here's cbs' lilia luciano. >> reporter: as the historic heat continues, the death toll is soaring. nearly 100 deaths have been confirmed so far in the western u.s. >> i'm worried that people were just going to think of it as a nuisance, but it really has been life threatening. >> reporter: in canada, nearly 500 sudden deaths have been reported in british columbia alone during the heat wave. officials believe the increase in fatalities is likely linked to the extreme weather. wildfires forced the town of lytten, canada, to evacuate. >> to get everyone stuck on that side of the mountain. >> reporter: temperatures there hit a record 121 degrees. flames burned 90% of the town. in the u.s., the heat is fuel 44 large fires across nearly a dozen states. the scorching temperatures in the pacific northwest have move inland as doctors try to keep up with the emergency. >> we saw folks who were arriving with heatstroke who had to emergenciently be rapidly cooled, packed in ice in order to get their body temperatures down. >> reporter: and tonight, concerns about farm workers who have worked i

norah. >> o'donnell: lilia luciano, thank you. and for the first time tonight we are hearing the desperate calls to 911 made in the harrowing moments after that condo building collapsed in surfside florida. we want to warn you, what are you about to hear is heartbreaking. here's cbs' manuel bojorquez. >> what are you seeing? i can't see nothing but smoke. >> the 911 calls started pouring in after 1:15 the morning of the collapse. each one more urgent than the last, as the scope of the disaster unfolded before people's eyes. >> there's people yelling, saying they are stuck. >> reporter: some of the callers were survivors trying to make their way out and trying to help neighbors along the way. >> yes. >> okay, are you able to get out through the staircase. >> no, no, the staircase is closed. >> in one call a woman indicates where the first signs of trouble were spotted. the pool deck above the underground garage which is now a part of the investigation into the collapse. >> i look out, outside and i saw the area started sinking down

we begin tonight with cbs' lilia luciano in pasadena, california, lilia, good evening to you. >> reporter: good evening, jericka. that national vaccination rate is nowhere near enough to stop the spread of the delta variant and now health officials are bracing for an even bigger spike in infections. tonight, there are new fears of another covid surge in southernt spreading. l.a. and san diego counties are reporting their highest number of cases since february. how worried are you about the threat of the delta variant at this point? >> i'm terrified. >> reporter: nationally new covid cases have spiked almost 50% with increases in all 50 states and 90% of u.s. jurisdictions, quinten lucas is the mayor of kansas city, missouri. >> i think every mayor of a major city in america is wondering if it's a time to return to mandates. >> reporter: florida is the nation's worst hot spot, accounting for more than one in five of all new cases. that didn't matter at miami's rolling loud music festival where thousands of people crammed together in california protestors rallied against vaccine requirement

cbs' lilia luciano is going to lead off our coverage tonight from the scene of one of the worst firescalifornia's yosemite national park. good evening, lilia. >> reporter: good evening, norah. there are more than a thousand firefighters at work right now, and it's 105 degrees. it feels even hotter than that,a which is not just uncomfortable, but it takes a toll on firefighters, at a time when they are needed the most. it is a brutal battle on the front lines. conditions so extreme... ...that these northern california firefighters barely escape the flames. >> got everybody? yeah. see all that (bleep) flying in the (bleep) air? >>thore's lihey do.>>w thgoing been. >> reporter: homes, memories, gone. in the parched western u.s., flames that seem a safe distance away can suddenly get way too close. this fire is picking up very fast. wind is changing direction, and there are embers that are starting smaller fires on this side of the road. this wildfire on yosemite national park threatens the town of ahwahnee. >> it's just high stress worrying about how far the fire will come because yester

lilia luciano, thank you.re going to turn now to that emotional testimony in day one of the investigation into the deadly assault on the u.s. capitol. a house panel heard from four officers who defended the building from a violent mob of pro-trump supporters. well, we learned today, that some officers were attacked with racial slurs. we want to warn you that the video is graphic and disturbing. here is cbs' kris van cleave. >> reporter: in dramatic and gut-wrenching testimony, four police officers described what felt like medieval battle, fighting inch by inch to repel an angry mob of trump supporters intent on breaching the capitol on january 6. >> i heard chanting from some in the crowd, "get his gun and kill him with his own gun." >> i could feel myself losing oxygen and recall thinking to myself, "this is how i'm going to die." >> at worst, to be dragged down into the crowd and lynched. >> reporter: as video of what officers experienced rolled, capitol police sergeant aquilino gonell wiped tears from his e

we have a lot to get to and cbs' lilia luciano is going to lead us off from las vegas. vening, lilia. >> reporter: good evening to you, norah. more than a thousand people are now hospitalized here in nevada for the first time in more than five months. that's why state officials are calling on federal agencies to help increase vaccinations and stop the spread. tonight, vegas is back in business. tourists packing the strip. concerts, big celebrations and big trouble. nevada is now one of the country's biggest covid hotspots, along with four other states. nevada's positivity rate, which measures community spread, has been on the rise for 39 consecutive days. while clark county now requires masks for employees... >> it definitely gives me a sense of safety. >> reporter: there are no mandates for anyone else. >> jam-packed. >> reporter: almost no masks indoors. why not a mask mandate for the tourists? >> right now the mask mandate is just for employees. that's the focus. we are not considering a mandate for customers or guests. we're going to follow the data. >> reporter: mas

here's cbs's lilia luciano. >> reporter: the brutal summer continues, plagued by drought, scorched byrecord heat. the fire danger remains extreme. one burning now in california is near the town of paradise, rebuilt after being completely destroyed nearly three years ago. fortunately, this time, it's moving away from homes. the bootleg fire in oregon, already the nation's largest at more than 225,000 acres, exploded again overnight, sending large plumes visible from space. and what's complicating the firefighting effort are the sheer numbers. at least 71 large fires are now burning in 12 states, nine new fires reported, including the red apple fire in washington state, forcing evacuations and fraying nerves. >> it was a little emotional having to wake a seven-year-old and eight-year-old up and telling them you've got to leave the house. >> reporter: this is what the west has endured for the past few days, and the firefighters that we met on the ground feared the worst is yet to come. how dire is the situation, wildfire-wise, in california? >> the vegetation around here is very dry, dan

adriana. >> diaz: lilia luciano, thank you so much.apitol police now have a new chief, six months after the attack that left the force at a troubled crossroads. cbs' nikole killian sat down with him. >> reporter: incoming capitol police chief tom manger. says the events of january 6 compelled him to come out of retirement. >> i remember being angry, looking at cops being assaulted. what i wanted to do was get in my car and go down there and help them. it was a very emotional experience. >> reporter: half a year later, the police veteran hopes to restore confidence as he takes the helm of a department still reeling from the deaths of several officers, the resignation of its previous chief, and an understaffed and overworked force. what do you see as the biggest failures that day? >> i've been a cop for 42 years, and i realize that when you get information you have to weigh it-- the intelligence, the equipment, the training and the staffing. and, you know, it's easy to say, "oh, well if we would have done this, had that, it would have ma

fueling the flames, extreme draught and intense heat, lilia luciano is in palmdale with more, good evening. >> reporter: good evening to you, errol, the heat is brutal. where i am in palmdale, north of los angeles, right now it is 106 degrees, bone dry and also windy. all of that together making conditions in the west perfect for devastating and also deadly wildfires. >> wildfires in the west exploded overnight forcing evacuations and turning deadly. two arizona firefighters were killed saturday when their plane crashed while serving flame, in oregon the bootleg fire is now the biggest wildfire in the country and california's beckworth complex fire has doubled in size daily for the past three days. extreme heat and drought are daily for the past three days. extreme heat and dro fueling the flames. more than 30 million people are under excessive heat warnings and advisories with several cities hitting record triplenins cities hitting rec digit temperatures.gi washington and oregon set new emergency orders mandating access to shade, water and drinks for anyone working breaks for anyone worki

here's cbs's lilia luciano. cal, the horrific sound of a fire storm, and the gut-wrenching sight of homes consumed by flames from a massive fire north of lake taho. in this a fire torrent fueled by intense heat and winds. parks memories of 2020, the worst year ever for california wildfires. this year, twice as many acres have already burned. the largest so far is this fire in northern california, three times the size of san francisco, erratic winds proving dangerous for firefighters. in oregon, the nation's biggest fire is continuing to grow expoflengsly. >> we are seeing, you know, doubling in size of the fire every 24 hours. >> reporter: and that wildfire near the state's southern border has affected power lines now affecting the grid in parents of oregon and california, making conditions worse unrelenting heat, weeks of record-breaking temperatures throughout the west. las vegas tying its all-time record of 117 degrees, the hottest it's ever been in grand junction, colorado, 107. in death valley, 130, four de

for the latest we begin with lilia luciano in los angeles where some mask mandates have returned. good evening. >> reporter: good evening, to you, jericka. los angeles is the first county to require masks again. the mandate is for indoors and it is indefinite. masks are back in los angeles today, one month after claiming the state's covidtions recovery was on track. but now a speed bump. >> how do you feel about this new mask mandate that is today. >> i'm fine with it. >> i don't buy all of it. i'm tired of living locked down. >> reporter: dr. anthony fauci warns of a dangerous outbreak among the unvaccinated. los angeles is a place with a hig vaccination rate what are your thoughts on this mandate in particular? >> there are still plenty of people who are not vaccinated, leading to that dynamic spread of the virus throughout the community. i believe that's what the challenge is in los angeles. >> reporter: nationwide the rate of vaccinations is dropped by 35%. that has allowed canada at first low in shots in arms to catch up fast. mark's progress is threatened by america's progre

cbs' lilia luciano leads off our coverage tonight from southern california. vening, lilia. >> reporter: good evening to you, norah. tonight, the pandemic is making a comeback, and just one month after l.a. county lifted its covid restrictions, the mask mandate returns tomorrow night. new cases are rising in all 50 states for the first time since january, as the president accuses social media companies of killing people for allowing vaccine myths to circulate online. >> they're killing people. i mean, they really-- look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and they're killing people. >> reporter: but facebook is pushing back, saying they're saving lives by doing everything they can to combat covid misinformation. officials are warning the officials are warning the pandemic has reached a very dangerous state. nationwide, average daily cases have more than doubled in the last two weeks, with the rate of cases highest in states where less than half of the people are fully vaccinated. dr. anthony fauci blamed the delta variant. >> 99.5% of all the

norah. >> o'donnell: my goodness, lilia luciano, thank you. well, tonight the fight over voting rights in texas has reached a new level of hostility. democratic lawmakers bolted the state capitol this afternoon to prevent passage of a new election law, and they say they're prepared to stay away for weeks. cbs' mireya villarreal reports tonight from austin. >> reporter: tonight, texas democrats on the run. where are you? ( laughter ) >> i'm at the airport. >> reporter: jasmine crockett is one of nearly 60 lawmakers who fled the lone star state for washington, d.c.. most travelling on two private jets, grinding the texas legislature to a halt and preventig republicans from taking action on a controversial vo rigs bill. had they stayed in state, texas rangers could have rounded them up and returned them to the capitol. >> we heard rumblings that they actually were planning to lock the chamber and hold us in there until those bills got passed. >> reporter: the texas bill would mandate new i.d. requirements for voting by mail and ban drive through

we begin tonight with cbs's lilia luciano in lous angeles. >> reporter: that's right. less than half of americans are fullch vaccinated and that's just not enough to stop the spread of that delta variant. tonight there are new fears of another covid surge in southern california, with vaccinations lagging and the delta variant spreading. l.a. and san diego counties are reporting their highest number of cases since february. >> how worried are you about the spread of the delta variant at this point? >> i'm terrified. >> reporter: nationally, new covid cases have spiked almost 50% with increases in all 50 states in 90% of u.s. jurisdictions. >> i think every mayor of a major city in america right now is wondering if it's a time to return to mandates. >> reporter: florida is the nation's worst hot spot accounting for more than one in five of all new cases. that didn't matter at miami's rolling loud music festival where thousands of people cramped together. there's a renewed push nationwide to reach vaccine holdouts now worried about the delta variant. >> i just don't want

here's cbs' lilia luciano. >> reporter: as the historic heat continues, the death toll is soaring.n e west u.s.'medt peerin t eahaen ttening 500 suddennada, nearly reportedbritish mbt .ficibelievi ennada, to evaate.>>ge sn th side of the mountain. >> reporter: temperatures there hit a record 121 degrees. flames burned 90% of the town. in the u.s., the heat is fuel 44 large fires across nearly a dozen states. the scorching temperatures in the pacific northwest have moved inland as doctors try to keep up with the emergency. >> we saw folks who were arriving with heatstroke who had to emergently be rapidly cooled, packed in ice in order to get their body temperatures downht, concerns about farm workers who have worked in excessive heat for days. it's never been like this. on saturday, a farm worker collapsed and died at work. it was more than 100 degrees at the time, and here in spokane, at this hospital alone, heat- and, norah, mostthe of tse people are beten the ages of 20 and 40. we're going to turn now to that tropical storm that could hamper the search-and-rescue efforts down in sur

we begin tonight with cbs's lilia luciano in lous angeles. >> reporter: that's right.than half of americans are fullch vaccinated and that's just not

lilia luciano looks at efforts to protect them. >> reporter: for nearly a week farm workers at this southern washington state cherry farm faced temperatures as high as 113 degrees. >> this is a crisis, an emergency. >> reporter: we followed volunteers with the united farm workers union as they handed out cold drinks and explained the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. we were told that farm workers typically paid by amount picked are hesitant to take breaks. >> what does it feel like in the heat? we start feeling gnashes. >> the heat wave is different, harder. >> reporter: many including the 11-year-old named juan start the shift as early at 3:00 a.m. to avoid the heat. and until what time are you working? >> i don't really know. >> reporter: now the united farm workers you know isn't pushing for safeguards like those in place in california. >> we are demanding the governor implement emergency rules for the heat crisis for farm workers in washington state. they need cold water, rest breaks and shade in the fields. >> reporter: volunteers also honored farm workers who lost lives, inclu

lilia luciano reports on the effort to control them. >> reporter: from california to washington to idaho and arizona, more than 14,000 firefighters are battling to contain more thn 60 wildfires out west. oregon's bootleg fire is now the nation's largest, growing to over 200,000 acres and forcing hundreds from their homes. >> it was hungry, it was mean, it was ugly and we could watch it. >> reporter: in california, crews on the front lines of the beckwourth fire north of lake tahoe captured these dramatic images of flames closing in. the river fire continues to spread across two counties during peak tourist season. >> high stress. >> amy stevens manages a bar and restaurant in the nearby town of ahwahnee. >> are you adapting to the frequency of these fires and the longer heat? >> absolutely. it has become the new normal. it's been so frequent every year, it's like when is it going to start, not is it going to start. >> the only power we have is to go, go, go. >> reporter: veteran firefighter zachary resnick is a squad leader for the hot spots, a crew that responds to some of the biggest a

our lilia luciano saw a new effort to respond to the crisis.d morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, vlad. that plus the low vaccination rates pushed the governor to specifically request for assistance from the biden administration, and as you said, we were there with one of these covid surge response teams as they worked with local groups to try to curb cases. at this popup clinic in las vegas, barbara collins-givens is trying to get her first covid vaccine. givens and her husband both had covid earlier this month, so while they have to wait a while net the ot now.ed, she's telling >> i em ty need to get. t'exactlat officials wanthapp >>t really has beca e vaccinate. >>>> reporter: health and human services secretary javier becerra says community outreach is the key to curbing rises cases and deaths. is it lack of access in certain communities or lack of confidence in the vaccines you're working against? >> a little bit of both. for our purposes, it doesn't make a difference. we want to support those who want to get out and get the unvacci

lilia luciano is in los angeles. what's the potential risk out there now? >> reporter: good morning. here in l.a. county about 60% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated, but that means that millions of people are still unprotected. health officials say the delta variant is taking advantage of that vulnerability. for angelenos a reminder that progress against coronavirus is fragile. l.a. county recorded more than 1,000 new cases per day for the last seven days. >> we will be implementing an order requiring masking indoors regardless of vaccination. >> reporter: that decision may have unintended consequences says ucsf doctor monica gandhi. >> the mixed message of saying you have to mask when you're vaccinated tells the unvaccinated the vaccines don't work. >> reporter: vaccine hesitancy remains an issue in the u.s. something surgeon general vivek murthy blamed on covid misinformation which he declared a national health risk on thursday. >> it's painful for me to know that nearly every death we are seeing now from covid-19 could have been prevented. i