cbs this morning and follow us online anytime, cbsws.com. reportin it is thursday, december 31st, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." new covid strain. another case emerges in a second state. what we know so far as the vaccine rollout gets off to a slow start. challenging the results. a republican senator says he will object when congress convenes to certify the presidential election results. his argument and what it means for president-elect joe biden. defending their actions. nashville police explain why they could not arrest the christmas day bomber after visiting his home last year. good morning. i'm diane king hall in for anne-marie green. we begin with that new more contagious strain of the

coronavirus. it appears to be spreading and is confirmed in a second state. health leaders in california said the man who tested positive in san diego county and has not traveled outside of the u.s. this comes as more than 3700 deaths were reported yesterday, setting a one-day record. the cdc says 2.7 million people have received the first vaccine shot, but it is far short of the government's goal of 20 million by today. debra alfarone is in washington. debra, just when we're starting to feel hopeful, we're facing another hurd wele with this new covid strain. what can you tell us? >> reporter: i can tell you that researchers say this could actually change the course of the pandemic. really something to think about. and this is all happening at a time when hospitals and healthcare workers were stretched to the max. the new strain of covid-19 has been found in a second state. >> identified in colorado yesterday has been identified here in the state of california.

>> reporter: dr. anthony fauci told california governor gavin newsom it wasn't surprising, given the variant's more contagious nature. >> there is no indication at all that it increases the virulence, by virulence, i mean the ability to make you sick or kill you. >> reporter: but with california's icus already at a breaking point, officials say the usual precautions are still a must. >> we need to continue to wear the face mask to protect ourselves, to protect others as well and we need to do it better. >> reporter: health experts believe the current vaccines will be effective against the new strain, but federal officials acknowledge the vaccine rollout needs to improve. >> here's what i have confidence in, every day, everybody gets better. >> reporter: for the second day here on capitol hill, senate republicans blocked efforts to boost those stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000. >> the senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into democrat rich hands who don't need the help. >> reporter: it has been president trump leading the

demand, yesterday, tweeting $2,000 asap. >> for once, democrats agree with something on president trump's twitter feed. >> reporter: the senate has until friday at midnight to get the measure passed. on sunday, a new congress will be sworn in. and the way it is going, it is not likely congress will see eye to eye on upping the stimulus checks. also on the table, the defense bill and today is the last day of 2020. it doesn't look like congress is going to get a break or a chance to celebrate anything anytime soon, diane. >> that's too bad. debra alfarone in washington, debra, thank you. operation warp speed is hitting a few roadblocks as it tries to get a large number of americans vaccinated faster. manuel bojorquez explains. >> reporter: the chief adviser for operation warp speed acknowledged the government will not come close to its goal of giving first doses of the vaccine to 20 million americans by year's end. >> we agreed that that number is

lower than what we hoped for. >> 12 days, two holidays, and then they worked through three major snowstorms in the last two weeks. and still really a remarkable job. >> reporter: florida's governor bypassed cdc guidelines and opened vaccination to anyone over 65, citing concern for the state's seniors. it led to long lines at some vaccination sites and overwhelmed appointment systems. in broward county, 66-year-old don kitten got through on a call after several hang-ups. persistence paid off. >> yes, it did. it is not happening for other people. >> reporter: this doctor said this site is booked into february. >> we had 100,000 calls in less than 24 hours requesting appointments for vaccination. 30,000 email requests. >> reporter: in texas, several shipments of moderna's vaccine were unusable due to temperature control issues during shipping and delays in the rollout have state officials pushing providers there to get those

first shots off the shelves, and into people's arms. manuel bojorquez, cbs news, ft. lauderdale, florida. president trump is cutting his holiday vacation short in florida. he plans to return to washington, d.c. today, one day earlier than expected. so far the white house has offered no explanation for the change. the announcement came hours after republican senator josh hawley said he will raise objections next week on january 6th, when congress is scheduled to certify joe biden's victory in the presidential race. he said he wants to highlight the failure of some states, who follow their own election laws. he didn't provide any evidence for his argument, the objection will delay mr. biden's win but not change the outcome. the man called the most prolific serial killer in u.s. history has died. 80-year-old samuel little was serving a life sentence for multiple counts of murder. he died at a hospital in california yesterday. little confessed to killing 93

people across the country between 1970 and 2005, mostly in florida and southern california. the nashville police chief says officers acted properly when they visited the home of anthony warner more than a year ago. last week warner detonated an rv filled with explosives injuring three. a 2019 incident report shows police received a tip from warner's girlfriend that he was building bombs in a recreational vehicle at his home. police chief john drake said officers went to the home, but did not make contact with warner or look inside the rv. >> there was no signs of any bomb-making. so it would have taken signs that a crime was being committed, that a bomb was being made for the officers view, the only thing they saw was an rv that he couldn't see inside and wasn't allowed access into. >> chief drake did say the officers could have followed up more. warner died in the christmas day

explosion. part of the country are ending 2020 with some severe weather. a winter storm is blasting through parts of texas and oklahoma. snow blanketed areas south of oklahoma city yesterday. some areas could get up to 18 inches of snow. the same storm system led to a brief tornado south of dallas. it damaged at least 13 mobile homes, snapped some trees, but there were no serious injuries. coming up on the "cbs morning news," we remember a beloved castaway from the tv show "gilligan's island." and welcome home. a limited number of buffalo bills fans will be allowed at a playoff game. this is the "cbs morning news." high protein. low sugar. tastes great! high protein. low sugar. so good. high protein. low sugar. mmm, birthday cake. pure protein. find our coupons in sunday's paper.

relief from your worst cold and flu symptoms.le so when you need to show your cold who's boss, grab mucinex all-in-one... and get back to your rhythm. feel the power. beat the symptoms fast. 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, cancers including lymphoma, and blood clots have happened. taking a higher than recommended dose of xeljanz for ra may increase risk of death. tears in the stomach or intestines

and serious allergic reactions have happened. don't let another morning go by without asking your doctor about the pill first prescribed for ra more than seven years ago. xeljanz. your happy place. find your breaking point. then break it. every emergen-c gives you a potent blend of nutrients so you can emerge your best with emergen-c. basketball history was made. last night becky hammon became the first woman to coach an nba team. she took over as head coach during the spurs/lakers game.

head coach gregg popovich was ejected and hammon replaced him for rest of the game. back in 2014, hammon became the first full time female assistant coach in league history. fans are returning to bills stadium. and we remember a beloved castaway. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the los angeles times" reports on the death of dawn wells who played girl next door mary ann on "gilligan's island." wells died yesterday in los angeles of complications from the coronavirus. she represented nevada in the 1959 miss america pageant, and went on to an acting career. she also had tv roles in "maverick" and "bonanza." tina louise, the last surviving member of the "gilligan's island" cast, said she will always remembers wells' kindness. dawn wells was 82. "the dallas morning news" says the faa temporarily halted flights at two dallas area airports due to a coronavirus case at a regional air traffic control center. all arriving and departing

flights at dfw international airport in dallas lovefield were stopped yesterday afternoon for about 90 minutes. it had a nationwide effect as nearly 200 flights were delayed, and 15 canceled. air traffic controllers had to shut down and leave the control center so it could be cleaned. and "the buffalo news" reports about 6800 spectators will be allowed to attend the buffalo bills' first home playoff game in a quarter century. new york governor andrew cuomo said fans attending next month's game will have to test negative for the coronavirus. they will be seated apart from each other. and have to wear masks. fans have not been allowed to attend games at bills stadium this season due to the pandemic. >> obviously if they test positive for the virus, they won't be attending the game, and they'll get the treatment that they need. and then post game they'll be contact tracing so we'll find out exactly what happened, was there any spread at the game, et cetera.

>> governor cuomo said the game will serve as a pilot for reopening other kinds of businesses across the state. still ahead, dancing machines. robots show off their advanced moves ringing in the new year.

here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ i can mashed potato i can mashed potato ♪ ♪ i can do the twist i can do the twist ♪ ♪ tell me baby those robots have moves. boston dynamics made this video choreographed to the hit "do you love me." it is part of the company's celebration for the new year. some people question if the

robots are cgi, but boston dynamics says no. even elon musk tweeted this is the real thing. and the past boston dynamics rattled the web with two and four legged robots that can walk upstairs, jump and even open doors. on "the cbs moneywatch," the census will miss a big deadline today. and peloton is offering some exclusive song remixes. naomi ruchim is here in new york with that and more. good morning. >> good morning to you. wall street is open for a full day of trading today. the last day of 2020. the major u.s. stock indexes are set to end the year at or near record highs. yesterday the dow gained 73 points, the nasdaq added 19, and the s&p 500 rose by five. it appears the census will miss its year end deadline for the first time in 40 years. it is supposed to hand in numbers used to help divvy up congressional seats. but the delay could also jeopardize president trump's

plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from the count. the bureau plans to deliver the population count of each state early next year, possibly after president-elect biden takes office. the census process has faced challenges over the past year, like collecting information during a pandemic and hiring shortages. ticketmaster has agreed to pay a $10 million fine. the company entered a plea agreement this week to avoid criminal charges of hacking into the computer system of a startup rival. prosecutors say employees used stolen passwords to access confidential business information for more than two years. in a statement, ticketmaster said there were only two employees involved in the scheme. and peloton is hoping the king will inspire your new year's workout resolution. fitness company is turning up some elvis presley throwbacks for a second music partnership. it is adding three remix elvis

songs, which include dude avega, catching on fast and cleaning up your own backyard. if you don't have a peloton, you can hear the songs by signing up for a two-month free trial on the app. last month, peloton teamed up with beyonce to create a series of workout classes. still not enough to inspire me, though my husband is obsessed with his peloton. he would work out to about anything. >> i love the app. i've done one of the peloton -- i don't have a peloton bike, i have a cheaper version, so i'm a person who has done a peloton hack, basically. you can use the app without the bike, you can use a different bike or whatever. i've done one of the beyonce rides. that one is excellent. >> that sounds good. >> yes, indeed. thumbs up to those. >> good luck to you, diane. >> all right, naomi ruchim here in new york. naomi, thank you. up next, counting down to the new year. officials in new york's times square rehearse the midnight tradition. >> happy new year!

centrum helps your immune defenses every day, with vitamin c, d and zinc. season, after season. ace your immune support, with centrum. it's a thirteen-hour flight, tfifteen minutes until we board. oh yeah, we gotta take off. you downloaded the td ameritrade mobile app so you can quickly check the markets? yeah, actually i'm taking one last look at my dashboard before we board. excellent. and you have thinkorswim mobile- -so i can finish analyzing the risk on this position. you two are all set. have a great flight. thanks. we'll see ya. ah, they're getting so smart. choose the app that fits your investing style. ♪ honey honey? new nyquil severe honey is maximum strength cold and flu medicine with soothing honey-licious taste. nyquil honey. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever best sleep with a cold medicine.

with collagen, that supports our body from the inside, out. because when we feel supported from within (whir of treadmill, foot impact + heavy breathing) our confidence comes from way deeper. it's within us.

here is a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. drones lit up the sky in scotland. this dazzling display is helping

mark the last day of the year there. it featured 150 drones traveling at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. organizers say this is the largest choreographed drone swarm ever seen in the uk. here in new york city, one final test before the clock strikes midnight. >> three, two, one, happy new year! yea! check that out! >> organizers flipped the switch and sent up the iconic new year's eve ball. 130 feet at one times square yesterday. the ball features more than 32,000 energy efficient l.e.d.s and more than 2600 waterford crystal triangles. >> this year, this year we'll all be watching from home. in times square, what you're going to see is a very intimate theater in the round where we will be celebrating the end of 2020, the beginning of 2021 with our heroes of 2020, the first responders, frontline workers, essential workers and their families who sacrificed so much

over the past year. >> the celebration will still feature concerts and live performances, which you can watch on tv and online. and as we close out 2020, we wanted to highlight some of the quirky and eye opening things that happened not so long ago. remember "tiger king?" the netflix hit seems like it came out ages ago. but it dropped on the streaming service back in march. how about those murder hornets. the giant insects started popping up in the u.s. back in may. they were first sighted in washington state, where experts removed a hive just a few months ago. elon musk and grimes named their baby something no one could pronounce. that also happened in may. they later changed the name to comply with california law. and what seemed like a million years ago, shakira and jennifer lopez performing together at the super bowl halftime show back in february. coming up on "cbs this morning," in our series a more perfect union, we hear from spiritual leaders on their hopes

as we head into the new year. i'm diane king hall. this is the "cbs morning news." ready to shine from the inside out? try nature's bounty hair, skin and nails gummies. the number one brand to support beautiful hair, glowing skin, and healthy nails. and try advanced, now with two times more biotin. removes ten years of yellow stains. optic white renewal that's like all the way back to 2010. they're jeans. they're leggings. they're jeggings! whoa. remove ten years of yellow stains with colgate optic white renewal. hi susan! honey? yeah? i respect that. but that cough looks pretty bad... try this new robitussin honey severe. the real honey you love... plus, the powerful cough relief you need. mind if i root through your trash? new robitussin honey severe. strong relief for your severe symptoms. a blast of immune support that's more than just vitamin c.

it's a unique crafted blend of vitamins, zinc, other minerals, and herbs. take on your day with airborne.

go to takeahealthystand.org. our top stories this morning, that new more contagious coronavirus strain has now been found in a second state. after first appearing in colorado, another case has been detected in california. the u.s. saw more than 3700 covid deaths yesterday. a new one-day record. and republican senator josh hawley from missouri says he will object next week when congress meets to certify joe biden's victory in the presidential election. he said he wants to, quote, highlight the failure some of states to follow their own election laws. his objection will likely delay mr. biden's win, but not change the outcome. with the surge in coronavirus cases, airbnb is taking new steps to prevent large groups from ringing in the

new year in vacation rentals. michelle medina looks at restrictions to discourage unauthorized house parties. >> reporter: from coast to coast, authorities have been targeting people who choose to party through the pandemic, throwing so-called covid parties. in los angeles, hundreds packed this vacation rental for an illegal house party. >> it is frustrating and a little bit scary. >> reporter: cy has four vacation rentals listed on airbnb in san diego. his properties are booked for new year's and he makes it clear parties are not allowed. >> i have had a few that try and sneak a few people in. and, you know, being on site, i catch that. >> reporter: airbnb is enforcing tougher global policies to stop large gatherings due to a spike in covid cases. >> if you're coming to airbnb, you don't have a five star rating and seeking to do a one night reservation on new year's eve, you won't be able to do that. >> reporter: the platform has been updating the policies since the start of the pandemic, including putting a cap on occupancy, restricting guests under 25 without a history of

positive reviews to book a listing and taking legal action against those who violate the rules. >> it is absolutely critical to prioritize public health. >> reporter: hosts like cy are doing just that. he's abiding by the site's enhanced cleaning protocols. >> every unit between a stay is gone through and completely misted and sprayed with antibacterial cleaner to clean anything that might have been missed by the cleaning people. >> reporter: the stepped up efforts are designed to protect guests and keep vacationers from taking the virus home with them. michelle medina, cbs news, san diego. >> coming up on "cbs this morning," dr. john lapook will answer viewer questions about the coronavirus vaccines and staying safe amid the surge in cases. plus, an update on the senate runoff races in georgia. we'll speak with cbs news political contributor and democratic strategist joel payne. and in our series "a more perfect union," we hear from spiritual leaders on their hopes

as we head into the new year. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thank you for watching. i'm diane king hall. have a great day. ing hall. have a great day.