germany has announced the delivery of the first of four high-tech air defense systems to ukraine, norah. it's one of the most advanced weapons of its kind in the world, so new they've never been used on the battlefield. >> that's interesting. charlie d'agata, thank you. now to that navy s.e.a.l.s scandal that we've been following. we learn today that three navy officers were punished after an investigation into the february death of s.e.a.l. candidate kyle mullen. it's the latest black eye for the naval special warfare unit which is still investigating a brutal training program that cbs news exposed. david martin has more now from the pentagon. >> reporter: s.e.a.l. recruits staggering out of the pacific ocean to the finish line of the infamous hell week. eight hours later, one of them would be dead from acute pneumonia. >> my son was towards the end, he is being carried by another man. he could barely walk. >> reporter: regina mullen says

this freeze-frame shows her son kyle being helped out of the water. a navy investigation found after five days of nonstop physical stress on four hours sleep, mullen was so short of breath, he had to be given oxygen and moved from one location to another by ambulance. but he was allowed to keep going. >> my son wasn't treated medically by the medical team. by their own investigation, two times they could have saved his life. two times. >> the instructors i'm sure would say they were just trying to help him make it through those final hours so he could complete hell week. >> so he completes it. you send him to the barracks and sent the medical team home. >> reporter: according to the investigation, mullen had to be taken to the barracks in a wheelchair. when sailors assigned to check on him called the duty medical officer, they were told to call 911. but mullen didn't want to go to the hospital for fear he would be dropped from the training. >> my son would never want to be dropped. that's quitting.

>> reporter: two officers in charge of s.e.a.l. training received warning letters that almost certainly killed their chances of further promotion. those same two officers were also in charge when this video captured s.e.a.l. recruits being blanketed with tear gas at point-blank range for a full minute, even though the rules clearly say it should last no more than 15 seconds. the navy calls s.e.a.l. training extreme stress in a controlled environment. kyle mullen's death has now triggered an investigation into just how well controlled that environment really is. norah? >> important questions. david martin, thank you. well, there is breaking news from los angeles. emmett battled city council member mury martinez has resigned from her seat days after a recor en aut a fellow councilmember's son. there are growing calls now for two other members on that recording to step down. well, with less than a month until the midterm elections,

pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and democratic candidate john fetterman is facing a tough battle for the state's open senate seat. five months after suffering a stroke, fetterman gave his first in-person, on-camera interview, and said despite these new health challenges, he is up for the job. cbs' robert costa is in the battleground state of pennsylvania. >> reporter: democrat john fetterman tackled the subject that was front and center in the campaign today, his health. after an interview tuesday night showed him using a closed captioning device to read captions. >> the elephant in the room for a lot of folks is i had a stroke. and there are -- there's no secret that sometimes i'm going to miss words, and sometimes i'm going to mush two words together. and that's the truth. >> reporter: the lieutenant governor's health has become a political target for his republican challenger, trump-backed dr. mehmet oz, who continues to press fetterman to disclose his medical records. fetterman will use a closed captioning device during their

upcoming debate. >> i sometimes will hear things in a wayt' noterfectly clear. so i use captioning so i'm able to see what you're saying in captioning. >> reporter: for fetterman and others who suffer a stroke, the recovery can be difficult, including how it affects verbal exchanges. cbs medical consultant dr. david agus. thinking area was involved in auditory processing. that is taking words or sounds and converting them to words that the brain can understand. so he can't make that conversion well. >> reporter: veteran democrats say the polls remain tight, and this latest flash point might not move the needle. >> they see in john fetterman who they want to see, whether he is a courageous, sympathetic candidate or whether you see him as a person who is just not physically capable of carrying out the job. >> reporter: sources close to fetterman tell cbs news tonight that they are confident voters

understand he is facing health challenges, but will ultimately conclude he is ready to serve. felter man's strategy they say moving forward is to continue to engage with voters, with reporters, and with mehmet oz. norah? >> and robert, i have to ask you, how is fetterman doing on he stroke, his ail? schedule was limited. he pulled back. but he has returned to campaign rallies. he had one in bucks county, a crucial area on sunday, drew over a thousand people. >> robert costa there we planned well for retirement, but i wish we had more cash. they have no idea they're sitting on a goldmine. well they don't realize that if you have a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more, you can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. we've got to tell them! hey, guys! you're sitting on a goldmine! do you hear that? i don't hear anything anymore. find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or

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try vicks vapostick. well, there is important health news tonight for parents. today the fda authorized the updated covid booster shots for kids as young as 5. that's ahead of an expected winter wave of covid. now this comes amid a nationwide spike in cases of rsv. that is a respiratory illness that attacks children. it's serious. so we get more now from cbs' nikole killion. >> reporter: a family vacation turned into a trip to the emergency room for april joines and her 6-year-old daughter lillian, who suffers asthma and was hospitalized with a lung infection called rsv, respiratory syncytial virus. >> she was more lethargic, and then her breathing was labored. >> reporter: but when they got to the er, they were met with an hours' long wait to be admitted

to the intensive care unit. >> we waited a pretty long time, and it is a situation that is alarming as a parent to be in when your child needs care. >> reporter: children's health care of atlanta says they're seeing two to three times the volume of pediatric patients as rsv cases have skyrocketed in georgia and at least 32 other states. symptoms include coughing, wheezing, runny nose and decreased appetite. >> one of the great things is parents know their children the best. if the child is having difficulty breathing, that may be an indication for the child to seek emergency department or urgent care. >> reporter: rsv is transmitted through direct contact. nearly 60,000 children younger than 5 are hospitalized due to the virus each year, and there are no approved vaccines. how concerned are you that this could happen to one of your children again? >> very concerned. and it's hard to talk about because it's really emotional.

>> reporter: there's also concern over just how bad this winter could be. dr. ashish jha who heads the white house covid response said today it's hard to imagine how hospitals will handle the flood of respiratory illnesses. norah? >> nikole killion with that really important story, thank you so much. well, american high schoolers hit a 30-year low. the startling impact that covid had on college test scores when we return. want to wake up to smoother, brighter skin day 1? olay retinol 24 recharges my skin while i sleep. no wonder it was awarded best night cream! night mode...activated. olay. face anything.

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one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. in new york city tonight, two men are under arrest after police found a huge stash of fentanyl worth an estimated $9 million. police say they found about 300,000 rainbow fentanyl pills and some powder. they say some of the pills resemble oxycodone and xanax. there is evidence tonight of the impact covid has had on american high schoolers. a.c.t. test scores which show the readiness for college level courses hit a 30-year low this year. the average composite score was 19.8 out of 36, making this the lowest average score since 1991. 42% met none of the a.c.t. subject benchmarks. the cost of taking your family to disneyland in california jumped dramatically this week. on average, a family of four will pay an additioal $40 a day

to enter the park. top tier tickets now cost $179 a day. that's a jump of more than 9%. and 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 designed for you.

jim mansfield: my job was more important to me than my family, and i started drinking a lot, staying out of town. it took a toll on me. dr. charles stanley: you may be as low as the prodigal, but you are not hopelessly, helplessly lost if you will listen to what i'm about to say. jim: sitting on that couch, watching that sermon, something had happened to us.

i'm talking about the joy and love in our hearts. i want more of that. they're month swimming in the open ocean is considered one of the most difficult sports both physically and mentally due to the cold and the currents. cbs' carter evans found one california teenager making waves for a good cause. > reporter: as a child, maya merhige used to despise swimming. >> i hated it. like my least favorite thing to do. >> reporter: but now at the wise old age of 15 -- >> that is cold! >> reporter: she'll happily dive into the frigid waters off san francisco bay, saving lives with each stroke. >> over the past six years, i've raised $50,000. >> reporter: the money goes to cancer research. maya started fundraising when she was 9. competing in open water events with swim across america.

by the time she was 13, she was crossing lake tahoe. last summer while swimming the 20 miles of open ocean between catalina island and california, maya realized she wasn't alone in the water. >> i looked to the side and just saw this giant eye. and the entire swim i thought it was shark. >> reporter: wait, you thought there was a shark swimming along with you, and you kept going? >> yeah. >> reporter: when maya gets scared or tired, she just thinks of the names on her swim cap, pete battling cancer who face a much bigger challenge. >> i swim for them. i'm swimming for them, and that's why i do these swims. >> reporter: carter evans, cbs news, san francisco. >> and that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." make sure a cbsnews.c.g om he t o'donnell.

♪ ths cbews i'm dan lieberman in new york. the house committee investigating the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol will hold what's likely to be its last public hearing. committee chair says the final report will be released by the end of the year after the midterm elections. the u.s. government is set to announce what is certain to be the largest increase in social security benefits in 40 years. it's a boost meant to keep up with inflation. critics say the one-size-fits-all increase doesn't reflect what older americans are actually spending. and trevor noah, the host of the daily show on comedy central who announced he is stepping down after seven years will host his last episode on december 8th. the network says the show will return december 17th after a

reinvention. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone ory. bean, cbws, ne york. ♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening and thank you for joining us. we want to begin with the breaking news in what is the largest defamation suit payout ever in american history. the landmark verdict awarded the families of those killed in the sandy hook massacre, parents who lost their young children and then faced a decade of torment a small sliver of justice. a connecticut jury ordered far right info wars host alex jones to pay nearly $1 billion in damages for spreading lies about the elementary school shooting. the 2012 massacre in newtown, connecticut killed 20 children and 6 adults in the deadliest

elementary school shooting in our nation's history. jones falsely told millions of his radio show listeners that it was staged as part of a government plot to confiscate guns. while relatives of the victims allege the conspiracy theorist then profited off those lies. cbs' nikki battiste is outside the courthouse in waterbury, connecticut. good evening, nikki. i can only imagine what the families are going through today. al, which has gone on for a month, has forced the victims' family members to relive unthinkable trauma. as the verdict was read, i was sitting next to several parents who lost their young children. they were emotional but strong and tell me this accountability is what they were fighting for. >> verdict, we the jury have reached our verdict as to damages in this case. >> reporter: it took six jurors less than three days to come up with a price tag. more than $965 million that conspiracy theorist alex jones must pay for spreading false

claims that the sandy hook school shooting was a hoax. >> so $120 million. >> reporter: robbie parker was among the parents who broke down in tears as the verdict was read. >> while the truth is being said in the courtroom, he was standing right here g. >> reporter: his daughter emilie was among the victims. during the trial, prosecutors played video of jones mocking him at her funeral. mark barden lost his son daniel. as you stand here today, i'm sure your son daniel is on your mind. >> my son daniel is always on my mind. and with everything i do, i feel i owe it to him to honor him. >> reporter: jones and his company free speech systems were sued by eight victims families and an fbi agent who responded to the shooting that took the lives of 20 students and six staff. judge barbara bellis had already found the info wars host liable for defamation. jones testified. >> i've already said i'm sorry hundreds of times. and i'm done saying i'm sorry. >> reporter: today on his show,

jones reacted in real time, again, asking his viewers for donations. his attorney said he would appeal. >> in the course of my career, i've never seen a trial like this. >> reporter: family members testified they were harassed by followers of jones. david wheeler lost his 6-year-old son benjamin. >> people were accusing me of lying, telling me ben never lived, telling me that i was going to burn in hell. >> reporter: it is unlikely the victims' families will receive the full payout. all along alex jones' attorney has said jones is not responsible for the actions of his listeners. in his first trial, jones was already ordered to pay $50 million, and he still faces a third trial later this year. norah? >> nikki battiste, thank you for being there. well, president biden is facing pressure from his own party to punish a major strategic partner. democrats argue the recent move by saudi arabia to cut oil production is bad for the u.s. and good for russia.

and it comes as the national average for a gallon of gas is $3.92. that's up 9 cents in just the last week. cbs' nancy cordes is traveling wth the president in california. >> we will take action. >> reporter: a vague warning from president biden about consequences for a global oil giant. >> we're going react to saudi arabia. >> reporter: but that wasn't specific enough for some senate democrats. >> we can't take this sitting down. >> reporter: they're pushing him to freeze arm sales to saudi arabia, or pull all u.s. troops out of the country after the saudis and other oil producing nations known as opec plus chose to cut worldwide oil production by about 2%. the move could push gas prices back up and boost russia's oil revenue. >> they are helping and aligning with a murderous brutal war criminal, vladimir putin.

>> reporter: white house officials had lobbied opec nations not to cut back. and president biden himself traveled to saudi arabia this summer, even fist-bumping crown prince mohammad bin salman, despite his role in the murder of "washington post" columnist jamal khashoggi. >> saudi arabia is our second most important security partner in the middle east after israel. >> reporter: cbs news senior security contributor michael morell says many of the potential punishments come with downsides. >> denying arm sales to saudi arabia not only hurts u.s. firms selling those weapons, but it also hurts the security of the region because we want the saudis to have american weapons. they want to have american weapons because if we ever have to fight iran together, we want those weapon systems to compliment each other. >> reporter: the president said today he wants to consult with congress before imposing any consequences on saudi arabia. and it's a delicate situation, because any rift in the

u.s.-saudi relationship could rattle oil markets and drive prices up, norah, just one month before the midterm elections. >> nancy cordes, thank you. well, tonight the kremlin is claiming it has arrested eight people in connection with the embarrassing destruction of a key bridge linking russia to cr crimea. the explosion led to an escalation of attacks across ukraine this week that have killed dozens and injured more than 100 others. cbs' charlie d'agata reports from inside ukraine today that that country got a boost from the west. >> reporter: russia's punishing missile barrage this week captured on dash cams and other cameras across the country. today's indiscriminate shelling on civilians out grocery shopping in avdiivka killing at least seven. proof of russia's lethal rage reach and ukraine's vulnerability in trying to stop it.

the brutal retaliation for the blast on the bridge connecting russia to crimea, directed by hardline commander sergei surovikin, promoted by president putin within hours of the bridge attack, now in charge of the war. known as general armageddon, he ordered the ruthless bombing of civilian targets in syria while commanding russian forces in support of the assad regime. now employing those tactics to reverse russia's battlefield defeats. ukraine's air force has been seen patrolling the skies since russia's onslaught. ukraine's ground troops pushing south and east before the worst of the winter sets in. russia retaliating in ways not seen since the war began. germany has announced the delivery of the first of four high-tech air defense systems to ukraine, norah. it's one of the most advanced weapons of its kind in the

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♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> thanks for staying with us. i'm jeff pegues in washington. the committee to protect journalists says worldwide at least 55 journalists and other members of the media have been killed this year. most of the deaths happened in conflict zones like ukraine. but one murder came right here in the united states and really sent shockwaves through the news industry. investigative reporter jeff german was killed outside his home in las vegas on labor day weekend. his colleagues at the las vegas review journal, they helped police in the investigation which led to the arrest of a

city public official. staff at the newspaper are talking about it for the first time with mark strassmann. >> sheriff tells me jeff's dead. and it's just a punch in the face. >> reporter: glenn cook's awful news came in a phone call at the las vegas review journal, known locally as the rj. the executive editor's leading investigative reporter jeff german was dead. >> as distraught as i am, not even remotely considering the possibility that he's been murdered. not remotely. >> reporter: but rhonda prest got nervous. she announced homicide detectives had a briefing in german's neighborhood. >> i immediately called glenn. i think jeff's been murdered. >> reporter: awful had morphed into evil. german's body was found laying outside his house, stabbed seven times, four in the neck. >> a good man, a trusted ally in

the newsroom, a good friend to a lot of people here. >> reporter: did it run through your mind right away who did he tick off? >> it's a line of people from here to los angeles. over the course of his career, he covered a ton of bad people who did a lot of bad things. >> a reporter columnist -- >> reporter: jeff german was the paper's bulldog investigator. for 40 years he ran down gangsters and grifters, spot lit public corruption, exposed the shadowed venality behind the neon of sin city. >> jeff was never afraid. i would have done anything to protect jeff. sorry. >> reporter: no, i get it. >> yeah, he was fearless. i said tell us. i told glenn, tell us. >> reporter: you thought telles right away? >> i did. >> hello, i'm rob telles. >> reporter: robert telles was the clark county public administrator. it's the bottom of the ballot office administering wills and estates. but german had reported telles

bullied his employees and had an inappropriate relationship with one of them. telles lost his reelection. david ferrara helped coordinate coverage. >> the statements that police gave were a little bit odd. >> we still stand by the idea that it is an isolated incident. >> reporter: three days after german's murder, police released this video of their suspect. hard to miss in triple-digit vegas heat. he wore a wide-brimmed sun hat, blaze orange clothing and gloves, walking in german's neighborhood the morning of the murder. >> we have a video of robert telles walking down the hallway in his office. and it's a "oh my god lowe moment for people the newsroom. >> reporter: especially when police asked the public's help finding this maroon gmc the suspect's car. a tipster told the paper it belonged to telles. >> then someone types in telles' home address and google street

view camera of his house has the gmc yukon parked in front of his house. >> when we saw the yukon, especially in the google street maps photo. >> reporter: bingo? >> wow, unbelievable. >> reporter: through their shock, rj reporters and photographers staked out telles' neighborhood. your coworkers are solving the murder of one of your other coworkers. >> the whole situation had its own sense of absurdity. which have to get in action ptj employees in their newsroom, listening to police scanners and detectives closing in on telles. >> we're watching and waiting, and we wait and we wait. >> reporter: police searched telles' house. among their evidence, a mutilated -- sneakers with blood stains, and his dna at the murder scene. >> we post our story, and it's a hell of a story. a sitting elected official is a person of interest in the murder of an investigative journalist

in the united states. that's unbelievable. >> reporter: five days after the murder, telles was arrested. photographer kevin cannon got this shot for his friend, jeff german. >> my preparation and experience allowed me to get that photo. and i know he'd be proud. >> almost simultaneously to the time the ambulance doors close, i get a phone call from the sheriff, and he says glenn, i want you'd to know that robert telles is in custody and under arrest in connection with the murder of jeff german. >> reporter: the headline on the paper's front page, a stunning arrest in the death of a journalist. >> the motivation was we have to do this right, the way jeff would have wanted it done? >> absolutely. this is the kind of story that jeff would have grabbed ahold of and never let go. >> reporter: the rj's now in a first amendment fight. police seized german's laptop

and cell phones as evidence. the paper wants to deny them access. it's another part of jeff german's legacy here, but hardly the only one. >> we will have a hole in our newsroom. i don't think our city will ever grasp how much he did, but our newsroom will. >> that was mark strassmann reporting. inflation continues to eat its way through family budgets, and mother nature isn't helping. a nationwide drought is wreaking havoc on fall harvest. bradley blackburn has the story. >> sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers. >> reporter: fourth generation farmer jim aabma knows you have to know how to survive. >> a drip. >> reporter: he installed a costly irrigation system at his new jersey farm to bring water to the roots of his crops. the water line has been a lifeline. if you didn't have this, would you be. up until,e've onlyhad1.7 from m.

>> reporter: drought hit farms across the country this summer, from corn and soybean crops in kansas -- >> this spigot shut off and it stopped raining. >> reporter: to wine grapes in california. >> we've never seen drought like this. we've never seen warm years and harvest like this. >> reporter: even with irrigation, abma's crop yield is down significantly. >> that comes to smaller corn ears and tomatoes. a stressed out plant. >> reporter: and it's worse in the west. average crop yields could be down 38%. wells fargo economist charlie dockerty says the supply hit will probably reach grocery stores where prices are already rising. >> extreme weather has become more frequen, more widespread, and more costly. and if that continues, that threatens to keep food prices persistently high. >> reporter: the drought just ads to farmers' challenges like higher fuel price, labor costs,

paying more for their food, we're getting less of a market for it because of our inputs. > reporter: a tough time for growers that is now moving through the food chain, from the ground all the way up do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company. nervive contains alpha lipoic acid to relieve occasional nerve aches, weakness and discomfort. try nervivenerve relief. vicks vapostick. strong soothing... vapors. help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess. just soothing comfort. try vicks vapostick.

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success. scientists intentionally crashed the d.a.r.t. spacecraft into an asteroid two weeks ago, and nasa is now confirming that it changed the space rock's orbit. this is the first time that humans have altered the motion of a space object, and nasa says that it moved more than expected. meanwhile, here on earth, the first space-based tourist is planning for another flight. 21 years ago american businessman dennis tito became the first person to pay to go into space. it was an eight-day trip to the international space station. tito is now 82 years old and plans to lift off again, this time with his wife. janet shamlian has his story. >> reporter: he was the world's first space tourist. >> california millionaire dennis tito is on his way to the international space station. he blasted into orbit early this morning aboard a russian rocket. >> reporter: dennis tito dropped $20 million on a 2001 trip aboard a russian soyuz

spacecraft. >> he glided through the hatch of the international space station wearing a russian cosmonauts uniform and a delighted grin. >> reporter: called the most expensive vacation in history. >> it was paradise. i just came back from paradise. >> i've been thinking about it every day since. >> reporter: now dennis tito is vowing to do it again. we met the retired businessman and his wife akiko at the star-based facility in texas, where he announced he intends to go back to space, this time with spacex, and taking akiko along for the ride. a week-long fly-by of the moon. did they propose it to you? >> i brought it up. >> reporter: you said can i orbit the moon, please? >> that's what i'm interested in. i will not go back to earth orbit. i've been there, done that. >> reporter: their , spacex's you think?ng.t's tar at its s heavyhe starship is

booster, it will be almost 400 feet tall, 33 engines fire to blast it off the launch pad, twice as powerful as nasa's artemis moon rocket. starship, designed to be fully reusable, is full in development. spacex has nailed some test flights, others erupting in fireballs. what gives you confidence this is going to work? >> every time a rocket explodes, you learn something. so the more rocket explosions we see, the better. because then we'll get all the bugs out of it. >> reporter: realistically, when do you think you'll fly? >> i take the worst case, five years. >> reporter: that would put the california man close to 90 years old. 82 now, he says he feels great. tothers >> rter: ye>> we'reoingn

board? n hat >> f aminute. >> reporter: tito's flight would be the second starship flyby, the first by a japanese billionaire. ten other yet to be named crewmembers would join the titos. >> myself being in my early 80s, it will be very inspiring to people of all ages because they'll now be able to start to think about their golden years. and maybe it's not going to be a rocking chair. maybe it's going to be. >> reporter: a rocket ship? >> a rocket ship. >> reporter: after shelling out $20 million for the last trip, tito won't say how much he is paying for what he is calling a postnuptial vacation. >> we got married during covid. >> covid. >> so we didn't have a chance

really to have a honeymoon. so maybe this is our honeymoon. >> eporter:

the nationwide baby formula shortage is not over yet, and that has spurred throws two companies to develop natural alternatives. meg oliver reports. >> it looks just like breast milk. >> reporter: helena ceo laura katz hopes the beverage swirling inside this beichler revolutionize the baby formula industry. >> same consistently. >> reporter: the closest thing to mother's milk produced outside of the body. the key is a fermentation process using yeast with the dna code that makes breast milk proteins. when the yeast is fermented, it produces identical proteins found in breast milk, then vitamins and minerals are added. >> so the human proteins we put

into the product help to build your immune system. they come in and teach baby how to fight against infection and disease. >> reporter: with empty shelves nationwide, the baby formula shortage underscores the need for more options. another start-up company, biomilk uses human cells to produce a baby formula alternative. ceo michelle. >> we're utilizing new technology to be able to do something similar to breast milk. >> reporter: the biomilk begins with memory tissue. when placed in a bioreactor, these cells multiply and absorb added nutrients and secrete human cultured milk outside the body. >> many of these nutrients are incredibly important for skeletal development, cognitive development and microbiome and quite frankly aren't in bovine-based products. >> reporter: both companies say it will be at least three years before their products are on store shelves. meg oliver, cbs news, new york. >> and that is the "overnight news" for this thursday.

reporting from the nation's capitol, i'm jeff pegues. this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. the house committee investigating the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol will hold what's likely to be its last public hearing. committee chair says the final report will be released by the end of the year after the midterm elections. the u.s. government is set to announce what is certain to be the largest increase in social security benefits in 40 years. it's a boost meant tep up with . e- oics say tht americans are actually spending. and trevor noah, the host of the daily show on comedy central who announced he is stepping down after seven years will host his last episode on december 8th. the network says the show will return january 17th after a reinvention.

for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or your connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. ♪ the very latest on the stunning billion judgment ten years after the sandy hook mas massacre. what it means for the families of the 20 children and 6 educators killed. the emotional moments after the unanimous verdict. a jury rules infowars host alex jones must pay $965 million after he labeled the shooting a hoax and called the parents actors. cbs' nikki battiste is in connecticut. missiles rain down on ukraine as putin promotes the man known as general armageddon to lead russian forces. cbs' charlie d'agata reports on the new weapons from the wes vy.l.scandal a sty webe

t thofunisent for the death of candidate kyle mullen during hell week. cbs' david martin speaks to the mother of the yale football player. and a warning for parents. tonight the respiratorlnise ldr. cbs' nikole killion talks to parents and doctors. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> good evening and thank you for joining us. we want to begin with the breaking news in what is the largest defamation suit payout ever in american history. the landmark verdict awarded the families of those killed in the sandy hook massacre, parents who lost their young children and then faced a decade of torment a small sliver of justice. a connecticut jury ordered far right infowars host alex jones to pay nearly $1 billion in damages for spreading lies about

the elementary school shooting. the 2012 massacre in newtown, connecticut killed 20 children and 6 adults in the deadliest elementary school shooting in our nation's history. jones falsely told millions of his radio show listeners that i government plot to confiscate guns. while relatives of the victims allege the conspiracy theorist then profited off those lies. cbs' nikki battiste is outside the courthouse in waterbury, connecticut. good evening, nikki. i can only imagine what the fmilies are going through today. >> norah, good evening. this trial, which has gone on for a month, has forced the victims' family members to rlive unthinkable trauma. as the verdict was read this afternoon, i was sitting next to several parents who lost their young children. they were emotional but strong and tell me this accountability is what they were fighting for. >> verdict, we the jury have reached our verdict as to damages in this case. >> reporter: it took six jurors

less than three days to come up with a price tag. more than $965 million that conspiracy theorist alex jones must pay for spreading false claims that the sandy hook school shooting was a hoax. >> so $120 million. >> reporter: robbie parker was among the parents who broke down in tears as the verdict was read. >> while tth was among the victims. during the trial, prosecutors played video of jones mocking him at her funeral. mark barden lost his son daniel. as you stand here y, sure your son daniel is on your mind. >> my son daniel is always on my mind. and with everything i do, i feel i owe it to him to honor him. >> reporter: jones and his company free speech systems were sued by eight victims' families and an fbi agent who responded to the shooting that took the lives of 20 students and six staff.

judge barbara bellis had already found the infowars host liable for defamation. jones testified. >> i've already said i'm sorry hundreds of times. and i'm done saying i'm sorry. >> reporter: today on his show, jones reacted in realtime, again, asking his viewers for donations. his attorney said he would appeal. >> in the course of my career, i've never seen a trial like this. >> reporter: family members testified they were harassed by followers of jones. david wheeler lost his 6-year-old son benjamin. >> people were accusing me of lying, telling me ben never lived, telling me that i was going to burn in hell. >> reporter: it is unlikely the victims' families will receive the full payout. all along alex jones' attorney has said jones is s of li his fst trial, jones already ordered to pay $50 million, and he still faces a third trial later this year. norah? >> nikki battiste, thank you for being there. well, president biden is

facing pressure from his own party to punish a major strategic partner. democrats argue the recent move by saudi arabia to cut oil production is bad for the u.s. and good for russia. and it comes as the national average for a gallon of gas is $3.92. that's up 9 cents in just the last week. cbs' nancy cordes is traveling with the president in california. >> we will take action. >> reporter: a vague warning from president biden about consequences for a global oil giant. >> we're going react to saudi arabia. >> reporter: but that wasn't specific enough for some senate democrats. >> we can't take this sitting down. >> reporter: they're pushing him to freeze arm sales to saudi arabia, or pull all u.s. troops out of the country after the saudis and other oil producing nations known as opec plus chose about 2%.ldwide oil production the move c puspr back up and boost russia's oil revenue.

>> they are helping and aligning >> reporter: white house officials had lobbied opec nations not to cut back. and president biden himself traveled to saudi arabia this summer, even fist-bumping crown prince mohammad bin salman, despite his role in the murder of "washington post" columnist jamal khashoggi. >> saudi arabia is our second most important security partner in the middle east after israel. >> reprter: cbs news senior security contributor michael morell says many of the potential punishments come with downsides. >> denying arms sales to saudi arabia not only hurts u.s. firms selling those weapons, but it also hurts the security of the region because we want the saudis to have american weapons. they want to have american weapons because if we ever have to fight iran together, we want those weapon systems to compliment each other.

>> reporter: the president said today he wants to consult with congress before imposing any consequences on saudi arabia. and it's a delicate situation, because any rift in the u.s.-saudi relationship could rattle oil markets and drive prices up, norah, just one month before the midterm elections. >> nancy cordes, thank you. officer has been charged in the shooting of a teenager who was eating a hamburger in his car in a mcdonald's parking lot. the former rookie officer james brennand was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. 17-year-old erik cantu remains unconscious is and on life support. er according to his family. there is much more ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

♪ >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." >> well, tonight the kremlin is claiming that it has arrested eight people in connection with the embarrassing destruction of a key bridge linking russia to crimea. the explosion led to an escalation of attacks across ukraine this week that have killed dozens and injured more than 100 others. cbs' charlie d'agata reports from inside ukraine that that country got a boost from the west. >> reporter: russia's punishing missile barrage this week captured on dash cams and other cameras across the country. today's indiscriminate shelling on civilians out grocery

shopping in avdiivka killing at least seven. proof of russia's lethal reach and ukraine's vulnerability in trying to stop it. the brutal retaliation for the blast on the bridge connecting russia to crimea, directed by hardline commander sergei surovikin, promoted by president putin within hours of the bridge attack, now in charge of the war. known as general armageddon, he ordered the ruthless bombing of civilian targets in syria while commanding russian forces in support of the assad regime. now employing those tactics to reverse russia's battlefield defeats. ukraine's air force has been seen patrolling the skies since russia's onslaught. ukraine's ground troops pushing south and east before the worst of the winter set in. russia retalys se since w germany has announced the

delivery of the first of four high-tech air defense systems to ukraine, norah. it's one of the most advanced weapons of its kind in the world, so new they've never been used on the battlefield. >> that's interesting. charlie d'agata, thank you. now to that navy s.e.a.l.s scandal that we've been following. we learn today that three navy officers were punished after an investigation into the february death of s.e.a.l. candidate kyle mullen. it's the latest black eye for the naval special warfare unit which is still investigating a brutal training program that cbs news exposed. cbs' david martin has more now from the pentagon. >> reporter: s.e.a.l. recruits staggering out of the pacific ocean to the finish line of the infamous hell week. eight hours later, one of them would be dead from acute pneumonia. >> my son was towards the end, he is being carried by another man. he could barely walk. >> reporter: regina mullen says this freeze-frame shows her son kyle being helped out of the water.

a navy investigation found after five days of nonstop physical stress on four hours sleep, mullen was so short of breath, he had to be given oxygen and moved from one location to another by ambulance. but he was allowed to keep going. >> my son wasn't treated medically by the medical team. by their own investigation, two times they could have saved his life. two times. >> the instructors i'm sure would say they were just trying to help him make it through those final hours so he could complete hell week. >> so he completes it. you send him to the barracks and sent the medical team home. >> reporter: according to the investigation, mullen had to be taken to the barracks in a wheelchair. when sailors assigned to check on him called the duty medical officer, they were told to call 911. but mullen didn't want to go to the hospital for fear he would be dropped from the training. >> my son would never want to be dropped. that's quitting. >> reporter: two officers in charge of s.e.a.l. training

received warning letters that almost certainly killed their chances of further promotion. those same two officers were also in charge when this video captured s.e.a.l. recruits being blanketed with tear gas at point-blank range for a full minute, even though the rules clearly say it should last no more than 15 seconds. the navy calls s.e.a.l. training extreme stress in a controlled environment. kyle mullen's death has now triggered an investigation into just how well controlled that environment really is. norah? >> important questions. david martin, thank you. well, there is breaking news from los angeles. embattled city council member nury martinez has resigned from her seat days after a recording surfaced of her making racist and offensive comments about a fell councilmember's son. there are growing calls now for two other members on that recording to step down. well, with less than a month until the midterm elections,

pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and democratic candidate john fetterman is facing a tough battle for the state's open senate seat. five months after suffering a stroke, fetterman gave his first in-person, on-camera interview, health challenges, he is up for the job. cbs' robert costa is in the battleground state of pennsylvania. democrat john fetterman tackled the subject that was front and center in the campaign today, his health. after an interview tuesday night showed him using a closed captioning device to read captions. questions. >> the elephant in the room for a lot of folks is i had a stroke. and there are -- there's no secret that sometimes i'm going to miss words, and sometimes i'm going to mush two words together. and that's the truth. >> reporter: the lieutenant governor's health has become a political target for his republican challenger, trump-backed dr. mehmet oz, who continues to press fetterman to disclose his medical records. fetterman will use a closed captioning device during their upcoming debate. >> i sometimes will hear things

in a way that's not perfectly clear. so i use captioning so i'm able to see what you're saying in captioning. >> reporter: for fetterman and others who suffer a stroke, the recovery can be difficult, including how it affects verbal exchanges. cbs medical consultant dr. david agus. >> this area was involved in auditory processing. that is taking words or sounds and converting them to words that the brain can understand. is lt migh dems tand not move ndl >> they sein jfetterman who they want to see, whether he is a courageous, sympathetic candidate or whether you see him as a person who is just not physically capable of carrying out the job. >> reporter: sources close to fetterman tell cbs news tonight that they are confident voters understand he is facing health

challenges, but will ultimately conclude he is ready to serve. fetterman's strategy they say moving forward is to continue to engage with voters, with reporters, and with mehmet oz. norah? >> and robert, i have to ask you, how is fetterman doing on the campaign trail? >> after the stroke, his schedule was limited. he pulled back. but he has returned to campaign rallies. he had one in bucks county, a crucial area on sunday, drew over a thousand people. >> robert costa there for us, thank you. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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well, there is important health news tonight for parents. today the fda authorized the updated covid booster shots for kids as young as 5. that's ahead of an expected winter wave of covid. now this comes amid a nationwide spike in cases of rsv. that is a respiratory illness that attacks children. it's serious. so we get more now from cbs' nikole killion. >> reporter: a family vacation turned into a trip to the emergency room for april joines and her 6-year-old daughter lillian, who suffers asthma and was hospitalized with a lung infection called rsv, respiratory syncytial virus. >> she was more lethargic, and then her breathing was labored. >> reporter: but when they got to the er, they were met with an hours' long wait to be admitted to the intensive care unit. >> we waited a pretty long time,

and it was just kind of a situation that is alarming as parent to be in when your child needs care. >> reporter: children's health care of atlanta says they're seeing two to three times the volume of pediatric patients as rsv cases have skyrocketed in georgia and at least 32 other states. symptoms include coughing, wheezing, runny nose and decreased appetite. >> one of the great things is parents know their children the best. if the child is having difficulty breathing, that may be an indication for the child to seek emergency department or urgent care. >> reporter: rsv is transmitted through direct contact. nearly 60,000 children younger than 5 are hospitalized due to the virus each year, and there are no approved vaccines. how concerned are you that this could happen to one of your children again?erd. and it's hto talk about becausit'sll >> reporter: there's also concern over just how bad this

winter coud be. dr. ashish jha who heads the white house covid response said today it's hard to imagine how hospitals will handle the flood of respiratory illnesses. norah? >> nikole killion with that really important story, thank you so much. well, american high schoolers hit a 30-year low. the startling impact that covid had on college test scores when we return. when you really need to sleep. you reach for the really good stuff. zzzquil ultra helps you sleep better and longer when you need it most. its non-habit forming and powered by the makers of nyquil. one prilosec otc each morning blocks heartburn all day and all night. prilosec otc reduces excess acid for 24 hours, blocking heartburn before it starts.

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♪♪ in new york city tonight, two men are under arrest after police found a huge stash of fentanyl worth an estimated $9 million. police say they found about 300,000 rainbow fentanyl pills and some powder. they say some of the pills resemble oxycodone and xanax. well, there is alarming new evidence tonight the impact covid has had on american high schoolers. a.c.t. test scores which show the readiness for college level courses hit a 30-year low this year. the average composite score was 19.8 out of 36, making this the lowest average score since 1991. 42% met none of the a.c.t. subject benchmarks. the cost of taking your family to disneyland in california jumped dramatically on average, a family of four will pay an additional $40 a day to enter the park.

top tier tickets now cost $179 a day. that's a jump of more than 9%. and we'll be right back with a teenager taking the plunge n

marathon swimming in the open ocean is considered one of the most difficult sports both physically and mentally due to the cold and the currents. cbs' carter evans found one california teenager making waves for a good cause. >> reporter: as a child, maya merhige used to despise swimming. >> i hated it. like my least favorite thing to do. >> reporter: but now at the wise old age of 15 -- >> that is cold! >> reporter: she'll happily dive into the frigid waters off san francisco bay, saving lives with each stroke. >> over the past six years, i've raised $50,000. >> reporter: the money goes to cancer research. maya started fundraising when she was 9. competing in open water events with swim across america. by the time she was 13, she was

crossing lake tahoe. last summer while swimming the 20 miles of open ocean between catalina island and california, maya realized she wasn't alone in the water. >> i looked to the side and just saw this giant eye. and the entire swim i thought it was shark. >> reporter: wait, you thought there was a shark swimming along with you, and you kept going? >> yeah. >> reporter: when maya gets scared or tired, she just thinks of the names on her swim cap, pete battling cancer who face a much bigger challenge. >> i'm swimming for them. i'm doing it for them, and that's why i do these swims. >> reporter: carter evans, cbs news, san francisco. >> and that's the "overnight news" for this thursday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." make sure to follow us online any time at cbsnews.com. reporting from here in the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell.

♪ this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. the house committee investigating the january 6th attack on the u.s. capitol will hold what's likely to be its last public hearing. committee chair says the final report will be released by the end of the year after the midterm elections. the u.s. government is set to announce what is certain to be the largest increase in social security benefits in 40 years. it's a boost meant to keep up with inflation. critics say the one-size-fits-all increase doesn't reflect what older americans are actually spending. and trevor noah, the host of the daily show on comedy central who announced he is stepping down after seven years will host his last episode on december 8th. the network says the show will return january 17th after a reinvention.

for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or your connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. it's thursday, october 13th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." high stakes hearing. the january 6th panel is expected to unveil new evidence today about the capitol riot and former president trump's alleged role in efforts to overturn the election. we have a preview from washington. $965 million in damages. a jury orders alex jones to pay up for calling the sandy hook shooting a lie. why the legal troubles for the conspiracy theorist are not over yet. health alert. a respiratory illness among children is on the rise in dozens of states. what parents need to know.