this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thanks for watching. we begin tonight with a dangerous covid surge that health experts say was avoidable, with new cases fueled by the unvaccinated. a new cb news poll finds most americans think the fight against the pandemic is going somewhat well. and president biden is getting positive marks for his handling of the virus. for the very latest with beginning with lilia in los angeles where some mask mandates have returned. >> reporter: los angeles is the t cooreasks

again. the mandate is for indoors, and it is indefinite. masks are back in los angeles today one month after california dropped restrictions claiming the state's covid recovery was on track. but now a speed bump. how do you feel about this mte ? >> i'm fine with it. >> i don't buy all of it, and i'm tired of living lockdown. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci warns of a dangerous outbreak among the unvaccinated. los angeles is a place with a high vaccination rate so what are your thoughts on this mandate in particular? >> there are still plenty of people who are not vaccinated leading to that dynamic spread of the virus throughout the community. i believe that's what the challenge is in los angeles. >> reporter: nationwide, the rate of vaccinations has dropped by 35%. that's allowed canada to catch up fast. america's progress is threatened by the highly contagious delta variant. new cases have spiked almost 70% in the u.s. over the past week with eight states plagued with

rapidly rising infections. >> most people will either get vaccinated or have been previously infected, or they will get this delta variant. for most people who get this delta variant it's going to be the most serious virus that they get in theirews po shows that a majority of americans are worried about the delta variant. but it's the fully vaccinated that are more concerned than the unvaccinated. >> this delta variant spreads like wildfire even in the face of vaccinated people. >> reporter: and tonight there's new concerns over covid spreading among athletes in the tokyo olympics, which begin this week. tennis star coco gauff just announced that she has tested positive and will no longer be able to compete with team usa. jericka? >> wow, lilia, thank you. police are searching for suspects today after gun fire erupted outside the washington nationals baseball stadium. it cause aginteuption in last ts game. while nhu

three people outside were shot and wounded. chris is at the ballpark. chris, good evening to you. >> reporter: jericka, fans are back inside nats park. but for the people that were there last night, it was a very scary experience, myself included, i was in the stands and there was a point in time where you didn't know what was going on or if you were in danger. panic at the ballpark. fans by the hundreds raced to escape nationals park in washington, d.c. after gun fire echoed through the stadium. the shots heard on the nats telecast in the middle of the 6th inning. players rushed their family and fans into the dugouts fearing the shooter was inside the park. >> people are running as a real scary situation. >> reporter: this was the scene from where i was sitting. those that didn't run ducked between the rows of seats. and this fan was overcome by emotion. >> we started leaving, and then

we hear another bang, we're near the center field gate and more people just start running out. >> reporter: the shooting actually happened outside the stadium. tleem people were wounded. all are expected to survive. >> we don't want anybody getting hurt. for me yesterday i tried to protect as many people as possible. >> reporter: d.c. police are now looking for this toyota corolla. >> one vehicle pulls up, another pulls up next to, engages that first vehicle in gunfire. an uninvolved citizen that was attending this game. but outside the stadium was struck by gun fire. >> reporter: saturday's violence came less than 24 hours after another drive-by shooting killed 6-year-old naya courtney and wounded five adults. police released video of this sedan where someone can be seen firing out a window. >> the cowards who committed this crime came into this community without any regard for human life, without regard for naya's life. >> reporter: there is now a $60,000 reward for information in the courtney case.

washington, d.c. passed a hundred homicides this year faster than any year since 2003. jericka? >> wow, and, chris, i know you don't normally work on sunday, but you filed this report for us because you, as you said at the top, were actually inside at the time. what was that experience like? >> reporter: i was on the far side of the stadium from where the shooting occurred. i heard at least three shots, bang, bang, bang. the person next to me wondered if there were fireworks. and then you had this period of not knowing what was going on, talk of there may being a shooter in the park. i am struck still by this image of this father who was hugging his kids and rushing them out of the park and just the look of shock and fear on their faces. >> well, chris, we thank you for your reporting, and we're thankful that you are safe. muslims have started to arrive in mecca in saudi arabia for their annual pilgrimage known as the hajj. but the numbers are again reduced as the delta variant

takes a toll around the world. as elizabeth palmer reports, it is developing countries that ae being hit the hardest. >> reporter: indonesia is now one of the hottest of covid hot spots. here a volunteer ambulance crew removes the body of someone who died isolated at home. it's happening more and more as overflowing hospitals have no beds even for the critically ill. in jakarta, the capital, this coffin workshop is working flat-out. >> translator: demand has pushed up the cost of wood, he says, and orders have tripled to 30 a day. indonesia's death rate is now even higher than india's, and only 6% of its population has been vaccinated. but it's not only indonesia being hammered by the delta variant, it's the whole developing world. because delta spreads so easily, even outdoors, and there's just not enough vaccine. for the second year, the great

muslim hajj pilgrimage in saudi arabia was subdued. normally this holy place would be mobbed. but once again, only a trickle of the faithful were allowed. the delta variant has also put pressure on developed countries. israel is now giving booster shots as a precaution to the most vulnerable. president macron of france announced vaccinations would be compulsory for health workers. and in the uk where 130,000 people gathered to watch the grand prix today, the infection rate is rocketing up. in fact, prime minister boris johnson himself is heading back into self-isolation. >> like so many hundreds of thousands of people across the country, i've been pinged. >> reporter: that means the health system app sent him a text saying he had been in contact with someone who had covid, who was his own health secretary. it's embarrassing for johnson,

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this is the "cbs overnight news." >> i'm jericka duncan in new york. thanks for staying with us. tomorrow marks a milestone in the exploration of space. the 52nd anniversary that neil armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. also tomorrow, amazon founder jeff bezos will attempt to join the billionaire space club. his privately funded blue origin rocket is set to lift off from his personal space center in texas. if all goes well, bezos will join richard branson who took his virgin galactic space plane to the edge of space just last sunday. traveling with bezos his brother

mark along with 18-year-old oliver daemen and 82-year-old retired astronaut wally funk. mola lenghi is going to space. not exactly, he's got the story. >> i am super excited. >> reporter: that's 18-year-old oliver daemen. on thursday blue origin announced that the teen from the netherlands will be joining amazon founder jeff bezos during the company's first commercial flight with passengers to space. daemen's seat was originally supposed to go to an unnamed person who bid $28 million for the opportunity. blue origin says that person can no longer go because of a scheduling conflict. >> i am super excited to go to space. >> reporter: daemen who was an auction runner-up says that it'll be the most special 11 minutes of his life. >> i've been dreaming about this all my life. >> reporter: along with daemen will be bezos' brother and aviation pioneer wally funk.

at 82, funk will become the oldest person in space. >> it was the best thing that ever happened to me. [ laughter ] >> reporter: it's a lifelong dream for funk who was part of mercury 13, the women-only space group whose space flight was canceled back in 1961. tuesday's launch follows another dream fulfilled. virgin galactic's richard branson became the first person to ride his own rocket out of the earth's atmosphere. >> we wished jeff the absolute best and the people going up with his during his flight. >> perhaps the most remarkable part of this story is the unnamed person who bid $28 million to fly with jeff bezos, then decided they were too busy to go to space. well, one person who you know isn't too busy is 82-year-old wally funk. she's been waiting for this moment for decades.

michelle miller has her story. >> reporter: when i met wally funk back in 2013, her love of flight was infectious. >> clap your hands, wiggle your wings. all right, now put your hands back on the wheel. >> reporter: funk has spent her life among the clouds. she had her first flight lesson at age 9, became a licensed pilot by the age of 17 and has logged more than 19,000 flying hours. but her dream of going to space eluded her until now. at the age of 82, funk will be the oldest person to travel to space when she goes up on blue origin's new shepherd rocket on tuesday. >> we open the hatch and you step outside, what's the first thing you say? >> i will say, honey, that was the best thing that ever happened to me. [ laughter ] >> reporter: but her pathway to the star what's not an easy one.

in the 1960s while america's first astronauts were going through nasa's rigorous training, funk was part of the mercury 13, a group of 13 women who went through the same uncompromising exams. >> we had no idea what we were going through. we didn't know where it was taking us. x-raying all your body, every bone, every tooth, sticking water in your ears. i had to drink radioactive water. >> so these were painful, straenuous, uncomfortable tests? >> yes. >> reporter: the women of mercury 13 met and often surpassed the results of the men. >> so you went through all these tests. was there any question in your mind that you would become an astronaut? >> heavens no, i knew i would. >> reporter: but the women would never get their chance. nasa required astronauts to be military test pilots, and the military at the time didn't allow women to fly.

decades later, american women did find their place at nasa. >> she definitely was a personal inspiration to me. >> reporter: including retired astronaut nicole stott who has spent more than a hundred days in space. >> do you kind of thinkt,, her paving the way? because it was some pretty ridiculous stuff. >> all of us women astronauts that recognize that we don't get here by ourselves. we are leveraging every day kind of the awe and wonder that was put before us, the strength that was put before us. >> reporter: for wally funk, the dream never died. it's only now being realized. >> that is my quest. >> most people would've given up by now. >> but i'm not. i love flying. that's my job, that's what i love and i'm not a quitter. the overnight news is back in two minutes.

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sunday on united nation's cultul agency unesco is meeting this week to review dozens of possible additiooeritage sites. being on the list of world

treasures can spur tourism, but it does little to protect the site. that's left to local governments. conner paid a visit to one natural treasure happy to be added to the list. >> reporter: in icelandic, this means the water glacier. at over 3,000 square miles, this massive ice cap covers more than 8% of iceland. >> i remember the first time i seen a glacier it moved my heart. i couldn't imagine this mass of ice existing. >> reporter: this is one of the largest glaciers in all of europe, and as my guide pointed out when i visited pre-pandemic, it has another noteworthy distinction. >> recently recognized by unesco as a world heritage site. >> reporter: being recognized as a unesco world heritage site is one of those things that sure sounds impressive.

but what does it actually mean? what do a coral reef in australia, a cave in kentucky, and an entire city in peru have in common? i headed to an office building in paris to get some answers. >> the idea of the convention is to protect the most outstanding places, those which have outstanding universal value for all of humanity for future generations. >> reporter: this woman is the director unesco's world heritage center, located in the shadow of the eiffel tower, which is part of another world heritage site. the united nations educational and scientific organization adopted the world heritage convention in 1972. their first list of outstanding places included 12 spots, ranging from ethiopia's churches to yellowstone national park. today there are more than 1,100 world heritage sites. there are cultural significant locations like india's taj

mahal, and naturally impressive lik england's jurassic coast. the committee is meeting virtually reviewing dozens of possible additions to the list. >> i get many letters every day, people write why is this church or this city or this park not protected by unesco? >> reporter: for starters world heritage sites must be nominated by their home country and meet at least one of ten defined criteria. it can be a masterpiece of human creative genius or it can be the most important habitat for a specificolically significant. >> it's a combination of the great forces of nature, ice, and fire, and the different land form that it creates. >> so i've seen the ice. where is the fire? >> it's underneath the ice. >> reporter: helga is a park manager here, this sits on top

of an ancient volcano. 2020 was the first year unesco didn't name any new sites. the pandemic preempted the annual committee meeting. is it more than just a brand? >> it is much more than a brand. the brand is very important, but it's really an international system for protection. >> reporter: unesco monitors the sites but it generally doesn't fund them. the organization's power is largely tied to its prestige. >> because it has this recognition, also the tourism industry is investing around these sites because these are of course key attractions. so, you see the world heritage status helps. >> reporter: but what unesco giveth it can also taketh away.

in 2009, germany's valley was taken off after a modern bridge was built across the landscape. >> you cannot just do what you want. you cannot do a development which may be threatening the reasons why the site was listed in the first place. >> reporter: there are surge 53 sites on what's known as the world heritage danger list. >> more than a quarter million people killed, more than 11 million have lost their homes. but the greatest treasure lost was the ancient city of palmyra, a world heritage site. >> these places are threatened because they're in conflict zones. others like the tropical rainforest of sumatra are threatened due to agricultural exploitation. the u.s. is currently not a part of unesco. it officially left at the beginning of 2019 thanks to a conflict that dates back to this 2011 vote.

that triggered a law that prevents the u.s. from funding any u.n. agency which recognizes an independent palestine. the roster is hopeful the u.s. will return to the organization nc un a time it helpe establish. >> not only the sites in the u.s. benefit a lot from the world heritage status, but many american tourists around the world benefit from visiting the world heritage sites and from their preservation and presentation. >> reporter: in fact, the u.s. recently received another designation, the 20th century architecture of frank lloyd wright was added to the list. they have been deemed world heritage worthy. back here, as with all sites, a listing alone doesn't really change a lot in the short term.

except perhaps perceptions. >> it makes

a couple of weeks back, we introduced you to an auto mechanic in south carolina who fixes up old clunkers and gives them away. well, the overwhelming response to our story is going to keep him busy for a very long time. mark strassmann has this overnight news update. >> reporter: elliott middleton knows his way under a hood. at hisarnd hav a car that you think needs to go to the junk yard, contact me first. >> reporter: this 1990 mercedes has more than 400,000 miles. middleton, a trained mechanic, gives clunkers new life and new

homes. in south carolina's rural low country. >> there's no public transportation, there's no ubers, there's no taxis or nothing like that. >> if you don't have a car out here, you walk. >> you walk. >> reporter: unless middleton surprises you with car keys. single moms, job seekers, older folks with doctors appointments. 34 rehabbed cars since last september. >> some folks don't even believe it like that's not my car. >> do these moments give you the best kind of buzz possible? >> it's better than anything in the world. >> reporter: this 86-year-old gets that 1990 mercedes. >> here are the keys to it. >> thank you. >> oh, my gosh, this is so awesome. >> reporter: on facebook alone, our first story about him on the cbs evening news now has 2.3 million views. >> my phone started exploding from all over the place. >> how many folks offered vehicles? >> we have recorded close to 800 vehicles that's donated across

the nation. close to 800. >> reporter: middleton's sister is helping organize the overwhelming response. 7,000 of you contacted him, cash donations, more than $100,000. >> whatever glowing feeling is inside me, it just transferred from that tv screen. >> humbling? >> it's so soothing. just thank you all for the support. you got my back and i'm going to show you guys we can do this. >> reporter: elliott middleton, giving people a lift they'd never expec expect. cbs news, south carolina. >> and that's the overnight news for this monday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us later for "cbs this morning." and follow us any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from the broadcast center in new york city, i'm jericka duncan.

♪ it's it's monday, july 19th, twin. this is the "cbs morning news." summer surge. coronavirus cases spike across the u.s. fueled by the delta variant. hear the stark warning from experts, plus new cbs news polling on how president biden is handling the pandemic. wildfires erupt in the west torching hundreds of thousands of acres and forcing residents from their homes. we're going to have the latest on the efforts to contain the flames. panic at the ballpark. what police say happened outside the washington nationals stadium that sent panicked fans that sent panicked fans scrambling for cover.