news" for it's wednesday, december 9th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." awaiting approval. a covid-19 vaccine could get the green light this week in the u.s. how hospitals are getting ready and the challenges still ahead. last-ditch effort. the state of texas is asking the supreme court to block the election results. why it accuses several battleground states of wrongdoing. fallout at ft. hood, the army's next move after punishing 14 officers and soldiers over violence on the base. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we're going to begin with the anticipation for an approved

coronavirus vaccine here in the u.s. the first shots could be given in just a few days. the fda will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to authorize pfizer's vaccine for emergency use, and it comes as more than 104,000 people are in the hospital right now fighting the virus. this is an all-time high. debra alfarone is in washington. debra, here is the thing. there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. >> absolutely, anne-marie. so the first vaccine shipment gets sent out the day after it's approved. right now as we speak, hospitals are training staff how to administer that vaccine, and some people who work at these hospitals are practicing right now by injecting their colleagues and even, get this, pieces of fruit with a saline solution. >> it will end the pandemic. >> reporter: president trump celebrated the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines at the white house yesterday. >> we think by spring, we're going to be in a position that

nobody would have believed possible, just a few months ago. >> reporter: tomorrow, an independent advisory panel will vote on whether to recommend pfizer's vaccine be approved by the fda. >> going in at a 90-degree angle like a dart. >> reporter: anticipating its approval homts are making last-minute preparations. >> 975 doses. >> reporter: for safelily handling and giving the vaccines. >> being able to maintain a minus 80-degree temperature. one complicated challenge after another, and this has been the next one. >> reporter: health officials say the vaccine's arrival doesn't mean the pandemic is over. >> we have to continue to social distance. we have to continue to wear masks. i know it stinks. it does. everybody's tired of hearing it. >> reporter: faced with rising hospitalizations, states like washington are extending or adding new restrictions on businesses. >> what we do now literally will be a matter of life and death. >> reporter: president-elect joe biden laid out his plan to fight the virus. >> masking, vaccinations,

opening schools, these are the three key goals for my first 100 days. >> reporter: mr. biden asked dr. anthony fauci to serve as chief medical adviser. >> we have got a lot of hard and demanding work to do in the next year. >> reporter: the president-elect also urged congress to pass a $908 billion relief bill this month. going back to what dr. fauci said, this is not a magic bullet. people cannot get complacent with masks and social distancing, and a pew research study says about 60% of americans say they will take the vaccine, but dr. fauci says we need to get that up to 75% to 80% so we can crush this outbreak. anne-marie? >> that is all about informing the public, and hopefully that's what's going to happen over the next several weeks. debra alfarone in washington, debra, thank you so much. so on to the election now. and in just five days, the electoral college meets to

formally cast votes for president based on the popular votes in each state, but the gop is still fighting the results, which show mr. biden won. texas attorney general kent paxton, a trump ally, wants the supreme court to toss out the vote results in georgia, michigan, pennsylvania and wisconsin. he claims they unconstitutionally changed their voting procedures during the pandemic to allow for increased mail-in ballots. yesterday the supreme court rejected republican efforts to block the results in pennsylvania. the house overwhelmingly approved a sweeping defense bill with a veto-proof majority yesterday. the move likely sets up a showdown with president trump in the remaining days of his administration. he's threatened to veto the bill unless lawmakers crack down on social media companies he claimed were biased against him during the election. the legislation is now headed to the senate, where it is also expected to pass with bipartisan support. and a scathing, new report by the army describes a culture

that permits sexual harassment and assault at ft. hood in texas. 14 base leaders including two generals have been removed or suspended. maria villareal reports. >> we are not going to fix some of the challenges we have here at ft. hood unless you know more. >> reporter: in front of thousands of soldiers, ft. hood's commanding officer lieutenant general robert white took full responsibility for the failures outlined in the report. including a finding that only 59 out of 93 accounts of sexual assault were actually reported. what do you say to the victims who did not have enough confidence in the army to report crimes like sexual harassment and sexual assaults? >> for those victims that are out there that will not report, the first thing i did was i gave everybody my phone number. you can call me 24/7 if you don't have confidence in your chain of command. >> reporter: in the 136-page report, an independent panel issued nine findings, including that the command climate

at ft. hood has been permissive of sexual harassment and sexual assault. the nearly four-month investigation comes in a year in which 31 soldiers assigned to ft. hood died by suicide, accident or homicide, including the murder of 20-year-old specialist vanessa guillen. before her death, guillen told her family and friends she had been sexually harass on post, something the army continues to investigate. >> it's for us to keep on asking for justice to find those who are responsible. >> reporter: in the report, one soldier said she felt like sexual harassment and assault was like initiation here at ft. hood. it's a sentiment shared by two victims that we spoke with. the army secretary says these seven-year reform recommendations in the report are just the first steps to solving this big problem. maria villareal, cbs news, ft. hood, texas. >> the firings and suspensions at ft. hood come after a cbs news investigation into sexual assault in the military.

norah o'donnell exclusively sat down with army secretary ryan mccarthy and asked him what happens next. >> what you'll see is one of the most comprehensive steps in accountability in the army history to get after this. >> the most comprehensive and accountability in the history of the u.s. army? >> it will be among one of the largest, yes. >> you can hear more of this exclusive interview with army secretary ryan mccarthy coming up on "cbs this morning." off to california, where crews rushed to stop the spread of a brush fire in southern california. this was the scene last night in a riverbed near oxnard, located just northwest of los angeles. the 50-acre blaze dubbed the perkin fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. firefighters said they had a handle on the fire less than two hours later with crews working on containing flare-ups. no injuries were reported. an investigation is under way. so coming up on the "cbs morning news," why los angeles

police are facing backlash after busting a massive underground house party. and caught on video, where a hiker captured this dramatic rockslide. this is the "cbs morning news." here's to the duers. 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 in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. it's not a steroid but can help reduce or eliminate oral steroids. dupixent can cause serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection and don't change or stop your asthma treatments, including steroids, without talking to your doctor.

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♪ ♪ my voice my strength. voce viva. the new fragrance. valentino. a hiker visiting arizona was in the right place at the a hiker visiting arizona was in the right place at the right time. he recorded video of a massive rockslide in horseshoe bend, not far from the grand canyon, on friday. he was standing on an overlook at the rim of a canyon about 1,000 feet above the colorado river. there's been no indication that anyone was in the canyon when the rockslide took place. there was a deadly explosion in omaha, and police defend their decision after busting up a house party. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the los angeles times" reports more than 150 people were arrested at a massive house party in the city of palmdale. many were not wearing masks.

sheriffs deputies arrested 158 people saturday night, including 35 juveniles. authorities say that they also found six weapons, and rescued a teenage sex trafficking victim. investigators say the organizers broke into a vacant house and advertised the party on instagram. the sheriff says his department knew about the party ahead of time but did not stop it, so they could arrest the organizers. the "omaha world herald" says two people were killed in a house explosion and fire. a grandmother and her daughter died in yesterday's blast. the grandmother's partner and grandson were critically injured. their dog was also killed. fire officials say debris was blown into the neighborhood and nearby homes were damaged. utility crews quickly shut down power and gas lines, but there's no word on the cause. >> there's just so many variables to tell right now. that's why we have to investigate it, kind of piece it together to see what it was that made the house explode. as you can see, the explosion

was pretty big. it leveled the house, and the debris, you know, goes across the street into the neighbors' yards. >> witnesses say they felt and heard the explosion miles away. and "the washington post" reports a federal judge said president trump's pardon of former national security adviser michael flynn does not mean flynn is innocent. yesterday, the judge dismissed flynn's conviction for lying to the fbi about his contacts with russian officials before mr. trump took office. the judge said he probably would have denied the justice department's efforts to drop the case. mr. trump tweeted congratulations to flynn after the ruling. still ahead, take your workout up a notch. apple is rolling out a fitness program that will offer a personalized experience while you sweat. never run dry of...

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howard stern will continue to produce and host his radio show on sirius xm through the end of 2025. the 66-year-old, who has been with sirius since 2006, announced yesterday he extended his deal with the company for another five years. now, financial terms were not disclosed. "forbes" magazine has reported that stern was already making $90 million a year. on the cbs money watch now, talks for a covid relief package are ramping up, and apple is launching a fitness service. diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> good morning, anne-marie. stock futures are indicating a higher open fueled by upbeat developments on a stimulus package. the three major indexes ended yesterday's session higher. the dow gained 104 points. the nasdaq rallied 62 for a new record, and the s&p 500 added 10, also a new high.

digging deeper into that covid relief package, treasury secretary steven mnuchin spoke to house speaker nancy pelosi and made a $916 billion offer, slightly higher than the package introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week. the proposal includes support for state and local business, but top democrats pushed back saying it cuts support for unemployment benefits to an unacceptable level. the restaurant industry continues to suffer as the pandemic rages on. 10,000 establishments around the u.s. have closed temporarily or permanently since the start of september. restaurants regained some of their footing this summer as states eased restrictions on in-person dining, but the resurgence of cases has forced some cities and states to reinstate stricter rules. advocates are calling on lawmakers to approve $120 billion in assistance for restaurants. and apple is ready to help you shed some pandemic pounds. the tech company is launching

apple fitness plus next monday. the new streaming workouts include strength training, yoga and cycling. it's built around apple watch, so users can monitor metrics like their heart rate and total calories burned for a personalized experience. subscription costs about ten bucks a month or $80 for a year. anne-marie? >> you know, there's a lot of competition in this space. i am an apple watch person, and it works as sort of a mild, nagging mom. every once in a while, it will suggest that you breathe. just breathe. >> exactly. >> i kind of need that while i'm working out. i need someone to say, i know you think you're working out, but i see your heart rate. it's not that good. >> step it up a notch. this is a growing space. it even affected peloton briefly, because peloton, some people say, is it a fitness company or is it a tech company because it is a subscription service along with the bike, et cetera, so apple is trying to come for peloton and others now.

>> don't start me with peloton, or is it a cult? i know a lot of peloton people out there. diane king hall, don't @ me! thank you, diane. you're in new york. up next, they are the most powerful women in the world. we'll show you who topped "forbes" list and who made a pretty impressive debut. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz. the first and only pill of its kind that treats moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other medicines have not helped enough. 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, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened.

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♪ then everybody'd be surfin', like californi-a ♪ it was a dream for surfers in northern california. giant 30 to 40-foot waves were breaking yesterday on maverick's beach near san francisco. some of the world's most talented surfers were on the water. beaches up and down the bay area coastline were under a high surf warning or advisory through much of the day. still surfing in december, must be nice. the daughter of actress lori loughlin and fashion designer massimo giannulli spoke publicly for the first time about the college public admissions scandal that sent her parents to prison. 21-year-old jade giannulli appeared on the facebook show "red table talk" yesterday. her parents pleaded guilty to paying half a million dollars to

get olivia jade and her older sister into usc as crew recruits even though neither were rowers. olivia jade said that at first she did not see anything wrong with what her parents did, but she now sees things differently. >> i'm not trying to victimize myself. i don't want pity. i don't deserve pity. we messed up. i walked around my whole 20 years of life not realizing, you have insane privilege. you're like the poster child of white privilege and you had no idea. >> massimo giannulli is serving a five-month prison sentence. lori loughlin was sentenced to two months. "forbes" released its list of this year's most powerful women across the globe. topping the list the tenth year in a row is germman chancellor angela merkel. christine lagarde came in second. kamala harris made the list for the first time in the number three. house speaker nancy pelosi dropped from third last year to seventh this year, and georgia voting rights activist stacey abrams earned the 100th spot on the list.

coming up first on "cbs this morning," we'll speak with rick gates, senior vice president of pharmacy at walgreens, about the company's plan to distribute a vaccine. ed it with an adjustable precision jet spray and an advanced pad system. and offers personalized cleaning suggestions unique to your home. braava jet m6 and the irobot home app. only from irobot. plus have high blood pressure. they may not be able to take just anything for pain.

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our top stores this morning. the fda will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to authorize pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. it comes as more than 104,000 people in the u.s. are hospitalized with the virus, an all-time high. states including washington are now extending or adding new restrictions on businesses. and army secretary ryan mccarthy is vowing sweeping changes after an investigation into command culture at ft. hood. a scathing, new report by the army finds a permissive culture of sexual harassment and assault at the texas base. 14 base leaders, including two generals, have been removed or suspended. tomorrow evening marks the beginning of hanukkah, but the

pandemic is forcing many people to rethink their holiday plans. michael george shows us how millions of jewish families are finding ways to celebrate while keeping safe and socially distanced. ♪ >> reporter: for saul blinkoff, his wife and four kids, hanukkah is about family >> we look forward to hanukkah all year. the kids count down the days. >> reporter: but the usual big family gatherings are too risky during the pandemic. saul said they'll gather with family from across the country but this time it will be online. >> thank god for zoom. we zoom almost every day with them. we'll find zoom opportunities to light our menorahs while our family is lighting their menorahs, too and sing with them. >> reporter: jewish families nationwide are finding ways to keep hanukkah traditions in an untraditional year. >> we're still doing it, still making it happen. >> reporter: jason leivenberg of the jewish federation of los angeles says they've organized an eight-day hanukkah festival called infinite light, and it's

all virtual. >> just because we can't gather together and light the candles doesn't mean you can't have a million zoom cameras up or facetimes up and lighten it all together with your family. >> reporter: leivenberg says during this difficult year, the joy and togetherness of the holiday are badly needed. >> the ancient history of hanukkah is all about resilience. ♪ >> reporter: the blinkoffs are showing that resilience by changing their typical plans to sing at a nursing home. >> this year, unfortunately, we won't be able to go to a nursing home, but we will be investigating how we can find zoom opportunities so our kids can sing again for people that might feel isolated. >> reporter: sharing the message of hanukkah at a time when that message is more important than ever. michael george, cbs news, new york. coming up first on "cbs this morning," we'll speak with rick gates, the senior vice president of pharmacy at walgreens about the company's plans to distribute a covid vaccine.

plus, a look at racial inequities in the criminal justice system. we'll hear from philadelphia's district attorney on his mission to reform it. and we'll meet a little girl who got a christmas wish to reunite a friend with the help of santa and social media. that's the "cbs morning news" for this wednesday. thank you so much for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day.