here and i cried on the way, because he was upset about missing christmas with his kids. jaclyn's first christmas and jeremiah's that he would be able to remember. >> reporter: by that point, she says 50% of his lungs were filled with covid pneumonia. from his hospital bed sh, luke letlow was working the phones as he was known to do best. >> it got so bad i had to take the phone away because he wasn't resting. he was having conversations and saying bye to people. and telling them he was at peace. and it all happened very quickly. where he was very aware and cognizant. and speaking to people, and then kind of crossed over a threshold where i started tee the drain. and that's when it hit me that he might not come home.

>> reporter: when the time came to have the talk about whether to place him on a ventilator, luke letlow was ready. >> i called his parents, and they prayed over him. called my parents, and they prayed over him. and aveevery night before bed w have a ritual where we say the blessing over the children when they go to bed. >> reporter: and that is? >> lord bless you and keep you. and i said that over him. those were the last words. and i told him i loved him, and i kissed him good-bye. and i was washing his feet, you know, and for christians, that can be really symbolic, and i will no idea i was preparing him and how special that moment was for both of us. >> reporter: right now the congresswoman's state ofsis sg surge yet in covid infections and hospitalizations.

and she started to take a look at the statistics in her own district in northern and central louisiana. with few exceptions, avenue par every parish falls below 30%. what do you say to them? >> people don't want to feel forced into anything. they don't want to be lectured to. we are a very prideful, strong people in louisiana. i just said what, what can i do? is there anything i can do to help with this information out there, with all of the confusion and fear and, and someone asked, well, what would you, what would you tell somebody who is on the fence about possibly receiving the vaccine. and i said i'd tell them about luke. i would tell them my story. >> reporter: so she and her team started thinking. what could they do to memorialize the stories of covid's victims.

>> there's power in stories. and so we, we talked about it, and said, well, let's put together this bill, it's the covid-19 american history project act. that will provide a space to collect those stories for the library of congress. i would have given anything. i would have given everything for that shot to be available for us. i mean, looking back now, and for someone to turn it away, i just, it, it's heartbreaking to me. >> reporter: luke letlow is buried under this cedar tree next to his grandfather in stark, louisiana. >> my plot is right next to him. all i want is a little footston that says "and she followed up." >> reporter: the congresswoman splits her time between washington, d.c. and home in louisiana. >> want to see the duckies?

>> reporter: if the vaccines were available for children as young as your kids, would you get them vaccinated? >> on the first day. my prayer is not one more person >> the cbs overnight news will be rig back. eall to sleep w zza hes yobend lenou need it . it's non habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. new zzzquil ultra. when you really really need to sleep. look, i gotta say something. 'said it before and i'll say it again. if i thought a reverse mortgage was just some kind of trick to i wouldn't even be here. it's just a loan, like any other, with one big difference- and that difference is how you choose to pay it back. find out how reverse mortgage loans really work with aag's free, no-obligation reverse mortgage guide eliminate monthly mortgage payments,

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northern washington state might be a good place to start. snake river farms is an american pioneer of wagyu. it's a beef that first came to japan. its taste is incredible and prices can be too. we travelled to the west to see the farm and sample a feast. >> reporter: this smith and walensky, steak is the main feature, but this no ordinary meat and doesn't come from any ordinary place. the remote town of loomis in northern washington state has become a coveted destination for chefs, restaurant o owners. why? the steak. this is the ceo. >> the goal was to always have a

level above usda prime. and the ows that to happen. >> reporter: because right now chefs say prime is not enough? >> correct. >> a herd of the most pampered cattle come in from a morning constitutional. >> reporter: it originated in the mid-19th century when the japanese began crossbreeding cows. >> about 2,000 of these especially-coddled cattle go to market every month, and no dogie heading for the last roundup ever had it so good. >> reporter: using those heegan crossing wagyu with american angus. he died young at 57.

his son, just 33 at the time, was put in charge. chefs come here to learn what? >> they learn a lot about what it takes behind the scenes to produce the quality we do. i think, and when they do it, they also learn about our industry. >> reporter: wagyu take longer to grow and need higher-quality feed, which means they cost more, but americans have been buying. a lot of it traces back to an outrageously-priced hamburger in 2003 and the frenzy that followed. >> it's going to cost you $41. >> one of my favorite steaks is the snake river farm. >> reporter: wolfgang puck became advocates for wagyu and snake river. >> you don't need a lot of seasoning. you want the flavor of the meat >> let's go round them up. >> reporter: it may look run of the mill at first.

it is not. >> it actually looks like you were moving the cows. >> i was. >> reporter: most people think of this as an old school endeavor. there are new age things that happen here. >> totally. the speed with which we've been able to make bet are decisions on quality has accelerated a lot with improvements like embryo transfers, artificial insemination. it allows races to really focus and fine tune genetics around higher-producing, well-marbled sires. >> reporter: part of the process happens at the bull development center outside boise. breeding is either natural or uses artificial insemination. each bull is carefully tracked and charted, as are their progeny to ensure its lineage from the original japanese cows. >> it literally means "japanese

cattle." >> reporter: leah schultz is the bull management manager here. >> good water, good feed, smail on your face. >> reporter: there is a closed-loop system that allows the company to protect every part of the process, to ensure the healthiest fertilizations, pregnancies and calves. >> you stress an animal out, it's no different than a human. if i'm stressed out, do i want to eat? no. am i going to lose weight? probably. it's the exact same thing in cattle. >> what's the problem? >> they can smell new york. >> oh, boy. >> all right, go to work. >> reporter: over the last several years, snake river has expanded its push into e-commerce, selling its beef

like this ribeye, not just to high-end restaurants but directly to consumers. >> tenderness it's like tenderloin. flavor wise. >> reporter: it's the best. >> best of both worlds, basically. >> repor >> reporter: kent clark is a cooker of super steaks. it's incredible. it's good. it takes seven years from the time the first genetic decision is made until the result winds up on your plate. right now only half of 1% of the beef eaten nationwide is wagyu quality. if the snake river success story continues, the landscape may look a lot different a generation from now. how much of it is trying to sell the story of snake river farms or just saying we're going to do the best product and people are going to find it if it's good? >> it's more of the product

quality. word of mouth. >> reporter: it is, though. >> it's a lot of fun to see that happen. >> reporter: you're not running super bowl ads, narrator: covid-19 has changed how we express our faith and gather to worship. now it's time to take the first step that lets us get back to spreading the word without spreading concern. before we can safely come together, we need the facts. as covid-19 vaccines become available, you may have questions. woman: should i get it? man 1: is it safe? man 2: should i wait? narrator: it's smart to question. now get the facts at getvaccineanswers.org so you can make an informed decision when vaccines are available to you. [squirrel 1] oh tracy look, she's going for the bin. [squirrel 2] oh my, look at her scoot. [squirrel 1] thank you! [squirrel 2] hey stacy. what do you think he's doing with that bottle? [squirrel 1] oh no, he's going to throw it in the trash. i can't look! [squirrel 2] wait, wait. he's putting it in his bag to recycle later. [squirrel 1] way to go, mister brown shoes. [squirrel 2] hey! up here [squirrel 1] can he see us?

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new census data shows the largest cities saw their sharpest population losses during the pandemic. but cities are rebounding and fast. here's cbs's michael george. >> reporter: if you were mourning the decline of san francisco, can you probably dry your tears. the city is booming. >> we came here to be around like our friends. >> reporter: startup founders just moved in and say for them it was a no-brainer. >> san francisco is the startup tal o the world. even though people are leaving, we have no doubt that continues to be true. >> reporter: millions left cities during 2020 shutdowns

heading to suburbs and beyond, but now many are returning, real estate markets are skyrocketing. and traffic is back. >> we now see an urban revival. >> reporter: university of toronto professor, richard florida is studying the resurgence of america's major cities. he says many people who left just moved a few hours away. >> one of the things i think that's changing is cities are going to be less about a place to go to work and much more about a place to go to connect. >> reporter: this spring in manhattan, real estate brokers report the number of sales surging to the highest level in six years. howard lorber. >> isn't new york city dead? isn't new york city dead? and my answer consistently was no, it's not dead. it's in a coma, but people and cities come out of comas, hopefully. >> reporter: office vacancies are still high and cities are

dealing with crime and affordability. but for joe and canal they've found something they can't get anywhere else. >> it's the spontaneous connections, the magic of having so many people in one geographical location. >> reporter: which why reports of the city's death may be greatly exaggerated. michael george, cbs news, new york. and that's the overnight news for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back with us a little later for cbs this morning, and follow us online anytime at cbs news.com i'm jan crawfom washington, d.c.

it's thursday, august 5th, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." breaking overnight, an out-of-control wildfire tears through a small community in northern california destroying homes and businesses. criminal investigation. possibly more trouble ahead for new york governor andrew cuomo following a lengthy sexual harassment investigation. olympic glory. an american shot putter sets a new world record winning another gold medal. the drought he breaks for team the drought he breaks for team usa. captioning funded by cbs good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with a story that is breaking overnight as