>> we really thought of ourselves as people and we were very prideful about who we were as black women. >> reporter: after graduating from howard university in washington, d.c. she returned to the bay area for law school and began her career at the alameda county district attorney's office. >> i needed somebody i could trust. >> reporter: former san francisco mayor and california assembly speaker willie brown mentored harris and appointed her to two state commissions. >> what did you see in her politically? >> she exudes the quality of being concerned about everybody. >> reporter: but the pair raised eyebrows when they dated in the mid '90s. >> what do you say to people who feel like she may have improperly benefited politically from the relationship that the two of you had?

>> it's perfectly appropriate and legal, and people helping each other. >> congratulations. >> reporter: in 2004 harris won her first campaign for san francisco d.a. >> in this race there are two clear choices. >> reporter: and six years later she became california's attorney general, defeating former los angeles d.a. steve cooley. >> and she essentially slaughtered me. >> reporter: throughout her tenure harris cast herself as a progressive prosecutor and a top cop. she instituted a re-entry program for low-level offenders and secured a $20 billion settlement for california homeowners. but her approach on issues like the death penalty and mass incarceration has drawn scrutiny. >> she's putting herself out there as some sort of crime fighter to get away from the image of being soft on crime. >> reporter: while her record became a liability in her first run for the white house, this time she's leaning in. >> thank you. thank you.

>> reporter: prosecuting her case again for the presidency. i'm nikole killion in oakland. >> good evening! >> "cbs news roundup" will be right back. (♪♪) (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) dove men gives you healthier smoother-feeling skin... to celebrate life's intense moments. use dove men bodywash with its 24-hour nourishing micromoisture enjoy healthier smoother-feeling skin all day with dove men body wash. sometimes jonah wrestles with falling asleep... ...so he takes zzzquil. the world's #1 sleep aid brand. and wakes up feeling like himself. get the rest to be your best with non-habit forming zzzquil. ♪ ♪ it ain't my dad's razor, dad. ay watch it!

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in their offensive inside russia. and moscow's forces continue to close in on a key city in eastern ukraine. no matter how and when this war ends, ukrainian civilians will be dealing with millions of russian land mines planted across about 1/3 of their country. scott pelley paid a visit to the liberated city of izium. it was occupied for six months. and retreating russian soldiers laid land mines as they fled ukrainian forces. >> reporter: putin's unprovoked destroyed 80% of izium and killed 1,000. leaving apartment buildings cleaved in two and this school built in 1882 a hollow corpse. the people of izium clothe themselves in liberation, and yet they are not entirely free.

demining teams are still fighting russia here. izium, 20 miles from the front, is one of the worst areas for mines and unexploded ordnance. throughout ukraine more than 1,000 civilians have been wounded by mines. lydia borova, a 70-year-old widow, was picking mushrooms in a forest. "i turned by the tree, and then there was an explosion," she said. "i looked down at myself and i was bleeding. my arm was injured. my leg was injured. i was losing strength." her right foot and ankle were ripped away. kuznetsov said, "first of all, the most difficult thing is to persuade a patient that their leg needs to be amputated.

it's very difficult to explain to them that the leg is no good, no good to use. he told us a prosthetic is ultimately easier to live with. "dr. kuznetsov saved me," she told us. "i didn't realize how much blood i lost. i don't know how i managed to survive." ihor bogoraz was with his wife in their garden. they found 12 mines. but there were 13. "i decided to mow the weeds," he told us. "and one mine was under my foot. i stepped on it and it exploded instantly. and that's it. no leg." serhiy nikolaiev was walking in leaves from the autumn while uncovering grapevines for the spring. "if it had been green," he told us, "i would have noticed it.

but it was brown. i didn't see it. it blended in with the leaves." i stepped on it and i knew right away. kuznetsov said, "the majority are those who stepped on petal mines or anti-personnel mines. the person who invented them was an evil genius because they only weigh two ounces but what they can do when triggered is terrifying." petal mines, five inches long, flutter from aircraft by the thousands like flower petals. 11 pounds of pressure will set them off. vasil solyanek found them on his roof and in his garden. "there's 18 here," he told us.

"but in all there were over 50." he showed us his video. that's a petal mine right there. they are so common that we were told the story of a 70-year-old woman who gathered them in a basket and took them to a police station. solyanek told us there are some left in the bushes over here, so don't walk around there. he dialed 101 and emergency services sent deminers ivan shepolev and ihor okcharuk. "we encounter every type of munition," okcharuk told us. anti-infantry and anti-tank mines, mortars, artillery shells, rockets, it's all here. at solvanek's home a sweep revealed an unexploded cluster bomb.

those are tricky. so they blew it in place. ivan shepolev told us as the russians fled they also left booby traps. "we have seen cases unfortunately where explosives were found in civilian homes." okcharuk said, "my team also had to work on removing our dead ukrainian soldiers whose bodies had been mined. in 2022ihor okcharuk's kneecap was shattered when a fellow deminer stepped on a mine and lost his foot. shepolev told us, "we know every explosive we remove means that someone's life is saved. a few weeks after our visit a russian missile wrecked the fire station where they're based.

some were injured, but not shepolev or okcharuk. what is the scope of the mine threat in ukraine? >> i think the scope is unrecognizable in modern times. >> reporter: pete smith heads demining here for the halo trust, a charity funded in 1988 to demine war zones. smith was 33 years in the british army and awarded by queen elizabeth for disarming an i.r.a. time bomb in a train station. today he says ukraine is the most heavily mined country. >> in some areas the mine fields are three or four mines deep. in areas maybe a dozen mines deep. but that's just the first line of defense. then several kilometers behind that there are other layers of minefields as well. >> reporter: smith took us to a farm sown with russian anti-tank mines. you have to step carefully. right there in the center is a

mine packed with 17 pounds of high explosive. with three weeks of training behind her, yulia yaroshuk was probing for any tripwire that would detonate a mine near her. she threaded the grass. feeling for the slightest resistance. only the day before, a halo deminer was killed and two were wounded in another part of ukraine. doing this by hand with that wand, it seems to me that you have an awfully big field to cover. she said, "well, of course, it will be a very long process. as far as i know, it will take many, many years. each day of war means years of demining.

>> why do you do this work? "i didn't have to do it. i wanted to do it. this is my contribution to victory." >> and you can see more of scott pelley's report on our website, cbs news.com. stay with us. "cbs news roundup" will be right back.

tina zimmerman: five years ago, i reconnected with my estranged father, and that's just something i never ever thought could happen. but when he became a believer, he just had this insatiable appetite to learn the bible, and he began to watch dr. stanley. dr. stanley: god always blesses obedience without an exception. tina: he teaches in a way that it just makes sense, and i feel like that's the way our heavenly father would teach us.

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animal making the rounds at the jails in ventura county, california. elise martinez has the story. >> reporter: 2-year-old melo and his handler deputy sheriff sung lee are making their daily walk to the health and programming unit inside the todd rhode jail. >> sit. good boy. >> reporter: melo was originally trained to sniff out narcotics. >> however, he was better suited to be a therapy dog because he was so friendly and wasn't able to focus on detection. >> reporter: so now melo's assignment is doing what he does best. >> good dog. >> reporter: bringing smiles and comfort to inmates. >> to help facilitate and manage psychiatric needs in a more humane manner, so that we are accommodating to their needs. >> reporter: the animal assisted therapy program started back in

2022 because traditional methods just weren't working. >> you feel anxiety and you feel like lonely, you feel something like that. it's good to have a dog like this. just to see him, like to pet him. >> reporter: the todd road jail houses about 600 people and jail administrators say nearly 1/3 of the population is dealing with a psychiatric disorder. >> it's a hard place to be with mental health issues. >> reporter: inmate ben connors is in jail for felony robbery and assault charges. connors says melo helps reduce his anxiety. >> it's nice to get any little bit of peace of mind you can get in here. >> good boy. go. >> reporter: lee says melo's presence has cut down on psychotic episodes and outbursts. >> they're more willing to let us help them. i've seen fewer fights. >> reporter: the goal is to help inmates become competent to stand trial, make their way through the court process, and ultimately be released back into society.

>> definitely a second chance is important because just that one instance of losing your mind doesn't mean that's how you are, you know, for the rest of your life. you can still do good and be calm and peaceful. >> reporter: in ventura alise martinez, kcal news. >> so cute. that's today's "cbs news roundup." for some of you the news continues. for others tune in later for "cbs mornings" and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the cbs news broadcast center in new york city, i'm shanelle kaul. ♪

hello and thanks so much for staying up with us. i'm shanelle kaul in new york, and here are the top stories on "cbs news roundup." vice president kamala harris makes her case to the country on the final night of the democratic national convention. former president donald trump heads to the arizona border with mexico, criticizing harris for illegal immigration. and we'll have a complete debrief of the democratic party's big gathering. vice president kamala harris is now the official democratic nominee for president. on thursday night harris gave what could be the most consequential speech of her political life. cbs's skyler henry has more. ♪ >> reporter: chicago's united center was at peak capacity when vice president kamala harris took to the stage to accept her party's nomination.

>> i accept your nomination to be president of the united states of america. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the democratic nominee called for unity and warned that returning former president donald trump to the white house could have devastating consequences for the country. >> i will be a president who unites us. >> reporter: recent polls put harris in a dead heat with trump. but her campaign filled the night with democratic heavyweights from battleground states. >> donald trump skipped his intelligence briefings. >> donald trump called me that woman from michigan. as an insult. >> kamala harris will fight for you to the very end. ♪ oh, say can you see ♪ >> reporter: the chicks kicked off the primetime event, performing an a capella version of the national anthem. there was a strong emphasis on patriotism with vp nominee tim

walz watching it all from the stands. delegates also wore white with a nod to suffragists who fought to earn the right to vote more than 100 years ago. and the theme of joy stayed consistent to the end. skyler henry, cbs news, chicago. and now that the 2024 democratic convention is officially over, we're joined by cbs's political director finn gomez. finn, good to see you. take us inside the room. what was the response there to vice president kamala harris's speech tonight? >> reporter: to this democratic base, to the faithful of the party, that packed this convention center, it was one of -- the reaction was enthusiasm -- absolute enthusiasm. there was just every single delegate in this room was completely just focused on every single word she was saying. this was a big moment for vice president harris. she was really reintroducing herself to americans across

america, voters across the country, really stepping out of the shadow of president joe biden, and really to not only showcase her bio, her biography, how she came to this moment, but also how she can contrast herself and how she does contrast herself with her opponent, former president donald trump. but i've been here for every single major speech all week, all leading up to this moment. and to many delegates here that i spoke to afterwards they told me that she nailed it. >> and fin, there were just 80 days or less until election day now. what happens next? what can we expect from both parties in the coming weeks? >> reporter: yeah, shanelle, we only have 2 1/2 months until that november 5th election. in the coming weeks the expectation is we will be seeing both candidates hitting the ground running, hitting the trail running. we also have some major tent poles coming up including debates. so this is what both candidates

are going to be focused on. and we do expect what traditionally happens following the convention is a bump in polls. that is likely what will happen here as well. but there's also traditionally an evening out, if you will, in the next few weeks. but there's no question, speaking to harris officials, they tell me that this is a close race, in these southern battleground states it is tight. >> cbs's political director fin gomez. fin, thank you. >> thank you. former president donald trump has been out on the campaign trail all this week. and on thursday he visited the battleground state of arizona, focusing on immigration. trump toured the u.s.-mexico border, where he accused vice president kamala harris of not doing enough to stop the flow of illegal migrants. cbs's caitlin huey burns is there. >> reporter: former president trump went to the arizona border to tie the thorny immigration issue to his rival, kamala harris. >> we had a border czar who was

the border czar, she loved the title but she didn't want to do the work because she's lazy. >> reporter: trump has called harris the border czar repeatedly but she was actually tasked by the president with dealing with the root causes of immigration from central america, not the crisis at the border. this is trump's fourth visit to a battleground state in as many days. and cbs news polling shows 87% of republicans say immigration is a major factor in their vote this election. it's been a constant attack line for trump, using increasingly harsh rhetoric. >> she is a radical left marxist. she wants open borders. she wants our country -- i don't understand why anybody would want it. but she wants our country to be open to the world's criminals. so they can come in and rape and pillage. >> reporter: what trump leaves out is that illegal border crossing numbers are at their lowest point in four years due in part to the executive actions taken by president biden in

june. democrats including harris have criticized trump for helping to kill a bipartisan senate deal that would have strengthened border enforcement and increased funds for detention centers. >> he tanked, tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help him win an election. which goes to show donald trump does not care about border security. he only cares about himself. >> reporter: and the u.s. supreme court reinstated an arizona state law that requires proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. and here in arizona every vote counts. president biden won here in 2020 by just under 11,000 votes. caitlin huey burns, cbs news, at the border of arizona and mexico. the canadian government put the brakes on a labor dispute before it could disrupt the delivery of goods into the u.s. canada's two largest railroads

locked out more than 9,000 union workers, but within just hours the government ordered the railroads to enter binding arbitration, and trains are now expected to resume running in a few days. there is a new volcanic eruption on iceland, with authorities there warning of an increase in seismic activity. right here you can see the latest crack about to open up, shooting red hot lava more than 150 feet in the air. iceland's coast guard estimates it to be nearly a mile in length, located just outside and south of iceland's capital, reykjavik. it is iceland's sixth volcanic outbreak in just the last eight months. when "cbs news roundup" continues, ukrainian drone warriors are taking the battle to moscow's forces inside russia. stay with us. most hiring algorithms would screen me out. some bosses couldn't see me as a leader. i've run this place for 20 years, but i still need to prove that i'm more than what you see on paper.

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this is "cbs news roundup." i'm shanelle kaul in new york. the war between russia and ukraine is the first armed conflict fought with fleets of unmanned aerial drones. this drone attack struck a military air field in southern russia about 185 miles from the ukraine border. another set off a massive fire at a fuel depot on the black sea that's been burning for nearly a week. and early this week dozens of drones attacked targets throughout russia including about a dozen that were shot down over moscow. drones are also taking part in the ukrainian ground offensive inside russia. our ian lee has more from the front lines. >> reporter: somewhere near the border with russia a ukrainian drone team gets to work. speed and stealth are the order of business. private igor pilots the drone, a combination of skill and luck. >> translator: if the target is

static, it's pretty easy to hit. if it's a moving target, then it's much harder. >> reporter: we joined this squad from the 117th territorial defense brigade as it preps for a trip to the front in support of the operation in russia's kursk region. what's your mission today? >> translator: we always have a single mission. we are destroying the enemy. >> reporter: sergeant alex leads the unit. their workhorse is a $400 drone that can haul four pounds of explosives up to five miles. >> translator: this is the simplest drone in our arsenal. >> reporter: on an average day this squad carries out up to five search and destroy missions, targeting russian armor, vehicles and troops. but moscow has its own drones and more of them. a successful mission here means igor could be watching someone's final moments. does it ever feel personal?

>> translator: yes. it's emotional. but i understand that we chose the right path. >> reporter: an increasingly dangerous path they hope leads to victory. ian lee, cbs news, near the ukr ukraine-russia border. closer to home now, a former politician and accused murderer took the stand in his own defense in las vegas. he told the jury he did not kill a newspaper reporter who wrote critical articles about him. carter evans was in the courthouse for this dramatic testimony. >> reporter: high drama in a las vegas courtroom. prosecutors grilling robert telus, a former elected official accused of murder. >> how in the world does your dna get underneath mr. cameron's fingernails? >> i don't know because i did not kill mr. -- >> reporter: jeff german was an investigative reporter for the las vegas review journal for more than four decades. back in 2022 he was found stabbed to death outside his home. the attack came after he

published reports alleging telus fostered a hostile work environment while serving as a public administrator. shortly after, telus lost re-election. prosecutors say surveillance video shows telus dressed in a neon jacket and gardner's hat near the scene of the crime. that hat and sneakers allegedly worn by the killer were found in a search of telus's property. but tell us claims he was framed and the evidence was planted. taking the stand in his own defense and addressing the jury directly. >> i've never killed anybody. i didn't kill mr. german. >> reporter: telus said he'd never been at german's house. but prosecutors say he had been there and took numerous surveillance photos. >> there's over 100 images of bronze circle neighborhood in your phone -- >> if it is in there i didn't put it there, sir. >> reporter: now, telus's attorney advised him not to take the stand but he also has a law degree and he insisted on testifying. the prosecution says the

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politics with our security. and here is my pledge to you. as president i will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and i will sign it into law. >> reporter: it's been a long journey for harris, who grew up in berkley, california and honed her political skills in the district aowner's office in the bay area. nikole killion takes a look back at the early days of this historic nominee. >> reporter: kamala harris was born in 1964 at the height of the civil rights movement to immigrant parents. her father donald an economist from jamaica. her mother shamala a cancer researcher from india who raised her and sister maya in this modest berkley flats apartment. >> we didn't grow up with a lot but we grew up with a lot of love. >> reporter: carol border lived down the street and was bused with kamala to thousand oaks elementary to integrate berkley public schools. >> we didn't think about it. we just really thought about ourselves as people and we were

very prideful about who we were as black women. >> reporter: after graduating howard university and attending law school harris began her career at the alameda county district attorney's office. >> i needed somebody i could trust. >> reporter: former san francisco mayor and california assembly speaker willie brown mentored harris and appointed her to two state commissions. but they briefly became romantic in the mid '90s. >> how would you characterize that relationship? >> it was a great friendship. >> when is the last time you've spoken with her? >> it's been a long time. been a very long time. and i miss that. >> reporter: harris won her first campaign in 2004 for san francisco d.a. then california attorney general in 2010. some progressives called out harris for being too tough on crime. but conservatives criticized her for being too lenient by supporting policies that lowered criminal penalties. >> whoever is characterizing her as kamala the cop i think is

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the democratic party convention will be remembered for rousing speeches from everyone from barack obama to oprah winfrey. but a central part of this convention was also talk about division in american politics. well, there is now an effort under way to bridge the partisan divide. and as our jim axelrod reports, it starts with the power of personal connections. >> reporter: this cocktail party in columbus, georgia -- >> when we start to dehumanize each other that's extremely dangerous. >> reporter: -- is actually one man's attempt to bridge our national civic divide. >> and you all had the courage to say enough. >> reporter: dave munsay runs one small step, an initiative that pairs people from opposite ends of the political stpectrum for a one-hour conversation. he believes fiercely in the healing properties of contact and connection. >> the big dream for one small

step is to convince the country that it's our patriotic duty to see the humanity in people with whom we disagree. i think we're all, you know, brainwashed. >> we don't hate each other. >> no. and when you actually have the experience of being in contact with other people, it washes away. >> reporter: shawna hartley and roxanne gwynn. >> i'm a registered republican. >> i'm a lifelong democrat. >> reporter: both fit the bill. >> hello. my name is shawna. i am 63 years old. >> and i am roxanne. i am 71 years old. >> reporter: and after their one small step conversation proof isay's point. >> shawna and i are one small step partners. >> reporter: they didn't spend time on policy differences. they focused instead on their shared love of faith, family, and plant-based diets. >> so the way our culture sees it, you two probably can't sit at the same table for 30 seconds, much less an hour. >> or we could. >> or we could. and we did. >> and we are. >> and we shall.

>> reporter: to frame the job that one small step has cut out for itself, consider this. in 2016, 47% of republicans considered democrats immoral. not closed-minded, not dishonest, immoral. and by 2022 that number was 72%. for democrats 35% considered republicans immoral. by 2022 it was 63%. which is why he's brought one small step to this city of 200,000 on the banks of the chattahoochee river in western georgia. a crucial battleground state. >> we are gearing up for the moment after the election, which is going to be one of the most critical moments in history in terms of polarization. to try and build the muscle of seeing each other as human beings so that we can withstand this incredible stress test. >> reporter: columbus is one of three cities where they're testing the potential of their

concept to mitigate a looming crisis. >> the idea is that they can show the rest of the country what it means to have the courage to listen. >> reporter: listen to each other. despite their differences. just like shawna and roxanne. >> what kind of shape are we in as a culture? >> i think we're very wounded right now. we're very angry. >> however, the wound is where the light gets in. and i'm hoping that this whole process here and many other processes are that light and we just need to be open to it. >> reporter: for one small step that would be a massive

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