the details are from kris van cleave. >> reporter: starting november 16, a united club at newark airport will become a covid testing center, where some flyers to london will be required to get a free rapid test before departure. the four-week trial program for passengers taking the medicine, wednesday, friday departures of flight 14 is the first of its kind. united hopes to convince the u.s. and u.k. governments an airline can run a robust testing program in the hopes mandatory two-week quarantines can be relaxed or eliminated with proofave negative test. >> we firmly believe doing predeparture test signature best way to start to open up travel again, especially in these international markets. >> reporter: unite's aaron mcmillian: >> a predeparture testing program adds another level of safety. >> reporter: researchers are increasingly pointing to layers of safety as a key to reducing risk of covid spreading on an airplane. this week, a new harvard university study found flying to be low risk, noting the combination of the plane's air filtration and circulation systems with social distanc

cbs' kris van cleave is going to lead off our coverage tonight from dulles international airport in virginiaod evening, kris. >> reporter: norah, that urgent warning not to travel comes as many as 50 million americans are preparing to do just that-- travel for thanksgiving. the c.d.c. is urging anybody who hasn't been home for 14 days, including college students coming from campus north to participate in thanksgiving plans unless they have already quarantined. >> and this is really a call to action for every american to increase their vigilance. >> reporter: late today the white house coronavirus task force held their first briefing since july, announcing vaccines are ready to ship. >> e.u.a. comes, 24 hours later, vaccines will be distributed out to the american people and be ready for administration. >> reporter: pfizer could seek that emergency approval from the f.d.a. for its coronavirus vaccine as soon as tomorrow. moderna may not be far hundred. and today oxford astrazeneca researchers announced their vaccine seems to be effective in older adults, making it the third to show promise. >

norah. >> o'donnell: kris van cleave, thank you. tonight, the u.s.rmy is responding to our exclusive cbs news investigation into sexual assault in the military, and acknowledging they must do better. over the past year and a half, we spoke to nearly two dozen survivors from all branches of the service who say their allegations were brushed aside or even met with retaliation. well, tonight, we talk with four soldiers who say the military's program to combat sexual assault is broken and that the pentagon shouldn't be allowed to police itself. >> we're supposed to feel safe with our brothers and sisters in the military, and they're the ones hurting us. >> o'donnell: mei-ling jerez was among nearly two dozen survivors who spoke to cbs news about their alleged assaults. she was raped the first night in her barracks, and she reported it. did they take it seriously? >> no, they didn't. they said that i was a distraction that came into their platoon. >> o'donnell: you were raped a second time a year later. >> this officer arrived at my home and said he neede

cbs' kris van cleave is going to lead us off tonight from reagan national airport. good evening, kris. >> reporter: margaret, we hit a pandemic high at airport checkpoints like the one behind me here on sunday. since then, monday and tuesday, those numbers have ticked down a bit, but the expectation is still, up to 50 million americans will take to the roads or the skies to travel for thanksgiving, and that is exactly what the c.d.c. is urging people not to do. some of the longest lines of the pandemic at seattle's airport, a sign of americans on the move tonight, despite blunt warnings from public health officials, again pleading for people to stay home this thanksgiving. >> by making that sacrifice, you're going to be preventing people from getting infected. >> reporter: but millions are going anyway. romeo garcio left maryland this afternoon for his parents in greenville, north carolina. >> the holidays are really the only times where i could be able to see my family. >> reporter: do you worry at all about bringing the coronavirus home with you? >> not at all. i'v

all right, kris van cleave, thank you.s still much more news ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news." ring of fire-- amazon's home security system recalls hundreds of thousands of video doorbells after complaints they can catch and, we'll tell you the real story behind this iconic american painting, as we remember the mother of civil rights hero ruby bridges. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weig

i'm kris van cleave. >>> it's 24th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." >>> formal transition.hree weeks after the election the trump administration finally clears the way for president-elect biden's transition to officially begin. mr. biden's next move and what president trump is saying about the process. >>> taking on covid. there's new hope as drug makers race to find a vaccine. how the latest proposed treatment could be a game changer. >>> recall alert. millions of gm vehicles could be posing a major danger on the road. >>> good morning. good to be with you. i'm

i'm kris van cleave. >>> it's 24th, 2020. this is the "cbs morning news." >>> formal transition. three weeks after the election the trump administration finally clears the way for president-elect biden's transition to officially begin. mr. biden's next move and what president trump is saying about the process. >>> taking on covid. there's new hope as drug makers race to find a vaccine. how the latest proposed treatment could be a game changer. >>> recall alert. millions of gm vehicles could be posing a major danger on the road. >>> good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. well, a formal presidential transition has been finally authorized to begin 20 days after the election. yesterday the general services administration told president-elect joe biden it's ready to start the process. mr. biden is set to announce his national security team today. president trump says he's not giving up his fight to challenge the election. bofta yimam is in washington. bofta, things are moving forward, that's good, but what about mr. trump, any sign he might concede any time soon? >>

cbs' kris van cleave is going to lead us off tonight from here in washington. evening, kris. >> reporter: chip, this is a day where americans come together, but this year, we're being asked to stay apart. it is truly a thanksgiving like none of us have ever experienced before. before. this very different thanksgiving morning started in a food line for thousands, snaking through an anaheim, california, parking lot. >> it's been tough, you know. like, there's not enough money sometimes to eat and things. >> reporter: it's a scene playing out in cities coast to coast, as millions struggle with the devastating economic impact of the coronavirus. d evewas houston today. >> i need everything. i've been out of work since november of last year. i have nothing at home. hariously, nothing. >> i'm thankful to have you... >> reporter: samantha halpern is having her first zooms-giving. the philadelphia transplant nurse told her parents to stay in st. louis. >> we canceled two hours before their flight, just did not feel safe whatsoever. >> reporter: they're not alone. 72% o

cbs's kris van cleave is going to lead us off tonight from reagan national airport. evening, kris. >> reporter: margaret, those record-setting cases are causing cspike in cancellations at airlines and amtrak but let's be clear. millions of people are traveling for this holiday and that has doctors worried about the potential of a deadly covid surge just in time for christmas. tonight images of like this crowded terminal in phoenix have public health experts on alert. as covid cases soar, millions are sticking to their thanksgiving travel plans despite the c.d.c. urging them to stay home. karyn bryan was met by long lines in l.a. >> there is a lot more people here than i thought would be here. >> reporter: more than three million have been screened at t.s.a. checkpoints since friday, sunday was the busiest day at airports since march 16th. >> both of us have been quarantining for the last few weeks and we wanted to see family. >> reporter: a.a.a. expects up to 50 million americans to travel. >> i'm very concerned about the number of people who are traveling. number of

despite the risk of covid, cbs' kris van cleave reports the holiday rush is in full swing tonight. >> reporter: on our trip to the airport, flyer frustration collides with covid fatigue right in front of us. two passengers arguing about wearing a mask. >> that's what all you people do. >> reporter: this is thanksgiving 2020. the skies over the u.s. are about as busy as last year, but passenger traffic is down nearly 60%. over four million have passed through t.s.a. checkpoints, the most since march. a.a.a. says up to 12 times that could hit the road despite the c.d.c.'s warning to stay home. >> you take those things into consideration, but at the same time, i mean, family's family, and there's nothing that's going to stop me from seeing my family. >> reporter: flyers will find t.s.a. checkpoints with added covid protections-- plexiglass barriers, officers in p.p.e., and new i.d. and bag scanners that reduce touchpoints. t.s.a. administrator david pekoske: >> there are few points of contact between a passenger and an officer. additionally, it's much better security. every technology we

kris van cleave is in washington. what can you tell us about what travelers can expect today? >> reporter: well, good morning and happy thanksgiving. typically today is one of the lighter days for travel. driving primarily you can see not a ton of people up and on the roads this early. what we do expect is that people will be more likely to drive this year. they're likely to go less far and stay fewer days. now, analysts expect around 48 million people, give or take, are expected to be on the roads this weekend. that's a dedplin the nearly 50 million in 2019, with the last push of pre-thanksgiving travel wrapping up by noon today. travel across the country is expected to be lighter than past years, you may find, particularly in major cities, actual traffic on the way home this weekend. congestion may be way above normal pandemic levels with delays of an hour or more expected in los angeles and san france. around 40 minutes in atlanta, chicago and new york. due to the pandemic, aaa expects americans will be monitoring the health situation and looking at quarantine guidelines be

kris van cleave reports now on how families are responding. >> a socially distanced thanksgiving came celebrating outside in october. >> now the numbers are really rising. very, very sharply. and even just having it this coming weekend, i think we would have felt very threatened about getting together. >> there were fewer guests visiting family were spaced apart at separate tables and masks were worn. it allowed the family to be together but not too close together. >> my mother is a cancer patient. so she's at high risk. and we knew that there would be no way to spend time with my parents if we didn't figure out something that was very, very different. >> this year will be different. aaa's newly released thanksgiving travel forecast expects up to 50 million will travel, down at least 10% from last year. 95% will drive as people opt for last-minute trips and stay closer to home. >> right now it's really determining the factor of people decide to go or stay are the number of covid cases as they increase but also looking at state restrictions. >> aaa believes those flying will drop nearl

cbs news transportation correspondent kris van cleave joins us live. good morning.h some people still braving roads and skies, what are some of the travel trends showing? >> good morning. i was speaking with southwest airlines ceo. what they're seeing is while they have seen cancellations tick up in the last couple weeks, those cancellations are being out paced by new bookings. people are deciding they are going to travel for thanksgiving. how many? it will certainly be fewer than last year. airlines are gearing up for what will be their busiest week since the pandemic began. we are talking six to seven, eight million travelers as opposed to the 30 million plus we saw go through airports last thanksgiving. maybe a third of the volume but more than what airlines are typically seeing right now. >> a big difference. delta is making a push to ease fears by extending the middle seat blockade. how are other airlines planning to keep passengers safe? >> reporter: delta is really breaking with the industry by extending middle seat blocking program through the end of march.

kris van cleave is in raleigh with more on that part of the story. w many of the outstanding ballots will be returned if postmarked by yesterday they don't have to arrive until the 12th to be counted. so there's several more days where some of these could come in. as it stands right now, the president is sitting on about a 77,000 vote lead. he has, as you know, has claimed victory here. we're not ready to call it yet. it's about, a little over a point and a half here. tighter margins than we saw in 201. in fact, several races here in north carolina are extremely close. a very close election here in the tar heels state. it has not gone blue since 2008. only gone blue twice in the last 50 years. the state saw record turnout nearly 5.5 million votes cast, both candidates earning hundreds of thousands more votes than we saw in 2016. according to the exit polls north carolina democrats cared the most having a leader to unite the country and showed good judgment. republicans fabered somebody who they saw as a strong leader. trump voters we talked to were ad

kris van cleave learned how some of them are doing. good morning, kris, what did they say to you?good morning, gayle. they are holding on to hope and hoping between what the trump administration says in its support for a stimulus, democrats in the house support for a stimulus, that something can get done to bring them some help. so far that hasn't happened. united's chairman wrote an empassioned open letter to other businesses pleading to them to hire furloughed airline workers. when we talked to some of the thousands of folks who have been without a job for over a month, they're starting to get really worried that help isn't coming. what transition do you want to make? >> i would like to work around customer based driven jobs. >> reporter: terry evans is job hunting. he took unpaid leave and then got furloughed along with 35,000 others when the government's payroll support program expired at the end of september. he hasn't had a paycheck since march. how is the job market right now? >> it kind of has its up days and down days but more down than up. for me, i'm feeling like it's a

kris van cleave is at reagan airport outside washington, d.c. with more on the story. , when could that 737 max return to service? >> reporter: good morning, gayle. before the plane can take off a couple things have to happen. airlines have to install updates addressing design issues with the plane and pilot get additional training including simulator time. at least one u.s. carrier plans to fly before the end of the year. the 737 max ungrounding order comes after nearly 20 months of work addressing a design flaw that led to two deadly crashes months apart. at the center of the redesign, the mcas stall system linked to both accidents. changed agreed upon by regulators add redundancy while limiting how the system operates so it should no longer be able to overpower a flight crew. faa administrator steve dixon flew the plane last month. >> we'll make sure the process is completed. >> reporter: the ungrounding is unwelcome news for the 346 loved ones killed in the crashes. >> passengers should look to find a different plane than the boeing 737 max. >> reporter: michael los

kris van cleave is at dulles airport, outside of washington, d.c.e question, united is going to be helping with the vaccine distribution. will everything get there on time? they have packages, they got vaccine, they got lots to do. >> reporter: well, good morning, gayle. the short answer is no. millions of packages, potentially a day will be late, so you need to ship early. so for airlines, cargo has been a real rare bright spot. they'll pick up some of the surplus and that includes the vaccine. united already started flying the vaccine. they can store temperature sensitive things in rooms like the one behind us here, the vaccine, of course, is going to be given top priority, holidays are not. elissa is starting early and doing almost all of her holiday shopping online. but worries about her gifts arriving on time. >> i feel like shipping this year is going to be a task, you know? i think people will get backed up. >> reporter: shippers like fedex have been at peak christmas shopping levels since march. the pandemic packed three years of anticipated

kris van cleave is at reagan national airport outside washington.d morning. >> well, good morning. on the same day the cdc told americans not to travel, that very morning, southwest's ceo told us while the airline was seeing an increase in cancellations it was being outpaced by new bookings. look around reagan national airport, it's not the holiday season we're used to. they expect air travel in particular to be down 50% to 60%, but that still means millions of people are going to fly or drive to see relatives this thanksgiving. and that has health experts very worried about the potential of a deadly covid surge just in time for christmas. from packed gates at phoenix sky harbor airport -- to long lines at l.a.x. and this traffic at chicago o'hare. americans are on the move, covid or not. >> i'm like, there's a lot more people here than i thought would be here. >> reporter: more than 1 million people were screened at tsa checkpoints on friday. nearly a million more on saturday. despite the cdc urging americans not to travel for the thanksgiving holi

i want to just check in quickly with cbs' kris van cleave. is in raleigh, north carolina, where some polling places are tumlplaces are actuan later than originally planned. kris? >> reporter: that's right, norah. while the polls closed for most of north carolina at 7:30, there are 10 polling places that were given additional time, up to 45 extra minutes, because of either technical glitches or human error that delayed voting today. now, it's not unusual. this happens in every election. but per north carolina policy, they don't release any results until every single poll has closed. so we won't get any of that data that anthony was talking about until some time after 8:15. we know that more than 4.5 million people voted early, so it's going to be a lot of information about how people voted. the board of elections here believebelieves that they'll beo count 97% or more of the total votes cast some time tonight. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, kris van cleave, thank you. i want to give everybody, stay tuned, we have new information coming in fro

kris van cleave is at reagan national airport outside washington. kris, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning. you can see what holiday busy looks like in washington. the tsa says this airport has only recovered about 25% of its passenger traffic from pre-pandemic leveling, but other airports across the country in chicago, dallas, houston, denver, several in florida are at 60% to 70% of where they were before the pandemic. so people are traveling, but whether you are a go or a no go this year, for many that decision was not easy. despite the covid warnings, americans are on the move. >> as long as everybody wear masks, everything is clean, it's nice. i don't mind it. >> reporter: more than 4 million have already passed through airport checkpoints, and tsa is expecting today will be one of its busiest since march. >> sometimes you're in a crunch and you've got to do what you've got to do. >> you're going to see those barriers. go to any airport, they're going to be very similar. >> reporter: tsa administrator david peksoke showed us some of th