documents but then after that, bank of america froze his act. holding back$8,000 needed to support hlf and yl abo edd and bank of america right now? >> betrayed. let down. that i'm not important. that that i'm a bunch of digits. 10s of thousands of californians had their accounts frozen. the problem? the pandemic caused millions people to apply benefits overwhelming system. criminals then exploited it. some had used prisoners names, including scott peterson's to steal over $400 million. prosecutors charged one woman with masca are r amascarading feinstein. and this roapper was charged wih

fraud, and he plead not guilty. >> it's a complete disaster. and it's a disaster that is deeply harming million on of californians. >> a disaster because in order to combat the fraud, he said, not only were bogus accounts shut down, so were hundreds of thousands of legitimate accounts. >> i understand there's a fraud problem. but they need to stop throwing the baby out with the bath water. and stop forcing people in to homelessness, frankly. >> one problem is many are stuck in a merry-go-round with bank of america and edd, she got her debit card in early december. >> i went to use it and it was declined. >> she reported that someone stole over $1,000 from her account and then her account was froze expend now, she said that she cannot access the $6,000 in benefits held there. and nobody can answer what the problem is or why your account is still frozen? >> when you call edd, they say,

bank of america closed it. when you call bank of america, they say edd closed it and so, there's no resolution. >> what have you lost now at this point? >> everything i own was in storage. i was in the process of moving during this time. and i couldn't pay my storage. and all my belongings were sold three days from christmas. >> edd told us any people who's accounts were recently frozen by the state must verify their identity for the state to resume payments. but they said, if the bank has flagged oh, potential fraudulen claims only bank of america can. that doesn't janet regel whose calls from

>> t don't care. i can't do anything. except, i have piles and piles of notes and i have called unemployment and they have like, every other day for three months. >> after we contacted them, bank of america is now working to address janet's problems. similarly, they resolved g on z. they say they are working to resolve the cases as quickly as possible to ensure that legitimate recipients have access to the money and they say they want to the hearthis, so, that's you, send me an e-mail as consumer@cbs news.com and please include a phone number where you can be reached. can be reached. >> you are watching the cbs (ringing) - hey kaleb, what's up? how you doing? - hey, i'm good, guess what,

i just had my 13th surgery. - really? i just had my 17th surgery. - well, you beat me. - well, i am a little bit older than you. - yeah it's true. - well, you beat me. how are you doing? people are coming togetherw to help each other during times like these. - kind of like how shriners hospitals for children is there for us. imagine if i couldn't get my surgery. who knows what would have happened. - same for me. i know my shriners hospitals family will continue to take care kids like us who need them most all because of caring people like you. - like me? - no, the people watching us right now at home. - oh, those people. hi people. - no, the people watching us right now at home. c help right now, - oh, those people. but for those of you who can, we hope you'll this special number on your screen right now. - you'll be making sure our amazing doctors and nurses can keep helping kids like us,

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tharee s st vicks sinex. instantly clear everday congestion. what happens to your body language when your underarms are cared for? ♪ ♪ it shows! our new dove advanced care formula is effective... and kind to skin, leaving underarms cared for and you... more confident and carefree. ing ki a recent study found 61% of parents are concerned about their children missing out on critical social interactions. they normally would get at school. as for preschoolers, be there's a familiar face that's coming to the rescue. me meg oliver reports. >> on a familiar street, elmo

and his friends are ringing in the new year with healthy routines. they answer questions from kids about staying lf questions. elmo joined us on zoom, along with bright-eyed preschoolers. >> morning, elmo. >> reporter: to answer their questions about living through a pandemic. >> how do you stand not touching your friends? >> do you know abby? >> hm-mm. >> every time we see each other, instead of giving each other a hug, we do a funny dance together like this. >> and what is your question for elmo? >> what do you do at home for fun when you cannot see your friends? >> elmo does lots of sing-a-longs on video and story times and dance. let's do something together.

3, 2, 1. that's fun. >> that was really fun. >> what has been the hardest part for children? >> the hardest part for children is not keeping their routines or seeing their friends. >> janette betancourt a senior vice president at seseme workshop said that maintaining routines is critical for the children. >> every day moments that we take advantage of, like bath time or reading a book together, bed time it's ways that keep them safe, healthy, but also calm and allow them to express their feelings. >> do you do to keep the germs away? >> very important to wash his hands. yeah, all the time. and especially when you are eating. before you eat and after you eat. >> what song do you sing when you watch your hands, elmo? itoes like th wash, wash, washy, washy, wash, wash,

oh, oh, wash, wash, washy, washy wash, oh, oh. >> jackson has a question. what is it, jackson? >> do you have any cool masks, elmo? >> yeah, elmo has a couple ofce trucks on it and that makes elmo feel like a super hero. but you know what? elmo's friend told elmo that the best way to be a super hero is to wear his mask to keep elmo and everybody around him healthy. so, masks are very important. >> i walk right by your side. >> sesame street has been teaching children for more than half a century. >> oh, boy, i really like your picture. >> over the years they have helped kids with letters and numbers. >> when things get tough, take a slow deep breath. it's going to be okay. >> they also strive to make sure that children feel safe when the

world may seem uncertain. >> today, abby and elmo and rosita are having a social distance picnic. >> can your grandma and grand pa visit? >> no, but elmo's daddy said when we are far apart, we can stay connected by calling each other and sometimes elmo' grand pa and grandma read a bed time story over video chat. >> when we help little ones feel in control. we are not only helping the little ones. we are helping the grown-ups who know that they are feeling calmer that they are being felt that they can ask questions. but also, that they are enjoying what they naturally do and that's exploring and having curiosity. >> what can i do f you? >> curiosity hike helping them cope with the things they miss. like show and tell. >> do you play show and tell in

your virtual school? >> oh, yeah, and the best part of show and tell, is that elmo can show things that are hard to bring to school. elmo sometimes does show and tell with his gold fish dorothy. >> helping children feel safe and in control so they can focus on the important things. >> do you love me? because i love you. >> oh, elmo loves jackson, very, very. thank you, jackson. >> thank you! >> thank you, elmo. >> oh, we love you, elmo. >> this was so exciting for these kids. i loved ramona's question, how can you stand not touching your friends. that is hard for a preschooler. elmo's advice seemed simple, but ro reducesti a smile on the faco retiree in a story.

>> this year, a neighbor asked him to fix the brakes on his daughter's bicycle. >> fixed it, he took it back and was thrilled and pit mushroomed. >> he has fixed more than 650 bikes, for friends, neighbors and strangers. jackson charges nothing for this labor of love. but says he gets a lot in return. especially the looks on children's faces when they see their old bikes transformed. >> when you look at the bike, what do you see? >> well, i see a thing of beauty to me. if you clean off the dirt from the tires, put new handle grips on, before you know it, it will be something that will just delight the heart of some little girl someplace. >> one dad sent a text to him, thank you for the wonderful gift today, we had a great

daddy/daughter bike ride and she was all smiles. >> that's the kind of thing that makes my day. >> that's your reward. >> that's my reward. >> and during times like th

ennual conleronics show wrapped up yesterday showing the latest in gadgets in electronic gear, and one of the items was a robot that will load the dish washer and a flying

cadillac. it's part of general motors push to electrify the fleet. nancy chan has the story. >> welcome to ces and to gm's exhibit zero. >> general motors ceo used the keynote address at ces to unveil gm's plan for e-power. which will include self driving cars and even flying vehicles. this moment will prove to be an inflection point. the moment when our world's rely answer on gas and diesel powered vehicles will begin to transition to an all electric future. >> gm recently revealed a new logo will release 30 new electric vehicles by 2035. the gm electric powered hummer is releaseder this year and go 300 miles on a charge and 0-60 in seconds. the suv comes with super cruise.

allowing drivers to let go of the wheel under certain conditions. down the road, gm autonomousehi and d machines that can soar above traffic. >> we are seeing a trend toward electricification. >> they are having all automakers adding electric cars to the lineup. smaller companies like somo are offering unique alternatives, like this car, that uses built in solar cells to charge. >> there's belief that consumers will get on the ev band wagon, it has been slow and it will pick und the majority of consumers ll want evs in the next five or ten years. they have delivered ev trucks for fedex. they believe this investment will power new profits. cbs news, new york. that's the overnight news tore this the friday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for

cbs this morning. and follows us online any time at cbs news.com. reporting from the nation's capitol, i'm jan crawford. it's friday, january 15th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." securing the capitol. the fbi warns of possible attacks heading into inauguration day as lawmakers plan out the impeachment trial of president trump. $1.9 trillion. president-elect joe biden lays out his covid relief plan. how he says it would rescue the country from the pandemic. vaccine wait list. the new problem americans face the new problem americans face when signing up for a shot. captioning funded by cbs good morning. good to be with you, i'm anne-marie green.

we begin with heightened security in washington, d.c., to