anthony. >> mason: omar villafranca in alabama. thank you, omar.hile confederate statues stand silent and lifeless, violent extremism is very much alive in america. in charlottesville, we saw and heard jarring reminders of america's darkest days. >> i'm here to spread ideas, talk, in the hopes that somebody more capable will come along and do that, somebody like donald trump who does not give his daughter to a jew. >> so donald trump but more racist. >> a lot more racist than donald trump. i don't think you could feel about race the way i do and watch that kushner bastard walk around with that beautiful girl. >> mason: bryan stevenson is a public interest lawyer and founder of the equal justice initiative. mr. stevenson, thanks for being with us. >> delighted to be with you. >> mason: the events in charlottesville and the president's response have opened some very deep and ugly divisions in this country. what do you think needs to happen now to heal this? >> well, we have a tragic history of racial inequality in america that we haven't done a very

>> mason: omar villafranca. thank you, omar.he united states needs china's help with north korea, but president trump signed an executive memo today that's sure to actor the chinese. it calls for an investigation into whether china stole american intellectual property. here's ben tracy. >> reporter: china has repeatedly warned trump not to use trade as a means to force stronger action on north korea. china accounts for 90% of north korea's trade and has been reluctant to punish the regime economically for fear of collapse. yet today china issued an order banning all imports of north korean coal, iron ore and seafood in compliance with tough new u.n. sanctions. meanwhile, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, marine general joseph dunford, began a tour of asia, meeting to reassure south korea's president moon jae-in. dunford says the u.s. still prefers diplomacy to force, but the u.s. is ready to use the full range of its capabilities to respond to any attack. the u.s. staged joint military exercises with japan today and wil

omar villafranca with a navy helicopter making rescues in port arthur, texas. >> we are riding with theicopter squadron 7. the 7th person they have rescued here in this area. the 7th, the neighborhood alone, what they have been doing, is flying in from college station, several hundred miles away. 150 miles away. coming to the beaumont port arthur area. where harvey hit overnight. at this point they are looking for any one who may need help. people have put, white towels, or white shirts by their house. indicating they need help. we see, four, five, rescue helicopters, the coast guard, navy, other agencies here. that are trying to help who ever needs help. this right now, seems to be the hot spot for where there are a lot of residents. many of the roads in, we can't. they're really just nonexistent at this point. people that are coming, up, telling us the water is cold. that they have been sitting in, two to three feet of water for a very long time. one of the first rescues came up, an older woman. wasn't able to get her medication. but her son-in-law who was also rescued was able to gra

anthony. >> mason: omar villafranca in tulsa. thanks, omar. in san antonio, texas, heavy rain today transformed a roadin, stranding young man on top of his car. rescuers couldn't get to him by boat, so firefighters backed up a ladder truck, but that was too short. so they used a stepladder to bridge the gap, and the driver climbed to safety. parts of new orleans were underwater again this past weekend. it wasn't the levee system that failed as it did during hurricane katrina. this time it was the city's pumping stations. they couldn't handle all the rain. demarco morgan is there. >> reporter: torrential rains turned much of new orleans into a swamp on saturday, in some areas canoes were the best way to get around. the dining room at liuzza's restaurant and bar in the mid- city neighborhood was soaked in 18 inches of water, forcing frank bordelon to close his restaurant. >> it's a big financial hit. estimate, i don't know, $60,000, $70,000. >> reporter: nearly 10 inches of rain fell in just over three hours. the city had 24 pumping stations wor

omar villafranca, cbs news, port arthur, texas. >> morgan: just fascinating to watch there. in crosby, texas, residents within a mile and a half of the arc machemical plant have been told to stay away from their homes. the plant was swamped by six feet of water and lost all refrigeration. the chief executive says he expects dangerous chemicals to catch fire or explode, and the company has no way to prevent it. so why was harvey so devastating to houston? some experts tell us the gulf of mexico is as much as seven warm water fuels hurricanes, but that's not the only factor. here's manuel bojorquez. >> reporter: harvey dumped a year's-worth of rain on houston in a matter of days, shattering last year's rainfall, and bringing this year's total to an unprecedented 73 inches. was this just a natural disaster? >> no. no, this was a climate movie influenced storm. there's no question. >> reporter: jim blackburn of rice university has studied the effects of storms on cities for nearly 40 years. he said when harvey came ashore, the storm laid bare another problem decades in the make

norah. >>> omar villafranca thank you for the update. good news.r greg abbott, praised federal response to harvey saying he had spoken on multiple occasions to president trump and members of his cabinet. as nancy cordes reports, several big political fights are looming over the cost of recovery and building. >> reporter: federal resources have begun flooding into texas. 2 million liters of water. 2 million meals. tens of thousands of tarps. all at the direction of fema director brock long. >> the shelter mission will be a very heavy lift. >> earliest mats for recovery and rebuilding are at $40 billion and climbing. but, fema's coffers have dwindled to $3.8 billion. earlier this year the trump administration, proe prosed sla the budget by 11%. >> you will get your funding. terrible tragedy. >> president trump made no mention of the cuts today. >> we are dealing with congress as you know. it is going to be a very expensive situation. we want to take care of the people of texas and louisiana. >> reporter: congress will be facing several other urgent d

>> o'donnell: omar villafranca, thank you so much for that update, that is good news. texas governor greg abbott again today praised the federal response to harvey, saying he had spoken on multiple occasions to president trump and members of his cabinet. but as nancy cordes reports several big political fights are looming over the cost of recovery and building. >> reporter: federal resources have already begun flooding into texas. two million liters of water, two million meals, tens of thousands of tarps. all at the direction of fema director brock long. >> the shelter mission is going to be a very heavy rift. >> reporter: early estimates for recovery and rebuilding are at $40 billion and climbing. but fema's coffers have dwindled to $3.8 billion and earlier this year the trump administration proposed slashing fema's budget by another 11%. >> you're going to get your funding. it's a terrible tragedy. >> reporter: president trump made no mention of those cuts today. >> we are dealing with congress, as you know, it's going to be a very expensive situation. we want to tak

omar villafranca is at a red cross staging-area in houston. omar? >> reporter: the floodwaters keep rising because of the nearly non-stop rain. and that's creating a challenge for relief crews trying to set up new shelters. this convoy belongs to the red cross. they've loaded these vans with blankets, cots, food, supplies. but it is stranded here, it cannot move. to wait for an escort from the coast guard to make sure the supplies and volunteers can get safely to the shelters. food is also a major need in the shelters. red cross workers have been loading plates of snacks, water, and ready to eat meals for what is expected to be thousands of evacuees. the red cross has been working with local authorities to find a safe and dry path to the shelters. but it's such a volatile situation that that changes every time its rains. going as short a distance as miles can take several hours. mark. >> strassman: thank you, omar. a reporter with our houston cbs affiliate, khou, may have saved a truck driver's life this morning. this played out on live tv. reporter

omar villafranca reporting for us in houston. omar, thank you. let's go back to demarco morgan in the houston suburb of dickinson, texas. he was on top of a bridge. we'll get an update from him. demarco? >> kristine, again, this area is completely covered in water as well. highway 45 at 517. a number of people being rescued. behind a tree, looks like some people are being rescued by a boat. a boat cap sized and broke in half, trying to rescue someone, you can see a piece of it. i'm also getting tweets. this is d. calloway who says in dickinson, her grandson is here, a wife 30 weeks pregnant, three young boys and an elerly person. they're saying still needing rescued and are trying to call authorities. if you know them, please reach out to them and help that family. you see this area. let's talk to a family that was rescued not long ago guys. thank you so much, we're glad yu're safe. where are you coming from and what happened? >> we were in the neighborhood by chantilly and all the homes are flooded. we had to go upstairs, and they came by, by bo

omar villafranca reports from a red cross staging area in houston. >> reporter: the floodwaters keepising because of the nonstop rain. that's creating a problem for relief workers who are trying to set up new shelters. this caravan belongs to the american red cross, loaded with cots and blankets and even a blood supply that is in there. but it is stranded here. they cannot move. they have to wait for the u.s. coast guard to escort them to make sure the supplies and the volunteers get to the shelter safely. food is also a major need in the shelters. red cross workers have been loading pallets of snacks, water, and ready to eat meals for what is expected to be thousands of evacuees. the red cross has been working with local authorities to find a safe and dry path to the shelters. but it is such a volatile situation here that that changes every time it rains. going a short of a distance as four miles can take several hours, but the main goal is to get there safely. >> to help people affected by harvey, you can visit redcross.org or text the word harvey to 90999 to make a $10 donation. >

omar villafranca is there. >> reporter: the ef2 tornado hit just after 1:00 in the morning.er of town with 130-mile-per-hour winds. the twister ripped off rooftops, shredded storefronts, and blew out windows. eight people were trapped inside this tgif and officials say at least 30 people were injured by the flying debris. officer demita kinard is with the tulsa police department. >> there were people who had some pretty horrific injured but none were life-threatening, which is great-k and we had no loss of life. >> reporter: but many are wondering why the incontinuous storm didn't trigger warning sirens. at 1:16 meteorologists were monitoring the thunderstorm. but two minutes later it became a tornado. at 1:23 the national weather service started drafting the tornado warning. but it was issued at 1:25 a.m., after the storm left tulsa. national weather service meteorologist steve piltz says they were caught off guard because the tornado was low to the ground, making it difficult for weather experts to predict what was happening on radar and the storm intensified rapidly. >> a

omar villafranca that the mayor is targeting. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.his monument was put up in 1905. also there are statements that the mayor planned to fight the law because he wants this monument pulled down. >> we have no real connection with the civil war, but we are definitely civil rights in terms of this was the cradle of the civility rights movement. >> reporter: the mayor said it was founded after the civil war and the monument is in contrast to the state's struggle with civil rights. >> you don't want to see it. >> no. again, think what it represents. the confederacy was an act of sa diggs and treegs. >> he ordered plywood walled to be put up for this monument that's been standing for more than a century. they're not alone. >> i did what was right for my city. that was my intent, and it is done. >> reporter: chosen for removal. some have been vandalizing or even destroyed. at least four people have been arrested for the toppling of that confederate statue in durham. the mayor said it's something that should have been put to rest a long time a

omar villafranca is in durham with how the emergency escalated. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the children injured here at this ymca were young, ages f through 12. it all started when the lifeguard noticed a chemical spill coming from inside the indoor pool's pump room. that's about the time the students starting showing symptoms and saying they didn't feel well. dozens of children were swimming at the ymca pool wednesday when 9-year-old kamali syler said they were suddenly told to get out of the water. >> everybody came out. >> reporter: kamali said she felt light-headed and her throat her. her father said she was discharged after being treated for sinus irritation. she was one of transported to the hospital for treatment. >> some children began complaining about nausea and breathing issues. our staff immediately contacted ems and began notifying parents. >> where is the actual leak coming from, do you know? >> reporter: has madden tered the building to try to figure out the problem. it appears to be a mechanical issue. sodium hypochlo

. >> omar villafranca is in tulsa where thousands lost power. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. 24 hours after the storm. you can see there's still plenty to clean up. you can see the damage that 130-mile-an-hour winds can do. this is what's left of an at&t store. that roof is peeled over. this kind of damage as i step over sides here, you can see it for blocks. the tornado was on the ground for several minutes. interesting note that sirens did not go off. the national weather service said they didn't notice the tornado on the ground until it was almost in another city. luckily no one was killed. the tornado tore through tulsa, shredding these restaurants and storefronts in the midtown portion of the city. at least eight people were rescued from this tgif restaurant after its roof collapsed. other buildings were reduced to rubble. this stretch of business took the brunt of the damage as the tornado skpe nearly seven miles. >> we've got power lines that are down, big trees that are down, roads that are closed right now. >> reporter: the po

omar villafranca is in front of the church. good morning. >> reporter: good morning., that post said that lakewood would inaccessible due to the severe flooding and included information on area shelters but many on twitter began to question whether it was actually inaccessible and why the pastor wasn't offering the church as a shelter. one person even tweeted $56 million and lives in a $10 million home. opening your church to people in need shouldn't be a problem. but photos provided by lakewood church appeared to show flooding in or near the church. in a statement, osteen said we have never closed our doors, that the church will continue to be a distribution center for those in need and he added they are prepared to shelter people once the other shelters do reach capacity. now, the capacity here at the church is 17,000 people. that's three times the capacity of the convention center where norah is at downtown. houston rockets used to play here. michael jackson had a concert here. this place can hold people so it is a very large facility. they did also mention the chu

vil omar villafranca is in college station, texas. >> good morning.hat sound you hear behind me is a squadron getting ready for another mission. we e rod with them and flew 150 miles to port arthur, texas, and we were there when they started pulling desperate texans from the water. for hundreds of texans stranded in rising watt teshgs path to safety has been this -- a lifeline from the air. helicopter rescue crews are able to pluck residents from rooftops in raging rivers. in five hours the team we flew with pulled eight people and eve an dog to safety from hard-hit port arthur. >> obviously, i haven't seen anything like that before. >> reporter: this lieutenant was a pilot on one of those missions. if you want to be rescued what should they do so a pilot can recognize them? >> we're looking for a two-hand kind of wave like this or anything white, a help sign, anything out of the ordinary. >> reporter: it's a careful coordination to locate and load people desperate to escape a toxic brew of floodwater left by tropical storm harvey. >> telling us that

omar villafranca is at the oklahoma city nationalmeal museum. >> reporter: good morning. federal officils say varnell was upset with the government and anned to use a device similar to the one used in the domestic terror attack here more than 20 years ago. according to court documents, a confidential informant alerted the fbi to his alleged plan. the informant then introduced varnell to an undercover fbi agent posing as someone who could help get bomb making supplies and plan the attack. varnell helped assemble what he thought was a bomb. he was arrested overnight saturday when he tried to detonate it at the bank first building in downtown oklahoma city. varnell reportedly had mental health issues. on his facebook page, a user claiming to be the suspect's brother posted this comment. my brother is schizophrenic and the fbi brought him the van with loaded explosives. but officials said they gave varnell multiple chances to pull out of the attack. if convicted he could face up to 20 years in prison. >> thank youermuy .ch swift is promising to help victims of sexual assault

omar villafranca that the mayor is targeting. >> reporter: good morning.monument was put up in 1905 pi the united daughters of the confederacy. there's a state law this says monuments that have been up for 40 years can't be removed or altered and this wall is considered an alteration. the mayor william bell is willing to fight the law because he wants this monument removed. >> we have no real connection with the civil war, but we are definitely civil rights in terms of this was the cradle of the civil rights movement. >> reporter: mayor william bell says birmingham was founded after the end of the civil war and the monument conflicts with the city's deep history in the struggle for civil rights. you don't want to see it. >> no. again, think what it represents. the confederacy was an act of sedition and treason. >> reporter: tuesday night he ordered city workers to put up plywood walls around the memorial that has stood here for more than a century. birming sham not alone. baltimore's mayor had four confederate monuments removed without warning before dawn

. >> omar villafranca is in tult is a where thousands lost power. >> reporter: good morning. 24 hours after the storm blew through and there is still plenty left to clean up. this storm touched down in a business area of tulsa. you can see what 130-mile-an-hour winds can do. the roof of this at&t store was torn off and peeled over. and damage like this you can see for several blocks here in the midtown tulsa area. interesting note is that the tornado sirens did not go off. the national weather service says they did not sound the sirens until the storm was almost in another town. good news is no one was killed. the tornado tore through tulsa, shredding restaurants and store fronts in the midtown portion of the city. at least eight people were rescued from this friday's restaurant after its roof collapsed. other buildings were nearly reduced to rubble. this stretch of businesses took the brunt of the damage as the twister skipped along nearly seven miles. >> we of got power lines that are down. we've got big trees that are down. we have roads that are closed right now. >> reporter: the

omar villafranca joins us. >> reporter: the post on sunday said lakewood was inaccessible due to thequestion whether lakewood was actually inaccessible and why the pastor wasn't offering the church as a shelter. one person even tweeted joel osteen has a networth of $56 million and lives in a $10 million home. opening your church to people in need shouldn't be a problem. this morning, lakewood church sent us these photos, showing flooding in or nearby the church. in a statement to cbs news, osteen said we have never closed our doors and the church will continue to be a distribution center for those in need. and he added that they are prepared to shelter people once the other shelters do reach capacity. now the capacity here at the church is 17,000 people. that's three times the capacity of the convention center where norah is at downtown. to give you perspective, you mentioned it, houston rockets used to play here. michael jackson had a concert here. this place can hold people. it is a very, very large facility. they did also mention the church starting at noon today will start taking