up on cbs this morning, we'll hear from the mother of an army staff sargent about the military's handling of her daughter's assault. >> we'll hear about the hbo special "between the world and me." and we'll show you how plywood is being repurposed to build much-needed shelters for animals. that's the "cbs morning news" on this wednesday. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. . have a great day.