, new york. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." tonight, we are learning new information about the attack on paul pelosi. he's the husband of house speaker nancy pelosi. cbs news has confirmed that investigators have determined that the suspect had a list of people who he wanted to target. sources familiar with the investigation say the suspect allegedly had a bag full of zip ties along with a hammer that he brought to the pelosi home. the speaker says her husband is making progress. the suspect meanwhile will be officially charged tomorrow. he's expected to be arraigned on tuesday. cbs's jonathan vigliotti starts us off tonight from san francisco, where the attack

happened. jonathan. >> reporter: good evening. commenting for the first time this weekend, nancy pelosi says her family is heartbroken and traumatized. meanwhile, tonight her husband, paul pelosi, remains hospitalized. tonight, 82-year-old paul pelosi is recovering after surgery for a fractured skull. sources tell cbs news it could have been worse. pelosi held off the attack by asking the intruder to use the bathroom. that's when he called 911 for help. >> he doesn't know who the male is. >> reporter: the suspect, 42-year-old david depape, who had a history of spreading political conspiracy theories online, allegedly struck pelosi with a hammer before being tackled by police. sources say depape was looking for nancy pelosi, who was in washington at the time. the violence comes as threats against politicians are at an all-time high and just days before the midterm elections, where some calls to get out the vote have taken direct aim at the speaker. on "face the nation" margaret

brennan asked tom emmer, congressman and chairman of the republican congressional committee, about a tweet he posted four days ago of him touting the second amendment. firing a gun with the hashtag fire pelosi. >> why is there a gun in a political ad at all? wouldn't a pink slip be more fitting if it's about firing her? >> exercising our second amendment rights having fun shooting a gun. >> that's not a debate about the second amendment. >> yes, it is. >> it's about firing pelosi. >> yes, it is. >> reporter: emmer says there's no room for violence in our society. despite both sides calling for calm elon musk, twitter's new owner who's been under fire for how he'll fight misinformation, fanned the flames. this morning he retweeted then deleted an article by a conspiratorial website that claimed the two men knew each other before the attack. and san francisco police have since gone on the record saying these two men did not know each

other before the attack. jericka, they say there is no doubt this was a break-in. >> jonathan vigliotti for us in san francisco. thank you. well, that attack on the paul pelosi home came on the same day u.s. security officials sent out a bulletin warning of a heightened threat to the elections. a new cbs news poll out today shows 8 out of 10 voters feel things in this country are out of control. cbs's mark strassmann has more. >> reporter: america's zeitgeist, vulnerability. like this home invasion hammer attack on a politician's 82-year-old spouse. reinforcing where an anxious, often resentful bunch heading into midterms. >> now with joe biden there's a big thumb on top of you where you can't enjoy yourself. >> i just need to see some peace. and i think the only way to do this is voting. >> reporter: the economy, especially inflation, indisputably top of mind in voter anxiety. >> cost of groceries are

outrageous. utilities are outrageous. it keeps going up. >> reporter: and gas prices. look at these in los angeles. right at $7 a gallon for regular. that would be nightmarish in most of the country but here in l.a. prices have actually been coming down in the last couple weeks. in our latest cbs news poll of registered voters, a majority blame president biden and the democrats for the economy and gas the president's fighting that perception. >> unemployment is not 6.5 but 3.5%, the lowest it's been in 50 years. >> reporter: republicans see inflation numbers and smell blood. >> not just a red wave but a red tsunami. >> reporter: crime is another voter worry. like last week's deadly school shooting in st. louis. the 40th this year involving injuries or deaths. in major cities murder rates and shootings both down slightly but from a 30% spike two years ago.

our poll shows republicans have a double-digit lead on crime policies to make you feel safer. but american voters want this election cycle of leadership to confront other challenges. immigration, an infectious disease trifecta, covid, the flu, and rsv. gun policy, and abortion in a post-roe america. our poll says a majority of voters think republicans will pass a national abortion ban. another worry? culture wars invading the classroom and performance that's plummeting. it's one more challenge calling out for grown-up intervention. as millions of americans now vote for their idea of a grown-up. knowing that whoever wins half the country will resent it. again. mark strassmann, cbs news, los angeles. well, today nato called on russia to stop weaponizing food and immediately renew its u.n.-brokered grain deal. russia abruptly suspended the deal saturday after it claimed a

ukrainian drone attacked its fleet in crimea. the move could worsen the global food crisis and drive up grain market prices. cbs's holly williams has more on the fighting in ukraine. a warning, the graphic descriptions of the war may be disturbing for some. >> you could hear shooting, but then you could also hear grunts and people like fighting to the death with their bare hands. >> reporter: he's from tennessee, he he told us, and came to fight in ukraine because he was horrified by the russian invasion. he wants to be known only by his call sign, elvis. the carnage you're describing sounds like something out of world war ii. >> yeah. this is nothing like any conflict in the past 70 to 80 years. >> reporter: on the front line in southern ukraine, he says, he repeatedly witnessed russian forces using white phosphorus munitions. >> it comes down extremely slow,

but there's nothing you can do and everything it touches just incin incinerates. >> reporter: including this incident. >> about 20 or 30 guys burning alive. and several gunshots because there's nothing else they do. so a lot of guys have suicide pistols and you'd hear them scream and then they would say good-bye and then blow their own heads off. >> elvis, that must have been horrific. >> it's war. at least that's what i tell myself. >> reporter: he admits that he's traumatized. do you still think this is a righteous war? >> yes. absolutely. we're fighting pure evil. anybody in the west that asks ukraine to just do peace talks, they need to go to these villages. they need to see what's been done to these people. if china invaded the u.s. hypothetically, massacred thousands, do you think the u.s. would just sue for peace? no. >> reporter: russia's previously

denied using white phosphorus munitions here in ukraine. and jericka, elvis told us that if other americans are thinking of volunteering with

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>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." i'm jericka duncan in new york. thanks so much for staying with us. the midterm elections are now just eight days away. and with control of congress in the balance a new cbs news battleground tracker poll finds republicans likely to take control of the house of representatives. in the senate we estimate republicans taking 48 seats, the democrats 47, with five too close to call. the fastest-growing group of voters, asian americans, could play a key role in several battleground states. nancy chen explain. >> reporter: asian americans are increasing in numbers, and so is their power on election day.

in 2020 voter participation increased exponentially in battleground states like georgia and nevada as well as others like texas and california. and that makes this year one to watch. with control of congress up for grabs, orange county, california is home to one of the closest races in the country. >> so's gwin is. >>y ces oken, ty r orter: buthe chen and incumbent republican michelle steele in a district that's nearly 30% asian american also showcases the growing political power of this rapidly changing community. >> this seat was drawn to be an asian plurality seat. it was designed specifically so that asian american voters would have a very strong voice. >> reporter: while far from a monolith, asian americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the u.s., with more than 13 million eligible to vote this november. >> asian american voters could

make a huge difference this election. >> you know, that's what we're most excited about. >> reporter: nadia belkin heads the newly formed asian american power network, an alliance of organizations advocating for progressive issues. she says asian americans could be the margin of victory in key battleground states. which is why the coalition collectively launched a $10 million campaign to mobilize voters. >> we have voters that are hungry to participate in the process. it's about making sure that we are reaching out and engaging them in ways that resonate with them. >> reporter: belkin says attempts to galvanize voters are happening on the grassroots level but campaigns should do more. some democratic organizers agree. >> we're not saying that asian americans have to be the top. no. we just want to say that we want to be included. >> reporter: but in states like texas and georgia where there are large asian american populations, outreach is growing and candidates are finding success. >> this election is an

opportunity to organize aapi communities in texas. >> reporter: in 2020 asian american voters in georgia mobilized in unprecedented numbers, doubling their turnout, and helping democrats flip control of the u.s. senate. >> we are a party for every american. >> reporter: in the leadup to this year's midterms the republican national committee opened asian american community outreach centers in california, washington state, nevada, georgia and texas. >> we're looking at these areas where there are a lot of asian american voters, different asian american communities. and this investment is a considerable one. >> reporter: harmit dillon is a member of the republican national committee and coordinates grassroots outreach. >> i think what's really important is we start these efforts and continue them year-round. >> reporter: while asian americans have historically trended democratic, republicans now see an opportunity to make inroads. what does this all say about the asian american community? >> there is a lot of beauty, and

it's time i think for people to start asking questions and be curious about our diversity, be curious about the languages that we speak and the cultures that we carry with us. it's about creating a multiracial democracy. for decades now the carter center, founded by former president jimmy carter and his wife, has been monitoring elections around the world. the democracy program, as it's called, is designed to help fledgling democracies conduct free and fair elections, mostly by sending observers to monitor the voting. but this year the carter center has its eye on the election right here in the united states. barry petersen has more. >> reporter: guyana, south america, 2020. election observers from the carter center found problems. but a recount five months later led to a peaceful transition of power. tunisia, north africa, 2019. another of the more than 110 elections worldwide where carter center observers watched over a

contest.east ashia 2015, their first freetis, their firs democracy, where they found many could not vote because of violence or discrimination. >> these are all the elections we've observed since ahearterte atlanta. and he personally observed elections. this year the carter center has a new troubled election it is focusing on. ours. what does that mean? >> that means we've realized that the situation in the united states, the threats to democracy and to our institutions here are greater than in many countries around the world. >> reporter: both sides are sowing mistrust in election results, as did democrat stacey abrams when she denied losing the 2018 georgia governor's race. >> we won. >> reporter: and donald trump when he lost in 2020. >> there's no way we lost georgia. there's no way. that was a rigged election.

>> reporter: this year even before the first votes some candidates already say they won't accept election results unless they win. >> that's the nightmare scenario, if people don't agree to a peaceful transfer of power. i mean, that is the fundamental element of a democracy. >> i understand what you're r illy and truly there's a bit of fear in what you're thinking about. >> oh, a great amount of concern and fear of what could happen in this country if we are not able to get ourselves back on the right track. >> fear of what? >> fear of this country no longer being a place that is genuinely democratic. >> reporter: hardcore, take no prisoner partisans get the publicity. but surprisingly, it's not what most americans want. a new poll showed 2/3 of respondents want candidates who will compromise to create change. the carter center will observe elections in three states this year, georgia, arizona and

michigan, watching voting or election preparations. experience it got in 2020 when it observed the recount in georgia that confirmed a biden victory. and in 2020 gabriel sterling, now georgia's interim deputy secretary of state, issued a blunt warning as emotions on both sides boiled over and some election officials faced death threats. >> it has to stop! someone's going to get hurt. someone's going to get shot. someone's going to get killed. >> what do you feel overall, just bringing the focus back out of georgia and across america? are you worried about the direction this is going? >> generally speaking, i remain hopeful in these situations. and what we have to remember is not all these people are evil people. all these people who are thinking the election was stolen, they believe in their heart of hearts their actions are protecting american democracy. >> reporter: unlike 2020 this year there are more threats to officials and volunteer workers. it is taking a toll. avery davis roberts is associate

director of the carter democracy program and a veteran of severa overseas elections. how does that play out? >> they tell you stories about being afraid to be at home by themselves because of the threats they've received. some people just start crying. men, women, republicans, democrats. these are threats that have really impacted election officials from all walks of life. >> reporter: the midterm election is a dry run for the big prides, the presidential election of 2024. will there be a free and fair 2024 or will we have lost our way by then? >> ask me after 2022. >> reporter: the message is as clear as it is ominous. the many battles over democracy and voting may end up destroying

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try nervivenerve relief. 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. one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. well, we made it to halloween. a day for scary costumes and trick or treating. one animal that playsentr ro in ween re, can u ba. most people would rather avoid them altogether. but in huntsville, texas the local bats are actually a tourist attraction. janet shamlian explains. >> reporter: it doesn't look like a point of interest, but this crumbling warehouse with shattered windows and sprouting trees becomes one as the sun sets in huntsville, texas. >> it's still way underrated as far as tourist destinations

things to check out. >> reporter: tommy hoke still remembers his first time. >> i was blown away. i didn't know what to expect. and then when i saw it, i couldn't believe watching it was amazing. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: it's a common reaction to the evening show by more than a million mexican free-tailed bats. emerging en masse for nighttime nourishment from a place they've called home for years. but technically isn't theirs. the bats are a population the texas state penitentiary has long wanted gone. it owns the building.fect the b move into these bat houses just 50 feet away. there have been no takers. >> they're in direct sunlight >> reporte earer this year y're word camehe building would be torn down for safety reasons.

the fate of the bats uncertain. >> i was looking at that building knowing what was imminent. it really just convicted to me that if i don't do something now, if i don't say something, at least make some sort of an effort, it's something that in hindsight i will regret for the rest of my life. >> reporter: hoke started a save the huntsville bats facebook page. thousands joined or made their own pleas. and soon the prison agreed to hit pause. >> are you a bat guy? >> i wasn't, but i am now. >> you are? >> yeah. >> reporter: city council member russell humphrey is part of a group. local leaders, prison reps and bat experts. working to find a home they will move to. the texas department of criminal justice tells cbs news "we are taking additional time to make sure community members and advocates are engaged in the discussion." when you heard that the prison was going to stop demolishing the warehouse, what did you think? >> i thought wow, this is

amazing. i can't believe -- because i had so many people tell me it's not going to happen. we like what you're doing. we think that's great. yeah, we wish we could save it. but it's not going to happen. >> reporter: for now the nightly flights continue. in its gift store there's recognition of the city's unofficial tourist attraction. you can buy bat t-shirts, bat cookie cutter, even take home a stuffed bat. i have been out here probably since may. probably 150 times. >> reporter: with earlier sunsets they're harder to see this time of year, especially if you're as blind as a -- well, you know. >> it never gets old. and a lot of times it's so rewarding, i'll hear little kids' voices and the excitement in their voice. >> reporter: got some kids here tonight. >> yeah. and it's great. i love hearing that. >> reporter: children like adelaide. who got this for you? >> i picked it out myself. >> reporter: at 5 already a bat fan. >> i love bats.

and i think they love me too. >> reporter: the prison bats, for now granted a temporary

groundbreaking rocker jerry lee lewis has passed away. jane pauley takes a look back on his life and career. ♪ >> reporter: it happened on friday. ♪ crazy ♪ jerry lee lewis, one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, died at age 87 at his mississippi home outside memphis. ♪ mama, don't you treat me wrong ♪ ♪ i come and love you all night long ♪ number 24 on rolling stone's list of greatest artists of all time, lewis sang blues, gospel, country and more. ♪ goodness gracious great balls of fire ♪ with performances that made over the top seem like an understatement.

"great balls of fire," the man was something. ♪ goodness gracious great balls of fire ♪ it's said lewis's father and mother mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano after their young son taught himself to play on a beatup piano at church. ♪ hopping at the high school hop ♪ there followed a life of hit after hit. ♪ and excess upon excess. once lewis was asked why a biographer is it true that -- yeah, he interrupted. it probably was. in all, jerry lee lewis had more than 20 songs reach the top 10 on the billboard country charts. sthoet well, it's true ♪ and while his most infamous marriage may have been to his 13-year-old cousin myra gay brown in the late '50s, lewis is survived by his seventh wife, judith. >> that is the "overnight news"

for this monday. reporting from the cbs broadcast center in new york city, i'm jericka duncan. this is cbs news flash. i'm elise preston in new york. supreme court justices will consider the fate of affirmative action in college admissions. the decades-old policy allows special preference for women and people of color at higher institutions. but challengers of the policy say it discriminates against asian americans. brazil has elected a new president. lula da silva already ruled the nation from 2003 to 2010. his election follows a 2018 prison sentence in a corruption scandal. and a massive powerball jackpot worth $1 billion is up for grabs. the pot is the second largest in the game's history. the cash prize is an estimated $497.3 million.

for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone. or connected tv. i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. heartbroken and traumatized. speaker nancy pelosi reacts to the brutal attack on her husband. the suspect demanding to see the speaker after allegedly breaking into her home. >> i'm jonathan vigliotti in san francisco outside the pelosi home, where we're learning new details tonight about the attack. >> the attack coincides with a heightened domestic threat warning days before the midterm elections and a new cbs news poll finds a majority of voters describe feeling that things in this country are out of control. also, deadly crowd crush. what contributed to the dangerous conditions that killed more than 150 people at halloween festivities in south korea? plus, mourning the mighty

mississippi as the river falls victim to drought. the concern over its condition spreads way beyond its banks. >> we can dredge it to a certain point and then mother nature wins. and later, taking wing. >> look at that. >> the children leading the fight to save the monarch butterfly. >> announcer: this is the cbs overnight news. tonight we are learning new information about the attack on paul pelosi. he's the husband of house speaker nancy pelosi. cbs news has confirmed that investigators have determined that the suspect had a list of people who he wanted to target. sources familiar with the investigation say the suspect allegedly had a bag full of zip ties along with a hammer that he brought to the pelosi home. the speaker says her husband is making progress. the suspect, meanwhile, will be

officially charged tomorrow. he's expected to be arraigned on tuesday. cbs's jonathan vigliotti starts us off tonight from san francisco, where the attack happened. jonathan. >> reporter: good evening. commenting for the first time this weekend, nancy pelosi says her family is heartbroken and traumatized. meanwhile, tonight her husband, paul pelosi, remains hospitalized. tonight, 82-year-old paul pelosi is recovering after surgery for a fractured skull. sources tell cbs news it could have been worse. pelosi held off the attack by asking the intruder to use the bathroom. that's when he called 911 for help. >> he doesn't know who the male is. >> reporter: the suspect, 42-year-old david depape, who had a history of spreading political conspiracy theories online, allegedly struck pelosi with a hammer before being tackled by police. sources say depape was looking for nancy pelosi, who was in washington at the time. the violence comes as threats against politicians are at an all-time high and just days before the midterm elections, where some calls to get out the

vote have taken direct aim at the speaker. on "face the nation" margaret brennan asked tom emmer, congressman and chairman of the national republican congressional committee, about a tweet he posted four days ago of him touting the second amendment, firing a gun with the hashtag firepelosi. >> why is there a gun in a political ad at all? >> well, now -- >> wouldn't a pink slip be more fitting if it's about firing her? >> exercising our second amendment rights, having fun -- >> that's not a debate about the second amendment. that's not a debate about the second amendment. hashtag fire pelosi. >> yes, it is. >> reporter: emmer said there is no place for violence in our society, despite political leaders on both sides of the aisle calling for calm elon musk, twitter's new owner, who's been under fire for how he'll fight misinformation, fanned the flames. this morning he retweeted then deleted an article by a conspiratorial website that claimed the two men knew each other before the attack.

and san francisco police have since gone on the record saying these two men did not know each other before the attack. jericka, they say there is no doubt, this was a break-in. >> jonathan vigliotti for us in san francisco. thank you. well, that attack on the paul pelosi home came on the same day u.s. security officials sent out a bulletin warning of a heightened threat to the elections. a new cbs news poll out today shows 8 out of 10 voters feel things in this country are out of control. cbs's mark strassmann has more. >> reporter: america's zeitgeist, vulnerability. like this home invasion hammer attack on a politician's 82-year-old spouse. reinforcing we're an anxious, often resentful bunch heading into midterms. >> now with joe biden there's a big thumb on top of you where you can't enjoy yourself. >> i just need to see some peace. and i think the only way to do this is voting. >> reporter: the economy,

especially inflation, indisputably top of mind in voter anxiety. >> cost of groceries are outrageous. utilities are outrageous. it keeps going up. >> reporter: and gas prices. look at these in los angeles. $7 a gallon for regular. that would be nightmarish in most of the country, but here in l.a. prices have actually been coming down in the last couple weeks. in our latest cbs news poll of registered voters a majority blame president biden and the democrats for the economy and gas prices. the president's fighting that perception. >> unemployment is not 6.5 but 3.5%. the lowest it's been in 50 years. >> reporter: republicans see inflation numbers and smell blood. >> not just a red wave but a red tsunami. >> reporter: crime is another worry. like last year's deadly school shooting in st. louis, the 40th

this year involving injuries or deaths. in major cities murder rates and shootings down slightly but from a 30% spike two years ago. our poll shows republicans have a double-digit lead on crime policies to make you feel safer. but american voters want this election cycle of leadership to confront other challenges. immigration. an infectious disease trifecta, covid, the flu, and rsv. gun policy. and abortion in a post-roe america. our poll says a majority of voters think republicans will pass a national abortion ban. another worry? culture wars invading the classroom and performance that's plummeting. it's one more challenge calling out for grownup intervention as millions of americans now vote for their idea of a grown-up, knowing that whoever wins, half the country will resent it. again. mark strassmann, cbs news, los

angeles. well, monday's powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $1 billion. that's the second largest in powerball history. no one matched all six numbers saturday to win the $825 million jackpot, which keeps growing because no one has hit all six numbers since august 3rd. might have to play. well, straight ahead, the ripple effect as the mississippi river slows to a crawl. and later, saving the monarch butterfly, one school garden at a time.

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." well, tonight we've learned at least two americans including a university of kentucky nursing student were among the more than 150 people killed in a crowd surge in seoul, south korea. today mourners left flowers to pay tribute to the victims near the site, a narrow alley where around 100,000 people gathered the night before. here's cbs's elizabeth palmer. >> reporter: it started out as celebration. thousands of mostly young people finally freed from covid restrictions crowded into a narrow street in downtown seoul. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: but suddenly the crowd surged and what had been a

halloween party turned into a horror show. by the time rescue workers arrived ten minutes after the first s.o.s. call they had trouble pulling people from what had in seconds become a lethal crush. korean television broadcast pictures of medics at the scene doing cpr in the road. but the scale of the tragedy became clear when body after body after body was wheeled from the scene to waiting ambulances. this morning south korea's president, yoon suk-yeol, visited the scene of the tragedy, a sloping alley where the crush had begun. and later at a press conference he announced a week of national mourning and an investigation into the calamity. but it will be too late for the families who gathered at a community center for information and then got the news. [ wailing ] no parent should ever have to hear. south korea is in shock. this is the worst national

tragedy since 2014, when a ferry overturned and in that case too most of the victims were young people. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, tokyo. well, today nato called on russia to stop weaponizing food and immediately renew its u.n.-brokered grain deal. russia abruptly suspended the deal saturday after it claimed a ukrainian drone attacked its fleet in crimea. the move could worsen the global food crisis and drive up grain market prices. cbs's holly williams has more on the fighting in ukraine. a warning. the graphic descriptions of the war may be disturbing for some. >> you could hear shooting, but then you could also hear grunts and people like fighting to the death with their bare hands. >> reporter: he's from tennessee, he told us, and came to fight in ukraine because he was horrified by the russian invasion. he wants to be known only by his call sign, elvis.

>> the carnage you're describing sounds like something out of world war ii. >> yeah. this is nothing like any conflict in the past 70 to 80 years. >> reporter: on the front line in southern ukraine he says he repeatedly witnessed russian forces using white phosphorus munitions. >> it comes down extremely slow but there's nothing you can do and everything it touches just incinerates. >> reporter: including this incident. >> about 20 or 30 guys burning alive. and several gunshots because there's nothing else they do. so a lot of guys have suicide pistols. and you'd hear them scream and then they would say good-bye and then blow their own heads off. >> elvis, that must have been horrific. >> it's war. at least that's what i tell myself. >> reporter: he admits that he's traumatized. do you still think this is a righteous war? >> yes. absolutely. we're fighting pure evil.

anybody in the west that asks ukraine to just do peace talks, they need to go to these villages. they need to see what's been done to these people. if china invaded the u.s. hypothetically, massacred thousands, do you think the u.s. would just sue for peace? no. >> reporter: russia's previously denied using white phosphorus munitions here in ukraine. and jericka, elvis told us that if other americans are thinking of volunteering with ukraine's military they should know they'll be fighting for their lives. right now many u.s. hospitals are feeling the strain of a wave of flu and rsv cases. this as the battle against covid rages on. let's check in with cbs news medical contributor dr. david agus. always good to have you on. we currently have more than 6900 hospitalizations, over 360 flu deaths according to the latest estimates by the cdc.

is that a cause for concern? what does all of this mean? >> we're seeing flu and rsv at much higher levels at this point in the year than we have in prior years. part of it is for 2 1/2 years we had no immunity. so there's no baseline immunity to either of these in children or adults in the community. and what we're seeing is much more serious infection. so it certainly is worrisome. many pediatric icus in the country are full at the present time. >> and a quick reminder for those who are not familiar with rsv. what is that? >> a respiratory sensational virus. it's a virus spread predominantly through touch that is significant in kids. they get much more symptomatic. it's an upper respiratory infection that's not spread through droplets predominantly, through touching. >> when you look at covid, i want to look at some information that just recently came out. scientists at harvard and columbia found that new boosters aren't much better than the original covid shots. explain that.

>> yeah, you have to take sometimes the headlines with a grain of salt. what these showed is that in two separate studies, each less than two dozen people, so very small, when only looking at the antibodies, the antibody response was slightly greater. it was still great. but slightly greater than the prior booster. which was a non-bivalent. not the ba.4 and ba.5 omicron but the original booster. we still don't have the t cell data from those studies and what we're going to find very soon is the pfizer moderna very large study data will be announced. and i hope it shows significant protections. my gut is it will. >> we shall see. thank you, dr. agus. there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news." ah, these bills are crazy. she has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't

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have sent the river to record low levels, creating chaos for barge traffic. >> we haven't seen these levels for about three decades. >> reporter: paul rhode represents t riv shipping and towing industry. barges are being slowed and stranded at the worst possible time. just as farmers are sending their harvests down river. >> 60% of our ag exports travel ri, do to new orleans and out for export. so if we don't have barges available, that's a real problem. not just for america's farmers but for the world frankly. >> reporter: it's also a critical supply chain for everything from coal and petroleum to fertilizer and road salt. >> how important is this river to moving goods around this country? >> the mississippi river is a vital transportation artery. it's absolutely a water super highway. annually we'll move 500 million tons, give or take. if you wanted to put that on trucks, you could circle the earth 13 times with trucks

bumper to bumper. >> reporter: billions of dollars in economic losses and higher prices for consumers are expected as the drought drags on. what's your biggest concern? >> no clouds, no rain. >> and you need more than a little rain? >> a lot more. >> reporter: lou delarco is chief of operations for the army corps of engineers in st. louis. the city is now the gateway to growing problems down river. the army corps has been dredging nonstop for three months, desperately trying to keep a nine-foot-deep shipping channel open. by sucking up enough silt and sand to fill an olympic-size swimming pool every hour. if this drought continues, can you dredge your way out of this? >> we can dredge it to a certain point, and then mother nature wins. >> reporter: in louisiana salt water from the gulf of mexico is creeping up the river, threatening the drinking water supply. baton rouge has a new tourist

attraction, a sunken ferry boat from the early 1900s resurfaced as the water receded. this punishing drought comes as climate change is making rainfall patterns all over the country more extreme. >> it is drought or flood. >> reporter: washington university professor robert chris has studied the mississippi's flow for decades. is your sense that this is not going to be as reliable as we thought it once was? >> it clearly is not reliable. when the water's too high, they can't run the barges. when the water's too low, they can't run the barges. >> reporter: and yet the barges have to keep running on a not so mighty mississippi. >> unfortunately, there's no silver bullet. this is irreplaceable. we've got to keep commerce moving. >> reporter: ben tracy, cbs news, st. louis. >> definitely hoping for some rain there. well, still ahead, mexico city is all decked out with a purpose on the scariest holiday of them all.

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vicks sinex targets congestion at the source, relieving nasal congestion and sinus pressure by reducing swelling in the sinuses. try vicks sinex. what happens to your body language when you use dove dry spray? [laughing] it shows. our weightless formula with 1/4 moisturizers is effective and kind to skin. leaving you feeling instantly dry and confident. an estimated 1 million people turned out in mexico city to celebrate the day of the dead, or dia de muertos. smiling skeletons, giant floats and marching bands danced all along the city's main avenues. the day honors lost loved ones. and expect trick-or-treaters to be out in full force tomorrow no matter the weather. in the east you can expect stormy weather from new york to the carolinas and warmer than normal temperatures. out west the first atmospheric

river of the season will hit the pacific northwest, which essentially brings with it cool temperatures in the 40s and 50s. well, next, a grassroots fight to save one of nature's most beaut ♪music playing♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪

nothing brings the pack together like a trip to great wolf lodge. now open in northern california.

finally tonight, the monarch butterfly was recently declared endangered around the world. well, the western population is most at risk, declining by 99% over the last 40 years. cbs's debra alfarone spent time with some children working to change that. >> reporter: these students -- >> we are looking for weeds. >> reporter: -- at st. joan of arc's school in aberdeen, maryland -- >> they are milkweed. >> reporter: are saving the migratory monarch butterfly. >> there's also lavender. >> reporter: this garden is one of about 3,000 certified monarch way stations at schools across the country. it grows milkweed, which the monarch caterpillar needs to live. >> they are pollinators. so they help the reproduction of

flowers. >> reporter: chip taylor is that second force. the insect ecologist founded monarch watch at the university of kansas 30 years ago. >> reporter: irir shirt.ant ed." tont >> give it a little push down. >> reporter: and organizing the tagging of the butterflies to l. >> if we're losing monarch butterflies we're losing other species. there's no question about that. >> reporter: and potentially losing lessons this garden can teach. after 2 million butterflies tagged, a million milkweeds planted, and 40,000 gardens certified, it's time for chip to spread his wings. why is it time to retire now? >> you're not 85 years old yet. >> reporter: leaving the fight to save nature's icon of conservation to the next generation. >> oh, and look at that. >> go butterflies, go! >> reporter: in aberdeen, maryland debra alfarone, cbs news.

that is the "overnight news" for this monday. reporting from the cbs broadcast center in new york city, i'm jericka duncan. this is "cbs news flash." i'm elise preston in new york. supreme court justices will consider the fate of affirmative action in college admissions. the decades-old policy allows special preference for women and people of color at higher institutions. but challengers of the policy say it discriminates against asian americans. brazil has elected a new president. lula da silva already ruled the nation from 2003 to 2010. his election follows a 2018 prison sentence in a corruption scandal. and a massive powerball jackpot worth $1 billion is up for grabs. the pot is the second largest in the game's history. the cash prize is an estimated $497.3 million. for more news download the cbs

news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm el it's monday, october 31st, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." condition improving. paul pelosi, husband of house speaker nancy pelosi, remains in the hospital after a violent home break-in. what we know about the suspect. final push. just eight days away from the midterm elections. how a new cbs news poll is spelling trouble for democrats control of congress. crowd surge. a disaster during halloween festivities in south korea leaves more than 150 people dead, including two americans. the latest on how it happened. good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. the man accused of attacking the husband ou