monday. >> anyone staying up until midnight? not me. ♪ good morning to our viewers in the west and welcome to "cbs this morning." it's thursday, december 31st, 2020. i'm adriana diaz with david begnaud and vladimir duthiers. a record daily death toll in the u.s. and a vaccination drive way behind schedule. we're in florida where people are waiting in long lines for a shot. >> the new strain of the virus forces britain to extend its toughest lockdown rules to nearly the entire country. we'll answer your questions as another case is reported here in the u.s. and electoral college challenge takes shape in congress with president trump heading back to washington today to encourage efforts to overturn the people's vote. >> and after one of the worst years we have ever seen, we

share messages of unity and help from spiritual leaders in our series, "a more perfect union." first, today's "eye opener." your world in 90 seconds. >> for once, democrats agree with something on president trump's twitter feed. >> he says $2,000 asap. >> president trump's continued call for $2,000 stimulus checks has led to a shocking alignment with democrats who have pressured senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> the senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out -- >> the new uk strain of the coronavirus has been found in southern california. >> there's significant evidence that significantly faster and is much more contagious. >> the deadly attack in yemen rocked an airport after the arrival of a plane carrying the newly formed cabinet. a big storm coming as we ring in the new year. heavy showers and storms, damaging winds a possibility. >> we have a 2,000-mile run of precipitation from burlington, vermont, into texas.

>> that's where new year's celebrations are under way helping to ring in 2021. >> all that -- >> covid took the life of actress dawn wells. she played mary ann on "gilligan's island." >> a beach day gets a crazy interruption as a small plane makes an emergency landing. >> and all that matters. >> becky hammond is going to take over. >> becky hammond becomes the first woman in nba history to serve as head coach after gregg popovich was ejected. >> obviously, it's a big deal. it's a substantial moment. >> on "cbs this morning." >> the wisconsin badgers beat the wake forest demon deacons in the bowl game. there was a casualty during the wild celebration. >> oh, smash! oh, that's just awful. >> if 2020 were a bowl game celebration, this is what it would look like. >> the "eye opener" presented by

progressive. making it easy to bundle insurance. >> whoops. >> the coach of wisconsin said he wanted everyone to have a piece of this trophy. he said that before it smashed on the ground. 2020 delivered. >> literally, coach? >> welcome to "cbs this morning." gayle king, anthony mason and tony dokoupil are off. we've reached the end of 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic is nowhere near finished with us. bells tolled in cities across the country yesterday to honor more than 342,000 who have died from covid-19. we set another daily record for deaths yesterday. >> this morning, more than 2.7 million americans have received the coronavirus vaccine. but there are still concerns the rollout is much too slow. the trump administration intended to have 20 million people vaccinated by today. manuel bojorquez is in miami where officials have started giving shots to everyone over the age of 65. manny, good morning. how fast is that going? >> well, david, good morning. it's going slowly. the state has started to vaccinate 176,000 people so far,

but that's only 22% of the doses that have arrived here. and it's not because people don't want the shot. in fact, they have overwhelmed registration websites and hot lines trying to book appointments. demand for the coronavirus vaccine is surging across florida. in orlando, a massive line of cars wrapped around the convention center. in lee county, seniors camped out overnight. >> i'm scared. that's why. i'm going to be free. >> reporter: dr. calvo toldis this site is booked through february. >> 100,000 calls in less than 24 hours requesting appointments for vaccination. 30,000 email requests. >> reporter: federal officials acknowledged more needs to be done to get shots into arms. they also noted vaccination efforts are still in the early stages. >> essentially it's been just 12 days. there's two holidays. there's been three major snowstorms. and i believe that uptake will

increase significantly as we go forward. >> reporter: but the federal government left the work of administering vaccines to the states. and more national leadership is needed to manage the logistical challenges says cbs news medical contributor dr. david agus. >> giving each state the ability to do it themselves and each county the ability to develop their rollout plans probably wasn't the smartest move. we're at that 11th hour, and we have to succeed here, and we're not. >> reporter: on wednesday, california became the second state to report a case of the new covid variant first detected in the uk. and it's likely in several states already, says dr. anthony fauci. >> i don't think that the californians should feel that this is something odd. this is something that's expected. >> reporter: in los angeles county, officials have requested the return of the "usns mercy" medical ship as hospitals are flooded with covid patients every day. at the current rate some hospitals may soon be faced with the unthinkable. rationing care. that's, according to dr. tirso

del junco. >> not everybody can respond to those. so they are having to make a choice, who do i respond to, who do i not respond to? >> reporter: as for the new case of the covid variant in southern california, officials say it was reported in a 30-year-old with no recent travel history. the cdc believes while that new variant is much more contagious, it does not appear to be more deadly, and officials also say the approved vaccines should protect against it. vlad? >> manny, thank you. that new covid variant is spreading fast in britain. ambulances are lining up outside hospitals to drop off patients and most of the country is now under the strongest coronavirus restrictions. charlie d'agata is in london. good morning. >> good morning to you. yes, another 20 million people are waking up here today in the highest lockdown tier in

england. here at the river thames, new year's eve would be filled with fireworks and celebrations, but not tonight. the nearly nationwide lockdown extension was expected, if dreaded, nonetheless. >> covid loves a crowd. so please, leave the parties for later in the year. >> reporter: here's why. the more contagious variant of the coronavirus is on the rampage, spreading far faster than at any time during the pandemic. daily infections have risen to more than 50,000. hospitals are already buckling under the highest rate of covid patients ever seen. the stay-at-home order now impacts three quarters of england. all nonessential shops, businesses, gyms, pubs, restaurants, shut. other european countries are taking drastic measures to contain rising infection rates, too. france will deploy 100,000 police to stop big crowds from gathering for new year's eve celebrations. germany intends to extend its

lockdown as it record moes moren 1,000 deaths in one day for the first time. hardest hit britain may be offered a lifeline as the oxford/astrazeneca vaccine begins rollout next week. >> enabling the health care system to get back to something approaching normal. >> reporter: it will increasingly become a race between the vaccine and the virus, but not only did sccovid have a head start, it's picking up speed. health secretary matt hancock described it as a day of mixed emotions. great news about the vaccine. terrible news about this lockdown. all topped off with britain leaving the eu, isolated and uncertain. david? >> charlie, thank you. joini ining us now is dr. william schaffner from vanderbilt school of medicine. let's start talking about the variant first discovered in the uk. two cases, one in colorado and one in california.

both of those people are not known to have traveled any time in the recent past. so what do you make of that? >> well, david, that means this virus has crossed the ocean and is spreading here. obviously, these people didn't travel to the uk to get it. they must have acquired it from a contact here. so it's already spreading. and we've seen, obviously, a surge of covid throughout the country and this new variant here and there may be contributing to that. but the important thing to remember is, although it's more contagious, masks, social distancing, staying away from groups, staying home can dampen the spread of this virus just as it can dampen the spread of the standard covid virus. so we really need to behave in an appropriate public health manner. >> are we doing enough testing here in the u.s. for that new

variant? >> i wish we were doing more. the british -- our british cousins doch mo s do much more than we do here in the united states and we're doing more as we speak, but still not enough. >> look, president-elect biden made a promise that he was going to do 100 million vaccines in the first 100 days he was in office. do you think that's achievable? >> it's theoretically achievable. i wish -- i wish he had said we're going to do the best we can. i don't like to overpromise and then underdeliver because there's a lot of discussion about that right now. but i think across the country, our vaccination programs are just really getting started. everybody started very conservatively. we didn't want to foul this up. we learned how to do this, and i think all of our programs are going to accelerate substantially going into the future. so that's an aspiration.

i hope we can make it. >> when do you think the general public, us regular folks, are going to be able to get a vaccine? >> regular folks who don't have any underlying illnesses or for example, middle aged and younger adults, i think some time late spring everybody will be able to get it. first we're going to get first responders and then, of course, people who are older and have underlying illnesses. >> let's talk about this, doc. china approved its first vaccine developed by a chinese company. do you foresee that vaccine being used here in the u.s.? >> david, i don't think here in the u.s., but the chinese have already reached out to many developing countries and are creating relationships with them. that's called vaccine diplomacy. they're making friends by offering to provide vaccine around the world. very clever on their part. >> doc, last question. i keep running into people on

the road covering coronavirus who don't want to wear a mask and they don't think that masks work. what do you say to those people? >> i sigh a little bit, recognize that they have that notion and it's often deeply baked in. but i try to tell them masks protect them and protect the people around them. it really is the thing to do. try to put politics aside. this has a political veneer. the virus doesn't care whom you voted for. it's just happy to spread. let's all wear masks and do social distancing. that will help end the curve and make the new year a happier one. >> happy new year to you, doctor. i hear you're getting your coronavirus shot today. good luck. >> i am. thank you. a lavish new year's eve party will be held at president trump's florida resort tonight amid covid restrictions. but he'll be skipping the event because he's returning to washington today. he's calling for protests in the

capitol when congress meets next week to accept president-elect joe biden's electoral college victly. missouri senator josh hawley will join mr. trump's challenge to the results. paula reid is traveling with the president. good morning. >> good morning. adriana, president trump now has an ally to help him sow chaos and complicate this final vote on president-elect biden's victory. and while this won't change the outcome, it presents for lawmakers a final test of loyalty to president trump. republican senator josh hawley's expected vote against certification would only delay the confirmation of president-elect biden set to begin january 6th. >> you have 74 million americans who feel disenfranchised, who feel like their vote doesn't matter, and this is the one opportunity that i have as a united states senator, this process right here, my one opportunity to stand up and say something.

>> reporter: president trump has repeatedly suggested the traditional certification process is his last chance to reverse the election results. shortly after hawley's announcement, the president tweeted, january 6th, see you in d.c. hawley hasn't cited any specific evidence of election fraud. his objection won't change the election outcome, but drew a sharp rebuke from democrats. >> the effort by the sitting president of the united states to overturn the results is patently undemocratic. the effort by others to amplify and burnish his ludicrous claims of fraud is equally revolting. >> reporter: hawley's move will force both the house and the senate to vote on certification, putting republicans in the awkward position of siding with the president or the will of the voters. >> all that we are asking for is a vote. what is the problem? >> reporter: meanwhile, democrats and president trump remain united in their push for larger stimulus checks.

>> yes or no, up or down, will you provide $2,000 to americans? >> reporter: but senate majority leader mitch mcconnell isn't budging. >> the senate is not going to be bullied into rushing out more borrowed money into the hands of democrats' rich friends who don't need the help. >> reporter: there is a deadline here on sunday. the new congress will be sworn in and it may be up to them and president-elect biden to get more economic relief to americans. vlad? >> paula reid, thank you. a strong new year's eve storm front threatens tens of millions of americans. heavy snow falling from oklahoma to the southern border in texas and there could be tornadoes today in parts of the deep south. meteorologist and climate specialist jeff berardelli joins us now. what do you know? >> hey, good morning, vlad and everybody. this is a big storm to end our holiday season. and for. it's going to be a crippling ice storm. that's tomorrow. for others, a crippling

snowstorm and a big tornado threat during the day today. let's look at the radar. this is a big storm. big jet stream dip into the south across places like texas where we have snow and heavy snow in the big bend area of texas. could be as much as 6 to maybe 10 inches of snow in some isolated areas. to the east, a big threat of severe weather. a 3 out of 5. an enhanced risk for supercell thunderstorms and the biggest threat today is tornadoes. watch out from houston east to baton rouge, alexandria, louisiana, as well. now this system is going to move north and east towards the mid-mississippi valley during the day tomorrow and run into a lot of cold air. but it's not going to be mainly snow. it's going to be mainly ice. and a lot of ice. in fact, ice is going to atombulate on power lines and trees. could be a crippling isostorm from springfield, missouri to springfield, illinois. kansas city will get some ice, although kansas city to chicago, mix of sleet and snow. could be 3 to 4 inches of snow.

not a big snowstorm but it will be a very big ice storm. and in the pacific northwest, you know, there's a fire hose pacific jet stream from japan straight across the pacific ocean. we're going to see four storms in four days. that means very heavy rain in the lower elevations, as much as 6 inches. in the mountains, several feet of snow. so it's certainly very busy to end our holidays. it's not going to be easy for travelers over the next few days. >> how rare are tornadoes in december, jeff? >> it happens. this is somewhat common. you get these big upper level lows. they spin, twisting and turning. a lot of twisting and turning. watch out and listen for any local warnings in the deep south along the gulf coast today. it's going to be dangerous. >> happy new year, buddy. the man the fbi calls the most prolific serial killer died yesterday in california. samuel little was serving three consecutive sentences of life without parole. he confessed to murdering 93 people.

that's more than ted bundy and jeffrey dahmer. he preyed on women across 19 states from california to florida. his killing spree began new year's eve 1970. that was 50 years ago today. little's confessions helped authorities solve dozens of cold cases. not all of his victims have been identified, though. officials have not yet said what caused little's death. ahead, 60 minutes correspondent sharyn alfonsi speaks with curtis flowers, the mississippi man tried six times for a quadruple murder before all the charges were dropped. fi

we have much more news ahead, including answers to your questions about coronavirus vaccinations. plus, the developing world finds itself at the back of the line for vaccines. how their covid problems could make it harder for us to control the virus. you're watching "cbs this morning." d collado president and co-owner of happy howie's dog treats. we make all natural dog treats and we're growing really fast.

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you're looking at video of a new year's eve celebration already under way in new zealand as they ring in 2021. who's jealous? me, am i right? they're already ahead of us. ahead here on the show, we'll look at how americans have picked up many hobbies over the past year, including mixology. the art of preparing cocktails

and mixed drinks, david begnaud. we visit one distillery whose recipes are rooted in good morning everyone. it's 7:26. i am michelle griego. stanford hospital admits some nonfront line workers were given the covid-19 vaccine over the weekend. it comes two weeks after medical residents protested the same issue. stanford says inaccurate information led to the vaccination mix up. a deadly outbreak of coronavirus is hitting lagoona honda, the skilled nursing facility run by san francisco's department of public health. there have been more than 50 cases this month including three deaths. today is the cliff house sign is coming down. the san francisco institution is closing permanently after a

157 year run. the operators say negotiations fell apart with the national park service which owns the building. it's your final morning commute for 2020 and it's been a pretty good one so far. we've got light conditions on the roadways if you are headed out early. live look at the bay bridge, traffic is pretty light, not a lot of volume due to the holidays. easy breezy into san francisco now, pretty much the case for may republicans as well. there was a trouble spot lucas valley on ramp to 101. it's still out there but not blocking main lines of 101. we have a clearer day today, main just a few clouds left. there is sunrise from our sales force cam. it looks great over the tri valley. all the live views show a beautiful start to the last day of 2020. 'll see

welcome back to "cbs this morning." one year ago today china told the world health organization about the coronavirus for the first time. the search for a vaccine started soon after, but there is serious concern that poorer countries are being left behind in the search for global immunity. thousands of volunteers from low income countries in africa took part in clinical trials of the new vaccines. in spite of that, new research indicates wealthy countries with just 14% of the world's population have bought more than half of the doses of leading vaccines. debora patta is in south africa looking at what the consequences could be if vaccines are not distributed equitably. >> reporter: a shot in the arm in a small stuffy room in the

township. it may not look like much but dimakatso kunene believes this is her only opportunity to protect herself from covid-19 for the foreseeable future. >> i feel like this is good sense for me because it's a chance for me so let me go for it. >> reporter: so this was your best chance of getting a vaccine? >> it was. >> reporter: her instincts are not far off. they are participating in one of four vaccine trials under way in south africa, but despite being at the forefront of vaccine research on this kaucontinent, s country like so many african nations might have to wait until 2023 before everyone has been immunized. >> what we are headed for right now is a scenario from the frontline health care workers in ethiopia will still be waiting to be vaccinated even after all the 20-year-olds in the u.s. have been vaccinated and that is an unacceptable scenario.

the lead researcher into global vaccine distribution. she tells us that the delay in vaccinating poorer countries will have devastating consequences for the global economy, costing wealthy nations around $120 billion. nobody is safe until everyone is safe. >> there's also a very real risk that if the pandemic is allowed to continue raging in poorer countries while high income countries are protected, it can continue to mutate and spread and there's a chance that we could ending up with a strain our current vaccine candidates don't cover. >> reporter: around 100 nations have joined an initiative to help provide fair access to vaccines, but it's so far falling well short of demand. and once the vaccine finally reaches low income nations, there is another major roadblock ahead. distribution. just ask any u.n. health worker about the logistical nightmare of transporting vaccines to

remote areas, using bikes in south sudan, on fat in nepal, by donkey in yemen or over water to far-flung villages in the democratic republic of congo. the pfizer vaccine already being distributed in the u.s. needs to be stored at ultra freezing temperatures, a problem for places with poor or nonexistent electrical grids. professor shabir madhi heads up the oxford/astrazeneca trials. it's a front-runner for wide distribution because it's cheaper than the other leading candidates and only requires normal refrigeration. he says the covid vaccine will have to be easily accessible so that people don't have to travel miles to get that life-saving shot. >> we need to ensure that the program itself is extremely friendly and inviting for people to come forward, because the last thing that you want them to do is add fuel to the

anti-vaccine lobby in terms of why people shouldn't be vaccinated. that's what you're wanting to avoid. >> reporter: this may be a new pandemic but it comes with age-old problems of inequality. as developing nations prepare for the mammoth task of vaccinating hundreds of thousands of people in remote corners of the globe. for "cbs this morning," debora patta, alexandra township, south africa. >> some consequential reporting from debora. when i was in africa, you talk about aids and malaria. under the best of conditions these countries are struggling. you factor in covid-19 and the fact that 20-year-olds here in the u.s. will be vaccinated before frontline workers in ethiopia is remarkable. >> and i worry about my grandmother in the dominican republic who's 86 years old. she's probably not going to get this for years. >> debora, we appreciate it as always.

ahead, sharyn alfonsi speaks with a mississippi man who was tried six times for a quadruple murder but has had all the charges dropped. a reminder, you can always get the morning's news by subscri subscribing to the "cbs this morning" podcast. you will hear the top stories in less than 20 minutes. gayle king calls that a deal. we'll be right back. only nature's bounty does. new immune twenty-four hour plus has longer lasting vitamin c. plus, herbal and other immune superstars. only from nature's bounty. less oral steroids. taking my treatment at home. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about nucala at home. find your nunormal with nucala.

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back in september, prosecutors dropped all of the charges against a mississippi man who had been tried six times for a quadruple murder. curtis flowers spent more than 20 years in prison, most of it on death row. he was convicted four times, but maintained his innocence.

"60 minutes" correspondent sharyn alfonsi spoke with him. >> and there's a knock at the door. >> and i answered it. the next thing you know i was all up against the wall being handcuffed. and he explained to me that we just have a warrant for your arrest back in mississippi. i said for what? and he said four counts of capital murder. i said me? are you sure you got the right guy? >> reporter: flowers had no criminal record and was more likely to be on stage with a gospel group than in handcuffs. there was no murder weapon, no dna or fingerprints linking him to the crime. but it took an all-white jury just an hour to deliberate and convict him. at age 27, curtis flowers was sentenced to death. and put in the mississippi state penitentiary known as parchman prison. >> were you scared? >> oh, yes. >> what's it like? >> the worsest thing you've ever dreamed about.

like a nightmare. because you hear all kinds of noise at night, you know. there are inmates who have just snapped, some who have lost it. they act up all night. >> you were sitting on death row. i imagine other death row inmates were being executed. >> yes. yes. and that was nerve racking itself. >> reporter: his conviction was appealed and overturned, but there would be five more trials for curtis flowers for the same crime by the same prosecutor. >> how can a person be tried for the same crime six times? >> this case is unprecedented in the history of the american legal system. >> unprecedented and shocking. you can see more of the interview with mr. flowers this sunday on "60 minutes." the supreme court of course struck down his conviction and one of the two justices that dissented was clarence thomas, the only black justice on the bench. he said if the court's opinion today has any redeeming quality, it's this, that the state is

perfectly free to convict curtis flowers again. obviously they won't do that because the charges were dropped, but interesting. >> six times. six times. all right, ahead, what to watch, including how a woman made nba history after a head coach was ejected from the game. but first, it is mondmilk come from? almond breeze starts here with our almond trees in our blue diamond orchard in california. my parents' job is to look after them. and it's my job to test the product. the best almonds make the best almondmilk.

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confrontation. take a look. >> we have you -- you see two black people -- two black people -- >> no, i'm not letting him walk away with my phone. >> it wasn't her phone, first of all. jazz musician keyon harrold who took the video said the woman tackled his 14-year-old son in a new york city hotel lobby. the nypd is not releasing the name of the woman. speaking to cnn, though, she disputed the account of what happened and claimed she was assaulted during the altercation. civil rights attorney ben crump representing the harrold family said they never assaulted the woman. police released a surveillance video appearing to show the woman physically attacking keyon harrold jr., the 14-year-old. his father said that racial profiling is hard to live with. >> i can't even come downstairs in new york city, prime new york city, and just go get brunch without being attacked and wrongfully akuccused of somethi. >> an uber driver returned the

woman's phone shortly after the confrontation happened. crump is urging the d.a.'s office to charge the woman with assault and battery. they are not charging her currently with a bias attack or crime in that way. the woman is also claiming in her defense that she accused someone else before she accused the harrolds so that's part of her defense. >> why did she accuse other people. it was in an uber. >> i just wonder what's on the phone that got her so upset. >> it's really hard to watch that surveillance video when she lunges at this teenager who's so young and he's talked about being traumatized by the experience. >> and mr. harrold and his son were guests at the hotel. she was not a guest. >> she had checked out. >> why did she target them? >> i know cnn spoke to her. i didn't hear an apology. >> well, she claims she was assaulted so she's doubling down on what happened. >> she's claiming to be a victim. i love this next story, guys. call it a slam dunk. chalk up a victory for women in the nba. the san antonio spurs made

history last night after their head coach, i also love a good ejection, he was ejected from the game. >> gregg popovich has been tossed from the game. >> becky will take over. >> becky hammon is going to take over. >> and she did. with that, assistant coach becky hammon became the first woman to serve as head coach during a game in the nba regular season. afterward she said the significance of the moment still had not truly hit her. >> honestly, in the moment i was just trying to win the game. i really have not had time to reflect. i haven't looked at my phone so i have no idea what's going on outside of at&t center tonight. >> i love that answer, right? i just want to win. she became the first full-time female assistant coach when the spurs hired her in 2014. she was a six-time all-star in the wnba. in an interview earlier this year she says the ball has no difference, whether a man's holding it or a woman's holding

it. >> right on. >> that's right, coach. >> i can get behind that. >> that image are her huddling with the players is still kind of shocking. it shouldn't be. >> there have been 14 assistant coaches in the nba past and present so this is wonderful. >> it's only a matter of time before one of them becomes a head coach. i can't wait for it. very few of us can predict the future. i don't know about you guys, i have no psychic ability whatsoever. some people from 1999 actually came pretty close. a california science museum asked people to record a video for a time capsule more than two decades ago. people shared what they thought life would be like in 20 years. now their videos are being released on social media. some had pretty crazy predictions. some were not too far from reality. the museum even brought together families to watch the predictions. in one video a couple hopes their grandkids would see their predictions for 2020, and guess what, they got their wish. >> i think they're going to have a lot more things, like laptops

for each kid and binder paper won't even be a concept. >> i think that we'll carry around instead of pagers and cell phones, we'll have instead a little 8 1/2 by 11 tablet. >> we'll not have money, we'll be using just credit cards. but we'll still be able to go into a store and shop. >> wow. >> how accurate, right? >> although some of the predictions that we would have like a hoverboard, that didn't happen. >> i wanted flying cars. wouldn't that be fun. >> that would have been amazing. >> do you guys remember what you were doing in 1999? >> i was in high school. >> i was in high school. >> my age is going to come up again. >> worrying about y2k. >> right. >> y2k. >> remember that new year's eve well. >> how much water did you buy for that? >> how much water? >> we had a whole bathtub full

of jugs of water. >> i had just moved to paris. i'm sorry. >> here goes the world traveler. >> listen, paris is fabulous. nobody hate on vlad. >> i'm not hating, we're just jealous. >> all right, guys, coming up, dr. jon lapook answers your questions about the vaccine.

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good morning everyone. it is 7:56. i am michelle griego. san jose police are investigating an accident that killed a girl at a car dealership. investigators say a driver was trying to move a pickup truck off a trailer we are the girl jumped on the trailer. she was hit as the truck rolled forward. oakland police looking through surveillance that could help them find who was responsible for vandalizing a breonna taylor sculpture.

new year's eve closures, may reaps greens lots will close at 6:00 along with stern grove. lots reopen the next morning. there is some activity on the freeway south bound 280 at el monte. emergency crews and chp are blocking the lane. we are seeing slight delays through the area. other than that, the rest of the freeways are problem free. travel times are all in the green. that's good news. darren. we've got a clearing day out there today as we watch the storm that was with us move out of the bay area. now we are looking at a few high clouds in the distance, a pretty view from the top of the sales force tower and looking over the tri valley. it looks as pretty and clear. daytime highs will go to the low 60s with a few left o r

it's thursday, december thursday, december 31, 2020. happy new year's eve. america faces a new year of coronavirus anxiety. this morning, we answer your questions about the vaccines that are supposed to stop the virus. a man who needs a kidney advertises in new york's time square and a police officer sees and responds. we have reached the end of 2020 but the coronavirus pandemic is nowhere near

finished with us. >> a new case of the variant in california was reported in a 30-year-old with no recent travel history. >> with 20 million people locked down in england, here at the river that would be filled with fire works and celebrations. >> we have seen a surge of covid throughout the country and this new variant here and there may be contributing to that. >> this is a big storm to end our holiday season. for some, it will be a crippling ice storm, snowstorm and a tornado threat today. >> we need -- sorry. >> chuck schumer is getting some attention for answering the call in a meeting. it wasn't the call but the phone. he loves his flip phone. >> incredible. >> i didn't even know they still made those.

>> who else misses their flip phone? >> i do. the they are reliable. >> my dad has one. >> i miss my blackberry too. >> this is amazing. with he have to appreciate the gift. >> happy new year's eve. gayle, tony and anthony are off. already begun in australia. one of the places in the world where outbreaks have prevented from traditional celebrating. vaccination efforts continue but not as fast as intended. in florida, they plan to vaccinate every one over the age of 65. people waited in long lines.

>> answering your questions about vaccinations and the projected holiday surge of covid cases. dr. john is lapook is with us now. two states have reported the more contagious strain first reported in the uk, given that we've seen it in two states and will the current vaccines approved work against it? >> vlad, i think it is highly likely it is more widely spread. now that we are looking for it, we'll find it. the good news is that the vaccine is still expected to work on it. >> doc, let's talk about the astrazeneca vaccine approved in the uk, how does that compare to

the others? >> it works on the same platform of trying to sneak in and works like a blood hound and trains the immune system. it is using adnovirus. you put dna in it and it attaches to cells. it has been altered, it can't multiple inside of you. just a way of getting the material inside of you. >> getting to our viewer questions, elizabeth asked this, how will we know when we can get the vaccine and where to go to get it? >> that is probably the number one question. i know when my parents who are over 70 will get it but how about those who aren't high risk or health care workers? >> the cdc has put out a general

guideline. health care professionals and in nursing facilities. then you go down the front line of essential workers in the b group. 1 c, you have people who are younger and essential workers and people who are, say, in their 20s and late teens. the reason why everybody is so confused, you've got these different states. it is like you have a football game and all these different coaches. >> someone asked how fast can you gain immunity after you have had the vaccine. i have a friend in new york city who is a doctor, he received his vaccine a week or so ago, five days later he tested positive for coronavirus. some people are wondering?

what say you? >> in the studies, it looks like immunity starts to kick in in two weeks. the full immunity measure was about 28 days to a month. you start to get immunity about two weeks. a little too early at five days. >> can a vaccinated person still transmit the virus? >> that's the million dollar question, vlad. we don't know the answer to that. we think it is likely there should be protection towards transmitting. we are not positive. that's why they are saying, look, even though you get the vaccine, you still wear the mask. we should find out the answer hopefully in the near future. >> you got your vaccine about a

week ago, how do you feel? >> the slightest of headaches, a little sore arm. i feel terrific. i'm very happy to have gotten it. it was emotional. not just the relief but the release of all of those months. >> happy new year, friend. >> good to see you, too, happy new year to you and your family. ahead, the latest on the

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we are less than a week away from two crucial senate runoffs in georgia that will decide which party controls the u.s. senate. republican income bents david

perdue and kelly loeffler are being challenged by jon ossoff and reverend raphael warnock. more than 2.5 million people have already voted in those races. both president trump and president-elect biden will campaign in the state next week. cbs news political contributor and democratic strategist joel payne joins us from washington, d.c. good morning, joel. i've got georgia on my mind. i know georgia is on your mind so i'm so glad to have you joining us today. how are you? >> i'm doing well. >> the democrats need to win both of these seats in order to flip the senate. what are you hearing from your sources on the ground about their chances of doing that? >> democrats feel optimistic but are also realistic. listen, in a runoff election that's not on election day in a state like georgia which is trendsing purple but as someone told me on the ground it's a red shade of purple, democrats still understand it's a long shot. i think turnout is important. those early vote numbers you just cited, the 2.5 million early vote numbers are

encouraging to democrats but i think it's really about ground game over the next 96 or so hours. i think you'll see democrats pull out all the stops to mobilize. you talked about president-elect biden, kamala harris was in state earlier this week. they'll have all their heavies there in state because we all know the senate rests on this. >> stacey abrams was credited by many for helping joe biden win georgia because of her turnout efforts in the black community. will those same voters turn out in this runoff, especially since voters tend not to turn out in as high numbers during runoffs? >> i think that's a good question. the electorate will probably look a little different. one of the things talking to people on the ground, they say stacey abrams and her folks the way they organized was service oriented. i'll be curious to see if they can take that same approach for this runoff election which is, again, 45 days after the general election and kind of in the middle of a really interesting political season for georgians. stacey abrams has really been viewed on democrats -- among democrats as the mvp of this cycle for putting georgia in play, not just in this runoff but really for helping joe biden

deliver the state two months ago. >> what do you mean by service oriented. >> well, that's interesting, right? so going and organizing people around what their needs are, helping people get unemployment checks or helping people connect to social services and using that to register voters. that's actually something that democrats have used in the state to be effective. also it's not just african-americans. i know that that's a niche issue people like to talk about. it's also asian americans and latinos in georgia are surging populations. abrams and her organizers have taken advantage of that as well. >> so true. so president trump has of course made unfounded attacks agains georgian election officials, claiming that that election was rigged essentially. how do you think that might affect his supporters in terms of them even coming out to the polls. do they still trust the process? >> that's a good question. i know that georgia republican officials have to be concerned about that. essentially what president trump is asking georgia republicans to believe is that his election was corrupt in some way but all these other state officials in

georgia were in on it, that brian kemp and the secretary of state who are republicans who voted for donald trump, that they worked with democrats to steal the election from him. that's a tall tale to tell. the back side of that is whether georgians will actually trust the process. georgia voters who like donald trump, are they going to trust the process. so you have this interesting dynamic here of where you need donald trump to heat up the base if you're a republican, but your also concerned about him depressing excitement and depressing enthusiasm. >> so, joel, tell us, are we in for another election week or should we know the results on election night? >> well, i would put it like this. if we know what happens on election night, my sense is it's probably a good night for republicans because it's probably an easy victory for perdue and laoeffler. democrats' best chance is if it's a close election that they can eke out. >> speaking of perdue and loeffler, what do you think are

their chances? since they support the $2,000 stimulus check, how do you think that will affect them? >> kelly loeffler has been campaigning with someone who is purported to be part of the ku klux klan. she's been making atax on raphael warnock so that is a central issue in the race. we'll see if that carries to election day. >> joel payne, thank you. ahead, how one man's search for a kidney donor led him to the crossroads of the world. you're watching "cbs this morning."

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welcome back to "cbs this morning." we have a story that hits close to home here for us here at cbs news about strangers that are forever connected. you know 13 people die every day in the u.s. waiting for a kidney to be transplanted? one of those on the waiting list

is our friend marc weiner. many of us saw posts that showed marc and his picture in times square asking for someone to help him. we thought, well, what's going on? we didn't know marc needs a kidney. it turns out there's an nypd detective who had already tried to save marc's life. marc we kniner is making his pl to the world on a big ole billboard. >> how bad do you want this? >> i want it bad. i don't want to sound selfish, but i want to be healthier. i want to be able to do things with my family and not be limited. >> after being diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2015 at the age of 50, he underwent surgery to remove his bladder, his prostate and both kidneys. he is now cancer-free but he needs dialysis three days a week. >> i'm very fortunate, but

dialysis can be an extremely debilitating event. >> weiner began his public quest in 2018 when a company first donated ad space in times square. nypd detective michael lollo saw that billboard and felt like he had to do something. >> it's something that touched me. i can't quantify it. >> despite being total strangers, detective lollo got tested to give his kidney to weiner but he wasn't a match. still, though, he decided to donate his organ to save another stranger. >> kindness is contagious. and i would urge people to look into being a living kidney donor and to look into being a donor now while you're alive. >> now retired from the nypd, lollo is an advocate for kidney dough sglags davinatio donation.

>> david, i don't know if you have two kidneys, but i say why. there are so many diseases that there is no cure. there's a cure. you can donate a kidney to somebody. >> through a voucher program, weiner could receive the life-saving kidney transplant even if the donor is not a direct match. he just needs someone to donate a kidney on his behalf. that way he can be entered into the national kidney registry which will then search for his perfect match. >> all marc needs is basically a partner to go into the national kidney registry. whoever is seeing this broadcast is not just going to save marc's life, they're going to save at least one other person because you're going to be creating a chain. >> they were strangers, connected through that selfless act that keeps on giving. >> if you are in the spirit of giving, think about giving your kidney. you're going to save a life and ultimately who knows, you helping me out. >> we are rooting for our buddy,

marc weiner. we're so inspired by his story. working with marc for the last several years, watching him walk into the building, you would never know he's waking up at 5:00 a.m. to go to dialysis, ending at 9:00 a.m. and coming to work three times a week. >> david, you just have to sign up for this registry. >> that's right. >> and you can save somebody's life. >> and if you don't match with marc, you can match with someone else, right? so the beauty here is you pay it forward to someone. hopefully marc. but if you can't help marc, you'll help someone and finally that circle of life will hit marc. >> love it. >> so if you want to donate, let me give you the website. kidneyregistry.org. ahead in our series a more perfect union, spiritual leaders representing six religions reflect back on 2020 and share their hopes for the new year. your local news is next.

8:25. i am anne makovec. san francisco's lagoona deadly coronavirus outbreak right now. there have been 50 cases so far this month including three deaths at that skilled nursing facility run by the city's department of public health. stanford hospital is acknowledging a mix up with who got vaccinated. it says some nonfront line workers received the vaccine over the weekend. this is just weeks after medical residents protested the same issue. commercial season for dungeness crab is still on hold. the current wholesale price is too low, fishermen say, at 225

per pound and want it closer to 3.30 to help cover bait, boat maintenance, and insurance. we have a look at the roadways. they're very quiet this morning. we have an easy commute on most bay area bridges. no delays. golden gate bridge, we've had a light commute out of marin into san francisco. taking a look at traffic on the san mateo bridge, things are moving nicely there as well. taking a look outside on what is a beautiful new year's eve day, sun lifting off of the bay, camera on top of the sales force tower to the south, just fantastic. tri valley, beautiful, with a few high clouds. daytime highs, low 60s. a few high clouds should be it if you plan on being outdoors at all when the clock

beyonce. >> welcome back to "cbs this morning." it is time to bring you some of the stories that are the talk of the table this morning. vlad, you're up first. >> so if you watch "cbs this morning" every day or see me on cbsn, you all know that i'm a huge classic television and film buff, film nerd some people would say. this one hit me like a gut punch. another piece of my heart chipped off because of 2020. pop culture icon dawn wells, who played mary ann on "gilligan's island" has passed away. the girl next door castaway was known for her coconut pie, ponytails and beginning ham dresses. >> boy, that's gilligan's favorite. >> she won overviewers with her good nature and charm on the sitcom which is still in tv

syndication, guys, after 56 years. >> wow. >> wells got her start as a beauty queen representing nevada in the miss america pageant in 1959 before launching her hollywood career. she had roles in other tv shows including "roseanne" and "growing pains." complications from covid-19 took her life. dawn wells was 82 years old. "gilligan's island" was like my baby-sitter. when i came home from school i watched episode after episode after episode. i love banana cream and coconut cre cream pies because of mary ann. >> when i saw the news this morning, i told my mom who woke up early with me, i'm staying with her, and she said no. she was like heartbroken. >> millions of people like me are going to feel a tinge of sadness. if you thought 2020 was done with us, it is not. it is not. i'm going to miss her. adriana. >> so, gentlemen, it could pay to swipe right if you're looking to settle down in 2021. i know both of you are taken. >> and so are you.

>> and so am i for the record. a new study from switzerland suggests people who met a partner from a dating app were more likely to move in compared to people who met their partners offline. women who met their partner through a dating app were more likely to want a child within the next three years. a lot of people when they're ready, they start looking on dating apps. it's like you're really serious or not as serious. my best friend, nicole, met her husband, keith, on a dating app. >> i met my partner on an app and i lied for years. how did you meet? oh -- >> church. >> because i was embarrassed, yes. but now if you met on an app, people are like oh, yeah, of course. >> we're all taken, but i've never used an app but i'm also a little older. so i was always like, you know, the thrill of the chase. but people are like i don't want to be in the chase, i don't want to be out there. >> no, thank you. >> hey, more power to you. >> david, you're up. >> here we go. most of us like a little new

year's eve with a drink in our hand, a beverage. a recent study by the job hunting website zipia looks at the most popular drinks across the u.s. and unsurprisingly champagne is number one, with 21 states saying it is their go-to glass when watching the ball drop. new york, where the both of you are from, we checked and it is champagne, of course. in louisiana where i'm from's the saserak. but if you're in puerto rico, the new year's eve drink of choice might be cocito. it is popular during the holiday season. many proud puerto ricans have their secret recipe twists. but this classic, it consists of coconut cream, sweetened con depsed milk, nutmeg and puerto rican rum. i will tell you someone surprised me this week so i'm flying to l.a. today and jeremy and i are going to have a little cocito. >> someone surprised with you

with some to celebrate the new year. >> totally. and the only thing better than enjoying the surprise is sharing the surprise. stand by, station. stand by, station. >> what you got, david begnaud? >> ta da! >> so check it out. there's original nutella, hennessey, gingerbread, so you two are going home with -- how does oprah do it -- your own cocito. >> this is great. >> you're going to love this because this is right up the alley that you are just traveling on. >> take it away. >> so the pandemic, which has us spending a lot more time at home has also led to the discovery of new hobbies, including the art of mixology. that's what i've been up to. to appreciate the complexity of the well-made cocktail, you have to go back in time to understand its roots. as we discovered. those roots lie in medicine, mystery and mischief. i know. got your attention. we visited a distillery in

brooklyn whose recipes draw from centuries-old tonics, including some that date back to the black plague. >> so this is where the magic happens? >> we met with the co-founders aaron fox and daniel de la nuez in their distillery where they test and produce a variety of botanical spirits. >> we've got infusions of peaches and ground cherries. >> infusion is a word you hear a lot around here. as the duo experiments with fruits, berries, roots, plants and flowers to create one-of-a-kind liquors and spirits. the idea to start those experiments came about eight years ago over an after-dinner drink. >> it's like how are these things made? i was kind of like i don't know. there's a lot of mystery around it, a lot of secrecy. so i said it would be fun to experiment. >> and i jumped up from the table and was like let's do it, let's do it. >> and so began their journey,

to unravel some of those mysteries, starting with understanding the history of herbal medicine's role in modern day spirits. >> amari and aperitivi and these types of drinks were created by monks in the middle ages to go into then what was a pharmacy. this would be a cure-all for this. >> the bitter liqueur is often used as a centerpiece of before and after dinner cocktails. >> the aperitivi is very specific. >> going from herbal medicine going into culinary culture, it does help you digest physiologically. the aperitivo will make you hungry and brings on the appetite. >> people would have been drinking it in marseilles specifically? >> and not as an enjoyable thing, as a medicinal thing.

so it's later where, you know, in our case we take out the vinegar and take out the garlic. >> its recipe is rooted in medieval legend. as the bubonic plague ravaged france, four thieves were believed to have concocted a cure for the disease were caught stealing from victims. they would be punished unless they shared their secret recipe known as vinegar of four thieves or marseilles wine. >> there's a historical figure and it's quite possible it was his concoction that through the telling and retelling became four thieves instead of his name. >> a 15th century doctor is the name sake of their company and its logo, a plague mask hand drawn by aaron illustrates a sight from a much different time. >> the history of the mask on the front of our label of the amari named after marseille and

that being one of the earliest uses of the mask that we're wearing right now. this was a kind of long mask kind of shaped like a bird's beak and would have been stuffed with different botanicals. >> the plague doctors would get the oils on their skin which would repel fleas and ticks. >> sourcing their ingredients, it is only one of many distilleries of late capitalizing on the craft cocktail trendi. >> what do you think of the trend that first started with food where people are looking for fresh ingredients. there's a movement of farm-to-table ingredients. and now we're seeing a bit of that trend in cocktails? >> when the economic crash of 2008 hit, we saw cocktails creativity explode. probably with this recession, we're already seeing online this whole new, you know, canned cocktail beverages, this whole new economy bloom. >> rachel meyer is a botanist

and assistant professor. she's co-author of "botany at the bar." >> it's part of being human. we've always had competitive feasting where we're looking for the coolest, weirdest, wackiest, most delicious thing to show off to our friends and sometimes our foes. >> and yet often what's old is new again. >> so this is a bottle that wouldn't be sold at a liquor shop or a wine shop. you would find it at an apothecary. >> this is like a library. >> what we wanted to do is really make age-worthy spirits and hopefully in 40 years, people will be out collecting this. >> you were asking me how i came across the story. i was intrigued when i saw a bottle with the plague mask given that we are in the midst of a pandemic. we started researching. our producer and i realized they came up with this concoction that was based on a medicine from the 15th century. >> wow. >> that's so amazing. >> so a lot of those photos were my cocktail creations.

>> exactly. >> stuck in lockdown. that's what i was doing. >> a couple of people have already sipped cocito. >> happy new year, everybody! >> happy new year indeed. up next, our series a more perfect union as we get ready to bid farewell to a troubling year. start your new year right

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kowsik, hindu, who is an advisor at new york university. >> 2020 has been a terrible year. it's not surprising that people

would sometimes feel tempted to despair. but i'd like to remind people that those feelings of despair aren't coming from god. that's not the way that god works. feelings of hope are. >> the only thing that keeps us going is hope and firm faith in god that everything that happened, even the losses that you have suffered, is for a reason. >> the answer is with every hardship there is ease. so when blessings are taken away from us, voluntarily or involuntarily we have a greater awareness of god, greater awareness of self and greater awareness of other. that's where we seek the greatest growth. >> so my hope comes from the human will to survive, the tenacity of human beings in partnership with the holy other. in partnership together we make it, we just do. we rise the stranger is mention

36 times. why? because it's much harder. >> and as a buddhist, what's important to me is that we recognize that we are interconnected. >> loving a stranger, loving the one who's different, that's where we anchor our lives on a very different foundation. that's how we overcome the incredibly painful divisions of this moment. >> listen with compassion. realize that on a fundamental level, as two humans, the person who thinks completely differently than i do is another human, that we have that connection. and maybe it's just expressing a little empathy, but it's the beginning of a bridge rather than throwing a rock. >> i think one thing that we can all agree on is the valor and the heroism of our health care professionals. >> the example that we've been given by the caring people,

particularly the essential workers, the people that are running the subways around here as well as the ones that are in the medical frame, those are our heroes. >> sometimes in our darkest moments we find our greatest unity and the greatest beauty in that unity comes in the midst of that darkness. >> we know how to have our neighbors' backs. we know how to put sandbags along each other's houses. we know how to get each other groceries and take care of each other's kids. >> if we talk more about what we have in common and emphasize what we have in common, i think goodness triumphs over evil every single time. the light triumphs over darkness every single time. >> so i would hope that as we're finishing 2020 and saying good riddance, that we enter '21 with a feeling of each of us is responsible for shaping '21 to be a year of healing, a year of hope, a year of kindness, and

that we come together with a shared sense of building a more just and compassionate world. >> my hope for 2021 is a vaccine, let's just be blunt. that's my biggest hope and what i'm praying for. i hope people can have fun again. just to be able to be outside and be with your friends and hug one another. i think everybody is in need of fun in 2021. >> as we turn our faces toward a new year, i hope that you can feel the wind of spirit at your back and that your face will turn up toward the sun and you will imagine all of the wounds of this year as places in which strength will grow. that we will be better tomorrow. >> amen to that. what are your wishes? >> my wish is and i think i mentioned this yesterday is that

i hope what we've learned about the importance of being connected to one another, staying in touch with your friends and family, more than we usually do, we really did that this year. i did that this year. i want that to continue past 2021 for years to come. >> david? >> my hope is for empathy. people say happy new year, i wish you health and wealth. it's for empathy. i think empathy is what drives the best in all of us. >> it's important to have empathy. i love what imam omar suleiman said. in our darkest moments, we find our greatest unity. that message resonates always with me. when things are dark, it's always darkest before the dawn. it's an important moment. that piece was produced by andy murleson. really, really wonderful. >> we'll be right back.

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