the u.s. has repeatedly accused russia of so-called false flag operations, staging violent incidents and blaming them on ukraine as a justification for its brutal invasion. her man hal oes chenko is ukraine's energy minister and told us false flag attacks have become russia's standard practice. >> it's an alternative reality? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. they don't care. >> reporter: the truth is it's president putin who's threatened to use nuclear weapons in ukraine. >> do you think it's possible that vladimir putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon here in ukraine? >> i think he'll do everything. i have expected from them everything. >> reporter: the u.s. says there would be consequences for russia whether it used a nuclear bomb or a dirty bomb. norah. >> scary. holly williams, thank you. well, with just two weeks to go until the midterm elections,n telligence assessment saying china is likely seeking to

influence several races. this comes amid national security concerns about threats to operations and election officials. cbs's mark strassmann reports tonight on accusations of voter intimidation in the battleground state of arizona. >> reporter: armed vigilantes dressed in tactical gear patrol ballot drop boxes near phoenix. disruptive, even intimidating. multiple voters have filed formal complaints. in this home stretch, for 2022's midterm elections, arizona may be america's hotbed for election conspiracy theorists. >> we're going to take a sledgehammer to these damn electronic voting machines. >> reporter: republican kari l lake, running for governor here, pushes suspicions about shadowy threats to voter integrity without a shred of proof. mark finchem, arizona's republican secretary of state candidate, tweeted "watch all drop boxes, period.

save the republic." >> threats to harass you online but threats thysicall h you. >> reporter: stephen rher is the mopa count con charge v regation iountin voting. his ownleion ppal denier >> it'sll frustrating pngly do it to satisfy a selfish desire for political gain or for pecuniary gain. >> reporter: early voters now crowd polls across america. over the weekend, 80,000 georgians voted in a single day compared to the same day four years ago, an increase of 159%. other states like north carolina and florida report similar surges for many reasons, including the fight to control the u.s. senate. these ten states feature dog fights for senate seats. one of them, pennsylvania. cbs news has learned behind the scenes, former president trump has encouraged state lawmakers

to repeal a law that allows all voters to mail in ballots. the sheriff here has been looking into reports that early voters are being harassed, and he just referred two cases to prosecutors for criminal charges. norah. >> that's significant. mark strassmann, thank you. well, theng doortoay with rishi sunak the voteo ngdom. nrime minister of he'll b firer olorver to hold t. cbs's imtiaz tyab is in london with more on the man set to become uk's youngest leader in more than 200 years. >> i will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together. >> reporter: in his first speech to the nation as prime minister, as britain's fifth leader in just over six years, the third this year alone, he fought off challengers including former prime minister boris johnson for the top job. >> let me tell you a story.

>> reporter: when rishi sunak first ran this summer, he introduced himself as the son of indian immigrants. >> their story didn't end there, but that is where my story began. >> reporter: a story which saw him study at oxford and stanford and then land a plum job at goldman sachs. married to the daughter of an indian billionaire, they're worth an estimated $823 million, making him one of the richest members of parliament. >> tackling the costs of -- >> reporter: even then he was relatively unknown until then-prime minister boris johnson tapped him to be finance minister in 2020, when he oversaw the nation's economy during the covid-19 pand britais firstian orin a of indu faith, he now has to steer an economy his former rival, liz truss, who was only in the job for 44 days, pushed into the abyss. inflation is over 10%. the pound is struggling. and energy costs are soaring. now, rishi sunak formally

becomes prime minister when he meets with king charles tomorrow, when he also makes history by becoming the first person of color to become prime minister of britain. but he has to solve this country's many, many problems as his top priority. norah. >> imtiaz tyab, thanks so much. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news." 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. (woman) oh. oh! hi there. you're jonathan, right? the 995 plan! from coloal oh. oh! hi there. your plan fits my budgetht? just rightplan! excuse me? aren't you jonathan from tv, that 995 plan?

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. october is breast cancer awareness month, and there's usually an increase in mammograms during the month. but mammograms can fail to detect tumors in some women. in tonight's health watch, cbs's roxana saberi on what women should be asking at their next appointment. >> reporter: for many, the key to beating breast cancer is early detection. 48-year-old eve feinberg gets a mammogram every year. >> my two paternal aunts were diagnosed with breast cancer. i have always lived with this fear that i, too, will die of breast cancer. >> reporter: her physician, dr. sarah friedewald, says feinberg is also at a slightly higher risk because her breasts are dense, meaning they have less fat and more tissue, like the breasts in these images. >> about 40% to 50% of the women

in the country actually have dense breast tissue. it just makes it a little bit harder for us to find cancer on the mammogram. >> reporter: that's because dense tissue shows up white on mammograms, and so do tumors. >> on a very cloudy day, which would be similar to a woman who had very dense breast tissue, we really can't see the cancer. >> reporter: she showed us how for this patient, additional scans an ultrasound, and an mri revealed a large cancerous mass. >> the area lights up very quickly. >> reporter: 38 states now require patients to be notified about their breast density, and the fda is planning to announce regulations on informing women about their tissue type and screening options. patients should ask their doctor about their tissue type and if additional tests are needed, make sure to get a medical order and check if their insurance company requires pre-approval and covers the cost, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. feinberg told us she pays around $2,000 out of pocket each year

for an mri after insurance coverage. but, she says, it's worth it. >> i think just to know that if something is detected, it will be detected at an early stage. >> reporter: only 16 states and washington, d.c. require insurers to cover additional imaging. but if breast cancer is caught early, the five-year survival rate is 99%. norah. >> roxana, thank you so much for that great reporting and information. it is such an important topic. i actually went today to get my mammogram and sonogram. it took about an hour and a half, and while not comfortable for a few minutes, we all know this can save lives. so tomorrow we're going to take a look at the racial disparity. the survival rate for women of color, which is much lower than for white women. why is that, and what can be done? that's tomorrow right here. there is shock and sadness in hollywood tonight following the tragic death of beloved will

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nearly 20 dry shampoo products have been recalled because they may contain a (male) there are many voices in today's world. everyone is voicing their opinions about everything, and jesus is no exception to that. what if there was a clear voice telling you exactly who jesus is? (male announcer) join dr. david jeremiah as he teaches who jesus is and what that means for your life. tune in to dr. jeremiah's new series, "christ above all", on the next "turning point", right here on this station.

there's a nationwide voluntary recall on nearly 20 dry shampoo aerosol products. unilever, which makes the products under the brand name dove, nexus, suave, and tresemme, say they may contain elevated levels of benzene, which is known to cause cancer. customers are urged to stop using the products and go to unilever's website for reimbursement instructions. this was a big day for the chief groundskeeper at the white house. we'll tell you about the honor he received for 50 years on the job. that's next.

we wanted to end tonight on a remarkable milestone. presidents come and go, but a constant for the white house is dale haney. he's the chief white house groundskeeper, and today he celebrated 50 years of service, posing with president biden and the first lady as they planted a tree in his honor. besides keeping the grounds in tip top shape, he's also walked the first family's dogs for years, including the bidens' german shepherd commander. when i covered the white house, dale was always there making sure the grounds were perfect for visitors. dale, congratulations to you and thanks for your service to our country. and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you the news continues. for others, check back later for

"cbs this morning." remember you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. new flh. dan lieberman in new york. in russia, jailed american basketball player brittney griner will appeal her conviction on drug smuggling charges on tuesday. griner will appear via video feed from the women's detention center outside moscow. the judge's verdict is expected the same day. the high-stakes race for senate in pennsylvania will see democrat john fetterman face off with his republican opponent, dr. mehmet oz. it's the first and only debate that could determine whether democrats keep control of the senate. and president biden is looking forward to speaking with britain's next prime minister. rishi sunak, in the coming days. the white house says protocol is to wait until the incoming prime minister has met with the british monarch to be invited to form a new government.

for more news, download the cbs news app on your slefl or connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for joining us. we're starting tonight with horror in the heartland of america. another school shooting, this time in st. louis. it happened today at the city's central visual and performing arts high school. terrified students leaving their school with hands raised, escaping the senseless horror of bullets and bloodshed in their hallways and classrooms. a teenage girl was pronounced dead inside the school. another victim, a teacher, died at the hospital. the gunman, believed to be in his 20s, was killed in a gun battle with police. this was the 40th school shooting in the u.s. this year. that's a half dozen more than in all of last year.

the mayor of st. louis spoke for so many parents today, saying our children shouldn't have to experience this. caroline hecker of our cbs st. louis affiliate, kmov, joins us now from the scene. good evening, caroline. >> reporter: good evening, norah. it was a horrifying and chaotic scene here that played out at the school. the victims ranging in age from 61 years old to just 15. the shooting sending students scrambling to safety, jumping out of windows, and finding any door they could find. it was just after 9:00 a.m. >> report of an active shooter at a high school. >> reporter: when an all too familiar scene erupted. >> we're walking out the building. it's blood on the ground and stuff like that. we see -- we see students covered in blood. we see -- i see a lot of kids -- it was kids crying everywhere. >> reporter: police raced to central visual and performing arts high school. traumatized students ran for their lives. relatives rushed to their loved ones. >> it's a nightmare. >> reporter: students say the shooter entered the school with a long gun, then opened fire,

killing one female teenager and injuring at least seven others. one victim, teacher jean kuczka, who passionately raised money for diabetes research, later died at the hospital. the gunman was reportedly killed by police. >> i see my friend have all blood on her hand. it was like she seen the shooter, and the shooter came to her and said, are you ready to die? to see her and screaming and crying, it just hurt me. >> reporter: as the community mourns, there are questions about safety at the school where authorities say seven security personnel were on duty at the time. >> it was that timely response by that security officer, the fact that the door did cause pause for the suspect, that bought us some time. so, but, yes, the doors were locked. >> reporter: investigators located the suspect's car and are searching for more clues to the gunman's motive. >> everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma. even the officers who responded here and the firefighters and the paramedics who worked on people here are going to experience some degree of trauma.

>> reporter: now, agents with the atf and fbi were seen searching a home connected to that gunman this afternoon. again, the atf and fbi seen searching that home for several hours here in south st. louis. he is said to be a 19-year-old male, graduated, norah, from this school just last year. tonight the community plans to hold a vigil. norah. >> caroline hecker, thank you so much. well, today an admitted school shooter faced a judge in a michigan courtroom. 16-year-old ethan crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 felony counts including murder and terrorism. crumbley shot and killed four schoolmates and wounded seven other people last november at oxford high school. he could face life in prison. tonight, 18 million americans are in the path of severe weather as a system that dumped more than a foot of snow in the west heads east. the weather channel's mike bettes is following the powerful storms for us. good evening, mike. >> norah, good evening. we have two seasons playing out across the country right now. winter across the west, including about 16 inches of

snow falling in bozeman, maryland. -- montana. everything coated in white. a lot of snow reports across the west. tons of snow across idaho, montana, extending right down into the colorado rockies. we believe at least one more day, if not two, of snow for us here in the west. then we have spring severe weather almost across the south. you can see a big line of storms across texas. this will be 1:00 in the morning. that entire line pushes across mississippi, tennessee, and alabama through the day on tuesday. an outside risk, we could also see some tornadoes with these storms. that will affect you through birmingham and atlanta for the tuesday evening drive. for some of these places, welcome rain. norah, we know the drought conditions across the mississippi right now with low water levels, so all this is very beneficial. >> lots of good news. mike bettes, thank you. well, tonight, a new report erases all doubt that the covid pandemic caused an historic setback for america's schoolchildren. math scores saw their biggest decline on record. reading scores their lowest in

three decades. education secretary miguel cardona calls the report appalling. cbs's nikki battiste has more, including what parents can do. >> reporter: new york city mother louanna factora says her son, maddon, struggled during the pandemic. he's now in eighth grade. >> before the pandemic, he was always on the honor roll. after that, it was just -- he couldn't get his grades back up. >> it was pretty hard, challenging. >> reporter: the 2022 national assessment of educational progress reports math scores for fourth and eighth graders plummeted since the last tests in 2019. it was the largest decline in math since testing began in 1990, with nearly 4 in 10 eighth graders failing to grasp basic math concepts and only 1 in 3 students meeting reading proficiency standards. >> the results were sobering. >> reporter: peggy carr is the commissioner of the national center for education statistics. the results showed black and hispanic students fell further behind than their white and

asian peers, and girls declined faster than boys. >> why is that? >> well, we don't know precisely, but we think it has to do with socialization. maybe they were differentially impacted by being isolated during this time. >> reporter: carr says while schools should focus on boosting math scores, parents can help their children make up lost ground simply by reading together. >> the message to parents is that this is serious. it will take all hands on deck, and they're one of those hands. >> reporter: maddon told me he was easily distracted during remote learning, but he says now that he's back in class in person, school has gotten easier. his mom says being face to face with his teachers has helped her son's grades begin to improve. norah. >> thank you, nikki battiste. well, tonight more evidence this flu season could be a bad one. walgreens says nationwide flu activity is ten times higher

than it was last year. it's more than doubled in just two weeks with activity the highest in texas, louisiana, and mississippi. and this comes as at least 36 states are seeing a dramatic increase in new cases of the respiratory virus known as rsv in young children. some sad news tonight. emmy winning actor leslie jordan died after crashing his car in hollywood. police are investigating whether jordan had a medical episode before the crash. with his southern drawl and his really sharp sense of humor, jordan was best known for his role in will and grace. his hilarious instagram videos during the pandemic drew millions of views. leslie jordan was 67. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm caitlin huey-burns in washington. thanks for staying with us. former president donald trump is vowing to sue investigative journalist bob woodward over his new audio book, the trump tapes, set for release today. woodward has gathered eight hours of audio culled from nearly 20 interviews with the former president. much of that mia h already appeared in woodward's books, but he's never released the audio, and trump insists the tapes belong to him. woodward discussed it all with

john dickerson. >> reporter: for nine months back in 2020, when the phone rang at bob woodward's home on this leafy georgetown street, there was a good chance it was a call he didn't want to miss. >> mr. woodward, the president. >> hi, bob. >> president trump, how are you? >> reporter: sometimes woodward's wife, journalist elsa walsh, answered the calls, which came day or night. >> so we'd joke and i'd say there's like princess diana, that there were three people in this marriage, bob, me, and donald trump. and it was sort of never-ending. >> the phone would ring. is it a robocall, or is it trump? >> mr. president, you are connected. >> hi, bob. >> sir, how are you? >> reporter: woodward scattered tape recorders around the house to be ready for the surprise calls. >> i'm turning my recorder on here as i always do. >> reporter: and donald trump would talk. >> i respect putin. i think putin likes me. i think i like him. >> reporter: and talk. >> i said to the king, king, you

got to pass for protection. >> reporter: on the pandemic, north korea, race relations, just about everything. >> i bring rage out. i do bring range out. i always have. i don't know if that's an asset or a liability, but whatever it is, i do. >> reporter: there were 16 phone calls, 20 interviews all told, 8 hours of conversations, which woodward has compiled into an audio book, the trump tapes, out this week, published by simon & schuster, part of our parent company, paramount global. >> in many ways, it's the missing piece of the trump story. we've heard a lot of trump. he's said a lot. but what did he do in the presidency? and having the time, i could go back and ask questions again and again. >> reporter: woodward has written about the calls, but hearing trump in his own voice, he believes, is enlightening. >> i reported on this in the

book i did, "rage," but i then went back and listened to these tapes and said, my god, there is a whole new trump that emerges. >> we got along great. we've always gotten along great. >> reporter: his tone of voice offers insight into why trump may have kept totems from his presidency at mar-a-lago, like the letters from north korea's kim jong-un. it's clearly a relationship he cherishes. >> you meet somebody, and you have a good chemistry, and there is a lot of truth to it. you meet a woman. in one second, you know whether or not it's all going to happen, okay? we have very good chemistry together. >> reporter: the topics veer from the humorous. >> i said, did you hear of the song rocket man? he said, no, no. did you ever hear of elton john? no, no. i said, i did you a great favor. i called you rocket man. he goes, you called me little rocket man. >> reporter: to the deadly serious.

>> have you given kim too much power? >> no. >> because if he's defiant, if he shoots one of those -- >> doesn't matter. let me tell you, whether i gave it to him or not, if he shoots, he shoots. and if he shoots, he shoots. >> he says about the north korean leader, if he shoots, he shoots. how did you react to that? >> i really froze because trump said it in a way of, if he shoots, you know, kind of cavalier. and of course, it would be unthinkable. >> reporter: one theme runs throughout all eight hours of tape. trump thought the presidency was a one-man show. >> i get people, they come up with ideas, but the ideas are mine, bob. >> and then -- >> you know something? everything's mine. >> reporter: but a presidency based on personality was overmatched by covid-19. >> one of the most stunning moments i've had, 50 years in reporting. >> reporter: woodward learned that on january 28th, 2020, just days after the first covid-19

case was confirmed in the united states, trump's national security adviser, robert o'brien,ad given him a gra warning. >> i think the exact phrase i use was this will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency. i was pretty passionate about it. >> reporter: yet at a rally two weeks later, trump said this? >> looks like by april, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it goes away. >> reporter: when woodward learned about that disconnect between what the president knew and what he said, he asked trump why he didn't sound the alarm. >> i wanted to always play it down because i don't want to create a panic. >> was there a moment in all of this last two months where you said to yourself, ah, this is the leadership test of a lifetime? >> no. >> when you hear this voice and the way he assesses situations

and himself, he's drowning in himself. and at one point where i'm interviewing him, and i just offered the commentary, i feel like i'm talking to a drowning man, when he's talking about the virus. and he says, we've got it under control. >> reporter: taken as a whole, the recordings paint a revealing self-portrait. >> is it that he thinks of the presidency as a possession nk he does. i think it's as -- it's a trophy, and he has got it, and he is going to hold it. >> reporter: which leads to one of woodward's biggest regrets, the question he didn't ask. >> there was one point where i asked him, i said, i hear that if you lose, you're not going to leave the white house. >> everyone says trump is going to stay in the white house if it's contested. have you -- >> well, i'm not -- i don't want to even comment on that. i don't want to comment on that at this time. hey, bob, i got all these

people. i'll talk to you later on tonight. >> it's the only time he had no comment, and this, of course, was months before his loss. i kind of slapped myself a little bit. why didn't i follow up on that a little bit more? >> at the end of the book rage, you said donald trump was singularly unfit to be president. and now listening to these tapes, you draw a more grave conclusion. what is that conclusion? >> trump was the wrong man for the job. i realize now, two years later, all of the january 6th insurrection leads me to the conclusion that he's not just the wrong man for the job, but he's dangerous, and he is a threat to democracy, and he's a threat to the presidency because he doesn't understand the core obligations that come with that office. office. >> john when cold symptoms keep you up,

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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. as residets of southwest florida continue to put their lives back together after the ravages of hurricane ian, they now face another danger, a so-called flesh-eating bacteria is floating through the stagnant water. manuel bojorquez reports from the storm zone. >> reporter: more than three weeks after hurricane ian devastated parts of southwest

florida, its dangers persist. this time in the form of a bacteria called vibrio vulnificus, which lives in brackish waters and can enter the skin through open wounds, causing the skin to break down, which is why some call it a flesh-eating bacteria. it can be treated with antibiotics but spreads quickly and causes death in 1 of every 5 people infected. leah delano's fee auns say, jim hewitt, traveled from michigan to naples, florida, to help a friend after the storm. but a wound to his leg after falling into water became infected, and within a matter of days, hewitt was gone. >> jim came down out of the goodness of his heart to help people, and ended up losing his life. >> yeah, it's -- it's been very, very difficult. he really wouldn't have preferred to go any other way, though. he was always helping people. >> reporter: so far this year in florida, there have been 65 reported cases and 11 deaths from the infection. officials say overall, 28 cases

and 7 deaths are directly connected to the hurricane. there's debris scattered all around us. christine hollings worth is with the florida department of health in collier county, where jim hewitt contracted the bacbacter? what's your message to the community about this bacteria? >> if you have an open cut, sore, or wound, first symptoms would be pain, soreness, and redness around the area. seek medical attention immediately. >> reporter: awareness about potential infections is especially important here because there's still so much cleanup to be done. officials are reinforcing their message, urging people to stay out of the water and closing some beaches. >> that was manuel bojorquez reporting. severe drought and a shortage of workers is threatening this year's strawberry crop in california. strawberries come from california, and some growers are testing a high-tech solution to deal with the troubles.

carter evans has the story. >> reporter: picking strawberries can be backbreaking and tedious, but not here. >> someone will eat that in a couple days, so pretty exciting. >> and they had no idea it was picked by a robot. >> reporter: one that works in a hydroponic field, a method of farming that can use up to 90% less water. and in the midst of californiul game-changer. >> with increasing pressures on water, on labor, and on chemical regulation, innovative growers are now putting these in and getting better and better at them. >> reporter: eric adamson's company is behind a strawberry robotic revolution. >> people think robots, they've been around forever, but they're actually very, very new. especially robots that make decisions and are autonomous. >> reporter: yes, they're programmed to think on their own with cameras that sense texture and color. >> it really wants the one in the middle. >> it got it. >> reporter: but as good as they are, they're hardly fool proof.

>> we expect we'll make mistakes and things will break. >> reporter: but adamson says the robots now pick with 95% accuracy. >> these aren't just replacing people's jobs. actually we're teaching people, some of them even farmworkers themselves. >> did you know anything about robots before? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: jean paul rodriguez used to work in the fields. >> your back hurts really bad. >> reporter: today he manages the robots picking strawberries. >> the robot is doing the job. i'm like, wow, cool. >> that way we can create jobs with higher wages and with higher skill development. >> reporter: all as the robots themselves are getting more highly skilled and not just in picking strawberries. >> we hope to have hundreds and hundreds of robots around the world's leading farms, picking table grapes, peppers, cucumbers, blackberries, raspberries. >> reporter: robots taught to think.

incredible if not a bit unsettling. >> you'll watch it picking and you're like, no, no, no. why are you doing that? then, nope, okay. you 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. america's national parks are among the most beautiful places on earth, but most of us only get to see them in photos or video. well, meg oliver introduces us to a grandmother and her loving grandson, who decided to see them all in person. >> this is a beautiful around here. >> reporter: joy ryan and her grandson are on the adventure of a lifetime. >> our journey began when i found out that my grandma, in her 80s, had never been to the mountains. >> reporter: so ryan set out to bring his grandma from southeast ohio to visit all 63 national dreamce, b after everythinge wi whitewater rafting, she was 91 when we did class 3 rapids in alaska. >> how was the whitewater rafting? >> oh, it was fun. i had the best time. it was just like being on a

roller coaster. i love roller coasters. >> reporter: it started with a trip to the great smoky mountains, sleeping on air mattresses. >> there aren't too many 92-year-olds, i think, sleeping on air mattresses. how does it feel? >> well, i didn't sleep on it. i kept falling off, so i said the heck with it. i'm going to sleep on the ground. >> reporter: after seven years of excursions they will complete their mission next april at the national park of american samoa. >> what does this journey mean to you? >> well, it meant to go out and broaden my horizons and see all the beautiful things that i only dreamed about. >> a dream come true. meg oliver, cbs news, new york. and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you, the news continues. for others, check back later for cbs mornings. and follow us anytime online at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm caitlin huey-burns.

this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. in russia, jailed american basketball player brittney griner will appeal her conviction on drug smuggling charges on tuesday. griner will appear via video feed from the women's detention center outside moscow. the judge's verdict is expected the same day. the high-stakes race for senate in pennsylvania will see democrat john feohn fetterman ff with his republican opponent, dr. mehmet oz. it's the first and only debate that could determine whether democrats keep control of the senate. and president biden is looking forward to speaking with britain's next prime minister, rishi sunak, in the coming days. the white house says protocol is to wait until the incoming prime minister has met with the

british monarch to be invited to form a new government. for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm dan lieb cbs news, new york. heartbreak and terror in a major american city after another deadly shooting at a high school. the chaos in the classrooms. students jumped from windows to escape the shooter. tonight the reunions with loved ones, the victims, and the emotional toll. >> everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma. fears tonight that putin could use a dirty bomb in ukraine. cbs's holly williams shows us the signs tonight that the russians are getting ready for a major escalation. america's failing report card. the impacts tonight of the covid pandemic on schoolchildren. an historic setback in math and reading test scores. cbs's nikki battiste has important information for parents. and it's breast cancer awareness month.

why mammograms fail to detect tumors in some women. cbs's roxana saberi has the questions every woman should ask their doctor. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for joining us. we're starting tonight with horror in the heartland of america. another school shooting, this time in st. louis. it happened today at the city's central visual and performing arts high school. terrified students leaving their school with hands raised, escaping the senseless horror of bullets and bloodshed in their hallways and classrooms. a teenage girl was pronounced dead inside the school. another victim, a teacher, died at the hospital. the gunman, believed to be in his 20s, was killed in a gun battle with police. this was the 40th school shooting in the u.s. this year. that's a half dozen more than in all of last year. the mayor of st. louis spoke for

so many parents today, saying our children shouldn't have to experience this. caroline hecker of our cbs st. louis affiliate, kmov, joins us now from the scene. good evening, caroline. >> reporter: good evening, norah. it was a horrifying and chaotic scene here that played out at the school. victims ranging in age from 61 years old to just 15. the shooting sending students scrambling to safety, jumping out of windows and finding any door they could find. it was just after 9:00 a.m. >> report of an active shooter at a high school. >> reporter: when an all too familiar scene erupted. >> we're walking out the building. it's blood on the ground and stuff like that. we see -- we see students covered in blood. we see -- i see a lot of kids -- it was kids crying everywhere. >> reporter: police raced to central visual and performing arts high school. traumatized students ran for their lives. relatives rushed to their loved ones. >> it's a nightmare. >> reporter: students say the shooter entered the school with a long gun, then opened fire, killing one female teenager and injuring at least seven others.

one victim, teacher jean kuczka, who passionately raised money for diabetes research, later died at the hospital. the gunman was reportedly killed by police. >> i seen my friend have all blood on her hand. it was like she seen the shooter, and the shooter came to her and said, you ready to die? to see her and screaming and crying, it just hurt me. >> reporter: as the community mourns, there are questions about safety at the school where authorities say seven security personnel were on duty at the time. >> it was that timely response by that security officer, the fact that the door did cause pause for the suspect, that bought us some time. so, but, yes, the doors were locked. >> reporter: investigators located the suspect's car and are searching for more clues to the gunman's motive. >> everyone who survived here is going to take home trauma. even the officers who responded here and the firefighters and the paramedics who worked on people here are going to experience some degree of trauma. >> reporter: now, agents with

the atf and fbi were seen searching a home connected to that gunman this afternoon. again, the atf and fbi seen searching that home for several hours here in south st. louis. he is said to be a 19-year-old male, graduated, norah, from this school just last year. tonight the community plans to hold a vigil. norah. >> caroline hecker, thank you so much. well, today an admitted school shooter faced a judge in a michigan courtroom. 16-year-old ethan crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 felony counts including murder and terrorism. crumbley shot and killed four schoolmates and wounded seven other people last november at oxford high school. he could face life in prison. tonight, 18 million americans are in the path of severe weather as a system that dumped more than a foot of snow in the west heads east. the weather channel's mike bettes is following the powerful storms for us. good evening, mike. >> norah, good evening. we have two seasons playing out across the country right now. winter across the west, including about 16 inches of snow falling in bozeman,

montana. everything coated in white. a lot of snow reports across the west. tons of snow across idaho, montana, extending right down into the colorado rockies. we believe at least one more day, if not two, of snow for us here in the west. then we have spring severe weather almost across the south. you can see a big line of storms across texas. this will be 1:00 in the morning. that entire line pushes across mississippi, tennessee, and alabama through the day on tuesday. an outside risk, we could also see some tornadoes with these storms. that will affect you through birmingham and atlanta for the tuesday evening drive. for some of these places, welcome rain. norah, we know the drought conditions across the mississippi right now with low water levels, so all this is very beneficial. >> lots of good news. mike bettes, thank you. tonight, a new report erases all doubt that the covid pandemic caused an historic setback for america's schoolchildren. math scores saw their biggest decline on record. reading scores their lowest in three decades. education secretary miguel

cardona calls the report appalling. cbs's nikki battiste has more, including what parents can do. >> reporter: new york city mother louanna factora says her son, maddon, struggled during the pandemic. he's now in eighth grade. >> before the pandemic, he was always on the honor roll. after that, it was just -- he couldn't get his grades back up. >> it was pretty hard, challenging. >> reporter: the 2022 national assessment of educational progress reports math scores for fourth and eighth graders plummeted since the last tests in 2019. it was the largest decline in math since testing began in 1990, with nearly 4 in 10 eighth graders failing to grasp basic math concepts and only 1 in 3 students meeting reading proficiency standards. >> the results were sobering. >> reporter: peggy carr is the commissioner of the national center for education statistics. the results showed black and hispanic students fell further behind than their white and asian peers, and girls declined faster than boys.

>> why is that? >> well, we don't know precisely, but we think it has to do with socialization. maybe they were differentially impacted by being isolated during this time. >> reporter: carr says while schools should focus on boosting math scores, parents can help their children make up lost ground simply by reading together. >> the message to parents is that this is serious. it will take all hands on deck, and they're one of those hands. >> reporter: maddon told me he was easily distracted during remote learning, but he says now that he's back in class in person, school has gotten easier. his mom says being face to face with his teachers has helped her son's grades begin to improve. norah. >> thank you, nikki battiste. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." well, tonight more evidence this flu season could be a bad one. walgreens says nationwide flu activity is ten times higher than it was last year. it's more than doubled in just two weeks with activity the highest in texas, louisiana, and mississippi. and this comes as at least 36 states are seeing a dramatic increase in new cases of the respiratory virus known as rsv in young children. there are fears tonight that vladimir putin may be preparing to unleash a radioactive dirty bomb in ukraine. top diplomats from the u.s., britain, and france issued a rare joint statement rejecting russia's false claim that

ukraine is actually prepared to use such a weapon on its own territory. cbs's holly williams reports tonight from inside ukraine. >> reporter: today, russia's general in charge of nuclear defense claimed that ukraine's in the final stages of building a so-called dirty bomb and could use it against its own people. a dirty bomb has never been used before, is not a nuclear bomb, and would be far less harmful. but by using conventional explosives to spread radioactive material, it's an effective weapon of terror. the u.s. has dismissed russia's allegation as transparently false. >> the world would see through any russian attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation. >> reporter: "if russia claims ukraine's preparing something, it means one thing," said ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy, suggesting it's actually russia that plans to

use a dirty bomb. the u.s. has repeatedly accused russia of so-called false flag operations, staging violent incidents and blaming them on ukraine as a justification for its brutal invasion. herman halushchenko is ukraine's energy minister and told us false flag attacks have become russia's standard practice. >> it's an alternative reality? >> yeah, yeah, yeah. they don't care. >> reporter: the truth is it's president putin who's threatened to use nuclear weapons in ukraine. >> do you think it's possible that vladimir putin will use a tactical nuclear weapon here in ukraine? >> i think he'll do everything. i have expected from them everything. >> reporter: the u.s. says there would be consequences for russia whether it used a nuclear bomb or a dirty bomb. norah. >> scary. holly williams, thank you. well, with just two weeks to go until the midterm elections, cbs news has obtained an intelligence assessment saying china is likely seeking to

influence several races. this comes amid national security concerns about threats to operations and election officials. cbs's mark strassmann reports tonight on accusations of voter intimidation in the battleground state of arizona. >> reporter: armed vigilantes dressed in tactical gear patrol ballot drop boxes near phoenix. disruptive, even intimidating. multiple voters have filed formal complaints. in this home stretch for 2022's midterm elections, arizona may be america's hotbed for election conspiracy theorists. >> we're going to take a sledgehammer to these damn electronic voting machines. >> reporter: republican kari lake, running for governor here, pushes suspicions about shadowy threats to voter integrity without a shred of proof. mark finchem, arizona's republican secretary of state candidate, tweeted "watch all drop boxes, period. save the republic."

>> threats to harass you online but also threats to physically harm you. >> reporter: stephen richer is the maricopa county recorder, in charge of voter registration and, in this room, counting early voting. this republican's appalled by his own party's election deniers. >> it's especially frustrating when people knowingly do it to satisfy a selfish desire for political gain or for pecuniary gain. >> reporter: early voters now crowd polls across america. over the weekend, 80,000 georgians voted in a single day compared to the same day four years ago, an increase of 159%. other states like north carolina and florida report similar surges for many reasons, including the fight to control the u.s. senate. these ten states featured dogfights for senate seats. one of them, pennsylvania. cbs news has learned behind the scenes, former president trump

has encouraged state lawmakers to repeal a law that allows all voters to mail in ballots. the sheriff here has been looking into reports that early voters are being harassed, and he just referred two cases to prosecutors for criminal charges. norah. >> that's significant. mark strassmann, thank you. well, the revolving door at london's 10 downing street took an historic turn today with rishi sunak winning the vote to become the new prime minister of the united kingdom. he'll be the first person of color ever to hold that title. cbs's imtiaz tyab is in london with more on the man set to become uk's youngest leader in more than 200 years. >> i will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together. >> reporter: in his first speech to the nation as prime minister, as britain's fifth leader in just over six years, the third this year alone, he fought off challengers including former prime minister boris johnson for the top job. >> let me tell you a story.

>> reporter: when rishi sunak first ran this summer, he introduced himself as the son of indian immigrants. >> their story didn't end there, but that is where my story began. >> reporter: a story which saw him study at oxford and stanford and then land a plum job at goldman sachs. married to the daughter of an indian billionaire, they're worth an estimated $823 million, making him one of the richest members of parliament. >> tackling the costs of -- >> reporter: even then he was relatively unknown until then-prime minister boris johnson tapped him to be finance minister in 2020, when he oversaw the nation's economy during the covid-19 pandemic. despite his historic rise as britain's first p.m. of indian origin and of the hindu faith, he now has to steer an economy his former rival, liz truss, who was only in the job for 44 days, pushed into the abyss. inflation is over 10%. the pound is struggling. and energy costs are soaring. now, rishi sunak formally becomes prime minister when he

meets with king charles tomorrow, when he also makes history by becoming the first person of color to become prime minister of britain. but he has to solve this country's many, many problems as his top priority. norah. >> imtiaz tyab, thanks so much. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

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october is breast cancer awareness month, and there's usually an increase in mammograms during the month. but mammograms can fail to detect tumors in some women. in tonight's "health watch," cbs's roxana saberi on what women should be asking at their next appointment. >> reporter: for many, the key to beating breast cancer is early detection. 48-year-old eve feinberg gets a mammogram every year. >> my two paternal aunts were diagnosed with breast cancer. i have always lived with this fear that i, too, will die of breast cancer. >> reporter: her physician, dr. sarah friedewald, says feinberg is also at a slightly higher risk because her breasts are dense, meaning they have less fat and more tissue, like the breasts in these images. >> about 40% to 50% of the women

in the country actually have dense breast tissue. it just makes it a little bit harder for us to find cancer on the mammogram. >> reporter: that's because dense tissue shows up white on mammograms, and so do tumors. >> on a very cloudy day, which would be similar to a woman who had very dense breast tissue, we really can't see the cancer. >> reporter: she showed us how for this patient, additional scans, an ultrasound, and an mri revealed a large cancerous mass. >> the area lights up very quickly. >> reporter: 38 states now require patients to be notified screening options. pati s about their tissue type and if additional tests are needed, make sure to get a medical order and check if their insurance company requires pre-approval and covers the cost, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. feinberg told us she pays around $2,000 out of pocket each year

for an mri after insurance coverage. but, she says, it's worth it. >> i think just to know that if something is detected, it will be detected at an early stage. >> reporter: only 16 states and washington, d.c. require insurers to cover additional imaging. but if breast cancer is caught early, the five-year survival rate is 99%. norah. >> roxana, thank you so much for that great reporting and information. it is such an important topic. i actually went today to get my mammogram and sonogram. it took about an hour and a half, and while not comfortable for a few minutes, we all know this can save lives. so tomorrow we're going to take a look at the racial disparity. the survival rate for women of color, which is much lower than for white women. why is that, and what can be done? that's tomorrow right here. there is shock and sadness in hollywood tonight following the tragic death of beloved "will & grace" actor leslie jordan.

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nearly 20 dry shampoo products have been recalled because they may contain a chemical that causes cancer.

there's a nationwide voluntary recall on nearly 20 dry shampoo aerosol products. unilever, which makes the products under the brand name dove, nexus, suave, and tresemme, say they may contain elevated levels of benzene, which is known to cause cancer. customers are urged to stop using the products and go to unilever's website for reimbursement instructions. this was a big day for the chief groundskeeper at the white house. we'll tell you about the honor he received for 50 years on the job. that's next.

we wanted to end tonight on a remarkable milestone. presidents come and go, but a constant for the white house is dale haney. he's the chief white house groundskeeper, and today he celebrated 50 years of service, posing with president biden and the first lady as they planted a tree in his honor. besides keeping the grounds in tip-top shape, he's also walked the first family's dogs for years, including the bidens' german shepherd, commander. when i covered the white house, dale was always there making sure the grounds were perfect for visitors. dale, congratulations to you and thanks for your service to our country. and that's the overnight news for this tuesday. for some of you the news continues. for others, check back later for "cbs mornings." remember you can follow us

online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital, i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. in russia, jailed american basketball player brittney griner will appeal her conviction on drug smuggling charges on tuesday. griner will appear via video feed from the women's detention center outside moscow. the judge's verdict is expected the same day. the high-stakes race for senate in pennsylvania will see democrat john fetterman face off wi with his republican opponent, dr. mehmet oz. it's the first and only debate that could determine whether democrats keep control of the senate. and president biden is looking forward to speaking with britain's next prime minister, rishi sunak, in the coming days. the white house says protocol is to wait until the incoming prime minister has met with the british monarch to be invited to form a new government.

for more news, download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. it's tuesday, october it's tuesday, october 25th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." >> this is a heartbreaking day for all of us. it's going to be tough. >> tragedy in st. louis. two people are killed and seven others wounded after a gunman opened fire at a high school. how a security guard acted quickly after seeing the shooter. florida showdown. governor ron desantis and his challenger charlie crist meet in a contentious debate. the key takeaways with just 14 days left until the midterm elections. paying tribute. hollywood remembers leslie jordan. how colleagues are honoring his legacy. good morning and good to be