donnell: danya bacchus, norah. >> o'donnell: danya bacchus, thank you. to "2020: america decides." tonight we've learned that more than 75 million americans have already voted. that's more than half the total turnout from 2016, and with just six days of voting left, president trump kept up his battleground blitz in the west, and there's no escaping the campaign's number-one issue. cbs' ed o'keefe joins us here in our new election headquarters. good evening, ed. >> reporter: good evening, norah. the coronavirus pandemic continues to dominate the campaign more than any other issue. and despite the evidence it's only worsening, the president is claiming the opposite, a risky move as he courts late-deciding voters today in western states. >> hello, arizona. >> reporter: president trump stumped through arizona and nevada today, trying to reverse joe biden's lead in the polls in both states, and he continued to argue the coronavirus, raging in record numbers across the country, is under control. >> because we understand it now. we understand it. people are get

so danya bacchus is in salt lake city where the debate took place. danya, what were some of the main points that they sparred over? >> good morning, anne-marie. right away the candidates paashed over the coronavirus they went on to spar over the economy, climate change, the supreme court, and whether justice was served in the breonna taylor case. the coronavirus pandemic was center stage last night with plexiglass dividing vice president mike pence and california senator kamala harris. >> the american people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country. >> from the very first day, president donald trump has put the health of america first. >> reporter: at their only debate, the candidates sparred over health care and the trump administration's efforts to dismantle the affordable care act. >> if you have a preexisting condition, heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, they're coming for you. >> obamacare was a disaster. the american people remember it well. >> reporter: last night's debate

danya bacchus is in salt lake city where the debate is taking place. danya, what is at stake tonight? >> reporter: good morning to you, anne-marie. a lot is at stake. this debate is expected to be one that people will watch closely. with the president contracting covid and both presidential candidates being older, voters are think being a vp candidate having to step into the top spot. after last week's contentious presidential debate -- >> will you shut up, man? >> there's nothing smart about you, joe. >> reporter: mike pence and kamala harris are expected to set a different tone at tonight's vice presidential debate in utah. >> these two candidates are just so completely different than the people the top of the ticket. >> reporter: jason perry, the director of the hinckley institute of politics at the university of utah, says this debate takes on extra significance after president trump's covid diagnosis. >> any time you see something like this get to the highest levels of the white house, it becomes something that everyone in the country just wants an

norah. >> o'donnell: danya bacchus, thank you. and we'll be right back. gamma struck mexico's yucatan peninsula today at near-hurricane strength. dpama swept aswore shortly after noon packing 70-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain. the storm is expected to loop around the peninsula and possibly be a full-blown hurricane when it makes a second landfall. gamma is the 24th named storm of the season, just three short of the all-time record set in 2005. turning now to the devastating wildfires in the west. red flag warn investigation subsided, but california is fast approaching nearly four million acres lost to wildfires this year. across the state, 34 new fires flared up just yesterday. the glass fire in napa valley has consumed more than 60,000 acres. a bittersweet moment in calistoga. firefighters saved this american flag but lost the battle to save a winery. and we'll be right back with an update on the president's condition. the white house now to get you an update on the president's condition as he battles covid-19. cbs' paula reid joins us now. so, paula

danya bacchus explains. >> reporter: congresswoman karen bass knows the pain of civil unrest becauselos angeles, she witnessed the 1965 riots and the 1992 los angeles riots. what do you make of this moment that we're in now? >> well, at some point in our country, we have to decide whether we're going to deal with this problem or not. riots, the community coalition, an organization she started in south los angeles, fought to rebuild their way. >> burning something down and destroying something, that's not healing. healing is putting it back together. >> reporter: a campaign to turn burned down liquor stores into shopping centers, affordable housing, and community learning centers. >> this is absolutely the heart of south l.a. >> reporter: arreya was 17 during the '92 riots. >> there was a great sense of hopelessness and anger and rage that our community was feeling. >> reporter: she turned her anger into action, starting as a community coalition intern, she's now the vice president. >> everyday people, people like me are the greatest asset of our community. >> reporter: the grassroots

cbs's danya bacchus is going to lead off our coverage from the hurricane disaster zone in mississippi. good evening, danya. >> reporter: norah, the power of this storm could be seen in this long beach, mississippi parking lot. the storm surge so strong, it pushed this boat here from a marina at least a quarter mile away. the force of hurricane zeta was felt from the gulf coast as far north as virginia, killing at least six people in four states. the storm left a trail of destruction, ripping roofs off homes and tearing down trees and power lines as it raced through the south with winds up to 110 miles per hour. tonight, nearly two million people are in the dark. >> the biggest challenge we have is restoration of electricity. there is significant damage to homes, to businesses, to infrastructure across southeast louisiana. >> reporter: first responders struggled to reach hard-hit grand isle, where at least three levees were breached. and the fast-moving storm prompted rescues in mississippi. >> we woke up and the house was flooding. we were all scared because the water was coming in re

cbs' danya bacchus is going to lead off our coverage tonight from the storm zone in new orleans. good evening, danya. >> reporter: good evening, norah. the rain and wind is intensifying here in new orleans. famed bourbon street is a virtual ghost town. that's because this storm was supposed to be a category 1. it's now just one mile an hour away from becoming a category 3. hurricane zeta slammed into the louisiana coast as a strong category 2 tonight, and is now barreling through the state. fierce winds already wreaking havoc in grand isle, where residents are under mandatory evacuation orders. officials are warning of deadly storm surge as heavy rainfall floods streets. louisiana has been hit by two tropical storms and two hurricanes already this year. >> this is not a drill. we've had many of them. we do expect directly impacting the city of new orleans. >> reporter: residents prepared by picking up sandbags today. >> you can't get tired of it. you just have to adjust yourself. >> reporter: louisiana governor jon bel edwards cautioning residents to expect extensive power outages

cbs' danya bacchus has the latest. >> reporter: the coronavirus crisis is intensifying.urge causing pain across much of the nation. 15 states have now reached a pandemic peak in hospitalizations, and daily infections nationwide spiking 273% since the start of september. >> it will no doubt overwhelm many of our health care systems in this country. >> reporter: in montana, the daily infection rate is up 500% in the past five weeks. ohio has more people hospitalized than at any other time during the pandemic. >> imagine if a bus, we had a fatal bus crash every week. would we act? yes. we would act. >> reporter: as the virus rages across the midwest, big ten football kicked off in the states where it's hitting the hardest without fans. >> we will have a law enforcement presence on campus and around the stadium. >> reporter: but america's health care system is being pushed to the brink, according to epidemiologist michael osterholm. >> we're going to end up experiencing the trifecta of shortages, doctors and nurses, protective equipment, and third we'll see major drug shorta