♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening. jericka duncan is off tonight. i'm errol barnett. british billionaire richard branson first took tourists to the sky back in 1984, flying aboard a used jumbo jet repainted with the logo of his upstart company virgin atlantic airlines. well, today branson soared into space aboard a virgin galactic rocket plane with a crew of five others. he called this the dawn of the new space age, aimed at sending tourists there, too. cbs's mark strassmann watched it all near truth or consequence, new mexico. mark, good evening. >> reporter: i tell you, errol, that really was something.

a milestone for richard branson personally, but also one for commercial space. the emerging market of space tourism has a genuine success story. [ cheers and applause ] >> sir richard branson onaut. >> reporter: with his new astronaut wings, richard branson was back on the ground, but over the moon. his space triumph park bucket list, part marketing bonanza. >> what a day, what a day, what a day. >> reporter: take-off to touchdown, the roughly hour long flight seemed picture-perfect. virgin galactic live streamed eve, its twin fuselage mother ship nesting unity the space plane. about the size of an executive jet, unity carried branson and niechl o five other people. >> release, release, release. >> reporter: at roughly 45,000 feet and this spectacular image, eve dropped unity more than 53 miles above earth. >> welcome to space, unity 22.

>> reporter: for several minutes, everyone inside experienced micro gravity, megathrills. >> for all you kids down there, i was once charles with a dream. >> reporter: branson floated in air in every sense. >> i have dreamt of this moment since i was a kid. honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of earth from space. the whole thing is just magical. >> reporter: in the battle of the space barons, branson has billionaire bragging rights. he personally got to space first before elon musk of spacex, or jeff bezos of blue origin. musk cheered branson on from new mexico. congratulations on the flight. can't wait to join the club. bezos plans to launch on july 20th. branson beat him to space by nine days. you dreamed of this all your life. you chased it for 20 years. are you ready to go back? >> i'd go back this afternoon.

i just loved every aspect of today. but, you know, if you had the choice, one day i might just sit in the seat and gaze back at our earth and do nothing more than that. >> reporter: exp spectators and v.i.p.s here, 60 people want their wings.opleor c flight, something branson hopes to start sometime next year. errol? >> all right, mark strassmann, thank you. tonight firefighters are battling more than 55 major wildfires out west. just take a look at the beckwith complex fire. this is in northern california. it's just one of several blazes destroying homes and forcing evacuations. fueling these flames, extreme drought and intense height. lilian luciano is in palmdale. good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, errol. look, the heat is brutal. where i am in palmdale north of los angeles, right now it's 106 degrees. it's bone dry. and as you can see, it's also windy.

all of that together making conditions in the west perfect for devastating and also deadly wildfires. wildfires in the west exploded overnight, forcing evacuations and turning deadly. two arizona firefighters were killed saturday when their plane crashed while serving flames. in oregon the country, and california's beckwith fire has doubled in size daily the past three days. extreme heat and drought are fueling the flames. more than 30 million people are under excessive heat warnings and advisories, with several cities hitting record triple digit temperatures. washington and oregon set new emergency orders mandating access to shade, water and breaks for anyone working outdoors after an oregon farm worker died. also the heat torching their crops. >> we're down on the farm 20% in production across the board.

>> reporter: in washington, they are fighting against the heat to save their harvest. their berries were nearly bake iguodal bakeing at one point. >> it created a difficult situation. >> reporter: how difficult was this? >> this is the best crop. it did damage to this year's fruit and damaged the new shoots for next year. >> reporter: and there is a ripple effect to that. the longer this heat wave lasts, the more damage it will do to future crops, not to mention the drought that's prolonging and the fires it's fueling. errol? >> all right, lilian luciano, thank you for that. the fbi and home land security officials are en route to haiti to assist investigators there as the political crisis following the assassination of the country's president deepens. u.s. troops will not be going despite a request for them. cbs's christina ruffini is at the white house with more on this. christina, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, errol. u.s. officials we spoke to expressed concern and surprise

that haiti requested american forces. that's because the country's history is so full of unwanted occupations from foreign powers. but that just goes to show you exactly how precarious the situation has become. >> we are watching the situation very closely. >> reporter: chief d.o.d. spokesman john kirby said today the pentagon is still analyzing haiti's request for military support. but in a statement, the white house said it was engaged with the haitian government to learn more about their needs. and that a team of federal agents, diplomats and adviser are being dispatched there today. >> i think that's really where our energies are best applied right now, in helping them get their arms around investigating this incident and figuring out who is culpable. >> reporter: the incident happened wednesday morning when an armed hit squad entered the home of haitian president jovenel moise killing him and seriously injuring his wife. the assailants then fled into the capital port-au-prince. authorities say a squad of 26 colombian nationals and two

haitian americans were responsible. the americans say they were only working as translators. yesterday an audio recording alleged to be of first lady martine moise posted in a personal twitter. se said she is in beautiful condition but heart broken and urges haitians not to let the assassination become a cause nor their country's decline. now, the white house said it will be sending some aid to haiti and that is in the form of thousands of covid-19 vaccines. errol, haiti is only one of the countries in the world not to administer a dose. >> christina, thank you. italy is celebrating after winning the euro 2020. they defeated england 3-2 in a penalty shootout. so painful for england fanz. normal playing time ended in a 1-1 tie. also argentina led by lionel messi beating brazil 1-0 for

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♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm errol barnett in new york. thanks for staying with us. summer olympics in tokyo is set to take place a week from friday. there is a question how safe the games will be for athletes, fans and japan itself. a recent surge in coronavirus cases has forced organizers to ban spectators from most venues. and the entire tokyo region is under a state of emergency that will continue through the end of the games. ramy inocencio has the story. >> reporter: an historic first for the olympics.

most stadiums will be nearly empty. the host city, tokyo and its nearly 14 million residents will be under a covid state of emergency. and more than 11,000 olympians will be isolated from the public. >> obviously these are not the circumstances that we dreamed about. >> reporter: eddie alvarez is still headed to tokyo. the minor leaguer with the miami marlins organization is on team usa and excited. >> it's still the olympic movement, you know. it's still a moment of pride. >> reporter: after winning a silver in speed skating at the 2014 sochi olympics, he'll be just the 11th american to compete in both the summer and winter games. >> the energy is nuts. at the olympics, it's absolutely craz hendf the day, it's trying to keep everyone safe, taming this situation that we're all in now. >> reporter: dr. david agus, an adviser to japan's olympic

committee and cbser contributor has more. >> it is impossible to quarantine people off. >> reporter: several athletes arriving have tested positive for covid, and delta is set to soar. delta is dominant or rising in more than 75 countries. what is the concern that when all of those tens of thousands of people go home that we might see another wave of covid? >> reputation wise, i think that will be the worst case scenario for the tokyo olympics. >> reporter: that's japan societal expert cesar takesta. it's concerning to dr. agus, too. >> i am concerned about what is going to happen. >> reporter: the olympian is keeping his eyes on the prize and grateful to be going. >> fans or no fans, there's a lot of dreams coming true just being a part of the olympics. >> reporter: ramy inocencio, hong kong. as u.s. troops continue their withdrawal from afghanistan, the taliban is on

the offensive. the militants claim they now control 85% of the country side, areas outside of the cities, all a though american analysts say that is an exaggeration. but as the security situation deteriorates, there is concern for the safety of diplomats at the he massive u.s. embassy in kabul. thousands will remain on duty even after u.s. troops depart at the end of next month with a few hundred soldiers left behind to guard them. charlie d'agata reports from kabul. >> reporter: across the country, districts are falling to the taliban like dominos. as u.s. forces head for the exit, and militants edge ever closer to the capital, the u.s. embassy has been taking a hard look at its own security situation. the top u.s. diplomat in afghanistan is ross wilson. >> we landed some additional quick reaction capabilities in the event that something happens. >> reporter: i mean, worst case scenario, evacuation plans in place? >> at this point i don't think it's imminent.

planning for evacuations at any post like this is serious business. >> reporter: it's only a few short miles from the u.s. embassy to the airport, but on the streets of kabul, if it came to an emergency evacuation, extracting thousands of staff, the roads are a no-go. the only way is up. even now, american diplomats shuttle back and forth by helicopter. but what if the compound gets stormed? >> there's going to be no circumstance where you see people being lifted off the roof of a embassy of the united states from afghanistan. >> reporter: the saigon moment the president was referring to, the emergency airlift of americans from the then capital of vietnam in 1975. more recently, the storming of the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, that left four americans dead, including u.s. ambassador chris stephens. no one here believes that moment is imminent, but even tightening

the noose around the capital is a concern. >> there are concerns about gaining control of some of the highways that are important points of supply for our embassy. >> reporter: the taliban say they have no intention of taking kabul by force or storming the u.s. embassy, but they consider all foreign forces left behind as invaders, and, therefore, legitimate targets. >> charlie d'agata in kabul. closer to home as the u.s. economy diggs out after more than a year of covid restrictions, there is one roadblock that will take months to clear up. the global shortage of computer chips. they help run everything from dishwashers to fighter jets, and chipmakers cannot keep up with the surge in demand. carter evans has this story. >> reporter: sony's new playstation 5 is in such short supply, he had to pay almost double the retail price to get one.

>> you'd think since last christmas they'd start to catch up with supply and it jus happened. >> reporter: that's because sony can't get enough computer chips to build all the playstations consumers want. nearly all electronics and home appliances now require chips. from laptops to tvs to smart refrigerators. >> cameras. >> reporter: covid changes like remote school and work have been driving demand. >> i have never seen this kind of demand in my life. >> reporter: video and audio center tom campbell is anticipating limited supplies. which tvs is it going to impact first? >> the entry level, the lowest priced tvs. >> reporter: without enough computer chips manufacturers will have to make choices. >> are you going to put it in a set that sells or $300 or $2,000? >> reporter: and don't expect a deal on a new car. the an price now tops $40,000. cars use hundreds of computer chips, and some auto makers are even pausing production because of the shortage. >> i struggle to see things going back to where they were

for another, i would say, six to nine months. >> reporter: tech industry analyst carolina says many auto makers cancel chip orders when they shutdown production last year. some chip manufacturers shifted over to making smaller chips for consumer electronics. >> once you adapt your supply chain to something else, it takes awhile to go back. >> reporter: as for buying other electronics, if you can wait, experts say you should hold off until the end of the year when chip production begins returning to normal. carter evans, cbs news, los angeles. there's a lot more news ahead for you on the "cbs when you really need to sleep you reach for the really good stuff. new zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. you said that you would shave your eyebrow off for a #klondike. go go. ohhh. [hysterics laugh]

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environmentalists are enlisting hunters to save the condoor. conor knighton has more. >> reporter: the california condoor is the largest flying land bird in north america. what it lacks in look it makeup for in majesty. its 9 1/2 foot wing span quite an impression. if you're lucky enough to ever see one. or 20. >> lieu ucinda mikkel was away she found 15 to 20 condoors dese descended on her home in

tehachapi. >> reporter: there wasn't a single condor left in the wild. the last few in existence were brought into captivity to save the species from extinction. since then, the vulture have been bred andn 500 total, a number that is still small enough that biologist still number them all. >> they're all here for a reason. it's not a place you warrant your number bough these are birds that have passed. >> reporter: chris parish is the director of global conservation at the peregrine fund. the reappearance of condors in our sky, they are still struggling. researchers learned why. >> 54% of all death in our population that we monitor that intensively is lead poisoning. >> reporter: the birds are dying

from bullets. they're not getting shot by them. they're literally eating lead. >> scavengers like the condor, they only consume things that are dead. >> reporter: when hunter kill an animal like a deer, they leave behind the remain. they may be unintentionally leaving behind tiny fragments of lead, lead that end up in them when they swing by to enjoy a meal. >> they strip off bullets 100 year can poi on wildlife. >> reporter: in an, parish's team trap and tests condors. most have detectable lead level. they treat the birds and release them when they're healthy. >> we're in a holding pattern. we've come to a real fine understanding of what the problem is, and we know how to solve it. now we have to go solve it. >> reporter: but solving this can feel like a long shot.

>> if this moon channel were in the thoracic cavity of a big game animal, this is what's happening in there, and that's where though fragments come from. >> reporter: parish is on a mission to convince hunter to hunt with n-l amnition, like copper bullets. doing demonstration across the country. it's a world he know well. >> i'm kind of a redneck hunter biologist. thee hunters are my people. >> reporter: unfortunately, copper ammunition is generally more expensive. it's harder to find, and it's just not what people are used to. >> changing tradition is hard. it's not as simple as, here' the science, here' the logic, so do the right thing. >> reporter: in 2019, california instituted a statewide ban on that ammun lead ammunition for hunting. the condor is found in utah and an where there aren't ban. parish doesn't believe a legislative solution is the answer. >> we have a speed limit but

people break that law, too. i'm not saying the hunter are a bunch of bad actor. i'm saying if they don't understand it, they might well write it off as a piece of unnecessary legislation that really isn't a problem. >> reporter: it seem like a very difficult law to enforce when you're in the wood. >> almost impossible. >> reporter: instead, parish favors a voluntary approach. he cofounded the north american non-lead partnership to reach hunter. so far the response has been encouraging. an estimated 90% of deer hunters on the plateau now hunt with non-lead or pack out all remain. >> we know that hunter are the only one that can solve this problem. so by pointing to them and saying, you're doing a bad thing, that's not going to work. you need to appeal to their conservation ethic and their history of conservation and saying, here' yet another opportunity where we as hunters can leave a healthier environment for all of the critters that live in it, not just those that we hunt. for future generations to enjoy.

>> reporter: monday parish hopes hunter across the country will shoot with alternative ammunition to when you humble yourself under the mighty hand of god, in due time he will exalt you. hi, i'm joel osteen. i'm excited about being with you every week. i hope you'll tune in. you'll be inspired, you'll be encouraged. i'm looking forward to seeing you right here. you are fully loaded and completely equipped for the race that's been

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thousand of athletes and fan have begun arriving in japan for next week's start of the summer olympics. but before the opening ceremonies, the biggest a trarks in tokyo is a giant cat in the heart of the capital. lucy craft is there. >> reporter: "godzilla" of felines has been pussy footing around a bustling commercial district in the heart of tokyo. every few minute, giant cat briefly pop into view, gazing upon admirers below. the super sigh cat is the cat's meow. with the pandemic, we don't have anyway to chill out, said this hotel employee. for dog people, the cat is so adorable, it's soothing. like most cats, this one operates on its own time with short appearances throughout the day. this bank worker said, that giant cat look like it's ready to pounce. it's really powerful and cute. i loved it, but i would have

liked just a few more seconds with the kitty. from its 1600 square foot perch, the monster ballf fur has its own live stream feed and twitter account with 17,000 llow ultra h s cat across as.la r, star ip p -- enterprise appeared in china. and in taiwan, an l.e.d. cyclops appeared. for "cbs this morning" saturday, lucy craft, tokyo.tokyo. and that is the overnight news for this monday. for some of you, the knew continues. for others, check back with us later for "cbs this morning". and, of course, follow us online any time at cbs knew.com. reporting from the broadcast center here in new york city, i'm errol barnett.

ni> it's monday, july 12th, western wildfires. flames rip through several states amid a record heat wave. how a combination of two blazes is wreaking havoc in northern california. major league scare. guns and ammunition are found in a hotel near the site of baseball's all-star game. the unlikely hero who reported the cache of weapons. three, two, one, release, release, release. >> on top of the world. richard branson soars into space in his own rocket. what this historic flight means for average citizens hoping to for average citizens hoping to fly above earth one day. captioning funded by cbs