it's friday, september 20th. this is "cbs news mornings." under fire. north carolina's governor's race jolted by allegations against a it's friday, september 20th. this is "cbs news mornings." under fire. north carolina's governor's race jolted by allegations against a republican candidate. what he's accused of writing on a porn website and how he's responding. star power. kamala harris joins forces with oprah winfrey in a star-studded

campaign event, while rival donald trump courts the jewish votes. shohei ohtani joins the 50-50 club! >> and making baseball history. shohei ohtani reaches the 50/50 milestone in spectacular fashion. good morning on a friday. i'm michael george in for anne-marie green. we start with the major scandal brewing in north carolina's race for governor. one that could have national implications in a key battleground state. there are growing calls for republican candidate mark robinson, currently the state's lieutenant governor, to drop out of the race after cnn unearthed outrageous comments he allegedly made on a pornography website. but the lieutenant governor, who has a long history of making incendiary comments, says he's not going anywhere. cbs' ed o'keefe has the details. we are staying in this race. we are in it to win it, and we know that with your help we

will. >> reporter: but that's in question now. cnn first reported a series of past anti-semitic and sexual comments by lieutenant governor mark robinson on at least one pornography website with a user name matching photos of him and his biographical information. in posts dating back to 2008, robinson called himself a black nazi, expressed support for reinstating slavery, recounted secretly watching women shower when he was a teenager, and made other lewd comments. he denied it all. >> those are not the words of mark robinson. you know my words, you know my character, and you know that i have been completely transparent in this race and before. >> reporter: but robinson scheduled campaign appearances and didn't show up at a rally for j.d. vance. former president donald trump has praised robinson on the campaign trail. >> i think you're better than martin luther king. i think you are martin luther king times two. >> reporter: robinson was given a national platform by speaking

at the republican convention where we caught up with him. lieutenant governor, ed o'keefe with cbs news. how are you, sir? >> we've got to run. >> reporter: how's your race? >> it's going fantastic, yes, sir. >> reporter: recent polls show him trailing democratic candidate josh stine who says they already know he is unfit to be governor. ballots are already printed in north carolina but state law says candidates have until midnight to drop out of any race. if robinson does so the gop executive committee would pick a replacement and voters would vote for the new contender by voting for robinson on their ballot. members of both parties believe his unpopularity could drinking -- drag down trump and help vice president kamala harris win battleground north carolina. ed o'keefe, cbs news, washington. now there are now just 46 days to election day. vice president kamala harris heads to georgia today after a star-studded campaign event with oprah winfrey. meanwhile, former president donald trump spent his day courting the jewish vote and

voicing his support for israel. cbs' jarred hill is following all the developments from the campaign trail. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, michael. a month and a half until election day, and at this point in the race, the candidates are ping-ponging between key groups in key swing states trying to lock in enough electoral votes to take them over the edge in what is shaping up to be a razor-thin election. vice president kamala harris returned to battleground michigan last night for a rally that resembled oprah winfrey's old talk show. in front of a live audience and streamed on social media, harris talked to swing state voters about topics like gun control. >> i'm in favor of the second amendment, and i'm in favor of assault weapons bans, universal background checks, red flag laws. >> reporter: and abortion rights. the vice president speaking with the family of amber thurman, a pregnant woman who died in 2022. "propublica" says it was likely due to delayed medical care related to georgia's abortion ban.

>> you're looking at a mother that is broken. >> amber's story highlights the fact that among everything that is wrong with these bans and what has happened in terms of the overturning of roe v. wade, it's a health care crisis. >> we're going to defeat kamala harris. we're going to take back our country. [ cheers ] >> reporter: in washington, d.c., former president trump promised to be israel's protector as he courted jewish american voters. >> if i do win, israel will be safe and secure, and we will stop the toxic poison of anti-semitism from spreading all over america and all over the world. >> reporter: trump also threatened to yank federal support from colleges that support pro-palestinian protests. so the former president is going to be back on the campaign trail tomorrow in north carolina which is about a battleground state that just got more interesting with those allegations in the governor's race. vice president kamala harris is going to do a battleground blitz of her own with a stop in wisconsin after a rally on reproductive rights in georgia. >> all right, jarred hill had new york.

thanks. >> reporter: thanks. now to the rapidly escalating tensions in the middle east following those exploding pager and walkie-talkie attacks on the terror group hezbollah in london. as israel steps up its fight along a northern border, the fight along its northern border, hope for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in gaza appears to be fading. senior u.s. officials tell the "wall street journal" they don't expect israel and hamas to reach an agreement before the end of president biden's term. meanwhile, israel says it struck hundreds of hezbollah rocket launcher barrels inside lebanon before they could fire into israel. hezbollah's leader delivered his widely anticipated response to those exploding devices, vowing to retaliate and saying the attacks could amount to a declaration of war. cbs' imtiaz tyab reports from lebanon's capital city. >> reporter: in a televised address, a weary looking hassan nasrallah, the leader of hezbollah, admitted the synchronized pager and walkie-talkie attacks delivered a severe blow to the group.

accusing israel of violating all red lines. for two terrifying days, low-tech communication devices, many carried by hezbollah members, exploded simultaneously in towns and cities across lebanon. injuring more than 2,900, some so seriously they lost limbs. and killing at least 37 people including children. in his address, he vowed israel would not achieve its goal of returning displaced israelis to their homes in northern border towns until the violence in gaza and the occupied west bank ends. but while he was speaking, the sound of sonic booms from low-flying israeli fighter jets shook buildings across beirut. [ screams ] screams of terror echoed across the streets below. makram rabah is a regional analyst. >> ultimately if they do invade, they will have to occupy. this would lead to a kind of

slow, depleting war for israel. and this would more importantly legitimize hezbollah. >> reporter: the israeli military has said that it had struck around 100 rocket launchers belonging to hezbollah in southern lebanon, while confirming two of its soldiers were killed in a hezbollah strike along its northern border. a deadly tit-for-tat that's now in its 11th month. with hundreds of hezbollah fighters injured, the group's communication's network is in complete disarray. with no major build-up of israeli forces at its borders, an all-out war between israel and hezbollah may not be as close as many fear. imtiaz tyab, cbs news, beirut. a kentucky sheriff is under arrest accused of killing a judge. police say judge kevin mullins was shot and killed yesterday in his chambers in whitesburg, about 150 miles southeast of lexington. letcher county sheriff shawn

stines was taken into custody at the scene and charged with murder. authorities say the judge was shot multiple times following an argument inside the courthouse. coming up, new questions in the texas pipeline fire. the surprise discovery that sparked a criminal investigation. and the first player to join the first player to join the 50-50 club. shohei ohtani in a game for the ages. ♪♪ missing out on the things you love because of asthma? get back to better breathing with fasenra, an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems or other eosinophilic conditions. allergic reactions may occur. don't stop your asthma treatments without talking with your doctor. tell your doctor if your asthma worsens. headache and sore throat may occur. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. step back out there with fasenra. ask your doctor if it's right for you.

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ohtani spoke through an interpreter afterwards. >> translator: i'm happy, relieved, and very respectful to the peers and everybody who came before who played this sport of baseball. >> now ohtani became the first player to ever hit three home runs and steal two bases in a game. and new details in the submersible investigation, and a gruesome development in the texas pipeline fire. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." the "houston chronicle" reports human remains were found in an suv that caused a natural gas pipeline fire. te discovery was made after the suv was towed away from the site. the vehicle crashed through a fence and hit an above-ground valve on monday, igniting the fire in a houston suburb. the driver was killed. the fire finally went out last night, and residents were allowed to return home. officials say it will take some time to identify the remains.

the "associated press" reports the scientific director of the titan submersible says the sub malfunctioned just prior to its deadly titanic dive. steven ross told the coast guard panel yesterday about a platform issue the experimental sub experienced days before it imploded last year. he said the malfunction caused passengers on board to tumble about, and it took an hour to get then out of the water. the submersible was headed to the "titanic" wreckage when disaster struck killing all five people on board. and "the anchorage daily news" says an alaska man was arrested on charges he threatened to kill six u.s. supreme court justices and their families. panos anastasiou was arrested at his home wednesday. he's accused of sending more than 465 messages through the supreme court's public website that allegedly included graphic threats of assassination, torture, and violent and racist rhetoric. ahead, tracking social media users.

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sharing more of your personal nation than you may think. here's carissa lawson with today's cbs "moneywatch." >> reporter: what a difference a day makes. one day after the fed cut interest rates, the stock market soared. the dow surged 522 points. the nasdaq jumped 440, and the s&p 500 picked up 95. the federal trade commission is slamming social media and video streaming companies for not protecting your privacy saying children and teenagers are most at serious risk. in a report released thursday, the agency exposed details on how major companies including twitch, youtube, facebook, twitter, tiktok, discord, snap, reddit, and whatsapp engage in a vast surveillance of users to profit off your personal information. the report makes several recommendations including restricting targeted advertising and strengthening protections for teens. nearly 138,000 platform beds are being recalled after reports of them breaking or collapsing while in use. the lucid platform beds with

upholstered tufted headboard. sold at amazon, macy's, target, and walmart. to date there have been 245 incidents resulting in 18 juries. and your childhood comfort food now coming to your m&m candy boxes. it's m&m's peanut butter and jelly, that's right. the first new flavor innovation for m&ms since 2022 available at stores starting this december. and that's your cbs "moneywatch" report for this friday morning. i'm carissa lawson, cbs news, new york. up next, the latest internet sensation. a baby animal in a zoo in thailand reaches superstardom. thailand reaches superstardom. ♪ ♪ i got the power of 3. i lowered my a1c, cv risk, and lost some weight. in studies, the majority of people reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. i'm under 7.

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when it's time for vaccines, it's time for cvs. here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ if your social media feed hasn't already been flooded with images of this adorable baby pygmy hippo that's gone viral, we're about to introduce you. but that's not all. a zoo in thailand is pushing to patent the pint-sized star. cbs' tina kraus has the story. >> reporter: who could resist this face? certainly not these huge crowds

lining up at a zoo in thailand to catch a glimpse of 2-month-old moo deng, that's thai for bouncing pig. she's so cute, this girl says, i want to pet her. she's such a little lump. "we had to come see moo deng," says this visitor. the baby hippo is a global sensation, surrendering to fame when her image went viral thanks to her keeper who posted it. "i didn't expect she'd become this famous, but it's great," he says. "the zoo is getting more visitors and generating more income." visitor numbers have more than doubled, and the animal park is now pushing to patent and trademark moo deng to prevent the shiny star from being commercialized by anyone but them. her playful antics have captivated hearts worldwide. he says, "i saw her on tiktok, and she likes to bounce." countless meme the utah jazz featured her in a promotion for their opening game.

and sephora thailand celebrated her stardom with a wear your blush like a baby hippo ad. fans say there's no greater thrill than meeting moo deng. because when you come face to face, well, it's all hip-hip hooray. tina kraus, cbs news, london. coming up on "cbs mornings," actor chris hemsworth tells us about voicing the young optimus prime in "transformers one." i'm michael george. this is "cbs news mornings." dupixent can help people with asthma breathe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. even this. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma that's not for sudden breathing problems. dupixent can cause allergic reactions that can be severe. tell your doctor right away if you have rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, tingling or numbness in your limbs. tell your doctor about new or worsening joint aches and pain or a parasitic infection.

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♪ welcome to "cbs mornings." i'm nate burleson. >> i'm vlad duthiers. >> i'm kristine johnson. >> gayle and tony are off, but we've got you covered. here's today's "eye opener." it's your world in 90 seconds. a scandal in north carolina over comments allegedly made on a porn site by the gop nominee for